Return Flight of the "Round Robin"

So this week, I bring to you the exciting conclusion of Spring Cottage Decor Swap 2008. Last week you folks got to see the outgoing package in our round robin event. And Friday I received an amazing package from my swap partner on the Cottage Living boards--- SusieQ. I thought it would be nice to showcase it here today.


What was particularly touching, I felt, was the amount of thought put into the history of the various items. Susie knew I was a vintage girl, and certainly put the package together accordingly.

If you'll recall from last week, the swap participants were to include something to enable old-timey correspondance (not email! haha), and some sort of textile.


I thought the ink bottle was a particularly clever way of meeting the "old fashioned correspondence" criteria. (Also it sort of takes the pressure off me to write by hand because I have really horrifyingly bad handwriting. I mean "bad" to the point that sometimes even I can't read it. )


Says Susie:

"The ink well is made by S.S. Strafford and is circa 1890's. It began as clear glass and changed to amethyst over time from the UV explosure. Some people call it 'sunware.' Apparently the manganese in the glass changes it from clear to amethyst when it is exposed to the sun over a long period of time."

It makes you wonder a bit just how many letters were written with the ink from this pretty little bottle, what sort of stories those letters told, and over what sunny location that desk had presided. (And I love that purple!)

Susie also included this lovely Royal Albert cake plate...


A gal after my own heart, Susie is up on the history of this, as well:

"The cake plate is of the American Beauty series from the Royal Albert China Company. I don't know too much about the company other than that they were formed in England around 1894. I believe the American Beauty series was produced between 1927 and 1977. In 2002, the company stopped production in England and moved it to another country. So the "Made In England" backstamp is more desireable."

I'm guessing, by the spatter style of the gold trim around the edge, this piece might have been made in the 50s. I have some other pieces of china with that style of trim from that period. It will be excellent with a couple of Royal Albert chintz teacups I'd gotten in the late 90s.

Anyone want to pop by for tea and cake? (grin!)

Susie also included some lovely fresh (and French!) yellow-green linens-- napkins and placemats. There are a ton of them here, which is excellent because I'm short a few from some of my other sets-- and mixing and matching the colors is just my style!


Lastly, the package included some fabulous smelling hand-made soaps, and a big ol' gorgeous dark chocolate bar. I have so far held back a whole 48 hours from totally mowing on the chocolate bar, but that probably won't last very long. Dark chocolate is a real favorite of mine.


So that about wraps up our round robin for Spring. Next week, I hope you'll join me as we take a look at the history behind some Edwardian postcards-- and examine a little bit about the actresses that appeared on these beautiful hand-colored photos. You'd be surprised how much information is out there on some of these ladies of stage and silent screen. (I know I was!) Sometimes a postcard is so much more than a postcard.

• If you missed the tour of the spring garden this last Treasure Box Wednesday, you can find it here.

And I do hope you'll join me for this coming Treasure Box Wednesday, as we go gleeful over Depression glass refrigerator containers, vintage sheets, handpainted vases and more!

Round Robins and, er, Round Robins

A couple of times a year I participate in a decorating swap on the Cottage Living forums. The ladies there are super-nice and even though our tastes range from streamlined utilitarian to country to cabin-rustic to Shabby Chic, we all have a lot in common-- we all like a house to look and feel like a home.

So this spring "round robin" swap was a fun challenge. We were supposed to think "fresh" in our choice of items. "Fresh" as in clean air, cut flowers and newly budding trees-- and not in something designed to make the other person blush, in case you were wondering. We were also supposed to include one textile for the kitchen, one handmade item and something to help enable old-timey correspondence.

My swap partner, however, had indicated that she didn't have very good handwriting, (I know how that is myself!) and that she already had a lot of notecards she didn't use. She shared that her kitchen was in country blue and yellow, and she had a teacup border on a wall.

So this is what I went to work with.

The textile part was easy. Blue and yellow being abundant in choice, I selected a crisp new oven mit, a pretty apron in blue with yellow sunflowers, a nice hand-done tablerunner, and even thrifted a set of curtains (new in the package) with blue and white dishes on them. (I thought it might go with her teacup border, or could be used for the fabric.)


To further her teacup theme, I added four pretty yellow sandwich plates and a yellow printed cup and saucer...


You'll also see in the pic above a small blue and gold item... This is a cute little vintage address book -- perfect for a purse-- that I found and freshened up with a bit of paint. The book was a bit scratched to start with-- a bit too shabby and less chic. You can see before and afters here.



The final touch was two color-coordinated notecards, one bearing this cheerful bird friend... Yup, he's a round robin, all right.

Now because the swap itself WAS a "round robin" this meant my swap package would go to one person, but a wholly different person would be sending to me. I think the person sending to me has gotten tied up with other things this season-- it's been a really busy time of year for us all. So should anything arrive to round out this swap, I'll be sure to post.

But amusingly the swap almost didn't stop here. You see, in spite of the fact I sent my package just one state away, I waited two days... three days... four days... Still the package didn't arrive in the hands on my online friend. I was starting to think it had been rerouted to the Bermuda Triangle. Worse, I had been stupid enough to not have tracking on the package-- because again, it seemed to be such a simple transaction. Who could have known?

So because it certainly wasn't my swap partner's fault the postal service had a serious oopsy along the way, I'd started trying to pull together a second package. I thought you might enjoy seeing the cute Pyrex bowl and teacup I found for it...



I'd had no luck finding textiles to go along with them, but it turned out just as well. As when I returned home from shopping and checked my email, I had a joyous message saying the package had arrived. That was day five from when I'd mailed the thing, if you can believe it.

At least my swap partner didn't think I was some kind of fibber! :)

Well, anyway, that's the scoop on the latest swap. So like the red, red robin, it's time for me to go bob-bob-bobbin' along.

I hope you'll join me again this week for Treasure Box Wednesday. And if you missed last Wednesday, that post can be found by clicking here.

Hope spring is treating you well so far!

Of Teacups and Toto: Holiday Decorating Swap

What do you get when a fan of the Wizard of Oz, and a lover of Victoriana swap holiday treasures? Some wonderful surprises for the season.

This was my third swap arranged by the members of the Cottage Living decorating forum, and like the others, it was enormous fun planning, scheming, and scouring the shops for the right things. Our challenge this time was to create a package for our swap partners with items that reflected any of the fall holidays. and there needed to be at least one item that would be for a holiday table, and one ornament.

The package from my swap partner, Jenny, arrived this last week, and it really was a bit like Christmas opening it. This is what she sent me:


Some dried flowers-- (what good Victorian doesn’t have dried flowers at least somewhere in the house?), a paint brush to enable a bit of art, a candle which smells temptingly like orange creamscicles, a jar of olives and an amazing teacup.


The teacup is an absolutely shining addition to my collection. It’s a dark green covered in a really unusual combination of delicate spiderwebs and purple foxglove. I’ve never seen any like it and can’t wait to use it on my table!

The jar of olives I thought was an inspired bit of humor-- which is also pretty obscure, so I’ll explain. For folks who read my recent blog tag about “Seven Things You Might Not Know About Me,” (as clearly Jenny must have!) you might remember I have this inexplicable, deep-rooted love of black olives that traces back to childhood, where my family would actually put a can of them in my Christmas stocking. (Or on the mantle, really, because hey, a can of olives is REALLY HEAVY.) So this year the fine tradition of Christmas Olives carries on. I think if I can hold out from dipping into them until then, I’ll put them on the mantle at Christmastime. That would give me a laugh every time I go into the dining room.


Now onto the package from me to Jenny!


My swap partner I knew was a big fan of The Wizard of Oz. (I totally understand-- it was a favorite of mine growing up, too.) So I thought it might be fun to make her something along those lines. That’s what got me started on the “There’s No Place Like Home... For the Holidays” plaque project. (Instructions on how it was made and more photos can be found by clicking here.)


This, however, while a joy to make, didn’t fulfill my “something for the table” criteria of the swap. So I found this cute Frosty the Snowman inspired tablecloth.


Because my swap partner said she has a Craftsman house, and that she likes some non-traditional Christmas colors, I thought she might also like this basket of rustic-look apples in purples, navy and off-red. I thrifted a cute icy blue doily that appears to have poinsettias on it, just to soften it up a bit.


I also included a pretty Christmas-look tin filled with some fun vintage-look ornaments. Hopefully she’ll be able to find a place she can use them.


And that about wraps up the Holiday Swap! I hope you’ll come back next week when we step back into the late 60s and early 70s and discover “What In the Macrame Is It?” (And no, I didn’t even have to make up that title. You’ll see.)

Have a terrific week!

The Swaps of Summer: Outdoor Decor Swap

You could say it’s because we see our surroundings as art. Or it’s a reaction to a depressing global situation. Or even a mild version of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. But it seems that gals who like a vintage mix-and-match style tend to decorate EVERYTHING, inside and out.

I mean, if you’re visiting and you stay too long, be wary-- you might just get decorated yourself.

We compulsive vintage decorators might also extend this philsophy to scrapbooking. Or making our own notecards. And even the dishes in our kitchens probably have character. Because, hey, you have to eat, but doesn’t food TASTE better when it’s on pretty china? It’s all in the details.

So after the success of the first swap organized by the members of the Cottage Living decorating forum (you can read about that one here), it’s not much of a surprise that we decided to tackle our outdoors next.

Yup, Cottage Girls can’t be stopped.


The rules were as follows: each person would have a swap partner for whom a goody package would be chosen. We were to spend no more than $10 total, not counting shipping. One item had to be something organic-- seeds. bulbs, etc. And the other item needed to be for outdoor decorating or entertaining in some way. The rest was up for grabs.

Each person listed preferences that might help their swap partner-- such as favorite colors, flowers, and style of current outdoor decor. Then we were off and running.

And it absolutely felt like Christmas when my package arrived from my swap partner, Gigi! It was remarkable how she picked up on my taste-- cottage with a Victorian twist.

Just take a look at the lovely pink cloth napkins, tole-painted planter, candles, and sweet vintage candlestick-- all perfect for an evening of sitting out on the porch admiring “The Back Four.”

Gigi additionally added a few bars of her amazing creamy homemade soap and a jar of her bath salts-- a soothing way to end a day of working in the garden. (You can visit her web site, Under the Willow Gifts to learn more about her soap kitchen. Click here.)

And she also made me a cute pink tote-bag which I think will be really handy for flea-marketing.

Now Gigi, I knew, liked reds, blues, greens and pinks. Also, having seen some photos of her vacation cottage, I got the sense her decor had a bit of a country-Victorian feel. She’d mentioned she had yet to get herself a set of windchimes. And that she had a little frog pond, with frog statuary around it-- and had room for a few more frogs.

So this is what I pulled together for Gigi:

• Some cottagey wrought iron candle sconces which could be hung outdoors.
• A metal frog prince to keep the other froggies in line.
• Some froggy napkin holders because they made me laugh (wasn’t trying to over-frog her, but sometimes you’ve got to go for the humor value.)
• A cheerful “gardening angel” window valence (she said she might use this on the door to her soap kitchen-- how cool!)
• And then the challenging craft project-- a painted birdhouse with silverware windchimes.

The painting of the house itself was easy enough. I selected the color scheme based on the happy red door that leads to her soap kitchen, and a blue-gray with a cottage feel to it. Getting the silverware chimes affixed to the birdhouse, though-- that ended up being the tricky bit. They’re attached via five eye-hooks in the base of the birdhouse. From there heavy-duty nylon jewelry thread was attached and beaded.


Then the issues happened. For the silverware with holes already in the handles, threading was simple. But for the hole-free handles... oh dear....

I had HEARD that drilling through stainless steel was not easy.

I had NOT heard, though, that a metal drill bit to stainless steel is like bullets to Superman.

I swear, that spoon just sat there giggling while I applied the drill bit to it, indicating it “tickled a bit.”

So, after a few minutes of this and some very choice words, I decided glue would be the way to go. I had what I thought was heavy duty marine glue, which I applied to the handles and the thread. And after I let it dry for a day, I hung up the windchimes, hearing for the first time a very happy, satisfying chime...

And then a clunk and a clatter as one of the spoons hit my hard wood floor.

So back to the drawing board! For, a gift is not a gift if it falls apart.

I tackled it with some serious outdoors epoxy I’d used on my mosaic stepping stones. This baby should be together and chiming for a good long time! (I pity any baby birds who decide to move into the birdhouse, though... Nice neighborhood, but the noise would have to seriously devalue the property.)

So that’s the story of the Cottage Living outdoor decorating swap. You can see here how nicely the wonderful items I received work for a happy dinner on the porch. Care to take a seat? I set the table just for you!


Oh, you can’t stay long? Well, I am sorry to hear it, but that’s quite all right-- I’ll see you next week, then!

Cottage Decor Swap 2007

Our grandmothers would be in shock; swap-meets have taken to the Internet highway. Now instead of gathering together in a large church basement to trade crafts, baked goods and other items with friends and neighbors, we do so with our virtual neighbors online.

Recently, I had the pleasure of participating in my very first swap. This was a little bit of online whimsy devised by some of the crafty minds on the Cottage Living forum, and efficiently organized by one of the fine members there. In this case, our set of rules were this...

We were each to mail an assigned swap partner a package of cottage-style decorating items for their home. It had to include:

--One floral item (because, hey, what cottage girl doesn’t like flowers?)
--One old or distressed item (because cottage girls are never distressed by distress)
--One recipe
--And the total cost of the items were not to exceed $10 (because cottage girls believe in bargains)

Prior to the swap, each member posted a little info about their favorite colors, flowers, and collectibles, in order to guide their swap partner.

Below is the thoughtful and rather overwhelming collection of goodies my swap partner sent me.
Not only was I touched by how she took into account the colors and types of things I collect-- like the Victorian postcards and transferware plate-- but I particularly appreciated the handmade cards and pretty little notebook she took the time to assemble for me. The fabric-patterned notecards are so cheerful, I’ve included them on my memo board here by my computer, and I think they look right at home.

I’ll be having a lot of fun in the coming week finding just the right place for all of the items. I think it might be hard-- simply because there are so many things they’ll coordinate with!

Now, my swap partner indicated she collected milk glass and vintage handkerchiefs, loved peonies, had a number of rooms in a pale green, and had just beautifully redone some outdoor furniture in a vintage Shabby-chic-styled fabric. This was the kind of information I needed!

So armed with my list o’ rules and my swap partner’s favorites, I set out to, yes, the thrift store and antique malls.

This turned out to be amazing fun because, having never focused on milk glass as an option before, I was really surprised and delighted to see just how much of it is out there. For folks who are collectors, they really have a wide choice of lovely glass pieces, and it has gotten to the point that now when I go out on my shopping adventures, I actually can’t un-see the milk glass!

Anyway, at the Salvation Army, I uncovered a really nice milk glass vase-- good size-- and within my $10 limit. I was rolling!

But what to put in it?

Well, that very day I also found a bouquet of... pale limey green silk peonies of all things! When I saw them there in the craft aisle, I about fell over at the happy coincidence. So I grabbed those babies, which turned out to be just the right size for the vase. So that took care of my “floral” item-- along with enabling my swap partner’s milkglass collection.

The next thing I needed was something distressed. So I decided I’d go with something old, and distress it just slightly, in order to meet the criteria.

I think I’ve mentioned many a time about my Lamp Addiction, and how I like to fix these up to either use myself or give to others. Well, I selected very nice little lamp which was waiting for a home-- because it seemed to me very similar in style to the Shabby Chic outdoor furniture my swap partner redid. Probably originally from the 50s, the lamp just needed a little love and a bit of rewiring to really light up a room once more.

So I removed all the old, questionable wiring and added some new. Then I tackled the off-color fake golds of the lamp fixtures. First I painted the golds out with a vintage moss green. Then when dry, I rubbed various area of the painted metal pieces with a candle. Then I painted over the whole thing with wicker white. When dry, it was easy to rub off the candle wax and reveal bits of the green underneath. I recovered the felt base with some vintage color-coordinated fabric, and topped the whole thing off with a little Rachel Ashwell Shabby Chic shade. And there ya go!

The final part of the package was to include just a few vintage hankies I discovered from an antique mall.

It was a fun project to put together, and so nice to shop for someone else’s collections. But the most interesting thing about the experience, many of the participants agreed (myself included), is that we felt we got a chance to break down the “fourth wall” by sending tangible items into the homes of our online friends. It was just a little bit surreal to know something you chose is in someone else’s house. And best of all it’s been a wholly different way of getting to know each other.

Just one more wonder of the Internet!