SpringTime at Cottage In the Sun

This summer we had a very long road trip (three kids in the car) to the panhandle to help celebrate my cousin's wedding. We stopped at a western museum in Lubbock on the way and my kids were Thrilled to discover jackrabbits everywhere on the grounds! So, to relive the wonderful memories of our trip and to celebrate spring, my daughter and I worked on a jackrabbit template. Here's a sneak peek at the rabbits I will be listing on Friday!

Ready for Spring in South Texas!

We're getting ready for Spring in South Texas! We finally got just a bit of much needed rain, the temperatures are getting into the 70s and 80s, the grass is greening up and the Mountain Laurels are starting to bloom! I'm celebrating with some vibrant Spring colors. New hearts will be ready in my shop beginning this afternoon, but I wanted to give you a sneak peak!

Red Roses

When I was little my Papa grew the most beautiful roses. Whenever I would visit, he would let me pick out a few just for me. He would cut them very carefully with his pocketknife and trim off the thorns so I wouldn't get poked. When I see simple pink and red roses I still think of him. Now, I know roses are predictable for Valentine's Day, but I will always love them! The weekend will be filled with soccer and basketball and cheerleading, so my sweetie brought home roses today. I just had to take some photos! I'm always amazed at how perfectly the layers and layers of petals overlap and these smell divine. Happy Valentine's Day!

Going Cottage

When we moved to our "new" house, I had two goals; only keep and decorate with things that I love or that someone in my family loved and make our home as cozy and inviting as possible. One of the things I missed most about my old house was the built in china cabinet. I was walking on air when I found this built-in corner cabinet that had been removed from an early 1900s south Texas home at my favorite antique shop! Old paint, beadboard, divided glass doors, and those cool little turn-knob latches! And when I asked if they had another one similar . . . they showed me the matching one they had in storage - and I got a discount for buying both! They fit perfectly in the corners on either side of the back window. In this photo it is still decorated for Christmas with one of my tin banners, but the heart stays up year-round!

Love and Heart Banner

I have been trying for months to figure out how to string together words when the letters can't be balanced (like an L or J). A request from a client finally helped me come up with a solution. It's over 3 feet long! I wish I could see it on her wall!

My Gramma's Valentines

My Gramma saved everything! One of my favorite things she saved is the valentines from her school days. They are from the late '10s and early '20s. Framing and matting is so expensive, but can really define the item you want framed. I decided that since the valentines had survived 8 decades without air conditioning and since I was on a really tight budget, I would just have to fake it. I used acid free paper and clear photo corners to "frame" them in frames that I patiently bought over two "sales" at my local craft store. Someday I will probably have them professionally framed, but for right now, I love them!

One of the first questions I was asked after I opened my shop was if I really lived in a cottage in the sun. Well, since I'm in South Texas, I am fortunately more often in the sunshine than not!
We no longer live in our little cottage, but some day we hope to find another little cottage to call home. In the meantime, I use the memories of my favorite things to make our new home more "cottage-y." It was white when we moved in, but while "nesting" with our third child, I decided to paint it in tones that blended in with the rock on the front of the house. I won't even tell you what color it is now.