Silly old bear

Meet Mr. Whiskers

Sometimes you get lucky and meet someone through this wild and wonderful world of bloggers that becomes a fast friend, even though you may be geographically challenged and sharing a cuppa face to face is not possible, you feel as though you have known each other for ages. I have been so lucky in this respect, I feel as though I have received a gift of great bounty in friends from far away places. The fact that these friends are also incredibly talented, terribly creative, and makers of magical things, is truly inspiring.

Jess from Teddy Bear's Wednesday is one such remarkable friend. She is a maker of extraordinary creatures, most notably of the bear variety, but she is hardly limited to just one species. You can take one look at her Etsy shop to see she has a gift for creating critters with personality and panache!


One day whilst perusing her instagram feed, I spied the beginnings of a bear, he was just a head at this point, but I knew he was going to be quite special. Later I saw that she had posted about him on her blog and I knew he had to come live with me. So, I promptly put in my application for adoption and was thrilled to be accepted. Fashioned after the old Steiff bears, Jess hand dyes the mohair, stitches all by hand, meticulously ages the bear and gives each one his/her own unique personality.

This is Mr. Whiskers settling in to his new home having a bit of jet lag and a laugh with an old straw hat he found in one of my closets.

Here is what Jess had to say about him:
"The moment Mr Whiskers became a head, i knew he was a Pop, he was a bit of an old man bear. And as he grew into more and more of a whole bear, i knew that he He likes his mocassins, his cups of teas with 4 sugars, tinkering in his shed and is a bit of a dunker ( biscuits/cookies in tea).
That every Saturday he likes to buy a lotto ticket, he's a long suffering Richmond supporter and is fond of the ocassional punt on the horses."


I have since discovered that his first name is Otis and he is a brilliant addition to the little green cottage. From the moment I held him in my hands, the perfect feel and weight of him, his funny old pop ways, his blue cardi...well, it was love.

Thank you Jess, you are an artist!

Oh, and we may be having that cuppa face to face after all!

Hello Monday Mail Call

Silver pail necklace from Silverpebble Jewelry

There has been some rather exciting mail coming in to the little green cottage recently. There is nothing quite like receiving a parcel in the post, savoring the opening of the package and seeing the magical things inside. Since I began this blog, I have received such amazing things from far away places and fabulous friends. Hooray for that!

First, let me tell you, it was quite a thrill to get a note from the lovely Emma Mitchell of Silverpebble asking me to make a prairie dress for her sweet girl. Would I? Oh indeed I would! We came to the amicable arrangement of a swap, such a good idea you know considering she makes the prettiest jewelry. Oh, and did you hear? She was featured in Country Living Magazine UK along with her wonderful studio and garden!


While I sewed away here in the verdant green of the Northwest United States, she created away over there "on the edge of the watery fens in England." Off went our packages across the sea and landed on each other's doorsteps within a few days of one another.

I could not be happier. I spied this little silver pail necklace some time ago and I was smitten. It is gorgeous and a little quirky so of course I wanted it. Now I have one of my very own made with love and care by Emma. She was very kind and sent along a few little extras in the way of wee vintage doilies and buttons, yes I think she knew just what I would like.


Please go take a look at the Silverpebble shop, she has a whole array of beautiful jewelry to choose from.

I wish I lived down the lane from her, and not just to hang about in her garden and studio, as she also teaches workshops!

Thank you so much Emma! I love my necklace and so enjoyed our swap!

I'll be back tomorrow with another bit of truly magical mail.

More good things

Alright, continuing on with the good things...

You may recall that Good Thing #1 was The Weather.

Now on to Good Thing #2: A Bedroom Spruce Up

There has been much discussion of late regarding the painting of my girl's bedroom walls; let's just say that her vision and mine differ slightly. It's not that I have great objection to vivid pink, or scarlet red, or bright blue; it is rather the fickle nature of my girl's passion for color - by that I mean that she changes her mind every few minutes. My suggestion was to go with something in the white/cream range (which was met with a roll of the eyes and a "Booorring") so that whenever she felt the desire, she could change the color scheme with accessories. An impasse was reached and we both agreed to spend a little more time mulling it over before making any long-reaching decisions.

In the meantime, a shuffling and sprucing up seemed to be the order. With the removal of an armoire and the addition of a desk, she now has a creative space of her very own.

The bed was prettied with some quilty love along with twinkle lights. Oh yes, it is a dreamy spot for sure.

Good Thing #3: A Delivery

On Saturday a big truck pulled up in front of The Little Green Cottage to deliver 2 very large crates containing things from my grandparent's home. Family antiques, furniture and a few 'mystery boxes'! It was a little like Christmas. There was a beautiful old dresser, an antique steamer trunk painted by my grandmother, that was once in my childhood bedroom - now claimed by my girl as it is clearly a pirate's treasure trunk!

A deliciously green vintage metal shop cabinet that once held my grandfather's lapidary specimens and will now house my vintage kitchen ware and other doodads.

And of course, the Pièce de résistance!

Oh my yes, that is indeed a Hot Pink Velvet loveseat! I have had my heart set on this settee since I was 7 years old! Highly impractical? Yes! Totally nonfunctional for our space? Certainly! Is there room for it in the LITTLE green cottage? Heck No! None of this matters for swoon it is a hot pink velvet loveseat! 'Nuf said.

I'll be showing you more family treasures as I clear paths through the house; there are still those 'mystery boxes' to go through! It is interesting to have some of these items in my home after growing up with them in my grandparent's homes. It is nice to feel a connection to my family, my history. Now if only I can figure out where it is all going to fit.

Tomorrow I have even more good things to share.

What good things are going on with you?

Happy Friday Giveaway!

Happy Friday! I am having a hard time believing it is well into November now, what happened there? I am not ready for the end of the year just yet, what is a gal to do?

I am however, looking forward to the New Year, when the massive project I've been working on will be mostly over but for the clean up, and I can get back to a more normal routine.

To cheer myself up a bit I thought I would have a tiny give away today!
I'm giving away the two Flirty Fabric Wallets I made for Issue 5 of Mollie Makes Magazine. Think of it as an early holiday present.

There's this Deco one.

And this Rosy one.

That means there will be two winners! I will ship anywhere. All you need to do to have a chance to win is to leave me comment here on this post telling me what you love most about winter. Also, let me know your wallet preference. Easy Peasy!

The giveaway will be open until Thurs. November 17th midnight, and the winner will be announced next Friday!

Have a wonderful weekend all!

Thank you all for your wonderful comments, I so enjoyed reading them! The winners have been announced HERE!

I Want A New Toy (oh ay oh)

... to keep my head expanding.

So looky what came in the mail! There really is nothing like getting a package in the mail - especially when it is being delivered by a rather attractive postman. Of course the scenario would have been much better had I not been wearing the Engineer's grubby college t-shirt, paint covered 'comfy pants,' hair sticking out all over a la crazy cat lady, and covered in dirt from the garden at the time...I digress.

I ordered a load of new fabric paint. I am trying out some new products plus replenishing my regular supply, and I'm pretty excited about it. "I'm painting, I'm painting again."

I ordered from Dharma Trading Company, they have a vast selection of paints, inks, dyes, roving, and an astonishing amount of dye-able scarves and clothing. I wanted to make sure and give them a mention. This is only the second time I have ordered from the company though they have been around for ages. My first order was very smooth and arrived quickly. This time, about an hour after I made my order on-line, my phone rang. "Hi, this is Michelle* from Dharma Trading Company and we are just processing you order and packing it up. I noticed you chose 3 day shipping but, regular priority mail will get there just as quickly and you will save $5.00 on your bill." I don't think I have ever received a call like that from a company, for the staff to take the time to call me personally to save me $5.00 is a pretty big plus in my book. The paints arrived within 3 days and the items were packed so carefully, I am quite pleased. Often people seem to be chomping at the bit to say something negative about a company and it's service but, too few take the time to report really positive feedback. So, I highly recommend them. Their prices are quite fair and their service outstanding. I don't know if they ship absolutely everywhere but, you should go have a look.

Today I am also headed to the camera shop. "I take pictures, photographic pictures. Bright light, dark room." I am going to have a gander at some new equipment and hopefully receive some sound professional advice. I will try my absolute darndest not to become overly-excited and sweep up the first handsome camera that catches my eye. I will attempt to be discerning and wise and more patient than usual. I am hoping that my lesson has been learned from my last impulsive foray into new camera ownership. Not too long ago I found myself seduced by consumer reviews and promises of glory. The affair lasted only 2 days before I saw the error of my ways and took him back to where I found him.

So that's it for now. Happy Monday!
And kudos to you if you spotted the obscure 80's song lyrics dotted throughout this post!

*not her real name.

For the love of toast!

It's that time again! The brief window of local strawberry goodness has arrived and of course, we made jam.

We have become a seasoned, well oiled machine when it comes to our annual jam making. At 10 am on Sunday I brought home the berries, by noon we had 33 jars of ruby red deliciousness to take us through to next year.

This morning I sat at the window with my coffee, a thick slice of bread slathered with strawberry jam, and thought how the best things in life are made by hand. Oh how I love toast!

As if that were not enough goodness for one weekend, I also received a special parcel in the post from across the big pond. Pomona of Little Cottage Comforts, had a giveaway recently and I was the lucky winner.

Honestly, with all that's been going on 'round here I had completely forgotten about it until it arrived. What a gorgeous surprise! A lovely book on button jewelry and the very generous Pomona included the prettiest pieces of fabric and some sweet buttons too!

There really is nothing like getting happy packages in the mail to cheer one's day. Thank you Pomona! Oh, I just popped over to her blog and she is having another fabulous giveaway, go see!

What a good way to start a new week.
Happy Monday!

Today I am

Sorting through beautiful ribbons in happy colors.

Collecting a pile of pitching rocks at the back door to defend our ladies from rascally (not the word I wanted to say) raccoons. Two of the critters got a hold of our dear Fran and nearly tore her to bits! Fortunately I was quick on the draw and ran them off. Poor dear, she has a rather bunged up wing but seems to be otherwise alright.

Savoring going through a 'Big Box of Happy' from my mother (who is famous for her big boxes of happy); full of things that belonged to my Nanan. I love the primitive granite ware and crockery.

Gorgeous tea towels and pill box!

Today I am so glad to have my family all together in the little green cottage, with the sun beginning to break through the clouds!

How about you?

Box of Happy

Not too long ago, a friend and I decided to do a trade. I had some things and she had some things and we agreed to send the things to each other. O.k., first let me say that this was an awesome idea! Secondly, oh what a box of happy I received! I am overwhelmed with silly happy goodness.

That gorgeous fabric is just screaming to become something wonderful for Pony Girl. It is from Nic of luzia pimpinella and it's called LOVEchirp, so lovely! And ribbon trims of happiness in all their glory.

Some goodness for Pony Girl included a much adored polka dotty tea set...

...the cutest wind up mama duck with 3 ducklings, which seem to have waddled off somewhere unknown, and a super fantastic skirt of Nancy's Studio Tantrum Laguna Skirt design.

And for me, more stupendous gifts of the vintage persuasion! Check out this vintage strawberry cannister, which looks to be from a soda fountain...

How cool is that? Also this beautiful vintage purse which now proudly hangs in my bedroom!

Oh, there was also some chocolate but, you can imagine what has become of that.

Dearest Nancy, I can not thank you enough. Everything was so perfectly perfect and brought us such joy! I am truly blessed with amazing friends. Such a lucky lady am I!

I hope you all have a groovy weekend, I'm off to contemplate a first day of school dress for the one and only Pony Girl.

I'm A Winner!

I've been meaning to post about what a winner I am for a bit now and I'm finally getting 'round to it. These days it seems that I am so far behind, that I have actually gotten ahead of myself. I have also been speaking in nonsense for days now.

So right, I recently won a giveaway over at Fox's Lane of a beautiful bundle of vintage sheet pieces! Aren't they lovely? Thank you Kate! Now I get to make something sweet with them.

Wait, there's more! One of my favorite blog sites is The Yard Art Game, I always get a much needed chuckle when I visit. Well, recently there was a giveaway and I won! I know, I know, I'm on a roll! I won this super duper cool solar powered Glow Stick! Check it out.

It charges during the day and then at night it puts on a little light show, and changes colors!!! I am way more enchanted by it than is perhaps "normal" but, I just can't help it. I am very entertained by such things plus, I am now prepared for my very own backyard eco-friendly RAVE.

Look at the colors!
It also does green but, I didn't capture that on film.

Right now it is placed next to the chicken coop so that the chooks have their very own nightly light show, maybe I should pipe in some Pink Floyd so that they can have the full experience.

Thank you to my generous gifters, you have made my days (and nights) a little sweeter.

As for you dear readers, I think that you are winners too! Have a grand weekend and I shall return with stories of stitchery and perhaps even pie!

Box of Happy

Another tale from a 'big box of happy'...coming from my mum. You see, from time to time my mother gathers up bits and baubles that she thinks I might like. Perhaps a yard sale, a neighbor's uncluttering, ebay, or even her own stash of goodness.

When she has enough things to fill a box, she then sends them off to me. I receive them with a little happy dance and then savor the process of going through the box of delights.

I thought I would share the latest. I wish we could get some decent light around here. We had a sun break yesterday but, I used the opportunity to work in the garden instead of photographing.

A whole lovely mess of vintage linens, pot holders and some much desired vintage wooden hangars!

And then this treat...

I love this little Japanese tray and coaster set in mint vintage condition along with those bright red knitting needles with wee wooden tops! Both of these items are from my mother's own collection and I am just pleased as punch that she wanted to share them with me.

The linens need a good soaking and washing before I decide their fate, but I look forward to that kind of laundry.

Speaking of my dear mum, she is coming to visit later this week and we are quite excited to see her!

I will be back tomorrow to hopefully show you what me and my machine have been getting up to.

Box of Happy

Delicious hand painted merino yarn

The other day in the post, I received a big box of happy. From my Mum. My mother is a spoiler; as in, my mother spoils us rotten. She is much too good to me, really. When my mother sends a package, it is no ordinary thing, it is rather, an event. One which has been in the works for months.

Beautiful vintage and new fabrics

She collects bits of this and that for me over time. Once the pile grows to a certain size, she packs it all up cleverly in a box filled to the brim. Then it makes it's way from California to my door.

Vintage buttons and crocheted trivets and potholders from my grandmother's collection

When it arrives, I delay the opening of the box as long as I can, to increase the exciting anticipation. Then, when miss ringlet and I can no longer stand it, we open the box and gasp with delight. Presents for the girl are opened first of course and are met with gleeful comments and happy faces. Whilst the small one is entertaining herself with her goodies, I take the box to some uncluttered corner and carefully go through the contents. I only look at the items briefly, then I pack it all back up in the box just as it came and put it aside. Later, when the girl is in bed and I have a long quiet spell, I go back and take out each thing and investigate it completely. I run my hands over fabric, finger vintage buttons, admire lacework and crochet, sigh over stunning yarn, and generally relish the entire process.

These pictures do not represent even half of the happy!

I deeply appreciate my mother taking such care and sending me such wonderful things. Not a bad way to help out with a "challenge of the utmost kind" either.

Thank you mom.

I will be back soon with even more happy!