Cottage of Memories

an impacting statement

do you remember when you'd ask your kids to do something and they'd always ask 'why' after every logical response you could think of ? finally you resort to 'because i said so'. which in reality isn't a very intelligent answer ? well, i was recently watching an episode of 'The Money Class', which was a special on the OWN network with Suze Orman. there was a man on the show who had a lot of credit card debt and Suze was challenging him to 'stand in his truth' and answer her questions.

it went a bit like this:

S: why do you have so much credit card debt ?

Man: because i like to buy things

S: why?

Man: because i want to have nice things

S: why?

Man: because i like to dress nice and decorate my home nice

S: why?

Man: so that friends will like to come over and people will like me

S: why?

Man: because i want to be like them

S: AH HA !

And then she said these words that struck me and sunk to my core, as if she were talking right to my face.

'What if you changed your thinking. instead of wanting to be like everyone else, why not think that i want everyone else to be like me ?'

stand in your truth.

and there it is. a message from an unlikely source that is helping me to realize that i don't have to be like everyone else in order for others to like me.

i just have to be me.

where is this journey taking me ?

as i mentioned in my last post, it's a new year to embrace on the opportunity to learn and grow and figure out what makes me tick - in other words, do the things i do.

in all of my praying and thinking and seeking, there are some key elements to what i've learned and i think it's important to get it written down. but before i do, i must admit that this is a HUGE step for me. to put my heart on my blog, so to say. i don't really even know why i'm doing this, other than to just get it written down. (as many times as i've tried, i'm just not a consistent journal-er, so it must be in typed form).

so, here goes.

when i was growing up, my daddy would say quite often 'jill, you're so beautiful. . . . . .if only you could lose some weight'. or 'you have such beautiful eyes. . .if only'. . . . or 'you're so smart. . . .if only'. yep - just about every time.

now let me say here that i adored my daddy. and he adored me. i was his little girl and he protected me like nobodies business. there was never a moment when i thought he wasn't trying to protect me from the world. i think he really thought that he was trying to help me.

it never really dawned on me that what he was saying would have an impact later in life. also, as i look back on photos from high school, i may not have been the skinniest kid on the block BUT, i wasn't morbidly obese either. (i wore a size 11 / 13).

so, i came to the conclusion about 18 months ago that the reason i do what it do as it pertains to . . .collecting (some might even say on the verge of very organized hoarding), crafting, swapping, giving tea parties, hosting events, making things for people. . .what ever it may be as it pertains to being socially engaged with others. . .was due to a desire to be loved and appreciated. i subconciously thought that 'well, if i'm a size 18, people won't like me so there has to be another reason.' if i have this or that and then can give it to them if they like it (such as a plate, picture, vase. . . .or whatever else they may like within reason) THEN, there is a reason for people to like me - because why would they hang around if i was a size 18 ?

i am happy to report to you all today that i am (finally) learning to not think like this - and this is my journey.

my Heavenly Father has revealed through His Word and friends and family that I AM ENOUGH, just the way i am.

if my Heavenly Father loves me, and my husband loves me and my children love me and my family loves me, does it really matter if no-one else does ? of course the girl who wants to be loved and appreciated and included and valued and liked and. . .and. . . and. . . still has those moments of uncertainty, but i'm learning.

in the next few days, i'll share how i've been given little nuggets of information and words of wisdom from people i've met and people i haven't and how they've helped me along in this journey.

so, if you've made it this far in the post, thank you for listening.

and thank you for being my friend - even if my dress does have a tag on it that says size 18.

 

*If typepad were cooperating, i would have inserted a pretty picture here, but for some reason it's taking forever to upload a photo. not sure what is going on ! Argh.

another great year is upon us

hello everyone and thanks for coming back to visit.

i know i've been here before - lacking blog posts and making promises i haven't kept. . . like posting pictures of swaps, photos of events and just the regular day to day.

but it's been an interesting year - of learning and growing and undersanding what makes me tick. and the most important. . .why. i've talked about this before, but i have this huge fear of not being accepted and it's been a journey to figure out the why.

in the end, i'm ready for a new year and a new perspective and a new understanding of what's really important. i can't wait to see what the new year brings !

now if i could just figure out what word i'll use for my 'one little word' challenge. i've narrowed it down to a couple - i just haven't been overwhelmed by one over the other, so it might take a bit of time. . . .but i'll be sure to come back and tell you once it's all figured out.

happy new year friends ! i can't wait for a fresh start.

my 'spooky little halloween' mini book

hi !

as promised, here are photo's of my book that i made for the spooky little halloween mini book swap hosted by terri.

these books are so fun to make and create. it's very challenging to fit items into a small little square and yet i love it because you're limited and don't try and go overboard and get overwhelmed with supplies and too many choices.

 
cover - impress-on rub ons by creative imaginations. oct 31st tab by making memories

 
first page - skeleton photo from an old book - 'spooky' metal embellishment from making memories.  the orange bordered square is in end piece from an old box of player piano music. the title of the song is 'rumors are flying' so i thought the bats were perfect - more rub ons.

 
second page - all stickers are from  echo park paper co - this year's. apothocary label is one i ordered from ebay - i think it's the real deal and not a reproduction.

 
third page  - more rub ons - spider and girl trick or treating. you can barely see it, but on the right side of the girl rub on there is a saying 'smell my feet'.

 
back cover - this little 'boogie woogie ghost' is torn from an old piece of sheet music. i just happened to see it this summer when sorting old music to sell, and knew it would be perfect. i love how the tree is dancing too !

i can't wait to receive my package of little books to see what everyone else made. i'll for sure post pictures when i do !

have a beautiful day.

a couple swap sneak peeks

wow - it's october already ? how did that happen ?

september came and went in a blur with school starting, bible study starting, the coburg antique fair, two events where i sold my goods out of town, girl scout events begining in full swing, my job and oh yeah - two swaps i signed up for !

you may remember a mini book swap that was hosted by my friend michelle back in june (did i post about that ? i may have to go back and look - i know i took pictures. oh dear) and when we all received our books, we got a little e-mail from  terri  asking if anyone was interested in a 'spooky little halloween' themed mini-book swap. i immediatly signed up (back in June, i didn't realize i'd be so busy!) and knew i wanted to play in this fun swap. well, i mistook / misread  the mailing deadline, so i needed to create, copy and mail my little books in only 2 days ! if any of my swap mates are reading this - i am so sorry to have held things up !

well, here is a little sneak peak of the cover. once we get all of the books, i'll post the whole thing here too. (it's already written and set to post on the 15th, so no fear - it will be here !) 
for the majority of the book, i searched in my halloweened themed box of scrapbooking supplies and found this great grey polka dot paper. i knew immediately that it would be my base. all of the rub-ons are from an older Creative Imaginations Swatch Book (Impress-ons) including the haunted house on the cover.

then if you've ever participated in one of Heathers swaps - you know you kick yourself when you miss one because they are so fun. i love her inspiration box swaps. it's a fun challenge to see how many goodies you can stuff into a match box ! i was paired up this time with Heidi  and  Sheila   - two gals i haven't been paired up with before and after reading their blogs, i couldn't be more delighted.

here is a sneak peak of the side of the box.

 
 

i purchased a pair of not-so-old-but-still-fabulous rhinestone earrings at an estate sale this summer for $2 and was thrilled when they worked for the 'drawer pulls'. i just poked a hole in the side, and stuck the earring in and wa-la (well, after some E6000 was applied so it wouldn't fall off). again, we haven't received our packages yet, so i won't show you the contents of what i put in their boxes until later this week. but they were full to the brim !

and then i have one (not-so) funny thing to show you.

do you ever do this ?

 
after looking over my calendar and assessing what i'm up for in the coming month, i decided to write this for next weekend. how sad is this ?

really ? i am so busy i have to write this ? i guess so.

may your day's be filled with abundant blessings and weekends where you don't plan anything.

Coburg Antique Faire 2011

another year of this fabulous shopping event has come and gone.  and i am exhausted.

but this year was different. we didn't have any classes at the house the day before. i didn't have anyone spend the night and get up to go with, and (boo hoo) my friend michelle didn't come down to share in the excitement (i missed you !)

and - i didn't get up at the crack of dawn to be there with flashlights at 5:00 am. nope - i hit mr. snooze and got up at 5:30 and was there by 6:30. no flashlights needed this time. and it was a-okay with me.

this antique fair closes several streets in the wonderful little town of Coburg - just north of Eugene and is packed with vendors. I would say at least 250 +. with something for everyone.

i usually start down one street that has several of my favorite vendors, but this year i started down a different street - one that is always the 'left over street' at the end of the day - and I'm so glad i did.

cute basket for studio -  found. wonderful flower baskets and shabby teal shelf - found. friends found and hugged - done. then i walked into one booth and a little book caught my eye. i collect and use vintage journals, and i thought that this might be one. the spine on it says 'Terminal Taxi Service', so i thought maybe it was a Taxi service route journal.  (there was another person who had just set this down too - whew ! so glad it didn't have a price in it yet)

 
then i saw this page

 
and then my heart started to beat faster and i got goosebumps.

and then i found it.

 
my parents ! John E and Claire Mae Theilade

this is a phone book from 1951 - and i knew they lived here then. my sister jackie was born here and my brother john, so imagine my delight.

 

i find it so interesting that it not only has their names, but the number '1' after their name must indicate the number of children they had at the time. then my fathers profession and the company he worked for. and the address where they lived. one of these days i'll have to drive by that address and see if the house is still there.

so although i paid more than i really wanted to or budgeted for, it was a well spent $25 in my opinion. a fun piece to add to the family heritage.

here are the other things i found today.

 
some will go in my halloween display and some will go in my studio.

 
 
 

(to go above the dog and cat water dishes - is this not perfect ?)
 
 
and some will find their way to battleground next weekend ! more on that adventure in the next couple of days.

thanks for sharing in my excitement ! i'm headed to bed now - did i mention i'm exhausted ?

 

a vintage gathering - july show - biggest of the year

i can't believe it's only 3 days away. . . .

this fabulous show that i am blessed to be participating in again.

and the wonderful ladies who are organizing this have added another night to the festivities - yes, not only will we be open on Saturday  (8 am - 4 pm) - but Friday night too ! (5 pm to 9 pm)

starting at 5:00, you can join us for some wonderful shopping and visiting and laughing and listening to live music and eating and. . . . .whew. i'm tired just thinking about it. the theme for Friday  night is 'Candlelight and Campfire' so there are sure to be many vintage camping treasures. i've gathered a few, but with 20+ vendors, there is bound to be something for everyone ! plus - there will be a campfire ! so you can relax and roast marshmallows and make smores. yumm.

all week long, between taking my sweet daughter to camp and having romantic dinners with my husband (more on that later - i have some great restaurant reviews!), i've been gathering (from the garage), washing, painting, pricing and boxing up treasures to take with me.

 

and oh - there are some good treasures. like cubbies and shelves and painted and chippy dressers. a childs sweet desk, and a vintage table (in photo below). and i've been painting / making chalkboards out of vintage cupboard doors. ephemera, vintage journals and lots of sweet 'littles'. mostly in crusty rusties and creamy whites. there will be little pops of color - silver and teal, pink and green. but mostly the worn, vintage look that i love.

 
 

 
 
i will also be taking some sweet artwork by my friend emily. she makes the best collages out of vintage game pieces.

 

 . . . . are you joining me ? (directions and details are here)

it will be so much fun - please come say hello !

my booth is called 'lily claire' - under the latte' colored canopy !

(and stay tuned - because when i get back, i'm doing another show here in town again ! )

mark your calendars for august 13th ! i can't wait.

where bloggers create part 3

it hardly seems possible that a year has gone by since my last studio tour while participating in this fun event - hosted by Karen over at My Desert Cottage. but it has.

and my little studio has undergone a bit of a transformation with some new pieces and inspiration that surrounds. all in the last two weeks ! parties are such a great way to go through our collections and organize - don't 'cha think ?

i hope you enjoy the tour ! (warning - it's a bit long - so hold on tight)

as I've mentioned before, my room sits right in the middle of the house.  no doors to close or shades to pull. this room / desk not only serves as my studio table, it's also where i pay bills, complete my bible study, price for my antiques booth, and so many other things that come with being a wife and mother - which i absolutely love. and since this is a room that is always seen, it must reflect the decor of my home, which is decorated in vintage items.

first, let me show you my favorite new addition. this wonderful shelf and paper divider. these are two separate pieces, purchased at two separate times.  the shelf came off a kitchen island i purchased this spring and sat in the garage for a while until i realized i wanted it in here. it was already this wonderful creamy white - so i just added in some of my favorites. it was so fun to go 'shopping' in my garage for many of the needed storage items that fill the shelves - adding to what was already displayed. It sits on my childhood dresser that i painted black.

 

the photos on the top are from the 1948 wedding of my parents - earl and claire. i adore and cherish these photos and they'll always be right here in my room. as you can see, i've added some ledgers and books along with more jewelry boxes and flowers vases that hold things like beads, buttons, bino cards, autograph books and resin flowers.
 

the paper sorter is a piece i found for $3.99 at a thrift store over a year ago. i had it on my desk and didn't like it's funtionality so it went in the garage.  when i was looking for a place to store my booth price tags and copies of items i use in collages, i knew this would be the perfect piece. and amazingly, the width was exactly the same as the shelf !
 
 
here is the wonderful wire rack i found at an antique store a few years ago. it continues to hold a large portion of my lace, game cards, millinery flowers, thread and small wallpaper rolls. 
these two shelves hold many of my supplies from glitter, buttons, clock pieces, letters, adhesives, paint, stamps, ink, etc. i like how the baskets and boxes fit just perfectly on the shelves, as if they were made for each other. i especially love the photo of my mom on the shelf above - isn't she beautiful ? just like a movie star. this is my favorite photo of her.

 
 
 
then above my side desk where my computer / printer is, i've added this inspiration board. it holds pictures from magazines, swaps that i've made and wanted to keep samples of, family photos, and a variety of other miscellaneous items. 
 
above that is the jewelry box shelf, which holds even more supplies such as small ephemera, metal letters, ribbon bits, broken jewelry, more lace and other treasures. a favorite new addition is the crown you see at the top that natalie made for me during the crown swap for silver bella last year. i treasure this crown - it was made so beautifully and carefully. you can tell how much love was put into it.

an area that really changed for me was removing the old three tiered circular plant stand that housed all of my ribbon. i found that i wasn't using as much ribbon in my projects any more, so i found a different place to store it all so this little corner would be free. again, i went shopping in my garage and found a little shelf  i'd purchased last fall when a favorite antique store went out of business. this was the perfect solution for my magazine rack, and all of the other idea books that i collect / use / gain inspiration from.

 
whew - are you still with me ? i hope you're not bored !

 
this little cubby shelf holds so many treasures. here - i'll let the photos show you !

 
 
 
 
 
 
 and this black cabinet is one of the things i asked my sisters for when mom passed away. it was a horrible green color and she kept it in the shed, but when i brought it home, i spiffed it up with a coat of black paint and it holds even more supplies. mostly extras - ribbon, glue, glitter and some older scrapbook supplies i just can't say goodbye to. 
 
this grey cabinet is new too - and i've filled it to the brim with vintage boxes filled with tags, items i've purchased to give away during swaps, postage stamps and twill tape. above it is an old drawer that i collaged vintage sheet music onto and made a shelf. next to a stack of vintage french books, there is another picture of my parents on a date in portland at the hy-mac club. this would have been in 1947.

 
 

then the main shelf of the studio. i don't know how many times i've re-organized this shelf, but i think it is finally where i want it to stay. locker baskets with all sorts of ephemera and a whole shelf of vintage journals and victorian photo books. this makes me happy. the bottom shelf still holds way more scrapbooking paper that any girl should own, but i do delve into it every so often for a project. and the top shelf holds a collection of vintage hat boxes along with a beautiful head vase.

 
 
oh - and i almost forgot. i added a stack of vintage suitcases to the end of the desk that holds letter stickers, rub ons, word stickers and all kinds of other embellishments. on the top is a great cubby/divider that holds glassine envelopes, stir sticks (that make great disposable glue applicators) vintage calendars and other 'littles'.

 
i hope you're not asleep now - because i'm sure there are several more blogs you'l like to visit - me too !

thank you so much for visiting.

may your day be filled with blessings ~ jill

flea market treasures

over the course of the last two months, i have visited the flea market here in Eugene (called Piccadilly) three times - which is pretty rare for me.  not that i don't love to go (even though you see the exact same vendors with almost the exact same-mostly-over-priced items) - it's because i rarely have time or i always forget which sunday they have it on.

lucky me though, the times i went, i found some great treasures.

one gal i saw there for the first time was lisa - otherwise known to me as 'the jewelry lady'. lisa always attends my yard sales and i always see her at estate sales and other yard sales searching for. . .yep. . .jewelry. i don't really 'know' her - i just know who she is.  but lucky for me, this time she had 7 long tables FULL of jewelry. broken. whole. pieces. earrings. necklaces. bracelets. brooches. you name it, she probobly had it.

so i spent about 1 hour just pouring over the jewelry. that was in stacks. and tangled together. and dirty. but an hour and only $5 later (yep - you read that right) i walked out with this pile of yummy goodness. and this is just the pearls. i also had some pins and broken pieces that didn't end up in the picture.

 

 
amazing shoe clips. didn't find the matches, but this will look great on a journal cover, don't cha think ?

for the first time, i'm linking up with faded charm for white wednesday. i hope to make it an ongoing appointment !

so i went back 2 weeks later and spent another $30 and walked away with 3 - gallon sized bags full to the brim of more jewelry. this should keep me well stocked for a long time.  (no photos this time - it was getting dark outside)

one thing i decided to do with some of the necklaces is include them on my bird themed tags for the bird tag swap that karla is hosting. i shared a bit about it in the last post, but revamped it just a little. i didn't like the music on the tag and then the word nest stamped on didn't look right to me. so i switched to a coffee dyed tag with no word.  some of the many pearls i found on the jewelry table ended up in the little nests that i make out of non-zig-zag shredded paper, glue and walnut ink.  what do you think ?

 
 
other treasures i found over the course of a couple of months include:

 
a great old leather box, music book, vintage wedding photo and some christmas bulbs. and the white pedastal things. not sure what they are really for, but i picked them up in case i needed them for display. at 50 cents each, i couldn't pass them up.

 

a vintage smocking pattern book with two simplicity smocking patterns. i think i'll send these to alicia.

 
a sweet, plumpy baby photo, come ephemera and a handful of buttons. also, a round powder box.

 
and this bundle of lovely teal and cream goodness. a salt shaker, two padlocks, lace, buttons, hot pad and a fun litle treasure that reminds me of my childhood. do you see it ?

 
there it is ! a vintage princess phone key chain. i remember mine very well and loved seeing this one. it was only 35 cents. score ! the bonus is that long strand of pearls. it was in my bag - of - pearl - goodness and isn't broken. i'll be wearing that gem, for sure.

 
and an old address book, that was really used as a journal. i love the quote in the front cover. 'There is no time like spring when life is alive in everything'.

have a blessed day my friends ! i need to go finish my tags now. jill

 

 

i was inspired tonight

as i was blog hopping tonight - which i do quite often - i came to one of my favorites - Karla's Cottage. i had the pleasure of meeting Karla at Silver Bella last year, and i love to follow her blog. she linked to a post about a bird themed tag book and mentioned she had openings. i e-mailed her right away with interest.  hmmm - if there was still room in the swap, what would i make ?

just then, i looked over to the side of my desk to find some pieces of fabric i had stamped a few weeks back with a bird on them.  i had no idea at the time what i'd do with them - i was just experimenting with the ink and fabric. another glance found some vintage sheet music and a HUGE bag of broken pearl necklaces and jewelry i had purchased at the flea market a few weeks back. it came to me what i wanted to do, and in less than 10 minutes, i had made this tag.

 

i think i like it ! (although it might need something at the top - i'll have to play with that) and if  there is room in the swap, i'll only need to make 6 more. easy peasy.

hmm. what to do with the leftovers ?

well, i had a bottle and a frame sitting on my desk. lace is never far away, so i came up with this.

 
and keys are just across the room. . . and i came up with this.

 
it was so fun to just sit and create with the items i had around me.  there is a lot on my mind tonight, so it was a good distraction and kept my hands busy.

now the decision - do i keep these for myself, or sell them at vintage marketplace at the end of the month ? or make about a dozen more - goodness knows i have the supplies - and sell those. i think i like that idea.

have a blessed day !  jill