Rose Cottage Antiques

FUN - FUN - FUN is the only way to describe Rose Cottage Antiques at 208 Main St., Lee, Massachusetts...


Two floors of GORGEOUS vintage finds, all set in themed rooms...


Here's Amanda, looking at some of the aprons in the kitchen...


Speaking of kitchens, isn't this the sweetest cottage kitchen ever? Look at those glass cupboards! And how I would LOVE to have a window in my kitchen!!! (You heard it right... I don't have a single window in my kitchen, ladies... Was that a collective gasp I just heard over my windowless plight? I think so... a sad situation, indeed..)


This is the dining room of Rose Cottage.. Just look at that built-in hutch! As you can see, this shop is housed in a lovely older home with a sweet porch - which I forgot to take a picture of!!


Is anyone looking for silver to add to their collection? Or a tea cart perhaps?


I love doll houses... This was the kids' room on the 2nd floor of Rose Cottage...


My daughter bought a beautiful pleated vintage half slip, new with tags, from the bedroom upstairs... The original tag said $1.70!


I had to take a photo of these cherubs because they reminded me of something that Cindy (My Romantic Home) would make over and put in her beautiful home!


I was SOOOOOOOOOOO tempted to purchase these two original bird paintings... Aren't they COTTAGE spectacular?? They were $55 for the pair though, and considering I had already spent some money at Greylock Cottage, I passed on them (but for two original paintings - and such sweet ones at that - I was tempted!!!)


When we headed back to our car, look what was stacked up behind Rose Cottage Antiques... Of course I thought of Linda at Linda's Blue Gate right away! Can't you just picture the gorgeous yard conservatories she would make out of them??

Yes, if you are ever in the Lee, MA area, definitely set your GPS for Rose Cottage Antiques!!!

Donna

The Greylock Cottage

When my daughter and I headed out to western MA for a bit of girl fun, one of the first towns we visited was Lee, MA. It has the most adorable Main Street...

...which is where I spotted this beautiful shop, The Greylock Cottage at 51 Main Street...


Just look at these cottage chairs.... I love the one with the flowers!


Look what I spotted as soon as we stepped inside... Now that's my kind of birdcage and stand! It looks like it could have come straight from my Nana's house!


There were so many beautiful vintage speads - lots of chenille, fringe, ruffles, and lace....


What a sweet cannister set, just perfect for a cottage decor!


Just look at the beautiful fringed spread and crocheted pillowcase on this antique bed...


We drove around a bit more and found a junktique store which ended up being more "junk" than "tique," but I did like this little red and white kitchen display..


Yellow House Books at 252 Main St. in Great Barrington was a wonderful shop to spend some time in! The entire Main Street of Great Barrington, and the little side streets, were full of wonderful shops and eateries... I definitely want to head back there sometime...

I have a few more places to share with you in a future post... The Berkshires ... such a lovely area to spend some time exploring....

Donna

"An Enchanted Cottage" and "Cape Cod Life" magazines!

Okay, this Flickr thing could be addictive!!! This is my girls on the Cape many, many moons ago!! (They're now 19 and 22!)



See what Cindy started when she posted this on her blog? And then Mary at Little Red House created one, and she even has a running list of other people who created magazines so you can see all of the covers!!

Well, I hopped right over to Flickr to join in on the fun! So here are the first two issues of "An Enchanted Cottage" magazine:


This one features Mr. B (I miss you, my sweet boy)...


And then I had fun creating a "dining room" themed cover...

So here's the Flickr link - I hope you all enjoy having complete control over YOUR personal magazine - cover and articles!!! And then send a link to Mary at Little Red House so she can add you to the list!!

And Kady - thank you so much for the award!! I will be doing a post on awards later in the week, and will include this one in that post... You are so sweet to pass this on to me :)

Donna

The Bluebird of Happiness...

I'm back from my mini-getaway and computer break, and just in time, too, because look who visited our yard today... Isn't he handsome?

A "little birdie" must have told him that I have an endless supply of water for my feathered friends!


Well, he must have flown in through an open window because a bit later I found him inside, sitting in the dining room window...


Not long after, he hopped over to Nana's hutch, settling in next to the bird's nest while chirping to me that he'd like to stay there forever, as he felt right at home with all the blues and pinks in the china pattern. Of course you cay stay, sweet bluebird!!! Oh, and he sings, too!! He has a little music box key on his base that plays "It's a Small World" when wound.
(Okay, here's the real story... I found this little guy in a junktique shop on my mini-getaway to western Massachusetts. He was only $2.50 - how could I pass him up?? He's the epitome of cottage charm!)


And speaking of bluebirds, have you ever seen this Shirley Temple movie? It's one of my favorites. It might be hard to locate a copy at a video/DVD rental store, but there are many video and DVD copies available for purchase on eBay and on-line... It's the story of quite a thoughtless, selfish little girl, and her search for the bluebird of happiness...


At the same junktique shop, I found this vintage blue flower brooch (again, for only a couple of dollars!)... A very cute pin to dress up a sweater or blouse...


...I'll just hang it on the nail head that my swan paint-by-number hangs from until I need it...

I'll share more photos of my little getaway soon... Western Massachusetts is so beautiful... I can't wait to go back again sometime!

And thank you, Alaura, for the lovely award - and Deborah, for tagging me! I will post about the award and tag later in the week!!

Donna

Hutch Makeover - From Prim & Proper to Shabby Cottage

This was our dining room hutch three years ago... We had so many projects going on back then, and this was one of them...


Like all of our furniture, this little hutch started out as an inexpensive piece of unfinished furniture. And, like everything else back in my prim days, it was immediately stained dark brown. (How do you like the plywood subfloors that I painted white? After ripping out our ancient wall to wall carpet, we lived with those for 2 years until we could afford hardwood floors last year. I could never do white floors again - too much work to keep clean!)


But about 3 years ago the cottage bug hit me, so this is how it looks today. I also happened to take possession of my Nana's china during that same time period...


So I refer to it as "Nana's hutch" because I have all of her old china displayed on the shelves and stored inside... I placed a favorite photo of my Nana between two dinner plates on the plate rack above the hutch (perhaps taken about the same time as she picked out this china, as she's a young woman in the photo). Below that is a 1950's photo of my mom and Nana (her mom), with my mom's crystal candy dish on the shelf right below.


The glass knobs and rose & cherub appliques really help with the "prim to cottage" transformation! (The large framed photo is my mom and dad in front of their Niagara Falls honeymoon cottage back in 1951!)


I don't know if it is 'proper' decorating or not, but I love having all the photos of Nana's side of the family mixed in with her good china, and I think she'd really like it, too!


Here's a close up of the pattern and a photo of my mom and dad from the early 80's... So thanks, Nana! I love the pattern as much as you did when you picked it out so many years ago!! I think it's just perfect for my little cottage!!

Donna

It's "Muggy" Today....

Since several people commented on my iced coffee mug from last Tuesday's post, I thought I'd share my whole mismatched collection! But talk about being a "lazy blogger" - you'll see why as you scroll through the photos...


We're always dropping plates or mugs or whatnot in this house, so it's next to impossible to have a matched set of anything... This is the mug that so many of you commented on...


Luckily for me, "mismatched" is now an acceptable theme for setting a table these days! (Wouldn't it have been even prettier with a beverage inside it?... Like I said... Lazy - but it gets worse...)


These are my big, oversized mugs and I use them all the time! (Perhaps I could have at least changed the placemat for a few of the photos?)...


They're all very inexpensive, purchased at The Christmas Tree Shop... Everyone in the New England area knows that "inexpensive" and "Christmas Tree Shop" are synonyms. (Or set up a different 'prop' rather than just my cherub planter??)


This is a smaller mug... I loved the little feet on this one. (Or even shot from a different angle??)


This one looks like such a delicate watercolor painting. (But no... I just shot from the same angle...)


I must admit, these mugs are a very cheerful sight in the kitchen cupboard... (...on the same placemat...)


A sweet cottage rosebud cup.... (with the same cherub planter...)


Only the mugs were changed! (Bad blogger... naughty blogger... lazy blogger...)


So like I said, it's a muggy day here in New England... (that must be why I was lazy... the muggies got to me...)


... but I'll take these kind of "muggies" any day!


Hey, this one looks naked!!! Okay, it may not be colorful but it's still one of my favorites. I think I have two left out of an original set of four Fantasia mugs that I bought back in the 80's at a Princess House home party.

Bottoms up, everyone!!

Donna

Happy Birthday, Dad!

Update to Comments... Thank you ALL for leaving such precious comments! My dad, who isn't of the computer generation, saw his "birthday blog post" on my computer after supper tonight, and he got the biggest kick out of the fact that people who don't even know him took the time to leave such sweet messages/birthday wishes!! Thank you all - so much - for making his birthday all the more special!!!!! ...Donna


Doesn't he look cute out on the deck last night? The apple doesn't fall far from the tree... Look what he's holding - a peanut for Sammy Squirrel or Chip! He's a regular animal lover, and looks forward to the little critters visiting him when we eat out on the deck every night...


And here is is with the girls a couple of years ago... A mutual admiration society, I'd say!!


And here I am, with mom and dad, many, many years ago!

"Blessed is the person who has earned the love of an old dog."

~ Sidney Jeanne Seward

This is one of the most touching photos I have of my dad... Dad absolutely loved our Mr. O'Malley - and vice versa. They were best buddies. Ever since Mom died about 12 years ago, Dad has come over for dinner most nights. Malley would always plunk himself down next to dad, knowing handouts from him were a sure bet. That, of course, earned Dad "top dog" spot in Malley's eyes... Here is Dad, saying his last goodbye to his buddy, the night before O'Malley had to be put to sleep last September... There are so many emotions attached to this ph0to, but most of all love...


No, they don't make them like you anymore, Dad... You are one in a million and we all love you so much!

Love, Donna