You were always on my mind....

While in New Hampshire a couple of weeks ago, my car (all on its own, mind you) headed straight to one of my favorite places to browse - Fairground Antiques in Swanzey...

I often come across things that remind me of something I've bought in the past, or of someone I know.... For example...


I spotted this little robin's egg blue Mellin Infant Formula bottle, very similar to the one I purchased last year in New Hampshire...


And this sweet little angel reminded me of my mom, who was Irish through and through!!


And a really good friend of mine loves The Wizard of Oz... Jill, don't you think this little guy kind of looks like a flying monkey? (if they were cute and sweet, of course!!)

But did you know that many of you are also on my mind as I browse through the aisles of these shops? Yup! I often find myself thinking of my blogging friends when I spot certain goodies!

Mini Update for Tammy: Okay, Tammy (For A Stitch in Thyme), as soon as you left a comment that clowns creep you out, I had to add this photo from Fairground Antiques as well - just for you! ha ha (I didn't show all my photos from that day because my post would have gone on forever if I'd included them all!)... Does the fact that it's done in pretty pastels make it any less creepy? LOL

This little display reminded me of Claudia (Mockingbird Hill Cottage)... The dog on the ashtray reminds me so much of her Scout, and the vase/wall pocket next to it is McCoy...


And this Hallmark motto featuring "Home" by Edgar Guest also made me think of Claudia (who has a special connection to Edgar Guest!!) ...

Here's a nice collection of dolls (although the one in black kind of creeps me out)...

... but it was this display that made me think of Rue (Rue's Peanut Butter & Jelly Life)... There's a little box with the beautiful American flag that Rue displays so proudly on her home... but right next to it is a doll head that I know would creep her out because she recently posted about one!!

And I thought of Annie, Rue's daughter, when I spotted this sweet guy because she's got a huge collection of horse statues in her beautiful new bedroom!

Look at the back side of this hand-painted horse picture.. I often wonder how a gift so personal and special ends up in a junktique store...

You know who I thought of when I spotted these lamps? Me! At $6 for the pair, I think they'll go great in our bedroom (if we ever get around to giving it a makeover!!!)

Another set of lamps that were very sweet... They look like southern belles so right away I thought of Susan (A Southern Daydreamer)...

There are lots of things for bird lovers!! Here's an ashtray... (I think junktique stores are the only places that sell ashtrays anymore!)


....and a very rustic birdhouse. LOTS of bird families could build their homes here!

This one caught my eye, too!

I loved this nest on the distressed pedestal...

And this chubby faced little cherub singing with the birds (I never knew there was a company by the name/numbers of 666! But apparently there is and it goes way back!! Probably all of you who really know your antiques already knew this!)

I thought of Cindy (My Romantic Home) when I spotted this cherub planter... It would be perfect for her patio!

Assorted 'antiques.'

These little guys were all made by Lefton, just like my parakeet.

I love these old cast iron doorstops....


This one reminded me of Kim (Daisy Cottage)... No surprise there, huh? Kim has a beautiful cottage filled with beautiful colors - and daisies!

This "God Bless our Home" sign also reminded me of Daisy Cottage... Sunny yellow and cheerful!

I think Kim should come to New England for a visit. I'm seeing an awful lot that reminds me of her! Isn't this piece distressed to perfection?

When I spotted this box filled with miniatures, I immediately thought of Sue (Suzeez's Home Sweet Home & Tranquil Garden)... They'd be perfect for her dollhouses and fairy houses!

I immediately thought of Kathi (Rural Maine Life) when I spotted this hand painted nun! She goes way back with the nuns, the same as I do!

I thought of Laurie (Bargain Hunting with Laurie) when I spotted this sampler styled art...

...and also when I saw this sweet Victorian print of a little girl praying (Laurie has a beautiful prayer list on her blog sidebar)...

And of course I thought of Lisa (The Pickled Hutch) when I spotted this vintage black poodle. Maybe Alfie would like a friend?

This sweet little baby face....

...and these beautiful baby prints immediately reminded me of Tracey (Notes from a Cottage Industry) because she has some beautiful new babies in her life now!

A flashback to the fifties!

These reminded me of Joanne (My Little Cottage in the Making)... She's such an incredible hostess... I could picture her table set with these (and one of her incredible cakes!)


This little tray reminded me of Cynthia (Cynthia's Cottage Design)... She has the sweetest cottage-styled kitchen and I think this would look adorable in it!

Of course Becky (Sweet Cottage Dreams)...

...came to mind as soon as I spotted all these tole trays! (especially the green and black ones!!)

This tray reminded me of Corey (Tongue in Cheek)... Not that it's necessarily a French piece, but she just popped into my mind as soon as I spotted it!

My gosh, this looks like something my mom had back in the sixties!! What wonderful memories!

And I can't ever look at beautiful old windows without thinking of Linda (Blue Gate Blog). Her conservatories (made out of windows) are 2-die-4!!!

So see? You guys are always on my mind!!! All the bloggers I mentioned here are listed on my sidebar and it's definitely worth visiting each and every one of them!!!

Have a wonderful week, everyone! The sun is shining here in New England and my hummers have returned. Ain't life grand??

Donna

The mother's corner...

(click any photos to enlarge)

Many years ago, my mom had two little girls.... (My sister and I were very blessed because we had just about the best mom ever....)


...and then I followed in my mom's footsteps and had two little girls of my own... (and I was blessed again - twice!)

Today is not only Mother's Day, it's also my mom's birthday; Mom is never far from my thoughts, especially today.

Since it's Mother's Day, I thought I'd share a little corner of my office that's something of a tribute to my mom... I have a small collection (only two!) of Mother's Mottos. They both feature beautiful verses (that remind me of my mom) and sweet little cottages (and you all know how I feel about cottages!!) One of my mom's favorite movies was "The Enchanted Cottage," so my love for all things 'cottage' goes way back!


Wouldn't you love to live in a little cottage just like this? (The verse says, "FOR MOTHER... This is my loving Wish for you... A flower-lined path Your-whole Life through" copyright 1939 P.A.M. CO.)

This "Mother Dear" motto is quite old and I'm assuming it's some type of memorial plaque (judging by the verse)... The names Cecilia & Kathryn appear to be hand-lettered beneath the printed verse (in a different colored ink). The sentiment and artwork are both lovely (you can click to enlarge for reading)... The trees remind me of our flowering crabapple trees that I just posted about here.

Hanging above the two mottos is a hand painted portrait of my mom as a young woman, done by Amanda when she was a first year art student in college (what a special Christmas gift that was!!!) Hand-made gifts are absolutely the best, aren't they?

Also hanging on that same wall is this framed art sign that Courtney made for me many years ago... We were big fans of "The Berenstain Bear" books when my girls were growing up (I think we've read all of them - many, many times!!!) When Court gave this to me she said (something to the effect) "I made this for you because you remind me of Mama Bear when she's upset and stomps around!" Ha Ha!! Gotta love it!!! Again, you just can't beat those hand-made gifts from the heart!

Thanks for letting me share my little "mother's corner" with you... I hope you all have a very Happy Mother's day! And Happy Birthday, Mom! (click here for last year's post on my mom's birthday - she was a very special lady!!!)

Donna

Bird songs...

"A bird does not sing because it has an answer.

It sings because it has a song."

Chinese Proverb

I just can't get enough of birds, real or otherwise... Now that winter has passed and the windows are open, we're being treated to a variety of bird songs...


I also love using birds to "pretty up" the cottage a bit. They're such a cheerful presence.

"If I keep a green bough in my heart, then the singing bird will come."

Chinese Proverb

I stopped at a garden center yesterday to buy hanging fuchsias for the deck; they didn't have their fuchsias yet, but I spotted these little ceramic birds for under $2 apiece.


They have beautiful spring green bodies and gorgeous blue tailfeathers...

"I want to sing like the birds sing,

not worrying about who hears or what they think."

Rumi

They whispered to me that they'd love to come home to live in our little cottage...


I whispered back that I thought that was an excellent idea.


They've made their home in my aloe vera plant, where they'll remind me year round of how lovely the bird songs of spring are...


"Spring would not be spring without bird songs." Francis M. Chapman

Wishing you all beautiful spring days filled with bird songs...

Donna

It's cherry and apple blossom time

... here in New England. It's in the low 50's and rainy today so many of the blossoms are now on the ground rather than on the tree...


(photo of flowering crab apple tree taken from my office window)

... so I'm glad I snapped the following photos over the weekend when most of the blossoms were still intact!


My beautiful vintage Mary statue survived the winter (although she may be a bit chippier than last summer).


She's currently residing under the flowering cherry tree, but I might move her to a different spot in the garden this summer.


You can see one of the hoppa crab trees in full bloom from the living room window.


I gave this guy a serious pruning last year so it would be easier to mow underneath. The branches used to pretty much touch the ground... I suspect several more branches could come off around the bottom, but I shudder at the thought of taking off too much because once they've been taken off, there's no putting them back... So I think I'll leave well enough alone and continue to be a conservative pruner!


From my office desk I look out on the other hoppa crab in our front yard. We didn't know if this poor guy would survive or not as we lost a good portion of the maple tree behind it during a devestating ice storm this past winter. When the large sections of maple tree broke off, they fell onto the crab tree, completely crushing it, but luckily the front portion of the tree survived...


You can see one of the sections where the maple tree snapped toward the top center/right of this photo. The other areas of the maple that snapped off are hidden behind the apple tree. From the street view the apple tree looks fine, but from the side and back, the entire tree is missing. We're grateful that we were left with this much though. These two crab trees were pretty much the first things we planted when we bought our house back in the early 80's, and they weren't much more than big twigs at that point! We brought them home from the garden center in the back seat of a convertible (with the top down), root balls plunked down in the back seat with plenty of room to spare, and look at them now!

The blossoms don't last long, but while they are in bloom they sure put on a beautiful show!



I'd also like to thank Mel from Country In the Town for listing me as one of her top 10 fav's in the "Makes My Heart Smile" award she received... You may all remember Mel from one of my past posts where she allowed me to share the lovely embroidered "envelope pillow" she created!! Please stop by and visit her... you'll be glad you did!!


Hope you are all enjoying the spring wherever you are!


Donna

3rd Annual Cottage Charm Giveaway...

It's that time of year again!!!

(click any photos to enlarge)

The lovely Kim of The Twice Remembered Cottage (One Woman's Cottage Life) is hosting the 3rd Annual Cottage Charm Giveaway!!! (Thank you, Kim!)

This year I'm opening up my giveaway to both U.S. and International entries....

...and I thought it would be fun to offer a kitchen themed giveaway....

... so I headed to one of my favorite places (all giveaway items are from The Christmas Tree Shop) and put together the following items.... a pair of green toile oven mitts, a set of heart-shaped measuring spoons, and an appliqued 'hydrangea' dishtowel...

... all tucked into this little quilted tote.

You'll also get one of the aprons you saw hanging in the first photos....


Here you can see the style of all 3 aprons (my Amanda is modeling the light blue floral one).


But you get to choose whether you want:


The green toile apron....


The light blue floral apron...



Or the dark blue floral apron.

To enter, just leave a comment on this post and I'll draw the winner on May 30th... Good luck to everyone who enters!!!!


Now, be sure to click the logo below to go to Kim's lovely blog where you'll find a list of everyone participating in this year's Cottage Charm Giveaway (and if it's anything like last year's giveaway, you'll be blown away by all the incredible goodies being offered!!!) And while you're there, be sure to check out all the incredibily realistic sweets and treats that Kim creates!


Good luck, everyone!!! And thank you again, Kim!




Donna

The cottage cats...

... are in 7th heaven this week!!! A very special package arrived the other day (filled with special cottage kitty treats!!)...


Spotty was the first to discover it and he just couldn't get over how good it smelled!


The scent was so strong that even the the elusive Tiger trotted out to the living room to check it out...


While Spotty continued to sniff away, Tiger gave me the cold shoulder because it took so long for me to open their package (had to get the camera to record every cute moment, you know!!). But soon, all was forgiven...

The stages of catnip...

Step 1....

Rub your head against said catnip...


... Hold it close and don't let go...


Rub your mouth and face against it some more.... back and forth, back and forth... until you look blurry in photos...


Stretch and nibble... Nibble and stretch....

Step 2....

Relax... Enjoy... Let the kitty smiles and feline bliss take hold...


Let whiskers twitch while corners of mouth turn up... sigh... ahhhhhhh...

Step 3...

Surrender yourself to the drowsiness....


Lay your sweet little head(s) down among the catnip-scented sachets...

Step 4...

Allow visions of catnip treats...


...to dance through your heads... Sweet dreams, little babies...

If your cottage cats would like to have their very own cottage catnip treats, just visit Tammy at her A Stitch In Thyme blog or her Stitch In Thyme shop... (Spotty and Tiger think you're the cat's meow, Tammy, and definitely give the catnip hearts two paws up!!!!!)

Donna