Well, I haven't participated in the last two show and tell Mondays. My computer was on the fritz so unfortunately I had to purchase a new one. Good timing with the holidays and all !!! My computer guy (or should I say lifesaver) was swamped and hasn't quite finished with my new setup yet. I don't have any photos to share because we haven't gotten all of that straightened out yet. I did manage to get a few new things listed on my site via an old computer but that is no longer working correctly either. Don't you just love technology?!

But ... I wanted to wish everyone a Happy New Year! I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday. We sure did. I am thrilled because the only thing I really wanted for Christmas was a new digital camera and yea! I got one. I can't wait to start taking photos!

The holidays at our house were so much fun. We had had an amazing snow storm the weekend before so the kids had a ball (and a snow day). We did get much warmer weather for Christmas though, so most of it melted. We're hoping for colder temps this week to go skiing but it's not looking too good.

Wishing everyone a wonderful. safe and healthy New Year!

Cottage Flair Holiday Sale!!!!

Stop by Cottage Flair ...

All Cottage Holiday items are 40% off!!!

Shipping overcharges on multiple items will be refunded..

Happy New Year!

Show and Tell Monday ...

Yesterday I was awakened at 6:30 a.m. by the sound of snowballs hitting my son's bedroom window. I went downstairs to find my 12 year old outside, all dressed for the snow, the driveway shoveled, in the dark, throwing snowballs at my 9 year olds window. We had gotten a dusting of snow overnight. This is the first snow of the year and needless to say, they were excited. By 7:00 a.m their friend across the street was over and they were sledding. They ended up spending the entire day, until dark, sledding, skiing and snowboarding at our house and across the street on this little bit of snow. Below is the photo of the aftermath this morning.

While the kids were outside having a ball in the snow and freezing cold, I was inside doing my thing. I have never been a red and green holiday decorator. I go back and forth each year between turquoise or pink. As you can see, pink won out this year. I just started over the weekend and still need a few more touches but I wanted to share a few photos of my mantel. We live in a small cape which I lovingly refer to as our cottage. This is our family room with the fireplace. Our tree went up this weekend also. The kids were anxious to go to the tree farm, cut it and get it up. I love having traditions. We always did as children and I try to have some for my family. We cut the tree at the same farm every year and then we all trim the tree together that night. I also give each of my boys a new ornament each year. It's fun to listen to them talk about some of the ornaments as they come out of their boxes.

Thanks for visiting ...

Black Friday Sales for Pink Friday...

Don't miss this week's Pink Friday sales.

Cottage Flair is offering buy two, get the third at half off. We have listed several new items as well. Be sure to check out all of the participating boutiques at

Make Mine Pink.

Happy Holidays!

It's Show and Tell Monday. I have to comment on how beautiful and amazing the MMP Holiday Bazaar Catalog is. I was really stuck on what to do because most of my stuff is one of a kind. Lori of Katie's Rose Cottage ( I love her site www.katiesrosecottage.com ) suggested I offer my sachets eventhough they are all unique. I have to say I have had a ball working on them. I love to make them but never seem to find the time. I hope everyone is doing well with the catalog.

I am looking forward to Thanksgiving this week. I am honestly thankful everyday for all that I have in my life ... family, friends, good health for all, a home and job ... but Thanksgiving always gives me time to think about it even more. We spend time with our family and my kids have a ball. I am looking forward to a few homework free days as well. My seventh graders homework is brutal!! The next two days will be hard with tests and projects but then the break comes. It is very cold in CT so we may even get snow for the holiday. My kids would be thrilled! They can't wait for snow. We are all skiers so we're hoping for a snowy season.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanks for visiting ...

The Make Mine Pink Holiday Bazaar Online Catalog is here!!!

Just click on the widget to the right to open the catalog filled with fabulous items from many of the Make Mine Pink boutiques.

You will find some of the most beautiful products on the web.
What a great way to start or finish up your holiday shopping.

Please join us this Friday for the very first in a series of very special PINK FRIDAYS at Make Mine Pink. Christmas at Make Mine Pink begins

November 21st!

Christmas is all pink and turquoise at Cottage Flair

http://www.cottageflair.com/

Please visit all of the participating boutiques at

http://www.makeminepink.com/pink-friday/

There is something special for everyone on your list at Make Mine Pink!

Show and Tell Monday ...

The Nosey Goose was dressed for the holidays this weekend ... we had our annual holiday open house Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Things have been very slow at the shop but I am happy to report that we had a busy and very fun start to the holiday season. We had our doubts with the way the economy has been and the rainy weather we had but I am thrilled to say our event was a success. I took some photos (I am a terrible photographer) to give you an idea of what our shop is like at this time of year.

Turquoise is the "in" color for the holidays this year. I love this look!

This is our white room

This is a little table display of Roxie's lights

This is a photo of the entrance to the shop. It is in an historic house so the stairs greet you at the front door.

This is our front bay window

Roxie's light strand is on the mantel

Show and Tell Monday ...
The 12 days of Christmas are in full swing but will be ending soon. Make sure to stop by http://www.makeminepink.com/shop-hop/ before it ends. All of the beautiful boutiques are offering great specials and free gifts. Get a jump on your holiday shopping with some wonderful, unique gifts for everyone on your list.

We had a quiet weekend here in CT. A bit rainy and a bit cold. The leaves are all falling so it's raking time. I did a bit of painting but spent some time getting ready for our Holiday Open House at my mother's and my shop, The Nosey Goose in Madison, CT. We preview all of our Holiday merchandise with a sale and goodies. We send out postcards to our mailing list and hope for a good turnout. It's always a fun jump start to the season. The shop smells and looks great thanks to my mother. I'll take photos when we are all decorated and post them.

I have lots of the holiday goodies on my site. I also got a new shipment of the oh so comfortable shoes we sell ... OKA b, shoes that love you. I restocked some and got a few new styles, all available on my site. More will be coming soon as well. The new ones are great for the holiday season ... black or brown mini mules with matching velvet ribbons. They are elegant and comfortable. These shoes are reflexology inspired designs made from a patented ruberish material. They are so much cuter in person!!!

Hot chocolate OKA b. mini mule with matching velvet ribbon tie.

Black OKA b. mini mule with black velvet tie

OKA b. mini mule in hot chocolate with matching grograin ribbon bow.

Happy Monday and thanks for visiting ...

Get a jump on your holiday shopping!!!

The shop hop is in full swing at Make Mine Pink. The boutiques are offering wonderful holiday and gift items with many specials: sales, free gifts, free gift wrapping and more. There are lots of prizes each day for finding the logo on each site. Lots of exciting things going on!! It's a great place to shop ... from home with a cup of coffee (or tea) in hand. Be sure to stop by before the event ends!

http://cottageflair.com/

http://www.makeminepink.com/shop-hop/

The Twelve Days of Christmas Shop Hop
at Make Mine Pink begins November 2nd!
All of the participating Make Mine Pink boutiques have lots of fun things up their sleeves ... free gifts, special sales, new items, free gift wrapping, and the list goes on. It's the perfect time to start your holiday shopping from the comfort of your home. So grab a cup of coffee ( or tea ) and browse through the wonderful selections offered by the lovely boutiques at Make Mine Pink! And be sure to sign up to win prizes for finding all of the MMP shop hop trees.
http://www.makeminepink.com/shop-hop/

The Marie Antoinette Award:

I would like to thank Miss Shabby Shan for bestowing upon me this lovely award. Thank you very much. http://shabbyshanscottage.blogspot.com/



Here are the rules:

1. Please put the logo on your blog
2. Link it to the person from whom you received the award
3. Nominate at least 7 or more blogs
4. Put the links of those blogs on your blog
5. Leave a message on their blogs to tell them (I'm letting them know here @ MMP)


And the nominees are:

Karen of Sweet Necessi-Teas: www.SweetNecessi-Teas.com

Carol of Clutter Bug Studio: www.clutterbugstudio.com

Inka of Inklings Designs: www.inklingsdesigns.com

Gail of Gail Friend Designs: www.gailfrienddesigns.com

Cindy of Angel Wings Cottage: www.AngelWingsCottage.com

Lori of Katie's Rose Cottage: www.katiesrosecottage.com

Stephanie of Shabby in Pink Boutique: www.SoShabbyinPink.com

Happy Monday everyone. My fun little feather trees have finally arrived. I just fell in love with them when I saw them in NY. They are 27" high, made of Styrofoam and feathers. You can actually stick pins in to decorate them if you choose. Aren't they the cutest? I'll be listing them for the twelve days of Christmas. They are the perfect addition to your shabby chic holiday decorating.

I finished up a few pieces this weekend. I need to wait a couple of days to let them cure before I distress them to give them that lovely shabby chic look. I was thrilled to find two matching tables last week. They are hard to come by and I always have customers looking for them, especially bedside tables.

If you read my post last week you know that I painted the wrong hardware for this buffet. Well I found the hardware and finished it up. The pieces always look so different with their final touches. This heavy piece is hopefully off to the shop this week. I just need to enlist someone to help me move it.

I have been having fun playing with my Christmas window. I still have to make some adjustments but this is a sample. I'd love some opinions.

Thanks for visiting ...

The Twelve Days of Christmas Shop Hop

at Make Mine Pink begins November 2nd!

All of the participating Make Mine Pink boutiques have lots of fun things up their sleeves ... free gifts, special sales, new items, free gift wrapping, and the list goes on. It's the perfect time to start your holiday shopping from the comfort of your home. So grab a cup of coffee ( or tea ) and browse through the wonderful selections offered by the lovely boutiques at Make Mine Pink! And be sure to sign up to win prizes for finding all of the MMP shop hop trees.

http://www.makeminepink.com/shop-hop/

It's Monday again. Where does the time go?? I finished this very large buffet on Sunday. When I went to put the hardware on I realized I had painted the hardware for another piece. OOPS!!! So, it's not quite done yet. My plan is to finish it by Wednesday now.

On Friday my sister-in-law and her family came to visit from Colorado. My kids absolutely love when they come. They spend every free minute with them and just have a ball. On Saturday we went to a cute little festival at a farm in town. The kids painted pumpkins, made scarecrows, and had fun. My niece even got to ride a pony who's name was Denver (which is where they are from). The wolf rescue group from NY brought an Arctic wolf for everyone to see. His photo is below. The first picture is all of us making scarecrows. I have the green jacket on and my son Josh is next to me in red. Last night was a very cool Fall evening but we had everyone here for dinner and to hang out by the fire pit and in our barn (which has a woodstove, electricity, water, etc.) They are here until Thursday. It's going to be a challenge trying to get my kids to school while their cousins are here. Thanks for visiting.

Please join us Friday October 17th for

"In the Hope Chest"

The meaning of owning a "Hope Chest" is different for everyone. For some it is planning for a special wedding day that is sure to come, others use it to store heirloom linens and treasures passed down from generations. If you've been lucky enough to have a hope chest or perhaps had a glimpse into someone's, you'll find that no matter the purpose, each "Hope Chest" tells a story. What's yours?
Please join us Friday October 17th for "shopping with a twist" as the shops at Make Mine Pink present "In the Hope Chest."
http://www.makeminepink.com/pink-friday/

Happy Monday ... I have to say that I love living in Connecticut eventhough the wintertime here can be pretty harsh. I think that's why we have such a beautiful Fall before the cold arrives. This past week we had 60 - 70 degree sunny days and gorgeous 40- 50 cool nights (warm cozy comforter nights). The trees are all beginning to turn gold, orange and red. In the sun the leaves are just amazing. I took a few photos of our yard and neighborhood. Last night we had a bunch of friends over for a "fish fry". My husband caught a few blackfish (salt water fish) on Saturday. Fresh fish is the best. Then everyone brings something, we sit by the firepit, the kids run around. It is so nice to be able to hang outside still. I love this time of year!!






I have to admit, I'm like a kid in a candy shop when the holiday merchandise starts arriving at the shop. We ordered back in August and I often forget how beautiful it all is until I start unpacking it. These photos are a few of the many items I have listed on my site this week. Like many of us, I wish my photos were better because the items are so beautiful and the pictures just don't do them justice. I love vintage inspired Holiday things, especially those that are not in typical colors. The brownish greenish glass ornaments below are so rich looking. I think I'll have to put some in a bowl on the table. At my house each year I always adorn my mantel in pinks and silvers with a touch of turquoise. No red and green for me! And when it's time, I hate taking the decorations down. Thanks for visiting ...

Time for show and tell ... This is the table and chair set that I got a few weeks back and had posted a picture of. There are actually four chairs but I brought them into the shop before I remember to take a picture. The set is now white and distressed and went home that day with a customer. She was thrilled with it which made me happy.

This past weekend we went camping in a town in CT called Bozrah. I am not a big outdoorsy girl but with a husband and two boys, I have to give in sometimes. We have a little pop-up camper. Usually we camp close to home so I get to take off and sleep in my own bed but not this time. Anyway ...it was a beautiful area I had never been to. Unfortunately, on Sunday it rained most of the day. I did take a few pictures of the beginning of the Fall foliage here (in the rain). The last picture is my 9 year old in the heated pool at the campground. The temp outside was in the high 40's. Yikes!