Pink Friday ... Nifty Nurseries

Why do we love babies? According to Jack Nitschke, a neuroscientist and assistant professor of psychiatry and psychology at UW-Madison,"There's one stimulus that's universally positive: baby faces. Just looking at them gets most people, particularly new moms, feeling all warm and happy." **Why not take great care to welcome into the world someone who makes us so very happy with a wonderfully decorated space of his/her very own? Join us for PINK Fridays @ Make Mine Pink, your exclusive invitation to “Shopping with a Twist," a one stop shopping for a fabulous look, on Friday, August 1, as we present "Nifty Nurseries
"** from Science Daily

Make Mine Pink presents the first annual Make Mine Pink "Getting Down to Business" retreat
in historic Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia on September 19-20, 2008. Join the Women of MMP, who are always willing to welcome, mentor and help build a circle of friendship.This is an energized opportunity to network, and gain or enhance business knowledge in a fun and inspiring way~ plus they will have lots of fun, great food, great friends, great information! Casual dress required, stuffiness and worries must be left at home! Make an investment in your business today!
Colonial Williamsburg
Williamsburg Lodge
310 S. England Street
Williamsburg, VA 23185
1-800-HISTORY (447-8679)
September 19-20, 2008
Conference Information

Today for Show and Tell Monday I decided
to share a few photos of my home and "studio". I hope no one minds that it's all about ME today! I wish I was better at photographing but I wanted to share my window boxes. Every year I spend too much money on all kinds of flowers and my boxes always look just okay. This year I spent 16.99 on a flat of lavender impatiens and they are the fullest they have ever been! I have people commenting on them all the time.
The next picture is our backyard with the barn, garden that my husband and children love to do and eat, and yes, that is a chicken coop. We have 1 rooster and 12 hens, as pets, with yummy eggs as a perk. The fourth picture is our fire pit for which I collected several vintage metal chairs. We spend many a night out here with friends and family having dinner and enjoying each others company. It's the perfect spot to be on a cool night. And ... I have to keep a constant supply of marshmallows on hand.











So next I thought I would share some photos of my work space, where I create. I had our garage turned into a room equipted with heat and a.c. a few years back. I really think the editors for the new "Where Women Create" will be knocking on my door to photo my gorgeous studio (Ha, Ha, Ha). Honestly, that book is one of my favorites and I hope to someday have a beautiful place to work. Right now, space is a huge obstacle in our little home. Hard to believe I actually work in that space! I usually have room in the center to paint. My two boys were in day camp last week so I had a lot of time to work. Everything in the photos is in various stages of being worked on. The photo in the red barn is my backup storage and as you can see, furniture is just about spilling out the door.(The sign says J.W. Designs because that was my business name for 15 years until I decided Cottage Flair suited me better for my website). I'm sure some of you think your space is messy. Feel better now???!!! Thanks for visiting ... feel free to stop by for some home grown veggies or fresh eggs anytime!!!

I stopped at a wonderful estate sale yesterday and left feeling like I had struck gold. It was a lovely old house in town that had sat vacant for six years. The estate planner told me that had removed 10 - 30yd. dumpsters of junk. I wish I had been there for that!!! I spent one hour digging through all kinds of things to come up with some amazing pieces of china, 29 in all. I needed a flashlight and some pieces actually looked like they had been buried they were so dirty! But ... It was obvious that the woman who had lived there had spent years collecting all of these beautiful things. Some have been well loved and are a little chipped but they are still beautiful and I couldn't bear to think they too would end up in a dumpster. A fellow MMP member was talking about the microwave, throw away generation. I have to say I was so happy to see so many people at this sale, all of us side by side, digging through boxes of stuff to find our wonderful treasures. I purchased the tables in the photos as well which I will repaint to give them a new life and home for someone else. In the way back of the house I found a fabulous vanity with a matching chair. The drawers are full of mouse do-do, the top is warped and it is covered with mold but it has wonderful lines so I took that as well and sent it off to see if the top can be repaired; one last attempt before it ends up in the dumpster. We live in a historic town by the water with lovely old homes that really helps us appreciate all that came before us.
As you can see, all of my finds need a good bath ... I will be listing some of the better pieces (some I can't part with) tomorrow on my site. Thanks for visiting.

Show and Tell Monday:
The first photo is of my son Joshua, on the right with his cousin Ben (they are both 9) and his cousin Sean (age 7). The fort in the backgound is a project they work on each time they come here.

The second photo is Josh again, on the right, with Ben.

This is another cousin Anna, who is four. She was trying to take a quiet nap on the beach.

My older son, Zach, who is 12, was missing for photos today because he was off exploring.

This week's theme is family.We have been very busy with our family and I haven't been too productive in my business but ... My sister-in-law and her three children are here visiting from Colorado for three weeks. We spend most of that time with them. This weekend we took our boat to one of our favorite places: Magic Beach. It's really Truman's beach on Long Island but we have nicknamed it Magic Beach because the beach is completely covered in gorgeous round stones, no sand, and when you toss a handful of stones they sparkle like little fireworks. The water is crystal clear, the sky is always blue and there are never more than a handful of people there. It is really wonderful because the kids find all of these imaginative things to do (without toys) and they just have a ball. There is also a salt water pond where they go clamming. We have a lovely treat of clams on the half shell in the afternoon. It is the best quiet getaway for a day (and the boat trip is only 45 minutes across Long Island Sound from our part of CT). Thanks for visiting ...

Make Mine Pink's

Christmas in July Shop Hop

begins soon ... July 21-July 27

Mark your calender and get ready for some great shopping!!!

Pink Friday ... The Cottage Porch:
Please join us on Friday once again for Make Mine Pink's themed shopping day. This friday is all about the Cottage Porch. I'm sure there will be wonderful treasures from all of the participating boutiques. Come early and shop!

The best kind of friend...
...is the kind you can sit on a porch swing with, never say a word, then walk away feeling like it was the best conversation that you ever had.” ~Unknown

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

Show and Tell Monday:

My sister-in-law and her family have been visiting for 10 days and will be here until the 16th. They stay at my in-laws house about 15 minutes from my house. Their three children and my two cannot get enough of each other. We pretty much spend every waking minute with them. The bond between cousins is just wonderful but it really cuts down on work time for me. I have had a chance to sneak away for a few hours here and there. I missed last week's show and tell and did not want to miss this weeks. I managed to get a few pieces painted. They are awaiting distressing but I thought I'd show them anyway. The two matching tables came out of an original beach cottage in my hometown. The little cabinet is actually a humidor, lined in copper. The two tier I got for a steal at a flea market. Thanks for visiting...