I have been TERRIBLE about blogging lately ... I think keeping up with my blog will be one of my New Year's resolutions! I had to share quickly today that I have a featured item on Avalon Rose Market Square (which, by the way, is a WONDERFUL site).

Here is the link:
Avalon Rose Market Square

Happy New Year!!!

Holiday Open House

WOW ... I did not realize how long it's been since I last posted! We hosted our holiday open house at our shop a few weeks ago and I'm just now getting around to blogging about it. It was a wonderful event ... here are a few photos. We have nine rooms full so this is just a small sampling.
And for those of you who live in CT, we are stocked and restocked with holiday goodies ... we would love for you to stop by The Nosey Goose in Madison during one of your shopping outings!

Thanks for visiting ...

Office Makeover

Well ... I finally took the time and really dug in. My office/sewing room had gotten completely out of control! I don't know about you but once a room starts to get a little messy I seem to just keep dumping things there thinking eventually I will get it cleaned up. This one has been a long time coming!! It had gotten so bad I had stopped sewing and basically had a little space to sit at my computer. Now, I'm a bit embarrassed to show the before photos but in this case, I think I should. I was inspired by office photos Joyce of Make Mine Pink shared and how beautiful it all looked. I searched for some functional yet pretty display pieces and am happy to say I really like how it all came together. (of course, I still have stuff that was moved to another room awaiting a home but it will happen!!). The most exciting thing is that I can see the floor and pretty rug again!

So let's leave the old mess and move on to the new space:

Wow, there really was a sewing machine in there!

One new shelf and one I had.

New piece I picked up that was already white and distressed and only $40!!

I love to actually see my fabrics

Got rid of the dark desk and put the white one in it's place

Found this awesome hand painted and vintage wallpaper screen in Brimfield. It was supposed to go to the shop but it never made it!

Love this hand made slipcover ...
Thanks for visiting ...

Featured Business of the Week

I'm so excited ... I am the featured business of the week on Avalon Rose Market Square. Cathy of Avalon Rose Design designed my website, which I think is beautiful, a few years ago. She does amazing work! She has now created this wonderful market place which is a free gathering of online businesses, many of which are using website designs by Avalon Rose Design. Stop by, you'll be glad you did!

Thank you Cathy!!

Scarecrows

The events committee in our town (Madison, Ct) is putting together a Sea, Shop, Scare event. The first step was Saturday ... 60 plus scarecrows were put up all over town. These two are ours that sit in front of our shop: "Shabby Chick" for the shop and "The Plumber" for my husbands business. In a few weeks there will be a town wide costume party and scarecrow voting event that should be fun. I'll take a few more pics to share then.

Please join us
October 11th – 16th
for our annual Pink October Shop Hop.
We have lots of great prizes to win. It's easy and fun to play. No purchase necessary! For details, click on the link below:
Shop Hop
Cottage Flair will be donating 10% of all sales to Susan G. Komen for the Cure ... plus each purchase comes with a free gift!

Newly Listed

I thought I'd post a few pictures of a new line I just listed ... I think it's all so pretty and would make wonderful holiday gifts. There are many more patterns and new items listed here: New Arrivals

Thanks for visiting ...

Sewing again ...

. My sewing machine has been buried under "stuff" for way too long. I finally took the time to unbury it, clean it all off and get sewing again. I have been totally inspired since I received my order of Tanya Whelan fabric and have been itching to get to my machine and start making pillows. I have a bench that I painted a while back that has been waiting for just the right fabric. I'm very happy with how it turned out. It has such feminine lines so it needed soft, feminine fabric.

I was feeling creative this weekend so I got back to pillows that I used to make and seem to have taken a break from. They are linen neck and boudoir pillows embellished with vintage and vintage inspired ribbons and trimmings.

Thanks for visiting ...

Make Mine Pink Friday

Make Mine Pink Friday
Cupcakes and Polka Dots

Stop by the boutiques at Make Mine Pink!

Just added to Cottage Flair: 12 different Tanya Whelan Darla Fabrics!!! I just love them all ... they mix and match beautifully for any project!

Tanya Whelan Aprons

They're here!!! I am so excited about these aprons ... if you read my last post you know I kind of flipped out over the Tanya Whelan fabrics. I've always loved her Ava Rose collection and then I stumbled upon the Darla collection aprons at the Atlanta gift show. I just love these fabrics ...

Then to make it all come together, I was in Brimfield at the antique show yesterday and I found this great dress form. I was trying to figure out how I could photo them to do them justice. I think this works.

If you want to take a peek at all of them, here is the link: Aprons

And ... just FYI ... I ordered 13 (yes 13) bolts of the Tanya Whelan Darla collection to have pillows made and to offer on my site for all of you stitchers out there. Stay tuned!
Thanks for visiting ...

Fabric Crazy

So ... I went a little fabric crazy last week. I had gotten an order of wonderful aprons in fabrics designed by Tanya Whelan. I thought I'd spend a few minutes on line locating some of the fabric for myself. WELL ... it was ALL so gorgeous I ended up ordering all of these beautiful prints from two different websites. They happened to arrive on the same day. I put the two piles together and here they still sit, on my counter. They are so pretty to look at that I can't bring myself to put them away nevermind cut them up to make pillows!! Oh what to do?

Now for my next confession ... after what was supposed to be a few minutes one day that turned into hours over several days ... I had a great time searching Tanya Whelan's lines of all of the fabrics she has designed. I have now set up an account to order the bolts wholesale. I have looked and looked at all of the patterns and I think I have it narrowed down to 11 or 12 prints I am going to order. I guess once they arrive I will have to make myself actually use them and maybe even offer the fabrics for sale. Only time will tell!!

Thanks for visiting ...

Shabby Cottage Canvas Prints

Some of the merchandise that we ordered in Atlanta has started arriving ... I have to say, these canvas prints are one of my favorites!! I just love the images and the soft colors... I wish the photos did them justice!! I already snagged a set for myself. They are great in a set or just one on a wall. I am thrilled they came so quickly! I already had to order more!

Click here to see them on my site!
Shabby Canvas

Magic Beach

A couple of times a Summer we take our boat from the CT shore across Long Island Sound to the LI coastline to a gorgeous beach the "regulars" fondly refer to as Magic Beach. It is a beach that is only accessible by boat and not many people know about it. Someone dubbed it Magic beach because it is not covered in sand but in beautiful smooth rocks that when you throw a handful of them they bounce and spark like Magic.

The photo above is the rocks dry, below they are even prettier wet. I used to take handfuls home and put them in jars but now my boys and I make a point of finding one special one in the shape of a heart before we leave (and we always find one!)

The other great thing about this place is that the kids have to be imaginative and find things to do on their own. Last time we went they built this fort from debris and driftwood that has washed up on the shore.

Just a few photos of the beach ...

This is a salt pond where the kids (and dads) hand dig for clams and net blue crabs.

Just a view from Long Island across to Connecticut ... it's a 30 minute boat ride

A lovely sunset as we headed for home at 7:30 that evening ... an amazing day!!
Thanks for visiting ...