Items just in . . .

We have some great new merchandise that I'm very excited about. Here's a little preview:

This Mission style bookcase is just the perfect size! I like it because it has some old paint that has worn to reveal other layers of paint - proves it's been here a while.

We can't keep our urns in - they make such a statement in a garden, patio or inside the home.

I'm having a cushion made for this chair, a stencilled burla. It's just a  perfect chair for outdoor

Southern California living!

This door is amazing! Old beadboard with all the original paint and antique doorknobs - aged to perfection - a real find.

There's nothing like the old carriage doors. These came out of a 1927 Spanish home in my neighborhood of Loma Portal.

Early Kirk Son Repousse sterling candle holders - we have a pair - they are in perfect condition which is amazing since they date to c1850.

Just published on Best Friends' Animal Society website

News


Bella: 'I'm a Keeper!'


January 27, 2010, 12:19PM MT
By Cathy Scott, Best Friends staff writer


An at-risk Chihuahua’s life is saved by social networking and a quick-thinking, generous woman.

On a recent Sunday evening, Cordelia Mendoza read a social media posting about an at-risk Chihuahua in need of rescue from an overcrowded shelter. The message, posted by the LifesAPet.com group on Twitter —a social media site —included a link to a photo. The message said, “Very Small Spayed Female Chihuahua Needs Rescue/Adoption."

When Mendoza, who was not looking to adopt another dog, clicked onto the link and saw the dog’s face, that was all it took. On Monday, she was on the phone with the shelter. By Tuesday morning, she was on the road driving to the Los Angeles area to retrieve the 5-pound Chihuahua, who was found on a street and taken by animal control to a shelter, where she gave birth to one large, stillborn, deformed puppy.

“Without question, Twitter and other forms of social media are having an impact on adoption and save rates,” said Jon Dunn, Internet marketing manager for Best Friends. “The ability to spread information so far, so fast means more eyes on an animal who needs a home. More eyes means the better chance someone will lock eyes and fall in love. That’s all it takes —just one look from one person.”

 Now at home with Mendoza and her husband Bob, the Chihuahua (who was named Bella because it means “beautiful”) also lives with Sunshine, a 20-year-old Burmese cat, Sweetpea, an 8-year-old Burmese, and Frankie, an 8-year-old dog they adopted from Best Friends after he was confiscated six years ago from a hoarding situation. Bella and Frankie go to work each day with Mendoza at her antiques store in Ocean Beach, a coastal community in San Diego. A month after her rescue, Bella has healed from an infection and high fever and is coming out of her shell.

But with Frankie, the Mendoza’s other dog, it was not love at first sight. During the first couple of days, Frankie charged Bella, who appears to be around 10 months old. Mendoza read literature from Best Friends’ Network site and followed the suggestions for introducing a new pet into a household.

Potty training Bella was easy enough after the first two days, when Bella took Frankie’s lead and fell into the same routine as his. “She had one accident on the second day, and that was it,” Mendoza said.

"Working closely with pets to help them adjust is an integral part of that initial adoption commitment," said Ellen Gilmore, specialist for the First Home Forever Home campaign, which is one of four Best Friends’ campaigns that work toward the goal of No More Homeless Pets.

As for Frankie, he has warmed up to Bella and now naps next to her. Mendoza made sure she gave Frankie and their cats just as much attention as she gave Bella, to ensure no one felt left out.

At the antiques shop, Bella is an attention-getter. “Bella gets a lot of attention from customers when she sits on her chair and plays with her toys or her bully sticks, or rests,” Mendoza said.

The good thing, as with Frankie, is Bella goes to work and “is never alone. She loves to tuck in under the covers with us at night. We bonded quickly and she shadows me everywhere I go. She loves her life — her walks, her trips in the car to work, her lawn where she can run around free as much as she likes, and do what dogs do. But most of all, she loves to be snuggled and to give kisses. The hard part of her life is behind her.”

Bella seems to already understand that she has found her forever home. “She is so appreciative the way she looks at us,” Mendoza said. “She touched our hearts and found her way to us via Twitter.”

Frankie & Bella walking on the cliffs;               Sunshine &; Sweetpea

Valentine's Trunk Show at Cottage Antiques

Our windows are dressed for Valentine's!

Come see our Valentine displays!

Our windows and store displays are full of romantic  gifts with Valentine's Day in mind. Our one-of-a kind handpainted Valentine greeting cards from Margaret Nyikos, our own Ocean Beach resident, exclusive to Cottage Antiques. Just in are the popular Martha Lily Designs, fabulous journals, unique vintage paper wrapped and enbellished photo frames, whimsical albums you won't believe and her very own jewelry line. Also in our shop for Valentine's only, is artwork and creations Designing Diva. You can listen to craft diva, Danielle Forsgren on her weekly internet radio show
At our Valentine's celebration at Cottage Antiques, all of these talented women will be there for our Valentine's Trunk Show - Christie Repasy with her romantic paintings, and embellished creations, Rita of MammaBellArte and her one of a kind rhinestone and crystal clad bottles, bird houses, jewelry - she'll wow us with what she creates! Lisa Loria, Vintage Bling For You, will be showcasing her jewelry line made from vintage pieces. . . . and more!

The Valentine Trunk Show is not to be missed!
Yes, we'll have Le Chocolate Affaire Extraordaire!
 Can't wait to see you all!

One of the vintage paper embellished frames by Martha Lilly

Mark your calendars fo February 13th!

Vintage items for Valentine's

These items are all great finds and perfect for Valentine's gifts:

I love these French enamel heart earrings from the 1920s - fabulous!

These bottles are always the perfect gift. Our customers come back over and over for these vintage bottles that have been glammed up with rhinestones and crystals.

This is a little gem of a clock . . .     

                              Burlap wine bags - a perfect hostess gift                            

Preparing for a BIG sale!

We're getting ready to bring in new merchandise after our big sale. EVERYTHING in the store will be on sale beginning soon.

Dates to be posted this week.

Joy to you all . . .

A little smile, a word of cheer

A bit of love from someone near

A little gift from one held dear

Best wishes for the coming year

The best to you all 
Have a wonderful Christmas

~~

The Point Loma Holiday Home Tour was a Great Success

Thanks to everyone who participated: Our fabulous Marketplace vendors, volunteers, Best Friends' staff, not to mention our generous homeowners, everyone that made this a huge success. As a first-time event, we had a great turnout, about 500 attendees, 75 tireless volunteers. There were adoptable dogs and pups at each of the homes. Thanks to everyone who participated!

Little Sissy,(renamed Missy) the adorable 8 month old puppymill Chihuahua got adopted!

Christmas Decor

Bob, Debbi and I had so much fun decorating the store on Thursday - the time flew by but we worked and worked until the windows were dressed and the store decorated in holiday style. So, we are now officially celebrating the Christmas season!

We're very pleased, once again, to showcase Vintage-Ornaments.com in our store. The paperie items are fabulous - German cut-out lithos on foil over vintage sheet music make sweet ornaments. Their attention to detail is appreciated by collectors who come back each year to add more of Vintage Ornaments' pieces to their collection. The hand dyed and decorated bottle brush trees are always a big hit. There are silver embellished ones this year that are glitzy to perfection. Cindy and Amanda will be at the Point Loma Holiday Home Tour on December 5th, featuring all of their holiday creations.

From Martha Stauderman, Everything Ellie, brought in her Christmas banners, especially created for Cottage Antiques.

I just love our German Saint Nick - he is lifesize!

Photo album from Martha Stauderman.

We love to fill our antique apothecary jars with candies, it's such a simple way to add a nice touch to your holiday decor.

Decorating for Halloween - It's definitely fall!

Halloween decorations are everywhere! I held off until yesterday to decorate. The store is now officially, however subtly, Halloween'd. No spider webs, no crows, just simply a few big pumpkins, jack-o-lanterns,, gourds, Indian corn, and fall leaves that my husband Bob, with permission, gathered from a neighbor's lawn.

The fall leaves add the perfect touch to our displays.

Debbi worked her magic once again and mixed the pumpkins and gourds with white ironstone, a c1880s marble top parlor table, a chippy painted stool and starfish, pumpkins and twigs. We mixed in Victorian fine silver and voila! . . . it all works.

     

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         Corn candy in this Hall Jewel Tea bowl - picture perfect!.

    Our custom burlap fit the bill for the final touch to our

    Halloween display.

Call the store or email if there's anything you might be interested in.

cottageantiques@cox.net

619-222-1967

Point Loma Holiday Home Tour & Marketplace

Ocean Beach Antique District Storewide Sales Event & Parking Lot Sale

Join us Saturday and Sunday

Save the Date for the Point Loma Holiday Home Tour & Marketplace

Cottage Antiques on A-List for Top Antique Stores in San Diego County

For the third year in a row, our store was voted on the A List by KGTV Channel 10's City Voters.

Thank you city voters! We're honored.

Posted by: Linda C., 9/3/2009
Cottage Antiques is one of my Tweeters. They always offer the most wonderful things, AND, they also are most friendly...and that's the best kind of antique dealer there is

Posted by: Kathy T., 9/3/2009
High-end but warm and comfortable at the same time with wonderful variety and a great selection. It has a friendly, welcoming atmosphere

Posted by: Sunny S., 9/3/2009
It's a beautiful store!

Posted by: Susan G., 8/13/2009
Whenever we have company, we take a tour of Cottage Antiques. I like the idea of supporting the smaller companies. The inventory is always changing and you're sure to strike up a great conversation with the employees. They are friendly and sincere.


Posted by: georgiankitten, 9/14/2008
great place to browse and buy something special

Posted by: Ellen in Pt. Loma, 12/4/2008
It is always a pleasure to shop at Cottage Antiques. They're constantly redecorating and displaying and I like to run in and see what new pieces have arrived. I never know what treasure I'll find..

Posted by: Susan, 12/4/2008
Cottage Antiques is comfortable, and everybody's so friendly. Where many antique stores are dusty, this one has the scent of old-fashioned soaps and rose petals. It's a wonderful step back in time, if only just to brouse!

Posted by: christina ennis, 10/14/2008
Supporting my local people.

Always changing it up . . .

Once again, we're changing the store around. This past Thursday it was so fun, even though it was an especially hot day, it was fun. Debbi worked her magic, as usual. We were running around pulling things in for the displays. I couldn't resist photographing this cupboard with all the white ironstone china, shells, antique photographs that we intermixed along with Victorian silver pieces. It all works!

We stuffed this late 1800s country cupboard with the white ironstone.

Soapstone Countertops - Ageless, Green & Sustainable

About three years ago, Bob and I remodeled our kitchen. Since we have an older home, 1935, we wanted the kitchen to be updated and modern but also we were determined that it complement and respect the history of the home. Soapstone has a reputation for being traditional but also is very current. It was common in homes, particularly in New England and has been used in kitchens for over two centuries. There are many homes in New England where the 100+ years old soapstone is still standing. There really is nothing quite like it. It's extraordinarily beautiful and possesses remarkable stability. Soapstone develops its own personality over time. So, after doing much research and many nay sayer's comments, we had soapstone installed. I love everything about it and we are happy we made the choice to select natural soapstone for our countertops. And as a bonus, it's the most environmentally friendly countertop available, from taking it out of the quarry to preparing it for the consumer, there is near zero impact on our planet.

Click on Soapstone International's website for everything you need to know about soapstone: Soapstone International
>

White English Ironstone - what a collection!

We just acquired a huge collection of white ironstone from Staffordshire, England. I was doing some research on some of the pieces and came across an article I wanted to share with you. I found it on Martha Stewart's site. White ironstone has long been an American favorite. Although massive quantities of the handsome, functional, undecorated and inexpensive Staffordshire were imported to America in the late 1800s, Martha Stewart revived its popularity in the 1990s. It is no longer inexpensive.Ironstone dates to the early 1800s; the name and its formula, containing the mineral feldspar, were patented in 1813 by Charles Mason of Staffordshire, England. Ironstone decorated with colorful patterns was an immediate success in England, but the white-glazed variety has little official history there because virtually all of it was made for export to Europe, Australia, and the United States. It is a staple, like the little black dress of the antiques world, can't go wrong with it.

By the 1830s, enterprising British potters recognized a potential market among rural American families buying china for the first time. They put together services of snowy-white ironstone, predicting that its simplicity and affordability would appeal to the no-frills aesthetic associated with American country life. These pieces, given names such as graniteware, stoneware, pearl china, or feldspar china, are now all categorized as ironstone.

White ironstone patterns fall into distinct periods. The earliest, called gothic or primary, date from the 1830s to 1840s and comprise paneled hexagonal or octagonal shapes. More rounded forms emerged in the 1860s, including harvest patterns decorated with relief-molded berries or sheaves of wheat. After 1860, bulbous, highly ornamental designs combined ribs with leaves and flowers, and from 1880 on, ironstone reverted to plainer forms, often unadorned except for the handles or finials.The once ubiquitous and affordable ironstone is now highly coveted by collectors and therefore expensive. A teapot might sell for $350 and a soap dish for $200. Its quality is based on the evenness of the color and the crispness of the relief work. All edges, finials, and handles should be chip-free and unrepaired. The cost of a piece depends on its maker, pattern, condition, and rarity, as well as where it is being sold.

The History of Iron Beds

First used by the Chinese, cast iron pieces were made in 550 B.C. In the 18th Century there were numerous small foundries in the East and even as far west as Chicago. They took great pride and care in their designs. These small foundries could take days to make one single .
Raw iron was melted and hand poured and into molds. Finishes were varied and could range from simple white to multiple colors with gilted detail on the castings. Because of the meticulous methods used to produce iron bed frames, it is rare to find duplicate designs. Back in the mid 1800's, iron being produced in America was far superior to that of Europe. The foundries produced limited numbers of the beds but they were very high quality. That’s why today you can find beds that are in perfect condition: They have stood the test of time.
There is just no substitute for the hand-forged design from a skilled craftsman. We at Cottage Antiques are always hunting for good quality iron beds. When we bring them in, they don’t last long. The ornate, tall beds are the most difficult to find. I love the ones with the original paint, especially those that are chippy and aged to perfection. Here are photos of some of the beds we’ve had in or have right now.

Cordelia to speak at The Cool Twitter Conferences World Tour

I am on the roster to speak at the San Diego Cool Twitter Conferences World Tour on July 15th sponsored by the Washington, DC-based technology group, The Cool Blue Company LLC."The Cool Twitter Conferences World Tour" second stop is taking place in San Diego, CA on Wednesday, July 15th at Croce's Restaurant and Jazz Bar, 802 5th Avenue, San Diego, CA 92101 in the heart of the Gaslamp quarter.I'm very excited to be a part of such an enthusiastic group of tweeple (sorry about that, couldn't help myself). This is an exciting time regarding social media and what it can do for businesses today, including retail brick and mortars. Check back for updates on the program. I can't wait!

Of course, I'll be posting photos of the presenters and attendees.

Hang your flags for 4th of July

Happy 4th of July from our house to yours! Have a safe one, friends.

Heidi's Historic Summer Gardens

On this Fourth of July, I featuring my good friend Heidi Daniels' barn shoppe. It's located in New England’s historic Harrub's Corner in Plympton, Massachusetts, in the town’s historic district. Heidi grew up in Ocean Beach, in San Diego, but she always wanted to move to the East Coast. So more than 15 years ago, she moved to New England and fulfilled her dream. That's where she met Ben, whom she later married. They bought a historic home with an 1800s post-and-beam barn on the property.   
 
Enjoy the photos and have a safe and happy 4th of July.

The house, named “Summer Gardens,” has a rich historic past. It was built by architect Isaac King in 1687 and completed around 1720. Back then, during the Revolutionary War, it was a way station. Also, in the mid 1800s, the property was a stagecoach stop and tavern. Besides the house, there are two small outbuildings, which once housed a store and post office. Heidi called her store Summer Gardens, after the original house. The shop is inside a large barn on the property.

Heidi loves primitives and Americana and her store reflects the past. It’s overflowing with homespun textiles, painted furniture, Windsor chairs, folk art dolls, handmade local art, and even famous local home-baked pies -- you name it. Heidi’s always loved decorating. I met her on the volleyball courts in South Mission Beach in the 1980s, and our group all called her the “Martha Stewart of Mission Beach” because she had such a knack with making her beach cottage cozy. Her quilts were stacked on a pine cupboard, and transferware plates were hung on the walls and also tucked inside a country hutch. The final touch was the almost endless aroma of cookies baking in her oven.

Fast forward to New England where today she has created a virtual fantasy on the grounds of historic Summer Gardens, with its blooming flower fields where Heidi does spends hours each day planting and pruning her fresh flower gardens. Customers can stroll, cut their own flower bouquets, and view the lavender fields and gourd arbor while admiring the barn and the 17th century home in the distance. Summer Gardens holds a Lavender Days event each year, which is coming up soon. I've always admired Heidi's creative talents, and now she's expressing them in this historically significant two-story barn. My husband Bob and I visited Heidi and Ben two summers ago and stayed on their property. It was very much like vacationing in a historic bed-and-breakfast inn.

So, on our nation’s birthday, this is my tribute to my friend Heidi's one-of-a-kind shop and all things American.

Give Heidi a call if there's anything in her barn you are interested in. (They ship.)  781-582-1576

Interesting article in Country Living Magazine

There's a growing trend in retail, which I've not only noticed, but have taken part in, in Southern California. It's the occasional and seasonal sale in sheds, barns and even inside private homes. Some are repeat sales, or shows, with a multiple vendor venue in various areas of San Diego County. Because there is little overhead in putting on a sale like this, you can usually get better deals on merchandise. I'll try and post them on my web site to let you know where and when they'll be.

Photos - First day of 3- Day Sale

The first day of our June Summer Sale was soooooo fun - we had a terrific turnout! The weather was overcast,  perfect for shopping in Ocean Beach. We're looking forward to tomorrow, Saturday. Yesterday, a designer from Manhattan, NY came in to shop, said she found us on twitter and couldn't wait to see our store on her next trip to San Diego. Social Media works and because of it we made a new friend!


   The perfect amount of naturally aged chippy paint


   This beautiful tole painted wooden plaque c1900,
   was shipped to a customer in New England

Just in time for our sale

There's nothing like these old concrete urns and planters that have old paint on them, particularly layered. It makes such a statement and is a perfect look. They only get better as the years go by. They're good inside or outside.
This painted beadboard cupboard just came in with very old paint in creams and white chipping away to reveal the perfect green with all original hinges and door pulls. This is really a superb piece.

We're cleaning house and having a Summer Sale

Marche Danes Le Jardin in Coronado

What a lovely fundraising event! Marché dans le jardin, held in the gorgeous home of Jane Pollock's ocean front property in Coronado. This was a fundraiser for Art Takes A Village where about 20 artisans gathered for an afternoon to show and sell there creative wares in this market in the garden with a fantastic view of the ocean. Kim Kelly (Bella Rustica), her friend Nancy and I enjoyed it so much. It was especially nice to reconnect with Christie Repasy. She and I have known eachother a very long time and she always participated in my Chintz events. Christie's art is romantic and sweet, just like her. Take a look at her website and see for yourself how unbelievably creative she is. It was fun as always to see Rita, Mammabellarte, Tamerie, A Little of This That and the Other, and, of course, Gina of Lizzy B's. I've been meaning for a long time to go the La Maison Rustique, Linda's barn in Temecula, never seem to make it, though, that thing called owning your own business seems to get in the way :-) But I enjoyed meeting Linda. She's as sincere and nice as I've been hearing for a long time. Everywhere you looked there was glitter, rhinestones or crystals. I couldn't resist Christie's latest small giclée, a sweet princess crown.

Fresh Linen & Burlap Pillows

I've just finished stuffing our latest custom-made pillows with down. If you know me you know I love linen and there's nothing quite like a crisp white linen pillow. These are big double-ruffle box pillows with tie-backs and they're so fun to decorate with - they're sassy and crisp and a perfect look year round but particularly spring and summer. Here they are mixed with our latest burlap pillows. The newest one is the French rooster "Le coq".









Fleur-de-lis embellished with rhinestones.This is a burlap pillow with a rhinestone embellished crown.

Point Loma Garden Walk held last week

Here are a few photos from the Point Loma Garden Walk held last weekend. The 8th Annual, it's always a huge success due to very giving & fun women that make up the Dana Unit of Rady Children's Hospital Auxiliary. I love being a part of it. The weather was more than perfect and everyone got to experience a little of what Sunset Cliffs has to offer.

This planted container won my heart. Positioned so simply on a window sill of one of the earliest homes in the Sunset Cliffs area. It says it all, doesn't it?

My friends, Cindy and Amanda (mother & daughter team) with their uniquely planted iron pieces. Most of their plants are heirloom. I know the maidenhair fern is fourth generation from Cindy's grandmother. So beautiful and hearty, our garden attendees love it!
One of the best cottage gardens in all of Point Loma - the Briers' home. They're the greatest family and Calvin, who is a landscape & waterscape architect by trade, did his home justice. It's welcoming.
This is their backyard.

In this beautiful garden, the homeowner prepared fresh berries on a whimsical, garden table setting. We wanted to sit down and spend the afternoon there.
Another great house who's owner is a Master Gardener. She has two compost bins, very large ones, and has never bought soil for her gardens in over four years. I was amazed by her - I need to take one of her classes she offers.
Roses with a view of the ocean. Life is good.

New vignettes in our shop

We just finished re-displaying the shop. This week was busy with big furniture sales which left alot of holes whioh, of course, means we have to display new inventory! (One of my favorite things to do.) It's always fun to see the store transform and see customers reactions. Here is just a sampling of some of our store vignettes:
This vintage ottoman has been given new life with a custom matelasse slipcover. So cottage-y and comfortable. We also slipcover your ottomans or footstools. Give us a call or ask at the desk - slipcovers are a perfect option for creating a fresh new look in a room and doing it inexpensively.



Silver and sterling are one of our specialties. Here's a sample of a very old Sheffield sugar scuttle. There's nothing like the antique silver items and this piece is no exception with its hand engraving. Any Sheffield silver is always of exceptional quality.


I love these burlap pillows - they're French grain sacks made into pillows and are down filled. Very chic!

How about these 100% linen double boxed ruffled pillows. They're custom made especially for our shop, with ties in the back that give them an extra special sassy look. We can't keep them in and it keeps our local seamstress busy!
I am thrilled to have this Victorian wire plant stand the pillows are sitting in. It is a rare piece with the original paint and looks like it was kept inside. It's perfect for displays. I can picture it in an entryway filled with hydrangeas!

Here's another French grain sack item - this one a seat cushion. We have a lot of these on hand.

I'll be posting more photos tomorrow - I want to capture our displays quick before things sell. :)
'Til then

My friend Kim's Bella Rustica Italian Easter Market in Coronado this Saturday

It was a great morning with Kim, hostess of her Bella Rustica Italian Easter Market in Coronado, her second annual sale in her comfortable, ever-so-stylish Italian-flair home. It was fun meeting so many of Kim's customers and friends. Tamerie and Rita brought their wares, embellished antique bottles, custom pillows, slip covered ottomans, whimsical birdhouses (one which I couldn't resist and took home). And Kim is such a tremendous talent; I admire her energy and creativity and how she makes it all come to life. Her home is so special and every where you turn you see her signature style. Wonderful sale, terrific morning. Bravo!














From left: Cordelia (me), Tamerie, Kim and Rita

Journals by artist Martha Stauderman with her Martha Lily Designs

I love these and they're selling as they're coming in. Exclusive to Cottage Antiques, these are created by Martha with her Martha Lily Designs. Made from pieces and fragments of the past and inspired by old wallpapers and vintage lace, these will knock your socks off. Custom made journals available, too. Bring in your own memorabilia for a personalized journal by Martha Lily.


This Notes journal is one of my favorites












The very first day we had these miniature "Friends" books in my shop, we immediately had custom orders for them! They make great gifts! Martha Lily can create them with a child's fantasies and delights in mind, gear it toward someones hobby, for example horses, mermaids, swimming, soccer - anything!













These journals make the ideal gift!

The Fascination with Ephemera

Wikipedia describes ephemera as "The word derives from the Greek, meaning things lasting no more than a day. Some collectible ephemera are advertising trade cards, airsickness bags, bookmarks, catalogues, greeting cards, letters, pamphlets, postcards, posters, prospectuses, stock certificates, tickets and zines".
This corset trade card is great and perfectly captures another era.
Whether it's old advertising trade cards, vintage postcards, old newspapers and tickets, there is something so appealing about finding an old hand-written letter or greeting card or vintage photo, so much so that it's hard to discard them. I recently acquired some turn-of-the-century 1900 receipt books in unused condition with a wonderful aged color. I'm fascinated with them. They'd be great for scrapbooking, if I were so inclined. I like the way they look just sitting out on a desk with an old pen and paperweight. Things like that are perfect accessories for decorating. Old photos are wonderful for adding a nice touch, too. The accents of old photos makes it look like there's a family with a history living there. Framing vintage photos and antique postcards are a great way to enhance any room, no matter what the style.

Vintage sheet music, particularly sheet music from France, is especially desireable right now. You can use them as a wall paper in the back of a glass fronted cover to lend an old Paris look. It's very effective.
This is a photo of my mother as a young child, had to be around 1925 on the sand in Mission Beach in San Diego. My grandparents loved to go to the beach for picnics. I have this photo in an antique frame on the wall in a grouping of family photos. This is one of my favorite pictures of my mom and I treasure it.

Today's Vintage Magazine picked up an item from this blog, featured it in their March issue

Save the date - Point Loma Garden Walk & Boutique

All of us involved in the upcoming Point Loma Garden Walk & Boutique are excited so mark your calendar so you won't miss this great event. It's the 8th Annual and it's going to be held Saturday, April 25, 2009 in the Sunset Cliffs area of San Diego. the Boutique will be from 9am 'til 5pm, the Garden Walk from 10am - 4pm. The Boutique has the most diverse items and garden oddities imaginable, from whimsical planted chairs, herb gardens in unique containers, great garden iron, to antique furniture, vintage and attic finds, garden statuary, garden furniture, and one-of-a kind birdhouses, salvaged windows made into wonderful garden items, and on and on. The rummage corner was a huge success last year and complete sold out! You have to see this boutique to believe it.













Cottage Antiques will once again be a vendor at this very special, tremendously popular garden event. Remember, save the date! We'll see you there!

Valentine's Day is over but not forgotten . . . xoxo

Melissa Morgan, an internationally renowned harpist and a local, played her harp for us most of the afternoon. Thank you, Melissa, you were so appreciated by everyone! Very angelic for Valentine's Day.
The chocolate fountain, with chocolate cascading down and providing an aroma that was the pièce de résistance! Customers told us they could smell the chocolate from the sidewalk and with the harp music - heavenly!







A big thank you to Karen Hendrix, a very talented papiery artist. Her creations are so special, with their intricate antique embellishments.





It was wonderful to see so many people having a good time and loving the merchandise we brought in special for the day.


Well, we were pretty tired but as our associate, Jane, put it - it was a fun tired! We can't wait until the next event.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Here's just a sampling of what we have in store for our customers on Saturday, February 14th!

Invitation to Valentine's Day Chocolate Fest

Chocolate Extravaganza on Valentine's Day, Saturday February 14th

What is it about chocolate that brings out the best in romance, the best in wine and the best in holidays, especially Valentine's Day? Please join us for the ultimate chocolate experience at Cottage Antiques where we'll be celebrating Valentine's Day, Saturday, February 14th, Valentine's Day! You'll enjoy a decadant chocolate fountain with so many delights to dip: pastries, your fruit, cakes, marshmallows and pretzels just to name a few. We'll have heart shaped chocolate lollipops, solid chocolate jewelry boxes, we'll be baking cookies in the shop all day, and more! Tremendous sales will be offered throughout our store. We're proud to present and feature a special holiday artisan with her exquisite, whimsical Valentine paper creations made completely from antique scraps. These are one-of-a-kind treasures exclusive to Cottage Antiques.



Don't miss it! We look forward to seeing you at this fun Valentine's Day chocolate fest! Look for more details soon.

French wire Eiffel Tower

I was so excited at the end of this week because I had found this great French wire Eiffel tower custom made in France for a restaurant. A guy that worked for the owner of the restaurant offered to sell it to me. So, here it is and it was in our store for a nano second before it sold. I'm happy that the customer wanted it, (she was soooooo happy walking it up to the counter), but I always feel a little cheated when I can't enjoy a great item a little longer than a day. Oh, well. That's why I buy merchandise, for our customers and the best feeling ever is when they love what we bring in. Sigh.

Thought I'd share the real thing below. Breathtaking, isn't it?

Use architectural pieces in your home!

This is a lamp made from a ribbon-wrapped old lampshade (sans the fabric) outfitted with an extra large clear bulb. We hung an empty antique mirror frame from the ceiling to frame the shade. Makes for a great effect. You can add architectural interest where none existed before or just fill a space. Using architectural objects is more about creating an ambiance completely unique to you and it becomes your style. Use columns, finials, urns, balusters, old door knobs and hardware - all of it adds an element of interest and can change the mood of a room.

What is so great about today in the interior decorating world when using antiques is that they don't have to be restored or perfect. Aged patinas showing decades of use only adds to the charm of antique furnishings. The message when showcasing a time-worn antique is that there is a history there which adds a stability to a home and indicates that there some lineage or heritage in the home. That's why using a family heirloom in a room, even if it's just one old book or a piece of inherited silver, adds an element that a new accessory can't. The goal should be to create a layered look, so to speak, where it doesn't look like things just arrived.

Antique statuary brought indoors lends a contrast to typical furnishings. Balance a concrete piece or chippy painted piece with a crystal chandelier - it makes for a magical ambiance.





Decorating with architectural pieces can enhance any room and shape the inside of a home's landscape. Reclaimed vintage building fragments and elements and incorporating them into your decor is fun and a challenge. It can lend an air to a room that nothing else can. I love to use antique building brackets or korbels as wall sconces, they make a statement. Antique columns, big or large are wonderful accents. Basically, if you like a piece that you think will work somewhere in your home, go for it. There are no rules so follow your instincts. Too many people trying to decorate their homes get caught up in what they "should" do. Find your own style and keep fine tuning it. You'll then create surroundings that are unique and individual to you and your lifestyle.

Vintage and antique mannequins are so collectible right now, they're just an appeal there. They can be used merely as a piece of art on a table or standing alone on the floor. Dress it up with vintage clothing or jewelry, anything that suits your fancy.










Victorian frames like this old one are getting tougher to find. This one dates to about 1870 and proudly hung on the wall of a painted lady Victorian home no doubt! I love it just the way it is, faded and worn but sooooo appealing!
I picked up this antique porch post and railing around the Fresno area when we were doing a show up there. It is aged to absolute perfection.











Did I mention windows? You'll see windows scattered throughout all of my photos because we use them everywhere. Use wherever you think they'd look good. They add such a dimensional feel to a room or wall, it's amazing. I love them hanging as a divider or lean them against another piece of furniture. The windows with panes are the best for display, in my opinion. Have fun!

Rearrange small things for a big new look

Sometimes the smallest changes make a big difference in the look of a room. It was a great way for me to start out this morning by rearranging and redecorating a my china and a few accessories. My creative juices were flowing and two hours went by without a blink of an eye. A perfect shot in the arm for me. I love to decorate and rearrange, it makes everything seem fresh and new, the same way 2009 feels.







I woke up energized this morning and so happy about crazy 08 being behind us. I had to take some photos for an editor of San Diego Home & Garden. Well, one thing led to another and I completely rearranged all of my china and accessories in my dining room and glass doored kitchen cabinets. Very fun. Before I knew it, half the morning was gone but I feel like I have a new dining room. My husb and I snuck in a brisk walk on Sunset Cliffs (b-eautiful!), then home just in time for the Rose Bowl football game. And here I am, blogging on January first two thousand and nine.

Check out my new china arrangments. I moved all of my blue & white English Staffordshire Calico to the kitchen.

Looking forward to 2009

Happy New Year to you all . . .

First sung in 1929 by Guy Lombardi at midnight on January 1, 1929, in the Roosevelt Hotel in New York City.


The words of which are sung in English-speaking countries around the world each New Year's Eve.




A happy New Year!
Grant that I
May bring no tear to any eye
When this New Year in time shall end
Let it be said I've played the friend,
Have lived and loved and labored here,
And made of it a happy year.
~Edgar Guest

Joyeux Noel

and to all a good night

Updated photos of the shop - it's constantly changing!

As things sell, the store gets messy pretty quick even though we're popping in new merchandise daily. Here are a few updated photos after my designer friend, Simone, came in to help me display. I LUV what she did.
The table in this display sold right after the display was done so it had to be done all over. Too funny, happens all the time. The couple who bought the table felt bad, we were all laughing about it - that's the point, to sell the merchandise!

































































This year we have burlap Christmas stockings with bling stars which have been a big hit. They're by Melissa.

















The contrast between china and iron or wire works well for display and in decorating. It's a great look with lots of appeal.



























One of our vintage mannequins is the perfect way to show off some of our latest jewelry offerings.















This is one of my all-time favorite displays: Hanging this 8 ft. wide building facade and putting a crystal chandelier in the center. It's a great look and one of the first things customers see when they walk through our front door.

Great gifts for the antique collector

Gift Ideas for the Antique Collector

Someone who collects antiques might be a bit difficult to buy for at Christmas. It's not as easy as running to the mall for a gift. You can however give them gifts that complement their hobby, and if you have a bit of the collector in you, maybe you can even pick them up a piece or two to complement their collection.




1- A gift certificate to an antiques store
Try to find out one or two of their favorite shops and get them a gift certificate or gift card to a antique shop.

2- Magnifying Glass
A magnifying glass that can be stashed in a glove box or purse for those times they need to check out a hard to distinguish mark on an unexpected find can be the best gift they will ever receive. Look for a folding magnifying glass in a protective case so that they will not have to worry about it breaking in between uses.

3- Tickets to an antique show
Almost every city or town has at least one major antiques show, or nearby. Antique afficionados love to go to an antique show so give them a couple of passes for the show so they can take a friend.

4- Journal


A blank journal with lots of room for them to fill with information on their favorite antique haunts, want lists, and more is a great gift for even someone on a budget to give the antique collector on their list. Take it up a step and give one with a leather cover with their initials engraved on it.

5- Subscription to Antique Trader
Antique Trader is America's weekly antiques and collectibles marketplace. It is published every week of the year, meaning a copy will land in their mailbox each week reminding them just how much you care.

6- Tickets to a Museum
Try to pick a museum in a historical building that is featuring antiquities, antiques or something related to their interests.

7- Buy them one of their favorite collectibles
If you're comfortable shopping for them and know exactly what would really add to their collection and you can do it economically, then do it. Don't make the mistake of buying something you're not really sure about because then they feel obligated to display it because you gave it to them.

8- A book on their area of collecting
There are so many great books on antiques and collectibles. Chances are thtey have some of them but most likely appreciate any books on their area of collecting. Avid collectors usually love to amass books about their passion.

9- Antique photo frame:
If you are giving a family photograph for a gift, frame it in an antique frame. Collectors love and appreciate that.

10- An antique Christmas ornament
Antique collectors usually love anything antique or vintage and would most certainly love an antique tree ornament. It's very special because each year when they put it on the tree, that person remembers you. You can't go wrong.







cordelia

Vintage-Ornaments.com now in our shop!

57th Annual Christmas Home Tour

Here are the four homes that are on the 57th Annual All Souls' Christmas Tour, the longest running Christmas Home tour in the country. We are honored to have been asked to be included on this year's farewell tour.

Featured in San Diego Home/Garden Lifestyles magazine, December 2007 issue, the entry hall décor sets the tone for the rest of the house, with walls painted red and the ceiling of the entrance to the dining room painted Federal Blue with gold leaf stars.As you visit this home you will find that the homeowner enjoys “touches of whimsy” that will surprise and delight you throughout, especially to be noted under the trees in the enchanting backyard. A white picket fence, red front door, classical portico welcome you into this fascinating home filled with an exceptional collection of 17th, 18th, and 19th century folk art and antique furniture.


Originally built as a tiny New England cottage on three lots in 1926, the property offered a spectacular view of the Pacific Ocean, San Diego skyline and Mexico in the distance. Dr. Charles Harrison May purchased the property from a sea captain and his family in 1963. The original house has been added to in every direction; up, down and on either side, always with the view in mind. The house contains many collectible items and furnishings collected by Dr. and Mrs. May during their years of travel; he to lecture to professionals in other countries; Mrs. May for furnishings and clothing for her design studio and clothing stores.


Originally built as one of two identical lighthouse keepers’ quarters at the ‘new’ Point Loma Lighthouse, Quarters C now serves as the home for a senior USCG officer stationed in San Diego. The house, built in 1890, reflects late Victorian Stick style architecture. There is nothing modest about the 270 degree views of the Pacific from the house and grounds. Every room has an ocean view! You will exit the house just as Tom Cruise and Tom Skerrit did in the movie, “Top Gun”. The grounds also include the Lighthouse, service buildings, and Quarters B and A, which were built in 1913.



This charming Loma Portal home was built in 1935 by a local architect and purchased by George Edwards. Mr. Edwards was the first Boy Scout troop leader in the Point Loma area. Two generations if the Edwards family were in this home and then the Mendozas purchased it in 2000. It is a transitional style home, a variation of a Cape Cod with six-on-six double hung sash windows adorned with Colonial-style shutters. A pitched roof and partial clapboard siding gives it a cottage look. The wooden picket fence is new, each picket being individually hand cut and painted by the owners. During the past eight years Bob and Cordelia Mendoza have changed the configuration of indoor doors, moved walls and adjusted the interior to complement their antiques and collections. The kitchen was remodeled in 2006, with a soapstone countertop, subway tiles, and farmhouse sink. The kitchen was featured in Better Homes and Gardens Kitchen Makeovers magazine, 2008 summer edition.

A Point Loma Tradition
the
Fifty Seventh Annual Christmas Home Tour
and Christmas Arts Sale

Saturday, December 6th 2008

Feet hurt & we're tired but had a fun, fun day!

I couldn't take photos while we were busy so tried to sneak some pictures of customers browsing and shopping after it slowed down a bit. We had a great time seeing everyone. It was a beautiful day in Ocean Beach. Sun was out, not too chilly, not too warm, perfect shopping weather and the street was packed!

Christmas Open House Saturday, November 29th - Please join us!

We all can't wait for our customers to see the fabulous vintage and antique finds we have waiting for them at the open house Saturday. We'll be working all day Tuesday and Wednesday getting ready, taking a break for Thanksgiving festivities and unveiling the shop this weekend.

Old bottles with bling and glitz!

The contrast of the old bottles with rhinestones make the best displays for jewelry.

I'm always eager to share our new finds. . .

We have a weakness for great American country cupboards. This one had been painted many decades ago so the patina is wonderful.
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We have a wonderful collection and display of signed rhinestone jewelry, Weiss and Eisenburg

How about an enameled victorian decanter, very hard to find!


I couldn't resist posting this photo of the figural bird on top of this lid - so whimsical.

These French tole lamps are so appealing. This one has sweet porcelain roses.

Unusual Vintage Jewelry finds

These necklaces are amazing, each made from fragments of antique jewelry, estate pieces, watches, fobs, etc., creating a look that says more than meets the eye.

Each piece tells a story . . .

Each necklace is made of revamped vintage and estate pieces of other jewelry for a unique, flirty and very couture look.



I love estate jewelry especially ones that have a strong sense of where they've been, a part of a person's history. Jewelry, like all possessions, is only ours for a time, borrowed in a sense, and then will become treasured by the next appreciative owner. I wear a large gold locket that was my mother's and I always get compliments. It is time-worn and beautiful. She found it at a local estate sale with initials engraved on the front the same as hers. What are the chances? She loved this locket, absolutely loved it and was thrilled when she found it. I always feel like my mom is with me when I have it on. One day, someone else will wear it and hopefully feel the history in this locket that has adorned so many.
Jewelry, new and old, is such an expression of who we are, a statement really.
I found these wonderful pieces that are made by two gals in Arkansas. Each piece is made from a gathering of fragments of jewelry or keys or watches, part of someones life. The beauty is in their time-worn look to them. This jewelry is so appealing because there's a mystery there, hidden in the aged patina.
The past is always present and some things are a present from the past.

I'm proud to be an American

I'm also very proud to be able to have voiced my opinion at the voting polls and sat riveted to the election results on TV last night. It's a new day.

With that said, now we need to get onto our daily lives, mine being buying and selling antiques. Now that's American, earning a living the good ol' American way, through hard work and perseverance. It's something I'm used to and thrive on it. My parents worked until they were into their 80s. My mom was teaching a class on antiques at a local junior college until she was 81. She loved to work and being involved and this country is made up of people like her. This is a great country where people can explore their entrepreneurial side or work for a someone else. It's their choice.

I met a very ambitious young man this weekend. My husband and I were driving through the neighborhood and noticed a car being detailed. We stopped to talk with the guy doing the work. He's a social worker and only works on weekends. He told us if he details our car, then every two weeks thereafter he comes to our home or business and washes our car. One of the other neighbors came by while we were talking to him and they said "he's worth every penny". I'll bet! We signed up. He will then do a mini detailing every six months and a free wash every two weeks. Now that's what I call a hard worker. Says he loves what he does and likes to stay busy. Afterwards, Bob and I were saying how people can just create their own jobs by working, simply working and creating a job for themselves. T

That's what we can do in this great country of ours. We have lots of choices if we just seek them out and explore and try. For me, I'll just keep pluggin' along with my antiquing. (Oops, did I just do a Palinism with "pluggin'"?

New paint on our home - just have to share!

The fence is done, the house is painted and our shutters are finally up! Took the whole summer and part of the fall to complete.
The toughest part for me is selecting colors but we're very happy with it, especially with the chocolate brown shutters and front door.

A word about holiday decorations . . .

I have always had the rule that we don't decorate for Christmas until after Thanksgiving. This is our ritual; I want it to really feel like the holidays. So on Saturday, November 29th we're having our official Holiday Open House. Flyers will be printed, announcements made and email and postcards sent out. Retail store Christmas decorations are an often underrated facet of the big picture holiday promotional mix. But stores and shops contribute a vital purpose in the overall shopping mood. They remind customers of the current season at hand and, subconsciously, stir up positive emotions associated with holiday memories and traditions. We will be stepping up to the plate and dressing up and putting on all the trimmings in our store to conjure up the holiday feeling!


I thought I'd share what we did display today. This 10 foot building facade is now hanging in the middle of our shop. It's awesome and we hung a chandelier in the middle to finish it off. As I've said before, we just can't get enough of the architectural pieces, they're the most fun to decorate with.

Our Award

Our store just won an award! My husband Bob and I went to an awards ceremony and annual appreciation banquet this evening put on by the Ocean Beach Mainstreet Association. Our award is "Most Creative Use of Commercial Space". There are over 350 businesses in our Ocean Beach business district so we were very flattered by the award. In the front of our builiding there is a setback or alcove so we had a fancy iron facade installed which created an extra room or foyer for us where we have outdoor garden furniture, chippy painted tables, etc. The back of our store was a small parking lot so we built a fence and gate and had a cottage built and created a backyard garden retail area. We love our back yard! there are architectural items, potting benches, garden statuary, signs, iron plant stands, planters, and cast iron outdoor furniture. It's been so much fun so to get this award was the icing on the cake. Thank you OBMA for noticing our effort!

We had fun decorating for Halloween!

Well, I made it past September without succumbing to displaying for Halloween. I can't get myself to do it since we've all been seeing Halloween items for sale since before the 4th of July.


Today, Friday, October 3rd, we launched our fall and Halloween decorating and had fun putting it all together. Debbi, my good friend and our decorating guru, came in and did a number on the store. Debbi is talented beyond belief. She pushes the envelope and thinks of ways to display things that take it to a whole different level. I'm always in awe watching her work. I'm good at display and I've had employees that are outstanding at pulling everything together but no one comes even close to what Debbi is capable of. Today was no exception. I brought in our annual pumpkins, big & small, Indian corn, licorice for our antique apothecary jars, fresh fallen leaves, you name it! Then the magic began. Displaying the fall with our antiques, it all mixes so well and voila - wonderful vignettesjust waiting for our customers to see. The energy it creates is infectious. I can't wait for the weekend and all of the comments we'll hear from customers. That's really the fun, watching our customers enjoy browsing and shopping our store.


This is one of the best times of year for decorating - for fall and autumn, and Halloween. The colors are so rich and it's the beginning of the entire holiday season.



















Come by and see us and our new displays. We have some great merchandise just in and we're getting ready for the big bi-annual antique district sidewalk sale next weekend, October 11th & 12th. There will be tremendous deals and you don't want to miss it.

Estate Jewelry - some beautiful pieces just in!

Timeless and beautiful cameos:


Beautiful hard-to-find cameo earrings:



and a platinum & diamond pendant/brooch thrown in for good measure

More great finds!

Beautiful Victorian stamp box






















A beautiful 1883 Waltham pocket watch in a sterling case

1920s Paris, France postcards can be put anywhere!

We love these ribbon-wrapped old lampshades



One of the most beautiful Victorian Sunday artist oil paintings I have ever seen. The roses are exquisite!

We have a set of 6 of these chairs

Our latest finds and displays

One thing we're known for are our beds. We doll them up and fluff them with pillows and antique quilts. This particular bed is an iron bed, aged and rusted to perfection. We decided to leave it just as we found it - so appealing!
We tweaked our store today, adding our latest finds and redoing all of the displays.
I found this great plateau with original chippy paint.

These are the best arched French windows - Oo-la-la!

I snapped a few more images as we've added a lot of new treasures to the mix. Monday night and all day Tuesday, Bob, Debbi and I worked like dogs planning, rearranging, moving furniture, hanging pictures, frames and chandeliers. We've sold a lot of furniture this past couple of weeks and it always makes the store change.

Here's a sweet Victorian scrapbook, original and in great shape. I love the old lithos and the one here is in beautiful condition.

The old lighting is the best, nothing like it and these are big and fabulous! Vintage sconces tend to be small and to acquire a pair of fine French sconces like these is a true find. They have the original glass shades and large crystal spears - ooh la la!

This transom window from the late 1800s looks incredible on the wall. The pale French blue original paint couldn't be more perfect for the look so many of our customers are looking for today. We're very happy to be able to offer it for sale in our store.

The green toleware platter looks so great on the green buffet.


We just got this vintage chalkware statue of a girl with basket and it's perfect for displaying our Caspari napkins.

I never tire of the real cottage pieces, the ones with the original chippy paint, which complements any cottage country or French cottage look, camps and bungalow. This is a drop-leaf gateleg, could be slipped in behind a sofa, in a hallway of entryway, it's so narrow when the leaves are down. We're going to have fun using this in displays until it finds a forever home.

Vintage Tole Tray - beautiful roses!

A view from the middle of the store's front room


A display case of English Pastel Ware from the 1920s & 30s

Fall is in the Air

Fall is here and it feels great! I can't wait to decorate the shop with fall leaves and gourds and everything fall and autumn.
Last night had that bit of chill in the air for the first time. Change is exciting! Well, I'm off to to the store and will post photos later - there are some great displays of new finds that we hunted down yesterday, including a fabulous pair of French windows. I can't resist architectural pieces.

Inspirational Cottages in Carmel, California

I love this book, Cottages by the Sea by Linda Leigh Paul, and this Hansel & Gretel cottage - just a sample of the fairy tale cottages that make Carmel-by-the-Sea such an unbelievably special place. This book was a gift from a former employee and I love looking through it. My grandparents lived in Carmel and I spent many vacations there and have the fondest of memories of this incredible coastal city and spending time with my grandparents. They would take us to Big Sur in the summer for picnics, outdoor concerts, Pacific Grove for auctions and art galleries in town (my grandmother, Esther Rose, was an artist). My twin sister Cathy and I would explore the beaches and high sand ridges at the foot of Ocean Avenue, and play around the Monterey pine trees. We went swimming in the pool at the high school, found short cuts to downtown where we would visit the tucked away shops hunting for souvenir spoons. Our grandpa made Cathy and I wooden spoon racks and each time we visited we would select a new spoon to treasure and add to our collections. Come to think of it, that was the first thing I ever collected. I hadn't thought of that until now.

I was fascinated by the cottages and whimsical buildings and homes in Carmel, still am. There's no where else quite like it on earth.

Even a mailbox can be the most whimsical appealing structure; like I said, nothing like it.









Even though my grandparents are sadly long gone, Bob and I visit Carmel every year and love walking along the beach, strolling Ocean Avenue and browsing the shops, going over to the Misison Inn for dinner - it's a very romantic place to visit. Carmel is a town I will never get tired of.

How quaint is this???








The photo below is such a contradiction. It seems so starkly instrusive for the street signs in the forefront to mar the perfection of the home behind. Oh well, this is our reality, isn't it. At least we all can escape to the comforts of our home, the coziness and serenity that awaits us inside.












This is a wonderful shop in Carmel that I love to visit, Off the Wall. It is a haven for rescued and salvaged items. It's full of chandeliers, columns, carvings, chimney pieces, Victorian millwork, porch posts, railings and doors. There are door knobs, doorbells and other hardware, fireplace mantels, overmantels, mirrors, leaded and stained glass, old style tubs, sinks, sink fixtures, stoves, statuary, a stairway or two, assorted marble - you name it, they've got just about everything when it comes to old fixtures for your home.



Do Hansel & Gretel live here???








This is an example of the Carmel-by-the-Sea version of a thatched roof cottage.



Life is what we make it,
always has been,
always will be.
~ Grandma Moses

Our white picket fence - finally finished!

Well it's finished and I'm happy as a clam! Now the only thing we have to finish is the gate. I'll keep you posted.

Thoughts on making a house a home

I can't sleep and I was thinking about actually makes a house a home. I was thinking how much my husband Bob and I love our home and how it's so perfect for our lifestyle. Bob just finished building a picket fence around our corner lot. Took the whole summer. It's not just any picket fence, I was specific about it being scalloped and each picket arched and, of course, it had to be made of wood. No vinyl in our yard, thank you very much! The perfect thing about building it yourself is that it has its imperfections, which just adds to its charm. So Bob dug the post holes, framed out the fence and cut each and every picket and put them up and I painted it. We have these planted cut-outs in the lawn so the fence curves behind and around these cut-outs which made building the fence even more time-consuming and complicated but added way more curb appeal. Some evenings after work we worked 'til dark trying to finish. All summer long the neighbors have been watching the fence slowly work its way around the corner - they've had suggestions, comments and questions and even offered to assist Bob. People we don't even know have stopped their car and shared their thoughts. It's been quite an interesting project. So I happily present the finished product on my blog and consider it one way to make a house a home: add a white picket fence and build it yourself.

Another way to make a house a home is to surround yourself with things that have sentimental value.

My grandmother painted this seascape of Carmel, California in the early 1970s and I gave it to my mom to keep for 15 years. I didn't appreciate her art when I was young, we grew up around it and it didn't mean much to me. Now I cherish the pieces I have.
Here's another.

I love to use the antique ceiling tins from the c1880 from courthouse buildings and hotels and frame them around original oil paintings, they're great and I've done that with a few of my Grandma's paintings.
Another way to make a house into a home is to have books around, they add coziness to a room, especially time-worn leather bounds. Family photographs in tasteful gallery on a wall or lots of them clustered on a table add a touch that shows history.

Add cozy cushy down-filled pillows to a sofa or couch, chair or bed. Paint a room, don't be afraid of color, it will be welcoming. Also, don't scrimp on lighting, invest in lamps, they warm a room. On a chilly night, burn a fire in the fireplace. Burn candles or light lanterns, make your home your haven. Spend time in it, enjoy it, be appreciative for it, I know I am.

Garden Sale at my house

We all had so much fun at our Summer Garden Sale held at my home Saturday, August 16th. There were deals of the century and people snatched them up. All of our vendors, about seven friends of mine who have great things and are extremely talented, participated and provided something for everyone.
It was unexpectedly warm but our every loyal customers came out for the garden sale. It was too fun. I went shopping there myself, couldn't pass up a couple of the deals.

The charm of painted antique furniture

They don't get any better than this late 1800s typical American wash stand that someone painted a pale pink and covered the rest of it with wallpaper years and years ago. It shows its yearsmakes it ever so appealing.


Who can resist a child's chippy painted dresser? Not me! I love to find pieces like this. Was it a salesman's sample? Maybe, because of the detail. Anyway, the original paint has chipped away a bit but that's what makes it all the more enchanting.



I love painted dressers and chests like this old one from the teens or 20s. The original paint looks like it's been polished and dusted hundreds of times over the last 80 years. The romantic handpainted detail in the center is irresistable.





There is something about painted furniture, early pieces with original paint on them or antique pieces that are beautifully painted, not wanna be's but the real thing with a fresh coat of paint that is so appealing. Artists and furniture makers have been painting furniture for three thousand years, it is nothing new. In the 1500s the Venetian artists were in full swing painting furniture. The Dutch caught on the the 17th Century. By the mid-18th Century, France dominated hand painted furniture in Europe and set the pace for the rest of the world. American pieces, like this example of mustard paint on the bench below, are very desirable by collectors.

Another example of a painted chest with a romantic floral painting in the center of the drawers.

Booksigning at Best Friends in Kanab, Utah for Pawprints of Katrina

Well, we (Bob, our dog, Frankie and I) went to Utah for my sister, Cathy's booksigning. What a whirlwind weekend! There was something planned from the time we got there to the time we left. We arrived Friday and went to Zion National Park with my brother and his wife who had come from Idaho. It's always fun going places like that with Mike because he's an ornithologist and works for U.S. Department of Fish and Wildlife, he points so many things out to us about birds, plants, animals, it's educational. Zion was beautiful but pretty warm. That evening we went to dinner in Kanab at the nicest restaurant in town. Mind you, this is a really small town but Rocking V Cafe was great, really nice people who own it. First thing Saturday morning we all went to Best Friends Sanctuary which is breathtakingly beautiful, and had a 3 hour VIP tour with one of the original founders of the sanctuary, Faith Maloney. What a place! It sits on over 30,000 acres and the way the Best Friends' animals live is like nothing you've ever seen. It's all about the quality of life for these animals who have been abandoned, tossed aside, abused, whatever, there are countless stories of how and why they came to be at Best Friends. After the tour we had a special lunch, all vegetarian, in their green cafeteria. Ali MacGraw and her son, Josh Evans and daughter-in=law Charis were there, Cathy's editor, Pam, from Wiley Publishers in Chicago Cathy's agent, Susan from New York, and many friends, rescuers and volunteers who all had started arriving Friday. The lunch was great and Pam from Wiley presented Best Friends with a $5,000 donation check and designated it to be spent on the pot-bellied pigs' facility. After lunch there was the booksigning. My gosh, they sold a couple hundred books and many people brought their own books which they had purchased before coming so they could read it before the booksigning. While I was there the line was over 2 hours long! The line-up at the booksigning table was my sister Cathy, the author,Cliff Deutsch, the rescuer who is on the cover of the book, Clay Myers the photographer of the photos in the book and on the cover, and Ali MacGraw who wrote the forward and is an animal lover and activist. So the four of them were at that signing table from 2:00 pm 'til 5:00 pm without a break. The positive energy was amazing. Then there was a dinner on a grassy area overlooking Angel Canyon which is breathtakingly spectacular. There were those who came with pets who had been rescued from Katrina, Marina, Lois Lane, Mia, Ginger. They came from all over the country. They came because they have this bond with eachother after working together for weeks and months rescuing the animals from evacuated homes and abandoned streets, treating them and caring for them every day. Working day and night, endlessly, sleeping in tents.

It was a magical day and I'm so glad Cathy was able to tell the wonderful stories and document their accomplishments and the lessons learned in New Orleans after the storms.

I have my autographed copy of the book and I am almost finished reading it. I read it aloud to Bob while we were on the road home. It's touching, inspiring, happy, sad - all of that. And now it's back to reality and work.
I think it's the first time ever I've been on a trip and not done any antiquing along the way. Well, we did stop in one shop that was closing right when we came up but she let us come in anyway and have a quick look around. We ended the weekend with a hike in Angel Canyon on Sunday morning. It's so beautiful and serene, we thoroughly enjoyed it and needed the exercise before we got on the road again.
Just a footnote, I loved meeting Ali MacGraw who is so beautiful just as she has always been through the decades and is a very gracious, down-to-earth human being.
It was a pleasure. A side note, our dog, Frankie, is a Best Friends' dog. He was rescued by the great folks at Best Friends about five years ago from a breeder/hoarder in Los Angeles. We love to travel with him and stay in hotels and inns that allow dogs as guests.




Angel Canyon




Tylertown, Mississippi

My sister's book Pawprints of Katrina

I'm very excited about my identical twin sister's just-launched book: Pawprints of Katrina I'm going to her booksigning at BestFriends Sanctuary in Kanab, Utah this coming Saturday, July 26th. I have not read the book yet, just the inside flaps and lots of reviews. I wasn't going to buy the book until I go to the booksigning so I could have it autographed by Cathy and Ali MacGraw, who wrote the forward and will also be at the signing Saturday. I need to be up to snuff, so to speak, so I now want to read the book on the way to Kanab so that's what I'm going to do. I will be going to Barnes & Noble tomorrow to pickup my copy.

Immediately after the flooding in New Orleans, Cathy was hired by Best Friends to document their animal rescue efforts. She dropped everything, including her classes she was teaching at UNLV, to go. As is with disasters, human kind rises to the occasion and not in a small way. Cathy's experiences in and around New Orleans were life changing and she was compelled to write about what she learned and saw. It had to be shared. So here it is. I'm proud of her so I will join her Saturday with my husband Bob, my brother, Mike Scott and his wife Sharon from Idaho. I only wish our Mom and Dad were here, too, they would be so proud but I have a feeling they'll be surrounding us wth their love. It will be a pleasure to be at Best Friends and be in the company of people who cared enough to put their lives on hold, stay in tents for weeks with little if any sleep, put themselves in harm's way in order to help where they could, touching lives and saving helpless, beloved pets who were left behind.

Here is the official information on the book launch:

A book launch event will be held on Saturday, July 26, marking the national release of author Cathy Scott's book, PAWPRINTS OF KATRINA: Pets Saved and Lessons Learned (to be released this summer by John Wiley & Sons).

The event will be held from 1:45 p.m. - 5 p.m. at Best Friends Animal Sanctuary's Welcome Center (5001 Angel Canyon Road, Kanab, Utah 84741, a 3-1/2-hour drive from Las Vegas). Refreshments will be served.

Attending and signing books will be actress and animal activist Ali MacGraw, who wrote the book's foreword, and photographer Clay Myers, who has more than 70 compelling photos in the book. Also signing will be police K-9 handler Cliff Deutsch, who is featured on the cover rescuing a dog.

On display at the Welcome Center patio deck during the event will be Ark, a full-sized replica of a flat-bottomed boat used to save animals from floodwaters. It was created by Cyrus Mejia, in-house artist and a co-founder of Best Friends . The 4-by-10-foot boat is covered in a unique collage of animal admissions forms (with rescued pets' pictures), photos from volunteers, satellite images of Katrina, maps of New Orleans and strips from pet product bags used during the rescue effort.

Volunteers from Katrina will be at the event, and many Best Friends staffers who worked in the region will be attending too, so it will very much be a reunion. While book signings are scheduled for other parts of the country (including New Orleans on the third anniversary of Katrina), this is the kick-off event and a great opportunity to visit the sanctuary.

To find out where to stay in Kanab, go to: http://www.bestfriends.org/atthesanctuary/angelcanyon/visitorfaq.cfm.

A new Holiday Inn Express has opened in Kanab (435-644-3100), so if the sanctuary cabins and cottages or other hotels are full, the new one will probably have openings. Summer is a busy time in the area, because of nearby Zion, Bryce and the Grand Canyon, and booking early is highly recommended.

If you'd like to take a free tour of the sanctuary, which sits on 33,000 acres in Angel Canyon with about 1,800 animals on any given day, you'll need to book a reservation by calling 435-644-2001, ext. 4537. Or, for more info, go to: http://www.bestfriends.org/atthesanctuary/angelcanyon/visitorfaq.cfm

Depression Glass Knobs & Drawer Pulls

Cabinet hardware is an important detail to complete the beauty of a piece of furniture and in turn, the beauty of your home. It's the details that make the difference in decorating.

We have a nice collection of the real thing to offer in depression glass drawer pulls and knobs. From the hard-to-find milk glass, ice blue, opaque green, dark green, and black to various sizes and shapes of clear glass. We also have the reproduction, made from original molds and with the same materials they made the old ones. Some people prefer to have the authentic antique knobs.

Our home is 1930s and I'm very lucky to have the original black glass knobs and pulls on our hallway and living room cabinets, one of our bathrooms and also all of the door knobs are intact. Replacing them when restoring an older home can get costly, not to mention challenging and time consuming.


This one below is a beautiful example of sandwich glass knobs. We have several in our store that I was lucky enough to find this week.

New Items in our store

It's always exciting changing the store around when we get new merchandise, gives us an excuse to re-decorate. Here's a sampling of what we have in our shop right now. A lot of furniture has sold and we're always replacing with things we've hunted down. We're quite proud of this beautiful Louis XV Walnut armoire with it's handsome details.

Here are some 1920s French postcards, a sampling of what we have - they're great for displaying on a dresser or vanity, and are wonderful framed as a miniature piece of art.





Matching the armoire is a gorgeous Louis XV French walnut bed with carved roses and garland.




This dresser has the most beautiful handpainted floral design on the front in the middle of the drawers. I love pieces like this, they're so cottage-y and perfect for our store.
This rare, Early Colonial corner cupboard is a gem. It has a beautiful patina and dates to the early part of the 17th Century.

I have a thing for these early metal medical and dental cabinets. They are so appealing and make wonderful display cabinets. Someone took the time to gild this one with 24kt goldleaf. It's exquisite and perfect for our Parisian and Victorian ladies' accessories.



These ducks are made from bamboo and the curve of the bodies bollow the natural curve of the bamboo, then the legs and head are made from resalvaged teak. They're made to be outdoors. I just can't resist them. Each one has a wood nametag hanging around their neck.

Fourth of July

The Fourth of July is just around the corner and we couldn't wait to put our red white and blue touch in our windows. We gathered a few things together and voila! It's an Americana window. I love the red potting bench on the left and the American flag on the wall.
In this window we gatherd some blue & white Staffordshire and Flow Blue china, an American flag and a few other accessories and that's all we needed.

We put this tea-died American flag bunting on our front door and it's just what we needed to finish off our 4th of July decorating.
Here's a vintage metal garden chair just waiting to be put out on the lawn for the summer. I have a thing for these old lawnchairs, they're so appealing, rust and all. They're reminiscent of another era, a time gone by. My grandparents would have sat in chairs like these. About 10 years ago my great aunt, born in the early 1900s, asked me to sell her patio set, and it was the deco metal lawnchairs like the one I have here. Hers was in mint condition and had a matching table. I regret selling it and wish I would have bought it for myself. Hindsight . . .

Better Homes & Gardens

Our home was on a home & garden tour a couple of years ago and a magazine scout was through. She contacted us about being in one of their magazines, including Better Homes & Gardens. We had just finished our kitchen remodel. The article is featured in the Special Interests Publications by BHG, Kitchen Makeovers Summer 2008.
It has been 23 months since they photographed our kitchen. I never knew that when you see things in magazines, they were taken up to three years before. We are excited, though. Seeing our hard work in print is very satisfying and we're happy to share it with readers. Buying this house was a challenge and we have thoroughly enjoyed restoring it project by project.





















Click on the magazine cover to see the article.







We're lucky to have so much light in our kitchen and I wanted to enhance it even more. We have a corner window and a wonderful deep garden window above the sink. The window feature is original to the home.




A few years ago, my husband Bob and I were traveling to a show in Fresno and Bob found this 1880s wicker set in an out-of-the-way shop. I love it and it is absolutely perfect for our kitchen!

I wanted soapstone on the countertops and subway tiles on the walls and in the stove cubby, and I had to have a farmhouse sink with an apron, number one on my list. I love the soapstone counters, absolutely, and they only get better as time goes on. I wanted a warm, honed look as if the counter had been around for a century, like you see in old homes in New England. Soapstone is nonporous and inert, that's why it's used in laboratories, they also cannot stain. Didn't mean to do a sales pitch here, but I am totally sold on the soapstone.
This tiled rooster is above the stove. I think it's one of the best features of our kitchen so I just had to share.

Summerize Your Home!

Now that summer's almost here, feels like it's here but it's not official until the 21st of June. So. . . . . . How to lighten it up and make it feel fresh. It feels so good to be able to open the windows and doors and let the outdoors in so here are some tips to help summerize your home. Change out dark accessories like velvet or dark colored pillows, wool or dark throws. Then when fall comes and you bring them back out, they'll seem fresh and new again. There are so many reasonably priced throws and pillows at the discount stores and bed and bath shops, so changing pillows and a throw or two is pretty simple and affordable. Pillows that are made from vintage fabrics and linens work beautifully for a fresh summery look.
Putting a crisp, white linen table cloth on a dark wood side table for the summer can also lighten a room and give it a great new look even if it's just a large square card table-size table cloth on a round table, it will work.



Add fresh flowers on top of the table cloth and wow! It makes a huge difference. Clean the fireplace and replace logs with silk greenery. This will make a huge difference in how the room feels. Put fresh paint on drab walls. Outside, remove brown leaves or plants that are struggling with fresh planted flowers. Get fresh seat pads or covers or slipcovers for your outdoor patio furniture.
Cover an old iron chair with a light French toile and you'll have an instant facelift. And don't forget to clean your windows! Have sparkling windows for those summer days.

Slipcovers make a home cozy and cottage-y

Book, Carolyn Westbrook HOME

Using her own beautiful house as an example, popular designer Carolyn Westbrook is a home designer who specializes in slipcovers.

Slipcovers offer a simple yet creative way to alter the look of any room within the home.

I've gotten into slipcovering lamp shades and our customers love them. Vintage linens are perfect for making the slipcovered lamp shades. A slipcover over a tired shade can change entirely the way a lamp looks. You can have the shades be sassy and floppy or tighter for a more formal look. Eyelet looks great in a child's room.

Whether it's a shade, a overstuffed or side chair, or a sofa, a slipcover can change a room.

Matelasse fabric used for a slipcover is extremently appealing and creates a nice texture for a monochromatic palette. White or cream quilts also work. I love the thick textures. They work in a bedroom, family or living room. For upholstery, a nice cotton linen works really well for a more sophisticated look. It's all the rage now and I think it's because it's so crisp and clean looking and works well for our lifestyles. Casual yet not too casual.

This is a pillow slipcovered in white crisp linen and done in a double box ruffle. Isn't it a great look?

This antique chair got a complete facelift and looks fabulous with a simple cotton linen fabric in a natural color and we added a double welt - makes all the difference.












You can also mix vintage fabrics, the pillow one below is actually made from a vintage damask tablecloth, to add charm and some color to a chair, sofa or bed.

Happy slipcovering!

Vernacular thatched cottages in Woburn Street, Ampthill, Bedfordshire, were constructed in 1812-1816.

Wikipedia defines cottage garden as "The Cottage garden is a distinct style of garden that uses an informal design, traditional materials, dense colorful plantings, and a mixture of ornamental and edible plants on a smaller scale than gardens typically associated with estates and public settings. Cottage gardens go back many centuries, but their popularity grew in 1870s England in response to the more structured English estate gardens that used formal designs and massed colours of brilliant annuals raised in greenhouses. They are more casual by design, depending on grace and charm rather than grandeur and formal structure."
The earliest cottage gardens arose out of the Black Death of the 1340s, when the death of so many laborers made plots of land available for personal gardens. Alexander Pope was an early proponent of less formal gardens, calling in a 1713 article in The Guardian for gardens with the "amiable simplicity of unadorned nature". Other writers in the 18th century who encouraged less formal, and more natural, gardens included Joseph Addison and Lord Shaftesbury. According to the late nineteenth-century legend of origin,[1] these gardens were originally created by the workers that lived in the cottages of the villages, to provide them with food and herbs, with flowers planted in for decoration."

Plants common in the traditional cottage garden included climbing plants, especially rose and honeysuckle, and hedging plants that included hawthorn, holly, and privet. Flowers with a long cottage garden history include hollyhocks, carnations, sweet williams, marguerites, marigolds, lilies, peonies, tulips, crocus, daisies, foxglove, violets, pansies, monkshood, lavender, campanulas, mignonette, Solomon's seal, evening primrose, stocks, lily-of-the-valley, primrose, cowslips, and many varieties of roses. [3] The method of planting closely packed plants was supposed to reduce the amount of weeding and watering required, but planted stone pathways or turf paths, and clipped hedges overgrown with wayward vines, are "cottage garden" features requiring well-timed maintenance."

In the cottage style . . .

Cottage Style Decorating Guide states this about cottage style decorating;

O"ne of the more popular decorating styles today is cottage style decorating, and it's no wonder since it's light and breezy style is well-suited to today's informal lifestyles. Cottage decorating is a mixture of light colors, comfortable fabrics and furniture and accessories that is easy on the eyes with a vintage appeal.

Contrary to what the name may imply, you can use cottage style for decorating any type of home not just a cottage. Even your three-bedroom ranch in the suburbs can have the ambience of a cute cottage if you decorate it properly."


Iron beds are perfect for achieving the cottage look in a bedroom. You can also use them as day beds by putting them against a wall and loading them up with cushy pillows.

I love a cottage decor and it's so easy to decorate in this informal, casual style. I'll be writing about this in the next week and adding tips on the cottage look and the best way I think to achieve the style and feel. The great thing is that you can mix a variety of textures with vintage quilts or linens to bring in the cottage colors, which are generally soft or faded hues. As far as furniture and accessories, select things that are easy on the eyes. There's a lot of leeway in creating this style but remember for a bedroom use an antique iron bed or old painted wood bed with quilts, some floppy pillows, add a slipcovered lampshade on a vintage table, some old board framed prints or paintings on the pale painted walls and, voila! you've created a cozy cottage bedroom.
Regarding iron and wicker chairs or settees, cheer them up by covering them with floral cushions which add comfort and style. Furniture surfaces are best that show natural wear and age but not too rustic. Keep window coverings light and breezy.

Tomorrow, slipcovers.

Getting ready for summer

Summer is almost here and we're getting ready. Cottage Antiques has birdhouses, painted garden and summer signs ready for your home. Our painted bamboo garden ducks, each with a name tag, are just waiting for the perfect garden to be placed. We've been gathering all sorts of things for the summer months. Here's a sampling:

Our beach signs are a hit year round -

and they make wonderful gifts if you want to give something really unique
How about a 1930s metal lawn chair made into a water feature, spigot and all

and, perfect for summer in your garden, is a charming potting bench

This antique ceiling tin mirror gives an architectural feel to a room, perfect for a summer re-do.

. . . and we have the greatest signs, perfect for outdoors or indoors and lots with summer themes.

and birdhouses. We have a large assortment of birdhouses from simple to extravagant.

Garden Chairs

This is a great weathered antique chair that's been cleverly turned into a unique planter that I bought at our recent Point Loma Garden Walk boutique. My designer friend Renee added her creative flair by painting flowers at the top. I love this chair and it's on our front porch and is so welcoming! This rocking chair was planted by my husband and is now sitting under a tree in one of our flower beds in our front yard. Love it and can't wait until it weathers more but I think I'll paint a little phrase on it, maybe "welcome to our garden".
I counldn't resist showing you this antique wheelbarrow that we planted a couple of years ago with hydrangeas and ivy. It was falling apart as a wheelbarrow so it's new role is to be a wonderful planter in our front yard. Lucky for me, we have a corner lot so there is lots of room for whimsical unusual planted containers like wheelbarrows, chairs, watering cans, etc. It's fun making outdoor rooms.

If you're looking for turn-of-the-century floral oil paintings, you're in the right place!

We have quite a nice collection of late 19th Century oil paintings of roses, pansies, sweetpeas, mums, and miscellaneous florals. Here is a sampling . . .

Sweet Pea painting, signed and dated 1889


Pansies and more pansies!

Large, beautiful painting of fruits in an Art Nouveau frame

. . . and this gorgeous painting of mums, in a hard to find yard long



Pansies galore!

Take a Virtual Tour of Cottage Antiques

We love architectural items - do we ever!

These are fabulous carriage doors, a photo of them before they were brought into our shop.

Here's an example of a very cool architectural salvage plant stand. The top of it is as old as the column and the iron stand only adds to its charm. Wherever it came from, it's the best.

The Point Loma Garden Walk was a HUGE success!

One of our homeowners put pink garden hats son her topiary bears!



Everyone there had a wonderful time. What a beautiful day to have a garden walk. There were approximately 1,000 people who attended this wonderful event that benefits the CranioFacial Services of Rady Children's Hospital. The boutique was over the top with the most incredible deals! Great garden plants, birdhouses, birdfeeders, whimsical quality garden items.

Our Garden Room has just been Displayed. .

I just wanted to share our newly decorated room in our shop. Debbi and I had so much fund re-displaying this room and it's really fun we have great pieces to work with. This room is in the back of our shop which you go through before entering our backyard garden area. We've filled the room with oodles of custom pillows made from vintage fabrics, a scrub-top green cupboard, a yummy, cushy matelasse slipcovered sofa, and some great cottage furniture pieces.
Here are some shots of some great antique finds we just brought in:
I love this wheelbarrow that Bob, my husband, just planted.


We love to use the beautiful old frames as architectural pieces.

Trying to reinvent ourselves

We're always looking for ways to inspire our clientele, and provide a more wonderful shopping experience. Keeping the store fresh and having it stand apart from the rest is our constant challenge and that's the part I love. Changing the shop as we bring in new treasures and great furniture finds. Our look is gradually changing and it's fund to see how shoppers respond to the differences. The shop is always evolving for the better. Now that we have our outdoor cottage in our store's backyard garden. we have even more space to express ourselves. What I love the most are the architectural elements that add so much to a home. I'll be adding some photos of recent antique salvage finds. Keep coming back!

Barn Stars

We can't keep these barn stars in stock, our customers love them and they look great indoors above your fireplace, on a wall, tucked in a vignette, or on the front door or gate!