"All The Old Familiar Places"

The old Frank Sinatra standard goes like this,

"I'll be seeing you in all the old familiar places,

That this heart of mine embraces,

All day through",

In that small cafe, the park across the way,

The children's carousel, the chestnut tree,

The wishing well."

Lyrics by Sammy Fain and Irving Kahal

I was thinking about all the "old familiar places" we visit in this remarkable kingdom called the internet. I was led kicking and screaming to Facebook, and now I seldom miss a day of catching up with old new friends. I visit several on-line stores, and keep up with several amazing blogs. I am always in awe of the talent, and creativity I find in the souls of my friends. I find pure delight in the way they express their art through so many varied mediums.

I had been missing one particular artist for a long while. I only know her as "The Muse", but she has the gift of bringing out the "child's play" in all who venture into her domain. She has word games and amusing challenges on one blog, and varied works of prose on another. She lives in the shadow of her name, and for reasons known only to herself prefers a certain measure of anonymity. Well, Miss Muse (as I prefer to call her) is back! Hurrah! I am having a lovely time feeding bits of silly rhyme (in my preferred style: the quatrain) to her comments section. I hope you will take the time to visit her blog: A Diva's Hammer, Wielded by the Muse. Remember to bring along your inner child, all ready for an interesting excursion into the mind of the Muse.

I must add a warning: Child's play is addictive, and can lead to copious amounts of creativity and freedom from care. So, enter at your own risk!

Happy Late New Year and May It Be Everything You Want A Grand Year To Be!!!

And please stop by Cottage Violets and have a look around!

Blessings, Theresa

Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." Matthew 19:14

A Tomato By Any Other Name Would Look As Sweet

Summer is well-spent, and autumn is well on its way. Cottage Violet's has some special news for you! We have a whole new batch of ripe tomatoes for sale! It matters not that they are pink, plush, shabby, chic and cottage suitable. Tomatoes they are, and tomatoes they will remain, lol. These tomatoes were lovingly tended and brought to fruition by Andie Bee of Brown Bee Designs. They are made of lovely, tea dyed fabric, hand-sewn, and buttons and french wired leaves attached for a lovely beefsteak tomato look. They are large and luscious. They will fit into any Pink Posh Shabby Chic Cottage decor. In fact, my favorite idea for these tomatoes is a large crystal bowl on the sideboard, filled with tomatoes, and a display of collectible salt shakers with ribbon and button collars. So don't let the weather get you down, treat yourself to a Pretty Pink Pincushion to remind you of warmer days. I know they will warm your heart, as they did mine. So stop by Cottage Violets , and check them out. Plus, there are more to come in the days following.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, And Pink girls know Beauty!

I look at this beautiful handwork and it reminds me of a Bible verse that I have adopted as my own. Here's to all the Maker Gal's I have the pleasure of knowing or will meet in the future:

Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands, just as we told you, so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody.

I Thessalonians 4: 11, 12

Blessings, Theresa

Leaves Do Not Fall With Regard To Time

I am taking my cue from Autumn this year. Autumn let's the winds swirl at their leisure. She doesn't hasten the changing of the colors of the leaves. Autumn never pulls the leaves from the trees in uniform formation. The leaves swirl with the wind, and detach themselves from the trees in a rhythm known only to themselves. The winds may blow up a storm, but Autumn sits patiently. She has her allotted time to perform the task at hand. So she sits, and watches the changing of the colors, the beauty of the moment, and doesn't interfere much. Autumn is free to enjoy the labor of the harvesters. Autumn provides beautiful settings and lovely full moons. She silently judges the costumes, as trick or treaters make their way from house to house walking briskly in the chill of early evening. She casts a long shadow for a short time. Autumn is thankful and has a holiday to prove that she is. Even when thunder rolls and lightning strikes the darkened skies, Autumn smiles and settles in for the show. She knows this storm too will pass, and the air will be clean, and the earth will send a fragrance only Autumn can provide. I hope you will take a moment to enjoy the earth the way our Autumn does.

Here are some cup and saucer sets from (my favorite English china company) Hammersley. So dainty in person, light and lovely. Such a beautiful ring when tapped lightly! They are in Miss Violet's Tea Cupboard on Cottage Violet's if you're interested.

I'll be seeing you in all the old familiar places,

Theresa @ Cottage Violets

The earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof.... Psalm 24:1

The Tale Of Miss Angel Heart and The Fairy Tale Buttons

Thank you for all your prayers for my parents. Here is a post from July 2008. Please meet Cindy Houot, also known as Miss Angel Heart

Once upon a time in the Land Up North, way across borders and mountains and streams, there lived an Angel with a heart of gold. Now Miss Angel Heart (for that is her name) was sitting in her throne room (license taken) overlooking her kingdom, where goats and chickens and dogs and nature sang together in three part harmony. Amid the cacophony, there came the message, "You've got mail". Flying to her magic box, Miss Angel Heart read the request. Oh my, the land down under (under Sammamish, that is) was in need of buttons. Fairy tale buttons, ice creams colors, pastel wonders, could she do it, the sender asked? Miss Angel Heart went to work with earth, and paste, and glaze, and all the colors of the rainbow. At just the last minute, she raided her stash of fairy dust and threw in a goodly amount, because there is an overwhelming need for Fairy Tales in the land down under (under Sammamish, that is). With a mighty launch, Miss Angel Heart sent the Fairy Tale Buttons flying over land and stream to their new home. In the package the poor Southlander found an added treasure, a beautiful polka dot bowl. Miss Angel Heart wanted to make sure the Fairy Tale Buttons had a royal place to reside, so she sent the bowl to keep them company. Satisfied with her hard days work, Miss Angel Heart laid down her weary head, and dreamt of all the Fairy Tale treasures her buttons would soon be a part of. So in honor of Miss Angel Heart, let the festivities begin. Welcome to the World of Fairy Tale Buttons, the story is just beginning.............. it's a love story.........

NOTE: Gentle readers, who is Miss Angel Heart you ask? When she is not ruling her Royal Kingdom, she takes on the mortal personna of Cindy Houot (pronounced Who, like the Who's in Whoville, but that is a story for another time). Her boutique is http://www.angelheartdesigns.com/ .

P.S. If you are interested in the Pinwheel Tags, they are at http://www.cottageviolets.com/ this evening. I love my Pinwheel Tags, so fun.

See you in Fairy Tale Land, Theresa

Why English Fine Bone China???

I love English china. So, I went back through the archives to find this post and put it out there again. First posted in February of 2008, it still is timely today. I love English china!!!!! Enjoy!!!

Why English Fine Bone China, you might ask. There is nothing as lovely as English china. With outsourcing the way it is, English china has become the new collectible of the 21st century. The patterns are works of art. The beautiful ring when tapped lightly with the finger. The exquisite colors. The light and ethereal quality of the china. Lately our cozy cottages are all about staging. Some are minimalists, some are plain old pack rats, lol. A beautiful tray on the coffee table with that beautiful piece of Hammersley fine bone china, a doily, a tussie mussie, or small basket of flowers. It is all about elegance. It is all about a gentler life. The patterns lend themselves to still life. Once you become accustomed to the touch and feel of fine bone china you won't be satisfied with any old substitute. Yes, you may use your fine bone china, but due to the collectibility of the china I would suggest enjoying it as art, as arrangement, as still life. And don't forget to have fun with your English China. Set the stage in your home for the genteel life, the cozy life, the life that English china speaks to. From candle snuffers to tennis sets, to strawberry baskets, to syrup pitchers, to sugar sifters, let English china sweep into your life with all the grace and beauty of another era. You will be glad you did.

To err is human, to have fine English china: divine, lol. Sorry it was so long between blog posts, life kind of got in my way for a moment.

Kind Regards, Theresa @ Cottage Violets

Dear Old Dad

Sometimes words escape me, even me! What word do I use to describe my dad? I suppose I will use the first one that comes to my mind: GENEROUS. He was the fix-it man who everyone always came to when they needed help. He worked for P.G.&E. (gas and electric company) for 42 years, and no surprise here, he was the shop steward........We always took in the cousins who had gone astray in the big city (we lived in a small town of 7,000). The big city was Bakersfield, California, lol. Dad loves fishing, and never missed an opening day of the season until recently. He taught us to fish in the streams that run the Sierra Nevadas. I remember walking along the beautiful banks of those creeks. Dad would whisper,"Now don't let the fish see your shadow." He showed us how to fill our creels with moist grass, how to angle in little pools made by the beaver dams, and how to keep quiet, and enjoy our surroundings. He would take us on walks and make up fabulous stories about the Smith family, the only remaining family of the Donner Party. He would pause by a rock and say, "This is where the Smiths buried the baby during that cold, cold winter. He'd have us in laughter and tears during those nature walks, filling us with imaginary tales of poverty, love, and survival during pioneer times. He let us each bring a friend for our two week vacation, and sometimes the cousins would come up to spend some time with us. Dad would always build an outhouse with the help of the boys. He would find three pines in close proximity, dig a deep hole, position the throne, and put up a rope and canvas covering with a flap opening. We always had the best camp on the mountain, we thought. He was a true environmentalist. He taught us to leave nature as we had found it. This was before the days of modern convenience, unless you were rich. But we were rich, if not monetarily. He was barbecue king, and carpenter extraordinaire. When mom and dad bought their first house I was seven and my big brother was nine. Mom was pregnant with our soon to be little brother. Dad made my older brother and I headboards with our names on them. To make planter boxes for the front of the house, Dad would go out and pick up the cement that the cement trucks dropped when they stopped on the side of the road with their funnel trucks. He would mix up the cement, and fashioned lovely planters with native rock. See how long this post is, and I haven't even touched the surface of my father. Father, if you read this please know, "I love you". Of course, papa isn't perfect, and we had our differences. But, I wouldn't trade my dad for any other dad in the whole wide world. So sure was I of his power, that at six years old I told a friend whom I was arguing with that my dad would turn off her electricity and gas if she didn't be nice. I think I got in trouble over that one, lol. Please let me know how your dad's shaped your world.
By the way, my father will be 79 years old this year. He works at the church we attend, and waters the grounds most everyday. He still fishes, and carpenters. He is still a handy man and loving father. My hat is off to you pops. I hope I can retain the same spirit you have when I reach that age....

A GOOD name is rather to be chosen than great riches, and loving favour rather than silver and gold. Proverbs 22:1

Happy Father's Day to Father's Everywhere,
Theresa

Be It Ever So Humble

Do you remember this song?

"To thee I'll return, overburdened with care;

The heart's dearest solace will smile on me there;

No more from that cottage again will I roam;

Be it ever so humble, there's no place like home.

Home, home, sweet, sweet, home!

There's no place like home, oh, there's no place like home"

John Howard Payne (1791-1852)

We of the Cottage I-business variety try to make our sites a place of refuge, of solace. I know that I would like to think of my little Cottage Violets as more than a hard cold cash kind of affair. We have a need to nurture, to spend ourselves so to speak. I like to add little extras to packages in the hopes of making someone's day. I often pray and ask God, "What can I do to brighten this person's day. This person who took the time to visit my site, and purchase from me." We try to give our customers some eye candy, a veritable feast for the eyes. If they can glean some ideas for decorating, laugh at my silly item comments, or just leave satisfied, I have done my job. Maybe that doesn't make me much of a business woman, (I have never been accused of being much of a business woman, lol) but I can't seem to help the way I am wired. I see potential in almost every site I visit. I get excited for my blog sister's and fellow shopkeepers talents. It is like being in a giant museum of the arts. We fit together. I am cozy, you are elegant. I love English china, you have a French sensibility.

I am an e-commerce youngster, and I still skip from shop to shop, pressing my nose against the windows. I am always amazed as I surf from blog to blog at the spirit of my sister bloggers. Some make treasures from trash, some elevate treasure to a place among the crown jewels. You never know what is on the next page. Blogging is like a big mystery novel with twists and turns on every page. The mystery starts to build as you fit the pieces together, and then voila, you have an intricate collage where everyone has motive and opportunity, everyone is a piece of the puzzle. Perhaps, blogs are more like the movie serials at the Saturday matinees. You always leave wanting more and knowing next week there will be a new episode.

I salute you Sister I-Store owners and Sister Bloggers. Be it ever so humble there's no place like home. You are my home, and Cottage Violets, your home.

Oh, and lest I forget:

"Except the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain that build it." Psalm 127:1

Warmest Regards, Theresa @ Cottage Violets (of course)