Cottage Style Mantel Decorating

I think the mantel is kind of like the neck of our homes. Just as we dress ourselves with a lovely necklace to compliment our attire and express our style, likewise we dress our mantels to compliment our homes and, of course, to express our styles and even moods. My own living room mantel has has undergone several changes since we've lived here. It once held a large Kim Parker canvas for a few years (loved it, yes! but as my style evolved, it just no longer worked with the feel and "spirit" of our home...I passed it along to a friend who loved the canvas just as much as I did). I replaced it with an antique painting of a cottage. It fits the mood of our home perfectly during the fall and winter months...to me it represents shelter, warmth, and safety.

But when spring arrived, I craved a lighter atmosphere. I simply cannot stop myself from snatching up pretty, old picture frames whenever I'm fortunate enough to run across them, so I thought they would make a nice mantel grouping. I added a couple of topiaries and my letter K that I got from the decorating genius Layla of The Lettered Cottage a few months ago. Lastly, I tucked in some greenery across the front to add a touch of nature - even though the greenery is indeed fake! Here are a few shots...









For a change, instead of having one focal point in the middle of the mantel such as a painting, I decided to start at the left of the mantel and display items in descending order for a little interest. (Normally the candle on the edge isn't there...I was enjoying a quiet, overcast morning and decided to light it, but I have to keep it out the way of my birds when they're out! I forgot to move it when I took this shot.)


Because we have high ceilings in our living room, I think our fireplace mantel could stand to be beefed up a bit, perhaps with chunkier jambs (the vertical pieces holding up the shelf) and maybe even an overmantel. But for now, I'm enjoying transforming it when the seasons change or the mood strikes!

Before I sign off, if you'd like to see how I painted the lettering on the front of the fireplace, check out this entry. It's easy peasy!

Oh, and ONE more thing! Check out Layla's blog...she's having a great giveaway now in honor of her 1st blogiversary! It's a really nice burlap monogrammed table runner from Coastline...

Cottage Studio Furniture Progress

Boy, do I have a lot of furniture to paint for my craft studio! But it's coming along and really, I find painting to be quite relaxing. Today I put the first coat of paint on an old armoire and my new craft table hubs built for me. I also primed an old telephone table and a sideboard that my grandmother gave me 15 years ago. This is the part where my mother will probably call me and say "I thought I said that you should *not* paint that sideboard! It's CHERRY!". (I'm sorry, Mama!). It's an old table that has been needing to be refinished since it was given to me - it had a sticky finish from where it had been stored in an attic of an old house for a while. I did start to take the old finish off many years ago, got about a fifth of the way through, and then my 1st daughter was born. And that was as far as I got. This old table has moved everywhere with me ever since - and always put in storage until I thought I could get around to stripping it completely. It really has been a shame that I've never really used in all the years that I've had it in my possession. I thought long and hard about it and decided that I was going to use it in my studio (it has wheels, can be easily moved around) and that if I was going to use it, it should fit my style and work with my decor. Besides, I've only stained a couple of pieces of furniture before in my life, and they both turned out horribly. This piece will get passed down to my girls, and hopefully by the time they're grown and I'm ready to give it up, I'll be able to afford to pay a professional to strip and refinish it for me.:)

Is that my phone I hear ringing? Help!


We've made some progress with the big ugly (and dirty!) cubed storage unit that once held paint cans and tools in our garage. Hubs has added extra shelving to it and a new top and bottom. The shelving will serve to hold trays of faux desserts as I'm working on them. We wanted to add the beadboard to the sides of the unit on Saturday, but it started raining and we didn't have enough room to cut the beadboard in the garage. But here is how it looks as of now:



When it's all finished, it's going to take a while to paint, I'm sure. The shelves slide out, so at least that will make it much easier. When the shelves are all painted along with the inside of the cubes, we'll slide them back in and attach a beadboard back and moulding to the front.

If you remember from a previous post, originally I had planned on hubs building a nice L-shaped unit that would run in front of the sliding glass doors and then down the adjoining wall. I still want to do that, but that requires even more time and money, and I'm anxious to get crafting. So we'll work on that down the road. For now, the armoire will hold some supplies and the computer.

So if you're wondering what I'm to, I'm probably painting...or on the phone doing some serious explaining to my Mom!

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If you would like to read more information about the 2009 Cottage Charm Giveaway event taking place during the entire month of May, just click the banner below!

A Touch of Delicious Whimsy

've been working on accessories for my little robin's egg blue studio.I knew all those knick knacks and containers that I've picked up at Goodwill and stored in my attic over the years would come in handy someday!I had always planned on remaking them at some point and finally just took the plunge and began. I first took "before" photos of everything before priming my items because don't we just love a good before and after comparison? So I took photos of everything in their "before" state and went to work.

And then the memory card in my camera died and all my "before" photos were lost.

Who is this Murphy guy and why is he and his Law out to get me? ;)

Anyway, one of the items that I worked on was an old red gumball machine. It probably isn't actually old - it just looked very sad and beaten up. The red paint was chipping off like crazy and clearly, it had seen better days. I picked it up at a yard sale several years ago for $5 and liked it because there's just something nostalgic about gumball machines. Above is a photo that I took when I first brought it home back in 2006 (when we were working on our kitchen!).

But I don't like gumballs, or sweet tarts, or any of the standard candies you would find in a gumball machine (though my kids sure do!). I wanted the piece to be purely decorative anyway, so I thought why not fill it with something I really do truly love and can't live without? Something like...

{Faux} Chocolate!










I superglued a lamp finial to the top (the gumball was missing the top piece), spray painted the gumball machine in a deep chocolate brown, and added a collection of my faux chocolate desserts...a touch of delicious whimsy for my studio!

You may be able to see the lines drawn on the painted chocolate brown floor, which is actually the top of the steps in my studio. I'll be painting a checkerboard pattern there, and I've gone ahead and drawn out my grid. We'll see how it goes!
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July Update: The landing project is complete! I think the gumball machine looks so much better on diamond floors:)

My Cottage Charm Giveaway #3 - For Those Adding the Cottage Charm Banner Link to Their Blogs in May

For this years CC Giveaway, I wanted to make sure that I also included an offering just for those that are helping to spread the word on their blogs about our annual event. If you have added the linked banner (coding below) to the right or left hand column of your blog, feel free to enter your name in this special drawing! (I will ship within the continental U.S) Whether you host a Cottage Charm Giveaway this year or not, you can help us to get the word out...and then sign up for this drawing! Thanks to everyone that's helping out in this way!

BANNER LINK CODE to add (copy and paste) to your site:

<a href="http://owcl.blogspot.com/2009/05/sign-up-now-for-3rd-annual-cottage.html"><img border="0" src="http://www.onewomanslife.com/giveaway2009.gif"></a>


I will be giving away this beautiful apothecary style glass jar. It measures about 12 inches tall and 5.5 inches wide at it's widest point. It's heavy!

Remember, if you add your own Cottage Charm Giveaway to your blog, you are eligible to put your name in the drawing for my Hostess giveaway! Also, check out my giveaway for everyone here!
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Click on the banner below for information on the 2009 Cottage Charm Giveaway event:

My Cottage Charm Giveway #2 - For Everyone!

This Cottage Charm Giveaway offering is for everyone, so if you want to enter, just add your name below! I will ship within the continental U.S. Be sure to include a way for me to contact you. If you have a blog, I can contact you that way :)

This offering is a collection of spools, blocks, and clothespins that I've painted and covered in several different beautiful coordinating papers. I'm also including a "Nest" pennant banner that matches this set. The colors are warm and muted and includes one of my favorites, robin's egg blue! I'm a word lover, so I added inspiring words to both the spools and the blocks. The blocks also have a puzzle on one side that features a romantic painting by Kate Greenaway. The clothespins, too, are painted in various colors, papered, and distressed. These would look great displayed in a bowl or used to hold photos and papers to a strung line of wire. I think all these would be great for someone's studio!

I made the "Nest" banner few months ago (you may have seen it in my post here). The lettering was created with antique silver fine glitter. The papers and colors in the banner are the same ones used in this collection - they would all look great together!

So here's what you'll get if you win this drawing:










Thanks for stopping by and entering to win this Cottage Charm giveaway! Remember, if you add your own Cottage Charm Giveaway to your blog, you are eligible to put your name in the drawing for my Hostess giveaway :) Also, by adding the Cottage Charm Giveaway banner link to the right or left column of your blog (whether or not you have a giveaway), you also qualify to enter this drawing.
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If you would like to read more information about the 2009 Cottage Charm Giveaway event, just click the banner below!

My Cottage Charm Giveaway for Other Giveaway Hosts/Hostesses - Cupcake Plate and Faux Cupcakes!

I will be doing three different giveaways for this years giveaway event, but my first one is especially for all of you who are hosting your own Cottage Charm giveaways! After your name has been added to the giveaway list, you qualify for this special drawing and can put your name in by commenting right here. I will ship within the continental U.S.

I wanted to come up with something really special for my hostesses, so I started by making a cupcake plate. I used an inverted old-fashioned ice cream dish and attached it to a sweet antique cream colored plate, layered with a vintage crocheted doily. The glass dome completed the cupcake plate, but what's a cupcake plate without cupcakes?!

The three standard sized faux cupcakes I created are the most realistic dessert pieces I've made to date and I'm thrilled to give these away to one other Cottage Charm hostess. With a faux chocolate cake base, creamy faux buttercream icing, faux fondant flowers, and glass "sugar and sprinkles", these delicious looking treats will last and look great forever!









If you would like to read more information about the 2009 Cottage Charm Giveaway event, just click the banner below! Also, check out my giveaway for everyone here! And, by adding the Cottage Charm Giveaway banner link to the right or left column of your blog (whether or not you have a giveaway), you also qualify to enter this drawing.

Lollishops and the Cottage Style Street Team on Board for 2009 Cottage Charm Giveaway!

I just wanted to let everyone know that I've received word from Andrea of the Cottage Style Street Team at Etsy and Sadie Lou of Lollishops and they are both definitely "in" as far as getting the word out to their shop owners about the 2009 Cottage Charm Giveaway event. If you haven't already, take a few moments to peruse the sweet shops at Lollishops and Etsy to see what kind talent and beautiful items these vendors have. Who knows what they may offer in their giveaways?!

"Our group is for artists/sellers at Etsy that specialize in Glitter, Ephemera, Old Photographs, Collage, Mixed Media, Roses,
Polka Dots, Tea Stained, Ball Fringe and all around beautifying the world with our Romantic, Shabby, Cottage Style!" Visit CSST profile page or blog or Flickr pool.


"Lollishops - The Frou Frou Friendly Marketplace" Visit Lollishops marketplace or blog or Flickr pool.

Now I'm off to work on my giveaway items!