In the Pink

Some time ago, I promised I would show you the type of goodies I sell at the antiques and collectibles shows I do.

To narrow it down, I've decided to focus on a pink theme. 

Remember how I shared with you that selling pink pretties is one of the ways I get my pink fix? I just use it at home, for a time, then sell it.

The beautiful 1950s Pinkie print, pictured above, hung in my bedroom for a while.  I loved the soft colors of this vintage print and the sweet face of the young girl. 

 

That's her hiding in the background–hanging on the vintage shutters–at a show I did at the Raleigh Flea.

I was torn about removing her from her place in my cottage.  But she ended up going home with someone who had been searching for her for a very long time.  She has taken up residence alongside Blue Boy in her new home.

There are splashes of pink throughout this vignette.  Isn't that 50s record holder the bomb?

Say hello to Molly.  She collects vintage toiletries and fell in love with this old Oil of Olay jar in my booth.  She cleans the vintage containers she purchases and refills them with her brands to use on her vanity.

What a great idea, Molly!

I sold this wonderful old farm cabinet at the antique fair I did in Cameron, NC.  I'll be sharing more about that show with you in a future post.

Though I owned this piece for about fifteen years, I never used it inside my other home.  When we moved to the farm, I brought it inside to house my TV and stereo equipment.

Did you notice the pretty pops of pink on top?

Because of my love of children, I'm always drawn to vintage baby items.  

Here are a few of the things I displayed at the Big Classic show back in April.  The face on that baby in the print above was just too cute!

Now follow me over to Beverly's place for the second birthday celebration of Pink Saturday.

Time Travel Thursday - Linky Party Starting June 2nd

Hold on to your seats, and prepare for an incredible ride, as you travel back in time and into the future with Brambleberry Cottage's time machine.

To participate in the fun, just post any project in any category you choose–crafting, decorating, DIY, home improvement, etc.

If you've given a project an update–to modernize it–or an aged appearance–to make it look older–it will be a great post to link to this party.

But showing antiquity or modernity in any way works.

For example, remember the old Victorian table–in the image above–from a previous post?  She had seen better days.  Dark and dated, she was in desperate need of some TLC.

Once we brought her into the 21st century...she was just beachy keen!

 

And I also shared with you how we rescued this vintage 1930s buffet–which was destined for destruction.

Not only did bringing her into the future give her a new lease on life, but a new purpose, as well.

All I can say is...cheers!  ; )

OK, I'm sure you get the picture.  Just make sure your project travels back in time or into the future.  It's that simple.

The link for this fun party will be up by 9 pm, Wednesday night, June 2nd.

Just publish your post, link in with the specific URL, and link back to the Brambleberry Cottage within your post.  Simple!

Now, I'm off to prepare my next project...somewhere in time.

A Cheery Cherry Tablescape

There's just something about cherries that make you want to smile. 

Those bright red little orbs add such life and vibrancy to even the simplest of vignettes.

Wonder how they would look in my antique English ironstone tureen?

Hmmm...that looks nice.  But I think I'll add a few more things.

I love the shape of my old English ironstone pitcher.

 

I think I'll add it as well.

 Perhaps while I'm at it, I'll change out the vintage lace-trimmed napkin for a vintage white-on-white embroidered tablecloth.

These green glass candlesticks aren't very old, but they'll work to give me another pop of color. 

And I think I'll add a couple of drippy candles to the mix, as well.

Perfect!

The vintage pie server–barely visible in the foreground–is the Yankee's reminder that I'm suppose to be making a pie with those cheery cherries, not decorating with them.

Oh, well.  I'll enjoy them now as decoration...

and later as dessert.

Sharing all these vintage beauties at Suzanne's for Vintage Thingie Thursday,

Susan's for Tablescape Thursday, Marty's for Table Top Tuesday, The Style Sisters for Centerpiece Wednesdays, and Sue's for Rednesday.

Tips and Tricks Tuesday - A New Weekly Linky Party

Who says you can't teach an old dog new tricks?! 

I know I turned yet another year older last month, but I wouldn't mind learning something new, each and every day...

or at least once a week!  ; )

Let's help each other do just that!

Starting Tuesday, June 1st, I'll be hosting another weekly linky party called Tips and Tricks Tuesday. 

 It'll be loads of fun, and hopefully, we'll all learn something new.

With all the wonderfully creative things goin' on in the blogosphere, I'm sure there are more helpful tips and tricks floating around than we can begin to imagine. 

Hey, I've read loads of them, right on your blogs!  So, why not share them all in one location?

Here's how:

Each Tuesday night, I'll be providing a link where you can show off your newest, coolest, most helpful tips or tricks for any category you choose–cooking, crafting, decorating, gardening, home improvement, sewing, etc. 

The sky is the limit! 

Just link in with your post, and link back to the Brambleberry Cottage within you post.

The following week, I'll feature some of those wonderful tips and tricks you share, with a link back to your blog.

It's that simple.

So go put your thinkin' caps on, and get ready to share those awesome tips and tricks.

And while you're at it, how about grabbin' a party button from my sidebar to spread the word around Blogland.  The more, the merrier.  ; )

Ask the Yankee - A New Brambleberry Cottage Weekly Event

You met my Yankee sweetheart a few months ago–when I first started my blog.

If you've read that post, you know he is quite the handyman.  He designs, creates, builds, constructs, remodels, refinishes, repurposes, slices, dices...OOPS!!!  I got a little carried away. 

OK, let's just say he can do virtually everything related to do-it-yourself projects.

He grew up in New England cutting his teeth on tools, as his family moved from one remodeling project to another. 

He was a shipbuilder and instructor in the Navy, has been a home remodeler for over thirty years, and has been refinishing, designing, creating and building furniture and accessories for fifteen years. 

Needless to say, he has lots of experience and know-how in the area of DIY.

From reading many of your blogs, and all of the wonderful comments you've left on mine, there are a few things that have become apparent. 

Not everyone has such a knowledgeable handyman living under their roof,

and

even the best of  us DIY mavens get stumped with our projects at times.

Sooo...

I've come up with the perfect solution–a weekly linky event where you can get your toughest, most challenging, oft-frustrating questions answered.

Want to know if there is an easier way to get your project done, which tools to use for the best results, how to get from the idea stage to the end result, etc.?

Then this event is for you!

It will be like having your very own Yankee.  Well, sort of.  ; ) 

Here are the details: 

• Starting Monday night, June 7th, you can link into a Q & A with the Yankee. 
• The link will be up by 9pm on Monday nights.
• Just leave your question in the comment section of my post for Ask the Yankee each week, and place the event button on your sidebar.  
• Or, create a post on your blog addressing your question, showing others where you're stuck in your project, and link back to this specific Brambleberry Cottage event.
• If you link up with a post, please make sure your link is to a direct post and not your main blog.
• A few of you will be featured the following week in that week's Ask the Yankee post, and I'll include a link back to your featured post.

So...are you ready to Ask the Yankee?

Time to Crown the Winner...and a Special Announcement

I'm sure you've been anxiously awaiting this day–for the announcement of the winner of my fun giveaway.

Many of you were even willing to do whatever neccessary to earn those extra entries.  As a matter of fact, there were 381 entries total.

WOW!!!  You blogging buddies sure kept me busy.

Thanks to everyone who participated and for all the sweet comments on my posts.

Now...

it's time to crown the lovely winner (selected by random number generator).

And, the winner is...

CC of

Congratulations, CC!!!  I know you're gonna just love all those vintage goodies.

I had not planned for a runner-up for this giveaway, but there's a lady out there who deserves a prize for all her persistant participation in this event.

Not only did she do everything possible to earn lots of entries, she had the highest number of entries!

Lynn, your persistence paid off!  I just couldn't let you put forth all that effort without reward.  Sooo...I'll be sending you a little box of goodies as well.  ; )

And now for a super special announcement.

I've decided to bite the bullet and do something I've wanted to do since I started this blog–host a weekly event (actually several weekly events).

I know, I know.  I never seem to take tiny steps.  Did I ever tell you I'm a type A personality?  LOL

Beginning Tuesday, June 1st, I will be hosting the first Tips and Tricks Tuesday linky party here at the Brambleberry Cottage. 

Over the years, the Yankee and I have discovered a few things that make our projects come together a little easier.  I bet you have a few tricks up your sleeves, as well. 

This event will be a time for us to share with all of you and for you to link up to share your tips and tricks throughout the blogosphere.

Then, on Thursday, June 3rd, I'll begin hosting Time Travel Thursday.

This will be an opportunity to share all those creative endeavors where you've given an old, perhaps outdated item a modern twist. 

Or, maybe you've gone in the other direction and taken a project back in time–say an 80s kitchen that's been given a retro 50s update backdate.

Finally, starting Monday, June 7th, during Ask the Yankee, you'll be given the stage to ask theYankee your most challenging DIY questions.  The following week we'll come back to share the how-tos.

I'll be posting the specifics for each event very soon. 

So stay tuned!

OK, now I'm off to get some rest.  I have a feeling that in a very short while, there won't be any time for that!  ; )

A Spring Sonata

As I bid adieu to the last camellia blossoms of winter, another group of players enter the stage. 

I am filled with childlike wonder, as I anticipate the most glorious symphony of floral magnificence about to be performed.

Slowly at first, bloom by brilliant bloom, each member of this ensemble emerges, playing its designated part, until the outside of the cottage is engulfed in color as radiant as the sun.

Though the daffodils merely introduce part one of this movement, they are, indeed, cheerful trumpeters in this spring sonata.

The fragrant hyacinths and tulips are instrumental to this particular composition...

and play in perfect harmony alongside the sweet violets...

and cheery periwinkle.

The tempo of this piece speeds up, as each of the fruit trees–in rapid succession–contributes its own lyrical beauty.

Not to be outdone by the serene chords of the dogwood blossoms...

or the vibratos of the irises.

Alas, though it seems that the beautiful music has just begun,

the finale is at hand 

The dreamy sonata of this season is now reaching its conclusion.

And I must bid a sad farewell, until next year.

But, my sadness is abated as I observe a new ensemble of players taking their seats...

and another composition being prepared.

It is a masterful work I am quite familiar with.

I gladly welcome this introductory quartet to the cottage–roses, clematis and daisies.

And I now await the full gathering of the symphony of summer.

It is one I'm sure I will thoroughly enjoy–almost as much as the one before.


My floral mosaics are a perfect fit for Mary's Mosaic Monday

and Cielo's Show Off Your Cottage Monday.
I'm going to share all this outdoor loveliness at Susan's for Outdoor Wednesday.

My cottage flowers are worthy of show and tell at Cindy's place.

I'm also joining the fun at Tootsie's for Ferilizer Friday. 

An Illuminating Experience

What do you see in the jumble of junk in the images above? 

One of the things the Yankee and I envisioned was a lamp—

patiently awaiting its creation.

As you might have guessed by now, we have amassed quite a collection

 of salvage bits and pieces during our many scouting trips

 through, and dismantling of, old houses, barns, and buildings, and from

our frequent visits to our favorite junk yards. 

The Yankee jokingly quips that our barns are virtual Cline's starter kits.  Truthfully,

 much of the goods have come from there—including the

chippy baluster above.

When the Yankee spotted it,sometime ago, he instantly foresaw
a lamp transformation in its future.

I'm quite fortunate to be married to a man who owns every tool ever invented. 

OK, so that's a slight exaggeration.  But, not much of one—

although the Yankee would say differently.

The drill press, pictured above, was instrumental in drilling the hole

necessary to house the electrical wiring for the lamp's cord and socket.

If the supply of tools around your house is not as abundant

as that of The Brambleberry Cottage, and you lack a drill press, a good quality 

hand drill will do—as long as it is one that will accommodate the extra long

 bit...in this case, 12".  Just be sure to adequately secure the piece to be drilled in a vice,

so it will not shift.

Once you have drilled the base of the piece you're using for your lamp,

you can proceed to the other steps involved in its construction.

This small brass base was another piece picked up at Cline's.  It was

originally chosen to be used as the base of a decorative, miniature birdhouse. 

That was not to be its destiny, however. 

The Yankee found it to be a perfect fit for the chippy baluster...

and the rest is history.

I choose a piece of vintage decorative molding from our

stash as a bit of embellishment for the base.

After cleaning all the components, each piece was given a dose of one of the two main staples for most of our current makeovers—Rust-oleum Oil Rubbed Bronze

spray paint and Deft satin finish lacquer.

I absolutely love the look these two products impart and, consequently, use them often.

In this case, the ORB spray paint was used on the brass base and

the Deft on the molding and baluster.

The same paint was also used on the decorative fitting connecting the baluster

with the electrical socket, the lamp harp, and the finial.  I felt that doing so

would give the lamp a more cohesive appearance.

While I was pulling together all those little details, the Yankee was

cutting the baluster base down to make it more pleasingly proportionate

for the piece we were creating.

I found this gorgeous beaded lamp shade, quite some time ago, at one of our

local thrift stores for only $5.00!  It was still in its factory wrapping and wore its

original price tag from one of my favorite retail stores—

T. J. Maxx Homegoods.   ; )

At the time, I purchased the shade with no specific project in mind,

but I was confident that it would be put to good use..

eventually.

Once all the pieces to the puzzle were in place...

a jumble of junk morphed into a thing of beauty.

Others' trash became our treasure!

This week, I would like to introduce Lynn of Tea Cup Stitches as a new blogger

and new Pink Saturday participant.  I was first introduced to the incredible 

creativity of this lady when I discovered her on eBay a few years ago, as I was starting up my own

eBay business.  She creates such beautiful home decor items. 

Please be sure to visit her and tell her you came by way of Liz @ The Brambleberry Cottage.

Now, let's join Jane with this frugal makeover for Frugalicious Friday @ Finding Fabulous

and Jessica for Favorite Things Friday.

Since we used some funky junk for this little creation, let's visit Donna for Funky Junk's Saturday Nite Special.
I'll also be showing off this pretty pink shade at Beverly's for Pink Saturday.

I'm linking up with Debbie for her brand new Debbiedoos New Linky Party to show off the thrift store shade.

I think this metamorphosis qualifies for Susan's Metamorphosis Monday event and

my lovely DIY is perfect for Roeshel's DIY Show Off.