Talented Time Travelers in Focus #11

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Now it's time to take a trip through the time machine and view some of the talent from last week's travelers.

For some fabulously festive decorating ideas–using vintage finds–visit Christie @ Three Pixie Lane.

Know what she used for her lollipop display? 

I'm not gonna tell; ya gotta go see for yourself.  ; )

Anita @ Going A Little Coastal transformed this gorgeous chair in such a way as to accentuate its fantastic form.

Bree @ Love of All Things Vintage set out on a mission to find a round table that she could give a little Parisian panache.

Bon travail, Bree!

As a collector of vintage ephemera, I'm always on the lookout for inventive ways to display it. 

I found inspiration with Heather @ Creative Certainty.

What do you do if your nest is a rented one? 

You jazz it up with lively creations like those of Allison and Chelsea @ Décor Roomies.

Paige @ Faith's Place beautifully transformed a wall of glass with a little change of color–for just a little bit of cash.

Are you ready for the fun festivities of fall?

Well, Heather @ Vintage Creations Inc. has given us a head start on autumn decorating with her great wreath tutorial.

You'll have to check out the unique idea she used for the square form.

If you're in to funk then Gail @ CAN'T STOP MAKING THINGS is the gal to go to for the how-tos on these funky, fun cabinet-card-photo-remakes.

~As always, great job, Time Travelers!~

Time Travel Thursday #12 - Historical New England Architecture

"We all have our time machines. Some take us back, they're called memories.

Some take us forward, they're called dreams."
~Jeremy Irons~

Welcome to the 12th Time Travel Thursday linky party at The Brambleberry Cottage!

Are you ready to share your fondest memories, grandest dreams,

and most creative projects? Great!

Well, this week, my post is going to take a slightly different twist. 

Normally, I would post about a recent project for this party.  But I have so many new

projects in the works that none have been completed!

Can you relate?

Instead, I decided to share some of the incredible 1700 and 1800s 

New England architecture I photographed during my extended stay there,

a number of weeks ago.

One of the observations I made about the older architecture of

New England was that everything seems to be on a much grander scale.

For instance, this wonderful old, sprawling Victorian

was graced with the most mangificent—and incredibly large—corbels.

And even its simple stoops were embellished with 

the most decorative porticos.

I could have taken, literally, dozens of photos of stoops on houses with very similar

porticos—each bearing its own unique design.  It must have

been a very common decorative element for certain house styles during the mid-1800s.

Everything about the older houses I saw was a tribute to

the artisans who designed and built them.

Just take a look at the window trim, the gable shingles, the porch columns,

and the railing on the grand dame above.

These beauties were built at a time during our nation's history when

attention to detail was the norm.

I really loved this sweet, old cottage—with its Gothic embellishments. 

Too bad I can't move it to my little farm in NC; I'm sure it would look fantastic here!

Of course, the traditional elements of design—ones typically associated

 with our country's forefathers—were also quite prevelant.

This door surround, with its impressive pediment, was so

massive that I felt dwarfed standing next to it!

Even the public buildings of antiquity—like this post office in Old Deerfield...

and this amazing old church...

and even this old town hall in Hatley—oozed with character and charm...

traits only age and time can adequately produce.

After weeks of touring New England, visiting dozens of these incredible

testaments to creative craftsmanship, the old adage "it's all

in the details" rings even more true to me!   ; )

Tips and Tricks Tuesday #12 - Regrouping Your Plates



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Welcome to the twelfth Tips & Tricks Tuesday linky party here at the Brambleberry Cottage.

Well, it's the time of week again when we get to share all our wonderful tips and tricks with the rest of the blogosphere.

Want a totally terrific tip on how to use coffee filters for something other than coffee? 

Go visit Amanda @ The Penny Parlor for a super tutorial on how to make this fabulous wreath out of–you guessed it–coffee filters!

Olivia @ Olivia's Romantic Home creates some of the most romantic vignettes around her house–using common materials. 

Check out her unusual choice for this lovely lampshade redo.

I've always been a farmgirl at heart, and truly love being one for real now.

Last week, another farmgirl joined the party with a tip for making a very unique coat rack.  Hat's off to Karen @ Cheney Bag Lady for this thrifty drifty idea.

And now for an image-free Brambleberry Cottage tip:

Have you ever seen the guy at the carnival spinning the plates on sticks? 

He continues to add those shiny little disks to sticks that are further and further apart. 

The trick, of course, is to keep all the plates spinning without letting any fall to the ground.

For months now, I've felt like that guy–using fingers, toes, nose, whatever necessary to keep everything spinning.

So...I've decided it's time to regroup–before it all comes crashing down.

And that's my brief–but necessary–tip to any, and all, who may be experiencing the same thing.

When your plates get too far apart, it's time to regroup!  Don't wait until they start crashing down around you.  ; )

Talented Time Travelers in Focus #10

BE SURE TO CHECK OUT THE DETAILS FOR ALL THREE NEW LINKY PARTIES HERE AT THE COTTAGE!

I was unable to showcase any of the participants this past Thursday from the Time Travel party on September 15th.

All these antique shows are really starting to wreak havoc on my blog life!  LOL

But, I just can't let all that talent go to waste. 

I simply must spotlight a handful of those inspirational projects–

like the great looking dresser that Cindy @ Cottage Instincts gave her own unique brand of TLC...

~She even shared the how-to videos of the process!~

and the sweet baby quilt created by Melissa @ Kensington Cottage that was so soothingly serene...

and the beautiful bookbinding project presented by Gail @ CAN'T STOP MAKING THINGS.

Amy @ Crazy Craft Bugs shared her clever "declutter" creation...

while Suzanne @ Thrift Store Decor Junky revealed how to revive an eighties eyesore.

Lois @ Frugal Decor Mom mapped out a way to add funky fun to the inside of desk drawers...

and Biljana @ Biljana Shabby gave a ho-hum table a dose of shabby panache.

Go take a peek at how Patricia @ White Cottage Chic turned a beautiful vintage buffet into a stunning shabby server...

and how Laurie @ House to Your Home gave this chest a stylish makeover.

As always, great job, Time Travelers!

Ask the Yankee #11 - Answers to Your DIY Questions

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It's Monday night–a time to get those tough, challenging, oft-frustrating DIY questions answered by an expert.

If you've ever gotten stumped by a project and wished you had a go-to-guy for answers, this event is for you!

Here's the scoop for linking up:

Create a post on your blog addressing your DIY question and showing others where you're stuck in your project and need direction.

Link your post to the Ask the Yankee event with a direct link–not one to your main blog–and  

link back to the Brambleberry Cottage.

Or...

Leave your question in the comment section of this Ask the Yankee post, and place the event button on your blog's sidebar.

Next week, a DIY question or two–along with their solutions–will be featured at the cottage.

SPECIAL NOTE:

After tonight, the Ask the Yankee party will become a once-a-month event–the first Monday of each month.  If you have specific DIY questions that need immediate attention, you can still e-mail them, and the Yankee will gladly offer his assistance.

Time Travel Thursday #11

BE SURE TO CHECK OUT THE DETAILS FOR ALL THREE NEW LINKY PARTIES HERE AT THE COTTAGE!

Welcome to the eleventh Time Travel Thursday linky party at the Brambleberry Cottage.

Are you ready for our next trip back in time and into the future?

Then you're steps ahead of me! 

I've been sooo busy this week–from sunup to sundown–preparing things for the antique show I'm doing that I haven't had time to pull things together for my own party. 

Oh, the shame, the complete embarassment!  : (

But...

that doesn't mean you can't party hardy.  We all love seeing your time travel projects.

So...

Tips and Tricks Tuesday #11 - How to Clean Glass

BE SURE TO CHECK OUT THE DETAILS FOR ALL THREE NEW LINKY PARTIES HERE AT THE COTTAGE!

Welcome to the eleventh Tips & Tricks Tuesday linky party here at the Brambleberry Cottage.

Well, it's that time of week again when we get to share all our wonderful tips and tricks with the rest of the blogosphere.

Karly @ Jellybean Junkyard gave us a great tutorial for this Cinderella transformation.  Could that be part of Cindy's coach we see?

Know what the "F" stands for in this lovely wreath by Andrea @ Willow Wisp Cottage? 

I know.  It stands for FABULOUS–the perfect description for the wreath and her hubby for making the letter!

I remember making pom-poms when I was a youth...waaay back when.  ; )

Zeshuregi @ Creative Mind shared a tutorial to simplify this age-old craft. 

Thanks, Zeshuregi!

Ever get stumped on what to do to make "date night" with hubby less run-of-the-mill?

Then go check out the inventive idea from Krista @ While He Was Napping.

And now it's time for another Brambleberry Cottage tip.

The Yankee and I have been busy bringing this terrific vintage cabinet back to life.

I wish I had remembered to take a picture of what it looked like when we pulled it out of the old barn we discovered it in.

To say that its charm was buried beneath layers of accumulated dirt and grime would be a gross understatement!

But that's altogether a different story.

The real trick, I want to share with you now, has to do with the state of the glass panes.

Nice, huh?

Would you believe that's what they looked like after the old faithful bottle of Windex came into play?!

It's true.

So what does one do when glass cleaner doesn't clean glass?

Simple!  Use steel wool.



Yep; that's what I said. 

But not just any grade of steel wool, mind you.

Specifically, use #0000–or 4/0–steel wool.  It's the finest grade and won't scratch the glass.

And, believe it or not, it will actually polish to highly reflective sheen.

N-i-c-e!

Ask the Yankee #10 - Answers to Your DIY Questions

BE SURE TO CHECK OUT ALL THREE NEW LINKY PARTIES HERE AT THE COTTAGE!

It's Monday night–a time to get those tough, challenging, oft-frustrating DIY questions answered by an expert.

If you've ever gotten stumped by a project and wished you had a go-to-guy for answers, this event is for you!

Here's the scoop for linking up:

Create a post on your blog addressing your DIY question and showing others where you're stuck in your project and need direction.

 

Link your post to the Ask the Yankee event with a direct link–not one to your main blog–and

link back to the Brambleberry Cottage.

Or...

Leave your question in the comment section of this Ask the Yankee post, and place the event button on your blog's sidebar.

Next week, a DIY question or two–along with their solutions–will be featured at the cottage.

Talented Time Travelers in Focus #9

BE SURE TO CHECK OUT THE DETAILS FOR ALL THREE NEW LINKY PARTIES HERE AT THE COTTAGE!

And now it's time to take a peek at some of the talented travelers who took the trip for Time Travel Thursday last week.

Lindy @ Cottage Hill knew just what to do to add vintage charm to her new curio cabinet.  Perfect touch, Lindy!

We all love those super special finds from HomeGoods, and when I first saw this sweet, little work of art, that's where I thought it came from.  But, it's actually the creation of Kristi @ Cutting Above.  HomeGoods has nothing on you, Kristi!

By the way, you need to go check out the cool giveaway @ Cutting Above!

Olivia @ Olivia's Romantic Home desperately wanted a fireplace–something every cozy home needs.  She came up with a solution that is utterly romantic!

We bloggers are a crafty lot.  We see something we like–but can't necessarily justify the cost to buy it–so we create our own version of it.

That's exactly what Shannon @ Shannon Makes Stuff did with this super cool subway art panel. 

Want one?  Go check out Shannon's tutorial.

Lamps can be a big decorating expense when purchased new.  But talented time travelers like Melody @ Big Doll's Boomtown see past the outdated offerings at Goodwill and update their purchases with passion.

As a collector of vintage ephemera, I'm always looking for ways to display my treasures and keep them protected at the same time.  Vintage and Cottage had a great solution with this memo board.

Are you as ready to say goodbye to the sweltering summer heat as I am? 

Well, Amanda @ The Penny Parlor is helping to set the mood for fall with her terrific little transformation.  You must check this piece out to see its state before she gave it her TLC.

And that's it for another week.

As always, great job, Time Travelers!