Cottage 6 Studio

One World One Heart

Do you know about this event?

Lisa at A Whimsical Bohemian has been putting this together since 2007.  Its a wonderful event that brings bloggers together from all over the world.  I first heard about it two years ago and didn't have the time to participate, then last year I forgot all about it.

After flip-flopping about it for the past month, I decided today, at just about the last minute, that I will.  I need some new blogging activities to keep my creativity flowing while I'm studying and job hunting and this is going to be the last OWOH, so its now or never.

I don't think I can put it any better, so I will use Lisa's words to describe OWOH, "One World One Heart is a worldwide event for bloggers only. It gives all those who blog a chance to meet and mingle and form connections with those they may not have otherwise met from all over the world. In the past 4 years this event has grown to over 1,000 participants with lasting friendships (and even one love connection) formed along the way.  Think of it as a GIGANTIC open house allowing you to travel without ever leaving your home........going from blog to blog(in various countries) seeing the wonder each one has created and meeting all the fabulous people behind those blogs. As a bonus each blogger participant will offer up a "door prize or prizes"....just for dropping by, saying hello and seeing their world.  It's really that easy."

I haven't decided what my prize will be, but I am sure that it will be keeping me busy tomorrow.

So, I will see you on Monday with my OWOH post.

Until then,

Anna

 

VTT - Vintage Toiletries Part II

Hi again,

Thanks for stopping by to see the rest of my collection of vintage toiletries.

I can't remember how long ago it is now that I began to add to my collection.  Long Island is not exactly and antique store Mecca, and I didn't know much then about the antique flea markets in the area.

One of the first places I found is a tiny little shop in Kent, Connecticut.  We stumbled on this little shop because it was next to a chocolate shop we'd read about in AAA's travel magazine.  I was so excited to see the collection of goodies there.

I fell in love with these eye cups on sight, although I believe I bought them on separate trips.

Anything in blue glass makes my heart beat a little faster.

I'm not an expert on old pharmacy bottles, but I remember reading somewhere that bottles used to contain a certain number of ridges, or ridges in a certain place so that people could tell what they were grabbing in the middle of the night (before electricity) and didn't end up taking something poisonous.

I love these old patent medications. Can't you just see someone selling this out of an old wagon?

I love that the pills are still in here.

And in my bottle of Carter's Little Liver Pills, which has seen better days.

And in this bottle of Empirin Compound,

which has a cool little lid.

You can still buy Empirin and Carter's Little Pills today.

 

There you have it, my collection of vintage toiletries.  All thanks to my grandmother, who saved those great containers all those years.

Thanks for stopping by.  If I didn't visit your VTT post last week, I apologize.  Our homework this week is a doozy!  But I will make every effort to visit everyone this week.

Don't forget to join the party over at Coloradolady.

Anna

The world is a book ...

Hi all,

Hope you had a wonderful weekend!  I actually slept in two mornings in a row and did almost no crafting until yesterday afternoon.  This morning I finished up this card for my stepmother for her birthday.

She loves to travel, so I inked up the Travel Journal set from Oxford Impressions and got to work.  I used the Tri Shutter fold from the new Technique Junkies CD and decided to join the weekly technique challenge by using the Aged Tiles technique on the images.

Although this is not quite what I pictured when I started, I am very happy and kind of impressed, if I do say so myself!

OK, I'll see you tomorrow night with Part II of my vintage toiletry collection.

Anna

VTT - Where It All Began

When I was about 15 or 16, my mother and I were visiting her mother in Thetford Mines, Quebec.  She and my grandfather had a lovely home that I always loved to visit.  It was a fairly large house but it was warm and cozy.

My mother and I were staying in the guest bedroom and showered in the bathroom on the second floor.  It wasn't used very often and on this visit I discovered that it was like a huge time capsule.  Around the room and in the medicine cabinet, I found these treasures.

From World War II

 

It's difficult to tell in this light, but this jar is

blue glass.

And the lid is tin or some kind of metal.  So much better looking than the plastic jars we get today.

 

It was a long time ago, but if I remember correctly, this was the first bottle to catch my eye.

 

This label has really deteriorated.  It was an antiseptic foot powder called Germinol.  "For relief of Bromidrosis - that distressing condition of excessive perspiration of the feet, accompanied by an offensive odor."

 

I love the name and the shape of this bottle, there is no way this would have the same feel in plastic.

 

This used to have a long wand which broke off at some point.

 

 

Here are my mother and grandmother during World War II.  The very photo that my grandfather carried with him while he was overseas.

I never did think to ask Grandma why she had kept these containers all those years, but I'm glad she did.  I've treasured them ever since she let me take them home, and so began my love of vintage ephemera, family treasures and hunting for vintage goodies.

Today I have shared only the containers that came from my grandmother; next week I'll show you the toiletries I've added to the collection.

Don't forget to drop by the party here.

Anna 

A Fashionable Birthday

Good morning!

Two card posts in the same week...I'm very excited.  And I have to say again that I just love the Fancy Folds & Motion Cards CD from Technique Junkies.  I'm finding it very inspiring to design with these shapes.

So, here is a birthday card for Don's mother made using the Side Step Card technique, which looks like a lot more work than it was.  I don't think this card took me any longer than most to put together, and like I said, it was fun!

 

(Dress form by The Stamping Ground, Sentiment by Verses Rubber Stamps.)

 

Karen's birthday is in a week, but she and Don's dad are now down in Florida until May.  Last winter, cards were taking a week to get from there to here and here to there, so I'm keeping my finger's crossed that it makes it to her by the 18th considering the wonderful weather we're having here on the east coast.

A storm from the West and one from the South are set to converge right over us tonight.  We are expecting at least a foot of snow by morning, so Don and I are prepared to spend tomorrow working on some projects around the house.  I'll also be working on a very special post for Vintage Thingie Thursday.  This week I'm going to show you how my love of vintage thingies began.

Until then, stay safe and stay warm!

Anna

Journeys

Happy Saturday!

Finally, here is the card using the fold that convinced me that I had to have the Fancy Folds & Motion Cards CD from Technique Junkies.  I thought it looked a lot easier than many of the folds the design team showed but still it had quite an impact and would look impressive to the recipient.

And I was right, this card was very easy and started with just an 8" x 8"  piece of cardstock.

Here is the front of the card, stamped with an image from Just for Fun and a sentiment from Inkadinkado and tied with ribbon.

 

And when you untie that ribbon, voila!  See, lots of impact but not complicated to put together at all and it was very fun to make.

On the inside I used some old atlas pages and stamps from Stampers Anonymous (sentiment), and Viva Las Vegastamps (cars).  I think this would be a great card to celebrate a milestone on any journey like graduation or a new job.

I do have another card in progress on my work table and I need to get a card in the mail for Don's mother by Monday, so you will see more cards soon.

Have a lovely Saturday!

Anna

Vintage Valentine Linky Party

I know I said I would post a new card today, but I decided to join a linky party today to show off some of my vintage valentines.

This linky party is being hosted by Mary at Very Merry Vintage Style.  Mary is a regular participant in Vintage Thingie Thursday and also crafts and takes wonderful pictures.  She has a calendar tutorial up that is just gorgeous.

Anyway, here are a few of my vintage valentines.

I love this one because it is not completely pink and red.

And how could you not love this little girl, she's adorable.

These are cards, not quite as old but still vintage, made not with card stock but on large sheets of paper folded into quarters.

 

I hope you've enjoyed these Valentines; don't forget to see who else is playing over at Very Merry.

See you tomorrow with that card!

Anna

VTT - Granny's Cookbook

Hi Everyone!

I hope you all had a safe and happy New Year and that the year ahead will be a great one!

Today I am sharing something I received from my mother for Christmas; a cookbook belonging to her paternal Grandmother.  You've "met" Granny before, I shared her silver egg cup set back in September.

 And here is the cookbook.

 

This is volume three of a set called The New Cookery Books.  Volume I was The Soup and Sauce Book and Volume II was The Cake and Biscuit Book.  We don't know if she had the other two.

I wasn't able to find any information about these books on the internet except an entry in an old catalogue which indicated that they were published in 1908.

Although this looks nothing like the expensive cookbooks out there today, there are more than a few recipes that made my mouth water.  Like these.

I don't know which recipes she used from this book, although there is some staining on this page.

Was my great grandfather partial to Gooseberry Fool?  That we don't know.  I can tell you the ingredients for Granny's cake and mayonnaise.

I'm very excited to have this piece of our family history and can't wait to find a place to keep in on display.

I hope you have enjoyed this post; don't forget to make the rounds of the other participants.  I'm sure they'll have fascinating and beautiful thingies to share, as always.

Anna

PS - I actually spent some time in the art room yesterday and I have a card to share with you!  It was made with a very cool fold technique from the Technique Junkies Fancy Folds & Motion Cards CD.  I'll be posting that on Friday.  See you then!

Happy New Year!

My word for 2011:  Intention.  Do you have one?