~On the Move~

Hi! Everyone, it seems like for ever since I've posted... Gary and I have been busy packing up the house. We bought another home and will be renting out our sweet cottage. I do love this home, but with the housing market at a low we felt it a wonderful opportunity to purchase another cottage.
We will be closing escrow this week and will start the move on Thursday.
I have been reading your posts and have tried to leave as many comments as possible. So if I have not left you one, please know I am still here and I have been reading and trying to keep up with you all.
Packing takes for ever and I have so many things, honestly its a bit embarrassing!.
Gary and I have moved so many times in our life, and that's a bit embarrassing too. Really it is, all our family and friends who have know us our entire married life always say "so long are you going to live here!" we just laugh!
Gary and I have always loved to fix up homes, but we keep moving into them.  Since we are all family here, I will tell you what number this new home will make it will be  Cottage #12, yes its true we have owned 11 homes and this will be #12.....we are so crazy!!!.  but in a good way crazy!.
I may not be able to post for a few weeks but when I can, I will show you the new (Cottage #12).
I will miss you all and will be thinking of you and wondering what you are up too...
Big hugs and Love,
Elizabeth~on the move again~

~More Lovely Signs~

I am so in love with Paula's hand made cottage signs, I would have one of each if I could of her awesome designs!
Gary and I just celebrated our 34th anniversary on Feb. 21st and I wanted something special to commemorate the date so what better than a cottage couples sign for our bedroom!

You can click to enlarge any photo.
Do you remember this sign? this is the one that started my love for all Paula's signs. The "Guest Cottage" sign now is hanging inside the guest room.
And the new sign "Reserved for our Guests" is hanging on the door. It brings a big smile to my face every time I walk by the room.
Now of course for the kitchen who could pass up the "Bon Appetit" sign (not me!)
If you haven't all ready been to Paula's~Castle & Cottage~here you should really go for a visit. I have my eye on a few more signs for "Our New Cottage" Oh my I just spilled the beans, we are now in escrow for another home and I can't wait to move in and decorate. I will miss my sweet little cottage home we are living in now, but look forward to another cottage to nest in.
Until we meet again, keep creating and may the sunshine in your smile and in your heart.
Big hugs and warm smile for you~Elizabeth~

~Plaid & Floral a Cheery Duo "Part 2"

All done! Yep, I'm all done with the curtains and pillows "for now anyway". I'm always changing something around! I know, I know, I can never just leave any room a lone for long. I keep changing my mind. Isn't that a woman's prerogative? and it's fun to change things around. (you can click on any photo to enlarge).
I kept adding pillows and mixing patterns.
I changed the buttons from white to red on the cream pillow. I like it better.
These curtains are so much brighter. Although I liked the other ones too, but they were more muted in color and I love the brighter colors in this floral fabric . To see what the guest room used to look like with the more muted curtains just scroll down to the post "Guest Cottage Sign" from Dec. 2, 2009. (I tried to link to it but I had problems with that, I will work on learning how to link)



A few weeks ago, Gary made this photo frame for me. It has been re purposed many times it started out as a mirror and then it held plates and now it's a photo frame.
What Gary did was screw in two metal sheets into the back of the frame that I had covered in left over drop cloth fabric. I spray painted the old photo frames in white and added magnets to the backs of the photo frames. No more nails in the walls and the photo's becoming crooked on the wall. I really love how it turned out and it's a great way to display all my great niece's and nephew's photo's. . "Thanks Honey".
I love to add fringe and ribbon to plain lamp shades. I first hot glued the hanging pom pom balls and then applied the blue and white flower trim on top.
Then the red and white checked ribbon for more whimsy.
So that's the "Guest Room" for now. I did use all the 7 yards of floral, I think I have about 4.5 yards left of the plaid. I'm thinking of curtains for the office. Our office is a work in progress, one day I will show it to you.

Until we meet again may your day's be full of peace and love in your hearts.

Hugs and Smiles,
Elizabeth

~A Special Gift~

Gary bought this very sweet bowl for me ~ can you believe it says "Home is Where the Heart is" I was so thrilled!!!. Home is Where the Heart is means so much to Gary and I, it's a saying we treasure and hold very close to our hearts. It has the sweetest blue butterfly and the tiniest red ladybug inside the bowl. Gary had designed butterfly's for our stain glass windows we have in our dinning room, so this little bowl was perfect for us, it was as if it was made especially for us. I know it wasn't but it's fun to think so when you are given such a loving and meaningful gift from your husband. There are even butterfly's on the outside of the bowl.
Along with lovely soft flowers.
Little bees and dragonfly's.

Made by LENOX "Butterfly Meadow"
Gary is so sweet to me, he even climbed up and had to stand on the edge of the entertainment center to put up the wooden letters I had painted. Once again in our family saying "Home is where the Heart is. I think he did a great job.
No matter where we are our home is always in our hearts.
It's really true there is no place like home.

Until we meet again I wish you all ~ Love, Peace and Joy~
Your blogging friend ~Elizabeth~

~The White Bench~

On Saturday Gary wanted to get me out of the house for little drive, we ended up at one of my favorite places to browse and shop "Antique Emporium" located downtown Modesto CA. I love this shop and I always find the cutest things. He surprised me by taking me there. I haven't been out much since I'am still healing from foot surgery, so this was a real treat.
We were lucky enough to find a parking place right at the front door, so I did not have to walk far. Right in the front window I saw this sweet little white bench, it reminds me of a church pew. I ran {hobbled} over to the white bench and just had to have it, it was calling my name and so the little white bench came home with us. I just love the red and white checked seat cushion. It fit perfectly against the wall.
I just had to hang the pink hearts on the side. These little lovey hearts were hand made by my dear friend "Becky" from "Sweet Cottage Dreams" Becky has a ESTY site where she sales antiques and hand made gifts. Since Becky and I live close to each other she came over for a visit and brought the hearts as a gift. She brighten my day so much, Becky is a real delight and her sweet spirit just shines throughout her.
The day I took the pictures of the white bench the sun was shining through the glass stained windows,I had hoped to capture the brightness of the light for you all to see.
Gary and I would like to wish you all a very "Happy and Blessed New Year" and I want to thank each and everyone of you that have left a note asking how I have been. It means the world to me, really it does. It just brings tears to my eyes to think how very thoughtful and caring you have been.
I am trying to visit you all and leave you a note. Also to all of you that have become a follower, I welcome you to "Home is Where the Heart is" and I thank you from the bottom of my heart.
Big hugs, always your blogging friend,
Elizabeth

~Guest Cottage Sign~

As you look down the hallway to the Guest Room you will see this sweet vintage sign "Guest Cottage" made by Paula from "Castle & Cottage" http://www.castleandcottage.blogspot.com/

Come on in, I have shown you all this room before but I thought you might like to see some of it again.









So there you have it. I love the sign so much and its fun to walk down the hallway and see it hanging on the door.

I am still resting on the couch with my foot up until I see the Doctor on the Dec. 11 for the bandages to be removed. A few of you have told me you had foot surgery too and so you know what I am going through.
I am trying to read as many blogs as I can, please know I am visiting you all, just not able to leave a lot of notes at this time.
Thank you all for you kind words and thoughtfulness. I love you all and thank you to all who follow me, its so very sweet and kind of you. I have really been enjoying seeing all your Christmas decorating. I will see if my sweet husband will hang a few of our wreath outside for me this weekend. He has been cooking and picking up the house for me while I'm down, how sweet is that and Mom and Dad have been over everyday to help me and Mom has been sick and she still comes over. I tell you, you really know who cares about you when you are sick. I am a very lucky girl.

~The Ashford Spinning Wheel~

This is the "Ashford Traveller Wheel" and she is so "sweet". I have always wanted to learn how to spin my own yarn, ever since I went to my first "Renaissance Fair" and watched the ladies spinning.
Learning how to spin yarn was on my bucket list, now I can cross it off. Well at least I have the spinning wheel now, I still need to learn "how".
I searched for classes on the net in my home town and low and behold I found one. I am so very excited to start a class and finally learn to spin.

The Ashford Traveller Wheel weighs only 15 pounds so she is easy to carry and transport. I found her for sale at work of all places, a gal at work was moving and she no longer had room for the Ashford, since she had purchased a new wheel. I bought her for only $80.00, new these wheels can run over $400.00.


I even have some practice wool.
And books to read!. I can't wait to get started. Do you spin and if so can you give me any helpful hints? (Oh my, I just noticed that when I snapped this photo the bottom of my pjs were in the way , oh silly me!) Do you take your photos in your pjs too?