5 Quick and Easy Ideas to Get in the Mood for Fall... even if you're not quite ready.

I know so many of us want to ease into the Fall season, but it's too hot in August and early September to get much in the mood. As much as I love fall, digging into tubs and boxes in hot storage areas, dragging out a bunch of faux pumpkins, and slathering on the fake leaf garlands just isn't appealing when you're breaking out in a sweat. I'd much rather take an approach that's gradual and less stressful. 

Cottage ReView: The Late-Summer Baker's Rack

Hello friends! Today I'm sharing a mash-up of some of my previous posts from the late summer Baker's Rack. August is the time of year I bring out all the pieces that evoke the wind-down of summer with a harvest feel. You'll see some of the same pieces styled in a bit different way, but they all have a vintage garden theme with lots of late season color with golds, greens, oranges deep reds and a bit of brown.

Birds in the Late Spring Holiday Cupboard

May has always been Bird Month for me. Around here we have nest building, new babies, and new faces at the feeders. I've collected a bit of bird themed vintage items during my time as a vintage market dealer, picking up figurines, tins, illustrations and ephemera during the years. It's a perfect themed match for my other favorite vintage theme which is old garden goods.

Feeling Fruity on the Baker's Rack

August is the month I think about the harvest in the garden from when I was growing up. And memories of a farmstand at the edge of town with fresh corn, cucumbers, tomatoes, and watermelons... all sorts of produce fresh from the fields. Often there was still a little dirt still hanging around. So thinking about the summer fruit harvest this month, the Baker's Rack is all about Summer Fruit  ...

Mini Easter Brunch Tablescape and Vintage Decoupaged Bottles

Every once in a while the crafty bug bites me and I get the urge to create a little something fun, especially if it's for a  "holiday".  I really enjoy using decoupage with Mod Podge because it's such an easy method. Well, I say "easy" as a relative term, since it is a bit messy and imprecise. But since I love vintage goods, I've found using old bottles for decoupage to be a wonderful way create small gifts and holiday mementos.

Scenes from the Late Summer Baker's Rack

I always get itchy when mid-August rolls around; itchy to start thinking about decorating for Fall. Now, I realize we have at least another month of summertime weather, but toward the end of August the signs of nature start to swing toward Autumn.

Vintage White Pottery

I did a pretty good job of packing and labeling all my breakables. Boxes of Transferware (brown, red, and green) ironstone, majolica, china, etc... and several boxes of White Pottery. At the previous place I kept it put away in the basement bar area because I just didn't have room to display it. So now that I have the garden room, I'm making a seasonal spot for it here. I may rotate it after Summer is over, but for now I've gathered all the white pottery pieces together for a little collection.

Vintage Repurposed Cupboard

When placing all my odds and ends of mix and match white chippy pieces out in the "Garden Room", (I'm going to refer to that big space formally known as the Sunroom, as The Garden Room, ala Katie from Let's Add Sprinkles. Sometimes it's not very sunny so it's now The Garden Room) I soon realized that there wasn't going to be space to fit it all in. Despite a huge room, I had an abundance of furniture that I've had "in storage" begging to be functional again. I had to find a place for this old cupboard that had unfortunately lost it's doors many years ago. It had been in the basement holding quilts or dishes in it's previous lives.

Spring Market and Vintage Ivy Dishes

Spring Open Houses seem to be a little late this year, but since our weather has been on the cold side, I think we're all running a little behind schedule. We (my sis and I) only made it a couple of places, but we got our fix for all things Spring.

A Little Cottage Romance

Hi Friends, I challenged my decorating "self" this month to do some Valentine's Day vignettes with pinks and soft pastels instead of a lot of red. No sooner do I put away the reds from Christmas than they're back again for February and Valentine's Day. I wanted to keep the Baker's Rack romantic and feminine, so I used my antique china teapots and some of my English Cottages to keep things sweet and homey.

Vintage Finds for Valentine's Decor

The last few days I've been hunting down my boxes of Valentine's Day things and I've located one tub, but the other is somewhere in the vast nether regions of the Arctic Storage; AKA, the garage. Since I'm not into freezing, I'm having to try to rethink some other vintage items that can become stand-ins for my usual Valentine goodies.

Vintage Elements on the January Baker's Rack

Before the calendar changes over to February and we find ourselves indulging in all shades of pink and rosebuds and hearts and Valentines, I'm finally able to share some of the vintage goods that I've brought together here in the Kitchen Sitting Area.

Out and About and some Vintage Finds

My Mom, Sis and I got together this last week and had lunch, then did a little shopping around town. We all don't get out together often, so this was lots of fun. Then add in some vintage goodies to wander through... even better.

Gathered #3

Hi Friends, 

I mentioned a few weeks ago, that I was starting a new weekly (or so) post where I had a place to bring together random ideas, pics and inspiration from the Blogging World. I also want to have a place to share with you some things I'm doing and thinking about. I've said before, that I'll never turn into a fashion blogger, (for many reasons) but I like to share a new piece of clothing and how I'm wearing it. Sometimes I get stuck in a rut and I like to see how others are putting themselves together. That being said, I'm in the Over 55 Crowd, so I don't want to look inappropriate, but I do like trendy clothes. 

knock off J. Crew vest

Thanksgiving Tablescapes with Transferware

There are photos of hundreds of lovely Thanksgiving Tablescapes, but today I wanted to share with you Fall and Harvest Tablescapes using Transferware. Brown is my favorite by far, I guess because it's so easily used with a Fall theme. If you have bits and pieces of it you're set, just stack them together; a mix is wonderful, or even used with white china or pottery. The key is keeping the color palette the same. Anything goes...

Instagram

Peach Blossom Branches and a Cover-up

We have a couple of fruit trees in the back yard planted by the previous owner,

and this "Doughnut Peach Tree" really puts on a Spring-time Show.

First Glimpse of "Spring"

Happy Leap Day!!

Since tomorrow is March, and Easter is coming early this year, I thought I'd get started on bringing a few Spring Things out of the tubs and boxes. This is just my starting place... on the Dining Room table, which is usually where all my seasonal decorating begins.

Summer Mantel with Sunflowers

This time of year I'm captivated by Sunflowers.

They are the symbol for late Summer, relaxation, casual dinners al Fresco, 

and all things French Country...

and I love to have them taking the stage on the mantel.

A little something to brighten your day...

Just wanted to drop by and say Hello with my little vintage friend.

Life is like an old cupboard...

(feeling a little Forrest Gump-ish today)

Inevitably, when you move and downsize many of the furniture pieces you love and have collected have to be sold. Or in order to make the cut, they have to be relegated to different purposes and function. I can't tell you how much was sold last year, but let's just say it was literally truckloads. A couple of pieces that I could justify keeping were for storing things. I bought this piece to use at my antique mall space before I started blogging, but once I finished it, I realized it would be perfect for quilt storage in the downstairs guestroom. Now, it's in the basement/lower level kitchen nook next to the bar, displaying some of my odds and ends "collections".

Here at the new house