Cottage Style Blogs: a Cottage Blog, Etsy Blog, and Vintage Blog

My son was asked to participate in a large art show called The Artists Among Us, which was held at the Burchfield Penney Art Center, located on the Buffalo State University campus.  I attended the opening on Friday night and enjoyed a fun evening in the city. 



The show was set up "gallery style", I was informed, so the walls were splashed with all manner of techniques and mediums.  It reminded me of a wildflower garden or controlled chaos - completely unrelated pieces nestled together in perfect harmony.





I found this mixed media piece particularly charming.  I love the old photograph and the Scripture verse, "I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength," printed on black paper at the top.





This dress, made completely from stained coffee filters, was a hit.  Participating artists included students, alumni, professionals, and novices ... anyone could show their work.  The Artists Among Us is a celebration of creativity and runs through the summer. 





Kelly's taking in the wall that features her brother's work.  His line drawing is near the top with the black mat. 



And how's this for a new use for old luggage?  This vintage suitcase has been re-purposed into a sculptural piece ... for some reason the house reminds me of Dorothy's house in the Wizard of Oz!  Can't you just see it spinning into the inky sky ...?





We went upstairs onto the terrace and I took this photo of the Albright-Knox Art Gallery, which is directly across the street from the Burchfield Penney Gallery.  The large sculpture you see on the right is comprised of old canoes.  It's so neat!

The sun was starting to set by the time we headed out for dinner.  We went to one of my favorite restaurants, Romeo & Juliet's, where my friend Sue is the pastry chef.  The food is outstanding.  We were very hungry so we started off with an appetizer ...




The presentation of the baked brie was another celebration of the artists among us, no?  And it tasted good too!  A little wine ... a little warm brie and fruit ... and a little portobello mushroom pizza made for the perfect ending to a perfect evening.  Thanks for popping by.  I hope you enjoyed the show!

The weather was great this past weekend so I decided to visit Antique World, our area's biggest outdoor flea market.  I put my tea in a thermal mug and cut myself a big hunk of banana bread and headed east to the outskirts of the town I grew up it.  I hadn't been to the flea market in several years and I really enjoyed the early morning trek through my old stomping grounds.



I arrived before 8 a.m. and cars were lined up to get through the gate.  I'm a real believer in "the early bird gets the worm," and I felt I was late getting to the party in light of all the activity.  Then I learned it was Garage Sale Weekend, so the large number of shoppers made more sense. 



It was still pretty chilly but the walk from the crowded parking lot to the vendors got my blood pumping soon enough.  My first stop was at a table laden with vintage linens. 





And how about these old clothespins?  I'd never seen anything like them.  The vendor wanted $24.00 for the set.  A bit steep for my pocketbook, but they sure were neat.



I learned that Garage Sale Weekend happens the first Sunday of every month.  Tables cost $25.00 and the earlier you arrive, the better the location you can secure.  I've heard the vendors often arrive before 5 a.m. to set up. I'm considering participating next month.  Might be fun!



I would've taken more photos but my hands were full and I was ill-prepared since I didn't bring a basket or a shopping tote.  I bought a Robert Louis Stevenson Reader, circa 1906, and a little made-in-Japan figurine of a little girl that stands about 6" tall.  I paid $5.00 for her and failed to notice that she'd been decapitated at some point in time and been glued back together.  Oh well.  She's cute nonetheless.



I was tempted by many, many items including a set of Johnson Bros. dishes for $20.00, a tiny electric blue iron, some skeleton keys, and blue Ball jars with zinc lids.  But the cottage-on-the-creek is pretty full and I simply can't keep buying whatever strikes my fancy anymore.  Yes, I used to do that! 

Prices were all over the place.  I saw a vintage child's lithograph sand pail for $175!!  But then the Ball jars were only $2.00.  Amvets sells Ball jars for more than that.  It was fun to listen to the haggling.  I had to admire the gumption of one small boy.  He asked an older gentleman if he'd take $5.00 for a vintage game.  The man looked at the price and said indignantly, "This is marked $18.00!  I'll give it to you for $15.00."  The boy walked away.  But I was impressed by his courage.  He'll be a pro by the time he's twelve! 

What could be better than the scent of fresh-from-the-oven banana bread mingling with the fragrance of a warm, damp Spring evening?  I'm enjoying both as darkness falls while listening to the birds saying their good-nights through my open window.  I'm looking forward to a tasty bedtime snack after a long and tiring day.  All is well at the cottage-on-the-creek.

It was another busy week around here.  I'm working really hard stocking my Etsy shop and as a result, there's not been much time to blog.  Funny how we transition in and out of things ... dabbling in this or trying our hand at that.  At least I do.  And now that Spring is in full swing, I've got flowers on my mind.  I couldn't resist this kitschy crocheted wreath at Amvets the other day.  What do you think?





It was $1.98.  It looked a little small on my door so I passed it along to Kelly.  As they say, "The apple doesn't fall far from the tree."  She loved it too!

The daffodils have finally finished blooming and now it's lilac season.  The house I grew up in had several lilac bushes including light purple, white, and a deep purple variety that my father always referred to as a French lilac.  Now that I'm finally settled in my "forever" house, I went to the nursery with Kelly and Jeremy on Sunday and purchased a deep purple variety called Charles Joly.  The kids helped me plant it last night because after four days in the garage, it was looking pretty limp.  



Lilac bushes speak to me of home.  I took the picture above when I was at my mom's house on Wednesday afternoon.  She's got three large bushes on the side of their garage and she told me today how much she enjoyed the fragrance from the little bouquet my dad cut her yesterday.  She's still recovering and tires easily.  When she fractured her back on February 2nd, she had no idea how long her recovery period would be.  She drove for the first time last weekend and is taking it slow and easy.  I'm very happy she's able to get out again.  So is she.  Talk about "cabin fever!" 

My daughter and son-in-law have been busy around their house too.  They planted four shrubs last weekend and dug up some lily-of-the-valley that were spreading into the lawn.  I love lily-of-the-valley and I'm so excited they gave me their excess.  I planted them last night in a narrow bed between my driveway and the house.