Cottage Dreamer » Collectables

Pink Saturday – Some of my favorite things

Sandra — Sat, 17 Jul 2010 07:36:01 +0000

I want to thank Beverly for featuring Cottage Dreamer this week in her post for Pink Saturday at her blog How Sweet The Sound. I think it’s a wonderful idea to pick several blogs each week to highlight so we can get to know the Pink Saturday participants better.

This week I went through my previous posts and picked out a few of my favorite things to give you and idea of what I like. I suppose my style could be described as “pink, blue, and cream.” I don’t think I could ever become tired of living surrounded by these colors.

To start off, even though it’s not pink, here’s a photo of my son, Dave, and his Chihuahua, Bootsy, who I “puppy sit” each weekday when Dave is at work.

One of my favorite rooms is my bedroom. I’m not quite through decorating it – still have to put up the pictures, but it’s a very pretty pink room and very relaxing.

Many years ago I had a business selling my original dolls. I’ve been slowly getting back into sculpting and hope to have something to show soon. This doll, Allison, is what a few people have said looks like a self-portrait. I tell them, “Maybe in my dreams.” lol She’s about 28″ tall and is made of porcelain. One of the many things I love to do is Heirloom Sewing which I used in creating her costume. Ok, she’s not in pink, but on the umbrella she holds there are pink embroidered flowers.

One thing I love to collect is Angels, mostly Seraphime Angels by Roman and those by Jim Shore. Here’s one of the sets of Seraphime Angels that I’m fortunate to
have in my collection. It’s called Angel Garden. I just love the delicate nature of them and, of course, the blue, pink, and white color scheme.

And lastly, I’m fortunate enough to have been able to collect several pieces of art by Debi Coules. The piece below is one of several boxes I have by her. Thoughout my blog you’ll find more of her creations. I just love the beauty of her paintings and the touch of romance they bring to each room in my home.

Thank you so much for stopping by Cottage Dreamer today. I hope you have a wonderful Pink Saturday and I’d love to hear any comments you’d like to leave.

Sandra

Pink Saturday – Large Seraphim Angels

Sandra — Sat, 10 Jul 2010 12:18:17 +0000

It’s Pink Saturday again at Cottage Dreamer! Thanks to Beverly at How Sweet The Sound for once more hosting this fun day of sharing all things Pink!

Today I wanted to share with you the two beautiful Roman Seraphim Angels that grace my dinning room. Each statue sits on a handpainted cabinet from my favorite artist, Debi Coules. You’ve seen a lot of her creations in other posts. I just love her work and feel very fortunate that I’ve been able to collect so much.

The first angel is Alyssa. She is 27″ tall and was the first large figurine that Roman’s Seraphim Collection produced. She has such a wonderful and peaceful look to her face.

My son has always kidded me that if I buy one more angel figurine they are going to have to declair my condo a cathedral.

The next angel is another large Seraphim from Roman. I’ve forgotten her name and can’t find her online anywhere. Also, she is just too heavy for me to lift up on my own. When my son comes over I’ll have him lift her up and update this post.

The lantern that she holds lights up as she is searching for something – or perhaps guiding the way through dark times. As is usual for Roman Seraphim angels she has a very peaceful expression.

She also sits on a cabinet by Debi Coules.

Also, you might note the wallpaper. I just love it and when I redid my condo a few years ago it was one thing that I did not want changed. It might be close to 25 years old but I just love it.

Have a wonderful Saturday and enjoy all the great blogs featured for Pink Saturday.

Oh, and if you know the name of the angel carrying the lantern, please let me know.

Sandra

Pink Saturday – A New Doll for my Collection

Sandra — Sat, 15 May 2010 04:10:35 +0000

A huge Thank You to Bev at How Sweet The Sound for hosting our weekly celebration of all things Pink. Make sure to check out all of the other sites she has listed.

It’s been a really long time since I purchased a doll to add to my collection, but when I saw Sweet Caroline I just fell in love. She’s very much the type of dolls I made in the past – cute and dressed in detailed costuming. I purchased her on eBay. You can see other dolls by the artist on her website Judy Rankine Dolls.

Sweet Caroline is mostly a cloth doll with a ceramic head that is covered in cloth and then hand painted. She has such an adorable expression – and is cuter in person.

This week I wanted to point you to a website that was new to Pink Saturday last week but that I just adore – so many pretty pink painted items – and roses, too. The site is A Gathering of Thoughts and is owned by a very talented lady by the name of Rebecca. Hope you enjoy the site!

Have a wonderful week.

Sandra

Pink Saturday – A Pretty Pink Box to Cherish

Sandra — Sat, 17 Apr 2010 10:44:06 +0000

A huge Thank You to Bev at How Sweet The Sound for hosting our weekly celebration of all things Pink. Make sure to check out all of the other sites she has listed.

This week I’m sharing another one of the beautiful hand-painted boxes that I purchased from Debi Coules. She paints such beautiful roses and always finds a way to incorporate them into such pretty designs – like this box with “Cherish” on it.

Each week Bev asks us to post a link to another blog that has participated in Pink Saturday. This week I’m suggesting you take a look at Cape Cod Rambling Rose. She creates some of the most beautiful mixed-media journals using vintage laces and images. I think I need one of these to go along with my hand-painted boxes.

Have a wonderful Pink Saturday!

Sandra

Pink Saturday – Handpainted Rose Compote

Sandra — Sat, 10 Apr 2010 07:39:44 +0000

It’s Pink Saturday again at Cottage Dreamer! Thanks to Beverly at How Sweet The Sound for once more hosting this fun day of sharing all things Pink!

I’m doing my own kind of Garage Sale – I’m going through the dozen or so tubs I’ve had sitting in my own garage for over a year. It’s about time to get the stuff into the condo. Now if I could just find the hutch I’ve been looking for to put in my living room for all my “stuff.”

Here’s one of the things I rediscovered, a beautiful compote with pretty pink roses painted on it.

Happy Pink Saturday to all!

Note: This is a repost from last year. I’ve been suffering through a lousy cold for nearly two weeks now. Thankfully I am getting better – and 60 degree weather next week should really help!

Sandra

Pink Saturday – Signs of Spring

Sandra — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 06:10:14 +0000

A huge Thank You to Bev at How Sweet The Sound for hosting our weekly celebration of all things Pink. Make sure to check out all of the other sites she has listed.

Today I have one Home Good find, another angel from QVC, and an intruder who just would not take no and had to be included in my Pink Saturday posting.

First is an adorable bunny teapot. It matches the larger pitcher that I got last year at Home Goods. My guess is the teapot has been sitting in a wharehouse since last year just waiting for me. I’m thinking that the small cookie jar that’s the size of the teapot really needs me to go back today and get it – before it goes home with someone else. lol Any excuse for a trip to Home Goods.

Next is a Jim Shore Easter Angel called “He Is Risen” that I purchased from QVC. I have one like this that’s for Christmas as well. The angel has an rotating diorama in her skirt. It’s also a music box and plays “How Great Thou Art.” There is a very small seed light bulb that shines on the diorama. The three images in the diorama portray Christ praying in the Garden of Gethsemane, the Crucifixion, and then Mary witnessing the risen Christ.

And lastly, I couldn’t resist him when I saw him on QVC the other day during one of their garden shows. It’s the Travelocity Gnome! He’s designed to be used indoors or outdoors but I won’t be using him on the patio or small terrace outside my condo. It would be one thing if I had a yard, but the area is wide open and I’m concerned that someone might “help him walk away” so to speak. I think he’ll look just adorable in front of the fireplace.

He’s not as big as the one that you see on The Amazing Race (one of my favorite tv shows) but he’s big enough and cute enough to make up for that.

He told me that he just had to appear in my Pink Saturday post. He did point out that he has a rosy pink color to his cheeks and nose. lol

Have a wonderful Pink Saturday!

Sandra

Romantic Country Magazine just got here

Sandra — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 22:54:02 +0000

I finally got tired of running all over town to find copies of Romantic Home so I decided to finally get a subscription. When I went to sign up there was a “deal” to also get four copies of Romantic Country – so I figured I can’t have too many Romantic magazines, so why not?

As I was going through the Summer 2010 issue I turned a page and stopped in awe. It was over a article called The Poetic Potter – Lark Roderigues. It includes photos of her pottery which is just spectacular. Below is a photo of some of her vases that I found online:

They are absolutely gorgeous and I suddenly thought about what I could get rid of so I could afford a couple pieces. I also regretted getting rid of my kiln from my dollmaking days because I would so like to try to make something like it. But, alas the kiln is long gone.

The article mentions her website, which is www.larkpottery.com and has lots more examples of this beautiful handmade pottery. I then googled her name and found a piece of her work on eBay, though it had been sold. And lastly I found her Etsy shop with a few of her items.

There are so many wonderful things in Romantic Country that it’s going to take me some time to get through all of it. But I as soon as I saw Lark’s work I knew I had to blog about it.

Sandra

Pink Saturday – HomeGoods Goodies

Sandra — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 09:01:56 +0000

It’s Pink Saturday again! And as always our Hostess Bev has collected a list of great blogs that want to participate in the celebration of all things Pink. You can find more blogs listed at How Sweet The Sound.

Friday night I decided I’d had enough of being cooped up in my home and needed to get out – even if it was in the single digits – I needed a shopping fix. lol So, I headed over to HomeGoods. It was so nice walking in and seeing what I hope is just the beginning of the Easter and Spring items they will have.

Here’s my “goodies” that I purchased tonight.

I couldn’t resist this adorable pink bunny with a wreath of flowers around its neck. It goes perfectly with the other bunnies (Fitz and Floyd) that I’ve got in the hutch in my kitchen. I purchased one other bunny from HG last year and guess I’ve started a tradition.

Here’s a close up of my new bunny. Such and adorable expression!

At first I wasn’t sure what these were. I thought they might be candleholders, but they are a bit too big. I think they are egg holders. Will have to see if I can find wooden or paper mache eggs to go in them – or make some out of polymer clay.

Here’s the four egg cups out of the package. A pretty blue, yellow, light pink, and a little bit darker pink.

I also picked up a set of towels to hang on the over door. I’m going to try to keep my son from messing them up when he decides to do the cooking.

So, even though it’s cold as can be outside, by putting out some pink and other pastel items I can at least feel that Spring is on its way.

For this week’s Featured Blog here’s a link to Sweet Finds by Joanna. It’s her post from last week featuring something I think looks fantastic – pretty pink dishes combined with things like vintage silver jewelry, buttons, or other decorative items. Lots of other neat things to explore on her blog.

Have a wonderful Pink Saturday and a great week!

Sandra

Pink Saturday – New Collectable and Giveaway Winner

Sandra — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 14:10:52 +0000

The winner of my giveaway from a few weeks ago is Tina from Beansie Babbles! Congratulations. The package will be in the mail to you soon.

This week I received the Spring part of a collection from Jim Shore that I got from one of his appearances on QVC. I love his work and the way he incorporates quilt patterns into his sculptures. I think that this egg is just adorable. There are two very tiny bulbs in the diorama section – that don’t show up in the photos – that illuminates it. The bunnies are so cute and so is the quilt pattern on the back of the diorama. The other two in the collection that I’ve received are a pumpkin with pilgrims in it and a star with a nativity scene in it. I’ve forgotten what the Summer selection is so in a couple of months when I receive the next installment it will be a surprise.

Bev has asked us to feature another Pink Saturday blog each week. This week I’ve selected a blog that is filled with some fantastic crafts. The blog is Glitter and Roses by Ginger – and she’s even having a giveaway this week. Make sure to check out her blog.

Lastly, thank you for the many kind wishes for my son. He’s now back to work and is doing very well. He even went on a job interview yesterday. The contract with the current company is over and now he’s looking for something permanent. My hope is that he gets the job that’s right for him. Fortunately, he’s in IT and has a lot of great experience so he should be able to find something good soon.

Have a wonderful Pink Saturday and thank you so much for all the great comments – they mean a lot.

Sandra

Special Pink Saturday – Christmas Decoration

Sandra — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 08:39:20 +0000

Once again this week, Bev at How Sweet The Sound has suggested that we do something a little bit different. This week we’re asked to share a special Christmas or Holiday decoration. So, here’s something that has been a part of my Christmas since I was about five years old.

This is my paper-mache Nativity set from Italy that I began collecting when I was about five or six. Each year around Christmas time I would go with my Mom and sister to the “Dime Store” – remember those? I’m pretty sure it was a
Ben Franklin. I might not remember the name, but I do remember that it was next to the Jewel where we shopped for groceries and I can remember the aisles in the store filled with all kinds of merchandise to wonder over.

I think it probably took a few years to collect the entire set. Mary, Joseph, and the baby Jesus one year, the Wise Men the next, then the shepherds, and along the way picking up the animals.

Each year I would unwrap each piece of the Nativity and place it under the tree. It was always the focal point of our decorations – or so it seemed to me.

Even though the figures look a bit worse for ware (might have to take a paintbrush to some of the scuff marks next year) it’s still one of the most important things I use to decorate for Christmas.

You may notice that I only have two Wise Men. Sadly, a few years ago one of them fell off the sideboard and broke. I was hoping to find his missing part, but never did. So, I’ve begun looking on eBay for his “twin.” I’ll give it a year to find him, but if I don’t, next year I’ll see if I can recreate the head to go on the main part of the figure that I have. Either that or might have to buy an entire set to just to get my one missing Wise Man. But that’s ok. I’d like to see my set complete again. Also, this year the stable looks a bit worse for ware and I think it’s time to replace that next year.

click for larger image

This Nativity will always be the most important thing I can put out each year. I have several more Nativity sets that I’ll be posting about this week – but this is the most special one.

Thank you for sharing a few minutes of your time today with me and my Nativity. And just as a tease for a post to come this week. Here’s a picture of the tree in my bedroom and just one of the ornaments that adorn it.