COTTAG3

How cute are these?

2012-02-12T07:01:00.000-08:00

I came across these real moss plants in old thimbles.
Yes, tiny little vintage thimbles.

How cute are these?

DoodleBirdie on Etsy

new way to follow blogs

2012-02-05T07:09:00.000-08:00

Google Friends Connect (which is the way most of us follow blogs)

will be going away for many on March 1

and may go away for everyone shortly after.

So, there's a new kid in town and it looks like it's even better.

For all the details and to sign up for free, visit www.linkyfollowers.com

For information about how this tool came about, hop over to

Linda at Coastal Charm's blog

little chocolate bella

2012-01-16T08:46:00.000-08:00

We lost our younger lab, Bella, over the weekend.

It turned out she didn't have cancer but rather

one of the cruelest infections I've ever seen.

It just wouldn't respond to any treatment

and she was losing the ability to breathe.

She was only eight years old.

She was the most affectionate, loving pup we've ever had.

Things just aren't the same around here without her.

She and my husband had the deepest bond of all.

He's a little lost without her constantly by his side.

Our son understands but he's been quiet.

Our older lab, Ballou, has been laying on Bella's blanket.

Our newest puppy, Maisy, keeps going outside to look for her.

It's crazy how deeply our hearts can ache over the

loss of a beloved pet.

My first 2012 project is ginormous

2012-01-10T19:16:00.000-08:00

We have this huge blank wall in our main living area.

We've lived in our house for 10 years and that wall

has always been an unfinished project.

We've tried to decorate it but nothing looks right.

A few mid-sized pieces just don't work.

We added an old door but again, it just wasn't right.

I think it either needs a wall of framed prints or one huge statement piece.

What would be cool is a huge old chalkboard

that looks like this smaller one in the entry.

Where would I find one of those?

How much would something that big cost?

I'm guessing not much...if you make it.

We bought a huge piece of plywood (I think it's 4'by8').

I sanded it down to make it smoother. Plywood can be kind of rough

so it certainly wasn't a perfect surface but that works in my plan.

I used a black matte spray paint to give it a base coat.

Then I sprayed a coat of the chalkboard spray paint.

I switched to a can of chalkboard paint and used a brush

to paint thick coats.

Then we added simple moulding. I stained it with an uneven finish

so that it looks a bit worn with age.

There we have it!

It's one huge chalkboard.

We attached it with screws, putting one in each corner which

adds to the industrial effect.

We hung the clock on it because I love that clock

and it covers a huge defect in the wood.

I added some of the lyrics from our family song.

Over time, we will find just right the things

to write on our chalkboard that will become

permanent artwork.

In some of the pictures, you can see cracks and imperfections in the wood.

I love that. I think it makes it look older.

Isn't that cool? Those cracks make it look like an old schoolhouse chalkboard.

Now, I know that little dresser underneath it is too small

sitting there all alone under that huge thing.

Either something longer will go there or

that dresser will get some company.

What do you think?

Do you like the "vintage" huge "schoolhouse" chalkboard?

2012-01-01T00:00:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year

2012!

A month's worth of posts in one

2011-12-27T11:02:00.000-08:00

It's been a month exactly since my last post.

I typically post on average about once a week

so it's been a long time.

I can't begin to tell you how crazy it's been the last month.

Here's a quick recap sprinkled with some holiday pictures.

Let's begin with the first of the month where my last post ended after Thanksgiving.

First off, let me just say that I LOVE my job, my career.

I really do...but the first couple of weeks

of December pushed that to the limits.

I can't tell you about it really (confidentiality laws) but

a crazy thing happened that consumed the first couple of weeks and I had to put other tasks at work on hold until that crazy thing was over.

I had the bright idea to put this old red sap bucket on my front door instead of a wreath. I loved it!

Unfortunately, every time my teenage son went in and out,

he would knock it around and a few times even knocked it off.

So, I had to take it down.

I replaced it with the pretty red wreath that lights up.

It comes with a timer so we could program it to come on

every evening at the same time and go off after a few hours.

So, anyway, back to work. After the crazy thing was over,

I had to work like a madwoman to complete everything else that needed to be done before I left for my two week winter break on Dec. 16. I managed to get most of it done

but had to bring a little bit home and finally finished it all up Saturday morning, Dec. 17.

There's our little Maisy peeking out the window.

This was her first Christmas and she couldn't figure out

what was going on.

That left me less than one week to decorate the house,

bake a gazillion things,

shop, shop, shop,

wrap, wrap and wrap.

Then, I had to clean, clean, clean and even finish up

a couple of little projects before cooking a big dinner because

my husband's family came to our house Christmas eve.

I got it all done...with the help of my husband and son.

We had a wonderful Christmas eve with my husband's family.

We had a wonderful Christmas morning at our house...

...and then spent the rest of Christmas day with my family.

It was really nice.

During all of this craziness this month, we decided we needed a new car. So, here and there when time allowed

(and sometimes when it didn't)

we visited dealerships and searched for a new car.

We don't have one yet but we think we've finally decided on the one we want. This week we'll start the negotiations and see if we can work a deal.

Oh, and if all this wasn't enough to keep us busy,

one of our chocolate labs, Bella, is sick.

We found a tumor in her throat.

Now, we are dealing with biopsies and lab reports.

Other than the huge lump in her throat,

she had no other symptoms.

Although we know it doesn't look good,

we're staying positive for now.

And finally, my son's birthday is the day after Christmas.

So, we had birthday preparations to think about as well.

We do something small, just the 3 of us, on his actual birthday. He can choose a party or

however he would like to celebrate on a later date.

He turned 15 yesterday.

I just can't believe that.

Hopefully, I can begin again with my somewhat weekly posts after New Year's and catch up on some of the posts I've missed from your blogs.

Whew!

public display of affection and Thanksgiving reflection

2011-11-27T07:36:00.000-08:00

The last few days have not gone as planned...

but they were WONDERFUL!

We made a trip to Home Depot on Black Friday to get a new garbage disposer.

We left with the new high powered, quieter, bigger disposer

and a new stainless steel sink and new kitchen faucet.

My husband (who is not a plumber, electrician nor handyman with any significant skills)

removed the old gross sink, broken faucet and dead disposer

and installed the shiny new sink, industrial style faucet and new disposer

all by himself in a relatively short time (Friday evening).

I'm so proud of him and am so happy he did this.

He did a great job using fewer curse words than I expected

and it turned out great!

Thanks Jeff! You're awesome!

Public hug :)

Our Thanksgiving didn't go as planned either but it was maybe even more special.

We had planned to spend Thanksgiving with my family (a total of about 12-15 people).

My husband woke up with a bad headache and didn't feel well.

So, we decided to stay home, just the 3 of us.

We still wanted a traditional Thanksgiving meal but we had none of the food.

We headed to the grocery store mid-morning (and it was crowded!) on Thanksgiving day

and bought all we needed.

By 6:00 pm, we had traditional turkey and dressing

(my family's old recipe; I'm going to have to post that sometime)

along with side dishes, rolls and some southern sweet tea.

When my family gets together, we love to play Scrabble and

watch the Cowboy game on Thanksgiving.

We don't have a Scrabble game at my house

(it's at my aunt's house where we were supposed to be)

so we appreciated the technology we have in 2011

and we played Words with Friends on our iPhones.

It was really kind of fun and nice to have a quiet

Thanksgiving holiday with just the 3 of us.

We hung out all day together.

I can't remember the last time the 3 of us spent quality time

together for a whole day.

With two working parents and son in high school,

we all have our interests, hobbies and commitments

which keep us very busy.

So, this was a special Thanksgiving for us.

It won't be long until this guy is off to college, on his own,

bringing home his girlfriend, working and someday married.

We might not have that many more opportunities

with just the 3 of us again.

I loved it.

Hope your holiday was just as great.

From our home...

2011-11-23T09:27:00.000-08:00

Wishing those of you around the country a safe and happy holiday

with your family and friends.

what we made with an old windmill base

2011-11-20T15:16:00.000-08:00

Remember when I snapped up tons of goodness from my

cousin's cottage?

One of the things I grabbed was this base to an old windmill.

I brought it in because we had big plans for this.

It still has the price tag on it...$12.

You can see my plans, can't you?

It's perfect for making a vintage industrial floor lamp.

So, we ran down to Home Depot and bought a $10 lamp kit.

If you've never done this before,

the directions are on the back of the kit

and it is EASY!

I've re-wired lamps before so

my husband decided to try this one

and it took him about 5 minutes...okay, maybe 6.

We grabbed a natural creamy white square lamp shade

and there you have it!

For less than $25, we have a one of a kind

vintage industrial floor lamp.

What do you think?

I love it all rusty and a little bent in places.

It would be just as cool with a fresh coat of white paint too.

I'm leaving it like this for now.

I like the contrast against my white beadboard.

SNS at Funky Junk

Nifty Thrifty Tuesday at Coastal Charm

One Project at a Time at A Bowl Full of Lemons

White Wednesday at Faded Charm

Vintage Inspiration Friday at Common Ground

Frugal Friday at The Shabby Nest

Farmhouse Friday at LaurieAnnas

a little bit of HGTV excitement around here

2011-11-14T17:21:00.000-08:00

We live on a very quiet little tree-lined neighborhood street

with no drama and nice neighbors.

So, imagine my surprise this morning when I got in my car

to leave for work and realized there was a camera crew

in the street. In order to back out of my driveway,

I would have to back into their "scene."

Turns out, it was an HGTV crew filming an episode

of "Househunters" at the house for sale across the street.

Apparently, they filmed there all day because my son saw them

packing up when he came home from school.

So, I whipped out my trusty iPhone to snap a couple of

really quick pictures and then thought, oh heck, I'll just

go ahead and get a little video for my blog friends.

Pardon the poor quality since I was in my car, in a hurry and

late for work. You get the idea though.

It was interesting because there was no HGTV truck.

It was very hush hush.

In the video when you see the car pull up,

that's "take 2" which is why I was waiting to leave.

That car had to back up (now blocking my driveway)

and roll up to the house for a second time.

Anyway, thought you might find it interesting.

You don't see a cameraman

in the middle of your street everyday.

It's the closest I'll get to ever being on any HGTV show.

imitation and flattery

2011-11-12T10:35:00.000-08:00

"Imitation is the sincerest of flattery."
-- Charles Caleb Colton

I spotted a picture on Pinterest that really caught my attention.

It was from this great little blog.

She turned a soft drink crate into a spice rack.

A Formal Feeling Comes

I've never had a great spice rack.

I've never found one I really liked.

I do like this idea though and since I have a crate or two,

I decided to imitate it.

In fact, I have the exact same Dr. P red crate.

I first thought about using this one because I like how old it is.

However, with age comes some wear and tear

and although you can't tell,

there are parts of the wooden dividers that are missing

so they don't make great "shelves."

Not a problem, I'll use my red one.

I picked up jars at Hobby Lobby.

You see the price? It was 50% off that week so we didn't have to pay much.

I filled up the jars.

Then put some handmade labels on them.

You know, I like the little jars just sitting there.

Here we go...my new little spice cabinet.

My husband wants the labels facing out

but I like it with out the labels showing.

We'll memorize quickly enough which spice is where.

Thanks to the blog, A Formal Feeling Comes, for my new spice rack.

Saturday Nite Special

I'm at Suzanne's today!

2011-11-01T06:48:00.000-07:00

I'm guest posting over at

Meridian Road,

one of my favorite blogs.

Hope you'll stop by and see my post

and check out Suzanne's awesome blog if you haven't already.

A shocking turn of events!

2011-10-31T04:26:00.000-07:00

You are just not going to believe this. It's a shocking turn of events!

Devon, you will probably need to sit down before you read this post.

Do you all remember my cousin, Gale's cottage?

If not, you can read about it here, here and here.

She has decided to sell!

When I say "sell", I mean "SELL" as in "sell. it. all!"

She is selling almost everything she owns

and you will never believe just how much that is.

We spent the day at her place today and bought some things

before the actual estate sell takes place next weekend.
If you are in the Austin area or plan to be on
Nov. 4 and 5, check out her estate sale!

Here come a lot of pictures along with some more details.

I think I captured about 10% of it all.

Every inch of her huge lot is covered.

There were 3 porch swings, a hammock,

a million quilts, linens, windows, doors,

architectural stuff, white garden furniture,

and piles of good ol' junk.

For even more pictures and more details, visit

estate sales.net.

Here are pictures of her stuff for sale.

As of today, they were still pulling stuff out, pricing and setting it up.

I've never seen so much stuff.

All of this is going!

I bought a vintage white chenille bedspread for $6.

Those vintage white metal chairs? $20 bucks each.

There's a baby blue one somewhere too.

These heavy metal tables (there were two; one is bigger) would be so cool with a glass top.

I really wanted those little white shutters but I had too much stuff already.

I wanted that huge chicken coop thing too.

They were just starting to pull doors, windows, screens and whatever

out of this shed when we were leaving.

Here's our truck loaded.

Here's what I got!

This used to part of a windmill and will make a

supercool industrial floor lamp.

These are two vintage aluminum cots. They are so

cute layered in quilts and linens. My cousin used to put

them out in the yard on cool days when the family was over

and we could sit or lay on them.

Now I just have to find a place for all of this stuff.

I may sell a couple of things in my booth but

I'm keeping most of it.

When we left, you couldn't tell that we had taken anything.

Her house is still full and the yard was still full

and they were still pulling more stuff out.

I just had to leave. It was too much.

Oh, and she also strongly considering selling the cottage as well.

She wants to start fresh, clean slate (literally) and from now on,

she said she's going all white with no exceptions.

I don't know what her little black dog, Ollie, will think of that.

...and truth be told, she's still out junking and finding new stuff.

That house (or a new one) will be filled again in no time.

old military dog tags

2011-10-29T16:50:00.000-07:00

Recently my husband came across some old family dog tags.

I've kept my dad's old army dog tags too but they've just been

sitting in the bottom of my jewelry box.

I've always loved the dog tags but I've never

figured out how to display them or use them

in a creative way.

Then I realized the chain on these tags

reminded me of something else.

It's a similar chain to the ones on my ceiling fans.

I hate the pulls on my ceiling fans.

These pulls on the front porch fan aren't too bad...

...but these wooden things on the ceiling fan in the main living area

are ugly.

I can't stand these pulls (I can't stand the fan either

but I don't want to spend money on a new one yet either).

I'm saving my money for a special thing happening tomorrow

but that I can't tell you about yet. It's a bit of a secret.

I will tell you about it on Monday. You won't believe it!

but I digress..

So, I swapped out the fan pulls and put the old dog tags on them.

I love these old dog tags so much better.

They look so cool.

We just have to remember to take them off if we ever get a new fan!

Between Naps on the Porch: Metamorphosis Monday

Transformation Thursday at Shabby Creek Cottage

Giveaway winner

2011-10-23T06:39:00.000-07:00

The winner of the UPrinting giveaway is...

Anita from Going a Little Coastal.

Congratulations, Anita.

Please email me your name and email address as soon as possible!

Giveaway!

2011-10-17T06:36:00.000-07:00

We have a great giveaway for you!

UPrinting is an online printing company that provides good quality business card printing

and business card design services.

The winner will win

250 pcs Die Cut Business Card Printing!

2 x 3.5" Rounded Corners, 2x2" Rounded Corners, 1.75x3.5" Rounded Corners,

2x3.5" Leaf, 2x3.5 Rounded one corner, 2x3.5" Half Circle Side, 2x3.5" Oval, 2.5" Circle

14pt Cardstock Gloss / Matte / High Gloss (UV), or 13pt Cardstock Uncoated,

6 Business Days Turnaround *Free shipping

Restriction: Limited to *US residents 18 years old and above only.

Now you're thinking,

I don't have a business so I don't need business cards.

Think again!

How many times have you mentioned your blog

and someone says

"what's the name of your blog?"

or "what's the link to your blog?"

You could just hand them a "blog card".

Perhaps you could use personal information cards to share

with other Mommies, friends, family and people you meet.

You could have cards made

with your contact info, email, etc. to hand out.

Recently I won a UPrinting giveaway and

won 250 flyers for an event.

It was easy to create the flyer I wanted using their online tools.

I created a flyer that looks and feels like

a giant business card and

put my blog header and address

along with the info for our booth at an antique mall.

When the flyers came, I was so excited!

They turned out great and we have them in our booth

for visitors to take.

Wanna see?

Here's what I designed using their easy online tools and my own images

Here are my flyers! They look so great in person!

So how do you win?

1. leave a comment telling me what you would do with your new business cards

2. like/follow UPrinting on Facebook and Twitter and then come back and leave another comment telling me you did so

Please note: If you have won this type of giveaway within the last 6 months,

you are not eligible. Sorry :(

This giveaway is open until Midnight, Friday, Oct. 21, 2011.

I will announce the winner next weekend!

Disclaimer:

Required as per FTC Ruling

This giveaway is sponsored by UPrinting, no monetary compensation was given and
I will receive a set of business cards for hosting.

a bit of jealousy

2011-10-15T09:57:00.000-07:00

Remember this chair?

Well, it's jealous...

'cause I found this one!

It's a beautiful chair...a little rustic, a little industrial

with burlap, weathered wood and nailheads on vintage leather.

I bought it from the same person's booth

where I found the first chair.

It's the awesome booth "Bountiful"

at our Lonestar Antique Mall.

So, I put this one in a corner of my kitchen

and moved the other one

next to my kitchen table island.

They're a perfect combination.

A few weeks before I found the chair, I found this pretty little thing.

beautiful weathered wood and sparkly old crystal door knobs

Somebody made it and I got it for a steal,

less than the cost of one of those knobs.

I hung it on the wall...

...under my old cabinet that holds

my collection of vintage silver and glass

salt and pepper shakers...

...and above that new chair.

It's a great place for someone to sit and join me

while I'm in the kitchen.

We've got a couple of giveaways coming up.

The first one will be up on Monday!

quick post, super quick recipe

2011-10-12T16:45:00.000-07:00

When I first saw this recipe, I thought "no way."

Yep, way.

I like to start my son off in the morning

with a decent breakfast.

His idea of decent would be Poptarts and Dr. Pepper

if I let him have his way.

I have several quick breakfast ideas

I make for him but most take at least 15-20 minutes.

(He doesn't like cereal so that quick meal is out).

On certain days like test taking days, I like to

make bacon and eggs but you know, you have

to get out a skillet and actually cook.

Since I'm getting ready for work too,

it's just a lot to do in the morning.

So, what if you could make scrambled eggs and bacon

in about 2 minutes...maybe less?

I found this idea on Pinterest.

There are several versions of the recipe you can check out

but this is our version we like.

Microwave Scrambled Eggs In A Mug

You will need (for one serving):

a mug

2 eggs

2 tablespoons milk

salt and pepper as you like

2 tablespoons shredded cheese (optional)

a couple of strips of microwaveable bacon

Crack the two eggs into the mug.

Add the milk, cheese, salt and whisk.

Microwave 45 seconds.

Stir again (it won't be done yet)

Microwave again for 30-45 seconds.

When you see it rise high above the mug,

it's done.

Make your bacon (which takes about 30 seconds).

Crumble a piece of bacon over the top.

I stick another piece in the side to make it pretty

which my 14 year old son sees as amusing

but unnecessary.

That's it.

30 seconds of prep, about a minute or so in the microwave

and 30 seconds to make bacon and you have

scrambled eggs and bacon in about two minutes.

My son took the PSAT today as a freshman.

He needed a hearty little breakfast

so this is what he had.

He thinks it's kind of weird but he eats it.

claw foot tub feet repurposed

2011-09-24T07:13:00.000-07:00

I've seen others re-use old feet from a claw foot tub in some interesting ways.

I've seen them used as bookends, brackets for shelves, doorstops, etc.

So, I've been on the lookout for a pair to use around my house.

I found several on the internet, etsy and at local antique shops.

Those were either expensive ($30 per foot, $80+ per pair), not my style,

in bad condition or a yucky color.

A few weeks ago, I finally found a set for me.

FOUR RED CHIPPY ONES!

for less than the price of one at other places.

Where did I find it?

this great etsy shop: MySeriousSide

I don't know who runs this shop but I like some of their stuff and their prices.

Can you believe these?

I wonder what the rest of the tub looked like.

Decision making confusion

2011-09-18T05:23:00.000-07:00

Those who know me well know that I have a difficult time making a decision.

It can take me days, weeks, months or

even longer to make a decision and commit to something.

It doesn't matter if it's about something trivial or important,

I just have a hard time deciding on things.

Internet, blogs and Pinterest have made it worse.

Currently, my front door, both inside and out, is painted black

as is the interior side of the back door.

My front door has been black for almost 10 years.

The interior side of the doors were painted black about 2 years ago.

Painting the outside of the front door black was an easy decision and only took me a day.

Deciding to paint the interior side of both doors took months.

Lately, I've been thinking about a change.

I narrowed it down to two simple choices:

leaving them black or painting them a true red.

Red doors look so interesting to me

and really seem to brighten a place up.

Kelly Green Interiors

Design Sponge

Sarah Richardson

Homestead Revival

Houzz

Then, I saw these! Blue doors!

They look so fresh and clean and bright too.

Now I'm thinking maybe blue...but still I like the red.

Then, I saw this! Black! Just like I have now.

It looks so vintage and just plain cool and I like the contrast.

Aubrey Road

Now, I'm confused. Red? Blue? Black?

I like them all.

Maisy's new bed with a dilemma

2011-09-13T16:37:00.000-07:00

Our little Maisy got a new bed.

It's cute little pale aqua metal bed on wheels.

Do you remember Maisy?

She's our little Morkie (maltese/yorkie).

She weighed 1.5 pounds when we got her

and was about the same size as a soda can.

That was about 6 months ago.

Here she is at 4 months and weighing 2.5 pounds.

She doesn't like her hair bow.

Now she's all grown up weighing 3.5 pounds

and she's ready for a big girl bed.

Jennie and I went to a flea market a couple of weeks ago

(an indoor flea market thank goodness;

it was 107 degrees today by the way)

I picked up this cute little vintage metal pale aqua bed on wheels.

It's an old doll bed repurposed into a dog bed.

One side even raises and lowers.

Maisy seemed to like it.

There's just one thing wrong.

I hate this old decal on it. Hate it.

Okay, hate is a strong word.

I really, really strongly despise that decal.

This is a vintage Amsco doll crib made around the 1950s.

I love everything about it except that decal.

I can't peel the decal off or remove it with out damaging the bed.

If I paint it, I take away the perfect blue color with just the right amount

of rust and wear.

What do you think?

Leave it or paint it?

This is it

2011-09-11T15:23:00.000-07:00

I did it. It's done.

I changed everything.
This is it.
This is my blog.

Why? Click here.

I changed my blog name, header picture, the little favicon, the blog icon picture and

you will soon notice...even the blog address.

I'm a little excited about all of the changes.

There is no getting around the fact that I live in a cottage style house

and I love cottage style. However, I've been adding quite a bit of

vintage industrial stuff to my house and of course

I still like some farmhouse pieces as well.

Combine that with our family number "3" and my favorite color "red"

and I came up with:

COTTAG3

I like how simple it is. I think the use of the red 3 in place of the

last "E" gives a sort of industrial twist. It seems to really fit me I think.

I've lived with it for over a week now and love it more each day.

So, I took the huge step of changing everything over.

Over the next day or so you should be automatically redirected

to the new address. We'll see if that works. I'm a bit nervous about it.

www.cottag3.com

I feel like "3 Ring Cottage" was a practice blog for the last year and a half

where I learned about blogging and tried to figure out what I wanted my blog

to be and how I wanted it to look.

Now that I've mastered some of the skills of blogging,

I am graduating to my permanent blog.

Did you notice I'm approaching 500 followers?

That's 495 more than I thought I would ever have.

If I get to 500, I think we'll need a giveaway to celebrate

that milestone and the transition to the new blog.

So, here we go!

Hope you'll come with me, bring your friends

and have a good time!

With this change, those following may have lost feeds/updates.

You may need to "unfollow" and then rejoin or follow again.

Thanks so much!

September 11

2011-09-11T04:57:00.000-07:00

I saw this! there?

2011-09-07T15:25:00.000-07:00

As many of you know, I work for a public school district.

Fort Worth Independent School District to be exact.

I was at an elementary school this morning

for one of my interns and I was stopped in my tracks.

I can't believe I saw this...there!

sorry for poor quality; quickly capture by iphone

Granted, this is an older elementary school

but still, just a regular neighborhood elementary school.

This cool little vintage industrial table

was just sitting in the hallway next to some

ladders, dollies, and other random things.

Round wooden top, turquoisey color,

metal, wheels, super cool.

I've occasionally seen a rolling cart like this

but not with a table top. Next time I see

a similar cart, I'm snatching it up.

This could be such a cool kitchen/breakfast table

don't ya think?

Reworked

2011-09-05T06:14:00.000-07:00

Remember this?
I went a little bold for a change.

I wanted an impact wall in my second entry area and wanted to go

a little vintage industrial. When I posted about this in June, I said

I kind of liked it but wasn't sure if I loved it.

I asked you for feedback and I got some great feedback

and suggestions from you.

I now know that I didn't love it.

It looked like I slapped those on a wall and called it a day.

Maybe I did.

So, I reworked it a bit.

Some of you suggested I frame it in or paint the background a different color.

It needed some kind of perimeter to define it and finish it out.

I have a piece of old moulding that has traveled around my house

and currently didn't have a home.

So, I added it here to define and contain my collection of Gs and 3s.

I also add some smaller ones to fill in some of the big blank spaces.

There is still room to add more if I find just the right ones

but for now it looks more finished.

I like this a lot better.

This is my favorite one. It's an old thin metal stencil.

What do you think now?

Honestly.

You were all so kind last time when it really didn't look good.

By the way, they are all hanging straight.

For some reason, some of them look a little crooked

in the picture but I assure you they are perfectly straight

in real life or it would drive me insane.

We've got a giveaway going on until midnight Friday.

maybe vintage, definitely cool

2011-08-30T19:53:00.000-07:00

When I was at the Red Shed this past weekend for their Saturday sale,

I stumbled across these jars.

They were selling them filled with old vintage buttons.

I like the size, shape and design of them.

They are square with fluting and have

that little flared flange at the bottom.

I think they are interesting. The buttons are cool too.

Do you want to know why they really caught my eye?

Look closely. Do you see the etched writing on the bottom?

"Woods"

That's a family name.

My great-grandmother was Mamie Woods.

My grandmother was Myrtle Lou Liza Woods (before she was married).

I know you all will want to write down that unique name

for any future little girls you may have :)

I'll probably keep one of these jars and give one to my cousin for Christmas.

The lids on the jars are new. I don't know much about the jars but

it doesn't matter to me. They look vintage and bear a family name.

That makes them especially cool in my book.

I think I've finally decided on a blog name.

I'm kind of excited about it.

I'll probably share it this weekend.

nice little shout out

2011-08-28T09:42:00.000-07:00

I picked up my copy of the new Flea Market Style magazine

at the Red Shed this weekend.

I've already read it cover to cover and it's great.

I saw some of my favorite blogs spotlighted;

Mamie Jane's and Whisperwood Cottage.

I was also excited to see a little shout out

about our own Lonestar Antique Mall

where my pal Jennie and I have our booth.

That's so cool. It is a great place

and deserves to be mentioned.

If you are ever in the Dallas-Ft. Worth area,

hope you have time to stop by and visit.

You can visit our booth, Secondary,

along with a couple of hundred other booths like

Ruby Grace's

Southern Charm Cottage

The Shabby Y

Bountiful

and so many more.

Let's take a moment and note that this

is my second post in one day; yep, two posts in one day.

Since I'm more of a once-a-week type blogger,

that's pretty huge for me.

If you missed the first post, click here because

I need a little help from you all.

That didn't last long

2011-08-28T05:52:00.000-07:00

Did you like the new blog title, Red No. 3?

I was becoming quite fond of it.

However, it didn't stick.

(I don't know if that is a Texas expression or not; if it is,

it means it didn't work out.)
Like a cherry popsicle in this ridiculous Texas heat,
it didn't last long.

Before I grew attached to it, I decided to see if there was

already a blog out there with that title.

There is...since 2003.

It's a blog about being fat or something.

Although I certainly could belong to that club,

I don't want this cute little blog confused with it.

So, out with that title I guess.

My blog is titleless now.

I may have to go back to 3 Ring Cottage.

I would like a fresh new name.

Any suggestions?

Can anyone help me out?

Anyone?
I would like to have "3" in the title somewhere.
I would like to have "red" in the title but it's not necessary
because it could be written in red.
I want something I love because I don't want to change
my blog title every year.

So, how about Vintage Red?

Nope, that's taken too.

Red Vintage?

Taken.

No. 3 Red?

Not taken...but it sounds goofy.

The Red 3?
Not taken but not sure about that one.

Vintage 3?
Not taken but I don't know. It could be written in red.

Maybe we should just go with "Untitled"

Seriously, it's already taken...by several.

evolving, changes and news

2011-08-21T13:22:00.000-07:00

evolving...

When I started this blog, I thought I knew my style.

I preferred cottage style

with some fresh country farmhouse

and a bit of shabby chic added in to the mix.

Throw in some antiques and some junk and I was happy.

It's been a year and a half since I started blogging

and I've noticed lately that my style is changing.

I still like cottage and farmhouse with a bit of shabby

but I've been drawn to other things in the last few months.

Take a look. Do you see what I mean?

Did you see it? Yep, vintage industrial.

I find myself drawn to metal, wheels, rusted, heavy

old industrial stuff. I have a lot of it from my family

but I kept it mostly in the garage and didn't use it.

Now, I find myself bringing that stuff in and

looking for more when I'm shopping.

Now, don't get me wrong. I still like antiques

and cottage and farmhouse and shabby and french and

whatever else has a story. There will always be some

of that in my home but it will be mixed in

with all of my wonderful vintage industrial finds.

Thank goodness it all works together.

changes...

So, my style and my blog are evolving.

As most of my long time followers know,

my family has a lucky number, "3".

You've also figured out that I love the color red.

Not just any red (no pinky red, orangey red, purple red)

but good ol' country red, USA red, farmhouse red, a true red.

Love it.

It only makes sense to me to change my blog header and title

to better fit me and the style of my blog.

So, I think I'm going with "Red No. 3".

Let's see how I like that for awhile.

I'm not changing my address, it will still be under "3 ring cottage"

but my blog title, header and whatever else will change.

I hope you all will know that it's still me when you see it.

news...

Up until now my blog has been mostly about decorating and my finds.

I have thrown a little bit of "real life" in there along with the rare recipe.

I think I may begin throwing some more "real life" into my blog.

With my son starting high school, I may need the support, who knows.

I know I enjoy glimpses into the lives of the blogs I follow.

It makes me feel like I'm getting to know you better.

So, it's only fair that I let you get to know me a bit better.

Did you realize you've never seen a picture of me or my family?

I had my guard up when I started this blog since I didn't know what to

expect from blogging and I wanted privacy maintained at all costs.

I think I'll let my guard down just a little bit...baby steps.

So, please have patience with me and my blog as we grow and change.

What do you think?

Do you like where this is going?

Amy at Whisperwood Cottage has an ongoing blog series

about authentic style. It kind of prompted me to go ahead

and make all of these changes that I had been thinking about for awhile.

So, here we go!

lightning speed

2011-08-20T10:30:00.000-07:00

Indulge me for a moment please while I depart from my usual

junking, decorating, cottage, farmhouse kind of posts.
Thanks.

My only child begins high school this week. High School! 9th Grade!

That means only 4 more years before college.

Any clue how to slow down this train down?

It's all going by way too fast.

100 seat lecture hall...at his high school!

auditorium

cafeteria; although it's more like a food court at a mall

Four previous photos from VLK Architects

Last evening, he was invited with a group of friends to

go to a restaurant and have dinner to celebrate the start of high school...

alone...with out us...with boys and girls...

with out any parents....with out any adults...with out supervision.

It was another first for us.

I'm not ready for this.

I may get to blog more often I guess since he

seems to be needing me less and less.

I like that he's becoming independent and

turning into a great young man.

I just miss the little boy.

just right

2011-08-14T08:56:00.000-07:00

I've been on a hunt lately for just the right container to hold jars

for kitchen organization and storage.

photobucket

I've seen wonderful ideas in blogland for using jars and

jar carriers for a variety of uses and I wanted one.

The Virginia House

I've found some on Etsy and other places but none so far

have been just right for me.

etsy

They have all been either too expensive, too simple,

lacking character, too small or just not me.

Then, I found this:

This old wooden and metal tote was it!

Four jars fit in it perfectly.

Love all the rustic detail. There are little holders I guess for

screwdrivers or whatever that would hold pens if I decide

to use it for something else.

I put my jars in and sat it on my little "tableisland".

I added the forks, knives and spoons.

On the other side, there is room for paper plates and plasticware.

It holds it all perfectly, makes everything convenient and easy to get to

and frees up a whole drawer in the kitchen to use for something else.

My little kitchen tableisland is a one stop shop for whatever we need.

I love this little unique tool tote. I could use it for so many things.

I'm still on the lookout for just the right milk bottle carrier.

I still want one but for now, this tote is just right.

I've been noticing a change in my style over the last few months.

Have you noticed it too?

I think it's evolving into something unexpected for me.

I'm working on a post to explain it all.

It may mean some little changes are in store for this little blog.

Stay tuned.