7
Jan

Survey Prize Winners

Wow, over 1200 of you filled out The Cottage Mama 2013 survey!

I am blown away that so many of you would take the time to share your thoughts and opinions with me. Thank you. Some of you left comments and shared things that brought tears to my eyes. You all really and truly mean so much to me and this has been a great exercise in helping get to know you even better. As much as you might think I do and share here on the blog, just know that what I receive from you is so great that it is beyond words.

I have just started to analyze the survey results. I have quite a lot of data to go through, organize and process. So you are just going to have to wait and see what changes (if any) will occur here on The Cottage Home (wink, wink).

Onto the fun stuff. How about some prize winners? As much as I wish I could give all of you one of these prizes, I only have three. And the winners are………..

Sewing Bundle:

Cooking Bundle:

Crafting Bundle:

Congratulations to all three winners! Your boxes are already packed, so I just need you to send me a mailing address at thecottagemama[at]gmail[dot]com and I will get these in the mail to you ASAP.

Thank you to everyone who entered the giveaway and to all of you that filled out the survey. If you didn’t win one of these prizes, not to worry………we have another fabric giveaway coming up this Wednesday from our lovely blog sponsor, Southern Fabric.

Happy Monday!
3
Jan

Studio Sale on Friday

It’s time to make some room in The Cottage Mama Studio. We’ve got new things coming in, so we need to move some inventory out. This Friday (tomorrow) at 10:00AM (CST), we will be having a studio sale over at www.thecottagemama.com. Usually I announce these things over on The Cottage Mama Facebook page, but since this is such a big one, I thought I would share it here on the blog as well.

What is a studio sale? Well, it’s where we bundle up a bunch of different items (mostly fabrics, trims and crafting supplies) that we no longer need, or simply can no longer store, and sell them. There are all sorts of bundles that have been put together. This time we are offering some crafting bundles as well with different papers, stickers, tags, labels and more. Some are surprise packages, some are scrap packages and some are pre-bundled boxes. Here are some of the bundles and fun things you will find during the studio sale tomorrow.

So that is a sampling of some of the items you will find at the Studio Sale tomorrow. And you if you love surprises, you are going to love the………..

There will be a bunch of scrap bundles available that include mostly 1/3 to 1/2 yard cuts of some of the fabrics shown above. Most are not actually scraps but rather the ends of bolts. A few bundles do have some scrap pieces and each package has 6 – 10 different designer cotton prints.

So that’s what will be happening over at The Cottage Mama tomorrow (Friday, January 4, 2013) at 10:00AM (CST). If this is something you are interested in, then we hope to see you tomorrow! And if you would like to be notified of future studio sales, please join us over on The Cottage Mama Facebook Page.
Visit www.thecottagemama.com and check out the Studio Sale tab on Friday.
2
Jan

The Cottage Mama 2013 Survey and a Big Giveaway from Me to You!

Well, it’s here……2013! This is going to be a great year. I can feel it, can you? I love the beginning of a new year. It causes me to reflect, set new goals and refocus for the 12 months ahead.

With that being said, I need your help. I have never done this before, but I have a survey that I would really like all of you to fill out for me. I want to know more about you. I want to know your interests, likes and dislikes, why you visit The Cottage Home, how we can make the website more user friendly, how long you have been sewing, cooking, crafting, ect.

So would you please take 10 – 15 minutes out of your day and fill out this survey for me?
It is not a short survey, I will tell you that upfront (but it’s not super-long either). So because of this, I would like to offer you guys a personal giveaway from me to you. This is not a sponsored giveaway. I have put together each of these prize bundles all on my own. I decided to do three different bundles which include sewing, cooking and crafting (since that’s what The Cottage Home is all about). The only thing I need you do do is take the survey and then come back and leave a comment letting me know that you did so and then you will be entered to win.

Want to see the three prizes I came up with for you? I hope you like them…….

The Sewing Bundle includes three really fun sewing books (yes, you win all three). All of them have upcycling projects with either Pillowcases, Tea Towels or Scarves. If you don’t have these, you’re going to love them.

The Sewing Bundle also includes my most favorite fabric organizers. I exclusively store all of my fabric on these organizers (you can read more about them here). There are a dozen in the bundle and they are in the shorty size (10″ x 7″) and are perfect for storing 1 to 2 yards of fabric as well as different trims or smaller cuts of fabric such as fat quarters.

The Sewing Bundle also includes two half yard cuts of Melody Miller’s ‘Ruby Star Rising’ for Kokka Fabrics. This fabric is a heavier weight that is perfect for all sorts of projects. It is made of 85% cotton and 15% linen.

The Sewing Bundle includes a fat quarter bundle from Dear Stella of ‘Bukhara‘. This is a bright and cheery bundle in gorgeous pinks, orange, yellow and a hint of green.

And finally, the Sewing Bundle includes 1 yard cuts of four of my current favorite trims in my stash. You will receive 1 yard of each of the woven trims pictured above.

Prize #1: Sewing Bundle




So maybe you don’t sew or craft, I wanted to make sure there was a prize for you too! The Cooking Bundle includes the cookbook ‘Double Delicious‘ by Jessica Seinfeld. This is a wonderful book for those of you with picky eaters in the house. This book has all sorts of healthy recipes for incorporating more fruits, vegetables and healthy grains into dishes without your picky eater ever knowing the difference.
The Cooking Bundle also includes four green and blue trimmed cloth napkins and two dish towels.
Prize #2: Cooking Bundle

The Crafting Bundle includes a variety set of Mod Podge. It includes all the different types of Mod Podge that are perfect for creating all sorts of crafting projects. I adore Mod Podge and this variety pack let’s you try out all the different types.

The Crafting Bundle also includes the book ‘Mod Podge Rocks‘ by Amy Anderson. If you don’t have this book, you need this one in your collection. It is filled with all kinds of projects from home decor to gifts and so much more.

Also, the Crafting Bundle comes with some Martha Stewart Craft products including stencils, Crackle Effect paint and a set of paint brushes. I am including some Kolo photo corners and some squares of my favorite scrapbook paper including some Amy Butler paper. In the following picture, you will also see that I am including some large scrapbook paper as well. This paper will be perfect for all your new Mod Podge projects!


Prize #3: Crafting Bundle

So there you have it……..three prize bundles for you to win! So, will you please, pretty please, head over to this link (click HERE) and fill out The Cottage Mama 2013 Survey for me? I would be so grateful if you would. And once you’re finished, just leave me a comment here saying you completed the survey and you will be entered to win these fun prizes. Thank you so much!

Giveaway and Survey will be open until Sunday, January 6, 2013 at midnight (CST).

Here’s to a fabulous 2013!

31
Dec

Best of 2012 ~ DIY Project Tutorials

I had a feeling 2012 would be a great year, but never in my wildest dreams did I ever imagine all the opportunities that would come this year. I do not take any of it for granted and wake up every day feeling blessed and so thankful for all of this.

Now, more than ever, I believe that we have a great power in our destiny. I know my husband was rolling his eyes last year when, on the first day of 2012, I kept saying (out loud) that 2012 was going to be a great year! I believe if you put positive energy out in the world and work really hard, good things will come to you. So for the record, I think 2013 is going to be the best year yet! This might all sound a little cheesy to you and maybe it is, but give it a try and I think you’ll be surprised.

I wanted to gather some of my favorite project tutorials from this last year to share with you all. It’s always fun for me to go back through the year and look back at all that has happened here at The Cottage Home. And just in case you missed one of these projects, I’ve linked to each one below the picture.

Favorite Project Tutorials from 2012

 
 
 
Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for visiting my little corner of the internet world at The Cottage Home. It has been a pleasure getting to know all of you and I am looking forward to a great 2013!

Happy New Year!

21
Dec

Gingerbread Houses ~ Decorating Fun!

We had so much fun with my mom and Pepo visiting this past weekend. One of the holiday projects we did during their visit was decorating gingerbread houses. The girls had a ball with this holiday activity and I thought I would share some photos of their experience.

First we had to gather up all the candy…….lots and lots of candy.

These red ruby dishes are very special to me. My Grandma Ethel collected a large set of this dishes in all shapes and sizes for me. They are so beautiful and I always pull them out around the holidays. I really should use them more often because they really make me smile when we use them. The little dishes were prefect for all the different types of candy.

I did not make the actual gingerbread for the houses. Maybe someday, but for now, I felt lucky enough to find the time to gather up all the supplies and complete this project. I bought a kit for our houses that had this handy tray to help the house stand up. The houses are held together with a delicious white icing. I mean, what’s the fun of a gingerbread house if you can’t eat it, right? I know you can purchase these kits at many different big box stores.

Of course, you and I both know that the most fun part of decorating a gingerbread house is sampling all the candy. Miss Matilda certainly was in charge of quality control, but she did manage to get some candy onto her house.

Savannah was very focused on her house decorating and she had some help from Pepo and Grandma Jane.

Here is Matilda’s completed gingerbread house.
To be honest, I wasn’t sure how this little miss was going to do decorating her house. She has been giving us a run for our money lately, but to my pleasant surprise she was really into the task at hand.
Here is another ‘quality control’ photo. There were lots of those.

Savannah had to put her final finishing touches on her gingerbread house to make it look just right. And it did. Both of their houses were absolutely beautiful! We really had so much fun with this activity that I definitely think we will do this again next year!

So, do you decorate gingerbread houses with your children or grandchildren?
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!
20
Dec

Homemade Popcorn Balls ~ Recipe

There is something very nostalgic to me about homemade popcorn balls. This year I decided to whip up a big batch of these sweet treats to share with our friends. These do not take long at all to put together and you can do a large batch of them in no time. Wrap each one up in a clear cello bag with some bakers twine and you’ve got a sweet little gift that anyone would be happy to receive.

Homemade Popcorn Ball Recipe
Makes 8 – 10

Ingredients:
8 cups popped popcorn
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/2 cup water
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup white sugar
3/4 cup butter
Directions:
Place the popped popcorn into a large mixing bowl. In a medium sized saucepan, combine the corn syrup, water, salt, brown sugar and white sugar. Place over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat slightly and cook until the mixture becomes a thick syrup (about 15 minutes). If you have a candy thermometer, wait until the mixture has reached 260 degrees. But if not, just eye-ball it…..you’ll be fine.
Remove mixture from heat and stir in butter. Once the butter has melted completely, pour the mixture over the popcorn and stir to combine. Allow the covered popcorn to cool slightly, you want to be able to handle it without burning yourself, but you don’t want it to set up…..so don’t wait too long. Shape the popcorn into fist size balls and place on wax or parchment paper. Allow to cool completely.

Wrap up each individual popcorn ball with some fun and festive wrapping. I used clear cello bags, green bakers twine and a ‘Merry Christmas’ washi tape……..but there are all kinds of fun ways you could wrap these up!
Or you could just put them on a platter and serve them as is……….
Little ones love popcorn balls, so make sure you grab one for yourself, otherwise they will be gone before you know it!

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!
18
Dec

Cottage Christmas Outfits 2012

I was very lucky this year that my mom asked if she could make the kids Christmas outfits again. Of course I said yes, and I wanted to share some pictures of the darling dresses she created for the girls and the adorable bow-tie she created for Caspian Finn.

This past weekend we had our early Christmas celebration with my mom and Pepo. We went out to our favorite seafood brunch restaurant and were able to get some pictures of the kids wearing their sweet Christmas outfits.

These dresses were made from the Charlotte Apron Dress Pattern (Size 6 Month through 10 Years) by The Cottage Mama. My mom added a darling little elf onto each of the girls aprons. It was such a fun, whimsical touch.

Caspian Finn had his own matching bow-tie which I thought looked so adorable on him. He didn’t even seem to notice that he had it on. I just love boys in bow ties!

This special restaurant has a lake inside with lots of fish. The girls like to get some fish food and feed the fish. It’s a highlight of this special brunch.

The dresses look like they match from the back, but they are different on the front with different colored fabrics on the apron and the bodice front.

I might be kind of in love with these shoes from Livie and Luca. They are just too fun for the holidays and the girls love wearing them!

Our favorite brunch restaurant happens to be an old seafood place in town and they have this giant shrimp (or lobster……I’m not sure what it is) out in front.

So those are just a few pictures from this weekend of the kids wearing their holiday outfits. They will be wearing them again this week for their school holiday party and to Christmas Eve Mass.

Are your Christmas outfits all ready to go?
I can’t believe Christmas is only a week away!
Cottage Mama’s Note: Most of the fabric is from Anna Griffin’s ‘Isabelle’ collection.
14
Dec

Christmas Decorating at The Cottage Home

Today is the start of our Christmas celebrations here at The Cottage Home. My mom and her husband Allen (aka Pepo) are flying in from Texas to celebrate an early Christmas with us. Ever since Savannah was born they have come to our house early which has been really nice. That way we are able to celebrate the holidays with my in-laws and this year, my dad and brother on Christmas.

So I have been busy around here getting the house ready for their arrival. I’ve made a huge batch of homemade Chex Mix (we’ve already gone through one batch so this is round two), muddy buddies, white chocolate rice crispy bars and popcorn balls (recipe, coming soon!). We plan to make sugar cookies and gingerbread houses with my mom this weekend. Christmas is definitely in the air!

I thought I would take this opportunity and show you some pictures of our house now that it is decorated for Christmas.

So here is our Christmas tree. We cut down our tree each year at a tree farm about 45 minutes away from our home. It’s a fun, family tradition that I hope our children will remember forever. We have never cut down this variety before, but the owner of the farm said it was a white fir.

This year we put the bottom of the tree and tree stand into a 17 gallon galvanized wash bucket. I saw this idea last year in Country Living Magazine and I thought it was too perfect for our cottage style home. Plus, it keeps our cat, Lily, from drinking the water and it keeps Caspian’s curious hands away from the tree stand. I ordered this wash bucket from Amazon.com.

We don’t have any fancy themed tree, but all of the ornaments on the tree were either given to our children or were Brett and I’s childhood ornaments. I love pulling those ornaments out each year. My favorite is the ornament I got when I first saw a professional performance of the nutcracker with my mom when we were living in San Francisco. I was six years old and I still remember walking up to the counter in the lobby of the theatre and picking out that very special ornament. Every year it gets a prominent place on our tree. So our tree decorations aren’t fancy, but they are special and to me, that’s what Christmas is all about.

Here is our fireplace mantal. The ‘Oh Joy’ banner was sent to me from the folks at minted.com and I just loved it. Christmas is such a joyous time and I thought it was perfect to hang in front of our big mirror. The garland was just a very inexpensive one (like the most inexpensive) from a local craft store (Michael’s, I think) that I embellished with gold and red balls from the dollar store. The large pinecones were collected by my children in our yard. Each year we add more to the garland, so it’s starting to look pretty nice.

The garland on the stairs is the same as the one along the mantal. Again, each year I have added embellishments to it using green florist wire. I found this burlap ribbon at Hobby Lobby and I really liked the natural texture, so I wound it up the stairs and put little bits of it in the mantal garland.

Here is our little nativity on top of our piano. Santa was not really part of the nativity, I know…….but he looked nice standing there and I figured he’s holding the north star.

Here is our dining room table. It’s not fully set yet, but you will just have to imagine the plates, stemware and pretty napkins. The red and gold balls were purchased at the dollar store. They came in all different sizes and were anywhere from 8 – 15 ornaments in a tube. They are attached to the greenery with green florist wire and again, the pinecones are from our yard. That is the Holiday Tablecloth that I made most recently (tutorial found here). I just love it……it really goes well with our deep green and white dining room.

We started the Elf on the Shelf tradition this year, so here is our elf, Rosie. The girls thought he/she looked like a girl so that’s why they named her Rosie. It has been so much fun seeing them look for her each morning and I love seeing the magic in their eyes when they find her. Here is Rosie laying down on top of our large family canvas in the dining room.

I added some candy to our table just for fun. The girls can’t believe I have candy just sitting out on the table. They like to just sit and stare at it, in total amazement. It’s surprising that they haven’t just tried to eat it.

So that’s a little tour of some of our decorations. I get so caught up in the excitement of the season that I forget to take pictures of our home. I hope you like a little look inside. I can’t wait for my mom and Pepo to get here.
We are going to have so much fun!
13
Dec

Come Sew with The Cottage Mama at The Martha Pullen School of Art Fashion

I cannot even begin to tell you how much sewing has been going on over here at The Cottage Mama. You wouldn’t even believe it if I told you…..it has been a lot! You know how much I love to share with you all, but most of it has to be kept as a big surprise until my book comes out next October. But that’s the way these things go and it is truly a blessed opportunity. However, I finally have some pieces that I can share with you and I wanted to let you know about a really fun event coming up this February.

Have you heard of the Martha Pullen School of Art Fashion? Yes, no, maybe? The Martha Pullen School of Art Fashion is a semi-annual, week long event held in Huntsville, AL that focus primarily on sewing for children. The majority of classes focus on heirloom style techniques, but they have started to incorporate some more modern sewing, adult fashion, pattern drafting and quilting.

Well, guess what? The folks over at the Martha Pullen Company have invited me to teach this February 2013! To say this was an honor is a total understatement. In my opinion, the ladies who teach at this event are the rockstars and legends of the heirloom and classic children’s sewing world. Not to mention that Martha Pullen is a legend in her own right. But they invited me. Can you believe it? I am pinching myself to have been given this amazing opportunity, but I am so excited to be part of this community.

I wanted to personally extend an invitation to all of you to come sew with me at the Martha Pullen School of Art Fashion. I will be teaching three pre-day classes as well as a full, four day school in a Pfaff classroom. The pre-day classes will take place on February 3 – 6 and the four day school will be on February 7-10.

The pre-day classes are each six hours long for one day and we will be sewing one garment from start to finish. My school is a bit different and it is four full days in the classroom with me. We will be sewing six pieces and you will find out every bit of information that is in my brain with regards to sewing……from mixing and matching fabrics, using trims, embellishing, machine embroidery, finishing techniques and more! The event includes meals, special events, not to mention that this will be Martha Pullen’s 70th birthday celebration!

When you sign up for one of the pre-day classes or the school, the price includes all the fabrics, trims and patterns. I have chosen to sew all of my classes with the Tilda fabrics from the UK. These fabrics are exclusively sold by the Martha Pullen Company here in the US and I thought this might be a fun opportunity for the students to use these fabrics that they may have not worked with before.

So what exactly will we be sewing? Here are the garments that will be completed during each class and we will be using these exact fabrics and trims. Plus I may have a few extras up my sleeve for my students.

Monday Pre-day Class
We will be sewing Shortcake Dress pattern by The Cottage Mama with the double ruffle front. I think this dress is going to be perfect for Valentine’s Day. Plus your little one will be able to wear it next year as a top. Class is for sizes 6 month through 6 years. More information on this pre-day class found here.

Tuesday Pre-day Class
This is one of my favorites! The Ruby Ruffle Dress by The Cottage Mama looks beautiful in the Tilda fabrics. Again this dress will grow with your little one as it looks adorable paired with pants next year as a top. Class will be taught for sizes 6 month through 10 years. More information on this pre-day class found here.
Wednesday Pre-day Class
We will be sewing the Janey Jumper from start to finish using the beautiful floral Tilda fabrics. Class includes all fabrics and buttons and will be taught in size 6 month through 10 years. More information on this pre-day class found here.
Pfaff School with Lindsay Wilkes

The Pfaff School is the four day school I will be teaching. All students will be provided a Pfaff Creative Sensation sewing and embroidery machine to use for the four days. This will be an amazing opportunity for us to spend four days sewing together. Anything you ever want to learn or know from The Cottage Mama, Lindsay Wilkes, will be learned during these four days together. Again, all fabrics, trims and buttons come as complete kits for all the garments shown.
Here are the pieces that will be completed during the school……..

We will be sewing the Charlotte Apron Dress by The Cottage Mama; however, I will be showing you how to make the apron as a separate piece that is also reversible and ties in a big bow in the back of the dress. The apron can be worn with the dress or also used by a little one for pretend play. We will applique the apron and there will be different design options available including the one shown, machine embroidery and several original applique designs by The Cottage Mama.

We will be using the Summer Separates pattern from the Sew Beautiful Collection to construct these darling bloomer capris / pantaloons. These can be worn underneath the apron dress or paired with the ruffle front shirt that we will be making.

We will be focusing on applique and embellishing techniques. Other options will include using machine embroidery and exclusive applique designs by The Cottage Mama.

Finally we will be sewing this darling, bow front twirl skirt that will coordinate with one of the embellished t-shirts. This skirt is fully lined and features french seam techniques. Again, I just adore these Tilda fabrics!
So what do you think? Who wants to come sew with The Cottage Mama at the School of Art Fashion in February 2013? There are a limited number of seats in each class, so if you are interested, I would head over to the website for more information and details. I would absolutely love to spend some time with you all. This also might be a good gift to add to your holiday wish list or how about a getaway with some girlfriends? I hope to see you there!
If you have any questions about the Martha Pullen School of Art Fashion feel free to leave a comment or email me at thecottagemama[at]gmail[dot]com.
All Tilda Fabrics can be found at the Martha Pullen Store, just click here.
12
Dec

Winner Ryobi One+ Tool Set from The Home Depot

Here is the winner of the Ryobi One+ Lithium-Ion Tool Set……

Thank you so much to everyone who entered and a big congratulations to Sherrie! If you could please email me at thecottagemama[at]gmail[dot]com with your contact information, we will work to get you your prize as soon as possible!