10
Jun

Beach Family Vacation 2012 ~ Seaside, Florida

We just got back from a weeks vacation down in the Seaside area of Florida.  If you don't know where that is, it is kind of near Destin, FL in the panhandle.  My in-laws have a beach front condo there that they use from time to time and invited us to join them for a week.  This was the kids very first time at the beach and they LOVED it! The picture above is the view from the balcony of the condo.My in-laws drove down from Chicago to arrive several days before us.  Since our family flew down,  we didn't have to check any luggage (they brought it all in the car for … continue reading

7
Jun

Woodland Cottage Pincushion ~ Free Pattern and Tutorial

Today, I've got a really fun, whimsical pincushion that I hope you all love as much as I do. I was inspired to create the Woodland Cottage pincushion by our home.  We live in a 1930's cottage style home and it has been a great source of inspiration for me in a lot of my design and sewing projects. Here is our home...... So today we will be making an adorable Woodland Cottage pincushion from Riley Blake Designs 'Woodland Trails' fabric line.  Even if you don't want to use it as a pincushion, you could hang it somewhere in your home or even on your Christmas … continue reading

5
Jun

Embellished Ruffle Hoodie Tutorial

I'm excited to be sharing my Embellished Ruffle Hoodie Tutorial with you today! My style of designing is a little different.  I usually let the fabrics I work with inspire my children's clothing designs and blog projects, so I'm never quite sure what I'm going to come up with.  When I got this package in the mail from Riley Blake Designs, my mind started swirling with about 10 different ideas.  This line is 'Woodland Trails' and it is about one of the cutest lines around.  It's sweet, whimsical, youthful and feminine (well, the colors I selected). After … continue reading

1
Jun

June Giveaway Day

Can you believe it's June already?This year is going by way too fast, but guess what that means?It's time for our June Giveaway Day!The June Giveaway Dayon The Cottage Home Blog Here's how this works.........you can enter to win each one of these prizes from our lovely blog sponsors.  Leave a separate comment for each prize you would like to win.  For example, if you want to win the Birdsong Bows prize, leave a comment saying something like "I'd sure love to win the Birdsong Bows prize - they are a great shop!"  And leave a separate comment for EACH entry. Got it? … continue reading

30
May

Sample Spree and Lots of Fun Goodies

I know I said that you couldn't really purchase individual yards of fabric, trim, ect. at International Quilt Market, but there is one event that is held before market opens where you can and it's called Sample Spree.  Again, this event isn't open to the public, but it's about the only chance that one has to purchase lines of fabric that have yet to be released and may not be released for up to five more months.  It happens around 8:00PM the night before market and goes until 10:00PM.  Not every fabric manufacturer participates, but a lot of them do.  There is a … continue reading

28
May

The Cottage Garden ~ May 2012

Happy Memorial Day!  I hope you all have had a wonderful time this weekend celebrating all the men and women who have done so much for us and our country in the line of duty.  And to any of you reading this who have served our county, I thank you from the bottom of my heart for all you do or have done.  You are truly selfless human beings and are courageous beyond belief.We have been lucky enough to have my dad visiting with us in from Italy this weekend.  I think I've mentioned that he lives over in Tuscany, but in case I haven't, he lives about half way in … continue reading

24
May

International Quilt Market ~ Spring 2012

A week ago today, we packed up the family and drove from Chicago down to Kansas City for Spring International Quilt Market.  Typically I wouldn't bring the whole family to a work related trade show, but I'm still nursing my little guy so there really was no other option.  Luckily, I have a super-amazing husband who was willing to entertain the kids during the day while I was busy at market.  And my mom (Grandma Jane) and her husband, Pepo, agreed to fly in from Texas as well.  That meant mom and I could focus on market while the guys and the kids did fun things … continue reading

21
May

Dress Up Days Fat Quarter Bundle Giveaway Winner!

I just returned from International Quilt Market late last night and am playing catch up today.  I can't wait to share some of this fabric 'eye candy' with you all, but I'm still in the process of downloading all my photographs and catching up on business related things.  All I can say is that is was an amazingly inspirational trip for me with some wonderful new connections in the fabric and quilting industry.During my stay in Kansas City I had dinner with a big crew from Riley Blake Designs including the owner, Cindy, as well as a majority of their fabric … continue reading

16
May

The Lolly Dolly Pillow Tutorial and Riley Blake Designs Fat Quarter Bundle Giveaway

 As I've mentioned before, I am part of the Riley Blake Designs Project Design Team and today I am guest blogging over there sharing a free tutorial for 'The Lolly Dolly Pillow' that I created from their new 'Dress Up Days' line.Click HERE to visit Riley Blake Designs official blog and view the full tutorial. I am absolutely in love with this fabric line and I am so happy to be giving away an ENTIRE Fat Quarter Bundle of 'Dress Up Days' by Riley Blake Designs.  The full bundle includes 24 different cuts of fabric from the 'Dress Up Days' line and can be used for … continue reading

11
May

On The Cutting Table……..

'On the Cutting Table' is a series a started a little while back where I just fill you in on some of the behind the scenes happenings of The Cottage Mama.  Sometimes I disappear from the blog for a little bit, but I'm usually busily working away on different projects for other areas of the business. So I thought I would share what's been going on around here this past week.......First off, we are getting ready for International Quilt Market that is coming up this next week.  If you are not familiar with this event, it is a trade show (not open to the … continue reading