Happy New Year!

Here's hoping that 2009 will be your best year ever!

Debbie @ Cozy Cottage

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Wishing you a Merry Christmas and the best of New Years!

Debbie

Show and Tell Monday.....Cozy Cottage Chairs....a Christmas present to me! :)

"All I want for Christmas is......" these adorable chairs, perfect for my Cozy Cottage! I was shopping a local thrift store a few days ago and there they were....just calling my name. I tried to be strong thinking I should be buying gifts for others right now....and even left the store without them, but the next morning I was back again, and claimed the pair as mine! Best of all, when I got them to the cottage I discovered that I have fabric just like the foral on the cushions so I can make skirts for both chairs.....I think they will be perfect then!

If you like my cottage chairs you should hop on over to my Patchouli Rose blog and see the fainting sofa I bought at the same time!

Wishing you a wonderful holiday season, good times with your friends and family, and a special present just for YOU!

Show and Tell Monday......Patchouli Rose update and a recipe

I've been hard at work the past week getting my studio ready for upcoming Patchouli Rose creations. I went through the fabrics I've been buying up for the past month....thrift store and estate sale finds that will be repurposed into gorgeous Patchouli Rose designs! Here are a few pictures to whet your appetite....

Now I'm organized and ready to get started.....once the holidays are over (which I intend to enjoy to the fullest!) my sewing machine will come out and I'll be ready to make a little magic with those stacks of gorgeous fabrics!




RECIPE OF THE WEEK.........

This week's recipe is another quick and easy one. With the holiday season in mind, here is a recipe for delicious fudge that you can make in about 5 minutes!

FABULOUS FUDGE

16 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 can sweetened condensed milk

Stir together in microwave safe bowl and cook for 90 seconds. Remove from microwave and stir well. Replace in microwave and cook for 90 seconds longer. Remove from microwave and stir until all chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth and creamy. add 1-1/2 tsp. vanilla flavoring and chopped walnuts, if desired. Pour into buttered pan and let cool before slicing.

SEASON'S GREETINGS FROM MY COZY COTTAGE WORLD

Pink Friday - Our Gift to YOU!

Please visit Cozy Cottage and the other participating boutiques at Make Mine Pink as we present some of our favorite gift wrapping and holiday decorating ideas ~ our Christmas gift to you! We believe that the giver may get as much pleasure from giving a beautifully wrapped gift as the recipient gets from opening it.

Wishing you the happiest of holiday seasons!

Cozy Cottage Gifts and Decor
and
Patchouli Rose Home Decor & Fashion

Show and Tell Monday

Hello everyone!


I saved the announcement of something big for Show and Tell this week.....the opening of my newest website Patchouli Rose, where I will offer bohemian style home decor,and fashion items. After the first of the year I will be adding my own designs, handmade from repurposed fabrics and embellishments, and they are going to be full of bohemian elegance.

Meantime, it's business as usual at Cozy Cottage Gifts and Decor where I've been packing and mailing orders like crazy the past couple of weeks. Thank you so much to all of my good customers! The brick and mortar shop has been busy too. We had Christmas Open House a week ago and that really put me in the Christmas spirit!

Now for the RECIPE OF THE WEEK.......

KANADLES

This recipe for German dumplings is handed down by my husband's family. They are "old Germans" and have lots of good recipes but this is one I just had to try. It is what I call a "leftover recipe" and is a good use for leftover holiday ham and dry bread.

1. Preparation.

Boil leftover ham until it falls off the bone. You will need a large pan of broth so keep adding water while the ham is boiling. Let broth cool. Remove bone and discard. Crumble the ham into tiny pieces.

2. Make the kanadles.

Crumble day-old bread or left-over rolls into a mixing bowl. Add chopped onion to taste. Salt and pepper to taste. Add the crumbled ham. (If there seems to be too much ham for the amount of bread you have, just put the extra ham back into the broth after you make the kanadles. Pour ham broth a little at a time into bread mixture until it forms a sticky ball. Bring the remainder of the broth (and extra ham, if you had any) to a full boil.

3. Cook the kanadles.

Make small balls from the kanadle mixture, about 2 inches in diameter. Bigger balls won't cook completely and the centers will be dry. Place the kanadles in the boiling broth and cook for about 10 minutes or until centers are moist.

4. Serve kanadles.

Place kanadles and a dipper full of ham broth in a bowl and enjoy!

Happy Holidays!

Pink Friday - Last minute gift ideas!

This week's Pink Friday features Last Minute Gifts.....do you need some? Cozy Cottage Gifts and Decor and other boutique owners at Make Mine Pink understand, because we are not only boutique owners, we are wives, mothers, daughters, and friends. We know what it means to find the perfect gift for that special person. We too shop at the last minute, at odd hours, or in our jammies.....and I can say from personal experience that the quality and customer service you will get from the boutique owners at Make Mine Pink is top of the line! Go fix your favorite warm drink, pull up a chair and join us this Friday for some serious last-minute shopping on Pink Friday at Make Mine Pink.

Look what I got!

I love it, love it, love it! My father-in-law found this shabby Victorian style mantel curbside today and of course, when I saw it I just had to have it! The smaller part sitting in front goes on top of the mantel and the mirror will have to be replaced but I can already see it installed in the living room at my cottage shop. I will paint it to match the walls and then load it up with all sorts of treasures for my customers. I'll post an "after" picture when I have it all ready. :)

Show and Tell Monday

A bit of information for you........

Pink Friday at Cozy Cottage held over this week! Yes, you can take advantage of the Pink Friday and Friday FleaMarket free shipping all week long.

Something new at Cozy Cottage! All orders over $100 (before shipping cost is added in) will receive a full refund of the shipping cost....that means FREE SHIPPING on all orders over $100!


Also, for every $50 you order (before shipping cost is added in) before December 18th, you will receive a gift of peppermint scented Candylights, retail value $11.00. So, if you order $100 of merchandise you will not only receive free shipping, but also two strands of Candylights.....now what could be better than that???

Recipe of the Week

This week's recipe comes from my mom. It was a new recipe to her but she made it for Thanksgiving and we all loved it!

BEER BREAD

Ingredients:
3 cups self-rising flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 can of flat beer (open a beer and let it sit out for a couple of hours)

Mix all ingredients and pour into a loaf pan that has been sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Drizzle melted butter over the top and bake at 375* for 50-60 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Let cool until bread is just warm before cutting with a serrated knife.

Note: This bread makes wonderful toast!

Pink Friday - Christmas Shopping at Make Mine Pink

Shopping's a breeze at Cozy Cottage Gifts and Decor......

How does a day at the mall sound......first fighting the crowds in the parking lot and then in the stores? Hmmm.......it's not my idea of fun either! Instead, how about fixing a cup of your favorite hot tea, a yummy turkey sandwich and sitting down in your chair in your home and doing your shopping online.......without all the stress! Best of all, everything will be delivered right to your door and can even be gift-wrapped if you choose. Now that's my kind of shopping!

Here at Cozy Cottage Gifts and Decor we offer all that and more! Items in our Pink Friday and Friday FleaMarket categories and our Little Books in the Paperie category can all be purchased with FREE SHIPPING!!!

Wouldn't this Elegant Ebony & Crimson Journal make a lovely gift for someone on your Christmas list? It can also be found in the Paperie category at Cozy Cottage.

Items purchased this Friday, Nov.28th, will be packed and shipped on Tuesday, Dec. 2nd, via USPS Priority Mail assuring that they are received by you long before Christmas.

Happy Shopping!

Show and Tell Monday

Hi everyone......this week's Show and Tell isn't pink! I started working on an altered clipboard and it ended up being retro diner style.....I think it's kinda cute. Do you ever do that? Just start creating without a plan and see what evolves? Sometimes I do my best work that way. Anyway here are a couple of photos I took of "Mom's Kitchen", my altered art clipboard.....it is listed on my website in the New Items and Shabby Cottage categories.

The absolute BEST holiday catalog for 2008!

It just arrived and it's just as good (maybe even better) than the Christmas catalogs the postman delivered when you were a child. Just CLICK HERE to enter the absolute height of holiday shopping this year.....the Make Mine Pink Holiday Bazaar! You will find out-of-this world holiday decor and gifts galore. Be sure to visit Cozy Cottage while you're there and take a look at our Little Books....the perfect stocking stuffers for everyone on your holiday list!

Happy shopping!

It's Pink Friday at Make Mine Pink!

It's Pink Friday at Cozy Cottage and the other participating boutiques at Make Mine Pink, and I hope you will join us for a day of holiday shopping once again.

I also just listed several things in the "New Items" category on my website including these beautiful depression era sherbets.

BIG NEWS IS JUST AROUND THE CORNER........

Watch for an upcoming post, or better yet subscribe to my newsletter (the link is on the homepage of my website). I will be announcing a special Make Mine Pink Holiday Catalog and it is going to be just full of beautiful holiday decor and gift items!

RECIPE OF THE WEEK........

This recipe comes from one of my favorite cookbooks, "Recipes from the backs of boxes,bottles, cans and jars." It is the recipe that Quaker Oats printed on their packages in 1955....these cookies are my favorite oatmeal cookies. They are crunchy but still chewy!

Famous Oatmeal Cookies

3/4 cup of softened shortening
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup water
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup sifted all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3 cups uncooked Quaker oats

Beat together shortening, sugars, egg, water and vanilla until creamy. Sift together flour, salt, and soda; add to creamed mixture; blend. Stir in oats. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto greased cookie sheets. Bake in preheated 350* oven for 12-15 minutes. Makes 5 dozen cookies.

Note: I have also added walnuts and/or raisins to these cookies.



ABOUT THAT SNOWMAN......

Okay, I'm sure you noticed my cute little snowman in the cookies picture. He just arrived at my house straight from Carolyn at The Odd Sparrow. Her web-shop is just full of lovely items that I always try to resist, but I just had to have Mr. Snowman. Thanks Carolyn!

Show and Tell Monday - lots of little books!

I had a fun weekend visiting with my youngest daughter, Ashley. She came up Saturday night and we spent all day Sunday working on little books.....they can be used for lots of different purposes....autographs, journals, dream keepers, shopping lists. They measure 4.5 x 3.25 inches and we have altered the covers with pretty papers and embellishments. I think they would make great little stocking stuffers! They will be added to my website before long. What would you use one of these little books for?

Treasure hunting for Cozy Cottage - fun!

It's been a very busy week searching for new items to list on the Cozy Cottage website and to re-stock the brick and mortar store. I found thie cute retro style cabinet this week and fell in love with the art deco painting on the glass. After a little reburbishing it will be offered for sale in the brick and mortar Cozy Cottage.

I spent all this afternoon in one of my favorite markets and came home with the Cruiser literally loaded down with goodies. Some will be craft projects for the online Cozy Cottage, and some are ready to be photographed and listed hopefully within the next two or three days. Please be sure to check frequently in the New Items section at Cozy Cottage Gifts and Decor........it's a great alternative to crowded shopping malls!

Pink Friday - Christmas at Make Mine Pink

Pink Friday is back this week and the theme is "Christmas". Please join Cozy Cottage Gifts and Decor and the other participating boutiques at Make Mine Pink for a day of fabulous shopping, right from the comfort of your home. No need to worry about fighting traffic or crowded shopping malls.....just click to purchase and your items will be sent to your doorstep.

Happy shopping!

Veteran's Day 2008

Thank you to all of our veterans, past and present, who have worked to keep our wonderful country free!

Show and Tell Monday......and a recipe, too!

This week I've been busy bringing Christmas to Cozy Cottage....both online and the brick and mortar shop. I set up a pretty display of Candylights from Jorabeel's....












I also set up this pretty white fiber-optic tree and added silk overblown roses. I'll post a better picture when I can take one after dark so the sun isn't coming through that window behind it.









And here are a couple of new items I will be adding to the Cozy Cottage website this evening.


First is a beautiful milkglass fruit bowl made by Indiana Glass. It is holding some lovely pale aqua and cream color almost-vintage glass ornaments. The bowl and ornaments will be available as a set. Of course, the bowl would be absolutely stunning on the Christmas dinner table!


.....and this adorable truly vintage paper and angel hair tree-topper which was a truly lucky find at an estate sale just a few weeks ago. She really needs a new home and would be so lovely gracing the top of someone's Christmas tree this year!

And now, let me end this post with a recipe....quick and easy and oh-so-yummy!

RECIPE OF THE WEEK

Peach Cobbler in a Mug

1 Tablespoon butter or margarine
2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
2 Tablespoons flour
1 Tablespoon instant nonfat dry milk
1/8 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
Dash of salt
2 Tablespoons water
1 (4-ounce) snack-size container of diced peaches, well drained

Microwave 1 tablespoon butter or margarine in mug until melted, about 20 seconds on high power. Combine sugar, flour, instant dry milk, baking powder, cinnamon, salt and water; add to cup. Stir with a fork until well blended. Add well-drained peaches on top of batter. Do not stir. Microwave for 2 minutes on 70 percent power. Let stand in microwave for 1 minute. Remove from microwave with an oven mitt and let stand until cool enough to eat.

Recipe of the Week

I know.....the weeks are getting farther and farther apart but I'll try to get back on track and post a recipe every week soon!

This recipe is a quick and easy one....and very appropriate for the upcoming holiday season. Thanks to my nephew, Shane, for sending this to me on email!


DELICIOUS CROCKPOT DRESSING

8 inch pan cornbread
8 slices day-old bread
4 eggs
1 medium onion (chopped)
1/2 cup celery (chopped)
1 1/2 tablespoons sage or poultry seasoning
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 cans cream of chicken soup
2 cans chicken broth
2 tablespoons margarine

Directions:
Crumble breads; add all other ingredients except margarine. Pour into crock pot. Dot with margarine. Cover and cook on "high" for 2 hours or on "low" for 3-4 hours. Makes 16 servings, about 6 ounces each.

Show and Tell Monday

Before I get down to business, I want to share a couple of pictures of Beau....it's been awhile since I've featured him and he has a new trick up his sleeve.....Beau is really doing a good job of getting his "Mommy and Daddy" trained to his liking. As you can see in the photos below, Beau is enjoying the new look in our bedroom too!



Next, I want to tell you about the Holiday Shopping venues that Cozy Cottage is participating in. First is the Make Mine Pink Twelve Days of Christmas Shop-Hop, running from November 2nd-13th. There will be prizes daily! If you're registered and have found at least one tree, you are eligible to win prizes each day! Winning a daily prize will not exclude you from winning the grand prizes.

I am also participating in the Vintage Indie Market-Holiday Edition which runs from Nov. 1st through Dec. 31st. You can find Cozy Cottage in the "shabby cottage shops" section.

I hope you will stop by both of these shopping venues and spend some time looking at the beautiful items that I have created for this holiday season. Be sure to also visit the other participating boutiques......you may just find that shopping from the comfort and privacy of your home will leave you with much more energy to enjoy all of the other holiday events waiting for you this year!

Show and Tell Monday - It's beginning to look alot like Christmas!

Here are a couple of the Christmas items I've been working on.......it won't be long until they will be on my website in the Holiday Cottage and Handcrafted Holiday Cottage categories.....

Pink Friday - "Coming up roses....."

Please join Cozy Cottage Gifts and Decor, and other participating boutiques at Make Mine Pink as we celebrate the rose. Pink Friday this week is all about roses and you are bound to find something there that will make everything in your life "just rosey"!

Let them eat cake! I've been tagged........

.....by Lilli Blue's Vintage Rescues! She was so sweet to select my blog as one of the recipients of the Marie Antoinette Award. Here are the rules:

1. Please put the logo on your blog

2. Link it to the person from whom you received the award

3. Nominate at least 7 or more blogs

4. Put the links of those blogs on your blog

5. Leave a message on their blogs to tell them.

****************

And here are the seven blogs I would like to pass this award on to:

1. Francie of The Scented Cottage........everything Francie does smells heavenly!

2. Jenn of Thrift Shop Romantic.......her blog is the full of fun stuff!

3. Andrea of Faded Plains.....I always find THE BEST STUFF in her boutique!

4. Tracey at Notes from a Cottage Industry.......her blog is always fun to visit!

5. Susan of The Dutch Rose.....she is a fountain of information and always has interesting blog posts!

6. Janet of Janet's Creative Pillows........take a trip to Janet's boutique....she has some really creative ideas for pillows!

7. And last, but certainly not least.....Mo of Mo's Cottage ......I like to visit her blog and travel vicariously through her posts!

Show and Tell Monday ~ Ta-Da!

A couple of weeks ago I shared the story of the Christmas ornament wreath I was working on. Well, here it is, all finished and ready to hang in the cottage shop for some lucky customer. It is very fragile and I won't even attempt shipping it, but maybe if I made more of these in the future I will be able to make them more durable for shipping.

Pink Friday, October 17th

Cozy Cottage is participating in Make Mine Pink's Pink Friday this week. The theme is "In the Hope Chest" which promises to be full of surprises. Just think of all the goodies that could be placed in a hope chest! Be sure to visit Cozy Cottage and the other participating MMP boutiques to see what we have to offer for your hope chest. Remember, this is also a FRIDAY event although sometimes you can peak in a little early and grab some goodies when no one is looking!

We have also joined the Friday Flea Market blog group which promises to be a fun adventure. Just click on their icon on the right side of my blog to visit Cozy Cottage and all the other participating shops. But remember.....it is FRIDAY Flea Market so you can't visit til then!

Be sure to set aside some time on Friday to do some serious shopping......and have a wonderful weekend!

The dreaded "C" word........

Clutter....who doesn't have some? Well, I was reading my new Romantic Country magazine this morning and I see that Rachel Ashwell (Shabby Chic) is going for a new uncluttered style now. Then I was checking blogs and the Online Handyman has a great article on "de-cluttering".....hmmm, is someone trying to tell me something??? If you are also a clutterbug like me then click on the link to Scott's blog (below) and read how to get started uncluttering your home.

“Who Else Wants to Rid Their Home of Unwanted CLUTTER Forever?”

Show and Tell Monday

I'm trying my hand at making a glass Christmas ornament wreath and I can certainly see why these are pricey.....a lot of time goes into making one! (Not to mention burned fingers from the glue gun...ouch!) Here's a picture of my attempt....I still have some embellishing to do but you see the direction I'm going with it. This one is way too fragile to consider mailing so I will sell it from the brick and mortar Cozy Cottage. I made this one on a wreath form but I am going to try my next one on a heavy cardboard form and see how that works. One thing I know for sure.....this is not going to be my creative niche....I'll leave that to the experts!

My New Vintage Bedroom

Some of you may remember my post awhile back where I said I was going to redecorate my bedroom. Well, if you do, nothing you are about to see goes along with the French theme I had planned! I found a bedspread that I just fell in love with and it led me in a completely different direction.....something I call New Vintage. See what you think...... I just love my new pillows! The one in the center was made by Andrea of Faded Plains using vintage barkcloth fabric and an feather pillow insert. On each side are my gorgeous tuffets made by Sharon the Tuffet Queen at C'est Chouette.









I had new "cushy" carpet put in so that gave me a reason to move everything out of the bedroom and get rid of a lot of the clutter.














I brought the faux fireplace home from the cottage shop and put it in the little alcove in my bedroom which adds a little coziness for those winter nights that will soon be here. That gave me a chance to display the pretty McCoy flower vases on the mantel. I also brought the vintage guardian angel picture home from Cozy Cottage (sorry for the glare...I'll try to get a better picture later). If you look closely you will see some of the pretty glittered flowers that Francie of The Scented Cottage creates, and the lovely tussie that I purchased from Carrie of Noelle Garrett Designs. Last but not least are my "new" curtains. I bought them from a friend locally who is one of the most creative people I know.....she tea-dyed the sheer embroidered under panels which adds a nice vintage touch. This is my new girlie den and I just love it!

SHOW AND TELL MONDAY

This week's show and tell is an entertainment center I just transformed from an ugly duckling into a beautiful entertainment center that I'm using at Cozy Cottage. I purchased it at a very good price at a local thrift store and after a coat of white spray paint I tugged it into the house where I brushed on two coats of my favorite Antique White satin latex paint.

I also added the pretty little crown on the top. In went the tv and satellite box and a few "for sale" items were added for decor and "ta-da"!

PS: Bet you can't see that I live on a country road!

RECIPE OF THE WEEK

This week's recipe is brought about by some research I did on an item I just listed on my website. I had fun learning about "Rumtopf" and thought I would share the recipe here with my blog-readers. I found the recipe below at the My Recipes blog. Enjoy!

Rumtopf (Rom Pot)

Rumtopf, the German delicious fruit preserve. Traditionally part of German Christmas celebrations. The fruity liqueur can be drunk in glasses, and the fruit and liqueur are excellent over vanilla ice cream. It is traditional to begin with the first fruit of the summer season (typically strawberries).

However, fresh fruit and certain berries are available all year in supermarkets. Do not use blackberries or blueberries. They can be bitter and discolor the other fruits and berries. Watermelon can make the mixture watery. Rhubarb can make the mixture sour. Bananas are too mushy. Citrus fruits are too acidic. The fruit should be ripe, but not overripe. Look at it, look at the berries! Remove any damaged parts and pit or core it before measuring. Cut larger fruits into smaller chunks.

INGREDIENTS:
* 1 large jar with a lid
* 5 kg (5000 g) fresh fruits and berries
* 3 l (3000 ml) granulated sugar
* 75 cl (750 ml) rom

METHOD:
1. For instance, start with the strawberries, weigh them.
2. Cover with half as much sugar
3. Allow to sit for an hour.
4. Pour in enough rum to cover the fruit.
5. As space allows and as different fruits and berries come into season, add more fruits, berries, sugar and rum in the appropriate proportions, as described.
6. When ready, allow the entire mixture to sit for some days.
7. Then stir the fruit and berries gently.
8. Cover the jar with a clean film and a lid.
9. Store in a cool place away from heat and sunlight for at least 4 weeks (or 2-3 months).

If the fruit develops any mould - THROW IT OUT ! To prevent spoilage, you can keep the mixture acidic with lemon juice or ascorbic acid (vitamin C powder).