Today is blue Monday at Cottage Country Style. The two blue ceramic dolls I made for my mother in 1980, tea pot is from a flea, the little girl is a Maude Humphrey and my two little birds have been with me forever. That's all I have in blue.

We had a wonderfully warm day here in CA today 82deg. so my husband and I had tea and cookies out in our patio. It was so nice to get out after all the rain we had just about a week or so ago. Birds were bathing in the fountain, had to keep our eyes on our cats cause they were keeping their eyes on the birds, whew! but all went well. Last summer we didn't have cats but now we do, two kitties. They enjoy the outdoors but know their home is inside and I like it this way, they can be in or out and they don't run away or get lost, they stay in the yard or the patio. Enjoy your evening my dear friends. Hugs, Lu

Today being Saturday, couldn't make up my mind about going out to a few garage sales, but decided I would for a little while. Didn't really find much except for this little beauty. Don't know what I will use it for yet but had to have it, isn't it cute?
It could be used for sugar, but already have a pink glass sugar bowl with lid, candy perhaps? Hmmm! this will take some thinking but meanwhile will enjoy it sitting on the counter and looking so pretty, of course it wasn't this clean when I bought it. Have a wonderful weekend...Lu

Since I love pink so much I like to collect pink plates with roses among other things, of course. Antique shops have a good supply of them. I use them for different things, to put jewelry or keys on them, some are for eating, for pretty soaps in the bathrooms and so on. It's so much fun to spend the day in antique shops or thrift shops too just looking around looking for that special item to take home. It's so exciting when you spot something you like, if it's at a distance it seems like forever that you don't get to it, whew! I made it, what a relief, right? It's happened to me more than once. If you are planning on a day out there, don't forget to take a snack cause you will get hungry and thirsty too. I eat as I go, can't stop have to get to the next store and the next. Enjoy the day, Lu

New Curtains

It's amazing how a new curtain can change a bathroom. Next to my studio we have a half bath, it's only mine. I was a bit tired of the curtain that was up, so the other morning while enjoying a cup of hot coco, I began to think about changing it, did not have a color in mind for this curtain just so it looked a bit victorian. Ok, got dressed and off I went to the fabric store, row by row I went, knowing that when I saw it would know this is the one and that's exactly how it was. Would you believe the last row of fabric, the last bolt...there it was. I got so excited and bought what was left, which was five yds. have enough for a long valance to go over my mirror closet door adjacent to the bath and my studio, plus made another curtain to another half bath we have. Decorated it with items we already had around the house, things look different when you move them from one room to another, didn't spend any money except for the curtain fabric. Hugs, Lu

Old Venice Manhattan Beach, CA

Well thought I would post a couple of pictures of our daughters restaurant. These pictures were taken before they opened for lunch. They have Greek/Italian Cuisine.
Before my husband had his stroke, we would always go for Valentine's Night. Julie our daughter would decorate so beautifully for the occasion and it was so romantic. Now it's difficult to take him out but we go whenever we can like today, it was a special day, my birthday, and we enjoyed the day at the beach.

My Birthday Today...January 13

Today is my birthday and my husband Rick and I are going to our daughters restaurant, Old Venice in Manhattan Beach for lunch. Later just the two of us will enjoy a cupcake each here in our living room. (pink cupcakes, of course)I just love pink and my eyes just go to anything and everything pink.

It's been so cold here in CA and the fog came in the other morning so my son took this picture from an upstairs window, now this doesn't seem like CA...we are used to sunshine most of the year. I like to bake in the mornings to enjoy fresh baked goods for breakfast so I made this raisin/cranberry bread and it made the kitchen so warm and cozy plus it smelled like a bakery here, of course I could have used a larger plate, oh well...my husband likes this bread, so I made it just for him.

I think I was born in the wrong era, would of loved to wear all the fashions they had then and gone to the balls to meet handsome young men. Of course I would of lived in a castle with a heavenly bedroom all designed in pink and gold...and my jewelry, oh well you can just imagine decorative boxes just bursting with diamonds and rubies. A girl can dream, right? That's me wearing the pink dress, do you want to be the other gal?

I was looking out this window in the morning and spotted this tom cat sitting out there waiting for food, just had to take a picture of him. He comes and waits for food, of course I cannot touch him, he is feral and afraid of everything. I only put the dish out for him and close the door. He is a beautiful cat.