Coastal Crafts

Hi Everyone

 Happy Tuesday

♥

Love friends who are fun and talented 

they are such a blessing

Cynthia Shaffer is an amazing Friend, Photographer, Teacher,

Artist, Crafter, Sewer, Stylist and Author

{many of you took her photography 101 class at our home}

Cynthia's newest book which she not only
 created all the crafts for
 she also wrote and beautifully photgraphed 

*Coastal Crafts*

Coastal Crafts is filled with fun  

 DIY crafts 

with easy to follow step by step instructions
 and gorgeous photographs 

These adorable driftwood sail boats

are one of my favorite projects in the book
how fun to capture the memories of
 a day at the beach finding driftwood and shells
and then making these adorable sail boats

If you look closely at many of the pictures in Coastal Crafts 

 you may recognize our home as the back drop

such as this perfect green patina side table 

that just pops off the page with color

Love these adorable kitchen towels 

{photgraphed in our kitchen}

♥

White candle sticks embellished with twine and starfish

Cynthia hard at work
in our living room
 looking at the picture she photographed above
of the candle sticks

This is one of my favorite crafts in the book
these adorable pillows
dont they look great
sitting on the window seat in our kitchen
{love that she got the front gate in the pic too}

Thrilled to have been a small part of
 Coastal Crafts
 and for the opportunity to
have so much fun with such a talented and beautiful friend


be sure and follow
White Ironstone Cottage Designs
on Instagram
 for daily updates on my newest project
The Barnhouse remodel

The new pool for the backyard
at The Barnhouse


romantic saying for today
"I want to be yours for our whole life "

unknown


♥
Pam

Coronado Garage sale

Hi Everyone

 Happy Friday 

♥

It has been a busy

 fun filled power packed summer already

so much to share with all of you 

As you can see there have been a few changes here at 

White Ironstone Cottage

You will not believe where we found this amazing vintage 

zinc top table

that now sits in our dining room

We were recently invited to a preview dinner at the new

 Bluewater Boathouse in Coronado

 the restaurant is right across the street from the famous

 Hotel Del Coronado

it is a beautiful red roof building that sits right on the water

 and used to be the old Chart house restaurant years ago

Handsome husband worked at that Chart house for many years

{we had our first kiss on the top of the look out tower}

The  new owners of the Bluewater Boathouse did an extensive and beautiful remodel

 and decided to have a garage sale to let go of some of the old furniture 

There were chart house map tables for sale as well as wood captains chairs for 10 dollars

 white restaurant dishware a dollar each piece

so many amazing treasures and bargains

Here is Jimmy one of the new owners 

with a vintage lavabo

{great for plants}

but...

 my eye kept going to this white zinc top table 

Grateful the table fit here in our dining room 

{Love}

the way the zinc top enhances the gray paint on the walls

You never know what you 

will find at a garage sale

this beautiful treasure we all cherish

 it is filled with wonderful memories old and new

Hope you have been having fun this summer too

Be sure and follow on Instagram for daily pics
joining in the fun for Feathered Nest Friday

romantic saying for today

"It all began with a kiss"

unknown

♥

Pam

Love Story

Hi Everyone

 Happy Tuesday

♥

Being a hopeless romantic 

 and a bit  nosey curious 

{Love}

 to learn how 

 couples met
and fell in
 {Love}

My parents met at Church  she was 19 and he was 26
My Mom was actually engaged to another man but he was away at college
My Dad had a car  and offered to drive my Mom to Church
she had to take two different street cars to get there
 this went on for about six months
 my Dad even went on a few dates with my mom and her fiance to
 "take pictures of them"
one night my Dad drove my Mom home after Church
 and he walked her to her front door as usual
 but instead of saying goodbye
 he kissed her
My Mom said she was so surprised but it was a really great kiss
 the very next day
she broke up with her fiance
 my parents got married a year later

I met my handsome husband at work
 I had just started a new job at a cosmetic counter for Estee Lauder
 my husband and his friend came in to the department store
I remember he walked by a few times and then went
 and jumped on some exercise equipment that was for display only
 there were even signs and ropes !!!
My new boss of 3 weeks asked me to please go and get those guys
off of the exercise equipment
 I went marching over with everyone watching
 and said ever so sweetly
"Can't you guys read"
this equipment is for display only
 my  handsome husband said
 how else was I going to get you over here to say Hi

great line.....
but he did get off the bike

the best part of this story is
I was hired for another job
 I received a call telling me they had over hired
 I did not get the job after all
 I was so disappointed
 I had already given notice at my current job
this all seemed so unfair but God had a great plan
a friend told me her sister was thinking about applying for a job at a department store
and I should go and apply too
so I did and we both got a job at the store
 I met my handsome husband 3 weeks later

A Dear friend of mine met her husband when
 she was in College she
 went to a halloween party dressed as a lobster on a dare
 when she got back to her dorm room she realized she had lost her key to her room
and started knocking on doors for help
no one answered on her floor so
she had to go downstairs
finally a door opened
and a boy answered  he was visiting his sister He said
she could stay with them until her roomate returned
they started talking
imagine she is still in her lobster costume
They were up until dawn talking and laughing
forgetting all about the time that night
and the sister also in the room
 they began dating and got married that same year
they even served lobster at their wedding

My Great Grandfather met my Great grandmother
when he was traveling across the country
headed  west
he stopped at a farm for some food and water
my Great grandmother had 3 sisters she was the oldest
all the girls were excited to have a young stranger at the dinner table
My Great grandfather said he took one look and fell in love with my Great grandmother
he stayed two days and on the third day they eloped
 she came west with him
they were married 64 years until his death
The plate in these pictures was my Great grandmothers
the one thing she took with her


I would
{Love}
 to know  how you met each other



romantic saying for today

"Nothing is impossible to a willing heart"
unknown



♥
Pam

Happy New Year

Hi Everyone

 Happy Sunday

♥

Can you believe that there are only
 2 days left in 

  2013

Time sure flies when your having fun

* 2013*  

 was an amazing year filled 

with

An exciting trip to New York City 

A beautiful photo shoot and spread in Romantic Country magazine 

a highlight in Romantic Homes magazine

our bedroom highlighted in HGTV magazine

an awesome photography class with Cynthia Shaffer

 and a invitation to audition for a new HGTV television show

 all these adventures/opportunities were unexpected unplanned

and a dream come true

 {Handsome husband and I celebrating our 25 wedding anniversary this year}

What I  learned in
2013 

is to believe that anything is possible
 with God

 To try to stay open to new opportunities

and that you are never too old to learn and try something new

 Our Wedding Day

This year Handsome husband and I
 celebrated our 25 wedding anniversary
I am so grateful for every day with this man
He is my best friend
 a wonderful husband and father
and the one I
  {Love}

We traveled a lot this year
going to sunny Hawaii

Ending the  year in snowy
 Telluride Colorado

Do you make New Years resolutions
I have to say I did when I was younger
 but I have learned to
let go and simply trust Gods plan
His plans are always bigger better and more wonderful than we could ever imagine
This year is proof of that

My wish for you is that
the New Year
*2014*
is filled with
love, family, friends, faith, health and new adventures
   

From our family to yours
Happy New Year

romantic saying for today

"When you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with someone
 you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible"
Ephron
linking for Amaze Me Mondays

♥
Pam

Heirloom Treasures

Hi Everyone

 Happy Saturday

♥

There is something
so  romantic and beautiful about 

vintage furniture
This is one of my favorite found vintage treasures

   Lovingly hand crafted
with attention to every detail
and
made with pride to last forever

 A treasure to pass down from
 generation to generation

 To keep in the family
as a reminder of the past

Beautiful 

heirloom

 treasures

that tell a story of a families history 

Even if you are the one to find a piece of vintage furniture that you adore

you can start your own family heirloom collection 

to pass on to your children 

and their children

Do you have a favorite heirloom treasure

linking for Pink Saturday

romantic saying for today

"Love me tender Love me sweet never let me go"

Presley

♥

Pam

May Day Tradition

Hi Everyone

 Happy Monday

♥

This Wednesday is
 May 1st
One of our favorite family traditions is 

hanging flowers on our front door 

to celebrate May Day!

This vintage  glass peanut butter jar has a handle 

so it is easy to hang a 

few flowers from our garden
 we have also used everything from recycled tin cans
 to woven baskets and paper cones full of garden flowers

Every year we even surprise our neighbors and friends
by secretly hanging a bouquet of flowers
 on their front door too
Its almost a covert operation we try very hard not to get caught

via

May day celebrations were a wonderful way
 to get outside and celebrate the warmer weather
The May Pole was a town tradition
the men would erect the pole  on April 30th
and the  entire town would gather and dance around the pole on May day
how adorable are these little girls skipping around
a decorated May Pole in a field of flowers

via

This picture is from a college May day celebration
{Love}
 their beautiful dresses and the flowers
 look at the umbrella covered with flowers and the streamers
so funny to see only one person smiling

My Grandmother used to hang flowers on her front door
 she said it brought happiness
 to a Home 
 all of us grandchildren helped her pick the flowers 
and she taught us how to arrange them so they made a pretty bouquet

Celebrating May Day is not just a celebration of Spring
 in our home
 but a wonderful way to continue family traditions
 of spreading kindness and beauty
 to friends and family
and honoring a much Loved Grandmother
Don't forget to put a few flowers on your front door for May day too
linking for Make it Pretty Monday


romantic saying for today

"You called me and I came home to your heart"
Browning

♥
Pam

Decorating with Horse Shoes

Hi Everyone

 Happy Friday

♥

After traveling to Round Top
Texas 

and seeing all of the creative ways people decorated with

 horse shoes
We decided to add one to our little
 California cottage

In Texas we were told that horse shoes have
 a legend of good luck
but here is where it got tricky.......
Some said to hang the horse shoe with the edges facing up
so you catch good luck
others said to hang the horse shoe with the edges facing down
so the good luck runs into your home
LOL

via

Here are a few creative ways to 

decorate with horse shoes
{Love}
 this adorable horse shoe gate
just like the gate at Rachel Ashwells Prairie
{my pic's coming soon}

via

Rhinestone horse shoe
wedding cake topper
too cute

via

♥
How adorable is
this hanging heart

via

This is one way to hang
 horse shoes with the edges facing up above a door

We brought a few vintage horse shoes home
and
this one got a fresh coat of white paint now
it fits right in our California cottage

Grateful to have a little bit of
Texas charm
that is filled with wonderful memories


linking for Feathered Nest Friday
Be Inspired
Funky Junk
Pink Saturday
Saturday Showoff


romantic saying for today

"Come live in my heart and pay no rent"
unknown


♥
Pam

   

How to Create a Romantic Garden

Hi Everyone

 Happy Wednesday

♥

Creating a romantic garden

 for your home 

Begins with choosing the right plants 

There are many amazing varieties to choose from I made a list of my favorites 

 that will help you set the stage for romance by

 adding amazing beauty and

 fragrance to your yard

One of my favorite plants to add to the garden is 

 ~paper white bulbs~

 they have such an intoxicating fragrance 

and every year you will be happy to see the bulbs bloom again

 {Love} 

~Lavender~
 is another plant 

that blesses us all with its amazing fragrance 

The gray colored leaves are also beautiful year round

This is a fabulous plant called 

 ~Breath of Heaven~

love the way this sways in the breeze

and its luscious fragrance
is soft and sweet

~Tulips~
 are a wonderful border
 plant in our garden
{Love}
to walk by and say tulips so romantic!!!!

Of coarse a romantic garden would not be complete
 with out beautiful
~Cabbage roses~
the quintessential flower of romance

 and last but not least
colorful
~ hydrangeas~
that look almost majestic in the garden

 Freshly cut hydrangeas
add romance and beauty
everywhere

Do you have a favorite  romantic plant or flower
that grows in your garden
that you would add to this list
linking for Seasonal Sunday


romantic saying for today

"I Love thee I Love but thee with a Love that shall never die
 Till the sun grows cold and the stars grow old"
Shakespeare

♥
Pam