Tuesday, July 26, 2011

When People Wrote Letters

This antique letter slot makes me long for a time when we still wrote letters.


When I was in the fourth grade, I had a pen pal from Buffalo, NY. We spent a summer or so exchanging letters back and forth about our afternoons spent riding bikes & swimming before losing touch.


My letter writing continued in middle school after two summers at church camp. Before cell phones, instant messaging, and Facebook, keeping in touch meant putting pen to paper. We wrote letters on stationery, sent cards, and even included a photo or two inside a carefully sealed envelope. It was such an exciting feeling to open the mailbox and see a letter from a friend inside.


I still cherish these letters and will keep them as a sort of time capsule to share with my daughter about a simpler time {not so long ago}.

Monday, July 25, 2011

Vintage Ice Cream Treat

When visiting my parents in rural Pennsylvania, which is home to some of the best little ice cream parlors, we stopped to treat ourselves to a cone of ice cold deliciousness. Ard's Farm Market is a favorite stop with its vintage decor... just check out these adorable 50's chairs!

We didn't have to worry too much about Miss Sticky Fingers on these chairs!

What's your favorite flavor?
{I'm a mint chip kind of girl...}

Thursday, June 10, 2010

Easy Pillow Tutorial

Check out this easy pillow tutorial! These 20 x 20 throw pillows are made using fabric napkins. Clever, huh?

Click on the pillows to get started!

Friday, June 4, 2010

Fabric Pennants -- Not Just for Birthdays!

I'm having a love affair with fabric pennants this summer!

AND they're *sew* easy to make.


First, head to The Whimsy Cottage store & pick up some fabric.
Next, I suggest making a template for the triangles using a piece of cardstock. I made the tops of my pennants as wide as the paper and used a ruler & pencil to mark the sides. Now you're ready to...
Trace, cut, press!
I used bias tape to string them and highly recommend using a wide piece -- trying to keep the pennants inside a narrow piece is a lil' bit frustrating. You can also run a bit of stitch witchery in the tape to help keep things together before you sew. Then it's...
Pin, stitch, hang!
I love them so much, I'm getting ready to make more. Pennant valances, anyone?



Tuesday, June 1, 2010

Welcome!

Welcome to The Whimsy Cottage blog!

If you're not knee deep in fabric, I encourage you to head over to the store! I'll be adding four new prints from Moda's Fresh Cottons line very soon. Just wait until you see them -- I'm not sure what to make first! Throw pillows? A sweet little jumper for my little one?