i 'heart' my new display board

when i first saw this tutorial over at one red robin i just knew i had to make one for myself. and now that i have a space to display it in i had no excuses not to make it. this will just be so pretty on the wall of Lilly cottage and friends and it will inspire me to make a few more bag charms or brooches to hang on it.

this started life as a very cheap pine picture frame with no glass. i painted it up ready to be transformed into a brooch display board. i popped a bit of lace under the frame to hide the staples. the lighting isn't that great but it really is the sweetest little thing and compliments my handmade pretties so well.

last Sunday was a wonderful start to our new venture with lots of pretties finding new homes and each of us heading home to create more items to fill in gaps in the shop. i had a day of relief teaching today which was absolutely wonderful but of course that has meant 1 day less of creating. the beauty of this cottage is that there are 3 of us contributing which means that if one person is having a slow week the other two are sure to be creating something so the shop will never look empty. i worked on my stitchery last night but am not sure how to display it... might need some help with that one. i will post about it as soon as i get a chance.

best be off and make some dinner before the children eat their own arms.

xxrosey

open wide, come inside...

the time is upon us... tomorrow at 8am we throw open the doors of Coutts Cottage and welcome you in to Lilly Cottage & Friends! i managed to pop in today to take a few pictures of our little shop and of course tomorrow we will be spread out onto the veranda and spilling out on the lawn. if you do happen to live on the north side of Brisbane or are wanting to treat yourself to a lovely day out, then visiting the Petrie Markets is a wonderful way to spend the day. not only will you find our lovely little space but so much more. apart from the wonderful food, you could visit Trish and Alan in their unique fabric store or Marion who sells amazing country style gifts and home wares actually the list is endless.

i will leave you with some eye candy to urge you to make the trip or to satisfy those of you who live far away...

this is one of the trees we will be spending our morning under. (cute kids!)

this door will be open waiting for our many customers {~_~}

fancy a chalkboard or a mirror? we have it all!

amazing how all of our work ties in together without planning it at all. the wonderful mixed media painting by Linda on the wall with one of Renata's amazing quilled cards and some of my napkin art canvases on the shelves with the sea theme as well.

embellished miniature bottles.

a gorgeous corner of the room..

something pink,

something purple,

and something romantic...

there, how was that?? feeling as excited as i am? the best part of tomorrow is that i DO NOT have to unpack or pack my car!! yippee. of course the second best part is spending the day with Linda and Renata and selling our pretties %*_*%

well i best be getting off to bed, have to be up bright and early for our first day.

xxrosey

p.s. thank you for all of your support and encouragement, it means the world to me.xx

more than just a pretty pincushion

since my last post the new employees of 'Lilly Cottage and Friends' had a brief staff meeting to go over the finer points of our joint venture. with all the laughter and non stop talking, i have a feeling that this will be a great and open partnership and a shop where all of our talents will be showcased in the prettiest way imaginable. we will not be having one section for each crafter, no no no...our pretties will be all over the place, creating pretty pockets of pastels, bold sections of colour or corners of themed items, just like the pages of a pretty country home magazine. of course it would not be possible without all of Linda's gorgeous stock, but now that we are definitely opening the doors on the 29th of August and each Sunday there after, i am able to start creating new products that are a bit more fragile.

here is my first attempt at a pin cushion! i have filled the jar with some bits and pieces which might just inspire the new owner to create some lavender hearts or a little softie or even embellish a cushion.

there is so much i love about this neat little starter set...

i have filled it with 3 spools of ribbon and 1 spool of lace (2 metres each) and matching thread (6 strands of 1 metre each)

and matching buttons to get a little project started.

it will be available in our shop next week along with all of our products and much much more.

ok my little friends i am off to continue sanding the old cot which will become part of our display. fun and games i tell ya! lovin every second :)

xxrosey

we're moving inside!

ok my little band of merry followers, that is assuming i have followers and that you are merry...renata clarke designs and itty bitty and pretty are moving in with... LILLY COTTAGE!! the lovely linda of lilly cottage has been in the business for many years but more importantly had a shop front with laura for 4 years until the stress of MS got too much and the doors had to close. so it is with much excitment and perhaps a little less stress that we team up to share the load and open 'LILLY COTTAGE and FRIENDS' situated in Couts Cottage in Old Petrie Town.

we have decided to open the doors for the first time on the 29th of August. that means from now until then we will be setting the shop up with shelving and cupboards and loading all of our pretties in to make our shop perfect. this shelf has had a transformation today...

tools and paint ready

i had a fight with the paint can...

and it won :(

undercoat

end product, it is hard to tell but it is cottage green on the inside and cream on the outside.

just wating for the paint to dry to that i can scruff it up all over >_<. i have an old cot that i will convert into a day bed which will become a display of some sort. i will have to post pictures of that too.

once we are in i guess we just pray that our pretties get new homes. it will be lovely not having to worry about the weather and packing and unpacking and perhaps working every 3rd Sunday rather than every 2nd Sunday...although like Linda i am sure i will want to visit even on my 'off' days. i also hope that 'market politics' don't get to me..there are always other people just waiting to rain on your parade, i need tougher skin and now that i am nearing the big 40 i need to stand up to bullies.

ok enough from me, would love to meet some local bloggers. pop in to Couts Cottage every Sunday 8-2pm and visit Lilly Cottage and Friends.

xxxrosey

exciting news coming my way

cant share all the details yet but my hand made pretties are movin inside...no more setting up tables and tents just opening doors and settin up displays!

the best part is who we will be sharing that space with. cant tell yet but it wont be long now...

xxrosey

market day

what do these photos have in common? they are terrible and don't show the true beauty of the subject... market day tomorrow

8-2 out at petrie markets north Brisbane

pray for sunshine, no wind and warmth for my little tootsies and tingers.

oh and lots of sales :)

visit my market buddy Renata and check out her little seahorse!! how does she do it?

have a great weekend xxrosey

~wordless wednesday~

some of my latest makes for market Sunday. come visit us at petrie markets this Sunday the 8th of august 8-2.

each card and envelope lovingly made by me and left blank for you to fill with loving words :) $3.50 each

something for the baby boy.

and a simply gorgeous baby girl card.

xxrosey