Antique Christmas Tree Ornaments

It's time to start thinking about holiday decor and setting the table for Thanksgiving and Christmas.  Each year I like to do things a little differently from the previous year.  A while back I was lucky enough to find and buy hundreds of old glass Christmas tree ornaments.  It is a beautiful collection, from a woman that cherished her holiday decor.  I marvel each year at the beauty of the ornaments and the number of years that have passed since they were made.

It takes me hours to set up the tree and it feels like days to take the ornaments off the tree and put them away.  I love them so much I keep them under my bed for the remainder of the year.  No attic time for these beauties.  One of my favorites is the bird ornaments that clip onto the tree boughs.  They are extremely fragile and so I only have a few of them.

Since I've redecorated my house this year, I'm planning to make a tree skirt out of a drop cloth. I found this one at http://www.craftaholicsanonymous.net/ruffled-drop-cloth-christmas-tree-skirt.  I like the way the ruffles move from the center to the edge of the skirt.  Drop clothes come in large sizes so it is easy to make a really big skirt without any seams.

Antique ornaments can be found on Ebay and at auctions and estate sales.  It took me more than a year to collect enough to fill the tree.  When I found an abundant, pristine collection at an auction, I was willing to pay whatever it took to make them mine.  My advice is to pass up the beat up ones that you come across.  I bought some because I was happy to finally find them, but in retrospect I shouldn't have wasted the money because they were too scratched up or plain.

Once you have them, be VERY careful because they are delicate.  It is amazing that things can last for a century in someone else's house and then be in dire straights when they get to my house.

Share your holiday decorating ideas with me.  I need some new ideas.

Pickled Vegetables are Easy to Make

Pickled vegetables are colorful, flavorful, and delicious!  When I was at Tom Douglas' Lola restaurant in Seattle, I enjoyed one of his delicious spreads with pita bread and on the plate was a little bowl of julienne pickled vegetables.  They were a nice addition to the plate and added a little punch to the plate.  They also went well with the martini I was drinking.

Of course, I immediately started thinking about making my own pickled vegetable. I looked at recipes and settled on one by Susan Feniger and Mary Sue Milliken of Border Grill, Ciudad and Street restaurant fame.  I made mine with carrots, cauliflower, red peppers, summer squash, and cucumber.  RECIPE

Cooked in boiling water and cooled in a water bath

The process took a little more time then I anticipated, but it was easy to do.  I pickled carrots, cauliflower, red pepper, summer squash and pickles all together.  Here is my finished product.

I have six 1-quart jars that will stay fresh in the refrigerator for the next month.  Maybe next time I will look for a recipe that utilizes the canning process so that I can store them in the pantry and eat them over a longer period of time.  That is if I still want pickled vegetables after eating six quarts of them.

If you are a pickle lover, stop by Joan's on Third in West Los Angeles for lunch.  She makes the most delicious pickles.  I dream of the short rib sandwich and a side of pickles from Joan's.  My plan is to make pickles that good some time soon.

Delicious pickles form Joan's on Third

Short rib sandwich that is so good it was featured on the cover of Bon Appetit magazine

  If you like pickled food, jump in and make your own pickled vegetables.  It's easy, cheap and delicious.

Silver Spoon Jewelry Adds a Special Touch to Christmas Stockings

Cuff bracelet is $63

Great price point, free shipping and complimentary gift wrapping.

Buy on my eBay site.

A few years ago I discovered a company in Los Angeles called Silver Spoon Jewelry that makes great quality jewelry fashioned after silverware from the late 1800's and early 1900's.  It fit in with Pearl's Cottage design and decor so I started carrying the line.  It sold quickly and women were very happy with the feminine look and the length and size proportions.

I have restocked my inventory to have it available for the 2013 holiday season.

Alicia Necklace is $56

Pricing
Necklaces are $56
Rings are $32
Bracelet with charms are $33
Bracelet cuffs are $63
Specialty bracelets are $84

Shipping is free and complimentary gift wrapping, for any occasion, is available.

Charlotte Necklace is $56

The hearts and crosses hanging from rolo or double link chains are perfect for dress up or dress down and they have enough weight to the design that they become a statement piece.

Abigail Cross Necklace is $56

Delilah Cross Necklace is $56

All necklaces come in adjustable 16-18" lengths, pendants are varying sizes and all are silver plate that may need a periodic rub with a silver cloth to keep them shiny.

Rings are super popular with women and girls beginning around age 16.  My daughter likes to wear one on her thumb and two more on other fingers.  The different designs look great mixed together and they are comfortable to wear.  Because the rings are adjustable, they can fit on any finger or thumb.  Be careful that the rings aren't pushed and pulled too much so that they keep their nice round look

Hazel Ring $32 - our best seller

Consider Silver Spoon Jewelry for your holiday gifts.  They are the perfect size for a stocking.  Consider giving a necklace to your son's girlfriend, your best friend, to the woman in your book club, your boss, your mother-in-law, etc.  The rings, bracelets and necklaces make the perfect gifts.

Their most impressive bracelet $84

Linen and Cotton Throw Pillows

My business partner, Michelle, and I were trying to find our niche in the retail market.  One item that sold well was linen, cotton, and burlap throw pillows made with a floral embellishment in the same or coordinating fabric. 

We found that although they were popular, we didn't charge enough to make them worth our while.  A friend of mine bought three of them for her recently redecorated living room.  Every time we see each other she comments how much she loves the way the pillow look in her home.

These linen and cotton pillows are not difficult to make and they add texture to a vanilla color scheme.

I made a pieced quilt in red, white and blue that I throw over my slip-covered love seat.  With left over fabric I made a few throw pillows.  The first pillow with the circles is a shout-out to Anthropologie.  As I cut, ironed and sewed, I praised the workers who made more than the one pillow I put together.

 My other pillow is an antique tea towel surrounded by my quilt fabric.  The embroidery is beautiful and the colors really pop.  I am a sucker for anything with a bird on it too.

Let me know what pillows you've made or like.

Hunting for Treasure - Salvage Yards Can Mean Treasure and Trash

Salvage Yards Can Net One of a Kind Treasures

In Downtown Los Angeles there are a few salvage yards to poke through in search of hidden treasure.  When I pulled up outside this place, I was glad I had my husband along instead of my business partner.  While no harm came to us, and we picked up a few interesting items, it was a good reminder to be aware and travel cautiously into unknown territory.

The main lot for this salvage yard is across the street.  I picked up an old paned window with milky glass that now hangs in my guest bathroom and some old and rusty ceiling tin that my husband made into shelves and I sold.  See the tin on the top and that's a bed frame rail on the bottom.  The headboards are below

Shelves made of bed rails and ceiling tin

Silver Fox Architectural Salvage is my favorite salvage store in Los Angeles.  The owners have a clear vision for what is valuable and beautiful.  Seth takes reclaimed lumber, metal, whatever and creates lighting fixtures, tables, kitchen carts and more.  Selina has creative skills too which are evident in the way the store is set up.  Yelpers really like them too.  http://www.yelp.com/biz/silver-fox-architectural-salvage-los-angeles-2

Check out this cart that Seth made.  I wish I had a place in my house for it.

I bought some huge doors at Silver Fox that came from an old church in upstate New York.  I framed the opening between my dining room and living room in the shape of the doors and will eventually get them hung on hardware like sliding barn doors.  This is the project that started out with two affordable doors and then cost a fortune to have the room framed.  When I get the project finished, I'll share the pictures, but until then I just appreciate the beauty of the doors as they lean against the wall.

8 1/2' reclaimed church doors for my dining room

Lots of windows and doors at Silver Fox Architectural Salvage in Los Angeles

I found these flags for my sister's nautical themed baby's room

I look everywhere for interesting pieces.  I picked up some antique bed frames at an auction and used them for all sorts of projects.  Here is the headboard.

 

I had the mirror cut and installed at Van Nuys Glass and Mirror in Pacoima.  They did an awesome job.  I think it would be perfect in an entry way or a good sized guest bathroom.  It is a one of a kind piece that gets people talking.

I have a second one that is painted and glazed.

I would like to get these sold and moved out so I have room for more projects.  If you live in Southern California and need something special for your home, send me an email at pearlscottage@sbcglobal.net.  I'm asking $399 for the wood finished mirror and $499 for the painted and glazed one.

Vintage Shelves Are Great For Displaying Treasures

This shelf is the first thing that I painted.  After the shelf I moved on to bigger furniture items.  I wish I had a before picture when it was a dark wood, which was pretty, but of course I wanted to paint it white.  It has screws in the back which holds the entire thing together.  When I bought it I didn't notice the screws and planned to just paint away, which would have been a nightmare getting into all the little cubbies. 

Thankfully I took the back off after I removed the screws and all the little parts just slid out.  If it didn't come apart, it might have been the last paint project that I attempted.  On went the primer and the paint and soon it was ready for reassembly and distressing.

Using Annie Sloan Chalk Paint is an option that will cut out the priming step, however a final wax coat will be needed.  I think the shelf would look good in all sorts of colors.  The shelf holds all sorts of decorative treasures like perfume jars, old postcards sent from Europe to America, and a prayer book that my grandmother gave my uncle when he was a little boy.  I've added shelves to other areas in my house like the one below that hangs by my front door.  I caught my daughter putting her make-up on there before she ran out of the house the other day.

I put a painted bookcase on the wall of my kitchen because it was the right size.  I filled it with milk glass because I like the white color against the mid-tone paint.

See the bookshelf in the corner

Interesting shelving is hard to find.  When I see a piece I like, I usually buy it and find an empty wall in a bedroom, bathroom, kitchen or hallway.  They are nice to have where people pause or sit because it offers the opportunity to appreciated collected pieces. 

My business partner, Michelle, has all sorts of shelves filled with beautiful things.  She has a talent for displaying items so I often copy her ideas.  Michelle's grandfather made the lovely shelf below.   Look carefully at the top where there are two little birds on the shelf backing.  He made all sorts of custom items for her house before he passed away.  Not only are they beautiful shelves and furniture items but a wonderful memory of her grandfather and his talent.

Michelle's kitchen shelf made by her grandfather

Shelves are decorative on their own and provide practical and pretty ways to display collectables and practical things.

Crystal Cruets Are Beautiful and Functional

A cruet /ˈkruː.ɨt/, also called a caster, is a small flat-bottomed vessel with a narrow neck. Cruets often have an integral lip or spout, and may also have a handle. Unlike a small carafe, a cruet has a stopper or lid. Cruets are normally made from glass, ceramic, or stainless steel.

In the Victorian era cruets were made of highly decorative cut crystal and were made to be both ornamental and functional.

Pearl's Cottage features a collection of cruets on Etsy at https://www.etsy.com/shop/pearlscottage?ref=si_shop.  They are in impeccable condition and reasonably priced at $20 to $25.  I like to group three or five cruets together on a shelf, hutch or table.

https://www.etsy.com/shop/pearlscottage?ref=si_shop