a french address for brocante

While the brocante fairs are put on hold at this time of year, I have to satisfy my craving for finding treasure elsewhere.  Local suppliers are among my favourite haunts, but sometime soon I shall jump in my car and drive to this amazing place for the day.

Up in the north of France, heading towards Belgium is Bruxelles Antiques, where they have taken the concept of a store to a completely different level.   The owners, who are also expert in decoration,  welcome their clients individually and help them in their choice,  To complement the store and  encourage their shoppers  to hang around they have a restaurant on site.

It looks to me like a great place for a day trip with a couple of girlfriends, or maybe I could persuade my husband to take me there for lunch!  But it is over 2 hours from us, he may not leap for joy at that idea!

Voila!  A few images to get us dreaming and moving in the right direction at the start of the year.  I hope you have some fun projects lined up too!

A Big Giveaway from Me to You!

I thought we would start 2012 off with a bang here on The Cottage Home with a giveaway from me to you.  Why?  Because I know I've told you before, but I so, so appreciate you all stopping by and leaving such sweet comments every day.  This is the least I can do to say thank you for all your support.

So what do I have for you today?

I have a set of my favorite fabric organizers!  These fabric organizers are the best.  They make organizing your fabric yardage so easy.  This set includes 72 organizers in three different sizes (24 of 3 different sizes).  I did a post on these organizers awhile back (click HERE to read more).

Here's how the organizers work:

The organizers pictured above are for your yardage.  They can hold up to 7-8 yards per organizer.

I'm all about getting organized this year, so I am so excited for one of you to win this set!  There are many ways to organize your fabric, but trust me, these are the best!

In the pictures above, you can see the organizers in action.  I took these pictures yesterday so this is what is currently stored in my studio on these mini-bolts (yes, I know, I think I need a support on my two shelves - lol - fabric is heavy).  They will make your sewing room feel like a fabric store.  When you can see all your fabrics clearly, it is incredibly inspiring and makes you want to create.

Next, I have a brand new book for you called 'The Busy Girls Guide to Sewing'.  Like the title?  Yes, I do too.  I'm always feeling like there are never enough hours in the day to complete all the projects I have in my head.  With 'The Busy Girls Guide to Sewing' by Carrie Maclennan, you can focus in on projects based on how much time you have to sew during the day.

My favorite part about this book is the way it's arranged into sections based on the amount of time you have to sew.  Maybe it's 30 minutes or 60 minutes........whatever the amount of time you have, you can make sure to get your sewing fix.  It also includes information about fabric, the creative online community and lots of other fun sewing tidbits.

I've taken the liberty to wrap two of the smaller organizers with some of my favorite trims from my personal collection.  A majority of these are high-quality woven trims and all can be great additions to any of your sewing projects.  I believe in focusing on the details in sewing and I think adding unique trims can help you achieve that heirloom quality look and feel.  I cut most of these as one yard cuts, however, there are a few two yard cuts as well.

And what do you need to complete your latest sewing project?  Woven labels!  I ordered a set of these because I just thought you all would really love them.  I love the saying, 'Made by Hand, Stitched with Love'.  It's just so true.  Whenever I am working on a project whether it is for one of my children, for a friend or even an order from my etsy shop, I am constantly thinking about the recipient.  Thinking about how they will use the item, the look on their face when they receive it, and all the fun things that comes with giving handmade.

There are 3 yards worth of labels on one card which yields quite a few labels.  I've also listed two more of these sets in my etsy shop, in case some of you would just prefer to snatch up one of these right now (click here).

And finally, I have a fat quarter bundle of some of my favorite Anna Griffin fabrics from her line, "Carmen".  You will receive 8 fat quarters in coordinating prints for a total of two full yards.  There are so many projects you can do with fat quarters that I think you will really enjoy this little collection.

So there you have it!  A nice little giveaway to get your 2012 started off right.

The box of 72 organizers plus all the other goodies is packed and ready to be shipped to one of the lucky The Cottage Home blog readers.

Again, thank you all for your support and I'm looking forward to an inspiring, creative 2012!

~Here's how to enter ~

*Please answer the following question:  Aside from sewing tutorials/projects, what kinds of posts are you hoping to see on The Cottage Home in 2012?  I assume most of you are into sewing, so what else are you looking for (i.e. recipes, family life, quilting, clothing design, organization, business, pattern making, entertaining, kids, inspiration, book reviews, giveaways, ect......)?

In addition to answering the question above*, you can add additional entries by:

~Becoming a follower of The Cottage Home blog (follow in the left side-bar of the blog).

~'Like' The Cottage Mama on Facebook (click HERE).

~Post on your Facebook or Twitter about this giveaway.

Giveaway will be open until next Monday ~ January 9, 2012 at midnight (CST).

A New Year

 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8

how we spent our new years eve

7pm. Aubrey walks his little sister down the aisle.

9:30pm. My brother picks Oscar and me up from the wedding, and brings me back to my parents house. I put Oscar to bed in a spare room (I put a mattress on the floor) and slip into jeans. (But leave my gold sparkly top on.)

10 pm - We nibble on some food like my Mom's awesome finger sandwiches. I'm a sucker for finger sandwiches.

10:30: Play Scattegories. Awesome game.

11:45pm. Getting ready to ring in the New Year (Pictured below my little sister, brother, and his girlfriend Lindsay)

12:00 A.M : Aubrey has made it in time to ring in the New Year with me, so I get a kiss. :) The whole family honks our honkers from the dollar store as we wear our fancy hats. Mom breaks out the sparkling juice and we cheers to 2012.
12:45 A.M Wake Oscar for the drive back to our house
1:15 A.M Home
1:30 A.M Oscar and I snuggle in his bed, and fall asleep holding hands.

So many lovely photos to post, but alas, so little time. I hope you all had a lovely night with someone you care about. xo Linds

looking ahead

A long walk is in order today, but besides that the first day of the new year is a day of reflection, of plans, of optimism and rest.

 Here the morning is calm, the discussion gentle, a little light housework to be done by my daughter after her party :), there was a breakfast for 12 earlier on, a lunch en famille and after the walk it will be a book beside the fire for me.

I refuse to use the word resolutions, because I am notoriously bad at sticking to them, but I definitely like to think about directions, projects, hopes and desires.

 Tomorrow I shall tell you more about my wishlist for 2012 ..... or maybe not.
Tomorrow is another day.

Quiet Time

Happy New Year! May God bless you throughout this year and may you always know His peace.

Calendar Via

a worldwide happy new year

  I am lucky enough to have readers from all over the world ,  kind enough to stop by at my blog.  I wish you all a very happy new year, wherever you are, and thank you again for reading me. 

bonne année   -    voorspoedige nuwejaar -      عام سعيد  -  sretna nova godina  - З новым годам  -  xin nian kuai le  -  pace e salute  -  godt nytår  -  head uut aastat  -  gelukkig nieuwjaar  - šťastný nový rok  -  onnellista uutta vuotta  -  გილოცავთ ახალ წელს  -  ein gutes neues Jahr  - kali chronia  -  sal mubarak  - bònn ané  -   שנה טובה  -  nav varsh ki subhkamna  -  boldog új évet   -    gleðilegt nýtt ár  -  selamat tahun baru  -   ath bhliain faoi mhaise  -   felice anno nuovo  -   akemashite omedetô  -  새해 복 많이 받으세요  - sala we ya nû pîroz be  -   laimīgu Jauno gadu  -  laimingų Naujųjų Metų  - Среќна Нова Година  -  umyaka omucha omuhle  - godt nyttår  -  szczęśliwego nowego roku  -   سال نو مبارک  -   feliz ano novo  - С Новым Годом  -  bliadhna mhath ur   - Срећна нова година  -   

sanad wanagsan  - feliz año nuevo  -    สวัสดีปีใหม่   -   yeni yılınız kutlu olsun   -  unyaka omusha omuhle   -   blwyddyn newydd dda

2011 hasn't been the easiest year for our world, nobody knows what the new one will bring.  It seems to me that all we do can do is live decently, be kind, do our best, and care for those around us.  The rest will have to sort itself out.  This year I'm looking forward to writing and sharing and learning and making new friends, thank you for keeping me company.