teenage parties

Forget the balloons, the treasure hunts, the tug of war and pin the tail on the donkey.

Long gone those days

Now we are into the teenage party

-  pause ... take a valium ...   no, better make that two ... pause  -

My children are great, I dote on them, I can be strict but actually I am super indulgent.  Our home is open to their friends, that's the  way we love it.  Why?   .....

1.   because I love to get to know the people they want to spend time with 

2.  because they are safer here than out on the town, and

3.  because it just makes me happy to have the house full to the brim.

So when my sixteen year old says "Mummy, can I organise a surprise birthday party for Sebastian here, we'll just be 8, we'll sleep in tents, we won't make any noise ......"  and I know full well it will end up at least 15 of them, with music and a sleepless night, I invariably say " yes darling, of course, what would you like for the birthday supper?"...

So it was again this weekend - the party was for a certain Baptiste, the eight guests grew to twenty three.  Tents were pitched, sleeping bags appeared,   but I'm pretty sure nobody slept a wink and the next morning I served le petit-dejeuner in order of arrival, but mostly continually between 8 and 11.30!!

Sounds grim?  No, it was wonderful .....

For a start, the said daughter made the birthday cake.  Some of the friends arrived early
and together they prepared most of the dinner themselves.

The birthday boy arrived and was visibly thrilled that his mates had prepared
this expression of affection.

The evening was a huge success, the music was cool, they laughed a lot as
they sat around our barbecue table and chatted

OK, so I did have to get out of bed at 4.50am and suggest that it might be a good
moment to retire to the tents, but you know what?    they agreed!!

and this morning..... I sat down and drunk a cup of tea with the first breakfast sitting - the coolest , sweetest kids you could meet.  I was rewarded for my presence with magic tricks - EXCELLENT - and then a piano recital  ....SIGH

This morning it felt good to be a mother :)  :)  :) !!

Birdsong Bows Giveaway Winner

And the winner(s) of the Birdsong Bows Pattern Giveaway are............

Congratulations to you both!!  Please email Lindsay at thecottagemama[at]gmail[dot]com with your contact information and we will get these patterns out to you as soon as possible.  Thank you so much to everyone who entered! 

We've got a great PDF sewing pattern giveaway scheduled for this next week from one of our new sponsors, Tie Dye Diva Sewing Patterns, so stay tuned.  If you are interested in becoming a sponsor of The Cottage Home blog, feel free to email me for rates and more information.

{ Design Board - Pay Pal Issues Solved }

* Happy 4th of July Weekend *

if you've been having problems 

when clicking the Pay Pal button 

to purchase a  Design Board

the issue has been solved.

Cara Guest Room by paintedhome on Polyvore.com

So, click away!

and enjoy your weekend

making choices and moving forward

Maybe it's just an age thing, but these days I feel the 

need for more peace and positivity around me.

I no longer wish to spend time with people who deliberately talk badly of others, who put people  down, who criticise uselessly.   Younger, I may have been disturbed by their comments, tried to change their opinion, curry their favour.  Today, I simply turn a page.  Take two steps back, turn around and walk away.  It is simple actually.

Let's spread some positive-ness .  It's fun to showcase others good points, to see them blossom under the spotlight.  It has nothing to do with religion or politics, all about feeling good and making others feel good too!

In the same way that we try to  find the best vantage point when taking a photo, we can also pinpoint the best way to approach a situation, or get to know someone.  Keep our eyes and minds open for the good bits, take no notice of the bad.

It is more enjoyable to move forward, build, learn and hopefully help to create some harmony and well being.  It is healthier  for the body and the mind.  The feel good factor is way greater.

One of the things I appreciate in this blogging world, is the kindness and generosity shown between bloggers.   Sometimes this is merely intelligent mutual promotion, but often it springs from a genuine joy at something shared, admiration for the talents of others.  And goodness knows there's tons of that floating around the blogosphere.

That's it for today; no decorating, no flowers, nothing French.  Just the need to think kind thoughts and to wish you all a loving and generous weekend!

Sorry I can't credit this picture, I found it on google.  Happy to correct if someone knows the source!

{ Shopping for the 4th }

Just in time for the 4th,

 I found Lulu,

Sweet Lulu.

and you can too.

They've got the greatest vintage party ware.

Perfect for a summer party.

I'm lovin' these blue straws.

and, of course, an apron for the hostess!

Playdate Outfit Sew Along: Day 5 - Capris/Shorts

If you've made it this far, I want to say thank you for staying with me.  I've had a lot of fun sewing with you all so far!  And I hope you guys are having fun too.

So now we are moving on to the capris/shorts.  I decided to make the capris for my little lady, so I will be referring to them as such through this post.

First we need to add the cuff to the capris.  Place the cuff on top of the bottom of the pants, right sides together and sew together at the bottom edge.  Do this on all four pant pieces.  Press seams open and then press the right side as well.

If you notice, I marked my back pant pieces with a safety pin so I can easily tell them apart from the front pieces......sometimes it's really hard to tell.

Next line up a front and back piece, right sides together and sew down the long center curve of the pants.  Press seams open.  I opted to use my serger here because the pants were not lined.  If you don't have a serger (which I'm sure a lot of you don't), then just be sure to use your pinking shears to finish the edges to prevent fraying.

Open the pieces you just sewed together.  Line up the front and back pieces with one another, right sides together and sew around the crotch area.  Press seams open.

Now you have what pretty much looks like a pair of pants.  Stitch both side seams, right sides together, but make sure to stop before you sew the cuff as the pattern instructs.

Next, press the cuff to make the seams for the side slits.  Pin in place and stitch according to pattern directions.  I'm not 100% that I did this correctly, but it seemed to work out well.

Above is what the cuff side slits will look like after you have stitched them into place.

Next we need to hem the capris.  Turn the hem up 1/2" and then another 1/2" towards the wrong side of the pants and stitch into place.  This is where I love to use my hem gauge - it comes in very handy for this step!

Now we move onto the waist-band.  Stitch the front and back of the waist-band, right sides together, at the side seams.

I don't know if you recall, but I think the back waist-band piece (H) was labeled incorrectly as front waist-band, so don't let this confuse you.

Press your waist-band side seams and then press your waist-band in half.

Open your waistband back up and sew your elastic into the back waist-band piece at the side seams.  Make sure to stitch this back and forth several times so it is nice and secure.  Again, this is another spot where I think I did what the instructions called for, but I'm not 100% sure.

Once you've sewn in the elastic at the side seams fold the waist-band back in half.  Place the raw edge of the waist-band in line with the raw edge of the top of the capris.  Stitch into place and press seams open.  I found this to be slightly tricky with the elastic already sewn in, but just work with it and it will turn out just right.

Here is what your waist-band will look like once you have pressed your seams.  It will be nice and flat on the front and gathered with elastic on the back.  A flat front pant gives a really nice look on a little girl because it reduces any of the bulk in the front that elastic might cause.

So, that's it!!  We're done.  If you have your own labels, now would be a good time to sew one into your garment!  And now it's time to try your outfit on your little lady and be proud of all your hard work.  There is nothing better than having my girls LOVE one of the outfits I've made for them.  It makes all the time (and sometimes frustration) well worth it!

So here's my completed outfit for Miss Savannah Rose.  I added a woven trim at the bottom of the top just to add a little interest.

Thank you guys SO much for joining me on this sewing journey.  I hope you had fun and maybe learned a little something along the way.  I know, I did! 

And don't forget, click HERE to add your pictures to The Cottage Home Flickr Pool to enter The Cottage Home "Sew Along" contest.  Next week I will reveal the finalists and then the readers will get to vote on their favorite look.  The prize is a $50 gift certificate to Fairytale Frocks and Lollipops to use on anything in the shop - who wouldn't want that, right?

living in an old french home

I was asked this week what I like about living in our old French home,
it got me thinking ..... the pleasure is in the details

Each day here I savour the ....

swirling balustrade to the central stairs

porcelain door handles,  smooth to the touch 

view from my bedroom window

double opening front doors that feel so welcoming 

log fires in our sitting room and dining room

slate roof on our barn

 breakfasts on our terrace

tiles on my garden wall

little potager to tend

wisteria growing around my windows

and shared meals around our barbecue

What's at the top of your list of favourite spots in your home?