vcb

Vintage Cottage Beauty has its first show of the season this weekend.  Friday and Saturday 10 17-18 at Sara Bush Hospital in Mattoon, Il.  Come see what we've been mixing up for all your pampering and gift giving needs.

kitchen full of boxes and bags check

check lists, equipment and tools check

new products ready for sale check

YEP it's show time

More Savannah

Our next two days in Savannah we spent touring the historic district and river front area.  The traffic is horrible and the parking is poor so I highly recommend taking one of the trolleys.  We used Old Town Trolley and their guides were full of information and interesting facts.  It made 16 stops and you could get off and on as much as you wanted for two days.  The trolley and a river boat cruise was $57 each a real bargain for the lack of aggravation.  We visited the old market, many historic homes, saw the squares that were originally set up and hit plenty of shopping spots.  Later that day we went to the river front and took a ride up the Savannah river to learn more of the history of the area.  Savannah is the third largest sea port in the US and there were plenty of large container ships to check out.
We finished that very long day with dinner at the Pirates House.  The first building in Savannah and where Oglethorpe and his council set up what would become the state of Georgia.  The building where the restaurant is was built in 1732.  There are tunnels running under the house where pirates carried their goods into town and supposedly shanghaied men who had a little too much to drink.  They would wake at sea to find them selves with the choice of working for the pirate ship or walking the plank. The food at the restaurant was fabulous.  Best pecan crusted chicken I've ever had.

many of the sidewalks were made with oyster shells, interesting

historic homes everywhere

Mercer home from the movie Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil

Mrs Wilkes supposedly the best buffet in Savannah

the town is filled with churches everywhere you look, this was the first Methodist church in the area

Pirates house restaurant

More on the trip next week

Savannah

We just got back from a week in Savannah, Ga and loved it.  I could have stayed much longer but alas we had to return to the real world.  Lets do a little tour.

We usually put our suitcases on the kitchen table to do any last minute packing.  I guess these guys thought we should take them along

After our arrival the first place we visited was the city museum and visitors center.  We learned more about the history of the city. its industries and famous people from there

Bench that Tom Hanks sat on during the movie Forrest Gump.  Movies are a big thing in Savannah, while we were there they were filming Magic Mike 2.  We did come up on one of the sets but no sign of Chaning Tatum(sigh)

Many of the early 20th century industrialist and inventors stayed in Savannah part of the year

typical room setting for the 1800's

Julia Gordon Lowe dress  she made me look very tall

hand woven coverlet a big business here when cotton was king

loom for weaving

coverlet can you imagine the hours this took

If you go to Savannah wear comfy shoes, layers of clothes and forget driving in the historic district, take the trolley system.  More tomorrow.

picket fence ideas

I love picket fences, they just have an old fashioned look to them.  Here are a few things I've done with them lately.

back of our display shelves.  These come apart and lay flat for easy transport

pieces of fence fashioned into a serving tray

box for flowers, office goods, bath necessities etc to fence ends and 1X8 sides.

cabinet doors

When I come across cabinet doors I grab them.  You can make all kinds of things with just a little imagination, some hardware and paint.  Here are just a few I've done recently.

chalk board and a jar hanger to the side

small door with hooks 

signs

serving tray

jar holder, you could put flowers, loose change from the laundry room or with a couple of hooks added hold your dog treats along with their leash and coat

trash desk

I found the base for this cute desk in a free pile at a sale.  Both drop leaves were gone and the corner of the top had been cut off.  I took off the top, did a little tightening on the legs and gave that a coat of black satin paint.  I called our local lumber yard and they cut and delivered the boards for the top.  No charge isn't that amazing?  I stenciled on the numbers I cut on my Cricut.  A couple of braces underneath holds the top pieces together.  A coat of stain, distressing and coat of wax finished the job.  I love it so much I may have to keep this one.

soap time

VCB's first big show of the season is just a few weeks away.  I like our soap to cure for 3-6 weeks before I wrap it.  The drying time makes to soap last much longer.  As I make each batch I pile them on trays and have been stacking them on the guest room bed.  I'm trying a few new things this year and new variations of old favorites.

honey almond with chamomile 

peppermint

pink grapfruit with lime and lemon zest

green tea with luffa