BEAUTIFUL BERRIES

As much as I love Limoges Porcelain I also love other hard paste porcelains. This Berry Set is absolutely fabulous and is a Bavarian set. It features beautiful pink Roses and pink boarders. It is all hand painted to match and is from the early 1900s. It is also an affordable option when buying antique porcelain and I can use it without feeling to worried that it might get broken. I have displayed it here with some beaded strawberries in the master bowl. One of my cats thought there was real food in the bowl and tried to eat a berry.

VINTAGE TRAIN CASES NO LONGER JUST FOR TRAVEL

I like to paint vintage suitcases/train cases and here is one that I did in pink. It turned out so well that I had to keep it for myself. I painted it my favorite pink and added pink Roses. It is lovely and makes a great basket in the bath for quest towels and etc.

COFFEE ANYONE

Here is a very pretty Limoges Coffee set with tray. It has beautiful Roses painted on it. This is sitting on my antique fireplace mantel at this time. It is very pretty to look at and I always wonder where my antiques might have been at one time. Most of the Limoges I collect is around 100 years old or more. I think of the Victorian ladies that painted them and enjoyed them and I smile.

ANGEL BABIES

Here are 2 very cute Angels I made. I was in one of my favorite shops and I found these pink tiny bust that reminded me of Angels or Cherubs. I picked them up for just a couple of dollars. I brought them home and looked at them and realized they could be used to make tassels. Well the tassel idea grew and they became tassel dolls. They are all dressed up in tulle and I gave them all sorts of beads. They now happily hang in my entryway. They are lovely little Angel Babies.

THE CUPBOARD

Well it really isn't the cupboard but it is my breadbox. This was just and ordinary wood breadbox and I painted it white with blue stripes and added ROSES (of course). I also gave it a vintage styled glass knob and a bow. If you look on top of my breadbox you can see my cupcake toppers I have collected and a pink bird I painted. Along with a kitchen timer (I also painted) and a tea strainer. The breadbox is great because it sits right on my counter and making a sandwich is never any trouble at all.

A VERY SWEET VINTAGE LEFTON FIGURINE

A Very Sweet Vintage Lefton Figurine

(updated 2/2014)

This is the most adorable little figurine.  It is one of those great fine bone china LEFTON items.  I found it at an antique store that I visit every once in awhile.  I have never seen one like this so I had to have it and so I do.  However, I first saw it about 2 years before I bought it. Every time I would go there I would look at it and I even found myself looking for one online.  I never saw one on eBay or anywhere else for that matter.  Then one day while in the store I fell completely in love with it again and I bought it.  It is so beautiful and dainty, only about 2" tall.  The birds are fabulous and so are all the flowers and basket.  I think it is the sweetest thing.

I have never regretted buying it.   It is one of my favorite things.  To this day I have never found another one like.  

Note:  This post was updated 2/2014.
I added new photos of the figurine.  
Below is the original photo on this post. 

Hugs, Beverly

Tea Cottage Pretties

A VERY PINK WREATH

Here is a beautiful wreath I made from a wire hanger and pink tulle. I added pretty pink ornaments and a beautiful fabric bow and even a bird. I hung it lovingly on an old birdcage stand that I also painted pink. I made this for Christmas but I ended up leaving it up all year long. I just couldn't put it away.

IT WARMS THE HEART

Here is an old stove I found and surprisingly it was complete with the wick and everything. However, I did not want to use it for heat so I simply cleaned it up and painted it my favorite pink and sat it in my Living Room. I figured it could warm the heart now instead of the hearth.

MY NEW LIMOGES BERRY SET

Here is my latest Limoges find. It is a lovely set with a large master berry bowl and 5 smaller matching berry bowls. This set is hand painted with small pink and burgandy roses. The bowl actually sits on 3 golden feet. I am very happy to add this beautiful set to my collection.

A SET OF SEWING DRAWERS

Sewing Drawers 

I love to recycle and make something wonderful out of something that most might throw out. So here is my latest Recycle and Reuse Project.

Here is a wonderful set of vintage sewing machine drawers. I found these recently and they were in need of some TLC. They were brown and had gotten wet at some point so the laminates were coming off. I glued the laminates back on and then sanded and painted it. I added a thick batting and fabric to the top so that you can use it for a pin cushion. I then painted pink roses on the sides and painted the knobs blue and then added pink bows. I love how it turned out. Now I am not sure if I want to keep it or sell it? I have a booth that I sell some of my things in and it would probably sell pretty fast.

Oh the pretty Cider Pitcher is one of my Limoges pieces. It sits on my dinning table with flowers in it. It is stunningly beautiful.

Loving my new drawers,
Beverly

Tea Cottage Pretties

VINTAGE LIGHTING

This is a stunning lamp that I found for only $22.00 at an Antique Shop. I Love it so very much. Can you believe none of the crystals were missing? It works perfectly although I always tell folks to have the wiring checked on these vintage lamps. What a great lamp.

FRENCH PROVINCIAL FURNITURE MAKES GREAT COTTAGE FURNITURE

This is Tiffany's Chest. I managed to get her a dresser and this chest for a nice price. It is the French Provincial Style that was once popular. When I found the set it was very dirty and needed a lot of TLC. I carefully cleaned, sanded, primed and painted it a beautiful fresh white. It turned out to be very beautiful furniture for her. She loves it very much.

MY COLLEGE FRIENDS

This post is dedicated to my college friends. I graduated from Fayetteville State University - A Constituent Institution of the University of North Carolina (UNC). I have a Bachelor's Degree in Psychology and graduated in 1996. I have two minors - Sociology and Criminal Justice. I graduated with a 4.0 GPA and many awards. My friends and I supported each other and we were the best of the best. We worked hard and played even harder. I miss them all. They say your best friends are those you have in college. I believe this is true. My friends were (in no particular order) Ricky Bland, Glenna Duren, Zak Balado, Joe Toby, Fonville Day, and so many more. Here's to all my friends wherever you are. I miss you all. Love, Beverly

JUNE BUG'S CHEST

This is a beautiful vintage chest of drawers that I found at my favorite thrift shop for about $30.00. I painted it a fresh white and then painted roses on it. I painted it for my June Bug and she just loves it.

LIMOGES HAND PAINTED BROOCHES

 

This is my Limoges hand painted brooches with flowers on them. I love Roses and most of these have Roses on them. I made a backboard for them and then placed them in a beautiful frame. I can easily remove them to wear them and then place them back. They make a lovely display.

BROOCHES AND BUTTON STUDS

 

These are some antique porcelain brooches and button studs. They are Limoges and are all hand painted. I only have 2 portrait brooches but I do love them. The rest are button studs. All pieces are from the late 1800s - early 1900s. I love to collect these and I made these ribbons to display them on.

THE FRONT OF OUR HOME

This is the front of our home. I love white iron garden furniture and I have a few pieces placed around the yard.

A VANITY AND A FIREPLACE

A Vanity and A Fireplace

I found this pretty solid wood vanity at one of my favorite shops.  I plan on painting it at some point in the future but for now I put it to good use in our bedroom.  I have my antique pink Limoges vanity set and a beautiful mirror on it.  I used a vintage metal towel stand for my bracelets and necklaces.  The little chair was also found at the same shop.  I painted it white and reupholstered the chair cushion with some Shabby Chic fabric that I cut from an extra shower curtain I had purchased at Target.  Then I made a pretty bow and added it to the back of the chair.  Isn't it adorable!!!

My sister gave me the fireplace for Christmas some years ago.  It is rarely cold where we live now so I decorated the inside of the fireplace.  The pink mirror was a thrift shop find that I painted pink.  One of my favorite things are the pink candlesticks with crystals.  These were also a thrift shop find and I cleaned them up and painted them.  

See you soon, 
Beverly

Tea Cottage Pretties

MY NEW LIMOGES VASE

A recent addition to my Limoges collection. This is a lovely vase that I put together with the cloche that I found a thrift shop for $4.00. I love how it turned out. Oh and sitting in the ring box is my husband's ring that he gave to me. It is a ring that he got while he was a Recruiter for the US Army. He worked very hard and he actually earned 2 rings.

A PERFECT WINDOW

I found this iron decor item and I wanted to make it look like a window so I painted a canvas blue with birds and pink roses. The shutters on this piece actually open and close. I think it makes a great window for my upstairs landing because there really isn't a window here.

MY GUEST BEDROOM

My Guest Bedroom

We have a very small extra bedroom and I decided to turn it into a guest bedroom.   I wanted to use this fabulous antique bed that I found at a local thrift store for only $50.00.  I could not believe my luck when I found it.   When I purchased it I had no idea what I was going to do with it but like all things that I love I knew I would fit it into my life.  

So I had tons of beautiful vintage items that I have collected from thrift shops and the like.   I got them all together and thought about what I wanted for my quest bedroom.   I started by painting the walls white and then I decided to add the pink stripes.   I loved it even though it was a lot of hard work.  With the walls painted I moved the bed in and started decorating. 

I had the beautiful chandelier and I decided to paint it white.  I cleaned it, painted it, rewired it and hung it all by myself.  I used the original crystals after cleaning them up and I added more for that extra sparkle.  I just love it!

(Sorry this is not the best photo but at least you can get the idea)

Next I added the store wine rack display. I had picked this up for a few dollars and I painted it white and painted pink roses on it.  Then I added tulle and bows and crystals.  I loaded it with tons of pretty shabby chic items and vintage finds.   I thought it was the PERFECT display.  

I added the bedding which I had in my linen closet. I love Rachel Ashwell's bedding and I keep tons of it on hand. I can't seem to part with any of my linens from the Shabby Chic line.  Then I realized I did not have any kind of window treatment to go with the bedding but I had fabric.  So I made valances that can be reversed.  I added ribbon at the tops to tie into bows.  Then I thought about how to hang them and I realized that they would be perfect on glass knobs.  I had a draw full of glass knobs.  I put the glass knobs up and tied the ribbons on to them and just like that I had the perfect window treatment. 

After I finished all of this I wanted something different and I decided to paint a bird bath on the closet door with birds and roses all around (see first photo).   I loved how that turned out especially since this was my first ever such painting or a mural.   

I found a little wooden half table and  I also painted it with blues and pinks and roses.  I placed my vintage pink (I painted it pink) fan on my table and added some crystals below. then I added my fabulous white iron table and chairs.  Last I added the white table beside the bed which was a $3.00 find. It needed some repair and of course white paint but it turned out to be a keeper. 

Hung mirrors, a shelf, and added other vintage finds like my vintage fireplace insert which cost me $1.00 plus paint. Oh and a sweet little birdbath and a pink tree. Finally after having tons of fun decorating this sweet bedroom I was finished and I now call this MY little BEDROOM.  Well I might let someone spend the night here but secretly it is my bedroom. I love going here to escape and relax. 

I am happy with our Guest Room and I can't wait to have my Mother-In-Law over to stay. 

Hugs,
Beverly

Tea Cottage Pretties

A GARDEN KITCHEN

This is my kitchen. It is suppose to look like a Garden. Notice the Victorian screen door I put on my pantry and laundry room entrance. There is a white picket fence painted around my island in the kitchen. Also the walls have Ivy painted on them. Although you can't really see it in the pictures there are birds here and there and even a rabbit. My antique dinning room table and chairs also has a china cabinet. I bought these already painted a beautiful blue color. They were painted many years ago by the original owners. I love my chandelier that I got from a Flea Market in North Carolina.

A PINK LOVE SEAT

A Pink Love Seat 

I love pin and I so wanted a pink sofa.  I have not been able to find one so I was tickled pink when I found this slipcover at Target.  I covered my old love seat and I now have a beautiful sitting area.  The coffee table was a thrift shop find that i painted white and placed a beautiful piece of fabric under the glass.  The tea set is an antique Bavarian set.  the flower arrangement under the dome is by Rachel Ashwell.  

I think everything came together very well and I so happy with my new sitting area. 

Dreaming of pink, 

Beverly

Tea Cottage Pretties

LIMOGES PORCELAIN

Some of my Limoges Antique Porcelain

ONE OF MY FAVORITE THINGS

One of my favorite things!

This is a beautiful Limoges Coffee Pot. It is one of my lastest finds and I absolutely adore it. I love Limoges that has blue colors with pink roses and this Coffee Pot fits the bill. It is stunning and so very well painted. It dates from the late 1800's to early 1900's. Just a lovely example of Victorian Art.

WELCOME TO MY TEA ROOM

Welcome To My Tea Room

Well really it is my formal living room area.  It is a large room with a combined living and dining area. I wanted to fill this space with vintage things that I love and to do it in a cost effective way. For my dining room I found a beautiful vintage table and chairs for only $100.00.  I brought it home and striped it and sanded it and painted it white. I reupholstered the chairs using a Rachel Ashwell shabby chic fabric in  blue with pink hydrangeas .  I added a beautiful vintage china cabinet that I also repainted white. Inside I placed my collection of vintage porcelain. To top it all off I added a beautiful inexpensive crystal chandelier. 

In the living area I found a beautiful vintage fireplace mantel for just a few dollars that I made the focal point of the room.  I added lots of vintage furniture that I painted white and a pink slipcover to my sofa. I also added lots of blue fabric with touches of pink and many pink accents to bring it all together. Most of the items in this room are vintage things I picked up for very little money.  I spent my time in thrift shops searching for those special pieces. Many I had to clean and paint and make beautiful again. Over time I decorated my formal areas and I am happy with the outcome. 

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MY HOLIDAY REINDEER

My Holiday Reindeer

Here sit my reindeer looking so beautiful and sweet with their innocent eyes and tilted heads. They are beautiful vintage white porcelain smooth as silk. They have a story to tell and somehow they speak to me.  I imagine the person that cast them and held them in their hands as they examined their creation.  I imagine the paintbrush that was used to glaze them and skillfully paint their eyes giving them a personality. Once the reindeer were finished, I imagine they must have been so proud of their sweet creation.  These sweet reindeer have been somewhere for all these years and someone has surely loved them. They are a part of another families memories and now they will a part of mine. It is my time to display them with my Christmas decor and to include them in the memories of my family.  One day my children will see something that will remind them of my reindeer and the Christmas memories will come flooding back to  them.  One day the sweet reindeer will move on and maybe become a part of the memories of another who has yet to love them.    

 I found these cuties in one of my favorite thrift shops.  They are from the 80's and these happen to be planters. They were a lovely shade of white but I wanted to make them extra special.  So I added touches of pink and pink glitter to their antlers, tails and hooves. Then I added pink and white Christmas decorations inside the planters and pink bows, flowers and crystals around their neck.  I love how they turned out so sweet and pretty.  They sit proudly on my foyer entry table waiting for Christmas morning. 

See you soon,
Beverly

Tea Cottage Pretties

MY PAPER HOUSES

My Paper Christmas Houses

For one of my first postings I thought I would share some pictures of my paper houses and churches I made last year for the Holiday Season. I have sweet Christmas memories of the little putz houses from my childhood.  My Mom would place them on our tree and on the fireplace mantel. Our fireplace happen to be one of those cardboard fireplaces with the spinning light.  I use to sit and watch the fire flicker and it always made me feel warm and cozy. 

When I found these cardboard houses they were plain and lackluster.  So I brought them home and painted them a beautiful white and added touches of pink and blue. I added sugar glitter to give them that extra sparkle. I then added beads and bows and tiny bottle brush trees.   These beautiful little houses and churches are now ready to be displayed on my vintage fireplace mantel and I think they are perfect. 

INTRODUCTION

Welcome to Tea Cottage Pretties!

My name is Beverly and I am new to blogging but I wanted to give it a try. I am 44 years old and I am married to Eric who is 39 years old. At the risk of sounding cliche, I am lucky to have married my true Prince. This October we will have been married for 13 years. My "Prince" is actually a "Knight" because he servers in the US Army. He is a very honorable, noble and loyal soldier. We have 3 beautiful children. I have a son Christopher Lynn who is 27 years old. We have two girls Tiffany Lynn Lexie age 12 and Faith June Meadow (we call her June Bug) who is 5 years old. Oh yes and we have 2 beautiful white lynx point cats, a girl named Baby and a boy named Prince. We are first and foremost a loving and supportive Family.

I have a BS in Psychology and I love crafting, painting, decorating and collecting. I collect Limoges and other hard paste porcelains. I also collect just about anything that strikes my fancy. The only problem with this is that so many things strike my fancy. I love old things and very rarely do I find new things that I want. Therefore I find myself shopping at thrift Shops, craft malls, and flea markets. I prefer Cottage Decor and love using SHABBY CHIC (R) items to decorate my home. My favorite color is Blue but I also love Pink. I love pink Roses and Hydrangea's. I love white painted furniture and old architectural items. I love pink glass, old linens, teapots, pink Pyrex, and vintage linens. I wanted a place to share my family, crafts, decorating and of course my collecting with others. Also, maybe an occasional thought about this wonderful world in which we live. So I found myself here and it is here that I will begin my new adventure..................

Beverly

Tea Cottage Pretties