Launching "A coastal Christmas"

Over the years I have collected many vintage treasures, mainly in the area of vintage china and pottery, fine vintage bed linens and a few carefully selected vintage and antique quilts.

This is in addition to my primary business of one of a kind quiltmaking to special order and my sister business of buying and selling vintage cross stitch and applique quilt kits (http://www.novascotiaquilts.com/) .

12 piece Japanese lustreware breakfast set

The time has come where I need to start dispersing my carefully selected treasures and I am opening a site called "A Coastal Christmas" (http://www.acoastalchristmas.blogspot.com/) which will be both an online and a bricks and mortar resource, operating year round  for fine

vintage treasures out of my home here in Hall's Harbour, Nova Scotia. 

Sweet pair of  hand embroidered and picot edge pillowslips

Some of the items offered will overlap  with my other site - http://www.funkybabymine.blogspot.com/, which sells a variety of vintage treasures, but most will be new and fresh to the market.

Double/queen hand embroidered and quilted - from a vintage kit

What I am offering is the opportunity to choose a lovely treasure that already has been pre-selectd  out of the less desirable items which usually make up the majority of vintage and antique items in shops and online.

If it had major defects I walked on by - I am choosy in what I buy and you will find no items with major defects here. If I would'nt display it myself - I won't sell it to you.

Late 1890's indigo and double pink flying geese quilt - immaculate!

This is particularly true of the vintage and antique quilts and the vintage bed linens I offer - you deserve to be able to display a clean undamaged quilt and linens on your bed, and you won't find anything else here.

So please go on over to http://www.acoastalchristmas.blogspot.com/ and view the items I have shown you above - along with details  and pricing. Remember, I am set up to take Paypal and am happy to discuss two or three equal monthly payments to secure your choices. Otherwise your personal cheque is acceptable in USD, other currencies please check with me first.

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Meanwhile, next week regular chatty blogging will resume. I've been very busy with commissions over the last couple of months, but that is easing slightly.

Until next week - cheers! Janet

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What I've Been Doing Lately - it certainly hasn't been blogging!

In terms of my current workload, there simply aren't enough hours in a day. I have a full plate - designing and working on a queen/king size wedding quilt; doing an appliqued art quilt which is one in a long series of art quilts for a very good return customer; working on a wholecloth queen sized quilt for another return customer; and restoring a beautiful circa 1928 silk crazy quilt. In addition I write and research a blog entry a week for a client and manage SEO for him; as well as researching and continually checking the secondary market in vintage quilt kits, both applique and cross stitch for my business at  http://www.novascotiaquilts.com/ 

No real excuses for losing my blogging mojo though, except for the fact that winter should be over and isn't! I admit to a certain amount of cabin fever and impatience and some of my local friends in my sidebar are saying the same thing.

On to a happier subject: Here is the centre block in a medallion of 9 blocks celebrating aspects of a recently married couple's life together. This particular block celebrates their wedding day, and when finished will be embroidered with their names and their wedding date. So it doesn't quite look finished, but I'm currently ready to move on and come back later to put the finishing touches on. The background is one of the Hoffman 1895 range of batiks as will be many other of the fabrics in the quilt. The 1895 range of colours is very pleasing, and the fabric is silky, soft and very closely woven so it is very stable and takes both embroidery and applique well. The appliques have been done using vintage floral prints and some more recent repro fabrics from the 1800's, and have been enhanced by embroidered details.  I hope you like it!

Maybe in the next few days I will have something to show you on the crazy quilt restoration, especially if we get a little natural daylight around her! The flash does unpredictable things to silk due to the silks' irridescence and lustre - the photographed colours are not true and tend to be far more harsh than they are in the flesh - oh well!
I must get going before the day is fully out of control - I need to bring some more wood into the house and make some supper casserole preparations as well as do a little more stitching.
Stay warm and look out on the ice - driveways are treacherous around here!
Hugs
Janet

CHECK OUT MY GUEST POST at http://www.coldantlerfarm.blogspot.com

I've just had my first ever guest post published on Jenna's blog: http://coldantlerfarm.blogspot.com/

Needless to say, I'm just thrilled that Jenna is hosting my post on her blog!  Back in the fall, I quickly joined her wool CSA when she announced it and was lucky to get in as there is now a waiting list. I can hardly wait to receive the major shipment of this year's share which is expected to be sometime in late summer after her sheep are shorn and the wool processed and spun at a nearby mill.

Since I received two skeins and the hat I made for Jenna took less than one skein, I am going to knit another, smaller one for a baby or child this weekend and will show you the results as soon as it is finished and put up for sale on my shop: http://www.funkybabymine.blogspot.com/ which in addition to vintage treasures features items for babies and children.

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In other news, the giveaway held by http://www.fiberfarm.com/blog in aid of Pete's Greens is over, having raised over $11,000 to help cover the uninsured loss by fire of the huge barn which supported the Pete's CSA, and I was among the lucky winners - I have won the entire selection of patterns published by "Champagne Maker" at: http://stitchpoet.blogspot.com/  I gave a child's size wholecloth quilt kit to the cause, and Julie, the winner will be receiving it in the mail very soon.

(I must apologize to all my various giveaway winners as this winter has seen a huge amount of snow and it has been very difficult for me to get out as I am somewhat disabled. I still have one set of prizes to go out on Monday - everything else is on its way!!!)

Hmmmmmm..... maybe something like this to make from Jenna's next shipment of wool? This lovely  selection of pretty patterns is going to really expand my horizons - I need to brush up on cables!!! Or maybe a lovely cowl - I'll also be getting that pattern - actually there will be over 30 arriving on my doorstep very soon!!! Yeay!!
Have to go take lunch out of the oven - catch you later.
Keep warm and safe this weekend.
Janet

A REALLY DESERVING GIVEAWAY

I received an email yesterday alerting me to a giveaway benefitting a young farmer in Vermont who lost his whole CSA storage and processing barn to fire two weeks ago - a loss of half a million dollars which is only partially covered by insurance, will make it difficult for him to get up and running again as he lost all his stock, freezers full of meats and his packing machinery and stores. His CSA offers meat, fresh vegetables and fruit and locally grown and processed grain. People in the localvore and green movement are rallying to his support and to the support of the organic CSA movement.
Check out what happened  at Pete's Greens website:  http://www.petesgreens.com/index.html  Then go to the site that is hosting the most amazing giveaway to benefit Pete's operation and help get him up and running again: http://www.fiberfarm.com/2011/01/a-friend-in-need

Even if you are unable to donate, you can still enter the giveaway, but you will have only until Feb 6 to do so - so hurry!
In the winter, I am always short of disposable income due to extra electric and snow clearing costs, but I always have lots of good things in my stash so I have offered the choice of one of two prizes:
1) A Benartex wholecloth quilt kit - all you add is the quilting thread and the quilt batting and I am also offering email support and advice to the first time hand quilter too!

OR 2)you may choose a $50 gift certificate to spend on my vintage treasures online boutique: http://www.funkybabymine.blogspot.com/  which features children's items, vintage handmade and embroidered houselinens, small vintage decorative items, etc.
Pop on over and check it out - just click on the button in my sidebar on the right.

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Remember, too, that the Moda Pillow Talk Blog Giveaway starts today - go to http://modafabrics.blogspot.com/2011/01/pillow-talk.html  to get started! There are some great blogs to visit and some great prizes.

See you soon - meantime, if you are on the eastern seaboard, both Canada and the US, batten down for a good one - I see a roaring woodstove and home made bread in my immediate future!!
Take care - and warm hugs from Janet!

ENDURING WINTER - WAITING FOR SPRING

Last Friday we had a little of everything - we woke up to snow which later in the morning became heavy, but by later in the afternoon we had passed through sleet and settled on drizzling rain and a wind from the southeast.
By bedtime, the wind had backed around to the northwest and was howling in off the Bay of Fundy. Saturday morning dawned very cold but with the wind gradually lessening. The high winds had coincided with high tide and the phase of the moon which means a higher tide than usual, and the damage to facilities at the harbour here was extensive.
Compare this photo with the one I posted in my last post - the view that sunny summer day was taken from the same level as the structures in the photo above are built on - the ripped off shingles were caused by large items such as a small shed and the small craft mooring pontoons which were in their winter storage positions nearby being thrown against them. The buildings are seasonally used storage for the Lobster Pound Restaurant and a building used as a Gallery for artists. It would appear the Lobster Pound itself and the Restaurant and washroom buildings must have had water in them too, and their raised septic bed had damage.
There was as well some erosion damage to seaside embankments on which homes are located. This points up very clearly the peril coastal communities the world round will face in the future due to rising sea levels coupled with increasing intensity of weather systems affecting us.

The weekend was intensely cold, at a consistent minus 18 celsius but the biggest factor in enduring that cold in an old uninsulated house like mine is the wind factor and that was variable settling down a little Saturday only to start to rise again Sunday evening and peak last night before settling again.
I did my usual thing - wandered around with a supply of left over quilt batting strips and a butter knife, tucking batting into all the drafty cracks I found, and keeping doors to the outside and to unheated parts of my house covered with heavy drapes. Both days I was a sight to behold with a knitted cap tied under my chin and two layers of clothing topped by a nordic fleece dressing gown - yikes - thank goodness no one was out and about visiting and thank goodness I didn't have a chimney fire - what a sight to behold! But today, it is rising to a balmy minus 11 and some gentle snow is sifting down out there and snow heralds warmer weather!

Have spent my time searching the internet and writing ideas down for improving my old 1820's house for next year. The old house has at best a layer of birchbark under a layer of shingles and many of the windows really need replacing, but so does my bathroom floor and that must come first.
I'm looking at another woodburning stove and have found something I just love - it is a compact oven cooktop and is small, sleek and nicely designed and engineered - it would be compatible with my old kitchen and could be installed in front of the bricked up fireplace and bake oven combo. It is manufactured in Vermont so I have sent an email to see if it is possible to buy in Nova Scotia.


I also have been checking out a new site that my daughter has launched as a Kindle book lending  exchange now that Amazon has allowed lending to take place. Check it out at http://www.kindlelendingclub.com/   - if you already have a Kindle or are considering buying one, borrowing books makes a lot of sense - even if you can't finish it in the allotted two week span, then you will know if it is a book you'd like to buy and can go ahead and purchase it from Amazon instead. I've put the link on my Blogs and Website sidebar, so go check it out.

It's now finally warm enough in the house to be able to attack the hand applique I'm doing, so I must go now and first bring in more wood; and second spend a few hours at quiltmaking.
Cheers everyone - winter will be over soon!
Keep warm!   Janet

A GREAT GIVEAWAY OVER AT BELLA'S

It's been a busy few weeks since New Years. As always in winter there is a lot to do in an old house to keep the cold and frozen pipes at bay. It has been a scurry of lugging wood in, ashes out; and waking a few times each night to keep the woodstove filled up and pumping heat. We've had lots of snow, but we're now a month past winter solstice and the days are gradually lengthening - can spring be far behind?

I've been busily designing blocks for an appliqued wedding quilt celebrating a life together for a young Nova Scotian couple who were married last August. As it develops and after they are the first to see the photos, I will be sharing them on this blog.

Last evening I was browsing around some new blogs about home decor - wanting to send URL's to an American friend who is renovating a 1930's Arts and Crafts style home, and I came across Bella's blog. Bella is hosting a giveaway which will be drawn next Wednesday. She is giving away a copy of the January 2011 issue of Jeanne d'Arc magazine. A cover shot  and a typical inside spread are shown below.   Go to http://bellashabby.blogspot.com/2011/01/jeanne-d-arc-living-magazine-give-away.html  to sign up by commenting - you  can earn an extra ballot by becoming a follower of Bella's blog and another still if you blog about it on your own blog, as I am doing here.

This magazine is a high quality publication more like a book than a magazine and it retails for over $17 - I know, because I came close to buying it online the other night and became distracted by a momentary power failure that caused me to have to re-boot. Anyway - now I'm going to wait and see if I'm the lucky one who wins it instead!!!!

I'll be back after the weekend to talk a bit about quilting. One bit of news I have is that I have just made a rather large sale of vintage quilt kits so am working on re-stocking inventory. I already have a back order for one kit in particular, so the economy seems to be looking up.

Have a great weekend, I'm going to spend mine thinking about planting a few things in the spring!
Warm hugs!!   Janet

ON THE VERGE OF ANOTHER YEAR

 Wintry Greetings from my tiny community of Hall's Harbour, which is located about 12 miles due north of Kentville, Nova Scotia on the Fundy Coast. If you follow highway 359 out from Kentville as far north as it goes, this is the scene on entering the Harbour. This photo was taken last summer when the wharf under the bright red Fish House Museum was being restored and raised due to rising ocean waters and the damage that had been done in previous storms. We are fortunate that this construction took place when it did or the last two severe storms and tidal surges could have done a lot of damage.
You can see from the height of the wharf, that high tide is about thirty five feet above the Harbour's floor, which is exposed at low tide, and has only a tiny stream running through to the ocean.

In the winter, the store is closed for the season, as the proprietor is a "snowbird" and spends her winters in Florida. Life here in the winter is very quiet, the community hall and the historical society building are both closed to conserve costly fuel and lower operating expenses, and the community's C@psite and official clerical seat for the many community organizations moves over to the firehall, which must be heated at all times to assure the continuity of fire and first responder service. The small rural church down the road from me continues its regular schedule of services on Sunday mornings and the occasional hymn sing as well, but mothballs it's second, smaller  church on the east road and uses only the lovely 1840's structure over here on the west road. Several of the "year round" residents have taken to wintering in town or in Florida, and the seasonal residents aren't seen until spring either.

Over time, many of the younger residents have left for the city, other parts of Canada, and in the case of my daughter and her family, to Europe. Many of the houses now contain one or two aging people at the most but it is heartening to see several younger families raising their kids here, and a few young single people still around too. We all keep an eye out for each other and get through the winter and welcome spring with a sense of relief.

Before I go back to taking inventory of the vintage quilt kits I offer for sale on http://www.novascotiaquilts.com/

I want to share this sweet vintage New Year's card with you, and also

I want to remind you that my friend Mich at Redkettle.com is hosting a GIVEAWAY on his blog. Got to http://redkettle.wordpress.com/2010/12/19/the-huron-carol-a-special-christmas-feature/ and leave a comment in order to be entered for a chance to win. The giveaway will be drawn at midnight December 31 - that's tomorrow!!!

Until tomorrow - enjoy your evening, stay safe and stay warm.

Hugs from Janet!!!