And the Winner is...........Debbie at Cozy Cottage!!!

Congratulations to Debbie at Cozy Cottage!!! Her name was drawn as the winner of the pincushion. Thanks to all you girls who left a sweet comment. Have a great day everyone!!

Blog Giveaway and FREE GIFT Drawing at The Cottage Gate!!!

Yes you heard correct....FREE, FREE & more FREE!!!

First is my BLOG GIVEAWAY for one of my sweet little handcrafted patchwork pincushions, so all you "stitchers" and friends leave a comment on this post and I will enter your name into a drawing which will be held on MARCH 11 - ONE WEEK FROM TODAY!!

And the freebies just keep coming. Make any purchase of $25.00 or more on my website (www.cottagegatedesigns.com) during the month of March and be entered into a drawing to win a special FREE GIFT - one of my hanging pocket pillows custom made for you in fabrics and colors you choose!!!



How fun is that???? Good luck girls!!!

New Creations at The Cottage Gate....

Well, I've gotten behind on my blogging I'm sorry to say....but better late than never I always say.

I have been a busy bee creating lots of new lovelies for my website, boutique and my auctions. Check them out below....and check back soon for a new blog giveaway in the near future!!

Love is in the air.....NEW ANTIQUE VALENTINE POSTCARD PILLOWS!

Well, the holidays are behind us and I have been getting inspired with all my wonderful antique Valetine postcard images. Here are my first creations, now available in my Ebay auctions, my MMP boutique and my website. I absolutely love the charm of these images. I will also be doing some hanging pocket pillows, some crazy quilt heart pillows and hopefully get to some altered art fabric Valentine pillows.
Check back for my latest designs and have a wonderful Winter day, wherever you are in the world!!

Merry Christmas & Post Christmas Sale!!!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas. I have just marked all Christmas pillows, ornaments and stockings, a whopping 50% off on my website!!

I am already planning for the new year - so many creations are brewing around in my head. Check back soon for updates.

Mid-December Holiday Discount at The Cottage Gate

I hope everyone is having a wonderful December, enjoying the "hustle and bustle" of the Holiday season. I am currently offering a 15% discount on your total order at my website www.cottagegatedesigns.com.

Merry Christmas and Happy Shopping!!

Classic Sugar Cookies......A Christmas Tradition

In honor of the MMP Blog Cookie exchange, I had to share our cookie tradition in our family. There is nothing special about the recipe, just a simple time worn Rolled Sugar Cookie from the old Betty Crocker cookbook. My sister and I made these cookies with my mom when we were little, and I have made them with my children since they could reach the counter. The key to these cookies is to chill the dough for several hours, and then the rolling and cutting can begin, in between nibbling on the dough because it is hands down, truly the best cookie dough to eat. The other key to these cookies is barely cooking them - we cook them about 6 minutes, so once they cool out of the oven they are nice and soft.
Then the frosting begins, a simple powdered sugar frosting with milk and a touch of vanilla. We mix up colors and I let the kids do whatever they want. They like to swirl all the colors sometimes, and some years they use sprinkles. They are so good we usually gobble them all up in a matter of days. So simple, yet so delectable. I think this year we will make a triple recipe so they will last longer!

I have almost completed my Christmas decorating....I do so enjoy getting it all out each year and setting up all the things I have collected over the years. I think I get more nostalgic each year, as my kids get older and things change.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~ Some of my Christmas Treasures ~
My special "Twas the Night Before Christmas" dishes set up in my old china hutch - a gift from my husband.


The start of my vintage Santa collection, and my grandma's old "Twas the Night Before Christmas" book, from when she was a girl.

Its time to shop the MMP Christmas Extravaganza!!

The Make Mine Pink Christmas Extravaganza has begun!!

Come shopping at The Cottage Gate and receive a whopping 20% off your entire order - just enter coupon code MMPC20. And that's not all! Any order over $25.00 receives one of my handcrafted Christmas ornaments FREE!

And don't forget to stop by the other MMP boutiques for more lovely items and special promotions this week only!

The MMP CHRISTMAS EXTRAVAGANZA is almost here.......

Well the Make Mine Pink Christmas Extravaganza is set to start Dec. 3 and run through Dec. 9. Such a wonderful time to shop all the boutiques, who all have extra special promotions and discounts going on that week ONLY!! For a list of participating boutiques click here: http://www.makeminepink.com/dynamic/?page=21

Here at The Cottage Gate, I will be offering 20% off your entire order at my site www.cottagegatedesigns.com, and a free handcrafted ornament with each purchase of $25.00 or more. I have just added one of a kind Victorian postcard Christmas pillows, handcrafted ornaments and charming pink Christmas stockings!




For holiday gift giving, I also have lovely cottage pillows, new purses & purse sets, pincushions (perfect gift for the stitcher in your life), and hanging pocket pillows (perfect as gift certificate holders, or other keepsakes)

Victorian Angels and More Pink Christmas Creations....

ell, I have been hard at work and wanted to share some of my new creations, available on my site and my Ebay auctions...

Victorian Angel Pink Roses "Hope" Stocking



Victorian angel image ornaments


Victorian girls Postcard "Wonder" altered Christmas pillow


Antique postcard Snowy bird Christmas Pillow


Check back soon for more details on Make Mine Pink's upcoming Christmas Extravaganza and Blog cookie swap!!

Altered Art Fabric Collage Christmas Pillows

Well, I have been hard at work on my Christmas creations. These are a couple of my newest designs. For a while now I have been wanting to dabble in altered art fabric collage and the coming of Christmas was my inspiration, with all the wonderful antique Victorian postcard images that I use.

For the pink Christmas pillow, I used lots of vintage odds and ends - jewelry pieces, laces, Victorian ruffled sleeve remnant, pale green satin ribbon, buttons, rhinestones, hanky,beads.....The pillow has 2 vignettes - a Victorian Santa with "Merry Christmas" below and the Victorian angel holding a bell transfer appliqued to a pink rose fabric, accented with lace, tiny button and rhinestone and decoratively stitched around edge. It was then slipped into a vintage hanky pocket and has the quote "Every time a bell rings an angel gets its wings" from the classic Its a Wonderful Life. Lots of detail and HOURS of work on this unique Christmas pillow.



The next pillow has the most wonderful old World Santa - I just love his face, and I could just see him leaning down and whispering "Do you Believe?" so that was the quote I used for center of the vintage doily next to him. I also used a vintage jewelry piece with a beautiful old clasp for accent. Various buttons, lace and decorative stitching too. This is a pocket pillow and I have slipped two handmade ornaments with 2 more postcard images of little girls imagining Santa - I just love the magic of these!! They have been decoratively stitched and antique silk ribbon bows are for hanging.


I so enjoyed the creative process of these 2 pieces - I hope you enjoy them as well. Now what to do next.....I'm thinking of Victorian angels (I've got a great quote!!) or Fairies or both!

And the winner of the Giveaway is.........

Congratulations to sweet AMY @ BUNNY ROSE COTTAGE - her name was drawn and she will receive the darling little Thanksgiving pillow below. Thanks to all who entered my drawing and check back soon for info on my Christmas drawing.....

Drawing Day!!

And the winner is........you'll have to wait till tomorrow!!! I have put all your names in my little basket and drawn out a WINNER! Yeah!! I wonder who the lucky girl is????

Check back tomorrow morning first thing and I will announce the winner! Have a great day!

6 More Days till Drawing!!!!....And a peak at Christmas....

My October giveaway is almost at its end. Thanks to all who have left a comment so far. There are 6 more days to leave a comment and be entered in the drawing. I will draw the winner on OCTOBER 30 and announce on Halloween!! Winner will receive a one of a kind antique Thanksgiving postcard pillow with the image below, framed in vintage chenille. And while you are here stop over at the Make Mine Pink blog and sign up for the giveaway there too!!



I also just had to give you a little peak at some of my new PINK Christmas stockings and ornaments....check back often - I am creating new items each week!!

~ Available on my site ~


~Available in my MMP Boutique~

Arts & Crafts Autumn Show....

I was a vendor at a local Arts & Crafts show this past weekend. The weather turned out wonderful, sunny with a cooler breeze. The show coordinated with an antique tractor show so brought in lots of shoppers. My dear mom came down to help me - I couldn't have done it without her. I had good sales and some custom orders so it was a success!!

A PINK HALLOWEEN.......

I've had requests for my little antique postcard pillows on the PINKER side of things....so here they are!! They did turn out so sweet and I am taking custom orders for them all, the more traditional colored ones in last post and my new "pretty in pink" ones for those who love a Pink Halloween.....

~ Available in my MMP Boutique ~


~ Available on my Website ~


And don't forget to leave a comment this month to be entered into my drawing for the Thanksgiving pillow!!

Special Autumn Discount & Giveaway!!

Autumn is upon us....Yeah!!! We are finally feeling some cool mornings here in Texas. I am adding new purses and pillows in the hues of Autumn on my website... still lots of pinks but in deeper hues. I have also added a set of darling antique postcard Harvest pillows.

~In honor of the arrival of Fall I am offering a SPECIAL DISCOUNT on my website so check it out~



~Available in my MMP boutique~


And that's not all!!! I am also doing a special blog drawing and giveaway. Starting now through the end of October, post a comment on my blog and your name will be entered into a drawing for an antique postcard Thanksgiving pillow, designed with the darling image below. Good luck!!