Petit Coterie

Custom Cutting Boards at Petit Coterie

2011-10-03T07:28:00.000-07:00

The months are just flying by as evident by my last blog post. We have just had so many exciting things going on and one of them is our new cutting boards. Of course we had to take one of our original pillow designs, the Cafe de Madaline and add it to a beautiful maple board. We are now offering these boards as custom wedding gifts, with the bride and grooms name and date of their wedding as well as anniversary and house warming gifts. I think it's great when you can customize a gift.

We are also offering our Burlap Christmas stockings and our holiday pillows so please stop by our website.

I hope all of you have a wonderful week ahead.

Atlanta Market here we come!

2011-07-07T09:43:00.001-07:00

Koi Fish on 20" White Cotton Twill

Growth and change can either be feared, or embraced. Our small group is fully embracing our fast paced growth (including expanded office space!) with focus, determination, and hope. We are more than pleased to be a little hectic getting every last detail, new products, and new designs ready for our road trip. Destination? The Atlanta International Gift and Home Furnishings Market taking place in Atlanta, GA from July 12th - 20th! This exciting event will be the big introduction of our new Cotton Twill line, new Bedding, and assorted other goodies we have added recently.

Dick, Jane, and Sally Ice Cream on 16" White Cotton Twill

If you find yourself in Atlanta during the show, please come see us in Building 2 Suite 1801. We would love to have the opportunity to share our new products with you! We look forward to meeting everyone at the Atlanta Market, so mark your calendars for July 12 - 20!

I hope everyone's week is going great and continues to be wonderful!

Rain, Rain Don't Stay Away...

2011-06-21T12:49:00.001-07:00

Finally! It is raining! We are in desperate need of rain, as I'm sure so many other states are. How sad to see so many of the wild fires across the nation. So cross your fingers and get your umbrellas ready as we all anticipate more rain.

We have been organizing today, as we're on the move again. Not going to far, we are expanding our office space and simply putting a door into the next group of offices. We seem to keep scrapes of fabric, thinking we might use it for something but that just never happens. Today is a day to just throw things out.

We are also getting ready for the Atlanta Market July 12 -20th. So much needs to be done. We do hope that if your going to Atlanta you will stop in and see us at the HomeStyle showroom 1801. We would love to see all of you.

I hope your day is filled with joy,

Happy Small Business Week!

2011-05-19T06:39:00.001-07:00

Do you ever have those weeks where nothing seems to be going the way you would like? This has been one of those weeks. I feel like I am going around a Monopoly board, I just cannot get out of jail. For all of you who are in business for yourself I know you understand what I am talking about.

Social media, how important is it for your business? Twitter? I really don’t think that there is anything special about my day that I could share. Except for chewing the erasers off every pencil in my office out of pure frustration. I would love to hear your thoughts on tweeting. Maybe I just haven’t gotten up to speed on it. My tweet for the day would be up to my ears in pillows. I can’t even imagine anyone being interested in that.

I just heard yesterday that it is Small Business Week. What exactly does that mean? Is there a celebration going on somewhere that I am not aware of? Does it mean this week has been set aside for banks to shell out small business loans? If anyone knows the importance of Small Business Week, I would love to know.

Please share your thought on being a small business and how you’re celebrating Small Business Week.

To all of you who own your own business, I wish you a very happy Small Business Week!

The Winner Is....

2011-04-29T08:55:00.000-07:00

Not only is the royal wedding a spectacular event but seeing the gorgeous dress that Kate selected is amazing. Reminiscent of Grace Kelly's wedding dress. I'm sure it will start a new trend in wedding gowns.

We are so excited to announce the winner of our Pillow a Month event. We used Random.org and Nancy from Life Love Laugh was selected. Congratulations Nancy!

As always we want to thank each of you for posting a comment. We always appreciate all the visitors to our blog. We do hope that you will check back often as we love to share out pillows in giveaways.

The weather is gorgeous here and I hope it is the same in your city. Enjoy your weekend!

One day left to be the lucky owner of SIX new Petit Coterie pillows!

2011-04-28T08:16:00.000-07:00

I want to remind everybody to leave a comment so you can be sure your name will be entered in the drawing for a new pillow a month for six months. The drawing will take place tomorrow (Friday, April 29) so be sure to let us know your interest in participating!

Good luck and take care!

A Pillow Each Month Giveaway

2011-04-19T04:56:00.001-07:00

I am really entertaining the idea of doing a pillow giveaway which would consist of giving one pillow away each month for six months. Like a pillow of the month club. I have seen so many monthly clubs from giving flowers to fruit each month. I think it would be fun for one person to win a pillow each month.

Let's just do it! I Think it will be fun. All you need to do is leave a comment on why you would like to win a pillow each month for six months and we will draw a name on Friday, April 29th.

Just think, a new surprise pillow arriving at your home each month.

Happy Tuesday!

Made In The U.S.A.?

2011-04-08T09:48:00.000-07:00

How important is it to have pride that your items are "Made In The U.S.A."? I felt it was very important. If Petit Coterie could put 20 unemployed workers to work then we have made a small contribution to the unemployment in this country. Unfortunately, to be competitive I must offer pillows and bedding at a price that small stores can achieve a decent mark-up.

As the manufacturing pool get's smaller and smaller due to the imports coming in, it is harder for small manufacturing plants to keep up with the high cost of insurance and overhead. So naturally they are not in a position to offer rates that are competitive with China and India.

Which brings me back to the realization that just like many other wholesalers/manufactures in the U.S. we may have to move our production to China. A very sad thought.

I would love to hear your thoughts on this topic.

Have a wonderful weekend,

Petit Coterie Pillows on The Martha Stewart Show

2011-04-04T08:41:00.000-07:00

We were completely taken off guard when we received an email that Martha Stewart had picked several of our pillows as her favorite items. Our pillows will be on The Martha Stewart show tomorrow April 5th. They will then be offered for sale tomorrow on One Kings Lane. We do hope that you will have a chance to view the show which is on the Hallmark channel.

If you haven't had a chance to visit One Kings Lane we hope you will do so. There are so many great items for sale at amazing prices.

Wishing all of you a wonderful week!

What Kind of A Shopper Are you?

2011-02-14T09:20:00.000-08:00

The discussion topic in the office today is shopping. We discovered that we are not shoppers and that when forced to shop (usually out of necessity) we tend to have buyer's remorse. What kind of shopper are you? Are you the bargain hunter, always ready to find a great deal? How about the super dedicated shopper who will spend the entire day buying anything and everything? Possibly the window shopper...always looking but never really making a purchase. Do you prefer Internet shopping, sitting in your PJs and waiting for all your boxes of goodies to arrive? When it comes to holidays are you the frantic last minute shopper or are you already prepared for Christmas though it's only February? As a group of non-shopping women, we are curious to see how everyone else does it.

Have a fantastic Monday!

A Very Blustery Day

2011-02-03T08:57:00.000-08:00

Two days ago I was basking in the sun wearing flip-flops, now...not so much. The temperature dropped when the rain came in and now I (like so many others) just want to curl back into bed and hibernate til Spring! But not today, today there is a winner to be announced! Congratulations to Alison Royer of Belmont Design Group (http://www.bdgstyle.blogspot.com/)
Alison is the new owner of our 100% linen "Compass" pillow.

Thank you to everyone who participated in our giveaway! I always love reading all of your comments and spending time following your blogs.

Stay warm and Congratulations again to Alison!

Linen, lovely Linen!

2011-01-31T10:36:00.000-08:00

We have had such a positive feedback on our new 100% linen designs, I wanted to share one of our favorite of the new pillows:

Our "French Text" in a beautiful blue linen!

Thank you to everyone who has already posted and for those who haven't... don't forget to post and be entered in our giveaway for February 3rd!!

Another Great Event!

2011-01-27T09:45:00.000-08:00

Thank you to everyone who came and supported Petit Coterie at One Kings Lane. Our new linen line was very well received and to show our appreciation we are having another giveaway. This lovely pillow is our 20" Compass on 100% Linen.

The winner will be announced Thursday, February 3rd.

Good luck to all!

Its All New Now!

2011-01-13T11:33:00.000-08:00

Happy belated Holidays to all! This year has started with a bang as we prepare for the introduction of new products, new designs, and new fabrics for the

New Year!

On Tuesday, January 18th our new linen pillows and 10 oz cotton canvas totes will make their debut on One Kings Lane. Here is a little peek at two items that will be featured:

"Penny" tote"Paris Stamp" on grain sack

As you can see, the new totes and linen pillows will be sold alongside new designs in our burlap and grain sack fabrics you have all come to know and love. Many fabulous items will be available for purchase on onekingslane.com on January 18th, 19th, and 20th. Please stop in, browse, and see all the new designs Tuesday!

I hope you have a wonderful weekend and stay warm!

And the winner is...

2010-11-18T08:36:00.000-08:00

Thank you everyone for your warm words of encouragement and support. I am very sorry the drawing was delayed from November 16th to today. I have been out of the office with a small cold for the past few days.

Now, without any further delays, the winner of our clock pillow giveaway is:

Susie Harris from Bienvenue!

Congratulations Susie and thank you again to everyone that entered!

I hope the weekend is a happy one for all,

Growing Pains

2010-11-09T09:01:00.000-08:00

As our business grows bigger our space grows smaller. About a month ago we had moved into a new office. It only took a month for us to realize that our new space was too "Petit" for our "Coterie". Once again we found ourselves packing our bags and set out for a new moving adventure. With the help of family and friends we managed to settle into our new location in a single day. We are pleased with our new space and our growth and we give thanks to those of you who have helped us on our endeavors in making this company what it is today and will be in the future.

To show our gratitude we are having a giveaway for one of our pillows. Just leave a post and we will pick a winner on November 16th. Good luck!

Can You Feel The Holidays on Your Heels?

2010-10-28T07:30:00.001-07:00

The days are just flying by. Yesterday while out shopping, I was amazed to see all the Christmas decorations in the stores. Suddenly that anxious feeling of Christmas shopping crept in and one part of me were saying, “ I have no time to shop” while the other part of me was saying, “just buy gift cards”.

The weather has not given an indication that fall is here. It is still in the 80’s and very humid. I am waiting for winter weather to nudge me into shopping.

I did want to get into the spirit, so I have added a few holiday pillows. Just fun little accents for that holiday touch.

I hope your week has been filled with blessings,

The Winner is...

2010-09-04T06:04:00.000-07:00

I must first apologize that I failed to draw a winner yesterday for our flag pillow. The entire week has been a blur. I was a day behind all week. I even missed trash day in our neighborhood which is on Thursday, as I kept thinking it was Wednesday. I just hate when that happens.

The winner of our flag pillow is Connie from She Dreams Big blog. I am always so thrilled that all of you have taken the time to visit my blog and to leave a post. Thank you all for entering.

I hope you all have a peaceful and restful weekend.

Blog Giveaway

2010-08-24T10:30:00.000-07:00

Just today we were thinking of doing a new blog post since we have not posted in awhile. We felt it would be much better to offer a giveaway, so we decided that we would offer our black flag pillow as it is one of our favorites. We hope it will be yours as well. Just leave a post and next Friday we will select a winner.

I hope all of you have a wonderful week.

So Good To Be Back

2010-08-02T08:30:00.000-07:00

It is so good to have the time to do a short blog post. Things have just been crazy. We are now with a wonderful sales agency in Los Angeles, Bassman-Blaine. We had our first sales event on One Kings Lane, which was crazy, exhausting but fun. As of today we are doing the Las Vegas show. Our wholesale website is finally finished. All of our Elf's have quit so we are in over drive getting all of our orders out. It has been an amazing year and I feel so blessed that I can wake up each day and do something that I love.

I do hope all of you have had a great weekend and your week is off to a great start.

Blessings,

We Are Ready for Summer...

2010-06-20T04:46:00.000-07:00

I love summer, the days are longer and it’s a great rejuvenation time. If I’m lucky my husband and I will take a quick trip to the beach where we can just relax and do nothing. Summer reminds me of bright colors as well as nautical colors, red, white and blue. We wanted to change things up a bit and add some fun nautical pillows which are great for summer.

The winner of our number pillow giveaway is Alicia from Time Worn Style. Thank you to all of you who posted your acts of kindness.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Acts of Kindness And A Giveaway...

2010-06-09T20:52:00.000-07:00

I really want to thank everyone for the sincere posts regarding the awful tragedy in the Gulf of Mexico. We experience the sadness of this event daily.

Each day we are all bombarded with sad news events that occur all over the world. When my daughter was small my husband and I made it a point at dinner to have each person at the table tell what was good about their day. There is so much negativity that we hoped it would help all of us to see the positive aspects of the day. I also remind myself to show an act of kindness each day. Believe me, there are some days that I feel so stretched that I am not feeling kind. But even the smallest act of kindness can impact someone else’s life and that can be so rewarding.

I would love to hear from you regarding the last act of kindness that you received. I would also like to do a giveaway as we try to do one each month and I do think that I missed May. So leave a post and if you put a little note on your blog you will get a double entry.

We just finished a new pillow slip that is done in our grain sack fabric. It is our French number pillow slip so we hope that you will leave a post. We will have the drawing on June 18th.

Wishing you positive feelings,

Is That The Smell of Oil?

2010-05-22T06:44:00.001-07:00

In each of our communities we have events that happen, whether it’s flooding, tornadoes, and hurricanes, huge snow storms and even earth quakes but we learn to deal with these natural disasters. They are never easy and often times cause great hardship but we dig in, help our neighbors and life continues.

Our community has faced huge challenges such as hurricane Katrina in 2005. Many here on the Gulf Coast lost family, friends, homes and business not to mention many of our historical landmarks. Our gulf coast looked like a war zone and to this day there are still remnants of that terrible event.

Now we are faced with another disaster. The enormous oil spill that threatens all of the communities along the Gulf of Mexico. Our white sand beaches will be riddled with tar balls. The marine life such as our beautiful dolphins who swim in schools right off our beaches will be harmed. We live in an area where shrimp fishing is one of our industries as well as tourism and now those will be impacted.

Just the other day, you could actually smell oil in the air and we now see fish washed onto shore filled with oil. We know our beautiful Gulf of Mexico will be impacted for years to come as we don’t know the extent of this horrific disaster. The people on the gulf coast are resilient, we worked hard to clean up after Katrina, but this disaster will take years and years to reverse itself. We all ask, what about our wildlife and marine life, how do we save them?

I am so saddened by this that I just had to share. Natural disasters are out of our control but disasters such as this one should be controlled.

Blessings,

I Hope You Dance...

2010-05-13T07:09:00.000-07:00

This past weekend my husband and I decided to escape to the beach, where we could just relax and enjoy the white sand beaches and watch the Dolphins early in the morning. We have our favorite hotel which just happens to have our favorite restaurant so we basically don’t leave the hotel for the entire weekend. There is a wonderful piano lounge where you can sit and look out over the Gulf of Mexico and can enjoy an after dinner drink.

After our dinner Saturday night we stopped to have a quick drink and much to our surprise there was quite a crowd. What stood out in the crowd was a very thin gentleman in his late 80’s with white suspenders and a white bow tie. He immediately took a table and proceeded to change shoes. He obviously comes quite often as the staff greeted him with affection. He now put on his black and white spats, which were in pristine condition. From the time that he arrived and had his spats on he became a dancing machine. It was obvious that his favorite dance was the Jitter-bug and definitely had all the right moves. He would go to different tables and ask the older women for a dance. As he finished each dance he would glide across the floor and return the lady to her seat.

It was like being transported to a different era. It really made me think about how often my husband and I dance and why we don’t make it a point to even slow dance once in awhile at home. The phrase that kept going through my head as I watch this smooth older man with spats and suspenders was from Mark Twain, "Dance like nobody's watching; love like you've never been hurt. Sing like nobody's listening; live like it's heaven on earth." And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance, I hope you dance, I hope you dance.

I hope your week is filled with sunshine,

We Are Off To Sweden...

2010-04-28T05:39:00.000-07:00

We are once again packing our pillows for a long trip. This time our pillows are going to Sweden. We are thrilled to soon have our pillows in the wonderful shop Country by Mail. Several years ago I book marked this wonderful site as a great shopping experience for Nordic merchandise. I do hope you will stop by and take a look at all the gorgeous items.

I also want to tip my hat to all of the wonderful blogger's out there who are continuously coming up with amazing blog posts and photos. I must admit, I do struggle with finding interesting material to post, so I hope you will all bear with me. My head has been buried in work and unless I post about the qualities of burlap, I don’t think I have many exciting things to share with you except for my excitement that Petit Coterie will be available soon at Country by Mail.

I would also like to thank so many of you for your kind thoughts and prayers for my husband. He is doing so well that I have to hold him back from doing too much. So a huge thanks to all of you! You are the BEST!!!

Many blessings to all of you this week!

Easter Blessings and The Winner Is...

2010-04-03T06:41:00.000-07:00

I have been a bit reflective this week, thinking of all the blessings that I receive each day. I normally don’t use my blog as a personal journal but with Easter here I have to say that I relied on my faith this week to see my husband through heart surgery. Very unexpected as he is always the one telling me that I should be taking vitamins and of course stop eating junk food. Faith get's us through the most difficult and stressful times as well as making us take stock on how truly blessed we are.

The winner of our burlap King slip is Julie, from Being Ruby. I want to thank each of you for your wonderful comments and for participating in our giveaway. We really love doing giveaways as you may have noticed. It is our way of saying thank you for visiting our blog and becoming one of our blogging friends.

Happy Easter to each of you and we wish you many blessing.

Revival Time and Giveaway at Petit Coterie

2010-03-27T13:43:00.000-07:00

We had stopped making our burlap king slip and yet we still get so many requests for it. So it was revival time this week and now we feel it is greatly improved. We added the envelope closure to the back and also added a new wreath. We are so excited, it's like having an old friend back. So we have decided to share it in a giveaway. Yes, we are giving one of our burlap king slips away. Just leave a comment and we will have the drawing next Friday.

I hope all of you are having a wonderful weekend!

Show and Tell Friday...

2010-03-12T09:56:00.000-08:00

This has been a busy week at Petit Coterie. We did have a chance to add our new Petite Pillows. Most of our pillows are 16"x16" and larger, so we decided to offer our Petite ones which are 12"x12" perfect size to send as a gift. We just had to do a show and tell Friday and we do hope you will post a comment to let us know what you think of our Petit Pillow.

I hope all of you have a wonderful weekend!

The Winner Is...

2010-03-06T03:30:00.000-08:00

Friday was a blur but in my frenzy I did manage to pull a name from all who entered my giveaway and the winner is Polly. Congratulation!!

I want to thank all of you for entering my giveaway and for all the nice comments you left. I love to do a giveaway, so please do stop by again as you never know when the urge may strike

Have a wonderful weekend!

End Of The Month Giveaway...

2010-02-26T08:24:00.000-08:00

It has been awhile since we have offered a giveaway, we thought it would be a nice way to end the month. We also thought it would be nice to giveaway one of our original designs the D. LaBlanc. To enter just leave a comment, we will draw the name on March 5th.

We have had so many requests for a personalized pillow and this last week we completed one for a customer. We just had to share it with you, I think it turned out so cute! We will be offering this pillow which can be customized with your own text. I Would love your feedback on this one.

Wishing all of you a fabulous weekend!

Mardi Gras 2010

2010-02-16T10:32:00.000-08:00

The festivities have been going on since January 6th, which is also known as the Twelfth Night. Today is Mardi Gras which is French for Fat Tuesday, the last day of feasting before Lent begins on Ash Wednesday. There have been the large balls as well as many parties. Children are out of school for Mardi Gras so they can share in the festivities. Most of the children in the south enjoy going to the parades, as catching the good beads can be quite a challenge.

From the small towns in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama to New Orleans there have been parades as well as homes decorated in the gold, purple and green. Of course we cannot forget about the King Cake which is tradition. Who ever gets the piece of cake with the baby has to buy the next cake.

I thought it would be fun to show the new king and queen of Ixolib. The pageantry of the balls is steeped in tradition and the costumes are gorgeous. I love the decorated masks. Which one would you choose? photo Sun Hearld

I hope all of you have a wonderful week and "Laissez Les Bon Temps Roulez".

Pillow Fight or Cat Fight?

2010-02-11T13:51:00.001-08:00

I want to thank all of you for your support regarding copy cats. I think many of us have had this experience and we often times feel hopeless in how to fight back. Today, we choose a pillow fight because that is what we do, we make pillows.

So here is our Copy Cat pillow, we believe it sends a message, what do you think? Actually we really like this message.

Wishing you a blessed day!

Copy Cats...

2010-02-09T11:04:00.000-08:00

Much to my surprise I was told today about a well known very high end European home furnishings company that also carries burlap pillows. Of course I wanted to see what they are offering so I visited their website. Talk about ruining my day…. there they were, three of my original designs. If someone is going to copy I do think they should change the design even just a little. But NO !!!!!!! For all of you who purchased one of my burlap pillows you got a bargain. This company is selling them for $63.00 mine go for $38.00. And they have sold many at wholesale. Grrrrrrrrrrrr.

Here we are making pillows in the United States and these people are buying from either China or India. Who would of thought that my pillows would be knocked off. So sad!
I just had to vent, when you put so much hard work into something and this happens it is so disheartening .

Thanks for letting me vent..

Will The Real Me Please Stand Up...

2010-02-03T07:07:00.000-08:00

photo source: Daniel Morel

We all become familiar with each other by our blogs. I am the woman who designs pillows and has an occasional giveaway. That is really just a small part of the real me. Today I would like to give you a wider glimpse of who I am.

As a woman I feel that I not only have to care for my own family but I also need to care about women all over the world and what happens to them in their daily lives. What issues impact them as well as their children. When all the large health organizations leave Haiti and church groups are gone who will be the strength to help re-build. As women we all know that great responsibility falls on the woman. Each will have to re-build her home as well as finding the resources to care for her family. Our concern should be how can we assist her in this process? Not only am I concerned with the women in Haiti but the world over.

There is a wonderful organization that I belong to which is MADRE. MADRE is an international women’s human rights organization. I think it is a wonderful opportunity to feel that you can make a difference in another woman’s life. I am so blessed with all that I have that I feel it is only right to pay it forward. There are so many international project that MADRE is involved with that may spark your interest to get involved and make a difference.

I am also adding the link to Shop MADRE. Which sells unique items that were hand-crafted by women. The products—from beaded jewelry made by women in Kenya to woven textiles made by women in Chiapas, Mexico—include all sorts of jewelry, household items, and clothing made by women around the world. The products range in style and quantity, but they all speak to the principle of helping to build sustainable sources of income. I hope you will visit their website as there really are some beautiful items. The Kenya rings are amazing for $10.00 each.

May the rest of your week be full of blessings.

Giveaway Winner...

2010-01-26T15:22:00.000-08:00

I love to wake up in the morning, grab my first cup of coffee and sit and read all the wonderful post that were left on my blog. I also love running around the blog world and visiting so many wonderful blog friends with fabulous pictures and content. I really do consider my life to be incredibly boring in comparison to so many of yours. I’m afraid if I posted about my daily life many of you would be yawning out of boredom.

I do find excitement in designing and I have to force myself to leave my studio and do the mundane tasks of cleaning house and grocery shopping, two of the things I dread the most. I do tell myself that at some point I am going to find the time to learn how to decorate cakes. There are so many great cake artists and I think it would be fun to try. I’m sure that won’t happen at least for a couple of years, but it’s a great thought. I also committed to making doll clothes for my niece who just turned seven and got an American Girl doll for Christmas. This is a labor of love as I have not followed a pattern in years. I did announce up front that she might have to wait awhile for the collection. I hope she is still playing with dolls at 13. As you can see I have made the little robe and the pajama top which is still waiting for buttons, but it’s a start.

I want to thank all of you who left a post to be entered into the giveaway. I love all of your creativity! The winner of the 20" Piano Recital pillow slip is Paige from Simple Thoughts blog. I hope you will all stop back often as I do love to share my pillows with all of you. So watch for the next giveaway.

Have a wonderful week !

Starting 2010 With a Giveaway!

2010-01-13T07:15:00.000-08:00

It seems like it has been so long since I have posted on my blog. I hope all of you had a wonderful holiday and I sincerely wish the very best to you and your families in the New Year. 2010 has started off rather busy as we are getting our Spring line finished. I am so excited with some of the new designs so I thought I would share a few with all of you.

2009 was an amazing year for our burlap pillows, so we will still continue making those as well as some new designs in different fabrics. I would love to hear your comments so please leave a post.

Now that the holidays are over and we are finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel we thought it would be a perfect time for a giveaway. I love giveaways with a twist. Here it is… Tell me the most creative thing you did in 2009, I love to hear about how creative all of you are. I have decided to offer our Piano Recital 20"x20" pillow slip.

Here are just a few other new designs.

I hope the rest of your week is filled with love and laughter,

The Elf's Are Exhausted...

2009-12-17T06:00:00.000-08:00

It has been so long since I have added a blog post and I can honestly say I have missed all of you. The elves are completely worn out and it is now time to just enjoy the holiday. We will continue to offer our free shipping ( U.S. customers only) on any burlap pillow slips until Friday. We also have a special on our tea towels. Buy two and get the third one free, that will end on Monday.

My Christmas tree is still waiting to be decorated, I still have not done my usual holiday baking so I am looking forward to a few days of getting into the spirit. I hope all of you have had sometime to reflect back on this year and remember the blessing that you have received. I know for myself, I can get caught up in the everyday events and not recognize all the wonderful gifts I have been given throughout the year.

This has been an amazing year full of love, health, family and friends. I greatly appreciate each one of my customers who have become friends and for the support they have given me. I also am so fortunate to have met so many wonderful and inspiring women who have taken time to visit my blog, you are all such a treasure!

Each Christmas Eve we have a tradition of drawing names, we then go around the room and express our Christmas wish for the name we have drawn. It is such a wonderful heartfelt time when we express our wish for that person. Many tears are shed and it has become one of our families favorite traditions. My Christmas wish for each one of you is an abundance of love each day, health and happiness in all that you do and the ability to
recognize the small blessing that come each day.

I wish each of you a very Happy Holiday full of love and laughter…

Love Vintage Suitcases? Make Your Own..

2009-11-24T04:13:00.000-08:00

I started thinking about vintage suitcases like this one, and how they tell a story of where they have been. I have a collection of vintage suitcases and they are wonderful for storage. It seems that they are scarce and not many flea markets have them, so I thought it would be fun to offer a solution where you can make your own. These would also make a wonderful gift.

From time to time I’ve seen these great cardboard versions of vintage suitcases. PaperSource actually has a wide variety of them at pretty affordable prices - these black suitcases range from $8.00 - $14.50 each. These would be great for storing photos, stationary and craft items.

Lucky for me, I came across this DIY suitcase. It’s apparently made out of a Bisquick box! Who would of thought? Find the instructions here for this simple project. This project gives you so much more freedom, because you can use whatever boxes you have available to get the size you want, as well as fabric or paper that matches your color scheme, and it will cost next to nothing!

I envision creating a stack of these suitcases and decorating them with vintage travel stickers which you can purchase at a very reasonable price at Hello Traveler. Or paint them with chalkboard paint and write a personal message and give them as a gift.

I hope all of you have a wonderful Thanksgiving.

Just Five Minutes, That’s All I Need

2009-11-13T06:00:00.000-08:00

Whew! Made it through another very hectic week that consisted of so many mishaps. I always find it so interesting that Monday always seems to start off so good, I’m upbeat energized and ready to tackle the week ahead. Then by Friday I am in desperate need of just five minutes, five minutes to take a deep breath and take a look back at the week and see what I have accomplished and what still needs to be done.

I look forward to Saturday just as much as I looked forward to Friday night when I was a teenager. That sense of hurrah, I made it through the week and now I am rewarded with a day to myself. I love weekends, they give me a sense that I can stay in my P.J.’s all day and work at my own pace and if there is a spare moment I can allow myself to put aside some of my work and just design. Priceless!

I hope all of you will find more then five minutes this weekend to just stay in you P.j’s relax and find inspiration for the week ahead.

Have a wonderful weekend and I will see you next week.

Mid Week Buzz

2009-11-11T04:00:00.000-08:00

It’s only Wednesday, and I feel like the idea of getting caught up is just an illusion. Between work, trying to keep my house clean, taking care of my family and chasing after the dog as he tracks mud across my living room carpet, it’s a wonder I have time to comb my hair in the mornings.

I have added a few new tea towels, and if your anything like me, I love to design my own gift baskets for the holiday and I think these would look adorable tucked in a basket.

So how is you week going? Do you find you’re under the gun and over a barrel? On days like this I am reminded of a quote from Kin Hubbard who says, "A bee is never as busy as it seems; it's just that it can't buzz any slower."

Let’s hope the rest of your week buzzes by quickly.

Shameful

2009-10-31T17:40:00.001-07:00

Just Shameful !!!!

I know it’s just shameful to be sitting in the dark on Halloween night, with my porch light off while all the children in the neighborhood are dressed up in their adorable costumes. Ringing door bells and trying to hit as many houses as they can before their parents have had enough and call it a night. Okay, I do feel awful, and the only excuse I can come up with is I have been so busy all week and I kept putting off the horrible trip to Wal Mart to stand in line for what seems an eternity just for candy. I promise, I will make up for it next Halloween.

I so enjoyed all of your costume stories and they did make me laugh. I especially liked Martha’s story and did get quite a laugh out of it. I just envisioned her in her orange pumpkin costume year after year. So Martha you have won the rug. I want to thank all of you so much for posting on my blog, I do love to hear from all of you.

Be sure to stop by again, as you never know what I will be giving away next.

Happy Halloween!

Trick or Treat, Halloween Giveaway...

2009-10-26T08:55:00.000-07:00

Halloween Giveaway

With Halloween right around the corner, we thought it would be fun to reflect back on one of your worst costumes. I think there was nothing worse then having your mother purchase your costume without you being present. What your mother thought would be a really cute costume often times turned out to be the most embarrassing, especially when your ten. While all the other kids had the cool trendy costumes, you were left with a Casper the Ghost costume that was made entirely out of plastic, with the full on plastic mask that only made your face sweat. We all wanted to be either the princess or the bride.

Of course there were some really ingenious costumes like the kid that was wrapped entirely in tin foil, who went as a leftover. Or the girl who spray painted her hair pink and tied a pink tennis shoe to her head. When asked repeatedly what she was supposed to be she said "she was a piece of bubble gum stuck to the bottom of a tennis shoe.

We have all been there. So to make this really interesting we thought it would be fun for all of you to share your worst or most embarrassing costume. To really give you incentive to share your worst costume we decided to give out a little Trick or Treat. Our treat will be our newest rug design. So jump right in and let all of us know. I think it will give all of us a great laugh. We will pick the winner of the most tragic costume on Halloween night.

I do hope all of you have a great week and do stay out of the Halloween candy!

How Is Your Week Going?

2009-10-22T06:10:00.000-07:00

On a scale of one to ten I would have to say mine has been a ten. Last week it was a one. Amazing how small things can impact your entire week and they seem to multiply as the week goes on. Last week I could have crawled back into bed with the covers over my head and stayed there. This week has been fantastic!

One of the stores in the U.K that carries Petit Coterie, The Old Cinema was featured in BBC Homes & Antiques November issue. He was kind enough to send the photo used for the feature and there they were, our burlap pillows. That added a bright spot in my week.

I’m sure many of you have so many great ideas of things to make and the problem is just finding the time. This week, while working on orders I decided to allow some extra time to add some new items that have been on the back burner. Our new tea towels are finally available as well as a new burlap pillow for the holidays. Still have a few other things I want to accomplish but will save those for Saturday.

How is your week going on a scale of one to ten? I do hope it’s a ten for all of you!

Who Is The Winner?

2009-10-18T16:41:00.000-07:00

What a great day this has been…. I never got out of my P.J.’s and even though I was not going to work , I still can’t help myself. I guess it’s not really work since I love what I do and Sunday is usually a slow pace day for me.

I also had such a great time going and visiting all the wonderful blogs that all of you posted. I loved having an opportunity to just travel around to so many interesting blogs. It was so hard to pick just one winner, so I have 3 winners!!! I want to thank all of you for sharing your favorite blogs and I do hope we can do this again as the holidays gear up.

The winners are:

Kelly Ann from Kelly Ann Studio , with her favorite blog http://www.bedifferentactnormal.blogspot.com

Vale from Les Cotrions, with her wonderful French blog http://leplaisirdesmets.over-blog.com/

Jacqueline from Home, with her beautiful blog ,http://www.melbourneepicure.blogspot.com

Thank you all for leaving a post and I do hope you will stop by again. Have a wonderful week!

Giveaway Ends This Sunday

2009-10-14T09:21:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to let everyone know that the search for new holiday blogs will end this coming Sunday. With the holidays fast approaching I think it's fun to visit blogs that have great recipes as well as entertaining and home decorating ideas. Just add your favorite blog post on this post or the search post below.

You could win a pillow slip of your choice from our Etsy shop. Let's expand our search to new blogs that maybe we all haven't visited.
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I hope all of you are having a wonderful week full of blessings!

We Are Going To France

2009-10-09T05:58:00.000-07:00

We are so full of excitement at the thought of going to France, that I just had to share with all of you. I know you are thinking what a wonderful trip and yes it will be, but only for Petit Coterie pillows. Our pillows are going to a lovely shop that will be opening in 2 weeks called Fabulous French in Eymet, France.

I know many of you know Leeann from her Fabulous French blog, she is such a dear and is now working frantically to add some beautiful items to her shop. I was so thrilled when Leeann contacted me and wanted to carry Petit Coterie. I know her shop is going to be fabulous and I so wish that I could travel along with our pillows. If you want updates on Leeann’s shop and her grand opening stop by her blog.

Please don’t forget about searching for wonderful blog sites that have holiday recipes and decorating ideas. Just read the post below for all the details. I will pick the winner next Sunday. So start your search now!

I hope all of you have a wonderful weekend,

Let's Go Searching

2009-10-07T05:26:00.000-07:00

I don't know about you, but I often stay within my own circle of blogs. I think we all feel comfortable reading up on what our blog friends are up too. So I have come up with a challenge. Should you choose to accept this mission here is what you need to do.

With the holidays right around the corner I thought it would be fun to find new blogs outside of your own circle that are geared towards holiday food and entertainment. I think we all like new recipes as well as holiday decorating tips. I know there are some great blogs out there that have fabulous recipes and I thought it would be fun to share these blogs.

Once you find an interesting blog, come back and post a comment and a link on why you like the blog. Of course there is an incentive for the best blog searcher and that would be a pillow slip of your choice from my Etsy shop. I think this will be fun and I do hope that you will join the search.

Yesterday was one of those days when nothing would go right, to much humidity in the air so much of my work ended up in the scrap pile. I was so exhausted last night that I forgot to post the winner of the Holiday stocking, so here it is! The winner is June from Laughing With Angels. I want to thank all of you who left such wonderful posts about your holiday traditions.

Happy mid-week to all of you. I do hope the rest of your week is full of blessings. Now let's go searching!

I Feel Like I Have Been on Another Planet

2009-09-30T16:10:00.000-07:00

My days have been consumed with work and by the end of the day all I can think of is sleep. I know many of you are getting busy preparing for the upcoming holidays and there just aren't enough hours in the day to get everything done.

I have had so many of my customers ask for fabric that can be used for upholstering chairs, ottomans and yes even pillows. We now are offering fabric by the yard and I just wanted you to see our latest design.

You know me, I absolutely love giveaways so here it is… Just by leaving a post telling us what your favorite holiday tradition is. You could be picked as the winner for for one of our burlap stockings. I know everyone loves to hear what traditions are special to you and your family. I will pick the winner on October 6th

Hopefully, my space ship will touch down soon and I can regain a normal life. I hope all of you have had a great week and by all means have a wonderful weekend.

Someone So Special Winner..

2009-08-29T11:47:00.000-07:00

I know many of you are wondering who the winner of the Enchante pillow is, and I must say it was a very hard choice. You all offered some wonderful people who are so deserving and I sincerely thank you for sharing.

The winner of the pillow is the McClenahans and I have added their link so you can all see what a wonderful inspiration they are. What makes this giveaway so special is the person who submitted their name has never met the McClenahans. Rose from Portugal had read their blog and was inspired to submit them. Thank you so much Rose!

Recently I had asked for your creative suggestions for a pillow I was doing and many of you sent the most wonderful sayings for my royal winged giveaway. I have added the picture of the design and I want to thank Karen from Brayton Homestead Interiors for her suggestion.

I hope all of you have a blessed and wonderful weekend.

Giveaway For Someone So Special

2009-08-20T15:12:00.000-07:00

I know each of us have someone that has really touched our heart and is extremely special to us. I would love to hear from all of you who that person is. Just tell me why you think this person should receive our Enchante pillow. Our mistake makes a wonderful giveaway. We had an order for the Enchante slip, but somehow it ended up as a pillow. So what could be better then for us to share our mistake as a giveaway to someone who is so special.

We will pick the winner next Friday the 28th We will wrap the pillow up with a special note from the person who wins the giveaway and ship it off to your special person.

With the holidays just around the corner we have started early offering a special sale on our Etsy shop. Starting today through Sunday the 23rd, we have a buy one pillow slip at regular price and get the second one for half off. Just thought I would let all of you know.

With the weekend fast approaching I do hope you all have a special one.

Join Me For a Posh Get Away...

2009-08-16T08:25:00.001-07:00

Before I announce the winner of my creative giveaway, I thought it would be fun to travel to a new destination and enjoy the elegance of the Le Pavillon Hotel Built in 1907. The Hotel is a member of Historic Hotels of America. It is truly elegance at it’s best. So come along I have a suite reserved just for us.

As we arrive at the hotel you will notice the fifteen-foot monumental limestone statues that flank the grand entrance to the hotel. They represent "Peace and Prosperity." One statue is depicted holding the Horn Of Plenty, while the other has doves resting on her shoulder denoting peace, they are circa 1880.

The grand lobby is adorned with beautiful Czechoslovakian crystal chandeliers, exquisite antiques and priceless paintings. There is so much to see in this beautiful lobby, I think we should sit for awhile and take it all in. Notice the pair of Louis XV Bronze Cherubs they are fabulous.

Let’s do lunch in the Crystal Room.

Then off to the Palace Suit.

I know you will love the decor in this suite, especially the hand carved wooden fireplace mantle, Circa mid 17th century. It is solid mahogany, and was intricately hand carved for a European Castle. The crème de la crème of this particular suite is the extremely rare marble bathtub. Purported to have been owned by Napoleon Bonaparte. It is hand carved from one single large block of white carrera marble. It is one of only three known to exist in the world today. One of them is proudly displayed in The Louvre Museum in Paris, France, while the other is in a private collection.

Now to the roof top pool and spa.

I do hope you have enjoyed our little get away to the Le Pavillon Hotel in New Orleans.

Now I would like to announce the winner of my Creative Giveaway. I must say that I was so impressed with all your creative ideas and I thank you for participating. And the winner is... Karen from Brayton Homestead Interiors. Her suggestion of Majestic Ascent will look fabulous on the new pillow which I will post a picture of this coming week. Thank you all for entering my giveaway.

Have a wonderful and peaceful week ahead,

Creative Giveaway Ends Tomorrow

2009-08-15T15:15:00.000-07:00

It's not to late to enter my giveaway, just add your creative suggestion below and you could win not only the slip with your saying but you could also win a slip of your choice.

Today has been a busy day, but at least I was able to finish a new design that I have been working on and that always make me feel like I have accomplished something. I hope all of you are having a wonderful Saturday.

Happy Weekend!

There Is Nothing Like A Woman Scorned

2009-08-12T16:12:00.000-07:00

For all of us who have had our hearts broken…

Is the saying " there is nothing like a woman scorned" true? I do believe it is, we have all had our heart broken sometime in our life. Maybe it was by our very first love, the one that you feel you will never get over, and all you want to do is get even…

This womanly feeling has emerged in my daughter, her heart is broken, and she is now the woman who has been scorned. Her first love who she had dated for 11 months not only broke up with her on her birthday ( how rude) but he had another girlfriend within a few days. As her mother, I tried to console her with the usual things a mother say’s like, " I know it hurts, but someday the right one will come along", or "who needs someone like him, you deserve better". We all know full well that words mean nothing at a time like this, I could see it in her eyes.

Several days after the break up she came to me feeling pumped up, with an expression of confidence. I knew something had taken place for her to be feeling so smug. She proceeded to tell me that she had gotten even. Her exact words were, "I am bad, I mean really bad , I so got even". As much as we don’t want our daughters to get even, I think down deep we all have had that same attitude when our heart has been broken. She was so full of herself as she explained that she went by her boyfriends and sure enough, there was this black Pontiac Firebird at his house, knowing full well that it was the NEW girlfriends car.

So she got down very low and crept over to the black Firebird and proceeded to let the air out of the tire. "I know I’m bad, but so was he and I hope his new girlfriend has a flat tire when she tries to drive home" were her words. Knowing that my daughter can’t even put air in her own tire, I asked her how she knew how to do this?

Mom, it was so easy, you know the little cap on the tire thing? Well, I just took off the cap and threw it in the bushes. Yup!, I’ll bet her tire is flat by now! I could not hold back the laughter, all I could envision was my daughter crouching down by the black car and feeling the excitement of revenge as she tossed the little plastic cap into the bushes. She asked me what was so funny? I could barely bring myself to tell her that her little act of getting even was not going to work as just taking off the little cap would do nothing at all.

So much for a woman scorned.

The Big Fish That Didn't Get Away

2009-08-10T06:10:00.000-07:00

My Big Fish Story:

Several years back I had purchased a model home and I loved the way it was decorated so I decide to purchase all the furnishing as well. There was a beautiful solarium with a white baby grand piano, I was told that the piano was merely for display purposes only the strings and hammers were just there but didn't work. That was fine with me as I just loved the looks of it.

Due to my husbands business we made several moves through out the years and each time the movers would struggle with dismantling the piano and setting it up again at the new house. My husband would repeatedly ask me " why do you continue to move that empty piano"? Are you kidding? I love that empty shell, who cares if it doesn’t play.

A year after we moved into our current home, I thought it would be fun to see how much it would cost to have the piano restored. I contacted an expert in the field of restoring pianos and I was so excited with the possibility of finally having a piano that would play.

This is where the story becomes unbelievable. For all of you who love antique stores, flea markets and yard sales this was one of those amazing finds. The piano man lifted up the top of the piano and to my amazement there was a board that had been screwed down over the hammers I thought just to secure them for transport. The piano man took the board off and TA DA! The piano worked, only needing minor adjustments.

All these years who knew? The piano was built in 1921, in up state New York. The wood is cherry from the same region. The piano man immediately offered me $4,000.00, but after all these years of moving it across country I was not about to part with it now. Once the piano man knew I would not sell it, he said "I should insure it for at least $15,000.00". Are you ready for that????

I paid $200.00 for it! You just never know what big fish you are about to catch.

Have a wonderful week and don't forget about my Giveaway.

Show Me Your Creativity and Win The Giveaway

2009-08-09T07:50:00.000-07:00

Creativity...Definition of Creativity: noun, the quality of being creative, and the ability to create.

I think each one of us has the ability to be creative but our area of creativity maybe in so many diverse areas. I for one know that I do not have the creativity to write. While traveling around the blogging world I come across so many well written blogs. I am fascinated with the writers who can make a simple ordinary day into an exciting event for their readers. My daily events would never captivate readers no matter how I would try. Sweeping up burlap, ordering Chinese food to be delivered as I have been too busy to cook does not sound all that interesting.

On the other hand visiting blogs like Susie Harris where she takes you step by step through great craft projects is creativity at it’s best. Then there are blogs like Fifi’s or Cathy Penton and many others who not only take you through fascinating content but also captivate you with gorgeous photos these would be quality of being creative.

I create pillows, some fall under the definition of the ability to create while some pillows would fall under the definition of prose adjective: dull, unimaginative. Those pillows find their way to the scrape box. I don’t think our creative juices flow 24/7 at least mine don’t. I do know when I am on the creative roll my mind wakes me up at 3:00 a.m. with raging ideas.

Right now I am working on a beautiful design and I love to add text to each pillow, for some reason my ability to be creative on content has hit the brick wall. This is where all of you that possess creativity come in.

I am looking for the perfect word or saying for this pillow. Unfortunately I can not share exactly what the design is, but let me give you a couple of words to build on, royalty and soar. Can you feel a giveaway coming? Here is the contest, who ever submits the best word or phrase for this pillow will win the giveaway. Please keep in mind that the word or phrase will be translated to French so it needs to be fairly short as there is only so much space on the pillow. The winner of the giveaway will not only receive the new design but will also win a burlap slip of their choice. I will pick the winner on August 16th.

Wishing you all much creativity,

Perfect Weekend Jaunt

2009-08-07T05:08:00.000-07:00

What are your plans for this weekend? I would love to just get away and there is one place that would just make it a perfect weekend. Green Oaks Antiques, located in Rochester, Indiana. My first trip to Green Oaks I thought I had missed it as I was driving down two land country roads in the middle of farm land.

Turning down a gravel road that curves around, suddenly you see a very large building with the largest selection of gorgeous vintage garden décor. The best is yet to come, once you walk into the building you feel like you have died and gone to heaven. For anyone who loves flea markets, junking, and antique shopping this is the place to go.

Ann and her husband have been in business since 1978 and they both are fabulous people. I thought it would be fun to show you some fabulous pictures of the store and the great finds available there.

I hope all of you have a perfect weekend!

Petit Coterie is Going To Australia

2009-08-06T05:30:00.000-07:00

Photo courtesy of: Simple Things Small Joys

I think it is always such a pleasant surprise when you wake up with the idea that today is probably going to be just another day of meeting deadlines and work and then something happens to completely change the course of an ordinary day. That surprise came in the form of an email from a friend in Australia. I know many of you know Cathy Penton, she has been featured in numerous magazines here in the U.S. as well as in Australia.

Cathy and her partner Angela Osment are frantically working to open their new shoppe in Highfields Old Australia. called Simple Things Small Joys . I was thrilled that Cathy and Angela wanted to carry Petit Coterie pillows in their new shop. I have long admired Cathys talent not only as a designer of gorgeous charms but also her designs in fabric.

I have received so many nice emails from ladies in Australia and now they can purchase them from Cathy and Angela. If you have a moment please do stop by their blog, have a look and watch for their grand opening. Thank you Cathy and Angela, you turned an ordinary day into a spectacular day.

I hope your day turns out spectacular,

Linen, Lace and Burlap A Great Combination

2009-08-05T05:51:00.000-07:00

I am a fabricholic, I admit it, and I cannot just go shopping for buttons and not walk out of the store with an arm load of great fabrics. I convince myself that this particular fabric would make a gorgeous bed skirt of which I have no time to make. My preferred fabric of choice at the moment is linen, I know I should be saying burlap don’t misunderstand me, burlap has been good to me and I am not going to give it up completely I am just moving toward designs in linen.

With the holidays fast approaching I am anxious to start work on my holiday line and linen will be a big part of it as well as burlap. I think the combination of burlap and linen should be interesting. I love fabric that has texture as it just adds that little spark to any room like the burlap, mix it with cotton duck, silk, damask and the look is complete.

Along with being a fabric collector I also collect vintage linens, ones that have embroidery or delicate lace and even the cotton crochet trim. I actually didn’t realize how big my collection had gotten over the years until I pulled a large box out and there they were all starched and pressed just waiting for some creative endeavor. I have decided that I will use many of these white vintage linens in my holiday collection. The trims are just perfect for a white simplistic French or Nordic looks. Damask, linen , vintage lace and burlap what an interesting combination. Love it!

Happy Wednesday!

The Winner Is...

2009-08-04T11:13:00.000-07:00

Photo credit: manon21
A big thank you to all who entered my giveaway. I really love doing giveaways as it's a great way to meet new blogger's who end up being great friends. So I pulled out my little black Amish hat and filled it up with all the names who had entered. The difficult part was getting my daughter out of her bed to participate. I did so with the promise that I would not include her or her mismatched p.j's or her old bleached out Abercrombie shirt in the picture. So here is the sequence of drawing the winners name.

And the winner is...

Congrat to Tara from Blondie.n.sc you are the winner of this giveaway. I really want to thank all of you who left such great posts. I do hope you will all stop back again soon, as you just never know what giveaway I will come up with next.

Have a great Tuesday!

A Lazy Sunday

2009-08-02T10:30:00.000-07:00

I really was going to clean house today as there is burlap everywhere but as soon as I heard the thunder and the sun disappeared I knew it was going to be one of those lazy Sundays. A perfect day to just pick up a good book and tune out the mess.

Yesterday I spent the entire day working on new designs and getting photos done so I am sure I will regret taking today to do nothing. The only thing that I can hope for is a sudden burst of energy tonight that will motivate me to do some house cleaning.

Please be sure to post below for my giveaway, I would hate for you to miss out.

Happy lazy Sunday!

Time For A Change

2009-07-28T07:08:00.000-07:00

Color plays such an important part in our lives and I have struggled with choosing a new color for my kitchen which connects to the family room since we purchased this house 6 years ago. I have never been a green person, my preference is white or a soft beige. One of the first things I was going to do was re-paint these two rooms, and here I am still surrounded by green.

I had a real attitude about this house since the time we purchased it. Our last home was a true adventure for me, the home was built in 1860 a Federal style, with windows that were all pre-civil war blown glass. The home was in complete shambles but I saw it as a decorating adventure. I completely restored the entire home from cellar to attic which was a huge under taking, it was like living in HGTV everyday for 2 years. Just as I finish the home and was about to really enjoy it my husband was transferred. Agony, I had put so much of myself into this home, it was like leaving a child behind.

This home was brand new, color selections were done by the builder and I was completely detached. I merely unpacked all the boxes hung the pictures and that was about it. Now after all this time I am ready to tackle the green actually it is more an olive green.

I would love to hear your thoughts about color selection. The cupboards are cherry, granite counter tops in a dark almost black green, brick paver flooring. Dark, Dark, Dark. So what do you think? I totally forgot to mention in my last post, I will be picking the winner of the burlap Paris slip on August 4th, so there is still time to leave a post.

I hope all of you have a wonderful weekend.

My Days Have Been So Frantic

2009-07-26T10:46:00.001-07:00

Things have just been so frantic since I returned from my brothers. It was wonderful to see his adorable boys and there is nothing better then holding a new baby. His little petite wife gave birth to a 9 lb. 8 oz. boy. She should be frantic with 3 little boys ages 1 year, 3 years and now the baby. Yikes!

Jumping back into my normal schedule was a bit hard, the time change difference had me sleeping a little later then usual so I had to make some adjustments and get back to my normal sleeping patterns. While I was gone I did come up with some new designs and couldn't wait to get home to put them to the test. One of the designs is the burlap slip with Paris on the front. I ended up loving this slip so much that now all the burlap designs will be offered as slips. Much easier to ship. I am so excited about this slip that I decided to offer it as a giveaway. You know me, I absolutely love giveaways. So here is the slip, just leave a post letting me know which room you will put this in.

I hope all of you are having a wonderful summer and are out there having fun.

Scavenger Hunt Winner

2009-06-19T18:59:00.000-07:00

I am off to Nevada tomorrow to play with the little guys and to await the arrival of a new baby (not mine) my brothers wife is due on the 26th so I will be helping with the two other children.

But before I leave I wanted to thank everyone for leaving a post for my scavenger hunt giveaway. Dawn from A feathered Nest won by a landslide. I really think I have more fun with the giveaways, as I get to meet so many wonderful women. So a big Congrats to Dawn and I hope all of you have a wonderful weekend.

Giveaway With A Twist

2009-06-13T05:16:00.000-07:00

I do hope that all of you have had a fabulous week. Mine has been completely insane, hurrying to get orders out as I am leaving for Nevada on the 22nd. My brother and his wife are having a baby, due on the 26th so I will be helping with their 2 other children. The prospect of traveling with long delays and being trapped on a flying bus does not appeal to me at all.

I thought it would be fun to have a little giveaway before I leave, This one comes with a little twist. I don't know if any of you have done a scavenger hunt but I think this would be fun. Here is how it works. I am going to giveaway 2 yes 2 of my French Burlap Grain Style King Slips.

This is how it works, whoever brings the most people to my blog will win the slips. Each person needs to post the name of the person that sent them. The fun part of this is, the person you send can also send their friends. I do think this will be a fun blogger scavenger hunt. The winner will be chosen on June 20th. So come and join the blogger scavenger hunt. Don't forget, anyone can win this giveaway. Even though you left a comment from another blog, you can have your readers leave a comment for you.

I hope all of you have a wonderful weekend.

Throw your hands up for Sunday

2009-06-07T11:29:00.000-07:00

I have decided on this bright sunny Sunday to throw my hands up and just break away from all the burlap! So often we let ourselves get preoccupied with our obligations, that we rarely remember to take time for ourselves and our loved ones. So, today I am putting everything aside and I'm going to enjoy a glass of fresh lemonade, and bask in the sun til my hearts content!! Let me know when the last time you threw your hands up was! HAPPY SUNDAY!!

Exciting Friday

2009-05-29T13:21:00.001-07:00

For over a month now I have had this adorable vintage grain/feed sack that I have wanted to do something special with. My days have been so chaotic that I have not had the time to just sit down and decide what I wanted to do with this sack. It is one of my very favorites as it is so incredibly soft and has the cutest muted checkerboard around the top, sides and bottom. Fortunately I was able to get two pillows out of this sack.

They are both huge 27" x 21". One has a large crown and the other a sweet Dragonfly with the French words "small Dragonfly". These pillows are so hard to part with, but I just can't keep everything. It was very exciting to finally use this sack and share it with all of you.

My next excitement on this Friday is to announce the winner of the Gothenburg pillow. My dear friend Karen was appointed the difficult task of selecting a name from the hat. ~Drum Roll~ The winner is, Jackie from Jackie's Journey Blog. Congratulations! This is the pillow that you have just won.

Thank you to everyone who has left a post. Please check back often, as I love having giveaways.

Have a wonderful and exciting weekend.

My Only Garden Success

2009-05-25T09:03:00.000-07:00

I have seen some of the most gorgeous flower gardens since I started blogging, and I am envious of each one. I would love to have a French garden with winding paths and little vignettes with statuary and seating. I can't begin to tell you how many magazines and books I have bought to find the exact flower garden that I would like, but my enthusiasm and energy starts to fade once I bring all the plants home. Sadly, I have lost so many due to my lack of initiative.

My only claim to fame is my beautiful hydrangeas. I love the colors this bush produces. Lavender, pale blue and the vibrant rose color. If you have a beautiful garden I would love for you to leave a comment regarding your approach to gardening and the type of flowers you have.

Also, I am having my drawing for the giveaway pillow shown below on Friday, May 29th, so please leave a post for your name to be entered. I hope you all had a wonderful weekend.

One Lovely Blog Award

2009-05-19T19:09:00.000-07:00

I want to thank Tamerie of A Little of This That and The Other for this award. I really wish I could give it to Tamerie as I love her blog. She is such an inspiration with her unbelievable talent. I would love to be her for a week and learn just how to slip cover a chair or something. Thanks so much Tamerie.
I would like to pass this award onto some of my favorite bloggers and I am sure if you visit their blogs you will see why they are my favorites.
Tracie at My Petite Maison
Jeanne at A Bushel and a Peck
Kasey at Lola B's
Jen at The Cottage Nest
Susie at Bienvenue
Bethie at Chic Junque
Allegra at A Glimpse Into Our Life
Christine at Belle Colle
Michelle at Shabby Creations

I hope you will take the time to stop by all my favorite blogs. These are all amazing women and I know their blogs will become your favorite as well.

Just a little note: Have you ever done something or said something that immediately you wish you could take back? This was my moment, I was so tired and wanted to post all the fabulous blogs of these amazing women that I completely messed up, big time and put dear Kaseys name as Tracey. What was I thinking? I knew all along her name was Kasey. So publicly I am saying I am so sorry Kasey.

RULES FOR THIS AWARD 1. Accept the award, post it on your blog together with the name of the person who's given it to you, along with the link to his or her blog. 2. Pass the award to 10 other blogs. contact those bloggers to let them know they've been chosen for this award. Have fun and enjoy your award! I really hope you choose to play and keep it going. But if you don't, that's okay too. Just enjoy your award in any way you wish and know that I think you have a very lovely blog.

One last note, please make sure to leave a comment and hopefully you will win my giveaway.

For The Love of Burlap

2009-05-18T05:05:00.000-07:00

My home looks like I have zillions of pets, the dust kitties are everywhere. The crazy thing is, these are not dust kitties, they are burlap fuzz. They seem to multiply over night, I am constantly walking around with my little dust buster vac.

I have been so busy lately that I have not had a chance to come up with any new designs and that drives me crazy, my mind just doesn't rest. Sunday I decided to just do a little creating and that seemed to settle my restlessness. I thought I would share with you two of my new creations. I have wanted to do a burlap rug for months now so finally I got one done. I also wanted a very basic pillow and I love the combination of the burlap and black details so here are two of my new items. I also thought it would be fun to do a giveaway. So just leave me a comment and you will be entered into the giveaway for the burlap pillow below

I hope everyone has a wonderful week,

So Glad it's Saturday

2009-05-02T05:47:00.000-07:00

I am so glad that the weekend has finally arrived. It gives me a few moments to catch my breath and re-group before jumping in again. I am having such a great time with my little shop on Etsy. I have met so many wonderful people and that has been great fun.

Lately I have not had the time to start working on some of my new designs so hopefully this week I can squeeze in a few. I have been asked for shams, so I did come up with a king size sham that I think would look fantastic on an all white bed. Let me know what you think.

I hope all of you have a wonderful weekend.

My Favorite Photo

2009-04-28T18:54:00.001-07:00

This is the sunshine of my everyday. She always makes me laugh, she has the ability to come up with the cutest little voices that she only uses with me. She calls me Mammy instead of mom and I call her Dootee, how we came up with these names is beyond me. She still sleeps with her stuffed rabbit that she calls Cutie, he has been with her since she was in her crib.

It's wonderful to have a daughter especially as they get older and they finally realize that you do know something about life and relationships. I just had to share the sunshine of my life.

Sweet Fifi

2009-04-25T11:45:00.000-07:00

I know many of you have seen Fifi's adorable little cottage that she is renovating which will become her guest house/office. I noticed her sweet little bench and just couldn't resist sending her one of my European style grain sacks, specifically for her little bench.

She is such a dear and immediately sent these pictures showing the grain sack on her bench. I think it was so sweet of her to take the time to send the photos, as we all know her schedule is crazy.

Thanks so much, sweet Fifi your a peach!

What Are Your Favorite Things?

2009-04-18T09:12:00.000-07:00

This morning I was trying to gather things that I thought would work well in a photo of one of my pillows. In the process of gathering, I started to notice all the little things, collections that make me feel good. I know we all have them, little objects that we have picked up on our journeys. Something so small can make us feel good each time we look at it.

As you know, I love pillows, not all pillows though. The two little pillows in the picture have been with me for years. They are done in a very soft vintage cotton with a separate little feather down pillow inside. I love the embroidery, one says Good Morning, the other Good Night. They make me feel good each time I see them. Such a great find.

The blue willow plate I bought at a flea market along with several other pieces. It shows it's age, there is a wonderful glazing that has taken place over the years. It's pale blue flowers are so faint yet sweet. My little wooden shoe forms have also been with me for years, aren't they just too cute? Of course we all love vintage sheet music and old photos, those are just a must have. The Hydrangeas are from my garden. They were a magnificent blue when I picked them and now they are a gorgeous lavender. I can't wait until there are new blooms so I can add more to my collection.

I would love to know what your little treasures are. What makes you feel good when you walk around your home? Do your treasures come with wonderful memorizes? Leave me a comment and share, it's always so nice to know what others collect.

Have a wonderful weekend, who knows you might even come across another little feel good treasure today.

Up To My Ears In Pillows

2009-04-14T10:15:00.000-07:00

I really want to thank Jeanne for her gracious post at A Bushel and a Peck . The comments have been wonderful and I so appreciate it. As with many of us who find passion in what we do, it is hard to be your own critic. You make something that you like and just hope others enjoy it as well. So I must say how moved I am by all the encouraging posts about my pillows.

I am up to my ears in pillows and fabric. It is really a sign that I need to take sometime today to do a little housekeeping when I pull a thread of burlap off my husbands pants as he's walking out the door. I'm sure many of you can relate.

I encourage you to stop by Jeanne's blog as well as her Etsy shop, both are wonderful and she is an amazing artist.

Thank you so much Jeanne, your the best!

A Blessed Easter To All

2009-04-11T13:45:00.000-07:00

The frenzy is on. I decided to make each guest an Easter cornet filled with candy, what was I thinking? I have an endless surplus of Easter baskets and I'm sure I could have been done by now, if I just didn't think like Martha Stewart. Oh well, I'm sure my guests will enjoy them and I will feel more than satisfied that I did spend the extra time.

I hope each one of you have a blessed and happy Easter.

Just Had To Share

2009-04-01T15:37:00.000-07:00

I have always had a passion for vintage linens and lately I have gone from Damask and linen to burlap and muslin. Quite a transition, but I am in love with the vintage German and French grain sacks. If you haven't seen the true vintage ones, do a Google search and by the way, look at the prices. Ouch!

As you can see on this blog I have made some burlap pillows with the French sayings and I love them. But today I was full of excitement over my newest creation. It is a tea stained heavy weight muslin with all the French detailing of a vintage feed sack but without the expensive price tag.

Please do leave a comment, let me know what you think of the vintage feed sacks as well as my newest creation. Merci

Another Petit Coterie Design

2009-02-23T12:20:00.000-08:00

I have fallen in love with burlap, it is such a great fabric to work with. The texture makes these pillows so interesting, they work so well with other fabrics. I love to see a vintage bark-cloth matched with burlap or even a great silk pillow will look at home with the burlap.

We always add the little saint metal to each pillow. I think it just gives that old European touch. Be sure to stop by our Etsy shop and have a look at all of our European designs. http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6505304

My biggest problem is staying focused and getting all my ideas finished. The weather has been so great, I hate staying in the house. I do hope that your getting things checked off your things to do list.

Wishing each of you a wonderful week.

So excited about our new items

2009-02-10T15:00:00.000-08:00

Now that the holidays are behind us, we have added some new items to our Etsy. Laura has done an adorable little sign with a petit birds nest. It is just way too cute, I think you will love it.

I am in the process of adding some new pillows, so be sure to stop by Petit Coterie at Etsy. And be sure and leave us a note here on our blog, we do love to hear from you.

What's Up With These Pictures?

2008-12-02T06:42:00.000-08:00

Whose dog is this? Why is he in my picture file?

Now this picture is really scary

This picture is a little puzzling, this is an unfinished kitchen.
maybe I just liked the cabinets.

I don't want to bore you with my thousands of unusual pictures. They do get worse, I think the time has come that I spend at least a week cleaning these out. I wonder if any of you save a picture and think I better not delete this, I may just need it for something. Is that the same as all the clothes that hang in our closets that we feel we will need? Or if I loose the 20 lbs. I will fit into that size 4. What about the Christmas clad sweater that someone gave you 10 years ago. You know, the one with the poofie Santa and the large Christmas stockings with sequins on the back. Maybe we think that person with the awful taste will show up on Christmas Eve and expect you to be wearing it or maybe we hold onto these to re-gift. Yikes! That would truly be a tag your it gift.

If any of these pictures were for inspiration then I should fold up my tent and head for home.

Happy Thanksgiving To All

2008-11-25T10:51:00.000-08:00

Where has this week gone? I am in one of those frenzies trying to clear my house of all the fabric, buttons and trim just to make my home presentable for all the guest arriving on Thursday. The chaos is sometimes more comfortable than being organized. This week Laura and I were scrambling to get orders shipped before the big mail crunch.

We did however get one of our new pillows finished, and both of us just love it. Let us know what you think, we are still doing the high five each time we look at it. Laura is the master in French and I just love the saying on this pillow.

Sweet Dreams For The Children

The Home of Oliver P. Badeau

He rests his head here tonight

17 Rue La Condamine, Paris

We wish you and your loved ones a blessed and happy Thanksgiving.

Life Has Been So Hectic

2008-11-20T12:47:00.000-08:00

Laura and I have been so busy, and excited that we are finally able to offer you some of our newest designs. We have had a great response from some of our dear customers, their feedback has been fantastic. When starting a new line you can't help but feel some trepidation. We get so excited with each new design and can't wait to get it out to the public, but at the same it's like sending your child off for the first day of school. Will they just love her, will she feel accepted?

The process really is so much fun, Laura and I get so ahead of ourselves, so it's great that we are able to ground each other. We love our new tote, it is large and roomie and of course we had to have the 22" straps. I hate a tote that has skimpy straps. I always have mine jam packed with all sorts of goodies, so I need the long strap to throw it over my shoulder, while balancing books and samples in the other hand.

Our pillows are fabulous, (hate to brag) but we both love them. Laura does such a great job with the design aspect. I always feel so bad for her as I am constantly suggesting one more little accent. It is such a good thing that she keeps me grounded.

We do hope you will stop back often and take a look at some of our new designs. By all means, do leave a comment, we love to hear from all of you.