and the Winner is ...

I got out my Grandma Minnie's green jardiniere.

No, it's not a chamber pot.

At least I don't think so. She always had

a plant in it.

I placed all the comments in it - including the doubles
for those of you that announced my giveaway
on your blog! (Thank you, thank you!)
Looks like a little leprechaun was adding a little luck to the draw.



Annnddd .... this is the lucky winner of my 200th Post Giveaway ....
Patty Jo !!!

So, Patti Jo, drop me an email (mmkohley@comcast.net)
with your mailing information and this little
guy will soon be on his way to share his luck with you!

Thank you to eveyone who entered. It was fun meeting so many new bloggers.
A Happy St. Patrick's Day to you all!

The 4 Friends Sale is only 2 weeks away! I will begin posting some pictures
of my new projects this week. Stay tuned for more! M.

200th Post Giveaway !!!

Well folks, as promised, this is announcing my 200th post GIVEAWAY !!!

To honor my Irish roots and since St. Patrick's Day

is just a few weeks away, I will be giving away

this little leprechaun in a pot of gold.

This little guy is mounted on an old silver spoon and

brings many wishes for Good Luck and Blessings

throughout the year to the lucky winner!

It is my way of thanking you all for continuing to

support what I do and following along through this blog.

Here is how you enter: Leave a comment

on this post by Saturday, February 27th,

9 p.m. PST for a chance to win my little leprechaun!

Pretty easy, huh?

If you want to have your name entered twice,

mention this Giveaway on your blog for a little extra advantage!

Okay, that's it. Ready, set, GO ! Good Luck! M.

St. Valentine's Day

When we were in elementary school, it was always such fun to make Valentines for all our classmates. There was always a really pretty one for your best friend (Sharon) and one for your teacher (Mrs. Uphaus). Even one for that boy that you thought was kinda cute (don't remember who that was). That was the one your really pondered over. Nothing too obvious, but you wanted it to be just right - whatever that was in grade school!

We also made Valentine boxes that sat on our desks ready to receive all the Valentines. There were contests with prizes for the prettiest, the funniest and the most original. It was a day of fun and excitement with a party at the end of the day. One year the "room mothers" made strawberry sodas and strawberry cupcakes. We slowly poured more and more soda into the glasses to see how high we could get the pink foam before it oozed over the side! Such a simple but memorable treat! Another year, a group of moms made cinnamon candy discs that were really hot. Another wonderful, homemade treat. Now I look back and we really had special celebrations with a lot of thought and care put into them. We were so lucky.

Today, my husband and I are celebrating with friends. A special little dinner here at home.

Something savory, something bubbly and -- of course -- something chocolate!
What would Valentine's Day be without chocolate?

To me, Valentine's Day is a day to recognize our friends, old and new. To let special people know you care and that they make a difference being in our lives. So, with that ...

a Happy Valentine's Day to you all!

New Projects

After much dragging of my feet and procrastination, I finally began working on projects for our 4 Friends Sale mid-March! It's not that I don't enjoy it, I just needed some time off. Well, that's all over now and I'm busy, busy, busy! The house is a mess to prove it!

As some of you know, it is a constant process coming up with something different and fresh. I think that can be more exhausting and draining than the actual making process.

Then, there are those ideas that are just that -- ideas -- that don't exactly come together. Those are the frustrating ones that you spend a lot of time on because you know it would be really cool if you could get it to work. Sometimes you just have to say "uncle" and move on. You guys never see those attempts and never will if I have anything to do with it!!!

Aanny-way, even though some items have been made for years and years, I hope I came up with a version that says "ME". When you see it, you will know it had to be made by me.

As Elf Patty would say, "it's Martherized". Not my most favorite term, but I know it implies something positive and you get the idea.


So, I have been playing with fabric and placing my collage designs on it. It takes a little "doing" and does have limitations, but I have been liking the end result! I hope you will agree.

I know that my 200th post is looming on the horizon and I will celebrate with a GIVEAWAY!!! So stay tuned, because I hope to entice and dazzle you into entering the drawing with something HOT off the workroom table.

Okay, so this is off the subject. I just want to let all of you in the snow-ridden parts of the country know that I have been thinking of you. I hope that you and your families are okay with all of the snow. My cousin in Maryland is stuck at home with no power. Fortunately, I think she is staying with friends until her husband returns from a business trip and they can "dig out". Schools are closed so she doesn't have to try to get to work. I guess the saying "it's not done until it's overdone" applies. My hope is that it will be "overdone" soon and you will see those beautiful cherry trees blossoming in no time. Take good care, M.

"Guest Room" Blue

So, last summer I promised to show pictures of my newly painted guest room. Annnd, things got busy ... lots of house guests ... lots of shows ... lots of work. Anyway, I forgot. Over the weekend, one of my blogging buddies ask me for the name of the color.

It isn't really called "Guest Room Blue".

It's Martha Stewart, Sea Spray Blue, #MS261!

I'm sorry that the pictures don't really give you a good idea of the color, but it really is that wonderful shade of light, robin's egg blue. Not too turquoise, not too baby-boy blue - - just like Goldilocks' bed - just right! Unfortunately, I didn't find it on the first try. This was, I think, my third try. So, I have lots of little tester colors for projects! The good part was that I didn't do any glazing. I liked it "as is".

I know this is post is about 6 months late, but maybe it's just in time for spring home improvement projects.

I would like to thank everyone that offered paint color mixes and brands. You guys are great! Good luck and happy painting! M.

New Artist Class to begin soon!

Mary Green of Green Paper will be present the next Artist Class beginning February 1.

I will be participating again and have submitted a tutorial to make the
little mannequin shown above. I made it using basic supplies
that you can find at craft supply stores.


However, if you are feeling creative, you can branch out and use
many, many different items to make your mannequin unique!

I am always keeping my eyes open for old vanity lamp bases,

little baubles that to embellish the mannequin, old laces, buttons, etc.

If you are interested in making this little mannequin or just finding

out more about the Artist Class, other projects and the talented artists

that created them - just click on the banner above and it will link

you to the site! It is a wonderful way to learn the techniques and tricks

that we use to make our creations. Don't wait - pre-register today !

Next post: A Valentine Cake ! M.

A Little Visual Pick-Me-Up

I was going through my 2009 pictures and found this one taken in our back yard. Obviously, it was taken last spring when the yard wasn't a mushy, mucky mess. It was just what I've been needing. Bright, cheerful inspiration - a reminder that this gray, dreary, wet season will pass. And -- I did see some grape hyacinths peeking up out of the leaf mulch the other day. So, there is hope. ( I know, I should shut-up 'cuz we don't have 2 feet of snow. However, I don't mind snow - it's bright.)

I shouldn't be surprised, but I've been in my annual "What am I going to do for Spring?"
mood. Which ties into my "How am I going to proceed with my little business this year?" dilemma. All of this makes for lots of mulling over: what worked, what worked but was way too hard on the old bod (not a Spring Chicken anymore), what sounds like fun and how should I proceed with it?

So, I'm going to throw it out there for you to give me your "2 cents worth". I've been toying with offering some one-day workshops in my home. A fun day filled with creativity and a yummy lunch. This sounds like fun! A room full of creative women making something wonderful and food. What could be better?
I've had many of my customers ask if I would consider doing this. It sounds like a good thing to try. Now, I'm brainstorming on projects that could be easily adapted into a one-day class with supplies that are readily available. This could take a little time but I am thinking that April or May might be a good time to give this a whirl. Let me hear from you and I will keep you posted.

But, wait -- there's more!

During the month of February, I will be participating in the next Artist Class session. This is a group of wonderful tutorials offered by artists across the country at a very reasonable price. If you type in "Vintage Trifles" you get a 10% discount. Read more about Artist Class at: http://www.greenpaper.typepad.com/.

Like I said, there's more!
On March 13, we will be presenting the 3rd Annual 4 Friends Sale! 4 sales at 4 locations: Auntie Joy's in Silverton, Molly Mo's in Sublimity, me - Vintage Trifles, in South Salem, and new this year (imagine drum roll) Sammy Girl, also in South Salem. Stay tuned for more info! It was so much fun last year. I expect a repeat this year and then some!

And even more!
Saturday, October 2, I will be hosting a Halloween Booo-tique at my house. I LOVE to make Halloween so I will be creating lots and lots of whimsical, unexpected things to adorn your haunted house. As I was writing this, two, new ideas popped into my head. EEK! I will be confirming the date very soon. More details to come!

Check my listing to the left for more dates.

On top of all of this, I am very close to making my 200th post! Might be time for a Give-away! M.