Collections — A Cultivated Nest

The Garden Game – A Vintage Gardening Board Game

January 30, 2013 By Manuela

I thought all you gardeners and lovers of vintage would like to see my Christmas present to myself!

It’s a British gardening board game called The Garden Game by Lady Sarah Ponsonby. It’s a rummy style game and was named “best game of the year for 1980″. Isn’t it marvelous! They don’t make beautiful board games like this anymore.

The beautifully designed large board is the garden and has 4 garden beds.

The object of the game is for each player to plant Seed Packets in their garden until it’s full, with plants that do best together (companion planting!). The first player that completes their garden wins. But you have to watch out for Acts of God, Weather Reports and other disasters (you could also have an accident go to the hospital)!

The seed cards are beautifully illustrated with various plants and flowers!

They’re planted in the furrows (grooves) of the plots (those white lines on the board)

It has miniature metal garden objects as playing pieces and wooden dice!

It’s a stormy day here in Georgia (we started the day with tornado sirens at 8:30 am), so my daughter and I are going to play The Garden Game and work on our puzzle, bake some cupcakes and probably check the weather channel compulsively until these storms pass through later today!

What are you doing today?

Filed Under: Collections, In the garden Tagged With: garden, vintage

Decorating With Globes

January 14, 2013 By Manuela

I’ve seen globes used in decorating for several years now. Maps and globes seem to appear and disappear as a decorating trend.

As with most collections, there are different reasons for collecting globes.

What attracts me to globes is really the color. They bring in a nice pop of color! Especially the vintage ones. I love the blues and reds!

The great thing about globes is that they come in not only different colors, but also different sizes. So you could collect the little ones if you didn’t have a lot of space.

This little one was a Christmas gift from my Daughter (from Etsy). It’s a vintage tin globe bank by Ohio Art Co. made in the 1940′s. It says ”As You Save – So You Prosper” on the bottom. That’s so true!

There’s a whole new trend with altering globes by painting designs on them, painting them with chalkboard paint, or decoupaging them. The globe to the left is an new version of that trend (a Christmas gift from my Husband from TJX).

I’ve found it very difficult to find vintage globes at the thrift store that are reasonably priced. I found that big world globe after passing up a few that I thought were a crazy price. I guess Goodwill knows they are collectible!

Here are a some other resources about decorating with globes, if you’re interested:

Art On Globes by ImagineNations

Apartment Therapy – Decorate Like a Globe Trotter

Decorating with Vintage Globes – Huffington Post

Filed Under: Budget Decorating, Collections Tagged With: Budget Decorating, Collections, cottage style decorating

Decorating with Mercury Glass

January 5, 2013 By Manuela

I love having something shiny and glowy on the mantel when it’s dreary outside. January is normally one of our coldest dreariest months.

So I brought out my mercury glass collection and decorated my fireplace mantel with it.

So weird… apparently I decorate my mantel with mercury glass every January! See this post in Jan of 2009, or this post Jan 2010, or this post Jan 2012! At least in Jan 2011 I changed it up and did this colorful mantel.

I also apparently go to Ikea every January. Hmmmm…I had no idea I was such a creature of ~~habit~~ - ummm tradition…now I’m just going to call it a tradition.

It’s our “tradition” to go to Ikea every January and to decorate the fireplace mantel with mercury glass every January…. (sounds better than I do the same thing every year).

I did add some tarnished silver serving trays to my mantel this year. I really love the juxtaposition of the tarnished with the shiny.

Faux Mercury glass objects are available pretty much everywhere these days (especially at Christmas).

However, if you can’t find any, it’s pretty easy and affordable to make knockoffs.

Here are a couple of Mercury Glass tutorials that I think do a good job explaining the process. They’re all a little different but they all use Krylon Looking Glass Spray Paint.

Faux Mercury Glass Tutorial @ Take the Side Street
DIY Mercury Glass Tutoria @ Lovely Little Details
Faux Mercury Glass @ Blue Cedar Lane
Mercury Glass Plates @ The Shabby Creek Cottage

Have a great weekend!

Filed Under: Collections, Decorating, Link Love, Tutorials Tagged With: Budget Decorating, Collections, DIY projects, mercury glass

Collecting Small Things – A Favorite Thing

November 30, 2012 By Manuela

I’ve been working on a small china cabinet I have in my dining room. The shelves are small – not very wide, deep or tall. I usually display a few small soup for-one tureens in it since that’s all that will fit. It’s one of those pieces of furniture that I loved when I got it but it’s been bugging me for a few years now because it’s so small. I keep looking for a larger china cabinet that’ll fit in that spot but haven’t had any luck.

I was playing around with this little cabinet, decorating it for Christmas when I decided to display my collection of mostly vintage salt and pepper shakers on the top shelf….and I LOVED it. Making that one little change gave me a whole new appreciation for my little cabinet and my little collection of shakers!

I filled one shaker with faux snow and put a green bottle brush tree in it. Topped off with a vintage brooch as a tree topper.

A couple of shakers were given to me a few years ago by a reader (thanks again Viola).

I’ve suddenly realized that this little cabinet is a perfect place to display all my “littles”. I have more kitschy salt and pepper shakers, a few egg cups, demitasse cups, lots of tea cups and a few vintage clocks ( I’m sure there’s more ) that I could display in this cabinet.

I’m linking to Claudia’s A Favorite Thing which was going to be my salt & pepper shaker collection but now I’ll have to include my little cabinet too ( I’ll show all of it next week after I finish adding a few Christmas touches).

Filed Under: Collections, Seasonal Decorating Tagged With: Collections, decorating

My Christmas Glitter House Mantel

November 26, 2012 By Manuela

I’ve decided to focus on a few key areas this year when decorating for Christmas. Mainly because I really, really, really want to downsize all my Christmas decor boxes. I have way too much stuff and I even got rid of some decorations last year!

My main focal area for the living room will be our Christmas tree and the fireplace. I showed you the french grain sack planter I made for my pretty poinsettia on the hearth. So now I’ve moved onto the mantel.

I decided to display my glitter houses and some of my bottle brush trees on my mantel. This mantel is so nice and deep since we made it over in January!

I do love my glitter houses! I’m a house gawker so I enjoy seeing different houses real or not.

I used some icicle trim for a wintery feel.

This is the first little house that I bought many, many years ago. It started it all!

Here are more photos of my Christmas glitter house village mantel.

I have a little more inside and outside decorating to do this week (in-between painting my kitchen).

I love how it all sparkles during the day and a few of the houses light up for some night time glow.

Hope you enjoyed seeing my little glitter house collection!

Linking to

What’s It Wednesday

Brenda’s Tweak It Tuesday

Jennifer’s Fabulously Creative Friday

Filed Under: Collections, Seasonal Decorating Tagged With: Christmas, Christmas Decorating, fireplace mantle/mantel, glitter houses

A Favorite Thing – Decorating with My Thrift Store Finds

November 16, 2012 By Manuela

I’m joining Claudia’s A Favorite Thing Saturday over at Mockingbird Hill Cottage. This week I’m sharing something that combines two of my favorite things - thrifting and dogs… and decorating with my thrifty finds. O.K. THREE of my favorite things!

How many of you remember the store Bombay Co.? I used to love that store so much! I was very into the whole British Colonial look back in the day (my how tastes change)!

Do they have any brick and mortar stores anymore? All the ones around here closed years ago.

Anyway, I found a fun Bombay Co. dog print {which looks brand new since it still had some of the corner protectors on it} at Goodwill.

Many of you will remember that I have some vintage dog prints in my foyer around my front door.

That’s where I put my new find. See he fits right in! (of course it would have been even more perfect if he was a Golden like our Maxie or a Beagle like Corey).

Now I think it would be so fun to have a few more (at least one more) dog print in this style!

Always something new to search for – that’s the fun of collecting and thrifting!

Did you miss my other thrift store finds this week? Go here to see them.

Filed Under: Collections, Theme Parties, Thrifting Tagged With: Budget Decorating, decorating with thrift store finds

A Favorite Thing – My Teapot Collection

October 26, 2012 By Manuela

I’m taking part in Claudia’s Favorite Thing Saturday over at Mockingbird Hill Cottage. This week I’m going to share my teapot collection as my favorite thing.

I actually didn’t even realize I had a teapot collection until I was looking for something to put in the cubes on top of my bookcases. But since I have more than 3 – that makes them a collection, right?

This Mackenzie Childs teapot is one that my husband surprised me with after the sale of our first house. He also bought me the sugar and creamer! This pattern is probably retired by now but I have to check on that. I love the mix of checks with the flowers. It’s a lovely reminder of when our daughter was just a baby and fixing up our first house and selling it during a crazy time when houses in our town hardly stayed on the market for more than two weeks!

This black one was also a gift from my husband. The chickens on front look like a scene from a piece of toile!

This blue teapot and the one below were both gifts from my daughter (with help from Daddy).

These little transferware teapots below are one were ones I purchased long ago.

I just like the idea of a little pot that has it’s own little cup! Tea for one!

And last are two thriftstore finds. The red teapot and the one behind it with the cherries. I LOVE that one with the cherries! I’ve been looking forever for another one or maybe the plates that go with it.

There you have it – my teapot collection. One of my favorite things! I think I have room for one more in the back there don’t ya think?

Please be sure to go visit Claudia and see all the other favorite things linked up or link up a post of your own!

Have a great weekend!

Filed Under: Collections, Theme Parties Tagged With: Collections, cottage style decorating, decorating

More Plates Than Wall Space!

October 9, 2012 By Manuela

I have a lot of plates! I literally have a boxes of plates in my garage. I try to rotate them in my house because I do love them all and want to be able to enjoy them (that’s why I’ve collected them).

So I’m always looking for ways to display my ~~addiction~~ collection. I have these little Royal Crownford ironstone plates with sayings on them. I find the sayings charming and special and they’re the real reason I collect these plates. This is my favorite one:

The side of this china cabinet faces out – you can see it as you walk down the stairs. A perfect blank slate!

So I hung some of these plates on the side of my china cabinet. I did use plate hangers but I’m sure that if your plates are light enough you can probably use some sort of 3M product instead.

Do you hang your plates someplace other than the wall? Maybe the fireplace surround or a bookcase?

Linking to: DIY Thrifty Thursday @ Thrifty 101

Filed Under: Collections, Fluffing my nest Tagged With: Collections, decorating, plates

Strutting My Rooster Collection

August 21, 2012 By Manuela

I think it was back in May or so that we got some new IKEA bookcases for the living room. I’m only now starting to put the books back on the shelves in some kind of order! The tops have these open boxes that I think I’m going to use for display.

So in one of these boxes I decided to displaying my rooster/chicken collection!

The little blue and red rooster/chicken are these white ones below.

I got those in 2009 at the thrift store. They’re those paint your own ceramics which I originally spray painted white. Then I painted one red and recently I painted one aqua-that one can of aqua spray paint is getting a lot of use

“They” always say to group your collections for more impact – so that’s what I’ve done here.

I still have to put the other books back on all the shelves (I’m showing the only orderly shelves that I have right now ) and figure out what to do with the three other display boxes!

Filed Under: Collections, Fluffing my nest

Cross Gallery Wall

July 12, 2012 By Manuela

I guess a gallery wall can be a collection of anything – empty frames, mirrors, family photos, plates, vintage maps, clock faces, whatever you like (or it can be eclectic and a mix of things but with a theme or unifying element).

A little hard to photograph but you get the idea

It’s been so hot here that we didn’t venture outside last week but worked on little things in the house and one was to move our gallery wall of crosses down one wall next to the entrance to the kitchen (so you see it when you come up the stairs from the front door).

can see where I stopped painting the new color yellow?

Actually Flaming June and the crosses switched places. I love where she is now because she has a lovely spot light on her that makes here look even better than before.

My husband started this collection and the crosses come from various places – the smaller ones I’ve found at thrift stores.

I think they artfully fill up this large blank wall and take attention away from the thermostat.

Of course the wall will change as the collections grows. I’d like to take the collection all the way down to the air vent.

Anyway, it’s amazing how much of a difference a little switcharoo has made! We have a whole new appreciation of Flaming June and our cross collection!

Are you a fan of gallery walls in general or do you think it’s just too cluttery for your tastes ?

Filed Under: Collections, Fluffing my nest

Foyer Gallery Wall

March 15, 2012 By Manuela

Decorating a small foyer is a challenge! A foyer should say something about the people that live in the home as well as being a welcoming place. Hard to do in a small space. I don’t have much floor space, as a matter of fact, the only furniture I have in there is this halltree I got at Goodwill - so I go vertical and use my wall space.

So far I’ve painted two walls the new color – Moonlight yellow from Benjamin Moore. Then I edited and re-arranged some of the dog art that we have above the doorway.

We are animal lovers, especially dogs. So we’ve collected dog art and plates which I’ve used around the door. I’m told that’s good feng shui!

The Cocker Spaniel painting was found at Goodwill back when still had our Cocker Spaniel Buttons.

The Golden Retriever painting is a paint by number that my daughter did when she was little and Maxie ( our Golden who passed away last year) was a puppy. The old color yellow is still on the wall behind the halltree – which is why the corner looks odd.

I’ve found that iron piece at Goodwill last fall and never had a place to put it until I re-arranged this wall. The 1/2 yard long above the door is a vintage print and the one above that is a reproduction of a vintage print.