We are joining the Altered Art Party at Fench Cupboard! Visit their blog and check out all the great Altered projects!

al·tered -nounAn artistic style using everyday, mundane items and giving it new life through various artistic techniques and methods such as upcycling, collaging, embellishing, enamelling, stamping or doing anything else to reflect a creative idea, theme or narrative.

Summer Porch

Join us on Friday for a fun themed sale at Forget Me Not Dreams and the boutiques of Make Mine Pink. I can’t think of anything more inviting than a summer porch. Starting your day with a cup of tea in a favorite antique tea cup or watching a sunset from a vintage wicker rocker, filled with plump cushions, inspired by days gone by. A summer porch can be a place of solace, when you need a moment to unwind, or a place of shelter during a warm summer rain.

A welcoming porch creates a friendly entryway to your home. And with the right accessories, can become an extension of your home. Our summer porch was always filled with pots and planters of brightly colored geraniums. It didn’t feel like summer without these welcoming blooms.

For entertaining guests, vintage chairs, painted in blues and whites, no two alike, made comfortable with pretty floral pillows propped against their backs. An ornate table, painted white and adorned with layers of beautiful white linens. A welcoming site for all that come to visit.

For cozy evenings, cut glass cups, glow with the soft flicker of a candle within. An old mason jar, one saved from grandmother’s canning cellar, is filled with fresh cut daisies. A quilting project, tucked into a favorite basket, ready to be worked on at a moments notice.

As you relax and sip your iced tea, your eyes follow the simple, uncluttered decor of of your summer porch. The vintage lace curtains, stirring in the warm evening breeze, the gingerbread window boxes, filled with summer blooms, and just beyond the porch, a whimsical pink bicycle, it’s basket filled with blooms in shades of pink. You sigh with contentment as you welcome another summer evening.

Create your own special summer porch with the help of the boutiques at Make Mine Pink.

Written by:
Joyce Lucas, Founder
Make Mine Pink

The Kitchen Cupboard

For as long as I can remember, the kitchen has been the heart of our home. I can still see the very full cupboards in both my grandmother’s and my mother’s kitchen.

The dining room china cabinet held the very best dinnerware that was used for special occasions, but the kitchen cupboards were always like a treasure hunt. You never knew what you might find tucked inside. Some pieces useful, some pretty, some very mysterious. Miss-matched china cups, some missing their saucer, just waiting to be used for special desserts. It was always just a little more fun to eat my grandmother’s tapioca or my mom’s pudding from a fancy cup.

The cupboard that held the slightly worn, tin canisters, was one that brings back some of the very best memories. I remember cookies being baked for school parties, and pies and desserts for special holidays. All of us kids gathered in the kitchen to watch the magic, each vying for the honor of scraping the batter bowl, or spoon and awaiting our part in this magical play. Tucked in this same cabinet, sugar sprinkles waiting for our little hands to add the finishing touches. There were so many memories made from what our kitchen cupboards held. Some that shape us as mothers and grandmothers. If you’d like to take a walk down memory lane, some of these very same treasures can be found at Forget Me Not Dreams and in the boutiques at Make Mine Pink.

Written by:
Joyce Lucas,

Founder Make Mine

Simply Pink

Everywhere you look these days, pink is popping up in home decor and fashion. The color once reserved for baby nurseries, and little girl's dresses is now being incorporated into the decor of homes everywhere. Sometimes in soft summer hues and at other times, bright and bold, making a statement that is impossible to ignore. Some of us love "all things pink", and fill every corner and space with this fun color. Furniture, curtains, and pink accessories grace our homes and closets. Others' craving for pink is satisfied with just a bit of a favorite shade here and there. You may find a pale pink quilt draped across a white chair, an antique pink chair against a warm white backdrop, or perhaps a clear crystal vase filled with vibrant cut flowers in shades of pink.

Mixing shades of pink makes a room feminine and chic, but a single pink accent in an all white room, commands just as much attention. Even when subtle, pink catches the eye wherever it's used. It’s fun, it’s feminine and it’s flirty. Pink is the color that fits in with any theme - from girly to chic, from romantic to modern. Store windows are filled with eye popping pink accessories and furnishings. Designers are using extravagant pink fabrics or creating just a few pink touches in their designs. Websites are popping up everywhere, offering pink accessories for home and fashion.

What is it about pink that makes us love it so much? It's the color of princesses and fairy tales, wedding bouquets and ballet slippers. It can be whimsical or soft and feminine. In brighter shades, it reflects a bold zest for life. It's a reminder of favorite childhood memories and future dreams. Whether you surround yourself with pink or just like keep a special pink reminder nearby you'll find something special on Friday in our MMPink category and at Make Mine Pink.
Written by:

Joyce Lucas,

Founder Make Mine Pink

We are excited to be participating in the French Cupboard Un-Common Place themed parties! They will take place the last weekend of every month! But join us in our Kick Off Party July 15th! The theme is Show Off Your Rosettes! Too much fun!

The creative French Cupboard ladies will have all sorts of rosettes available to purchase too - all right there on the blog!

If you'd like to see the schedule for the upcoming Un-Common Place themed parties, you can check it out here.

We are featuring our Vintage Hankie Rosettes! You can click here to view or purchase!

Portland Expo Antique Show

This coming weekend, you can see the great new things We’ve found since the last time we met. We’ll be at the Portland Expo on July 10th & 11th for the big Palmer/Wirfs show. You can locate our booth outside straight down the isle from the statue located between buildings D & E.

This show is the largest Antique & Collectible Show in the country with 1,400 booths both inside and out. We've been a vendor here for 5 years!

In addition to offering more vintage items for sale than any other show, there are several exhibits that you may enjoy: In the outside selling area, there is a collection of Tear Drop Trailers, those adorable ‘40’s era camping trailers.
Evaluations and identifications are offered all weekend in the Hall E lobby. The show’s experts will examine your item and give you a verbal market evaluation for $5.00 per object, which all proceeds going to the Portland Police’s Food Bank, The Sunshine Division. And lastly, for several hours each day, live bluegrass music will played out on the plaza between Halls E and D.

The hours on Saturday are 9am to 6pm and Sunday from 10am to 5pm. The Expo is located in Portland, Oregon and to get there take exit 306B off I-5 north or south. Adult admission is $7.00 for Saturday and is good for both days. If you wish to come as an Early Admission buyer, that cost is $30 and you are admitted during exhibitor set-up on Friday, the 9th. Outside exhibitors start setting up at 8am and the inside opens at 9am.
Parking at the Expo is $7.00 or at Portland Meadows Horse Race Track for $5.00 (Shuttle provided).

There is food and beverage available but bring your favorite walking shoes. This is a show worth spending some time at. You never know what treasure you’ll end up taking home with you!
See you at the show!