I found this wonderful vintage white glass plate and of course thought of Friday Flea Market! It is more 'platter' size (13" in diameter), and just right for displaying your yummy iced cupcakes and fancy decorated cookies. I love how you can run a ribbon through it to dress it up - which makes it perfect for any season of the year! Look for it in Found Treasures at Rose Meadow Cottage Designs ~ shipping in this category and Vintage Linens is free through the end of March. This plate is in great condition - no chips or scratches. The edge is really pretty ~

Easter Egg Pastel Chenille Pillows ~ Friday Flea Market

I just finished a bunch of my patchwork chenille pillows in these soft pastel colors. I use my vintage chenille that is leftover from making quilts ~ all from those lovely old cotton bedspreads that are so soft. The pastel colors reminded me of Easter baskets filled with a delightful assortment of dyed eggs!


Each pillow measures about 16" square, and is gently stuffed so they are soft and comfy. I keep them simple, with just bows, buttons, and tiny ribbon roses as decoration. The chenille colors, patterns, and textures are so lovely to look at I don't think they need much more than that!

The backs are flannel ~ they're pretty cute, too.


If you are interested in purchasing my chenille patchwork pillows (each $22.00), please visit my website, Rose Meadow Cottage Designs by clicking here, where you'll find more details and photos.

Pinwheel Cookies

I've been wanting to try these cookies ever since I came across the recipe in the Woman's Day Holiday Cookies magazine. And by holiday - that was Christmas, actually..... My ambition for fancy cookie baking in December exceeded the time available, but I thought they would be very pretty for Valentine's Day, and I even managed to nudge several of them into being round!

The cookies are made up of three flavored doughs - chocolate, of course, and then the pink is made with dried cherries, and the green with pistachios. They did take me a while to make! Oatmeal with butterscotch chips, toll house cookies and those peanut blossoms with the Hershey kisses are my usual fare, so these were kinda fun. I would be glad to share the recipe with anyone who wants it.

These (well, the really round and pretty ones!) are on their way to Chicago for my daughter in her Valentine's Day box - filled with all things pink. Even though our girls are young ladies now, I still enjoy packing up a box filled with holiday 'goodies' for them.

Friday Flea Market ~ Roses!

This week I have a few pieces that are so rose meadow cottage-y, that I just couldn't wait to share them with you. First is this sweet apple green pitcher with beautifully detailed pink roses. It stands 7" high and has a very graceful shape, which is accentuated by delicate gold gilt lines. I am imagining it filled with pink roses from a summer garden! Here's a close-up on those roses ~


If you would like to purchase any of my Friday Flea Market items, please click here to go to my shop, Rose Meadow Cottage Designs ~ you'll find these in Found Treasures.

Next is this snowy white bowl with delicate pink roses and a lacy embossed edging. It's in very nice condition - about 9" in diameter.


And here is a wonderful earthenware pitcher with very pale purple grapes nestled in some colorful leaves. The glaze gives this pitcher a pale pink or lavender hue depending on the light. It measures 6 and 1/2" high.

The bottom of this pitcher is stamped in gold ~

"Compliments of W. J. Matthews, Jr., Windle, Tenn.,
The same goods for less money, Better goods for the same money."

Lunch in New Harmony

This past Saturday we were on the road again, and ended up in New Harmony, Indiana, for lunch at one of our favorite restaurants ~ The Red Geranium. Not so unusual of course - except that we happen to live in St. Louis, and all of southern Illinois lies in-between! My husband loves to drive; more on that topic later. We arrived in New Harmony to find it snow covered, and the trees and bushes glistening with ice. It was simply beautiful. We had snow at home, too, but several sunny, warmer days had melted much of it away. I would have loved to have wandered around town taking more photos, but the walking surfaces were treacherous, so my picture taking was curtailed.


New Harmony is a charming town. It was founded in 1814 as home to the Harmonie Society, a religious group pursuing Christian perfection in all aspects of their daily lives. When the Harmonists returned to Pennsylvannia ten years later, the entire town was purchased by Robert Owen. His goal was to create a Utopian society where social equality and education would flourish for all. Many of these early structures have been preserved, and a tour of this historic town gives you a fascinating glimpse into a past in which men and women strived for a better life.

This is the outside of the Roofless Church. The artist's concept was that only one roof, the sky, could encompass all of worshipping humanity.

Yes, my husband loves to drive. It's never any surprise to me that we end up 200 miles from home just for lunch. Our second date, many years ago, was a Sunday drive. (I was still prone to getting carsick back then, and undoubtedly feel asleep halfway through. Apparently my company had been sparkling enough earlier on to compensate for my snoozing!) Just ask our daughters ~ they are pros at the 1,000 mile road trip. One of our daughters went to college in Maine, and of the dozen or so times we traveled to Brunswick, ME (moving in, moving out, Parents' weekends, etc.), we drove there at least half the time. We do this because we love stopping and exploring along the way - sites large and small, cities and towns, country roads and local diners!