At Home In The Adirondacks

Westport is an Adirondack community proudly perched on the shores of Lake Champlain. A coastal community to the east, it is embraced by the Adirondack Mountain range to the west. Experience incredible sunrises and the shimmering Green Mountain vista of neighboring Vermont.

I thought I would share a few photo's of my life here in the country in the Adirondack Mountains. It is certainly winter here and the cold, sometimes below zero, temperatures have left us with plenty of snow. Here are some views from our farmhouse, my first store which is a former carriage house and my studio.

Cabin style living and Rustic Retreats are plentiful here in the Adirondacks where decorating your personal retreat includes Lodge Style Furniture and Vintage Beacon Blankets. Here is a rustic cabin taken from the woods. Now a studio of Barbara Smith, she has found her style creating decorative pillows using vintage Camp and Beacon Blankets. Barbara's pillows are available at the store.

With both my stores closed now for the winter months, my favorite past time is now taking photo's of some of the fantastic farms here with here with their livestock in the fields and their fantastic old barns....full of history I'm sure.

I hope you enjoy viewing my photo's of my life in a small town called Westport, NY


[Westport][antiques][Adirondacks][New York]

Cherubs To Make You Smile!

My love for cherubs began at a very early age. As a matter of fact, my love for cherubs began in the first grade. I grew up in Bucks County, PA and attended Catholic school until the eight grade. I remember my first grade teacher, Sister St. Clair who spent much time with me helping a left-handed child make those circles you drew in your black and white copy book slant to the right. Mine always somehow looked better to the left and time and time again my teacher reminded me of what I was doing wrong. So each night I went home and practiced and then practiced some more. Each morning Sister St Clair passed through the class to review our work and today was my day! I saw the smile on her face and watched her as she placed a tiny sweet cherub sticker on the top of my page and said "Well Done". Hence my love for cherubs began and I can remember that day like it was yesterday.

I am always on the search for cherubs as I find much joy for each one I find. As an Antique Dealer, I am always searching for Cherubs with some history, yet at the Pink Pig you will find a collection of old and new. A bit of history on an old beauty I found is the center painting in the picture which is titled "Cupid Awake & Sleeping - 1897." This famous photograph was taken by a well know New York photographer in the late 19th century and early 20th century by the name of M.B. Parkinson (Morris Burke Parkinson). The model he chose was Josephine Anderson who was the daughter of a friend who worked for him and left her child in his care. Josephine was 4 years old in this photo and continued to model for him for years to come. Josephine Anderson died in 1970.

I hope you enjoy this Stylish Blend of Old and New at the Pink Pig and your search for your special cherub makes you smile as well.



[cherubs, antiques, school, photographs]

A New Look For The Pink Pig

The Pink Pig has a new look with the help of two very talented artists I would like to thank.

Sara Duckett of Sadie Olive Design www.sadieolive.com was responsible for my new site design. Sara is a woman of many talents and I am very grateful for the work and advice she has given me in creating a new look for the Pink Pig. Her site is unique as she features a boutique with beautiful items for your home....A Website Designer with a style of her own ( please take a peek at her portfolio) and a Photography Site filled with photographs that I am sure will make your smile. Sara has been featured in several national magazines and has recently been name one of the "Top Romantics" by Romantic Homes Magazine.

I would also like to thank Cori Dantini who is an illustrator I found while searching Etsy one day. I was immediately taken back by her work and contacted Cori about creating a new logo design for my website. Cori gave me two illustrations to choose from and I found it so hard to choose one so we decided to use both. Her work will be featured on my website in the near future. Please view her wonderful illustrations on http://www.corid.etsy.com and I am sure you will find her work as amazing and unique as I did. Visit her blog also http://www.coridantinimakes.blogspot.com and tell her the Pink Pig sent you!



[antiques]

Cottage Style Wall Decor

I love decorating my walls with painted signs. This year at my store's here in Westport, NY we featured many ways to decorate your walls with signs. We featured vintage signs, vintage advertising and a selection of signs painted on old barwood from a select group of artists I found here in the North County.


This year's winner of the Tree Contest was Laurie Beggin of the Looking Glass who chose a hand-painted sign on old barnwood which says Cottage Home. Laurie loved the sign which will be hung in the living room in her fabulous home. 

You also might consider putting some stained glass in your windows. Take a visit to Laurie shop www.27lauriebethbeggin.etsy.com where you will find a unique selection of stained glass. A wonderful artist with an exceptional eye for detail, Laurie has a wide range of stained glass from angels and flowers to these amazing panels for your windows. Laurie also does custom work...a business name, family address or family name. What a great gift! Check out that Van Gogh Stained Glass Cross she features.. it's the one I have my eye on.


[signs, stained glass, wall decor, vintage, antiques]

A Farmhouse Style Classic - The Antique Hoosier

So what is a Hoosier Cabinet anyway? A true farmhouse piece for any country kitchen is the Hoosier Cabinet and has become a highly sought-after antique. The Hoosier Manufacturing Company was founded in the late 1800's in Indiana. Their design of taking a baker's cabinet into a compact design became very popular. Hoosier Cabinets were mostly sold between 1900 and 1930's and believed to be invented by J.S. McQuinn in 1899. Most cabinets had numerous drawers and doors including racks and large bins for storing flour and sugar.

If you are remodeling an old Victorian or early 20th Century home, look for authentic kitchen furnishings like this Hoosier Cabinet which just arrived at the Pink Pig. Find some old containers in glass or Jadeite to complete your look. We gave this original piece some loving care and gave it a new coat of paint. This piece has the original hardware and enamel top. What do you think? Can you picture this classic beauty in your Farmhouse Kitchen?

[antiques, hoosier, cabinet]

For The Love of Barkcloth

I adore vintage textiles and fabrics, so I thought I would share my favorite which is Barkcloth. Barkcloth gets its name from a primitive fabric which is made from the fibers of tree bark found in tropical and subtropical countries. The outer bark is stripped from the tree with the inner bark separated from the outer bark. The inner bark is then beaten with wooden beaters on an anvil to spread the fibers. Larger cloths are made by layering and felting smaller pieces together during the beating phase.


Barkcloth made its way to France in the 1920's and was made using cotton mixed with rayon. The introduction to barkcloth to the United States was the imported material from France known as cretonne, a woven cloth with a nubby texture. By the 1930's Barkcloth was manufactured in America and from upholstered furnishing to window treatments and was favored for it's durability and dense weave.


Florals, geometrics, abstracts, botanticals, leaves and birds are all common designs. Today many design houses are reproducing barkcloth using older designs. If you're buying barkcloth fabric for one of your project's, be sure to ask if it is vintage or a reproduction.

A new addition to the Pink Pig is this beautiful sofa with matching club chair. This set is from the 1920's and the barkcloth slipcovers are in excellent condition. I love the coordinating pillows that match the seat cushion on the chair. A perfect and romantic set for any Cottage Home. I would love to see your favorite collection of barkcloth. Please send me a photo of your favorite barkcloth collection...it could be a pillow or chair or maybe a beautiful set of drapes in your bedroom. pigpinkw@yahoo.com


[fabric, furniture, barkcloth, antiques]

Christmas Tree Photo Contest Winners

Thank you to everyone who submitted photos for my 2008 Christmas Tree Contest. I really enjoyed looking through them all and even shared them with my family. It was quite difficult to choose a winner because I had so many beautiful trees sent in this year by my readers. You all did a wonderful job decorating for the holidays. The joy and passion for your trees really showed.


It is my pleasure to present to you the winners of the 2008 Pink Pig Christmas Tree Contest.



CONGRATULATIONS!
1st Place - $100 Gift Certificate to the Pink Pig


Laurie Beggin
http://www.27lauriebethbeggin.etsy.com
http://www.lauriebethbeggin.blogspot.com

I chose this photo because it say's it all. Christmas filled with love and joy.


2nd Place - $50.00 Gift Certificate to the Pink Pig
Artie Vanderpool
http://niagaranovice.blogspot.com

This picture really shows an elegant, beautiful Christmas Display. I only wish I were invited to dinner.

Happy New Year to all my Pink Pig readers and customers. I'm looking forward to 2009 and all the new surprises I have to share with you.



[Christmas, trees, contest, New Year]