Beautiful Mornings

When you walk outside at O'Dark Thirty in the morning with the cold breeze shooting off the Potomac River freezing you to death, it's makes it really easy to complain and grumble about where you live. It happens to me every year as we transition from Fall to Winter, I find myself complaining about how cold it is, how high our electric bill is, and how miserable I am walking out to my car every morning.

But then there are days where I walk outside to some of the most beautiful sunrises I've ever seen, and I remember, "oh yeah, THIS is why I love it here!" Today, I am so thankful for the beautiful place I call home, Coltons Point. You bless me with gorgeous views and scenery year round and for that, I thank you!

Sunset of Summer Sale!

It's Monday again, and that means back to work. But we hope that everyone had a fun and eventful weekend! While out and about this weekend, Marci and I realized that Summer will soon be coming to an end. Although fall doesn't make it's grand entrance until the latter end of September, the stores are certainly pushing it a little early this year with all of their back to school sales.

In honor of our beloved Summer months, we're offering 15% off all of our "Summer Themed" products at Point Breeze Cottage. Each product will be noted with a special SALE title, or you can check them out right here!

Adorable Child's Rattan Chair - now only $27.20!

Blue Glass Vase - now only $10.62!

Beautiful Crystal Decanter - now only $14.00!

Flower Cash Box - now only $12.75!

Japanese Plates - now only $25.50!

Pink Vine Glass - now only $5.95!

Groovy Glass - now only $5.95!

Blue Cream and Sugar - now only $13.60!

Butterfly Pyrex - now only $12.75!

Store 'n Serve - now only $17!

Tropical Chair - now only $28.05

Bakery Bliss - now only $27.62!

Distressed Chalkboard - Photography Prop

I don't have a lot of time to blog today, but how cute is this picture?! Sorry, my puppy is not for sale, but the vintage mirror/frame turned chalkboard sure is! Created by our very own designer Donna, she took an old mirror/frame and painted the inside with chalkboard paint, and the frame with a custom creamy white paint and a light overcoat of brown for the perfectly distressed look. This piece would be a perfect prop for a photographer taking family, children's or even engagement photos!

Visit our Etsy site today to purchase this adorable piece. Before purchasing, send us a Convo and tell us that you read all about this piece here on our blog and receive an extra $5 off!!!

Squeaky Clean in Pale Pink

Sold! Today’s featured product has actually been purchased over the weekend. But it was such a unique and fun find that we just had to share it with you anyway.

Say hello to our adorable, vintage, pink wash tub. Oh, and our special little model, Hillee.

Donna found this unusual tub several weeks ago and instantly envisioned the type of buyer for a piece like this. Right away she was picturing a photographer using the tub to photograph baby girls in. (Or puppies in our case) It would even work as décor in a vintage inspired laundry or bathroom. It is most certainly from the 1930s or 40s as it’s made of a very heavy and solid metal with a smooth coat of pale pink paint. 

Just lovely!

Calling All Photographers!

Featured Product

Happy Monday, everybody! Today’s featured product is actually a grouping of 3 pieces we have for sale. When we first started Point Breeze Cottage and this journey into restoring old pieces and other vintage items, we noticed a trend. We were selling children’s rocking and other small chairs like they were going out of style. And then we realized that the majority of clients buying these chairs were photographers. Which made sense considering Photography is a rapidly growing career path.

Having dabbled in Photography a bit myself and considering it a hobby of mine, I can see the appeal of a sweetly painted rocking chair when shooting children’s photos. We love finding an old rocker when we are out “picking” and if the price is right, we almost always buy it. Check out the three adorable little chairs we have for sale in our shop right now:

This sky blue rocker would be perfect for a little boy and his 1^st birthday photos!

Rustic and Outdoorsy, this chair would be great for photos of a child who loves to be out in nature.

A child sized rattan chair painted in a pale tangerine looks like it belongs on a sandy beach somewhere.

The only hiccup when it comes to selling these chairs is typically the shipping price. The rockers on the bottom of the rocking chairs make for an awkward shape and size, requiring a larger box and equaling a higher shipping price.  So if you are somewhat local to the Southern Maryland area, please let us know if you’re interested one of these chairs as we’d love to sell them locally!

Before we go, here are some of the rockers and small chairs we’ve sold in the past. See a color or design you like? Let us know and we can recreate the look for you!

Oh So Inspirational

I am a big fan of Instagram, the photo-sharing app that lets you put cool filters on your photos so they look vintage, enhanced, etc. One day I was bored and looking through the "popular" page, and was instantly drawn to a user named ohsolovelystef because of her retro 50's-60's looking photos. I began looking at all her pictures, and began to feel as if I had met a kindred spirit. Not only is her house decked out completely in atomic-era decor, but she is also co-owner of a groovy vintage shop in Winnipeg, Canada called Rhymes with Orange, a mobile shop run out of a 1956 camper (!!!), Etsy shop, and blog Oh So Lovely Vintage. 

Stefanie and Erin's collection of mid-century modern housewares is incredible, from kitchenware (they, like me, have a soft spot for pyrex) to bakelite jewelry, kitschy wall art, knick knacks, and totally awesome radios. All of which is just scratching the surface. Their blog is a retro lover's dream, with featured products, a "Sixties Sunday" weekly post, vintage fashion, their personal inspirations, and even giveaways. These ladies are an inspiration to me and their shops are an example of what I hope Point Breeze Cottage can become someday, with of course, our own spin on things. For anyone who, like me, knows they were born in the wrong decade, or wishes they could go back to a simpler time, Oh So Lovely Vintage is a great blog to peruse. I hope to one day be able to travel all the way up north to Canada to visit their awesome shop!

Selling in the Right Light

Tuesday Tip: Better Photography = Better Sales

In writing these "Tuesday Tips" I am by no means claiming to be an expert Etsy vendor, business woman, or photographer. I simply want to share with you a few quick tips and tricks that I've learned thus far.

1. Photography is important. Quality, price, and description are all important too, but without a favorable photo, your product may not sell quite as quickly. Providing a potential buyer with a true to life photo of your product can only help you sell your product, as you're showing them as much of it as you can.

2. You don't need a professional quality camera to professional results. A simple point and shoot digital camera can get the job done just as effectively.
-Natural light (ie: shooting near a sunlit window or moving your piece outside) always improves a photograph.
-Avoid a "cluttered" background. Try to find a solid or simple background without too much going on in the background to keep the focus on your product.
-Use different angles. While it's nice to have one head-on shot, try shooting from a lower vantage point, each side, and from above. Show off every angle of your product!

3. Resize huge photos. I've found with Etsy that when uploading your photos, it helps to reduce their size if you're using an exceptionally high resolution photo. I like to resize my photos from the 4000 range down to about 1000.

4. Be creative! Are you selling a shoe rack? Try adding some props, such as your favorite pair of pumps. Show the buyer that your product actually works for what it was created for!

Here are a few of my favorite photos that we've used on our Etsy site: