Open Gate - Weblog of Lisa Cook

Thank You and We Have a Winner!

I am tickled pink about all the new visitors to my blog! Thank you Jenny and Aaron of Everyday is a Holiday for letting their readers know about my Etsy shop and my themed vintage paper ephemera packs! As promised, we have a winner for the Retro Christmas Pack!

Jane Cullen!

Congratulations, Jane and thank you to everyone who joined in the fun via Everyday is a Holiday or my Etsy shop or right here on my blog! I am so excited to have new art friends. Please stop in anytime!

Stay tuned! Valentines is just around the corner......

And you can always join my mailing list just to the right. I let my special list know about when I will be listing new packs and new treasures before everyone else!

Time for a Retro Christmas Pack GIVEAWAY!

I LOVE CHRISTMAS

and I want to help you create a FuN one!

All kinds of retro kitsch for Christmas creations including a 1954 calendar page, old car ad, Pillsbury Christmas add, wallpapers, wrapping paper, stickers, brick crepe paper, trims, Christmas photo card, milk bottle cap, tinsel, millinery and other fun!

PLEASE leave me a comment on this post (so I have a first name!) and follow my blog by Sunday, DECEMBER 8th, by 8 PM CST. I will draw a random comment from either my blog or Jenny's blog and send this pack to the winner!

And what is even MORE FUN is this special shout out about my packs from Jenny Holiday on her blog, Everyday is a Holiday! She is such a sweetheart, let alone such a talented mixed media artist! Can you say "aqua and pink?" Please visit her blog and leave a comment there for another chance at the giveaway! And you should visit the shop as well. She and Aaron have awesome Christmas and baking art! Everyday is a Holiday Shop.

 

How Fun to Have another Blog Post About Me!

What a great write-up for my Etsy shop courtesy of Madalynne. Her blog post about my little Etsy Shop is so sweet. I sent her one of my vintage sewing packs and she created a wonderful scrapbook page that she featured and I have shown below.  I love using vintage wallpaper as a background and obviously she does too.  But for Maddie, sewing will always be her first love. As she states, she is not on a sewing diet, but she lives a "sewing lifestyle." This Home Ec teacher is delighted to be associated with her incredible sewing blog!

This is my inspiration board over my work desk.

Come visit my shop and go to the About Me page to see a little slide show with more shots from my studio.

 

New York City Color and Pattern

Got back from a whole week of October in New York City. First time I have been able to travel in the fall since 1975. Retirement is a good thing.

Talk about autumn in New York! Lots of inspiration everywhere.

Last of the leaves and flowers

Grids

Inspiration on Brooklyn Bridge

Street Art at 5 Pointz

 

 

Vintage Sewing Patterns and Kits

In honor of my new friendship with Maddie of Madalynne blog I am listing LOTS of vintage patterns and vintage sewing themed scrapbook or journaling kits along with some vintage sewing goodies. Maddie is an incredible seamstress and she would put this Home Ec teacher to shame with all she has created. Her focus right now is on making the perfect bbra! I am impressed with her attention to detail and all she has learned. Please visit her blog.

http://www.madalynne.com/

If you LoVe fashion or sewing come visit the shop!

Lisa Cook Etsy

Related articles

I Am Officially RETIRED!

I LoVe ViNtAgE Shelf Paper!

I LoVe ViNtAgE Shelf Paper!

This is my grandmother's china that I inherited and I finally put my favorite shelf paper in the cupboard to show it off. I had to make a little cut in the middle for the door catch, but it still works for me.

I have been attracted to old shelf paper for years. The designs are endless and often reflect the era they were printed. My favorite designs are from the 1940's and 1950's most often sold from Royledge company. I have some great photos from around the web on my Shelf Paper Pinterest page. I love to find old advertisements like this one to help me date the designs:

I would really love to write a book that would feature every design ever made! I probably have about 50 samples collected so far and will continue to collect them.

If you love shelf paper for your paper crafts, come visit my etsy shop where I have listed several collections!

Lisa Cook Etsy Shop

 

I Am Officially RETIRED!

Now what?

I have been a "Home Ec"/Family Consumer Science teacher for 35 years.

I am done!

Please stop by soon and see what I will be up to on my blog and my Etsy Shop

I have Halloween all over the place in the shop and will be adding more - fall/Thanksgiving packs; ledger and office papers, Dennison stickers, labels, seals etc.

Thank you for your patience as I begin this brand new chapter in my creative life!

Christmas Packs Are Ready!

~Christmas in the Etsy Shop~

Time for some traditional red and greenor maybe a little angel pack in pink and blue

or maybe a less traditional pink and green

or how about a mid century red and black?

Come do some shopping for your journaling, banner, card and mixed media Christmas Paper Ephemera Packs!

Fall Colors Indoors and Out in the Garden

The potting shed at dawn

Changing Colors

Rudebekia

Halloween Treasures

Card artwork by Linda Warlyn

Favorite little Halloween spun cotton figures by Vintage by Crystal

Boo!

"Chopped " Champion in my Kitchen!

It isn't every day that you get to have a professional food stylist prepare food in your kitchen.

I just happen to be the mother-in-law of one.

Meet Lish Steiling "Chopped" Champion!

She and my daughter were home for a 5 day respite from NYC and so she taught me good knife techniques:

and food plating with style. This is a bread cheese tomato salad. mmmm

We even did pizza on the grill which was SO much fun. Everyone made their own pizzas with everything from bacon to fresh mozzarella.

We all fell in love with Strawberry Balsamic Bacon Pizza! I found the recipe here:

Annie's Eats