Holiday Gift Guide 2017. Choose what you like the best!

Have you thought of everyone in the family? the friends? So make a list and check it twice!

Our team members (the elves, of course) are happy to help. Find the gift you need by typing "rusteam2017" in the search window on Etsy or simply click here!

Here is our today's offers:

The vintage time traveler

Some like it hot tea art print. Mid century modern art by ReStyleGraphic

The outdoor explorer

Backgammon suitcase by AllaRus

Pom pom wool beainie hat by socksandmittens

Hand knit green pompom beanie hat by Otruta

The cubicle buddy

Reversible tote bag literary tote bag with pocket by agardencottage

Thick durable bag with comfortable handles for photo enthusiasts by ReStyleGraphic

The wanderluster

California wildflowers' inspired art poster by ReStyleGraphic

The green thumb

Vintage flower pot carved bark planter from agardencottage

The eternally best-dressed

Deep jewel tones felted scarf with fringe, wool and silk fiber by LunaviFelt

Happy shopping!

Holiday Gift Guide 2017: gifts for book lovers, iPhone owners and great handmade jewelry and accessories

Thanksgiving is almost here and so is Cyber week sales. Shop November 20 through December 1st to receive great deals on your purchases! See great gift ideas by typing "rusteam2017 " in the search window on Etsy or click here to get there right a way!

Our picks for today are for book lovers, iPhone owners, some great handmade jewelry and accessories gift ideas!

The electronically inclined:

Black personalized iPhone 5 - 7 case, custom name floral plastic case by ReStyleGraphic

The book club MVP

Bookmark Golf ball vintage gift for golf lover by agardencottage

Niffler bookmark by houseontheclouds

The eternally best-dressed

Personalized ladies sterling silver signet ring by KristinaKjewelry

Frida Kahlo wooden brooch by miopupazzo

Handwoven scarf with merino wool and tencel in gradient colors by katerynag

Book necklace by AVworkshop

Have fun shopping!

Holiday Gift Guide 2017: jewelry, clothing, accessories and home decor

Are you looking for some great gift ideas for the coming holidays? We are glad to offer some ideas! Take a look at these and see more by typing " rusteam2017 " in the search window on Etsy (or click here).

The eternally best-dressed

Grandmother mother daughter necklace from SilverJewelryElena

Men's fingerless gloves by socksandmittens

Men's necklace "Ancient sword" made of bronze by ModernancientShop

Felted flowers necklace by VeronikaWoolFlowers

Zodiac constellation stainless steel necklace by MagicGlowJewelry

The vintage time traveler

Vintage sugar bowl by J B Rogers Silver Co from agardencottage

Vintage warm dress with long sleeves by anothernewbreath

November is a great time to shop on Etsy so please enjoy!

Holiday Gift Guide 2017

The holiday season is almost here, everyone is looking for gifts and Russian Artists Team is happy to be a part of holiday campaign on Etsy.

Here is what we have to offer for a Holiday 2017:

The electronically inclined:

Crochet Case iPhone 6 by SavushkaDesigns

iPad Pro 10.5in case iPad Pro 9.7in case by LaCigogne

Fox case for the iPhone X, iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus by EthicStyle

 The spirits sipper

Vintage coasters with wooden box from agardencottage  

 

The kitchen dweller 

Laurel Burch vintage ceramic coffee mug Siamese cats from agardencottage

  

The cubicle buddy

Crochet cotton tote bag by socksandmittens

 Red tote bag Cats by LaCigogne

 

See more great gift ideas by typing " rusteam2017 " in the search window on Etsy.

Amethyst, February birthstone

Amethyst is a semiprecious stone and the February birthstone. It occurs in beautiful hues from a light pinkish violet to a deep purple. The ancient Greeks believed the stone can prevent intoxication so amethystos means “not drunk” in ancient Greek.

Amethyst is a beautiful stone therefore there are many stunning jewelry pieces made of it. Just take a look at our Russian Artists team members' amethyst  modern and vintage creations, we are sure you will like some or all of them!

 

1. Raw crystal amethyst necklaceby agardencottage

2. Tree-Of-Life amethyst andcopper pendant necklace by  JewelryFloren

3. Lavender amethyst and sterlingsilver necklace by LenaMer

4. Amethyst & citrine goldfilled necklace by Arctida

5. Raw rough amethyst bysmallparadise

6. Amethyst cufflinks by daimblond

7. Amethyst earrings by MyDreamBox

8. Amethyst pendant beadednecklace by SoMeJewelryShop

9. Sterling silver and amethystbracelet by NeroliHandmade

Candied lemon peel recipe

This is one of my favorite recipes for a winter sweet treats. I had lots of lemons this winter and was looking for an easy way to store them for future use.

So I froze the juice and used the peel to make a candied lemon peel. All you need is sugar, water and of course, a lemon peel ( I am using a lemon Meyer one and just love how thin and fragrant the skin is).

 Here is how I made it:

 

1. Clean your lemons with warm water and wipe them dry. Cut in half horizontally and juice them, using citrus juicer. Strain the juice through fine mesh colander and pour into prepared ice cube trays. Save the peel.

 

2. Cut the half lemon peel into quarters. With a flexible knife, remove the inner white lining and discard it. Cut the lemon peel into long skinny strips. Pack it in the prepared measuring cup (I am using 2-cup measuring cup as a measure) .

3. Heat 4 cups of water until it boils. Add 2 cups packed lemon peel, reduce the heat and cook about 5 to 7 minutes. Remove the peel with a slotted spoon and set aside.

4. Add 4 cups of sugar to the water, increase the heat and cook until the sugar dissolve, constantly stirring. Add the peel, boil about 1-2 minutes, then reduce the heat to medium low and cook for about 40 minutes, stirring from time to time.

5. Remove the peel out of the syrup with a slotted spoon and transfer it on to prepared cookies trays lined with a parchment paper.

6. Let it air dry for a couple of days. I am tossing mine from time to time to make sure it will dry well. If it feels dry enough, it's time to store it.

I am using a glass jar with a vacuum seal and storing my candied peel in the refrigerator. The leftover syrup can be used also so I just sealed it in jars and put it the refrigerator.

 

Recipe and photos by Tanya agardencottage

Garnet, January birthstone

Garnet is the January birthstone which has been used to make gorgeous jewelry pieces since the Bronze Age. It comes in many colors but the most common is deep red.

Take a look at garnet jewelry our team members has to offer at their shops today. Beautiful, isn't it?

1. Garnet brooch pin by JD4dreamer

2. Garnet gemstone chips crochet necklace by DKHM

3. Green and red garnet necklace with silver elements byLenaMer

4. Garnet and silver chandelier earrings by MyDreamBox

5. Vintage garnet sterling silver ring by agardencottage

6. Garnet & black meteorite silver ring byDemyBlackDesign

7. Tree-Of-Life garnet and copper pendant necklace by  JewelryFloren

8. Garnet and sterling silver earrings by StasyaWireWrap

9. Rough garnet adjustable ring by daimblond

Free cross stitch pattern, Eat More Veggies

Good health is one of the most important things when we are talking of a healthy life style. It's not a secret that a healthy diet will help you shed some pounds, makes you feel good and live happier.

 

I created this little cross stitch ornament as a reminder to myself to eat more vegetables. So if you'd like to stitch one for yourself here is the pattern!

The ornament is easy to make. It will take you just one free evening to stitch it and you can finish it any way you want. Hang it on your wall to make it your New Year resolution!

All materials are available for purchase by request at agardencottage shop on Etsy, subject to availability.

My best wishes in 2012 and good health,

Tanya at AGardenCottage.

Vintage at AGardenCottage

What's vintage for you? For me, this is collection of memories.

A vintage item is the item that is more than 20 years old and is valuable to you or others.

When I buy vintage items I look at things that I would like to have myself. But here is the catch, just because something is old does not make it valuable or collectible. What's make it valuable is it is something rare, something desirable, people want it or it touches someone's memory of good days gone.

I am a collector too, that's why I opened my AGardenCottage shop on Etsy.

Look at these buttons. It is so hard to find quality mother of pearl anything now but these vintage buttons have a wonderful marbling opalescence in them. These buttons are a way to bring the beauty of the past to a garment made today.

 Another good example is your holiday dinner. You can use many different serving utensils for your guests or you can really dress it up with something that your guests have never seen before like this gold strawberry salt & pepper shaker. 

 You could use something like this or another vintage set made by Oneida that will dress up your table.

 When your guests see your treasures it will become a topic of discussion and compliments. Believe me, we kept the same strawberry set for ourselves for our Thanksgiving dinner and everyone was asking about it.

Vintage or antique items have always been popular. Since the 1950's when mass production really got started it has made collecting cheaper. Now everyone can afford to collect or buy items that they are interested in.

I am shopping for items constantly and I have hundreds of items that are not listed yet so if there something you are looking for let us know because I may already have it or I will look for it.

My warmest Holiday wishes to you,

Tanya at AGardenCottage

Potato latkes

Have you ever had latkes? They are well known in post-Soviet  countries as "draniki" and are loved by many as a quick homemade meal which requires only a couple of simple ingredients. They are not diet-friendly but they are delicious so who can resist a little treat from time to time!

Latkes are also a traditional dish for Hanukkah.

To make these you will need:

4 baking potatoes, peeled, grated and drained

1 onion, grated

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1 egg, beaten
3 tablespoon flour

Vegetable oil for frying

To prepare:

Mix all ingredients until smooth. Heat the oil in a heavy-duty pan until very hot. Reduce heat to medium and drop the spoonful of potato mixture into the hot oil to form a pancake. 

Fry until browned on both sides, flipping latkes with the spatula. Drain on a paper towel.

Serve latkes hot with a sour cream or an apple sauce.

Enjoy!

By Tanya AGardenCottage

A day in a lavender paradise

It is so nice to take a country road trip in the middle of summer, warm sun, rolling hills and a fragrant air. What else can you wish for? Just the great easy summer living feeling! There are endless farm fields that are full of juicy berries but in some parts of country there is also a time for a lavender paradise.

Straight purple rows and purple flower cloud right in front of you are worth a picture. The fragrance is just wonderful.

You will not be able to resist stopping by a lavender farm to take a closer look.

Go ahead, stop and enjoy yourself. Take some photos, cut some flowers and get a special little treat at the farm cafe. Fresh baked cookie with lavender buds or a cup of a warm steaming lavender tea will add some flavor to your day in lavender paradise.

Lavender has a special way to make you feel about it.

People are inspired by this simple purple flower to create, me included. While in Washington we stopped by many lavender farms, I took lots of pictures. Later I made some sketches and watercolors and during cold winter days created some simple charts of a lavender stems to cross stitch.

My special way to remember the fragrant summer.

Story by Tanya (AGardenCottage)

Here is some of our team members lavender inspired creations:

1. Herbolution 2. YanArt 3. Lasunka 4. StudioElenus 5. Svetkar 6. Yevgenia

7. CityCrochet 8. BelleCoccinelle 9. Visart