You Can Lead a Horse to Water, But It Might Take Till the Crows Come Home

What is it they say?  You can lead a horse to water.  Well, as an only child I have to admit I'm pretty independent and a bit determined on occasion.  (That might be a code word for stubborn). That saying definitely does not apply to me (I know my mother would agree).  Don't get me wrong.... I'm not obnoxious, but once I have my mind set, I'm not easily swayed.  That can be a good thing. For example it served me well in high school when smoking pot became popular.  I had no trouble saying 'no' to drugs.  However, there are times when it wouldn't hurt to be more open minded towards trying new things and the feature of today's post is one of those very things.

Had I driven past this beauty, I'm pretty sure I would have stopped!!  Wouldn't you?

A year ago when I wrote my first series about shops, several people (including other shop owners) then and since then have asked me if I'd ever been to this shop.  Over and over again.....this shop kept coming up.  And I continued to resist....Why???  For two reasons - the first being that I am pretty strong minded that my posts come from a place of genuine enthusiasm over something I discover that truly excites me, a place I can't wait to share.  And #2, along with that theory, several times I'd checked out this shop's Facebook and decided that it was too 'primitive' for my taste and I was determined that since I don't decorate in primitive, I wouldn't be able to write an enthusiastic post.  Here's where my strong will doesn't always serve me well.   Fast forward to last weekend when we were visiting the Dirty Bird Antiques and met the talented Terri Littlefield.  In collecting Terri's bio information, particularly where she sells her creations....what is one of the shops she mentions???  Yup...the shop I've avoided for a year......Crow Cottage!!!   Well that did it.....I may be determined, but I'm not blind.  Finally I decided I HAD to visit Crow Cottage in Chatham, NY.   I'd received the last sign.....I got it!!!

And what did I determine as soon as I stepped inside......that I was an idiot and Crow Cottage is not strictly primitive (and that I wanted to buy a bunch of stuff).  See, it pays to be open minded and not draw conclusions without all the facts.  When a dozen people tell you to go somewhere.....Go!   But hey, I finally went and I'm so glad I did.  Just like I was told how wonderful the shop is, I was also told how nice the owner, Jody Sauca, is.  I'm tellin' you.....these shop owners are the nicest, warmest people!  Jody greeted me with a huge hug (telling me I was so cute as she towered a good foot over me).  I think I've figured out why all these owners are so happy and so fun......they get to spend their life shopping and buying beautiful merchandise and then spend every day surrounded by it until we come in and buy it!  What's not to love about that?  I'd always be smiling if I spent my time surrounded by all those pretty things too!

Crow Cottage is filled to the brim, every nook and cranny, with all sorts of primitive and country accents for your home.  Of course, among all those pretties are the beautiful creations of Terri Littlefield, which today consisted mostly of her original needlework.   I wanted every piece, but settled on one.  What a great place to buy a gift!  Have a look.......

Here is one of Terri's paintings.....

And one of her needleworks.....LOVE this one!

Love the verse on the needlework below!

This gorgeous bunny is also a Terri Littlefield original!

Gorgeous florals.....after buying florals in all the shops I've featured, I'll never be satisfied with the big box stores again!

So.....have I convinced  you?  Crow Cottage is not just for people who love primitive....it's for everyone who loves pretty things - old and new!  So many things, so little time!  Don't be crazy like me.....get in your car and drive to Chatham!  The ride down Route 66 is just beautiful!  Jody is a sweetheart and will make you feel welcome and happy you visited.  Of course, you might come home with your wallet a little lighter, but hey, isn't that the point?

To learn more about Crow Cottage, you can use the links below to follow their Facebook page .....

https://www.facebook.com/TheCrowCottage

Crow Cottage is open Tuesday-Saturday, 10:00-5:00 and is located at 3 Railroad Avenue in Chatham.

Thanks for reading this and all my shop posts.  I hope you have a chance to visit them all soon.  Stay tuned as I get back to my usual theme and I share with you some fun and beautiful destinations, including some of the great scenery we've happened upon in our travels to all of these great shops.  If you like my blog and don't want to depend on Facebook to deliver it to your feed, consider signing up to receive it in your email.  I promise I won't be sending you any junk and no one will have your email (even me) except the program that delivers it to you .  But....you will never miss a post!  Have a great Easter weekend and come back soon to Life As I See It.