The Vintage Vignette Presents...Marionberry Cottage!

These days it seems that the Internet is saturated with everything cottage style. Now don't get me wrong as I am certainly not complaining. In fact, I love cottage style! I decorate my home and create art in this fashion. However, it seems that many cottage style artisans today are limiting themselves by only creating things with the standard cottage style color of pink. Pink is a beautiful color indeed yet there is so much more to the cottage style color palate to consider. It was for this reason I was so excited when I came across this marvelous website called Marionberry Cottage.

Marionberry Cottage is a cottage style website and marketplace that features some of the most breathtaking creations I have ever feasted my eyes upon! As I sat an viewed page after page, I was mesmerized by the beauty and wide variety of colors, textures, and techniques used in creating the pieces for sale. I had to know more about this wonderful place and with a little research I uncovered the remarkable source of this inspirational website called Marionberry Cottage. Its source was a lovely woman named Debbi Oeltjen.

The story begins many years ago when a lovely 10 year old girl named Debbi first discovered her love of sewing. She took every class that her secondary school offered and had aspirations of someday becoming an interior designer or decorator. As time went by, Debbi settled into a retail management position overseeing the home decor section of a major department store. As life would have it, her plans changed when she settled down and began to raise a family and nurture her career.

Debbi continued to sew during this time but not as often or as creatively as her heart had wished. That all changed one day 15 years ago when her mother gave her some beautiful vintage hankies. All of a sudden her creative muse was back! She took these precious hankies and stitched up some pretty pillows for her bedroom. They were and instant hit with friends and family! Before she knew it her mother was handing over piece after piece of Debbi's grandmother's stash of vintage linens to see what she would make of them. As the days went by, Debbi saw over two dozen huge damask tablecloths which she turned into tea towels, Rolls of hand made crochet; including pieces cut from vintage pillow cases and doilies, and vintage dresser scarves that she stitched into beautiful pillows and lingerie bags.

The ball was now in motion and Debbi began selling her creations on Ebay as Cottage Garden Treasures. She expanded her line to include impressive totes and purses. Next, she began selling her pieces on Etsy.com. This move opened up the floodgates of opportunity for Debbi. She began a blog called All In My Cottage and joined a fabulous social network of Cottage style artisans called Etsy Cottage Style of which she has subsequently become the administrator of.

The day finally came when she was ready to open her very own website. She named it Marionberry Cottage after her favorite Oregon blackberry. Today her website is a thriving business that features everything from gorgeous handmade pillows and linens, to vintage totes and tea towels. Nowadays, Debbi finds herself scouring estate sales and antique malls in search of rare vintage linens. She knows she will never limit herself to the standard cottage style color of pink. She prefers to use a variety of colors from kitchy retro reds and yellows to the soft and lacy beige's of her favorite French and Victorian inspirations. She happily resides in rural Sublimity, Oregon with her husband, family and beautiful cottage style garden.

Her grandmother's precious linen stash has long since been gone; with the exception of a few pristine pieces saved to pass on as heirlooms; but the creative muse it has inspired in Debbi will surely last a lifetime.

You can find Debbi's amazing work at Marionberry Cottage. There you will find a wonderful selection of decorative pillows, guest towels, tote bags and so much more. You can also visit her social network Etsy Cottage Style to mingle with other like-minded artisans.