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Have you visited our new GARDEN ACCESSORIES section? Give your outdoor room the perfect finishing touch with some unique garden accessories.

Visit Design 101 and read our latest article on Creating Separate Living and Dining Areas From One Living Space.

We have been struck by the clear out and organize bug. Check out our TAG SALE section for recent additions and NEW ADDITIONAL 10 - 60% MARKDOWN TAKEN ON EVERY ITEM!

It's Spring! So much to do.....Get tips on efficient Spring cleaning in our article about Spring Cleaning in our Design 101 section. As the weather continues to improve, plants and flowers are coming to life. Read our article on Creating an Outdoor Room for ideas to expand you living space outward.

If you would like to be one of the first to know about new additions to our shop, what our latest Design 101 article is about, and best of all be eligible for special offers like free shipping and discounts, then join our mailing list. Just click on the box in the left hand column and follow the prompts. And be assured we do not share our list.

Be sure to visit our Design 101 section and read our article on English Country Style Rooms. Be sure to follow the link to the British Country Living magazine for some examples of the style and for some interesting articles. Wondering what Cottage Style is all about?. Read our article on how to create Cottage Style rooms. And if you have not had a chance yet be sure to read about "Green" Interior Design, that's environmentally "green" not color scheme. As a new feature to our Design 101 section, we have created an alphabetical index of all the articles which links directly to each one.

The September 2007 issue of Traditional Home magazine features an article by the Keno brothers on Spongeware. They discuss the "sponge vs. spatter" issue and define spatterware as earlier pieces with textured and hand painted designs made in Staffordshire, England in the early 1800's and spongeware as the latter heavier pieces usually decorated in a single color with a more open field and no hand painting. The article shows various patterns and tells where the largest collections are located. For more information on the history of spatterware, visit our FAQs section, and read What is Spatterware? And be sure to visit our Country Style section to view our collection of spatterware.

The drawing of a house shown at the top of the page is a sample of what you can have done of your house, barn, or other structure. It is sent to you ready to frame. Note cards are also available, great for Holiday cards, "Thank You's" moving announcements or party invitations. All we need is a photo of the structure. Email us about prices and delivery dates using the "Click here to send questions" link below. Makes a great gift!

Looking to refresh or redecorate a room, and wondering where to start? Visit our Design 101 page and read the article on "Design Inspiration" Our suggestions will hopefully save you time and costly mistakes, and help you end up with exactly the room you wanted. If you have any comments or would like us to help you solve one of your design problems, just email us and let us know. There is a link at the top and the bottom of the Design 101 section, and one at the bottom of this page.

The April 2006 Martha Stewart Living magazine has a wonderful feature on "Picturesque China". The pieces shown are essentially English and French transferware, Chinese Export porcelain, and English lusterware. They have put together beautiful displays, mixing periods and styles, but keeping a color theme. Each piece is like a little piece of art. The transfer designs were hand applied, some of the designs were hand painted which is obvious with the lusterware. The article does a nice job of showing the variety of color and styles you can collect, and the displays will stimulate your own creative juices. But I must say I was very surprised, and alarmed, to see that plates and platters that sell for well over a thousand dollars (see the source notes for prices) were being hung on the wall with metal plate hangers! That is no way to treat a piece of china that has survived almost 200 years. The tension of the spring, which helps the hanger stretch to fit, puts stress on the piece that can cause it to crack. And if you use the ones with out the plastic covering on the prongs, you can damage the surface of the plate. If you care about the piece and want to retain its value DO NOT USE METAL PLATE HANGERS. Search out the adhesive disc plate hangers (you can get them on ebay, other online stores, and some specialty hardware stores). They come in different sizes for different size objects. You dampen them and apply them to the clean surface on the back of the object . They hold perfectly if applied correctly and do not damage the piece. And they are removable. These adhesive hangers are considerably more expensive than the metal plate hangers. But if you have spent $600 on a platter, you should think of the $7 for the adhesive hanger as an investment in the piece.

If you want to learn about transferware see our FAQ section. Our English Country section has an extensive selection of transferware and lusterware . And our Country French section has a few pieces of French transferware.

Some of you may have noticed that in left corner of our Header is photo of three cocker spaniels. Clockwise from the bottom is Brittany, Lucy and Logan. In 2005 Brittany and Logan passed away. They were wonderful loving dogs, who gave much and asked for little. In their memory we have created a Fund Raiser section. 100% of the purchase price of the items featured there will go to Oldies But Goodies Cocker Rescue, Inc, and the Cocker Spaniel Adoption Center, Inc.. These are both wonderful organizations who take in dogs in need, get them the medical attention they desperately require and find loving homes for them. We have adopted from both of them. Please visit our Fund Raiser section, the items fit any decor. And at the bottom of the page are links to both Organizations web sites. Please visit them to find out more about what they do. If none of items on the Fund Raiser page suit you, you can make a donation through their web sites.

DUE TO THE INCREASE IN UPS RATES WE HAVE DECIDED TO CHANGE OVER TO AN "ACTUAL SHIPPING COST" SYSTEM. This means that the shipping charges will be added to your purchase AFTER your order has been submitted. We will use UPS software to calculate the charges based on the weight, size, distance and method chosen. You will then be emailed the additional amount that will be added to your purchase. By using this method we hope to keep shipping costs down and avoid overcharging customers, which sometimes happens when using a predetermined table.

Check out our "TAG SALE!" section. Its a collection of vintage linens, items from box lot auction purchases, last one of's, and items that don't really fit into our usual categories but are great pieces. Plus our "Tag Sale!" items are returnable! If the color is wrong or the size isn't right, you can return it. But in order to offer this rare deal, we will not be able to refund shipping costs on "TAG SALE!" items. So check it out often. We will be adding items as quickly as we can. And they are priced to GO!

Do you have questions about something you want to collect? Or already are collecting? Maybe you have a design question? Or a comment about our store? Email us at info@comfortablestyle.com, or click on the link at the very BOTTOM of the page. We will happily answer your questions, and share the information with all our readers.