Kim DiMaggio of Rose Blossom Cottage romances the past with vintage charms, silver spoon bracelets, lovely linens, and antique images. Kim and the Rose Blossom family turn pieces of history into works of art. With so much unrest in the world, Rose Blossom Cottage is a haven that reminds all who visit of the beauty surrounding us. Though the pieces they offer have been through so much, the marks of time only make them more beautiful.

Kim, how did you discover your passion for china pieces and items from the past?

First of all, I just want to thank you, Joyce and MMP, for all that you have done

to promote women in start-up businesses.

I almost don’t know where to start when speaking about my love for china pieces and the past. I think that my first recollection came about 4th grade when we made our school field trip from Virginia Beach to Williamsburg. There was a dig going on and a piece of blue and white china had been unearthed and sat right there, ripe for the picking. Oh, I wanted it so badly but, of course, it was a historical artifact and had to be left.  

Who first inspired your love of china? 

[It was] my grandmother, Katherine. I was lucky enough to inherit most of her precious teacup collection through my mother. And when I look at other pieces of antique china, I can’t help but think about who they may have belonged to, what secrets they know, where they have been, and what would they say if they could talk. Just the thoughts of what they have witnessed through time is so interesting. When I was at college, earning my degree in history many years ago, I never would have imagined that I would use that knowledge to put a perspective of these precious shards of history.

Interestingly enough, my grandmother, Fern, spurned my love of setting antique buttons into sterling charms. From her I inherited a large round tin of antique buttons (she was from the Depression generation that never got rid of anything that may be of use) that had survived a fire that had burned her home. It was one of the few things that survived. The tin still had the scorching on the exterior of it, but the buttons inside were unscathed. I have since set several of those buttons to give to my sisters and cousins and will be engraving my grandmother’s name on the back of them if I can ever get them back from them!

How do you create your broken china jewelry? Can you share anything about the process without giving away any trade secrets? 

There are so many, many steps and tools involved in carving and setting of the china, I could go on and on about that alone.  But, I have to say that the hardest part is sometimes just the cutting of the plate. There has been many a time when I just couldn’t bear to cut a vintage or antique plate up, and for that reason, we try to use mainly damaged china. Needless to say, we have amassed quite a collection;  so, my husband has built us a darling little store room that is made entirely of windows from an little old country church that was being torn down to store our little treasures. I sometimes go in there to just look at the beautiful pieces that have weathered time.

In regard to trade secrets, since we set our china, buttons, and photos in Sterling silver, our pieces are fine jewelry, so there are many steps and tools like torches and acids, etc. involved. It kind of makes it hard to answer the phone sometimes for fear of having an accident! 

You recently started offering engraving. I’ve had the honor of seeing your work and am just amazed at the process on such small pieces. Can you tell us a little bit about this new service?

Oh, my goodness, we love engraving and are getting a kick out of doing that extra special service. It just takes jewelry to a whole new level and makes it so personal, so special. And, it just makes it more of an heirloom — one that is to be passed down and loved and admired. We did a lot of research getting just the right machine. This baby is absolutely awesome and can do so many things. One thing that amazed us was that we were able to put the entire Lord’s Prayer on a dime! Of course, you need a magnifying glass to read it but is there and readable. It is just an amazing set up that can do some phenomenal things. 

Do you also create larger items from antiques?

When we had our antiques store, my handy husband and I would restore antique pieces. Of course you amass quite a collection of parts like locks, knobs, pulls and other hardware. But it was difficult to repair some of the moldings. Finally, we discovered furniture appliqués that had been in the architectural world for centuries. We were able to replicate missing moldings on frames and add character to newer pieces using these pieces. It is kind of like putting icing on a cake with swirls, scrolls, and rosettes, and is so very easy to do. You can find those little pieces of confection at RBC too.

How did the Rose Blossom Cottage start out? What motivated you to turn
this into a Web-based business?

Gosh, there were so many things that led us in that direction. One thing that was very instrumental was that computers are so much easier to use than they were back when.

I remember starting out selling things from the store on eBay. I had the darndest time trying to upload pictures of what we were selling.  There was no PayPal at the time, no Photobucket, no anything. Many customers from eBay were contacting me directly for things, so I decided the time was right to start looking around for other venues. While surfing one day, I came across a website offering website designs much prettier than the run-of-the-mill generic designs. There were about nine site designs being offered with pretty soft and feminine pinks, blues, greens, flowers, and the like. There was one site that I just thought that stood out among the rest. Of course, I made some initial inquiries and bookmarked the page. About six months later, I happened back by the site again, and there was only one design left. Guess which one? You guessed it. It was Rose Blossom Cottage. Like an old friend, she was waiting for me. Joyce over at Cottage Collections made it so easy and they continue to help us evolve as new technology comes on the scene. And you know, we are celebrating our 5th anniversary at RBC this month, and I still think that she is the neatest and prettiest thing!

What types of marketing have worked well for you? What hasn't worked?

I have to say that not taking the time out to market at all has been the worst. Whether it is magazine advertising, blogging, Facebook, Twitter, or whatever other things come down the pike, you have to be diligent about getting your name out there and making connections. It is so very important to try to market consistently. Of course, if you are like me, you know nothing about marketing when you start. Reading books is a great way, but being involved in an organization like Make Mine Pink makes the learning curve that much easier. 

If you had to name one thing as the key to your success, what would it be?

Surround yourself with the things and people that you find beautiful. Seek out the positive and those that bring out the best in you. Most of all, allow yourself “to be led.” What I mean is, you just never know where an idea will end up if you just let it evolve.  Believe it or not, you can never fail. Even if things don’t turn out the way you thought they would, it often leads you in another. Just don’t stop evolving. I know that when I first started doing broken china jewelry, the results were less than spectacular and I even cringe to think of them. But you know what? Even though they are different from our standards today, I love those pieces. They brought us to what we are today.

Can you name one person who has inspired you and how?

Oh, that is so easy. Now this is going to sound like an acceptance speech from the Academy Awards, but it is my family, friends, and customers. They have stuck by me through some hare-brained ideas and some lean times. I just can’t thank my loving husband and my precious mom and dad for always believing in me. Stack that with an awesome group of friends that allow me to bounce ideas off of them and are always there for me. You know who you are. And where would we be without our fantastic customers that allow us to share the best of the past with them. I love them all and am so truly grateful for their steady presence.

What advice would you give to someone who wanted to start a similar business?

I don’t want to sound repetitive, but I say go for it! Find your niche or let it find you. You will always have fear of this or that, but you can always start small and test the waters. I like the saying, “Start small, but think big.” If it doesn’t work out the way you think, you are still successful because you were able to eliminate one way or thing that didn’t work. Don’t fear failure.

Another thing that I want to emphasize is to surround yourself with people as much as you can that understand your dream. Make Mine Pink has become a grand lady in that arena. There are so many voices of wisdom there. It is the real deal and the women there will support you and steer you through all aspects of business. There are other organizations that have come along after MMP, some good and some not so good. But why go to a venue that doesn’t have the track record and name recognition?

"Support the troops" is more than a slogan for you. Can you tell us more about how you're supporting military troops and their loved ones?

I get so emotional about this because it is near and ever so dear to my heart. It all stems from my veteran father who was a career Navy man. And my lovely mother served proudly as a Navy wife and raised us when Dad was away. With them, my sisters and I got to live all over the United States. We are proudly patriotic and have a deep respect for those that serve and their families that serve right along with them. The sacrifices are deep and many are unsung. We want to honor them, so we began doing Soldier Photo charms to give to a loved one. It is free of charge and all that we ask is that the soldier be in uniform and currently serving Iraq or Afghanistan. A soldier or a family member of a soldier can e-mail it or snail mail a photo to us along with information on where it is to be sent. Of course, we want to also honor those that have been injured fighting for our country or those that have made the ultimate sacrifice as well.

You can get more information at the website.

What projects are coming up for you in the next year? What can we look forward to seeing from the Rose Blossom Cottage?

Oh gosh, we have some really neat things coming, and we do so invite you to stop by. Our work tables and jewelers bench are always full. I just love waking up each morning to see what the day will bring whether it is a new piece, an idea, or a friend. So grab a cup of coffee or tea, get comfortable, fire up the computer, and come sit with us. We would love to hear from you!

Kim Di Maggio resides near Corpus Christi (a little town called George West), Texas where she and the Rose Blossom family look forward to laughing and celebrating with many more of their customers.

Please visit Rose Blossom Cottage at http://www.roseblossomcottage.com/ where you can find pieces of yesterday to create happiness today. You can keep up with the latest information and goings-on at the Cottage by following Kim's blog at http://roseblossomcottage.blogspot.com/ . Kim's art and vintage pieces are also available at Make Mine Pink.