Author Archives: sally

bright pink beauties

I generally like to stick to a cottage style garden with roses, herbs and daisies, all of the classic cottage style plants and flowers mix nicely with our evergreens. The box woods, azaleas, hydrangeas, and English ivy all seem to get along nicely out there. But in the thick of Summer when the days are long, the air is hot and muggy, and we’re all wishing for an afternoon storm it’s nice to look out our back window and see […]

my heirloom trunk gets a shabby cottage makeover

My heirloom trunk has a new shabby cottage look and is feeling right at home in our living room. A couple of coats of soft white paint and 10 minutes with the sander — voilà, this vintage cutie has a shabby cottage look. I think she likes it!

hunkering down this week

Salutations! We’re hunkering down in the AC on this hot and sticky Virginia Summer morning while my daughter recovers from surgery. I have a tendency to be somewhat of a nervous Nellie, especially when it comes to my little chillies. Don’t do this, don’t do that, be careful. Yes, I’ve instilled just enough fear into them to keep them safe, but not enough to dampen their spirits. At least that’s what I like to tell myself. They are teenagers now, […]

dreaming of a cottage bathroom

I’m stuck in a dream of crisp white subway tiles, marble, beveled mirrors, clawfoot tubs, and drippy crystal chandeliers. I’ve been pinning quaint cottage bathtubs and daydreaming of shabby chic whites. While the laundry is piling up in the basement, I’ve been busy browsing through magazines and searching through blogs for the perfect bathroom inspiration!

the back garden in Summer

Part of what drew us to this cottage style home was her back garden: boxwoods, blackberries, wisteria, and azaleas. The garden is well established and what it lacks in seasonal color and perennial flowers, it makes up for with a well thought out design and several mature flowering trees. We added the fencing and iron gate.

Yard sale lucky!

Summer is here! It’s hot, my daughter’s been repeating the dreaded phrase “I’m bored”, the pop-cycles are chillin’ in the freezer, and there seems to be a yard sale waiting for me every Saturday morning. A cluttered, junky yard sale on a Saturday morning is my idea of Summer!

a vintage Summer mantel

Salutations! Well, I’m at it again. Our mantel has been feeling a little left out lately. Yes, I’m afraid she has been somewhat over looked and maybe even a bit neglected while the rest of our living room has been getting doused in Summertime blues. She has been patiently awaiting her turn ready for the freshness of Summer to head her way. I thought this vintage mirror in robins egg blue might just do the trick.

too blue Summertime cottage

Salutations! The Summertime blues have made there way around cottage fix — a little blue here, a little blue there. I’m loving shots of blue throughout our little cottage!