East Coast snow days

Living on the East Coast of Virginia we’re lucky to get maybe one good snow a year. And this year, we were hit with a “bomb cyclone” that traveled up the coast dumping buckets of white on us and also affecting many of our neighboring states. The ice and snow cocooned our town in an arctic blanket with the roads remaining under a sheath of ice for several days after the storm. But the drip, drip, drip has started and […]

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welcoming 2018 with simplicity and color

Happy New Year Cottage Fix crew! After the holiday glitz and dazzle get packed away and carted up the attic stairs our cottage always looks so bare to me. The sparkle of twinkly lights and shine of vintage baubles are missed indeed. But even so, after the holidays I always find myself craving a clean fresh look. And although I haven’t made any new purchases or tackled any DIY projects lately, I have a simple clean look in mind that […]

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Happy Birthday Miss Paisley!

We’re celebrating Paisley’s fourth birthday today! Oh yes girl, I see lots of pizza crust in your very near future. She’s becoming harder to photograph as she gets older. She’s more into sinking into the sofa or bed than sitting up pretty and posing. One of our favorite silly traditions is picking out a Christmas sweater for the birthday girl. The kiddos both especially loved this traditional red and white one I found this year. Those eyebrows get me every […]

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Christmastime xo

Happy Holidays Cottage Fix Crew! Decorating… check! Everything else holiday/Christmas-y…not so much. Christmas trees started appearing on car tops the day after Thanksgiving which is a sight I love to see. But it also made me feel like I was already falling behind on my elf duties. Well, the cottage is all decked out and I have a shopping list started in my head. And — I saw a recipe on Ina Garten that looks yummy to take to my […]

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stripping the dining room table

Salutations! For the past year or so I’ve been milling over the idea of purchasing a new natural wood table (when I say new, of course I mean an old rustic beauty that’s new to me). One that has history and would warm up our dining room. One with a natural wood tone and a weathered patina worn proudly like a scar that accompanies a manly man’s tale. Something with a bit of soul and character with the warmth of […]

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fresh and simple Autumn mantel under $10

Autumn is my favorite time of year, especially early Autumn in Virginia when the days are bright and crisp and the cottage windows are popped open. It’s when the cool breeze floats in and there’s a pot of chili simmering away on the stove top that it really starts to feel like fall around here. And as far as seasonal decorating goes, it’s easy to add a touch of romance into the mix without spending a ton. A ton to […]

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vintage mantel

Salutations! So what kinds of goodies do you like to look for when you’re out treasure hunting? Is it that perfect weathered patina, or something that you can revive with paint? Do you like to head out with a list and a plan, or casually look? I’m a browser, it drives my honey bonkers! Grin. Sometimes trying to figure out what to do with old pieces is like cracking a code of sorts. To paint or not to paint? Distress […]

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Friday flowers ~ garden blooms in a blue Ball jar

Hola fine people of the world wide webernet! I’m blogging in today with a wild looking bouquet plucked straight from the back garden. I arranged these in my grandma’s old blue Ball jar. This perennial flower is a bright pink daisy–like bloom with an orange center, i’d say the coloring is very similar to the pink cone flower. I always love when these start to appear out back, it means fall is not far off. This patch of late summer […]

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