LITTLE BY LITTLE - BIT BY BIT...

"Come into my garden

 said 

the spider 

to the fly"

Normally,

 this is not the way I do things.  

I usually take photos 

when there is an order to things. 

 I don't think

 I'm trying to be deceitful. 

 Of course,

 a full psychological evaluation 

might show otherwise. 

 I think I am just trying 

to show you how things should be, 

not how things may sometimes be.  

The card system that I use 

is a great help 

in keeping things 

on this side of right but,

 my post today,

 has nothing to do with

 any of the above...

...and all to do

 with this horrible

 heat wave 

we are having.

Since it is good common sense 

to try to beat the heat 

in the mornings, 

there is only a 

very small window 

where this reasoning can work. 

 After a full day, 

there isn't enough energy 

or cool air left 

to make anyone 

(meaning me)

 go back out there.

Therefore,

 I will show you how 

a winter's worth of overgrowth 

can turn into 

a garden that 

Mary Lennox and Collin

 would be proud of -

 little by little, 

bit by bit.

 Keep in mind 

this work 

will not be the final outcome.

 There will be 

"pretties" added 

at a later date.

With all that being said,

 I did not take a picture 

of this first round 

before starting, 

so the above shows

 the beginnings...   

...and

 the final results.

Before...

After...

Before...

After...

And this will be

saved 

for another day.

We are lucky, however,

to have three of the four

hydrangeas 

in the Secret Garden 

to be the prettiest

 they have ever been. 

 One does not have a

 single bloom,

 BUT, 

it does have gorgeous foliage.

 These beauties 

are our heroes 

and give us the momentum 

to carry on!

Have a wonderful week...

...Judy...

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SUMMER TOUR - FINAL TAKE...

Technically, 

summer starts tomorrow 

but for the past few days, 

it has been

 beating on the door

 with doubled fists!

 If this is any indication,

 it seems we are in for 

some very hot weather

 in the coming months...

...but

 the hot days do end

 with a beautiful sky and

 it is pure pleasure 

to take in the view 

from the front porch 

each evening.

The red, white and blue of summer

carries over

 into the dining room and

 I have a few

 small touches 

to share with you.

My favorite nursery/boutique in town

 has an annual 

antiques show and sale

 on their grounds.

I was able to find 

this great small galvanized tub 

there this past weekend.

It is a perfect fit for 

a gallon pot of coreopsis and 

a few flags 

on the dining room table.

The Captain 

drilled some holes 

in a piece of an old fence post

 and made the sweetest standard

 for my old flags.

Even though

 Bitty Morsel is

 strictly a Halloween kind of girl,

 she still likes to 

stick around and

take advantage 

of all the other holidays.

A statement

 that stays up 

all year long.

Come on through

to the kitchen...

Goatzie 

has given 

Raggedy Ann and Andy

 a ride to

 the market...

...where they picked up

 a little

 afternoon delight.

Please 

stop by again.

 I'm sure 

there will always be 

something else 

to see...

...after all,

 summer is

 just

 getting 

started.

...Judy...

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SUMMER TOUR - TAKE TWO...

Welcome back 

to the

 Red, White and Blue

 Summer at the Cottage.

Before we enter today, 

let's linger a little longer 

on the 

front porch and...

...discuss the merits of

 highlighting a piece, 

or an idea, 

in our decor 

that is special to us.

Somtimes

 when I am immersed in Pinterest,

 my mind gets jumbled 

from all the excellent ideas and 

I tend to get confused about 

what I want to concentrate on.

 Picking 

just one important piece 

can make decisions 

less tedious 

than they need to be.

When Havenly inspired me

 to share my ideas 

about this very subject, 

I thought it

 a fitting format for

 my post today.

Havenly 

is an online interior design solution. 

 They feature qualified, 

vetted designers 

that are just a click away, and 

a style survey so

 that you can match up with 

a designer based on your 

particular style.

There is a link 

that will take you to

 an "ideas" page

 where you can see 

what the designers have put in place

 to make it easy for you to

  understand certain concepts, 

that could get you 

inspired and excited,

 about a new project 

in your home.

 They also offer a list of 

curated products 

that will help make your dream 

a reality 

and all from the comfort of 

your own easy chair. 

 Here are some links 

that will introduce you to 

Havenly:

Online Design

Online Interior Designers

Real Projects

In my post today, 

I will try to convey 

how keeping in mind 

one particular concept can 

easily turn a house into a home.

 My special piece

 of importance to me is 

my Cottage herself.

  I think of her

 as a very special friend. 

 She always offers 

a welcoming spirit 

and place of warmth. 

 She knows that is of

 the most importance to me and

 she never lets me down. 

 Therefore, 

I try to do

 what I think would make her happy and,

 in turn, 

that makes me happy.

When you first enter 

the Cottage, 

you would immediately notice 

that she must love 

the color blue and

 probably has a 

whimsical nature.

 That tells you a 

little something 

about the both of us.

Step into her parlor...

The highlight of this room 

is the victorian settee 

and three matching chairs.

 They were passed on to me

 from my mother 

and I love them as much as she did.

 They also represent the era 

in which the Cottage was built and 

we had them recovered 

in our well loved shade of blue.

 The Cottage is quite fond 

of a patriotic lifestyle 

and has been since 1879.

This time of year 

is perfect for her 

to show her 

true colors.

The Sitting Room...

The Sitting Room 

is where we spend 

the majority of our time 

and we have tried 

to make it as comfortable as possible.

  This is where my collection of 

pillows usually appear 

along with our family photographs.

We have carried 

the color blue 

into this room 

as well.

It is also the room 

that Kai 

does the things 

that are most important 

to him.

Thank you

 for your visit today. 

 I hope you enjoyed 

the true colors 

of our Cottage 

and will return next week

 for 

Take Three of the Summer Tour.

My thanks to

 Gillian and Havenly 

for the idea for this post.

 I hope it has given you 

something to think about.

 It's always a good thing 

to take into consideration 

just one special piece,

 or idea,

 that you love 

and let it shine.

 It could change 

your whole way 

of looking at 

the way you decorate.

...Judy...

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