Monday, June 26, 2017

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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Tuesday, June 20, 2017

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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Tuesday, June 13, 2017

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:



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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