Cottage Chic Bar Stools

These cottage chic wrought iron bar stools are featured in the current issue of Romantic Country. I am just loving the color -- kind of reminiscent of a Robin's egg blue. Definitely keeping this color in mind.

What's For Dinner?

One of our co-workers brought in some huge, homegrown zucchinis. Last week I cut it up and stir-fried it with garlic, onions, tomatoes and mushrooms, then I topped it off with some Jack cheese. Very yummy served up with grilled chicken. This time around I'm thinking quiche -- a creamy zucchini quiche. It's fabulous served up with a crisp green salad and glass of white wine. Yum!

Vintage Cake Plate

This lovely vintage cake plate was one of 4 items I purchased for a total of $5.00 from the same lady that sold me the cute little vintage table, that I shared with you on a previous post. I wasn't sure where I'd put it. I have so little space on my kitchen counter as it is. I really wanted this piece to shine, so to speak. So, until I found a place for it, I put it up in my cupboard where it sat for almost 2 weeks.

Sunday I was inspired. I thought..."I know, it would make a great soap dish!" I placed it on the counter of my 1/2 bath. The darling little bird nest was gifted to me and shares the space with the lemon verbena soap.

Doesn't it look oh so lovely sitting there? Of course, I may borrow it sometime and use it for it's intended purpose...maybe.

Tea Cup Tuesday!!

Because I love tea cups so much, I thought it would be fun to start a new and fun interactive blog about them. So, I welcome you to post a picture of one of your many tea cups each Tuesday.

For those of you who are new to the process, this is what you do:

1. Create a post on your blog about your tea cup
2. Copy the link (from the http address bar) to your post
3. Come to my page and click on "MaKLinky"
4. Type in the title of your post and paste the link

That's it! Get as creative as you'd like, after all you'll be showing off one of your many tea cups each week!

P.S. If you don't collect traditional tea cups, but are more of a mug person, that's OK. Share your favorite mug. There are no snobs here.

Let's have fun! Let's have tea!

Cottagey 4th of July Displays

While I realize that not all of my viewers recognize the "4th of July," I thought it would be fun to share some really fun, friendly and welcoming displays. Enjoy!

Fabulous Summer Desserts

With Summer in full swing, and a holiday weekend coming up, I'm thinking about yummy desserts! Which will I choose? Hmm....

Banana Cream Pie Lemon Blackberry Cake
Lemon Meringue Pie
Fresh Berry Shortcake with Spiced Syrup
And, of course, my FAVORITE...a hot fudge brownie a la mode!
Yep, hot fudge brownie a la mode it will be!!

Vacation At the Beach

I'd love to spend a week, no, a month at this beach cottage.

I would imagine that the interior to look somthing like this... Or, like this. I love all of the white washed wood surfaces and pale colors. Very soothing and relaxing....

I could sleep like a baby in this room...
For great beach cottage tips, check out A Beach Cottage.

Darling Cottage Dining

Recent decorating changes

Hi all! Just wanted to update you on some recent changes.

OK, so I brought the little table home. Here is photo of where it sits. I haven't had a chance to touch-up paint, or anything. Just brought it in, placed it there and quickly put some items on it. Would like to place a small, "shabby-chic" accent lamp on it.

Here is a closer shot...

Another recent change was to my kitchen. My nephew gifted me this mirror. It belonged to my dearly loved & departed brother (how I miss him), so it really is a special item for me. I decided to hang it on the small wall at the back of my kitchen. It has really helped to open up that space and has given my kitchen more light and depth. Don't you just love the magic of mirrors? I plan to paint the little wine cabinet underneath the mirror white, or possibly a duck egg blue.

Well, that's all for now! Until next time, happy cottage blogging!

Vintage Cottage Table

I'll be bringing this piece home on Friday. I've got just the spot for it. Actually, I've got a couple of places in mind...will decide after I try both. It'll either sit on the far side of my kitchen, underneath a mirror with a small accent lamp on it. Or, it'll sit on a small wall in my living room, just outside of my kitchen.

Can't wait to get it home! BTW, found it on Craigslist!

Happy cottage blogging!

Shabby Patio Chairs

Aren't these just the best?

I recently purchased these from the nicest lady who advertised them on Craigslist. I often go to Craigslist and type in "Shabby Chic." I always find a variety of items listed.

Well, this gal was in my neighborhood. She moved to a smaller apartment and didn't have room for these. I'd been looking for outdoor chairs for my upstairs balcony patio. These are so chippy and shabby...just couldn't pass them up! Now they're sitting up there looking ever so happy and at home. I've thrown some seat cushions on them, for now. My husband has enjoyed sitting in them. Later, I'll add some comfy throw pilows, or quilted throws. I'm waiting to find just the right ones. I'll take some pics soon.

I'm loving these chairs!

(this was the photo in her Craigslist ad)

Happy cottage-loving day!

Fresh Cottage Looks (make me feel content)

Cottage Accents

This was a recent purchase from Craigslist. It's sitting on our small dining table. Our dining room is a work in progress. It's currently doubling as an office. This lovely print was purchased at a Goodwill thrift store for $5. I loved the colors and theme of the print. The two of them together... Another recent purchase through Craigslist. This lovely pastel-colored braided rug was a real steal. I have a "thing" for braided rugs, so I just couldn't pass this one up...

A lovely floral arrangement purchased from a Goodwill thrift store... Oops...how do I turn this one around? Anyway, a lovely little Robin's nest with eggs...gifted to me by a coworker on Wednesday...The little floral pillow was purchased at a Goodwill thrift store; the quilted throw was purchased at the Marshalls outlet store in Ontario...

The green window pane mirror was purchased at a Goodwill thrift store for just a few dollars; the floral spray, also....

A view of all of my recent treasures...

So, that's it for now. A little here and a little there, but it's starting to come together.

I'm looking foward to getting some fabric up around my windows. I have 4 nice dining chairs that need some sanding and painting...their seats also need recovering. I'm keeping my eyes open for a small round dining table. I'd prefer a pedestal base so that I can get more chairs around it. I'd paint it white, of course, so the finish need not be perfect. I'm thinking I can paint my chairs a duck egg blue. Or, I can paint them a cream color and cover the seats in the blue fabric.

Below is a photo I found in the Summer 2009 (No. 119) issue of Country Almanac. It's on page 18 under the title of "Yearning for the Beach." The table and chairs and colors have inspired me. If you've got the magazine, look it up and you'll see what I mean!

Until next time, happy cottage decorating!!

A Perfect Shade of Blue

Let There Be Blue by LdyCollum on Polyvore.com

Cottage Charm

More of the look that I love...

Chic Bar Stools

Someone is selling these on Craigslist. There are 3 of them and they are counter height, which is what I need. I think they might just do! I do like the off-white color and curvy lines -- kind of "chic," don't you think? They're fairly new...still have the plastic on the seats. They would be easy to spray paint if I wanted to change the color up a bit. I could even sew up some cute little skirts for the seats. Oh, and the price is definitely right!

Can I get some feedback? Do you think they'd fit into a Cottage/Shabby Chic decor? Happy cottage blogging!

Cottage Bar Stools

Wow, I would really love some of these for my counter seating area. Being that I've got such a tiny dining area, and part of it is taken up with a computer armoire (for my husband's apartment managing files, etc.), these would look SO nice!

I'll see about taking some photos real soon, so that you can get a better idea of the space I'm working with. My husband thought that maybe we'd have room for a small round counter-height table with a couple more chairs like these. I think that sounds like a great idea. Now, where to get these chairs! Does anyone know where I might find them?

Happy day, and happy blogging!

Marcia

Favorite Tea Cups

When I originally posted this I was still in Florence, AL. Now, we're in CA, but my tea cups and other pretty things are still there. I hope to start shipping these here soon. While visiting my blog I got to looking at these. Now I miss them terribly!

I thought I'd share a few of my favorite teacups with you.

But first, a little tearoom ambiance...

Here is one of 4 Aynsley teacups and dessert plate sets that my children gave me for Mother's Day a few years ago. This one is yellow...
Here is the pink set....
A closer look at the details; I love the hint of green on the handle...
Here is the blue set. There are 2 blue sets...
This one is special, given to me by a very dear friend. It's from a set of China that was gifted to her by her great Aunt...

These 2 are similar, but different...

My dear friend gave this one to me when I was feeling down; it's one of my favorites because it says "Thinking of You"...

A closer look...

More later....

Our Small So California Living Room

OK, here are some photos I took tonight of the furniture that now sits in my teeny-tiny living room. The lamp tables are snug against the corners. This is my longest wall!

A closer view of the sofa and coffee table. If you can't tell from the photos, the color of the fabric is a pale sage green. The floral pattern is embossed. These pieces are on loan from a friend -- she downsized to a smaller home and didn't want to sell her living room pieces, so I'm storing and using them. How great is that?
This is the wall next to my front door. Just enough room for the loveseat...

You can see my front door and window in this one...talk about a snug fit!
Here is a corner view. ..
Here's a view of the other corner...the TV just barely fits on the wall opposite the loveseat....

So, what do you think? It's a pretty generic look right now. I'll have to personalize it by adding some shabby, chic and cottagey throw pillows. I'd like to add a couple of cozy quilted throws...maybe some silk roses in a shabby little pot, and some of my cottage books on the coffee table? Over the sofa I'd like to find a window paned mirror, and a nice shelf underneath that. I'll just make that wall say "cottage" if it the last thing I do! :-)

I'd like to add a nice, large area rug for a nice cozy, layered look. Also, some cottagey tab curtains. I'll hang some of my plates and platters, and some nice floral prints on the walls. I've got plenty of ideas but it'll take a little time. Please feel free to share some of your ideas with me!

Happy cottage blogging!

Our New Apartment in CA

It’s been a while since I’ve update you all. So, here goes!!

My husband and I moved into our “new” little apartment on January 28th. Actually, we’ll be the resident managers there. We will get a free apartment in exchange for services rendered. Prices being what they are in California – extremely high – we decided that this would be a great way for us to stay on budget and build up our savings once again. We also decided that whoever got the “outside job” with benefits would do that, and the other would be the full-time apartment manager. Well, I landed the “outside job” – with a local university, and it’s only 8 miles from where we are living! This is my 2nd week hand I love it! It pays pretty well and, of course, we now have our medical/dental benefits and more. Thank God!

It’s been quite an adjustment for us both. We moved in on the 28th and both of us started our jobs the following Monday. There was no time to even take a breath! In addition to this, my husband is trying to adjust to living in California. Having grown up and lived only in the southeast, it’s certainly an adjustment. Like he said to me the other day “If I were 22 years old I’d be thinking ‘Wow, this is really cool!’ But, I’m not. I’m 54 years old and, quite frankly, this is a bit scary!” Well, I can certainly understand.

As some of you may know, from reading my blog, we had to sell all of our furniture. We flew to California, and it would’ve been way too expensive to ship all of it here. We were 5 weeks with my parents while we looked for an apartment management and a 2nd job, and we didn’t want to have to pay shipping and storage for furniture when, really, we could just find something once we settled in. That having been said, its a good thing we didn’t ship our furniture because our place is so much smaller than we’d anticipated. Our furniture wouldn’t have fit! I find myself with a new decorating dilemma – trying to figure out what WILL fit in my tiny living room! Ours is a 2-story townhouse-style apartment. Living room, dining room, kitchen and ½ bath downstairs; 2 bedrooms and a full bath upstairs. I’m not kidding, this place is SMALL!

I'm going to be using these as inspiration for a possible set-up for my living room. I have a window similar in size, and on the smaller wall, to the ones these photos. Also, the longest wall in my apartment is similar to these, and where sofa would sit.:

Talk about time...a good friend and her husband are moving out of their home this weekend, into a smaller place, and didn’t want to sell their living room furniture. We talked and it now appears that we’ll be able to use (store) it. What a great arrangement! At first I wasn’t sure if I would be happy with their furniture (style), but I also don’t have a huge budget right now for furniture, so how could I afford to even be picky? Well, as it turns out I think their furniture is quite nice. They have very nice taste! While it’s not exactly “Shabby Chic,” it is a very attractive style and can certainly be transformed with the help of some cottage style and/or shabby chic-like accessories and touches. The color of the sofa is a pretty herb green . Clearly, it's very easy to work with in terms of color because it's a neutral. It’s got a nice shape to it and has nice back and throw pillows. It’s quite comfy-looking! In the meantime, I can save up some money and keep my eyes peeled for items I really like, and take my time doing that so that I don’t make any costly mistakes. I will see about taking some photos – before and after, maybe. I’ll be able to use her coffee and end tables, too.

My husband is insisting on a recliner. Did I say that I HATE recliners? They just don’t fit into my whole “cottage/Shabby chic” look! Ah well, but life and marriage does involve some compromise so, …I think I found one that we can both live with. The color is in the wine family. I think that color will go well with the green.

Currently, our dining room looks like a home office. Actually, it doesn’t even look THAT nice! I dare not touch or move anything for fear of my husband totally losing it! You see, it’s HIS orderly mess. I’m trying to be patient, and this long weekend I hope to set aside some time to focus on moving his “office” upstairs into the spare bedroom. At first he didn’t like that idea, of having to go up and down the stairs to get whatever he needed. I think I’ve convinced him that we can keep a nice couple of expandable folders and file box (Shabby Chic style), and other absolutely necessary items downstairs by the kitchen counter. He’s not quite convinced yet, but I must have the opportunity to show him rather than just explain it to him. It’ll all work. Of that I’m confident!

I'm thinking of this for inspiration for our dining room. It's a lot narrower than the one in this photo, but the set-up could be similar:

The only thing I’ll really need to purchase right off, besides his recliner, is a unit to house our 32” TV. Yep, it’s a big one! I’m hoping to find a used armoire-style one, via “Craigslist.” I really don’t have room for a wall unit. In the end, I hope to end up with a cozy little room—one that makes you feel welcomed, rather than one that appears to be to big for it’s space and overflowing into the “hallway.” Do I even have a hallway? Soon, I hope to have our little apartment looking more like our "cottage of content."

Well, there you have it. That’s my update as of today. Thanks for stopping by, and thank you ALL for your kind, encouraging and lovely comments regarding my blog. They truly bring a smile to my face! Happy cottage blogging!

Lemons

I love this image!

Made me think about how I do my best to live by this philosophy. I mean, about when life give you lemons to make lemonaide. Sometimes it's not so easy to make lemonaide, especially when the result of the lemons was due to a wrong or bad choice made by mua.

Lemons can be hard to swallow! But, once I've gotten the lemon (juice) down, it can have many wonderful benefits. I like to think of lemons as the moral at the end of the story, IF I choose to learn it!

Then, of course, one CAN always add a little Vodka! Happy cottage blogging!

Cottage Chic

Some kitchen-y areas I really like...

and, of course, more cottage chic!

Ooh, I just love this garden-y look, don't you?

Yep...this one too! So peaceful!

Love that white, oval coffee table!!

I love pink!

Of course...blue's not bad, either!
Ahh, did I say I love pink?

Yellow is such a friendly color...

Love the pink bag! :-)

Ooh, I just love vintage trays!

Love the way the beautiful pink, wool rug looks against the white-washed floor...

I really like the touches of blue...

Of course, I love Robin's Egg blue, too. This year I plan to use more of it in my decor.

Nice kitty!

One of my favorite photos ever! So white and romantic!

This one too...for the same reason!

Romantic, white linens...

OK. I'm ready for a nap! :-)

Happy cottage blogging!

Reunited

After nearly 3 months of being apart we are together again. At times we wondered if it was every going to happen! There was so much for my husband to do before he could leave Florence, AL, but thanks to the help of good friends, they got it all done. He couldn't have done it without them! There are still some boxes left to be shipped, but our dear old neighbors are storing them for us until we're in our own place. We're temporarily situated with my parents in the San Diego area while we look for jobs, etc. It's good to spend this time with them.

It's absolutely true what's been said about absense making the heart grow fonder. Now, all of my loved ones are close to me. I couldn't be happier!

Wishing all of my blogging friends the best, and hoping that you're all as happy as I am!

Seat by the Fire

Happy cottage blogging!

Still alive!

Hello fellow bloggers!

Sorry I've been so out-of-pocket as of late. Haven't had regular access to a computer, or the internet, so you can all imagine that I'm going just a little crazy! :-)

Am looking for a job. Nothing yet, but I'm hopeful that something will come up soon.

You all take care, and thank you so much for your kind comments and notes. They bring smiles to my face, and they are greatly appreciated!!

Hugs!

Back home in So. California

Well, we made it here safely and in one piece. Sir Lancelot (my Shih Tzu) and me, that is. I'm already enjoying the weather! Am visiting with my parents in the San Diego County. It's really good to see them. Soon, I'll be seeing my children. Can hardly wait!! Sometimes, it's real hard to be patient. As soon as I can, I'll update my blog. In the meantime, happy blogging!

I haven't forgotten you!!

Hi there! This is for those of you who have shown interest in some of my "Moving Sale" items. I've not forgotten you!

I've been SO busy, but will promise to get you the shipping info (cost) by Tuesday of next week. I will also set it up so that you can use Paypal to pay for your items.

I used part of this afternoon (left work early with a headache) to pack some boxes. I got my teacups, teapots, china and other misc. fragile items all packed up and ready to go. I pack sparingly so I've got 7 boxes so far. They're not too heavy so I don't think I'm looking at $100 yet. The clothes are going to be the most expensive. Fabric is so heavy! I hope to have everything ready for shipping by end of next week. Eeek!

Thank you for your patience and for your interest in the items. I do appreciate it!

Take care!

Moving Sale Today!

Just wanted to let my readers know that I'm having a moving sale of sorts, today. I've taken some photos so that you can see some of the items for yourself.

If you see anything you're interested in, please let me know. I'd be happy to look into shipping costs for you.

If you're local, please come on by and help me get rid of this stuff! My address is: 902 Sannoner Ave. in Florence, AL.

HAPPY LABOR DAY!!

Hugs!

So much to do!

I've got a major move ahead of me

and I've got so much to do.

When I moved here I pretty much just brought those things that I couldn't live without -- family photos, teacups, dishes, clothes, etc. All of the truly bulky items, like furniture, I sold or stored with family and friends. I relied on mostly on thrift stores and yard sales to furnish my home in Alabama. Somehow -- even though I told myself it wouldn't happen -- I accumulated "stuff." There's no way I'm going to ship all of the stuff back. I've got to sell the stuff on Ebay, or somewhere. Any suggestions? I will only be shipping what I absolutely have to. I will most-likely be having a yard sale.

There's just so much to think of right now. I'm trying my best to not become overwhelmed. This is probably a good time to start making some lists. Any suggestions would be appreciated!

Cute Candle Holder

I found the cutest little ceramic votive candle holder at Big Lots. I went there during my lunch hour to pick up some toiletries. As I passed by one of the isles, this little cutie caught my eye. I thought "How cute is this!" Then I carefully turned it over to see how much it was...$5. Now that was a nice little price for such a nice little item! As you can see (I hope), the base is watering can. The shade has cut-outs in it so that the votive candlelight can be seen.. It's now very much at home on my kitchen window sill.

Here's another view of it...Here is the lovely little plate that inspired the name of my blog. It sits on my window sill where I can enjoy it every day. It truly is a special little plate...