Our kitchen nook glowed invitingly, with winter weather just a windowpane away…
Setting a cozy winter tablescape and decorating a mantle that brims with rustic charm and elegance is easy using a cozy plaid, a fir swag, and a variety of different sized candlesticks, silver pieces, and crystal.
Continue reading “Setting a Cozy Winter Tablescape and Decorating the Mantle”
…Lighting the long, gold tapers that match the golden chains of the reindeer’s harness adds the last bit of enchantment to this sugar-plum scene.
Christmas magic abounds in this fun and simple tablescape with Santa and his reindeer prancing across the table.
Now, Dasher! Now, Dancer! Now, Prancer and Vixen!Continue reading “Create a Magical Christmas Tablescape”
On, Comet! On, Cupid! On, Donder and Blitzen!
~Clement C. Moore
Today was another beautiful November day and the perfect day for assembling a centerpiece for our outside table. The centerpiece splays across the table and is made up of “twig-ery and poke-ery” and other autumn finery, and candlelight twinkles over the tabletop. An outside dining area easily becomes an extension of your living area and an enchanting way to beckon company outside.
Continue reading “Creating an Outdoor Centerpiece for Thanksgiving”
Last year after I wrote about our antique and flea market trips, many of you wrote in the comment section and in letters, that you enjoyed reading about our shopping trips and seeing the treasures we found. We’ve been on several shopping adventures since then and I’ve been saving some of my favorite finds to share with you!
Continue reading “Antique & Flea Market Finds”I like adventures, and I’m going to find some.
Louisa May Alcott
“I set up a tea tray…an “Alice in Wonderland” kind of tea tray with a dash of woodland whimsy that seemed perfect for tea that was being served in a greenhouse tearoom, with the sky for our ceiling and a pea gravel floor.
Continue reading “Spring in the Cottage Greenhouse…Part 1”
…the wild iris kept waving and beckoning me to come over. Finally, worn down by their flirting and persistence, I stopped working and went into the cottage greenhouse to fetch my trowel.
Dainty wood violets, wild irises, perky daffodils, fragrant hyacinth’s, azaleas in all shades of pink, creamy white Lady Banks roses, and woodland ferns are making their spring debut at Cottage Green!
Continue reading “Part 2 Spring in the Cottage Greenhouse…DIY Whimsical Spring Arrangements”
I love winter days in the Cottage Greenhouse. On bright days, the sunlight streams through the clear paneled roof and warms my little house (as our 3 year old Granddaughter calls it.) On gray, drippy days, I close the cedar door, turn on my space heater, and I’m snug and warm, “out of the wind’s and the rain’s way” while I listen to the lovely sound of the raindrops falling on the greenhouse roof.
A little house - a house of my own Out of the wind's and the rain's way ~ Padraic Colum
Last week Richard was busy in the yard, putting up a cedar fence and the weather was perfect for pre-spring cleaning in the greenhouse. I used the leaf blower and blew out dried leaves that had crept in beneath the cedar panels, wiped the potting benches and shelves with a damp cloth, then cleaned each of my greenhouse treasures. On back shelves, under the potting benches, I organized seed trays, stacked planters and peat pots, arranged watering cans, fertilizers, and insecticidal soaps, all while planning landscaping beds and dreaming of woodland ferns, coral bells, and coleus.
January is the month for dreaming
Jean Hershey
Antique seed box and cedar chest
It’s almost Halloween, and this week I’m getting ready for our family’s traditional chili fest…always a fun, pumpkin filled evening with lots to eat, and festive treats. Our dinner menu for this special evening is always the same…steamy bowls filled with Chili con Carne served alongside a topping bar, a large salad, and a crockpot filled with delicious Pumpkin Spice Latte. No tricks are allowed, but it’s, “all about the treats” for the grandchildren. There will be Candy Corn Sugar Cookies and Harvest Moon Pies. For the adults, there’s cheesecake covered in a caramel and toffee drizzle, and for toasting, later, there’s Ghost Peep S’mores…all treats worthy of a night reserved for goosebumps and thrills.
Continue reading “Getting Ready for Halloween…DIY “Not So Spooky” Halloween Wreath”
~ by Trenda
It’s that cozy, all things pumpkin, sweater weather, cider sipping time of year…and time to decorate Cottage Green for autumn. Seeing the shadows of autumn sunshine coming through our shutters, while smelling the apple cider fragrance in our diffuser, I was inspired to make a woodland swag. A swag that looked like it was made with treasures found during a walk in an autumn forest…some bittersweet, wild blossoms, red, golden, and orange leaves, pinecones, wild grapes, and hawthorn berries, all weaved into a fir garland and mixed with discarded pheasant feathers and antlers shed from the deer in autumn.
Continue reading “DIY Woodland Swag and Autumn Tablescape”Where the heart is the mind works best.
Louisa May Alcott
In the laundry room’s transformation from ugly duckling to beautiful swan, Richard covered the walls with tongue and groove, beaded board that he painted a deep sage green to match the walls in the hallway.
Today I am excited to show you our renovation of the smallest room here at Cottage Green on the Lake, the cottage laundry room! Richard transformed this work horse room into such a cute little place, I inwardly sigh with contentment when I open the door.
Continue reading “Cottage Laundry Room Renovation and Easter Giveaway Winners Announced………by Trenda”
