Saturday, June 25, 2011

Beautiful Bedroom for Tonight's Last Post

 
This would be a nice place to call your very own. Such a soothing-looking bedroom. Simple and so very tasteful. I love the horizontal wood siding/panels. The bird's egg blue-green paint is very nice with the bird eggs and nests antiquarian prints on the wall. Wish me sweet dreams as I say goodnight. via

Smaller Than A Mansion, Bigger Than A Cottage

If I weren't a cottage person and wanted a real house, this might be the one I would pick. It looks just right.

Take Me To Your Leader


We come in peace.
image #1 -- image #2

Linda McCartney Celebrity Photography

Paul McCartney with Stella and James ~ Scotland 1982. Photographed by Linda McCartney. View more of Linda's candid insider photography here.

Have A Sweet Weekend

The sun is finally out at the cottage. Have a great last weekend in June. Try to smell the flowers too. *

Friday, June 24, 2011

Tender is The Night

First Edition Cover 1934 In 1998, the Modern Library ranked Tender Is the Night 28th on its list of the 100 best English-language novels of the 20th century. image

Oh, Yes Please

All I would need is an ottoman. Isn't this simply delightful? *

Oh.My.Goodness | Wonderful Overhead Door

Wow. Wow. Triple Wow. What a view.


Wishing you beautiful weekend views. I'm currently posting from the New Jersey Rain Forest.

Thursday, June 23, 2011

Flower Power Car

 
You couldn't help but be anything but happy toddling around in this adorable flowered car.

Hedgehog in A Wooden Bucket

I think Beatrix Potter is responsible for my love of hedgehogs so how could I possibly resist posting this adorable photo?

Morning Sun Rays in The Netherlands

Shower of Light
by Lars Van Goor - A cyclist in the Netherlands


This lovely photo looks nothing like the pea soup foggy mist this morning at the cottage. You can cut the atmosphere with a knife it's so heavy. Looks as if it's an indoor day today.

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Window Seat in The Kitchen

Don't you love the look of this window seat near the refrigerator? Every kitchen needs one. I might need a more comfortable pillow arrangement so I could enjoy a cup of coffee and read cookbooks or use my laptop here. Maybe a full cushion on the seat with the pillows for my back while I lean against the side of the cupboard occasionally looking out the window. Nice, isn't it?

The Lone Hydrangea Here At My Cottage

I took this photo of my hydrangea from the balcony looking down to the lower level. A lady let me dig this up from her yard last year because she was moving. It really likes the spot where it's planted because it is so beautiful this year. I don't know the name of this variety but the flowers only bloom on the outer edges. The fluffy centers remain that way. Last year I kept waiting for all the buds to open to no avail. How does your garden grow?

Vegan Baked Guacamole Bean Dip Recipe | Yum

SERVES 8
 ~ From The Kind Diet by Alicia Silverstone

INGREDIENTS
1 (16-ounce) can refried beans
 (Read the label to make sure there is no lard, an animal fat. Look for the 'fat free' canned refried beans.)
3 large avocados

3 tablespoons fresh lime juice

2 (8-ounce) containers nondairy sour cream
1 packet taco seasoning (Such as Bearitos, but if you are avoiding all white sugar, make your own mix with chili powder, ground cumin, onion powder, hot paprika or cayenne, and salt)

1/2 cup diced mild green chiles, drained

1/2 cup sliced black olives, or more if you like
5 tomatoes, chopped

2 cups shredded vegan Cheddar cheese



STEPS
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. 

Spread a layer of refried beans in the bottom of an 8 inch by 8 inch quart glass baking dish. 

Pit and peel the avocados, and place in a bowl. 

Mash the avocados together with the lime juice, and spread on top of the refried beans.
Stir together the sour cream and taco seasoning, and spread over the avocado.

Sprinkle the chiles over the sour cream, and top with a layer of black olives.

Add the tomatoes, and sprinkle with the cheese.

Heat the dip for 15-30 minutes or until heated through and the cheese is a bit melted.

Serve warm or at room temperature.

Heavenly Kitchen with Dog on Sofa

Webster would be in dog heaven if he had his very own sofa in the kitchen so he could watch me cook. Every kitchen should have both a sofa and a dog, don't you think? image

The Ultimate Sliding Barn Door

Let's find this place and have our July 4th picnic in front of the Flag Door.

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Yellow Stepback Kitchen Love

I love the look and feel of this farmhouse kitchen with the sink area resembling an antique stepback cupboard. via Architectural Digest.

Babington House | Somerset UK

Today is the longest day of the year and the first day of summer. The light here at the cottage around 8pm looks about like it does in this photo of Babington House.

Set in 18 acres in the heart of Somerset, Babington House opened in 1998 for those who wanted to enjoy the countryside but weren’t prepared to compromise on urban luxuries. Be sure to click on the link for more photos of this delightful place.

Happy First Day of Summer.

Magic Shelves

How.Are.These.Shelves.Suspended?
I've dealt with a number of tile men in the past and I know these shelves were added after the tile was in place. But how? Invisible brackets drilled into the tile? What do they look like? I really want to know because I love this look and the old chalkware chickens too.*

Berry Blue Breakfast

You might want to spend some time today looking at lovely photographs by Victoria Pearson. I'm up with the birds this morning wishing I had a transferware bowl of berries to eat but alas there are none in the house. The wild berries here at the cottage haven't ripened yet either. I think I'll make some French toast and eat it outside. See you later after my office meeting and broker open house tours.

Monday, June 20, 2011

Sliding Barn Door for Bathroom

Here is yet another lovely interior sliding barn door to delight and inspire you. 
My other blog posts on interior sliding barn doors.

Farm Family Portraits

“I take the conventions from the fashion world and apply them to the underclass barnyard animal,” Photographer Rob MacInnis told the New York Times.





There are many more photos to see in the NYTimes article. You will definitely want to go the website of photographer Rob Macinnis too. Click on the drawing of the "farm animals" to see more large photos. Then go back and click on the TV screen to watch the fascinating video description of how he worked on this project. It's very long and so interesting...I still haven't finished watching. He said the goats were the easiest subjects and sheep were the hardest. I discovered all of the above via My Modern Met. I'm so glad because I completely missed this writeup back in 2009.


Feeling Crabby?

Have you cracked a crab yet this summer? I love anything served on newspaper, don't you?

Reflected Columns, Rome, Italy

Sometimes there is beauty to be seen while walking with your head down. We are supposed to have a stormy week with lots of puddles. Enjoy the week whatever the weather. 

Sunday, June 19, 2011

Eventide

Day is done, gone the sun. 
I had a great weekend. Hope you did too.
Wouldn't this be a great place to end the day?


Can You Hear The Ocean?

 
This looks like a really big shell. I can almost hear the ocean just by looking at the photo. Wish I could hold it up to my ear.