Interior Design in A Walk-in Closet

This curated closet is gorgeous and must be a happy place to get dressed for the owner. He has such good taste! via

Garden Shed to Love

I love the simplicity of this little garden structure. It must be in some sort of Historic Village like Old Sturbridge or Williamsburg. I have never seen a wheel barrow with a basket but I love it. I prefer old tools to new ones any day. Happy gardening. xo via

Trophy Cups on my Mantle

I decided to have a graduated display because I wasn't pleased with anything else. I brought out some of my miniature boxes and chests from other parts of the house and came up with this as my final staging. The silver trophies haven't been polished since before Christmas and they don't look that bad in this photo but in person they are quite tarnished. Once I get started, it won't seem like such a chore. I enjoyed polishing my newest addition yesterday but it's time to do something else around the cottage. Enjoy this Mother's Day Weekend. xo

Antique Engraved Armorial Trophy Cup

This wonderful English hand-engraved trophy cup with an armorial crest was my favorite find yesterday at an estate sale. It was black with tarnish but it is now transformed. I spent the morning rearranging my collection of trophies on my fireplace mantle and their mounts too. I collect small boxes too and have for years. This cup is silver over copper and I love that the engraving has exposed the copper after years of being polished. I shall try to find this armorial in my Royal Book of Crests. No matter what I bring home and no matter how small it is, I usually spend the day finding the perfect spot and arrange and rearrange until the new (old) items are perfectly at home in my cottage. This was a nice way to spend a dark and gloomy Saturday morning and I finally have achieved an arrangement that is pleasing to my eye(s). I haven't been to a sale in a very long time and I'm glad I went to this one. 

Have a great Mother's Day weekend. xo

House Plants Outside on Work Table

I found this primitive old work table on the side of the road quite late on the last day of the town's junk days for residents. I have had it for a couple of years or more. The top had some kind of covering and a million rusty nails. I honestly didn't know the front stretcher was in old blue paint too. The paint was what attracted me to it in the first place in a huge pile of discarded items, probably from a barn. Yesterday I removed the composite top and all the rusty nails and scrubbed it down with hot soapy water. I moved some of my house plants outside today and it is starting to get me excited about my balcony again. I washed it down yesterday with a deep cleaning deck wash in a bucket of hot water and swabbed it with a mop. It is looking almost new again in the hot sun this morning. The sun is continuing to bleach the embedded mildew. I shall stop obsessing about it now and maybe concentrate on a little inside cleaning. (Smile)

I adore my roadside finds and feel good about saving this table from the landfill, especially since today is EARTH DAY 2018. Happy Sunday. See you later. xo

Rolling Garden Bench in Pea Green

One of my most popular posts ever was on a rolling garden bench I have in one of my out of print English gardening books. See the post here. This one above with the slats is nice too and I like the paint color from England. 

But this rolling bench remains as 'The Garden Bench of My Dreams'.

Antique Planter with Tulips

Could anything be pretier? Just look at the size of those trimmed evergreens on either side of the magnificent planter. The size of this copper vessel is amazing and the patina is wonderful. Love this photo!!!via

Screen Door Season

Screen door season is almost here and boy, am I ever ready! via I like this large entrance hall too.

Coziest Reading Corner Ever

This has got to be the most well thought out reading nook ever. I do wish I could see the rest of the sunroom because I know I would love everything. via I would be searching for the companion ottoman because like to have my feet propped up and a little TV would be nice as well. The secretary desk would serve as a home office making this little library the the perfect multi-purpose room. xo

My Cottage Kitchen w/ Farm Table

I refuse to take any photos of Mother Nature's current temper tantrum aka known as Toby and Foureaster. Instead I took this photo of my kitchen. I finished my taxes on Monday and have put away all the papers and files I had spread out in categorized piles on my farm table. What a relief to have that task behind me for another year. 

The storm hasn't been bad so far (only a couple of inches) but the fine snow is supposed to continue for possibly another 12 hours. I'll give you an update tomorrow morning.

I watched a great movie on Netflix last night -- TULIP FEVER. 

Click here to view the video if you cannot see it above.

Shamrocks, Planted by Leprechauns

For some reason, I frequently get wild shamrocks growing along with my seedlings. In this case, it's a rosemary cutting. I have some growing along with a geranium in one of my pantry windows too. Happy St. Patrick's Day, dear friends. Today, everyone is Irish. xo

My Little Whisk Broom Collection

Anytime you have three of something, you have a collection! The tiny one is my favorite.

My grandmother always used to use a little broom like this to brush off my grandfather's coat before he went out. She never got behind in any housework or outside chores. This was what she said about procrastinating. "It's easier to keep up than to catch up." 

She kept a perfect house too. She would devote one week to each room for spring cleaning. That was back in the day when women washed walls and waxed floors and removed old wax so they could wax them again. We have it so easy now. 

Elegant Home Office in a Hallway

Living with antiques. This home office in a hallway filled with bookcases is beyond fabulous. I don't know that I could do messy things like my taxes here but paying monthly bills would be a snap. I am just about ready to start spreading out papers everywhere to get my tax documents in order for the accountant. And you?

via New home in northern New Hampshire’s White Mountains. Misiaszek Turpin Architecture & Planning. Traditional Home.

My Kind of Room

Strike a match and light the fire and this room would be perfect on this cold, rainy Sunday. via 

Don't forget, tonight is the final episode of Victoria, Season 2 on PBS. Sniff, sniff. I love it so!

Blue and White Chairs and Rug

I love this cozy room and especially the fabric on the two easy chairs. So cozy. Nice living room, family room, or library. via

My Set of Antique Copper Pots with Monogram

I discovered this matched, graduated set of old copper pots at an outdoor antiques show years ago. Each one has this monogram on the front opposite the handle. Somebody was really proud of them and so am I because they look wonderful on the top shelf of my pantry. The large dovetails are beautiful too. The bottom of the biggest one is marked on the bottom with an incised E. I don't know what that signifies but it's probably a maker's mark. I didn't look on the bottom of the others. They fit inside each other nicely in a nest for easy storage. I like them lined up better. At my former house, they were displayed on a standing pot rack. The insides need to be re-tinned so I don't use them. Plus they are really heavy! I have posted this photo on my blog in the past but in view of questions about them, I decided to post it again. This set must have belonged to a gentleman cook with the initials B.M. Jr. 

I shall enjoy this rainy Sunday. All of the snow has melted so I will be seeing more snowdrops soon and maybe some blossoms too. xo

Another Peek into My Pantry

I found a beautiful brown transferware pitcher on Thursday at a rummage sale.

Here it is on display in my pantry. There is a window to the left behind the geranium.

Here is the other side showing my little downstairs desk where I work on my blog with my laptop. This little room is a favorite place because it's small and has two windows. The one with the desk looks out to my front garden and the one behind looks out on my barn/garage in the back. When I bought my cottage, it was a tiny screened porch.

I have enjoyed a rainy Saturday baking muffins and just being generally busy doing inside chores and reading. More rain is predicted for tomorrow too. Have a great weekend. xo

Secret Door in A Home Library

I wonder where this book door leads? There was one in a local 1920s house that I viewed last year that led to a back staircase. via

New House Looks Old Birmingham, AL

That old world charm coupled with fantastic traditional interiors and a nice balance of masculine and feminine qualities, this Birmingham, Alabama abode is an absolute stunner. Built for the architect himself, this was constructed by James F. Carter with interior design by Jane Hawkins Hoke. Image courtesy of James F. Carter. More views here at his website. Click on the word VIEW in the logo to see all of his work. I think most of the interior photos in the slideshow are of this amazing house. Swoon!

Bathroom with Antiques

I love what the owner's did in this spacious bathroom. They used an old-fashioned clawfoot tub along with a modern walk-in shower. Instead of built-in cabinetry for the linens and toiletries, they used an antique cupboard. The well-worn antique oriental rug looks nice too. I wish I could see the wash basin which I think is to the right of the cupboard. The shiplap siding looks perfect and I love the owl etching and the cafe curtains. Such a beautiful room!!!!!! via