Two Great Alphabets to Clip & Save

I found these vintage alphabets and the scissors when I was looking at some of my old posts. My new template made it so easy for me to share these large photos without having to struggle so much to resize them for you and this makes me so happy. These alphabets would be great to print, clip and paste the individual letters for one-of-a-kind cards for any occasion. Click to enlarge the images.

Happy Friday

xo

Two Favorite Things on My Wall

Two things I love that hang behind my seat on the sofa in the living room. The shadows from two antique decanters are added interest. The gold framed item is a little crooked and I have straightened it. Taking photos around my house lately is requiring a lot of straightening and dusting you know! The dog painting is oil on board and the dog is a water spaniel. I took the photo after dark on night mode.

This 18th century hand drawn pen and ink birth record is from Hanover New Jersey and records the birth dates for Ellis and Sarah Cook and their children. This is the way I bought it and I was told it was a page from the family bible. The angel drawing across the top was a popular motif to carve on early American tombstones.

Have a great weekend.

xo

17th Century French Alphabet with Flowers

I photographed a page from one of my books on antique alphabets. Some of the letters are repeated and some are omitted. So this is just a sampling but still quite lovely, isn't it? I adore the flowers behind the letters, don't you?

HOME PAGE. ALL POSTS. UPDATES. 

FOLLOW MY BLOG WITH A FREE EMAIL SUBSCRIPTION

♡THANK YOU♡

Have a great weekend. xo

Beautiful Quote + Cat in A Box

Beautifully Handwritten Quote

"Painting is poetry

that is seen rather 

than felt.

Poetry is panting

that is felt 

rather than seen."

Leonardo da Vinci

via

This cat made me laugh😹

COOKBOOKS ON MY COUNTER

This is the only way I can figure out to share my thoughts using my favorite font. My friend @staceysnacks, the food blogger/antique collector, gave me a wonderful new vegetable cookbook and an antique French wooden bookmark with beautiful calligraphy in addition to a few other things for Christmas. xo

Interesting Antique Calligraphy

Superimposed Letters Spelling the Names of Illustrious Women of Ancient Rome: Faustina, Lucretia, Virginia, Vittoria, Giulia, Flaminia from Mira Calligraphiae Monumenta or The Model Book of Calligraphy (1561–1596) by Georg Bocskay and Joris Hoefnagel. 

Original from The Getty.

N O E L

Old calligraphy alphabets are so beautiful and this one is no exception. This would make a beautiful Christmas Card. via

Winter Solstice 2020

Tonight is the longest night of the year. Starting tomorrow, the days will be getting longer so I decided to feature the sun rather than the moon.

This sun is an image copied from an 18th Century calligraphy manual. The December solstice happens at the same instant for everyone, everywhere on Earth – and this year the winter solstice occurred on Monday December 21, at 10:02 GMT in the Northern Hemisphere. As such, Monday December 21 will be the shortest day and longest night of the year.

Moon Snow by  Lucy Grossmith

This delightful image was found on Google Images.

Tonight will be perfect for animals like these.

Double Hearts on Pen and Ink 18thC Family Record

I have this framed family record on a wall in my living room that never gets any sunlight. Sorry about my reflection in the glass. It is hand lettered with pen and ink and the calligraphy is beautiful. Every line is hand drawn.

I especially love the double hearts with the word together in the center. This is the perfect post for Valentine's Day.

Hello February and Leap Year

There is an extra Leap Day at the end of February this year. Has it really been four years since the last one? Photo found here in a Google Images search.

Einstein Quote about PLAY

"Play is the highest form of research."
Albert Einstein via

Content in a Cottage -- Click here if you are reading this blog post in an email or on a reader. You are missing out on my beautiful blog with a sidebar. Click on any picture on the sidebar for more information. Thank you. xo

September First

I designed this graphic and posted it one year ago today. Maybe it will be new to some of you. I have been distracted for the past two weeks. My PC computer running on Windows XP finally gave up the ghost and I was unable to get it up and running again. It had been giving me trouble for a long time and I put up with it because it had Microsoft Word, Photoshop, and was connected to a scanner and a printer. I disassembled everything and moved my iMac to the same spot where I have a very comfortable computer chair. 

I was able to connect a scanner and a printer quite easily and I am loving my new setup. I had the disc for Microsoft Word but it would not install on an Apple computer so I am learning Google Docs and can pretty much do what I did on Word. There is a workaround for almost everything, isn't there? I have been organizing my attic and it is an endless job but I have moved mountains. 

I don't have cable in my studio/computer room/sewing room/ and I've been missing it. It's nice to have a movie or the news on while I am sewing, ironing or organizing. I usually listen to a podcast or NPR on the radio and I will continue to do so. I'm very excited to report I found internet TV with movies, live news and so much more. It's called Pluto TV ( https://pluto.tv/ ) and it's wonderful. There is a yellow circle in lower right corner that will pull up the tv guide. The movies are amazing and there is a huge selection of shows. It works on any device....desktop computer, laptop, phone, or iPad. I found a blog post on cordcutting.com that explains it in detail HERE. There are commercials but I have found them to be entertaining as they are mostly about what else is playing on Pluto. Try it if you don't have cable in a room where you are working. There is no pause, repeat, or going back but it's totally free so that's fine with me. Let me know if this will be helpful for you as well.

Happy September. Enjoy the long weekend. xo

March really Marched In

I am obsessed by Hellebores but whenever I see them in person in someone's garden, they are never this beautiful. They usually look like salad fixings that have been in the crisper drawer too long. Maybe I just haven't seen any that were planted in the right spot. I think the individual flowers are really beautiful. Here is a link to learn more about these late winter bloomers aka Lenten roses.

image source

More hellebores. The foliage is evergreen. via

Spring is Trying: Snowdrops

I will soon have blooming snowdrops. They are coming up everywhere. This clump nearest my cottage is the most advanced. Can't wait! Quote below found here. Have a great weekend. xo

Calligraphy Snowman

Walking in a Winter Wonderland via

September Already?

I am not ready, are you?

My Wish for You

I love this calligraphy and its message. via

Floral Alphabet

Say it with flowers.

via

Stunning Alphabet Letters Circa 1650

A series of stunning prints, titled Libellus Novus Elementorum Latinorum, designed by the Polish goldsmith Jan Christian Bierpfaff (1600-ca.1690) and engraved by fellow-countryman Jeremias Falck (1610–1677). See the remaining letters of this fabulous alphabet here. 

Peonies Nearing End of Their Season

Lovely Monet quote.

My drooping peonies after Sunday's hard rain. I cut back the ones that were beyond saving and this is what was left.

The white ones are singles and they weathered the storm much better than the pink mop heads.

I keep replacing the blooms one by one when they start to shrivel. They really are nice in the house when they get too heavy outside. How does your garden grow?