Cottage for Sale, Must be Moved | Currently Reading

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Sometimes I think I definitely have a fairy god mother who puts books I might like in the free book bin at the Post Office. I actually pounced on this one like a hen on a June bug as they say in the south. I just started it and love it already. Perfect reading for a hot almost summer day. It is sizzling outside at 92 degrees. I have a fan blowing directly at my face so I'm fine.

Cottage For Sale, Must Be Moved

A Woman Moves a House to Make a Home

by Kate Whouley

"A pitch-perfect description of both small-town life (Cape Cod) and personal anticipation . . . I loved Cottage For Sale." ~ Anna Quindlen




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Abandoned Cottage. Restorable? Absolutely!

Stone Cottage
"abandoned places. stones warmed by the sun. nature run amuck on the structures left behind. the mystery of things unattended."

I'd love to be teleported to this very spot right now. Have a great weekend, Rosemary




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Reclaimed Chair with Suburban Upholstery

Suburban Chair
Fabric designed with a pattern based on a map of suburbia and used to upholster a reclaimed chair. I like it, how about you?




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Britain's Smallest Library in a Red Telephone Box

Villagers in Westbury-sub-Mendip, Somerset, England were heartbroken when the mobile library service stopped coming to deliver books. The next library was 4 miles away...a long way to travel for a good read. Someone came up with the brilliant idea of buying a red telephone box and adding shelves to convert it into a tiny book exchange for all to enjoy. It has been a runaway success. The phone box library is open every day for 24 hours and is lit at night. There is a regular check on it to see if some titles are not moving. These are then shipped on to a charity shop to keep the phone box collection fresh. Read more + more.

I love wonderful stories like this, don't you? We have a free book exchange at my post office. There was a village uproar here when all of a sudden the USPS decided it wasn't appropriate. It wasn't in the actual post office, but the vestibule and it was quickly put back after we all wrote letters and made phone calls. We love our little place to buy a stamp, mail a letter, and take a book or magazine. There is a big turnover since everyone makes regular deposits too. All for the love of books.

What's your library card worth? Find out now.




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Tenant transforms his apartment in exchange for free rent.

A look inside the San Francisco apartment with an antiques theme renovated by its tenant, an interior designer.
In 2007, Grant K. Gibson, an interior designer, offered his future landlord a deal: in exchange for two months' free rent ($3,000), he would renovate the San Francisco apartment. Mr. Gibson sits before 18th century architectural drawings of Rome from an old book that he mounted in $20 frames.

He only wears black and white clothes so it was quite a leap to be so bold with color in the bedroom.

This antique Turkish rug and imitation-crocodile tray table were hand-me-downs from one of Mr. Gibson's clients.

All of the bamboo roman shades are from Target. I might get these for the three windows in my studio. Don't you think this young man did an amazing job for just $3,000? Be sure to view all 12 of the photographs in the New York Times slideshow.

Thanks for stopping by the cottage for an inspirational renovation. ♥Rosemary

GREY GARDENS before and after with slide show + video + footage from the original documentary film

Many of you are watching GREY GARDENS on HBO. I wonder how many of you saw the original documentary film that was made 34 years ago by Albert Maysles and his brother. I found it at my local library years ago and found it very difficult to watch.

Thirty-four years after a documentary film introduced the world to Grey Gardens and its eccentric occupants, a new movie on HBO is again casting light on the legend of this East Hampton property. In 1979, when the last photo was taken, Sally Quinn, the writer and Washington hostess, and her husband Benjamin Bradlee, former editor of The Washington Post, purchased the property, which had fallen into complete disarray, and set out to restore it to its earlier splendor.

View the slide show with 12 photos via The New York Times.

Albert Maysles visited Grey Gardens to celebrate the 30th anniversary of his film several years ago after the house and gardens were restored. This 10-minute film from YouTube shows Maysles' reaction with footage from the original documentary. This will give you a glimpse into the "real Grey Gardens" and the two Edies. Don't say I didn't warn you about how shocking it was while the two eccentrics were in residence.

Thanks for stopping by my blog today for a visit. I hope you found this post to be informative and entertaining. I don't have HBO, do you? Should I get it? Are you enjoying Grey Gardens? Let me know. ♥Rosemary