Shaker Kitchen in UK Showroom

Here is a larger view of the kitchen I posted yesterday while wishing I had more photos of the room. Presto, my wish was granted! One of my readers and followers found a link! Thank you so much, Leslie. This kitchen is in a deVOL showroom in England and all the bespoke elements are swoon worthy. Click to see other views of The Loft Kitchen. 

A Country Kitchen to Love

photo source

I love this kitchen island with lots of drawers and two open shelves at the end. This large kitchen has a farm table too instead of bar stools. Yay, and a window seat too. The floorboards look old but the construction looks new; perhaps it's a restoration. I couldn't find any additional photos but I know I would like the rest of this kitchen.

FLANDERS POPPY SEEDS for Sale

Website Here

The red poppy is an internationally recognized symbol of remembrance for veteran sacrifice.

Each seed packet sparks awareness and conversation about the WW1 Centennial as it honors the legacy of the 4.7 million American veterans that served during World War I.

60 seed packets for $64.99 with free shipping

These seed packets would be great to include in your Christmas cards this year and the funds will help build the National WW1 Memorial at Pershing Park in Washington DC.
If you act NOW your donation is worth twice as much because the Pritzker Military Museum and Library will match your donation!

HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY
In Flanders Fields

Bunny Mellon Embraced Friendly Weeds

Giant Mullein growing in her poolside gazebo.

Vanity Fair once described Bunny Mellon as the “high priestess of pruning and pleaching” for her devotion to gardening and personal love for pruning. While Bunny had an affinity for picking wildflowers and celebrated vegetable gardens, she loved pretty weeds as well.

Verbascum thapsus, a biennial plant, was once used as an herbal treatment for coughs, congestion, chest colds, bronchitis, and inflammation. For most of the year, the huge, furry leaves flourish under Bunny’s gazebo, stationed next to her display greenhouse. She felt that weeds were friendly, and often added to the beauty of her home, hence why the weed mullein was allowed to sprout between the stones. Its common name may have come from the Celtic term meaning yellow.

Read the entire article at Oak Spring Garden Foundation

Happy Memorial Day. It's cold, dark, and rainy here at my cottage but I don't mind. xo

The above link will lead you to my previous posts commemorating this holiday, celebrated each year on the last Monday in May.

My New Glasses: Eyewear

I have never mastered taking selfies so this is my version that looks like a double exposure. My reflection in one of my balcony doors also looks through to one of my living room walls. I wanted to show you my new glasses and the photo below is an enlargement.

I am very camera shy and I can take better photos of myself than anyone else.

This closeup shows the subtle colors in the tortoise-shell frames. My old ones had smaller lenses and wire frames with nose pads. They were quite comfortable but not that becoming. I bought them because I had clip-on sunglasses that fit and soon after I got those glasses, I lost the clips, so that was a wasted effort in economy. I have clip-ons that fit my new glasses too but I didn't realize it until I found them in a drawer full of old glasses. I can see more clearly out of my new frames but when I watch TV in bed, I can see better out of my old wire ones since the lenses are smaller. My new eye doctor tweaked my left lens making it easier to read street signs so, overall, I'm happy. I think it takes a long time to get used to your own reflection in a mirror before you look like yourself to yourself if you know what I mean.

Enjoy this long Holiday Weekend. Be safe if you are on the road. xo

Organizing My Closet

I have only just begun, but this is an early view of the closet in my second bedroom. The room where I sleep doesn't have a closet so that's why I call this my dressing room. I dare not take a photo of the rest of the room right because it looks like a war zone. That's the only way I can work, by tearing everything apart and slowly putting it back together again. The two stacked shoe organizers, purchased yesterday at the church rummage sale, started it all. I have a way of stepping out of my shoes when I first enter my kitchen and leaving them there. No more! Now each pair has a home.

The books on top of my lingerie chest, decoupaged on all sides and inside the drawers with old sheet music, houses all the books I got at the church sale too. The chest was a garage sale purchase years ago that my mother enjoyed for many years. I need to look through the books before they find a permanent home. Most are on gardening. By the way, my nasturtium seeds are beginning to sprout!! There is more depth on either side of the closet for hanging clothes so it's larger than it looks with storage above for winter blankets, etc. I'm still not finished organizing my clothes into keep or donate piles, plus I wear the same few things all the time. Don't we all?

Here's a closer view. The two vintage shoe organizers with dividers are made from heavy duty cardboard and are covered with paper that makes me happy every time I open the double doors of my closet. When they were new, they were sold folded and flat and required some assembly. Someone kept them in perfect condition and they waited for me until I could get to the sale on the second day. Lucky me!

Wisteria and Outdoor Furniture

My wisteria was beautiful for a while until big halestone pellets destroyed the blossoms in a storm a couple of weeks ago. The setting above is gorgeous. I love the stone wall and the tiny patio. I see a base for an umbrella to shade the sitters from the hot sun while dining. It's so nice to be outdoors this time of year. My project for the day has turned in to my project for the week. Cleaning out and rearranging my closet has is a long overdue chore and I've just started chipping away at the iceberg. But it is quite satisfying to see that progress is being made. photo source

Official Royal Wedding Photos

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have released these three official photographs from their wedding day and the newly-weds are said to be "delighted" with them. 

Photographed were taken by Alexi Lubomirski 

@alexilubomirski

I couldn't resist this adorable photo of Prince George below. He looks so handsome in his pageboy uniform. I was thrilled with the wonderful behavior of all the children in this beautiful wedding.

Photos from Instagram @bbc

Gorgeous New Colonial

What a nice new house that looks old! I love the architecture with so many interesting features, especially the porch with a beautiful balcony above. via

Lilibet's Playhouse: Royal Birthday Gift

Princess Elizabeth’s little cottage at Royal Lodge, a gift from the people of Wales on her sixth birthday. Could anything be more wonderful? The estate is located three miles south of Windsor Castle in Windsor Great Park and has been the official residence of The Duke of York (Prince Andrew) since 2004. photo from Instagram

Since posting, I have more information. Click HERE for more perfectly delightful archival photos of the Royal Family and the history of "The Little House at Royal Lodge" called Y Bwthyn Bach.