Friday, June 25, 2021

One Poppy per Day


There are a lot of Snapseed edits in my photo of a single poppy after a rain. I forgot to sow my saved poppy seeds and only one plant reseeded itself this year. I have a seed packet to sow in the fall or very early spring. Have a great weekend.
xo, Rosemary


Anne Hathaway's Cottage, wife of Shakespeare


The cottage of William Shakespeare's wife, Anne Hathaway. This photo couldn't be lovelier, could it? via From the late 1580s, William Shakespeare started to divide his time between Stratford-upon-Avon and London; his family and professional lives. Shakespeare's wife and children remained in Stratford and he made most of his financial investments in his home town.


Wednesday, June 23, 2021

Moon Tonight at My Cottage


This iPhone photo doesn't capture the beauty of tonight's moon but here it is anyway. I added a filter to make it look like a vintage photo and I like it. I mowed two days ago and tomorrow I shall do the front. So as the story book says, "Goodnight Moon" and I'm off to my bedroom. xo


This is the original photo before editing with SNAPSEED, a free App that is amazingly powerful. I decreased the highlights, increased the ambiance and I probably decreased the exposure too. I used "healing" to get rid of the white dot at the base of the trees that is a bluebird house. I used healing to get rid of the dead branches slightly above he bird house.  I used "Vintage" to get the old-fashioned photo feel. I will look for a tutorial online to help you with Snapseed. It's available on Google Play and Apple App Store. The iPhone has built-in photo editing that is great too. I sometimes start there and finish on Snapseed. xo

I found a 15-minute YouTube Video Tutorial that will teach you on how to use SNAPSEED to edit the photos on your phone.


After watching the video, I added another edit with Snapseed using Curves and got a sky I like better. xo






 

Monday, June 21, 2021

Stunning Architecture


So much to love in one photo. I just finished three hours of mowing so I can appreciate this lawn and simple plantings that do not detract from the architecture. via


Saturday, June 19, 2021

Bunny Melon Designed Guesthouse for Jackie O.



This Gem of a Home in Virginia Was Originally a Guesthouse for Jackie O. Designed by Bunny Mellon, it's full of inventive compartments and time-worn finishes By Etta Meyer. Photography by Stacy Zarin Goldberg July 11, 2018 

Read the article and see many more photographs of the interior in Architectural Digest



Friday, June 18, 2021

Quilter's Potato Salad Recipe


I photographed this recipe from one of my oldest and most favorite cookbooks, THE OLD-FASHIONED COOKBOOK by Jan McBride Carlton. It was published in 1975 and I grab it first when looking for a recipe. 

When I prepare this potato salad, I mix the hot dressing over the potatoes that have been cooled slightly in cold water but are still hot. I leave the red-skin peeling on and cut into cubes before cooking. The dressing makes this dish. Try it and let me know if you like it. I always get compliments when I bring it to a pot luck. People love it and are always surprised that it is somewhat sweet. Anyway, try it with the sugar the first time around. It's a fabulous recipe for the 4th of July or for Father's Day this weekend. xo


Here is a used book search with some very inexpensive prices if you want to buy a copy. The American First edition is earlier (1975) than the English one published in 1984. 


The illustrators also "wrote" a delightful children's book. Thanks, Mundi for mentioning OUR ANIMAL FRIENDS AT MAPLE HILL FARM in the comments. xo❤️
https://permies.com/t/34679/Book-Review-Animal-Friends-Maple


 


Thursday, June 17, 2021

HILL TOP: Beatrix Potter's Farmhouse




If you happen to find yourself in the Lake District, be sure to visit Beatrix Potter's house. Large view of the photo below and more photos in this Lake District link. Enjoy your virtual visit. xo




 

Wednesday, June 16, 2021

Old House Renovation Before & After


The operative word in the phrase "gut renovation" is the first one — it takes real guts to strip a house down to the studs, then build it back up again. Especially if you're new parents, like Lisa and Mark Hellman were (to then-infant daughter Avery) when they found their 106-year-old home, situated on a former chicken farm near Jeffersonville, New York. Not only had the sprawling 6,000-square-foot building been converted into six apartments, but by the time the Hellmans discovered it, the ramshackle residence had stood abandoned for 25 years.



Beneath the exterior's yellow asbestos shingles, Lisa and Mark Hellman discovered well-preserved clapboard, which they painted with Benjamin Moore's Flat White. The couple also had the roof and all 57 windows replaced, and the porch torn down and rebuilt.


Lisa and Mark Hellman, in a yearlong, top-to-bottom-renovation, restored this 106-year-old home to its former glory, creating a pastoral family retreat in upstate New York. See before and after photos of their intensive restoration and decorating. See the slideshow with more before and after photos via Country Living.