Wicker Baskets for Plants

These wicker baskets look wonderful on either side of the front door. Maybe they are having a party! They look very festive, con't they?

Rowena Cade: Reading Chair

I blogged about this photo in 2012. It's much more meaningful since I learned all about this remarkable woman in an episode of Penelope Keith's Hidden Villages on PBS. Read more here. I love her hair and her outfit from head to toe. I am rather certain this was not staged but a chance photo by someone catching her unaware. She was such a hard worker and a real artist in cement and stone at the open-air amphitheater she created in Cornwall. Numerous links here.

Do you have VISION?

I think I do. Vision a gift for those of us who have it. via

Elephant Shadows

I just started following @wildlife.hd on Instagram. This is one of my favorite photos on the feed.

New Village Homes: Tornagrain Inverness Scotland

I adore this new planned village in Scotland. See more here. Their Instagram account is named @tornagrain_newtown and the photos there capture the charm of this village. Be sure to check it out.

Hand Decorated Chest of Drawers

Dibs. I saw it first! I photographed this lovely paint decorated chest at a broker open house recently. I would love to have this in my cottage. Swoon.

Blue Beets Textile Design

I adore this fabric. I can think of a thousand places I could use these blue beets in my cottage. Have a great weekend! via 

Guest Dog in my Living Room

Meet Harper. She was quite interested in a nature program about alligators. I had her for a few days while her owners enjoyed an out of town trip. 

Our Vines Have Tender Grapes: Movie Review

An endearing and quietly rhapsodic slice of Americana about a single year among the Norwegian immigrants in a Wisconsin farm town, Our Vines Have Tender Grapes enthralled 1945 audiences and critics with its timeless joys. Told from the viewpoint of little Selma (Margaret O’Brien), the film explores grand childhood adventures: making friends, a pet calf, Christmas, a terrifying trip down a flood-swollen river, a barn fire and a ride on a circus elephant’s trunk. In a change-of-pace role, Edward G. Robinson is a revelation of wisdom and compassion as Selma’s father, leading a fine cast that illuminates the profound power of everyday triumphs and sorrows.

I have watched this movie twice on TCM and love it. It follows the life of a close Norwegian family in a Wisconsin settlement. The family values of the whole village are wonderful and Margaret O'Brien is a treasure. I love her telling of the Nativity in the church Christmas pageant.

Maybe you can find the DVD at your library. You can stream it on Amazon and iTunes. This is a must-see movie. I have never read the book but it must be wonderful too.

Daffodil Cottage

Garden Goals. via