Flamingo Portrait

This flamingo portrait is too gorgeous for words.

Via  

I got an early start this morning and was at the plumbing supply store when it opened. I had to get oil for my boiler pump. I have hot water heat and cast iron radiators. The pump has to be oiled regularly and one of the holes is rather large and the internet says it requires 2 tablespoons of oil. There is no easy way to measure it so I asked my pal who manages the store if I could just keep putting oil until it overflowed. He laughed and said that was what most people do. I was thrilled. Then I made several more stops and was home before lunch time. I have been working nonstop doing things in preparation for winter. I organized and folded all of my woolen blankets and put them back in the storage area on top of my closet. It looks SO nice. I have my eiderdown comforter on my bed even though it isn't quite cold enough for it. I put away all of my summer clothes and organized my closet. I worked in my utility room finally putting away all of my painting supplies. I put all the paint from my recent projects and house painting in one container. I still have quite a few old paint cans I need to get rid of so I can have the shelf space. I'm on a roll and feeling good about being organized once again. Have a great weekend.

xo

Before & After Renovation in Raleigh NC

I just cannot get over how wonderfully this renovation turned out. Found on @christiandawdesign on Instagram. There are 4 photos for you to see and you will truly be amazed. The owners must be thrilled beyond words.

It's beyond wonderful.

xo

Potted Bulbs on Dining Table with Marble Top

So pretty. The shaped marble top looks like it sits on aa piano.

But it doesn't. It's actually a top for a dining table.

See it on a House & Garden UK magazine cover here.

See Emma Grant, London Interior Designer's Instagram HERE.

Another view of her table HERE.

xo

Purple Ornamental Kale: Replacing my Geraniums Outside

I put three of these in planters in my front garden after digging up and replanting my red geraniums to overwinter in front of the sliding glass door downstairs. When the long curtains are closed, that area becomes a greenhouse and the geraniums love it. I have always preferred ornamental kale to mums outside in the fall because they are cold tolerant and are still going strong long after the first hard frost zaps the mums. 

xo

Wonderful Restored Estate in Wales

via

via

via

House & Garden UK has a great article about Penny Morrison's country house in Wales and a house tour. 

The designer Penny Morrison's magical Welsh home 

She is a London-based interior designer and you will love all of the rooms featured in this article. I found the bathroom photo above elsewhere and love the draperies. The scalloped cornice and the beautiful draperies have tiny ball fringe trim if you look carefully. Love them.

Enjoy the house tour.

xo

Bunnies Peeping Over The Tall Grasses

Tour this East Hampton home on Further Lane

HERE. The landscaping is amazing with very

little mowed lawn but lots of native plantings 

looking quite wile. Love it all♡🐰🌿

Washing Windows

I washed the outside windows on the front of the house today. Yesterday I washed the living room front windows inside.

It went beautifully. I used hot water with several squirts of Dawn Ultra and several drops of the rinse aid that came with my new dishwasher. I used my long pole lambswool applicator and then used my long pole squeegee without rinsing. Then I got up on my new ladder and went over the glass with a lint free dishcloth and then I polished with a microfiber cloth. It was a beautiful day and I enjoyed this task I usually dread. Having the right tools and the right ladder made all the difference. I did my front door window too. 

Yesterday I worked in the front garden and cut my peonies down to the ground. I pulled up all the weeds and planted some purple flowering kale. I want to spread some wood chips tomorrow and the garden will be officially put to bed for the winter. Having nice weather was a big plus.

xo

Nantucket Cranberry Tart Recipe

Click HERE for Recipe and more photos.

Click HERE to jump directly to the recipe.

Doesn't this look delicious? 

I love anything cranberry and will definitely bake this when bags of cranberries appear in the stores. 

xo

Mr. Doodle Does His House

Every inch of the interior is doodled too.

WATCH 'Mr. Doodle' in action HERE on Instagram

It's fun to watch him working inside, isn't it?

I wonder what the neighbors think?

Read an article on BBC.COM/news HERE.

Now that he's finished I wonder what he's going to do next now that his lifelong dream has been accomplished. Will he sell this house and buy another or live happily there forever? I'll let you know if I find out.

xo

Hiking Cat + Fall Foliage at My Cotage

This darling cat has the perfect attire for the rain I am having all day today. Maybe I should put on my orange slicker with the hood and venture out for a walk too. Image found here.

This is a snapshot showing some lovely fall color on this rainy day from my dressing room / spare bedroom window.

xo

Vegetable Drawers That Can Breathe

I love these wooden crate drawers. They don't match the kitchen cabinets but they match the butcher block counter. They are probably designed for vegetables so they can breathe but I will fill the second one with dish towels. I love the look, don't you? Enjoy this October Monday. xo

UPDATE: I FOUND MORE PHOTOS OF THIS KITCHEN IN THE COTSWOLDS HERE.

The Perfect Small House

I realize this wonderful small cottage has a large house attached. I hope it isn't dependent in any way to the big one but could easily stand alone.

I have mowed all of my grass very close to the ground with the #2 blade setting on my push mower. Now all the leaves can blow away with no raking required. I still have a few geraniums outside in big planters that I have to repot and bring inside. My peonies haven't been pruned to the ground yet either. And I need to put in more weatherstripping on a door or two but otherwise, I am pretty prepared for cold weather. I haven't turned on my heat yet and am wearing warm neck scarves indoors. If my neck is warm, I feel warmer all over. I do this in bed too when watching TV before I turn off the light. Try it, it really works! photo source

xo

Swan Mom and Cygnets

Swan Family Outing

When swans are born they're called cygnets, which is pronounced sig-net. Cygnets keep their name until they're a year old at which time they have two options for names. An adult male swan is called a cob and an adult female swan is called a pen.

Darling photo found on Tumblr. 

xo 

Wonderful Vintage Bathroom

 The Sleeper-McCann House

Gloucester, Massachusetts

Instagram Photo @torimellott

Beauport, the Sleeper-McCann House (1907)

A designer’s dream 

GLOUCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS 

BEAUPORT

Beauport, the Sleeper-McCann House, a National Historic Landmark, was the summer home of one of America’s first professional interior designers, Henry Davis Sleeper. Perched on a rock ledge overlooking Gloucester Harbor, Beauport was Sleeper’s retreat, backdrop for entertaining, and professional showcase, and an inspiration to all who visited. 

After Sleeper’s death, Beauport was purchased by the McCanns, who left it largely intact. Visit Beauport and see Sleeper’s lifetime collection of curiosities, colored glass, folk art, china, and silhouettes in every nook and alcove. Each of the forty rooms is distinguished by a historical or literary figure, theme, color, shape, or object. No two rooms are the same, and each is more visually dazzling than the last. Get to know Sleeper, a gay man living in the early twentieth century; his housekeeper, Mary Wonson; his fascinating neighbors; and the house’s many colorful guests.

How has this eluded me all these years? 

Now it's on my bucket list.

xo

Open Porch connecting to Screened Porch

If this isn't the best of both worlds, I don't know what is. How wonderful it would be to have an open porch that connects to a screened porch? ‘Weybridge, farmhouse renovation.’ Smith & Vansant Architects, 

Norwich, VT. redhousebuilding.com. J. Gantz Photography.

Photo found here.

xo

Brass Bathtub Fixtures

So beautiful but I would never be able to remember which knob was for hot and which one was for cold. What is the big one in the middle for? The Shower? Anyway, they are beautiful but not for me. You couldn't even reach the top knob if you were soaking and needed more hot water. Found on Pinterest. xo

 

Wonderful Pantry

So pretty.

Photo found here.

I hope there is another place

for the canned goods and things

that are not pretty but essential.

xo

New Curtain Rods at Firehouse Flea Market

My favorite day was Saturday. The annual Firehouse Auction and flea market was back after a two-year absence due to Covid. I have been looking and looking and looking for new curtain rods for my dressing room and found them just before I was leaving for the day. I spent most of the day on Sunday looking for screws to hang them with the wooden brackets I already had. I looked through all of my screws and found nothing so I was forced to go to Ace Hardware nearby and one of the men there helped me find the perfect ones. 

I dashed home, got out my trusty new ladder, and hung the first one. The one on the right is the before photo. I have been unhappy with the old rods for a long time but have been making do until I found just the right new ones. Saturday was the day for scoring them. Now I can close them in the winter quite easily to prevent heat loss at night. My old rods were tension rods within the window frame and the curtains fell out when I tried to close them. I think moving them up to the top of my woodwork has transformed the whole room. I am in the process of putting away summer and getting out winter clothes and bedding. I put the cover on my air conditioning unit outside yesterday too. I had a great weekend, hope you did too.

xo

UPDATE: See an older blog post with the old look of these draperies HERE.

Blowing Leaves

It's happening, slowly but surely. Some trees turn loose early and some wait as long as they can. I slept so soundly last night under two blankets. Will repeat the process tonight. Have a great rest of the weekend. via

xo

The Queen's Last Corgi Pups

The Queen's Corgis miss her.

 Sandy and Muick were the last pups Queen Elizabeth had during her life. They were a gift from her son, Andrew, who will now take over the dogs' care. Read more about them here in an article that says they are likely aware of her death.♡🐾🐾♡

xo