Lady Liberty Gilded Antique Weather Vane

Lady Liberty still prevails!

A Winter Garden in Sweden

Winters are long in Sweden so why not design your garden to be beautiful in the snow?

Read the article about how Maria Dremo Sundström achieved this look with hers.

I wonder if she was inspired by Dutch Landscape Designer. Piet Oudolf? See a video about his Dutch gardens and a film documentary below:

Cozy Corner for Reading

COZY READING CORNER

Isn't this delightful? I am mentally picturing a matching ottoman that is opposite the easy chair upholstered in stripped ticking. That would make this cozy corner perfect.❤

Ancient Egyptian Pillars

Temple of Esna, Egypt

Interior of the Hypostyle Hall at the Temple of Khnum, Esna. Photo: Wolfgang Kaehler

Hypostyle hall, in architecture, interior space whose roof rests on pillars or columns. The word means literally “under pillars,” and the design allows for the construction of large spaces—as in temples, palaces, or public buildings—without the need for arches. This particular temple was built of red sandstone, and its portico consisted of six rows of four columns each, with lotus-leaf capitals, all of which however differ from each other. The temple contains very late hieroglyphic inscription, dating from the reign of Decius (249–251 AD).

Robin's Egg Blue Paint

Old Wide-Board Floor in Blue Paint

Wouldn't you love to wake up in this bedroom? I certainly would. I wish I could see more of the upholstered headboard to study the fabric. The room has the look of "just moved in but haven't unpacked yet" but it's probably finished and owned by a minimalist. Sigh!

Words to live by. via

Low Bookcase: Art Display Wall Above

Low Bookcase with Art Gallery Above

I absolutely love this wall decor. The low bookcase, filled with coffee table books, acts as a wonderful display ledge too. The beautiful artwork above and beside just makes this room. I love it❤

View from My Window

Overcast Saturday Morning

View from My Pantry Window

It rained like cats and dogs all night long and thankfully my gutters were cleaned recently and I could hear the water rushing through the downspouts very clearly. When I woke up the rain had stopped and my balcony was as clean as can be so I didn't have to sweep the area below the bird feeder. I have to go food shopping today and that's one of my least favorite things to do. I always try to talk myself out of it until there isn't anything in the house to eat and that's nearly where I am today. I'm going to clean my refrigerator first though, another task I dislike, but it makes me feel good when I finish. Enjoy your weekend. xo

Tall Case Clock in My Kitchen

New Jersey Tall Case Clock circa 1820

I found this old photo with the sundial that is now in my garden next to the tall case clock in my kitchen. There was an area of my attic over the kitchen that was too low for me to stand upright so I incorporated it into my kitchen during the renovation. That was fortunate because the kitchen ended up being the only room where my clock could stand after I moved in. My former house had eight-foot ceilings and I never measured the room heights in my cottage but they are only seven feet, eight inches.  My clock needs a minimum of eight feet to stand up with the finials in place, so in the kitchen it went and I have absolutely loved it there ever since. It fits perfectly between my cabinetry and the pantry even though this space wasn't designed to house the clock. It couldn't be any better if I had planned it this way! xo

Rabbit Wallpaper

RABBIT  WALLPAPER

This bathroom is in the house I visited last Saturday for the Estate Sale. Isn't it fabulous? The rabbit wallpaper is really the WOW factor needed to transform an otherwise unexciting room into a spectacular one. Dare to be daring! I love it.❤

My Cow Creamer has A Calf Creamer

I went to an estate sale on Saturday and found this little calf creamer to keep company with the mama cow creamer I already had. Aren't they a delightful pair? I feel as if I have reunited a family.

Breathtakingly Beautiful

I tried to find more information on this grand interior but couldn't. The walls are beautiful as are the pair of chairs flanking the tree mural. via

Chicken Pot Pie Cornbread Muffins

I have been saving this recipe ever since it appeared in my inbox. I love cornbread and chicken pot pie and muffins too so I had to look at the recipe. It is a winner. It pops up immediately under the photo when you click on the link so you can decide for yourself. I have everything on hand except buttermilk so I might substitute my homemade yogurt. You can google buttermilk substitute to find other suggestions. I just did that and think I will wait and pick up some buttermilk when I go grocery shopping this week because it has a flavor none of the substitutes have and I happen to like it too. Enjoy if you make these pie/muffins that just might turn into your favorite comfort food. xo

Bookshelves Everywhere

When in doubt, put in more bookshelves. via

COOKBOOKS ON MY COUNTER

This is the only way I can figure out to share my thoughts using my favorite font. My friend @staceysnacks, the food blogger/antique collector, gave me a wonderful new vegetable cookbook and an antique French wooden bookmark with beautiful calligraphy in addition to a few other things for Christmas. xo

Beautiful Endpapers: Fantasy Garden with Bookplate

Read the poem on the bookplate here.

Click above image to enlarge.

Snowy Sheep

Someone put out hay for these sheep to eat. They look happy in the snow with their warm fleece but I wonder if they feel the cold on their legs and hoofs? Hopefully they have shelter. via

Pantry Goals

I am a big fan of cubbies so it's easy to understand why I love this pantry. Painted floors with diamonds are another favorite. This room is wonderful and should appeal all of us with organizing on the brain. via

Making The Most of My Free Time

This experiment is a huge success. I was able to create a blog post using an old photo from my library, resizing it, and adding the text using my new favorite font.

A Kitchen Inspired by Carl Larsson

"The Kitchen" circa 1898 by Carl Larsson via 

His own kitchen, pictured above, has inspired a real life kitchen with these paint colors. Read the article and see photos of the cabinetry and paint swatches here

Organizing My Attic

This is a detail of an area in my attic office that I have been organizing off and on for days. I am doing everything properly, not just stashing things hurriedly. I have shredded, filed, and recycled all my papers and boxes. My kitchen is looking nice too and for the first time in a long time, there's nothing on my farm table that doesn't belong there. I posted this photo on Instagram several days ago and have gotten many comments about the old Dundee Marmalade crocks I use for pencils and markers. How many of these have I owned over the years? I really don't know but I wish I had more but now they are scarce. The first few weeks of the new year are perfect for getting things back in order and for donating the things we no longer want or need. I have been deleting files, old emails, text messages, and duplicate photos on my computer and phone too. Almost everybody I know has been purging too. How about you? xo

Bedrooms with Upholstered Headboards

Tour Kit Kemp's residential renovation in London. You will see each room photographed by Simon Brown in the house tour. It is an exercise in mixing patterns. This isn't quite so obvious in the two rooms I have chosen to feature with plain rather than wallpapered or textile covered walls.

Icicle Star by Andy Goldsworthy

Ice, leaves, twigs, even dust--these are some of the things Andy Goldsworthy uses in his artworks. Real icicles are the material of Icicle Star. Goldsworthy created this piece on a rock near where he found the icicles. He thinks of his sculptures as temporary--they are called ephemeral art. Since Goldsworthy knows his artworks won’t last long, he always takes photographs of them.

Penguin: Leap of Faith

I love this image. Found here.

A Painted Bunting was seen in Maryland

I saw a news clip about this rare bird siting in Maryland on the CBS News this morning. It was rare to see a painted bunting so far North but the news clip said they were rather common farther down South. All the bird watchers (birders) are flocking to Maryland hoping to get a glimpse of this bird for their life bird count. 

I couldn't find anything to watch last night in bed on Acorn TV so I started a search. I was searching by name of some of my favorite actors and I put in Martin Clunes and guess what popped up? Doc Martin, Season 9 was released in September 2019 but I never knew it. I started watching and it's delightful. I am SO HAPPY! I think it's on Amazon Prime Video too.

I have been working upstairs in my attic home office doing endless organizing and shredding. I went to paper recycling today with 3 tall garbage cans of shredded paper, junk mail, and flattened cardboard boxes. I wasn't the only one either. The lady in front of me had a car full and I thought she would never get finished unloading her SUV. Mine was all organized and went quickly.

I have an older, small flatscreen TV on the third floor with a Chromecast attached to the back and I have been streaming non-stop episodes of ANTIQUES ROADSHOW UK from PLUTO TV Channel 621. It's so much better than the American version. It's on 24/7 and I don't often see repeats because it has been on the air for so long. I am such a happy cord cutter and haven't looked back since I got rid of cable TV and my landline phone. All I have now is high speed WiFi and my cell phone. In my living room I still get Air TV from an inexpensive antenna. Now I watch what I want, when I want. I can stream the Sunday shows on PBS starting on Monday from The PBS Video App.

xo

Delightful Bedroom with Bookshelves

I love a bedroom with bookshelves and I have them in mine too. This room has a lot of personality, doesn't it? I love the bedside tables, matching lamps twin windows, the wallpaper, the bed and linens, actually all of it!!! via

Beautiful Landscape Photograph

Gorgeous photograph of a Montana landscape. via