Fence Finial + Before & After House Paint Pics

Remember my post about finding three Artichoke finials at an estate sale? Now I can finally use them. I had to "doctor" this photo and remove all the color because they are not wood and the color is yellowish. I will probably paint them when I touch up some of the fence posts and pickets with a small brush. I put one on each side of the gate and one on the corner. I am so excited about finally being able to use them.

Eileen in Fla. made a special request to see a photo of my house in a BEFORE photo because she can't remember what it looked like in order to appreciate the transformation. 

Well, here goes.

I wish I had chosen white with black shutters 20 years ago when I restored my cottage but as the old Amish saying goes, "We are too soon old and too late smart."

I forgot to mention I removed the full length shutters on either side of my front door and I like it so much better without them. (The painters were happy too!)

xo

Some Gorgeous Hollyhocks + Hornets

Is there anything lovelier than hollyhocks up against a wall?

I think not.

Every year I wish I had these summer flowers but I'm glad this was not the year to try them because of the dry month of August. My dahlias don't have a single bud. The ones they had dried up. They are very tall and healthy looking though. I don't like having to dig them up in the fall either. I have been trying to get my life back but hornets have invaded my kitchen. I found their entry point on Tuesday and sealed it up. I have been sucking them up with the crevice tool on my vacuum cleaner and today I think I've finally gotten most of them. Tuesday after the painters left and Wednesday they were terrible but I never gave up. I turned the air conditioning on and they thought it was winter and gravitated to the warm window glass and were rather sluggish and easy to catch. I didn't get stung either. It's always something, right?

Hollyhock photos here and more for you to drool over.

xo

Crocheted Cat Hammock and Goodbye August

I love the expression on this cat's face. He seems to be taking for granted his owner crocheted him this wonderful hammock. I have always liked these smoky gray cats. Photo found here.

It's hard to believe August is only a few hours away from the end, isn't it? It was hot and dry but I got a lot done and once September rolls around the days literally fly by. See you next month. 

xo

My Newly Painted Cottage: So Happy♡

I was at the paint store this morning at 7am because today was the last day my painters would be here. We moved mountains getting ready for their departure and it all worked like clockwork. I am so proud of the end result. While the helper primed and stained the outside boards surrounding my balcony, the main painter and I hung the shutters and afterwards he went around and touched up this and that. The sky with big fluffy clouds really cooperated to set off this photo, didn't it? I absolutely love the black shutters and the black front door. My handyman suggested this and I will be forever thankful. It has transformed by cottage into a classic. The wing to the left doesn't show but it has a newly painted picket fence and my bedroom that sits back behind it. It's impossible to show the entire front in one photo. Needless to say I am glad it's all over but I will miss all the excitement of this transformation as I helped right along with the workers to move the project along. I have skills that had been dormant for a long and it was great to see how capable I really am. I honestly could not be happier.

♡xo♡

Cat on Rug -- Dutch Painting

Salomon Meijer (1877 - 1965)

The only subject that has been a constant during Sal Meijer's painting life is that of the cat. He paints portraits of cats as individuals; they are frontally depicted and look the viewer directly in the eye. Meijer's cats are seen in the comfort of their own home and in close up.

I love this one, don't you?

Auctioned by Christie's here.

Wonderful Shakespeare Quote

Still working on the house but can see light at the end of the tunnel. My days have been busy and long lately and I am so looking forward to a lazy Sunday morning to recharge my battery. I found this Shakespeare quote on Pinterest and I love it. My gift for the past two weeks has been teaching my painters things they didn't know and they are so very appreciative. 

Have a great weekend.

xo

Rainbow Over My Cottage + A Project

This rainbow appeared Tuesday evening after my handyman left after doing rotten wood repairs. I was still outside cleaning up when it started to rain very gently and this beautiful rainbow appeared over my cottage. I was so happy to be outdoors to see it and luckily I had my phone in my pocket. The rainbow seems to be pointing to my roof so maybe it approves of the repair. I think it's blessin my cottage and all of my workers.♡🌈♡ The painters got here a little after 7am this morning to get an early start before it gets too hot. I did my wood repair with the product I ordered and now it has to harden until it can be sanded tomorrow. I was going to document the process with photos but my fingers were covered in the stuff and I could barely open my door let alone take a photo. xo

Am I the only one who always does projects at the kitchen table no matter how messy? I have always considered setting up a flat working space in my basement but knew in my heart of hearts I would probably end up at the kitchen table anyway. http://www.abatron.com/

Before and After Wood Repair at My Cottage

Before: My handman came to the rescue once again.

After: Isn't this a wonderful transformation?

I couldn't be happier!

What would I do without him?

♡

Circa 1800 Cat Portrait

How wonderful is this Rare Georgian Crouching Cat Portrait? It is embroidered needlework encased in the original oval frame, English, Circa 1800. It's SOLD, of course, found here.

xo

Power Washing Day One at My Cottage

I couldn't be happier with the work he did all day yesterday. After lunch he called a helper to come and do my red barn/garage while he tried to finish my house and balcony. I have never seen such good workers. My only other experience with power washing was just a once over. The painter doing my house kept going over and over. He was using water only until he got to my balcony flooring and he used a soap solution for the mildew. They stopped at 5pm and my main guy came back this morning for about two hours to finish up. Nobody is coming tomorrow and I am so glad. I need a break and Missy is the only one I have to direct tomorrow. She came at 4:00 this afternoon so I have her for 3 suppers and you can be sure she will have a half-ration breakfast when she goes home on Tuesday. Have a great Saturday evening and a nice Sunday tomorrow. xo

Clover is Green Despite No Rain

My grass is like straw but the clover is thriving. I have been working nonstop outside since I hired a painter to power wash and paint my house. I found him through my handyman who will be doing any wood repair. He stopped by on Tuesday afternoon to do a few chores like chainsawing some weed trees and wisteria and several other chores I couldn't do myself. I mentioned I had interviewed 6 painters and still hadn't found one. He said he knew one he had been working with for 3 years. I called him right away and he came Wednesday morning, gave me a quote and I hired him. Since then I have been working outside nonstop getting ready and I have moved mountains. He's coming to start the power washing tomorrow at 8am and I couldn't be happier. xo

Wonderful New House Compound

Catherine Sloan Architect on Instagram. 

Click here.

xo

Rooting Sage Cuttings in Water

I pinched some sage cuttings from a friend's garden yesterday after a delicious brunch and put them in water when I got home. Little roots are already starting to appear. Really. I haven't grown sage in a really long but my friends patch was beautiful. It has square stems and is in the mint family so I will be cautious where I plant it. These cuttings will be put in pots and planted outside next spring. The little rosemary plant looks really nice in person. This photo doesn't do it justice. I was also rooted in water from a cutting. I waited until late afternoon to do some weed pulling in my driveway and got a dumper cart full. It was nice and cool and I'm very pleased with the way it looks. I mowed with my old-fashioned reel mower over the gravel and it does a much better job than my gas powered mower because it cuts nice and close and there's no danger of stones being thrown. I try to do one really awful task each day and this was mine for today. xo

Converted Barn Home

♡So.Fabulous♡

My favorite feature is the sliding barn door shutters. This clever design has one cutout so you can still see outside when they are closed. I also like the enclosed steps and railings leading to the front door. I spy a screened porch too. There are many other barn homes to view here but this one is my favorite by far. Have a great Sunday. xo

Knitted Frog and Toad Wearing Clothes

Just.Darling

Read article here.

Order knitting pattern here.

The artist based these two on a book called

Frog and Toad Are Friends.

It's pictured in the article.

Enjoy your weekend.

xo

PAPA SMALL: Repairing a Leak Under the Sink

myoldbooks on Instagram

See post here

Papa Small fixes the kitchen sink. 

The small Smalls watch. 

"Papa Small" by Lois Lenski, 1951

Isn't this adorable? 

I need to know more about Papa Small.

You can borrow 2004 reprint from OPEN LIBRARY here.

Enjoy!

xo

I borrowed the book online and read it.

It is an absolutely charming story about a family who works together. This story tells what they do every day of the week. The children help with every chore cheerfully. I read this copy at the Internet Archive All you have to do to join is enter your email and think of a password. Here is the link to read the story and be thrilled with it. They allow you a little over one hour to read this book. You can arrow click through every page. You are never too old to enjoy a children's picture story book 

xo

Robert Louis Stevenson Verse

Maybe this will make you feel a little cooler. We had 20 minutes of a nice rain yesterday and today I mowed my front yard. I haven't mowed it in 5 weeks because it hardly grew because of the heatwave. I have always loved this image paired with the Robert Louis Stevenson verse.

image found here

xo

Love in a Cold Climate BBC Mini Series 1980

I just finished watching this 2-part series on BritBox and loved it. It's also available on Amazon Prime and maybe Hulu as well as DVD. It's based on the book by Nancy Mitford. 

♡Highly recommended tv streaming.♡

xo

Love This Early American House

Early American Country Interiors by Tim Tanner 

I found this photo on Pinterest and it had a 

link for purchasing the book here.

♡I love everything in this photo♡

xo

Antique Greyhound Dog Figural Door Handle

This antique brass greyhound door handle is quite wonderful.

This antique moon face door knob would make me smile every time I touched it. More decorative door hardware here.

I'm looking forward to seeing episode 5 of Grantchester tonight on PBS. Enjoy your Sunday night TV watching too. xo

Why the Bluebird is Blue

I found another 1920 storybook digitized by Guterberg.org

The illustrations are by Harrison Cady. The first story is about a brave little gray bird who was rewarded with a blue coat. Enjoy all the stories.

READ HERE  

I have been enjoying being back in the saddle again. My tractor was expertly repaired by a man and his son who repair mowers in their garage. They picked up my little John Deere riding mower on Tuesday and brought it back on Friday. I am thrilled. They live very close, only just down the road about two miles away. It's so nice to have someone I can call who is reasonable and fast and so nice. New best friends♡

Have a great Sunday tomorrow. xo

Crooked Cottage Charm: Renovation

Read the article in Maine Home & Design Magazine

click on above link

Robin McCoy grew up in spending every summer in this house and she wanted to maintain all the quirks when renovating from a summer retreat to a year-round residence.

Please read the article. It is a PDF that can be enlarged. 

Click on the + sign next to 100%. 

Best viewed on a computer. 

More photos to love including interiors.

Enjoy!

xo

Cats' Nightmare by Louis Wain c. 1890

Louis Wain: The Man Who Drew Millions of Cats

Read the fascinating article HERE.

So many more photos of his artwork too.

♡🐈‍⬛Enjoy🐾♡

 

Pair of Greyhounds for The Garden

🐾♡YES, PLEASE♡🐾

This duo of 19th-century greyhounds is a coveted "true pair" because they are not cast from the same mold, says Israel. 

Photo by: Barbara Israel. 

Aren't they wonderful? 

Read more here.

xo

Cat Watercolor by Shozo Ozaki

I love this, especially the face.

Watercolor by Shozo Ozaki

found here 

xo

Busy day ahead. Tractor repair man stopping by and another estimator for painting my house. Wish me luck.

August is Here All Too Fast

You know summer's almost over when you see 

'Back to School' ads on TV.

Ping Pong Paddles on a wall.

 CLINGSTONE, A faded, shingled 103-year-old mansion set on a rock in Rhode Island's Narragansett Bay, is one family's labor of love. It has been maintained for the past 47 years by working weekends in exchange for free lodging and food.

Read more about this in my 2011 blog post HERE.

I sold a house several years ago to a woman who volunteered there after she read the enchanting story in the New York Times. She said it was one of the best experiences she ever had!

xo