A Painting in My Collection

Lillian Cotton (1892–1962) was an American artist known for her portraits, especially of high-society figures and well-known actors, writers, and artists of her day.

She was born and raised in Boston, Massachusetts. Her father was Nathaniel Hugh Cotton, a West Indies shipping merchant born in Barbados, and her mother was Harriet Emma Clapp. Cotton developed an interest in art as a young child, drawing detailed portraits in sketchbooks as early as age ten, and attended the Boston Museum School. Between 1915 and 1917, Cotton studied at the Art Students League of New York under Robert Henri and George Bellows. In 1924, Cotton moved to Paris and studied at the André Lhote Academy. While in Paris, she met Arthur Elia Impey, a British army officer, and married him in 1926. The couple lived between Paris and New York.

Artist Information found here.

I have always wondered who this adorable child is, ever since I bought this painting with a left bid at an auction. It is signed lower left: L.Cotton 1913 when she was still at the Art Students League studying under the famous artists mentioned above.

I just discovered the magnifying glass on my iPhone and decided to use it on the horse embroidered on my baby painting's smocked outfit. You can see the texture of the canvas and the brush strokes of the oil paint.

I adore babies in smocked garments, a trend that is long out of style here where today's babies are dressed as miniature adults. Why rush it? They have their whole lives to wear khaki pants and button-down shirts! England's Royalty dress their children in age-appropriate styles from an age gone by. I love the way Prince William and Duchess Catherine are dressing Prince George, Princess Charlotte and I can't wait to see more of baby Prince Louis' attire. xo

Laundry Room, Home Office and Porch

Was once a porch so it required its own heat/ac unit.

Same house with a great home office.

The house with the best front porch. Swoon.

Photos found when searching the MLS today.

Summer Sleeping Porch Love

Everybody needs a dedicated space for catching up on their reading and napping. I have always been obsessed with sleeping porches even though I've never slept on one. via

Gather Ye Rosebuds

I photographed one of the crests from my old book, "The Royal Book of Crests" and this quote seemed fitting. I collect silver trophy cups and was drawn to this engraving. All of mine are engraved but I don't have one that was awarded for winning a flower prize. 

It's hard to believe next week is the last week of August, isn't it? That is usually the signal for the end of summer and a very popular vacation week. I got very behind in my mowing and tackled the back yard yesterday. Hopefully, I will do the front tomorrow and a final weeding of my front garden.

See you tomorrow. xo, Rosemary

Open Shelves in a Hudson NY House

Antique white stoneware on open shelves and topiaries on antique mounts, I'm in love!

“Just to have everything laid out in front of you has been wonderful and we really use everything on a daily basis,” the owner says.

The dining table, chairs, chandelier, and stools are all antique finds from the owners' travels. “We used old architectural pieces to define the spaces,” she says. Read more about this Historical Home in Hudson, New York and tour the other antique-filled rooms here.

Topiary Collection

This looks like a private home but it may be a shop. Either way, the topiaries are lovely and beautifully clipped. Photo found on Google Images.

Coastal Cottage: Roanoke Island, NC

Very charming indeed. via

Tiny Beach Cottage

WOW. This looks like the perfect little beach cottage, doesn't it? found on Tumblr

The BEST Marble Bathroom

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This bathroom is wonderful. I love the floor with the black marble continuing up the wall instead of a wooden baseboard. I think this must be an old house with a remodeled bathroom and isn't it wonderful? Even the pipes under the sink are gorgeous. I give this room two thumbs up, five stars and an A+. Maybe one day I'll find more photos of this house to share. xo

Country House w/ Garden Oxfordshire UK

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Country House, Oxfordshire, England.
Photograph by Andrew Montgomery.
I wish I could see the whole landscape with the quads around the sundial. 

Ali MacGraw Now

This is what 78 looks like and I love that Ali MacGraw is growing old so gracefully.

She's as beautiful as ever. She wrote a great article about how she has found inner peace.

Her clothing designs are beautiful and she wears them so well.

A fire burned her house down in ‘93 and took with it many of her designer treasures, including original Halstons. MacGraw has since stuck to a uniform: tees, black skinny jeans and ballet flats, plus accessories — just like what she’s wearing in the above photo — and, “one or two things a year that are hair-raisingly expensive but I know will last my lifetime.”

Mourning Dove at My Birdbath

I have many dove families living in the spruce trees in front of my house. This one stayed in the same position for a very long time, seemingly hypnotized by the raindrops falling softly in the dish. Then he took a really long drink but didn't fly away. I think he must be a juvenile. Luckily, I was sitting at my laptop in my pantry looking out the window, wondering what I could post for my followers to see. Problem solved. xo

My Sewing Thread Jar

One of my friends gave me this glass jar with the rope handle last summer and I could never find the perfect use for it until I decided to use it for my huge collection of sewing thread. I put the jar next to my sewing machine for scale in this photo that I enhanced using the Snapseed App. The wall behind my sewing table really isn't grungy at all. Most of these spools are wooden and many contain silk thread. Somewhere along the way, I must have purchased someone's thread collection because I will never have a use for many of these colors. I had them all in a jumble in a large hat box and in a desk drawer when I was looking for a spool of white thread and it hit me that I should display them in my jar. It sits on the ledge below my three windows with the new blue and white checked curtains I made this month. I put this photo on Instagram yesterday and people are loving it. Do you have a lot of thread too? Why not display it in one of those large lidded cookie jars like Ina and Martha use for flour on their cooking shows? I pulled out the spools of white and black thread and the heavy thread you use for sewing on buttons and put them in a drawer. I know I'll have to dump the jar if I need a specific color that might be buried in the center of my stash but I don't mind. It makes me happy to look at it when I'm up in my attic sewing room. See you later, xo.

Seaside Vacation: Jill Barklem

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I don't know this book but I love this seaside vacation scene. The children can play while the parents gather seagrass and make baskets. 

Sea Story: Primrose and Wilfred Sail to Sandy Bay (Brambly Hedge) The tale of Primrose and Wilfred's meeting with their seashore cousins.

Content in a Cottage on Instagram

Here is the link to my frequent Instagram Posts.

The photo above is a screen shot from my phone showing my most popular posts from the hashtag called #contentinacottageblog. It changes from day to day depending on the number of clicks on various posts. The first photo is a dark cloud I spotted when I walked past one of the French doors in my living room on the way to my kitchen. I grabbed my phone and snapped the picture of the pointing finger cloud and uploaded a graphic from my blog. The center photo is of a snow swag on my picket fence several winters ago. The snow melted slightly and then the temperature dropped and froze the swag in place. You can follow me on the first link and follow my hashtag on the second link. Thanks in advance. xo

Outdoor Dining Room

It's mid-August and summer has been quite a challenge recently for planning outside entertaining. via

I love this teak outdoor dining set. It gets filtered sun now but I spy the newly planted wisteria that will provide shade quickly, once it gets established.

I woke up to rain this Monday morning and I wish I could send it where it is so desperately needed in California. Sending prayers instead. xo

Sunday Sketch

I love this playful illustration. via

Have a good one.

Cooking Corn on the Cob in Microwave

Step One: Shuck and desilk your corn.

Step Two: Tear off a length of wax paper longer than your ear of corn so you can roll up the ear and twist the ends. I guess I will eat this ear for lunch after I microwave it for 4 minutes or so. 

Last night I ate 2 ears and cooked them for 6 minutes. I have a small, countertop microwave. For me this is the only way to cook corn. Boiling pots of water in the summer is something I avoid at all cost.

I had a corn stand for three years at my previous house, High Meadow Farm in New Vernon NJ. I had a farm assessment and the first year I planted corn in my big front field, it was fabulous. The second year, the deer discovered it and it was only so-so. The third year was my last year. Even though I planted a lot of Indian Corn around the perimeter to try and fool the deer, it just wasn't worth the work.

I sold herb vinegar too. I had printed notes for customers to cook their corn in the microwave and always got little notes back, along with the money in my honor-system cigar box, saying they were thrilled with the results.

Let me know if you do this and how it worked for you. You might have to experiment with the cooking times.

Support Farmers

Buy local, eat local, and support your local farmers by way of their farm stands, their store near the farm, or local farmers markets. via 

I had fresh tricolor corn tonight and it was delicious. I cook mine in the microwave. I wrapped two ears (that had been shucked and silks removed) in waxed paper and microwaved for 6 minutes. It was perfect. I have a small countertop microwave, not a huge one. I started out with 4 minutes and that didn't seem enough. After 2 more minutes, it smelled right and it was. The ears were pretty big. Try it, you'll like it!!!

Conservatory

This new conservatory isn't trying to look old. via 

Tiny Cottage Love

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It might be a studio. Whatever this little outbuilding is used for, it is perfectly delightful from the outside.

Wisteria

This townhouse is impossibly lovely with its floral decoration by Mother Nature. Wisteria is pretty wild when left to its own devices so this vine must have had some help from a landscape design expert who trained it well. via

Backsplash and Oven Hood

The tile work behind the Wolf cooktop is simple and beautiful and I love the woodwork around the range hood. It looks like a fireplace wall with mantel and elaborate ceiling moldings. The open cupboards on either side are perfect. via

Cat: Enjoying the View

Cats have a way of getting into the most unusual positions that appear uncomfortable but they end up staying in them for long periods. via

Cottage

Perfection!

Every detail, including the size of the bushes, shows planning. Even the dog is perfectly placed!

Seaside Cottage Bedroom

Isn't this sleeping nook delightful? I love the shiplap walls and ceiling, the crewel embroidery on the headboard and curtain, the built-in bookshelves, and the bed linens. YES! 

‘Seaside Cottage’ Gary Brewer Robert A.M. Stern Architects, NYC. Peter Aaron photo.

Simple Narrow Entrance Hall

The view from the front porch looks gorgeous. I love this sisal/jute rug in a chevron pattern bound with a gray border. I have always loved old house with transom windows over the doors. They must be so nice at night when the door is closed and the transom is open to let in fresh air. via

It has been too hot here for me to open my windows at night. It is 90° at 6:30pm and my house is nice and cool as I have been running my central air. I don't use it that often but when it's really hot, I am glad I have it, especially if I am working in the attic. See you tomorrow. xo

Mending Day at My Cottage

Yesterday, I decided to do some mending. One of my favorite percale sheets had a three-cornered tear and had been in my mending basket for way too long.

Here it is before mending. I like percale sheets because they are so nice and cool in the summer.

This is the reverse side after mending. I used a plain zig-zag stitch first and then topped it with another decorative stitch for stability. Then I trimmed away the excess backing material.

This is the side that faces the mattress when the bed is made. I ironed the sheet and changed my bed linens and it was good to have my old sheet back again.

Jane Austen Quote + A Green Zinnia

I couldn't agree more.

"They are much to be pitied who have not been given a taste for nature early in life. Jane Austen. via

Here is another Envy Zinnia. It looks more like a Dahlia and is quite different from my last Envy post. I am so pleased my seed packet contained more than one variety. They don't seem to mind the numerous fierce rainstorms or the intense heat. The are still standing straight and tall. They don't need to be babied and I like that! xo

Handmade Pitcher for Watering Plants

I went to an antiques show last week to benefit a local firehouse.

The firemen's wives had their own booth full of donated goods with inexpensive prices. The lady that sold this to me said she knew the lady that made it and the big funky spout was for watering plants. The leaf design is on the reverse too. I have plants in every window up in the attic and the blue and white was perfect with my curtains, so I bought it for $5.00 and love it. It's ever so much nicer than the plastic squeeze bottle I had been using. Smile.

Gorgeous Courtyard / Patio

How very lovely. I love the light blue doors, the white stucco, the patterned brick floor with stone mosaic center, the large potted plants and the furniture. Did I miss anything? This is outside living at its best. via  Happy First Day of August!

Chintz Fabric is Back

I adore this entire room!

Lovely!

Gorgeous. All of it.

images House & Garden UK

Click on the link above for more photos using Chintz fabrics. I picked my three favorites to show you. Chintz never went out of style in England and it's coming back here, just like wallpaper. Now that all the people with wallpaper have removed theirs, at great expense, because the realtors told them to, it's making a big comeback! Go figure.