Beautiful Fall Color in My Woods

I took this photo in my woods looking into the late afternoon sun. We have lots of yellow and the red leaves are just starting. I love the backlighting. xo

DIY Heating Pad Cozy

I was all set to donate a fair isle pullover sweater vest that I never wear but decided to make a cover for my heating pad instead. It was so easy requiring only two seams, one on the left side and one at the top. I was able to utilize the two finished edges of the garment at the bottom and top right using the underarm banding. I am so happy and can hardly wait to use it. I usually turn it on a few minutes before I jump into bed in the fall and winter. I used the other half for a cozy for my hot water bottle. I have been very busy cleaning out closets and doing general reorganizing. The nesting season will be here soon. xo

Two Tiny Connected Cottages

I wish I knew more about these two tiny connected houses. I'll take the one with the screened in porch. Found here.

Octobers - Anne of Green Gables

I grew up loving Anne of Green Gables and I love this quote too. Found on Instagram.

Staircase Bookcases

This is very efficient use for a difficult space, isn't it? Bookcases everywhere is my idea of heaven. Have you said hello to October yet? via

Kitchen in A Magazine

I was in the waiting room at the Radiology Center today waiting for my yearly mammogram. I snapped this photo and then they called my name. I can't remember the name of the magazine but thought this kitchen was nice. It isn't real, just a fake setup in a showroom. I love the table in the center instead of an island. Have a great weekend. When you wake up in the morning, it will be October. 

Don't Feed Fingers to the Horses

This old sign in a barn that no longer has horses made me smile. Photographed at a broker open house on Tuesday. We have another cloudy day and my phone says more raining is coming later in the day. Enjoy the last day of September! Where did it go?????

A Really Cool Bathroom

It took a while for this galvanized box to register that it is the sink. How clever! I know it's not practical but it is certainly impactful, isn't it? I love the open shelving below and the powder room in general. The person who owns this has no worries about how hard this would be to clean. It's all for show and it makes a delightful photo to study. via

It's raining softly this morning and I'm so glad my mowing was completed in the last two days. Well, almost completed. The view from my balcony doesn't even hint that I didn't do the way, way back and the lower field yet. I'll get those at a later date. xo

Old Wheelbarrow with Fall Flowers

I photographed this vintage wheelbarrow filled with mums on Tuesday at a broker open house. There was a hose and a lawn sprinkler in the larger photo so I cropped them out. I have been busy cutting my grass really short because we have some rainy days coming. I like short grass before the leaves start to fall so they will blow away. It's looking good and it feels good to be working hard in this nice fall weather. xo

Fall Apples are The Best

I had a big fat juicy crisp apple today and it was delicious. Not waxed either. Apples are my one of my favorite things about fall. These look like good ones! photo source

Purchases at The Firehouse Sale

A new Kate Spade coffee mug.

A wonderful book on Tools.

Endpapers of a book on Historic Hudson Valley houses.

I put the three photos above on Instagram today. See my page here.

Another Moving Owl to Delight You

Here's Looking at You!

Enjoy the first Sunday of Fall.

It's a chilly 50º here at the cottage at 8:30 and there is a heavy dew on the meadow. I should organize my sweaters and get some outfits put together so I don't have to think in the morning. See you later. xo

photo source

A House in My Area from The Back

I liked this house much better from the rear when I attended a recent realtor open house. The front of the main house is now all stone and it was once an unassuming cape cod cottage. Everything was totally changed inside and out by the new owners when they bought it seven years ago. Sob. Need I say more?

Wonderful Early Bookplate

Great early bookplate with a wonderful message for anyone who borrows James Moore's book.

"Note! Neither blemish this book nor the leaves double down. / Nor lend it to each idle friend in the town: / Return it when read -- or if lost please supply / Another, as good to the mind and the eye. / With right and with reason you need but be friends / And each book in my study your pleasure attends."

photo source

12 Recent Instagram Photos

My most recent dozen Instagram posts. See what they are all about. I'll try to post a page like this from time to time so you can keep up with me there. I know many of you aren't on that social media site. I like it because it's all about photographs. On Instagram, all of the photos are mine.

Content in a Cottage on Instagram

Morning Glory Enameled Picture Frame

I bought this small frame at an estate sale long ago. I fully expected to replace the photo with one of my own but didn't have the heart. When people pick it up to look at it they always ask who he is. I always say I don't know but he reminds me of my grandfather. They usually say he looks like mine too. So there. He's everybody's grandpa. 

Too Much Leisure Time? Not good!

A page from The Cheerful Cherub by artist and author Rebecca McCann. These single panel newspaper comics appeared daily in the Chicago Evening Post 1914-1927. Each featured the title character, accompanied by his pet dog, speaking a short poem to offer wisdom and wit on many topics. This one is on Leisure.

I am happy to report that we finally have a rainy day. It is perfect for a Monday and it's the good kind of rain that will soak in rather than a gully washer that would just run off. Here's hoping you will get rain too if your area needs it as much as mine does. Have a great week. xo

Angus, The Scottish Cat

Artist Amber Alexander’s Cat in A Classic Outfit. She sells her artwork on Etsy. I found Angus, The Scottish here.

Some of My Recent Instagram Posts

Pictured are 12 thumbnails of my most recent Instagram posts. I know most of you aren't on that social media site and I thought you'd like a peek. 

See them one by one at 

www.instagram.com/contentinacottage/

Amazing Bathroom Faucet ! ! !

W O W

Need I say more?

Have you ever?

This is really wonderful, isn't it?

It is truly the art of the bathroom fixtures!

via

Modern Farmhouse with Awesome Porch

I love this carpenter gothic farmhouse with the huge porch, don't you? I really can't tell whether it's a period house or a modern reproduction. Either way, it's fabulous and I'll take it! via

Stunning Alphabet Letters Circa 1650

A series of stunning prints, titled Libellus Novus Elementorum Latinorum, designed by the Polish goldsmith Jan Christian Bierpfaff (1600-ca.1690) and engraved by fellow-countryman Jeremias Falck (1610–1677). See the remaining letters of this fabulous alphabet here. 

A Wonderful Library 1902

Now this is an enviable library. It has everything I need except an ottoman. The big table is really nice for doing research, the easy chair looks comfortable, and the big windows let in nice light plus the wonderful view. What else is there. Robert Hall had wonderful books and wonderful taste! Love.

photo source

Bookplate, 1902. Robert Hall, an avid collector of Kelmscott Press books.

On the library table are Kelmscott works, including William Morris’s The Glittering Plain and his 1895 translation of Beowulf. All the books are clearly bound in the distinctive Kelmscott full limp vellum tied with silk ribbons. The Wood Beyond the World is open to show a Morris-designed woodcut border and frontispiece. Leaning against the bookcase is a copy of the 1896 edition of Chaucer.

Two Owls, One Blinking

Don't you just love these two owls? I love whoever created this gif. So fun.

September 11, 2016

My area was especially hard hit by the 9/11 tragedy since so many commute to downtown NYC. It's very sad to watch it happen all over again on TV. This is really a day to reflect, especially with a Presidential election less than 2 months away. image source

Victory Garden 1951

Wouldn't it be nice to have a garden that didn't require a fence? My grandparents never had one around theirs in various gardens big and small. Stevan Dohanos - Victory Garden [1951]

My Wonderful Set of Old Copper Pots

I discovered this matched, graduated set of old copper pots at an outdoor antiques show years ago. Each one has this monogram on the front opposite the handle. Somebody was really proud of them and so am I because they look wonderful on the top shelf of my pantry. The large dovetails are beautiful too. The bottom of the biggest one is marked on the bottom with an incised E. I don't know what that signifies but it's probably a maker's mark. I didn't look on the bottom of the others. They fit inside each other nicely in a nest for easy storage. I like them lined up better. At my former house, they were displayed on a standing pot rack. The insides need to be re-tinned so I don't use them. Plus they are really heavy!

New Roadside Find for My Balcony

I am still amazed at the things people get rid of when they move. This nice little table is perfect between my two deck chairs on the balcony.

It weighs a ton and has very nice stone mosaic squares set in concrete. I'll have coffee there in the morning. Enjoy your evening. xo

Dog Portrait by Reuben Ward Binks

The mastermind behind this canine work of art is British artist Reuben Ward Binks. In his youth in the late 1800s, Binks showed artistic promise and verve, and won a competition at the tender age of 10 for his flower paintings. He found his calling, however, in canine portraits.

The artist was soon painting Royal dogs left and right, from the Prince of Wales’ Cairn Terriers, to the Duke of York’s Labrador Retriever and even the Clumber Spaniels owned by King George V himself.

Geraldine Rockefeller Dodge, the alleged ‘favorite niece’ of J.D. Rockefeller, had a soft spot for pooches as a dog show judge and a breeder of championship canines with big dog shows just up the street from my cottage. Years later her estate auctioned off 150 of her pup-friendly works to help benefit the Saint Hubert’s Animal Welfare Center in Madison, NJ. I did not attend this auction but I know people who did. As expected, the best paintings stayed in the area and helped raise some serious money for this worthy dog rescue charity. Read more here.

Bookplate with Bad Dogs

This is a pretty terrifying image, isn't it? Do you think J. A Kennard had a lot of experiences like this? I certainly hope not! The image is signed by the artist, lower right. 

I can't find the specific blog post, but it's somewhere on Confessions of a Bookplate Junkie.

The History of LABOR DAY

This is a reblog from both 2008 and 2009 for new followers who haven't seen it.

A young sweeper in Central Mills; Sylacauga, Alabama

Traditionally, Labor Day is celebrated by most Americans as the symbolic end of the summer. In between eating that hot dog or hamburger at your barbecue, you might want to learn more about the history of this holiday.

Labor Day is a United States federal holiday observed on the first Monday in September. The holiday originated in 1882 as the Central Labor Union in NYC sought to create "a day off for the working citizens".

Congress made Labor Day a federal holiday in 1894. All fifty states have made Labor Day a state holiday. In European countries, China and other parts of the world, May Day, the first day in May, is a holiday to celebrate workers and labor unions. Before it became an international workers holiday, May Day was a celebration of spring and the promise of summer.

Such A Nice Fireplace

I cleaned out my fireplace this weekend and set a fire for the upcoming chilly weather. The one in this photo is gorgeous, isn't it? I never did polish my andirons when I was on that polishing marathon in the spring. Too late now, that ship has sailed. Smile. photo source 

A Quote from Shelley

I think this quote from Shelley is so beautiful, don't you? Photographed from one of my old books.

My Farmhouse Kitchen Sink in Early Spring

This caught my eye when looking through old photos. WOW. This was a while ago before I had so much junk on my kitchen counter. Now I'm tempted to go back to that sparse look. The green vase full of daffodils came with my house. I found this old porcelain laundry sink on the side of the road when I lived in my former house. My sweet mother and I put it in the back of my car and I stored it in my barn for several years before I found my cottage. It's still one of my favorite things. Hope you have a great Labor Day Weekend. I don't think the weather is going to cooperate here. Sad face. xo

Wonderful Gates with Squirrels

At the Brooklyn Public Library.

I love theis entrance to the Children's Library.

via

Nice Kitchen/Family Room

This family room / kitchen looks pretty perfect to me. I love those chairs with the shared ottoman. The color palate is so soothing. via Happy first day of September. It rained overnight and it's so much cooler! I slept extra late this morning because I totally forgot to set my alarm. See you later. xo

Tater Tots Cooked on a Panini Press

Yep. Tater Tots right out of the bag. This idea came to me recently when there was nothing in the house to eat and it was too hot to turn on the oven. Just line them up frozen hard as a rock, close the lid, and look after a while. They are flat and crispy and delicious. Good for a snack anytime, as a side with burgers, or as tiny hashbrowns for breakfast. Perfect comfort food. You are welcome! xo

Black and white etchings

A loose bookplate I found in my stash of old paper. via

I have always loved black and white etchings in thin black frames. via

Can you believe August is over? Boo Hoo.

Garden Shed Ideas

I love this little shed and I know you do too. The following link has a slideshow with 24 sheds for you to drool over. A Gallery of Garden Shed Ideas Enjoy!

Bedtime -- Sunday Night

This will be me pretty soon. I might watch a movie on my DVD player but I doubt I will be able to stay awake until the end. I will probably wake up early and watch the rest in the morning. Good night. xo via