Thursday, January 20, 2022

Today's Snowfall at My Cottage


All of the previous snow melted completely yesterday and I went to the grocery store for the first time in 2022. It rained overnight and turned to snow at dawn. It stopped around 11:00 and I cleaned everything in a jiffy. I walked around outside taking photos and this is the only one I really liked enough to share. So far, so good this winter as far as I am concerned. If I don't have to call anybody with a snowplow, it's a good day for me. I made a big pot of soup yesterday so I am all set for several days of not having to cook. Happy Thursday. xo

Wednesday, January 19, 2022

Book About Cats Trying To Be People


"Little purr-purr people, and how they tried to be folks"
Published in 1887








This charming children's book has been digitized. 
You can read it online. 


Enjoy it yourself or read it to someone! 
xo

Tuesday, January 18, 2022

Hand-Written Recipe for Meringues




These are the best meringues you will ever make.



V is for Vanilla



Always have paper and pen at the ready in case someone wants to share a recipe with you! Charlie McCormick is my favorite on Instagram. He grows and exhibits the most beautiful dahlias ever. And he bakes the most spectacular things for teatime! Here is his Instagram link. https://www.instagram.com/mccormickcharlie/
Here is the link for this particular recipe: https://www.instagram.com/p/CMZ3HvqhlRP/

Enjoy! xo

Monday, January 17, 2022

Free Sewing Pattern for A Lamb


Aren't these lambs adorable? The only thing you have to stuff is the body. All the other parts are one layer of black felt! You could get started now and have a pile made for valentine's day gifts. You could sew or embroider  a little red heart on the body. These are supposed to be ornaments to hang and the pattern includes two sizes. They would be great for Easter too. Download free pattern here.

My winter storm overnight was snow when I went to bed. Later it turned to rain and wind. Luckily it is MLK Day and there isn't much traffic so people can stay home. My front walk looks like a layer of ice covered with slush. There is no snow on my car so I don't have to clean it off and that makes me happy. I'm staying inside until the warmest part of the day and then I will give the front walk a quick shovel. Be safe. xo

Sunday, January 16, 2022

Cecil Aldin Dog Etching🐾🐾




I have always loved Aldin's dog etchings.♡
This one, "Ready for Mischief", was sold by Christie's.

Saturday, January 15, 2022

Still Life Saturday in My Kitchen

A grouping of some favorite things on my kitchen counter.

A French Faience lamp with a shade I made.
A Dutch bulb forcing pot.
A white lidded container found while thrifting.
A rosemary cutting rooted in water, just repotted.

Have a great weekend. xo

Friday, January 14, 2022

Now Watching: MONARCH OF THE GLEN


MONARCH OF THE GLEN on Tubi

 I stumbled on this BBC series with seven seasons that aired 2000-2005 and I absolutely love it. The characters are wonderful as is the Scottish castle and the countryside of the vast estate. It is on Amazon Prime if you are a member and on Tubi to watch free with ads. I put the link for TUBI if you are a cord cutter like me. I think it might be on BritBox too. January is the perfect month to start watching a long series with a total of 64 episodes. I'm so glad I found it. I'm sure many of you saw it years ago and might want to watch again. 

A list of all the episodes can be found here.
Enjoy! xo

UPDATE: At the time of the above posting I knew one of the main characters was familiar gut couldn't quite figure out who he was. Mystery solved! It was Julian Fellowes of Downton Abbey fame. I thought he might have been influenced by this Scottish series and did some research. I found this link very informative. There are other links within the article that are interesting too.
https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/downton-abbey-loosely-based-creator-julian-fellowes-life.html/

Thursday, January 13, 2022

Bird Prints on A Gallery Wall


This wall of bird prints is stunning. 
I love the wide wooden frames and the further framing of the entire wall in natural wood. 
The <<<<>>>> border might be handpainted on fabric, it's hard to tell. It is on the ceiling too around a wide figural border wallpaper. This could be a bedroom. Photo found here.