~ Right around the corner... ~

Hello Ladies!

Is it really possible? I cannot believe the title of my post is true! The holidays are right around the corner! My Mother wasn't kidding when she said time flies the older you get , lol! Can't we just put a hold on that?, just for a bit? :-) Since I don't think that's an alternative, I better get with the flow... I'm starting my list for Thanksgiving and that means the day after is Christmas decorating time! A little more than 2 weeks away, my goodness, I still have to say it out loud to realize it! Yikes :) Anyway, for me, that means time to break out the Tartan plaid !.... I've always loved that look, so colorful, and of course the Red part pulls at my decorating heart strings too! So I've put together a little Tartan Plaid post for you , just a few of my vignettes...and also a few other inspiring photos too! What do you decorate with at Thanksgiving time? I'd love to hear! In the picture below you can see I'm getting ready to start my holiday planning! Got the recipes out, the tools I'll need and on top of Tartan, it all comes to life...

Now just a little disclosure , lol, I am a fanatic for any plaid! while I adore red, I'm open to it all! This Ralph Lauren Cottage bedding below just makes me think of an all blue and white scheme forever. I could do this :) But then I might long for some red somewhere else, hmmm, maybe I'd mix it all up as I've been known to do. Just stuff 2 more shams of red tartan in , and I'd be happy :)

When Country Living featured this gorgeous Vignette below, I think I fell off my chair and let out a big *GASP*! Can it get any more tartan cottage than this??? Love you Country Living magazine!!

I love throws everywhere , but the tartan ones are my favorite for the Holidays! I'd like a Chalet one day, and I'd do the entire house in it , walls, bedding, etc! and then if I got tired of it, lol, I'd drive right back to my other Cottage :) Sound good?
This is my favorite chair, I read here , watch TV and sometimes pull the laptop here too ;) My little cozy spot of the Family room ...

Of course I can't forget tartan tablecloths too! Putting the Rose china on top allows me to have all the colors I love in one spot. I even mix in blue and white transfer ware , I can never get enough color :)

And there's also the idea of using just creamware with it, It's simple but elegant!

My favorite one is sitting in my hutch waiting for Turkey Day!

I love how candlelight glows off of the deep reds and greens too! So I'm gonna go get some more cookbooks, look for recipes for Thanksgiving and leave you with a little wish and a few more Inspiration pics....My wish for you ( and me, lol ) :

Enjoy every moment of the coming season, because like my Mother says, it flies!!

This pic below is so pretty and simple, I'd love to use this pedestal on top of my plaid table!


(country living)

And this next one, well it's from Pottery Barn, and *GASP*! another one that made me fall off my chair when I saw it! I am surely going to try and copy this to the T. Love it :) Hmmm, lol, I might need to install a gate first though, it surely makes this picture pop!

And one more..... A real beauty! Better Homes and Gardens ( below ), another wow for me! I have the same curtains, so seeing this gave me the sure fire inspiration for toile stockings!! Gotta love toile too ;)

Well Ladies, I'm off to do my recipes now, I hope I helped give you some ideas and inspiration for your own holiday season decor! I know I'm inspired by all your wonderful blogs too! each and every day!!

Wishing you a fabulous week ahead , abundant blessings , and thanks for being such great friends!

Happy pre-Holidays! ;)

With care and love,

~ Cynthia ~

~ and the winner is ... ~

Hello sweet friends! I had to stop in to let you know who won the give-away! I used the random generator and it came up with Sharon from Merry Heart Journal! Congratulations Sharon! Just send me an email and I'll get your goodies right out to you! Stop by her sweet encouraging blog, so pretty for fall! Oh I so wish you all could have won! That's the hard part about having a give-away, I just want every single person to win too! But I plan on having many more, they're so much fun! Thank you to all who entered and thank you too for all your kind words, they truly touched my heart!! what fun blogging is! and you are all so sweet and deserving!

It's a busy Halloween weekend here, so I'll leave you with wonderful Halloween wishes!

Thanks so much for being such wonderful and sweet friends! I hope you have a glorious Fall weekend!

Much love and Thanks,

~ Cynthia ~ xo

~ A Give-Away and a big Thank you ~

Just a quick update Ladies!: I had a few emails asking what time the give-away closes, I'll be drawing a name from the Random generator at 9pm est. tonight! Thank you all so much!!

Hello sweet friends! It's time for another Give-away! I always wish for more time in a day, but since that isn't possible, this is my only way of Thanking you all for all your support, love , and friendship! Having my little blog has meant so much to me, but only because of the connection I feel towards all of you and all the inspiration I feel back! I was actually inspired to do this give-away because of a question that was sent to me, asking me "what inspires me to use so much color in my house?"... Well, I think that started with my love of the French Country Cottage decor that sprung up everywhere a few years back. This wasn't "new" design, but the infusion of all the lovely French fabrics and importing of such pretties really flourished in the late 90's. So I was asked to do it for many clients and therefor I fell in love with it too! :) For me, I wanted my own Cottage to still have little bits of Pinks, Sages, and baby blues, so I just trusted my instincts and stuck with my heart and decided to mix all the deep rich hues of French country with the soft cottage palette I've always loved. So that answers that :) I love mixing :) .....So onto the give-away.... Using the French kitchen as an inspiration, The Give-Away includes: 30" round French lace table cloth , a French Vintage Le Creuset 6 1/2" saute pan, a 3 1/2" x 2" French copper butter pot , and a Pierre Deux mini style book....All you have to do is leave a comment :) If you would like 2 chances to win, just post about my give-away on your blog using the picture above. And leave me a second comment saying you did. Thanks Ladies!! I'll be picking the winner on Friday Oct. 30th!

( if you don't have a blog that's perfectly ok too, just leave me your email address in the comment )

Here is everything together, above... The butter pot was something I treated myself to years ago at Williams Sonoma, I think I paid about $65.00 for that little guy , but the French swear it's the best thing to melt butter with! And so pretty you can just leave it on the table top too!

The pictures in Pierre Deux's little Style Book are scrumptiously French! ( above ) Oh I just love all the colors and the fabrics of Provence!

A few more pics of the butter pot and book....

Up close, stamped ...

The French table cloth is handmade and has the most beautiful detail work! I couldn't seem to get my camera to focus as up close as I wanted, but the handy work is gorgeous and it's pristine!.... Note to self: take a photography class! lol

The blue tablecloth under it , isn't part of the lace, I just tried to use something to give you an idea....

The Le Creuset saute pan is Vintage French ( and stamped on the bottom ) , a few years back I went into a bidding war on EBay to get it too! :) I have many pieces from this collection, so I can part with one for my dear bloggers!

I love give-aways because it gives me a chance to say Thank You!! I wish I could give you all something, when I win lotto , I'll let you know :) Until then, this will have to do. But Thank you all for being such wonderful friends! I love your comments and read every one! My goal this week is to blog surf and get some free time to see you all too!

This Island below is not ( lol ) part of the give-away, shucks! But I wanted to spread some more French Cottage fairy dust around. :) This is from Pierre Deux, and so are the pictures to follow below. I am so influenced by this raw , colorful, bold and yet soft kind of design. Simply fabulous! I think I'd put this island in a more colorful kitchen, but the island itself speaks to me: "COOK and CHOP here! " :)

This pillow below is on my wish list :) !


When I saw the Fall catalog from Pierre Deux and saw this woman below, I just about yelled out: Omg, I need her here in my house! She is on my list now too! Look at that skirt? Oh my heavens :) love it!

I just adore their wreath, such pretty colors for Autumn...Hmmm, maybe I'll paint my front door French Blue?? I'm liking that idea :)

Well ladies , I hope you had a nice visit to my give-away and also my inspiration for it too!

I cannot end today's post with out a HUGE Thank you also to Tina from Cherry Hill Cottage !! I read my new comments from the previous post this morning and Tina had left me a comment telling me she had placed me on Blogs.com list of the Top Ten Cottage Blogs!! Words cannot tell you how much that meant to me! She is such a sweetie! And one of the main inspirations for me opening my own blog too! I know you all know her, she's famous here in blogland and probably everywhere :) But if you don't , you've got to see her perfectly Cottage blog! Her home is fabulous to say the least, and her use of color is magical!

Thank you Tina, I was so honored!! and I'm still blushing :)!

I hope you all enjoy a wonderful week and weekend ahead!

With much love and appreciation!! xox

~ Cynthia ~

~ Fall Nesting ~

Hi friends! It's Fall decorating time here at my little cottage. I thought I'd give you a small tour of a favorite fall day of mine, the kind where you do a little decorating, a little cooking and just nesting in general. Fall is definitely my favorite season for sure! The crisp days, the warm cozy nights, football, making stews, baking, every part of it I just adore! I hope your fall is a super cozy one too! I basically use only natural elements for decorating , Fresh picked apples, Montauk daisies, deep Merlot colored Sedum and hand picked pumpkins are strewn through out my house... I like to make little vignettes with them all :) The one above and below sits on a table I have in the Family room...Grab some hot chocolate or whatever your fancy and come along , I even lit the candles for you :)

I love decorating high and low, table tops, counters, floors, and a special pumpkin right by the fire place too! I also incorporated some dried hydrangeas left over from summer. And added quilts any where I could so they are just ready to grab to curl up with...

Sedum is one of my favorite fall flowers, that and mums also, but I haven't been able to find the right color Mums yet, I wanted white and red and they were sold out, so maybe next weekend I can plant them all outside and finish the front of the house :) So for now, Merlot colored sedum is every where inside :)

I love the way is looks so organic up against the china and the sage candle too! I also spread a few more books through out the room, just perfect when I don't want to get out of the cozy blanket, I can just grab one and browse when I want without feeling the chill of getting up :) Or for when I'm lazy too :)

" Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns. " ~ George Eliot ~


A little white pitcher of sedum by the sink, it just makes me smile :)

Fall is my favorite time to cook! and my bright orange dutch oven is happy when I take her out every fall, she rewards me by taking care of my Stew just fine :) ....won't you have a bowl? :) To me, Cooking is part of my "fall decorating", I not only want the sights of fall, but ohhhhhh, the scents are what finish the whole package for me! Baked apples, stews, roasts, pies, fresh warm bread, I love it all!

This past weekend I tried an Apple Crisp recipe from Susan Branch, if you click on the picture below, it'll get big enough for you to see the recipe and I highly recommend it!! It smelled heavenly baking and tasted just as fabulous too!

And what apple crisp is complete without fresh vanilla ice cream? lol, not mine :)

It was super easy to make and gobbled up quick by my 3 goblin's too!

Speaking of recipes, I did a post a few back about my recipe box, and when my parents came to visit last week ( hence my absence from blog browsing ) My Mom gave me the best gift! she brought up her entire collection of recipe cards ( hundreds of them! ) and I picked out the ones I wanted to keep and added them to my collection, I was so happy! They are so pretty and sentimental to me, that I wanted to add them to my fall decor, I was putting them in the recipe box for safe keeping, But then I thought.... Hmm, maybe make color copies and create a collage out of some framed together ??

After all the cooking and decorating, I couldn't forget about a fall table setting! I like to use a few French Country prints, some vintage linens and colorful plates and light more candles and then it feels autumnal to me and ready for big platters of my fall cooking!

I used a little bit of red gingham ribbon, tied around the napkins and inserted my 2 favorite fall flowers into each napkin group, it's an inexpensive way to spruce up the table without spending any money. I've also tied on leaves in the past too, anything you can gather outside that gives it that fall touch is appreciated by all those stew eaters, lol...

I hope you all enjoyed my little tour, I'm planning to have the rest of the house done after this weekend! Gotta get those Mums first :) I'll leave you with a seat at my table, I am thankful for you all, so you are all welcome here!!

I hope Autumn is finding you all in a lovely place!

Thank you so much for being such wonderful friends and for stopping in to visit! I read every comment and I can't tell you how wonderful it feels to know you and share with you , so from my home to yours:

Happy Fall !!

Love and Blessings!

~ Cynthia ~

~ Apron Collection ~

Hello sweet friends! It's been a busy month, but then again, when isn't it ? My parents are up for a visit this week , but I had to pop in with a quick post and show you some new fabulous finds! I'm always looking to expand my little Apron collection and after seeing one that Kathy ( from Kathy's Cottage ) had made, I emailed her and asked if she had more, the one below is so beautifully made by her and the colors could not have been more perfect for my kitchen. Plus it has Rick Rac, and that just makes me smile!! Thanks so much Kathy, I love it!! You can head over to her gorgeous Etsy shop "Hens in Daisies" and see all the other beauties she makes too!

I also saw another from Tara's Vintage Kitchen, and caved in again, lol.... The yellow Swiss dot reminded me so much of one my Mom had, so I clicked "buy now" fast before it was gone ... Isn't it so pretty too?!

And now it looks right at home in my kitchen too, Thanks Tara! Your Etsy shop is wonderful also!

As I was going through Tara's shop I spotted a sweet little yellow creamer and added it to my shopping bag, how cute! I just adore yellow, it's so vintage!

I thought it looked right at home in my new hutch and was meant to be :) She also added the sweet little hankie , I love the colors in it and the vintage look it had too! Thank you Tara!

So now my collection has 2 more pretties! Thank you ladies!

I hope you are all enjoying a wonderful fall season!!..... I'm just starting my Autumnal decorating now, so hopefully I'll be ready to post pics this coming week!

Have a fabulous and blessed week everyone!

Hugs,

~ Cynthia ~

~ Recipe Boxes and More ~

Hello Friends! I hope these first few days of Fall are finding you well and happy! I finally found my recipe box... after a bit of obsessive searching , my local Hallmark store had what seemed like the perfect one. I call it my "almost home-made" little treasure. "Almost" because it already had the colors I liked, but didn't quite fit the bill till I added some homemade images and gave it a personal touch I was looking for. So the weekend was filled with some cooking, watching football and crafting my little keepsake box. I found re-writing my handed down recipes pretty daunting , but I got about 30 done and have about 100 left so far. I'm thinking it will occupy my time while watching some TV at night this fall. :)

What I loved about doing this is I'll have one place to go to when I search for some traditional recipes, and my kids will also be able to find everything they grew up enjoying once they are older too. Most of the recipes I re-wrote because the original cards they were on were pretty old and worn. But I also kept some of the original cards and just glued them onto the new cards also, this way I could see my Mothers handwriting and my handed down ones would still be there for keepsakes too! It made it that much more special...

Of course I also loved that the colors went with my kitchen too :) It also had that Vintage feel I was looking for...

It came with this sweet image on top, so I left the top of it pretty simple..

I loved the Vintage blue check!

As I searched the Internet and local stores, I came upon a few others too that I wanted to share with you, This one below by C.R. Gibson came in a close second as a choice for me, I adore the colors and images too!
Then, lol, sometimes when you complete something and you're all finished, you end up finding that "perfect" one after the fact... As with these below :) I was looking for recipe card covers online and came upon this site I See a Moose, well, I gasped at how perfect these recipe boxes would have been in my kitchen and how much I adored them. So I just had to share! Each one is custom made and one of a kind, I found them to be so Vintage sweet and just so unique too! If I'd seen these before I got mine, one of them would be on my counter right now. The website has so many other unique products also, give them a peek when you get a sec!

I went into Home Goods last week in search of my recipe box and while they didn't seem to have one at the moment, I couldn't walk out empty handed :) That's near impossible for me :) Sooooo, I took home this lovely Vintage colored Pink Casserole dish, it's pretty yummy, yes?

Well after cooking and looking at recipes all weekend, I wanted to share one last thing with you. I have a huge handful of recipes from my good friend Renee. They now grace the inside of my new recipe box and will be there for generations to come. Renee is actually the reason I started blogging, first she's a wonderful friend and second a fabulous cook too! All of the recipes I've taken from her have been delicious and super easy, not to mention Healthy. But then again, she's a personal trainer and has helped me find perfect menus when calories count as much as taste! I started blogging the minute she emailed me and said " Cyn, you should try this little thing called Blogging, just go to blogger.com and you'll see how easy it is to set up and start an online journal, I know you'll love it ".....well, lol, I am pretty sure "love it" was an understatement, because to me, it's the best thing since sliced bread for creativity and inspiration ever! So Thank you Renee! I'm sure she'd love if you stopped by and said HI too, Her blog Power Meals will leave you hungry for sure :) Here's a little simple Pizza from Renee, perfect for that fall football weekend! Head on over to her blog for the easy recipe!

I hope you enjoy a beautiful Fall week ladies and thank you so much for stopping in!!

Wishing you a blessed week filled with smiles , laughter and love!

Hugs,

~ Cynthia ~

~ Cottage Bedroom ~

Hello Ladies! Well, that big yellow bus came and took my busy life away for a bit, lol... With the kids back in school it's time to catch up on my blogging and visiting again. I see by all your updates and new posts, that I've missed a lot, but I intend to catch up quick :) I hope you all had a wonderful last few weeks of summer! It's nesting time here at the Cottage. A few posts ago I showed you some pieces I worked on for my bedroom make-over, while it's still going slow, the painting is done and my fabrics and inspiration quilts have led me to a few more pics to show you... I had a yellow/gold Tuscan bedroom before, if you scroll down the bottom of my side bar ( pretty far, lol ) you'll see the "before", not bad , but kinda dark for me... So the Bedroom is now pale blue and soft greens, soft reds, rose, and lots of white lace and eyelet , mixed with creams too... I love mixing white and cream, it makes it all blend so well.... These are the walls below, very soft and light for a change.....ps: That's my Christening gown in the middle :)

The end table on the left is currently black, but give me a free weekend soon and it will be Cream with white trim, lol... The piece over my headboard is a shelf I got years ago and I just adore it, I think I cut it off in the picture, but when the room is all done, I'm going to take a wide shot of it all.

I put Hydrangeas and all my children's baby cups on it to sweeten it up :)

The 3 quilts on the bed are what inspired me to pick my colors, I love all the pale colors with pops of a deeper red in the roses...It's hard to tell in the pics, but the red is actually stronger in person.

I bought this lamp for my daughter a few years back, but stole it back when she "modernized" her bedroom to a "teen" room :) I just adore milk glass and hobnail lamps!

I replaced the heavy curtains that were gold silk and added fresh white lace, so when the breeze comes in, they blow so pretty and light...The detail in the lace is so pretty, if you click the picture it will expand and you can see :) I had this dresser from my Grandfather and it was dark and dreary with old wooden knobs, so I striped it and let the natural wood color come through with a clear varnish on top. I love mixing painted furniture with natural honey toned woods in the same space. It gives it a bit more warmth...

The bed skirt is new too, a really soft linen in a pale blue, I wish it was 1" longer though, so I might add a lace trim to the bottom :)

This wall is so simple, but I think that's what I like about it, But I do plan on adding black and white photos above that peg strip, I think just 3 of the kids, but again, it's gotta wait till another free day :) I hope you enjoyed my little tour, I will certainly take more as it's completed.

Now on to one more thing for the week, this isn't related to my room at all, but instead a new obsession of mine and I wanted to know if you feel the same :) Recipe Boxes?? I don't know about you, but with Fall coming my heart will inevitably go back to cooking! But I have one problem, while I LOVE my cookbooks, a recent gift I gave my best friend is calling me back to the times of recipes on cards and all in one place ...A "Recipe Box"....I'm thinking I could spend an entire day ( yeah right, lol ) and sit down with every recipe I want to cook and every recipe written on loose leaf paper or index cards stuffed into the cookbooks I have and transfer them all to a sweet little recipe box :) ? Do you have one? any tips on a fast way to do it, lol?

Here are just a few I have, but I want them on nice card stock now with a matching cottage pattern, I can't seem to find the "perfect" recipe box or cards, so if any of you know of an online shop or a place I can get them, let me know. I'd so appreciate it! I like the card at the bottom of this post, but maybe something a little more "kitchen cottage"??

I have a feeling it's quite an undertaking, but I think I'd love to pull out one box every day, see old , new,and handed down recipes right in one place.

My new little obsession actually started last week with my best friends Birthday present ( below ) ...She asked that I give her all my recipes that she had enjoyed at my home and could they please be in a recipe box so she could add some of her own and have the collection. But yikes, lol, then she asked me to decoupage it too, but I couldn't find a box the perfect size to fit the pretty recipe cards I had bought for her, soooooo, I ended up buying the box they sold separately but coordinated with the cards and added a few decoupaged things on it to fit her style.... It's got a pattern that was perfect for her kitchen. So off it went in a gift bag and as I handed it to her, I joked that I wanted to do one for myself. Only problem is, I want the colors to match my own kitchen, lol, I have yet to find one in Cornflower blue, red cherries , or anything like that. When I do, I will feel complete :) lol

Here is Dori's recipe box : Happy Birthday sweetie :)

Now I just need one too! :)

Well, I've shared an obsession and my Bedroom re-do, now I can't wait to go see what you all have been sharing!! Thanks so much for stopping in girls! Your comments and friendship mean everything to me!

Hugs and Gratitude always!

~ Cynthia ~

~ Rooster Party ~

Welcome Ladies to my Rooster collection! Barb over at Bella Vista is hosting this wonderful party today, Thanks so much Barb for all your work in putting this together! Click on her link or the Rooster on my side bar to go see all the other gorgeous collections that everyone put together!

The one above is by far a favorite from my collection, I got him on a little shopping trip in Cold Spring Harbor and have loved him ever since. Most of my Roosters live in the kitchen, right where I can see them every day :) This bowl below was something I saw at Home Goods and when I saw it , I hid it in my cart so no one would tackle me for him :)

Roosters Roosters, everywhere .... on little lamps:

In frames on the wall....

Up close...

On Tablecloths....

I saw this fabric and just had to have it ....

On signs , a cute one from Farmhouse country Style....

And last but not least , my little guy....

I Hope you enjoyed my Roosters, Thanks so much for stopping in! now head on over to Barbs party and see all the other fabulous presentations! That's where I'm going now :)

Oh yes, and one last thing.... I hope you have a great weekend Ladies!
Hugs,

~ Cynthia ~

~ Makeover time ~

"WHEW" is all I can say, it's been so long since I did a post. I try and get on at least weekly , but this summer has been a whirlwind here ! I hope everyone is enjoying a lovely summer! I decided to re-do my Bedroom this August but even that is proving to be a "little here, little there" project. I cannot wait to finish the room, but right now it's half the old yellow/gold and half a new blue I'm in love with. I managed to get in a few small makeovers so far , so I finally had something to post about.... I can't wait to share the whole room when it's finished, with the humid weather we are having , the painting and other things are slower than I'd like :) But here goes... This dresser below was my lingerie chest as a child, but I remember stuffing it with crayons and barbies back then. :) It's pretty hideous looking and I had really "let it go", it was distressed naturally over the last 40 years, lol. But I gave it a new coat of paint, sanded off a bit to let the red peek through , and now I'm pretty happy with it. Hopefully I will get to finish the rest of the room in the next couple of weeks. :)

Pretty bad, huh? :)


Now a new coat of paint, in pretty Cornflower Blue .... and new crystal knobs of course :)

These were the walls before, Tuscan Gold...

And now..... Sparkling Spring , a pretty cottage blue by Behr Paints...

This lamp below was kinda new, from my Tuscan phase :) But it needed to fit the Simple Cottage "softer" look I am going for , so out with the brushes again and some left over fabric and it was given a whole new look...

I painted it creamy white and took some fabric that I had laying around and made new shades for $1.99 :) I picked up the shades for that price at Micheal's and just glued the fabric on them... I like the soft sage green and roses playing against the blue..

I also bought lace curtains on sale and hung them last week. I had lace curtains years ago in my room and had missed them, so out with the heavy yellow I had before and in came the light again :)!

I just adore white eyelet!!...., this pillow below was the inspiration I wanted to use for the entire room, and a pretty shabby chic quilt.... So I'm on my way.... More white eyelet to come, lots more paint, some more pillow and quilt hunting and I will be done! Now I just have to get the kids off to school in a week so I can finish it :) I'll post pictures of course when it's all done :)

I hope all you are having a wonderful last few weeks of summer! I am looking forward to getting back to blogging on a much more regular basis in a week or so! Once that big yellow bus comes, I'm back to some "me" time, lol...

Enjoy your week girls! and btw, I picked some flowers for you all , I hope they brighten your day! :)

With Hugs and Gratitude for your friendship as always!

Love,

~ Cynthia ~

~ canning and preserving ~

Hello ladies! Thank you so much for your Birthday wishes for Melanie, that meant so much to her and me too! It's completely repetitive to say this has been a busy summer, I feel like that's all I say, lol....But it has :) I took some time out over the weekend to kick back and relax though, for me that always involves cooking , especially when it's 90 degrees out and I want to escape the heat and enjoy some AC. So I did a few Jars this weekend and wanted to share the experience with you...I have to say , at first, canning was completely intimidating to me, but after I did it the first time, I thought, Hmmm, not so hard if you follow directions. And it's so rewarding when you open the jars during the off season only to have fresh tasting sauce or Jam!! So if you've never done it, hopefully you will soon! I think you'll find it a neat process and you'll be so proud when you stick that first label on stating: Home Made :)!!

There's no shortage of inspiration out there either, the pics below and above are from Sur la table , they did many more Jars then I did, but aren't they so pretty?!

This one below is from the Ball Blue canning recipe book , circa 1939....Love the organization it features!

I just did Tomato Sauce this weekend, but hopefully I'll get to do Jams too one of these weekends! Here's my recipe for Home Made Tomato Sauce, I hope you give it a try, even if you don't can it, it's still yummy!
( click the card to make it easier to read )

I gathered up all my stuff and got ready..... these are all available at the click of a Google , under" Canning" :)

Then I re-read my Canning Method instructions, it's important for preserving to get all the details down and not skip a step. Again, you can click the instructions to make them much bigger to read...

Then it's off to make the sauce and fill the jars! I love the smell of Homemade sauce!

After following the methods and letting the Jars cool, you get to decorate them :) My second favorite part :) My First favorite is to wipe off all the Jars and get the satisfaction of knowing I made something that will be enjoyed for months down the road and still taste fresh from the garden!

I always love the look of a well stocked pantry! This one is an inspiration to me! Mine is much smaller, but a girl can dream :) Hmmm, maybe I can use one of my hutches like this below? lol

I just got this great new recipe keeper from Amazon, I adore the cover and a place to keep all my recipes too!

Well , it's time to clean up now and go enjoy the sauce poured over some delicious pasta! First, I want to share one tip on cleaning up after a big mess, lol.... "Do it in style!" I saw this over at Cath Kidston and knew I had to get it, now I'll be happy to scrub! lol, I sound like an advertisement for cleaning products, but seriously, isn't this the cutest?!

I wish you all were sitting down to a nice meal with me, I am so thankful to have such wonderful readers and friends! You are simply the best, Thank you so much for visiting!

I have one more link to share, the photo above is from Country Door, what a neat site, My friend Benita introduced it to me and I just adore their country items! I hope you do too!

Wishing you a wonderful week ahead!

Lots of love,

~ Cynthia ~

~ Happy Birthday Sweetie ~

Hi Girls! I usually make my blog all about decorating, but today I wanted to share something a little more personal. My baby Girl just turned 14 this past weekend and being a Mother is by far the most important thing I've done in my life. You've probably heard me talk about Melanie before, but now I'm putting a face to the words... I have 2 wonderful sons, and having Melly ( as we call her, or Mel ) was the icing on the cake of my life. She is the best thing I've ever decorated :) Happy Birthday sweet princess! You are the sunlight in my day!

The above picture was taken when she was 6, and below was this weekend. It is such an understatement when people say they grow up so fast! I don't know how she turned 14 so quickly! But I can say I am one very proud Mama :)


Precious one, So small,
So sweet
Dancing in
on angel feet

Straight from
Heaven's brightest star
What a miracle you are

~ Happy Birthday Melanie! ~


In the midst of this busy summer , I am always counting my blessings!

Wishing you all a blessed week too!

Hugs, Cynthia

~ Outdoor Living ~

Thank you all so much for your sweet comments on my last post, I read each and every one!...I am enjoying my new hutch so much, so I'm glad I went for it and glad Mom was there to push me :)... It took about a week to get back to normal here after my parents month long visit, but now I'm falling back into the swing of things and feeling productive again. So here I am , on to my post and back into my blogging routine :)...I've always wanted a Gazebo for my deck outside, But never quite found the right one at the right price. If I could have bought any one I wanted, I would have gone with a permanent white wood structure, a pergola with a roof and flowing white curtains etc. I bought this one last week, and for now, it will do nicely. I still plan on adding the extra layer of curtains on this one ( it has rods all along the inside for just that ) and a mini chandelier, and of course a rug. I wanted to share it with you to see if you had anymore ideas than the ones I'm thinking of so far... It seems it needs something more... Any ideas would be appreciated! I"ll fix it up more and use some of the ideas and post the new pics here after I finish with it....

I do like my fountain above, very inexpensive ( Target ) but I was hoping to get a much bigger one and add it to the corner of the Gazebo, this is only 20 inches high, but I was thinking I wanted one about 3 feet high and place it on the floor ??
I think an outdoor rug will warm it up to, but I am afraid that when it gets damp, the mosquitoes will have a field day on me, lol.... again, any suggestions would be great. What about a painted floor cloth??

Well, this is the one corner I am content with, so this will stay... I moved all my pots to the outside corners of the deck so the bugs will stay there, with the exception of a few at the base of the gazebo, but I do like this little corner.

I'll be going over all the ideas I get and pondering how to cozy up my gazebo this weekend, I hope you all have a wonderful weekend too!!

And Thank you so much girls for being such wonderful blogging friends!

With Gratitude and friendship,

~ Cynthia ~

~ Cottage Kitchen find ~

It's been a busy summer here! I've had my Parents here for about a month and we've made such wonderful memories and spent great days together, the weather has been dreamy for sure! Thank goodness!. They will be leaving on Wednesday this week and so it's two more days of packing in some more time together and then off they go , back to Georgia. I will miss them dearly... I've missed all of you too and I'll be back in my routine in a week and finally be able to catch up in the blogging world and I look forward to it! I hope you are all enjoying a great summer!

My Mom and I have been doing some antiquing and the other day we came upon this hutch and you know how it is :) .... you see something and just have to have it! I already had a kitchen hutch that I loved, but I fell in love again :) As soon as I saw the doors on it and the details I squealed with delight , and my Mom agreed, It just had to come live in my kitchen. So now I have 2 great hutches and wanted to share the new "find" with you. Antiquing is a favorite past time of mine, but when you come upon that special something, it makes all the days of rummaging worth it. Sometimes you don't even think you need anything and then it's like it see's you and says "take me home", well that's what happened here... Now every day when I look at it, I will think of my Mom ...
The hutch also gave me a chance to display all my favorite things, and another new find too, I just adore my new pie sign! Farmhouse Country Style has such wonderful country signs and her blog is adorable too! Thanks Dee!

The other hutch I have is an open shelf one, and while I adore it, it seems setting things behind leaded glass doors just adds such vintage charm!

Aren't the doors just stunning?


After I brought home my new find, I had to get on over to Home Goods :) I found this great tray there on clearance for $7.99, again, lol, I squealed with delight :)

Of course, the cherries did it for me right away and the blue too! :)


I gave it a home under my favorite rooster on the kitchen table, I plan on using it to serve things outside so I put it right where I can always grab it....

At first, The new hutch seemed silly, I already had one. But then a bit of rearranging and I knew it would work. I have to admit, lol, I wanted it so badly that even if it didn't work it here, I was determined to find somewhere it did. But I think somethings are just meant to be :)

My old one still has a nice place of honor in the kitchen and the added storage is so needed here! , and thanks to Elyse over at Cottage , the shutters made this hutch a favorite of mine too!

Like I said, I think the doors are what sold me first, but it also has the sweetest crystal knobs also!


Sometimes, it's just one new thing that a kitchen needs, big or small, and you can fall in love all over again...or a Mom who says: " You just have to have it Cynthia"... I think that's what really did it for me :)

I want to thank everyone for all your sweet comments! I know I said this in my last post, and yet haven't found time to get to visit yet, but I am getting around to it this week. Coffee in hand or wine if the evening fits it, I look soooo forward to reading and seeing what you've all been up to!!

I hope you all enjoy a beautiful week ahead!

Much Love and Thanks,

~ Cynthia ~

~ How I spent my summer vacation ~

Hello Ladies! It feels like it's been forever since I did a post or had a chance to visit you all...I'm back from my little summer getaway and what better place to share our summer cottage than here. Well it's not really mine, lol, but my great friend Sandra needed a puppy sitter while she went away and with my parents up visiting this summer, we needed a place to share quality time and feel like we were away. Northport , NY is only one town away, but right on the water and it's such a quaint little village so the timing was perfect. I grew up in this area, but it's amazing how relaxing and tranquil any place can be when you decide to focus on making it a vacation spot. Plus I loved the idea of not loosing any travel time, a 10 minute car ride and we were there. I also made the decision to not leave the town at all, no coming back home to get the mail or shop in my usual places here, but instead, stay in the Norman Rockwell existence with a new set of eyes :) Vacation eyes :) So come for a little tour of one of my favorite towns....

As soon as my girlfriend moved into this house, I knew she had found a little jewel. It oozes charm in every way. I've spent many girlfriend get togethers here and had already worn out the front porch chair before this summer :) But being here and knowing I didn't have to leave for a week was a real treat!

Little Bella, she's the reason for my stay, and she entertained us every day with her puppy ways and adorable demeanor. Awww, is she so cute?!

I love this great little kitchen, it's packed with fabulous details and charm! I used the grill a lot, but also did my fair share of steaming seafood and enjoying some cooking in here too..


The perfect accessory to any cottage :) A gorgeous claw foot tub!

The living room looking into the kitchen area....

Nooks and cranny's were everywhere!


A sweet kitchen shelf unit, simple and elegant...

The details in her home are amazing , even down to the door knobs! I have to get some of these, they are just gorgeous in person!
This room below was my Moms room for the week, I adore the red polka dot sheets and fluffy bedding!


This bedroom has always been a favorite of mine ( below ), again, the bedding was so luxurious and yet the simple cottage decor just makes you relax and feel right at home. I adore this room for many reasons, I love that the breeze blows right in and it's so pretty and charming!

Lets walk outside the front door and take a walk downtown Northport....


The weather was so gorgeous, I felt so lucky the whole week to wake up to the warm sun, the scent of flowers and that sweet salty air when you're close to the water , nothing beats that! And what a perfect view the park has too!

Sailing anyone? ....

Or, perhaps some yachting ? a lunch or sunset Cruise?

The town has always made me feel like I've stepped back in time, but yet what's so great about it is, for the nostalgia you can enter into it's many cafes and still get a malted milk shake or an egg cream :) But you can also go to the next store and get a fabulous pair of trendy sandals and browse the beautiful boutiques too!

Every little town needs a General store too....The one below has that great hardware store smell, I just love it :)

Pretty little antique shops too!



And best of all, little pockets of bistro dining and courtyards away from it all...

It's a great little town for that unusual gift, I wanted to take this bike home, it's actually a planter, how cute would it be filled with pots of hydrangeas or daisy's ?!

Well that's it, I'm finished with my " how I spent my summer vacation" essay :) Ohhhh, it feels so great to be out of school :)! I'll leave you with this last picture, it's a flag that the village made out of flowers on the entrance to the dock area, cute idea!

I hope you all are enjoying a beautiful summer!! and finding your own spots to vacation in or at least get away for a bit to rejuvenate and relax! I've missed seeing your new blog posts, so now I'm off to go visit and catch up with you all!

Happy Summer!

Hugs, Cynthia xo

~ Happy 4th of July ~

I'm stopping in to wish you all a wonderful 4th of July!

I'll be heading out today to spend some vacation time at a nice cozy cottage in Northport , NY. It's Just a town away , but a nice little waterside village and a week away from routine and responsibility :)! I hope you are all enjoying a beautiful summer too! Have a wonderful week ladies!

Hugs and appreciation!

~ Cynthia ~