~ A stroll through the Garden ~

Hello sweet friends! It's been a busy 2 weeks here , the garden is just getting to that popping stage and everything is as green as can be! So lush and pretty! I've been tied down with many projects over the last few months , so today, it's just a quiet walk through the flowers , time to enjoy all their pretty colors and textures...I have a lot more gardening to do, but I thought I'd take you on a mini tour of what's started and is in bloom :) So grab a nice cozy seat and come along.....I even set one up for you :)

A little Sun Tea anyone?....

This beautiful hand made laced edge linen has come with me on many photo shoots, I just adore the contrast of rustic pieces and textures , with it's feminine beauty. It works for designing an interior too, what a pretty combination to have rustic furniture mixed with lace and white cotton ...

Vintage looking garden tools and a water can and off I went....

I call this my garden fairy chair :) Its a vintage kindergarten school house chair, which I chipped up and painted a soft blue and it sits under the weeping dwarf cherry tree, just waiting for the fairies to come along and sit a while ...
I built this rock wall in front of my house the old fashion way, no plans at all, just found rocks and cement...It's lasted 15 + years now , so not so bad for a non-mason :) I fill it with flowers and let them spill over...


The daffodils are everywhere and even though they don't last too long, I just adore them!

Pretty red tulips going up the drive way...

Mixed with pretty lavender colored flowers ( I forgot the name lol ) makes a pretty bold layout ...

~ They are so dainty and pretty up close ~


I haven't finished all my flower boxes, so right now the moss is the highlight in them, but I kinda like that, it's such a rich green and every time I think of moss, I am amazed at how it appears to be like a world in and of itself....
I hope you enjoyed my tiny tour, now it's back to the garden to finish up and enjoy the beautiful weather NY is having this weekend! Thanks for keeping my chair warm for me, I think when I'm all finished today, I'll head out there with a good book and a glass of Chardonnay and some pretty dirty fingernails :)

~ Happy Gardening everyone! ~

( photo source: unknown )

Wishing you a blessed Spring weekend!! Happy trails ........ xox

Big Hugs and appreciation!

~ Cynthia ~

~ Cottage Updates ~

Hello friends! I hope you all enjoyed a nice Easter! I've been busy doing some updates to the cottage and I'm finding myself itching to get outside more lately. Now that the inside is almost finished being prepped for the warmer seasons, I need to start gardening and working on the flower beds and outdoor spaces too. The painting is all finished inside and I found a new rug for the living room finally. I picked a Sisal ,which I adore! So I'll take you on a tiny tour and then my next post will hopefully show what have done outside lol :)

My kitchen door is a Dutch style door and original to the house, I just love idea that you can keep it half open and peek over the top :) I want to replace the glass with some leaded glass inserts to match my hutch, so that's my last project. Do you like Dutch doors too? The one below is so precious, I need that white door knob now :)

( Country Home )

Mine ( below ) needs a little work, but that's for next weekend :)


I had done a post a few ones back on my family room color make-over, from a deep Merlot color to a sage green, and the last thing to do in that room was recover some furniture and rip up the carpet and find a rug :) I was inspired by any room I saw with a Sisal rug, so that was where my hunt started. Sisal allows any color or variety of colors to be placed on top, which makes it go with almost any decor too! I've done Sisal in modern spaces for clients and also Cottage Country and Traditional also! So it was time I did my own :)

The above pic is from Better Homes and Gardens and while it's a bit sandier than mine, I loved the neutral back drop. Mine below is a tight wool and lighter in color, but it makes the room look more open and unlike my old one ( blue patterned carpet) it doesn't have to add another bold color to the space. It just adds as a soft backdrop. ( The chair to the left in the pic below is going to be my first attempt at re-upholstering myself, yikes lol )

I love this one below too, while it's hard to see amongst all the fabrics , it again, makes for a simple backdrop to all the colors! ( Country Living ) Love that checked ottoman too :)


This Sisal below is a lot more rustic and shabby, but I just adore the simplicity of it... and the room is sweet as pie simple too! ( uktv )

I'm not completely content with the Mantel yet, I'm going to go simpler, but that's the fun of decorating, Moving things around is like playing house :)

The kitchen cabinets were painted last week and the bead-board paneling above the counter was too, so that's crossed off the list finally! This pic below shows the view as you walk into the kitchen and I love seeing that bead-board , I think that's one of my favorite projects in the house. It's so simple and yet adds high impact too. And not to mention a lot less expensive than tile or granite. But, I have to say, I love love love subway tile, so maybe one day I'll change it :)

I'm on the hunt for a shelf like this one below , love the scroll work and how intricate it appears on another simple backdrop. I'll take the Laura Ashley cupboard too lol ;)

( uktv)

And last but not least, I finally found my chandelier shade design. Thank you so much for your input a few posts ago! I decided to combine the look of the 3 shades and do a little bit of ticking with the burlap too! So I guess that means I took all of your ideas! :) They aren't completely finished yet, but here's a photo-shop idea of what I'm doing...
And this is what they will look like when they are done and on the kitchen chandelier :) ....ps: I'll be taking away the German glass beads and adding a few sage green crystals hopefully too!

Well I hope you enjoyed my little tour and now I'm out to fix up the outside and cross the T's inside :)

I hope you all are enjoying the lovely Spring weather too and thanks so much for being such wonderful friends and followers!!

Till next week, Hugs and appreciation!!

~ Cynthia ~XO

~ Happy Easter ~

~ Happy Easter Everyone ~

Thank you so much for your opinions on my last post! I am making my shades this weekend and will surprise you with my choice :) but I'll just say for now that I took all your advice and combined them! :)

Wishing all my sweet Friends a Wonderful Easter and a Weekend filled with Beauty and Sunshine!

Hugs,

~ Cynthia ~ XO

( photo source: Southern Living )