cottage – Page 22 – Karla's Cottage

Around the cottage in February

By Karla Nathan / March 2, 2016

Our garage has needed repainting for a long time. Especially since we rebuilt the doorway for the boat to fit into it.

Years ago, I used to paint furniture with an air compressor and spray gun, often leaning the pieces against the garage while I worked. Mostly I used whites, but I used quite a variety of shades from snowy to cream to ivory. So, there were faint, layered outlines of chairs and headboards all along the side of the building.

The trim had been pretty messed up too. It is good to have a carpenter for a son, our boy rebuilt the wrecked trim and gave the building and the shed next to it a fresh coat of white paint.

Now, our whole yard looks revitalized. I've always said that paint is magic, and this sure proves it. What a difference.

Haircolor can be magic too. I was still feeling the effects of a long, grey winter (funny how the lack of snow was more depressing than getting snowed in and feeling trapped, huh?) and decided to get a pick me up of a shot of blonde.

I felt much better after!

In other Around The Cottage news, Honey has been busy digging. She finds moles and starts a collection on the porch where she can keep an eye on them. A few times a week, I go out and gather up her latest critters and throw them in the trash.

Between the 4 cats proving their love to me by bringing decimated creatures to the front door, and Honey's skill in hunting moles, I'm used to picking up and disposing of carcusses.

This latest catch really surprised me, though. A snake?

In February?

Aren't reptiles hard to come by in Kansas in the winter? She managed to find one. I guess she dug it up from somewhere.

She also seemed to have found a carpet cutter. There was not razor blade in it, thank heavens. And who knows where she got it. And is it now part of her snake hunting arsenal? She has put it in her pile of favorite things. Usually there are a few insides of toys and cushions, along with her sticks and bones, and dead things. And always in this spot where she can proudly watch over them.

Our yard is mostly holes now, Honey is busy looking for more items to add to her collection.

We'd heard that if you bury a balloon in a hole a dog has dug, they will dig it up, pop it, and frighten themselves so much, they will never dig again.

Sugarwings and my husband thought they'd give this a try and filled a few of the many pits in our yard with colorful balloons.

We didn't consider that Goldens are bred to retrieve birds and have gentle mouths. Honey found all the balloons, retrieved them, and was thrilled to get new toys to carry around and play with. Not a single one popped and scared her. She was just excited to find so many bright and fun things to egg her on into digging to look for more.

So, now Honey has her habit of searching for hidden treasure underground reinforced, not cured. We need to find her a new skill…

Sugarwings is learning a new skill, she has signed up for circus classes. Here she is doing silks. Next up, after our trip to Cali? Trapeze!

I'll be back from California soon, but if you'd like to sign up for the Farewell to Downton swap, you don't have to wait for my return. Here is the info.

Midwinter pick me ups, look for happiness wherever you can

cottage, flowers

By Karla Nathan / February 19, 2016

There is no reason why I should be complaining. None at all. The week the weather was hovering at zero, I was in Florida. At the end of February, I'm going to California. And most of our winter has been pretty mild.

But Kansas is soooooooo gray in the winter.

Soooooooooo gray.

I have to keep looking around to find reasons to not let winter get to me. Buying some new houseplants to give my kitchen and living room a shot of green, was a good start. Especially since it gave me an excuse to finally purchase one of those terrariums that I always walk by in Hobby Lobby and day dream about owning. Heck, they aren't expensive, and even go on sale for half price on a regular basis. But I'm glad I waited til the mid winter blahs struck before indulging myself. It feels good to have some live plants cheering up my space now when I need it.

One of the very first things I do every single morning is stand at my back window and look out into the yard as I brush my teeth. In the spring, I'm on my toes with excitement watching for the latest blooms, and I love seeing what new flowers have popped up to greet me. Summer is just pure enjoyment, because all of the plants are at their peak. And fall holds all sorts of changes daily with the trees changing.

But winter?

Mostly gray.

We haven't even had much snow this year. Still, I love looking out the window, contemplating the new day as I scrub my teeth, whether there is much new to see or not.

But every once in a while, I get a view like this- BLUEBIRDS GALORE!!!!!

Ahhhhhhh, that was just what I needed. And near them, were redbirds. Little flying flowers, all throughout my trees.

You've got to look for happiness, sometimes it is right in front of you and if you are not paying attention you'll miss it.

I had jury duty recently, and from my seat in the juror room, I could see this Happy Tree through the slats of the blinds on the window in our semi-basement room. It was a windy day, the branches were blowing, and the tree looked like it was talking to me.

Of course, I didn't mention the talking tree to the rest of the jurors, I thought I might lose my position of head juror, or even get kicked out of the box if they knew I was slightly crazy.

Because this is what I saw all day, in my own mind.

Yep, it is the reminder of spring that green plants bring, elusive bluebird sightings, and silly little things like this that keep me sane during the long, GREY, winter months.

Or am I?

Kansas is too cold

cottage, dogs, Sugarwings

By Karla Nathan / January 20, 2016

As I wrote this before I left on my trip to Florida, we had a major cold spell. Our pipes didn't freeze up over night, but only because I know the drill. When temps plunge into single digits, the curtain comes off the cabinet under the sink, to let the warmer air in the house circulate through there to the pipes.

Of course, every time that I forget to do that, we wake up to no water in the kitchen.

Honestly, I shouldn't be such a wimp about the cold, this has been a remarkably mild winter so far. And here I am flying off to the land of guncles and sunshine right when it is at its worst.

But I cannot get warm! And I feel like my skin is made of ancient tissue paper that is disintegrating. No matter how much cream I slather on, no matter how many pots of water I set to simmer on the wood stove to put moisture in the air, nothing helps.

And my poor toes. They can't remember what it feels like to be pink and warm.

Sugarwings has had the opposite of the complaints that I've had. She wants SNOW and LOTS OF IT. We had this little dusting of flakes and she was so happy, she couldn't wait to get out there with her dog and show her how to catch snowballs. (While dressed in a fashionable scarf)

If this is the only snow we get, I'll be pleased as punch, myself. Or maybe there will be enough snow to satisfy these two while I am away this week. That would be ideal. They get to chase snowflakes while I soak up some sunshine, and we are all happy.

I plan on returning from my time in the South with a much better attitude, once my toes have been reaquainted with sandals and sun. My plan is to soak up enough rays of light to get me through the rest of this dismal time of year. And to remind myself that for some odd reason, I do enjoy living in Kansas.

Boy, am I glad to be getting a break from it right now, though.

New marble tile in the bathtub and some much needed deep cleaning

cottage, redos

By Karla Nathan / January 11, 2016

Last February, I repainted and did a mini redo on the guest bathroom, after Dewdrop asked me to paint it pink for her. Of course, I like pink too, so was happy to do it.

The tub is original to the house and was awful. We'd put up a cheapo, plastic surround that never looked good either. I hated both, and while my mini redo last winter cheered the room up, it was purely cosmetic and didn't take care of the bigger issues.

Well, I'd decided that enough was enough, that nasty, old tub and the flimsy wall covering had to go. This was the GUEST room, the shower that all my treasured houseguests had to use. And it was embarrassing.

The contractor came out to look at the space, and he suggested a treatment over the old tub to freshen it. Those old, iron tubs are heavy, hard to remove, and are meant to last a lifetime, unlike the newer tub I'd be replacing it with.

But the tub was chipped in some spots, and stained horribly. My son was helping the tilers and asked if I'd ever thought of cleaning it.

Brat.

He meant, deep, deep cleaning and a scraping with a razor blade. Nope, I'd just used sponges and regular scrubbing stuff on it.

So, I soaked it 24 hours with a gallon of straight vinegar in the bottom, and the next morning, added a splash of CLR (to remove hard water buildup and rust). I went after it with a razor blade and magic eraser, and it very soon looked shiny and clean again.

A few touch ups with white enamel paint, and the chips disappeared too. Honestly, it isn't perfect, but it is 90 some years old and I like old things with imperfections, as long as they aren't grimy and gross. This tub looks shiny and clean, while still keeping the vintage feel.

I'm very happy with the results.

Next up, tile. And while the faucets and handles were taken off to tile around, I soaked and scrubbed them too. Our well water had left lots of filmy, white deposits on those and I had thought I'd replace them. Until I saw how nice the tub looked after some elbow grease, then I thought I'd give them a good scrubbing too.

And you know what? I had them clean in a matter of minutes after soaking. It was simple, fast, and saved me a lot of money.

I'd thought that that bathtub and the fixtures were ruined. Then I found out that I am just not much of a housekeeper.

The best part of the redo is this cute, little niche for soap and shampoo. Since this is an old house, we didn't know what we'd find when the walls were opened up, and didn't know if there would be a space to make this work, but luckily, there was space just where I wanted the cubby to go.

I looked at a lot of tile before choosing the marble. I was weighing in between this and white subway tile, both felt old fashioned and right for the age of the home. But the tile seemed toooo white for me, I like the variations of color in the natural stone. I have always admired marble, so I splurged and went for it. And this was a pretty small area to do, so the price tag wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be. (and I saved money on not replacing the tub, so that justified it)

And I am so glad that it all worked out the way I wanted. The old tub is a keeper and the tile looks like it belongs there with it.

I've never liked leaving shower curtains open, in this room, or any bathroom I've ever had. But now? Well, I think I just might be keeping them pulled apart. (or at least while the toys are picked up, that clean, uncluttered look most likely won't last long, soon this will return to being a land of naked Barbies)

The lavender ceiling tin might get a coat of white paint…. I liked it before, but now it seems to stand out. (the ceiling tins are a mismatched bunch of leftovers from doing the kitchen ceiling and some stuff I had laying around in the garage from when I used to have an antique business)

A few pink roses in the hand painted flowers on the floor might look good too….

There is always a project waiting to be done, isn't there? For now, I'll enjoy it as it is.

A hair brained scheme, or pure brilliance? Making the boat fit into the garage

cottage

By Karla Nathan / December 6, 2015

Lots of glittery new pretties are filling up the Boutique and my Etsy shop.

And while I've been busy painting, dying, glittering, and sparkling stuff up, my husband was trying to come up with a solution on where to put his new boat. A friend's barn, that we had used for years was no longer available. So, my husband decided to put the boat in our garage.

Which looked pretty much impossible to me.

But he called a contractor friend, and our son, who is handy with a saw and asked them to make the doorway opening bigger.

But the garage was still too small, that wouldn't solve the problem.

So, the guys build a little addition off the back of the garage, just big enough for the motor on the back of the boat to fit into.

In a very snug manner.

We could only go back a certain amount due to other things in the way outside of the garage. Also, we weren't adding a foundation, or pouring concrete, this addition couldn't support any weight. It is only a niche to slide the motor into.

But the boat trailer was still a bit too big. We thought we'd just leave the door off of the garage.

Then, they thought of this scheme. A custom cut to fit around the trailer tongue!

You might think it looks odd, and most people wouldn't really care for this at their home. But, we tend to do weird things here when we remodel. I have a feeling we will never be able to sell this house… it is all very suited to our own personal needs.

There are only a few inches of clearance on each side of the boat to get it in and out of the garage. But we only put it in once a year, then leave it til spring when it goes out onto the lake and stays at the marina.

It takes 3 people to guide the boat into the space, but it fits.

And best of all? Our builder buddies were free to start right away. It was a quick job, those guys whipped it out in a couple days. The whole thing was just an oddball idea that we were considering last week, and now it is finished, all for under $1,500. We won't have to pay for storage, our boat will stay covered, and hopefully, no one will trip on the hitch that sticks out.

It really isn't in the way, but I plan on tying a flag to it just in case. And I'll be waiting for better weather to repaint the garage, it will be two toned til Spring.

I'll leave you with some pictures of prettier things. Although, my husband thinks the new garage redo is one of the prettiest things he has seen. He loves looking out the window at the peek-a-boo trailer and the new, giant door.

I think the garage looks like it is "sticking its tongue out at us". Ha!

A simple grapevine wreath for the season

cottage, holiday decor

By Karla Nathan / December 3, 2015

For years, I've wanted a wreath on my front door. I have no idea why it took me so long to act on that.

I also knew I wanted it to be kind of an all-winter wreath not just for Christmas.

Here it is on the patio for Thanksgiving, with the pumpkins in the planters. And the falling leaves on the ground.

And here it is with Christmas trees in the pots and leaves still on the ground. (If you think this is a lot of leaves, you should see the yard- it is never ending around here)

I wanted glitter on the simple, grapevine wreath, but I was afraid the weather would wear it away. So, I sprayed it generously with glitter spray paint, and while wet, I doused it with glitter and mica flakes, then did that again. Hopefully, some of it will hang out through the winter storms.

I've wired on some tiny red ornaments to look like berries, and blue ones to look like eggs in the nest. The birds are vintage ones, painted white and clipped on. I'm not sure if they will withstand the ice and snow or now. I guess I'll see, huh?

PS- Lots of newbie Christmas goodies are coming into the Boutique and the Etsy shop!

What is on the menu? Grow, greens, grow!!!!

cottage, Garden, holiday decor

By Karla Nathan / November 25, 2015

This photo was taken a couple of days ago. The greens were still a little puny, but they are growing as fast as they can. I'm hoping to have fresh salad for our big family dinner tomorrow.

The nights are getting colder, and this window box that my son built (4 old wooden windows from the Habit ReStore screwed together with a hinged one top) is getting wobbly from being outdoors for a few years. The glass on the top is loose, so I've had to go out and cover it all with plastic every night, then remove that so the sun can shine it during the day.

So far, so good. But with 22 people to feed, this might end up being a skimpy salad…

It hasn't been that long since it was planted, but maybe I should have started a week earlier. This was a simple project I saw on Pinterest, and it worked well.

All you do is buy a bag of topsoil, slit it open and sprinkle in seeds. The bag sits directly on the ground, and there are a few holes poked in the bottom of the bag before making slits in the top and adding the mixed greens seeds.

I've never watered it. If my window box wasn't old and wonky, it would be even easier, I wouldn't have had to cover it on cold nights.

I might buy another window (they are usually $5 each at the Habitat store) and replace the top one that is falling apart and see if Kansas will allow a lettuce crop for our Christmas dinner too. That might be pushing it.

But worth trying!

Our 2015 pumpkin harvest wasn't all that bountiful.

Mostly because I didn't plant any- a vines sprang up from last year's gourds! Trouble was, they were in a bad spot, sprouting from a flower bed in front of the chicken coop, where the vines wanted to stretch out across the yard. So a lot got ran over with the mower.

But a few little punkins survived. I'll be roasting one today to see if it is big enough to bake a pie. Things that are home grown are even more special for a holiday meal, don't you think?

I hope you have a tasty day surrounded by loved ones too.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Evolving styles in my cottage kitchen, or why I would never get a tattoo

antiques/junking, cottage, Kitchen remodel, magazine pictures or articles

By Karla Nathan / October 12, 2015

My kitchen sure has had some shuffling and reshuffling over the years.

The biggest and best redo was when we tore out the wall between the dining room and kitchen. We had always wanted to do that, but had been told that we couldn't move a retaining wall. Then discovered 20 years later, that NO, it was not a retaining wall!!

And adding the ceiling tin was one of my favorite changes of all. It not only hid the fact that the two rooms that had been joined had different heights of ceilings, it is a look that I love. And fairly inexpensive to do too.

My house from the photo shoot

Before we finally pulled off that move, I did lots of cosmetic changes, just because I was never satisfied.

These are the original cabinets before we did any big remodelling. They were blah brown when we moved in, with giant, silver toned, disc looking knobs. I put them through many coats of paint, never getting it just as I liked it, but one thing that I've been true to since my very first redo at the cottage, is the glass knobs. I added these mismatched,vintage knobs very early on, and have used them since, even on the brand new cabinets that my son built for me.

Kitchen

Here is the room right after my son built them.

And this is what it looked like ages ago.

Looking at this now, makes me very happy that I couldn't afford to gut the kitchen when we first bought the place. Because my style has evolved so much in 25 years, and that evolution to what I love now is due to the making do, making it work, and learning from my mistakes.

It would have been awful to invest $10,000 in new walls, flooring, ceiling, cabinets, and appliances just to end up with this look from the 90s.

I'm glad we waited, and that I experimented with paint and salvaged pieces, and learned as I went along about what I liked and what I didn't. And I am glad I didn't do anything permanent like get a tattoo at this age. I'm sure that 20 years later, I'd be hating it.

ps- this is from a magazine shoot, and I didn't usually have soooo much clutter. The stylist empties out the cabinets and really fills up a room.

Sculpy_099

Being an antique dealer helped me learn my style too. I had a revolving door of hand painted furniture to play with.

Dining_room

Like the time I painted all the chairs black…

Buttons_001

But then decided that white was better.

Kitchen_001

And once I thought I'd like a neapolitan ice cream look in the kitchen. I do think that the dark wall really makes the cabinets stand out, and there are things I like about this, though. After seeing this picture, I went and pulled that striped and rose curtain out and hung it back up there again to give my burlap and lace one a break.

We have gone through a series of floors too, ending up with this wood that was beneath all of the layers the whole time. When we first bought the place, I was told that the floor was not salvageable, it had linoleum glued to it and was ruined.

Once again, I'm glad that we didn't try to use this original wood 25 years ago, I wouldn't have settled for the beat up, weathered look that it has now and would have tried to fix it. I'm glad it laid in wait until I could uncover it and appreciate it in all of its flawed beauty.

And after living with off white tile floors, and before that, white linoleum, I learned that I wanted a darker floor, and I'm glad that I stained the wood a deep, dark, walnut. Not only for the contrast, but for the ease of taking care of it.

We spend so much time in the kitchen, much more there than any other room. Lots of big family dinners, or quiet times reading the paper, having coffee and talking about what is ahead in our day.

So, it means the world to me that the wall cutting off the kitchen from the dining room is gone. And (for now??) I'm thrilled with the light tones and bright whites. I've always wanted an all white room, and have drooled over them on blogs and magazines, but felt like I was too far removed from that look to ever achieve it.

I guess it was a step by step process for me to get here. Little by little, I lightened up and changed my style. Now, I wonder, am I here now, where I want to stay? I'm happier than I ever was with the space. Many of the redos were because I was never satisfied and wanted to experiment. This is the most pleased I've ever been, and it is a good feeling.

Plus, I'm slightly exhausted. I might not have another redo in me!

PS- I often write posts in advance, and this one was written in September BEFORE I did a mini redo on the kitchen and showed it for the Blogger's Fall Home Tour. Ha! I did have some redo left in me after all.

I painted and hung two matching, new chandeliers, and made a new curtain from vintage fabric to go under the kitchen sink.

Fall Home Tour- uhm…I have four pumpkins to see…Oh, and some mums! look at the mums!!

collections, cottage, dogs, holiday decor, show and tell, yorkies

By Karla Nathan / September 18, 2015

Dear Brenda invited me to be one of her guests on the Fall Home Tour that she curated.

I'm afraid I don't have a lot to see as far as fall goes- I think I might have let her down. It is just a bit early for autumn decor for me, I tend to hang onto summer till the last blast of heat has faded, then go straight into Halloween junk strewn about my house.

But it was good to have a reason to do a seasonal transition. I was happy with the results, minimal as they are. Usually, I buy a few white and gray pumpkins in October at the Pumpkin Patch, and since the little grand fairies love going there so much, and the events are free, I like to save up all my punkin buying for that venue. It isn't open yet, I don't want to purchase the gourds from the grocery store, and our home grown ones aren't ready to pick, but luckily, I had a few artificial ones to pull out and get the mood set for fall.

Brenda is doing this tour in order of the homes, so previous to my house is House Honeys, So Much Better with Age, then Chasing Quaintness and the next home ready for a tour is Northern Nesting. After that is White Tulip Designs and My Thrift Store Addiction.

There is also a hand made pumpkin from my friend, Tami. (on the left)

While I love bringing natural elements into my home, and am looking forward to picking pumpkins straight from the patch, the artificial gourds can be a lot more versatile, I doubt if I could balance a real life, heavy pumpkin on a stack of teacups. And if you put a fresh one under glass, that can cause it to get moldy faster.

Even though Halloween is still a bit away, I had to pull out my white witch picture. I found it at a garage sale for a quarter, and it is one of my all time favorite pictures. She isn't necessarily a witch, but I think she makes a good one. She is a traditional part of my fall decor.

Sometimes the things I spend a quarter on can turn out to be quite nice. Not just the white witch picture, but this floral/pumpkin ring that the larger pumpkin rests on. I got it at a garage sale, and spray painted it white, then dusted it with glitter. I purposely did a haphazard spray job on it, so that the colors underneath still show in a muted way.

The new clock is from Michaels. I rarely buy things that aren't old or second hand, but this clock spoke to me when I passed it in the aisle and I knew I had just the right spot for it. (plus, while it might not BE second hand, it does HAVE a second hand….. oh, I crack myself up sometimes)

Few things say fall to me more than mums do. I can't resist buying a few more plants every year to set out in the beds once they have finished blooming.

Under the pots of mums, I've used my favorite scarf from a Victoria Trading Co. giveaway as a runner. I'm not big on traditional fall tones, but the soft faded colors in this scarf are an exception to my ban on orange.

This time of September, the summer flowers are starting to perk back up again after the heat of August fades, and the herbs are bolting with blooms. I love picking fresh herbs to bring in to fill the kitchen with their scent.

Speaking of scents, it is time to switch from lighter candle fragrances to cidery/appley/cinnamony yumminess. One of the very first things I do every morning is light a candle that sits on my wood stove. Unless it is winter and we are burning wood, of course, that is a whole other olfactory sensation of its own.

I keep a tablecloth on on the stove when it is not in use, and once again, these are not my typical colors, but I do indulge a little bit in fall tones, if there is a good deal of white still involved.

After saying a couple of times that I don't do orange or the traditional shades of fall, here yet again, I make myself out to be a liar. In the grand fairies' play area, they get a bright colored vintage table cloth with turning leaves on it.

I probably shouldn't do orange because this really doesn't fit in with that corner of the room. But, if I think about it, neither does the stack of coloring books or the box of art supplies. When there are kids around, you just kind of have to live with the things they love and use, don't you? And a bright colored table cloth to mark the turning of the leaves makes the little ones happy.

Recently, when I painted and stained the cabinets, and used Venetian plaster on the walls, I hung this drawing by my great grandma, Nelly, in the kitchen.

And it crashed to the floor in a pile of glass and crunched framing, due to a careless job of hanging it.

The drawing wasn't harmed one bit! I'd never really cared for the way it had been framed, and while it was a pinch in the ole wallet, I was glad to have an excuse to reframe it in a way that I preferred. I chose a more antiquey looking frame, and one much smaller than the previous one.

I'm very happy with the results. And I think Great Grandma Nelly would be too. She did a total of 6 pictures in her time at Southern Indiana art school at the turn of the century (not this one, the one BEFORE). Then, she retired to farm life to raise kids. I feel so blessed to own one of her works. And soooo glad it wasn't torn up in the crash landing.

For summer, I'd covered my chairs in white ruffled slipcovers. To warm up the room for fall (not to mention that they needed a good bleaching due to messy fingered fairies), I slipped them off.

I'll probably leave them off til Christmas. And maybe tie them on with golden bows? By the way, They washed up perfectly.

Last week, I also replaced the two chandeliers. One that had hung here had a wiring issue, and one in the studio got hit with a heavy picnic basket that spun around so hard the fuse blew. But that is a whole different story, isn't it?

Anyway, a light in the kitchen and one in my studio both needed replaced. I decided to buy two matching ones for the kitchen and move the one that still worked into the studio.

After painting the kitchen white, I almost thought that white chandeliers were too much, that I needed some contrast. So, I bought a pair of dark, rust colored lights.

They seemed too dark.

Seems like I had a slight case of Goldilocks syndrome going on, and needed to find the solution to make them Just Right.

I'd gone to all of that effort to have an all white room, and that was just too much darkness to add. So, I did some painting and brightened up the new, dark chandies, while still leaving some contrast.

This might show what I mean better.

I also added 3, large peachy-amber crystals (for fall) and a few vintage ones here and there to customize it a bit.

On the tube thingies that fit over the socket areas, I glued some vintage flocked and glittered wallpaper from France. Oooh La La !!

In the spring, I think I'll pull it off and change it to something rosy.

Another thing I'd been wanting to do since repainting the cabinets, was to change the skirt under the sink. I'm not much of a sewer, but I can do a hem to fit over a curtain rod without too much cussing.

I used the vintage fabric I had left over from another project, but it was there wasn't quite enough, so I added some vintage eyelet trim to lengthen it.

Sorry I didn't wipe down the front of the dishwasher or put away my watermelon before taking pictures.

If you are wondering why all of my fall decorating pictures have been of my kitchen only, it is because that is mostly where we live.

This room is where we gather, and spend the majority of our time.

The living room did get a little bit of a nod to fall. I sat out a crazy quilt that my mom made, in case anyone needed a snuggle when the temps drop enough to open the windows and we get a cool breeze at night. Mostly, Dorothy Rosebud thinks it is for her to cuddle up on.

Normally, this time of year, I take down my spring floral curtains and replace them with the white velvet ones. Not this year.

I might have discovered a wonderful trick- I didn't have time to switch them out last spring, and no one even cared or noticed but me. And look how much time it saves me this season!! Although, living in an old house with a wood stove, I do feel like curtains could use a good washing every six months.

I'm past due for changing the slipcovers on the sofa. Some how I've ended up with a few pillows that don't match.

But hey, look- I set out a festive, fall mum on the table. That is the sum of my decor for the season for this room.

Autumn is also when I have an excuse to pull out the carnival glass plates and serve something baked fresh with apples. The scent of cinnamon and apples for me is right up there with the smell of pumpkin and nutmeg to bring the feel of fall into my home.

Brenda, thanks for inviting me to be a part of your tour. I don't know that I had enough fall decor to qualify for it after all, but if you want to see a major transformation, try me at Christmas! That is when I go all out.

To everyone else, have fun looking at the other homes. I know I'm looking forward to seeing the creativity Brenda has rounded up for us to enjoy. If you are new to my blog, nice to meet you. And thank you all for coming by.

Here are the addresses of all the blogs on the tour:

September 15th…

Thoughts From Alice

Exquisitely Unremarkable

September 16th…

Town & Country Living

The Sweetest Digs
House Of Hipsters

September 17th…

September 18th…

So Much Better With Age

My Thrift Store Addiction

ps- The kits for "Book of Mysteries" are now available!! The little witchy girls will be coming soon.

(here is the book with a different witch on the cover, and without the Hocus Pocus eye.)

And another ps- Since my house is all cleaned up and I've already linked to a gathering, I thought I'd link to Feathered Nest Friday too. I rarely am prepared for linky parties, might as well take advantage while I am, huh?

Backyard water cooler

cottage, dogs, kitties

By Karla Nathan / September 8, 2015

The local nursery had these fountains on a 75% clearance, and the grand fairies are fascinated with fountains, so I picked it up for them to play with, for only $10.

The girlies aren't the only ones who were interested in it. All of the kittens have taken a liking to the dancing water.

But Honey is the reason why I can't leave it running. She thinks it is her personal water fountain and drains it dry in a few giant, big dog, gulps.

Yet one more adjustment that comes from owning a dog tall enough to reach anything it wants to.

Although, she doesn't realize yet that she is a big dog. Her favorite spot to be when outside, is under Sugarwings' golf clubs out in the breezeway. Those are some pretty short, little clubs, and Honey won't be fitting under there much longer!