Creative Home and Garden Ideas From Our Cottage in The Woods
Pictures of Creative Home Decorating, Gardening, and other Ideas From Our Cottage in the Woods
My perfect cup of tea…
– Place a tea bag in your cup – add hot water.
– Allow to sit for a few minutes – squeeze & remove.
– Add a spoon of splenda, a bit of milk, and a dash of vanilla – stir.
– ENJOY!
Pictured here is a pair of vintage tea bag holders that I picked up for a dollar at a local shop. I loved the colors! I’ve pictured them in front of a piece of vintage pottery.
Run – do not walk – to your nearest “Big Lots”! I found these Levolor rods for only $7.95! They are black wrought iron with a very nice weight to them. A very nice change to the ordinary plastic rods that you see at most places! Because we need to hang curtains on all of the windows in our home, I know how costly curtain rods can be! I was so happy to find these, as they are cheaper than the smallest rods at the nearest “big mart”! I took the picture with the rod ends in front of a darker fabric (the front of my organizer) so that you could see how beautiful they are close up.
Here is what they look like in the package.
I am getting ready to make new curtains to hang on these lovely rods & I will post the progress of those very soon!
Home Decor – Vintage, Shabby Chic, Primitive Wall Hanging
I really enjoy this new wall hanging, and although I use it with my cottage style, it could also be used in primitive, shabby chic, or country home decor. I especially love the black iron hanger, as well as the vintage crackle finish of the swan.
Recently, while visiting one of my favorite shops, I picked up this piece for a very nice “sale” price 🙂 Needless to say, it was my find of the day!
Not only do I really enjoy the color and the lines just the way it is, but, should you decide to find (or make) something like this it could be used in many different ways.
I’ve chosen to hang this piece right up against a wall in my family room, because I like the way the deep reds of the wallpaper in the background make the black & off white vintage crackle finish really stand out. In your home, you could use this type of piece in many different ways.
– In the opening of a doorway
– On the side of a cabinet
– In the top of a hallway
– At your front door
– On your mailbox
If you look closely at the picture, you can see that the swan is connected by a chain & hooks. You could have several different pieces to hang from these hooks. A few ideas could be; snowman, scarecrow, Christmas tree, flag, flower, etc. You could have something different for every season, or something as simple as your favorite sign text.
Here are a few examples;
– Home is Where the Heart is
– It’s a wonderful Life
– Welcome
– Believe
– Merry Christmas
– Laundry
– Always Kiss me Goodnight
– Come Gather at our Table
Pink Flowers to brighten your day!
When all the leaves have fallen, and you know that snow is around the corner, there’s nothing better than beautiful blooms to give you a quick pick-me-up!
I have several different cactus (or cacti) around my home, and even though most of the year they just sit there with their normal looking green leaves, there are those special times when they put on their best & give us a spectacular show that lasts for several weeks!
Here is a picture of one of the flowers from a Thanksgiving cactus that sits on my kitchen window sill.
It still amazes me to know that these little “plain jane” house plants have this big beautiful show inside – just waiting to burst forth at just the right time 🙂
This reminds me of many people that I know. So many are full of so much potential, but need the right conditions before they can release the best that’s still waiting on the inside to come out. This plant will only bloom under particular conditions;
* Sunshine – I think this represents the joy in your life, are you lacking this essential element? When was the last time that you felt joy – just by the fact that you have been given another day to live?
* Water – Water represents life – refreshment for our soul
* Food – Just the right kind & not to much or the plant will die – what are you feeding yourself? What are you allowing to “fill” your time, thoughts, and energy?
Maybe today you could take moment to evaluate what you allow to fill your life, maybe you need some different conditions, so that you can burst forth into beauty, not only for yourself, but for all of those around you to enjoy!
I have 3 different colors of Thanksgiving cactus sitting on my window sill. Here you can see the pink flowers, as well as the yellow flowers of the cactus.
Pottery Barn had a great sale recently, and I picked up several of these beautiful glass jars. Hopefully you can see how “vintage” they look – with the thick bubbled glass. When I saw the jars, I knew I’d find lots of great uses for them! Here is my first use 🙂
This is a seasonal display that I put together on our harvest table. (I love the table! Even though it’s brand new, it looks like a vintage piece taken right from the family farm!)
The pumpkins were .50 cents, the candle is from “W-Mart” – they have several nice scents & colors for $5.50 & they are huge 4 wick candles! The glass jars, as I already mentioned, are from Pottery Barn. They were on sale for $7. I also added some rose hips & orange peel fixins.
We so enjoy the sight & scents from this display as we enjoy our family dinners!
Fall displays don’t have to be expensive! Check your local Pottery Barn for sales they may be having!
This basket was handmade for me. It was one out of a set of 8, that a reader sent in for a product review sample. This particular basket was handcrafted with natural maple & leather straps.
During one of my trips to a favorite gift shop, I saw a beautiful black basket with a berry garland around the top. Unfortunately, it was way out of the price range that I was willing to pay for it.
I started thinking about some of the baskets that I had at home, and I decided to try an experiment with one of them.
I used a can of flat black spray paint and covered the basket inside & out (outside in a well vented area of course :). At first I wanted to try to keep the handles from getting paint on them for fear of ruining the leather, but then I decided to go ahead & try to paint them.
I was pleasantly surprised at how nice this project came out! Both the leather & the wood received the paint, and both covered very well!
As you can see in this picture, I’ve added a nice fall berry garland to the top for the season. Each season, I plan to add some different type of decoration.
You could use any extra basket that you have around your house – a $1 can of paint & some seasonal decorations to make your own inexpensive decorative display.
I really love the way this project gives me a primitive basket look, at a very small price!