English Cottage Kitchen in Miniature

For some time now, I have been gathering pieces for an English Country

Cottage Kitchen.  At first I though I would add them to a dollhouse, but my collection

has such large pieces that I knew would be too big for the typical dollhouse size

room, so I decided to go with a room box instead.  Here it is, and it's a big one.

It was easy to assemble, and the rest is the fun part ~ decorating.

I put down faux brick flooring, but decided to paint the walls an off white.

The surround of the Aga range is the focal point of the room.

I love this French Market Basket filled with sunflowers.

Copper and the braided garlic.

This little hutch is one of my favorites.

The farmhouse worktable.

The farmhouse sink with storage below, and a plate rack above filled

with daily dishes.

As with any home, miniature or real, it takes a while to settle into a 

a new home.  It's a process that begs the question, what could I use in

this blank spot, etc?  After moving in, I had a thought as to what to do

with all those blank walls?  It's coming soon.  In the meantime, I will

be sorting through my stash, and scouring the marketplace!

Today I am joining:

Metamorphosis Monday

Thanks for stopping by.  Have a fun week!

Big Texas Hugs,

Susan and Bentley

Transitioning into Fall

I promised myself no decorating for fall until September 23rd.  So far I

have been staying the course, yet I also feel like I need to make a smooth

transition between the seasons.  While I still am using a summery gingham,

I have added apple/cinnamon candles and more berries and more apples.

Apples are fall to me.

Still hanging onto to the basket of fruit.

So there you have it.  A simple changing of the seasons tablescape

that has one foot in summer, and one in fall.

Tablescape Thursday

Thanks so much for stopping by.  Next week, let the decorating begin!

Big Texas Hugs,

Susan and Bentley

Spa Day for My Garden

The landscapers were here last week to trim and clean out all of

the garden beds.  It was a huge job and took a few men several

days to complete.  I don't know how they stood it during the 

miserable hot and humid weather, but they were cheerful throughout

the whole process.  The window washers come in next, and they will

also power wash the front porch.  Next comes a painter to brighten

up the trim around the door and repaint the post.  Finally,

after that is finished we will install a new front door.  I'll be

so happy when that's done.

We didn't have a freeze last winter, so all of the tropicals are happy and hardy.

On the other side of that large window is my office.

This is an eastern exposure, so the sunshine is bright

in the morning.  Love it!

 

There is a camellia bush in there that you don't notice until the spring.

Here is the end of this wing of the house.  This house was custom built in 1948 by

a lovely woman who somehow thought of everything.  You can see the

mid-century modern elements infused with the colonial ones.  

Those cut outs in the brick are very a mid-century look.

This wing of the house faces the side street.  The large window in the middle

is for the dining room, the one next to it is over the kitchen sink. This is

followed by a side entrance that leads to the breezeway separating the house

from the garage.  

There is a whole other wing of this house on the other side for the 

master bedroom suite.  If I had a drone shot, you could see that the 

whole house is shaped like a widened U form with the patio and the

veranda in the center.  They don't build big ranch houses like this one

anymore.  They are just not cost effective.  Back in 1948, however, the 

war was over and everyone was positive and enthusiastic.  I collect

lots of vintage home design magazines from the 1940's and I can

see a lot of the same design elements used in this home.

Here's a shot of the backyard.  So many tropicals back there.  The ginger is over 

ten feet tall and the cast iron plants are very thick.  Thanks for stopping by!

I sure am glad this project is finished!

Big Texas Hugs,

Susan and Bentley

The Big To Do List

This is the side of our house.  The window with the shutters is in the

living room, and the large picture window is in the dining room.  This 

entire row of azaleas will be trimmed and excess leaves and debris will

be removed.  It has gotten away from us recently and now needs a

bit of TLC.

With temps soaring into the 90's and 100's for weeks now, cleaning up

garden beds has become a monumental task.  In this picture,  you can

see the side entrance through that louvered door leading to the breeze-way.

The azaleas are even bigger now than what you see here, and a volunteer

pecan tree has begun to grow in the midst of them.  The tree no doubt

took root when a squirrel decided to bury his pecan nut right there.  

This is an old photo of the front of our house right after we closed on the property.

We have managed to improve the lawn, and the tropicals on the right are much

larger now. This area will be cleaned up also.

The trim around the front door will get a fresh coat of paint, and the door will be replaced

with a new one.

I want a door like this one.  I think it will be attractive on our

house, and I love all the windows.  Our foyer is very dark, and this

style will bring in lots of light.

Our backyard is an absolute jungle!  Huge beds of ornamental ginger

that stand over ten feet high.  Deep beds of cast iron plants that need to 

have all the dead leaves removed, and the leaf debris removed from the

ground beneath it.  Just an over whelming amount of work to be competed

So my hubby surprised me and spoke to a landscaper.  She gave him an

estimate of what the job will cost, front, back and side yards. We agreed to

her price, and she arrives next week with a team of five men to start

the job, or as she calls it "spa day" for our garden.   I can't wait.  We will

also talk about some new plantings around the front door and get that

area all designed, but will wait until the weather cools off before we tackle

that project.

We are also taking bids to have our electric panel increased in capacity 

that will permit all the equipment needs for the pool and spa.  He

will also give us a quote for a full house generator.  Our next door neighbor

has one and loves it.  If the power should go out, the generator will get the

message and turn itself on.  So, even if we go out of town, and we have a

bad storm and lose power, our generator will automatically click on

to keep everything up and running.

We are getting a new Bosch dishwasher and removing the current

engineered flooring in the kitchen and replacing it with antique

brick.  Where there is still carpeting in the house, it is going to be

pulled out down to the original hardwoods.

Lots of projects, but it's time to get going on making our dreams 

a reality!  Stay tuned.

Big Texas Hugs,

Susan and Bentley