Cottage Neighborhood Tour

We live in a community of cottages designed, I’ve been told, after Seaside in Florida. All have at least a front porch, and many, as you’ve seen in my many posts, screened porches as well.

Decorated at Christmas, they’re as cute as can be. With the recent snow, I took a drive on a particularly beautiful, bright day, and when I came home in the evening, when they take a whole different look, I took another drive, enjoying the lights. I of course took some pictures then too.

So, here’s our community tour~

This one is across the street from us! After the a recent snowfall I stepped out on our front porch and took a few pictures…

…and how about that sky?! Those of you who visit often know I LOVE summer and always mourn its end, but God’s paintbrush always reminds me that every season has its beauty and gifts.

Aren’t the snowflakes on the door pretty—and something unique? And her beautiful bows are red-and-white checked, so they look pink from a distance.

Moving Driving along~

And the Chickadee home  :)

I’ve done these bows for years; they always look like cardinals in the tree. This year I added the red ornaments (Dollar Tree bargains!!).

One lone ornament…Two of our chickadees were going to help me decorate the bush with the ribbons and ornaments,but it started to snow, so as we headed inside, Middle Chickadee put his ornament on the tree. Yes, it’s staying there :). Love that sweet little touch.  And are you wondering about the shovel? We got it on our trip to Richmond, Indiana (you can see that post here) in the fall.

I fell in love with the wood handle on the shovel as soon as I saw it in an antique shop. Imagine the hands that worked with this shovel! It’s not lightly used—it was used, and used often. I was happy to give it a home. Do you ever wonder what the original, long-ago owners of old things we buy at antique shops would say about our buying their belongings? Or the history behind the article? Would they be happy that their belongings are still valued and given a happy home? (More on the details of our front porch soon, I hope.)

Our view across the street.

Some of the cottages have two porches~

 

How’s this for cute?! Wait till you see it lit at night!

And one of our community gazebos.

And now…some nighttime shots~

I love the reflection in the window, and of course, the Adirondacks. I wonder if Lynn, the owner of this home, has taken a picture of this darling, beachy vignette, or am I the only crazy person trying to capture life as we roll along?

Oh, how I love snow on illuminated bushes! They look like cupcakes to me!

Our cottage (more to come at a later post)…

This is our community barn, at our community garden.

And last but not least, our light post. I LOVE light posts, especially in the snow, and lit~

I hope you enjoyed this tour, and that it provided a bit of respite if you’ve been busy with holiday preparations.

Wishing you a very merry Christmas!!

Thanks so much for stopping by. I hope you’ll leave me a comment to let me know you were here—I’m thrilled to know you stopped by, and I’ll always visit back and comment too. If you like what you see, I invite you to follow me (I promise to follow back), and please—Pin away and follow me on Pinterest too! Thank you!!

NOTE: Some of the items I use in my posts are in my Etsy shop, but many are not, simply because I haven’t updated my shop. If you see something you like and wonder if it’s available for sale, email me at coral5252@gmail.com and let’s talk!

Feathered Nest Friday at http://frenchcountrycottage.blogspot.com/

Home Sweet Home Fridays at http://thecharmofhome.blogspot.com/

Thrifty Things Friday at http://thethriftygroove.blogspot.com/

Vintage Inspiration Friday at http://commonground-debrasvintagedesigns.blogspot.com/

Show and Tell Friday at http://romantichome.blogspot.com/

Fresh-Cut Fridays at http://rosevignettes.blogspot.com

Sunday Showcase at http://www.bystephanielynn.com/

Sunday Creative Home and Garden Hop at http://creativehomeexpressions.blogspot.com/

Sundays at The Tablescaper: http://thetablescaper.blogspot.com/

Mop it Up Monday at http://www.ishouldbemoppingthefloor.com

Metamorphosis Monday at  http://betweennapsontheporch.net/

Masterpiece Monday at http://boogieboardcottage.blogspot.com/

Nifty Thrifty Tuesday at http://linda-coastalcharm.blogspot.com

Tuesdays at Our Home at http://mariaelenasdecor.blogspot.com/

Tuesday’s Treasures http://www.myuncommonsliceofsuburbia.com/

Inspire Me Tuesday at http://astrollthrulife.blogspot.com/

Cuisine Kathleen at http://www.cuisinekathleen.com/

Wow Us Wednesdays at http://www.savvysouthernstyle.net/

DIY by Design Party at http://diybydesign.blogspot.com/

What's It Wednesday at http://ivyandelephants.blogspot.com/

Home and Garden Thursday at http://blissfulrhythm.blogspot.com/

Tablescape Thursday at http://betweennapsontheporch.net/

Open House Party Thursday at http://nominimalisthere.blogspot.com

Transformation Thursdays at http://www.theshabbycreekcottage.com/

Thursdays at http://www.theselfsufficienthomeacre.com

From my nest to yours~

Zuni

A Summer Rain—from the Porch

On a Saturday morning a couple of weeks ago we woke up to [more] rain, but it was a hard-enough-to-hear rain that makes you want to stay in bed all day and just listen to it. I admit it…I did do a little bit of that, but then I was anxious to get out to the front porch to enjoy it in a different way.

One of the good things in life is having a front porch—with a swing—and sitting on that swing, warm cup of coffee in hand, listening to the rain and watching as the drops hit the ground and make their own little splashes.

 Listen….do you hear it?! Do you hear the quiet??

 

Yes, siree! It was some awesome sort of summer rain! No thunder, no lightning, just sweet, sweet rain.

My wellies, jacket, and umbrella at the ready, in case I decide to venture out for a walk. Do you have rain boots? If you do, what do you like about them? Do you wear them often? I love mine! In fact, I find them kind of freeing—I can walk anywhere, through anything, without getting my feet or pants wet or the back of my pants splashed!

One of my favorite mugs—from Starbucks—was perfect for my morning on the porch.

And as I enjoyed the rain, I enjoyed our porch, taking the time to enjoy the little “vignettes” that are often overlooked.

This old crate that I’ve had for so long and use so often. Not a clue where/when I got it, but it sure has been enjoyed!

I’ve already mentioned this geranium this year—it’s been absolutely beautiful! It’s hard to tell in the picture, but the red is a black red; the flowers look almost like velvet. The wicker table? A fabulous auction find!

And the “painted” geranium—see how it looks like each petal has brushstrokes? Another favorite this year that I’ve mentioned before. I’m going to try to keep them over the winter in the garage. We’re in Ohio—any advice on how to do that? I would love, love, love to have these again next year.

 

 

P.S. After this sweet reprieve on our porch my husband and I ventured out in the rain—yes, I in my wellies—to a nearby town that has wonderful antique shops. Before wellies I may not have been too interested in that, but have wellies, will go out!

Are you a rain lover? Do you venture out in it? And if you own rain boots do you love them and wonder why you didn’t buy them longer ago like I do?!

Thanks so much for stopping by. I hope you’ll leave me a comment to let me know you were here—I read every single one of them! And if you like what you see a lot, maybe you’d like to Google+ this post or pin it on Pinterest too! Thank you!

I invite you to follow me. If you’ll let me know that you’re following, I’ll be sure to follow you back.

Mop it Up Monday at http://www.ishouldbemoppingthefloor.com

Metamorphosis Monday at  http://betweennapsontheporch.net/

Masterpiece Monday at http://boogieboardcottage.blogspot.com/

Nifty Thrifty Tuesday at http://linda-coastalcharm.blogspot.com

Tuesday’s Treasures http://www.myuncommonsliceofsuburbia.com/

Wow Us Wednesdays at http://savvysouthernstyle.blogspot.com/

DIY by Design Party at http://diybydesign.blogspot.com/

What's It Wednesday at http://ivyandelephants.blogspot.com/

Share Your Cup Wednesday at http://jannolson.blogspot.com/

Thursdays at StoneGable http://www.stonegableblog.com/

Home and Garden Thursday at http://blissfulrhythm.blogspot.com/

Tablescape Thursday at http://betweennapsontheporch.net/

Open House Party Thursday at http://nominimalisthere.blogspot.com

Transformation Thursdays at http://www.theshabbycreekcottage.com/

Feathered Nest Friday at http://frenchcountrycottage.blogspot.com/

Home Sweet Home Fridays at http://thecharmofhome.blogspot.com/

Potpourri Friday at http://twenty-eight-0-five.blogspot.com/

Inspiration Friday at http://www.atthepicketfence.com

Thrifty Things Friday at http://thethriftygroove.blogspot.com/

Vintage Inspiration Friday at http://commonground-debrasvintagedesigns.blogspot.com/

Show and Tell Friday at http://romantichome.blogspot.com/

Fridays Unfolded at http://www.stuff-and-nonsense.net/

Fall Around the House at http://theinspiredroom.net

From my nest to yours~

Zuni

Fall Decorating, The Front Porch

If you’ve been reading my recent posts, I LOVE summer, and it takes quite a while for me to get into the swing of things with fall, but eventually the changing colors and the nip in the air make summer decor look out of place and the collision of the two starts to get to me…that’s when I know it’s time to make the change.  How about you?  In which camp do you “fall” ?  Keep summer alive as long as possible, or welcome fall with open arms?
So when I step into fall I’m always surprised that it’s a pleasure…I actually enjoy it! 
I started with the front porch.  Welcome to our home!
I have “a thing” about our flag.  The way we have it on the house allows me to see it from inside, and never do I fail to notice it and its beauty.

I love shadow play—see the light post on the steps?  And the flag, flying high on a beautiful, breezy fall day?

 We’ve had these “jacks” for years and years, and I believe we’ve used them every single fall since…I really like them.  I decided to use them on the front porch instead of the screened porch, so the baby grands can see them when they come over.  The jacks have orange lights in them, so they’re on a timer to come on at dusk.  The plaid throw and the gold and orange one on the swing are actually shawls of mine that seemed to fit the vignettes this year.

Recently we stumbled into a fun, neat shop off the beaten path—Back Roads (www.shopbackroads.com), and we promised ourselves that when I transitioned into fall, it would be there that we would buy our mums.  Aren’t these gorgeous?  That’s only TWO plants in this big, old A&P bin.  And the price was fabulous.  Happy to deal with a small business instead of the big boxes too.

Later, when the sun is long gone and the “jacks” are lit, the baby grands and I will surely need the extra blankets to bundle up on the swing at bedtime as we do all summer long.  We’ll stretch the swing season as much as possible.

I would say fall {finally} arrived at our house, wouldn’t you?  And there’s more…several vignettes inside, and the screened porch.  I hope to have those in a post SOON!

How quickly do you adapt to fall?  What signals fall for you that gets you in the fall decorating mood?

Thanks for stopping by. I hope you’ll leave me a comment to let me know you were here—I love to read every single one of them! And if you like what you see a lot, maybe you’d like to +1 this post or pin it on Pinterest too! Thank you! I invite you to follow me. If you’ll let me know that you’re following, I’ll be sure to follow you back. I’ll be joining these fun parties this week.  I hope you join in the fun! Seasonal Sunday at http://thetablescaper.blogspot.com Mop it Up Monday at http://www.ishouldbemoppingthefloor.com Metamorphosis Monday at http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/ Masterpiece Monday at http://boogieboardcottage.blogspot.com/ Cozy Home Scenes Tuesdays at http://cozyhomescenes.blogspot.com/ Nifty Thrifty Tuesday at http://linda-coastalcharm.blogspot.com Tuesday’s Treasures http://www.myuncommonsliceofsuburbia.com/ Tabletop Tuesday at http://astrollthrulife.blogspot.com/ Cuisine Kathleen at http://www.cuisinekathleen.com/ Wow Us Wednesdays at http://savvysouthernstyle.blogspot.com/ DIY by Design Party at http://diybydesign.blogspot.com/ What's It Wednesday at http://ivyandelephants.blogspot.com/ Thursdays at StoneGable http://www.stonegableblog.com/ Home and Garden Thursday at http://blissfulrhythm.blogspot.com/ Tablescape Thursday at betweennapsontheporch.net Open House Party Thursday at http://nominimalisthere.blogspot.com Share Your Cup Thursday at http://jannolson.blogspot.com/ Transformation Thursdays at http://www.theshabbycreekcottage.com/ Feathered Nest Friday at http://frenchcountrycottage.blogspot.com/ Home Sweet Home Fridays at http://thecharmofhome.blogspot.com/ Potpourri Friday at http://twenty-eight-0-five.blogspot.com/ Inspiration Friday at http://www.atthepicketfence.com Thrifty Things Friday at http://thethriftygroove.blogspot.com/ Vintage Inspiration Friday at http://commonground-debrasvintagedesigns.blogspot.com/ Show and Tell Friday at http://romantichome.blogspot.com/ Fridays Unfolded at http://www.stuff-and-nonsense.net/ From my nest to yours~ Zuni