Good Gifting

 I am in love with these menswear-wool pillows with contrast piping. I would get the Euro size.

 This rhino from Indy Plush has stolen my heart.

New enamelware in grey and white instead of traditional black and white. Couldn't be more perfect.

I'd wrap it all up in this awesome paper I found on Etsy.

Have a festive weekend!

Ornament love

Loving all of these - perfect for the Modern Cottage tree! This fabric snowflake design is the perfect simple/organic/rustic combo. I also love this set in the shop, which would be great if we get a mini tree for the little guy's room.....This tree at Terrain is exactly what I am picturing - I'm sure we can find something locally and we have more vintage buckets than we know what to do with :) Plus, it would be fun to plant it together after the holiday is over.

I also think these handmade walnut ornaments are so pretty. I love the wood and the subtle metallic paint. Very understated modern.

And H&M never disappoints with great style and even better prices, like this set for $4.95.

Fabric, wood, and metal ornaments would provide a pleasing assortment of textures on the Christmas tree, don't you think?

Holiday project #3: Leaping Reindeer

Ok, so this one was relatively easy... simply hunt down three happy little Rosbro reindeer in good condition, purchase, receive, and display. Aren't they the sweetest? I really love the mod shape.

Holiday project #2: Photo Garland

 This was one of the most fun projects... I had visions of garlands dancing in my head and this is where I ended up, with inspiration coming from these amazing little clippy-hooks, and a desire to use  nostalic-feeling, winter-wonderland-y photos. I relied on my trusty ball of twine and super-fancy 1/8" hole punch (I think it's 1/8 ... maybe 1/4 who can keep track) and started hunting down some of our own favorite winter time pictures. I used lightweight matte photo paper and lightened the photos a bit to give them a slighty aged look. The white borders were easy thanks to my paper trimmer (best invention ever) and I left extra white space at the tops to give the hole punch some breathing room. It definitely feels festive but at the same time pure, simple, and beautiful... which I guess you could say is our guiding theme this holiday :)

Holiday project #1: Fun with Paperwhites

So we're hoping to tackle a handful of decorating projects this Christmas. So far, so good with the first two (yes, we've tackled TWO so far!)  I've always loved paperwhites and with a little research discovered they're quite simple to "grow" indoors. We purchased a few bulbs from our local nursery and set them up in individual canning jars with some rocks we collected from the beach just down the hill from our house. Ideally you stick a bunch of bulbs together in the same container so they grow in a nice, full, bunch. However I had this notion of setting them up in the jars, and there isn't much room. We'll see how we do. It's an experiment. I just adore the jar trio though. We got them all assembled mid-month, so they should be blooming around the middle of December. Can you believe we were that organized? :)

Calm before the chaos

Have I mentioned I love this time of year? Especially now, before the frenzy of the holidays kicks in. The colors outside are beautiful, things just feel relaxed and peaceful, and we've got the giddy anticipation of Thanksgiving and Christmas just around the bend. I captured this moment the other day and it just makes me melt every time I see it.

We're also starting on a new project, which is always a lot of fun with ideas swirling as the final vision starts to come together. A renovation and addition to what was once an old fishing cabin (built in 1900!). We'll post more as we get underway.

Hope you enjoy these next couple of weeks! I'm thinking leisurely strolls, salted carmel lattes (yes I've got  my own recipe down, and thankfully Starbucks is always happy to oblige), and crisp fall air. Oh, and being able to complete pretty much any task or outing crowd-free :)

First look - Holiday



Ok, I'll admit it... I've been scoping out this year's holiday assortments online to see what's new and exciting. I have some ideas up my sleeve for our own unique spin on holiday decorating this year, but I do love this lighted tree from Restoration Hardware. I'd put it in one of the many old galvanized buckets we've collected over the years, like this one from Etsy. I know, it's not even Halloween yet. It's just that I really adore Christmas and everything that goes along with it... and it's fun to start gathering inspiration early! I'll have more great finds to share in the weeks to come.

Is it really October?

Of course this year was a blur, but the weather is also throwing us off - it's been a beautiful, extended summer and we have been soaking it up. Rain? What's that? I'm sure we'll be reminded soon enough. In fact, I'm pretty sure we'll be reminded later this week! But, until then, we are enjoying it. I was almost surprised to see leaves falling since to me it felt like an overnight occurrence. We made sure to get out to the pumpkin patch on a nice, dry, sunny day (vs last year when it was a bit muddy and mucky).  Here are our winners. Of course we got one our favorite white variety, but this year we came across these pretty greenish-grey ones too, very petite with curvy stems. They look great on the front steps, do they not?

It's the holiday season...

with the whoop-de-do, and hickory dock, and don't forget...to hang up your sock!

Happy, happy! It's Christmastime, and I can't seem to stop humming this cheery tune written by Irving Berlin in 1942.

Looking forward to sharing some Modern Cottage style decorating ideas and inspiration in the weeks to come. Our lights are up outside and things are starting to feel festive around here. Thinking about breaking out the rest of the decorations and bringing home a tree before the weekend is up. Might be a little ambitious, not sure yet...getting some extra sleep may ultimately prevail :)

(photo credit unknown)

Hunting for house numbers

We need to get new house numbers up (we removed the existing ones which were plastic...need I say more?). So, nothing has quite struck our fancy yet. Maybe for the next few weeks, we could get by with pumpkin numbers. I've always loved this idea since I first saw it in Cottage Living (oh, how I miss you!) years ago. The second image is from Sunset.

Modern Cottage pumpkins

How perfect are these amazing, creamy-white pumpkins to finish off a Modern Cottage porch for fall? I knew they would look fabulous, but I think they actually exceeded my expectations once I saw them nesting on our front porch. The contrast is perfect! We have always loved white pumpkins but they don't seem to be widely available...so this year we ventured out to a pumpkin patch where they had small quantities of several unique varieties. Loving their petite size and curvy stems. Scout is all about the pumpkins, too -- clearly :) Such a good porch dog.

A warm October welcome

Can you believe it's already time for pumpkins? We're looking forward to cool afternoon walks and all the amazing changing foliage. And what is it about classic pickup trucks in the most pleasing shades of turquoise? This one looks like the perfect vehicle to bump around in while on holiday in some spectacularly tiny and endearing town where time moves just a bit slower.

A girl can dream, can't she? :)

(Photo by Francesco Lagnese via Real Simple)

Autumn's arrival...

It is officially autumn! Here's to crisp air, crunchy leaves, scarves, and hot cocoa.

Welcome, September!

I'm not quite sure how it's already September, but I think if we can incorporate a fraction of the sheer exhilaration demonstrated by Scout, above, time may slow just enough for us to soak in the last bit of summer. Though we do really look forward to fall time - it's our favorite time of the year! Crisp, cool air and gorgeous sunset-colored foliage. There's just something fresh and meaningful in the air. What time of year makes you feel the most gleeful?