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? :)

Growth chart

I know I featured one in this post a while back, but ultimately we chose this burlap growth chart (also from Etsy). The shop owner was kind enough to modify the font style for us since we wanted something a bit simpler and more modern (big surprise, I know). We are SO happy with  how it turned out, and it now lives cheerfully in our mudroom (so far with one marker on it from about the 14-month mark :)

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?

Modern Cottage birthday

Over the Labor Day weekend, the little guy turned one so we threw him a bash in the front yard. Fortunately lots of his friends were in town for the holiday so it was a great crowd up on the porch and spilling into the lawn. We kept things simple and pretty with the only real 'theme' being about those relaxing final days of summer...

The food was simple: Fresh squeezed lemonade, delicious turkey sandwiches made by a local shop,  fruit skewers, peanut butter sandwiches (no crusts, of course), and a quinoa salad with tomato and cucumber. Oh, and for dessert: cupcakes!

And we couldn't resist these when we noticed them in the beer aisle... the light blue label was perfect. Good thing they tasted good, too.

Party favors included adorable handmade paper pinwheels found on Etsy, balloons tied with cotton cording, and white beach balls. We figured the little ones would need something to entertain themselves during the party, and thought the beach balls would fit the venue perfectly. It was hilarious to watch the kiddos walk up the front steps, immediately catch sight of the balls scattered across the lawn, and make a beeline toward them to begin gleefully kicking them around the yard.

All in all it was a fantastic party and the little man had a blast!

(Lovely photography by Kristine)