Lovely in the Country {My Mailbox}
Today it’s my turn to bring you all along on a little visit to my mailbox. Come with me on a short walk down the hill to the end of our gravel driveway, where we’ll find my large black mailbox!
(1) My sturdy and functional mailbox is just down the hill from the cottage, mounted to a large post. Each day I walk down the driveway to check the mail, always eager to see if a personal note or glossy catalog is waiting.
(2) When it’s time to send a letter, I pull out a small red flag that stays tucked into the side of the mailbox to alert our friendly mailman.
(3) Just under our mailbox is a small slot for newspapers, which gets used once a week when the local paper is delivered (free of charge!) right to our home. It’s always fun to catch up on the local news and stay on top of everything that’s happening in our small community.
(4) Even though we live in a more rural area, we still have a lock on our mailbox to make sure our mail doesn’t get stolen, and that we’re not victims of identity theft.
(5) Inside the mailbox is a small clip for attaching outgoing mail, as well as a large and roomy box for holding letters, magazines, and small packages. Today I received a stack of bills, junk mail, and a couple catalogs. Nothing too exciting, but the catalogs will be fun to browse before bedtime!
Lovely in the Country {My View}
One of the many things that I love about the cottage is the abundance of windows and natural light all throughout the day. Today I want to welcome you to step inside the cottage and see my view out of the six-paned windows.
(1) Each of the windows in our home is a vintage 1930 six-paned glass window with original woodwork. Not very efficient in the winter months, but quite charming all the same! Pictured here is one of the windows in the living room, and just beyond it you can see the purple flowers in the window box, along with a few of the plants in my front garden.
(2) Almost every window in the house will yield a view similar to this one. We are surrounded by several huge trees, which make for a lovely canopy of shade in the summer, and brilliant color in the fall.
(3) Just out our front door, we have an American flag that furls in the breeze. It was my husband’s idea to put it up, and I have to say… it’s grown on me! I feel rather patriotic, and it does go well with the vintage Cape Cod feel of our home.
(4) These three windows are in our dining room and offer a great view of the patio and the backyard beyond. They also provide wonderful light for several of my houseplants.
(5) Our bedroom has windows on three sides (south, west and north… which means no bright light in the early morning!). This is the west facing window, which is full of light in the afternoons, making for a perfect bath of sunlight to stretch out in and enjoy a catnap. You can also just see the green of all the trees outside the window.
(6) Just outside our kitchen window we have a thermometer mounted to the exterior wall. Each morning I take a glance at it before heading out the door so that I know if I should grab a jacket or not.
(7) In our office, we have an fun little octagon shaped window which sometimes makes me feel like I’m working in a treehouse!
Lovely in the Country {My Front Door}
It’s time for a peek at the front door of the cottage! It’s a cheery entrance, the door painted a fresh shade of green, and a happy door knocker centered just below the four small windows.
(1) Just outside our front door hangs an American flag, blowing in the wind. The cottage sits atop a hill, and you can see down the hill and across the road is a small lake, sparkling blue in the sun.
(2) The brass knob on our storm door is tarnished and dark, but I love the contrast against the crisp white of the door.
(3) On our front door hangs an antique door knocker. It is always fun to see which people use the knocker and which reach instead for the doorbell. It’s a quaint touch, perfect for a cottage, and most definitely a bit charming.
(4) Four small windows are set at the top of our heavy wood door. My view from the inside is of a few towering pines and the budding oak trees just outside our four walls.
(5) Since I’m a bit vertically challenged, it’s a stretch to look out the high windows when someone is knocking at our door, thus my sweet husband installed a peephole just after we moved in. Shown here is the view from inside looking out the peephole.
(6) For those who want an alternative to our door knocker, we do have a modern doorbell. Believe it or not, this is the first time I’ve lived somewhere with a doorbell!
(7) The hardware on our front door is original to the house, and I love the vintage styling and the heavy, high-quality construction of the handle.
(8) On either side of our front door is mounted a brass lantern. These lanterns illuminate the front step, and provide a nice detail to the entryway of our home.
(9) Just inside the front door, we have a row of hooks for hanging coats, umbrellas and leashes. It’s an easy way to keep from tossing these items on the table or couch when we’re in a rush. I love anything that helps to keep the cottage neat and tidy!
(10) Pictured here is our front door from the outside. The fancy molding that surrounds it is a crisp, stark white, which contrasts quite nicely against the brown tone of the brick. Our green wood door sits just behind a glass storm door.
Lovely in the Country {Kitchen Sink}
One of my favorite features of the Cottage is the bright and airy kitchen. I love the counter space, roomy cabinets and practical layout. However, the best aspect of the kitchen is the sink. It is large, deep, and centered under a big window that looks out over the backyard. Here is a peek at my kitchen sink and all the little things that surround it.
(1) Pictured here is my big bright window, large double sink and a few plants that bring some cheer.
(2) I have a simple white cotton panel hung above the sink. It’s light and airy, and perfect for my cottage kitchen.
(3) This white creamer has been re-purposed as a vase for a sprig of green…a sweet reminder that spring is on its way.
(4) I love Bath & Body Works Kitchen Lemon foaming soap. The scent is clean and fresh, and the foam is mess-free!
(5) This reverse osmosis water filter has become indispensable. Not only do I find myself drinking more water because of the convenience, I appreciate the clean, pure taste that comes right out of the spigot.
(6) The best part of having a window by the sink is the fact that I can have a few plants happily living nearby. This Philodendron has lived in water for almost a year now, and thrives in the bright, damp environment.
(7) A cheery kitchen sink can make the task of doing dishes or preparing meals so my easier. I hope you enjoyed the glimpse at this corner of my home!
Lovely in the Country {My Design Space}
As a follow-up to Laura’s Pretty in the City post yesterday, today I bring to you a visual tour of “My Design Space” in my country cottage. Nestled in a spare bedroom on the second floor, my studio is light and airy, with windows on three walls, and several angles to keep things interesting. I spend plenty of time here on a daily basis… designing, photographing, writing, corresponding, and creating. It is in this room that I sit now, typing up this very post.
(1) Pictured here is my main work area. My little white desk is tucked into a corner, and all of the items I use on a daily basis (rulers, pencils, adhesives, etc) are housed in its drawers. Just above the desk hangs my DIY chalkboard (click here for instructions on making your own). Currently it features this lovely quote by Neltje Blanchan, “Can words describe the fragrance of the very breath of spring?”.
(2) I keep my rubber bands, paper clips, and binder clips in old canning jars…a method that has both form and function!
(3) & (4) Just to the right of my desk is a shelf that is home to my printer, and a large collection of boxes. These boxes assure that I never have a shortage of storage! I keep everything from note cards, to CDs, to camera cords hidden away in these labeled containers (which hail from IKEA, if you were wondering).
(5) Admittedly, I have a love affair with books. Thus, I am ever grateful to have these built-in bookshelves to supplement to an already-full bookcase in our den. All of my design reference guides, paper swatchbooks, and inspiration resources are within easy reach. Also, the third shelf down holds several books that I designed while working for a company that specialized in book design.
(6) On the far end of my studio, I have dedicated the unused dormer to holding a table and several lights, set up for taking photos. On numerous occasions, I need to take pictures of items for the blog (or for a design client) on a white background. This area gives me great lighting, and a perfect white backdrop for photographing.
(7) I have two addictions when it come to office supplies. #1 is Post-It notes, and #2 is Sharpie markers. The top drawer in my desk is dedicated to all my Post-Its, Sharpies, pens, pencils, and highlighters. One drawer down, you’ll find everything that has to do with “sticking” and “cutting” (all glues, tapes, scissors and x-acto knives).
(8) On either side of my bookshelves, I have one linen pinboard, where I tack up everything from inspiring magazing clippings, to to-do lists. The pinboards were an easy afternoon project a couple months back, and I use them daily to keep order to a host of paper scraps. (Click here for instructions on making for own pinboard).
(9) One of the most recent additions to my studio is this set of drawers (which I purchased at IKEA). All of my various papers are separated according to type, and stored within this little unit. Atop the drawers, I keep a catch-up basket to hold mail, magazines and paperwork.
I hope you have enjoyed the tour of My Design Space. I would love to hear more about the space in your home that you use for creating!
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