Daisy Cottage

Lallee Lovelies and Treats From Clare

When Lallee put these adorable dish cloths in her Etsy shop for sale, I knew that I had to buy them. These are THE sweetest things - so well made out of gorgeous yarn! Too, too cute! I just love them! You've seen this cup before, but look how sweet it looks hanging out with Lallee's creations -

Thank you Lallee! I'll be visiting your Etsy shop again!

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My friend from way across the ocean, Miss Clare, sent me THE most GENEROUS package the other day. We were just to exchange magazines, but she completely spoiled me rotten! Not only did Clare send me a copy of the magazine that her beautiful cottage is featured in, she also sent a vintage postcard, sweet stickers, lovely pieces of fabric, and a beautiful Laura Ashley sham!

Such special treats! Thank you Clare - your generosity meant so much!  xo, Kim

Plain and Simple, But Sweet!

I'm feeling tired, are you? I hope you are having alot more energy. Maybe it is because it is STILL so hot here, or maybe it is because of all that partying over at Karla's! ;-) Thank you VERY much for your sweet comments below and I'm so glad that many of you had the chance to visit her and the others who joined in the fun. I know I enjoyed visiting some new homes that I hadn't been to before! So many wonderful things to see!

I showed a glimpse of my new white daisy apron in the last post and here are a few more pictures of it. Sweet little pocket and trim - and in perfect vintage condition! I found this on Ebay and just couldn't resist it.

I also had the chance to visit Goodwill yesterday and brought home these simple, plain dishes - 

Plain and simple are good, but the addition of the green floral plate and the teacup make things a bit sweeter, I think -

It really is so much fun to collect dishes with different colors and patterns, because when you bring them home and open your cupboard, you get to create a whole new setting that you won't see at anyone else's table. If you can, try the mix and matching approach when collecting your china - the combinations are endless.

And speaking of simple, cracker anyone?

   

Partying With Karla

Karla is having a party today that I think you will enjoy! Her "Romantic Country Party" is being held to celebrate her latest feature in this month's beautiful issue of Romantic Country magazine and she has invited all of us to stop by for a visit to join in the fun!  Party goers are also invited to share what they love about their own homes on their blogs today and Karla will post their links so that we may all stop by for a visit too. Sounds like fun, doesn't it? Well it is ALWAYS fun to visit Karla - and if you haven't before, please knock on her door today and you will be as tickled pink as I was when I first showed up on her doorstep. She's a ball of never-ending energy and creativity and I just marvel at all of the beautiful things that she accomplishes!

What do I love about my own home? Well, you know that I pretty much love everything about our old home and that things are always changing around here, never staying the same for long! From the front porch to the back porch, I have so enjoyed filling Daisy Cottage with bold color and thrifted treasures for cheery fun - but do I think that a home filled with lots of red and yellow can be "romantic" too? Hmm, well, YES - I really do! When you embrace every inch of your home, and of course, love the souls that you share your home with with all of your heart -  well then your home IS a romantic one. Right? Right!  ;-) So here are a few pictures that I am bringing to Karla's party and I hope that YOU are romancing your own homes - by "wining and dining" them, taking time to lovingly play and create with everyday things, making them special with your personal touch. You will soon be "feeling the love".  I promise!

 

    

Cheerios

Ahhh, Honey Nut Cheerios - my favorite cereal! Little round circles of crunchy sweetness - and even better with a sliced banana, although I didn't have any of those on hand this morning. How about you? What is YOUR favorite cereal?

XOXO

What can I say? Because there are NO words to describe how I feel about EACH of you and your comments below - I read every one and just know that I thank you from the bottom of my heart and, yet, that just doesn't seem enough. How do I begin to give back to you - sweet ones that you are, who have SO generously given me the gift of YOU? Well, please know that I really DO thank you and I cherish you too.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

Sooooo here's to another year of sharing together and Miss Di, come on down! You won my little giveaway!  Your comment that you left behind on September 22, 2007 at 12:15 AM was the one picked by the random generator! Please email me your address and I'll get these Daisy Cottage goodies off to you!

Have a wonderful Sunday dear ones!

xo,

Kim

One Year Together And Presents For You!

Dear Daisy Cottage,

Not only did my dream come true when we found you, but you have been everything that I could ever hope for in a home.  I have felt welcomed from the very first time that we stepped over your worn threshold.  You have been the loving haven that I knew you would be.  Your gently creaking floors with the slope that has now become endearing, discreetly remind us that we are not the first family to call you "home".  I often wonder about Zoe, your very first lady, and what she was like in 1922. Was she as happy here, when you were newly built and everything was brand new?  Were you her dream home too?  Did she layer your walls with wallpaper and decorate you from head to toe?  Did she prefer soft, sweet hues and furnishings, or have a passion for color like me?  Did she miss her children as they left her nest and the safety of your shelter?  Did you protect her as she weathered the storms in her life, over the 40 years that she called you home?   Somehow I feel, no, I know, that you did.  She was able to be with you for such a long time. Oh the joys and tender moments she must have celebrated under your roof!  I am so glad that you were here for her, her family, and the other families that have called you home since your birth.  Thank you dear house for accepting OUR family and never making us feel like we don't belong to you.  Thank you for responding to our whims and whimsy with patience and strength.  Thank you for sitting here on our street, proudly waiting for us to return whenever we leave you behind.  Most of all, thank you dear Daisy Cottage, for allowing ME to share YOU with our guests for the past year with my blog. They have so sweetly arrived on your porch from near and far, and have always been kind and gracious.  Each and every one.  They are our true treasures, they are our friends, and they will always be a part of you and me and our little Daisy Cottage family. Thank you, my dream come true, and you know how much I love you!

Kim

9/19/07

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Well, can you believe that it has been ONE year, today, that we've been together, you and I?  I remember my very first post and how I really didn't have a clue as to what I was doing.  I hit the "save" button and didn't think that anyone would really stop by. And then I remember how exciting it was when Carolyn visited two days later and left a comment! Wow! How did she find me, I wondered? I knocked on her lovely Willow House door and as they say, the rest is history. I wandered into this amazing world of blogging and have been traveling down its' welcoming path ever since! I've met you along the way and I think you know by now, how much you all mean to me! So to celebrate, I will box these things up that I have really loved, and GIVE THEM AWAY to one of you who leaves me a comment (even if it is your first time to do so) by midnight this Saturday, Eastern time. Why? Because I love YOU too.   :-)

Presents for YOU...

I visited my friend, Angie's "Vintage,Inc"  yesterday to go shopping for a little something extra to give you and found this old, wooden red tray...

I think you'll love it AND do you remember this red tray?

I'm giving it away too. See how much you mean to me?  ;-)

(((((Thank you ALL very much for a wonderful year - you are the BEST)))))

 

I'm Sure

I'm sure that Dad is smiling down from heaven right about now ... thank you ALL for your sweet, thoughtful, and loving comments. Seriously. THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart. AND thank you so much for sharing about your OWN fathers with me. I'm off to reply to each of you now, BUT FIRST, I wanted to let you know that tomorrow will be a special day here at "Dear Daisy Cottage" -  so try to stop back by if you can!  ;-)

    

Stranger on the Shore

 

These aren't pictures of a stranger on the shore, but they are old pictures of my Dad and "baby" me. How I loved this man. How I still do. We lost him 23 years ago, when he was just 52 years old. He was bigger than life and he has not been forgotten. I remember when I was about Shannon's age, around 18, Dad bought me an album from the record store, called "Stranger on the Shore", by Ackerbilk. He told me that I should listen to it and that I would love it. "It is music that will feed your soul, Kim". Well, I listened to it and I HATED it. I just didn't "get" it. I didn't want to hurt my Dad's feelings, so I pretended to like it. I told him thank you very much and then proceeded to bury it underneath my "Frampton Comes Alive!" album and the others that I was currently addicted to and much, much preferred. Over the years, I had pretty much forgotten about Ackerbilk and the "Stranger on the Shore" album. Oh I kept it, of course, because it WAS from my Dad and I have very few precious things of his. That album has moved with me each and every time, from home to home. When I decided that I wanted to add a little music to my blog, it was during a week when I had Dad on my mind - ALOT. One of those times when I was really missing him, wishing I could talk to him and tell him all about the "little things" in my life. And then I heard it. I heard the sweet melody of "Stranger on the Shore" in my head. Out of the blue. It was calling me. I knew then, that it had to be the first song on my blog. I listened to it and the music DID fill my soul with all things good, safe, and warm. I finally heard what my Dad must have been hearing all those years ago. The music brought back a flood of memories and it felt like "home". And that is why you hear "Stranger on the Shore" when you come here to visit me. Daisy Cottage is my home and my dear Dad will always, always be a part of it, and HOME, in my heart. I hope that that is okay if his favorite music plays. And, Dad, I "get" it now. I really do. (((hugs)))

Good Night House

My favorite book that I read to my children when they were little was "Goodnight Moon", written by Margaret Wise Brown. Loved that little book, and still do. Now you are going to think that I am really weird (and maybe you already do) but I sometimes catch myself saying "good night" to things around the house as I turn off the lights for the evening, just like the dear little rabbit did in the book. Not ALL of the time, but SOME of the time. Isn't that silly? It's just that I read that sweet story SO many times to them at bedtime that the words are etched in my brain, (and in my heart) forever!

Therefore, "Good night curtains....."

"Good night pictures"....

"Good night crosses" ....

"Good night clock and plates"...

"Good night cloths and mirrors"...

"Good night Marley" ...

"Good night EVERYBODY!"   ;-)

   

She Just Wanted To Say....

"Please come sit with me today!"