Daisy Cottage

Little Itty Bitty Chairs

These little itty bitty chairs ...

that I have collected here and there ...

will be SO perfect for my dollhouse IF I ever worked on it and finished it.  Poor, poor chairs.

I know - let's just pretend that WE are sitting there.

;-)

Kim

My Sister's House

Before we walk over to my sister's house, let me tell you a little bit about Jill.

She is my little sister and my hero.  She is a daughter, a wife, and a mother to three children and three dogs. She is sensitive, loving, and very spirited.  She is THE MOST CREATIVE person that I know and her talents are WAY too many to list, but she is a TRUE artist.  She draws.  She paints.  She sews.  She makes all kinds of things. And she has never ever had a lesson in learning how to do any of that.  She just does it.  Oh, and at the age of 46, she fulfilled a life-long dream and graduated SUMMA CUM LAUDE from college and is now a brand new elementary school teacher and will have her very own classroom this fall.  Am I proud of her? 

Oh yes.

We love to be silly when we are together - she is hysterically funny and makes me laugh so hard, my tummy will physically ache.  We are known as Lucy and Ethel to our friends, and I don't care where we go - it usually ends up being an adventure.  We can be SO different, but SO alike too. It's a sister thing and I'm sure many of you understand.

My slipcovers?  She sews them.  My house painting and daisy painting?  She painted them.  (I have a new one to share with you too)  My adorable book cozies?  She created them.  My front door curtains?  Yep.  My kitchen valance?  Yep.  I could go on and on and on.  She is ALL OVER DAISY COTTAGE.

So, let's walk a few blocks and tour Jillsy Willsy's house and keep in mind that EVERYTHING you see came from a yard sale or a thrift shop and probably has been repainted, repurposed, and embellished with MUCH love by my dear, AMAZING sis.

Let's walk around outside first ...

And step on to her charming porch ...

Go ahead and knock on her door - she knows that we are coming...

Welcome to Jill's home and her dining area ...

All of the art has been collected over time from thrift shops and Goodwill...

See this seashell maiden on her wine buffet?

Jill found the bust at Homegoods and hot glued seashells found by her daughter, Jamie, at Little Gasparilla Island.

These lamps were found at a yard sale ... aren't they fab?

Now let's step into her kitchen ... but first may I say that these birdies want to come home with me!   ;-)

Jill tiled her counter tops with boxes of tile that she found for a song and dance at our local Habitat for Humanity store ...

And created a back splash too ...

And this was an old rusty tray, found on our trip to Mount Dora.  It was sitting under a trailer at a booth, and Jill, with her savvy thrifty expertise, negotiated it down to $7.  She painted it red and embellished it with zebra contact paper and vintage fringe ...

See what I mean?  ;-)

She cleverly used old utensils for her cabinet knobs ...

And trimmed her cabinet shelves ...

that's little-girl-jill peeking at us there in the frame

And topped her shelves with her vintage cannister collection ...

Next up - her creative pink studio, where wonderful things are made, especially for yours truly. 

Sigh.  Her creative space makes me almost want to learn how to sew.

On to her bedroom ...

I LOVE the colors in here!

Using a putty knife, Jill created her bathroom wall texture with dry wall compound. After she primed it and then painted it with a base coat, she glazed the walls with a watered-down paint in brown.  The result - a warm, tobacco hue ...

What a cozy retreat! 

Onward and upward - let's go up her colorful stairs...

And peek into her little "Pearl Harbor" themed bathroom ...

And for our last stop - back down to the family room ...

But first, see the little glass door knob to the left in the photo above?

It is THIS knob that made Jill fall in love with the home three years ago when it was for sale.

Back to the family room ... (yes, we both love red!)

 

One of MY favorite things in Jill's home is her hippie couch.

She found it at Goodwill and covered the cushion with fabric on sale from Urban Outfitters and used fabric remnants she had on hand to make pillows for it.  LOVE it!

I also love what she did with this cabinet ...

Originally donning a pickled finish - and VERY 1980s - Jill painted it black and adhered wallpaper to the back.  It holds her vintage clocks.
(hmm - where is the pink clock that she took from me?)  Oh that's right, I gave it to her.  ;-)

I also love this Goodwill chair that she treated to snazzy new fabric and trim...

It sits proudly in front of one of Jill's favorite thrifted cabinets ...

AND I absolutely love what she did with this Goodwill find ...

The little trunk was black and dingy in its' former life, but it isn't anymore!  That is what a little bit of spray adhesive, fun and funky fabric, and trim can do!  And having Jill's creative vision and talent doesn't hurt either.

Well, that concludes our visit to my sister's house - for today.  We'll visit her again and maybe she will even do a tutorial on her book cozies for us!  I know that she is so excited to share her home with all of you - thank you SO much for visiting her with me.

If you have any questions about any of her projects, etc., feel free to leave a comment here and ask her.  I'll make sure she answers you!

After all, I AM still her big sister, right?  ;-)

Here's to YOU Jill.  I love your home and I LOVE YOU.

xo,

Kim

Daddy's Girl

Can we say SPOILED?

;-)

Kim

Beautiful

Good Morning!

First, thank you all SO much - from the bottom of my heart, for your outpouring of love for Lenna.  I know that you have helped her enormously as she has helped US to remember those things that are truly important in our lives.  She hopes to join us in Blogland one day and when she does I will share her link with you. You may also write to Lenna at:

pangolin100@gmail.com

In the meantime, Lenna you are ALWAYS welcome here and I know that you will be treasuring your time visiting our friends and neighbors near and far who have so lovingly shared and opened their hearts to you.  We are all in this world together.  You are NEVER alone.

Secondly, the Random Number Generator picked Mia as the winner of my Just Because Giveaway!  Here is her comment:

Too too fun!! My favorite place to visit...home! And anywhere my family is. Especially when my family is camping in the Santa Cruz mountains here in California! :)

Posted by: mia | July 06, 2009 at 10:15 PM

Congratulations Mia!  Please email me your mailing address and I will get your package off to you this week.  AND thank you everyone for sharing your favorite places to visit!  What a fabulous resource for all of us to refer to!  Thank you, THANK YOU. 

And thirdly (is that how you say it?), while Maggie plays peek-a-boo...

And the crape myrtles bloom SO beautifully ...

I'm going to savor EVERY photograph and word of this just released book ...

Waterside Cottages is written by Barbara Jacksier and photographed by Dan Mayers - two VERY talented spirits who I have had the honor of working with in the past.  You can visit Barbara at her blog, which is always fun and inspirational.  Dan photographed Daisy Cottage for Cottage Style magazine when Barbara was the editor-in-chief and you may visit him and see more of his amazing work at his site.  AND you can visit here to order your OWN autographed copy of Waterside Cottages!  I am LOVING mine!

This book is BEAUTIFUL.  Honestly, it is really really beautiful.   

PLEASE treat yourself to a copy - a lot of labor AND love went into this artful and inspiring book.  Thank you Barbara and Dan for creating something that will, indeed, be a timeless testament to cottages that whisper soul.

AND, I will also treat myself today to savoring every page of the latest issue of Romantic Country, which is also BEAUTIFUL ...

My always inspiring and much loved friend, Fifi, has done it AGAIN.  This issue is gorgeous from cover to cover and you will LOVE it too.  Promise, promise.

May your day be as special as you are - thank you again for ALL that you give, and well - for being you.   You ALL have so much to offer and help so many with your heartfelt words and generosity. What a beautiful world we live in - and it is because of souls like YOU.

YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL

Never, ever forget that!

Love,

Kim

 

From Lenna

Hi Sweet Ones...

I'll pick the winner of my Just Because Giveaway tonight and I'll be back Sunday to share with you who won.  But I wanted to share something that I received in my email today that has touched me deeply.  This beautiful soul, Lenna, has given me permission to share her message with you.  I think after you read her words, you will understand why I wanted to. 

From Lenna:

Kim,

You will never know what my “stumbling” upon your site has done for me.

 

When faced with a debilitating illness for an extended period of time (12 years in my case), life narrows down to a very small world called “survival.” In that world, things like beauty, music, creativity, smells, tastes, giving, loving can become lost in the swirling riptides of pain, weakness, and the struggle to make it through just one more day. Like a soldier on a battlefield, you forget the sights and sounds of home and the touch of loved ones.

 

Dear friends slip away because there is no longer the energy to keep the garden of friendship watered with love. Family members give and give but eventually they too tire of the monster that has stolen away the person they once knew, and has left a hallow shell—a distorted image of the one they once knew and loved. I have often pictured this new life of mine as a deep, dark well that sunlight cannot penetrate and growing things cannot flourish in.

 

For a time that world of survival is necessary as you try to remake life to accommodate this new unwelcome member of the family, illness, but there is an almost irresistible temptation to stay huddled in that world surrounded by bittersweet memories of what life used to be  and the dark longing for what can no longer be. But in that world the essential flowers of life—hope, joy, passion, giving—cannot grow and soon you are adrift in weeds of futility, despair, apathy, and self-absorption. Then not only do you have a sickness in the body but also the sprit and the soul. These are almost more than one can bear.

 

“Leaving that which is behind” echoed in my mind as I went to bed last night clutching a small seed of something called “hope.” As I tossed and turned from the pain, I kept remembering the joy I felt as I once again saw the beautiful scenes from your site in my mind’s eye. When I woke this morning, I felt a resolve growing in my soul/spirit to reclaim that part of my life, our family’s life, which had been ripped away by this disease. There will be beauty, music, joy in this home. I don’t know as of yet how this will be accomplished, but surely the dream of it must be the first step off of the battlefield on the journey back “home.”

 

I have spent the morning pouring over the incredible number of blogspots such as yours feeding my soul, filling my emotional bucket so that I can in turn fill those around me. My eyes have been opened to a world I never knew existed. Such vibrant creativity, such caring community: it literally takes my breath away. After so much loneliness and isolation it is overwhelming to me that such a world even exists.

 

In time I hope to be able to fill my garden of life with lovely, loving friends instead of the weeds of loneliness. Until that time lace tablecloths will come out of storage, music and lovely scents will fill the air of this home. And I shall visit the Daisy Cottage when I feel despair raise its dark, obscuring head, for I know from experience, that it is ever lurking behind that next bout of pain and weakness. Your kind and generous response has strengthened my resolve, you have helped me more than you will ever know, my new-found friend.

 

Stepping into the light, No. Choosing to step into the light!

 

Lenna

Lenna, YOU have strengthened ME.

YOU have helped ME more than you will ever know.

What a beautiful woman you are.  I am so thankful that you are with us and I know that my readers and friends will feel the same way.  I am SO happy that you are choosing to step into the light.  We will be with you every step of the way.

Right, oh kindred spirits? 

So - let's have the MOST BEAUTIFUL WEEKEND ever. 

For Lenna.

Love you all,

Kim