February with Roses...

February with roses~ Rachel Ashwell style...



In February I bring roses into the cottage...Rachel Ashwell quilts and pillows cover sofas and beds...tiny vases adorn bedside tables with first blooms...Rose scented candles and soaps are added to the bathrooms...Cottage books and spring magazines are piled on stools... Rosie tea cups here and there...



Nothing fancy rather a bit of floral whimsy. Maybe I will even paint some flowers this week.

I perhaps owe having become a painter to flowers. ~Claude Monet

Sea tidings,
kerrie


images~ Rachel Ashwell's home in Country Living

Seaside Dining Reveal...

It was difficult to get good photos this morning with the thick fog. I do like the white background that fog creates. Editing didn't even help. But you can get the idea of what our kitchen dining nook looks like now.



This is the before



The table and chairs are built strong and sturdy. We like the modern yet rustic grain of the dark wood table.



The chairs are slipcovered which means I can wash them often and we can get different colors for a change of look if we want. There is a large selection of slipcover choices...I liked the natural linen, grey, and even the red. Red doesn't go with anything in my cottage though. There is also the long white slipcovers that I will use for holidays.



So though we cannot afford the DREAM...this is my dream table...does anyone have $5,000 laying around for spending on such?



We were able to afford something we are happy with...for only $300 total for the table and both chairs.




Now who was stunned when Downton Abbey ended??? I thought we had a few more weeks of viewing. And Oh my do they leave you hanging. I am quite smitten with the movie. We will most definetly be purchasing the DVD set.

Well, I have much homekeeping to do. Overflowing loads of laundry, bathrooms to scrub, floors to mop...with both of my oldest kids living at home again there is alot more laundry, mess, and food to cook. My son got a job! A new Construction Co. hired him. He was a carpenter for two years with my husband's Company before being laid off. He has been on unemployment for a year. He is a hard worker and loves to work. So he is thrilled. My husband has been laid off since October but he is friends with the owners of this Company and as soon as work picks up for them and they have need of a Superintendent they will hire him as well. I am hoping to spend some time in the studio painting this week too. Have a beautiful last day of January.

Sea tidings,
kerrie


I lowered the light last night...looks so much better.

Seaside Sundays...

I've decided to do 'Seaside Sundays' this year...a bit of a change from last years 'Sunday Rest'. I will post sea-inspiring images which will still include dreamy bedroom retreats...but also cozy chairs, seaside lounges, coastal bistro settings...anything of coastal repose.



...And because I am on the hunt for new kitchen dining these images inspire me this Sunday.







Sea tidings,
kerrie

*images Coastal Living
last image House Beautiful

Seaside Dining Soon...

My first yard sale was a great success. We met the nicest people and sold almost everything. We made enough money to buy the Ikea Lovas sofa bed that my son wants and new dining for our kitchen. This is the brown/black Ikea furniture we already have in our living room. I'm still not definate on what we will purchase for the dining area, but the brown/black Bjursta table would look nice. It would also go with all our kitchen appliances which are black.



Can you believe I sold this vintage bed?



I could see Dore doing wonders with it. But I did sell it to a neighbor whom was beyond thrilled to take it home for her little girl.

Now there is a light drizzle coming down and we are warming up with hot tea. Time for a nap!



I'm looking forward to more Downton Abbey...
how about you?

And thank you everyone for your seaside dining suggestions...thank you for giving me your two cents! It is all very helpful.

Sea tidings,
kerrie

My Petite Maison Giveaway...

I interupt this busy day(preparing for my yard sale) to let you know of a lovely French Giveaway that my friend Tracie of My Petite Maison is having. Tracie has a beautiful shop full of french flea market treasures that she has found hunting here and there to romance your home with. Just look at this vignette in her Petite Maison...



She is kind enough to be giving away some of the treasures in her shop along with the new spring issue of Jeanne d Arc Living magazine. You can click on the button in my sidebar to enter the giveaway...



or visit Tracie's shop to pick out your own french treasures to buy!

French tidings,
kerrie

Seaside Dining...

I am having my first yard sale this weekend! I don't like to sell things, I usually give everything away. My hope is to sell our dining room table set(and other furniture, etc) which is too big for our kitchen dining space. I want a smaller set with a coastal-look. I've been dreaming over my file of inspirational photos...

the colors in this setting are so seaside, but the rectangle table size is too large for our space.












We thought we wanted the white pedestal table



with the rattan chairs



But some things look better on paper than in person. When we went to Ikea yesterday we decided on the new Bjursta in brown/black. Lara from Air Kiss just purchased it in Birch.



to go with two Nils slipcovered chairs



or the Henriksdal



For the price this table is built better and the dark brown/black will go perfectly with our other furniture in the adjacent living room. We have plans to white wash all the oak cabinetry in the kitchen(as well as the hallway,bathrooms,and laundry room). The slipcovered chairs go with the slipcovered sofas.




I found this white starfish bowl at ZGallerie that I think will look perfect on the new table. I found this in the blogworld the other day while on a bunny trail and now I cannot remember what blog I saw it on. If *you* visit here, please leave me a comment so I can give you the credit for this wonderful sea find! It is $24.95.



ZGallerie also has these seashell spheres for $12.95



and a bucket of starfish that I must get! These are a great price... I think they are $15.95 for 12. I paid $6.00 for one at the Tides on the Sonoma Coast.



If all goes well with the sale I will have new seaside dining for hubby and I to sip our coffee/tea while watching the kite hawks through the window. I've also been dreaming over chandeliers and will share a post of my finds soon!

Sea tidings,
kerrie

*inspirational images~ coastal living or cottage living
*images~ Ikea, Zgallerie

The Kings Speech...

The Kings Speech is nominated for twelve Oscars. It's been on my list of things to do...I guess I better go see it!


Today I will be watching this



My Gracie is still home sick so I rented it for her. She's always loved and wanted a horse. She is already planning a trip to go stay with relatives this summer in SW Nebraska to ride horses. She wants to spend some time on the wide open plains before moving to the city(S.F) for college.

Sea tidings,
kerrie

tea

A Proper Tea is much nicer than a Very Nearly Tea, which is one you forget about afterwards. ~A.A. Milne


Good morning. I sip tea in my new cup. Thick fog surrounds Sea Cottage. I breath in its gentle calm. Daughter and kitty are tucked in bed. She stays home due to a sore throat. Men are gone to work, thanks to a side job. I will linger in the quiet a bit longer...keeping the home a peaceful place of rest. I will listen to winter's whisper.



Piglet sidled up to Pooh from behind. "Pooh!" he whispered. "Yes, Piglet?" "Nothing," said Piglet, taking Pooh's paw. "I just wanted to be sure of you." ~A.A. Milne



*images~ a.a milne

Seaside Sundays...

*images~ cabbages and roses
*poetry~ me

Looking forward to more of Downton Abbey...



Isn't it good? Hubby, Gracie, and I are enjoying every minute.

Sea tidings,
kerrie

A Sweet Visit...

jAne popped over yesterday afternoon for a visit. Look what she brought...


I was delighted by her unplanned visit...so unlike jAne. See her and I are alot alike in the planning part. We like to plan our visits...were polite like that. But yesterday both hubby and I needed the cheer her visit brought. See our honda had been stolen from our driveway that early early morning. Thankfully it has been recovered and the thief arrested. It's a bit beat up, but fixable. We are lucky.

So I poured jAne a glass of organic white grape juice, in an Ikea wine glass of course, and we sat at our kitchen window, where she had a view of the vintage potting table(a gift from her) in the potager. After a pleasant chat, she was on her way back home to Tickleberry Farm.

























"A friend is the one who comes in when the whole world has gone out." ~Grace Pulpit
"I like her because she smiles at me and means it." ~Anonymous

Doesn't a friend always make everything better?
Thank you jAne for your sweet visit. ox

Sweet tidings,
kerrie

*images~
www.susanbranch.comcabbages and roses