"Morning, Glory" and her new curtains
Many months ago, I came upon an antique set of tiny lace cafe curtains (originally from France). Very few dollars were spent for their purchase, and I wasn't quite certain where they would hang, but they were darling....I could not pass them by. Upon arrival, they were a dingy gray and showed signs of age...tiny holes, here and there, but still...they were darling. I laundered them with much care, but soon realized, they would never return to their crisp, white days of old.
What to do....
The evening following the "Morning, Glory" makeover, I dropped into bed completely exhausted. As the lights through the house were extinguished for the night, a flickering lightbulb went off in my head....those tiny, darling cafe curtains were surely the size of the miniature cottage windows.
And yes, they were...
Aren't they sweet, blowing in the little open window...
A collection of Morning Glory seed packets, accumulated over the years, look so sweet tucked into the window frame. Do you see the Scarlet O'Hara....a dear friend of ours, refers to me as our county's "Miss Scarlet"...she embraces my whimsy, and I love her, in return.
Of course, I had to bring along a few of my favorite things...
gardening themed books, graniteware, (found and purchased for me, by my daddy on his many trips through Kentucky), and other supplies necessary for a gardener's respite...
A Bible, a Christmas gift from my dear mother-in-law, we call "Nana"....
... will remain in the cottage ...a reminder of "my role as grandmother" and "from whence comes my strength."
The sage green bookmark was my first completed knitting project on which I learned the process of "binding off"...I added the hand-dyed ribbon, in the shade 'Delphinium' that was purchased along with the shade 'Blossoms' (used for Andrea M'lynn's new bow).
I long to live where delphiniums grow...Tennessee is not their preferred residence ...at all!
In the book The Keeper of the Bees the frontispiece reveals the sweetest picture of hollyhocks, with a sea of the truest of blue flowers in the background.
During our travels last June to the beautiful Victoria, on Vancouver Island, we visited the renowned Butchart Gardens. In their lovely gift shop, I purchased flower seed packets. The knowledge that those beautiful blue flowers will never reside in my garden, did not hinder my motivation to own the pretty envelope bearing their image. (They are pictured in the first photo, above)
The author Gene Stratton Porter, remains one of my all time favorites, due to her extraordinary knowledge of nature. These are a few of her books in my collection...
A Girl of the Limberlost, was my first love...a book my mother found for me at a yard sale, when I was 14. Later she revealed that this had been a favorite of my grandma, Effie Belle Aly. Freckles opened to reveal the characters in the sequel to Limberlost, is another, must-read.
My ever-talented, nine-year-old cousin, found this bookmark and mailed it to me from her new home in Montana. (These antiquated spines are retrieved and repurposed when an old book is beyond repair) I was so delighted that cousin had remembered and knew this would be a treasured gift.
The final addition for the day, was on old window, painted a perfectly soft shade of pink and bearing a sweet message, serving as a prop for a very special packet of Morning Glory seeds and handmade card.
If you look closely, the pond and weeping willow are visible in the reflection of the glass.
These seeds and the beautifully handmade card, were amongst the sweetest of Mother's Day gifts from my grown daughter, Olivia, two years ago. (This shade reminded me of the profusion of 'Glorys' at my grandmother's home in Kentucky.) Daughter and I planted other varieties years ago, when she was a little girl. This gift was such a precious reminder of that time in our lives.
These things...these memories...culminate...and affirm... the well-suited name of this gardener's cottage is gloriously perfect.
What to do....
The evening following the "Morning, Glory" makeover, I dropped into bed completely exhausted. As the lights through the house were extinguished for the night, a flickering lightbulb went off in my head....those tiny, darling cafe curtains were surely the size of the miniature cottage windows.
And yes, they were...
Aren't they sweet, blowing in the little open window...
A collection of Morning Glory seed packets, accumulated over the years, look so sweet tucked into the window frame. Do you see the Scarlet O'Hara....a dear friend of ours, refers to me as our county's "Miss Scarlet"...she embraces my whimsy, and I love her, in return.
Of course, I had to bring along a few of my favorite things...
gardening themed books, graniteware, (found and purchased for me, by my daddy on his many trips through Kentucky), and other supplies necessary for a gardener's respite...
The book
A Place Called Sweet Apple and the accompanying gardener's book, by the same author, Celestine Sibley, is another top-of-the-list favorite. It recalls the author's acquisition and loving restoration of a vine-covered log cabin in rural Georgia. It saw me through my own days in a small little house, my mother referred to as "Christie's Sweet Apple."
... will remain in the cottage ...a reminder of "my role as grandmother" and "from whence comes my strength."
I long to live where delphiniums grow...Tennessee is not their preferred residence ...at all!
In the book The Keeper of the Bees the frontispiece reveals the sweetest picture of hollyhocks, with a sea of the truest of blue flowers in the background.
During our travels last June to the beautiful Victoria, on Vancouver Island, we visited the renowned Butchart Gardens. In their lovely gift shop, I purchased flower seed packets. The knowledge that those beautiful blue flowers will never reside in my garden, did not hinder my motivation to own the pretty envelope bearing their image. (They are pictured in the first photo, above)
The author Gene Stratton Porter, remains one of my all time favorites, due to her extraordinary knowledge of nature. These are a few of her books in my collection...
A Girl of the Limberlost, was my first love...a book my mother found for me at a yard sale, when I was 14. Later she revealed that this had been a favorite of my grandma, Effie Belle Aly. Freckles opened to reveal the characters in the sequel to Limberlost, is another, must-read.
My ever-talented, nine-year-old cousin, found this bookmark and mailed it to me from her new home in Montana. (These antiquated spines are retrieved and repurposed when an old book is beyond repair) I was so delighted that cousin had remembered and knew this would be a treasured gift.
The final addition for the day, was on old window, painted a perfectly soft shade of pink and bearing a sweet message, serving as a prop for a very special packet of Morning Glory seeds and handmade card.
If you look closely, the pond and weeping willow are visible in the reflection of the glass.
These seeds and the beautifully handmade card, were amongst the sweetest of Mother's Day gifts from my grown daughter, Olivia, two years ago. (This shade reminded me of the profusion of 'Glorys' at my grandmother's home in Kentucky.) Daughter and I planted other varieties years ago, when she was a little girl. This gift was such a precious reminder of that time in our lives.
These things...these memories...culminate...and affirm... the well-suited name of this gardener's cottage is gloriously perfect.