Great Kitchen Before and After

Before -- A great old Chambers stove in a horrible kitchen.

After: -- WOW. The homeowner kept the kitchen's old Chambers stove and cabinets—now improved with new fronts and a coat of Benjamin Moore's Patriotic White—but jettisoned the Formica counters and dark backsplash in favor of marble and white subway tiles.

More fabulous before and after photos of many different projects here.

Have a great weekend! xo

Beautiful Tree Lined Road with Snow

This is so lovely. My favorite kind of with a cathedral of trees. via

Beatrix Potter Rabbits' Christmas Party - The Departure

I'm so excited that I found another watercolor I haven't seen before illustrating the Rabbits' Christmas Party by Beatrix Potter.

This one shows a big rabbit lighting the way with a lit candle as the guests put on their coats and depart.

See all the other illustrations for the Rabbits' Christmas Party in my 2009 original blog post about it here. I am so happy to see the end of the party. Somehow, Beatrix Potter and Christmas are perfect together. Enjoy! xo

Beatrix Potter and Her Belgian Rabbit named Benjamin

I don't think I've ever seen this wonderful winter image by Beatrix Potter dated 1894. via

Or this one either from Sotheby's. There is a sweet story about the real bunny who was the inspiration for Benjamin Bunny. 

Benjamin Bouncer was a Belgian rabbit and was the first of Beatrix Potter's pet rabbits. He was acquired around 1885. She bought him from a London pet shop and brought him home in a paper bag.

This never-before-seen Victorian photograph shows the real Belgian rabbit who inspired Beatrix Potter's famous character Benjamin Bunny.

Benjamin Bouncer is pictured here in the late 1880s or early 1890s. He would later become Benjamin Bunny in Beatrix Potter's novels. She said he was very tame and clever. Read more about him in a great story in The Daily Mail. I never tire of reading about her and I love finding new artwork and photos to share with all of you. 

Beatrix Potter shown here with a pet dog. I don't recall ever seeing any of her artwork with dogs though I've seen many photos of her with them. Enjoy the article. xo

And the Cat too.

This is my life and I'm not complaining. via

Wonderful Kitchen in White

Wow. It's wonderful. Love the table and stools too. And the windows, cabinets, shelves, floor, sink and anything I might have missed. Simply charming! via

European Retreat in Denmark

See more of this bathroom in a European Retreat in Denmark here. Use the arrows. I don't think I would have the nerve to turn on the shower with no enclosure. 

His Name is Sammy

Isn't this puppy adorable? I'm sure he's going to have a great first Christmas. I couldn't resist posting this bundle of brown cuteness to get your day off to a good start. Sammy by Christian Vieler

Lake House in the Snow

What a beautiful photo. It captures the quiet and stillness of the idyllic scene perfectly. It must be the first snow of the season because the water isn't frozen. My snow has melted and I'm glad. Have a great evening and I'll see you tomorrow. via

Several Things that Caught My Eye Today

I love these tilted wire baskets. via

Unusual plumbing job. via

Another unusual plumbing job. via

Starry Lights

I like these, don't you? I love driving after dark looking inside at Christmas decorations. It's that time of year! I haven't done anything except get my wreath out of the garage loft. It started to rain the minute I got to the house so it's on the kitchen table. Have a great evening. xo

House Tour in The Hamptons

I love the farm table in lieu of an island.

I love this arrangement of twin beds and the wallpaper too.

The hedges in the Hamptons are like no other. Tour the rest of this delightful summer home via Lonny Magazine here.

Bunny Mellon's NYC Townhouse

The 11,100-square-foot, 14-room townhouse at 125 East 70th Street, built in 1965 by banking heir Paul Mellon and his wife, horticulturist Bunny Mellon, is under contract with an asking price of $46 million. Sotheby's is the listing agent. The contents were in the recent auction of Bunny Mellon's personal belongings. I recognize some of the interior pieces from the auction catalog here. There are many more photos of this lovely townhouse here showing more of her exquisite town and country taste. I'm not a jewelry person but for those of you who are, see her auction of jewels and objects of vertu here.

Perfectly Charming Vintage Bathroom

It looks like a tight fit between the sink and the tub but that's part of the charm. Love it! via

How I Spent My Day

I didn't get the memo but instinctively knew what to do today. via

Wall of Cupboards with Glass Doors

This looks amazing, doesn't it?

There's no such thing as "out of sight, out of mind" with all of your finery displayed in plain sight here. Every house needs a wall like this! Found on Google Images

Have a great Holiday weekend and enjoy the leftovers. xo

The Holly and The Ivy

Isn't this a stunning image? found here

Let the Christmas preparations begin.

Vintage Thanksgiving with Grandparents

Here's my annual trip down memory land honoring the good old days and Norman Rockwell.

Happy Thanksgiving from my cottage to your table. 

Have a thankful day.

Happy Thanksgiving

Are you ready for the big day tomorrow? I'm pretty tuckered out from shoveling the heavy wet snow so I wouldn't have to do it tomorrow after it freezes overnight. I've certainly gotten my share of exercise in the form of hard work this week. Enjoy your day with family and friends tomorrow and eat as much as you can. xo via

Pink Tea Cup: Sweet Potato Pie Recipe

Liz Smith featured this recipe in the New York Social Diary:

PINK TEA CUP SWEET POTATO PIE

2 lbs. yams
½ cup of butter
1 teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ginger
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
2 tablespoons white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
3 large eggs, separated
½ cup orange juice
1 tablespoon grated orange rind
½ cup of evaporated milk

Peel and boil yams until mashable. Add butter, spices, salt, sugar to hot yams. Beat until light and smooth.
Beat egg yolks until light and add to mixture.
Stir in orange juice, orange rind and milk. Beat egg whites until stiff and fold in.
Pour mixture into unbaked pie shell. Preheat oven to 350 and bake 35 minutes or until the pie puffs up and is firm in the middle. Cool on a rack.

Add whipped cream. Dig in Pilgrims!
Sounds good, doesn't it? Yum.

It's Snowing As Predicted

We don't have ice yet because it's too warm. Yes, you can have snow even if it's 36° and I'm not at all happy about it for all the travelers going home for Thanksgiving. Mother Nature is showing her bad side once again. Be careful if you have to go out. See you later. xo cardinal on icy branch

Clouds in the Moonlight

Have a great evening. I did too much yesterday and hardly anything today.

Cloudy Study, Moonlight - 1860 by Albert Bierstadt, American Painter via

DIY Copper Shelves for Kitchen

Clever shelving made with off the shelf parts from Home Depot. This system could work in other areas of a home too. They would be great for books.

I like having the washer and dryer in the kitchen. Read more about this project here. 

What a difference a day makes. Overcast and getting cooler. I am going to pace myself today and see how it goes. 

Transoms in a Bathroom

Two showers, side by side with overhead transoms for venting. Both have sliding barn doors. Love, love, love. via

Today was great. It was 72° and sunny after a rainy start this morning. The guys cleaned my gutters at 9:30 when the rain had just stopped. They used leaf blowers and it was somewhat messy because of the water, leaves, and the fine black sand from the roof shingles in the gutters. I have copper half rounds and it wouldn't have been so bad if the leaves were dry and crispy. I ended up hosing down my whole house after they left if you can imagine. It was actually fun. I have long hoses and good water pressure and it didn't take that long. Plus the outside of the house was still wet from the morning rain. I just couldn't stand dirty water stains on my pretty new white paint. It was a perfect day for being outside. I hosed down the balcony too and put away the furniture. I pulled the remaining thistles from a flower bed and raked leaves too. I might cut some grass tomorrow before it gets cold again on Wednesday. You have the seize the good weather days when they present themselves, don't you? I already have on my pjs and I'm ready to jump into bed. I actually had windows open all day long too. Webster is exhausted and so am I. See you tomorrow. xo

Sweet Potatoes in Muffin Tins

These look delicious and easy to make. I bought a huge box of sweet potatoes at my local supermarket and they have deep red skins. I think they are Garnets, according to this guide.

Ingredients
2 tablespoons organic butter, melted
2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese, plus extra for garnish
1 teaspoon fresh rosemary, chopped, plus extra for garnish
Sea salt and pepper
5-6 large sweet potatoes or yams, thinly sliced
Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray 12 muffin cups with nonstick cooking spray.

In a large bowl whisk together butter, coconut oil, parmesan, chopped rosemary, salt, and pepper.
Add sweet potatoes and toss to coat evenly.
Layer potatoes slices into muffin pan and fill to the top. They will shrink down once they are cooking.

Bake for about 45-50 minutes and edges and tops are golden brown and center in tender.

Let cool for about 5 minutes and carefully remove with a spoon. Place on serving tray and top with extra parmesan cheese and fresh chopped fresh rosemary. Serve immediately.
Recipe found here.

Beautiful Sheep

Does this backlighting make us look fat? via

Shower with A View

Wow, isn't this fabulous? It's a year-round outside shower that just happens to be inside. via 

Getting my attic organized unearthed my sewing machine and today I did a little mending and button sewing. I had to replace a missing button on my trench coat but luckily there was an extra one in a hidden place. It was a very awkward job because there was a small button on the underside that you were supposed to affix at the same time you were sewing on the larger top button. At the end you were supposed to wrap the extra thread around and around before tying it off. I didn't do a very good job of the last part but it's fine and doesn't pucker or anything when I wear it. I forgot all about putting spacers like wooden toothpicks under the larger button to make room for the wrapping. How soon we forget when we don't sew every day as I used to in my youth. But it felt good giving new life to a coat I haven't worn in ages because of the missing button. It's pitch black outside and it's only a little after five o'clock. I'm off to walk Webster now. Enjoy your Sunday evening. xo