Cottages, Roses and Porch to Daydream About

I'm going to repeat this statement until I am through with these scheduled posts that I did with the old Blogger interface and the new interface automatically adapted it to the new interface, which is showing uneven gaps between the photos and text. From that point on I'll be using a template I've created for myself and this statement will disappear. I. Can't. Wait!! Plus to get rid of these horrible looking posts I'm going to publish one every day until they are gone. Trying to work them into some semblance of order just will NOT work! I'm trying as diligently as I can, working on it for several hours a day to conquer the wonkiness of the new interface. And don't you ever think I won't win this battle! ;-)

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As I said several weeks ago, for the most part there is no particular theme to any of the photos I post on here. I just gather thousands of photos from the internet to show you and perhaps let you daydream a while. I couldn't possibly post them with a theme. There are too many variations on the photos. Some are beautiful homes. Some are beautiful rooms in a home. Some are yards and gardens that make one dream of a getaway. Some are actually getaways for vacations. Some are just simply eye candy, which are my favorites. Some days I think I'll stop as I have well over ten thousand photos on my Photobucket account, but then I'll find more and just can't wait to share them with others. So here are some cuties for today.

I can't quite make this tiny dwelling out, if it's a bridge or a house with very unusual front and back entries. I think it's cute though.

It's the sofa, pillows and chair that drew me to this room.

This is a lunch box. I think any girl or boy would like taking lunch to school in this, even a hubby! Mine definitely would. He's a man's man, but he's so funny sometimes it makes me cry laughing so much. You wouldn't know it if you just looked at him. But once you get to know him, you don't ever trust what he says! ;-)

A view from the Amalfi coastline—a place on the shin of the Italian boot coastline.

And this is the town of Amalfi, for those of you who will visit it someday. As you can see, you'll not be wearing high heels to walk the cobbles of this town, more like hiking boots.

This tiny toy set just set my heart a flutter. Pink trucks! Caroline loves trucks and trains so she can have them in PINK now. Maybe hubs, her Poppop, would paint an old one in pink for her. She loves pink and purple.

A cozy little spot to sit and look at the garden, it looks to be somewhere in Europe.

While it looks creepy, I think it's just the darkness of the photo that lends that look to this little cottage. I didn't photoshop it because I wanted to show it exactly as it is. I think it's rather cute yet foreboding in those deep dark woods.

If I had the energy I'd make one of these tablecloths but I'd rather try to find one already made if I could.

Draw up the ladder and you can get away from it ALL in this little tree house.

No one would ever mistake me for a gardener but I think these just may be the famous Cecile Brunner roses as they grow prolifically over arbors. I'd love to have some but I don't know where I'd put them. Our arbor has grapes but maybe I could get hubs to plant these there instead of the grapes. I love roses more than grapes.

This sweet, relaxing porch is among my absolute favorites for whiling away a summer afternoon. Darling!!!!!

This is the shade of yellow I love with pink and red—bright lemony yellow.

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My formula for living is quite simple. I get up in the morning and I go to bed at night. In between I occupy myself as best I can because people living deeply have no fear of death. And I don't fear death. It's only the separation from my sweetheart for a season that will make me sad, but it truly is only for a small season.

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Photos courtesy of tumblr and pinterest.

Cottages, Eye Candy and Postal Prohibitions for Pink Saturday 4/28/2012

It's Pink Saturday over at Beverly's Blog, so visit with her and leave a comment to show your appreciation.




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Okay, first of all again about the new interface. I'm doing a tutorial over on K&S and if you'd like to read it, be my guest. It literally takes many, many hours to do a tutorial and I'm trying my best to do it, but can only do it for 3 to 4 hours a day. I first have to do screenshots, which when taken are tiffs so I have to convert them to jpgs and then photoshop them a little bit. But it involves several images to make things easier for you to understand. At this point, I've got a very, very few of the basics covered and there is much to come. I think. I just don't know how much more I need to do. It would be tremendously helpful if any of you could leave a comment or email me on what has you stumped. Then I could know what to address. I plan on using a template so I can have total control over what my posts look like and not have the photos and text scattered about willy-nilly. So if you're wondering, just ask me after you visit the tutorial. It's not finished yet.

And since I have 19 posts scheduled under the old editor they are going to look a tad out of order on the posts and photos. I am NOT going back and redo those. Starting after those 19 or 20 I'll be using the template and all should be fine then. I like perfection! It will drive me nuts seeing them like they will probably appear but that's how it's going to be for the next few weeks. (And I'm learning much just revising this post. {Grin}
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Like most people I've given eBay a shot when trying to sell things I've made or old clothes or shoes that I no longer want. It wasn't a huge success for me as it has been for a lot of sellers who go on to open their own website for selling. I tried that also, but it was frustrating and time consuming so I just give things away now or sell them on Craigslist, which has worked well for me. I hated shipping things.

I made a small lap quilt once with silk velvet and a woman in Nova Scotia bought it. It really was beautiful. It got lost in the mail to her. I made another one for her and she agreed to accept it as it was truly beautiful and almost exactly like the first one. I went to a lot of trouble making those two quilts as silk velvet is the hardest fabric in the world to work with. I'll never ever do another quilt or work with silk velvet; although, it is gorgeous fabric.

But a lot of women overseas wanted to buy my items and I said no. I just wouldn't ship outside the U.S. because of the rules and regulations and possibility of getting lost or stolen in transit. It just wasn't worth it to me. I'd have had to refund their money or duplicate the item (and lose money all the way around on that option) and it wouldn't have been through any fault of mine, but postal carriers in other countries.

While I gave it scant consideration at one point early on, I checked postal regulations, or rather prohibitions, in several countries and found very interesting rules that helped me make my determination to not ship internationally. Here are just a few prohibitions in some countries. These are just a few countries but I'll be posting more later on in another post.

Albania: You cannot ship extravagant clothes contrary to Albanian's taste or used articles.

Algeria: Articles made of tortoise-shell, mother of pearl, ivory, bone meerschaum and amber—natural or reconstructed, worked jade or mineral substances similar to jade, canned vegetables, fish, plums, nuts, funeral urns, household articles made of tin, saccharine, used clothing or accessories, blankets, linen, textile furnishings, footwear, headwear, watches or clocks.

Denmark: Dried or powdered milk or food mixtures containing it.

France: Imitation pearls.

Italy: clocks or supplies for clocks, artificial flowers or fruits, footwear of any kind, leather goods, playing cards, nutmeg, vanilla, sea or rock salt or saffron, perfumes of any kind, playing cards of any kind, ribbons for typewriters, tobacco, toys not made wholly of wood, coffee or its substitutes, bells and other musical instruments and parts thereof.

So that's it for now. Just feast your eyes on the cottages and eye candy for the rest of this post.

A sweet cottage alongside the road in England.

Aren't these pillows just gorgeous? And that pink (It looks pink on the photo but certainly doesn't look pink after posting it on blogger!) french settee? Ooo-la-la~

Would you look at that rose arbor covering the entry? Sigh....

Some of you are too young to remember these beach chairs but they were comfortable, easily transportable and fun with all the different colors of canvas you could find them in.

This seems a big large to be called a cottage but it's still lovely.

Have you noticed the only color in this photo is the tool, the candy and the petite tin?

I have a few of these gorgeous fabrics and they look much prettier in person.

I have absolutely no idea if this is a residence or a public building but it is stunning! I wonder where it is.

An inexpensive and clever idea for a candlelight dinner on the patio.

I cannot tell you how much I would love to have a garden like this, but with a gardener to take care of it. Hubs wouldn't have the time or energy to keep it up.

Somewhere in England I think, looking at the kitchen and decor. Very pretty.

When you think of simpler times and wanting to live in those days, just think of how much those people would have given to be in your shoes today. Gives one pause, huh?
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Now, go do something fabulous!
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Photos courtesy of tumblr and pinterest.

Military Family Story and Cottages and Lovely Rooms

To those of you who haven't seen yesterday's post I would recommend viewing it. I offered just a little bit of help with the new blogger interface. I'll be doing a more in depth tutorial in the near future, but it takes a long time to do a tutorial with screenshots. There is also a tutorial on taking screenshots with your computer if you have any interest. It is located on the side bar just below Blogging Tutorial. It comes in handy a lot of times.
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Growing up in a military family had its advantages and disadvantages. One advantage was we traveled a lot and lived in many different places. One disadvantage was we traveled a lot and lived in many different places. You get the irony of this I'm sure.

Being a shy kid, I hated changing schools but especially in the middle of the school year. You know how it goes: Your parent takes you to the new school and registers you and then you are walked to the new classroom and introduced to the other students as you stand up at head of the class. I hated it. I was always mortified to be the new girl in class. I never got over the feeling of not belonging any place. That's one of the hazards of being a military brat. I'm guessing that many kids of military men didn't like it much either. Maybe that's why at this point in my life I don't like traveling. I absolutely love staying at home.
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This is a home I would have loved to live in at some point in my life.

Aren't these cups/glasses beautiful? I'd love to have some.

Reminds me of Puerto Vallarta and the beauty of Mexico.

Cute and sweet and easy idea for an outdoor party.


Definitely an English-type home. Beautiful.

 

Pink cushions, but the table looks pink to me also.


Don't ya just love this?!

With the thatch roof this has to be in England or Ireland.

Roses touch me in a way nothing else can. Just their beauty calms my soul.

I know those of you looking at this now are wishing it belonged to you. It looks to be somewhere in Spain, Italy or France.

A very intricately thatched roof.

Somewhere along an old country road.

Yes, this is a little girl's playhouse.

 This home reminds me of old English mysteries, which I love.

Another office or studio idea. Easy, quick and cheap.

Anything like this catches my eye. I'm a lover of eye candy for sure. But this also gives me ideas.

This house could be anywhere in the world. It's just a classic stately home.
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If you think your teacher is tough, wait until you get a boss or a drill instructor. (I know this from personal experience. Hubby was a Marine and a Marine drill instructor in the 1960s.)

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Photos courtesy of tumblr and pinterest.