Miniatures can literally take you way from the cares of the world to a place time has slowed down.

Shrink down and come inside!

This morning’s weather has changed to a damp rain.

A pair of wellies by the door , the watercolor palette on the chair with binoculars are from this morning outing that ended when the damp rain began.

With the cold and damp setting in outside…

Hot tea, fresh bread and rustic cheeses more than make up for the dash inside.

A lazy cat enjoys the warmth of the fire besides the favorite rocking chair.

Upstairs is a sled bed with lots of warm blankets to snuggle under.  I imagine the cat abandons the hearth with bedtime comes.

The bed warmer is a recent find from a lot of copper things on ebay.  It added to the mood.  Imagine snuggling down is a toasty warm bed on a cold night after its use!

The kitchen counter….

This turned out so good!  I do love aging and adding character to pieces.  Going from a blank canvas to this …. is a total artistic escape for me.

If I could give you a step by step instructions of the transformation I would, but it is like asking Grandma how she does a recipe that she doesn’t measure — just makes it!  It leaves me perplexed by the inner workings of the mind that control the hands.  How does that happen?

My treasures collected over time have pulled together to breathe life into this cottage and given it a story!

The coolest butter mold with an imprint is from a box of junk.  No idea who made it but it is a cherished find. It sits on the counter by the fresh bread and butter dish.

Butter mold

Actually has an imprint to press in the butter!

A spot for the spice drawers – all which open.  I know it is silly but I love knowing that.  A wonderful rustic chicken print  from Dominque Autin. Every one of her pieces are simple but done so well they delight me each time I look at them.  The shelf sports a bottle of wine and special canned goods to be used for the arrival of someone special.

The china in the shelves by the door are from my faux china painting days.  This cabinet and dishes was a class I taught long ago with a few added pieces to round it out by Vince Stapleton and Valeria Casson.

Oh the table! It is by Bradley Meinke.   If you get a chance to take one of his wood finishing classes — do it!  He is very sharing of his techniques.

The chairs are odd ducks picked up at the Denver show.  I love the faux bamboo look.  Quirky but adds to the cottage character.

I had a friend over and she was checking out the cottage interior.  She said that one thing seemed out of place — the pipe on the mantle.  Obviously, its a woman’s cottage — so why the pipe?

Its a remembrance of a friend now gone.  A reminder of many an evening shared by the hearth and the stories shared but not forgotten.

For a bit of amusement — note the transformation of the skull candle into a normal warm candle.  Another one of Dominque’s pictures hides the wiring.

Ghoulish beginnings

Transformation!

Now for the total view of the interior………

All in all … I can imagining walking through the cottage door and feeling instantly at home.

I hope you are feeling the same!