living simply and embracing imperfection
While in Greece we saw lots of wildflowers starting to bloom (May should be incredible there), but the biggest variety was seen during our hike up to the castle ruin above Corinth (called Acrocorinth).They were literally growing out of the rocks. I kept lagging behind our group as I snapped pictures to share with all [...]
Happy Tuesday! I’m excited to share with you this collage I made after walking around the house recently, snapping photos of everything I could find blooming in our yard (from top left, clockwise): Pieris japonica (sometimes called Lily of the Valley bush) Buds on Huckleberry bush Grape Hyacinth Flowering Quince Forget-me-not Creeping Phlox Primrose Budding [...]
There’s a lot out there in blogland showing all kinds of handmade wreaths, painted pots full of faux bird’s nests and fanciful eggs, and lots of fun fabric decorations for spring porches. But what if you don’t have time for that? Or don’t want to invest the time or money (no matter how inexpensively it [...]
I really enjoy the change of seasons and fall decorating is a fun way to celebrate the shift from summer. There are some things I grow in my garden and vegetable beds specifically to decorate with in the fall: White pumpkins. Orange and green pumpkins. Although to be completely honest, I wouldn’t grow the orange [...]
Hello friends! I have a new plant I’ve been wanting to share with you that I’m loving this season – a Little Lime Hydrangea, which is a dwarf version of Limelight Hydrangea. I purchased this back in May (using a gift certificate my sweet friend gave me for my birthday – yeah!) to use in [...]
As part of this Spring Spruce-up series, I spruced up our entry porch on Monday, a couple vegetable beds on Tuesday, and today I’m sharing with you a couple of flower beds I cleaned up and prepared using five easy steps to control the weeds- not only for spring, but summer, too! That’s right, spring [...]
A little while ago I read an article from Better Homes and Gardens listing “no-fail” perennials for different regions across the U.S. When I looked at the list for the Pacific Northwest, I had to laugh because NOT ONE was a plant I’d recommend to people. Maybe it’s just me (and the way I garden?). [...]
I just received a garden update from the Oregon State Extension Service and read an interesting article on hedgerows. You know, the “hedgerows” they always mention in books set in England or Ireland. Huh? What? Why was the extension service mentioning this? I don’t think I even knew what the word hedgerow meant until I [...]
We’ve had such a mild winter since our week of 11 degree temperatures in December that a lot of things are blooming (full blown daffodils in February?!), but the traditional flowers of February to me are crocus. They seem to be the promise of spring with their bright colors shooting up through the green leaves [...]
October seems like such a lackluster month for flowers. Everything’s browning, shutting down, or becoming bare. And really, everyone is looking at the trees and their glorious colors anyway. But walking around I was surprised to find quite a few things still blooming and some that got a second wind when the rains started again [...]
I just had to share this beautiful bouquet. I asked my daughter to find something blooming in the yard for the table centerpiece and this is what she came up with. Wow. She’s good. I believe that flowers are an important part of the frugal lifestyle. Huh? You read that right. I just think flowers [...]
I believe a cottage can be anywhere or anything (condo, ranch, farmhouse) as long as you have a "cottage mentality" which puts people above things, celebrates imperfections, embraces simplicity, and finds joy in everyday life. Thanks for joining me!
Design By
© 2009–2012 An Oregon Cottage, LLC.All rights reserved.
No content on this site, including text and photos, may be reused in any fashion without written permission.