She's Back!!!!!

I walked and called her name and rode my bike around the neighborhood. She must have been locked in the garage of the house next door. She came running to me ..... and the other kitties were sniffing her and greeting her with open paws.
I hope she will never get locked in again. I need  to know where the hidden key is kept.
THANK YOU for all your kind and positive thoughts. Our local kitty guardian shared her photo on face book. ..THANK YOU THANK YOU one and all!!!!!!

Lost and Missed.....

Sorry I haven't added the rest of the photos from the book but I have been sad and upset about a missing kitty.
In my life, it seem that animals just show up ..My friends call me a cat magnet.(One day at the  parking garage at the mall a sweet young kitten came to me out of nowhere)
I am really an animal person and appreciate  the t shirt that says" 'The more people I meet the more I love my dog"
I help spay  and neuter dogs and kitties and feed a colony at my cottage. "Sweet  Girl" just showed up several years ago and even though she wasn't one of the "family" I could pick her up and love on her any time. When" 99 steps to the beach" was a vacation rental the guest would write love notes about the kitties and would buy them treats and new bowls every year.
If I would forget and leave the screen door and french door open "Sweet Girl" would crawl up and sleep in the middle of the bed.
THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS  A FERAL CAT.. ONLY ONE WHO HASN'T FOUND A BED TO SLEEP IN YET.....
I took her to the vet last week and  she had a great checkup. Sadly I forgot to tell them to microchip her and now she is missing.
I am in such a funk worrying about what may have happened to her but I promise I will get back to sharing happy things this coming week.
 PS. The "House without a home " is getting it's new beautiful spot two blocks away ..Thanks Henry and Vicky Patton for caring about saving a cottage on tybee .

 She is like me and hates to have her picture made.

waiting for tuna ..........

hiding from the camera and telling me not to take her picture!!

"Has anyone seen  Sweet Girl?"

New Cottage Style

I have three project featured in the new book by Better Homes and Gardens.

Here is one of them........

dining room
Richard leo Johnson

living room
(Richard Leo Johnson photography)

We called it the Palace Cottage for fun.....

Here are a few more photos that I have of the cottage
.


open stair well with a Bellamy oyster shell

 http://janecoslick.myshopify.com/collections/art/products/bellamys-oyster-1

what my client nick named his 'Bubba' room (a southern thing)

kitchen island

pantry door shell knob http://janecoslick.myshopify.com/collections/accessories/products/tectus-pyramis

the 2nd master bedroom

I try to help my clients improve their quality of life... the laundry room was always a mess..no one could find their things. it was a dull and boring  space......SO I tried something different and it worked..we bought the great old metal  top table  for folding clothes and I tried a bit of humor.. to brighten the space....

view of tybee  light house



a great shutter headboard( the client made so much fun of it until it was up.)

 More next  post......

The Mix Of Old And New.....RED and BLUE

The Details....

Great grandmother's lamp , a beautiful Bellamy painting in yellows, and antique typewriting table and the latest thing in pillows ( the pillows have grommets and nautical numbers)

Mixing styles, patterns and textures makes things very upbeat and interesting. A commom thread may just be having what you love around you. Design for yourself.....never just follow the trends! Trends are here to day and gone tomorrow....mix it up and it will never look dated or out of style .



windows were almost replaced by a built in giant wall of bookcases..



Natural light thru old wooden windows..the best of the best!!!!

touches of red ble and yellow

a floor lamp made from a leftover colum from my first restoration

the bedroom








a magic space for the sweetest of dreams

the throw is from Anthropologie (It is really a table cloth turned wrong side out)
the amazing stylist Elizabeth Beeler "dreamed" that one up.

Richard  Leo Johnson took some amazing photographs for Coastal Living Magazine of this amazing cottage .Elizabeth Beeler styled the shots and the Martin family allowed us in to their homes with open arms. We all worked very hard and had so much fun.
 "If it's not fun,don't do it!!!',I say.

living on the coast and eating oranges off your fruit trees....what could be better?

Anna, as usually, made the arrangements with natural plantings from the Martin's garden

bright, open and inviting spaces

                               


this was a family find from years ago before collecting was so "in"




 When working with small space the more windows there are to let the outside and the inside come together the larger the space will feel.



living outside , inside and dock side!!!!!



Me.. counting my blessing and pondering the beauty of it all.

Welcome inside Gonga's Cottage Kitchen...

A kitchen does not have to be large to be functional. This cottage kitchen can serve the best macaroni and cheese and family favorites even though it is not large.
Here, when you are in the kitchen, you are not away from the fun you are still front and center ! I love the collection of red and white that has been in the family for years.
Great light from beautiful windows and soft white linen panel that filter the sun shine ever so softly....

fruit off the tree and treasure from years past made the space pop with color







the fruit trees on the property supplied the accents for the shoot

the pantry with chicken wire and shell knobs from my on line store,

I love tiny windows.. with special family photos above

added an antique corbel for support of the counter top.

the kitchen is divided with a bar made of the old wood from the walls..

" now WHEN  is that macaroni and cheese going to be ready?"

Simple and interesting and Home Sweet Home!!

Gonga's Cottage......Featured in Coastal Living Magazine

The September issue of Coastal Living Magazine features a special little cottage with very big style. The family loves nautical things and the colors of red and blue.They have been collecting wonderful things for years and were willing to share  all their treasures with us during the photo shoot.
The exterior of the cottage is as great from the front as it is from the back.The porches are so livable and every nook holds a piece of their collection. The cottage is part of the family compound on Whitmarsh Island 15 minutes from Savannah on  beautiful  Richardson Creek. They love the water and boating and they all took part in all phases of the project.
Here are a few of the exterior photos that I took of Gonga's Cottage

       The front of the cottage with the picket fence and arbor.



 The beautiful wavy glass original window by the front door


 The back door on to the screen porch.................( you can see all the way thru the cottage)



the back yard and the guest cottage



the starfish shutters that operate .. I made this photograph my screen saver!!!



the porch is original and is the perfect place to sit and drink your coffee in the morning AND your wine at night.



a nautical candle holder made from an old brass propeller

red ,white  and blue sunbrella cushions with Linda favorite antique chest

Gonga's Cottage

Gonga's swing ....but everybody loves to swing

the antique brick patio was added as was the back screen porch.

The family has a shop with great things like shells and nautical things and one of a kind items for sale. I suggested they call it LINDA' LEFTOVERS  because when you move into a tiny cottage you have so many things that wont fit.
The shop is located inside THE RUG SHOPPE( their family business) 1690 President Street Savannah Ga. 912 232-1894

the walk way to the dock



every single side of the cottage is beautiful..complete with window boxes and a custom picket fence



tomorrows post .. inside magic of this cottage