The latest addition to my Mary collection...

I have a soft spot for Mary...

...and a great fondness for statues of Mary.

It started with this 1960's ceramic Mary that belonged to my mom, that now hangs in my home.

I then found the most incredible vintage, chippy cement Mary statue for our garden.

There is also my ever-growing collection of vintage Madonna busts and planters.

So needless to say, when I came across this very old, chippy chalkware statue of Mary in a thrift store, I was absolutely smitten.

I'd never seen a piece quite like this before. In addition to Mary, there was an old, chippy chalkware statue of Jesus...

...both of them standing on a base with a Holy Water font, votive candleholder...

...and sweet chippy cherub between them.

It's just the most beautiful old statue and I am so grateful to have been in the right place at the right time to have found it.

And you just know that Miss Social Butterfly was overseeing every photo I took of this statue,...

... peering at me from behind the divider windows!

She never misses a trick,...

... always keeping an eye on what's going on, and this afternoon was no exception!

I'll be posting this over at Cindy's (My Romantic Home) Show & Tell Friday this week. Be sure to pop over and check out what everone else is sharing! I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

(NOTE: I have NO clue what is going on with the layout here! It was fine when I typed it, and it's gone crazy. No matter how many times I edit it, it reverts back to this hodge podge! Hope you can make sens of this post! haha)

Donna

Birds of a feather...

... flock together, and it appears that cats do the same thing.

Baby has some favorite places to relax. They're definitely not the most comfortable spots, but they all have one thing in common... cat statues!

Here she is practically falling off the edge of our small recycling center, but it doesn't seem to bother her because we have come to realize that Baby really enjoys the company of the many kitties who decorate our little cottage! She not only enjoys cuddling up with them...

... She also assumes their poses, which makes for some pretty cute photos!

It may start with a friendly conversation...

... or a bit of shyness as she gets to know the kitties...

...but before long, she has snuggled up next to her friends (in this case a cast iron cat, which can't be comfortable!)...

...and, as I mentioned before, assumed their poses.

Baby is a very social cat...

... and she really does enjoy hanging out with all of our cottage kitties.

I think I first noticed it last Halloween...

...when I snapped this photo of her posing with the black & white thrift store kitties.

All I know is that I believe she'd miss the kitties even more than I would (in my ongoing efforts to become more of a minimalist), so it's safe to say they are here to stay!

It's still unseasonably COLD here in New England, but the afternoons do warm up a bit. We'll take anything we can get at this point!

Wishing you all a wonderful week!

Donna

Thrift Store finds ... and our dog is famous!

I was so happy to come across these Cath Kidston cannisters in a thrift store last year.

All of her designs are so cheerful, and I fell in love with the pink roses against the blue background on this Coffee & Tea set. Perfect for our little cottage kitchen!

Mr. J gets very excited when he sees me reach for the Coffee tin.

That's because it holds his treats rather than coffee!

Now take a good look at the sweet face on the Charlee Bear Dog Treat bag...

I think they borrowed sweet Mr. J for a photo shoot when I wasn't looking! Here he is doing his best impersonation of the dog on the bag!

Thankfully the snow we got overnight amounted to no more than a dusting. But with temperatures back down in the 30's for the next several days, we are wondering, "Will Spring ever arrive in New England?"

I'm linking up to Cindy's (My Romantic Home) Show & Tell Friday, so be sure to stop over and see what everyone is sharing this week!

Donna

Our little troll...a tribute to pound dogs

A one-in-a-million dog who escaped being put to sleep by praying for her life.

Click Gizzy's photo to read her story.

Our Gizzy Girl

1992 (adopted 3/11/2000) - March 22, 2008

It's hard to believe it's been 3 years. The little girl with the huge presence; a heart, personality and attitude way bigger than her size. We miss you so much, our sweet Giz.

Love, Mommy

Click to view Shelter Dogs, one of my favorite commercials by Pedigree. Gizzy certainly had tales to tell and stories to write, as do all the wonderful shelter and pound dogs waiting for homes this very minute...

Spring is playing Hide & Seek...

Spring, like Baby....

...is playing hide-and-seek with us here in New England.

We have been enjoying some sunny, 60+ degree days lately. We've even had the windows open a bit ... heavenly! But this is the view today, snowy and cold. (Hopefully we won't get more than 1-2 inches).

So I guess we're going to have to wait a while longer...

...and be content with little glimpses...

...here and there...

...until Spring decides...

...to come out of hiding and stay for a while! (Baby has been known to hide under or behind the shower curtain and "surprise" people who use the bathroom!)

But for now, she's going to have to be content watching the snowflakes fall behind closed windows. (I wonder how Mr. O'Malley feels about his urn being her favorite place to perch lately!)

Hope you all have a wonderful week!

Donna

In defense of faux foliage and flowers...

I know faux foliage and flowers have gotten a bad rap in some decorating circles, but I refuse to feel guilty about using them!


First of all, the foliage and flowers currently available are a far cry from the plastic arrangements that my mom was forced to choose from. The choices today are almost endless, and most of them are quite realistic.


They look good in everything from a vintage milk glass vase...

... to a distressed French bucket.

Unfortunately, my budget doesn't allow for vases of fresh flowers around my house on a weekly basis.

Faux is also great if you want a little something in a place that doesn't get natural light...

... like this vintage tin wastebasket down on the floor (strategically placed to hide the ugly electric outlet and cords behind it!). A real plant would never survive in this sunless spot.

Or maybe, like me, you don't have a green thumb.

I've had these paper roses for at least 10 years, and they look almost as good as the day I bought them.

The top of the TV hutch in the living room does not make for easy watering, so faux is the perfect choice.

These faux roses, ...

... a peachy-pink with violet edges, are my favorites.

...right down to the crackled vase filled with buttons that anchors the stems.

Pete the Parakeet certainly enjoys perching in a bit of faux ivy at the bottom of his cage.

And a small sprig of faux white lilacs peek out of the vintage kitty planter in my windowless kitchen (it's definitely a challenge to grow live plants without a window for light).

This family room window is one of Baby's favorite places to hang out.

She can knock this over without me worrying about water spillage.

Now these, I have to admit, are a bit tacky. They're a throwback to the 60's and 70's, but I couldn't resist them at a church thrift fair last year.

Two matching copper pots, overflowing with faux ivy. They're perfect on either side of yet another of my bird cages.

This old brass/copper/whatever vessel holds faux flowers in front of the family room slider.

The planter is cracked and would never hold water. Court bought it for me at a neighbor's yard sale when she was very young, so it is a prized possesion.

Tons of faux (lavender, ivy, grass, and boxwood) on top of the bookcases. Again, an impossible place to water real plants.

Faux ivy is the perfect hair style for Patience, ...

.. the former garden planter who now lives indoors.

An old, dented tin vase that I've had for at least 30 years...

...is filled with some old, dried flowers.

There's no chance of these being poisonous to Baby...


...who, as you can see, followed me around while I photographed all of our faux flowers this morning!

So due to any combination of the following: 1) cost, 2) lack of sunlight, 3) hard to reach spots, 4) my brown thumb, and 5) possibly poisonous to animals, real flowers and foliage aren't always practical for me. Therefore, faux will always have a place in our little cottage, with no apologies!

I'm linking up to Cindy's (My Romantic Home) Show & Tell Friday. Be sure to stop by!

And before I forget, Happy St. Patrick's day, everyone!

Donna