Over the holidays I had the pleasure of once again visiting Cambria Pines Lodge by the sea.  This beautiful resort is nestled in a densely wooded neighborhood.  Guests are given a multitude of choices for accommodations. I stayed there last year with my tiny dogs in a darling little rustic cabin.  It was one of the least expensive rooms and I have to say I just adored it.  The room featured a wood-burning fireplace and cathedral wood beamed ceilings.  On my visit this time I opted for what they called a Superior Room.  They back up to the woods and feature a private patio.  The decor was reminiscent of a french cottage.  It also featured high ceilings and updated full bathroom, but I must confess that I found the rustic cabin a bit more charming.

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Graceful Gardens

My favorite part about staying at the lodge is the beautiful gardens that meander throughout the grounds.   What a great way to walk off the buffet breakfast that comes with your room.  I love all the attention to detail around every twist and turn of the paths.  I must confess that I want to recreate all of the endearing nooks and sitting areas you happen upon as you stroll the grounds.  They even have a butterfly garden.

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Please check out all of the charming Concrete Garden Art by clicking on the page link above.

A few months ago I had a great opportunity to acquire several beautiful and unique concrete garden art molds from a wonderful artist who was getting out of the business.  As soon as I saw her work I knew that I had to have at least one of each of these amazing pieces in my yard.  The molds have sat around for awhile waiting for me to create some of these beauties.  Slowly, I am pouring a few of the molds.  Today I start to share with you some of this beautiful concrete garden art.  There are a lot of ahhhh-mazing pieces and I have so many favorites.

I will admit that pouring these molds is quite a workout.  In some instances it can be back-breaking work.  Most of the concrete garden art pieces can be interchanged to create a multitude of art for your garden.

Here is one of my favorites, a lovely pediment designed to go over a doorway or window.  I am using them over my windows, since they just happen to be the right size. It’s easy to fall in love with the beauty and grace of this pediment.  There is also a beautiful mold for a pair of large wings which I am currently using  as shutters to flank each side of the window.  Very cottage-like.  I love them.

All of the concrete yard decor can be finished in any color.  I am quite partial to the verdigris finish lately, but these look wonderful plain or in any color. Due to the heavy weight of these items, I cannot ship them.  So many enchanting items to see, stop by sometime!

When Hummingbirds visit my garden it is a real treat. I just adore birds, especially hummingbirds.  There is something magical about these tiny sprite sized birds. Their iridescent colors shimmering in the light make them look like little jewels. When I was looking to buy a home I fell in love with the yard of one property nearby that had at least 100 hummingbirds flying around. It was a sight to behold. I seriously considered buying the house just because of the hummingbirds. Too bad the house itself just wasn’t for me. Thankfully, I got my head out of the clouds and I came to my senses. From that day forward I vowed I would do everything to entice them into my yard.

Making The Yard More Attractive to Hummingbirds

The yard at my little cottage was quite overgrown and unruly but the birds seemed to love it. Now I was at an impasse.  Do I cut everything back and risk losing their visits, or do I leave everything a mess? The practical and realistic side of me won out.  The yard had to be cut back and cleaned up.  You can read about it here. This daunting project really tested my physical as well as my mental strength.  It killed me to cut back overgrown trumpet creeper vines and shaggy, misshapen trees suffocating from overgrowth and neglect.  I knew I was possibly damaging the homes and food source for the hummingbirds I so desperately wanted in my yard but looking ahead to the future I knew it had to be done.

My yard and garden are just now filling in nicely.  There is still a lot of work to be done. Come next spring I am confident that more hummingbirds as well as other wild birds will be flocking to my yard and making it their home.  

The Hummingbird Society is a great resource for learning about hummingbirds. 

Beautiful rose cakes always get my attention. The icing roses on this rose cake blend beautifully with the china painted roses on this endearing vintage plate.  I have a small collection of mismatched plates, saucers and tea cups with lovely roses like these.  What a wonderful and delicious way to display your vintage tableware.  I cannot imagine a guest who would not be delighted at an invitation for tea and cake served in such a charming manner.  Of course many of us may not have the skills involved to create such a masterpiece.  I think it would be equally nice just to get a simple cake from your local grocery or bakery. Besides that, you can simply embellish the cake with fresh flowers from your garden or store.

First of all, seeing such a fresh and breezy cottage porch swing makes me lighthearted, but alas, living in the city can have it’s drawbacks. One would be lucky to have a huge porch where such a decadent cottage porch swing could be hung. I am so in love with this porch swing. I wish I knew who made it. Beautifully up-cycled from an antique bed by an amazing craftsman. I have to say, I wish it was mine.

This is the perfect project if you have an old vintage or antique bed. I adore the frilly cushions & lace pillows. I can just see myself relaxing under the pretty blue throw.

Painting an old carved antique bed white or any color is sometimes difficult to actually get the courage to . Trust me, the results and transformation are so amazing. Once you paint one piece of wooden furniture, you will become addicted. Likewise, there are times that an antique piece just shouldn’t be painted. The pieces that I acquire are usually beat up and in need of repair.

Do you get as excited as I do about re-purposing old furniture into something charming? Sometimes I can’t sleep at night because I am thinking about that next great project.  If you have enough interest, I will definitely put this on my list of DIY projects that I will feature in a future post.

See more great porch swings here

Check out these great Charming Cottage Porch Swings for inspiration

I hope to have a lovely swing like this on my porch one day.  It would be a beautiful place to relax and have my morning coffee.  Ok, maybe not so realistic as I have to work all day but still, a swing like this will add that punch of charm every cottage home craves.