Author: angelagrace

  • Top 5 Favorite Cottage Roses for the Pacific Northwest

    Lady Bank’s Rose via cottagemagpie.com Cottage Rose via cottagemagpie.com Every Spring, about the end of April, I start watching for the roses to bloom. The first one to go is always the Lady Bank’s rose that’s on the site gate arbor. After that, the rose hedge starts to go, and then about now, all of…

  • Yo-Yo Quilt Throw Pillow Cover

    This pillow has been in the works for. Well, ever. I made the first yo-yo’s in May of 2011. So, yep, two years. Wow, we’re slow around here. Eeep! Well, at least it’s finally done, that’s the main thing, right? We’ll focus on that. I don’t have a tutorial for this per se. I just…

  • Early May Blooms in the Pacific Northwest

    Spring Blooms via cottagemagpie.com Spring Blooms via cottagemagpie.com I am sometimes amazed at how different the garden looks now from when I first moved here. I mean, I don’t know why, really. I’ve worked on it for hours upon hours and made so many changes. But for some reason, at each given moment in time…

  • April Blooms in the Pacific Northwest

    Cherry Trees in Bloom via cottagemagpie.com Cherry Trees in Bloom via cottagemagpie.com Spring and Fall are my favorite seasons by far. I mean, there are things about all of the seasons that I love, but there’s just something especially good about Spring and Fall. Right now, of course, I think Spring is by far my…

  • Antique-Inspired Scrappy Trip-Around-the-World Quilt

    I am proud to announce that after months of hand-tying and hand binding this little quilt, it is finally finished!! I must say this quilt has been quite the learning experience, but I am also really pleased with how it’s turned out. The color palette was inspired by an antique Ocean Waves block that I…

  • Kwanzan Flowering Cherry (Prunus serrulata ‘Kwanzan’)

    Kwanzan Flowering Cherry (Prunus serrulata) via cottagemagpie.com Kwanzan Flowering Cherry (Prunus serrulata) via cottagemagpie.com Of all the flowering trees, none is as romantic as the ornamental cherry “Kwanzan,” (Prunus serrulata ‘Kwanzan’). Like many cherries, it has a lovely, graceful vase-shape form, attractive bark and good fall color, but is best known for its stunning display…

  • Plants for Summer Containers

    Summer Containers for the Front Garden via Cottage Magpie Summer Containers for the Front Garden via Cottage Magpie I have this ongoing battle with the front containers. Every year I get this idea that I want to plant them up with evergreens or perennials so that we’ll have foliage and interest year after year without…

  • Carnation or Clove Pink (Dianthus x caryophyllus)

    Carnation or ‘Clove Pink’ (Dianthus x caryophyllus) via cottagemagpie.com Carnation or ‘Clove Pink’ (Dianthus x caryophyllus) via cottagemagpie.com I have always always loved the smell of carnations. It’s no surprise to me that they are also called “clove pinks” because their scent is spicy and sweet like the culinary spice. It’s a distinctive smell that…

  • Book: Perfect English Cottage by Ros Byam Shaw

    One of my favorite decorating books to read and reference over and over again is Perfect English Cottage by Ros Byam Shaw. Every page has something to study. The book has English cottages of all kinds — airy and romantic, gilded and elegant, cozy, rustic, clean, beachy. It’s a treasure trove of ideas and inspiration.…

  • Collecting Pretty Glass Paperweights

    I am still trying to get this room cleaned up enough to take a picture. Oh, by “this room” I mean the room I am sitting in right now, my workshop. I really need your help figuring out colors but it’s a total disaster in here! Between stuff I pulled out of the someday-mudroom and…