Burlap and Pumpkins

One would think that since we moved into our

new home on July 4th, we'd be completely

unpacked and be in full swing of things.

That's funny.

I know my boxes of Fall decor are hidden in the

wee corner of the trailer we have yet to fully unpack. 

I'll get to it this weekend because 

we've got company coming next Saturday

and putting up some decor

might distract from all the other unfinished projects!

If all else fails,

I have a full bolt of burlap

waiting to be cut into

and a yard full of natural

supplies to make some more of those

cute burlap pumpkins plus

the pumpkin patch opens this weekend.

We'll be fine.

Hmm...

I have an idea.

I'll share with you on the next post.

Happy Fall Decorating!

xo, Amber

Makings of a Cottage

I am so excited that we are starting to work

on the outside of our cottage.

{No, we are nowhere near finishing the interior}

Before 

After yesterday, I can really say it's more

cottage than log.

After

After

The log ends have been cut off!

Bruce has been putting his chintzy

chainsaw to good use but

on our list of purchases:

a new gas powered chainsaw

with a little more oomph.

The corners will be trimmed out

and after painting,

it will look like a true cottage.

Now, let's talk about bees...

Wood boring bees to be exact 

which are new to us Westies.

They are a wee bit territorial 

and let you know they do not want 

you to get near their holes, 

which are were in our house.

Bruce kebashed MANY of them.

One day soon the holes will be filled 

and they will have to choose a new location

for their home.

Now to paint color...

We would have gone with a clean white and black

scheme but there are so many homes

here with those colors that we 

don't want to be copy cats even though

I LOVE the look.

No creamy yellows -  not us.

Red... hmmm... no, unless we were on 

sprawling acreage with a barn to match. ;)

Winner: a gray/green

with white trim

and black shutters and doors.

Can't wait!

Bruce made a new friend who

is painting the house that he is working on.

He came over yesterday so we could talk

about it. He's going to paint our

house for us and Bruce is gonna do 

some work for him.

Bartering - gotta love it.

I am so excited to put some photos side by side

of before and after.

The day is coming very, very soon.

Until the house is painted, the garden over haul

will wait. I'm still in the planning stage for that.

One thing that will stay is the Lantana.

Love it!

See you again soon!

xo, Amber

Saturday Morning Delight!

I love  the early morning.

It's "my time" to have a little solitude

before the house slowly

awakens.

This morning, Bruce enjoyed it with me.

We pulled a couple of chairs 

up to the nook where we are

going to put a little table for two

so we could take in the morning coolness

{it's starting to feel like Autumn!}

and smell the rain.

Right outside the window

was this little girl.

We watched her for a while as she watched us.

She was fixated on us but she stayed

long enough for me to capture the moment.

Have a beautiful weekend.

xo, Amber

Coffee anyone?

I know one of the biggest taboo's in the 

creative world is to change 

your branded name.

Phooey.

I'm doing it anyway.

Life is about change 

{and boy, did we make a 

big life change a couple of months ago!}.

When I opened Black Rooster Cottage

several years ago, I didn't know 

what it would become or what

it would bring to me.

I thought it was just a creative outlet.

Well, that's what my intentions were.

It brought so much more.

Extra money; a chance to make things that I love 

which come to find out, others loved them too,

a place to stage a Boutique and create and re-create 

rooms that changed with the season or

just because I wanted them to.

To travel around to different venues.

 But the best part of all,

are the friendships I made along the way.

I look back at photos from my first "show" at

the Winery and think about how

scared I was. 

I was clueless but excited.

I did good! 

Especially among 

the other vendors selling sunglasses, Jamaican

sundresses, dog leashes and honey.

Having the Winery owner

buy from me was a HUGE boost.

And looking at photos from both my last shows with

The Vintage Marketplace

to the showroom I rented at Granny's,

the evolution  of Black Rooster Cottage 

has become exactly who I am. 

Who WE are.

...My love for Country. 

My love for refined French and European.

My LOVE for crisp Black and

rough burlap.

Mixing of old, new, rough & refined

and Eclectic.

That's me.

That's my family {kinda by force}. ;)

And that is the home we are creating.

I  plan on keeping my  BRC domain because 

it is a huge part of our family but

we have found H.O.M.E....

The French Pressed Home.

Although I am not of French decent,

 I love what French signifies.

Simple beauty.

Beautiful sights.

Delicious smells.

{And my beloved Coffee.} 

That's what our home is about.

That's what we want our friends and family

to feel when they enter through the doors

of our home.

Moving to the South has opened our senses,

released our stresses and has given us

what we have so longed for. 

Peace. Love. Happiness. 

The comfort we feel here

is indescribable.

You know you are home when

you are comfortable even though

everything is new and foreign.

I picked The French Pressed Home

for several reasons

{First, let me say, Bruce isn't

crazy about the name because he said it's confusing.

Huh? 

I don't understand that but whatever,

it'll grow on him}:

Coffee. I love it. 

A true 

French Pressed coffee is nothing

short of delicious.

Distinct. Smooth. Dark. Aromatic.

Also,  French Pressed says to me {in a decor sense},

Crisp. Laundered. Bold. Clean lines.

That's how I feel our home is {becoming}.

In remodeling our Cottage and designing our dream home,

it has just flowed naturally.

As I continue to open boxes and slowly

put things up, I have discovered that

I have been collecting, creating, honing my skills

for this exact house.

Maybe that's why I was so uneasy in the last house.

Who would have known?

With this blog, I will take the time to make it more

than BRC's was. 

I will learn how to do things beyond the basics.

I will learn how to post video.

I will add pages.

I will add click and print things.

I will learn how to do more.

And, down the road I know I will get back to

my "creating for others"  place, and start 

selling again. But for now,

we're building our home and 

I don't want to play  tug-o-war

between the two.
I want my heart to be completely into
what I am doing at the moment.

Plus I got two handsome little boys

I need to absorb more of before they

start "out of the house" school  and 
a daughter that I need to cheer on at
her Volleyball games!

This blog will be about our adventure in 

starting a new life, creating a beautiful

Cottage home, sharing recipes, 

throwing in some of life's wisdom's but 

mostly,  making you feel like

you're sitting right in my kitchen

sipping a true French Press cafe

and having a chocolat croissant.

~Live the life you love~

Amber