Design. Create. Decorate.

Design. Create. Decorate.

Friday, August 19, 2016

Adding Curb Appeal - DIY

Welcome to Quince Cottage!
If you've been following us for a while, you know that our house is a new build in a subdivision. There are many things to like about new construction and subdivisions, but character, distinctive charm, and quaintness are not among them. Yet those are exactly the qualities we love in a home. What to do?
Add them!
Not only have we been busy doing exactly that on the inside, through shiplap walls, a sliding barn door, buffalo check wall treatment, doing an antique look finish on our mantel, and a brick kitchen backsplash (no post on that one yet, I'm sorry to say...but it's in the works), but we've also been doing it with landscaping.
This post will show you where we started and where we are a year and a few months later.

Where we started April 2015 © Rhiann Wynn-Nolet
©Rhiann Wynn-Nolet
Yep, bland foundation plantings and two scrawny trees basic builder package...

One of our first projects was installing a little black metal fence to create a courtyard garden in front of the porch. This provides a focal point at the entry and an enhanced sense of welcome. We decided that within the courtyard all the flowering plants would be white or very pale pink, blue, lavender because Rhiann was enchanted with the idea of a moonlight garden. We chose black metal fencing to coordinate with our black lanterns, black fountain, and dark bronze door hardware. The black fountain was something we brought from our previous house.
The fence panels were purchased at Lowe's and aside from the fact that each place we went to sink a post spike we hit rocks and construction debris, installation was relatively easy. Be sure to measure carefully to see how many panels you'll need. A metal tape measure, rubber mallet, and a level are essentials for this task.

©Rhiann Wynn-Nolet
A closer view of the garden itself. We planted a climbing hydrangea where that black metal trellis is. It does well in shade and that's a pretty shady corner. It also tends to stay moist there, so we planted some ferns along the front of the porch, you can see those in a later photo. Toward the front of the courtyard we planted a white camellia (left) and a New Dawn rambling rose (rose).
Tip 1: Put an overly ripe banana in the hole before you put the rose bush in. We swear we didn't make that up, it came straight from the rose grower.
We also added a black planter box for annuals like Dusty Miller and white Impatience. The original Japanese holly shrubs stayed, but were slightly relocated. To play up the moonlight angle we created a dry riverbed of sorts with white pebbles and stepping stones. Under the mulch we laid some of that black cloth to try to prevent as many weeds from poking through as we could.
Tip 2: buy lots of mulch when it's on sale, it never goes nearly as far as you think it will...

©Rhiann Wynn-Nolet
©Rhiann Wynn-Nolet
Rhiann Wynn-Nolet
Here's a closeup of the New Dawn. Isn't she a beauty?

New Dawn Rose ©Rhiann Wynn-Nolet
The camellia blooms in late winter and she didn't disappoint either. A little brown around the edges, as this one is a bit past her peak, but still gorgeous.

White Camellia © Rhiann Wynn-Nolet
Here's the front of the house in early fall of 2015. Ron painted the stair risers and front trim board white, which looks ever so much better than the unstained lumber. He also installed a number plaque we found on Etsy. To keep the mulch where it belongs and to make things a little neater, we used some of that plastic edging that comes in a roll. We got ours from Walmart (online). It's dark brown to match the mulch.
We replaced some of the original shrubs on the right side of the house with two gardenia bushes and two pink and yellow knockout rose bushes.

©Rhiann Wynn-Nolet
 Both of them have beautiful blooms, and the gardenias give off an amazing fragrance.

©Rhiann Wynn-Nolet
©Rhiann Wynn-Nolet
Rhiann brought some inside to enjoy that heavenly scent. That middle bloom is from the shrub rose we planted to the right of the courtyard garden.

©Rhiann Wynn-Nolet
Early this spring Ron stained the floor of the porch. It looks fantastic.

©Rhiann Wynn-Nolet
Maybe you noticed the fountain isn't a fountain anymore. Yep, the fountain pump broke and then the fountain blew over in a storm, so we upcycled it into a planter instead. You can read more about that here.

Rhiann loathes arbor vitae so we paid professionals to relocate the two we had to the backyard. (We had already moved some of the smaller unwanted shrubs back there). In one arbor vitae's place on the right of the house we planted a climbing pink rose. The trellis matches the one in the courtyard garden to maintain a sense of continuity.

©Rhiann Wynn-Nolet
She's so pretty...

©Rhiann Wynn-Nolet
On the left side we replaced the arbor vitae with a light pink crepe myrtle. You can see it below.

©Rhiann Wynn-Nolet
We'd already replaced some ho hum shrubbery with a quince bush and a blue hydrangea.

©Rhiann Wynn-Nolet 
©Rhiann Wynn-Nolet

©Rhiann Wynn-Nolet
All in all, it's looking pretty good considering how young most of the plants are (you know that old saying "First year it sleeps, second year it creeps, third year it leaps). Maybe we'll do an update to his post next year, during the "leap" stage. Now if this darned North Carolina heat would just ease up, we could sit on the porch and enjoy the fruits of all our hard work!


©Rhiann Wynn-Nolet
We are by no means expert gardeners. We learn by researching, talking to local plant people, observing our neighbors' gardening successes, and yes, trial and error. If a plant doesn't do well in its original spot, we relocate when possible, and discard if not. For instance, the lavender we planted last year didn't do very well where it was because it was too damp and shady. Relocated to almost full sun, it's gowing like gangbusters.
We like an informal cottage-style garden with pretty flowers and plants that don't need a whole lot of pampering. There was a fairly epic battle with Japanese beetles this year, and some fungus and black spot, but all in all the plants have done well with the heat and sporadic rain.

Buster is saying, "Mom. Mom. Stop making it be so hot outside!" It's literally been over 100 (heat index) practically every day for the past two weeks.

©Rhiann Wynn-Nolet
Daisy is just SO over it.

©Rhiann Wynn-Nolet
Tell us in comments what kinds of flowers and plants you like to grow, we'd love to hear about them!
While you're here take a look at our Etsy shop, we've got some great new vintage items, and we are adding more all the time.
Click the meme below.

©Rhiann Wynn-Nolet
Thank you so much for stopping by, we hope you'll come back soon!

Summer of 2015 ©Rhiann Wynn-Nolet 



Quince Cottage Style is a mix of vintage and new, rustic and opulent.
Our goal is to make our new subdivision house look inviting, beautiful, 
and as though it wasn't born yesterday!


Friday, July 29, 2016

Buttermilk Blueberry Muffins - Recipe

Welcome to Quince Cottage!

Before moving to North Carolina, we lived in Maine, where wild blueberries reign supreme. We used to pick them on a road that ran behind our house. Here in North Carolina we haven't seen any wild blueberries, but that doesn't mean we can't enjoy blueberry muffins.
This is an easy and delicious recipe that yields six bakery-size muffins with a beautiful, slightly crusty, top and a tender, moist center.

RECIPE:

Ingredients
2 1/2 C all purpose flour
1 TBS baking powder
 1 tsp baking soda
1/2tsp salt
1/2 C unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 C white sugar
2 large eggs
1 C buttermilk (or 1C plain Greek yogurt)
1 TBS vanilla extract (use the real stuff, not imitation)
1 1/2 C fresh blueberries (rinse to clean, remove any stems, blot dry with a paper towel)

Directions
1. Spray muffin tin with cooking spray (I used one made from coconut oil).
2. Preheat oven to 425 degrees
3. In mixer bowl, toss together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and blueberries.
4. In a medium bowl, whisk together the melted butter, sugar, eggs, buttermilk and vanilla. Slowly add to the dry ingredients. Gently fold together until combined. DON'T overstir!
5. Divide batter into 6 jumbo muffin cups. Bake at 425 degrees for 5 minutes, then turn the oven heat down to 365 degrees and bake another 19 minutes.
6. Let cool for 5-10 minutes. Remove from pan.


Muffins ©Rhiann Wynn-Nolet
Plated Muffins ©Rhiann Wynn-Nolet
Served Muffin ©Rhiann Wynn-Nolet
Yummy Muffin ©Rhiann Wynn-Nolet
These muffins freeze very well by the way, and if you have time, try them "grilled" (in other words, melt some butter in a frying pan and put the muffins, cut side down, on the pan to get a nice brown, crispy layer full of buttery goodness.

Our dogs, Daisy and Buster, recently turned 5. Here they are below as wee puppies of about 3 weeks!

Daisy & Buster ©Rhiann Wynn-Nolet
Here they are more recently.

Buster & Daisy ©Rhiann Wynn-Nolet
Follow us on Instagram and play our hashtags #MagpieMonday , where people share their decor collections.

©Rhiann Wynn-Nolet
And #HometownCapture , where people share pix of their current or past hometowns.

©Rhiann Wynn-Nolet
Don't forget to check our new Etsy shop QuinceCottageHome ! Here's a shop sampler below.

©Rhiann Wynn-Nolet
Quince Cottage Style is #agrarianchic - a mix of old and new, rustic and opulent.
Our goal is to make our new subdivision house look inviting, beautiful, 
and as though it wasn't born yesterday!

Monday, July 4, 2016

Lemon Blueberry Zucchini Bread - Recipe

Hello there and welcome to Quince Cottage! Happy 4th of July, if you celebrate! It was pretty low-key around here, since half of the family is in retail and had to work. Here's a red, white, and blue vignette I put together for a fun, non-traditional take.

©Rhiann Wynn-Nolet
Sorry we've been slacking in the blog department lately. We've been busy getting our Etsy shop up and running. If you'd like to take a look at what we're offering, click here, we'd love a visit!

But now, on to the star of this post -- a delicious-to-eat and easy-to-make recipe that gives you a fabulous option for all those zucchini your garden, or your neighbor's, has been yielding. The bread itself is not super sweet, so if you like things on the less-sweet side, skip the glaze. If you've got a sweet tooth, drizzle on, my friends...

Ingredients:
2 C cake flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
2 eggs
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 1/3C white sugar
1/2 C canola oil
1/2 C buttermilk
2 TBS fresh lemon juice
Zest of 1 lemon
1 C grated zucchini (squeeze some of the water out between paper towels)
1 C fresh blueberries (plus extra for garnish)

Directions:
1. Combine cake flour, salt, and baking powder in a medium size bowl. Add blueberries and stir in gently. Set aside.
2. Beat the two eggs, add the vanilla, white sugar, canola oil, buttermilk, lemon juice, lemon juice, and zucchini, stirring between each addition.
3. Add dry ingredients to wet, in batches.
4. Turn into greased 9 x 5 loaf pan.
5. Bake for 50-55 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit (toothpick test).
6. Set on wire rack in pan for 15 minutes. Remove from pan, Drizzle glaze over the top if desired.

Glaze (Optional)
Ingredients:
1 1/4C confectioner's sugar
3 TBS lemon juice
1 TBS light cream or milk

Directions:
Combine ingredients and whisk until smooth. Drizzle over bread while the bread is still warm.

And there you have it!

©Rhiann Wynn-Nolet
© Rhiann Wynn-Nolet
© Rhiann Wynn-Nolet
© Rhiann Wynn-Nolet
© Rhiann Wynn-Nolet
© Rhiann Wynn-Nolet
Why yes, it WAS just as good as it looks!

Buster and Daisy have been enjoying early morning exercise lately, because it's just way too darn hot to walk after about ten o'clock. Summer in east central North Carolina doesn't mess around. The rest of their day is spent napping, doing sentry duty, tearing stuffies apart, and getting belly rubs. Hey, it's not such a bad life!

Daisy & Buster © Rhiann Wynn-Nolet
Don't forget to follow us on Instagram, so you can play our two hashtags.
#MagpieMonday is for collectors of decor items, A few of our players were recently featured in Country Living Magazine!

© Rhiann Wynn-Nolet
#HometownCapture is a chance for you to have a pic of your hometown featured in a collage with others in our gallery.

© Rhiann Wynn-Nolet
And one last reminder before you go, don't forget to check out our Etsy shop. Some of the items in these vignettes are available for sale (at least at the time of posting, they may not last very long).

© Rhiann Wynn-Nolet

© Rhiann Wynn-Nolet
© Rhiann Wynn-Nolet
Click on the meme below to go right to the shop!
©Rhiann Wynn-Nolet

Quince Cottage Style is #agrarianchic - a mix of old and new, rustic and opulent.
Our goal is to make our new subdivision house look inviting, beautiful, 
and as though it wasn't born yesterday!

Thursday, June 9, 2016

Special Announcement!

We're very excited here at Quince Cottage...
Why?
Because we've just opened an Etsy shop! Here are a few of our items. Whether your style is farmhouse, cottage, boho, or some eclectic combo, we have vintage items to suit your decor.

QuinceCottageHome at Etsy ©Rhiann Wynn-Nolet
This collage represents a few of our currently available pieces. You can see all of them here on our blog, or just go straight to the shop here. We're adding new inventory all the time.

Sunday, May 29, 2016

Spring to Summer - 6 Tips for Vignette Styling

Welcome to Quince Cottage!
When it comes to seasonal decor, which part of your home do you most enjoy styling? For Rhiann, it's the mantel.
Follow along as she creates vignettes for spring and summer. Oh, and by the way, some of the items pictured here are available in our brand new Etsy shop! Click here.

Tip 1: the "Power Of Three" is often employed when creating a new vignette. Vignettes work best using an odd number of elements. In other words, five is okay, four, not so much.

Tip 2-5: Mix heights, round shapes and angled shapes, organic with man-made, and if possible, throw in something that is a bit of a surprise!

If you weren't here a few months ago, here's where we were in late winter, sort of a combo of snow and green...

© Rhiann Wynn-Nolet

Tip 6: Old books are perfect for adding height, play around to decide exactly what looks best. You can have the leather or cloth spines showing, or the page side, or wrap the books in white or craft paper, all depending on what look you want.

In this vignette on our dining room sideboard, the three primary vignette elements are the wire cage, the plant, and the shell. Broken down further, the two brass quail and the tiny plant form a mini-vignette with the books (showing their leather spines) acting as a base. On a macro level, the windmill head, the mirror and the cage/shell/plant grouping also create a Power Of Three composition. By the way, that mirror? A $7 score at Willie's (aka Goodwill)!
And this is why I'm linking up to Dagmar's Home Blog because she kindly featured us on her IG account for this particular pic! Thank you, Dagmar! If you're a blogger, please consider joining the link party, it's a great way of making new friends.

Dagmar's Home Thrifty and Vintage Finds link party

© Rhiann Wynn-Nolet
Here you see a vignette that straddles the counter between our kitchen and dining. It's got the "unexpected" in the form of a vintage toy tractor (Ron collects those). The organic element is covered by the flowers and cotton. Don't you just love cotton?

© Rhiann Wynn-Nolet
Here's another one, this time from our gallery wall. Three. Round and not round. Organic elements.

© Rhiann Wynn-Nolet
But now back to the mantel. In April, the mood switched to romantic. The left side featured a shadow box Rhiann made from an old clock, if you're interested in learning more about that, click here. Technically there are four elements in this grouping, but the books and clock read as one. Note that the page sides are showing, to create a softer, lighter look.

©Rhiann Wynn-Nolet
We have a nice collection of vintage floral plates that were just itching to be on display again.

©Rhiann Wynn-Nolet
There's one behind the pink hobnail glass piece on the left and she used them on the right side of the mantel too. That ornate gold frame is completely empty by the way, and we like it that way. It's such a gorgeous piece in and of itself, it really doesn't need any art inside!

© Rhiann Wynn-Nolet
Then Rhiann found a little brass bowl, and wanted to see how that looked with some shells and rocks. Note the organic (shells and greenery).

© Rhiann Wynn-Nolet
Then Mother's Day rolled around and Rhiann had to add the lovely milk glass covered box she received! That milk glass bud vase is holding one of our first New Dawn roses of the year.

©Rhiann Wynn-Nolet
She decided to turn the "pretty" to full volume on the left too.

© Rhiann Wynn-Nolet
Now that it's Memorial Day, Rhiann thought a summer-by-the-water vibe was in order. No, unfortunately we no longer live near the ocean, but it's still nice to remember those days. Here the three elements are the painting, the shell box, and the creamer with feathers. Aren't those feathers amazing? We found them on a walk with our dogs. They probably belonged to a turkey vulture. Those are both the "organic" element and the unexpected one. They add a little wildness to the composition that keeps it from looking too dull.

© Rhiann Wynn-Nolet
Here's the right side. Note that there's a bird here too. Have you noticed how brass is back in a BIG way? From knicknacks to lighting, brass is hot! Here we have five elements. The shell box, the brass crane, the books, the conch shell, and the mother of pearl necklace. There's that unexpected element again. Jewelry isn't normally part of mantel decor, but here it works because it's made of mother of pearl sourced from the ocean, and the color is harmonious.

© Rhiann Wynn-Nolet
Finally, here's the whole shebang...

© Rhiann Wynn-Nolet

This week there's no #MagpieMonday, but we hope you'll join us on Instagram June 6, when we'll be ready to see all your thingummies and gewgaws once again!

©Rhiann Wynn-Nolet
You can also play along with our #HometownCapture hashie any time. Follow us, post a pic of your hometown with the # in the text, and tag us!

© Rhiann Wynn-Nolet
Daisy and Buster have been enjoying the backyard. Literally. They both love eating grass. We don't love all the gacking that follows...

Daisy © Rhiann Wynn-Nolet

Buster © Rhiann Wynn-Nolet

Tell us how you like to decorate for spring and summer. We'd love to hear. Hope to see you again soon!


Quince Cottage Style is #agrarianchic - a mix of old and new, rustic and opulent.
Our goal is to make our new subdivision house look inviting, beautiful, 
and as though it wasn't born yesterday!