We are HOME and happy to be here with darling kitties! I hope you will love this charming MUSICA . . .
Perfect music for nesting . . . which is what I did yesterday, our first day home; I waltzed around to this song putting everything back in order; kissing the kitties, hanging laundry, eating farm-stand Honey Crisp apples, putting the pumpkins we bought on the porch, hanging the wreath on the door. I dressed my stove in the two vintage dishtowels I found on the trip . . . cute eh? Look at those embroidered, appliqued apples! How come that was even THERE? Why hadn’t someone snapped it up before me? Lucky!!
I was all over the place trying to figure out how to do this post . . . I have too many different subjects/things from the trip to show you! But since I started with antiques, I thought I would continue that way . . . especially because we careened into every antique-store driveway we saw and found some really fun things.
“Was it open?” were the most-often spoken words on our trip.
This cute little barn was filled with wonderful old stuff.
But this one had the best prices! I found a 4′ x 6′ black, flowered, hooked rug here, for $49! For my pantry. Oh yes!
Some things struck me as perfect for Christmas presents . . . like this large embroidered towel with the title “Mother’s Little Helper” on the back. For some reason I’m weakest for embroidery, potholders, tablecloths, napkins, dishtowels, fabrics, needlepoints; the soft stuff.
And I found another vintage measuring cup! These are not easy to find! The shapes are softer than the modern ones, and they aren’t printed on, they’re embossed!
But this was the big one, and I do mean big. I walked into a wonderful store called Rustology in Stafford Springs, CT and just fell in love with this old doll house. It was almost four feet tall, and about six feet wide . . . and three feet deep.
The front of the house is on wheels and you can roll it away to reveal the wonderful rooms inside.
Wouldn’t Jack just LOVE this? The owner of the antique store said he found it in the attic of a Massachusetts house during an estate sale. It was originally built as an exact replica of the real house — It must have had a room of it’s own to live in, it’s so big.
What this must have looked like when it was furnished, I can’t imagine! That flowered piece on the floor is an actual carpet, a tiny petit point; and you can see the old wall paper. And the doors! And the doorknobs!
If this was my house, I would make everything for it. I would paint little paintings, and mold little clay, and stencil the walls. It would be so much fun finding the perfect pots and pans, making tiny pillows, looking for little dishes. Decorating it for the holidays!!! Joe could make beds, I could make sheets. Our real house could fall apart, but the doll house would be perfect at all times!
It definitely needs help, but it has great bones … and all the wonderful details; trim around doors and baseboards.
The shutters are perfect, and there’s glass in the windows, and through this window you can see two other doors with doorknobs.
The front door . . . Imagine it with tiny lights on it! The owners of the antique store love the doll house as much as me; they were showing it with so much pride. I don’t think they are in any hurry to sell it; they’d only had it for two weeks . . . they were asking $6,500 for it.
Anyway, I had a lot of fun in there pretending what I would do with it if it were mine. I considered which room in my house I might put it in, and came to the conclusion that it was too big for any of them. I also would have wanted it when I was twenty, so I could have done it the same way I did my charm bracelet, making and gathering one piece at a time, from everywhere, so each piece could have a story to go with it. Magical magical house. Lucky someone who will end up with it! But this house requires commitment, if you move, you have to pack it and take it with you which would he a true heck of a packing job! Maybe the smart thing would be to get it, give it to a historical society with the caveat that during your own lifetime, no body touches it but YOU.
This house was in the same store . . . . MUCH less expensive — $250 . . . and pretty darn cute, although it needs a lot of work. It opens like a little closet … how smart, hardly takes up any space at all; I really liked the original shape of this.
And it has lots of charming details too. . .
Inside, you can still see vestiges of the glory that it once was . . . but someone would have to start from the beginning to put it right again.
Sooo, while I’m at it, I thought I’d show you some of the pictures I took of REAL houses as we drove hill and dale around Connecticut and Massachusetts.
Because truly, one of the inspirations that motivated me into moving to New England was the charming houses I saw in books and movies. I wanted an old house sooooo badly; my life just wasn’t going to be complete until I got one.
Just look at these and you will see why. I would be perfectly ecstatic to have any of them! Look at that glassed in porch. Perfect for a tea party!
Obviously these people have another way to get into this very old house besides the front door! Look at those pumpkins!!! Wonderful, huh?
Of course, I am a fool for picket fences with colored leaves falling around them.
Sunny cottage, little arched porch, dentil-work up top, and tiny windows.
Very old house, leaves swirling through the air.
Love this soft yellow house in Historic Deerfield, Massachusetts — if you ever get a chance to drive through here, you should do it…. the prettiest houses ever, so full of history, most of the houses are very old, pre-Revolutionary war!
The great thing about these houses is that no two are exactly alike and all so amazingly romantic … I always wonder what kind of thinking was going on that they added so much gingerbread; the wide porches, bay windows, columns, and balconies? And inside, with all the built-in little nooks and crannies! Some of the bigger houses have a cozy fireplace in every room! I think I would have liked those people!
So on we drove, past houses and barns, farm stands, graveyards, and antique stores . . .
The sunsets would light the mountains on fire with color . . .
In one little town, we saw they were having a Book Sale . . . So of course we stopped to see what treasures we could unearth . . .
OH BOY, look what I found!! My first book, Heart of the Home! Rescue secured! Book no longer lurking pitifully in cardboard box! I brought my baby back home. Pobrecito!
And then, while nesting all day yesterday; I put some Martha’s Vineyard sand in my new measuring cup; then I added a pear-shaped candle I found on the trip, and a couple of shells and some sea glass. I thought, how perfect for the kitchen table!
And then I set it on top of my book, and it all looked so cute together, I thought,
I already have one of these books, and I already have one of these candle holders; I should make this a give-away for the girls, because they stick by me through thick and thin. And so that’s what it is!
And then, guess what? My brand new Collector’s Edition Ornament was waiting for me when I went to get the mail! Isn’t it cute? This is the 5th year in a row for our dated collectible ornament (no, in case you’re wondering, we don’t have any left from the other years; we only get a few in of each design, and because they are dated, when they’re gone, they’re gone!) . . . . so, I thought, oh yes, I better throw this in with the book and the candle, right? They look so good together. ♥
I added a leaf I brought home from the trip . . . . and I’ll sign the book when I know the name of the winner and where its new home will be. Just leave a comment, and you will be entered in our drawing for all these goodies! And BTW, if my blog is being emailed to you, you have to come directly to my website (click here: www.162.240.10.175/~susanbs3/susanbranch/) to enter for the drawing . . . just scroll to the bottom of this post where you see the tiny word “comments.” Click there, and leave a comment and that will automatically enter you!
OK Girls, bye-bye for now … I have more to show you, but realized this would be the longest post EVER if I tried to do the whole trip all at once. So, there’s more to come! XOXO Love, me
I love miniatures so that old doll house is right up my alley. Thank you so much for sharing your trips with us. I am unable to travel and I live vicariously through you. Thank you, thank you!
Cori,
I hope you win!
Cori,
Oh, Susan! You have really done it now! I am worthless to cook dinner or do anything constructive, now, until I pull up our pictures from 3 years ago, when we meandered all over New England, but much in MA, in October, loving every town square, with their white, steepled churches, and covered pavillions, and trees and leaves, farmstands, houses, etc. And one really outstanding old graveyard, moss growing here and there on the head stones, and colorful leaves scatterd in perfect disorder, ahhh! YOU gave me the advice to just meander, and we sure did! Thank you so much! I might even have to share a picture or two on my much neglected blog, lol! Thanks for the memories, Susan! From The Snowflake Lady
Aaaaahhh, what a perfect visual taste-treat sampler to go with my spiced-cider break here in the Pacific Northwest. Born and raised here in the upper left-hand corner, where our ‘Heritage’ homes are so young and the abundant evergreens take some of the ‘WOW!’ factor from Fall’s color palette, I dream each October of Autumn in New England. Thanks to you, Susan, I can almost smell and feel the leaves billowing around my feet in the breeze….and the vintage kitchen textiles? My favorite treasures!
Hi Susan,
Fall is my favorite time of year and New England is my favorite place to live! I love the doll houses you saw in your lovely travels! When I was little, my father built a doll house for my sisters and me – an exact replica of the house we lived in – a fat, saucy cape! Alas, the doll house did not survive the great basement flood of 1968! Thanks for inspiring my brief stroll down Memory Lane!
My door is open, it is finally cooling off here in the desert, your blog reminded me of a wonderful road trip I took with my parents over 20 years ago. Thanks
Susan, thank you for the little mini trip through New England! The leaves are just beginning to turn here in PA, and there is definitely a nip of Fall in the air…my favorite time of year!
I sent a note earlier but the page was having a very hard time loading and I don’t think my note got posted, so I’ll try again.
We were just all looking at you blog at the same time!
thank you for your love photos of your trip.
I grew up in southern Indiana and announced to my 3rd grade class one fall that I was moving to New England, and so I did. I have been here for over 30 years and have loved every minute of it. Your photos and stories capture the reasons I love it so much. Thank you. Sometimes I forget to look out the window!
oops. One of those sentences seem a little off. I think I was trying to say, “I love your blog and thank you for the photos of your trip.”
It’s pretty amazing out there!!
Thanks for the pictures. I live in California where we don’t get that kind of fall color. The dollhouse reminded me of a dollhouse my father and I built years ago. I never got around to putting in the kind of details in the house that are shown above, but I loved it just the same. Thank you for the trip down memory lane!
Oh my goodness, I love all that stuff! I have been looking for a measuring cup like that where the red paint doesn’t wear off! I always wanted a dollhouse, but they DO take up lots of room, and my parents weren’t too interested in getting me one!
God must have cut us from the same mold! While reading your blogs, I am always saying to myself, “That is SO me!” I’m glad to realize that someone else turns on old “musica” while they nest! As for dollhouses and lamps (in a previous post)…oh my law! I love it all! I shared that lamp post (haha, no pun intended) with my daughter, Molly, and she had to laugh because I am known to jump over large pieces of furniture to reach a wall light switch to flick off a ceiling light if some poor visitor has unknowingly turned one on! I’m a teacher and the first thing I do is put lamps in my room all over so we don’t have to turn on those awful things on the ceiling! And the dollhouses! We have two at our house- one for each daughter aged 16 and 19. I considered buying one I saw at an antique store this past weekend because it was only $30! I will need one won’t I when my daughters take theirs…won’t I? Anyway…once again…what a joy to read I am not the only one who loves home-y-ness! Even of the doll-size kind! My girls grew up with me reading Tasha Tudor’s A is for Annabelle and The Doll’s Christmas. We loved to dream of that giant doll house! Thanks again, Susan for a little break from the usual blog!
I’m with you and Molly, can not get to the light switch quite fast enough! 🙂
Tasha Tudor! Now there was an American teasure. I loved all of her work. I miss the thought of her. Thank you for mentioning her.
I feel like I was along for the trip! Thanks for the lovely photos of the houses–especially the dolls houses!
What a lovely trip you had – thank you for sharing the beautiful pictures. They made me homesick for New England. You are just the best!
I so enjoyed your fall outting! Autumn is definitely the most wonderful time of the year!! I’m sitting in our living room with my cozy kitty boy curled up beside me with thoughts of the vintage measuring cup & autumn book in my mailbox & the ornament on my tree 🙂 muuuuuuuah!
Susan, Your blog is a wonderful highlight in my day! Thanks for the warm feelings you share. I’d love to be the lucky recipient of your book and candle. Anne
Hmmm, the way you said that, Book and Candle, I realize I left out Bell! 🙂
Hello Susan…I actually went to a preschool named Hill and Dale…funny! Looks like a wonderful road trip. I am a sucker for those homes. They look so warm and inviting….lovely to see. And, Honey Crisp Apples have been my favorite for the past few years. So yummy.
PS…I decided to go to my 40th high school reunion on Oct 20th! Forty years and 40 pounds later… my nickname was “bones” back then. But I am healthy and happy and still kicking!
Happy Fall…Happy Autumn.
What a glorious trip! My mother was a miniaturist. When we emptied her house each family was able to have at least one house! I have three here and have yet to do any changes. They need some refurbishing but I love to ponder on what my mom did with them. She was such an artist and so creative. We are fortunate to have such a legacy.
It must have been hard to leave such a house behind. I do seem to keep to much but , oh we’ll!!
By the way, there are six of us!
Hi, Sue~
Another wonderful post! Thank you for all you do to connect us to you, to each other and to our creative voices. You’re a doll!
I think my favorite part of this post is looking at all the different window styles. I especially love the little windows and the half-moons. I agree with you…would love to talk to the original builders and learn what they were thinking as they added all the details in the windows, trims and columns.
I have to tell you, when I was reading, at first I thought you were going to give away 3 separate gifts this time to 3 separate winners. Each is a treasure by itself! All 3 together is over the top! You are a very generous friend!
Happy nesting…
xoxoDebbie
Thanks for taking us on another trip with you and Joe!! I just love the dollhouse – thought you might have bought the 2nd one. 🙂 Thanks for sharing the fall colors and beautiful old homes. Even though I have my home decorated for Halloween, it’s hard to get in the mood when it’s been nice and sunny here in So. Cal. Looking forward to hearing about the rest of the trip.
The dollhouse is adorable!! I just love things like that. 🙂
My daughter lives in Massachusettes and it does have such lovely old homes and I agree with you about Deerfield. Love those country roads.
This year 2012 are to ‘milestones’ in my life.
We had our 60th wedding anniversary, diamond that is, in September.
The next milestone for me is on the 25th of this lovely month of October; I will be 80, yes, 80 and my husband said on our 60th wedding anniversary that ‘Life begins at 60….60 years of marriage that is”.
Now to top off all these milestones; wouldn’t it be grand to add the 2012 Christmas Ornament to the list…..of course I would truly, truly love to win the book and candleholder but would be gratified with the first two and if only one…the 2012 it would have to be because of the first two milestones, n’est-ce pas?
Thank you Susan as you are always so caring about your girlfriends and I so hope you count me among them.
Joyfully,
~Sylvia Faye
HAPPY FALL YA’LL!
Happy Anniversary, Sylvia, girlfriend, and Happy Birthday too!
I can’t tell you enough how much I love your blog. Thanks for the gorgeous photos and real stuff you show.
Happy to have you here Kathleen!
What a great trip-thanks for sharing all those pictures of the beautiful houses. I totally loved the large dollhouse. That would be so much fun to fix up and restore. I would totally love to win your giveaway; I really love those old measuring cups and of course your books. Thanks for the chance.
I so enjoyed your trip through the New England States – thanks for taking us with you. US girlfriends here in Southern Californa just don’t get to see that particular type of beauty very often. However, I think fall has finally decided to descend upon us…finally. Might even get some rain tomorrow in San Diego; something we have not seen in months and months…I can’t even remember what it looks like or feels like. Happy Fall All!
I am so glad that I found your blog! What a delight!
Happy Fall,
Cat
Nice to see you hear Cat!
Susan, today you combined my favorite things all into one blog….Doll houses are my weakness. I love Colleen Moore’s at the Museum here in Chicago and the Thorne Rooms at the Art Museum are my favorite place to be.
But the doll house you discovered on your trip …….I was with you the entire visit…what I would love to do with the beautiful house…..
And “old” houses are the other weakness…the music you picked was perfect, because that’s the way I feel when I see houses like the ones in your photos.
Thank you so much for sharing….as always…xoxo
What beautiful pictures – I would love to have one of those old houses. Everything is so picturesque. I so look forward to all your blogs, don’t every quit writing. Thank you.
Thank you for the New England trip. I am so home sick for my New England home and can’t wait to get back!
Dear Susan,
I live my life through yours…So enjoyed your journey and your “finds”…How very nice to make time for a little get-a-way! Good for you!
I love New England, especially in the fall! Thank you for this post Susan and the great pictures. You continue to make us (all your girlfriends) happy and always wanting more. You are such a cherished friend of mine even though we have not ever met. I count you in my blessings. Love, Jennifer in California
That doll house is amazing. My girls would go crazy for that.
Thank you, Susan for the beautiful photos of your New England trip! Loved them. Felt like
I was with you and Joe. Let me know when our next outting will be an I will be ready to go!
Susan, I live in Central Texas. Our Fall does not look like that. I do love it here though but wish that I could visit the place where you live and where you visit. Since I cannot, I sure do thank you for taking me along with you and Joe on your trips. I loved England, New England and your home on Marthas Vineyard. I would love to win the items you are giving away. Especially the book. How neat it must have felt to stop at that book sale and find your very own book. You are a SPECIAL LADY. Thank you for bringing me such pleasure. Alvina Worley
Hello Susan, It seems that like you, I find it difficult to return from a walk without a hand full of beautifully coloured leaves ~ The rainforest trees of semi-tropical Australia are not deciduous but the myriad shapes of leaves do grow old & fall all year round in wonderful shades of greens, yellows and brown. I really do miss the autumn leaves of my childhood but every year I’m happy to receive a collection via post from my dear Mother ~ You maybe surprised to hear that where I live it is the new spring growth that produces the various shades of pink, red orange & deep red leaves ~ and it is wonderful spring over here now!! 8>)
Thankyou for your emailed blogs ~ I enjoy them very much and wish I could to be lucky one day to get one of your books as it is so difficult to get them over here.
What a wonderful trip! Thanks for sharing with us. In central Texas, we just don’t see these leaf displays – so beautiful. What a giveaway this time! Good luck to us all.
Thank you Susan for the trip through Connecticut, I feel so refreshed~ Your giveaway was the icing on the cake at the end, so of course I had to comment. You’re so thoughtful~ you’re the best!
Love the idea of a contest for such special gifts!
My fingers & toes are crossed.
That doll house is amazing! My Grandmother collected miniatures and displayed them in a typeset tray. I would love to someday have a doll house to put them in!
Thanks for taking us on a tour of the beautiful New England homes and countryside!
Once again, I feel so uplifted by your joyous entry…I fixed up a (much smaller) wooden dollhouse for my daughter back when we lived on an antique saltwater farm in Maine. I used the wallpapers that I decorated the actual house with, and made handwoven tiny curtains and rugs. I was able to use the furniture that I’d had back in the 40s! Now, my granddaughter plays with the same dollhouse. Thank you for reminding me! You’re such an inspiration every day.
I love your pictures and I’ve got to get out there and take some of my own. (I live in central CT) Thanks as always for the ispiration! I love your new kitchen and especially your darling stove. Do you use your tea towels to dry dishes or just look pretty? Just wondering… Also, do you make your morning tea with a tea bag? Something tells me you have a special ritual and I bet it’s pretty. Have a lovely day! ~tara
Thank you for sharing your road adventure. While you were away, I checked out some of the websites and blogs you list. Some delightful discoveries, though none match you! Thanks.
What gorgeous pictures! New England in the fall- what could be better?! I always love the music you pick to go along with your blog-it really makes it even more enjoyable to read. It’s like a little present in my inbox! 🙂
You are so generous! I would love to be entered in your drawing. But I have to know. What is that “picture” to the right and in the back of the first picture of the doll house? Kinda spooky…LOL Kit
They were decorating for Halloween!
Thank you, Susan for the fall drive through New England!!! All of my family for generations have lived in Maine and I live hundreds and hundreds of miles away from them. You made my day, as I “motored” through your blog!!
Isn’t fall the BEST time of year????!!!
Blessings!
Nan
Thank you so much for the tour thru New England. My husband and I loved hearing about the places you visited. Thank you for taking us along and for making it so real. We live in Cambria so often visit your sweet shop in Arroyo Grande.
Thank you so much for the wonderful post!!! I enjoy all the wonderful things you write about and the amazing pics you post. The doll house was amazing and the pics of the homes you passed made me want to move there NOW!!! LOL I love my mountain home, but part of me wants to live in Martha’s Vineyard with the gorgeous homes. So the pics really bring a smile to my face. 🙂
Two comments in one day! This posting really struck so many cords with me. I just have to tell you about the doll house we made for my daughter. It was designed to look like the Victorian house we lived in and was on a large platform with castors so it could be turned around. Each Christmas, Mrs. Claus would do a new room and make any repairs needed from a year’s usage. The year we did my daughter’s room, it had the same wall paper as her room. It had a bed that was similar with a comforter and curtains made of the same material from her comforter and curtains. Then we found a tiny dollhouse to put in the room, in the dollhouse that was in her room. What fun we had for several years. She still has it and I can’t wait to repair it for her children.
Happy Fall!! I have never seen New England in the fall as I teach. SO what a wonderful idea for you to share it with all of us. I loved the old houses and barns. Very charming.
Hi Susan! We just finished unpacking from our motorhome trip up through OH, NY, PA and VA. I brought home corteland apples from NY because I read once that they make the best apple butter. Will let you know tomorrow! Also brought home bittersweet, and found two antique glass pantry jars like Tasha Tudor used in a lot of her illustrations. The lady at the antique shop had never heard of Tasha. I’ve been looking for some of those jars for years and think I got a good deal. The countryside in those states was spectacular! here in TN everything is still green–Yea! We get to do Fall all over again!
What a treat to share your trip and see all the neat old houses and your antique finds! And the lovely Fall color. With it being so dry in the plains we won’t have too much of that so I’ve been enjoying the Fall pictures.
Hello, Miss Sue. Glad you had such a wonderful trip. Thanks for sharing it with us.
I collect vintage tea towels (among other things–sigh) so my eyes immediately went to your new additions. I must tell you that I have several of the Martex towel on the right–just love it. One came to me already “well-loved,” but I think that just adds to the charm of old linens, especially kitchen linens. I often give them as gifts and tell people to never be afraid to use and enjoy them.
(May I also politely tell you that it’s dentil (not dental) molding? Sorry to be such a school marm.)
Oh thank you!!
Thanks for always taking me along with you. I love seeing all the sites and treasures along with way. And yes, my fingers are crossed as well. Thank you, you’re so sweet. 🙂
If I would have been fortunate enough to had a doll house like that (or even a little bit like that) my parents would have hardly laid eyes on me. 🙂
Your stove is wonderful!
Me either!
Oh, my heart went pitty-pat when i saw that first dollhouse! Beautiful! I’d love to be the winner of your give-away! Love your blog, Susan.
[email protected]
Thanks for the sightseeing trip. We recently went to Port Townsend, WA for a couple of days. They also have many old and beautiful houses – not quite revolutionary war era but post-Civil War – with pretty trim and fabulous ocean views.
You’ve made clever use of the measuring cup with sand and candle. I’ll bet the embossing makes the candlelight twinkle.
Your photos and descriptions are the next best thing to being there!! So lovely!
Thank you XOXO
I so enjoy all of your warm and wonderful posts, but the ones about yourAutumn in New England week-end bring back such happy memories of our visits to New England to visit family and ENJOY the glorious sights and smells of fall. I inherited my mother’s dollhouse, and have been fascinated by how my imagination is sparked by and refurbishing and decorating it. Thanks for including us girlfriends in your adventures!
Hi Susan,
Thank you for taking us on your wonderful Autumn trip and sharing the photos too! I love reading your blog. It slows down what would otherwise be a high strung, crappy work day!
What are Jack and Girl Kitty going to be for Halloween? I can’t wait to see! 🙂
Don
Upstairs, safely stashed in the quiet bedroom, where not one bad Halloween thing can get them or scare them! Jack was born wearing his Halloween costume! 🙂 Halloween is WILD in our neighborhood …. I mean LOTS of kids!! Wind, leaves, it’s a wonderful night!
I really enjoyed you sharing your trip with us! I love the season of Fall and how beautiful it is in New England. It is on my bucket list to visit. I especially enjoyed the tea towels you found on your trip. The needle work is beautiful. Happy Fall! Kelli
I love your photos of the old houses in New England. I would love to visit there. Also glad you found your book so you can take it home to a safe place where it can live! 🙂
You and Joe always have so much fun! Thanks for taking us along.
Your blog always makes me sigh – my heart is old-fashioned, but my house is modern. I so wish I had an old craftsman home!
Thank you for sharing your beautiful life with us every day.
I’ve never experienced a New England Autumn but feel like I’ve been there with you thru this blog. Loved the houses. They look just as I would imagine New England homes would look. There is such history there. You always inspire me and make me appreciate all my blessings. Would love to win your goodies. So glad I found you so many years ago.
I love this trip and the wonderful homes you saw along the way. I was given a one room doll house years ago. It has a beautiful entrance and a bay window and I made it into Santa’s home with a Christmas tree and toys on the shelves and in the windows. I love the doll houses that you came across and wouldn’t they look wonderful all done up with new wallpaper, furniture and flooring? Thanks for taking me along on this New England trip.
Thanks for the lovely trip around New England and the magnificent doll house.
Could you tell me how i can set things up to have your blog emailed to me?
Thanks so much.
If you look in the column on the right, you will see something that says subscribe. But remember, when you get it emailed, sometimes the videos aren’t there — just black screen — and sometimes links don’t work … like for MUSICA, and you can’t leave comments to the emailed part … so if that happens you just come here to http://www.162.240.10.175/~susanbs3/susanbranch/ and all will work fine.
Hi Susan,
Living in Massachusetts I recognize a couple of these roads and homes!
You always manage to find joy in the pictures you post and share the
most beautiful details, whether it’s a barn or a doll house! Wasn’t the
foliage magnificent on maple trees this year?!! Thank you for taking us
along once again,
Carin
It always surprises me how bright and clear the colors are!
Susan…what a delicious trip!!! And to redecorate that doll house….oh my!!!!! How amazingly fun that would be!!!!
Glad you had such a lovely trip!!!!
Hi,
I just returned home from a trip east~Ohio and Pennsylvania~ the trees are magnificent! Love the winding roads with the trees right on the edge, no shoulder.
The huge doll house is wonderful, thanks for showing it to us. The towels on your stove…….be still my heart!
Hugs, Carol
So nice to hear from you and be able to dream tonight about your adventures. Missing the quaint villages and of course the smell of fall in the air. Florida is having a cold front with morning temps in the 60’s but our Florida fall will not be here for another 2 weeks or so. Thanks for helping us keep the memories of New England alive.
What beautiful pictures of your trip! Our foliage up here in north eastern Vermont is past peak now but was excellent last week. I hope you had time to
extend your trip to Vermont. Loved your purchases and antique shop visits.
Thanks!
I would LOVE to win! Your blog is a lovely way to spend half an hour with a cup of tea. Thank you
How fun is this! I love that you bought your own book – clearly these people did not know what they had? !
Susan,
Your pictures of autumn in New England were delightful! But my favorite
picture was the very first one…of your kitchen. I have been so pleased
that you stayed true to your charming decorating style when you and Joe
painted and did the floors. Especially happy that you didn’t go with brown
paint as one of your friends suggested. If you had done that you might as
well have gotten granite countertops too. But best of all, I love the wall
phone! I had one just like it.
Pat S. Lebanon, PA
I love Deerfield too! Every time we drive to Vermont, we drive through Deerfield. So pretty there, especially in the Fall! Thank you for sharing another adventure with us -and by the way, your stove looks great! I love the owls 🙂
I had a chance to visit Cape Cod fourteen years ago for a business trip, and it was in October to boot! It was like visiting another country! (I live in the Midwest.) The houses were just so unique and so beautiful.
Thank you for the tour of the New England countryside! It is beautiful and I understand your love for old houses! When you bought the copy of your book, did they know it was YOU that was buying it? How fun it must have been to make that rescue! Oh, and I got my package today with the goodies I ordered, Going to open it now and enjoy! THANK YOU!
Susan
Wow! Almost 1000 comments! Loved the post today and the beautiful pictures. I have always wanted to see the eastern coast. Fall would be the perfect time to visit!
Susan,
I loved the photos of the sweet houses in NE, especially the photo of the house on the hill at sunset! That would be my dream house. I can only imagine being there. Put me in the drawing for the wonderful prizes. I love that you added the wonderful leaf! Autumn is definitely here too! Sending hugs to all.
Karen C from Greensboro NC
Love going on trips with you! Wish we would have kept all our Grandmother’s and my Mother’s linens and embroidered dish towels. Lucky I have some and am getting them out to hang on my stove like you do. No sense to leave them packed up anymore…….enjoy them while I can! Love to the kitties!
Hi Dearest Susan,
Oh gosh, thanks so much for the trip around New England. I love it!! 🙂 I love all the houses. 🙂 They are all so gorgeous and charming. I would love to have any one of them. I was going to write to you and ask you what made you decide on New England so long ago. You could have gone anywhere in the United States. Thanks to this post…now I know!!! You were very brave to move there all by yourself and I can understand why you decided to go there. How did you come to decide on Martha’s Vineyard for your new life to begin? I mean from what you have shown us wasn’t it hard for you to choose? What a beautiful country we live in? How fortunate are we that we can just pack up our cars/vans and travel all around the country and not be bothered. We are very lucky to have such freedom!!
I love the antique shops you visited. The first doll house is sooo fabulous!! I love to antique; it is one of my favorite things to do. What a fun trip!!! 🙂 Thanks so much!! Love the post!! Glad you are home safe!! GOD Bless!! Love and Hugs, Tricia B. XOXOXOXOXO
I loved the doll houses. The larger one must have been magnificent in its day.
Thank you so much for the memories! I grew up in New York and our family used to make a New England trek every year to see just the things you pictured! I loved it! Maybe some day I’ll get to do it once more! What wonderful finds you made and what a lovely time you had! But it’s always nice to get back home! Thanks for sharing your trip with us!
Judy
When I was young I truly thought all American houses looked like those in old movies. It’s lovely to know that there are still plenty of those beautiful homes around. The autumn colour is wonderful…..we just don’t see that in my part of the world.
What a wonderful post this is. I love this golden time of year. Seeing New England is a dream trip for me, so I really enjoy the sights you present and the way you describe them….. Good Rescue. I would love for the give away items to be able to take up residency in my Texas home.
I found you with that first book and what a glorious day it was. I had you autograph it along with four others that I had collected when we met at Conner Prairie in 2004, so that being said, I guess if my name is drawn, could I have the candle and ornament and maybe you could draw another name and send them the book from me and you. Somehow I’m surprised you didn’t find a bell to go with the book and candle. I know, boo and hiss. Hope I made you smile, your blogs always brighten my day.
What fun to read about your trip! I have lived in Connecticut for the past 7 years and agree that it is just beautiful this time of year. What a lovely giveaway, too. I sure would love to win those treasures.
I love it when you go on a trip because I know we can look forward to great pictures & great stories of your get-away. Your New England pictures remind me of my own trip to Vermont in October a few years ago. Loved it! I am so envious of the people who live in those fabulous older neighborhoods & homes. Thanks so much for sharing!
Hello Susan,
Thank you soooooo much for sharing this fabulous trip….I loved it…loved all of it…and and have been to New England 2 times….and wish I could go every year.
All the Antiques you bought are great…I would have chosen all of them…I love the Embroidered Cloth….how neat….what great Old Stuff….my kinda shopping.
and Susan, you DO have a great Old House yourself….just like the great ones you showed us….yours is …OMG….awesome….
Thank you again,and I hope I get lucky this time, since I know where the gifts you are giving away…came from.
Carol O.(with the Red Toile Gravy Bowl) in S.P.,So. Calif.xo
LOL, I love that you add the red toile gravy bowl to your comments, it always makes me laugh!
LOL…ME TOO….
Since we have actually met about 4 times, and you have signed all my books..We will again meet, maybe at Remnants next time you go, and I will refresh you with my beloved Gravy Bowl, and my face, and you will say…OHHHH.
Have a great day,andthank you again for all your lovely Blogs.
If I ever see anyone walk in with a gravy bowl, I will KNOW immediately! You will be the only one!
Once again, I am so envious of your trips! My daughter just moved to Eastern North Carolina and I want to go visit so bad! She has fall colors, cool air, etc. I would love to be there right now.
Oh my goodness! I would have had to comment on your blog today regardless of the contest, but that’s an added bonus…or well, could be! 🙂 That doll house! And all those wonderful New England homes! All of it utterly breathtaking. I am awed by the hours it must have taken someone so many years ago to create that magnificent doll house. What a lucky little girl…or maybe grown-up girl! Your comment that your life would just not be complete until you got an old house is precisely how I have felt since I have been a grown-up. I grew up in an old house which I dearly love and my Mom lives there still. My adult life I have lived in nice homes, but all built within very recent decades. The charm and character are just lacking I’m afraid. I do my best to bring that to them, but nothing can compare to a house that has its own built right in! I am so excited that my dream is finally coming true, too! We bought a graceful old Queen Anne (it has parquet floors and a “gossip window”!!!) in my hometown and are in the process of furnishing it and getting it “temporarily” settled. Temporarily is because we don’t know yet when we will actually get to move there…it won’t be soon enough to suit me!…because my husband isn’t quite ready to retire just yet. Until then, we will be “home away from home” here until we can get there. I must tell you… I CAN’T WAIT! ;0) Thank you for taking so many wonderful pictures and sharing them with us. Hugs to you and all the girlfriends.
just got back from leaf looking and read your new post wonderful pictures
love the houses hope its not too late for the give a way but the blog is so much
like a gift its a win win anyway, can hardly wait for more.
I loved looking at the photos of your little trip,especially the beautiful houses,and all the goodies you brought home! Enjoyed looking at all the fall colors too!
That’s my kind of trip! I REALLY, REALLY, REALLY want to visit New England in the Fall. Or anytime, as a matter of fact. My favorite find of yours was the embroidered Mother’s Little Helper towel. I have a soft spot for old textiles too.
I love reading your blog any time of year, but especially in the Fall. Twenty-six years ago I was a newlywed living in Cambridge, MA. We spent a year traveling to as many places as we could, soaking in New England and enjoying our new life together. Your photos bring it all back again and I can’t help but smile. Laura in KY (where Fall is just beginning)
I would so love to win!!!
Susan, once again you have given us so much to see in our minds eye, and so much to yearn to see in person. Thank you for sharing your love of all things loveable. Even very old and neglected doll houses waiting for the proper family to adopt it for their very own.
Love and bunny hugs,
Shirley
You inspire me with your travels. I am working on a x-stitch that reminds me of you and your love of the english countryside everytime I pick it up to stitch.
It’s of an old cottage window surrounded in yellow, pink and white roses. You are a very talented lady and keep up the wonderful work. Izzy
I am always overwhelmed when I see how many comments you get and wonder if you will make it down to mine.
Thank you so much for sharing your trip with me, I felt as though I was riding along with you. I live in the Eastern Sierras and we do get color change up here especially along the lakes.
The happiest of fall blessings…..
Here I am Margi! I just can’t respond to all, but I enjoy each and every one!!
Oh, I miss New England so much! My college reunion was just this past weekend in Wenham, MA but it is very difficult to get up there in the fall (I am one of those unlucky people who actually have to work on Columbus Day!) Thank you for sharing all those lovely New England houses…love, love, love it! 🙂
Susan! Susan! Susan!
I just sit here reading your post and sighing every few minutes and enjoying your post SOOOO much! I think so many of us that enjoy your blog have such shared interests it’s a shame we can’t all live together on Martha’s Vinyard and spend time together cooking, crafting, decorating and shopping!! Ienjoy your posts so much because you are very good at describing things that you do and see. I feel that I would know exactly what you were talking about even if there were no pictures! Thanks for taking me on so many adventures! You are so fun!!!
It’s better that we’re spread out, because the rest of the world needs magic too . . . 🙂
So enjoyed the trip, the fall scenes, and the antique shops. Perfectly delightful!
I had a small doll house when I was a kid that I enjoyed, but this large one was fantastic! Thanks for sharing!