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dorilandia

dorrieThis is Dori! She is a witch. A little witch!

Dori recently moved from San Francisco to New England – her blog from her new house is perfection – whitewashed walls, wide plank floors, spiral gardens – & bears in the backyard!? She is a spiritual counselor, magic apothecarian (that’s not a word) & I can’t recommend her potions, bath treats, & magical honey enough! She is a perfect healing balm for a world-torn heart & helped me through some hard times this winter, for sure. She makes elderflower mead and violet jam and tiny gardens and houses for gnomes! Magic!

Before she left, commissioned me to make her a wedding dress for her outdoor wedding in August. We looked at fabrics & sketched, and like Myra, eventually said “just do what you like.” So I did. And she is happy! Maybe I have a future in spirit wedding dresses for tiny, tiny girls? They’re both under 5 feet tall!

So, this is the part where if you’re going to her wedding, you stop reading!! On the way home we dropped off the dress at her tiny cottage, & I can’t resist showing you a tiny slice of Dorilandia before revealing the dress.

benchKitchen table bench. I always joke about the New England tradition of kitchen sitting and how much I miss it in the Bay Area. I need a giant kitchen where people can just stop by and sit for hours and drink wine and chat. Yes.

kitchen

morningGood morning! Dori has promised to write me a long gorgeous daily list  of my very own once I have a routine down that makes me feel good! I struggle with this all the time so a prettily written reminder would be a good thing to have.

porchNote to self: next house needs a sun porch. Look at those windows!

doorapotheCorner of the apothecary room.

bathroomguestroomGuestroom! Don’t you just want to curl up there with a book on a rainy day?

hallwaysuggestbedroom2The white washed attic bedroom is a dream of light and texture.

Ok, ready!? Wedding dress time!! Pale dusty pink silk, antique trims, a row of mismatched antique buttons, and a swish-bustle of tulle & glitter. Everything is pink and gold, with dashes of hot pink. She’s asked people to wear pink to the wedding, too! I wish I could get back before MY wedding to attend it!

dress4Heart-bits – antique laces, ribbons, and rhinestones. I don’t use patterns, but drape on the person & refine from there.

dress3dressdress2She says; “thank you again so much for your channeled spirit dress making. i love it so much i freak out just glancing at it.

I think she looks AMAZING & hope my own turns out as well!

So after all this; the gorgeous house, the dress looking stunning on her, she’s like “Let’s take a walk to this crazy old cottage place!” and we walk through the woods to a 1930s Methodist summer camp turned tiny tiny house land. There’s HUNDREDS of these gorgeous old cabins, now owned by individuals but sharing the facilities of the camp – imagine hosting parties in an old dining hall! So fun! Anyway, at that point my head exploded with all the amazingness.

porch3I really want to build something like this on my cabin. Rocking chairs on a porch, iced tea, books. Sigh.

trimcottage2cottagechaletLet’s all start our colony now, ok!?

21 Comments

  1. I’m seriously dying right now! I need one of those cottages and I love the fact that they are part of an old camp and that the facilities are shared- a commune has always been such a dream of mine…

    I adore her house, especially the white attic.

    You did a fabulous job on her wedding dress too!

  2. Oooh that house! Charmed and charming. I love the dress you made for her. I want to keep reading this post forever, the whole look and feel of it is so magic.

  3. her dress is perfect for her! it really looks great on her body and body type. you are so lucky to make dresses for people who are appreciative and loving. if i ever you-know-what again you’re going to be the first person i go to for that!

  4. ahh, so much beauty here….this really brightened up my day. i WISH you could make my wedding dress, you talented thing, you.

  5. this whole post is like a big soothy all over cup of tea. everything is complete perfection. i want a wee cozy new england cottage! and that dress is amaaaaaazing. so elegant, and the magic detailing in the back!! it’s beautiful, tam.

  6. I love everything about this post. It’s very uplifting, I hope you don’t mind but I borrowed the morning list – it’s a beautiful idea and photo.

    Thank you for your light :]

  7. I would love to mention the morning list too and link back to you and Dori. I am new to the blog world. I have so inspired by your blog and several others that I couldn’t resist any longer. I love the tiny homes and your eye for photography….thank you for inspiring me….inspiration is to the soul what air is to the lungs, what blood is to the heart!

  8. A cottage colony is exactly what my fairy tale-filled heart desires. With kitties and and cupcakes, gardens, and crystals…oh cottage colony dreams!

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