See ya, Cottage Living

I live in a little house on an equally small lake.

It once was someone's summer home, loved so that the owners winterized it, threw on a few wonky extra rooms, and then finished the basement.

Today, Cottage Living magazine folded, which is a bummer for folks like me. Cottage Living was one of those magazines that I could flip through that had, page after page, rooms that I could nab ideas from: Rooms that were scuffed and colorful and loved, and weren't always 20x20 with echoey ceilings or sprawling, manicured lawns.

I could go on for pixels about how crappy it is that another great interiors glossy has died, but that makes me itchy and nervous. Instead, some of CH's sweet homes:

Makes me want a pergola real bad.

Funky fireplace. Wish this pic could bet bigger so I could get a better look at the coffee table...

Love the punchy red table ... sets off the gingham (my personal horror).

See, I never think I can do anything too classic in our house, but this makes me think it wouldn't look overly stately. Have a hard time with bare walls, but could sure find something to throw up there--botanical posters, maybe, or a gaudy faux renaissance with a scruffy frame.

Here's to hoping they don't take down their home plans ... gal's gotta dream.