I love cozy, comfy and pretty! Pink and white has always been my favorite color combination, pink, white and green being a very close second. Pink has a very uplifting quality to it, it catches the light and makes you feel good. Nevertheless, when my husband and I first got engaged, I was afraid to assert myself too much. When we went couch shopping, he had only one request--not pink! The man (boy, really) knew me so well already . . . We ended up with a grayish-blue one which I enjoyed (sort of--I warmed it up with burgundy pillows) for the years that we had it but I wasn't sorry when the garbage truck came and ate it in its jaws of smelly destruction.

As my children have gotten older and slightly less grungy I have replaced my dark colors with lighter ones and I haven't been sorry. Of course, we do have a few rules around here, mostly just, don't kill each other (blood stains) and for pity sakes, wash your hands after you eat! Everything is washable, thank goodness, since my darlings aren't the best at following rules 100% of the time, with one exception (they are all still alive).

Other moms have commented that it would be difficult to maintain such light decor with children but I prefer a white slipcover that can be washed to a darker color that can't. Also, the teeth marks from the dog on my white distressed sofa table looks stylish while the sofa table my children used to teethe on just looked trashy.

I am inspired by Rachel Ashwell, Laura Ashley as well as numerous monthly magazines (most of them with the word cottage or country in them) especially Victoria and Romantic Homes but what I choose to put in my little cottage all comes down to whether or not I really love it. In the end, the result is a style all my own.