I’m a hopeless homebody and have been putting cottages and other cozy shelters in my artwork forever. This first yellow house is from the back cover of the first edition of Mary Had a Little Lamb. The board book version shows a portion of the picture that doesn’t include the house.
This one from You and Me: Poems of Friendship has a ribbon porch roof decorated with tatting.
I used cloth-covered wire to make the gingerbread edging along the roof line in this cottage from The Hollyhock Wall. Looking more closely, there is a lot of cloth wrapped wire in this scene: tree branches, hollyhock stems wicker furniture and straw hats. The dolls are about 1 1/4″ tall.
This is the Russian grandfather’s house from Peter and the Wolf. See the whole illustration in an earlier story about the CD here.
This quintessential thatched cottage is from the rhyme, “One, two, three, four, Mary’s at the cottage door”, which is in my new book, Pocketful of Posies. Find out about the book and the traveling exhibit of original artwork here. Also, see the whole double page spread in another post here.
Note: See other posts in the Close-ups series archive here.
SALLEY MAVOR 
Hello, Sally!
Their homes are beautiful and I would love to live in one! Your work is lovely! Congratulations!
Hugs from Brazil,
Bia Cardeal
Hi Salley,
I’m still very happy with my poster from you new book. It’s in my workroom so I can look at it and be inspired.
I love the cottages. I want to live in house nr. 3 The porch, the top window it all looks so cute!
Eva.
Hi Salley,
I am leaving for a visit to England today to stay with my family, guess what is in my suitcase? – your wonderful new book that I can’t wait to share with my sister.
Your work is fabulous and inspiring.
Jenny
I love the thatched roof cottage from “Pocketful of Posies”, and the beaded cherries look good enough to eat. Another wonderful blog that shows just how be-stitching your work is….er, bewitching, that is!! I could look at each page for hours! Thanks again for sharing.
Wonderful tiny abodes! You have inspired me to try to make our home into a felt project!
Things is, Salley – you make all of your little homes so inviting – who can choose? I love the woodpile and the tree on ‘Mary’s’ home – the sweet lace ‘awnings’ and the ‘gingerbread’ fanciness of the others – but I guess the cottage from ‘Pocket Full of Posies’ claims my heart. Or does it? I think it is just the cozy way you put them all together – making everyday things out of trinkets and beads.
I think you need to make “prints” out of your best pages in ‘Pocket Full of Posies’ – That way people could buy, frame and hang their favorites. Every little girl would LOVE a few of these hanging in her room. And I am still little enough at heart to want several! What do you think?
Thanks, Carol, and good idea about prints. My hands are tied on that one because the reproduction rights are owned by the publisher, which is standard practice with children’s books. Houghton Mifflin would have to licence the images. Things get complicated when you blend art with the commercial world, but I still like your idea.
Your work is terrific as always! Love the houses…