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Welcome to the Cottage.

The Tiny Canal Cottage is a resource for helping folks mindfully conceptualize, decorate and enjoy versatile + smaller home spaces. Founded by designer, consultant, stylist, creative director and author, Whitney Leigh Morris, this family-owned small business recently finished the construction of a new, compact cottage and greenhouse-office in the southeastern US, and are also restoring a little 1800s French farmhouse and its outbuildings with co-stewards. Morris’ focus is crafting flexible, sustainable, and more community-focused home spaces. Explore Whitney’s book, blog, and social channels for years of tips and tales from living and working in — and with — a smaller footprint.

Longer-Lasting, No-Carve Pumpkin Decorating for a Small Stoop

Longer-Lasting, No-Carve Pumpkin Decorating for a Small Stoop

On his birthday last month, our little one desperately wanted to create a jack-o-lantern. Knowing full well that a hallowed-out pumpkin wouldn’t survive long under the fluctuating marine layer and beaming sun in our coastal town, we caved in and carved one.

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The results were endearing, but — as expected — only lasted until October 1. 

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After collecting and devouring a dozen Halloween books in recent days, our 4 year old was adamant about replacing the pumpkin. So we took a Tiny Adventure to a local farm / pumpkin patch, and selected a handful of funny little beauties to introduce to our small stoop. The agreement upon securing the batch was that they would be no-carve pumpkins, with the goal of them lasting longer.

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We used the metal pumpkin glasses I found on Etsy years ago, along with a few other decorative facial features (made into stakes) that we found on-site at the farm.  

(Click here for the pup version, click here for various other characters.)

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The results continue to make us giggle whenever we walk into our home. 

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We’re not quite done yet. We intend to make a VOTE pumpkin, of course. See you at the polls, or at the ballot drop box, folks. Let’s vote in epic numbers — for the planet and for racial justice — so our voices cannot be ignored.

Tiny Living in 2020 - An Interview with Jewel Pearson of Ms. Bohemian Soul

Tiny Living in 2020 - An Interview with Jewel Pearson of Ms. Bohemian Soul

Tiny Adventures: Searching SoCal for Fall During the Pandemic

Tiny Adventures: Searching SoCal for Fall During the Pandemic