Some homes are built with bricks. Others come together slowly, through small rituals: the smell of a cake fresh out of the oven, a few stitches by the window, flowers picked from the garden, or a table set for no special occasion at all.
Today is one of those days. The morning started with the oven on, and the whole house smells like apples and cinnamon. On the living room table, there’s an embroidery hoop with a half-finished piece (a few sprigs of lavender I’ve been working on for days, no rush), and by the door, a bunch of daisies I cut a little while ago, still wet with dew.
It’s not a special day. Or maybe it is, precisely because today marks the start of something I’ve been wanting to do for a while: opening this little corner and sharing it with you.
All images have been generated for illustrative purposes
Why En Modo Cottage Exists
For a while now, I’ve felt the need for a place to keep all of this. Not just the recipes I make following the rhythm of the seasons or the embroidery projects I work on little by little, but also that way of approaching everyday life that isn’t always easy to put into words.
Living in cottage mode, for me, has nothing to do with living in the countryside or having a magazine-worthy house. It’s about a choice: the choice to make things by hand, to spend time on what truly matters, and to find beauty in the simplest things.
Kneading bread on a Sunday morning. Mending a tablecloth instead of tossing it. Embroidering something pretty just because you feel like it.
This blog was created to hold exactly that. Simple recipes, needlework, handmade projects, and small ideas for living a little more slowly.
What You’ll Find Here
Imagine walking into a home where something is always in the works. In the kitchen, dough resting on the counter. In the basket by the couch, a few skeins of cotton waiting. On the table, freshly cut fabric. That’s what I want this blog to feel like: a place to come to for inspiration.
There’ll be a bit of everything, always tied together by that common thread of handmade and unhurried:
–Seasonal recipes. Cakes, breads, jams, rustic pies, cookies for an afternoon snack, and simple dishes made with whatever’s in season. Real cooking, no fuss.
–Embroidery. Cross-stitch, freehand embroidery, small floral designs for napkins, tablecloths, cushions, or little fabric pouches. Always with step-by-step instructions.
–Sewing and crochet. Small, approachable projects: covers, bags, crochet baskets, aprons, useful and beautiful things you can make with simple materials.
–Crafts and natural décor. Ideas for decorating your home with what each season offers: dried flower wreaths, candles, centerpieces, details made from natural materials.
–Small everyday rituals. Because sometimes the most important part isn’t the finished project but the time you spent making it. Setting the table for dinner, putting out fresh flowers, lighting a candle as the afternoon fades.
Making Things by Hand
We live surrounded by everything pre-made and ready to go. We buy what we need with a click, packages show up every day, and sometimes we don’t even open them. But there’s something no purchase can give you: the satisfaction of having made something with your own hands.
Every stitch tells a story. Every cake that comes out of the oven smells like a real home. Every embroidered napkin holds a moment of calm you gave yourself.
It’s about enjoying the journey. Sitting down with your hoop for a while, putting on some soft music, and letting your hands work while your mind rests.
That’s what I want to share here. Things you can make too, with whatever you have at home, at your own pace.
Create. Relax. Enjoy the process.
Ingredients for the cake
🍎 First Recipe: Apple Cinnamon Cake
I couldn’t launch this blog without a recipe, and it had to be this one. It’s the cake I make when I want the house to smell like home. Super easy, deeply comforting, and perfect with an afternoon cup of tea.
Ingredients
- 3 apples (Granny Smith or Golden Delicious work great for the flavor).
- 1 ½ cups (200 g) all-purpose flour.
- ¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar.
- 3 eggs.
- ⅓ cup plus 1 tbsp (100 ml) mild olive oil.
- ⅓ cup plus 1 tbsp (100 ml) milk.
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder.
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon.
- A pinch of salt.
- A little brown sugar and cinnamon for sprinkling on top.
Directions
Start by preheating the oven to 350°F (180°C) and lining a 9-inch round pan with parchment paper.
Peel the apples, core them, and slice them thin. Set them aside in a bowl with a squeeze of lemon juice so they don’t brown.
In a large bowl, beat the eggs with the sugar until the mixture is fluffy and pale. Pour in the olive oil and milk, and mix well. Add the sifted flour along with the baking powder, cinnamon, and pinch of salt. Fold gently until you have a smooth batter.
Stir half the apple slices into the batter carefully. Pour everything into the pan. Arrange the rest of the apple slices on top, making a nice pattern if you’re in the mood, or just scattering them. Sprinkle with a tablespoon of brown sugar and a dusting of cinnamon.
Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let it cool a bit before removing it from the pan.
A tip: this cake is actually better the next day, once the apples have released all their juice and the crumb has settled. If you can wait, it’s worth it.
🌿 First Project: A Floral Sprig Embroidered on a Linen Napkin
To go along with the recipe, here’s a small embroidery project you can finish in an afternoon. Something very simple, very cottage: a few wildflowers stitched in the corner of a linen napkin. A great beginner project, or just the right thing for a quiet afternoon with a needle and thread.
You’ll Need
- A linen or cotton napkin in a natural color (you can also use a piece of linen fabric and make the napkin yourself).
- A small embroidery hoop, 6 or 7 inches.
- An embroidery needle.
- Embroidery floss in olive green, light green, dusty pink, off-white, and a touch of mustard or soft yellow.
- A water-soluble pen or tailor’s chalk for tracing the design.
- Embroidery scissors.
The Design
We’re going to embroider a simple sprig with three or four little wildflowers, a few small leaves, and a couple of buds. The design fits in a space of about 2.5 × 1.5 inches, so it sits discreetly and elegantly in the corner of the napkin.
Stitches We’ll Use
- Stem stitch for the main branch and smaller stems.
- Lazy daisy stitch (or detached chain stitch) for the flower petals.
- French knot for the center of each flower and the closed buds.
- Straight stitch for the small leaves.
Step by Step
1. Prep the fabric. Iron the napkin and place it in the hoop, pulling it taut. Use the water-soluble pen to draw a gentle curved line in the corner: that’s the main stem of your sprig. Add a few shorter lines branching off from it where the flowers and leaves will go.
2. Stitch the stem. With two strands of olive green floss, embroider the main stem in stem stitch. Keep the line slightly curved, like a real branch. Stitch the smaller side stems as well.
3. Stitch the flowers. With two strands of dusty pink, make the petals of each flower in lazy daisy stitch: five or six petals around a center. Vary the sizes: some flowers more open, others with just three petals, as if seen from the side. Add a few in off-white for variety.
4. Stitch the centers and buds. With one strand of mustard or soft yellow, place a French knot in the center of each flower. For the closed buds, make two or three French knots clustered together in pink at the tip of a small stem.
5. Stitch the leaves. With two strands of light green, make small leaves using straight stitch: two stitches that meet at the tip, like a slender leaf. Space them out along the stem.
6. Finish up. Remove the hoop, rinse away the pen marks with a little cold water, and lay the napkin flat to dry. Press gently on the wrong side.
That’s it. A hand-embroidered napkin, ready to set on your table next to a freshly baked cake. It doesn’t need anything more.
Come Back Whenever You Like
This is just the beginning. Little by little, I’ll be filling this corner with more recipes, more embroidery, more small ideas for making life a bit more beautiful and a bit more slow. Projects for every season, easy things, things you’ll enjoy.
So stay if you’d like. Come back whenever you need a quiet moment. There’ll always be something waiting: a new recipe, an embroidery pattern, an idea to make with your hands.
Like walking into a house and someone saying: sit down, I just baked a cake.
Welcome. This is just getting started.
