A group of people sitting at a park
A dog sitting on a bed

Welcome! My name is Kelly and I’m so grateful you’re here!


I’m Kelly the face behind The Lily Pad Cottage. I started blogging in 2012 when I was young mom looking for a creative outlet. We were building our home here on a lake in SW Michigan. This lake is so special to me because I spent all my summers here growing up. I wanted to share the process with our family and somehow you all showed up! I’m so glad you did because 10 years, and a second Lily Pad Cottage later, this has become the best gig ever.

I’ve been married to the Mr. for 18 years now and we have two kids, 13 and 10. The real star of the show is Charlie our Havanese who makes his way into most of my photos.

Over the last 10 years I’ve been blessed enough to be featured in several magazines including HGTV, Midwest Living, Better Homes and Gardens, and This Old House.

I’ve been featured online at The Huffington Post, The Today Show, BuzzFeed, Better Homes and Gardens and MidWest Living.

I’d love to have you follow along while I share our life on the lake one project at a time. You’ll find all my latest DIY projects, decor ideas, and recipes here on the blog.

Let’s connect on Pinterest, Instagram, or Facebook. You can also subscribe by email to receive all my latest blog posts.

Some of my favorite things