Tucked away in the woods and wildflowers on the edge of Salado the collection of seven cottages lie hidden by trees and foliage that screen them from the street. They make the quintessential getaway.

The Cottages at Stone Creek Settlement - a bed and breakfast - brings to mind a timeworn adage for brides on their wedding day. Wear something borrowed, something blue, something old and something new.

They are crafted from used materials rescued from rustic 19th century and early 20th century houses and buildings that had been torn down. Inside they combine the ambience of an age gone by along with Jacuzzi tubs, tiny kitchens in hideaway cubbies, ceiling fans and central air and heat.

The complex of little bungalows interconnected with walking paths began for Jill and Johnny Shipman as something that sprang from a dream.

Mrs. Shipman said they moved from Dallas in the 1990s when they bought an old cottage in Salado with plans for living in it while they built a permanent home on the same lot.

But by chance she later stumbled on a two-acre tract for sale not listed on the open market. It was land originally proposed for the women’s college in the late 1800s but never developed. And it had no services such as water and sewerage.

“It was gorgeous,” Mrs. Shipman said. “It had wildflowers everywhere among the cedars.”

She said she called her husband. He advised her to purchase the tract before the owner could put it on the open market.

“Afterwards I woke up at 2 a.m. with this great idea,” she said. “God just woke me up. I saw all these little walking paths and cottages.”

Mrs. Shipman said she and her husband loved staying in cottages when they traveled.

“We hated to be in a (bed and breakfast) house,” she said. “You had to be at breakfast at a certain time and you could even hear them frying the bacon.”

She said they once stayed at a place in Fredericksburg made up of small houses patterned on the German Sunday House concept from the 19th century. When farmers and ranchers traveled to town to attend church they stayed overnight at the Sunday House. She used that to form her plan.

“We had different ideas about a B&B than others in Salado,” she said. “People in town said we had to have a meeting room because people like to get together to visit for breakfast.”

She said they eventually built a central meeting lodge and named it the Settlement House for guests who liked to have group activities. Today it’s also used for luncheons, reunions and weddings.

“But we liked the privacy of our own cottage when we traveled and the ability to get away and be quiet and have private time. So we wanted to cater to a client who wants that same privacy.”

Mrs. Shipman said she also wanted Jacuzzi hot tubs inside each dwelling - something locals told her would never work. But as it turns out, her clientele likes the idea.

“Not everyone wants to soak in a hot tub with a group,” she said.

The Shipmans furnished the cottages with antiques and collectibles from the open-air markets in Canton and Round Top. The interior design incorporates architectural accents from an older age like beaded board walls and ceilings with their original paint, leaded glass windows, exposed beams and vintage light fixtures.

“The lumber for the first cottage - the Salado House - came from a home torn down in Canton,” Mrs. Shipman said. “It was an early Texas home and, like most from that era, was made from longleaf pine.”

Shipman said the Salado House took the longest to build.

“The first is always the hardest and after that it gets easier,” he said.

After the Salado House opened, the Shipmans completed a new house on average of one every four months, finishing in two years. The rustic dwellings took the names of Texas towns - Fredericksburg, San Marcos, Wimberley, Galveston and Jefferson. The seventh is called the School House. It was originally a 19th century one-room school for migrant workers in Lampasas.

The Settlement House has two garret rooms - the Tree House and the Bandera - that Mrs. Shipman said are a favorite with young couples.

The guest register includes some notables, Mrs. Shipman said. When Jenna Bush had her pre-wedding festivities in Salado in May 2008, the immediate family stayed with them.

“We had everyone but President Bush, Laura and Jenna,” said Johnny Shipman. “But 17 of 24 in the immediate family did stay with us including Neal and Jeb Bush and their families and their sister Dora.”

Asked if this was a retirement dream, Johnny Shipman grins, noting, “It’s a lot of work.”