Brass Candle Sconce

I came across a brass candle sconce at an antique store several weeks ago and thought, hmmm, that's nice... It was exactly $3.50 so I thought I'd just see what I could do with it. As you can see from the photo above, it was quite brassy.

I dug into my basement cabinet where I keep all of my magic potions and found some "brass ager." That's right, it makes shiny brass look old and dingy in seconds!

I hung the sconce on the small wall next to our kitchen sink. I was thinking that I'd leave that wall bare because it seemed that all of the art work I'd hung there in the past looked crowded and heavy. But leaving the wall bare didn't look quite right either. So I thought the sconce would add a nice element of detail. It fits proportionately, and has a nice aesthetic from the side as well as from the front.

I took these photos at dusk as the fog was rolling in. The forboding weather made lighting the candle all the more alluring.

So that's my $3.50 purchase. I think it was money well spent because when I light the candle, I find myself standing in the kitchen, leaning against the counter, sipping my tea...unable to walk away from (yes, a fire hazard, but mostly...) its warm flickering glow.

A Victorian Girl

One of my favorite movies when I was a teenage girl was, A Room With a View. I wanted so much to be Miss Lucy Honeychurch. I wanted to live in Miss Lucy Honeychurch's house, wear her gorgeous dresses, and I even wanted to be chaperoned on a trip to Florence, Italy by an overbearing cousin named Charlotte Bartlett.

So when I came upon this print, it tugged at old romantic notions of that Victorian girl. I just love her. I found her in an antique store, already matted, for just $10. When I came home, I measured all of my empty gold frames and happily, found the one that fit (both literally and figuratively). I purchased the antique frame about a year ago for $20.

Another Perspective...

Okay one last picture of the kitchen. This is the only picture I happened to take of the old kitchen showing the upper cabinets. They went all the way to the ceiling, so it wasn't easy to capture them standing in the kitchen itself.

This photo was probably taken within hours of owning the house because we started tearing things apart that same day. Notice the plaster falling off the ceiling from an old leak, the pea green industrial carpeting (which ended up preserving the old oak floors beautifully), the 60's style linoleum (which preserved the old fir floors beautifully), the plastic partition that was hung in the threshold (those were in every threshold)...wow, it takes me back. We had so much work ahead of us at this point and were pretty much naive on how hard that work was going to be!

Here's the after, taken a few days ago. What we did...replaced entire living room plaster ceiling with new drywall (this wasn't a choice), added new crown moulding to both kitchen and living room, exposed original oak floors in living room and fir floors in kitchen, decided to forgo the plastic partition, new kitchen cabinets, spackled lots and lots of cracks in the original plaster, used lots and lots of paint...and needed patience, patience and more patience.

Kitchen: Part Two

This is what the other side of our kitchen looked like when we bought the place. The cutout in the counter was for the dishwasher on wheels. To the right of that was a pea green stove. To the far left, below peach cabinets, was the yellow fridge.



This is after we gutted the room. After sketching out several designs, we realized that the best layout for the kitchen was to keep the sink (with the view), the stove, and the refrigerator in pretty much the same places as they were.

And here it is now...



...which is the same angle as the before picture.



As you can see, I've stolen the tulips from the plant stand! They will go back, we really don't cook with flowers next to the stove.



It's amazing how much light comes into the kitchen from the living room.



When we designed our cabinets, we purposefully wanted to avoid an overbuilt look. We really wanted this to look like an old farmhouse kitchen - sparse and simple. So we opted to avoid upper cabinets and to not enclose the refrigerator. We also opted to have the counter terminate at the wall.



The refrigerator was not my first choice, but the antique reproduction one I was in love with was a small fortune. At the time, I thought this one kinda looked old-fashioned (compared to all the others) in that it has a boxy shape, rounded corners, and the old two-door style...I know it was a stretch but you have to work with what is available. ; ) It's also an undersized cabinet depth model because we didn't want to overwhelm the room.



I ordered this wonderful print of a Matisse still life, which happened to fit perfectly in one of my antique frames. I thought it would be a good piece for the kitchen.



There's no gas line in our neck of the woods. If we opted for gas, we'd have to have a big tank in the yard. This didn't appeal to us at the time, and neither did the added expense, so we stayed with electric. When we started looking for a new stove I told Hubby, whatever we get, it won't be one of those shiny black top ones...and so here you are. But I'm used to it now.

We almost placed the stove on the other wall (where the open shelves are now) but we changed our minds at the last minute because I decided that I wanted one wall in the kitchen to be completely pretty. We also didn't want the stove hood obstructing the view.



The white and silver theme is addicting!

P.S. Rachel over at Raenovate just posted on our farmhouse! Her beautiful blog is one of my favorites as it's, "dedicated to bringing you a glimpse of all things reinvigorated, refreshed and revived."

Eastlake Plant Stand

I have had it on my mind that I'd like to have a nice lovely Eastlake plant stand. This has been on my mind for oh, about four years now.

I've seen my fair share of them during that time. All gorgeous, all works of art...all way out of my price range. Typically, they're priced at about $100 and up.

So you can imagine that I was thrilled to come across this sweet little Eastlake plant stand the other day. She's in pretty good shape, her top needs some polish...but all her lovely parts were there and her price tag was completely in my price range. $25.

I think it goes perfectly in the bathroom...where I like to try and keep fresh flowers, a blooming orchid or plant.

Here's a picture of the top. The right side shows what it looked like when I brought it home. The left side shows what it looks like after I used my magic potion on it. My magic potion is also termed, "Kramer's Best Antique Improver", a concoction of "Traditional all-natural ingredients. Contains no petrochemicals." Bravo.

And just in case anyone is wondering where my Eastlake chair is - the one I plan to reupholster with a beautiful bird toile fabric...it's being relocated to another room, more on that later. ; )

Flowering Quince Branches

I came upon some flowering Quince branches at the grocery store this past weekend. Seeing them made my heart go pitter pat. I just love flowering branches of all kinds and I'm so looking forward to watching the pretty pink blossoms open. xo

White, Silver and Wood

With Hubby out of town all week, I decided to paint our kitchen walls. But let me just say (in case I've implied otherwise), that I absolutely dread painting. I think by far the hardest part for me is just getting started.

For example, I put on my calender "Paint Kitchen Tuesday." Wednesday came and about 5pm, I called my Mom and said, "ugh, I have to paint the kitchen today...at some point." It was 6pm before I started and almost midnight before I finished.

I painted the walls Simply White (eggshell finish), which is the color we used on the cabinets, shelves and trim (in semi-gloss). With a fresh clean slate, I then experimented with creating a not so kitcheny kitchen!

Jennifer over at The Newlywed Diaries inspired me with this post! As I began gathering up some not-so-kitcheny items, I started to gravitate towards all things white, silver and wood.



I added a clock, some candlesticks, an alabaster bud vase that I put toothpicks in (to add some wood) and my sweet little owl figurine.

I didn't spend very much time on arranging things - can you tell? I sort of began with the basics of all the whitewear dishes and drinking glasses we'd be using on a regular basis. To balance out those kitchen items, I added my Grandmother's old candelabra, her big silver tray and her old little lamb print...oh, and her old owl print that I reframed. xo

I tried to break away from my previous tendency to create too much symmetry. I still tried to balance things out, but in a more irregular way.

I like how the light reflects on the silver things.

I also really love my owl figurine.

And look, here we are...I think this will be Hubby's favorite not so kitcheny addition to our shelves. xoxo

Petaled Friends

I'm thinking spring. It's hard not to (despite the snow) when you see bouquets of tulips and daffodils in the grocery store. So I've gathered some photos I took of the flowers we enjoyed last year to tide me through the next couple of months of winter.

The first spring flowers that grace our land are the blossoming fruit trees - they are absolutely breathtaking.

These were the first peonies I clipped at the flower farm. They were so gorgeous and delicate and their pink blossoms enormous!



We have some very old lilac bushes that probably need some serious pruning. They are a bit tattered and worse for wear, but still produce the most fragrant smelling flowers. I take this as my cue to gather them up in bunches and spread them throughout the house.

This was the bouquet I was most proud of last summer as it was the very first clipping from our newly planted rose and peony bushes.



These are the first clippings from the Little Lamb Hydrangea bushes I planted.

These are also Little Lamb Hydrangea but were clipped towards the end of summer, after they turned from milky white to a blushing pink.

And these were the last of the rose clippings before the frost came and lulled everything to sleep.

I've missed my petaled friends and can't wait to see them again this spring.

The Three Sisters

We enjoyed a lovely getaway to Sisters, Oregon this past weekend. It's a beautiful little historic town with mountain peaks on every horizon. The Three Sisters loom over the southern horizon, a range depicted in an antique oil painting I found several years ago.

The above photograph is of the same range, although the third Sister is hidden by the trees. This beautiful photograph was provided by Mike Putnam Photography.

While in Sisters, I couldn't help but think of the artist, and the era during which he or she walked the streets of this same small western town. I also thought of the day on which they sat down to capture the Three Sisters on canvas... individually named Faith, Hope and Charity by early settlers of the area. Did the artist live there or were they visiting, and did the three 'sister' peaks offer the same feelings of warmth and affection they do me?

I purchased this painting around twelve years ago. I was living in Maine at the time, but visiting family in Los Angeles when I saw it in an antique store. I was drawn to the painting because it reminded me of my western roots and our forays into the mountains for family vacations. I thought it would be a nice memento to keep with me while living across the country. Little did I know that one day I would return west and live within a few hours of the range.

Isn't life extraordinary that way?



The painting is signed "Owens." I've attempted to find out more about the artist but haven't had much luck since I don't have the artist's first name.

This painting is in need of a good cleaning. I've never had an antique painting cleaned before but have begun to consider it more frequently after being introduced to the process in a gallery specializing in antique art. The cleaning process takes off layers of dust, smoke and other debris that have come to settle on the piece over the years. As you can see in the example below, cleaning can result in an amazing transformation in brightness and hue.



This example is provided by Gainsborough Products, LLC. The restored area completely unveils this man's face - a complete rebirth of the piece.

The cleaning process helps restore the color quality close to its original state, which is much more representative of the artist's intentions. I'm reminded of the vivid pieces found in museums, where the intricate detail of each brush stroke shines through after such reverent restorations.

I don't own artwork of any great value. Nevertheless, I still think it's worth investing in cleaning pieces you really love. Other pieces I often consider cleaning are...



...my beautiful horse painting. I know that my four equine friends would be absolutely delighted to stand under a bright blue sky once again.



This landscape done by a Portland, Oregon artist years ago is another piece I often consider cleaning.

I feel that restoration cleaning of antique art is best done by a professional. The average cost is around $100 depending on the size and age of the piece. I haven't yet set aside a 'painting cleaning fund' for my collection. I hope to though, as I'd like to do my best to help preserve these wonderful works of original art.

Please don't forget to vote in Bloomingdale's Big Window Challenge! Eddie Ross is the designer for Elle Decor's window display and needs your vote! I'm a big fan of Eddie Ross and his philosophy of design. It's a philosophy that I hold close, and that embodies an important sentiment - finding affordable ways by which to create a beautiful home with the things that you love.

Go here to cast your vote for Eddie Ross!

Transfer Ware

I received a request to post on my collection of transfer ware. I have three different patterns, a collection that started when I inherited my Grandmother's red transfer ware.

They were her everyday dishes that I grew up with. She lost many of the original plates in the California earth quakes. However, it was a pattern that continued to be made, so she was able to order replacements.



This is the mark on the back.

I display the red after Thanksgiving as they're part of my Christmas decorations. They stay up until spring, when it's time to display my teal blue transfer ware.

I bought these at an antique store in Washington state. They were on clearance and I almost passed them up thinking that although they were so beautiful, what would I ever do with them? That is the day I thought of putting up my different collections by season - and that is how I rationalized buying them!

This is the mark on the back.

This was taken last spring...which was the first spring I displayed them on the shelves.

The brown transfer ware goes up in fall. I came upon my brown transfer ware at Marshall's department store, and thought they would be perfect dishes to use for Thanksgiving.

This is the mark on the back of the plate.

If we didn't have the open shelves in the kitchen, I don't think I would have started collecting the other two patterns. But the open shelves are like a blank canvas, and can create a completely new look for the kitchen depending on what I put on them.

Soon I will be taking down the red transfer ware and putting up the teal blue bird transfer ware. This time, I'm going to try something different and attempt to create less of a kitchen feel and more of a 'room' feel.

Jennifer at The Newlywed Diaries posted on this look here and I really love it! So we'll see how I do - suggestions always welcome!

A Beautiful Marble Frame

I have to tell you about this amazing find... As an antique frame collector, I was in awe when I recently came across this beautiful marble frame. The oval frame is 9-1/2 x 12 with a 5x7 opening. It's a lovely size for an intimate portrait although I've temporarily inserted a print of one of Matisse's nudes, which I think goes quite nicely with the rounded lines of the carved marble.

The aged marble indicates that it's probably from the late 1800's. The oval detail is so beautiful and in such perfect condition that holding the frame made me feel as if I was granted a pleasure typically reserved for museum staff.

But I wasn't in a museum. I was standing in an antique store thinking that this little gem would cost hundreds....hundreds upon hundreds of dollars - oh, who will be so lucky to have it? But as I turned to look at the price tag (adhered with Scotch tape), it read, "$75." I may have started to hyperventilate at this moment because I couldn't believe something so rare and so beautiful and in such pristine condition, could be priced so modestly.

So I splurged big time and brought her home with me.

I absolutely cannot wait to learn more about the origins of this lovely frame. This is such a part of my love for antiques - discovering the amazing stories that come along with them.

The Evolution of the Stairs

I finally got around to painting the stairs! It was a job I was dreading but now that it's done, I can't help but ask myself why I hadn't done it sooner. Well, I know the answer to this...I've been busy doing other things.

I painted everything Simply White by Benjamin Moore except the stair treads which are painted Bennington Gray, also by Benjamin Moore.

This is what the stairs looked like when we bought the place. Miraculously, they haven't changed much in terms of the bare bones. There have been a few treads replaced, a new railing installed on the upstairs landing, and an electrician wired in a light fixture. But other than that, all they've required is a fresh coat of paint.

But a space can change dramatically through changes that are made elsewhere. This is the case with our stairs. After the dormer and six new windows were added upstairs, they saw their first breath of sunlight...oh, happy stairs.

Where The Wild Things Are

Well, this morning they were here! We were treated with an unannounced visit from the infamous Gilhouley Elk Herd. It was such a wonderful, wonderful surprise as their migration path runs through our property, and for years we've been keeping an eye out for them.

I quietly stepped out on the porch to try and capture their blessed visit before they slipped away.



But they kept coming...



and coming...



and coming...

until finally, the line ended.

Dressed in my pajamas, I stood there on the porch and just watched them peacefully make their way through.

The sound of sixty or so elk crunching through the frosty grass was exhilarating to hear.

We've only seen this herd once before - in a field up the road where there are no houses for miles. We've seen lots of tracks, some right in front of the fence, but until now the herd had always alluded us.

It was a beautiful way to start the morning. It makes me so very happy to have these friends nearby. They are such beautiful majestic creatures and it was a pure honor to set our eyes on them.

Country Cabinet

Our basement laundry room moonlights as extra storage for odds and ends.

Before the contractors showed up for the second half of the house renovation (when porch, dormer and dining room were added), I came upon the above cabinet on one of my excursions into the city. I mention this because despite being in construction mode, I couldn't maintain the will power to abstain from decorating-mode.

I thought the old country cabinet would be perfect for the laundry room as it would add some nice old-fashioned character as well as provide some extra storage for my collections of transfer ware, flower vases and all our extra Martha Stewart white ware pieces (our everyday dishes).

I like having something that is enclosed so that dust is kept to a minimum and there are no critters lurking about when I need to retrieve something...this includes the ocassional field mouse, lizard, frog, salamander or eek, spiders...all of which have been sighted at one time or another. But really, it's the spiders, as I am one of those people who abhor spiders, yet can't bare to hurt them.

The cabinet also provides extra drawer space for items I don't use frequently.

At some point, we'll completely enclose the laundry room from the rest of the basement and perhaps add some heat so that doing laundry this time of year doesn't require wearing a hat or gloves. We also need to fix some parts of the old drop ceiling as it was disturbed when the electricians and the plumbers swept through with their updates.

To give the laundry room a more comfortable cozy look, I got a nice chunky jute rug for the floor. It was also a really cheap option I found at Home Goods - only $30. For its size, I thought it was a lot more charming than the synthetic rugs you get at Home Depot or Lowe's.

xoTrina

A New Old Mirror

Behold my new office mirror! Remember the old gold one? Well, it wasn't really what I had in mind when I decided to put a mirror here, so I've been keeping my eye open for something else.

Due to the sloping ceiling, the size of the mirror had to be somewhat compact yet I also wanted it to fill the entire space. I also wanted to hang a mirror and not art because I wanted to brighten up this part of the room as much as possible.



This photo gives you a better perspective - my desk is to the left.

I love the combination of the gold top and gold frame with the cool brightness of all of the mirror panels. To me it has quite a lovely modern yet antique feeling to it. And I can't say that I've ever seen an old mirror quite like this one. I've seen new modern mirrors, similiar to the Shabby Chic look, but never a piece that included wood framing.

When Hubby asked, "is that a new mirror?" I used one of my old lines and replied, "no, of course it's not a new (technically speaking) mirror." He caught on to this awhile back so now I always say it slyly and use extra emphasis on the word new. Of course, I just had to follow it up with, "but guess how much I got it for?"

Now he was being sly as he loves to throw out low ball figures when I ask him to play this game - he guessed $37.50. Well, I paid $40 for it. It was $45 but I offered $40 (I know, some nerve to be so cheap!). But isn't it lovely? And it's such a steal. Hubby thinks so too even though it's an entire $2.50 more than what he guessed.

I would like to just say that it took some extra effort to capture this mirror without finding myself in the reflection! Whenever I see pictures of mirrors in magazines, I always wonder how they get the shot without them in it! It's very difficult because if you take the shot too far off to the side, it distorts the image. This is exactly why I have yet to post on the other new mirror I bought to replace the cabinet we moved out of the dining room!

Happy New Year!

I'm not sure if it's the egg nog, the hot apple cider or the warm fire but I've been on vacation mode and it feels quite good.

Here's what we've been up to...first, this is Hubby reading, "The Joy of Cooking" in hopes to discover a fabulous new Christmas Eve recipe. See those 'crumbs' on his pocket? Well, they're not from Christmas cookies, those are tree crumbs from splitting and hauling in so much wood for our fires.



Here's our little Lucy smiling on one of our hikes as she can't stop giggling over the bells around her Christmas collar.



We also went cross country skiing up around Mt. Hood. It was a beautiful blue bird day. Note: Lucy is still smiling!



And there's been lots and lots of cozy time in the house....with lots of accompanying warm beverages...like hot cocoa.



Green tea.



And hot apple cider - something I've consumed a lot of this past week.



There's also been a lot of Backgammon (shhhh, I'm on a winning streak).

And a lot of sitting in front of the fire enjoying the Christmas tree lights.

And the warm glow of the fire.

The new furniture is proving to be very comfortable and conducive to lazy day snuggling.

I love how the cabinet glass reflects all the light in the room.

And this is what happens when Hubby turns the camera on me. As you can see, I'm not as well behaved as Hubby is.

Nate over at Laurel Street nominated me for the Homies 2009 Award! Wow, huh? I'm absolutely honored but also, feel a little shy!

Happy New Year!

Trimming the Tree

It's beginning to look more like Christmas around here. We hung our stockings...



...and Hubby built us a warm toasty fire.



We also put our Christmas tree up. I was in the kitchen when he called to me, "is this straight?"



We straightened it out and found all of our favorite ornaments to hang. Hubby's parents made it a tradition to give each of their six children (Hubby is the baby of six in his family) an ornament every year so there are lots of ornaments on our tree with a strong Hubby theme. By far, my favorite, and the one ornament I'm sure to hang most prominently on our tree, is the ornament I call, "Hunk of Love."



Here it is being showcased with careful consideration that plenty of light is cast its way. This ornament was given to him when he was in high school. He was on the basketball team, hence the basketball themed ornament. How cute is that!

You want a closer look you say?



Well I'm glad you asked because the very first Christmas we spent together, I made a larger copy in order to better appreciate all the fine details. The mullet (business in the front, party in the back), the 1980's tank top and the best part, the teenager stare... are what makes this ornament so special. I can't help but smile each time I look at it! Hubby finds this very amusing and always asks, "what mullet?"

Do you have any favorite childhood ornaments?



It was so nice to sit by the tree last night. Hubby read some David Sedaris holiday tales and we played several rounds of Backgammon in front of the fire. Hubby loves Backgammon, and I'm more of a Scrabble girl. So I'm sure we'll be playing lots of both over the holidays.

Happy holidays!

The Living Room: Before and After

Just to review...this is how we found it.

The single-paned window, and perhaps even the deck, were most likely added sometime in the 80's. When the contractors put in the new Marvin window, they had to tear down the deck in order to put in both the headers and footers. We'll rebuild something more period looking to the house - a balcony with a wide center staircase going down the middle and into the back yard.

This is the opposite wall. See all that brown trim? That's all covered in faux wood tack paper to assimilate wood trim. It was horrible to remove.



This room has evolved over the three years we've owned our house (we once had our bed in here). It was the very first room we tackled when we bought the place (the picture of Hubby was within hours of taking ownership) and so it was the first room we finished in terms of the bare bones part. The actual decorating would come much later, as in now...and it's quite serendipitous as again, we're 'moving' into this room just before Christmas.

Here's sort of another 'before' picture that shows our previous color scheme, dictated primarily by the furniture and rug we had on hand at the time.

And here are the 'afters.' I took these pictures on the darkest days of the year as we're having lots of fog and rain - hope they turned out alright!

As you can see, I painted the room white. It's Simply White by Benjamin Moore (Eco-Spec line), which is the same color we've used on all of our house trim and many of our walls. The old color just felt too ruddy looking and I realized (no agonized over) that I'm most drawn to that classic white wall farmhouse look where the color of the walls isn't what the room is about.

I wanted the room to be more about the fireplace, the windows, the view, the light coming in, the furniture, and the artwork. And I just thought that white allowed these things to shine more than any other color. Also, Janet (hi Janet!) over at The Gardener's Cottage just painted her living room Simply White and it completely inspired me!



The mirror over the mantle is such a better fit than our other one. I found this several weeks ago at an antique store for $120.



I picked up the brass sconces at an antique store for $20 each. I had been looking for some sconces online but found them to be very expensive. So these were in our price range and I've always loved the look of a pair of sconces over a mantle.



The seagrass rug is a 9x12 (it hasn't quite flattened out yet after being rolled) and will be relocated to the dining room once I decide what size seagrass rug I want for this room. I know it will be several feet bigger but still trying to figure out exact dimensions before I order it (the first one I ordered had a mid-January delivery date so I cancelled it).

The furniture is by a company called Rowe Furniture. We knew we'd choose something from their line because they are committed to natural fiber fabrics, eco cushion cores and wood from replenished forests. They are also members of the Sustainable Furniture Council (SFC).

This was all very important to us as we have made great efforts to make our home as green and healthy as possible. We also liked the price - due to a special sale that they were having at the time, the couch was just $1,099 and the chairs were $599 each (and we chose the highest grade fabrics).



The velvet couch is extremely luxurious. We love the high curved arms (much like a sleigh bed) as it provides the perfect support for reading a book, sipping a cup of tea or snuggling up next to the warm fire - especially on days like today.

I picked up the brass easel a few years ago for $40 - a price I just couldn't pass up. The antique frame was my Great Great Grandfather's and I'm in the process of ordering a beautiful print for it. I can't wait as I've always loved the artist and will be absolutely delighted to have a piece of hers in our home.

The cabinet used to be in the dining room. It got bumped from there because there will be two new windows going in this spring/summer leaving no room for it. It's sad but I absolutely love it in the living room. It's gone from dining cabinet to secretary, a look I have always loved.

I also like the height it provides and think it really adds a nice finishing touch to the room. We found this piece at a local antique store that used to get antique furniture shipments in from England. During my semester abroad in college, I lived in England and would spend hours going through all of the gorgeous antique stores looking at beautiful cabinets very similar to ours. So it's sort of serendipitous that this piece found me after all of these years.

The cabinet came with black oriental pulls on the drawers, which I don't believe were original due to the lovely brass button knobs on all of the cabinet doors. So I switched them out for Eastlake pulls which offer it more of a country look (and of course, I absolutely love all things Eastlake).

So there it is! I'm sure it will continue to evolve as all rooms do! I hope you like it! We just got our Christmas tree today so we'll be putting that up tomorrow night...so more photos to follow!

My Favorite Bread Board

I received so many lovely comments on my collection of bread boards! The first thing I thought was that I hope the one with the pomegranate stain wasn't front and center! Also, that these are just our everyday bread boards - not even my old antique ones!

So I thought I'd just share with you my most favorite bread board of all. And it is literally, a bread board. Just for bread.

I found this in an antique store for just $20 - hand carved knife included. I was hysterically excited and remember coming home and putting it on the table in front of Hubby and asking him to just take a moment to absorb our good fortune.

I have to say that one thing that drives me crazy about Hubby is that when I find a bargain and ask him to guess (why do I do it?) how much he thinks I got it for...he always guesses too low. So then suddenly my bargain price comes off (not to me, to him) as not such a bargain! Can anyone relate to this?

I am in the full throes of working on the living room. I thought perhaps I could take some pictures today but it's looking very gray outside so there may not be enough light for picture taking.

Winter Kitchen

I switched out the brown transfer ware for the red.



I've also added some cedar garland. It's so beautiful and fragrant, and it's by far my favorite decoration this time of year - besides the tree of course. I also put some cedar clippings on the shelf because I love the combination of the green foliage and red transfer ware.

My Grandmother used the red transfer ware for her everyday dishes, so I grew up with them. Initially, I thought I might use them primarily as Christmas dinner ware, but when we bought this house and designed the open shelves, they took on a whole other role. I really appreciate the red cheer they bring into the kitchen throughout the long wintry months.

I added a new piece of art work to the kitchen. I really love having fine art in a room where it isn't expected. I picked up this still life piece a couple of years ago. It's Victorian and unsigned. According to the art dealer, it was done by an artist from out east due to the type of mounting hardware that was used. I just love that kind of information.

I also hung this piece in the kitchen because I think the greens and gold go beautifully with the red transfer ware. This is a favorite piece of mine. I love the scene but also love the antique frame it came in. It's original to the piece and is in amazing condition considering its age and how delicate the wood carving detail is.

Now, as far as the living room furniture goes - it's set up and I'm really happy with it! Of course the minute I saw it in the living room, I knew I'd be repainting the walls! So I spent this entire past weekend agonizing over a new paint color. I finally decided on one, and then spent the rest of the weekend repainting everything --- solo I might add as Hubby had to work all weekend.

Pictures soon to follow...promise!

Another Victorian Chair

The bird toile fabric sample arrived! I've pinned it to the above chair back to get a feel of what it will look like. I love the pattern so much that although I've decided to cover the other Victorian chair I posted on a few weeks ago in a solid velvet, I couldn't help but try and find another chair for the bird toile. The chair is something I had in storage down in the basement. The fabric comes from an on-line fabric store called Interior Mall.

This Victorian chair has the same intricate detail as the other chair, but offers more angular lines and I think a much more rustic look with all of its beautiful notched carvings.

I also like that the top of the chair has rounded details that mimic the shape of a bird's wing.

To save on money, I'm thinking of attempting to reupholster it myself! When it's done, I'll place it here in the master bathroom next to bathtub. You can see the look of the toile fabric compared to the brown fabric that's on it now. I think the new fabric pattern is going to really brighten it up!

French Toast & Pomegranate

We bought some pomegranates last night at the grocery store. We each set off with our designated list (pomegranates weren't on either) yet when we reconvened, we both had pomegranates in our carts.

We agreed, "great minds think alike."

We made French Toast this morning. Our favorite recipe is from, "The Joy of Cooking."

The Recipe:

4 eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk (we use original flavor oat milk)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
pinch of cinnamon
pinch of cardamon (something we add for an extra hint of flavor)

Usually we use Challah bread but this morning we just used our everyday whole grain bread we had on hand.

It was delicious.

I've been transitioning things from fall to winter around here...which of course always includes taking down the brown transfer ware and putting up the red. There's a sneak peek in the first picture - but I'll post more soon.

I love the red accents in the kitchen this time of year! It gives the kitchen a nice cheery lift as the cold weather settles in and the sunshine becomes more scarce.

P.S. We also set up the furniture this weekend but still so much to do! New sea grass rug (12x15)isn't scheduled to arrive until December 22nd! For now, I've put down another new sea grass rug (9x12) that is set to go in the dining room. I'll post on things before the 22nd though!

Mint Julep Cup Vase

There's a particular vase that shows up in a lot of my photos. This is one of my favorite vases to use on my nightstand but I've also used it to dress up other areas of the house.



Here it is on the porch with some white daisies.



In the kitchen with some fresh cut roses from the garden.



By the nightstand.



And one of my favorite combinations when the garden is asleep - plain white roses.

Isn't it funny how an item you didn't know you were looking for becomes one of the most used items in your collection? I bought this vase at K-Mart from the Martha Stewart Line. It was on clearance for $5.

Dear Janine from beautiful Tasmania, Australia recently asked me about the vase. Although I know that Martha Stewart is no longer at K-Mart (or in Australia), I remembered coming across the vases recently in a "Southern Living" magazine article featuring Two's Company.



But I also found what appears to be the same vase for a lot less at Favor Affair.



This one is from Save On Crafts.



And Pottery Barn also sells them (with an option for engraving).

All are silver plate and are available for under $25.

Now that I have a mint julep cup vase, I can't imagine being without one! And of course, I keep my eye out for them in antique and thrift shop stores.



I also found a miniature version (not yet polished!) at an antique store for $8, which I use for smaller bouquets.

Wisconsin

Our trip to Wisconsin was wonderful. I'm just now recovering from a cold/flu but thankfully, it didn't hit me until we arrived home. We were able to spend lots of time with family and also, tour some of our favorite sites in Madison. A tradition for us is to stop in at the Capitol building, which was already donning some festive Christmas decorations.



Inside was the biggest treat of all...the gorgeous Capitol rotunda which has been painstakingly restored to all its former glory. It's absolutely beautiful.

We also took some walks through the arboretum, always ending up at this dock. One of my favorite places to be in the entire world is at the end of a dock on a calm quiet lake. I love that feeling.

Hubby borrowed his sister Mary's red hat for our early morning walks and ended up looking like Santa's little helper with his coordinating green jacket. Here's my adorable little elf in Mary's backyard.

And I couldn't help but take a picture of my little elf in the coffee shop matching all the Christmas decorations! xoxoxo

Happy Thanksgiving

We will be enjoying this year's Thanksgiving holiday with Hubby's family in Wisconsin. But spending the holiday away from home, didn't stop me from enjoying a Thanksgiving table - minus the turkey and all the trimmings!



I got the spray roses at the grocery store. I love the color.



I dusted off my Thanksgiving dessert plates and polished one of my Grandmother's old server knives. Did someone say pumpkin pie? ; )



I got the wreath for the front door but it's been so windy these days that I decided to hang it on the dining cabinet instead.



I love the simple yet intricate detail of the overlapping wheat.

I'm sending you the warmest, most beautiful Thanksgiving wishes...Happy Thanksgiving.

Bedside Lamps

On my last trip into the city, I decided to keep an eye out for some new bedside lamps. I was thinking of something more sleek and sophisticated than the mismatched gold ones I had. I also needed something that would fit proportionately with our small night stands, yet large enough to cast plenty of light for night time reading.

My first stop was the Home Goods store and miraculously, I found the above table lamp that fit all of the criteria! I was thrilled that they had two of them and even better, at just $29.99 each. I ended up switching out the lampshades with some I already had, and really love the new look.



Also, as you can see, I hung the Destiny painting above our bed. After the 'Destiny' post, I received a few inquiries into our art collection so I thought I'd share some more information about this piece. The painting was done by a local Plein Air artist by the name of Eric Jacobsen. The painting is of a landscape scene just about a mile away from our house.



The landscape painting on the nightstand is also an Eric Jacobsen, purchased at the same time, also unframed. I was able to find an antique frame for this piece as well.

Thank you so much for all of your feedback on the Victorian chair! I've ordered a few fabric samples and expect them to arrive any day. Also, thanks so much for the wonderfully supportive and inspiring comments on the fireplace!! I'll keep you posted on how it's all coming together!

Fireplace Choices

Here's the white, as its painted now. And let me just start by saying that I'm feeling more confident about the white. The exercise of using the digital paint shop to try other potential colors was very helpful in determining this.

The following pictures are of the different color hues I experimented with for the brick.

A grayish white....


Ethereal White

A more neutral tone...


Grecian Ivory

And finally, a gray tone to coordinate with the exterior gray chimney bricks...

The Big Chill

I think I like the white the best because it offers the freshness and crispness we've strived for in the rest of the house...all white trim, lots of light, neutral wall colors, paned windows, french doors, etc.

My second choice would be the 'Ethereal White,' just to add some contrast between the white mantle and the brick surround. But I'll wait until I see what the chairs look like in front of the mantle first.

Painting the bricks gray to try and mimic the real gray bricks on the chimney just doesn't appeal to me because I know in the end, it will just look like painted brick - not real brick.

What are your favorites?

The painting tool is amazing! If you have something you'd like to paint and want to try it out, go here.

Furniture is Here!

It's a week early! I'm both excited and nervous all at the same time! Why you ask is it still covered in plastic? Well, the delivery guys just left for one, and for two, we have an issue with our floor finish that the floor guy has to deal with tomorrow (hopefully) and although no dust will be created, I don't want to unwrap them until he's done.

So pictures are a bit premature but I thought I'd give you a sneek peek as to what we've been up to the past few weeks. We never did break into a waltz like I described in my fantasy BUT we did accomplish something equally as romantic and painted all the windows! I'm kidding, although I do find it very attractive when Hubby is working on the house - why is that? (wink, wink Hubby)



I also painted the fireplace bricks white! The following image (I can't remember where I got it), was my inspiration photo.



After priming the bricks to cover up the glue stains, I had a panic attack and questioned what I had done. Joan at For the Love of a House (my dear friend) calmed me down (I love her!).

I wish I didn't have to paint them but when I spoke to a local mason, he told me that the blond bricks weren't original to the house. Meaning, that at some point probably in the 60's, the fireplace surround was rebuilt and that's why they didn't match the gray bricks on the exterior chimney...which has made me contemplate painting the bricks gray as I'm not completely sold on the white. Thoughts? Do you like the white?

Once again, Joan came to my rescue (she does that a lot) and sent me some Sherwin Williams colors to try and upon doing so, I discovered this amazing digital tool they offer on their web site where you can upload your personal photo and try different paint colors (I'll post them soon). It's been so helpful in determining what shade of grey may work as I wouldn't want it to look too flat, too dark or like concrete!



My other update is the new mirror over the fireplace. I absolutely love the botanical detail on the frame. I was in an antique shop in Portland, one of my favorites, when I stumbled across it- on sale. Was I looking for a new mirror for over the fireplace, not really, but my Great-Great Grandparent's mirror never looked quite proportionate to the size of the mantle (I've relocated it to the guest room for now).

When I saw the mirror, I put a hold on it and then went to another favorite antique store to see what other similar items were out there. I discovered that compared to other mirrors of similar size and style, the one I had on hold was a really great deal so I went back and bought it. It was $120, normally priced at $195.

I hope that we'll be able to unwrap our furniture by tomorrow - although I'm sure we'll take a few peeks before then! I normally don't get very nervous about new purchases but typically that's because I don't spend as much money and they're also not purchased sight unseen (we didn't get to actually see our chosen fabrics on the pieces).

So again, excited and nervous all at the same time! Hubby is more calm and Lucy just wants to know what all the fuss is about.

The Sauna

When we bought our house, there were several outbuildings scattered throughout the property. There was the old sheep barn that was collapsing in beyond repair, there was an aluminum shed, a quirky wood shed, a pole barn, the barn with the guest quarters, and the sauna (pictured above).

The old sheep barn, the aluminum shed and the quirky wood shed all got hauled away to the rebuild it center. The rest we kept, including the sauna.



I'll give you a quick tour. It's a small two room sauna that reminds me of the old rustic camps I use to visit in Maine.



I can tell you that Hubby was beyond thrilled when he discovered this building on our first tour of the property and imagined sitting in here after a long day of skiing. The above room is the changing room and has lots of old vintage towel racks, old hooks, a little vanity and benches to sit on.



Even Lucy was excited about the sauna. Here she is taking in the ambiance of the old steam room. Aren't the benches classic? And see the old shower faucet hanging from the cross beam?



But Hubby's dream came to a screeching halt when the house inspector warned us that the above water tank was a ticking time bomb just waiting to explode. In other words, don't use the sauna in its current incarnation - ever.

Hubby had ideas to update the system but when we realized that all of the wood in the steam room had been coated with urethane, we knew we'd have to reside the whole interior as to not get high on toxic fumes. The charred wall was also a deterrent - obviously the barrel stove was a fire hazard.

So it sat.



Until one day a couple of winters ago, we put my old treadmill in the changing area and started using the space as a workout room. And that's when we decided that the building would serve us much better as a home gym than a sauna.

Let me just say that we're not gym people. We know this because we bought gym memberships a year ago this month and pretty much never went. This was mostly due to the inconvenience of driving into town all the time. When we did go, all we used were the treadmill (which I had at home) and the elliptical machine (which we just bought).

So instead of renewing our very costly gym membership, we've decided to use the funds to create a home gym, conveniently located within walking distance from the house. We'll be tearing out the wall in the middle in order to create a large one room space so that both the treadmill and the elliptical machine will fit side by side. These will go where the steam benches are now.

We'll insulate the vaulted ceiling, perhaps add a sink since there's already an existing water line, and paint everything white. We have some extra tongue and groove flooring left over from the porch, which we'll use to cover up the concrete floor. We'll paint the floors historic gray as they already have primer on them. We also plan to replace the plywood door with the old french exterior door we removed from the main house.

So that's the plan but I can't say for sure when the cosmetic stuff will happen! But I'll keep you posted!

A Victorian Chair

I love Victorian furniture. I love the ornate lines. I love the rich hue of the dark wood. I love that each piece possesses such intricate carved detail.

I purchased this Victorian chair for just $62. When I look at this chair, I see a work of art no different than a piece of artwork hanging on our wall. It's absolutely beautiful.

The fact that this delicate chair has 'lived' for over a hundred years is just fascinating to me, especially seeing that it's in pristine condition. It must have known some very loving homes along the way.

The needlepoint is in good condition - just a few thin spots, which I think come from moths rather than wear. The preservationist in me says leave it alone. But in my effort to blend my passion for antiques with the modernity of our lives, I thought of perhaps brightening the chair with a nice light velvet, which was also popular during the late 1800's.

Alternatively, for a more contemporary juxtaposition, I thought a nice botanical fabric could also be quite beautiful and honor the Victorian era's love of nature.



I just love this bird toile fabric.



I've placed the chair next to my bed, in place of the chair that was already there. It goes just so beautifully next to the Eastlake nightstand, as they share the same intricate carved detail and the same lovely bird's eye maple veneer.

Considering the placement of the chair, I'm leaning towards brightening it with a soft, light velvet as I think it would best match the feel of the bedroom. If I do this, I will preserve the original needlepoint - perhaps by covering over it.

What do you think... leave it alone? Or do you like the bird toile, or the light soft velvet fabric?

My Office

A couple of weekends ago, I tore apart my office. It wasn't something I had on my 'to do' list but it had been bothering me for awhile. The issues I had with my office were that I didn't have enough drawer space to organize my odds and ends and it was feeling a bit stagnant and dreary.

You can go here to see the original remodel.

So my goal was to brighten it up while also finding ways to improve organization.



The first thing I did was to take this old antique frame (this used to hang in my Grandmother's dining room), and transform it into a cork board. It's kind of become an inspiration board of sorts as I've been hanging up photos I love, things I'm thinking of for the house, quotes and my 'to do' list.

I stole the dresser from the guest house (one of the first antiques I bought when I lived in Maine) because the desk drawers alone weren't enough to hold office supplies, stationary, telephone books, all my inspiration photos from magazines, my various three-ring binders, etc. The extra drawer space has completely transformed the function of the office!



I converted this antique picture frame into a mirror to help brighten up this corner of the room. That little door you see in the reflection of the mirror is a small closet where I keep our old, and very ugly, filing cabinet.



I made two purchases: the sisal rug and another slip covered armchair from IKEA. I like this armchair because it's easy to pick up and move, which makes working on the computer with Hubby a lot easier to do.



I stole the Matisse nude (which doesn't show up very well in this photo) from the salon wall in the den!

I also finally found a place for this little Eastlake wall cubby. I picked this up years ago but never really figured out what to do with it. Now I have it by the door for outgoing mail.

In effort to make this space feel brighter, I gathered up all my marble collections (the lamps and the bird baths), as well as this old alabaster ash tray. I'll use it as a holder for thumb tacts.

So that's what I've done! No big changes really, I mostly just recycled items we already had. Oh, and one of my favorite new changes to my office, is having the horse painting on my desk. It's one of my most beloved paintings and I just love the companionship those four beautiful horses offer.

Fall Orchards

Things feel very quiet in the orchard after the hustle and bustle of the harvest. The trees now stand still, resting perhaps as they shed the last of their summer leaves and begin to settle in for their long winter's nap.

I love walking through the orchards. Each season offers a different experience. Right now, there's a sense of calm and rest and a little bit of sadness as the trees stand bare. This time of year is so different than the twinkling buds of spring or the sheltering green canopy of summer.

If you were to follow this orchard row, trudge up the hill and through the woods (where our property begins), you would eventually come to our back door!



And here's a couple of monkeys (Hubby and Lucy), climbing on a John Deere tractor. This isn't our tractor, although Hubby wishes that it was. And if Lucy could ride shot gun, it would be her wish too.

Destiny

I bought this landscape oil painting over the summer, unframed, with the intention of matching it with one of my antique frames. But when I brought it home, I realized that it was a really odd size!

So I figured that eventually, I would have to have one of my old frames cut down to fit (which costs about $100). Then yesterday, I was in the city looking through some antique shops when I came across this antique gold frame above. To my utter shock and pure joy, they were a match!

Both frame and painting are very happy to have found each other - I think it was absolute destiny! xo

Details on where I hung it will come later!

Happy Halloween

This was our first snow fall. It happened a couple of weeks ago and I'm happy to say that it hasn't been back - it will be a long enough winter as it is!

If this photo looks familiar, you may have seen it over at Tara Dillard's blog - she's doing our landscape design!! She sent me the beautiful landscape plans a few days ago and it's very exciting...I'll post on that soon!



This is the extent of my Halloween costume. I'll wear it when we carve our pumpkins tonight - and when I toast the fresh yummy pumpkins seeds!

Have a Happy Halloween!

Getting in the Spirit

I'm a little bit of a party pooper on Halloween. I think my favorite part is toasting fresh pumpkin seeds. In fact, it's probably what motivates me to carve the pumpkin!

I did put out this carved bird on the window sill, which isn't very scary, but it kind of looks like a silhouette against the light.

A Clean Slate

I've been enjoying this fantasy that we've just bought our house and everything is just as it is now...crisp, clean and ready to decorate! In this fantasy world, it is as if the era of pea green carpeting and faux wood paneling never existed...

So my fantasy goes like this...Hubby and I pull up to a lovely country house that's in our price range! Wow, huh? We're instantly in love as we can see that the house has been well-taken care of. We walk up to the front door and as I step in, I begin to glide through the each room seeing nothing I don't like.

When I make my way to the living room, my eyes light up and as I turn, Hubby takes me in his arms (suddenly I have my wedding dress on) and we begin to dance, giddy with laughter as we know that we have finally found exactly what we're looking for in our new home. We pause only for a moment, with bright beaming smiles, and say to our realtor without any doubt or hesitation, "we'll take it!"

Nothing in this fantasy had anything to do with what really happened, especially the part about the doubt and hesitation. But I'm enjoying every minute of my fantasy as I stare into this empty room, dreaming of how I'm going to decorate! It feels like such a luxury!

So let me take you through the room...



This is the perspective you get when coming from the kitchen. The french door next to the picture window will eventually take you to a balcony, which we'll build this spring. The original 'deck' was torn down when they put in the new Marvin windows. The door you see through the entryway, goes to the wraparound porch...this is our formal entry into the house.



This is looking towards the fireplace from a corner that no one will ever stand in, but I thought I'd give every perspective. Entry is where the hall tree stands.

If I pan left a bit more, you'll see the coat closet to the left and to the left of that, the hallway where the den, guest bedroom and downstairs bathroom are located.

So this is what I've come up with so far...



...the main layout. The couch will face the fireplace and the two chairs will flank each side of the fireplace. I love the coziness that this layout will offer and I know that there will be many hours spent snuggled in front of the fire.

Here's the new couch we've ordered...accompanied by two of the above chair! We went with a couch with more modern lines to contrast a little with the more traditional lines of the coffee table. The coffee table (you can see here) is an antique pedestal with rounded feet and oval top, which will compliment the round lines in the chair.

Here are the fabrics we chose...the sofa fabric is a beautiful velvet (so luxurious) and the chair fabric, which goes really well with the tarragon velvet, is linen-esque (the photo doesn't really show the chair fabric very well). And due to the furniture store's amazing sale - I made sure that I picked out the highest grade of fabric - of course I did!

I've also been considering a tall narrow table to put behind the couch. I'd put two table lamps on each end to illuminate the room. I was thinking of something a little modern, made of mostly glass so that it doesn't feel too heavy. I think this would be the best option as end tables wouldn't work well with the tuxedo-style (high arms) couch.

Also, we'll order a 9x12 natural fiber rug, perhaps this one from Pottery Barn, to go in front of fireplace. All the furniture fits on the 9x12 size. I'll accent the rest of the room with antique rugs I already have.



I'll put an antique rug in front of the french door. This door will eventually lead to a balcony. There's about a seven foot drop outside the door right now. The balcony will have wide center stairs going down into the yard. It will be big enough to put a couple of rocking chairs or a small table and chairs for an extra place to eat or drink.

Our existing dining cabinet, that I'll be stealing from our dining room (photo below), will be relocated to the above wall. Instead of holding dining odds and ends, it will be transformed into a secretary that will be a place for beloved books, unframed art, special momentos, etc. I'll be stealing this cabinet from the dining room because we've decided to add two more windows on the wall where the cabinet is now. But I'll go into the dining room plans later.



Here's the cabinet we'll be stealing for the living room. Hopefully, someday I'll find a narrower dining cabinet to replace it.

On that small wall to the right of the kitchen entry, I've been considering a temporary bookshelf. Lauren at Pure Style Home inspired me when she put one in her house, on a similar sized wall, and it looks fabulous - like everything else she does. And I say 'temporary' because as you can see in the next photo, I have plans for Hubby (wink, wink Hubby), to build a built-in bookcase (love the look of those - I have a gazillion inspiration photos of them) on that huge wall.

We're waiting to begin this project until after we get rid of that floor furnace. It's the one 'functional' thing in the house we have yet to figure out. But whatever we decide to do, that floor furnace grate will eventually go...and hello bookcase. ; )

So odds and ends still left to find are: some sconces for above the mantle (any suggestions?), a 9x12 natural fiber rug, perhaps a white bookcase, a tall modern table and...

Any other inspiring ideas? I would love your feedback! Just love it!

*Also, I've made another friend over at High Street Market. ..... Kelly has the most amazing Etsy shop with so many beautiful treasures. I was eyeing the pair of marble table lamps, an antique oval mirror and a lovely pewter pitcher...and it's all so reasonably priced! How fun is that!

October Poem

View from our upstairs window.

October gave a party;
The leaves by hundreds came
The Chestnuts, Oaks, and Maples,
And leaves of every name.
The Sunshine spread a carpet,
And everything was grand.
Miss Weather led the dancing,
Professor Wind the band.

George Cooper

Have a wonderful fall weekend! And I've made another fabulous friend - go see Jennifer at The Newlywed Diaries!

A Fall Walk

First, the lovely Camilla from Camilla at Home has posted on A Country Farmhouse! Isn't that so kind of her! She has a beautiful blog that I love visiting and I know you will too!

The above photo was taken up the road from our house. You can see that big open field from our bathroom window, which I always pause to look out from in case there are any elk or deer passing through.

It's a favorite field of ours as it's down a long dirt road where only horses and a few neighbors like us, travel on. The mountain you see in the background is Mt. Adams, the same mountain we see from our house.

This photo was taken last fall. We went up to the field this past weekend but unfortunately, I didn't have my camera with me. We were happy to see that the bees were back, now that their work in the orchards is done. They were buzzing wildly...it's sort of exciting and terrifying all at the same time! But unlike the wasp, the honey bees are more interested in their honey than in you.

And just so you know, those wires around the bee boxes - are live! I know this because I got too close and got zapped!

Fall is such a beautiful time of the year, I only wish it didn't pass by so quickly.

Little Lamb Bouquet

I didn't have the heart to clip the Little Lamb Hydrangea blossoms this summer but now that they're starting to dry out, I decided to make a fall bouquet.

The Den Revisited

Styling this space had its challenges. First, it's a small room and second, we were on a tight budget.

Let's start with a trip down memory lane...this is what we started with during the first round of the remodel three years ago. Oh look, more paneling!



This is after we tore down the paneling so we could paint - um, I mean, so we could figure out how to get the Jackson Pollock glue marks off the walls, before we could even dream of painting!



This is what became of this room after we dealt with the glue stains and painted the walls. This photo pretty much sums up our first year living in the house.

During our remodel, upgrades to the room included new Marvin replacement windows, new base and quarter round mouldings, and new paint (this was all done three years ago). The primary role for this room had been storage, so we've spent little time in here until now.



And here's our new den!



For the most part, we've furnished the den using items we already had. The armoire, an Ethan Allen piece I purchased at a consignment store several years ago, holds our old TV. And due to the small square footage of the room, subtitles are easy to read!



The writing desk is an old family piece, the wicker chair I stole from another room and the couch...that's right, the couch I swore to oblivion, is the couch that use to be in the living room. If anyone knows of a way to dye a couch slipcover, I would love to hear about it!



The salon wall was more difficult than I had expected! This was due to the plaster walls, which required each nail to be pre-drilled. This made it much more difficult to play around with the layout. All the art I used on this wall were pieces I already had or have recently re-framed.

Our budget for this 'new' room was minimal. In fact, I believe Hubby's budget advice was - don't spend any money! With that in mind, the only new items include...6x9 (a hard size to find) jute rug from The Company Store, an armchair from IKEA and a few throws and pillows from Home Goods.

There's still some finishing touches to add...like a ceiling light! I was thinking of a mini chandelier but have also looked at some modern style fixtures. Also, we need to add some sort of coffee table to put cups of tea and other beverages on. I'm thinking it too will have some modern lines.

Our Fireplace

From a distance, you may not notice the stains on the brick fireplace. These stains come from the glue that the previous owners used to adhere the faux wood paneling.

Here is our fireplace in its former glory. The incinerator-like wood stove compliments the dark gloomy look and took two grown men (chimney guys), several hours, and several swear words to remove.

Here's Hubby prying off the first bit of the faux paneling. This is literally the first day (maybe even the first hour), after taking ownership of the house.



This is after all of the paneling was removed. We knew that there had been an old leak so that wasn't a surprise, but what we didn't expect was their generous use of glue (glue ended up being a four letter word during the remodel as the former owners used it everywhere).

This is how things look now. We've covered up the bookcases with drywall, added crown and base mouldings and had a cabinetmaker design and install the mantle.



Here's a closer look at the glue stains. We've tried everything to remove them - nothing has erased them completely. Initially, we had intended to paint over it but then kind of liked the brick (from a distance) with the white mantle so ended up leaving it...until now.

With the new furniture on its way, and with an empty room just screaming for a painting project, we're thinking that it might be time to paint it. All along, we thought we'd paint it white, but there have been other suggestions such as black or gray. What do you think?

I'm looking through some old magazines to try and see what different colors would look like. The good thing is that no matter what color we end up painting it, we can always change it later on....

New Bedroom Rug

This is our new bedroom rug. I found this sisal-looking, but 100% jute, rug at The Company Store. Thanks to a great coupon (SAVENOW), I saved enough money that made shipping and handling free. The rug is a 9x12, so the savings was significant.

I also just moved this antique chair up from the den. Hubby doesn't like this chair because I tell him not to sit in it. Why he asks, do we have a chair you cannot sit in? Well, it's pretty for one, fragile for two, and it's been in my family for four generations. So here it is, next to my nightstand.

The vase of roses are from my 'last clippings' post. The first night I put them by my bedside, I was literally delirious with their intoxicating fragrance. I can't stop breathing in their delicate beauty as I know it will be awhile before I smell that heavenly fragrance again.

Crystal Chandelier

This is our new crystal chandelier. I found it at one of my favorite antique stores and I was happy to see it as it was nearly identical to the chandelier I tore out of a magazine several years ago.

This is the inspiration photo, and I'm afraid I don't remember which magazine it came from. I just love the glamour of the chandelier set against the backdrop of the rustic cabinet. This room feels so light and fresh to me.

It's truly amazing how inspiring room photographs are. During our remodel, I kept a three-ring binder organized by room with photos such as the above to help guide me (and our contractors) towards our aesthetic intentions (often not easily expressed through words).

I still tear out inspiration photos for my three-ring binder! I just can't help myself. Someday I'll do a post comparing all our rooms with the inspiration photos that I went by! Fun, yes?

New Couch and Chairs!

After a long and exhaustive search that included the criteria of fabulous, affordable and well-made, we have finally found a couch for the living room.

The furniture store was having a special sale where all fabrics, no matter what grade you chose, were priced at the lowest grade fabric price! You can imagine how exciting it was to look at fabrics with no regard for cost. This freedom led us to a beautiful neutral velvet called 'Tarragon' and it's very luxurious.

We also found a beautiful chair, which was on sale and included the same special savings on the fabric. So we ordered two of these chairs to flank either side of the fireplace. For these, we chose a linen-esque fabric that is several shades lighter than the velvet.



Due to these purchases, we've started to spruce up the living room before the new furniture arrives (which will be six to eight weeks). The biggest change is that we've decided to relocate the old Karastan rug to the guest house. The following picture shows the room with the Karastan just before we rolled it up.



Below is the room after we rolled it up. It was absolutely amazing to see how much brighter the room became. This room already gets a lot of light due to all the windows but the room truly glows without the heaviness of the dark rug.



The room is pretty empty right now because we stole the couch that was in here for the den (photos soon to follow!). Then after I rolled up the Karastan this past weekend, I thought we'd start with a clean slate and continued to remove all tables, artwork and lamps.

The new couch will face the fireplace. The two new chairs will flank each side of the fireplace. We'll add a new natural fiber rug for floor. The antique mirror (a Great-Great Grandparents piece), will remain but I would like to think of something new and fresh for the mantle.

I'm going to go through some of my magazines to look for some ideas! Any suggestions?

The Last of the Roses

I clipped the last of the roses this evening. The nights are getting really cool. I hadn't realized how cool until I drove down to the flower farm this afternoon. On my drive down, I was thinking of what varieties and colors I'd choose this time, where I'd put the biggest bouquet...how much cash I had on me, etc.. But when I got to the farm, I was greeted with a field of completely brown, frost bitten Dahlias. Not one flower left. Big sigh.

I've been really busy this past week! I've felt like one of the gray squirrels I've seen frantically running around here lately. I don't know if it's an instinct to want to fluff the nest before the long winter, or if the cooler weather has given me a burst of energy, but either way, I've been fluffing like crazy!

The biggest whole room redo lately, has been our den. This room is being used for the first time since we bought the house. It has served many purposes throughout the remodel...but mostly, it's been primarily for storage. Boring. Now that we've designated it to be our den (where the TV is), it's like we've added a whole new room to the house. Now we're in there all the time!

I'm nearly done with this new room of ours and will post the 'before' and 'after' pictures soon. The light fixture I asked Hubby to install over the weekend, ended up not working out. So I'm looking for another one, something under $100, and something that offers a bit of sparkle. Any suggestions?

We've also put down a 9 x 12 jute rug in the bedroom. It's a much better fit than the 8x10 wool rug that was in there before. So I'll post on that too!

Also, we've replaced our cheap chandelier (finally) with an antique crystal chandelier that I absolutely love. It's almost identical to the one in a picture I tore out as my ideal dining room several years ago. I'll scan the picture and show you. I'm so excited about this new beautiful addition to our home and I can't believe the transformation. I danced around the room when I saw the first rainbow on the wall. Photos to follow! (Not of me dancing around the room mind you ; )

And, if you can believe it, I've also been working on securing a purchase of a new living room couch and two chairs. This search has been a long one. But we've picked out the couch and the chairs and are now making the last final decisions on the fabric.

This room is finally going to be furnished the way it should be. So far, it's been filled with quirky hand-me-downs and mis-matched styles and colors...I can't wait for it to all come together. Again, it's going to feel like a brand new room!

I was telling Hubby that this new stage we're in of remodeling our remodel is so much fun! Most of the work we've done over the past several years has been foundation work - electrical, plumbing, drywall, molding...it's not nearly as much fun as buying furniture and throw pillows! I will tell you however, that I'm much more enthusiastic about this new stage than Hubby...much more.

So lots to post about! Can't wait to hear what you think. ; )

Chanterelles Are Out!

Chanterelles are out! We had a nice rain over the weekend, prompting Hubby to set off into the woods in search of the beautiful Chanterelle mushroom.

In just two hours of combing the wet fall forest, he collected nearly five pounds of fresh delectable fungi.

The following book is the field guide that Hubby has been using for years. It's a wonderful book with lots of pictures and thorough descriptions that make mushrooming all the more safe and alluring.



The Chanterelles are gorgeous and smell like fresh apricots! Our favorite recipe for the Chanterelles is homemade pizza, which we had for dinner last night (recipe here). Tonight, we'll saute up the rest and add it to red quinoa with sauteed shallots and kale.

Delicious.

A Love Affair with Frames

I love antique picture frames. I love their intricate detail and their nicely aged patina. I love that each frame has its own unique character and I love that feeling when you can bring life back to a piece that has been so sadly forgotten.

I bought all of these frames on an antique field trip I took this past summer. The above gold antique frame is one of my favorites. It's in wonderful condition and I plan on having it cut down an inch or so to fit a beautiful landscape oil painting I have. I paid $60 for it.



This gold frame is in fairly rough shape but at $20, it was a steal. I have a 7 x 7 rose oil painting that will go beautifully with the floral detail in the frame. Cutting it down will remove the bad spots you can see on the left. It will also get a good cleaning.



I love the feel of these old rustic frames. It's sometimes hard to find these frames with all of their leaves in tact but when you do, they compliment nature prints beautifully. They can be surprisingly expensive so it's worth being patient. I paid $28 for this one.

I plan on doing a photo wall of friends and family using all antique frames. Due to the size of most photographs, this project requires smaller sized frames, which I've been collecting now for awhile. I like the beautiful oval mat in this frame and think a portrait photograph will go perfectly. This was $15.



I just love this little hand carved round wood frame. It's very old and in very good shape. It's a 3 x 3 so it too will also go on the family photo wall. This sweet little frame was just $12.

Having antique frames cut down requires a special skill. I happened to find a professional restorationist who will cut down a frame for $100. This is a very fair price because even with the cost of what I pay for the frame, it's still much less expensive than having something custom framed, and most importantly, the frame is one of a kind.



The above is an example of recycling beautiful antique frames. I found these identical Victorian frames in pristine condition. I was thrilled when an artist friend of mine (whose work I passionately collect), offered some pieces of hers that would fit the unique dimensions of the frames. I think the gold hues go brilliantly with the blues and greens of the sky and pasture.

Beautiful Pink

My maternal Grandmother died of breast cancer when I was a little girl. I was too young to understand what was happening to her but not too young to understand that she was suffering terribly.

My Grandparents had just divorced when she was diagnosed. Because of this, she was without medical insurance and postponed seeing her doctor because she didn't have the money. This haunts my Mother, as she truly believes that her Mom may be alive today if she would have received the medical care she needed.

Here is a link to help women who could not otherwise afford a mammogram, the most successful tool in finding the early stages of breast cancer.

http://www.thebreastcancersite.com/clickToGive/home.faces?siteId=2

(link found through For the Love of a House post).

Hammock at Dusk

Now that fall is officially here, the days are getting shorter. Due to this seasonal transition, I bought a lantern and a shepherds hook to illuminate the hammock at night.

The lantern not only gives you a soft light while snuggling in the hammock, but it also illuminates the path back to the house, which gets very dark once the sun goes down.

The beautiful Pinecone Hill floral throw pillow (something I had been pining after for months) came from Farmhouse Wares. Isn't it charming? I love it.

Fall Kitchen

Now that Fall is officially here, I've switched out my teal transfer ware for the brown.



I love doing this each season as it makes the kitchen feel so new and fresh. I think that's what I love most about having the open shelves, they can really create a whole new look for the kitchen depending on what you put on them.



This Fall, I decided to hang a small painting under the shelves. It's a lovely little oil painting of the mountain we see from our property (Mt. Adams), with wonderful Fall colors in the trees.

The basket of nectarines on the counter are the last of the 20-pound case I got at the Organic Growers Association down the road. They're so juicy and sweet. I think I'll be going back to get a case of plums next!

Oh, and can you see that I've switched out our antique oriental for an oval braided jute rug? I stole it from the guest house as I think it will get much more use here in the kitchen.



I went to the flower farm yesterday and clipped some more Dahlias. The Dahlias are beginning to fade though as it took some effort to find blooms that hadn't already expired.

Happy Fall!