Step by step, inch by inch...

S-l-o-w-l-y we transform the larger spare bedroom into my new studio/office.

We're not quite ready to make the room mine yet, but we're inching along! Just a few months ago the corner of this room in the above photo looked like....

... THIS!

Yes, that's Baby up on the shelf peering at me. This is Amanda's old room. After graduating from college she did move home for one year, but then moved back to the city and has put down roots there. And although she moved out, many of her belongings did not! So before starting the room makeover, we started boxing up things she wanted to keep.

The first step in the remodel was to remove all the shelving. (Sorry, Baby!)

Next the outdated 1980's wallpaper and border had to come down.

 As you can see, this room has not been 'remodeled' since Amanda was a toddler!

I have to admit, this was the hardest part for me. I am way too sentimental for my own good. And as much as I was/am SO looking forward to this room being fresh and 'modernized,' it really bothered me to see the wallpaper and border come down. Amanda always loved it, too, and never wanted it changed or removed, even as she got older.

After the wallpaper removal, it was time for the old, worn wall-to-wall carpet to come out. Now that I had NO problem getting rid of!

After the plywood floors had been cleaned, the walls, woodwork, and closet doors were painted white. From this angle you can see that it's not a huge room by any means, but at 11 x 11, it's still bigger than Court's old room that I'm currently using as my studio office. It's just under 8 x 10.

All of the back-breaking work to this point was done by hubby as I've been too busy with transcribing and subbing to be of any help. I don't say thank you often enough - so a big huge THANK YOU to hubby for all he does!!! 

And then, in late October, the big day arrived!

And like magic...

... a shiny new hardwood floor...

... was installed by one/two guys who were in and out in record time...

... and we were left with all this GORGEOUSNESS!

I just wanted to stare at the floor and not put anything in the room at all!

But for the time being Amanda's old bed was put back in here...

... so that Tiger, now 20-years old, can sleep where she has always slept since she was 8 weeks old.

And now we're even talking about replacing the three bedroom windows!

There's one (drafty) window in each bedroom. Boy, do they leak cold air. So I'm not sure exactly when it will happen, but it's in the "definitely being talked about" stage!

All this getting the house in "order" made me think of one of my new prints that I just received copies of a few weeks ago. It's my take on an old house blessing.

The Beauty of the house is Order

The Blessing of the house is Contentment

The Glory of the house is Hospitality

The Crown of the house is Godliness.

I was thinking it might be nice to have a giveaway, so if you'd like a chance to win this 16x20 print (or any other 16x20 or smaller sized print from my Etsy art shop), just leave a comment by midnight on Monday, Nov. 25th, and I'll announce a winner on Tuesday the 26th.

I'm joining Cindy at My Romantic Home for Show & Tell Friday this week.

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!

Donna

A project a day...

 For the New Year, I've been trying to work on a project a day.

 

It can be something as small as cleaning or organizing one drawer, one shelf, or a file folder up to tweaking and reorganizing an entire room (if the mood strikes).

Last week I shared my dining room hutch makeover.

(The dining room hutch actually sits to the left of the fireplace in the living room 

because there's no room for it in our tiny little dining area).

 

Of course that makes our already small living room really tiny,
with the sofa sitting right in front of the fireplace.

Speaking of the fireplace, I did a bit of tweaking on the mantel, trying out some new arrangements.

A piece I painted several years ago is flanked by hands, books, and busts.

This lady head planter and the vintage hat are a favorite, purchased for a song on the same day, but at different thrift stores in Cambridge. I think they were meant to find each other.

 

The fireplace and living room look so different today than they did in the 90's...

Back then, the fireplace was still brick. When we started switching over from a darker primitive decor to a lighter cottage style, hubby really did not want the bricks painted white (my first choice - I love that look!).  So we compromised and he built a fireplace surround/cover to go over the bricks. I think that one change has had the biggest impact in our living room makeover.

(There's a link on my sidebar showing how hubby built the fireplace cover.)

My church birdhouse is the only 'fireplace decor' that remains next to the hearth from my primitive days. Back in the 90's, an old friend and I were at a craft fair in Sturbridge, MA when we came across a young couple from upstate New York selling these awesome oversized, rustic birdhouses. It's a purchase I've never regretted! I couldn't bear to put it outside and chance it getting ruined, so it has always remained indoors. This angel has also been around for a long time. He was purchased years ago at an "after Christmas sale," and even though he was being sold as a Christmas decoration, I keep him out year-round.

The old weathered cutting board and wreath that used to hang over the mantel in our primitive days now sit above the sliders in the family room.

And although our living room is tiny, there's always room for cottage kitties! There are white ones...

 

... black ones...

... and one very special White and Black one! There's also a very special gray striped Tiger one, but she never ventures into the living room, preferring to spend most of her time in on the bed in Amanda's old room.

(As you can see, the snow we got Wednesday is just about gone... Yeah!!!!)

So now that the living room has been tweaked and organized, it's time to find another project.

A small one. Maybe I'll try a healthy new recipe for today's project:)

 

(Happy thought for today:
It's becoming more and more noticeable that the days are getting longer :)

This week I'm joining Claudia at Mockingbirdhill Cottage for Favorite Thing Saturday,
 Brenda at Cozy Little House for Tweak It Tuesday
and Cindy at My Romantic Home for Show & Tell Friday.

 

Have a wonderful week, everyone!

Donna

The Jelly Cupboard Still Life...

... isn't quite so still all the time.

 

Almost any surface in our house would be more comfortable than the top of the little jelly cupboard that sits in the corner of our dining area, but it is one of Baby's favorite spots.

This was how the little pine cupboard looked back in the early 90's.
At that point, the little mirrored cabinet I bought as a finishing touch was resting upside down on top while the cupboard beneath waited for its makeover.

It's amazing how a few appliques, a glass knob, and some white paint can transform a piece.

 Baby precariously perches on the outermost corner, always taking care not to disturb the aqua Franciscan platter and my thrift store St. Therese and St. Jude planters.

 From this spot, she can easily keep an eye on the screen feeder
attached to the dining room window.

She's also able to watch over the kitchen, dining area, living room, and entryway of our little split level, as well as the family room behind if she looks over her shoulder.

 And as we all know...

...those beautiful eyes don't want to miss a trick.

I think she just spotted a bird out on the screen feeder.

So while Baby watched over her world from the corner of the dining area...

...I headed to my office to play with PicMonkey! 

Oh-my-gosh, I am just loving how my photos look after a bit of tweaking!

I'm linking to Show & Tell Friday at My Romantic Home. Enjoy!

Have a great weekend, everyone. It may hit 80 degrees here in New England this weekend!

Such crazy weather!

Donna

Live Today... A Cottage Sampler

I can't remember the last time I cross-stitched, but it was long ago... And I don't know why I haven't done it in recent years because I find it so relaxing...

(click any photos to enlarge)

I cross-stitched this little sampler in 1993, back when the house was decorated in a primitive style. I took it down during my cottage/shabby transition because I wasn't sure if it "fit" in with the pastels and florals that I'd fallen in love with...


But with each passing day, each passing week, each passing month and year, I learn more about myself. I've learned that I needn't be so rigid in my thinking about whether something fits... about whether something is the right color... about whether something is "cottagey"...


...because, as it turns out, if it's something I love, or if it holds special meaning, or is handmade with love, or brings back warm memories, it's always going to be the right "style" for the home we live in and love...


... and this little sampler, with its profound motto, is proof of that...
So I dug it out and hung it on the side of the recycling hutch in our kitchen... I think it "fits" in perfectly!

Wishing you all a wonderful week!

COMMENT UPDATE 1: Marnie, that is a Morgan Jones full size chenille spread on my small wing chair (and it just fits side to side)... Front to back isn't usually a problem, but to have good side to side coverage over the arms I really prefer a queen for this small wing chair, and I've even used a king size spread on my larger family rooom wing chair (of course that means LOTS of the material is tucked!)

COMMENT UPDATE 2: Jan, I'm afraid I don't remember who designed this cross stitch patter, but it's very similar to many of Nan Caldera's samplers... I just tried to find mine on-line but couldn't come up with anything. However, I did come across this site which has a wide variety of samplers to cross-stitch (I'm eyeing several of them!): http://www.theneedlesart.com/category_results.cfm?Category=62

This Jane Austen sampler especially caught my eye! I might give some serious thought to ordering it! (just click the photo below to go directly to that sampler on The Needle's Art site):

Comment Update 3: I just found my samplers on that same site, if anyone is interested. Just click on the photo below to go directly to the source for this sampler:


Happy Stitching!

Donna