Halloween at Our Cottage.

My Halloween decor this year was pretty simply outside. I threw some lights into the garden, put out the big blow up thing and decorated around the door with our pumpkins from our trip to the patch and spiders and garland we already had. My favorite is the sign that says "An old witch lives here with her little monsters"

Yay for an upstairs bath...

We have had the upstairs bath torn up from the time we moved in. It had yucky carpet...when we pulled that up it reveiled the orginal formica floor. Pink, tan,brown specks with gold glitter. Very 50's Vegas..but not what I wanted to go for. This powder rooms is very small with a sloped celing. Mike pulled up the floor, I removed wallpaper and painted it a grayish blue. I also hung blinds to allow light to flow through..but hide the fiberglass skylight. We went flooring and sink shopping at HomeDepot. We picked simple stick down tiles and the sink is Marth Stewert Brand. The color is actually a creamy gray. I like the details on the side. That it's very tall is a plus for us. We didn't buy the matching mirror and opted for a simple medicine cabinet. We also bought the coordinating Martha Stewart faucet and wall hardware. We still have to trim out the floor and replace the door..but it's so nice not to have to stumble down the stairs to the full bath in the middle of the night.

In case your wondering what the bath towels are doing in a powder room. We found that we would wear the towel up from our shower...but then have a wet towel we would forget to take back down. Now we have a place to hang them up upstairs too.

The before and after:

A bit of curb appeal.. for now

Next spring we have plans to paint the outside of the house. But for now I added just a bit of color to the faded yellow by painting the plastic shutters, door and numbers. All in a rich blue color. Though already i'm wondering if another color would look better. But at least it's better than the blotchy red door and bland shutter you couln't even see.
The flower beds came to life with stuff I planted..and suprise flowers that were in the garden asleep, to be awakened with some plant food and water.
I installed flower boxes under the windows to help with the cottage look. I have a hundred things I still would like to do. Including a full box veggie garden in the side yard..and a couple maples in front.


Our first view of the house.


The blotchy red door, old mailbox, new door mat.


After planting a few roses and watering the suprise lilies.


A bit of paint and the garden in bloom.


Paint, vinyl decor, new mailbox, matching pot and a summer wreath.

It's looking much nicer, I have gotten a lot of compliments from the neighbors...just wait until they see it after next year!

Progress on the livingroom.

I figured it may be time to post some photos of how the house is evolving. It will never be "finished" for me though...I'm always changing and tweaking, don't forget the seasons change...there for so must my decor.. LOL

So lets start off with the MLS photos for a start reference.



So pretty right... LOL

Now here is a look at the room after the floors have been done with a natural finish. I have a coat of primer on the fireplace and my new jute rug and some lovely extra boxes...don't ya love moving.



Here is where we are now.. I used the same paint as our bedroom on the fireplace..not quite gray and not quite brown. It's a color that reminds me of stone or driftwood.. a cross between the two. Our Rowe Nantucket sofa and chair fit in the space well. The entertainment center came from Craigslist..it didn't have the center part, as it was intended for the old projection flat-screen. I found a entertainment cabinet off Craigslist and painted it with chalk-paint to match. I have so much storage now..that I have empty cupboards in there.



I made a small sitting area behind the sofa.. an old thrift store dresser and one of the infamous sea grass chairs. So far I'm using simple Target curtains in white. I may go bolder later..but I like the clean and simple feel of white for warm weather.





Here is a closer view of the fireplace.



For a little evening ambiance... I have a candle holder in the fireplace as we havn't gotten the fireplace inspected yet and we choose not to take a chance (not to mention it's still in the 80's here during the day)



Enjoy!

Trip to Germany

So I have been ignoring my blogger for awhile.. It's been a crazy few months. In August we went on a family trip...to GERMANY! We were there for three weeks. It was an adventure to take two kids under 5 on a major trip like this, but they had a good time and seemed to enjoy exploring and experencing riding on an airplane and the train in Germany. We saw so many pretty little cottages, awe inspiring palaces and castles. The gardens all in full bloom. I took so many photos I could do a full tour. But that would take days of blogs, so I will give you guys just a taste..Here are some images from the trip..the last two are taken in Salzburg Austria.. ENJOY!

Boys Room Semi-Reveal

The boys room has come along way. It still has work to be done on it.. wall trim replaced, closet doors installed and thermal fabric added to the tie blinds to help keep the room comfortable.

Here is what we started with.. 

 Side view of the room. Sliding access to eve storage and closet door.

Here is where we are today.

This is a view of the left bunk. There is a little storage area behind the curtains for large toys and totes. 

 This is the bunk on the right. They are pretty much the same.. except the boys picked out their sheets and one is blue..the other has red.

I'm struggling with the curtain rod. It needs a center support..but I can't really get any higher due to the ceiling. The tie blind I made.. the blue ribbon doesn't quite match...however it was picked out at the insistence of my 4 year old decorator. I had planned on white. I'm planing to attach thermal fabric to help with heat in this room.

 The bedding is all thrifted/craigslist. The quilt and pillow covers are Pottery Parn. Attached to the wall is a book pocket for stashing books, little toys and their water bottle.

 Full on view as you walk in. The cubbies are from Target and while not my first choice they were easy to carry up the stairs. We didn't really need dressers due to all the closet space this room has. For older boys a pair of cute vintage desks will replace these.

 The paint color was a an "oops" can from Walmart. A bit brighter than I had envisioned. The boys love it...but I may cut the half can I have left with some white and bring it down a shade or two.


Thanks for visiting! :)


Linking Up To

MLS Farmhouse Tour: Camano Island

This house is probably my perfect farmhouse. A touch coastal shingle style..and a touch craftsman. The inside is warm and inviting with a cozy fireplace room and open family style kitchen. The yard has everything I would want: pond, veggie gardens and lawn...but also some wild wooded spots. I have a soft spot for San Juan Island mini farms..Listed HERE