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!
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)
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!
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.
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
Our boys share an upstairs room. The room has eves on both sides and not a bad size...however the shape of the room makes bunks really awkward and two twins would have taken up most of the floor space. Our solution was to make built in beds on either side of the room built into the eves. Here is some of our inspiration.
My grandfather actually had a bed sort of like this made by my Great Grandfather in their Craftsman bungalow, a bed that I slept in once as a kid. It's a cozy space much like a boat bunk (I know this from experience with those too)
First we had a contractor on the job... that turned out to be an expensive mistake..they messed up some measurements and wouldn't work around our floor re-finisher's time constraints. They quit and overcharged us for their labor.. we had to contest the hours put in. My husband took over the project and finished the building before heading overseas again. My job was to fill holes and paint. Happy to say that I finished..and after I get the room all painted, curtains up etc. I should have a whole room revel here too.
I have been busy working on the kitchen for the past two weeks, It's hard to work on with the kids up and about because of them trying to walk on all my cabinet doors. Basically all my floor space around the house looks like this.
I have also been playing with bead board wallpaper. I bought it at Lowe's and it's a lot of fun. It goes up easy and cuts pretty good...much simpler than bead board panels. If you go to buy some check the roll. They sell two different types, one is cheaper and the groves in it are not deep at all. It doesn't look very realistic. The brand I bought is Allen and Roth. I'm sticking it to the ends of the cabinets and around the base of the breakfast bar area. It also saves me from having to use as much paint there.
I had to use two coats of primer and probably two coats of Painter Touch paint to get the rest of the wood covered. I am painting the paper with the gloss white to add durability and match it to the rest of the kitchen.
I have a lot of work left. I couldn't get all the bin-pulls at Lowes..they only had one. So I may have pick more of those up when I'm back at the lake. I also got a quote on new counter tops while I was without kids today. Hopefully soon we can order them.
