39th Street Cottage

2012-03-06T09:44:00.000-08:00

Spring is close right? We woke up to snow this morning, ugh! But we are expecting to get to 50 degrees today so it should melt pretty fast.

I am working on the Craigslist buffet I picked up to go into my entry way. Welcome to my seldom used front door.

As you can see the sofa table I have in the location for the buffet is way too small!

I had considered while cleaning the buffet up of trying to use it as it was like I did the cabinet.

Unfortunately, it is in pretty rough shape. I cannot wait to get it done and in the space. It has so much room for storing bits and pieces!

I had planned to paint it a soft green color, but I don't think it will work with the wall color. I am not quite ready to deal with the walls yet. I have a quart of ASCP Old White that I will use instead.

The laminate top was pretty warped so the hubby convinced me to scrap it off to bare wood.

The little detailing at the bottom has come off, but I am hoping that once painted up it won't be as noticeable.

I found cup hooks under both sides of the large cupboards. I am going to use this piece as a bar so I left them for now.

The laminate is peeling on one side and not the other, I haven't decided if I will peel both sides off or not. What would you do?

Here we go!
Have a great day!

2012-03-06T09:27:00.000-08:00

While at Lowes a few days ago I picked up a couple glass tiles, I loved the colors of them and thought I could incorporate one or both into my ideas for the guest bath.

As I walked around Lowes, for 2 hours, I ended up finding some tile I liked even better. I decided to bring the samples home with me anyway and turn them into coasters for my bedroom. I needed a pretty coaster anyway. I just added some felt circles I already had on hand to the bottom.

I love them!

I also picked up a few paint samples... I am getting ready to paint the garden guest bedroom. I really love the Morning Chill color, the hubby, not so much. The Neon Mint color makes the room look like a mint sherbet room. So guess I will be going back for another sample. In the mean time I will show you my St. Patrick's Day/Easter mantel.

Stay warm today! We woke up to snow, so I am staying home and heading out to the craft room to prepare for another craft class with my friends!

2012-03-03T09:04:00.001-08:00

My walk on the beach was just what I needed =)

I had fun picking up some drift wood and rocks for a couple projects.

I am as finished as I am going to get on the laundry room project. The closet is cleaned out and organized.

The sideboard is "styled".

And completely FULL of tablecloths, placemats, dish towels and dish cloths.

I am on the lookout for a few things to hang above the sideboard, but that will come as I find them.

The cupboard on the right is completely EMPTY! GASP! Not for long, I am in the process of slowly reorganizing and cleaning out the kitchen for the BIG renovation.

Before renovating the kitchen we are doing the guest bathroom, at that time I will have them also put a new countertop, sink and faucet in here. While it looks good in the pic, in real life its a hot mess I tell ya! The counter top is peel and stick squares I put down when we first moved in. The sink is horribly stained with paint from the previous owner.

I am in LOVE with the floor! I cannot even believe I did it myself! Even the hubby was pretty impressed with how it came out. He would never had agreed to do it, which is why I didn't tell him. Sometimes it's better that way ;)

I have to do a little Mimi bragging! Liam age 7 1/2 months. I will be visiting him in a few weeks and can't wait!

Have an amazing funfilled day!

2012-03-01T09:02:00.000-08:00

I promised my hubby I would not start another project until I finished ~~all~~ a few of my other projects! Ha! I am trying, really I am!
So here we go, the Craigslist cabinet is done! Decided not to paint this piece, it was just too pretty the way it was. Just needed to be cleaned up. LOVE!

Added a few pretties around the sides, a few pieces of the laminate on the bottom is missing, but I hardly think it is noticeable.

Well, maybe a little? Maybe I will try staining them. But I am still calling it Done!

I had to style it all up! I still have some tweeking to do, but it's looking pretty good.

I had taken the pictures above to write a blog post, but didn't get it published before I went to one of my favorite stores and picked up a few goodies... the burlap sack (it is lined with a plastic material so it is perfect for holding this plant)

also the nest picture, mounted on burlap.

Still on the lookout for a few more pictures, but so far I am loving it!

The master bathroom is slowly coming along, finished the mirror. I am soo much happier with it white instead of the gold.

The cabinets are done =) just waiting on faucets still, may try to spray paint the gold ones today. I have seen a couple blog posts where it was successful.

I went to the Dollar Tree and found some shamrocks to add to my wreath. (I just want to know, am I the only one who walks out of Dollar Tree spending over $50.00 each time? Ugh! How does that happen?)

I have two samples to try on my large Craigslist buffet... hoping to get that started today. Maybe I will be able to park my car in the garage by this time next week? Well, I won't hold my breathe!

I am working on a few driftwood sailboats, hoping to have them done by lunch time ;) all the "stuff" has been sitting on my kitchen island for two days!
The laundry room floor is done, the powder room is still waiting for the hubs to remove the toilet, probably Sunday. So, the plan today? Finish the sailboats, finish organizing and putting away in the laundry room, and a walk on the beach!
And maybe a trip to Lowes for some paint samples for the Garden guest bedroom. Ssh don't tell ;)

Have a creatively crafty day!

2012-02-27T18:19:00.000-08:00

My hubby usually only has Sundays off. So I ~~usually~~ try really hard not to plan anything on that day, so I can enjoy the day with him. Last Sunday however, he had to work. He had a trade show all weekend he had to participate in, which left me a whole lotta time! So Saturday I made plans with a friend to craft. Sunday I considered riding along with him and dropping him off, then hitting IKEA and seeing a friend. But as I was finishing up some laundry Saturday evening, I had another idea in mind! I broke the news to the hubby that I would not be accompanying him the 2 hour drive on Sunday I had decided to stay home.

Sunday morning I left the house shortly after the hubby did and headed to Lowes! I bought 180 square feet of vinyl plank flooring!

Came home and began applying it! Woohoo! All by myself!

Yep, it was pretty easy...

I ripped thru 4 of my 6 boxes in no time flat. Okay, it seemed like no time flat, but it was about 4 hours!

At one point I let the dog out and it was snowing! Glad I decided to stay inside!

45 minutes later, the sun was shining and hardly a cloud in the sky.

Which is good, since most of my plants think spring is here.

By the time the hubby came home, I was exhausted. My knees hurt, my fingers and wrists were sore and I was ready for a glass of wine to celebrate my almost finished new floor!

You may have noticed all the hard cuts are what I have left to do. I have asked the hubby to remove the toilet for me, it will be easier to install the vinyl! But I plan on finishing the rest of it all myself.

I also glued the sides of the antique cabinet so it can be brought into the house. Just wish I could get the master bathroom completed! Ugh... still trying to locate some faucets. I found one that would work, but it had plastic, and for $158.00 each (I need 2) I don't think the handles should be plastic.
Hope you enjoyed your weekend!

2012-02-22T13:25:00.000-08:00

While the master bathroom is in limbo, I thought I would take down all the Valentine decor and begin decorating for Spring/Easter. I am throwing in a little St. Patrick's day too! These wreaths are going around Pinterest so I had to make my own version. This side is for St. Patrick's Day ( I ned to add a shamrock or two) the other side is decorated for Spring/Easter with felt flowers.

My hubby hurt his back Monday night, which is another reason the master bath is on a little hold, so I am trying to do little things here and there. I didn't realize how much I rely on my hubby to do! This cabinet was a Craigslist find, I bought 4 pieces for $90.00. My plan was to paint it with ASCP and either use it in my home (if I can find a spot) or give it to a friend.

While cleaning the wood up from the dust, dirt and cobwebs I began noticing how beautiful the piece really is as it is.

I love all the details.

The piece is in pretty good shape, a few of the laminate pieces need to be re glued, but that's about it.

I needed to use a toothbrush and some baking soda on the legs, they had a funky smell. Hopefully the baking soda helps.

The inside shelves have 2 grooves for plates and a row of cup hooks on each.

I had planned on possibly removing the door and just leaving it as an open cupboard.

I decided to quickly see what it would look like decorated with a few dishes. *love*

With the door closed.

via Pinterest

This is what I had in mind maybe not the black and pink, instead a pale blue inside and a distressed white outside.

via Pinterest

This is what I had in mind with the doors off but with the pale blue inside. Now I am just not sure! What would you do?!

The hubby came home early from work, he's strained his back again... so guess I will fix him some lunch and get the heating pad. Have a wonderful day!

2012-02-20T08:40:00.000-08:00

Well, I was hoping to give you a BIG reveal today.... but we had a few problems. So I guess I will just show you what I did last week. I distressed my black cabinets! I LOVE them!

I don't think my hubby would have noticed for weeks! But I was so happy with them I told on myself as soon as he got home! He said it looked pretty nice, if I had asked him first he would have talked my out of it, but he admitted he actually really liked how they turned out! YAY! Glad I just did it and didn't ask *wink*.
Remember how I was sent to get a new light fixture and faucets last week? Well I learned after ALL these years of my husband saying he didn't care what the styles were in the house, he cares. He wasn't a huge fan of my first choices I brought home last week. So I waited patiently until Sunday for him to go with me to take a look at other choices. (Let me just remind everyone I was trying to do just a little cleaning, organizing and brightening so I didn't plan on spending a ton of money!) We came home from Lowes with a more expensive light fixture and faucets that we both loved! I began installing the new hardware on the cabinets while the hubby installed the new light fixture... things were finally moving along! I went out to the garage to finish another coat of spray paint on the smaller mirror, came back in to see how things were progressing for the new faucets... "Houston we have a problem". Huh?! What do you mean? We have a problem? The faucets do not fit with the thickness of the sink and granite, so we boxed up the faucets and hoped we could find something that would fit so we wouldn't have to return the light fixture and hardware. (Because I want all the same finish, Antique Nickel).
Nope no luck! Tried all the hardware stores that were open, none of them would fit. Sooo, today the hubby will contact a contractor friend about options... I am not reinstalling the gold faucets! I'll keep you posted *fingers crossed*.

While out shopping for bathroom fixtures last week, I ran into Goodwill to see what fun goodies I could find. Found these 3 tin pots for $.99.

So I made a quick stop at my favorite nursery for some succulents to put inside them.

The rock says "inspiration" it also came from the nursery.

This one is my favorite one.

Also picked up the picture $24.99, the picnic basket $5.99, the heart $4.99, the white bunny $2.99 and the wooden bunny $1.99. I am going to put some plants in the picnic basket on my table outside and am thinking of glitter painting the bunnies.

After my shopping trip I came home and organized all the drawers in the bathroom.

So much better...

I didn't take any before pictures.

Hoping I get this project done soon!
Hope you had a great weekend!

Yard work, rain, and the beginnings of a lighter and brighter master bath.

2012-02-16T18:09:00.000-08:00

Last Saturday I planned to begin cleaning the house from bottom to top. BUT, the sun came out! Which made the temperature reach about 60 degrees.

Living in the Pacific Northwest I decided I better take advantage of the sun and decided to begin cleaning up the front courtyard.

The wind and 12 inches of snow we had last month left a path of destruction.

I need to pull most of these lillies up they are taking over!

I got a pretty good start, pulling out 6 peach colored climbing rose bushes.

I felt pretty good about what I had accomplished and was really hoping to continue on Sunday.

But the rain came...

Monday too.

So Tuesday I decided to begin my cleaning and organizing project again.

I had good intentions, really I did.

As I started cleaning and scrubbing the master bath, I began daydreaming about what I could do to this room to brighten it up and make it more my style. (I have plans to renovate the guest bath and kitchen this year, so this room will have to wait). I decided I could paint all the trim white like the rest of the house. So I painted.

Then I cleaned some more. Gold mirror, brass hardware, the black cabinets need a new coat of paint...

gold faucets...

I thought I would remove the glass pendants on this light fixture, I would run to ReStore and purchase 3 slightly used clear or white ones! Such a great idea! Inexpensive too! (Yes I could paint the room too, but I really didn't want to yet).

I could spray paint this towel fixture... I have spray paint in several colors already that would be quick and easy!

Hmm, maybe spray paint the hardware too!

I removed the shades from the chandelier, they were black on the outside and gold inside that helped. Wonder if I could spray paint that too!

I couldn't get the old gold pendants off the light fixture, they were stuck. So I asked the hubby when he got home. He was pretty happy that some of the gold would be gone so he didn't complain at all! Unfortunetly, the pendants were screwed on kinda wonky, so he had to break the light. So he sent me to get a brand new light fixture today! And told me to get new faucets too! Woohoo!

I had him take the small mirror down too so I could paint it. I had wondered why the previous owners left it behind. Guess they didn't really have a choice, I would not have been happy to have to cover this whole in the mirror up where they hung the smaller mirror on top.
Wait till you see what I did today!

Hope you are having a lovely week!

Valentine Mantel 2012 #2!

2012-01-26T16:50:00.000-08:00

This is my second post for today, continue to scroll down for the first one!
I finished my Valentine mantel in the craft cottage! I kept it pretty simple. I had purchased the twig heart on a recent craft trip and wanted to dress it up a bit. I added some felt flowers with button centers. Lots of tutorials in blogland... I didn't follow one in particular, just pulled out my glue gun and cut the felt that was already out.

I made the heart garland in about 10 minutes! So easy... again quite a few tutorials out there... just grabbed my mini stapler and some strips of red and white paper. I would have liked to make these out of felt, maybe next year!

This frame had the glass break... I added some $.99 letters from Target right onto the pressed board backing, then added a glittered heart.

Considering it will be changing again in a couple weeks, I am going to call it done!

Linking to this linky party!
Tomorrow I am taking you for a walk through the yard, the birds are chirping the frogs are croaking! Spring must be close!

Valentine Mantel 2012

2012-01-26T14:29:00.000-08:00

I am participating in a Valentine Mantel link party here. Check it out for more inspiration!
I am lucky enough to have two mantels to decorate in this house, but only one of them is done! Sorry for the glare, the sun is out and not a cloud in the sky!

I put some branches in a galvanized container and hung some red and pink heart ornaments I found at JoAnn.

The little bird came from JoAnn as well. You can find the directions for my Heart artwork here, my sister sent me the love birds frame last year for my Birthday (I just used a chalk pen to write on it). I filled my apothecary jars with some conversation hearts and some shiny shred.

I created the felt ruffled heart using these instructions.

The chalkboard was a cupboard I purchased from ReStore for $3.00. I painted, distressed and applied chalk board paint.

I'm off to go try to finish the second mantel! Have a funfilled creative day!

Bliss~ One little word 2012

2012-01-19T11:05:00.000-08:00

As I mentioned in an earlier post, my one little word for 2012 is Bliss. You can see other ideas for a word here.

I have done this for several years. Complete in 2009, Balance in 2010, Content (and Give) in 2011. I have found for me it is best to have something in writing about my word to help me throughout the year. To keep me inspired by my word I created the decoration above.

You may think that Bliss is an odd word for someone to use as inspiration but the definition of bliss is as follows (according to Wikipedia): Bliss can be a state of profound satisfaction, happiness and joy, a constant state of mind, undisturbed by gain or loss.

I have found that my word usually finds me... does that happen to you? As much as I tried to fight using the word Bliss, it just kept popping into my head whenever I would think about my word of the year. Last year 2011, I was going to use the word Give, and changed it at the last minute to Content... All year long, Give is still the word that inspired me. So this year, I am going with what is in my head.

Have you tried having a word to inspire you for the year? I'd love to hear!

We are snowed in and staying warm today! Turkey breast in the crockpot, catching up on emails and blogging after a few days of sunshine in San Diego!

Thanks for stopping in today!

Valentine Artwork, thoughts this Saturday morning...

2012-01-14T09:27:00.000-08:00

I created a couple Valentine frames like the Fall one I did here.

I also posted a tutorial of how I did it here on my other blog.

We woke up to our first snow of the winter and 2012.

I am hoping it doesn't stick around for too long!

I am still working on redecorating the house since all the Christmas has been put away. What have you been up to?

A vintage shopping trip...

2012-01-09T12:06:00.000-08:00

A couple days before leaving for our Christmas holiday I had to head down to the next town for an oil change on my vehicle. Since I had to be down that way anyway I planned to make the most of the trip and do a little shopping. Don't get me wrong, we have amazing shops here close to where I live, but we are very close to Canada... so the shops get very crowded very fast! Not the case just 20 minutes down the road!
After the 40 minute wait for my car, they are so fast! Love them! I headed to one of my favorite antique stores. I picked up the vintage framed picture and finally scored a vintage floral frog! (the tags were included so cute)

This piece was in the exact same spot the little table and chair set I purchased my last trip to the same store! You can see them here. I didn't decide to purchase it right away, although the price was a steal and the color and size were perfect, the style wasn't exactly what I had in mind. I walked through the store a second time and decided I could use the piece in another area... my craft cottage! So I bought it for $60.00! Just after I told the proprietor I wanted the piece so she could clear it off, a second person inquired about it!

I couldn't resist these vintage star shaped jello molds I think I like to do some kind of crafting to them before next year and add them to my Christmas tree in the kitchen.

For now the peice is in my dining area, it's a little cluttered in there right now, but I am still trying to finish putting away the Christmas decor! I know I know, I've been working on it for almost a week. But I decided this is the year I am going to not just shove it all back in the boxes till next year. This year it is all getting put away ORGANIZED! Yay! I should finish it up today, then I can start some fun stuff!

Speaking of fun stuff, I am so torn as what to do first!

1. paint and organize garage

2. paint that fabulous antique furniture I found on Craigslist

3. get crafty in my craft cottage, I need thank you cards, some valentine goodies, I need to plan a Valentine craft class for my friends

4. get out in the yard and pull some weeds and cut some vines

5. start the kitchen reno

6. start the guest bathroom reno

7. paint the walls and ceiling of the craft cottage

8. paint an organize the 3rd garage

What would you do first? By the way the garages are both heated and so is the cottage so outside temps are not to much of a problem and the outside temps have been in the high 40's low, 50's anyway.

Well, I guess I will have to decide tomorrow!

Have a wonderfully lovely day!

My word for 2012

2012-01-06T18:47:00.000-08:00

Do you have a word yet? I have been thinking about my word for over a month now! But, before I tell you my word for this year... I didn't talk too much about my word for 2011. GIVE. Edited: Oops! Guess it was actually Content after reading last years post! I shouldn't have changed it at the last minute. Give is the word that kept speaking to me... I won't make that mistake again!)

It's one of those words you don't need to "talk" about, you just do it. The word GIVE inspired me all 2011. I gave to many organizations that are close to my heart and will continue to give my support and donations in the years ahead. I am so pleased I chose GIVE last year. In years past I have also chosen BALANCE (2010) and COMPLETE (2009). If you haven't done this before I encourage you to do it this year! You would be surprised how often that one little word can pop into your head, and encourage or inspire you for a whole year!

I usually frame my word to help me to keep inspired... that post will be coming soon. My word for 2012? BLISS
Have a wonderful evening!

2012-01-06T18:21:00.000-08:00

We are finally home! We had a wonderful journey up highway 101 along the Northern California, Oregon coast line! It was one of my Christmas gifts *smile* I have always wanted to drive up the coast, taking our time to stop to see and do whatever we wished.

We drove through a tree in Redwood National Forest.

We walked on many, many beaches!

Watched the waves!

Took in every breathtaking sight we could!

Stayed at beachfront hotels.

Ate wonderful meals at local favorite spots.

Watched the sunset.

Stopped at quite a few antique shops. Came home with just the right amount of treasures.

Stopped at two different Flight/Air Museums for the hubby. It was amazing! The best part? Getting to spend two whole weeks with my hubby!

Our last stop was Poulsbo Washington, which is an adorable town. While we were waiting for the antique stores to open I decided to check Craigslist. I am in search of a few pieces of furniture for my home, so I thought I would see what was listed! Oops!

I logged on and immediately spotted a post for Antique furniture $90.00!

The furniture looked a little rough, but I intended to paint it with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint anyway, so I decided to send an email of interest.

I let them know that I was currently out of town, but was interested in all 4 pieces. (An option was given to by a piece for $25.00 each)

We went about our day, antiquing, met a friend for lunch and took the ferry ride headed for home.

Shortly after getting home I received an email saying if I wanted to look at the furniture that night I was first in line! Woohoo! So, we barely had the car unloaded from our trip and we headed to look at the furniture. Which as you can see, I bought! The hubby and I are going to work on them together *grin*. The only piece I am not sure I can use is the table... so I am thinking of painting it and giving it to a friend.

Now if I could just focus on getting the Christmas decor put away and all the pine needles vacuumed up so we can start on them!

Have a lovely evening!

Christmas home tour~upstairs 2011

2011-12-28T08:12:00.000-08:00

Now that Christmas is over, let me finish up this little tour so we can move on to the New Year! Let's head upstairs to the office.

This area belongs to my hubby. All of his airplane memorabilia live up here, so of course his tree holds all his airplane ornaments.

I added a couple pillows and a throw to his chairs.

One last view at the living room from the balcony upstairs.

The snowman Christmas tree in the media room.

I LOVE snowmen! That's it for the Christmas decor for this year!

Before I left for the Christmas holiday I made up some extra dollar store cake stands and filled them with Christmas goodies for neighbors and the hubby's coworkers.

Fudge, spritz cookies and almond roca.

A few chocolate covered cherries...

I added a tag and delivered them all before heading to spend Christmas with family.

We had a wonderful Christmas together with our three children, our "son-in-law" and our grandson Liam. Here's to a wonderful New Year!

Christmas home tour~kitchen, powder room, guest bath 2011

2011-12-20T17:19:00.000-08:00

Welcome lets continue our tour into my kitchen decorated for Christmas.

A little peek at the gingerbread tree in the window sill above the sink.

The china hutch full of Christmas china and miscellaneous holiday pieces.

A few shots of the table.

The paper whites have just begun to bloom.

Even the chairs got a little dressed up this year.

The powder room off the dining room didn't want to be left out :)

Neither did the guest bathroom.

The white scalloped bowl contains peppermint sugar hand scrub I made, it leaves your hands so soft and clean. The room smells good to!

I even added a few touches to the bedroom. I picked up some pine springs off the ground along with some little "cedar flowers" and added them to the Epsom salt at the bottom of the candle holder.

I am not sure what the "cedar flowers" really are, but they look like a flower to me! =)

A red fleece blanket on the bed and some red place mats on the night stands complete the downstairs decor! Next post we'll head upstairs!
Have a lovely evening.

Christmas home tour~entryway and living room 2011

2011-12-18T19:53:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the FRONT door to our home! It is not decorated for Christmas, no one has ever used this door. But I thought it would be fun to have YOU enter here ;) to see the outside of my home decorated for Christmas see this post.

I wanted to keep my decorating pretty simple this year since we will not actually be here for Christmas. Since I didn't really get the chance to decorate last year due to us moving into this house, I wanted to enjoy decorating as much as possible this year.

The carolers were my grandmothers.

The Christmas village were Christmas gifts for several years from the same grandmother.

This Santa was part of my grandmas Christmas decor ever since I can remember, I think she made it years ago.

She also made most of these Snow Babies. The two that she didn't make my son and daughter made one summer that they went to visit. It is one of my favorite things to put up.

The Christmas mantel this year. I kept the same cupboard door that has been up since spring, left the same twig wreath that I put up for my fall mantel, added a subway art canvas I created last year. I fell in love with the candle sticks from Partylite, so added them to my mantel along with a fresh cedar bough, white lights and ornaments.

Most of the ornaments I scored at TJ Maxx.

We went with a real Christmas tree this year. Smells so good with the fresh pine and cedar boughs.

Closer view of the tree. The large ornaments came from Dollar Tree, the other ornaments I already had from years past.

A mix of textures on the coffee table, love!

I couldn't resist this vintage look ornament at a local gift store. Who doesn't love a little white church?!

One of the subway art frames I made this year.

Found this great red ornament shaped card holder at an antique store a few weeks ago for $15.00! Added it to a wooden box I found at goodwill for $3.00, a pine garland and a couple red poinsettias.

Another look at the banister. I love the added warmth of the faux furs on the sofa.

An evening shot of the tree. Next up a little tour of the kitchen and powder room. Thanks for stopping by, have a lovely evening.

Outside of the cottage decorated for Christmas 2011

2011-12-16T18:47:00.000-08:00

A couple weeks ago while decorating outside of the cottage, I snapped a few pictures to share. I had planned on sharing them shortly after I took the pictures but had to make an unplanned out of town trip.
So I thought I would go ahead and share them now!
Welcome to the front gate to our home. Walking through this gate last year for the first time I knew before I even entered inside the cottage that this was going to be our home. I picked up all the greens from our yard after a huge wind storm.

The outside of the Craft Cottage decorated for Christmas. The 2 trees the previous owner left in the storage attic above the craft cottage. I think that she left a total of 8 in different sizes.

I draped cedar garlands and lights all along the front of the deck.

I know I need to paint these chairs! I haven't decided on a color yet. This fall I had thought black would be perfect, bought the paint... then thought maybe red would be better or maybe turquoise since it seems to be such a popular color right now. Ack! Just can't decide. More of the greens I picked up are in the basket hanging on the side of the house and around the lantern. Cedar garland around the door. The antique skis were given to me by my father-in-law. He found them at a yard sale several years ago and thought I would enjoy decorating with them =)

The wicker rocking chair was left by the previous owner as well. The wisteria leaves are almost all gone now. This is the door everyone enters, it is closer to the sidewalk than the front door.

Thanks for visiting today. I will be welcoming you to the inside of the cottage soon!

2011 Christmas tags

2011-12-16T18:12:00.000-08:00

I had some fun a few weeks ago creating some tags for Christmas presents.

I used some Stampin Up! paper I had, some glittered thickers and punched some snowflakes from some pretty glittered paper.

I made some that were a little more masculine looking for the men.

And some that were more on the feminine side for the women.

I think I will put them on my list to make ornaments for the tree next year =) Christmas is getting closer, are you ready?

Thanksgiving table settings and Christmas crafts

2011-12-06T18:44:00.000-08:00

Before I show you a few things I have been working on for Christmas, I thought I would show my Thanksgiving place settings. I know... rewind! Sorry, I haven't posted in a few weeks.

It was just the hubby and I so it was a quiet, easy day.

It's still fun to dress the table up with little extras! I found these small black frames at Michael's in the 2 for $3.00 section. I left the paper that was already enclosed in them and just added some wood like letters I had on hand and some clearance fabric flowers with a bit of ribbon. Made up a little card for each of us to write down what we were thankful for this year. The "Blessings" stamp also came from the bin at Michael's.

Now lets talk some Christmas! Do you make gifts or buy them all? I like to do both. I usually make a gift that I do for quite a few family members. This year I am including some nieces that have moved out on their own and are probably beginning to start their "Christmas collections".
I was on Groopdealz a few weeks ago and saw this cute vinyl ($8.00) and thought it would be perfect for a few Christmas presents. Also a good class project for the Craft cottage.

It is good sized 10x13. I went to Walmart and bought 2 sizes of frames 10x13 and 11x14 (which was the size I wanted but they didn't have enough of them). I have 3 different fabrics to put behind them, the one above is my favorite gold shimmery snowflakes on a white shimmery background.

A solid green and a solid red. Originally I was going to paint the frames with some white spray paint, I did do a couple of them but haven't finished them yet. I kind of like the pop of black and gold. I have been having fun decorating each one a little differently.

I've used some punched snowflakes, some rhinestones, stickers, bits of ribbon and even some jingle bells.
I had a craft class last weekend and forgot to take pictures! We had a great time even though it was a smaller group. We did 20 Christmas cards.

I had bought some of these flat clear ornaments at Michael's when they were 50% off, so I thought I would make some melting snowman ornaments.
Are you all decorated for Christmas? Shopping done? I am as decorated as I am going to be this year! I couldn't take the bins all over the house any longer and called it done to restore order. Shopping is almost done, I am hoping to get them all packaged up and sent off by the end of the week.
Thanks for stopping in today! Have a lovely week!

Dollar store pedestals and a gift for Liam

2011-11-22T16:23:00.000-08:00

I have been having a ball creating the pedestals made from dollar store glass candle holders that are all over blogland. This one was made from a dessert plate I purchased at Walmart.

This one I used a Dollar store plate!

This one I used a square dessert plate I found at TJ Maxx. I am going to give them to my neighbors with homemade candy and cookies on them =)

I thought I would share a few of these cute snowman ornaments I made a few years ago... they are hanging from the chandelier in the craft cottage this year. The year I made these, I made a set of six for family and friends, several dozen =)

They are so cute, and so easy to make!

Sunday the hubby and I met some friends down in Mt. Vernon for lunch, since we were so close we decided to go to a couple antique stores I had been wanting to take a peek inside. I found this children's table and chair set for $35.00! Perfect for Liam, someday. For now it is in "storage" in the media room.

Speaking of Liam... he has 2 teeth already and he isn't even 5 months old yet!

Thanks for stopping by today!

November cottage crafts

2011-11-22T16:09:00.000-08:00

Last week we had another fun evening of crafts in the craft cottage.

I added some fun Christmas lights to the ceiling for added light and did a few tables instead of one big table.

We each brought appetizers to share.

I am trying to decide if it is easier to have smaller groups and several different tables or everyone at one large table.

This time we made a reindeer ornament out of corks. My friend Jessica found the idea online and had everything for us to make them!

So cute!

We also made Christmas tags in a little tin to keep or give as a gift.

We all had a great time learning new craft ideas and chatting all evening! We have another one scheduled for December 3 to do some Christmas cards and gifts. With each class we get a few new

faces. We are really enjoying planning these fun classes for our friends too!

Homemade Cranberry Sauce

2011-11-22T15:51:00.000-08:00

I have been making my own Cranberry Sauce for a few years now. I am the only one in the family who enjoys Cranberry Sauce so I usually try to find someone each year to share with.

Above is the recipe I received a few years ago from a coworker.

The past 3 years I have been substituting Agave for the sugar, most people cannot even tell =)

I just add all the ingredients to a sauce pan.

Let it cook on medium heat for about 10 minutes.

I like to mash mine a little with a potato masher.

I thought I would "package" the half I am sharing with my friend Jessica in this left over jar.

YUM! Makes the house smell soo yummy too! Cannot wait till Thursday!

Come back tomorrow and I will show you how I decorated the jar =) Oh and the left over jar? Came from the 5 1/2 dozen chocolate covered cherries I made!

This is the hubbys sample plate, he enjoys them freshly made and as they liquify.
Do you like cranberry sauce? Do you make it yourself?
Have a funfilled day!

Fall Cottage Crafts Class

2011-11-09T07:56:00.000-08:00

Last month we had a fun fall craft class in the cottage. We each brought a brunch item (the class was on a Saturday morning from 10-12). I supplied coffee, tea, cocoa and hot spiced cider.
Our crafts for the morning were Homemade Vanilla, a tissue pompom and Fall wreaths made from fabric, felt, silk sunflowers and ribbon. Each wreath turned out so different! It was a great morning with great friends!

We've scheduled our next class already and it's full! Next week we are doing Christmas gift tags and a glittered tin to keep them in or give as a gift. We will also do a Christmas ornament. We are each bringing an appetizer to share since this class will be a weeknight after work. I've got almost everything ready for the gift tags and tin, just need to finalize the ornament. These little classes have been so fun to do with my friends!

We've already planned a few more classes too! We are doing 20 Christmas Cards for one class, we are doing an ALL day Christmas present class (when the day is done we will each have 5 completed gifts to give or keep for ourselves *wink*). We will do a candy/cookie swap with recipes and have a recipe book to take home along with our goodies, and I think we are going to do a Chocolate Covered Cherry class too! This Spring we have some friends that will do some fun classes too! We will be doing hypertuffa pots and a floral decorating class.

I couldn't end my post without including Liam in his Halloween costume!

Thanks for stopping by and have a lovely fun filled day!

Christmas tags 2011 and some good deals

2011-11-06T09:00:00.000-08:00

For the past probably 10 years I have been in charge of the gift exchange for my moms side of the family. These are the tags I created for this year.

Nice and simple =)

While on a recent trip to Goodwill I spotted 3 of these cassette holders! Perfect for my craft cottage! I bought one a few years ago off Ebay.

It was quite a bit more than these were! It is full of ink pads so another one will be great to have. And the other two? Maybe gifts for some special people.

I picked these chairs up at a local favorite vintage shop for $15.00 each. Didn't love the colors, but they were in great shape.

I needed some chairs to "stage" at the other house... so these were perfect.

Some gorgeous chocolate brown spray paint, LOVE!

It only took one coat with this spray paint to cover the blue and the green.

I went back to Goodwill for one of these... I noticed them when I got the cassette ones but couldn't think what I would use them for, until I got home and realized my Stampin Up! punches would fit in them!

Another perfect find! I love a good deal don't you?

Mimi brag post alert!

2011-11-06T08:40:00.000-08:00

A couple weeks ago I spent a week at my sisters house in Salt Lake City Utah while she and her hubby took a trip to NYC. I got to stay with my 2 nieces and 2 nephews. When she returned from her trip we spent an afternoon at a Fall Festival just down from her house and met up with my sister-in-law and nephew.

Then I headed to Reno Nevada to see Liam =)

I think he was a little tired of seeing a camera in his face all the time! Ha! Such a cutie.

Thanks for letting me brag! Have a great day!

Laundry Room almost done =)

2011-11-06T08:09:00.000-08:00

I am finally going to show you the laundry room almost done! I just have a few shelves and hooks to have the hubby put up for me this morning and the project will be DONE! I finished the powder room next to the laundry room too! I was amazed at the coverage I got from the Valspar paint. I thought I was going to have to prime over the mural that was in the powder room, but once I started painting with the Valspar paint I knew I could just cover it in one coat of the paint! Woohoo! Goodbye mural!

I really had to be creative to figure out a way to hang the clothes once they were out of the dryer (I do not iron). I found this shelf on one of my trips to IKEA. It folds down when not in use. It is perfect!

When I redo the kitchen I will have new counter top put in and a new sink and faucet... but for now I am happy with this.

I am on the search for a larger piece of furniture for this spot... but this works for now and I already had this table.

Gotta add the little details =)

Today I will add some tags to the baskets and the homemade soap.

The powder room! I am soooo pleased with how this came out!

The mudroom portion, just keeping it real with all the "stuff"! Ha!

My table I purchased from Goodwill turned into a bench. The hubby will add 3 hooks and a shelf above this area today.

I finally won't mind when guests enter through the garage area now! What do you think? Oh you don't remember what it looked like before? Here is the post I did before we moved in.

Have a lovely Sunday!

New light fixtures... Christmas...

2011-10-09T07:57:00.000-07:00

I finally decided on a new light fixture for the laundry room. The room has an entrance from the garage that we use as a "mud room". The entrance from the garage has a chandelier, so I didn't feel the room needed a second one. My laundry room still is not done... I know, it has been a long project for such a small room! Haha!

While I was shopping for the laundry room light fixture, I came across these pendant lights I thought would be a quick, easy fix for in the kitchen.

The hubby was in doubt...

but once they were up, with very little difficulty, he had to agree they were perfect!

Here is a picture of the ugly red saucer that was there before, so glad those are gone!

I am currently making some decisions to have the cupboards altered and painted, all new counter tops, and probably a few new appliances too. It's so hard to make decisions sometimes =)

Have you noticed all the Christmas decor already out in the stores? Wow! I couldn't resist these gorgeous large scale ornaments.

Creating this card for a shoebox swap I am participating in has put me in the Christmas spirit extra early this year =)

My bag is packed, my "shoebox" is loaded with kits, can't wait to meet 16 other ladies I've never met before and 1 very close friend to craft all day!

More fall decor 2011

2011-10-06T08:17:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the 'golden hue" of the pictures, it was a cold, dark day when I snapped some of these pictures of my fall decor. The hydrangeas came from our yard, I have them in every room of the house I think!

I moved the furniture around, I tend to do that about 4 times a year! I hope I am not the only one who does that! Please tell me you do that too! Uh, you do right? Okay then moving on...

A few close ups of the coffee table decor...

My mom embroidered the fall picture for me many years ago. The little pumpkin I did at a little ceramic shop downtown last year I think?

A few more closeups around the room.

The sun made an appearance so I snapped a few extra shots =)

We had some of the hubbys friends over for dinner, the hubby surprised me with one of them being a cabinetmaker/contractor... so we discussed my kitchen ~~all~~ most of the evening! Looks like changes are happening soon! Maybe next week, if I can make all the decisions that fast.

I did add some napkin rings and glasses to the table, we had a lovely dinner of chicken carbonara, salad, french bread and creme brulee for dessert.

Then a few nights later we had more friends over and I used the same table scape for beef and broccoli (cooked by the hubby) rice, pineapple and blackberry cobbler with vanilla ice cream for dessert.

Today I am headed to Lowes for a new light fixture for the laundry room, yes I am finally finishing that room up! Back later, have a fall filled day!

Fall Mantel 2011

2011-10-05T17:12:00.000-07:00

Aww, things are finally beginning to slow down a bit! The fall weather has arrived here in the Pacific Northwest, love it. Cool temperatures and rainy days perfect for a fire in the fireplace, a cup of tea and crafting!

I meant to post these pictures of my fall mantel over a week ago but just didn't get the chance until today.

The leaf frame is similar to the one I did in the craft cottage just a larger frame.

I used orange burlap behind it and some buttons.

I will be back tomorrow with a post of the rest of the fall decor. Today I've got a fire going and pumpkin bread baking and it's raining outside =) I am a happy girl!

Fall crafting 2011

2011-09-17T22:17:00.000-07:00

My friend Jessica and I enjoy doing lots of different crafts. So we decided to see if some of our other friends would like to join us once a month to craft. We had an open house in the craft cottage with a few free make and takes.

We had a blast eating, chatting and crafting!

We did a fall card, using bleach and chalk,

and a Halloween matchbox party favor,

with covered Hershey nuggets inside. Everyone seemed to really enjoy the projects and the ideas we shared with them. We scheduled 2 more classes, one in October to do fall wreaths, homemade vanilla, and pom poms. And one in November to do Christmas tags in a handy tin and a Christmas ornament. Soo excited! Should be really fun! We will be scheduling classes to do some knitting, sewing, Christmas cards, jewelry making, Christmas presents, lotions, sugar scrubs, candles, canvas projects, and many other ideas everyone shared of crafts they wanted to try.

This morning Jessica and I started with Pumpkin Spice Lattes from Starbucks, followed by a little pampering at the nail salon (notice the gorgeous new set of nails on my friend Jessica modeled above with the before shot of our pumpkins).

Then hit JoAnn for a little creative therapy. We found Glitter Blast!!! LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this amazing product! You must run out and try it! Really, go now, I can wait...

Made these pumpkins glittery and gorgeous!

This one got a few bubbles, but it still turned out amazing!

While we were waiting for our Glitter Blast pumpkins to dry we tore fabric for some fall garlands.

We strung torn fabric, felt, ribbon, and burlap onto rope. I will show you my completed one in another post ;)

Inspired from here.

After Jessica had to go back to the border {hehe!} I didn't want to stop, so I created this fall decor using a leaf punch, patterned paper scraps, a Walmart $3.00 frame, some leftover drop cloth from Lowes, and scrabble tiles I ordered off Ebay. I rubbed a little distress ink around the edges of the tiles and some of the leaves, and tied some ribbon and twine around the edge of the frame.

I am working on a fall mantle in the craft cottage... heres a few sneak peeks!

Come back tomorrow and I will reveal the whole mantle! I love fall!

Greek festival 2011

2011-09-17T21:27:00.000-07:00

Greek festival time! One of my favorite celebrations! We started out with Gyros for dinner. YUMM!

We got there just before the dinner crowd, perfect!

Next was dessert, so many choices!

I had to go with the loukoumades, so so good!

Especially with greek coffee.

The hubby went with the baklava.

Then the dancing began, always so entertaining. Started out with a few,

then grew to a few more,

then their were so many they headed out from under the tent to dance amongst the crowds!

Until there was a whole line of them!

Then they came back through the tent into circle after circle until the music ended. Then it all started again!

This little girl was enjoying every moment!

Can't wait until next year!

Enjoying a Saturday with my hubby!

2011-09-17T21:07:00.000-07:00

Last weekend the hubby and I took advantage of a beautiful sunny Saturday and flew to Orcas Island. It happened to be a perfect day to go, the Farmers Market was in full swing!

We wandered through the small coastal town shops,

did a little antiquing,

I snapped quite a few pictures.

We picked up a brochure from here, I would love, love love to stay here one weekend ;)

We walked on the small beach.

Dreamed of coming back to share dinner or even better breakfast,

with this gorgeous view to enjoy!

Walked the wood sidewalks, with the white picket fences and tons of flowers all around.

Peeked into more shops,

enjoyed gelato!

Then flew home across the beautiful blue waters,

looking for whales,

It was a perfect day with my hubby!

Sunflowers, peaches and blueberries...

2011-09-11T08:28:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago my friend Jessica and I headed to Boxx Berry Farm for a case of blueberries and some fall flowers. While there, we couldn't resist the peaches.

We brought them to my house and made peach jam!

One of the batches may have turned into Peach syrup ;) but that is okay too. Will be delicious over vanilla ice cream.

We also made our planned blueberry syrup, we made some last year and it was a favorite Christmas gift!
Just waiting for the blackberries to ripen just a little more then it will be time to make blackberry jam and syrup and of course a pie or two.

I LOVE this time of year!

Girls trip 2011 Savannah GA and Hilton Head Island

2011-09-11T08:16:00.000-07:00

The past few years my friend Kari and I take a trip somewhere, so far just the two of us. Our first trip was Italy! We've also been to Hawaii and San Antonio TX.

This year we visited Savannah GA and Hilton Head Island SC.

I live in Washington State and she lives in Utah, so we only see each other a few times a year.

Each trip MUST include shopping, spa treatments, a few drinks, COFFEE and lots of good girl talk.

This trip we enjoyed ALL those things! I landed in Savannah and we immediately headed to lunch on the river in Savannah. I had the most wonderful crab salad sandwich for lunch! We went on a 90 minute trolley ride around Savannah, did a little shopping for pralines then hit the road for Hilton Head Island!

We stayed in a wonderful time share, this was our view from the patio. We had dinner here one night, ended every evening here with a few drinks and conversation and began every morning here with coffee!

Walking to the beach! Just a gorgeous place to be.

Aww, the beach. Isn't it beautiful?

We didn't sit on the beach this time, but next time for sure. We did spend a few hours by the pool, reading and relaxing.

We did a little shopping around town.

We enjoyed a spa package at Faces day spa! We spent 4 1/2 wonderful hours there! Had a delicious lobster roll for lunch next door, can't remember the name of the restaurant.

We enjoyed the sunset from Skull Creek Boathouse restaurant twice, it was that good! The first night I had a 1 pound lobster tail and shared the key lime pie for dessert. The second time I had the crab stuffed fillet, and no room for dessert! Ha!

We enjoyed a wine tasting at Island Winery. We tasted 11 different wines and had tasty appetizers.

We did a little more shopping in Harbor Town.

I picked up a few shells on the beach and snapped a few pictures of the lighthouse.

It was a great trip! Thanks Kari for planning such a wonderful place to visit, I would love to return someday and do a little boating and sitting on those gorgeous beaches!
Hope you are enjoying your "end of summer" too. Thanks for stopping by.

Are you preparing for fall too?

2011-08-21T20:12:00.000-07:00

I spent a few hours last week out in the yard trying to clean up a bit of the overgrowth that is taking over my gardens! The rose bushes are taller than I am!

The hydrangeas are all in bloom and gorgeous!

I have several plants blooming that I don't have any idea what they are! Ha!

I think the young buck I was telling you about decided to eat all the bird and squirrel food. He left quite a mess behind!

Again, I am not sure what this is, but it is such a pretty little flower. They are popping out all over the yard. Do you know what this could possibly be?

The lavender is blooming... one of my favorites =)

More of the pretty pink flower.

This one I think is geranium.

Not sure what this is... if you happen to know, please leave a comment letting me know, I would so appreciate it!

The hubby and I made a quick stop at the goodwill, I found this table for $3.99!

It is going to get some Annie Sloan chalk paint and become a bench for the laundry room! I bought some padding and cute stripe fabric while at Joann this morning.

The hubby finally took down the ugly awning in the kitchen! WOW! Huge difference, I love it! (But I knew I would ;)) Need to figure out how to change out the ugly big white track lighting. Probably need to add a curtain or shade now too, I am thinking black and white check or maybe a black and creme toile?

I decorated a bit for fall today, I couldn't help it! I totally enjoy fall! Hot tea in the evening, a warm fire, a good book... oranges, reds, yellows... pumpkins, apples, ghosts and goblins! What's not to enjoy?!?

Gotta have the fall m&ms for the hubs.

New dish towels from Kohls.

Fall mantle number one... I will make a few changes a little closer to Halloween and Thanksgiving.

Used some sunflowers and feathers this year.

I wasn't quite ready to give up the beach yet though!

A few orange, red and yellow leaves for color... just a little. (Did you notice my picture of Liam? Isn't he the cutest? Special thanks to my friend Lisa for the frame).

I am testing these knobs I found at Joann this morning $5.00 a PAIR! I thought they would be cute in the kitchen... I do love them, but not sure I want them ALL the time in there. May have to get a couple more I only bought two and could really use 4 more.

Joann also had these cute blue bird ones, I bought 2 of them , I thought they would be cute on a dresser. I may put then on the top two drawers in the beach guest room.
I didn't accomplish as much as I had hoped this weekend, but it was relaxing and spent with my fabulous hubby, so that is all I want! Hope you had a lovely relaxing weekend too!

Busy, busy, busy!

2011-08-14T08:55:00.000-07:00

I wish I could say I have been so busy around the house since returning from being gone for 4 weeks that I haven't had the chance to blog!

I wish I could say that the garden has been weeded...

The overgrowth of bushes and plants had been cut and hauled off to the compost pile...

That I had canned raspberry and blueberry jam and syrup...

That I had been out in the craft room, creating wonderful things to show you...

Unfortunately, I haven't done ANY of those things! (Picture above is my sad garden, I have a young buck who loves to nibble on my struggling veggie plants)

Instead, 2 days after returning I was called about going back to work temporarily full time until October. I said yes... and started the following Monday.

It has been fun to be out of the house and around my friends again =)

But boy do I have ALOT that needs to be done at home!

I just keep telling myself it will get done, eventually!

While I was gone last month the hubby finished putting up the beadboard in the laundry room! It is ready for me to start painting, that is one of my projects for this week. The hubby flies out for a few days, which gives me some time to finish a few things.

He also fixed the steps in the garage, hoping maybe to get this painted as well. I guess I am saying, bare with me the next couple months, while I try to juggle working full time, blogging, and a few DIY projects!
Have a lovely weekend =)

Home sweet home!

2011-07-28T09:02:00.000-07:00

Liam 2 days old

I am home! Wow, what a wonderful 4 weeks! It is so good to be home, sure am missing my little Liam though ;)

Came home to a jungle of a yard! The hubby snapped this picture in the courtyard of a hummingbird taking a little rest!

The grape vine in the courtyard is taking over the fireplace!

Flowers and vines are blooming everywhere!

Grape vine, wisteria vine and I think some virginia creeper all on one fence... I need to pull some of it up, it is just too much!

The hydrangias are blooming, the flowers are so heavy it is drooping over the walkway...

The kitchen courtyard is out of control as well!

Sweat Peas

Roses

More hydrangeas

Not sure what these are, but the hummingbirds love them and they are all around the house!

The wisteria is taking over the front walkway into the house!

Not sure what these are either, but I love them!

The area around the main pond is being taken over by wild raspberries/strawberries.

Okay enough complaining, guess I better go get some work done! It's good to be home!

Liam 3 days old

One more picture of Liam before I go!

Thanks for visiting today! Have an awesome day!

A few pictures of our flight to Reno!

2011-07-06T16:16:00.000-07:00

My headset on the right Koko's on the left.

I thought I would share a little of the beautiful country we flew near on our way to Reno! Lots of mountains! Mt. Rainier, Mt. Adams. Mt. Saint Helens, Mt. Hood and Mt. Shasta to name a few! Enjoy!

Liam Edward is here!

2011-07-05T16:03:00.000-07:00

On Friday July 1 my hubby and I hopped into the airplane and flew to Bend Oregon to spend the night on our way to Reno Nevada to be present for the birth of our first grandchild. On Saturday July 2 we arrived in Reno. Genna wasn't due until July 5 so we thought we had plenty of time for pictures, luckily Justin asked me to take a few that afternoon =)

At 3:00 am July 3 my daughter knocked on our door to say "we are on our way to the airport, my water just broke"! I woke up and snapped a couple more pictures before they walked out the door.

It was an extremely long day for everyone!

Liam Edward was born at 9:44 pm July 3! 8 lbs. 2 oz 22 in. This picture and the one below were taken about 10:20 pm that night.

Mommy and baby are doing great!

So happy to have Liam here!

Hope you had a wonderfully exciting 4th of July too!

A little peek at the craft cottage

2011-06-30T08:40:00.000-07:00

My little craft cottage is sooo close to being organized! So here are a few little peeks! At first I just had some tissue paper pompoms hanging from the ceiling...

Then decided to add some banners from drop cloth, ribbon and twine. Helped to lighten the ceiling a little! Can't wait to get this room painted someday, it works for now.

Found this welcome sign at TJ Maxx, had intended to use it on the door, but it was HUGE!

I am loving this area! I will show a more detailed post at the end of the month!

A few friends came over last night to create luminary bags for Relay for Life so I set up an extra table. These fold up wood chairs were left here by the previous owners of the house. I think I have eight! score! I am going to paint them when I return from seeing my first grandbaby =) I think I will paint them with Chalk Paint. Probably Old White.

My little coffee/tea area.

Have to have snacks and beverages! Some leftover paper plates and napkins from a bachelorette party from a few years ago.

Peony flowers from my yard.

This is the entrance to my little craft cottage. I have been painting all the doors outside the house and the trim around them to freshen things a bit while waiting to paint the house and deck later this summer. We had a great time last night crafting and snacking!
Thanks for stopping in today!

Beach treasures and paint!

2011-06-27T07:52:00.000-07:00

When I went to the Summer Retreat Vintage Market over the weekend I bought the large scrabble tiles!

I had seen a preview of them on the blog, and knew I wanted some. I also purchased the "tray" they are sitting in =) It is an old piece of molding! SWOON!

I had to really think long and hard about what I wanted my letters to spell out! I thought about LOVE, which could stay up all the time, or just for Valentines day. I thought about PEACE for Christmas. NEST was on the top of my list for a while... But ultimately BEACH won out! Although COTTAGE was a very close second.

I was so excited to see Annie Sloan Chalk Paint being sold there as well! I had almost placed an online order a couple days before.

I already knew the colors I wanted to try! Old White...

and Provence! I love that I can mix the colors together to make my own custom color!

It was great to be able to purchase a sheet with all the colors on it too! Unfortunately they were all out of the waxes... but they offered to e-mail me when they were back in stock =) If you haven't heard of this paint go here, and here! Amazingly cool stuff!

A few of the treasures I picked up on Camano Island Beach while I was there. A couple large heart stones, drift wood which I have a project in mind for, a couple dried out crabs... (the piece of coral came from our recent trip to Hawaii)

I also added a starfish I had on hand!

Mt. Baker

Sunday morning we flew to one of our favorite breakfast spots!

Mt Rainier

The morning was just sunny and smooth!

Whidby Island

Perfect for flying =)

When we landed at Jefferson County Airport we were greeted with fields of wildflowers! =) We had a couple rough landings, but breakfast was delicious as always, we shared an outdoor table with another couple that offered since their was a wait for seating, and we made it home safe and sound! Perfect!
We had such a wonderful weekend! Hope you all did too! Have a great week!

Point Roberts

2011-06-26T20:47:00.000-07:00

After we returned from Camano Island we stopped at home long enough to switch to the hubbys vehicle. He keeps his flight stuff there. Then headed to the airport!

This evenings trip? Point Roberts! (Go here to learn more about Point Roberts)

Koko joined us again this trip and even wore her ear muffs! She is so smart, it didn't take long for her to figure out it wasn't as loud if she wore them!

See that grass strip down there? Yep, another grass strip landing!

No deer to scare off this time!

Just a little grass in the tailwheel! On the way back to Bellingham I flew for 10 minutes! Woohoo! The hubby was pretty happy =) only took how many years?!
Come back tomorrow and I will show you what I bought at the Summer Retreat Vintage Market! Hope you had a beautiful sunny day today! We did! I'll tell you what we did today too! Till tomorrow!

Vintage market and picnic on Camano Island.

2011-06-26T08:48:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, against my hubbys wishes we went on a road trip! (He would rather a flying trip, hehe!) I HAD to go here! Summer Retreat Vintage Market on Camano Island!!! I was SOOO excited to finally be attending another Vintage Market! I did not take my camera inside the gates, sorry you can go here to get a view preview pictures! Did I buy anything? Mayyybeee!

After our little adventure to the market we headed to the beach.

I packed us a vintage picnic to go with our roadtrip!

I had found this little drink carrier a few months ago at TJ MAXX. One is lemonade from Trader Joes and the other is homemade suntea. Perfect for a vintage picnic right?

I rolled up a couple IKEA dish towels to use as napkins... why did I only buy 3? I need at least another 3-4 at only $.49 each! Tied some twine around the napkins as a napkin ring. Love the new recycled paper plates that are kraft colored! Silverware came from an inexpensive set from TJ MAXX that I picked up a few months ago. I thought about using my old silver, but didn't want to worry about it getting left behind or thrown away.

I used a quilt for us to dine on and some blue plastic goblets for our beverages! So fun to put together!

It was a perfect day for the beach!

While someone napped...

I tried to read... but I had forgotten my reading glasses!

Koko and I spent most of our time playing ball and exploring the treasures to be found on the beach =)

We planned on stopping at a few antique stores on the way home, but instead stopped for icecream cones for dinner! So far the day has been almost perfect! But it isn't over! I'll tell you about our evening in the next post! Thanks for stopping by!

Refurbished highchair

2011-06-26T08:25:00.000-07:00

I have been meaning to post the pictures of my refurbished highchair! I finished it a couple weeks ago and am so pleased with the results!

I had boughten the highchair off craigslist for $30.00. Here is the before. I used two cans of black satin spray paint.

It looks exactly like I imagined it! I hadn't planned on finding one so quickly on Craigslist! It will be a while before my first grandbaby comes to visit! (He isn't due for another week and a half!) But when you find exactly what you want on Craigslist you need to jump, you know?!

I don't think I have blogged about my chicken wire project?! My hubby built the frame for me... then I stapled some chicken wire I had on hand down in our chicken coop. (unused)

I hung family photos and recipes from clothes pins. I am planning on decorating the clothes pins, just haven't decided yet how I want them to look. Then made a banner with some twine and burlap. I plan to paint either FAMILY or WELCOME or something just haven't decided what yet! Ha!

Ordinarily I am not a "red" girl, but I am loving the little pops of red in my kitchen/dining area.

Thanks for stopping in today! Have a lovely weekend!

Yard post for mom!

2011-06-20T08:58:00.000-07:00

My mom wanted to see more pictures of my yard in bloom! So I thought I would post them here, enjoy!

Fathers Day weekend!

2011-06-20T08:42:00.000-07:00

Had a fabulous weekend! A couple friends and I traveled to Vancouver Canada early saturday morning! First stop was IKEA! (Well technically Starbucks, but... you knew that! Ha!)

Then we stopped for a lovely lunch at the public library! Sliders and a pitcher of beer! Perfect!

Last stop before heading home? Wicked! It was awesome!

We loved it!

Sunday morning, Fathers Day I had set up a surprise for my sweet hubby ;) I had planned on just packing everything and driving him to Kayak lessons, but the weather didn't cooperate and I wanted him to be dry and comfortable so I told him so he could dress appropriately! Then we headed to Chuckanut Bay!

Our sweet instructor brought boutonnieres for all the guys! So sweet!

Here we are all geared up!

My friend Jessica and her hubby too!

My handsome hubby posing with his boutonniere =)

The trip was amazing! I had my camera stowed most of the trip since it is not waterproof, but we saw otters, a mommy and 2 babies!

A raccoon searching for little crabs in the rocks! Eagles, vultures, heron and oyster eaters (a black bird with red eyes and a bright orange beak) they had a nest and were pretty protective. Lots of seagulls, saw one trying to eat a sunflower starfish!

A sunflower starfish, (above) and a leather starfish that smells like garlic.

Of course we saw lots of sea life, starfish, anemone, clams but our instructor pointed out lots of uncommon things about the life around us, it was awesome!

Paddling along the waters edge was like being at an aquarium!

We paddled 4 miles, 2 miles with the wind in our favor and 2 back against the wind! Our instructor and another man in single kayaks had a seal following them back!

It wasn't too bad! Definitely would LOVE to do it again! SOON! Happy Fathers Day babe! After we put the gear away we drove over to Larrabee State Park campground and had a wonderful picnic lunch with Jessica and Jon!
After arriving home and sitting in a warm hottub for a bit I began cooking dinner... as I was at the kitchen sink I saw a Blue Heron land on the driveway and get a drink from the pond! He was probably looking for fish! Ha! The previous owner had fish in the pond, they had told us a Blue Heron had eaten some of them along with raccoons! It was fantastic to see, he flew off before I could find my camera.
Hope you had a great weekend too!

Dinner in Friday Harbor June 2011

2011-06-20T07:53:00.000-07:00

Wednesday afternoon my hubby called when he got off work to see if I wanted to meet him at the airport =)

We flew to Friday Harbor for dinner! I love when he surprises me with dinner plans!

It was a perfect flight, smooth as glass.

We had a yummy dinner at Fridays Crabhouse.

The restaurant has 3 decks of outdoor sitting, and a little indoor seating too.

We love to sit on the top deck, above the marina and watch the ferry's load and unload.

The restaurant is a little different, but fun!

This ferry is moving over so the next ferry can have it's spot,

I had the fish and chips...

There goes the ferry, must be time to head for home!

But not before looking for whales =)

We heard from someone at Fridays that some whales had been hanging around the back side so we headed that way home!

Unfortunately, we didn't see any, but sure had a lovely evening! Thanks honey!

Random June 11, 2011

2011-06-15T21:14:00.000-07:00

Random photos from June 11, 2011.
The last few weeks I have been cutting flowers from my yard and bringing them into my home.

They make each room smell soo good!

I also cut enough rhubarb to make a few pies.

I don't know which smell I like better, the lilacs or the roses!

Sadly the lilacs are just about done, but the daisies are just beginning!

Over the weekend we had a rummage sale and bake sale for Relay for Life. I baked a strawberry rhubarb pie to sell.

I hadn't ever made this crust before, but it sure smelled good while baking! Here is the link to the recipe I used!

I also made brownies =)

The strawberry rhubarb pie looked so yummy! I am going to make one for my hubby for Father's Day!

It sure made a mess though!

Made chocolate dipped strawberries...

Whoopie pies.... with brownie cookies, and homemade Buttercream frosting!

And Blueberry Creme Pie!

Packaged it all up real cute!

Someone got a little bored at the rummage sale, it wasn't me! Ha! Dance Tandy, dance!

In the evening the hubby and I flew to Center Island to look at a cabin and some property.

Yes, it is a grass strip, the deer stayed on the runway even after we had to abort our first landing due to them not moving, so we made a second attempt. They still didn't move so we landed anyway!

The cabin has potential! Unfortunately, it may be sold already =(

The property is on the strip, so we could also have a hangar...

We took off just in time to see the sunset!

Beautiful!

A peek at the craft studio progress!

2011-06-10T07:44:00.000-07:00

The last couple weeks I have been focusing on getting the craft studio useable. I finally have a few peeks of the progress! My workspace =) created for me by my hubby about 7 years ago!

Next to my work surface I have most of my paper, photos that need to be filed, decorative painting products from my mom in law (that I hope to use soon!) I have broken most of it down in the next few pictures.

This space holds my paper cutter, which gets used ALOT! (Buffet, furniture store used to have a hutch on top, but gave to my friend Jessica! =))

I am a visual person, it seems to help me to use what I have if I can see it! So the bookcase holds my small paper pads, (container from IKEA)

medium paper pads, (container from IKEA)

large paper pads,

8x10 and 12x12 decorative paper

family photos,

this is where I store my paper scraps, at my feet in ziplock bags by color.

Ink stored in an old cassette holder.

Ribbon (glass containers from Walmart)

These white boxes store numerous things! Primas, felt, adhesive, holiday stickers, rhinestones, etc. this system works well for me, I can bring the box down to my table while I am crafting and put it back when done! (boxes from Michael's and JoAnn whichever had them on sale)

Solid colored 8x10 and 12x12 paper, the cabinet was built for me by a very dear friend!

Decorative 12x12 paper (storage container Michael's)

Decorative scissors and Stampin Up! markers (container Michael's)

This basket holds uncommon papercrafting elements such as a book I can tear pages out of, sheet music, an old road atlas, and large scraps of paper and plastic I can use to put down to craft on.

Sewing machine (I am searching Craiglist for a small table), sewing baskets, extra fabric.

All of my fabric is in the white closet (Walmart) wrapping paper in the hamper next to it (Ross) on top of the closet is most of my stickers (Clip it Up)

On the other side of my desk is a little cupboard (yardsale) that holds all my EXTRA ribbon and buttons.

The plastic container came from the Dollar Tree.

That's it so far! Today I am going to try to finish up the last little bit of the other side of the room, do some baking for a rummage/bake sale tomorrow, and get some crafty things together to use my space tomorrow night with two amazingly crafty friends! Crafty friends+crafts+little alcohol+s'mores= goodtime! Can. Not. Wait!!!!!

Have a FUN weekend too!

A walk through the yard June 2011

2011-06-10T07:02:00.000-07:00

I recently read on a blog to keep blue jays and squirrels out of your bird feeders to switch to safflower seeds. I immediately went out and purchased some and replaced the sunflower seed I was using in the front courtyard with the safflower seeds. I love feeding the squirrels, they have two feeders on the property, and I get a kick out of watching them hang from precarious angles to get the food, but I also was hoping to attract a few songbirds =) It worked! This little guy above has been stopping very quickly the last couple days, (I think it is the same one anyway). I was finally able to get a picture!

Since I had my camera out taking pics of the birds I thought I would take a walk around the yard and photograph some of the flowers that are currently blooming!

Peony! I have been cutting them and bringing them in the house, they smell divine!

Rose, another one I've been cutting to bring in the house!

Columbine.

Oriental poppy.

Hydrangea.

White Wisteria. Such a sweet smell!

The garden is growing nicely =)

Japanese maple.

Pale pink lilac. One of my very favorite smells!

Bright pink lilac.

Japanese Iris.

Common purple lilac.

Purple wisteria.

Every morning and evening we have a frog chorus happening at two of our ponds! These guys sure have loud croaks for as little as they are! I found this one hiding under some boxes!
Well that's it for today! Thanks for visiting, hope you enjoyed walking though my gardens with me! Have a beautiful day!

Flight to Bremerton

2011-06-04T21:43:00.000-07:00

The hubby and I flew to Bremerton today!

The day could not have been any more perfect!

Clear blue skies, smooth ride =)

The hubby had the wonderful opportunity to give this young fellow his first "real" flight lesson! (He has been flying a simulator for years!) Such an inspiring day. This young fellow is the grandpa to my sweet friend Jessica, I got to meet her parents today too =) That's her mama in the back there!

After a nice early dinner, we headed back to Bellingham, flying past Seattle and lots of water! About a 45 minute flight, my longest one yet in this area!

Amazingly gorgeous!
Hope you had that kinda day too!

Fun in the sun! Day 4

2011-06-03T18:16:00.000-07:00

Not alot of pictures today! The day started with coffee brought to me in bed =) yay! We had an early couples massage scheduled and had to pack and check out of our room by 11:00 am. So my early morning was spent packing =( the massage was wonderful though!

After the massage we showered and checked out of the hotel, checked our bags in with the bellman, then sat around the hotel lobby while we had a second cup of coffee. Then headed out to hop on the free shuttle around town that takes you to Hilo Hatties for shopping =) It is nice it is free, and it takes you around town to see a few of the sights!

After our shopping, where we also got to watch hula dancing, we had them let us off at the Hilton, so we could walk back. We had all day, our flight didn't leave until 9:30pm so we wandered around looking at the shops and the animals.

Then decided to have some lunch on the beach.

After lunch we walked down the beach and rented a locker to put our shopping packages and my purse and camera in and rented a double sea kayak for a half an hour $12.00 totally reasonable! We LOVED it! Then rented a paddleboard for an hour! $15.00! So much fun! But, I tried twice to stand, and fell into the water both times =( hair wet, mascara all over my face. I am going to try again here on one our local lakes, I think I can stand without the waves ;) I did fine on my knees =)

After turning in our "toys" we sat on the beach for a while to dry out a bit before heading back to the International Marketplace for a few last minute goodies then back to the hotel.

Our hotel offers a large hospitality room to shower and clean up in which was so nice! We were able to get our luggage back from the bellman and head up to the room to get all the sand and salt off our bodies before our 6 hour flight home =) We didn't realize that the room only had one womans shower and one mens so luckily we gave ourselves plenty of time, we had to wait for our turns. But it was still so great to clean up and change clothes.

Then we hailed a cab and went to the airport, check our bags and had a nice leisurely dinner at the airport! It was a great trip with my favorite companion, my hubby!
Thanks for hanging in with all the pictures, as I've said before my blog is like my journal, so occasionally you may endure a few family, personal posts =)

We are finally having sun here! Yay! Should be a fabulous weekend! You have one too!

Fun in the sun! Day 3

2011-06-03T17:43:00.000-07:00

Day 3 started out just like the last two days! Coffee and the beach! We stayed at the beach a little later since we were going to take it easy today, so at 9:00am when the boats started showing up we knew what our first excursion of the day would be!

We signed up for a catamaran ride 1 hour for $20.00 each!

The best money we spent the WHOLE trip! I love being on the water =)

It was really windy! But it didn't stop us!

A great view of Diamond Head. Lots of surfers!

Pulling away from shore =)

If we ever return this is where I want to stay!

Can you see the water spray off the waves from the wind?

Diamond Head lighthouse.

Sailboat race.

We only had a total of 8 people on the boat. Two were crew. We had 15 foot waves out in the deep water! So, so fun! We really wanted to go a second time for a sunset sail, but just ran out of time.

Pulling back into shore, careful not to hit any surfers, or swimmers.

Yep, highly recommend the $20.00 sail!

Since it was our relaxing, take it easy day next stop was lunch at Dukes! Starting with a beer...

the view...

fish tacos! Yummo!

For dessert Hula Pie! So glad the gals on the boat told us about this sinfully delicious pie!

We ate every bite =)
We sat on the beach for a bit, walked through Waikiki a bit and did a little shopping, then headed to the pool at our hotel. I was hot, sweaty and sandy and needed a good cool soak in the pool.

A few drinks didn't hurt either ;)

I am a happy girl! After a couple hours by the pool we headed up tothe room for a little nap before getting ready for dinner with my BFF and her hubby. We had a great dinner with them at a do-it-yourself BBQ place. Then had a few drinks at a couple different places on the beach.

Somehow we missed getting a pic of Pete my BFF Kari's hubby! It was so great to see them!

Fun in the sun! Day 2-c

2011-06-03T17:03:00.000-07:00

The trip back down from the falls.

I walked over to this tree to take a close up of the flowers... see the warning tape?

Then noticed the cannonballs, this is a cannonball tree.

Trumpet vine.

We really enjoyed the walk in Waimea Valley=)

We hit the road to our last destination of the night before returning to Waikiki. We really wanted to stop at these little shrimp trucks! They farm the shrimp in ponds behind the trucks then cook them up with LOTS of garlic! We heard they are wonderful!

But we had decided we were stopping at the Polynesian Cultural Center for a Luau and the show "Ha: Breath of Life"

The luau was interesting. They introduce the royalty of the luau. We paid for ambassador status so we had really close seats and were one of the first tables to eat.

They explain all the food they offer so you know what you are eating =)

These rolls were purple, made from the same dough as poi, so yummy! The poi, not so yummy!

They dig up the pig that has been roasting all day and present it to everyone...

Lots of people, you are seated family style, so you get to know the people at your table! We were seated with another couple from Spokane Washington! A couple celebrating their 10 year anniversary from Missouri and a couple on their honeymoon from California.

Since we had ambassador status we also received a backstage tour of the show. These are "tea leaves" they wear in the fire dance. According to our tour guide they do not burn, so they wear them to protect them from the flames.

The actors practicing.

There are over 1000 costumes, most of them wear 3-4 in the same night.

One of the entrance tunnels the actors use.

The auditorium.

The stage just before the show begins. We had front row seats!

They don't allow any pictures of the show =( but they did serve free fruit and ice cream at intermission! It was a fun show, a little spendy for the luau and the show, but we can say we went!