Beautiful. Useful. Simple.

"Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful.” --William Morriss     I saw this photograph on Mother Earth Living's Facebook page of a simple basket placed by the front door with a pretty woven rug. The accompanying article was about how to eliminate allergic irritants. So much of the dirt and dust in our homes comes in on our shoes. So they suggested placing a basket by the door to hold shoes and slippers. The idea is that when you come home, you remove your shoes at the door and replace them with slippers. http://www.motherearthliving.com/health-and-welless/allergens-indoor-allergies.aspx#axzz35lMBQbWv   Hubby and I have tried and tried to adopt this habit before, but I never liked having shoes lying around the doorway. This seems like a nice solution. So I rummaged through my closets and found an old picnic basket I inherited from my grandma. Then I trotted over to my favorite discount store and picked up a couple of new woven-rag rugs for the doorways. Rag rugs are a sentimental favorite to me. We always had rag rugs by the doors and in front of the kitchen sink when I was a little girl. They make me feel like home.       ***

Gloomy December Greetings

The Pacific Northwest is gloomy in the winter. But with the gloominess comes a certain serenity and introspection. It' a time to be pensive; to think about things. Oh yes I do love the sun, but I would not trade my gloomy Decembers for sun-filled ones. 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   Many  a damp Saturday mornings will find us in the woods with our labrador retriever. He loves to race over brambles and logs; sniffing deeply the scent of rabbits and squirrel. I love the walk for different reasons...the heady smell of fern and moss beneath my boots, a single maple leaf floating silently to the ground, and the sound of Canadian geese calling out to one another...we watch them sail over the treetops and then they are gone. And then it is quiet in the woods once more. Maybe this is why I decided not to make my home all Victorian fru-fru this Christmas season. I want need something more simple.

Oh yes, the grandchildren set up the Nutcracker Village on the armoire in my living room. And the Christmas tree is adorned with jewel-colored lights this year. (Albeit I must admit to not having put a single ornament on it this year, except for the one that Isabella made for me for my birthday with her very own little hands.)

But my family room, the place where we really live is different. Just a few select items here...a wooden nativity, a woodsy centerpiece and perhaps a few sprigs of fir. And three bark-wrapped candles sit on the kitchen eating nook. When lit they remind me of the Trinity...Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Blessings to you this gloomy December!

 May He lighten your darkness and warm your hearts this holiday season...and may you always sense His abiding Peace.

Life is Just a Chair of Bowlies...

They're coming today, and I'm almost ready. Just have to go to the fruitstand, smash out some burgers and make my special spaghetti sauce. Oh, and pitch a tent in the backyard for the kiddies to play house. Yep, we're all ready for company for the next couple of weeks. First my daughter and her brood, then my daughter-in-law and her two. (I feel special that my daughter in law wants to come, even though my son is working out of town. I mean, how many daughters-in-law want to visit mom-in-law for a whole week?) Soon we'll be riding the ferris wheel at the county fair, scouring the beach for pretty shells, walking the Boulevard to Fairhaven, and playin' in Fishtrap Creek down in the city park. Life's gonna be a Bowl of Cherries around here!

So the guest room is made up. My guest room is far from something you'd see in a magazine. Even though I'm moving toward modern in my decorating esthetic...this room seems to be stuck in a time warp. But I rather like it, so as Dad used to say, don't fix somethin' that taint broke!

The pretty duvet was a thrifted find for a buck!  Embroidered pillowcases, some made by moi, some from local antique stores.

 Made these cute little pillows a few years back for the family room. My tastes have since changed; but they seem quite at home in the guestroom.

 Our little town was settled by dutch folk. Every year we have Holland Days Festival; and of course, there are commemorative prints. The 2002 one makes me smile. Look at the scale of the people compared to the building! They look like the dwarves in Sleeping Beauty! I guess this must be the artists' style...but why?

 I like this one. We have a little Dutch mall downtown that looks like this. It has a canal inside with koi fish. That's the good news. The bad news; it was purchased by some big city bigshots who jacked up the rent so high that every little shopowner moved out. All that's left in the building is the hotel.The owners don't care. It's a tax write off.  This print was done in better days.

 This lamp has been in my family since I-don't-know-when! It's hand painted and I think that's real gold-leaf paint on it. It used to sit by my old iron bedstead when I was little. I remember sitting on the bed and running my fingers over the shape of those flowers as I daydreamed about many things.

 No childhood is complete without Raggedy Ann and Andy. I don't care how hip or expensive a doll is; nothing compares to a dolly that has "I love you" embroidered on it's heart.

 Mr. Teddy, you have been well-loved!

Baron has staked his claim at the foot of the bed on the fancy oriental rug we inherited from Uncle Myles. Dear me, Uncle Myles would not be thrilled to see a dog lying on such a fine antique. But Baron isn't just any dog. He's family. Patience, my puppy...the children will be here soon; and then life will be Bowl of Cherries...or as Mary Engelbreit puts it; a Chair of Bowlies!

I Love My Farmhouse Sink!

Our kitchen remodel isn't done yet. The floor should be installed next week and hubby still needs to put the drawer pulls on the cupboards. I've painted 4 (count em') yes 4 coats of white paint on the walls only to find grout smudges on them from when the counter tiles were laid. Looks like I'll be painting again; but I'm getting smarter. I'm gonna wait until the floor is done. So I've decided to show you the remodel in stages...courses if you will; like a fine dining experience!

So far I must say, I love my farmhouse sink the best. When I first mentioned to hubby that I wanted a great big sink that would cost twice what a regular sink costs, he raised his eyebrows at me and had a few questions. Will it fit in our little kitchen? Why do you need a sink like that? But since I'm going to have to work in this kitchen for 20 years or so; he was a good sport about it. Thanks Honey!

Initially I wanted this sink mostly for aesthetic reasons. Somewhere back in my childhood, I remember being in old-timey country kitchens with buttery yellow walls, painted farm tables, and big old porcelain sinks. Every time I see a farmhouse sink a pleasant wave of nostalgia drifts over me. Scientists might say it's something in the cerebral cortex or the hippocampus of my brain...I just know that farm sinks make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.  They make me think of sunny summer days, hot tea served in mismatched flowery cups, kitchen curtains dancing in the breeze, and an old-fashioned radio playing in the background as moms and aunties laugh while they work together in the kitchen.

But since that explanation doesn't really fly when you are trying to justify spending $600+ on a sink; here are the more practical reasons for getting one...

 *It is so deep that you can set the biggest stock pot you own in it and fill it with water.  And when it's time to wash that pot--no problem! You won't be splashing water all over the counters when you dump it out. *It also 'hides' a ton of dirty dishes if you're too tired to load the dishwasher tonight. *A turkey will sit nicely on that rack while you wash it. Come to think of it...you could bathe a baby very easily in my sink! (Back in the day, girls, that's how we bathed our babies. Just line the bottom of the sink with a towel so the baby doesn't slip, fill it with a few inches of lukewarm water, and make sure that the faucet is pushed to the side so that you don't accidentally turn the hot water on the baby.  Really, it was so much easier on the back than those little plastic tubs or the bathtub...and the baby could look out the kitchen window all the while. I know...your worried about sanitation. Well, I always did a thorough cleaning before and after the bath...no worries!)

 Just look at those wire racks in the bottom! *You can leave your dishclothes on them and they'll dry nicely...won't get all stinky and mucky. *They also protect the bottom of the sink from scratches. *And all that yucky food you rinsed off the dishes will drop below the dishes--until you're ready to scoop it up. *Have you ever set a colander of spaghetti noodles down in the sink, only to discover that dirty water that's lurking in the bottom has seeped up through the holes in the colander? Gag me! This doesn't happen with these racks!

*Just look at this cute little strainer basket that sits in one side of my sink. Makes cleaning the sink so nice!

Though I adore porcelain, I chose stainless steel. I've had porcelain before and I don't like cleaning it. So when choosing, know thyself. What's going to work for you? And since I do a lot of soaking and washing dishes, especially on the holidays, I needed a double sink. They come both ways, and it was no more expensive to get the partitioned one.

So what are the downsides to farmstyle sinks?

• You loose space underneath. We installed the size of cupboard that usually goes over a refrigerator beneath the sink in order to make it fit. I can't put as much junk under there.
• Stainless steel scratches. I'm awfully careful not to scratch this beauty, but I've got a couple of them...grrr! I never paid much attention when the old sink got a few scrapes, but this one's my baby! And there are those waterspots if you don't wipe them dry.
• Thats a pretty wide divider between my sinks. If the faucet is centered over it, there's quite a splash.
• They're expensive.

But what's a few dollars and a little less undercounter space compared with that wonderful homey feeling you get every time you walk into your kitchen? If you'll excuse me now, I think I'll pour myself a cuppa tea in a flowery mug, turn on the radio and open the window. The sun is shining and I'm feeling a big nostalgic...

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More White Touches

I ran into Big Lots yesterday after an afternoon doctor's appt. I like to shop after visiting the doctor.I guess it's retail therapy after medical therapy. I dunno.  I know lots of people who thumb their noses at Big Lots and stores like them. I'm not one of them. There are times that it doesn't matter if you spend $20 for something or $100 for something slightly better. Nobody notices. So I spent $20 on some sheer white panels to go with my white walls in the family room and dining room. The result is just beautiful.

 Just the simple, romantic, gossamer feeling I wanted.

Forgive the uncropped picture. I'm sure you're so impressed with the electrical socket. I'm too busy right now to mess with photo editing. Our kitchen remodel is scheduled to start this weekend. I need to move everything out of the cupboards asap. And all of my seedlings are begging to be transplanted. About 200 of them. They're crying, "Oh please, please, please...we need more room, we need more soil, help us!"

So why am I putting up new curtains right now? Creative Avoidance.

I'm gonna be incommunicado for a few days during the remodel/transplant extravaganza. I'll peek in on you all, but probably won't leave any comments. (If hubby catches me on my laptop when we're this busy, he's sure to confiscate it!) Bye for now...

Simply White

I'm painting everything white. Well, almost everything. Benjamin Moore dove white OC-17.(It's the shade of white most recommended by great architects.) Once upon a time I hated white walls. That's when I lived in apartments or houses that were painted with cheap contractor's sprayed-on-as-thin-as-you-can-get-it...flat, dull white. That's not really white. White is creamy, elegant, simple, rich, and shadow-playing. It's clean and lovely. Nature paints with white...

And so do I. 
(I'll post the pictures when the remodel's done.)



Help! We're remodeling the kitchen and I'd love your input!

The kitchen remodel planning is in full swing. We learned a ton after the bathroom remodel, but this kitchen thing is much bigger. Just measuring the cabinets is a major undertaking. I hope to create a Northwestern Style kitchen with lots of natural elements. I want you to feel like you've been out for a walk on a rugged, rain-stormed Northwestern beach...and that you've come in to a cozy and inviting place to warm up with a cup of home-made chowder. I want a transitional/modern feeling, but with a soul! The countertops, backsplash, and cabinets are pretty well chosen. The appliances will be stainless steel. I could really use your input on some things though...

• Apron sink: Yea or Nay?

• What kind of kitchen faucet do you have...do you love it or not? I just don't know about these new-fangled faucets with only one arm, seems like it'd be hard to get the water temperature right. What's your experience?

• I want to warm up the room with some pendant lighting over the bar and I can't decide between art-glass or barrel shaped fixtures. This is my one chance to add a splash of warm color, and I'd like to go with amber or orange-y hues. Which picture below do you like?

• How do you feel about extending the backsplash all the way up to the base of the wall cabinets? Is it too busy...should I stick with a 4 or 6 inch backsplash or take it all the way up? Or maybe just run the slate tiles up the wall behind the range...

• The floor...oh what to do with the floor! We have wood laminate throughout the rest of the house. I know it would be pretty in the kitchen, but I don't think it'd hold up. Suggestions anyone?

• Above the fridge: that no-man's land that is impossible to reach. I'm planning to have our contractor build me shelving for my cookbooks. Right now they're taking up space on the countertops. I don't think I'd mind using a stepstool to access them. Is this a mistake?

Apron style stainless sink, 2 two basins

Random linear mosaic slate backsplash. I couldn't find our exact choice, but it will be all slate, no glass (hubby's request). The slate will be rough and in varying gray tones with touches of brown to complement the cabinets.

Tile countertops that will look like concrete. This is because I don't like the busy patterns of granite for large spaces and I don't want to fool around with concrete. The grout lines will be very thin and exactly matching the tile for continuity.



maple spice shaker cabinets



simple hardware from IKEA, to match the stainless appliances

simple style, staggered for interest



from lightingcorp...adele






 



from Plushpod

 
 

bamboo...Moso Endgrain from Branch









I would love to toss this woven rug on whatever flooring we use. It speaks to my 'homespun' roots. So if you have ideas about my flooring, please bear in mind that I'll probably be using throws. This rug is from Etsy, by dodres.


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Monochromatically Speaking...



So when hubby and I moved into our mid-century rambler in 2005 we discovered that our furniture dwarfed the small rooms. Hubby wasn't really in favor of the move and moaned, "We're gonna have to sleep on cots!" Of course I couldn't let him be right, so I had the movers stuff our Victorian bedroom set into our tiny room. I tried every way I knew to arrange the furniture, but there was only one way...the bed in front of the window and both of our dressers on the wall to the right. This left a narrow little footpath for us to shinny around the footboard and make our way out of the room. I could literally sit on the bed and pull clothing out of the dresser. Don't tell him I said so, but hubby was right. Our furniture was way too big.



Over the past few years my tastes have evolved, and I've come to understand that just as we ladies look better if we dress our age in things that fit, so does our home. My room was beginning to make me  claustrophobic.  The headboard was blocking the only window in the room and preventing much- needed light from streaming in. The room was just to small for two dressers, and the footboard was taking up about 6 inches of precious space. I longed for a simple, spare, and spacious feel in that room.

So I listed these pics on Craigslist and sold the set for a song. (Since we'd had it for 20 years, I felt we'd gotten our money's worth.) I made enough to buy a new dresser (very inexpensive), two lamps, and a bedskirt.

I decided to stick to a monochromatic color scheme in the room to create a more spacious, serene feel. It took every bit of self control I could muster to purchase solid colors and only in beige-tones. (I love, love, love prints and bright colors. Problem is, I grow tired of them quickly.)






I picked a warm, taupe-y quilt and a plush ivory throw to complement the walls and woodwork. I've been learning that if you are not using contrasting color, you must use contrasting textures. That's why I chose the furry throw and the nubby lamp-shades.



The only piece of artwork is a charcoal drawing I did in college...taken from a photograph on a calendar. I love this piece. Because it is black and white, I decided to incorporate a bit of black and white into the scheme, so I added the zebra striped and black throw pillows. If I had room I'd have added a zebra-striped upholstered chair. But the choice was either to have a bedside lamp or a chair. I decided I'd rather read in bed than have a chair to throw clothing on.






I love the contemporary lines on the dresser. It was difficult, going from two dressers to one. It meant keeping only what we love and what is necessary. Ultimately, that's a good thing.

 The lamps were a JC Penney on-line find. The pair for $100! They cast the warmest, coziest glow on the walls.

I really like how this room turned out. Oh yes, there are a few more little things I'll be changing. Need to find some metal and glass night stands with shelves to accomodate the remotes, books, etc. And I plan to replace the metal blinds with a light-filtering honeycomb shade. I'm a bit fanatical about light. Can't stand to be in rooms without lots of light. I love to lie in bed and look at all of the beautiful shadows that come in with the morning sun!

Getting rid of the footboard was one of the best moves ever! Not only did we gain 6" of much needed floor space, but now hubby can bring me tea in the mornings, and sit on the end of the bed and chat with me while I wake up!

Our next project is the kitchen. This weekend we're visiting IKEA to see what we can do to bring the kitchen out of the stone age without breaking the bank. I'll keep you posted!

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