Friend's Home Tour #2

This is a better shot of that antique sewing machine and the lovely entry to my friend's home.

Turning right at the dining room takes us into their living room. Those windows are facing south. The little cottage is just visible through the right window. White painted tables and luxurious deep-cushioned sofas and chairs and PINK lamp shades! I just adore how she has taken a sort of Idaho log home and made it so romantic. I would have done exactly the same as she has done. Then she's tied back sheer curtains on the wood trimmed windows. Oooh, did I mention her hubby built this house for them? Well, he did. It is very pretty and large also. Just wait till you see it all.

River rock fireplace. Phyllis has flowers and plants all over this home. Plus she gardens in the spring and summer and usually has a vase of flowers for the pulpit at church. She can really grow beautiful flowers.

The lady of the house also plays piano and I think teaches some of her kids to play also. Luxurious white shag carpet and a vintage rocking chair. Hubby made that clock on the wall also. He cut the wood and then someone in the family painted it. Talent abounds in this family.

Close up of the clock.

Her kitchen. Squeeeeeeeal!! I love the boldness of red. She is not a wimp when it comes to colors, I tell you. She's a woman who knows what she wants and does it regardless. Astounding and fantastic she is. Red microwave, plates, skillet, stools at the countertop, pantry door, hanging pot holder.

Red and white checked curtains at her front window looking out into her entry garden. Red transferware plates on her wall above the sink window.

Yep, hubby made this clock also! I have to tell you this man is the kindest, sweetest, gentlest man I've ever met. He is such a humble man he is most like Christ in any person I've ever met. I guess you have to have patience when you have 11 children!

They've done a faux finish on this wall. Notice another chandelier in this family dining area. A woman after my own heart!! I only have one but she has MANY! But I'm thinking of getting more for my home. *Wink*

They just this past week got their first computer. It is kept in this area and you'll see it on the left side just a wee bit. You'll also notice she has a battenburg lace tablecloth on her table. She's a true stay-at-home wife and mother.

Okay, hold me back here!! Look at this stunning shabby chic white feminine bedroom! Blue and white toile curtains inset into those log windows. And another chandelier. Plus a pink lamp shade with roses on it. Squeeeeeeealing with delight! I know she loves pillows also.

Okay, that's a teaser of the bedroom to come in the next post of their home.

I'm a "Flitterer"...........

This is as far as I've gotten in the last 2 days. Actually, I've taken a load of stuff out of there. Changed some things with hubs. He took the bigger printer stand for his home office and I took the smaller one for in here. Took paints out of the revolving paint caddy and put them on the wall. The spot you can see behind the door is me practicing paint colors on the wall. That is a pink glaze. I'm going to have it PINKKKKK!

I found an antique school desk on craigslist this morning and hubs is picking it up and bringing it home tonight. We can use it no matter what but I'm going to paint it and put decals on it.

BUT during this process I've flitted about and fixed a lamp shade for a more girly effect. I do this frequently - flit from one project to another when tired and want a rest. ;-) But it all gets done in the end.

I have a vision for this room but just cannot seem to get it to come together in the time frame I want. I may have to draw it out to get the desired room I want. I am soooooooo NOT good at this!!

I told you I even keep my nails and screws in pretty containers. Here it is........talk the talk then walk the walk, chicks!!

Where in the world am I going to put these little houses that were on the shelf that now contains the paint bottles??? Oooooooh, does this mean I need to shoopppPPP?!?!?! Say it ain't so, sweet chicks!!!! LOL

The refurbished lamp shade. Thanks for Lori for the paper roses! They are truly gorgeous. Whatta ya think, sweets???? Nuuuuuu, think it needs something else........Hmmmmm......... gonna go "flit" and read a book, eat pretzels and drink some pepsi...........

Photographers and Stylists

When I read a magazine or book, I read all the little, seemingly inconsequential, things in it - who did the photographs, styling, editors, staff, date it was published (if a book) and all those little things with which we don't concern ourselves very often. I can actually tell when the editor of a magazine has changed just by perusing the magazine even before I sit down to peruse it leisurely. They each have a certain "style" as evidenced by the "recent" (few years ago now) changes in Romantic Homes magazine. I noticed it immediately with Country Home and Country Living through the years.

But besides seeing who the writer of the article is, and let's just talk about magazines in this post, I look for the stylist also.

I didn't think it would be a particularly hard job, but certainly glamorous, and would have loved to do it. But since I've become a photographer, and I use this term very loosely here, I learned how hard both jobs can be! Getting the light just right. Cramming all the lovely items into a small space to add pizzazz to the photo. Hard work I'm sure!! I don't even come close to being good at either. I am barely adequate when posting pix for this blog. So with great "reverence" I salute the photographers and stylists of those truly beautiful stories we read in the magazines today.

Now, the the proofreader I've noticed is slacking on the job though. The current issue of Romantic Country, summer 2008. Have you noticed that on page 21 in the top left picture the clock is running backwards? And just below that one the clock looks like it's upside down. Now, that can't be a reversal of the photo but what's with those people hanging the clock upside down???? Page 28 left photo of the buddhas. Read the description and look at the buddhas. They've reversed the photo. Then we have page 50! Whooooa chicks! The pink telephone dial is backwards, the writing on the shadow box on the wall is reversed and the clock again is running backwards. I know, I know, not a big deal, but those proofreaders should have caught those "goofs"! Yoohoo, Romantic Country, I'm available!!!!! I'm not cheap though!! :-)
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The shutters were put beside the archway on the dining room side. I'll probably spend the rest of the year patching nail holes........uhhhhh, only the visible ones though!

I've put one french wire basket under the picture off center. I could not get it centered with all the other stuff. AND since I worked so hard to get it out of my daughter's shed and home to Idaho I'll be darned if I'm NOT going to put it up somewhere! Now I just have to figure out where the other one will go. It will have to be low because of not being able to see what is in it up high. I also hang items HIGH and low on walls. I think it adds visual interest and love it. I've even put pictures leaning on the wall on the floor or on baseboards too.

Be creative in what you do in life and how you decorate your home. It sets you apart from all the "cookie cutter" or "accepted" decorating styles and shows YOUR style, not your friend's style or the show room salesperson's style, but your unique style! I do and I highly recommend it. :-)

Today I went to Boise since Love Bunny is away. I bought these 2 feather pillows for $24.99! Squeeeeeal, yes for both! That's $12.50 each for a 20" x 20" feather pillow. I am truly blessed. :-)

Now for this next part you're going to have to use your imagination since I didn't get "before" pictures but they're in some picture somewhere on this computer but I'm too lazy to find it so I'll just describe the "before" to the best of my ability. Ooooohmygosh!!!! Yep, that's what it was before. (I bought it but for the life of me I can't remember WHY I would have bought it!!) An "ohmygosh" lamp! Dark wood with a beige shade and amber crystals hanging down. Pretty ugly let me tell ya, chicks! Soooooo, I decided to take my handy dandy spray can of white paint and spritzzzz it. I had that other shade - remember, I stuck a faux fern in it till I could figure out what I was going to do with it?? Okay, after taking off the amber (yuck!) crystals and painting the lamp white, I then decorated the lamp shade.

Now, a sweet friend named Sharon gave me a little charm last year and I wanted to do something reeeealllly special with it since it is so teensy tiny. I don't see how she paints on them. Very tiny! I decided to put that little pink roses charm on the new lamp. Voilà, the new frou frou lamp with parchment roses, lace and Sharon's lovely exquisite charm!! Very little effort for spectacular results!!!



Sharon's hubby is really into western movies. He watches them frequently. I have this art print by Chuck Haan in my hallway. No, I am not into western art, but when I saw this many years ago in a little antique shop in the Niles area of Fremont, Calif. it touched my heart. It's an Indian brave looking sweetly at a little bluebird on a snow covered branch of a tree in the dead of winter. It just stole my heart away and I had to have it. So even in a romantic, shabby, girly pink house this print holds a place of honor. I thought Sharon might like to show it to hubby.

The point of this story is: If you love it, if it touches your heart, then you should have it no matter what the decor of your home is. Ooooooh, and btw, please don't tell Love Bunny I said this. It DOES NOT apply to model trains!!! No no no no no no no no no!!

Lamps Redone

Okay, so now apparently I'm scaring the family dogs with the cackling coming from some of ya chicks hearing my voice?!?!?! LOL.... BUT don't I sound s*xy?!?! I sooooo don't sound like a grandma almost 70 years old, do I?!?!? Answer that correctly or I'll come pinch yer nose off, sweetpeas.... I'm sitting here cracking up!!! You gals are just toooooo funny............ohmygosh......

Okay, if you are terribly interested in what I sound like, click on the icon to the right------------------------->
This will take you to a page that will download an audio file for you. It is completely safe as I wouldn't have it any other way(!) and you can put it in a file folder to click and hear what I sound like. I absolutely love hearing what other people sound like. It's such a treat to put a voice to the face OR a face to the voice sometimes. :-) Enjoy.....
~*~

Okay, okay, I admit it: this little lamp has had more flower "plastic surgeries" than Joan Rivers! But what can I say when these adorable parchment roses are so lovely and cheap?! I love them and decided to put them around the house on several different things. But here are just a few of the things I've done.

Another lamp shade close up.




Okay, okay, so these are silk I still had to show them sitting next to my original wedding cake topper. :-)



Uuuuuhhhh, while dusting today I couldn't figure out what to do with this extra lamp shade sitting on top of my dresser for weeks now just waiting for me to decide what to do with it. Soooo, I stuck some silk ferns in it and there they stay indefinitely or until I decide what to do with the lamp shade, whichever comes first! ;-)

Extra roses awaiting their fate!