Summer Favorites: Ticking Stripes and Sunflowers

I found the most wonderful antique ticking stripe settee last week while browsing the web, but I was using my IPad and it was in the wee hours of the morning. I was having trouble when I tried to PIN things, so I couldn't find the image until just now. But all the hunting I did for it got my inspiration going once more for one of my favorite seasonal combos...all things Ticking Stripe and Florals... Mainly bouquets and arrangements with Sunflowers. So I thought I'd share with you some photos that just say "Summer" to me...

This is a photo from Worthy Goods Blog from 2014.

Crazy how seeing something can make such a big impression.

This had me on the hunt for some Ticking Fabric.

If you get a minute drop by for more inspiring show photos.

Cottage Journal Collector's Shed

Many of you subscribe to or purchase The Cottage Journal, 

but did you know they have a website/blog that is frequently updated 

with wonderful feature layouts and stories? 

 You can go to their site and sign up in email for the blog.

 I thought you might enjoy seeing these photos from a recent entry

 on a garden shed that's filled with all the vintage essentials. 

In Praise of Plaid

Plaid is my go-to for Christmas.

I like to keep it simple, and that's what Tartan Plaid gives me.

The Tartan Plaid fabrics bring an instant festive Christmas flair.

Here are a few pics to share the Tartan Love...

A concrete statue becomes a Christmas Cherub.

A French Country Inspired Spring Brunch Buffet

Hello Everyone, 

we're all so excited to start off this special week of our

 Share Your Style Spring Blog Hop!

This week all eight of us will be sharing some fresh new Spring Inspiration and we hope you'll share what you've been doing to transform your spaces for this brand new Season.

Early Spring Inspiration

I went looking for some Spring Inspiration through my photo gallery of the last week of February and the first week of March. Here are a few images of what I was doing last year this time and the year before. Some of the photos make me tearful and nostolgic, so I'll save those, but here are a few that are happy and briming with the anticipation of all things Spring.

 March 2014 at the lease house 

The Spring Forecast is Green

One of the things I loved most about having a shop space or antique mall booth was the styling and designing. I always had plans for each new Holiday and Season rearranging furniture and displays. That part was something I truly enjoyed, and I've really missed those days that I could bring in some new items and then just "play". Taking a color scheme and expanding on it with prints, dishes, linens, and accessories was and still is, one of the best ways for me to get my creativity and inspiration flowing.

Moss Covered Heart: How-To

I can't tell you how long I've wanted to make one of these. Working with moss can be messy to say the least, but I had found a paper mache form in the shape of a heart at Michael's, so I thought I might as well dive in. literally. I didn't want to run around town looking for supplies, so I hoped that I had everything that I needed in my stash. (I was a little short on moss since I'd used a bunch on another recent project). Yesterday I shared my inspiration for a Moss Covered Heart for Valentine's Day that will go into Spring and Summer.

Inspiration Board for the New Living Room

I had so much fun putting together an inspiration board for the New Living Room here at the lease house that I thought I'd try it again for the Great Room living area at our new house. I didn't use any actual photos of my own furniture pieces, but just found approximations of items that were already listed on Polyvore.

Below, you can see what I put together 

for my current living space that we're in now at the lease house. 

There will be a few differences in the two spaces, the main thing will be that the new house living space is larger, and I'm hoping it can be a little more formal than it is here at the lease house. We will have a large family/media room in the lower level walkout basement, that will be a more informal area. But upstairs, even though we will be using a tv, I want it to look more pulled together and traditional.

I'm hoping that I can use this armoire that matches our bedroom furniture to house the television. We'll be downsizing the tv a little, and putting our bigger one downstairs with the media center. In the new house we have a niche above the fireplace for a tv, but that's a "no way" for me. I'm not sure what guy first came up with that clever decorating/design idea, but I can bet you he didn't consult a woman...just sayin'...

Not sure yet how we will cover that up, but we have our contractor/handy man meeting us next week to discuss some options.

Another big change will be the lighter hardwood floors.(OK, I've gotten over the shock of them not being darker, but I'm embracing a lighter look, so I'm making sure my happy face is on at all times.) I love hardwoods, but I also want a large area rug. I've been scoping out rugs, and after trying to imagine a variety of styles and colors, I keep coming back to something that is lighter and in a traditional pattern. I'm looking for something that blends in with the hardwood's color. I haven't made any decisions yet, I'm waiting till we have the wall paint up before I make a huge commitment for 2 area rugs and a runner...big commitment. This is one of my ideas.

source

We need to find another recliner, and that's something else, that even though I looked at Lazy Boy and found just the right style, I couldn't choose a color or fabric until I find the right rug. Are we seeing the domino effect? Gotta keep Daddy comfortable, so maybe something like this...

Lazy Boy Furniture

Hopefully, not either of these...

moving right along...

Another change I hope to make is going back to my distressed antique white coffee table, end tables and sofa table. They were way too big for the lease house space, but I'm hoping that they will work at the new house. Not sure if the off white will be right, but the other option is to paint them a taupe-y gray that will blend in with the sofas and wall color.

These are photos right after I painted them back in 2011. Gosh, I got so much flack about painting these pieces. One person hounded me for days saying I'd regret it. So far I haven't.

I don't think I told you, but my sister adopted my twin damask sofas and I have to say that they "look mahvelous" at her new house!

The white Balustrade lamps that I found this Spring will be going on the end tables (hopefully...I'm using that word "hopefully" alot) Truth is, I have no idea how all this will go together until we actually get there. I can see it in my head, but who knows. At least it looks good on the inspiration board. Love love love those wonderful linen lampshades.

We stopped by to get samples of Benjamin Moore paints, and after about 45 minutes and studying them all around the store, I came home with these two sample pints. This will get me started, I imagine there will be a few more sample pots once I get these up.

Ben Moore Nimbus

(more gray undertones)

Ben Moore Smokey Taupe

(more brown undertones)

There are tons of things to do and think about. The design board just helps keep me focused. Right now I'm concentrating on paint for the walls. one thing at a time...at least that's what I'm trying to tell myself.

Hope you have a great Sunday!

Joining in with these great parties:

Sundays at Home with Thoughts from Alice
Amaze Me Monday at Dwellings
Mod Mix Monday at Mod Vintage Life
Show and Share at Coastal Charm
Tweak it Tuesday at Cozy Little House
Inspire Me Tuesday at A Stroll Thru Life
The Scoop at Cedar Hill Farmhouse
Wow Us Wednesday at Savvy Southern Style

xoxo.

Ideas for a Cottage Look Lampshade

I'm giving you fair warning, I will probably be doing some random decor posts for awhile. My ""decor radar" is up for all kinds of new options and "finds". So I'll just be sharing with you what I'm thinking about and looking at for our new house that we'll be moving into sometime in September.

One of the things that's on my list is some new lighting for the Dining Room and Kitchen Dining Area. As I was looking through some websites for Pendant Lighting, I came across these fun drum shades just perfect for a Cottage /Bohemian look. I'm not thinking of my Kitchen or Dining Room, I sort of got off the path for a bit, but I love this look and I can see one of these patchwork drum shades in a creative space/office/craft room or girl's bedroom; really, any room that's shabby, cottage, or eclectic. Anyway, just wanted to share these, because I haven't looked at lighting for a long time and I thought they were pretty high up on the "adorable" scale.

I think the patchwork strips and the embroidered one above could be a fun DIY project. The one above makes me think of the vintage teatowels that we see at every flea market. And of course these below are made from old doilies, lace, and trim. love them...

I have several lampshade skeletons that this would work on.

Love the bright colored florals on this next one...

looks almost like a watercolor.

Using darker papers or fabrics gives this one a little more of a Living Room or Bedroom vibe.

Totally love this one with all the fabric 3D blooms.

and this last one just knocks my socks off!

You can find the sources for all these shades on my Pinterest Board

Lighten Up

Yes, these two will be going bye-bye in favor of something more "French".

More on these spaces later...

OK, that's what I'm up to today...

just looking at lighting and playing with some fun ideas...

Tomorrow we go for the inspection, and I have some measuring to do.

Maybe I can get some decent pics then.

On a blogging note, I finally have gotten my act together and fixed the No-Reply Blogger issue. I thought I took care of it a long time ago, but I hadn't figured it out so now I think it's fixed. Sorry, my brain has not been up to speed this last year.

Hope you're having a good week, I'm wearing out my computer and Pinterest, trying to put ideas together. Changing homes can cost and arm and a leg, and I'm going to try to be frugal (at least in some areas) I have lots of ideas for the Living Room and Kitchen that will need some tweaking.

I'm getting my creative/decorating mojo out of the mothballs...

it's going to be fun. 

Joining in on these parties:

Wow Wednesday at Savvy Southern Style

xoxo,

Cottage Plans

I've been indulging myself in gathering together some house ideas. I guess it's not too early to be thinking about what we are looking for in a new home. We're still in the updating stage at the big house, but have made good progress on the inside, so it's possible that we would be ready to list our house by late Spring. So much still needs to be done, but while I'm busy cleaning out closets and sorting through kitchen stuff, I'm taking a little time to look for design ideas and inspiration for our new place.

This next house will be the house we retire in, so we're thinking long term. We already know we don't want an "upstairs", but would like a partially finished basement for storage and a large family area. I want to be able to do all our daily routine on the main level, but have a place in the basement where we can all go as a family when we get together to watch a movie, or the guys hang out.

And let's face it, we have lot's of stuff, so we need some storage. At some point when we're "settled" I'd like to open my Etsy Shop back up with some of my vintage goods. I have tons of dishes and fun stuff that need a home. I had hoped to start that last Fall but life had other plans.

My hubby's a collector too, so he needs his own area for guy stuff...lot's of guy stuff. AND we live in "Tornado Alley" sort of, so all of us like a little basement hideaway in bad weather.

Some of these plans show an upstairs, but I'm mainly looking for design elements. The peaked roof lines and use of decorative rock, brick, or shingles are what I'm interested in. Carriage House garage doors are another item on my list.

Living in this smaller lease house has shown us that we can be happy in less square footage if we have access to storage in a basement. I really am enjoying the fact that all I need can be focused in a smaller more compact space. The kitchen and great room are the center of the house with a split bedroom plan that enables hubby and I to each have an office on one side of the house with the master bedroom on the other.

We really want new construction, or almost new, without a lot of trees or large yard. We're just not into it anymore, and Hubbs isn't and has never been, a fan of yard and garden fun. I was always the one that mowed and did the flowers and shrubs. I enjoyed it, but that's just not happening now. Just give me a small yard with a fence, a patio, a tree, and I'll be good to go.

I'm not a fan of huge houses, with huge rooms. I can appreciate those lovely rooms, but I don't feel totally comfortable in them. I love a cozy space where you can curl up next to a fire and have a cup of tea. We're not big "entertaining" people so no need for large spaces for parties. The largest soiree I would want would be a "Girlfriend's Lunch", or a small dinner with family, that's about it.

One element of the English Cottage Design that I love is the timbered porches, posts, and gables. (see below). The multipaned windows with a transom or arch and shutters, always get my attention.

We're planning on building or buying "affordable and efficient". We're thinking around 2000 square feet give or take on the main level. I DO want a sunroom so I'm going to probably have to do some bargaining for that.

We want to be free of a mortgage so we can do some traveling at some point in life. Having a larger home with a lot of outside maintenance just doesn't thrill us any more. We'll leave that to the younger couples with some kiddos still at home.

So that's some of my inspiration for our new home. I have lot's of ideas for inside, but I've realized over the years, if a house has good bones you can add elements here and there to personalize it and make it your own.

All these homes can be found at their source on my Pinterest Board,

 Cottage Plans and Inspiration.

News on the home front... We have the granite counter tops in and new French Doors to the sunporch at the big house. We went to an open house on the street behind us and visited with a realtor that we were familiar with. He lives in our subdivision and has listed and sold many homes in our area. We're not ready to list, but feel like he will be our choice when the time is right. Things are rolling along, and the better weather will encourage us and help us get some outside work done.

I think the very top sketch with the gray rock and shingles is my favorite, but when it comes down to a choice, we always pray for God's leading and timing. So wherever and whatever we end up with, I know it will be where we are supposed to be. I'm just hoping God likes little English Cottages. te he.

 I'll be joining in with these great parties:

Wow Us Wednesday at Savvy Southern Style

Inspiration Exchange at City Farmhouse
From My Front Porch to Yours
Share Your Cup at Mrs. Olson's
Grey Dey Thursday at Petite Michelle Louise
Fabulously Creative Friday at Jennifer Rizzo
Home Sweet Home at The Charm of Home
Feathered Nest Friday at French Country Cottage

If you haven't checked out the goods at The Marketplace
then just click here.

xoxo,

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