a few tid bits.

The black petunia's deserve a spotlight, so pretty in the darkness. And of course this little moldy, but pretty finding.

outside now

If you look down to a few months ago at what the outside of this house looked like when we bought it and how now look here.... It has been a major change. Still have to paint that front door but it will have to wait until the fall. Thanks to my mom and tom we have really made this garden a nice retreat from the rest of the world. I have been watering, weeding, and trying to get rid of a clover patch that is taking over some flowers.



I can't wait for the tomatoes to ripen, to make bruchetta and salad and sandwiches mmm....





These were the freshly picked veggies today. They are growing at a pace that makes me smile... It is so nice to go out there and pick my own fresh veggies! My mom mixed some chicken poop into the dirt when the seeds went in and I thought it was strange at first.. I now understand why she used that these veggies are amazing and lush and yummy. I made Zuchini bread for the first time yesterday and it was delicious next time I am going to try making it with some squash mixed in too!
So this is the reason I have been playing outside instead of inside, I have been spending time in the studio, but this has been a nice way to unwind from the rest of the world when I get home in the evenings. Happy summer!

decorators...

I have fallen in love with the show million dollar decorators on Bravo! It is one of the few things on T.V. that is visually interesting and has a mix of smart aesthetics and how to deal with people when you provide a service for them... I have had a passion for designing interiors and it is fun to watch them spend money like there is no end to it... The clients are wealthy and the taste the decorators bring is really interesting and eclectic. Definitely inspiring and has me wondering if my obsession with interior decor is where I should focus my energy.

JUNE...

Time seems to be ticking away at a speed that I can't seem to grasp. It seems like only yesterday I was walking around with a coat and scarf on through the woods behind this house, which I have now made into a home... During this time I have been working in my studio, very productively I must say! I am happy to report that some of the stress of my job/life has calmed down and I have started thinking in the terms of an "artist" again. Not just making, but making with a purpose. I have started a project for the house, a quilt for my bed, which I have never done before. (Everyone else has a quilt at this point except me). I have been learning to garden and deal with some animals that like to live around the garden. And enjoying every day, really trying to take them in.
I recently discovered a site that I fell in love with, almost like a visual dictionary or encyclopedia.... But better because it is social online, called pintrest. I created my own board and have fallen in love with it! It is http://pinterest.com/anaslayers/ if you want to see what I am into at the moment. I promise to post some photos this week of everything going on. -Happy summer everyone.

master bedroom

Closet area- before the closet was set in....


and.... AFTER look its my new walk-in closet. I am in love with the way it made the shape of the room look, and the extra space. I am going to be using a curtain in white linen from Restoration Hardware, instead of a formal door. I could not find any that I loved and there is a lot of room around it so I figured a nice soft fabric would sofen the room.



This is the view of the master bedroom walking into it. I never grasped how large this room is until I had all my old furniture in there and it still looked empty. I love having the extra room, and I will be adding a reading chair, rugs, perhaps different lamps, and of course wall hangings.


This is the reading nook which is where I want to add a couple more furniture items. The color of the room is Martha Stewart "heavy goose" from Home Depot. It is a true grey with a blue undertone. It changes depending on the color of the light sometimes it looks grey, green or blue. I love the grey colors through-out the house. It is neutral but clean, and a great background for everything else in a room.

cardboard free!

It has been a busy couple of weeks here. We pulled up carpet, painted, put down floor, packed, moved, un-packed, and even spent a day in the garden... So here it is a little bit more finished.

The guest room if you remembered looked like this when we purchased the house. Brown carpet and brown wood panel walls, it was like a 70's time warp, or Alice in wonderland when the walls look like they are coming in on you.
We pulled up the carpet, and primed and painted the walls. The wall color is Martha Stewart "bakery box white" at Home depot. This color looks blue or green depending on the light and the time of day. It is bright, fresh and a decent size now that the walls and floor and fresh.
BEFORE-

PROGRESS-


I decided to keep it vintage in this room, the wood paneled walls had that vibe so I went with it. I added a combination of bedding some blues and browns, some embroidered pillows, for a handmade feeling. I also added extra blankets and pillows for guests, and left some space on the table tops and bench for people to put their things. This is currently the only room with rugs and I choose to use these that I already had because they worked best in this room. I tried them in other places, but they kept with a handmade touch in this room. Notice the yo-yo quilt I made a couple years back hangs in here too.... Finally out of a chest and out in the open.


I would still like to add a reading chair in this room and hang some things on the wall, a collection of tea towels perhaps. I have already had my mom and Tom stay in here and they seemed to like it enough. I am hoping it hosts many guests! More of the house to come soon, room by room I will share a tour. Also the progression of what I decide to do, make and of course change.

The insides.

This is a nook in the master bedroom next to the dormer window, I have plans to make this a reading corner. We are also putting another closet in the master, there is already a walk in but I believe most marriages have a better chance with separate closets so we are adding another. Mainly because I am very particular. Bedrooms look a little boring empty in photos but there are 4 in this house, a studio, an office, a master, and a guest room.



This is the upstairs bath, which needs a good sanding. The walls are partly textured and partly smooth. The 70's really did a number on homes. The idea is to smooth everything out and then paint the walls. Eventually we want to tear out the bathtub and replace it all with a double headed walk in shower.



This is the guest room, I had to show this lovely wood paneling. I love it, sense the sarcasm. However after being primed we noticed this room is much larger than it seemed.



This is after the primer, it looks better already. The carpet is all gone upstairs and new flooring will be put down next week. The downstairs was all hardwood, upstairs had carpet but will soon match the rest.
More to come soon with some improvements.