Tranquility...

 Trying to find that quiet place,

the little room at the top of the stairs

is where I rest...

 I finally got it painted,

color of choice...white...

 I added one of my favorite oil paintings of

the ocean, simply leaning against the wall,

gives a peaceful vista

to gaze and dream...

 Nothing on the walls by the headboard,

a very feng shui style, as the headboard faces

the night sky and the twinkling stars...

Peace reigns here, as dreams are caught

and sent into the light...

Can't help myself...

 OMG...I'm driving me crazy!!!

I'm just not happy with the color of this piece in this room...

sooooo...

 I like it so much better black,

with the wallpaper and my other pieces, it just stands out better!

 Now I can't decide which shot I like best...

it's plain ol' flat black, no finish.

 I love this old print...it's sooo me...

 I love the subdued look as well...

I'll again blame it on that ol' North wind,

I am my own worst enemy, I must have change, always!

I guess this ol' book sums it up huh...

TAH DAH...

I am soooo glad I painted this piece black

it really gives the room a vintage appeal, sorta

like your Victorian great granny's house.

I needed a big piece to pull it together and this TV cabinet

was the perfect piece.

I used a flat black with no finish, just the flat surface, 

not shiny...I don't like a shiny surface!

I know that many say they don't like silk flowers,

but in order for me to have a summer all winter long,

it's silks, with drieds added in.

Let me tell ya, a steaming bowl of chile tonight

will be the bomb, as I sit in my new comfy space

at the lil' pink shack...

home sweet home!

Most mysterious...

Something strange lurks in shadow...

am I tetched in the head or what,

don't answer that!

Here it is, after 9:00 PM and I'm up with the paint can,

but you know this is the way of it for us

serious nesters...right!

When a project calls...we give in...to the night!

heh heh heh...!

Bet you can't wait for the 'morrow...

me either!

Time to grunge...or not...

 I finally got my cupboard moved in, it's been in storage for years...

Remember when we had to have those cupboards for our giant TV, well,
I still have my beast, though I don't have cable TV anymore, just Netflix
and you know what, it's a great feeling...

 But, it's a little too white for me...sooooo...out comes the wash of brown paint to
grunge it up and give it that stored in the attic kinda look...right...mildew!!!
I even considered painting it black, but I'm gonna live with it for a while yet...

The TV used to sit on this ol' black trunk, but it's become a handy table  to
hold more junk...sweet huh...playing with my toys, it's the name of the game!!!

What's in your stairwell...

Collections...n funky stuff...

being a taxidermist, I have a 'thing' for strange
and since I have an odd sense of humor...

I saved the vintage wallpaper
for the lived in ancient appeal...

and filled the walls with prints of wildlife...

When I was married,
I once put a table in the hallway,
my husband threw a MAJOR hissy fit...

Freedom has it's way...
and this free spirit lives the life unchained
to stack and restack
in a lil' pink shack...

You can never cross the ocean
unless you have the courage
to lose sight of the shore...

Life on the tilt...

Do you think my porch columns have issues...
this one especially, there is now a 3 inch gap where my
husband rebuilt the deck and butted the boards right
up next to it...

The far side is beginning to show tilt as well, this is
what happens when you live on a busy 4-lane...

We added the corbels for a little extra support...
and a way cool look, but alas,
the traffic rumbles on and my
leaning towers of pinkness

continue to tilt, but hey, do you think it's a
perfect fit for me...RIGHT ON SISTAS...

A rose is a rose
in spite of the thorn
weathered wood speaks
this is approved
for human habitat
enter if you will
the vapors of
contentment
waft

Home Sweet Home

Before and after...

My kitchen today...

Before I moved in the soap biz...5 years ago...
see TOT...I had a chair!!!
My walls were still under excavation,
as was my floor.

This was the first of the vintage wallpaper to be
discovered, cool, but just not my color palette...
sooooo...

Someday I would love to strip off the paneling
behind my frig to see what lies beneath...
yes, this is the truth behind "where woman create",
the ugly truth...

I never shut this cupboard door because I'm
always making soap...
and your point would be...

When the realtor first took me in for a viewing,
this is the first thing I saw...
the crackled ceiling!
OMG...the first word out of my mouth was...
MINE!!!
AND, I didn't have to do a thing to it...

As the excavating on the walls continued,
this is the wallpaper that I finally uncovered.
I sprayed and scraped
and sprayed and scraped
and re-glued some pieces back on and some not,
but the look of ancient farmhouse was coming to life.

This wall I would eventually like to rip off the paneling
as well, but that's another day...

The walls were painted a creamy yellow, then grunged
using a dark brown water wash. It was wiped off
with a wet towel when nearly dry, wood work
is a sage green.

Can you tell I love fruit pictures...

Yup, this is where it all happens...
the sweat shop...
my kitchen!

Up next...the bath...

To plaster or not to plaster...

I bought this house with the intention of putting a 2nd
shop in it, we already had one in the city, so a country
local would be fun...right...
but the ol' gal had issues...like wiring...
city inspectors told me to rewire, unfortunately
it had to be run through conduit on the
outside of the walls...ewwww...
but I've learned to love it, kinda looks like
old gas lines for lighting back in the day...

Little did I know that the upstairs window was left open
a lot when there were migrant workers living
in the house and repairs were never made...
like caulking the windows...
when you see repaired plaster on the ceiling,
it usually means past problems, but it adds to the
decrepit state of my kitchen...and besides,
don't you just love those pictures of the old mansions
with crumbling plaster...me too!
More on my kitchen in another post...

Random chunks in the upstairs plaster, there is
also evidence of a leaky roof from the stains visible...
that was my next major expense,
a new metal roof...
PS...I collect oil paintings of the ocean,
it's my Florida getaway in my bedroom.

My front room had that cheesy ceiling tile, ewwww...
so my daughter and I ripped it all off
and the ceiling didn't fall on us...
so, all I had to do was fill a gazillion nail holes!
So, as you can see, there's a pattern forming here,
very unlikely that repairs will be made,
agree...

Where shall we explore next...heehee...!

Define me...

The front room...
I love this room, it just has the best light
most of the day, it's original raw plaster walls
define the room and my style.
I love Victorian, but I also love the look of decay,
once beautiful pieces worn to perfection...
when I bought the house this room had
falling down wallpaper that I struggled
in my mind, to keep or not to keep,
but the lure of the plaster underneath
won out and I love my choice!

Once beautiful refinished oak pieces
graced this space, but I had a yearning
for something beyond,
something to fit the room
and my style...sooo...
I painted the cupboard and the table white,
and glazed the cupboard with a wash of
brown paint giving it a grungy stored in the
attic look, haven't grunged the table yet.

The tall cupboard is painted grey, it pulls
the different shades of grey out of the plaster
and holds all of my books...
love it!!!

The well-worn fabric on the two parlor chairs
and the dark walnut of the wood adds
contrast and a focal point against all the white.
Lace curtains fulfill another element,
Granny's house, I love my house to have that look,
like Granny just left...now how do you define
this style...eclectic perhaps...

Whatever it may be, the saying I wrote on the arch
says it all to me...
"For all my days, seasons shall bloom in memories."