Frigid Frosty Mornings

Well, we survived the big snowstorm this weekend, and despite all the hype we barely got a foot of snow. 

Christmas, Christmas Everywhere!

Can you believe Christmas is less than two weeks away?

Where on earth do the days go?

I know they say that time flies when you're having fun....but this is ridiculous!

Layers of Spring in the Bedroom

Exactly one year ago yesterday I stood outside in an ice storm, sick as a dog with a terrible flu....and directed the movers where to go with each piece of furniture as they took it out of the truck. 

It was moving day....and despite feeling like something that was scraped off the bottom of my shoe, I was as happy as a clam!

Keeping Christmas Simple in the Bedroom

I definitely went a little crazy putting out bits & bobs all over my new house to decorate for the holidays! 

There are a multitude of snowmen in the kitchen and dining room, the living room has quite the collection of ornaments and such, and the outdoor decor nearly killed me with that whole getting-on-the-ladder thing!

But in the bedroom I kept it simple. 

Sweet and simple. 

I like to have light colored bed linens in the bedroom in the summer months - it has a cooling effect for sure! But once fall hit I had to bring in some color. I was craving color. 

I knew this duvet cover would transition nicely through the holidays with all the pops of red and green. 

And the "home" pillow just makes me smile. 

A couple of days ago I brought in a little Christmas cheer with a red knit throw on my chair, and a Christmas pillow from PB. 

Of course, if you wait until after Christmas like I did last year you will get it for a LOT less money!!

I'm just saying. 

I brought in a large Poinsettia for the dresser - these are the nicest Poinsettias I've had in years! I got them through the local school's fundraiser - and they are gorgeous!

This little corner just makes me so happy - I truly love having a chair in my bedroom! It only happened once before, for a small while....I had a chair in my bedroom in Queens until we had to move it out to put in a treadmill for my then-husband's therapy after an accident. 

I cherish my little corner chair. It makes my small room feel like such a retreat. When I need a quiet moment in a hectic house I can come into my peaceful room and lock the door behind me and just have a moment to myself. 

I ordered a little pouf-ottoman for it months ago and it's been back-ordered three times already! Sigh....maybe Santa will bring it on his sleigh when he comes this year. 

The pouf (and some artwork on the walls) will finish this room off nicely!

Even the view out my bedroom window got a little Christmas cheer - the addition of a couple of simple wreaths on the garden cottage doors bring a smile to my face!

It's all about the little things, isn't it? 

A throw, a pillow, a plant....a smile. 

I hope you find something that makes you smile today. 

Styling a Dresser, Part II

So, remember way back when I did a post on my Master Bedroom renovation?

And then on styling a dresser?

Well, believe it or not I'm still trying to get the balance right on that dresser. 

Ok, so the other day I went to The Happiest Place On Earth  which was a very, very good day. And I shared with you many of the items I bought that day. 

However, I left out just a teeny weeny bit of what I purchased. 

These beauties. 

Notice the glitter? The sparkles? The crystals? Yup, I'm still a 12 year old girl on the inside. For sure. 

I had a plan. I have been searching for ages for some tall branches to put in this beauty. 

Isn't she pretty? I had picked her up for a steal...of course....at Decor Steals. 

I've mentioned my obsession fondness for Decor Steals in the past, right?

Yes. Well. 

Anyway, this baby has been sitting on my dresser for at least a month. I've been trying to find just the right thing to put in her. 

I mean, you can't just put anything, right? I was going to see this every morning when I woke up and last thing at night when I turned out the light. 

So, when I made my trip into civilization last week, off to Michael's I went. 

Humming a happy tune and skipping all the way. 

And I went to their floral department. The place with all the branches and stuff. 

And it was all boring. It had all been done. Like a million times. 

Booooorrrriiiinnnngggggg. 

I needed flash. I needed sparkle. I needed bling. 

Yes, bling. 

And then across the store came a blinding flash of light....it was the sun shining in the front windows onto a display of....

....Sparkly Holiday Branches. 

At HALF off. 

And one of them was covered in silver glitter and pearls and crystals and was shouting my name from across the store.....

I mean, come on. Glitter. Crystals. Pearls. 

Perfect. 

So I ran to the front of the store and picked out three of the sparkliest, glitteriest branches I could find and three branches of pearls to keep them company and I zipped my now-covered-in-glitter-from-head-to-toe self through the register and brought those babies home to my little mountain house. 

In my now-covered-in-glitter car. 

You can never escape Michaels without being attacked by glitter, can you? Even the credit card swiper was covered in glitter!

So, here she is in all her glory. 

And she's beautiful and the sun catches the sparkly things and makes me smile. 

But now there's another problem. 

Look. 

No, look again. 

The lamp is too small. The scale is all wrong. 

So now I'm looking for a new lamp. 

In fairness, I never really liked this one. I picked two of them up at Lowes a few years back in desperation when I needed bedside lights after my divorce. 

But they were never my style. I thought I could make them work but....nope. 

Not doing it for me. 

So the hunt continues. I think I'm going to head back to the Happiest Place On Earth. 

Until then, maybe I'll put this lamp on a stack of books or something so that it doesn't drive me completely out of my mind. 

My sweetie's right. 

I am anal. 

But don't tell him I admitted it. 

Ok?

Shhhh. 

Before and After

Today is my anniversary!!  Well, half-anniversary, to be exact. I moved into my new home exactly 6 months ago today! 

I dug out some photos from when I toured the house back in November of last year - excuse the quality, most of them were taken on my iPad. I thought it would be fun to see what has changed since I moved in. Keep in mind the photos from the tour had all the previous homeowners' furnishings so that is, of course, a big part of the change. 

Ok, I'm excited, here we go!!

The Kitchen before had a very dark green paint which made it feel dark, despite the skylight. 

Now the kitchen is light and bright and sunny. My sweetie changed out the previous light fixture to a custom made cottage style fixture, created by me. And all the knobs got changed to these bubbly green glass knobs  from Pottery Barn's clearance page that I fell in love with. I bought them the day my offer was accepted!

Dining Room then.....

And now. Fresh paint, new rug, and new windows make it warm and welcoming. I actually loved the homeowner's dining room table and chairs so I bought them with the house. We had an additional leaf made for the table to accommodate larger dinner parties. It seats 8 comfortably now. 

Living Room then....

And now. Biggest change here was replacing the wood burning insert - the previous one was an antique and not energy efficient at all.  Of course fresh paint and new windows make a big difference as well. And the addition of a soft rug underfoot not only brightens the space but also makes it feel more welcoming. Someday I'll get around to adding some more artwork to this room and changing out those sconces. And of course I'm still debating how to hide the TV.

What once was two bedrooms.....

Is now my master suite. Open the one remaining door and get the full tour in this post

What was once this....

Is now this, part of the master suite. Huge difference! That's your sneak peek at the master suite.....

One of my favorite transformations that didn't involve major construction is in the lower level. 

What was once a man cave....

Is now a cozy and comfortable family room. 

I wanted to create a comfortable place for my daughters to watch TV, entertain friends, and just relax. I love this space! The sofa also pulls out for additional guests.  The door by the staircase leads to my younger daughter's room, which is an en-suite with a full bath and private entrance.  Very important when living with a 24 year old daughter for us each to have our own space for a little quiet time when the need arises!

The previous owners' little corner bar.....

Now houses an extra fridge and wine storage. 

The laundry and workout area....

Is still a laundry and workout area! In addition to a coffee bar and mini kitchen. Sort of, if a table and chairs, coffee maker, microwave, and fridge serves as a mini kitchen. It's plumbed for a sink as well if I ever want to turn this space into a fully functioning kitchen. Who knows in the future if that might be something our family may require....it was a great selling point for me. 

Behind the curtains is my older daughter's space when she comes home. The sofa pulls out to a queen size bed. This is also my workout space when she's not home. It didn't get much use this week....busy, busy. 

The laundry area is the largest and nicest I've ever had! It's mostly used by my daughter now since I have laundry facilities in my master suite. 

Looking back through the curtains you can see how the spaces relate to each other. If you make a right by the wine rack you're back in the family room. The curtains offer a hint of separation without blocking the amazing light that comes through the sliding doors in the mornings. They could always be changed out for more privacy if the need ever arises. The lower level is a great place for the girls to share - they each have their own space and can bring friends home at any time, knowing there's plenty of room. 

The original listing photo, taken obviously before the previous homeowners painted the house and deck. 

This space is now my heaven on earth. I'm so sad to say goodbye to this space for the cold months...

I hope you enjoyed my half-anniversary edition of the home tour as much as I enjoyed showing you around! The only space you haven't seen yet is the guest room and guest bath....soon!

Have a fabulous fall weekend, everyone!

A Room With a View

There's nothing like coming home after a long, busy day....unless it's coming home to a project FINISHED!!

My amazing contractor finished up the trim and painting around the new windows yesterday and I couldn't be more pleased! 

Despite my long day and the late hour when I got home I set to work getting things back in order again. 

I poured myself a cocktail and started cleaning windows and hanging curtains. 

Yes, I know - they are wrinkled. I don't iron. Don't judge. 

If the wrinkles don't fall out on their own (please do!) I have a steamer I can use on them if absolutely necessary. 

The house looks so cozy now looking in from the deck. I had to snap a couple of photos when I went out with the pups. 

The table will look better surrounded by loved ones but that will happen soon. I'm ready to host another dinner party now that the house is back in order. 

And of course I have to christen my new best friend. You can read all about her here. 

I was glad I got all the work done before I went to bed so I could just relax with my coffee and enjoy the beautiful view when I woke up. The sun wasn't shining yet, it was barely over the mountain, but the view is still gorgeous. 

From the living room I see out onto the conversation area and firepit on the deck, and beyond to the woods and the mountain range. And the flat feeder which the blue jays have taken over completely!

Can you see the two greedy blue jays fighting over the feeder?

From the dining room I see the outdoor dining set and also the woods and mountains beyond. And the goldfinches.....they are pretty much at that feeder all. day. long. 

I don't know if I've even seen any other bird on this feeder yet other than the finches. 

From the guest room window I have a great view of the neighbor's horses and their little red barn.  I think that might have been the point during my initial tour when I fell in love with the house. 

I mean, come on. How could I not? 

I can see the horses out of one of my master bedroom windows also. And I hear them clomping around during the night....it's become a very comforting sound for me in the past few months, once I got used to the noise and stopped thinking it was a bear on my deck!

From my other master bedroom window and also one of the master bathroom windows I can see my little garden cottage and the woodlands beyond. It's so private and quiet. 

I'm so very fortunate to be able to look out my new windows onto views that make me smile and feel at peace. 

What's your favorite view from your home? 

Styling a Dresser

Good Morning, All!! I hope you all have wonderful plans for the weekend ahead....make sure you find time to do something that makes you happy!!

Today I'm thinking about how to style the new dresser in my bedroom. It's been naked except for a small lamp since it arrived, while I gave some thought to what I'd like to put on it.

This morning I shopped my house to find a few items to place on the dresser, as we are having company tonight who have never seen my house....I certainly can't have them looking at a naked dresser!

(Excuse the horrible photos - my daughter absconded with my good camera so I was forced, kicking and screaming, to take photos on my iPhone.)

Soooooo....it's better, obviously, than a naked dresser but it still needs help.

What's a girl to do?

First, get ideas.....Pinterest to the rescue!!

Via

Via

Via

Via

Via

Via

So many great ideas out there and hey, doesn't that doggie look alot like my Lily/Tubs?

I'm noticing a trend here and it tells me the first thing I need to get is a pretty mirror for on top of the dresser....which is exactly what I was thinking!! The dresser is across from a window and I love putting a mirror across from a window to increase the amount of sunshine in a room.

I think I'm also due a trip to Home Goods for a good look around.....who's in?

I call shotgun!