Inspiring ideas for the handmade home.
I’m starting to look at things differently. A $35 eBay find. Rewired. Didn’t have a shade on hand. I think I like it just the way it is. I’ll set on it a while. Maybe I’ll change my mind, maybe I won’t. We’ll see.
I hope you find some inspiration.
All the best~
C.
Sprigs of fresh greens, vintage glass ornaments in a simple ironstone bowl.
All my decorating is done. I started earlier than normal this year and now that I am done, it mostly means I can coast for the rest of the year and devote my weekends to baking. Indeed.
Here are a few snippets of the inside of the house. You may notice there aren’t a lot of long shots. It’s mostly because I am holding back on wide shots so when the feature in Country Living comes out, you won’t already be bored with it. 😉
I hope you find some inspiration.
Always,
Cindy
A simple fresh green wreath flanked by antique mercury glass beaded garland. The bed is simply dressed with vintage linens and ruby red washed velvet pillows and a quilted velvet blanket at the end of the bed in a subdued neutral color. It all makes for a cozy place to be.
An old sap bucket is a terrific alternative to more expensive vessels to house a holiday arrangement.
A papier mache Santa boot that I painted then adorned with German Glitter Glass and a holiday embellishment, topped off with a fresh sprig of greens.
A stair landing arrangement.
Trying to tuck in a little Christmas in each room, both great and small.
A simple Home Goods pom pom wreath hung with sweet cotton red and white striped ribbon.
Who says wreaths are only for doors?
Another Sulphur Springs, Texas find. This lovely blue antique cupboard is a great way to store and display my vintage textile collection and ironstone pitcher collection.
My antique chandelier with a crown of fresh Christmas greens.
An old print befitting of such attention.
Sprigs of fresh greens, vintage glass ornaments in a simple ironstone bowl.
Etched footed bowls found on walmart.com
Simple fresh greens, footed mercury glass bowls and my vintage, hand blown ornaments.
The use of NOEL is apropos of the French farmhouse window above the kitchen sink.
Beautiful old silver footed bowl I found in an antique shop in Sulphur Springs, Texas.
Out with Halloween naturals and in with Christmas décor. The leftover green pumpkins were too pretty not to find a way to use for the Christmas Holiday, so I created this transitional arrangement to greet friends and family. It could easily adorn a kitchen island or fireplace mantle, too.
I hope you find some inspiration.
Always,
Cindy
Fall pumpkins, stacked and tucked with moss, followed by a Christmas garland presented in an old cast iron urn. It’s one way to transition from fall to Christmas, using what you already have.
Time is clicking by and it’s time to get decorating for Christmas. This year is special because it is post renovation and I’m really excited to decorate. Roughly this time last year, my stress level was off the charts because I was packing up and temporarily relocating. So glad that is behind me.
I am sincerely happy to be back in my home.
That said, my mandate is to do as much as possible with what I have on hand or can acquire on a budget. It starts with the porch. I am actually trying to break old habits and not hang a wreath on the front doors as I usually do. So far, that means a simply crafted jingle bell garland using vintage jingle bells and seasonal arrangement in an old sap bucket.
I hope you find some inspiration.
Always,
Cindy
Red Velvet Ribbon, vintage bells and craft store millinery make a fine welcome.
A sap bucket, artificial greens mixed with seasonal greens and an old galvanized tub filled with logs.
A happy welcome. Merry Christmas!
It’s been a while since I have posted anything not related to the renovation. I am still settling into the house and figuring out how I want to live within my walls. I have a ton of pictures, but I have to show some restraint in sharing them because there has been some interest in featuring the house in national publications and/or books, so I don’t want to flood the market with more pictures.
In the mean time, I have been trying to get back in the groove of design, crafting and creating projects to publish on the blog. For the first time in a while, I have actually completed a project: my fall porch. Trying to create a hybrid between all out Halloween décor and something more subtle, my mandate was to work with what I had on hand with the exception of purchasing pumpkins.
Forgive the graininess of the pictures. I misplaced my battery charger for my good camera and the battery ran out. I have a new one coming so that I can offer you better quality pictures. (Thank God for Amazon Prime :))
I hope you find some inspiration.
Always,
Cindy
xoxo
An arrangement of silk hydrangeas, bittersweet berries and ethereal looking paper wisps compliment the Halloween picks found at the local hobby store.
Gauze and lights give a nice, eerie affect.
A pile of pumpkins and gourds round out the overall design.
Inexpensive tea lights provide a sweet, nightly glow.
Vintage light globes with Halloween embellishments.
Not too much, just enough to make me feel that fall is in the air.
A fall arrangement in a galvanized tub that I purchased at Round Top.
Drop cloths provide a nice treatment for the windows.
This has been a busy two months. Moving into an unfinished house with construction dust was not what I envisioned at the end of the renovation, even though it’s still not done yet.
To say it has been stressful would be an understatement. Slowly but surely, I am digging out of it. Sometimes with the help of family and friends and sometimes going it alone, each weekend I accomplish something that helps me feel better about all the trouble. Washing and vacuuming every surface, setting up proper bedrooms so sleep can be peaceful, editing collections, figuring what I can do without, working hard not to fill every square inch of storage so there is room to grow, cleaning the outside of the house, removing construction debris that wasn’t removed, having a pop up antique sale, arranging furniture, hanging pictures and just generally setting up house that will be the place I call home.
This weekend, I had the help of one of my most special friends, Vince Maggio. He is the truly undiscovered master of arrangement. He worked on my living/dining area and what a great job he did.
These are iphone pictures, not using my Canon camera, so take that into consideration. These two pictures are just snippets, I’ll do a more comprehensive article when I am closer to finishing with setting up the house.
I hope you find some inspiration.
All the Best,
Cindy
A $65 Craigslist table that was partially stripped. I like it just the way it is. $25 One King’s Lane bamboo directors chairs that match the tone of the table and the linen press. A grouping of vintage nautical print from The Round Top Antique Show placed in floating frames and a variety of other collected pieces.
Antique linen press full of curated items, a comfy couch across from the fireplace (pics of that later, it isn’t finished) and inexpensive IKEA pillow, along with a French ticking stripe pillow from Home Goods all come together to make a beautiful, comfortable place to set a spell and take a load off.
The perfect contrast of light and dark
Big things happen in little minutes and that just about describes what will happen in the next 5 days. Floors, cabinets, tiling, plumbing finishing, electrical finishing and painting. And that’s just the inside. The rain has hampered working on the outside but it makes no difference to me. I just want to sleep in my own bed and fall asleep staring at my own ceiling.
Here are the lastest pictures. Everything is in a state of being completed. And then, with a wing, a prayer and a good tail wind, it will all come together.
I hope you find some inspiration.
Always,
Cindy
Stained new wood (left) against sanded old wood on the right.
Windows that were in another part of the house, reset in the upstairs sitting area
Simple silk shade lamps throughout the house
Kitchen cabinets built around an original feature of the house, the brick chimney
Kitchen cabinets
Newly built kitchen cabinets are lovely. We have used an antique piece as the base for the kitchen sink.
More kitchen cabinets. Note the bun feet instead of a toe kick.
Exterior lighting used for interior lighting.
Barn door hardware to close off my very small office/work space
Stylish and budget friendly, these stock zinc light fixtures picked up at Home Depot
More kitchen cabinets
This wall/door didn’t exist before the renovation, but you would never know that. It looks like it is original to the house.
The interesting angles, windows and walls of an old house
My first response walking into the house this week: Holy Toledo! We are making visible progress. This simple cottage gets more interesting with each layer of construction completed. The walls are going up and it helps the house take shape.
Every square inch that is possible to build out, has been built out. It means that we have to build around architectural features like roof pitches and stairwells. Almost from the minute you walk through the great room to the rest of the house, every hall you go down and every turn you make leads you to something quirky and cozy. I look forward to using all these nooks to create small treasures of respite.
Updated pictures below.
I hope you find inspiration.
Always,
Cindy
XOXO
The Kitchen.
Master Bedroom.
Master Bedroom.
Bedroom (formerly the garage)
Closet in Bedroom (formerly the garage)
Guest Bedroom
Guest Bedroom.
Went by the house this weekend and there has been incremental progress. We have a pile of planks and ships lap from the demolition that we have committed to reusing. The trick is maximizing this very limited resource and minimize waste. This takes time and progress over the last week has been a bit stilted. Having said that, what was completed was choice. The great room is starting to realize the design. Contractor Pete, as I like to call him, has been able to clad the pantry and the fireplace completely with harvested, salvaged ships lap and it looks amazing.
Just a couple of pictures to show the progress. As if that wasn’t enough good news, some pictures of my budding hydrangeas, mint leaves and rosemary from the garden. I love the transition to Spring. It means the Winter hibernation is over.
I hope you find some inspiration.
Always,
Cindy
New wall with an old side light, oriented horizontally. It will act as a transom and allow natural light into the new hallway.
Pantry and Fireplace clad in old ships lap.
Paneling in the stairway with paneling taken from our salvage pile.
With the trim removed, the old window weights are revealed. I love old houses.
Leaves coming in on the Hydrangeas.
Mint springs up from the ground for harvesting when I am back in the house and cooking up a storm in my new kitchen.
Hardy rosemary plants, evergreen throughout the seasons.
I have been working on the details. But I find myself resisting the otherwise natural urge to make a statement at every turn, starting with the lighting. Strangely, I want the lighting to feel more organic. Lighting that is functional, of course but really looks like it is of the cottage as it would have been 80 years ago.
There is one exception, of course:
Found and restored, this is a family piece that will have a place of honor in this old home.
The one statement fixture in the house will be a chandelier (pictured above) that has been at every house my family has lived in as long as I can remember. I asked my mother if I could have it for the renovation, giving it a place of honor in the house. It will be hung over the lovely nine foot, antique, French bistro table in the front room. It will be one of the first things you see when you walk in the house and I can’t wait to hang it.
My Uncle Jack found this chandelier many, many, many moons ago. He recently told me the story on Facebook, of how he found and restored it:
“OMG , do I remember it ? I’m so glad you are using it . You will appreciate the history of how it was saved from the dumpster . A friend at work told me of an elderly aunt ( 86 ) that had died and the family had scavenged everything they wanted from her ten room home . He offered to humor my reputation as a junk collector and take me to see if there was anything I wanted . Yes …I’ll take that old player grand piano, the 1500s leather bound prayer book , and lots more . Now , I was eyeing that chandelier in the dining room but there were lots of prisms missing . In the entry was another smaller one in the same condition . I took both down , counted the prisms ,and was still a few short to complete this one . Rooting through boxes , drawers , and such ,I found prisms from the basement to the attic . Just enough ! I took them all off , soaked the 100 years of grime in bleach water , and scrubbed each one . It has survived many years with your Mom , now you can enjoy it for many more . I’m so happy for you.”
So thanks to Uncle Jack and his dogged determination and mom for letting me hang it in the house, I have a wonderful statement piece to hang in what will be a lovely home.
Here are some pictures of the chandelier and other fixtures that I will be using throughout the house.
I hope you find some inspiration.
Always,
Cindy
Ceiling fixture with simple silk shade.
Adjustable arm wall sconce in antique brass finish.
Clear shade with antique brass fixture.
An vintage gooseneck lamp with a Victorian crystal bead bulb cover with an accordion closure. These bulb covers with the accordion closure are very hard to find, but I found two.
They don’t make things like this anymore. The bulb cover has great weight to it because the beads are glass. The accordion closure is what makes the pair I found a rare and unique find.
Simple pendant lamps for the kitchen. Exposed twisted cord, antique brass finish and a beautiful Sheffield milk glass shade. Just lovely.
