Hey ::cottage:: Readers....
We're snowed in here in NE Indiana...they just lifted a snow emergency, but everything is still closed tomorrow. Wind chills are in negative double digits. I trudged thru snow drifts up to my hoohah (can I say hoohah on this blog?) to get to the garage next door for paint supplies this afternoon. Decided to start on this baby:
The hutch, not the dining set.....
I've also spent my time planning my Florida vacation next month :)
And sleeping. Ok, let's just call it what it is: hibernating.
In the few moments I'm awake I stalk pinterest and houzz and my blogfeed and craigslist looking for inspiration for my new house. Colors, furniture arrangements, crafts, sewing projects. All stuff I have little motivation and even less cash.
I'm a leeetle overwhelmed at this point.
(a few signs of spring to get me thru til April)
The most frustrating thing is seeing ideas I really LIKE, but not yet sure I LOVE....and realizing that without starting from scratch, those ideas prolly won't happen. I have lots of antiques that mean a lot to me, passed down from my mom and gramma, things I don't want to paint or sell. Things I love looking at, but don't really mesh with the colorful interiors I'm feeling drawn to on pinterest and such. I want to make them work somehow in my new spaces without my house feeling like 'gramma's house'. I'm digging stuff like this:
(no link from pinterest)
I think I love the blue couches and green ottomans. The floral might be a bit bright except for welcoming spring :) But I'm noticing for the most part, I'm still drawn to images like these, which still incorporate blue and green, but with softer colors, and can easily handle a few antique wood and chippy salvaged items sprinkled in:
I *am* happy with this little arrangement. The dresser was mine growing up. The chair is 1000 million years old and for show only from my Mom's stash. The signage is an old orphaned mirror I painted up to look like a chalkboard using a stencil that cost almost as much as my house. Other stuff is thrifted or bought on the cheap.
So I'll wait. And hibernate.
Oh, and go back and read my own advice. There's an idea.
If you're dealing with the cold and snow, be safe and warm. If you're not, be thankful. It's pretty, but it's a mess to deal with.
Sharing at City Farmhouse, Elizabeth & Co.
14 comments:
Yeah, we have the snow and ice here too. Not going out at all. Haven't been out in over a week. If you want color or inspiration, I recently start two new blogs. One is Blogger blog tips. The other is Color My Decor and I usually post to it twice per day. I gather photos from the web from all over the world.
Brenda
I see you got through the holidays. I know exactly what you mean. We think about downsizing in the next year or two and I have no idea what I want to take and what I want to leave. I have kids waiting for old family pieces and some of them I am really ready to part with...others...not sure yet.
Love your inspiration pictures but like you- I think the curtains might be a tad too bright for me. xo Diana
No snow here. We really need it. Well, not snow, but rain. Snow for the mountains, rain for our valleys. Please send some out to California.
I have to say I adore your new little vignette. So sweet! I am also being drawn to the whole blue and green thing. Just changed our living room rug this spring to a sagey/limey green and I love it with our denim love seats. I just like so many things!!!
Looking forward to seeing whatever you come up with - you're certainly off to a great start!
Happy New Year!!!
Spending my snow days about like yours - 'cept you can through in flu or cold. Dang! Just can't shake it.
We've piddled at a few projects - one of which involves a pair of vintage pictures (blue), and I've had to be more creative in the kitchen than usual.
Don't you love it when you have to follow your own advice? Hey! With your being so GOOD, I know things are gong to turn out beautifully.
Stay warm. Be safe.
If you would like some pretty green growing with your plants take a Romaine lettuce stalk cut off the bottom (2inches) get a small saucer or cup and put water in ~ place this 2 inch cutting into the water and watch it grow.. It will grow more romaine lettuce leaves that you can cut off and use again.. I did this on Jan.1 and I have 3 inch lettuce leaves growing from this cutting..I think it is so cool..
Have a blessed day~! ta ta for now from Iowa:) where it's freezing cool too....
If you would like some pretty green growing with your plants take a Romaine lettuce stalk cut off the bottom (2inches) get a small saucer or cup and put water in ~ place this 2 inch cutting into the water and watch it grow.. It will grow more romaine lettuce leaves that you can cut off and use again.. I did this on Jan.1 and I have 3 inch lettuce leaves growing from this cutting..I think it is so cool..
Have a blessed day~! ta ta for now from Iowa:) where it's freezing cool too....
I have decided to make a lot of changes in 2014. I will see where it all plays out in about 4 months. The one thing I am not messing with is my decor...though a new couch is calling my name and I seriously need new flooring in the living and dining room...
Just like you, I need a lot of time to decide on what to do in my cottage. And I use a lot of very cheap pieces of furniture that I bought from a site that is like the French Graigslist. I love how you styled that beautiful old dresser.
Looove your childhood dresser! The wood is 2.die.4!!
Happy Polar Vortex, Cindy! We are hibernating here too! I think your hutch will look amazing painted. As for the rest, I say work on the basics and the rest will come in time. Don't be in a rush. My taste is always evolving too. I was looking through some old inspiration pics I had saved and those homes do not appeal to me at all anymore!
We are so synced up today. I have been moving around all my art while packing up Christmas for the last two days. This post and the older one you linked to were just what I needed to read as I enter what feels like a frenzy of redecorating. I love the West and just returned to my Virginia home after two weeks at home in AZ. My likes and loves are always at war. I love southwestern, but live in a colonial style house. I can make it work to a point, but until I leave this aesthetic and move into a Spanish Colonial or adobe house, it requires a lot of restraint. I love the idea of being specific about what really draws you to an image and comparing seemingly unlike images to find connections to build off of. Despite my love for bright color, I realized the I am happiest in public spaces (kitchens, family rooms) with white walls. I was shocked! But my family room walls are going white as soon as my kids go back to school. Thanks so much for sharing your journey. It makes me feel like it's nit just me doing this one step at a time....over time.
Thanks and All the best,
Marian
It's been bitter cold here lately. Hoping it warms up soon. Love your dresser and how you have it styled.
It looks great! I love those colors, but if you are going to enjoy something more painted why not? Unless of course it is an antique... You are very good at refinishing furniture.
Your childhood dresser is gorgeous! As is the vignette that you've created with it! And yes - I'm from CT and this winter is getting old REALLY fast! Come on Spring!
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