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Curb Appeal

Well there is ONE BIG positive about The Corona stay at home order....we have had lots of time sprucing up the Cottage on Cullen.  I've been out and about shopping for flowers and plants for my garden beds and Mr. Incredible has had plenty of time to keep up the yardwork.  

My hydrangeas have soooooo many blooms on them, they are about to explode in the next few weeks.  I can't wait.  Usually they are blooming by now.  Mr. Incredible cut them back late this year and I think that could be the reason. 

This little spot on my porch makes me so happy.  This old mop bucket Mr. Incredible brought home for me always adds a bit of rusticness to the porch.  I have two, the other one has wheels. I planted a dnew to me plant called Platycodon which matches so well with my Blue Hibiscus in the big pot, such a gorgeous shade of purple. The antique watering can was a Mother's Day gift years ago from my family. I have two of those also.  I think I need another one to say I have a collection, right?  The little scalloped pot planted with lavender I picked up a couple of weeks ago at Roger's Gardens, one of my favorite garden stores located in Orange County.  My daughters broke the last one playing Volleyball in the front yard!  That one was a Wolf pottery pot, this one is a "no name" brand but I love it nevertheless. Its the shape that I love so much along with the mossy exterior. I'd like to get a few more in a variety of sizes. 

I always plant Calibraochoa in my Ikea buckets and this time I added Margarita Sweet Potato Vine to it.  I always love this lime color in my planters.  

That is why I love to plant Creeping Jenny in my pots, that beautiful Chartreuse color. The Coleus I planted in October is growing like mad. 

Love this color palette.

Recently Mr. Incredible restained the shingles on our li'l cottage.  It was supposed to be a clear stain but came out a bit dark, I think it has grown on me.  I kind of miss the antiqued look of the old shingles.  

Yes..lots and lots of purple flowers with white, white.  I like how it compliments the green of our home.  These Thumbelina lavender I also picked up at Roger's Gardens and thought they were so adorable.  I'm hoping they will do well in this container that is repurposed as a planter instead of a beverage holder. 

Yes, this is the first place I go to with my coffee and listen to the birds and squirrels every morning....it is a great way to start my day!  

Laguna Beach, a Tour of this Quaint Li'l Town

 
There are many reasons why I love to go to Laguna Beach, this little artist community in Southern California. The architecture of the shops and restaurants pulls at my heart strings.  There is quite a few Tudor Cottage Style buildings as well as Spanish architecture, it's eye candy for the home décor stalker like me.

I mean look at that brick work!!  Artistry and creativity....and a whole lot of patience put that together.

So many of the shops have a unique brick pattern on the façade.

There is a lot of brickwork, even if it is not all fancy there are other elements in the nooks and crannies of Laguna to feast your eyes upon.

This is looking back at the opening of this little hallway.

I loved these doors in this building that was built in 1934. 

So very charming, eh?

This was the staircase over the little shop in the above picture.

It smelt so good as we walked by the Chocolate Store and a Ice Cream Store, the waffle cones smelled heavenly.  I'm sure this kids could attest as they devour their ice cream.

There are so many great restaurants to choose from when dying in Laguna.  The Watermarc is a famous one even though we didn't eat there we went to a little place over looking the water a favorite of our friend who treated us to lunch at The Cliff.

 

I had the Ahi with a glass of wine...I love a good Ahi sandwich and chocolate cake for dessert.

We did a little bit of shopping.  I would love to have this vintage bathtub in my garden.

Now, look at this Seashell outfit...man.....oh man I'd love to have that as a décor piece in my home...

So unique and beautiful for the Beach Lover.  Yes, Laguna is know for the artsy fartsy types and for the yearly Sawdust Festival.  You can pick up some neat artwork for your home.  I usually head into Tuvalu when I'm there.

It's rather expensive but I love to see all the beach style décor and I really, really liked this nautical lamp.  I'm not in the market for one but if I was this would be on my wish list.

This cute little café with the vintage bathing suits was in the Tommy Bahama store where I did mange to pick up some flip flops in coral with a seashell on it. 

My 2017 summer flip flops.  I don't think you can ever have to many of them.  My go to shoe in the summertime. 

Now like I said at the beginning of my post there is also quite a few buildings that are done with a Spanish flair.  In fact most of California has the mission influence in it's architecture. 

Beautiful white adobe buildings with red tile roofs and black wrought iron railings can be seen all over little towns in Southern California including Laguna Beach.  Yep the Spanish influence is strong all over.  Now it was this garden that really caught my eye.  Look at all the California Native species planted in this courtyard.

 

If you ever come to Southern California and visit this darlin' little town, you need to meander of the beaten path there are lots of little jewels in the nooks and crannies, a try feast for the eyes.   Hope you are having a wonderful summer so far, because I know it won't be long until going back to school will be here.  Enjoy! 

 

Front Door, Yahoo!

Quite by force we have had to get a new front door but it has made me happy!!  One day my daughter's key broke off in he doorknob and then mine broke off in the security doorknob. Since this home was a foreclosure the old owners took out the doorknobs and locks so the bank "mickey-moused" a temporary doorknob.  But we deliberated about leaving the security door or not.....

After our handyman Aloha Ritchie but the security door back on the whole family went outside to inspect it...all agreed it had to go!  I hope in the heat of summer we are not regretting this decision.....but dang if you are spending that kind of money on a door why would you cover it up?  Now...Mr. Incredible needs to get around to painting the trim....I've been nagging him all week.....

My Kitchen Inspiration for the Cottage on Cullen

This is my kitchen as it looks today.  Well, not exactly today but this photo was taken a few months ago.  Love my Dutch Door we put in a few years ago. Let's the cool breezes in on a hot California day and it comes in handy when I need to vent the kitchen when cooking so the fire alarm doesn't go off down the hall!

It needs work...a lot of work but I don't have a huge budget to make it my dream kitchen right now, I can etch and etch away at it until I feel it's decent.  We are the 3rd owners of this home and the cabinets were redone, I do believe pretty recent. They are sturdy and in good shape but I was not a fan of their color, it's not a bad color just not for me.  They needed some "jewelry" to fancy them up a bit, the hardware so to speak.

I got my Antique Wedgewood Stove a year or so ago which made me extremely happy!  My parents had an antique stove and somewhere along the lines it disappeared so I've always wanted one.  When we were looking at a house to buy, sometimes I wanted to put in a bid just because of the antique stove they had in their kitchen. We need a vent over it so I don't set off the fire alarm when I'm frying up something {that's the reason the Dutch door comes in handy}.    We took out the microwave above the stove because it wouldn't fit with the Wedgewood Stove but it left some holes and the wood is rough above it. The floors are all messed up so look away. We had a leak under the sink awhile ago and they are laminate floors not real wood like we have in the rest of the house.  Maybe we should consider tile down the way. 

So let me get to the point of my post....my inspiration to refresh my kitchen.   Like I said, inch by inch I work on my cozy little kitchen.  Cozy is a nice word for small isn't it? I can Check Antique stove, check Dutch Door, check petite chandelier hung and I can now check cabinets painted white and new hardware, the jewelry. {Mr. Incredible just needs to install the hardware and hang the cabinet doors and I'll be ready to show you my freshly painted kitchen cabinets}  It was a lot of work...no lie but I'm glad I did it. Here are some kitchens that have inspired me in the last several years and some recently. {like Anisa Darnell's kitchen}

I must say this kitchen from For the Love of a House has always been my inspiration. I love how Joan mixes hardware and different counters tops, marble and soapstone with lots of textures from the wood floors, cool marble and aged brick.  Love, love her style!!! She also has a farmhouse sink with a linen curtain under it. 

My cabinets are now this crisp white which I painted Benjamin Moore's Simply White and I went with an oil-rubbed, bronzed, bin-pulls and crystal knobs.  {that I bought 3 years ago, they are almost out of date!!}

I just love how they pop off the bright white cabinetry. What I think makes this kitchen special is how the farmhouse sink is the focal point by jutting out like it is and the turned legs on the each side of the sink makes a statement.  Such a pretty kitchen, only in my dreams.

At one point I thought about going with polished nickel hardware, it looks crisp and clean in this kitchen with the Carrera Marble, it looks very polished and shiny! 

When I saw Monika Hibbs gorgeous white kitchen with the copper kitchen aid, oh my, oh my that I did a backflip, the copper with bright white looks so good.  I also love how she mixes up materials, the wood table,  bamboo chairs and she has a Dutch door too, but I bet she doesn't have to open it to vent her stove! I however would like a more rustic look to mine, yes...you might say that my kitchen looks rustic already just the way it is.  Not that kind of rustic...a "refined rustic" look. Humor me...please.

After seeing the combination of copper or  aged brass hardware against white cabinets and I started to change my mind.  I was going to exchange the oil-rubbed bronze ones I bought 3 years ago but that seemed silly since the hinges on the cabinets were bronze, so Mr. Incredible said, " I was insane again!"  Me? Insane?

I might be insane but when you see Anisa Darnell's kitchen with it's mixture of metals it's just perfection!!  By the way her gorgeous kitchen is in Better, Homes and Garden's April issue, no wonder she is a fabulous designer and takes things normally out of date like a 70's stone fireplace and makes it chic, go check her out.  I think if we do the new counters and sink {phase II} I'll put in an aged copper or brass faucet, but don't tell Mr. Incredible he already thinks I'm insane and might commit me to the asylum. He is funny because I'll say, "let's put in a nautical fan in the man cave".  He says, "what!  that won't look good".  But then he always comes back with "your right it does look good, that was a good idea".  After all these years of marriage {almost 20} you would think he would trust me more.

Here is another look at her sink!!!  Love this!  You have to check out this designer if you don't already do, you'll thank me later, promise.  She also has a the cutest daughters and just had a baby.  Is this pretty scary I know this?  Cutest family ever!

 

Does this image convince aged brass would look awesome with a white farmhouse sink and white counters, well Melissa at the inspired room just redid her kitchen and she did just that.  Another must follow designer.  Another lover of blue Hydrangeas and Dutch doors and she had two of them, lucky girl.  I was thinking I needed another Dutch door as the front door and now I think two is not too greedy at all. 

 

Now what I loved about this white kitchen is the patina on the table and those crusty lights, looks like they came off a ship.  I think mixing something new with something old gives it dimension and character.  The wood also warms up the space.

That's why I've always loved Heather Chadduck's Alabama kitchen.  The wood ceiling and the concrete counters.  I'm pretty undecided on what counters I would like.  I thought concrete would be cheap but it's not it's very labor intensive. 

Jojo has brought concrete to the forefront but the first place I saw it was in Heather's kitchen.  I love it's rustic feel that it has along with the metal scalloped vent hood.  I've been trying to convince Mr. Incredible we need a vent hood like this but he is not quite on board. I think it would accent the Wedgewood Stove perfectly...

See......perfect!!  Now keep going back and forth with the backsplash materials and I'm almost 99.8% sure I'd like to go with used brick.

I think this is the right amount of white and red in the brick.  Looks great with butcher block if we end up going with that because it's the most economical  but if we can afford it I think I would like to go with Carrera marble or the concrete.  I doubt I need to make a decision soon since Phase II won't happen until at least next year.

By that time I'll probably change my mind and want to paint my cabinets two different colors, gray and white...

Or all gray and change out the hardware!   Yes....I'm committing myself! 

 

 

Galvanized Holiday Bucket and Our Christmas Porch

Wow!  You know it's December when I've been absent from my blog for over a month!  I've been posting on Instagram daily it's just so much easier for me during this hectic but fun time!  I did want to share this easy tutorial that I did a few weeks ago.  You might of seen this style of bucket on the internet.

I've seen them in this cute little shop in my town.

And even on my favorite show Fixer Upper, I first saw it last year on the Holiday special when they fixed up an old 1880's Victorian home into The Magnolia B and B in McGregor, Texas.  {boy, do I want to stay there one of these days, It's on "my bucket list"}I thought I could make one of those it wouldn't be hard so I filed it away in my noggin for the this year.

I already had all the supplies.  I picked up a few galvanized buckets when the neighbors across the street sold their home.  Their Mom was an original owner of the home and lived there since the 1950's and accumulated a lot of stuff.  Of course the scavenger that I am took quite a bit of their "throw aways" and this bucket was one.  The letter stencils I had from scrapbooking days and the paint from when my inlaws moved to Alabama.  So this project was free and it was so easy in no time had my holiday can.

You could buy bigger stencils to make a bigger statement and add Tree Farm, maybe I will too later down the road. I lined up the stencils straight and taped the edges down.

I used a stencil paint brush and dabbed the red paint on and that was basically it.

I choose to put Holly in it because we have a great big tall Holly tree in our yard and Mr. Incredible did a bunch of trimming of all trees and bushes recently so I had a bunch of branches  to use. 

I was planning on putting some lights or ornaments in that empty basket but as you see I never quite got around to it.

Here is a few more close ups of the Christmas décor in the Cottage on Cullen.  Another galvanized bucket with Birch logs and they have fairy lights in them so it looks very pretty lit up at night.

My front door wreath has lights on it too!  It's from Trader Joe's, I added the linen bow with the berries.

This wreath was my Mother's and I've changed it up every year but this year it's on  the shingled wall I think the white wood pops off the shingles as it sits next to my Adirondack chairs.  The little stocking I got last year from Roger's Gardens. 

This little wreath also came from Traders and my favorite candles from Kringle Candles.  They are so fragrant and all white!  My glass ball from Kaua'i brings a little bit of coastal Christmas to the cottage. I have a bit more shopping to do, wrapping and baking in the next few days but I'll be back with some pictures of the inside of our Cottage on Cullen.  It's been raining for the last two days and I'm loving it!  It feels so cozy in the cottage with our Christmas lights on that I don't want to go anywhere.

 

Porches, Where the Living is Easy

Porches have been on my mind lately, possibly because I've been getting a lot of use out of mine since it's been so hot and it's a lot cooler out there and those Adirondack chairs are so comfortable, really, really comfortable, the wine ain't too bad either.

Porches, yes where the living is easy.  yes....It's a feeling, it's a lifestyle.

Doesn't this picture feel very welcoming?  Just imagine sitting and watching the sunset, cold drink in hand with nothing better to do than just be, just sit your rump down and sit awhile.

This colorful porch with the daybed is perfect for reading a novel, or just sitting outside and enjoying nature. Love all the colorful flowers in this image, and the hanging pots of plants, nature everywhere. The calm of the blue painted ceiling. 

This simple farmhouse porch in crisp white with the galvanized planters and the black sconces also speaks to me.

As does this ample sitting space with the nautical-knot rope sofa and chairs, the neutral sand color with pops of lime green.

There are so many styles of homes and therefore so many styles of porches. Porches take you to a time before air conditioning and people were outside enjoying the outdoors and neighbors were getting to know each other.

Whether it be a small sliver of a space...

or a big ample spot, porches are a lifestyle.   Wouldn't it be wonderful to have one near water; the ocean or a lake.  But that's not the case with the Cottage on Cullen, we are not that lucky. 

A huge wrap around one would be grand, but I make the best of what I got.

I have a pair of comfortable chairs to have a conversation in, with a loved one or a neighbor that wants to stop by and have a cup of coffee.

 

I've planted fragrant gardenias and jasmine, so not only is it comfortable it smells heavenly sitting out on the porch.

I continue to build that Cape Cod style that I'm so drawn to, the shingled walls with white trim and beautiful hydrangeas.

When we were looking to buy our home...the cottage on Cullen had me at HELLO when I saw her brick porch.

The last house we lived in, my neighbor across the street had a beautiful brick porch.  I was so envious of her brick porch wishing we had one we had a small cement stoop.  So it was no surprise when I came across the Cottage on Cullen, she had me at HELLO, I was smitten.  It had the red-used brick, it had the brown-cedar shingles, the basis for me to transform this porch into a Coastal Cottage.  The picture above on the left is my neighbors and the picture on the right, the Cottage on Cullen.  Before we even closed on our home I bought some antique porch posts.  Mr. Incredible was not too happy about it though.  He is not quite sure what is wrong with the ones that are there.  Yes, I know there is nothing wrong with the black wrought iron posts, they are beautiful but not the coastal-farmhouse vision I have for the cottage.  What do you think am I crazy to put in creamy white turned porch posts or should I leave the black wrought iron?  This is the type of character I think I need to add to the cottage where our porch has character and a the tranquility that makes living easy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Walk Down Memory Lane in the "Hood"...

When we bought our home about 5 years ago we looked at a ton of houses, put a few bids on some and as they say things happen for a reason. I really LOVE my Cottage on Cullen, is it perfect? No but it is perfect for us.  I loved this neighborhood, that was located a block from my girls' middle school, so after I dropped them off in them morning I would grab a cup of  coffee from Starbucks and drive around looking for homes for sale or homes that look like they might be on the market soon due to unfortunate circustances.  As you might of remembered it was the recession and their were a lot of foreclosures, it was a buyers market.  In fact, I think most of all the bids we put in were either short sales or foreclosures {the Cottage on Cullen was one}.

This is what our house looked like when it went up for sale.  Sometimes I feel like we are working at a snails pace getting our cottage looking the way we want and when I'm online looking at folks who are fixing up or renovating I feel, well a little deflated as to how fast others work gussing up their homes and I forget how far we have come.  So taking a step back in time helps me with that mind set. 

 

This is what the Cottage on Cullen's porch looks like today.  We are still putting in plants in the other garden bed {Mr. Incredible's garden}a few weeks ago we added brick to the bottom 1/4 of the stucco part of the house and took out a gutter and repainted the trim and shutters. We need to redo some of the sprinkler heads and add a battery operated system but like I said "snail pace".   But I thought I'd take you on a little stroll down memory land and visit some of the sweet little homes we looked at to buy in this "hood" and another one that went up for sale this week it's a favorite in my neighborhood, it's a 1930's Cape Cod with shingles, go figure, right?

Remember Old Yellow, I think this is the only one I'm saddened we let get away, we waited too long to put a bid on it.  I'm so glad the current owner takes good care of her, clearly she loves to garden and keeps it neat and tidy but I would still add a window box on the dormer.

This one is across the street from Old Yellow and we looked at it but it was in really bad shape, with a room that was not permitted, it did not have the best floor plan inside because of the non-permitted add on.  They really have changed the outside a lot, a Mediterranean style with the wrought iron and wood door, tile walkway and choice of a terracotta paint color. I think they are working at a snails pace too, now I don't feel so bad, but I do give them credit  because this house, I think sat on the market for awhile. 

Ok, now I feel bad, they have been busy bees at this home great looking planter boxes planted with Witches broom and colorful flowers and with a new white fence and new paint. This one we looked at but Mr. Incredible was not up for the challenge, it did need a lot of work. I think they did a fabulous job fixing her up, adding on a master bedroom, with on suite bathroom, laundry room. Their outside paint choices in gray and black with white trim are up to date and fresh. I approve not that it matters, they are not knocking on my door and asking for design help.

Now here is the sweetest, cutest little 1930's shingled Cape Cod that just went on the market. I'm dying to see inside, I already took a peek at it online but I'm hoping they have an Open House soon so I can see it in real life!  That front door with all the windows and sidelights and brick, lots and lots of brick that goes all the way to the back and around into a back patio.

 
Look at that little stainglass window up there...I wonder if that's a bathroom or another tiny quaint room,  I'm so curious.  I may just call the realtor and ask to see the home and pose as a buyer, I just might.

Here is how she looked with the Weeping Willow out front when I was "stalking" homes to buy in our "hood".  

As you can see it has a shade tree on the other side of the property, perfect for a picnic on the grass. Maybe you want to put in a bid and we can be neighbors.  I make a mean Margarita and I'm always up for a glass of wine on my porch if you'd prefer that instead!

 

See an Adirondack chair for me and one for you.  Speaking of neighbors..

This is my neighbor's house down the street. We have the same floor plan and almost identical houses.  He recently painted his home a sage green with black trim, he also added brick to his bottom half of the façade of his home like us.  We are the only two houses that have this brick wall in front of the homes.  It's kind of neat to compare the two homes.

His house is very cute and charming.  I love it when people take care of their homes.  It makes the neighborhood look loved. 

Ok, so that was a little tour down memory lane and walk in the my neighborhood.  I'm off to the BEACH today and tomorrow since the weather is going to be in the 100's and since our Cottage on Cullen has no air well, where else would I be?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bring on Summer, Celebrating with Celebs and World Market!

So much has been going on since my last post of my daughters' Senior Prom , her 18th birthday, her high school graduation, but I was able to squeeze in a fabulous outdoor party hosted by World Market to Celebrate the Outdoors and usher in Summer!

The venue was this darling little 1920's Spanish Colonial where the party was located, steps away from Santa Monica Beach.  This little Spanish coloial has quite the history surrounding it, think John F. Kennedy and Marilyn Monroe {the ron-de-vu villa} and it was once owned by Douglas Fairbanks but today it is owned by a family in Santa Barbara. You know I'm always interested in the history of homes and not only that I was a lucky girl to attend this World Market event with my long time and close friend, T. What could of been better than that? An old home with character and history, tasty food and drinks, designer celebs, T.V. personalities,  and sharing it with my girlfriend, my idea of a perfect day!

There was a little photo prop booth set up right on the beach, what a perfect back drop for pictures.

The weather was great and so was the company.

Yes the awesome designer Sabrina Soto from HGTV, oh my gosh, was she the sweetest thing, so pretty and down to earth.

The talented Mrs. Patmore from Downton Abbey fame, Lesley Nicol {you might of seen her on The Catch recently} What a doll she was! 

Not only I did I get to "hobnob" with T.V. celebs but Blogger Celebs too! 

Cori George from Let's Make Stuff blog and April Liewer from illistyle  were manning the Make Your Own Terrarium station.  So fun to do and mine came out great, perfect for my Cottage on Cullen.

Here is mine and it is now residing on my front porch and looking fabulous!

                                                                         {photo by Cori George}

Everyone got to create one and they could choose from 3 different types of terrarium bases and beachy materials, all unique in their own way.

The "party house" was styled inside and out by two AWESOME  designers, Justina Blakeney , from the blog The Jungalow and Anne Sage. 

Come on in, lets take a look at this fabulous Boho Chic home, these beautiful French doors lead out to the pool area and behind that is the Santa Monica beach.

This is just to the right, oh I could see myself sipping a glass of Sangria looking at the beautiful and tranquil Pacific Ocean.

This couch sits behind the chair and ottoman and this family room is opened up to the kitchen and optimized for social interaction and conversation.

Of course I loved all the white slipcovered sofas and chairs, very beachy with a splash of  boho chic. Even the dining room table was all decked out and decorated for summer. Let's go check it out, shall we?

                                                                  {photo by Michelle Stewart}

 
Michelle Stewart from the blog Michelle's Party Plan it did and awesome job styling the table, not only was the beach house décor calling my name so was all the yummy appetizers and desserts.

All this tastiness was from World Market and all sooo delish.  I had to sample quite a few of the desserts.  Would you just stop at one?

 

Loving the wood sailboat, the buoy, the hurricane holder wrapped in jute with a white candle nesting in sand all surrounding the rustic crate with a white ceramic octopus to stand guard over the bites.  Love it!

Look at this pool, the Spanish tile was so pretty!  I didn't want to go...but I suppose all good things must come to an end.

 

                                                                 {photo by Michael Kovac/ Getty Images}

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mother's Day Gift, A Ceiling Fan Practical but Conventional ?

Hello Friends!  Don't you love this beachy living room in the photo above?  I fell in love with this picture and pinned it to my Pinterest Board when I saw it on Tuvalu, one of my favorite Beach stores in Laguna Beach, it's a must to go to if you are in the area and I also follow their blog for inspiring beachy ideas, it's over to the right side on my favorite places to shop links. If your a coastal décor lover like me, this living space will have you smitten too; what's not to love about that seagrass rug, those comfy chairs, in my favorite Robin's Egg blue color and the rattan coffee table. What about those tri-color color block curtains with the bamboo shades, but what really got my heart all a flutter was the industrial-nautical fan ..it had me at HELLO!  When I did a search for it, it was way out of my price range. There was no way Mr. Incredible was going to even entertain the idea of buying it.  So, as I was surfing my blogger friends I came across Layla at The Lettered Cottage and she had a post about several Coastal type fans with a better price tag and lo and behold she sourced one at The Home Depot for a half the price off the original one I pinned {it's not the exact fan in the picture but very similar}, and it is half the price people, yep, half the price.  Still it took me awhile to pull the trigger and talk the Mr. into it.

 Well, I don't think Mr. Incredible is quite convinced it "goes with our décor" but I tell him "just trust me".  My style is a bit coastal with farmhouse thrown in.  Speaking of farmhouse, he was joking with the guy at Home Depot that I'm walking a fine line of  crazy-fan stalkerish behavior when it comes to Joanna and Chip Gaines from Fixer Upper.  He says he wants to contact them and warn them to keep their children close....I do love, love, love the show Fixer Upper as so many people do, I know I'm not alone.  Anyways....back to the ceiling fan....in the photo above I showed him how it would work in our house....and it's going to be sufficient to cool our family room and it has a remote, every working man's dream, need I say more, I think it will be just about perfect in the Cottage on Cullen's family room.  What do you think?

 Can't you see it hanging down from the ceiling here?  I can.  Then onto getting some bench cushions made for each side of the fireplace and we will be on our way to finishing up this family room.  When we looked at this house to buy I fell in LOVE with the ceiling and for 5 years I've been waiting for the perfect light fixture and I've found it, my Mother's Day present will be very practical especially when the temps start rising, even if it is not the most conventional Mother's Day gift it is quite practical...Thank you Mr. Incredible....I love you for my gift.

Springtime in the Cottage

I must say for me Spring is one of my favorite seasons...I think I say that about all of the seasons but I look forward to decorating it the most, maybe!  I have lots of bird and nest decor from salt shakers to pillows.  Just this morning I was laying in bed listening to the birds and their chirping and how each as a different melody and it was music to my ears.  There is just something so magical about spring.  I thought I'd share today some of the corners of my home that is springified {well, I made that word up, you know when your home has spring décor everywhere like justified, it's springified}.

I'll start here in the corner of my living room.  My white couch is a nice white neutral backdrop for any kind of pillows in colors or patterns, I picked up the two big comfy pillows at Marshalls {the bird one} and Homegoods {the blue velvet one}.  Lately I've been quite attracted to coral and gold, I've been adding that to my home. The wire laundry basket {5.00 from a neighbor has my knitted blanket for the cooler nights and also is a place to put the pillows if more people want to sit on the couch. The tandem pillow I got last week and I LOVE it!!  We have a tandem bike and I adore anything with a tandem image on it and this one is in a robin's egg blue with a basket of coral-colored posies.  It's from So Vintage Chic  and it is quality-made and was didn't take long at all to be sitting on my sofa.  I mixed a few leftover greenery from the last bouquet and brought in some flowers from my yard, the gardenias, the hydrangeas and the icberg roses in my antique ball jar.

Wanted to show you the wall that I'm hoping one of these days will have the barn door hanging from it.  When we moved into this house this doorway had plastic accordion type doors. Very weird and very ugly, my husband got rid of that the first thing he stepped into this house. You can see Snicker's favorite ball ever, we used to buy her soccer balls but she would peel the leather off them so this rubber ball has stood the test of time and she loves it, it is the first thing she grabs in the morning.

Here is a twisted view from the dining room and you can see my glittered bird nesting in my Candelier.

This is one of my favorite Candelier that I got from Southern Living catalog, remember that catalog when you used to do homeshows? I had the intention of putting it on a pergola when I got one. We did have one in this house but they tore it town before we moved in, I think it had wood rot. Anyways I decided to hang it up and get rid of my drum and crystal chandy for now. Things don't always stay in one place too long.

My farmhouse table my friend rebuilt for me out of old pine fencing surrounded by my World Market rattan chairs.

Sitting atop of the farmhouse table is the springtime bouquet.  The candles are from Kringle Candles and smell great but the fragrance is Blue Spruce so I need to light up some more spring time fragrance, they have one called Picketfence and Peony I think either of those would be great for spring and summer. What I love about the Kringle candles is they are all white no matter what the frangrance it is and it always matches my décor no matter what season it is, the color will not compete with my color palette.

Here is my fireplace mantel with a mix of Island style and springtime items.  The Spring banner I made myself with scrapbook supplies.  The lanterns are from Homegoods.  They had three different size lanterns and I took the two smaller of the ones, I got them last year sometime and they are one of my favorite décor item with the weathered beachy wood and the galvanized top.  The shutters I found a long, long time ago on the side of the road and I used leftover paint on them.  The galvanized carry-all was a antique store find. I put this little colorful plant in it but I think he needs some friends.

The urn with the fern was a Goodwill find.  The HI letters are from Michaels and stand for Hawai'i or HI!  The Japanese glass float my husband found when we were living on Kaua'i. We treasure it, as all the years I lived on Kaua'i I never found one but when he was out fishing one day, lo and behold he found one. His Father has some huge ones from his days living in California and fishing.

Shells that I've collected on my trips to the beach and that little box is in the shape of the Island of Kaua'i, it had chocolate covered macadamia nuts in it with some other island snack favorites. Some bird knick-knacks to add some more touches of Springtime to the cottage. 

In the entryway this cottage shelf my husband built for me, it is a great place to old leashes or umbrellas.  Right now it is holding my Trader Joe's burlap bag which gets plenty of use, groceries and snacks to the beach.

Speaking of Trader Joe's that blue wooden planter came from there it had an evergreen in it from the season before last Christmas.  That is a white hydrangea plant it from Walmart but blooms bit the dust.  I put it in the garden window and it cooked the flowers when I came home.  Yikes!  I'm still trying to save the plant!  A leftover bottle of Tequila from Catalina island I saw them in mini sizes too, how cute would they look sitting on the window ledge by the kitchen sink full of flowers?!  But that means I need to drink the alcohol...I think I can do that!  Wink, wink!  The country door picture frame is from my trip to Delaware, I love it just sitting there empty.  My REAL crystal doorknobs my hubby gave to me because he knows me so well.  I'm not a diamond kind of girl...give me jewelry for my home that's how to win this girls heart. Well, I'd show you the outside but things are still being planted and sprigified out there.  I have some Creeping Jennies on order for my window boxes so I'll be back to show you those pictures soon.  I'm still working on that potted wreath....well it's more complicated than I thought.  Hope you have a great day, getting your Spring-on.