I got a little busy!

Oh, I had every intention of being such a good blogger!  I was going to write wonderful ideas and show you all the things I was up to on a regular basis....and then life happened!  Kurt and I have decided to put our house up for sale, so we have been busy painting, scrubbing, drywalling the basement, adding another bathroom and did I mention painting?!!  

I am EXHAUSTED!!  But it's all ready for showings and we can't wait to get the ball rolling! Here are just a few shots of the house, enjoy!!

The house was built in 1910 by I.N.R. Beatty.  He owned the first lumber store here in town and this was his starter home.  

The railings, trims, stained glass windows, front door and wood floors are all original to the house.  We had the floors restored about 5 years ago and didn't realize until they were refinished, how amazing the borders were.

Frames collected from Kane County Flea Market,  Light fixtures re-wired for plug in use, repainted and added gathered fabric to cover cord -  from Re-store/Habitat for humanity

I found the medallion on the ceiling at a garage sale.  It was originally white and it's made out of foam.  I painted it to match the finish on the original chandellier.  Most people assume it's quite heavy and made of tin.

The kitchen was remodeled in 2006 and Kurt built all the cabinets custom to the room.  I always wanted a small island, but never found anything that I liked.

 This was the original back staircase to the house.  When we moved in, it had been converted into a bathroom...well, I hesitate to say "bathroom", it was just a toilet in the closet...so weird!!!
We were going to turn it back into the staircase, but then decided we needed more storage for the kitchen, and created a pantry.

A picture of the mural I painted above the stove.

A lot of love and work went into this kitchen.  Kurt made the cabinets and I painted the finish, as well as adding the marble backsplash and painting the faux finish around the stove area.  The light fixture was another garage sale find and only cost me $5.00!!
Drawer pulls were found at Kane County Flea Market

This is the room off of the kitchen that has served as my studio for the past 11 years.  It has great lighting and wonderful views.  Plus, Kurt made me all these great built ins that are staying with the house.  I painted them with a crackle finish and sanded the edges a bit.  

The downstairs now has a real bathroom on the main floor, along with a sink!

Old lightfixture found at "Under His Wings" for $5.00 in Morris, IL.  It was originally gold and I painted it a soft white.

The vanity was originally a shiny gold paint and purchased at "HOBO" in Joliet, IL.  Just a little cream and white paint and it has a fresh new look!

The master bedroom with tons of storage!  We re-cut all the door and drawer fronts and put wavy glass in them. We completely gutted this room and started over, so yes, the trim moldings and crown are all new.

 The attic.  For years it was the play room, filled with American Girl dolls and Barbies.  Then it was converted to a teen hang out

 A spare bedroom that I covered in old book pages of poems.  It's really a fun process and doesn't take that long.  It's great for covering beat up walls!!

 Kayla's room.  It's sooooo much fun to wallpaper a ceiling!!! (sarcasm)

 The bathroom does have a shower and a tub, I just failed to get that in the shot!!

 The master bedroom again with a shot of the mural that I painted on the ceiling

It was a great house to raise a kid in, have Christmas parties, hang on the porch during parades and festivals, walk into town for a bite to eat, visit with neighbors....but it's time now for a new adventure, so if you are looking for a house in Morris, IL, come check ours out!!  

HEY (lightbulb above my head) I've got an IDEA!

I've been hunting around the thrift shops in town for something fun and unique to hang all the charm necklaces I have for sale.  It wasn't turning out to be any easy task because I thought I wanted something that was already made for jewelry....but everything was too short or too much work to make into a jewelry holder or just too boring.

Bummed that I didn't find that "unique piece", I decided to take one last look in my collection of treasures (or as Kurt would call it, my hoarding problem!) and low and behold...could I make this lamp work?!!!

It was kinda busted up anyway, so I stripped off the cheap plastic faux leather shade and spray painted the whole thing with my favorite chocolate metallic spray paint and voila, a neclace holder with TONS of room for every charm necklace that I had! 

 Simple, easy and it got the job done.

I like it so much, I may need one on my dresser now.  I could see all kinds of flower clips on it and I could hang bracelets and necklaces...maybe even a couple photos pinned on it.  Guess I'll be hunting for more lamps now!!! Shhhhh, don't tell Kurt!

Easy as 1...2...3!

It's another rainy day in Morris, so I thought I would pull out the paints and finish up a couple projects for the shop.I have several small pieces of furniture and such crammed into the remaining half of our garage and it's getting a little hard to pull the cars in anymore. I keep promising that I won't bring anything else home until I finish what I have, but I think Kurt is on to me Actually it's pretty embarrassing when the garage door goes up, so I pull in as quickly as possible!!!I found a pair of old ladders that needed a little cheering up.  The great thing about finding small pieces is that you can have them done in such a short amount of time.  

I started by giving each ladder a couple coats of paint.

Then I printed out the images of what I wanted to paint onto each of the pieces.

Next up, coloring the back of the image with a lead pencil (super fancy!!)

Then I trace over the image so that I have a guide as to where I want to paint

 Once the ladders had dried (with a little help from a blow dryer), I took a little fine grit sanding paper just to "rough" them up a bit.  They will end up getting knocked around when I travel with them from show to show, so why not help them along....it adds character!
 And just about 3 hours later, 2 new pieces for the shop. The best part is that they work so well for displaying other items.

 I'm not even sure I want to part with them!!!
Happy treasure hunting today!

Finally, A MAN CAVE for Kurt!

The challenge:  turning a 12' X 24' garage addition into a workspace that doesn't feel like you are stuck out in the garage.

Oh and did I mention, on a budget?!  

After the installation of the insulation, drywall and wiring ($560.00), it was time to get started

 We have been shopping a ton at our local "Re-Store" in hopes of finding items that would work. One of the first treasures we stumbled upon were these old french doors that were $130.00 for the set.  We fell in love with them instantly and we're going to make them work, no matter what.

I'm so lucky to have Kurt, he can really turn any idea into reality!!

Since this will be where Kurt spends most of his time working, we are going for a more masculine feel. The ceiling is being painted Sharkskin (sounds scary and man-ly!!))

Kurt was pumped when he found the 9 recessed can lights at Re-Store for just $4.00 each.

The exterior door, another Re-Store purchase, was only $50.00. We had purchased a door exactly like it just a few months prior for our basement and it was over $200.00...grrrr!

 
 The crown molding was $32.00 and the 2 hanging lights were $30.00 each.
  The lights were from a Red Lobster restaurant. (Fitting for the Sharkskin ceiling, right?!!)




























And here's Kurt, sealing the cement floor.  We decided to keep it simple with the flooring, since paint may spaltter here and there.  Plus, it keeps the expenses down.
Next up, the machines, furniture and DECORATING...the fun stuff!!!

A Love/Hate Relationship

Does anyone else out there share my pain?  I'm not sure half the time if I love having my windows free from coverings, or if they should be draped in layers.  My ultimate fear is that once I have spent the money on yards of beautiful fabric and all the expensive hardware needed to make a proper curtain, that  it will just end up looking like a obnoxious prom gown that I will hate within a month or 2.   Not to mention, I will have to make it as well! 

I talk like this has happened before.....YES, it has!

 So I go through all the pros and cons:
PRO - I love letting the light in
CON - I hate letting the neighbors in on what I'm watching for my late night "guilty pleasure" television show.  Yes, I'm addicted to Project Runway and Dance Moms!

 PRO - I love the trim moldings and architecture around old windows, so I don't want to cover it up
CON - I don't love that anyone can see me changing in my bedroom!

PRO - Open windows allow me to watch the world around me, enjoy nature every once in awhile.
CON - Did I mention that our neighbors can see EVERY move we make?!!

 So I have basically settled for simple gathered curtains that hang from a tension rod in most of the private rooms.  I'm not sure they are my ultimate fave, but they serve their purpose and will get me by until I can find something that will suit my needs.

Anyone out there want to share their window solutions (or nightmares!)?

Holiday Market

Here are a few pictures from the Holiday Market

A few little stockings lined with fur!

Some of the shirts and totes available through my Etsy shop

 Molly even came out to help us set up for the show!

 It was crazy, busy, festive and exhausting.....but we can't wait to do it again!!!!

Letty Mae's in Morris, IL is one of my favorite places to take someone for lunch.  For one thing it is adorable and they also serve the most delicious food!!

Everything on the menu is made from scratch.  My personal fav is Aunt Bird's Hawaiian Wrap and a cup of strawberry soup.....so YUMMY!!

 Tables are all filled with vintage tea cups and saucers, sweet little aprons hanging from the ceiling and lots of nostalgic items decorate the walls.  You better make reservations because this place fills up quickly!

Todays dessert special, Lemon Cake with Raspberry Frosting!!!

 You can also get lunch or desserts to go

 My daughter Kayla was fortunate enough to get a job waitressing there, and she LOVES it!  Hope you girls enjoy the tip that we left!