Home Sweet Home #95

Hello and welcome to Home Sweet Home!  This week I recycled a picture frame into a wreath.

I talked about our Thanksgiving in It's All About the Food.

I also showed off my entry into the Driscoll's Berry Craft Contest.

 I also am excited to bring your attention to TCOH's  Sponsor RoseKraft.   This is a wonderful Etsy shop featuring Cottage Decor and Gifts: Victorian Scrap Die Cuts. 

 She has many lovely pieces of framed Victorian emphera.

Please go and check out Rose's shop Rosekraft.  There are many items that would make great gifts.

 Now I would like to highlight some of the posts that caught my eye last week.

Poppy at Poppy View showed off her lovely tea set.

Aimee at Barns and Noodles showed off her Easy Apple Crisp recipe.

Kitty at Kitty's Cozy Kitchen showed off how to make a spiced piecrust that turned out beautiful!

Laurie of Heaven's Walk showed off her Thanksgiving table all decked out with her gorgeous tablecloth.

Looks Like White showed off an Edwardian home in England that has been updated in white and it is complete perfection!  The way the white reflects the light that floods into this house is just stunning.

Nici at Posed Perfection created a little triangle treat box for Thanksgiving that would also be perfect for Christmas!  Great tutorial Nici!

Many great links every week!  Keep it coming!  Thank you to everyone who joins me at Home Sweet Home!  It is wonderful to have you here!

Sherry

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I will join these ladies today:
Vintage Inspiration Friday at Common Ground 

Feathered Nest Friday at French Country Cottage

Show and Tell Friday at My Romantic Home

Home and Garden Thursday  at A Delightsome Life 

Inspiration Friday  at The Picket Fence

Fridays Unfolded at Stuff and Nonsense 
Strut Your Stuff Saturday at Six Sister's Stuff

I have a special request:  If you pin another person photos please go to their site and pin from there.  If it is my work you can pin away I won't mind.  Thanks!

 

 Guidelines for Home Sweet Home Party:

Attention: To link up with inlinkz you must have a permalink back to this party in your post or they will not allow you to link.  

Link up anything in your home or garden.  I love seeing neat shops too!

My button is on my sidebar for the party, if you want to use it.   If you are new here I hope you will become a follower. Please don't link up more than two posts.  No Etsy link ups or direct advertising, please.  Please visit some of the other blogs and get some great inspiration.  Thanks.:)

Now let's see your beautiful homes, delicious recipes, crafts, or whatever makes your home special!

before & After: A Client's Home Featured In Small Rooms Decorating Magazine

A while back, I shared some before & midstage photos of a client's DC rowhouse.  When I was just about to have our third son (this past Spring) I did a photoshoot with my good friend & photographer Helen Norman & her assistant, F.J. Hughes.  I was so happy with how my clients' home turned out & the house ended up getting shot again for Small Room Decorating Magazine right after.  My clients actually fell for a new home in another area of DC & moved a couple of weeks after the shoot and so we're now onto the next project!  It was pretty much a whirlwind for my clients & I'm so appreciative of them for letting us invade their home for photoshoots multiple times. 

Here are a couple of 'before' pics of the home:

{My clients' dining room: They already had a GORGEOUS chandelier by Oly and really beautifully done window treatments.  The dining room functions as both a dining room and a sitting room and the dropleaf dining table itself moves under the window and becomes a console when the room transitions into a sitting room.  My clients purchased the settee so it could function for both spaces.}

Here's what their living room looked like before:

{As you can see, they already had some amazing pieces to work with & I love their style.  My goal was to warm up the space & to get it just right for them.}

One of the first things we did was repaint the main areas of the home in ivory & to repaint the doors black for some contrast & interest & to bounce the black accents throughout the room:

We used many of their own pieces & added new pieces to create a sort of modern mix of old & new.  To see all of my plans for the spaces, click here. 

Here's the before:

And here's the 'after':

We rearranged the furniture & floated the daybed so that it coule be accessed from both sides.  We added a pair of clean-lined linen wing chairs for a cozy spot to hang. 

We added a mix of textured, patterned and hand block-printed fabrics for some energy & interest:

{Dark brown & white pillow fabric & ottoman fabric by Raoul Textiles, and center paisley pillow is one of mine, "live paisley."}

We flanked the existing sofa with two large iron & cement tables to hold loads of books & magazines. 

Below, the lamp is a custom creation by my friend, lighting designer, Rick Singleton.  The photographs are taken from the oversized German Magazine, The Manipulator, and I found them at Avery Studios.  The frames were beautifully hand painted by another friend, artist, John Matthew Moore.  I wanted them hung so that they intersected slightly with the wing chairs for a more layered, relaxed look.  I love how the little kitty is peeking out from between the two chairs.  We went with a clear glass cocktail table because even though the room looks open & expansive, it's really fairly small & we wanted to keep it feeling open & airy.

A little workspace is carved out of the living room:

Here's the view from their loft bedroom above, which I really love. The wood floors transition to the deck floors just outside:

Here's the dining room below:

Here's the dining room "after"--

The vintage BRNO chairs we found were covered in hairy cream cowhide.  The painting is from one of my favorite Natural Curiosities collections by Paule Marrot, the French painter, engraver & textile designer who did most of her work between the 1920s and 1950s.  As a decorator, there's nothing more exciting than when you find clients who are willing to go outside the box and who are open to atypical things.   

Here's another view of the dining room:

The leaves on the table were honeysuckle branches from my yard and I really love how they looked & smelled.  I don't have any at our new house & think I need to get some.

To see the rest of the photos of other areas of the home (including a little sprucing up we did in the master bedroom) and the dining room set up as both a sitting room and a dining room, check out the current issue of Small Room Decorating Magazine.  The article was produced by Charlotte Safavi & shot by Helen Norman.  I haven't been able to pick up my copy yet & it doesn't seem like the magazine is sold everywhere but I have seen it at my grocery store & in bookstores.  Thanks so much to everyone who put the article together & especially to my clients for being so open to the design process & for letting it all happen!!

Hope you enjoyed!!


If you'd like help creating a home you absolutely love, contact me about our design services. ps- All of the pretty photos in this post were taken by Helen too ;)

Driscoll's Berry Craft Contest

I am excited to show you my entry into the Driscoll's Berry Craft Contest.  I was contacted by Driscoll's to enter their virtual holiday craft workshop and competition and I had a lot of fun coming up with the design for my entry.

Driscoll's sent me a crafting kit with a $25 gift card to Michael's, $25 in Driscoll's berry coupons, a berry shopping bag, a berry strainer, and some instructions on how to begin my crafting.  I decided to go with an entire theme of a little gnome with his mushroom in a wintry setting.

The strawberry made a perfect mushroom.  I cut the top off turned it upside down on a toothpick and gently pressed sugar pearls into the berry for the dots on the mushroom.  The entire scene is based in a trifle made of strawberries, angel food cake cubes, and whip cream for the snowy effect.  All of this is in a single serving little pint jelly jar meant to be presented right on each individual place setting.  The rim of the jelly jar was moistened and dipped in red sugar crystals.

The strawberry mushroom was the key to the whole scene and it took a little work to come up with the perfect strawberry mushroom.  Some of the failed attempts can be seen here.

The little gnome is made of a spicy gingerbread recipe and then was dusted with sugar glitter to give the effect of ice and winter.  His little red hat is made of red candy melt not icing.

My inspiration for this was vintage German and Dutch postcards depicting gnomes and their mushrooms in a wintery scene.  I had created a secret Pinterest Board: Berry Contest for my inspirations and I have it now where you can look at it.

A big thank you to Driscoll's Berries for giving me the opportunity to enter the contest.

Sherry

I will link this to: 

Foodie Friday at Rattlebridge Farm

On the Menu Monday at Stonegable 

Rooted in Thyme Simple and Sweet Fridays

Wow Us Wednesday at Savvy Southern Style
Home at Rose Chintz Cottage
Food on Friday at Carole's Chatter 
Christmas Craft Party at Centsational Girl 
Handmade Holidays at Cedar Hill Ranch

It's All About the Food

In a house full of guys, the holidays are really all about the food.  Sorry, I don't mean to disrespect the holidays at all, but, the way the food disappears from the table around here you would think there is never any food served!  Just a few snaps of the food that went down here at Thanksgiving.   The two pies above are Blueberry Crumb Pie and a Raspberry Meringue Pie, the last was a vintage recipe.

The men here are not stuffing fans.  For years I made the stuffing and had to see it die a lonely death in the back of the fridge.  So, I threw in the towel on the stuffing this year and decided to give a new recipe a try.  I replaced stuffing with Cheddar Bacon Ranch Pull Apart Bread.  I had no complaints about this change.  I never once heard anyone ask...hey... where did the stuffing go. Instead, I heard....bacon...ohhhh....ummmm, in a flash the bread was whisked away with the meat and the gravy and it was all over for the pull apart bead!  

How did the play by play go at your Thanksgiving table this year?

Sherry

I will link this to: 

Home at Rose Chintz Cottage 

Table Top Tuesday  at A Stroll Thru Life

A Return to Loveliness  at A Delightsome Life 

Our kitchen

Our kitchen is coming together- and true to the impatient child that lives inside of me- I've moved in. 

 

 I found a bunch of my vintage oil paintings & hung them above the sink as I've been planning to do for months and it makes me soooooo happy:

 

 

Yes, I know, there's still painting & electrical to be done & cabinets to attach, but my artwork is up.  I try to ignore the blue painter's tape, open electrical outlets & such and just focus on the finished parts of the kitchen.  (It works surprisingly well when you are cooking for the first time in 3 months!!! yay!!)

 

Our island- which will be covered in reclaimed wood from the Lorimer Workshop in Rhode Island- and topped in honed marble- will be finished in a few weeks.  For now, I got a piece of navy gingham oicloth to put over our plywood.  (I think I'm going to keep it for really messy days- ie kids' art & craft projects & pizza parties ;)

{Our contractors worked really hard to make our kitchen functional for us on Thanksgiving & stayed late -when I know they wanted to be at home with their families- getting the appliances hooked up the night before.  We did a turkey (rotisserie style ;) in the oven & are just so thankful for everything.  I know there are many out there who are dealing with storm damage & who are trying to piece back together their homes, which is really tough & our thoughts have been with them.}

Here's a photo of the main wall in the kitchen, where the range is (and hood will be)...

{I love my range.  I didn't think it was possible to love an appliance but I sort of do.  It looks good and cooks food faster than any oven/stove we've ever had before.  We've always inherited our appliances with our houses and so this house is the first time we've done research & purchased what we really want.  There is SUCH a difference, I had NO IDEA. Crazy.}

Here's a picture of a beef (before we cooked it) on Saturday for some friends...

 

Now, more about this range.  (The Smeg Opera--- discontinued but I was able to find one.  There is a newer model available, but as far as I've been able to tell, it doesn't come with the rotisserie function.  BUT...  there are stands you can buy to put in any convection oven to make rotisserie-style food.)  It's Italian as was pointed out to me.  (I thought it was Australian because in my serach for rotisserie Smegs, I could only find them on the Smeg Australia site so I got completely confused.)  BUT-  THIS THING IS AMAZING.  Again, I've never purchased my own appliances before and I've never cooked on any high-end appliances before so what I'm comparing it to is generally the lowest available range from Home Depot, but hot damn!!  It's crazy!!! 

We overcooked the scrambled eggs on the first morning because we didn't know eggs could even cook that quickly.  We turned around & they were done.  (We had gas burners at our last house too but this one has much higher BTUs I guess...  I got it because it was pretty. ;)  (And came with good reviews.)

I searched for hours for this thing and looked at lots of different brands- all online- before coming to my decision.  I wanted an affordable professional style range (which for us, ruled out many of the higher-end brands like Wolf or LaCanche- MY DREAM ;) that looked good & had good reviews.  Having a rotisserie function was something on my dream wish list and I pretty much flipped out when I found one that had it all.  (To check out some more ranges I found that looked good, go here.)

I am really liking some of my other appliances too, so when I get the chance, I'll post on them too. 

And finally, just wanted to share a quick pic I snapped (when I was in my Norman Bates rocker holding the baby this morning) out our loft window...  Watching the sunrise with the boys has become one of my favorite things...  It's so peaceful and recharges me somehow:

I hope your Thanksgiving was special & that you find some quiet time in the holiday whirlwind we're now entering into!!

If you'd like help creating a home you absolutely love, contact me about our design services.

Picture Frame Wreath

I decided to try something a little different for my Christmas wreath this year.  I recycled an old picture frame and turned it into a wreath.   I went monotone with the bronze and gold colors.  I loved the acorns on the corners of the frame but, the area of the frame where the bow is was in need of repair. 

The gold laurel leaves, the tassels, the bow, and ornament hide the frame damage well.   I used things I had to create this frame and didn't buy any supplies.  The ribbon for the bow was bought at a 50% off after Christmas sale last year.   So there you have it, a recycled Christmas wreath.
 

Sherry

I will join:

Tweak It Tuesday at Cozy Little House

Cottage Style Link Party  at Lavender Garden Cottage

Mod Mix Monday  at Mod Vintage Life

Seasonal Sundays at The Tablescaper

Sunny Simple Sundays  at Sunny Simple Life

Share Your Cup Thursday  at Have a Daily Cup of Mrs. Olson

Doors & Wreaths at On Sutton Place
Thrifty Things Friday at The Thrifty Groove 

Home Sweet Home #94

Hello and welcome to Home Sweet Home!   Happy Thanksgiving to all of the American readers!  I was just cooking the pies and almost forgot to get the party going, but, I remembered between the pie baking and the turkey going in the oven!  This week I showed off a Thanksgiving look on the buffet. 

I was Prepping for Christmas with this tea.

And I made this classic French Sand Cookie and discussed how it freezes well and could be pulled out for Christmas just to decorate and eat!

Now I would like to highlight some of the posts that caught my eye last week.

 The Farmer's Daughter at The Country Farm Home finished the Keeping Room remodel and it was a beautifully finished space!

Jody and Stan of Rooted in Thyme had a post on paper whites with some of the most gorgeous garden eye candy!

Shannon at A Southern Belle with Northern Roots showed off her Great Aunt Julia's cupboard and recalled how the piece made her think of her Aunt.  This, to me, is what the Home Sweet Home party is all about.:)  I love it when you guys have a great memory associated with anything special from your home.

Heather and Vanessa of At The Picket Fence showed us how to create a Ballard Design holiday table runner for much less.  I thought this was a really cute project!   

Mary at Sweet Little Bluebird showed off some Snickerdoodle Donut Muffins.  Don't they look delicious!

Many great links every week!  Keep it coming!  Thank you to everyone who joins me at Home Sweet Home!  It is wonderful to have you here!

Sherry

Follow me on Twitter  
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Follow me on Pinterest 
Follow me on Hometalk

I will join these ladies today:
Vintage Inspiration Friday at Common Ground 

Feathered Nest Friday at French Country Cottage

Show and Tell Friday at My Romantic Home

Home and Garden Thursday  at A Delightsome Life 

Inspiration Friday  at The Picket Fence

Fridays Unfolded at Stuff and Nonsense 
Strut Your Stuff Saturday at Six Sister's Stuff 

I have a special request:  If you pin another person photos please go to their site and pin from there.  If it is my work you can pin away I won't mind.  Thanks!

 

 Guidelines for Home Sweet Home Party:

Attention: To link up with inlinkz you must have a permalink back to this party in your post or they will not allow you to link.  

Link up anything in your home or garden.  I love seeing neat shops too!

My button is on my sidebar for the party, if you want to use it.   If you are new here I hope you will become a follower. Please don't link up more than two posts.  No Etsy link ups or direct advertising, please.  Please visit some of the other blogs and get some great inspiration.  Thanks.:)

Now let's see your beautiful homes, delicious recipes, crafts, or whatever makes your home special!