Fern Star Baby

This weekend was amazing in that nothing really happened at all.  We veg'd at home and enjoyed being outside & having a grill to cook with.  (We sold our house with the grill since we'd built a countertop around it & it fit perfectly so we have been eating TERRIBLY since we moved to our new house without a kitchen.)  I cannot describe how HEAVENLY it feels to eat good food again.  (Even if the "good food" consists of grilled meat with microwave rice.)

 

When I was little, my mom used to lay a blanket out in the yard for us and now it's one of my favorite things to do with my little guys.  I couldn't resist putting Luke's head in the center of one of the fern stars on the quilt and taking some pics.   It's definitely the little things & it's in the moments where I'm thinking of nothing else but that moment that I feel the most connected to & invigorated by life.

 

Hope you had a good one! 

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

Steampunk Halloween

Ever since I have brought home this Victorian wardrobe I saw it as the perfect backdrop for a Steampunk Halloween.  What is Steampunk?  Steampunk is a sub-genre of science fiction in where steam power became the energy source in the Victorian era for industry.   The steampunk style has a huge following in the art world where fantasy reigns and interprets this science fiction world.

So my world is a Halloween scene of Jack having a little tea in his Victorian parlor while he studies spiders.

He has his microscope out.  He has managed to trap one spider under the cloche.  A few other spiders have gotten away from him.
 

Two of the hallmark looks of the steampunk style are gears and goggles.  So Jack is sporting a pair of goggles on his Derby hat.  We also have a few gears lying about from some of his previous studies.

This spider has gotten away and made a web on this pumpkin.

Under this cloche is a spider Jack has managed to trap, along with a padlock he will need to lock the gate this evening. 

Hope you have had a fun visit seeing my interpretation of this Steampunk Halloween.

Sherry

I will join:

Tweak It Tuesday at Cozy Little House

Cottage Style Link Party  at Lavender Garden Cottage

Sunday's Best Party  at My 1929 Charmer

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

My Monday Muse at Carter's Cottage

Holiday Nesting at The Inspired Room
Fabulously Creative Friday at Jennifer Rizzo

Home Sweet Home #89

Hello and welcome to Home Sweet Home!   This week I changed my transferware for the Pewter in the Hutch.  I also added in some vintage Halloween decorations.

There is another way to get white pumpkins; by using Chalk Paint on the Pumpkins,

I transformed some thrifty orange pumpkins for my tablescape. 

And, I made a hearty and delicious Lentil Stew for fall.

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

 The Country Farm Home went junking and came away with a lot of farmhouse style wares!  

Salmagundi recycled wool clothing and made this fabulously stylish wool pillow.

Sonny at 155 Dream Lane restyled her entryway into a lovely arrangement.

Jill at Sew a Fine Seam did a recovery operation on this deer head that was a major success!

Elizabeth at Pine Cones and Acorns tempted our taste buds with this Pumpkin Blue Brie Cheese Baked Macaroni.

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 

Potpourri Friday at 2805
Inspiration Friday  at The Picket Fence
G'Day Saturday  at Natasha in Oz
Passion Parade Link Soiree  at Petites Passions
Fridays Unfolded at Stuff and Nonsense  

I have a SPECIAL REQUEST of you, if you visit Home Sweet Home and would like to PIN the great post you see here! Please pin from the ORIGINAL SOURCE and not my blog.  If it is my original photo you can pin away, I won't mind!

 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!

Client Living Room Before & After & During

One of my favorite parts of my job is the day we install everything into a room for our clients.  It's rewarding & so much fun to see it all come together.  We just returned back to the office today from a living room installation & I thought I'd share a few pictures from the beginning of the process (months ago) to the final end results. 

This project actually began while I was on maternity leave with my {amazing} design assistant, Meghan, meeting our client.   Our client's style is traditional and she loves a natural feeling with punches of color and is crazy about animals :)  She loves tufting & pretty details but didn't want anything overly fussy.  The design was presented, tweaked, agreed upon & ordered and this morning, we met with our whiteglove delivery team to install everything. (wahooo! :)

 

We walked into the empty space (which had been cleared for the installation day) & got to work getting it ready:

 

(ignore my stylin' outfit please ;) ;) 

 

Next came the seagrass area rug to add some natural texture & warmth to the living room:

 

 

 

Then the vintage overdyed rug was layered on top of the seagrass & the guys brought in the furniture:

 

 

 

At the same time the furniture was being moved in, Paul Johnson from Paul David Design- the BEST custom workroom evah!!-  began hanging the curtains:

 

{Cream & green embroidered linen with green banding}

 

We used our client's existing curtain rods & a few of her furnishings as well.  Our clients have some great maps & artwork, so once the furnishings were in place, we got to hanging it with Paul's help.  I styled all of the surfaces with our clients' things...

 

{We need to find the perfect mirror for above the entry table}

 

And so one last 'before' pic:

 

{Derrick & Franklin unrolling the first rug}

 

..And here's the living room now:

 

 

One of my favorite touches is our clients' adorable needlepoint pillow with the jack russel on it....

 

 

The velvet settee is super soft & you just want to touch it when you see it.  We used a pillow in one of my fabrics -Live Paisley- on the sette to add some color & to lessen its seriousness. It's hard to see in the photo but the paisley is green & pink, so we pulled out a little more of the pink with the throw on the chair.

 

I looooove the bird study we found by Peggy Macnamara for Natural Curiosities:

 

We still have a few more things to add to the space but I hope you enjoyed seeing the process so far!  ps- I started this post this afternoon and am just now hitting "publish" at 6:30 PM... Between computer & internet kircking out issues, I am smoked. ahhhhh!!! :)

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

Lentil Stew

This stew is really flavorful and good for you.  One other thing I like about this stew is, it is rather quick to make for a stew.  It is meat free but, you won't miss the meat and it keeps well in the fridge for 3 or 4 days.

Ingredients:
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried basil
2 tbsp olive oil
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 large onion, cut into chunks
1 carrot, sliced
1 potato, peeled and cut into chunks
5 cups of water
1 cup of diced tomatoes
1 1/2 cup of brown lentils

Combine the garlic powder, paprika, salt, cumin, oregano, and basil in a small bowl.  Heat the oil in a large soup pot over medium-high heat, add the garlic, onion, carrot, and potato.  Stir in half of the seasoning mixture.  Cook stirring frequently, for 7 mminutes or until the onions are tender.

Add 5 cups of water, tomatoes,and lentils.  Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat and simmer with the pot lid askew for 30 minutes.  Add the remaining seasoning mixture, and cook for 20 minutes longer or until the lentils are soft but not mushy.  

Serves 6

Enjoy!

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
A Pinteresting Party  at Tutus & Tea Parties

Chalk Paint the Pumpkins

I had looked for the right size and shape of white pumpkin but, had trouble finding that perfect one.  I decided to try the chalk paint to get the desired look.  Now, I am not saying you need to go out and buy chalk paint for the pumpkins but, if you have a little left over; like I did, it works great!

The finish on the paint was perfect.  The pumpkins covered well.  To finish the look all I needed was a thick permanent marker and a fine Sharpie to smooth out the edges.

I just drew the designs right on the pumpkins freehand.  You recognize this guy don't you?

The results were just what I was looking for.  I have to mention too that the white pumpkins were selling for $5 a piece and the orange were $2.50.  Win-win!  Oh, that pumpkin on the right is Jack Skellington from The Nightmare Before Christmas.

 Just for Marty's Cloche Party, I am sneaking in a picture of my next Halloween table.  It had a cloche on it.  This is the table I am posting next week. It is the table I created these pumpkins for.   It is pure fantasy and a lot of fun, can anyone guess the theme?  It is not The Nightmare Before Christmas.

  Sherry   
I will link this to:

A Return to Loveliness  at A Delightsome Life

Table Top Tuesday  at A Stroll Thru Life

Tweak It Tuesday at Cozy Little House

Nifty Thrifty Tuesday at Coastal Charm 

Thrifty things Friday at The Thrifty Groove 

Metamorphosis Monday at Between Naps on the Porch 

Guess Where I am???!!

...I'm in my new office!!  (Which I think sounds way cooler as "studio" hahahah)  The paint was barely dry last  night when Dave & I started moving things in.  Luke (our almost-5 month old was sleeping- thankfully- so we were able to get a ton done.)  I CANNOT BELIEVE this day is here.  I'm soooooo happy.  (And my left eye is twitching from lack of sleep.)

 

We have a central work/ conference table for projects & meetings:

 

Almost all of the walls (& ceilings in our home) are in "ancient ivory" by Benjamin Moore.  It's ivory that feels neither too warm or too cool with our things.  I love it against all of the modern black window frames in the house. 

 

Here's where I'm sitting as I type:

 

 

{my desk...  I love the old blue but I think I'm having it stripped for more natural wood}

 

 

That's a pair of massive fig trees outside my open window.  Many of the windows in our house are fogged up (the seals are broken) but I'm still crazy about them.  (We'll be replacing them as soon as we can.)

 

Here's where I'll honestly get the majority of my work done: 

(It's a vintage faux zebra... please don't email me!  ;)

 I love working from a couch...  It sounds weird, but I like to get all cozy when I'm working on projects.  I think its where my creativity seems to flow best haha...  I've come up with at least 75% of my textile designs while sitting on a sofa with a blanket.  (Most of the others were done in the car on road trips ;)

We have lots to add to the space- art, curtains, shelving, boards, etc., but it feels so good to be out of the garage and into the house!!

I'm off to go pick up some shelving from our storage unit so we can finished getting set up.  Fingers crossed the rain holds off or the shelves will be getting a bit of a "weathered" finish!


wahoooooo!!!


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