Friend's Home Tour #2

This is a better shot of that antique sewing machine and the lovely entry to my friend's home.

Turning right at the dining room takes us into their living room. Those windows are facing south. The little cottage is just visible through the right window. White painted tables and luxurious deep-cushioned sofas and chairs and PINK lamp shades! I just adore how she has taken a sort of Idaho log home and made it so romantic. I would have done exactly the same as she has done. Then she's tied back sheer curtains on the wood trimmed windows. Oooh, did I mention her hubby built this house for them? Well, he did. It is very pretty and large also. Just wait till you see it all.

River rock fireplace. Phyllis has flowers and plants all over this home. Plus she gardens in the spring and summer and usually has a vase of flowers for the pulpit at church. She can really grow beautiful flowers.

The lady of the house also plays piano and I think teaches some of her kids to play also. Luxurious white shag carpet and a vintage rocking chair. Hubby made that clock on the wall also. He cut the wood and then someone in the family painted it. Talent abounds in this family.

Close up of the clock.

Her kitchen. Squeeeeeeeal!! I love the boldness of red. She is not a wimp when it comes to colors, I tell you. She's a woman who knows what she wants and does it regardless. Astounding and fantastic she is. Red microwave, plates, skillet, stools at the countertop, pantry door, hanging pot holder.

Red and white checked curtains at her front window looking out into her entry garden. Red transferware plates on her wall above the sink window.

Yep, hubby made this clock also! I have to tell you this man is the kindest, sweetest, gentlest man I've ever met. He is such a humble man he is most like Christ in any person I've ever met. I guess you have to have patience when you have 11 children!

They've done a faux finish on this wall. Notice another chandelier in this family dining area. A woman after my own heart!! I only have one but she has MANY! But I'm thinking of getting more for my home. *Wink*

They just this past week got their first computer. It is kept in this area and you'll see it on the left side just a wee bit. You'll also notice she has a battenburg lace tablecloth on her table. She's a true stay-at-home wife and mother.

Okay, hold me back here!! Look at this stunning shabby chic white feminine bedroom! Blue and white toile curtains inset into those log windows. And another chandelier. Plus a pink lamp shade with roses on it. Squeeeeeeealing with delight! I know she loves pillows also.

Okay, that's a teaser of the bedroom to come in the next post of their home.

My Skill at Baking Bread~

I have never ever professed to be good at baking bread! I've even had a couple of different women in 2 different wards we've lived in try to show me how. I even have tried doing it in the bread maker. I had a box of a wonderful bread I made the other day to eat with some beef stew. (It was canned. Sunday is a day of rest for us so we do really easy meals.) I kept using a flashlight to look into the breadmaker to see how it was doing. I finally told hubs that it wasn't looking very good for my "domestic skill" of baking bread even with the help of an automatic appliance. Could it be that the box had been in food storage since about 2005 and the yeast had "gone bad"??? Below is how it turned out. If you laugh, DO NOT EVER VISIT MY BLOG AGAIN! I've tried and tried and this is what I get. We ate it, which is even sadder! It wasn't too bad just a bit......uuuhhhh, heavy(?). Your monitor is NOT distorted. The bread was about 2" tall! So I ain't Molly Mormon; adjust! *Sigh*........

Finding My Own "Voice"

"Voice" in this instance means my "water seeking its own level" or my own abilities, such as they are.

There has been a group of women on ebay—who have been with me from the beginning of the odyssey (yes, an odyssey) to learn how to paint. I've accepted that I'll never be "great" at it and will have to skate by with "mildly adequate" at painting a rose. I truly have no natural ability for it. If by some chance I get better it will be by sheer luck (and I'm really not into "luck") or tenacity and/or lessons from a professional painter.

But every once in a while around the ol' homestead here I'll pick up a brush and practice or just do something that pleases me in regards to painting. That's what I did recently. I had a little jar that I wanted to froufrou up to hold some creams I had.

I cannot seem to capture the one-stroke form of painting so I just do what I can and not stress about it. If it makes me happy and Love Bunny think it's great, then so be it.

Here is my latest attempt on a cream jar. This is the beginning of the front.........

and this is the beginning of the back.

And this is the finished product. I spray painted the lid a vivid glossy pink. This is the front.....................

and this is the back. I accept applause and kudos, chicks!

~*~

Random Thought

When purchasing a new ironing board cover and taking it out of the heavy plastic wrapper, do NOT toss it on the floor beneath your stockinged feet. You could slip and fall on your b*tt easily if the ironing board wasn't sturdy enough to stop the descent to the floor. Personal experience from this past week!

Friend's Home Tour #1

I have a woman in our ward who thinks like I do in many things, but decorating is the part that touches my heart the most I think. It's been very hard to find women around here who decorate similar to me in any way. Phyllis does! And what a sweetheart she is. Mother of 11, yessss, 11 children! You would not believe this if you saw her, trust me. She's very young looking, a sweet, kind loving mom/woman and just so patient.

Anyway, I asked her if I could photograph her home to show you another chick here in Idaho who loves the froufrou style of decorating while making her hubby comfortable in their romantic home. I have 50 photos to share after editing so I'm going to make this a series of five blog posts. I have a feeling you're going to love her home.

She lives up the road from me. I live on the very edge of the county/city line. Looking at the house here, I would have my back to my own home. So I live on the edge of the farmers and ranchers area.

This is the front of the home and I got my car in the foreground. As you can see, there are 2 front entries. This house sits on a sloping hill. The hubby built the small kiddies a playground under the deck that could only be for little munchkins as adults would be too tall to stand under there but the little children fit nicely—swings, teeter totter and such under there. Snug in all kinds of weather.

Her hubby built a little "cottage" out there on the side of the house but the cottage is for HIM!! LOL It's his office, but Jack would have to fight me for that little place if I lived there. *Smiling*...........

Walking up to the front entry.

Stepping into the front entry puts us right into the formal dining. White painted chairs, pink candles and pink table runner and a chandelier—one of many in this home. Beautiful roses swag over the windows. (I'm sorry this photo didn't turn out well as the room is lovely and the windows were "fighting" me for light, but I took up a lot of their time the day I photographed the home and didn't want to disturb them again.)

Also her carpet in this area is a floral. Most unusual for this area, but as I said, the woman has taste! It's gorgeous.

Her plate collection. This is also an artistic family. Her hubby paints and some of her children paint or draw also.

This is a painting done by her hubby. You can see a little peek of this lovely lady up in the left hand corner but I've wanted to protect their privacy as much as possible so I won't put their photos of them on here.

A little curio cabinet to the right of the dining room windows. I love the lacy look of it.

A see-through fireplace looks into the kitchen dining area.

This is standing by the dining room windows and looking at the front entry. Stenciling is above the front entry. She has a vintage sewing machine under the mirror on the right side.

That's it for this post but keep in touch to see the rest of the home.

Jazzing Up Old Jackets

A quick fix solution to a problem.

I wear sunglasses if I'm outside—no matter what. If I'm outside I'm wearing my sunglasses. But hooking them into the neckline of my tops or even putting them on top of my head has resulted in broken glasses. I buy good ones at the optometrist. So I finally devised a way to hang them around my neck when shopping and needing my reading glasses to read labels.

I had an extra strap I had once made for a tote but never did make the tote. So I used that to go around my neck and then put 2 buttonholes in it to hold each pair of glasses by the ear piece: sunglasses and reading glasses securely at my neck without them falling out and breaking. Voilà. Here is how it turned out, chicks. Very easy and it just stays in my purse for when I go out. Quick, cheap fix.

~*~

I decided the other day to put new buttons on my jackets to jazz them up a bit. They usually come with the standard "el cheapo" kind of button even if it is JJill. I think they all are better looking with "snappier" buttons.