Blog (OLD)

This post is part of a 31 day series of rebuilding our house after losing everything in a fire.  The rest of the 31 Days can be found here.   Also, thank you to Kelly for hosting the ‘guest spaces’ party!

 “Our Southern roots compel us to make hospitality and good manners a priority in our daily living.”

The above quote by Cindy Smith summarizes my thoughts about guest spaces.  I like to think through what I would need if I were visiting in this space.   I haven’t gotten everything replaced since the fire but here are a few things that I think are a must for well-appointed guest spaces:  1)  A comfortable bed.   My favorite trick is to use feather channel beds on top of our mattresses to add an element of comfort.  2)  Fresh flowers or greenery, preferably from my own gardens.  3) A small token gift to make my guests feel welcome  4) A desk/chair/lamp combo  for writing a note  or using a laptop   5)  A handwritten note left on the bed that welcomes them and might include things such as the network password and where to find toiletries, etc.   Although I fail miserably, I really pray that we can use this house to serve our neighbors!

We take our hospitality serious here in the South and I like for my guests to feel welcome and that there has been some forethought and anticipation to their coming.  I try to remember to use the time I’m fluffing the space to pray for them and their needs.

We have been so blessed to be able to provide ample guest space in our rebuild.

Our basement is nearly the size of our top floor and  fits our life perfectly.  Most of the time, it’s just Steve and I and the girls and we can live almost exclusively in  the two upper levels.

But we want our older kids to have a place to still call home.   And since there’s six of them, we wanted plenty of space.

We have a full walk out basement that has 2 bedrooms, 2 full baths, a huge bunk room, a kitchen-ette and a living room.  It also has lovely outdoor spaces and a fire pit.

One of the rooms has an Anthropologie-esque feel…..

As you can tell, I still need a bedskirt but I don’t like traditional bedskirts so I’m pondering on what to do—perhaps you have some thoughts?! At Anthropologie, they’d probably make it out of paper plates but I’m too tired for that. I need Bohemian AND easy.   Now that I take a second look, maybe a ruffled bedskirt is in order.   This is JamieKnoxville’s room when she comes and she’s made all kinds of demands.   I guess I should run it by her 🙂

Then there’s the Grandmother quarters. This is actually the room I would prefer if I were staying as a guest in my house. It’s pure as the driven snow and a bit proper. I love the old school chenille bedspread and I may in fact be fulfilling a childhood dream since I never got the chenille for myself in the 70’s.

And have I ever told you my fascination with doilies? I do love them and I plan to do a doily wall above the bed. Do you love doilies? Why don’t we use them anymore? They’re so dainty and perfect and proper. I want them EVERYwhere.

Doesn’t this room make you wanna sit up straight and say yes ma’am and crochet a doily?    I think it’s my favorite 🙂

The guest kitchen is perfect for our college and adult age children. It’s equipped with a stocked fridge of beverages and pizza rolls and has its’ own washer and dryer.
Cue the hallelujah chorus!

And the guest living room has the leftovers of what we didn’t use upstairs. Someday, I’ll fluff it up too.

I have dreams for the bunk room and the mudroom but for now they’re places to store boxes and wet dogs.

(The concrete stained floors make wet/dirty/shedding dogs a little more bearable.)

We are still working furiously trying to outfit the master bedroom but here’s a sneak peek!

Hope you enjoyed the tour.  Want to see more?  Click here!

The multitasking type of room has long been a dream of mine.   A room that’s like me—–that reads and does laundry and blogs and dabbles in paints and maps and printing and child-rearing and bird watching.  We’ve only lived here two weeks but I can’t even  count the hours we’ve already spent in here.  My girls’ new favorite pastime is to watch nail art videos and make their art come true whilst listening to me read “Gulliver’s Travels.”  It’s the first room we use in the morning and the last room we leave in the evening.   It never looks this clean.   There’s usually books and nail polish and writing projects strewn about.   We clean the green table off 27 times a day, only to make room for more art.

Darlene helped to give this room its’ strong elements of design.   I knew I wanted muddy pink—she helped narrow down the pinks.  I knew I wanted a great desk—she found this lovely beauty from Bungalow Five.   She even went to all the trouble to sketch the built-ins for me but in the end, we couldn’t afford them (except for those over the laundry) so we’re making do with my knock-off version of Jenny’s IKEA bookshelf  hack. I have to say—-I LOVE them.  But then again, I love everything Jenny does.   She’s so talented with color and always seem to make design seem so attainable.   I love that about her!  I painted the backs a charcoal-blue and adding some finishing touches to exterior.  You can follow her tutorial here if you’d like to try it too.    I posted Darlene’s drawings here so you can see how talented she is at making use of space.  You can follow her Pinterest Boards here which is a great way to work back and forth with a designer and gain inspiration for almost any project.  Her office/craftroom/workroom board is here.  Mine is here. She even has a Pinterest board called “Inspiration for Edie”.   I LOVE her!

Her original vision board looked like this………

As you can probably tell, I haven’t been able to turn it all into reality but I think it looks pretty close already, even without the awesome fabrics we chose.  The green fabric is a Kelly Wearstler Imperial Trellis.  I’m working with someone local to help with window treatments so it’ll be awhile on those.

This is the room that gave the electrician a pause.   “Does she realize she has 14 lights in this room?”   Yes, yes she does.

And she kinda wishes she had added one more hanging light over the sink.  But, alas, no.  14 it is.

This bamboo-ish bright yellow beauty?  The star of the show.   Or the laundry room, as it were.

My desk is pretty sweet too……

There’s no surprise to you, I’m sure, that I’ve been collecting books fast and furious.

This is a favorite—the Luther books with the horse bookends!

And the Harry Potter collection with the unicorn bookends?!!!!!!  Makes me a little verklempt 🙂

But my favorite daily reads are these, which I keep handy at desk level.  The girls and I use the Lutheran prayer book for morning prayer and then use the scriptures for our Bible readings.  We use the Confessions to memorize Luther’s Small Catechism.   (As a side note, my friend Gretchen, who is brilliant and wonderful and happens to be the wife of my pastor, posted a video to her blog of her husband Derek teaching the catechism to his girls.   It’s priceless!  And gave us some hints on how to get the kids to fully participate in family devotions. Thanks, Gretchen, for sharing!)

A closer look at my monogram obsession?  Sure.

So, you’re wondering where the laundry is in this supposed *workroom*, aren’t you?   Don’t worry, she’s even washing as we speak.

However, this room is VERY tight.   As in,  I may need to go back to the gym to continue to navigate in here.   So, it’s very hard to get a good image of that side of the room.

Bear with my feeble attempts 🙂

I also would like to help you understand yourself better.
There are two types of women in the world: 1)the immensely practical gal who actually does all her laundry in a timely and organized manner but pays little attention to the aesthetics of the laundry-doing space 2) then there’s me and my fellow artsy friends, who may from time to time, have to rewash a load due to laundry procrastinating tendencies  but who somehow find the time to go to great lengths to create a wonderful laundry experience. If you thought to yourself, “Well, that’s all well and fine but WHERE’S the detergent and such?” You belong to camp number 1 and the following picture is given for your perusal for your peace of mind.

It’s there, it’s just hidden as it did not fit with my laundry space  sensibilities.

So, now it’s your turn to entertain me.   What is the current state of your laundry room?

Hope you enjoyed the workroom tour!
I’ll be slowly adding the sources to this post as I can find them/remember them.
If you love this room, consider hiring Darlene to help you with a vision board for your next project.

Sources:

Wall Paint—Benjamin Moore Conch Shell

Back of Bookshelf Paint—Sable Black from Home Depot

Cabinet Color—–Fieldstone from Benjamin Moore

Yellow Bamboo Chandelier—-Shades of Light.com

Olive Table—-Blue dot strut in dark olive by Design Public

Lemon Drop Lidded Jar—Modern Chic Home

St. Tropez Chair—-Room Service Store

Zebra Bench—Braden’s Lifestyles

Jacqui Console Desk—-Bungalow Five, Layla Grace

Yellow Lattice Ceramic Stool—-Overstock.com

Ravella Orange Disco Rug—-Rugs Direct.com

Geo Zipper Drum Pendant in orange and white—–Shades of Light.com

Task Lamp on my desk—-Pottery Barn

“Blessed” towel—West Elm ( monogrammed by them)

Bookshelf lights—IKEA

various white dishes and tchotchkes—antique and thrift stores

Joining Kelly’s home tour, ‘laundry room’ edition!  Thanks for hosting, Kelly!

This post is part of series called “31 Days to Rebuild Your House and Heart” and I’m writing it to chronicle our rebuilding process after we lost everything in a house fire last December. You can start here and read the whole series.  Also, a hearty thanks to my friend Rhoda for hosting this little shindig!  Thanks for visiting!

Today, I feel just like the Nester. I’m tired of blogging about rebuilding.
I did want to show you the screen porch because she’s not gonna be the star of the show next week.
The adorable garden stool? That sweet Nester sent that to me about a week after the fire. I adore it and her.
The ‘All you Need is Love’ sign? From sweet Melaine who blogs at the stellar My Sweet Savannah. There are no end to the blessings at this house!
Thanks girls, you make a screen porch look bahyooteefull and a girl feel special 🙂

Oh and I almost forgot the ceiling!  It’s painted my own shade of ‘haint blue’ which is common is Southern towns, especially Charleston.

Folklore is full of stories about haint blue—-that it wards off evil spirits and even mosquitoes.  I’m even hoping it could help ward off the calories of coffee treats I consume out here?

At any rate, I love the sky blue ceiling and all the coziness it creates.

(We used 2 inch pine boards.)

(The pillows and lantern and throw are from Pier One and the wicker is Lloyd Flanders Nantucket.)  The tables and chairs are from IKEA.  (Thanks Sebastian!)
**************************
And it’s Stevie’s birthday so I thought I’d humor you with his antics.
He got the new iPhone4s and now has been drawn into a love affair with  ‘Siri’–the voice controlled personal assistant.
He talks to her all the time.

Here are a few things they talked about today.

Stevie: “Will you set a timer for 7 minutes.”
Siri: Sure. “Timer is set.”
Stevie: “Thank you.”
Siri: “Your most welcome.”

Stevie: “Email my brother Jeff.”
Siri: “Is that Jeff Schwarz or Jeff Wadsworth?”
Stevie: “Jeff Wadsworth, that’s my brother.”
Siri: “I’m sorry, I didn’t get that.”
Stevie: “Jeff Wadsworth.”

Stevie: “What is the chemistry behind ashes.”
Siri: “I’m sorry Steve.  I do not know.”
Stevie: “Well, you should.”
Siri: “Noted.”

Stevie:   “Siri, I love you.”
Siri: “STEVE (in a very motherly voice), you haven’t known me that long.”

I’m not even kidding.
These two could go on like this all day.
Twice, I almost answered because I thought he was talking to me.
Nope, it’s Siri he’s interested in.
Until dinner that is.
She still can’t cook for him.
And that’s why I win, Siri.  And besides, I was tired of looking things up for him anyways.

He also confessed to having a midlife crisis.
But instead of a sports car, he got a Big Green Egg.
It’s the most amazing grill EVER.
Stevie said it goes from 0-700 in less than 10.
Boys and their toys 🙂
I’ve leased him some real estate on the screen porch for the grill. THAT, my dears, is true love.

And Happy Birthday to my dear husband. Here’s to many more long days by the fire, grilling up steaks, watching football and chasing our dreams!
Love yous,
edie

This post is part of series called “31 Days to Rebuild Your House and Heart” and I’m writing it to chronicle our rebuilding process after we lost everything in a house fire last December. You can start here and read the whole series. Thanks for visiting!

I may be the luckiest girl in America when it comes to cabinetry.
My builder introduced me to Gary Keith, owner/designer/artisan of Keith’s Custom cabinets.
I was leary of custom cabinets because I’m a down to earth girl who likes thrift stores and flea markets (okay, and crystal chandeliers but whatever) and I was just sure that I could get exactly what I wanted from Home Depot or Kraftmaid or whathaveyou. But because my builder was so fond of Gary, I met with him and dreamed my dreams of perfect cabinets. I also, simultaneously, went to Home Depot and got an estimate on their Martha Stewart line of cabinets, which I ADORED.
First, let me say, that Home Depot was not too excited about making a rolling cart.
Gary made this one himself.

Second, let me say that Home Depot charges $300 for EACH corbel. Did you catch that?!?!?!? EACH ONE.
So these, shelves would have had $1800 in corbels alone.

And working with an artisan cabinet maker is like talking to an artist about their art.   He LOVES what he does.   He seemed just as invested in my cabinets as I was.   It was a wonderful experience all around.

He didn’t flinch when I said I wanted a nine foot tall open pantry shelf, backed with beaded board.

And perhaps one of the best things about the process was that I could choose the colors and was not limited to stock color options.

I chose Fieldstone for the main kitchen cabinets and am so happy with them.  (I will give details of the marble, the pulls, etc next when in the kitchen tour post.)

I asked him to make a buffet inset slightly from the rest of the cabinets, with a walnut top, and it really looks fabulous.   Love the bun feet!

Oh wait, this isn’t a cabinet photo. But isn’t she beautiful? She’s always glimmering and glistening and stealing the show.

I showed him this picture

and he made this…..

I showed him this picture…..

and he made this (minus the mirrors per my request)

I say all this to say—don’t give up on your local artisan cabinet maker.
They are going out of business like gangbusters thanks to Lowe’s and Home Depot.
And the kicker——Gary’s quote came right in between two others. He was cheaper than Home Depot!!!!!

And almost everything he made for me was custom height or depth and would have been impossible to get any other way.  I am most certainly a convert to custom cabinetry.    I would highly recommend that you at least price it in your next building project.
I think, in all honesty, Gary is  probably undercharging for what he does and one of the ways we were able to afford it was to forego some of the built ins that we originally wanted in the workroom and in the basement.   We will try to add those as we can.
The other upside to custom cabinets is that their price INCLUDES installation and they are actually the ones who will install the cabinetry.    When you go with big box stores, the price will NOT include installation and you may or may not get a good installer.  Gary and his assistant were  absolute masters at installation and were fun to watch.   They  installed my kitchen in less than two days. Amazing, I tell you.
And I’m so happy to have had the privilege of meeting someone who still makes top notch products the old fashioned way and who has the expertise to look at a picture, design a beautiful product and deliver the whole package with integrity and humility.  I worked with him personally every step of the way.
It was a pleasure that cannot be matched by the big box stores.
Who knew that there were still craftsmen like him in the world?!