I didn't start off in a fixer upper! My DIY house stories

THE ENGLISH TUDOR

I spent my childhood overseas, but when we came back to the States we lived in this grand English Tudor that had 15 rooms and 7 bedrooms and 4 fireplaces! All five of us kids had our own bedrooms! It had all of the things a big house should have like a secret passageway and laundry chute, a front and back staircase, a fabulous linen closet and butlers pantry and a buzzer on the floor under the table in the dining room to call the servants! Loads of mahogany wood paneling and gorgeous leaded glass windows with a library full of built in mahogany bookcases and small gas fireplace. This house was built in 1922. We lived here for 18 years.

My bedroom was front right, second floor!

This is what it looked like when I lived there.
Above  is how it  looks now after a one million dollar renovation.
They did a great job.

THE PINK HOUSE

This was the first house I bought. 

It was my mother's childhood home and I purchased it 

from my grandfather after my grandmother died. 

It was dark grey, no shutters and all covered up with screens.

 I took down the screens and a partial enclosure 

that blocked the open side areas of the porch 

and painted it pink with black trim. 

This house became known as "The Pink House". 

Many tried to copy the color.

THE SHINGLE STYLE VICTORIAN

This house had a huge foyer with beautiful woodwork, a Count Rumford Fireplace,
5 bedrooms, a grand dining room, heavy mahogany pocket doors.
 It also needed a new kitchen, a new bathroom, a complete residing and paint job.
Here it is in the finishing stages of paint..you can see the lattice is not yet done.

This was what it looked like when I fell head over heels in love and had to have it.
I could see beyond it's sad neglected facade.

I am standing on the porch on moving day holding my 2 year old son Colin.

The Count Rumford Fireplace and pocket doors in the living room,
as  movers bring in a carpet through
 the foyer as Colin and I watch.
Everyone thought I was crazy to take on this project.

I loved the thought of how gorgeous this wrap around porch was going to turn out!
My son Brandon is sitting on a wicker chair on the porch.
Multiple bay windows ran along side of the house.
Soon  this house would have all new cedar shingles
 with a painted lady combo of taupe on the shingles,
purple on the trim and lavendar rose for accents like the balusters
and the fancy fish scale shingles at the peak of the roof.
 All the screening was coming down soon!

This image shows closer detail of the porch.
It was a bridal shower for my sister Susan, here with mom.
I decorated my old wheel barrow with balloons to match the house paint.

THE FEDERAL COLONIAL

 

However I missed the quiet tree lined street of my pink house, 

so after I fixed up the Victorian I bought this classic
Federal Colonial which was only two doors away from the pink house.

 It was white with platinum grey shutters. 

I painted the front door Heritage Red after failing with a yellow color first.

 The best part about this house was the cornfield behind it in the summer!

Notice the bulls eye glass on the door and 

the bead board trim inside the arched ceiling.

 Loved that detail. I liked shopping at Talbots too..

.maybe there was a connection with the red door?

This is when the door was white, and I liked that too.

Nice railings on the side reminds me of 

a whaling captains house for some reason.

THE DUPLEX

 I picked up this adorable duplex after I divorced 

and moved back to my childhood town. 

 Bobby Kennedy's Harvard  roommate grew up in this house.

 He later wrote speeches for JFK!!

I brought my awnings from the federal colonial and installed them on my duplex.

 It needed the other back storm door to be fixed,

 that was in the garage waiting for me..

I had to do window boxes first, of course.

 This is the kitchen in the duplex and I have already yanked the dark green doors off!

What a difference a gallon of white paint makes, eh? 

My dad painted them for me. 

It also had original yellow formica counter tops with a stainless steel edge, 

which was ok and yellow wall tile (ugh) which was not.

Next, I ripped off the wall tile and was thrilled when I  found bead board underneath! 

So I restored it, but had to create a second molding to cover the wall 

where the tile originally was placed. 

I put a french country toile border in between 

the beadboard and the new molding--no more tile!

You can see I was impatient and had already wallpapered the top in a petite red pattern.

 Storage was an issue so I got this lovely pine secretary at a junk shop and stuck it in the corner.

I corralled bills in the drawers and put my prized transferware up top!

 French farmhouse! Kinda.

 If  I knew I was gonna blog back then, I would have taken the pic without  

my boyfriend (now hubby) and kids and his cousin ...

but you can see I added the wallpaper in a petite red pattern 

and had a border where the old tile ran. I liked the black and white linoleum 

floor which I put in, cheap and nice.

I took out the ceiling fan and put in an iron chandelier. 

This kitchen and house was TINY, but I was determined to make it charming.

 Of course the custom curtains added to the appeal.

I also gutted the attic and made two bedrooms and a jack and jill bathroom for my sons to share.

THE BUNGALOW

After two years I parlayed the duplex for a nice gain and bought a single family again, this time a sweet bungalow. It was the cheapest house for sale at the time in my town.

 It needed a gut job and a ton of work! 

I redid the entire second floor down to the studs 

as well as the kitchen and back of the little house. 

It came out really great.

Here I am with my mom, sister and brother showing them my soon to be new house.

 I started right away by changing the entryway to the rear instead of the side. 

My new kitchen was soon going to have a little french door to lead outside. 

My boyfriend (now hubby) and I dismantled the cobblestone wall. 

I love cobblestones! 

The ones we didn't reuse on this project I eventually dragged 

to my new home when I married Dave and they are in my garden now.

This was the hideous kitchen inside, UGLY, but I had a vision.

 My broker thought I was crazy. My dad didn't..

.he was going to be one of my biggest helpers on this project! 

He's fearless, like me.

Part of the vision included ripping out the wall over there

 so I could have an open floor plan in this tiny space. 

I had already had my dad hang my crystal chandelier! 

I am impatient.

Opened wall from dining area into kitchen with my french door I told you about in the back ground. Still a TINY house but it felt so much larger by opening this up. I painted the walls my favorite BM color Hepplewhite Ivory throughout.  My cabinets were white glazed uppers and alder wood lowers with a Boos Butcher Block island. I had pale green granite counters and I was in heaven. Here I am carving the turkey for a small family Thanksgiving in our new home.

I had chicken wire in the corner cabinet instead of glass so I could put my cool things on display and have a touch of french farmhouse. 

The under cabinet lights did not look obnoxious like that in real life!

This was a simple stylish makeover that fit this little house.

 

Not long after, my handsome boyfriend proposed marriage and this bunglalow hit the market! 

I moved into Dave's house that he was building and we have been working on it ever since.  

Our new plans include expanding our outdoor living space with french doors and a minor kitchen remodel, with a new backyard patio and garden area. Stay tuned.

 CENTER ENTRANCE COLONIAL

 This is my current home. It is actually a pre-fab from Canada. Center entrance colonial 

 with black shutters and a light grey vinyl (ugh) siding. 

I want to put a french door in and make a patio area. 

It is on a small city lot, and I want to try to get in as much garden area as I can.

 Right now it is a work in progress!

It sits up on a rocky ledge.....I am in the neighbor's yard snapping this pic.

 The famous pink swing my dad made many moons ago.  

It was white. I like to paint things.

It hangs outside the entrance to the cellar apartment my son lives in.

The walkway up to the front door & the granite walls my husband makes.

A garden closeup: Nepeta, Betty Prior roses, and Boxwoods mingling happily.
There are my bungalow cobblestones!

LAKE HOUSE

 This is our second home, a colonial in New Hampshire right next to Pleasant Lake. 

It has a fruit orchard, 90 blueberry bushes and beautiful lake views. 

Old stone walls. So lovely. This used to be a farm long ago.

Lots of balconies and decks to capture the lake view!

 A beautiful spot in the summer.

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Great Kitchens Part 1

What makes a great kitchen? 

There are 4 essentials:

Great light ( I prefer windows aplenty over light fixtures), 

interesting cabinetry, a defined personality,
and a well designed layout. 

What about appliances and counter tops you say?

No, they are not essential to a GREAT kitchen.

source

 This is one of my favorite kitchens. 

It is the window that elevates this space. 

Check out the interesting crown molding on the cabinets. 

The upper cabinet's glass doors repeat 

the gothic window style in the eating area.

The upper cabs are soft white, the island is done in a 

color similar to BM Henderson Buff.

Notice there is no light fixture over the island-- fresh and simple.

Not a tremendous view of the kitchen here

but the wall of windows is inviting.

A knotty pine or alder wood cabinet goes well with the great outdoors. 

This interesting cabinet paint color makes 

this kitchen vault into the special category.

Not many have the guts  to specify color on cabinets, 

but that is the element that makes this great.

Skylights, windows, celestory windows,
and a team of industrial lights 

overhead combine for an all out well lit work space.

Its farmhouse appeal comes from the
simple inlaid white cabinetry with 

a function over form work island in a contrast taupe paint job.

Lower cabinets in  farmhouse white 

pair with windows replacing upper cabinets. 

A French bakers table stands in for the traditional island

to give this kitchen its personality brand.

Grey paint finish on both island and cabinets surprise us

instead of the presumed white cabinet choice. 

A wall of windows and french doors let the light in! 

How about brick floors for a statement?

This is one huge kitchen with an island that functions as a 

gathering center as well as a work space. 

All white cabinetry with lots of glass upper cabs
keeps the feeling light, 

as there are no actual windows in this space! 

The transom brings light in from the dining area. Smart!

Green paint makes this kitchen interesting. 

Not for everyone, but a quick change out of
the purple chairs to black,

will bring this kitchen back from cute-cottage
to farmhouse in a flash.

This is the famous movie set kitchen from Somethings Gotta Give. 

Everyone loves this kitchen so I had to include it. 

Emulated many times over this kitchen has 

a straightforward appeal with classic white cabinetry
and open floor plan.
Every kitchen  highlighted has used an island in its layout.
An island is key to work space and layout,
when you have the room.
If you are short on space, look at  the skinny island below.
Functional and a compromise, but worthy.

Now this must look familiar to you....
it has captured me for some reason. 

It generates a lot of positive response from my viewers too.

I found it searching online and put it as the header pic on my blog. 

I absolutely love, love, love the feeling of this kitchen. 

And all I can see is that there is plenty of light with

the fantastic stretch of french doors

and windows, farmhouse beadboard,white cabinets, 

and a personality that is my brand. 

Mmm hmmm! I adore this one.

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Add some bling to a jean jacket

I love to create things. 

Not only in home dec, but in my wardrobe or in my yard or anything that catches my eye. 

Things that need a little updating, some blinging, some toning down, a little painting...its all fair game. 

And usually this comes over me spur of the moment. 

I have this jacket...

So yesterday when  I was at Joanne's Fabrics, as I walked by the rows of buttons and trims I got sucked in. They were so cool...I love buttons! Hmm..I picked out some pale blue lace admiringly, grabbed some more trim and ended up looking at the beautiful buttons and my jean jacket popped into my head.I thought I'm going to revamp my cool jean jacket I bought 3 years ago in Jackson Hole... 

Here is the pictoral of how things progressed:

 Here is my Wyoming denim jacket with some awesome beading already on it

this is the hand stitched beading in clear, blue and brown stones and beads

I bought pale blue ruffled lace, clear amber ribbon, baby blue tapestry ribbon, and decorative buttons

I placed the tapestry ribbon over the blue ruffle on the cuff and top stitched it in place. 
I found out I didn't like that much lace showing so later I redid it to have less of a ruffle reveal. 
The devil is in the details.

As I top stitched the tapestry ribbon I added a peak of an amber organza ribbon. 

I added the tapestry and amber ribbons to each pocket flap too.

Look, no manicure!

I top stiched the sides. I hot glued the bottom closed.

 

Then I hot glued a blue glass button to each flap, and the antique crest button to each cuff.

Detail of the flap, cuff and how it coordinates with the beautiful beading!

The final result...it's now an original and one pretty cool jacket!

You know I did this before to a suede shirt jacket I bought and I get tons of compliments on it.

Might as well show it to you.

Cuff detail..an embroidered ribbon with beading and a woven trim with rosettes

I edged the bottom with the woven trim too.

I put beige leopard fabric on the lapels, ooh la la!

My cool jackets..fun, flirty and they always draw a compliment!

Funky Junk Interiors

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Pink is an Attitude

Pink is a color most people are afraid to use. 

Women are nervous their men folk would be uncomfortable with it in their shared spaces. 

Too girly. Too sweet. Too babyish. Rubbish!

Pink is a powerful color that when used correctly
will put one at ease, 

quickly establish a mood, and make everyone smile. 

How I love pink!

                      

Barely there pink with lots of white.

Feminine, sophisticated, and downright luscious.

A more saturated pink with plum, cream and beige 

gives this room credibility without overboard femininity.

      Using a clear bright pink with a black and white graphic wallpaper gives this space modern appeal.

You can use hot pink in a traditional decorating scheme. 

This gives an excitement to what would otherwise have been 

an expected combination if you had used a neutral wall color.

 

This ballet pink wall color is kept in check by the black iron bed. I used this similar combination when I painted my first house pink, back in 1988. The neighborhood was in disbelief, but that little house became famous around town. I think the black shutters and fascia boards in black made the pink house sing.

One last pretty pink picture before I go!

 

Country French decor in raspberry pink.

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Enhancing Outdoor Spaces

Maybe it's because I am from New England, but I wait all winter long for the days to come that I can finally get outside and start being in my yard to do all the fun tasks like grilling steaks, planting flowers, pruning bushes, adding garden art like my decorative stakes with fleur-de-lis finials, putting up a new turquoise patio umbrella from Bali, which I found on Overstock.com, painting my porch swing bright pink for a change of pace and filling up my stone bird bath.

This swing was made by my dad and has traveled to the many houses I have lived in. A few times it stayed in the basement until the next house had a porch. This is a side area that accesses a basement apartment where my college age son lives. The originally white swing was nice, but this ho-hum area needed a spark...and this pink paint delivers. Check the before pic of my son standing with the white swing.  I think this pink swing spells summer!

Here are some other lovely porch swings. Swings are a welcome sign to your friends and neighbors.

source

 However Garden Gates make you wish you had an invitation to what lies beyond...

They create mystery and give your entrance a sense of importance or excitement.

Did you read The Secret Garden?

A garden gate makes you want to sneak inside....and take a peek!

I am a sucker for anything with paint on it...

look at this simple garden gate embellished with a 

cottagey floral design complete with matching tools.

This is how I image the Secret Garden entrance to be!!

 And once you have snuck inside...you hope a beautiful garden awaits...

Wow, an outdoor fireplace! I love this space!!

So many ways to set up a table and chairs in your garden....

I love the informality of this setting...

throw a white sheet over a folding table and grab all your forlorn chairs

 and set them under a canopy of trees and you have captured the essence of al fresco dining.

Or make do like Martha Stewart does in her inimitable elegant way...

have the servants bring out your wooden kitchen set!

But if it is going to be rainy or windy and you still want the outdoors, 

 some pavillion drapes to your porch, like I did for my sister's home.

She's going to have fun decorating her new space

with container plantings and brown wicker furniture.

                    Here is another gorgeous outdoorspace with carpeting and even a lamp.

Last, but not least, if you have a little shed

or outbuilding you can transform it into the centerpiece of your garden.

My mother-in-law has a neglected little old chicken coop in her back yard. 

I have drawn a sketch for her in the hopes she will let me work my magic 

on it so it can become a source of delight for her.

Right now it is filled with old tools and sleds and roofing paper and leftover job materials.

Not quite what I imagine it to be~I want it to look like this:

So when I get my way with this little old building, I will post the before and after.

 Until then I will enjoy my garden with my pink swing and 

my turquoise umbrella and my old granite walls!

Try adding a little pizzazz to your outdoor spaces.

 Add a  kicky new umbrella, repaint your old iron furniture in aqua,

paint your swing pink

or hang up some breezy porch drapes!

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