The Old Painted Cottage

The Blogging Effect

2009-11-06T13:46:00.001-08:00

Are you anything like me, completely appalled when you discover one of your friends doesn’t have a blog yet? Even worse, have you ever found yourself trying to convert your non-blogging friends into becoming full fledged bloggers?

I have a confession. Everyone, my name is Jennifer, and I just might attempt to corner you in the supermarket, next to the shredded cheese isle, and persuade you to go towards the light of blogging. Just ask my friend Diane.

Blogging has become a networking platform unlike anything I’ve ever experienced before. I’ve laughed with you, I’ve cried with you, I’ve remembered to value everything that is truly important in life, and I’ve even revealed some really quirky things about myself. I’ve also been approached by strangers that recognized me, and that’s something I don’t know I will ever get used to, but get a great kick out of it nonetheless.

I recently had the opportunity to collaborate with a couple terrific bloggers. First, I was invited to write a Guest Post for the blog Not 2 Shabby. I’ve never guest posted before, so this was really new to me. The topic I chose to write about was Creating Vignettes…

Here’s a small quote from my guest post:

“Once you’ve found the right foundation for your vignette, you want to consider function and design. You need to ask yourself “Is this a space that requires daily, practical use, or is it more for visual appeal?” Since I use drawers for “hiding” all my practical items, such as keys, pens and paper, batteries and remotes, etc, it frees up my visual space allowing for complete creativity.

Vignettes can be very effective when using similar themes, objects and colors. Height is another important consideration. Try stacking objects at different levels, making the objects more visually appealing and interesting. If using a piece of framed art, try leaning it against the wall instead of hanging it – it grounds the art and relates it more to the other objects within your vignette”.

To read the entire article, please click here. Or if you just want to stop by and leave Brandi a comment, I know she would love to hear from you.

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Next, I was approached by Paulette at The Home Beete for a Guest Interview, filled with fun and intriguing questions, such as “What could you never throw out, though maybe you should”? And “What’s the best piece of decorating advice you’ve ever received”? Or my favorite, plain and simple “In five words or less, your home is...”

To read the interview in its entirety, please click here. I know that Paulette would love to hear from you. If you have a moment, please stop by.

Blogging has brought the world to our fingertips, and created long distance, as well as down the street friendships that likely would have never occurred otherwise. I am grateful for all the paths that have led me directly to this. And I am thankful for my blogging friends. Much love to you.

Seasonal Pumpkin Project

2009-10-31T22:12:00.001-07:00

I hope everyone had a safe and happy halloween. I thought I’d share with you this great pumpkin chalkboard project I did recently. Instructions can be found here. Because you’re painting your pumpkins black instead of keeping them in their original orange color, you can cleverly take the “halloween” out of your pumpkins and carry the theme into next month’s seasonal decor, but with a versatile and creative twist.

So here’s what I did. I started with three plump orange pumpkins…

Then I went to Home Depot and bought a rattle can of Rust-Oleum black chalk board spray paint.

Moments after being sprayed, they start out really shiny, then when dry they turn a dull, matted black…

Once fully dry, I carried my pumpkins inside and pulled out my box of chalk. I wrote on them “trick” - “or” - “treat” for halloween. Now that that’s passed, I will erase that and write something more fitting for Thanksgiving. Ah the beauty of chalk and do-over's…

Don’t you just love the silhouette of the black against the backlight?

The burlap pillow cases, used as table runners, were purchased at an antique store. The faux leaves are from Michaels, and the seasonal berry garlands are from Home Goods.

Happy Fall!

Our Living Room Featured at Sheffield’s School of Interior Design

2009-10-20T10:54:00.001-07:00

You can imagine my excitement when I was approached by Sarah Van Arsdale of Sheffield's School of Interior Design to be featured on their website. This month they’re focusing on Contemporary Design, and found my Living Room to be just what they were looking for, and was chosen for their “Room of the Month” feature.

Being that I am fully self-taught in every thing I do, with no formal training whatsoever, I was blown away to say the least that a professional Design School saw something in me. Not only did they praise my design, but they did a full room analysis on my style and it turns out I’m doing everything right, who knew! You can read the feature in its entirety here, please check it out. And they also have a blog.

Thanks again, Sheffield’s School of Interior Design for the incredible opportunity of being featured on your site!

The candle burns at both ends

2009-10-17T15:11:00.001-07:00

A couple weeks back, one of my dear friends said to me in an email “So what do you do all day?” She and I had been trying to tie down a day to chat and talk shop, and with my unpredictable schedule, well let’s just say we still haven’t picked a date.

Most people don’t realize The Old Painted Cottage is a one-woman show. Between my website, my blog, and keeping the Cottage of the Month going every month, it can be a bit like a three ring circus. I’m often asked why I don’t have any employees, but to be perfectly honest, this little business that I built from the ground up is my baby and I’m convinced that nobody could put the level of passion and commitment into it the way I have all of these years. Or maybe I’m just being silly. But then I think of the times I go in to these really high-end posh boutiques and the owners are nowhere to be found. Instead I’m faced with a bubblegum smacking teenager too consumed with texting to notice me standing at the register, patiently waiting to pay for my goods.

As some of you may have noticed, blogging took the back burner this month. I celebrated my birthday a couple weeks ago, and our 12th wedding anniversary was yesterday. I’m a “burn the candle at both ends” kind of gal, always have been. I did, however, list 36 new items on my website yesterday, which I’m really proud of. The time it takes me to photograph, list, and ship each item – forget about it. I believe that it’s all about the details. That’s what I live for, and that’s what drives me. Even crazy sometimes.

I must tell you I’m especially excited about these new Halloween items I just listed, made by my talented friend Rosemary. If I ship them priority mail, I’m sure I can get them to you in time for Halloween!

While we’re discussing Halloween awesomeness, have you checked out October’s Cottage of the Month yet? If you haven’t than you must! Tania’s home decorated for Halloween is a real treat. This girl has uber talent and I’m still trying to convince her to start a blog.

Many of you have asked about my chalkboard, which I promise to post about soon. And I’m also going to do an in depth post about our kitchen. All in good time, my friends. In the meantime, I want to thank all of you for routing me on in our continuing journey of Cottage8. Your emails and comments have my spirits soaring above the clouds. Thank you for taking time out of your day to drop by here. I read every single word said, and it means so much to me.

Cottage8: The Living Room

2009-09-17T12:39:00.001-07:00

It is in our Living Room where the accessories probably change the most. Being an avid collector and owning my own online shop, things come and go through my fingertips rather quickly. I’m currently obsessed with old cameras, which have cleverly worked their way into my vignettes. I’ve also developed a growing fixation with books that have dark covers and spines. My collections are very important to me, and I gather much inspiration from them. I love everything about vignettes, from creating displays to the stories they seem to tell.

This is how my Living Room currently looks as of yesterday. I bought the old library table from my friend Melody over the weekend. It was in need of a bit of TLC and a good scrub down. The paint on it is old and original, and a bit chippy too. For the time being, I just used some wood polish on the top and called it a day. I still plan to use some wood wax on the top and base and possibly a burlap runner for the top…we’ll see.

This small collection of books on the far right (below) are old French bibles, and the books to the left are actually faux decorative books. The wire dome cloches can be found here.

I love this small camera. Something about its boxy shape and little carry strap just speaks to me.

Visitors often ask me “where the heck is your tv?” For those that don’t know me well enough, I’m all about living without the appearance and interruption of technology, wires and cables. So much so, I designated one of the bedrooms as The Media Room (a.k.a The Man Cave) on the other side of the house. The room where the fancy plasma tv coexists along with the surround sound experience, mega speakers, stereo and basketfuls of dvd’s. And just to prove how much detest the appearance of technology, I have hidden wireless speakers in my living room that pipe music in from The Media Room.

I’m often asked about the finish on this enormous mirror against my living room wall, below. If you can believe it, the frame is PLASTIC and when I purchased it, it was solid black.

First I primed the plastic black frame with Kilz primer, then I applied one coat of Behr’s Seaside Sand paint. Once dry, I applied Varathane premium gel stain in Dark Walnut, purchased at Home Depot. When you apply this stain over a white painted surface, you get a great grain effect, much like wood.

The old French grain sack (below) was a Rose Bowl flea market find. It is authentic and won my heart over big time. I love the graphic and textural quality it brings to this little corner. And if you fancy the ruffled burlap pillow on my sofa, you can find that here.

The maidenhair plants (on the left) are the only living plants I keep in my house. I have two cats that have great appetites for greenery and it’s best to keep live plants either out of reach or in the garden outdoors.

Of all things, I probably get questioned about my floral tufted loveseat the most. You can read its brief little back story here.

I’m also asked about this old barn wood frame quite often. You might remember it from our old house, also coincidentally hung above the fireplace. I purchased it years ago from my friend Karen. It was painted white and had a mirror framed inside. I knocked out the mirror, replaced it with an old burlap grain sack and stained the frame with my favorite Varathane gel stain.

I love both the texture and richness the dark walnut stain adds to this room.

Ah, the birdcages, lots of inquires about these. My fireplace wall is composed of old and incredibly dense cinderblock. If you try drilling into it, it just crumbles in big clumps, so I used Command Hooks to hang my cages. Inside the cages, I placed great big vintage prints of Paris from an old souvenir book I had. The birdcages can be purchased here, with Free Shipping!

I also seem to get a lot of questions about my swinging kitchen door. This is just a standard french pained door, purchased at Home Depot.

First I painted the door in Behr’s Seaside Sand, then I added brushed nickel push plates to encourage less fingerprints on the glass.

This heavy duty brass hinge, purchased at Home Depot, is what gives the door the capability to swing freely in both directions. I really wanted anything but brass, however, it was the only finish it came in.

The piece below is an antique child's armoire. The appliques and glass knobs are all original. I’m still good friends with the man I purchased it from years ago. Nothing like a beautiful piece of furniture to spark a lasting friendship.

This mirrored hall tree I purchased from my good friend Marcy. She’s been a customer of mine for years, but I always seem to buy from her too. We have very similar taste. This is one of the tiniest hall trees I’ve seen, and it fits perfectly in this space.

While visiting one of my favorite antique stores last week, Bungalow, I couldn’t pass up this old cast iron 8. {We refer to our house as Cottage8 which represents our home, the 8th house we bid on and finally won}.

I’m not sure why, but I seem to be drawn towards an equestrian theme in this area right now. The trophies and awards have been acquired at flea markets over time. Also displayed although not pictured, I have an english riding hat and riding boots.

I just love how the years make things even more beautiful.

Sort of a vignette of the moment, if you will. The alabaster cake stands and paper roses came from Pam Anderson’s estate {not even kidding, you can read about that here}. Old books, cloches, urns and trays are among my current fixations.

The layered effect.

The flash cards, below, were purchased here. I simply used linen paper for the background and put it in an old black frame. It makes me smile every time I enter our home.

Thank you again for all of your comments! If you have any questions, please use my Contact link at the top of the page. It is the best way to ensure a prompt reply.

Breaking the rules

2009-09-10T11:38:00.001-07:00

So I decided to follow my instincts and allowed myself to think outside of the box. I had been eyeing these bronze aged sconces at Home Depot for months now, and finally gave in. I fell mad in love with their unique, vintage design and industrial quality.

These sconces were on the exterior lighting isle at Home Depot. They are intended for OUTDOOR USE.

So does that mean these beautiful sconces can’t be used indoors? Of course not. I’ve not wired them yet, but have spoken with professionals that have assured me they’re safe for indoor use. I love how they bring both a modern and vintage feel into the living room. Even if I am breaking the rules a little.

I recently acquired this old yard long framed photograph circa 1935, from my friend Diane. There’s something about these large group photographs that fascinate me.

I’ve gotten many questions about this dresser, so I decided to cover all bases and tell you all about this piece. I purchased this dresser years ago at a flea market. It was ugly brown and missing the bottom drawer completely. I had it painted white, then I built a shelf at the bottom for unique open storage and then stained the top in dark walnut.

I love the contrast between the light and dark. The white was a custom paint color, which I no longer remember the name of, and the stain is Varathane premium gel stain in Dark Walnut, purchased at Home Depot.

Not to change the subject, but it just occurred to me I forgot to remind you go check out this month’s Cottage of the Month. Go take a peek!

Thanks again for all your comments on our home. They are very much appreciated.

Cottage8: The Dining Room

2009-09-07T12:00:00.001-07:00

This is the story of how our Dining Room went from THIS:

to THIS:

Six months ago, after we primed and painted the walls and installed the new flooring in our dining room, we proceeded to pull in all of the old dining room furniture and accessories from our previous home. The result was flat, lacked interest, and the old furniture was not at all cohesive in our new home. This was something I was not prepared for, and naturally, pangs of doubt began to set in.

As loyal reader of Layla’s blog, The Lettered Cottage, I always loved her sense of style and impeccable design taste. When she started offering design consultations, I knew my dining room was the perfect candidate, so I signed up immediately. For anyone that’s worked with Layla before, they will surely tell you she’s simply the best. Period.

I recently had the great pleasure of being interviewed over at The Lettered Cottage. You can read the full feature here.

Layla noticed the fact that the kitchen had a lot of wall-balanced "visual weight" throughout the space, and to achieve better symmetry between the two rooms, she suggested a "wall of cabinetry" or a "built in hutch" type of unit across the back wall of the Dining Room. She also suggested running tall bead board all the way around the Dining Room, to really heighten the spaces charm factor. With our limited time frame and budget, we pulled together our resources and came up with a strategy.

The first thing we did was hire an extremely talented carpenter to build us three custom 8 foot long shelves, trimmed out with thick molding. {We originally had him build us 3 shelves, then realized there was really only room for 2 on our wall. The 3rd shelf is for sale! Use my contact form above if you want to purchase it. Local buyers only, please}.

Next, it was time to try to find a sideboard table that fit the space, underneath the shelves, the entire 11 foot span of the wall, which proved to be an impossible task. Our carpenter was away on another job, so I said to Adam why can’t we just build a sideboard table ourselves, and design it custom to our exact needs. Turns out some things are easier said than done.

Let’s just say building this sideboard table with my husband was one of the greatest tests of our marriage, and we’ve been married for 12 years. Adam can diagnose my computer issues over the phone from work, he can cook the most mouthwatering meals, he makes sure my car is properly serviced, he even watches Design Star with me every week. But the man did not know the first thing about building an 11 foot sideboard table. This project required every bit of strength, teamwork, knowledge and above all: patience. And don’t let that charming smile on Adam fool you, I think this was the only time he smiled during the three day sideboard table building ordeal. Some husbands are handy, some husbands can build you things, and some husbands just look at you like you’re out of you freaking mind.

This was quite a site to behold, below. We had just pulled the 11 foot sideboard table into the dining room, and it fit like a glove.

There is no better feeling than that of hard work and achievement. That and saving your marriage.

The next step was stain for the top, and we used Varathane premium gel stain in Dark Walnut, purchased at Home Depot. For the skirt and legs, I used Behr’s Seaside Sand and did a rubbing technique with a dark glaze I borrowed from my friend Rosemary.

I think accessorizing, by far, is always the very best part.

The chandelier was purchased at a yard sale, most all of the accessories on the shelves are old ironstone that I’ve collected over the years, the old silver as well. The green artichokes on the table, which I get lots of comments on, can be found here.

In my next post, I’ll discuss how I made my own chalkboard from start to finish.

In the meantime, if you have any questions please use the Contact Form above for the quickest reply.

Somebody pinch me

2009-09-03T21:40:00.001-07:00

I feel like I have just arrived. The kind of arrival where the taxi cab driver slams on his brakes, pulls the cab over to the side of the road, directs you to the great big gate of opportunity and hands you the golden ticket.

The people over at Design*Sponge thought my make-over was interesting enough to showcase it on the “before and after” feature on their website, and I’m still floored. Absolutely gob smacked in fact. But the extra cherry on top was a recent interview I did with Melaine at over at My Sweet Savannah, one of the most creative bloggers I know.

While I’ve got your ear may I make small confession? Up until the very moment I revealed my home last week, for the whole world to see, I second guessed myself. My design sense went from this to this, as I developed a new color palette and proceeded to reinvent my own style. Throughout the entire 12-month remodel, I nervously paced the floors at 2am, worrying if I made the grade, asking myself “Is it good enough?”…“Am I doing enough?”…“Am I good enough?” It’s probably not a good thing to put yourself under this type of pressure, I realize that. But there’s something inside of me that thrives on that exact challenge. I just never expected the results. You guys, through all your comments and emails, blog posts and phone calls - You have made me feel like I have arrived. And I am so glad to be here.

Cottage8: Behind the Scenes

2009-08-29T14:38:00.001-07:00

I’ve been a bit preoccupied this week with all of the buzz surrounding my previous post, swimming in a sea of the best kinds of comments and emails you can get. The kind you only dream of reading. The kind I dreamt about when I was on my knees for three days, armed with a hand trowel and a bucket of Floor Patch, filling in the eight million groves in the old tile of both the kitchen and dining room, in preparation of laying the new floor. For those of you new to my blog, you may want to read this post first to answer some questions you may be pondering about this remodel.

After I finished putting down the floor patch, we were then ready to install the flooring. We went with Trafficmaster Allure Vinyl Plank Flooring in Country Pine. It’s water resistant, fairly easy to install, wears well, and it’s vinyl. That’s right, I just said vinyl. Let me just tell you that I’ve had contractors tell me they loved my beautiful wood floors, and when I confessed that they were anything but wood, I was given the thumbs up on our excellent choice of product. Best part is, the tools needed for installation are the following: #1. sharp razor or box cutter #2. metal yard ruler or straight edge. And that’s it. (I was so pooped after that Floor Patch, I forgot to paint our baseboards before Adam starting installing the flooring).

And so the flooring continued on into the kitchen, and into the late, late night. You know the common phrase “A picture is worth a thousand words”. Well the photo below speaks volumes, if not abstract foreign languages. This is how 3am looked in my kitchen that night, during our remodel. Let’s closely exam this photo, shall we: The Floor Patch covered floors lie in wait, the missing space on the far lower right is still awaiting it’s new cabinet, which I had yet to assemble. I still hadn’t finished installing the subway tile, on the upper right. The new french pained window hadn’t been installed yet, we were still missing three cabinet door fronts, with no cabinet hardware in sight, and is that a package of cookies on the counter? Don’t let the appliances and faucet fool you. Three months in, and we were still without gas or running water. But check out that nifty light under the hood. Yep, we had really cool electricity.

When it came time to have the new windows installed, the contractor we had measure our windows was off by 3 inches on every single window. Fortunately we found a talented installer who was able to build frames inside the window casings to make up the size difference. He even moved this window 5 inches to the left, so that it would be centered with our faucet.

Alas, the finished product below: The kitchen

And the finished dining room, below. Of all the photos I’ve taken of our dining room wall, this one is still my favorite.

There’s Adam painting the living room, below. We first did a coat of Kilz primer on every single surface of this house before we even started painting. I was in charge of painting the walls and fireplace, while Adam did all the ceilings. The ceiling and cinderblock fireplace were done in Behr’s Seaside Sand, and the walls were done in Ralph Lauren’s Canvas Natural. The exact same colors were applied to the kitchen.

Once the walls, fireplace and ceilings were painted, Adam and I pulled up all the horrible old carpet and dragged it outside. Hallelujah. Oh, and that’s the Allure flooring boxes below. It comes in large planks.

Here is the flooring completed on one side of the living room. Shortly after this photo was taken, I was able to clean all the dusty shoe prints off the new floor. Note: the blue curtains were just a temporary fix, as we often worked into the very late hours of the night and needed privacy from the street.

Now it’s on to the other side of the living room, and later the hallway and kitchen/dining room for their flooring treatments. Labor intensive, yes, but this sure beat using power tools and dealing with saw dust.

And finally, the finished product:

I’ve received so many questions…where did you get this, how did you do that. All topics will be covered and discussed in future posts. But the #1 most frequently asked question hands down was: How did you do that to your refrigerator?

12 years ago, Adam and were living in a small 900 square foot condo which served as an experimental testing ground for my decorating conquests. Some of which panned out, and others, well not so much. These were the days before blogs, and we didn’t watch any television, whatsoever, for over 6 years. It was a choice that at that time suited us and our lifestyles perfectly. So naturally, I’d never heard of a thing called HGTV. In my own mind, I’d pictured creating a kitchen that looked like it could be from a far away place, such as France, so I hand painted the old floors in a large diamond pattern, did a faux ragging treatment on the cabinets to make them look old, and hand stenciled a phrase above the cabinets in an Old English font. Mind you, the refrigerator was still avocado green and I hadn’t any big plans for it yet.

While wandering around the hardware store one day, I discovered this fantastic material they called bead board. As I stood there in the isle, I suddenly had a vision of somehow adhering this paneling to my refrigerator. It wasn’t sure how I was going to do it yet, but I bought several panels of the stuff, as well as some thick trim. First I measured the front doors of my refrigerator, and then proceeded to cut the bead board panels by hand with a small 12 inch miter box saw {Just imagine cutting wood with a nail file}. These were the days before I owned any power tools of course. I then primed and painted my bead board and trim, and pulled out my handy hot glue gun. Wait, does that qualify as a power tool? I used the hot glue to adhere the bead board and trim to the front doors, and then bought a spray can of enamel appliance paint for the sides of the fridge. I finished the look with outdoor fence hinges and pulls and hand screwed them into the doors. Pretty simple really, and effective too. It’s held up all these years. Besides I still get a giggle when someone comes into our kitchen for a glass of water and says “Where the heck’s your refrigerator?”

Please join me in a few days when I cover the remodel of our dining room wall, and the process and inspiration behind it.

Cottage8: Before & After Reveal

2009-08-24T09:02:00.001-07:00

Welcome to our much anticipated Cottage8 reveal party, I’m so glad you’re here. This is a before & after photographic compilation of our journey over the past 12 months. Nearly all before photos were taken just after we closed escrow and the keys were placed in our hot little hands.

This was the exterior of our house, below, in all of it’s bright blue glory shortly after we moved in.

Here’s the exterior of our house now, below. New landscaping with a pair of birch trees in front, new brick walkway, and new exterior paint: Behr’s Pale Daffodil, with Behr’s Hampton Green on the door and shutters. I built the shutters myself, and will post that project in a future post.

This is what the living room looked like, below. Can you say SpongeBob Square Pants? I sure did the first time I laid eyes on this room. I think it’s safe to say the prior owners clearly had an obsession with the art of sponge paint.

Note: The carpet was the thin industrial kind, and the ends were fused with shipping tape in the center of the living room. It was sticky, dirty, and smelled of cat pee. During one of our visits with our realtor, the house smelled so bad we had to stand out on the front porch to conduct business.

This is where we are currently at with the living room, below. All brand new floors which Adam laid down for two days while I closely observed. New paint on the walls and ceiling. The walls in the living room were done in Ralph Lauren’s Canvas Natural, and the ceiling was done in Behr’s Seaside Sand. As a side note, the front door is Behr’s Hampton Green.

This was our hallway before I got my hands on it, below. Besides, I just knew you’d want a close up of our lovely pet ameba on the left.

This is how our hallway looks now, below. We changed out the light fixture, and the four long narrow cupboard doors at the very end of the hallway, our linen closet, is still a work in progress. So far, they’ve been accented with wood trim around the edges, and next I’m thinking about covering them in natural grass cloth wallpaper.

The sponging technique continues in this before photo below of the small dividing wall between the living room and kitchen/dining area.

Note: Look towards the bottom right of the photo below – see the shipping tape I told you about? Who knew you could fuse the edges of your carpet with that stuff.

And here’s that same small dividing wall, below, in its current state. We added the french door and used industrial strength brass hinges so that the door can swing freely into both rooms. In fact, I’ve always dreamt of a swinging kitchen door. Maybe it’s because of all those I Love Lucy episodes I watched as a kid – I always admired their swinging kitchen door, and how it was often used as a prop for their hysterical antics.

Before when you walked into our home, this was the first thing you would see, and oh what a site it was to behold! As you can see below, sponging wasn’t the only design trick up their sleeves – they also had a love for dry brushing their cabinetry and wave painting on walls. Surf’s up?

Seen below, I’m contemplating going with different lights on either side of that mirror on the right. Something a little more urban, either in brushed silver or rustic brown. I’ll keep you posted.

This was the other side of the living room, below.

Here is our living room currently, below. We painted the fireplace the same color as our ceilings, Behr’s Seaside Sand. It’s quite a magical color really. It takes on various tones depending on the texture it’s being applied to. I also painted the inside of the fireplace a smokey grey.

Note: See that walnut mirror against the wall below? No. 1, the frame is plastic. No. 2, it was white. No. 3, I used a walnut stain to simulate the look of wood, and will give you all the details of that project in a future post. No. 4, this mirror was so big, we not only had to borrow my bro-in-laws cargo van to transport it home, but I had to lay on the floor of the van, on my back, with the mirror on top of me to ensure it didn’t break.

Below is a view of the living room, before, facing the window. Painting this living room seemed to take weeks. On a warm August afternoon last year, my mom brought over a folding card table, two chairs and a cooler full of food and drinks. While we sat and talked and I replenished my energy, my mom said with all the confidence in the world “I know you can do it, Jennifer”. She had a vision of how this room was going to look, and it all came together for her in her head. I looked at the same room, and all I saw was shipping tape fused carpet.

Ah, what a breath of fresh air, below. We replaced all the old metal framed windows throughout the entire house, with french pained new glass windows, which we could have never achieved if it wasn’t for the help of my mom and dad. Beautiful windows are costly! Besides, my parents have been my rock of encouragement along this journey, cheering me on from the sidelines the entire way.

Note: While the vintage tan tufted loveseat is newly acquired piece, the tall white armoire came from our previous house (you may remember it from our bedroom) and the white sofa is also from the living room of our other house, as well as the coffee table, lamp and seashell mirror.

This was how the view looked into our dining room, below.

And now the new floor continues into the dining room, below. We enjoy morning sunshine that comes through the four pained french glass slider door.

Where do I begin with this one, below. The cabinets were dry brushed, the insides appeared to be rotting with rodent feces, the tile counters were so sticky that our realtors right arm nearly became a permanent attachment, the front of the oven door was missing, and the dishwasher received the same dry brush treatment.

Seen below is our kitchen now. Almost I can’t even believe this is the same kitchen, and I live here. New floors, all new cabinetry, interior cabinet lighting, new oven & dishwasher, new lighting, butcher block wooden counter tops, tile backsplash which I installed myself, and a new kitchen island accompanied with wooden barstools. The cabinetry, cabinet lighting, butcher block counter tops and white farmhouse sink all came from IKEA.

When the idea of purchasing our entire kitchen from IKEA was initially presented to me, I just wasn’t having it. The IKEA I knew was from a visit to their Burbank location over 15 years ago, and it looked cheap and lacked any sort of style. That was until I got my hands on their 2008 catalog last year. I immediately noticed they were now carrying bead board fronted cabinetry and french glass cabinet doors. I couldn’t get down there fast enough. Here’s another before kitchen photo, below.

So we measured our kitchen and drove our 2-door Ford Explorer Sport down to the IKEA in Burbank. During our drive down, I insisted that we fit the entire kitchen into our small 2-door Explorer, kitchen sink and all, as I hate making two trips for anything. Let’s just say that it took two hours to load it all in the car, including the kitchen sink, and I ended up sitting in the passenger seat curled up on my back, with my head against the bottom seat, my feet against the interior roof of the car, and three boxes of cabinetry sitting directly on top of me. This is inevitably what happens when you tell me it can’t be done.

Yes, that’s my refrigerator below. It was one of the first projects I did over 12 years ago. Beneath the beadboard, white trim and farm door hinges lies an old avocado green fridge, circa 1970 something, and she still runs well after all these years.

It’s back to the blue waves in this before photo, below. One of the first things I couldn’t wait to do was replace this out dated window box immediately. It projected outward nearly 2 feet.

Here in this current photo, below, you can see what a difference a new window can make. For the window sash, I simply hung an extra piece of burlap and gathered it up in three places with chocolate brown ribbon. A quick easy fix until I can find a better curtain replacement.

When is dry brushing your dishwasher in blue paint a good thing? Seems that question never entered the previous owners thoughts, below.

I think I kissed this farmhouse sink when I pulled it out of the cardboard box. This thing is so big, Adam could probably take a bath in it. I heart this sink and all of its bigness.

The bad, the ugly, and the moldy, below. This is how our kitchen looked after we sledge hammered and hauled away the old cabinets and existing tile counter tops. We had some plumbing issues, which thankfully our bro-in-law came to the rescue and taught Adam a thing or two about pipe building.

So here’s the thing with IKEA – there are NO written instructions. WHATSOEVER. Because they are an internationally based company, they decided “the heck with writing manuals in various languages. Instead, we’ll just provide our customers with animated drawings and see if they can build all this complex crap. And if that’s not enough, lets throw in a drawing of a little animated man, with a question mark above his head who appears totally miserable. Okay, IKEA customers, build that kitchen”! And with a little hair pulling, I did in fact put together every single one, twelve kitchen cabinets in all. Take that, IKEA.

I couldn’t wait to take down the tacky lighting, and replace with vintage style light fixtures that were better suited to my style, below.

Looking at the kitchen from this angle, seen below, makes my heart swoon.

You haven’t met my dining room yet, have you? Let me introduce you to my tile floor, below, which was my biggest headache. In order for us to lay the new floors, we were told that because of the deep beveled grooves in between the tiles, that void of space had to be hand filled with a product called Floor Patch. Three buckets worth in fact. I think my knees are still feeling this one.

From this view, below, it’s a little difficult to see the back wall of our dining room. It was an amazing project, which I will be sharing with you at a later date.

Oh, I think I get it now – they wanted the blue waves to match the blue tiled floors, below. Okay, I still don’t get it.

See those vintage style schoolhouse lights below? They were a highly debated and extremely controversial subject in this house for three weeks. Guess who won? Sorry babe.

I mean, if you’re going to paint your cinderblock fireplace, why not go for the blue/gold contrast, below.

We covered the back wall of the fireplace in beadboard, below. Again, the beadboard and ceiling are both awaiting the molding treatment. And the huge chalkboard I made will be the subject of a future post.

If you were wondering, those are shutters and cabinet doors to the left, below.

I realize this after picture isn’t giving you the full effect of the back wall of the dining room, below. I promise I’ll share the whole project with you in a future post.

I have tons of vignette photos which I will be sharing in a later post. But in the meantime, here’s a small sampling of some of the vignettes in my home…

The covered book project below was inspired by the one and only Fifi.

My burlap pillows were a creative collaboration with the beautiful Aimee of Garden Adornments.

As to date, we are still completing the 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. There’s not much of a finished product to show you just yet, but for fun I thought I’d show you a few of the before pictures, just so you can see the degree of challenges we’ve been faced with, as shown below. While we’ve painted, carpeted and furnished the rooms since these photos were taken, there are still many projects to undergo, and I’ll certainly keep you posted on their progress.

Here’s the master bedroom, before, continuing in the sponge application tradition.

This is a before photo of the second bedroom, seen below, which doubles as my office. Rest assured, I no longer have to look at the Kermit Green walls while I answer my emails.

Here’s the third bedroom which we use as our media room, aka The Man Cave. While I can’t remember now what the original color was, I was simultaneously priming the walls while testing out some blue paint when this photo was taken, seen below.

I wish to thank the following bloggers for helping me spread the word: Design*Sponge, My Petite Maison, Garden Antq’s, Rose Vine Cottage, Gypsy Flea Market, One Shabby Old House, Sweet Cottage Dreams, Mockingbird Hill Cottage, Rue’s Peanut Butter & Jelly Life, Garden Adornments, My Sweet Savannah, Sherry’s Rose Cottage, Twice Remembered, “Make Your Monday” event, Saturday Finds, Cottage Bliss, Shabby Villa, Shab-n-Chic, Campagne Maison, Simply Stacey, Restyled Home, Graceful Moments, The Shabby Cottage, The Rose Room, Sheri Howard Designs, 3 Bundles For Me, Gracious Southern Living, Cottage Chick, Nutbrown Cottage, Tidy Mom, Simply Dandy, Vintage Lizzie, Time Out For Me, This Is Not A Rough Draft, The O’Quinn Family, Southern Lady’s Vintage, All Bliss Be Thine, Just A Little Southern Hospitality, Right At Home, The DIY Show Off, Metamorphosis Monday, So Happy Together, Ellis Events, Bingham Cottage, Room To Inspire, Cottage Lifestyle and Bricka Brack. If your name should be on here, please let me know and I’ll add you to the list. I don’t want to leave anyone out. I also want to thank all of those who stopped by to visit with me today, helping me celebrate 12 months of hard work and dedication. This has been so much fun sharing with you all, I’ve had a blast. And I’ve saved the best for last – I want to thank my extremely talented web designer, Cathy at Avalon Rose Collection. She just remade my blog for me, specially for this big event. What a rock star designer she is!

Update – Tuesday, 8-25-09:

Thank you to all of you who have left comments and emailed me! My husband and I sit together in front of the computer, and on the phone while he’s at work, and we read each comment together. Then I call my folks and we share the comments with each other too. You guys are amazing! I also welcome you to share this post on your blogs, and I am truly honored by how many of you have already done so.

Save the date: Cottage8

2009-08-21T18:14:00.001-07:00

Please join us here on Monday at 9am {pacific standard time} for the highly anticipated reveal of Cottage8. Join us for before & after photos, music, fun and prizes. If it’s not asking too much, I would love it if you would help me spread the word!

For those new to my blog or first time readers: welcome, I’m so glad you’re here! And if you’re wondering what the heck Cottage8 is, it is our very first home my husband and I purchased last year, and we’ve been renovating and driving each other mad ever since. We named our home Cottage8 due to the fact that we bid on and lost out on seven different homes prior to finding this one…our little 1297 square foot fixer.

ps…from the sneak peek photo above, you probably noticed my decor and color palette have dramatically changed. It was a huge decision, and a great undertaking to totally reinvent my style. But looking back now, I’m so glad I took the plunge.

See you Monday…

oxox, Jennifer

Cottage of the Month, Recap

2009-08-02T08:44:00.000-07:00

I think this has been one of the busiest Summers I can recall. Aside from staying at my Uncle & Aunt’s beach cottage right off the harbor in Newport Beach with Adam and my folks last month, there was also a recent trip to San Diego in support of the Comic Convention {Adam’s a die hard comic lover}. And let me just tell you that two vacations within one season, let alone more than one vacation a year is a record breaker for the Grey’s. We love getting away, but we love our home and enjoy spending time with our animals. And being away from either of those things for long periods of time make us weary.

It amazes me all the little details in a day that can fill and consume you. It’s been one project on to the next, and I always finding myself saying “let’s just tackle this one last thing, then I know I’ll feel settled once it’s done”. So what happens? I take the project on with full force, vigor and complete determination. I forget to eat and hardly sleep. I live for the project. Then without signal or warning, the project suddenly comes to a screeching halt because of some sort of snag. For example: the tool just broke, I think I just broke my toe, the anchor won’t go in the wall, I can't get the anchor out of the wall, I can’t find the directions, there are really are no directions {example: IKEA}, I can’t get the drill to shut off, the power just went out, I have to drop everything and run to Home Depot for more material, Home Depot just closed 10 minutes ago. Then as I just about reach my boiling point, I go and find Adam, and he somehow has the magic answer to my problem and saves the day each time. Then we stand there, arms wrapped around each other, admiring said project, when I turn to him and say “so now that we’ve tackled that project, I’ve been really wanting to….”.

Pattern repeat.

So I was thinking I should tell you to hurry over to see this month’s Cottage of the Month, incase you forgot. And then it occurred to me that more than a few months have passed since I’ve posted my friendly little reminders for the previous features, so I’ve provided single images with links to lead you on a merry little journey.

Here we have the most current Cottage of the Month, August. It’s Linda’s home from Restyled Home. She’s an uber talented decorator with impeccable style and taste. And her kitchen makes me drool every time I look at it. Click here to see the month of August.

For the month of April, it was Jennifer Hayslip of Eye Candy Creations. Her house looks so delicious, it’s sure to satisfy all those sweet cravings. Click here for the month of April.

Kelly of Rose Vine Cottage was featured in May. Great attention to detail is beautifully appointed to every single corner of her house, and she creates stories with her images. I keep telling her she should be staging professionally. Click here for the month of May.

G’day ladies! This is Sandy’s home in Australia, of the Shabby Cottage, featured in June. I can’t tell you how much pleasure it brings me to explore beautiful homes in beautiful places most of don’t have the opportunity to see otherwise. Click here to see the month of June.

For the month of July, it was Fifi O’Neil, of Chez Fifi. There are no words for the delicious visual and graphic styling's of this talented bombshell. Click here for July.

A big thank you to the ladies who have allowed me to feature their gorgeous homes and all those who support this feature by visiting every month and spreading the word on your blogs!

And a quick word about Cottage8 – the Big Reveal is coming very soon. Check back for the date so you don’t miss it!

oxox Jennifer

The Sweetest Thing

2009-07-02T09:46:00.000-07:00

I just received my copy of the latest Romantic Country Magazine, in which our delicious Daisy Cookies were featured as a Favorite Find in the recent July 09 issue.

The funny thing is, there was an website address typo, stating the cookies could be found at "oldpaintedcottage.com", instead of "theoldpaintedcottage.com". Thankfully my phone number was included, so I've been getting calls off the hook with people asking what happened to my website, if I closed my business, and how can they get their hands on "those pretty little cookies"

These Daisy Cookies are a little pride & joy of mine. I comissioned a confectionary artist to create a cookie that identically resembled my button and daisy logo, and she did just that. Each cookie hand made upon your order. The icing is made fresh, and everything made from scratch. They smell like heaven and taste absolutely delicious. You can also find my Daisy Button Sugar Cubes here.

Perfect for tea parties, bridal, baby and wedding showers, and any special gathering that requires that extra little touch.

Life is short, so make it sweet!

oxox
Jennifer

Link Intervention

2009-06-11T10:54:00.000-07:00

For all of those that link to my website, particularly my Cottage of the Month page, please read this. It's for your own good...in a nice way.

Several months ago I changed web hosts, and when this change took place, all of my links, including the Cottage of the Month & the Archives links were renamed. This wasn't an issue on my website necessarily, as we simply redirected everything on my site so there would be no interruption.

I thought all was fine until I started getting floods of emails, particularly during the first week of the beginning of each month. You guys weren't able to view the Cottage of the Month page, same with the Archives, and to some of you that meant that the world as we knew it might never be the same again.

It took a little time and investigation, but we realized that the links you have on your blogs, websites and even your favorites {bless you all for helping spread the Cottage of the Month love} were pointing to my old web host. You weren't necessarily doing anything wrong, you just needed to update your links to my site!

Sooo, we're going to set everything straight! For your blogs, websites, favorites and anywhere else you wish to link to me, here are the proper links. Please update accordingly:

The Old Painted Cottage website: http://www.theoldpaintedcottage.com/

Cottage of the Month: http://theoldpaintedcottage.com/pages/cottagemonth_enter.htm

To all of those that link to my site, my Cottage of the Month, even my blog, I can't thank you enough! I makes me so happy when I stumble onto a new blog I've never read, and they have me linked on their site. Thank you!

oxox
Jennifer

Resurfacing

2009-05-01T19:48:00.000-07:00

So my husband and I were at Home Depot a little while back, in their paint section (where else?) closely examining their Ralph Lauren paint chips. The entire conversation consisting of my asking Adam "Do you like this color, or this one here, or how about this?" This was our 4th visit to Home Depot that day, to their paint department, specifically.

Being that we had been painting for 3 days straight, I was wearing my "official" paint clothes, which consists of a mix of work out clothes and pajamas, further unfashionably layered lots of old paint. That I wore back in High School. The hair is up in a scrunchy, there is taupe paint on one eyebrow and white paint on my left elbow.

Now I'm thinking Adam must live some secret, transparent invisible bubble that no one, not even he is aware of because this man is immaculate from head to toe. Not a single drop of paint to be found on him. He could very well be approached to pose for a Irish Spring commercial, right there next to the paint chips. That kind of clean.

It was sometime around the 9th taupe paint chip when I hear an older man's voice call "Hey, Adam!" and I turn around to spot a man carrying a ladder, who turns out to be a co-worker of Adam's. He shakes the mans hand and turns to me and points out "This is my wife." As I shake the man's hand, Adam announces to him "AND SHE DOESN'T ALWAYS LOOK LIKE THIS".

If there was a 5 gallon bucket of sand nearby, I may have buried my head in it. I don't know who I felt worse for: me and the utter humiliation of the situation, or Adam, my continuously supportive husband who willingly takes me into public places, taupe painted eyebrow and all.

So dear friends and fellow readers, if you've been wondering where I've been and what I've been up to all these weeks, the answer is simple: Home Depot; Busy. We are jumping hurdles and running many late night marathons trying to get our little Cottage8 (the 8th house we bid on) ready and suitable for sharing with you. I never thought it would have taken this long, but I appreciate all of you that have stuck with us through the journey.

oxox
Jennifer

Where it all began

2009-03-19T18:22:00.000-07:00

A view of the kitchen at Cottage8, about four weeks after we moved in, seven months ago. I bought Adam a sledge hammer and eye goggles, and we cranked the stereo at full blast. Within four hours, we successfully pulled out every single cabinet, appliance, and all the counter tile. This is what was left. Gaping holes in the walls, electrical wiring and plumbing mess, and mold.

In the six months that have followed the above "demolition day", there has been tremendous change, design challenges and amazing accomplishments, accompanied with a good portion of our blood, sweat, and my tears.

For the first two months we lived in this house, we had no appliances. Whatsoever. The second month we could finally plug in our refrigerator. Up until the third month I was washing all our dishes and pots in the guest bathroom sink, and we were eating all of our meals on a card table, and occasionally on the floor. And it wasn't until the fifth month we finally could use the washing machine and dryer.

Before we purchased Cottage8, I am pretty sure Adam never changed a light bulb before. And while I may be very creative with a few hidden talents of my own, I had absolutely no prior experience in...I dunno...plumbing, electrical wiring, installing a kitchen, lighting, installing flooring, replacing doors or installing ceramic tile. This was basically Crash Course Home Remodeling 101, without the manual.

So why am sharing just this one photo in this post? Because this is where I learned to crawl. This is the place where our journey at Cottage8 began, and this was my hands-on classroom.

I assure you, in time I will be sharing the incredible journey we've taken, guiding you through the entire remodel. You've been so patient, I know you can hold on just a bit longer. There is so much I want to share with you. But for right now, I thought you should know where it really all began.

As my mother always likes to remind me, "You can't know where you are going, until you know where you have been."

oxox
Jennifer

All systems go

2009-03-07T08:20:00.000-08:00

There was good reason to wait a week before climbing up onto the rooftops to remind everybody to check out this month's Cottage of the Month. I've been working out some wrinkles with my new webhost, learning how to tip toe around it's fussy nature, and frankly, I think it would have been easier to navigate an 18-wheeler through quicksand.

If it wasn't for this girl, the real wizard behind the curtain, there probably wouldn't even be a Cottage of the Month, with all of its technical requirements. I know I sing praise about her often, and rightfully so. She's come to my rescue so many times, she is my lifesaver and a true friend.

Don't you just love this house? This is LeAnn's home, and she's March's Cottage of the Month. It was one year ago when I called LeAnn to deliver the news that she was going to be in an upcoming feature. She was driving while talking to me on her cell phone, and I remember instructing her to pull of the road, she was so excited. Making that phone call made my whole day.

These are just a mere few shots from LeAnn's feature. I'm so loving her use of color, it's the perfect intro to Spring, don't you think? Please hop on over and see her feature in its entirety.

oxox

Jennifer

Little French Flea Market

2009-02-26T14:47:00.000-08:00

This Saturday I'm planning on attending the Little French Flea Market, in West Hills, CA. It's a new flea market that is being hosted by two very dear friends of mine. If you are going to be in the area, this will be an event you surely won't want to miss. There are going to be many vendors participating.

Their flyer for the market reads: "Please join us in a gorgeous French Garden for treasure hunting and spending time with Fabulous Friends. Coffee, Pastries and amazing merchandise await you. Come find Cottage Chic, French Decor, Antiques, Vintage Clothing and Jewelry, Furniture, Linens, Collectibles and much more".

Date and Time:

Saturday, February 28th
9am - 3pm {no early birds. I asked!}

The Place:

The Hidden Chateau

23130 Sherman Way

West Hills, CA

This is the first show of hopefully many more to come, so if you can't make it to this one perhaps you can make it to the next. And if you do come and spot me at the market, please come up and say hello!

40 things

2009-02-22T13:35:00.000-08:00

1. Where is your cell phone? sitting on my desk, charging

2. Your significant other? Adam, the love of my life. He's napping on the couch.

3. Your hair? curly, unruly and in desperate need of a cut

4. Your mother? my biggest fan, my teacher, my best friend

5. Your father? my hero, my mentor, my best friend

6. Your favorite thing? waking up before dawn and heading to the flea markets

7. Your dream last night? too vague to remember, but it was definitely in color

8. Your favorite drink? hot English tea with cream

9. Your dream/goal? I'm living it

10. What room you are in? my home office

11. Your hobby? currently, remodeling cottage8

12. Your fear? will I ever be done remodeling cottage8

13. Where do you want to be in 6 years? Where I am right now. Happy.

14. Where were you last night? snuggled in bed with my honey and our two cats

16. Muffins? extremely high in carbs, hello!

17. Wish list item? a white picket fence for our front yard

18. Where you grew up? 12.5 miles from where I'm living now

19. Last thing you did? check my email

20. What are you wearing? really cute pajamas, what else?

21. Your TV? currently playing "Walk the Line" in the background

22. Your pets? Chloe and Skylar, my confidants

23. Friends? An essential part of life. Always there when you need them.

24. Your life? blessed, beyond measure

25. Your mood? Creative. My head is always swimming with ideas.

26. Missing some one? my sister

27. Car? a must have necessity to live here

28. Something you’re not wearing? shoes

29. Your favorite store? Pom Pom in Los Angeles

30. Your favorite color? apple green, although subject to change at a moments notice

31. favorite holiday? Halloween

32. Public school? one of the most difficult times of my life

33. When is the last time you laughed? this morning when I looked at my hair in the mirror

34. Last time you cried? last week when I heard the news about Becky's son

35. Who will resend this? no idea

36. One place that I go to over and over? the antique stores in Agoura

37. One person who emails me regularly? Adam

38. My favorite place to eat? Cho Cho San, the best sushi restaurant

39. Why you participated in this survey? everyone in my house is napping

40. What are you doing tonight? making popcorn and watching the Oscars

(The blue hydrangeas are from my dear friend Mimi. Aren't they gorgeous!)

oxox
Jennifer

Barrel of monkeys

2009-02-12T09:42:00.000-08:00

Ever had one of those days where you get a phone call out of the blue, from an old friend that you haven't spoken to in years, and when they ask "So what are you up to these days?" all you can seem to muster out is "I'm fine. I'm Busy. Everything's great, really". But in your mind you're really thinking "Where do I begin? How can I possibly summarize my life for you in one uncomplicated sentence, without it turning it into one great long monologue, where at the end you're sorry you ever asked".

Lately, I feel like I've been running into this scenario on a regular basis, and maybe that's why I sometimes hide under the covers away from my blog. Perhaps I'm afraid of opening a barrel of monkeys on you all I suppose.

Without becoming a complete rambling mess, like when you're standing in the dairy isle at the grocery store, and you spot an old acquaintance and simply say "hey, how's it going" and before you know it, they've got you cornered in the butter section and they're giving you a play-by-play of their foot bunion surgery, going on about how Timmy almost made the baseball team and how Jane was picked for Class President. again. And all the while, all you can think about are clever and discreet ways to grab your quart of milk and sprint all the way down the isle to the checkout stand in between sentences, before anyone even notices.

You surely have seen February's Cottage of the Month, right? If not, here's the obligatory link to check it out, so head straight over. And you'll be glad you did. I absolutely adore Alice, and she is a true gem. She has such a knack for making the most of her space and filling it with awesome vignettes and a warm, cozy palette. Because I obviously cannot use all of the photos that homeowners provide me when creating their features, Alice has been sharing many photos on her blog that didn't make it in her Cottage of the Month feature. They're all equally beautiful, one more interesting than the next.

While on the subject of the Cottage of the Month, I need to ask my fellow regular COTM viewers...have you had any difficulty recently, in locating the Cottage of the Month page on my website? And have you had any problems either locating the Archives Book, or being able to view the Archives? Changing web hosts and moving all of my inventory to the new host proved to be the biggest, baddest monkey in the barrel, and I'm still working out a few last wrinkles.

And when I'm not working on the next Cottage of the Month, working on my website, photographing, listing new items, taking orders and shipping orders, figuring out my taxes, shopping antique stores and flea markets, and squeezing in a little quality time with family and friends, I am somehow able to carve out a little bit of time to devote to our beloved Cottage8. It's really becoming the house of our dreams, and I simply cannot wait to show you all.

Okay monkeys, it's back in the barrel time.

oxox
Jennifer

A special request

2009-02-04T21:45:00.001-08:00

I just learned of some very sad news. My dear sweet friend Becky of Sweet Cottage Dreams lost her oldest son, Jordan, today. I feel just devistated for her and her family and my heart goes out to them.

I've turned comments off for this post and ask instead that if you wish to you offer thoughts and condolences, please direct them to Becky's blog. I know she's taking some time off from her blog, but let's each take a moment to let her know we're all thinking of her and her family in this time of tragic loss and sorrow.

oxox
Jennifer

The Beckoning of Lovely

2009-01-23T10:21:00.000-08:00

Someone sent me this video, and I am sharing it here in the hopes that every person that reads this post watches this video. It's about 7 minutes long, and I know we're all busy people. So maybe instead of choosing to use that time to pay bills, talk on the phone, read your email or make your grocery list, why not utilize that time instead to sit down and watch this. You will be glad you did. You will be inspired by the difference one very brave and creative woman made in this world, in the midst of strangers, on a warm summer night.

Make the most of your time here.

oxox Jennifer

Website Maintenance

2009-01-21T14:45:00.000-08:00

In case you visited my website recently and got the following message above, yep I'm currently down for site maintenance. In the three years of running and maintaining my website, this is the first time I've had to shut the doors temporarilly, and it's feeling a bit like someone is slowly siphoning the oxygen out of the room. I felt an immediate disconnect with the world, so I came to my blog for a little comfort and connection.

Before you start worrying, this is temporary and my website's not going anywhere {some concerned phone calls have been coming in since the temporary shut-down}. I am making some improvements to my website, particularly with the checkout experience, however many of the changes you may not even notice, as it's more behind the curtain technical changes.

While I'm making announcements, many of you have asked about Cottage8, and what a patient bunch you are. Just know we are bustin our hinney's trying to get this house ready to share with you all. We're just as excited as you are, if not more.

oxox
Jennifer

Editors Note: While my website may still be down, there is now a link on the bottom of that page so that you can still shop my website. Thanks for your patience. With everything.

Chelsea Williams

2009-01-11T16:30:00.001-08:00

photo credit

Thanks everyone for asking about Adam. He's feeling a little better, day by day. To break away from what I would refer to as our currently "hermit crab lifestyle" this past week, we went to Universal CityWalk last night. Great food, fun stores to browse, and great local talent.

We were walking out of a candy store called It'Sugar, when I heard the most amazing voice, like that of a sweet angel. I stopped in my tracks and quickly turned around to find a pretty girl playing a guitar and singing. There was a crowd drawn around her. Modestly dressed, she wore a vintage coat, jeans with a hole in one knee and a pair of old cowboy boots. She was singing Hank Williams, and her voice was pitch-on.

We must have stood there through at least 10 songs, when Adam said to me "you'd better buy one of her cd's already". As I approached her, I noticed she had a sign "$5 a cd". It was no surprise she was selling them like hotcakes. And even after I bought a cd, I still wanted to stick around and listen some more. Adam didn't fight me one bit.

If you enjoy discovering new and fresh talent, please visit Chelsea Williams' website. And if you want to hear her play, you can listen here, here and here. Turns out, Chelsea currently makes her living by playing on the street for tips and selling her cd's. I'm a strong believer in supporting artists that put themselves out there, and I would drive out there again just to watch her perform. This girl has the talent and the charisma to do anything she sets her heart on, and that's just the inspiration this little hermit crab family needed.

oxox
Jennifer

In with the new

2009-01-01T10:19:00.000-08:00

It was a thrilling New Years Eve at the Grey house last night. We were 30 seconds away from the stroke of midnight and the great big ball was about to drop, and my only thoughts were if Adam {my currently flu ridden husband} would make it through just long enough to celebrate it with me, or if I would be forced to dance around the bedroom with our two cats instead.

Adam's been sick for over week now with some kind of nasty flu that I am avoiding at all costs and so far I've not caught it yet. He's seen the doctor, he's taking meds, but this flu is some kind of serious force to be reckoned with.

And so this morning began with the usual routine...a cup of steeping hot tea with cream and cats puring against my legs, as I proceeded to read my email. That's when it got interesting. Apparently, January's Cottage of the Month is sparking some attention.

Some of you may remember when I posted about my desire to occasionally break away from the typical style homes I usually feature. Well, when my dear friend Becky introduced me to Waveney's home, I couldn't resist the opportunity. She lives in a gorgeous Tudor cottage, filled with Scottish antiques. And while it may not reflect my own personal decor, that doesn't mean I can't appreciate it and more importantly learn from it. An interior decorator for over 30 years, Waveney and her husband combined both their Scottish heritage and their love for dogs and have created a look in their home that is incredibly unique and different from anything I've seen before.

I'm not asking you to learn to play the bagpipes, adopt a scottie, or cover your white slipcovered sofas in plaid throws. Maybe just lend an open mind to things that may be different or unfamiliar than what you may be used to. You may be amazed at what you'll find!

Wishing all of you a Happy New Year,
Jennifer