PeaHen Pad

The garden lately (Spring 2026)

2026-05-28T08:00:00.000-04:00

Things really started taking off this Spring in the garden. So many roses bloomed, tulips, phlox, Clematis, Peonies, Alliums, Rhododendrons, Baptisia, lavender and the Wisteria. We also found a beautiful large concrete bird bath at an estate sale for the front yard (among many other garden decorations.) We've had very strange weather, even for us in NC. It was a very cold winter and a very dry spring. And that is why I think the roses bloomed so early.. I've already deadheaded much of them and hoping for a second flush of roses this summer.

These Foxy Foxtrot tulips were a fun surprise. They kept changing as each day passed until they looked like this!

It's always a delight to watch my three Viburnum bloom with white flowers and a make a wall! These are definitely in the privacy shrub category.

I have about 23 variety of roses in my yard, too many to name out. Google image search does a good job identifying plants if you are curious about their name. David Austin Roses are my absolute favorite. I have never had any problems with them and they are disease resistant.

The New Dawn Climbing roses over the garage really put on a show this year! I think it was the meticulous pruning we did over the winter and the rose food! We like to add in compost from our own compost bin. And I just use Neem Oil when appropriate if I see any black spot.

Yellow is not a typical color I use in my garden but there is something so cheery about these Lady Banks rambling roses, especially when they are the first to bloom in early Spring.

My Drift Roses come back reliably year after year. They were buttery white to start out with but somehow have crossed pollinated with the peach drift I used to have along the driveway.

I have tall phlox and ground cover phlox all over. They seem to be quite happy and get bigger each year.

I have several Clematis growing over various arches. Most deep purple and white ones.

I planted a bunch of Giant Globe Alliums last fall in my round bed in the back and they are just so much fun!

Lavender, just so great to use for dried herbs or oils.

This purple Verbena overwintered really well and is doing great and spreading this Spring.

American Wisteria, I have two varieties, planted in three locations. Amethyst Falls and Blue Moon.

This white Rhododendron has done remarkably well in this pot with Eastern facing morning sun. I have planted other varieties in the yard but they didn't do well.

Here is the vintage bird bath. I love coming home and seeing birds in it.

The chocolate colored Baptisia that I planted a few years ago also comes back reliably in the spring. I planted two at each hammock stake.

Peonies are so beautiful! I have decided I need about 4 large peony support stakes but until then I cut them and bring them inside so they aren't just flopped over in the yard.

Well that wraps up the Spring blooming plants in the yard. I can't get enough of plants and flowers! I must be a plant-addict!

Happy Almost Summer!

Cathleen

Little Porch Updates

2026-05-27T12:21:45.983-04:00

I started adding little things to the porch in early Spring as it had been a very long winter and very cold here in NC. I was really over it come March. I still have some things I need to get done, like obviously my patio table and chairs need some love. I will likely tackle this soon as I can use my paint that I already own. I added a cute, already blooming, hydrangea to my hanging basket.

My little table got a big ceramic green candle, a little ceramic house, and some faux yellow tulips in a blue and white pot. Look at that table...definitely needs some touch ups!

Initially I bought some green tropical looking beaded throw pillows for the porch, but as you can see below I swapped them out for some blue and white striped pillows.

In my two new black planters that hang from the porch railing, I planted a mixture of pansies, white snap dragons, and black petunias, and put a boxwood in the middle.

Back to the porch, I love stripes lately and ruffles so these pillows just had me at hello.

As I write this post, so much has already changed. I have since added two ferns to the rattan planters and the other plants have grown quite a bit.

For some reason I have been adding lots more hydrangeas over the years. They have the most beautiful flowers and they do really well in the afternoon shade of the front of my house. I need take some summer photos to show just how this hydrangea has filled out! Spring is coming to a close soon and things will be so full and overgrown! But hopefully I can sit and relax and enjoy the season while it comes to an end.

Cathleen

Kid's bathroom makeover

2026-05-04T18:16:00.001-04:00

With several up coming visitors to Durham this summer I thought I would spruce up the bathroom a bit. First it started with just some updates like new towels and caddy for the counter. Then it turned into other pretty easy updates like new faucets, new paint, a beautiful new rug etc. The space got a whole new look and with pretty minor updates. I'll have to save for the new bathtub/tile job, so for now this will do!

I painted the walls and ceiling Sashay Sand by Sherwin Williams. They were white before. I replaced both chrome faucets with brass ones called Kingston Heirloom. We replaced both light fixtures with Lamps Plus lights called Kenroy Home Roberts 22 1/2" Brushed Gold 3-Light Vanity Bath Light. The new rug is from Etsy seller TurkishRugSpecial. We added new hand towels and caddy from Home Goods. Overall it's very eclectic but added much needed personality.

BEFORE

AFTER

BEFORE

AFTER

BEFORE

AFTER

I really can't wait to tackle the bathtub. I'm really hoping some day to replace the plastic tub with a ceramic one and tile the walls. Fingers crossed!

Cathleen

Vintage Kitchen Rug

2026-04-27T15:06:00.002-04:00

Our old kitchen rug had lots of white in it and as it turns out, white kitchen rugs are a big NO for a family that does all our cooking at home. I couldn't keep up with the cleaning of the old rug so I looked for something with more colors. I found this beautiful rug on Etsy from a seller called EarthToneRugs. I'm adding a link to it because I think they were a great seller!

Here are some key words in case you are looking for a similar rug:

10x3 Vintage Turkish Heriz Handknotted Caucasian Wool Runner Rug, 10’2” x 3’5”

I love the combination of Navy and pink, always have! It really adds much needed color to the otherwise white kitchen. This will change someday if we remodel!

The rug is definitely oversized and much bigger than our old rug. It's thick and very soft underfoot. I added a felt rug pad so it doesn't shift around and also adds more coziness.

I will choose a vintage rug any day to a new mass produced rug. They are WAY better made and usually have years of life left in them. You can't beat the quality and the price.

Some of these house updates happened months ago, but I am getting around to finally blogging about them!

Cathleen

French credenza/buffet makeover

2026-04-26T14:41:00.000-04:00

I found this beautiful French looking credenza about a year ago at a local estate sale. It sat brown for a while (see below.) Although I loved it in it's original condition, the balance of wood furniture to painted furniture ratio was off in my living room. I need a mixture of materials and colors or things seem boring to me. Here is the after photo!:

The before!

It's definitely very beautiful in it's original finish. That's why it took a year to do anything to it. I was really on the fence about altering it. But when you pay $95 for something it's not a huge loss if you repaint it.

I gave it a good cleaning and then used Annie Sloan's French gray paint. I then used the clear wax to seal it. I decided to give the accent pieces a coat of gold acrylic paint to help them stand out and give it more of that french look. I initially wanted to gold leaf paint them, but guess what? It's not even sold in stores anymore. Are people stealing it? That's really the old thing I could think of!

I also used an old piece of rose fabric to make a little runner for the top. It's reversable with a different but similar fabric. It protects the table but also adds more interest.

I of course made the runner longer than it needed to be! I could always trim it off and add some tassles or something to the edge.

The roman/greek bust just seems so at home on this table!

My little stool with tassels also fits perfectly underneath.

Hope you enjoyed this little furniture makeover!

Cathleen

Outdoor Holiday tour 2025

2025-12-29T16:58:00.001-05:00

This years outside lights got a few more details than in previous years. We added some pretty garland across the front porch with willow lights wrapped around them for a very bright addition.

We used the vintage colored C9's across the first story and also a layer of white Icicle LED's on the first and second stories. I wrapped white LED's along the banisters and front railing and some around the front door.

We skipped the lights down the pillars this year because of the new garland lights.

The front porch gets decked out with a faux Spruce tree with snow, lights in the planters and around the hanging wall basket.

We hung the large wreath at the front of the porch this year. Sometimes it's on the second story.

In our front planters I use little green lemon cypress trees mixed with white annuals at Christmas time. They will last all winter.

Our porch Christmas lantern has been around a while. We've had multiple breaks on it and it's being held together with Gorilla glue for the most part. The MERRY sign was from the At Home store years ago. The pink "P" ornament was from the Kirkland store and it was originally red.

Our whole street adds these light arches to our sidewalk. It makes our street very festive.

We use white light up birch trees on either side of our driveway and a bigger white tree in the middle of yard. In the daytime the white really stands out.

In our plum tree we use white light up balls and silver ornaments that are for outdoor use. The birdhouse matches our house in color.

The back patio gets a row of C9 lights and some mini lights along the railing. The daybed is dressed with a Cath Kidson comforter and festive Christmas pillows.

Hope you enjoyed this little outdoor Christmas tour. Still 8 more days of the twelve days of Christmas left. I think it will be finally cold enough tomorrow to feel like winter in NC!

Cathleen

Indoor Christmas 2025 Tour

2025-12-28T17:20:00.002-05:00

Christmas at home this year. A quiet celebration with our immediate family. It came too quickly, but now we celebrate the 12 days of Christmas until January 4th, so we can savor the season a bit longer and feel unrushed. We can enjoy our holiday decorations longer, light the candles, play the music, and enjoy it all a lot longer. Here is a little holiday tour of how we decorated this year, it's pretty much the same things, but maybe displayed a bit differently.

The coffee table in the living room displays our German and Polish decorations. I have faux candles that come on at night, but a few times a month I will put in real candles.

My Christmas Cactuses were beautiful this year. I also planted three Amaryllis bulbs and two pots filled with Paper Whites.

My German Christmas Smoker always comes out this time of year. I love winding up the music box inside and I get the Knox Christmas incense cones to burn inside.

Our real Frasier Fir is from the NC mountains but we buy it at a family run business called the Jordan Lake Christmas Tree Farm. We love the tradition of bundling up and bringing hot cocoa to the farm and searching for the perfect tree. When we get home Joe cuts the bottom off and we decorate it as a family and watch A Christmas Story.

All of our Christmas stockings were needlepointed by hand by either my Mother-in-law or Great Aunty Sharon in Hawaii. Truly cherished heirloom qualify that will last forever.

This Santa Statue is new this year from an online estate sale. It was an add-on item that also included a Naif Christmas platter.

This corner of the living room has more German pieces and our German Nativity Pyramid.

Here is our dog Bentley keeping cozy on my wool plaid throw blanket.

I guess I have a thing for Paper Christmas decorations, especially trees that light up.

Our "new" antique French Louis XV credenza looks so wonderful decorated for Christmas. It's always fun to decorate new furniture for the holidays with new shelves and places to put things. I'm still a sucker for hot pink Poinsettias instead of traditional Red. I don't care if it was supposed to be a "Ralph Lauren" Christmas. Pink will always be my favorite.

One of my Christmas crafts this year was this Pomander Christmas tabletop "tree." It smelled so divine for a few weeks. I used some holly leaves and red camellia flowers from the garden. The foam cone was the base and I used hot glue to attach everything, but realized tooth picks were helpful as well.

Our gallery wall in the eat-in-kitchen was also new this year so it was fun decorating around it. I strung vintage garland across and it worked great. The picture at the top is a Christmas print.

The living room chandelier got 5 burgundy bows. Speaking of burgundy, it looks so pretty with pink! I also added burgundy flowers to the mantel garland and on the tree this year.

The hallway to the guest room got outfitted with tree shaped taper candles and pink ribbons.

Our headboard got garland with lights. So magical at night.

Our bedroom has a tree in it that we add ornaments every year, including a new thing of turning vintage scarves into bows. Lots of mauve ornaments this year too.

I picked up these Pottery Barn reindeer candelabra's at an Estate Sale for a very good price. They are really heavy and great quality. I was also able to find the original round candles on ebay.

Our dining room got a big glow up this year with an Antique leaded Crystal Chandelier from Europe, maybe 1920's. We got it just in time for the holidays this year.

Adding bows to the Chandelier was so fun! I set the table with my Naif Christmas plates and of course the centerpiece is my Christmas "village" with sparkly trees.

I heard paper garlands were big this year so I got in on the action. I bought cute scrap book paper and went to town cutting strips of paper while watching movies. I used Scotch tape to adhere each circle together until I had several long strands. Now how does one store these each year? Or do we just make new ones each year?

Our holiday tour ends at the beginning, our entryway. This space is different with the French tapestry and Grandfather Clock this year. I still have my modern throw pillows to balance it out.

Our crystal light fixture creates such a pretty glow in our foyer. I use incandescent bulbs to create warmth now instead of LED's.

We hope you all had a very Merry Christmas!! 2026 will be great. 🎄

Cathleen

Towering Reaper

2025-10-07T17:21:00.001-04:00

Sometimes when I look at Halloween decor online I think to myself, "I can make that myself for much cheaper!" Here is the example of a Towering Reaper I saw on Grandinroad and had that thought.

My Version:

I gathered the items I thought I could use for this project at home and the rest I thrifted or found at the local hardware store. First of all, you need a long white sheet. I found a king size sheet for a few dollars at a thrift store. I folded it in half long ways and sewed it down the edge and top leaving the bottom open. I folded it at the top corners and sewed straight across to create shoulders. I added a little tail piece with a single white curtain panel.

For the head and body I found a kid's helmet for $1.50 and spray painted it white. I turned it backyards so the two holes at the back were the "eyes."

I bought battery operated lights online and glued them into each hole using super glue.

The body was made using 1" PVC pipe already on hand and some 1" T pipe fittings.

For the arms we used pipe insulation around the PVC to give it more padding.

To adhere the "neck" to the helmet we placed a cross fitting pipe inside the helmet and used some zip ties to hold it in place.

We tied rope around the body and up through the helmet to hang it from another rope that strung across from two trees.

Here it is at night! The tail of it, which is a used sheer curtain got wound up in the wind. I will straighten him out tomorrow. So the Grandinroad reaper is on sale right now for $101. Ours to make was all in $14.50! DIY for the win.

Here's a couple of other "new" things we added this year. A moss covered hand coming out of the tree.

And a headless statue to the cemetery...

Happy Halloween! 👻👻

xo
Cathleen

DIY Graveyard Sign

2025-09-30T08:00:00.003-04:00

Every year we try to add something to our yard for Halloween. This year I wanted to make a sign for our graveyard. I pretty much lucked out when I found this twin headboard for $5 at my local Habitat for Humanity Restore. It was already painted like this with teal paint and some light black wash.

I measured the space on the sign and got to work finding the perfect font to create the words I wanted on my sign. Once I printed the words I used Modge Podge to glue the letters onto the headboard.

We used our Bosch Plunge Router to then trace out all the letters. We had to buy a special bit to create the depth that we wanted also one strong enough to cut out wood. This process was quite different than the lettering I made on my foam gravestones. Be sure to use protective eye wear and a face mask when drilling into wood.

After the letters were etched I used my indoor/outdoor cabinet paint to give it two coats of paint. It turned out that I could still see a bit of the teal color which gives in a nice weathered look. I used gold acrylic craft paint and a small paint brush to do the letters. I found these cute light up jack-o-lanterns at the At Home Store and used velcro command strips to attach them.

I gave it a coat of waterproof spray paint to further protect it from the elements.

In order to prop it up I bought two Christmas tree stands with Pentagram feet on Amazon. I honestly think they are perfect for this so we could anchor both legs. I added two solar lanterns on the ground with shepard hooks to illuminate it at night.

I hope you like this little Halloween DIY. We have another project in the works so stay tuned!

Cathleen

Halloween yard tour 2025

2025-09-29T14:07:00.001-04:00

Halloween Indoor Tour 2025

2025-09-29T13:01:00.002-04:00

My absolute favorite time of year is here! Halloween is simply the best. Christmas falls at a close 2nd place. But Halloween is all about magic, creativity, candy, and all things dark. Practically every night we have on a spooky movie, light candles and soak up the magic. This year I have learned to read Tarot cards and can't wait to do a reading for my friends and family. You'll probably notice too that many things have changed in our house. I haven't posted a home tour in a while so a lot of things are new.

Hope you enjoy this little tour on how we decorate for Halloween!

Happy Halloween! 🎃

Cathleen

Eat-in-kitchen updates

2025-06-20T11:24:00.000-04:00

Gathering items from Estate Sales lately had me in the mood to redo our eat-in-kitchen. Especially our gallery wall, where the old art was all framed mostly in white. I have been finding beautiful gold framed pieces that I thought would look lovely in here. I also found a beautiful antique glass case that replaced our black one.

There is a bit of space left on the wall for future art finds! I may add wallpaper and crown molding to this room one day, but for now I'm going to live with the off white walls.

I found these adorable gold bow lamps with pink velvet scalloped lamp shades at Home Goods. I know they may be for a little girls room but I love them. They tie together the pinks in the new curtains and also go really well with the leopard print rug.

I was able to get four new curtains from Anthropologie, called Lorena Printed Velvet. They are the 108" panels. The colors are perfect for this room and also the rest of the downstairs.

This antique walnut cabinet, literally from 1923, was such a score for $100. If even locks so we can keep liquor safe.

Getting quite the abundance of annual flowers in the yard. I was able to pick my cone flowers, Zinnias, Yarrow, Dahlias etc.

Now that summer is officially here this weekend, it's time to relax.

Cathleen

DIY Arcade

2025-06-18T18:22:00.000-04:00

Last Christmas was pretty well spent at home making stuff. The boys had a good time working on one of their Christmas presents with Dad. A custom Arcade. It was a pretty long project as far as DIY projects go. The first step was ordering the electronic parts, including the Monitor. We gifted our teen with these items for Christmas. Then after Christmas they went to work building it. The wood came from our local hardware store. The computer inside is a RasberryPi. The instructions we used to make it came from Medium.com.

After the cabinet was built we stained it with Black Wood stain and sealed it with Polycrylic.

Electronics

20 Hikig LED Push Buttons & 2 Joysticks
2x Easyget Zero-Delay USB Encoder
27” Acer Monitor
Raspberry Pi 3
USB Speaker
Keyboard
Mouse
Hardware

2x MDF wood 3/4” x 49 x 97”
2x Inset overlay clip hinges
8 x 5/8-inch Particle board screws
L-brackets for support
3” Caster wheels w/ brakes
Mailbox lock for the cabinet
1 1/2” Nails
Wood glue
10” x 18” Sheet of Plexiglas
5 cans of flat black primer
5 cans of black gloss paint
3 cans of pink spray paint
1 can of fluorescent yellow spray paint
Tools

Circular saw

Jigsaw
Drill press with varying Forstner bits
Router
Orbital sander
Milling machine
Cordless drill
Wood clamps

My son did most of the electrical work.

We can honestly say the whole family enjoyed this cool gift!

Will reference this link as we pretty much followed it to a T.
Arcade Marque Decal

Painted Queen Anne Chairs

2025-04-27T18:23:00.001-04:00

I titled this one Back to my same ol' BS because a long time ago I frequently painted furniture. And I know it's so controversial! I get it! And I totally agree that certain wood furniture, namely Antique furniture, high quality wood furniture, heirloom furniture, etc. should remain untouched. Or at least maintained so it lasts forever. Certain furniture though, in my opinion is worth giving a makeover. In this case, I found these chairs for $10 a piece at a local online auction house. I didn't know if they have a maker, in fact I couldn't locate a single name on any of the chairs. So I took that as a "go" for me bringing them a new life.

As you can see, there was some wear in certain areas and I loathe the existing fabric. I'm just not a primary colors kind of person. The style is Queen Anne but almost with a unique top part that flares.

And of course, I went to work ordering paint and new fabric. I was excited to try Anne Sloan's Paris Gray as a base coat and Old White as a top coat with clear wax. I ordered three yards of Waverly Regency fabric from Fabricguru.com. And as much to my surprise when I started to carefully take apart the chairs and take off the existing fabric I found the original label. Statton Furniture, made in PA. My research suggests these are very nicely made chairs indeed and are considered Heirloom quality to be passed on to future generations. I really started second guessing my need to redo the entire chair. But I had already ordered my paint and Anne Sloan Paint is not cheap! Anyway, they are still the same quality chair only now with a French Flare!

This time around I thoughtfully removed each chair cushion using a flat head screwdriver and pliers and laid each set down in an order so that they could be placed back on the same chair later. Thankfully the batting underneath and black bottom fabric were all in great shape so I just needed new top fabric. The fabric is upholstery grade and it was really helpful to have an electric staple gun to get this job done. I carefully used the old fabric as a stencil and traced the exact size onto my new fabric. I used fabric sheers to cut out the fabric and then stapled around all the sides making sure my pattern was straight and the corners were tight.

I used the old black fabric back on bottom and that's pretty much it! Now for the fun part. The painting!

Anne Sloan paint says you don't need to sand or prime or anything, but I am old school so I like to give my surface a good sanding and then a good cleaning with a strong solvent. Then I clean it to get all the dust off. In this case, I used one thick coat of Paris Gray and let it dry for a few hours. Then I used a lighter coat of Old White. I let that dry overnight. In the morning I applied a coat of clear wax and let that dry for one day. Then it was time to lightly sand so that the gray peaked through a bit. In my opinion, if I ever do this again, would be to sand before waxing, but I was following their instructions. Once I was happy with my sanding, I applied another coat of wax. I again let it dry over night. The final day of this project was reattaching the chair pads with the four screws at the bottom using an electric drill.

I think it's the season, but I especially love to lighten things up around this time of the year. Who knows, by Fall I may be taking out the black chairs again! Oh! and with my three yards of fabric, I even had enough left over to make a wide runner for the table. Maybe a little too wide, oh well.

Someone likes hiding under the table, I wonder if he notices the new chairs!

Happy Spring. I better do a garden tour soon as I have so many new plants this year!

Cathleen

Christmas 2024

2024-12-11T20:48:00.005-05:00

Here's a little look at how we decorated this year for Christmas. I definitely added more natural elements, like the wreath above the stove, the amaryllis bulbs, poinsettias, Christmas cactus, and paperwhites. I had fun decorating this year and adding lots of cute things in every room. I usually think of new ideas after I decorate so I need to write them down for next year! I hope you enjoy this quick tour!

Guest Room

Kitchen

Eat in Kitchen

Living Room

Formal Dining Room

Foyer

Loft

Game Room

Primary Bedroom

Son's Room

Daughter's Room

Oldest Son's room

Office

Happy Holidays!!

Cathleen

Counter Stools from Frontgate

2024-10-11T08:00:00.001-04:00

It's October and also my 26th anniversary! I can hardly believe its been that long. Joe is in Switzerland this week but he let me pick our gift this year. Maybe so I wouldn't feel so sad this week. Although I didn't mind our old metal barstools, they were super easy to clean, comfort seemed in order. I wanted to eat at the counter and be able to linger a little longer. I was in love with Frontgate's Angelina's counter stools for a while. They are modern, and feature iron and brass details and the fabric is Dove Gray Velvet. They combine several of my favorite textures and colors. They are very study and heavy too. They finally went on sale so I jumped on the opportunity to upgrade.

Our kitchen island needed a little love too and since the new chairs were arriving I decided to paint the island a shade of pink. In order to save a bit of money and use what I already had on hand I decided to mix up a 50/50 blend of Farrow and Ball's Sulking Room Pink and White to reduce it a bit. Our guest room is painted this color and also the downstairs doors. It made sense to stay within the same color family and it saved me about $80. I don't know too many people with a pink kitchen island. But that's okay. It actually feels really warm in here and reads darker in the evenings. You actually hardly notice it at eye level.

I pray they stay this nice for a long time! They do have a nifty handle on the back to slide them in and out. And velvet is generally easy to clean.

I am painting the eat in kitchen table pink at moment as well in order to save even more paint. Stay tuned for that makeover!

xo
Cathleen

DIY Halloween Reaper

2024-09-28T20:28:00.000-04:00

We made a new guy to creep our front yard. He turned out pretty cool. A stone-like Grimm Reaper to haunt our cemetery at night. Below you'll find instructions to make your own. It was pretty straight forward to make, but make sure you have two people to help drape the fabric.

Supplies:

For the body:

One foam head (from craft store)

About 12' of 1" - 1 1/2" PVC pipe (Habitat for Humanity Restore had plenty, for cheap!)

Either an umbrella stand, or 6 feet of PVC that is one size larger than used for the body

Two 90 degree PVC elbows ( shoulders) and one cross fitting for neck

Optional but recommended: Two 45 degree PVC elbows (gives a more realistic shape to arms)

PVC adhesive (to glue PVC pieces)

Hacksaw (to cut PVC)

Chicken Wire

Foam Pool Noodles or foam insulation from the plumbing section of hardware store

To make the coverings for the reaper:

5 yards of Gauze fabric or 1 Gray King Sheet for cloak

Two yards of canvas fabric for shawl

To make monster mud (enough for 3-4 reapers:

One five gallon bucket (mixing bucket)

1 gallon of Black paint

5 gallons All Purpose Joint Compound

Optional but recommended: Mixing bit (find it in the painting section)

Thompson's water seal for masonry (waterproofing)

Plastic Sheeting for ground to protect your surroundings

Build your prototype:

We went very minimalistic with the body shape, just using 90 degree elbows for the shoulders. With the next reaper, we will also use 45 degree elbows for the...elbows. If you don't have pool noodles lying around, the plumbing section will have nice foam pieces to bulk up the arms.

After cutting and dry fitting the PVC, follow the instructions for PVC adhesive to glue the pieces together, posing as you want it (will it be holding a scythe? a Lantern? Just standing ominously?)

Use the chicken wire to provide a rough body shape. Pay special attention to the shoulders and clavicle area, as the PVC looks too blocky if you don't provide some curves.

Dry fit the clothes to get the look you want. We used lots of safety pins to get the shape right, it took a couple of tries. In the end we just cut a hole through the sheet and draped most of the sheet over the front, and pinned folds around the back to give a more streamlined look.

Prepare for some heavy lifting, as you prepare to apply the "monster mud", which is just a 5:1 mixture of all-purpose joint compound to the cheapest black or grey latex paint you can find. 6 gallons will be enough for at least three full sized reapers, or some other Halloween projects. Now is a good time to make sure that your PVC form is very stable; otherwise it'll tip right over when you lay the mud-soaked sheets on the body.

To prepare monster mud, pour about 2.5 gallons of the joint compound and 0.5 gallons of the paint into a new bucket.

Mix the joint compound and black paint in a large bucket and mix with mixer attachment on your drill.

Now you can dip your first sheet layer (the robe) into the monster mud. Dunking the entire sheet in the bucket won't work; instead dip piece by piece, then sandwich the pieces together to quickly and efficiently spread the monster mud. Remove as much as you can from the sheet to reduce the weight, but it will still be quite heavy.

Now lift up the sheet and carefully place it on the body form. Adjust the layout, and try not to tip it over. Then wait. Let it dry out overnight, then adjust the layers to give a more robe-like appearance, pinning up the ends around the back. Add folds and creases to give a more detailed appearance, and allow to dry for a few days.

After the first layer is mostly dry, repeat with the second layer (canvas or gauzy cloth). This will be lighter as it is smaller in area, and doesn't absorb nearly as much monster mud, but be sure that this won't tip over your reaper either! Then wait again.

After a few days, the monster mud should be dry, and it will feel like papier mache. Apply a nice layer of water seal over everything exposed, to protect against bad weather.

To mount on your lawn, you can either use an umbrella stand, or you can just drive a 6 foot piece of PVC pipe that is barely larger (internal diameter) than your reaper body (external diameter), about 2 feet into the ground. The reaper will slide right into the PVC piece and lean eerily.

Add filigree like a solar powered lamp, glowing eyes, a scythe, etc.

When night fell, we think adding a little solar spot light will help illuminate him at night. Can't wait to see if people think he's real on Halloween night.

Happy Haunting! 🎃

xo
Cathleen

Turn an old dresser into a desk

2024-09-21T13:36:00.002-04:00

Yay! I'm back in business baby! I finally have a dedicated work space with a super fast computer! I just love it! It wouldn't have been possible if my son didn't love building computers and shopping for parts. He is only 15 and I must say I'm pretty darn impressed. I'm actually sitting here now writing this and I couldn't be more pleased. A little back story, my husband works from home so took over the home office a few years ago. I had my computer in there, but working next to someone who is on calls all day is quite distracting. So I decided to make use of the guest room that anybody hardly uses. I didn't want to spend money on a new desk and have to sell this beautiful dresser I made over a while back so I decided to convert it to a desk. Also my old computer was REALLY old and painfully slow.

It's a bit tall, but with an adjustable chair it works. You see that the keyboard and mouse are out of sight.

We removed the top drawer of the dresser and installed this slide out pop up keyboard and mouse tray (link below.) We had to do a bit of a configuration underneath by adding a piece of wood to the inside for the mount since it wasn't quite flat. But it ended up working perfectly!

I love how it's cozy and not too sterile looking like in a normal work office. I can also just tuck the keyboard tray away and use this monitor as a TV for when guests sleep in that Murphy bed you see in the mirror.

Here is a close up of the keyboard tray. And it's very convenient to have the drawers below for office supplies. I like a clean look when it comes to organization with not too many things sitting out on the desk top.

Here is a visual of the parts used in my computer. The box is not shown, but it's called a SAMA and comes with a slot for a DVD/CD player. Who uses those anymore, this old lady does! BTW, my child may have gone a bit overboard on storage and speed when building this. Like did I really need a Gaming Graphics Card? Who knows. It's pretty awesome though and I'm uploading photos at light speed now. All I really cared about was a cute white monitor and keyboard, lol. But glad I have both the cuteness and functionality.

Here is a source list in case you are interested:

1) Keyboard and Mouse Newegg MSI Vigor GK30 Combo White, 6-Zone RGB GK30 Gaming Keyboard & GM11 Gaming Mouse, Water Repellent & Splash-Proof, 5000 DPI

2) Monitor: HP HP Series 5 27 inch FHD White Monitor - 527sw 27" FHD (1920 x 1080) 48-100 Hz

3) Keyboard tray: Amazon Mount-It! Under Desk Keyboard Tray, Adjustable Keyboard and Mouse Drawer Platform with Ergonomic Wrist Rest

4)Webcam: Newegg Logitech Brio 100 Full HD Webcam for Meetings and Streaming, Auto-Light Balance, Built-In Mic, Privacy Shutter, USB-A, for Microsoft Teams, Google Meet, Zoom and More - Off White

6) Desk chair - Home Goods

5) All of the computer components came from Newegg.com

Also tomorrow is the Fall equinox and Halloween ideas are swirling in our heads over here.

xo
Cathleen

Cottage Grove

2024-01-27T12:24:00.050-05:00

I gave the Master Bathroom a little refresh over this past week by painting the cabinets a new color. This green just spoke to me at the hardware store. It's called Cottage Grove by Magnolia Home.

It was my first time using this type of paint. I have to say, it has it's pros and cons. The pros are that it seemed to level well and not show the brush strokes. The color is beautiful. The cons are that it took me three coats to get it completely opaque. The verdict is still out on how well it will stay on. I did sand the existing painted cabinets but I did not use a primer.

The green cabinets really feel fresh in here and go well with my existing rose artwork. I also updated the bathroom with a new rug and Green chenille mushroom stool.

A new soap dispenser in a pretty pink glass and toothbrush holder add a bit more color to the counter. The black and white hand towels from Rachel Zoe are fun too. I would like to save up and replace the faucets in this bathroom eventually and the light fixtures above the mirrors. That is on my to-do list.

Seating in the bathroom, it turns out makes the whole space feel more cozy.

xoxo

Cathleen

New Year, Old Rugs

2024-01-08T14:17:00.001-05:00

Happy New Year! 🥳 2024 is going to be the year of color! Who's tired of Beige? Greige? Grey? All things monotone and natural? In my humble opinion, your house should bring you joy and comfort. It shouldn't subscribe to some Shea McGee standard of decorating where you bought everything at Target to decorate your house. Get out there and pillage your local thrift stores and FB marketplace. Decorate your house the way you want to and not succumb to what Instagram thinks looks great. Buying things second hand also eliminates purchasing items made in China and has chemical off-gassing. This year, spend less, and give your house the color and character is so drastically needs.

My new old Rug is from the 1920's, a Persian Spartan Antique rug with lots of Navy and Maroon/pink wool. It's 9 x 12 and I snatched it up from my local Restore. It had been donated by The Persian Carpet Company across the street. I got it for an embarrassingly low price. I saved even more money by laundering it myself with the good ol' garden hose, a bucket of dish soap and water, and a scrub brush. It air dried for several days in my garage with fans running. This corner of the room needs more color or perhaps I leave it neutral and let the rug shine.

I purchased the rug in late November and it took several weeks to launder so I had time to give my lampshades new pleated fabric from Joann's. I wanted to add even more color that would go with the rug. I also found this beautiful wool throw blanket from an Etsy seller called SultansGem.

My vintage knitted Peacock feather tablecloth works so well in here and I have new books to read for the new year. One is called the Secret Gardens of the Cotswolds. A place I'd like to visit some day.

Does anyone else leave up their New Year's Eve lights all through January? It really helps me cope with the loss my Christmas decorations.

Also I don't care if my living room/house makes me look 80 years old. 80 year olds know what's up.

Happy New Year, now who's down for Thrifting??

Cathleen

Vintage Karastan rug

2024-01-07T20:57:00.066-05:00

One of the great things about living where I live is the tremendous Estate Sales that pop up. For whatever reason there are hardly ever any lines and people have nice things. At a recent Estate sale for example I had my eye on a rug that was in their preview photos. I zoned right in on it and stuck a "Sold" sticker right away. I don't really think I even looked at the price tag.

I scored this beautiful vintage Karastan rug for a mere $250! The colors were perfect for our dining room and the pattern very pleasing. It has a thick wool pile and even better after I put a 1/2 felt pad underneath it. It's 8'8" x 12' Antique Ivory Medallion Kirman #781 American wool.

When I brought it home I went to work cleaning it. I used my water hose, a bucket with soapy water and a scrub brush. I hand scrubbed it and then rinsed it. I also used my Bissell cleaner to suck out the dirty water. Unfortunately the amount of dirt that was coming out if it was too much for my little Bissell. I think it even started smoking at one point! I decided to let it dry and I rolled it up and took it to a great Persian Rug company that gets great reviews online. At $3.40/square foot to have it cleaned, which for a 9x12 rug ran about $370 + tax. But in the end, it's nice to have a rug that feels brand new, yet from the 1950's with all the charm of a vintage rug.

With care, this rug should last another 70+ years. It's so well made and just absolutely stunning.

I have been really drawn to cozy English style homes, so I've been wanting to incorporate more pattern, more mismatched furniture and having everything work. I have a ways to go to get that feeling, but I'm enjoying finding things that I love to fill our home.

I was ready to get new end chairs, but I think these Cheetah print Parson chairs go really well with the new rug.

Happy New Year!

Cathleen

Christmas house tour 2023

2023-11-27T19:34:00.000-05:00

This year after our indulgent Thanksgiving meal, we did what we always do, put the Thanksgiving decorations away the same night and start tidying up. We know that Black Friday will bring 18 bins, several large bags, wreath boxes, etc. for unpacking. This year we kind of sighed at the shear amount of decorations we've managed to collect over the years. I always give some away, but apparently not enough. These post covid years are leaving us feeling still tired. Or maybe we're just getting older. We managed to put out every decoration and get every single outdoor light put up. I think we will try to slow down time and enjoy the last full December with our high school senior and our quickly growing up other teenagers. Soak in all the details and savor this time together. Each holiday that comes and goes I am reminded of how the time is quickly fading to be all together as a family. I am grateful we have created so many fun holiday traditions for the kids that they will hopefully cherish forever. My hope for them is to look back at this blog and be reminded of the home we have created for them.

Our Vintage Whippet statue adorned with vintage gold foil garland.

The China hutch gets a dose of vintage glass Christmas ornaments so they are nicely protected. My grandmother's Americana calendar from 1978 gets displayed.

The vintage painted sideboard displays wooden trees, a butter dish and salt and pepper shakers from Anthropologie.

In the loft we use the silver tree with pink ornaments and top if off with a light up Zelda tree topper.

Our kitchen island tree gets 1980's hand painted wooden ornaments I found thrifting.

At a recent estate sale I found so many European Christmas items, including this four tier nativity candle spinner from Germany. My Paper White bulbs are starting to grow.

I used vintage tablecloths on my tables this year. They aren't necessarily for Christmas but they seem to work anyway. The green candle lantern is from World Market.

I had fun setting the dining room table with my new to me Villeroy & Boch Naif Christmas plates.

The eat in kitchen displays one of my Christmas cactuses and dessert plates and cups from Anthropolgie's Nathalie Lete collection.

My mom's hand painted stocking holder moves around every year but this year I have a vintage stocking to hang on it as well.

My German Smoker guy will be ready for my new incense by Knox that is a blend of Christmas spices. My house will smell like Grandpa is here smoking his pipe.

I saw a lady in BH&G's put ribbon and ornaments on her chandelier so I had to copy it. I just used some gold and champagne bulbs with burnt orange velvet ribbon.

Our upstairs tree looks a little sparse. My hope is that I will slowly find vintage ornaments to fill it up. The candle lights make it look very Little Women.

The little golden tree makes an entrance this year with gold glass ornaments and an orange bow.

A banner I found at the estate sale with God Jul and little elves hand painted. Couldn't resist.

The bottle brush trees are right at home with the light up Swedish wooden decoration.

Winter Peppermint tea and Starbucks coffee always at the ready in our elf and Santa mugs.

Our knitted reindeer looks right at home every year with it's black white pattern.

The entry table gets cinnamon scented pinecones this year.

I just love our paper stars and lanterns from World Market. They are probably my favorite decorations besides my new German things.

The window wreaths have pretty pink ribbons.

Every year we say we're going to just put up our faux tree and then every year we realize it's not the same as a real tree. A big shout out to Jordan Christmas Tree Farm who let us in without a reservation. This year we splurged on a 9 footer, which also means our star is sitting parallel with the roof.

We moved one of the living room chairs to our dining room and I think it gives this space cozy vibes.

Swedish throw blankets complete the living room chairs.

The office is adorned with flocked wreaths and pink bows.

Hope you enjoyed our Christmas tour and are inspired to decorate a bit. It sure does make the winter months less dreary!

Cathleen

Firepit Updates

2023-10-23T17:15:00.003-04:00

It's Smores' and cozy blanket season around here and I'm so happy I sprung for new Adirondack chairs from Highwood USA. Our old wooden chairs held up for about seven years, but these recycled plastic adirondack chairs should last for about 20 years. And hopefully they can be recycled again! I decided to go with white chairs to change it up a bit from the dark blue ones. I think they look very classic. The style chairs are called The Essential Adirondack Chair and can be found here. So far they seem very easy to clean and won't splinter or need repainting/sealing/staining at all.

The cozy fleece throws are from Pendleton.

This photo shows the new pansies, petunias, broccoli, and cabbage that I recently planted. In November I will add tulip and Allium bulbs and in the Spring it will be gorgeous.

Our Breeo Smokeless Firepit is going on two years of use. It is developing a nice patina on the outside because we chose the X Series in Size 24 with a Corten Steel finish. We wanted it to look a little rustic and aged. We also bought the lid for the firepit that keeps it from rusting on the inside. The absolute best part of the firepit is that it's made right here in the U.S. of American Steel. Other similiar firepits like the Solo Stove come from China. We are very picky when it comes to where products are made.

Looking forward to many roasted marshmallows, ghost stories, and family time.

Happy Fall and almost Halloween!

Cathleen

Halloween Outdoor Tour 2023 🕸

2023-10-02T13:02:00.003-04:00

This is my absolute favorite time of the year. I was never a summer person. Don't like swimming, don't like bathing suits, being hot, bugs, etc. I enjoy cooler temps, flannel shirts, gardening outside and not sweating profusely. Decorating for the holidays. All of the things that come along with Fall. Pumpkin Spice coffee, apple picking, Fall leaf peeping, etc. etc. In July and August I was so bored with summer that I started making gravestones out of foam board and we had a lot left over so we made some pillars too. Joe cut out the designs for me with his saw and I took on the painting and design on the computer and using a Dremel to etch in the letters. I had a lot of fun seeing how professional they ended up looking. Much better than hand lettering words. I am still tweaking a few things outside and have yet to add pumpkins but here is how it looks on Oct. 2nd. 🕸

I will say we did not invent the wheel when it came down to the technique. Sure we tweaked a few things here and there but for the most part we followed this guy on Youtube. I changed the gray paint for example because I couldn't find what he used in the store. I also added white plastic urn pots to the top of our pillars with glamorous skulls and faux Halloween flowers to the pots. Gives it a classy look! I found black plastic chain from Lowes and two hooks to create a little gate.

On either side of the pillars I added Shepard Hooks from the garden center at Lowes with two hanging solar lanterns. We sprinkled bits of moss everywhere.

We still have the full size wooden coffin and wooden stakes we made from old pallets from last year. Added some faux moss to the front flower pots and of course classic Fall Mums.

My favorite tombstone is the Bram Stoker one. It's size and shape and are so classic.

These were the only two tombstones that we have left from year's past. The others suffered splitting over the years so we finally discarded them.

Geneva Oedlia Hilliker Ellroy's grave. She is the mother of famous crime novelist James Ellroy, murdered while on a date when he was just a little boy. Weird story -she lived in my Grandparent's rental house and my grandparent's had to identify her body down at the local morgue!

Cliff Burton's grave. He was a former member of Metallica, died in a bus accident in Sweden while they were on tour.

Joey Jordison's grave. Former member of Slipknot.

Thomas Midgley Jr. - "had more adverse impact on the atmosphere than any other single organism in Earth's history." RIP

Don't google this guy, H.H. Holmes if you don't want to be mortified! He is claimed to be America's first serial killer.

Sarah Good, you all know her from the Salem Witch trials.

This flower bed was redone this year so it has a smaller footprint than last year, but I was able to still fit the circle of Orange C9 lights just fine. I added some flickering lights to the outside.

New this year is the Halloween doormat. I think I have a thing for Spider's.

Our hanging lanterns have LED flame bulbs in them and they add the right amount of spookiness to the porch.

I found some purple and yellow mums at the the nursery and the fountain grass adds a nice fall touch. New this year too are corn husks added to the pots in the backrow. Still need pumpkins to round out this area.

One of my favorite new touches this year are the curtains that I hung from the porch. Instead of buying muslin fabric or Halloween specific curtains I went to the At Home store and found six sheer gray 95" curtains. I cut up the bottoms and added some tears. My kid had fun splattering red paint to a few of them and some bloody handprints. We bought small PVP pipe that we cut to fit exactly between each porch pillar and hung them on hooks that we leave up year round for our Christmas lights. When the wind blows they sure do look creepy!

👀 If you notice we have a new garden flag -an Etsy splurge with a cool early 1900's Hill House font.

Our Dead and Breakfast sign still holding up after all these years. One of my favorite past decorations.

Obviously I need to do a few touch ups, light straightening out the these lights, but I was so excited to post pics! Our Hydrangeas are drying out nicely and turning brown. Will leave for the creepy factor.

My terminator Skeleton as I like to call him is chillin' on the porch now, but I move him around a few times a month. Can you spot Chucky in the window?

I left my hanging ferns because they remind me of the Haunted Mansion at Disney.

Here's the yard, pretty much all lit up at night! I added lots of solar lights because it really helps at night for the Trick Or Treaters to see the decorations. I think my neighbor's at this point think we're pretty obnoxious. 😁

In the backyard we have a more peaceful vibe -a metal pumpkin lantern, cute Sanderson Sister Hocus Pocus throw pillows and cozy Pendleton blankets. But don't wander out into the yard, you might run into a ghost or two!

Happy October and Happy Halloween....!

xo
Cathleen

Halloween 2023 Indoor Tour

2023-10-01T20:31:00.243-04:00

It's October 1st and I'm pretty much done decorating the house for Halloween. I was so eager to get started this year since I spent several days in July and August making tombstones and cemetery gates for the yard. I have also picked up a few new things from thrift stores these past few months. So here's our Halloween tour...

I hung a five candlestick candelabra in the foyer. I found it for a just a few dollars and spray painted it black. The candles are battery powered so I don't have to worry about the house catching fire.

The entry way now sports a vintage wooden urn that I picked up at an antique store. The hanging bat is new this year too. Each year I try to arrange things a bit differently than in the past just to make it bit less boring.

I hung floating black candles in the foyer that are controlled by a remote. They add a lot of whimsical charm. I used tiny clear command hooks to attach them to the ceiling. The strings are very thin clear fishing wire.

I liked this hanging lantern that looks like a skeleton hand coming out of the wall. It's battery powered and looks very cool when it's dark.

This year I ordered some digital Halloween files from Etsy that I was going to print at home. For some reason the files were too large so I placed an order for prints from Shutterfly. They have options for large prints on cardstock in various sizes. I think I ordered around eight different prints. I had fun swapping out summer prints with the dark academia style ones. I also added some prints to the front wallpapered wall. Joe is going to love seeing all of the new stuff I hung while he was away in Europe!

The masked bust lady is new this year from Home Goods. I am loving Baroque style decor lately.

I found two very heavily beaded throw pillows at Home Goods as well. I love the dark gray cotton farmhouse fabric mixed with the glamorous beading.

This year we put our teal sofa upstairs and added these velvet chairs. Finally the living room has a cohesive look and also the colors just really work with Fall decor.

My crows above the sink got a new stick this year. It was very easy to wander over to our forest and pick a new one out. My son braved standing on the counter to tie it up for me with twist ties.

Fake worms on red pears for the kitchen Halloween win! I can't believe how realistic and gross these look.

The "bar" area has quite a few new additions of apothecary jars and art work. Still waiting on the second half of my Shutterfly delivery so this is not totally complete. The sheer lamp spiderweb lace covers are from the At Home Store. The metal Salem Brewery sign is new this year too.

I really wish I had the know-how to get this vintage wooden sconce wired in. For now I just put it on a nail in the wall. It looks so great.

Th eat in kitchen has the bleeding candle chandelier this year. You can see that we've already burned them some.

The Grandfather clock got some purple vines over the top and the chime adds a very spooky feel to our house this year. What is creepier than listening to a clock ticking in pure silence. The furry black spider is from T.J. Maxx. His name is Kitty.

This year I had so much fun finding books for the coffee table that include many from Grim Grisly and classics like Frankenstein and Edgar Allen Poe. I added my stick of Sage too. The fortune teller globe adds a very nice touch especially when we get out the Tarot Cards.

The perfect cozy spot for reading all those great novels.

I found a few larger crows at Michaels this year. I still love placing branches in the corners like this to display the birds. Four velvet pumpkins placed in a potted plant turn the houseplant into Fall decor.

Another new Bust sits on the fireplace hearth. Her eyes light up red.

I discovered Youtube has Halloween screensavers that will play for around 10 hours if you like adding ambiance to your house without having sound. Good for when you want to have music playing in the background as well.

I had fun this year at Michaels buying lots of faux flowers with eyeballs in them or foliage to add to existing houseplants. And I have to say that my existing decor is already pretty neutral so adding Halloween accents isn't too cluttered feeling.

One of my favorite little corners is this one, where I keep a little upside down glass lamp that is basically a little greenhouse for several small houseplants. I popped in a few eyeball flowers and some fake butterflies and it really gives it a creepy factor.

The kitchen table got a new table cloth this year. I sewed one very large lace skeleton fabric tablecloth using fabric from Joann's. I used black hem tape and hot glue to finish off the edges. The white napkins are from Etsy. They have embroidered spiders on them and our initial. The stacked skeleton candle sticks are from the At Home Store.

We have other little spaces decorated around, like the downstairs bath, but I think I make my posts too long! Tomorrow I will share the outside.

Cathleen

🕷