Saturday, December 31, 2011

Hello 2012!

Yes, I do realize that I've been extremely neglectful of the blog.
No, I am not proud of it.
The end of 2011 and the beginning of 2012 have brought on a list of things to do.
Or occupy my time.

As time unfolds, you will have a better understanding of what I'm talking about.
Until then, you need to stay tuned.
One thing that I can share with you 
is that we have a lot of plans for the cottage.
The kitchen continues to be at the forefront of our remodel
 and we finally have a fire under our
you know what's.
So hopefully you'll start seeing some work take place.

The carpenter completed the fireplace. 
We're very happy with how it turned out.



Lousy quality.  Early morning darkness, too!
My husband is going to kill me (not seriously!)
For Christmas Rob bought me an insanely amazing camera
that I have absolutely no clue how to operate.
I continue to use the old camera. HA!
Thus, him killing me.
I'll get there
Another new year resolution...better quality pictures on
{hookedonhickory}
woohoo!

The fireplace needs a good coat of paint. 
We haven't gotten around to that quite yet
But that too shall happen.
This year and move in particular have taught me one thing.
these things take time.

What are your plans for NYE?
This year the hubs and I plan on laying low.
That sounds nice for a change.

We were very blessed in 2011.




May 2012 be just as wonderful.
Wishing you joy, love, and prosperity in 2012!

* photo courtesy of live beautifully blogspot


Saturday, December 24, 2011

To Grandmother's House We Go...

The last of the presents have been delivered...
we've wrapped them with love and care...

I feel like doing a bit of this right about now...

but it's to grandmother's house we must go!

wishing you and your family a very merry christmas!

*photos courtesy of holyhocksandtulips, tinywhitedaisies, unknown, tinywhitedaisies

Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Fireplace Progress

progress on the fireplace has been made.
hallelujah!
Before we laid a finger on it...
I may be the only person who actually admired the look of the fireplace.
But I knew what needed to be done if we were going to add our television.

Some progress but looking a little pathetic.

A little more progress!
and a few more pictures...



We need the top hole to be framed out with trim.
Then we need to give the fireplace a fresh coat of paint.
Despite needing to change the original look up,
 we are thrilled to have a mantel upstairs!

Christmas shopping is complete, whew!
I hope you are all set, too!

wow, the 21st...
We're almost there, folks!


Saturday, December 17, 2011

Utility Sink Gone Vanity Chic...

holy cow...
enough said.
What do you think?
Too industrial or too good to be true?

I'm officially on Christmas vacay and intend to get my rear into gear.
The cottage needs TLC and we need to purchase gifts!

I'll be back shortly with some of my favorite vignettes.
That's my obsession lately!

take care!

*photo courtesy of desire to inspire

Monday, December 12, 2011

Let There Be Light (New Fixtures!)

We've been meaning to replace a number of light fixtures in the cottage.
I've been itching to remove the old globe flush mount lights and fans.
Can't stand em'.
We've been slowly attacking one at a time. 
I can officially check two more of my list!

The previous owners used the family room space differently than we are.
Half of the family room was used as their dining room. 
This light fixture hung on one side of the family room.
A nice light, but not the look we were going for.
Especially since we weren't using that space for dining.

Rob installed this beauty.  Isn't she cute?
Since we are using that side of the room as a sitting area,
a smaller light was in order.  I think this does the job.

Here's another shot.


Next, we replaced the fan with a chandelier in the master bedroom.

I apologize, the glare is pretty awful in this picture.
I snapped the picture at night before it came down.
My husband loves a fan above the bed.  I can't entirely blame him.
With two comforters and a quilt, if I were him, I may be toasty too!
I love to be warm.  So no complaints here.
But fans aesthetically, don't do the job {for me!}

Excuse the missing light bulbs.
We bought the wrong ones.  But you can get an idea!
Take two!

We like the way the chandy pops against the wood ceiling!

Both chandeliers were a steal from Lowes. 
They have a great selection. 
Check it out!

What a difference a little light can bring to your life!



Tuesday, December 6, 2011

Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire

well, not quite... yet.
But, we're beginning to see progress!!!
After chatting with the carpenter, we realized that more work needed to be
done, other than cutting out a larger hole to recess the television.
Mantels and trim.  Music to my ears.  I'm a trim obsessed fanatic

My gut feeling was that a mantel was in order.
Who doesn't want a mantel in their main living area?
We have one in our basement, but I'd love to hang stockings where they
could be seen more often!
Again, more trim is always calling my name.  I can't refuse.
Ching, ching!

This mantel is an absolute stunner
We'd love to have something like this.

We like the idea of trimming out the television just as the above photo has done.


The carpenter has a vision and I'm going with it.
That's scary for me.  Letting go is something I need to work on.

I'll make sure to keep you all updated.

I'm still feeling under the weather,
but it's much to difficult to resist blog land.

chat soon!


*photos courtesy of tiek built homes, uknown

Friday, December 2, 2011

Please Forgive Me...

sick like a dog.

The cottage has taken a backseat since Thanksgiving.
I've taken some time to recuperate.
Loveliness to come...

Enjoy your weekend, stay well...
...and bundle up because




*photo courtesy of sea & skylark, mango watermelon love

Wednesday, November 30, 2011

I Am Stuck On Band-Aid Brand

because band-aid stuck on me!

A little off topic from my usual home decor inspired posts...


Cynthia Rowley collaborated with Band-Aid on designer bandages.
Sequins, lace, chains, and run way models.
Getting scraped up never looked so good.

They run a mere $5 buckaroos.
Unfortunately it appears that they are currently sold out.
Keep your eyes peeled for a box.


*photos courtesy of band-aid

Sunday, November 27, 2011

The Kitchen: A Gathering Place

Still recovering from Thanksgiving?
We are!
 In order for us to celebrate with all of our family,
Rob and I tend to experience Thanksgiving groundhog day style.
The pants are definitely feeling snug.

We have a few sneak peeks of the Christmas tree.


Rob and I put the tree up on Thanksgiving.  Tisk tisk, I know.
But I can't begin to tell you how special it was.
It was our alone time before jumping in the car and heading off
to our families homes.

We would love to have a holiday at the cottage.
Could we?  Well sure.
I'm a perfectionist though.
Rob would pull out the dishes and prepare a feast in a heartbeat.
I, on the other hand, want the house to look it's finest.
I want the heart of the home, the kitchen, to sing to my guests.
Ridiculous, I know.

Not long ago, I blogged about some of the things we'd
 like to eventually add/replace to the kitchen.
Add quartzite or marble counter tops.
Replace the back splash with something simple and classic.
Install a yummy farmhouse sink.
Change out the hardware to something a little more "us."

Since that post, nothing substantial has taken place.
There is always something that preoccupies our time and funds.
Ah hem...the refrigerator, which I may add, is making me lose my mind.
Counter depth free standing refrigerators are small.  Seriously, small.
And after paying a carpenter to fix the cabinetry and an electrician
to run a new outlet and water line...is it worth it?
Looney woman, I'm telling you.
Behold the beast himself.
He's definitely showing his age.
This is our first priority at the moment.
Counter tops next.

Here are a few more shots of our kitchen that
I've so creatively kept off the blog.
I spy a hole in the kitchen island.
We purchased a new gas cook top when we moved into the cottage.
Nothing fit the original cook top size.  
I'm developing a twitch.  Patience, right?
I spy flower tiles scattered amongst our back splash.
Country, maybe.  But not the look we're going for.

If you look above our island, we have two recessed lights.
We would eventually like to convert those to pendant lights.
Lighting is equivalent to jewelry, in my eyes.
Of course, I'm not on a diamond budget.  But I'm finding myself
drooling over styles that are sky high.

I'm loving these country industrial pendants.

Yoke pedants are shown here in a bronze finish.  Truly stunning.
Did you see that hood? Oh my...

The sloane pendants are over the top.
Erica Powell does no wrong in my book.


This sloane single pendant in burnished brass from circa lighting
would be my first choice.
$525....stopped me in my tracks.
If anyone knows of a similar light at a more reasonable price,
 please let me know.

We'd like to install the wall mounted apron sink that we found a few months back.


Because of the low window sill above our sink, we may experience some problems.
If it could work out, I'd like to remove the doors below the sink and add a
beautiful linen skirt, just as the fabulous Joan from for the love of a house did.

Another woman that can do no wrong when it comes to design.

Here is a lousy crooked photo of our current hardware.
I haven't been able to find the hardware I was so desperately on the hunt for,
but I did stumble upon a few that meet our criteria.

Or we've considered sticking with a polished nickel look.
The popular gilmore pull from Restoration Hardware is sure to please.

The kitchen appears to be the favorite room for me.
It's also proven to be the most expensive room.
Figures.

We're going to continue saving our pennies so that we
can invite our family and friends over for an upcoming holiday.
I hope that we can begin to show you some progress in the near future.

*photos courtesy of visual comfort blog, chicago's kitchen lab, urban grace interiors, circa lighting, for the love of a house blog, van dykes restorers, van dkyes restorers

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Counting Our Blessings...

As the Thanksgiving holiday approaches,
 my husband and I can't begin to count the many things that we're
thankful
for today.

safe travels to you and your family...


fill your tummies with all things warm and scrumptious...


and party on!


happy thanksgiving to all my friends out there!

*photos courtesy of mango-watermelon-love (1,2,3); bergdorf goodman

Sunday, November 20, 2011

This and That...

It's 5 o'clock but feels more like 10 P.M.
The sky turns dark so quickly now since the time change took place.
It's always difficult for me to adjust.

So, how the heck are ya?
Turkey week!  I can't wait!
Plus, my work week is short.
As much as I love my job, we all need a little R&R, right?

This weekend, the dude and I did the usual. 
We picked up a few things.  This and that...
With Christmas around the corner, the majority of our shopping
was for festive decorations.

 Nothing puts me in the holiday spirit more then decorated store fronts.


I go absolutely bonkers over fat legs like these.
We didn't take this guy home, but we sure wanted to!

We did manage to find something at this quaint little shop
that we took home with us.


This magnifying glass would look great in a bathroom or placed on a dresser!

We also picked up a few ornaments and some ribbon for the tree.
Feathery goodness!


I go crazy for ornaments.
It seems that each year ornaments continue to get better!
Or maybe I'm making excuses to buy a few more!

We found this birch ribbon that we can't wait hang on the tree.
It's something I haven't seen before.

We plan to put up the tree sometime this week!
Does anyone follow the after Thanksgiving "rule"?
I like the idea of truly enjoying Thanksgiving before jumping to the next holiday.
I do find it tough to not get a jump start though.
We'll see how long I can wait.

Refrigerator shopping hasn't been fun.
As I said in my previous post, built in refrigerators cost a pretty penny.
I was roaming the web and happened upon this picture.
Since we already have a built-in refrigerator, we'll have to make some changes
with the cabinetry if we decide to purchase a free standing fridge.
I'm kinda digging the idea of leaving some space above the refrigerator to display
cake dishes among other things.
What do you think?
Built-in vs. free standing that appears built-in?

I hope you have a short work week, too!
Or at least turkey day to share and enjoy with those you love the most!
*source unknown