Tuesday, February 24, 2015

The Real Thing!

After nine days of ice, which was finally gone yesterday, I woke up to this, real, nice, fluffy snow.


Snow-covered Magnolia


Roman, the Abominable Snow Chow


I think I like the bamboo even more with a dusting of snow.



Snow brings out the best in chows!



Snow Princess



Stay Warm!

Tuesday, February 17, 2015

Our First Snow? (Ice)






It looks like snow . . . 
. . . but it's three inches of ice pellets.



Love these copper-topped heat vents on the roof.

Through the skylight.


Sun is coming out, I'm hearing drips!


Enjoying the sunroom with all the windows to see the birds at the feeders and the fake snow without having to go out.




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Panda enjoys it whether it's snow or ice . . . 
. . . but Daddy is from Florida, and he just doesn't get it!  Next year, I promise, Daddy, we will spend February on the Panhandle! Don't worry, Daddy, it will be gone tomorrow and 60 degrees!

Wednesday, February 11, 2015

Hearts Around the House

An old hooked rug in the hallway . . . 

A curtain tie-back in the bedroom . . . 

Redware hearts hanging on a cupboard . . . 

An old painted box . . . 

A vintage necklace found at a flea market . . . 

A tin painted necklace . . . 

A stone garden ornament . . . 

A book of heart-shaped beach stones . . . 

Antique bakeware used for heart-shaped strawberry shortcakes . . .

The ironwork on my back porch door . . . 

An antique door knocker that will go on my front door of two mermaids kissing.  No hearts, but I thought it qualified!
                             Happy Valentine's Day!

Tuesday, February 3, 2015

Wind in the Bamboo



             Still trying to get used to the wind here in Howard's Gap,                                 but I like how the bamboo sways in the wind.

Monday, February 2, 2015

Mud/Laundry Room/Roman & Princess's Bedroom

                   One room (almost down) and many, many more rooms to go!


The mud room is painted and decorated, except for staining the floor and removing the huge water heater.  Once replaced with a tankless water heater, there will be a space for an antique porcelain soaking sink original to the house. 

Every wall had pantries and a long counter with red linoleum, which we removed.  I couldn't find the chip with the photos.   The before photos here are after they were all removed and sheetrock put up. The room was a dirty yellow, but now is oyster white and porcini gray. I replaced all the plastic switch and outlet covers with stainless steel.

This is now where the washer, dryer and shelving is.  Once we remove the water heater, we will have an antique soaking sink in this spot maybe with an antique cupboard above to store things.  The floors cannot be sanded enough to remove the black stain, so I will just re-stain the floors in dark walnut so that the lines from the linoleum tiles will not show. 



Antique hangers.


Original milkglass fixture.


Looking from the kitchen into the mudroom was where the original hookup for the washer and dryer was.  I had them placed on the left wall so that a cupboard could be placed in the doorway for something nice to look at from the kitchen.


This is what you see now.


Another original milkglass fixture.




To the right of the cupboard I placed my white-painted meal bin and the old shelves above.

My collection of birds' nests, eggs and feathers are on the shelf with my board paintings above.

This is my prized screech owl egg that was left in the nesting box.  It deserves its own dish.

The windowsill next to the door.

The opposite wall has my chalkboard for reminders.

Magnet owls from National Wildlife Federation.

Magnet animal tracks from Orvis.


An unusual black and white board painting.  I found this in a Maine antiques shop on a vacation, but I'm sure it made its way from Florida via a snowbird.

A place for my faux bois wool rug from Pottery Barn.


This room also serves as Roman and Princess's bedroom, so they got to choose one picture, of course it would be a chow!


The border of the room's flooring all had to be replaced when the pantries were ripped out, so that will also be stained.

Another unusual board painting in the form of a postcard found in Pennsylvania.


Old crocks and ginger beer bottles atop the PA Dutch cupboard from Berks County, PA.  



Added at the request of my mother, a view from the kitchen into the mudroom.

                                                              On to the next room!