Help Me Pick Paint Colors!

I've been planning on painting the farmhouse for a while now. When we first bought the house, the paint was in good shape, I just wasn't crazy about the colors (the green felt dated and the white-on-white main field and trim caused a lot of the Victorian detail to get lost). Now, the paint is really chipping off and the house looks a little, well, dumpy. The last time the house was painted was probably 20 years ago, so I'm hoping that with good preparation and quality paint, this paint job will last another 20.

 Here, you can see some of the details on the house... I'm also working on new landscaping, so stay tuned!

The front of the house... I'm hoping to put a front porch on the house in the next few years.

The roof is dark green, which kind of limits the colors we can use on the house. But that's okay, since I really wanted to include some green on the house, anyway. I've tested a bunch of colors on the house and I think I've finally narrow the choices down... but I need help! Here are the three color schemes I've decided on - would you be so kind as to help me choose one? Thanks!

So, here's how the palettes work: The upper left color is the main color on the house. The upper right color is the primary trim color (mostly on the window trims and shakes in the gables). The bottom left color is the secondary trim color, going on window details and other architectural trim. The bottom right color is the accent for the Victorian arches in the gables, the doors, window boxes, and some detail around the bay window. (Heads up: The colors read a bit darker on the screen than in real life).

Option One:

Option Two:

Option Three:

Whaddya think? The colors definitely read differently here than on the house, but I think you'll get the gist. As excited as I am to paint the house, I'm not looking forward to the grunt work. Thanks for your help with the colors, and if you have other ideas, please share!

Guest Room Essentials

Hosting houseguests can be scary and daunting. Questions will undoubtedly run through your head; questions like Are the sheets soft enough? Does it smell funny in here? How will they find the bathroom light switch? Will they be hungry when they arrive? I ask myself these questions (somewhat obsessively) when friends and family come to stay with me. I've found that by keeping a few simple guidelines in place and having a ready-to-go stash of goodies makes the process that much easier. Here are a few guest room essentials to have on hand (ps - this isn't exclusive for a guest room... these items work great for any "room" you share with your guests!)

1. Milk Bottle Jar Candle $20
2. BEELUX Mandarin and Clove Candle, $11
3. Chesapeake Bay Candle Organic Cotton Candle, $6.50
4. Vintage Quilt, $295
5. Organic Cotton Throw, $44
6. Directional Incandescent Spot Light 2-Pack, $5.50
7. LED Automatic Nightlight, 2-pack, $12.50
8. Organic Cotton Pointelle Throw, $22
9. Snowflake Nightlight, $9.50
10. Vintage Sconce Nightlight, $8
11. Organic Cotton Sheet Set, $28-$54
12. Avalon Grapefruit and Geranium Hand and Body Lotion, $9.50
13. Divine Chocolate Salt Fudge, $9.50
14. Ceramic Bud Vase, $7


Have any other essentials? Let me know about them in the comments!

How to Live Sustainably: Go Vintage

One of the basic tenets of living sustainably is to follow the three Rs: Recycle, Reduce, Reuse. Sure, I buy new things when I need to, but the thrill of finding a great vintage or thrifted item is too good to pass up. Edith and I didn't make it out to the antiques festival this weekend (we all slept in a bit on Saturday morning, then decided to include "the boys" on a family breakfast down at the Duanesburg Diner), but I did make a quick stop at the local Goodwill. In search of some new entertaining pieces, I easily could have hopped online and ordered from Pottery Barn; instead, I used the opportunity to live sustainably and go vintage.

I really love the look of pressed- and hobnail glass, and had been eying these tumblers from Pottery Barn for a while:

Set of six Victorian Tumblers, $36

I lucked out and found a similarly-styled version at Goodwill:

Sure, they aren't exactly the same, but they feel heavier and of better quality than the PB option. I could only find four, but that amount will certainly suffice for a few mojitos or Pimm's Cups shared with friends on the sunporch this summer. And the best part? This set was only $8.

I also stumbled upon this set of pressed-glass serving bowls. Perfect for candy, nuts or relishes ($4):

My favorite find of the day might be these little candle holders. I can't wait to use them ($4):

In one trip to Goodwill I was able to practice the three Rs, and found three sets of new goodies for less than half of what I would have paid for the PB purchase.* Before you toss out old household items, think about donating or saving for a tag sale. If you are looking for a few new pieces to add to a collection, consider hitting up your local thrift shop. It's a fun way to encourage sustainable living!



*In my opinion, if you can't find a second-hand item that fits your needs or makes you happy, buy new. Don't feel guilty about it! If you are against thrifted items all together, consider purchasing new goods from companies that include social and environmental responsibility in their practices.

Merry Christmas

via

Merry Christmas everyone! Just wanted to poke my head in and wish you all a very happy holiday. We are currently at my parents' house and are finally done opening presents. I'm glad we are at my parents' house, mainly because I've seriously lost my holiday mojo and I'm hoping to get it back soon, even though the holidays are basically over (Dave, the kids and myself all caught a nasty cold that wiped us all out). I didn't decorate at all! Wishing my house kind of looked like that above. Oh well, another year. 

I hope you've all had a wonderful time celebrating the holidays, and thank you so much for reading this measly little blog. Looking forward to seeing you all again in the New Year!

Twisted Felt Garland

I wanted some playful decorations for Edie's birthday party, but wanted something that wasn't to "hokey."  I found an awesome tutorial on The Purl Bee for a twisted felt garland. It was so easy! A nice "sit in front of the TV and catch up on The Real Housewives, uh, I mean Meet the Press" project. I think I bought about two yards each of blue and white felt, and it made a TON of garland. I have a big garbage bag full of it! But, it was really easy, and for the amount shown here, it would probably take less than an hour to make and only cost a few bucks. Check out the tutorial here.

Inspired Ideas

I just found this great e-zine, Amy Powers' Inspired Ideas - Christmas Issue. Have you heard about it already? Some of the things here were a little too "country" for my tastes, but I can't help but share a few of my favorite ideas with you.

Theses little felt houses are darling! I might try to make them, along with the felt ornaments on page 46.

I believe my mother has a hidden set of vintage glass ornaments very similar to these. Thinking they need to become mine.

I love silhouettes and cameos. This idea would be adorable framed, perhaps above the kids' cribs?

The sample trees remind me of a cute sweater Edie wore all the time last winter. It had a little hood with a pompom, and made her look like an elf.

Really liking this felt play mat idea. Hopefully I can cram one into my holiday sewing. Edie and Eric love cars and trains right now.

Head on over to Amy's blog to check the rest of the e-zine out for yourself! (Sorry for the blurry pictures!)

Early Summer Flowers

Excuse Dad's knees and the coloring book

There were so many flowers in bloom all the sudden, I decided to cut a few to beautify the sunporch for my parents' visit. The above arrangement is a combination of peonies (they're a little faded, but I wanted to make the mot of them before the rain completely demolished them!), old English shrub roses, and another variety of shrub rose that has the most lovely little clumps of white flowers and brilliant yellow centers. The scent was unbelievable.

Dave brought me these little cuties the other day, just because (he's the best husband!). I cut them down (and removed the baby's breath that came with them), and arranged these mums/daisies, carnations and roses in this little urn. Yes, it's the same urn as the first picture - I bought a matching set at a Syracuse, NY flea market for $5!

Cute Quilts

My mother in-law, Christine, is widely known for her creativity and talent when it comes to quilt making. In fact, she teaches many classes and has helped her students develop a true eye and passion for this time-honored craft.

The last time Dave's family came to the farm for a visit, Christine presented us with these two beautiful quilts.

Sorry for the bad photos, I wasn't really sure how to capture these beauties!

They are smaller than bed quilts (the quilt below is about 3'x3', the one above is slightly smaller).

I think it would be really nice to build a shadowbox with a hinged, glass front that I can rotate and display these in. I would probably hang it in the entry, or above the fireplace once the kitchen remodel is completed.

This is the label on the back of the quilt to identify when and where this quilt was made.

We have two other queen-sized qulits that Christine has made. I'll have pictures of them when I reveal the new guest room. Thanks for your generosity Christine!