Cottage Color

Growing up in Maine, summers were a precious commodity.  Every spare second was spent out at camp - about 15 minutes away on a small pond.  My grandparents had an old cottage there that has since been replaced by my parents' modern house, but I vividly remember the colors of the old camp.  Everything was a cast-off from somewhere else, usually covered in a hand-crocheted afghan, an explosion of mismatched colors that somehow all coordinated. 

A few years ago, I found Maine Cottage in a magazine, and have been hooked on their colors and furniture and fabric ever since.  Of course, nobody who actually lives in Maine can afford them, but still, it's nice to look.  And it all reminds me somehow of the old camp.  Worn out wicker, creaky wooden chairs, painted furniture.  All put together with a glass of lemonade on a warm summer's afternoon. I mean, who wouldn't want to live here?

 {via}

 {via}

{via}

So, when I inherited a small side table from my mom's friend, I decided to try and give it a 'maine cottage' look.  I had the local paint store color-match a swatch I printed out from online and went for it.  This is the look I wanted...

 ...and this is the table before. 

Cute, but water-stained and had seen better days.  So I bundled up and took it outside for a good sanding.  I knew I would paint the legs, so I didn't bother with them (phew!).  The top was a different story. I wanted to get to the original wood and then do a paste-wax finish.   I sanded for about half an hour just to get all the water-marks out, and then spent another half hour on the curved sides and drop-leaf joints.  My hands were numb by the end.  Not really a project for the dead of winter in Maine. 

 

 Close enough.  Then came the fun part - staining, sanding, and then a coat of smelly paste-wax. 

(Note the super-professional Nylabone prop.  Because that's how we roll in this house.  Whatever is handy...)

I didn't prime, so it took a couple coats.  But I was inside, toasty by the fire, so it was okay.  Here's the before-and-after.  Not exactly Maine Cottage, but it cost me $3.00 in supplies (sample jar of paint).  Whee!

What do you think?

Swingin' Seventies Kitchen Reno, finale

I know it's been a while, but things like the holidays happened, and it took me a while to get the photos.  We still need a dining room table solution and decor for the back wall, but it's pretty close!

Here's how it turned out...

And here are a few before and afters...Harvest Gold no more! SUCH a difference...

The cabinets came out really well - I wish we had been able to spray them, but adding some Floetrol and brushing them worked just fine.  The removal of all the brass hinge-work and hardware really helped, too!

The countertops were the splurge - but they add so much color and pattern to a mostly white/neutral kitchen scheme.

The dining room still needs some furniture, but we added drapes - I LOVE the fabric.  It's warm and fun and looks amazing from every angle.  My brother and I made a message board for the space between the curtains and the cabinets.  We took old recipes of our Nana's and color copied them, then added a frame and some cork board.  The whole thing was quick and easy.

 

(yes, that is a ticket to 'Deer Camp, the Musical". Amazing.)

Here's the original inspiration post...I think we did pretty well!

Phew!

Here is the whole project:

Demolition
Paint and Sheetrock
Floors
Counters
Backsplash



all photos, mine

Holiday Cheer

Since I shop for Christmas gifts throughout the year, I ususally miss out on the harried, breathless, merry gift-buying rush.  I used to love to go the the mall at Christmas (back in grad school, when I actually lived NEAR a mall) and just take it all in.  For an avid shopper like myself, it was bliss.  Holiday decor!  Christmas music! Discounts!

This year, however, shopping and malls and all things shiny and commercial became small and unimportant. In the wake of recent events, simpler, homier activities, (especially those involving plenty of snuggles with little ones) seemed in order.  Over the weekend, Ollie-dog and I tackled wreath-making and later we made gingerbread houses (yes, from scratch) with my nieces and nephews. It turned out to be a warm, cozy day, filled with love and kisses and small stockinged feet sliding up and down the hardwood floor after the dog -  perfect, and a lovely deep breath in the midst of incredible sadness.
 

Sorry for the horrible lighting - my kitchen is a little lacking in the illumination department.  To gather greenery, I just went out into the yard (one of the perks of living in rural Maine) and cut from fir and pine trees as well as my holly in the front garden.  I also gathered up bits of rhododendron Ollie had broken off during his romps around the yard.   Since I wasn't sure how it would look, I decided to do a '2-pass' approach (highly technical wreath-making term there...) instead of the more traditional 'take-a-bunch-and-wire-it-on'.  That way if it looked like crap, I could dissassemble easily.

Ollie approves, or thinks it is a snack.  

 Two passes did the trick.

 

Aaaand...on to the main event.  Having never made gingerbread before I had no idea how good it would make the house smell...

 

There may have been some structural integrity issues...nothing mass quantities of runny royal icing couldn't hide.  And they tasted really good!  

 

all photos, mine