My new walk-in pantry!

This room went from a small computer office when we first moved in, to a room for the dogs to basically a closet for stuff. We cleaned it all out and created a walk in pantry just 3 feet off the kitchen. The walls went from Venetian plaster terra cotta to creamy white. 

We hit a slight snag when the closet company doing the install could not get the countertops to fit correctly. After 3 attempts, I fired them and searched for a countertop-only company.

I found a granite remnant at Premier Surfaces. A remnant ends up costing less because it's not as useful as a full slab but great for smaller projects. I wanted something that didn't compete with the kitchen granite. So... I found this green/gray that picks up the sage background in my kitchen countertop. I think it coordinates very well!

and of course it needed a few accessories...

from my favorite accessory store Home Goods!

 It's so neat and clean now, filled with my food,extra serving dishes and craft stuff. 

A much better use of the space!

my first attempt with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint...

was a great success! I loved using it and was so pleased with the result. 

I found this chest at a local consignment store for $40. I fell in love with the shuttered style of it and could picture it painted white or even blue. It's solid pine, no veneer here, and the sides and back are finished just as nicely in the shutter style as the front.

 Although you don't have to pre-sand to paint with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint, I wanted to smooth out a few nicks so I did it anyway. 

I decided to take off the trim to update it more too. 

 All ready for the paint.

 Duck Egg blue to go in Kristin's family room as a toy chest for Nathan.

 I sanded the edges after painting to give it a weathered look.

 See the back detail, nice huh?! 

All painted and ready for the wax. The waxing is a bit of a body-buster though so I purchased an electric buffer to use for the next project to save my weary muscles.

 Look how well it matches her fabric in the room. I love it!

 Ta Da! Finished and all ready for toys. 

It's now safe at home in their Florida family room. 

home improvements at the lake

While I was away in Florida with the new baby and family, we had help with a few things around the lake house. 
We had the yard graded, sodded and an irrigation system installed. 

Voila... our new lawn!

We also had the house painted, "Summerhouse Beige" by Sherwin Williams with semi-gloss white trim.

And... the "dog park" got a new layer of mulch, which the pups are loving! Comfy enough for Sharkey to lay around and hang out, and keep an eye on the neighbor dog. 

It's lookin' good at the lake house!

our summer house

I always wanted a "summer house". A simple house with a screen door that slams with a smack as you go in and out. The kind where life is casual, slow and relaxing.  Where you can hang out at the water in your bathing suit all day long, snack on watermelon all afternoon and throw supper on the grill at night. Where you sit outside while the sun sets, watching the water glisten pink as the sun goes down.

Growing up on Long Island, my girlhood "summer house" was out east, at the beach. But as an adult, living in Georgia, my summer house is at Lake Oconee. 

 sunset view from the porch

the great room

my flea finds... the hand painted fish benches and dresser

the kitchen 

 gutted the original and installed new cabinets, appliances and the red oak floor

loft and hall to laundry room and bath
all the beadboard and trim was stained dark, slooowly, 4 coats later, we've been painting it all white

powder room
we changed out the sink, added beadboard and wallpaper

back door to lake
we added the pergo floor, another DIY

master bedroom
love this paint color!

2nd bedroom
beds for 4

downstairs bath
also a gut and redo

 the deck

It's been a labor of love. 
I don't think there's an inch we haven't touched with paint or elbow grease over the past 12 summers. Whoever originally painted that deck railing white, I'd like to have a word with them... yes it looks quaint and crisp, but the upkeep you can keep!  


back to laboring... :-)

third time's a charm?

Redecorating has it's ups and downs sometimes... I just wasn't crazy about the stripe I used for this valence at the Lake House. After shopping til' I dropped, I had settled for the right colors in this stripe when what I really wanted was a geometric pattern. So... last week when coming across a geometric fabric in the right green that I did like, I bought it. This weekend, I actually cut the tabs off the curtain and changed out the stripe for the geo. I like it so much better!

And... I'm almost ashamed to say, we re-painted (for the 3rd time, yikes) the great room at the lake. The Calabash was a bit too limey for me afterall. So to sum it up, I went from Behr Dried Palm (too neon) to Martha Stewart Calabash (too limey) to Sherwin Williams Hearts of Palm (just right) I feel like the 3 bears. At least we only did 1 coat of each color! We.are.done.now. Who knew green could be so tough?! I wanted a change from the yellow it had been for 10 years and green seemed the next best choice to go with my furniture. Having finished late in the day, the jury is still out on the "love it" factor, but yes, that's it, the final green SW "Hearts of Palm", it is what it is. 

 It's hard to tell from the photos with the light changing, some of the pics makes it look too yellowish, but it really does go well with the fabrics in the room. I love all the fabrics! It's a warm cozy green and it brings the outdoors in... 

well... okay, I guess I do love it!

ready to sew, my closet is complete

Rainy weather calls for indoor projects, and I have plenty of them! I caulked and painted the desk we made for my sewing closet, and then put all my stuff away. Here's the space...

Yes, I have 2 sewing machines, the one on the desk top is my Brother embroidery sewing machine. I love it!

 There's storage for my patterns, and all the little "stuff" that comes with a sewing machine. 

 This side is for trims, elastic, velcro, etc... and a couple empty bins for what comes along.

I added cork board (from Hobby Lobby) to the back wall to pin my patterns to. The seam where the two boards meet was staring back at me, so I decided to trim it out. Looking for a piece of trim, I found a yardstick so I chopped that to fit. Pretty and useful!

  Here's the fabrics from my current project... the bumpers and another minky sheet.

All organized and ready to go! I love organization... don't you?!