The Red Baron Has Landed!

They are here!

Intrigued?

I fell in love with these last Spring,

I knew I'd never pay Restoration Hardware's prices for them.

I didn't think they'd ever be a reality.

Enter overstock.com.

Hurry.

They disappear often.

I loved the contrast of vintage leather and metal,

The curves,

The sleek lines,

The uniqueness,

The red baron feel,

and how they reminded me of my mom.

Let me explain.

My parents were the prior owners of 545.

Mom loved her "bucket" chairs.

She had two in the corner of this room.

I think she replaced them at least once.

I could always find her there with a book,

and ready for conversation.

With the canoe there, "bucket" style chairs weren't an option.

These don't swivel, but the lines remind me of mom's chairs.

I know they aren't for everybody.

But I love them.

The kids do too.

They remind you of sitting in a pilot seat.

Sofi was thrilled to have a box on this rainy day.

See her little arms drawing?

Truth be told, the big boy was inside the other...

-Julie

Come On In

The lighting is so hard to capture.

I've been playing with the dreaded manual focus.

It's kind of fun!

Everything in the room has significance.

The two rocking chairs are from my dad.

The larger one was a wedding gift.

The smaller one was my childhood rocker.

I bought the decoys when we first moved to town.

Money was tight and I found an incredible garage sale.

The canoe was made by my dad in High School.

The lamp above was his cousin's.

The little lantern by the window is from a dear friend.

If you turn to the left this is what you see.

The pictures were hanging outside on the back of the garage.

The frames are old windows found curbside.

Then I brought them down to the basement.

I love how they fill the wall.

I'm thinking they need to move a little closer together.

Thoughts?

The chest was in my brother's closet when we bought this home from my parent's.

It's big, clunky, distressed, and I love it.

Inside the chest is our extra blankets.

I pulled the lanterns out of the trash.

They were outdoor fixtures.

The metal bin on the bricks was our family toy chest when I was little.

We kicked the couch to the curb.

I don't miss it.

Coming tomorrow are two chairs to join this one.

This chair was a killer deal at a local store.

I overheard one of the customers say, "that's the ugliest chair I've ever seen."

Moments later I was paying for it. :)

I love it.

It reminds me of my grandpa's wool shirts.

It's down filled and super comfy.

The light was a Target find a few years back.

The stump was from our friend's tree nursery.

Here's the nook to the left when you enter the room.

This is where the eyesore of a desk was.

Eyesore no more...just clean lines.

This piece was in the dining room.

It's filled with easy access entertaining supplies.

Glasses, trays, appetizer plates, candles, napkins.

Everything needed for a quick party.

It was from my mother in law's best friend's estate.

She lived much of her adult life in Africa.

We think the piece is from there.

The wood is interesting, and the back is actually metal.

Mark made an adjustment of the legs to make it fit.

On top are forsythia from our flowering bush outside.

The inner vase is filled with water.

The outer vase is filled with wine corks.

Swing back to the left and you'll find the next area we're figuring out.

This piece was from an antique store in Michigan.

We bought it soon after we were married.

It holds our wine and some candle holders.

It's an old school desk attached to a Singer base.

Love it.

It was in the dining room too.

We're still playing with options for above it.

This is a magazine cover from 1960 that we had enlarged.

Mark's grandpa is on the front cover.

It was found after his grandma passed away last year.

This copy is too big...we're still looking for a frame.

Here's that space.

Note you are now back at the entry to the room.

I'm looking for a 36 inch clock to put in that peak.

I have some artwork to hang on the left side as well.

So there you have it.

More pics to come once the art is hanging and chairs have arrived.

One last look.

The weasel on the canoe is the only thing in the room I'm not fond of.

I need to photograph the dining room too.

Despite moving two pieces in here it's not empty. :)

I'm loving the changes.

Today's task?

Tackle the kitchen cabinet.

With four busy kids it's a constant issue.

This is my last day at home before their break.

Time to fill more bags for Goodwill.

-Julie

Room Remodel

I overcame my technical challenges, without my children or my husband.

WooHOO!

Here's a few in progress shots of the living room.

Many things were no longer working in here...

The oak trim around the room

The white ceiling

The Henry David Thoreau quote poorly sharpies over the windows

(yes I used a sharpie on a whim....I know)

The beams...no longer easily cleanable, and the ceiling to beam line was a mess.

The painter suggested painting them.

His thought?

He could get a clean line that way.

They'd be cleanable again.

I frantically called Mark.

I thought he said to go head and have them painted.

He didn't.

Bad connection on the train.

Whoops!

They can always be painted again, but I admit to crying quite a bit.

They had been stained before and were quite dark.

Here's the uncovered canoe.

This was the canoe my dad made in High School.

He and his buddies used to take regular canoe trips together...

in High School.

How cool is that?

Yes, he did give us permission to saw it in half and make a window seat.

One of my treasures I will never part with.

This wall posed a few challenges.

Note the paint color.

We removed a bookshelf 10 years ago...and never painted it to match the walls.

Whoops.

The chalkboard was covering it up.

We had long discussions about this corner.

See the table?

Mark built it about 16 years ago.

It's sagging.

It was constantly covered in Carl's schoolwork or Sofi's teaching stuff.

It was a constant eyesore in the corner.

For me anyway.

It's in the garage now waiting for Mark to part with it.

I'm not good at rearranging furniture.

I don't do it often.

This project really challenged me.

I flip flopped quite a few pieces, and discarded quite a bit.

Here's a sneak peek into the room.

I don't know that the colors are captured completely here.

I grabbed one of the Benjamin Moore Historical Color palettes.

The lightest color is on the living room walls and the beams.

The mid tone is on the living room ceiling.

The darkest color is on the library walls.

In person I think the library looks darker.

I'll try to capture that.

Yes the books are in rainbow order.

Love them that way.

The little ceramic vase in the corner was made by Linnea in sixth grade.

The piano keyboard was a curbside find.

Mark said he'd never take it off the wall.

Thankfully he did for the paint job.

I love the flow of colors.

They color looks different all day long.

I need to find smaller speakers.

I'm still looking for a clock.

Found one, but it was 15 inches too big.

Oy.

More pics next time.

Off to dig in the yard and organize the kitchen cabinets.

-Julie

I think I need one of these....

photo Elle Decor

In here...

Wouldn't it be fabulous?

Why or why didn't I think of this?

This truly is a revelation.

Now to find an old rowboat...

Any in the barn Dad?

I'm hitting Craigslist and Freecycle right now.

Much more critical than dealing with housecleaning. :)

Anyone else finding that April is insanely busy?

Our schedule is nuts.

I hate it.

I love that the kids are in activities they love...but it's nuts.

I'm dying for our big get-away at the end of June.

An adults only wedding, on Mackinac island, for a special cousin.

Two nights in a small B&B away from it all...

Yippee!

Mark and I haven't had a vacation together since our trip to China to bring home Izzy.

We had two nights in Hong Kong, and one or two nights in Chongqing without kids.

That will be 7 years in September.

I think we are overdue.

Thank goodness for something to look forward to...

Off to search for my boat while playing a little Lyle Lovett...

-julie

What I'd like to be doing....

...is sitting here on my canoe, with a blanket, cup of tea, and a book.

Instead my girls are home from 1/2 day kindergarten, and we are in the middle of ripping apart the art room. I pulled everything out of the closet, removed the shelves, and am starting from square one. I'm putting all of my supplies in there, so I'm left with counterspace, a work table, and my chandelier. A blank slate, ready to create art.

My dad built this canoe in High School, and used it on many canoe trips with his buddies. The numbers are from a canoe race that he and my brother were in. After we bought the house, I decided the canoe hanging in the garage (that Mark bumped his head on repeatedly), would be the perfect window seat in our living room. Dad assured me he'd help me find another one more suitable and could take this one away. I was bummed.

Months later Dad called and said to load up the kids and hurry to see what he had found. It was a hideous aqua fiberglass canoe sitting curbside. He asked me to help haul it home, and told me I could chop his canoe in 1/2 and make it into the windowseat. I was ecstatic, and Mark and his friend did a terrific job. In the corner there is a "trap door" loaded with more blankets and pillows. On snowy days the kids love to take off the cushions and play on the canoe. On snowy days I prefer to sitting here with a really good book....