Treasure Hunting....

I went on a little treasure hunt the other day.  There wasn't really anything "in season" on my hunt...I just enjoy antiquing to see what might turn up during the adventure.  It never fails me, when I go for something specific, I never find exactly what I am looking for. If I do, it's usually out of my budget.  

Country Living Magazine

I just read a great blog the other day that focused on collections.  My Sweet Savannah, who is an awesome blogger that I follow, did a great feature about building a collection of treasures.  This particular feature was on the antique glass called Jadeite.  Wow....I did run across a great collection of Jadeite at the antique mall in Cuba.  I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me....unfortunately.....it was PRICEY and a little bit out of my budget!  I will have to wait a few years before I can start that collection.  If you ever come upon some Jadeite and it's affordable, you might want to grab it quick!

My treasure hunt did turn up one really cool find.  I LOVE old vintage lighting.  Over the years I have stalked Rejuvenation, which is a website that sells replica lighting from specific time periods.  They have amazing lighting and it's very nice quality.  I was able to purchase a few of their lights for our previous home that we built.  They were so pretty and unique.  I was instantly in LOVE.  Ideally, if you could ever score an "original" you would be crazy not to go that route......but those are like finding a diamond in a mine. 

Rejuvenation Enamel Warehouse Light-$375.00

Well, a diamond came my way finally!  Sitting right there before me, just calling my name, was this beautiful piece.  I was super scared to even touch it because I knew I would have to flip the price tag and that  would be my disappointing moment.  To my surprise, it was $55.00 and it immediately went in my arms to be all mine.  

  I did a little research and believe (not 100% but maybe 99%) that it was made by Appleton Electric Company.  These lights were made for barns or gas stations.  The one that I used to identify my find was listed and had sold for $210.00......which makes me super excited for my steal. 

 All that I had to do was bring her home, clean her up, and rewire the electrical part (well.... not actually me).  I did opt to use an antique filament bulb and couldn't be more proud.  I realize those bulbs are a bit costly, however, the impact they make is really priceless.  

The electrical box for my table light does not sit directly above it, so we improvised.  We purchased a pendant light kit from Lowes with the oil rubbed bronze plate to match my other lights and the "old looking" brown fabric covered cord.  Remember the old fans or table lamps that had a brown cord that looked like it was woven in string?  We also purchased a little $3.00 hook and pulley to help with the table centering.   After using the new cord (new electrical wire) and hooking it into the box, we strung it over the table and used the little pulley to secure the cord.  I am going to look for an antique pulley to keep with the look, however, for now this one will work just fine.    

 I can now say that my new light is proudly hanging over my farmhouse table and looks almost original to our home.  

Sometimes....just when you least expect to find a little jewel.....one will appear right before your eyes.  I love giving old treasures another chance.  I just wish I knew who had the pleasure of owning this little beauty and the story that it carries.  I am happy to give her a new job and a renewed purpose in my home!

Pantry Project Complete....

As the year comes to an end, we finally have our pantry compete!  For the longest time,  I really just looked at it as a big hole in the wall.  I know the previous owner had big plans for it as she loved to cook.  I could tell it was her passion when I saw all of the kitchen gadgets and appliances in there when we looked at the property.  Most of the items were so much more sophisticated and complex than I even understood.

In the planning phase of this project (my complicated Pinterest research).... I had several notions of backing out of making this a pantry.  I had considered a small office, a very small sewing room, and then just storage.  I guess the pantry idea was a little overwhelming since I really don't know my way around the kitchen as well as others.  What did make sense, was the fact that we have a large family to feed and the need for additional storage for food and snacks.  So we moved forward with the pantry.

I did solicit some help and perspective from my good construction friend Kim.  I am proud to say that we did all of the work ourselves in a short amount of time.  

Here are the parts/timeline of the project:

• We purchased 1/2 inch sanded (nicer finish) plywood from Lowes and had it cut down into 5 inch planks for the flooring.  I white washed it in the end.
• I did some "not so fancy" drywall work to repair where we added new sheet rock that was not installed when we moved in the home.  It didn't have to be perfect as the shelving would cover it when we were finally done.
• I painted the walls using some left over paint from our previous home (yeah....it lasts forever if you keep it in a warm spot and sealed tight) called Coastal Fog by Benjamin Moore.
• We installed "authentic" old tin tiles on the ceiling that I had originally purchased for our previous home.  I scored these from an architectural salvage warehouse and luckily had just enough.  
• For the back wall, which was very messed up from wiring and drywall, we did the plywood planks there and white washed them as well.  
• I also scored some great benches that were left over from a wedding.  We cut them off on each end and stacked them on top of each other.  I literally had to do NOTHING to them except have them cut and wash them up from storage.  
• Finally, I dug up some things in my storage that I had not used to decorate the other wall.  I did purchase a buffet from my sister at The Little Brick House.  I gathered up all of my glass jars, wire baskets, and antique storage containers and went to organizing!  

Here are my timeline photos.......

A Few Fall Updates

The one year anniversary of when we first looked at Tall Oaks Farm was mid October.  This time last year, I found myself driving by about every other evening to keep the dream alive of owning this beauty one day.  Our house went on the market November 1 for the four month stint.  It is hard to believe we have been on this project for exactly one year.  Looking back now, it's been a real journey!  Thank goodness we didn't realize how busy, hectic, and exhausting that year really would be until now.  I suppose it's like everything else...you quickly forget how hard things can be as time passes.

Since the bulk of the major work is done, it has been fun to do some of those little things that have been on my list.  In all of the projects we have done, I didn't feel like there was enough time to spare on "my details" until the big items were checked off the agenda.

I am always a "little outside the box" and love homes with character.  Sometimes character can cost you an arm and a leg.  I search for character that is budget friendly in which I can do myself or with a little help from my friends.   You would be amazed at the things you can do for little to nothing except some time and effort.  Some of the time I spend is on the front end of the project.  I can spend hours on Pinterest or reading other blogs to find tips and tricks.  There is a wealth of information at your fingertips and I say.... why reinvent the wheel?

Here goes project #1...

I bought a wall stencil from Cutting Edge Stencils (www.cuttingedgestencils.com or Cutting Edge Stencils on Etsy) and couldn't be happier.  I started out with a little sample color pot from Lowes and in about two hours....I was FINISHED!  I LOVE vintage wallpaper and design, however, I was not about to hang one inch of it in my house for fear of removing it later.  I fell for the design and thought it added character and texture to a plain blank wall.  It gives the room depth and interest.  I purposely did not paint behind my picture and antique chest.  Most people think that I have forgotten to finish the project, however, I like the way it frames the furniture and outlines my focal point of the wall.  It's so fun to not have any rules to follow when decorating!!

Stay tuned for project #2....the pantry!!!  Coming Soon.....

Pottery Barn Pillows For.... Oh So Much Less....

It's no secret that I have have a love/hate relationship with Pottery Barn.  I will admit that I do LOVE....basically everything they sell.  I can honestly say that I have bought a lot of items from them over the years when I could catch a good sale or was lucky enough to get to the store and hit the clearance sections.  I have not bought one thing from them that I didn't completely LOVE.  It's also no joke that their products are very nice quality and their customer service is possibly the best I have ever experienced.  I must say that I really LOVE it when I get a new catalog in the mail so I can figure out what I want to watch, over time,  go on sale.

I do HATE to see how many cute rooms and displays they cram into one catalog....it makes my head spin as I try to figure out how I can do the same thing on my "not so Pottery Barn" budget.  I also HATE to see how much "research" I am going to have to do to find the "look alike" items that I have a new LOVE for all of the sudden.

About a month ago....I did conquer the couch/ pillow dilemma that I was facing.  With a husband and three boys/1 girl.....you can probably guess how horrible my couch pillows were.  I had received a new PB catalog and, of course, they had awesome pillows on the cover.  I caught myself hiding the catalog, deleting the emails, and going on strike from PB so I didn't have to face those darn pillows that I just fell in LOVE with anymore.  I put my big girl panties on and decided to visit the FM Store in Springfield to buy fabric and cover my old ones myself.  If you have not been to the FM Store (fabric store on steroids) you have no idea what you are missing.  I get jittery, giggly, and crazy when I get near that place.

I came away that day with some yummy fabric for my pillows for right around $50.00 NO KIDDING! I immediately got busy and to my surprise this is what I came up with......

It's sooooo easy....and new pillows are just like "jewelry" for your living room!  Check out 

THIS LINK to find out how to recover your old pillows.
 If you can sew a straight line....you've got this!!!

  Here is our completed family room.  We installed hardwood floors, painted walls/doors/trim, and added blinds!  This room was the original back porch in the old house (from the 1960's and 70's) and much more useful today.  

Friday Night Facts......

There are a few things I am sure of on this Friday night.....

1. It's really hot outside...even at 10:00 p.m. .....and I MUST think of an indoor "project" for my weekend!  Yikes...no relief in sight either!
2. The first full week of school really wears a five year old guy out!  Patrick is already asleep on the couch!
3. You can visit your local Lowes Home Improvement Center and purchase some "furring" boards to make a plank wall anywhere in the home that your heart desires. 

Our wood plank wall takes shape....

When we purchased Tall Oaks Farm, I received a lesson in history.  The facts were presented about the home and the changes it had sustained over the years.  The owners did share some awesome photos of the original home with us that I can't wait to share here at TOFG (Tall Oaks Farmgirl).   Back in the day, the home was a small rectangle box and the kitchen (as I posted earlier), was added on at a later date.  

The "old kitchen" is now simply a pass through area.  I really tried to keep it simple and felt it was better left open with minimal furnishings.  The main wall in the old kitchen was full of character....just not the kind I really liked. It had big holes in the existing drywall and we pulled electric down to the floor level from the middle of the wall where the old appliances were plugged in years ago.   It was either going to need totally new drywall or a cosmetic technique was in order to make is pretty again.  That's when I knew I would get to have a plank wall again.  We did this technique in our other home and loved it!  

In just a matter of a couple of hours and little bit of white washed paint later....we were done!  This was super easy, we did not have to patch or repair the damaged wall, and we now have a section of the home with a little added character.  We felt that it added charm and charisma to the old farmhouse and looked as if it may have been there all along.  The best part of all.....my husband didn't even have to help.  Kim, my partner in crime, and my son Garrick did the majority of the project.  We just staggered each board cut to different lengths (4, 6, and 8 ft. lengths) and used an air nailer to put them up.  We tried to hit stud walls and did most of the time.  

Here is another wall we used furring boards on....this is in the living room area.  Same thing....a wall with a few issues!

 Again....it's super easy and fairly affordable to make this a reality in your home.  I call it "just a little something we can do real quick" idea/project....words my husband LOVES to hear!  

   

A QUICK AND EASY WAY TO GIVE YOUR STAIRCASE A LITTLE PERSONALITY...

When I first saw the staircase in the farmhouse.....I had a vision and instantly knew that I had "big plans" for it when we started the remodel.  I remember when I was a little girl I would have sleepovers with my best friend Sarah, who lived in a great old farmhouse on the family dairy farm.  I absolutely LOVED going to her house.  The layout of that house reminds me of ours now.  As far as I was concerned....she lived in the the coolest house ever.  All of the kid bedrooms were upstairs and her parent's room was downstairs.  I remember running up the old wooden steps constantly and thinking her room was in the clouds since you could see forever out the windows of her bedroom.  Growing up, my family always lived in a traditional ranch house that was all on one level.  I so badly wanted to live in a house with stairs....I remember begging my parents to build a two story house when we moved to the farm.  

When we first looked at this home, I will admit that I fell in love with the staircase and immediately went back to being a little girl at Sarah's sleepovers.  I had big plans for these stairs and quickly sketched out my vision on paper and Pinterest so I wouldn't forget all of my ideas.  

The stairs were covered with carpet and the banisters were in desperate need for some TLC.  I followed my "no carpet...we live in the country...rule" and got that carpet out right from the start.  We removed the entire section of railing from the top and down the steps and decided to go back with a very simple and straight rail/banister replacement.  I was lucky enough to find a carpenter that shared my passion for beautiful restoration of staircases....and the rest was history.  This one is probably not as "fancy" as the staircase in our previous home, however in keeping with the authenticity of farmhouse style, we decided to keep it as close to what may have been found back in the day.  

As for the numbers....all I can say is I have a thing for numbers!  I guess being an educator makes me love letters and numbers alike.  I have numbered the stairs in our last two homes and still love the character that they give.  Many people ask me why?  My only response is "I just like it" no more no less.  It's been fun to see my kids count the steps as they go up and down, we have staged photos of them on the number representing their age, and once my husband watched me tumble down the stairs and explained how it happened describing the exact step number from which it all started.  

I also chose to add a photo collage to the wall on the staircase in this home.  I am in desperate need of updating a few of the frames, however, its fun to look back each day at the kids when they were so little.  This is a very easy thing to do anywhere in your home.  All you really need is a blank wall and a mixed variety of black frames.  I remember having frames that were a little on the ugly side and with a good can of black spray paint I had great frames in just moments.

My last love of this transformation is my sputnik light.  I realize that "back in the day" that would NOT have been the light you would have seen in the staircase.  That's where I go a bit outside the box.  I love modern country and when I first saw this light....I knew it was "the one"  The funny thing is ....I had admired this style of light from Restoration Hardware but knew the $900 price tag was waaaaayyyy over my budget.  When I spotted this little jewel at Lowes for a dandy little price of $198....I was all over getting that thing in my cart!  That has been part of the fun we have had with this project.  I will search high and low for the "high end look alike" and must admit....I am pretty good at finding the item most of the time.  

Here is the Restoration Hardware-high end light.....

Thanks for all of the kind words regarding my new blog.....I have really enjoyed sharing our adventure at Tall Oaks Farm.  I have a wealth of ideas for future posts!  Stay tuned.....

A few little finds from the week.....

I thought I would share some of my "guaranteed" good finds from the week.  I love to run across great things and/or ideas and share them with others.  Well....I have three really awesome items that you MUST know about now!

Many of you know that Stacey from The Little Brick House is my sister.  She has her boutique open every other weekend Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.  I did sneak up there the other day and found a couple of things that I will "guarantee"you to LOVE!

Let's start with the Daisies and Dukes products.  Not only does the label make me smile each time I see it....the scrub is scrubby and soapy (who would have thought) and smells really nice.  I selected Good Butt Jeans (what's not to love about that) which is a blueberry scent.  I have used it every night in the tub and have no regrets.  The body butter is great to use after your bath or shower.  It's thick and creamy...but dries fast and smells wonderful.  She carries a variety of fragrances and just received a shipment of a men's line.  I took a little preview of it and the names are so awesome....Cammo was one that just made me giggle!  Think about it....what guy doesn't need to exfoliate and smell good.  Give 'em a gool ol man scrub in a name like Cammo and he will be livin' the dream.  I plan to tell Mr. Craig that I heard somewhere.... that some fella killed a giant buck while wearing it....ha....probably won't work but he will smell great!

Next, take a look at the beautiful gypsy turquoise necklace with the chunky cross.  I LOVE toggle clasps and it's got one!  I can't wait to pair it up with a small thin necklace and a leather bracelet this fall with a white t-shirt and jean jacket.  I had a heck of a time picking out which jewelery I was bringing home.  She has a ton of cute things and very reasonably priced.  There is always next time unless all of my favorite things sell this weekend.

Finally, I am going to give a BIG GUARANTEE to the Pumpkin Pie Jamesport Candle Co. candle.  I started burning it this week one of those nights when it was cool and my air was off.  It is nothing short of amazing and almost felt like Fall.  The other aspect I noticed was even after burning for 6 or more hours, not much wax looked gone.  I suspect it will last a long time.  My next purchase will certainly be Mulled Cider.  She does carry a variety of sizes and even melts in all of the scents.

Be sure to stop by and visit her this weekend.  She is located in Saint James on Highway B just beyond Subway.  There is great parking and lots to see in the shop. Like I said earlier, she is open Friday/Saturday 10-4 and 12-4 on Sunday.  She has some very neat furniture, modern country home decor, gifts, and jewelery.  You will be glad you stopped by. Be sure to check out her Facebook page by going to The Little Brick House. 

Have a wonderful weekend,
Christy