The Bed and Breakfast Guest Room

I've been meaning to re-do this guest room. The faded wall paper looked so dingy in real life.

It looked like this to start.  Honestly, I hadn't done much of anything with it. It was that room that we tossed things in when we moved.  Finally, I cleared it out and lost motivation.  Perhaps two months ago now, I painted it and again lost motivation.  I don't know why I was having such a hard time motivating myself.  Redid some chairs (told you about it  Here ) and then quit again.
One day, I discovered a TON of black frames at my fave thrift store.  I bought a whole bag full of frames (13 of them for $17!) and thought this was the writing on the wall that I needed to finish the room.  Again, the art sat piled in the room. Door was shut, I ignored.  We have company coming TOMORROW. So I HAD to finish it. It's done now. And I'm glad. I really like it.

Before:

And now:

The art I put on the walls are farm and ocean shots....when farm meets the beach is the theme as that's what you'll get if you come and stay with us at our little Bed and Breakfast.

 Well, I call it our Bed and Breakfast. I have a whole plan on having a little business.  I even have plans to have a nice bathroom to be built to attach to this room. Unfortunately, my husband thinks it's creepy to have random people come and stay with us. I'm determined to convince him otherwise...if you're not creepy and want to come and stay in Maine, tell me. I'd love to give him a list of people who are not creepy who think this would be a good idea.  Ha!   Until our grand opening, I dream...and decorate.

 The bed was my grandmother's.  The quilt at the foot of the bed is an old necktie quilt that was also hers.  And naturally most everything I picked up at thrift shops or antique shops or was in the family for many years. Or a photo I took or something I made. If you've been a reader this long, you know how I work. 

Somebody was/is furious at me for ruining his Uncle Matt and Silly Gilly's room. He thought it looked just fine before. Sigh.

 I just love the view from this room.

 

And just a few miles from here in the same town, this is the view:


Farm meets beach, fitting I'd say.

Maybe someday this room officially will be a real Bed and Breakfast. Until then, it will be busy keeping our family and friends comfortable while they enjoy vacationland. Another room has been tackled. More to go...

 

Easter Reveal & New playset. Random thoughts. Oodles of Thrifteds.

It occurred today that I meant to post their Easter baskets, but I did not. It's still April, so totally not too late (I hope). Today's post totally comes with a warning. It's crunchy granola-eco friendly, cheap and simple. But, I am who I am, so here's my ramblings.

 

1) Easter Baskets.  Except for a couple crafty type things, they were 100% homemade, thrifted or upcycled. Even the big Easter baskets. Except for the small encapsulated sponges, the rest was all non-plastic.

 And this little created playset certainly was the showcase.

 Zoom clearly thought all this stuff was his.


Verdict? They loved it.

 

2) Random Thoughts.
Yes, almost all of their baskets were filled with thrifted stuff. Why do I do that?

a) They are equally as excited about the stuff that I get them used as they would be if I filled my cart at Walmart. I like teaching them that we don't need expensive or fancy to be thankful.
b) Cost. Reducing outcome has given me the ability to reduce my hours at work to part time. We also had a whole year (last year) when we owned two houses.  With paying for two homes (and all the things that have gone wrong in both houses), I was unsure if we would be able to afford to give our kids anything for Christmas. I began going to Thrift Stores more often to make sure our kids would have something to open for Birthdays and Christmas. (And now I'm more hooked than before.)
c) The types of toys. I aim for simple, eco friendly toys and books that develop the imagination.  You can often find things in the thrift store that you can no longer find in department stores.
d) Many thrift shops do good things with the money they earn. I'd rather give my $ to a charity shop than a department store.
e) I'm into eco friendly. Saving things from the dump, less packaging, etc.
f) The hunt is fun!

Many people often tell me that I find marvelous things at thrift shops. What are my secrets?
a) You need to frequent them. Stop by a couple times a month at least if you can.  It only takes ~5-10 minutes to scan the shelves to see if there's anything you've been looking for. Things are changed up often, keep checking back if you have the time.
b) Keep a mental list of what you're looking for. It will help you narrow down your search.
c) Patience. Don't be disappointed if you don't find anything on that list when you're shopping. Sometimes I leave thrift stores with nothing.
d) If you love it, buy it. If not, carry it around the store and put it back at the very end if you're undecided.  You don't want someone else to snatch it up before you decide.
e) Start shopping a long time before you actually need something.  Certain items take a long time to find sometimes.

A quick clean when you get home and you can pack it away with your other treasures for future holidays.  It's so worth it, I tell you. I only spent $15/kid on the Easter Baskets posted above...and the kids loved them!

I currently have enough stuff for all holidays between now and the Christmas after next in my attic. 

This is the loot I got from our PTSA consignment fundraiser this year. These sales happen 2x a year and they are often some of my biggest source of gifts for the later holidays.

All of these lots cost between $5.00-$7.50.
  
Richard scary books. Melissa and Doug tool set add on, Melisss and Doug sewing cards. Sunglasses.

 Drum. Wooden refrigerator magnets, preschool game, Paperdolls. fun books.

 Wooden play clock. Melissa and Doug puzzle, a John Deere lot. Peter Rabbit stuff.

 A vintage fire truck, frog family, movies, books.

Two puzzles, John Deere tractors, rhyming puzzles, lacing numbers, the book Otis (a fave!).

 I know some of you might be rolling your eyes at me, as I do get a little intense about thrifting.  But, think of the good stuff and the savings you could be missing out on!  Next time you drive by your local thrift shop, pull in!  And if you aren't lucky enough to have a thrift shop, check craigslist. 

If I could convince even one of you to become a thrift shopper, you won't be sorry! 

Itch to Stitch: Dress 4

My blogger pal, Sue, is doing a skirt a month this year and is posting the last Monday of the month, which is today.  See her skirt here.
I decided to join her.   I'm aiming to make a dress a month for the next 12 months for my little girl.  I do love a gorgeous little dress, especially a mama made one, on my little girl.  So, that's the plan.
Dress one: Here.
Dress two: Here.
Dress three: Here

Dress four:

 It's a bit big, as I'm trying to make things to last.

 It's another Oliver & S pattern. I have a love/hate relationship with Oliver & S, I decided. I love their style and design, but I sometimes get annoyed with their patterns. Their patterns take extra lengths to hide as many seams as possible on the inside....which means they often take the long road in getting things done.  Serged seams on the inside don't bother me, so I did cut a couple corners. Annoying all the extra steps, but you have a professional product when you're done.

 She told me "Pretty dress, mama."  And just like that, I melted.

 It's a perfect spring/summer dress to play with her favorite pals.

 Four dresses, four different styles so far in 2014.  If you missed them, look below this post and you'll likely see other months posted. 

Windmill.

It's frivolous. Unnecessary. But, I wanted one.  Didn't need it, but wanted it.  It was my Christmas present.  I bought it and told my husband that was what he got for me for Christmas. 

 My husband didn't even complain putting together the 8ft tower.

 I was super excited when he put it in my garden area.

 I keep visualizing what's next there.  Perhaps a garden shed? Perennials? Maybe that granite bench I found in the brush will be dug out and placed here?  

 It's the beginning of my vision of a more permanent garden area in this space. I have so many dreams for this garden area.

 It's starting to come together, my garden vision.  It's all quite exciting.