Tuesday, February 20, 2018

One Year Ago Today...


...I titled a blog post,
referring to the purchase of
my house.
A whole year has passed,
and what a year it's been!
I kept you up to date on
the renovations and
although I still have 
at least a hundred more
"to dos"
the heavy lifting is done.

You've seen all the results,
except for the upstairs.



So welcome to the the second floor
and its small landing.
Closets flank either side of the window seat.
This house has plenty of storage.
One example is the window seat which is
actually a large, built in chest which opens.


To the left is the bathroom and my bedroom.


Remember how this bathroom
looked originally?


It's come a long way
with a new floor,


a new wall to house a shower,
(the tub is original)
subway tile shower surround,


and lots of bead board.
This baker's rack fits perfectly
behind the door
and serves as an
"open linen closet."


The bathroom is small,


so the addition of this little chest
gives me a bit of drawer space.


I discovered this mirror in a
consignment shop last
year during the renovations.
It was the perfect size
and with a coat of paint,
the perfect mirror for this space.
The doorway you see beyond
the bathroom is my bedroom.

 Remember this room?
Gone is the textured ceiling,
wallpaper and carpet.


The ceilings in the upstairs are all low,
but give the bedrooms a
cozy, cottage look.


This buffet used to live in the dining room of
my previous house.


There a little reading nook here,
for a white wicker rocking chair
which belonged to my grandmother.
It's actually my sister Nancy's chair,
but I'm keeping it until she wants it back.


The little door you see under the eave
is a small closet with shelves.


To the right, at the top of the stairs
is the guest room.
 This room had all the same
changes as my bedroom.



It's actually a larger room than the
one I am using,
and has three closets!


Another window seat
with built in storage is in this room.





Finally, on the opposite side from the bathroom
is what I have dubbed the "half bedroom."


This small room needed less work than
any of the upstairs rooms.
The ceiling was already smooth,
and there was no carpet or wallpaper
 to be removed.


 I'm still working on this room.
It has a built in twin bed
with drawers below it.
I have painted it.


I still have curtains to make and hang
in this tiny room.
There will not be space for much more
than this table and a chair.


 I am taking inspiration from this small
water color from FiFi Flowers,
who designed my business logo for me.

More on this room 
as it progresses.
Now you've seen the whole house.
I have plans for future improvements
and every week is an exercise
in tweaking.
Is a house ever finished?



I've done very little outside,
so that's a whole new canvas.
But, I do have crocus blooming!






Friday, February 16, 2018

To SIRS with Love


Several years ago I wrote a post about


This wonderful fabric store was located in
Fayetteville, Tennessee,
where my parents live.
Rarely did I visit them  
without a visit to SIRS as well. 



Horrible, sad news last weekend
when a fire erupted late Saturday night
and early Sunday morning.






The result of the fire is a total loss of SIRS.


SIRS was more than a fabric store.
It was a historic landmark,
the largest fabric store in the southeast.
In business since the 1940s,
it was a gathering place
for designers and decorators
as well as home sewers.
Fayetteville is a a small town, but
their customers came from miles away to shop.
It was a "girls day out" kind of place.
In the past few years they began
selling sewing machines
and offering classes,
helping to insure the future of
home sewing.




I cannot tell you how many times
I have walked through their front doors
to spend hours of bliss.


The inventory at SIRS was beyond belief.
You could not just run in for a few minutes.
Piles of fabric had to be gone through,
piece by piece,
as if you were on a treasure hunt.


And because SIRS' prices were
incomparable, very often,
REAL treasures were discovered.

I look around my house and see 
curtains and draperies,
upholstered furniture and slipcovers,
shower curtains, table cloths,
pillows and cushions,
all made from fabric from SIRS.

All this in addition to 
a very large portion of the
fabrics used to make my
totes, bags and needle cases,
the backbone of my 
Buttermilk Cottage business,
all came from SIRS.

A total loss indeed.


No word yet on future plans for SIRS.
Will they rebuild and possibly come back
newer, bigger and better than before?

I surely hope so.




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