My Cottage....Still Tweaking!

I haven't posted in a while.

Life seems to be getting in the way!

Although I still have more house projects,

which sometimes seem never ending,

I have made lots of progress settling into 

Buttermilk Cottage.

It's hard to believe I've been here

almost six months!

You've already seen the office and kitchen,

so today I'll show you the rest of the downstairs.

Here's a look at the living room

when I bought the house.

Very good bones,

but I needed to make it "mine."

This shot is just inside the front door.

The ceiling was smoothed out 

and the carpet was removed from the stairs.

All the walls in the house were painted a pale gray.

That enabled me to use the window treatments

from my previous house 

along with my numerous

blue and white accessories.

And of course, there's a pop of red

in every room!

The chalk painted wardrobe came from

the entrance in my previous house.

The mirror backed french doors,

also chalk painted,

were from the dining room.

One of the fun things about moving for me

has been using old things in different rooms.

The fireplace has gas logs which have already been used

on numerous occasions.

I am loving this cozy, comfortable room!

Here's a reminder how the dining room looked before....

...and after.

There's a curved archway

from the living room

into the dining room. 

The table is presently "dressed" 

for fall.

The corner cabinet

is still a work in progress.

The top portion has a

pretty arched glass door

and the bottom 

two shelves will be 

closed behind two solid doors.

Presently the doors are all 

in the basement

waiting for me to finish them.

(Another project....another day.)

I am highlighting green in the dining room,

since these are the dishes on display.

Loving how the downstairs

has come together.

Finally, the last bit of downstairs

I haven't yet shared

is the bathroom.

Except for keeping the

original tub and toilet...

...lots of changes in here.

I am using bead board halfway up the walls.

The mirror above the sink

belonged to my grandmother.

As in the kitchen,

I've also used subway tile

and the same checkerboard floor.

That completes the downstairs.

And of course,

I couldn't have a single room

without at least 

one little lamb in it!

Simple New Window Treatment for the Living Room

The living room has been evolving 

a bit lately at

Buttermilk Cottage.

With the addition of my new "knitting" chair,

which I showed you last week,

I needed a little something different

at the living room window.

I had just done new window treatments

for this room about a year ago,

but that fabric clashed with the chair's.

Since I had fabric left over from the slipcovers just

made for love seats in that room

I decided to use some of it.

It's the heavily quilted fabric at the bottom.

I found a second textured, off white 

to use as well.

I used the same simple design 

as the previous treatment.

This window topper is a series

of five squares of fabric

(one fabric on each side),

sewn together, leaving a small opening for turning.

Once turned, I used fabric glue to close up the opening.

Clothespins work great to hold everything in place

while the glue is drying.

I then folded the squares in half diagonally.

This allows the contrasting fabric

to show a bit too.

Using  small curtain rings with clips

I arranged the folded squares on the curtain rod.

Ultimately I would like to have a slip cover 

made for the knitting chair

with a fabric that coordinates with the original

blue and yellow window treatment

and then rehang those in this room.

But in the meantime, this is working for me

and I am enjoying the change.

Happy weekend!

Slipcovers!!!

This has been my living room since I moved into

Buttermilk Cottage eight years ago.

(Note the two yellow love seats 

that flank the fireplace.) 

Very traditional and I have loved it.

However, for the past few years 

I have wanted to lighten and relax the look a bit.

Notice a difference here?

The oriental rug is gone and

replaced with a natural jute one.

Next in line for change...

those yellow love seats.

Honestly, I have been looking for fabric

for slipcovers for two years!

Finally a couple of months ago

I found exactly what I wanted.

It is an off white, quilted fabric.

You are looking at 36 yards of fabric!

My upholsterer requested that I cut it into

five yard lengths for easier handling,

and then wash and dry it.

Next, she came to my house,

measured and cut the fabric

and then took it back to her workshop

to sew everything together.

Can you imagine making a 

slipcover without having the

piece of furniture in front of you

to "try it on" as you sew???

She's good...very, very good!

(A plus to this process is that I did not

have to live without my couches while

the slipcovers were being made!)

Last week she returned and installed them for me!

Bye bye, yellow couches!

And, they are a PERFECT fit!

I am loving my new, fresher, lighter and more "cottage" look!

However, as with any change to a room,

my mind is wandering to what else needs to be done.

Some possibilities...

*painting the room so the white "pops" a bit more (???)

*chalk painting the coffee table, black or white perhaps (???)

I'm thinking...

First Steps in Some Long Term Redo Plans

A few weeks ago I mentioned

the brown couch was being recovered.

I'm SO happy to see it gone.

What a difference a lighter upholstery makes!

I've also traded the rugs from this area

and the adjoining entry.

This is the first step in a redo of my living room.

I also plan to have slipcovers in an off white

made for the two yellow love seats in this room.

I would have had them made at the same time as the

reupholstery of the other love seat,

but the fabric store didn't have enough fabric.

So, I'm on the look out for that.

I recently brought home this painted buffet

for the dining room.

Have you ever noticed when you

make one change,

several more ensue?

The buffet that was here originally...

Got moved to the entrance,

so the buffet that was there...

...could be moved to the living room to

accommodate my new flat screen TV.

Yes, I've finally updated and come

into the new age of television.

Finally, the tall book case that did

house my old TV was moved to

a spot in the kitchen,

which has cried out for a tall piece

since I've lived here.

Perfect fit!

I'm now searching for just

the right fabrics for  new window treatments

and slip covers.

However, all that will have to wait

a bit longer.

Wonderful items started arriving

yesterday for our upcoming

Holiday Sale.

This week will be spent

decluttering and setting

up displays!