Monday, November 03, 2008

~MY NEW LIVING ROOM/DINING ROOM~

ALL BECAUSE OF THIS SOFA MOM FOUND FOR ME at SALVATION ARMY for $37.50....And not to mention, ALL THOSE BLOGS and FRIENDS who have given me INSPIRATION!!!! THANK YOU!!!!






AND IT ALL STARTED in January, the day before I left for California to visit Anna.......ALL BECAUSE THAT SOFA from the Salvation Army for $37.50!!!!!
THIS IS WHAT it looks like now after Mom and I redid it this past week. PLEASE UNDERSTAND, it is still a work in progress....I am still trying to redo some of the shelves in my big cupboards (keeping only what is near and dear to my heart....the rest is going to be sold on the website) Also, I just added the chandelier about 20 minutes ago and still not sure if I am going to keep it there or not. The rest of the light fixtures I WILL be painting, I just ran out of time. You have no idea how much work it was to take everything down (I had to wash it all and pack it away in boxes as I can't stand to put dirty stuff in storage) There is NO WAY I could have done all of this without my Mom.....The colors I used were Ballet Slipper, Petal Pink, Bright White, Queen Anne's Lace and Pitter Patter. (Did you know I have a TOTAL OBSESSION with the NAMES of PAINTS!!!! And usually pick them out because of their names.....LOL)
Mom painted 10 pieces of furniture and helped me with the walls. The longest day I painted was last Saturday for 14 hours straight. Needless to say, I am EXHAUSTED!!!!BUT IT WAS SO WORTH IT and there is NO WAY I could have done this without Mom!!!! SHE ROCKS!!!! Also, last week, I was without Internet for almost 5 days and it was the LAST WEEK my shop was open, so now I am trying to get that shut down and redone so I can get more pretties on the website for you!!!! Enjoy the pictures and I hope you get a kick out of what it looked like when we moved in, when we re-did it and now how I have it....THE WAY I WANTED IT in the first place!!!! All Bob wanted was his big screen TV and his chair....all the rest is cosmetic to him. He got what he wanted and I FINALLY Have it the way I wanted it all along!!!! I AM THRILLED!!!!


CHECK OUT THOSE SHUTTERS.....From an Antique Shop in Cascade Iowa. The coffee table is made from OLD BARN BOARDS in WISCONSIN...the bottom was blue (as you can see from the old pictures) and MOM painted it PITTER PATTER for me!!!!


With or without the Chandelier....I am still deciding


My chairs are all red leather (ALL BOUGHT SECOND HAND....yeah, like I can afford new furniture) So I took my old chenille spreads and quilts and covered them up. User friendly for the kids and I can just throw them in the wash to clean them!!!! YEAH!!!!


NOTICE THE CLOCK, My cousin Mark made that and my Mom painted it PITTER PATTER TOO!!!


View from the FRONT PICTURE WINDOW looking SOUTH into the BACK PICTURE WINDOW, my dream is to have this all knocked out and FRENCH DOORS added with a deck coming off of it. SOMEDAY when I AM RICH....LOL


Fireplace Mantle (it's 9 feet long!!!!) with Stone City Iowa Stone

The Silver Service is my Mom's....she gave it to me and I think it looks perfect there.

Corner of the Mantle (Found the LONG MIRROR in Temecula, California on my second trip out there, it's one of my favorites and always reminds me of Anna)


TWO old etched mirrors......some of many I have but these were my favorite above the fireplace as they are HUGE!!!!

Other side of the fireplace, with a STANDING ROSE BOUQUET and my GRANDMA VANHAL'S PINK VASE from HOLLAND

My NINE FOOT LONG Stone City, Iowa STONE FIREPLACE that Bob got up to code and works like a charm. I LOVE IT and I have already had 4 fires in it...It's SOOOOO COOL!!!!

View as you come down the hallway from the bathroom and the bedrooms.

Another VIEW as you come DOWN the hallway from the bathroom or bedrooms

Bob made the benches for me and they were painted Hunter Green to go with the old Camp/Lodge Look we used to have. Mom painted these PITTER PATTER for me (they look blue in this picture but I think it was just the angle of the camera and the way the sun was coming in the windows)


THE "CASHIER" Please Pay Here sign is going in my shop when it re-opens in April

THE KITCHEN IS ENTIRELY NEW....If you look back at the old photos, everything had to be taken down to the studs and the sub flooring...IT WAS REALLY BAD. I DID NOT paint my cupboards, they were bought this way from Home Depot!!!!

Coming in from the back porch.....go east and you go to the Living Room/Dining Room and down the hall to 3 bedrooms and full bathroom. To the west, you walk into my kitchen and the door to my shop (also, there is a little breakfast area where the kids have their computer set up) This will totally be different as I am going to sell all of my cake pedestals....I just don't use them!!!!


One of many pieces of furniture MY MOM BUILT!!!! SHE'S GOT TALENT!!!!

Close up of the cupboard MY MOM BUILT!!!!

Coming in from the back (south) porch

LOOKING OUT THE NORTH PICTURE WINDOW

Child Size Church Pew provides extra seating around the 7 foot pine harvest table


Bought this Child Size Church Pew from my Mom's Sale.....She painted it Petal Pink for me!!!! I LOVE IT and I got the wool tied blue vintage quilt from California when I was there visiting a couple years back.


MY BELOVED "PITTER PATTER" Vintage Table.....The PINK PEONIES are from HOLLAND!!!! Also bought from a moving sale. The lady told me about them and so I HAD TO HAVE THEM being my Grandma was from Holland!!!!

Bob's Big Chair and the shutters are "AS IS" I didn't touch them paint wise.


My First Mosaic piece, a yard long window I placed vertically in the door window and gotta love those arched shutters


AND THAT SOFA THAT STARTED IT ALL......I LOVE IT!!!! This is looking out of the SOUTH PICTURE WINDOW. Door on the side is to the back porch (or the mud room...or the PIT, is what I call it....LOL)


THIS HUGE Cupboard was all primitive when I bought it....I got tired of that phase and painted it white (back at my old cottage house) then I painted it yellow when we moved in here, and now Mom painted it PETAL PINK by Martha Stewart. On the top is an OLD ROUND Birdcage I had painted Ballet Slipper Pink years ago and no one ever bought it in the shop (I only had $14.00 on it) so glad it didn't sell as I lined the bottom with vintage sheet music and added white twinkle lights. It's soooo pretty at night. And a few years back, Longaberger came out with PINK BASKETS for just one month only, I bought 3 of the 5 they were offering and wished now I would have bought more. They look so cute up on the big cupboard.



THE QUEEN ANNE'S LACE CUPBOARD MY DADDY BUILT



The Sign I got from Polly at PollyAnns Antiques in Mt. Vernon Iowa!!! I LOVE IT!!!

Another view of the of the cupboard
MISS BECKY from SweetCottageDreams made the Pocket Pillow for me and I got the OLD HORSE TROPHY Ribbons in Cascade, Iowa, same day I got those awesome shutters. I got the other ribbons from Andrea, at www.OneHundredWishes.com I have an AWESOME OVAL Barbola Roses Frame that I will be putting them into, I was just waiting for the paint to dry on it (Mom painted it for me too)



Old ORIGINAL PINK Laundry basket I have had for years (I think I got this from Mom, she found it up in Rochester, MN one year when she was antiquing) I used it to HIDE ALL THOSE UGLY CORDS.

A better straight on view of the tall Queen Anne's Lace Cupboard my Daddy built.

Lots of pretties that I have had and some Austria plates that never sold on the website. The inside of the cupboard is called "CELERY" from Sherwin Williams, bought that quart at an estate sale for 50 cents. Got the BUNNY Rabbits from a sweetie gal Tami on ETSY, She has AWESOME STUFF, SUPER TALENTED and I have bought lots from her already.

Side View from Bob's Chair and Front Picture Window to the West. My Daddy build that tall cupboard, it's painted QUEEN ANNE'S LACE from Sherwin Williams (I picked up a quart of it at an estate sale for 50 cents). It has been painted so many different colors since I aquired it. It was originally all pine.....He would kill me if he knew how many times I have painted it....LOL. I bought that adorable Barkcloth Covered Stool uptown Marion at an antique shop and the Child Size Vanity is INCREDIABLE!!! Never seen one like it, probably never will. It too, was in my shop and didn't sell. YIPPY SKIPPY FOR ME!!!

I couldn't sell this vintage vanity in the shop for $68.00 (It came with the mirror too), so I took the mirror off and it fit the big screen tv perfectly, so glad it didn't sell!!!! I painted the vanity BRIGHT WHITE from the gallon of paint I used on the walls from Dutch Boy at Wal-mart and the BALLET SLIPPER paint is from Ace Hardware in Mt Vernon (it's spray paint)

Hope you enjoyed the tour of my home.....more to come as I get things tweeked.

DON'T FORGET TO VOTE!!!!
Pray for our troops, HUGS AND LOVE, Amy

(REMEMBER....you can click on any of the pictures to enlarge them for better viewing)



26 comments:

Anonymous said...

Amy,
I remember watching your previous cottage evolve and how "shabby chic" gorgeous and amazing it was! Then you married BOB and moved and your decorating went back to the way you decorated BEFORE shabby chic...more campy/country/folk and then you married the COUCH and once again you are back to the chic and shabby look. It's been so much fun to see your talent evolve and grow. I love it! You truly have sooo many gifts!! And your mom is uber-talented as well!!
Can't wait to see it all done. GORGEOUS!
Camie

Diane Fay (littlealma) said...

WOW - that is an incredibly beautiful house!!! I love it! Every single picture of it! And I went to see your blog back at the beginning of the year - and wow that is amazing too!!! I have been wanting to vacuum for about three weeks now, and I never get around to it - too many blogs to read! (kidding, kind of!) And look what you did in six weeks, and then while your hubby was gone! WOW!!! I wish I knew how to fix up a house to look nice - everything we have is second hand, which is great, cuz everything has a story, but still, shabby chic it isn't!

Anyway, just wanted to say - great job! Hope you all stay well there! (and yeah Wisconsin, Iowa and the Dutch!-grin!)

Hugs from Michigan - Diane

Sweet Cottage Dreams said...

OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Pitter Patter is not only your paint color - tis my heart's beat at this moment! WOWOWOWOW!! You and your mom have been busy! I totally love how bright and pretty everything looks! And your mom built that cabinet? Such talent you girls have. Hey, btw, if you ever decide to sell those two metal canisters....just let me know.

Amy, you have worked so hard and should be very proud of yourself. Your rooms flow beautifully together and are so fresh and girly!!

Maddi is a cutie pie - then and now!

Time to go out and vote.
love ya,
Becky

The Urban Chic said...

Amy, you have given me inspiration and an idea of how all my things will look when I regain my bedroom next year. Because of medical bills, it has been put on the back burner, but I am barely living with that thought. What beautiful things and I was wondering how my country furniture would look, but now I can vision it. So very beautiful. Thanks for letting us tour your beautiful home. Love and hugs,Pat

Sometimes It's Good said...

Your house is so pretty! I love it! If you ever get back to Temecula, let me know. I'm so sorry I didn't drive over and meet you! You are such a sweetheart!

Iowa Gal said...

What a BEAUTIFUL transformation. I love your slip covers on your chairs. Also the round mirror above your fireplace.....I have an identical one. Same decoration on it. My folks started married life, back in the forties, with it and mom said for years that was the only mirror they had in the whole house. Love to see your pictures and I'm sure Rachel Ashwell would approve.............JAN

a Pocket Angel said...

Amy, I love it! Love It! Love It!What a feel good room. You've done such a great job. Lots of work but so well worth it..
Enjoy it my sweet friend!
Hugs and much love ~Mary~ :-}

Anonymous said...

Wow! That is quite a transformation.
It looked good when you had the lodge look, but this is so much better. Your home looks like a bright happy cottage. It must be a joy to wake up to each morning.

I love the floors and those shutters add the right touch of an architectural detail. It's especially wonderful that you have those family pieces.

I can't believe the bargain you got on the couch and the bedspreads drape so well on the chairs.

~elaine~

GARAGE SALE GAL said...

HI AMY,
Your room look GREAT!!! I love the child's PEW:) ALOT and everything you did. The sofa is so pretty and what a super great price. You sure got alot of work done in the time your hubby was gone. Of course it helps when you have a Mom to help. I missed your posts and am Glad you are back. I'll have to tell MaryElla to visit you and she can see your make-over.
Hugs,
Deb

Rochelle said...

Love the look! So fresh and clean! You've done a great job and the pay off is you'll enjoy it so much more because it is designed how YOU like it! :)
I've enjoyed reading your blog and about your journey. Keep up the fight and keep blogging!
Have a great day!
Rochelle

Anita said...

Now THIS is Amy's house. I so remember this look from your little cottage. I LOVE the chandelier and vote for it to be there. And I love the Pitter Patter color. And I LOVE the "hide the cords" concept with the baskt of blankies. Way to go. I think you are finally well on your way back, Miss Amy........

Roses and Whimsey said...

Just loved seeing the progress you have made - it's wonderful, very comfy and cozy. I have awarded you the Marie Antoinette Blog Award. To receive it, you have to go to my blog at: http://www.forheartandhome.blogspot.com. I hope you display it proudly. Regards - Sandi

Betty said...

What a pretty room and it really looks like a place that you can be comfortable in. Why don't you and your mom hop a plane and come help me decorate my living room. It looks like a place for the guys with a few pretty knick knacks thrown in!

Simply Shelley said...

Hi Amy,your home is wonderful and very lovely. What a huge job,you and your Mom accomplished. You should be so proud of yourselves. I love everything. I am doing the primitive look right now,but this post really made me look around and ask myself,Is this what you really want? I used to decorate with more of a cottage ,shabby chic style. I kept a lot of my stuff,just in case(smile). I am still pretty happy witht he prim style,but you never know. I tend to change my decor style from time to time. Thanks for taking the time to share your home with us. It's very inspriational,indeed. I just may need to go decorate some thing now......

Blessings,Shelley

Laura said...

Wow! Really shows off how wonderful Shabby Chic is!!

Unknown said...

Looks really great Amy. I like it with the chandelier.........great job.....i love the shabby chic look.

Amy said...

Good Job Amy!!!! It's like having a whole new house!!!!
Amy

Anonymous said...

Hi Amy,
I love the new look at your home! I always loved your style at your other cottage & this looks like your style for sure. You & your mom have worked very hard & it is just a gorgeous look. How wonderful to have some pieces your Mom & Dad made & also hubby. I hope you will enjoy many happy hours in your new make over by the cozy fire this winter. I look forward to seeing more of your beautiful home.

savvycityfarmer said...

so glad to see you are back in the "stuff groove"

thanks for all of your prayers for my hubby's accident

Nora Lee said...

I love it all! I had to laugh at myself with each picture I just ooh and ahhed at each of your finds and how nice they looked painted! I love the child size pew. Thanks for sharing :)

Anonymous said...

Okay, I've GOT to get off the computer, but must come back when I have time to drool over each picture. You have picked some beautiful colors. My favorites!

Recycled Rita said...

I love your makeover! Beautiful! Hey, when you decide to post those pedestal plates, could you let me know...I have been wanting a couple and I would rather give you the money than some big store!
karen...
recycledrita.blogspot.com

The Urban Chic said...

Amy, I just tagged you, so please stop by and join in the fun. Love and Hugs, Pat

joyh82 said...

Wow, I love your place with all the white and pink..Love the china too.

Joyfulsister said...

Hi !!!
This is my first time to your blog and I enjoyed my visit *smile*. I love the couch and that precious child's pew lol. I work for the Salvation Army at the Headquarters and I'm so blessed to see that you found a treausre at one of our stores. I don't know of you knew he money goes to help women in rehabs get better, they are able to be with their children in rehab while they get the help they need. we also have rehabs for the men as well. I loved the tour of your home and I will be back to see more.

Aloha Lorie

Anonymous said...

I love your shabby-licious home! Thank you for adding me as a friend on your lollishops!
I just moved into a 2 bedroom cottage here in Hull,Mass and the walls are dark pine.I am a renter and landlord will not let me paint! any ideas?