Gonna be away for a few days....

Our whole family and several friends are gonna take a little snow trip to Massanutten, VA, so I will be gone for a few days. We leave tomorrow.

While I would like to say that I will be enjoying a lot of this....

In truth - I don't ski....

(bum knee from a bad car accident years ago)

Neither does Mr Grits for that matter. 

(two bum knees from College Football and 30 years in the Corps)

So.... we will doing a whole lot of this.... 

Amanda and Blake have ski passes, and we will be taking the boys tubing.

I am so looking forward to this....

and this....

and some of this... hahaha  (oh yes!)

 and LOTS of this......!

Take care everyone and see ya' soon.....Barb

River Cottage Re-Design...Part 3 (final!) The Porch

 This is the final post in the River Cottage series. 

If you missed the Living Room Re-Design....

you can see that here.

And if you missed the Master Bedroom/Bath Re-Design....

you can see that here.

  

 Here are two shots depicting the "Before." 

 (sorry they are a little grainy they were emailed to me.)  

Before 1

Before 2

 The view above shows the breakfast room table that is just 

off of the kitchen.  You can see the enclosed porch just 

beyond with the Dining Room table.

It really didn't take very long to tweak this space and 

give the  Porch a bit of "umph."  Just a few pieces of 

furniture moved around.  I "borrowed" the large green 

rug from under the breakfast room table, and changed 

the positioning of the larger table.

All in all....it only took me about an hour...

The "After"...

I pulled the love seat out from the wall, and surrounded it with  bamboo chairs to create a smaller, but welcoming sitting area.

This is the first area you see upon coming through the front 

door of the Cottage.

I added a piece of glass to this shabby chic table to create a coffee table.  It was being used as a side table. It's filled with shells and beach glass.

A vintage, metal cooler makes the perfect little table between two mix-matched armed chairs. 

Simple and easy decorating....my kind of projects. :)

I hope you have enjoyed this little tour of my latest project.  

Some of you have asked how my "other" project is coming along...aka auditioning for HGTV's Design Star.

Well...all I can say I am still in the game. :)

Please keep your fingers crossed that my phone rings over the next few weeks saying I have made it to Level 4/5.  

I am participating in  -
Met Monday: Between Naps on the Porch
Amaze Me Monday: Dittle Dattle
Show Off Your Cottage Monday: The house in the roses 
   Masterpiece Monday: Boogieboard Cottage

Nifty Thrifty Tuesday:  Coastal Charm

Before and After Party: Savvy Southern Style

Transformation Thursday: The Shabby Chic Cottage

Hope you have a blessed week....Barbie

River Cottage Re-Design...Part 2/Bedroom

Today I am going to share Part 2 of the River Cottage Series.

 

Some have asked to see the "Before's."

I will admit that I need to get better at taking "before" shots. Usually, I am so excited I just jump right in to the project. But luckily, my sister-in-law had these and she emailed them to me.

Before the "Re-Define"...

another "before"...

...and After!

If you missed seeing the post of the Living Room above,

click here.

I'm sorry to say she did not have any before shots of the bedroom. :(  

Oh well, the "After" is always the best part anyway, right?

Introducing the River Cottage Bedroom Makeover...

These pics do not do justice to the beautiful paint color we chose, or actually, I mixed. :)

The walls in here are cement, so needless to say, hanging pictures was a trial.  She is having someone come in and

insert cement-type hangers into the walls in pre-determined places to hang her artwork.

I scoured different shops for a fun mix of pillows and linens.

I think the mixture of patterns and polka dots say "Cottage!"

There are several small projects I still want to do, such as add small seashells to the lamp shades, etc.

The bathroom was painted green. We replaced a 1950's sink with this one, which we got cheaply at a local Salvage store.

This was a hard room to photograph because of it's size.

What you don't see behind is a TV stand, a small dresser

and the door into the closet.

(in case you were wondering) *wink

So that is the River Cottage Bedroom.  I will share the porch which we converted to a Sitting Room and Dining Room in a few days. 

 I am excited to start a kitchen remodel in a few weeks after some roofing work is completed.

I am joining in Between Naps on the Porch Met Monday.

Have a Beautiful Week, My Friends...Barb

A River Cottage Re-Design...Part 1

The above picture was taken today at "The Fish House." 
This is the name of my brother's lovely little cottage on the IntraCoastal Waterway.  I would have called it
"Slice of Heaven."  :)
You can still see traces of leftover snow.

Several months ago, my sister-in-law asked if we wished to
spend a week at The Fish House...with a catch...she asked
 if I would consider re-designing it.  Needless to say, it was
a glorious week. Fishing... lazy hours sitting on the dock just watching the boats go by... drinking wine while watching
amazing sundowns...and decorating. 
Did I mention the decorating?

I shopped for some fun decorative items, like prints and old signs, etc - but she basically had all of the pieces of furniture.

All this cottage needed was a little re-arranging and re-defining. 

My sister-in-law had the darker wood paneling painted a

creamy yellow.  The black and white tiled floors are older.

She asked if she should replace them.  I replied, perhaps a

little too forcefully...."NO!"   :)

My brother has a collection of hats...a few of them found their way

onto the walls.  :)

I mixed as many prints as I could possibly squeeze into one space.



Love the old "No Vacancy" sign.  I leaned an old window frame against the wall as the perfect place to display magazines.  

A storage room, once cleaned out, presented me with the PERFECT area to add a twin sized bed.  Sheers on a tension

rod, and a well-placed bookcase create the illusion of a wall.

She later had the vintage school-house style light fixture

added.  Love that!

A closer look...

Love this bedding...it was so fun to work with.

The most expensive accessory she purchased was probably the sea grass wreath. I tucked in a few starfish.

It was a dreamy week...and although there was some work involved...if you know me...it wasn't "work" at all.

In a few days, I will share the Bedroom and Porch, as well.

I hope you enjoy seeing my "vacation."....Barb

Interior Re-"Define!"

It's Official....My Design Business is back on its feet

and apparently....running at full speed. 

The problem is - so is my Real Estate firm. So, this is

going to be interesting.

I just ordered my new business cards and registered

my name..."Interior Re-Define."

Basically, I will be re-Designing, and Refining rooms using the

"Use What You Have" theory. 

 I think the reason I am getting so many calls, in many ways,

 is because of the economy. People are re-examining

their budgets, and instead of buying new - they are hiring

a designer to redseign their rooms/homes using the

possessions they already have.

The fun part for me...and my one request?  I ask for total

autonomy to go "Home Shopping" within the home.

So far, I have had carte blanche.  (woot woot)

The above room, a Family Room, was created using ZERO Dollars and was accomplished in about 2.5 hours.

The rug is an outdoor rug from her enclosed sun room...

she loves it used here!

The fireplace created the biggest obstacle, as this is a

rental home and the owner did not want her damaging

the brick to add any hangers, etc...so I improvised with tall

mirrors and metal artwork.

My client said this is her favorite new area...

We are going to go shopping for a new sofa table to place

behind the loveseat....but that's for another time.

So?  How do you like my $0.00 design?

Later this week...I will share my Brother's River House

 which I helped design about six months ago.

Sending everyone warm thoughts from the Icy South....Barb

Re-designed



A $500 Master Bedroom Makeover

A few days ago, I completed a Master Bedroom Re-Design

 for a client whose husband is deployed to Iraq.

She wanted to surprise him with an all new bedroom

when he returned.

I assured her that we could do this for a $500 or less

budget, and that's exactly what I did. 

I love it when a plan comes together!  :)

We found the bedding at HomeGoods.  She wanted

something feminine yet, something her husband would

feel comfortable with, too. I think this was the

perfect compromise.



After we brought home the bedding, she initially

thought she wanted the room to be painted blue.

But after looking through some paint chips, she fell in

love with the sage green above. 

My client purchased this Wall Quote several months ago

with no idea what she would do with it....

I think we found the perfect place. :)

We found the drapes at Lowe's. Yes...Lowe's!

And my fave store did not disappoint...pillows and lamps

are from Marshall's.

I paired the drapes with bamboo blinds....also from Lowe's.

Love the added textural element.

She already owned the Monogrammed Lamps. She had

been using them on her bedside tables, but they were

too small and really did not serve the purpose of task

lighting like she needed.

I created an arrangement using a wooden container, and added assorted grasses, greenery and white orchids.

Lyla thought the new throw was perfectly cozy. 

I hoped you enjoyed seeing my latest Design Project.

I'm enjoying a relaxing, snowy day at home...hope yours is the same. (the relaxing part, at least) :) 

Hugs, Barb

Birds of a Pheasant Feather....and my Family Room

What does one do while traveling 75 miles an hour while traveling down I-95 South?

Why you blog?  Of course!  Doesn't everyone?  :)

(aren't the wonders of technology amazing???)

I promised a few days ago that I would post a picture of

the new arrangment I made with my pheasant feathers. 

I don't have all the pics on my sd card (such as the

really cool angle shots, etc) - but thought I would

share the ones I had.

My family room is divided into two main areas...the

 Sitting area and the Sitting/Drinking area. haha

Ok, its also called our Pub.  The above shot is looking

onto the Sitting Area.

This is the new arrangement I made.  It cost me nada! 

I simply used components of leftover arrangements, etc.

While it may appear Fall-ish in theme and color, keep

in  mind that this room is designed in reds, golds, browns

and greens - Fall colors.

Here is a close-up of the mantle with a pair of my

beloved Stafforshire Dogs.  Kinda strange I love

these dogs since I am a cat person.  So, to keep my furry

 feline babies from getting too jealous, I have these....

Cat plates!  I know many of you have seen these before,

 but thought I would show them anymore for my new followers/friends.  They are surrounded with some of my

favorite artwork.

The vignette above features a Russian liquor box, old

tobacco tins, and decorative decanters.

...and speaking of decanters...

My husband has been collecting crystal decanters for years.

Yes, that's more feathers you see in the arrangement here.

Here is a view of the Pub area...

Here is another view of the Pub Area which I designed.

Another view of the Sitting Area...

Thanks for letting me blog with you to pass my time.

We are headed to Atlanta. Tomorrow is the day!!!! 

Please keep me in your thoughts and send positive

energy my way.

With Love...Barb