So with the end of summer nearing, (and since these pics have been on my laptop since March) I figured I would share this summery looking post…

What Is It?

Well…I think it should be this:

I have had this for about a year now, and I think its a glorious addition to TTC.

I know you’re just chomping at the bit to hear the story. Do I even need to tell you where it takes place? Ok, I will, Homegoods, of course! It was at the very end of an unsuccessful trip. I saw this raggedy bag rolled up on the bottom shelf with some beautiful, WHITE beach pebbles peeking out. So, naturally, I had to investigate. I hefted that 25 pound bag onto the floor and unrolled the thing. The most beautiful, magical carpet of sorts was in front of my eyes, and I just knew it was coming home with me, I just didn’t know what to do with it, but for $30.00 I knew I could come up with something 🙂

I think maybe it could be a table runner? Later down the road, I plan on using it for just that, but for now, it fits p-e-r-f-e-c-t-l-y on the entertainment unit/bookshelf. Can’t you just imagine it on an old, rustic farmhouse table in the summer?

Original Image: Tria Giovan for Cottage Living

Its hard to see, but I did a little photoshop magic…blends right in!! Have you found anything interesting and made up a new use for it?

So, I hate on blogs, when people say, “I’ll add pics soon…” but they never do, so, to adhere to my own rules, I unfortunately must make this update…the “Hmmm” post, with the lights and the spray paint will never be a project on TTC…of course, I had planned to remove the light and spraypaint them black, but they are somehow permanently attached to the ceiling, and are impossible to move without potentially damaging the fixture and ceiling. I was/am SUPER disappointed, because they look kind of nautical, and I was really, really hoping that I could give them a new look, but it was not meant to be…

In other news, I have had a SUPER busy couple of weeks, like 12+ hours of work everyday, so things have been kind of slow around here…and I will be on vacation very soon, so I will try to do some mini-posts this week and give you some good reading before I go!

❤ Sarah

Stay Tuned…

Well, I know you have all been waiting for this post!!!! Believe me, so have I! I will start at the beginning, here are the befores:

Ewwwww, you can see how awful looking they are! You can see allllll of our stuff. Not.Pretty. This has been a problem for the last year, but we weren’t sure if we should invest a lot, since we’re only renting, But when Hunky J and I renewed the lease for another year, this was the FIRST thing on our “to do” list! Here are is the after!!!

Here is quick half and half below! What do you think?? Love it? Hate it?

It took a little bit longer than we anticipated, but thats because we were so excited, we didn’t have all of our supplies (and we had to buy some better hinges), but here are some during photos!

First, we measured our bookcase. Luckily for us, the openings were 2’x 4′, so the standard sized panels from Home depot were perfect without cutting! Next, we decided on a moulding that “wood” blend in with the rest of the existing trim in the apartment. Hunky J is very quick with numbers, so he speedily figured out the lengths we would need, based on the offset distance we chose (4″ away from the edges, which would allow enough space for our handle and hinges). We used the cutting station on-site to mitre-cut all of the moulding, bought some liquid nails (so we didn’t have to buy a nail gun and nails…not yet anyway), and got some hinges, and headed home.

***Hinges: We spent a loooooong time looking for something that would be appropriate for what we wanted. This was actually the longest step, and the main reason it took us a little longer to complete the project. Home Depot had some decorative hinges that were not going to work, because we needed a hidden hinge that would not be seen when the doors were closed. We ended up leaving the store with some standard ones that we though may be good, but once we got home, realized that they would be too close to the edge, and not offer enough support. What we really needed were hinges that were short on the side that would be attached to the existing 1″ wood border, and a longer piece that would attach to the door and add stability. Our local hardware store had just what we needed, so we got them.

Our wood was so thin and lightweight on purpose so that we didn’t damage the existing wood with added weight, however, this made it obvious that once the screws went in, they were going to stick out of the front and look silly, so we got some cap nuts to cover them up. And we spray painted them black to match the handles, which you can see evidence of in this photo:

Ok, so anyway, we got home and attached the moulding with liquid nails.

Then taped it down and left it overnight to dry…

Don’t worry, there is a paper drop cloth underneath and we had the windows open for ventilation 🙂

So here they are again…

So there has been some bumps in the road with our building project I promised you by this weekend. By not to worry! I will post tomorrow! But here is the other post I promised…

I really love lanterns, but it’s hard to have too many, especially because Treetop Cottage is so small. So, for now, I have limited myself to three. But we’ll see what happens 🙂 Here they are!

The first one is a Dietz, and I found it glassless in my grandmother’s basement (which is where lots of my good finds come from!) The second one was a little Homegoods gem I found. It has a little electric flickering candle inside that I have yet to try out, even though I have had it for about a year. The last one is a common Ikea indulgence. You know how it is, you go in for one thing, and you end up with ten…oh well, I think she likes her new home!

Hello! I have had these pictures on my camera for a while now, and they have just been begging me to post them, so here they are! Our beautiful Summer Mantle!

 Meet Piper! He is our summer mascot! He enjoys sunsets, seashells, and of course, long walks on the beach 🙂

I hope it was everything you were expecting! Hunky J and I have been working on a fun project this weekend, which should be completed soon, so I should be able to post it by the end of the week, but don’t worry, I have some another summer post coming up in the meantime!

Happy Sunday!

Hello! I know, it has been a long time, but I have been gathering material to share 🙂 So first, I am going to do a post about another house that I am totally in love with. I know, I know, you thought I was obsessed with that little gem with the window boxes, well I am, but I love this one too, for an entirely different reason.

Hunky J grew up in this beauty! His grandparents owned this house, and his mom grew up here too. It has 5 bedrooms and lots of charm 🙂 When it got too much to take care of, his parents sold it, but the new owner never re-did it, so now it sits…and waits…for us to buy it! It looks a little run down, but its been vacant for 10+ years. Hunky J’s parents even got married here, it’s so picturesque. Just look at the grounds!

Isn’t it paradise?! Now I have to add some of us so you know I’m not kidding 🙂

And now the rest of the tour!

Happy Spring! So….because it is the season for “Spring Cleaning” and all of that good stuff, I have decided to apply that to my spring mantle! I am not totally in love with it, but I have been spending WAAAAAY too much money on other things lately, so I had to go with the things I already had (side note: part of my spending is due to the fact that I binged out on summertime goodies, so hopefully that mantle will be better!) anyway, I thought I would post some of my free springtime art!

So there she is in all of her glory! I tried to keep it simpler than I have before, but I just can’t bear to remove the sign my brother gave me-although it’s not too springy, is it? Well, summer will be here before you know it! Back to the topic-free art!! So I have seen similar things like this on other blogs, so I decided to make my own. Here it is up close!

It was pretty easy to make. I just used my trusty Photoshop for the job. I made the image size 5 X 7, then Hunky J and I came up with words that make us think of spring! I tried out a couple of different fonts, but tried to keep it to 5, so it would look consistent. It was so much fun, I think I might make one for every season!

I had a little bit of space left over, so I snuck in a little green friend! To create his shadow,and his coordinating friends below, I did an image search of bird silhouettes. Once I found ones that I liked, I brought them into Photoshop and changed them to a sunny green. Before I printed them, I made a light grey outline around the perimeter of my document, so that when I printed them out on regular sized paper , I would have a 5 x 7 guide. And there you have it!