Karen, Author at The Weekend Country Girl

bathroom, Building a Home, Country Style, new home

Home Tours and Trends

July 26, 2023July 26, 2023 Karen

Our area is growing! In fact the adjacent county is currently one of the fastest growing in the nation.

We live on the western side of that small county I’m pointing at in the Texas triangle.

Land that was formerly ranch land is turning into neighborhoods and the families moving to this area seem to be used to paying significantly more for their homes and property than I am and it seems that they aren’t shocked at paying eighty thousand an acre for unimproved land on a paved road with connections to electricity, water and sewer. The lots in the neighborhood The Social Planner and I visited are one to three acres each.

I blew up a section so you could see the lots. Every one one, two or three acres. The top section are 3/4 acre lots.

Recently they put up signs that they had model homes open so of course we had to check them out. There are six homes to view but only five were open. They were all built by different home builders approved by the neighborhood and all of them were beautiful. It was a treat to visit them.

I loved the opportunity to see them side by side and it gave me a chance to see what trends they had in common and some unique rooms. Every home was over three thousand square feet so there is room for all the bells and whistles.

Here are some common trends:

1. Four of the homes had some sort of guest house, efficiency apartment, or mother in law suite. One of the realtors there said that is something that she is asked about a lot. We are seeing more of a multi generational homes due to kids living at home longer and elderly parents moving in with their kids.

I didn’t get lots of shots of the extra spaces because most of them were where the office for the builders were located but did get a few shots. My favorite is the totally separate guest house that was about a thousand square feet.

2. Less of an open concept home is on the rise.

There were more separate rooms in the homes. I have to wonder if all togetherness during the pandemic and more working from home is changing the wide-open, see-everything/all the stuff from the front door trend or if it’s that we have different generations living together and everyone needs a place to escape. There were separate smaller rooms in every home, craft rooms, offices, old fashioned parlors, media rooms, and a bar. When we moved into our house we actually added a wall so I could have a mudroom to stop the clutter. We use it so much we added another bench outside for the really dirty stuff.

3. Pets are starting to be considered in home design more.

Two homes had a whole room just for pets. Another home added pet space to the laundry room.

4. Kitchens open are still a thing but “back kitchens or butler’s pantry’s are solving the clutter problem.

Every home had open kitchens connected to the main room and open but they all had hidden spaces. Those air fryers, crock pots, blenders, charcuterie boards, mixers etc. need a place to hang out that’s out of site.

The kitchens were beautiful but wide open.

5. Master bathrooms are fancy. Really fancy!

It seems like master bathrooms are becoming more and more a retreat. Huge showers, stand alone tubs, lots of cabinets and luxury.

What are you noticing about new homes? It is fun to see what is new and different even if it isn’t always something I would personally want. I loved having the opportunity to to see inside these beautiful places.

Thanks for coming along with us on our trip.

Blessings,

Karen

Behr Paint with Primer, Building a Home, Coldspring, Painted Furniture, painting, Repurposed Furniture, Rubbish Rescue, vintage style

Covering the Breaker Box in the Guest House

June 5, 2023June 5, 2023 Karen

I love our guest house. It is more of retreat for me than a guest house actually. I paint, read, and nap out there.

It is my favorite spot on our property.

I am generally happy with how the place looks and is decorated, and I love the exterior, the windows, the wood floors and the bathroom but there has been a spot that has bugged me since the sheetrock went up.

The breaker box stuck out from the wall and even worse it is slightly crooked. I made a really bad choice with the contractor I selected. While we were out of town he allowed an inexperienced crew to sheetrock and it was terrible. The contractor did not stand by his work and abandoned the job shortly after. Fixing the breaker box would require ripping out sheetrock and framing work and I’m just not willing to go through that yet.

For a year I’ve lived with the crooked ugly box but I kept looking at some cabinet doors in the shop and an idea formed.

I disliked the breaker box so much that this is the only photo I could find of it!

This past March we went to pick up furniture and I picked up some cabinet doors and hardware. The cabinet doors were literally about to go on a burn pile. The pile was already burning and they were stacked up ready to take over once we left. I took them home with me when they were offered.

My husband built a box to hang the cabinet doors from out of 1X 4 pine. He clamped, glued, and screwed it together then let it dry. After it was dry he attached metal corner reinforcement to the box.

I knew I wanted something that didn’t protrude very far into the room so a shallow ( 4 inch deep) cabinet that covered the box and had easy access to the breaker box was the answer.

He attached the box to the wall with angle brackets into the studs then used the hinges that were already

The cabinet door is plumb (vertically level) just to give you an indication of how crooked the breaker box is.

Once to the doors were installed I painted the box and interior the color of the walls, Behr Helium.

I painted the doors the color of the v groove wall, Behr Ocean Boulevard. I feel like at this point I need to remind some people that A: I don’t paint over all wood. There is a ton of stained wood in the guest house. B: These doors are not antique even though they are solid wood. C: The doors were headed for a burn pile. Surely painting them is better than destroying them.

Ocean Boulevard on the wall behind the kitchen cabinets.

The door color was a little more intense than I wanted so I whitewashed and distressed the carving and detail on the doors. I am pretty pleased with how it turned out.

I am so happy to not have to look at the breaker box anymore!

I hope you have a great day!

Thanks for following us as we continue to work on our home.

Coldspring, DIY Projects, JJ Lane, recycled furniture, Thrifty decorating

Recycled Materials Coffee Table

May 24, 2023May 24, 2023 Karen

Years ago at our deer camp we found three short hairpin legs in a burn pile. We searched but it seemed there were only three there. Of course I brought them home. I kept thinking I would think of something to do with them. Last year my husband was grading the area that had been the burn pile and found the fourth leg! I will always wonder what the original table looked like but it is clear they came from something mid century.

Recently we cleaned the shop and I ran across them along with some other items and this time I knew what to do with them. I have wanted a coffee table for our front porch.

We have such a nice porch and having a place to put my coffee on and probably my feet too if I’m being honest.

The challenge I set for myself was to use as many items as possible out of my shop to make the table and buy as little as possible.

Ten years ago we made an extra countertop and cabinet for a home my son and his wife were living in. We had planned to make a tile top but at the last minute friend gave me some leftover butcher block that we used instead. We had already made the top out of cement board and plywood with wood trim. Of course I saved that too. I have a problem with saving stuff it seems.

I saw that the cement board piece would make a perfect coffee table top.

I also had leftover white subway tile from our guest house bathroom and another project along with tile adhesive and grout. Some are matte finish and some glossy. We used both randomly.

We were home for a day so my husband and I got everything out, spray painted the legs with rust restorer and spray paint.

I started laying out the tile and could tell it wouldn’t be easy to make the tile look symmetrical. I brought out the big guy (I don’t call him Mr. Math for no reason) to figure it out and even he said it would look funny with the tile I had but he also had a solution.

I had another bowl full of small thin marble tile in the shop that was leftover from our kitchen backsplash. When we laid it all out together it fit perfectly. The marble is slightly thicker than the subway tile but because it is all around the outside edges it works fine.

I thought I was being so smart numbering all the tile with a sharpie after I cut them and laid them out but I learned an important lesson. The Sharpie stained the marble and nothing would get it clean. Even straight acetone so I had to pop all of them up and reapply each tile around the outer edge. The sharpie trick works great on glazed tile, just not natural stone. Lesson learned.

Mr. Math cut a base to go under the tile top to attach the legs to with screws then ground off he part of the screw that came ther the plywood.

He used construction adhesive and screws to connect the two parts. I have no idea why I only took a picture of the legs on top of the tile!

It turned out so cute. I added a plant, an atomic ashtray we found under our rental property when we were working on it, and faux lemons that can’t stay because all my dog sees when she looks that direction is something to chew up. I do have a candle I light when I’m out there without dogs though.

I am crazy about how it turned out and am outside now enjoying the hummingbird war at the feeder with my feet up right now.

While the view is so pretty from our front porch this is closer to reality for me any time I try to sneak out alone.

This was a two afternoon project that cleared out some of my junk and cost close to nothing. Woo hoo!

Happy junking friends,

Karen

Coldspring, Nature, Providence Acres

Making a Trellis

May 5, 2023 Karen

In November we took a trip to Crockett, Texas and stopped in a cute shop in Trinity that we we drove by called The Way You Live.

Check them out on Facebook if you get a chance. They have the cutest outdoor patio in the back with some great outdoor furniture and decor. One thing The Social Planner and I both liked was a trellis made from 4 x 4 posts and pipe.

I decided to give The Social Planner a trellis like it for Christmas. Things happen, we had a new grandson, it was a cold wet winter here…life happens but we finally got not only one but two of the trellises built.

Not great but these are photos of the inspiration pieces.

This isn’t an inexpensive trellis. Plan on spending about $125 for one when you factor in the posts, galvanized pipe, and end caps. We used 2 eight foot treated 4X4 posts, 4 three foot galvanized 3/4 inch pipes, and 8 end caps for each trellis.

We are lucky enough to have a drill press and it made the job much easier. My husband has a paddle bit which makes a hole to fit the pipe exactly.

Use a level to make sure you are drilling the holes exactly vertical.

We spaced the holes 36 inches from the bottom, then every 14 inches from the there.

The husbands used post hole diggers to dig the holes 28 inches apart then threaded the pipe through the holes and screwed on the caps.

Once the vines grow it is going to be amazing!

Style, Thrifting, traveling

How Red Wing Dishes Made Me Famous

December 27, 2022 Karen

Hello friends! It has been a while since I posted because life got in the way but I am back.

I am not quite, but almost, but not really famous now. Let’s call it famous adjacent. Of course famous is an overstatement but it is probably as close as I will be and here is why:

If you have been with me very long you know that my buddy, The Social Planner (TSP), and I love to explore new places and shop in resale, thrift, antique stores. We took a quick trip to Crockett, Texas one Thursday. I love that we can just take off shopping now that we are retired.

The Social Planner and I in front of he new Crockett mural.

Crockett is awesome, visit if you get a chance. While we were shopping I saw these beautiful vintage Red Wing dishes and immediately thought of one of the people I follow on social media Sara @SimplySouthernCottage. They were mid century, pink, had flowers and butterflies, and were American made.

She is making a difference along with others in her community of Minden, Louisiana. (If you watched the most recent Hometown Takeover on HGTV Minden was one of the cites and she was one of those people working to make her town awesome.)

Sara (Simply Southern Cottage) has her own very inspirational story to tell and I hope you check her out of Facebook, Instagram, or her Blog. I love, love, love her sense of whimsy and how bold her color choices are. Annnywayyy back to my story. Sorry for the digression.

In the thrift store I took a picture of the dishes and thought I sent Sara a message with the photo of the dishes. The message didn’t go through until much later- like not until we were driving home. Sara contacted me later that day to ask if I knew the name of the store because she would like to see if they could be shipped. By then I had TOTALLY forgotten where I saw the dishes so I hustled over to The Social Planner’s house to ask for memory assistance. She couldn’t remember either. (Crockett has lots of cool shops to our defense and we saw lots of things we thought about buying.) Immediately she said let’s go back and get them for her. She even figured out how to rope in our husbands. It involved lunch and a brewery.

I contacted Sara, told her I would go buy them and drop them off in Minden on an upcoming trip to North Carolina. Sara was sweet about us going and told us not to worry if we couldn’t go back but we are always up for a challenge.

The Social Planner, our two husbands, and I headed back to Crockett and started searching for the correct shop. I thought it was one place, but it wasn’t the right one, TSP thought it was another but it wasn’t there either. I did learn something though. You can look at your iPhone photo properties ( just swipe up on your photo) to see the location the picture was taken. Using that after searching a good hour we found them! They were sitting in the exact spot just waiting for us to come back. I think I was a little too excited to find them because the price went up. We negotiated and still got a great deal on the dishes.

The husbands were fine with the shopping trip because they got to eat at an award winning bar b q restaurant and a brewery on the way home. We do love a road trip.

When we headed to North Carolina the weather was terrible and traffic was super slow. We arrived in Minden an hour later than planned so instead of a leisurely lunch at Geaux Fresh with Sara we met up, introduced ourselves, took photos, and handed off the dishes. Sara had food bank food delivery duty. She is that kind of person.

We did eat at Geaux Fresh which was one of the spots featured on HGTV and loved it. We shopped at Paris Design Company. It is a cool shop that sells items from local artists, drove by The Villas, then headed on our way. Sara is so busy I honestly thought that was the last I would hear from her.

Sara let me know a few weeks ago that she used the dishes in a photo shoot for Cottage and Bungalows Magazine and that they would be used in one of her Villas. She is renovating a set of 1930’s Spanish style apartments called The Villas that have been abandoned for more than 20 years. They look a-m-a-z-i-n-g. The colors, mix of patterns, and preservation of the historic charm are unique to her style. The Villas are being featured in Cottages and Bungalows and guess what? Sara told them the dishes story and let me know that they wrote a side note telling about a follower who brought her dishes in an upcoming magazine. I feel like an extra in a movie. Only my friends will know that I am her follower but it is still fun. Check out Cottages and Bungalows February/ March issue. It is out now.

Photo from Cottages and Bungalows magazine. The dishes are circled in the photo.

I am now a follower in Texas. Photo from Cottages and Bungalows Magazine, February/March 2023

Minden right off Interstate 20 not far from Shreveport. It is a great little town and her short term rentals, including The Villas soon are located at Minden Stays.

I will be signing autographs soon!

Christmas, Coldspring, Country living, Country Style, Decorating, Dining Table, painting, Texas

Using Dollar Tree Peel and Stick Tiles to Make Christmas Trees

December 10, 2022 Karen

I saw on Pinterest lots of examples of making trees out of wood and Dollar Tree faux tin tiles and thought I would give it a try.

I plan on my trees going on our deck table so they are sturdier than a lot I saw. The need to hold up with wind and rain. The triangles are cut out of leftover pieces of wood from our stash. I made sure they would fit the tile.

After the wood was cut, I traced the shapes off on the tiles and cut them out with scissors. Several sites talked about using hot glue but my things get stored in a super hot space. Hot glue doesn’t hold up so contact cement was the best choice.

Everything got a coat of Kilz Gripper Primer. It is made to stick to slick surfaces.

I used the same paint I used on my mural to paint the trees then dry brushed the high spots with black and white paint. Literally you dip just the tips into the paint then take off most of the paint before lightly dragging it across the surface.

I cut some small blocks for the tree trunks and Mr. Math cut the bases. He then screwed them on. If you are doing something like this for indoor E6000 glue would work fine. We always overdo.

I really like how they turned out.

It is really warm here now and we are spending a lot of time outside so we get to enjoy the trees.

I hope your weekend is great.

Blessings,

Karen

Coldspring, Fun with friends, recycled furniture, Repurposed Furniture, ship lap

An Unexpected Visit

September 8, 2022September 9, 2022 Karen

A funny thing happened on the way to the antique store this week.

The Social Planner, her sweet husband, Mr. Math, and I took a quick trip to a town I am falling in love with, Crockett, Texas. The town has some of the most beautiful old homes, a walkable downtown, and great food. It also has some really nice shops, resale, and antique stores.

The Social Planner hanging out with me in Crockett.

This was The Social Planner and my second visit in less than a week. I found something that I just had to go back for on our first trip and luckily it was still there when we wrangled the guys into going back and they were troopers. We found several more shops on Goliad Street that we hadn’t visited before and met the nicest people.

The unexpected visit on the trip started when we, four grandparents who looked like exactly what we are, walked out of an antique store to the roar of a chopper pulling out of the garage next door. It was beautiful. It looked like something off television and the rider could have been an actor from easy rider. As we stared at the chopper pulling away a sweet young lady walked out of the garage to tell us hello. She was so welcoming and pleasant we stayed to visit.

Robin and Ronnie own Filthy Gringos. They make custom parts, build custom bikes, laser cut designs in metal, and ship a lot of it to other places. They moved from Houston to this small town because they wanted a simpler life and lower cost of doing business and it didn’t really matter where they are located. I learned they bought the building two years ago that was literally falling down, rebuilt it, and got permission from the city to convert part of the building into living space. We visited long enough that we got to meet their son Oden and see the awesome home they are in the process of creating/finishing. As soon as I saw the space I knew they were my people. Reuse, redesign, reimagine. The building was originally a cotton gin and has 16 inch thick walls, at one time had a huge skylight, and still has the vault for keeping records and money when cotton was bought and sold. They retained as much of the original items as they could.

Welcome to their space: I am so sad I didn’t take more pictures. The entrance to the home is a wide barn door that was original to the building but I was so shocked she invited us in I didn’t get a picture. It takes a lot of courage to let a stranger come into your home with no warning and allow them to take pictures of the home.

There is so much cool and unique stuff there,

The kitchen area. That vintage sink is cool.

You can see some of the reused materials here.

There are no walls in the interior space. Rooms are divided with these repurposed bookcases from the high school which was torn down.

The bathroom was my very favorite. They literally turned the vault into the bathroom.

Ronnie did come back on the chopper while we were inside the home part of the shop and had a good visit with the guys.

Never pass up the opportunity to meet new folks. We got to see a super cool space and learn new things. if you get the chance, visit Crockett, Texas.

Blessings,

Karen

Coldspring, Country living, painting, Texas

A Giant Mural on the Cheap

August 20, 2022August 20, 2022 Karen

Operation Courtyard Part 2

Since we converted an existing building into a guest house we didn’t have a choice about the location. The former greenhouse was never expected to be front and center. It was designed for utility, not beauty.

Once we turned her into a super cute cottage with a sweet little front porch complete with swing, I could see we needed to improve the view.

First I addressed to blank wall that anyone sitting on the swing is looking at with a barn quilt. You can read about the quilt here.

And that helped but the biggest issues were the two metal buildings that set the boundaries for what I think of as the front yard for Sand Creek Cottage.

They weren’t giving me the cozy cottage vibe. They were eyesores that needed to be addressed. So I pulled out the secret weapon, paint.

First thing Mr. Math power washed them both to get the surfaces ready for paint. Both buildings had been painted before and I was fairly sure the smaller building we use as a tool shed had been spray painted, so it got primed first then painted with leftover trim paint we used on the cottage and our house. It is Behr Dove.

Mr. Math cut out a circle from a leftover Hardie panel scrap for me and I turned it into a sign using the main color of the cottage (Behr True Taupewood), barn quilt paint (they were mistint samples) and some black exterior paint I bout for $9.00 at Home Depot. You can read about Operation Courtyard Part 1 here.

The little building looked so much better and I could see the potential for the bigger wall but I didn’t want a solid color, I wanted something that would help us forget that the shop was blocking the view. I immediately thought of a mural. I fell in love with giant wall art in Laurel Mississippi. But they are everywhere now.

I knew I wanted something nature inspired, with no words so I started looking online for ideas.

I found this peel and stick mural that I used for inspiration.

I liked the trees, and the way the colors went from dark at the bottom to light at the top. I wanted my “forest” to look more like our pine trees and I always have enjoyed watching the way the planted trees grow back after timber is cut from a property. The first few years the property looks terrible then all of a sudden the trees start shooting up and you can see that the forest of trees as you drive by. It seems so hopeful.

I picked up the paint for the wall at Lowe’s and Home Depot in their oops section and a gallon of Forest Green from our local ReStore for $16.00. All together I used one gallon of the upper lighter color, one quart of an olive-ish color, and the black paint. The total for the paint came to $47.00. I used the lighter color straight from the can to paint the upper half of the wall with a paint sprayer- Mr. Math had to teach me how to spray large areas.

Lightest color One gallon of exterior paint from Lowe’s.

The bottom are just shades of the forest green. One gallon was plenty.

The top level of trees was one part olive paint and three parts the light color. The next level of trees was one part forest green and two parts of the light color. The third level of trees and the bottom third of the wall was straight forest green. Finally the darkest color is three parts forest green and on part black.

I considered drawing the picture off then projecting it on the wall but honestly that just isn’t me. Trees are imperfect and I decided to just roll with it. I just took off with a paint brush and just hoped for the best. It is only paint. If I hated it, I could always paint over it. I did have to keep telling myself that a lot. Our unofficial motto is “We don’t do easy at our house” and this project was no exception it was over 100 degrees every day I worked on it so it was 6:00 in the morning until 7:30 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. until it was too dark to see.

Mr. Math suggested I add in some lighter spots to look like light coming through the trees. It was a great suggestion.

I am pretty pleased with how it turned out.

Thank you for following along with our journey.

Blessings,

Karen

Behr Paint with Primer, Coldspring, curb appeal, Texas

Operation Courtyard (Part 1)

August 20, 2022August 20, 2022 Karen

Our cottage is so stinkin’ cute.

She is a beauty. I am happy with everything about the house except one area. The area is in front of the house and…well…that space is another story. When I sit in the rocker and face south this is what I see:

It is a beautiful view even in this dry season.

When I sit on the swing which faces north, this is my view.

It was way worse until we got it cleaned up. I think of that space as a courtyard for the cottage but it was a catch-all space for years.

In case you are wondering yes those are train cars that are pulled behind a lawnmower. Mr. Math has the whole outfit to go along with it.

We live on a property that has been lived on for a long time by people who reuse everything and spend money as a last resort. They are my people!

I wonder how long ago this wheel was attached to the tree to hold water hoses? We are still using it and unless the tree dies it will still be there when we move on years from now.

The tool shed that is front and center in the space is a perfect example of the ingenuity of those who made our property so great. The shed is made from recycled heavy corrugated metal sheets tack welded together. It has some rusted panels and was painted silver at one point. It is not something that we can just replace parts on because it is basically all one piece. It holds things like chemicals and fuel we wouldn’t want in our shops so we need it. It would be a pain to move it so our options are limited.

The wall of the garages isn’t much better. It was owner built, added on to, windows were removed, there is mold along the bottom, and electrical was changed along the way. It isn’t something you want to look at all the time.

Because I think everything looks better painted, the first thing I knocked out was a cleaning and paint job on the garden shed. Primer first of course.

Even the primer coat looks better than the rusty metal.

I painted the shed the same color as the trim of the cottage, Behr Dove. as soon as it was painted I tackled a sign for the building. Mr. Math who is a wizard with concrete board cut out a circle from left over concrete backer board. I started looking at forest/country/tree quotes. When I found this one it fit perfectly. My whole life I lived literally a fourth of a mile from I-10 in a city where I could walk to a shopping center. I never thought I would enjoy much less find the peace I have found here in the trees.

I decided to hand letter and paint the sign because I wanted a folksy look. You can’t take a painting hung on a tool shed too seriously.

Mr. Math also added an old window to the back side that was sitting in my shop after giving it two coats of polyurethane.

It looks so much better painted. Total cost for the shed was a few dollars in bolts to connect the sign and window. Everything else was left over from building the cottage or other projects.

I still have a lot to do but I am excited about my plans.

I am going to have to look for some plants and nice planters. This was so I could see how it could look.

Thank you for following along on our journey.

We love to hear from you,

Karen

Building a Home, Coldspring, collecting, Country living, Country Style, vintage style

Using Pinterest and Google Inspiration Boards

June 27, 2022June 27, 2022 Karen

When you have been planning a project for 8 years you tend to collect a lot of stuff and ideas.

I have had a Guest Shed Pinterest board going a long time (7 years) and if you look at it, you will see that my ideas for the house changed dramatically over time. I love Pinterest. In 2017 I wrote a blog post with my plans for the cottage. A lot has changed because reality set in. At first I thought we would go with a total mid century vibe when I thought the roofline of the building would stay the same, the bathroom would be at the back, and the wood burning stove would stay. It felt low slung and sort of 50’s mid century modern look.

After deciding that we would raise the roof (it was less than 8 feet in about a third of the house so wouldn’t count as square footage on an appraisal) I really took a look at what I wanted, what I gravitate towards, and what items are special to me. When you have years you can finally come to he point where you really are honest with yourself. My husband did an awesome job designing the new roof joist structure so that the electrical for the can lights and ceiling fan run through the collar ties connecting the beams at the top of the ceiling. He had a total vision for what it would look like. I did not.

I realized as I looked though my stash of things collected that I had a lot of sentimental vintage items, antique furniture, and more of a time worn vintage look. Most of my collected things have a story.

I returned to my Pinterest board, and started collecting pictures from pins on Google Sheets. Google Sheets work a lot like PowerPoint but it is free to anyone who has a Google account and they are so easy to share with people who can work on them with you in real time.

The results were that even though our house doesn’t look exactly like the inspiration pages, it has the same feel. I did not link the photos or give credit to the creators but the original information is probably on my Pinterest page if you are interested in something you see.

I added notes to remind myself what I was shooting for but I shared this one with a friend so there is more detail.

I still love my sweet little kitchenette.

I really had to look to see the beauty in this tub but it turned out great!

The vanity turned out better than I hoped. The vintage sink I thought I wanted would have been too small to be useful.

This is the paint I chose and the wall where the kitchen and front door are located in glorious v groove wood salvaged from a home remodel and given to us. I love the look.

I did end up painting the cabinet red and did not use the sewing cabinet in the cottage.

As I look back at my notes I see that even though there were changes as we moved forward with the build from these inspiration boards the cottage still has the look I was going for. It feels like going back to my great grandma’s house but with air conditioning!

Thank you for following along on our journey.

We love hearing from you.

Blessings,

Karen