Dream Home- Interior

The other day I showed you what I was looking at exterior wise in this post.  Honestly, the space on the outside is somewhat more important to me even though I know the best stuff is on the inside.  I can work with a less than pretty interior.  An exterior usually requires more than just painting the sides and doors.  Still, there are a few features I would be thrilled if our new home had them.

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Allow me to be perfectly honest with you.  If I find a home with floors like this, we are buying it.  I don't care if I can see the sky through the roof, herringbone floors like these can make me call that a skylight.

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Of course, I am realistic and will settle for any old original wood flooring like these.  We have wood downstairs and carpet upstairs now and my goal is to never have any carpet ever again. (Those walls are pretty awesome too!)

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Now this is something that I am sure that my Mr and my friends who care about this sort of thing are tired of me talking about: this layout.  This is one of the main reasons I want a bungalow.  Two small windows over 2 low built ins with a fireplace in the middle.  This is my favorite living room layout.  Let me be sure you know.  I WANT this.  And, bungalows usually have it.  It is perfect. 

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 I also like the substantiality of this fireplace.  I wouldn't mind a painted brick one either,

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 I love Kate Spade's kitchen.  Or her former kitchen if she redecorated it.  It is perfect.  I would really love to have a classic checkered floor.  So many times they can look retro and that isn't the look I am after.  This has just the right balance.

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 It is just perfect!

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This kitchen is pretty incredible too.  I love the absence of upper cabinets and those windows.  I love black windows!

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 I may be burned at the stake for saying it, but I am not a big fan of islands and peninsulas.  I really only like islands if they aren't built in.   I love galley kitchens like this and u-shaped kitchens that have an area for a kitchen table.  And, if you have figured it out already, I love white cabinets.

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 Ahhh, enamel appliances.  I would love to have some.  I think I would give up a dishwasher if I could have a stove and fridge like these.  Either in white or the green.

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 I love built-ins.  Love them.  I would be super excited to find a home with a butler's pantry.

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I love the look of a banquette.  Even if there isn't a space for a table in the kitchen, it would be nice to have a little corner like this.

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 I want a bath that has great original tile.  I want this sink.  I want less toilets to clean and no shower stalls. My ideal house has no more than 2 bathrooms.  Ideally, 1.5. And fewer sinks.

Dreaming is fun, huh?  I think the most important thing that the interior of our new home has is quirks and character.  I want molding that has patina or looks like it has been painted 5 times over the years.  I want light switches that click like my grandma's did when you flipped them.  I want a room that you don't know if it was a bedroom or a dining room or what.  Something that makes me come up with creative solutions to make work.  I will give up things like walk in closets and floors that don't squeak and siding that is easy to upkeep.

In the midst of moving out of the shoppe and getting this house ready, I am planning a 5th birthday party.  5th.  How did my baby hughes become a skinny little boy?

more soon~

Dream Home- Exterior

The most exciting thing about moving is finding a place that you love that fits your family.  Now, we really don't know where we are going, but we have been doing some internet drivebys of some homes in our favorite places.  We like what our house here as become, but we really want something older this time.  Here are some images from my pinterest boards Dream Home and Rooms I Love.

My dream home is a bit smaller than some... in fact, it is smaller than what we have now.  I said it.  I want a smaller home. Not that we live in a mansion.  I want less to clean.  No one really needs 3 toilets and a double vanity in their bath.  At least, not our family.  I want a house that works better, layout wise and doesn't have as much wasted space.

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Everything about a bungalow appeals to me.  I love the small, compact shape and the front porches.  I love the simple details and the built ins they normally have.  I am not a fan of some Craftsman details like Stickly Furniture or lots of oak for myself, but I do love bungalows.

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I also love classic Four Squares and farmhouses too with white wooden siding and black shutters.  It is all about proportion to me.  

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And, I also adore little weathered cedar shingled cottages.  We don't see many around here.  

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We are only looking at traditional type homes.  We would also love to find an old schoolhouse or church to convert into a great place to live. 

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 As for exterior colors, I am pretty classic.  I like white and I like grey for siding colors.  It leaves you the possibility to change your front door's color on a whim.  My little guy loves yellow. 

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And, I love green.   I do think I would love to change the color back and forth though.

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 A front porch is pretty necessary for me because I love potted plants and hanging ferns.  And, sitting outside and reading or knitting or stitching.  Or margariting. (that is drinking margaritas)

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Plus, I want a front porch that has a ceiling I can paint (ours now is vinyl and that isn't so easy) And, it will be haint blue.

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I really want a home that has some beautiful trees all around... my yard, my neighbor's yard, all down the street. I hear raking is a good workout.

Okay, I will be back soon to show you the details I would love the interior to have.



Some of the pins I repinned didn't link back correctly, so if the image is yours or you know where it came from, please let me know and I will edit it so it links correctly.

Last Weekend

This photo was shot on the opening day of our little local shoppe in Spring Hill.  This past weekend, we had our last sale at this location.  We were totally blessed by our customers.  So many came out to see us and visit and some took home some treasures with them.  We had a great time this weekend.  Almost everything was sold and what didn't sell will easily fit into my booth at Winchester Antiques.  I have had a lot of questions, comments, and emails over the past week or so, so I thought I would paraphrase the most asked questions here and answer them.

Why are you going out of business?  Did you lose money?

First, we aren't going out of business.  I still have my booth at Winchester in Franklin and will continue to have it as long as I am in comfortable driving distance to maintain it.  We never lost money at the shoppe.  We had great months and good months thanks to our wonderful customers and clients.  We closed the shoppe because we are planning on relocating from Spring Hill in the next year and we needed to get the ball rolling on paring stuff down for a move.  I still plan on custom painting from the house once I get the garage ready for that again and after my little man's birthday next month.  I like focus on one big thing at a time.

Will you open another store where you move?

So many factors go into that decision.  I would love to say yes, but I really don't know where we will be or what our lives will look like.  I will most likely always have a booth of some sort and I will still sell on etsy and wholesale my handmades.  That being said, we are looking for a place with a great local vibe.  A place that supports small business and enjoys quirky little shoppes. 

Why are you moving?

Why not?  We both enjoy change (the Mr and I, the boy, not so much) We have been wanting to move for awhile... see here.  Time got away from us and we realized that baby hughes isn't so much of a baby (I know, right?!?) and that he will be starting school in 2014.  So, when you factor in that we have to get our home market ready, sell it, find a place to live, and actually move, we should have started all this a few months ago.  We were talking the other day and realized that we will only really miss the people here.  We have made some great friends and we will miss them.  And visit them, of course.  And, some of them we will try to bribe  to move with us.  We don't want to constantly uproot our child, but the truth is, I love moving!  I have lived in this house for 7 years, and I really think that is the longest I have ever lived in one spot.  So, we are hoping this will be one of the few moves we make while he is young.

Where are you moving?

I think people are the most weirded out when they hear our reply to this one.  We honestly don't know yet.  We don't.  We are in a unique position to be able to work from most anywhere... the Mr. is at least.  It will take me some time to get settled.  We are really hoping for an older non- subdivision neighborhood in a safe place with decent schools with stuff to do.  We are drawn to East Tennessee.... the Tri- Cities area... but that could change if we find something we like better.  I would specifically like to live in a bungalow with lots of trees and the little man would like to live somewhere near an old train depot/yard that has a Mellow Mushroom within about 25 minutes.  We like music and art.  The Mr. thinks about the practical stuff and I worry about the charm.  Don't let him fool you though.... he will get disgusted with a cute house that has had all the charm removed though.  We would like to stay in Tennessee, if possible, but we are being open minded and praying about where we need to go.

Is Hazel (the camper) for sale?

Yes, for $10, 000!  That is the price I always put on her.  My little guy will be seriously disown me if I sell her.  If we can move our old girl, we will. Meaning, if she can make one last trip, we are keeping her.  We plan on having her checked out to make sure her axels are okay and that she is long trip worthy.  We are hoping to end up in a place with a backyard big enough for her.  We can't have her in our subdivision now.

I think those were the most asked, bit if you have another question, leave it in the comments and I am happy to answer it there.

As much as I love change and new experiences, I am sentimental about things.  I wonder who is going to move into the little building that I loved for 2 years.  We made some great memories and friendships through our little store on Hardin Alley and we will always cherish them. Thank you all for the support and love you have given me in this little area of my dream.

Last Hurrah

Mark your calenders for next weekend!  This will be our last event for 2013 and our last sale at the shoppe in Spring Hill.

We have been doing some serious thinking about our future and where we want to be.  A few years ago, we were thinking about moving.  We put it off because it didn't seem like the right time.  Then, we got caught up in our little life here and sort of pushed the thought aside.  But, it was always there and we realized that if we wanted to relocate before the boy started school in 2014, this was the time to do it.

So, we have been visiting places that we may want to live. We haven't made any concrete decisions about where all we know is this is when. So, we decided that this will be our last month in the studio.  We will begin working out of the house again.  It will help us out to not have to pack up a house and a studio when the time comes to move.

We are thinking we will stay in Tennessee and will keep our booth at Winchester Antiques (unless we move super far) and both our etsy shoppes will stay open.

Thanks to ALL of you who have supported us along the way and we look forward to sharing the next part.  Hope to see you next weekend!

Knitting and Purling

It's official.  I love knitting.  I don't think there was any doubt that I would, but I now have had 2 back to back knitting projects that are finished.  Well, except for blocking, but I get so excited once I cast off, that I just decided to call these finished.

I found the pattern for this one on Purl Bee.  I already had some beautiful yarn on hand so I modified it just a bit with a smaller needle.  This is actually the first scarf I finished for myself.  

This one is one that I just picked some yarn and a stitch and just started.  There is no rhyme or reason to when I switched colors, I would just decide to change when I got tired of one of them.

I used a seed stitch and some super soft organic cotton.  I have some more of the same cotton in different colors and I am holding myself back from casting on so I can do a little stitching.

I do think I need to branch out and do something other than scarves, since they are a little time consuming.  I would love to knit my boy am oatmeal sweater!

I am prepping for a sale at the shoppe July 12 and 13th. I have been painting a lot over the past 2 weeks.  More on that soon~