f a v o r i t e   h o u s e   f r i d a y

This is my favorite house I have featured. Not a detail was over-looked. But even with so much thought going into the decor of the house it isn't over done. Each special element stands out.

It is eclectic perfection. Wonderful mix of modern and vintage.

I am totally inspired by this home.

{there is currently a problem with the link to this on the host page but to see more pictures go http://www.johnlscott.com/propertydetail.aspx?GroupID=256874113&ListingID=301125227&CMID=0&Sort=0 }

I could list my favorite things about this home but I would ramble on forever.

What are your favorite elements of this home?

b u t t e r    y e l l o w    b e a u t y

I adore this little farmhouse dresser. If I kept it for my house I would either put it on my stairway, in my bathroom or in my daughters room. But wouldn't this be cute as a changing table? I am not going to keep it though.  I mean really, how many painted dressers can one lady have {I probably have 10+ in my house right now, or more, gee whiz!}.

I haven't posted this for sale yet {sometime Friday I will} so if you are a blog reader and want it, email me!

Remember what it looked like a few days ago?

I sanded, primed, and added three coats of Willow's Gold by Dutch Boy {this is actually my wall color in my living room and family room}. I love this yellow, it is warm but not bright.

I then distressed the edges, more than I usually do. This dresser is heavy and sturdy but is definitely rustic so I wasn't going to give it a "pristine" finish. Next I added knobs from another dresser I am working on  {this one will have grey glass knobs} that I spray painted a warm yellow. I like that the color yellows are just very slightly different.

I must get back to painting now.

But if you are a Facebook follower you know I have an AMAZING house to show you tomorrow on FHF so come back!

linked up.
http://primitiveandproper.blogspot.com/
http://www.perfectlyimperfectblog.com/2011/09/all-things-furniture-features-link-party-12.html
http://missmustardseed.blogspot.com/

 p u m p k i n    b r e a d    p u d d i n g 

Hello MCC friends, I have something new and exciting to share with you. I am pleased to have a new blog contributor. 

 I have been bugging my dear friend Michelle to start a blog for a long time. You see, she is one talented lady and she needs to share here ideas and recipes. She is also a very busy lady working full time and being a wife and mother to two kids under the age 4. So instead of her own blog she is going to be part of the MCC family. I am excited to have her and I hope you are too. Want to know what is really great? She whips up fabulous food! Umm....I don't do this, you wouldn't get recipes from me. So aren't YOU glad we now have Michelle?!

Ok Michelle....take it away!

 I’m honored and thrilled that Alison asked me to contribute to her amazing blog.  Alison and I have been friends for over 13 years.  We worked in the advertising world, married and had children together and through it all have fostered one another’s passions and dreams of home living, decorating and entertaining.  I’m so proud of Alison.  She’s a very talented and loving friend and I’m thankful to have her in my life.

 I’m a full time media buyer and mother of two young girls, Isabelle 4 and Abigail who just turned 3.  I honestly have to say that the reason I can work and care for my family plus take on fun cooking and crafting projects is due to my husband who is amazing.  We commute together 2 hours a day and cannot ever wait for the week to end so that we can be together.

 October is my favorite month and from reading many of my favorite blogs I think a lot of us feel the same way.  We’ve spent time away from home to be outside and this month reals us back in to evaluate our home and work on projects we put on hold.  My husband and I got married in an old barn in Snohomish WA so this month means a little bit more to me.  We decorated with pumpkins and had caramel apples for favors.  There are so many pumpkin patches here that we hope to visit one each weekend.  We know the girls will love it.

To kick off my first post and to try a new pumpkin recipe I turned to www.smittenkitchen.com . 

 It was a very easy recipe!  It was delicious and can be served as a dessert (adding a dollop of whipped cream) with coffee or tea or for a weekend breakfast with apple sausage and scrambled eggs.  I hope you give it a try and enjoy it.  As you’ll quickly learn I enjoy cooking more than baking as the exact science of baking frustrates me (measuring precisely). 

 Pumpkin Bread Pudding

 

 1 ½ cups milk (recipe calls for whole but I used what I had on hand-2%)

¾ cup canned pumpkin

½ cup sugar

2 large eggs plus 1 yolk

½ teaspoon salt

 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

 ½ teaspoon ground ginger

 1/8 teaspoon ground allspice

Pinch of ground cloves

 5 cups cubed day-old baguette (I used bread I picked up this evening from the store)

 ¾ stick of unsalted butter (I used salted butter; all I had on hand)

 Preheat oven to 350 with rack in middle

While preheating oven to 350, add butter to 8-inch square pan and melt inside oven.  Once melted combine with bread cubes (using same 8-inch pan) coating thoroughly.  In a separate bowl, whisk together all the remaining ingredients.  Pour them over buttered bread cubes in baking dish, stirring to make sure all pieces are coated.  Bake until custard is set, 25 to 30 minutes.

  

 Again, thank you Alison for inviting me to be a part of your amazing blog.  I’m so proud of you for following your dreams!!

Doesn't that look great? Thank you Michelle!

c l a i m   i t    b e f o r e   i    p a i n t   i t 

Ok, sorry this is going to be an ugly post. Another all "before" photos. But I wanted to share with you that starting this week in the Shop Modern Cottage tab I am going to do a "claim it before I paint it" section. I am getting about 10 emails a day {average} asking for specific things that I don't have finished in my shop. What I got finished is, well what I have finished, that is all I will have for sale. So now you can go pick something out and have me do it custom for you until waiting for it to go in the shop. As soon as someone has claimed something I will mark it as claimed.

Here is what I am working on this week,

I will be one busy lady. Somethings I have already decided on the colors, some not.

The dresser below {the brown unfinished one below} is going to be painted yellow, similar to this one. One drawer is wonky, the bottom one. If I can't fix it to be perfect I will leave it open, get a new bottom cut for it and add baskets.

The tiered side table I haven't picked a color for.

Bookshelf tentatively taken. It will be painted robbins egg blue, as well as the magazine table {not claimed yet}

The other small table {on it's side} is going to be light grey with black feet.

The bench has not been claimed! I am getting dimensions today for those of you on Facebook that asked me for it.

These two tables below are taller than they look in the picture. The one on bottom is tall enough for a kitchen island, console table or small media stand. It will be painted white with black vintage glass knobs.

The one on top hasn't been claimed and I haven't decided on a color. Also, a chair would fit under this and it could either be a side table or small desk.

One last table. This used to be in my family room with chairs under it. I was going to cut the legs down just a bit more and someone can use it as a coffee table. It will stay white, it just needs some freshening up.

There you have it! Claim your pieces. I am literally starting on things today so email me ASAP.

I will share the finished products at the end of the week. I think there will be some amazing transformations.

I guess I should go paint now :)

f a v o r i t e   h o u s e   f r i d a y

Hi friends, guess what, the district and teachers worked things out and my kids finally get to go back to school.  I am excited to get back out to my studio to paint. Yes!

Here is this weeks fhf. It is in Seattle again, you can find the link here.

{this room is so clean and peaceful}

{wow, the dark crown molding with blue-grey ceiling}

 {the floor, the floor! stunning!}

{pretty wall color}

{I have been searching for vintage chairs just like these}

{those chairs are amazing, I am a chair gal, obviously}

Isn't this house beautiful? 

The kitchen is perfection, hands down my favorite room in the home.

On a totally different note. Go over to mommahenscoop.blogspot.com/ she did this really cool "vlog". She has inspired me to try this. I was thinking I would do a once a week video of the things I added to the studio and give you some painting tips. Would this be interesting to you?

p a p e r   w r e a t h

I am sure someone out there in blogland has made this wreath or a similar wreath like this before but I just sort of started playing around with the placement of paper on my wreath form and this is what I came up with.

Start out with these supplies.

1. Wreath form {mine is a floral form, cost me $1 from the dollar store}

2. Scissors

3.Glue gun and sticks

4. push pins

5. Decorative paper. The heavier the paper the better I think. I used 12 sheets of scrapbook paper

{the most expensive part of the project}

6. Decorative ribbon. Don't skimp out on cheap ribbon, get something special.

First trace circles {whatever size you want} on your scrapbook paper {I used the bottom of a wine glass-nothin in it though} then cut out the circles.

Before this next step you can decide if you want to glue your ribbon on before you add your paper fans or if you want to add it at the end.

Repeat until you have covered the entire wreath form. I occasionally used push pins if the the fans were not sticking well with the hot glue. Once you have all of your floral form {or wreath} covered, add additional fans if any of the floral form {wreath} is still showing.

There you have it!

{this wreath is made out of pages from an old atlas book}

I am taking them with me to The Junk Salvation Show, Puyallup WA November 4-5.

I will have more information on this coming soon!

linked up.
http://chiconashoestringdecorating.blogspot.com/
http://shabbynest.blogspot.com/
http://funkyjunkinteriors.blogspot.com/
http://www.iheartnaptime.net/
http://www.bystephanielynn.com/2011/09/sunday-showcase-party-with-barn-owl.html
http://addicted2decorating.com/2011-year-in-review-favorite-diy-project-of-the-year-link-party.html

a r e    y o u    r e a d y   f o r   a   f u r n i t u r e   m a k e o v e r

{finally, well you will have to hear me ramble on first}

I snuck some painting time in the last few days, an hour here and there the last three days. If you follow me on facebook you know my kids are home because the teachers are on strike in our district. Honestly, I have been really stressed out trying to keep up with my business and be a home with my kids. I have not been doing a super job at either.

 I need to do a big grocery trip, we had the last of the bread for breakfast today. I am going to admit to you, I am not a great shopper with my kids along with me. I get flustered, forget what I am buying, and say things like "Please put that down... Not today....Stay with me or hurry up....stop hitting each other....no candy for breakfast". So I have avoided the store, darn strike.
I am a bit type "A" and some  "B".  The type "A" in me needs order. The kids were supposed to go back to school and we would be on a schedule, now I have been totally thrown off.  I am behind in my furniture orders and not good at keeping up on my blogging. I sound like a bit of a whiner I know, and I really think I am a good mom. I am just tired.

This morning I got to sit down with wonderful ladies at church and talk. This helped me so much. I got to leave my messy house for two hours and focus on other things. I can't "control" the strike so I might as well roll with things. I went out to lunch with the kids and we had a great time, then we went to buy art supplies, and now we are home and I snuck in another hour to work.

I am getting my priorities in order. This is why I chose to do this job in the first place, so I can be there for my kids and work around their schedule. Kids and family first, work second.

Sorry, had to get that off my chest.

Now back to a furniture makeover, finally!

This little girl, I am calling her "the short one" because there is a "tall one" that matches, was the only piece of furniture I have attempted to paint this week.  I posted her last week and I did get an email from a lady wanting both of them painted white for a girls room. 

Here is what I did.

I sanded, and added three coats of stain blocking primer. The wood finish {even though I sanded} after the first and second coat of primer still bled through. I should have stripped the finish first, it would have been easier, but after the third coat of primer all was good.

Isn't it sweet? 

I am working on my wreath tutorial, but I need to spend focused time with my kids right? So, you might have to wait a few days for that one.

Another few ramblings going on with me.

I love this time of year. Love it, love it, love it.

After taking my shower today and instead of putting my hair in in a pony tail, I curled it and wore it down. Feels good to make an effort. I even put on a cute outfit.

My house is a big big disaster right now but I am not going to clean it...well, maybe I will clean it before bedtime. I might carry a glass of red wine with me while I sweep the floor.

linkin up.
http://mommahenscoop.blogspot.com/
http://primitiveandproper.blogspot.com/
http://www.domestically-speaking.com/
http://missmustardseed.blogspot.com/
http://www.perfectlyimperfectblog.com/2011/09/home-office-decorating-ideas.html