Weekly Round Up: February 27, 2009

Posted on | February 27, 2009 | 2 Comments

It’s so warm here today. I actually went outside without my jacket on. Amazing! I hope everyone has a great weekend. Thanks again to the Marblehead Reporter for their write up on my blog. I love all the nice e-mails I am getting welcoming me to Marblehead, beyond sweet! Below a round up this week’s posts broken up into suitable categories. Enjoy!

p.s. to view last week’s round up click here.

Affordable Artwork: Crocheted Rocks: Resurrection Fern

Artist: Stefanie Augustine and Tauba Auerbach.

Fashion: Flower Hair Pins from Handle & Spout, Kate Spade Spring 2009: Classic Preppy Stripes and Dots, New Spring 2009 at Tucker, and Stripe, Polka Dot and Floral Umbrellas.

Flowers: Primrose Display and Girly Flower Inspiration from Saipua.

House Renovation: Gut, Redesign, or Fix

Interiors: Tom Scheerer: Bahamas Beach House Featured in House & Garden

Kitchen: Leather Pulls for Kitchen Drawers and Earthy Ceramics and Kitchens.

Marblehead: February in Marblehead

Paper: Tie Napkins

Pillows: Retro Chenille Pillows

Press: Marblehead Reporter and Guest Post at Tea For Joy.

Textiles: Vintage Chenille Bedspreads, Red and Pink Liberty Print Fabric, Blue and Yellow Floral Sheets, and Brahms/Mount Textiles: Cotton Blankets.

Wallpaper: Timorous Beasties: Thistle Wallpaper

Category: weekly

Leather Pulls for Kitchen Drawers

Posted on | February 27, 2009 | 3 Comments

I love this leather pull resource via one of my favorite blogs, Remodelista. Spinneybeck is an instant bookmark. Check out a great kitchen featuring these drawer pulls on remodelista.com.

p.s. check out another great knob source here.

Category: kitchen

Vintage Chenille Bedspreads

Posted on | February 27, 2009 | 3 Comments

Photo from Tom Scheerer’s beach house portfolio.

Nothing says summer/beach house like a retro chenille blanket. I admit some are a bit goofy and over the top but a white version paired with a stripe bedskirt like the image above feels restrained bohemian. I found a few vintage versions on etsy.com that I thought were pretty cute. The pink bedspread is hard to resist (i own a few similar) but to get the look above you really need to stick with white. Maybe the color versions could go in a kids’ room? At the way bottom I found an affordable diamond pattern bedspread at L.L.Bean. Scour ebay, etsy, or thrift stores for more.

White on White Popcorn Tufts, $65 catnapcottage.etsy.com.

Cream and Green Tufted Pops on Cream $145 catnapcottage.etsy.com

Vintage chenille bedspread, $95, attic wear’s shop.

Diamond Floral Chenille, starting at $69, llbean.com.

Category: textiles, vintage finds

Flower Hair Pins from Handle & Spout

Posted on | February 27, 2009 | 2 Comments

I love a flower pin tucked into my bun in the springtime. A flower makes me feel so feminine and maybe a bit french. Made of silk taffeta and tulle from handlespout.com.

(via oh joy!)

Category: fashion, weddings

Stefanie Augustine: Artist

Posted on | February 27, 2009 | Comments Off

I just love these collage by Stefanie Augustine. She showcases some of my favorite furniture styles.

(via dear ada)

Category: artist

Marblehead Reporter

Posted on | February 26, 2009 | 12 Comments

On the cover of the local newspaper this morning is an article about me and my blog. It was fun to be interviewed by Nikki Gamer of the Marblehead Reporter. I have to admit I found it a bit unnerving to be the one written about. I’m just so use to being on the other side. If you don’t live in Marblehead you can view the article online, wickedlocal.com.

If you’ve found my blog via the Marblehead Reporter, welcome! I write a daily journal about design finds, decorating, and renovating an old house. Click on any image to the right for coverage on affordable artwork, my favorite interiors, colorful pillows, or just some lovely images of Marblehead.
xoxo, katy

Category: press

House Renovation: Gut, Redesign, or Fix

Posted on | February 26, 2009 | 17 Comments

I know what your thinking, “That place looks like a dump!”. Don’t worry we have a vision. I’m sure once it’s done you won’t believe your eyes. At least that’s what I tell myself.

The winter has been slow renovating the house. We don’t have insulation in our walls and our pipes have frozen now about 3 times? Basically, we are just trying to survive. Now that Spring is around the corner we been thinking about some outdoor projects. I really want to get the whole side part of the house dug up and leveled so I can make a garden and add a patio. I want add a fence like the image of the house from early 1900’s (below postcard). We also need to figure out the driveway situation. I would love a pea gravel type driveway.

I’m skirting around the biggest project/issue. What to do with the rotting back section of the house? We’ve discovered the back two columns are relatively new and also the most poorly constructed. The walls and floors are rotted, sagging, and a complete disgrace.

We’ve contemplated knocking down the whole back side and reconstructing it. I would like to the back space to be re-designed so the house didn’t look so odd. The design just doesn’t make sense, it’s completely asymmetrical. The back columns need to merged or something. But then we run into historic code problems. Could we get a redesign passed? If that’s not possible, do we just fix it?

How much could this possibly cost us? I wish I still had my job to cover these big expenses. I guess we need to get over our cost fears and call an architect. We definitely need a plan.

p.s. we bought the house painted two different colors. Note the blue and gray on the side.

p.p.s. I love all your comments. fyi we can’t just get rid of the columns. our bathrooms (all three stacked) and main drain is in the smaller column and the larger column is our kitchen also with some heavy plumbing that would be costly to move.