Open House Sunday!!!!!

 

built 1934

 Yes it's been a long time since I did an Open House Sunday....and it's about time I got back to it. 

This house sits catty corner from me in my neighborhood. 

I love the clinker brick on this house - the timber details and large rock around the porch entry.

There is no other house in the neighborhood like it!

The photos on this listing were taken before all the green came out this spring...it's much prettier surrounded by green trees. This home was built in 1934 which is surprising because the details 

on it are more like houses you see from the late 20's than from the 30's.

 Nice big front porch and patio. I'd love to get my hands on this house to furnish and accessorize it properly.

 Just look at the shape of the ceiling in the living room! And the detail of the arch doors too.

Just lovely architecture. I love that you step down into the room too.

It's really a grand room with much potential. It just needs the right furniture and accessories.

 Yep this furniture is all the wrong shape for the room. 

But I imagine there are young

kids living in this house and this furniture would work for that.

 The beauty extends to the dining room. This room is furnished much more seriously.

Some upholstered host and hostess chairs at the dining table would relax and cozy up the room real fast.

 Such potential. The back wall of the dining room has been removed which opens this room up to what is the center hallway in the house...making for a much more open space.

 I like that little sitting area just beyond - sans recliners.

 Here is where it all goes wrong. This kitchen has major potential without much work.

I love blue but I don't love this blue everywhere - especially the ceiling.

First thing I'd do is paint this room and add some hardware to the cabinets.

I do love that little built in display cabinet there on the left.

 This kitchen has great bones. Just imagine with hardware on the cabinets. 

Add some major crown molding to the tops of them too

 Oh...now I see the counter tops are tile. 

That I'd want to change right away but I love it that the back splash is subway tile.

Very pretty master.

Oh...how I love that it has a garden door. This is what I want for my own house.

 Kind of an odd bathroom...but I could make it work with a few changes.

 Ah...the kids room. Pretty cute room for a boy.

 I always love an an original tiled bathroom. The layout is kind of funky but I don't care.

I love it right down to the heater in the wall.

 Here is a shot of the basement. This could be a great media room.

 Here we see the clinker brick again as seen on the outside of the home.

Oh...I love the way that back stoop is done with layers of stone slab. 

I'm going to file that idea away in my brain.

see the full listing here

Have a Happy Sunday!

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A Little Spring in My Life

 How is your spring going? 

All I can say is I wish I had more time to smell the roses or tulips for that matter.

That photo and the one at the bottom are from my Pinterest folder entitled "Spring"

Today I was off from work but went to a client's house to help 

her freshen up her french country home.

Something that is right up my alley.

We hit it off when we met last week and I knew we were on the same wave length

when I was greeted at the door by a very similar concrete statue 

to the one I have at my own door.
A large dog with a flower basket in his mouth.

truly a classic
 

The rest of the week I'll be busy coming up with a plan to freshen up her home.

That is the best part of my job as an interior designer...all the nice people I meet

and when I go to someone's home and discover I love the same sort of things they do and 

I can help them give it that little extra it needs.

That said I truly enjoy doing rooms that are totally not something I would live

in either. That is what is fun about the job...I get to live vicariously through others...at least

design wise.

 

We are having a big sale at the store right now - 60% off all floor models and 50% off all special orders. It's cause we are getting ready to redecorate the store and get lots of new things in.
Sale runs till the end of April.

Come in and see me! Or email if there is something you are looking for or if you 

need my help pulling together a room or your whole house!

So that little loveseat above? I designed it for the floor. But it sold super fast!
Can't wait to do something similar again. Of course if you need one like it...I can order
for you.

  I love that white china cabinet in this photo.
The table is already sold but the chairs are still available and so is the cabinet.
All can still be ordered too.
 
Here you can see that the loveseat was in the same room on display.
That's certainly enough about work...
I'm currently trying to get my yard in shape.
I hired a new yard guy who is someone I worked with who went out on his own
with his own landscaping company.
Need a great guy to do your lawn?...email me and I'll share his name.
He's very easy to work with and does a great job!

Last year when Franklin hurt his back...my back slider door fell off it's track and could not
be fixed.
I went without a door for about 2 months. Thankfully, the weather was mild the whole time.
But I never showed you the garden doors I got to replace the slider.
This photo was taken the day they were installed.
Mom snapped it. The deck is a mess...cause things were just pushed aside.
But it was an immediate improvement to the house.

I am loving them...but now really really want a matching pair on the back bedroom too.

The dogs are happy going in and out.
And speaking of dogs. Here is a current video taken last week of Franklin in the yard.

Very, very proud of this boy. He was totally paralyzed last August and now look at him!

He's a very happy boy again. 

I'm hushing Harvey in this video because my neighbors have complained about his barking.

Although this is about all he barks and it's for like two minutes a day.

I could go on and on about my interactions with these neighbors.

They think dogs should never bark. I asked my neighbors on the other side

if they had a problem with my dogs making too much noise and they said..

"What? We can't hear your's - our's bark all the time!"

Their dogs do bark but it doesn't bother me at all. 

It's not a mean bark...it's a saying hello to the world bark. 

Same as mine.

Anyway...we are on pins and needles here trying not to bother my neighbors on one side.

Closing with another pretty photo of spring tulips.
All I managed to plant this spring so far is some bright pink phlox.
I've always admired it when it comes out in spring around the neighborhood and this year...
I finally got a little in the ground.

Hopefully, next year it will look like this.

Happy Spring!

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I'm Back!!!!

We're Back

That's my boy...Franklin. He's a big part of the reason I've been gone so long.

I never meant to stop blogging...but somehow a few weeks turned into months.

Back on Labor Day weekend my little Franklin ruptured three discs in his back.

It was a terrible weekend. I didn't know he'd hurt himself.

It started with him limping a little on Saturday morning.

Saturday night when I got home from work...he couldn't walk at all and was in 

lots of pain. 

I rushed him to an all night vet where he stayed till Tuesday morning when I

was able to take him to a surgeon.

By then he couldn't feel his back legs any more.

He was paralyzed from mid back down.

The surgeon said there was a 40/60 chance he'd be able to walk again.

Even with those odds...I decided to try the surgery.

It was a rough go that first week.

He was still totally paralyzed but not in a lot of pain.

He had to be kept still in a pen for 8 weeks.

He was mad at me...he looked at me like..."Why had I done this to him?"

We made many trips back and forth to the vet and the surgeon.

He had a terrible bladder infection that made him even more miserable.

This video is one of the first times Franklin was out in the yard after the surgery.

This would be the first week after surgery.

He couldn't walk and couldn't wag his tail. 

About a week after the surgery he moved the tip of his tail for just a second.

That was monumental! Mom and I had him at the emergency vet once 

again because I was so worried about his ongoing bladder infection.

They had taken him to the back to try to get a urine sample and when he was brought 

back out to me...he moved the tip of his tail just slightly.

Mom and I both saw it and ww started yelling...

"He moved his tail! He moved his tail!"
We were crying and laughing and jumping up and down.

Everyone looked at us like we were nuts but it was our first glimpse that he might regain some movement.

The surgeon told me it could take 6 months...and that is about what it has taken.

Sorry these videos are all sideways. I don't know why I filmed them that way.

They looked fine on my phone but look stupid here.

But you get the idea.

This is Franklin in the backyard last week.

I'm so proud of how well he has done.

Sorry, my voice is so irritating on this video and sorry that the video is sideways.

I'll try to shoot a better one this week - turned the correct way.

I feel very lucky that Franklin has made such a great recovery.

He walks a little funny now but nothing slows him down these days.

He's a very happy boy again.

I've found now that I'm working full time as an interior designer...

it's really hard to get projects done around my house.

I did get french doors put in the breakfast nook off the kitchen.

About a week after Franklin was back home and recuperating in the breakfast nook in

a kennel...the back slider door fell off!

I had to live for about 8 weeks with no door while I waited to have one made and installed.

I had plastic sheeting up to keep out the weather. I lucked out as we had a very mild

fall and not much rain.

Mom would come many afternoons and check on Franklin during the first 8 weeks of his

recovery.

I'm so happy to be back with all of you and will be posting again on a regular schedule.

We'll talk again soon!

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