Sea Shells for Summer

Just a few photos from around the living room.

I decorate with shells in the summer months.

I thought I'd share because won't be long till it all changes to fall stuff.

I bought that little ocean life painting off Ebay.

It was painted in the 30's or 40's.

It's very nicely done and I love the original frame.

We are in the dog days of summer now.

So hot.

I've been trying to clean up things in the backyard.

It's been neglected while I was working at a store.

There just was no time and I was exhausted or working on my days off.

Doesn't take long for vines to take over.

I've been cutting and pulling.

The weenies are enjoying me being home...they want to go in

and out all day long..drives me crazy but a good crazy.

linking up at Debra's party at Common Ground

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Open House Sunday!!!

Today...a Special Treat...

 built 1938

I have always loved this little house in the Crown Heights neighborhood of Oklahoma City.

I've been in it before but this time....it's had a complete redo.

It's got modern touches and lots of whimsy.

I've always loved the outside. The stonework with classical detailing.

Anyone that has a dog statue is my kind of person. I have one too. 

The modern chairs on the front porch hint at what's to come inside.

 It's just sweet as it can be. I'd plant some trees out in the yard if I bought it.

Other than that...it's lovely.

 Lot's of blue in the living room. This is not my favorite room in the house.

It's beautiful but more serious than the way the rest of the house is decorated.

 This living room is basically the same layout as my own...oh except and this is odd...the arched door way isn't centered. 

Never seen that before in these houses.

 Here you can see that the sofas are not as huge as they appear in the photos above.

I like this plan. Two matching sofas facing each other. I often recommend to my clients to do this.

 Here is where the house really starts to get good. A perfect white kitchen!

 I love everything about this. Every single thing. Well...I guess if it were mine...I'd do a farm sink. But other than that...it's just about perfect.

It's a nice size kitchen for a little house. I wish my kitchen was this large. 

 Wide open to the breakfast nook.

 Which is just precious! I adore that wallpaper!

 It's glamorous in here! And fun

 This is the formal dining room.

 I like the breakfast nook better. I do like the linen slipcovers on the chairs.

Looking at this house makes me think I really need to have less furniture in my house.

And yet...just last night I asked about a piece I saw on Facebook Marketplace.

I do have one spot in my house that needs just the right piece.

 How about this bathroom? I love love love it!

Adore that double sink. 

Kinda love that the toilet sits back in a little nook. 

 This bedroom is very modern but certainly blends with the style of the rest of the house.

I usually don't care for big canopy beds in small houses but this one is so open it works.

 This room is also a nice blend of feminine and masculine. Which I'd say is true of the whole house.

 Now here is a famine bedroom. I love the large patterned wallpaper on that one wall.

 Again...this house makes me think I need to get rid of many things in my house. I have too much stuff.

 Pretty little sitting room. The shelves are styled so nicely. I have built in shelving in office/den and I'm afraid they are a mess...they are full of books and all kinds of stuff I use.

I'd love to style them in a pretty way...but I actually use my shelves.

 Really like this floor plan using four chairs around a large cocktail table. This is another layout I suggest to my clients who have a room they aren't sure what to do with but want extra seating without it being boring.

The house is even cute by the back door. I assume this is off the kitchen. A little bar area. Convenient for outdoor parties.

 And the back patio. I actually love that there is a cement patio rather than deck. 

So much upkeep with a deck. I wish I had a patio instead myself.

Notice the large turquoise pot water feature to the left. I'd love to sit out here and listen to that bubble.

Yes, I could live in this house.

See full listing here

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Summer Around the Cottage

cause I got nowhere else to be

 Thought I'd post a few shots taken in the living room.

Oh we're in full on summer now, baby!

Days over 100 degrees every day!

My computer died on me two weeks ago.

Of course I had just taken a new design job that I had to have my computer for.

So....that has been on hold till my iMac got out of the shop.

The hard drive went bad. It's an older iMac so I can't be too mad at it.

But they saved all my files and now it's running super fast and smooth.

That little pillow above I bought at Tuesday Morning last year.

Last year I was really into flamingos. I still am, but I REALLY was last year.

 That sweet little Oklahoma ashtray in pink I picked up at a flea market long ago.

It shows off a collection from vacations.

turquoise from Santa Fe, a buckeye from Arkansas and a shell from Savannah, Georgia.

I've always loved that little ashtray. Actually, maybe it was not intended to be an

ashtray. I just assumed. 

 I moved this big iron planter into the living room. It used to be on the deck, 

but now sits in front of the window in the living room as a console or sorts.

 I've gradually filled it with faux greenery over the last couple of years.

It gets pretty bright in this room in the afternoon and I'm honestly not good

with real plants inside. So I went fake, folks. Sometimes

fake is ok. Looks better than dead plants.

 I should put that little faux hyacinth away after spring but haven't. 

It's just so cute! And I like the little splash of purple.

 Another pillow. I think I got this one off Ebay. 

 a little majolica from my collection and another faux plant

This little orchid I bought at my first furniture store gig. 

What a horrible experience that was! 

The day I bought this little orchid they looked at me like I was crazy.

I think this orchid had been there for years and no one paid any attention to it.

It's in a little silver cup which you can't see here. It's really very nice.

That job was just the very worst. 

The next one was better and I got to design and made friends with other 

designers that are still some of my besties to this day.

But then that store closed and I got moved to a different store.

I did well there but was never really happy.

So I quit after a year to take my dream job. 

I loved the furniture and the location but there just weren't any 

customers! There is a large discount furniture store in this town and

that's pretty much where everyone goes for furniture in OKC and surrounding area.

Oh, not me. I've never bought anything there. 

But it's where the masses shop. 

So after a year working at the dream job...I was broke so I went back to the store I wasn't 

so happy in...but made very good money at.

That time as a designer they told me I could sell and design with any of the furniture 

sold by any of the parent company's stores. This includes the big 

discount store where everyone in town shops.

So that was going well for 6 months although I was exhausted running from store to store

and house to house 

on my own time...since I was required to do 40 hours in my actual store.

But I had this boss...this terrible boss. She is a bully. She is bi-polar. She harasses everyone.

I had taken it and taken it and tried to keep her happy but on June 14 she jumped

me when I came in the store to open. 

She was mad at me for working 5 hours after my shift on a big design project the week before.

She said she wasn't going to pay me for it.

I said - "You don't pay me for those hours anyway...I'm on commission!"

Well things went from bad to worse...

All the times she upset me and I stuffed it and just moved along...just came pouring

out of me. 

I told her I'd had enough...that I'd do this no more. That it was impossible to 

keep her happy. She started telling me I wasn't committed to the job.

I work 12 hour days and last pay period worked 115 hours. 

You are mad at me cause I worked 5 extra hours last week on a project but

now say I'm not committed.

She said I needed to be more positive.

I said -

"I'm positive I'm not going to do this any more!"

I put all my things in a box and went towards the door 

with her following me asking me if I was sure.

Well of course I wasn't sure...(I need a paycheck and insurance) but I was sure

committed to this now...and just kept going out the door.

And you know...I'm not sure what is next...

I'm looking for another gig. 

I was offered a job I really wanted back in March but

didn't take it because I thought it too unprofessional to change 

jobs so soon. Big mistake. I should have taken it.

One of my friends works there and he really likes it.

Unfortunately they went ahead and hired someone and don't need me 

at the moment. 

so..actually I'm doing freelance design work and taking a breather which I really really needed.

The last 4 years have been super stressful not because of the work but because of 

management. 

A shame I left a job I was good at because I just couldn't take the constant micro managing.

She just made up stuff to beat you up about.

I guess it made her feel important.

The others that still work there are miserable. They were all so proud of me

for just walking out. They say they don't have the courage.

It didn't take courage. I couldn't control myself. I'd reached my limit.

Have you ever walked out on a job?

So that is why I am working at home right now....and...

My computer broke right after I signed on for a nice freelance design 

job which has really got me way behind and my air conditioning in the 

house went out - of course.

After a new motor and compressor or was it a capacitor? 

not sure...I was back in business...

But turns out I had the wrong size of filters in the unit.

I always struggle with them. They never seem right.

So my air guy says - "these are the wrong size."

hmmm that's why they didn't work right.

I have always bought what has always been in there...or at least I thought.

So he gets the system up and then says go get the new filters and put them in

as soon as you can.

I assure him I will that afternoon.

So I went and bought them.

Installing them means taking the front cover off the unit.

There is one little nut that screws onto a stationary screw that holds the cover

on and causes the cover to push in the button that activates the entire system.

No nut screwed all the way down and the whole system is defunct.

So I've dropped this tiny nut before, couldn't find it and had to go buy another.

So I'm extra careful when removing and putting back on.

I had it off and on several times the day before when I thought there was something

I could do to get the air going. Foolish...I know.

But now that the air is flowing perfectly...I remove the nut take the front off

and put in the new filters. 

I then replace the cover pick up the nut and promptly drop it into the machine...never

to be seen again.

ugh

Never fear! I've done this before...I'm off to Ace Hardware for another nut.

By this point it has only cooled down to 88 degrees in the house.

Dogs are laying on the bed directly in front of a wind tunnel fan.

(if you need a fan - the wind tunnel is the way to go. better than any other. You get at Walmart)

So anyway they are doing fine.

I couldn't take the screw to be sure of the size of nut needed. It's part of the machine.

So I had to guess at the size.

3 trips to Ace Hardware later and I finally had the correct nut 

and started the unit up again.

I can not believe my entire heating and cooling system relies 

on one little tiny 

nut!

I bought several to have on hand as back ups.

Geez my summer is exciting. 

Not at all...not at all....

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