Little Red Roost

Dream House: December happenings

2011-12-30T12:06:00.000-05:00

I think the blogging world probably gave up on ever seeing another house update, but friends and family haven't let me forget that they have been waiting (and waiting and waiting) for an update on our progress. My only excuse for the delay is that I really unplugged this December. This is the first time I've pulled out the laptop in over two weeks. Which means that: I have hundreds of unread blog posts from blogs that I follow backed up in my google reader, I had hundreds of photos stuck in my camera waiting to imported, edited, and uploaded, and that I spent a ton of time this Christmas with family and friends eating, playing games, watching movies, reading, baby sitting, laughing, talking, helping people move, shopping, snuggling, and just enjoying each others company. It has been so amazing and relaxing just to step away from the laptop for a few weeks.

While I have been blissfully vegging out, the dream house has been a flurry of activity. Here's what happened in December:

We have outlets (lots and lots of outlets!) just look at how many places I can plug things in in the kitchen alone. We took pictures of pretty much every outlet, pipe, vent, and wire in the house for future reference, but those pictures are not very exciting to look at. What is super exciting? Siding! Finally!

A few "during" shots. The color is woodland cream by Hardiplank. In a few of these photos it reads a bit tan thanks to overcast days and/or the setting sun, but in person it is a lovely pale, pale yellow. Here are the after shots:

I can't wait to paint the door a cheerful red and have a finished front porch. Once the siding was up, they were able to start the insulation.

We have standard batting insulation, blown in insulation, and foam insulation, depending on the part of the house. We decided to go over the budget to get a really high r value. We should get our money back in lower electric bills over the life of the house. It's not as fun as splurging on light fixtures or tile, but this girl can't stand being cold, so my toasty toes will thank me in the future!

Finally, the Sheetrock went up this week.

They still have to finish mudding, then it's on to flooring and trim!

Woot! House progress was a pretty wonderful Christmas gift!

<3
Hattie

Dream House: Week 17

2011-12-05T17:34:00.000-05:00

It's time for a long overdue house update! Basically, we are waiting. First we were waiting for siding to arrive. And we waited some more. And some more. And we had Thanksgiving, and waited some more..... until Friday, when the siding made it's appearance.

Yay, siding! It was supposed to start going up today, but no dice. I guess we will have to wait a little bit more, but hopefully not too long!

On to more exciting news - the stone portion of the columns and foundation is complete. I absolutely love it!

Hopefully, a lot more will be accomplished this week. I'm praying the rain will hold off/not stay too long!

<3
Hattie

Dream House: week 15

2011-11-15T20:24:00.000-05:00

A lot has gone on over the last two weeks at the dream house. We got cinder block columns...

And in a few days our beautiful stone started to creep over them. I have a serious crush on this stone. I heart it big time!

We had a lot of this going on.

Which of course led to this.

It was insulation and duct work city as the hvac crew went to work.

On Saturday we did a walk through with the electrician which called for lots of measuring and so forth.

Let me tell you, it is somewhat stressful to try to think of where you might need an electrical outlet in ten years. I was standing in the craft room pondering where I might need to plug in a glue gun over the course of the next 50 years, and then I realized, this is why they invented extension cords.

Skeeter's face pretty well describes mine after the whole experience - kinda worn out but still silly enough to stick out my tongue.

In other news, any tech gurus want to help me figure out why I can't upload my house video? It was shot on a Canon Rebel T3 DSLR and is a pretty hefty 1.7 gigabytes. YouTube won't take it as a .mov file (comes up with an error message after taking - I am not kidding - 24 hours to upload) and when I import it into movie maker, it looks great until it's published - after which it takes on a weird jumpy rainbow overlay that makes it pretty impossible to watch. Advice?

<3
Hattie

Dream House Week: 13

2011-10-31T18:56:00.000-04:00

You may have noticed that I skipped dream house week 12. I would have posted, but didn't think a picture of a pile of windows and doors waiting to be installed would have thrilled you. So, yes, week 12 was a bit boring, but week 13 more than made up for it! We have stairs and windows and doors and plumping rough in, and much more!

First, the 360 window and door views,

On to the awesome retaining walls. I didn't know I would love a retaining wall, but I can't resist those adorable stairs.

Next up, inside stairs!

from the basement to the first floor,

and from the first floor to the second.

The living room fireplace arrived,

and a lot happened upstairs as well. Here's the first bedroom you come to at the top of the stairs.

To the left is the second bedroom.

The hall bath is all roughed in and ready for the tub.

I am in love with our master bath. Look at that tub. Just look at it. I can't wait!

I'm also in love with the little bench in our shower. To fully appreciate how much I'm looking forward to this bathroom, you have to understand that the bath in the roost is hardly large enough to turn around in, has a permanently mildewed tub, and a shower that only gives you enough hot water for 1 and 1/4 showers at a time. It is no fun to be the 1/4 person. I will probably live in our master bath after we move in - I am so excited!

The master bedroom is almost the full length of the house. I think I'm going to use that little nook under the window as a place to read. I'm now on the lookout for a super comfy chair and little table.

Yay, new house! I made a little video tour so you can get a better idea of the space. YouTube and our slooow Internet are having a fight, so I'll post it as soon as it's finished uploading.

Have a Happy Halloween!

<3
Hattie

Trick or Treat

2011-10-25T19:48:00.000-04:00

I have a few more little Halloween tricks up my sleeve.

Some harvest colored books, a few paper bats, my ceramic pumpkins, and vintage flash cards made for an easy vignette.

Down in the living room a gather banner and a few gourds should keep things festive through Thanksgiving.

I'm loving all these warm fall colors! Now I just need to pull out all my sweaters and hunker down with a fun size snickers bar or 2 10. This girl is looking for all coziness and treats this season!

What's your favorite Halloween treat?

<3
Hattie

Dream house: week 11

2011-10-20T18:09:00.000-04:00

Last week at the dream house...

The retaining walls were built. I can't wait to show you pictures of the finished walls next week. They. Look. Awesome!

And the main excitement.... the roof is all framed and papered! We are ready for shingles. Fingers crossed that the blue and black speckled samples I picked out really do look like slate once they're up on that roof!

All the rooms upstairs are framed in as well, like the two kid/guest bedrooms you see here.

The windows and doors were delivered today, and the stairs should be right behind them. I can't wait to actually get to see the upstairs rooms in person!

More house soon, and a few more fall decor posts as well. Hope your week is lovely so far!

<3
Hattie

spooky kitchen

2011-10-13T19:06:00.001-04:00

I never really decorate for Halloween. I'm more of a pumpkin and fall leaf girl because it's a look that can last from September through Thanksgiving. However, our recently acquired vintage typewriter (Question: doesn't a typewriter pretty much have to be called vintage?) inspired me to spookify the kitchen a tiny bit.

Brad is actually the one who fell in love with the typewriter, and I'm glad he did, because I knew I had to use it to leave "a dark and stormy night message."

I paired the typewriter with a bowl of mysterious silver pumpkins and fruit.

On the nearby cabinet, a bat tree adds a little extra creepiness. It was super fast to create - just a few branches and some bat clipart.

My tablescape should last all the way through fall.

I copied Pottery Barn and filled my lantern with pumpkins and gourds.

A small dough bowl holds silverware.

No one was coming to dinner, but I had to try out my apple place card idea for the pictures.

Now I just need a pot of cider heating on the stove and the kitchen will be deliciously full of my favorite fall things!

What kind of Halloween decorator are you? Do you stick to the harvest look? Do black cats and bats make you smile? Or do you go for the full ghouls and goblins scare?

<3
Hattie

Linking here:

Dream House: week 10

2011-10-10T19:37:00.000-04:00

This was the week of overnight changes. You go to bed with a one story house. Get home from work the next day - bam! - second story. Just like that people! And by the end of the week, most of the roof was there as well. Take a gander at the crazy fast progress.

Front of the house

Right Side

Left side

Back

1st kid bedroom

2nd kid bedroom

Master bedroom

Master bath

Kid bath and master bath area

The roof shingles go on tomorrow - we are kind of racing the rain, so fingers crossed! The stairs should be in by next Friday, and I can't wait. Right now the only way to reach the second floor is up a ladder that stretches all the way to the basement. And it's not so much that I have a fear of heights, as it is that I have a serious fear of falling. I'm way too chicken to venture up that ladder, so I've been sending Brad up with the camera. I can't wait to see the second floor for myself!

<3
Hattie

A little blog redecorating

2011-10-06T20:46:00.000-04:00

Since our new house is well underway, I thought it was time to spruce up the old blog a bit. If you're viewing this in a feed reader, click on over to see the changes.

The header represents our old house, the roost, and our new dream house. A little of where we came from and where we're going. I hope you like it!

<3
Hattie

Dream House: Week 9

2011-10-05T19:39:00.000-04:00

Last week at the dream house:

We got to watch the downstairs framing go up! Take a gander at the library. The high window is so we can have shelves on the whole wall.

The living room also has a high window so our TV can go below it. It looks off center because we will have a corner fireplace.

Here's the view from the living room, through the dining room, and into the kitchen.

A closer view of the kitchen. The door on the left will lead to our deck.

The stairs to go down to the garage/basement are right on the other side of the ladder. Straight ahead is the bathroom and the laundry room is just to the left of the bathroom.

I'm super excited about my craft room to be!

It's finally starting to look like a house! This week they've started on the second floor and we've been all over town picking out faucets and fireplaces and bathroom vanities. Making all these decisions in such a short amount of time can really play with your head. I actually had the following conversation with our builder:

Bill: Now, you'll need to pick out a toilet when you're there.
Me: (questioning my ability to choose something as simple as a tooth pick brand after spending an hour selecting doors) Do I really need to pick a toilet? Can you just tell me - "This is your toilet?"
Bill: Well we can go with a comfort height ..... insert more toilet lingo here.
Me: As long as it's white, I'm happy.
Bill: OK

Hope you all are having an awesome week! I've got some fall decorating I can't wait to show you, I just need to be home before dark so I can take some pictures!

<3
Hattie

Dream House: Week 8

2011-09-28T19:57:00.005-04:00

The dream house update is a little late this week because it's been, well, a week. You know, one of those weeks. The kind where you can't tell whether you're coming or going. Anyway, without further adieu, let's take a tour of the house as it looked on Friday.

Come around back and park.

You may have to levitate up the staircase.

Or, you can walk the plank to enter through the front door.

Look! We have three beautiful walls (spoiler alert: as of today we have four beautiful walls and much more!)

The library was hiding back in this corner.

Now step back and admire the whole first floor, just watch your step, it's a bit of a fall!

It's getting to be very exciting around here!

<3
Hattie

mad for plaid and fall

2011-09-22T17:40:00.000-04:00

Fall means apple cider, crunching leaves, buying new boots, and a reason to make a new duct tape purse.

This lovely new bag has lots of room for all the items I feel the need to cart around (electronics, books, water bottle, sweater, etc.) and the punchy plaid trim makes me smile. Before it was a fun fall purse, it was a humble free gift with purchase makeup bag.

I cut off the old handles and covered everything in merlot mania duct tape, leaving a few empty strips to allow me to sew on the trim. Sewing through duct tape is not advised unless you want to go crazy and kill your sewing machine needle.

I used a plaid skirt from Goodwill to make the pocket ruffle and handles.

Pretty easy peasy and custom fit to me!

Oh, duct tape, my life just wouldn't be as fun and crafty without you!

<3
Hattie

Dream House: week 7

2011-09-19T19:26:00.000-04:00

Framing!

Wednesday was a pretty exciting day - we have walls! Sort of.

Brad had to hang out in his future man cave.

By Friday the stairs were also framed in. It's starting to look like a house, and not just a cinder block hole in the ground. Woot! We can't wait to see the first floor take shape - hopefully this week, but the weather forecast isn't looking great.

Fingers crossed for sunshine and more framing.

<3
Hattie

dream House: week six

2011-09-12T07:26:00.000-04:00

Nothing to report this week. We were rained out the entire week! Good news, though, framing starts this week!

I should have lots of great pictures for next week's wrap-up :-)

Did you have a rainy week?

<3
Hattie

P.S. I just noticed the word "week" is in every single sentence.

Two Sisters Fashion Friday: Little Black Dress

2011-09-09T07:28:00.000-04:00

This Friday, Hannah and I are wearing that great wardrobe staple, the little black dress.

Our favorite place to find dressy dresses at great prices is Ross. Both of our LBDs came from there, and we've found swanky dresses in other colors there as well.

Hannah's dress is actually a dark navy, but still has all the style and wear anywhere advantages of a black dress.

I think the cut and ruffle design give it a 1920's vibe.

Hannah is wearing:
Dress: Ross
Shoes: Steve Madden

I also love ruffles and fell hard for the neckline on this dress.

I love a simple dress that has one really special detail to keep it from feeling too plain.

I'm wearing:
Dress: Ross
Shoes: Sam & Libby (also from Ross)

Other great sources for classy dresses: Mod Cloth (they have amazing sales) and Target (some really nice stuff online that's not in stores).

What's your secret shopping place?

<3
Hattie

Dream House: week five

2011-09-05T12:29:00.000-04:00

This week was a digging week at the dream house. Not very visually exciting, but super important!

First we had some gravel added to help with draining around the retaining wall.

There was also a lot of this pipe sitting around.

By the end of the week, the pipe was all buried, and we should be able to have a nice, non-soggy yard with good drainage.

The side yard became a series of hole and pits for a few days. Not pretty to look at, but very, very important because,

our new septic take is buried under that handle.

The vertical pipes will be hidden underground once the yard is filled in, but can be uncovered when umm, "things" need to be pumped out in the future.

By the end of the week, all our holes and pits were filled back in with dirt.

The basement also had some excitement this week. It's now waterproof and insulated.

Woot!

In semi-related news, we now have part ownership of a 5 to 6 month old kitten. Skeeter just showed up at my parents' house one day. We think he was probably dropped off by someone who didn't want him. He is very sweet, but skittish, and is slowly learning to trust people. My dad named him Skeeter because he's no bigger than a mosquito. My family has two indoor cats, so Skeeter is an outside/garage cat for now, but he will hopefully move to the dream house when it is finished.

<3
Hattie

Two Sisters Fashion Friday: First Day of School

2011-09-03T12:49:00.000-04:00

Friday got away from me, so let's hear it for a fashion Saturday. This week we are wearing our back to school outfits.

Hannah is headed back to college classes.

And I'm headed back to the school library.

Although our outfits are very different, we both gravitated towards a vintage vibe.

I think Hannah looks great in classic shirt dress in a trendy chambray. Her red Keds add a cute pop of color and keep the look casual.

Hannah is wearing:
Shirt dress - Target
Red Keds
nautical chevron bracelet - made by me.

I went for a more dressy look. This is probably the only week of the school year I'll wear killer heels. Since I work in a high school, I like to establish that yes, I am in fact an adult and not a fellow student! I'll have to add an open black cardigan to to look when I'm in the school building. True fact: all libraries are meat lockers.

I feel like the bow is sort of whimsical and fun, as is a silly librarian shush! We DO NOT have a quiet library by any stretch of the imagination - and I wouldn't have it any other way!

I'm wearing:
Top - h&m
Skirt - h&m
Belt - Old Navy
Shoes - Sam and Libby

Outtakes!

Sleepy eyes!

Extremely worried look.

Here's to a wonderful 2011 - 2012 school year!

<3
Hattie

playing with paint

2011-08-30T17:39:00.000-04:00

In preparation for turning our dated second hand buffet into a super cool master bath vanity with a driftwood finish, I decided I had better play with some paint. I didn't want to practice on the buffet, so I used free hardwood flooring samples as my guinea pigs.

I started by using a liquid deglosser. Since the buffet has a wood veneer finish, I plan on sanding only very, very lightly. I think the deglosser will give the paint a little extra oomph to stick. Zinser primer will help as well!

I used three tones of paint: very pale gray, medium gray, and darker brown gray (official fancy names at the end of the post). For the first sample, I started with the darkest shade, painted in on, waited 20 seconds, and rubbed it off with a rag.

For the sample number 2, I used the darkest shade again, in one thin coat, and did not rub any of it off.

For sample number 3, I used the lightest shade in one thin coat, and did not rub any off.

Sample number one received a second coat, this time with the middle shade of gray. Again it was brushed on and rubbed off with a rag.

Samples two and three both received coats of the middle shade of paint.

Here's sample two with with second coat of paint rubbed off.

And here's sample three. Note that the paint was not sticking very well to this sample. It was very glossy to start with, and I should have used a second coat of deglosser on this one!

To finish sample one, I brushed on the lightest shade of gray and rubbed it off with a towel. The color was much lighter than what I wanted, so I took a tiny bit of the darkest paint on a dry brush and used that over the top.

I did the exact same thing to sample number two.

For sample number three, I brushed on the darkest shade of gray and rubbed most of it off with a towel.

So what did I learn from my painting party? I love the "grain" of sample number one. Dry brushing with minimal paint is the way to go if you're looking for a rustic, weathered finish. However, I like the color tones of number three the best. So, my plan of attack for painting the buffet? 1. Sand, 2. degloss, 3. prime, 4. lightest shade of paint (valspar tempered gray), 4. medium shade of paint (valspar aspen gray), 5. darkest shade of paint ( valspar seine) (all dry brushed over the primer), and 5. a coat of clear sealer.

As soon as the summer humidity says goodbye, I'm going to throw on my painting clothes and get to work!

Have you every created a faux finish?

<3
Hattie

Flavor of the week: Comments

2011-08-29T12:03:00.000-04:00

Happy Monday, blog world! This flavor of the week may turn out to be a bit of a pot stirrer - we shall see! If you have a blog of your own, there's a good chance that you love comments just as much as I do. There is just something incredibly encouraging about working hard on a post and receiving some validation from your readers that they are glad you took the time to post.

Not only are comments encouraging, but they can also lead to great reader/blogger interaction. When I blogged about a debate at our house on whether or not Santa gift wraps, it led to a super fun, silly, and enlightening discussion in the comments. I would so much rather my blog feel like a conversation than a soliloquy!

Because I love comments so much, I want to make it easier for you to share your thoughts. I decided to remove the word verification for comments. This makes me a little nervous because I do not want to be spammed with ads for prescription drugs and enhancement products, but hopefully all will be well! I also plan to try to respond to all questions within the comments. If you would rather me reply back to you directly, just leave your email or blog address. I can't access my blog at work, but I do plan to respond to all comments within 24 hours. I've also been thinking that it would be fun to feature the blog of one commenter per month, because don't we all love finding new blogs to love?

While I'm talking about comments, I had to share a few of my favorites.

I love this comment because Mrs. Nepper knows me so well! And yes, I have to have a beautiful red front door!

I die for a ruffle too, Selina!

This has to be my favorite comment of all time. I spewed tea out my nose when I read it!

Finally, if you've ever been targeted by a blog troll and received a nasty comment, you have to check out the new blog my favorite hate mail.

And before I go, a question for you: What makes you decided to take the time to comment on a blog post?

<3
Hattie

Dream House: week four

2011-08-28T19:59:00.000-04:00

It was an exciting week for the dream house. First, The basement/garage floor got a layer of gravel and some metal framing.

Then we had and earthquake. Our mailing address is Mineral, so technically the epicenter was in our home town, although we live 20 miles away. The builder was actually on the way to the construction site when the earthquake happened, so we didn't have to wait long to find out that everything made it through without any structural problems. The Roost, on the other hand, has a two new Sheetrock cracks and one less piece of vintage milk glass, not bad at all compared to the pretty awful damage in the actual town of Mineral.

Later in the week, they poured the floor, and we had about four aftershocks.

AndThenWeHadAHurricane. We have a lot of downed limbs, that thankfully did not hit anything other than the ground, but no major damage.

Really, this was not the best week natural disaster-wise. Although the weather slowed down the construction, we now know that we have a very solid foundation. How many homes have survived an earthquake and a hurricane (in the same week!) before they even have walls?

Here's hoping for a very calm, boring week with lots of progress!

Any exciting earthquake and/or hurricane stories?

<3
Hattie

Mod shoes

2011-08-24T18:20:00.000-04:00

One of my very first pins on Pinterest was to this tutorial for mod podge shoes. I finally found the perfect shoes to cover in fabric, so I had to try it out!

You will need old flats, Outdoor Mod Podge, fabric, scissors, and an xacto knife.

Start by draping fabric over your shoes to determine the amount you will need to cover them. Trim the fabric so you have a little extra all around the edges of the shoe.

Cut a slit from one end of the fabric up to where the toe of the shoe starts.

Cover the shoe with mod podge a few small patches at a time and smooth the fabric down. I founded easy to start with the toe and work my way around to the heel.

When you get to the heel, fold one end of the fabric over and glue on top of the other edge so you have a clean seam down the back of the heel.

Now it's time to fold the extra fabric inside the shoe. Cut a few triangle slits into the fabric so it will fold under easily. Use mod podge to secure.

Let the shoe dry. Once dry apply a thin top coat of mod podge.

When that is dry, use an xacto knife to carefully and firmly trim the remaining excess fabric next to the sole.

Finally, apply a final coat of mod podge over the top of the shoe.

This whole process was much easier than it sounds but I do have a few tips:
- let the glue dry thoroughly between each coat.
- do not attempt this during high humidity. It took my glue forever and a day to dry.
- pay close attention when gluing the fabric next to the sole. Press extra hard here and use your fingernail to score the fabric into seam where the leather meets the rubber sole.

I have no idea how well these will hold up, but I was just going to throw the shoes away and I had the fabric in my stash, so they were practically free.

Cute and free, those are my kind of shoes!

<3
Hattie

Flavor of the week: driftwood

2011-08-22T07:10:00.000-04:00

mmmmm, I love me some driftwood. I love all the different grey and brown tones and the smooth texture.

I love that it can add a beachy vibe to a room without making you feel like you live on a cruise ship.

I love that it can be repurposed for things like the uber popular driftwood mirror,

or the less common driftwood box,

or something totally unexpected like a funky hanger.

I even love trying to using paint to create some faux driftwood - more on that adventure later this week!

What's your favorite kind of reclaimed wood? Do you dig driftwood, barn wood, or even old pallets?

<3
Hattie

Dream House: Week Three

2011-08-21T16:35:00.000-04:00

The weather was not our friend this week. We lost a day or so to rain, but the mason finished his work and the basement floor should be poured this coming week.

On Tuesday the final walls of the basement were finished.

And the doorway to side garage exit bricked in.

Now we can see what will separate the two garage bays.

By Friday we could see the foundation for the front porch

... and gravel ready for the basement floor to be poured. That dirt spot is where the stairs up to the first floor will go. Everything behind the stairs will be Brad's man cave.

Oh yeah, and I got a haircut.

The framing is supposed to start soon - eek! I'm so excited!

<3
Hattie

Two Sisters Fashion Friday: Floral

2011-08-19T12:44:00.000-04:00

Confession: although I really dig the floral fashion trend, I don't actually own anything with the new, smaller floral print. So, I had to borrow the floral portion of my outfit from Hannah's closet. I'm sort of glad it happened that way, because one of the reasons we started this series is to show how trends can be worn at different ages.

Here's how Hannah wears the floral trend:

She's rocking a bright, all over floral with a modern vintage vibe.

I particularly like the neckline on this dress and the vibrant color.

Hannah is wearing
floral dress - Macy's
Hear locket - family piece
Whistle necklace - Mod Cloth
Brown heels - Marshall's
------------------------------------
Here's how I wear the floral trend:

The dress Hannah loaned me has spaghetti straps, so I knew I needed to add more fabric on top to compensate for the short length. I think the sweater and belt add a little maturity while still keeping the look fun. I don't think I could wear anything this short in public, so I would probably make this a fall outfit by adding skinny jeans or leggings and boots.

I'm wearing:
Floral dress - Mod Cloth
Brown sweater and belt - h&m
yellow flats - Target
----------------------------------
Out takes!

Why yes, I am, in fact, short.

How do you wear floral?

<3
Hattie

Charleston Walking Tour

2011-08-18T13:20:00.000-04:00

Today's post is going to be long on pictures and short on words. During our Charleston vacation we went on a historic walking tour of the downtown area. While everyone else was snapping photos of Important Historical Buildings, I was the weirdo pointing my camera at fence posts and alleyways. Here are the pseudo artistic results of my labors!

I'm thinking that some of these may get printed in black and white to hang in a gallery wall I'm planning for the new house. Do you take nontraditional vacation photos and get strange looks from your fellow tourists? I hope it's not just me!

<3
Hattie

Flavor of the week: Tea

2011-08-15T11:16:00.000-04:00

I love that my flavor of the week actually comes in flavors! I have long had an obsession with tea. Since Ireland drinks the most tea per capita of any place in the world, I must come by this genetically. When I was younger, I liked black tea with milk and sugar, and I didn't care if I drank it out of a chipped mug or a beautiful tea cup. Now, I like a ton of different tea varieties, drink most without any sweetener, and get a little giddy over beautiful tea accessories. Here are a few tea items that make my heart sing.

Duchess Grey tea from Trader Joe's has been my favorite tea of the summer. It's light and a little fruity and a little bit spicy, but not nearly as much as a true earl grey. I like it plain or with a little bit of honey. It would probably be good iced as well, but as long as the AC works, I'm content to down steaming cups of tea in the middle of a heat wave!

I love my red fiesta ware mugs, but this picture has me ready to find a navy mug and attach paper anchors to all my tea bags. Yes, that is silly and unnecessary, but silly and unnecessary things are some of the most fun - just ask any two-year-old with a bubble wand.

I drink a lot of tea by myself, but tea parties are also fun. I think this is a lovely way to throw together a casual and elegant tea tray.

If I was having my sister over for tea, she would love to be served some dragon black tea out of an adorable owl teapot.

My love for tea goes so far, that I made sure part of our Charleston vacation included a trip to the only tea plantation in North America.

We saw how the tea leaves are prepared and took a trolley ride through the tea fields.

This crazy machine, called the green monster, is driven through the fields and harvests the new leaves from the tops of the bushes.

They had an amazing gift shop that did a very good job of parting me from my money. I came home with five boxes of tea, including this delicious southern variety.

I think this fancy paper cutting sums up my feelings about tea to a T!

What's your flavor of the week?

<3
Hattie

Dream House: Week Two

2011-08-14T21:28:00.000-04:00

Here's what happened this week in dream house construction,

The mason started work on Wednesday. When I saw those first low walls, I couldn't get over how small the space looked. "This is supposed to be a two car garage and a man cave/basement?"

I knew in my head that it was a much larger spaced than it looked like, but my eyes couldn't quite believe it. Once I walked around the space, I felt relived that it was in fact larger than a garden shed.

The mixer was so loud!

Thursday we got to see our brick in action. We'd only seen a one foot square of it in the showroom, so we were glad we liked it just as much on a larger scale.

The foundation on the side of the house is brick, but the foundation on the front will be a similarly toned stone.

By Friday, the right side was completed. Look how small Brad looks next to our wonderfully tall basement!

We can't wait to see what next week brings,

<3
Hattie

Two sisters fashion friday: Nautical

2011-08-12T09:38:00.000-04:00

Fashion Friday is back, with a twist! This time around, I'm bringing in my sister. We are eight years apart but share a love of fabric, design, and of course clothes. We thought it would be fun to show you two takes on the same fashion trend. Before we show you what we came up with, this is where I take a page from Sarah's book and ask all blog trolls to please leave the building. Hannah and I do not claim to be models or fashion experts. We are simply two sisters who love to play dress up!

This week we are both in love with the nautical trend.

Hannah's whistle necklace mixed with blue, brown, and white is a casual and subtle take on the trend and really fits her personality.

I went with a bit more of a classic take with my navy and white sailor style tank, but tried to update the look with a darker, tobacco colored skirt.

Hannah is wearing:
Shirt - Target
Whistle necklace - Mod Cloth
Skirt - Homemade by us from a men's shirt (gotta love sister sewing dates)
Belt - Target
Shoes - Steve Madden by way of Ross

Hattie is wearing:
Tank - h&m
Belt and skirt - h&m
Shoes - Target
Red bangle - Vintage

Hannah and I did a little photo shoot and have six of these posts ready to roll. If you like these posts, we'll be happy to have another sister fashion day!

Out takes

oops! let me move my hair!

Sleepy blinky eyes

<3
Hattie

Welcome home map

2011-08-11T11:52:00.000-04:00

To spread my love of maps to the masses, I made a little welcome home map art as a housewarming gift for my friend Andy. He recently purchased his first home, so a non-girly gift was in order.

I was inspired by this map that I found on Pinterest. The heart was a bit too girly, so I had to change things up to make it suitable for Andy.

I started by typing his address into Google maps. I used the snipping tool (Thank you, Windows 7) to take a screen shot of the part of the map I wanted.

Next, I inserted the image into Word and layered shape art and text boxes to create a "Home, first, home" bubble, complete with his new address. I blurred it in this photo to protect Andy's privacy.

I added a mat and a frame and his personalized housewarming gift was done!

linking here:

<3
Hattie

Flavor of the week: maps!

2011-08-08T22:07:00.000-04:00

Hello, lovely blog friends! I decided to start a new weekly feature around these parts: flavor of the week. The plan is to highlight something different that I'm loving once a week. It could be related to design, fashion, food, life, etc. This week I'm loving maps! They deserve the exclamation point because I am crazy for them.

I love maps on furniture.

I love free maps to print and play with.

I love globes all in a neat row.

I love globes in a big colorful mish-mash.

I love the globes I've collected over time.

Some for free or cheap.

and some that were not so cheap - but I had to have. I'm talking to you, beautiful medium globe, second from the left.

I love that they are all wonderful shades of aqua. I love that they show this wonderful world that God gave to us to explore. I love that they are educational sculptures. I just love all things map/globe!

Are you on this bandwagon with me? What's your flavor of the week?

Hattie

Dream house: week one

2011-08-07T21:43:00.000-04:00

I decided it would be fun to do a weekly recap of our construction process - sort of a virtual scrapbook for Brad and I to look back on when the house is done. I have no idea when these events happened last week, because Brad and I were in Charleston for a week of vacation. Hence, my lack of postings last week. Hopefully, I can make it up to you with lots of lovely historic architecture pictures later this week!

Here's what happened last week at our construction site:

The big equipment rolled in.

And they opened their jaws wide,

and took a big bite of red clay.

and spit it out.

Now we have a big hole in the ground.

Time to dig the footings.

and lay the rebarbish stuff.

The week finished up with the pouring of the concrete.

We officially have footings! The mason is coming on Monday to get the foundation going.

Our time in Charleston was wonderful, but it was just as much fun to come home and stare at our hole in the ground! Thanks to my Dad for documenting the progress while we were gone.

<3
Hattie

Breaking Ground

2011-07-29T11:04:00.000-04:00

Our house journey started two years ago when we came home, giddy, from the courthouse and stood in our weedy field with this sign.

We were land owners! Over the next two years we lived on one teacher's salary - saving the other for our dream house and Brad's Master's program tuition. We dreamed. We cried (OK, I cried) when we learned we simply could not afford the house we planned to build. So we set aside those blueprints and created new plans. I googled, my dad and Brad drew, and an architect turned our ideas into home plans made just for us. We went to a bank and had green lights all the way to a crushing appraisal. I cried some more. We started the loan process over again with a new bank, and the appraisal came in higher than we dared to hope. We waited for a nail biting month for the paperwork and underwriting to come back. And yesterday, after two years of highs and lows, penny pinching and prayers, we closed on our construction loan. We came home, giddy, and stood in our weedy field with a shovel.

With thankful hearts we dug into the hard, red clay...

And broke ground.

On Monday, the real ground breaking equipment will move in, and the excavation will begin! I know to some a house is just a place to live, but to me this is already a home. This is the place where I grew up and skinned my knees and dreamed of falling in love. This is where, God willing, we will be blessed enough to start a family and raise children a stone's throw from their grandparents. This is where we will plant trees and build snowmen and celebrate the grand adventures of life.

This is home.

<3
Hattie

stripes + floral tank

2011-07-25T12:04:00.001-04:00

For some reason I've been on a crazy nautical kick this summer. So when I spotted a remnant of striped jersey knit fabric at the fabric store, I had to have it. I was thinking summer tank, but I wanted to add a little something extra to it to put a twist on the nautical look.

I found this awesome floral fabric (actually a girl's dress) in my Goodwill fabric stash, and the stripes + floral summer tank was born.

This is a seriously easy tank to whip together in an hour or so, and it's a great stash buster as well.

To start, cut two rectangles of knit fabric. You want them to be as long as your favorite summer tank, plus 4 inches and as wide as your favorite summer tank plus 6 to 8 inches depending on how baggie you want the tank to be.

Fold the top edge of each rectangle down two to three inches, pin, and sew. This will create the pocket to hold your straps/ties.

Take a long strip of fabric five inches wide and a yard long (or longer) and fold in half lengthwise with the right sides together. Pin, sew, and turn right side out. This will be your straps/ties so you might want to angle the ends. I tied my straps in a small bow, so this length worked out fine for me. If you want a flouncy bow, you will want a longer strip of fabric.

Thread the long strip of fabric through the pockets at the tops of your knit rectangles. Use your favorite tank as a guide for how long to make the straps, but also try this on as well.

Once your straps are the right length, tie the extra fabric in a bow.

You will also need to pin and sew the sides of your tank closed. I pinned and sewed about four inches from the top of the tank, but this will vary by body type, so make sure you try the tank on after you've pinned but before you've sewed everything up.

After the sides are done, you can also hem the bottom edge of the shirt. Knit doesn't unravel, so I decided to keep my bottom edges raw.

That's it!

I decided that I really like mine belted for a more tailored look, but it also looks great loose.

I love the way it drapes in the back.

What do you think? Mixing stripes and florals - good idea or fashion faux pas?

Linking to these parties:

<3
Hattie

Nautical Chevron Bracelet

2011-07-22T11:47:00.000-04:00

I had a brainwave yesterday. Shocking, I know, but it does happen sometimes! I was thinking about the hemp friendship bracelets I used to make in high school and how to make them a little more grown up. My eyes landed on a spool of navy grosgrain ribbon, and the nautical chevron bracelet was born.

It turned out to be super quick and easy to make, my kind of project!

To make your own, you will need: ribbon (long enough to wrap around your wrist plus three inches), 5 ft of jute twine, a button, and a needle and thread.

Fold the twine in half and knot at the top, leaving a loop. Slip the loop through the ribbon.

Fold the ribbon over and pin. you can sew this shut now or later.

Take the twine on the left side and pull it over the ribbon and under the twine on the right side.

Now, take the twine on the right side, bring it under the ribbon, and...

... pull it up through the loop on the left side.

Carefully, pull the twine on each side to tighten the knot. Now you are going to do exactly the same thing, starting on the other side.

Take the twine on the right side and bring it over the ribbon and under the twine on the left side.

Now, take the twine on the left side, bring it under the ribbon, and...

... pull it through the loop on the right side.

Carefully tighten, making sure not to squeeze the ribbon.

Repeat the pattern of alternating your knots until the bracelet is long enough to fit around your wrist.

Knot the twine.

Fold the ribbon over, and sew shut.

Trim the ends of the twine.

Sew on your button.

Enjoy your adorable new bracelet, and have a wonderful weekend!

<3
Hattie

My living room is on vacation

2011-07-18T23:15:00.001-04:00

I love the game theme I did for the living room, but seeing back to school items in stores this week (seriously, people!) had me clamoring to live up the summer for as long as it lasts. So, I decided to bring in a little beachy, nautical vibe to keep September far from my mind.

That's why this:

Turned into this:

To start, I took the blue tray off the bottom and flipped it over on top of the divided box.

Hmm... yeah, looks like I didn't bother to paint the bottom. Scrapbook paper to the rescue!

Now, just add a fish bowl full of jute rope.

And I have to make a little ribbon nautical bunting. (sew through little ribbon scraps - super duper easy)

Add a candle and some sea shells for the finishing touch - and there ya go!

I also added my "S" and a vintage nautical oil panting to extend the look to the rest of the coffee table.

Now when I'm sitting in the living room watching far too many hours of netflix streaming, I remember that it's OK, because I'm on vacation!

<3
Hattie

kitchen dreaming

2011-07-18T12:24:00.000-04:00

Here's a little kitchen idea board for the dream house:

1. We are going to go with an Ikea kitchen, appliances and all. This is the mock up Brad created on their website. Note the counter tops are missing, see number 3 for what we're planning there. We also plan to use trim around the top of the cabinets to cheat them up to the top of the ceiling and edge in crown. That weirdo gap on the right side will be filled in in real life.

2. This is the feel I would like to have in the kitchen. We plan to go with a very pale aqua wall color and lots of pops of red in the accessories.

3. I am super open to counter top suggestions! All I know is that I want something that looks like carrera marble at a much cheaper price tag.

4. We are going to build our own island, and I really want to find lab stools to use in place of bar stools.

5. These nautical/industrial lights are awesome! I think two or three of them will look great over the island.

I can't wait to get started on turning these ideas into reality! Our closing date for the construction loan is set for the end of July and we are praying that it all goes smoothly.

If you want to see more kitchen ideas, check out my pinterest board.

What would you have to have in your dream kitchen?

<3
Hattie

Get your booty on the floor

2011-07-13T13:47:00.001-04:00

Well, I'm sure to get some weird Google search hits from this title! Today I'm talking about getting your booty on some cushy floor pillows. We don't have a lot of seating in the living room (only four tushes can sit comfortably) so when I found these huge, ugly floor cushions, I knew it was time for some DIY sewing action.

A little trip to Hobby Lobby, and a few hours later and I had these faux tie envelope pillows.

The two tone tie look was a happy accident involving me being cheap and buying half a yard too little of the striped canvas fabric. I ended up loving the look, and here's how you can recreate it on purpose.

Sandwich your pillow between your chosen fabric. You want enough extra on each side edge for your seam allowance. Cut the fabric on the open top end shorter than the top of the pillow, leaving a little of the pillow visible. Hem the two top edges.

After hemming, wrap the fabric around the pillow again, to measure your second fabric.

Once you have all your edges matching, hem the top edges of your second fabric.

Now you want to make your ties. Take four equal strips of fabric. Mine measured six inches by 8 inches. Fold the strips in half along the long edge with right sides together, and sew to form a long tube. Turn right side out, and tuck in the raw short edges. Top stitch to close the short edges.

Sew your straps to the top edges of your big piece of fabric, two on each side.

Almost there, only three straight seams to go! Overlap the top edge of your big piece of fabric on top of the top edge of your extra fabric and sew together.

Now, you should have one long pieced together sheet of fabric. With the right sides of the fabric together, fold your striped fabric in half along the bottom edge. Now fold your linen fabric in half along its bottom edge.

Note how the fabric overlaps, this is what forms the envelope that allows you to take the pillow in and out without fooling with a zipper. Can you spot the mistake I made in the picture?

Yup, I overlapped my fabric the wrong way! The linen fabric should be on top of the striped fabric. I didn't notice this until after I sewed up my side seams. I was too busy ripping my seams out and banging my head into the wall to take a picture of it the correct way. Anyway, after you've overlapped yours the correct way, with the short fabric overlapping the top edge of the long fabric, pin your edges and sew up each side. Now all you have to do is turn the cover right side out and pop in your pillow. Oh, and tie your little straps into a cute bow.

Yay, for extra seating! I've already plopped down on these and enjoyed having a cushy seat to pull up to the coffee table.

Do you go in for floor pillows?

<3
Hattie

Splish Splash in the Master Bath

2011-07-08T13:52:00.001-04:00

Brad and I made our second dream house purchase yesterday (actually we've purchased a ton of things, but I don't count soil samples and perk tests because you can't decorate with those) at the Love of Jesus thrift store.

This $80 buffet came home with us and will be transformed into the master bath vanity. To refresh your memory, here's the floor plan:

As you can see, the design doesn't waste any space, so we will need to be creative to find maximize storage. We will do some custom things to help us cheat some extra storage out of the plan, such as using the buffet as a vanity and adding recessed shelves in the shower, behind the tub, and in the potty closet. I couldn't resist throwing together an idea board to show you my plans for the room.

All images (and more) from my pinterest bathroom board. Check there for source info.

1. This gives you an idea of the overall feel I'm going for. We will be cladding the side of our jetted tub in bead board and will probably clad the back of the built in shelves behind the tub in bead board as well. The walls will be a light blue/gray/green.

2. This is the finish I'm thinking of trying to recreate on the buffet. I really like the idea of a washed out driftwood look. I'm slightly terrified of trying this, but if it doesn't work, I can always just paint it white!

3. We are going to go with two vessel sinks to transform the buffet into a double vanity. This is my favorite so far. It's clean and simple without being overly modern or cold.

4. We also hope to add some extra cottage style touches to the room. I like the idea of the charm and extra storage this would give us.

5. Subway tile is a must in the shower! I also like the idea of this hexagon flooring, with a Dash and Albert rug to warm it up a bit.

6. This is very close to the style of shower we will have. Ignore the colors and focus on the rain head shower and built in bench and shelf.

7. Brad really wants some colored tile to break up the white in the shower. We might go with something in this style, but not this color.

8. This is in the color range I'd like for the accent tile in the shower.

So, what do you think? Are we crazy to mix the different patterns (subway, bead board, and hexagon flooring)? What would you do if this was your future bathroom?

<3
Hattie

July Kitchen

2011-07-01T11:19:00.000-04:00

Given my love for red, I had to add a little white and blue and make my kitchen patriotic for the 4th.

Of course, I wanted to do this on the cheap, so I shopped the house and spent zero dollars on this mini holiday makeover.

I created a bunting banner in Word (letters in 300 font cut into rectangle strips with a wavy bottom and folded over a piece of twine) to drape over my framed flour sack.

I grouped a red, white, and blue pitcher and filled one with daisies from the side of the road. The white is a Pottery Barn wedding gift, the blue is an Ikea birthday gift, and the red was on super sale at Hobby Lobby and purchased with a birthday gift card.

For the table, I layered some vintage linens and added an extra pop of red with our camping lantern.

I had a lot of fun changing things around in the kitchen. I feel like I can justify a cabinet of little decor doodads, so long as I rotate things every once in a while!

I hope you have a wonderful 4th of July. God bless America!

Linking to this fun party

<3
Hattie

room snooping

2011-06-28T21:42:00.000-04:00

My parents just finished putting an addition on the back of their house. They added a garage and with a large room and bathroom over top. My mom calls the new room her vacation room, because she wants to feel like she's on vacation when she walks in the room.

I think she succeeded! The rest of the house is very colonial, but this room has a vintage meets beachy feel that is nice and relaxing. The sofa, tables, and pillows are ikea and the recliner is lazy boy.

Behind the half wall are stairs that lead down to the garage.

The rooms gets a lot of sunlight that makes little nautical touches seem right at home. I have a serious crush on the ikea lanterns!

This glass front cabinet is my favorite thing in the room. The paint color is perfect and my mom's collection of vintage globes looks great displayed behind the wavy glass.

Her shell, ruler, and pencil collections look great in vintage glass containers.

Another view of the room. The runner leads to the breezeway that connects this room to the kitchen/dinning area.

Extra storage is built under the eves. This room is a pretty and practical addition to my parent's house. It makes me itch to get started on our own dream home!

Dream home update: Our second appraisal came in much (like around $100,000) higher than the first appraisal, so if all goes well with the rest of the process we are on our way to breaking ground. Still sending up lots of prayers that we have wisdom during all of this!

Hattie

sunny day necklace

2011-06-20T21:16:00.000-04:00

I made a fun fabric stash-busting necklace over the weekend.

This is super easy to make and will likely cost you zero bucks - ya know, if you happen to have a ridiculous amount of scrap fabric hanging around your craft room threatening to overrun the entire room like some kind of fabric kudzu vine. Not that I have that problem or anything.

Gather fabric, a few beads, scissors or a roller cutter, a button, and a needle and thread.

Start by cutting nine looooong and skinny strips of fabric and braiding them into three braids of varying lengths.

Next, add your beads (please pardon my tea cup rings! this is real life people)

On each side, braid the very ends of the three braids into one thicker braid and knot.

Leaving one long strip on each end, cut the other strips short, close to the knot. Sew the short, loose ends down to keep the knot from unraveling. On one side, sew the long strip into a loop.

On the other side, sew a button to the long strip.

Push the button through the loop to create the necklace closure.

Easy peasy! The braiding takes a bit, but it's the kind of thing you can do while watching netflix.

Enjoy your cheerful sunny day necklace!

<3
Hattie

Just popping in...

2011-06-12T16:27:00.000-04:00

To let you know that I've joined Pinterest.

And yes, it's just as addictive as you've heard. I've been pinning inspiration for cooking, sewing, decorating, and projects.

I'd love it if you followed me - that way I can follow you back and repin all your awesome ideas!

My summer to-create list is now miles long, but I wouldn't have it any other way.

<3
Hattie

Farm Life

2011-06-08T17:33:00.000-04:00

I snapped a few pictures of ordinary life around the Roost the other day,

My Dad made this awesome sign. Weather and time have given it a lovely rustic look.

The farmer who rents our fields cut the hay,

I love the tractor and fresh bales of hay - my allergies aren't so thrilled, but my eyes love to drink in the scene

I wish I had a picture to go with the "only in the boonies" experience I had this morning. When I walked out of the house to go to work, I found myself face to face with a groundhog, happily enjoying my potted basil plant. He wasn't just casually munching on a leaf or two - oh no! He was actually sitting in the planter, feasting on the basil like he was at an all-you-can-eat salad bar. We looked at each other in awkward embarrassment, as if to say, "Oh, I didn't expect to see you here. Well, um." The second after we made eye contact, he froze in lawn ornament mode, fully expecting me not to question the sudden appearance of a groundhog garden statue in my basil plant. Once I got over the surprise of the whole situation, I realized I owed Whole Foods an apology for complaining about the poor quality of the basil plant - I was unaware that it had been serving as a critter buffet.

Ah, country living! You have to love it!

<3
Hattie

rope me in

2011-06-05T21:35:00.000-04:00

I'm embarrassed to admit how long it took me to figure out how to make these rope bracelets. I had the idea of criss-crossing fabric around rope to create a nautical look, but I had no idea how to create a clasp to hold the bracelet together. I tried weaving elastic through the rope, creating a hook closure by wrapping wire around the rope, and even creating a loop closure with ribbon and a button. I couldn't hit on anything that worked and looked good, so I set off to Hobby Lobby. I wanted to find a large bale finding that I could crimp around the ends of the rope, but they didn't have anything large enough. I picked up some E6000 glue and simple toggle clasps, hoping I'd come up with something. Right before I fell asleep last night, I finally figured out a solution. Why do all the best ideas come to you right before bed or in the shower? Maybe it's just me! Anyway, If you're still reading this and want to make one of these cuties, here's how!

You will need scrap fabric strips, a piece of rope long enough to reach around your wrist, a clasp, needle and thread, and duct tape.

Start by cutting two small squares of fabric, just big enough to wrap over the ends of the rope. Securely sew a clasp to the middle of each square of fabric.

According to the package directions, glue each fabric square to the ends of the rope.

I wanted to make sure the clasp wasn't going anywhere, so once the glue dried, I also used a needle and thread to sew the edges of the fabric square to the rope.

Next, criss-cross your fabric strip down the rope, and knot at the end.

I took a needle and thread and sewed the fabric to the rope on each end to keep it from unraveling.

To finish things off, take two small strips of colored duct tape and wrap them around each end of the rope to hide your stitches. If you don't want to use duct tape, you could probably cut extra strips of fabric and use fabric glue to hold them down.

I went ahead and made three bracelets so I can mix and match them.

I really liked how these turned out, so I'm glad I kept searching for an answer to my clasp conundrum!

What's the best idea you've come up with while half-asleep?

<3
Hattie

Oh, Omaha - part 2

2011-06-01T18:12:00.000-04:00

Now that you've seen a taste of our trip to Omaha, it's time to show you the main event - the wedding!

Caleb and Kelly had a vintage/Irish theme going on that used frames to tie everything together.

The theme started with the engagement shoot. I think this is a super creative idea!

... and continued on the "save the date" cards (actually magnets with this picture and wedding info).

The wedding was held in a local art museum, which carried the theme along very well with all the framed art. We were even allowed to stroll through the galleries during the cocktail hour, and the bride and groom were married in front of this awesome art:

The blown glass was beautiful in the light.

I thought this quote was just right.

The Bride's flowers picked up the Irish side of the theme with the shamrock pin my mom gave to Kelly. My brother wore cuff links and a tie tack with a Celtic knot design.

We took lots of family photos after the ceremony!

The reception area was in a huge indoor courtyard, with art galleries on each side.

The tables were decorated with woven ribbons in shades of green and frames around candles or flowers.

I'm sure my brother picked out the groom's cake himself! I guess it sort of goes with the vintage theme!

The rest of the cake table stays true to the vintage/Irish/Frame vibe. And the cake was super good!

We spent the rest of the night dancing and taking silly photos in the frame photo booth Kelly stocked with crazy props.

We love fun, nontraditional weddings in our family: Brad and I had our garden party reception in an elementary school with sod on the buffet table and krispy kremes for a cake, and Caleb and Kelly had a wedding in an art museum and a Huskers themed rehearsal dinner. Since we've set the awesome bar pretty high, Hannah and Jacob, you better come up with something crazy and cool when it's your turn!

What's the most unique wedding idea you've encountered?

Hattie

Oh, Omaha

2011-05-30T14:52:00.000-04:00

The family descends on Omaha! My Brother married his girlfriend, Kelly, last weekend in Omaha, NE.

From top to bottom: Brad, my grandma, me, my brother Jacob, my mom, my sister Hannah, and my dad.

Our arrival in Omaha ( fun fact number 1: the airport was actually in Iowa) marked a number of firsts for our family. My Grandma, mom, and Jacob had never flown before. Brad had never been to the Midwest, and I had never ventured further west than Chicago. Although NE is very different than VA, and everyone thought we had southern accents (I found this hilarious, because everyone from NC south thinks Virginians sound like northerners) we really enjoyed our trip to the Midwest. We discovered that Omaha is an art appreciating, food loving, hipster kind of town, and fun fact number 2: we did not see any corn!

We were starving after a long day of traveling, so after a quick stop at the hotel, we had a late dinner at Spaghetti Works. The food here was OK, but the real star was the awesome, quirky decor!

From the old-fashioned fortune tellers that greet you at the door,

to the crazy cool light fixtures, this place had great eye candy.

We thought the area around the restaurant seemed fun, so we decided to go back the next day and check things out. We discovered it was called Old Market and full of antique stores, funky clothing stores, and lots and lots of yummy places to eat.

Our first stop, after an amazing breakfast at WheatFields, was a soda fountain/candy store/antiques market called Fairmont Antiques and Mercantile

This wall of pinball games made me want to start a collection of my own.

My sister rocking the retro cool of this hot pink car.

Our shopping excursion was dampened by a steady rain, but that didn't stop us from ducking in and out of nearly every retail store! We finally found some relief from the weather in a covered courtyard area between the shops called the passageway.

Brad and I, very happy to be dry for a moment!

Mom and Hannah were happy too! Fun fact number 3: Everywhere we went, people thought Hannah and I were twins. We've only been told that one time in our lives, but at least three people thought so in NE.

After a day of window shopping, we had a lovely rehearsal and dinner ( more on that later). The day of the wedding, we had a few hours before we needed to gussy up, so we took in The Durham Museum.

The Museum is housed in the old train station and has lots and lots of art deco details.

It also had fun sculptures in the lobby that talked to you about the heyday of rail travel.

Downstairs, we learned all about the history of Omaha, went through an emotional exhibit of Pulitzer Prize winning photographs, and had a blast playing on the train exhibits.

My grandma deemed it, " The best museum I've ever been to."

Stay tuned for more details on the big day!

Hattie

PS, What's your favorite random American city to visit? I wouldn't have picked Omaha as a vacation destination, but it turned out to be a really fun city with lots to do. I want to add some more looked over cities to my travel list!

Throw me some rope

2011-05-26T07:28:00.000-04:00

I just got back from a fun-filled trip to NE for my brother's wedding - so expect much more to come on that front! Today, though, I want to share my first rope project. I've got several other rope projects in the works, so I hope you're as crazy for the nautical look as I am!

I decided to start off with this fun woven mat from my knot book.

I have to say, it's a little harder than it looks, and it took me awhile to get the hang of keeping all my lines straight and taunt. It's pretty satisfying to see a pile of rope turn into something pretty, so I think it was worth the effort!

I decided to fancy things up a bit by sewing some red thread in and out of the knot. I love how it added some beachy flare, but still has an understated and natural vibe.

It works well as a pot holder too! If I can make one of these, anyone can - so find a book or tutorial and given a fancy knot a try! It's fun to learn a new useful skill :-)

Hattie

The 5 stages of (building) grief

2011-05-17T07:20:00.000-04:00

The last time I showed you this picture...

... I was pretty sure a house was about to be constructed behind me. Everything was going so well, and we had green lights all the way to the appraisal.

But then the appraisal came back. A big, fat, red light. The number they gave us was so low; we thought it had to be a joke. We're talking tens of thousands less than the cost to build. And so I entered the 5 stages of building grief.

1. Denial - This number can't be right. Clearly there is an error somewhere.

2. Anger - How dare this appraiser crush my dreams and undervalue my precious house? I'm going to give him a piece of my mind!

3. Bargaining - Maybe if I explain how special this house will be, the appraiser will change his mind? Just because houses around us are selling low, doesn't mean our house would.

4. Depression - We're never going to get a house! We're doomed to live in this tiny cottage forever. Teachers aren't paid enough to have a beautiful home.

5. Acceptance - This is just a minor setback. There are other banks and other appraisers in this world. This must not be the right situation for us, but that doesn't mean we won't start on a house before the summer is over.

So ... here's where we are. It is not likely that our house is going to be appraised for as much as it will cost to build. Very few houses have sold near us, so there are practically no comparable houses within a 5 or even 10 mile radius of our land. This is the problem with living in the boonies - people pass their homes down to their children or build new homes on family land. You can also have a million dollar home next to a trailer. This does not make for cookie cutter neighborhoods with lots of similar houses being bought and sold. Good for my open spaces loving soul - bad for home appraisals.

However, we've been told by a number of people that the appraisal looks, "fishy," so we will be getting a second appraisal in hopes of a slightly higher number. We're also talking to a number of banks to try to work out the best financing option for us.

So, please forgive me for not posting as much as normal. I can't bring myself to post all of the house stuff we've been doing (kitchen planning, choosing exterior materials, etc.) until I know for sure the house is moving forward. I've been a bit of an emotional wreck as we play this hurry up and wait game with financing, and I haven't been my usual crafty and creative self. It's hard to sew and paint when you're busing chewing off all your fingernails!

Happy house prayers are welcome, and I'm so thankful that y'all are sticking with me through this craziness!

<3
Hattie

Library flowers

2011-04-20T10:39:00.000-04:00

Last week was National Library Week. In celebration, my school sent me this huge vase of springy flowers.

I enjoyed them as is for a few days, but if you know me, you know I am not one to leave a bouquet of flowers untouched. I went with my usual divide and conquer strategy and scattered the blooms in vintage vases all over the house.

Three sweet little milk glass vases are right at home on the kitchen table.

Cuz, ya know good things always come in threes!

I had to indulge in my favorite form of pampering and plop the hobnail vase of carnations on my nightstand.

Forget the manicures and spa treatments, this country girl just needs a tiny vase of flowers to feel spoiled!

I had to plunk the daisies in aqua canning jars, because daisies just belong in beautiful old jars.

I've never stuck flowers on the bookshelves before, but I think they add some unexpected fun.

It's ridiculous how happy I am when flowers are sprinkled all over the house! What simple thing makes you all giddy?

<3
Hattie

there's a hole in the elbow of my shirt...

2011-04-18T18:20:00.000-04:00

To be sung to the tune of, "There's a hole in the bottom of the sea." There's a flake on the skin on the elbow on my arm poking out of the hole in the elbow of my shirt! There's a hole! There's a hole! There's a hole in the elbow of my shirt.

Yup, there's a hole in that there shirt. My pointy elbow tore right through it when I was in the middle of teaching a research lesson last week. Since I'm on spring break this week, I finally have time to share how I saved the shirt and outwitted the hole.

First step - (please pardon the icky lighting, I was so eager to start sewing, that I snapped away without thinking about the dim lighting) cut off that hole!

I turned my long sleeve shirt into a short sleeve shirt with a little sleeve trim-a-roo.

Step two - make the neckline more feminine.

This was as simple as cutting a 'V' into the front of the shirt.

Step three - make some ruffles

I cut inch wide strips out of my sleeve fabric and used my machine to create some random ruffles by pleating and shoving bits of the fabric under the presser foot as I sewed a straight line down the middle of the strips. Note: do not shove your finger under the presser foot as that will result in the needle piercing your skin, causing you to run to the bathroom with blood dripping down your hand - not that I know this from personal experience.

Step four -arrange and pin your ruffles.

I went for an asymmetric look with one ruffle on one side, three on the other, and three ruffle roses in the middle. Once I was happy with everything, I stitched it all down.

Step five - love your shirt

I've worn this three times so far and washed it once. Everything came out great, and the ruffles actually become a bit more ruffly after a wash.

I love it when I can save something from the trash bin and give it a little more life!

<3
Hattie

Decorating in the Stacks

2011-03-28T18:02:00.000-04:00

What kind of librarian would I be if I didn't take the time to share some of the awesome ways your local library can help you create a beautiful home - on the cheap?!?! Here are three hints for ways the local library can save you some decorating dough.

1. Free magazines
.
This one is sort of a, "duh," but I thought I should share it anyway. If I'm not sure if I love a magazine, I like to check it out at the library for free, then decide if it's worth buying. My library also has a free magazine bin where patrons can donate old magazine and take home new (to them) magazines for free.

2. Library discard sales

I love to find sweet old books to use in little vignettes around the house. They rarely cost more than a dollar or two and are so much fun!

I also keep an eye out for books with fun illustrations or color plates. You can scan them or cut them out for framing.

3. Unusual books

Of course the craft and decorating books are great resources, but it's totally worth scanning the rest of the non-fiction section for out of the box ideas.

I was browsing the shelves the other day and picked up this little gem. I'm feeling a trip to the hardware store is in order so I can buy some nautical-looking rope and start tying some knots.

I think this would make a really cool wreath.

I have always want a monkey's fist door stopper, so I definitely need to try this.

I'd love to stitch a few of these together to make a unique table runner.

What's the best thing you've found at your library?

<3
Hattie

Home sweet home plans

2011-03-23T19:20:00.000-04:00

The big excitement around the roost this week are our newly finished house plans! Click on any of the images to see them larger.

The front

I am so in love with the porch and stone columns! I think the dormer adds a lot of charm.

Right side

The long, narrow window will be in a bathroom. You can see how much our lot will slope!

Left side

I think this deck is going to be awesome! I already have plans to put in a paving stone patio between the deck and the front porch.

Downstairs

Some of my favorite features: The corner fireplace, french doors with transom leading into the library, the doublesided closet perfect for coats, hide-and-seek, and trips to Narnia, and the lovely, open kitchen - with dishwasher!

Upstairs

Yay, for walk in closets, walk in showers (with rain head!) and lots of storage under the eaves and in the attic.

We are so, so excited to start on this project! We hope to meet with the bank next week to get everything set to go. If all goes well we may be able to break ground in mid-April!

<3
Hattie

Looking in the bright side

2011-03-16T18:36:00.000-04:00

If you’ve read this blog for any length of time, you’ve probably figured out that I go for soft, natural and muted colors with pops of red. I am super comfortable with this style of decorating, but I couldn’t help stepping out of my comfort zone and going for something a bit more bright and colorful for a little spring display.

I started with a stack of books with bright red, blue, and yellow bindings. Then, I topped the stack with an impromptu cloche assembled from a milk glass candle stick, a pretty salad plate, and a cheese dome.

I filled the cloche with two chalk eggs and a shredded paper nest. To finish things off, two bird votive holders provide a little whimsy from their book perch.

Simple. Easy. Done! Sometimes it’s fun to try a little something new!

<3
Hattie

old books and new flowers

2011-03-14T21:05:00.000-04:00

Inspired by Pottery Barn’s stack of books,

I decided to give the look my own take by arranging a few stacks of twine tied books in my favorite basket. I added a little extra color by popping in a few fabric flowers for a touch of spring.

These flowers are super easy to make with a few fabric scraps, a couple of stitches and some beading or floral wire.

To make a flower, stack three fabric circles on top of one another.

Then, fold the stack in half and take s stich in the middle of the folded edge. Fold the flower in half the other way and take a few more stiches until you like the shape. I stuck a beading pin through the middle of the flower for a simple stem.

Normally, I have decorating ADD and like to change things up all the time, but I’m kind of digging the fact that this little arrangement will work nicely until the summer.

Maybe it’s the perfect blue/green of the basket, or the texture and smell of the old books, or it could even be the almost-but-not-quite neutral tone of the flowers … whatever it is, this simple little vignette is making me smile today!

<3
Hattie

Style Engine

2011-03-10T18:32:00.000-05:00

Remember how much fun it was to take magazine quizzes when you were in high school? If you were like me, you spent hours with your best friend determining who was your celebrity crush, what kind of jeans fit your style, and how you could best change up your beauty routine. Sometimes I kind of wish my beloved decor magazine came with quizzes so I could relive the fun and learn something more useful than to avoid orange lipstick. Thankfully, we have this fun thing called the Internet, and it's has lots of home and decorating quizzes!

Today I found a new-to-me quiz from sproost called the Style Engine. You get to rate a series of living rooms as LOVE IT, LIKE IT, JUST OK, DON'T LIKE IT, or HATE IT. from your choices they determine your style. I have to say, these quizzes aren't always very accurate, but they pegged me pretty well...

These are two of the inspiration pics they gave me:

I love pretty much everything here except for the rug. The sofa and windows are my favorite parts.

This next picture is even more my style.

Yeah. Bead board? Love it! Coffee table? Love it! Sofa? Love it! Transom? Love it!

Take the quiz and let me know what style it gave you. We can have a little blog slumber-party-style gab session!

<3
Hattie

Living room game plan

2011-03-09T18:08:00.001-05:00

As promised, here are some pics of where my racket press frame landed!

As I was deciding where to place the frame, I realized how many other game or sports inspired items I had tucked away. Since I like all things whimsical and fun for spring, I decided to go for a vintage game theme in the living room and make little vignettes with all my treasures.

My new frame, a bowling pin, and a whirly toy look right at home on this bookshelf.

A wire basket full of vintage croquette balls add a splash of color to a nearby shelf.

On the coffee table an old silverware sorter holds letter dice, dominoes, pick up sticks, and the classic ball in a cup.

I nestled the box in a blue tray to add a bit of color and interest. Even the sofa pillows are getting into the act with their vintage bicycle prints!

I'm really loving the cheerful and not too serious vibe of this new decor!

I guess spring brings out the kid in me!

What do you think? Am I silly to decorate with game pieces?

More about the bookshelf makeover here and here.
<3
Hattie

pressed for a frame

2011-03-07T18:47:00.000-05:00

A few years ago I spotted a cool idea for making a frame out of a racket press, like this one:

I loved the idea, so I went on the hunt for my own racket. I found this one at a Goodwill for a buck. It actually came with a badminton racket which I promptly donated back to the store.

To make the frame, you'll need to gather a few additional supplies: foam board, scrapbook paper, craft knife, hole punch, and a glue stick.

Use a craft knife to cut the foam board the same size as the racket press. And yes, that is my duvet in the background. I often craft in bed while watching vintage episodes of SNL on netflix. What?

Cut two pieces of scrapbook paper the same size as your foam board. Cut a hole for the photo in the foam board and in one sheet of the scrapbook paper.

Line the photo up with the hole and glue to the uncut scrapbook paper. Next, glue the foam board on top of the paper, and glue the second sheet of scrapbook paper on top of the foam board.

Finally, punch holes ( I used an eyelet setter) in the corners of the foam board sandwich, and screw the sandwich into the racket press.

Ta-Da! This is such a cheap and easy peasy way to add some whimsical decor to your home!

Check back tomorrow to see where my new frame landed, and take a peek at my spring-i-fied living room.

<3
Hattie

Orange you glad spring is here?

2011-03-02T19:05:00.000-05:00

OK, so spring isn't "officially" here, but as soon as February ends I go into crazy spring decorate/clean/buy new clothes mode. I've been wanting to bring some new colors into the kitchen, and a weekend trip to Ikea provided just the spring pick-me-up I needed to freshen things up for a new season.

For $2.99 I picked up this great table runner with red, pink, orange, and gray stripes. It was just the thing to help tie some orange and pink in with the red that already dominates the kitchen.

I already had a huge carton of tangerines from Trader Joe's, so I used them to fill a big glass canister. I also stuck in a few leaves for a pop of green.

I shopped the house to decorate this little nook. A few pieces of milk glass, some silk flowers, and a little fresh greenery, made things all nice and perky.

At Ikea, I ignored my black thumb and picked up two pretty succulents to brighten up the buffet.

Plopped in fresh white pots, they make me a little giddy with spring fever!

What makes you feel all spring-y?

P.S. our house plans are almost done! I can't wait to share them with you!

<3
Hattie

Making plans

2011-02-23T07:33:00.000-05:00

Woo-hoo! Our contractor is meeting with an architect this week to draw up official blueprints for the dream house. Handing the finished plans over to the bank is our next step in the process of being approved for a construction to mortgage loan. I thought y'all might like to see the unofficial house plans my dad made for us.

Remember, this is the vibe the outside of the house will have:

Garage/basement

The house will have a two car drive under garage with access to two man cave rooms. Brad plans to use one room as a media room and the other as a game/workout room.

First Floor

A few changes will be made here. A deck will come off of the kitchen door and give use a second exit and some nice entertaining space. The fireplace in the family room is going to to become a corner fireplace on the left, rather than stay centered on the wall. The 11X14 room on the front of the house will be our library, and the room on the back of the house will serve double duty as a craftroom/guest room. I'm thinking of building a Murphy bed! Brad and I (with family help!) will be making the kitchen island and installing all the cabinetry ourselves.

Second floor

I am in love with the master closet! Also, the huge walk-in shower with built-in bench. All the shaded areas will be storage, which makes up for not having an attic.

Questions? Thoughts? Please ask away!

<3
Hattie

Valentine's Candy for You

2011-02-13T21:41:00.000-05:00

Happy Valentine's Day to you, my lovely readers! If I knew you in real life, I'd give you all flowers and candy. Since that isn't possible, I thought I'd share some eye candy with you instead. Here are a few things for home that I'm loving right now:

1. flowers

When beautiful buckets of tulips begin appearing in Trader Joe's, I know spring isn't too far off. For me, tulips are the flowers that announce winter won't last forever!

2. six-over-one windows

These are one of my favorite craftsman details. We definitely plan to install some of these beauties in the dream house.

3. Dash and Albert rugs

I don't know why I'm loving striped rugs so much, but something about them really appeals to me. I feel like this room is so warm and sunny, and I think the rug has a lot to do with it.

4. apronfront sinks

Ah, sink bliss! Not much else to say other than this is my idea of the perfect sink.

5. real art

I just discovered the RozArt Etsy shop, and I love her cheerful paintings. The cows are especially friendly!

6. decorating with books

The librarian and the decor addict in me are both pleased with piles of lovely books. To add a little humor to Valentine's Day - guess how much Pottery Barn is charging for a stack of four old books with the covers removed? $39.00 Yes, you read that correctly. It would seem that there are people in this world who have not discovered that you can buy old books at Goodwill for a buck or less. Oh, silly Pottery Barn!

What things for home are you loving right now? We all love some good decor eye candy!

Happy heart day!

<3
Hattie

Home

2011-02-09T18:21:00.000-05:00

Home is the place where, when you have to go there, they have to take you in.
~ Robert Frost

"Home," by my favorite band, Carbon Leaf, has been in my head today. Maybe because it been a cold, grey day and I couldn't wait to get home to a warm, cozy house.

Maybe, because the dream home seems so close and yet so far away. We are busy gathering every bit of info about ourselves, with the exception our blood types, to give to the bank in hopes that we will be preapproved for a mortgage and can start the construction loan process.

Maybe, because I've been thinking about what home means to me, and how it is such a refuge when the world gets to be crazy.

Tonight, I know I am happy to be home with my hubby, eating big bowls of spaghetti in our snug little roost.

Do any songs remind you of home?

<3
Hattie

A hint of spring-ness

2011-02-07T20:16:00.001-05:00

My trusty fall purse took me nicely from September through Christmas, but...

... I've been hankering for something a bit more spring-like. Now, it's been known to snow around here in February and even March, so I didn't want to jinx any early warm weather with something too flowery. I put on my trusty duct tape thinking cap and a decided a pretty blue and green number would be just right for the transition from never ending winter to lovely spring.

To make this fun little bag, I started with a reusable shopping bag (free from a library conference) with the straps cut off. I cover the outside of the bag with long strips of blue duct tape, leaving a little strip of the bag uncovered.

Next, I measured my ribbon for the handles. I wanted to make them double sided to add strength, so I cut equal lengths, pinned the right sides together, and sewed along both edges.

I used a super cool turner outer thing (that's a technical term) that made turning these babies inside out a breeze.

To attach the straps, I punched holes in the top of the bag and added grommets. Then it was as simple as sewing the straps.

For a simple embellishment, I ruffled another piece of ribbon, threaded it through a vintage belt buckle, and sewed it to the strip of bag I left uncovered.

This cute spring bag was that easy!

What's your favorite thing to make to brighten up dreary winter days?

Linking to this fun party!

Hattie

Where to start?

2011-01-30T21:45:00.002-05:00

Brad and I have been deep in the world of the dream house for the last few weeks. We've met multiple times with two builders, realized the blueprints we've had for over three years are for a house that's way out of our price range, found new plans, modified the plans (thanks, Dad!), discovered that my love of stone comes with a hefty price tag, had many, many discusions about what really matters, and finally we find ourselves in a place where the next step is meeting with banks to find out if they think we can afford what we think we can afford. Needless to say, it's been incredibly overwhelming and exciting. One of the many things I've learned is that it's incredibly important to know exactly what you want. My dream book has come in handy, but I reallized I've focused more on decor pictures than on pictures of things like trim, hardware, windows, flooring, and doors - ya know, all the stuff you have to pick out before you get to actually decorate. So, to keep myself from drowning in the details, I've tried to focus on one thing at a time. Let's talk front doors!

This is a smidgen of what our house might look like. I feel like posting the whole picture might jinx things, so that's all you get for now. And never mind that stone chimmney - we decided at 10,000 + is a lot to pay for something that's not even needed when you go with gas logs.

Here is my top front door choice:

This red beauty if from Pella. It's in the craftsman style, but not too grand for our bungalow.

On the inside it would be white to match the trim. I like the idea of a red door, but I also like these more classice craftsman styles:

Love the dental details on this one!

This one has fun glass and dental detail.

So what do you think? Am I crazy to love the red? Which door style would you pick? Anyone been through the house building process and have some words of wisdom for me?

<3
Hattie

Love for the Roost

2011-01-30T21:27:00.000-05:00

I couldn't resist using some of my new scrapbooking goodies to make a fun Valentine's Day vignette for the living room.

For the vignette it'self, I went with the throw a bunch of stuff in a basket method of decorating. I graped a sweet little book of love poems and tied it with twine, a bunch of silk flowers, a few vintage valentines, and a fun hanging heart I whipped up.

To make the heart, I cut a heart shape out of some cardboard.

Next, I made a bunch of tiny tissue paper pom-poms (stack three small squares, accordion fold, pinch in the middle with a bit of wire, and fan out the layers) to glue around the edges. I thought about filling it the rest of the heart with more pom-poms but, 1. I was sick of making them and, 2. I had these really cool paper flowers I got in a scrapbooking kit. After I glued the flowers in the middle of the heart I had something that looked like this:

To finish things off, I glued a strip of velvet rick-rack around the edge of the heart. To hang it, I punched a hole and added a loop of red ribbon.

I'm kinda digging the whole thrown together look of this vignette.

It's a little bit vintage, a little bit junky, and a little bit homemade. Of course, those things are what make it very me!

Are you planning to make any homemade valentines this year?

Hattie

2 year blogaversery

2011-01-25T17:33:00.000-05:00

It's sort of hard to believe I've been doing this blogging thing for two whole years! I have to admit that I love every minute of it, even if the winter deep freeze seems to have frozen my creativity a bit as well. Spring is just around the corner with lots of fun project for me to blog about, so I'm super excited to see what my 3rd year at the roost will bring.

Let's take a nostalgic look back at the past year:

-37,930 of you visited me - can I just say, "crazy!"
- 174 of you "follow" me
- most of you hail from California, Texas, Florida, Georgia, and Virginia
-my Alice Dress tutorial was by far the most popular with over 12,000 page views!

So, what does the future hold?

- more sewing posts - I have drawers full of Goodwill finds waiting for a refashion.
-more furniture rehabs - with our dream house seeming more like a reality, I'm excited to hunt down and fix up some new furniture on the cheap.
-house idea posts - when you get to pick everything from the door knobs to the shingles, it calls for lots of brainstorming and feedback from blogland friends.
- crafty goodness - because I HAVE to make things. period. the end.

With that said, I'd love for you to throw in your own 2 cents.

- Who are you?
- What are your favorite kinds of posts?
- Anything you want to see more or less of around here?
-What are your favorite blogs? (I need lots of inspiration for the dream house!)
-Anything ya wanta know?

Thanks for being such awesome readers and sticking with me through my blog rut. YOU are the reason I've been able to keep this up for two year and still want to keep going!

<3
Hattie

Cracker Jack Fun

2011-01-17T11:54:00.000-05:00

When my mom saw the key necklace I made for my sister, she wanted one of her own, but with a twist.

She gave me this great American Tourister luggage key, but also wanted me to work in some super fun vintage Cracker Jack charms. Each charm has a special meaning, so it makes the necklace even more special.

I started by attaching the key and a few beads to a chain with jump rings.

Next, I decided how I wanted to arrange the charms, and attached them with jump rings as well.

This is a super simple way to make a unique and personal necklace. I love that this was easy to make but still full of whimsical, vintage goodness!

look for your own Cracker Jack charms at flea markets, junk shops, and on eBay!

<3
Hattie

my version of a snow dance...

2011-01-11T09:52:00.000-05:00

... seems to be working! A snow day is keeping Brad and I warm and cozy at home while snow/sleet/ice/freezing rain falls outside. So what is my secret to this snowy weather?

A snow tree! When I put the Christmas decorations away this year, I wasn’t ready to move along to spring or valentine’s décor, so I decided to reuse some of my wintery Christmas decorations.

I cut my glittery paper snowflakes from the garland I made, and hung them from the branches of my naked advent tree.

I threw down a snowflake table runner I bought half price at Target’s after Christmas sale, and used red and white plates to set off the tree vase, a simple white pitcher, and red lantern.

My kitchen feels so cheery and welcoming, especially with the nasty weather outside!

How do you decorate for winter?

<3
Hattie

2011 Goals

2011-01-03T19:39:00.000-05:00

Now that January has had a few days to settle in, I figure it’s time to look back at my goals for 2010, see how I did, and make some new ones for 2011.

2010 Goals

1. Re-organize the bookshelves

I kicked major home improvement booty on this goal, if I do say so myself – and I do! For well under twenty bucks, the bookshelves went from this look (it still makes me cringe!)

To this look.

I am a happy crafter!

2. De-clutter the counter top and the office/craft room

I only met this goal halfway. The counter tops still look like this.

They aren’t horrible, just not as styled and neat as I would like! The craft room, on the over hand, went through a major overhaul. This junky mess,

Became this lovely workspace!

Keeping it this neat is a struggle, but I do what I can.

3. Save like insane people for our future house.

Heck, yeah! We are still the crazy, “live on one income and save the other” people, but it has started to pay off. We have started to talk to some builders to get ballpark prices, and we just may be able to break ground before the end of 2011!

4. Have more people over.

This was kind of a fail. See this year’s goal list!

5. Learn to sew and complete a big project.

I thought my big project would be a sofa slipcover, but it turned out that this little dress tutorial sent my blog stats and follower numbers spinning.

Who would have thought? It knocks my socks off!

6. Make fancy cupcakes.

Done.

And done! Yum!
----
Now, on to my goals for 2011

1. Redo our coffee table

I love our thrifted coffee table, but I think I’ll love it even more with new hardware and a dark stain on the whitish/blondish bottom

2. Be a better blogger

I’d like to set up a more consistent posting schedule. Take better pictures, and comment more on other blogs. All of this takes a lot of time, but I really want to try!

3. Top the Alice Dress

I’m not looking to create a sewing tutorial that tops this dress in blog hits, but I would love to make something that shows me that my sewing skills have grown more skillful and creative.

4. Have more people over

Last year I really wanted to deepen and expand our friendships, and that has happened through a table group at church and a monthly girl’s night with three friends from college. What hasn’t happened is an increase in hosting people in our home. I’d like to invite lots of friends over for dinner this year!
5. Do not bring anything into this house that won’t also find a home in our new house.

I have a feeling this is going to be super hard. I have a thrifting/dollar store/sale rack weakness.

Before I buy any new junk, I need to ask myself. Do I love this? Am I willing to go through the trouble of packing this up in a year or so? Can I visualize this in our new home? I’m going to try to stay strong!

I think that’s enough to keep me busy for one year! If you’ve listed your own goals/resolutions on your blog, please leave me the link in the comments! Hang in there! We’re all in this together (name that TV show!)

<3
Hattie

Watching My Mailbox

2011-01-01T22:17:00.000-05:00

... for the 2011 IKEA catalog!

Check out the online version while you wait - lots of fun new stuff and cool room ideas!

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and New Year's - I'll be back tomorrow with my resolutions!

<3
Hattie

Merry Christmas from the Roost!

2010-12-24T11:24:00.002-05:00

Last minute gift ideas!

2010-12-23T14:46:00.001-05:00

With Christmas Eve around the corner, I thought I’d share a few last minute gift ideas I’ve been whipping up the past few days.

These also make lovely gifts for January birthdays, when the thought of darkening the door of a mall is still too fresh in your memory!

I’ll admit that these are very Anthropologie inspired, but I have yet to meet a girl who is not in love with that store!

First off, the Unlock the Love Necklace:

This was super simple to make! All you need is a chain, several jump rings, a key (I used a vintage skate key) and some beads.

Place the key on a large jump ring. Use smaller jump rings to attach funky beads to the large jump ring. Thread the whole thing on a chain and you’re done!

On to the Mixed Metal Initial Necklace:

For this one you will need a chain with large links, jump rings, a decorative jump ring (mine is actually intended to be a jewelry closure) beads, a small ribbon, and a bit of leather.

Start by cutting an initial from the leather. I used a square from a very ugly purse I found at Goodwill. Since my leather was white, I used a green/gold pen to color it in. I went over the ink with clear nail polish to make it water proof-ish. Poke a hole in the top of the letter with a pin and thread on a jump ring. Now, take your decorative jump ring and attach a few pretty beads with smaller jump rings. Most of my beads were from vintage necklaces so they already had little wire loops attached. You can also make loops by threading your bead onto a jewelry stick pin and twisting the ends with needle nose pliers. Hook everything to the chain with more jump rings and add a little bow for fun!

Finally, the Spring is A-Coming Pin:

You will need one medium circle and 12 smaller circles of felt for the flower, scraps of felt for the leaves, a safety pin, and a needle and thread.

Your medium circle is the base for your flower. Take eight of your smaller circles, fold into quarters, and stich to the base circle with the pointing ends facing towards to center of the circle and the ruffled ends meeting the edge of the circle. Take three more of the small circles, fold into quarters, and stich in the center of the circle to fill everything out. Cut two leaves from a scrap of felt and sew to the back of the circle. Take your last small circle and stich to the back of the felt flower to cover all your crazy stitches.

Now, blanket stitch a safety pin to the back of the flower.

I hope these ideas inspire you! They were all, “create while watching a Christmas movie and drinking hot chocolate” kind of projects! If you have a great last minute gift idea, please leave the link in the comments!

Hattie

Would you like to see my etchings?

2010-12-14T21:17:00.000-05:00

Hello, blog friends! Wanna fun, classy, and personalized gift you can make in less than 30 minutes?

I knew I wanted to make personalized glasses for one of my friends, but I couldn’t decide how to personalize them. I thought about painting a fancy shape in chalkboard paint so the glasses could be personalized for the occasion (think about the fun: names for parties, seasonal doodles, etc.) but I couldn’t determine if the paint was washable. Next, I thought about buying glass paint, but drawing is really not my crafty forte, and I didn’t want my friend to have to give me one of those awkward “thank you – but what am I going to do with this hideous object that you made me” smiles. I was running out of ideas when Young House Love posted a glass etching project! Aha, something fun and crafty with minimal drawing skills needed!

To make your own, gather: Armour Etch cream or another brand (head’s up Richmonders, this is the only etching cream at Michael’s. I found out the hard way that Ben Franklin, Target, and Wal-Mart don’t sell any etching cream at all), wide painter’s tape, scotch tape, a craft knife, a cutting board, and an image to trace.

To get started, stick a strip of painter’s tape to the cutting board. Scotch tape your image over the painter’s tape. I used the font numberpile to print out these fun numbers. Next, slowly cut out your image with the craft knife.

Very carefully peel off your painter’s tape stencil and stick it on your glass. Press down firmly to really seal the tape edges. I stuck on a little extra tape for good measure. Now, use a cheap brush to glop on an even layer of etching cream. I started by leaving the cream on for a little over a minute and it did not etch evenly. I found that 5 minutes worked really well. Important! Rinse the cream off under running water, do not wipe it off with a towel – it makes the etching look funny.

There ya go, an easy peasy project that looks pretty nifty!

Cheers!

<3
Hattie

Christmas Tour of Homes 2010

2010-12-13T19:10:00.001-05:00

Woo-Hoo, it’s time for the Christmas Tour of Homes with The Nester! And... Gina's Holly Bloggy Christmas Home Tour! I decided to be a little brave/silly this year and filmed a virtual tour of the roost. Please keep in mind that I haven’t mastered keeping the camera steady while moving, and my camera is much sharper when snapping photos. Still, I think it’s nice to have a better sense of the space!

Christmas at the Little Red Roost from Hattie Smart on Vimeo.

Now, on to the photo tour!

Let’s start in the living room where the sofa and bookcase great you as you walk down the stairs.

I added a little Christmas cheer with this vintage style card and a print from the Graphics Fairy I trimmed in glittery book pages.

A few stacked books, a candle, and a little wreath make for a simple coffee table centerpiece.

I decided to hang the stockings from the big bookcases this year.

I used a little greenery to jazzy up my faux metal ‘S.’

A little more greenery peeks out from my milk glass bowls.

Here’s our cute and tiny tree!

On the way up the stairs, a family of snow people greets you.

Some homemade glitter snowflakes add a little bling.

In the kitchen, my silver feather tree adds some retro fun.

Here’s a shot of the eating area.

Some fishbowls, candles, and greenery make up the table centerpiece.

So that’s what Christmas looks like at the roost this year! Stop by later this week for some quick and easy DIY gift ideas!

<3
Hattie

Freaky Weekend

2010-12-11T12:18:00.000-05:00

This morning, Brad and I woke to the sound of birds. When we looked out the windows, our yard was coveres with a sea of black birds. I ran for my camera, because I knew no one would believe just how many there were. Trust, me when I say about half of them had moved on before I was able to start filiming. This was seriously the most freaky thing I've ever seen in my yard!

Create your own video slideshow at animoto.com.

What's the weirdest nature experiance you've ever had?

<3
Hattie

There's no business like snow business

2010-12-07T19:32:00.001-05:00

What do you get when I combine my love of snowmen with my love of old books?

Vintage book page glitter snowflakes! I made three garlands of these flakes to jazz up my snowmen display.

The snowmen were lonely without any snow friends to play with, so I grabbed my go-to source for vintage paper, this yellowed thesaurus.

First, I googled “how to cut a paper snowflake” because I’d forgotten my first grade snowflake skills.

Then, I cut out fifteen snowflakes in various sizes.

I spread out some waxed paper and brushed glue on the edges of the flakes, then I sprinkled them with fancy glitter and let them dry.

After the first side dried, I repeated the process. I used white thread to string the snowflakes together.

I love how they add some sparkle to the hallway!

Did you make paper snowflakes when you were a kid?

<3
Hattie