Dining Area Updated

The dining area is starting to feel more like a part of a home, and not just a blank space where we eat...Today we hung the framed navigation chart on the wall...I moved the side board table into the space and turned the table around...As you can see the chairs still need to be painted to match the table and recovered...Now I have the artwork on the wall I can start thinking about what fabric to use on the chairs.


The navigation chart is of the waters around my home town of Albany, Western Australia and came from my father's commercial fishing boat...


I have waited 10yrs to get it mounted and framed and have to say a huge thank you to David from Main Street Framing and Photography for making it a reality...He was so patient with me as I selected the framing and ummed and arred over the right matting color...


Below the chart is the narrow side board that I borrowed from the front living area...I am still working out what to use to replace it as an entry table, so after this photo shoot it was temporarily returned to where it had come from...I hope to rectify this problem in the next couple of weeks.


So jealous of all the lovely cloches out there, I am still improvising in this department too...A cheese platter houses this lovely vintage plaster face that had belonged to my grandmother, he is supposed to hang on the wall but this helps to keep him dust free until if/when I find him a home on the wall.


I finally put my nativity scene away and replaced it with my 3 blue and white orphan cups and a couple of sea shells...I want to avoid going to "nautical' in the dining room for now...Just a couple of touches to compliment the chart.


In the middle of the table I created a small center piece using a wire basket, my favorite scented candle and more sea shells all nested on a wicker plate charger I found on clearance and kicking myself I only grabbed one.


Looking in from the kitchen, you can see the family photo wall...Still many more photos to go up just have not had time or money to purchase more frames yet...I do like that I can enjoy all my loved ones from my computer work station.

I forgot to take a before image so grabbed this one from the Christmas tour...you can see how stark the dining area was and also where the side board was being as an entry table.

One last look before you go

Blessings Kelsie

Linking this post at the following parties this week:

Table Top Tuesday - http://astrollthrulife.blogspot.com
Boring to Better Party - http://savvysouthernstyle.blogspot.com
Show and Tell Friday - http://romantichome.blogspot.com

Our Christmas Tour...

Here it is at last, what you have all been waiting on the edge of your seats for...The Christmas Tour...We have a small home compared to many you see in blog land or maybe it just seems that way since we have one open living area that serves as, Entry, Living Room, Kitchen and Dining Room...This year was so fun to decorate as most of my Christmas stuff has been in storage for the past 3yrs and this is also our first Christmas in the new house...As the budget for new decorations this year was $0 I had to spread what I already had over the entire space...Maybe next year we can add some garland for the doors and windows, but for now, here it is...

Our Humble Christmas Tour

The main tree was handed down to us when we married...As you can see I love the tacky tinsel look...Actually I was a little sad to see that much of the tinsel has shedded and I really need to get more...Also only 1 1/2 strands of tree lights are now working so we have some lighting bare spots that again will just have to wait...The ornaments on the tree are very eclectic as each year we buy a new one for the girls that captures who they are "that year"...Mic has everything from a wooden doll, to an ice skate, to an M shaped ceramic Cookie...Next to the front door you will see the 3 foot tree we used while the big one was being stored...I had hoped to put it on the front porch but it has been too cold and windy to try and set up a table and add some weights to the tree so it does not blow away.


The TV unit is still pretty sparse this year as most of what in the past went on there for Christmas is tucked safely away in my display cabinet (see post here) until lil Sara is older...Notice her Flamingo and she has laid claim to my soft snow man also...These 2 and a small 10inch tree, float around the house as she sees fit to decorate for herself....She is loving all the decorating and just adores any and all Christmas trees this yr.


In the other direction we have the entry table that leads your eye to the dining area...I think the entry table is one of my favorite Christmas displays again this year...You might have noticed my Robert Juniper print in now over the TV and has been replaced with this wall sconce that hubby and I got during our stay in Pemberton Western Australia when we first got engaged in Feb of 2000.

Another view of the entry table, this time from behind the counter in the kitchen...I love I can see my family photo wall from here also...The french doors next to the entry table lead into my "work room" which is currently just a big jumble of empty or half empty boxes...OOPS...


Turning to my right I have a great view of the living room and the Christmas trees from here too...You can almost make out lil Sara's toy corner to the right of the picture.


A closer look at my little nativity scene...No cloches in this house (yet) so making do with my cake server...This nativity scene I purchased on clearance for just $1.49 when I was only 14 yrs old...My family never had one and after I brought it home it was used every Christmas on my mum's side board until I left home...She had hoped when I moved to the USA I would leave it behind for her...Sorry mum...I simply could not part with it.


Some of my favorite pieces from around the room...I love the workshop Santa, as someone that works with toys he is right up my alley...The rocking horse is from my doll photo prop box, as is the golden up "thingie" (bottom left)...The heart bird cage is really proving very versatile to change with the season...


More random images...With no fireplace I had to get creative and hung the stockings on the side of the pantry next to the door that houses the a/c-heating unit...The Love pillow and the nut crackers are on the kitchen window sill...I love these pot holders with pine cones and cardinals on them...The angel is a stain glass wind chime that is hanging on the other set of french doors that lead to the back yard...and of course my pink pine cone center piece.


And of course we have to finish with the Tree's...Though I realized after I was done making this mosaic that I forgot the 3 foot tree...Maybe next week :)...Notice the lil Sara's 10inch tree next to the Teacher Santa..This Santa I purchased to give to my FIL one Christmas but just could not bare to part with him once he came home...Now my secret it out I could be in trouble....

I hope you enjoyed the tour and will come back and visit again soon

Blessings Kelsie

Will be sharing this post for

Completed Bedroom Tour - Black & White French County

To celebrate 7 months since moving into the new house I am sharing with you today, the long awaited tour of my eldest (almost 18yrs old) daughter's finished bedroom...I know many of you have seen parts of this room as it was slowly coming together, but others are viewing it for the first time, so for this reason I am going to be repeating some of the details for first time readers...Even though she is moving out come January, I want her to enjoy these last couple of months in the family home. The Black and White theme in the room will stay when she leaves but the accessories will be changed obviously when she takes her personal items with her.

Now with that being said let's get this tour started.
Don't be shy about clicking the images to view them bigger for a better look at the details.

The view as you enter from the hallway...

The 3 masks you see on the wall are,
The Cat from a long ago kiddie costume,
The Meowth mask from her Senior yr drama presentation for homecoming and then lastly we have the black and red masquerade mask that was part of a set of 4 created by us for her Honors English class production of The Red Death...The other students from the production asked to keep the masks they wore.

As you step into the room a little farther you see more school memorabilia in the form of her Grad Cap on her giant Pikachu...Her Senior Silhouette art work...and her knik-knak shelf.

The view from the other side of the bed...
I recovered the lamp to match the curtains that I made and the antique chair I painted and upholstered (See chair transformation here) ....These were all first time projects for me, but has given me so much confidence to do similar ones in other parts of the house. *grin*

This silhouette was part of a display they did for her graduating class in 2010...Each student had one on the "Grad Wall" with their name under it...I framed hers after school was over for above her bed but it was lost in such a large space, so I found a second larger frame, painted it black and used the fabric from her grad gown for the backing fabric, hung the smaller frame in the center of it...I love how it turned out and it complements the artwork I created for the opposite wall also.

These are obviously her own personal touches lol...The Dr Who figures came to her as gifts from her dear friend Danni in the UK...The Dragon is a cherished gift from Grandma and Grandpa, the wooden peg dolls she has had since she was just a baby and her White Rabbit by Tonner Dolls I gave her last Christmas, I hope to one day save enough to also buy her Alice to go with him...The Pokemon figures are part of her rather large collection of all things Pokemon from the last 14yrs.

View of her desk area...
and no that is not a naughty lil Sara standing in the corner, that is Mic's Shy Dolly.

We found this cat press mold this week at the Thrift store...It was terracotta so I gave it a quick white washing and added some ribbon for it to hang from...It fills the bare space that was next to her desk nicely...

These 3 pieces of artwork I created using some old frames I had been given a few years back...
See their transformation here


I am still loving how her notice board turned out....Kinda wanna steal it for my own work space hehe....Note the Dr Who Fob Watch, another gift from the lovely Danni...It is a great place for her to display Prom Pix , Grad Tassel and Alice Disney pins.

Now you might have noticed the last frame on the right looks different from earlier posted pix of the artwork, and though it still features the fabric from her grad gown we have added some Postcards from Paris...While recently unpacking more boxes ( I know 7 months and I am still unpacking arg) I came across a huge stack of postcards from my father's many travels back home to Europe over the years...Even though we wanted to avoid any cliche "Paris" stuff, I thought it a wonderful way to honor her European roots and remember her Opa.

And of course the crowning jewel is the glittery mini chandelier...I am so glad I got brave and ordered this from walmart.com...It was the jumping off point for the entire room.

I snuck in and snapped this picture today...Lil Sara loves when she is allowed in to "big sissy's" room to hang out...and also proof positive that it is in fact a doll not Sara in timeout lol.

Thank you for stopping by and visiting our space...
I am sharing it this week on for

Doll Room Tour....

I finally got my work space shuffled around and in place and sorted enough so I can get back to some serious work again...hehe @ dolls being serious work...I am hoping the layout of the desks will work for me and by splitting the sewing machine and the cutting table, I might just create less mess...One can hope lol..I have not "decorated" in here yet, because I want to make sure it functions first....But anyway

ON WITH THE TOUR

You enter the room through a set of French doors off of the living area. These allow me to keep an eye on Lil Sara and try and get some work done at the same time...Ok, so maybe as she gets older this will become a truth *grin*..In the meantime I *HEART* French doors :)


Straight across from the doors is the "sewing desk"...I am still sorting where all my bits and bobs need to go, but this will come with time spent in front of the machine.

Sitting on the top shelf of the sewing desk is a gorgeous old fashioned picture that states, "A Busy Day in Dollville"....I love this artwork, I think it about sums things up in my doll/work room...I got it at the Micanopy Art Festival a few yrs back, when my friend spotted it and we both just knew it had to come home with me....


To the right of the sewing desk is my display cases, these hold my current working models and my "inspiration" dolls...and some other bits and pieces, like boxes of wigs and shoes and diorama items for my photo shoots.



A close up of my favorite shelf at the moment....I am going thru a bit of a Victorian Gothic inspired period currently....I am totally loving my little Viktor Dreary boys (top shelf/right front) and hope to one day get the rest of this line of dolls *hint hint family members reading this*


This gorgeous doll is Soto and she is a 16inch Tonner Antoinette Mannequin, whose face was painted by the super talented Dawn Anderson of OneSixthSence...I am a big fan of Dawn and so proud to have this gorgeous doll in my collection...Clothing on this doll is from the new Teen Moxie line of dolls, except the skirt which I made..



This stunner is my only new doll this yr, She is a basic 16inch vinyl doll by Joe Tai, I feel very lucky to have her in my collection...Dress is by Gin O and is even more gorgeous in person...I need more Gin O gowns for my display dolls...Wig from the Monique Gold Collection.


This is where the action happens, my work table..It is in this spot that I design, cut, fit and hand finish all my pieces..


Across the other side of the room is 10 feet of closets....Behind these doors hide the mess lol...One side is totally dedicated to my fabric bins, but until I have time to sort and orginize them you do not get to see...The other side is full of boxed dolls and diorama pieces...which brings me to my final picture....

This is MIA, she is a 10inch Japanese Ball Jointed Doll /Clean Out Fairy...Mia is going to be helping me find homes for all the dolly stuff that I am no longer needing or using...Some of these items have come to me as gifts and prizes and for this reason, Mia will be hosting some Free Fairy Give Aways...Some of these will be in the form of, outright freebies and others will be "Winner Pays Shipping" for the larger items....

I hope you enjoyed seeing where I work and for you dolly folks, please keep coming back and checking for Mia's Fairy Freebies.

*hugs* Kelsie

Kitchen Finishing Touches

Since I just did not have time over the weekend to do anything because my dear sweet Sara was sick, I thought I would share one more picture of my kitchen now we are actually moved in.


We decided to just keep our old white microwave simply because it is still working really well. When it finally needs replacing, we will get a stainless one to match the rest of the appliances.

We had them paint the corbels on the breakfast bar black since they could not find a stain to match the Espresso of the island cabinets...As you can see the black works nicely with the dark granite counter tops....Plus the legs of our table are also painted black so it became a repeated element.

Last Tuesday the cabinet guy also came by to do some minor touch ups...tweak doors and drawers and finish the silicon edging now the cabinets and house have had a couple of months to "settle". It was small stuff but made the world of difference...It is all in the details :)

I still have to work on the window treatment. Window treatments seem to be my most challenging part of any room. Ever noticed how few pics of window treatments in the home decor magazines? And lastly the lovely blue plastic trash can needs to be replaced or relocated.

Now about Princess Sara.

This was taken last night after her bath...She was feeling much better after some "super breathing treatments" and dose of steriods from the ER yesterday...It is truly scary how quickly these episodes come on. I have to run her to the Doctors for a follow up visit this morning...I am not sure how much is going to be achieved this week as she will be taking a course of steroids for the next 4 days and they make her a little hard to get along with, but I will take a grumpy toddler over a not breathing properly toddler any day.

Hope yall have a wonderful Monday.
Kelsie

Guest Room for 2 lovely ladies....

So while my mum and Aunt were visiting I wanted them to feel like they were truly visiting a southern home....and let me tell you it was decorated on a serious budget since it was only to be like this for their visit...The twin beds were rentals as the actual bed for this room is a full size one, but we did not think they would want to share a bed for their 6 week stay lol...I would have loved to taken the room much farther, but since we were still in the throes of moving into the house ourselves when they were to arrive, time was tight.

As you entered the room, you are greeted by the site of matching twin beds covered in authentic handmade quilts...Both quilts where created by David's grandmother.

On the shelves are photographs of my girls, an antique teddy bear from my own childhood and "Live, Laugh, Love" mini hat boxes...The artwork above this bed caught my eye because of the Quote "Life's most beautiful things are not seen with your eyes but felt with your heart."
Seemed perfect for their visit.

The oil painting above this bed is an original piece my husband owned before we were married...it set the mood for the entire room...The floral wreath was a lucky find on sale and helped to fill the blank wall for this temporary set up....The white wicker chest was a dark brown one we already owned and painted white...It is super handy to store the extra blankets etc for this room.

The 4th wall has the door to the small walk in closet, a dresser with full satellite TV and of course the bedroom door.

All this will get shuffled around and changed to make this into a more multifunctional space now they have gone home to Australia *sad* .... Love you guys xxooxx

TODAY IS MOVING DAY.....

To celebrate moving day here (finally) are pix of the completed kitchen...well there are some minor things...Like the corbels still need to be stained, the outlet covers on the island are still white and the cabinets are waiting for Tom to come back and do the touch ups on the paint that got chipped during installation...BUT that is ok...TODAY WE ARE MOVING IN...Tonight I get to finally sleep under our new roof and cook (reheat ) in my new kitchen.

So that all being said, not sure when I will have time to post next as our internet service will be limited for a few days...In the mean time you can enjoy all the pix of my pretty shiny new kitchen.




Don't forget to check out how the kitchen rated on HGTV.com Rate My Space