falling for October

October 25, 2016October 25, 2016 | circadee

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, the first frost is still looming. We had a few unseasonably warm days this month that had me believing fall would never come. That quite literally changed overnight though and the vibrant leaf colors have peaked.

I’ve cut and enjoyed the last of the bold zinnias as doomsday is near and they’ll all be history once that frost does set in. Any day now…

Our potted plants have all been moved inside and continue to get shuffled around until we settle on just the right place for their winter habitat. The Christmas cacti are showing buds and will be blooming before we know it…Thanksgiving actually.

We’ve started pulling out our favorite wool blankets for cozying up by the fire. We’ve only lit a few so far but soon the wood stove will be blazing.

I’ve embraced my knack for using orange in my decor even outside of October. I’ve never thought of myself as an orange person but as you can see, I apparently am. It definitely adds some punch. That’s for sure.

You might also remember my pledge just a few posts ago that I wouldn’t be changing a thing about my living room. Well, certainly that wouldn’t last. And it didn’t. We found this cool, handmade coffee table on a trip to New York in August. The table top is reclaimed hardwood floor cut on a bias and married to an iron base that was once supported a soapstone utility sink. Needless to say, it is sturdy. It could easily be a bench in another space or lifetime.

I also came across a great wicker trunk recently and decided to keep it for myself. This is a vintage European piece that is ideal for hoarding my throw pillow stash. I was previously at capacity on seasonal pillows but apparently I have room for a few more now so I recently picked up that handmade pumpkin pillow cover. The wicker trunk is sturdy enough to double as an end table topped with a tray and more plants, of course.

In addition, I’ve been stockpiling furniture projects for the the slower winter months. It’s always hard to find fresh finds when it’s freezing out and let’s face it, I can’t merely shuffle pillows, plants and throw blankets around my house all season. There are a number of recent projects completed that I’ve yet to share here. You may have caught them on instagram or facebook. If not, here’s a glimpse…

There are a pair of these boxwood green nightstands with chippy insets…still available. That lamp is made from a recycled corbel salvaged from a Victorian Cape May house that was in a fire years ago. We made a pair which sold very quickly so we made another pair which are currently available. Those are all of the Cape May corbels we have left though.

Another pair of fantastic nightstands are available. These gray “schloss” beauties are not so chippy. I like the soft finish achieved with white wax.

This coffee table is taking it back to summertime. It is extremely chippy, on the other hand. People who get the distressed chippy look, get it. This table sold in a day. Not for the faint of heart.

Just a sweet little stool and a stencil. There will be more news to share on this stencil and others very soon. I can’t wait!

That’s what I’ve managed to document here over the past few months. What’s new as the seasons change in your world?

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touring a turquoise cottage

July 21, 2015July 29, 2015 | circadee

Last month’s cover of Philadelphia magazine left me grinning. The editors read my mind. It has essentially been my goal to get everyone I know from Philly to become my neighbor here, “down the shore”, even if just seasonally.

In the past year, we’ve successfully converted two couples. As you know, we’re working on my parents weekend cottage but you probably didn’t know that our friends, Marsha & Steven, also purchased a home here. I originally met Marsha when we were neighbors at multiple Clover Markets. Since then, they’ve become real neighbors!

They spent last fall and winter turning the fixer upper into an inviting retreat where they can relax and pursue their crafts. It is no surprise that they were able to transform this house into a home so quickly. Marsha had a successful career as an interior decorator for over twenty years.

Since retiring, she paints, gardens and makes mixed-media jewelry that she sells on Etsy and at local markets. Their beach house is complete with a studio brimming with vintage materials for her jewelry line.

The home has been updated from floor to ceiling with fresh paint, new flooring and carpet. Collections of shells and sea glass hued bottles line the shelves as if they were always there. The couple furnished the house with a mix of antiques that they’ve owned for years and new vintage-style pieces that blend seamlessly with the old. As Marsha said, “If you stay with the things you love, they’ll never go out of style.”

I love nothing more than to be invited in to tour someone’s home. To peruse the layout, the architecture, the way they use color, mix patterns and especially their “finds”. It’s so inspiring!

beach cottage studio & original art gallery

the game changer

March 31, 2015April 8, 2015 | circadee

Vintage fiends like myself always have a list of must-find items tucked away in the back of one’s mind. Perhaps it is an industrial antique scale, a factory cart coffee table, a 1940’s 2-tier plant stand (not to be specific or anything).

For me, as of late, it was a brass bed.

Not a cheap, shiny 1980’s brass bed but a high quality solid brass with a warm patina. A queen size brass bed with serious antique style which would make it vintage, of course, because queen size beds weren’t available until the 1950’s or so. And the price had to be right. After only a few months searching, the perfect piece popped up on Craigslist. The only problem was that it was over 2 hours away. This was a great deal even factoring in gas and tolls. Ryan made the trip picking up the head board, foot board and frame for my birthday. Lucky girl.

This bed was a game changer for sure. It works very well with our existing French provincial family heirloom furniture. That’s not going anywhere. However, I decided to part with the coastal salvage vibe that we had going on previously.

vintage French provincial heirloom dresser

I found a fantastic brass hued mirror that coordinated very well with the furniture and lamps. I brought in Mildred, the necklace-wearing-bust, and other vintage jewelry vessels that I’ve collected. The window seat got outfitted with more pillows because there are never enough. And we finally did something with one of our wedding pictures turning it into a canvas for above the bed. The shell lamps stayed as did the duvet with the addition of new ticking shams.

The biggest change of all is the flooring. Previously this room was outfitted with pink carpet. This winter our home has received many upgrades including new flooring throughout thanks to my patient husband who has redone almost every square foot. I floated a flat weave, natural chevron rug over the weathered-look wood floor.

This bedroom now has a sophisticated yet collected vibe featuring vintage finds and family heirlooms. Each one tells a story. Of course, it is always entertaining to look at the progress of a space. The ‘before’ picture is exactly how this room looked when we first saw the house. It gives me the heebie jeebies. The next one shows how it was last styled with a coastal salvage spin. And of course the present look. You can see that the symmetry remains the same.