Giveaway Winner and Home and Garden Update

Hello Cottage Friends,

Today's one of my days off, so I've got time to update you on what's been going on in my garden and home. But first I must announce the winner of the Biblical Minimalist book giveaway. The winner is

 

Congratulations Debbie! Please email your mailing address to me and I'll arrange for Cheryl to send you a copy of her book. I hope you enjoy it as much as I have.

Thanks to everyone who entered the drawing. It had been awhile since I'd done a giveaway and I'd forgotten how much fun they are.

Now on to my garden and home updates. 

First the garden, which in my case is a patio garden. This is the last photo I posted.

 

And this is how the patio looks this morning.

Can you see the changes? I've moved plants around, and added some decorative items. I was surprised to find out how much sun my patio actually gets throughout the day. Because I work from 5:00 AM to 2:00 PM, I didn't get a real feel for the hours of direct sun this spot gets. So when I was home for a full day and took note of the sunlight. . .well, I realized I needed to make some changes to benefit my flowers.

As I said, I also added decorative items, which I think enhances the patio. I'm partial to fleur-de-lis, so when I found this one in the outdoor decorations at At Home for 50% off, I snatched it up.

This little sign was 50% off, as well.

I found this willow art piece at a thrift store for a couple of dollars. It was au naturale when I purchased it, so I gave it a white chalk paint treatment for a shabby chic look.

These all were inexpensive purchases that for me add a homey touch to my little retreat.

Several of you commented that I needed a little table between my wicker chairs, which I agreed was a necessity to hold a drink. The space is pretty small, so it took me awhile to find something that would work there, and also wouldn't break the bank. One day on my way home from work I stopped in at Goodwill and Eureka! I found my little table for $3.99. 

When I have the time I'll spray paint it a new color, but for now it's fine.

I found this sweet birdhouse sitting on the ground outside my patio fence (left behind by the previous owners) where it was hidden from sight, so I brought it inside the patio to enjoy.

Another change I made was to add some in-ground planting. There's only a smidgen of hard clay soil in my patio area, just below the porch railing. Now anyone who knows anything about clay soil knows that it's nearly impossible to grow anything in its natural state. You have to amend the soil so it will drain properly. I'll do another post sometime on how I accomplished this in a super easy way, but for now here's the result of less than two hours work.

I'm pretty excited about this little patch of what eventually will be my mini cottage garden. The Foxglove (rear left), and the groundcover Spotted Dead Nettle on the left and Ajuga on the right are perennials. I planted the pink geraniums, which I already had on hand, to keep within my budget. I'll add more perennials later, and this will become a low maintenance beautiful addition to my patio.

Hanging above this area are my wrought iron planters. Another Goodwill find at $5.99 for the small one, and $6.99 for the larger planter. 

These like-new, sturdy planters were an incredible bargain. I had decided that I would just have to wait until next year to do this project because there was no way I could pay retail for planters like these. I couldn't find anything under $25, and that's for something small and cheaply made.  Did you catch the little fleur de lis at the top of the planters. How could I resist?

I feel like I've done enough with my patio this year. Next year I plan to do the lattice wall I wrote about here. And maybe some other things. But for now I'm turning my attention to the inside of my home.

Come inside and we'll chat about my plans for the kitchen. This is a big project on a tiny budget, and I'll do as much of the work myself as I can muster. Here are some recent photos. (Excuse the messy appearance; I didn't plan on using these for the blog, but they actually make the room look better than if I took photos in its current even messier state.) 

I've already begun this project by removing the batten strips on the walls, and caulking the resulting gaps. I've deep cleaned the inside of the stove hood and above the cabinets (which was an amazingly hideous job because obviously the previous owner hadn't bothered to clean for years), and washed down the walls. I've removed all the backsplash. A local custom countertop company has measured for new countertops. Here's a sample of the laminate I'm using, Formica 180 fx Calacatta Marble in Satin Touch.

You're probably wondering why I would use a custom countertop company rather than Home Depot or some other big box store. Well, I had Home Depot price it out, and it was a lot more expensive. Plus, my local guy will remove the old countertops and dispose of them and the sink, something Home Depot would not do. So, if I went with Home Depot I would have had to pay a handyman or contractor to do that for me, which would have added to the cost. So, although we often think we can't afford a small business as compared to a national retailer, I say, "do your homework". You may be surprised at how much money you'll save by using that small local business to do your work.

I'll have the sink and faucet replaced, too. These are tasks I'll need a plumber to complete. What I will do myself is texture and paint the walls, and paint the cabinets. Praise the Lord for Youtube! I learned how to remove the battens, and now I'm learning how to texture walls. It's never too late to learn how to DIY. 

I'll be sharing a lot more about this in the days ahead, so stay tuned.

One more thing before I go. Please forgive me for not replying to your comments and/or visiting your blog. The past few months have been an exercise in adjusting to this new life of mine. It's a huge change for me and my energy level at the end of a work day is pretty low. Any work I do on my home and garden is done on the two days I have off. Having said all that, I am working on resolving this issue, and making the changes needed to reconnect with all of you. You are so gracious to visit and leave kind comments. I don't want you to think I take that for granted. I don't. There are plenty of other blogs that you could visit, and I know that. So, thank you from the bottom of my heart for making time for me. I will work to do the same for you. God bless you.

Hugs,

The Cottage - Is This It?

Home, the spot of earth supremely blest,

A dearer, sweeter spot than all the rest.

~ Robert Montgomery

In my last post I left you with Captain's question to me:

"You wake up in your new cottage.  Now walk me through your day. . .what do you do next?"

"Well, I'd start with coffee with you," I said. 

"And if it's fair weather, we'd be outside on a porch or patio.  And I'd putter between sips.

Photo taken at our local nursery.

"I'd pull a few weeds from the flower bed.

Not my garden.  This is my neighbor's plot.  I can dream, though.

"I'm a farmer's daughter, I like to make things grow.  In the summer months I want to spend most days tending a garden.  Or reading under a shade tree until I fall asleep."

"So far," Captain said, "everything you've mentioned is done outdoors."

"Yes, I like to take advantage of the warm days."

"Winters are long here," I said.

"During the cold months I'm quilting or doing other creative things indoors.

"And the flowers I grow are in pots in front of a south window.

"Of course, all year long I write and blog."

"You need your own space for creativity," Captain said.

"Yes, I really do."

After asking a few more questions and running some ideas by me, Captain began sketching, and in a few hours he had a schematic of our cottage. Over the next few days we tweaked it until we had the cottage design that satisfied both of us.

A Joyful Cottage Rendering

This is a 970 SF, single level, 2 bedroom, 1 bath cottage, with a study.    

This is the street view.  The French door on the far left is the study (my studio).  The three windows and French door in the center is the living/dining room.  Two windows with a flower box under them give a view from the kitchen.  There is a front porch, and the window you see behind the railing is Captain's studio.  We moved the cottage farther back on the lot to allow for more landscaping on this side of the cottage.

The window on the left is at the end of the kitchen, and the window to the far right is Captain's studio. The double stair porch frames the entrance.

Here you get a side view of the porch on the far left.   The casement window is on the north wall of Captain's studio.  The French door gives access to the bathroom from the vegetable/flower garden. (More about this later.) The two windows on the far right are the master bedroom.

The extension on the west side is my space (the study).  You can see the two windows, and the little steps on the right that give me direct access to the south garden through a French door.  

We enter from the porch into a small foyer.  Captain's art studio is on the right (Bedroom 2),  and includes a bar sink for clean up.  The proximity of his studio to the front door means he can bring art customers in and have privacy.  There's a guest closet at the entry.

I'll take you into the kitchen first, and then we'll look at the rest of the cottage.  I've included some inspiration pictures for your viewing pleasure.  Be forewarned, though, there are a lot of photos.

This is a galley kitchen.  You may be wondering why I chose this particular style.  Most people don't want a galley kitchen.  Well, I'm the exception to the rule.  

Kitchen in our previous cottage

Our last home had a galley kitchen.

Can you tell I have a thing for French doors?

I loved that kitchen, except for one thing: it was the traffic lane from the back door to the living room.  It's how the cottage was originally built in 1926. (Some day I'll post the before and after photos of our top to bottom remodel of that cottage.  No comparison between what we bought and what we sold.)

I've had kitchens ranging from one wall in a tiny apartment to a big kitchen with a huge island, and I find the galley kitchen to be the most efficient and enjoyable in which to cook.  I like to have things close at hand, and I don't like having to take a lot of steps to get from one work space to another.

NY Times Domains: Craft House

Tom Colicchi, the founder and co-owner of the Craft restaurants and head judge of 'Top Chef' cooks in a small galley kitchen in his NY rental apartment.  He says, "I can’t open the refrigerator and the oven door at the same time. But you don’t need to have a Rolls-Royce kitchen to make a great meal."  

Exactly.

The key for me is having a kitchen with plenty of natural light, at least one 4' work surface and good storage.  The galley kitchen we designed has all of this.

I  have no idea what the reddish marks are on this image.  It could be I spilled salsa on the plan.  Oops.

There are two large windows over the sink.  The pantry on the far left is a scaled down version of my inspiration pantry.

 Linen and Lavender

I love the raw wood and chicken wire.

Devol Kitchens

I've always wanted to do a kitchen with shaker cabinetry. Simple, understated. . .perfect.

Decaholic

Upper cabinets will have glass front doors.   

Country Living

A shelf will be built on the cabinet tops that will run over the windows -- the full length of the wall.    This will give me room for display, baskets for extra storage. . .whatever.

I already have the Ikea farm sink.  A friend was going to Portland and offered to pick it up for us.  Since we live 5 1/2 hours from the nearest store and Ikea doesn't ship this sink, I jumped at his offer. He's so very nice.

I will have a skirt under the sink.

The opposite wall will house the range, otr microwave, and the refrigerator. 

Traditional Spaces by Morrow Kitchen & Bath Designers The Workshops of David T. Smith

Remember my "hutch" inspiration photo from the other plans?  It's moving with me to this plan.  We'll be using beadboard behind the range, continuing on the soffit wall above, and we'll use the same beadboard on the sink wall.

There will be a wall between the hutch and the refrigerator.  Now here's why you should have an architect like Captain design your home: he pushed the wall behind the refrigerator back a foot so that the refrigerator face will be flush with the wall's edge. See why I love this man?  No detail escapes him.

He also gave me a window on the end wall, and that makes me really happy.  Having natural light  at the end of a galley kitchen keeps it from looking like a cave.  The fact that all the kitchen windows have flower boxes on the exterior gets him extra points, too.

I don't know, it's getting late. . .should we continue the tour? Yes?  Okay.

The dining and living room is one open space. Three windows and a French door provide plenty of natural light.  In the summer this room extends to the outdoors.  I can picture al Fresco dining just outside.

Yes.  The little gas stove and mantel is back.

Jotul.com

Ambience and an alternative heat source.  Ahhh.

The master bedroom is off the living room.  His and her closets separate the bedroom from the study.  I have to tell you that I absolutely am in love with this layout.  I get my own space away from the daily activities in the house, it has lots of natural light and a French door to the flower garden, and it makes the small master bedroom appear larger.  

And now the bathroom.  We're building a one bathroom home, for economical reasons, and how we design this bath is extremely important.

This is a home designed for the way we live. I want to emphasize this because I believe the bathroom is designed very differently from what most people would want.  As I mentioned earlier, there will be a working garden behind the house.  Captain and I are both avid gardeners, and we want to be able to come into the cottage from the garden without making a mess in the entry and living space.

Many years ago I saw a beach cottage featured in Country Living that had one bathroom. There was an exterior door in the bathroom that allowed the family to come right in from the beach and bathe.  I thought that was brilliant.  So, when Captain approached me about designing the bath with an exterior door I was completely onboard.  For us it makes perfect sense.  A utility area with a closet separates the exterior entrance door from the bath.  Dirty gardening clothes go in the washer, gardener steps into the shower, gardener comes out clean, dresses and there you have it.  No tracking dirt through the house, and we have a lovely view of the garden from the bathroom when we don't need privacy. 

The French door has privacy blinds, and the bathroom is tiled, so it's easy to maintain.  

Of all the plans Captain has drawn, this is the one that quickens my pulse.  I feel like we've hit the jackpot.  

Now we're waiting for the bid from the contractor.  

Thanks for your interest and encouraging words.  I feel like you're taking this journey with me.  I do hope you're enjoying it.

(If you'd like to see the first 3 cottage plans we considered, type "new cottage" in the search box for the posts.)





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