Benjamin Dhong

After a long and intensive search for the "perfect beginning" to "decorate my daughter's and son's bedrooms - I have come up with nada, zero, zilch inspiration.

Long after my perilous, fruitless search, (with exhaustion setting in:);  these wood grain fabrics kept calling me:

Thom Filicia Calico Corners

Thom Filicia Calico Corners

Then I saw the Benjamin Dhong article in the May House Beautiful.   And immediately began stalking/researching his work...and found this bathroom he did for the San Francisco Decorator Showcase.  

via

Now, this wallpaper is calling me.  :).  

Club House via Country Living

Isn't this fun?

My Favorite Wall, For Now

My walls are like Swiss Cheese.  

I don't subscribe by the recommended "cut it out of butcher paper, tape it up and see how you like it" method.  I have been known to manically and randomly, on a whim, even, pound nails into my (painted, paneled) walls.  I love the freedom of this wall - the idea that it wasn't good to begin with and won't be saved long term has made it my favorite to subject to change.

 All these thrifted finds from Goodwill or "Vinnie's"

(a local St. Vincent de Paul Thrift Store)...

Fabric Love

Loving this color combo:

Pop Garden Pop Daisey Red

and anything Amy Butler, too:

Amy Butler Lotus Full Moon Polka Dot Cherry

Argh! to Ahh...

And now, Ladies, and possibly, Gentlemen, my first installment of "Argh to Ahh..."

Where I bring you my real-life home decor transformations messes somethings.

From the downright frightening (Argh!)

to somewhat (I hope at least a little) better (Ahh...).

Argh!

Really, seriously, truly.  THIS was our Living Room AND our bedroom!  There was a queen bed behind the kids.  The kitchen remains behind you/me - also a bathroom and laundry room -to your right.  At the time of this photo, the laundry room had a twin trundle bed for our Little Miss.  We were stuffed in here!

That carpet?  Original 60's.

And now you can see why the blinds were burned.  (Which were real, working Roman shades-no hot glue involved!  Made by me, myself and I before I had all your awesome tutorials!  I used a *gasp* pattern!) 

And I thought adding "fun stripes and prints" (and lots of junk) to it would help.

Hmmm.

Ahh...

Better?  Better.

Still carpeted - but this from this era!


The door (on the right - one of maahhhny in this room) goes to my office/laundry room).   


I do love that radio cabinet - and it loves that spot in our house.

Argh!

At the time, things your kids do are so cute - Like this spring animal "stage".  

While the house is a disaster.  :)  

Ahh...  Now, where did those kiddos go?

Argh!

(My niece and nephew - they're teenagers now!)

That IS our house!  Do you see all the "add ons" - the slanted porch is gone (which used to be the entry - right into the kitchen- we've since relocated the "entry" door.  

My husband also rebuilt the entire left side of the house, (with a smidge of help from my brothers, my mom and dad).  He began by jacking each basement wall and replacing them with new concrete (they were the original sandstone).  He entirely gutted and refinished the inside to create new bedrooms and bathrooms.  The siding is the gooved preprimed sheets - because The Plan has always been to tear off the current kitchen/bathroom/laundry/living room and add on a new basement/kitchen/living room to the left (bedroom) side.

Ahh...

Our kids, our house...our home.  We've certainly come a long way!

I get terribly nervous thinking of all there is to do and looking at this picture of our kids.  

They are growing up so fast - and in the grand scope of things - they and my (sweet) husband are so much more important than "stuff".  

They are my home in my heart.

New World Home in Country Living Mag

countryliving.com

By now, maybe you know:   I grew up in the country and live in the country.  Which means a variety of things.  A few decidedly "country" things are true about me:   I know how to drive a pickup truck without brakes; I've taught my kids that manure smells are promises of good things ("You eat cheese, don't you?"); and I admit to having two wardrobes - one for "chores" and one for "good".

"You can take the girl out of the country, you can't take the country out of the girl" does apply to me, however, I most often steer away from things that are "typically country".   As a rule I don't listen to country music by choice; I really can't grow a thing, unless it can fend for itself; and I don't read "Country Woman" or "Country Living".

That is until I was offered a free subscription of Country Living magazine.  "Cheap, cheap, I'll take it," said this country chick.

When I saw this ad for New World Homes, in the April Country Living magazine, I fell in LAAHA-love!  Modular Homes that are "historically inspired"!  Genius!  "Dig a hole, fill it up..." put a house on top!

Go to their site and check out the Home Showcase, where they feature photos, renderings, and floor plans, (even a blog).

Oh, plop one of these down in my field, pretty please!

I could so. live.here.or here.

New World Homes are named after the towns or people of inspiration:  The Henry David (Thoreau);  We had a John Muir Junior High School in our town, so this home would seem appropriate to put in Wisconsin; the Walden Revival reminds me most of what our (original) home may have once (long ago!) looked like...(it was a hard-working, tad-neglected farmhouse).


I love the idea of adding one of the under 1300 foot structures to our "historic home".

What do you think?  Would you go the pre-fab route?

Busy, Busy, Busy...Bees

We've been busy with the general "stuff" of life...cleaning, straightening, tossing lots and trying to "keep up"...  (You to?) ...and laughing at this cute joke:

Happy April!

My mom, who cooked 3 (hearty & delicious) meals  for our family of 5, milked 150-200 cows (sometimes 3 times a day), managed all the "herd health" and farm business records would sometimes exclaim:  "Whew!  We made it through the week."

Well, "Whew! I made it through March!"