Saturday Spotlight: Life Behind the Blogger


Julie from Little Farmstead



 Saturday Spotlight: Life Behind the Blogger is a feature done each Saturday that introduces you to a blogger you may already know or a new blogger for you to get to know. This feature gives you a peak into the personal life of the blogger.  Getting to know the special person behind the beautiful blog.

There is so much talent and inspiration in blogland so enjoy getting to know these talented bloggers each Saturday.


Good Saturday to all of you.  This week in Spotlight I have a super fabulous blogger that shares my love of neutrals, slipcovers and fun architectural pieces with history mixed into her decor.  Sit back and enjoy getting to know Julie from Little Farmstead.





I was so honored when Kris asked me to participate in this series. I adore her style and know that she has an amazing group of readers.

I started blogging a little over a year ago. It has been a meaningful creative outlet for me. What fun to share ideas and perspectives with newfound friends, who enjoy many  similar interests! I have been encouraged and inspired within this blogging community and for that, I am very grateful.



On my blog, Little Farmstead, I write about farmhouse living, decorating, DIY projects, gardening, celebrations and bits and pieces of our family life.


I grew up in Walnut Creek, California (about 30 minutes from San Francisco). My Dad was a pastor and my Mom was a teacher. They are pretty much my heroes. I have a sister who is very creative and has been my decorating partner-in-crime over the years. 

We are blessed to live close by my parents and my sister and her family. The cousins are very close, which makes for a lot of fun times together.


As a child, I loved swimming (I even did synchronized swimming!) and riding my horse. In junior high and high school, I played a lot of sports - volleyball was my favorite. In summers, I worked as a life guard. It was rough, but somehow I managed. ;)

I attended college in Southern California, where I met the love of my life. After graduating, I worked in marketing at a  technology company in Newport Beach. 

Then, two years later, my husband and I got married in the Bay Area and moved up to beautiful (and rainy!) Seattle.


In Seattle, I took a position in an aerospace company. My first week on the job was spent in Paris at the Paris Air Show. I remember people asking me that week how I was liking my new job. "So far, so good!" was my response. ;) As part of my job, I also traveled to Germany, Chile, Brazil, Mexico and Australia, as well as many cities in the U.S. This was a real dream come true for me - - I had always wanted to see more of the world! I also enjoyed getting to know people from different countries. Learning more about different cultures has always been very interesting to me.

Then in 2003, my life was forever changed when our first son was born... and then, a couple years later, our second baby boy... and three years later our third son! 


Our home is full of boys and full of life - - lots of activity and noise. We've had our share of trips to the ER and someone is always hungry. Oh the dirt! (I bleach our white slip covers regularly.) But man, oh man... our boys are the best. They are my buddies, my world.

A year-and-a-half ago, our dream of moving just past the city limits, to our own little piece of the country came true!  It is amazing to live here at our little farmstead, enjoying nature and having room for our boys to play and explore. 

One of the main reasons we wanted to move to a country setting was so that we would have more reasons - a dog to walk, eggs to gather, a garden to tend, bonfires to enjoy - to be home together. 


We have a small menagerie of animals, including: a chocolate lab, two cats, a rabbit and chickens. We've enjoyed having a vegetable garden and hope to learn a little bit more about gardening each year. 


I love "nesting" and usually do it on a budget. I recently painted our dark green formica kitchen countertops. Paint can truly work wonders! 


We count our blessings each day. We've experienced difficult times, like everyone. But through it all, we've experienced God's grace, faithfulness, forgiveness and love. 

If you enjoy farmhouse, vintage, prairie, cottage or flea market decor (shall I name more styles just to cover my bases? :), I may have some ideas for you... I'd love it if you'd stop by Little Farmstead

Hope you have a wonderful day!

Xo,

~julie

Thank you Julie for sharing your beautiful home and life with us today.  Please take a few minutes and visit Julie's blog Little Farmstead.

Have a great week end.
Kris
:)

Living Room Re Do's Coming Along


Remember me putting the chippy barn door around the bottom of  the sectional to try and cottage it up.  Still not happy.  Even with leather being very easy to maintain with a dog it just was not my style.  

So my daughter took my leather sectional for her new house and a dear friend is redoing her living room and gave me this couch.  It is a high end couch and very comfy and well built.  So in exchange for my leather sectional my daughter offered to pay for Lisa to make me a slipcover for this wonderful gifted couch from my friend.  So it is all good I am going to get the look I want and it won't cost me anything.  So stay tuned to see what a new custom slipcover can do to this couch.

All the walls are now painted in the Cottage White by Behr.  Just a hint of gray in the color.  Soft and serene.


It is hard to see with the way the light comes in the entry way but the top of the walls in the entry are the Cottage White with a hint of gray and the board and batten are done in white along with the trim all in a flat white.  So even though it is hard to see there is a slight difference in the trim and board and batten from the wall color.

I think the light white with hint of gray makes all the black and natural colors of the baskets and hats pop.  Stay tuned the living room is coming along nicely.  Just waiting on my slipcover to arrive hopefully next week and Terry and I are working on a few more change ups and re loves in this room.

Have a great week.  Come back on Saturday for another wonderful blogger to meet in Spotlight.
Kris
:)

Parties:
Vintage Inspiration Party
Shabbilicious Friday
Make it Pretty Monday

New Change Ups Coming

Happy Sunday and Happy Father's Day. 


Happy Father's Day to my  sweet husband, my best friend and the wonderful father to our two daughters and grandfather to our sweet granddaughter Abby.  I have been with this man for 35 years and loving him is like breathing,  easy and beautiful.

We carved out a beautiful life together and continuing to live out our journey together just makes my heart sing.  Terry I am so blessed to call you hubby, friend and soul mate.  Enjoy this day in honor of the good man, dad and grandfather you are not to mention the handyman you are in my decor crazy world.
Love you to the moon and back.
xxoo
Kris


New Changes 


  I wanted to show a new window header Terry made me for the living room window.


You know how I love to repurpose salvage into new things. 

Ok here is a before picture of my walls and living room colors.  Remember the pottery barn thing I was trying to do to incorporate the leather sectional into the cottage decor.  Well.......


I am on a new course and getting back to the shabby cottage white that I love.  We painted the walls with Behr Cottage White which is one of the million colors of white they have!!!! It is a white with just a hint of gray tone to it.  I love the soft serene feel it gives the room.

Then I had this regular ole basic drapery rod.  Too boring and no character so.....




I had Terry make me a header for this window out of some old chippy porch spindles. Terry attached them together and then added some old chippy wood pieces we had  to make it long enough to fit the window. He went around the pole and attached the wood pieces to the bracket holding the curtain rod.   Kept the rod underneath to hang the white sheers on.







So this is the beginning of the transformation of my living room.  The beauty is I am using paint I had from the hall way so now the hall that leads to the living room will all be the same color.


You can see I get a lot of soft light in this room.  

I am going for a soft and serene shabby cottage chic room.  Stay tuned for more things I am changing up for this room reveal.

Have a great start to the new week.
Kris
:)

parties:
Show and Share 
Tweak it Tuesday
Vintage Inspiration Party
Make it Pretty Monday

sponsor