Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day.  Celebrate the Special Mom, Daughter, Sister or Friend you are  today.  Relax and Enjoy All that the Day will Bring.

source
Happy Mom's Day
Kris
:)

Saturday Spotlight Life Behind the Blogger

Susan from Must Love Junk, and myself wanted to do a regular feature on our blogs, something unique that hasn't been done before.   So we came up with an idea to 'spotlight the real life behind the blogger' in a more personal way.

There is so much talent and inspiration in blogland, and we thought it would be fun to bring you a closer look at the person behind the blog.

Every week on Saturday we will spotlight a blogger and have them tell us a little bit about themselves and their blogs.  You will be able to see and read about each of the bloggers on both Susan's and my blog. 

 Su from Butterfly and Bungalow
Saturday May 10th

Happy Saturday.  This Saturday in Spotlight I would love to introduce you to Su from Butterfly and Bungalow.  I have followed Su for a little over a year and love all the beautiful decor changes she has done on her lovely cottage.  My fav room being her Sleeping Porch.  Just Awesome!  Enjoy getting to know Su on a more personal level and then hop over to see her blog if you are not already a follower.  

Thank you, Kris for inviting me, and it's honor to be part of Life Behind the Blogger.

Hi, I'm Su, and I've been blogging at Butterfly and Bungalow for twenty two months. I began when we started remodeling our seventy-years old cottage.  My husband and I have done most all of the work ourselves except for the major electricity and plumbing fix.

Considering the disrepair of this home and garden when I began blogging, we have accomplished quite a bit to make it sweet in a short time. My favorite rooms are the kitchen and bathroom, but for many of my readers it is the Mad Hatter Library and the sleeping porch.

Now

1. Kitchen   2. Bathroom   3. Mad Hatter Library   4. Entrance to Sleeping Porch

Past

This home was a downsize from a much larger home, but like many folks, we made changes in this economy, and now, we are adapting to living smaller and learning to garden in the desert.

Garden and Potting Shed

Moving from a newer, large home to an old, small home, taught me to love imperfection. Nothing is perfect in a small, old house for example, some walls are wider at the bottom then the top, and clutter is easy to accumulate.  The great thing about an older home is that if one makes a repair and it doesn't look perfect, it's okay, because it looks like it belongs! I'm also having more fun with my decorating for example, I have a blue refrigerator and stripes under the front porch's ceiling.

I sometimes blog with my daughter. I love the whimsical and the sacred, and my daughter loves cats and Alice in Wonderland.  So it is not unusual for a ceramic cat to where a santos crown.

We have some things in common: both our names begin with S; we both love vintage shops; we also both paint and craft.

We both have had some direct or indirect successes with blogging. My daughter wrote a column for Discovery Girl Magazine and my kitchen was featured on: Apartment Therapy, Home Depot's Pinterest, and a finalist in a Cottages and Bungalows' makeover.  Blogging also teaches me to be a better hostess to my friends.  Blogging has also brought about some friendships.

I still have one room and a shed that are outside the main house that need quite a bit of care; the room off the carport will be my spouse's office, and the shed will be a studio. But everything is on hold this year, because our family has been saving and preparing for a trip.

My daughter is a classical pianist, and she was invited and accepted to study piano in the summer with some world class teachers in Europe. We were thrilled, because we always thought she would be older, but because she is thirteen and not older than sixteen,  I must accompany her!  So we are both excited. She is excited about meeting other young, classical pianists, and we are both excited to see old cities, gardens, and museums.  This will be her first trip to Europe.

My spouse of twenty-three years is a native Californian.  He does almost all the handy work, and he doesn't like his picture taken. We met at the university in La Jolla, we became engaged on a trip to Paris, and we married right after graduating.

I've lived all over, but I consider myself almost a native Zoner and almost a native Californian, because I've lived most of my life between both states.   I was born back east, but spent summers in Canada and one in Iowa, because my father lived and worked in Canada. I also lived a year in Utah.  I went to twelve schools growing up, and my favorite year in school was spent at a Catholic boarding school for girls on the Navajo reservation near New Mexico.  Since I moved a lot growing up, and came from a very large family, home is really something I value and caretake.

Our family also consists of a toy poodle, and three adopted, outdoor, formerly stray kitties.

My blog shows a pretty and happy side of life, but I am a deep thinker, and I think you can see both sides in my decorating; I love whimsy, and I collect santos, angels, retablos, and books.

My favorite saying is from Tony Hillerman's autobiography, "Blessed are those who expect little. They are seldom disappointed."

Thank you Su for sharing your home and your family with all of us.  Ohhhhh how wonderful that your daughter is a classical pianist and the two of you are heading to Europe this summer.  You must be so proud and excited.  

Now that you have gotten to know more about Su please hop over to Susan's blog and meet another sweet blogger Ceekay from Thinkin of Home.

Have a Happy Saturday.

Kris

:)

A Girlfriend Road Trip and Two Fabulous Vintage Markets

I am off on a girlfriend Road Trip with a great friend of mine.  We are heading 3 hours south of where we live to the Hobnob Spring Market.

I have never done this market but we girls needed a road trip to catch up and some fun shopping so tomorrow I will be headed to this Market.

Then............................................

On Saturday we are heading out to Rockford, Illinois for  Mary's Urban Farm Girl  Main Street Market.

She is hosting 78 fabulous vendors and it will be throughout the Victorian Village at Midway Village Museum.  I cannot wait.  So I will be off blog land for a few days.

Please be sure to tune in on Saturday for Spotlight.  Susan and I have two fantastic bloggers for you to get to know.  Have a fantastic week end and a beautiful Mom's Day.  Enjoy.

Kris

:)

Changes in my Office Area

I thought I would share some of the changes I did in my office.  I have been spring cleaning and while doing that I changed up some things.

I think some of you remember these old chippy french doors and porch posts I had and Terry made into a wall divider for my office.  We made the back half of the dining room into an office for me.  It was a closet at one time but makes for a better office.

This is the old door cut up and made into a window header.  I put the words Live Love Junk up there.  One of my favorite motto's.  I even saved the old chippy door knob and repurposed that on the header too.  The columns are old porch posts.

Entry to my office

I have a pretty chandelier hanging over my desk.

Remember this old door from a 1940's Chicago Private Investigators office I got at the antique mall.  It hangs on the wall over my desk area.

Here is a side shot of my office.  I have the old chippy cabinet from a 100 year old house tear down.  It was one of the kitchen cabinets in the home.  I could not see them throwing this chippy piece of history out so it came home and I am using it for storage in my office.

I got this tiered shelf lamp recently and use it in my office to store all my handmade items and some ribbon.

This is a sweet Junk banner I recently got in a small shop I frequent.

I love that it says Junk and that each letter is unique and has a lot of old vintage jewels for some bling.

Below the Junk banner I have the old curtain rod that I used old door knobs for the end pieces and then put these numbered baskets on the rod for storage.  I store all the little stuff like tags, buttons, flowers, ribbon etc.

Here is a close up of the U and you can see the pretty lace and old vintage brooch used on this one.

Here is the K too with old vintage buttons and bling.  I added some of my flowers and ribbon to the end pieces of this banner.

 I was taking pictures I realized something about myself.  I am a magazine and decor book hoarder!  Yep! besides using these wine bottle holders for magazines I also have that trunk filled to the rim with magazines and books.  Even with pinterest at our finger tips I still like to collect and save magazines and decor books.
This is that old cedar chest I scored at the flea market last year for $25 and I left it outside all winter and it now it is so chippy and weathered I love it.

I love that my office gets a lot of light during the day and I have plenty of storage options in this room.  I spend a lot of time on my computer so I like that this space reflects me and the things I love.
How's your spring cleaning going? I am taking it one room at a time.
Thanks for stopping by for a visit.
Kris
:)

Sharing with Treasure Hunt Thursday
Sharing with What We Accomplished Wednesday
Sharing with Centerpiece Wednesday
Sharing with What's it Wednesday
Sharing with Nifty Thrifty Tuesdays
Sharing with Wow Us Wednesday
Sharing with Make it Pretty Monday

Lots of Chippy Goodness

Happy Sunday.  I thought I would share some little changes in my dining room with spring cleaning and getting ready for summer.  I wanted to bring in my love of gardening to the inside decor.

I found a new spot for this chippy white chair until I can take her outside to the garden this summer.

I wanted to show you the Madonna and rosaries I got on my trip to Massachusetts.

I loved this old french bottle with the Madonna on it.  I also found a sweet rosary at Nesting the shop in Concord, Ma.

The bottle was so pretty and the little angel wings I had gotten awhile back from 
Rosemary at Villa Barnes.  

I have hung my spring love birds cage on the old windows dividing the kitchen from the dining room.

Rehung my Honey 4 Sale sign over the old chippy windows and added a wreath and bird to the sign for a summer look.

As many of you know I love my old vintage bike that I just redid the flower bike basket for summer.  

I used this old foot board with chalk paint to hang my garden hat and garden basket .  I love that I can change up the sign with chalk.

I love bringing a little bit of my summer garden inside the house.

My old garden boots that I painted a light yellow and put daisy's in them and a cute little robins nest.

I recently found this old picket fence piece and brought it in to put in front of the mirror on my mantel for summer.

My wreath with the robins nest hangs on the old picket fence.  I love bringing the feel of summer into the house.  I am getting excited to start the outdoor flower garden and mixing in old vintage pieces with the flowers.  Just waiting on our midwest weather to stay warm enough to start outside gardening.
Hope you have a great start to the week ahead.
Thanks for your visit.
Kris
:)

Saturday Spotlight: Life Behind the Blogger

Susan from Must Love Junk, and myself wanted to do a regular feature on our blogs, something unique that hasn't been done before.   So we came up with an idea to 'spotlight the real life behind the blogger' in a more personal way.

There is so much talent and inspiration in blogland, and we thought it would be fun to bring you a closer look at the person behind the blog.

Every week on Saturday we will spotlight a blogger and have them tell us a little bit about themselves and their blogs.  You will be able to see and read about each of the bloggers on both Susan's and my blog. 

May 3rd

Judy from Gold Country Cottage

Happy Saturday.  I have a very sweet blogger to introduce you to this week.  It is Judy from Gold Country Cottage.  So enjoy reading and getting to know Judy on a more personal level.  I know you will love meeting her family and seeing her adorable victorian  cottage.  Enjoy.

Hi, I'm Judy, mistress of Gold Country Cottage.

I am so thankful to:

Kris of Junk Chic Cottage

for featuring me today as part of her Saturday Spotlight:  Life Behind the Blogger series.

I certainly am not one for hiding my light under a basket, so to speak, so I want to apologize right now to those of you who have heard this same old story at least once before, and to welcome those of you who haven't.

My husband, Jerry, aka the Captain, is a big part of Gold Country Cottage.  Not only is he captain of our ship team, he is the brawn behind all the renovations that are constantly going on around here.  We have been a team for almost 54 years.

We nest in our little blue Victorian cottage in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada in northern California.

Main Street, Grass Valley, CA

Our small town is ripe with heritage of the California Gold Rush era and a good example of the comfortable living that California has to offer, with just the right amount of seasonal changes, and we thoroughly enjoy the simple lifestyle we have found here.

Our good little cat, Maggie May, also makes her home here...

...and our sweet boy, Buddy, just completed his journey here with us, last month.  He was such an integral part of our life and will always hold a very special place in our hearts.  Each room of the Cottage is filled up with beautiful, loving and lasting memories of him.

From left to right: Moi, sister, Sid and brother, Bruce

I grew up in Soquel, CA, a small town in the Santa Cruz mountains, south of San Francisco.  I am the oldest of three...

...I graduated from Santa Cruz High School in 1957.

My first job the summer I graduated was as an elf at Santa's Village amusement park.

 I then went on to spend two years at a local business school and then went to work for the assemblyman from our district as his personal secretary. Later I moved to San Francisco and worked as a secretary for Western Greyhound Lines until the Captain and I were married.

I was a stay-at-home wife and mom for many years and also cleaned houses, once the kids started school, for extra spending money, which I spent on decorating items for our home.

The Captain and I have been married for almost 54 years and were blessed with two beautiful children...

Tami and Tim on their wedding day .... Jake on his graduation from high school

Tami, our beautiful daughter, also lives in northern California, along with our wonderful SIL, Tim, and the light of our lives, our grandson, Jake.

Tami is a breast cancer survivor.  She and I have participated in the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer in San Francisco for the last ten years.

We lost our loving son, Brent, almost fourteen years ago.  He was an outstanding young man and we were so proud of him.  His star shines as brightly as ever in everything we do.

We moved to Grass Valley after the kids were grown, and on their own, where we both went to work for the Grass Valley School District until retirement a few years ago.

The Cottage kitchen

The guest room

We are constantly working on the Cottage.

Of course:

I say:  We are constantly working..

The Captain says: We are constantly changing!

  

I also love to tend (and I use that term loosely) my garden...

"To be overcome by the fragrance of flowers is a delectable form of defeat."

Beverley Nichols

You will also notice, when you read most of my posts, that I am very fond of inserting quotes and poems.

A rare shot of a fairy at rest

The garden is an enchanting space where fairies reside among the flowers...

...and teddy bears have picnics on the front green...

...usually with not much help from me, I might add.  Most of the plants and flowers come back on their own year after year and, once the Captain mows the grass, the magic just seems to happen.

We also have our own Secret Garden that I'm sure Mary Lennox and Master Colin would approve of and feel quite at home in.

The large mirror with the gold frame is one of our first antiques. The blue flowered bowl: Gay Day, Wood & Sons, England

We have collected antiques for most of our married life.  We operated an antique booth, in a co-op, while living in the Bay Area, where the Captain refinished furniture and I crafted country accessories.  One of our good clients was June Allyson, a popular actress back in the 1940's and 50's.

All of the pieces we own started their afterlife as bits of wood in a basket.  The Captain became quite proficient in refinishing and putting them back together.  Nothing we have is too fancy but they are all well loved and fit perfectly into our cottage lifestyle.

The dining room table set for Thanksgiving dinner

Our little cottage was built in 1879 and is living a long and happy life.  We are the fourth family that it has sheltered and it is the foremost reason that I started blogging two years ago.

I have always loved decorating, even as a young girl, and would arrange and re-arrange the bedroom I shared with my younger sister and brother.  I can still see that small room with the Disney characters on the linoleum flooring...

...and bouquets of fresh flowers from my mother's garden, in small pitchers and vases, setting on every available surface.  I certainly inherited that gene from my mom, as we kids never knew where the furniture was going to be in our home at the end of each day!

Christmas in the parlor

I have met so many lovely and caring friends because of this journey and I am hopeful that it will be possible to continue a long and happy life of its own...

Tea time in the Secret Garden

...with huge thanks to Kris, and all of you, for being a part of those possibilities.

I'd like to take this opportunity to invite you all to stop by the Cottage for a visit...

...and maybe sit a spell on the back porch.

Mantle in the guest room featuring my grandmother's sewing basket.

Thank you Judy.  It was so much fun to get to know you on a more personal level.  I just swoon over your garden.  Now that you have gotten to know Judy.  Please hop over to Susan's blog and meet Katie from Let's Add Sprinkles.  Have a wonderful week end.

Kris

:)