Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Beautiful Sheds PART I

Shed: a small structure, either freestanding or attached to a larger structure, serving for storage or shelter. 

I NEED ONE!!

Where I live it snows and soon on our bikes, lawnmower and other odds and ends will be hidden accidents waiting to happen.

When my partner thinks of a shed he thinks of something simple and practical. Like this...




 
When I think of a shed I have all kinds of fantasies.




Photo from Christina Strutt's new book: "At Home with Country" and founder of lifestyle firm Cabbages and Roses 
    


  When I saw this hunting cabin on beach bungalow 8 I was so inspired by the possibilities.



Sandra Foster was featured in the New York Times for more just visit link provided.


Photography by Trevor Tondro
 

 She found this little hunting shed across the creek on her land in the Catskills and turned it into a "Shabby chic retreat".



Sandra replaced the logs for porch roof with columns and brackets. She installed wavy glass windows which I adore!


She did all the carpentry herself and has all sorts of hidden secrets like the stair above which hides an old drawer for storage.




The buffet was created by making hand made shelves and installing French doors from a yard sale.



White makes everything look fluffy and beautiful!


For more pictures visit link






Thank you for sharing this Beach Bungalow 8!


 



Monday, November 29, 2010

Winter

I have been really busy lately. Not too busy to realise that we have been so lucky lately because the weather has been warm and we were close to the end of November which is rare here. Just too busy to write.

 I have taken on a new project! I will hopefully (if I complete my training successfully)  be volunteering four hours a week at suicide hotline for the next seven months and I am really inspired.

Due to this new endeavor two of my last  three weekends have been spent training from nine to five learning the proper phone techniques to make me a helpful volunteer. This has meant that at no time has there been the option to even approach a computer unless I'm at work.

Sometimes when all my work is done in between phone calls there is time and I will try to write a little but lately all my efforts have been interrupted by a constant stream of phone calls. It is my job to answer those calls after all so I don't let my writing get in the way of that either.


Sadly I have been working on a gorgeous post about sheds and preparing for winter with beautiful pictures which is almost ready but I didn't get it posted yet and in the meantime WINTER ARRIVED.

Friday morning after twelve days of getting downtown by nine am every single day either for training with the volunteer group or going to work and feeling pretty tired I was in a good mood thinking it's Friday one more day and I'll be able to rest finally.

I walked very quickly down the little hill that leads to my driveway thinking: " Oh it's pretty mild out. It's raining again that's good. Why is the grass crunchy then, hmmmm, strange" but just kept my pace.

When I put my right foot onto my driveway I realized why the grass was crunchy but it was too late. I was already defying gravity and landed splat on my BUM HARD!!

I tried to get up with some dignity on my feet but the fact that the thin sheet of black ice was slick from the rain made that impossible. I just know I looked like a looney tunes cartoon perpetually slipping so I had to think of an alternate plan.

I had a bus to catch so portable coffee cup in hand the right side up now but much lighter since most of it had been absorbed into my clothes I scooted on my bum to the edge of the driveway and slid into the ditch with some difficulty.

My dress and leggings were not only soaked until noon but I was still picking dead grass and leaf bits off my clothes until about three pm. I survived my day at work without incident and called my partner and told him which train I would catch and that it wasn't necessary to come pick me up I'd catch the bus.

I got to the train stop just before mine and thought wow I did it I'm almost home and settled comfortably in my seat for the last leg of my journey and I FELL ASLEEP!!

I slept right through my stop and woke up at the next one just in time to get to the door. The door was making the warning beep it makes just before closing when I realized I wasn't at the right stop.

I thought: "Where am I? I never saw this stop before? Should I get off here? Maybe I was mistaken and we weren't close to home?"  I had to think fast even though it all felt like a dream.

I read the sign and realised that I was at the next stop so I jumped off the train quickly.  I walked out all tired and sleepy into an arctic wind and realized for the second time WINTER IS HERE.

I called my partner to pick me up and I had a warm and wonderful dinner made especially good because he made it and it was cold outside and went to bed.

When I woke up it was snowing... THAT'S IT THERE IS NO DENYING IN WINTER IS REALLY HERE!

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

RAINBOW PARTIES

Over the past few months reading all these amazing and inspiring blogs I have realised that one of my favourite things to do is look at all the beautiful pictures. When I saw this rainbow party by Clare one of the ladies at mondocherry I thought of one person my stepdaughter.


She is like a little piece of rainbow. She is mostly sunshine and from what I understand from all the stories about the past she has always been obsessed with rainbows.



Rainbow skirt courtesy of Siobhan from hip Hooray
 She is crafty and gets really excited about little things.

 She challenges me and accepts me completely


We are a what you would call a blended family and we have not always had an easy time of it but we all love eachother very much and find great pleasure in getting to know eachother.



I count myself lucky to not only have two of my own kids but I am blessed with 2 beautiful girls that my handsome partner had in a previous relationship.


I invite you to join me in the cyber rainbow party in her honor.




Cheers to you kid with love from your stepmom (for lack of a better word). I wish we could find another better word for stepmom. I mean what does that even mean STEP??!)




 Party favors!
  So what will  you be asking me to make with you when you see this?


 As seen on Brown Button made by Holly!


Will you want to make party favors?


Will you want to bake a cake?




Or decorate? You let me know sweety it is your day! Happy Birthday!