A quick cabin tour (part one)

Now that our cabin finally has stuff (i.e. furniture, light fixtures, art, crafts, junk) in it - I thought I'd give you a little "before" and "now" tour of a couple rooms. (note: these are not "after" pics since we're far from done...)

Entryway area before

and now

Downstairs bedroom before

and now

 Deck before

and now

 (Maureen enjoying the sunshine - grill not shown)

HELP: den configuration

I love my husband - but sometimes he makes me nuts.

Case in point: one of his first purchases for our new cabin was a 55" tv (sigh).  Why we needed: (1) such a large tv, (2) a smart tv that will require an internet connection for full functionality, (3) cable in a home we're only going to be in 4 days a month - is a little beyond me.  Oh well, whatever makes him happy (right?).

The tv has caused a furniture configuration dilemma in the den.  My original plans (revolving around our camel leather love-seat) have been scrapped, and the outdoor chaises we used for our first movie night definitely are not a permanent solution.  A couple seating ideas:

Ikea Boliden Chair and Footstool

overstock.com Cleo Dark Brown Leather Chaise

Dawson Chair

(w/an ottoman?)

Do you have any ideas?  I'm really not in love with any that I've come up with.  Keep in mind: the room is pretty narrow, I don't want to spend a jillion dollars, and I'm not a huge recliner fan - but the right one could me sway me.  Feel free to send me links to any cool accent pieces (e.g. rugs, ottomans, etc) you come across as well.

Would you purchase a "vintage" (i.e. used) blanket?

When I saw a listing for a Pendleton Yakima Camp Blanket on Craigslist for $35.00, I was ecstatic.  I've been coveting Pendleton blankets, and dream of having a few around the cabin for super-cold winter nights, pops of color, and picnics - but brand new they're a bit out of my price range.  Even on ebay Pendleton blankets generally go for around $100.00 +, depending on the design.

When I told my friend Leigh I was buying a blanket from Craigslist, her immediate response was "Ewwww...someone could have died on it."  Hmmm...good point - but I still bought it.  I'm happy to report that it's unstained, smells fresh, and looks great draped on the end of a bed in our cabin (pictured above - the chain is for a light fixture that is yet to be hung).

Now the question is, would you buy a "vintage" (code word for: used) blanket?  If not, would you buy any used house-ware item (i.e. dinnerware, rugs, furniture).  Clothing? Where would you draw the line?

Easy kitchen face-lift

Thanks to a weekend of sweat equity, the kitchen in our Montana cabin is about 80% complete.  Oh - what a difference a few coats of primer, paint, and shiny new hardware make. 

"Before"

"After"

I used a chemical de-glosser on the cabinets, which eliminated the need to sand, before putting on two coats of primer and two coats of glossy paint (Martha Stewart's paint in bright white).  A coat of primer and a coat of semi-gloss paint (MS painter's chalk) on the accent wall in the kitchen took it from a multi-hued red to a nice, neutral white.

 

The kitchen still needs a little work (e.g. dishwasher needs to be installed, light fixture changed out, filler cabinets put in next to the stove) - but it looks TONS better than it did before.

DIY outdoor movie screen

outdoor film screening set-up via Apartment Therapy

My friend and fellow blogger Leigh is having movie nights in her back yard this summer.  After a lot of research and a little ingenuity, she made this DIY outdoor movie screen (pic below).  So cool!

via MyLynnwoodLife

A couple other backyard movie set-ups:

via filmjunk

via designsponge

Happy Monday!

I haven't had a chance to download my weekend crafting pics yet, but I'm happy to report that my patchwork quilt is this much closer to being complete (yipee!).  I'll post the updated photos tomorrow.

In the meantime, check out the pics I snapped this past Saturday at an outdoor yoga class at the Olympic Sculpture park (details here).

My steamy new toy

Bissell Steam Mop, 18677

At our condo in Seattle, fairies magically clean the floor. 

At our cabin in Montana - the miles and miles of hardwood, tile, and laminate flooring are cleaned by yours truly (okay, okay - I "clean" them and Ed cleans them).

Therefore about a month ago, with all that hard labor looming on the horizon, I decided to pick up a Bissell Steam Mop.  

After taking it for a test drive last weekend, I can attest it works as advertised.  The mop was easy to put together and fill, heated up in less than a minute, and worked wonders on the floors without a chemical cleaner.  I'm telling you - there was some nasty-dirty-gunk on those floors, and my steamy new toy cleaned it up with little effort.

One other positive - the mop uses very little water to clean, so you don't have to worry about damaging/warping your hardwood.

Note: if you want to seal your floors after cleaning and give it a shiny gloss - check out Pledge FutureShine Floor Finish.

The best laid (painting) plans...

My friend Lis is the foremost expert on all things related to paint - having successfully painted the entire interior of her home.  Therefore, when I decided to paint a couple rooms in our new Montana cabin, I first consulted my painting guru on the best brand of paint to use.

After she gave the thumbs up to Benjamin Moore paint, I literally spent hours obsessing over their color palettes.  Who knew there were so many shades of grey?

Unfortunately, this past weekend I discovered that the Home Depot in Kalispell does not carry Benjamin Moore paint - so all my obsessing and planning was for not.  Sigh.

On a whim, I ended up going with:

Martha Stewart's Painters Chalk

"Before"

(downstairs bedroom)

"After"

Behr Gentle Rain

"Before"

(den/library)

"After"

(note: not quite finished)

Both brands offered decent coverage (note: I primed before using the MS paint), and were low VOC.

Revamped dining room table: Raindrops on Roses

Check out my sister's adventures in revamping her dining room table on her blog: Raindrops on Roses

A reupholstered chair seat using Waverly's Sun n Shade fabric in

Parterre Indigo (tip: indoor/outdoor fabric is super easy to clean)

Ravella at Lake Las Vegas

At my sister's suggestion, I booked a Gilt Groupe deal at the Ravella at Lake Las Vegas for the weekend.

At first glance the resort looks a little silly/ostentatious (faux Italian villa), but in comparison to the accommodations on the strip - it's understated.

There were a few really great things about the resort: the friendly/efficient staff (e.g. my sister needed a spoon for my nephew's baby food, and it was delivered to our door in less than 5 minutes), the pool, and the fact we didn't have to deal with drunken yahoos and cigarette smoke.  There is an ample amount of dining options in the village, and tons of activities - including fishing, canoeing, concerts on the lawn, and movies at the pool.

The not so great: general maintenance of the grounds and rooms (e.g. peeling paint, a big stain on the carpet, weeds in the sand traps on the golf course) and maid service (a little slow).

However, it's hard to complain when the room was only $70/night.

My husband and nephew enjoying the pool

You can see more photos here.

The Rub 'n Buff experiment

I bought a tube of Rub 'n Buff  after exploring a variety of options for turning brass hardware silver (e.g. spray paint, silver leaf, and leafing pens).

In the end, I decided to stick with the original brass hardware on the nightstand I was refinishing, which left me with a tube of untried crafting fun.

Which leads me to the frame I bought at Ross for $3.00.  I didn't initially intend to put a silver accent on it, but I thought "Hey, why not." (note: click on photos to make them larger)

"Before"

"After"

It's not a dramatic difference, but it satisfied my curiosity and demonstrated that the product actually works.

A couple other Rub 'n Buff projects:

Imperfectly Beautiful

LookiLoos

Feeling blue (painted laminate nightstand)

"Before"

The white laminate nightstand pictured above was another one of my Value Village finds - and cost me a whopping $9.99 + tax.

At first glance it didn't look too shabby - but a closer look revealed stains, warped spots, and ingrained dirt.  Also - I didn't get the oversized knob.  I'm sure its supposed to be whimsical/child like, but...

After cleaning and sanding a couple rough spots on the top, I primed the nightstand with Zinsser Cover Stain.  I let the primer dry, then lightly sanded to remove brush strokes and drips before applying two coats of RustOleum American Accents paint in wild flower blue.  Note: Its important to prime laminate before painting, otherwise your paint will eventually bubble.  On a positive note - you don't need to sand before priming.

A crystal knob, purchased at Anthropologie on sale for $2.95, added a lovely finishing touch.

"After"

It'll look perfect in one of the guest rooms in our Montana cabin (between two twin beds).  Purchasing a similar night stand brand-new could have cost me as much as $145.00.

 

the Walrus and the Carpenter

On Sunday, Ed and I headed to the Walrus and the Carpenter - an oyster bar located in Seattle's Ballard neighborhood (NYT write up here).

Raw oysters, fried oysters, asparagus w/mint, smoked trout, steak tartar, manila clams, medjool dates with olive oil and sea salt, sticky toffee pudding...it was food heaven.

(one of the yummiest, sweet/salty, desserts I've ever had: toffee pudding)

The decor was also inspiring:

Industrial Lighting

I'm not sure if you'd call the lighting pictured above "industrial" or "modern" or "rustic" - but whatever the style I know for certain it fits in with the theme I'm imagining for our new cabin.  It'll also be a great improvement over the fixtures that were there previously (before the place was gutted by the former owners).

1.  Fisherman Ceiling Fixture, $51.99 at overstock.com

2.  Firefly Pendant Lamp, $199.00 at cb2.com

3.  Calhoun Glass Pendant, $149.00 at potterybarn.com  

4.  Bronze Pendant, $84.06 at homedepot.com

The "before" shots (I'll post "after" shots once the lights have been installed)

Random Things

Cocktail ring knob 

$2.50 at Anthropologie - it'll adorn my next furniture project.

(the milk glass dish was purchased at an antique shop)

Packing for a weekend in NYC

Comfy sandals for walking

(Corso Como Neptune)

Beautiful windows in High Line

Ed looking mighty preppy