Warming Up a Cabin Bedroom at 11,000 Feet

A bedroom should be a restful place with calm colors and soft textures -- 

a sanctuary where you can relax and gaze out the window at nature's beauty. 

But was it possible to warm up our cabin bedroom at a cool 11,000 feet?

Our small bedroom had a good start 

with rough plank walls, a dark wood floor and two windows 

with views of massive pine trees and steep mountains,

But it definitely needed some help in the furnishing department.

Here's a "Before" picture.

First, we cleaned out the stuff left behind.

We jettisoned a metal clothes rack, piles of junk, ratty rugs, and a gigantic plastic cooler.

Ron claimed this old dynamite box that had been nailed to the wall to store odds and ends.

I wanted to keep the look simple but cozy using warm colors and vintage accessories.

I was trying to decide what kind of headboard would look good

in this rustic cabin when I remembered I had a rusty metal headboard in my garden.

We lugged it up to the cabin. It was the perfect size and definitely looked rustic.

We'd decided to keep the bed that was already in the cabin.

The mattress was clean, comfortable and looked new.

Besides, we had no idea how to get a mattress in our compact car. 

The mattress lies on a home-made frame with six drawers

so we pitched the flimsy chest of drawers that didn't complement our style.

But guess what?

During a weekend yard sale hunt, we came across a rustic-looking chest of drawers.

It was marked $50 but the owner came down to $15 when we showed interest

and told her it was destined for our mountain cabin. Sold!

The oil lamp belonged to Ron's Aunt Viola.

A vintage hall tree found at an estate sale long ago and

 some old hooks along one wall hold hats, cameras and binoculars. 

I fell in love with this gorgeous comforter and pillow covers from Cabela's. 

Plaid cotton flannel reversing to fuzzy soft "primalush." 

Although I usually shop at thrift stores and estate sales, 

I plunked down some money for this new set. 

It was worth it. 

The little shelf and photo on the wall came with the cabin

although they were in a different place. 

On the other hand, the nightstands were a creative mix of our own things.

Ron's table is actually his grandfather's old milking stool.

And on my side is a garden table covered with a pretty crocheted piece

that my sweet neighbor Erin gave me and, of course, a pair of cowboy boots.

This vintage etched mirror came from my mirror collection at home. 

We have plans to cover the drywall separating the two rooms

with surplus planks stored in the loft

but for now I hung a Native American weaving flanked by two 

Harrison Begay prints. Both prints feature a young Indian girl tending her sheep. 

The antique rocking chair in the corner was my Dad's.

A Beacon Indian print blanket hangs over the back. 

The bedroom has been warmed up with soft textures and warm colors,
making it a cozy place to relax and snuggle.

At 11,000 feet, the nights are clear and cold, even in the summer.

We might have to add another blanket!

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French Country Tweaks-- One Thing Leads to Another

It all started with an elegant old coffee table that was a bit more French than Country.

(More on that in an upcoming post. Please stay tuned.)

But for now, let me tell you how one thing leads to another.

Doesn't it always?

You see, I had this wonderful chippy green cabinet in back of my couch 

but it didn't have that chic French flavor that I thought would complement the 

1940s leather-topped coffee table that I'd just scored at an estate sale. 

So I decided to try it in the sunroom where the mood was more 

French Country Farmhouse than Chic Paris Apartment. 

After moving it here to there and back again in the sunroom,

I found the perfect spot for it against the original outside wall of the house. 

The rough texture of this wall was the ideal backdrop for the chippy cabinet.
So far, so good.

Of course, that meant I had to move the crusty farm table from the rustic wall . . .

. . . to the window wall in the corner. 

It reminded me of a romantic banquette in a quaint mountain cafe
I'd visited once so I loved it there.

But it wouldn't fit there unless I also moved the wicker chair from that corner . . . 

. . . to a space next to the green cabinet on the rustic wall. Still with me?

I wondered if I should also remove the frenchy ottoman to make the room feel less crowded. 

But I do love to put my feet up so comfort won out over aesthetics on this one
as I believe it almost always should.

The chairs at the table wouldn't fit unless I scooted them completely under the table.
And, since we don't sit at this table all of the time, we decided we could live with that.

Besides, it's easy to slide the bin over a few inches when we want to sit at the table.

Accessories are usually easy to incorporate since they don't take up a lot of room.

My metal stool with the scuffed white paint looked like it absolutely belonged in this room 

so I was determined to find a spot for it.

I placed it in the corner by the cabinet and fiddled with this and that on top but it just didn't work.

Then, I remembered my three chicken bowls that I'd had to move  

when I put a crock on the kitchen counter to hold my utensils. 

The chicken bowls were temporarily roosting in the pantry waiting for a new home.

I stacked them on top of the stool and it looked cute. 

But then I had the idea of putting an ironstone plate on each rung of the stool 

and placing a chicken bowl on each one. 

Now it looks like some kind of custom-made stand to display dishes. Love!!!

Then I moved some lighted branches to the top of the green cabinet 

where they show up much better than they did on the floor where they'd previously lived.

And don't they look magical at night?

Finally, I added a bird's nest inside a cloche to this rustic vignette.

I read that it's good luck to have a bird's nest in your house. Hmm, couldn't hurt. 

This cabinet holds tons of stuff -- candles, vases, tea towels, place mats and vintage tablecloths --
and is a real workhorse. 

Long story short. 

The French Farmhouse cabinet has found a new home in the sunroom 

and the old/new coffee table looks tres chic in the living room. 

At least, for now.

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Perfect Timing

Do you believe in perfect timing?

When you're at just the right place at just the right time?

When everything falls into place and something wonderful happens?

Well, I do.

It happened to me at an estate sale, where else?

We had checked out a recent sale, taking in the few offerings quickly, 

and were about ready to move on when an old mantel clock caught my eye.

"It's pretty banged up," the elderly man pushing a walker said.

"It's going to need a lot of work," his wife echoed.

"It's only $5," I whispered to Ron,"and I just love it." 

It looked as if it had been dropped. 

The wood trim across the top of the clock was missing and the sides were loose.

But the thing that caught my eye was the pretty hand-painted Victorian floral design 

on the front lower glass. The design is actually painted on the reverse side of the glass. 

The original top metal dial also had painted floral designs in the corners.

And, in the middle of the clock face was a peep hole into the brass gears.
I felt like I was peering into the past. 

I didn't care if it worked. I had to have it.

On the way home in the car, I cradled it on my lap,
listening to it twang every time we hit a bump in the road.

It was as if it was thanking me for taking it home.

As we drove I thought about my vintage alarm clock collection.

Something about old clocks has always spoken to me; 

maybe they're a metaphor for the passing of time and the history they've seen,
something I appreciate. 

Once home, we took a closer look at the mantel clock and were pleasantly surprised
to find all the missing parts inside the clock case, including the broken wood trim. 

I loved the brass pendulum and the two fancy keys inside.

Then we started researching the history of this clock.

And it got even more interesting.

Because the old paper labels were faded but intact inside the clock, we had a good starting point.

We saw it was a Waterbury clock and it was about 19 inches high by four inches deep. 

The case, we learned online, was rosewood with two key winds. 

By examining the details on the label, we were able to place it around 1870 -- Civil War era! 

Can you imagine what this little clock may have witnessed?

Ron was able to repair the case issues with a little glue . . .

. . . and a picture frame clamp.

I gave it a revitalizing rub with Howard Feed and Wax wood conditioner
which brought out the natural beauty of the wood, making it even more beautiful.

We are deciding whether to take it to a clock repair shop. 

I don't really care if it works (at least it's the correct time twice a day!) 

I just want all its parts and pieces put back together again.
What do you think? Fix it or leave it alone?

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Cafe' Bleu Reveal

There's a little corner in my back yard that's kind of wasted space. 

It's too small to sit comfortably, too shady to grow anything, too boring
to want to spend time there. It was barely big enough to accommodate my bistro set.

Here's the "before" picture.
Tiny, but I could see the potential. 

Except for a lilac bush, a nice shade tree, and a cottage garden 

on two sides, the corner itself wasn't much to look at. 

Although my little dog liked to explore the raised area behind the table, 

we didn't make much use of this space.

That's when I decided to make some changes. 

The first thing I did was look at the space for a long, long time. 

This appeared to be a back-breaking project and I debated if I really wanted to take it on.

Several years ago, I'd built a low brick wall defining this small corner 

but it merely took up valuable space. When you live in the city, every inch counts. 

So I took a deep breath and decided to dig in, so to speak.

I removed all those bricks, every single one, down to the ground level, stacking them
in little towers. Then I outlined a new edge with an ax and started digging. 

I chopped off a bunch of dirt from the raised area and threw it in my wheelbarrow,
pushing back the wall about a foot.
A foot may not seem like much but it made such a difference in the available space.

Next I relaid the brick wall in a semi-circle under the tree and topped it with a paver capstone. 

A layer of fresh gravel gave it a French feeling underfoot
and some river rocks expanded the existing dry stream bed on one side.

After all that work rebuilding the brick wall, it seemed a shame to cover it up.

But when I snugged a weathered garden bench up against it,
I still had space for a small bench that I could put my feet up on. Yippee!

Then came the fun part. 

Blue cushions, an old quilt, a farm chair I spray painted blue,
a blue enamel bowl on the fence, and a few shade-loving plants.

I couldn't believe my luck when I found a vintage, circa 1960s, blue bicycle
at an estate sale this weekend. Just what I'd been looking for and only $10!
We removed the shiny metal gears and wiring and added some daisies in a basket
(also found at another yard sale).

I hung a faded blue cafe sign on an old ladder against the tree . . . 

and christened the space
Cafe՜ Bleu.

Now I have a cool private corner where I can retreat during the heat of the day 

or sip a glass of wine in the evening.
From this quiet space, I can watch the birds visiting the feeders and birdbath,



or admire the garden as it explodes in a Spring frenzy.

Definitely worth the effort.

Come on over and put your feet up.

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