Exciting Mountain Cabin News

Hi Friends!

I'm so excited to share my good news with you about my search for a mountain cabin.

After several disappointments and a few possibilities that fell through,

I finally found my rustic log cabin. 

Isn't it great? Exactly what I wanted. 

I've been dreaming of a mountain cabin getaway for years 

and honestly wasn't sure it would ever actually happen. 

I always feel better in the mountains -- relaxed, peaceful, grounded and happy. 

Like it's someplace I'm supposed to be. 

So, I'm thrilled my dream is really coming true. 

I made an offer the first time I saw it.

Realtor Phil called me the next day to say:

"Well, I have good news and . . . pause  (you're killin' me here Phil) some more good news! 

They accepted your offer."

Yippee!

I was so nervous thinking someone else might beat me out of this little beauty.

It pretty much met all of my wish list items. 

 ✓ I wanted a rustic cabin under 500 square feet (this one is 336 square feet). Check.

✓ I wanted some land so the neighbors wouldn't be too close

(there are only a few houses in this remote area). Check.

The cabin sits on about 4.5 acres at an elevation of --  ready for this? -- 10,000 feet!

✓ I was hoping it would be under two hours from home. Check.

(but it is on a rather bumpy road).

✓ I wanted to stay within my budget

(my offer was under asking price and they accepted it). Check.

✓ And I wanted lots of pine trees. 

(There are mountains all around the cabin and the property backs onto 

National Forest land so no one will be building there.) Check. 

So you're wondering what it looks like inside, aren't you?

I took some photos inside but am waiting until the closing to share them.

For now, I'm showing you just the outside.

It's truly a historic gem.

It's an old miner's cabin that was originally in the next town.

Somewhere along the way, somebody decided to move it to this piece of land.

I'm so glad they did. It's unbelievably beautiful.

This is one of the breathtaking 14,000 foot mountains right in our front yard!

Now, we wait for inspections and then the closing, scheduled for June 5.

I don't know if I can wait that long.

Meanwhile, we are making lists of things to take on our first visit 

when we will just be cleaning and disposing of unwanted things left behind. 

The cabin is in great shape; there will be some minor projects but nothing too daunting. 

I also want to take measurements of the two rooms and the windows 

so I can start planning what to take there. (Ever the decorator!)

My dream of a mountain cabin getaway is coming true, my friends. 

And I couldn't be more thrilled and can't wait to share some more pictures with you. 

I hope you'll join me on this adventure.

***

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French Country Cottage

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What Goes Around Comes Around

Back in the days before Pinterest and Instagram, I used to tear pages from my favorite 

decorating magazines and file them away in notebooks, organizing them by room. 

Sometimes I'd save a magazine but often it was just a photo here and there that I wanted to keep.

It's amazing now when I look at pictures of things that caught my eye in the 1970s 

how much I still like them and have actually incorporated many of these looks into my home today.
My style hasn't changed that much.
Then there are other pictures that make me shake my head and say, "What was I thinking?" 

But who knew I liked French Country in 1982 when I saved this spread 

about author Peter Mayle's home in Provence? 

Funny how what goes around comes around. 

Guess I am an old French soul.

Take this 1984 cover of Country Living.
(note the price was only $1.95!)
See the shelf on the left side of the photo with the cups hanging under it?
I remember tearing this cover off and mailing it to my father with a sweet request: 

"I'd love to have a shelf like this, Dad. Do you think you could make one for me? Pretty please."

Well, not only did my Dad-who-could-make-anything create a perfect replica of this shelf 

but he made it so it could be disassembled easily (no nails, only hand-carved wedges) 

for shipping it off to me in a flat box.

I had used it in a previous home but when I moved to this little house
with so many doors and windows, I just didn't have room for it. 

So it was stored it in my attic for the last twenty years,
while all the time I was wishing I could find a space for it.

Then recently when Ron decided to sell his yard-sale desk in the guest room/office, 

I suddenly had a space for Dad's shelves.Yippee!

Like assembling a jigsaw puzzle when all the parts are the same color,
it took some time and concentration to put all the pieces and wedges back together.
We laid all the parts out on the floor, 

turning them this way and that until they all fit together beautifully. 

And, because the shelves were only seven inches deep, 

the shelving unit didn't take up much floor space in the guest room. Perfect!

I couldn't wait to style it with my vintage treasures and books.

So, thanks Dad! 

This beautiful piece of furniture means so much more to me
because you made it especially for me. 

I'm happy that it can finally take its place again in my home.

By the way, I still tear out pages in magazines of rooms I like and clip them into my old notebooks. And, yes, I do save pictures on Pinterest too. 

But there's just something about holding a picture in my hands and studying every detail. 

Old fashioned? Yes, I suppose so.
But I guess I'm just an old-fashioned girl.

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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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Spring Garden Transformations

This giant allium is one of the first bulbs to bloom in the spring,
tempting me to visit the nursery and come home laden with annuals.
But I know it's too early, the ground too cold,
and so I look for some fun garden projects while I wait.

For now, three DIY garden transformation projects await!

This metal salesman's sample of a headboard was painted silver when I bought it at a yard sale. 

It's a scaled-down bed measuring about three feet high by one foot deep.

These small salesman's samples were made to scale and appearance

so customers could envision what they would look like in their home . . .

and they were probably a lot easier for the salesman to carry. 

 Here's the "before" picture.

Last year, I painted it white and displayed it on the front porch.

I thought about putting it in this year's yard sale; I didn't really have room for it on the porch.

Then I realized it would look nice in the garden but the white was just too glaring. 

So I spray painted it Stone Gray by Rustoleum. The softer aged look looks perfect in the garden.

The base has a one-foot open area (for a teeny tiny mattress?). 

I positioned the headboard so the bleeding hearts would grow up through that open space.

I'm so glad I didn't put it in the upcoming yard sale pile. It's a keeper.

***

Another garden accessory I've been transforming is this cast iron lion fountain. 

It was painted a bright creamy yellow color which I thought looked too new.

So I painted it the same Stone Gray paint.

Then I mixed the gray paint with a little black 

and dabbed it on with a terrycloth rag to give it a weathered look. 

  

I also used an artist's brush with the black paint to highlight a few areas

like the edges of the fountain and the raised areas on the lion's head. 

It's now about the same color as the stone of the house so it feels like it's always been there. 

***

The last project I've been working on is transforming this little bricked space by our storage shed.

I dug out about a foot of the dirt surrounding the ash tree 

and replaced the space with old bricks found in the alley.
I like using old bricks because 1) it keeps them out of a landfill and
2) the aged appearance complements an old house. 

We made a brick border by cutting bricks in two and laying them lengthwise along the edge.
We used a brick chisel and a shop hammer to make the cuts.
Sweeping dirt over the bricks filled in the spaces between the bricks.

I also moved some rocks from the garden to make a border around the tree.
This gives us a little more room to access the shed and it looks nicer too.
Hopefully, the vinca transplants will fill in the space.
So far, so good.

Apparently, it 's dog-tested and dog-approved.

So, what's on your garden to-do list this spring while you're waiting for the ground to warm up?

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Adirondack Girl at Heart, French Country Cottage, Little Farmstead

French Country: Alley Shopping

I'm fortunate to live in an old part of the city that still has alleys,

and, over the years, I've found some amazing things . . .
finds tucked in next to a dumpster, sitting pretty atop a garbage can,

or even boxed up nice and neat like these old mason jars.

I'm an all-season alley shopper, whether it's on my bike in the summer . . . 

or bundled up in the winter, I'm always on the look-out for discarded treasures.

I'm not embarrassed to say I've rescued quite a few pieces from the landfill 

and given them a new life. 

After a little DIY, some sandpaper, or a touch of paint, 

I've created some unique items to add to my "Ethan Alley Collection."

My absolute favorite alley find has to be this amazing baker's rack
recently discovered while walking my dog.
I scurried back to my house to get some help loading it into my car
and prayed nobody would beat me to it.
It was a tight fit but we made it home without getting a ticket for an open hatch.
Don't be surprised if I end up buying a little pickup truck one of these days!

The baker's rack was in great condition, only one screw missing, some rust, a bit of chipped paint,
all of which made it even more desirable.
Initially, I had plans for it inside but once I saw it on the patio, I knew it was home.

It was a perfect fit!

Here are some more of my alley finds. 

This curvy ottoman got a complete overhaul. (If you missed that post, you can read about it HERE).

While out for a neighborhood walk, we spotted someone
headed for the dumpster with an old frame.
"You're not going to throw that away, are you?" Ron and I whispered at the same time.
Circling around the block, we went back to the dumpster after he'd left
and retrieved this charming framed picture.

A couple of rocking chairs for the porch didn't always look like this.

Want to read their story? Click HERE!

A painter's scaffolding found propped against a dumpster 

was the foundation for this unique garden bench.

My first DIY paint project. Want more info? Read about it by clicking HERE!

Can you believe we found this cement angel in the alley behind our house?

We gave it a new home on our patio.

These are the glass mason jars discovered in the first picture. 

Remember this fabulous find? Two matching urns for free!

Check out their makeover HERE!

I recently saw these exact same urns in a fancy antique store for $275!

This old ladder was leaning against a dumpster but not for long.

Even the cafe sign was an alley find. 

The list goes on.

We've also retrieved a pair of Adirondack chairs that just needed some support,

an iron windowbox that needed some posies,

a pair of pretty patio pillows that needed a bench,

and some chippy window frames that needed a new home. 

I hope you have alleys in your neighborhood too. 

Happy alley shopping! 

***

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Just subscribe (it's FREE) in the upper right column of this page.

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Thanks!!

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Charm of Home, French Country Cottage