arm chair

I started off with an arm chair from our old dining room set.  

It was perfectly fine but I want to put this chair in our sitting room which is whites and tans.

I took advantage of the nice weather (low 50’s in December) and I spray painted 2 coats of flat white followed by sanding the edges with a fine sandpaper.  You can’t really tell but this chair is nicely distressed.  I then recovered the cushion with canvas from the fabric store that was on sale for $4/yard.

Tootsie's New Dish

I bought this little tiny chair on Craigslist and asked the Wood Shop teacher at school to cut a hole in the middle. I then inserted a dog bowl so that Tootsie, my Chocolate Lab, could have her dinner elevated to prevent the  bloat. Some research has suggested that elevated bowls actually lead to a 110% increase in bloat but many vets have pointed out the confounds of that study--- the population was large and giant breed dogs that were already at a high risk of bloat.  Our vet said that the health benefits outweigh the concerns.

My friends think it looks like a potty but I think it's super cute!

Oh well.  Tootsie seems to be enjoying it and it did slow down her eating -- fast eating is a cause of bloat because the dog tends to swallow more air.  Anyone with a Labrador Retriever knows how fast they wolf down their food and how much of a concern bloat is!  I may cut down the legs a few inches since Tootsie is what we call a "Little Lab".

Online Shopping

Haven't done too much these past two weeks other than shopping --- online and in real life.  I went out antique-ing with my friends M & J on Saturday and got a couple tin candle chandeliers.  I can't wait to put them up.

I also got some chairs for the Center Room and a few accessories at Joss and Main.  I love them.  Joss and Main is a members only club (free) that offers some interesting things at a discount.

Check it out...if you end up joining and purchasing I'll get a lil discount!

Pallet coffee table / ottoman

I saw this ottoman at West Elm and loved it but I didn’t love the $399 price tag.  So I took a pallet from a big pile of junk that was next to the dumpster behind the Maintenance Barn at school, downloaded some 50% off coupons for JoAnn’s Fabrics and went to work.

I started by picking up some 2 inch foam.  

Hefty price tag-- $30something per yard!  Yay for 50% off coupons!!

The foam comes by the yard-- I bought 2 yards. I placed it on top of the pallet and trimmed the ends.  I left about 1/2 inch overhang.

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I then wrapped the foam covered pallet in some cute fabric.  The fabric is high quality upholstering fabric -- $46 a yard!  Luckily it was on sale for 50% off and I didn’t even need a coupon.

And stapled it in place with my trusty staple gun

Aren’t those birds adorable?

I wanted to get feet for the ottoman like the ones on the West Elm model but Home Depot only had three of them-- for $9 each.  I got four fence finials for $3 each and used those instead.

Ginger Snap thinks this is her new bed.

I may paint the feet black but I’m not sure yet.  I’m also considering ripping out the staples and covering the pallet/foam with batting for some extra cushioning.

All in all my ottoman came out to $100.  Not the best price but it is HUGE (3 ft x 4ft) and I am happy I spent the extra money on good fabric.  Now to keep Ginger off of her Basset sized bed...

10/21   I went back and added the batting this weekend.  I purchased batting pre-sized to a twin sized comforter.  Perfect fit.  

I also painted the feet black.  

I think the batting and the painted feet finally make this ottoman look complete!

Crafts of the weekend.

I did a few quick crafts this weekend:

I printed out our wedding song (Green Eyes by Coldplay) and aged the paper by soaking it in black coffee.  I then pasted it to brown paper.  Not sure if I am in love with the placement.  I definitely didn’t want to pay for a custom frame so this was the size that I had to go with.  Michael’s is having a frame sale this week -- buy 1 get 1 for a penny.  

Okay.  So you know of my jar hoarding issues now.  The second craft is these darling little winter decorations.  I used mason jars and tiny little trees from those Christmas villages.  These literally took less than a minute.  Hot glue the tree to the inside of the jar lid.  Put a handful of artificial snow in the jar, screw top on and flip over.  These will not be all for us so act surprised if you get one for Christmas.

Crafty Columbus Day Weekend

JGM and I have Monday off and I really don’t feel like doing much this weekend at all.  Instead of cleaning and doing laundry (like I usually spend Sunday) I started crafting.

Since we aren't moving for a few months I can only do small things in anticipation for all the new space that we will have. Today I upcycled a bunch of my glass jars.  

My inspiration was here.

A little too cute-sy for me.

I always save jars and store lots of things in them-- leftovers, spices, teas, salad dressings, buttons, nails....you name it.  I originally saw these cute little jars on pinterest but I took a few shortcuts.

The crafty lady on the original blog actually drilled a hole through the jar top and secured the knob with the original screw.  I was not about to do that because:

1. I broke all my little drill bits whilst attaching floating bookshelves to my CT living room wall

2. I was too lazy to find washers and nuts to make sure the knobs were tight enough

3. I wanted the jar to remain air-tight...oh and 

4. Even though I have nothing to do today I get bored quickly so I tend to cut corners A LOT

So anyhoo...I used my hot glue gun to stick old knobs that I had leftover from when I changed out knobs on a craigslist file cabinet for JGM’s home office.  I let the hot glue sink into the screw holes and solidify like stalactite to keep the knobs a little more secure.

Hot Glue City!  


The knobs are pretty secure but I dropped one of the jar tops and it popped right off so I had to do a re-glue. No worries.  Hot glue peels right off.

I then spray painted the jar tops/knobs with black Rustoleum hammered spray paint for metal.  I chose this because it was left over from when I painted an outdoor cafe set that my grammy gave me.  I’m glad to have gone with this because the paint came out textured and not glossy at all.

While I waited for the second and third coats to dry I peeled the labels off of the jars with hot water and got the glue residue off of the jars with Goof Off.

Goof Off is a great product....I used it to get latex paint of of my wood floors and door frames after we moved into our Connecticut house and realized the previous owners must’ve run out of painter’s tape or something...

I love these little jars!  They make a bunch of mismatched jars look like more of a set but not in a matchy-matchy way.  Each jar is a different size and there are few different styles of knobs.  These cute little jars aren’t so much "primitive” but I do like how they will coordinate with the black iron latches in the Saltbox kitchen.

RB

Yesterday my colleagues and I lost a great friend and mentor.  When I told him about our move to the Saltbox and I said that JGM was worried about having someone to watch New York sports with he immediately offered up his couch and big screen at his house up the street.  RB had a giant heart and would do anything for anyone.  He was a true mentor to me--both professionally and personally. We both were writing our dissertations and often would take over the faculty lounge at school in the middle of the night  (to hide...we couldn't get ANYTHING done in our offices) and work until 11 or 12.  I'm not sure how much actual work we ever got done.  We chatted, sometimes read articles...but mostly chatted.  Rest In Peace, my friend.  PS-- The Yankees still suck.

JC, RB, and me at a faculty get-together last winter

Unfortunately this get-together was after we lost another from our community.  I never thanked you for all your help getting through that.

Our version of American Gothic while white water rafting last week in Maine.  

He was quick to point out that in the real American Gothic the woman is the man’s daughter and that this was just a joke because he was in no way old enough to be my father.  Well, that and the chick was a spinster...

Godspeed, my friend.

Welcome to our blog!

JGM and I feel so fortunate to have this opportunity to live in this home.  Currently the home is owned by my employer so we feel extra fortunate as we still have our other home in another New England state about an hour south.   Hopefully we will hang onto our Connecticut home and rent until the real estate market bounces back.

Our new home is an antique saltbox that has stood the test of time.  According to town records, it began as a Parsonage  and is the oldest home in town (built in 1735) for the town’s first settled minister.  The home is a classic center chimney design.  Five fireplaces are clustered around this chimney along with two other fireplaces located in the kitchen and dining room toward the rear of the home. This house is like stepping into another time period with wide plank wood floors, exposed beams, wood paneling and period latch/hook wrought iron hardware throughout the house.  The beauty of this saltbox is showcased in period details that remain preserved since the 1700's.

The heart of the saltbox is the family room that exudes warmth with a large working fireplace/wood stove, wood paneling and beams.  One of two stair cases to the second level can be accessed from this room.  I cannot wait to turn this room into a warm sitting room to read in.

In the front of the home is a sun-filled formal parlor.  Pass through the front hall and the front staircase to a cheery room currently used as a home office--perfect space for each of us to share.  

Upstairs are four bedrooms with a full bath.  Another full bath is located on the first floor.  Built-in bookshelves for our collection grace the upstairs hallway-- with a secret door leading from one of the bedrooms! 

The grounds contain 10.7 acres of field, landscaped lawns, stone walls and sugar maples.  The hounds will have plenty of room to smell, track, and explore. 

Join us as we make this saltbox our own.  We've been researching and pinning ideas (gotta love Pinterest)  Our previous home is a 1930's Four Square....so hopefully our stuff will fit in nicely in a home this old!  I imagine it will be an eclectic take on colonial.  A little prim, a little modern.....we shall see.

Us!  Nice to meet you.

RFM & JGM