HOLLY MATHIS INTERIORS || creative class

I am so excited that Holly Mathis is coming to our little shop to teach one of her Creative Classes!  I had the pleasure of visiting Holly in Texas and attending this class.  Holly is so very inspiring and extremely talented.  Truly.  I have followed her for years and loved her authentic decorating style, as well as her beautiful heart.  It's going to be a joy to have her!

The class will be all about how to FRESHEN YOUR HOME FOR A FRESH NEW YEAR! Topics and discussion will focus on finding your style, mixing patterns, favorite paint colors and materials and the basics related to decorating your home in a “Pinterest, perfect world” while remaining authentic and true to yourself and your budget and lifestyle! I will be doing a little guest speaking as well explaining a bit about MMS Milk Paint and Annie Sloan Chalk Paint.

When I left Texas this summer, Holly had inspired me in so many ways.  I hope you can attend this class.  It's going to be such a fantastic day!  We are going to take a break from learning and go tour the cottage too.

I can't wait to show Holly how fantastic our little community is.  One of the many things I love about this area is the variety of things to do!  Definitely shopping on historic 3rd Street.......

some good eating.......

and maybe some wine tasting....

Of course, if any of you ladies are coming from out of town, the cottage will be available....you can see details and photos as well as book online here.  You can reserve your spot in the class here or here.  I sure think this could be a fantastic Christmas gift too, you might want to let Santa know  ;-)  I know we will have more details to post, but put it on your calendar.....it's going to be such a fun and inspiring day!!

fall entertaining class || a creative class at the cottage

A few weeks ago I hosted my 3rd annual FALL ENTERTAINING CLASS.  It was such a fun evening and I think the ladies had fun too!  The weather held out and it was a cool, cloudy Fall evening.  Just perfect for a night of friendship, food and creativity!

The girls and I decorated the front porch with colorful pumpkins and different squash, as well as a few mums and ornamental kale.

Each lady received a SWAG bag to take home.....just a fun little bag full of goodies and another way to say THANK YOU!

We made new friends, created pumpkin succulent centerpieces, enjoyed yummy food and drinks.  I think it's safe to say that each and every one of the beautiful ladies that attended, walked away with a full heart and a head full of fun and easy entertaining and decorating ideas!

Thank you to Brittany Rossman Photography for capturing the evening in photos!

Thank you to each and every one of the ladies who attended!

And thank you to my mama who helped me serve the ladies that evening....

Happy Thanksgiving friend!!

xoxo~Darci

a little fall decorating || at the cottage

I haven't been in the mood yet for Fall decorating. I think it hit me as September approached, that my baby was going to be in school all.day.long.  Of course I have my moments of frustration and exhaustion, but I really enjoy spending time with my girls.  I just wasn't ready for school to start, and in my book that meant not being ready for Fall decorating!  Now we are in the swing of our school schedule and my kindergartener loves school!  Savanna and I are having so much fun, just the two of us!  The weather is starting to change, as are the leaves, and I am finally feeling ready to add a few Fall touches.

After dropping Addilyn off at school, Savanna and I headed to the cottage to do a little Fall decorating.  We just added things that we took from the shop....pillows, faux pumpkins and mums.

This was happening the entire time I was taking pictures.  This child is so full of life, energy and just pure crazy!  She was fluffing pillows, re-arranging pumpkins, moving flowers like she was the boss.

We took a few pictures inside too, I will post those soon.  In the mean time, here are a few details......

-Twig Wreath  | available at the shop, $75

-Faux Pumpkins, various sizes | available at the shop, ranging from $16-$30

-Les Indiennes Pillows | available at the shop

-The wood porch was painted 4 years ago with Chalk Paint®.  It has weathered and aged just perfectly!  We used the color GRAPHITE and COUNTRY GREY.

The andiron deck chairs were purchased 'raw' and we used Miss Mustard Seed Milk Paint (color TROPHY) to make a wash.  They look naturally grayed out and have held up perfectly!

the cottage || SPRING CLEANING

Typically in March and April I do some major Spring cleaning at the cottage.  Our little vacation rental in Carlton keeps me busy in the summers!  I have cut the gardens way back and filled in a lot of flower bed space with shrubs and bark dust, but the flowers still need tending to and the cottage needs cleaning after each guest leaves.  I am always ready and excited for the start of the busy season {usually May} but then always ready for the busy season to come to an end {usually November}. I took the girls with me to take inventory of everything that needs to be done.  The list is long!  So I took a few new pictures for the vacation rental website page instead ;-)  I can't seem to find any interior 'before' pictures of this little cottage, I know I have some somewhere.  But this little place was definitely a 'fixer upper'!!

A few interior photos...

Once I get the outside in ship-shape, I will share some pictures of the exterior!  It's such a sweet little home and full of many memories!

CENTERPIECE WORKSHOP + A BIG GIRL BED

So this weekend we hosted a centerpiece workshop.  It was a lot of fun and always a treat to meet new ladies!!  I never remember, or have time, to snap photos of events, but this time I tried to be intentional of snapping a few photos.  {My apologies about the quality of photo, all of the lights were on and I am not a professional:}

It was such a fun workshop!  Friday night we had a full house, and Saturday morning had a few less but still full and fun!  Each lady painted their box with Milk Paint and then filled it with fresh greens and embellishments.  It's so fun to see how different each centerpiece turned out.  Everyone walked away with a beautiful centerpiece and a giant smile, so I would say it was a success!

And in 'Haney news'….

we just got a dog.

The sweetest bulldog ever!  He is such a sweet heart and the girls love him!

The roof is going on the barn.  We were going to install a metal roof and then last minute we switched to a comp roof.  Lots of reasoning behind the switch but I will spare you the details!

And with Savanna getting Addilyn's big girl bed, Addilyn got a 'new' big girl bed.

I purchased this bed years ago at a barn sale.  It was rusted and chippy and I didn't have a space for it but I just loved it!  It sat in the garage for years and then last year, my sweet husband scraped all of the loose paint off and we painted it with Chalk Paint®, {1 part old white and 1 part arles.}  We decorated Addilyn's room for Christmas, and both of the girls love snuggling and reading on her new bed.  This is such a fun {and very exhausting} age.  It melts my heart to see the girls playing together!  I try to remind myself that this stage will pass so soon and I want to be present and cherish our times together.

Well, I need to get back to painting the basement entertainment center before the girls wake up!  Hopefully I will be able to post 'finished' photos soon!!

xoxo

PROGRESS ON THE VACATION RENTAL || and a handful of bookings

I have been slowly working on turning the cottage back into a vacation rental.  A hour here, 20 minutes there, my girls are good sports as I try to make adventures out of making a bed and sweeping floors!

I finally photographed the downstairs bathroom.

It's a small bathroom with marble floor, pedestal sink and claw foot tub.

I can't seem to find a 'BEFORE' photo, but this is the 'BEFORE' photo of the hallway and living room leading to the bathroom door….so you get an idea!

We went back and forth on building a beautiful tile shower, complete with large glass door.  In the end, it came down to budget and time.  We opted for a reproduction claw foot tub/shower.  It fits the space perfectly and adds instant charm!

The downstairs bathroom was the last room to be remodeled in our little 1938 cottage.  We actually remodeled it after we moved out!

Matt also built a twin bed for the upstairs office.  The cottage can now sleep 5.  Usually the 5th person is a kid, college student or someone who just needs a bed for one night.

It's nothing fancy, but for a vacation rental, a much better use of the space than a desktop and cabinetry.

This is how it looked when it functioned as our office.

A darling office….right?!?

I will post an entire tour of the vacation rental.  Hopefully by next week I will have it cleaned, furnished and photographed!

The phone calls and summer bookings are already starting, the summer craziness is officially beginning!

Do you like to stay in vacation rentals when you travel??

CHOCOLATE OATMEAL NO BAKE BARS AND CHRISTMAS AT THE STUDIO

I started decorating the front porch of the design studio the weekend after Thanksgiving.  Of course I had my two little helpers, so I wanted to keep it really simple.

I had 3 objectives…..decorate quickly, use what I already have,  make it pretty!

I filled old buckets with various fresh cut greens.

I love using fresh greens!  They smell amazing, they are naturally beautiful, and most of the time they are free!

I made the wreath with fir and cedar branches from the back garden.

I love using Chalk Boards to decorate with!  A simple little Christmas message on the Chalk Board and we are set.

I forgot to turn on the market lights for the picture!  They are so fun at night.

Two freshly cut trees, boxes with burlap ribbon and pine cones and a few red ornaments….all things I had laying around.  Well, not the freshly cut trees, but you know what I mean ;-)  I bought the large basket from my dear neighbor a few months ago, it provided just the right amount of height for one of the trees.

It's simple but festive.

****

The other day I 'pinned' NO BAKE CHOCOLATE OATMEAL BARS.

I love 'no bake' because they hardly take any effort.

If you are in the mood for an easy chocolate treat, you have got to make these!

Best Ever Chocolate Oatmeal No-Bake Bars

• 1 cup peanut butter
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/2 cup coconut oil (you could also substitute butter)
• 2 cups old fashioned oats
• 1 cup shredded coconut
• 1/2 cup chopped nuts, raisins, or dried cranberries
• 1 1/4 cups dark chocolate chips (or regular semi-sweet chocolate chips, if you prefer)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Melt the peanut butter, honey, and coconut oil over medium-low heat in a saucepan on the stove. {Watch this closely. Mine started to burn!}

Remove from heat once it’s melted together and add in the oats, shredded coconut, chocolate chips, nuts/raisins, and vanilla. Stir together until the chocolate is completely melted.

Pour into a greased 9×13 pan and cool in the fridge. If you’d like thicker bars, you can pour the mixture into a smaller pan.

When the mixture is hardened, cut into bars and eat. Store in the refrigerator or freezer.

Recipe adapted slightly from I Hear Exercise Will Kill You.

Have a great day, and tomorrow I will show you a master bathroom design I am working on for a client!

COME PAINT :: first Friday of every month

I am really enjoying being 'open' at the design studio on Fridays!  The girls and I are there every Friday from 9am-6pm.

I have a few exciting things up my sleeve for the studio.  The first one :: I have decided to open up the back work room to you....my lovely customers!

Yep, a time where you can bring your project{s}, ask questions, learn tips and paint away.  I have found that sometimes it's just easier to work on a project at a designated time and/or location.

I am hoping that by making the work room available to you guys, you will be inspired to create!!

Here are the details....

BRING YOUR PROJECT || EVERY FIRST FRIDAY

WHEN ||  every first Friday of the month

TIME  ||  open~come any time from 1pm-4pm

WHERE  ||  543 West Main Street, the work room

WHAT  ||  Bring your own project to work on.  Use our space, brushes and rags. I will be available {in between customers} to answer questions and offer tips.

COST ||  $10.  Feel free to bring you own Chalk Paint® and wax, or you can purchase it when you arrive. We won't have our opened paints and waxes available to use, as we do with our classes.

** no need to rsvp, just come and go at your convenience during the designated hours**

I truly value your input and ideas.  I want the studio to serve as a place of creativity and inspiration!  Please feel free to throw out ideas and thoughts on what you would like to see offered!!

THE DESIGN STUDIO :: a few Fall touches

I have added a few Fall touches to the cottage, and am just now getting around to posting a few photos.

I would categorize my holiday decorating style as simple.

I found these 'carve-able pumpkins' at Joanne's Fabric.  They were bright orange, and I wanted something a little more muted.  I slapped on two coats of 'VERSAILLES' Chalk Paint®, buffed them with wax, and called it good.  I think it took less than 30 minutes!

They sit proudly on the kitchen countertop, next to the sink.

Last winter we painted the fir hutch 'CHATEAU GREY' {Chalk Paint®}.  It adds a warm touch to the room and looks great with the bold colors of the paint samples.

This winter I plan on painting the inside of the hutch.  I can't decide if I should add some fun color, or just stick with the 'CHATEAU GREY'.

I did have cute little pumpkins scattered on this trunk, but I just realized my little helper must have moved them ;-)

And a few Fall touches outside!

Now I am off to go bake a pumpkin dump cake!  I will post the recipe and photos tomorrow!!

xoxo~Darci

BEFORE + AFTER :: our cottage {the magazine photos}

I thought I would post a few before + after photos of our little cottage on Main Street.  This is what the little cottage looked like when we bought it :: over-grown, in need of repair, but really sweet bones.

The back of the house had a funky addition.

We tore it down because we just couldn't figure a good use for the space.

The upstairs attic had drywall and carpet, but the ceilings were too low for the space to be livable.  We ripped everything down to the studs.

Matt had to install load bearing beams downstairs to gain the extra height needed to make the upstairs space livable.

Four years later, our little cottage was featured on the cover of This Old House magazine.

They also did a separate article on our upstairs space.

We turned half of the upstairs space into an office, and the other half into a master suite.

Matt built shelves, file drawers and countertops to fit the space perfectly.

The flooring is a vinyl flooring.

It was in-expensive, easy to install and easy to clean.  I loved it!

We had this funny little space at the top of the stairs, we turned it into a little sitting area.

Matt built everything for the master suite.

The stairs of the house are narrow, and we knew we couldn't get furniture up the stairs.  He sure comes in handy ;-)

The bed is built in and has basket storage underneath.

We really utilized every inch of space upstairs.  Space wasn't a luxury we had with this house, so we had to get creative!

We were able to fit a walk in shower, two sinks, a toilet, two built-in medicine cabinets and a floor to ceiling linen closet all in this little space.

***

I have more pictures to post of the rest of the house, but I will have to add those later as I hear a sweet little toddler is just waking up from her nap!

In the mean time, have a lovely day!!

THE DESIGN STUDIO :: things are always changing

I am having so much fun at the Design Studio on Fridays!  It has been such a treat to meet so many sweet and creative ladies.  Part of the fun, is that I am always changing things up and adding to the space.  These pictures are from a few weeks ago and they are already so dated!!

I have already changed the front porch since I took this picture, but I will have a long ways to go until I get it 'right where I want it'.  

I have an order of candles due to arrive any day.  These COCO & BUBBLES candles have been so popular....and for good reason!  They burn clean, smell fabulous and at $18.50 each, they are a great buy!

I am really excited about the party supplies!

I love to throw a party, and it is especially fun when you have cute products!!  I have some really great new items due to arrive in the studio over the next few weeks.  I will be sure to keep you posted!

Once we get past the 'newborn stage' with baby Savanna, I plan on having fun drinks and treats each Friday.

 **side note** I have absolutely no desire to rush through the 'newborn stage'!!  I love cuddling with my sweet little girl and am trying to savor every moment of her sweetness!  So sweet friends, it may be a while until I have the drinks and treats on Friday because I just don't want my little one to grow up!

OK friends...that's all for now!  Go and have a wonderful weekend!!

OPEN HOUSE :: and inspiring creativity

Thank you to all of the lovelies who made their way to Carlton to help us celebrate our Open House!  Friday marked our first official day of this new chapter in our business.  I have dreamed {for years} of having a creative space to inspire others and work on projects.  I feel so blessed to now be at that point in my life!

Every Friday, the design studio will be open from 9am-7pm.

My little collection of home decor, vintage items and handmade goods continues to grow.  My hope is to have items rotating every week.  So, for the fabulous gals {and men} who want to stop by every week, there will always be something new and different.  We will have our various classes every month in the new workroom Matt remodeled.  Once I have finished decorating the workroom, I will post pictures!

I am really excited to offer unique and fun party supplies!  I always struggle with finding items I want when it comes time to throw a party.  I searched high and low to find my favorite items.  There are still items I want to add, but this way it is super easy for YOU to find little treasures when you are ready to throw a party!

My little assistant truly is a joy to be around!  She loves helping and 'painting'.  What a treat to get to be with my sweet little girls all day.  Some days they drive me crazy, but I know before long they will be in school and I will miss all of our times together!

Thanks again to new friends and old friends that made their way to Carlton this weekend, it truly was a treat!

Have a lovely holiday!

THE LOFT :: busy season

 

Well, the month of May signals the beginning of the busy season for us in wine country.

The the past five years, the vacation rentals have kept me super busy from May until November.  I am really enjoying just have the LOFT space to rent out, it is quite a bit more manageable than two vacation rentals!

I was thinking this morning of a few of our favorite little weekend get-away places here in Oregon, I thought I would share them with you!

The Inn at Canon Beach

Canon Beach is one of my favorite beaches along the Oregon coast.  There are many lovely places to stay, but The Inn at Canon Beach is fabulous.

Camp Sherman

I have great memories of staying in Camp Sherman with dear friends.  I know that wonderful memories make a place seem so much sweeter.  But, Camp Sherman is a beautiful and charming place to stay or camp if you want some Oregon sunshine and fresh mountain air!

Timberline Lodge

It's been years since I have stayed at Timberline Lodge, but it is a beautiful and magical place to stay, especially during the holidays.  When I last stayed, we went snow skiing all weekend, but I know it would be a great place to stay even if you didn't ski or snowboard!

I am sure other fabulous places will come to mind, and there are so many great places all over Oregon!  I would love to hear of other places you have stayed in Oregon!!

SHOP UPDATE :: dash + albert

I figured it has been a few weeks since I have given a shop update!  My how time flies!

I am still busily working on filling our little shop space.  I really want this space to be unique and full of items that I love.

SIDE NOTE **We are going to be offering a product that I am super excited about.  I can't quite spill the beans yet......we won't be able to stock the product until the middle of April......so we are planning on a late May grand opening.  I will be sure to keep you posted!**

In the mean time, I want to show you a line of fabulous rugs, pillows, and throws that we will be offering.

dash + albert

Clean, fun, fresh and full of color.

Aren't they so fun?  And you won't believe how durable they are!  Oh, and did I mention they come in so many different color options??  What's not to love?!?

They will be available on our website and at the shop.

I will be sure to keep you posted!

xoxo~Darci

THIS OLD HOUSE MAGAZINE :: our attic remodel

Last winter, our cottage attic remodel was featured in the Jan./Feb. issue of  This Old House magazine.

It was such a treat to meet the photographer and stylist.  They were both extremely talented and professional.  All of the photos are courtesy of This Old House/Susan Suebert.

The stylist added added her own little touches to the room.  Don't you like how she added the green?  The way the photographer and her team captured the lighting was incredible!

They spent about 5-6 hour capturing images of just the attic space.  Eventually they moved outside to photograph the exterior.

This is the little sitting area between the bedroom {now the LOFT} and the office.

 This is our office, this is the shot looking from the office into the bedroom {LOFT}.

What a fun experience to get to 'work with' This Old House.  They were so considerate and it is such a joy to watch someone work, when they love what they do!

OUR COTTAGE :: the loft

 I thought I would post a little update on our sweet little Main Street Cottage.

Even though this little gem needed a lot of work, she caught our eye about 6 years ago.

We approached the owners, letting them know that if they ever wanted to sell, we would be interested in buying.  They were actually considering selling anyways!  They wanted quite a bit for the house, and at the time, it was just out of our budget.  Fast forward about 1 year....they had listed the house, and were ready to move to Eastern Oregon.  They lowered the price {a little} and we decided to purchase it.

 The home had/has charming features.  However, it needed A LOT of work.

We would save up cash, and fix an area.  That cycle took us about 4 years, but we finally got her fixed up!

 Below is a picture of the attic space 'BEFORE.'

The space was un-used and had floor joists that were on top of the attic roof.  If I remember correct, there was about 5'5" of head space.  Just fine for a shorty like me, but challenging for anybody over 5'3"!

 Matt gutted everything.

We brought the wiring and insulation up to code, framed for a bathroom and just worked away as we had the time and money.

 Matt hung the drywall, then applied a faux plaster finish over the drywall.  It gave the walls an old house look and feel, but with out the mess of lath-and-plaster.

Then he went to work on all of the built-ins.  Since the space was attic space, we had to be creative for storage needs.  We couldn't get a bed up the stairs, so Matt built a bed and then carried the mattress up a ladder and through the tall upstairs office window!

 It took about 6 months to complete the upstairs bedroom and bathroom addition.

Now, we are turning into the upstairs suite into a nightly rental.

Instead of guests renting the entire house {as a vacation rental}, they will just be renting the upstairs bedroom/bathroom/seating area.

I am still fine tuning the space, but thought I would post a few pictures.

All of the built-ins make for such a cozy space!

  Plenty of linen storage.

 Double vanity, linen storage, walk-in marble shower and a water closet.

All that's missing is a huge soaking tub!!  We really considered adding one!!  However, since the new bathroom was built in the existing space of a 1938 cottage, we didn't want to take the chance of adding the additional weight.   Plus, we didn't have an 'un-ending' budget!

Next week I will post the photos that This Old House took of our upstairs space.  It was so fun to watch them at work and see the amazing images they captured!!  It takes true talent to produce/photograph space for magazines, and they were amazing.  Anyways, more on that later.

Until then, have a lovely weekend!!