August Fields

hilton head

because i’m cold right now.   let’s go back to our recent trip to hilton head.  love.

oh squinty eyes to the sun…i miss you.

skipping naps to spend extra time on the beach flicking water between our toes.
evening trips to pino gelato.  yum!  

 crocheting by the pool….in the sun…..where its warm…..wearing sunglasses because its so sunny.

judging highest jumps, biggest splashes, most twists…..

date nites

going to beaufort, sc for the day to visit shops like this….

yup, i’m cold, its cloudy and i’m missing the sun.  good thing i have lots of little blessings running around the house to bring me bursts of sunshine! 🙂

friday favorites and random

i am cleaning and organizing like its nobodies business!  phewsh!

i think i found 32 ponytail holders in various area of the house.  really?

**************

i am working on pictures of the boys bunk room!!  finally.  i have had several requests and have put it off for no other reason than i didn’t have pictures.  soon.  very soon.

**************

tomorrow night mr. daddy is taking me out to get some running shoes.  that’s all i’m going to say.
then we’re going to our favorite tapas restaurant with my brother in law and new sister in law!  so much to look forward to.

**************

okay.  on with the favorites.  and i must say these are FAVES!

FIRST:  origins VitaZing.

i put this on in the morning after i wash my face and apply acne spot treatment (yes i still use that stuff even though i’m 32)

then i put this on my face….its glorious.  it is a light moisturizer, but it has teeeeeny tiny capsules that burst/pop open/disolve when you blend it on.  its like a slight tint but sooo subtle.  i would say it would work with any skin color.  really.  its hard to explain.  i bought mine at macy’s.

i use this on days that i just want a light and natural look.  i follow up with my MAC pressed mineral powder and a little blush and mascara and off i go.

SECOND:  Shark Cordless Stik Vac
i use this 5 times a day, at least.  on my hardwood floors, slate, and vinyl (the schoolroom).  i keep it in the pantry and we do pop the battery out between each use to recharge it.  just make it a habit.  
oh, it had two level.  1 for hard surfaces and 2 for carpet.  so i do use it on the area rugs too.
mr. daddy gave me mine for christmas but i’m pretty sure he bought it at bed bath and beyonce.
check out my other favorites.  happy weekend!

faq: the drinking fountain

**these posts are part of FAQ series that will include answers and further details to the questions i receive about the house.  if you have questions please use the email me button over on the sidebar and i’ll include them in this series**  click here for more FAQ.

the drinking fountain
q:  where did you purchase your drinking fountain?
a:  the fountain is the  Kohler K-5264-0 White Millbrooke Drinking Fountain purchased online at www.needplumbingsupplies.com
q:  is it a water mess?  do the kids always mess around with it?
a:  yes, no, not really. 🙂  yes, you will get water drips on the floor from children racing in to get a drink, racing away while still swallowing the water…while its dripping halfway down their little faces :).  but this is why we carried the slate floor all the way through that area.  it just absorbs or if it dries up it blends in.  
the messing/playing with the water…mostly its the 2-3 year old age range children but even then they’re just turning it on and off.  i have had NO regrets with this installation of an interior drinking fountain.  oh, the plumber will adjust the flow so it doesn’t shoot out onto the wall 🙂
q:  is it hooked up to cold water or do you have a chiller?
a:  pretty sure its just to the cold water since i don’t know what a chiller is! 🙂  it comes out cool though…not icy cold.  

master bathroom

the master bathroom.  yup, its white.  i’m not sure what we originally had planned….it was light but i think more tan and cream.  mr. daddy saw a cararra and white bathroom in a showroom and was sold.  yay!  i had no convincing to do 🙂
the cabinetry and trim is painted benjamin moore’s ready mix white.  the walls are sherwin williams quicksilver #6245.
we’ve lived in this house for 8 months now and so far no regrets on the white!  it is very calming.
during construction:

 the tub is not jetted.  i just like to soak.  quietly.

the tub surround is marble but not carrara.  its called white italian.  the little squares on the backsplash of the tub are carrara.   the floor tiles are carrara.

i keep my collection of medicine jars here on this shelf.  usually i have some candle in a jar too 🙂

this little built in unit adds storage and display.  you can see my jewelry bowls a little closer here.

during construction:

a few elements we desired in a master bath when we were building were:  his and her vanities, a soaking tub, a shower, a closet in the bathroom, a chandelier, and the toilet to be tucked behind a wall….  we had to rearrange the floor plan a bit but we were able to accomplish all of those things!

during construction (the painting stage):

 his sink area.

see that light switch?  it turns on a flood light at the front of the house.  if we hear a car or whatever it allows us to turn on the lights in the front of the house without having to run downstairs.  
building the vanities:

the shower.  simple white, subway tiles on the walls.  carrara 1 inch squares on the floor.  a strip of five rows of carrara  3/4 of the way up that matches the tub backsplash.

a closer look at the carrara detail.

during construction:

 cabinet knobs are restoration hardware.

faucets are delta.

more jewelry organization 🙂  these dandy little sets of hooks are from bed bath & beyond.
 
the toilet….tucked back just a bit.

the chandelier is actually pretty plastic.  i really wanted an antique one but have not found one yet.  this one is from home depot and unless you touch it, it looks great 🙂

the craft room / nook.

welcome to our sewing and craft area!  
this area gets used for WAY more than just sewing and crafts.  we moved our old dining room table and chairs up here.  besides using it as a cutting table we often are playing games or constructing lego projects here.
this is the same angle of the bonus room during construction.  you can see the wood floor laid just beyond the ladder.

when we built the house i knew that i wanted 1/3 of the bonus room (the room above the garage) to be designated for sewing/crafting and legos/train table.  the flooring is 5″ oak and was finished on site.  the wood is great to vacuum up, find needles and play legos on.  i have no regrets!

so this is the sewing side.  the girls share the one table and i have my own nook.

 the other half is for the train table (which currently has a race track on it) and constructing legos.

this is a fort that we put in for the kids and have yet to be inspired of what to do in it.  i am open to any creative minds helping me out there! (it’s basically a walk through as you can see from the construction picture above).

here is a full shot of the sewing/craft nook

i’ll take you in a little closer for the details.

on top of the fabric cabinet is a jar of vintage buttons (that i use!) and spools of ribbon.  back in the day i had an ebay store and made custom hairbows!   🙂  i also have a collection of expandable measuring sticks.

 the bottom drawer holds linings and fillings

top shelf (L-R):  baby onsies for custom gifts, vintage letters for display, cloth diapers for custom gifts
2nd shelf : fabric
3rd shelf:  fabric and a can of spray starch.
bottom shelf: (L-R) 2 stacked floral boxes hold extra ribbon, single floral box holds fringes and embellishments, magazine holders hold machine manuals and sewing catalogs and books.

the mirror is from target.  under that i keep my basket of projects and i have a bunch of embroidery hoops that i have collected from garage sales.  the chandelier is from lowes (or home depot… i can’t remember).

the basket next to the fabric cabinet holds projects i am currently working on.  here you will see the works of pillow covers and zippered pouches. 

this is where the girls have their machines for now.  they actually do sew here, together, even though the whole foot area is small and not really accommodating.  i’m looking for some sort of countertop that is completely open underneath to replace this desk.


this white shelf used to be pea green and hung in my room when i was a little girl.

the top shelf displays a milk glass bowl and some vintage display letters.

the middle shelf has a pair of vintage sewing shears from beufort, sc and a really old Bible.  i don’t actually read from this Bible but i like that the Word is present in every corner of our home!

the bottom shelf has a divided plastic case for all of our bobbins.  the artwork on display is from  etsy artist eva juliet.

this is where i sew.  mr. daddy gave this machine to me for our first married christmas 🙂  the thread holder is from joanns.  the desk is from an estate sale.  look here for that makeover.  the chair is also a garage sale find that i remodeled before my blogging days 🙂

this cute little shelf is from ikea.  it used to be in the girls bedroom in our previous home.  the milk glass pieces are just for display as well as the glass flower frogs.

the bottom shelf has a sturdy green box (from joanns) that i keep my scrapbook paper and stickers in.  my portable sewing kit is on the right.

this wall hanging was given to me last christmas.  the girls worked on it for a really long time with my mother in law.  it is super special to me.

 this cute little cup from the target bath section holds our fabric scissors and a hole punch.

this is an easy embroidery project i did a couple of years ago.  i traced the kiddo’s hands with a pencil on white fabric.  then hand stitched on top with a teal embroidery thread.   

this is a rubbermaid drawer unit that i wasn’t using anywhere else and it fit perfectly here.

 one drawer holds the beloved label maker.  oh, how every mom should have one.   🙂

this is the ‘pencil’ drawer of the main white desk.  i found the turquoise divider at a local antique shop.  yes, i have several seam rippers. 🙂  i also keep the business cards that etsy sellers send with my purchases.  the brown wooden box was originally gifted to me with THE most yummy chocolates from john & kira’s chocolates….mmmmmm…..

now, it humbly holds tape measures, hooks and needles.

one of my drawers holds a collection of vintage flash cards.  i would love to frame and sell them…..someday 🙂

another drawer holds glitter, a circle punch, stamp pads and stamps.  in the zippered pencil case are alphabet stamps.

happy sewing and crafting!