Sneak peak

These last days have been a whirlwind of activity around our house, so therefore I did not have time to be at my desk.... but I think a little sneak peak in all the action is what I can do!
The new path is prepped now, the new door is in and today gets the first coat of blue! I love it!
We decided to exchange the shutters as well and they are getting painted as I write this. The sun shines for the first time in days and hopefully all has time to dry and cure before the next rain storm is expected: Saturday!

It is quite a change from the old door to the new! No more drafts, way more light and this even before removing the protective plastic over the glass!

And yet, it still fits into the style of this 1947 home! I do not want to change this, there is a charm to all the details in this old house!

There is still a lot to be done until Saturday, they promised to be finished before Easter Sunday! Today the bluestone will be laid out and we will need a lot of new top soil to fill in after the new path is done. It has been raised to level it for the stairs and make it even, but our front yard is at a slope, we will have to level this too. I think to be realistic this is not going to happen before next week.


I brought in a branch of our Magnolia tree! I love these blossoms! A little piece of beauty among the dust and dirt around here:

I hope you are all good! Thinking of you!


xx
Victoria



Pictures by V.Zlotkowski

A good thing

Having books almost everywhere in our house it was time to find additional shelf space. Best without any extra costs! Remember, we just spending a little fortune on our walk way!

Particularly my design books are everywhere. I have them on my side table, desk and bookshelves, under the bed, under my desk, on the floor. Too scattered and unorganized.
After my son gave up one of the shelves in his room to make space for a larger bed I took it over! 
And although the family room is not big I think it fits quite well in my work area! Upright in his room I tipped it on its side and voila! Instant sideboard/bookshelf!

I really love it!


Wishing you all a sweet (vacation) week, filled with good things!


XX
Victoria




Pictures byV.Zlotkowski

It's Friday

And that means a crew outside is hacking away the old path, prepping our house for a new era!

Gone will be these broken stones, the meandering piece of a 50's walkway. Oh, I am so happy!

The light fixtures have been shipped, the door is on it's way, you must guess how excited I am we are.
I think I will keep a piece like a relic from the Berlin Wall somewhere in my keepsakes....

A very happy Friday indeed! (Today's breakfast for a very hungry boy!!!)


Wishing you a lovely weekend with sunshine all around!




XX
Victoria


All pictures by V.Zlotkowski

Today I love

Pretty wall sconces!
Over the last weeks I have been looking for wall sconces and other outdoor light fixtures for our house and saw many lovely things for indoors as well and so pretty, I wanted to share them with you!

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And I love this pendant light as well.

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There are so many fixtures available, it is almost overwhelming, but I think really well designed ones will always stand out a little.
Think of them as the jewelry of the house. There are a few investment pieces and lots of costume jewelry...
So, have fun!


xx
Victoria



All images as indicated.

Curb appeal

Our house is cute, but lacks serious curb appeal due to the old shingle walk way, a relict from the 50's.  After many repairs and this last winter's freeze damage it's finally beyond saving. Not that I really wanted to...
And it is a health hazard as well, people can seriously fall over those loose steps....

A single lamppost barely illuminates the way up to more stairs to reach the door with a platform, too short to stand upon when opening the storm door! 

For a while now I have been talking with my husband about what to do with it and we now have a plan in place!
I have been doing drawings after drawings, looked at hundreds of light fixtures, stone samples and front doors. We decided to do it all at once, not to start over with this and that a little later on. There is still a new roof waiting to be installed  - one day - and the siding needs painting.....
One thing at the time.


Back to that old walk way.
I thought the current way is too narrow and crooked, the single post does not much on the lighting front.
Here is the plan:

There will be a longer platform and one less step up to the front door.
The walkway will be centered and 4' wide, there will be a wider path to the garage.
The walkway will be made from bluestone, the local and economic way to lasting beauty and function. Our builder suggested a Belgian stone border to secure the 
bluestone slabs.

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I planned less stairs towards our house and two columns midway with light fixtures to illuminate the walk way and stairs. Something like this below.

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I think these will be beautiful.

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We will remove the old mailbox. And a wall hung one will be installed instead.

There are currently two benches sitting left and right to the door, they are very fragile, we will build something new there!


And a new front door and hardware will be installed as well. 
In a dark blue or teal.

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We decided on classic brass hardware. Similar to this below.

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And a door knocker like that:

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I love that blue!

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I think I am falling in love with our house again!

Work will hopefully begin Friday! Wish us luck with the weather!




xx
Victoria



Pictures and drawings by V.Zlotkowski and as indicated.

Patio update

Remember our auction score a few weeks ago? 

This lovely teak set now graces our deck and we could not be happier with it. 
I still needed cushions...Most of you commenters encouraged me not to invest to heavily in these outdoor cushions. I agree.
Of course they wear and tear through the elements and fading is unavoidable. I can report that I got a great deal on Sunbrella cushions, bought at Patio.com for $ 34.99 a piece. Not too bad!

We choose red over blue or white (there weren't too many choices), it's lively and I think it gives a nice pop of color!
And even if it will fade to this one day, we will be OK with it! : )

Summer, here we come!

What do you think?




XX
Victoria






All images by V.Zlotkowski

Fourteen today

To turn 14 is an important milestone! It is the coming of age moment, the final move from childhood to young adulthood.
Our daughter has stepped into this with grace and beauty! Inside and out. She is a lively and happy young woman, a true people's person, an engaging and captivating friend, kind to creatures and more and more into learning and working towards HER own future. 
Being around her is such fun!  
She delights us and she radiates joie de vivre!

Here is to our girl! Happy Birthday!
And her party will be just like this: Surrounded by all her friends and family, dancing the night away!

We love you!


Mama, Papa and the gang!




All images private.