Today is exactly 7 months since the kids and I moved into our little 900 sq ft cottage by the sea. It feels like we've been here so much longer than that. It was hard leaving our big, beautiful home of the past 10 years but I honestly have never been happier than right here, right now, and the kids are really finding their groove as well. It's a happy, peaceful, music-filled, art-filled, laughter-filled environment.
I've had several friends over the past few months repeatedly ask me to do an updated blog post on my cottage because apparently "it's just so freaking cute" and needs to be shared with the world. Or at least the handful of readers who actually follow me regularly! Ha! :)
Even though I was completely unpacked and fully moved in within days (I'm relentless like that), I have been fine tuning/adding/moving/adjusting everything over the past few months as time has allowed. It feels "finished" now.
I will share some other links here too rather than redo what I've already done. For older pictures of the backyard "renovation" CLICK HERE. The veggie garden now looks AMAZING. For pictures of my fun outdoor dining set project CLICK HERE.
I've been asked to describe my decorating style and I really can't come up with a description. It's an ecclectic and colorful blend of garage sale finds, craig's list scouring, repurposed furniture, old family art and Etsy finds, along with some Ikea stuff throw into the mix. It's definitely on the funky side and a bit mismatched and yet... it works. I walk in the door and I'm happy. It's very representative of me. Bold, quirky, creative and colorful. Organized chaos. Because it's so small, there's not much room left to add anything and every wall is now covered with art so I think this is how it's going to look for a while because I'm not a fan of clutter despite being a bit of a hoarder. It's like two parts of myself are constantly battling for power. My fervent desire for neatness coupled with some long standing OCD tendencies vs. always scouring for and collecting fun things that captivate me.... I'm a little nutty.
I've got a pretty neat collection of old typewriters and cameras in addition to some great antique furniture and mementos from my travels all over Europe. Our house is overflowing with books. They just keep piling up. It's a disorder. Music plays practically 24/7. There's always an art project going on in the kitchen. And we get to enjoy sunsets on the beach together and I get to take Kooper on a morning run on the beach nearly every day before starting my workday. Life is good. :)
Visually speaking, I took the pictures starting from the view as you walk in the front door and moving towards the back where the kitchen is. No point taking shots of my bedroom/office as it is a completely blacked out cave for editing purposes. The rest of the house is bright and airy thanks to gobs of natural light, vaulted ceilings and stark white walls. It makes the place look WAY bigger than it actually is!
Yes, my bathroom has a urinal. You mothers of boys know how completely fantastic this is. For reals.
Yes, I have about 3 gizillion photo albums.
And an equal amount of music CD's.
My late grandfather's art is all over the kitchen.
The 1909 piano needs someone to play it. It's lonely and neglected. I intend to teach myself how to play this summer. Or, at least, that's my goal. :)
