Friday, August 30, 2013

Are You Ready For Some Football?

The T-man, Tyler Man, Teebs, Teebles...all those endearing little names we've had for Tyler these past ten years are quickly becoming outgrown:(
 
Now it's #33 Patton...
 

 Yes, the times, they are a'changing...Last weekend Henry and I went to see  our 
grandson Tyler's first football game.
 
 It was a fun family day watching Tyler and his team. 
 
 
 
 
 I couldn't help wondering if this was just the beginning of bigger things for Tyler just like it was for my boy, his dad, who grew up and eventually played football for his 
high school and college
 
.
Who knows?  Right now it's enough to enjoy these beautiful Saturdays, look forward to the upcoming season and cheer for #33.  
 
 
Are you ready for some football?
 

Wednesday, August 28, 2013

The Little House Bedroom is a Little Jewel!

A little jewel--that's what this bedroom is going to be.  The floor space is fairly small and with its king size bed, it is almost all bed--but it is still very pleasing to meOur "little house" bedroom is still a work in progress but let me show you what is done so far....




The comforter and two blue euro shams are from Echo's Sardinia collectionI wasn't crazy about the two regular pillow shams that came with the set but I think I will order one more blue euro sham.  I think maybe it would be good to find some decorative pillows that pick up some of the lime green in the spread to make the look more interesting....right now I am pondering.



As you can see I don't have a photo of the window with curtains.  The curtains are there now--Merete curtains in bleached white from Ikea but they needed hemming and were hung after I left Tybee.  I'll have to photograph them later.
 
I'm still looking at a way to improve storage for the room's guests and I'd like to change out a few pillows but it's almost there...a little jewel!

Friday, August 23, 2013

Oooo La La!

True Confessions...I am an eBay-a-holic.  I've found some great things for great prices using eBay and I love being able to shop in the convenience of my own home.

I began looking on eBay for a chandelier to use in the dining room at Doc Holiday.  I really love the vintage tole chandeliers that look like bamboo but are made of metal and there is usually a nice selection to choose from online.  My criteria was it had to be pretty and it had to be in working condition and it had to be inexpensive.

I finally found one I liked, bought it, and had it shipped. But it was damaged in the shipping.


Two of the arms were broken--Booo!  I was so disappointed but I didn't want to send it back because it was so well-priced.  So instead I found a handy friend, Drew McRay, who repaired it.

I was excited to try it out at Doc Holiday but booo again!  It seemed just a tad too small for the dining room but it was just right for the bedroom in the "little house".  So I asked Patricia from Tybee Girl Helpers to spray paint it and voila!

Doesn't this just beckon you to come closer?


It's amazing what a can or two of spray paint can do!  This one is Rustoleum Ultra Cover X 2 Glossy paint in Key Lime.


Ooo La La!  I just love it!


 Spray paint is awesome!  Have you ever spray painted something that transformed it's appearance?  I'd love to hear about it in the comments--share pictures or links if you'd like!
 

Wednesday, August 21, 2013

Just Like Magic!

Oooh how I love remodeling when we get to this fun stage that I will show you today!  We were planning to cover the walls with drywall and reuse the old door leading out to the porch.  We bought a new five panel door for the hall that matched the old door.


Drywall was put up, taped, and sanded. Our Allure vinyl flooring went in.  Molding was put up and primed.  And then came paint.  I loved the way Sherwin-Williams Buoyant Blue looked at the Coral Cottage--it played well with others--other colors, that is.

Let me just show you...
 
One
 

Two

 
Three



And after some measuring and furniture planning we realized that once we put a bed in the room, the only way to get into the bathroom and be able to close the door would be to have a barn door that could slide open and shut sooo...

One


 Two
 
 
 And Three
 
 
 Just like magic!  It's quite a transformation in about 3 weeks time!  But the magic is just beginning.  Oh yeah!

Monday, August 19, 2013

Demo Done ~ Building Begins!

It was fun last week to share finished projects like Jane Coslick's Cottage on the Green and our HGTV photo shoot at Coral Cottage!  Click the links and have a look if you didn't have a chance yetThis week I want to resume my posts on the "little house" part of Doc Holiday.


Everyone walking past the little house (attached to the main house) loved it and wanted to know what it was going to be.  We saved the little house and and turned it all into a master bedroom and bathroom.  In a previous post I showed just what a big job it turned out to be.  But finally the structure was made secure and it was time for insulation....

 
....Lots of insulation to keep the beach breezes from blowing through.   The walls were insulated from the outside and the floors were insulated as well from under the house.


See the little boxed area above the window and door?  The builder suggested we use the space above the porch for a little storage nook.  There isn't much storage space but it will add some architectural interest to the room.


The next post will be about the walls and trim--and what a difference it makes!  Can't
wait to show you!

Friday, August 16, 2013

Just Like A Magazine!

I'm having a "catch-up" week at home after our busy week at Tybee last week.  I have lots to tell you about Doc Holiday's progress but before I do that I'd like to share a little about the 
HGTV Magazine photo shoot at the Coral Cottage.
 
 
 
I already introduced you to Elizabeth Beeler, our stylist, in the last post.  When we finished remodeling and decorating Coral Cottage, Jane Coslick (designer) sent photographs to Elizabeth.....Elizabeth sent them to HGTV to see if they might be interested in featuring our cottage and they were---sooo that is how it came about.
 
Elizabeth came early to prepare the cottage for the shoot.  She brought in lots of beautiful things (Jane helped provide some of these pretties) and made the Coral Cottage picture perfect!  Then a couple days later when things were ready these talented people flew into town ....
 
 
Pictured above from left to right:  Vicky (me), Elizabeth Beeler (Prop Stylist), Jennifer Berno (Home Editor for HGTV Magazine), Kim Cornelison (photographer), Alfie Ferreyra (Kim's husband and business partner who also edits photos), and 
Paul Kirkeby (Photographer  Assistant) 

They all worked hard from morning to evening for two days getting some fabulous photos!  I stayed out of the way except when asked to show up to be in a few pictures.  The last afternoon our daughter Kristen, her husband James, and their little girls joined me and Henry for some pictures in the backyard.
 
The camera was linked up to a computer so that Alfie could see everything that the camera 
lens was seeing.  Ella watched as the scene was being set... 






The afternoon was very bright and sunshiny.  It was interesting to watch as the photographer managed the light with a board that was held up to keep the light from shining directly into her camera lens (or at least that is what it looked like).  
 
 
The little models enjoyed some rest and snacks after they finished posing.
 
Charlotte was hungry after playing in the pool.
Ella gave GG a smile.
 I got permission to share pictures of the process of the photo shoot but the actual photos of the house in all its glory have to "stay in the vault" until the June issue of 
HGTV Magazine comes out next year.  The ones I've seen look just like a magazine :)  and  I, for one, can't wait for June!

Monday, August 12, 2013

Meet Our Stylist--Elizabeth Beeler!

Bright, beautiful, and one of the best in her business--that was the young woman that showed up to style The Coral Cottage for our HGTV Magazine photo shoot last week!  Meet 
Elizabeth Beeler!

Elizabeth on the sleeping porch at Cottage on the Green

 I've been e-mailing back and forth with Elizabeth for several months as we worked out all the details for the photo shoot and I was really looking forward to meeting her so I asked her to lunch along with my designer and friend Jane Coslick.  I planned a simple meal, set a simple table and we three had a nice visit.



I knew Elizabeth was an accomplished young woman but I'm so glad that I didn't know just  
how accomplished she is or I might have been self-conscious showing her around my little cottage that is still a work in progress.  It's not every day I have the former Homes Editor for Coastal Living over to see my house and presently she is an editorial contributor to many publications including Southern Living, Coastal Living, Garden and Gun, Traditional Home, House Beautiful, and of course, HGTV Magazine who plans to publish Coral Cottage....and there's more on her resume.  Yep--it's good I didn't know all that!  She's nice--that's what counts.

I tagged along after lunch to one of Jane's latest projects, Cottage on the Green.  Elizabeth was scouting it for future potential magazine articles.  

 
The cottage is a duplex and it was staged so creatively with many trademark Jane Coslick touches written all over it!  Elizabeth used her phone to take pictures--she encouraged us to stand way back and take pictures of the whole room when taking scouting photos (relatively rare occurrence for me but not so rare for Jane).

I grabbed my little point and shoot camera and took a few photos of my own because I thought you would enjoy seeing what I saw--a cottage full of personality that welcomes you in.






Love the farm sink and the little curtain below!

I caught Jane fluffing pillows at the breakfast table.  The sign above helped to determine the color scheme.
 
I could just stay here all afternoon!

The other side of the duplex was wonderful too...



Aren't these slipcovered settees a nice touch here at the breakfast booth?


This bathroom was a highlight for me with it's footed tub...



...and it's connection to a private outside shower which can be entered from the bathroom or from outside to allow people coming back from the beach to shower the sand off 
before coming in.




and last but not least, another lovely, comfortable porch...


I like the string lights!  Must order some.
After touring Cottage on the Green, we took Elizabeth to Coral Cottage so she could begin to style it for the photo shoot.  I'll tell you a little more about that next time!

Thursday, August 8, 2013

Welcome To My Nightmare!

Demolition and Discovery.  It's scary.  Not for the faint of heart.  It is highly likely you will uncover the nightmares of previous questionable workmanship coupled with the ravages of time. I usually have some nights of fitful sleep with dollar signs that keep flashing in my head.  And occasionally (rarely) something good is discovered.  At least that has been my experience with D and D so far.

We decided to take the "little house" bedroom down to the frame and see what was beneath all that glorious [note the sarcasm] faux paneling.  It was amazing that the little house was still standing.  The carpenters had their work cut out for them in order to shore up the structure according to code and make it strong.


On a positive note, the ceiling was vaulted under the low ceiling that had been removed and it greatly improved the feeling of space in the room.



Now it was ready for the Restoration and Renovation stage...and believe me, I was ready for some R & R just about now!  R & R coming up next!

Monday, August 5, 2013

The "Little House"

This is an exciting week for us!  I'm down at Tybee and tomorrow I look forward to meeting Elizabeth Beeler who will be styling The Coral Cottage for it's HGTV magazine article!  Elizabeth and her fine work were featured in the August 2013 issue of Better Homes and Gardens magazine and I know she is a favorite friend of my designer, Jane Coslick, who wrote a great blog post about her recently.  So I am feeling very honored and thrilled to have her working on The Coral Cottage photo shoot!

I came a day early so I could continue to do some work on Doc Holiday.  DH is looking very good but I want to keep tweaking a bit...in the meantime I'll show you where we are right now with the cottage and how we got here.

Let me show you one of the master bedrooms--the one in the "little house".


These photos were taken right after the houses were moved onto the lot from down the street.
 
  This is how the interior looked when we first saw the house.


 Notice the faux wood paneling? Not too crazy about it.  The pictures don't show it, but the ceiling was very low--less than 8 feet.  I know it sounds crazy but I want to put a king size bed in this small room.  Jane and I measured and measured and think it can be done.  Here's another look from a different angle...

Love the windows!

One nice feature is that there is a door leading to a small porch.  It had no railing because it used to be low to the ground before we lifted it up on it's piers.  We want to keep it 
and screen it in.



What do you think?  Everyone who walks by the house is curious about this "little house".  Can you picture this room being beautiful?  It's gonna get worse before it gets better.  Time for demolition and discovery--I'll show you next time!