Little Things Add Up!

Coast Awhile Cottage has been a huge project!  It's such a big house that it took lots of time to handle all the little details that make it special.  The last space I have left to show you in the main house is the upstairs master bathroom.  It ended up like this....

...but it started out like this....

Yes, I know---ewww.  

This is what we did...we started out with a brand new tub/shower and added new white tile to its walls and ceiling.  The tiles were inexpensive but I had them applied at a diagonal for a little more pizzazz.

The walls were covered with bead board and eventually painted with white semi-gloss paint.

We tiled the floors with white and black hexagon tile to keep the vintage flavor.

A new toilet and a new vanity were installed as well as a new light fixture.  You can't see it but we also installed new towel bars.

Then it was time for the fun stuff.  We found this cool mirror at Home Goods and an inexpensive but colorful shower curtain at Wal-Mart.  Good design can also be a good bargain.

And last but not least Target's Room Essentials collection has wonderful fast-dry towels and bath rugs at a great price point and in so many colors!  I liked these sky blue ones.....

My designer, Jane Coslick, always says that you can't have too many hooks on the walls of a beach cottage.  My sister Crystal sent me some really fun ones--the crab hook is shown...

And there you have it right down to the last little thing!

I am always amazed at each layer of decorating and how it adds to the whole.  Careful attention to detail can be a powerful thing.  

Makes me think of one of my favorite quotes which I heard attributed to missionary Amy Carmichael..."A little thing is a little thing, but faithfulness in little things is a very great thing."  I used to stress this to my kids when they were young and still living in our home.  It's a good lesson for all of us.  Think about it :) 

It's A Girl!

Happy news!

 

 

 

Introducing our precious new granddaughter Piper who from day one already knew how to 

make a fashion statement!

 

 

 

She was born April 3rd, weighed in at a healthy 9lb 3oz, and was 22 inches long!   Her mother Meghan (our daughter) was a trooper and managed to deliver her with natural childbirth and Piper's daddy Tom was an excellent birth coach!

 

 

 

It would be an understatement to say her family is already in love with her!

Uncle Jonathan and Aunt Lisa brought two of the Fab Four to get acquainted (Violet, top left and Anna Kate, lower right)

Big sister Josey is thrilled and when she's not busy being awesome in her own right...

 

 

 

 ...she loves to hug and kiss her baby sister.

 

Piper already has a few nicknames..."Pipsqueak" (although she really doesn't deserve it) and my personal favorite--she was dubbed "Pipette" by her grandfather who was a Chemistry major as an undergrad.  She has also been called "Pipes" and I must say she can certainly speak up for herself...I am woman, hear me roar!

 

 

Daddy was trying to work and either Piper thought he was writing some bad code or she was letting Mommy know that it was time for her second or was that third (?) breakfast.  

 

But most of the time--all of the time--precious Piper is just that...precious!

  

Welcome to the world sweet girl and welcome to the family!

Happy, Cozy and Comfy Master Bedroom!

Coast Awhile Cottage has some pretty gorgeous bedrooms thanks to my collaboration with designer Jane Coslick and her assistant (and designer in her own right)  Anna Speir.  Those ladies are sooo creative!  If you haven't picked your favorite yet then take a look at these...

• A "Makes-You-Smile" Bunk Room 

• Nautical and Nice 

• Anna's Magic Touch 

• A Room For Dreaming

But wait to pick your favorite until you see this last bedroom.  It is the upstairs master bedroom and adjoining sitting area.

I'm crazy for the iron bed--a Craig's List find that I picked up for a song!  This is what it looked like when I picked it up.

 

It's amazing what a little white spray paint can do!  The dandelion print pillow was made from a $1.99 scrap of fabric scavenged from Fabric World!  Anybody want to make a wish?

This little dresser came from a flea market as well as the little lamps on top.  The mirror was a cast off from Coral Cottage which we painted white and then distressed to give it 

an antique look.

Leonard Miller, a Savannah artist, painted wonderful window art for this room using an old window salvaged from Coral Cottage. 

Jane Coslick gave him the inspiring words which call the reader back to the freedom of 

simpler, happy days of childhood.  These are some things we need to hold on to.

 

The bedroom opens up to a sitting room... 

 We wanted it to be a cozy spot in which to read, talk or watch TV.  The TV can be angled for watching from the bed as well (my favorite).

Like it?   Tell me--which bedroom is your favorite and why?  Which bedroom would you choose for your own if you were staying here at Coast Awhile Cottage?  (See the links at the beginning of this post to view the other bedrooms.)

My Favorite Bedroom--No Foolin'

Lots of work went into making an appealing and welcoming room in the largest master bedroom at Coast Awhile Cottage.  It took months to get everything in shape but we will compress the time and show you how things turned out with some before and afters of a few different angles...

Before

 

After

The sitting room area....

Before

 It looks very different with the closet and fake wood flooring torn out and beadboard walls instead of wallpaper.

 The white paint (Martha Stewart Living #8002 Glass of Milk) makes a huge difference!  There's nothing like crisp white walls to create a great background for cottage-y decor.  Because the budget was tight, we painted the floor with deck paint in lieu of adding more hardwood to match the other half of the room.

After

Next time I'll show you the decor...this bedroom is my favorite in this cottage!

 

Yes Sir, That's My Baby!

Some of you may have clicked on this post expecting baby pictures of our granddaughter who is taking her time to arrive.  Her parents, Meghan (our daughter) and Tom, are still patiently awaiting the birth and I can't wait to show you pictures of baby Piper when she finally decides to make her debut.  In the meantime... 

Sometimes when writing this blog I wonder whether or not to show you the "before" pictures of a remodeling project.  To be sure, I don't show you everything but I loved my little cottages "before" and it is fun for me to remember how things changed and developed...sort of like parents enjoy looking through their kid's baby pictures....is that weird?

Well at the risk of being "that" parent, I have some more "baby pictures" of Coast Awhile Cottage today to show you today--the upstairs master bedroom with it's add-on sitting room and adjoining bathroom.

Once again (as in the rest of the house) there is wood paneling on the walls and ceiling and there are hardwood floors.  There is also a nice big window that is original to the house.
Come on inside....
 

 The wall on the right when you walk in was where the former owner had a bed.  I decided to put a king size bed in this room and it won't fit along that wall so we will take down the light fixtures before we paint.  The king bed will go on the window wall.

 At some point in the past the master bedroom was expanded to add more space, a larger closet and a bathroom.  We have decided to remove the closet and make this area into a sitting room with a TV.  Henry photobombed this picture---you can see him in the closet mirror!  We were both trying to take pictures :)

Here's a closer look at the sitting room...

The flooring is a low quality fake wood that comes in sheets.  It will be removed along with the wallpaper and the air conditioner unit.   We will install central heating and air as well as beadboard on walls and ceiling.

The bathroom adjoins the sitting room.....

Dare we look inside?

Needs a total redo!  We'll roll up our sleeves and get to work next time!

"Purty" Potty!

I'm very particular about bathrooms.  When I rent a home or stay in a hotel I want the place to have a pristine bathroom--immaculately clean and fresh.  When we bought Coast Awhile Cottage  we knew we had our work cut out for us to bring the tired, old bathrooms up to date.

 Upstairs there is a bathroom which is at the end of a hall-like area.   

Once you step inside there is another hall.  We believe this bathroom may have been added on--not part of the original house.

This photo was taken before the walls in the house were painted white.

There wasn't much to please the eye in the beginning...

...in fact, it was a little scary...

Ewwww.  As we took a closer look, the tub and the tile were in pretty good condition but the glass shower doors needed to go.  

It was the same with the faucets--we needed new ones.  We decided to keep the pedestal sink but replace the toilet.  And since there was no venting, we decided to replace the shelves with a window over the toilet to bring the room up to code.

It was rather disconcerting to find that once the toilet was removed we could see through to the deck outside.  It's a wonder someone hadn't crashed through!  Needless to say that floor was well-supported before things were put back together. 

Once everything was stripped down, we added bead board to the walls and painted everything white.  I like the clean feeling it gives and I think it will be easier to keep clean than drywall.  Here's how it all turned out....

 The sink was a freebie--it was in good condition so we reused it.  We took down the old "Hollywood dressing room" light fixture and replaced it with something more up to date.  The mirror was a find from World Market.  It was beautiful in it's natural wood color but we spray painted it with Rustoleum paint in Aqua to give a punch of color to this all white room.  The towels and throw rugs are from Target--Room Essentials fast dry towels and matching rugs. 

My designer, Jane Coslick, had an old medicine cabinet in her stash that she keeps on hand to furnish her clients with unique pieces when the need arises.  We thought it would be perfect next to the sink to add storage and to have a place to put personal items needed while 
getting dressed.

Some hooks for clothes and towels and a bright and cheery shower curtain from Home Goods finish off the room!

Now that's a safe, clean, "purty" room I could feel good about using to "powder my nose"!