Funky

Here are some more great items DD has in her home. She shops at local artist's markets for one-of-a-kind pieces. This mirror is a wonderful example.


This is a vintage piece of garden furniture that she has in her generous entryway.

I found a throw blanket at a thrift store and covered a piece of foam to make a cushion for the bench. Here I've just wrapped it around the foam. The next time I get back to her place for some more fun projects I'll sew a real cover for it.
When DD was a pre-teen she had a newspaper route and she babysat and did errands all the time with one goal in mind; to buy a horse. Then she continued to work in order to pay for all the food, vet bills and tack that goes along with horse owning.

She kept her first love throughout the years as she continued through her schooling by leasing him to other young girls who used him for 4H projects. When she finally settled into a home and property she was able to have him with her again.

After he became too ill to continue she was able to bury him along a lovely hillside. Later DD researched artists who specialized in painting animals to find one who she felt would do a good job of giving her a permanent reminder of her first horse. She commissioned an artist living in Australia who did a magnificent job of capturing the spirit as well as the likeness of DD's beloved animal.

Mrs.RGS

Bath re-do

One of the many reasons I love working with Darling Daughter in decorating her home is that I get to work with colors and styles that I don't have in my own home.

Her style is completely different from mine. Young, upbeat and funky. I love it.


Last week we painted her half bath. It started out with a dark brown on the lower walls and a beige on the upper walls. We used Behr #100F-5 Gypsy Magic on the lower section and Behr # 100E-2 Mauve Mist on the upper section.


Please note the mirror over the sink in this BEFORE shot. It has no personality. No pizzazz.
The mirror in this room has been the topic of our conversations often since she moved into the house. We both wanted to do something with it to stop it from appearing to be floating against the wall. Several possibilities were discussed but last week we did something about it.


After a trip to the Dollar Store for a bag of tumbled green glass pieces and a bag of blue flat-bottomed marbles we glued them to the edge of the mirror. It finally had the presence and stability it needed.

We pulled items that she already had from other rooms in the house to finish the room. There are five main colors in that small half bath but they all work together so well.

I only wish that all of my projects turned out as well as this bath did.

Mrs.RGS

Jewels in chipped bark

As we returned to the car after Bible study, my friend, SA, and I spotted these mushrooms/toadstools (I don't know one from the other). We climbed the steep hillside of freshly laid beauty bark to get a better look at them as they glistened in the sunlight. When we tried to keep our balance on the hillside we put our hands down on the sharp slivers of the bark. Not fun. And it was not until we started back down the hillside that we discover just how steep it was. We both nearly did the Jack and Jill routine.


But it was all worth it because we managed to capture these pictures.

Mrs.RGS

Candy Night

I know that bicycle riding is healthy both for the body and for the environment. However, I am often frustrated by people sharing the same roadway -- me in my car and they on their bicycles.

They make quick jerky movements just as I am about to pass them which makes me think that I am going to make their aquaintance in an unpleasant manner for both of us. Therefore, when I saw this display I immediately bonded with the sentiment: they ride as is they are headless.
On Candy Night we were visited by our two local grandsons. K chose to dress as an important part of our civilized homes . . . And EJ came dressed as a monkey -- banana included.

EJ has been crawling for a few weeks now. He crawls away from you and then turns back to make sure you are watching.

We had fun answering the door and being amazed by the costumes. One youngster had glowing red eyes. I couldn't stop staring at him and wondering how that was possible. Lots of fun.

Mrs.RGS

The River

I am back down with DD again this week. She lives in such a beautiful area. I've often said it is Oregon's best kept secret along the Columbia River. Beautiful views, sparsely populated and reasonably priced -- relatively.

The PacNW is having gorgeous October weather. Yesterday I went into the city to pick up DD's mail from the post office and then wandered down the stree two blocks to find an amazing little beach. There were two markers memorializing local people for their contributions to the area.

Washington State is on the other side of the river. You can see the recently cleared areas and new houses. DD and I sat up there on the clearing before the houses were built and enjoyed the view one beautiful summer day.

The home sites were being sold for approximately $200,000 and had a restriction saying that you had to build a home that had a value of $250,000.

We soaked in the view of the river barges moving up and down the river and an occasional sail boat. We enjoyed a picnic of ham and cheese sandwiches and took evil pleasure in spitting out our watermelon seeds on such expensive property.

Next to the park is this fantastic house. I thought it was a B&B or a business but it is a personal home.

Mrs.RGS

Secret Mission

Where have I been? On a semi-secret mission playing at darling daughter's home doing some deep cleaning, painting walls and having a great time sharing stories and laughing at silly things while we work.

I can't show you pictures of our progress because we want it all to be a surprise for her hubs when he returns in about 2 weeks from working overseas. He knows that we've been tampering with his castle because he has approved the original budget and the revised upper limit of the budget but he doesn't know how we are spending the money.

DD works during the day but I'm kept company by my grandkitty. He is so very entertaining. He likes looking out at the world through the great windows of this house. Here he is, laying on the kitty porch his daddy made for him so he could lay down and still see out.

I was here all last week but went home (2 hours north) for the weekend. I didn't want to miss the Bible study class on Saturday morning and then a 50th wedding anniversary party Saturday afternoon. Then, after church on Sunday, I returned to finish a project as part of the secret mission.

While I was home I took a picture of a neighbors home decked out for the upcoming spooky day. We moved to Quirky Cottage in mid-October. When I first saw this fence I thought it was permanently part of their yard and in need of repair and paint! They take it down in November and put it back up every October. I love it.

Mrs.RGS

Red Curtain

It is scary to cut into a vintage tablecloth when you know that if you make a mistake in judgement you can't just go back to the store and get another one just like it.

After thinking about it and testing it several times before actually cutting into the fabric I settled on a pattern that I wanted to use for the topper over the kitchen window.

I can never sew without smiling and thinking of my darling daughter. When she was a young child she tried her hand at sewing but didn't take to it. But, that didn't mean that she wasn't creative. One day I sat down at my sewing machine and found this:

I always make sure I have plenty of pins so I don't have to use any of the ones she did.

The curtain that had been hanging over the sink when we bought QC was what I used for the lining and rod pocket. Waste not, want not -- my mother's words were echoing in my head.

Mrs.RGS