Raleigh Habitat ReStore Field Trip

 

While running around one Saturday in May, I decided to stop by the local Raleigh Habitat ReStore off Raleigh Boulevard. I found some pretty great stuff that could be polished up and given a great home…follow me!

 

 

 

The gorgeous dress with curved drawers, brass pulled and plenty of storage would look amazing as is. You could also get crafty and paint it peacock blue, leave the brass plates and “dip” the feet in shiny gold paint.

They have added more upholstered goods which makes me nervous sometime but with some love and cleaning, you never know!

Ooh boy! Love the flame stich on this one!

 

 

I always thought it would be fun to take the tops off these and the bottom and use it as a terrarium or candle holder on a porch.

This looks just like the one I got at North Raleigh Ministries! A can of coral spray paint, paint the clear shelves gold on the underside and BAM!

 

This metal locker/cabinet has lots of character! Turn it into a back porch liquor cabinet or mount on casters and use as a bar cart.

This trusty drafting table was only $15.00! Even if you do not draw, you could display art on it in the corner of a large room.

 

One Love Travels: Las Vegas

Flashback to Las Vegas in April! We went for our friends wedding and had a blast!

 

John checking out at the HOTEL.

The bachelorette party!

Our awesome bathroom with pebble flooring in the stand up shower.

Heather and I at Aria. Loved this card installation!

John cleans up REAL nice.

Jason and Tiffany – what an awesome couple.

Reception was at the top of Mandalay Bay at the House of Blues Foundation Room.

Eagle Pose in the Foundation Room.

All you can eat brunch with crab legs, yes please.

Adult spring break.

Kitty Glitter, obviously the best game in Vegas.

Sheri and Allison – love these girls!

 

It Has Character!

I have memories of sitting in the back seat of a well loved car gazing out the window and watching the world flash by while my Mom winded and whirled around the mountains. Every so often we would pass an old, decrepit house or barn and my mom would exclaim with so much enthusiasm I thought she had seen a bag of money on the side of the road, “look at that beautiful house”! Was there a home on the hill behind the sad building that I could not see? Was she looking across the street in the opposite direction? Was my lack of height preventing me from seeing this lovely structure? No. She was talking about the very house that looked straight out of a horror film. You know, where the zombies/vampires/murderers live while they plot their next kill. A house with paint peeling like your skin after the first sunburn of the season. A house where the shutters (what’s left of them) are hanging by a single nail, giving it a sad face like Munch’s “The Scream”. She was talking about the very house in front of us.

I would smirk and say with the confidence of youth “that is the ugliest house I have ever seen”!

“Why would you say that?”

She had the same answer every time. “It has character”. We passed so many old homes on trips to my grandmothers, to the beach trailer, to our local general store and the answer was always the same. It has character. I never fully understood what she saw in these rotten, porch hanging off the front, houses.

That is, until I got older and wiser.

After I started design school I quickly learned about houses and their structures. We learned about what influenced certain styles throughout history. We learned about the important events during that time that created a necessity for mud rooms or even fall out shelters for example. My education started to create an interest in “old” homes but it wasn’t until it started to happen in front of my own eyes did I see the beauty and what gives a home character. It is the people and stories that happened in these homes. Right before my eyes I started to look at my grandmothers house in a new way. The mint green tile and knotty pine walls that I always overlooked were so beautiful to me. They reflected a piece of history that can never be brought back. If only the walls could tell stories.

When walking around my grandfathers property you can see the Byland homestead of my grandma Grace in the distance. An old, two story, white house on the hill probably built in the 1800’s. At some point in the late 80’s, cows got into the house and destroyed it which is a shame. I need to make a point to go up to the house and take photos. My sister and I would sneak up there when we were younger and walk room to room, dodging cow patties on the floor. The walls were thin and the glass windows (when not broken) seemed to have morphed with time. It sits in the middle of the field, surrounded by grazing cows and yellow daffodils. This is beauty. My grandmother grew up in this home with several brothers and sisters. Waking up early to help with the farm and walking to school. Stories like these give a home character and you can tell when a home has a story to tell.

I brake for old houses now and I have turned into my mother. Don’t we all eventually turn into our mothers?

John and I knew we wanted an older house when beginning the home buying process 5 years ago. The very instant we walked into our current home, built in 1976, we knew it was the one. It wasn’t just the Ranch home qualities that we loved, it was the glow and warmth we felt when we walked in. The previous owners put love and time into fixing up and maintaining the home. It had stories to tell. For example, the skinny pantry door has children’s height marks penciled in all along the edge. I can’t wait to add our future children to it!

We need to appreciate and love the older homes in our communities. We need to band together and do everything we can to preserve them and the memories they hold. Check out the great Preservation NC website to learn more about historic preservation in our area.

One Love Travels: Weekend in DC

The hubby and I try to get to our nation’s capitol about once a year to visit our wonderful friends. It was a weekend full of laughs, 90’s music, yoga, short bike rides, good food and gorgeous sights. I kept my eyes out for Scandal characters because I cannot accept the fact that Olivia Pope is not a real person..if you have not watched that show, you need to start, like now.

Anyways, DC has become such a fun place for me to become inspired. My favorite part is the history. How can you not be inspired on the daily with towering monuments, museums and art. Not to mention the variety of beautiful people from all over the world. Our friends live a hop, skip and jump from the Capitol Building and have the most spectacular view from their roof top. After doing some research on the planning of DC, I came across this fantastic notion from Smithsonian.com in regards to Pierre L’Enfant and his vision for Washington, DC design and city planning:

“His design was based on European models translated to American ideals. “The entire city was built around the idea that every citizen was equally important,” Berg says. “The Mall was designed as open to all comers, which would have been unheard of in France. It’s a very sort of egalitarian idea.”

How fantastic is that. And George Washington was all for it. BTW, egalitarian is the belief that all people are equal and deserve the same rights. I had to Google that one because my 6th grade US History is not so fresh, sorry Mr. Jackson.

Our first stop was Luke’s Lobster which I have been dreaming about ever since I tried it the last time we visited. Just thinking of it now makes my mouth water. Literally. There was no time to take a photo of this magnificent creation but trust me, it is worth every penny. They pile huge chunks of (what seems pretty fresh) lobster onto a buttery roll. The lobster only has butter and some celery seed on top. It is simple and life changing.

My lady friend and I hit up Capitol Hill Yoga for some warm, Hatha Yoga action. It was packed (after photo) and sweaty! A great start to the weekend.

DC has a BikeShare program that has over 300 bike stations for people to utilize. My friend convinced me to ride to the Smithsonian and though I was a little nervous at first, quickly realized how much fun it is. And I did not get hit by a car. Score.

I am truly grateful that we were able to see the Art of Transformation Exhibit at the Smithsonian. I read about it last year and really hoped we could make something happen. What a wonderful collection of art and artifacts from the 3rd century to the early 20th century. They even had black and white footage of a film from 1938 of Krishnamacharya and Iyengar doing postures in Mysore. It was enchanting.

We had some pre-dinner drinks at a new restaurant called Right Proper Brewing Company. Great atmosphere and tasty brews. I had one called “The Bee’s Made Honey in the Lion’s Skull”. Cool name right?

Tyra says to “find your light”.

Erase Marker on Subway tile backsplash.

Nice, round logo. Just how I like them.

This trip was exactly what we needed. We are so grateful to our friends for having us. It was also great for me to get out of town. I passed my real estate exam the previous Monday and had just gotten over the H1N1 flu (not a pretty site). Side note: please get your flu shot because you definitely do not want what I had. It is wreaking havoc.

Thanks for your business. Come again.