Seattle Snowmaggedon

Snowmaggedon Shopping

Something to chase away the snow storm blues

A foot of snow dumped at our house within 18 hours yesterday. My day includes laundry, catching up on new movies On Demand and keeping the snow off our dog Homer’s hair (I’m not sure why our Shiz Tzu’s hair doesn’t collect snowballs like our Maltipoo.)

Are you looking for something amazing to do while you’re sitting around catching up on your Netflix series? How about a little online shopping?

Both of my beautiful businesses just launched their Spring collections! I received my Sseko Designs spring collection and everything I received is so gorgeous. The Sseko story is completely inspirational and making a purchase benefits women in Uganda, Ethiopia and India. Chloe + Isabel’s spring collection was inspired by Lisbon and although small, has tropical hints that make me think of summer even when stuck in a foot of snow.

Home Body by Joanna Gaines

A wonderful source of inspiration

I received this as a birthday gift from my brother (he knows me so well). Sometimes I wake up really early - so one morning I sat down with Joanna and a pack of sticky tabs. I spent some time looking around my house and trying to find those rooms that could use a little more thought.

I’m tackling our entry first. It’s painted the same pale grey as the rest of the house, with a semi circle black table, some greenery, a nondescript flat ceiling light and dark stone floors. We also have to consider our home needs to be handicap friendly. The best characteristic of our entry is the set of beautiful double doors! Lots of gorgeous light comes in during the day - but gets sucked into all the darkness.

So I asked, “What would Joanna do?”

Lighten it up! A large new area rug to go over the dark tile will be a pretty greeting for family and friends. A bonus will be that it may stop some of the gravel that makes it’s way into our home on the wheels of our daughter’s equipment. We’ll use carpet tape to hold it’s edges to the stone so it won’t come up when our daughter drags her toes along the floor.

I’ll be on the lookout for an antique bench. Something that can be used more for decoration than anything else. But lighter with a bit of texture would be lovely.

The Jacobsen men are a tall lot … and unfortunately we purchased our home for it’s layout and lack of stairs, not for its ceiling heights. So I can’t do much in the way of a hanging chandelier. There’s a chance I can find something that will put off a bit more light and make it pretty (without someone bumping their head on it).

My search begins! Carpets can be awfully expensive, so while I save up money for that, I’ll run over to Wenatchee next weekend and see if I can find a table or bench in one of the antique shops that will serve the purpose. I think it’s likely that we could find a different lamp at Target or Home Depot, it’ll just take a little creativity.

One room at a time! Next up - the spare bedroom. (We’ll need a little warmer weather to repaint.)

Would I recommend this book? Absolutely!! It begins with a healthy chapter of ways to identify your design style. I am a mix of Farmhouse-Modern.

Farmhouse

Casual - Organic - Inviting - Simple lines - Distressed - Shiplap - Wide planks - Porches

Casual

Midcentury - Retro - Contemporary - Monochromatic - Minimal - Textured

You’re going to have to take a peek in the book to uncover all the variety of home styles, but my current home is The Humble Abode. The soft grey color palette, decorated trim work, and classic light fixtures throughout this house establish it to a traditional style. Accents, such as distressed wall decora nd ticking-stripe upholstery, also give it a nod to a classic farmhouse style.

My dream house? The Eclectic Farmhouse! The farmhouse is rich with original detail. A modern, Moroccan style is incorporated in the form of jewel-toned textiles and distinct patterns for antique combination of charm and authenticity. And a porch … with a swing … my ultimate dream.

Our lives have always centered around comfort and calm. We want people to be welcome in our home. As of late, you all have followed my transition from a more family-centered color scheme to one of soft greys, clean whites and simplicity. So it only seems natural that I’m enlisting the help of Joanna Gaines!

Get Joanna’s book - You’ll love it!

Bunkhouse neeeearly done!

Our little group completed 97% of the bunkhouse this past weekend and I'm super excited to see that 8-month project completed. We laughed and laughed and laughed because that's what we do when we work together.

The total cost of renovating the bunk house from a storage shed to a functional room that sleeps 4-5 people/kids was $60. We used recycled wood, wood from under the deck at our Kent home, decking from Papa's neighbor and the useless decorative bridge on our CB property, wood my old employer recycled from his family's Cashmere farm ... you name it. It went to make the bunks a line the walls. It's all been whitewashed and cleaned up for company!

The steps still need a bit of work, but it was a great recycled find by Dave from Second Used in Seattle. He paid $25 for this great chunk of wood! All we need to do is cut some 2X6, stain them dark and screw them to each step. A curtain for the window and some cord maintenance.

I'm so happy it's done.

We only have a door to install, padlock for another door, a little spot painting in the house and we're ready to rock and roll.