jane's apron

and so it begins

I finished a house project last week...finally getting my former "studio" converted to my son's study room.  A fresh coat of paint and a new desk (which he assembled!) and it's a whole new room.  I was feeling the power of a completed project...and then used that new-found power to get my husband to start on our living room.   A heated "discussion" on Saturday morning led to the living room looking like this by Sunday morning...

See the wall to the right?  In an old house with plaster walls, a little bit of imperfection is expected but this wall was in need of a more extensive repair (it used to be covered by a big armoire which made its way to my son's room as a wardrobe....see how projects just lead to more projects?).  Anyway, my husband began by stripping the canvas from the walls and digging out the loose plaster.  It's all his idea to take it this far.  He's more of a perfectionist and I tend to be a little more artistic (practical?) when it comes to wall surfaces.  Whatever dude...just get it done.

I tried to tell him that people in new houses sometimes pay to have their walls distressed like this but he's not buying it.  While he worked, I opened my big drawer of paint chips (pictured above) and started making plans...

While quickly looking through issues of Home Companion for a particular room I remembered, I also ran across some old favorites and thought it might be a good blog feature to list them (and a good reference for me when I need a dose of inspriation).  Treat yourself to one of my favorites "Eat at Zoe's" starting on page 78 of the June/July 2003 issue...

mudroom

I love the idea of a mudroom...you see them everywhere now...even in new houses.  We have what I call a mud porch (not quite a "room") just off our kitchen.   The cute cabinet is built in.  I think it may have been used for storing vegetables and stuff because the one side has drilled holes...but that's just a guess.   I love to use this porch for an extra refrigerator space in cold weather.  And...you can't see it, but there's an old bottle opener mounted next to the door.

When I painted the cabinet a few years ago, I found inspiration in Mary Engelbreit's Home Companion (no surprise!).   The photos are from a garden shed...look really close for the "distressed" cherries. 

The sad little gray chair has been in that spot since we moved in...just waiting for its turn to be painted...someday. 

before & after

Don't you just love "before & after" pictures?  I do...doesn't matter what the subject is...kitchens, fashion, gardens.  I found some "before" pictures of our kitchen when I was organizing all of my digital camera photos recently.    Now, I'm not saying that my "before" picture is that bad...I still love the little decals that were on the cabinet and was so happy when I found a vintage tin with similar decals...the green tin sits with the vintage cookbooks now.    The "after" picture is a little staged (is that wrong?)...the shelves are just as they are everyday but I set the counter space for coffee/tea.  I did use stuff that was already in my kitchen somewhere else so it isn't a total fake...just a little prettier than the piles of school papers and such that are usually there.

Right when we bought our house, I remember Mary Engelbreit's new home was featured in Home Companion (feb - march 1999).   In the few months leading up to us actually moving in, I spent a lot of time staring at the pages of the magazine...and fixed this picture from Mary's kitchen into my brain.  When we finally got around to redoing our kitchen, I knew exactly how I wanted the little cabinet nook to look.

mary engelbreit's home companion's biggest fan

If there was a contest to find Mary Engelbreit's Home Companion's biggest fan, I might be declared the winner.   My Mom has given me a subscription to the magazine since the first issue....and I still have them all.  I have a freakishly good photographic memory of my favorite pages.  When Mary's current home was featured a few years ago, I recalled instantly that the house and previous owners were in a holiday issue (December-January 98-99 if you want to check!)...scary.

I dug out my premier issue the other day because I knew it was where the idea for this chair came from.   I can't take credit for the painting...my Mom painted it and gave it to me as a gift.  If  Home Companion is celebrating its 10th anniversary, then this chair is about 10 years old.  It has been pulled around and used as a stool by three kids and is showing a little wear and tear...but I still love it and it has found a permanent home in our yellow-n-black bathroom.

While visiting the magazine again, I was treated to a big helping of creativity and styling from charlotte...beautiful.

I know there are lots of Home Companion fans out there...was there a home, project, or artist in particular that inspired you to try something new?

i love red

I give full credit to Mary Engelbreit's Home Companion for introducing me to artists and designers long before I hear of them anywhere else.   Cath Kidston is one of  those designers (feb/mar 2003 issue if you are looking for it).  Imagine me paging through the magazine and stopping cold...mouth open...eyes wide.  I love red and her use of red (right down to her cool label) is perfect. 

I just got this cute paper from basic grey and the red/turquoise combo reminded me of Cath Kidston...so, I went through my vintage sewing patterns to find a girl that matched...and I found this one...she was made for this paper!

On the subject of red, I have to introduce a new shop I found (thru flickr?) this week.  It's called Red Shoes...very cute shop...very cute pictures.

inspiration

My two favorite magazines are a constant source of inspiration for new ideas.  Martha Stewart Kids was one of my favorites and the new Holiday Handmade Gifts special issue has lots of goodies from that.  I am always a room mother for one of my kid's classes and have made the globe ornaments (pg. 96) for both of my boys classes when they were in 3rd grade...when I pull theirs out of our ornament boxes, I'll post a pic.  The other magazine is Mary Engelbreit's Home Companion...if you are in any way crafty or artistic and would like your home to reflect that, this magazine is a must have...I could have a whole weblog category dedicated to ideas from Home Companion...hmmm...maybe I will!