One of my dearest friends, Ms. Anna Cole and her friend Sarah (also the owner and designer), found and fixed up this desperately seeking love little cottage on Ogden Street in Bend, OR, which they appropriately nicknamed "Ogden". Anna is one of those friends who you get e mails from with the subject line: In Cambodia, Cant Chat Now, or: OMG come to Mexico with me! (those are no joke!). Needless to say, not only am I envious of her traveling ways, but now I am envious of her adorable abode. She was kind enough to share with me their experience in fixing it up. Anna now lives in the cutest little place, in one of the cutest little (well, pretty good sized) towns (yes, it rivals my beloved Kennebunkport!) The Shower
Before: Not much to say here other than it needs help!
After: How amazing is the steel shower lining (Sarah was inspired by this in a magazine) with elegant shower curtains from Anthropologie to give it a softer feel. It also created much more spacing by eliminating the glass walls (and is a lot more airy and clean). 
Second After: Bath
(You will notice how this wallpaper pattern in sprinkled throughout the house). This is just framed piece of left over wallpaper. The crystal chandelier adds that romantic, feminine look too!
The BedroomBefore: No one will complain about having nice open ceilings- but when it is red walls meeting pine colored panels...
After: I mean seriously. This looks like it is out of Country Living Magazine! I love the whitewashed look with baskets for storage. By adding in closets (this is the bedroom after all!) on each side helps ground the door, and offers much needed storage. 
Second After: Bedroom (amazing what some paint can do, isn't it)
The Side Door
Before: Just needing some TLC with paint and new hardware. They did remove shingles and went with classic white clapboard for the siding.
After: New clapboard all around! I love the cool white with the grassy green door. 
The Living Room
Before: One thing I love is that a lot of the new updates were recycled from other places, or just found behind them! The wood floors were already there (under piles of carpet and vinyl). They removed the stone covering as well (and found amazing brick behind it). Many of the updated appliances were from Habitat for Humanity.
After: What a cute, cozy place. You can see the great brick, beautiful floors, adorable wall paper and some nice white paint. The pink couch is priceless (and very doll house) which they found at a yard sale and had re-upholstered. I love how it is open, but still functional with dining, lounging and kitchen spaces (behind the wood stove is a bar looking into the kitchen). They also added one of my new favorite things, chalkboard paint. Look closely and you will see it on the right side wall.
Second After: Kitchen Nook. Love the wallpaper pattern, and love how they re-used it throughout the house. They added the wrap around bench with built-in storage and found this cute 50's style table to tie the look together. 
The FrontBefore: The front of the place needed a lot of TLC. Sarah decided to add on to the front, and include a porch. By doing so, this added much needed outdoor space. Their contractors Greg and Brad framed in an expanded room, and added the porch. 
After: The look that Sarah and Anna wanted (and even wrote on the contractors papers) was Beach Cottage meets Doll House! I think this hits the nail on the head. Not only does it have my favorite kind of lighting (industrial meets cottage), the colors are amazing. Now if only I could be having a cup of coffee (or glass of wine) on this porch...
Thank you Anna and Sarah for sharing this very well done restoration of a cute little cottage. I love the use of recycled items and not changing the character. It is a wonderful home, and I cannot wait to be there soon (hint, hint).
1. J Crew Cashmere Wash by The Laundress New York®
2. Coasters by Sea bags- made from recycled sails, made in Maine
3. Bracelet made from marine ropes by The Ropes (I wear mine all the time)
4. The Lipper hand-made natural chapstick
5. Tocca Candle- Cleopatra Candelina is one of my favorites
6. If you know me, you know I am a sucker for Lilly Pulitzer- especially this Murfee Scarf
7. WEWOOD Watch (how cool is that watch!) from a great shop, Minka Home
8. A favorite, Spaces Kennebunkport and the John Robshaw Dob Kit (I think it is fine for girls too, just sayin')
9. And for the acquired taste buds, Maine Mead Works- Honeymaker Lavender Mead. It is very sweet, but good for an after dinner wine
*Note, there are hyperlinks above (just hover over), I am working on how to make them a different color once published.
Gift giving is one of my favorite times of year. There is something about finding that perfect gift- no matter how big or small...
On another note, I have tried this new tactic of pasting several photos on one page, and uploading one (see above), not sure how it is going to look. I got the idea from Pinterest (obviously!). It is kind of the DIY way to throw some pics into one. I found a good tutorial here from a great blog in Switzerland.
Happy gift giving...
Welcome to Volume 2 (better late than never) of Why Didn't I Think of That! There are sooo many good ideas all over the place, especially now with Pinterest, so it is hard to find a few favorites. Needless to say...here are a few goodies I have been saving.
1. Feeling cold outside? Well start planning your summer soirees. How awesome is this picnic table idea. Such a great way to keep wines cool in the hot summer sun. We have not tried this yet, but my husband said it looks 'easy', which is good news for me!
style-files.com2. OK, this seems extremely easy. Just bake cookie dough over the back side of a detailed cupcake tin/ mini bunt pan. Pop them off when done, add ice cream or another fun treat, and you have an instant edible bowl. 
thedailybuzz.com.au3. I dont know about you, but I really dove right into the Mason Jar craze. I now have about a million of them around my house. While the craze might be dying down, I think this is a great way to still use them without over-doing it. 
theblissfullycontentlife.blogspot.com4. Happy Holidays! I love getting Holiday cards in the mail, LOVE IT. This is a great way to show them without the trusty old refrigerator display (although that works too!)
marthastewart.com Well, I hope you liked some of these Why Didn't I Think of That ideas and inspiration. Thank you to all of the blogs and influences above. Enjoy!
Just a quick post about how excited I am for Prelude in Kennebunkport, Maine (my hometown) this weekend. Kennebunkport was rated the second best holiday town in the United States by HGTV (see here).So, I am about to go into the Port and see old friends I have not seen in a while and celebrate. The town goes all out decorating, shops are open, restaurants glowing, hot chocoloate flowing (I just rhymed there didn't I?) Anyways- as my sister said last night, "The port looks like Whoville from The Grinch". Hopefully I will get a picture or two to show you just how beautiful it is.Oh- and it is my birthday tomorrow, which makes it extra special. Yes, I am a Prelude Baby!No matter what you are celebrating, enjoy this festive time of year.
Image Credits
