Friday Finds

So, this Friday finds me just back from Orange, VA where I watched my husband experience his first tandem skydive with a couple of his good buddies.  Thrilling and awesome were the adjectives on hand for today.  I think the adrenaline rush has finally worn off and there are bound to be some pretty sweet dreams ahead.

Where did Friday find you?

~ Enjoy your weekend.

Be sure to check out Skydive Orange for further information

Alexandria ASID Peer Group Helps Habitat For Humanity Score BIG!

Saturday October 8th marked the 4th annual BIG SALE, a community outreach project spearheaded and supported by my ASID peer group pairing with Alexandria, VA's ReStore.

Designers volunteered their time, over several weeks, requesting and collecting donations.  Then they got busy pricing and organizing in time to open to the public the morning of the BIG SALE. 

The crisp autumn day certainly brought out the shoppers - when the doors opened, the patrons made a bee line direct to the designer sales area.
 
ReStore is Habitat for Humanity's resale outlet, selling reusable and surplus building materials to the public in addition to furniture, accessories and appliances.  ReStore accepts donated goods which are then sold at a fraction of the retail price. All proceeds help local Habitat affiliates fund the construction of Habitat homes within their communities.  This year our designer and industry partner donations brought in over $7400. 00 for ReStore and combined with general sales for the day, ReStore had an overall total in excess of $10,000.00!  Any ASID marked items that did not sell during the special sale hours were then blended with ReStore's merchandise.  The remaining items have been selling throughout the past weeks and have added nearly $2,000.00 more to the BIG SALE tally.

Next time you are thinking about renovating, think about the ReStore - you will not only be reducing what goes into our landfills, but supporting a great cause - with a tax donation benefit as well!  And even if you aren't renovating, be sure to check out ReStore for some wonderful finds - recently I found a farm table - only $35 because it had a missing center drawer.  I researched the maker, in Sperryville VA, and contacted them about making a replacement drawer - $95 later, I have a complete custom table with a value of $950 and I only spent $130 - what a steal!

Friday Finds

Okay, call me crazy - but I have had my eye on this for two years and I finally snatched it up - and it was on sale! 

Given that I have 3 black and white cats and given that I love Halloween and throw an awesome party each year (this year it's the 13th annual) I just had to give into temptation and snatch up this kitschy little kitty.

I think it's going to look pretty cool sitting out front perched in my ivy bed with it's eyes glowing.  All I need to do is pull out my fog machine and I'll be set.  (I don't really have one...yet)

This was my Friday Find.  Have a great weekend.

Grandin Road's Inflatable Black Halloween Cat

Friday Finds

Friday started out with gray clouds, wind and rain but later gave way to a lovely sunny day and look what I found glistening in my front yard -

I don't think I have ever noticed a spider's web so tightly woven - I know the poor spider must have been exhausted after running around and around and around in circles.

But, the design - genius.

How will nature inspire you?

A Day at the Fair, Waterford, VA

Today was a lovely day for a drive to the historic town of Waterford, VA - especially since this was the weekend for the Waterford Fair which includes a tour of homes and a juried crafts exhibit.  The town is closed off to traffic of the wheeled variety and the homes and streets are opened up to traffic of the two legged variety (and a few four legged friends as well).  Waterford comes alive with art and entertainment and funnel cakes!

"The Waterford Fair is the oldest juried crafts fair in Virginia.  In addition to historic homes open for tour, 155 juried heritage craftspeople (many nationally known) provide hands-on demonstrations, entertainers provide continuous traditional music and dance, Colonial and Civil War-era militia encamp and demonstrate, and there are children's activities throughout the weekend.  The proceeds from the Fair are used to carry out the Waterford Foundation's mission of education and preservation."  The Waterford Fair

"In 1970, the Secretary of the Interior determined that the Waterford Historic District possessed national significance and designated it a National Historic Landmark. It is the highest designation of historic significance possible in the U.S., and places it on par with Mt. Vernon and Monticello—a rare honor.
The determination was based on what the Secretary perceived as an extraordinary balance between the buildings of an intact historic agrarian village and the unspoiled agricultural setting that surrounds it. Waterford is also rare in that it is still a living community."  The Waterford Foundation

Enjoy the pics from my day at the Fair.



Here's a home that I spent time in when I was younger, it hasn't changed a bit. 
Close friends used to live here and I spent my fair share of time hanging out in Waterford.




The Old School staircase.  I was enchanted by the worn stair treads carved out by years of footsteps.



A sunny yellow door says come on in, what a cheerful welcome.

An unexpected spot for a miniature pumpkin, but I love the contrast of texture and color 

Looks like snow birds sunning on a hot tin roof

A quaint front porch, complete with the light blue ceiling

Autumn colors abound!

I just love this historic home and it's rustic grace



I took home a running rabbit cookie cutter



Quest for Light

I thought I had my selection made for a client project - until I found out that my backorder turned into  discontinued. 

So, my quest began - again. 

After exhausting my collection of lighting catalogs I set about typing the words "shade chandelier" into google images and it brought up all sorts of options, some good and some not so good. 

Then, Eureka!  I came across just what I was looking for - and more.

The following selections I found through Shades of Light - I just ordered number 3. 

Friday Finds

The new West Elm catalog showed up in the mailbox today and I had to take a look - check out some of my new favorite Friday Finds.




Wood Tile Three Drawer Dresser 



Turned Pedestal Side Table



Bliss Ottoman

Some Like It Hot...

I know no one ever believes me when I say my kittens are unlike any kittens I have ever known.  They are bad.  There is just no other word for it - just bad.  They are into absolutely everything.  Open a box - a kitten jumps in.  Open a dresser drawer - a kitten pops out.  And don't even get me started on the refrigerator.  My husband and I actually have to sign language one another when heading into the kitchen but somehow they know.  What gets me is the fact that, on the rare occassion when you slip past a sleeping kitten, you'll only find him sitting in the refrigerator when you open the door. 

They run, they jump, they climb, they chomp, they shred and they terrorize. 

I pine every day for the time when will they simply settle down (and sleep the 23 hours that a cat should sleep) and every day they only seem to speed up. 

I have always wished for a perpetual kitten and now I have three.

Now, you are probably wondering why I titled this entry, "Some Like It Hot" - well, take a look at the photo below.

What's that you ask? 

It's a jalapeno. 

Why does it look so funny? 

Because it's skin is full of hundreds of tiny little teeth marks.

Whose tiny little teeth marks you ask.

Pick one, there's three to choose from.

And one likes it hot.

 

Deja Vu - Another Kitchen Makeover!

Many of you will remember the kitchen I blogged about, in January of this year, well - no sooner did we finish that lovely kitchen did my clients decide to sell - we moved in February, sniff sniff.  However, there is a silver lining - I just completed my second kitchen renovation for them and I wanted to share some of the pictures.
Take a look!

The "Before"
This is a very nice kitchen, but my clients, as you will recall, like light - lots of it - and this kitchen is lacking a window, so this time, even though the finishes will be very similar to those used for the kitchen renovation just 10 short months ago, we'll go just a little lighter and open it up.



and it's out of there...

Demo has begun!!

Already making progress, the new island is going in!
We decided to go with one large flat surface rather than tier it. 
- which offers much more work space and keeps kitchen feeling open.



Extra large drawers, left and right of the range, will provide lots of room for the homeowners array of pots and pans.
One of the beautiful features when doing custom - bigger drawers!!  These are 45" wide.





Viola - we're done - how's that for the magic of editting!
The new island, all on one level (no tiering) providing adequate prep space and opening up to the adjacent dining room.

I tweaked my color choices for the cabinetry as well.  This time I used "Aesthetic White", Sherwin Williams, for my perimeter cabinets and "Smokehouse", also from Sherwin Williams for the island. 



The granite choice this time was softer and didn't have the veining as in the White Fantasy used last time. 
This time I chose Ivory White, also known by Kashmir White.



And once again, we wanted a darker, richer floor - so we changed the floors.  Since this is a condo, we couldn't use a solid hardwood (which would need to be nailed down), but still wanted the look and feel of natural wood, making the choice of walnut engineered flooring (which could be glued) a perfect compromise.

No room this time for two SubZeros, so we decided to buy one and make a statement - this time a 48"! 



I was even able to locate the same pendant lights as last time. 
Down to the very last details, my clients feel right at home.

I did decide to mix things up a little and chose a different backsplash choice - this is a 6" x 12" glass tile with a stone herringbone inset.  It's a perfect compliment to the granite - simple and stunning.