I get the most wonderful emails from people all over the world about Willow Decor. One of the most recent was from Isabell in Norway, (but moving to Sweden). Please read her wonderful note and photograph, which she has allowed me to share with all you.


Hello ”Willlow Decor” !

My name is Isabell, a frequent reader of your lovely blog and I wanted to thank you, because by you I came in contact with lovely Kymberley Fraser. A while ago you made a post about her, and you showed pictures of some of 3 Fine Grains sacks. I have this great passion about sacks, so seeing them made my heart jump….. I contacted her and bought the one you see, which now is on my Gustavian chair…..the furniture upholsterer in Stockholm thought the old chair and the sack made a good marriage. So do we……………..

Your last post was wonderful, the furniture you have is really pieces to love. So beautifully done, and so nice they look in your home. Of course the cushions from Kym , just love the as well………….

Isn`t it fantastic how mutual interest have no boundaries, no borders, by your post I read, I came in contact with Kymberley, she sent me the sack to Scandinavia, (Norway), I sent the sack to Sweden, and now I am about to move back to Sweden living and loving among many other things our chair………the world seem smaller in a way……………………

Once again thank you !

Kind regards

Isabell

The reach and power of the Internet continues to amaze me. I am so grateful to be able to find so many other lovers of fine antiques and home decor world wide. I know you will agree that Isabell's Gustavian Chair is exquisite! Fabulous job, Isabell and thank you so much for sharing!


Oh - get your mind out of the gutter!

This isn't that kind of blog, people!

...............................................


We have suddenly acquired a new piece of furniture and it has spurred on a new layout for the bedroom...

an extra 30 inches of usable space, to be exact!


Not one's for taking the easy route, we've been slaving away trying to fit together all of the pieces. One thing has led to another (as is the case with most of our makeover's) and the chain reaction is leading us, not only to a better functioning room, but a look that we like even better than the last...



The Before:

(notice how the bed is very close to the left wall)




And...

The During:

I'm not about to call it "the after" because we still have a ways to go...


Once we're finished, I'll show you how it all turned out and the reason that this change is taking place. I'll show you the layout of the room and how what were once obstacles within the room have now become opportunities for thinking outside of the box. Most importantly, you'll see how 30 inches made such a tremendous difference in the bedroom!




P.S. I finally have pictures from the wedding! I'll be posting about the half-time show complete with lederhosen soon! You won't want to miss it!

Our sweet Owen is 6 years old today!

I know that it's totally cliche to say, but...

the past 6 years have gone by so fast!



Since today is all about Owen, we started off with the breakfast of his choice...


Crepes made by Daddy, filled with Nutella and topped with whipped cream, chocolate chips and a cherry!

Then...

it was time for his present!

I LOVE this picture of his face when he saw his Dad walking out with the big box...


Nothing but sheer excitement!



He's a marble track boy - has been all his life!

This is marble track number....oh, I don't even know...I've lost count! But this is the first one that has been motorized and he cannot wait to see how it all works!

He and the Will's (big and little) are in their room getting it all set up. I'm fairly certain they'll be in there for the day!

And as far as Owen is concerned, it's the perfect way to spend the day!


.............................................................


To my kind, caring, sweet, outgoing, friendly, loving Owen...


HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

I love you more than words can express

XO















Suzanne Kasler
I am really enamored with white/cream cow hide rugs. They seem to add another layer of richness and beauty to so many different style interiors. Here is a lovely room designed by the wonderful Suzanne Kasler. Southern Accents
I especially love cow hide rugs over sisal or seagrass. In this room the rug seems to compliment all furnishings; notice the side table and Ghost chair. Jan Showers
The combination of the natural floor covering and the sumptuousness of the cow hide really speaks to me.
Cote de Texas
I think they add a luxurious layer of texture and interest to room. Here is the wonderful bedroom of Sally Wheat, brought to us by Joni of Cote de Texas. You can read all about the rest of Sally's house here. Cote de Texas
Sally renovated the many rooms including the living room. Here is the photo from the cover of Houston House and Home. You can read all about her more recent renovation here.
Material Girls
Here the fabulous Jan Showers layers the cow hide over white rug. It adds a layer of richness to this room. Veranda
Though not quite cream, I wanted to include Vincent Wolfe's gorgeous room. Here the cow hide is layered over a lighter rug and creates a luxurious effect.
uktv
=The cow hides seem to work in many different decors. Here it looks fabulous in this more masculine and modern room.
tbird
Of course in more modern interiors, like this bedroom the cow hide softens the hard edges of the furniture and the space.
Kim Christie
They also look beautiful laying on a hardwood floor - In this room I love the mix of the hard lines of the mirrors and coffee tables with the softness of linen sofa, throw and cow hide rug.
unknown
I find the cowhide rug a more interesting choice than the traditional needlepoint or aubusson rug. With the yellow chairs, it adds a layer of unexpected edginess to this room.
The darker floors also really make the rug stand out.

decorpad
Finally here is one my favorite rooms. I think the the cow hide rug looks so lovely in this very neutral interior. What do think?
Click on Hooked on Houses to see what everyone else is hooked on!


Many of you have emailed me asking how I came to love Swedish antiques. Growing up we had very little money and my exposure to antiques came from my parents flea market finds. Even then I loved the history of the old pieces, but the furniture was walnut or cherry and very dark and heavy. In 1992, I was newly engaged. I bought a stack of house magazines, excited about someday owning my own home. I was flipping through a magazine and was struck by a advertisement by Anderson Windows. What was this gorgeous clock with such shapely and graceful lines and light, beautiful wood? I was was awestruck. Here is the ad above. (the middle one - yes, I still have the ad!)
I carried the ad everywhere. I went to flea markets and antique shows and asked every dealer if they had a clock like this or knew where I could find one. I did find out it was a Swedish Mora clock, but no one in New England knew where I could find one. One day my husband laughed that I was on my own personal quest for the Holy Grail - the elusive Mora Clock!

In 1993 my husband and I moved to Munich, Germany. In Bavaria, I was exposed to beautiful painted pieces and lovely stripped and waxed country style antiques. Meanwhile my sister was living in Copenhagen, Denmark and we spent many weekends exploring old barns and antique shops, searching for the "Holy Grail", but also finding other wonderful treasures.
One day while jogging around Munich my husband saw a Mora clock in a window of a store. He spoke to the owner in his very limited German and was told that the clock was sold. For months he refused to let me know where the shop was because he thought I would feel worse if I saw the clock in person. Finally, we were walking nearby the shop one evening and I saw the clock. I went in and spoke to the owner, also in very limited German, but found that in fact the clock was For Sale, not Sold. (He had mixed up his verb tenses!)


I bought the clock on the spot although needed several more weeks of restoration to the clock works. It has beautiful carvings, swag details and an oak leaf crown. I have never seen a clock I love more than this one.
We have had it over fifteen years and have spent those years finding other beautiful European antiques to compliment it, but it remains my most favorite.

I hope you love it as much as I do!


Two coats of porch and floor paint - check

painted rails and banister - check

strung lights - check



We don't even have anything back up on the deck yet, but it looks party ready to me!

Doesn't it look like it's just begging to be danced on?

Seriously.

There's just something about those little lights...


Love 'em!

The entire "inside" of the deck is finished being painted...

meaning that the entire outside has not.

I still need to paint all of the balusters and posts around the outside.

Let me tell you how excited I am about that.

(That last sentence was thick with sarcasm, just in case you couldn't tell.)

It's shaping up to be great additional space for our

Annual Chowder Cook-Off!



But, there won't be any painting happening today...

Today my best friend, Kelly, and I are heading out to


Do The Puyallup




and ending the night listening to her


We're meeting some friends there for a Girl's Night Out.

Should be fun!

And the concert is bound to be good!



Happy Friday, everyone!





When I woke up yesterday morning, I had already psyched myself up for a day of laundry. Yes, it takes psyching up for me. Laundry is easily my most despised chore. We were so wrapped up in preparations for the wedding, and then spending the weekend in Woodinville, that the amount of laundry I have as a result is...let's just say, I'll be lucky if it only takes me one day to do it all!

Anyway, I was ready for it.

Until my husband woke up.

We went out on the deck to look at the beautiful sunrise...


No harm in that, right?

The next thing I knew, he was saying "let's paint the deck today" and we were suddenly clearing everything off of it!

I'm sure by now that if you've been following our blog for any length of time, you know that we're a bit impulsive when it comes to projects for our home.

This project being no exception!

But we have good reason for doing this project without notice...

the weather has been perfect!

Slip-N-Slide kind of perfect...


So we had to take advantage of it!

So are you wondering "why bother? Fall is here. The rain is coming. No need for your deck"

I know. It doesn't make much sense does it? The nights are already really cold up here in the Pacific Northwest, the days are getting shorter and shorter, and the rain is sure to set in soon...

But around our house, when Fall arrives, it signals a party.

October is when we host our annual

Chowder Cook-Off!

This will be our third year in a row and we invite a whole lot of people: family, friends, co-workers, neighbors...

It's a fun competition and always super yummy!

With all those people here and tons of hot chowders filling the kitchen, it gets pretty hot in the house, so we want to open up the French Doors from the family room onto the deck and use it as overflow and a place to get some fresh air.

So, it's the perfect time for the deck to get a makeover!

As you can see, it was in pretty bad shape...

The floor boards are so worn that the stain has been almost completely worn off.

And if you look closely at this next picture you can see drips running down the side...

Nice, right?

*sheesh*

The previous owners just slapped on the stain and called it good because the sides of the deck were hidden by huge rhododendrons.

I used Kilz a while back to go over the brown stain drips and it worked for a while, but we just removed a weeping tree that had sat right there in front of the deck and now you can clearly see how bad the original paint and stain job were.

(Don't worry...we follow the "remove a tree, plant a tree" rule, so we're planting the new apple tree you see up there in the photo. It will be much better for the space and provide much needed shade, which this yard is sorely lacking.)


Will was able to patch some boards that were rotting away by using deck boards from a neighbor down the street who is rebuilding their deck. They had a huge pile sitting in their driveway and they were cool with Will taking some, since the boards were of no use to them anymore.

Score!



And then we began painting...


and painting...


and painting...


and painting...


and painting...


All. Day. Long.



And then...


we did something that I've been wanting to do for a long time now and that will be the perfect addition for the Cook-Off.

here is a little peek, since it's not quite completed yet...


It's so pretty!


We have more painting to do today - a good second coat on the floor boards and finish work on the rails and stairs.


Which means, laundry is getting put off once again.


Oh well, I'd rather paint anyway!


I'll be sure to show you how it all turns out!






P.S. Don't forget! It's DIY Day over at A Soft Place To Land! Be sure to link up if you've got a DIY project to share!

 

blogger templates | Make Money Online