Sixty-Fifth Avenue

Misted Fern

2012-01-20T20:35:00.001-06:00

Hello and happy 2012! We were just about to get back into the swing of things after enjoying a fun filled winter break when the sickness came, first the little one, then me. We are finally feeling better but this cough doesn't want to leave us alone.

I don't have anything new to share with you but I do have some pictures of a dresser I made over a while back. Do you remember the silhouette plate I made in the fall? Well here it is hanging in our little hallway with a few other plates I picked up here and there.

This dresser acts as our linen closet overflow, mostly holding sheets, pillow cases and table cloths. It made its way here when the guest room became the nursery. It's old and the drawers don't work all that great for a kid's room, it's one of those two handed opener and closers.

This is how she looked when I found her in a little shop years ago.

It definitely needed some color, something fun so it didn't blend in with the walls anymore. Misted fern by Benjamin Moore to the rescue.

Sample pots come in handy for all kinds of projects, especially since someone removed the feet from this dresser. Suggestions are welcome to get this girl back on her feet, I'm kind of stumped.

I thought I would end up buying new hardware or painting the existing ones but after trying a couple on I really liked it as is.

Dressers are wonderful for extra storage in any room of your house. In my dream home I would have one in the entry too. You could even use one as a buffet in the dining room, or use one in the kitchen or the living room...ok...I'm getting a little crazy here so I'm off to bed early again tonight, I'm still trying to get caught up on my sleep. Have a wonderful weekend!

I'm sharing with Miss Mustard Seed at her Furniture Feature Friday party.

A little tree and fresh greens

2011-12-23T20:35:00.001-06:00

I remember a time when you couldn't walk into your neighborhood Home Depot and pick up bunches of good looking evergreens and boxwood branches. I would have to hunt them down at a nursery or find them in the woods.

After popping into the Depot here and there for one more bunch of greens I would admire those cute live tabletop trees. Have you seen them? Well, the other day they were half off so for ten dollars I grabbed one up not knowing exactly where I would put it.

This is how he looked after spraying on some snow and giving him a good trim. Mr. 65th asked me why I bought such an ugly little tree.

When he saw it in the morning he had to admit that he was surprised it turned out so nice. I used garage sale ornaments that I have been holding on to and hot glued a pine cone for a tree topper.

The natural theme of the little tree fit nicely with the woodland mantel. If you have been reading along for a while you might remember our faux mantel looking just like this last year. I loved it too much to change it and will keep it through the winter....except for the Merry Christmas sign.

Pinecones are one of my favorite accessories, they go with everything don't they?

I finally found a spot for these faux birch branches...they have been moving all over the house until I tried them here in the living room. I always thought that corner needed a little something. I bought them last year at a nursery that was going out of business for cheap. They will stay out after Christmas too.

I am off to watch a Christmas movie and wrap the rest of the presents. Our traditional Christmas Eve lasagna is made and the house is clean. Let the countdown to Christmas morning begin!

Wishing you and your family a very Merry Christmas!

Christmas 2011

2011-12-16T23:35:00.014-06:00

The sun finally came out today so I was able to take a few hundred pictures, but don't worry, I won't show you all the bad ones. There are a few things I want to finish around the house before the big day gets here but for the most part we are ready.

I really wanted to find a wreath for the front door this year and when I couldn't find what I was looking for I decided to make my own.

Now a wreath hanging on a front door might not be a big deal to some people, but this is our first one so I am really excited! I never thought to hang one there before because of the storm door.

I used a boxwood wreath tutorial from Rene who blogs at Cottage and Vine but instead of using a wreath form I used a wooden picture frame. The letter got the same sparkle treatment as my pinecones did last year. To see how I sparkled click here.

So did a bunch of little snowflakes that I found at Michaels.

It was still warm out when I started thinking about hanging snowflakes and icicles from the trellis that wasn't even built yet. I had quite the display going on the day after Thanksgiving...snowflakes in various sizes were hung just right until the winds came.

(That fake garland doesn't cut it anymore since the remodel)

There were a few nights that I was woken up by them banging on the house and windows. Everything was a tangled mess and I felt a little silly, I think I forgot how bad the weather can be here.

So today I went out and took all the little flakes down and moved some of the bigger ones around so they won't hit the house. That is the plan anyway.

Let's head inside for a bit...

I don't change things around very much year to year. Like our ornaments for example, I have been collecting them for a long time so they always stay the same.

The tree on the other hand is always different since we search for the perfect one and cut it down. This year the tree is huge and is one of the meanest trees we have ever had! Every ornament was painful to put on, it wouldn't stay straight and it's dropping needles already. Oh, and I can't forget about the baby spiders that hatched thinking it was spring time.

I changed the top of the antique dresser from last year. I have to admit that I was putting the Santa and sleigh up there like I have in the past until I needed a spot for my mason jar snow globes. I fell in love with them just like so many did....they are so cute and fun to put together.

I was inspired by Michelle who blogs at Vintage Junky to put a little Christmas tree in the back of the little ones toy truck. This one comes from the Land of Nod but if you want the real deal Michelle sells them in her etsy shoppe.

Let's head into the kitchen to see what Mr. 65th drew up for us on the chalkboard.

I found this image while searching for inspiration. I knew I wanted something old fashioned and this Victorian Christmas tree fit the bill. (I never say "fit the bill" in real life but it just kind of came out....do you ever write something that you wouldn't normally say?)

Since we are off the subject for a minute...are some of these pictures too big? I don't resize them before I upload and I usually use the large size for most pictures.

Let's continue with the extra large pictures and carry on. Here is another view of the living room.

Dollar store trees and more toys borrowed from the little one are hanging out under the cloche. I scraped off a handfull of styrofoam to create staticy snow for under the glass to give it a "snow globe" effect. I found the styrofoam idea on pinterest here.

That concludes our tour for now, thanks so much for stopping by!

I am joining The Nester for her 2011 Christmas tour of homes and Rene @ Cottage and Vine.

a birch vase

2011-12-11T21:41:00.002-06:00

I dropped one of my favorite vases the other day and a piece broke right off the top. It's still usable but didn't look so great anymore so I thought I would give it a little makeover. We have a large River Birch tree with lots of peeling bark that I have been wanting to do something with.

After using some hot glue and adding fresh evergreens and boxwood I have a whole new look that took less than five minutes. I love a good quick project like this.

If you don't have a birch tree of your own you can find bark covered containers for a great price here and here. I'll be back in a few days to share some of our holiday decorating.

Craftsman style cottage

2011-11-15T19:19:00.003-06:00

Finally, I am here with before and after pictures of the house. There were so many times I wished you all were here standing in the front yard with me when I had to make quick decisions.

Like when the day came to build the portico over the door. How high should it be? How wide? I wasn't exactly sure.

The Moravian light hanging in the portico was my first choice but Mr. 65th wasn't so sure about it. We ended up ordering it when our flush mount light wasn't going to fit since the roof is curved. Funny that neither one of us thought about that. Mr. 65th likes the star pendant now that it's up.

The days leading up to building the trellis for the front of the house had me freaking out a bit. How big should it be? Will there be too many brackets on our little house? (There are seven) Will it all come together the way I envisioned it or will I hate it? So many questions and uncertainty even though there was a plan in place. I even chickened out for a day or two and told our contractor to just build the trellis over the garage door instead.

Our plan didn't include exact measurements of everything, we were just kind of winging it. Taking inspiration from a variety of different places and seeing how things would fit together as we went. You can see my inspiration here.

I'm glad I went for it. I think it adds the dimension the house so badly needed and helps to balance the uncovered porch.

Here is a picture of a picture right after we bought our house and took all the metal awnings down.

Remember the story about us almost driving away when we first saw our house? Now you know what I was talking about right? And why would someone put a section of vertical siding on the front of the house and make it a different color so it would stand out even more?

Here is a picture years later after adding some trim around the door and windows, building a new porch, changing the landscape and replacing the door and storm door. Oh, and I painted the vertical siding to match the rest of the house.

And here we are today. I'm calling it a craftsman style cottage. What do you think? Does it say that to you? The soffits were extended and two new windows are in place of the lonely one above. We still need to finish a few things like changing out a piece of lattice that doesn't match because it used to be covered by bushes. And the guys need to come back to fix a few pieces of siding by the portico brackets...but that's another story.

Another before....

You can see by the landscape that we have been planning this for a long time. Everything was just starting to grow in when I took these before pictures. Now everything is already on its way out for the season.

I'm thinking three black rocking chairs will be a nice addition to the porch next year.

Did you notice we are going storm door-less? I made our contractor promise he would come back in January to hang it if we are freezing our butts off. I hope we can make it without. Now I just need to figure out which mailbox to order and what to do about house numbers.

For anyone looking for paint colors, the exterior is Crownsville Gray HC-106 by Benjamin Moore and the siding is cement board by Nichiha. I remember how helpful it was to see different colors on actual houses when I was looking.

Halloween porch

2011-10-31T15:10:00.001-05:00

Hello dear readers. I wanted to pop in and share a few pictures I took this morning after sprucing up the porch.

It's quiet around here again and we have our driveway back since the house is officially done. Well, except for a few touch ups here and there but that shouldn't be a big deal. I planned on posting as the house renovations progressed but that just didn't happen.

So I'm giving you a little peek of the house today with more pictures on the way.

I found the mouse silhouettes at Michaels...gotta love that Martha Stewart.

I'm off to get our Monarch butterfly ready for some trick or treating. Happy Halloween!

Sharing with Nita at her Mod-Mix-Monday party

Two windows a portico and soffits

2011-10-18T21:56:00.005-05:00

So much has been going on with the exterior remodel, just not enough time to post. For starters, the non existent soffit on the front of the house has been extended. At first we talked about building them out to twenty four inches but I changed my mind and went with eighteen, the back of the house will be the same. The side soffits hung out at about five inches, now they are twelve.

The old shingles were removed after the roof extensions were framed...that way the shingles will all match. Our roof was almost twenty years old so we were going to need a new one soon anyway. And looky there...my little portico was starting to take shape.

A reminder of what the roofline looked like before. Also, take note of that single window sitting all by himself.

I have been talking about adding another window to the front of the house for so long. So when the day finally came we were ready. Our house was built in the forties so we made sure to take precautions for lead paint. If you have ever cut through plaster walls, you know what I'm talking about when I say it's going to be a huge dusty mess.

Now let me tell you about the mistake. See the new windows in the picture above? Well, right after it was installed something didn't feel quite right. I couldn't put my finger on it but I wasn't as thrilled as I thought I would be. When Mr. 65th got home he knew right away that we needed two separate windows instead of one unit.

Remember this horrible picture of the living room windows? Two separate windows.

Well now we have matching windows....two separate matching windows. Much better.

I have to say that being on the job and having to make quick decisions here and there without another opinion has been tough. Especially when I had to be a big girl and tell our guy that he had to rip out the window he just put in. Not fun.

I have a big crush on porticos and brackets, so you can only imagine how excited I am to share this picture. If I was on pinterest...which I really need to be...you would be able to see all the portico and bracket inspiration I dug up.

Oh, and here is a sneak peek of the siding color. Remember how crazy I was trying to pick a color? Well I am happy to say...I love it.

Until next time.

The Sixty-Fifth Avenue makeover

2011-10-12T11:47:00.007-05:00

Part one of ??? The exterior remodel has finally begun. I am so very excited but I have to admit, there are a few nervous butterflies in my belly too.

The plan for our little casa is to bring in some character and dimension to the flat facade. (You can see the plan here if you missed it.) Some old houses were built that way, but not ours.

I thought I would start off with some really ugly pictures. It can only get better from here right?

When taking the layers off an old house you can never be sure what lies beneath.

Turns out, when someone installed vinyl siding over the original wood siding, they added a layer of insulation. It's old, but good news since we had a feeling the walls were not insulated and we would have to have that done before the Tyvek wrap went on. The lovely picture you see above is two of the living room windows on the side of the house.

The one above is of the front living room windows. Someone long ago thought a bit of fake stone would look nice wrapped around just one lower corner of the house. I was happy to have it hidden for most of the year once the Japanese maple grew up.

Then winter would come and there it would be again. When we added the decorative trim around the front door, we beefed up the trim above the windows to cover the holes left from the metal awnings we ripped down. The door trim turned out great, but the window trim always looked like it was just tacked on....maybe because it was. :) The neighbors across the street were surprised to see it being ripped down already. A new portico will go over the door.

Today the plan is to replace a single window with two on the front of the house. Three would be better to balance the front of the house but our bedroom is too small to handle that. How silly to have one sad little window all by himself! For a symmetric kind of girl this makes me crazy.

Did I ever tell you about the day we went to see Sixty-Fifth Avenue for the first time? No? Well, the house was for sale by owner so we set up a time to come over. When we pulled up I took one look and said to Mr. 65th...drive away...quick. It was that ugly. Then the nice lady of the house came out waving us in...we were stuck. I walked in with the attitude that we would just run though and leave. But I started seeing potential and by the time we were done with our tour I was squeezing my new husband's hand. The rest is history.

I love having a place to write about this project and document our progress. Stay tuned if you want to see my attempt to create a craftsman style cottage with the budget on hand.

*edit* I wanted to add that this project will be left to the professionals and won't be a DIY project.

(It seems I can't even leave a comment on my own blog...not sure what that is all about.)

Silhouettes

2011-10-05T23:26:00.003-05:00

I have been wanting to make a silhouette of the little one for quite a while now. And after sitting down to make one I wonder what took me so long, this is such a quick and easy project.

Maybe it was because I didn't have the right spot to hang one. Then the other day I started playing around with plates for a plate wall and the light bulb went on.

CountryLiving

You see, after I finished painting a dresser on a whim, it became clear that something new was needed for the walls as well. I remembered seeing a tutorial on how to make a quirky silhouette plate, I just don't remember where I found my original information.

CountryLiving

Before I share the newly painted dresser and plate wall, I thought a quick explanation of how I made my silhouette would be fun.

CountryLiving

First take a picture of your model...its ok if she seems unhappy about it...your project will still turn out ok.

By the way, we got a siding delivery the other day so work will be starting on the house soon!

I had my picture printed as a 5x7 and cut it out adding some detail to the end of her pony tail.

Then I traced the picture onto scrapbook paper found at Michaels and cut that out. Using a paint brush I applied a thin coat of mod podge to the center of my plate and pressed my silhouette in place with my fingers. Oh yeah, I added a tiny strip of paper for an eyelash since my picture didn't have one.

After the first coat was dry I painted another one right on top of my paper silhouette. That's it...let it dry and you're done.

Faux fall mantel

2011-09-27T22:24:00.007-05:00

It was important to have something a bit more permanent on the mantel for fall. This spring and summer it was always changing with whatever flowers or greenery I brought in from the garden. That means it was sitting empty a lot of the time too...I didn't like that part.

We spent the weekend at my parent's house in Wisconsin. Homemade pizzas were made, marshmallows were roasted and apples were picked. My mom and I even got away for a few hours to go hunting for treasures at the flea market. I had some fantastic pictures from the weekend that I accidently deleted. That will be the last time I delete any pictures on my camera, I will wait until they are on my computer from now on.

Anyway, one of the first booths we visited was my favorite of the day. I found a couple of the medicine bottles and the poofs on sticks there...the vendor corrected me and called them Cornflowers. :) Such a cute idea! I love them and need to find out how to make them.

I picked up a few little pumpkins at a farm stand to tide me over until we make it to our favorite pumpkin farm in Michigan.

The wreath is a find from Home Goods. They just opened a store about five minutes from me and I have to say, I'm pretty excited about that. It was too small on its own so I layered it with a frame I found at Goodwill a while ago. Not 100% sure the wreath will be staying here though...I have a feeling it will move into the living room to hang on a smaller mirror.

We definitely don't have a frame shortage going on here in the dining room :)

Head over to Layla's fall mantle party and The Nest Of Posies blog for tons of seasonal inspiration.

The little black dresser

2011-09-21T21:40:00.003-05:00

I just couldn't help myself with that title. This furniture before and after is dedicated to my Aunt Di. She is a very patient person who asked me to paint this little guy up for her ages ago.

He wasn't looking so good when I first laid eyes on him. Orangey colored wood, ugly hardware....the usual.

Aunt Di saw his potential though with the curvy top drawer and nice looking side profile. It was the perfect size for a night table with lots of storage too.

I started out by filling the existing hardware holes with wood putty. The trick to getting a flawless finish is waiting until the putty is completely dry before you sand. A second application might be needed.

I gave the whole piece a light sanding and gave it a light coat of kilz primer before I started my first light coat of paint. I ended up doing three coats on the top and two on the rest of the piece sanding with fine paper in between each coat. The guy at the paint store recommended Shur-Line trim & touch up rollers when I was painting the front door. The results were fantastic so I used them again for this project along with my trusty Purdy brush.

This story ends with new glass hardware and a little distressing using 100 grit sandpaper.

Sharing with Miss Mustard Seed for her furniture feature friday party and with Primitive & Proper's Piece of work Wednesday

The painted front door...part two

2011-09-06T12:02:00.002-05:00

Hello. I hope you all had a nice long weekend. We did some barbecuing, played outside and shopped for exterior lights. I also started painting a small dresser for my Aunt who is waiting oh so patiently. Today is a beautiful day and it looks like the windows will be open all week. I love having fresh air blowing through the house don't you?

The front door is painted and dry. I ended up putting just one more coat of the new color on. I used Benjamin Moore's Aura exterior in black. That paint is awesome.

Below is a picture of the door painted BM Black Jack, remember I thought it looked a bit bluish? I'm scrolling up and down and don't see much of a difference in these pictures. In person it does look darker and I'm happy with the way it turned out. I used a low lustre finish so I think that makes a difference in the way the color came out.

Now let's talk about storm doors. I found out that a door that gets more than a couple hours of direct sun and is painted a dark color is not a good combination for a storm door. The glass will trap too much heat against the entry door and could damage it.

For the first time we took the glass out and added the screen so my new paint job will last. I've never liked the way the storm door looks and I'm thinking about removing it.

Much better this way don't you think? If we lived in a mild climate I wouldn't even have to think about it but our winters can be harsh and long and I wonder how efficient the wood door alone would be. Anyone out there have a wood door without a storm door? I would hate to have us freeze just for aesthetics. :)

I can't wait to see how the door looks with the new siding and will share pictures once things get started.

The front door... part one

2011-08-30T19:39:00.001-05:00

Or maybe this is part three or four since I've been working on it everyday since Saturday. We are waiting around for the new siding to come in so I thought this weekend would be a good time to give our front door some love. We replaced a beat up steel door with a Douglas fir door that I stained years ago.

There were ugly metal awnings above the door and windows that we took down about a second after we got the keys. Mr. 65th added the molding and trim to cover the damage from taking the awning down and to beef up the entry a bit. This will all be removed to add the portico.

I didn't put enough coats of varnish on the door when I originally stained it and neglected to keep up on the maintenance so it wasn't looking very good lately. Saturday I started out by giving the door a good sanding to remove any varnish so I could re-stain it with a richer color. Things didn't go as planned though. The picture above shows how it looked after I stained the two panels. The stain was sticking to the bare spots and looked terrible. I would need to strip the entire door down to bare wood in order to get even coverage again.

Going into this project I had a feeling it might not work out and that I might end up painting the exterior side of the door. I was ok with this but I had to try to salvage it first. Mr. 65th pointed out that most of the exterior pictures I have saved for inspiration had painted doors and not to feel guilty about it. Good point.

I used a tinted primer and started my first coat of black paint...so far so good. Or so I thought.

Here it is as of this morning with two coats of paint. I can still here myself telling Mr. 65th as I left for the paint store...."I'm off to find the perfect black color!" Well guess what? This is not the perfect black for this project. I used Black Jack by Benjamin Moore.

It looks black from the street but inside it looks a bit navy blue or really dark gray. Can you see what I mean in relation to the black frame? I'm such a silly goose...I have no idea why I needed to get fancy with the color. I went back to the paint store today and picked up more paint. It's the perfect color called.... Black. I'll be back with a few more pictures.

Artwork from a book

2011-08-13T15:19:00.004-05:00

I wanted to pop in and say hello before we head out for a late summer vacation to Michigan. No progress on the exterior of the house just yet...we made some changes to the plan so that delayed things quite a bit. I'm hoping work will get started in the next few weeks. We have been planning this since April so I am ready to go! I will be so excited to see the work trucks pull up in front of our house for once...we are DIYers so it will be fun to watch the progress without breaking a sweat.

Today I wanted to share one of my favorite books with you...

A book that has great artwork. A book that might make you want to rip out some of the pages

to frame.

One that even looks pretty sitting on a table top.

This fabulous book was a gift for my birthday back in the spring...I had big plans for it the second I saw it.

Remember the hallway project we started ages ago? If not you can read about it here and here. It's been forever I know. I was just about finished when we started making exterior plans so it fell by the wayside.

Anyway, I have a few of these prints sitting on the new beadboard ledge in the hallway. I found the frames at Michaels for three dollars a piece. Can you believe that? Three dollars! At first I thought I might paint them but once the prints were inside I really liked the frames as is.

I will share pictures of the completed room later next week when we get back. Cross my heart. Oh, and the book was bought at Barnes and Noble, just incase you wanted to hunt one down for yourself.

Friday I'm in love

2011-07-29T00:00:00.005-05:00

Hello and happy Friday! I hope you all are enjoying our long summer days. Today I wanted to share my love for baskets from the French Basketeer.

Here is one of my baskets filled to the brim with daisies from the garden. I seem to have an endless supply of these happy flowers.

I have been taking a basket with me almost everyday now, using them well and they still look fabulous.

Even when the little one decides it's an important part of her "Indian" costume.

The French Basketeer

The shop owner, Andrea, says "Everyone owns several baskets of various sizes in France. It becomes a habit to have several in the car, and to not leave home for errands without one, knowing that you need a way to carry your goods home." Our mission is to provide authentic French baskets, carts and totes which are practical yet stylish and to help get the word out that plastic bags are indeed, “so passé.”

The full line of baskets can be seen Here. Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

Grown with love

2011-07-20T13:26:00.002-05:00

Last fall I brought home a gorgeous bouquet of Zinnias from the pumpkin farm and knew then that I would have to grow some of my own. So while shopping at Target this spring I bought a few different varieties of Zinnia seed. This was my first time starting something from seed and I'm thrilled to actually have flowers!

I started them in the house early May with a plan to put them in the ground after Mothers Day. That is usually when we have the last frost here in the Midwest. They lived in a laundry basket to protect the floor from moisture when I watered them.

Once the weather started getting nice I would bring them outside during the day and bring them back in at night when it got chilly. When it was nice enough to plant them outside, I separated them by gently pulling them apart for better spacing.

The picture above was taken early June after I found a spot for them next to the Daisies. You can see them in the distance on the left.

Here they are a few weeks later when I thought something went wrong. They were starting to bloom but the flowers were so small! And I expected them to be taller too.

Here they are today in full bloom.

That's more like it!

I'm laughing at myself now thinking about how disappointed I was when I thought I grew some weird dwarf flowers. I just needed to be patient.

Next year I might just put the seeds right in the ground and see what happens.

Any Zinnia lovers out there? How did you plant them?

Joining Censational Girl's garden link party here.

Random Ramblings

2011-07-13T20:57:00.003-05:00

Hello dear readers, I'm still here. I jumped online a couple times last week with the intention to do a post but I got seduced by all the great blogs out there and kept running out of time. I really need to get down to business first and then read all my favorites!

Anyway, Mr. 65th took some much needed time off work to hang out poolside and to spend some time with his girls.

We visited the cabin in Wisconsin for a few days, hung out in the city, spent the day at the beach in Michigan and had a garage sale. It feels good to get rid of all the stuff that has been taking up precious space. Plus I had my friend bring some of her clutter over and hang out with me all day. We've done a couple garage sales together in the past and always have fun, even if it was 95 degrees.

That pretty much sums up our week; it was really nice...especially when it was my day to sleep in. Our little one gets up early everyday so sleeping in is a special treat when you're not a morning person.

No progress on the house as of yet, the paint sample for the new siding came yesterday though. The sample looks a bit greener than the swatch on the house so I'm feeling a bit unsure about the color again. I was going for one of those mystery colors....you know the one that makes you wonder what color it really is....the one that changes dramatically with the light. Well I'm going to cross my fingers Crownsville Gray is one of those mysterious colors and we won't just be the green house on the right.

What would you do? Would you prolong the project and go color hunting again or just go with it?

Little lime hydrangea update

2011-06-29T21:57:00.006-05:00

Remember the Little Lime hydrangeas we planted along the front porch? Well, I couldn't be happier with them so far. I've tried to grow hydrangeas in the front garden a couple different times with no luck, so I am thrilled these are working out so well.

Usually when I plant something new I have to baby it for the first season with regular watering. These guys have been very low maintenance, they never wilt and do ok even if I'm a day or two late to water them. From my experience, that's pretty good behavior for a hydrangea.

You can see two of the three in this picture...they are still small but doing well.

The picture below was taken May 16th right after they were planted. It's cool to see how everything has changed since then.

And now they are getting ready to bloom like crazy. This makes me so happy!

One of the plants gets a bit of shade from the River Birch and it's doing just as well. It was smaller than the other two to start with.

By next year they should reach the floor of the porch...you can see just a peek of them through the purple cone flowers above.

I was so inspired by the Little Limes that I planted three Limelight hydrangeas along the newly built back deck. They are the grown up version of the Little Limes. We didn't have anything planted here before and the last couple years we knew the old deck was about done so we waited.

These will get quite large and blend together to form a hedge since I planted them close together. They are pretty leggy now but should look better after I cut them back in the spring.

My vision is for them to be huge and overflowing with blooms like this picture...

and this one...

and one more just for fun.

The last three pictures are from Deborah Silver

If they do as well as I hope, in a couple years we will be enjoying massive flowers from the yard and from the deck. Any Limelight lovers out there?

Joining Censational Girl's garden link party here.

miniatures for the Herb Garden

2011-06-22T14:18:00.005-05:00

After planting the fairy garden I couldn't resist adding a few tiny accents to my herb garden. I let the little one know this is my special garden and to please leave the little goodies where they are. :) So far she has been very respectful since she has her own miniatures to play with. I'm really liking five years old...she is getting to be such a big girl but still little at the same time.

I went crazy for these little rubber boots and tiny pots when I first laid eyes on them.

This year I planted cilantro, rosemary and thyme. The chives are sitting in a pot waiting to be planted in place of the Alyssum flowers...I like to use them as a filler. I took this picture May 23rd right after it was planted.

Herbs grow so fast...here it is today sitting on a shiny new deck. Mr. 65th wanted me to do a post titled one man, one deck and a fifteen dollar drill. He is such a dork!

The huge pot is from Target. I'm loving copper these days. I really want to have the roof of the portico done in copper but it's so expensive, even for a tiny roof.

FYI...our Target still had a few of these pots and they are on clearance incase you love it too.

On another note...I had some comments and emails asking where we found the accessories for the fairy garden. We found ours at the Pure Gardener in Geneva IL. I did find a great Etsy shop called the Garden Barn that sells adorable sets to get you started Here.

One of the miniature garden kits from the Garden Barn.

I have noticed that a lot more garden centers are selling miniatures so you could always check around town too.

Have a fabulous day, I'll talk to you soon!

The Fairy Gardens

2011-06-13T21:14:00.009-05:00

Finally...the fairy garden pictures are here! It was so fun checking out everyone's plants and containers as they came by. (If you missed our fairy garden party go here.)

Here they are all lined up ready for a picture. Click any photo to enlarge it.

One friend rolled up the driveway with a radio flyer wagon that she picked up from Craigslist that morning. Fabulous idea! And great timing!

The hard part was drilling drain holes through the bottom of that thing. We didn't even think about it until it was filled with dirt. Good thing my friend Heather was determined to get the job done in her cute shoes and pink gloves.

The little girls were so proud of their gardens. Watering them might have been the best part.

I like the picture below because it shows all of our fun mess going on in the background.

This adorable garden was made in a drink bucket from Target.

We used the same planter as last year.

Here is my little one making sure the stone path is just right.

Peeking in at the fairies...

Later we added a couple adirondack chairs...

and a tiny chandelier for evening fairy parties.

We all had a great time and decided to do it again next year. It really is more fun with a little help from your friends.

Exterior paint color

2011-06-07T19:48:00.001-05:00

I have finally decided on a color for the house. This was such a hard decision. It was making me crazy...and not only me....sorry friends and family.

The paint with the circle around it is the color we chose...Crownsville Gray by Benjamin Moore. Below and to the left is Devonshire Green by BM and to the right is Master Room by Ralph Lauren. Here is how I narrowed it down this weekend.

I thought I had to choose a color from the small paint deck the contractor gave me since the siding will come pre-painted. After finding out I wasn't limited and could use any paint color or brand, my options grew. I should have asked before I bought all those paint samples....none of the colors really appealed to me.

Devonshire Green by Benjamin Moore

We went to see a new construction house that our contractor just finished. The siding we are using has a cedar texture and we wanted to see it on a house. When we pulled up I was happy to see a color I liked. The owner gave us the name and I was off to the paint store....again. Knowing all along that it was probably to dark for our small house, but it was worth a try.

The color on top is Devonshire Green and the bottom color is Meadow Trail by Sherwin Williams....a bit too green.

Another inspiration was this adorable cottage that I've had in my favorite's folder since we started making plans for our house. I love the color and the copper above the window is my favorite. I was sure this was going to be it.

Paint color...Master Room by Ralph Lauren

Realestatestyle Blog

When I got the RL sample up I was surprised that it was almost identical to Devonshire Green. The struggle for me is this color looks great on both style houses but it is so dark. I couldn't pull the trigger.

Master Room by RL is on the right next to Crownsville Gray.

Am I convinced this is the right color? No. I don't think I will be until I see it on the whole house. At least now I can focus on something other than paint!

We have a couple things to do before we hurry up and wait...I will fill you in as we go.
If you missed it, you can read about the plans here.

The Exterior Makeover Plan

2011-06-01T18:04:00.000-05:00

It is an exciting time here at Sixty-Fifth Avenue. The exterior of our house if finally getting some much needed attention. Right now the house has faded vinyl siding and a facade that is lacking dimension. Until I share pictures with you just imagine a triangle house that a five year old would draw.

The plan is to have cement board siding installed and a portico built over the front door. A trellis will go over the front porch to add more dimension since it's not covered. Adding a covered porch is not in the budget.

My first hurdle is choosing a paint color for the siding. This has become my new obsession. I mean, this will be the color we will have to live with for the next fifteen years. (Cement board siding holds paint longer than wood.)

And what if I choose the wrong one? I've done it plenty of times for the interior of the house...at least that is only a fifty dollar mistake that can be fixed.

My mountain of samples.

I'm leaning towards earthy colors. Here is Renwick Olive by Sherwin Williams on the back of the house. The side of the house looks like a quilt with all the samples painted on.

I have another greenish color drying on the other side of this door as I type. I can't wait to see how it dries.

Here are my inspiration pictures...

I love everything about this portico. The Impatient Gardener

Tar Paper Crane

The soffits will be extended with the addition of brackets for a craftsman cottage look.

Country Living

Trellis and portico together.

Tar Paper Crane

Our trellis and trim will be white like this one.

I need to get the paint colors over to the contractor quick since it will take about three weeks to come in. I've already spent a week trying to decide. Wish me luck!

Friday I'm in love

2011-05-27T00:01:00.008-05:00

Hello and happy Friday! If your house doesn't have a doorbell like mine, this adorable door knocker just might be the next best thing. I was looking through some of my old Cottage Living magazines when I found this favorite.

It may not be very practical but it would be fun to fill with a few flowers or greenery from the garden.

I'm posting from our netbook since my regular computer with all the pictures stored on it has another virus. I seem to picking one up every other day lately! Mr. 65th is working on getting it up and running so I will post pictures of the fairy gardens next week. Have a wonderful long weekend!

Fairy Garden Party

2011-05-22T23:33:00.011-05:00

Do you believe in fairies? We believe....so this weekend we invited a few friends over to create a special garden of their own...one the fairies will be sure to love.

Mr. 65th added to the chalkboard wall for the occasion. He found a fairy online, printed it out and blew it up on a copy machine. The he taped all the pages together and cut it out to use as a stencil. (he really is as wonderful as he seems)

Everyone gathered up their plants, containers and adorable accessories before coming over. We took some time to ooh and aah over each others finds before digging in.

I'm not sure who was more excited.....us or the little girls.

The potting table we put together last year came out of winter hibernation. I gave the legs a quick coat of grey paint since the varnish I used yellowed the white paint last summer.

Then I grabbed a few things I had around the house....crystal candlesticks for a little sparkle and a mirror that used to hang in the dining room.

I bought the mason jars for about a buck a piece and added colorful twisty straws. The drink dispenser is from Pottery Barn....I can't wait to fill it with margaritas this summer. Chalkboard labels are such a quick and easy project, you can read about them here.

The butterfly cookies are from a local bakery.

Estate sale chairs and a table saved from the landfill are perfect for an outdoor party. Now I just need to find a few more chairs.

The girls decorated wings and were all giggles flying around the yard together. It was a wonderful day.

The fairy garden pictures can be seen here.

Linking to Centsational Girl Outdoor Party

Little Lime hydrangeas

2011-05-16T09:18:00.002-05:00

It's starting to warm up here in the Midwest....well it was Hot the other day and yesterday was darn right chilly, but spring is definitely here. When the leaves open and the spring flowers are blooming I get excited about getting back into the garden.

This year is all about hydrangeas. I am determined to have them blooming along the porch like this...

BHG

Aren't they the perfect cottage flower? Last year I tried a couple different varieties in the front yard with no luck, they needed so much water and still wilted in the sun. I transplanted them to go on either side of the playhouse since there is some shade from the redbud tree.

After doing a little research I found a brand new shrub called Little Lime hydrangea. They are the dwarf form of the popular Limelight hydrangea.

They will grow to be three to five feet tall and wide and will fit into a small space like mine.

They are drought tolerant, can handle full sun and are the perfect cut Flower.

I planted three along the porch and can't wait for them to cover this area with blooms.

So far so good....I will keep you posted when they bloom this summer. Fingers crossed!

Mother's Day bouquets

2011-05-07T20:41:00.003-05:00

Putting flowers together into pretty bouquets is one of my favorite things to do. Giving them away is even more fun so I whipped up a couple bouquets for Mother's Day.

Cherry blossoms and tulips are the main flowers in these arrangements.

For this one I used a salsa jar as a vase because it reminded me of a mason jar. I would call that good recycling.

I found this vase at TJ Maxx for less than five dollars. Always a good deal to be had there!

Oh, and if a certain Mom is reading this that I won't be seeing until next week, don't be sad, I have a little something special for you too.

Happy Mother's Day!

Spring chalkboard wall

2011-05-04T11:23:00.000-05:00

We are having fun drawing on the chalkboard wall as the seasons change. For spring I bought a few of those felt Easter decorations at the dollar store and used them as a stencil. It worked really well.

Looking into the living room from the kitchen. You can see our Christmas wall here.

On another note, we are excited to start putting together our fairy garden. The little one is really into fairies this year so I'm thinking the dinosaurs won't be invited this time.

Will you be creating one this year?

Hello!

2011-05-01T18:22:00.003-05:00

Everything at home is back to normal and I am ready to be back. (Sorry for the lack of details.) I knew it was time when I started thinking to myself in blog post form. Am I the only one who does that?

Do you remember the hallway project we started way back when? Well it's almost finished, I just have to paint a hard to reach wall. The stairs are finished so I thought I would give you a look and a proper "Hello" since I've been gone for so long.

I will share more once I get back on the ladder that has to balance precariously on the basement stairs.

Sharing this project with Rene @ Cottage and Vine.

A needed break

2011-03-16T16:21:00.000-05:00

Hello dear readers,

My full attention is needed at home for a bit so I will be taking a little blogging break. The hallway project is coming along nicely, now I just need to find the time and focus to paint all the beadboard and trim. I will be sure to share some good before and afters with you when I get back.

Talk to you soon!

Londen

Have you tried forcing yet?

2011-03-11T20:21:00.000-06:00

A couple weeks ago I cut a few branches from a magnolia tree and now we have blooms!

Forcing branches is really easy to do. After you bring your branches of choice inside, get your container ready and fill with cool water.

Give them another clean cut and create a slit in the cut end of your branches about three inches long to make sure they take in enough water.

Depending on how close they are to their natural bloom time will determine how long it might take for them to bloom. I cut mine early so I had to wait a while.

This is what they looked like when I first brought them in.

The last thing you need to do is change the water every few days and enjoy. I hope you have a fabulous weekend, spring is on its way!

making progress

2011-03-07T20:06:00.003-06:00

Ok, Mr. 65th was right....installing beadboard in the hallway is a time consuming project. And if you add a little one to the mix it goes a bit slower...ok a lot slower, especially since using a nail gun after her bedtime might not be a good idea. But that's ok.

You can't tell by the picture, but we did make some good progress this weekend, nowhere near done, but progress. Three more pieces of beadboard to hang then we can start on the trim and I can do more painting. As you can see, I already painted the top half of the room...that was scary. I had to be on a ladder with two legs sitting on a step and the other two legs hanging out into space...not very fun.

I'm off to look at paint swatches for the downstairs door. Talk to you soon!

P.S. Thank you to everyone who helped me talk Mr. 65th into getting on board with this project! xo

Hallway decisions

2011-03-03T13:55:00.004-06:00

If you are a regular reader you might know that projects tend to go pretty slow around here. Especially when I can't make up my mind about paint colors. Or if I have to convince a certain someone to help me with a project that would require more time and money. I happen to think our ugly back hallway is worth it.

When we moved in, it was sponge painted green and white. It was very busy and outdated so I painted it brown hoping the dark walls would hide the fingerprints and dirt. Now I'm craving something bright and fresh to welcome us home.

The last couple of days have gone a little something like this....

Me...Hey honey, look at these pictures...I love all these mudrooms with white beadboard and board and batten. I think it would really freshen up the hallway. What do you think?

Mr. 65th...I don't think it's worth it, we don't spend a lot of time in there.

Me...True, but it is the first space we walk into when we come home.

Mr. 65th...It would be such a pain because of all the angle cuts that we...or should I say I would need to make. Just paint it like we planned...is it really worth all the extra time?

Me....I think it is. Plus, this would be a great place to try it out.

As of right now, I'm still not sure what we're going to do with the walls. I do know we want to check this project off our list this weekend.

Here is a little peek at the stair project I'm working on. I hope this is one of those projects that turns out the way I envision it. We will see.

mudroom inspiration

2011-02-28T11:35:00.005-06:00

Is it Monday already? This weekend we started sprucing up our back stairway/coat and shoe drop off area. You know how a few pretty pictures can motivate you even if the space you're working with doesn't look anything like your inspiration? That is what I have going on here by the way.

We have a side driveway and a side door that leads up into the dining room or down to the unfinished basement.

Southern Living

This is the way we come and go everyday so it gets a lot of abuse, especially since most people are holding on to the wall while they get their shoes on and off while trying not to fall down the basement stairs. Not very functional or pretty, but it's what we have to work with.

source unknown

We are tying to come up with a solution to keep the shoes off the stairs. This drawer is pretty clever.

Photo by Janis Nicolay

The before pictures are too embarrassing to show you just yet...but I will share some soon. Everyone who has been here for a visit knows just what I'm talking about, it's really ugly.

Photo by Michael Partenio

For example, when we installed a new exterior door over a year ago, we removed the molding around the door and never put it back up. I didn't think it would take us so long to start working on this space.

Martha Stewart

Today I will be doing some painting for the stair sprucing project. I promise to share some progress pictures with you soon. Have a great day today!

Feeling springy

2011-02-22T20:43:00.009-06:00

No sign of spring yet, sadly it won't be coming this way for a while. But we had lots of sunshine the other day and I found new drapes that were on clearance at Pottery Barn. They make the dining room feel fresh and springy, just what I need right about now.

I hung them and took pictures right away without getting the wrinkles out so you just get a peek for now. If you are in the market for new drapes, I highly recommend the peyton drape from PB. The mineral green panels are on clearance for less than twenty five dollars each.

We had the same drapes in here before but they were the oatmeal color. Then I washed them instead of having them dry cleaned and one of the panels shrunk...about three inches! A blog friend gave me a tip on how to fix them (It involved getting them damp and stretching them out) but I was ready for a change.

Here is where my great deal got a little more expensive. Rings. Drapery rings...how did I live without them? When the weather is nice we always use the sliding door to get to the backyard and outdoor family room. I have struggled for so long trying to keep the drapes open wide enough so they weren't in the way. The answer was simply...drapery rings. Now they stay where you put them.

I'm liking the way they look too.

Only problem is now I have long duck dongs...so I need to raise the rod a bit. I still want some puddling, just not so much. What? long duck dong isn't in your daily vocabulary? It really is fun to say! Can anyone name that movie?

I'll leave you with my clock turned cloche base.

I have a thing for using clocks in ways other than telling time I guess.

Photo wall post is over here.

Sharing with Rene at Cottage and Vine. Lots of dining room inspiration to be found at Rene's.

Chalkboard favorites

2011-02-20T21:10:00.005-06:00

I am so inspired by all the great chalkboards you shared! I thought it would be fun to feature some of my favorites, so here we go....

If you combine flowering branches with chalkboards then you have my attention. Janet from the The Gardener's Cottage has a gorgeous home that I never get tired of looking at.

Michelle from Vintage Junky turned an old painting into a huge chalkboard.

Her talented husband does some amazing chalk drawings. Check out the owl themed Birthday party they had for their little guy here....it is really cute!

Polly put together an adorable room for her son.

Kendra at House of Ficek created a cute play kitchen for her son complete with a chalkboard.

Tammy from Tinsel & Company used twine and clothespins to displays her little one's artwork.

I'm loving this gold vintage frame from A Vintage Vine

Lisa from Shine Your Light had a very smart idea to use a shelf to catch the chalk dust and hold pieces of chalk.

How cool is this old mantel? Caroline has six of them in her home!

Kristen from Just Live Simply drew a gorgeous chandelier on her chalkboard that she made for just seven dollars!

Cassie from Primitive & Proper gave this armoire from Craigslist a fabulous makeover. This piece would be perfect for a mudroom don't you think?

Ok, I am now realizing that I can go on and on because I love them all! Here is just one more...

I love this idea....Julie from Less Than Perfect Life Of Bliss made these beautiful magnets out of old brooches for her magnetic chalkboard.

Thanks again to everyone who played along! Talk to you soon.

Were home!

2011-02-18T19:53:00.001-06:00

Hello everyone! We ended up at Disney World and had a fabulous time. It was so nice to get away from the cold for a while and play outside in the sun everyday. Don't worry, I won't bore you with all the pictures I took. ;)

I am looking forward to catching up with you all and checking out the rest of the chalkboards that I missed from the party. I will be featuring some of my favorites on Monday. Have a wonderful weekend!

Au revoir

2011-02-10T05:00:00.002-06:00

Courtesy of the Cedric Wright Family.

Ansel Adams, photographing in Yosemite National Park from atop his car about 1942.

Hello, I will be signing off for a little bit.....no we are not going to Yosemite, although that would be wonderful. I just like that picture of Ansel Adams. I will fill you in next week. Oh and the chalkboard link party will be open until Monday. Thanks to everyone who shared a project or two, it's been fun looking through them.

Talk to you next week!

Chalkboard Link Party

2011-02-06T20:15:00.019-06:00

Hello and welcome to the chalkboard party! I thought I would start it off by sharing the various chalkboards we have around our house.

First we have the chalkboard sign I made out of a scrap piece of barn wood. I sanded the edges to keep it looking old and weathered. It hangs above our photo wall in the dining room.

Next is the garage sale frame freshened up with some pink paint for the playhouse.

The faux mantel got some chalkboard paint too...I think this is my favorite. You can see a before picture here.

Oh so easy labels.

Then I got really brave and painted a whole wall in the kitchen. Now I would love to see how you use chalkboard paint in your house. If you're chalkboard crazy like me and you have more than one idea to share go right ahead! And I don't mind if you use an old post. Mr. 65th made us a party button, you can use it to link back if you want. Have fun!

Chalkboard party

2011-02-05T21:40:00.004-06:00

You probably know by now that I love anything that's painted with a little chalkboard paint. I get excited seeing what people write or draw on their boards and the cool things people turn into chalkboards. I think everyone needs at least one in their house, don't you?

Cottage living

I thought it would be fun to have a link party (my first one) here on Monday to show off your chalkboard ideas....just because I love them so much. What do you think? Will you join me?

Update~Older posts are welcome.

The blizzard of 2011

2011-02-02T19:50:00.005-06:00

The forecast was right on...we had quite the blizzard! Almost two feet of snow with lots of big drifts because of the wild winds. But I was happy and content to have my little family safe at home yesterday to wait out the storm.

Cars stranded on Lake Shore Drive Chicago (Yahoo Pics)

Looking out our patio door.

Our side door

Taking a spin down our street.

The power started blinking on and off while giving the little one a bath and getting her in bed last night...she didn't like that very much. Then about 9:30 p.m. it went off again...the furnace shut off with a thud. I had a feeling it wasn't coming back on anytime soon so I covered the little one up with a few warm blankets and we hoped for the best. Thank goodness the power came back on about six hours later.

I heard spring might be on its way early this year...let's hope so!

Playroom Paint

2011-01-31T21:50:00.004-06:00

I get emails on occasion asking for the paint colors we used in the playroom. So I thought I would share them in a post inspired by the Nesting Place paint party.

We'll start with the wall color, I used Benjamin Moore's Aura paint in Caribbean Mist. Aura paint is my favorite, it covered really dark red walls in here with just two coats. You can read my post about the incredible Aura paint here where I share a few painting tips and some of my favorite painting music. You have to have good music playing when you paint right?

The trees and birds were painted by Mr. 65th Avenue using Olympic paint from Lowe's. The tree trunk and branches are Kodiak and Guacamole was used for any green.

For the white leaves we used leftover trim and bookcase paint. It was Home Depot's Fresh Aire line. I didn't have it tinted, it's just off the shelf white. I wouldn't buy it again because it was so watery and hard to work with but it's a no voc paint so it was worth a try. I do have to say that the paint on the bookcases has held up really well considering the everyday abuse...I mean use. ;)

The little birds are Sweet Taffy by Ben Moore that I had Lowe's tint in a sample size Olympic paint. The music note and beak were done with paint pens that you can find at craft stores for a few bucks.

It's nice to have all these colors listed together in one place...I never wrote them down so I was always running down to the basement looking through paint cans when someone asked for them, I would always forget one of them. I'm silly like that!

Looks like we might get snowed in tomorrow and Wednesday, that could be fun...or not. It's been a while since we've had a big snow storm like they are predicting.

Friday I'm in love

2011-01-28T05:00:00.002-06:00

Happy Friday! Today I am in love with this fantastic idea from My Sweet Savannah. Melaine bought a big pretty basket from Ikea that is just the right size to hold a cooler! When we have parties we usually use a cooler for extra drinks and I have to tell you, coolers just don't do it for me. But this basket does!

Are you loving this adorable corner in her dining room?

I can think of a lot of things to store in there when we are not entertaining. I really need to make a trip to Ikea, how about you?

Spring branches

2011-01-25T20:13:00.008-06:00

Hello everyone. You would think some of my projects would be checked off my list since it's been so cold here and we have been stuck inside lately. Nope. The trim around all the doors still need to be painted and the back hallway that leads to the basement and the door we use everyday still needs paint and a new floor. I guess February will have to be my month to get the boring stuff done.

Meanwhile, I have been thinking about bringing spring inside.

Martha Stewart

Spring is pretty far off for us here in the Midwest so I try to stay sane by bringing spring inside whenever I can. Fresh flowers are great but flowering braches are even better. They are so dramatic and beautiful!

Martha Stewart

Almost any spring flowering shrub or tree can be forced indoors. But some of the more popular spring branches for forcing are cherry, dogwood, forsythia, magnolia, pear, pussy willow, serviceberry and redbud.

The only one I have tried so far is branches from a magnolia tree. I might try something different this year too.

Southern Living

I found a great step by step if you want to give it a try Here. Have you ever tried it? It's easy to do, you just have to be a little patient. I will share my flowering branches with you once I get them started. Have a great day!

Super Cute valentine take two

2011-01-19T20:31:00.005-06:00

Are you looking for a cute and easy Valentine to make? Something so cute everyone will think you are a creative genius? Last year I was looking for Valentine ideas and came across Alissa's blog. She so smartly made her Valentine's by taking pictures of her girls and simply attaching a lollipop.

We made them again this year to hand out to the little one's pre-school class. You can check out the picture we used last year here.

Time for a sucker break...

I used the chalkboard wall as a backdrop and used chalkboard pens because they don't smudge and the color is nice and bright. I was inspired to write the Happy Valentine's Day bubble after seeing Lauren's post @ Simply LKJ. She took some cute pictures of her girls at Christmas time in front of their chalkboard wall.

Here is how I made mine...

1. Take a bunch of pictures with your child holding her arm out with a closed fist. (Bribing the child with ice cream or a sucker might be necessary to keep the photo shoot going with a happy face.)

2. Pick the best picture and have them printed.

3. Use an exacto knife to make two small cuts for the sucker to slide into.

4. Put a piece of tape on the back to hold the sucker in place.

5. Package them up to send out or bring to school.

6. Watch everyone ooh and ahh over your super cute Valentine.

Sharing with Finding Fabulous The CSI Project

Fingerprints on the fridge

Old house love

2011-01-17T20:24:00.002-06:00

Hello. My name is Londen and I am obsessed with old houses. I have been oohing and aahing over them for as long as I can remember.

Sometimes when I get an idea in my head I just can't seem to stop thinking about it. Thinking about buying an old house and scouring realtor.com has become my new obsession.

Old charming homes on pretty tree lined streets....especially if it's within walking distance to a cute little town. A strolling type neighborhood where you can see a variety of vintage homes like craftsman, American four square and cute cottages just by walking down the street or looking out your window.

Country Living

One that might need to have some work done...well, maybe not that much work.

Country Living

A house we can work on and make our own...again. I would love to find something that has a hideous kitchen so we wouldn't feel bad about ripping it out and starting from scratch.

Cottage Living

Now don't get me wrong...we love our little house and the town we live in. It's within walking distance to the little downtown and the train that will take you right into the city.

If only we could move our much loved Sixty-Fifth Avenue to a street where the majority of houses weren't built in the late forties, fifties and sixties. The funny thing is the town we live in has homes that were built in the 1800s and has charming vintage homes too. There are just not enough of them and they don't go on the market very often.

Better Homes & Gardens

Only time will tell if my daydream will even happen this year or next. There are lots of pieces to the puzzle that need to match up first. I just wanted to share my ~~crazy~~ thoughts with you. Hope you're staying warm where you are, it has been very cold here in the windy city.

tag...

2011-01-13T21:03:00.003-06:00

Silly me...I forgot to tag a few other bloggers to share their 15 Fascinating Things. Oh well, this gives me a great excuse to share a few fabulous blogs with you.

First is Amy from The Pineapple Room Amy's husband built her an incredible little house made out of old windows! I love this!

Next we have Stef from Girl Inspired Stef creates the most amazing cakes and cupcakes and just opened her etsy shop selling gorgeous little girls clothes. Trust me, you will be inspired when you visit her blog!

Last but not least, we have Sara from August Fields Her newly built home is absolutely gorgeous! She even put in a drinking fountain for her kids...how cool!

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

15 fascinating things...

2011-01-10T22:47:00.000-06:00

I was tagged by Cassie @ Primitive & Proper to reveal 15 things you might not know about me. This came at a perfect time since I have been thinking about how I come across here on my blog. I don't think I let my silliness or sarcastic nature come out enough and would like for you all to get to "know" me better.

Ok, here we go....please don't hold me to the fascinating part, this may not be very exciting.

1. When I first started Sixty-Fifth Avenue, I didn't tell anyone I knew for a couple months. I was so shy about it for a long time...and I'm normally not a shy person.

2. While we are on the subject...Mr. 65th is the one who got my blog started for me. I had been talking about it for a while but wasn't sure how to get started or if I was ready....I am not very computer savvy. (One time when I first started, I accidentally changed all the font white....I thought I wiped out all of my posts for an hour or so. Mr. 65th thought that was hilarious. It is pretty funny!) I guess he got tired of me talking about it because one night he grabbed the computer and got me all set up in about a minute. Sixty-Fifth Avenue was named after the street we live on.

3. I worked in the dental field for many years before the little one came.

4. When I was a little girl I wanted to be a professional figure skater.

5. I am a total chicken. Or scaredy cat...whatever you want to call it...that's me. For example, if Mr. 65th is traveling overnight for work, I don't sleep very well at all.

6. This one goes along with number five. I hate to fly. I do it because I love to travel but I always think the plane is going to crash. Bad turbulence brought me to tears once....embarrassing I know. Once, on a long trip, Mr. 65th surprised me with a little gift once it started getting rough. I was so surprised and excited I snapped out of being afraid. From then on, he has been giving me a little something special every time we fly.

7.  We were engaged for only two months. Mr. 65th proposed in August of 2002 and we were married October 30th.

8. We were married on the island of Maui. We already had our trip planned and had talked about how wonderful it would be to get married there so we made quick plans. I wouldn't change a thing!

9.  The little one came four years later. She was born seven weeks early because of complications....my liver was starting to fail. As soon as she came via C-section I was fine. The little one did great too, she only stayed in the Nicu for eight days. That was one of the scariest times in my life!

10. I am an only child.

11. I love Mexican food and margaritas.

12. I watch the bachelor and bachelorette. I can't help myself.

13.  I don't enjoy cooking. My Dad is a wonderful cook and is finally realizing I won't take after him in that aspect.

14.  We have music playing at our house all the time. We do a lot of dancing too.

15. I dream of owning my own shop set up in an old house. I would sell my painted furniture and pretty things for the home and garden.

Do you have something you want to ask me? Ask away! I would love to answer any questions about myself.

I'm at "Honey We're Home" today

2011-01-10T07:27:00.003-06:00

You can find me at Honey We're Home today as part of Megan's organizing series. She has a fabulous blog and had a fantastic line up of bloggers sharing their tips last week with more inspiration to come.

I will be sharing a post about how we keep our toys in order. Hope to see you there!

Embracing the snow

2011-01-06T13:51:00.010-06:00

Welcome 2011! We have a brand new year to start fresh...I always love a fresh start don't you? How can I be a better mom, wife, friend and daughter and make this year fabulous? These are some of the things I have been thinking about lately and want to strive for.

Our holiday was nice and long since Mr. 65th took time off after Christmas but I'm just now getting back into a regular routine.

I get a little sad once it's all over since we have the long winter ahead of us, so we try to embrace it and get outside to play and get some fresh air...we get cooped up here in the Midwest.

Mr. 65th avenue and I have been snowshoeing for years and were excited to get the little one out there again. We took her out last year and she did ok but this time she really loved it! She even wanted to conquer a good sized hill all by herself and after a few tries she did.

The woods are so beautiful in the winter and it's fun to see all the animal footprints crisscrossing though the trees. It's great exercise too.

Well, I am off to get some organizing done. I'm hoping to pack up lots of things for goodwill in the next few days. I feel like I have to get things in order before any new projects get started.

If you want some motivation to get your home organized stop by Honey We're Home. Megan is running a series of posts dedicated to getting organized for the New Year. I will be her guest Monday January 10th sharing tips on how to keep the toys in order.

looking back at 2010

2010-12-29T21:34:00.002-06:00

I can't believe Sixty-Fifth Avenue is almost one year old! I've had a great time and look forward to the New Year and what that might bring. Thank you for your support and encouragement!

Here is a look back at some of my favorite posts of 2010. (The links will take you to the original post)

One of my first posts...creating a big girl room for the little one

Kitchen before and after

The playhouse gets a name

Our fairy garden

Bought a paint sprayer

Practiced using that paint sprayer on an antique dresser someone was throwing out because it was missing a drawer.

The practice dresser

Butterfly artwork

Created a playroom

Turned an old barn door...

and an ugly table...

into a versatile potting table

Outdoor family room

The dining room got a makeover and a photo wall

Painted a wall in our kitchen with chalkboard paint

It was fun looking back at some of these old posts, especially the summer pictures!

Sharing with Southern Hospitality

blog tour

2010-12-27T08:03:00.000-06:00

Hi everyone, I just wanted to pop in and let you know about a year end blog tour that Jennifer from Rambling Renovators is hosting this week. Stop by and check out a few new "great reads" and find out my favorite post of 2010.

Merry Christmas

2010-12-23T19:39:00.000-06:00

Santa will be on his way very soon and we couldn't be more excited! Tonight we will be wrapping the rest of the gifts and getting ready for our annual Christmas Eve party.

Look, they bloomed!

I want to thank each and every one of you who stop by to read Sixty-Fifth Avenue, it means a lot to me. I can't believe it's almost been a year since I started writing this blog, time flies when you're having fun!

Have a very Merry Christmas!

my favorite part

2010-12-21T11:11:00.005-06:00

My favorite part of decorating for Christmas is bringing in fresh greens and creating something pretty for the tables.

I use all kinds of things to put them in each year...the one for the dining room table is really a candle holder. I lined it with plastic and used florist foam, I love that stuff!

I forgot what kind of flowers these are so I call them snowflake flowers.

Our little hallway got some good smelling greens too.

Are you loving the faux candles as much as I am? I wasn't so sure about them when I first saw them but now I want some big ones too.

The little one filled the votives with snow and we put this "winter in the forest" vignette together using a couple of her toy deer. The miniature urn is from her fairy garden and it's filled with ice. If I had more cloches she could have made a hundred of these, it was a lot of fun.

This tinsel topper is one of my favorite things. I try to come up with different ways to use it. This year I put it in a silver bowl that Mr. 65th uses to catch his wallet, change and phone when he comes in the door.

I used florist foam again and a few different kinds of greens, this is so quick and easy to do.

I just layer them all around until it's all filled in. I might add some white roses later.

I make a huge mess and I love it!

Off to get the house clean, we're having friends over tonight for a little Christmas party.

Sharing with Cottage and Vine Tour of homes All things Heart & Home

The writing is on the wall

2010-12-18T21:54:00.006-06:00

Well, I am officially used to the chalkboard wall. After one coat I almost chickened out and painted it back. I'm glad I went for it.

If you missed that whole saga, you can read about it here and here. I really do love it now...especially for winter, it has a cozy and warm feeling to it.

Mr. 65th drew Santa and his reindeer flying over the doorway...I think he did a great job!

We are Rudolph lovers so of course we had to include him!

Only one more week until Christmas, I can't believe it! This is when I want to slow things down and just enjoy the excitement of it all. Enjoy the rest of your weekend! xo

Sharing with Domestically Speaking power-of-paint

Funky Junk Interiors All Things Heart & Home

Using what you've got

2010-12-15T21:08:00.006-06:00

I've been looking for a table to go in front of my old window that sits in the corner of my living room. I guess I wasn't looking hard enough because I never found anything. Then I remembered a table I painted over the summer that was just sitting in my garage....

The window is just leaning against the wall so I had a chair in front of it so it wouldn't get knocked over by a little someone. It was functional but just temporary.

Now I have a sunny spot for my paper whites. I thought I planted my bulbs too late this year but I think they will be blooming just in time for Christmas. I found the container at an estate sale last year.

The greens on the table are fresh but the Merry Christmas swag is not...I put it together last year. I'm thinking I need some tiny round ornaments or something to throw in with these acorns....what do you think?

I think my search is over for now...this little table just found a new home.

Sharing with Hooked on Houses holiday tour

Cottage and Vine Christmas tour of homes

Our Christmas Tree 2010

2010-12-13T10:08:00.004-06:00

The overall look of our tree doesn't change dramatically from year to year. I've been collecting ornaments for years and it's evolved into silver, glass and glitter glass ornaments. It's hard to tell in these pictures but it sparkles like crazy!

This is what I've learned about Christmas trees...they are very difficult to photograph! I hope to have a big girl camera one day. Did you hear that Santa?

I used a lamp sitting in front of the tree with the shade off to get this shot. It helped, without the lamp the front of the tree was really dark, even at dusk when the sun wasn't streaming in.

Here are a few of my favorite ornaments....A lot of them were gifts from my sweet Mr. 65th.

This cute little bird is new this year...I love him.

I use these glass balls in groups of three and hang them deep into the tree for lots of extra sparkle. They come small, medium and large, I use them all. I saw Hobby Lobby and Michaels selling them this year.

The baby's first Christmas picture. Can you see those cheeks? She had the chubbiest cheeks you have ever seen. It was hard to stop nibbling them!

Are you tired of Christmas posts yet? I have more to share...

Check out Thrifty Decor Chic she is having a huge Christmas tree party.

Winter Branches

2010-12-09T12:20:00.011-06:00

I found these cute silhouette ornaments on sale after Christmas last year. Because they are so light weight, I knew they would be perfect hanging on branches.

After trying a couple different vases and such, I ended up using a thrift store urn I found for under a dollar.

The buffet is a work in progress...I'm still messing around with it, but the branches will stay. I don't think I will want to take them down when Christmas is over!

Maybe I will leave them up as a winter display. I usually leave some decorations out as long as they just feel wintry. My woodland mantel is a good example...it can stay until it starts to thaw around here, I'll just take the Merry Christmas sign down. One year I put every little bit away and it felt like the Grinch that stole Christmas....bare and a little sad.

Sharing with Christmas Cheer Challenge @ Perfectly Imperfect
Hooked On Houses Shabby Nest Tinsel & Company deck the halls Friday

Wreath Chandelier

2010-12-06T12:17:00.002-06:00

Oh, how I LOVE these hanging wreaths! I started decorating a little early this year but it didn't seem to help...I'm still not done and I keep adding to my list. I wonder if Mr. 65th would be on board to help me make one of these. I think a single wreath would be fine for the spot I have in mind.

Here is the step by step via Martha Stewart...
Step 1
With the small wreath's wire frame facing up, slip 1 end of a 5-foot ribbon length through frame's rim, and knot firmly. Repeat with 2 additional 5-foot ribbons, knotting at evenly spaced intervals around wreath.

Step 2

Gather ribbons together, and knot at a point 15 inches above center of wreath. Leave these hanger ribbons in center of wreath while working on large wreath.

Step 3
Attach three 4-foot ribbon lengths to large wreath frame.

Step 4
Place large wreath on top of small wreath, aligning hanger ribbons. Gather hanger ribbons of both wreaths together, and knot 20 inches above center of large wreath. Trim ends of hanger ribbons above top knot to create a finished look.

Step 5
Screw hook into ceiling. Hang wreaths from top hanger-ribbon knot.

Step 6
Tie a 4-foot ribbon length at base of each hanger ribbon, and fashion into a classic bow. Trim bow tails to 12 inches.

Seems pretty easy right? Let me know if you give it a try!

Christmas vignette

2010-12-02T17:48:00.003-06:00

I had fun whipping up this vignette in the living room for my beloved Santa Claus. He always has a special spot in our house when he visits.

I wrapped a present to go inside an estate sale sleigh with Kraft paper and ribbon. I love using that paper to wrap gifts in; it's so inexpensive and simple, leaving extra money to buy beautiful ribbon.

This year Santa sits on my favorite piece of furniture...an antique dresser that holds all my "special" seasonal things that need a safe place to stay.

I love this reindeer with his funny bobble head....he even has a tiny pinecone for a tail! I better get back to work trying to uncover my dining room table from all the decorations and glitter.

If you're looking for more holiday inspiration, head over and visit Rhoda @ Southern Hospitality.

Woodland Mantel

2010-11-30T20:50:00.015-06:00

I thought I was done with my mantel a few days ago but it just didn't feel right. So today I took it all down and started again. I kept it really simple with some greenery and pinecones. I think the German glitter glass sign adds just the right amount of sparkle, along with the snowy pinecones I glittered here.

Now I am a wood burning fireplace kind of girl...the warmth, the crackle and the ambiance is so very nice, especially around the holidays. If you are new here you should know there is none of that going on at 65th avenue, sad, I know. I do have fun decorating the mantel for the different seasons though. If you would like to see the mantel before it got some chalkboard paint, click here.

I bought the garland from PB a few years ago on clearance. I used to use fresh greens but I hated having to wait until the week before to decorate the mantel.

The trees are from Hobby Lobby. The last few years I used tall candlesticks, but they have been hanging out all year so I needed a change.

Is it just me or does this sign remind you of the movie It's a Wonderful Life? One of my favorite movies of all time!

Here is the other side of the room when you can see the dining room table. Right now it's acting as Christmas central until I finish putting everything together. What a difference good light makes, this picture was taken on a sunny day. Today we had none.

Sharing with Christmas Cheer Challenge @ Perfectly Imperfect
My Uncommon Slice Of Suburbia

Head over to The Lettered Cottage for more mantel inspiration!

O Christmas Tree....

2010-11-29T22:20:00.003-06:00

O Christmas tree...why are you so difficult to photograph?

Taking a picture of a huge tree inside my house has not been an easy task! Throw in a Kodak point and shoot cheapo camera and it doesn't get any easier. I started reading some tips online after looking through all my pictures and not finding single good one. I even kept the tripod out and took pictures at different times of the day....no luck.

Here is a little peek until I can figure this out. Have any tips? Please share!

A Holiday Tradition

2010-11-26T22:53:00.004-06:00

Hello everyone, did you have a nice Thanksgiving? We spent the day at my Mom's house. We enjoyed a delicious dinner and had a lot of fun with family. The day after Thanksgiving is the day we go out looking for the perfect Christmas tree.

Today was the coldest day of the season, needless to say this face didn't stay this happy for very long. We found our tree in record time because of it. It's one of our best ones too.

Our first Christmas together Mr. 65th and I bought a tree from a tree lot; we got a bad one because it shed about a million needles in one day. The next year we went to a tree farm and cut our own tree down; it was so fresh, it lasted longer than the holidays. This is our eighth year getting our tree this way, it's a lot of work but worth it to us. Every year our tree is different and it smells so good!

There is still some debate about which is more "green"....cutting your own or buying fake. If anyone wants more information I can share some pros and cons, just let me know. Oh and yes, needles still drop, but they are cleaned up easily when I vacuum.

Mr. 65th makes sure the tree is well lit; then I take over and decorate it with all the ornaments. We make a great team. ;)

Now we're exhausted and ready for bed...it's been a long day decking the halls. I'll share some pictures with you soon. Enjoy the rest of your weekend. xo

2010-11-24T22:32:00.003-06:00

Wishing you a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Let it snow

2010-11-22T19:53:00.008-06:00

I love having a little bit of sparkle to go with my Christmas. I just never knew how to get that snowy look until now, and it's so easy and quick.

Pinecones were the perfect thing to try out first because I had a bunch of them still sitting outside from one of our nature walks.

Here are the supplies you will need to get yourself that perfect snowy shimmer. Elmer's glue, white paint (I used flat), glitter and diamond dust. The "glitter" is more like tiny ice crystals than typical glitter. The diamond dust is similar, it just has a subtle shimmer to it. I bought mine at Hobby Lobby.

I mixed my glue and paint together using a little more glue than paint.

Then I painted my mixture on here and there...

I had a little helper sprinkling on the glitter followed by the diamond dust.

Shake them off and you're done.

While the pinecones were drying, I looked around for something else to do. I bought this believe sign a couple years ago with plans to spruce it up but never did until now.

I painted on my mixture and sprinkled the glitter over a big bowl. It took me about five minutes and I love how it turned out. Can you believe it? ;)

I've seen this done on garland and wreaths and it looks beautiful. I'm off to finish decorating my mantel. Have you started early this year too?

Linking to

Between Naps On The Porch Tinsel & Company

The Frogtape winner is...

2010-11-22T09:15:00.000-06:00

The Brick Cottage

Congratulations! Please email me your mailing address and I will send off your package.

Winter Pillows

2010-11-18T21:20:00.003-06:00

With winter being around the corner, I wanted to cozy up my couch with a couple new pillows. Last spring I bought a few from Pottery Barn and loved them. Once you invest in the pillow inserts buying just the covers can be pretty reasonable. The covers are washable and the down inserts make then perfectly squishy.

After trying out a few different combinations I decided to go with white and off white, now I just need a warm throw blanket and we'll be all set. It's getting pretty chilly here in Chicago and we like to cuddle up on the couch, especially in the morning.

Some of you might be thinking white pillows and kids don't mix very well. But they can...we don't snack or eat anywhere but the kitchen or dining room and hands are clean before we leave the table. Having this one simple rule has kept our furniture in great condition over the years.

We usually don't decorate for Christmas until the day after Thanksgiving, but I wanted a head start this year. It takes me longer than it should to get everything where I want it. I guess that's because I keep moving things around....this table has changed a couple times already. I'm thinking the pine cone needs a little sparkle.

I just found out the secret to get that snowy sparkly look and it's so easy. I'll share it with you soon!

More Chalkboard Talk And A Giveaway

2010-11-14T23:05:00.010-06:00

I waited three long days to let the paint cure before writing on the chalkboard wall. First I conditioned the surface by rubbing the side of a piece of chalk over the entire wall. Then I used a towel to wipe it off since I was doing a large area, you can use an eraser if you want. Doing this will leave a coat of chalk dust so you will have the best erasability.

Painting the wall was the easy part; this step was a bit of a pain because of how much I had to do. And yes, it did make a big chalk dust mess.

Wiping it all off was my favorite part. I love the finish of a chalkboard and now it was starting to look like one and not just a black wall.

My main concern was getting clean lines along the wall and ceiling. Usually I can't be bothered to use painters tape because there is always bleed through, so I just take my time instead. But black paint is unforgiving and I knew I wouldn't be able to get it perfect so I used Frog tape. I had good results with it when I used it on the mantel so I tried it again and crossed my fingers.

I really couldn't believe it when I pulled all the tape off...I had perfect crisp lines! I was really impressed.

Frogtape has generously donated a gift bag to one of my readers! It comes with three different size rolls of tape, a t-shirt and a bag.

Leave a comment on this post for a chance to win.

For a second entry, become a follower of my blog. Leave a separate comment telling me you did so.

Giveaway will close at midnight central time Friday November 19th. I will announce a winner on Monday. Good luck!

Chalkboard Wall Take Three

2010-11-11T21:31:00.005-06:00

After much thought the other morning, I decided to go for it and put the second coat of chalkboard paint on the kitchen wall. I really didn't give it a chance and the first coat was already done...so I went for it.

I kept the framed chalkboard up for our ever changing lists and notes.

It really is dramatic don't you think? I had quite a few great comments that suggested leaving a big rectangle of chalkboard and paint the rest the original color. I like that idea and you never know I might end up doing that after the holidays.

Remember the plates I found at an estate sale over the summer? Well they finally found a home above the cabinets with a couple ironstone pitchers. I only had two dinner plates and needed a third so I glued one of the little ones onto a platter I found at Target.

We use this little dell computer to drive all of our music wirelessly. This is my husband's baby; he loaded over thirteen hundred CDs and has plans to load all of our albums too. This will allow us to use our "Music Room" for actual storage since it really is just a closet, but that's a story for another day.

We're really looking forward to decorating our new wall for the holidays.

Loving This Idea

2010-11-08T10:32:00.000-06:00

Hello everyone! I got up yesterday and read all your comments about the chalkboard wall. Thank you everyone for your suggestions and honest opinions, I LOVED reading them all! I feel so lucky to be part of this amazing blog world!

I was on the fence again yesterday and the wall was still the topic of conversation here at 65th Avenue...but I made a decision and went to work painting it. Part three coming soon to reveal the final color.

Today I will be taking inventory of my old books to make this Christmas tree.

Real Simple

A friend of mine who gets the Real Simple magazine called me to ask if I saw this picture....she said it had my name written all over it. She was right, I love this idea! I think a trip to Goodwill and a few thrift shops is in my very near future for more books.

My goal this week is to finish getting organized so I have a clean slate to work with when the Christmas decorations come out. Here's to a productive Monday!

Chalkboard Wall Part Two

2010-11-06T21:22:00.007-05:00

Ok, so I did it, the whole wall in the kitchen is painted black with chalkboard paint.

After getting one coat done I stepped back to take a look and there was a humongous wall staring back at me. This was going against everything I've ever tried to do in this house...open it up and make it feel light and airy.

One of the first things we did when we bought this house was open up the tiny doorway between the living room and kitchen. It was one of the best things we ever did and allowed us to have a kitchen island.

I figured because I was painting a small wall it would be fine. It wasn't, instead of the doorway feeling open like it did, it felt closed in.

Here is another before...

And after...

Sadly, I'm going to paint it back the way it was. Mr. 65th wants to keep it so we can have fun with it over the holidays. He already had a fantastic idea to draw Santa and his sleigh on this wall and a few reindeer flying over the doorway with Rudolph leading the way, but it's already taped so I'm hoping to just paint over it and all will be ok....I really don't want to paint the ceiling right now.

This will be a great test for the frog tape I used. If I'm able to paint it black then back to the original color with two coats and not have bleed through along the ceiling it will be a miracle! Aura paint from Benjamin Moore has a built in primer, I used it in this room originally so we shall see how it performs going over black.

I still love idea of a chalkboard wall but for me this just isn't the right spot for one. You probably weren't expecting this were you? Maybe in a different house I will have the perfect wall to draw on.

Chalkboard Wall Part One

2010-11-04T21:01:00.002-05:00

I decided to go for it and paint a chalkboard wall in the kitchen. I think it will always be in the back of my mind if I don't give it a try.

I taped everything off with frog tape....

And started trimming around the edges...

I would be lying if I said I wasn't a little nervous about the outcome....

Stay tuned for part two!

Winter Window Boxes

2010-11-01T21:00:00.002-05:00

I don't have a very nice view from my kitchen window so I try to keep something pretty in the window box year round.

I bought a bunch of mini mums to plant for fall but they hung out on the buffet in the kitchen for too long and never got planted.

Now that I have an empty window box I can't help but think about what I'm going to do for the upcoming season. If you live in a cold climate your winter display can last through the winter.

I found some great window boxes to inspire us....

I love the glass ornaments and dogwood branches used in this display.

Pinecones are one of my favorite things to decorate with for the holidays.

The icicles hanging from this box are a fun idea. You can use beaded ornaments or garland for this look.

Martha Stewart

I love this shed all decked out for the holidays. Last year I added some greens and a wreath to the playhouse just for fun.

When putting together your winter display it's best to start when the soil is still workable and not frozen. I like to use a few different varieties of evergreen branches to start with. Snip a few inches off of the bottom of the branches to keep fresh and push deep into the dirt so the wind won't take them away. Once your window box is finished, water it. The water will freeze, holding everything in place throughout the winter. If it warms up a bit, keep it watered until the temperature drops below freezing.

Will you be dressing up your windows this winter?

Halloween Past & Present

2010-10-28T21:36:00.006-05:00

I've never been big on dressing up for Halloween but having a little one to put in costume is so much fun. Mr. 65th on the other hand loves dressing up and making costumes.

The first two years we got to decide what to dress her up as....

This is our little pea pod on her first Halloween.

The buzzing bee...

This is the year she wanted to be a mouse.

Then we had the year of Thomas the train...nothing but trains! Her creative Daddy made her the train costume and he was Sir Topham Hatt, director of the railway. All the boys were checking out her costume at the parade. One little boy dressed as Thomas insisted he have a picture with her, it was really cute.

She won a prize that year.

This year we have a black spider. I snapped a couple not so great pictures tonight; she was so excited because she got to try it on for the first time. Her Daddy sewed the legs into her spider web skirt and a friend did the spider applique. What are your costume plans? I would love to know!

Update 10/31/10

We had a great time trick or treating but the little spider's favorite part of the day was handing out the candy!

We used a fluffy tutu under her spider web skirt to make the legs stand out a little more...much better.

Nature Inspired

2010-10-25T22:53:00.013-05:00

This is the best time of year to be inspired by nature for our well being as well as design.

Our family loves to take walks in the woods and spend time playing outside; especially if our little nature girl can collect leaves, rocks, acorns and pinecones. Throw in a spider or two and she couldn't be happier, that will explain her dressing up as a spider for Halloween.

Here are some of the things she collected on one of our hikes....

The colors and textures are so beautiful and always inspire me when I bring color into my home. How does autumn inspire you?