Joshua, The Treehouse

Ideally, I'll separate this post out in several little posts telling you all about the project I concocted as I re-decorated the airbnb Treehouse in Carrboro, N.C. Her re-decoration came at a time of transition in my life, and was a beautiful learning experience for me. It is my hope that her new digs will attract all of the most wonderful airbnb clients to fill her space when I am not around. 

IKEA partners with Amazon in 2018

Raise your hand if you love IKEA as much as I do. Affordable furniture that is well designed and (mostly) reliable. The only problem is that the majority of us do not have access to IKEA stores, and only certain products can be shipped at an incredibly high shipping price. 

Thanks to my daily update on Apartment Therapy, I learned that IKEA has announced they are going to start partnering with Amazon in the coming year. What does that mean for Prime members? FREE shipping on IKEA products. Right to your doorstep. 

The news is just TOO good not to share. 

Want to read more? 

Head over to Apartment Therapy. 

Three Hundred Square Foot Jade Cottage Tiny Home In Savannah, Georgia

If you know me at all, you know I have had a little bit of an obsession with tiny house living since I discovered it was a possibility over 9 years ago. Since then I have lived in almost every form of home: ranch, loft, rentals, fixer-uppers and I even bought a house

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It seemed like a really far-off possibility until I left my marriage and needed an affordable and safe place to live in Savannah while I re-grouped my life. After almost giving up home I'd be able to find a place I could afford, this little cottage was listed on Craigslist and I immediately bit.. six months later, and I am still calling this little cottage home with waverly, dakota and nova-luna. 

The photos were taken in February, and things have been arranged-and-rearranged since then, but they are basically the same. I have spent a lot of time and energy sculpting my space into a space that is easy to clean, easy to arrange, requires little thought about cleaning, and one that makes me feel happy and alive. The products and art that I have chosen aren't by chance, and have been chosen based upon their affordability.. mostly I have just gotten rid of a lot of things I don't need and have kept the things that enhance my life. 

As Marie Kondo says, only the things that "spark joy" remain.  Shall we tour? 

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The cottage has been thoughtfully laid out and is one of the most space efficient tiny spaces I've ever been inside! When you walk in the front door you are met with the the entirety of the cottage (minus the laundry/bathroom/closet), but the kitchen is directly in front of you. We will start there:

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The art on the kitchen walls is by my talented friend Allie Lehman. The fridge is littered with client letters, Christmas cards, developed film and far away friends. 

There is a small stovetop with a little oven underneath that suits me perfectly. All of the drawers have been organized following Marie Kondo's Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up  , which I will be sharing lots more of soon!

Tunes are kept playing in the cottage thanks to my free record player I scored in Nashville from Third Man Records , and I keep local magazines like Savannah and South for guests to read while I cook. 

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If you look further down the wall that houses the fridge and record player, you'll find a couch I made from a score on craigslist + cushions I upholstered and found at thrift stores and ikea. The wall above the couch is littered with art from Emily Jeffords, Britt Bass, Teil Duncan, Hillary Butler, KATE Waddell, my sister and myself. 

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The art above my bed was a sweet gift from Linen and Leaf , the macramé prayer flags over my bed are a gift from Be With Heart  , the small yellow and white weaving is from Hazel and Scout, and the other various things in my home are most likely finds from thrift stores, from Ikea, made by myself and/or gifts from friends! 

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High Five Homes : Ardsley Park Retreat

Handmade Bedroom Makeover : From The Archives

 We got the light colored dresser at a thrift store and David re-finised it last summer. The dark colored dresser (which is still on the list of things to refinish) was David's in college and we have been using it since we got married.
 The quilt was made by David's great grandmother and we love sleeping under it's weight. We have a dream catcher on my side of the bed because I wake up with nightmares almost every night. It reminds me to pray for peaceful sleep.
 I made the curtains and the pillows  from left-over fabric from some of my mom's jobs. The quilted pillow's fabric was found at an estate sale several years ago.
You can find the DIY for the triangle painting here.  The frame was painted pink with some leftover spray paint we had and part of the quilt from the estate sale was cut out to go in it!
 I love these little pom-pom flowers. I simply cut up some garland I had and hot glued it to some sticks I found in our back yard. So simple and so fun. If you don't have any pom-poms already made up, you can find a similar tutorial here. I made similar pom-poms for hanging on the ceiling of the bedroom beside the bunting.
 You can find an easy DIY BUNTING here, and a similar tutorial for how I did the garland here. I used crate paper and cut into squares and then threaded those through some string.
 I made this for David for Valentines Day this year, and used a thrift store frame to frame it.
We made these shelves when we lived in Nashville out of cabinet doors from the Habitat for Humanity store. We have them up with some hooks we got from Home Depot. Now that the shelves match our wall color, I'm dying to paint them but haven't gotten around to it.
 You can find a DIY for this frame HERE. I love the simple statement it creates in our small bathroom.
Dakota is a huge fan of the new bedroom too! We ditched our bed frame (it is a OLD iron frame that has been handed down in my family--it traveled from Missouri to Colorado in a covered wagon!). We like the cozyness having our mattress on the floor creates. Kind of weird, I know:).

Alabama Home Tour:From The Archives

Here's another little peak at our newly remodeled home! I found a video on my phone the other day where I walked through it during the demo that I plan on sharing after all of the "new" is revealed.

 This is really one of my favorite rooms of the house, most likely because it holds all of the things I love to do! My sewing machine, painting supplies and camera equipment all are in this little spot. David uses the closes, and our guests use the bed:).
 The color scheme kind of came together from odds and ends we were given/ and we had. The cool folding chair was in the back yard when my parents purchased the house, so I cleaned it up and gave it a new life! The beautiful amour was a gift from our neighbors in Nashville. It now holds my machine, all of my art supplies and lots of fabrics and patterns. I have plans to paint the inside one day and make it a lot more organized, but right now it works perfectly for what I need it for!
Every visitor wants to feel welcomed and special. If you ever came into our home to visit, we would welcome you with open arms, and try to make your stay as pleasant and relaxed as possible!! 
Flower Essences:
* Corn Flower Essence: Taking initiative in projects, enthusiasm, creativity, concentration, strengthening and new projects are undertaken
*Lettuce Flower Essence: Inner quietude and strength, creativity.
*Peru Balsam: Encourages calm, warmth, peace, comfort, opens the heart
*Songline Orchid Flower Essence: To help one attune to one's unique spiritual path, the path which is yours and yours alone.
We really have seen these essences awaken and change things in our lives, and the lives of people who have stayed in this room. I am always so amazed to watch the way God works through the things He has given us in His Creation. It is such a Holy experience. 

Here's a peek into our new living room!
You can see some of the before pictures here!
I'm still searching hard drives and SD cards to find all of the before photos, the transformation really is amazing. It doesn't even look like the same home (thank goodness!)
this table was given to us by my parents, david refinished it a couple of years ago.. while he was staining it he found my sister's name etched in the wood. Etchings of a little 3 year old girl. Such a fun treat.
 Pillows are made by me using left over fabric my mom gave me from her business.
 David made me our kitchen table as my wedding present. We even used it at our wedding for people to sign in with our table cloth. He and his bff also made these fun benches out of old doors we found at the habitat restore in Nashville.
The large artwork on the wall is one of my favorite pieces I've ever painted. I love the colors, and how everything turned out on the wooden "canvas". I gessoed the top only so that the colors would be more vivid and the wood would still be raw at the bottom.
 David made this table out of windows we found and found the wood dumpster diving! Dakota knocked out one of the panes a couple of months ago while we were gone to work. Sneaky dog.
 The large driftwood on the wall was found at the lakehouse last winter. We found it the weekend after my miscarriage. It is a special reminder to me, and I love it.
 The top artwork is by my friend Sarah Nutt, the bottom says "Oh Darling, Lets be adventurers." 
 We found this chest at a thrift store in Colorado Springs and have carried it around with us since then. It houses love letters, journals and special photographs. And, as you can tell, our collection of stickers. 
If you missed the post about essences, you can find it by clicking here. It's some really powerful stuff.
Living Room Essences:
Vervain Flower Essence: Overcare for welfare of others
Sea Pink Flower Essence: To release blocks that interfere with harmonious flow of vital life force
Cherry Flower Essence: Light -hearted, hope, inspiration to otheres, see good in everything, optimistic, positive, genuine soul stirring, laughter, even-mindedness, ability to make light of difficulties.
Marjoram: to encourage calm, balance, integrity, perseverance, sincerity
Dining Room Essences:
Chamomile Flower Essence: Calms tension, especially in the stomach region.
Filaree Flower Essence: Letting go of worries and anxieties that tend to unnecessarily limit one's free participation in life
Red Chesnut Flower Essence: Sending positive healing energy to others, release worry over concern for others
Sandalwood: To encourage warmth, sensitivity, serenity, peace, harmony, wisdom, insightfulness and unity

The back entrance, kitchen and breakfast room all flow together in the new design of this house.
We love the big french doors that open up to our deck from the breakfast room, letting a great breeze into our home. 
As you can see, some things still aren't QUITE finished- like the upper cabinet doors. 
Easy access to all of our dishes! 
If you didn't catch the last house tour post explaining flower essences, you can access it here!
Kitchen Essences
Cedar Flower Essence: Scores clean all mental and etheric debris; know who you are and why you are here.
Black Currant Flower Essence: Clears 7 generations; I am the vitality and freedom of God in every cell in my body.
Myrrh: Let go, forgive and move forward
Breakfast Room Essences
Grapefruit: Facilitates prayer
Lavender: Incorporates heavenly energy leading to physical energy. 
Grape Flower Essence: Becoming love
Coconut Flower Essence: Perseverance/clearer spiritual focus.