STRAWBERRY PIZZA || a perfect summertime dessert

Strawberry season signals the beginning of summer for me!  There is nothing like fresh strawberries straight from the garden!  Last night I had a friend over for dessert, she brought the wine and I made a strawberry pizza.  We stayed up chatting until it was dark and I realized this recipe is so easy and too tasty to not share!

r e c i p e :

c r u s t -
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup powdered sugar
2 TBSP of cold water
f i l l i n g -
4 oz. cream cheese, chilled
1/2 tsp. lemon juice
1 cup heavy whipping cream, chilled
1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 cups sliced strawberries

Pre-heat oven to 375.
In a mixing bowl, combine flour, powdered sugar and butter. Mix until it's blended, add 1-2 TBSP of cold water, just enough to form a ball with hands.  Press or roll into a circle or rectangle on an ungreased cookie sheet or pizza pan.  Bake at 375 for 15 minutes, cool completely. 

Once your crust is cool, place your mixing bowl in the refrigerator or freezer for 10 minutes.  In the cooled mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese for 2-3 minutes on medium/high speed until all of the clumps are gone, scrape the bowl occasionally.  Slowly drizzle in the whipping cream until it resembles a liquid mixture.  Beat on medium/high speed until soft peaks form.  Add powdered sugar and lemon juice.

Spread on the cooled crust.  Slice strawberries and cover the top of the cheese filling with sliced strawberries.  Refrigerate until ready to enjoy!
 

ICED COFFEE RECIPE || my new favorite iced coffee treat

What strange times these have been! How are you doing? Our day-to-day doesn’t look much different……we decided to homeschool the girls at the beginning of this school year, we are naturally homebodies and we always have a million unfinished outside projects to keep us busy. We’ve just been hunkering down doing our best to look on the bright side and trust completely that this is no surprise to God.

While we have had extra time at home, I have been experimenting with different recipes. Have you seen the new recipe floating around social medial that includes whipped instant coffee? It’s my new favorite! Here is what you will need:

5 minutes

2 tsp. instant coffee

1/2 tsp. granulated sugar (or to taste)

3 tsp. hot water

caramel sauce

milk + ice

In a bowl, wisk together the instant coffee, hot water and sugar. Wisk for 3-5 minutes, until the coffee becomes foamy.

Assemble your drink - drizzle caramel sauce around the inside edge of your glass, I squeeze about 2 TBSP of caramel sauce. Fill your 3/4 of the way full with ice, pour in milk, leaving about 1 inch of room from the top. Pour in the whipped instant coffee. Mix everything together and ENJOY!!!

MOTHER'S DAY || celebrating at the farm

What’s more fun than an excuse to get together with girlfriends and family? Well, I guess there are some things…..but I sure love the excuse! Last year I hosted a Mother’s Day flower arranging + breakfast/lunch workshop and we had SO MUCH FUN!

Want to join in on the fun? We are going to eat, take a tour of the gardens and greenhouse, and then create a unique and beautiful flower arrangement for you to take home and enjoy! Not only will you go home with a full belly and the flower arrangement that YOU created, you will go home with a gift bag full of treats! Oh, and did I mention early bird shopping in the greenhouses? Yep!! That evening we are opening up the greenhouses for nibbles, drinks and shopping, but class attendees get first dibs:)

It’s going to be a fun and inspiring way to kick off Mother’s Day weekend!

D E T A I L S:

Both classes are on Saturday, May 9th, 2020.

9:00am-11:00am

AND

12:30pm-2:30pm

The class includes breakfast or lunch, drinks, and all of the supplies necessary to create your own flower basket. The class also includes exclusive shopping and a SWAG bag full of goodies!

Class is limited to 20.

$100 per person. Class is non-refundable.

Sign up here

FALL BAKING || cinnamon-pear tart

Goodness, it’s been a while! Life sure twists and turns and flies by! My last post with the end of March….and here we are with the leaves changing color and the days getting shorter.

My mom passed away suddenly and unexpectedly just 7 weeks ago. She was young (just 62), healthy and such a huge part of my life. I miss her like crazy, and have a hole in my heart that God is slowly healing. I haven’t had much motivation to be creative, I’m sure it will eventually come back. But, I have enjoyed spending extra time in the kitchen with my sweet peas!!

We have apples and pears coming out of our ears! We have been eating them fresh, giving them away and making too much apple/pear-sauce :) The girls love helping me in the kitchen and I have found that a “rustic tart” is the easy and scrumptious way to use up that extra fruit!

The beautiful thing about a “rustic tart” is that is easy and super forgiving! You can easily swap out apples for the pears, or use both. This is a very forgiving recipe, so have fun and experiment!

Let me know if you bake this tart….or another one!! Happy Fall!!

LAUNDRY ROOM || our new laundry room

For Christmas, Matt gifted me with a new laundry room! He just finished it a couple of weeks ago! It may have taken a few months, but there are no complaints here because I absolutely love this little, hardworking room!

Our little laundry room is also our pantry. When we moved things out of our retail shop, we had the beautiful white oak display shelves that Matt had built. Well, we decided to use a couple of them in the laundry room! They serve as my pantry shelves. They are white oak and sealed with Miss Mustard Seed Hemp Oil. Matt welded the metal and just left the metal raw, I just love them!

I used baskets and jars to organize the pantry. They were all items I had left over from the shop! I love that the jars allow me to see how much I have of a certain item, and I love that the baskets can be full of bags and boxes of chips and crackers and I can’t see the chaos :)

Matt built these beautiful countertops and cabinets with the same white oak that matches the shelves on the pantry side. He painted the cabinets a dark navy blue, the same blue we used on one of the bathroom vanities in the modern farm house/new construction. It’s such a pretty blue, I kind of want to paint everything this color! The countertops are sealed with 3 coats of Miss Mustard Seed Hemp Oil. I love using the oil for wood countertops! They just need to be lightly sanded and re-coated to keep them looking good. It’s much easier than having the finish peel and chip where it gets wet!

This seems to be the only “before” picture I can find! It’s not a true “before” since Matt had already removed the existing shelves and utility sink out of the room!

Thanks for following along! We are sure loving our new/old home! Room by room we are adding our little touches and making it feel like home!

Mother's Day EVENT || food, flowers, shopping and lots of fun

We have been working behind the scenes like busy little bees and I am so excited to share our Mother’s Day event with you!! This is going to be such a fun event, and our first “welcome” to the new farm!!

Grab your mom, daughter and girlfriends!! Join us in the greenhouses! Enjoy a delicious breakfast or lunch, a tour of the gardens and then let your creativity run wild as we build our own flower basket!

We are going to eat, take a tour of the gardens and greenhouse, and then create a unique and beautiful flower arrangement for you to take home and enjoy for weeks! Not only will you go home with a full belly and the flower arrangement that YOU created, you will go home with a gift bag full of treats! Oh, and did I mention early bird shopping in the greenhouses? Yep!! That evening we are opening up the greenhouses for nibbles, drinks and shopping, but class attendees get first dibs:)

It’s going to be a fun and inspiring way to kick off Mother’s Day weekend!

D E T A I L S:

The class is on Saturday, May 11th, 2019. 9am-11am

The class includes breakfast, drinks, and all of the supplies necessary to create your own flower basket. The class also includes exclusive shopping and a SWAG bag full of goodies!

Class is limited to 20.

$95 per person. Class is non-refundable.

S I G N U P H E R E

MODERN FARMHOUSE || new construction

Last year we had the pleasure of working for some pretty incredible people! One of the projects we started (and finished :) was a new construction. The owners purchased 80 acres outside of Yamhill and we worked together to design a “modern farmhouse”, it will serve as their vacation home and short term rental. We had so much fun working on this project, and the owners have become such good friends, they are pretty much family now!

I will get more exterior photos after the landscaping is finished! But, I just had to show you the front of the house! The garage is my favorite….those dark garage doors, the black goose neck lights, the false dormers and even the gutters! We went with a larger gutter and round downspouts, it’s all of the little details that add up, you know?!?

They wanted an open concept lay out. The dining room, kitchen and living room are all open and have large windows to capture the beautiful view out the back. Of course I have a thing for the cabinet maker….he’s cute and he really builds some beautiful cabinets! When we design a kitchen, we work through EVERY detail. Where will the knives go? What about the mixer? Silverware? We strive to have it so dialed in that nothing is left out! That way the clients know exactly how their new kitchen will function best for THEM…..happy clients = happy life :)

The living room opens to the back deck and is really made for entertaining! Matt built cabinetry to surround the fireplace, it makes it feel cozy and clean. He also mimicked the kitchen hood and installed tongue and groove paneling above the fireplace. The mantel is reclaimed oak and the fireplace surround is plaster, painted the same color as the paneling. Simple and classy!

This house was designed and built as a vacation home. Each bedroom has it’s own bathroom, lucky guests! Each bathroom is a little different; different tile and vanity colors, but they still tie together! They are so fun and fresh, I just love how they turned out!

There are so many fun details in this house! One of my favorites is that the drywall texture on the walls mimics plaster, I absolutely love it! The laundry room is super cute too! There is a powder room off of the laundry room, and they converted the garage into a game room. It’s really such a charming and sweet home and every detail was thought out!

Can I just say how blessed we are to work with such incredible people? Truly. We built this home for 2 couples, that tells you right there how great they are! That these four people can work together so well, build a home together, make selection choices together, and still be dear fiends that travel together!! They have become wonderful friends, and we are so excited to be working on another project for them! I will post pictures on that project soon!

In the mean time, thanks for following along!

xoxo-Darci

LEMONS || tree care and home made lemon curd

I’ve tried growing Meyer Lemon Trees in the past and killed them shortly after they came to live with me! When we moved to the farm, one of the things I was most excited about was the green houses. So, last Fall I bought another Meyer Lemon Tree and was determined to keep it alive! It’s been so happy living here, it really made me realize how important sunshine is for these delicious trees.

Here is what I have learned ( mostly the hard way) about what Meyer Lemon Trees need to thrive.

• These beautiful citrus trees need at least 6 hours of sunlight per day. If your’s is inside, just turn it every 3 weeks so that all of the leaves get sunshine.

• They like just the right amount of water! The soil should be slightly dry in between waterings, but never completely dry.

• They are happy with a little fertilizer boost. Citrus fertilizer does just the job…..space out your fertilizing about every 4-6 weeks.

• These beauties also like warmer temperatures. They can withstand temperatures down to about 20 degrees, so if your area gets colder than that in the winter, you will want to bring them inside.

Our little lemon tree is so happy and I have been having fun making lemon treats with our fresh lemons! My latest obsession is Lemon Curd! Have you tried it?? It’s so good!!! I love spreading it on biscuits, toast, swirling it into plain yogurt and vanilla ice cream……the list goes on!!

One of the easiest recipes I have found for Lemon Curd is this microwave recipe from momontimeout.com. It’s so easy, you will probably never be without it :)

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter

• 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar

• 3 eggs

• 1 egg yolk

• 1 cup fresh lemon juice

• lemon zest from 3 lemons

Instructions

• Melt butter in microwave, set aside to cool slightly.

• Whisk together sugar and eggs in a medium-sized microwave-safe bowl.

• Whisk in lemon juice and zest.

• Finally whisk in the butter.

• Microwave on 50% power for one minute. Stir.

• Continue microwaving at 100% power in one minute intervals, stirring after each interval until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. (The curd will thicken as it cools.)

• Strain curd through a fine-mesh sieve to remove zest.

• Pour curd into sterile jars and store for up to three weeks in the refrigerator.

I pour my lemon curd into little mason jars. They store perfectly in the refrigerator, look darling, and are also always ready to give to a friend. Let me know if you make this lemon curd! I would love to hear what you think!!

LIVING ROOM || our new living room

One of my favorite rooms in our new home is the formal living room. It’s huge! Not to mention it has ginormous windows with amazing natural light, and all of the charm you would expect in a 100 year old home!

The previous owners left this amazing and beautiful vintage rug! I get so many people asking where I got it! It really is a beauty, and we didn’t even have to move it in!!

The only things we did in this room, was paint the walls and ceilings, paint the mantle, and replace the ceiling light fixtures. The ceiling light fixtures were not original, and I wanted something somewhat stately, but not too fancy. I found these simple, classy, brass semi-flush light fixtures at Globe Lighting and I love that they just blend in!

I painted the ceilings “Snowdrift” from Rodda, and the walls are a Sherwin Williams color, “Soft Chamois”. The walls were originally green and the ceiling was pink. Painting the walls and ceiling completely lighted this space!

My beloved Moss Studio furniture from the shop moved right in! I am obsessed with how comfortable and well made the furniture is! I will admit, the dog is not allowed in this room :) He manages to drool everywhere and mama puts her foot down with drool and linen slipcovers :)

Below is the room before we painted it. It’s such a beautiful room, I honestly don’t know that it could look bad!! I mean, look at the picture railing and base molding!! B E F O R E v v

Thank you so much for following along as we make this little farm ours, one project at a time!

"HOME MADE" CINNAMON ROLLS || an easy weekend treat

Years ago, I found the easiest recipe for “home made” cinnamon rolls (Jenny Steffens-Hobick of Everyday Occasions has the most inspiring blog!) and I have been making them at least once a week ever since. I love making batches to give to new mamas, out of town friends or just anyone needing an extra reason to smile. I’ve shared the recipe before years ago, and somehow it got lost when I switched websites a few years ago! So, it’s time to share it again!! It’s so easy, and hardly a recipe, but that’s part of what makes them so good!!

The Rhodes, frozen bread dough is what makes these cinnamon rolls so easy! The bread comes in a 5 pack, I usually use one loaf for our family of four. You are going to defrost your loaf directly in your baking pan, no point in dirtying an extra pan! Cover it with plastic wrap and let it rise in a warm, draft free place until double in size. ( I set out a cube of butter at this time to let it soften.)

Once the dough has doubled in size (could be 4-8 hours, depending on temperature and humidity) roll it out into a rectangle. Smother on a 1/2 cup (cube) of softened butter and give it a good layer of cinnamon + sugar.

Slice your rolls, about 2 inches long, and place them in your baking pan. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled in size, about 2-4 hours. Once they are doubled in size, place them in the refrigerator until you are ready to bake them. (I typically do this on Friday, then pop them in the refrigerator Friday evening and they are ready to bake Saturday morning!)

When you are ready to bake your cinnamon rolls, take them out of the refrigerator about an hour before baking, just to let them reach room temperature. Bake at 375 for 18-22 minutes. Right when you removed the rolls from the oven, melt 2 TBS of butter and then mix with powdered sugar, a bit of vanilla extract and milk until you reach your desired consistency for icing. Pour icing over your warm rolls. Enjoy!!!

“ HOMEMADE” CINNAMON ROLLS

1 loaf of Rhodes frozen bread dough

1/2 cup of softened butter + 2 TBSP

cinnamon + sugar mixture

powdered sugar

vanilla extract

milk

Place frozen dough in baking pan. Let bread dough rise until doubled in size (5-8 hours).

Once dough is doubled in size, roll into a rectangle and spread 1/2 cup of butter over dough then generously coat with cinnamon + sugar mixture.

Roll length wise and slice rolls, 2 inches wide. Place in baking pan, cover with plastic wrap and let rise until double in size. Once doubled, place in the refrigerator until ready to bake.

Once you are ready to bake, remove rolls from refrigerator 1 hour before baking. Bake at 375 for 18-22 minutes. As soon as you remove them from the oven pour icing over hot rolls and enjoy!

*Icing

Melt 2 TBSP of butter, add a splash of vanilla extract, powdered sugar and milk until you reach the desired consistency for your icing.

SAVANNA'S ROOM || the sweetest wallpaper

We have finally started to feel settled into our new home. Moving is such a process, isn’t it? I’m pretty sure the last time we moved I said THAT would be the last time I moved ;) Well, here we are again and hopefully we won’t be moving for a very long time!

Now that we are out of boxes, I really want the girls to feel cozy and comfortable here. Their bedroom’s are definitely a priority! Last week my mom and mother-in-law came over and we kicked our rears into gear and wallpapered Savanna’s room in one day!

The existing wallpaper was in such good shape, we decided to wallpaper right over it! The wallpaper I found was not pre-pasted. It was a bit more time consuming, however, once I found the right adhesive, it worked out really well!

I wiped down the walls, made sure the seams were tight and set up a workstation with sawhorses and plywood. It took us a while to get into our grove, but once we did, it actually went pretty fast!

I found this sweet owl wallpaper on Wayfair. I looked and looked and this one was definitely a favorite!! I wanted something sweet and whimsical, fairly neutral and not super expensive. This wallpaper hit the mark on all three!!

Would you believe that her bedroom has the sweetest pedestal sink AND a french door leading to a balcony? The character in this old house is unbelievable!! The bedding and rug is from the shop (except the IKEA checkered duvet cover:) and the bed frame is painted with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint, Graphite.

I know her room will continue to change and we will find some more treasures to add to it. Until then, she is loving it and so am I :)

Please don’t hesitate to ask any questions about the wallpaper, I am more than happy to help!! Thanks for following along!!

ART ROOM || finding a space to be creative

Hello friend! It’s been a while since I have posted….my apologies! Things have been so busy with moving the shop and our home, but such is life, right? That’s one of the reasons I love January! For me it’s a time to re-set and re-organize after the hustle and bustle of the holidays!

This Christmas, our Christmas present for the girls was turning the sun room (at our new home) into their art room. They are always coloring, crafting and creating at their little art table next to the kitchen and we wanted to create a space for them that allowed them to make messes and be creative!

I have found for myself that when I don’t take the time to be creative, I just start going through the motions. Ya know? I don’t enjoy life to the fullest! I am determined to be aware of then I need a little creative re-set!

I hope you can carve out some time to be creative this year too! Whether it’s in the kitchen, the garden, or whatever, a little time to re-charge our creative side is always a good thing :)

OUR HOME || a few changes

I’m having so much fun looking through these old photos! Sometimes it’s easy to forget how much progress you have made on a project….it’s such a good reminder to look back and see how far you have come!

We have a huge basement which we really love and spend quite a bit of time using! The girl’s playroom is tucked around a corner so it can be a complete disaster and you have no idea! It took us a while to figure out how we would best utilize the space, but once we figured it out, we’ve never looked back!

There was some great storage space in the playroom! Matt converted one of the storage closets into a little book nook for the girls, it’s one of their favorite spots!! We also had a ductless heat/ac unit installed and new carpet. Both make the room feel super cozy!

We made some changes in the basement, mostly changes just making the space work better for us. We moved an exterior door which allowed us to make a cozy living room space next to the fireplace. This is were we get cozy watching movies and snuggling in for Saturday morning cartoons. Matt modified the built-in cabinetry and I painted the cabinetry with Miss Mustard Seed Milk Paint, “Typewriter”. I sealed the paint with 3 coats of Hemp Oil and it’s one of my favorite cabinets in the house!

We also have a wet bar/game area, laundry room and bathroom downstairs, but those just don’t look as pretty in pictures :)

One of my favorite rooms that we have re-done in this house is the powder room. It’s just got so much personality, yet it’s simple and classic!

We touched every part of this little room, Matt even built a new window! If you want any sources, please just let me know, I am happy to share!!

Another one of my favorite rooms is the dining room! When we bought the home, it had French doors on one wall and a swinging door on the other wall. It was completely separated from the kitchen and the living room, so we made a couple of changes…..

Matt installed a beautiful paneling to the walls! It was so labor intensive but his OCD totally paid off and the walls are perfection!! I love the simplicity of the dining room! It allows me to have a lot of fun with seasonal centerpieces too!!

There are so many wonderful things I love about this house! Truly, we will be sad to leave. We thought it would be our forever home, but now it will be the perfect home for a new family!!

OUR HOME || a few changes and a few before + after photos

Well friends, life went and got busy……you too? It sure happens fast, doesn’t it? The girls and I thoroughly enjoyed summer break and we even snuck out of town for a few weekend get-aways.

We also sold our little vacation rental in Carlton (we talk about doing that every year, but have never had another project to put that money towards). It was bittersweet, you know? That home holds so many memories. However, that allowed us to move towards purchasing a farm in Carlton!! On September 28th we closed escrow on the farm, put our shop building up for sale, and last week we listed our home! Things have been a little crazy around here lately, and God is gently teaching me so many lessons along the way :)

It’s no secret that Matt and I love old homes. We love to remodel them for clients, we love to design new homes to look like old homes, and we love to live in old homes! The home we purchased in Carlton was built in 1911 and the character and craftsmanship is unreal. I can’t wait to share more of it with you!

In the mean time, I wanted to share some BEFORE + AFTER photos of our current home, hoping that it inspires you enjoy your home to the fullest, regardless of budget or DIY skills :)

The biggest changes we made in the kitchen were opening up the kitchen/living room wall and raising the sunken living room floor. Before the area was really cramped and hard to have multiple people in the kitchen, let alone really utilize the island! PS-all of the “AFTER” photos are from our realtor’s fantastic photographer, Mark Coffman.

We kept some of the original cabinetry (it was in really good shape, just needed a paint job), modified some and built some. We moved the oven and kitchen sink which has been so helpful with the flow! We hosted our small group Monday night for dinner and it was so great to have plenty of room for 12 adults and 12 kids!

We went with black leathered granite for the countertops and I used Annie Sloan Chalk Paint for the cabinetry. I painted the island “Graphite” (Chalk Paint) and the perimeter “French Linen” (Chalk Paint) and sealed them both with Annie Sloan Lacquer and Clear Wax.

Matt used some reclaimed Oak for the open shelves, and welded the brackets and painted them black. I have done a lot of research on induction ovens, and we have installed a handful of them in remodels, so I was really anxious to get one for the kitchen. After a lot of research, I decided to go with the Bertazzoni induction range. I love the sleek design, how it sits almost flush with the cabinetry, and I love the way it works! It pre-heats incredibly fast, cooks evenly and I love the induction cooktop even more than I thought I would.

We also added stone to the mudroom/kitchen entry floor and I am so happy we did!!! It rains here so often and with muddy boots and wet paws, this has been so good!! OK, I won’t overload you with pictures now, and I will add some more pictures next week. Thanks for always following along on our journey, it means so much to us!!

MY FAVORITE PAINT TIP || custom colors

There are so many tried and true paint colors floating around the internet.....SW Repose Gray, SW Amazing Gray, SW Alabaster, and the list goes on.  But, what do you do when those colors just aren't right for your space?!?  Have the color custom made!

Last year we painted the exterior of our home.  I was having the hardest time finding the perfect white.  Our white vinyl windows were a little bleached from the sun and I wanted a seamless look between the siding, trim and windows.

After a few samples of white paint, we decided to just take the white screen to our local Rodda Paint.  They mixed a white that perfectly matched the screen.  Not too cool, not too warm.....just right! 

We did the same thing with our garage!  We wanted it to match our barn.  We took a piece of the stained cedar siding from the barn and Rodda Paint matched it, they came up with a perfect paint color!  I have actually done this for years....I have taken in Pottery Barn catalogs, fabric, flower petals and of course pictures! 

I definitely recommend a local paint store versus a big box store's paint department.  The local paint stores typically have knowledgable staff and they are willing to mix colors and work with you.  Plus, I just love knowing the staff and building that relationship with them!  

In other news, and completely un-related to paint colors :), we added two dwarf nigerian goats to our family!  They are just the sweetest!!!

Meet Bean and Ruby!  They are brother and sister, and just about the sweetest little four legged creatures I have met.  We've had them for a few weeks now and I can easily find myself becoming the crazy goat lady.  I'm already planning how we can add more babies to our little goat family next Spring :}

The goats and chickens live together and it is the cutest thing to watch them play together!

Thanks so very much for popping by the blog!

Wishing you a wonderful weekend!

SCHOOL HOUSE LIGHT FIXTURES || favorite sources

I know I'm not the only one in love with school house light fixtures!  We have installed them in various projects over the years and they still look so good.  To me they are classic and timeless.  I thought I would share a couple of my favorite sources for school house light fixtures, in case you love them as much as I do :)

My go-to for gooseneck and barn light fixtures is Barn Light Electric.  You can customize your fixture with color, globe, arm size and more.  The fixtures are very well made, and made in the USA!  

Another favorite is Schoolhouse Electric.  Schoolhouse Electric is located in Portland and I can spend hours in their warehouse!  So much hard work and creativity goes into each fixture they create.  It's truly a fixture you would never want to, or need to replace. 

I have also purchased school house pendants from Elk Lighting.  We have these pendants in the shop and I love them!  Classic, fun and big enough to make a statement.  

Have you purchased a school house fixture from another company?  I would love to hear about it!  

POWDER ROOM || before + after

Hello friends!

Well, we finally finished our powder room!  It only took us one year ;)  Now, in Matt's defense, he demoed the space last year and then we moved on to exterior house projects while the weather was nice.  Here are a couple of BEFORE pictures of our hard working powder room....

And how the finished space looks now.....

The original walls are plaster and had two layers of wallpaper on them.  One day last year I felt ambitious and starting removing the wallpaper.  Well, once I realized that it was going to take me A LOT of time to get those walls stripped down and looking good, Matt decided to swoop in and save the day by suggesting paneling!  We wanted to do something different and he came up with the idea of a vertical paneling.  I love the clean lines and simplicity!  

A couple of years ago, Matt was finishing up a big cabinet job and the homeowner had used this beautiful travertine throughout her new home.  She had two big crates left over and Matt asked if she was going to sell them....sure enough!  We have enough of this stone to use in our entry and kitchen.  It's just been waiting so patiently in the garage for the last couple of years,  it feels so good to finally start seeing it in our home!

Matt built this vanity from some left over reclaimed Fir that he had used on a different project.  To protect the wood from water damage, I oiled it with 4 coats of Miss Mustard Seed Hemp Oil.  He cut a hole in the top and we have a white, rectangular, undermount sink dropped in there.  I love wall mount faucets and will use them any chance I can!  This wall mount faucet is polished nickel and I love the look of it against the old wood!

The schoolhouse light is one of my other favorite things in this space!  Black and white is so classic!  The light is from Barn Light Electric and it's such a beauty!!  I'm not much of a niche person but Matt thought it would be nice and I am so glad he built that little space in.  It's perfect for fresh flowers and a candle.  The mirror is from the shop and it's fun and kind of funky.  You can see our new black door in the mirror....we are slowly switching out all of our hollow-core, flat panel doors with solid core, black paneled doors and I LOVE them!

It was such a fun little space to remodel!  It sure makes me excited to tackle the other two bathrooms :)  Thanks for following along!  It you have any questions about specific products used, just ask in the comments or shoot me an email!

xoxo

Darci

MOTHER'S DAY || lovin' on the ladies in our lives

It's hard to believe that Mother's Day is next month!  How is that possible?  Didn't we just finish up our holiday celebrations?!?  Well, whether or not I want to believe it, May is fast approaching.  We have some fun things lined up at the shop!

I have some very creative and incredibly talented ladies joining me at the shop on Saturday, May 12th!  My sweet flower farming friend Beth, of Crowley House Flower Farms, is going to be teaching a flower crown workshop!  If the weather is cooperating, we will have this fun workshop set up in the side yard at the shop.  If the weather is less than ideal, it will be in the garage...either way, it's going to be so fun!!!  Skill level does not matter my friends!  Beth will help each person create their own darling masterpiece, regardless of age or skill level :)  We will have yummy treats and drinks too!  

We have two time slots:

11am - 1pm & 2pm -4pm

$30 per person

Another incredibly creative and talented friend joining us at the shop on May 12th is Tanya of Rough Cut Soap Co.  Tanya makes the most beautiful soaps I have ever seen!  I don't mean to sound dramatic, but she really does!  I can't wait to see what lovely pretties she will be bringing!!

My super sweet and talented friend Shelby of Huckleberry Home, will be joining us a bringing her darling, handmade signs.  Shelby sold her signs at the Maker's Market we hosted in November and her sweet signs flew out the door!  I am so excited to have her back!

And then there are these two little cuties who want to sell their cookies on Saturday!  It's so sweet to listen to them plan their booth and their little cookie menu!  They really love being at the shop and I want to savor, and nurture that, for as long as I can!  Even if it means I stay up until 1am packaging cookies ;)

So, I hope you will plan on spending some time with us May 12th!  Bring your mama, your sister or your girlfriend!  It will be such a fun day and an excuse to love on, and connect with those special ladies in your life!!

Happy weekend!!

xoxo

Darci

PARK DRIVE || renovation in McMinnville

Hello friends!  I thought I would share just a few more pictures from the Park Drive remodel.  Matt and I have a shared affection for old homes.  There are a lot of creative ways to bring old home character to a home of any age, but there is just something extra special about a home thats been standing for almost 100 years!

We refinished the wood floors (original fir) and used a product from Bona that almost bleached them out, it took any orange out of the wood.  For you locals, Adam Best weaved in new fir and refinished the existing wood.  He did such a great job!  The floor looks perfectly worn and natural!

This little sunroom off the side of the house was in pretty rough shape.  New tile floor, new trim, new paint and now this just might be the cutest room in the house!  I love how the owner's turned it into a little office/art space....so cute!

Old home charm with all of the modern amenities that we all love!  It was a pleasure to work with these clients and an honor to get to leave our mark on this old charmer.  

xoxo,

Darci

PARK DRIVE || renovation in McMinnville - bathrooms

This old home is such a gem!  All of the character and quirks we love about old homes, yet completely updated with modern conveniences....the best of both worlds!  As I mentioned in my last post, the clients purchased this home with the intention of renovating and turning into a vacation rental.  It's just a charmer and so well appointed!  I wish them much success in their endeavors! 

One of my favorite spaces in this old home is the new powder room!  This room required the skills of a lot of different men!

The plaster walls are gorgeous!  We used a gentleman (Bravura Finishes, out of Lake Oswego- for you locals) and he is truly an artist.  He made a couple of samples up based off of inspiration photos, and the end results are truly stunning.  Such a special feature to have in a powder room!

The hardwood floor installer/refinisher did such an amazing job on the floors.  Our plumber did a fantastic job of setting the plumbing - there was no room for error and he nailed it!  The handsome contractor on the job did a pretty fantastic job of making sure all of the little details were in place and doing all of the "extras". I've said it before, but he's a keeper!

This is the smallest of the 3 full baths.  Neutral stone, classic fixtures and a fun shower curtain give it a lot of personality!

This upstairs bathroom is a lot of beauty packed in a fairly small space!  Matt built this vanity and I love it....simple and yet classy.  The open shelving makes it easy to grab things not to mention all of the saved space by not having to open cabinet doors.  The toilet is tucked behind the little pony wall for privacy and the shower looks and feels like a spa!  And just look at these fun floor tiles!

The bathrooms in this home were definitely a labor of love!  The owner had a great vision for how she wanted the home to look and feel!  Matt had the creativity and skills to make it happen and I just can't get over how beautiful it all turned out!  I still have a few more rooms to show you next week.....thanks for following along friend!!