The Inspiration Bug Has Bitten Again

Well where has the time gone???  Last thing I remember, I was getting ready to be a Grandmother and here it is 14 months later!  Lot's has happened in that time, my subway signs are doing fabulous on Etsy and I've been busy with everything EXCEPT my home. 

I recently came across a house for sale - completely by chance.  It was actually a random email from my local Facebook Marketplace. Well I jumped right in the car and headed over to the real estate agents office and within 20 minutes I was walking through the door of who I would later come to find out was blogger "Just Beachy" Chris Kaufmann's perfect lil' abode.

To say it was love at first sight would be an understatement! Here are some photos for you to drool over...

I had no idea that this was her home, I never knew the owner was a blogger it was just a fluke...and so inspiring.  I did go back a second time with my husband and he actually loved it too.  We have debated, listed the pros and the cons and have decided to stay put and transform our home.  After all, Chris's home was a newer build and I think I read on her blog somewhere that "beach living is a state of mind".

So I am back!
I WILL change my space to reflect the cottage charm I have loved for so long and...
I WILL be inspired by all the talented women in blogland.  Looking forward to catching up on all I have missed.

My first project will be to make over an awesome little church pew I recently purchased at an antique store in Utica (pictures coming up).


By the way...here is a picture of my beautiful Granddaughter, Madison...my sunshine and joy.

xoxo

It's A Girl !

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♫ ♫  I'm leaving on a jet plane...don't know when I'll be back again. ♫

Well that's not true, I'll be back.  I'm off to New Jersey to visit my beautiful daughter Gina.  She has just had her second ultrasound and they have found out IT'S A GIRL!  We are off to spend 4 wonderful days together.

I thought I would leave you with a few pictures of some gorgeous nurseries. 

...adorable

This was a vintage crib turned into a daybed

Jennifer Lopez - Twins Nursery

 

And of course, what well deserving new mother wouldn't want to have this delish room to retire to after a long day?

 Sources:  PeopleFrench LuxuryCountry LivingApartment Therapy  Have a beautiful weekend everyone!

Interview with the fabulous City.Cottage Store

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I'm so excited to feature and share with you all, the most gorgeous little shop about 10 minutes from my home and how it changed my life.  The awesome Jenny Smith, owner of City.Cottage was so kind to let me do a mini interview. 

I recently found her gorgeous store and fell in love with the charm and beauty of everything there. From the second I walked through the door something inside me changed.  You see, for some time I had been feeling a little blue.  Maybe it was the empty nest syndrome I had been so miserably dealing with...heck, maybe the 45 year old hormones were in overdrive, all I know is as much as I wanted to snap out of it a year and a half of feeling this way was starting to feel like this was the new me and trust me, I wasn't happy about it.

Like I said, from the moment I walked into the sun filled City.Cottage I have felt uplifted and inspired to revisit my love of all things white, casual, cottage and shabby.  I can't explain how inspired and purposeful I felt looking at every square inch of shabby chic goodness.  I finally did leave her store with a handful of adorable robins eggs.  What Jenny doesn't know - is on that day she not only handed me my perfectly wrapped little bag of goodies, she gave me inspiration, purpose and a happiness I hadn't felt in some time. It was that very same week I started my blog.  I'm so grateful...Thank you Jenny.

Ok I digress ;-) enough about me, here we go:

When and what inspired you to open your store?

Other lovely stores.  I fell in love along time ago with a beautiful shop called White On White and everything changed from that second on, I went home painted EVERYTHING white and have not looked back.  People used to come into my home and say you should do this for a living, interior design isn't really where my heart is, it's creating a shop that inspires others to fill there home with beautiful finds, and NOT breaking the bank.

Photo:  City.Cottage

What advice would you give to someone wanting to open a shop?

Do it, dont give up and be patient and if its in the stars for you, it will happen. Also I believe it is a wonderful thing to do something different, that no one has in your town or city, that is what sets you apart and keeps the people coming back.

What is your favourite room in your home?

Well, I just moved into a great loft, with exposed brick, high ceilings and wood floors. It has been super fun finding unique stuff for my own home, and it's a work in progress.  I plan to post it all when I'm done. Recently I found the shabby-est old cubby on Kijij for $60 - dragged it home,  took 5 hours peeling, scraping , cleaning and painting it. Now I am in love with her.  I think you should love every room in your home and make it a place to retreat to.  I think that's why I love Cottage/farmhouse style so much.

When not running your business how do you like to spend your time?

Running my business, lol
Its a labor of love, when you own your own anything in life, it makes it hard to put it on the back burner. But it's all worth it in the end. I do not order anything for the shop, I find it all , paint it all and pull it all together. Thats the fun part for me, seeing it all together at the end of the day, and then seeing someone love it as much as I do in there own home.

Photo: City.Cottage

 

Photo:  City.Cottage

Photo: By Me

44 King Street East, Bowmanville, Ontario