Summer Projects

Wow! Where did the summer go!?!

I can't believe July just flew by

& we're midway through August.

So, we've been busy trying to get through ALL of our projects before winter arrives. We haven't actually completed any of them, but we've been busy. Here's a little bit of what
we've been working on...

• The Barn: converting an old tack room / shed into my new studio ~ yay! I couldn't be more excited about finishing this project, but as with everything…it's taking longer than expected. This will end up being my showroom for all our {VINTAGE RENTALS}.
• Utilities & Electrical: We're upgrading our electrical system to current standards & moving our incoming service. My sweetie is learning a lot about electrical systems. We're also upgrading our propane & water systems so we can finally have a washer & dryer hooked up & our gorgeous Viking stove functioning. I can't wait!
• Property Clean-up: We're still clearing all the slash & destruction from the logging operation we took on in April. We need one (maybe 2) more day(s) of chipping to get through the piles of limbs & a few days with our neighbors tractor grating & cleaning up the property. We're hoping to have our Meadow back next Spring & the property ready to start some fun outdoor projects: garden beds, greenhouse, chicken coop, small orchard, horseshoe pit, front patio & who knows what else...
• Winter Weatherizing: We have tons of work on the exterior of the house that needs to be buttoned up before winter shows up. Replacing gutters, patching up stucco walls, sealing & painting exterior walls & eves. And who knows maybe replacing some old windows with new double-paned ones & putting a french door into our breezeway. We'll see that might be wishful thinking this year.
• Vintage Rental Projects: I also finally completed a few projects that have been on the list for a looong time now. I kept thinking I would start some projects once I got my workroom/office finished, but it quickly got filled up with inventory & I couldn't get anything done in there. So then we started working on The Barn & I thought I'd start once that was completed, but like I mentioned above, it's taking a little longer than expected. So I finally needed to complete some things for our recent photo shoot at Cavallo Point (more to come later on this).
• Chalkboards: His & Hers a few pieces of plywood, chalkboard paint & a vintage gold picture frame & scratched silver tray. Time for a makeover. Here's the BEFORE...

And AFTER…

With gorgeous writing from Jenna from JennaBeth Photography.

These will be added to the {VINTAGE RENTAL} collection soon.

• Table: Jenna Sweetheart Drop-leaf Table I've had this sweet little table for years…always knowing I would paint it, but never seemed to get around to it. I had thoughts of painting it an apple green or bright orange, but good ol' farmhouse white won over once again. So here it is BEFORE...

And AFTER…

Find this soon on the website here…

These were perfect for the photoshoot!

I can't wait to complete more projects soon.

What have you been busy with this summer?

Check out our website & contact us so we can

create your vision for you wedding or photoshoot.

Cheers ~ Erica

follow along on

Instagram & Facebook

New Inventory Images

I've been busy taking product shots (in between the downpours of desperately needed rain) for the new website I'm working on. This blog has been fabulous, but doesn't quite showcase all of the inventory I have to rent. This process is taking a ton more time than I ever anticipated & is all-consuming.

So in the meantime, I thought I would share some 

new pics of old & brand new inventory…

And make sure to check out the Instagram feed

for all of the new inventory!

Kathryn Upholstered Chair

Angelo Bistro Chair

Heart Tin on our Kathy & Lynette Suitcases

Kory Drop-leaf Table

Stella Yellow Chair with Round Wire Birdcage

Silver Cake Knife & Server Set on our Citrus Cake Stand

Amber Aqua Flower Cart

Carola & Amelie Suitcases

Millie Stool with a Milk Glass Flower Pot

Jessica Barrels with the Silver Cake Stand

Our new Silver Champagne Bucket...

sitting on our Annabella Pink Side Table

Enjoy the week ~ Cheers!

Erica

Five Faves for Friday…Crafty Studio Spaces

I feel blessed to be able to turn our second upstairs bedroom

into my dream craft / office space. That being said,

it's a tiny space that I have crammed my office, some storage &

a craft area into. Because of this (& because it IS a

CRAFT room after all) I needed to get creative. These five elements helped me to create a

functional & inspiring space on a budget.

1.  Bookshelf as a Divider

I saw the image below on Pinterest & instantly knew I wanted

to use a bookcase that my father & I made using old bead board as

the back panel. This gave me a display shelf that is seen

directly upon entering the room. I'm able to create

small vignettes of my rental items to be inspired & inspire others. My craft table is sandwiched behind the bookcase

which not only creates a great "wall" to hang things from, but also hides & contains some of the clutter.

I could imagine using a curtain, an armoire or a door in the

same manner. There are definitely lots of options to try if you

get creative. We'll see how this space evolves over time.

VINTAGE

2.  Sawhorses & Door as a Craft Table

I bought some sawhorses from IKEA & re-purposed an old hollow

door as a workspace for my old Singer sewing machine & a space

to craft. I plan to paint the door a bright green (someday),

but for now it is a dingy white & works just fabulously. It's

such an easy & stylish option & it can be

easily adjusted or moved.

3.  Picture Frame as an Inspiration Board

I found a funky old window screen in the barn when we moved

to The Farmhouse & although the screen was all ripped up

it was perfect for displaying items of inspiration on rope with

clothespins. I used this at our wedding celebration to hang 

family pictures & a place to display friends WISHES for us

written on fabric scrap flags. Eventually I'll sew them

into celebration flags to hang in the breezeway.

VINTAGE

But as seen below, you can use just about anything or

even just the wall itself as an inspiration board.

Every craft room or workspace needs one!

Lauren Conrad

4.  Cubbies & Bins as Organization

I love collecting wire bins, wooden boxes, crocks & all sorts

of cubbies for corralling all of my crafty goodness. I like

seeing what I have on display, so I am inspired

(& so I remember what I have!)

Forever Love

Misch Masch by Nina

5.  Windows or Good Lighting

I'm fortunate to have two big windows in my workspace to

let in a bunch of natural light. These happen to be the only

windows that were replaced with double paned ones before we

bought The Farmhouse & they cleaned up pretty well.

sf girl by bay

Style-Files

If you aren't that lucky…make sure to have some inspiring &

functional lighting to keep things inviting.

Room Designs

All the images above are credited unless they were pinned on

Pinterest without the correct link. If any of these images are

yours please be in touch so I can give you credit…

Find more inspiration on our Pinterest board: studio love.

Although we finally finished painting my craft room / office,

I've just begun to go through all of my fabric, crafts & who

knows what else has been boxed away. Once I make some sense of

the room I'll be sure to post a before & after of the space.

Here are a some snippets of a few corners…

Follow on Instagram to see all the current action.

Cheers ~ Erica

Happy Valentine's Day!

All images found on Pinterest ~ see our Pinterest board

"inspiration ~ things i love"

A little farmhouse love for all of you lovelies!

Besides my wonderful husband & sweet dog & cats...

I'm loving my new craft room / office that I finally finished painting. I love feeling inspired & creative again.

Here's a little sneak peak of the space

before the full reveal...

Have a lovely day!

Cheers ~ Erica

Five Faves for Friday...Barn Doors

We've been lusting over

BARN-STYLE DOORS for The Farmhouse

ever since we bought this place. We plan to use one for the door

between our kitchen & the breezeway, as well as from the

breezeway to the garage. We're not certain if we'll build one

or use a reclaimed door. Here are some images that are

inspiring us right now...

A cool galvanized metal door

Mechant Design

A rustic door with white barn wood & a window

Elle Decor

A perfect pair of chippy shabby chic painted french doors

Cedar Hill Farmhouse

A massive industrial metal door on concrete beams

Ideas for Beautiful Interior Design

I love everything

about this door, tracks, lights & siding

Pinterest

Check out more inspiring images on all our Pinterest Boards!

I'll definitely post any progress on these doors here,

until then...

Cheers ~ Erica

New for 2014

It's been almost 3 months since we moved up to

The Farmhouse permanently...

Sometimes it feels like we just got here & then other moments
it feels like we have never been anywhere else. We have
settled into the chaos & are loving our new life.

As I reflect on the last couple months (& years) & look to
the future I have so many ideas I want to share with all of you.
Although we have a ton of work on The Farmhouse itself
(which I'll share as the progress moves along), I'm still
hoping to have some time to spend on some fun DIY projects ~
the plan is to complete & share at least one a month.
This is about all that I can focus on right now while we're
still trying to get all of the mechanicals of this ol' place
up to 21st century standards. Since we've moved, we've gotten
our propane tank installed...

We also installed a 2500 gallon water holding tank

& updated our well pump & system...

Thankfully, we upgraded from my iPhone hotspot

to legit internet service...

And we're almost ready to switch the sketchy electrical system

that is linked to a telephone pole literally a few feet away

from our kitchen window to a proper 200 Volt system

attached to our garage wall...

And although these aren't sexy projects or pretty images that

I normally post about, as is with life, these are the

important projects that need to be completed so we can move on

comfortably to the good stuff. And, this gives my sweetie

peace of mind allowing him to sleep through the night without

stressing about the house burning down, the well pump breaking

or the propane running out.

Luckily, I have also fit in some time to do some exploring & picking in our new community ~ here's a bit of what I've found...

Follow on Instagram to see what's inspiring me daily.

So here's a little look-see into some of the projects I'm hoping to tackle & share here on the blog in 2014:

1. lots of furniture re-hab projects ranging from painting tables, to making headboards & trying to upholster/slipcover a few chairs
2. a few garden/outdoor projects including composting-made-easy, outdoor shower/tub project & if we're lucky garden beds, a chicken coop &/or a greenhouse
3. room-by-room updates...first on the list to unveil will be my crap craft room, which will hopefully be followed by our guest bedroom (which is sooo close to complete) & the laundry room
4. I'm hoping to get a little crafty once I have a functioning craft room / office, so who knows what projects I'll be inspired to tackle, but plans right now are DIY tutorials of celebration flags, roman shades & wreath-making

I feel blessed that I'm able to create & enjoy

this little slice of heaven up here

in the foothills of California

with my husband & all of our little critters.

~ Happy Friday all & enjoy the weekend to it's fullest ~

Cheers ~ Erica

Check out my first blog post 2 years ago &

see what started this journey...