Design: Russel Wright

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russel wright

Living in this house is such a joy but I sometimes take for granted what a wonderful collection of many things modern that have flowed in and out of our lives and homes. We buy, sell and trade, we make our lists and often find what’s on them, we reupholster and refinish, we sometimes spend the night on strangers porches to be the first in line at estate sales…. and with much luck and persistence we have a pretty wonderful collection that is not only beautiful but functions perfectly in our every day lives.

We have collected Russel Wright dishes ….

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master bedroom update

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Shoes Shelf

Now that the kitchen is done we moved back into the master bedroom. We actually stopped all the work in this room when the kitchen project started to move so fast. Once we found a carpenter everything took off and the bedroom was abandoned. I’m definitely ready to get back to it. So here we go….

We’ll start with a quick “update” and reminder of where we were and what we’ve done.
The dark wood tongue and groove ceilings got cleaned and stained. The nice opaque stain really brightened the space. You may remember this post. >>>> Click Here.

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wrapping up

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pizza

Yesterday we wrapped up a couple of loose ends in the kitchen and worked to finish those last, little, annoying, “I don’t feel like doing that” projects. Richie worked on putting the false fronts over the tops of each wall cabinet and I painted the brick wall that wraps around the refrigerator and into the hallway. It just didn’t make sense to not continue with the white. I all looks nice and now we can finally move back to the bedroom and pick up where we left off. Richie built us a new king size platform bed and I’m anxious ….

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shades with a view

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solar shades

Almost two years after we bought the first set of shades for our living room/kitchen area we decided to order more for the top portions of the windows. This entire side of the house is glass and although we love the light and the openness it can create problems. The sun is now BEAMING on the south side which is great, as it heats the concrete floors and keeps the house toasty when it’s cold but nobody wants the long-term effects that UV light has on your rugs, paint, upholstery, artwork and cabinetry. Solar shades really are the perfect answer, ….

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collard greens and corn bread

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collard greens

yep, you heard me… collard greens… the color of Christmas and envy (which you should never be!) AND some beautiful purple turnips to go with it!

It’s been such a great day today and Richie and I worked in the yard most of the day raking leaves, trimming plants and bushes, and cutting back some small trees. We’ve both been aching to get outside and tidy up.  It was good timing because it looks like we are going to get rain the next couple of days.  It was the perfect day to be outside and enjoy.

Yard work sure makes you HUNGRY! ….

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Christmas spirit

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modern wreath

I’ve had some fun the last couple of days just hanging around the house and adding a little christmas sparkle all around. Being that it’s such a modern home, traditional Christmas decorations don’t ever make sense to me. I find myself wanting something completely different and unexpected. I think that’s why we love this place so much. It seems to beg for you to think outside the box and GET CREATIVE!

There’s no way I could put just any wreath on the front of this house. So I decided to make my own “sunburst” wreath using craft sticks, jute string, washers ….

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Pillow Talk and Christmas

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P1090401web

I’m in the BEST mood! I’m so happy to be off work until the new year and look forward to all that I’ll accomplish during these weeks. All the stress has left my body and my brain is getting retrained to do WHAT I WANT… not what someone else wants me to do. It really is “the most wonderful time of the year” (giggling). They’ll be more posts than usual and probably annoying at times… but remember…. I HAVE way more time on my hands. My “wordy” new pillow arrived a few days ago. ….

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Pretty Paper

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papercelestial

Paper. It’s such a simple thing … something we use almost every day … and usually it’s for making lists of all the things we need to do. My list for the next few weeks is not so much about the “tasks” but about the PAPER!

I have a love for all papers. Especially old books and papers that are worn. I love magazines and specialty papers. I love the black and white of newspapers and sheet music and the vast array of crafting papers available for those who want to create. Someday I hope to have lots ….

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Good finds & pretty things

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amp

The kitchen is pretty much done and my brain and body had a few days of rest… which led me right back where I need to be. Enjoying all that I have and I that we have done. I’m blessed! The approaching holidays are always good for us, as we both have almost 3 weeks off work and our creative juices kick into overdrive. It’s such a fun time for both of us. I’ll be posting lots of handmade projects over the next few weeks.

Today was about taking time to enjoy the house and some of the simple things around ….

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I’m so thankful

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P1090316web

Hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving! I am happy and THANKFUL to say that I met my Thanksgiving deadline to finish the kitchen. Aside from a few decorating projects I’m basically done with the “work”. Richie, however, is NOT! The final part of the project is all his… and now I will patiently wait for him. He will box in the top portions of the cabinets on the right and left sides of the sink and I’ll paint and make them pretty. Hopefully we can get that done in the next week or so. Until then I’m enjoying the fruits ….

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We “handled” it well…

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P1090284web

This weekend was all about the kitchen cabinet handles. Long, oversized European Bar Handles that totally scared the crap out of me. Will we drill a hole in the wrong place? Will they be even? Will they be level? Will they line up with each other? Will we kill each other installing them? So many questions…. but all said and done…. We “handled” it well!!!!

I know these pictures are getting B-O-R-I-N-G week after week… but little changes keep happening each weekend and I can’t resist taking more pictures. (I took these ….

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Things are heating up!

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P1090248

Yes, there is a little more heat in the kitchen… my new oven is finally in place and my first gourmet side dish cooked in it was ……
(I know the suspense is killing you)….. FROZEN FRENCH FRIES! Man, were they good. Thankfully my sister was in need of a new oven and my old one went to her house. She’s was so excited, as her oven was so old it had “G.E. – A Division of General Motors” on it. It was avocado green. I know she’ll miss it. (yea, right.) So now we’re both happy.

I’ve made really good progress ….

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It’s the little things!…

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P1090236

They say it’s the little things in life that really get to you. Well, the little things in this little kitchen are frustrating me to no end. I haven’t posted anything because NOT MUCH IS HAPPENING! The drawer finishing is going good but I didn’t want to put them all in as too many things keep coming up.

Here’s a few drawers in place.

I’ll be ordering my bar pulls this week. Here’s what they look like …

The plumbers were suppose to come last week and got called out for a major gas leak somewhere and had to reschedule. Then we went ….

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Quartz is the cherry on top!

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P1090188

POST UPDATE: Part II

The counters are now complete. Island is secure and they cut the hole for the stove. Lots of dust. More to clean. But also more to LOVE!

Post – Part I

Yes, things are happening in the kitchen… but I’ve just been too stressed and too busy to sit down and post anything. It’s time for a few shots of what’s going on.
It’s so tempting to wait until it’s done, but that may be another couple of weeks so I’m excited to share the progress.

Now that the cabinets are done, I have to stain and finish everything. Stain is ….

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The Rolling Stones were half right

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P1090164

Turns out the Rolling Stones were half right… You CAN get what you need but you CAN also get WHAT YOU WANT! The kitchen is progressing and I can’t believe how beautiful everything is going. Not just the cabinets, but the entire experience. I definitely hired the best person for my cabinets and can’t express my gratitude to him for all he’s done. Of course, that big fat check might help. (laughing) But seriously, it’s almost like you can’t put a price on something like that. It means so much and will change my life every single day from here ….

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