Friday, December 29, 2017

My Favorite Project From 2017

Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and are looking forward to 2018! 

I know I am. 

This time of year it's good to look back and see all you've done throughout the year and to plan for the coming year. 

I'm glad I have a blog where I journal some of our projects for these 2 reasons:


1. We can look up how we did something or when it was done.
2. We can see that we really did accomplish something!

This year we've finished some really great projects at the Mountain Cottage.
We've spent a few years on it, but the Mountain Cottage Kitchen is finally coming together.
Here are a few of the projects we finished in the kitchen...

mountain cottage, Kitchen Reno, , drawer organizer, Gallery Wall, Open shelves, crown molding, banquette, Farmhouse bed, bridal shower,  diyDesignFanatic.com





mountain cottage, Kitchen Reno, , drawer organizer, Gallery Wall, Open shelves, crown molding, banquette, Farmhouse bed, bridal shower,  diyDesignFanatic.com





mountain cottage, Kitchen Reno, , drawer organizer, Gallery Wall, Open shelves, crown molding, banquette, Farmhouse bed, bridal shower,  diyDesignFanatic.com

You can see more details here:




Mr. DIY also finished the banquette seating in the kitchen at the Mountain Cottage...
mountain cottage, Kitchen Reno, , drawer organizer, Gallery Wall, Open shelves, crown molding, banquette, Farmhouse bed, bridal shower,  diyDesignFanatic.com





mountain cottage, Kitchen Reno, , drawer organizer, Gallery Wall, Open shelves, crown molding, banquette, Farmhouse bed, bridal shower,  diyDesignFanatic.com



Since our Mountain Cottage is tiny, we keep storage in mind in the design  of everything!
mountain cottage, Kitchen Reno, , drawer organizer, Gallery Wall, Open shelves, crown molding, banquette, Farmhouse bed, bridal shower,  diyDesignFanatic.com
You can see more about how Mr. DIY built the banquette at the Mountain Cottage here:




It seemed like we went without crown molding on the cabinets forever. What was the hold up? I decided there should be a wall cabinet to the left of the refrigerator to balance out the open shelves on the adjacent wall. Then, we had to order more crown molding!  We were warned that the finish probably wouldn't match the other cabinets because it had been over a year between  ordering, but the quality control at Kraftmaid Cabinetry is outstanding and there wasn't any difference. Wood finishes change over time, but our finish is paint, so there wasn't a problem. 
mountain cottage, Kitchen Reno, , drawer organizer, Gallery Wall, Open shelves, crown molding, banquette, Farmhouse bed, bridal shower,  diyDesignFanatic.com




mountain cottage, Kitchen Reno, , drawer organizer, Gallery Wall, Open shelves, crown molding, banquette, Farmhouse bed, bridal shower,  diyDesignFanatic.com


You can see more about how to install crown molding here:





Our daughter moved into her own apartment last June and Mr. DIY took some time out of our project list to build her a bed. I designed and finished it. 
mountain cottage, Kitchen Reno, , drawer organizer, Gallery Wall, Open shelves, crown molding, banquette, Farmhouse bed, bridal shower,  diyDesignFanatic.com


mountain cottage, Kitchen Reno, , drawer organizer, Gallery Wall, Open shelves, crown molding, banquette, Farmhouse bed, bridal shower,  diyDesignFanatic.com




mountain cottage, Kitchen Reno, , drawer organizer, Gallery Wall, Open shelves, crown molding, banquette, Farmhouse bed, bridal shower,  diyDesignFanatic.com


You can read more here:







Not a big project, but one that makes me happy when I walk into the office at our home is the Gallery Wall.  I love having my favorite artwork, and mementos up where I can see them. The bulletin board keeps me organized. I now keep my project designs pinned up and they're easy to find when Mr. DIY has time to make them
mountain cottage, Kitchen Reno, , drawer organizer, Gallery Wall, Open shelves, crown molding, banquette, Farmhouse bed, bridal shower,  diyDesignFanatic.com



mountain cottage, Kitchen Reno, , drawer organizer, Gallery Wall, Open shelves, crown molding, banquette, Farmhouse bed, bridal shower,  diyDesignFanatic.com

You can find out how I designed the Gallery Wall here:





Our daughter's best friend was married this year and she hosted a bridal shower at our home. I helped with the decorations.
mountain cottage, Kitchen Reno, , drawer organizer, Gallery Wall, Open shelves, crown molding, banquette, Farmhouse bed, bridal shower,  diyDesignFanatic.com





Here's a very beautiful and affordable floral centerpiece I made for the shower. 
mountain cottage, Kitchen Reno, , drawer organizer, Gallery Wall, Open shelves, crown molding, banquette, Farmhouse bed, bridal shower,  diyDesignFanatic.com




You can see more about the bridal shower here:







Ya'll know I'm an organizing nerd...or at least I want to be!

This is one of my favorite little projects of the year or ever. lol. 
mountain cottage, Kitchen Reno, , drawer organizer, Gallery Wall, Open shelves, crown molding, banquette, Farmhouse bed, bridal shower,  diyDesignFanatic.com






mountain cottage, Kitchen Reno, , drawer organizer, Gallery Wall, Open shelves, crown molding, banquette, Farmhouse bed, bridal shower,  diyDesignFanatic.com
I'll have another drawer organizer to share , hopefully next week! Oh, if only all my drawers looked this good!
You can see how Mr. DIY made this custom drawer organizer here:



We've done a lot more projects this year, but these are some of my favorite.
You can do a search for something in the Search Box on the right sidebar.

Many wishes for a prosperous, healthy and happy 2018!!!

Pam



Thursday, December 21, 2017

Creating A Festive Christmas Tablescape In The Breakfast Room

There are some fancy Christmas tablescapes in blogland that look like they would take hours and hours to put together and cost a lot of money.

This isn't one of those Christmas tablescapes.

Who has time for that?
Creating a a festive Christmas tablescape should take just minutes to put together with 
your favorite things around your house.

And....
It should be simple enough that your kids could put it together!
Christmas decorating, Christmas tablescape, cottage, cottage style, farmhouse, farmhouse style, HomeGoods, TJ Maxx, Marshalls, cloche, buffalo check, diyDesignFanatic.com


Start by gathering things from around your house, especially your favorite things...tablecloth, placemats, cloth napkins, dishes, glasses and flatware.


Christmas decorating, Christmas tablescape, cottage, cottage style, farmhouse, farmhouse style, HomeGoods, TJ Maxx, Marshalls, cloche, buffalo check, diyDesignFanatic.com


You know one of my favorite things is my Ruby Red Glasses!
Christmas decorating, Christmas tablescape, cottage, cottage style, farmhouse, farmhouse style, HomeGoods, TJ Maxx, Marshalls, cloche, buffalo check, diyDesignFanatic.com



In this tablescape I used our wedding china Limoge Artois Green, but many times I use our every day Mikasa French Countryside. The salad plates are inexpensive white dishes from HomeGoods. 

Dishes don't have to match! 

The placemats are also from HomeGoods and the napkins were purchased many years ago, probably at TJ Maxx or Marshalls. Those little  vintage "ballerina" salt and pepper shakers were my grandmother Grace's. I love them. 
Christmas decorating, Christmas tablescape, cottage, cottage style, farmhouse, farmhouse style, HomeGoods, TJ Maxx, Marshalls, cloche, buffalo check, diyDesignFanatic.com


For the centerpiece, I borrowed the cloche I created for our  Christmas Master Bedroom

Borrowing a centerpiece from another area saves time... Just put it back when you're done! 
Christmas decorating, Christmas tablescape, cottage, cottage style, farmhouse, farmhouse style, HomeGoods, TJ Maxx, Marshalls, cloche, buffalo check, diyDesignFanatic.com

Older children and teenagers can put this tablescape together easily. If you have younger children, use your every day dishes. 

TIP: take  photos of different table settings and print them out. Then let your kids choose which one they'd like to do. They can easily put together a tablescape if they have a photo to follow. I did this with my girls when they were little. Our breakfast area in the kitchen wasn't large enough for all 4 of us, so we ate in the Formal Dining Room every night and had a candle light dinner. 


Christmas decorating, Christmas tablescape, cottage, cottage style, farmhouse, farmhouse style, HomeGoods, TJ Maxx, Marshalls, cloche, buffalo check, diyDesignFanatic.com


There you have it! A festive Christmas tablescape that takes minutes to put together with things I already had around the house. 

Pam


Monday, December 18, 2017

Christmas Family Room and Mantel

With a week to go, things are picking up the pace around here. Gifts have been shipped and the last presents are arriving this week, just in time to be wrapped and set under the tree. 

We will even get Christmas cards out by Wednesday and then Mr. DIY will get to making our traditional homemade ravioli. Yum. My mouth is watering already.
Not sure if we'll do much baking this year, Mr. DIY may make a few buckeyes or a pie or a few cookies. We'll see.

Hope you're not too stressed and enjoying the season.
Without further adieu, here's the family room.
Christmas, Christmas tree, Christmas mantel, Christmas decorations, cottage, cottage style, farmhouse, farmhouse style, diyDesignFanatic.com

 We found our tree at Home Depot. It's a 9ft Canadian "Fresh Cut" by GE. 
Christmas, Christmas tree, Christmas mantel, Christmas decorations, cottage, cottage style, farmhouse, farmhouse style, diyDesignFanatic.com



Christmas, Christmas tree, Christmas mantel, Christmas decorations, cottage, cottage style, farmhouse, farmhouse style, diyDesignFanatic.com



Christmas, Christmas tree, Christmas mantel, Christmas decorations, cottage, cottage style, farmhouse, farmhouse style, diyDesignFanatic.com

Christmas, Christmas tree, Christmas mantel, Christmas decorations, cottage, cottage style, farmhouse, farmhouse style, diyDesignFanatic.com

Christmas, Christmas tree, Christmas mantel, Christmas decorations, cottage, cottage style, farmhouse, farmhouse style, diyDesignFanatic.com

Christmas, Christmas tree, Christmas mantel, Christmas decorations, cottage, cottage style, farmhouse, farmhouse style, diyDesignFanatic.com




Christmas, Christmas tree, Christmas mantel, Christmas decorations, cottage, cottage style, farmhouse, farmhouse style, diyDesignFanatic.com





Christmas, Christmas tree, Christmas mantel, Christmas decorations, cottage, cottage style, farmhouse, farmhouse style, diyDesignFanatic.com


Christmas, Christmas tree, Christmas mantel, Christmas decorations, cottage, cottage style, farmhouse, farmhouse style, diyDesignFanatic.com


Christmas, Christmas tree, Christmas mantel, Christmas decorations, cottage, cottage style, farmhouse, farmhouse style, diyDesignFanatic.com

Christmas, Christmas tree, Christmas mantel, Christmas decorations, cottage, cottage style, farmhouse, farmhouse style, diyDesignFanatic.com

We've spent many nights sitting by the fire and enjoying the tree. The weather has turned cold finally and if it's cold, it might as well snow! Sorry it missed us a week ago. 

Enjoy this last week!

Pam

Joining Marty  for Inspire Me Tuesday at A Stroll Thru Life

These are affiliate links, which means I'll make a small commission if you purchase, so thanks!

Tuesday, December 12, 2017

December Snow At The Mountain Cottage

Mr. DIY and I closed up the Mountain Cottage the weekend after Thanksgiving...
or so we thought.

Our daughter Jenny said she'd like to go and planned a girls weekend last weekend, only....

The weather forecast said it would snow, and snow several inches in the mountains.

They went anyway.

Mr. DIY was jealous because snow is a magical sight to see at the Mountain Cottage 


Our daughter sent us these photos...

This is the Mountain Cottage from  a little more than halfway up the driveway.
mountain cottage, snow, cottage, farmhouse, diyDesignFanatic.com

All those snowy lumps are little pine trees.
mountain cottage, snow, cottage, farmhouse, diyDesignFanatic.com



No beautiful mountain view when it's snowing!
mountain cottage, snow, cottage, farmhouse, diyDesignFanatic.com


The girls made a snowman.
mountain cottage, snow, cottage, farmhouse, diyDesignFanatic.com







The little Mountain Cottage covered in snow.
mountain cottage, snow, cottage, farmhouse, diyDesignFanatic.com


















There was plenty of snow to make a proper snow man.
mountain cottage, snow, cottage, farmhouse, diyDesignFanatic.com


I'm always amazed to see how the 15 ft high shed is dwarfed by the 100 ft tall pine trees.
mountain cottage, snow, cottage, farmhouse, diyDesignFanatic.com



Georgia and Upstate South Carolina got a good bit of snow judging from the photos that graced Instagram. Even the Houston area had a bit. Unfortunately, we didn't get a flurry down south of Charlotte. 

Of course, it isn't even Winter yet!


Thanks for stopping by!
Pam

Monday, December 11, 2017

Christmas Master Bedroom With A $30 Tree

Last month when so many bloggers started sharing their beautiful rooms all decorated for Christmas. 
I was still in the planning stages and had no idea how I was going to decorate and with what colors.
Last year was easy with  a Mad About Plaid theme. 
So easy...just get lots and lots of plaid ribbon, runners, pillows and placemats. 

Easy Peasy.


$30 Christmas tree, flocked tree, Christmas decorating, master bedroom , diyDesignFanatic.com, cottage, farmhouse


Thursday, December 7, 2017