My Mini Vacation + Photo in House Beautiful

I am still playing catch up after my week of marathon painting and mini vacation. I was hoping to get a lot done this week, but it is already the weekend again and my normal routine has not resurfaced.  I think I have August to blame – everything is in slow motion – vacations, end of summer, heat!    I do have a few photos to share with you from last weekend, but first-

I have some exciting news to share.  If you follow me on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram you may have seen my post that my photo is in the September issue of House Beautiful magazine along with the other members of the My Colortopia team.   The entire issue is about color.

The ad is on the second page so if you happen to be hung up in a long supermarket line and see a copy by the cash registers you can check it out. It is a physically interactive ad – our photos are on tabs that you lift and underneath can read where we find color inspiration.

If you have never been over to My Colortopia – there is lots to do.  You can find, play with, and pick room colors.  Download a favorite image and see what colors go with it, and so much more including a blog that all the team members contribute to.  You can also ask decorating questions that one of the team members will answer.   I am truly honored to be part of it all.

I am very excited about the ad, but also want to show you what I was up to last weekend. I showed you the bed and dresser pulls that I painted for my daughter, but I painted a few more items.  Bed, dresser, table, chairs, coffee table, cabinet, and mirror.  Each piece has quite a history to go with it.

All of it hand me downs  – mine, my mother-in-laws, and sisters – “rejects” as we call them in my family.  Kelly shopped the basement and sifted through boxes and bags picking out the items she wanted.  I then painted it to her specs.

She is now settled in her new place, but Kindii her African dog is staying at home since she can’t have pets in her rental apartment. It was hard for her to leave her behind as she starts on a new adventure.

I showed you the drawer pulls on the dresser I painted for her bedroom, here is a peek of the table and chairs for her dining area.  I will post how I painted the pieces with before and after photos next week.

It is such a cute house that she is sharing with two other med students.  They are on a very tight budget and were thrilled with my efforts to try to make the house feel a little bit more like home for them. Now that I know what it looks like – I know I will be bringing stuff for her to decorate with when I visit.

After we loaded all her stuff into a U-Haul we drove 4 hours and then unloaded it all in 98 degree heat with no A/C.  We scrubbed, cleaned, shopped, and helped her get settled in and then said our goodbyes.  Ed and I then headed to Vermont to hang out and relax with our youngest, Mandy.

She got her hair cut and was excited to show us.    

We then went to the Champlain Islands to spend the weekend.  The  islands are in the middle of Lake Champlain – between Vermont, New York, and Canada.   When we first arrived we stopped at a general store to get some supplies. They had chalkboards displayed all around.  I picked up some design ideas.  I like the lettering and colors. This is only 3 of them. They had many on every aisle of the store. It was inspiring to see. The girl working there thought I was a bit crazy as I snapped photos of them.  After I left I realized I could have taken the photos right from my Pinterest app and have them go directly to my Pin board.

We browsed a few antique shops – this one has a perfectly clever name. I bought two small glass domes with beaded edges that I think will be turned into paperweights.

Mandy had to work on Friday to help set up an evening anniversary party for a friend.  Ed went golfing. I hung out at the house where Mandy was working and enjoyed the view looking northeast to the Vermont side of the lake.  It was hot, very hot for Vermont – but the water, view, and shade made it quite bearable to be outside.

Gillian, the caterer for the party my daughter was helping set up was quite resourceful in creating a festive party atmosphere on the side yard of the house. She found scrap wood, garden stakes, twine, and a discarded hose in a garden shed and created letters to spell out “Happy Anniversary” on the lawn.

I love when I see resourceful ideas like this.  She also wrapped white lights around the clothesline to make it part of the festivities instead of an eyesore.

I didn’t get to see it completed, but I am sure when dusk settled in the party atmosphere was dreamy!

We kayaked out to a smaller uninhabited island on Saturday, but I didn’t want my phone to get wet so I don’t have any photos  – it was a fun day, complete with a picnic on the lake.

The weekend went by way too fast and then we had to head back home for a 7 hour trip that ended up taking over 9 hours because of storms and heavy weekend vacation traffic. Just as we reached New Jersey the sun came out along with a rainbow. (My attempt to take an iPhone photo through a windshield in a moving car.) It really was spectacular.

I hope you have a great weekend and can get a little R&R as the summer winds down. I know I will be wishing I was still here.

Tagged as: House Beautiful Spetember 2012 issue, Lake Champlain, mini vacations, My Colortopia