CRAIGSLIST FIND FOR THE COTTAGE!!

LOOK WHAT I FOUND FOR OUR MICHIGAN UP-NORTH COTTAGE:

We have a cathedral wall at our cottage that I've been wanting to place an electric fireplace. Not just any electric fireplace, however. A really, really nice, electric fireplace. Not the kind you can buy at Home Depot, or Garden Centers. The realistic looking kind that you purchase from a heating/cooling company. The Dimplex electric fireplace. It has adjustable flame, adjustable lighting and a heater blower that is also adjustable. They are very pricey and I was looking for a used one to fit the bill. I'm cheap, urr, I mean Frugal! I couldn't find one that wasn't cherry wood, or white, or a corner until. I have been looking for a few years now. . . then I found this one.

My husband was not in agreement, however. He wanted to put in a gas fireplace. Like we have in the basement of our cottage. I just wanted an electric one, with a remote and no lingering smell. He never thought that electric looked very realistic. . . until I showed him this one. I found this one on Craigslist.com. The couple had this unit in their finished basement (which with three kids under the age of 4 years old ~ they didn't get down there much to use it). They were moving and selling this unit. Luckily, hubs was home and reluctantly agreed to go look at this with me. As soon as they turned it on for us to see, my hubs agreed with me. It was beautiful! These units are pricey. $1,200 new just for the firebox and then another $500 to $600 for the fireplace surround. They were only asking $400 TOTAL!!! FOR BOTH.

The mirror on top of this unit was a separate find of mine. Can you believe it? I found this from another ad on Craigslist.com at the exact same time as finding the fireplace. It was only $50!! They even offered to deliver it to me. Can't get better than that, can you? The fireplace and the mirror look like they have always been together. For $450 I did not break the budget and have now achieved the exact look I've been wanting for our little up north get away.

. . . And sorry hubs, but this is one remote that I control :)

Blessings. . . until next time,

Garage Sale Season has Started!! WhoooHooooo

My Favorite Season of the Year :)

I know you in the south have been enjoying garage sale season for a while already. But, here in the north. . . they just started. I have no pictures to share with you all. I'm in bed with a rotten chest cold/sinus thingy. . . but before I got sick I hit a few on Thursday. I found a Mr. Coffee Ice Tea Maker with an extra pitcher and lid for $5, makes GREAT iced tea. We don't drink Sweet Tea here in the north. Just plain brewed iced tea. . .yummy! I also found a great little table that needs some TLC for $15!. . . and I found some really nice costume jewelery (yeah, like I need more of that my youngest said). The weather here is absolutely beautiful. Low 70's. That's perfect in my book. Before taking to bed, I helped hubby put out all the outside yard things yesterday. We re-installed our rock pool, I uncovered and changed the lights in our fountain in the front yard, put out the pots, yard ornaments and the gazebo tent. It is so nice to be done now doing these chores at both homes. More mulch added to both homes, yard & patio things in place.

Now. . . we can just sit back with a tall iced tea and enjoy the beautiful weather. :)

Have a wonderful week. When I'm up and feeling better I have some baking and cooking to do and a birthday cake to make for hubby. He's turning 52 on Thursday. Where does time go?

Oh yes, did I mention everyone will be back to school and work from Easter Break tomorrow? Yes, that's my real Whoooo-Hoooo!!! Then, I'll be back to myself shortly because I will actually be able to rest!

Blessings. . . until next time,

SPRING & EASTER DECORATING

It's kind of funny for me to even be posting this now!

So many of you gals, especially those southern gals, did your Spring/Easter decor posting sooo long ago. But here in the north Spring is just now starting to sprout. My husband and I put 138 bags of mulch (2 cu. yards in each bag) all around our home yesterday and today. This afternoon, when we finished, we turned on the weather channel. Yikes, here we found out we are expecting 6 - 10" of snow Sunday/Monday! Can you believe that? But, we've learn to roll. What can we do? Nothing, absolutely nothing about it :) At least it won't stick around long and when it melts we'll see our fresh layer of mulch!

So, here's my Easter/Spring decor (not my Christmas - which would probably be more appropriate for us!)

My little Beatrice Potter Rabbit on our dining room table with some straw and pastel plastic eggs scattered around. A Marshall's find from a few years back.

Two little moss bunnies with eggs in their baskets. . . and a few more rabbits. They seem to multiply, don't they?

And finally, our sofa table vignette. Our signs; Spring & Easter Blessings; then we have chicks feeding, bunnies hugging (hmmm, I wonder if this is how my collection multiplies?), Easter plates and my favorite, spring time bird's nests. However, the glass Easter Egg candy dish seems to be my family's favorite.

Now, if you don't mind passing me the snow shovel!

Blessings. . . until next time,

BASEMENT SHOWER TILE UPDATE

REMEMBER THIS PROJECT? WE'LL PROGRESS IS BEING MADE THAT'S FOR SURE :)

Here is my honey, working, working, working on installing the cement board. I've been visibly missing from the blogging world. I hurt my back again (I'm OK now), but was unable to help my hubby as I had planned. Bless his heart, he did it all himself. No tile cutting, no blogging, not much of anything for me.

But, unfortunately, things can get messy BEFORE looking better! Here's the tile installing/cutting equipment on the bathroom floor.

Here hubs has begun cementing the tile to the wall.

Tile installed all the way to the ceiling now. . .

Tiling the shower seat/ledge.



Starting to lay the smaller tile sheets on the shower floor. . . and the larger tile cut down for the floor entrance ledge.

Now, we need to wait until the tile cement dries completely for a few days and then grout away.

I love the look of the shower tiled. I'm so glad that it's almost finished and behind us finally.

Now, we can begin to think about our next project(s) to tackle :)

Blessings. . . until next time,

I'M A LITTLE TEAPOT. . . SHORT AND STOUT. . .

Ok, so it's actually a coffeepot, not a teapot, but I love it just the same!

I've been wanting one of these. . . forever. . . but I sure wasn't willing to pay the high price being asked!
This fall, while at a garage sale, I found an Oneida Silver plated Coffeepot for $3. Now that's more like it! Then I put it away when I got home until I had a bit more time. Now was the time! I picked up a lamp-making kit $8, steel nipple and hex bolts packages (about $2 each) all at The Home Depot. The lamp shade I found recently at a trip to the thrift store for $1.99. (That's what prompted my memory of the coffeepot.)
I began by drilling out the top ornate piece on the coffeepot lid. You can do it ladies. Just go out to the garage. Head towards hub's tools, grab the drill, find a large drill bit, make sure the drill is in the F (forward) not R (reverse position) and GO!! Drill it from the underside of the lid and it'll pop right off!

Next, drill a hole for the cord to be fed through.

Secure the steel nipple with hex bolts. . . one on top and one underneath the lid. Easy Peasy!


Make sure the steel nipple is level then tighten down the hex bolts.



Start feeding the cord UP through the hole you drilled towards the bottom of the coffeepot.

Thread it through the top UNDERSIDE first, then feed it out the top.

SEE??

Now, just follow along with the instructions on the back of the lamp making package. The directions are extremely clear. I chose to add the harp neck, even though the lamp shade I used did not need a harp. I just like to plan ahead for the future. . . in case I change out my shade and the next one has a frame for a harp. It's easier to just add it now than having to take it apart to add it later. . . how do I know? Done it!

Add the socket pieces. . . according to the package directions.



Prepare your wiring. . . .secure the wire ends to the two screws on the socket. Confirm you have the ground wire going to the ground screw. All on the package directions ladies!


And you're DONE!! And it only cost around $17!


And now my new lamp has a permanent home. . . at our built in kitchen desk. . . and I'm Liking IT!!

Blessings. . . until next time,

Sher

A TOUR OF OUR LITTLE COTTAGE!!

Boy, oh Boy, I finally figured out how to get these photos out of my hub's camera. Next time, I'll use mine. Gee Whiz!!

I'm not going to be giving you picture by picture descriptions. . . just general introductions. I mean, who reads those anyways? This is all you need to know. . . hubs and I built this little place "ourselves" 9 years ago. My husband is very handy and I'm very blessed! It's small, quaint and all we need. I pieced together pictures from several visits. . . so in some photos there is snow. . . some there is green grass :)

It's very hard to photograph a "small" place with small bedrooms. I did the best I could. Sorry.

Our cottage is a ranch with a walk-out basement. It has three "little" bedrooms and two bathrooms. One upstairs and one downstairs. You enter the driveway on the "side" of the cottage.

I purchased most "everything" from garage sales, estate sales or thrift stores. Any stenciling, painted furniture, etc. you see. . . was done by yours truly. I made the drapery treatments, crocheted and knitted all the throws and have collected all the antiques above the kitchen cabinets. Our cottage is decorated country/north woods/state of Michigan themed with a thrifty flair. Enjoy!!

Patio underneath the deck (hubs and I built that off the ground deck too!) What were we thinking????

Down to the water. This is our youngest with me. I must be fixing her hair or something! Also, our Yorkshire Terrier made it in the picture. His name is Sr. Winston Churchill and we love him!

Come on in:

Great Room/Kitchen area:

This is our youngest. Isn't she adorable? OK, so I'm her mother ~ I can say that!!!

This is where we bunk our guests:

We call this our Trundle Bedroom. The bed has a trundle that pops up to make a King size bed:

"Our" cottage bedroom:

Upstairs bathroom:

Back down the hall and now we are once again in the Great Room/Kitchen:

Now, we'll head into the basement:

Basement:

Basement Bathroom:

. . . and we end with the storage area. Gross, but we all need one. Here we have our storage and our laundry duty area :)

What a terrible, messy shot to leave you all with :). . . but I so love having a laundry area at the cottage. Hauling laundry back and forth from home is not very fun. . . I know. . . I've done it before!!

Blessings. . . until next time,