Painting a Hobbit House

Oh, my aching back...and feet...and knees...guess I'm not 20-something anymore! Today was gorgeous so I took advantage of the sunny, dry weather (finally...after weeks of fog here on the Maine coast) to paint the playhouse. In spite of the aches and pains, it felt good to cross another outdoor project off of the early summer "To Do" list.

Last Spring, we added this little house to the woods behind the "big house". We said we did it for the grandchildren...but who doesn't secretly wish for their very own playhouse to decorate?

We named it the "Hobbit House" because it sits in the "Wizard's Forest", a magical fairyland that DH has created for children of all ages who like to explore the paths through our woods.

Faeries live in the "Wizard's Forest"...

 and we've even spotted a few Hobbits on summer nights.

To get to the Hobbit House, you cross the bridge...

and arrive at the front door.

 We managed to get the exterior stained last summer but that was about it. Today my goal was to add some color to the little place.

 The back of the playhouse does not have a window, so I decided to paint one.

I framed it with a vintage window I salvaged from the dump. If you look closely, you can see right "through" the Hobbit House to the bridge on the other side.

Our "real house" has the street address of #1, so I decided to add an appropriate house number to the playhouse...(next time I'll erase the chalk outline before I take the photo).

 just so that the imaginary mailman can find it.

Since I was on a roll, I spent the rest of the  day painting the inside of the house...but I'm saving that big child-sized reveal for another post.

After all of the bending and painting today, I'm too tired to even care who the Bachelorette eliminates tonight...are there any eligible Hobbits in the group?

This post is magically linked to:

Nifty Thrifty Tuesdays at Coastal Charm

Motivate Me Monday at Keeping It Simple

Metamorphosis Monday at Between Naps On the Porch

Power of Paint Party at Domestically Speaking

My Cowgirl Camper

"Casita" is the Spanish word for "little house"...and ours happens to be on wheels. We bought our little camper in September so this will be the first summer we'll be able to enjoy it. I've already had fun getting it ready...after all, what busy woman doesn't need another house to decorate? Especially one in which it's OK to try out whimsical ideas that might be a little too "out there" to work in the "real" house. I thought it would be fun to take you on a tour of my not-quite-finished "Cowgirl Casita". So...come on in..."Mi casa es su casa"!

Our dining area is just the right size for the two of us. And, when a grandchild wants to join us, the dinette folds down to make an extra bed. I loved this "Route 66" fabric and couldn't wait to sew up some curtains. It's definitely not fabric I would use in my home but, oh, so much fun for life on the road. Who doesn't dream of a vintage road trip down Route 66?

The photo on the the table is one of my favorites...my sister Nancy and I "glamping" along the Maine coast on one of our "Sister's Road Trips".

Decorating a fiberglass camper with carpeted walls is definitely a challenge. I found these little clips at Staples...meant for hanging memos in office cubicles...and used them to display vintage travel postcards.

This is one of my favorites because it reminds me of our trip from Maine to to Texas and back  to pick up our Casita last fall.

This photo was taken in Arkansas on our way home...a beautiful spot for our first night in the new camper.

Vintage postcards just make me smile...

Since I have a "Texas Cowgirl Who Lives in Maine" theme going on here, I thought the camper needed some denim. I made a curtain to pull across the sleeping area at night. I just wanted to feel like I was curling up in a sleeper car on an old train heading west! Denim throw pillows soften the dinette area too.

And when I want to stay up late reading in the "dining room", DH can close the curtain and get some sleep...

I decided to sew some pockets on the inside of the "sleeper car curtain"...one for glasses and one for the remote...after all, we're not exactly roughing it.

I was thrilled to find this little pillow on eBay...

And what pioneer woman could make it all the way down Route 66 without a DVD player? Yup, I'm bringing Hugh Grant and Richard Gere on my next wilderness adventure. (Next time I'll hide the cords before I snap the picture!).

The little kitchen has a microwave and freezer. After all, what modern day cowgirl could possibly cross the prairie without some Orville Redenbacher's and frozen Margaritas?

Welcome to "el baño"...

Adding personality to this was like trying to paint on the inside of an eggshell. Decorating a tiny fiberglass bathroom on wheels is not for the faint of heart!

A few more finishing touches and this baby may actually be ready to leave the driveway...

In the meantime...

 Life is Good!

This cowgirl is linkin' up this post to:

Metamorphosis Monday at Between Naps On the Porch

Show Off Your Cottage Monday at The House In the Roses
Addicts (not so) Anonymous at Addicted 2 Decorating
Creative Bloggers Party & Hop at Homemaker On A Dime

Memorial Day

A time to remember...

our Veterans...

fathers, grandfathers, uncles and brothers...

who fought for our freedom.

And our sisters...

who fought a different kind of battle...

with bravery and grace.

We will never forget.



A Quick Chair Makeover

I rescued this chair from Nancy's garage. She had taken a chair caning class many years ago and had hoped to practice on this chair. Her illness kept her from finishing so many of the projects she had hoped to complete so they got relegated to the garage. Given the fact that I haven't had much time for projects lately, I knew refinishing the wood and re-caning the seat were out of the question. And the chair was headed for the Lion's Auction the next day if I didn't rescue it. So, a quick fix was in order. While I was at work today, my DH was nice enough to give the chair a quick coat of Thompson's Water Seal so that I could use it outdoors.

Since the seat was already missing and I had been to the nursery over the weekend for annuals, I decided to use the chair on our patio. A quick stop at Lowe's on my way home from school yielded just the right size planter to fit into the opening from the missing seat.

I added a pink Supertunia and some cascading annuals with small white flowers which I hope will grow and trail over the sides. And voila... a cute vintage planter to enjoy all season long for only the cost of two plants and about 15 minutes of work. Best of all, it will bring back happy summer memories of Nancy every time I walk by. I think she would have liked it!

I am happy to link this post to:

Thrifty Treasures at Southern Hospitality

Transformations and Treasures at The Pink Postcard

Outdoor Wednesday at A Southern Daydreamer

Vintage Thingy Thursday at The Coloradolady

Open House Party at No Minimalist Here

Second Time Around at A Picture Is Worth 10,000 Words

Transformation Thursday at The Shabby Chic Cottage

Time Travel Thursday at Brambleberry Cottage

I hope you will visit each of these fantastic blogs!

A Coastal Collage

After a few crazy weeks at work , I finally got time for a little creativity over the weekend. My to-do list looks a little more encouraging now:
Plant the annuals
Scrub the lawn furniture
Paint the Playhouse
Make curtains for the Casita
Plant flowers at the cemetary
Wall stencil in Casita bathroom
Work on four collages
Sew the broken awning
Do the laundry
Clean the house
Write a blog post
Lose 31.4 pounds! (thanks Mary Elizabeth!)

Here's a peek at the first of my "drawer colleges", actually finished...

I made this one for our friends, Astrig and Steve, to thank them for a wonderful weekend at their oceanfront campground in Searsport, Maine. It's all boxed up and finally in the mail. The sand dollars were collected on the beach in front of the campground...

Couldn't resist using more of this pretty "Gardening Nurtures the Soul" ribbon in this collage...

There are still three drawers left to do and I actually got two of them started this weekend...all will be gifts.

And there is still plenty of "junk" left to create with...

So, on the wings of  small accomplishments, I'm heading back to work...can't wait for summer and more quiet time to do what "the fun stuff".

This post is linked to:

Nifty Thrifty Tuesdays at Coastal Charm

Tuesday's Treasures at My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia

Wow Us Wednesday at Savvy Southern Style