A tiny hunting cabin is remodeled into the most adorable shabby chic cottage around!

It is now filled with salvaged wood flooring, inexpensive chandies, faded cabinets and warped-glass windows.

This is proof that you do not have to have a boatload of money to create the perfect space – only creativity, ingenuity and a willingness to do

[...CLICK for more article goodness!---->] From Cabin to Cottage

A tiny hunting cabin is remodeled into the most adorable shabby chic cottage around!

It is now filled with salvaged wood flooring, inexpensive chandies, faded cabinets and warped-glass windows.

This is proof that you do not have to have a boatload of money to create the perfect space – only creativity, ingenuity and a willingness to do the work yourself.

When we built this home almost 4 years ago, I had lots of ideas swirling around in my brain. One thing I knew for sure I wanted to try was to put together my own sink area in the powder room on the 1st floor. I felt certain that I could make something custom at

[...CLICK for more article goodness!---->] Granite Countertops – Nifty Idea

When we built this home almost 4 years ago, I had lots of ideas swirling around in my brain. One thing I knew for sure I wanted to try was to put together my own sink area in the powder room on the 1st floor. I felt certain that I could make something custom at a fraction of the cost of similar, but not as nifty mass-manufactured ideas.

{our farmhouse kitchen sink}

If you are having granite installed in your kitchen, consider having your granite dude give you your sink cutout. You are paying for that granite, so why not keep it? Think of other things you can use that chunk for. [I should note here that it is sometimes tricky for them to cut the piece perfectly...so bear in mind that it could be lost in the process. Doesn't hurt to try, though!] In our kitchen, I had a HUGE farmhouse style sink put in [which turned out to be one of my most fav things about this house!] and so my granite cutout was extra large. I got the measurements of the cutout, and then began my search at Goodwills and antique stores for a dark wooden chest of drawers that could be converted. It took me a couple of weeks of searching, but I finally came across one that had perfect measurements and was similar to the look I had in mind. Plus, it was marked right at my budget and I was able to talk them down a bit lower by offering cash and an on-the-spot transaction.

I had our granite guy do a smaller sink cutout from our kitchen sink cutout [sound confusing?]. The wooden top of the antique chest was easily removed, and the new granite with the smaller sink and faucet was installed on top of the chest.

In the end, even with purchasing the sink and faucet separately, I still managed to come under budget. A similar set up like this that you might find elsewhere would have cost several hundred more dollars than what we spent. I loved doing it this way because it’s more unique – and I thought it was fun to put it all together how I wanted!

Don’t wanna use a chest? Let the granite take the main focus with an under-mount sink and exposed pipes, which can double as a place to hang fresh, neatly folded towels.

Even if you’re not having new countertops installed in your kitchen, you could still browse granite yards and ask them about smaller pieces [granite remnants] you could purchase for a lot less moolah if you are in the market to redo your bathroom. If you’re anything like me, you will have fun putting it all together yourself – and love the challenge of coming in under budget!

Whatcha’ got in your bathroom?

Has Pantone been taking hint hues from my blog design and logo? Yeah, I think so. Ever since I first read about their proclamation of 2011′s IT color, this beautiful shade called Honeysuckle, I have looked forward to seeing how it would be used in design. This fantastic reddish-pink hue is one of

[...CLICK for more article goodness!---->] Honeysuckle for 2011

Has Pantone been taking hint hues from my blog design and logo? Yeah, I think so. Ever since I first read about their proclamation of 2011′s IT color, this beautiful shade called Honeysuckle, I have looked forward to seeing how it would be used in design. This fantastic reddish-pink hue is one of my favorite colors [since red is officially my first, and pink a close second, this is the best of both].

Whew! It’s pretty loud on those walls up there, ain’t? But I am liking its intensity!

Lemme say no more. Let’s just bask in the glow of this bold, youthful color:

So what do you think? What was your favorite or least favorite space? Did you note how this color was used in each room? I think that it’s safe to say that there are a lot of folks out there who wouldn’t be as comfortable painting a whole wall with this color. If that’s the case, then it can still be fun to try it by popping in small doses of it – such as with throw pillows, artwork, repainting a chair real quick, or even just a big bouquet of fresh flowers. Or how about that funky goat/deer thing in the fireplace? See? You can do this.

How about you? Have you tried on this color yet in your home?

Photo credits: Pineapple House Int. Design + Branca + House and Home + House Beautiful + Lonny

I’m putting this at the top of the post so you can all see it up front – but our winner is LISA!! Yay! Congrats, chickie! All you have to do next is send me an email to ClassiclyAmber at gmail.com with the mailing address of where you want it sent to. For everyone else,

[...CLICK for more article goodness!---->] Springtime Mantle Decor, a Winner and Appendicitis

I’m putting this at the top of the post so you can all see it up front – but our winner is LISA!! Yay! Congrats, chickie! All you have to do next is send me an email to ClassiclyAmber at gmail.com with the mailing address of where you want it sent to. For everyone else, thank you so much for entering and check out MountainRoseHerbs.com to pick up your own diffuser and essential oils. While you’re there, be sure to take a lookie at all of their other nifty products, too!

All righty, I just thought I’d share this really quick. Do you like it? I feel like it’s nooooooooot quite done…or maybe not quite what I want to do with it. But I do like it well enough for now…

The HUGE canvas was only $12 and came from Goodwill, of all places! Yeah, I feel like I really scored because I found a ‘rich person’s Goodwill’ not too awful far from me! Do you have one near you? They have a lot more to pick from than some of the others. You should have seen me having to lug this thing around WITH my buggy! It was kinda crazy. And there were a couple of times that women came up to it to inspect it, as if they were going to buy it and I’d chirp up “OH! I’m definitely getting this! Sorry! *smile*” In a way, I felt bad for them to have to disappoint them like that, but I couldn’t just hand it over, ya know?  I haven’t actually measured the thing, but it’s like 3.5′ by 5′. Seriously! It’s obviously not a real painting, but you do recognize it as Monet, right? It’s Woman in a Garden, 1867. Clever name, aye?

Also – the chippy window came from an old building that hubby and our oldest son have been tearing down, so it was free! More on THAT, later!

Yep, we have a HUGE mantle that I designed. I love it. It’s this 300 pound piece of solid oak that has a very rough finish. It took 3 grown men to carefully and craftily install it back when we built our home. I always wanted to go back and put slightly less chunky vertical pieces going down the sides. We shall see about that someday!

And then this pussywillow tree came from Trader Joe’s! I’ve taken to nabbing a potted plant whenever we grocery shop there lately and the house is looking so cheery because of it! I suppose later on, we will plant this lil’ guy down by the pond!

I’m thinking that I need to repot the tree…maybe add a 3rd layer to the artwork stuff…and incorporate a lot of moss for interesting green texture!

Sorry that I haven’t been around as much this week, but I’m even more busy than normal! Hubby has been fighting Appendicitis and we have been treating it all naturally here at home. Now – before you freak out on me – please know that we are NOT the types of people that rush off to the doctor for every little thing. At the same time, we know that this isn’t just a common cold or something. We both fully realize the dangers involved with Appendicitis and the appendix possibly rupturing if it goes too far. That’s what we are working hard to keep from happening.

I will have to tell you…the first day, it was really scary. I have never seen Corey in that much pain before and was praying that it hadn’t gone too far. I checked him for fever and there was none, so I assumed there was no infection…but gave him things to fight one anyway. We began immediately detoxing and flushing out his system to help get whatever was making his appendix so mad OUT of there. I also didn’t sleep much that first night just praying and begging God to heal my husband. The next day, he awoke to feeling incredibly better, but still had some pain. I’ve read that strict bedrest is THE most important thing a person can do when their appendix is so irritable like this. The next most important thing is drinking plenty of fluids and cleansing out the body [and I gave him homemade yogurt, too!]. No solid foods at all. Also, you have to work to keep an infection from happening [though cleansing the body helps with that, too!]. The danger can arise when the body isn’t flushed out and the bad germs multiply, causing infection and irritating the appendix further. If the person tries to continue with their normal lifestyle and doesn’t deal with the problem – then the appendix can get so mad at you that it explodes. If a person’s appendix ruptures, then all of those harmful toxins begin to literally leak out into other areas of the body, creating a potentially deadly situation. A lot of times, people will experience the pain in their abdomen and do nothing about it. Then by the time they go to the doctor, the problem has progressed to something dangerous and the doctor recommends total removal of the appendix for fear of it rupturing and killing the patient. It’s a serious problem.

Corey has never had a fever or any sign of infection, thank you GOD. At one point, he started to show signs of the beginning of a fever, but I gave him some garlic and herbs to fight any infection harder, and it phased out. He has also been totally honest about his pain levels from the get-go. It’s helped me a lot in determining how to help him and what to do next. I had him constantly rating his pain on a scale of 1-10. The first day, it was a 9. Whew! Also, he would experience more pain after getting up to use the bathroom or just moving around too much. While resting, the pain would drop down to a 1 or 2. So the resting definitely helps!

I am amazed to say that – what I have seen with him seems no less than a miracle. He’s gone from something really bad [he had ALL of the symptoms!] to almost total healing in only a matter of days. Today, he says he feels about 98-99% recovered! I would say that that is awesome! I feel like God has healed him and given us the wisdom in treating it in a non-invasive manner, and for it all – I am truly thankful!

[Edited to add: I truly believe that in this day of modern medicine and health care reform that we, as a people, need to try to get back to more safe, effective and natural remedies.  I would never recommend that someone take the course of action that we did if my husband's appendix were about to burst, but because he obviously was very early on, it made perfect sense for us to try and treat it naturally before rushing him off for a surgery, and to pray and give God a chance to heal him before depending on a doctor.  And guess what?  It worked!  My husband is doing much better, and recovering nicely. I am sharing this information with my readers to encourage you to seriously look to ALL of your options before running off to the doctor every time.]

Have you ever known anyone dealing with Appendicitis? How did they treat it? [I have a feeling of what the most common answer for this will be! ]

And so…the beautiful glass door was taped up. I’m serious when I say I didn’t want to see it. Guess you can

[...CLICK for more article goodness!---->] Our Home Office Redo [in the makin'] For a little while now, I’ve had to literally block out my home office from my sight, my mind, my everything. It had become so overwhelmingly AWFUL that I just couldn’t take it anymore.

And so…the beautiful glass door was taped up. I’m serious when I say I didn’t want to see it. Guess you can see that. See? Ce.

You will be embarrassed FOR me once you see some of these shots. I am squinting as I upload this stuff. Yeah, I left the pics small on purpose. Heeeeeey, don’t look too close! Sheesh. This is bad enough as it is without you trying to see my mess up close! Okay, QUICK! Scroll down FAST.

Have you seen that new show called Hoarders? Oh mercy. I promise that I am not one of those people. Now, I KNOW that those people don’t realize what they’re doing, but seriously. Come on. Look at me. I look normal enough, right? I can view the above pictures and fully realize that…well…I‘m just a collector. NO – KIDDING! I’m not a collector, I’m not a hoarder, but I do have a ton of crafty stuff and up until now I have not had enough places to put it in a nice, organized way. [After seeing just one episode of that show, though, it really does just make ya want to take almost everything and CHUNK it out the back door in fear of turning out like one of those people, doesn't it? Augh!]

So how did it happen? Well, this office was never finished when we built the home. We had plans all along to have all of this built-in gorgeous cabinetry…blah, blah, blah…but towards the end of building, we were alerted that somehow we had gone over budget over $20,000 !! No lie. Over – by twenty thousand smackaroos. This news was out of nowhere, too. Have you heard me tell this story here yet? You might hear it again before all’s said ‘n done. Sorry in advance. Anyway, all along, we had been working with the accountant and following the budget. We’d have regular meetings to decide how much money pays for what…and how much we’ve spent and how much is left. So I could not – for the life of me – figure out how it was all suddenly messed up. To say that I was ridiculously outraged, upset and stressed out is a horrific understatement. And to make matters more interesting, I was VERY pregnant with Gianna at the time! Many people have learned that it’s just wrong to raise a pregnant woman’s ire, right? Don’t ya think?

We ended up having to leave off several things from our original design because there was no moolah to cover it. And after recalculating and recrunching those numbers, we were told that we were not so off budget [whew!]…but that we were going to have to cut corners just to make it. So cut corners – we did! We barely made it, though.

Suffice it to say, there was just never enough room to PUT everything! Since we’re also going through and cleaning out the 2nd and 3rd floors, things are getting shifted everywhere and there were too many times that you’d hear the following sentence: “Oh, that belongs downstairs in the office. Just go drop it in there somewhere. What? There IS no where to put it in there? I don’t care! MAKE a place in there! This can’t stay in here!” Even before the house clean up project began, this home office was chaos. So add on the rest of the stuff we’re working on and – well – you literally could barely get in the door to this small space.

This is basically our office today. We’ve made do with random desks and I’ve just recently given 3/4 of it all a paint job to creamy white. You remember that I love that for office furniture, right?

These desks were a really blah oak color and stained light. I primed and creamed ‘em up real good.

That chair cushion is so ugly, but it is sooo comfy! I snatched it from my hubby when he moved his architect firm here – and we only lightly argued over who got to keep it. Actually, he asked if I really liked it and said that I could have it because my back frequently gives me grief. HE is a sweetheart! [Mine. All mine.]

So we’ve got open shelving going up…some working drapery ideas…possibly a table skirt…reupholstery actions…hardware changes…and more design ideas still in the works. Stick around and see if we actually end up taking this thing somewhere~!

We are in the middle of redoing my office here. It’s not a big space at all, but we designed the back wall to face the back yard and it features wall to wall windows, which makes it feel larger than it really is. I just love it! The only con to it is the

[...CLICK for more article goodness!---->] Home Office Style – Inspiration

We are in the middle of redoing my office here. It’s not a big space at all, but we designed the back wall to face the back yard and it features wall to wall windows, which makes it feel larger than it really is. I just love it! The only con to it is the sunlight that blares through in the early morning since it faces east. So I will be putting lots of thought into a working window treatment that I can lower to block the sun and raise to get the lovely view. Looking through several interior design pics of offices, I’ve made no bones about my attraction to cream colored furniture…and mostly greens and pinks as far as colors go. This color combo really gets my creative juices flowing, which is what I am in desperate need of. [More on my home office/craft room to come. For now, I just want to share inspiring offices!]

LOVE that table….LOVE that chair…LOVE that lamp! Ah!

Look at that gorgeous window and the perfect organization in here. Oh my…

Why is this on here? I dunno. There are certain elements that I like about it – the window, the walls, the big butterfly art…but in a lot of it is too dark for my home office tastes.

Again….awesome organization. Neeeeeed!

Does my desk need a skirt?

Could this space be any more calming? That memo board with the bird fabric is fantastico~! I love this, but definitely need more pops of color for my space.

I really enjoy this view and that antique green desk! It’s probably not gonna happen for me, though…

Here is an office that actually folds away when not in use. You see that, right? The table folds up to the wall, and the doors below close to transform back into plain cabinetry. THAT is a good idea!

I’m not so much a fan of all this darkness for the home office, but it’s the way they did the shelving here that jumps out at me! That is so cool…

Various florals? I need you!

I love the neat ‘n tidy desk space! All of the pinks and the flowers grace us with feminine charm! <3

Does anyone know what the fabric is used in here for the drapery panel to the right? I love that big, bold pattern!

So YES – definitely pinks and greens to inspire me! Do you know what colors inspire your creativity?

Hopefully, I will be checking in again soon with some before and after pics of what we’re working on. In the meantime, this gives me a lot to think about!

[...CLICK for more article goodness!---->] Salvaged Greenhouse Inspiration We had another snowfall and it’s all melted away because the ground had warmed up previously. I’m still looking forward to spring and all that that entails, so I thought I’d post some greenhouse pics to elicit more inspiration. Many people have constructed the neatest greenhouses using found materials from their yard, or stuff their neighbors were getting rid of, or through websites like CraigsList and Freecycle. This might not be a project that we get to tackle this year, but I am feeling so inspired!

Isn’t this one of the cutest greenhouses you’ve ever seen? Organic gardener and prop stylist Heather Cameron did a really great job pulling this together. Her husband built this colorful greenhouse for her from old barn wood and vintage windows…a recurring theme you’ll find with salvaged greenhouse design.  I love the awnings propped up with bamboo sticks, and the way she has everything organized. Click here to read more about it.

I know that the practical minded sweeties out there are going to go nuts when they see the chandeliers in the above greenhouse, but I truly love it’s shabby chic appeal. And if you didn’t know it already, this greenhouse is the exact same one as the very first one pictured, but has shed it’s play-clothes for something more glamorous. [Actually, I am not sure which style was first, but they are both fab!] I can definitely see myself hanging out in a space like this!

The fanlight window is a beautiful focal point on Judie Byrd’s salvaged greenhouse. When you look at more pictures from her website, you’ll find that her’s also contains a crystal chandelier~! I love that she uses her greenhouse for more than just potting and growing plants year round. It sounds like her and her grandkids are having so much fun in this magical space! Be sure and check out her nifty tips for starting seedlings from egg shells and their cartons, too.

If you’d love to have a salvaged greenhouse of your own and aren’t too impatient, then you can begin now by collecting various building materials – windows, doors, windows, siding, windows….oh yeah, and you’ll want some windows, too. After seeing these gorgeous greenhouses, I’m gonna get started on the hunt. How about you?

Lately, I’ve been rethinking our master bedroom and what I can do to make it feel more like a wonderful retreat. You know…a room that people pay high dollar for. You know those people? We are not talking Motel 6 people or Budget Inn people. If that’s your people, then that’s perfectly okay if your

[...CLICK for more article goodness!---->] Dreamy Creamy Bedrooms

Lately, I’ve been rethinking our master bedroom and what I can do to make it feel more like a wonderful retreat. You know…a room that people pay high dollar for. You know those people? We are not talking Motel 6 people or Budget Inn people. If that’s your people, then that’s perfectly okay if your people like those kinda bedrooms. I am looking for something different than that, though…

Currently in our bedroom, we have deeper colors, which I love; but I also love creamy whites. Ya just cant go wrong with creams and whites. It makes the bedroom so peaceful and relaxing. I am sooo drawn to it.

We COULD go on vacation to a place like that…Actually, no we can’t leave right now! Money is tight and there is too much going on at home. What if we used some vaca moolah to fix up our bedroom? We are to the point now to where we’d much rather spend the money on our home where we spend most of our time – instead of burning it up within just a few days of vacationing. Mmm…so this sounds tempting. Now where did I leave that vaca money at? I need to keep looking around for it – and for more design inspiration.

Our family is probably different than most families around here, too, because…we actually have our two youngest ones rooming in with us. That is a whole ‘nother post, but suffice it to say, we couldn’t be happier with the living arrangement. The girls are both still so young and they will be moving into their own bedroom together in due time. For now, though, I definitely have to think about the roles that them and their lil’ beds play in this space of our home…

Does your master bedroom look and feel like a peaceful retreat?