OH What a great idea to enclose the screened porch. I think your library area turned out charming. Our official library is in the master bedroom closet. Do not have a picture of it. Difference here is hubbies clothes are now on the right mine on the left. Silly reason why. Has to do with the added shelves on top of the closet shelves and the vault in the closet ceiling. I was not willing to change here what worked so well at the last house.

Here is an album of a small house we used to own in Cambridge. It is for sale again now by new owners due to their health issues.I Loved this house. Was fun to live there. Hubby gets the urge to move every couple of years. :^( Sigh.If you click on the first picture of the album then click your way through using next you get to see the whole album. Also the new owner has changed some of the room colors. The living room is a pretty sage green and the bathroom too. New floor in the bathroom.

At this other house I had my office in the laundry room. Was great. I also had my cow then and the laundry room was also my milk kitchen with the huge laundry tub and counters.For a small house 1140 SQ FT it lived large. Storage to die for.HUGE kitchen. I was the only one with a cow on Main Street. The property was almost 2 acres and borders a pretty creek.

Chris

Here is a link that might be useful: Small house we used to have

You really have done a lot. I wish I was able to build arches, lived in NM and they bring so much style into a home. There is one original in my house, but it is a bit complicated to recreate. You have also been a busy lady rearranging all.

Have either of you seen the "Holiday" movie. I adore the house and it is packed with books, keepsakes, comfy furniture. I want to live in it. The link below has man pics of the interior. Scoll down to bottom for those of the English Cottage.

I use the master for my office/art room. Chris, do you still weave? A wonderful skill, great you have a place for doing so. And that kitchen was huge for a small house.

Here is a link that might be useful: The Holiday movie set

I will look at your link when I get home.

That was a great kitchen. I used to stash the big dirty Thanksgiving pots in the deep laundry room sink,to soak, so we did not have to look at them while we were eating. Also was nice two could work at doing the dishes. Got them done twice as fast.

No weaving any more. After not using the loom for over 5 years I decided it was time for it to go. I had no idea we would be moving at the time. I was in denial. I have access to several looms any time I feel the urge to weave again so why store one. When I sold it I put it on Craig's list at 8AM and it was sold by noon. When they came to pick it up they brought a truck and we filled it up almost half full with weaving supplies. I am more into mosaics and bead work. I like to crochet but my hands rebel on me.

Flowerlady I would REALLY like to see a close up of your water lily picture. I was hoping to do a Faux Monet water lily scene on a mirror we have in the living room.I have most of the glass tumbled and then the move started. Dang this move has consumed 7 months of my life.

OK I MUST get headed out to go feed those kitties.

Chris

Chris ~ Your other home was really nice and your kitchen was GREAT! Loved your flowers in bloom out front too. Your new gardens will look wonderful too. Wow, having your own cow, how cool is that? What was her name? Did you make butter from her milk?

emagineer ~ I checked out that webiste. The main house was one to get lost in, but I LOVED the English house, just my style. The kitchen really was wonderful! To think the place was just a set.

You should see the wonderful mosaic work that Chris does! She is a lady of many talents.

Chris ~ Here are pictures close-up of the waterlily paintings. I didn't know which one you wanted so took one of each. Can't wait to see this mosaic mirror project when you are done.

After working outside for an hour or so this morning, weeding, trimming, raking up and bagging a bag's worth, I mowed and came in to get inspired by reading these posts. I got out some material to make a curtain for the bedroom's south window and the French door window also. They are just simple, nothing fancy at all.

It's about time for a nap, then I'll think about sewing hems and making dinner.

FlowerLady

{{!gwi}}

{{!gwi}}

I enjoyed looking at the sets (houses) from 'Holiday'. I build a lot of sets for community theatre, and it's fun to see what you can do with little money and lots of creativity. Our local theatre has 48 linear feet of wall, and I usually spend about $400 on a typical production. I designed the permanent part of the set to have removable panels, and we've built up an inventory of plain panels, and panels with doors or windows in them. When we do a new show, I rearrange the panels to put the doors and windows where the director wants them, then we seal the seams with tape, and paint the whole thing. I've recently 'retired' from all this to focus on our up-coming build and subsequent move to SC. I tell everyone that I have one more 'set' to build- the one we are going to live in!

flowerlady--you have the kind of house I love. It looks like such a friendly house--the type that doesn't mind you looking at its books and artwork. The kind of a house a guest can relax in and feel welcome.

Great job!

crystal ~ Thank you so much for your encouraging words about our little cottage. Putting pictures out for others to see is kind of daunting to say the least. Not everyone lives like we do in a little 750 sq.ft. wood frame cottage. We are continually working at making this our little oasis from the crazy world that we live in.

Our artwork is all sorts of genre,(vague categories with no fixed boundaries), as is our collection of books. Our music is also an eclectic mix. So, you never know what you'll be exposed to here in our little cottage. : -)

You have inspired me to keep on working at making our place more of a haven for ourselves and all who may enter.

Thank you.

FlowerLady

Flower lady Thank you so much for the lily pictures. They are perfect and it is great to have both to look at. I just can't wait to get started on all of the projects I WANT to do instead of HAVE to do. Well one more HAVE to do got done today. On to bigger and better things.

I hope you leave these pictures of your house up for awhile I would like to come visit again.

Chris

The movie set was interesting to see. The actual movie makes all seem much smaller with more "stuff" all around. Another set designer I like is the one for Two and half Men. Have watched this set change through the years, they keep buying items from Target. I know the areas are much larger than filmed, but still feels small and with some good ideas.

You were/are a set designer? What a great job to have. Bet you have some great abilities to create wonderful rooms in your house. At Restore we got in close to a hundred paint sample jars. No one knew what to do with them. I would have gladly just taken them home, but suggested they go to the children's acting/play program for set design.

It sounds like a lot of us are into some type of art or have a creative side. Perhaps part of our love for finding the best in these small homes.

Wow Flowerlady6, what a difference that made in your house. I absolutely LOVE your new office and library. If I am visualizing it right, it is a cozy alcove off the living room, right?

It reminds me of the layout for the Ponderosa on Bonanza. I always thought it would be neat to have the office alcove like Ben Cartwright had that was a part of but separate from the living room.

Marti8a ~ Thank you for your kind, encouraging words. Yes the little office/library is a cozy area off the living room. It works for us, for being such a tiny space.

FlowerLady

Ahhhhhhhhh...I think I need to spend a week or two just looking around your pretty home! I would feel so comfortable there :^). Lots of people have their lovely big homes, but give me a friendly cottage with welcoming rooms and pretties to look at, and I will stay forever.
(especially if the cat comes to sit in my lap!)
Good for you and your DH!

Jaybird ~ Thank you also for your encouraging words about our place. There are some places I see online in different forums and immediately I am drawn to them for the warmth, personality, love of life. Others leave me feeling cold and empty. Sometimes we just see our homes as humdrum, or think they wouldn't be all that interesting to others. Then pictures are shared and through other's eyes we see that what we have isn't so bad, strange, etc. at all.

Thanks again everyone for looking. I'm patiently waiting to see pictures of other's homes, gardens, etc. here. Even pictures of some of the good cooking that goes on in the homes of this forum.

Have a great weekend one and all ~ FlowerLady

FlowerLady, I know this is an old post, but I have a few questions if you are still reading.
I have a front porch (5x11 ft) that I never use and I want to incoporate into living space. I have 2 options 1. tear the wall out and make it part of the living room ($$) or
2. do something like you did.

What did you do about the front door?
What about heat/air?
What did you do about the exterior wall? Paint?
Do you only have 1 window & if so, is there enough light?

That was such a good idea to claim space. I also saw your kitchen project. I love the area with the window. I have been talking with a contractor about adding a room onto my house. I have a small house (approx 1,000 sq ft), but it has a large kitchen (12 x 18) which is useless for me. What I really want is a sitting room where I can enjoy being a slob. After seeing your projects, I am leaning towards a very small bumpout (8x10) which would open into the present kitchen - then reconfiguring the space so the kitchen is the smaller space and the rest is a sitting/den area.
Good job!

Loretta ~ I didn't realize this was here, I answered you via email. Did you get it? If not let me know.

FlowerLady

FlowerLady, I did get your email! I don't always check it, but I just did. Thanks for replying. Your pics helped me 'see' it much better. I'm going to be brave and post some pics of my kitchen on the "Discussions" side.
I have visited your blog. Your gardens are really beautiful!
Loretta

ok, your pics are invisible to me also. you mad at me?
lol!
maybe I need to reboot... that's the 2nd weird thing to happen tonight on here...

Steph the pictures were from two years ago and have been moved by now or just taken down. Not you or your computer. :^)

Chris

desertsteph ~ I changed servers so the address for the pictures in this thread is no longer right so the pictures will not show up.

Guess I better work on a new thread since there are new people here.

That was two years ago as Chris said.

Thanks for your interest.

Chris ~ Thanks for letting desertsteph know it's not her or her computer. ;-)

FlowerLady

Flowerlady, which side are you uploading your new photos to?
Can you put a link to work both ways...to there from here, to here from there? I like to see the full story.

Glad to see you hanging with us on both sides of the aisle.
:)

Sometimes the line between DISCUSSION and CONVERSATION blurs.

Cannot rule out visiting both places is worthwhile. So many folks here are becoming close friends or "fellow travelers" in the BEST sense of the word, not the OLD connotation.
You have to be at least old enough to remember McCarthy era to know what that means.

Flowerlady has a wonderful blog. The link below is from some of her images once posted. Have fun and wave to her while enjoying her garden, home and ongoing blooms.

Hope I didn't cross any lines by posting the link....You are loved because you love so much with ease.

Here is a link that might be useful: Flowerlady

ML ~ I have to find my pictures again and upload them before I post. I'll probably post a msg on the discussion side.

Emagineer ~ Thanks for posting the link to my blog.

FlowerLady