Monday, July 5, 2010

A Visit from Cottage and Vine



Rene from Cottage and Vine is one of my dear bloggy buddies, so I couldn't wait to have her do a guest post on my blog...and today is that day!  She has an amazing sense of style, is always working on something around her beautiful home, all while keeping things budget friendly!

I know that after Rene takes you on a little tour of her home below you'll understand why she has so many loyal followers, including me!

Happy holiday everybody!  I am Rene visiting from Cottage and Vine.

Thanks so much to Kat for inviting me over! 

To tell you a little about me, I am married to a wonderful man and we have two boys, 11 and 14.  This is the home they have always known and it is ever changing to meet our changing needs.  If my nesting/decor philosophy could be defined in three words, they would be style, comfort, and budget. 




Most of the projects that I do around our home are simple and inexpensive like this focal wall that I created in our entrance using happy tape.




The curtains in the living room are painter's canvas that I painted with horizontal stripes and the topiaries on the mantle are foam balls covered with moss.




This is the room where we snuggle in at night to watch movies or read.  Foot stools, pillows, and throws are all within arms reach.  When a pillow begins to wear out its welcome, I simply recover it with a fresh new fabric.  One of the easiest and least expensive ways to perk up a room in my opinion. 

I love to shop in thrift stores and have found many treasures along the  way.  I always look at art and on one outing I found the pair of  watercolors behind the hydrangeas that are a scene from Paris.




Our dining room is another comfy space that opens up onto the deck and recently with cooler temperatures we have enjoyed having the doors and windows open.  A welcome relief in the south.  Another thing that I like to do is combine old and new, rustic and fine.  It's those unexpected combinations that draw me in.  Even though there is a crystal chandelier in this room, you might find an old mason jar filled with flowers, a thrift store chair,  or an urn filled with seashells.  Of course the co-editor had to make an appearance.




With a growing family, we are always looking for storage.  Several years ago we had this bench made that is chocked full of storage and provides ample seating for those sleepovers where pancake breakfasts are served.  The farm table has been in our family for more than 100 years and was made by my great-great grandfather.  The plate wall is a mix of ironstone and spray painted plates found at Goodwill.

I hope you enjoyed a little peek at our cottage and thanks for inviting me over Kat!




Thanks so much Rene! And to see more of her beautiful home and great design ideas, be sure to visit her wonderful blog, Cottage and Vine, by clicking HERE!!!

24 comments:

  1. I just discovered Cottage and Vine today and now I see it here!!This is great!! I love the way blogland helps us travel from blog to blog to find new and interesting reads. This definitely was a great read. She has done so many nice but inexpensive things to spruce up her home. Thanks for sharing Kathysue

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  2. Rene's home is lovely. Thanks for sharing it. Rene those drapes are creative and beautiful.

    ~olive

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  3. Rene has a gorgeous house! I will head over and say 'Hi'. Thanks for sharing. xx

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  4. Rene's home is lovely. She sounds like such a nice person with a wonderful sense of style.
    Love the smooth clean lines of her decorated rooms.

    Thanks for introducing her.

    hugs
    Sissie

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  5. Love all the budget-conscious ideas, especially the curtains and the wall of plates! I wish I had even half of Rene's creativity! Is that a weimaraner in the photo? :)

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  6. Rene has such a lovely home! Thanks for sharing with us!

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  7. What a gorgeous home she has! I'll definitely be checking out her blog, so thanks for the tip! K xx

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  8. Hi Kat, thanks for the intro! You are such a kind blogger and friend. I'm going to pop over to Renee's now, for a bit more. xx Suzanne

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  9. A beautiful home! I love the age and beauty of that table - how wonderful to have something so lovely with so many memories on it.

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  10. Oh my - you have such a beautiful home - thanks for sharing the photos.

    Vicki

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  11. Rene's home is lovely. She has wonderful budget conscious ideas. That's important. I am going to hop over to her blog now for a visit. Thank you for all your kindness, Kat.

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  12. I have been a fan and blogging friend of Rene's. She made my button for me. I love her home.

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  13. Thanks everybody and especially thanks to Kat.

    Yes Traci, you have a great eye because that is a Weim. Mattie Gray and I are the only girls in the house :)

    -Rene

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  14. Kat- what a generous and wonderful treat.
    I love her blog, and I can't wait to spray paint some plates!

    Enjoyed visiting,

    Laura
    White Spray Paint

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  15. Lots of good ideas there - I'll have to go on over for a little more.

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  16. Lovely to meet you Rene.
    Thanks for sharing your home with us
    Alison

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  17. A lovely home, I really love the lampshades over your farm table, amazing!

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  18. Wow, thats a gorgeous home. I will pop on over to her blog now. Love the wall of plates. Who would have thought they were painted!

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  19. I truly love your wall of plates! How nice that your children get to eat their meals on a family heirloom.
    Brenda

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  20. Gorgeous ... just gorgeous! Thanks for sharing!!!

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  21. What a beautiful home Rene and her family get to enjoy. I absolutely love their farmhouse table and the fact that her Great-Great Grandfather built it too! That's such a treasure. ~Lili

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  22. I just discovered Rene's blog today, and really enjoyed getting a double-dose getting to visit yours too. What a fun idea. Thanks for sharing. Now I have got to get back and visit the rest of your blog. blessings, carrell

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