FALL AT THE SOUTHERN LIVING IDEA HOME 2012

 

 
Finally, I made it to the Southern Living Idea Home.  I was scheduling my visit with the group of "Girls" that I plan the Social  activities for  in our small neighborhood in  Sun City Peachtree, south of Atlanta.  We put the day off until the heat subsided.

It worked in our favor....We were informed,  as we entered,  that they had just finished decorating the home for the Holidays....So it was filled with Christmas!  A gift for us!

Pictures were ALLOWED.......if none of the CHRISTMAS DECOR was posted on line!!!!!!!  The home is being featured in the December 2013 issue.

I snapped away......

If you see a wreath, or two, let it be known that they surely are FALL OR HALLOWEEN  wreaths........

I know you have been treated to many pictures of this house, hopefully if you look close you will get a glimpse of some new decor!

The Kitchen is the Center of the home.  I have a great shot of the lovely Great Room, but the Halloween Tree looks too much like another Holiday!

 A warm and cozy sitting area off one of the terraces.

 Guest Bedrooms

 I WAS THRILLED TO SEE THIS COWHIDE RUG!  IF IT'S GOOD ENOUGH FOR THE SOUTHERN LIVING HOUSE, IT'S SURELY GOOD ENOUGH FOR THE BUCKET LIST HOUSE.

Master Bedroom 

This is a charming "spot" at the top of the stairs.....loved it!

 Some of the Great Bathrooms in the Home

Look at the wallpaper in this bath! 

 Wow!

Little sheep jumping all over the walls!

 The back Terrace was the absolute favorite spot with all the Girls....Lovely place to enjoy the Fall day, even a fire pit!

 YES, THERE I AM......Do you know where?  I'm the second from the end,  on the right, with the gray sweater and white turtle neck.  The girls insisted I get in one of the pictures and grabbed a volunteer to take this picture!!!

It was a fun day.  Before our tour we had a lovely lunch at Founders Restaurant, on the main street of Senoia.
Here....

Great afternoon.  Perfect day to go.  Glad we waited!  It is open through December.  If you can make it...do plan a visit!here

TWEAK A LITTLE HERE AND A LITTLE THERE!

TROUBLE IS BREWING .....

There is possibly a  "problem" with the mirror tiles on the cocktail table.  I know, a lot of you warned  me there might be, and I am seeing that this could be becoming a reality!

We have a chip here and a chip there,  and it won't be long before it's going to get to me.

I wasn't looking for a solution, not yet....and then this morning I saw two different rooms in this month's Veranda.  They caught my eye!  And....I began to see something, maybe an "Epiphany" developing.

Our table has great bones!   MC did a great job.  We had a hard time deciding on a "top" and ended up using 12" square mirror tiles, the same as the ones on the fireplace wall and surround.  They have been OK.  Yes, just, OK.   For some unknown reason all our guests are afraid of it!!!!  I have to reassure them over and over that they can put their glass on it,  they can touch it,  and yes,  even put there feet on it!!!  But it doesn't work!   All our guests are intimidated by it!

Now these little chips are appearing in the corners where the tiles meet.  Could be a "pressure" thing or something?   I'm not an engineer!   Maybe we should rethink this ??

 Getting back to this morning......
MY EYES FLIPPED AT THIS.......

 Oh I love it!  Love the "frame" that gives it a tray appearance!!!!

Funny, Patti, you mentioned months ago to paint it gold. It wasn't on the black rug it's on now and I thought gold would look weak!    .....BUT I SURE DO LIKE THIS!  And...the table is now on a black rug!!!  The Gold would POP!

Not sure what the top of this table is, but it looks like glass,   which we can't do.

Then I flipped a few pages and saw this

  Is that wood planks on the top?

This afternoon MC and I went to his favorite place in the world!!!  Lowes!  If I can work a trip to Lowes into an Epiphany, I know he will at least "consider"  it!!!

We looked at wood flooring, found one we loved, but the strips in the box have all different lengths..." Well, .it is-- flooring!"  We just need four foot strips.  It doesn't come that way.  Nix that idea, walked over  to a different aisle!!  Fell across a tongue and groove bead board unfinished product.  Now we were getting somewhere.....MC could paint this a shinny black.   ??????

So....this is the beginning of the "Story".  What  will  the ending be?......"Happily ever after" or "Never Mind"!

I wish to say "Hello" to all of Pam's readers who have stopped in today.  Pam writes a great blog,  Simple Details. 
Here
On her blog this morning she gave me a Huge  "Shout Out"  and posted  a picture of our Foyer.  I can't tell you how many  have "visited" Patty's Epiphanies today because of this.....Just Amazing!!!
Pam thanks so, so much.....

DONE!

MC FINISHED HIS ROOM.....WELL...............maybe?

Last night MC framed and hung "THE FAMILY" !
The clan never looked better!

Tried to take the pictures after reading and absorbing  the advice from Camille at Vintique Object  here . 
Camille has wonderful photo hints and will be of great help to us down the road.  We need a lot of practice, but at least we know not to use the flash and to turn off the lights!    Our "subject" was hard for our first attempt!

 MC and Yours Truly. Real old wedding picture!!!!   Before color photos!!!!

 Erica and Adam's  Wedding

 MC and Yours Truly ....another wedding picture...We get two, it's our house!

 Giada's Birthday

 Tess

 Isabelle

 Our Three "Angels"....circa 1968

Magz

Realize the pictures are difficult to see, but wanted the individuals to see their presence!!!!

Now on to IMPORTANT INFORMATION.......

You know I am a cleaning freak and I do PREVENTIVE CLEANING..   That means I clean daily, just about everything.  It's not a disease, it's common sense.  The house never gets dirty, is always ready for guests, and never needs a grueling day or week of housecleaning!!!!!    VERY EASY!   AND GREAT EXERCISE!!!!  I don't need exercise equipment or have to deal with  "weather" to get my daily workout!

The NEWS.

I have found a MIRACLE CLEANING PRODUCT!!

I was reading the small sections of House Beautiful and found an article that recommended this all purpose household cleanser.  It was being recommended in a kitchen feature as the perfect way to clean stainless steel appliances.  

I HAD to have it!!!!   I ordered it !

 It  came Tuesday morning!!!!!  Actually had already finished most of the preventive cleaning for the day, but I couldn't wait until Wednesday, SO I RE-CLEANED THE ENTIRE HOUSE!!!  

I used it everywhere,  from the appliances,  the shower (GREAT ON THE GLASS DOORS),  windows AND the counter tops.  Just everywhere!!!  And there is no build-up so you can use it often.......

It's The Original Bee's Wax.....check it out here

I'm ordering a case!!!!

ps...MC is checking the "COMMENTS"  on his first post, daily!  He's loving it.  He is so happy, he told me he had 13 Comments!!!!

WORDS OF WISDOM FROM MC

MC'S FIRST POST!


MC (Technical Adviser and Chief Supporter)
"I have been asked in many comments where I got my "talent" in making "stuff", such as book shelves, draperies, Little People, and the million other things I do around here. The answer is quite simple--I am CHEAP! If I can do something without paying someone else to do it, I do it. If I don't know how, I turn to my good friend Google and learn how. Patty and I are quite a team. She has the Epiphany and I have to figure out how to make it a reality. I usually make it work; that is, if I can't talk her out of it first."

MC added the above as a "comment".  I thought that it needed to be read by ALL

ps....make a note to check the new post of MC's Little People immediately before this one.

.  

LITTLE POST FOR MC'S LITTLE PEOPLE

MC HAS COMPLETED HIS NEXT TASK!

His MC sign is finished and hanging... A small step, but a very important one!  He has a new ORIGINAL LITTLE PEOPLE  in the works.  Wait until you see it...It's a Winner!

We have the wall opposite the window wall to work on this week....It's a busy week but I have "faith" it will be done soon!


 


 

 
 MC loves working on these adorable creatures!!!!  He goes in the garage and spends hours.....
I know it's his way to escape crazy Patty!

MC HAS COMPLETED THE DRAPERY PANELS !!!

 ......  What more can I say ... they are gorgeous!

 My first comment to MC was, "They look like they were done by someone who knew what they were doing!"


 When we get up  each morning and leave our bedroom, this is the first thing we see!  Great image to start each day!

 

The Room now flows beautifully from the Foyer!

 I love the way the clock's design goes with the drapery fabric!

MC has been working on his A.F. Patches'  project forever!  Doing this wall unit prompted him to complete it!

 We have to laugh at ourselves!  A year ago we thought we would take some of the "black" out of the rooms!  Twelve months later, that's far from reality!  We have added four black rugs and black accessories here and there!  So much for that!

We still have the wall opposite the windows in the Library to work on.  Hopefully that will be done in the next few days.   MC is working on his Little People sign and the stands for all the figurines.  Again, I'm hoping all this will be finished in the near future.


BUT THERE IS MORE!, we wanted to make the black unit that housed our TV in MC's room have  a home in the Epiphany Suite!  We have a smaller TV in it now than was in it when it was in MC's room!  Had to come up with something.....


 

 

MC says no one will know what BHL is!!!  I suggested to him that anyone who spends a night in our Epiphany Suite will understand......BUCKET LIST HOUSE!!!!

We are  taking reservations!!! 

FIRST DAY OF FALL

I am thoroughly ecstatic it's officially Fall!  I can't say Fall in Georgia is the Fall I knew as a child growing up on Long Island, New York, but never the less, the calendar says  FALL.

I am not a Summer Girl.  Due to my very fair skin, (oh I am so delicate...that's a hoot), and in the last 20 years, medications, I am not able to take the summer  heat or  sun.  As I child I had two very severe sun burns.   I will never forget the pain or the ghastly way I looked. I endured it and swore as soon as I was able to stand on my own convictions, I would not put myself through that torture!    FINALLY, in the last years, I  have reached a point in my life where I can remain inside and not partake in outside activities.  I no longer have to try and "fit in"! It's OK, I can be different.   That was the hardest part all these years.  In order to be one of the group I had to be OUT THERE!   NO MORE.....

Kristy and Beth authors of My Design Chic,  here ,  remarked on how they admired the elevation of our Bucket List Home and wanted me to share some of our "outside" spaces!  I have put this off.....we don't have enough outside spaces to make a big deal over!

THE BUCKET LIST HOUSE

Now adding to the fact of my reaction to heat and sun, I kill every single flower, plant, bush or tree known to man!  and.....I found if I don't kill them the deer eat them!!!  Last year we actually had two urns filled with beautiful Inpatients  stately placed at our front door.  Neighbors complimented how pretty they were!  They lasted one week!  We awoke one morning and all the foliage had been eaten down to the roots by the deer that roam here at night!  That freaked me out.  All I could think of was waking up and seeing a huge deer at my front door! 

This year, the urns, with advice from a knowledgeable gardener neighbor, we planted ferns.  She was smart.  They actually are still alive! 

Last summer we replaced the  concrete pad on our terrace with  blue flagstone.   The contractor did a wonderful job and gave it a very graceful curve.  We love it.  We had two more urns that we planted boxwood in.  They lasted two months!  They remained bare the rest of the summer!  This year, again with that smart  neighbor's  advice we tried petunias and so far they are holding up!   I don't think the deer know we have a back terrace!

We have two loveseats and a nest of tables to use,  when needed!!!  Did have two chairs, which I moved inside and am now using at my "desk" kitchen area!    I actually sat out there once in May!  Have proof.  Have a picture.  That's it.....We enjoy the space from inside!  It's pretty,  and our view is great!  No need to go outside!

Notice the sweater, didn't want that sun to get me!  It was 99 out there!  I was pretending to be happy and believe me....I did not stay one minute after MC took the picture!

The view from inside and from the terrace

Which brings me to report that MC is working on the drapery panels.....He informed me that it's going to take awhile...the fabric is very thick!  He has to take a long time to get the iron on tape to work!

See you whenever.....