"I went to the woods..."

Have you ever come across a quote that when you read it your heart skipped, your breath got caught because the words, the sentiment, resonated so deeply within your soul that you wanted to memorize the words and make them your own?

Here is mine.

"I went to the woods because I wished to lived deliberately.

To front only the essentials facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach,

and not, when I came to die, discover I had not lived."

~ Henry David Thoreau.

I ordered a canvas of the quote...before the first logs were even stacked.

I know disappearing into the middle of the woods might not be for everyone, but I think discovering the most important parts of our lives is.

Summer Friends Art

For the longest time, I wasn't sure what I was going to hang on the walls in the girls' room in the cabin. I wanted something to tie in with our farm theme, but I also wanted something that would still fit once they out grew their barn beds. I searched high and low on the internet and nothing seemed quite right. Then I went to my parent's house one day. I was in their basement rifling through an old box of books trying to find something to read to the girls when I came across it, the perfect old picture book from my childhood.

It's called Summer Friends and it is the story of Suzie leaving the country at the end of the summer. She goes to all of  her summer friends- the cow, the chickens, the frog- and asks if they would like to come back to the city with her. But alas, none of her friends want to go to the city. So ingenious little Suzie decides to draw a picture of her summer friends.  "Now," she said, "I will not forget my summer friends when I go home to the city."

I remember reading this book as a child. It was actually reprinted the year I was born. You can tell I loved it because there are my scribbles on some pages and some are taped back together.

THIS was the perfect book for the room. The illustrations were just darling and perfectly fit the farms and the pond near the cabin. Plus, I adored the theme of the book that Suzie's friends would always be with her.

 However, the book was falling apart. Also some of the illustrations that I wanted to use were on the opposite side of the same page so I didn't want to just take the book apart and frame the pages.
Instead,  I decided to make my own art. I bought canvases at the local art store and painted them red, white and blue. I scanned the illustrations into the computer and printed them out. Then once the paint dried, I decoupaged the prints onto the canvas, as simple as that.

For right now, there are three prints on each side of the room. Eventually the girls will have bunk beds in this room and then I can hang all six in a series.
I love that their room has a little piece of my childhood in it now too.

Here is the promised close up photos of their window treatment...

...and one of my flea-market finds, a chair for $4,

perfectly distressed and ready to use in the corner of their room.

Link Parties

Painted Buffet for Cabin

I scooped up this small buffet from my sister when she got a new dining room set. Originally, it was dark wood with gold handles. When I first brought it home, Mr. Cabin looked at me like I was nuts when I said it was going to the cabin. "Trust me I said. All it needs is a little paint." He didn't look too convinced, but I went on with my plan undaunted.
I painted it red as you can see. Then I went back and painted the dentil molding pieces white and blue. It's such a great pop of color against the log walls. Plus it fits perfectly behind the front door.
However, the reason why I am really loving it now... extra storage! Gotta love that.

Link Parties

Spring Walk at the Cabin

This past weekend we made our first trip up to the cabin since the winter. We left behind 80 degree days at the cottage all week and actually arrived at the cabin amid an ice storm Friday night. When we woke up Saturday morning, there was a dusting of ice and snow on the ground. I had hoped to capture fern fiddleheads popping up all over. Sigh. You would think by now I would learn- spring and summer come later at the cabin, fall and winter come earlier.
We didn't let the chilly weather deter us though and we still walked down to the pond bundled up in all our winter gear. Even though I didn't see any fiddleheads, it was a pleasant surprise to capture the ice crystals on moss.

Signs that spring is really on its way.

Cottage Office

What's black, white and red and read all over?

Our cottage office. :)

We'll begin our little tour by first checking out Mr. Cabin's handiwork~ my gorgeous new bookcase. I am beyond thrilled with the way they came out.

I love the little details in the trim. We painted the oak wood white and distressed it so it looks as if it has been in the house forever.

My scrapbooks fit perfectly on the bottom, as my custom builder promised me they would. Love him.
I plan on rearranging the books soon. Right now the girls have claimed four of the shelves for their own and they are in a constant state of upheaval. But they love their books and being read to, so for right now I am quite content and happy about the messy conditions.

Here is the rest of the room. The comfy reading chair I inherited from my parents, not exactly the ideal but it works for now. I hope one day to purchase a worn brown leather chair for this room.

An old childhood chair offers extra book storage

 and is the perfect place to rest a plant by the sunny window.

Old black and white photos of both of our parents. There needs to be an entirely seperate post about Mr. Cabin's gargolyes some of which you can see here on the shelf.

The desk, where all of my work and sometimes procrastinating takes place.

The telescope, one of the things I wish I had more time and energy to use.

And of course,  I had to throw in one before photo...

...and after.

Hope you enjoyed my little tour of our cottage office.

Link Parties

Cherry Blossoms

Spring has sprung and just in the nick of time I have finally gotten a digital camera. Yippee!

Can you believe I started this whole blogging thing without one? My scanner sure has been getting a workout! Here are some of my first photographs with the new camera. It is the weeping cherry we planted in the garden the year our daughters were born. I have really enjoyed capturing it blooming the past few days.

Linking to:

Cottage Dreamers

Outdoor Wednesday

Easter Inspiration

This is my grandmother's spoon rest.

Just one of the many treasures I was able to take when we moved her out of her home into assisted living two years ago.

This little carrot inspires me.

It is not so much the carrot itself, although it is darling especially this time of year. My entire life this carrot has been on my grandmother's stove . I like to think about how this little carrot was right there as  my grandmother cooked and served meals for her family year after year. There is a crack in the back and I am sure my grandfather crazy glued it back together for her. I like to wonder about about that little "accident" and think about the story behind it.

I have many treasure from my family...my great-grandmothers dining room set, my grandparent's clock. These are the things that inspire me the most. Far more than any treasure I could ever buy in a store. They represent our real inspiration, the people we love. The reason why we decorate and nest, refresh and renew and seek to create homes that nuture.

So on this Easter weekend filled with bunnies and chicks, eggs and carrots, I share with you my favorite little carrot. I hope it inspires you as well to treasure our true inspirations.

May you enjoy a Happy and Blessed Easter with the people you love.

Inspired By Easter: The Inspired Room