A Look Back at May
May was such a whirlwind of activity! From the traditional busyness related to the end of the school year to our intense focus on the One Room Challenge, we worked hard here at the cottage.
One Room Challenge
The bulk of our effort this month went toward working on our back porch for the One Room Challenge. Much of the progress during the first four weeks in April felt sort of slow and not as visually advancing. But things sort of exploded this month. We went from just posts that took the bulk of April to make happen because of a variety of issues to bracing, flooring, stairs, and preliminary furniture renovating.
While we didn’t finish the challenge on time, we’re still so excited about how far we were able to take this project. If you missed any of the action, you can revisit all of the fun by clicking HERE.
Thrift Treasures
We had so much great luck this month at the thrift!
My favorite find was the midcentury canvas currently anchoring the top of the armoire in our formal living room. It fits the theme of the room so perfect and just ties together all of the other elements in the vignette.
I also found ANOTHER vintage brass lamp. I have dreamed of two vintage brass lamps to go along with the reupholstered chairs in the formal living room and have spent months searching. Within the past three months, I’ve found both lamps, including the one I snagged a few weeks ago for only $10. The other lamp I found I gifted to my mom, along with the vintage brass lamp I found on the side of the road this spring. Whatever lucky brass lamp charm I’ve currently got I’m hoping sticks around for awhile.
The Purple Couch
Oh, the purple couch. Probably the most entertaining May happening. While its origin story was a head-scratcher, we can’t deny how nice it’s been to be able to sprawl out as a family on movie night without a fight ensuing about who can/can’t lie down.
Client Work
Behind the scenes, we’ve started the process of taking on client work, and we worked on a big project this month: adding in some gorgeous green tile backsplash for our client’s kitchen. Previously, we had also been able to score some incredible mid-century pieces to redecorate their living and dining rooms as well as their front entry way. We’re excited to be able to share more of this project in the coming month as well as open up our client offerings.
Garden Growth
The garden is growing, and it’s been so sweet to watch. We’ve snacked on a few Everglades tomatoes and are anxiously awaiting more veggies to fully mature, including our corn and yellow squash.
My dream is to have enough corn to serve for 4th of July festivities!
I’ve learned so much in only the month and a half that I’ve officially been a gardener and can’t wait to continue to grow this new passion.
In fact, as I type this, I just got notification that some new cut flower seeds I ordered from Floret Flowers have been delivered to my mailbox. As the veggies start to bolt, I’m looking forward to some gorgeous flowers to take their place.
What We Loved This Month:
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I finally stored our winter pillow covers in the formal living room this month (better late than never) and purchased these as a replacement. These are unexpectedly soft. I was a bit concerned they would feel rough like traditional burlap. But they’re perfect!
This is not an exaggeration: This is the third color I’ve posted in this particular pillow cover. I absolutely love the softness of the linen and the texture of the fringed edges. They’re perfect to snuggle up with on movie night!
This came in so handy when I was spray painting the ton of vintage patio furniture I had collected. When I haven’t used this in the past, my pointer finger has been numb for a solid week after a spray painting job. I can’t recommend this enough!
Rustoleum Laurel Green Spray Paint
This is the color we chose for our outdoor furniture and are absolutely obsessed. The glossy formula provided extra coverage for the imperfections of the old chairs. We’ve already gotten so many compliments!
