My First Official Tablescape

I am very excited to be participating in my first Tablescape Thursday, hosted by Susan at
  Between Naps on the Porch.  

In preparation for this day, I went on a little shopping trip which went like this ~


First stop ~ Kohl's:  buy1, get 1 free.  I love those sales, but not all of the items I wanted were included, so I bought a few pieces for a future tablescape, and I will check back for a better bargain.


Just enough time to hit Marshall's before getting my grandchildren off the bus.  Wow, some really neat stuff there, and they were a marriage, not only with my new purchases from Kohl's, but the decor I already have in my sunroom.


I just couldn't wait to get home and unpack all of those bags!

First, the Kohl's bags....  As you can see, these purchases don't exactly fit together......

But look how well the placemats go with the cushions and pillows I covered last year for my sunroom.

             

and the geraniums.....

Wait until you see what I found at Marshall's!

       

I couldn't resist that sunflower pitcher I found on the clearance shelf for $7.50.  I will just tuck that away for a future tablescape.... And, as for the beachy stuff,  a plan is already forming in my mind for a summer tablescape.

I think I am ready for my first Tablescape......

 

A trip to my pantry produces a charger, purchased several years ago at a Pottery Barn "after-Christmas sale", and a new stemmed water goblet from a recent shopping trip at The Christmas Tree Shoppe.  My every day stainless flatware is Gorham "Studio".

A red cotton napkin and a new mug from Marshall's ($3.99)

The wonderful plate, also, from Marshall's at an incredible price of $4.99

And now the matching bowl...another steal at $3.99. All of the porcelain is from

 222 Fifth ~ Belize

          

      

My geraniums are blooming as though spring has arrived on Lake Ontario.  I just love how the colors brighten my room.  Perhaps the snow will be gone by May.  So, I'll just sit here in my rocking chair and start planning my menu!

I think ITLLDO for a lovely spring lunch!

Thanks for stopping by.

The cottage bathroom....Not quite the decor I had in mind.

Welcome to my first entry in Metamorphosis Monday, hosted by Susan at Between Naps on the Porch.  I am hoping my skills will improve with practice.  I have learned so much from Susan's blog.  Thank you for all of the wonderful tips on blogging.

The Cottage Bathroom

When we purchased our cottage in 2004, we knew a bathroom renovation would be high on the priority list.  This one was functional, but that was about it.  Plus, the window, which is quite large is directly opposite the shower and has a lovely view of the neighbor's cottage. 

This is one ugly PINK bathroom! 

(photo taken prior to taking possession)

Take a good look.....

Do you see that mirror next to the small window over the sink?  At some point, an addition was placed on the back of the cottage to accomodate this bathroom.  There were two small exterior windows, and one was removed to recess the mirrored medicine cabinet.

Hmmmmm....plumbing on the outside of the panelled wall?  Those would be copper pipes next to the toilet.

Demolition time.....

Taking up that tile on the floor sure was a challenge with no heat in the room.  Warming the tiles with the hairblower helped a bit.

Out with the old.......

 

Copper must have been cheap back then....  Look!  the exterior wood siding was pink too!!

In with the new...

The water heater looked pretty new, so we decided to use it and build a cabinet to enclose it.

We decided the best approach was to leave the toilet and shower plumbing intact, but that window had to go ( a little privacy might be nice). The cottage is built on piers, and there is just about enough room for a snake to crawl under there.  The real issue may be the fact that the room was added over the septic tank....not good, but rather than tear off the addition, we decided to reroute the clean-out and hope the system continues to function.

A new fiberglass shower unit replaced the metal one.

New wainscoting and cabinets were custom made in our local Amish community, and the vanity with sink and large mirror were installed where the window was.

The New Decor

What could be simpler than red, white and blue?  It's a seasonal cottage, and summer seldom arrives on Lake Ontario much before the 4th of July!

 

Since this is the only bathroom in the cottage, individual baskets hold toiletries (Target of course)

I think ITLLDO for now. 

ITLLDO

is the name we have given our cottage. This mid-century, seasonal cottage is not at all what we had envisioned when we began our search for a waterfront retirement home. First of all, Lake Ontario is not where we had been searching for years. It is only 17 miles from our home; why it is practically in our front yard!!! It's such a big lake..one of the Great Lakes. We wanted a small lake, one that you can water ski on at any time of the day.... Skaneateles, Chautauqua, Canandaigua. It had to be a beautiful lake, one like Kashwakamak in Canada, the most beautiful of all, where we had vacationed most of our lives.
So, how did we end up here? We can't even see the other side! It looks like the ocean! YES, it does look like the ocean.....We LOVE the ocean!

We weren't ready to sell our home just yet, even though the kids had all married and we were empty-nesters with a home too big for the two of us, plus 10 acres of land to maintain. After pricing places on the Finger Lakes, we knew we would have to sell our house, (and our kids) to afford it.
It must have been fate that we took a ride one weekend in 2004 and discovered this cottage for sale. We made an offer, and, lo and behold, we owned a cottage on Lake Ontario, and it didn't break the bank. It's a nice little lakefront cottage, just needing a coat of paint and some minor improvements...a new bathroom and replacement windows for sure. We rationalized that we could always sell it if we didn't like it. After all, it's just a summer cottage, not the real thing.

Well, we fell in love.... with the water, the incredible sunsets, the storms that come across the lake, the nightscapes in the spring when the lights of Canada are reflected in the cold water. WOW! The sun rises and sets over the lake from April until October. What a glorious view. ITLLDO for now.


....to be continued