Something Fishy

Since before I can remember, my family has vacationed in a small town, in New Mexico. Red River became like a second home to us. When I was about 6, my large family had outgrown staying at my grandmothers cabin. So they all got together to build a new one. Luckily my parents, and aunts and uncles, are all very handy, and secretly log-home-builders. 

They built an amazing cabin!

Growing up in Colorado made it a short 4 1/2 hour trip to our cabin, so we went alot. Sometimes for a holiday, a whole week, or just a weekend. It's not unusual to have more than one family at a time visiting either. My grandmother has 5 kids, 12 grand-kids, and now, 5 great grandchildren. 

The cabin has always been put together by family contribution. Everyone pitches in to make it run, and make it look good. 

Once I got to an age of being able to visit with my family, I wanted to make my contribution. 

On a summer visit, I wanted to make my mark. I decided to paint a mural in the "kids" room. There are several twin beds set up in here, and 2 boring white walls. The other two walls are external walls, logs. 

Since our family is big on fishing, I decided to paint fish as if you were underwater. 

A Rainbow Trout 

 The mural was meant to be simple, let the fish be the focal point, so I made them larger than life. 

Can you imagine the size of the fisherman on the other side of this line? 

A couple of Brown Trout

Brook Trout

Mr. Beaver

What a catch!

Our cabin has really been a special place to escape from the realities of our day-to-day life. There is no cable, or internet, and count yourself lucky if you get cell phone reception. 

The town is very quaint, one long street, with small shops, one grocery store, a place to roller skate or play putputt golf. But I'm not sure you will be able to find a live shoot-out by some cowboys, see a true Indian pow-wow, learn to square dance, or buy fried cheese on a stick, anywhere else. 

This place is awesome :) 

We knew all the lines to the act, but went at least once a visit anyways. 

I'm sure there are towns like this all over, with cabins and houses, that have a history with you or your family. But if you don't have one, find one. Even if it is just renting a little place somewhere far away, by a lake, or at the beach. Find a place to get away, breath in the fresh air, and relax. 

Your kids will thank you one day, for all the memories. Even if they complain, the whole way up the 4 mile hike to the beautiful lake. 

It will all be worth it, and you will never forget it.

Yellow Submarine

"......So we sailed on to the sun

Till we found a sea of green

and we lived beneath the waves

In our yellow Submarine

We all live in a yellow submarine

Yellow submarine, yellow submarine......"

Well...our submarine is'nt yellow, it's actually  made of brick...and I doubt the Beatles would have wanted to sing about it, since it's only really just a bathroom. 

But hey, I love it so much I'll sing about it.....ummm better not put you through that torture. So i'll just show you. 

I have done MANY underwater murals through the years! And while we love anything to do with the beach or ocean at this house, I wanted to do something different. So I came up with a new plan, being inside a submarine. I could still paint the fishes this way, and do a little faux treatment as well. 

I painted the walls and ceiling all a light grey color first. 

Then I marked off the lines where the metal sheets came together, painted them and added some rivets. 

I made a soupy paint concoction, and washed out some edges of the seams, where natural rust would appear, like water had been seeping through. In some spots I even dripped it down the wall. 

This is the point at which my husband walked in. I never really gave him all the details of my plan, because I didn't really have any (I had a vision, and I usually change some things here and there). 

He was really excited concerned. 

You'd think after painting this for this long, he would trust me? Once he saw the final product, and saw that it all made sense he loved it.

 I'd love to be able tell you, he has since handed over full trust and cooperation to my crazy ideas....but he hasn't, and I see no hope for that in the next 15 years. 

On my search for pictures of the inside of a submarnie, I kept seeing gauges, handles, and lots of pipes. Since pipes aren't really practical, and gauges would just keep the messing with stuff, I crossed both of those off the list. I knew I could make the handles work somehow.

Then it hit me to use them at towels hooks. I spent probably an hour and a half, in Lowe's, on the pipe and sprinkler isle. The guys keep asking me if I needed help, I tried to explain what I was trying to do, but i don't think they ever really got it. I finally put a few things together, none of it matched, but it did the job. The base is a galvanized piece with 4 holes for more secure mounting. The other is a faucet handle to the cold part of a washing machine hook up.Matching the thread to get to this point was a big task. We attached them to the wall with dry wall anchors.

       

Since the bathroom is fairly small there isn't alot of wall space. So I tried to take some of it to the ceiling, to give the feeling of really being inside something. What better way than with a window. A peeping Tom friendly diver stopped by to check it out, just keep an eye out while you shower. 

 I also added a clear shower curtain to keep it more open, and not take away from anything else in the room.

Above the toilet is a large window, with some suspicious creatures swimming  by.

I faux painted the cabinets to look like metal, with a dark silver, and glaze.  I added a couple more portholes, with some of our favorite fishes. An Angelfish and a Longhorn Cow fish.  

                       

For the hand towel I used an outdoor water faucet, with the same galvanized base. On the counter, are some books and a lantern I found at home goods, which is where I got the colors for the cabinets.  

In the last little space by the door, I added a small porthole. I decided to put my

children's favorite cartoon character, Spongebob, looking in. They LOVE this part, my son talks to him often, and has even brushed his teeth a time or two. 

 The grey towels and rugs from Target.

I had planned on making a pipe shower curtain, and toilet paper holder, just haven't gotten there yet...

I feel a project coming on. 

I want to apologize ahead of time, for this song being in your head for the rest of the day!!!

Entryway Makeover

I've always wanted a grand entryway. In the beginning this space in our house, was anything but grand. There was lots of tile, and a yucky green wall, and check out that light fixture. When Terry took it down he asked me if he should post it on Craigslist, you can imagine the look I gave him. I tried explaining that it's total value, was less than the light bulbs still in it. The tile was a total pain to get up, and a HUGE mess. That was all taken up when we put down the wood floor. I put down a long woven runner with fringed ends, from Ballard Designs. The doors on the right are to my very unfinished craft room.

In the beginning...

Entry Before

Entry After

The Sailfish started off as a joke. My husband said not to go to "beachy" with the house, so while at a antique store with my sister-in-law, we ran across a Sailfish. I sent a picture to my husband, who I was sure would tell me I fell of my rocker. When I told him, it already had a sold tag on it, he was REALLY upset. I was pretty sure he was kidding, but by the time I got home he had found one on Craigslist. The next morning we hitched up a trailer, drove to Austin, and picked it up. He was the perfect addition to our house, "Captain Jack". 

Entry After

This was a piece my husband found on Craigslist, another good deal. It was very well built, with thick glass doors, and weighs a ton. I painted and gave it a good sanding. 

Entry Table Before

Entry Table After

The lighting was a fun find. I was browsing through my favorite antique shop, and there was a stack of these old, and yellowed lamp shades. The edges had a fun braided trim, and they were scalloped. The size was right, and at $10, the price was right. I took a razor blade and started just under the trim and cut off the fabric part. I was left with the frame, exactly what I wanted. My hubby attached it to a light kit, and on the very top rung of the ladder, on top of the scaffolding, installed it....VERY carefully. 

Lighting Before

Lighting After

Now I have grand entryway!