I'm Still Alive

I do not know if anyone has noticed or is interested but I am very sorry for being MIA this past week (going on two).  There has been a lot of "life" going on around our neck of the woods and I have struggled to find the time to share with you.  But no fear, I will come back in full force - there is plenty to share.  It just may take a few more days - please bear with me.

This, of course, is assuming that people actually read this or find it interesting - which I hope you do.

BE BACK SOON!

Opening Shop

Well it is more like a re-opening.  I'm back to the knitting and have decided to re-open my Etsy shop.

Knitting is just a hobby for me - one I learned from my Grandma when I was a little girl.  We both shared the baby craze (a love for all things baby).  She always knit baby hats, booties, and blankets and that is what she taught me to knit and I want to share them with all of you because I having no babies myself and I have no idea what to do with these things.  Plus it can be a pretty expensive and time-comsuming hobby so after the recommendation of many I decided to start selling them to whomever would want them.  Thus I learned about the amazingness that is Etsy.  It makes it so easy!

Please stop by and check out my shop - Sweet P Knits.
You can also check out the link in my sidebar or the Sweet Pea Knits tab page above for more knitting and baby things.  I do work mostly from orders so feel free to email me at cherrystreetcottage@gmail.com or messaging me at my Etsy shop for inquiries.

Here is what I have been up to lately.....

I think the thing that I love more than the hats themselves are the pin flowers that spice them up.  Of course, they are only applicable for girls but that's what makes it so great.  They are pins so you can take them or leave or put them on something else.  I have big plans for these flowers (and some others I have been making) but that will be a post all on its own.  Too many ideas.  But here is a peek at the flowers.  I am still perfecting them.

P.S.  I'll be out for a few days.....hopefully less

Loving Laundry

Well at least the rooms the laundry gets done in.  These rooms would make me love the actual laundry too. It has me dreaming of transforming my own basement laundry space.  I hate going down into that dungeon.  Don't tell my husband though - ever since we got married and bought this house I have had his poor head spinning with ideas for this house.  This may just break him.  You understand.

I blame that wonderful little HGTV show, Sarah's House with her rerun episode of her basement laundry re-do.

Sarah Richardson, Sarah's House

Which got me started on all these amazing laundry rooms.....

This is my absolute favorite.

By Hampton Design

I absolutely L-O-V-E the marble farmhouse sink, the potting station, large center table and all the built-ins and storage. And it is so light and bright with no windows....I could see this in my basement for sure. Oh but there's more.

By Hampton Design

So much space and beautiful storage.

I love these too.

House and Home Laundry

Laundry Room Style Dept

Oh it has me wanting to do laundry - until I remember what mine looks like.  It is less than inspiring and buggy.

Tile Shopping - The Update

So this is very delayed...sorry about that.  Wedding week kind of jumped up in between along with a little thing called my full-time job and Brandon's final CPA exam but I am finally getting around to the update on our tile shopping adventures. 

I think we are very close on choosing a final tile but we do want to check one or more places - just to make sure.

As a recap our kitchen floor has got to go.  It is cracked, dirty, and the grout has completely disappeared but more than all that - it is too slippery for our pups.  Yes, we are that couple that will replace their kitchen floors due to their dogs.  But to us, it could save us a lot on veterinary bills later on.  The Berners have furry paws for the snow which makes our kitchen floors very slippery and hard on their hips and other joints.  So we are looking for a darker tile that has some good texture to it that will give the pups traction.  You can read more about our decision to replace the kitchen floors here.

While perusing the magazines I fell in love with the slate look in a 12" X 24" brick pattern.  Hides the dirt and is great for the dogs.

You can get a small peek of the look below. (Plus I just love this kitchen).

So with this image in mind we headed out on our tile shopping mission with our first stop at the amazing Tile Shop.  Check out their selections online at the TileShop.com

They had a great selection and their staff was extremely helpful and informative without being pushy and salespersonish (that is a word).  We even learned that if we chose to tackle this project on our own (more on that later), ever Saturday they offer free classes on tiling.  So amazing.

After getting our bearings we immediately found what we were looking for.....

Love it!

Don't love the price at $7.99 a square foot.

Plus we learned from Jim our friendly Tile Shop employee that slate in fact did not hide the dirt so well but in fact, highlights it.  Meaning you would see lots and lots of large puppy prints all day long.  Also, since slate is a natural stone, each tile is not an even thickness which can also be hard on the pup's hips so.....we said our goodbyes to this beauty and kept browsing.

Next we found this perfect tile...... It has so much texture, it was perfect for the dogs!  Like absolutely perfect.  You couldn't slip if you doused it in water and tried tripping yourself.  We tested it.  The look was as sleek but it was practical.

but we were even more shocked to learn that this was in fact granite and started at $10.99 a square foot.  Granite on the counters - maybe,  but on the floor - just a bit too much for our small house.

We looked at some other porcelain and ceramic options which fit with our budget but could not find one that was the rest texture and color.  They were just too slippery.

I kind of became mesmerized with this little guy....

IT"S TILE!

and Bran hated it.  I tried convincing him that this could be a cool alternative for the kitchen and the traction was actually good but I was getting no where fast with him so I gave up.

So we moved on to the tile store DIRECTLY across the street.  We didn't think we would have much luck here since it looked, well, shabby.  

But looks can be deceiving.  Well it was shabby.  They did not have the glitz and glam and cleanliness that the Tile Shop had but they had a decent selection but even more than that - they just happened to have a tile that was perfect for us.

PERFECT!

It is a porcelain tile with lots of texture and several color options.  The price is more manageable at $4.50 a square foot.  But best part is, it comes in 12 x 24 size.  Yay!!

Now like I said, we are going to check a few more places (once Bran finishes his CPA - so so exciting) but in the meantime this tile is first on the list.

Do you have any suggestions for us?  A sweet look to consider?  A fun material?  Or perhaps a great store?

Let us know!

   

DIY: Earring Display

I am sorry it has been so long since I last posted.  It has been a crazy week at the cherry street cottage and I am hoping to catch up this week and get back on track.

One of these crazy things was the fact that it was my last week with my sister, Kate, before she makes her first trek off to college as a Freshman.  I wish she was sticking closer to home but I know going far away will be a wonderful adventure for her and I am excited for all the possibilities and opportunities she will have off at college.

It made me so nostalgic for those early days at college.  The anxiety and newness of it all but most of all dorm-decorating.  I had so much fun dorm shopping with Kate and re-living it all again through her.  I wish I could help move her in but unfortunately work needs me so I put together a few things she can add to her space.  If you know my sister, you know she loves jewelry so I wanted to give her something that was practical and yet cute.  A home made earring display.  Earrings are the perfect accessory so why not use them as a dorm accessory as well.

This was so easy to throw together and I am guessing you probably have most of these items laying around.

I had a few frames laying around in a pile waiting to be sent to goodwill so instead I decided to re-purpose them.  

Unfortunately the glass in these frames did not just lay on the inside but instead were completely secured so it required some extra, careful work.

For safety and easy clean-up I placed the frames in a garbage bag before knocking out the glass.

That was the easiest clean-up ever!  And I was left with a blank slate.

And the last step was cutting out the chicken wire and stapling it to the back of the frame on the lip that would hold the glass.  That was it - so fast and so easy and now it is a great place for my sister to display her amazing earrings while still keeping them organized and easy to find.  Plus it has hooks so she can hang it on the wall or it has a thick base so it can just sit on a table.

My sister has much cuter earrings than me.  I hope she likes it!!

Flea Market Find

The other weekend I stopped by the local flea market (which is actually one of the best in the nation - no biggie) with my mother-in-law.  We decided at the last minute to go after a game of heads or tails - true story.  The market was closing for the day in two hours and we were torn whether we wanted to trek all the way out there for such an abbreviated stay.  Well heads won and we piled in the car and headed out.  I am so glad we did too because on our way out I found this beauty.

To be honest I do not know what it originally was used for - my guess is a laundry sink or something but what I envisioned was a super sweet drink cooler for BBQ's.  There is a plug at the bottom so just fill this baby up with ice and pop in some cool drinks and you are good - plus it rolls.  Don't know why that is important for a cooler but it is cool.

I think this could also make a fun planter with beautiful flowers or even a utility sink in a laundry room or mud room.  That would take some work and some plumbing but it could be a cool effect.

I think I will continue to use it as a drink cooler though - now I just need to plan a party.

The real question that I need your help with is whether to paint the white base a fun color or leave it rustic and natural?

What do you think?