Featured House #2- The Pratt-Taber Inn

Welcome to the 2nd installment of the "Featured House" series! I'm a huge fan of houses (in case you haven't guessed), and I've always loved touring other peoples homes and seeing their unique style!

Let me tell you, I was absolutely floored when I walked into the Pratt Taber Inn. It was, to put it succinctly, a house-lovers dream come true. Built in the late 1800s, and lovingly restored by the current owner, it was filled to the brim with beautiful details and charm.

Before I get carried away, let's start at the beginning. There are 4 guest rooms total- each named after a season. We stayed in the Summer room:

Be still my heart. Look at all that yellow! I love how Deb (the owner and designer) mixed in some beautiful black framed silhouettes. It gives a new dimension and keeps the florals from becoming overwhelming.

Black is such a powerful color! It makes a huge statement anywhere, and in this room it just added to the simple elegance.

The en suite was decorated with paler shades of yellow offset by black accents as well:

Sadly, I didn't get a picture of the whole claw-foot tub. I was too excited about that honey-comb tile!

I got a couple of pictures of the "Winter" themed room as well:



The main parlor:



The woodwork was so beautiful! I love how she worked with the house and kept the vintage feel with her decor. It felt like you were stepping into another century.


Here's the lovely formal dining room where Deb serves her gourmet breakfasts:



Off the dining room there is a lovely little screened-in porch:



I wish I had some better pictures of the kitchen! It was SO amazing.



I didn't receive any endorsement for featuring this B&B, but I just wanted to share the amazing job Deb did with restoring this place to it's former glory! You can check out more photos (including pics of all the guest rooms!) on her website here. I would recommend staying here to anyone!

The Yard-Less

Someday, I hope to have a yard. Perhaps with a little picket fence around it, or maybe a tall wrought-iron gate.

I will make my hubby lemonade while he mows the grass, and host Summer lunch parties under the shade of trees.

But for now, I am happy that we don't have to water the yard, pick weeds, or shovel snow in the winter season.

Because right now, this little planter of grass is all the yard I have.


And for now, I'm down with that.

A Wonderful Weekend

We had such a wonderful time celebrating our 1st anniversary this weekend! We went to Redwing MN and stayed in a beautiful B&B called the Pratt Taber Inn.

Our room was so perfect! I fell in love with it instantly. My suitcase even matched it to perfection...

I also fell in love with the owner's cat Max. He was so cuddly and sweet! We became the bestest of friends (mainly because he's the 1st cat I've ever met that I'm not allergic to!).

I love my hubby. And I'm glad he puts up with my crazy faces.


I can be normal too. See?


We had wine and cheese every night, it made us feel so chic. Well, it made me feel chic. And a little light-headed.



Did I mention we had cheese? I love cheese!


One of my favorite parts was when we went up to the scenic overlook and watched the sunset. It was absolutely breathtaking! I had no idea this kind of beauty was pretty much in our backyard!



It was 90 degrees + humid every day, so we had to drink lots of water and fan ourselves on the porch like southern belles (whilst watching a parade as well!).


I even got to wear my thrift-store hat.


We got along so well with the other guests and the owner- it was like having a brunch party every day at breakfast! I wish I had pictures of the food to show you- Deb (the owner) was a fabulous cook! She served dessert with breakfast every morning. Need I say more? Seriously, the first morning she brought out ice cream sundaes in crystal champagne glasses. I almost died then and there.

It was the perfect weekend, with my wonderful husband.


p.s. did you enjoy the sneak peek of the beautiful B&B? Well, I was thinking of my blogging buddies and took lots of pictures to share! Deb decorated the place herself, and she is letting me give you a little tour... so stay tuned!

Some More Thrifty Stuff!

Chippy vase: $2.00


Cute Owl-Head fondue sticks: $1.00 (too kitschy to pass up!)


And finally... the piece de resistance...

Vintage side table: $10.00

I need some input on this! I know that I want to paint it for sure, but I can't decide what color! I was thinking something fun and punchy, like goldenrod-yellow, but I would love to hear some other ideas too!

One Year Ago...

It's amazing how time flies, isn't it?

Getting Rid of the 80's

I am so excited to share this project with you guys! I knew the moment that we bought our townhome, that the big, bi-fold wooden doors on all the closets would simply have to go (or be made-over!).

So this past weekend, I worked on transforming this closet:


Into something a little easier on the eye:


*We can all breathe a collective sigh of relief now.


The fabric was, believe it or not, found on sale at a really high-priced furniture store. They were getting rid of this home-dec fabric for $5. For the whole piece. It's a little over 2 yards, and it was the perfect size for the curtain. I didn't have to trim it at all!

Plus, the white fabric at the top was left over from our IKEA curtains, so that was free!

That means the total cost was: $5.00. Yowza.


Plus, having a curtain here instead of a door makes for a lot more space! It works really well, in fact! I know for some spaces, like our 2nd bedroom, we really need the closing doors to be able to section off the space. But here, it works like a charm.

How about you? Have you replaced any doors with curtains, or vice-versa? What are your thoughts?

O Dear

Can it really be over a week-and-a-half since I last posted? My, how time flies!

Well, I've been keeping myself busy with work, friends, and family! And since it's already August, I'm trying to soak up every bit of Summer sun that I can get! Also- this weekend marks J and I's ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY. I can't believe it- it's been a whole year! And, I'm even more in love with him than the day I married him. Awww.


(Here's J and I walking around the Friday night Classic Car show in my hometown.)

But, I've also been working on some little projects too, that I'm really excited to share with you! So, stay tuned my lovely friends!