Hi there friends. It's been a while. Life has been keeping me extra busy lately. We've officially finished Grove House, although there are still a ton of things that need to be done. I'll continue to show our progress and happenings...we still don't have internet at the property, which explains the lack of posts. Although I certainly don't assume you're sitting around wondering what I'm doing. ;) But it's nice to reconnect here.

I've been on the hunt for furniture and rugs for the new place but haven't had much luck lately. I better get on it, or we're going to move in without a bed, sofa, or dining table, among others. Of course, all is not lost, seems I'm always able to find a little something. I picked up this mortar and pestle while out "poppin tags" with my sister. I loved the pale color and cracks in the bowl. You just can't beat patina.

One of the reclaimed design elements of Grove House we have in the works, is the use of salvaged scaffolding planks. They'll be used for shelving in the kitchen pantry, library and a few other rooms and projects. The Man went with me to help select the boards. He's got the muscles to load them, and the patience to check each board for straightness.

We're having the boards wire brushed to remove most of the debris, then a coat of clear, matte sealer will be applied. In the photo below you can see the difference it makes.

I'm excited to share a recent book project I had the opportunity to work on...Stylish Weddings: 50 Simple Ideas to Make from Top Designers by my friend Jenny Doh. The book is divided into 6 Chapters/Designers, with each devoted to a different style wedding, along with easy diy projects and ideas. It is full of inspirational content that could easily be adapted to all forms of party and entertaining celebrations.

For my contribution, I was asked to create Romantic and Pretty wedding ideas and decided to incorporate them into a bridal shower luncheon.

Well, there has been so much happening with Grove House. Keeping up with the day to day details of construction has proven to be challenging, exciting, frustrating, rewarding, and a little bit exhausting. Here's a recap of what we've accomplished thus far. The framing took much longer than expected, and we are happy to have moved on from that phase...

Hello Friends! How has your new year started off? We've been blessed with lots and lots of sunshine this winter and our citrus is loving it. I really feel for those of you stuck in the middle of snowstorms, blackouts and blustery winter days. You guys are troopers!

Our house is coming along and I'm working on a major update post to share with you. It's finally in the stages where there is actually something interesting to share.