Patty Van Dorin

things we did on our vacation

we took a week off and tackled a few projects around the house
first - hanging the vintage light fixture in the dining room


Probably from the late 60's or early 70's, I found this large wrought iron light fixture at a yard sale last summer. It's not exactly what I was wanting but the price was right.
I painted it silver and then finished with an antiuqing glaze.

Next project - little white painted cabinet
It has served me well over the years and it's a nice small size but great for storage.
I no longer cared for the white paint and it didn't work well in the dining room.

Sanded, painted and glazed -
The cabinet fits nicely in this little space between the kitchen and dining room.

I love the dark paint color and fits with the vintage tarnished silver collection and the light grey wall paint.

a basket full of found treasures that have been gathered over the years

"The Granny Cabinet" as my husband calls it was hung in the guest bedroom.
Now if only I can find the box of stuff that used to go in this cabinet. That is going to take some time to find since this is the first time in seven years that it has come out of storage and hung on a wall.A
In it's former life, it was a painted medicine cabinet with a mirror that has lost quite a bit of it's slivering.
I stripped the white paint when I bought it at least 30 years ago and took the silver off the mirror. The mirror has a nice bevel edge and was worth keeping for the glass in the door. Now, I wished I had the old foxy mirror but tastes change over the years.
I added the vintage wallpaper to the back yesterday.

It's kind of funny how the furniture morphs into different looks over the years.

When I get the glass cabinet end tables finished, I will post pictures.
My husband said they have a "greasy industrial look" not quite the look I was going for but I am happy with the results.

And will also share the outdoor shrine I made for lost and then found objects that have been dug up while gardening. It's still a work in progress.

stay curious

Max the Cat
15 years old
You gotta love a big orange cat

specimen box number 23

it was a bright and sunny morning

The early morning was spent taking time to enjoy the window boxes and being outdoors before the wind and rain of Isaac comes knocking at the door.

Overall, I was very happy with the window boxes. This was my first year with them.  Even with the tropical heat and humidity, they are still lush and blooming.

All my little baby plants are coming along nicely and I am very pleased with the variegated lemon tree. Two tropical peach trees were planted this spring and I am amazed that they doubled in size. I think there will be peaches this spring. I opted for fruit trees in the front yard instead of the standard crepe myrtles and other flowering trees.

Lots of projects still left to do with my little beach cottage but it is coming along. This winter, my big project is to redo the front sunroom but it will be a big expensive project. The windows are covered for the upcoming storm because they are old and not impact resistant.

I also am thinking of ideas for the entry and sidewalk to the house. There are also plans for a path that leads around to the back yard and more plants and...there's always something. 

In the one year that I have had this cottage, there has been so many changes it's nearly mind numbing.

Before:

Today:

Everyone told me it would be a mistake to paint the brick. I think it made all the difference and I love the dark color.

catchin' some sun

a little tiny room

just big enough for a bed, lamp and skinny bookcase


perfect for late night reading

just right for curling up and watching a strom come in

vintage fabric and quilts

an old lamp with a history

window boxes along the window with a view of the rose garden just beyond

cat food leftovers

simple, effective

good bye to the fishes

Things that are making me happy today.

A late blooming camellia which was a pleasant surprise in the splotched colors.
This is the first time that I had seen this plant bloom as I had not yet purchased my house to see it bloom last year.
A happy surprise.

Please over look the white flecks on the leaves as it is over spray from painting this past weekend.

Now here's a story, read along if you have time.

When we had to relocate to our current location, I had a specific area I wanted to live in. AND since I am not loaded with cash, I knew it would be hard, if not impossible to find a house. BUT, the heavens must have been smiling on me the day I found a house for sale in my meager budget.

In my neighborhood very few houses come up for sale. It is an old beach neighborhood and when homes do come on the market, they are pricey, quickly torn down and mini mansions are then constructed.

But waiting for me was my soon to be very own "special" tiny beach cottage. (note that I used the word special)  Why no one snapped it up and demolished is fortunate for me. Maybe because it is set back far from the street. Maybe because the vegetation was so out of control that even trying to get to the house was like a modern day Tarzan adventure.

Or maybe it was because the previous owner had painted murals over all the exterior walls. All the walls, ground to roof, everything. Now granted, the painter was very talented, like Diego Rivera talented when it comes to mural painting. BUT, the house was painted to look a giant aquarium. Seriously, a mega aquarium with windows, doors and a very old roof. I don’t think even Frieda Kahlo would approve.

In my town, this house was called "The Mermaid Cottage" because of all these incredibly detailed murals. Yes, it was cool but... parking next to a 10 foot dolphin every day is odd, having to tell the UPS man to leave the packages by the orca is wierd and gardening under a school of 5 foot sea turtles starts to become a bit surreal for real life.

Anyways, last weekend, 20 gallons of primer was purchased and I said my fare thee well to the fishes... and frogs.

It was sad to cover up the talented painting but it is time to move on to having a "real" and ordinary house.

I have spent months and hundreds of paint samples trying to find the perfect house paint colors. Some how I feel that if I found the perfect color scheme, it would make covering the murals acceptable. But then really a house with murals....do I really need to justify it.

Here is what I picked out.

How fitting and surprised I was to find the name of the color that I chose for the house is called "Spanish Galleon".
Seems fitting doesn't it for the Mermaid Cottage.

"Hoist your sail when the wind is fair"
translated: "there will be painting this weekend if the weather holds out".

stuff I find while gardening

When gardening, sometimes I find a treasure that I will clean up and add to the collection of "things I find when gardening". There was a time when I found quite a few fossils, not so much at the new house. Mostly my recent finds are shells and toys that had been left in the yard and forgotten over time.

Some are old like arrowheads, campfire glass, sun colored amethyst
and some are new.

I think the new items may be perfect for use in a shrine. 
 

squirrel sanctuary

I have said good-by to the squirrel sanctuary that was formerly the living room dining room. Good riddance to the dark green ceilings.

So much better.

My quest this weekend was to find a sofa.  After going to nearly all the furniture stores, I could not find a sofa. That is one that I liked and one that was under five grand. My last stop was a thrift store run by a local church group and there she was, the perfect sofa, comfortable and really cheap.

I am going to re-upholster it with fabric that I have been collecting but I am really happy with it's "bones".
There are still things to unpack and things to hang but finally it's starting to look like home.

Little vignettes set up that I have had in every house I have lived in.

The color of paint was a big change and I am in love with the pale shade of grey that I used in both rooms.

Transferware plates are one of the things that I like to collect. The cheap ones that may have chips, cracks or repairs. Ones that I find at thrift stores, these are the plates that I love the most. Like this one I found a few months ago.

Aside from the nice periwinkle blue color, what had me excited about this plate is the old metal hanger on the back.
How perfect is that?

So now that I have a living area somewhat set up in my house, I am back to the studio this afternoon.

And maybe start that upholstery project.