De Personalizing



As many of you that follow my blog know I am in the process of selling my cottage home.

I love this home and have infused every space in this home with my decor style and what I love.

The process to sell this home that I love has been a blessing and a curse.

When we put the house up for sale over a week ago the buyers started to schedule showings.  Most of the feed back was wonderful but some of the buyers were not able to see past my decor and envision themselves living in this home.


The Home has been well maintained by my husband and I. The home also has a lot of $$ upgrades.
This home has hard wood floors and crown molding through out and  up graded appliances, newer windows, roof, furnace, air conditioner etc.  To show off these up grades I had to take down the beautiful decor that seem to be a distraction to some of the potential buyers.

So while it is hard to pack up your life and style,  it has been good to help me emotionally separate from this home I have loved.

 I thought I would show you some of the before and after pictures for staging the home to sell.

This was my decor at the entry to the dining room.
This was the divider wall that separated the office area from the dining space.


I packed up a lot of my personal items in my office space.





Now the office area is pretty much packed up and open.



Now hopefully the buyer will be able to see the hard wood floors and not be distracted by the divider wall or office decor.  It will also give the buyer the opportunity to see this addition off the back is not just an office and dining space. It could now be a dining space where my office was and where the dining space is could be a family room.

As you can see in this picture of the dining room I had a lot of decor still up on the walls.  The plates over the cabinet and my old windows and wreath up on the open window from the kitchen into this room.


So down came the plates, the old chippy window over the opening to the kitchen and I packed up all my Madonna's and angel wings that were on top of the cabinet.  It feels empty to me but now the buyers can see past all that decor.
I did leave up a few things on the walls just so it would not feel completely void of any decor.  I took the old chippy post headers off the window and the french doors going out the the deck.  Just left up the drapes.


Laundry room before I took some decor down.

Laundry Room after.  


I took the burlap and lace curtains off the window to have it feel more open and not have my shabby style there.


Now the space looks brighter.  The ladder and baskets are down that hung over the washer and dryer too.


I took down the chippy shutters and transom window from over the couch.  Took down the chandelier too.

We had a ceiling fan so we put that up in place of the chandelier.  I kept the two window decor pieces on each side of the armoire so the room would not feel completely empty.


The chippy old posts that Terry made into a window header has been removed.  Now just the white sheers are hanging over the window.  The ladder and decor by the door is down and packed away.


Kitchen before.

Kitchen after.  Chandeliers taken down and replaced with a pendant light and just plain ceiling lights.
The drying rack is down and pack away and the double window doors covering the opening between the kitchen and the dining area is now down.  Lets more light into the kitchen.  Still hard to get a good picture in this kitchen ughh!
Before:  Chandeliers

After more neutral pendant and ceiling lights.

Before: Window closing off to dining room.

After: Open window lets more light into the kitchen.  Less of my decor and they can imagine their decor style now.


I took down almost all of the entry way decor and packed it away too.

While this is seems bare to me I guess it is good for the buyer to be able to envision how they would want this entry way to be.


Wooooooo lots of change ups here at Junk Chic Cottage.  Decor packed and ready to move when the time comes.  Blank walls for buyers to see upgrades and possibly there style in this home. 

Thank you to all of you keeping us in your prayers and sending us best wishes.  Hopefully Terry will get an offer soon on a job and we will get a contract on this home and be on our journey to settling into a new home soon.

Have a great rest of the week.  
Kris
:)

Somerset Life October Issue And A Giveaway.


"It is a wonderful experience to bond and connect with people you have never met.  My blog has become a perfect place to share my style and creativity but also a place to bond and share my heart with others."




Happy Sunday.
I was contacted back in the Spring to write an article for Somerset Life Magazine about my blog and how the blogging world has effected me personally.  

While this magazine is beautiful and full of inspiration it can be a bit pricey. 
 I thought I would  copy my article and share it with you today on my blog for free.

Thank you for taking some time today to read my article .

October/November issue of Somerset Life that featured my article.

I love this magazine it has great bloggers that contribute and wonderful crafting ideas.


It still amazes me, every day when I open my emails, to read the comments and shared love of my decor style from other bloggers.
When I started my blog back in 2013 I was looking for a creative outlet, a place to showcase my "decor crazy".  When I first started to post I thought, who will see this and will they get my decor style and me?  Will anyone understand the way I look at an old salvage piece, see the beauty and history, and will they get me re-loving this old piece of vintage history into my decor? Would their hearts beat a little faster, like mine does, at the sight of an old chippy cottage door rescued from an old lake cottage tear down?  I found the answer to be yes.  Other bloggers did see the potential of re-loving the old salvaged treasures with history into my home decor.



My style, and thrill, is to find old salvage with tons of history, years of wear and stories behind the treasured piece. Then taking that piece and re-loving it into some new purpose within my home.

 When I got the old vintage lake house front door from the tear down, I looked at it and thought about all the families who had passed through that tiny door for many years of wonderful trips to the lake cottage.  That door opened and closed many times to create lasting memories for years to come.  That door needed to be brought into my decor and re-loved into a new purpose.

I have found through blogging that so many do understand the beautiful history and story behind the treasured salvage.  I have found that so many others share the love of incorporating old timeworn treasures into their own decor style, taking the old and making it new again.  Giving a wonderful piece of history a second chance and new purpose again.





My latest project was taking an old church altar and transforming it into a TV stand.  Then by taking some chippy worn shutters, I gave the TV coverage.  It allows for a modern day big screen TV that is hidden under the cover of an old chippy re-loved cabinet.

I am a neutral girl.  Whites, creams, and neutrals are my color palette.  I believe that neutral background to my decor allows the unique treasured salvage to be the center of attention in my home.  I like to let the unique pieces tell the story.

While connecting with so many through blogging and sharing inspiration and styles, something very unpredictable happened.  Friendships were formed.  Complete strangers were becoming true friends.  Different bloggers from all over the world were sharing friendships.
We were not only sharing our love of decor but also sharing our hearts through friendships.
While we were coming from different cultures and speaking different languages, we began to form friendships and become kindred spirits.
My main goal of starting my blog was to be a creative outlet and find inspiration from other bloggers, but from it I began forming relationships.  I began to understand that blogging was a great vessel for inspiration and to bring like minds together, but also to start wonderful relationships with others who might never have been formed without this blogging world.

So my journey began and continues to grow.  It is a wonderful experience to bond and connect with people you have never met.  My blog has become a perfect place to share my style and creativity but also a place to bond and share my heart with others.

I found that culture and language barriers do not get in the way of shared love for junk and chippy fun salvage.  Blogging has become a journey for me to find not only shared and find inspiration but also a bond to the personal side of ourselves and life experiences.

I have developed friendships with those who get my style, but I also found friendship bonds and close ties with other bloggers who do not necessarily share the same decor style.  Something on my blog post got this person's attention and it grew into something more.  I think if you stay true to yourself and style and being open and honest will bring long and lasting friendships in blog land.







Well my friends thanks for reading my published article in Somerset Home October Edition.  I am going to do a give away of this beautiful magazine.  So if you would like a chance to win one please leave me a comment below.

Have a great start to the new week ahead.
Kris
:)





Saturday Spotlight: Life Behind the Blogger

Cheryl from The Farmer's Daughter 

 Saturday Spotlight: Life Behind the Blogger is a feature done each Saturday that introduces you to a blogger you may already know or a new blogger for you to get to know. This feature gives you a peak into the personal life of the blogger.  Getting to know the special person behind the beautiful blog.

There is so much talent and inspiration in blogland so enjoy getting to know these talented bloggers each Saturday.

Good Saturday Morning everyone.  This week I would love to introduce you to Cheryl from The Farmer's Daughter Blog.  Cheryl is sweet and has a beautiful feature to share with us so we can get to know her better.  After reading about Cheryl hop over and say Hi on her blog.

Hello!  My name is Cheryl and I'm happy to meet you!  When Kris from the beautiful blog Junk Chic Cottage emailed me asking if I would like to be featured in the Saturday Spotlight: Life Behind the Blogger series, I first thought...me?  I saw my fingers typing "Yes, I would be happy to" back to her.  I'm not very comfortable talking about myself, but here goes!



I'm a private gal...an introvert...and a middle child.  Also a dreamer, a romantic, with a little bit of sass thrown in.  My sweet hubby has put up with me for over 40 years.  Bless his heart.


After a couple of years of college, I went to work in an insurance office and soon met my future husband, another middle child, in a grocery store parking lot.  He had just returned from a tour of duty in Vietnam.  We saw each other every single night almost from the time we met until we married a year later.  He was my 6'2", eyes of blue and I loved his deep voice.  He said he loved the way I walked and my blonde hair.  His family also lived on a farm and that was one of the few things we had in common in those days!  I loved to go dancing, he didn't.  He loved sports, I didn't.  We did eventually go dancing a few times and I began to like sports and was really proud of myself when I learned what a first and ten meant in football.


Our family, which includes a son and a daughter, is very close and we are not just family, but also good friends.  We can talk about anything and love to enjoy a good meal together and play card games and laugh.  Neither of my children are married at this time, but they both have someone special in their lives. 


I live in a small town in the middle of Missouri in an early 60's ranch-style house with an actual fallout shelter in the basement.  My decorating style could probably be called eclectic.  It is a blend of old and new.  I favor neutral colored walls with pops of color in my accessories.  I love the color red and have red walls in my kitchen and, besides cooking and eating, that is where a lot of time is spent visiting and working on projects.  Usually there is a kitty or two sitting on the island begging for treats!


Our property, which I call Pond Hollow, also includes a rental building and 6 acres with a small pond.  I love to watch the wildlife coming and going from my kitchen window or while sitting out on the patio.  I see everything from deer to coyotes getting a drink from the pond.  And I love to watch the many different birds that come to our feeders.


Last year, we bought a small fixer-upper we are currently renovating and our first renter will be our daughter.  In my blog I refer to this place as The Project.  It has been a slow process, but we are getting there after realizing we couldn't do it all ourselves and hired a carpenter for the harder jobs.  The essentials should be done in a month or two.  Above is a Before and After of the mostly completed bathroom.    


I really do enjoy living a simple life.  I love being at home and am rarely bored.  There is so much to see and do that I wish there were more hours in the day!  I love nature, our furbabies who are mostly rescues, reading, taking photos, going to flea markets, and so many things including blogging. 

I began blogging in 2009 after running across a couple of blogs online and thinking how much fun it would be to have a place to write down happenings, sort of like an online journal, with a few photos of the things I love to snap.       


I named my blog The Farmer's Daughter in memory of my dad.  My blog is not about farming at all, although I grew up on a farm and I have a lot of fond memories of riding horses, swimming in the ponds, going fishing and gathering eggs.  Also helping with the roundup of cattle or the pigs to take to market or move to another location on the farm.  I even attended a one room country school the first 6 grades and I am happy to have had that experience.


I have loved taking photos since I ordered a Brownie camera I saw on the back of a cereal box when I was a youngster.  These days, I mostly use a simple Canon point and shoot for the convenience of being able to carry it in my pocket.  Among the many things I love to snap are my garden flowers, the birds I love to watch, and sunsets at a nearby lake.

Aside from taking photos and blogging my favorite hobby is probably reading, although lately I haven't had as much time for it as I'd like.  Years ago, I was big into crafting and owned a craft shop in part of our rental building for a few years.  There I rented out booth spaces and sold a few things of my own.  I made and decorated grapevine wreaths and swags.  BG cut out wooden things for me to paint in acrylics.  I also made a few pillows and other things.  I am amazed today at all the beautiful and creative things that I see bloggers making!

Besides the craft shop, I had several mostly part-time jobs through the years after my children were grown...from floral assistant to church secretary to data processing.  I retired from working a few years ago and now while I'm enjoying the simple life, I look forward to each day with faith, hope and trust in my heavenly Father.


My hubby and I do get away from home occasionally and one of the places I love best to visit is Branson, Mo.  And that is where we are now as I write this feature...relaxing and enjoying a vacation.
 
I love to meet new friends and invite you to visit The Farmer's Daughter where I'll be showing Before and After photos of The Project and sharing what's happening in my part of the world.  Hope to see you there! 

Thank you again, Kris, for inviting me to participate in your series!

Thank you Cheryl for sharing your sweet life and family with us.  Have a wonderful rest of your week end.
Kris
:)

Divider Wall Down

Most of you know we just put our home on the market to sell.  I decided to de personalize the house a little bit of my decor.

We are getting a lot of young first time home buyers looking at this house and they seem to like stream line and sleek looking homes.

Well my chippy shabby home is certainly not modern or sleek lines.

Younger buyers seem to have a hard time seeing past decor and looking at all the up grades the house has to offer.

One realtor as hard as she tried to get her young buyers to see the hard wood floors throughout and top of the line stainless steel appliances, newer furnace, air conditioner and windows and roof etc. etc. they just could not see past my decor.

Some buyers are hung up on decor and wanting move in ready homes that fit their taste.  While that is great they still have to be educated on how  costly upgrading things in a home can be.  Most of that has been done in this home.

Most of the feed back has been very positive and we have had a few couples come back for a second look already.  So for one week on the market I think that is great.

With all of this said Terry and I decided on Saturday to take down the vintage door divider wall between my office and the dining room.


So the divider wall before.  Loved that this divided my office area from the dining room.


The divider wall came down to open up the space.  



Hoping buyers will see this space back where my office is currently could be a perfect place for a dining table leaving the rest of the room open for other possibilities such as a family room.

Most of my personal stuff has been removed and packed up to be moved.  I wanted to keep the wall free of too much decor.  This way the buyer can see how neutral the walls are for their decor choice.



The before.  I took a lot of my personal style down and packed it away.


I added a few things back on the wall but not much.  I wanted to not have it be to stark but I wanted the buyers to be able to envision their style in this room.


Now what I have as my dining room could remain like that for the new buyers or it could be used as a family room with french doors out to the back yard deck.
You can see my photo bomber is not impressed with the changes lol!


By taking some of my signature decor down helps me to start to detach from this home.  I have loved this home and have loved it being my style.  Now it is time for new buyers to come and make this home truly their own style.

With all the frustration of Terry trying to find a new job and us having no control over a lot of things going on in our lives it felt good to have control over making some changes to this house to help new buyers see the potential.

Have a great rest of the week.  We are in the mid 70's all week and sunshine no rain expected.  Just a gorgeous week.

Be sure to come back on Saturday to meet another blogger in the Spotlight.
Kris
:)

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