Tiny Fern Forest: Try a Treehouse
Posted on: April 29, 2014
- In: Beautiful Views | books | Decor | Green Solutions | Holidays | in the news | social media
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In reading Kelly’s comment to the prior post on “What’s Your Dream Home…?“, my memory went back to an article read in 7 Days. Kelly’s dream was a Swiss Family Robinson experience in a Treehouse – and if she can get to Lincoln, Vermont, she could live out that fantasy at Tiny Fern Forest. The ad is on AirBnB.com (which was the topic of Katherine Flagg‘s 2012 “Home Away from Home” article in 7 Days).
It must indeed be a “Vermont Thing,” for I have found other treehouse rentals!
For instance, in Waterbury, Vermont, there is Moose Meadow – which features a log home AND this TREEHOUSE:
Country Living has an online photo gallery which opens with Moose Meadow, and includes EIGHT other Treehouse accommodations — From Oregon, to South Carolina, and even Hawaii.
NB: the BIG SUR Treehouse might even appeal to PoshPedlar, who also commented on the “What’s Your Dream Home…?” post. W-o-W!
And RelaxShacks.com makes mention of Tiny Fern and another Vermont cabin that’s perched so precariously I’ll give it a nod here — in Barton, Vermont (also listed on AirBnB).
If you’re interested in the “Tiny House” movement, do check out the RelaxShacks blog – and Derek Diedricksen‘s book (take a deep breath, for it’s a LONG title:) Humble Homes, Simple Shacks, Cozy Cottages, Ramshakle Retreats, Funky Forts (and Whatever the Heck Else we could squeeze in Here).
So, Miss Robinson (aka Kelly), there are indeed treehouses out there for you to try!
What’s your dream home…?
Posted on: April 25, 2014
- In: Beautiful Views | cellular window shades | Decor | in the news | Seasons | vermont
- 4 Comments
… just looking at the exterior of THIS home, featured recently in the New York Times – here’s the one _I_ wouldn’t mind inhabiting:
Writer Elaine Louie‘s article is accompanied by nineteen photos – though most of them treat objects found within this Stockton, New Jersey home. How I wish they had included more interior shots of whole rooms. Although antiques are lovely, and antique-hunters will be glad to see the ‘from where,’ ‘how purchased’ and ‘prices,’ the rooms of this place would have been more meaningful!
The exterior shot shows the balance exhibited by this facade. How inventive to included ONE brown door. It really propels you up the walkway and to the “front” door. As do the twin – very big, very bold – lamps. Can almost see the candles flicker in them, from this distance.
What melts my heart, though, is the stone work. There is a town in the southern part of our state that is quite famous for its stone buildings: CHESTER DEPOT, Vermont. On the National Historic Register!
So, I was already predisposed to enjoy the looks of this property.
The owners – John and Judy Hobday – date the house to 1810. Hear the clop of hooves…? The swish of skirts, and the click of boots on the walk…?
Even their “outbuilding” has great character — something of that wistful “enchanted cottage” look, especially with the creeping vine.
And, inside, a Simon Pearce Handblown Lamp – One of the main Simon Pearce sites being located in Windsor, Vermont (in the southern part of our state).
Spring and Summer is a time of year that MANY municipalities encourage owners of historic or unusual houses to open their doors for viewing. I cannot say that this home is open for visitors, but I did run across a listing – another New York Times article entitled (appropriately!) Gawkers, Welcome. Tickets prices run the gamut of not-bad to pricey – but their list encompasses the whole country. How could it not start off in the Metro area, but it does then meander up to New England (brief stop in Vermont), down to the south, and over towards the west.
I encourage readers of The Inside Scoop at CellularWindowShades to “show & tell” about YOUR dream place. It may be a locality – it may be an architectural style. You can include a photo, or a link – but especially, tell the story of “why you love it”. Give us something to add to our Pinterest boards, for instance What’s Your Style? or Favorite Places & Spaces.
Apple Blossoms on Arbor Day
Posted on: April 18, 2014
This year, to honor ARBOR DAY, our company has decided upon planting a tree…
CellularWindowShades.com has been in our “new” home three years now, and our plot of land has slowly taken on a new character. There are a couple of keen gardeners in our midst! So among the thoughts on what type of tree we might plant came such thoughts as:
- I’d like to see something flowering.
- It must produce something edible – cherry? pear? apple?
- It should be something that can survive with little maintenance; it must be something that survives long and cold winters.
Current thoughts are leaning towards this little beauty:
One WordPress Blogger has this particular specimen in the garden. I was so happy to find Gardening in the Lines: A Diary of Gardens because I have so little desire to garden, but LOVE looking at the work of others. Flowers, shrubs, quiet spaces in cool corners – all call to me (though do I heed that call by doing anything myself?? Does raking in the fall count?). Alas, it may not be an active blog – but the photos are still there for all to see.
Some of my favorite pins on Pinterest involve “the garden”. Our board for “GARDENS & FLOWERS” shows a broad range of applications, from potted plants and cut arrangements, to vast public gardens. And don’t discount the whimsical: find our hollowed log planter or mosaic stone swirl walkway. FUN!
There is one thing about being in the window shades business: Windows look out on the world. And whether you cover your windows for light control or privacy, when you look out you hope to see something that makes you smile…. And flowers – with their bright colors and pungent scents – are the ticket. Here in Vermont we’ve had a recent snow storm, but we’re told that “spring is just around the corner”. Our Arbor Day Tree — whatever variety it might in the end be — will soon herald that blossoming season: spring cleaning, new decorating, open windows, garden parties.
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CellularWindowShades.com
is Pleased to Introduce:
Sleek & Stylish Oil Rubbed BRONZE hardware!
- All visible components will be bronze except the fabric color of your choice; good things NEVER change.
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Available on the following lift options:
- Standard [pictured above right]
- Duofold [AKA Top Down Bottom Up]
- Smoothy Cord Loop [pictured above left]
- Smoothy Duofold Cord Loop
- Cordless [pictured top]
- Cordless Duofold
- Motorized
- Balcony Skylight (retainer tracks are off-white; coordinated insert)
We’re currently offering the
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- In: in the news | Shopping | social media
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*
{cue the Rocky music}
*
… and they’ve picked CellularWindowShades.com!
in our email
We received our ‘badge’ for Customer Satisfaction, which is determined by a variety of factors, including the number and quality of client reviews received in 2013.
This prize really belongs to Michelle — you’ve read her work here, when she’s guest blogged.
I was out yesterday, and reading today’s email, when I spotted the news. Makes battling today’s snowstorm worthwhile.
Houzz is a fabulous source for talking about home decor, soliciting comments and thoughts about your decor problems, as well as spotting that fun lamp or gorgeous carpet! I urge you to check it out – and especially check out our Idea Books, Posts and Projects. It’s prize-winning!
**Michelle has CWS covered**
BIG CONGRATULATIONS!
OverREADERS Anonymous?
Posted on: January 18, 2014
- In: cleaning and care | Decor | How To | Shopping | social media
- 2 Comments
Perusing HOUZZ, this article’s very title compelled me to read it:
The story begins with a conversation:
Years ago I was chatting with an acquaintance, and she referred to a weekly meeting she attended without naming it. I asked her what it was.
“Overreaders Anonymous,” she said.
I froze. I had no idea there was such a 12-step group, but if anyone was an overreader, I knew I was. And then my auditory memory caught up with my fervid imagination, and I realized she had actually said, “Overeaters,” and I resumed breathing.
Like author Alison Hodgson, reading is my drug of choice. I must say, in my defense, that much has been amassed over the years that interests me still: favorite authors, authoritative texts on history, fascinating biographies. For the most part, my books ARE books that I cherish and dip into, and yes, sometimes, re-read.
But what of those “lesser” books, gifts or really-wrong purchases. Why are those still in my house?!
Alison Hodgson uses a two-fold system to winnow out the duds:
Do I love it?
Will I read it again?
If your answer, over and over again, is “yes” – take a look at Houzz and get some ideas for shelves, like these:
Alison has also included a “housekeeping” section to her article, as well as a link to Lisa Frederick’s article on “accessorizing with paperbacks”. (One of her thoughts: Group by color!)
If more shelves, carousels, and book nooks are not in the cards, and “downsizing” your library is a must, don’t forget to read Alison’s “4 Obstacles to Decluttering — and How to Beat Then.”
- In: Decor | DIY | Green Solutions | health and welfare | Holidays | in the news | Shopping
- 2 Comments
As we count down to a New Year (Good-bye 2013…), MSN Real Estate has been busy thinking about home sales. Home prices even made the news last evening (CBS News: San Francisco Real-Estate Boom: Taller Buildings, Steeper Prices). So it is a topic on many minds, as people either look to get into housing, change residence, or relocate.
Whether you live — or wish to live — in an area of plentiful housing, or an area experiencing a severe housing crunch, these tips will definitely help.
1. Make your home comparable to a “model home”
- PACK personal belongings
- TIDY clutter – including in the closets
- TONE DOWN your color palette: neutralize paint colors
a personal view: my mother has NEVER forgotten the personal photos (all of the homeowner) that littered a property we viewed together. She recalled the owner’s narcissism more than the house! I, on the other hand, still joke about the homeowner whose stuffed bears and rabbits peeked out of every spare corner; the house’s already petite size SHRANK before my eyes.
2. Freshen up …
- Your Front Door’s paint & hardware. A “sparkling” door knob (and door knocker, if you have one) can make a bold First-Impression
- Cheap & Easy: Replace & Update those time-worn plastic switch plates with something a bit unusual
a personal view: I changed out many when I first moved into my home; my favorite: an Art-Deco-inspired metal pair for the living room. Makes me happy every time I shut the lights off!
3. Let there be LIGHT
- Add higher-wattage light bulbs (note the limit on each lamp!), or if possible, add more lamps
- Old lamps? Dusty, rusty ceiling fan? Swap them out!
- Clean windows, inside and out
- Utilize “lighter” window treatments
4. Little Updates can mean a LOT
- Renew tub & tile grout
- Replace old faucets
- Replace old toilet seats
- clean – clean – clean the bath and kitchen until SPARKLING clean
5. REVEAL that Curb Appeal
- weed – seed – plant color
a personal view: a friend, selling her house before she retired from teaching, did the ONE thing she’d been dying to do all the years she lived in her home: she took up the wall-to-wall carpeting in the living room and had wood floors installed. I’ve never been back into the house, but, after it sold, the living room’s large picture window got swapped out for a standard window, and the front porch got enclosed for more living space. Gotta wonder: what happened to that flooring the departing owner loved so much?
In short, don’t take the opportunity of sprucing up your home just to put it on the market! Mke the effort for yourself. All of the above are great tips for any home, big or small, old or new, house or apartment.
- In: Decor | Holidays | Photography | Seasons | social media
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Here in the north-eastern United States (CellularWindowShades is located in Vermont), the landscape is looking more like this
Philadelphia in snow
than this
Aussie Xmas
So, when I came across this “pin” this week, a deep sigh escaped my lips: Such a luscious green garden is too many months away!
A beautiful photo, by Andrew Renn (via houzz)… The dappled sunshine lays lightly over the foliage; the bright-white “gothic arch” door, with that fabulous lattice-opening that beckons you to stroll through to the opposite side; the chill touch of the black, iron ring latch. Even the scents of the hedge and flowers tickle my nostrils, as I type.
But, remember, north-east: Snow, Cold, Damp, Biting, Sunless, Grey are our watch-words at present.
PRESENT, how that word calls to mind this “Season of Giving”!
A friend in England LOVES gathering clippings of holly and diverse evergreens, mistletoe and pine cones, in order to decorate the interior of her home. She brings a bit of the outside indoors each December! And that is the one thing _I_ can think of to brighten the day as the shortest day of the year approaches. Here’s a sampling, from Pinterest:
Blushing roses bring a nostalgic whimsy to this fireplace decoration of leaves, vines, ivy, sprays, and candles.
Various greens, intermixed with shiny Christmas bulbs, make a “welcoming” entry.
Submerged berries provide color and interest in these clear bowls, which then float a lighted tea-light.
When all else fails, bake and eat your ivy, cones, and evergreens!
A decorative “Yule Log” dresses up even those spaces without a fireplace.
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