Is Charlie waiting for a carriage to come and pick him up? Is he on stage? I’m thinking it’s more of the latter, although he would be too thrilled if a horse came by to visit him! This was taken on a hot humid day downtown Charleston, SC… we are all looking forward to fall/winter/spring! No complaints about the cold from me! This has been the best summer since I moved to Charleston in 1989… amazing! Windows open two days in August, and again today in mid September… that NEVER happens!
Woohoo, grateful for the small things! Have a great day… Catch you back here tomorrow!
At Restoration Hardware I believe they have a solution for everything. How many people have run across a beautiful painting, but you hear that they have no wall space… hmmm… well here is a solution! This is the Circa 1970 Lighted Easel available at Restoration Hardware! The price isn’t cheap ($895), but it affords you the ability to sneak in one more painting to your collection! This easel is height adjustable. Its design is sleek and classy. This easel is constructed of stainless steel and has cast brass fittings and a nickel finish. The built in spotlight adjusts at three points. The base is weighted for stability…
First of all, let me start by saying HAPPY LABOR DAY! Hope you enjoy the day off, and if you have to work, hope you don’t have to work too hard!
Years ago we invested in a good grill, a Vermont Castings grill… and its still going strong many years later. Ours has a little side burner, which we’ve only used a few times. If this grill ever poops out we’ll get a two burner model, that’s all we need. This grill has porcelain covered cast iron grates, which they say creates an even cooking temperature… I would have to agree! Ours is much like this model, but we don’t have backlit controls… the easy flame ignition is awesome as is the fact that it’s made in the good ole US of A… yep, right here in the states! Buy American and help keep the country strong! The 323 Tribute Series Grill is the one pictured above…
They have some great grilling recipes on their site… check it out! We bought ours at Home Depot years ago, but they don’t carry them anymore… check out their store locator to see if they sell them near you!
This is the Brightbuilt Barn… it can be configured as a studio/office space, or as a 1 or 2 bedroom home. This plan ranges from 670-960 square feet. Small. Efficient. These homes consume 50% less energy, are easier to maintain and can be built in approximately four months. 960 square feet seems pretty small, but if the plan is efficient then it could work!
Note that there is a loft space above Bedroom 2, the bath and the kitchen (in the two bedroom plan). See the stairs situated between bedroom one and two? This loft space could be for storage or even an extra guest… who knows!
There are options available to make this home a net zero (pay no electricity) option… from the Brightbuilt website:
Energy efficiency features available
Super-insulated construction R-60 roof
R-40 walls
R-20 basement, R-10 slab Photovoltaic solar panels
High-efficiency heat and air conditioning • Energy-efficient, triple-glazed windows Airtight construction Low-flow showerheads and faucets
Add to that the low VOC paint, high efficiency heat/AC, low flow fixtures… it just gets better and better.
This gives yet another option to the very well built homes that are net zero, or as close as possible. Wouldn’t that be nice?
Check out their website for the other (larger) plans!
[featured product] is something that I really like… in this case its something that is so useful, cuts down on foil and plastic in landfills and is a treat to the eye… whatever could it be??
One of the gifts I received for my birthday from my mom and dad were a few of these Charles Viancin silicon lids. I was thrilled! They know I LOVE THIS STUFF! I’ve had my eye on silicone lids for a while, but haven’t bought any… Why am I so excited about silicone lids you wonder? NO PLASTIC WRAP (can you imagine?) or FOIL to cover bowls with! Sweet! Everyone loves dealing with plastic wrap, right? Ugh. And foil… the price keeps going up like crazy (what’s up with that??)…
As you can see these silicone lids are good for many reasons, they’re BPA free, the may you eco friendly but reducing waste, they seal tightly, I tried it on a cereal bowl (the small size, 6″), I just set it on top, and I could pick the bowl up by the center stem that sticks up…. the suction is unbelievable. To get it off, set it down, and lift it off… comes off easier than you can imagine. The lid creates an airtight/waterproof seal keeping your food fresh! You can even use it while cooking to retain steam… you can use it in the dishwasher and the microwave!
As you can see they make all sizes, even small lids for glasses, stoppers for wine bottles (how cool is that?), cutting boards, etc. All different flower patterns, and I saw on their Facebook page that they have a snowflake design coming out soon for the holidays! Check out their STORE LOCATOR to see where you can purchase them near you… if there isn’t a place, you can find them on Amazon.com!
I love smart things! Catch you back here tomorrow!
Carolina Antique Maps & Prints sure has a cool building. I love the trim color, it’s so Charleston! Walking downtown and taking photos is so much fun, there is beauty everywhere you look! Of course I can find beauty just about anywhere, but some great strong colors downtown. I’m not really into maps or prints, but I just looked through their website and I have to say, they’ve got some really interesting things!! I’ll be stopping in this place!
Low Country Beach HouseThis is a neat house plan if you had a great water view… Perfect for the Charleston area, but would be great anywhere there is water! This home is 2,621 square feet…
As you can see by the sliding door system, this plan optimizes the use of windows to capture the view. That feature coupled with the wonderful deep porches makes this quite the perfect home… and if that isn’t enough, if this plan is a bit too large for your needs, they have created another plan that is a bit smaller and it’s fabulous! Plan W44116TD: Low Country Beach House (1,581 square feet) – personally, I would go for this one!
One good thing about this plan is it offers a space for everyone to spread out and have their own quiet time. A nice feature! From Architectural Designs:
Video Tour: Fly around this house plan in a 32 second You Tube video. What a novel concept!
Just a reminder, if you’re in the Charleston, SC area, that today is SECOND SUNDAY ON KING. If you haven’t walked on King Street while its closed to car traffic, let me tell you it’s quite the treat. Music playing, tables and chairs set up in the street where you can dine at some of the restaurants along the way… sales of all kinds. LOTS of people! It’s so much fun, truly it is! It makes you realize what a cool city we have here! Second Sunday begins at noon, when they block the street to traffic.
When you finish on King Street take a short walk to Queen and State Street… pop in the Anglin Smith Fine Art Gallery and say hello!
Click HERE to print a parking voucher, good for two free hours in a city parking garage (or email info@charlestonppt.org and they’ll send you one)!
Hope to see you there! Catch you back here tomorrow!
Nipper’s Escape by Flatfish Island Designs Fred found this house plan and I have to say, I LOVE IT! Nipper’s Escape is such an efficiently designed plan! It has it all and only 1,100 square feet! An open plan with an optional upstairs, great living space on the porches, a master suite tucked away in a secluded spot and STORAGE! I know I’ve been showcasing small cottages, I will move up to the moderate sized 2,000-2,500 square feet roughly… in the coming future. I just know when we look for a home to build one day AFTER we retire… it’s going to be small. Neither of us want a large home with more room to spread out and collect “stuff”. We’re pretty good at getting rid of excess just because we don’t have a lot of extra space to store. So a pantry, and a few closets… fabulous!
So many great features. Especially if this house were built here in Charleston, SC. Just look at these wonderful porches! We could easily be outside on our porches the majority of the year (all but summer with the mosquitoes and heat/humidity). A little powder room right inside the front door, can’t beat that for convenience! I LOVE the kitchen, lots of counter space, and open to the living/dining room… and A PANTRY! Oh, how I would love a pantry! Fabulous design, done right here near Charleston! Check out their website… full of amazing house plans!
For a couple or a small family, the Nipper’s Escape house plan has a cozy, casual, outdoors feel perfect for a weekend retreat. The Nipper’s Escape home plan features classic cottage styling, including distinctive gables with shed dormers. A private master suite on the living level features three exposures and a private patio offering spectacular views
This house plan features wrap around porches that offer a relaxed setting and lovely views. The deep-set design of the covered porches provides excellent shade for the entire ground floor living area, making the Nipper’s Escape home plan an efficient, eco-friendly green design. Nipper’s Escape is a simple house plan that allows for easy expansion or modification. For example, you can add three beds and two baths to the second floor to create a loft space if you wish.
The Beach Bungalow plan from Coastal Living… this is an exclusive design for Coastal Livingby Dennis Wedlick. My husband, Fred, found this plan years ago while looking through Coastal Living magazine while we were renting a cottage in Port Clyde, Maine. It’s a great small plan… I can’t tell you how small because that part of the site isn’t populated… hmmmm? Isn’t this the perfect beachside plan for a quiet weekend getaway, or for some empty nesters?!
I saw this plan and the first thing I said… cute… but I don’t like spiral stairs… Fred’s idea was to remove the spiral staircase, enclose the porch to make a sunroom and have part of the stairs there as well as the area to the left of the fireplace. Another good thought… pocket doors for the bedroom, saves on space! What would you do??
Let me tell you about the harrowing saga that filled our weekend… I was working away… attempting to write a post. Everything was painfully slow… and then all I could see is that little colorful ‘death wheel’ as I like to call it spinning around… computer unresponsive. Thankfully, I purchased the Apple Care extended warranty (adds two years on to the regular one year warranty). So I was able to call support to get some much needed help. I’m not an Apple genius. I try to keep up, but whew, some things are beyond me, and this was one of them! I got a great support person I could understand, he was clear, we went through steps and he determined I needed to wipe the hard drive and reload Mac OS X Lion. “Uuuuhhhh”, I heard myself stutter “ooooo-kkkkkk”, but really my innards were screaming NOOOOOOO! “Do you have a backup?” he asked. “Yes” I replied, without hesitation. I mean I have an external hard drive plugged in, I assume it works? I have taken a trip through the TIME CAPSULE just to see what riding in space is like… it miraculously captures your info from each day… We wiped it clean, and reloaded Lion. After that, the computer was unresponsive. We determined that we would make an appointment and take it to the ER (Apple store)… luckily we were able to take it that night. Genius Brian ran the first diagnostic on it. “Everything looks like it should”. Oh. Great. I don’t want everything to look like it should or these problems are going to keep happening, I mean I DO want everything to be ok, but not unless it really is… He said there is one more test… he ran it… and it could not recognize the hard drive. Ok… now we have a diagnosis… that’s a relief! It was scheduled to have the hard drive replaced, and I am sooooo very thankful that it was still under warranty (I LOVE YOU APPLE CARE!)! We were able to pick it up the next morning…
It was nice to have it back in our hot little hands. The backup worked like a miracle. It costed us nothing. Dropping it off we even got a parking spot in the front of the store, WHEN does that ever happen. One more thing… next week is tax free weekend… which means it would have taken MUCH longer for the computer to be worked on, because the Apple store becomes a zoo during tax free weekend! After all, that’s when we bought it a few years ago! It was worth standing in the heat for hours to not pay tax on it!
All this blah blah blah, to say… if you’re about to purchase an Apple product… do not hesitate to buy the Apple Care extended warranty. It’s worth Every. Single. Penny. We, in Charleston, SC, are so fortunate to have the Apple store right here. First class all the way.
The beauty in this tiny town is beyond comprehension. You can just feel the history. It has that feeling of days gone by, kind of like Mayberry, but quieter, more refined and certainly very special!
Inlet Cottage (SL1519) An Exclusive Design for Southern Living by K2 Urban Design [image]The Inlet Cottage house plan by Southern Living House plans is a sweet floor plan that affords you the ability to downsize and still have a nice usable space! Depending what the conditions were (sun/shade and what my view was) I think I would add a side porch off the house, where you see the stairs, or even a nice deck, that would be quite nice!
Inlet Cottage (SL1519) An Exclusive Design for Southern Living by K2 Urban Design [image]If you really enjoy cooking you might want a larger space… I’m thinking, as much as I love a porch, I would sacrifice the one between the bedroom and the kitchen to expand the bedroom maybe a foot or two and expand the kitchen with the remaining space. I think it would be nice to have a bar to sit at for casual meals, so I would move the stove… but that’s me, what would you do??
This is a great house to have nestled in the trees… of course I always think about a view of the water, a definite bonus! This plan has porches on three sides, one screened and two are open… what a luxury to sit on such a fabulous porch! The Nautical Cottage is 1,315 square feet. Pretty small in square footage, but space is used wisely! You have to keep in mind all the outdoor space you get from the porches… that adds a lot of living space, just not heated space.
Now lets check out the main floor of this sweet cottage:
My first thought is… that I would switch the kitchen and the living room… I would want the kitchen sink about where the fireplace is, so I can eat a cookie wash dishes and look out my window over the sink. I love my kitchen window (great view down the street) and it would be hard to give up! It seems easy enough to flip the living room and fireplace to the other side of the room (being the expert that I am)… that way, maybe there could also be a fireplace on the outside? A house in our neighborhood was built like that, and it’s quite charming! How nice to curl up with a book in a comfy chair, OUTSIDE, in front of a fire?! I love a screened porch for the buggy time of year!
If I ever start painting again, I would make one of the downstairs bedrooms into a studio, it’s also a room the dreadmill treadmill could hang out in, always a thought!
I think I would also make this upstairs loft space into a closed off storage area. How about you? What would you do?
Recently we had a situation with our refrigerator that required us to unload everything into coolers for 48 hours. We had the best time ever. Hmmmm. The first day we ran to the gas station nearby and bought a few bags of ice… it costs over $7 for 3 fairly small bags of ice… the next day I remembered this vending machine. Ha! ICE HOUSE AMERICA is the name of it… click HERE to find a location near you, they’re all over the USA. In Charleston, SC it was $1.50 for 16 pounds OR you could drag your cooler over to the side and get #20 pounds for $1.50. Quite the deal! We only needed two bags. So if you need ice, check out one of these vending machines… This one is located on St. Andrew’s Blvd…
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