monday's brainstorm ~

the outdoor shower

photo by Lee Abbamonte

my love affair with water should come as no surprise.

living on Cape Cod, where the beach and lakes are so close by,  an outdoor shower is almost a necessity.  Ok, maybe not a necessity but a definite help.   then there is just the plain incredibly wonderful feeling of an outdoor shower.

it's been almost two years in this home without one.

folks,  I am on a mission !

pretty sure I have the location picked out and now it's on to the design.

should I start with my absolute dream shower..because this would be it

i love the idea of being surrounded by gardens ..but I'd rather not have any roof overhead

photo from urban homestead

building a separate house for the shower... that's a bit out of the question

  seen on Houzz by new york architect Richard Bubnowski Design LLC

ah, no..while it's unique...I just don't think I could do a tree house shower

i love the privacy and cozy feeling amy has created in her shower

flickr photo by onbradstreet, Amy has more shower photos on her photostream

this is a photo of the shower at our last home.  it was the first one we built,  it was large enough to have an area to keep your clothes dry and a bench.  it also had a lovely tree for a canopy.  this time I think I'd like something that looks a little less rustic.

flickr photo by nymphbrainiac

 a good book i've been reading for inspiration and practical advice..is available from Amazon

The Outdoor Shower book 

do you have any monday brainstorms cooking? come share with us....

Happy Monday All

Sue

sunday morning musings

taking a few minutes before 'life' intrudes..

i'm curled up in the sunlight, with a cup of coffee,  and listening to a little tom petty.


come join me...

Naomi/ Tiny canvas print by tushtush

 Beginning by irisschwarz

Jo by nosideup

The Scent Of Tenderness by ImagineStudio

if you haven't already..take a visit to the above artists shops,  they're all on etsy...just follow the links.

i hope you had a few minutes of quiet before you start your busy day.

Have a lovely sunday everyone

Sue

out & about....the bear wakes up

i  love spring on cape cod.

there is a saying here "the cape doesn't have a spring"...but oh, it certainly does.

from it's quiet cave.. the bear starts to wake up from hibernation...slowly..

trees start to turn light green

daffodils start to poke up everywhere

the gulls start circling the herring runs

doors which look like they haven't been opened in a hundred years are freshly painted and swung open

the flags are hung out to  annouce the openings

and the still chilly water turns a beautiful blue green

hope you enjoyed this small cape cod tour...afraid there will be more ;)

Happy Saturday Everyone

Sue

ps: give me a shout...if there's an area on the cape to go... out & about for you..

a little monday inspiration

today my head is on wood floors for the bedroom

i thought i'd share some photos where i'm finding inspiration this week

 

Scandinavian summer house in Australia (bonus finding this lamp too)

photo from emma's design blog

along with the floors this hanging blue fireplace is tugging at me

 Scandinavian summer cottage design

 traditional bedroom design by new york architect SchappacherWhite Ltd.

a whole wall of chalkboard, think of how many 'to do lists' you can write!

traditional kitchen design by new york architect SchappacherWhite Ltd.

photo of guest bedroom from my brewster home

floor I painted from my last house

it really does help to share these ideas.  after putting them all together, all of them show white or light floors...i think i better head that way in my plans.

 

Happy Monday Everyone

Sue

Happy Easter ... Happy Spring

I'm taking today off...to..

hunt easter eggs with my grandson

have a yummy brunch

 photo by lisa teso

take a lovely walk

look for the elusive easter bunny

and take some time to smell the flowers

I hope your enjoying a little of this beautiful spring day too!

Happy Easter...Happy Spring Everyone

Sue

time to get your egg on

today is the day we color easter eggs.
it's always been one of my favorite things to do for easter. 

last year we tried dyeing just one egg using natural ingredients

this year I'd like to try a few more..here's a few ideas for colors

• Purple grape juice (for lavender)
• Red cabbage (for blue)
• Spinach (for green)
• Carrot tops, orange peels or lemon peels (for yellow)
• Coffee or black walnut shells (for brown)
• Yellow onion skins (for orange)
• Beets or cranberries (for pink)
• Red onion skins (for red)

directions
 Just boil your eggs in water with a bit of vinegar and one of natural ingredients,  ***then let simmer for at least 15 minutes
** NOTE: we boiled the eggs separately from the colors and  and then soaked the egg in the color with vinegar.
after all.. half the fun is lifting the egg up and down and mixing it with a few different colors

ha! i guess the above photo is a technique called "the crossover"..be careful trying this one @home :)

now here's a very unique way to decorate eggs
from Martha Stewart "Dyeing Easter Eggs with Silk Ties"

if your like me and missed it previously,  directions and how to video here

I love this idea...filing it away for next year and in the meantime...

it also gives me another thing to look for at thrift stores...silk ties and blouses.

Do you have any favorite ways to decorate eggs?  share them with us in comments, you know I'd love to hear them

Happy Easter Egg Day

Sue

spring day dreams...over the top

for now the spring rains have stopped, the bulbs are starting to bloom and the temps are warming up (slightly).

and my spring day dreams have started...

our home is a 1970's ranch,  if we added a second floor,  we would have this view..

yes..over that roof top,  in the distance,  is cape cod bay

the way my roof is constructed, it's not happening..so I'm dreaming up a way to get those views

on Cape Cod they're called  widow's walks

A widow's walk is a railed rooftop platform often found on 19th century North American houses.

A popular romantic myth holds that the platform was used to observe vessels at sea. The name comes from the wives of mariners, who would watch for their spouses' return, often in vain as the ocean took the lives of the mariners, leaving the women as widows. 

 These two are more like roof decks, but they still serve the purpose

Widow's walks are in fact a standard decorative feature of Italianate architecture, a variation of the Italianate cupola

This beauty belongs to one of my favorite beach house's on cape cod, full photo below,

it also has stunning views of Nauset Inlet....dreaming...

Beyond their decorative use as viewing platforms, they had another use.  they were frequently built around the chimney of a home, creating easy access to the structure. this allowed the residents to pour sand down the burning chimneys in the event of a chimney fire.

I'll have to file this last bit of info away...it just might help my 'want' argument!

I'm sure you must have a few spring day dreams yourself....share a few with me, in comments...
c'mon I know you do :)

 Happy spring dreaming everyone

Sue