I've been keeping a secret....

A big UGLY secret......this is our first floor powder room bath!

We moved into our home exactly a year and a half ago.  You would

have thought that this ugly dated wallpaper would have been

one of the first things to go.....but no, we have lived with it

for all this time......

Sure, various members of the family have taken

their turn ripping the wallpaper off the wall.....classy, huh?

With the help of my handy dad, this bathroom is the midst of a much

needed makeover.  I can't wait to show you the results.....

I promise pretty pictures with better lighting!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Down Pipe....improving a challenging area of the house.

Accent walls......I'll be honest, I have never been a fan.

This weekend, I made an exception......due to a love

affair with a paint color and desperation to improve

the hallway in my home with SIX, yes SIX doorways.

The photo above is a great representation of the view I have 

from my kitchen island - a place I stand for about 5,954 hours

a day and I always felt the view to the back hallway was blah.....

It completely lacks architecture and the light walls were not

helping it's cause.  

I am using Farrow & Ball's "Down Pipe" in my 

bathroom {more to come on that makeover} and

just loved it, like alot!  I had leftover paint and

thought I would paint the wall a dark color

to add interest and dimension.

Like I said above, this hallway, although small in size

has six doorways!  Drives me nuts!  One doorway leads

to our master bedroom, another the laundry room, another a 

bathroom, another to the garage, one to a coat closet

 and one to my husband's office.

That's alot of doors!  

I will be looking to add a Dash & Albert stripe-y runner to

the space.  

So, where do you stand on accent walls?  

A design 'do'?  or a design 'don't'?

Weekend thoughts...

image via Katey Daisy

Remember, we live in a country many risk their

lives trying to get to.

  So many of our brave great grandpa's,

great grandma's, grandpa's, grandma's,

dad and moms, husband's and wives,

son's and daughter's have

fought hard for the freedoms we enjoy today.

Democracy and liberty are the world's

citizen's greatest goals - something we

get to enjoy everyday here in the USA.

There is much at stake in this election - go vote on Tuesday!

We vote by mail in Oregon - it may be convenient but

I love the experience of going into a curtained booth

and really feeling like an American - I am old school like that!

Enjoy your weekend!

Random...

It is November 1st!  Holy cow!

As I drove out my neighborhood today, one neighbor was

having a professional service hang their Christmas lights - 

definitely not ready for that!  We are still

eating our Milky Ways, Snickers and Butterfingers over

here at the old Forever*Cottage.....

The photo above is my big girl - just when you think

they are too old for dressing up, they get invited to 

a 'costumes mandatory' halloween party.  She decided

to resurrect the 'always a hit' nerd costume and spend the 

night in character!  

I have had some fun over the last week visiting some

favorite Portland spots.  I met up with some girlfriends

at St. Honore and enjoyed a morning of talking

business - we all work from home and are following

our passions while trying to strike that perfect balance

between work and family.  St. Honore is the perfect

place for 'water cooler conversation' - something lacking

when you work from home, mostly on your own.

Client work had me at Rejuvenation Hardware {photo upper left} - 

a Portland must-see for anyone into vintage fixtures, lighting and 

architectural salvage.  I won't even tell you how many gorgeous

claw foot bathtubs were in their back warehouse area!  

Working with a friend from Minnesota on some

choices for their new home, had me looking at 

fabrics from Lee Industries.  If you are looking for 

quality upholstery for a relatively affordable price {think a bit 

higher priced than Pottery Barn but WAY better quality}

check out Lee Industries.

And of course, last night had us out and about -

well not yours truly - {someone had to answer the door

and drink some Cabernet} - but my girls - one with

her friends and the other with her daddy.  

Lots of fun and candy was had by all!