A Reclaimed Family Room and Basement Addition

Our new "old" family room

One of the fun things about being an artist with a husband who loves to salvage/rescue building materials is building something with all the beautiful old materials!  About a year ago, we took on the daunting task of putting a two story addition on our home. The two stories were to be our family room and our basement beneath that.  The job of project manager, general contractor and designer fell to me, myself and I. At least we didn't have to do all the construction ourselves. Trust me, it never would've happened that way!

The project swallowed up eight months of our lives, but the end result was well worth it.  If I had hired a designer,  I would not have the same satisfaction when I sit in those rooms and look around me.  If we had not used reclaimed materials,we would not feel the same kind of pride in knowing that we are saving those beautiful building materials from wasting in already overflowing landfills.  If we had not used salvaged materials, we wouldn't have the same beauty and unique character in those living spaces.  

Hand hewn beams support the ceiling and roof.

I'm here to tell you that you, too, can achieve your own reclaimed design when you build by using salvaged materials!  Get inspired by our project and others and find a good builder who doesn't mind working with old materials. When you find a gem like that you are really lucky!

I'd be happy to answer any questions you have...  I'd love to hear your feedback and comments, too!

Our new "old" basement has stone walls that are part of the original foundation of our house, a door made from reclaimed wood with antique strap hinges, and a salvaged stone step.  This picture shows a bunch of paint chips on the wall.  I ended up leaving it white with a stucco type finish that looks like old plaster walls.

 In the bathroom, we used reclaimed subway tile, trim, beadboard, an historic door we used as a pocket door due to lack of space, and the cabinet is even made out of reclaimed wood.

The bathroom as it looked almost done, with salvaged subway tiles, beadboard, and earth clay walls I paintstakingly finished.

The door has original crackled finish.  This is the beadboard before I painted it white.  I almost left it chippy, but decided I wanted a cleaner look.

Even the table on which our TV sits is made from salvaged wood and an old iron base.

New at Windsong Studios!

Take a look at what I've been working on and will be in the shops this weekend:

Vintage Steamer Trunk, now for sale at Gatehouse Designs new warehouse location in Hagerstown, MD.  Please contact me for more info and availability if interested.

This steamer trunk needed a little loving care.  I painted it with my homemade cream chalk paint and then waxed it up with layers of clear and dark brown to give it a lot of patina.  Its great for storage in an office or  to use as a coffee table.  The interior is cleaned up but all original.  Just look at all the drawers.  There are wooden hangers above the little "suitcase" and the suitcase comes out or opens up in place.  Very cool! They certainly don't make them like they used to.

 More views of the steamer trunk show all the fun old details which add so much character to the piece.

 

Make a statement with these salvaged windows in complete casing with pediments.  Add mirrors to open up your space visually.

This is how it looked after removing most of the rust.

After painting, it looks nicely shabby instead of too rough.

 This blue and cream top table is so sweet and simple, and I love the colors.  Its made of metal.  The colors are original to the piece but they were in bad shape so I added homemade blue chalk paint and waxed it for a handrubbed finish.  Now it just needs a vase of fresh flowers and some reading material and a lamp in its new home --- yours'!  At Hearthside Home in Poolesville, MD

Antique keys for sale!

These old baluster parts will make great candle holders for your patio or deck...

This side table can also be used as a plant stand.  I painted it with white chalk paint and it has a handrubbed wax finish.  It is currently in my shop in Poolesville Md.

Building Pineapple salvaged from the former Cracked Claw Restauraunt.  Pineapples symbolize Welcome.  Why not put these in your entrance to welcome your guests? We have three available.

Get your garden style goin' and check out our new look and space in Hearthside Home!

Welcome Spring!

 I am a total romantic and all the Spring flowers and lushness, has a wonderful affect on my art!  The colors I'm into right now are blues, yellows and greens, but also the light pink of the cherry blossoms.  A cherry blossom painting is on my list of things I want to paint and I'm currently designing some cherry blossom necklaces...  

 My signs on old chestnut barn wood would look adorable in your patio or mudroom, kitchen or hallway.

 Here, the organic ceramic square beads and handmade tube beads are contrasted with fresh yellow and aqua aurora borealis crystals. 

 This primitive bunny sold, but I will have chicks and a hen coming soon!  Look for them in Hearthside home and Etsy.

 Peonies are one of my absolute favorite Spring Flowers.  I painted them in watercolor with fresh lavender and they smelled heavenly all the while...

 A fresh way to frame a painting is with an old window.  Why not repurpose them?  Framed mirrors are fine, but why not add a little more to your view with a painting that provides depth and beauty?

 Windsong Studios inside Hearthside Home looks like this now, but a transformation is happening soon, and a move to a different spot within the shop!  I'll be posting pictures soon.   Hint:  Think GARDEN!

 Speaking of gardens, wouldn't this sweet daisy look great hanging on the fence in your's?  Or I'd hang it on the patio, mudroom, potting shed, kitchen, bathroom...!!!

 Another great one to hang right now is a handpainted Spring Welcome sign, right by your door.  The crocuses I handpainted from my garden.  The background is a wonderful crackle paint.

My most popular painting right now is this unframed of Sugarloaf Mountain and a large Forsythia.  I painted it in a French Impressionist's pointillism.  You can buy it on Etsy.  I have plans to make a frame for it, but then the price will go up.

Have a wonderful Spring

'Tis the Season

Windsong Studios In Poolesville, MD
Handpainted Welcome Sign on Reclaimed Barnwood flanked by two iron horsehead  post caps

 This week, we updated the shop with fresh Holiday items! Come check them out, they look great.

Stocked full with lots of unique gift and decorating ideas at the right price

Making Art Wth Children Is Always Inspiring!

This Fall I was asked to 

coordinate an art project for each class in my daughter's elementary school to be auctioned off in a school benefit.  Well, it was a daunting task, to say the least, because as it turned out, the art teacher was unable to help me at all and the thought of doing art with all the kids in the whole school during their recess hour and producing something that grown-ups would go gaga over enough to bid on was challenging!  However, out of every challenge there is a silver lining.  After plenty of thought and research I came up with a plan for each class, keeping the designs abstract and the themes relevant to their lives and interests.  The results turned out amazing, and I even learned some new techniques in the process!  Working with the kids was a sweet experience. I love how spontaneous they are and the color combinations they come up with are wonderful, too!  The auction was last night and I hear there was quite a bidding frenzy over these.  Luckily, they fetched a good amount for the school. One of the parent helpers and I were inspired enough to  want to make paint some fabric like this. Here's how they turned out.

Fifth Grade "Tie Dye" Shower Curtain

Second Grade Shower Curtain  (Circle Theme)

Jasper Johns inspired third grade project

Andy Warhol style oak leaf by the fourth graders

Splash tablecloth by the 1st Grade

Repurposing old barn wood, painting, making vintage items new again

Hello! Welcome to my blog. This week has been an awesome time to create.  With the weather finally cooperating, I was motivated to create new Halloween items for my shop at Hearthside Home in Poolesville, Md. 

Windsong Studios at Hearthside Home

Orange Chunky Wool Scarf

Inlet at Dawn -Watercolor 

White Roses  - Oil on Canvas

I also got this cute idea to reuse our vintage mason jars for Halloween

Handpainted Crow on Tile

Hand crocheted child's hat

Spooky Halloween Scene on Galvanized Trash Can Lid

Our Store Window 

Reclaimed Finial Candlestick 

Hand Crocheted Fingerless Gloves

Windsong Studios/Hearthside Home Shop Window

Copper Wrapped Vintage Button and Arrow Necklace