29 April 2015

A Springtime Farmhouse Update

Hey folks. Spring has finally arrived, though Old Man Winter keeps trying to have one last hurrah in the form of frost and freeze warnings once a week or so but for the most part, we're enjoying temps in the 60s and everything is greening up. 

Free artwork! Embroidery hoops and vintage feedsack fabrics.


We've been really busy the last 6 weeks readying our farmhouse for the arrival of guests this spring and summer. We are doing a lot of repurposing, upcycling, using found objects to make things we need, hitting yard sales, estate sales and of course, my beloved thrift stores, in a quest to spend minimal money but have a comfortable, relaxing home. So far, we've built a deck and a king size bed frame all from recycled pallets, we've put in a tiny walkway to the front door, and we've reused items we already had to create new spaces in other rooms. 


Perfect spot to read a book or enjoy a cup of coffee. One end of the hallway upstairs. Overlooks the front yard and the beautiful mountains.

We finally have two proper guest rooms!! The twin room was put together when we moved in last fall but the other bedroom was our 'staging area' for boxes. When the weather turned and it was too cold to continue unpacking, that room got put on hold. We've finally cleared it out and furnished it with a king size bed. I will be putting the finished touches on it later today, and then it too will be complete.  


The Twin Size Guest room is complete. A comfortable, bright and airy room perfect for two. 

We also put in a second coffee bar upstairs in the hallway near the guest rooms and our offices. It's smaller than the main coffee bar but perfect so that guests don't have to head all the way downstairs if they want an early morning cup of coffee or if we're working and are too lazy to go fetch a refill. Cost: $0! I had things on hand to use in this area -- a cabinet I bought at a yard sale in Maryland in 2007, an extra coffee maker, vintage canisters, a vintage syrup dispenser that holds the powder (shelf stable!) creamer. 

A second coffee bar located upstairs near the guest rooms. Small but functional! 

As always, the farmhouse is a work in progress. We still want to do landscaping but the weather has been very rainy for the last month. We feel lucky when it's a day without rain so we can stay on top of the mowing, but hopefully once May rolls around we'll be able to plant flowers and do some curb appeal to the front of the house. We are thoroughly enjoying the front porch with the views of the mountains for both morning coffee and evening happy hours. It is nice as is but once we get some projects complete out there, it is going to be even more amazing. 

The view from the front porch. It's beautiful in every season.

What spring projects are you working on? 

Next time: the $100 deck project and the $65 King Size Bedroom Makeover

4 comments:

Unknown said...

Hi! I just now found your blog courtesy of The Prudent Homemaker. I love what you have done with your farmhouse and it is good to find someone from my neck of the woods! I grew up in Haywood County and currently live on a 100 acre farm in Sylva.
I love your blog and I am so glad I found it!

Vintage Whimsy said...

Hi Rose, thanks so much for the nice comments on our farmhouse. I would love to see pics of your place in Sylva, neighbor!! Lucky you to have so much acreage! Do you have lots of farm animals? Rumor has it that the land in front of our place is going to be leased to someone that is putting horses on it. I am so flipping excited about possibly having horses that I can hardly stand it. Eeeek!! I want some miniature donkeys once we buy this place but for now, I will have to enjoy the elk and *crossing fingers* the horses that may come soon.

Unknown said...

Hi! We raise steers and grow corn for silage which we sell locally and also ship out to just about all of the South.
Hey, I just read your comments over at Prudent Homemaker and I am so sorry about what is happening to you and your loved one. I am not trying to be nosy but what line of work is he in? The reason why I ask is I grew up here and I know pretty much where the jobs are or I can find out.

Vintage Whimsy said...

Hey Rose!! The fiance is in inventory control and warehouse management kind of work. He had a call today from a job in Damascus, VA and will have a phone interview with them tomorrow at 2. Hopefully other calls will start coming in, too! You can email me at myvintagewhimsy@gmail.com if you'd like.

And how nice that you guys have steers. I love cows so much. I want to have highland cattle someday. Some of our neighbors up the road have the prettiest Brown Swiss cows. But I like all cows. And donkeys. And goats. lol Okay okay, I probably need to just have a petting farm with all kinds of animals. ;-)