Thess Socety Blog

Bi-fold doors are not a favourite of mine. I dislike the way they take up so much of the opening to my closets and in my house the bi-fold doors are hollow-core so I dislike them even more!  When I found half-louvered wood bi-fold doors at a yard sale, I snapped them up planning to install them on my master bedroom closet. Instead of using the bi-fold track, I decided to install them on hinges attached to the trim around the closet opening. Read more »

I have an old style, hand made night stand that I didn't terribly like much but it did the job. Then I got my "princess-and-the-pea" extremely high king-sized bed and this old style night table was much lower than the top of the mattress. Why are mattresses so huge these days anyway??? I made over the night stand several years ago, stenciling the top with a Fleur-de-lis pattern that I liked but with my new cottage style look I decided to take the time to fix up this night table once and for all. BEFORE Read more »

Another day, another project to disguise weird stuff in my house. So it's back to my laundry and mudroom where the pipes for the washer and the electrical for the dryer come up straight out of the floor! Whoo hoo - who thought that was a great idea??? Time to take things into my own hands. Read more »

My new front entry is complete!  New exterior door, new door handle, new wood storm door and some of the landscaping done around my newish front landing! I am thrilled with my new door and old style wood storm door.  Take a look! Read more »

Guess what I found on Craig's List?! An antique iron bed - I am in HEAVEN!!!  It is a 3/4 sized bed so it fits beautifully into my somewhat tiny guest room.   Of course, a makeover of my guest bedroom was now in order. I am thrilled at how inviting this room has become. I no longer have that ugly futon as a guest bed.  I love that this iron bed is from the era of the house and that everything fell into place effortlessly.   I really do think this house whispers design choices to me.  And I have been unusually successful this year at finding antiques at incredibly low prices.  I think the house is behind it.  I've also been hearing murmurings that it wants to be called "Ashcroft Cottage" instead of "Ashtree Cottage".   Sheesh.   Maybe I need more sleep... Take a look at my antique iron bed: Read more »

With cottage style sweeping through my home, it was time to rethink my master bedroom decor.  I had enjoyed the look I had going on, but it was not light, bright and airy. I had a couple of boosts this year - Graham & Brown offered me free wallpaper and D. Lawless Hardware sent me a second set of the antique handles I had used on my antique washstand project.  With my free wallpaper, a can of paint in a greige tone and a can of Ben Moore Simply White paint I took on the bedroom challenge once again... I began by installing a high wainscot with the textured bead board wallpaper.  I used 1x4 pre-primed mdf molding to cap the wainscot.  Then I painted the molding to match the trim and I painted out the Lenox Tan paint with a half shade of CIL's Manuscript.  I love this paint colour!! Read more »