Southern Entry

Welcome to the south entry to our house! It is the second entry, which is more casual than 

the one on the west side. 

I found the antique hat rack years ago in an antique store. I hadn't been looking for one but the shape was so beautiful and the price so affordable ($45), that I knew I'd find a use for it. 

 Mike's tattered and stained work hat is shown, but we also hang our coats here from time to time. Mostly when we're too lazy to walk into the living room and hang them in the coat 

closet - which is often.

I've always loved this lantern, but it has spent most of its time on a shelf in our downstairs den closet. Though we rarely use it, it's not in the way and I like being able to look at it everyday. 

Below the hat rack, we have a stool to sit on while putting on our shoes. We also use the stool to get things off the kitchen shelves, or any other task that requires a high reach in this area of the house. 

On the wall next to the hat rack is one of my Great Great Grandmother's mirrors. Originally part of the tall dresser in our master bedroom, we've used it here because it does not fit beneath the sloping ceiling upstairs. 

Entering the hallway from the entry, the french doors on the left open into the dining room. On the right is the door that goes upstairs. 

Because there are two entries to the house, we decided to connect them in a more aesthetically pleasing way with a wraparound porch. In this way, both entrances are accessible, depending on the occasion (formal or casual). 

STOPMOTION SURFING SAFARI

Link Party No. 63 and New Tutorial at Sew Dang Cute

I am guest posting at Sew Dang Cute today. Please head over there to say hi to lovely Tam and check out my new (and easy-peasy) tutorial!


I noticed something unthinkable today... my sewing machine has been collecting dust! This hardly ever happens to me, but because of the accident, lots of family stuff and playing with the kids, I didn't sew anything last week. I am starting to get really antsy.

All sorts of ideas are in my head and they are ready to be unleashed...

Hopefully I can share them with you soon. :)

What have you been working on? It is time to share with the world!

1. Please post something YOU made. It doesn't matter if it is crochet, quilt, clothing, anything would be fine. I want to see it! If you use someone's idea or patterns please give them the rightful credit.

2. Link to your specific post, that way it is easier for everybody to find and read it.

3. Please grab the "Tea Rose Home" grab button, and link back from your post. If you can mention the party in your post or place the button on your side bar, that would be great! I want more people to have a chance to come and show off their creation.


<center><a href="http://tearosehome.blogspot.com"><img border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5462799092490427250" style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 126px; height: 160px;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMqD2Vd0YEWWfW_JevA07K4_OWomfU7lSFZXBHspcGVRoVaexEOVPpQJj3QRfeDrXxLrc0VSBLINUdXmJx0aEnpBkhJBFyWX5aulRpCbQdmpicAtJkh2qCOcowwuHAunCyw2SpvLlb4ZI/s200/GrabButtonLinkParty.jpg" /></a></center>

Decorating ~ Girls Shared Toddler Bedroom

About a month ago we moved the girls into the same bedroom.  I'm not going to lie, I was extremely nervous to make this move, but we knew it needed to happen well in advance of the other big adjustment in our future (baby brother).  It was a big transition for them and for us.  It was Matilda's first time in a "big girl bed" and the first time either girl has ever had a roommate.  We had a rough first couple days, but since then it's been working out pretty well.

The girls bedroom is not a huge room, I think it's 11' x 13' and we weren't really sure if both beds were going to fit.  Sure enough, they did!  I just love these beds.  They were given to us after my husband's Grandma passed away last year - they use to be in her guest bedroom.  I love the ornate lines and the creamy white color.  It's exactly what I would have picked out for the girls had I gone shopping for these myself.  And I'm sure Brett's Grand-Molly loves looking down seeing her great-granddaughters snug as little bugs in the beds she picked out.

I've been collecting embroidery hoops from local thrift shops for the past year or so.  Just picking them up here and there, not quite sure what I was going to do with them.  These were so inexpensive, maybe .25 - .49 cents a piece.  I used my designer fabric scraps and just stretched them into each canvas and then trimmed around the edges.  They are each hung on a nail and are very light-weight. 

The embroidery hoops on the wall is not my original idea, I've seen this done in designer magazines as well as on lots of online websites and I have always loved the look.  We used to have Savannah's name on the wall, but when we moved Matilda in, we had to come up with something new.  I have so many fabric scraps that I just love, I knew this inexpensive art work would be just perfect to fill the large wall in the girls room.

The pink polka dot duvet covers and pillow shams are from Potterybarn Kids.  The twin-sized quilt on the foot of Savannah's bed is one that I made for her from Heather Bailey's "Freshcut" fabric line before Matilda's arrival.  I haven't had time to make Matilda a big quilt yet, so her quilt is store-bought.  It's really cute with owls, flowers and birds.

The cream colored drapes were in the nursery, but didn't really go with our new "Nautical" theme for baby brother.  So I moved them into the girls room, but they needed something against the yellow wall.  I found these two valences at Home Goods store in the clearance section - $3.00 a piece.  I stitched them to the top of each curtain panel to add a little interest around the window.  They are trimmed with ric-rac and were just the right colors.

I covered this lampshade for Savannah's original room and I still love it.  I covered it with fabric and then made fabric yo-yo's that I hot glued all around the bottom.  It is finished at the top with a pink, ruffle trim ribbon.

Above are a couple pillows I made for their room.  I haven't gotten around to making an "M" pillow, but hopefully that is on my short list of to-dos.  The other pillow is made from scraps from Savannah's quilt and several handmade fabric yo-yo's.

The elephant wall art was made by me from different fabric scraps that I cut up to create the piece.  There are two other similar pieces in the room (though I didn't get a photograph of them) - one has two little birds and the other has a lion and a whale on it.  All three photo mats are covered in the same pink polka dot fabric.

Matilda's bed is still a little high up for her to climb in, so she uses this painted trunk to climb into bed.  It's great because it also doubles as storage and looks pretty too.

The girls are having a great time being roommates.  Since they are only 16-months apart, I think it works out really well for them to share a room.  I'm currently having them nap in separately (Savannah naps in Mama and Daddy's bed), but other than that it's worked out really great!

Do any of your kids share a room?  Did you share a room growing up?  How did it work out?

A RECORD YEAR FOR BILLION-DOLLAR DISASTERS

Groundhog Day Blizzard of 2011. Credit: NOAA

 
The National Climatic Data Center's (NCDC) latest Billion Dollar Disaster Report finds the US has racked up more mega-expensive natural disasters in 2011 than ever before.

So far we've suffered more than five times the huge disasters typical at this time of year. Already damage costs have reached nearly $32 billion.

Compare that to the first half of the average year—prior to the onset of "big" hurricane season—between 1980 and 2010, where disaster costs typically run $6 billion.

 

Billion-dollar-plus natural disasters between 1980 and 2010, 
using a GNP inflation index.

All told the US has suffered 99 weather-related disasters over the past 31 years, where overall damages and economic costs reached or exceeded $1 billion. 

The normalized losses (that is, the numbers adjusted for the GNP inflation index) add up to more than $725 billion for those 99 disasters. 

So far, nine billion-dollar disasters have befallen the US this year. Here's the NCDC list:

• Groundhog Day Blizzard Jan 29-Feb 3. Insured losses were greater than $1.1 billion. Total losses (insurance, state and local snow removal, business interruption) were greater than $3.9 billion. Thirty-six deaths.

A picture of the EF3 tornado that struck Tushka, Oklahoma, 14 April 2011. Credit: Gabe Garfield and Marc Austin via NOAA.

• Midwest/Southeast Tornadoes April 4-5. An estimated 46 tornadoes caused more than $1.4 billion insured losses, total losses greater than $2 billion, 9 deaths. 

• Southeast/Midwest Tornadoes April 8-11. An estimated 59 tornadoes caused more than $1.5 billion insured losses, total losses greater than $2.2 billion, numerous injuries, no known deaths. 

• Midwest/Southeast Tornadoes April 14-16. An estimated 160 tornadoes caused more than $1.7 billion insured losses, total losses greater than $2 billion, 38 deaths. 

• Southeast/Ohio Valley/Midwest Tornadoes April 25-30. An estimated 305 tornadoes caused somewhere between $3.7 to $5.5 billion (the numbers are still being accounted), total losses approaching $10 billion, 320 deaths. 

• Midwest/Southeast Tornadoes May 22-27. An estimated 180 tornadoes caused between $4 and $7 billion insured losses (the numbers are still being accounted), total losses may exceed $7.0 billion, 172 deaths—including the EF-5 tornado that struck Joplin, MO, killing 141, the deadliest single tornado in the US since record-keeping began.

Wildfires in Texas as of 30 April 2011. At this point more than two million acres/809,371 hectares had already burned. Credit: NASA Earth Observatory, image created by Jesse Allen.

 

• Texas Drought and Wildfires, Spring-Summer 2011: drought and wildfires across Texas, New Mexico, and western Oklahoma racked up fighting/suppression costs of about $1 million a day. Total losses to agriculture and cattle were estimated between $1.5 and $3 billion, as of 16 June. Expenses are likely to rise as the drought continues.

  

This map depicts rainfall for the Midwest from April 19 to 25, when totals ranged from 150 millimeters/5.9 inches to greater than 525 millimeters/20.7 inches, prompting major flooding. Credit: NASA Earth Observatory, image by Jesse Allen.

• Mississippi River flooding Spring-Summer 2011 Estimated economic loss ranges from $2 to 4 billion. Below are more detailed preliminary stats—the floods are still unfolding—as of 16 June:

1. $500 million loss to agriculture in Arkansas 
2. $320 million in damage to Memphis, Tennessee
3. $800 million loss to agriculture in Mississippi
4. $317 million loss to agriculture and property in Missouri's Birds Point-New Madrid Spillway 
5. $80 million loss for the first 30 days of flood-fighting efforts in Louisiana

The Missouri River floods have not made it onto this list, since their onset was near the end of the compilation period.

 
The technical report,  A Climatology of 1980-2003 Extreme Weather and Climate Events, by Tom Ross and Neal Lott, is illuminating. Here are some highlights (bold emphasis is mine):

• In twenty of the past twenty-four years, the U.S. has experienced at least one weather-related billion-dollar disaster.  
• The only years without at least one billion-dollar disaster were 1981, 1982, 1984 and 1987. 
• Since 1988, at least one disaster occurred each year, with only one such event in 1988 and 1990, and seven billion-dollar events in 1998. Two of the 1998 disasters were caused by hurricanes. 
• Overall, hurricanes and tropical storms account for 16 of the 58 events and 28% of the monetary losses (normalized to 2002).  
• The ten major droughts/heatwaves which have occurred since 1980 account for the largest percentage (42%) of weather-related monetary losses. 

The technical report concludes:

Although some studies suggest that trends such as population increases, population shifts into higher risk areas, and increasing wealth have been the key factors in weather related disasters (as opposed to historical trends in the frequency or strength of such events), there is evidence that climate change may affect the frequency of certain extreme weather events. An increase in population and development in flood plains, along with an increase in heavy rain events in the U.S. during the past fifty years, have gradually increased the economic losses due to flooding. If the climate continues to warm, the increase in heavy rain events is likely to continue. While trends in extratropical cyclones are not clear, there are projections that the incidence of extreme droughts will increase if the climate warms throughout the 21st century.

Credit: the National Weather Service's Climate Prediction Center

If you're wondering what disasters might be delivered in the next quarter, check out the maps and the legend, above, for forecasts of temperature and precipitation anomalies through the end of October 2011. Hurricanes not included.

 

Fat Quarter Shop Giveaway: Meadow Friends Jelly Roll Fabric Giveaway

Have you heard of Fat Quarter Shop?  Of course you have! They are only one of the most awesome fabric shops online with the most amazing collection of precut fabrics around.  Did you know that they are a sponsor of The Cottage Home blog?  Well, they most certainly are and I just wanted to take a moment to share a few things from their shop before we move on to their generous giveaway.

Delilah Fat Quarter Set

Fat Quarter shop sells an amazing array of designer quilting cotton yardage, but they also specialize in "precut" fabrics.  If you aren't familiar with "precuts", here is what they are - they are fabrics that have been cut to a certain size and are generally bundled together in coordinating sets.  For example, charm square packs are 5" x 5" cuts of fabric sold in coordinating packs of 42 (or other number depending on the seller).  These "precut" fabrics make it super-easy to do fun patchwork projects like quilts, table runners, wall hangings, clothing, ect.  There are also several other different types of "precut" fabrics that come in other sizes - jelly rolls, layer cakes, fat quarter bundles, and fat eighth bundles.

 Joel Dewberry Heirloom Fat Quarter Set

The neat thing about Fat Quarter Shop is that they bundle a lot of their own fabrics into "precuts" that are exclusive to their shop.  Some manufacturers will sell fabrics already "precut", but at Fat Quarter Shop you can get these plus a variety of cuts not available elsewhere.

Tula Pink's Parisville Fat Quarter Bundle (on sale)

I am so excited about today's giveaway and I know you guys will be too!  Our lovely blog sponsor, Fat Quarter Shop, is giving away a girl or boy (your choice) jelly roll of Deb Strain's "Meadow Friends" to one lucky The Cottage Home Blog Reader.

I have seen so many fun projects online using jelly rolls lately.  Here are a few projects on my "to do" list (tutorial links underneath)...........

Jelly Roll Floor Pillow

Jelly Roll Tea Towels

Jelly Roll Quilt

Remember the quilt I showed you a few weeks back that I made for my daughter, Savannah's room (blog post here)?  

Well, back in the day (3 years ago) I purchased a jelly roll and fat quarter bundle from Fat Quarter Shop to complete this quilt.  I still have a few scraps left over - fat quarter bundles go along way!

So here's how to enter the "Meadow Friends" jelly roll giveaway.  Two entries allowed per person.  Please leave a separate comment for each entry.  Open to US residents only.

1) Go check out Fat Quarter Shop and tell us what you like (click HERE to do so).

2) Become a fan of Fat Quarter Shop on Facebook (click HERE to do so).

Giveaway will be open until July 29, 2011 at midnight (CST).

If you love designer cotton fabrics, you need to go check out Fat Quarter Shop.  They have an amazing selection to choose from and you can be 100% assured that this is quality, top-of-the-line fabric!

*If you are interested in becoming a sponsor of The Cottage Home blog, please email Lindsay at thecottagemama[at]gmail[dot]com for rates and more information.

SUMMER AT THE BEACH

The Tourists (2007) from Malcolm Sutherland on Vimeo.