House Plan Thursday… Southern Living – Tidal Haven SL-1375

Southern Living House plan 1375, also known as Tideland Haven… it’s a beauty isn’t it? This is an exclusive design by Historical Concepts for Southern Living. We know someone who built this house, and its a beauty! Nestled along the marsh it truly is the perfect plan for that setting. If you note, there is a fireplace inside as well as outside, and that porch… WHOA! A large unscreened porch and another screened porch. You just can’t beat it! I think if I were building this house I would flip flop the dining room and kitchen… Only because I love my kitchen sink in front of the window for all the times I am eating brownies washing dishes! Although, on second thought maybe I wouldn’t flip flop it, because then I could see the TV, which would be really nice when baking and making dinner! Either way, this is a nice open design, with the perfect amount of porches, both screened and unscreened. Now THIS is living!

Would you like to see more photos of this house? Click HERE, then click on the small photos in the lineup to see the images. I love how they put boards horizontally on the walls.  (Be sure to look at the “real” images… they are amazing)!

How fabulous is this?? One more thing I would do… friends of ours opted for horizontal wire on the porches so that your view is unobstructed. I like that so much better than spindles which limit your view. I guess if I had small children I might prefer spindles, but Fred, Charlie (dog) and I would go for the wire…

Catch you back here tomorrow!

[Images via Southern Living]

Featured Artist… Jeffrey T. Larson!

Grace & Mercy by Jeffrey T. Larson – [Image]

Isn’t this fabulous? You can just feel that sun beating down, can’t you? The light is fabulous! I love how you can see the shadow of her figure through the sheet. Jeff is a more detail oriented artist with some very nice and unique paintings! I see that Jeff also shows at Helena Fox Fine Art gallery here in Charleston, SC – small world!

Here’s a blip about Jeff from his website:

Jeffrey T. Larson was born in 1962 in Two Harbors, Minnesota and grew up in the Twin Cities. Jeffrey has been trained in the manner of the Old Masters at the prestigious Atelier Lack, a studio/school whose traditions and training methods reach back through impressionism and the 19th centuries French academies. He followed his four-year formal training with museum study in the United States and abroad. 

Catch you back here tomorrow!

Beach at Botany Bay…

Fred and I headed to Botany Bay (Edisto, SC).For those of you who haven’t been… I would add it to my list of places to see… it is preserved land that is full of wildlife, beautiful birds, deer, (snakes, spiders and alligators as well)… It’s like going back in time. I cannot believe we just made our first trip there… it certainly won’t be our last! We opened the back of my car, sat on the bumper and ate sandwiches, listening to the sounds… the birds, the wind blowing the trees… it was heaven!

A peaceful photo from the beach. I could have stayed there all day…

Catch you back here tomorrow!

Featured Artist… Kim Lordier!

The Sun’s Embrace by Kim Lordier / Image: KimFancherLordier.com

Isn’t this a fabulous pastel? That horse is absolutely magnificent! The sun and the dark greens… whoa! (Pun intended)… Kim has an interesting story, read on…

Read a blip about the artist from her website:

Native to the San Francisco Bay Area and a graduate of the Academy of Art University, San Francisco CA, Kim Lordier combines keen observation and sensitivity to her award winning landscapes. After college, Lordier flew for a major air carrier, experiencing many domestic and foreign locales, while keeping up with painting and portraiture. After the events of September 2001 she turned to painting full time.

“There is nothing like the inner peace that comes from working from life, exploring the way the sun can transform an ordinary object into something stunning. I want you to see the beauty in what we pass by everyday, and acknowledge the importance of open space in our lives.”

Inspired by the turn of the century California Impressionists and Tonalists, Kim paints in the plein air tradition. Fascinated with California’s unique atmospheric qualities, Kim strives to capture the beauty, depth and energy of the land and sea. She is currently a Signature member of the Laguna Plein Air Painters, the Pastel Society of America,  a Distinguished Pastelist in the Pastel Society of the West Coast, and Artist Member of the California Art Club.

Also, check out this article, When to Be Critical, When to Let Go written by Steve Doherty back in 2007. So much great advice!

Catch you back here tomorrow!

Wishes for a Happy Mother’s Day… even if you aren’t one!

[Image: Villapenna.com]

Wishing all you Mother’s out there a very happy Mother’s Day! You’re the best… I’m sure a lot of sacrifices are made, but its all worth it, right?

I would like to say THANK GOD for my mom, Sheila, and for Fred’s mom, Bobbie. Fred and I couldn’t have hand picked better moms. No chance. None. Zip. Zero. Nada. We love them more than anything… we are very blessed and we know that.

Now for those of you who aren’t yet a mother, or cannot be a mother.  I get it.  I understand. I know how you feel. Motherhood clearly isn’t in the cards for everyone. I wish it was, but it’s not. So, be positive, move forward, spend time with a niece or nephew, neighborhood kid or volunteering where so many kids need a positive influence in their lives. And… more important… don’t worry if you can’t be positive quite yet. It took me a long time…

…and hey, I’m the best darn dog mom you’ve ever seen… he he…. (Charlie when we first got him in 2009)

Believe me when I say… dog moms make lots of sacrifices too! (Caught in the act! Note empty toilet paper roll… nice Charlie… couldn’t have paper on a roll for two years!)

I swear tile is creamy white… not sure why it appears tan… eeeek.

E N J O Y   T H E   D A Y  ! !

Love you moms!

Catch you back here tomorrow!

Monhegan Island, Maine… a peaceful photo…

I thought a peaceful photo would be nice today… Monhegan Island, Maine. Absolute beauty!

Catch you back here tomorrow!

Featured Artist… Andy Evansen!

Village Doorway by Andy Evansen – Image: AndyEvansen.com

I love the warm colors in this watercolor. You can actually feel the sunlight… oooh, that fabulous pop of yellow and those perfectly defined shadows make this one nice painting! I encourage you to look through Andy’s paintings, they are nothing short of fabulous!

Read a blip about Andy from his website:

Andy began painting watercolors in the mid 1990′s, is largely self-taught, and has studied with such well-known watercolorists as Skip Lawrence, Eric Weigardt, and Alvaro Castagnet. He served as President of the Minnesota Watercolor Society from 2004-2006 and teaches workshops around the United States.

His paintings have appeared on the cover of American Artist’s Watercolor magazine and in International Artist, Watercolor Artist, Plein Air and American Art Collectormagazines.  His award-winning paintings are in collections on 4 continents.  He was awarded the Bronze Medal of Honor at the 2012 AmericanWatercolor Society Exhibition and was jut elected a signature member of the prestigious Plein-Air Painters of America.

Catch you back here tomorrow!