I'm Back!

I missed blogging! I have been involved in many projects, in many directions But, I have missed posting and reading your posts~ Additionally and thankfully, my Interior Design business has busy!

Making recycled jewelry has been a wonderful pastime.

I love making necklaces the most. 

Getting lost in putting together the parts of the pendant is wonderful pastime!

The Brayton Homestead is still a most magical place to live! 

Our sitting room, my favorite place for sipping tea...

                                   and gardening can always transport you to a happy place!
                                                    Hoping you have all been well!

She Shed Dreams

 I so intended to create my She Shed this Summer. I envision a bright space created using recycled materials. I have been collecting antique doors and windows for the exterior for my oasis.

Creating a place fit for a queen for the day! Fresh fruit, croissants and freshly squeezed juice served on an old vintage silver tray  sounds divine.  

Mostly creams and white accented with wood tones (worn and aged, of course) will give the inside a vintage hideaway retreat. Will keep collecting antique furniture and architectural pieces and shoot for next year!

thanks for visiting!

A Country Homestead Christmas

My Homestead front door is completed; do you like it? 

Inspired by my recent visits to Colonial Williamsburg, I kept the decorations simple and authentic!

So fortunate that the woodwork is original, circa 1796. Fresh greens, red berries and a Tartan plaid ribbon bow is all that is needed at the Brayton Homestead!

  

Chartreuse , Tapestry & Recycled Wood

Thank you for visiting Brayton Homestead. Our homestead was built in 1796 and it a wonderful home to live in. Rich textures and materials create a a warm and inviting feeling. Hope you enjoy the tour of our front entrance. 

The front door entry,circa 1796, boasts original wide pine floor boards, antiques, tapestry and lots of the color chartreuse.  I found this Victorian rocker with it's tapestry upholstery at an antique auction. The background color of the tapestry inspired all the hall's collectibles. The pillows are made from old carpets. Mixing patterned textiles is one of my decorating signatures in my design business. 

Upon entering the hallway there are doors on either side to enter formal parlors. Straight ahead is a stairway that leads up to the second floor bedrooms. Two old white chippy corbels sit at the edge of the stairs. They break up all the wood tones while adding color and texture. I love adding recycled architectural salvage to any space.

    

More chartreuse! More tapestry! I had the corner cabinet made from old floor boards from another part of the house that were too damaged to repair. That is very unusual at the Homestead, we save and restore everything, but these boards were too damaged and weak. We recycled them to have a new life as a piece of furniture.

Vaseline glass pieces, Kewpie dolls, a bird's nest and photographs all mingle together, inspired by one color! 

You never know where your decorating inspiration may come from, here it was a tapestry rocker. I added an old footstool near and a tapestry throw for more texture and pattern.  I love the bohemian, yet Victorian look a mix of textiles create.

Inspiration is everywhere! Explore and enjoy

and

Thank you for visiting the Brayton Homestead!

Karen

Linking with :

How Sweet the Sound

My Uncommon slice of Superbia

Cozy Little House

Coastal Charm

Do you love to PUTTER?

Do you love to “PUTTER” around your home, apartment or room? I do. My homestead living room is the perfect room to putter. Puttering to me is rearranging your decorating items to please your sensibilities at that moment. My circa 1796 is always easy to change things around in. Perhaps because the room's style is English Cottage. In an English home you might expect to see family treasures that have been passed down through the generations all together.

“ Puttering is really a time to be alone, to dream and get back in touch with yourself… To putter is to discover."  Alexandra Stoddard 

No matter what or where your personal space is, I think "puttering" is rearranging your belongings to create a space that reflects your needs and wants at that time. “ 

Rearranging personal mementos, creating a floral arrangement, switching lamps and art work ,  makes us decide on what is important to us at that time.  I use a small bureau in my living room as an end table. Here I placed it in front of my window.  Sometimes I use it as a nightstand.

 Anywhere I place it , the bureau gives me additional storage, a great trick for small spaces where space is limited.

My collection of glass paperweights, vintage and new art pieces, sparkle with the light behind them. Old books and a ceramic piece my sister made spoke to me to be together. 

  

So go ahead and putter. When you move your favorite things to another room or give it another purpose you appreciate and love it even more. You can always move things back where they were. 

So can ahead and PUTTER!

Linking with these blogs:
Have a Daily Cup of Mrs Olson
Elizabeth & Co.
Kathe with an E
Ivy & Elephants
The Dedicated House
From my Back Porch to Yours


    Visit Brayton's profile on Pinterest.

Skates, my favorite winter door accent

We are anticipating over a foot of snow here in Massachusetts. We expect that at least once a season in New England, but that does not mean we welcome it. It is charming to look out the homestead windows.But someone has to shovel it!  In this post I am sharing some older pics where I decorated the homestead with ice skates. My go- to winter icon in decorating my doors is vintage skates. My front door here boasts black skates with a plaid scarf , silver balls and silver stars. The silver reflects nicely with a spot light directed on it. 

I painted these skates picturing a snowman on a blustery day for my friend for Christmas a few years ago.A bit of fur and glitter sparkle placed in front of the fireplace. 

I am not a gifted skater but plan to try it again this winter. I should probably stick with watching the skating competitions, but am going to try.

Here, I simply added big red pompoms to the white skates. They remind me of  the red fur pompoms I had on my skates as a girl. A little fake snow was attached with a glue gun and accented with red check ribbon bow. A great bonus for decorating with ice skates is that you can keep them up all season long.

Stay warm and

thank you for visiting the homestead.

Karen

Linking with these great blogs:

Savvy Southern Style,

Elizabeth & Co.,

Dwellings the Heart of the Home,

My Uncommon slice of Suberbia, 

Coastal Charm

Memorial Day at the homestead

Greetings from my homestead! 

I have been so busy for the last few months. It has been a whirlwind of excitement since my home was featured in the Home Tour edition 

COUNTRY SAMPLER MAGAZINE... 

My Memorial Day weekend was quiet but nice, mostly planting flowers and getting ready for a season of outdoor entertaining and fun! My decorating this year was very simple. My favorite woven planter on the ed 

front door with all white petunia flowers. All in one pot, placed easily in the wicker basket.

My old buggy/ sleigh seat that usually goes out only in the winter months found it's way on the front steps.

My copper trim under the door is aging with a great verdigris patina. Because the

 original base trim is 216 years old and cannot be removed I covered it with copper

to protect it. The trim is partially underneath the original door frame and would be very 

difficult to take out, and of course I would not want to. 

Have a great week!

Thank you for visiting the Homestead,

Karen

Homestead Dress Up

It has been raining for days and will continue all weekend!
( This picture was featured on Common Ground Blog!)

Therefore, I did not dress up the homestead with the usual flags and banners... 

Instead I am posting some of my favorite holidays pics of the 

BRAYTON HOMESTEAD

Still loving my red gate, added to the 1796 home a few years ago...

Cannot wait to get the lawn furniture out 

for lazy days of tea or wine,

Have a wonderful Memorial Day weekend...

I am so grateful and flattered to be features at the beautiful blog

by Debra

COMMON GROUND

thanks!

Linking with these blogs: Common Ground, The Dedicated House,  Twigg Studios,  

Six Sister's Stuff, I Should  be mopping the floor, Alderberry Farm, 

Coastal Charm, Dwellings, My Uncommon Slice of Suberbia, 

House on the Way, Elizabeth & Co., French Country Cottage,

Lilacs Say Welcome to My Kitchen

Welcome back to my Federal kitchen at the homestead. Could not resist bringing lilacs from the year into the kitchen, albeit they make me sneeze!

Maybe you remember when I restored the kitchen fireplace wall

 to it's 1796 original look..

Under the wood that covered this and the rest of the kitchen walls

 lurked a beehive oven and opening for wood storage. 

Last post I mentioned that an old portrait of the Brayton Homestead hung over the living room mantle, now over the kitchen mantle. I love the barn board wood ceiling even though it is not authentic!

Baskets on the hearth keep linens handy...

Thanks for visiting 

from my kitchen to yours...

Dogs in my living room

I took some photos of the opposite wall to my living room mantle showed on my last blog post. Thank you for your kind words on my mantle of mementos. 

My circa 1796 home still has many of it's original architectural features.

    

You can get a peak of the lovely raised panel wainscoting that I really love. It is painted a brown color, my fav go to color. Creamy white wallpaper and tapestry old Victorian couch

keep things light.

An old preschool table is my coffee table; it holds a huge silver tray and porcelain dogs. 

A side view highlights wood beams, a sculpture form Rome and family photos. I prefer the contrast of dark deep tones like brown, navy blue and burgundy against creams and tans; kind of my decorating signature personally and professionally..

A big tapestry bow holds a reproduction painting and is flanked by wall shelves.

The houndstooth hat that the dog figurine is sporting is actually

 Krumpets!

Thanks for visiting and have a great week!

Karen