Different sort of artwork-feeling inspired

Today's post is full of photos..I mean FULL! 
Just a head's up so you have a full cup~

  This is a picture story of inspiration...

and it all started here in this beautiful Mid Century house in the woods in Port Orchard,Washington.

I wrote months back about making and taking a gift to my son's home for a house warming present.
This is the post here  and this is the gift hanging in Len's great room

Len had called me and asked if Riley and I would come visit and help him in his new home with the many projects he had underway. Len and his friend tore up the whole kitchen down to the bones and after accessing what needed to be done it,began insulating, wiring, plumbing,adding new windows and skylights,and adding all new drywall and shoring up the floor joists, PHEW!!
 He asked for my help with the mudding and finishing of the drywall. He knew his mom is a perfectionist like himself as he watched me remodel three homes while growing up.
Of course we would come! So off we went,Len flew us out to the beautiful Port Orchard,for 10 days.

While there and working from sun up past sun down, my husband Riley and I had no idea the thoughts that were taking shape in our brains about our own place-heehee

Lenny and I being silly-we were getting a bit punchy after awhile!

Riley was very good at showing me spots I missed!

While there, Len's furnace died, and then the pellet stove kicked the bucket.All part of being a new home owner we kept saying to lift his spirits!
I am thrilled to tell you,that after researching through the net, Len found his furnace(from the 70's) and it's manual online. He managed to trouble shoot, and send out for new parts and after he installed a new motherboard, It worked like it was brand new!
 My boy is a genius! not too proud,huh?

Len has already replaced this stove with a new one

Riley helped out with the mudding, I did the finishing and sanding and we were able to get two coats of paint up.
 Of course,organizing mom did her best to keep everything as clean and easy to get around as possible and found great crock pot recipes to make to ease the burden of a semi functional kitchen.

yea, a bit of decorating as well, I set Len up a tea stand by the stove. He makes the best apple chai tea!

this was one of the most essential things to be worked and we were more than thrilled when it was completed.
 When Len was taken down old walls and drywall, he uncovered this. Yup, this is what was holding up the main support beam and was covered with drywall. It was only a matter of time before that 2x2 completed splitting and the 6x6 gave under the weight of the ceiling.


















Len and Riley installed a temporary post, cut out the old beam,did more shoring up of the floor and put in the new post! Yay!!

Next we were on to building the kitchen cabinets that Len had designed.

Had any of us ever built cabinets from scratch? 

yea- NO! 

But I told you my son is a genius!

yup, that's me in jammies painting in the trim of the cabinets...I did this while the guys were cutting and assembling















The first cabinet was done and next came adding the sink and plumbing.
 Riley again,pointing out what needed to be done! heehee-such a card!

So while the two of them did the plumbing, I found some time to make a bit of art.
Notice the mood lighting to the right? Len built that light and installed from his computer a blend of changing colors I had picked out to give me some "mood" while I was creating.
I claimed this spot here as my own while we were there.

 

 they worked while I played,and before you knew it

  we had running hot and cold water and a kitchen sink!!

No more doing dishes in the bathroom sink for me! Woo hoo!! heehee

That was about all we were able to get accomplished while there, as well as a hundred of other things,and I know Len was so very,very happy that we were able to come out!
Since we left,Len is continuing to work on his cabinets and has started the staining as well as building more

My son is amazing and a genius! just saying...

Well now we are home and my husband keeps talking about how our carpet is gross,which I know already! and one morning I come in out of my studio to find him cutting strips of the carpet out! "No time like the present" he says!

After searching for a couple of weeks, mind you this is 2 weeks before Christmas, we find this gorgeous hardwood flooring and the two of us installed it.

Chum did his best to put up with the inconvenience...

And it is done!

By the way, this is our Christmas tree this year-minimal decorations due to remodeling

 

                         

 we could have stopped there, but...

 I saw this fabulous cabinet on Pinterest

and before you knew it

 

  we designed our own to fit our space!

might as well paint the moulding as well!

 Now,this brings us all the way back to the photo at the top.

I have a gorgeous collection of vintage as well as current pottery.

This has been hidden away in the other room since we moved as I had no real place to show it.

Besides my beloved Raku pieces, there are  Glidden, original McCoy, some Brush,  Van Briggle, Amano~made in Germany, and Royal Hickman.

and yes, even some of my artwork

As you can see,our style is vintage. We love Mid Century Modern, and we think we did a pretty good job turning our modest single wide into a lovely work of art!(in progress)
Len's home and "Modern" look gave us the inspiration to update our home,but are we done? not yet! Stay tuned for more!

Be sure to come back on Wednesday so you can see how I have brought Gwen Lafleur's style into our home as well!

If you made it all the way here- I applaud you! You are the best!

peace&love

Jackie ")