CAT BATHROOM!

As promised, here's the scoop on the downstairs bathroom...which is now a pinky-pink wonderland of vintage cat photos.

Eventually, I'd like to do a COMPLETE overhaul. The sink is really dated...and not in a cute way. The toilet is newer...but I hate the style of it. It's too big and modern looking. And the floor? Ugh. Don't get me started on the floor. It's really unattractive vinyl tiling that I think is supposed to look like red clay tiles (maybe?)...but they're not fooling anybody. Trust me.

Unfortunately, it's gonna be a LONG time before we can afford to replace most of that stuff and give the bathroom the proper makeover it deserves. But, in the meantime, I figured I would do as much as I possibly could with a little bit of paint and some things we already own.

Here are a few before photos so you can see what I was working with. (And yes, those are stenciled paw prints.)

And here is what it looks like now.

I figured if you are trying to transform a room with little more than paint you better go for a statement color. So I went SUPER pink. I know it's over the top...but I personally love a kitschy pink bathroom...and I really had nothing to lose.

I painted the sink cabinet and mirror a dark charcoal gray. Still not awesome...but MUCH better.

And then I covered the place with vintage cat photos. That made ALL the difference.

The sweet vintage frames and black and white photos totally work with the pink and charcoal color scheme. And the bathroom certainly has personality now...which is what it was really lacking before.

Sadly, the hideous floor is still there...but I put this rug down so that I don't have to see quite as much of it.

Eventually, I would love to do the floor with the tile pattern below from American Restoration Tile.

And I think the room would look fantastic with a tin ceiling (painted the same shade of dark gray as the sink) and an art deco style light fixture. Maybe something like one of these two from Schoolhouse Electric.

Luckily, those are all manageable updates which would be fairly affordable as far as those things go. But for now I'll just keep adding cat pictures as I find them...because the bathroom's shortcomings and imperfections seem way less noticeable when there are so many cute kitties to stare at!

COLLECTION: VINTAGE CAT PHOTOS

Here's a sneak peek at one of my most favorite collections: old black and white photos of people with their cats. I get SO excited every time I find one. I mean...I love old photos to begin with. But old photos with CATS in them? I DIE.

I had been hoarding all of these gems in a box until recently...but I finally got down to business and merged them with one of my other collections: little decorative old frames.

(Okay, so the cat in the next photo isn't real...but how could I resist? I mean...look at that bow!)

These are just a few of the ones that I have put together. There are MANY more. And I gave them all a home on the walls of the downstairs bathroom....which I'm gonna show you in my next post. Can't wait!

IT’S HALLOWEEN*

Happy Halloween everybody!

Justin and I decided we're gonna dress up as Victorian zombies. Or, more accurately, as the ghosts of Lieutenant Roache and his wife...the original owners of our house when it was built in 1890. We are going to stay at home and hope for trick-or-treaters. So if you're in the neighborhood, stop by!

I was REALLY hoping to watch the 1987 masterpiece, “The Worst Witch”...but it's not available instantly on netflix OR on itunes. BUMMER. Maybe we'll go join a video store. Do those still exist?

If you are not familiar with the awesomeness of this seminal film, please see below:

(NOTE: The REALLY next level effects start at the 1 minute mark...so be patient)

* The title of this post was inspired by the Shaggs song. So here it is, for your listening pleasure:

The Shaggs, “It's Halloween”

GETTING FESTIVE

Justin and I are REALLY hoping we get a few trick-or-treaters this Halloween. Unfortunately, we live on a tiny dead end street that's off the beaten path...so it's definitely possible that no little ones will venture down here. But if they do I want our porch to look welcoming....so I gussied it up in the spirit of the season.

I got some really beautiful pinky purple mums and a couple of ornamental cabbages. I love the purples and minty greens with the bright orange of the pumpkins.

I decided to stick with that color palette for my Picasso inspired jack-o-lanterns.

I ended up painting them with screenprinting ink because I happened to have some lying around the house...but I doubt it's waterproof...so I gave them a good coat of matte varnish. Hopefully, now they will be able to withstand the elements.

The only part I actually carved out are the eyes. I LOVE the way they look all lit up at night.

I took Martha's advice and used a strand of twinkle lights wrapped around a jar to light the inside of the pumpkin. It's much brighter than a candle...and I won't be quite as worried about burning the house down.

We finished off the porch by hanging up some colored globe lights in orange, pinky-purple, and clear.

They make the front of the house look a zillion times happier. Justin and I are kinda tempted to leave them up year round.

WATCHING THE LEAVES CHANGE

Fall is truly magical upstate. I love waking up each morning and seeing the bright, beautiful leaves out my bedroom windows. And with all of the trees up here it's like every room in the house has a brand new view!

This is what I see when I walk out the front door...

And this amazingness is right around the corner...

I'm not that into the earthy palette usually associated with fall---browns, burnt oranges, yellows, maroons---but I REALLY respond to the crazy neon oranges and electric reds that I see on these trees around town. Apparently it's impossible to capture with my camera...but I swear, they look radioactive.

ACCESSORY INSPIRATION

My accessories game has become really predictable. I pretty much ONLY wear necklaces. Specifically long jangly pendant necklaces. Every once in a blue moon I'll throw on some bracelets or a brooch or two...but thats about it. As far as rings are concerned, I just wear my wedding band. Never anything else. And I haven't worn earrings in like a decade.

But I'm ready for a change. Dare I add STATEMENT EARRINGS into the rotation?!

I'm talking Edie Sedgwick style over-the-top, long, dangly, shoulder-grazing earrings.

Go big or go home. Who's with me?

PUMPKIN, SAGE, and PECORINO RAVIOLI

I know posting has been spotty around here lately....but we've had LOTS of guests the past few weeks. So much entertaining means we've had a chance to try our hand at cooking some new seasonal dishes. Our latest: pumpkin, sage, and pecorino ravioli.

Justin and I make homemade pasta a lot but this was our first attempt at ravioli. It turned out pretty darn delicious...and now all we can do is talk about all the things we can fill ravioli with. FIGS! KALE! GOAT CHEESE! PROSCIUTTO! So many possibilities!

The recipe we used came from the cookbook In Season, by Sarah Raven. Her recipe isn't available online so I scanned the page from the book with the ingredients and directions in case anyone wants to give it a whirl. It's posted here.