Under the Weather......

Thursday, July 16, 2009

kara woke up with a dreaded sinus headache, uugh.....why oh, why are there headaches?


post on curious shops and our petite interview with the gals that are helping us at Country Living Fair will be tomorrow. sorry, kara can't be creative right now and Darcy left this morning from Kansas. so, hope to be on schedule soon.

see you tomorrow with coffee in hand.........

k+d


Baby Package

Wednesday, July 15, 2009


{1}
We found these lovely eco-friendly food boxes. They are not the typical tacky styrofoam, instead the box has a simple, cream-y texture. The texture resembles linen. These were purchased at a bulk food/paper store, we have Gordon Foods in our area. We purchased these for gifts and for some of our kits we sell. {these would also be a great idea for a picnic in a box party!}
{2}
We filled the box with our natural paper shred and then laid 3 pieces of tissue paper, that we pleated and left the ends stick out {on the sides} after we closed the box. We wrapped ribbon around the box in two places, the tissue ends then are kept in place with the ribbon.
{3}
Top it off with a petite bouquet of fleurs, a bag of hair ribbons and vintage style barrettes and a banner printed from your computer. Secure banner in place with a corsage pin.

Since it's summer take fresh fruits and sweet corn along with the gift for the parents to enjoy.

Special thoughts for others and time out of your busy day = lots of appreciation!

Enjoy your day!

A Grey Kitchen

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

A grey kitchen, let's peek inside! Homeowner went from an out-dated kitchen with white metal cabinets to a kitchen of English design in which she was inspired by English Home magazine. She collaborated with a very talented kitchen cabinet maker that "understood" & got it when she told him she wasn't into a kitchen that looked too "new". The house is early 1900's and the kitchen needs to fit with the architecture. Many people shuddered at the idea of her grey cabinets, but after it was all said and done, the color is a winner. {homeowner wanted grey cabinets for a very long time}The kitchen was completely gutted and the cabinet maker was talented enough to be the contractor for the entire kitchen. From start to finish, he was there to the end!


The homeowner is always cooking & baking, as they eat out very little and cooking good food for her family part is of her life. Take notice, on one of the days we were there she was baking a batch of Pioneer Woman's cookies. She needed a hardworking kitchen.............
Antique marble slab, check salvage warehouses. A white Bella Cucina bowl. Marble slab is on a vintage mercantile cabinet, used as an island. Heavy duty fitted with 4 drawers on one side. The design was made with a unique locking system so drawer will not sag when pulling out. Believe it was from Knollenberg Department Store in Richmond, Indiana from the fabric area. A steal at $800.00, see also picture on down of cabinet.
Vent over stove top. Notice the detailing at top, this matches the windows on the outside of the house, which have this exact detailing over the windows.
Upper cabinets soar to the 9 ft ceiling......
There are 3 cabinets to give the look of "furniture" in the kitchen. This is one of a pair, they sit left and right across the kitchen facing each other. They are installed with glass front and the glass is "bubbl-y" and wavy to look old. They are fitted with stationary keys for the knobs.
The 3rd cabinet is underneath the sink. It is "bumped" out from the surrounding cabinets to appear like furniture. This cabinet again is fitted with false keys for knobs. {When we say false keys we mean keys that don't work, they are used for knobs only} All keys & keyholes by Gerber Hinge Company.
Reclaimed wood flooring, again keeping with the details of an older home. See that lovely pull on the dishwasher front? The pull was found antiquing and had layers of white paint on it. The homeowner removed the paint to reveal a beautiful brass patina.
The homeowner wanted top quality appliances and chose the induction Wolf cook top with 5 burners. No, she didn't choose the large industrial stove by Wolf, as she was more comfortable with the simple cook top. This cook top fitted her needs for the technology and the "look" she was going for. Cookware by Le Creuset.
Stove area....
Our favorite design idea for a functional kitchen is to have very little cupboards below. The homeowner was tired of digging for her things and requested many lower drawers. At first the contractor was a little concerned about this, but in the end he realized that this is a must for any kitchen. Even if you are tall or short lower drawers make it easy on you, saving time and keeping things organized. There are two cupboards below which were needed to fit the design as drawers were not able to be placed everywhere. One of the cupboards does have a light in it which lights up upon opening, this is for the deep corner cupboard.
Detailing of corbel, simple & timeless.
This unit house the oven and check out what's behind the doors above the stove..........
Her microwave! This is straight from a British kitchen. The "doors" are actually a panel that pulls out and slides in above the microwave. Right below the microwave slides out a flat drawer-like panel for hot dishes out of the microwave. The dishes can cool while she does other things......
Favorite things hanging from hooks that came from an old church. {In bake center}
What's behind the two sets of doors in the middle?
Those panels are waiting for these darling vintage "push" plagues. {Handy man needed here}
We held them up for you to have a "looky"! Ok, let's see what's behind those doors........
The most darling baking area!
The lovely pull again. {our favorite}
Petite pull chain light in the baking center..........
Now, this we love Rohl faucet.......beautiful, hardworking, heavy duty and oh, that finish!
View of island......
Another view..........
Notice the wood knobs, the homeowner told us that she would've never thought to pick those, even though many of the British kitchens featured have these. This was recommended by her cabinet maker, he told her that with so many drawers this would keep everything from not looking too "busy". The knobs are painted the same color as the cabinets. The homeowner said they are very easy to clean, no grooves and nothing to polish. Sometimes simple is good.
The cabinets are slightly sanded to show wood color beneath. The cabinets have an aged look with just the right amount of dents in them.

The colors of her kitchen are by Sherwin-Williams
Cabinets: Mindful, the perfect grey, not too dark really we think it is a warmer grey. The color is not shocking and in some ways is a neutral.
Walls: Sea Oats, a lovely cream
Countertop: {vintage marble on island} Caesar Stone

Next week: We'll show you a wide angle shot of kitchen. Homeowner wants to finish the curtains, and it's a cute idea!

What's your top pick that you would like to add to your kitchen? Do you have certain stove, brand of cabinets, or favorite color that is on your wish list for your kitchen?

Thanks for peeking!


Monday: A Stitch in Time.......

Monday, July 13, 2009


& just in time for Country Living Fair 2009!
Since our theme will have a haberdashery flair to it we have found products that will perch just fine in our tent. French sewing products and beautiful ribbon.....love the pins they are
like the old ones, with a ball at the end instead of the normal "loop" that way fabric doesn't get "caught"! These items will be available on our website after the show.

Another company we have found hails from one of our favorite places, Berkeley, California and has fun sewing bits. We have been on the look out for beautiful packaging and all of these products fit our aesthetic. We attended a show that opened a whole new world for us. We love thinking and finding things that are "out of our normal box", but fit the bill just the same!

Since sewing has come out of the woodwork and taken the country by a creative storm we give thanks to people like Amy Butler, French General and other fabric designers. We love this theme across our nation: the DIY projects & Etsy . It's giving this idea to people everywhere "I can do this"! Bravo! Yippee!
Here is a creative blog for today that we want to pass on.........A Field Journal

In Stitches,
Kara + Darcy

Daily Posts

Saturday, July 11, 2009

{Next week: come in & have a seat}

Monday: A Stitch in Time {preview of habadashery items available at our tent CL fair 2009}
Tuesday: A Gray {or is it Grey?} Kitchen
Wednesday: Package for Baby
Thursday: Curious Shops that we don't see in the press, but should be. Also, featuring two gals that will help us out for the CL fair. They are both shop girls at heart!
Friday: Our favorite outside plants.

Also, if any of you have a submission of something that you would like featured let us know!
Drop us a line www.mcmasterandstorm@embarqmail.com

Yes, Please!

Wednesday, July 8, 2009

I promise to stick darcy in the cargo holder with
my two kids.
{that way we share if I win!}

Dining Al Fresco

Wednesday, July 1, 2009

{Kip & Matt}

After a friends graduation ceremony {ok, ok we left as soon as Dale's name was mentioned and he was handed his diploma}! Anyway we headed to Milano's in Dayton for some pizza. A casual evening out. I {Kara} is practicing with my new point & shoot camera. Nothing fancy, a Nikon Cool Pix, trying to figure out the anti-jiggle mode. As you see some are blurry and some are clear. I have a lot to learn.

I'm not technical, where as Darcy can change her own headlights on her car. I think she has even replaced an engine or something major in their lawnmower. If there's a will there's a way for Darcy. When we had our shop I would waltz into the store and she would be dangling from the ceiling re-wiring something or other.


{Luke}
{serious jiggling here}
{still blurry}


{I pushed the right button...it's clear}

Anyway sorry for this post, I just thought it was fun to have normal, everyday pictures, even the not so perfect ones!