Gorgeous New Jersey House!!

I've been spending a lot of time in New Jersey recently, and I've come to really like it! I've seen rolling green hills, wildlife (including one giant bear eating garbage! Which was spotted while I saw safely -and thankfully!- inside!) and some absolutely gorgeous houses! Most of which include porches! And oh how I love porches!!

So, as I do, I search real estate!!!

And I came across this total beauty!!

Built in 1735 this four bed, one bath house sits comfortably on 6 acres. With a large red barn and a property overflowing with apple and cherry trees, this house is just adorable....

There are four large fireplaces including one in the master bedroom. And although it only has one bathroom, there is a storage room which could easily be made into the second. I love the old floors, the old stone and the old wood beams, and with some changes here and there including a lick of paint, this house could be a dream come true!

And yes - that little porch is screaming "place swinging bench here"!!!

For the full listing - click here!

I Want To Live Here!

Please excuse me, I just fell in LOVE!!!!

Following from my last post about North Carolina, I went real estate huntin'! However, I was drawn to Virginia yet again! And then stumbled across this absolute gem, which is in Charlottesville, and instantly fell in love with it!

There are a few things that I must, must have in my dream home, and don't worry, I don't expect the house to come with all of them! But the house that does catch my heart, will eventually have all of those dreams encapsulated within it too! (as well as a few dreams!!) And this house, has a lot of them already!

I mean, just look at that garden in the photos above!!! It's just screaming 'English Rose Garden'!! And that porch too! Omg... heaven on a rocking chair or porch swing just waiting to happen!!

Now of course, with anything, it needs your own touch to make it yours, which I would enjoy anyways! For example, I'd change up the kitchen... although it's got a cute country kitchen vibe, I crave open shelves and a farmhouse sink. And I think the appliances need a change (I wonder if the space is big enough for my dream aga?!). Anyone who knows me, would know the walls would be duck egg blue within a week of living there! And I'd have a stunning solid wood countertop, clean white back splash tiles.... mm!! I think perhaps next I should do an inspiration post for my dream kitchen!!

This house is a 1,796 sq. ft., three bed, 2.5 bath, single family home built in 1925. The character of this house really caught my eye, and spurred on my love for it, I just don't think it's something you can get in newer houses and true character isn't something you just purchase from a store. Every home needs to start with the right foundations...

I just love the wood beams of the house showing in the living room and stairs, and I adore the exposed joint in the photo below... oozing coziness and warmth! (I would change the fireplace mantle to a big white one, with tile inside... maybe....vintage tile? hmm...) I wouldn't want to mix my woods, and loving the beams as I do, they would have priority! 

Another one of my 'must haves' is a roll top bath!! And guess what! In the photo below there is one! I have a sneaking suspicion that the plumbing fixtures would need an overhaul, and I'm curious of the actual size of this bathroom too!!

I love love love the sunroom below, with it's window seat.. a perfect little office/painting/reading spot!! Or just somewhere I could sit with a cuppa tea after a long day! If it rains, I'd watch those drops gather and roll down the window panes...

And with big bright bedrooms, including that attic room, I don't think I could say no to this house if I tried!!

The full listing with all details is here!

Outer Banks, North Carolina

The Outer Banks, North Carolina.... Where we got to spend a gorgeous four days over Memorial Day weekend relaxing on the beach, exploring the area, having fun, and where I got to do a few 'firsts' in my life!!

Which included.... eating pulled pork - real NC style, which when done well is soo good!! eating a dolphin sandwich (although tasty, I wonder if this negated all of the dolphin friendly tuna I've always insisted on buying?), and riding on a Wave runner!! but more of that later!! I also got to see Delaware, Maryland and (the East side) of Virginia on the drive down there! (oh, and NC too!)

I think one of my favorite parts of the trip were the sunset walks on the beach, it was quiet, beautiful, peaceful, and romantic... I loved taking the short walk to the beach, watching the sky turn pink, and feeling the waves curl around my feet.... I picked up so many shells too!!

The above two photos are from one of those sunsets.. just ... beautiful.

There was one scary moment on the first day, while out in the waves, it seemed the sea wanted to teach me a lesson... Lets just say, there was a strong rip tide, and I was very thankfully saved from what potentially could have been rather tragic... 

And so, I was happy to see the sun set on another day, where footsteps in the sand could be made.. 

Above is the short walk we took to the beach, it was soo nice to be as close as we were! And with my milky white skin (yes, I like it that way!!) I slathered on 50 strong sunblock to stop myself turning into a painful lobster colored woman!!!

Wave runners!!! I had sooo much fun on these!!!! We rocked these out on the second day we were in NC, and they were a blast!!! Zooming around at top speed, doing donuts, swishing back and forth and going all out with them!! Loved it!!! And one of the guys on guard said I was good at 'sliding'! Although I'm not so sure what that means, I think from the info I did get, it means making a tight turn smoothly!! (correct me if I'm wrong here!!)

And ohh the houses.... all on stilts to protect them from high seas during hurricanes... some were HUGE! Others, not so much... I did like the aqua blue one in the pic on the left, and one thing I really wanted to see, was the famous house in Rodanthe from the movie (based on the Nicholas Sparks book) 'Nights in Rodanthe' with Richard Gere and Diane Lane. I love that house, all dark wood with those bright blue shutters!!!

And just like all holidays, they must come to an end... I was sad to see the end of this one, it's for sure. But it was gorgeous, and peaceful, and beautiful, and so relaxing... I loved it. 

If I could, I'd go back in a flash!!

England Round Trip!

arriving.. the rolling hills of England! coming home.. the deep green of upstate NY!

I have no good excuses... I have neglected my blog terribly!!! And so, it's time to make up for um, lost time! 

I have been a busy bee, jumping here, there, and everywhere for the past month! But all of that later! As promised, I shall start off with my trip to England!

It was a great week (although a week wasn't really long enough!!) and although I was exhausted from running up and down England (and in need of another holiday to relax from the holiday!!) it was worth it!!

So a few quick pics.. first off, my Family, from left to right, my Mum's Brother and my Uncle David, My Mum, my Sister Kathryn and my Brother Daniel. I'm actually standing in my Uncles boat (which was obviously on land at the moment for maintenance!). On the way back to my Mum's house, we stopped for a classic Cream Tea... scones, jam and clotted cream, and of course, Tea!! My mission while in England was to eat everything completely and classically British! And I did pretty well too! Fish and Chips, Toad in the Hole, Proper Breakfast Fry-up!!

I also went up to see my good friend Sarah, in Shropshire, who has just been spending the last two years renovating her house! Finally, it is near completion! And it was a delight for me to see it after hearing so much about it!! I did fall in love with her bathroom, which has turned out beautifully - I wish I had the before pictures to show you!! Just think avocado green.. ew!!!

In this huge room, she created a huge shower, and a deep and welcoming tub, with Grohe fixtures. But best of all, I loved the way she used her slate tiles!! (which needed a whole sealing process also). The artist in her came shining through to create an original and striking design which, I think, makes the bathroom so special. One of the best things was, is that with this design, there was hardly any wastage of tile at all! Every sliver of slate was used!! I'm in love with this! Definitely one to keep in the inspiration folder! I can't wait to see the bathroom, and house completely finished and accessorized!! 

For Wicked Humor Only...

Because this appeals to my wicked sense of humor, I had to share!

Happy Thursday... yup, it's almost Friday... phew!

England!!!

I meant to say goodbye before I left for my holiday, but one thing happened after another and before I knew it, I was on a plane zooming off to another time zone!!

So!! Yesterday I came back from a 9 day trip to the wonderful England!! The last time I was back on the homeland was in 2007 and for unfortunately only 4 days! So this trip was particularly special, and a wonderful opportunity to really get over there and spend some quality time with friends and family!

I really did love my time there and made the most of every moment too, to the point of being completely exhausted by the time I got back to NY that I was knocked out cold last night and slept like a log, not a thing could of woken me up!!

I will be posting some of my favorite photos of my travels up and down England, the friends I'd seen, the places I went with the family, and of course, those gorgeous and most beautiful rolling hills of England... oh, how I love those hills...

But for now I'm posting my favorite interiors, furniture and accessories which all give a shout out to the beloved Union Jack! (including a few you might recognize as being designed by Vivienne Westwood!)

Some Like It Hot...

It's a hot hot NYC today, kicking out a summer like 90 degrees.. and I can't say I'm quite ready for this kind of weather yet! (what happened to spring?! I swear, in ny that happens for only one week!)
Well, while the fan whirs near me, and I drink about 20 glasses of water, I dream of cold and delicious ice cream... because what else does a girl crave on a day like today?!

I hope you're all keeping cool, and enjoying the weather wherever you are!!