Christmas Wishes ........

 Happy, happy, happy (as Phil, from Duck Dynasty would say) Christmas shout out to friends, family and followers. Bet you wouldn't know that a white lace, shabby-chic, fru fru, doily and tutu loving gal would also love pearl handle 22's and other big pink guns and camouflage clothing and yes, the "Duck Dynasty" show. Ok, that is another blog post. My tiny retreat, and girl cave reflects just one side of my many likes, moods and styles. Today being Christmas Day, I am sharing some pictures of Christmas Breakfast and holiday trimmings in my tiny home. This year I used simple and free holiday décor that nature provided just outside my door. Come inside my 8' x 24' tiny house and enjoy some warm bread pudding with me.






Delicious Organic apples do double duty by adding a pop of color for the holidays

Greenery tucked into crannies is a frugal and free way to invite holiday charm into your home

A lone pinecone sitting on my tea box

A sprig of Holly sipping water along side a soy candle surrounded by a vintage cookie cutter

"WISH" is a word that evokes much thought and is my Christmas & New Year's theme

Wishes & Wishbones - Wishing you a very Merry Christmas

What is your wish for the new year?

Nature provided perfect ornaments for my tiny house this year

The Wishmas Tree topped with a simple twine bow & a wishbone

Big wishes from a tiny house

And now, breakfast is served

Yum....Fresh baked bread pudding & Pink Champagne

Christmas breakfast on my sweet little chippy farm table

Thanks Laura for the wonderful homemade cookies that are kept safely under the cloche

My favorite piece in my tiny house - My chandy from Spain, dressed for Christmas

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas. May all your wishes come true



Be blessed,
xoxo
Tonita




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'Twas the night before Christmas in my tiny house

Simple decorations adorn my tiny house this year. Nature provided a branch that seemed to me to be a perfect little tree that was just the right size to drink up the water from a small mason jar. Greenery from Cypress and Pine trees as well as Holly that grows on my land, lends a holiday touch to the shelves, nooks and the crannies of my little abode. Soy candles provide a safe warm and romantic glow. Please join me this Christmas eve. Come inside and take a peek at my little shabby chic tiny retreat.
                                                              

   

Please come back for Christmas breakfast tomorrow morning

Sweet dreams and wishing you a very Merry Christmas.

XO

Tonita

Summers last gasp ....

Just yesterday summer made its final gasps and allowed some sunshine to break through as a final goodbye to what was a wonderful North West summer. I was working around my yard and decided to stop and snap a few pictures of my storage shed and my chickens to share with you.

A few last glimmers of sunshine broke through the questionable clouds at summers last day of the year. All while, angry clouds and grey skies hovered  in the background just waiting to step up to take center stage. I felt a cool mountain breeze blow lightly through my hair as I sat on my John Deere riding lawn mower to give the field grass the final trim for the year. The leaves on my apple tree seemed  to be in an argument with summers last breeze, as if to say that they were going to continue to clothe the old apple tree as long as they possibly could. The still green leaves have not yet changed into their beautiful fall colors, as tons of yellow apples are still clinging to the branches in protest.


                                                                    

This is my storage shed. It might look larger than my tiny house and that is because it is much larger than my tiny house. It's twenty feet long and ten feet wide. I suppose one could finish it off and make a tiny house out of it. I use it for storage. Instead of just having a plain looking boring storage unit I wanted it to resemble a little cottage. I bought used French doors on Craig's list for $65.00. I then bought new windows with interior grids at a discount contractors overstock supply shop. I paid $35.00 for each window, and they came with screens. Faux shutters were made from scrap cedar wood. I found some metal scroll work pieces at a local craft shop for about $7.00 each and painted them white to add a bit of charm to the shed. Vintage lace valances were $2.00 each at a local thrift shop and were hung on the inside of the shed. I hauled the already made old cedar deck section from my friends old property. It was destined for the burn pile until I salvaged it.  Metal flower boxes were purchased at Grocery outlet for $12.00 each. Road side picket fence sections complete the look I was after when I first had my cottage built.

Below you can see my tiny house on the left, the chicken chateau & run in the center and the shed on the right. Next year I plan on putting some gingerbread trim on my tiny house to make her even sweeter.

Below, My rooster enjoyed his last day of summer and now my neighbor is enjoying chicken soup. The problem with letting eggs hatch is ending up with roosters. I am such a bad farmer girl. I actually searched for a rooster rescue to place 3 of my 5 roos. I could not find one and instead I had to pass them along to my neighbor who was happy to have a good healthy organic meal.

                                                                                 

The chickens and roos are enjoying their last day of summer. We will all miss summer SO much.
                                                                     

I grew up in the California bay area and after living in the North West for about 15 or so years I have never adjusted to this weather. I am a sunshine girl, and while some rain is ok, it overwhelms me, every year here in WA state. If I never ever saw rain again, it would be fine with me. But rain aside it is what seems like endless months of grey skies that I do not do well with.  Life is too short and I am unsettled and greatly affected by what seems like never ending months of cold grey weather. We do have many nice summers overall. I soak them in and try to think positive, but fall just reminds me of the long months of grey that is around the corner. So, I have made the decision to move out of state. I am looking at moving into a very rural area in Western N.C.  If any of my followers are from North Carolina, I would love to hear from you. Nothing is set in stone but I am seriously shopping for a new place to call home. 

Many blessings,
Tonita

My Tiny Porch Makeover

When Slabtown Customs of Arkansas built my 8' x 24' $10K tiny house, I debated if I should go with a large (for a tiny house) covered front porch or use that space to extend the interior length and square footage. Since I am not a builder and have no intention of building my own covered deck in the future I decided to go with a  covered front porch. I am happy with my choice. Have covered deck ---- will travel. The interior size measures eight feet wide by eighteen feet long. The porch measures six feet long by eight feet wide.

A large tiny house porch gives me several options. I need to be able to change things up and move furniture around as my mood changes. Even in a tiny house I feel it is important to be able to change out furniture and décor. I could not imagine living day in and day out, year in and year out with the same stuff in the same place all the time. I would go stir crazy and be bored to death. Here is my little porch dressed and ready for the long warm days of summer. My prior post shows pictures of the porch in Feb. Yes ... I change out my porch depending on the weather, holiday or my mood.


                                                                       

I purchased lace panels from a thrift store for added privacy & a cozy feel

My porch will seat four people comfortably  

I sat on my porch reading a book during a thunder storm last evening

Roses tied to an old wooden post welcome guests to my tiny retreat

Seating for two on one side of the front door

Comfortable seating for two more people on the other side of the porch

The sun and lace create beautiful wall patterns depending on the time of day

It is so comfy on my porch as a warm summer breeze blows through the lace

An antique French key adds mystery to my front door 

A vintage lunch box works great outside to hold and protect food items

The wicker table was on the side of the road = free, a coat of white paint and she has a new life

Rusty vintage chicken feeders make wonderful planters & an old milk can provides storage and when topped with a tractor seat makes a great place to sit

My little wicker sofa was a Craig's list find for $25.00

Adding shutters made a world of difference

A vintage ceiling tin piece sits above the top step to add interest to the porch area

Thanks for visiting my tiny front porch. It is such a fun and comfortable spot to relax, read, entertain, eat meals or just hang out with a girlfriend.

Remember - It is never too late to have a happy childhood.

Now.... go play.

xoxoxo

Tonita

{To see the inside my tiny home ....please view older posts}

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Hosting a party in a tiny house

Some people like to entertain &  host holiday parties. Tiny house owners might shy away from any thought of it due to not having an adequate amount of space where guests can be seated somewhat comfortably. Dinner parties can be fun in a tiny house, that is of course if your guests are not claustrophobic.

 

For my dinner party I  pulled out my Valentines Day decorations. Even though my tiny house is just 8' x 18' (on the inside) I filled her with Valentine décor both inside and outside on the 6' x 8' front porch.  So, come along with me to take a look at my shabby chic tiny retreat in her Valentines dinner party décor. Hearts, angels, roses, candles and lace fill all corners of my home and spill over to the front porch where a lavender topiary is dressed in tiny red hearts.

 

Valentine hearts hang from the lavender topiary on my porch 

Before building a tiny home decide in advance if you will entertain  guests in your little home. If so, I highly recommend using a standard size front door in your tiny home.  Not so skinny people can feel uncomfortable crunching through some of the tiny front doors used on many tiny homes. This will provide your  guests as well as yourself a more comfortable entry into your tiny abode. It will also allow you to move in a table that will seat up to four guests comfortably, that is if you build your home at least eight feet wide by eighteen (ish) feet long. Of course, there is always an option to purchase a table with removable legs or a fold down compact table and chairs in order to move it through a tiny door that is not a standard size. However, with tiny non standard front doors your furniture options become a bit more limited.

  

My covered front porch provides extra seating for guests

Roses, hearts, vintage lace, chocolates, angels, candles & dashes of pink all say Valentines Day 

One good thing about hosting a dinner party (or any party) in a small or even tiny home is that there is not much square footage for you to clean before hand. The down side is that there is not much storage space for things you may want out of your guests view. This is where your shower stall or bathtub will come in handy. You might also use this area to hold ice and cold drinks for your party. I have a vintage coat and hat rack attached to the wall above my bathtub. It works great for hanging guests coats, purses, or other items while allowing me to use the bathtub for temporary storage.

I

My dinner table will seat four adults comfortably

You might consider cooking a meal ahead of time so that you can hang out with your guests and relax. Serving food buffet style is also a popular option as well as using paper plates and cups for easy clean up. For my Valentines dinner party I am planning a sit down candle light dinner for several guests. After dinner the table will be cleared for more elbow room as we enjoy dessert and maybe some cards or a game.

Just because you live in a tiny house doesn't mean you can't decorate it

Who says you have to be a minimalist to live in a tiny house?  

You may want to decorate your tiny home and make it festive for holidays or on special occasions. This is not only fun but it is also memorable for your guests. Not everyone who owns a tiny home is a full fledged minimalist. I admit that I am not even near to being a minimalist, nor do I care to be. I like to shop and I like my stuff.  There are those who like the concept of a tiny house but don't want to part with nick knacks, collections, hobbies and so forth. Good news,  you don't have to. There is no law that says you can not have a storage shed or storage rental unit full of your beloved treasures that serve no other purpose than to make you smile. In fact, I can not imagine living in a tiny space looking at the same window coverings, furniture, pictures and so forth day in and day out for years on end.  Hats off to the minimalists, but that is just not my style. I like to decorate for each holiday, as well as change things out and mix things up a bit for some variety throughout the year.

I wanted my dinner table to ooze lovely décor that was pretty yet functional

Vintage dishes & old French key are paired with garland and petals from the dollar store

Vintage fabric and lace napkins are a perfect backdrop for miss match vintage flatware  

  

    

A view from above

My galley style kitchen

Old theater seats fold flat when not in use. A vintage apron dresses them up

Old wooden clothes pins attach lacy hearts to the draperies

Handmade vintage hearts adorn the walls and nooks of my tiny house

A must have, from my local antique store. It functions as a little lap desk and has inside storage

A perfect place to keep Valentines cards

Fresh miniature roses create a romantic feel for Valentines day

My mantle holds vintage Valentines postcards and pink wishbones

My chippy paint fireplace mantle all dressed for Valentines day

My kitchen angel.... God knows I need all the help I can get when in any kitchen

A little angel graces my bathroom shelf

Soap petals fashioned as a rose, add valentines day romance to my water closet (bathroom).

This is my guest loft complete with a single size feather bed

My master bedroom

More Valentines treats on the front porch - Yummy

After dinner treats    

                                           

I hope your day was filled with love.

Update 2/12/19 - If you enjoyed this post you may want to take a peek at my little 570' vintage farmhouse which is a work in progress. While I still own this sweet little 9'x18' shabby chic tiny retreat, my farmhouse allows me to have more living  space.  Go to my home page and click on the the 'Farm Charm Cottage' tab to see my little abode. It is filled with vintage decor, Chandeliers, Shabby recycled treasures, Primitive and French country pieces as well as lots of love. For more Valentines goodness just type in 'Valentines Day' in the search bar. Thanks for visiting. God bless you.

.Almost forgot to let you know - for more Valentines posts that share eats, treats and Valentines decor you can visit the 'Share the Love' link party.

 

xxxxxxx

Tonita