Lake Shack, Part II

First I want to thank everyone for all the sweet comments you have left regarding this little place.......I guess after awhile I have taken it for granted, but you all have kind of reminded me how lucky I am even though it is, well, rather cramped!  I have to admit as much as I love the smallness and coziness of it all I sometimes go a little nuts with it being SO small inside. Then I just walk out and look around and that pretty much brings me back to my senses! So, without further adieu, let's get started on this grand tour, shall we?

I'm going to do my best to give everyone an idea of just what this

tiny little cottage is like on the inside.  Backing up a bit, this place

was originally the guesthouse to the property next door,

which was all built around the 1940's.  It was eventually

 sold as it's own property to an elderly couple (Mrs. Hydrangea) and once

 they passed on it pretty much sat there for years. 

I wish I had digital pictures of it when we took possession, it was CREEPY. 

The inside had this hideous outdoor carpeting on the floor, there were leaks in the roof, horrible light fixtures hung from the ceiling, and the whole place smelled like mildew.

Thank goodness for Mr.Fix it........the guy has the stomach and

determination to do anything regarding home repair,

even going underneath into the crawl space to work on pipes.  He put in hours

on the weekends, making the two hour drive for months getting it

livable.  It's amazing that even such a small place

takes a ton of work, but we didn't do any major

renovations, just a lot of painting (and tossing out that horrid carpet). 

So let's go inside the Seed Shack.......

Going in that one and only door in the middle, you have

 two choices......right or left. Left

takes you into the one bedroom, and right

takes you into the "living" area 

where there is a small kitchen area, an enamelware table,

and a very limited seating area. 

kitchen area, more on that big old beautiful stove in a minute........

love seat

Chair in corner next to love seat (that's our ancient utility box

with the old timey switch fuses)

window over the love seat, nothing but woods

window over the kitchen table looking out at the street (see the

boathouse, the lake is there too)

another view of the grand seating area......

Fishing and flea market decor

This is a neat old piece I bought at a flea market a long time ago;

It was a multi-functional kitchen cabinet-pie safe combination;  The handle on

the green area in the middle pulls down and is an enamelware

surface where women could make things and use it as a sort of

counter.  There is a drawer below that, and storage areas above and below

I just love the little detail on the top part 

I'm guessing the vents are to let the baked

goods cool....

and now my most favorite thing, the 1950's vintage

electric range

This was not original to the house.......no, we got rid of the awful

harvest gold range that was in there;  I had always wanted one of the

big vintage stoves and thought I was not going to ever be

able to find one close enough to consider getting serious about, that

I could afford, that was electric and not gas

The Gods were smiling on me when i went on a local

Craigslist search one day......there was a guy not even

10 miles from me at home who was selling things from

his grandparents estate. And get this, this Westinghouse stove was a

promotional gift from his grandfather's company way back

when it was new.  It had sat in their basement with a cover on it....

It had NEVER been used.  Nope, never.  The burners and the

over racks were cleaner than mine at home. 

We plugged it in after we lugged it up there and it

started right up, nearly heating up the entire house!

So anyway, between the kitchen and the bedroom, there is a small but

adequate bathroom, shower/tub, and sink

Now we come to the private (??) suite, complete with multiple beds,

washer, dryer, and more flea market decor....

The Sunbeam Bread sign is rather large......

I took this old chicken feeder and made it into a

crude lamp, I couldn't resist the North Georgia

reference

We keep towels and sheets in this old pie safe.....

(sorry about the shadow)

Many of my favorite quilts stay here, and in the colder weather

we put them on the beds, they are very warm and cozy!

and more lake references.....

So that's the house, all 450 square feet of it.  I hope

this gives you something of an idea,

if you can just picture yourself going in the front door, turning right,

passing through the bathroom to

 get to the bedroom, and then back to the tiny front

hallway again. One door, 4 big windows, two in

each room, and a smaller window in the bathroom. 

Nothing fancy, all you need to get along

I've got one more post to do, just some pictures of

the outside seating areas near the house and scenery down the street;

There are small waterfalls everywhere, the cottage

water is actually supplied by a

spring up behind the house on the property, and

it makes for a heavenly shower!!

Thank you again for stopping by and taking the tour, 

until next time!!

devon :)

Life and Hydrangeas at The Lake Shack

Last weekend was my first summer visit to our lake property up in the North Georgia mountains.  It sits on a very small lake known as Lake Seed, and we have dubbed it Seed Shack because it is literally, a shack.  Think shack, as in 450 square feet.....as in what i tell people is like a garden shed with a bathroom.....two rooms (and bath) with 3 beds, a kitchen area, washer and dryer and a small love seat.  And yes, there are 5 of us in this family.....lets just leave it at that for now........

Aside from being so tiny, the term "shack" was quite literal when we first bought the place- it was built in the 40's as a small guest house to the property next door. Over the years the estate was divided up and the tiny guesthouse was sold separately. The last people to live in it was an older couple who used it as a fishing retreat and would entertain the grand kids during summer visits (i know this because there is a piece of door trim that has measurement marks and dates from small people through the years) They dubbed it "Our Somewhere" as in their Somewhere over the rainbow.......

Yes, very quaint for sure........the lady must have planted over 20 hydrangeas while there,

and last weekend they were in full bloom...

People who never even notice that there's a house there will stop and

take in the unbelievable abundance of blue blooms.....

Of course, families who have been going up there for years

know about the hydrangea house and it's annual show....

When we bought the property, the idea was to either level the house and rebuild,

or build on to the existing house. While we were dragging our feet

the recession hit

And we ended up making the most of the small space

Because the property also had this......

 No, No, not that.....that's the neighbors boathouse......

Think small......remember, the house is only 450 square feet....

THIS is the shack's boathouse

And really, this is what it's all about.....living on the lake.....

the boathouse, as small as it is, serves us fine

 oh yes, I don't deny that I would LOVE to have

more elbow room in that tiny two room shack

and we have permission to build the largest structure we can

down on the water.....

But you know, as we've been living with it as it is, we've come

to love our little shacky boathouse....I'm not even sure i would choose

to do anything to it even if we were financially able to do so....

Because as they say, if you're lucky enough

to be on the water, you're lucky enough

And we kind of like being the smallest place on the smallest lake....

With the biggest hydrangeas......

Because the beauty is there no matter how big or small your shack is,

God's grace, free for all to enjoy!

I'll be continuing this post of the

next I'm going to take you inside and give you a "small" tour!!

Have a wonderful weekend, and to all the Dad's everywhere......

Happy Father's Day!!

Thanks for the visit!!

devon :)

It's Good to be Imperfect......

Have you ever stopped and looked at the texture of everything around you?  Plenty of texture in nature- tree bark, rocks, seashells;  Birds feathers, the back of a fat toad..........it's really wonderful how God created every living thing with it's own unique "skin".  Man made things also have their own unique finishes..... a rusted out old car, the softness of a cuddly blanket........I looked around my house for items that I specifically have around for their texture.  I'm like so many people who are drawn to anything that's old and showing tell tale signs of age- chippy, peeling paint or just plain old wear and tear.  These are just a few things that really "speak" to me, all because of their beat-up, honest condition..........

an old doorway header

a rusty watering can spout

old painted wicker

a vintage plant stand

the aged lip of a stoneware bowl

the detail of a primitive farm table........

why is it that I'm drawn to these things that aren't perfect?

I'd like to think that not only do they look totally amazing

in their own unique way.......

Subconsciously I know that anything with age is going

to have it's flaws

Even me

That time leaving it's mark on something as basic as an old tool..... 

an iron patio table

or a childs chair from long ago

Even man made objects can be appreciated for the

beauty that age brings......

Wishing everyone a wonderful day!!

devon :)