Our Shelby Living Feature!

 This cover was an awesome surprise! We enjoyed chatting with the folks over at Shelby Living this Fall about our never ending projects. 😂🏡  Lots of fun historic articles and features in this issue, too! Local friends be sure to pick up a copy!

I'll share some magazine photos here because there were more included in the print version. You can read the online article here!

Country Living comes to Stillwater Farm!

Hello, summertime! It's been awhile since I've done a farm update! Brett recently had back surgery and has been off work and recovering for several weeks. Property maintenance has been in full swing since spring arrived and our acreage is back in bloom. Lots of our interior projects are on hold right now while Brett is healing and we're doing our best to save up for our big kitchen renovation. But, our new farmhouse pantry remodel is almost complete and we can't wait to show you!

The MOST exciting news we have to share is that our Alabama farmhouse is on the cover of the July/August 2016 issue of Country Living Magazine that released this month! It was one of the most memorable experiences we've ever had and it's still so surreal to see our home (and our sweet little Baker man!) on the pages of my very favorite magazine. 

My devotion this week opened with this quote.. "When you feel like everything is falling apart, it could actually be falling into place. God works in mysterious ways." We actually did the photo shoot on the five year anniversary of the tornado that destroyed our home in 2011. Watching their team work was such a treat and I was just so full of gratitude. Through the process of grieving, rebuilding, searching for our forever home and growing as a family both spiritually and physically, it feels like we've come full circle. We can so clearly see the way God worked so intricately in our lives and brought us to a home and community that we are so thankful for and proud of. We have a lot of work ahead of us but we love the farmhouse and we are proud to call Columbiana home. We're right where we belong! 

Our sweet Baker man! He looks like Huckleberry Finn and my momma heart could just burst!

A really fun tidbit about this whole experience is that they totally surprised us with our cover! We had absolutely no idea that we'd have a full two page spread inside the magazine, much less the front page. (I honestly just thought we'd see a small 2" photo of our porch and I would have been over the moon thrilled with that!) The Country Living offices are located in an old biscuit factory in downtown Birmingham, Alabama. The week before the issue released they invited me to stop by and tour the office and of course I basically landed outside their doorstep about .5 seconds later jumped/cried/happy-danced/screamed/leapt at the chance! 

So, first off, Brett made a little handmade gift for the editor that we worked with which I wrapped in my favorite blue gingham paper..

Shockingly, I somehow manage to make it all the way their office without passing out and this is the first thing I see:

WAIT FOR IT...

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AN ENTIRE BLUE GINGHAM WALL. THAT PERFECTLY MATCHED THE GIFT I WRAPPED.

I have never felt so "at home" in an office in my life! Like, #THESEAREMYPEOPLE. I almost hugged the wall but I managed to practice enough self control to keep walking.

So, they guide me through their open air office where magazine dreams come true - every square inch of wall space is covered in beautiful photos of barns and farmhouses and flowers and they even have a relaxation corner complete with a blue gingham hammock wide enough for three. (It's Perfect. When can I move in?) We walked over to the conference room where I got to meet the entire team, including their incredibly talented Editor-in-Chief, Rachel Hardage. (I was seriously fan-girling hard by this point!)

And then they oh-so-casually hand me a magazine to preview and mention to me to "pull this little tab and take a look"...

And then I died. #RIPLauren

"She lived a wonderful 28 years but a photo did her in."

But, seriously. I practically broke out in hives and got teary eyed. It absolutely took my breath away. I'm sure to them it was just another magazine issue, but to me it meant the world! I ran to my car and called Brett and my family and then just sat there in shock for a while. And one of the coolest things about this issue is that it's reader themed and the big "Country Coast-to-Coast" story that features spaces from all 50 states includes a whole bunch of my blogger and Instagram friends, too! I love that I can flip through and see their homes in the same issue. Really makes it extra special! 

Behind the scenes on photo shoot day! Photography by Alyssa Rosenheck

Baker did SO good! I had an emergency stash of candy, donuts, cookies, suckers and straight sugar cubes to keep him happy during the shoot. HAHA!!! But he was in a great mood and they let him eat popsicles and play in the sprinkler so he was a happy camper!

The farmhouse is decked out now for the rest of the summer. She'll proudly don her Red, White & Blue until the end of the season which is perfect in our little town because we have lots of patriotic festivities coming up like Liberty Day weekend and Fourth of July! Here's a look around the farm this month. And if you happen to pick up a copy of the magazine and see us.. Just know how big I'm smiling! We will never ever forget this!

Image by Alyssa Hosenheck for Country Living Magazine

Image by Alyssa Hosenheck for Country Living Magazine

Image by Alyssa Hosenheck for Country Living Magazine

This tree was just begin' for a swing! We made a little mini adirondack swing for Baker and he loves it!

Bath? Pool? Same difference around here. Two birds, one stone! :)

Summer Nights! About to light 'er up!

Liberty Day 2016

-Lauren

Nursery Makeover

We knew we wanted to create a fun new room for Baker when we moved and I immediately started brainstorming design ideas that could transition with him as he grows, but also stay true to the farmhouse style of our home. I wanted the bones to be timeless. A space that maybe even by the time he's old enough to move out (cue the waterworks!!!) we could use as an office or something for ourselves. Kid's rooms and play rooms are SO fun! I feel like I can push my own boundaries a little and step outside my comfort zone. I could dream up spaces for children all day long! (Anyone remember Trading Spaces - Kids Edition?!)

So, he's been in his new room for several months, but it took quite a while to find the perfect finishing touches. For me interior design is all about the details and I'll probably tweak this room over and over and over just like I do the rest of our house. We partnered with the adorable East Plum shop who provided some of the cutest accessories. You absolutely have to check them out! If I had to describe the look of the new nursery I would call it industrial farmhouse chic with a touch of vintage school house flair. Is that a thing? Bahaha! Well, I say it is. So, it is.

Do you guys remember looking through the second level before photos? No? Well, here you go. HOLY GREEN CARPET FOR DAYS. Not to mention, this small bedroom had THREE doors and a window crammed in there. Hello, claustrophobia. 

Holy Green Carpet!!!

To break down the major changes, we removed one door completely and added a sliding barn door to the existing closet. We also added tongue and groove to the walls and created a fun chalk board on the inside of the bedroom door. It really transformed the ugly hollow core door (yuck) and saved us some money because I was about to toss it in the trash and purchase a new one!

The coolest thing about this project is that every single piece of custom wood detail in this room came off of our property and was custom built by Brett. The barn door, the closet shelves and bookshelves, the window and door trim, the herringbone deer head mount. Everything! Details like that are super special to me when it comes to design in our home. I want things to have a purpose and a story and I love that I can tell you where it all came from and how we worked as a team to make it all come together!

So, check it out.. We love it. Baker loves it. Or at least he naps well in here which is the real toddler test & seal of approval, amiright! I'll leave a source list at the bottom of the post if you have any questions about materials and things found around the room and feel free to contact me with any questions or comments. Take a peek at Baker's little hideaway!..

Link for this deer mount at the bottom of the post!

*Update*

Baker recently got a new "big boy" bed and he absolutely loves it! It was a $40 find from our last trip to the Nashville Flea Market! I won a Pottery Barn gift card on an Instagram giveaway and used it to purchase a few shams. The rest isa mix of old & new and high & low end pieces. Much like the rest of our home. :) Baker man calls it his "clubhouse" and his joy makes me a very happy mama!

Nursery Source List:

Wall paint - Woodlawn Bedroom White by Valspar in flat finish
Crib paint - Gray Silt by Valspar
Galvanized pipe and hardware (used on the bookshelf, tent & curtain rod) - Lowes and Home Depot
Drop cloths (tent and curtain) - Harbor Freight $7
Wooden feathers and "Let's Be Adventurers" wooden art - East Plum
Mini stool, twine and craft paper - Hobby Lobby
"Happy Place" pillow and striped blanket - Seibels Cottage (local)
Shag rug, numbered crate and large grey basket - HomeGoods
Galvanized buckets, buffalo check luggage boxes and lantern - Target
"B" marquee nightlight - Monograms Plus
"I'll Eat You Up" Wooden Art - Scrappy Madison
"Where The Wild Things Are" painted canvas - custom painted by personal friend, Sarah Quinney
Small grain stripe storage bins (closet) - Bed Bath & Beyond
Copper light fixture - Cabela's
Wooden growth chart - local artist (Similar ones found on Etsy!)
Antique Fan - Oak Mountain Emporium (local)
8 Point Buck Deer Head Bust Wall Hanging (I spray painted it!)

9 x 12 All Purpose Canvas Cotton Drop Cloth (Similar to what I used)

Sliding Barn Door Hardware

-Lauren