Welcome to our New Old House!

Hi friends!

I am excited to be participating today in the Parade of Homes sponsored by blog Poppies at Play! Our new old house is the final stop on the virtual home tour!

To my new visitors, welcome to Rare & Beautiful Treasures! I am glad you are here. My name is Erin and this is our new addition, Wynn, who is 6 weeks old. He is our living dream. You can read more about that here.

Image courtesy of Turtle Pond Photography

My husband and I built our home in 2008. I call it "the new old house" because it is new construction with a lot of the details you would typically see in older homes: hardwood floors, lots of moldings, window seats, built-ins, pedestal sinks, etc. Building our dream house was a labor of love. God is continually teaching me lessons and revealing life to me in a new way which inspires me to share those experiences here on this blog. God has used our home to teach me many things. Today I share our home with the following caveat:

Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth,

where moth and rust destroy,

and where thieves break in and steal.

But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven,

where moth and rust do not destroy,

and where thieves do not break in and steal.

Matthew 6:19-20

Now that we have been properly introduced, pleased to have you, and welcome to our home!

Entry and Front Staircase

I have always wanted a staircase like this and it was at the top of my wish list when we built the house.

Hardwood floors throughout our house are Bellawood's Brazilian Walnut from Lumber Liquidators.

I get a lot of questions regarding this entry table and it is an antique that I cleaned up and painted.

Dining Room

My inspiration for the dining room (if not the whole house) was the house from the movie Something's Gotta Give. The built-in china cabinet was inspired by the movie in particular. The dining room table, a distressed farmhouse style, came from Pier One Imports. Lantern is Pottery Barn that I scored new off Ebay.

Kitchen

My favorite room in the house. This first view is from the living room, which connects to the kitchen through an archway I flanked with white curtains.

Master Bedroom

The moldings in this room were also at the top of my wishlist when we built. I absolutely love this room.

Nursery

So much work went into this precious room. I made the crib bedding by hand and painted all of those tiny pinstripes! And now, of course, the baby sleeps in our room! :)

Crib Bedding by yours truly :)

If you are new to my blog, I am in the process of starting my own custom crib bedding line called Wynnbaby. I hope to have my website up with inventory available this summer. I am so excited about the crib sets I have completed-they are beautiful! hand made and 100% unique-no two will ever be the same so your child's room will truly be one of a kind. No more mass-produced bedding from overseas! Please bookmark Rare & Beautiful Treasures and check back for Wynnbaby updates!

Thank you for stopping by our home! If you are new to the Poppies at Play Home Tour, click here to start at the beginning and visit the first 19 homes on the tour! If you would like to join in yourself, visit Poppies at Play for a Linky Party !

Happy Weekend everyone!

A Walk in the Woods with My Dad

This post was written for my Dad on the occassion of his birthday, April 29, 2010.

. . .

If my memory is to be trusted, I spent a good portion of my childhood taking long walks in the woods with my dad.

Now, as a grown woman with a child of my own, 99% of me is settled and content in my own home but the remaining 1% will always be homesick for things like those woods and those walks with my dad.


I love his scent of fresh coffee and the feel of his well-worn L.L. Bean jacket.

I like to soak up his wisdom. Everything that is right and lovely in my life is amplified when I am one-on-one with my dad.

He makes a person glad to be alive-to walk with him is to know goodness and love and the kind of comfort that seeps down deep and whispers: "everything is just fine."


"everything is as it should be."


"everything in its due time."


I am sometimes asked why I have such a strong faith in God-how I am able to believe.

Today I think it is because I know the love of a father. I know how big it is; the immeasureable length of its patience and grace.

How blessed I am that my dad has loved me so deeply in this life that it is possible for me to begin to comprehend the limitless love of our Heavenly Father.

Thank you, Dad.
Happy Birthday.

I love you,

My Hometown: Pictures and Commentary

We took Wynn to Michigan last weekend. It was my first chance to take him to my "home" and it was so special.

It was his first trip to the beach as well-it was chilly but still beautiful.

Beautiful

Beautiful

Lake Michigan

Oh the hours my sisters and I spent swimming in these waters growing up.

It is a special childhood, one spent near the water.
I had my camera with me everywhere we went it seems, so I took some pictures to post of some of my favorite houses in my hometown to share with all of my fellow house-lovers . . .

House on the beach

Lovely restored historic home


Brick beauty

This one is on the market.
It reminds me of the house in the movie Father of the Bride.

Victorian my dad lived in as a child.

My all-time favorite. Originally a one-room schoolhouse, converted into a home many years ago. As a little girl, my mom used to take me to this house to buy rhubarb from the owner/gardener. He has since passed away and his elderly widow still lives in this house. Someday we plan to buy it. Its part of our long-term life dream.

Do you have one?

My favorite shop downtown-wine, cheese and other yummies.
It is inside of an incredible cool historic building.

Look at the ceiling and the staircase.

Meet Murphy.

The newest member of the extended family, my parents' new black lab puppy.

She's a lover!

I was able to spend some quality time with my dad, walking the woods around my parents' house. I am to these woods as Heidi is to the mountain. I swear there are calming healing properties here, like sweet balm to the soul.
Murphy and I with the 2010 to-be Christmas tree.

Spring was just starting to break through the earth. You cannot appreciate spring fully until you have waited out a Michigan winter.

Be sure to check back Friday-I am participating in the Poppies at Play Tour of Homes and promise to have a picture or two of Wynn's (still not quite finished) nursery!