Monday, June 17, 2013

Introducing my new site Curate | by Carrie Corson

 
Introducing my new online studio
Curate | by Carrie Corson

 
I am very excited to share my new journey with my readers today.
After careful thought, consideration and planning I decided to move my blog to Wordpress.
 
I'm not only moving my blog, but as you can see I've also changed the name from
The Corson Cottage to Curate | by Carrie Corson.
This post is somewhat bitter sweet.
It will be my last post as The Corson Cottage.
 
This was a decision I pondered over for months.
Ultimately I decided that this was the best decision for me to be able to
create the creative online space I feel is best for my blog and the future of my creative brand.
 

 
I truly appreciate each & every Corson Cottage visitor over the last few years.
I absolutely welcome you all  to my new site & hope that you will follow my new journey!
 
 
All the Best!
Carrie

Tuesday, June 4, 2013

Big News - We are Moving & So is the Blog!


 
Our Big News is We Are Moving!
Yes, we are finally moving in our new home!!!
Renovations are nearly complete & I can't wait to share it all with you!
 
In the meantime, we are also moving our website.
I have been toying with the idea of migrating my blog to Wordpress for some time now.
Well, there is no time like the present!
 
 
I hope that you will all follow the blog Migration to Wordpress!
I think it will be good timing while we are tranforming our lifestyle at home & getting settled,
the blog could use a total transformation as well.
I have a lot in store for the new site & can't wait to share that with you too!
 
I hope you will be patient with the posting during the migration period.
I will let you know once the blog migration is complete.
 
Thanks!
Carrie
 
 

Saturday, May 18, 2013

Dwellings - Hints of Summer


 
Dwellings has a fresh new vibe for Summer Fun!
Michael has just updated the shop for the Summer Season.
Shop LeClaire for all your home decor needs.
 
 
I'm having a sidewalk sale at Dwellings this weekend too!
Trying to sell some of our old furniture from our first cottage home to make room for new!
Stop out to scope out the deals.
We are located on Hwy 67 in Downtown Historic LeClaire, Iowa.
Just off Interstate 80.
 
 
 
Have a great weekend!
 
Carrie

Saturday, May 11, 2013

Our Renovation - Interior French Doors

 
I am so excited to see the progress finally come together on our Cottage Reno.
Travis installed our interior french doors this week.
I am in LOVE!!!
I think this is my new favorite feature of our new home.
 
Modern & Classic Cottage Charm
ahhh
 
I could hardly wait to share these because I was so extremely excited!
 
Have a great weekend!
 
Carrie


Thursday, May 9, 2013

Friday ~ Links I'm Loving

 
I thought I would try something new.
On Fridays each week I thought I would start sharing some of my fav links of the week.
There is so much fabulous inspiration out there these days.
I'm not sure about the rest of you, but I feel like Pinterest is my best girl friend.
Pinterest just gets me...
Totally
 
If anyone would understand that statement & not think I was totally crazy,
it would be my blog friends, right???
Hopefully...
 
 
 
I'm not sure if it's the time of year with Summer right around the corner,
or the fact that our Home Renovation is nearly complete & I am in need of
some much needed R&R & a great vacation getaway,
but these images really speak to me this week.
 
Check out the rest of my inspiration images on Pinterest.
You can follow my Pinterest Boards here.
 Or click on the Pinterest logo in the sidebar.
 
Carrie
 
 

Saturday, May 4, 2013

Our Renovation - Grey Laminate Flooring


 
Our laminate floors have been installed throughout our home!
Now this is serious progress my friends.
Our little cottage renovation is finally starting to feel like a real home.
We are thrilled with our selection to say the least!
 
Yesterday, I showed you how we narrowed our flooring choices.
 
 
It was both Travis & my favorite.
I think it was really just what we were looking for.
 
The greige tone with a slight comfort texture to the wood offers a casual and comfortable feel.
It is also a bit more modern, while still having an elegant sophistication of a beach cottage.
It also reminds me a bit of a barnwood with the wood grain showing through.
 
I was originally a bit worried about choosing a grey floor, for fear that it was too trendy.
I have to tell you, I'm so glad I went with my gut on this one.
The floor actually has a grey and brown look that we love.
 
I would definitely say my plan for the design aesthetic is kind of
casual elegant beach house meets modern farmhouse.
I think this flooring captures that feel.
 

 
Travis did the flooring installation himself.
I would say overall it took about 4-5 days to install.
Keep in mind, he is not normally a flooring guy, and he did not put in full days on it.
 
 
Lucy has even given her seal of approval:)
 
Hope you all are having a great weekend!
 
 
participating



Our Renovation - Flooring Selection

 
We have narrowed down our flooring selections.
I think we visited every flooring showroom in town during our search for the perfect floor.
I picked up samples every where I could.
 
We looked mostly at hardwoods and laminates.
Ultimately we decided what would work best for our family and lifestyle was a laminate floor.
Reality is...we live in our home.
My husband is a rugged manly guy & his work boots can often be found at the front door.
To my dismay they even find their way through the house from time to time,
tracking in what is left of a hard days work.
Little Lucy's wet paws will inevidently come racing through after a rainy day potty break.
Yes, even I rushing because I've forgotten something will race back inside not removing my shoes.
 
 
 
 
Once we decided that laminate flooring was the direction we wanted to go,
we narrowed our selection to the six styles you see above.
We quickly eilmated two styles, simply because we didn't like the look.
We learned as much about laminate as we could about laminate.
I encourage you to ask the specialist in the flooring departments at each stop you make.
It always seems like you learn something new from each person.
They recommended a 12mm laminate for durability.
Laminate is also fairly easy to install, which was good for us because Travis is doing the install.
One thing to keep in mind some will come with a layer of pad attached and some do not.
If it does not, you will need to by a seperate pad to install under the floating floor.
You can pick the padding up at your local home improvement store.
 
We also took our samples home & deliberately tried to mark them up.
Even going so far as to scratch them with a key.
You will be surprised some will scratch immediately.
Others it didn't matter what we did, it didn't leave a mark on the surface.
We even went so far to drop water on the surface and let it sit.
 
It may seem crazy, but we wanted to be certain we made a good choice for our lifestyle.
 
 
Things to keep in mind for our design plan.
 
We plan for our laminate floor to run throughout the house,
except for the bathrooms and laundry,where there will be tile.
With an open concept design and all of our rooms being on one level,
I think keeping our flooring selection consistant and almost minimal
will help to create the clean fresh modern cottage feel throughout the home.
The flooring is also going to be in our kitchen.
My husband was a bit hesitant of putting anything wood or laminate in the kitchen.
But, I think with our open concept the flooring needs to be the same throughout.
 
Our Top Four Flooring Choices are as follows:
 
 
Style Synopsis:
Love the greige look of this style. 
Grey but still brown and even a hint of lighter wood tone.
I think it has a casual feel and maybe a little bit of a beachy vibe.
Looks like it may hide dirt and foot prints well.
Concern: Is grey trendy or classic, will it stand the test of time?
 
 
Style Synopsis:
A bit darker than the last.
The oak finish is a bit more classic.
I think this floor has an updated more elegant feel.
Concern: Is it too dark to mix with the other wood furniture in our home?
Will it feel like to many drastically different woods?
 
 
Style Synopsis:
A more traditional finish and color tone.
Very brown and almost redish wood.
Is that a scratch I see in the corner?
Has a nice feel to the touch.
Concern: Is it too red?
 
 
 
Blonde and beachy.
A ligther option than the others this also has a casual feel.
Almost barn wood like.
Concern: Is it too light?

Another tip about buying flooring.
Many places the more you buy, the more you save.
Please note the pricing above is reflective of the sqaure footage we planned to order.
We ordered a total of 1300+ Sq. Ft., giving us the best level price break.


Which one do you think is right for us?
Which style would you choose?
I would love to hear your feedback.

 
Well, we have made our choice.
Good news, the flooring has already arrived.
Stay tuned for our final flooring decision tomorrow.
 
 
Also, I will still post more about our trim selection too.
 Want to see more of Our Renovation?
Click here to see how far we have come and check out our floor plan.
Carrie


Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Our Renovation - A Fresh Coat of White Interior Paint

 
As I shared over the weekend, we have been moving full speed ahead on our reno!
Unfortunately for my blog friends, you are a bit behind due our internet issues.
I apologize, but will do my best to cath you up soon.
 
For those of you who have followed The Corson Cottage for a while,
you may recall how much I loved
the renovation of our 4 season room at Our First House.
It was all white.
White Walls, White Trim, White Washed Painted Wood Floors.
LOVE, LOVE, LOVE!
 
When it came to our new home, I knew from the beginning,
(like before we even had walls to consider painting:)
that choosing paint color would be an easy decision.
 
White Painted Walls & Trim.
Everywhere.
Throughout the entire home.
I want our home to have a modern cottage feel.
 
Come to find out...
Selecting the perfect white paint, can be just a bit more challenging than you think.
 
Here's where we started.
 
Option 1
 
As much as I adore Simply White by Benjamin Moore,
it is a very popular white paint for a cottage style home.
At $65-70 per gallon, well it simply wasn't in our budget.
 
Option 2
 
At $130 per 5 Gallon Container, this was a contender.
I am extremely partial to Behr paint.
I've used it on several projects and it always ends up being my favorite.
I think Behr offers a great paint, at an affordable price and great coverage.
 
Option 3
 
At just $81.87 per 5 Gallon Container,
 Olympic Ultra White available at Lowes seemed to offer yet another good option.
A good paint brand at a good price point.
 Ultimately we decided to save a little money here & go with Olympic.
Every little bit helps and it stretches the budget in other areas
when you are working on a project of this magnitude.
 
Originally we planned to paint the entire house ourselves.
Well as our timeline sretched, so did our patience a bit.
We decided to have our drywall finishers paint the walls also.
They gave us a price that we couldn't refuse & our walls were all painted in about 4 days.
Priceless.
 
 
 
If there is one thing that I personally have learned a thing or two about
over the course of our fixer upper and renovation journies, it's paint.
I have painted nearly every single room and trim in every home we have lived in.
Travis is the builder & I am the painter.
He normally does the tough stuff & I handle the more delicate details.
 
{Tips}
So, here is my word of advice when selecting white paints.
 
 
1. My personal go to all time Favorite is Behr Ultra White.
I happen to love a bright crisp white.
I have found that the best white paint is the ultra white paint straight out
of the white paint container of most brands.
 
2. Still not sure, want to check it out for yourself.
Select a variety of white paint samples.
Take them home to the room you intend to paint.
I always start by eliminating those that are just all wrong.
 
3. Narrow your choice down to 2-3.
 
4. Paint a sample area on a wall or a seperate extra piece of wood in the room you're painting.
 
5. Choose your perfect shade of white & the perfect finish for the look you are trying to achieve.
 
 Still interested in hearing more about how to select the perfect white paint?
Stay tuned for our next post.
We'll go over how to select your perfect paint for trim.
 
Carrie
 
participating

Saturday, April 27, 2013

Long Time No Posting ~ & Dwellings Spring

Hello Friends!
It has been far too long since my last post.
It seems like this year has really not gotten off on the right foot for my blog.
For some reason,
as we are finishing up our basement dwelling stint at my Mom's luck is not on our side.
I have had no internet access for over a month!
ugh...
 
I'm finally back online as of today!
I have so so much to cath you up on of our renovation journey.
We have been moving full speed ahead!
The progress is very exciting!
Each day that goes by & each item checked off the too do list,
get's us one step closer to move in day!
Finally...a light at the end of a very long tunnel.
 
Stay tuned this week I'm thinking of marathoning some of our reno updates!
 
 
I thought I would share a few Dwellings Spring photos today.
I am craving home so much these days.
Nothing makes me feel more at home in the Spring Time
than fresh green hues & natural linen fabrics.



Carrie


Monday, March 25, 2013

Shop Dwellings for Easter

 
Fill your Easter baskets at Dwellings in LeClaire!
The shop is filled with great Spring merchandise with fresh colors and textures.
Dwellings has all you need for the perfect Easter brunch table setting.
 
 
I adore the cement bunnies!
What a great modern take on Easter decor for your home.
The cement Easter bunnies are one of the hottest items for Easter!
Stop in to get yours soon!
 


Wednesday, March 20, 2013

Think Spring!

 
Nothing says Spring to me more than a fresh bouquet of Tulips!
I wish I could say that Spring is in the air, but unfortunately here in the Midwest,
Winter just won't go away!
 
I hope that you are welcoming Spring as much as I am this year!
Bring on the birds chirping, sunny days & warm weather!
I can't wait to start planting in our new yard it is in major need of some TLC.
 
Carrie


Saturday, March 16, 2013

Our Renovation - Interior Inspirations

 

 
I've really been working hard to make sure that I have a nice collection of inspiration images.
I believe it is a necessary part of the process during a renovation of any size.
Or even just a redocrating project.
When you see rooms that inspire you, they make you feel good, cozy and warm.
Giving you the feeling that you are home.
 
In order for you to feel the easy relaxed and casual feeling of home.
You have to surround yourself with things that you love.
I believe that the fabrics, colors and textures you bring into a home help soothe the soul.
 
 
You can see all of inpirations images on my Pinterest boards here.
I have also created a special board to help inspire the Corson Cottage Renovation.
You can follow that board here.
 
 image via Google Cottage Living
 
These images are a few of my favorites that I have collected over time.
Some of them, I pinned on Pinterest.
Truth be told I have actually saved old Cottage Living magazines for years also,
with some of these images in mind for one day when...
Finally that day has arrived!
It's almost starting to seem surreal.
 
 
We are currently making choices on flooring, paint, cabinets, counter tops, and lighting.
I want to make sure that the choices we make will all make sense.
I believe that a home should have a cohesive look and feel throughout the entire home.
I also think a home is a relection of you and your family.
A home should reflect your lifestyle and how you will live in your space.
Surround yourself with what makes you feel comfortable.
Make sure that the comforts of home are also functional for the way you live everyday.
 
 
Take the things you love about each photo or blog post that inspires you.
What is it that you really love about it?
Is the color, a texture a mood?
Those are the things to think about when planning your space.
Find a way to bring what you love from the things that inspire you into your home.
That is how you will create the home of your dreams.
Trust me when I say, this can be done on any budget.
 
 
I hope you see some things here that inspire you.
Hopefully you can see the look and feel I hope to create in our cottage home.
I may need some help choosing finishing options, so I would love your input in the posts to come.

I would love for you to follow me on Pinterest too.
Click here to see my Pinterest boards.
If you see something you think would be a great inspiration for our renovation, let me know.
I would love to see it!



 Have a great relaxing weekend!
Carrie



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