a birthday suprise

image via my website

my darling husband has surprised' me (a bit early as my birthday isn't until july 23rd) with the most amazing present! 

i used to wander down our dirt road every so often to steal a peak at the most darling little cottage situated behind three ancient rose bushes, a giant tulip tree and some dwarfed maples. sadly, last year the sweet elderly woman who lived there had to vacate the property and ended up putting the cottage up for sale towards the end of the autumn. 

i would often walk down to sit on the porch, peer in the windows at the pretty old hardwood floors, and tiny layout, and in the summer I have taken to 'pruning' the burdened rose bushes as they have been heavy with blooms. 

the house sold months ago in a bank foreclosure but the new owners have not been present around the home at all. we found out that the foundation of the house was completely rotted, as well as most of the support beams, and the roof was no good at all. the verdict was that the house would be torn down and something new built in its place. 

somewhere along the way i ended up in the house for a small impromptu photoshoot before its demise.

the pictures are beautiful and haunting and will forever remind me of the times that i have spent adoring that quaint cottage. 

in the midst of the cottage coming down i began to think about the old claw-foot tub that was in the tiny bathroom....wondering what would happen to it. Paul and I walked down one morning to speak with the construction crew about it and were told that the new owners planned on using it in another one of their homes. 

c'est la vie..

not so! Paul followed up with the builders after we noticed that the tub was still sitting in the vacant lot once the house had been demolished. without my knowledge he convinced them to sell it to him in order to give it to me for my birthday and before our baby is born! 

so I am now the proud owner of a gorgeous tub from a magical cottage!

we will spend the next several weeks planning and remodeling our bathroom around this darling tub and hopefully have the whole thing finished before little Lou is born. 

i will keep you updated on our progress and share images of the before and after with you along the way. 

for now here are some inspirational pics that are getting our creative juices flowing... 

image via google images and annesage

my darling husband has surprised' me (a bit early as my birthday isn't until july 23rd) with the most amazing present! 

i used to wander down our dirt road every so often to steal a peak at the most darling little cottage situated behind three ancient rose bushes, a giant tulip tree and some dwarfed maples. sadly, last year the sweet elderly woman who lived there had to vacate the property and ended up putting the cottage up for sale towards the end of the autumn. 

i would often walk down to sit on the porch, peer in the windows at the pretty old hardwood floors, and tiny layout, and in the summer I have taken to 'pruning' the burdened rose bushes as they have been heavy with blooms. 

the house sold months ago in a bank foreclosure but the new owners have not been present around the home at all. we found out that the foundation of the house was completely rotted, as well as most of the support beams, and the roof was no good at all. the verdict was that the house would be torn down and something new built in its place. 

somewhere along the way i ended up in the house for a small impromptu photoshoot before its demise.

the pictures are beautiful and haunting and will forever remind me of the times that i have spent adoring that quaint cottage. 

in the midst of the cottage coming down i began to think about the old claw-foot tub that was in the tiny bathroom....wondering what would happen to it. Paul and I walked down one morning to speak with the construction crew about it and were told that the new owners planned on using it in another one of their homes. 

c'est la vie..

not so! Paul followed up with the builders after we noticed that the tub was still sitting in the vacant lot once the house had been demolished. without my knowledge he convinced them to sell it to him in order to give it to me for my birthday and before our baby is born! 

so I am now the proud owner of a gorgeous tub from a magical cottage!

we will spend the next several weeks planning and remodeling our bathroom around this darling tub and hopefully have the whole thing finished before little Lou is born. 

i will keep you updated on our progress and share images of the before and after with you along the way. 

for now here are some inspirational pics that are getting our creative juices flowing...