OUR LIL’ GUESTROOM | MY FAVORITE SKI PILLOWS

While our guestroom lacks the usual visitors these days due to Covid we look forward to the day when we can host our friends and family again. Be sure to read until the end because we are giving away a “SKI” Pillow from The Salty Cottage & Tangerine & Olive !

I always love a room makeover, especially bedrooms since they are smaller projects. I like to select a design inspiration first; I always define a color pallet as well as a theme. One simple idea is to re-purposing a wedding theme, whether that is your color, destination, or clever theme. Another great idea is always to play off the environment and cues that are around you in nature or your hometown.

AFTER

BEFORE

 

For our Guestroom I re-purposed our wedding ski theme and a number of decorations that had been gathering dust in the closet. I also knew I wanted to tie in the red colorway from the signature Stowe sign and Gondola.  Tangerine & Olive has by far the best selection of handmade decorative pillows that I have ever seen so that was my first stop when decorating this space. I adore these handmade pillows by The Salty Cottage and purposely kept the base color of the room neutral with grays and white to allow the red pillows and accents to pop. Bob helped me hang our vintage skis that were signed by our wedding guests next to the bed. Their placement offering visitors a warm welcome when they see their name commemorated on our wall and hopefully sparking memories of that fun day in September celebrating our nuptials. The final touch for our space was a happy little discovery. There was an odd 6’ by 6’ space that would have gone unused, but I brought my design skills back and proposed we turn it into a ski closet. Our ski boot cubbies were constructed from re-purposed shelving that we removed from the kitchen to open up the space. Bob researched and selected these  ski holders which we are quickly realizing we will need to double up on as our ski collection grows. Finally a couple simple clothing rods provide ample storage for ski jackets and extra layers.

There you have it our Lil Guestroom with my favorite Ski Pillows. Checkout my Instagram feed this weekend (Dec 5-6) for a chance to win an adorable SKI pillow similar to the one I am holding below! Thank you to Tangerine & Olive a local Vermont shop that curates the best in handcrafted, small batch Made in American goods like The Salty Cottage pillows featured in this post! For my online shoppers I am linking to all Pillows here, or better yet pay Kimberly a visit at her Stowe shop and tell her I sent you!

 

MY MOUNTAIN TO CLIMB | SILVER LININGS + HARD TRUTHS

If you’ve been reading my blog for a while (thank you!) if you are newer (welcome) you may want to read one of these two posts so you have the backstory on the knee injury I suffered a year ago.

ACCIDENTS HAPPEN|HOW I INJURED MY KNEE

KNEE UPDATE|WHAT I LEARNED ABOUT MYSELF

At the start of this year I set a goal for myself to hike on skis (a.k.a. “Skin”) to the tipy-top of Mt. Mansfield. At an elevation of 4,393 feet, climbing to the top of this mountain is a challenge for anyone. For me it would be an extra challenge because I was still re-building the strength in my right quadricep following my knee surgery. I had been faithfully rehabbing for months, doing my PT at the gym and I mentally wanted a finish line to work toward. That finish line would be my first Skin to the top of the mountain.I knew this challenge would be just as much physical as it would be mental. There will always be a before and after my injury. I am cautious now where I used to be confident; I get nervous the first time I try any activity again, unsure if my body will fail me like it did last spring. It doesn’t matter what the activity, a lunge, spinning, skiing, running on a treadmill, forget running a road race I am scared just to try running outside again, you get the point I am cautious worried to injury myself again. It also doesn’t matter how many times I have done an activity before I have this feeling my body can’t do it anymore, I am no longer confident.My silver lining is that I am achieving new personal records for myself at a rapid pace. I love the feeling of accomplishment with each tiny milestone. Like the first time I was able to run again on a treadmill. The distance was only .25mi, and my pace was 5mph closer to how fast I used to walk with these long legs. I was holding onto the side rails for dear life, and I couldn’t listen to music for fear of falling off the treadmill. It was exhilarating (maybe a little terrifying) like no run had been before, because I was setting a post-surgery PR.The night before my first Skin I was anxious. I should note for clarity’s sake that this was not my first skin post surgery this was my first skin EVER in my life. I prepped my gear: proper layers, AT skis + Boots, headlamp, backpack, skins, and water for the way up. A down jacket, neck warmer, fresh base layer, gloves, and helmet for the descent. While preparing, I mapped out the spots I could safely turn back along the journey to the top. Ideally you need a flat(ish) spot with minimal wind to strip the skins from the skis and adjust your layers before skiing back down. I was convinced I wouldn’t make it the whole way to the top on my first attempt, and that was A-ok with me. My silver lining in this feeling is that I learned to give myself permission and the grace to only do things that I enjoy and am comfortable with. If I am not grinning from ear to ear, I will stop without a moment of hesitation or guilt. In the past I carried too much pride to stop or change course.We set off at 6am that morning, hoping to catch the sunrise somewhere along our ascent. There were six ladies including myself and I prepped everyone that I would need to take it at my own pace, did not plan reach the summit on this first try, and that they should not wait up for me. I think the ladies sensed my trepidation and set a moderate pace so I wouldn’t fall behind. As they each made stops throughout our journey to get water, change a layer or stretch I carried on, I feared that if I stopped I would lose steam and I wanted to stay slow and steady.At some point I realized that I had made it past all my planned turn around spots, maybe just maybe I could make it to the top on my first try. I was feeling remarkably good, loving the feeling of strength powered by my legs plodding their way up the mountain. One step after another, higher and higher we climbed. Hard truth: Today whenever I start to feel like I am on an emotional or physical high I worry that something is going to sideswipe me and knock me down again. Last May when I blew out my knee I was on a serious high, I finally had the creative outlet of this blog, I had just done my first branding shoot, I was meeting new people, life was good, I felt invincible. While I wish I could have been knocked back down to earth differently there was something very grounding about this humbling experience.I climbed the final stretch of the mountain with tears pouring down my cheeks, I had accomplished my goal. I intentionally climbed a little slower soaking in this moment, the scenery, the support I felt from my friends who had been there the whole way silently cheering me on. I thought about the journey of the past hour and a half, and then of the past year leading up to this moment. All the hours of physical therapy, the support of my husband, family, and friends. Recovering from this injury was my mountain, my mountain to climb. No one could complete this journey but me, and there is no way I could have done it alone. Thank you!A huge thank you to Sarah Peet Photography for joining me on this awesome adventure, she captured all the gorgeous photos in this post all while skinning herself! To be able to document this moment was a dream come true. I also have to thank the awesome Vermont brands that outfitted me for this endeavor, RENOUN skis, Turtle Fur accessories, and AJs Ski&Sport/Arc’teryx jacket and pants. As a brand marketing professional I had a vision that I not only wanted to Skin to the top, I wanted to highlight local brands and businesses, I am so happy you were all game to support this Lil’ Vermont Adventure.Thank you for reading!

Megan xo

LIL’ GUESTROOM | DIY BASEMENT REMODEL

We love the home we  bought in Stowe, it is comfortable, well designed, and can grow with our family overtime. While it needed nothing done to make it move in ready overtime we have completed small renovations to make it our own. Our Lil’ guestroom was one such project.The walkout basement was finished when we moved in but it felt more like a doctor’s office then a comfortable play space with cold linoleum flooring, and large florescent lighting that hung from the ceiling. My husband works from home so we setup his office, added a few of Parker’s toys and called it good. Fast forward 2.5 years and with Dawson’s arrival our guestroom was displaced from the 2^nd floor and added to the cold chaos of the basement. If you can visualize this we had Bob’s desk, next to a queen size bed with pink & green comforter, across from a couch and the boy’s play stuff. Talk about a multipurpose room, if you were trying to take a quick nap during the workday this might have been a good setup but after some time we decided that the basement needed a remodel.

AFTER

BEFORE

The main focus of the remodel was to create a cozy private space for our visitors, our very own Lil’ Guestroom. The basement already had a half bathroom so if we added a proper Guestroom visitors would have their own private space apart from the chaos of two little boys. While Bob and his father (two very handy men!) went to work on framing some of the unfinished space we were using for storage I got to thinking about how I would decorate the finished space.

I always love a room makeover, especially bedrooms since they are smaller projects. Our living room is still not complete because I find a larger more public space daunting; bedrooms feel less overwhelming. I like to select a design inspiration first; I always define a color pallet as well as a theme. One simple idea is to re-purposing a wedding theme, whether that is your color, destination, or clever theme. Another great idea is always to play off the environment and cues that are around you in nature or your hometown.

For our Guestroom I re-purposed our wedding ski theme and a number of decorations that had been gathering dust in the closet. I also knew I wanted to tie in the red colorway from the signature Stowe sign and Gondola. Tangerine & Olive has by far the best selection of handmade decorative pillows that I have ever seen so she was my first stop when designing this space. I purposely kept the base color of the room neutral with grays  and white to allow the red pillows and accents to pop. This neutral base also allows for easier design swaps down the road.Bob helped me hang our vintage skis that were signed by our wedding guests next to the bed. Their placement offering visitors a warm welcome when they see their name commemorated on our wall and hopefully sparking memories of that fun day in September celebrating our nuptials.The final touch for our space was a happy little discovery. There was an odd 6’ by 6’ space that would have gone unused, but I brought my design skills back and proposed we turn it into a ski closet. Our ski boot cubbies were constructed from re-purposed shelving that we removed from the kitchen to open up the space. Bob researched and selected these amazing ski holders which we are quickly realizing we will need to double up on as our ski collection grows. Finally a couple simple clothing rods provide ample storage for ski jackets and extra layers.

There you have it a Lil Guestroom DIY remodel, now don’t be a stranger this cozy space is waiting for you! I want to say a huge thank you to Tangerine & Olive a local Vermont shop that curates the best in handcrafted, small batch Made in American goods like the pillows featured in this post! She is generously offering 15% off all throw pillows through the end of March with the code LILVT. I am linking to all Pillows here, or better yet pay Kimberly a visit at her Stowe shop and tell her I sent you!