A Unbelievably Light Lakeside Log Cabin

Log cabins tend to be dark. It is just often a reality when the space is wood; the inside tends to be moody. That is what Sam Wotring and Nicole Ray were expecting before they stepped within this 1920s log cabin on a calm lake nearby Ann Arbor, Michigan. Boy, were they wrong.

As a previous homeowner utilized a superlight grey paint to cover every log surface within the home, such as the vaulted wood-plank ceiling, the distance is far from dark. “We were so surprised by how light and airy it was inside, so enchanting and quaint,” Ray says. Meanwhile, vivid colors and original art — Ray is an illustrator and artist — further lighten the space, as do vintage chandeliers that hang in every area.

at a Glance
Who lives here: Sam Wotring and Nicole Ray
Location: Brighton, Michigan
Size: Around 1,600 square feet; two bedrooms, 11/2 baths

Jeff Jones Snap It Photography

The light grey paint covering the ceiling and logs produce an unexpectedly bright and airy inside. Floor markings leave clues that past owners had opened up three small bedrooms and bathrooms to create larger living spaces. The homeowner who had painted the inside also left all of the vintage chandeliers.

Ray built the side sofa table at the main living space with a wooden cage from her grandfather and thighs from Hairpin Legs.

Jeff Jones Snap It Photography

The home is on a former golf course, and Ray and Wotring found that it once provided summer housing for golf caddies. The couple now refers to the home since the “The Caddy Shack.”

Wotring built the sliding door and worked with a local fabricator to make the hardware and slipping track.

Door paint: New Born’s Eyes, Benjamin Moore

Jeff Jones Snap It Photography

2 10- by 10-foot caddie bunk rooms became one 10-by-20 principal bedroom.

Jeff Jones Snap It Photography

“The fireplace is one of my favorite items in the home,” says Ray. “It’s original to the home and is rumored to be the largest fireplace around the lake,” she states.

The coffee table was passed down from Wotring’s grandmother.

Rug: Green at Heart Rug, Etsy; sofa: Henry, West Elm; green sofa, armchair: Newton Furniture; throw pillows: Robin Cottage, Etsy

Jeff Jones Snap It Photography

Worktables: Norden; bookcase: Expedit; red drawer component: Helmer (all from Ikea)

Jeff Jones Snap It Photography

According to floor markings, the couple believes there utilized to be a 6-foot-long wall or half wall that ran through the center of the present office area, maybe to shut off a dining room.

Jeff Jones Snap It Photography

Lights over mattress: Krämare, Ikea; gray blanket: Pendleton Windowpane, Lands’ End; art: “Whale Rider,” Nicole Ray

Jeff Jones Snap It Photography

Wotring’s work area would be to the best of the kitchen in the living room. His desk is a vintage drafting table; the Hoosier cupboard was a family heirloom given to Wotring by his stepdad.

The lobster block-printed wall hanging is from The Sarah Elizabeth Shop at Rockport, Massachusetts.

Chairs: Franklin, Ikea

Jeff Jones Snap It Photography

Art of the Excellent Lakes by Marcy Davy of All Things Grow decorates the half wall dividing the kitchen from the living area. A Insufficient Ikea shelf exhibits whiskey. The butcher block table was another family heirloom passed down to the couple.

Jeff Jones Snap It Photography

“When we moved in, we wanted to do something new with all the kitchen floor,” says Ray. “The ceramic tile was worn out, however, a complete renovation wasn’t in our budget.” After doing some online research, the few painted above the tile with garage-floor paint. After performing two coats of primer, then they painted stripes through the hall and into the bathroom.

Paint: Behr premium one-part epoxy concrete floor paint in White Base and Silver Gray, Home Depot

Jeff Jones Snap It Photography

A skylight, open yellow painted cabinets and also a wood beam pot stand contribute into the open, airy feel of the home.

Jeff Jones Snap It Photography

This Winans Lake embroidery art, which hangs in the kitchen on an idea plank, was custom made for Ray from Amy Cronkite of My Marigold. The heart marks where the couple lives on the lake.

Jeff Jones Snap It Photography

Ray’s grandmother photographed her kitchen window at 1936. The shooter now hangs between the kitchen windows here.

Jeff Jones Snap It Photography

The dining area faces Winans Lake and leads out to a deck.

Dining table: Bjursta, Ikea; carpeting: West Elm

Jeff Jones Snap It Photography

Ray made this nook near the entry where she ships and packs her art.

Rug: Downtown Home & Garden; Michigan squirrel plate: Martha Bishop, Lazy Gal; birds plate: Janae Easton, Playpus File; art by sloeginfizz on Etsy: Seahorse Nursery, Fox in Sox, Wild Spring Ride, Turtle Flight

Jeff Jones Snap It Photography

Ray painted the goldfish piece, now in the guest bedroom.

Plush squid: Amber Adams, Woolly Mammoth Designs

Jeff Jones Snap It Photography

Rug: Emmie, Ikea; lush creature: Frankenstitch Productions

Jeff Jones Snap It Photography

The owners installed this tiny claw-foot bathtub.

Cabinet, stool, shelving, curtains, rug: Ikea

Jeff Jones Snap It Photography

Mirror paint: Dry Bouquet, True Worth; wall-mounted lights: Lowe’s; embroidered anchor, paper airplane: From J. Loo to You

Jeff Jones Snap It Photography

Ray relaxes in her area. Behind her is a gallery wall showcasing work from her mother, like the ’70s bird crewelwork from a kit, also from other artists.

Tree art: The Artisan’s Bench; woodpecker in trousers: Pillbug Designs; fox: Stephanie Salamone; screen-print of a woman: Kristine Virsis, Just Seeds Artists Cooperative

Jeff Jones Snap It Photography

Jeff Jones Snap It Photography

The log cabin community is built around Winans Lake, which is motor free for quiet and peace.

More:
Discover more inspiring cabins
See more photographs of this home

See related

Magnolia Magic Breezes Into the Home

Together with the warm winter we’ve had in Alabama, all types of trees and flowers are placing buds out way earlier than normal — and now I am crossing my fingers that my favorite, the legendary Southern magnolia, will probably be one of them. Although the first thing that comes to mind when most men and women think of those towering trees is their heady, identifying scent, they are as pleasing to the eye regarding the nose: saucer-size white blossoms; glossy, evergreen foliage; and branches which spread like a welcoming hug.

Magnolia leaves are a Christmastime timeless, but they are equally as striking in the summertime, with or without their blooms. And if you do not happen to live in a area where magnolia trees grow, take heart: There are all kinds of ways to bring them in to your décor. Have a look.

Atypical Type A

This easy arrangement allows the sculptural quality of glow that is magnolias. Adding a few buds in addition to completely opened blooms is a beautiful touch to around a screen of just about any flower.

Amy Lau Design

It would have been simpler to paint magnolias in the wall and call it a day, but also taking it one step further with a three-dimensional program adds a beautiful layer of whimsy. This would turn a little girl’s bedroom into a fantasyland.

The Sky is the Limit Style

As minimal as it gets, a magnolia-leaf display highlights the sharp form of the tree’s foliage. It reinvents a traditional motif in a modern way.

1800Lighting

For me, one of the areas of a magnolia leaf is its soft, velvety bottom. This arrangement shows that aspect off well — and also the colour enhances the tans and beiges in the room.

Michael Knowles, Architect

The color of the wall paint — Magnolia from Dunn Edwards — totally captures the creamy, soft the heart of the petals. Deep green accents would enhance the feeling of being underneath those spreading branches.

Lucy McLintic

Dainty wallpaper feels with this bedroom. Utilizing prints and patterns with a tie into a residence’s place is a fantastic method of producing a feeling of place.

Cabinet Studio, Inc..

Custom magnolia tile beneath the stove hood in this kitchen produces a pretty focal point. It’s easy to have tiles adorned with any motif which is suitable for you, be it floral, floral or something entirely different.

Stonewood, LLC

Ceramic magnolias include a pretty, feminine note to the bathroom. They are just bright enough to give a little flourish without detracting in the clean lines.

More:
Great Layout Tree: Star Magnolia
If This Bloom Were a Room
The Way To Bring Spring Into Your Home With Floral Décor
Sixties Southern Style: Inspiration from ‘The Aid’

See related

Belt Size for a Task Force Riding Mower

What was known in Ohio as the Modern Tool and Die Company fabricated the Task Force riding lawn mower. MTD discontinued creation of this Task Force riding lawn mower in favor of newer versions, such as Cub Cadet. If you know the part number, parts, such as mower deck belts, still are available that fit Task Force mowers, and might be found locally or ordered on line.

Belt Sizes

Belts for a mower deck on a Task Force mower are 5/8 inches wide by 69 inches . The part numbers are 754-0145A and 754-0145. Considering that Task Force riding mowers are produced, you might have to find a belt labeled specifically to replace these part numbers. The original equipment manufacturer (OEM) part number today used for these connectors is 954-0145 and 954-0145A. Belts for the 32- and – 34-inch mower decks are the same width, but only 67 inches. The OEM number for these connectors was 754-0151.

See related

Fluorescent vs. LED for Seed Starting

Like Velcro, cordless tools and wireless technology, innovations as a result of research by the National Aeronautics and Space Agency have definitely changed the habits of everyday life. These technological improvements extend even to gardening, and investigations into plant growth beneath light-emitting diodes, or LEDs, may permanently alter how plants are started and grown indoors. Though fluorescents have long been the standard light source for starting seeds indoors, LEDs have a number of advantages that may eventually make the use of fluorescents for plant growing as obsolete as the telegraph.

LED Qualities

Have a look at almost any electronic device — it probably has an LED someplace on it, usually to indicate that the device has power. Though these indicator lights have been deliberately dark, recent strides in LED technology have resulted in much more powerful lights which are gaining traction for use in general lighting in addition to for specific uses like plant growing. Contrary to fluorescents, which emit light in a broad spectrum, LEDs are designed to emit light in narrow bands, which may be combined to achieve particular outcomes. Long-lived, incredibly efficient and generating little to no heat, LEDs reduce the power invoice, rarely need replacing, don’t break easily and almost eliminate the need to give additional ventilation or airflow above plants to cool them. Although still costlier than fluorescents, new LED products developed especially for plant growing can be plugged into the wall and linked as needed to form a chain or set of lights.

Factors for Plant Growth

One disadvantage to LED grow lights is their psychedelic look. Since plants use only blue and red wavelengths of light for photosynthesis and growth, LED grow lights utilize mixtures of blue and red bulbs that result in an extreme purplish glow. Much of the analysis so far indicates that these blue and red LEDs result in stronger, more vigorous plant growth compared to fluorescent bulbs over the same time. However, since LEDs are designed to emit light in a really specific wavelength, and not all blue-red LEDs create an equal amount and quality of lighting, research continues on how many species of plants germinate and perform under different kinds of LEDs. Early adopters of this technology will probably find that greater products will become accessible as research progresses.

Fluorescent Lighting

Affordable, practical and widely accessible for most home growers is the traditional fluorescent tube. For years, the standard advice to indoor growers and seed-starters is to use a fluorescent fixture with one cool-light and one warm-light tube, suspended a few inches above the tops of crops. Full-sunlight spectrum lights produce the proper range of light wavelengths, however are far less energy efficient and produce heat which may lead to young plants to grow too quickly and eventually become spindly and weak. Bulbs need replacing every year or two, as older bulbs generate a high quality quality of lighting. Even though a fluorescent light device can look clunky and unattractive, the human eye perceives the emitted light as white, which makes it easier to live with in the home.

Seed-Starting Requirements

Not all seeds need light as a condition for germination. Some species require dark for good germination, like annuals like larkspur (Consolida species). Research remains mixed as to if LEDs or fluorescents are far better for seed germination; some research in Michigan State University indicates that seed germination rates are far better under LEDs, though other studies done at Wofford College in South Carolina indicate that no difference exists in germination rates involving plants started under LEDs and fluorescents, and that fluorescents may actually encourage better ancient root growth than LEDs.

See related

The way to Get Cigarette Smell Out of Draperies

A cigarette smell not only lingers, it clings to and yellows everything in its path — also isn’t easily washed out of draperies, if they’re washable at all. Some cleaning products help dispose of this kind of odor better than others do.

Washable Ones

Launder washable draperies in the hottest Water indicated on the label; cold water does not loosen, remove or melt a sticky smoke picture as efficiently. Add 3/4 cup of borax or baking soda, or 1 cup of white vinegar to your wash water along with your regular detergent for odor-neutralizing power. If the smell remains, repeat the washing procedure up to five times, indicates the American Cleaning Institute. Hang drapes outside to dry to avoid shrinkage and also to let fresh air filter through the cloth.

Finicky Group

Dry cleaning with an enzymatic product designed for odors can remove a cigarette odor from dry-clean-only drapes. Allow the dry cleaner understand about the particular odor you would like removed. If the odor remains, hang the drapes outside for a few dry, sunny days. Or lay the dry drapes in your ground, sprinkle them with baking soda, wait 1 hour, then vacuum the cloth, working in the center outward. Weight the edges to keep the material flat. Repeat the procedure on the other side.

See related

The way to Keep White Cabinets From Yellowing

White cabinets can get a yellow tinge unlike double cabinetry, which seems to hide yellowing. Clean, white cabinets are a bright portion of many a kitchen or bathroom. The yellowish tinge which seems to creep over them with time is preventable, however; discover the reason and implement the treatment.

Be a Fan of Your Fan

When you’re cooking, these delicious smells rising to the air in the kind of microscopic food or grease particles have to land someplace; do not let them accumulate on your own white cabinetry. Whenever you begin boiling, broiling, deep-frying or baking, turn on the exhaust fan or range hood to filter out at least some of those nesting pieces before they build up yellow and on the surrounding surfaces. If your bathroom cabinets are yellowing, turn on the fan prior to running a bath or turning on the shower, and leave it on till the humidity or damp, soap-filled air clears.

In case Smoking Turns Teeth Yellow…

If you’re a smoker, smoking outdoors — or quitting — might help keep your white cabinets, and ceiling and walls, from yellowing. To remove an existing yellow tinge, clean your cupboards with a fizzy mixture of 1 cup of vinegar, two cups of warm water and one tablespoon of baking soda.

Hold the Sealer

Yellowed cabinets which will not come clean can benefit from a coat of white paint, but after painting them, then you might have a tendency to give them a protective coat of polyurethane, even a top-coat sealer — hold off until you consider the facts. Oil-based sealers, as well as some water-based sealers, can yellow over time, which might have resulted in the original issue. If you would like to give your cabinets a protective top coat, use a stain-blocking primer and good-quality bathroom-and-kitchen paint to begin with.

Rethink Spring Cleaning

You probably spot clean your cabinetry during the entire year and wipe down it entirely on your spring-cleaning efforts, but that might not be enough. Yellowing occurs gradually. Instead of once a year, give your white cabinets a monthly “bathroom,” with a solution of warm water and grease-busting dish soap and enjoy yellow in the kind of bananas and lemons, instead of discolored cabinets.

See related

Orange Cactus Flower Facts

Many cactus species create orange flowers. Besides cosmetic uses, the flowers play significant roles in their ecosystems and have culinary uses for humans. Some kinds of cacti that may grow orange flowers consist of prickly pear, barrel cactus, organ pipe cactus and Christmas cactus. The striking blossom color together with fine blossom fragrances help attract pollinators, such as bees and bats.

Cactus Flowers Are Edible

A lot of men and women realize that cactus fruits, such as prickly pear, are edible or useful for making beverages. They are fairly common in Mexican and Central American cooking. Fewer people know that cactus flowers are often creamy too. For example, Native Americans boiled young barrel cactus flowers to consume like cabbage. They also boiled old barrel cactus flowers to make into a beverage. Barrel cactus flowers come in many different colours, such as yellow, orange and red.

Cactus Flower Structure Facts

Flowers are reproductive structures for cacti, succulents and many other types of plants. Sepals and petals safeguard the inner areas of the blossom and manual pollinators, such as bees, toward the inside of the blossom. The flowers have male and female parts. Anthers are male parts that contain pollen, and stigmas are the sections of the female pistils that get the pollen. After the stigma receives pollen, the basal region of the pistil produces seeds. Some cacti flowers blossom throughout the afternoon, while some — such as the organ pipe cactus — blossom during the night.

Cactus Flowers Make Tasty Wine

Wine Maker Magazine recommends using prickly pear flowers — that is orange, yellow, red or pink to make wine. A recipe for cactus blossom wine contains sugar, cactus flowers, white grape juice, water, grape tannin and yeast, among other ingredients. Cactus flowers often have bees inside of these, therefore gardeners should be careful harvesting the flowers.

Bats Feed on Night-Blooming Cacti

Night-blooming organ pipe cacti and saguaro cacti have orange or yellow flowers that open at night. As these and other kinds of cacti begin to bloom each year, lesser long-nosed bats migrate from Central Mexico to Northern Mexico and the southwestern United States. The bats fly from blossom to blossom, feeding on the flower nectar. They get pollen on themselves and pollinate the cactus flowers as they fly around feeding. Later in the summer, the bats will eat the cactus fruit and deposit the seeds. They play a significant role in cactus reproduction, in the same way the cacti flowers play a main role in the diet of their bats.

See related

Beautiful Vegetable & Flower Garden

Flowers add an element of beauty to the vegetable garden and with the right selection, you can attract beneficial insects and discourage some of the harmful ones. With just a little preparation, a few trellises and the openness to jump putting in formal rows, your vegetable garden may double as a flower garden and be a gorgeous addition to the landscape.

Planing Ahead

Developing a gorgeous garden starts with good preparation. Rather than planting large regions with rows of vegetables, plan to plant in a scattered pattern, mixing different kinds of vegetables together. A couple of trellises — tipi kind trellises scattered across the garden or tall trellises round the perimeter — add height to your garden, making a visually interesting element. Trellises are ideal for growing crops such as beans and peas, summer squash, melons and vine tomato plants. Creating raised beds from wood, stone or other aesthetically pleasing substances is a great way to make the flower and vegetable garden stand out nicely and makes weeding easier.

Pick Your Crop for Color

Not all cabbage is green and not all strawberries are reddish. Think colour combinations when planting a gorgeous vegetable and flower garden. Yellow tomatoes mixed with crimson tomatoes bring colour variation from the tomato section while eggplants, purple cabbage, and orange, yellow and red hot and sweet peppers add colour throughout the backyard. A stand of sunflowers adds height and color, while chives, squash flowers, nasturtium, calendula petals and violets offer edible flowers. Rose petals can also be edible and a growing or bush rose from the garden adds elegance just like few other flowers may.

Companion Planting Principles

Companion planting is a way to reduce the demand for pesticides by attracting beneficial insects to the garden. Flowers like marigolds, nasturtiums, chive flowers and pot marigold, also referred to as calendula, attract insects that deter some of the worst garden insects. Strongly fragrant herbs, such as rosemary, oregano, mint and catnip, can also be great at deterring garden pests. Incorporating companion planting clinics from the vegetable garden helps keep insects away and you get the added advantage of the herb garden mixed in with the grasses and creamy flowers.

Great Companions from the Garden

Plant nasturtiums one of the plant and cucumbers the cucumbers beneath the sunflowers; the sunflowers provide shade for the cucumbers and the nasturtiums maintain cucumber beetles away. Marigolds are a wonderful ally of eggplants, melons, tomatoes and raspberries. Borage, love-in-the-mist and thyme are great companions to this strawberry, and chives paired with celery, carrots and lettuce form a fantastic combination. Plant a couple of added chives around roses to keep aphids at bay and revel in the purple chive flowers one of your favorite roses.

See related

What Is the Hibiscus Sorrel?

Hibiscus sorrel (Hibiscus sabdariffa), also called Jamaica sorrel and roselle, is indigenous to India, but can grow as a yearly as in most climates. The plant has fleshy, red calyxes that encircle the foundation of its yellow blooms. The red calyxes possess a flavor similar to cranberries or currants and are used to make tea, jellies and used in salad dressings, drinks and frosting.

Identification

Hibiscus sorrel can grow up to 7 feet tall using 3-inch-long oval, three- to five-lobed leaves. The stalks and leaves are thin using a reddish-green shade. The calyxes are green when immature and turn into a bright red when ripe. Calyx size may vary and range from 1/2 to 1 1/2 inches in diameter. The yellowish flowers are 5 inches wide using a rose-colored or maroon center that fade into a pink as blooms fade at day’s end.

Climate and Soil

Hibiscus sorrel needs long, hot summers for fruit to ripen and the plant is frost-sensitive. An early frost may prevent a harvest. Rainfall is vital, as blooms thrive in places that receive at least 72 inches of rain each growing season. Hibiscus sorrel grows best in loamy, sandy soil. Necessary growing states are similar to those for tomatoes and the plants need spacing of 18 to 24 inches apart in rows. The plant begins producing blooms since the days shorten during the growing season.

Propagation and Planting

Hibiscus sorrel is usually propagated by seed, but you can also propagate the plant from cuttings. Propagation from cuttings often results in shorter plants and fewer calyxes. The plant may reseed itself, therefore it has the potential to become invasive in some places. You can start seeds indoors and transplant seedlings when they grow to approximately 4 inches tall, or direct sow the seeds at the expanding region, planting in hills with three to six seeds per hill.

Harvest and utilize

When ripe, the fruit is plump and tender and should be harvested before woody tissue grows on the calyxes. Fruits can easily be snapped off the plant by hand early in the day; when harvesting is delinquent the stems toughen and you’re going to need clippers to eliminate fruits. The fruit has many uses other than teas and frosting. After washing, you can chop the fruit and then apply in fruit salad, or cook to make into syrup, marmalade or pie fillings.

See related

How to Prune Vertical Tomato Plants

Tomatoes are an easy-to-grow plant for home gardeners and among the most widely grown home garden plants. While the plants grow easily, they require care and pruning to keep crops healthy and make a fantastic harvest. Tomatoes need staking to keep fruit off the floor and reduce fruit decay. Pruning can also be significant, as it helps create bigger fruit and slimmer, healthier plants also increases air flow, which reduces the danger of infection.

Choose a couple of main stems. When growing tomatoes with two main stems, choose the 2nd main stem from among the shoots that grow from the first or second leaf-stem axils, and remove all of shoots below it. Growing plants with a couple of main stems sends more nutrients to fruit instead of sending it to unwanted shoots.

Prune to remove any new suckers. Check weekly and remove any new side or lateral shoots while they’re still tiny. You can pinch off the limbs with your fingers if you remove them before they grow larger than 4 inches long; that also helps avoid plant injury. Pinch a sucker between your finger and thumb, bending it to one side until it breaks.

Top the plant in summer season. When the main shoots get to the surface of the service, cut off the tops of the main shoots. This directs plant energies to ripening fruit on the vine. Taking away the tops doesn’t hurt the plant because any new fruit group would not have time to ripen before the growing season ends.

Remove any yellow or wilting leaves as they develop. Yellow and wilting leaves are normal on tomato crops as they grow. Removing these leaves help reduce the danger of infection and maintain the plant looking fresh.

See related