Our Blue Heaven

A few exterior shots… this is the west side of the estate.  It’s a large, private fenced area that is ours alone.  It will be a perfect place to watch sunsets and have fires, plus it’s a wonderland of smells for Roxy’s many daily patrols.

This doorway leads into the kitchen. 
I am imagining that Indiana Nelson, our dee-vine Lady of the Manor, chose this particular blue because it nearly matches the rich Cerulean blue of the Sonoran desert sky.

Click to enlarge. Image above shows which portion of property is ours, highlighted in pale blue.

Sweet-crazy-happy little kitchen

Some “ïn-progress” photos of our sweet electric-yellow kitchen!  So yellow, it almost vibrates… at first, we thought we’d paint over it, but it has really quite grown on us!

The French doors face due west and are essentially our front door/main entrance. The floor is concrete stained a rich deep earthy brownish-red.

Click any image to enlarge.

In this first photo, the orange hall on the left (with the blue & white floor tile) leads through to the aqua living room.  My bathroom is off the hall – it’s the same orange.  Actually, it’s more of a bright apricot in person.

This arched door leads to the covered porch.

Here’s the view standing in the kitchen looking out onto the covered porch.  The purple door left of center is our bedroom.

Here, the doorway in the center of the photo leads to a short hall – more of a passage than a hall -- where the fridge resides.  Oh, and Roxy’s “station” is there, too… dawg food dish, kibble bin, water bowl, hooks for leashes, collars, etc.

We managed to insert this darling little green metal table in just the right spot so that it actually works, even though the layout is essentially a galley and a major arterial through the house.  Enough room for one chair and a wee wrought-iron stool, too.

Note the absence of a dishwasher and microwave.  Also, no garbage disposal and there is some mysterious short in the fridge that allows the inside lights to work only on, er, every 40th time you open the door.  And having the fridge in the hall makes for an awkward work triangle.  All that being true, the space is magical nonetheless and sings with happiness.

Ken is on a thrift-store hunt for a microwave, but I could easily live without one and hardly miss it.  The only thing I use it for is to warm plates and for the occasional bag of buttery popcorn.

Now, to figure out how to hang the scallop-edged mirror over the stove without marring the masonry-covered adobe walls.  Hmmm…. purple ribbon?

Aaah… Luxuriating in our new Tucson universe

Even though we are a mere 3/4 of a mile from our old house – and happily dug out from under an avalanche of boxes -- it feels like we are in an entirely different and magical parallel Universe over here on Sierra Vista Drive.  And we are LOVING it!!

Here are some “Before & After” pairings, wild and joyous chaos transforming into Hacienda Bliss.

Covered porch:

 

 

 

Living Room:

 

   

My Studio:

    
I took the Before photos on Day 2 (Friday, April 8) and the After photos today.  As you can see, significant progress has been made!  Going from 2200+ square feet plus a double carport, to a sanely-preparing-for-our-move-to-France 1000 square feet, we of course have a-ways to go.  But I always love seeing others’ journeys – Young House Love and Fibermania, in particular -- as they transform a house into a home, so I’m excited about sharing the steps along the way!  Tomorrow: kitchen, baths & bedroom.

Floorplans for our Sanctuary/Playhouse

Of COURSE, I had to play around with the floor plans while fantasizing about living in our new place!

Click any image to enlarge.

Living Room plan:

Studio:

Bedroom: 

Covered Porch:

Au revoir ‘Casa Encantada’!

Tomorrow, the movers arrive!  In preparation for our Big Move to France in almost exactly 13 months, we have happily sold our beautiful home, Casa Encantada!  Whee!

Casa Encantada, our home for almost exactly 3 years since we moved to Tucson.  She will now be home to a lovely friend of ours for whom we’ve dog-sat… Rover & Misty Blue.  Here’s what dog-sitting them usually looked like (fuzzy cell phone pic – didn’t want to disturb them by getting up to fetch my camera):

That’s my dog Roxy down at the end of the sofa, Rover in the middle then Misty Blue nestled up against my tush (see my red slipper?)  I know, as if you could tell the difference between the three of them!

We have been extraordinarily happy here!  May Tina and Rover and Blue be just as happy!  We bless this house for giving us sanctuary and a container for our love, creativity and connection!

Now, on to our lovely interim chapter!  We are renting a delightful guest house just under a mile from Casa Encantada – we will be a block north of The Arizona Inn.

Pics to come as we move in and create a fresh Enchanted Home.  In the meantime, here’s the Google Earth satellite view:

The owner of the main house, artist Indiana Nelson, calls this house The Sanctuary.  We are renting the western third of the compound – 2 bedrooms, 2 baths, 250 square foot covered porch, indoor space equals about 1000 square feet. 

The house is an old 1920s hacienda-style estate.  You know this style of house I’m referring to… rooms built around a central courtyard, with each room opening onto the courtyard with fountain — so excited!!  I love old homes with soul!  I imagine that ties into why I am drawn to Europe – and France in particular.

We’ve tentatively named our guest house The Little House of Play, (or Little Playhouse).  Though after spending a week taking a load over every day, and spending two afternoons painting the master bedroom, I am inclined to agree with Indiana.  This place is magical and feels like a true sanctuary.

(WARNING: Amatuer-video alert!) Here’s a video of the central courtyard (that’s my hunny-hubby Kenny!):

And the Living Room:

 

And the kitchen leading on out to the covered porch:

The Master Bedroom:

 

If you would like to see a few more short videos, click here go to my YouTube Channel.

More “Before” pics and “Progress” pics to come!

‘Waiting for April’ quilted!

 

Waiting for April
$250
Machine pieced and quilted
Commercial cottons, 15 x 20 inches
©2009, T. Claire O'Connor

‘Taffy’ is quilted!

$350
Machine pieced and quilted
Commercial batiks, 35 x 36 inches
Adapted from an Amy Walsh pattern
©2009, T. Claire O'Connor

Celebrating Expat Women

Happy Birthday to one of my favorite websites! ExpatWomen.com has been a great resource for me as Ken and I make our plans to move to France next year.

It’s the largest global website helping women living abroad. The site displays 1,000+ content pages, 1,600+ expat women blogs, 300+ readers' stories, invaluable country resource pages, interviews with successful expat women, loads of motivational articles and an inspirational blog and newsletter.

By popular demand! The Cosmic Cafe teleclass series!

Beginning November 18, join me and the friendly tribe of Enchanted Lifers for an amazing experience in honing your manifestation skills on a whole new, more efficient level…

The Cosmic Cafe: Your Enchanted Life Manifestation Catalyst

Click here to learn everything about the teleclass, including the Fr*ee Sampler class I’m offering on Monday, November 1, where you can get a taste of some of the tools we’ll be exploring in the full class.

We’ll be placing our orders with The Cosmic Waitress! C’mon! The kitchen is hoppin’!

Questions?  Click here to email me.

Announcing a new teleclass! “Your Enchanted Home”

Starting September 22 and running for 4 consecutive Wednesdays, I am offering a dee-lish tele-seminar called Your Enchanted Home: Transform Your Space to Support Who You Are -- and Who You're Becoming.

It’s chock-full of fun, powerful and sweet experiential exercises to amp up the spiritual/energetic nutrition quotient in your home.

We’ll play with tools such as: Feng shui, design psychology & floor plan flow dynamics, therapeutic color, letting go of stuff, energy clearing, guided imagery, collaging, journaling and so much more, including, most importantly, your OWN intuition!

Check out all the details here and sign up before September 12 to be eligible for the Early Bird discount.