Sunday, October 16, 2016

A Tiny House Tour

I know many you would agree, it's hard to resist being outdoors on a beautiful Fall afternoon.
 Yesterday found my husband and I doing just that as we adventured into Boise to spend the afternoon strolling through it's historical North End neighborhood touring it's tiny houses. These homes date back to the early 1900's and are all under 1,000 square feet. We can never resist the opportunity to walk through other peoples homes especially as these homeowners so graciously opened up their living spaces for us to do just that! (*The proceeds go to the Boise High School Orchestra program.)
This garden cottage pictured above was built in 1935 and is ONLY 380 square feet! The pamphlet said that this structure was at one time a catalogue house from Sears and Roebuck. It was full of charm and detail! This is her bedroom. (Just she and her dog live here) I kept wishing she had a quilt.

Her "sewing" room...
Tiny right!!
A view of it from the outside:

I liked how cozy her windows were made to look:

 Okay, now is this not THE most creative chicken coop you've even seen!?
Her garden was just a wonderland.

As we continued our tour admiring many houses along the way...

...we discussed and were inspired by the simplicity of living and found ourselves planning our own de-clutter of things that are worn out, never used, and no longer have a purpose in our own home.

I liked that this homes owner's hobby is wine collecting. They even had a wine bible!
As I turned the corner in this tiny house and ventured through that white door you see below, it made me smile to see an old quilt adding warmth and charm to this tiny bedroom.

Straight from what we watch on TV, measuring only 240 square feet, 
sitting on top of a 20-foot trailer...a Mouse House. Uhhhhhh...

 ...no thank you! LOL! No can do. "Your long-arm wouldn't even fit in here Val."
(Don't ya love a husband who has your quilting on his mind!)

So much charm and inspiration was tucked into each home. This next homeowner was a potter. (Ugh...as many you read...a craft not exactly in my future) But never the less, she created those adorable kitchen tiles, and handmade cabinet knobs. Pottery filled her home is useful ways that inspired me to think of my own quilting in an entirely different way. 

For as we continued our tour of their home, her pottery was used everywhere, evident in the table tray on this little dresser picture below. I was inspired by the idea to expand my quilting from bed quilts to creating more projects...something I realize I've never really done. To see the simplicity of one's hobby displayed in a practical way throughout the home added charm and personality. Between my husband's stained-glass and my quilting, we could do this too.

Our tour ended with us enjoying an outdoor lunch and well, thank you for taking this little walking tour with me. I hope you too found a bit of inspiration, as I always enjoy sharing mine with you.  
Cheers! 

Val's Quilting Studio

21 comments:

  1. So much fun and inspiration!! Thanks for the wonderful stroll. Glad your husband, like mine, always has your back! We have indoctrinated them into a quilting life!

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  2. I LOVE tiny houses and maybe one day, see myself living in one !
    I'm thinking about 600 sq. ft. would be perfect.
    Thanks for taking us along with you !
    Rose

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  3. What a marvelous way to spend a crisp fall day. I love home tours too. Yes, your hubby said the perfect thing about your longarm not fitting, LOL!! There is not nearly enough space for my resource center or the dish collection in a tiny house for me.

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  4. I need to down size, but some of those are way too tiny with my claustraphobia. But what a cool house tour! We had a walking house tour in our Village last weekend, but they were some of the very oldest homes in the community (no, we weren't invited to participate this year).

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  5. Thanks for sharing! All the places looked much more charming than the tiny house we used to have. We lived for over 12 years in an 888 square foot house--2 bedrooms, 1 bath, 1 car garage. I sewed in the garage and my hubby built a 200 square foot shed to hang out in. At least it was in southern California where you could use your outdoor living space. Our current house is probably too big being 2200+ square feet and a 1200 square foot shop for just the two of us with our empty nest, but I am not ready to downsize yet. Plus, I don't sew in the garage anymore.

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  6. I loved every moment of your walking tour. I'm also looking to decorate my home w/practical quilted items so that my hobby be evident to all who visit. Thanks Val!

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  7. My 1940's house was originally built at 900 sq feet. It now has a family room addition that is my studio and the single car garage has been converted so I have a bit more room but I sure evaluate everything I bring home! Thanks for sharing!

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  8. That was fun. We do like watching that to show and wonder how do they live like that

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  9. What a delightful way to spend the day! My home is only just over 700 square feet, with a 99square foot sewing room. You are more than welcome to come and tour it any time. :) And yes, that first bed needed a quilt, lol.

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  10. They certain pack a lot of charm in those little houses!

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  11. Thank you! I love tiny houses and look at lots of them online. The one on wheels would be exactly the one my son would love. I have a blog friend who lives in a Sears kit house and I'm amazed at how much she manages to do inside and outside in her yard.

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  12. I love seeing these cute little houses with you! Thank you. Hugs,

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  13. what wonderful homes I would love to downsize but certainly could not manage that small! and certainly you would have to keep everything very tidy in such a small space

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  14. what a fun house walk. I love a housewalk too! The tiny houses are sweet but I could never do it myself, lol.
    the chicken coop is my favorite!

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  15. I lived for 17 years in a 40foot trailer traveling North America and when we bought a house we looked for one the same size as our trailer plus a quilt room. We now live in the summer in a 850 square foot house and absolutely love it. We de-cluttered when we moved from our 4400 square foot house to the trailer and never plan to have clutter again. Our rule is something new comes in some old must leave. Thanks for showing us the fun house tour you enjoyed.

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  16. It's a little embarrassing to think that some people manage to fit their entire lives into a space smaller than our sewing rooms! I've always been intrigued by tiny homes, but unless I unload a lot of stuff, I would need at least six of them.

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  17. Looks like fun. I could never live in a tiny house (at least not until my 5 kids grow up and move out)

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  18. What fun. That 1935 cottage is adorable! 'Love that "sewing room". Yes it is difficult to imagine that, years ago, Sears actually sold house building kits. They also ventured into automobiles as well, with the Henry. Thank you for sharing this tiny house your.

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  19. What a fun tour! Thanks for bringing me along!

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  20. The perfect way to spend a fall day Val!
    It's a great idea to utilize your art throughout your home. Quilts and stained glass in every room!

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I have to admit, your comments make me smile! Thanks for sharing and for letting me know you stopped by. I Hope your day is awesome!

Val:)

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