Being the nosy ladies that we are, we do love a good internet home tour and so Sugar City is jumping on the bandwagon. Behold,
Rubyellen's home!
Rubyellen lives in Southern California and is the genius mama behind the blog
Cakies, and mother of two adorable girls, True and Brave. She makes and
sells beautiful handmade things (you may have seen her crown in the most recent
Small magazine). More importantly she is one of the kindest, genuine people you will ever come across. (And, I hyperventilated when she sent me these pictures. Every single one is so lovely.)
This is her bedroom. (Isn't it pretty?) She says this: "
I love white walls... Where we lived previously, we had lots of colored walls and I loved it, but something about white walls is so simple and clean looking (though you could see more crayon marks). When we moved here, I debated about painting the walls, but now I am so glad we didn't. I think the white brings more attention to the furniture, which I am glad because each piece has so much beauty and personality." 
"
We live in a new house in a neighborhood where most houses are somewhat similar. My dream is to live in an older house with much more character, but maybe one day. Don't get me wrong, I am content and I love this house, but you just never know, I think an older house would fit our personality much more. As far as how to give a new home and old home feel, I think the important thing is to take your time. Buying furniture or anything for your home, needs a lot of thought, so don't feel rushed to fill everything up right away. I think loving and buying vintage furniture has taught me a lot of patience because I can't just go to one store and buy everything. We have to search and look for perfect pieces that really speak to us. For example. there is just this big empty white space next to my sap buckets, I kind of know what I want, but just haven't come across it and who knows when I will, so for now it will stay bare. We must love everything we buy, otherwise it just isn't worth spending our money on it. Another thing is that we really love old things, they have so much personality and I think most things in our house have had a previous life, so that contributes in making the house feel a bit older."
Here are pictures from the girls' rooms... some of my favorites:
"...
That was my quick sketch of Paris. The blackboard was a great garage sale find for $1. Really, you can't go wrong for a buck. It is hung above Brave's dresser. True's poster has such a presence that I wanted Brave's room to have a different feel, a bit more serene and simple." (I am in love with this picture.)
"
A special family sketchbook is important because the girls get really excited to draw (in their case, scribble) and it is just another way to foster creativity. They have their paper and their art containers, but this book is out for anyone to draw in at anytime, so she loves it. We will be just hanging out in the family room and then True will want to start drawing together. A general rule I have is to buy paints, pencils, crayons, markers that can be erased or are washable because with white walls this is very dangerous." (Another wonderful detail. I need to go set out a family sketchbook, right now.)
I asked Rubyellen about her favorite home-keeping tips: "
Baskets, baskets, and baskets. I have lots of antique ones all over the house and they keep all the messes at bay. They hold their toys, blankets, books, and anything else I like to keep hidden away. Another tip is less is really more. We rarely buy toys and if we do they are handmade or eco-friendly, so this keeps the mess down and the toys they have are pretty enough to be displayed. Also, I am always cleaning out toys and boxing up ones they don't play with anymore. Really, children don't need that many toys, they have much more fun making them."
And finally, Rubyellen shares this important tip about old furniture with little ones: "
We lead check all our furniture, so nothing that goes into our house has any lead or toxins of sorts. The safety of our children is our number one priority so we make sure all our furniture does not contain anything dangerous. Also, to seal anything flaky or rusty, we sand it down and then spray polyurethane to prevent any flaking or the rust from spreading. So everything is perfectly safe. Though our motto is the more dings, scratches, and rust, the more we like it, but we make sure it is all safe first."
Thanks, Rubyellen, for letting us see your beautiful home!
