Oh, What's in a Name?!

For today's "Tuesday Tip", I'm actually going to tell you about some tips I read about recently while contemplating a color update to the kitchen at Point Breeze Cottage. But first, I thought I'd tell you about the name of our shop and the REAL Point Breeze Cottage.

As you've more than likely figured out, the name of our small business and Etsy shop is Point Breeze Cottage, or PBC for short. And if you are a close friend or family member you probably know why that is the name of our shop and the inspiration behind it. But for the rest of you, I'll fill you in. In January of 2009 my boyfriend (who consequently is now my husband) and I began renting a quaint little cottage in Colton's Point, Maryland. Though it had been remodeled on the inside in recent years, the outside desired more than a little curb appeal. But we didn't care. It sits peacefully overlooking the Potomac River on Point Breeze Rd. And the road certainly lives up to it's name. The cool, river breeze is absolutely heavenly in the mornings and evenings.

After moving in and putting our own touches on the house, I began to realize how truly inspiring the spot was. I found myself yearning to lounge on the porch for hours, sit on the pier and stare out at the water, and there is nothing quite like watching the sunrise over a hot cup of coffee before work. Everything about this place inspired the small creative spark inside me. I even began writing a blog to document our life on Point Breeze Road. You'll have to forgive me though, as I've pretty much neglected it as of late.

About 2 months after Bubba and I were married, we received a phone call from our landlord. It was unusual, since we knew we'd paid our rent and weren't having any other problems, but then she shocked us both. She asked us if we'd be interested in buying the house we were living in. She was so pleased with us as tenants and wanted to offer it to us first before she sold it to anyone else. Jaws gaping wide, we told her we were flattered and would love to talk to her more about price, etc. as soon as possible. Upon coming to a fair agreement, we signed on the dotted line and the little cottage on Point Breeze Road was officially ours! I'll be posting more about this process in the future, there are far too many exciting details to outline here...

I've been watching my mother repurpose and reuse items to decorate her home for years, and after a particularly unpleasant day at work, I told her I needed a change, an outlet. She told me if I was serious about it that she would help me in anyway she could. I showed her how to use Etsy and we both decided, "We can do this." We started out with old pieces from home, items from the thrift shop, and yard sale finds. Once we had a couple of pieces finished, we were ready to post and sell, but under what name? What else, but the place that inspired me the most, my beloved home; Point Breeze Cottage.

So, that brings me to the "Tuesday's Tip" portion of this post. I found this adorable color scheme for a kitchen on Pinterest, and it just so happens that the layout of the kitchen in this picture looks exactly like my kitchen.

I took it as a sign and am hoping to update my large kitchen this fall to reflect the bold color palette. Are you thinking about giving your home a breath of fresh air, or a fresh coat of paint? Check out HGTV's "Color Palette's Made Easy" tutorial for some beautiful inspiration!