Interview: Sandy Foster On Building Her Tiny Victorian Retreat In The Woods

Photo: Trevor Tondro/NY Times

UPDATE 11/30/11:  Shabby Holiday Tips and Inspiration Video

Sandy Foster has single-handedly given new meaning to “tiny house” and to Victoriana in 2010.  When I saw the photo of her on the porch of the sweet retreat  in the New York Times, I simply had to know more about her and this wonderful mini building.   I read that she was a fiscal administrator but how did that jive with this “shabby streamside studio,” as she calls it,  in a forest?

To learn more about Sandy, check out her website where  you’ll notice the amazing attention to detail and get a sense of her eclectic taste.

“It’s a balm for the spirit to have a place where I’m free to do what I want.  Like a tree house you run to as a kid and pull up the ladder once inside.”
Sandy Foster

She was kind enough to quench my curiosity recently and answer questions about how and why she created this unique treasure.

Tammy Strobel Creates Popular Online Community For Simple Living

Tammy Strobel is an advocate for changing the world by  minimalist living while helping others. The author of “Simply Car-free” and “Minimalist Health” talks about her challenging downsized life on the Rowdy Kittens’ blog which she began two years ago.   This web designer and freelance writer gives tips on how to explore a  stuffless lifestyle  there as well as tells a fun story about how RowdyKittens got its name.

Tammy's Book

Tammy  was living a so-called “normal” middle class existence five years ago with her husband, Logan Smith,  in Ca when they began to face their stressful financial situation and overload of belongings.  Having no desire for the 30-year mortgage and spending hours in their car, they started to downsize and tried two wheels instead of four.   Now inhabiting a 400-square-foot space in Portland, Oregon, they are hoping to build a  small house in the future.  They are believers in the Tiny House Movement.

To read Tammy’s tip-filled blog:

RowdyKittens

Her minimalist housing

Reach her on Twitter @RowdyKittens

Question:  Could you downsize to a 400-square-foot environment?