Kicking it in the Suburbs

It's a Girl.....

2011-02-04T15:21:00.000-05:00

I apologize for yet another long absence, but entering the world of mommyhood doesn't leave much time for blogland. At any rate, I wanted to share that we had a little girl born on November 29, 2010. Elizabeth Grace was born at 2:48 pm, and weighed in at 7 pounds 9 ounces and 21.5 inches long. Mommy and baby are doing well. I can't believe we just celebrated her 2 month birthday. Elizabeth is finally starting to get into a bit of a routine so I am hopeful to be able to start writing posts again. I still have lots of fun projects to update you on. I am hopeful to post her nursery pics very soon.

Thanks for sticking with me, and I hope you enjoy the coming projects I have cooking.

Full Guest Bathroom Before

2010-12-02T08:00:00.000-05:00

Our full guest bathroom upstairs has been in desperate need of some updates. However, it had been low on the priority list because we never use it, and we have guests only a handful of times throughout the year. All that changed when we found out we were expecting. This bathroom become more of a priority since our little one would be using this bathroom in the near future, and our more frequent guests would be too.

Below are some pictures of what we were working with...... A combo of brass Hollywood lighting, and polished silver faucets.

The flooring in this bathroom left a lot to be desired. I do not know who in their right mind would like carpeting in their bathroom, but the people that bought our house gave us the best of both worlds when it came to flooring.... Half carpet/Half tile.... Awesome, right????? Not so much....

We decided that we wanted to make some big changes in this room, but we wanted to be very cost sensitive since this bathroom would soon be a kid bathroom (and we all know how hard they are on everything as they grow up). We decided we wanted to avoid anything too kiddie since this bathroom would also be used by guests too.

Therefore, we decided to invest in new lighting, new tile flooring, new paint, and possibly some new accessories. My next post will showcase the transformation, but here is a teaser picture......

Backdoor Secured......

2010-11-27T13:00:00.000-05:00

So our backdoor leading to the garage has been a bit of a problem for awhile now. You see the metal thingy that clicks the lock into the frame fell off, and all the screws I bought for it would not hold it in the frame..... Therefore, I had my handyman help me correct this problem. You see, I wanted to be able to lock the garage door just in case a robber broke into our garage..... I had a more genius thought too..... Since I had an extra deadbolt from our front entry door project, I decided to have the handyman install this said extra deadbolt to the door leading to the garage.... This way, I will be doubley secured.....

Before (Inside View)

Before (Garage View)

After (Inside View)

After (Garage View)

View from the Laundry Room

It took the handyman about 30 minutes to cut the hole in the door, and do the additional work on the door frame for the deadbolt. It looked rather easy if you knew what you were doing. I am very happy I farmed this project out since I was really worry about screwing up the garage door, and then having to replace it because I cut the whole in the wrong spot or something.

Therefore, this future mommy is very pleased to have her backdoor all secured from any potential robbers that may lurk. I think I will add painting this door to my list of future spring/summer projects too.... I am really liking the black doors that everyone is posting in blog world especially since this door is so hard to keep clean......

Display Your Family Proudly

2010-11-23T10:00:00.001-05:00

For some time, I have wanted to display some of our family pictures in our home. However, as you know, I have had a bit of a lack of courage when it comes to pounding holes into the walls. You see, we have freshly painted walls finally, and I didn't want to gunk them up with extra nail holes.

At any rate, with my courage flowing, I got my hammer on. The wall below is located directly across from the main floor bathroom, and is the pass through hallway from our foyer to our Great room. This angle is from the foyer.

This angle is from the Great room.

Here is the wall in a "in progress" shot. The post-it notes display a description of what picture goes into what frame since I hadn't printed all the photos I wanted to display when I started placing the frames on the wall.

I used the Ribba frames from IKEA in various sizes. I like these frames because they look great, but are much less expensive than comparable options at Pottery Barn. My hope is that this wall with grow with us as our family grows. I wanted a balanced look, and I think I achieved the look I wanted.

Angle 1

Angle 2

So what do you think? I have been debating adding some stripes to this wall too to add a little more drama, but I have held off since I am in my third trimester.

Front Door Gets Some New Bling!

2010-11-21T13:41:00.001-05:00

Our front door has needed a facelift for some time. As many of you out there, we are still struggling through the transition from brass hardware to satin nickel. The other struggle our door has endured is having two holes where the former owners had their custom door knocker. For two years, I have struggled to find a door knocker that would fit the two predrilled holes, and for two years, I have failed at every attempt until now...... See the sad holes..... Since winter is fast approaching, I wanted to get these holes filled.....

While browsing through Restoration Hardware's catalog, I found this beauty: The Ring Door Knocker. What I loved about this door knocker is that the top and bottom part of the door knocker is two pieces. This rocked my world because I had been struggling to find a door knocker that would fit my custom predrilled holes. I had to have it on the spot.... At $50, I thought it was reasonable enough for a door knocker. Of course, I went to purchase it at the store to find out it was not available in the store, but luckily I was able to order it and avoid shipping charges.... Yeah, but had to wait for a week for it's arrival... Boo!

It took no time to get up. I did have to widen the predrilled holes a little more to get my hardware to sink into the door, but after about 15 minutes, the door knocker was up. See below......

Once I got the new door knocker, I new it was time to update the brass lock and kickplate. I had been contemplating this for two years as well, but I wanted to keep my finish options open just in case the perfect door knocker fell into my lap (a girl can hope).

For awhile I have been really interested in upgrading our lock system to a keyless entry option. With the new baby on the way, we will have a lot of guests coming in, and since most of our guests will be coming from out of state, there is always the chance they arrive when we are caught at an errand or something. A keypad entry therefore would be ideal for us. I did a bit of research, and decided to move forward with a Schlage keypad deadbolt. I liked the flexibility this offered to us. You can program the lock to hold 19 codes (not sure why you would want that many), but the more attractive option is that you can delete the codes very easily. Therefore, no need to leave house keys for guests or contractors outside of your home. Just give them a code, and delete it once their visit is complete. The programming seemed to be easy enough, and the lock runs off a battery that supposedly will last for three years (we will see) so no reason to worry about the door not opening during an electricity outage. There is also the back-up key option that can be used if the battery dies......

Therefore, I moved forward with purchasing the keypad deadbolt. What I found once I reached the store is that the keypad deadbolt is sold separately, and you need to buy the bottom half handset to go with the deadbolt. At Lowe's the customer needs to purchase the bottom half handset without a deadbolt by special order. The interesting part about this option is that the bottom half handset that is sold separate (without a deadbolt) cost more special order from Lowe's than the whole front door handle set (which leaves you with an extra deadbolt). I probably could have shopped around online and found a deal, but I am impatient, and just wanted to get this project complete. Therefore, I went ahead and bought the keypad deadbolt, and the whole front door handle set.

The guy at Lowe's told me installation would be easy, but I decided to have a handyman come over and install it for me (worry-free). Since I am 39 weeks pregnant, I could go into labor at any time so it is really important that my front door be able to lock at a moments notice.... Therefore, I just wasn't comfortable with the stress of possibly screwing up this project, and then having to try to put the old lock back on....... I am sure I could do it, but I had him help me with another project I will share in my next post.... It took the handyman about 45 minutes to install, and he said everything installed very easily..... :)

So without further adieu, here is our brand new door with it's new door knocker, lock, and kickplate.....

Lock and handle set up close

Keypad even closer

Close-up of Door Knocker with Winter Wreath

I am just tickled with the transformation. It just took me over 2 years to get the right items to get it done. Of course, I still need to get a new wreath hanger because I did not realize until I looked at my picture that it is still brass (shame on me)...... In the spring, I would like to give the door a new coat of paint too, but that can wait until after the baby.....

As far as the keypad goes, it took me less than 5 minutes to remove the two factory codes, and replace it with two individual codes my husband and I picked. I love the flexibility this will offer us, and can't wait to use it.

Linking up to......

http://www.storiesofahouse.com/

Nursery.... Mirror Revamp

2010-11-02T20:49:00.000-04:00

I love mirrors. I love how they make rooms appear more expansive. Babies love mirrors too, and that is why I have had my eye on a round chunky framed mirror for months for the nursery. I was really hopeful to find a mirror on Craigslist, or Goodwill, but it just didn't happen for me. Therefore, I spent a little more than I wanted to at TJ Maxx, and found this beauty below. Of course the color wasn't exactly what I wanted, but with a little bit of spray paint, I was able to transform this mirror. So I spent quite a bit of time taping the mirror off preparing it for primer.

Once I got the mirror all taped off, I took my respirator and primer into the garage and coated the mirror with three light coats of primer. I let each coat dry about 1-1.5 hours between applications. After my final coat, I let the primer sit for 24 hours before I hit it with the final color.

I chose to go with a glossy blue hue. I have used mainly primary colors (red, yellow, and blue) with touches of green throughout the room. I thought the room needed a little more blue, and that is why I went with this color. I am so happy with the end results...... The mirror looks perfect in the room.... Now, I just need to get it on the wall, but I will leave that for another day. Enjoy the sneak peek of the room's progress from the reflection in the room. Finally reveal coming in a week or so.....

Nursery Update: Bin There Done That Book Bin

2010-10-31T19:29:00.000-04:00

The countdown is on..... My due date is less than 30 days away, and we have been working hard completing our nursery projects. All the baby clothes have been washed, and almost everything is organized and put away. Our last remaining items are the decor. For awhile, I have been debating how I wanted to display several of my old Dr. Seuss books from when I was a child on the wall by our changing table/dresser. I wanted whatever I chose to serve a purpose, but also be attractive. Enter the "Bin There Done That Book Bin" from The Land of Nod (see below).

In my opinion, it fit what I wanted and needed. It would allow me to display several different Dr. Seuss books in an attractive way. At $49 a piece, I thought they were reasonable enough to purchase two which would allow me to display twice as many books. I figured they had great potential, and would grow with our future child with future room updates.

Before

This was my first purchase from Land of Nod, and I was a bit disappointed that the bins did not come with a wall template to hang the bins up with on the wall. After a bit of measuring, and double checking, I was able to get the bins up with only putting two extra holes in the wall (a small success in my mind). Of course, the final product was well worth the extra hassle in my opinion.

Close up View

Slowly, but surely, the room is coming together. As you can see, I chose to go with red blackout curtains from Pottery Barn. More about that, and other decor updates coming later this week. Stay tuned.....

Draping the Master Bedroom

2010-10-25T12:58:00.000-04:00

Our master bedroom has been a work in progress. What I mean by that, is that we really haven't spent much time or energy on this room. Although I have spent a lot of time updating and decorating other rooms in our home, I have chosen to leave this room alone. Part of the reason for this is due to the bonus room that is attached to this room. Our master is more of a suite, and I just don't know what to do with the bonus room. Which room should actually hold our bed? Should I make the other room a sitting room? Because the possibilities are endless, I just haven't had a lot of confidence to do any sort of painting or purchasing extra furniture until I am sure of what I want to do with the space. I definitely want to purchase a headboard soon, but I am just not sure what I want..... So I have just sort of waited...

However, now that I am getting ready for baby number one, the one thing I needed to accomplish was creating more darkness during the day in this room and possibly have properties that eliminate noise. Because I know that soon I will be trying to sleep whenever my little one is sleeping. Therefore, I decided to hang black-out drapes. Initially I had a hard time deciding what color to go with since I know that in the coming months, most likely I will start decorating this room.

Before #1

Before #2

Initially I had a hard time deciding what color to go with since I know that in the coming months, most likely I will start decorating this room. I wanted to make an investment in something I could hopefully use in the room down the road. Therefore, I went with an ivory/blushy blackout silk option from Bed Bath & Beyond. It goes with our bedding as of today, and I think it will work with whatever we choose in the future.

After

Overall, I am extremely happy with my additions. I am most pleased that the room is extremely dark regardless of the time of the day. I am hopeful this will help be get some extra sleep in the coming weeks.

Alarmed.....

2010-10-17T20:14:00.000-04:00

Most of you are most likely aware that October is National Fire Prevention Month. Many of the home improvement stores have fire alarms on sale to help homeowners better protect themselves. One thing I did not know, is that most fire alarms need to be replaced after 10 years. This fact was important to me as our home was built in 1997, and with it being 2010, that meant that most likely most of our fire alarms in our home were overdue for replacement. Also, I am in my third trimester of pregnancy, and my nesting instincts have really kicked in. Therefore, my husband and I checked all our fire alarms, and found that most of them did indeed need to be replaced.

Before

Once we determined we needed to replace our smoke alarms, we decided to do a bit of research as to what type of alarm to install. We quickly learned there are two type of alarms: photoelectric and ionization. So what is the difference you may ask? Ionization sensors may respond slightly faster to flaming fires, whereas photoelectric sensors may respond slightly faster to smouldering fires. Both meet federal and state safety guidelines, and the verdict is still out as to which one is better (from my research). Therefore, it is recommended to enhance your fire safety prevent, that you install both type of alarms as you can not predict what sort of fire you may have. We decided to go one step further, and choose some dual purpose fire alarms that also have carbon monoxide detectors. Therefore, we installed six new fire alarms. Four are battery powered, and two are hard wired to the house electrical system. We added additional fire alarms to each of our bedrooms in the interior of the room as none of our bedrooms had fire alarms inside of the room. It is recommended that you have alarms in your hallway, and then in the inside of the bedroom if you sleep with your doors closed (which we do).

After (Hallway)

After (Nursery)

All and all, the replacement units and install of new alarms took a little over a hour. It was easy work, and I am very pleased to have this knocked off our list. It is reassuring to know that all the alarms are functional, and will alert us if the need arises.

Falling for Fall.....

2010-10-11T18:05:00.000-04:00

The Midwest has been experiencing temperatures that are more inline with summer than fall. In Indiana, we haven't had rain in weeks. Most people's grass is burnt, and most plants have given up, and are just dormant. However, the fall foilage is starting to fall, and it brings about my favorite time of year: fall. To get into the fall spirit, I planted some mums in pots for our porch. I thought I took some pics as I completed the process, but that wasn't the case. Therefore, all I have to share are a before and after.

Before

After

Close-up of Mums... Yummy Yellow color

Just beautiful Peachy Flowers

Beautiful Tree in front of our Home

Hopefully the temps will start to drop in the coming days. Today's high was 87 degrees which set another record. I am looking forward to some 50 degree weather.... Cross your fingers we will get it.

Rose of Sharon Update.....

2010-09-12T09:00:00.000-04:00

Since we are nearing the end of summer, I wanted to share a quick update on my Rose of Sharon bushes I planted last year. You may remember them from this post Rose of Sharon Post. I got them on major clearance at Lowe's and I planted them in the hopes of stopping teenagers from walking through our yard last October, and I must say it worked.

The bushes have really grown in this summer despite the drought Indiana has been suffering.

Close-Up

It's amazing how many blooms the bushes have had the last few weeks. The bushes are looking a bit leggy, and I will trim them up in a few weeks once the blooms are done. I am so happy they have grown in so well.

Nursery Update: The Crib

2010-09-10T05:00:00.001-04:00

The crib is in. Well, sort of.... You see, the furniture store misordered the crib we ordered. Somehow, this mistake was not caught until the crib arrived the other day. Man, I was not happy. I waited 14 weeks for this crib, and was very displeased that it is not right. The crib they brought is beautiful, it just isn't "my" crib. After some discussion with the store manager, the store manager decided that we could keep the wrong crib until "our" crib arrives. The manager is expecting our crib to arrive by the end of September, but I am not holding my breath since we were suppose to get our first crib within 6 weeks. Without further adio, here is the crib for now..... So here sits the Young America Built to Grow 2600 Panel/Spindle Crib.

Luckily, the dimesions of the above crib are exactly the same as "my" crib the Built to Grow 2000 Slat crib (see below- my version is the cotton finish). Therefore, I will be able to set-up the room around this crib, and will be able to switch out "my" crib when it arrives in the coming weeks. I am not freaking out as much about this mix up now that a few days have passed. Baby N is not due until the end of November so we should have the right crib by then, and if we do not, Baby N will be sleeping in a bassinet for a few weeks anyway.

Therefore, I must day dream what "my" crib will look like for now. I am hopeful it comes sooner or later, but at this point it is out of my hands. More updates on the nursery to come... I am currently working on figuring out some artwork options for the space.

Outdoor Lighting Update.....

2010-09-08T15:21:00.000-04:00

Let's face it.... Our outdoor lighting had seen better days. After 13 years of 365 days out in the elements, the brass fixtures had begun to wear away. In some places, the finish on the lights were blackened.

Close-up Before

Side of Garage Before

Therefore, last weekend, the time came to update the jewelry on the house. It took some time to find a replacement. We wanted to find an option that would allow for the lightbulbs to be easily changed. The old brass model were a bit difficult becasue there was a piece you had to unscrew two screws before you could access the lightbulbs. Also, because I have a height disadvantage, I always need a chair or ladder to access.

On a trip to Menard's, we found the above option. The look was right on, and the lightbulb access was through the bottom of the light. They were also a decent price at about $35 a piece (this was important since we needed four for the garage, and one for our front porch). Luckily, we were able to find the five lights we needed: Score!

Once we got home, my husband got to installing them under the direction of our neighbor. This was my husband's first go around with installing lights, and he completed like a champ. After about 2.5 hours, all the lights were up. They are now ready for their close-ups.....

Now, that is so much better. Instant update.... It is so refreshing to pull into the garage now, and this wonderful bling hanging from the house.

Master Bath Reno: Part 8- Towel Bar Progress....

2010-09-05T22:13:00.000-04:00

Let's just say, I was hopeful to have more to update you on this week than towel bars, but let's just say I am starting to slow down now that I have entered my third trimester of pregnancy. At any rate, I don't want to rush through finishing the space so it may take a little longer to accessorize than I thought..... As I weed through figuring out how to complete my space, let me remind you of the desperate towel bars we once had in our bath....

It is a bit embarassing to admit this, but these towel bars have been hanging out of the wall for at least nine months. Because I knew I would be replacing them in the future with brushed nickel updates, I just couldn't bring myself to fix them.... Therefore, they just sort literally hung around..... Until now.... I spent about a hour replacing them, and let me just say I am so excited to have towel bars that are brushed nickel that do not hang out of the wall...I went with the Moen Glenshire towel bar line. They were on sale for 20% off at Menards last week resulting in a bit of savings. The template that comes with these towel bars is wonderful. It makes installing the hardware a cinch....

Before

After

The towel ring took less than 10 minutes to put up... Easy Peasy, and boy is it conventient to have a place to hang your towel again.

Installing the towel bars by the shower took a bit more time. I needed a place to hang three towels. Of course I require two towels myself, and my husband needs a place for his. Before, we used to have a towel bar on our glass shower door, but we went for a more seamless option without a bar. Therefore, the Moen Glenshire double towel bar and single towel bar fit perfectly (well almost perfectly). You see, the double towel bar comes in a 24 inch length, but my wall space would not allow for this which meant I needed to cut the bars down to size. I went with the 18 inch length as the single towel bar was already this size, and the template that came with bars would be perfect for this (no customization needed). Therefore, I marked my rods for 18 inches, got the hack saw out, and cut them to size. I must admit, the cutting took a bit more time than I thought it would, but I think I got both rods cut in about 20 minutes or so. Once I got the rods cut, then it was time to get the templates on the wall.

After drilling a few holes in the wall, I was able to get the hardware up.

I am just over the moon with the completion of this project. Before the update, we only have one towel bar on this wall, and the other one was across the room. It is so nice and convenient to have our towels an arm length away. Makes showering that much easier...

Master Bath Reno: Part 7-Paint Selection

2010-08-29T17:34:00.002-04:00

The master bath is really coming together this week. Great advancements were made with selecting our new paint color, and painting the room. I chose to move forward with Benjamin Moore's Wedgewood Gray HC-146. I wanted a moody blue gray with a bit of depth to it so that the room would not be washed out by all the white cabinets, white doors, white molding, white cermanic tile, and then now the newly installed creamy/tannish marble flooring. I went with an eggshell finish in the Eco-Spec line as this is their no VOC paint. The ceiling is painted Benjamin Moore Decorator's White in eggshell (Eco-Spec), and the molding is Benjamin Moore Decorator's White in semi-gloss (Regal line).

Before we could get the paint on the wall, the walls needed quite a bit of work. The previous owners had painted this room themselves, and let's just say they did not give the TLC it needed. Dried paint drips were plentiful as well as brush marks. Therefore, we spent lots of time sanding and prepping the walls. There were also the huge holes in the walls where the old brass Hollywood lights were located. So after about four hours of prepping the walls, we were able to paint.

Before

After

I hope the above photos curb your enthusiasm for the final reveal coming in the next week. I am just so excited to finally be able to use this bathroom again. It has been about two weeks of showering in the basement bathroom which isn't all bad, but that extra flight a stairs when you are pregnant can be a bit annoying at times.

Paint Colors: Wall- Benjamin Moore- Wedgewood Gray eggshell finish-Eco Spec; Ceiling- Benjamin Moore- Decorator's White eggshell finish- Eco Spec; Molding- Benjamin Moore- Decorator's White semi-gloss- Regal line.

Master Bath Reno- Part 6- Light Selection

2010-08-28T08:01:00.000-04:00

Good bye Hollywood...... Hello engery star lighting! I am so excited to say sahari to the old brass Hollywood lights that just about everyone has in at least one of their bathrooms. Hollywood served it's purpose, but everything has a shelf life, and it's life has come to a close. Before

Close-up

Choosing a replacement lighting option was a bit more challenging than I thought it was going to be. I searched all the local hardware stores, and your usual suspects online. I wanted to choose something that had an Energy Star rating with straight lines that was well priced. Luckily, after about my third week of shopping, I stumbled upon the below option at Lowe's. It is one of their new options on the floor, and I was excited to find two available for purchase.

Installing the lights were relatively easy once we were able to center the lights on the wall. The challenge part came in when we needed to repair the giant holes in the walls left by where Hollywood had left it's mark. Lots of spackling and sanding involved, but it was well worth it.

The bathroom project is coming together quickly.... Look for an update on paint this weekend. :)

Master Bath Reno- Part 5- Marble Flooring

2010-08-22T21:35:00.000-04:00

We made great progress with our master bath this week. The awful carpet is a thing of the past, and the gross tile in the toilet room is out. Yeah! Below is the how we got the job complete.....

Before

After (with Durock down)

We selected Turkish marble in a 16 in x 24 in size for our master bathroom. In the spirit of working with some of the existing items in the bath, we needed to go with a pattern/color combo that was neutral that would work with our off-white fiber glass shower bottom, but would also work with our more white with gray specks countertops. Of course, there was all the white tile to consider that surrounded the shower and bath tub. Our bath is about 135 square feet, but there are a lot of crazy angles in the bathroom. There were very few tiles that did not need to be cut to size.

The Turkish marble color scheme is a milky cream color with grays and tans swirled throughout. It is not polished which makes for great traction which is very important in a room where it is inevitable that water will be splashed on the floor from time to time.

We did hire our for the installation for this project since the bath is anything, but a standard size. Below you will see a picture of the marble in, but not grouted. It took our contractor one day to get the marble laid. We choose to have the marble laid in a brick pattern.

Here is another angle without the grout.

Our particular marble tile needed to be sealed before the floor was grouted. The contractor used Aqua Mix Sealers Choice Gold. This product claims to be low VOC, but it left quite an odor behind once applied for a low VOC product. After airing the space out for a few hours, the flumes were gone, but we were quite disappointed with the stench it left behind for those few first hours.

View from the Master Bedroom with birch grout

Another view from the Master Bedroom (grouted)

Closer look at the Marble Brick Pattern

Angle from our Master Closet

So there you have it, after 2 plus years, the nasty carpet is gone, and we could not be happier with our marble selection. Next on tap is paint..... Stay tuned!

I am linking up to the following parties.....

Master Bath Inspiration

2010-08-21T07:31:00.001-04:00

I thought it was about time that I share with you my inspiration for our master bath. As you know, this has been a project long in the making. Since the day we moved into our house, our master bath needed some work. However, I was indimated by all that needed to be done so I focused on some of the "easier" transformations on the first floor. Well, the time has come, and the master bath is getting addressed.
So far I have shared with you our new shower door transformation, and the hardware choices we have made. Although the picture below has polished chrome, I went with brushed nickel. What I love about this inspiration photos is that it feels so spa-like, and relaxing to me. Just what you want for a master bath.... A little piece of heaven to relax in.

Future posts I will share with you the hardware installation, tile installation, lighting installation, paint, and finally the accessories. I am really liking the art that Pottery Barn has showcased here. I am thinking of trying a little "diy" project to see if I can get this look.

Nursery Update- Paint

2010-08-15T09:08:00.000-04:00

We made one giant step in our progress in the nuresry. It is now painted. I had difficultities selecting the right color of yellow which delayed the process for a about two weeks. I finally decided upon Hawthrone Yellow by Benjamin Moore. I had entertained using Lotus Yellow too, but it seemed a bit too bright, and I also considered using Yellow Lilies, but at times this seems like it might be too pale. Therefore, Hawthorne Yellow was just right. We used Benjamin Moore's Eco-Spec paint as we did not want to pollute the air with any VOCs. All the moldings in the room were painted Decorator's White in semi-gloss by Benjamin Moore, and the closet was painted Decorator's white, but in an eggshell finish. I went with an eggshell finish with the Hawthrone Yellow too since this will be a child's room. As for the ceiling, we went with 1/4 of the recipe for Glass Slipper by Benjamin Moore.

Before

After

The lighting is not great since it has been a bit cloudy, and we do not have traditional lighting in here right now. Better pictures to come in future updates!

It maybe hard to see in the picture, but the ceiling has a small tint of blue to it. I am considering adding crown molding for a higher impact.

I am hopeful the crib will be arriving in the next week or two. I am considering adding some red stripes to the wall behind where the crib will be, but since we do not have the furniture placed in it's final resting place, it is hard to commit. Also, I am not sure if the stripes would be too much.

I am also wrestling with what type of window treatments to add. I am considering installing Roman shades in red, but I am thinking long term it might be better to add 2 inch white faux wood blinds, and then pairing these with gigham curtains in red. Any advice would be appreciated.

Nursery Inspiration

2010-08-10T19:48:00.001-04:00

As many of you are aware, my husband and I are expecting our first little one at the end of Thanksgiving. We decided to keep the gender a surprise until the big delivery day so we needed to go with gender neutral decor. This was not a hard decision for me as I have had my eye on the Dr. Seuss nursery bedding from Pottery Barn for some time. Pottery Barn has had me at hello with these pieces. I just think everything is adorable.

Here is a close up of the bedding:

Here is the PB toddler inspired room........

So there you have it...... A Dr. Seuss nursery coming right up. We did purchase some of the items that are displayed in the Pottery Barn photos, but I decided against the bumpers as there is still a lot of debate whether bumpers are safe or not for your little one due to SIDs. I will write further posts about the items I picked, and why I picked them.... Until them, enjoy the above eye candy. :)

Nursery- Part 1: The Cleanup

2010-08-01T09:05:00.000-04:00

As I announced a few weeks ago on the blog, I am expecting a little one at the end of November (Thanksgiving to be exact). Therefore, that means we need to designate a bedroom in our home for the little one. We have three to choose from (in my mind two since I did not want to convert our newly finished guest room) in the home. We chose the room closest to our bedroom as I thought this would lessen the steps needed for late night feedings.

Once the room was selected, we needed to get it organized/cleaned out. This room had been the place everything that did not have a spot went to die. It also functioned as my over flow space for my clothes.

It is a bit embarrassing sharing with you just how bad I let this room get, but because I know everyone likes to see pics of other people's messy homes, here are a few more....

Now you have a good idea exactly what we were working with to start this project. We got started by finding new homes for everything that was in the room that was not going to stay in a nursery (which was pretty much everything). We did a lot of pitching, and a run to goodwill to get rid of some items. I also returned many items that were in holding for other people. After a few hours, here is what the room looks like.....

This is the view from the door

View from the corner where the dresser is

Looking towards the door

Opposite corner

There are a few items that still need to find new homes, but overall, it is stripped of the clutter that once remained. The black piece of furniture needs to be moved downstairs to the basement, but we need to wait until someone is able to assist with moving the piece since lifting furniture is a pregnancy no-no. The dresser and white book shelf are staying. I am undecided whether the mirror to the dresser will stay. Decisions, decisions.....

Stay tuned for my inspiration post for the nursery...... Many, many more nursery related posts to come.... :)

Master Bath Reno: Part 4- Hardware Selection

2010-07-29T10:00:00.001-04:00

Our bathroom was in desperate need of updated shower and roman tub trim. We still had the builder grade versions of both, and the roman tub trim has been flaking it's brassy metal pieces all over the place for a few months.

The shower trim was funtional, but just did not look great especially once the beautiful brushed nickel shower door was in place.

Therefore, I have been on the lookout for some replacement pieces. I had consulted with our favorite plumber since my husband and I are not well versed in plumbing. Our plumber advised us to stay with Delta pieces as we were replacing Delta pieces, and I guess this would ensure that everything would fit correctly. I am not sure if this is 100% accurate, but since we ended up special ordering the pieces, I went with his advice.

I searched Delta's website for some time. I wanted to select replacement pieces that were functional, and not fussy. Initially I was planning on selecting the Windemere collection (see pic below) as we already had these faucets at our sinks in brushed nickel, but I just did not like the the handle on these sinks. They were okay enough, but they just were not my style (see below), and I wanted something I loved for my master bath. The Delta gods helped me along as they do not offer all of the pieces I needed in the brushed nickel finish I required. Therefore, I had a big decision: 1) replace the shower and trim pieces with a different collection than the faucets or 2) start anew......

After thoughtful consideration, I decided to start anew, and get new faucets too. My decision was highly influenced by the Two-Handle Widespread Lavatory Faucet option in the Orleans Collection. I just loved it, and kept coming back to it. I had contemplated purchasing the Orleans shower and roman tub trim, and leaving the faucets as is, but I knew this would drive me nuts. I just love the lines, and think it will be perfect in our bath. I choose the Brillance Stainless which is indestructable (the finish flaking off with be a thing of the past).

Here is the corresponding Orleans Roman tub trim:

Here is the corresponding Orleans shower trim:

As I mentioned above, we needed to special order our pieces as they were not available in stock in our area. It will take about a week to a week and a half before they arrive resulting in me daydreaming on what the final product will look like in my bath. I am just tickled with my selections.

Stay tuned for after pictures......

Master Bath Reno- Part 3- New Glass Shower Door

2010-07-25T16:24:00.000-04:00

Here is the before shot:

Here is the in progress shot:

Once we had the tile fixed in the shower, it was time to select the door for our shower. Initally we checked out the big box stores, but we quickly learned that our door needs were as custom as shower enclosures come, and we needed to go with a professional.

We also learned that we were limited to a semi-frameless option or a framed door option because we had a fiberglass shower pan (the frameless options were too heavy for our pan). We had contemplated gutting the shower upon learning this, and starting anew, but we did not want to invest the money in this option. Outside of the one broken tile that needed to be replaced, the surrounding tile was holding up, and we just were not ready to make that sort of investment. Therefore, it was a no brainer for us....Work with what we have and save the money on this part of the project.

We decided to go the semi-frameless route because it gave us a more high-end look (although it was a bit pricier). We debated between a chrome and brushed nickel finish, but in the end, we went with the brushed nickel finish because we thought it looked more upscale than the chrome option (this added a bit of cost, but surprisingly, not much). From here, we decided to go with a door that opened into the bathroom rather than have two sliding glass doors like we had with our brass option. Since the previous doors ended up coming off the track all the time, this was a wonderful improvement. Also, our shower door area was a bit narrow where the doors are allowing only 40 inches for the doors. If we went with a two door option, the door opening would be narrow (our previous ones allowed for an 18 inch clearance) which was not comfortable for my broad shoulder husband that needed to enter the shower at an angle to avoid banging his shoulders against the frame. When all was said and done, we ended up selecting to have our shower door be 34 inches wide which allows for plenty of room to get in and out of the shower.

The other big consideration we contemplated was the height of the shower door frame. The brass frame was low at about 68 inches. This was too low for our needs as my husband is a six footer which meant he had to duck to get into the shower door or risk hitting his head on the frame. We selected to go with an 80 inch door height, and we are very happy with this choice.

Angle 2

We are very pleased with our new shower enclosure. Showering in our home is no longer a life threatening event......

Next up on the bathroom reno project: hardware fixture selection..... Stay tuned.

Happy to be Flush!

2010-07-22T15:00:00.002-04:00

You might be noticing a theme with the blog the last week.... Offending fans and lights are being replaced.

Here is another case that has been corrected. You see, the orginally fan in our kitchen prodded over 18 inches from the ceiling. It always made me feel like it was caving in on me. I know this sounds silly especially since I am a on the shorter side of life, but it has always bothered me. Case in point below....

I also was not a "fan" of the leaf design on the fan blades. I like streamlined unadorned items, and this just wasn't my style.

I needed to keep a ceiling fan in this room because it is practical for this space. You see, this room gets very steamy when the evening sun streams in, and the fan is a great option to cool things down.
I hit up Lumens.com for my new fan replacement. I have been obessing over the Concept II Flush 52 Ceiling Fan with Optional Light. I have been in love with this fan for some months now, but the rub is that it did not come in the black finish I wanted. It is avialble in ORB (oil rubbed bronze) with taupe, but upon speaking with the customer service reps at Lumens (they are fab) I realized that the ORB was much more medium brown than the dark brown/black I was seeking. The price tag was a bit steep at about $300 to not get what I wanted. Therefore, I keep shopping since the ORB was not an option, and I did not want the brushed nickel finish because we have so much stainless steel appliances. However, I kept coming back to the Concept II fan. It was the look I wanted exactly. Then I did something unexpected, I changed my mind. I ordered the fan in the brushed nickel finish, and I am so happy I did.

It looks perfect!

Here is a view of the kitchen with all the appliances with it. I think the finish of the fan is a nice compliment, and is not an over use of the stainless steel/ brushed nickel finish.

I am so happy to be flush! No longer is the fan caving in on me! I am also pleased to report that I was able to sell the white beauty on Craigslist too!

Hardware Switch...Instant Update

2010-07-20T20:00:00.000-04:00

We love our kitchen cabinents, but we were not a huge fan of the birdcage hardware that it was finished with when we purchased it. It drove me nuts that the hardware often was not straight (illustrated below on the left, just slightly crooked). All the doors, and drawers had the birdcage knobs on them. The drawers offered a whole different problem for us. They were at just the right height that our pant pockets would get stuck on them if we got close enough to the hardware. After ripping several pairs of lounge pants, I decided we needed a change.

As you know I forgot to take lots of the "before" shots.... This below pic was taken when I was painting the kitchen as evidenced by the paint can on the left.

Initially we were going to go with a knob and bin pull option, but laziness set in (fear really). All the drawers already had the hardware holes drilled in them (perfect and centered). I bought one of those hardware guides, but I could not find one that would allow us to drill holes at the same level the existing holes were (ie the guide was about 3 inches above where we needed the holes to be). I knew we could have made our own, but I was really nervous about screwing up the cabinent drawers since they would be expensive to replace.

Therefore, we decided it would be easier to just change everything out to the same knob option. All our appliances in the kitchen are stainless steel so I wanted to go with something different to avoid that matchy, matchy thing. We have lots of black accents in the kitchen. I browsed all the hardware stores around us, and found the below beauty online at The Great Indoors. It's called Hickory Hardware Period Brass Solid Brass Knob 1 1/4"- black nickel.

It took less than an hour to swap out the hardware, and was pretty painless.

I just love the new look. No more crooked hardware, and our pants no longer have to be fearful of the kitchen.

Master Bath Reno: Part 2- Out with the door.....

2010-07-18T15:00:00.000-04:00

Our first step in our bathroom remodel was to address the brass shower door. It needed to be replace because not only was it ugly, it was also hazardous to our health. After getting stuck in the shower a few times (the sliding doors no longer were on the track most of the time), my husband and I both decided it was time to replace the door.

Because we decided to replace the door, we knew this was the time to replace the broken tile in the shower as well. We toyed with the idea of retiling the whole shower with something different, but the existing tiles everywhere else in the shower/tub area were in great shape. Of course cost factored into our decision as well so we decided to stick with the more economical repair tile plan. Unfortunately, the previous owners did not leave any extra tiles for replacement so it was a bit of a struggle to find the right color of off-white tile to match our aged existing tile. Therefore, we proceeded with having the door removed before we selected which tile option to proceed with for the project.

We contracted out for this project because our shower opening was a custom size. The contractor we went with also did tile repair so we had him assist with replacing the tile too which was very convenient for us.

This is what the shower area looked like with the brass door removed.... Already an improvement!

Below is what the broken tile area looked like once the contractor removed the offending tiles. As you can see, some of the tile backing where the wall is missing possibly answered the question why the tile broken in the first place.

The contractor fixed this error, and we went about selecting our tile replacement option. I can't recall the color or vendor of tile we went with, but it was a 95% match to what we had existing in the shower.

As you can see above, the new tile blends in well with the existing tile. Happy dance! You probably also notice that we needed to do a bit of drywall repair outside of the shower on the corner as water leaked through the broken half caulked tile. The wall obviously doesn't look great yet, but it will in time when the bathroom gets it's new paint color.

My next post will detail how we decided to select the door for the shower enclosure, and an updated pic of how it looks now.

Master Bath Renovation Part 1

2010-07-16T08:00:00.003-04:00

Our master bath renovation project has been on the wish list since we purchased our home. From the get go, we recognized that our bath had lots of potential. We loved the size and footprint of the bathroom, but there were quite a few things not to love.

Number 1- the half carpet/half tile floor job. You see, our house was built in the late 90s, and I guess carpet in the bathroom was a great idea then. When we purchased our home, we replaced all the carpet in the house, but we left the original carpet in the baths in the hopes we would replace it with tile. Then, we started researching tile, and realized we were not ready to commitment to a particular tile option. Therefore, other projects took priority, and the carpet has stayed put for 2 years and counting. Not for long.....

Number 2- We were not fans of all the lovely shiny brass hardware and fixtures. Not only did we want to update the finish, but most of the towel bars began to fall out of the drywall after a few months. We didn't bother with fixing them because we knew we wanted to replace them. However, in decision got the best of us..... Were we going to to commitment to brushed nickel or polished nickel...... Not anymore......

Number 3- Our brass shower door needed to go. Not only was it ugly, it was no longer functional. After a year of home ownership, the metal that held the doors on the sliding component bent causing the doors not to slide and get stuck. This was obviously a major hazard that needed to be addressed. The other annoying items were that the frame bar on the top was positioned low so my six foot plus husband had to duck to get in and out of the shower. To add insult to injury, the doors were only 18 inches wide which means he also had to enter and exit at an angle because otherwise he would hit his shoulders against the frame.

Number 4- The caulked broken tile in the shower got on my last nerve. I didn't notice when we first bought the house, but after months of showering in our shower, I got annoyed having to look at the broken tile..... Easy enough to fix if replacing the door.

Number 5- The paint color was just alright, but we wanted a more spa like feel. Easy enough fix here too!

So in the coming weeks, you will witness how we transform this drab bathroom into something beautiful. I can't wait.... It has been a long time coming. Stay tuned!

Public Enemy #1

2010-07-15T20:30:00.000-04:00

Your looking at public enemy #1. This fan has been taunting me since we bought our house 18 months ago..... When we first purchased the house, I promised myself that it was going to be one of the first things replaced. What a naive person I was back then..... As we know, there are so many other items that take priority when you first purchase a home.....

Of course, we had to prioritize items, and we purchased furniture to sit on, a lawn mower, etc.......

Finally the fan became a priority. It wasn't as easy to replace as I thought back in the early days since there was the cost of the fan along with the additional fees for the electrician to install it. You see, this fan is in our great room that has giant ceilings. The catch is that we don't own a ladder so it was a necessity to have an electrician install it.

One more view so you can fully appreciate my pain. The below shot was taken before our walls were painted.... The fan did not want to go.... It held on extra long presenting some challenges for the electrician when he was trying to pry it from the ceiling....

The new fan had me at hello.....I purchased it at Lumen.com, and it is called the Loft Ceiling Fan by Emerson. It comes in several different finishes. I selected the white option, and it is the perfect shade of white. It blends in wonderfully into the ceiling, and this is just the look that I craved. It is just so understated, and that is why I love it. I love how the blades are a bit modern, but not overly so. It also has an Energy Star Rating for the eco person within me. I am just head over heels in love.

The other best part about this fan is that we have the capability to change the fan speed at the wall plate on ground level. The even cooler thing is that we have a remote control that allows us to adjust the speed from the couch! You see, the old fan had three speeds, but we were unable to change the speeds resulting in one speed. Summer in the great room has been a whole lot cooler with this baby.... :)

Close-up side view.... How sleek!

View from the balcony.... I just love how it blends in now.... I hated how before the fan just screamed look at me all day (or was that my voice in my head).... Anyhoo, that voice is gone!

The best part about this whole project is that I have already sold "public enemy #1" on craigslist. As I type, I am awaiting the buyer's arrival. So happy to be able to pass him off to someone else.

I am back......

2010-07-15T19:09:00.001-04:00

I am so embarrassed that I have been away from my blog for so long. My plan was to take a break for a few weeks, maybe a month, but time got away from me.... sort of. What really happen is that I got pregnant, and that first trimester was not a great experience for me. I was exhausted and nauseous 24/7, and I could not dream of doing anything that required me to exert any extra energy. I am happy to report though that I am now officially 21 weeks, and I am feeling so much better. I am excited to be back to the blog, and have lots of fun projects to share with everyone. Therefore, please forgive me for my absence.... I promise it will be well worth the wait.

Starbucks Giveaway Winner Announced

2010-03-20T09:30:00.000-04:00

Thank you to everyone that left a comment on my sidetable renovation. I was blown away by all your comments, and appreciate all the suggestions. I am still on the fence on what process I will apply, but I plan on making my decision mid-day today when I go to the hardware store to get supplies.

With that said, I want to announce that the lucky winner of the Starbucks gift card is Colleen from http://muralmaker1.blogspot.com/. Once I get your address, I will drop your goodie in the mail.

Thanks again for all your suggestions! I look forward to completing this project!

Let the Sunshine NOT Roll.......

2010-03-18T05:45:00.001-04:00

Our great room has lots of natural sunlight, and that was one of the biggest selling points for us when we purchased our home. We wanted a house that offered lots of natural light. However, we did not realize that all this light would come at a price. Our great room faces southwest which results in lots of hot summer sun pouring into the room. The light is nice, but the heat, and the glare do not make for comfortable and easy television watching. The wood blinds do assist a bit with these problems, but the extra uncovered window untop the windows are problematic.

I thought about adding the protective window covers that you apply directly to the windows to assist with light, but it appears they already have these applied. Therefore, I abandoned this idea, and starting looking for a drapery option.

I was very inspired by the look below from Pottery Barn (the PB Casual cotton drape). I sought an airy option that would filter the sunlight out a little, but not all together. My options were a bit limited though because I needed the curtains to be 115 inches long. Pottery Barn did have a curtain available, but I wasn't super pleased with the price. I thought I could do better....

Enter a trip to our favorite store IKEA.......I found just what I needed and wanted at IKEA. The Vivan 118 inch curtains were perfect. They offered me a sheer curtain that allowed light to filter through. At $14.99 a pair, they were very economical. Therefore, I grabbed two pairs, and was off to work on my curtain project. I decided I only wanted to have one panel per a window. Our fireplace is located in the middle of the windows, and I just wanted to avoid lots of extra fabric near potential flame. So far I am pleased with the look I achieved.

The drapery rods I found at Target on clearance. I think I may have paid full price at Target for the clips, but I was okay with that since the savings on the curtains and rods were robust. I washed and dried the Vivan drapes about 3 or 4 times to get the airy, flowy look I wanted. Out of the package, the Vivan drapes are a bit starched so washing them up is a must. The overcast today has not provided me with the best lighting options for picture taking.

View from the balcony upstairs

I am very satisfied with my choice, and the look I achieved. We can now comfortably watch television in the afternoon with limited glare.

Sidetable Revamp & A Starbucks Gift Card Giveaway.....

2010-03-14T17:02:00.001-04:00

The weather has finally started to warm up a bit here in our neck of the woods, and you know what that means...... New furniture projects of course! Below you will find my latest project. This table was a hand-me down from my husband's parents. I love the bones, but not a fan of the honey finish. I had wanted to tackle this project last fall, but the weather got too cold too quick for me.

This sidetable calls our living room home. I love how this table offers a large table top for display, and then a segemented second shelf. Our living room is a more casual space that we use for reading, and I really like the idea of displaying magazines or some cool looking books on the second shelf.

In the close-up you can see the edges have been a little worn, and the table is just screaming for a facelift.

I spent a sizable amount of time sanding the sidetable down. I started with 80 grit sandpaper, then bumped up to 100 grit, and then 150 grit. About a hour in to sanding, I realized that the top of the table was screwed into the second shelf by screws underneath. It was a welcome suprise as I was able to take the table apart, and then sand the second shelf down all the way, as well as each of the divider pieces.

I was able to get all of the old stain off the second shelf, but a bit remains on the edge of the top table surface. I am still undecided what my next step is going to be.

As you can see, the legs still have a bit of stain of them too. It it very difficult to get into all the nooks and crannies to remove the stain. I am pretty satisfied with the my efforts so far.

Now I just need to decide what the next step is going to be. Initially I thought I would restain it a very dark brown color to match all the other furniture in the room, but now I am thinking of painting it black since I haven't been able to remove all the former stain off the piece. I am not sure if I am drawn to this option because it is easy or if it is because I think it will work best for the room. Two of the major wood pieces of furniture in that room are a very dark brown stain, but the wood mirror is painted white, and most of the frames are black.

Below is a picture of a table that has been my inspiration for this project. It is Pottery Barn's Rustic Pedestal Accent Table. The finish on their table is an "expertly crafted of distressed espresso-stained hardwood, with mortise-and-tenon joinery for lasting stability and all sides are antique finished using a multistep process".

Here is a close-up of the table.

As I mentioned above, this table is stained an expresso color. I have never used stain, but if I recall right, all the previous stain must be removed for stain to work, right? If so, do any of you have any ideas of how I can achieve this look with paint? I don't think there is any possible way for me to get the rest of the stain off. I have considered using a liquid sandpaper option, but I am not sure if that would work (I also am a bit scared of it since the label pretty much spells out it is dangerous).

Therefore, I need some advice.... Does anyone have any suggestions? I am stuck with what the next step should be..... Please help!

For your time, I will be raffling a $15 Starbucks card to one lucky winner that posts a comment to this post. I will draw the lucky winner using random.org on Friday, March 19th.

Thank you in advance for all your help!

I Saw the Sign....

2010-03-13T20:30:00.001-05:00

Vintage signs are all the rage these days, and I thought I would share a sign I am really loving right now. I spotted it in the lastest LL Bean Home Catalog. I love that it can be personalized to whatever location you pick. I am toying with making the sign myself, but at $29.95, it might be worth ordering it (read: I am lazy). I think the sign might be a bit too cottagey though for me, so I am considering revamping it to look a little more like the subway signs everyone is duplicating on blogland.

So what do you think? Should I bite the bullet and buy it or should I be ambitious and make one?

It's Getting Hot in Here....

2010-03-07T21:00:00.000-05:00

Again, I am stricken with my over ambition of not taking pictures from the beginning of my project. We will have to use our imagination for a minute, imagine the walls and ceiling are olive green in the picture you are viewing. Perhaps it will not be hard to imagine since you can't see the wall paint all that well because of the glaring sun coming in from the sliding glass door. The door you are viewing faces southwest so it gets all the hot evening sun. Initially I was thinking that we would leave the window uncovered since it faces the backyard which is relatively private. However, the heat, and a few break-ins in our neighborhood last spring and summer caused me to change my game plan.

Pic #1

Pic #2

I struggled with an appropriate window treatment choice for this door. I had two purposes I was hoping to fix: 1-create privacy so burglars do not have a big picture window to glare into the house, and 2- a choice that would help insulate this room from the daily evening heat-up. There was one other concern- I did not want curtain panels that would go behind the garbage can. I strive to keep things clean, but the garbage area in one's kitchen is not known to be a super clean area. I thought about relocating the garbage can do a different spot in the kitchen, but there was another reasonable option. Finally, I did not want to go with traditional vertical blinds because I am just not a fan of that look.

Surprisingly, I did find a vertical option at JcPenny's that fit my needs. I stumbled upon the stylish Linden Street Cotton Duck Thermal panel System. I thought this was the perfect solution to my problems. It provides the thermal protection against the heat, provides privacy if needed, but can be slide back and forth if needed. I struggled with selecting the right color. I was between cream, desert khaki, and the chocolate options. I like lighter window treatments, but was worried that the cream would get dirty since the panels are within inches of the trash can. The desert khaki was nice, but it just didn't go well with the Bittersweet Stem paint color. I kept gravitating to the chocolate, but worried it would be too dark, and make my very sunny kitchen cave like.
After much thought, I pulled the trigger on purchasing the cream panel system. I couldn't be happier with my choice. This panel system is a wonderful solution to my needs. Although I would have preferred to keep the windows open, I think this is the next best answer. It looks wonderful in my kitchen.

I apologize the pictures are so dark, but I forgot to take shots this afternoon. So what do you think? Have you come up with any creative solutions to cover your sliding glass doors? Do you have window treatments on the windows that face your backyard?

Lesson Learned.....

2010-03-07T20:17:00.000-05:00

Hello friends! I just wanted to apologize for all the craziness you may have experienced if you tried to view my blog for half of last week. You see, it was taken over by a crazy widget/gadget that I carelessly applied to my blog. I didn't do my due dilgence, and randomly added a blog counter to the bottom of my blog to see how many hits I was getting. I should have read the reviews to make sure I was using a good one, but I used one of the first ones I found online (I was being lazy; I admit it). After struggling for a few days to remove the html code, I am happy to report that the blog is free of all the wackiness you may have experienced. I guess I should cross my fingers when I say that because at least today, it appears to be A-okay.

Needless to say, I have learned a valuable lesson: Make sure you know what you are adding to your blog before you do it....

Happy Sunday!

Earsing the Past Can be Daunting

2010-03-01T21:09:00.000-05:00

I finally tackled a project I have wanted to complete since last March when I painted our kitchen. You see, I was a bit of a novice when I painted our kitchen and did not realize I should have painted the molding BEFORE I painted the kitchen walls. It could have been easy peasy, but I sometimes like to do things the hard way. Not so.... I should have planned better.

This is the best pic I have of the before color of the kitchen.... It was taken right after I had 10 inches cut off my hair to donate to Pantene's Great Length Program...

At any rate, when we purchased our home in May of 2008, I immediately had a love hate relationship with the very dark olive green color our kitchen was at the time; seemed more like a cave than a kitchen to me. It took me a few months to find the right paint color. Our granite countertops were very neutral with lots of creams, khakis, browns, and a bit of black specks. Therefore, I choose to paint the walls Bittersweet Stem by Sherwin Williams. After finishing two coats of primer, and two coats of paint color, I was in love with my new kitchen, and never wanted to paint again.

Then, I saw it.... The past was staring me in the eye all over the kitchen. The old owners did an awful job when it came to protecting the molding during their painting projects. Depending on where you were, you could see shades of olive green, country blue and bright yellow shining on the dingy white molding. I have quite the eye for detail which has turned into a curse at times for me. The paint “vomit” was driving me nuts, but I was a bit intimidated with taping off the molding, and repainting it. I didn't want to harm the walls that I worked so hard to paint. So I waited, and stewed, and waited some more until I could not handle it anymore......

Evidence Pic #1

Evidence Pic #2

Evidence Pic #3

Well, the wait is over. This past weekend I got the confidence to get the job done. I hit up Lowe's and purchased some Frog tape (I was giddy to try it since its praise has been all over blogland). Initially I thought about free handing my molding project, but I didn't trust that my hand could be that steady.

Anyhoo, I sanded down the parts of the molding where paint had chipped, and filled in some areas that were a bit dented with some wood filler. Then, I spent some quality time taping off the walls where the molding met the wall, and were the molding met the wood floor. It seemed like this took forever, but in all honestly, it took about 1.5 hours.

Once the tape was up, I got to painting. I used Benjamin Moore’s Decorators White in semi-gloss. I applied three coats of paint just to be sure that I was able to cover that olive green paint up. After two coats, it looked like it was covered, but I wanted to be sure because I did not want to have to do this project again.

I am allayed with the results. The molding looks so crisp and clean, and I am so happy to be rid of the past. My husband was a bit skeptical of the worthiness of this project, but once it was complete and all cleaned up, he realized that the crisp white molding was the final touch for the room. Needless to say, I can finally breathe a sigh of relief in the kitchen because I finally got this major project checked off.

Although, I think I created a bit of a monster now….. Now I keep thinking, perhaps I should repaint all of the molding in the house. Next up, the foyer and main hall walkways…..

My opinion on Frog tape…. Not sure if it is worth the extra money. All and all, I didn’t see much of a different between blue painter’s tape vs my use of Frog tape. The semi-gloss paint bleed through in about 4-5 locations on the wall that I will need to touch-up. Therefore, I am just not sure about it….

Be Our Guest, Be Our Guest.....

2010-02-22T22:45:00.000-05:00

Once upon a time, our guest bedroom was not a very welcoming place. The walls had numerous and very large holes in them that marked where the former owners had hung various pieces. As you can see, I got a bit ahead of myself, and forgot to take a pic of the room before I stripped the old items out.

Before Take 1

Before Take 2

I went ahead and painted the room a wonderful robin's egg blue. It is called Woodlawn Blue by Benjamin Moore. I just absolutely love this color!!!! Also, I gave all the hand-me-down furniture a new fresh look with the some black paint from Benjamin Moore (you will have to forgive I am not listing the color because I am too lazy to walk down stairs and look).

Getting closer to a final product...

Almost there....

Another shot of getting closer to the final product...

Final product as the room looks today.... Take 1....

Take 2.....

Take 3....

Take 4.... You might remember this little side table I sanded down and repainted awhile back...

Take 5.....

So there you have it..... It took about a year to put this room together, but I am happy with the results. There are a few things that I would like to add (crown molding and a chair, but in due time we will add these items). My goal was to provide a restful retreat for our guests, and I think I have done exactly that..... So often we rush rooms, and repent in leisure. I am glad I took a slow approach to putting this beauty together.

For those that may have missed my paint mention above, the paint color is Woodlawn Blue by Benjamin Moore in a satin finish. It is just the right robin's egg blue color.... Can't get enough of this color!

Public Enemy #2: Before and After Foyer Light

2010-02-22T20:51:00.001-05:00

Your looking at public enemy #2. The dreadful brass builder foyer fixture. Many of you share my pain if your house was built in the 90s. Our home is full of lots of shiney brass items (door knobs, hinges, lights, etc). Slowly, I am working through exiling all of this brass. I first started with our dining room light, and now I am here to give the good heave ho to this foyer fixture.

My mom taught me to say nothing if I have anything negative to say, so I will just let the pictures speak for themselves.

I have spent about six months looking for an affordable replacement to this beast above. I had found a few options that I liked, but at $500 and $800 a piece, I couldn't stomach spending that much on a light that I was not 100% in love with. Enter Overstock.com..... I spend a decent amount of time looking for various items I am in the market for at Overstock.com each week. One day, I ran across this item pictured below....

I swooned in my computer seat....It is called the Accolade 12-light Chandelier. It fit the bill for what I was looking for: nickel finish, traditional with some modern lines. Drum roll for the best part..... It was affordable. At $177.99, it was offered at an attainable price. It should be illegal to be this well priced, right? So I got my order on, and received this beauty within 2 days. Score!

Of course since we do not own a ladder, I had the electrician install the new beauty for me. It was a breeze to install, and was up and ready to illuminate within 15 minutes. :)

Full view...

What a commanding presence it offers.

Looking up from the door way....

Finally, the night views with all 12 lightbulbs blazing......

Another angle with the dimmer switch in action....

Finally the view looking up with the lights on.....

I am so in love with my purchase.... I am giddy with delight. Don't you just love when you feel that way!

Getting Hemmed up....

2010-02-09T20:48:00.000-05:00

I have a little confession...... This is a bit embarrassing, but I have had these IKEA drapes hung, but unhemmed for months now in our living room. I must admit, I sometimes suffer from not finishing projects 100% before I move on to the next one. I am a little bit ADD about it (which is super hard for me to admit because I am pretty organized with most aspects of my life). Anyhoo, when I hung the drapes the first time, I loosely pinned them so they looked ok (or so I thought- see below). The thing is we generally have a couch in front of the window so most people really do not see the bottom of the drapes.... That is until Christmas hit, and we moved the drapes, and centered the tree in the middle of the window..... Let's just say, it wasn't pretty....

So I finally bit the bullet, or should I say, the snow storm trapped me in the house today. I completed the project will all items I had around the house: iron, hem tape and a ruler. The drapes needed to have six inches hemmed up on them so I pinned the drapes after measure the length with my ruler. The whole project took about 20 minutes, and let's just say, I am so happy to be able to check it off my to do list....

Here is a view of both angles from the carpet looking up....The drapes look so tidy. Do not focus on the fugally side table to the left. Once the weather improves, I am going to sand that baby down, and refinish it. I am still not sure if I am going to stain it, or do a painting treatment that will mimic a stain.... That's for another day...

So there you have it, the drapes finally got hemmed up! :)

Mirror, Mirror Leaning on the Wall....

2010-02-08T17:06:00.002-05:00

Spray paint sure is a girl's best friend..... I found the below mirror when I was stalking Craigslist a few months back. If I recall correctly, the mirror was about $25ish, and I thought that was decent for a 35 inch mirror. I know some of you might disagree, but I thought it was a worthwhile investment. I was not a big fan of the light wood finish so I decided to take the mirror out to the back yard, and give it a little TLC with Heirloom White (I forgot to take a painting pic this time; opps!)

And there you have it..... This beauty now calls my living room home, and it thanks me every day for giving it a new lease on life..... How do you all like it leaned up against the wall? At this point, I am digging the look, but I am toying with the idea of hanging it on the wall. Your advice would be swell. :)

Presto Chango: 2 Quick Improvements

2010-02-02T10:00:00.001-05:00

We decided to make a few quick improvements around the house specifically in our bathrooms. Both of us are big fans of rain showers. We have had one in each of our bathrooms for years. When we moved into our house, that was the first improvment we made in our bathroom. Although, we did not do the same thing in our guest bath. See the pic below of the before.

One day I was picking up supplies for a project at Menard's and I spotted the below shower head on clearance for $20ish. I thought at that price, why not. So I snapped it up, and ran home to install.

I will admit that I just watched when this rain head was installed. My husband has mastered this skill so I left it to him. It took him less than 5 minutes to get it up and running.

The other wonderful improvement we made were installing two more slow close toilet lids in our upstairs bathrooms. You may recall that I blogged about the addition of a slow close lid in our half bath renovation. I think these slow close seats are heavenly because they eliminate the noise the toilet seat makes when your male counterparts are putting the seat down. I picked the below featured seat up at Menard's for $22 on sale.

It is very easy to switch out a toilet seat. All you do is open the clamp thingy up at the back of the seat. Next, you unscrew the old toilet seat. You will want to clean underneath the clamp (this is where this project is a bit gross). Once you have this clean, you just screw the new seat on, and then close the new clamp thingy.....

Presto Chango! The above projects were completed in a total of 30 minutes.

Revisiting our Dining Room

2010-01-31T09:03:00.001-05:00

You might remember how blah our dining room looked before I painted it. If not, the following is a picture to jog your memory of the "before".

Pictured below is the wall the mirror is placed on pre-mirror. As you can see, it looks sort of blah.

Here is the first after. This is the view from our foyer area. I am not thrilled with how the table is decorated, but wanted to share the progress with the newly installed light, mirror, and drapes.

This view is from the corner near the window.

This view is from the corner closest to the kitchen looking into the room.

This view is similar to the view above, but it is from the entryway in the kitchen rather than the corner.

This view is from the corner by the window closer to the entry door.

This below view is from the center of the window.

Closeup of the pendant light.

One more view of the mirror and the buffet. I think this turned out divine. I love how the pendant is centered in the mirror in the picture. :)

All and all, I am very pleased with how the dining room is shaping up. I still need to figure out a few more wall accessories. I am thinking of hanging some white plates on the wall just to the left of the entryway that leads into the kitchen (see first pic on the left hand side where the wall is blank). Outside of that, I am not sure if I really need to have items flanking the china cabinet. I am generally of the thinking "less is more", but am open to suggestions.

Also, let me know how you decorate your table top. I like having a table cloth on the table most of the time because I like how it protects the table top from dust. Although, I am thinking of getting ambitious, and doing something else. Suggestions are always welcomed.

Foyer fun....

2010-01-30T10:06:00.002-05:00

I know this may take some of you by surprise, but we do not have much hanging on our walls in our home. I am sure some of you may think that this tidbit is a bit unexpected. 2009 was a big year for paint in our home. The whole first floor was painted between the months of March and November. I did most of the painting in the early part of the year, and then, I developed some issues with nerves in my right arm (I am right handed) so we had to hire out for the rest of it. Anyhoo, I developed a bit of a fear with hanging things back on the wall since all the walls were perfectly painted. Basically, I was fearful of disturbing the paint job (I know this sounds crazy), but it is what it is.

At any rate, I have decided that 2010 is the year to start showcasing our art and photographs. The first place I started is in our foyer. Our house is very open so we do not have a lot of wall space in our foyer. The blank wall below is the "showcase" wall, and it is the first thing visitors see when they arrive.

As I mentioned above, I have a bit of a fear of hanging items on the walls at this point. Therefore, I needed to develop a tool that would aid my confidence. I decided that before placing any nails in the wall, I would trace the size of my framed art onto paper. I then used these paper cut-outs to determine the positioning of the art by moving the paper pieces around on the wall (adhering the paper with tape once I thought I was in the right spots). The display I settled on is pictured below.

From here, I measured the positioning of the hanging wire and hardware on the art frames. I can not recall what each photo needed. From memory, the first photo had the metal teeth hanger on the top, and the second piece needed the picture hanger to be placed 3.5 inches down from the top of the frame. Therefore, I found the center, measured down about 3.25 inches since the hanger thing was about 1/4 inch and then nailed the hanger into the wall.

Viola! I am very happy I got over my fear. The top picture is a wedding shower gift from some dear friends. The bottom pic is a drawing we had an artist do for us of our home (you might recognize it from the blog too). Below is the exact view visitors get from our doorstep (I am working on figuring out what to place over the fireplace... I am thinking a mirror, but that is the "easy" way out).

As the year progresses, I will continue to share with you how I accessorize with wall decor around our home.

Sidetable Gets Its Groove Back

2010-01-17T16:17:00.001-05:00

This is a classic story of giving a good piece of furniture another life with a little bit of elbow grease. Below you will find a traditional sidetable that has seen better days. It has great bones, but has been loved a little too hard. However, it has major potential. All it needs is a bit of sanding, primer, paint, and poly.

Before:

Mid-procress: Half-Sanded

After:

The sidetable is back to its regal self. I gave it two coats of primer, three coats of paint, and three very thin coats of poly. It now has a wonderful home in our guest bedroom. Perfection!

Making Heirlooms Work for You

2010-01-17T14:58:00.001-05:00

My husband and I received an old family picture of his Great-Great Grandparents from Hungary. It is a wonderful pic, but the gold frame was not working for our home decor. We struggled with finding a place to hang the picture for months. Initially, I wanted to preserve everything about this picture. However, the frame was the frame's golden tone wasn't working, so we just did not have anywhere to display it. Then, one day I decided to grab a can of silver spray paint, and spray the frame.

Before:

After:

I am just tickled with our result. The frame looks great, and now hangs proudly in our dining room for everyone to see. It is a great conversation starter, and I am so happy we were able to make this heirloom work for our home decor.

Color Me Beautiful.....

2010-01-03T10:47:00.003-05:00

As you can see, I didn't take a “before” pic of the dining room (I got ahead of myself a bit with this project). Below, you will find pics of the blank slate before the paint was applied. This presented me with a great opportunity to make the room my own.

The room had never been painted (just builders paint on the wall which is crazy since the house was built in 1997), but had major potential with the crown molding and the molding boxes on the bottom of the walls.

You may notice that the white color inside of the molding boxes looks a shade different from the surrounding moldings. I had recently painted the inside of the boxes white (they had been a dark khaki color). I used the same color white the molding had been painted, but since it had been painted a few years ago, they read a bit different for a few months. Now, they blend in just fine.

The color I selected was Woodlawn Blue by Benjamin Moore in an eggshell finish. I just love a Robin's egg color with dark wood. The china cabinet, table and chairs have an expresso finish.

I absolutely love how it turned out!

Now all I need to do is replace that fugly brass chandelier. I have the below oversized equator pendant ready to install from CB2. It is quite a steal at only $199 compared to other pendant lights I found.

So what do you think?

Maintenance Free

2010-01-01T16:10:00.000-05:00

Today I was reminenscing a bit about all the yard projects we completed this past summer around our casa with a few friends. Upon recalling all the hardwork, I realized I never posted about one of our major backbreaking projects. So here we go.... try to remember what warm weather feels like, and let's talk about creating an almost maintenance free space.

As you can see below, we had a very large flowerbed on the southside of our house by our driveway that was filled to the brim with numerous perennials. This bed provided many beautiful flowers, but it also provided lots of soil for numerous weeds to grow. Almost every other day, I was going outside to weed which is not a fun task when you are allegeric to almost everything outdoors.

Therefore, in an effort to create more maintenance free spaces on our property, my husband and I dug up all the plants in the above space. We have a little bit of nice topsoil with lots of clay soil underneath, so we waited to complete the removal process until we had a few days of rain. This was a great idea because our shovels cut through the soil much like a knife cuts through hot butter. It was pure magic, and made the process go so much quicker. It took about 3 hours to dig all those flowers up, but we got it done.

We then picked out all the rocks we could find in the soil. Initially we were going to try to seed the area rather than using sod, but after having seeded so many areas of our yard this year, we opted for sod (instant gradification was needed). We then decided that since we removed all the plants ourselves (and also because I am allergic to grass) that we would contract out for the sod. Therefore, our contractors rototilled the soil to prepare for the sod, and then sodded it on our behalf.

After lots of water (water is super important to sod rooting; I can't emphasis it enough), we are happy to report that our sod rooted well to the ground, and for the most part, blends in well with the surrounding grass. We are super excited to have one less area to weed next summer which will provide more time for enjoying fun warm weather activities.

I definitely think the grass is greener on our side of the property line. :)

Yeah for a New Bath!

2009-12-28T19:13:00.002-05:00

I must apologize for the delay in this posting. Life has returned to a more hectic schedule with me working again. Therefore, it takes a bit longer to finish a project with my new 9 to 5 gig….

First, let's remind ourselves what he used to look like in his old wallpaper skin with gold brassy ornaments.

Without further adieu, I would like to introduce you to our NEW half bath on our main floor. He has endured quite a face-lift, and is so happy to be sporting a new look.........

A second...

A third....

So what is new? Let's start with the foundation of what stayed...the toilet and pedestal sink. The new items include: the mirror, faucet, toilet paper holder, Kohler quiet toilet seat, toilet handle, towel holder, light, the artwork, and cabinet. I decided to go with a brushed nickel finish for all of the accessory pieces. The paint color is Glass Slipper by Benjamin Moore.

You might be wondering what a "Kohler quiet toilet seat" might be..... It can be translated with one word "Heaven".... For all practical purposes, the seat is just like any other toilet seat you may have sat on in the past. The big advantage to the "quiet toilet seat" is that when your Y chromosome friends put the seat down, the toilet seat slowly closes with no noise resulting in silence. :)

I spent quite a bit of time contemplating what mirror to purchase. I really liked the Vintage Oval pivot mirror at Restoration Hardware (see below), but at $285, it was a bit of a splurge for a bathroom mirror.

Therefore, our bathroom went mirrorless for a few weeks until I could find a different option. Luckily, a Christmas miracle occurred at Menards..... I spotted a very similiar, but totally affordable (on sale for $52) pivot mirror by Moen (see below). The moment I spotted this wonderful mirror, I heard a church choir singing "Alleluia" in the store aisle. I picked that mirror up as fast as I could (it was the last in the aisle), and sprinted to the check-out counter.

So there you have it, this is is how my bathroom lost it's brass. Here is one more photo for your viewing pleasure.

One more thing, do you think I should hang a picture above the toilet/below the wall cabinet? Initially I was going to hang the cabinet a bit lower, but then I realized there was a chance my very tall husband might hit his head on the cabinet. I couldn't have that happen, so I decided to raise the cabinet resulting in room for another picture. Let me know if you think I should hang something, and any suggestions you may have.

Bye-Bye Wallpaper

2009-11-22T21:43:00.001-05:00

Since the first day I laid my eyes upon it, I have had a disgruntled relationship with the wallpaper in the powder room. Quite simply, the wallpaper was just not my style. In addition, the brass hardware was definitely not my style. Therefore, I had toyed with the idea of removing the wallpaper for months, but never got around to tackling this project until now..... To fully appreciate the before, I have posted two photos below....

As you can see, the room is quite small, and the wallpaper did not do anything to open it up.

Removing the wallpaper was not as easy as I had hoped. Whoever applied the wallpaper did not do the prep-work necessary to protect the drywall. Therefore, the wallpaper came off in two layers--decorative, and then the papery gluey layer that held on extra tight to the drywall.

There are many ways to remove wallpaper. I initially started with spraying the walls with a hot water/fabric softener solution, but I found this to be very messy and extremely ineffective (it smelled really good though). I then moved on to working with a commercial clothes steamer. I highly recommend using steamer.... All you do is steam the paper/gluey layer until it is nice and moist, and then pull the paper layer off the wall. You can use a metal scrapper too while working with the steamer, but you need to be super careful you do not gouge the walls. As you can see below, I worked my way from the bottom of the way up removing the glue/paper area.

We also had to remove the toilet during this step because we could not remove all the paper behind the toilet.

Once the entire paper/glue layer was removed, my husband and I scrubbed the walls with a TSP mixture. Make sure you buy lots of disposable sponges. We went through about six two-packs scrubbing the excess glue layer off the wall. It took us about five hours total to do this very small room, but we wanted to ensure we had as much of the glue removed as possible.

Next, we had a professional drywaller come out to patch up all the gouges in the wall. There was a particular focus on fixing the corners where major parts of the drywall came off with the wallpaper. We could have probably fixed these ourselves, but our walls were majorly damaged, and we wanted to leave it up to a professional since we did not have the experience with patching walls with these many problems.

Once the walls were repaired and sanded to match the existing drywall, we primed/sealed the walls with Zinsser Bulls Eye 1-2-3 Primer. Because we were not able to remove all of the glue 100%, we needed to use a primer that would seal the rest of the glue into the drywall so it would not be visible once the new paint was on the walls. The Lowe's paint department highly recommended this brand, and so we went with it.

The Zinsser primer worked like a charm, and dried super fast (in 45 minutes), but BOY was it SMELLY. I mean TOXIC and SMELLY. It set all of our carbon monoxide alarms off in our home. Therefore, make sure you wear a mask if you use this product (which I did), and also make sure you have the area you are applying it to SUPER ventilated (many fans pushing the bad air out, and fresh air in).

From here, I needed to pick my new paint color. I decided to choose Glass Slipper by Benjamin Moore. I wanted a gray/bluish hue that would be spa like, and pop against the white molding. I also thought this color would look great with the new brushed nickel light, faucet, and other bathroom hardware (not pictured). To ensure I liked the color, I got a test hue, and applied it to the wall (sneak peek below). You can kind a see it below, but it is quite a bit lighter than what it will look like once two coats are applied to the walls. Also the lighting is off a bit since the actual bathroom light will not be installed until the painting is complete.

Therefore, the bathroom waits until Tuesday for the painter's arrival.... You may be asking why I am not painting it myself, but the short answer is it is against doctor's orders..... By no means am I revealing that I am with child, but rather I have a nerve disorder in my forearm that is limiting future projects for several weeks as I complete physical therapy. Thus, I can't paint or do a lot of the other fun things I have been doing for the last few months.....

At any rate, look for a big reveal in the next week of our new powder room!

Be Gone Shiny Brass Fireplace

2009-10-26T09:49:00.002-04:00

Since the day we moved in, I have loathed our fireplace doors, and in part the brick surrounding the fireplace. I am just not a shiny brass kinda girl. I have delayed starting this project because I wasn't really sure where to start, but after a bit of research, and a lot of confidence I said good bye to my brass forever.

First, I took the doors off by unscrewing the clips that suspend the doors in them. This is a bit of a process, and you could really benefit from having four hands to complete. However, I did this on my own, and was able to balance the doors before they came crashing down. Next, I needed to remove the lovely part brass/part light wood handles. I bit off more than I could chew when it came to this step because one of the screws was already stripped. Since I like a challenge, I kept trying to remove the screw and therefore, further stripped it. I had enough where with all to recognize I had a problem on my hands. Therefore, I called the local hardware store, and lucky for me, they agreed to help we remove the screw (for free to boot). Perhaps I could have figured out how to do this (willing it to come off did not work), but we have limited tools so reaching out for help really got this process is moving.

After the hardware was out of the way, I got my sand on. I have an electric powered one, and used this to sand most of the brass off the doors. With this process, you are just trying to rough up the metal enough so that it will accept the new spray paint. Once this was complete, I taped and wrapped up the glass doors to protect them from my high heat resistant black spray paint. You may notice in this pic that there are two holes in the metal part of the door. This occurred when I realized the prior hardware was a crazy one of a kind size. Therefore, I had to drill two new holes so that my new black hardware would fit. It sounds way harder than it was. Trust me!

So once my doors were all wrapped up, it was time to get their spray on in the garage. It took about four to five light coats to coat each side of the doors. Patience is the key here because you want to ensure you are allowing the paint to dry in between the coats. I spray painted the inside part of the door first, and then moved to the outer doors.

Once the spray paint part was complete, I then installed my new black hardware. Reinstalling the doors was a bit of a headache because the doors are suspended on these little bracket things, and it was much harder to get everything real aligned than it was to take it apart. I would highly recommend that you have another person assist with reinstalling it, but since I am impatient, and did not want to wait for my husband to come home, I was able to get it all put back together just fine. I few choice words were used, but the end result is priceless.

Ta da......

I am just loving the fireplace's new look. The brick is starting to grow on me. Initially I was thinking of painting it once I had the doors complete, but now I think I am going to hold off on that until I am 100% sure I want to paint it.

So there you have it..... Brass be gone! I am so happy that I finally tackled this project. I just love looking over at my fireplace now.

Rose of Privacy or Rose of Sharon????

2009-10-07T17:19:00.001-04:00

Many of you know out there that my husband and I were very surprised with all the landscaping we inherited from the previous owners. Let's just say that the snow did a number on hiding all the fun flowers of all kinds, cactus, and bushes placed randomly throughout the yard (literally). To say we were overwhelmed would be an understand statement. As mentioned in a few of my other posts, we have spent the first 18 months of home ownership digging our way out of the craziness known as our yard. We are FINALLY beginning to see the light to the tunnel of a more low maintenance yard. THANK GOODNESS!

Our major goal during our yard overall is to create spaces that are low maintenance, but lend us plenty of privacy from our neighbors. Our other major goal is to create obstacles so that children on bikes do NOT ride through our yard on their quest to get to the neighborhood pool. You see, the neighborhood pool is caddy corner from our backyard across the street.... Does that make sense? Basically, our backyard butts up to a berm, and on the other side of the berm is a road, and on the other side of that road lies the pool. We have created major obstacles in most places of our yard by planting trees, but there still lies an area where kids ride through near our driveway. Initially, we placed rocks haphazardly, but that did not seem to stop our bike riding friends.

From the pic, it is hard to see the rocks, but if you look really hard, you can see that between the tree on the left, and the bushes on the right, we placed about 8 or 9 rocks. Very ineffective...... So I stepped up my game, and Lowe's was my partner in crime. I was checking out the Garden section this week to find that all their bushes were on clearance at 25%. So I start thinking that perhaps this is the motivation I needed to get my new obstacles in place. However, the question arises as to which bush to pick. I decided to go with the Rose of Sharon because there were 5 available in all the same color, they grow super quick, and we have a few of them in other places on the property. So my decision was made easily, and boy was I happy to find that at the check-out they were actually 50% off..... Yippee! Below, you can see that I evenly spaced them apart at around 3.5 feet (per instructions on the plants).

Then, I got my digging on.... Luckily it had just rained, and the soil was very soft making this task so much easier.

Easy peasy!..... Now, I just can't wait until they take off, and fill in. This bush is super lovely when it is in bloom (see the little bloom below). I highly recommend it.

Below I have included some Rose of Sharon bushes we currently have planted on the property (they are over 6 feet tall). As you can see, they have filled in very well, and create quite a bit of privacy.

If only I could snap my fingers to get the ones I just planted to grow as big as their brothers. Although, I think my Rose of Sharon is beginning to create the rose of privacy I quest....

Fallin' into Fall

2009-10-05T17:09:00.000-04:00

I have been green with envy of many of the beautiful fall wreaths I have been spying around my neighborhood in the last week. Initially I thought I would just buy one (easy enough, right?), but then I couldn't find any that I liked in my price range. This lead to me think... HMMM..... Could I make one myself? So off to Hobby Lobby I went to purchase my supplies. I already had a Styrofoam hoop thing (just needed to spray paint it black). Therefore, I purchased a fall sway with leaves & berries, 3 pumpkins on wire sticks, and then 4 extra berries & leaves on a stick (see below).

Once I got home, I got my hot glue gun out, and went to town. Basically, all I did was glue down the sway around the hoop. Once I got this complete, there were a few bare places so I used my extra berry/leaves on a stick, and pushed those items into the foam securing in the back by bending the wire. Then, I spaced my pumpkins on a stick around the wreath.... That easy....

Drumroll Please......

And there you have it.... Above is a close up view of my very first wreath.... Yeah me! Below you can see a further away view of what it looks like for guests when they are approaching our front door.

So what do you think? Do you have any experiences with wreaths?

Front Yard Renovation: Part II: Plants in the Ground Ready to Grow

2009-09-21T14:18:00.003-04:00

I am super pleased with how the front yard turned out. All and all, it was pretty painless having the seven tons of topsoil added in addition to having our front step, and two sidewalk tiles mudjacked back to their rightful spots (due to the settlement issue, our front step had settled about 3 inches below where it should have been). There were a few kinks in the process ie the electrical cord that leads out to our carriage light in the front yard was cut several times which required it to be patched several times which turned into having to replace and trench a whole new line out to the light. Therefore, this requires a new project of seeding the four inch wide by several feet line of mud trailing through our yard, but all and all it could be worse.

Below is the view from the right side of our property line in front. The oranmental grass did a great job of growing in around the utility boxes.

Here is a closer look at the porch area. Behind the Japanese Red Maple you will find 'P.J.M'. hybrid rhododendrons which will offer great flowers in the spring. In front of the Japanese Red Maple we have two types of hydrangeas: mophead and limelight.

The below is a pic of the right side of the house. Here we have boxwoods, limelight hydrangea, spireas, and several annuals planted. We also had the landscapers put a flagstone path in to lead to the hose area which allows for easier watering.

Below you can see what the front entry looks like now. We had a large surplus of decorate rocks all over our property from the previous owners. We decided to incorporate them into the new design.

This view highlights the area in front of the garage windows. Again we used some of the extra decorative rocks, boxwoods, crab apple tree (pre-existing), and some annuals.

Below you can see how the flowerbed near the carriage light has been downsized, and filled with a bluestar mini-bush, a 'P.J.M.. hybrid rhododendron (pre-existing from prior owners), mini-irises (pre-existing), a red ground covering, and rocks.

Below is the view of the utility boxes by the driveway. Gone are the dying Junipers, and here to stay are the Yews. It will take a few years for them to grow in, but it looks so much better already.

View from the driveway. Although it will take a few years for the bushes to grow in, I think the below looks so much better than what we started with in the beginning. All the new plants were a bit high maintenance this year because they needed to be watered almost daily to ensure they become rooted well (we had very little rain all summer and lots of heat once the plants were in the ground).

I love how it all came together. The only thing left to do is to seed the area where the new carriage electric line was installed in the yard. However, before that occurs, we will be aerating first since we have clay soil. Perhaps next year I will have flower boxes installed under the two garage windows on the left. I think that would be the icing on the cake.

Front Yard Renovation: Part I- Cleaning up and Planning

2009-09-21T13:17:00.003-04:00

One thing we did not expect to find the day we closed on our house was an insane amount of overgrown landscaping. We placed our offer in March when the ground was covered with snow, and therefore, we had no idea what we were getting ourselves into when it came to our yard. Some homeowners would be pleased to find lots of flowerbeds, but not my husband and I. We were utterly overwhelmed with what we had going on around the house. Our first summer in the house we decided to "try" to maintain what we had inherited. We realized during this trial period that there was just too much going on for us to handle. Therefore, we decided to downsize a few of the flowerbeds, and turn them into grassy areas. We also filled in our small pond because it was just too much of a hassle to maintain in our minds (we also saw that down the road it would be a major danger area for children). At any rate, I did not catalog our first summer nor the changes we made. However, I have documented most of our outdoor changes this past summer.

First up, is the front yard renovations. Essentially, we started off with lots of overgrown bushes, tress, and ivy. Our other major issue was that we had some settlement issues, and therefore, we needed to bring in several tons of dirt to bring the grade up around the front of the house. Therefore, we decided to remove most of the preexisting landscape, and start fresh once the grade was raised around the house. The following pictures gives you a good look of what we started with in June. Mind you, on the left side of the house, we had bushes under the windows where it is bare. We removed those ourselves. In the right hand corner of this pic you can see the bed around the utility boxes that we cleaned up ourselves too. The prior owners had planted a hodge podge of flowers around the box that didn't serve much purpose. We decided to remove these flowers, and plant ornamental grass which would in turn grow high to cover the boxes.

We also decided to remove the Silver Maple tree from the front due to the extra work the pinwheels they dropped in the spring created, and then all of the leaves it dropped in the fall. The tree did not serve much purpose, and we thought it would be nice to have more grass in the front yard. We are more of the evergreen type of people (mind you we had 10 blue spruces planted in the spring so we more than made up for cutting this tree down).

The below view is from the driveway angle. As you can on the bottom apart of the picture, the flower bed around the lamp post is overgrown with an overwhelming amount of Black Eyed Susans, and just begging to be downsized.

Below you can see the other utility box area that is on our property line with our other neighbor. The browning Juniper was begging to be replaced with something else. It just continued to look more and more sickly everyday.

The below pic gives you a better idea of all of the chaos we had going on in the flower beds. We decided to have the weeping cherry tree removed too because the placement would not work with our new design. We strived for clean lines and low maintenance.

As you can see above and below, these pics reflect all the plants removed from the flower beds in the front. It was such a relief to have these cleaned up.

This picture gives you more appreciation for what a little hard work and lots of digging can do to the appearance of the house.

Now that we had all the beds all cleaned up, and ready to go, now what? Well, after lots of debate, and research, I went over to the nursery to help pick out some of the plants that I wanted to be part of my new design. I just love hydrangeas (I know they are a bit high maintenance, but they are so worth the extra work in my book), and boxwoods so these were absolute must haves. From here, I was ope to suggestions. Therefore, our landscape architect went to work on his drawing...

.. To Be Continued....

The Guest Suite Part Uno:Furniture Facelift

2009-08-08T20:59:00.003-04:00

So I have been jonesing to revamp our guest bedroom since we moved into our house. However, the wedding planning took precedent before any major house projects could begin. Then, once the wedding was complete, I started to begin projects on our first floor. At any rate, the last week has been dedicated to overhauling the guest bedroom. First on my to do list was to turn our drab dresser and bookcase into something fab. I knew it could be done since we were working with a good foundation.

Here are the before pics......

The drawers that slide into the bookcase are sitting on top of the bookcase in case you are wondering where the random drawers belong that are floating on top....

As I said above, not to shabby.... Now, all I had to do was get my sand on.... Let me tell you, this step took a little longer than I had originally thought, but it was well worth it. Here is the dresser all sanded down.....

Next came the tinted primer. Because I was painting both pieces black, it was important to use a tinted gray primer. This step ensured an even tone of the final color once applied (I applied three coats of primer). By the way, the pics make the primer look sort of purple, but trust me it was really gray.

Just begging for their final coats....

Next, I applied three coats of the final color to ensure even coverage......... And for the big reveal.....

I am so lovin' it! These pieces could not have turned out any better.... It just shows you what a little paint and lots of elbow grease can do.....

Now I just need to get that chair on the right refinished.....There is always something that needs to go done, right?

Finally Breaking Down

2009-08-08T20:47:00.000-04:00

Hi all! I finally decided to breakdown and create my own blog today. I really enjoyed viewing other talented individual's blogs in the past few months, and I decided that I wanted to get in on the action of sharing all my amazing tranformations in my own lovely space. Therefore, this is the beginning of me sharing all the fun projects I have completed in and around my home in the past few months. I am not really sure where exactly I will be going with all of this, but lets take this for a whirl.