Whew it's dusty in here!

Why hello blog friends! I am here. Still. I see you all visiting everyday (ummm 300+ views a day??!!). Sorry to be absent the last 2 months (wow, where did all that time go???). I've been prioritizing my life this summer, and Steve/kids/photography had to be in the top 3. Then keeping the house clean. Then sleep. Then blog. Sooooo as you can see, the blog has been left in the dust! I envision more time this Fall though, as we aren't outside as much, and I turn down the dial on photography for a while. So keep checking in every now and then!

Here are a couple quick shots of some of the many projects we have managed to accomplish this summer.

See you soon, tata for now!

The beautiful deck, which made my life so much easier/more enjoyable this summer!

A peek of the project we are finishing up now. Well, this is the before. Purdy eh? You should have seen it with the glass shades!

Our shed that we painted. The color looks beige-ish here, but it is a gray-green. Testing out colors for the house next year! (We'll be going with a darker tone of this)

Things ARE Coming Along.

Fun times here in crazy land! I say that because we are constantly in the midst of multiple projects at one time. We try to devote ourselves to one at a time, but that just never happens. What can I say, we just LOVE to punish ourselves and stretch our sanity to the edge! Well, so it seems these days.

Right now we are knee deep (er, waist deep) in digging the holes for the deck posts. Wow. That is all I can say to describe it. They have to be 4 feet deep and Steve is digging them all by hand. Yes, by hand. Our soil here is very very rocky and clay, so an auger would be difficult to use. Hence the shovels and post hole diggers (and wonderful friends!!). It took Steve over a week to dig the eight holes (nights mostly). Then we had our inspection of the holes, which he did wonderfully and they passed with no problem, butttttttt....it turns out he has to dig FOUR MORE holes. Yeah. That was not good news. Because our house is cantilevered, we need to have more posts closer. They didn't catch it when we initially applied for the permit. BUMMER. We were hoping to have framing started this weekend, but instead we are digging again. Oh well. We keep on keepin' on!

Here is Steve sledgehammering a humongous rock that stood in our way of digging. That poor poor man.

The other project we are working on is the family room. Now that the shelving is done, and we painted the wall behind it, we were itching to paint the rest. Because we both have full time jobs, painting has to happen in the evening after the kiddos go to bed, or on the weekends. So that means it usually takes a few nights of painting in sections to get a room completed. So far we have 3 out of 4 walls checked off the list! Woohoo!

I am really really enjoying this color. Grayish by Sherwin Williams, if you recall. It is not even a tiny bit dungeon-like, but rather bright and cheery and sophisticated. It lends a modern feel to the room, which is filled with a blend of traditional furnishings and modern/industrial accessories. So cool. I am loving this room more everyday!

Here is one corner of the room while we were in the midst of painting. So a partial before. Look at that masking tape yellow/beige. Buh bye drabby!

Here is the same view just a few minutes later. If you notice, pretty much everything else is the same, but already SOOO much better.

Annnd here is the same angle the next day after I hung the window treatments back up and put everything back together.

It never ceases to amaze me how much paint can transform a room. I mean, seriously, what an improvement!

I took some more photos on my real camera (these are all courtesy of my iPhone), and Lightroom is officially back up and running, so early this week you'll get to see more. FINALLY! Sorry for the slow goings this last week or two. When you don't have a computer or software, it really makes things difficult. Lots more to come. Love you all for hanging around during technical glitches!

It's Summertime & The Livins' Easy....

Well that's a bit of a stretch, wishful thinking maybe? It is Spring time though and Steve and I have a lot on our plates with the exterior of the house this year. First things first, building a deck. I find it hard to believe that this house didn't already have a deck, but they spent the money on a humongous front porch, so it's alright. We want to get it done nice and early in the season so that we can have lots of time to enjoy it. Plus, without a deck in the back, it is hard to really spend time back there. There isn't really anywhere for the babies to crawl around (since the yard is still a bit muddy) and there aren't any chairs or places to sit. So instead we spend most of our time in the front. Seeing as we have a nice playset and clubhouse for the kiddos, we want to be able to fully maximize our time in the back!

So this week we are ordering our decking and I just can't decide between two. Let me talk you through it a bit and then you can help me pick.

Here is our house now. Front and part of the back. It is a light cream color.

 

The deck will be two levels. The first level, with the railing, will go from the edge of the sliding door, to the bump out of the family room. The lower, ground level deck, will span the entire length of the family room.



(this photo was from the previous owners)



Our plans for the house include re-siding it next year and painting all the trim and shutters this year (hopefully). This is the color scheme we are going with.

An olive-ish, gray-green with nice bright white trim. That trim is slightly beige, ours will be white. I haven't decided 100% on shutters yet.

So the trouble is, picking a decking that will look alright with the cream we have now, but ultimately look best with the new colors coming in the future.

Here are our two choices. Sage & mahogany. The sage is more like a slight greenish tan. We will be going with a white railing, no matter the decking choice. We are using CorrectDeck composite decking.

This photo makes it look a smidge more tan than it is.

Sorry the photos aren't GREAT, but I wanted to make sure to use photos of the actual product, so there wasn't much of a selection.

Here are my thoughts. The green/lighter color will not get as hot, but it will also show dirt and scuff marks. The mahogany/dark color will get scorching hot, won't show mud, but will show dust and dry dirt.

Unlike the photos, our railing will be solid white, identical to this one.

So, with this color scheme, which decking do you think would be better, sage or mahogany??

The more I talk about it, the more I am thinking the mahogany...

Old Lady Junk Turned Narnia Portal

Steve thinks this mirror looks like a portal to another world. To Narnia. He thinks it is funky because the frame of this LARGE mirror is so thin. SO it looks like a portal. Well, better to be a Narnia portal than the gaudy old gold thing it was before!

This past October I was at the Ronald McDonald House Sale and from across the room I spotted this baby. The very moment I saw it, I said, "GAH! I must have that! In turquoise!". I scooted my little booty over to it and beamed at the $20 tag. NICE. It was crazy gold and very old lady-esque, but I saw past all that and only saw the fabulous curvy lines. Unique and purrrrrrdy! Have I mentioned how much I love the RMH Sale??? Why oh why is it only once a year??!! I have gotten the best finds from that place.

Well, it sat in storage (we were living with my father in law while we waited to close on the house) for awhile, and then sat in the dining room (currently our staging room for projects) for a couple of months. I needed some warm weather before I could work on it, and finally last week's weather fit the bill.

Here it is before:

Look at that finish. OK, so I realize some people may well really like this gold/bronze hideousness. You might be cursing my name for not sharing your fondness. Well, I'm sorry. It had to go.

First things first, I had to grab my arsenal. Spray primer in white, and glossy jade. I primed it first because a)I didn't want to have to prep the surface at all (sand, clean etc) because of all the curves, and b)Steve said the jade would cover better and more vividly over white. When it comes to paint, I listen to him. Usually.

The primer we had already, and the jade I picked up at ACMoore with a 50% off coupon for something like $3.

Step 1) Thoroughly cover the mirror. I used wax paper to shove underneath the frame (which took forever since there were so many curves) and a piece of plastic wrap once the wax paper ran out.

Step 2) Find your spraying location outside (I would never suggest spraying anything inside your house, fumes and over spray would be wicked) and cover your painting area. I sprayed in our garage because it was SUPER windy out that day. I used an old white fitted sheet. It doesn't have to be fancy schmancy stuff here peeps.

Step 3) Spray with primer. You want to hold the can about 8 inches away from the item. Also, good rule 'o thumb, "if your paints a sprayin', your arms a swayin'". Basically, when spray painting, never stop moving your arm. Never hold the can stationary in one position. Also, you want multiple, VERY thin coats. Thick coats of paint will a)take FOREVER to dry (multiple thin coats will dry much quicker than one thick coat) and b)drip drip drip all over the place. No one likes paint drips on their work.





At this point I was like, "Wow! This looks really good white. Maybe I should nix the turquoise and go with white instead!". But, I talked myself out of it because this is supposed to be a statement piece. So I begrudgingly pushed away my white addiction and trudged on.

Step 4) Spray with several thin coats of glossy jade. I think I did 4 coats or so. I sprayed it real thinly and then let it dry about 15 minutes before coming back and doing another quick spray. I had to really maneuver my way around this thing because of all the curves and hiding places where spray didn't want to go.

At THIS point I was thinking, "GAH!!!! I ruined it!!! I should have stopped at white!! What was I THINKING??!!!" LOL. I just kept going since there was no turning back now and figured I'd wait to judge it until after all the paper and such was removed. But I was already planning out how I was going to cover it in white.

Step 5) Let dry (I waited overnight) and then pull off all the paper. You might have to use a flat edge razor blade to scrape some paint off the mirror. I had a bunch of over spray, how that happened, I have no idea since every square inch was covered. Oh well. I got the mirror wet and then scraped (well, Steve did).

VOILA!

So I love it!! I think it was turquoise over-kill with all the paper and such. Once I peeled it all away, it was EXACTLY what I was hoping for. PHEW!! (I seem to say that phrase every single time I play with color)

It adds an unexpected swipe of color to the room and it definitely makes a statement. Everyone who has walked in the room since we put it up, raves about it!

I love how it reflects so much sunlight from the window, since they are directly across from each other.

It also perfectly matches the lamp on the other side of the room.

So there you have it. Bright & playful & something to talk about for sure. For $23 or so, it is definitely worth the price!

Master Bedroom PROGRESS

Ahhhh....things are finally coming together on our bedroom! Steve did a great job painting and we are just about done except for one last coat of paint in the trim. I was SO apprehensive about choosing the wall color and I am absolutely 100% thrilled with the choice we made. If you remember, I was choosing between these two colors:

Galveston Gray by Benjamin Moore

Spalding Gray by Sherwin Williams

Wait a second. Let me back this train up a bit. Here are some shots of our room before. It was green and gold. Non-white trim. You haven't even seen the worst of it though. Before we moved in, the carpet was BLUE. We replaced that baby the weekend before we moved in!

This photo is almost useless, but you can get a taste of what the true before was. Shiny, striped drapes, veneered oak-ish doors, brass hardware. YUM.

 

Here is the space right before we started painting:

I think the before photos speak for themselves. No need to add anything more to these babies!

And here we are now, with a lot of progress & a handful of things left to do.

NOTE: I feel like these shots make the walls read a tad purple. Let me just say, there is ZERO purple tones in real life. It is pure gray with a slight slight brown undertone.

We ended up going with Galveston Gray by Ben Moore (even though almost everyone wanted the other one, I was just drawn to this one) and I LOVE it. It is a nice bright, rich gray during the day, and a dark, warm gray in the evening. An absolutely perfect gray. Couldn't recommend it more.

The sunburst I made will be going above the bed. I decided to stain it a rich, dark brown to pull in the leather ottoman & leather chair (that I have yet to purchase) and to bring a bit more contrast to the room.  I am waiting for another warm day to stain it before we hang it. I also want to do a pearl finish stencil on the bed wall, someday when I have a lot of time to kill!

That is the door to the walk in closet. As you can see, I have yet to make the second roman shade for this window. The treatments for it have had me thinking. I don't want two panels because the one on the left would have to be behind the night stand. So I think I will stick with just the one. Not 100% sure.

The vanity/console table was $10, from the Ronald McDonald House Sale. Ottoman under it was on clearance for $17 at Target. The antique tin ceiling panel mirror Steve made.

I haven't decided what I want to do on the wall above the dresser. I was thinking a few square frames in a row with black & white photos.

The chevron and gray chain link pillows I made (well, I made the covers). Tutorial coming soon for how I do mine. Quick and simple. Steve is not thrilled about how our pillows have multiplied. Why do men hate toss pillows so much?? He gets irritated about having to take them all off at night. Hahaa!



I am on the lookout for two larger lamps. Thinking a feminine crystal base. Heading to HomeGoods this weekend to take a look. So glad I finally found "night stands" tall enough for this bed! They are cabinets that I managed to get for $29.99 (YES you read that right!) each.

This pretty frilly pillow I found at Target on clearance for $10. I had been eyeing it for awhile. So glad I waited.

 

That alarm clock says in tiny print on the face, "WARNING! This alarm will wake you up!". No joke, that thing is LOUD.

Love those sheets! $30 on sale at Target (of course). White duvet was also on clearance for $12. Can't go wrong with those prices for such classic pieces.

There's me. In all my no-makeup, morning glory. I figure, this photo is far enough away that you can't really see anything too terrible. HA.

Leaning mirror, $40 with coupon from Kirklands.

 

Here's a shot with the romans down a bit. The grayish blue so nicely coordinates with the gray walls. I used the no-sew, made with mini-blinds, method. Steve hung the rod high up on the wall (gunmetal rod $25 & $20 at Target). Then we hung our favorite $15 Ikea panels wide on the window. He hung the romans directly behind the rod to give the illusion of a taller, wider window. The difference is huge!

I really like the gray rug. $20 at Ikea. Can't beat it! Love that I have an Ikea supplier....aka...my sweet mother in law who lives in Baltimore. Yay!



 Love the little reminder of Spring! Oh and the sweet itty bitty opalescent bud vase my mother gave me as a gift years ago.

The dresser was free, we painted it. The bed was $50 on Craiglist, painted it. Storage trunk under window, Steve built 6 years ago.

Before & After

 

I was going to go with more yellow in the room, but decided to keep it out for now. I like the serene, luxurious feel of the room just the way it is. As soon as you walk in, you feel less stressed and more calm. Exactly the feel we were going for! 

I am so happy with how the room has evolved. We have certainly gotten a lot completed, but here is some of what we have left to do:

-Find a nice sized, brown leather chair for the corner of the room

-Stain and hang the sunburst above the bed

-Taller, more feminine-yet-sophisticated lamps

-Roman shades for the other window

-Something for the wall above the dresser

-Second coat of trim paint

-Chandelier above the bed

-Something for the other side of the window (similar in scale to the brown sunburst mirror on the left)

-Stencil bed wall with a geometric print in a pearl finish

In total, we have spent under $500 putting this room together, that is including 5 gallons of primer & paint. What a steal. It is so relaxing and luxurious. A nice retreat for us at the end of a hard day. With some smart shopping & a bit of DIY, you can do it too!

You know, we could have spent a lot more money, and a lot less time, but the fun of it is hunting down the perfect pieces and making them your own. I get so much more enjoyment from the things that I either created myself (& with Steve) or altered somehow. I feel much less stress knowing that I bought everything in cash and didn't have to go into debt or spend all our savings on it. To me, that is the best part!

What is your favorite piece of the room? Any suggestions? Comments? Thoughts?

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