The Move

No, we are not moving! Our realtor agent called this week to check in on us. He's a very sweet guy who every so often will call to check in on us, make sure everything is going well, and see if we need anything. Highly recommend him. We are friends on Facebook, and he had said that he thought we were doing some nice updates to our home and enjoyed seeing where it has come from. But, like I said - no we are not moving. It would take quite a bit to get me to move.

The move that I'm referencing is in our house! Our house is set up as a side split - common in the area we are in, but not as common in other areas. Think of a split level house, but with the "split" of the house all to the side. Google it perhaps. Anyway, you walk into our hallway from the front door and have three semi-open rooms - kitchen, formal living room, and dining room. 

The formal living room was a place in which it had two nice chairs that I had picked out from Overstock shortly after moving in, our china cabinet, and a rug that was too good of a price to pass up. Oh, the days of not having an IKEA in our neighborhood.... :)

It was suggested by my Mom a while back, to consider moving the dining room to the formal living room. At first, I didn't buy into this idea. We had a dining room. Sure, the backdoor was a little bit of a nuisance, but only slightly. And, the table was small. It fit! Oh, and don't forget about the golden 1970s glass lighting that hung from there. (For a house warming present, she bought us a new light fixture for that room.)

Now, after living in our house for a couple of years, I was starting to see the potential of that formal living room, especially after hosting some of Z's office over for a holiday dinner. I could see a dining room table in the formal living room. And, the picture didn't look so bad! The question was, what would happen to the dedicated dining room?

Formal Living Room - Before

Formal Living Room - Before

Formal Living Room - Before

Formal Living Room After - Now Dining Room

We took the space, and ripped out the breakfast bar to begin. We expanded the width of the counter, allowing for ample space to eat and serve food. Even by doing that and getting some chairs for the bar area, we had a nice pathway of space. We took the once formal living room chairs and table, and moved in there! I found a rug at Target that fit the space nicely. (Hint: Target has lovely rugs! Check online for their pricing - it's sometimes cheaper! And, they will match in stores.) We bought a retro-looking TV at Target, and are now using that space as a sitting area -- one that we are using much more now! It is like we have gained another room! 

Former Dining Room, Now "Sitting Room"

Former Dining Room, Now "Sitting Room"

I am really enjoying watching our house have more of our touches on it. My best piece of home advice is to do what you want to do. Create rooms that you love. Sure, it may not get the "resale" factor, but it's your place. Make it yours.

What is one of your rooms you love in your house, or dream of wanting? I would love to have a craft room, but, the bedroom I would like to put it in, I also have dreams of making that a master suite retreat... Battle of the ideas! 

Snow Day Craftivity - River Rock Boot Tray

Just when you think that winter may be over, it's not! Something I love about the Midwest is our four distinct seasons. I truly believe that if I were to move outside of the Midwest to a place that does not experience the four seasons, I would miss it! I find it ironic, as I wrote that last sentence, that I have always lived in the Midwest, despite calling three states home. I suppose that the Midwest is best! 

A luxury, to some (ME!), that comes with having four distinct seasons is the intensity of each season. I was beyond thankful to find out that I had a snow day this past Monday! It didn't snow in excessive amounts like it did in February, but, it was cold enough to send the wind chills into the negative twenties. Brrrrr. Considering the fact that I truly took advantage of the snow days, I attempted to be more productive on my last one. 

Below is one of the things that I was able to accomplish! Somewhere within my thousands of pins on Pinterest, I happened to pin this super easy and cute craftivity. All it consists of is "river rocks" and a boot tray. Uber easy & cute. I was worried about finding a boot tray since it was almost spring, but Target didn't let me down!

I bought this Mohawk boot tray at my local Target. I felt lucky enough to snag one of the last ones, as I wasn't sure if they would restock for the upcoming season! Next, I went to Dollar Tree and bought 11 bags of their river rock. Other tutorials suggested you could do less, but I wanted to have more than enough than not enough. I poured all of the bags into the tray and distributed evenly. That's it! 

In all, this cost me roughly $16. It is more eye appealing and an easy way to store my boots and shoes. Even though winter is (trying) to wrap up, I still think this will be a valuable accessory come Spring with the rain! Best thing is, if it gets dirty, all you have to do is rinse out the tray and rocks. Easy enough!

You can find more examples of what other people did at these sites, too:

• Apartment Therapy
• Dollar Store Crafts 
• Martha Stewart 

Have you done any home crafts lately? If so, I'd love to hear about it! And, if not, what is catching your eyes with crafts lately?

-E-

Home for the Holiday

This year is especially bittersweet Christmas for us. It is the first Christmas that we are spending in our home. Although we are away from family today (due to work schedules) it was exciting to wake up in our own house on this day. We have done some of our traditions that were started three years ago when we lived in Chicago, and continue to create some new ones. Something that I have learned over the last few years is it is not about the actual date you celebrate - but rather cherishing the time that you do celebrate. As a result, we will have a chance to celebrate with our families this upcoming weekend. So, our holiday continues through the weekend! We will see what next year brings when we reach that time next year. However, I will cherish our first Christmas in our house.

Our crew opening presents. (From left going counterclockwise: Kiki, Milo ("Little Kitty") & Oscar.

                     

The aftermath of the M. family Christmas! Success! 

This year, we bought an artificial Christmas tree that we placed in our lower living room. Last year, when living in our apartment, we talked about when we had a house that we would have two trees. (Crazy to think that at this time last year, we were looking at finances and homes!) The artificial tree fit in great with our lower living space - next to our fireplace that is adorned with battery operated and real candles, decorations, and smells of freshly baked cookies. Picture perfect..... for the first few minutes. The newest addition to our crew, Milo (aka "Little Kitty") found this to be the "purrrrfect" thing to climb. After some debate, we decided to see what he would do with a real tree and to satisfy the craving of having two trees. So, here is our real tree set up in our formal living room. Go figure that he seems less interested with the real tree! Although, as you may notice from the picture, we went without ornaments this year in fear that he would knock them off. I'm hoping next year he will be out of his kitten phase and we can add ornaments. (The vet speculates that he is about 6 to 7 months old as of right now - but that's another story!)

We sat in here, opening up presents this morning. It was filled of sips of coffee, laughter, and phone calls with loved ones. As I sat there with Z, I couldn't help but think that this would be the room and place where we would open presents for years to come - regardless of what day it is celebrated. 

I'm excited to watch our traditions continue and evolve as we celebrate holidays in our home. Here's hoping that your holiday had time of rest and celebrating! From our family to yours - Happy Holidays!

-E

Four Months Later

Early last week, Z and I were outside (as we typically are in the evening) ensuring that all of the plants were adequately being watered and spreading some fresh, leftover mulch in a flower bed. Within minutes of one another, two neighbors who were out on a walk and run, respectively, stopped to compliment us on our work thus far! Both mentioned that the place had much more curb appeal than when the last owner lived here. It was nice to know that our hard work is not only be noticed by us, but by our neighbors as well! They were both such sweet compliments.

This week in discussing house projects with two different friends, both brought up a great point - what have we been working on exactly since mid-March? Z and I see the work firsthand, but what about you guys? The compliments on the exterior of our house had me thinking about the interior, too. What have we completed in the last four months? (As of July 19th, it was four months to the date that we took ownership of the house and began to unpack our cars!) It is highly rewarding to look back and see what all we have accomplished to make our home, truly ours, and make repairs to it. I hope you enjoy the photos and taking a peak into what we have been working on! I know, I have been enjoying doing it!*

Here's the quick stats on our home... 

4 bedrooms  |  2 . 5 bathrooms  |  side-split  |  built 1966

Hallway

Before

After

What did we do?

• Fresh coat of "Seal Gray" paint 
• Fresh coat of "Ultra White" trim
• Moved thermostat to left wall (originally in dining room)
• Installed new light fixture
• Changed door fixture (front door and coat closet)

Work still in progress?

• Fresh coat of "Ultra White" on front door
• Replace hinges on coat closet
• Replace closet door

 Dining Room

Before

After

What did we do?

• New curtain for back door (courtesy of E's Mom)
• Move thermostat from this room

Work still in progress?

• Replace light fixture
• Paint dining room (keeping chair rail)

Kitchen

Before 

Before

After

What did we do?

• Installed cafe curtains (courtesy of E's Mom)
• Deep clean and shine of cabinets
• Laid shelf liner in all cabinets
• Installed window tint in all windows
• Removed old shelf liner, primed and painted, installed new liner in pantry (not pictured)

Work still in progress?

• Undecided - Possibly paint cabinets and or walls 
• Complete kitchen remodel (upcoming years)

Formal Living Room (Upstairs Living Room)

Before

Before

After

What did we do?

• Tinted one window

Work still in progress?

• Tint second window
• Paint entire room
• New trim - ?

Master Bath

Before

After

What did we do?

• Removed linoleum floor 
• Removed shower pan and surroundings
• Removed vanity
• Removed toilet

Work still in progress?

• Lay new subfloor 
• Install new floor, vanity, shower
• Tint window
• Install new window treatment
• Install beadboard or tile
• Paint

Master Bedroom

Before

After

 What did we do?

• Primed and painted both closets (not pictured)
• Installed new window treatments 
• Install new medallion for fan
• Replaced fan

Work still in progress?

• Replace hardware on closets and doors
• Paint walls and trim
• To be decided: Rebuff hardwood floors or choose new flooring (considering Armstrong)

Home Office (Bedroom 1)

Before

After

 What did we do?

• Nothing yet!

Work still in progress?

• Prime and paint closet
• Change hardware 
• Paint trim and walls
• Rebuff floor

Guest Bedroom (Bedroom 2)

Before

After

  What did we do?

• Primed and painted closet
• Patched and sanded walls
• Painted walls "Weeping Willow" by Olympic
• Paint trim

Work still in progress?

• Rebuff floor
• Change hardware
• Install new closet door
• Install new light fixture

Guest Bathroom (Hallway Bath)

Before

After

What did we do?

• Replaced water controls (shower)
• Installed new curtain rod
• Installed new shower head

Work still in progress?

• To be decided - paint
• Change drawer pulls, hardware, sink controls and accessories to match throughout 

Upstairs Bedroom (Bedroom 3) 

Before

Before

After

What did we do?

• Nothing - yet!

Work still in progress?

• Prime and paint walls
• Paint walls and trim
• New light fixture with fan
• Replace doors and fixtures
• Replace vents
• Rebuff floors and seal

Attic (Walk In)

Before 

Before

This area is used primarily for storage. Hence, no after picture at this time.

What did we do?

• Remove old insulation
• Added more insulation
• Added wooden plants to cover insulation
• Insulated door 

Work still in progress?

• Add insulation 
• Long term: Extend Upstairs Bedroom (Bedroom 3) into attic to create second Master Suite

Downstairs Living Room (aka Second Living Room)

Before 

Before 

After

What did we do?

• Paint all walls
• Paint built-ins & mantel 
• Remove old trim
• Install and paint new trim
• Remove gold fireplace screen
• Clean fireplace
• Paint fireplace with high heat paint

Work still in progress?

• Discussing other flooring options

Garage

Before

What did we do?

• Removed wooden cabinet (pictured in before picture)
• Repaired gap in wall in that area
• Added shelving options to side of garage
• Garage floor injected to raise sinking areas & fix step that leads into lower living room

Work still in progress?

• Discussing flooring (cosmetic)
• More storage / shelving

Basement

Before

After

After

What did we do?

• Removed makeshift shelving 
• Removed door to laundry area
• Rebuilt work bench area
• Paint and seal areas of basement

Work still in progress?

• Create more dedicated laundry room 
• To be decided with remainder of area

Half Bathroom (aka Men Bathroom)

After

What did we do?

• Nothing - yet!

Work still in progress?

• Install flooring
• Replace sink / mirror 
• Paint
• Install tile

Exterior of House - Front

Before

After

After

What did we do?

• Replaced storm door
• Replaced mailbox
• Replaced exterior light 
• Removed red house numbers
• Painted front door ("Barn" by Martha Stewart at Home Depot)
• Installed new house numbers in different location
• Landscaping (Install wall, mulch, plants, etc)
• Power wash 

Work still in progress?

• Painting ledge of door
• Install second wall (closer to house)
• Fencing (partial privacy fence)
• Continued landscaping

We have been working on other things, too, that were not pictured in these photos. Mainly painting closets, trim, and kick-plates for steps. As you can tell, too, some of the rooms are still a little bit messy, or a catch-all room while we continue to unpack and determine what is keep, throw away, or donate!

While we have only been in our home for 4 months, I am astonished with how much we have accomplished thus far! It may be small things, but, they certainly add up. And, we are both enjoying the process thoroughly! We are constantly running ideas off one another, sharing ideas, and truly putting our touch on our house.


Thanks for taking time to visit and see what we have been working on the last four months! With school starting back up shortly and my last semester of graduate school approaching, the projects may be slowing down a bit. But, nonetheless, they will continue! Stay tuned for the next projects! (The guest bedroom is coming along nicely!)

-E

Home, Clean, Home!

Home, sweet, home, is even sweeter when it is cleaner!

I have been posting photos of the projects that we have been working on throughout the house, or ideas that we are using for inspiration. However, I have not posted many photos of the house (in itself) without the projects going on! This weekend, a friend is coming to visit. I am anxious for her to visit,  see the house, & see the area! I am using her visit as the perfect excuse to take some snap shots of the house in its cleanliness stage of all! Projects have been cleaned up (mostly) for the weekend, & things are tidied up! I love the feeling of just finishing cleaning - whether it is an apartment, a room, or a home, it feels great nonetheless! 

Enjoy the photos of the house! Stay tuned - in the upcoming weeks we will be back to the projects! Looking forward to sharing the ongoing progress of the guest bedroom with everyone.

Entrance Hallway

Steps going downstairs to second living room, garage, "man" bathroom and basement.
Steps going upstairs to two bathrooms and all bedrooms.*

Steps lead up to all bedrooms & two bathrooms.*

Formal living room.

Dining Room.

Kitchen (View from Dining Room)

Kitchen.

Stairs lead up to fourth bedroom.
Guest bathroom.

Hallway to three of the bedrooms.

Guest Bathroom.

Guest Bathroom.

Master Bedroom

Master Bedroom

Downstairs living room.
Door (with cat door) leads to basement.
Door on wall with TV leads to garage.

Downstairs living room.

Downstairs living room.


Although not all of the rooms are pictures (they are quite messy!), I hope you enjoyed taking a peek into our home and what we have done thus far. Someday I'll post the before and after pictures. Have a great weekend whatever you may be doing!

-E

*Since our master bathroom is nonexistent at the moment, I don't know if it counts as a bathroom truly?!? It does have plumbing ready to go!