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! 

Privacy Fence

YOU GUYS. I thought my happiness couldn't get any greater after Z jack hammered the concrete obstrocity. Apparently it was possible to get greater! 

Z designed and built a horizontal fence and gate that faced out to the main street where our house faces. Since we are the second house from the street and our neighbors do not have a fence up, we were lacking privacy in our backyard. Each time we were outside, it was not uncommon for someone on the street which our yard faced, to be looking at what we were up to next, or bluntly asking what we were up to. At the same time, they also gave compliments which was very sweet. But, we were craving a bit more privacy in our backyard without feeling like we were on the "Truman Show." 

I was out of town this past weekend, but Z and his mom assembled this part of the fence! It looks SO good. I was so impressed with the work that was put into it! The only thing that I helped out with was gathering lumber at Home Depot and helping to space some wood pieces. Not nearly as much as they did. 

I already am pinning ideas of what I may want to plant next year, picking out some hostas, and looking at ideas now that the fence is up! 

CORNER OF THE FENCE

FENCE BUILT

 

HANGING BRACKETS FOR BASKETS

Although this is the last night of my summer break, I still have a few projects that I hope to accomplish in the upcoming weeks... finishing painting our bed platform, organizing closets, touching up our bedroom and bathroom paint.I was hoping to have finished them over break, but sometimes, you just need some rest and relaxation! 

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-

Bon Appetit - Updating Before the Dream!

I love cooking. I love trying new recipes and cooking "tried and true" recipes. I enjoy collecting cookbooks and love lingering in kitchen areas of stores. I may even have a slight obsession with Le Creuset and kitchen tools. Despite these loves, I craved a kitchen that was not updated. And, so did Z. We wanted a kitchen that needed "lots of love." Why? We wanted a house that needed "love" so we could put our own touches on it. We had the same philosophy with the kitchen. We wanted a kitchen that needed love so that some day it could become our dream kitchen. While, it will cost us quite a bit of money to do, it will be worth it. 

In the last few months, Young House Love posted their reasoning and justification for painting their cabinets and updating their cabinet hardware. They discussed how for a fraction of the cost, they could give their kitchen an update look while they saved money for their dream kitchen.

Before we get to the updating that we have done, let's take a scroll to look back at where our kitchen has come from. (Thank you, Zillow, for still having pictures of our house up!) 

Before - Kitchen looks into dining room.

Before - Dining room looking into kitchen.

Before - Dining Room 

Before - Kitchen

Before - Looking into Kitchen from Dining Room

The pictures above are pretty much how we bought the house. The exception is that the living room was all tan - not green as seen above. We bought it with yellow sponge painting and all. In my dream kitchen, I have imagined either having dark black cabinets or light gray cabinets, like the ones seen at IKEA. While we have years to decide what cabinets will actually be installed, we decided for the present time we would do some updating of our kitchen. A couple hundred books over years seemed manageable. 

To update the kitchen and dining room, we decided to:

• Paint the Kitchen Walls
• Prime & Paint the Kitchen Cabinets 
• Replace drawer pulls 
• Paint the Dining Room Walls
• Paint the Trim in both rooms
• Replace outlets, lights, and vent covers
• New window treatments (Thanks, Mom!)
• Flooring

Below, are the pictures of what our kitchen looks like now. It is amazing what under $100 can do! 

Kitchen - Cabinets Primed & Painted 

Kitchen looking into dining room.

Z added a shelf for cookbooks. Red island from Hickory
Dickory (First Friday) & wine cooler from eBay!

Dining Room - Painted

Dining Room - Painted 

Dining Room - New light fixture. (Christmas / graduation
gift from E's Mom.)

I have absolutely loved what a difference the updates have made in these spaces. Z loved the light that was in the dining room, so I suspect that it will reappear somewhere in our house someday. Perhaps in the man bathroom?! What you can't notice in the pictures is that the granite countertops where the mixer is located at is not even! The previous owner chose beautiful counters but it was not installed properly. Also, almost each of the large tiles in the kitchen is cracked! Again, it was not installed correctly. Knowing that we will be living with this kitchen for a few years, we are debating what flooring options we will consider. Right now, it is between replacing the grout between the tiles to clean it up, or using a faux wood "peel and stick" in the room.

In the upcoming months, we plan on retouching the trim to freshen it up and possibly replace the fan that is located in the kitchen. As we continue to use and cook in our kitchen, it gives us the chance to think about what we really want in our dream kitchen. Oh, the possibilities!

There are so many fun kitchen gadgets, accessories, and things to plan for in a kitchen. What is your favorite kitchen thing? What would you have in your dream kitchen? I'd love to hear what you love or would add into yours!

Stairway to Potential

It was around this time last year that we began to get very serious about our house hunt. It just seemed as though things were lining up to make it a great time to start looking a bit more seriously. When we met our outstanding realtor, Tom, I felt as though we were on the latest HGTV House Hunters episode. We were asked what were the things that we weren't willing to settle on, things we would be OK compromising with, and what was on our ideal wish list. 

Cue to the part of the episode where the realtor tells the prospective home buyers that they may not be able to get everything that they want in their home, and to be prepared for it. Our list wasn't astronomical, but there were things we wanted both in our "won't budge" list and "dream" list.

On our "won't budge" list, we had:

• A basement
• At least 1 car garage
• Decent sized yard
• Minimum 3 Bedrooms
• Good school district 

On our wish list, we had:

• The things listed above on our "won't budge" list
• 1.5+ Bathrooms
• 3+ Bedrooms 
• Dining Room area
• Hardwood floors
• Fenced yard
• Close to E & Z's work

I am sure we had more, but these were the "must have" and "dreams" we had listed. Fast forward to our house. We were pleasantly surprised that we got all of the things we had on our "won't budge" and "wish" list! The one that I was the most surprised to get off of our wish list was having over three bedrooms. Since we live away from the area that we grew up, having a guest bedroom / office was ideal. That way, when we have visitors (which we love hosting!) we had a place for them to stay. No hotel needed! 

Unfortunately, over the last months, the 4th bedroom has become our "catch all" room. YIKES. It was a disaster, to say the least. But, its location next to the attic and up another flight of stairs, made it great to keep things in before we could organize it. Perfect to close the door and the mess. It was one of my goals over my Winter Break to organize this room and make it a bit more functional. I am excited to see the progress in this room! 

This room has a far way to come, even from where it is right now. Out of all of the bedrooms (especially) this bedroom has the most work to be done in it. The trim has never been painted, the doors are in poor shape (punched in??), and the floors need some love. Overall, it has a way to come. But, getting it organized was a huge step in that direction!

I am not sure when it will start its transformation, but I am excited for it to happen when it does. My Pinterest boards are bursting with ideas of how this room will transform. I see lots and lots of paint, window treatments, chalkboard paint, a desk.... Oh, the ideas!! I anticipate that this room will really get its start either summer or this upcoming Fall when the highly anticipated IKEA opens in our area!

If you have a home office or dream of having one, what would be your "must haves" in yours? Or, what do you dream about having in one? What do you love about it? I would love to hear your ideas!

Really a Recap

In this post before Labor Day, I had briefly listed the projects that we had been working on throughout the house. Unfortunately, with school (being the teacher) and school (being the student), our projects are becoming more limited to the weekends. Did I mention, I do a lot of school?! Selfish self promotion.... check out my portfolio as it develops...  In the first weeks of school, we were able to get a few things marked off our list. While the list continues to grow and the ideas run wild, here's a little update on what we have accomplished.

This is what I wanted to touch base on during that initial post:

1. backyard updates
2. front door / stoop paint
3. guest bedroom update
4. gardening this year

And, this is what this post has evolved to since that ambitious post:

1. backyard updates *include some gardening*
2. front door / stoop paint
3. guest bedroom update
4. gardening this year  happenings aside from the house

Backyard Update
The backyard was supposed to have been a work in progress next year. However, we couldn't resist and started a few projects. Better to start now because in a few months, projects will be limited to indoors.

Prepping the back door (1 of 2)

Door taped & prepped ready to go! 

After two thick coats of Valspar's Outdoor Spray Paint in brown.

Sod placed between the metal edging and mulch around tree. We removed bricks to create a more consistent feel from the tree to the patio.

Z made this table! 

Daylight view of backyard / patio area

Night view of backyard / patio area. (Looks awesome at night!)

Fountain we picked up on clearance at Lowe's!

Front Door / Stoop Paint
It is amazing what a fresh coat of paint can and will do to a place. 

Sanded and ready to be painted! (What is at the front of the stoop was how it was before we started.)

Ready to paint!

Left from the previous home owner. Apparently pineapples are good luck. We'll take it!

Two coats of later!

View from our driveway looking up to the freshly painted doorway. 

Guest Bedroom Update

I have a confession. I love estate sales, garage sales, First Friday sales. Love them all. You never know what you'll find and what price you'll find it at. The excitement of possibility lurks around every corner.  One morning in the last few months that Z was driving to work and out of our neighborhood, he noticed there was an estate sale on a neighboring street to us. He called me to tell me about it, so I decided to check it out. I walked out with a nice dresser from this sale. It was painted a whimsical/shabby pea green color. Within seconds of setting eyes on it, I was picturing it in a rich coral color and in our guest bedroom. Fast forward months to where it is now; completed and in our guest bedroom. Here's a quick insight into it. I am saving a fully dedicated guest bedroom post until the room is officially complete, cleaned, and things finished up a bit more.

Z skillfully found a way to hang the drawer pulls that I was spray painting. 

Spray painted in a silver metallic. (MUCH cheaper than purchasing new knobs and pulls for the whole piece!)

Knobs painted and installed on dresser.  

Drawer pulls painted and installed. 

Happenings Outside of Home Projects

Z and I went apple picking! YUM!

Irish Fest

Estate Sale / First Friday exploring & finds! 

Home away from home. My classroom and beloved SMART Board.

And, again, some selfish promotion for my graduate school portfolio.

Well, that is a glimpse into a few of the things that we have been working on! Once the guest bedroom is cleaned and finished, I will be posting photos of it! Very excited to share them! In the upcoming months, I'm really looking forward to Fall (boots, chiminea fires, pumpkins...), trying to plan a trip to STL for a weekend in the upcoming months, and starting new traditions in our home. What are you looking forward to in the upcoming Fall months? 

Still Here!

I'm sad to say that I have seemed to neglected any updates lately on here! It is something that I enjoy doing, and sharing with you all! However, with school starting back up (both teaching it and being a student), some things have temporarily taken a back seat. Although I do not hold myself accountable for X amount of posts per week, or month, I do love updating this! It's nice for others to see what we've been up to, and (to be truthful) show off our hard work.

The projects have continued, though! Here's what I'm looking forward to sharing soon....

1. backyard updates
2. front door / stoop paint
3. guest bedroom update
4. gardening this year

Hope you all are enjoying the final weeks of summer, as we switch into Fall! It's going to be HOT here this week - got to love the unpredictable Midwest. I'm anxious for sweaters, boots, and pumpkins. What are you most looking forward to about Fall?

-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