The Vintage Wife

Summer Projects I Should Have Started in June!

2011-08-03T20:33:00.000-07:00

Such slow progress on this little house of mine...

We are at a stand-still when it comes to major projects and renovations, but that won't stop me from doing a little redecorating and reorganizing!

There's a bench I've had sitting around for quite some time just waiting for a new coat of paint.

Oh good ole Martha always comes through with amazing paint colors...

And it looks just lovely in my Living Room!

After a day-long project, I figured I could take on something even bigger. So I decided to try and conquer the Sewing Room. This room was originally supposed to be a place for me to do my little crafty projects and such, but it really just turned into the "Let's throw it in there and worry about it later" room.

Oof! My goodness... This was definitely going to be longer than a day-long project!

But it was worth it in the end!

Ahhh... It's starting to all come together!

Shady

2011-03-07T22:19:00.000-08:00

As we pull out lots of bushes,
we're thinking of what we'll eventually put in it's place...

New Trees Anyone??

Autumn Blaze Red Maple

Red Sunset Maple Tree

GORGEOUS!

The Front Yard?

2011-02-12T11:36:00.000-08:00

Right now our front yard is less a yard, more a big chunk of concrete. Ick. And of the plant-type things, we've gotten rid of the (dying) tree.

Okay, yes...we have a half-circle driveway which is nice, but I want a YARD! With GRASS!! Our side yard has grass and a nice little place to hang out. Which is why we have our fun chairs there...

But I want my front yard and my side yard to meet up in the middle and make one HUGE corner lot yard.

So today begins Step 1 of probably about a BILLION to make our front yard an actual front yard.

Good-bye Hideous Front Bushes!! I'd rather have nothing than your horrid ugliness!

Oh Yes, the boys got all redneck on me and started pulling out roots with the truck.

Chairs & Sick Days

2011-02-02T12:02:00.000-08:00

Awww...Sick Days. They are a blessing and a curse. While you get to be at home and read magazines and watch bad tv, you don't actually feel like doing any of those things because you're running a fever and feel like Crap!! But I have popped some medicine and am feeling...okay, I guess...and can at least lay on the couch and type on my laptop with 30 Rock playing in the background.

So while I'm awake, I'll let you in on my latest house project. Okay, it's a hopeful house project. We'll see if I can get Drew on board.

When Drew and I moved into our house, I bought a few pieces of furniture from the original owners: an old standing stereo and two tufted chairs.

And while the stereo is perfect as is, the chairs need a little (read: A LOT) of work! Not only do they need new fabric, but the foam inside is solid...SOLID! So solid, in fact, Drew and I both thought that they were filled with straw.

So my question is...what color/pattern fabric should I get? The chairs will go in my living room with a dark leather sofa, dark wrought iron accessories and a red color theme with hits of green.

Here are some of the fabrics that I'm drawn to from Waverly... What do you think?

Alana Stripe -

These colors are an EXACT match to the colors already in the room, however, I'm afraid it might be a little too matchy-matchy.

Alto Grid -
This one looks so nubby and cozy!

Ballad Bouquet -
Think I could convince Drew to go with a floral?

Cacharelle -
Too Much?

Chissay -
Oooh!! Velvet Stripes!!

Circuit -
Oooh! More Nubbiness!

Cottage Vine -
Cute!!

Divine Damask -
Too Fancy?

Fireside Plaid -
LOVE THIS!! How cute would it be to have the chairs in this one?!?!

Forever Yours -
Oh Yes, I likey!

Long Hill -
Cute!

Pantry Plaid -
LOVE!!

So far, I'm pulling for Fireside Plaid or Chissay (velvet stripes). Though I do love the Ballard Bouquet, I'm just not sure if I could convince Drew of such flowery florals.

Also, how many tufts should I cut back to? Having all those tufts put back in will cost a fortune...so I'm trying to figure out how many should be there.

Alright...let's get those opinions flowing!

Congratulations are in Order!

2011-01-03T19:30:00.000-08:00

Speaking of being a wife...

A HUGE CONGRATULATIONS deserves to go out to two of my very favorite people: My wonderful sister, Christen & my dear friend, Julie! Both of these lovely ladies got engaged during the Christmas holiday!!

I love you both and...

Guest Room Updates

2011-01-02T06:00:00.000-08:00

So we didn't change that much in our Guest Room...but I just like posting pictures of rooms that are finished in this house. There are just too many things that need working on...I like to see something somewhat put together...

I took the picture over the bed down and added my flea market find, the candle wall sconce.

I took the basket full of towels down and added some of my home decorating books and my favorite stars.

The old side table was sent off to the Living Room and replaced by the adorable vanity given to me by the lovely Miss Gail when she moved to Texas in August.

I also added some wall hooks for clothes...since I have taken over the closet with my own clothes and misc. decorating goodness.

I kinda wish my Master Bedroom looked like this! But I doubt Drew would let that happen... : ) He's not always the biggest fan of my "girly" flea market finds.

That's why I put it in the Guest Room! I'll take it where I can get it!

When One Door Closes...

2011-01-01T13:27:00.000-08:00

...another NEW one opens!

For Christmas, Drew collected quite a batch of Home Depot cards. Round One Purchase: An Air Compressor. Round Two: Nail Guns. Now I normally wouldn't be excited about Drew's tool purchases, but this means FINISHING THE FRENCH DOOR!! Whoo-Hoo!! It's been a long time comin'.

Okay, don't let me trick you into thinking this will be done this weekend...oh wishful thinking!

Drew has convinced me that he needs to practice putting in door frames with his new nail gun and air compressor before attempting the French doors. And why would I be okay, and even excited, about this? Well, because this means that he will be practicing on all the other interior doors of the house...which means I'm getting new interior doors!!!

You have no idea how excited I am about THAT! The current doors are horrible, cheap, flat, hollow-core doors that look like...well...like horrible, cheap, flat, hollow-core doors. Now don't get me wrong, we're not so fancy that we'll be getting wood doors. We're still getting hollow-core doors, but the new ones will have much more personality...

Let's compare :: Old Doors

And what we'll be getting soon

It feels like we're finally getting this house put together!

It's Been a Long Time, My Friend

2010-12-31T22:53:00.000-08:00

Hmmm...I think it's been too long and I've neglected my poor little house blog. Though, in all honesty, our poor little house has been neglected for the majority of the year, too.

As the new year begins in just a few hours here on the west coast (and begins in less than an hour for my east coast loved ones), I have a few new, and repeating, resolutions for the year 2011.

Old New Year's Resolutions:

-Eat Healthier
I'm not sure why 2010 was my year of being more conscious of my health and weight, but it definitely has. Maybe it was the realization that I have a gluten allergy... I've been gluten-free for six months now...and going strong!

-Exercise
And now that I've already started eating better, I think it's time to get off this pudgy bottom of mine and do a little exercise. After taking a yoga class from a friend at work and realizing just how much better I felt after, I think I'll start taking more classes at a yoga center. Best part is that it is only down the street! Makes it a little easier to convince myself to get up and go do it. And, more for Molly than me, I want to start walking more, too.

New New Year's Resolutions:

-Work on House Projects
There are so, so many things that need to happen on this house...so many of which I am fully capable of doing by myself. Time to get on that!!

-Do Something Creative Everyday (to quote Paper Source)
I am too wrapped up in my job. There. I said it. Out Loud. I'm too stressed out and spend too much of my free time doing things for my job instead of for myself. So I want to focus on something that I love doing...writing, photography, crafts, design... I just need to get back to being creative...I love it and I miss it. I feel so good when I'm creative...I need to feel that way more often.

This blog is one of those creative things. And it will cover both of my New New Year's Resolutions :: House Projects & Creative Fun!

So on that note...

Previously on The Vintage Wife...

The plastic came down from the Family Room and we just needed to have the floor put in. Which is exactly what we did...

Next up we had to put the, now adjoining, rooms (LR & FR) together so that it would be presentable for my parents when they came to visit during the summer.

A few Before Shots...the first two pictures are from before the original owners moved out...

The Family Room...Drew and I after a day of heavy lifting. :)

And I can't really call these "After" shots...they are more of "During" shots because these rooms are FAR from finished. In fact, as I like to rearrange furniture/add things to a room, the rooms have changed a little even since these were taken. I'll try and remember to post pics tomorrow of the updates.

The Guest Room was another room we fixed up for my parents' visit. You'll be excited to see a few "Before" & "During" pics...we called it the Red Room before the make-over.

The first picture was taken before the original owner moved out...

And now a few more "During" pics...

I'm very happy about all the changes that we've made. I look back at the pictures of the house that I took as we were deciding to buy and right after we moved in, and it's almost unrecognizable. I'm very proud of all the work that's happened/happening.

I can't take much credit for all the renovations...Drew is amazing for all the hard work he's put in. But I do love taking these newly renovated rooms and decorating them until they are the cozy rooms I've dreamt of.

I look forward to the year ahead and all the work that is going to happen!

Until then...

Woolly Wonders

2010-12-04T12:59:00.000-08:00

Really [British] Country Living? Do you think it's a good idea to post sheep as your centerfold?

Though Teddy Boy is quite the catch...

You can see more "show-stoppingly strong hindquarters" in the November issue of Country Living like Dales Delight, Devon Dreamboat, and Horny Hunk.

Oh Country Living...I'm so sad for you...and for me.

All I have to say is Ewe.

Beauty in My House

2010-06-15T19:32:00.000-07:00

Hydrangeas

Lavender

The Plastic is Down, People...

2010-06-15T13:26:00.000-07:00

...The Plastic is DOWN! It is a celebration in the Taylor household today!! The family room is free again and there's no plastic blowing in the wind!

Why, you may ask? Well, we have had it up since Sept. 2009. (Yes, you read that correctly) But we didn't want to let the pets in with the gross, black, stickiness that was under the asbestos tile. (Yes, you also read that correctly.)

But, as you may remember from a previous post, while putting in the framing for our French Door we noticed that there was actually a subfloor with this other layer on top of it. We think because they didn't want to glue the tiles straight to the subfloor...which we greatly appreciated. So Drew spent 4 straight hours pulling up this floor that was nailed down with every 4 inches. A little big of overkill, don't ya think?

Here's what the plastic looked like before...

And then coming down...

And here is the view from the now open room...

Ahhhh....it's like I can breathe again!

Door Surprise...

2010-06-14T09:37:00.001-07:00

Well as Drew began even more work on the french door install, we found that the floor we thought was the subfloor in the Family room is actually just a filling floor to make it match the height of all the other old tile and carpet in the house. Argh!

So Drew has to rip out all this pre-sub-flooring before the new hardwoods can get put in on Friday so they'll match the new hardwoods we put in this time last year in the Living Room. (That's the flooring at the bottom of the picture.)

This house is a never ending road of surprises. :)

New Lighting!!

2010-06-13T18:00:00.000-07:00

So yes, we should be working on finishing up the family room/living room insanity, but I'm trying to convince Drew to go ahead and hang our new ceiling fan since it's been so friggin' hot.

Remember what is currently hanging there?

The plastic chandelier. Yes, plastic!! I think it could be cute, but I would need to paint it white. Maybe I will and put it in the bathroom...once that room has been redone. Oh we have so many projects!!

Currently, the fan is still in it's box because Drew needs to add the extra support to the ceiling. But hopefully it will get done tomorrow...after the door frame gets worked on.

Pictures to come once it's actually hung.

Bain of My Existence

2010-05-22T17:44:00.001-07:00

They might be the bain of my existence, but they're still pretty.

Now THIS is what I call recycling:

One of our rose bushes was falling down, so Drew took one of the

50 year old curtain rods and helped it stand up.

Happy Anniversary to Me!

2010-05-10T07:55:00.000-07:00

Today Drew and I have been married for 8 years and together for 11. Can you believe he's put up with me for that long?

For his gift to me, he got the 2nd bathroom back in working order this weekend...I couldn't have asked for anything better...okay, maybe the plastic coming down from the family room, but we're working on that one. (As you can see from the photo, we had to cut out some of the tile just to get the new toilet to fit properly. Oh Old Houses...) And because the tile in the tub only goes halfway up the wall, we've added some "walls" to make the tub a shower. (Pictures to come.) We are so white trash right now, but I don't care...I'm just so happy to have two fully functioning bathrooms again!

I'm getting Drew a new grill. Finally! The one we have now is one that we bought from the people who rented the house before us in Los Gatos...that was almost 8 years ago...and it was not new then. The handle has rusted off, the air hole controls have rusted off...hmmm...guess that's what happens when you live near the ocean for 5 years.

Tonight we're going out for dinner...for sushi, I hope!

Andrew, you are the love of my life and I can't imagine living life with anyone else. I love you!

More Work on French Doors

2010-04-24T16:59:00.000-07:00

So they're not up quite yet, but Drew has now officially got the frame out up... I cannot wait for this project to be done because that means I will have the plastic that's up between my family room and dining room will come down, too!

The Walls Are A-Comin' Down!

2010-04-11T19:04:00.000-07:00

A sneak peek at our current house project...

French Doors!! We're adding french doors inbetween our Family Room and our Living Room so the walls are a-comin' down!

A Non-House Project

2010-03-29T21:23:00.001-07:00

So this isn't exactly about the house, but I thought since it is so vintage-y it would go well here.

I've been helping my friend Megan with her Bridal Shower Invites. They are so Her (and me!!), so of course I had fun making them.

Had to black out the personal info since I'm posting it online...but you get the gist.

Front ::

Megan and I are going to add some scrapbook-y type things to make the front even kitchier. Ribbon around the photo, pearls/buttons around the edges. It's gonna be cute!

Inside Spread ::

Back ::

Annoyed

2010-02-14T13:54:00.000-08:00

I am completely annoyed and frustrated right now. Mostly at myself.

For Valentine's Day, Drew and I are doing yard work. Yes, I know. So romantic. But that's not even what I'm frustrated with. I'm so annoyed because I feel like I need to keep these stupid rose bushes alive and well...but not for me!! Do I want them to stay alive and to have beautiful roses blooming in my yard? Of course! But do I want the voice of an 86 year old woman calling all her old neighbors asking if the new kids have killed her 50 year old roses be my motivation?? NO!!

I walk around my new house...the house that I own and paid good money for...to feel like my own. And yet, it still feels like someone else's. And not just that I'm renting it from someone and need to take care of it, but that I have someone hanging over my head constantly saying, "I gave you this house thinking you were going to take care of it...and you're not taking care of it like I would want it taken care of."

Grrr!!

It's almost like I'm living in a relative's house who is dead but their ghost is a constant visitor telling me what I'm doing wrong and not letting me turn it into what I want.

Now granted, we're kind of at a stopping point after the windows because we're out of spending money...so we're stuck keeping it the way it's been. But it still doesn't feel like it's mine! What in the world is wrong with me??

I feel like I'm being watched by my neighbors...and you know what?? I am! They've told us!! They've told us that the old owner calls them to check up on us and "her" house. I know it shouldn't bother me, but it does!!

This is MY HOUSE! I want to do what I want to it! And I don't want to be judged for it. Maybe I don't want that god-awful concrete in the front yard...maybe I actually want a YARD!!!

And maybe I don't want to have to baby over the roses! Maybe I want stuff that's easy to take care of and doesn't drink up the entire Lexington Reservoir. Maybe I want plants that don't need to be watered every single day for a half an hour straight!!

Okay, now I actually have to go out and finish pruning those stinkin' rose bushes. I feel like I need to ponder over every single snip. When all I want to do is take a hedge trimmer to the lot of them!!

New Windows!!

2010-02-09T12:58:00.000-08:00

Finally, finally, FINALLY I have posted pics of my new windows. Since there are just WAY too many, you can find the set over at Flickr. (click on the above photo to take you to the set)

Also, I make no promises of good photo quality...Drew took most of them while I was at work. : )

ENJOY!

Pure Air

2010-02-02T07:49:00.000-08:00

This seems like a genius (and obvious) idea: Using house plants as a way to purify the air in your home.

Andrea Air.

Buy it at Amazon.

Wind Turbine Question

2010-01-31T12:04:00.000-08:00

I'm sure you're all waiting impatiently to see my amazing windows...and they ARE amazing! :) But until I can get a cord for my camera card, you won't be seeing any windows. Sad!

Until then, check out this personal windmill designed by Phillipe Starck... Interesting idea...do you think it will catch on?

I love my floors, but...

2010-01-29T07:43:00.000-08:00

...this is ridiculous!

Chair Personality Socks...Odd.

See Ya Single Pane!

2010-01-07T22:22:00.000-08:00

Good-Bye Single Pane windows!! You are being replaced!!

This is going to make the biggest difference when it comes to heat retention and blocking sound. Not to mention that it will look a whole heck of a lot better from the outside AND we'll be able to open the windows without fear that the cats will sneak through the crappy screens.

CAN'T WAIT!!

Back to the 21st Century

2010-01-03T10:31:00.000-08:00

Well, I guess it's time to join the 21st century now and dry our clothes in a dryer. We've so enjoyed hanging our clothes to dry in the sun, but the winter wind will just not dry those clothes out quite as quickly. We can put clothes out to dry at 9am and take them down at 5pm and they are still damp.

Since our electrical isn't quite up to standard around here, we've had to plug it in in the garage. There's no three prong plug in the laundry room! In fact, there are only three three prongs in the house: one in the garage and two in the kitchen...and one of those has the fridge plugged into it.

So needless to say we went from Amish to Ghetto...

Oh yeah, we have to put the dryer vent out the door... Classy!

2010!!

2010-01-01T08:17:00.001-08:00

The Christmas Living Room

2009-12-21T15:19:00.000-08:00

I've decorated for Christmas...

A Message from Santa

2009-12-08T23:25:00.000-08:00

Seems Drew has been a very good boy this year...and he's getting windows for Christmas!

Santa even says so! (click on the link!)

PS Thanks for the info Carrie! Drew will be very happy that Santa is bringing him such a great gift!

Amish No More

2009-11-19T21:57:00.000-08:00

Seems we can no longer claim the title of Amish. We've been bragging for months that our PG&E bills are no more than $25.00...in fact, last month, it was -$13.50! Pretty impressive. But really only because we don't have a dryer or a dishwasher or a microwave...we never have lights on...we don't use our tv right now...we don't have desktop computers, only laptops... In fact, we only use 5kwh a DAY! Niiiiice.

But today is a sad day because it got so cold that we actually had to start up the furnace. I'm not gonna lie...it scares the hell out of me! I'm pretty much convinced that we are going to die of carbon monoxide poisoning OR the furnace is going to explode. I've already run both scenarios in my head...and neither of them turn out well.

Why in the world am I oh so worried about these things happening? Because this house turned 50 years old this year...and with it, the furnace celebrated as well! Yes, we are using a furnace that is almost twice my age. Every time it kicks on I jump out of my skin.

But you take a look at it and tell me you wouldn't be a little scared, too... It's the rattling that gets me.

Warm & Cozy

2009-11-14T19:46:00.000-08:00

Whoa! It's been awhile, huh?

Well, to explain what October was like at work would take years and quite frankly, I don't even want to get into it anyway.

Instead...

Take a look at some pictures of the first fire of the season in our new-ish home! I'm so so cozy right now...

Haunted :: Day 8 :: Creepy Suzy

2009-10-08T23:33:00.000-07:00

Another Flea Market find today...this is a weird picture that Chris picked up. It's like a scary movie:

Creepy Suzy Walks Up the Stairs, As Creepy Suzy Walks Down the Stairs

*sorry for the poor quality, I took it with my phone at Chris's house

Haunted :: Day 7 :: Trapped

2009-10-07T21:24:00.000-07:00

Haunted :: Day 6 :: Fangs

2009-10-06T22:34:00.000-07:00

Haunted :: Day 5 :: Wicked Words

2009-10-05T20:57:00.001-07:00

Haunted :: Day 4 :: Creepy Clown

2009-10-04T18:20:00.000-07:00

I ventured out of my house for this picture.

It's one of MANY creepy clowns I saw at the Alameda Flea Market today.

Haunted :: Day 3 :: Glow

2009-10-03T09:06:00.000-07:00

Haunted :: Day 2 :: Dark Shadow

2009-10-02T03:00:00.000-07:00

Haunted :: Day 1 :: That Sneaky Dorothy

2009-10-01T03:00:00.000-07:00

Haunted

2009-09-30T08:02:00.000-07:00

Happy Almost October!

Have you noticed that this blog has been very, very, very slow lately? Perhaps because not a whole lot is going on in my house. Sad!

So I got excited when I received my NaBloPoMo email yesterday with the October Theme: Haunted. I thought to myself, "Oooh! I should take creepy pictures of Corners of My Home this month for TVW!" So that's what I'm going to attempt to do. I Am Excited!

Make sure you come back tomorrow...October 1st...unless you're scared! Bwah-ha-ha-ha!

A New Cover

2009-09-15T07:55:00.000-07:00

Well, since I have a new headboard, maybe I should get a new blanket, too.

Perhaps the Homeland Security Blanket?

Design Glut

*found via Craft Magazine

A New Addition to our Old-Furniture Family

2009-09-12T17:08:00.000-07:00

Drew and I just don't buy new furniture..unless it's from CostCo, of course. But pretty much all of our furniture is a hand-me-down or bought used. What can I say, we like old stuff. :o)

And today we have added to that furniture family...we got a new (old) headboard! FINALLY!

Ever since we bought our CalKing bed six years ago, we've been living without any sort of headboard and it has been Driving. Me. CRAZY! It has such a "first college apartment" feel to it. Blah! I had been looking at a few headboards from Ikea...mostly because they are cheap. Plus they actually have some cute "wrought iron" beds. But Hubby HATE HATE HATES Ikea. Oh well. So we've still been left with mattresses sitting in our master bedroom. So unfinished.

Then this morning we noticed all these cars parked outside of our house. Seems our next door neighbors were having a multi-family yard sale. And, as luck would have it, they were selling a solid maple cal-king headboard. Drew saw it when he went to see if they were selling any old tools. I tried to get him to tell me what decade it was from...he had no idea what I was even talking about. I just wanted to make sure that I didn't get my congested head off the couch only to find they were selling an ugly 1980's waterbed headboard made of "maple" particle board. But, nope! It's the real thing. It actually belonged to the ladies parents...I'm going to guess time period is somewhere in the 1950s. Works for this house, huh?

So we picked up this solid hardwood headboard for a song - even cheaper than what we would have paid at Ikea! Now I feel like the bedroom looks finished. Well, if only I could get Drew to pick up his huge pile of clothes on the floor. And, if he would just suck it up and let me paint the darn room a beautiful peacock blue like I want. But that is another post in and of itself...

This actually matches our dresser almost perfectly...it was my grandmothers.

Teeny Tiny Projects and the Family Room Continued

2009-09-08T11:19:00.000-07:00

I talked to my mom and dad yesterday and they were giving me a hard time about not having posted anything lately. Well, I promised them that it had nothing to be with me being lazy when it comes to this blog, and much more that it really comes down to us being lazy when it comes to this house.

And actually, we're not even really that lazy. It's just that we're exhausted in the evenings...not that there's that much time to do anything in an evening. But our weekends have been filled...FILLED...with social obligations. Since we are on this side of the hill now, everyone is trying to get four years worth of invites in to us...since we missed so much in our years in Davenport.

But we did do a little work this past weekend... Drew continued his work on de-texturizing the walls in the Family Room. Lots of sanding and mudding, so we plastic-ed up the place.

Hmmm...I just realized how creepy that looks...like a horror movie!

On to happier things -

Last week I started playing around with hanging some large, empty frames in the master bedroom.

I have found that this method is The Best when it comes to hanging multiple frames/objects together. Because if you are anything like me, you have to continue to rearrange it until it feels juuuuuussst right.

And here they are hung...

I plan to add the wall sconce to the largest frame. And I wanted to hang my jewelry in the other frames, but that's just a little too girly for Hubby. So does anyone have any suggestions as to what I could put in the frames...besides just pictures?

And speaking of frames, I found Princess like this while I was working.

I have no idea how or why she is laying like that. She had to have climbed under the frame, but why in the world would she do that? She's nuts.

Anyhoo...my other Master Bedroom project was to get more storage in there. Somehow the Hubby and I have a TON of clothes. And, I promise you, it's NOT just me. :) Drew has his fair share of clothes that need storage, too. But my grandmother's old dresser just doesn't hold that much, the room itself isn't big enough to add another dresser, and the closet doesn't have extra shelves to hold things like in our last place. So we decided that we could give up some of our closet space and add a dresser there. It's not ideal, but it works.

And I even have a place to hang my jewelry now...

So in the end, the weekend was a little less productive than we had hoped, but considering all the other things that we had done (Drew helping a friend do yard work on their house, me celebrating my boss's annual 40th birthday...) it's not too shabby.

Takin' Some Time

2009-08-25T22:11:00.000-07:00

Hmmm...now how long ago was it that we prepped the kitchen and dining room for painting?

AGES AGO!!!

Is the kitchen or dining room painted??

NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Argh! This whole house project thing gets real old real fast. :)

I swear we are not slackers...okay, we are a little bit...but that's not actually why the rooms haven't been painted. What happened was we wanted to actually do things right...which, of course, ALWAYS means more work!

So here's what's happening... Our kitchen and dining room had a lovely, lovely oil based gross green paint on its very smooth walls...and ceiling. Yes, ceiling. It was...just...lovely. Anyhoo, so since the family room is attached (see diagram below), and it was NOT all glossy and smooth, we decided we needed to DE-textureize the wall. Why oh why did we think that this would be a quick process?

Yeah...not so much a quick anything. We've done one layer of mudding and there are still SEVERAL more to go. So why don't we just go ahead and paint the kitchen and dining room? Because we have to mud and SAND and mud and SAND...which makes for a lot of dust to settle on the freshly painted walls.

So...one day...maybe one day...we will have a beautiful and smooth kitchen, dining room, and family room. Fingers crossed.

Mysterious Growth

2009-08-24T20:40:00.000-07:00

When we first moved to our new house, Drew found a very strange plant growing in one of our built-in planter boxes in the backyard.

He didn't want to touch it, thinking it might actually be a plant and not just a weed...as I assumed it was.

Just a day or so ago, I noticed that the vines were really starting to take off and wrap themselves around the house.

Come to find out, Drew was right...our mysterious plant was growing a watermelon!

This little guy just appeared practically overnight

Couch It

2009-08-23T11:44:00.000-07:00

Well, I just HAD to get that horrid woman rug off the top of this page. Blech!

Now here's a more pleasant, though interesting, piece of furniture to add to your living room. I myself am looking for a new couch for the family room, but I'm not convinced that this would be very comfortable. It's quite the conversation piece, though...

What do you think?

*found via apartment therapy

Disturbing Designs

2009-08-18T18:22:00.001-07:00

Not sure I could handle these designs in my house...

Apartment Therapy :: WTF? Designs We're Not Sure We Could Deal With

Eco. vs. Ick-o

2009-08-13T14:19:00.000-07:00

In my continuing quest to be as green as possible, I decided to switch from disposable plastic soap dispensers to bar soap. It really worked in two ways: bar soap has so much less packaging which is what makes it so green AND Drew is very anti-antibacterial soap (which is really hard to find in a liquid now-a-days).

So I'm thinking that I'm doing a great thing - I'm saving the earth and I'm making my husband happy.

Until...

Ewwww! Disgusting!

Why is my soap all gooey and gross? And why is it leaving nasty, nasty residue all over my sink??

No matter how many times I cleaned that sink, it was covered in green goop the very next time anyone went to wash their hands. Plus, who wants to touch that ickiness? I certainly don't, and I'm a little sad at myself for letting any house guests use it. Bleck!

So today I broke down and bought another liquid soap dispenser. But...ah-ha...I'm still being very earth- concious about it. I bought a glass and metal dispenser and filled it with a bottle of (non-antibacterial) liquid soap whose container is easily recyclable.

And now I'm not grossed out by my own sink anymore.

Ahhh....Much Better!

The Living Room...Finished!

2009-08-10T22:40:00.001-07:00

I cannot believe that I actually have a room finished in this house...and by finished I mean it's completely decorated and set up like I want it. Okay, okay...we do have a few projects still to complete: hang candle chandelier (in corner by couch), french doors leading to the family room, put down baseboards, and take down the panel board. No matter what, though, it makes me so incredibly happy. The Living Room is the one room that I have been putting together since Day 1 because it's THE room you seen when you walk into the house. But it never seemed to want to finish up because I kept getting distracted with the many, many other projects going on in the house.

So I took a cue from Francis to calm my worrisome and overwhelmed heart...

"The trick...is to have a plan. Pick one room and make it yours. Go slowly through the house. Be polite...introduce yourself...so it can introduce itself to you."

I found this to be very good advice. I have been completely overwhelmed this entire summer thinking about every single tiny thing that needs to get done. In my head, I needed to work on all of it at all times. So nothing ever got done and the house turned into a disaster. And it all got to be so much that I just stopped working on all of it all together. But after a night with a glass of wine and a good movie, I was reminded of why I enjoy decorating and putting my home together.

So I decided to take Francis's advice and take on one room for my own and go slowly through the rest of it. And today I finished the Living Room. I just needed a little prespective and a little time to calm down. Now I'm ready to tackle the rest of the mess...though I will do it one room at a time. Today it was the Living Room, tomorrow the Master Bedroom.

But let's take a minute to enjoy the fantastic Living Room...esp. since it orginal looked like this:

So clearly, it looks nothing like that anymore...esp. considering that these pictures were taken before we even owned the house.

So check out my first finished room in my very first home...full of lots of Before & Afters...

And here are a few pics of some of my decorating vignettes...

And check out those floors! How fantastic is that dark wood trim...it borders the entire room.

Whew! I'm just so glad that I have a room in order! Now this is where I will spend my time to keep my sanity as I work on the rest of the place...

Books

2009-08-10T22:00:00.000-07:00

Today I moved (almost) all my book boxes from the garage to the house. It was quite a feat! I hadn't wanted to move them in too soon since I wasn't sure exactly where I was going to put my MANY bookshelves...but I think I've figured out their permanent homes now. I have my books piled into genres and will distribute them tomorrow.

(click on the images for notes on what each pile actually is...)

Some of my favorite quotes from today...and I use the term "quotes" loosely since I was pretty much just talking to myself out loud..

"Who lets me pack books...they really shouldn't..."

"Stupid boobs getting in the way!"

(box drops on flip-flopped foot) "$*@#!! Well, at least it was a lighter box...but it still hurt like a &!$@%!!

I also gave myself quite the little bruise on my arm...I attempted to take a picture of it, but I just couldn't get it to come out right. But it's big and it's swollen and it hurts!

But it was all worth it...and Bob agrees. He likes to curl up with a good book.

Stay tuned for pictures of my finished Living Room. What? Finished, you say? Really? Yes, finished Living Room. I finished it up today, which is why I was digging out all my books.

Projects & Progress

2009-08-06T08:14:00.000-07:00

I am spent when it comes to my studio...it is exhausting to organize! But I'm going to get it done before the week is up if it kills me! :) Here's the progress I've made:

However, my progress might be a little marred because I tried to start a new project that I assumed would be quick and easy. Hmmm... Did I learn nothing from the painting incident?

It's just that Drew got me thinking when he asked, "What do you really hate about the house and want to change immediately?"

FRONT STEPS CARPET!!

Yeah, Carpet...Outside... So pretty. ;) So I went outside and started ripping away only to find old glue still stuck to the concrete.

So now my front steps are looking a little icky while I take my time scraping all that nasty glue up.

Today's a good day for projects around the house, though because its nice and overcast today. I love when I have a not-so-sunny California day.

Other Projects...

2009-07-30T11:49:00.000-07:00

We are working on the kitchen and dining room on the weekends, so during this week I'm trying to put my studio back together. Not Fun. It's a mess...

I blame Drew. He used this room to store all the stuff for the security system... That's what all that junk is...all Drew's. :)

Dining Room To Do

2009-07-29T11:14:00.000-07:00

Another To Do List...I have one for every room...and a little more inspiration...

Kitchen To Do

2009-07-28T17:00:00.000-07:00

Here's an ongoing list of things that I would like to do to the kitchen and dining room...

I'm sure that list is just gonna grow and grow, too. Oh well...for now I'm happy that my kitchen is going from a funky green to a nice pale yellow.

But I do have big dreams for the kitchen...and all the rooms. And I just love looking at magazines and websites for ideas... I mean, I may or may not use any of these ideas, but it's a great starting point for inspiration...

(click on images for larger viewing)

Painting 101

2009-07-27T03:00:00.000-07:00

Things just never go accorning to plan when it comes to house projects.

We really had ourselves convinced that we would have the entire kitchen, dining room, and family room painted and looking like new before the weekend was over.

Hmmm...how much did we get done... Let's see...

Well, we pulled down the old retched wallpaper...and by we I mean Drew. He said I wasn't allowed...that I would just rip the ancient drywall behind it. So while he did that, I moved all the furniture, kitchen stuff, etc and then removed all the hardware from all the walls. THAT was an adventure, too. There were LAYERS of paint and who knows what else under that stuff! Plus, it seems the previous owners never took the hardware down when they painted because I had to cut out the screws, cut out the hardward, and then pry it off with a screwdriver!

I cannot believe that he wrapped himself in that gross 50-year-old, grease ridden paper! Eww!

And once that wallpaper was down, we realized we needed to remove the baseboards. If only these were your typical wooden baseboards. Why would they be though? That wouldn't look good with vinyl pink-and-green floral wallpaper, bright green walls, and pink countertops! No, No...our baseboards were fancy black rubber baseboards with LOTS of dried out glue underneath.

Well, there's something we didn't plan for!

So off to Home Depot Drew did fly. He picked up a scraper and started scraping away. But only after he convinced himself that using a razor blade would take days to use and also might just cut off his finger.

However, in his scraping, he did find a little hidden treasure: the original wallpaper.

Now why couldn't they have left that up?? That I might just have liked! Though, seeing it made me realize that the ENTIRE house had been a pinky-beige at one time - because the paint under the green in the kitchen/dining room was pinky-beige, same goes for the paint in the living room, the kitchen countertop and stovetop are pinky-beige...and the trim outside and the main bathroom are STILL that color! I can't even imagine living in a house covered in that...

Eventually, Drew scraped all the glue off then started patching holes and whatnot throughout the two rooms. All the while I am STILL taking hardware off the walls...including vents, lightswitch covers, etc...all painted down to the walls.

And that was Saturday...

Sunday started out with me hiding in the bedroom with my headphones on turned up as loud as it could go. I swear I was not trying to ignore all the work that lay before us... I was trying to ignore the sanding going on in the dining room. Because Drew filled all the holes the day before, he, of course, had to sand them down before we could clean them. I cannot stand the sound of sanding. CANNOT STAND IT! It sets my teeth on edge. *shiver* Just thinking about it makes my skin crawl.

After I was given the green light and told it was safe to come out, Drew and I went to work on cleaning all that nasty 50-year-old grease that sat upon the walls. Ewww. It was gross. We even used a special cleaner to make sure we got it all: TSP. I wanted to take a picture of how gross the water was after, but Drew was too quick and threw it down the drain.

Now here's where the fun really begins...PRIMING THE WALLS!

You know how, when you're painting, you hate doing the priming because you don't really feel like you're seeing any difference? Well, that was the bonus of having bright green walls...when you put white on top of it, you see a HUGE difference right away.

Except, it wasn't just the walls we had to prime...we had to do the ceilings, too! So Drew asked me if I wanted to do the ceilings or the trim work around all the wood cabinets. My mama didn't raise no fool...I chose the ceiling!

And I was quite the little worker bee. Not only did I do the entire ceiling, but I also did every single wall (including the one with drywall that needed a special primer that stunk to high heaven even though it claimed to be the low odor kind). And I even helped Drew with the trimwork.

I rocked the priming!

I told Drew I was going to tell everyone that I did it all by myself and he said that was fine because then he would point out all the mistakes that "I" made since he happened to know where they all were...since he happened to put them there.

And that was Sunday.

So you see...Drew and I had pretty big dreams to finish up the painting. Instead, we only got the primer done.

The wall looks the same because the primer used went on as a milky lavender, but dried completely clear.

Sadly, as much as I am going to love having my kitchen painted, I think the nice new paint is just going to show off how old and pink the countertop and stove are. Oh well...guess I'll just have to start saving up for a new kitchen.

Though, major bonus...since we painted the ceiling, we had to take down the crazy flower lights! And now I get new ones! HOORAY!!! See ya Ugly Lights!

It was a long weekend. At one point during our painting, Drew looked over at me and said, "Why did we do this this weekend? It's the only weekend we've had to ourselves since we moved into the house."

"Well, I was wondering that myself when you suggested it on Friday."

"No you weren't. You were really excited about it."

"Yeah, but I honestly thought you were just going to laze out of it in the end and we'd have our weekend to do nothing but sit around and read..."

He thought it was hilarious that I thought he was going to laze out of it... But really...it's just what we do. We make big plans for our weekends during the week, and then we just end up sitting around doing nothing. Well, at least that's how it was when we lived in Davenport.

But now it's different... Now it's Our House. The projects that need to get done are our own. And now...well, now I actually want to get up on the weekends and work on home projects with my husband. It's amazing what owning your home does to you... It's exhausting, but totally worth it.

The Weekend Adventure

2009-07-25T12:59:00.000-07:00

We decided yesterday that we wanted to

paint the kitchen this weekend.

We figured it wouldn't take the whole weekend.

Why are we so stupid?

More details and photos to come on Monday...

Let it Begin...

2009-07-24T14:55:00.000-07:00

Having hardwood floors for most of the rooms of the house has made the biggest difference in the feel of the house. If you look at the before and afters, it's almost like looking at a different house.

Before:

Working...

After!

Here are a few more before and afters...

The Green Room ::

The Red Room ::

I might have to stop calling it The Red Room now...

And finally, The Blue Room ::

And now I'll have to start calling this room the Master instead of The Blue Room since most everything that was blue is now gone... Though my bedspread is a pale blue...so I think that still counts. :)

Living the Retro Life

2009-07-24T13:43:00.001-07:00

I consider myself pretty old fashioned, but I sure do like my modern conveniences. I love my iPod, my cell phone, my Kindle...so how am I going to live in a house that is greatly lacking in modern technology?

The hubby and I have just bought our first home, and, though we love it, it seems to be missing a few things...

-no dryer (not even a place to hook one up)

-no dishwasher (ditto on the hook up)

-no AC

-no three-prong outlets...ie no microwave

-toilets that lose about 10 gallons of water per flush

Seems kinda inconvenient, huh? Well, surprisingly, we like it! The Hubby and I are kinda old-school that way.

So join me as I share the adventures of updating a 50s home while still trying to keep its vintage charm.

This should be fun...