The great house update

Two years ago we found ourselves expecting a baby, living in an apartment, and realizing that the housing market had hit rock bottom. My husband, the planner and real estate agent, saw the silver lining, and one afternoon our house hunt began. Just like that.

We had known we wanted a house but we didn’t want to get ahead of ourselves. After selling our first house, we spent two years living in an apartment, footloose and fancy free. And while we were there we began narrowing down just where we wanted to live. After securing the general areas we liked, within a week of his announcement we began actively searching. In a market such as the one we are in now, if you want to buy you have to be ready to jump. Houses are on and off in a matter of days and knowing exactly what you want will help things move quickly and far more smoothly.

We had a list of must haves: attached garage, 3 bedrooms on one level, an area for a home office, 2 bathrooms would be nice, a dining room and at least 2000 square feet. We didn’t care if it was updated or in it’s original state. In fact we preferred the latter; not wanting to pay for someone else’s updates. Knowing what we wanted allowed us to breeze through 10-15 homes in a matter of a week. We would walk in, look around, see what we could do and how the home flowed and either keep it on or knock it off the list. Obviously the fact that my husband is a remodeler helps in our ability to rehab something!

When we walked in the house we eventually bought, it was nice. There were definite features we liked: the big windows, layout of the bedrooms, amount of square footage and the fact that there were 3 bathrooms and 4 bedrooms. We looked at it once and came back within days for a second walk through and then made an offer. Just like that. We knew that what was missing was primarily cosmetic and would be easily fixed with some hard work and money. And the area was the perfect compromise for my city living desire and my husbands want of a suburban neighborhood. Although we don’t live in the most prestigious neighborhood or even where some would begin their search, we live on a street that has some history as almost every neighbor has been here for 10+ years.

Because of all the above logistics we were able to secure our house for a significant discount especially after it under appraised. Although deals like our house are very infrequent these days, knowing what you want and being able to act quickly is really important.

But back to the house. Our house is a 1965 split level. This house is NOT our style. We are farmhouse/cape cod/craftsman people. This was a huge compromise on our part. But given that our budget would only reach so far with our must-haves, it was a compromise we were willing to make. We have 4 bedrooms, 3 on one level, 3 baths, 1 full and 2 3/4, and 2300 square feet. Our bedrooms are on the smaller side but our living spaces are quite large. And we have a dining room. YAY! Compromise is usually the name of the game when it comes to house buying.

Before we even moved into our house we immediately entered the room dimensions in my husband’s design program and we began our own listy-mclisterson of updates. Let me tell you that list is mind-boggling and it’s to come…because if you are anything like me, you are curious!

And like every list, it will take time to knock our items off especially since we only pay cash for any updates we do. Not too mention that my husband does remodeling and investing as a full time job… but I’m ready to start writing about our house and the changes we’ve made and I’d love to have you along for the ride. Coming soon will include what we have done, what we hope to do, our kitchen reveal and more.

Are you buying a house soon or have you? What were your must have’s?

enjoying the sunshine

Today has found a multitude of thoughts running through my head as we seek to savor this gorgeous day. Summer in our city has been slow coming, rain clouds blocking out the sun, and yet today we were blessed with a perfect day.

Elizabeth and I started out our day with a run/walk combo through the neighborhood, where we both are quiet and take in the sights. It’s a grand route, weaving up and down streets, greeting strangers. I feel incredibly blessed to live where we do; in a house that isn’t perfect, in an established neighborhood where the residents have all been here for at least a decade, and with incredibly kind neighbors. We didn’t know what would await us when we moved in but now we can’t even imagine leaving.

This morning on our walk as we passed split levels and story and a half’s, my childhood flashed through my mind. Our house was just like one on a neighboring street that we pass by often. And the grey house with the elderly man waving in the window reminds me of my grandparents and their white and green house with the meticulous lawn. You can usually tell where the older neighbors live by their lawn… Houses where memories were made. A childhood with laughter and joy in those houses. Thankful we live with reminders of beautiful memories surrounding us.

And then after morning naps we spent the early afternoon outdoors, pulling weeds, playing in water and just enjoying the heat of the sunshine on our backs. And this afternoon, if we are all rested maybe we’ll head to the pool or go straight back out to our yard and resume our morning play. Sometimes it’s the simplest of activities that bring great joy. The quiet, monotonous tasks, like weeding a bed, with the sounds of the neighborhood keeping you company. And as I worked, she played. Investigating rocks, finding a cozy spot under the front tree playing with cups, and aimlessly walking through the grass. Taking it all in.

But the overwhelming feeling in my heart today was gratitude and thankfulness for blessing upon blessing. A house that fits our needs and is incredibly convenient for our life. Not only that but a house that we can hopefully pay off in the next 10 years, in a neighborhood with kind neighbors, and a street that isn’t busy. A baby toddling about in the yard, curious eyes and heart taking in the surroundings, fulfilling prayers upon prayers. A baby whose life has brought us increasing joy and grew our hearts like nothing else imaginable. Almost one year with her seems incredibly kind. And we have each other, sunshine, blue skies, delicious food to eat, and hope for the morrow. Even with heartaches, struggles, and pain all around somehow the sunshine and a walk through the neighborhood had a way of making everything clearer.

There’s just one simple explanation.

You don’t need much to have joy.

Design Style: Home edition

We’re up to our ears in design decisions. We’re planning out our eventual whole house spruce up and we’re having to come face to face with our likes and dislikes. Obviously we can change things, as we’re future planning and nothing is set in stone, but we do like to have some vision going forward. This renovation project is in so many stages and I’m married to a man who does this for a living so this is kind of like how the shoemaker’s kids never had shoes. It’ll get done eventually:)

But as far as design style, everyone has their own bents. We like most styles but we gravitate towards a few in particular. I took a fun design quiz and for me the quiz always came back with the same two styles…I am cottage chic/Nantucket style…I love white slipcovered furniture, rustic accents, bright colors, vintage mixed with modern, and most of all it must be comfortable. Alex leans that way as well although he really loves everything in Restoration Hardware, some industrial and some more traditional pieces than I do. Bringing the two together and trying to do this all right the first time around has made us sit back and take inventory of our tastes. Obviously, like with anything, tastes can change, but it’s hard to make big decisions if you have no idea what direction to head.

So we’ve hired a local interior designer to help us settle on some choices. We live in a 1960’s split level but dream of a cape cod craftsman and obviously the two cannot be combined. We need new windows, doors, trim, etc. and we needed a second opinion. Even though Alex is a designer and was allied ASID we still felt the need for another opinion. Kind of a like a Doctor getting another Doctor’s opinion. We CANNOT wait to see what they put together for us! Before getting here, our friend Anne, who has incredible style and is an amazing designer, helped us get our house from chaos to looking almost there. SO if anyone needs some design advice, her fee is less but her skill is amazing!

After finally having figured out what I like, by taking inventory of every page I’ve ever ripped out of a magazine and kept, I found that many of them look the same. Knowing this came in very handy when picking out our sofa. Now with some renovations planned for our house, it’s becoming even more useful when planning our kitchen renovation. We are certain this will be one of the first projects we tackle and we’re hoping to complete it in 2013.

Our kitchen style, thankfully, is in total unison. We will be recreating the kitchen we built for our last flip house on a slightly smaller scale and with a smaller budget. And we’re doing something we’ve always cautioned others on and we’re putting marble on our countertops (at least that is the plan). I still can’t believe we are doing that! We don’t have that much counter space right now and still will not after our renovation so we decided if we were going to splurge somewhere it should be there.

So here’s the inspiration photos:

The amazing kitchen from the Little House Blog

Our flip kitchen renovation

We thought about doing something more bold, like painting the cabinets a color, but at the end of the day we want to stay timeless and make the most of the small space.

Here’s our kitchen in it’s current state:

Actually we have a larger shelving unit on the wall and a new light fixture but everything else is original. Because the square footage is not huge on the main level, the walls will not be coming down. Instead the doorway will be opened up at an angle and we’ll be using every square inch within those walls, including the area in the soffits, to create the most workable kitchen.

So far we know we will have flat panel, shaker style door, white cabinets, wood floors and hopefully marble counters. And the rest of the details are below. There will be pantry and our first broom closet (cabinet) along one wall to help with our storage issue. If you can imagine, the cabinet above the dishwasher is the only cabinet that houses food stuffs. ONE UPPER CABINET. No walk in pantry, nothing. So the extra cabinet space will be highly embraced.

 

We can’t wait to start this project and hopefully (Lord-willing) it will start this fall. But like life, who knows what will happen between then and now. Maybe it could even happen sooner:)

So tell me, do you know the kitchen you would have?

(by the way, never in a million years did I imagine the possibility of being able to have my dream kitchen and if this happens, this would be it)

what we’re loving now {april}

Finding joy in the little things is keeping us sane in our house as the snow continues to fall outside. I’m not sure if this is a record for latest spring snowfall or not but either way we’re keeping busy and trying to keep our spirits up.

In the last month or two we have found some new favorites; everything from things for mom to things for baby and I thought I’d share them this snowy afternoon!

west elm zipper pouches

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I bought the medium metallic zipper case to use when Elizabeth goes to the nursery. The best part is that they’re super inexpensive (especially when on sale), lined with a vinyl material (think wet bag) and they can be monogrammed and shipped for free. I monogrammed the front of ours with E’s name and it’s perfect for filling with diapers and wipes for nursery when I drop her off.

vicks vaporizor & nosefrida

Elizabeth is on the verge of getting her canine teeth and every time teething comes around so does a runny nose and cold like symptoms. We’re big fans of our nosefrida (I also really like the little noses aspirator) and vaporizer. The vaporizer runs all night long and keeps things nice and humid in her room. We don’t run a humidifier since we have a whole house version on our furnace but this is a great alternative when cold season hits.

world market accessories

 

I love this store! Walking through there feels like I went on a tropical vacation especially now with all of their spring and summer merchandise out. I bought the shower curtain and placemats a couple of months ago and they have made a world of difference in our house. Our bathroom is now my favorite place to be due to the bright and cheery colors going on in there. The baskets are also great for stowing magazines up off the floor where our paper monster cannot reach them!

island moonlight candle

If you love the volcano candle at Anthropologie, which I of course do, then you will love that this less expensive version located in the aisles of your local Target store offers the very same dreamy fragrance for a fraction of the price. yay!

So there you go…

what have you fun new things have you found this spring?

life on a monday

monday morning at our house after a delightful full night’s sleep

oh happy day

Spring Cleaning

Spring is on its way. Despite the falling snow and the icy branches, spring is coming. Though the yards are covered in white, we can hear the birds singing their songs and see green tips sprouting from wet soil. It’s coming.

In the words of Aslan,

“Wrong will be right, when Aslan comes in sight,
At the sound of his roar, sorrows will be no more,
When he bares his teeth, winter meets its death,
And when he shakes his mane, we shall have spring again.”

I’m finding this slow start to spring to be the perfect encouragement to get some things done inside. I know if the weather were different, the chores at home would be lost on the sunshine filled days playing outdoors.

Since organization isn’t my first inclination, I’m taking the lead from this great blog I found on Pinterest. Over at ‘A Bowl Full of Lemons’ I found the perfect organizational lists to get my act in gear. I’ve decided to start her 14 week program in an attempt to get things a little more in order and start purging all the things we don’t need. Join me?

Here’s the link to the program:

http://www.abowlfulloflemons.net/2013/01/home-organization-revisited-week-1-the-kitchen.html

And alongside organizing my home one room at a time, I’m also reconnecting with a paper planner alongside my iPhone. I just can’t seem to tame the paper trail and back when I used a planner things were far more in control. I’ve decided to use the planner suggestion from the same blog as above as my jumping off point and I love that it’s kind of a home organization/management binder as well as a planner.

Here’s the link to that:

http://www.abowlfulloflemons.net/2012/05/planner-organization.html

And lastly, I finally got back into the groove of having a cleaning schedule. When we were first married I found a rhythm that worked for me. It takes only 15-20 minutes a day, less if you go really fast, and you only do one task a day. Seriously it keeps me sane, takes the pressure off, and makes tackling our house so much easier.

Here’s the breakdown:

Monday: Laundry (bulk of it; I do laundry throughout the week too), Groceries

Tuesday: Bathrooms (wipe down, clean toilets, mirrors, tub/shower wipe down)

Wednesday: Dusting/mirrors

Thursday: Floors (dust and mop all floors and vacuum carpet and rugs)

Friday: Errands

My breakdown per day is based on what we have going. Bible Study is always on Wednesdays and since I try to tackle the job during morning naps, dusting is a short and easy task for that day since we are gone in the morning. I also try to get all errands done on one day in one fell swoop but sometimes that doesn’t work and we find ourselves at Target other times of the week. Customize it as you see fit.

Everyday the kitchen gets wiped down and cleaned so that is why it’s not on there. Laundry of course gets done at other times as well but if I can get through multiple loads on Monday that makes the rest of the week more manageable. When I first started we lived in a 2b/1bath, 980 square foot house. Our next place was a 1100 square foot apartment with 2b/2b and now we have 4b/3b and 2400 square feet. With every upgrade came more honing of the schedule above and because it’s broken down into days and smaller pieces the upgrade in square footage and bathrooms has not felt overwhelming.

Plus another tip I’ve learned is for bathrooms have a set up in every bath. In every one of our bathrooms there is a bottle of toilet bowl cleaner, Lysol wipes, Windex and a cheap toilet brush from Ikea. That way I’m not hauling cleaning supplies all through the house, just a cloth. This has revolutionized cleaning for me!

So today we’re hunkering down and getting clean and organized.

What are your tips for keeping things in order?

Write them on your heart

“You shall therefore lay up these words of mine in your heart and in your soul, and you shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall teach them to your children, talking of them when you are sitting in your house, and when you are walking by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates, that your days and the days of your children may be multiplied in the land that the Lord swore to your fathers to give them, as long as the heavens are above the earth.”

Deuteronomy 11: 18-21 (ESV)

Right before Christmastime my husband and I began “re-decorating” our house. A new couch and chair, a new rug, and art on the wall. But as we kept redecorating the premise of creating a home that breathes Jesus into our souls was on my mind. Especially when raising our daughter.

At one of our monthly MOMS meetings (like MOPS), the speaker was talking about beauty and our home. One area she touched on was the entryway. Our house is a split level with a slightly different configuration of stairs…our stairs do not meet you head on when you enter like many splits, but we have our main door, garage access, and a hall closet all competing for square footage. So in our case there was very little that we could do to make our entryway inviting. That was until the verse above came on my heart.

And then I knew what we needed to do. Armed with a can of chalkboard paint, I talked my husband who is anti-chalkboard paint, to paint the wall in our entryway black. So we could do exactly what the verse above is calling us to. Putting in our minds the Word of God. Our church uses a system called “fighter verses” to memorize scripture. There’s even an app that is definitely worth the $3. So on our wall we write the fighter verse and as we go in and out our doors and up and down our stairs, we say it, usually aloud. And wouldn’t you know, more often than not that verse at the end of the week is in our heads and written on our hearts.

While this isn’t important to all of you I’m sure, the premise is still the same if there are other key things you want to be memorizing or inspired by. Not only do we love this new spot in our house but it adds some character to our 1960’s home. The black works perfectly with our color scheme and it adds an inviting touch to our entryway.

Have you used chalkboard paint in your home? Where?

Musings from the week

This past week was nothing short of intense, joy-filled, sleep deprived, & worth every second. From starting it off with a house full of 21 people to ending it in the company of good friends it was a busy one to say the least.

Elizabeth turns 4 months old today and this past week was evidence that our little girl is growing up.

Last Sunday all of our immediate families joined us in dedicating Elizabeth at our church. It was a joyous yet sobering event as we “surrendered all worldly claims upon our daughter in the hope that she will one day belong wholly to Jesus.” Elizabeth didn’t make a peep during the dedication but instead waited until we were home and everyone wanted to see her to make her dismay known. It was her party and she wanted to cry! The picture of her with Alex in the collage is a perfect depiction of how she felt once everyone left. Note how she’s hanging on to his arm for dear life:)

And then the week happened. Elizabeth is in a major sleep regression. I’m not entirely surprised given that this week she mastered rolling over, she may have a tooth coming in, and she is in a growth spurt. I’m so glad caffeine doesn’t bother her because I have needed a lot to function. We’ve been really lucky that this hasn’t been her status quo because I’m fairly certain I would not have survived:) Needless to say we’ve all been a little tired over here!

But despite the sleepiness, life goes on. Highlights of the week included:

1. Decorating our walls. They’ve been bare for far too long and with the help of our friend Anne they are looking so much better!

2. Buying a new car seat. We went with this one knowing that we will eventually upgrade to this one. She isn’t using it yet but she had fun testing it out!

3. Playing with friends. The boys I nannied for are entirely smitten with Elizabeth. It might be the most precious thing I have ever witnessed!

4. Raking leaves. I can’t wait to cut down some of our trees. We bagged 14 bags and our lawn looks like we never raked. UGH!

5. Elizabeth does not like the leaves:) Again evidence of her personality this past week. oh my!

6. Sleeping while mamma enjoyed some girl time at my homemaking group. After 5 years we don’t learn homemaking anymore we just socialize! Note how she loves to sleep with blankie over the head…help me!

7. Picking pumpkins in the parking lot patch. Saturday night “get us out of the house” featured takeout, red box, and a trip to the mall.

8. Mercy Triumphs. Bible study for the fall and the only way I’ve been able to make it through October. I look forward to waking up early every morning just to do this study.

9. In an attempt to beautify our house, I broke out the sewing machine on Sunday and whipped up this little valence for our kitchen window. So proud of myself and my novice sewing skills!

So there you have it a glimpse into our home. This week can only be described as intense. But hearing the giggles, embracing new mercies, capturing smiles, and having a husband who keeps me laughing make the days worth enduring.

How eventful or eventless was your week? Intense?

Don’t forget to enter the GIVEAWAY for $50 to SHUTTERFLY HERE!!

Monday’s Musings

Did everyone have a great weekend?

Ours was one of the most interesting we’ve had in quite some time. No reason really, it’s just that interesting is about as well as I can describe it. Friday was spent recuperating from vacation; which really means Alex worked all day and night catching up and I unburied myself from 9 loads of laundry. In case you are wondering why there was so much…last week our washer broke and we had to wait a few days for the new one to arrive. We go through a lot of laundry.

And Saturday, well we wrote our own If you give a mouse a cookie book. If I wrote it the title would be If Alex gets an idea, then… We started out the morning staring at our 2 page long home to-do list wondering what on earth we could get done without having to step outside into the blustery 30 degree morning air. Top of our list, hang pictures. We’ve lived here almost a year and nary a picture is up. We have commitment issues.

Once we unearthed our photos, Alex realized we needed more. Not one to argue when he’s willing to spend some money decorating our house, I did what any good wife would. I encouraged him. And at 8:00 that night I wondered what I did; I encouraged a picture monster. Digging out our frames turned into hanging pictures. Hanging pictures turned into shopping for frames. Shopping for frames turned into a full day of Ikea, Home Goods, World Market and more. Thank goodness it was a good day for Elizabeth. She just crashed in the Ergo. Now we’re swimming in frames and have to figure out what to put in them (note: some of these below we owned and over half need to go back but we decided to buy and then sort.) I’m almost certain they will live on our walls art-less until we get it all figured out.

Call us crazy but to add to the mix we chose Saturday night to cut the swaddle cold turkey. Elizabeth has always been one to bust out of the swaddle but she has ninja reflexes and startles herself once her arms are out. That being said, the past few weeks she’s gotten out in the mornings and has stayed asleep for a few hours. So I figured “what the heck” and threw caution to the wind. Verdict: she did great and slept unswaddled from 7pm – 6am. Then we tried it again on Sunday for naps and she did great again. Looks like we’re saying goodbye to the swaddle!

Sunday. Tell me again why naps and church services are always simultaneous? Every Sunday we adapt. But this Sunday, everything was askew. Again, good thing she’s adaptable and rolled with it.  Her late nap had her waking at 6:30pm. Bedtime starts around 6:45. She was up until 9:00. I didn’t really notice that much though because I was shoving this deliciousness into my mouth which helped me forget the late bedtime and what might await us. I’m hoping next Sunday goes just as smoothly as its her dedication at the 9:00 service and our families will be here for it. Praying she doesn’t melt up front. I don’t think I have it in me to make more caramel corn to take the edge off:)

Seriously make this caramel corn. NOW. SO GOOD.

So there you have it, musings of our weekend. So was yours interesting?

Finding Balance

 

 

I’m not type A.

If you know me well you are not at all surprised. Most days I’m behind on things, treading to keep my head above water. I drop the ball, forget things, am absentminded, and am often off in my own world.

Add pregnancy to the mix and well, it’s been a little crazy around here. I am exhausted. The three week reprieve I had from exhaustion has passed and I’m back to sleeping 8-9 hours a night and running our of steam by lunch. I remember years ago pulling all nighters, working full-time while in school full-time, and still maintaining a social life. Even then I never felt like this.

And yet, I try not to make pregnancy an excuse. Our house still needs to get clean, we still need food on the table, and disorganization/messiness drives me crazy. Not accomplished as they may have been pre-pregnancy, but they need to be done. These past couple of weeks my computer has put me to the test. I could write and dream, catch up on life, research baby things, the whole bit and before I knew it I was rushing to get to work, get ready, read my Bible. I loathe rushing. We’ve arranged our life with margin, something Alex and I crave.

And yesterday as I sat in Bible Study, my study unfinished, not because I didn’t have time, the Lord softly convicted my heart. And I already knew change had to come. I know it will not get easier when the baby comes; I’ve watched two toddlers and a newborn from sun-up to the time reinforcements come through the door. I’m not naïve about what life will look like in a few short months. But I want to be prepared.

So I made a rule and asked my husband to help me. You see, my non-type A personality is not naturally prone to organization or schedule. I’m more apt to have piles everywhere, but I will know where everything is! So we help each other, because that husband of mine is beyond Type A. Opposites really do attract:) Task at hand: I asked him to help me ban the computer before 11 am. Today was the first day.

After waking and getting out of bed by 7:45, I finished cleaning all three bathrooms, loading/unloading the dishwasher, my quiet time with ample time for prayer, a load of laundry done, others folded and put away, cleaned the kitchen, and got ready and ate breakfast by the time it was 10. Amazing what one can accomplish without the distraction of a little black box of entertainment. Since I amazed even myself, I grabbed my computer a little early and it felt good.

I’m not sure where you are on the Type A – Non Type A scale, most I know are like my husband, but if you tend to be like me, I just want to share there’s hope for us. There’s hope, praise the Lord, there’s hope!

In the next few months before baby girl arrives, I’m hoping to re-connect with the schedule I had before I was pregnant, modified of course. Days of the week for certain activities, a cleaning rotation, more creative meal planning, and figuring out how to keep this big house clean. 

When I get my plan together, I’ll happily share. Because maybe all of us outliers or not, can encourage each other toward finding balance in our lives, in our homes, in our hearts. And most importantly, finding time to put God first. Because at the end of the day, that’s what matters.

The Great Couch Debate

We’ve been on a couch hunt for as long as I can remember. Until recently, the quest was moving very slow and leisurely, and now, we mean business. We bought the couch we have now 4 years ago when we flipped our first house. At the time we got a great deal at a furniture store down in Shakopee and I know we didn’t spend more than $400 on it. Needless to say, this couch was not built to last. It is incredibly comfortable but not very supportive and the cushions are getting all wonky.

When we bought our house we knew that one of our first purchases would be to replace our sofa for something well-built, long-lasting, durable, and comfortable. Thus begins the hunt. There are a few things we know we want and then there are things that can be negotiated between the two of us.
After searching through every furniture store in our surrounding area (at least it felt that way) we have brought the search down to 3. That is, until any other contenders get added to the mix.

Here they are:

The Hawthorne

The Carleton

The Avanti

Two of the sofas are from Ethan Allen and one is from Room and Board. We have a budget in mind and have been saving for years, so we just want this to be a wise investment. Right now, one issue we are having is over sofa cushions. At Ethan Allen we can choose the construction of the cushion as we would like it; we’re leaning towards down wrapped foam. At Room and Board the cushion construction is 100% down-blend. All down means finicky cushions that need extra care and we do not want to have crinkly cushions from the front.

So if anyone has a Room and Board sofa…will you give your opinion on the all-down vs. foam/down? Also if you can think of anywhere else to look please let us know! We’ve looked so far at Crate and Barrel, Pottery Barn, Restoration Hardware, Macy’s, Room and Board and Ethan Allen. Are we missing some hidden gem?

Also which is your favorite? We would change the colors of the fabric above but the shape and look would remain the same.

I’m beginning to think the hunt has only just begun…

House inspiration

Although we didn’t get the house we thought we always wanted a few months ago, we’re content to wait a little longer for another gem to come around.  That being said, I’m still gathering inspiration! 

I am 99% sure that the house we will purchase next will either be a short sale or a foreclosure.  It will need work, hopefully not too much, and we will most likely do it a little at a time.  No giant flips for us for our own house!

Did you hear the word “flip”?  Well we are not flipping again but I’m drawing inspiration from the flip we did last year.  I loved so many things about that house.  The details really drew me in and I know if given the chance, we’d try to incorporate some of them.

Here’s some inspiration and I’ll tell you what I love along the way:


I loved this kitchen; the white cabinets, white subway tile backsplash and the dark wood floors.  I definitely could cook a meal here.  That being said, I also really love this kitchen, it’s exact opposite.  We’ll see how daring we are.



On to bathrooms.  The following is the Master bathroom that we created; it was soothing and absolutely gorgeous if I do say so myself.  I love the classic simplicity.  But then again I do have a more colorful side:)




The jazzed up selection below is very similar to the bathroom above, just with a punch of color.



Basically I like my classic style with a twist of spunky color.  I don’t think I’ll ever grow out of it.  Now to get the hubby on board with some color.

What inspires you for your home?  Do you like color or are you more neutral?

spring cleaning: your closets

The hubby and I have always shared a closet.  From the time we got married until now, there’s been one closet for the two of us.  And it’s worked and I can honestly say, it’s never been an issue.

If you are just checking out C&A, this is part of a series of spring cleaning areas of our lives. This is the second post following de-cluttering your purse!
                                               (this is not our closet)

There are ways to organize a closet and make even the smallest closet work for two.  Our best decision ever was to make a clothing switch by season.  It’s work but I think it’s best even if you don’t share a closet.  Here’s my reasoning:

1.  Bi-yearly everything in your closet gets to be seen with new eyes.

I love this.  It makes me go through our clothing.  And it makes purging so much easier.  Every fall and every spring I go through everything, every drawer, every hanger.  The whole bit. Bags of clothing are earmarked for Goodwill or the Consignment store. 

2.  We cannot hoard.

By going through everything at least once a year, we keep hoarding at bay.  Right now we have 3 Rubbermaid bins.  2 for clothing and 1 for shoes.  We store them in our closet since we’re in an apt. This means that every time we go through things, we cannot keep any more than can fit in those 3 bins.  Either it’s in the closet, in our dresser, or in a bin.  It’s perfect.  I like simplicity, less-clutter, and I love not hoarding things we will never use or wear.  We cannot buy more than we can store.

3.  It’s fun.

Switching out the closets is something I will always do even if by chance we end up with more space.  I love it.  It is mood brightening.  In the spring it’s fun to pull out spring hued clothing, shorts, and flip-flops in anticipation of sunny days.  In the fall I long to bring out the cozy sweaters, corduroy pants, and fall hues.  They speak of cozy nights by the fire and trips to the orchard.

I wish I could get everyone to do this.  It’s so worth it.  Even if you don’t have a lot of stuff. 

How do you usher in the seasons when it comes to your clothes closet?  Do you make a switch with the seasons or is it just too much work?

quick coat

I’m cheap.  Well, not really cheap but I am very frugal.  I wasn’t always this way, that’s for another post.  In fact, in the past I never would have thought to repurpose something.  But then marriage happened and I was taught some hard but very rewarding lessons about money. Now I’m all about repurposing and besides being “frugal” is all the rage again.  Simple living at its best.

When it came to our little living room revamp the entire project cost us less than $425.  If you subtract the furniture that we bought with some Christmas money we saved for that purpose then we did the whole thing for around $160.  Not bad at all. 

*note we pay cash for everything that we do. it’s a habit the hubby had been doing all his adult life and one I quickly adapted when we got married.  so we’ve been saving for this little spruce up.  kind of like young house love*

But one thing I’ve learned to love and now I love it more than anything, is holding a can of spray paint in my hand and revamping something.  Case in point, we’ve revamped so many inexpensive flower pots and now for the living room, I brought out the cans again.  Enter our gold mirror and the tray on the end table. 


                  Before                                                            After

                                                    During

I was lucky to do this in more moderate winter weather.  I do NOT recommend spraying things in your home in the dead of winter because of the toxic fumes.  I wore a mask and had many windows open.  This is best done in a garage, or outside when the weather is nicer.  You do have to be cautious of the outdoor temperature as noted on the can of spray paint.

I first laid out the drop cloth, because the issue of overspray is very real.  I then lined the mirror portion with newspaper to ensure the mirror would not get coated in paint.  But if it does, it’s easy to remove with a razor blade or paint thinner.  I used “hammered black” for the mirror and “antique white” for the tray.  It’s as easy as pie.

If you’re curious of our budget, here’s the breakdown on costs:

2 Nils chairs (Ikea): $160 for 2
1 Bjorkudden Table (Ikea): $100
Gallon of wall paint (Menards): $18
Quart of table paint (Menards): $12
Floral chair: repurposed from our office (a chair from storage took it’s place)
2 napkins=new pillow cover (west elm): $8
Mercury votive (west elm): $5
Gray square ottoman (tjmaxx): $7
Tray on end table (Target): $5
7 Frames (Ikea): ~ $90
Wall art: FREE (paper and pictures we had on hand or made)
Pillow Covers (Ikea & west elm): Striped $7, Red w/buttons $9

Totals:  $421 (with furniture)
           $161 (without dining furniture)

Not bad if you ask me considering we’ve been slowly putting away into the fix up fund for the living room/dining room.  And the fact that we have a dining table and chairs again, well that’s PRICELESS. 

Dinner conversation is SO worth it.  Seriously.  I’ve been waiting for this.  Having meaningful conversation with my husband most nights of the week instead of watching Wheel of Fortune or old episodes of the Office, is so refreshing.  I’m not gonna lie, we still fall into our old patterns:)

redecorate

Inspiration 101.

Note this next week will mark the beginning of a minor transformation at our house.  *note* I said minor.

In the past we have flipped a few houses and in turn we have acquired some great furniture that we bought and also that we inherited from our family.  The chair in the top corner is one of my favorite inheritances.  Not only is it incredibly comfortable but it has some great style as well.  Other than the couch, side/coffee tables and some of our bedroom furniture, everything else we bought to stage our flip house was not our style.  So out with the old and in with the new. 

Ever since I was little I've loved decorating.  As a kid I would beg my mother to my my friends and I poster board.  On this poster board we would trace out a house, fill in the rooms, and then proceed to add the furniture.  It looked a lot like the game "Race to the Roof" if you have ever played it.  I'm not sure what prompted this love, maybe it was that our family toured the Parade of Homes every spring and fall, maybe it was my builder uncle, maybe it was the roommate in college who I lived vicarously through as she worked her way to a degree in Interior Design.  You shouldn't be surprised that one of the first dates my hubby and I went on was to the Luxury Home Tour.  I think I begged, laid forth obvious clues, and almost bought the tickets myself...I wanted to go that bad.  

Then again, it shouldn't surprise you that I married someone in this field, he's a Design/Build Remodeler and that I love working with my husband.  Probably why flipping 2 homes filled me with ecstatic joy, well until it came to selling them.  Good thing the Lord saw fit to bless that.  We've been saving, selling, and purging stuff from our house and now we are ready to restyle it a bit with more of our taste.

But back to the issues at hand.  Our living room has now been purged of two very uncomfortable chairs and the beautiful chair above has replaced them near the fireplace.  Now I need your help.  This next week while the hubby is off skiing in Colorado I will be here, paint brush in hand, repainting the awful peachy tan we put up on the walls over a year ago with a beautiful pale gray.  I will also be hopefully revamping the table above, it's the Bjorkudden from Ikea, and it will either turn a darker gray or a lighter putty color.

 

What would you choose? 

Chairs for the table are still under debate...I love the chairs above, lower left, for their versatility and low price.  Ikea again.  Either in white or gray, still undecided.  But they seem like the perfect chair not only for dining but for moving around to the living room for extra seating that is still comfortable.

Also we are hoping to incorporate my grandparents old record player cabinet.  The hope is to revamp it into a bar cabinet after removing the stereo components.  Don't worry when we actually get to this, I'll post pictures:) 

Pillows and accessories above.  Will wait until these go on sale, that's why I mentioned above this is going to take a bit.  After all, it's just a *minor* transformation:)