Turquoise. Hands Down. (This is Riveria by Maison Blanche)
DIY Shelf in Sunroom
2 wood fence pickets cut to size, 3 brackets, paper bunting, round lacquered tray, glass jars and wine bottle, glass lanterns, glass oval frame from thrift store, branches from front yard, fresh flowers
Welcome to my home!
I’m so excited to have a place to share our wonderful home with you. My husband and I purchased our first house almost 2 years ago. We had been married a few months prior, and weren’t seriously looking to purchase. We drove by it and fell in love. After settling in, it still didn’t feel like “home”. Paint colors that didn’t fit our personalities & outdated ceramic tile flooring with grout that might’ve been cleaned a handful of times in its 15 years. Some updates we’ve done out of necessity and many others to put our own touch on things, but little by little we’re growing to love our home. I believe your home is a reflection of yourself and I’m working on only putting colors on the walls, accessories, etc. in our home that do just that.
Since yesterday I ripped up this flooring, we’ll start with the living/dining area. I can’t wait to show you what it looks like in the weeks *maybe months* to come!
This photo shows what the dining and living area has generally looked like since we moved in. It’s an extremely awkward space. We put the tv above the fireplace, mostly because it felt like that’s where it was supposed to go but it didn’t allow for more than a single couch to view the tv. After 2 years of brainstorming I think I’ve found a solution! I’ll keep you posted! I loved the dark laminate when we moved in, then grew to hate the tile that was everywhere but the living room. Then, at some point we got 2 dogs that shed and bring in a lot of dirt which is why we’re replacing all of it with new lighter laminate. The ceiling is very high in the peak so I talked myself into liking the paint colors until I found the courage (and a solution) to painting it all.
We painted the walls and ceiling the same shade of white to avoid spending days on a ladder edging. The color is Dove White, in Valspar Reserve with a Satin finish. Hopefully I’ll be able to show you all our new flooring and living arrangement in a few days! Wish us luck!
Open Kitchen Shelves
Open Shelves in the Kitchen — Functionality and Decoration
I need a new chair…
Well if we need a new chair then we need a new couch too, and then if we are getting a new couch I would like the brick on the fireplace removed and hardwood on the floors…and so a total gut job of the family room is in process. My very talented husband is making built in’s for around the fireplace and wainscoting for one wall. The new couch has arrived, and I am trying to figure out what to put above the fireplace , and on the mantle and on the shelves…..and then there are pillows a throw and a rug….stay tuned.
Well if we need a new chair then we need a new couch too, and then if we are getting a new couch I would like the brick on the fireplace removed and hardwood on the floors…and so a total gut job of the family room is in process. My very talented husband is making built in’s for around the fireplace and wainscoting for one wall. The new couch has arrived, and I am trying to figure out what to put above the fireplace , and on the mantle and on the shelves…..and then there are pillows a throw and a rug….stay tuned.
Renovation Reality
Hi there! You’re meeting me while I am in the 6th week of a kitchen/dining/pantry renovation. My house and life has been turned upside down but I can’t wait to see it all come together in the next week. I have a sweet baby boy who is 8 1/2 months old and just learned to crawl a week ago. In a renovation zone. What is life without it’s little challenges, though? I could not do any of this without the support of my amazing husband. He works hard all day and comes home to continue working on the kitchen. What a guy! Anyone else ever found themselves in a house that is a disaster from a renovation? I make lists in my head and on paper everyday on how I’ll get it all put back together once we’re done and when I close my eyes I envision a clean kitchen, orderly cabinets and drawers, glass canisters with my dry goods all lined up in the pantry. Ahh… so relaxing! We will have our counter tops installed next Friday at noon so at least the end is near. Of course, I’ll need to dust and “reset” and clean the rest of the house as well. But that’s for another day!
A Friendly Reminder
I love this chalkboard sign in my mom’s pantry. It used to have a painting of fruit on it, but my mom painted over it with chalkboard paint and I wrote this message on it one day on a whim.
At the time we thought we would change up the quote every once in awhile, but we’ve just left it the same for years now!
Having it hung on the wall makes our pantry feel homey. And who knew a pantry could feel homey?!
You Know You Love Me
I have a weird obsession with scraps.
When I‘m messing around with my art, I never know what little snip or snap might eventually come in handy. So I take the prudent course.
Every cast-off trimming is carefully protected and added to my you-never-know pile.
And while I continue to work on my main project, my eyes often wander back to that unassuming little heap, sifting through the odds and ends and imagining what they might become.
Some days, I get nothing, and end up sweeping the whole mess into the recycling at the end of my work session.
But other times, I hit the jackpot.
Yesterday was one of the good days.
I might be in love with this tiny Valentine banner, fashioned from:
leftover scraps of pink and red painted paper
brown paper grocery bags used as drop cloths for a gold-spray painting project,
and rejected bits of baker‘s twine.
Kind of obsessed with the bright bursts of intense color against the lush gold backgrounds.
Plus, every time I see this darling little frollop of festive fun, I hear a soft, familiar voice purring in my ear:
You know you love me. XOXO Gossip Girl
Ranger, you know you love me.
And I love you…even more than Chuck Bass loves Blair.