Shut the Front Door

May 29, 2012 by 12 Comments

We finished painting the front door! We showed a preview with one coat of primer but man, does color make such a difference. The shade of yellow, more of a mustard, is Allen & Roth’s Santa Monica Blvd. Usually I’m a stickler about the paint brand I use (mostly just Sherwin Williams) but we decided to venture outside the box and try Valspar from Lowe’s. It got the job done in two coats layered on top of the already applied primer, not so bad for a yellow which have terrible coverage in general. Usually for a door sheen we would have gone with a semi-gloss, but I was a little afraid that such a glare might skew the color, so we stuck with a satin. It looks fantastic in person.

Just in case anyone forgot what we started with…

BEFORE:

AFTER: 

We also added surrounding trim in a craftsman style that matches what we’ve done with the other doors throughout our home. I love how the bright yellow pops against the white interior trim and the dark hardware. Now we can finally add baseboards! We’re still playing around with exterior color scheme, so the trim may switch up, but the yellow is here to stay!

BEFORE:

AFTER:

Door. Hardware. Color.

Speaking of exterior. We have some serious work cut out for us. The backyard is in fairly good shape but the front… Mehhh. You could almost say that everything but the brick has to go. Goodbye giant tree-sized bushes, goodbye garage door, light fixtures, house numbers, and outdated shutters that you can’t even see behind the enormous landscaping. Hello paint, paint, and more paint. Possibly repaving of the driveway? Extending the porch slightly? All in good time,

For now, the door is the perfect update. It may look a little out of place on a 1950′s rancher but we’re hoping to tie it in with the rest of the architecture as we slowly bring in updates for the facade. Here’s to plenty of busy weekends in our future :)

Filed Under: Outdoors, Paint, Sources

A Few Updates

May 25, 2012 by 6 Comments

Just a few updates before this lovely extended weekend of 95 degree Cincinnati weather. Nothing incredibly ground breaking here, but we’ve been just as busy working on a ton of smaller updates around the house. A few purchases, a few installs, and one totally awesome gift.

We bought eight of these red tabouret chairs a few weeks back from Overstock. I’ve only neglected to share them because we were waiting for one replacement chair that was damaged during delivery. We’re super pumped to throw a big house warming/ move-in/ finally we’re mostly done renovating party later this summer (fingers crossed!) and people will most likely end up outside. We currently have some lounge type furniture from our old house but had no real dining furniture. We bought this table shown below from Ikea right before the move but never did get around to purchasing chairs. Until now. And man, they are Gorgeous.

Overstock has them at $196 for a set of four. Tack on a pretty good 10% off coupon and we only spent around $45/ chair. Not too bad considering Pottery Barn has a similar chair for nearly $270 a pop. Meaning we saved around $1800. Not like we would ever dish out that kind of money for chairs, but you get the point. Ok, enough math, more pictures. :)

We’ll definitely have more pictures and updates with this area. Maybe once I have the energy to pick up all of Zoey’s toys surrounding it.

The next pic actually has three updates in one. Can you spot them?

1. We finally got around to doing some landscaping beneath the two gorge trees in the backyard (really we did this weeks ago). Again with the toys.

2. My aunt gifted us a ROCKIN’ playset. Zoey is obsessed. So am I. It needs a little love but Ricky has been busy getting it back into shape. Love that guy :)

3. Zoey learned what an airplane is, how to hear to them before they come, spot them in the sky and point, and has almost mastered the word plane. She’s the bomb.

Moving inside, well sort of. Our new craftsman style front door was delivered.. two months ago at least. She’s finally up! This is a totally crappy picture with the windows taped off and a single coat of primer on, but I couldn’t resist. Hopefully I can wrap up the paint job this weekend. She’s going to stand out, no doubt. Yellow. Don’t hate, you’ll see.

We also installed some snazzy new oil-rubbed bronze hardware. What’s not to love?

And we’re wrapping up a few last projects in the kitchen with the built-in upper cabinets around the refrigerator. Ricky customized this area with filler pieces and extra large panels. The side piece is a giant blank slate right off the laundry/ mud room just begging for a chalkboard wall similar to the one in our previous home.

Enjoy your Memorial Day weekend! Be back next week with (hopefully!) door progress and a few updates in Zoey’s room :)

Filed Under: Outdoors

Playroom Mood Board

May 23, 2012 by 2 Comments

The girls’ playroom is a hot mess.

With most of the house under construction it seems that the rooms behind closed doors have really taken a back seat. Aka: the temporary master bedroom, Zoey’s room, and the playroom. With exception of Zoey’s room it’s really no secret as to why we’ve neglected these areas.

The home’s fourth bedroom is the master bedroom and along with the family room, it will be undergoing some serious construction later this summer. This has left us to post up in the third bedroom temporarily. If we had an endless supply of money I’d be all over decorating that space, even for the short time we’ll be in there. But we don’t.

I had intentions of waiting on Zoey’s room until she was ready for a big girl bed and taking the room in an entirely new direction. But duh, I somehow seriously underestimated the length of time until then. She’s 18 months and her crib is what keeps me sane. So for the time being we’ve used everything from her room in our previous home.

Lastly, the playroom. Currently this room is doubling as “Lizzy’s room”. It’s a pathetic attempt at a space of her own. Sad really. See for yourself.

We had planned on using the co-sleeper bassinet in our room but, like her big sis once had, Liz also has a serious case of heavy baby snoring. We have to sleep sometime. So, she’s been relocated to the playroom. Our bedroom situations could not be more awkward.

Now, realistically I should just wait until the addition (master and living rooms) is completed and Lizzy is sleeping through the night and able to share a room with Zoey to begin any playroom plans. But I’m not that patient. So the playroom is officially in revamp mode. I can’t look at it anymore. The toys are taking over my life.

Here’s what we have in mind :)

1. These Storage Bins come in a variety of fun colors and fit perfectly into the storage piece we plan on DIYing. Plus, they’re made with heavy duty resin straps and sure to stand up to a few crazy kiddos.

2. Flash Card Inspired Art - Giant graphic numbers and math? Yes, please (annoying math lover in high school right here). These are actually 50% off at PB Kids right now, but we plan on going the super cheap route and crafting some of our own!

3. Who doesn’t love an Oversized World Map? Not sure if we’ll go with this exact version (although an awesome price at only $25!) but something large and eye catching is definitely in the works.

4. Aqua Gumdrop Pendant - Adorbs. Need I say more?

5. Storage Wall – If there’s one thing a playroom can’t have enough of, it’s storage. Bring it. We’re thinking anything other than DIYing a piece like this one would just be silly. Lets get our hands dirty.

6. Crochet Floor Cushions - For the baby buns. I really like the idea of seating that is super soft and cushy for the kid-lets. Less Band-Aids in my day the better. No risk here :) Again, we may or may not go with this specific version, but the bright colors are tempting!

7. Orange Felt Octopus Pillow – I need this. I think I’m at the beginning of felt pillow obsession. It’s so playful and homemade! Love.

8. Felt Whale Pillow – Feltttttt. How do I convince Ricky that a $55 pillow is necessary? Maybe I could venture into sewing.. Mom.. :)

9. Outdoor Wall Sconce – Where might this go you ask? In the reading nook, of course! The playroom has a small closet that I’m just dying to turn into a sweet little reading space for the girls. Totally lost? Check out this post for a better idea! The galvanized finish is great, but a little spray paint could really liven it up! Maybe lime?

10. Chalkboard wall! Everyone loves them some chalkboard. I’m right on that bandwagon. Pic via.

11. Artwork Storage Frames – I’ve been eyeing these since Zoey was born and finally, FINALLY, she is old enough to make her own little creations. Can’t wait to fill a few of these up!

12. Striped Rug – Dash and Albert has my heart. They own stripes like nobody’s business.

13. Oversized Armchair – We’d love to have some adult seating in the room so we can enjoy the space while the girls play. An oversized option is great for when they want to climb up with us to get in some reading time.

14. Tubtrug Storage - These are perfect for tossing in extra toys, stuffed animals, etc.

This room will definitely be a work in progress, nothing over night. But we’re excited to get started and give the girls a great space of their own!

Filed Under: Mood Board, Our Current House, Playroom, Storage

New Blog Design

May 22, 2012 by 1 Comment

If you’re using a reader or haven’t stopped by lately, make sure you pop on over and check out our new blog design!

Huge shout out to Emily over at Designer Blogs for all her awesome work! I couldn’t be happier with the results :)

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Kitchen Cost Breakdown

May 17, 2012 by 25 Comments

                   Grand Total – $9,991

 

For more details visit posts on the selection process, the kitchen reveal, and sources!

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Filed Under: Budget, DIY, Kitchen, Our Current House