The final shipment of our kitchen tile comes in today and we're moderately excited about it. There are just a few last minute things we have on our kitchen to-do list, one being the windowsill above the sink. You see, it looks like this...after a good scrubbing: All of the windowsills on the back of […]
A couple months back, we added some herbs to the kitchen window sill--oregano, chives and a leaning tower or thai basil. They were planted in the ever-popular, minimalist clay pots from Ikea and I was itching to dress them up a smidge. Enter one of Chris's old leather belts, some "craft lace"--which is really just […]
Although we have done five house tours since moving in just over two years ago, we have never done an exterior one. And, yes, I am regretting it. Although we haven't done a ton (pulled out some plants, got rid of the dog kennel, and got a new front door), plants are always growing (or […]
I'm back from a wonderful week in the mountains. I volunteered to be one of the directors at a girl's camp for 160 or so 12 to 18 year old girls. And while I'm still recovering from no sleep and too much sun, I learned so much about myself and changes I want to implement. […]
We mostly try to respond to comments and questions as they pop up in email, the comments section, on Facebook and even Instagram, but there are always a few that get asked so many times that we feel like we should make an official declaration. And lately, I'd say in the last month or so, […]
Some projects are just laughable. This was one such project. As a part of our exterior makeover (that has been severely thwarted from rain, rain and more rain) we wanted to switch out our back patio light. You can kind of see the old one in this picture from when we stained the patio. Squint. […]
This is, technically, the first pillow cover I've ever made and I'm excited and proud and ready to whip out 5 more, at least. In 8th grade home-ec, a friend of mine finished sewing my pillow project for me while I was absent and I was so grateful. There were so many pieces (three), and […]
This weekend I brightened things up in our formerly dark gray-brown bedroom. Now that we are getting settled into our style, we are revisiting rooms that we painted/decorated quickly (and cheaply) when we first moved in and...tweaking--which I actually highly recommend. Yes, you might end up painting a room twice, but when you're just getting […]
Last week, we took a couple hours and finally tackled a project we've been meaning to for years-- Raised garden beds!! Chris and I both grew up in homes with gardens, and we're happy to be on our way to one of our own. This article from BHG goes into a lot of the perks […]
If daisies are the friendliest flower (ahem, Kathleen Kelly)--then I'm going to declare roses the unfriendliest. Lining our front yard we have 6 pain-inflicting rose bushes that have shown no mercy to their victims--which have sadly, mostly been the neighborhood kids running from yard to yard in our cul-de-sac. Two of the six are mini […]
As I mentioned on Friday, we are turning our attention to our exterior while the weather is warm and the weeds are abundant. Our whole yard needs some TLC, but this weekend we started tackling the patio--specifically staining the patio. Staining the patio was a one-day project (love those!) and took this: To this: We […]
I know, I know we said that our bedroom and bathroom are next--but the weather is warm and we want to take advantage. And to those who are emailing me about the kitchen tile--that's coming, too. It's on backorder so we're moving ahead until it arrives and we install it in record time because we're […]
I have known two people in my life that used the word "fantastic" really frequently and with a lot of enthusiasm and now, when I say, "fantastic"--it's more like, "faaannnntassstic!!!!!!" in their voices which is funny to me, but now I think I might be that person to those who hear me. Anyway, this post […]
The week before last, we mentioned that our bedroom is on deck next. And then, the same day on Facebook, we announced we'd be tackling the master bath along with it. I never thought we'd see the day. Our master bathroom is anything but masterful in its current condition. And since we plan on selling […]
Years ago when the Delta faucet commercials started to run on tv--I just went and found it on YouTube because it was so. cool--we were mesmerized. Especially Chris: You can touch it anywhere, with any part of your body--so, probably your arm is the most common, ha!--to turn it on when your hands are gross. […]
We really thought our kitchen could use a touch of robin egg's blue. Jokes. I just quickly photoshopped all of the area that we're planning on tiling so you can get a visual. The whole backsplash area and around the pantry. And, of course, the other side of the fridge as well. We have always […]
Our old sink was pretty standard--sub par. 17 years old. So when we were planning our kitchen remodel, a new sink had to happen. We wanted an undermount sink with one deep basin and fell in love with this 30"Kraus sink: After the undersides of the countertops were sealed three times--we were gearing ourselves up […]
Those black walnut countertops we got from Craft Art are officially done and we can't wait to share a little bit about the process and a whole lot of photos with you today. First, here's how our painted countertops looked before we tore them out: And here's how the countertops look now: I'm whistling at […]
This weekend was a big one for our kitchen reno. We finally replaced those pink-painted-gray laminate countertops we've been living with for two years. Thursday, while my computer was getting fixed (it's all dry better now...Gretttaaaaaa!) I gave you a sneak peek at our countertops sprawled all over the family room--the black walnut edge-style countertops from Craft Art. […]
I took my computer in to get fixed yesterday and they said it wouldn't be done until Friday evening. Wah Wahhhh. So while blogging isn't easy without my computer, I didn't want the week to end without giving you a sneak peek at our countertops. After a lot of research on which wood countertops would […]
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Welcome to our online community where we've posted home, DIY, style, renovations, and family since '09. Renovating our #cljmoderncottage in Idaho and headed for new adventures in Raleigh, NC. #cljfam #cljtransformations
