Tiny Tweaks!

I’ve been in a bit of a home decor funk lately. Progress has stalled and I’ve been itching to makes some changes. Since subtle changes throughout the house can make a huge impact, I thought I’d tackle a few.

First project was to install new blinds in the Spare bedroom. I took down the old wood blinds months ago when I added the window moulding, but I wasn’t sure what to use as a replacement. Then I read this post from Young House Love, and they shared a link to some bamboo blinds that were incredibly affordable. My window is not a standard size so it’s been difficult to find inexpensive window coverings.

The bed was completely made before my pup decided to ‘make it more comfortable’. He has a tendency to photo bomb my project pictures. Don’t see him? Look closely at the dark blanket…see that dark brown blob? Yep! He kicked all the pillows off the bed just to curl up at the bottom.

The blinds were pretty simple to install. The hardest part was fitting the screwdriver between the window and the hardware in that back corner. Once the brackets were installed I slipped the blinds on and tightened the included wing nuts. Easy!

Not bad for a $30 quick fix!

The next step is to swap out the lampshade for a simple white ceiling fan. I know they aren’t the most attractive things, but it’s all about function when the summers hit 110 degrees (and your AC is broken).

Another doggie photo bomb! He’s such a creeper, staring at our neighbor’s house.

 

With the successful Spare Bedroom tweak under my belt, I headed over to Target to pick up some night lights. My home is very compacted…by that I mean it’s tall (a 3 story condo), but it’s skinny. Lighting in the house doesn’t cover an expansive area and I’m constantly turning on a new light every few steps. It’s annoying. The night lights allow me to walk throughout the house without having to turn on and off every single light.

I found these awesome LED lights for about $8 each.

Is it weird that a night light is my new favorite home decor item?

It’s beautiful and it covers those ugly outlets! I also love that they don’t have switches. They automatically turn on at dusk and off at dawn, or as needed when the lights are turned off.

It’s like a little piece of art on the wall.

I also have one of this design in the Spare Bedroom. It’s not as bright as the other style, so it’s a little less disturbing in a bedroom.

The last easy tweak was to do a little remodel in my bedroom. The Master bedroom has been a design challenge for me. I can’t quite figure out what to do with it. What you see in the pictures below is only half the room, it’s big, but like the rest of the house, it’s skinny, so it doesn’t feel particularly spacious.

I actually like having the bed is this placement, but I really hate the window behind the bed frame. I’m toying with a bunch of different ideas, but for now I just wanted to try a different placement for the bed.

Since this is temporary, I left the art up on the wall even though the bed is now blocking it. I do like being able to see the window better, but it doesn’t leave any space for a nightstand. I’m using a small bookcase right now and while it’s functional, it’s just not working. 

[There he is again! We should play some sort of ‘Spot the Dog’ game.]

 

What kind of tweaks have you been doing around the house?

2 Year Home Anniversary – A Look Back

Alright, first things first. Who’s making a Golf Cake for Father’s Day?

It’s been the most popular post on the blog lately, so I suspect there are quite a few golf enthusiasts out there that will be eating cake this weekend. Great additions would be a sand pit (made with brown sugar), or a flag (using a skewer, cut in half). I’d love to see those cakes if anyone does it! I may just do a special post to share your golf cake pictures so feel free to leave links in the comments or email me pictures.

 

Okay, now back to the point of today’s post. The 5th of this month was the 2 year anniversary of when I purchased my first home. I didn’t start the blog until a year later so there are a bunch of projects that I never originally blogged about; although, I have been trying to share finished projects in order to catch up. I thought it would be fun to look back at some of the before and after pictures from the past two years.

 

Front Door Entry

There haven’t been any major changes to the front door with the exception of decorating and I changed out the handle/deadbolt when I moved in. This is my favorite picture from the Autumn setup. The star was found at HomeGoods and I built the Front Door Post myself. In the past year I’ve also created the Halloween Sign, Yarn Wrapped Fall Sign, Valentine Cork Heart, and most recently the Hand painted Welcome Sign.

 

Backyard

The backyard has been a bit of a challenge since it is completely paved. I have a dog and I desperately needed some grass so the main goal was to find a way to grow grass on concrete.

BAM…Yes. I. Did.

The grass planters work very well and would continually grow grass year round if my dog didn’t enjoy killing it so much. I’m tempted to swap out the real grass for a synthetic grass this summer.

Vertical planters went up along one wall to add some height and extra gardening space.

…and I built a potting bench for the wall.

Oh, and I can’t forget the BBQ…still love that green!

 

First Floor Bathroom

This is one of the rooms that I did before starting the blog. I had all the accessories with me from my previous apartment so I knew that I wanted a Hawaiian themed room somewhere in the house.

I ended up using a refreshing Bamboo color on walls which really brightens up such a small room.

French Doors

Oh, those doors! I though I was stuck with broken blinds until I found inspiration online to paint them!

This project made a huge impact and I’ve since covered several other windows in my house with the privacy film.

Dining Room

This room is still in progress since I’m currently using a small card table as my dining table.

For under $100 I added moulding and I LOVE it.

I get quite a few questions about that bar. It is a knock off of the Pottery Barn Bar and my dad built it for me. You can see more about the bar, here.

 

Garage

I’ve shared all my Garage woes on the blog so this is probably not new to you. Over the past few months I’ve made a ton of progress. Remember when…

…and now with all the shelving, it’s actually functional. I’ve since added a temporary workbench in the open area that I’ve been using for painting projects.

 

Fireplace

Another project that was well documented on the blog, and probably my favorite project to date. I was SO intimidated by this project that I kept pushing it down the list. I didn’t think I could really do it on my own.

I started off by painting the fireplace screen, and that gave me some motivation to keep going.

Little by little, I started chipping aware at the tile.

Before I knew it, the finishing touches were in place.

 

Powder Room

This is a small powder room near the living room and kitchen. The room has no natural light which made it difficult to get the wall color right.

I ended up a peachy beige and decorated with that lovely orchid and rustic boxes. The garden lantern on the floor holds extra toilet paper rolls.

I replaced the standard oval mirror with a larger version that I scored at HomeGoods for $49 and the Moroccan urn works as a trash can.

 

Kitchen/Ledge

I don’t think I’ve actually share the Kitchen as a whole on the blog before. I’ll show a little more in another post, but we did make one change to that half wall shortly after moving in.

An added ledge. Such a simple addition and it made a huge functional difference to the kitchen.

 

Office

This one shouldn’t be new to you since I just shared it the other day, but here’s a quick before…

…and in progress (right now)…it will all be changing soon.

Spare Bedroom

Another room that’s current in progress (and actually making substantial progress lately!). Before…

…and in progress…

 

Third Floor Spare Bathroom

Another all white bathroom. A blessing since I wanted to decorate each room myself, but it was so bland when I moved in.

Yes another room that I think I painted 3 times before settling on the green. First it was pink, then it was blue, then I scored with the ‘army’-ish green.

(yes, those curtains need to be hemmed)

 

Laundry Room

The laundry room is the room that you look into when you come up to the third floor, so I wanted it to look good. Who wants to stare at an ugly room every time you come upstairs?

A grey blue on the walls and sea grass baskets gave it the perfect style. Oh, and clearance art…can’t hate that!

On the wall leading in to the laundry room I have the DIY Chalkboard Thermostat Frame.

“Laundry Today or Naked Tomorrow”

So True!

 

There are a few other rooms that I haven’t shown you, like the Kitchen, Living Room, and the Master Bed/Bath. I’ll make sure to share those in the future. I’m also going to be updating the Home Tour page soon which will add some, much needed, organization to the site.

 

Have a GREAT Weekend!

Introducing the Office – Before

I’ve been dreading this post for a bit, it’s such a mess that I’m embarrassed to even show you. This is my office right now, where I spend at least 10 hours each day, often more. I have two spare bedrooms in my home, and the original plan was to turn one into a ‘day job’ office, and the other into an art studio. For the office, I had grand plans for a loveseat sleeper (so the room could be used as a bedroom for guests), and the walls would be decorated with vintage travel posters so I could dream about getting away. I even had them all picked out online. Then my brother gave me a queen size bed and I no longer needed this room to double as a guest room. All of a sudden the idea changed and it’s been sitting in limbo for nearly 2 years. (…and the Art Studio became a real Spare Bedroom…well kinda…it’s in progress)

Here’s a little look back to what the office looked like when I first moved in. There another window and a closet hiding tot he left of the door.

The really incredible view. Since the office is on the 3rd floor, I get to see above all the other homes and all the way to the mountains on a clear day.

…and the first round of design which was never fully realized. The dark teal/blue is actually beautiful and would have looked great with the vintage posters, I think.

However, since the plan changed it has become a hodge podge of crap. Random art covers only one half of the room, the other wall is completely bare. I have two chairs…but only one butt…figure out my logic in that one. I recently borrowed the exercise bike from my parents as an attempt to ‘work out’ the stress from work when necessary. It actually comes in quite handy throughout the week. Although I will likely send it back to them when I finish this remodel.

Broken IKEA bookcases that are holding random supplies for now (the rest are shoved in the closet. Thank your lucky stars that I won’t show you those pictures). I was in the middle of moving all the books downstairs to the Foyer so it looks messier than usual.

Oh, who am I kidding, I moved those book downstairs 2 weeks ago and my office still looks like this!

Such. A. Mess.

I have a whole list of ‘needs’ for this room, such as more desk space, organization, more storage, and comfy seating. I want this room to feel more like an oasis than a dungeon. I actually really love the wall color, but It’s going away in exchange for something lighter.

Here’s a little inspiration…

Via, Via, Via, Via, Via, Via

Introducing the Foyer – Before

Before I had moved into my home, I had decided the purpose of every single room. I knew which one would be an office, which would work as a spare bedroom, I even decided to use some space to set up a workout room. However, I have one odd space that had no real purpose. at that point, it was simple a walk through to the backyard. 

I don’t use this space other than to let the dog in and out. Filling it with furniture would block the backyard doors, although I suppose it was probably setup in the model home as a ‘formal’ living room. I just have no use for a fancy living room, so I filled it with extras. When I replaced the couch in the family room, the old couch moved to the Foyer. I had a few screens that also didn’t have a home yet, so they ended up in the Foyer. As did an IKEA chair and a plant.

It was nice, but not very functional. I rarely ever sat in the couch or chair and family/friends never congregated in this space. We’d either be in the family room upstairs or outside.

To breathe some life into the space, I first tackled the French Doors and removed the blinds, painted the doors and installed privacy films. Just the simple change added so much to the room and let in so much light. Now, I’m on to the rest of the room.

This week we took the couch to the dump as it was so old it wasn’t salvageable for anyone else. Now I have a wide open wall where I can build my new Foyer which will double as a Library! I already have the bookcases that will be going in the space, they will be installed on both the right and left side of the wall.  I just need to paint two of them, and the wall needs a new color. I will also be adding some seating between the bookcases and some more storage above the seating.

A little inspiration…

Via

Via

Via

The inspiration is a little random, but I can see the finished room in my head and it will all blend together perfectly (I hope).

Eco Challenge – Evolve Rainfall Showerhead

Yes, it’s April and I said I would do the Eco challenge in March. Life happens and things fell off track so I’ll be continuing the eco challenges into April as well. My goal is to finish the 30 days and that’s what I plan to do.

This project actually allowed me to mark two different items of my To-Do list. I’ve been wanting to replace my standard showerhead with a rainfall version since the day I moved in, but I also wanted something that was environmentally conscious. I found the perfect items sold by a company called Evolve. Their technology shuts down the water to a trickle once it gets hot, meaning that I no longer waste tons of water running down the drain while I wait for the temp to heat up.

I’ve never done any type of plumbing or bathroom repair and at first I was worried I wouldn’t be able to figure it out. However, it ended up being incredibly easy to install and took less than 15 minutes start to finish.

First up, I removed the basic showerhead that came with the house. Using a wrench it came off very easily.

The tape was in bad shape so I used a blade to score it and removed as much as I could from the threads.

The new showerhead came with enough new tape to wrap the threads. Nice to know the kit came with everything except the wrench used to remove the original.

Once the tape is on, I just screwed on the new showerhead. Seriously easy.

Here’s a look at how it works. I turned on the water to warm, like I always do, and walked away.

A few moments later once the temp had gotten hot enough, it slowed to a trickle.

Once you get into the shower, pull the string and the water will return to full force.

I purchased this showerhead in particular through Amazon, although they do have several styles. With shipping, it cost me $37 and they shipped very quickly.  The version I purchased has 3 different spay patterns, but I love the rainfall feature. It reminds me of a tropical shower, and if I close my eyes I can pretend I’m in paradise and almost, ALMOST hear the sound of the ocean in the distance.

If you happen to love your current showerhead, Evolve also has an adapter you can use.

*This post was not sponsored by Evolve in any way, they don’t know I exist. I just happen to really like this product.

Garage Progress – Round 2

It’s been almost 2 months since my last Garage update and things are going well. Finally it’s starting to feel like a functional space and the most exciting part is that the cost me far less than I ever expected. In fact, it’s been a busy workshop lately between the workbench install, building the potting bench, and some other crafts.

To scare you refresh your memory, here’s a little look back at the before.

Messy, Messy, Messy.

There was no organization and I rarely spent any time in the space.

Two months ago I showed you the new storage rack I bought from Costco. It was inexpensive, study and larger than the wire storage rack I already in the garage. In fact, I was so impressed with the quality, I purchased another one to use as a Workbench. The original plan was to purchase a big wood topped workbench which would have cost around $300. Instead I assembled the shelving unit as a workbench (it’s designed to be either) for only $64.

For less than a quarter of the budgeted cost, it’s perfect.

I now have space for wood scraps, tools, paint, gardening supplies and everything has a home. Meaning it actually looks clean most of the time.

I still have plans to install shelving above the workbench for additional storage and perhaps some pegboard on another wall for even more storage.

It feels like a legit workshop now, instead of a messy garage. I even find myself down here more often on weekends coming up with new projects.

What projects have you been working on?

New Potting Bench

This is one of those projects that I’ve been not so patiently waiting to show you. I wanted to wait until I had it in the backyard and I needed some help carrying it out of the garage. Sucker was heavy! Before I show you the finished product, let’s take a look at the before.

For someone who actually likes gardening, a concrete backyard is an annoying challenge. Everywhere you turn, it’s the same thing. I’ve been slowly changing things over the past 2 years (like planting grass on concrete) and it was time to finally address the messy area between the AC and the French doors. The pup loved that pool 2 years ago, but it’s just too small and I let it fall apart. So it was time to get Bubba’s dilapidated kiddie pool out of the yard and replaced with something useful.

I was seriously inspired by this post by Thrifty Decor Chick and ended up recruiting my own dad to help me build one as well. It ended up being a great learning opportunity since it was my first chance to use some new tools. Using her finished product as inspiration, we headed to Lowes and picked up some cheap boards. I didn’t go with cedar since I had plans to stain it so I picked the cheapest wood they had to save costs.

In one afternoon we had cut and assembled the entire thing. It was great to have some extra hands, but this is a project that someone could do on their own, it would just take more time. However, the finished product is very heavy so either build it in place or recruit some help when you want to move it.

Pretty Awesome, right!

I used a Waterproofing Solid Color Wood Stain by Behr, sold by Home Depot, to finish and protect it from the elements. Chances are, I’ll have to redo the top every few years, but for the price, it’s awesome.

I didn’t take any picture of the building process because we did it in the garage and the lighting was terrible, but it’s very simple construction. After everything was built, I used wood filler to fill all the holes and sanded lightly. Two coats of solid color stain covered everything and then I let it cure for a few days. I have plans to stack all the pots you see in the before picture on the bottom shelf and add some hooks to the side to hold gardening tools.

The great thing is that it can double as a dining table with a few barstools during the summer months. I can’t wait to break it in with a BBQ soon.

I made the whole piece deeper than most (about 36 inches) so I could have a place along the back for smaller plants and decor.In fact I have a few more DIY posts coming up in a few weeks about that lantern and utensil holder. It’s too much fun to take traditional items and use them for something new, I can’t wait to show you the details.

Unfortunately I lost a few of the receipts for I don’t have the exact cost, but I know the finished product was less than $150. Pretty damn good for such a substantial piece and I think it really looks great in the yard.

*The sun lasted a whole 24 hours before the sky opened up and poured all over the new bench on Sunday. I was a little worried about how it would hold up to the first rain but it still looks brand new!

Before/After – Hawaiian Style Bathroom

I’m curious…how do you approach home design? Are you a finish one room at a time person, or do you like to work on projects all over the house? I tend to work on little bits in every room, meaning each room is in some sort of progress. However, small rooms like bathrooms or laundry rooms I finish all at once since they are small and usually inexpensive. Of course this doesn’t take into account any type of remodel.

This is the full bath on the first floor of my home. One of these days I’m going to post a whole house walk through so you can fully grasp the unique layout of the whole home, but for now I’ll just show you pieces. I finished this room a while ago, before I ever started this blog, so I don’t have all the costs handy. I believe the entire Re-Design was about $50.

White…White…and more White…

The tiny space made pictures al little difficult.

When I was in high school/college I worked in an art and framing store. I loved that job. When I was working with customers on framing choices I would swoon over their artwork. One piece of art I fell for was of a Hawaiian dancer. So when my brother got married in Maui a few years later, I went on the hunt for my own Hawaiian art.  That art was the inspiration for this room.

Since the room is small and dark, I wanted a light and refreshing color. I used a quart of Valspar in Bamboo Shoot. It was the perfect shade of Avocado…although that’s not entirely the image I had in my mind when I started this room. I ended up loving the result.

I picked up the towels from Homegoods when I realized the colors were a perfect match. I also picked up a clearance towel rack and basic oil rubbed bronze shower curtain rod at Bed Bath and Beyond.

The shower curtain is a dark brown and something I’ve had from my previous apartment. I also used Plumeria style curtain hooks which tied into the theme perfectly.

Since there is minimal storage in this room, setting the extra towels on the back of the toilet became a functional decoration.

Random Fact: Since I was travelling home by plane the art was triple wrapped in bubble wrap. It came home without a scratch. Within minutes of unpacking, my previous dog jumped up on the bed and stood right in the middle of one print. If you look closely (in person) you can see her nail scratches and footprints. I was mad at the time, but now I love that memory since she has passed.

I believe this is the last room that I finished prior to starting the blog so now you’ve seen it all. The rest of the house is in a state of progress, just the way I like it.

Garage – In Progress

Sometimes the progress is small. Sometimes it’s purchasing a storage unit and finishing some cleaning/organizing,  but that’s still progress in my opinion. A few weeks back I showed you my garage, it was a mess. In the back of my mind, I know it’s going to take a while to collect all the pieces for this room. I want to have it painted professionally (part of the ceiling is too high for me to reach on my own). I want to purchase a heavy duty workbench an add some shelving/more storage. A lot of the things I want to do in this room take lots of $$$ so I’m realistically saying it will take me all year to officially ‘finish’ the garage.

However, I see some progress, and this makes me very happy.

Before:

I had stuff spread everywhere, a big random collection of stuff.

The first step was to dump any trash or damaged items. I’ve also separated out some paint that needs to be sent to a Hazardous Waste site and a box of items set aside for donation.

In Progress:

So far, I’ve organized, cleaned and purchased a storage rack from Costco. I have to say that this storage rack has far surpassed my expectations. I paid about $64 for it, and unless you’re the Hulk, you’ll need at least two people to lift the box. It’s HEAVY!

I was able to build the storage rack by myself, but it would have been useful to have a second set of hands. However, it was well worth all the effort when I was able to cleanly organize everything yesterday…with room to spare.

The workbench I received from Christmas has been moved to the back wall and the dresser was moved over. At some point I’d like to get rid of the dresser, but at this point it’s providing much needed home for small items. I’ve also kept the BBQ and Storage Rack box for now since they act as a great painting station.

Eventually the box, mirror, and umbrella will be replaced with the heavy duty workbench. I hope to add some shelving above the workbench to small items (such as nails, screws, rubber bands) and I want to add storage to the side of the workbench for scrap wood. My scrap wood pile is adding up and it deserves its own home.

The metal storage rack that was displaced by the new storage rack is still in the garage. It’s being saved for house supplies (extra toilet paper, paper towels, drinks, cleaning products, etc). It also holds the dog food container right now.

That is a legal size filing cabinet under the workbench right now. It will eventually go in the office, but it needs to be painted first so I’m keeping in the garage. I’m also thinking about painting the dresser, but I’m not sure it’s worth the effort.

I also see some pegboard in the future for this wall.

Yes, that’s the Twilight series books in that cardboard box. It’s on it’s way to someone else’s home (via donation) along with a lot of other stuff currently littered throughout the house.

So that’s it! Progress is moving slowly in this room, but I like it so far.

Kitchen Cure Week 1 Progress

Week 1 done! In my opinion this is the messiest week since it involves pulling everything out of your fridge, freezer, and pantry. It’s one of those moments where you make a bigger mess in order to organize.

Without further adieu, let’s showcase some progress! So that you can see the specific progress, below are before and after shots directly next to each other. Instead of showing you all the before shots followed by the after pictures. 

Whole Fridge/Freezer Before…

After…

Fridge Door Before…

After…

Freezer Before…

After…

Now when I open the fridge or freezer, it’s like a sigh of relief. It’s so nice to have it cleaned and organized that it actually makes me want to cook instead of being so overwhelmed by the mess that I just run for take out.

The pantry was a little bit of a nightmare, definitely a much bigger project. For the record, I am a couponer and I do have  a ‘stockpile’, but nothing like the TV Show. I have mixed feelings about that show in general, but I do have a stockpile that I consider appropriate for a family of 1. I don’t have a whole room dedicated to product, I have the bottom space of my pantry and I only let it get so big before donating items or stopping my shopping all together. I don’t spend hours couponing, and I only work with one newspaper…but I’ll share my coupon thoughts at a later date.

Pantry…

This pantry is difficult to keep organized. The shelves are very deep and while they hold a lot, so if you stack items too close to the front of the shelf you can’t see the items in the back. It just doesn’t make a lot of sense.

Whole Pantry Before…

After…

I absolutely cannot reach the back of the top shelf, without a step stool, you have to be a giant to reach the back. For this purpose alone, I don’t house any food items on the top shelf. The entire space is dedicated to cleaning supplies and Baxter’s food. I actually keep about 40 pounds of dog food in the garage, but I hated walking down their twice a day to get his food. So I keep a 2 week supply in the pantry.

Before…

After…

Before…

After…

Whew!

 

Addison