more sewing

I mentioned in my post last week that I wanted to try a few new projects... so the next day, I DID.  This checkbook cover was really quick and easy.  I just used scraps from my quilt, and a little bit of some fun Marimekko fabric I got in Chicago.  Check it out:

I also worked on some pillows for Mary's house.  She has pillows that came with her couches that she wanted to cover.  She picked up fabric from IKEA and Joann and I made these:

Please excuse the one on the right.  It is not stuffed.

Great job picking the colors that go fabulously with my house!  Too bad I don't get to keep these.  They are twenty inch pillows with one type of fabric on each side, and an eighteen inch hidden zipper.  I chose a large zipper to make it super easy to stuff with existing pillows which have a cord trim on the edges.

omg. pom-poms.

I was able to use the leftover fabric to make a fun little 12 inch pillow with pom-pom trim.  Cute!

2 legit 2 quilt

Yes, quilt.  It is complete!  Great size for a first effort.  I think I will definitely be trying this again, and eventually going for a full sized version.
The longest parts were the very beginning and the very end.  Cutting the fabric pieces (so many of them!) and hand-finishing the binding.  The rest of it came together pretty quickly.

final measurement appx 35" x 30"

the binding

modeling with the back of the quilt

I finished painting the downstairs bathroom, and one wall of the downstairs office.  More painting & organizing, then some more sewing projects like this and this.

Flor on the Floor

Hooray!  The Flor is down and arranged.  We love it.  I think Pepper loves it the most.  It is just the right amount of color for our mostly-neutral living room.  I love that we could change the colors later without much cost, or we could switch up the pattern.

I have been working on my quilt, which will probably be completed within the week!  I have been very busy at work the past few weeks so not much else it getting done at the house.  I need to finish painting the bathroom, and then patch & paint the office so David can get settled in better with his fancy desk.

David and I also took some time last weekend to do a little fitness photo shoot!  It was fun, but a lot of work for just the two of us.  Here is a sneak peek:

More to come after David works with the images!  Stay tuned for finished quilt pics.

more flor

Our tiles have arrived!  We bit the bullet and ordered our Flor tiles to make a living room rug.
While we were in Chicago, we found a Flor store and got to look at more things up close & personal.  This was helpful for me since all we had were the tiny samples.  They also had a "look what our customers did" board.  This was GREAT for getting ideas!  Online and in the catalog they have sample patterns and ways to customize your own rug.  Somehow this wasn't quite doing it for me.  It was awesome to see what real people did in real houses.  So David snapped a pic of one idea I really liked.

Here are our tiles!  Pepper is in love.  More pics to follow once we decide on color/pattern/placement!

pillow party

I have a lot of sewing projects lined up, and I am excited to tackle them now that most of the major housework is done for this year.  I bought some fun new fabrics when we found a Crate & Barrel outlet on our trip to Chicago a few weeks ago.  Then BAM.  I broke my sewing machine.  I didn't know what to do with myself!
I took the machine to a repair shop, and the unfriendly old lady at the counter quoted me $90-$130 to repair it.  I said I was not ready to put that kind of money into an old machine, and that I could probably by a new one for that (or splurge a bit more to get a newer & nicer one). She promptly replied "NO.  Can't buy one for that." Alright then... I know exactly where NOT to go if I ever need repairs in the future.
Luckily, my parents have a machine at home that they are not using.  So we swapped out our machines and I am back on track.  I made 2 small pillow covers before my machine broke, and I made 3 on Monday when I got the new-to-me machine figured out.  Hooray!

I had also been working on hand-beading a little boudoir pillow for when the bed is made nice & pretty.  The beading took a long time, but it looks really good.  I tried my hand at a piping/border for this one, too.  I will need more practice with that for sure.

Next sewing project: attempting a tiny quilt!

summer sandals

 Thanks to the miracle that is Pinterest, I found a project to snazzy-up some basic flat sandals.  I wanted the tan-colored shoes, but H&M only had the black ones by the time I found this project and got myself to the store.  They were around $18 and I already have quite a stash of embroidery floss.  All I did was wrap the string around the strap of the sandal, making sure to hide the knots on the bottom.  It took me about 15-20 minutes per shoe, and I opted NOT to superglue anything to the shoe.  This way, I can cut the strings off and change the colors at a later time.  Booyah!

party party

We had some folks over to celebrate our finished floor project!  But I have a confession.  The floors are not actually complete.  The transition pieces are still missing!  Partially out of our control though.  These special transition boards were on back order for THREE WEEKS!  They should be arriving in the next few days.  Then we can be totally and completely and honestly finished.

Check out this OLD picture from when we first moved in!!  That kitchen light is so ugly.  The curtains are so heavy.  Theres a pony in the nook wearing my scooter helmet.  The kitchen is green.  And the floor... ick.

Here are some picture of our little party:

And here is a sneak peek at David's ALMOST complete desk project:

dipped

It looks like dippin' and color-blockin' are all the rage these days.  And I am totally OK with that.  I painted the peg legs of our living room chairs for a little dip effect and I love it.  I have a few other projects in mind like THIS ONE I stumbled across a while ago.  And THIS ONE and THIS ONE I recently discovered, but am waiting for the next credit card statement in order to spend any more dollars.  Plus, I am still loving this clutch for summertime.  So I can wait.  I think.

In the meantime, I dipped our wooden spoons!  About 5 minutes (apart from drying time) and zero dollars.  I used a couple of the tester tubs from our kitchen/bathroom/guest room paint choices, and some acrylic paint I already had.  Aren't they fun?

nice shades

I've been thinking about lamps lately.  With our fabulous re-dos on the main floor, the lighting needed updating as well.  Mary & Ben gave us this yellow one (I've had my eye on it for some time... it came from his family's lake house in Snow Camp, NC) and I found this neutral & textured shade at Target.  Perfect!

I updated our entry table lamp as well, because I didn't want two yellow lamps.  This simple shade goes perfectly with the base!  I will save the old shade in case we want to mix it up again later.

I swear that pic is not black & white.  

It looks kinda blah in this tiny pic, but the table below it has bright blue legs, so it works well with a more neutral/calm lamp on top.

I found this mercury glass lamp at TJ Maxx.  I thought it would do nicely with the mercury glass finials now framing the windows in the living room.  It ended up being 1. too short and 2. too dressy for the casual hang-out space we wanted to create.  But, I still like the lamp so it lives in the craft room now on my sweet sweet new desk (my birthday present from David).

In our house, there is only overhead lighting in the bathrooms and kitchen.  This is why I need to think about lamps so much!  I saw a neat idea for pendant lamps, so if we ever change up the dining area light, I think we will try this:  1 lamp shade plus 1 lighting kit.  Simple and inexpensive.  The shade is the focal point and where you could "splurge" if you want since there is no need for an actual fixture.  This would also be cheap and easy to change out so you can keep your home ever-changing and interesting!

curtains

In a RARE turn of events, this was one project where DIY was not because I wanted to save money, but because I could not find something I liked.  Sure, I could buy the $10 p.o.s curtain rods, but they were ugly.  Even the fancy ones were ugly.
So I got some pretty drawer pulls at Anthropologie to use for the finials.  I got wooden dowels at the hardware store and spray-painted them silver (same paint from the chair leg project).  I took the pulls apart to switch the pieces around slightly, and David trimmed the dowels and put holes in the ends for me.  Attach some brackets to the wall and voila!  I am very happy that the curtains are finally up.

We are having a "hooray we are done with the floor" party on Sunday, so the house will be clean and I can get some good "after" pictures of the kitchen and living rooms.

extravaganza update

Our to-do list is coming along nicely!  We have completed numbers 1, 2, 4, and 5!!  David's desk (number 3) is nearing the end as well.  It is hard for that one to move along since he gets only about 1 day per week to work on it.  The guest room (number 6) is on hold for now... it is finally cleaned out of all the furniture that was in there while other projects were in process.  Now it is mostly clear, but acting as a holding area for yard sale items.  Once we decide on the paint color and have our yard sale, the room will be ready for a face lift!  Then David's desk will move in and we'll decide on the rest of the layout.
This was our SPRING 2012 housework list... and we WILL be done with it while it is still technically spring time.
We are super excited about a rewarding vacation coming up next month.  Between housework and our real jobs, I'd say we've earned it.

the process

Here are some videos from the wood floor project...

I would line up the bamboo planks and David would put them in place & nail them down.  The loud noise at the end is the air compressor which powers the nail gun.  

We had to remove a layer of plywood from the kitchen so that the subfloor was all one level before putting down the underlayment and then wood flooring.  It was tough work.  David removed the sheets and I would pull out the staples.  Hundreds of staples. 

The door frames had to be adjusted so that the flooring would fit underneath.  It was difficult to find the right angle... so I got in the pantry.

Some of the this we are VERY glad that we had: work gloves + a mini crow bar.  Who would have thought one of the most useful tools in every step of this project was a teeny little crow bar.  This was also one of the least expensive items!  We got the work gloves as a Christmas present from my mom.  These were AWESOME in preventing splinters when handling all of the wood pieces. 

Thank goodness this is done.  The house looks bigger, and we could not be happier or more proud of our work.  HOUSE PARTY ON SUNDAY MAY 27!  Come check out all of our hard work!

Before (with carpet and ugly curtains)

During (pulling up staples)

During (starting on the wood)

Floor COMPLETE.  Just need to finish with the decor!

finishing touches

Last week we installed baseboards and shoe moulding.  Yesterday David caulked and touched up some nail holes.  Yesterday and today I am painting the baseboards and moulding.  Then, we have to fill in & disguise some nail holes on the floor (on the perimeter where we were unable to use the nail gun).  I can see the finish line!

I also purchased wooden dowel rods to make curtain rods for the living room.  And we got schmancy hardware for the curtain rod finials.  I ordered a rug for the kitchen (SO pumped that it was just $44), but still deciding on colors/patterns/textures for the living room.  Then we'll have to decide on artwork!

I will post more pictures when the curtains are up, and when the kitchen is clean, haha.  Almost all of the tools are gone too!  The saw and air compressor took up a lot of space.  We'll finish tidying, then on to the next room... the guest room/office.

homestretch

Every day we get a little bit closer to finishing the living room & kitchen.  Although, I will probably never really be finished, especially as far as decorating goes.
I had a mostly day off a couple of Fridays ago, so I got some paint and did the whole kitchen by myself before David got home from work.  Bye, bye green.  HELLO Tropical Splash!

I figured I may as well get it done while the appliances were out of the way.  So far, I really like it.  We ordered a rug for the dining area that will hopefully pull everything together.
I was so excited to have the kitchen back together that I have been cooking up a storm.  I tried one new recipe and it came out great:  peanut butter & jelly muffins.

This week, we are putting down the baseboards, shoe moulding, and quarter round.  Then we can put all the furniture back in order.  I hope to have everything back to normal by this weekend.  I will also be making my own curtain rods for the living room windows.  I have not been able to find anything I like online or in any local store.  Check back for updates on that project, plus COMPLETED house project pics!

slow and steady

Now we are getting to some not-as-much-fun stuff. We pulled the appliances out last night... around 11pm. Today I prep/clean the kitchen and we'll rip out the rest of the tile and extra flooring. And more staples. We are getting to some tricky parts under the dishwasher, oven, and in the pantry. Looks like we will be dining out this week, but thankfully the fridge is still plugged in and we have use of toaster oven and microwave.

appliance invasion. but doesn't the floor look awesome??

I am trying to pick a new paint color for the kitchen... something in a cool tone, in the blue family. Any suggestions? We loved the bold green, but I think we are looking for something a bit softer this time.

bye bye green

I got some FLOR tile samples in the mail and we are trying to decide on colors and textures for a living room rug. We can then use the tool on FLOR's website to design the pattern and size of the rug.

These little squares are so cute... I am going to use these samples (each square is 6 1/2 inches) to make a doorway mat for just inside the back door.

little projects

I worked on a few small & easy projects recently. It was nice to have instant gratification projects while the floors are in progress. All of these were on the cheap too! All three together cost me less than $30.

1. dresser drawers

We got a new dresser from IKEA recently and we actually didn't mind the hardware that came with it. It kind of goes with our grey & white trend that is happening in the bedroom. I got an Anthropologie coupon for my birthday so I got some schmancy new hardware (just over $20)... but just for my half of the dresser. Now it is like a "his & hers" piece. I like that it looks like two different dressers in one.

2. peg legs

We have two IKEA chairs in the living room. I really like the chairs, but was never crazy about their peg legs. I am not a big fan of blond wood, so I had always planned on painting them at some point. Then I came across this post on Design*Sponge. So easy, and $0 since I found some silver spray paint in the shed. A quick little update to the chairs. They look so swank on the new wood floors.

3. succulents

I think I have a brown thumb. I am not a big fan of landscaping, and I've managed to kill all houseplants I have ever had... except for one! I have had this little cactus thing for almost 2 years now and he's still kickin'! So I got a few more tiny succulents (less than $3 each at Lowe's) and put them in various containers we already had. Aren't they cute?

More floor update pictures coming soon!

progress report

This is a big job, but we are making progress! We started ripping out the carpet only 1 week ago. We are pretty much just working in between work... which makes it slightly difficult since our work schedules don't overlap a lot. David works during the week when I have a lot of free time, and I work on the weekends when David has free time. Reid was a BIG help over a few evenings last week, which really helped us get the ball rolling. So we are working on little chunks here and there, and trying to reconfigure the furniture like a giant puzzle.

Here are some progress pictures...

carpet gone. taking out the padding and *ugh* all the staples. THANK YOU ADAM FOR HELPING

first few rows!

loving the color variations

got the TV back on in time for Mad Men

We still have a LOT more work ahead of us. I am dreading moving the appliances in the kitchen. It almost feels like we have a completely new house. We still have the hallway to do (and hall closet) after the kitchen is complete. THEN, replacing and painting base boards, THEN painting the kitchen, THEN finding some window hardware so I can finally get those new curtains up.