Heat wave

Today we're getting a new furnace. For anyone who knows us, they can tell you that this is our second furnace purchase in less than 4 months. Oh, the joys of owning a 2-family home! They don't call it two family for nothing...it's 2 furnaces, 2 hot water tanks, 2 electrical boxes, and 2 times the fun & expenses! The groundhog predicted an early spring, but did he predict whether money trees would be growing this year?

So while I put aside the misery of such a big purchase (not to mention wondering how in the heck I'm typing with such cold finger tips!), I'll share with you a little change I made to the 'ol entertainment unit this weekend. This is what things looked like before:

Nothing exciting...just your average, run-of-the-mill standard knobs. In hindsight, I wished we would have purchased a unit with a bit more character. But this seems to fit the bill for the time being. Ah, well. Maybe in another life or house. So to change things up without altering the piece too much, I changed out the existing knobs with some inexpensive ones from Hobby Lobby. The result was this:

It took me some time to warm up to the new knobs. Afterall, they were significantly different than the old boring knobs of yore! But they're slowly growing on me. They are not slowly (or quickly for that matter) growing on the husband. I'm hoping he'll come around. In the meantime, I'm avoiding the issue of having to make a trip back to Hobby Lobby to return these babies. It's my hope that he'll just forget this change ever happened in the first place...

Hope you all had a great weekend! Now can someone pass me a blanket?!

Before & After

I love a good before & after. Maybe it's just that I'm nosey & I like to see where people live and what they do with their space. I think that's why I'm so addicted to HGTV too. Come on, tell me you don't love seeing what House Hunter folks do with their new place?!

Which is why I created a Before & After tab on the 'ol blog. Because maybe people out there are just as nosey as I am. Or maybe I just like seeing our own space as it evolves. But before you get too excited, the only transformation you'll currently see there is 'Project Hallway'. I'll be posting more before & afters in good time my friends, all in good time...

So I got to work un-earthing some photos of the house when it was purchased in 2007. I can't recall if I initially took these photos on my first visit, or after I found out the house was officially mine (it was a solo mission at the time..first came the house, then came the husband). But I can assure you the photos were very much taken prior to the previous owners moving out. So without further ado, I give you the living room BEFORE...

Ack! I know the picture is rather dark, but let me tell you...the place was dark & dingy to begin with, so the photo is a pretty accurate portrayal of what this place looked like at the time. Do you think the weird candelabra in the window was their attempt to class up the joint? Because it just looks like a fire hazard to me. At any rate, the hardwood floors were in horrible shape & covered with weird remnants and area rugs throughout the house--like this beauty you see here (having the floors professionally refinished was the first major work done to the house).

And for those of you who don't remember what the space looks like now, I present to you the AFTER:

Much better right? What a difference an owner makes! Of course, everyone's taste is individual so I'm not tooting my own design horn or anything. It's just interesting to see how a space can change from one person to the next! Not only are before & after pictures so interesting, what about documenting a space during a renovation or update? Especially in the case of a major overhaul (i.e. our kitchen). It's interesting to see what your space looked like, how it changes, and what it turns out to be!

I'll be posted more before & after shots in the near future. So if you're feeling particularly nosey...be sure to check back soon!

Feelin' the love

Happy Monday & happy valentine's day! The husband & I aren't huge valentine's day fans, so as usual, we'll skip the crowds & dinner out. I do however, secretly love the cards, flowers & crafts that go along with this "holiday". Remember how much fun it was to make your own card box in elementary school?

We had friends over for dinner this weekend. The guest list also included their two little ones (well, one who's baby little...but little none-the-less). We made things simple & fun with an "indoor" bbq theme--complete with hot dogs, chips, salads & a whole lotta chocolate thrown in for good measure (if that doesn't help get over the winter blues, I don't know what does!). I couldn't resist playing up the valentine's day theme for our little dinner party...



I free-handed the hearts with my stash of cardstock & attached them to baker's twine. I believe the husband's exact words were, "those hearts look like a second grader made them". Hmmm...I would have described them as more whimsical & fun. But since one of our guests was 3 years old, I wasn't too worried about my supposed lack of artistic abilities. The black vases were leftovers from our wedding & look great with some packed carnations, wouldn't you say? It's funny that carnations get such a bad name, but if you know how to arrange them, they become an affordable chic centerpiece!

Hope it was a good weekend for all!

And then we got stuff done around here

Seriously, I'm starting to think there aren't enough hours in the day. This house has seen it's fair share of projects that get started. But at times they never quite get off the ground & running...let alone see the finish line for awhile. Maybe that's why I feel so overwhelmed sometimes?

Now that the contents of our kitchen are no longer spewed all over our house (and yes, spewed is a word...at least by my standards today), and things are almost finished in there, the rest of the house is very slowly taking shape. Well, at least until I decide to change or update something again. Which, with the amount of blogs I read & inspiration that comes from them...it's happening a lot these days!

We have friends coming over for dinner this weekend & in a rush to get things ready for their arrival (ie, actually cleaning the house), I FINALLY finished project hallway! There are a few elements I'll add or change in the future, but for now it's complete & I'm quite happy with the results!

Okay, first let's take a trip down memory lane, shall we? Here's the very shocking before:

As you may recall, the top of the landing was ONE BIG HOT MESS. It was a collection of everything we were too lazy to deal with. So we cleared out the space & put everything up into the attic (where hoarding is completely acceptable). And here is the lovely after:

The desk was a hand me down from my mom that I got the a-okay to paint. I debated about switching out the hardware, but kept the existing ones & spray painted them a coat of silver. I love them now! Which makes me wonder why I debated changing them out in the first place!? The mirror was a HomeGoods find that occupied every last minute of my time to get it to the way it looks now (note taken, next time I'll spray paint something this intricate). The "K" is also a HomeGoods find that I spray painted yellow & attached brackets to the back so that it stands upright. Which means it's secure enough that if a tipsy guest happens to fall into the desk while leaving our house (hey, it could happen!), it's not going anywhere. The random white cup is a Goodwill find, and the vase was my grandmother's. And then of course, there was my Salvation Army lamp that I scored for $5...

In the end, this lamp was all sorts of trouble. I couldn't find a shade to suit it, and after 2 attempts to cover the one I had...I surrendered and replaced it with the current Homegoods lamp that now sits on top of the desk. It made me a little sad to replace my $5 find. But I'm hoarding it in the attic, with the hopes that it will find another home one of these days.

The frames were the last element of the space. They were all purchased from random antique & thrift stores (I think the largest one was $35, the rest were less than that--not bad!) & spray painted black. The ceramic birds are a gift from the husband from a local home interiors boutique (Nest--for all you Buffalo folks). So let me just say, I pretty much avoided hanging these for the longest time, since the plaster walls in our old home can be pretty tricky. Imagine if you will--lots of dust, nails that hit studs (and not the cute kind), and holes that inevitably have to be patched before starting over. But the decorating gods must have been looking over me because hanging these were a cinch. If you're keeping score...that's one point for Katie, zero points for the wall.

And one more picture for good measure...a view into the living area as you enter from the stairwell...

Excuse the pillows...our living room is going through a bit of an identity crisis, as I'm not totally sure my latest Etsy purchase is fitting in so well. The orange pillow cover turned out to be a bit too orange, so I might give it a home in the spare bedroom. So much for not being afraid of color in 2011...

And with that, I'm off to admire my work...hope you all have a lovely weekend!

Weekend recap

Another weekend behind us & it's back to the grind! From now on, I think it's time to insist that weekends become 3 days long...2 days are not enough! Ah well, let's get to a recap shall we?

...I've entered into a somewhat human state again (a heavy emphasis on the "somewhat" as I'm just not quite there yet). Although, I did manage to pass whatever this is along to the husband, who isn't fairing so well today. Colds be damned--we can't seem to win around here!

...I finally received my House Beautiful subscription this weekend! For those of you who've already perused the March issue, can you believe all the pink goodness? Flipping through the pages has me itching for an all pink house! Okay, maybe not the whole house, but at least one room. Which would require the husband to move out, as I'm sure he wouldn't be as jazzed about all that pink. I'm sure you can't tell from the picture, but ironically, my subscription comes addressed to the husband. Well, if that doesn't give our mailman cause for question, I don't know what does...

...Our 7 year-old niece stopped by for a craft day on Sunday. Which is just the kick in the rear I needed to get on that 2011 resolution of 'scrapping once a month' (along with 'go to church more', 'develop wedding pics', 'finish the kitchen' and 'practice staying calm'...all of which have yet to be accomplished, thank you very much). Although, I must say, we don't get much crafting done when she comes over. She spends a lot of time perusing through my endless supplies, she talks (a lot!), plus we took a pretty significant pizza & Disney Channel break at one point in the day. I did however finish up two shadow boxes--one from our wedding, the other from our honeymoon--that have since found a new home in our kitchen.

...which brings me to the final piece of the puzzle--we (meaning me) painted! We're not totally done yet, as I only accomplished the pantry (on a Friday night, no less...yes, we lead a pretty exciting existence around these parts). Since I painted at night, it was hard to decide whether or not I liked the color. I went back & forth several times, all the while interjecting phrases to the husband such as--"so...would you say this color is 'retro chic' or does it look more like baby food?" and "if I don't like this in the morning it's all your fault for choosing this stupid color". I'm happy to report that we both woke up the next morning & liked what we saw. It's not a color I would have normally chosen (well, at least without a push from the husband), but I applaud myself for stepping outside my beige box for once!

Hope you all had a great weekend!

High Gloss love

So what's the best way to bide your time when you're down, out, really sick, stuck in bed, have watched all the bad reality t.v. that you can, and read every last gossip mag at your disposal? Why you move on to digital magazines, that's what you do!


image via Rock Paper Scissor blog


High Gloss Magazine recently went live. I'm a fan of Erin Rauter, who is one of the editors behind this fabulous online magazine. She's the owner of Rock Paper Scissor, a stationary store in Franklin, TN & I'm a regular reader of her blog--which is a daily dose of all things fun and fabulous. I'd like to think that if I didn't have a real job, I'd for sure be living my life as an interior designer or stationary store owner. For the time being, I'm living vicariously through her & her website!

Time to do some online reading!

The sick den

After being holed up indoors for a full 4 days, I finally ventured out of the house and went back to work today. I can't say it was pretty, but it beats being trapped in the sick den for another day.

On my way home (a half day was all I could muster...but a productive half day it was!) I stopped for some groceries & picked up some flowers. It's just your average grocery store bouquet, but it has me already dreaming of spring. I suppose now that it's officially February--we're almost there? Or maybe that's just me being optimistic with this impending snowstorm looming over our heads...

So! Remember when I started Project Hallway, hmmmm...about 8 years ago? Okay, that's a complete exaggeration. But it was honestly eons ago that I started and (almost) finished the project, that I know I have all 4 of you on the edge of your seats waiting for some sort of reveal. So without further ado, I give you a sneak peek...

My apologies for the dark photo. It seems that with this snowstorm, comes a little doom & gloom outside. Our last bit of Project Hallway is hanging the thrift/antique store frames. Which, somewhere between cooking me a fabulous dinner & watching the Biggest Loser...I hope to get the husband's assistance tonight.

So stay tuned? But not on the edge of your seats. You'll likely fall off while waiting...

Making progress

Despite being sick all weekend (darn you stupid cold!), we made some progress around these parts. Hmmm...does illness = productivity? While I'm sure it's not doctor's orders to be working so hard, we got a lot accomplished!

The kitchen trim is painted...

Please, divert your eyes from the lovely black & white floor. For obvious reasons, it will be leaving us soon. The 1980's tiles are old, manky & partially stained (the previous owners smoked--apparently only in the kitchen). Lovely, eh? I know, it's a complete shame we're ridding ourselves of this beauty.

And just to refresh your memory...remember what the walls looked like before (after the black linoleum was removed)?

Can you believe the previous owners covered this up? This trim is the real deal too...it's not the manufactured bead board you can find at Home Depot or Lowes. All it needed was a little love, a lot of sanding (thank you husband) & several coats of primer & paint....and voila! We have ourselves some new-old walls again!

And we finally decided on a wall color!

It's a little putrid in this picture (in real life, not much so)...but after much deliberation we decided to go with Split Pea by Benjamin Moore. I have my hesitations (the name alone sounds pretty gross), but this was the one color we actually agreed upon. So split pea it is! I originally wanted a soft gold & the husband wanted bright oranges & yellows (I believe one of the colors was called 'margarita'...I like my margaritas in a glass, not on my walls thank you very much). This wasn't what I originally envisioned for our walls, but I think it will work just fine. If not, it's only paint...it can be changed!

Oh, and for those of you wondering...the holiday deer are still very much dead on our front lawn. Hey, there are so many hours in a weekend...we pick & choose are 'to-do's' around here!

Hope you all had an equally productive weekend!

My weekend...

...includes some painting (let me rephrase that...a lot of painting)

...a little project (more on that soon!)

...perusing Etsy for some kitchen artwork (aren't these prints from Farouche SO cute?!)

...finally taking the holiday deer off the front lawn (who are currently "dead" & buried under the snow). I'd rather tackle this task now vs. being super embarrassed come April when the neighbors label us as the "folks who leave up their holiday decor a bit too long". Yeah, I'm hoping to avoid that moment.

...hoping not to get sick. Pretty please, pretty please? I feel something coming on. I'm not happy.

Whatever your weekend brings--hope it's a good one!

Pillow talk

I'm anxiously awaiting the arrival of this:

Etsy seller, Decidedly Chic, says that the color is a bit more vibrant than the photo. Which, for the first time in a long time, doesn't send me into a panic one little bit.

But hey--check it out! Does the fabric look familiar? What can I say...I love this particular design. Although, the purchase of the new cover was a complete coincidence...I hadn't noticed they were identical until after I bought it! 

The goal for 2011? If it doesn't match, it doesn't matter. I'm adding color to our boring beige couch & chair one throw pillow at a time!  

The new digs

For anyone who thinks we're not enjoying the new kitchen...

...we're taking full advantage of the new digs. Cabinets open, appliances in full use, the husband making homemade pasta, and a color deck hiding behind the pasta rack (my attempt at sorting out all of this 'which paint color to choose' nonsense).

Up next? Painting, painting & more painting, new light fixtures, window treatments and flooring...

And then there was tile



The tile is up! Tomorrow the contractor will return to grout & then it's official...project backsplash will be done!

We expected to have our fabulous hood vent installed this week too. Until our contractor pointed out that--because of our high ceilings--it will sit higher than most standard vents. We went back & forth for quite some time as to whether or not we'd be okay with that, but eventually decided to fork over the $150 for a hood vent extender. If things are going to be done in this kitchen, they're going to be done right! Unfortunately, we'll have to wait at least a week or so for the extender to be delivered and installed. Patience isn't my strong feature at this point... 

So how will I pass the time? By finally painting once and for all! I continue to be overwhelmed by all the color options, but I think we (and by we I mean me) have narrowed things down to a non-beige, non-grey decision! But ask me again tomorrow, as some things are never guaranteed...

I'll be back soon with more kitchen pics!

Kitchen progress

We purchased some supplies this weekend:

Yep, that's 60 ft. of white subway tile that will be installed this Thursday along with our hood vent. We're making progess! Slowly but surely the kitchen is pulling itself together...

We're also in the process of buying accessories for the space:

These glass canisters will soon be holding flour, sugar, and whatnot. I'm not sure why, but they remind me a lot of Ina Garten, don't you think?

And of course, we're picking paint colors...

My only issue with Benjamin Moore is that there are too. many. color. options. As usual, I'm being drawn to beiges & grays. I was kindly reminded by the husband that our entire house is beige and gray. True dat. But I find it hard to mess with a good (neutral) thing! This one may go into negotiations...

Once the backsplash is installed & everything is painted we'll begin the process of picking the flooring. It depends on which day you ask, but we're on a hardwood kick at the current moment. We ventured to a local reuse site this weekend to check out their stock, and at $1.50 a square foot it's definitely a bargain. But it's unfinished wood, which would require more work & money...bringing our debate (hardwood vs. tile) back to square one. While I'm not a big "green" person (I know, shame on me), I definitely love the idea of using reclaimed wood, especially in our 100+ year old home. It's fitting, don't you think? Not to mention I think it would sound pretty cool to say, "I'm glad you like our floor--it's reclaimed wood!" In the event that someone takes the time to compliment our floors of course. If not, I would still plan to tell them anyway.

For now, you'll find me with a paintbrush in my hand every evening until this place is looking brand new once and for all! Any thoughts on colors? How about beige, beige or more beige?

It's always best to make lists...

If I've discovered one thing since starting this blog, it's that wish lists are a good thing. Like, a really good thing. In fact I'm sure all 5 of my readers take careful note of my gift ideas when the holidays & special occassions roll around (hint, hint).

For instance, this Christmas was a no-brainer for my sister. The Kate frame from ZGallerie? Check! A sparkly cardigan from Charlotte Russe? Yes please! I post the lists, and they deliver!

Even better was my cousin Allie. She picked me in this year's family gift exchange. Which is pretty exciting. I picked her name 2 years ago & she was one of the easier people on my list to shop for. I'm pretty sure she'd say the same thing for me. Well...at least I'd like to think so, as she totally hit a home run in the gift department this year.

This book was not a wish list item, but I love when people know you so well that it's totally okay for them to vear off course when it comes to gift giving. This book = i adore.

To say I was totally surprised to receive these alpha book ends from Crate & Barrel is a bit of an undestatement. I had added them to our registry eons ago & after the wedding they were one of the lone items left unpurchased (which isn't a word, but whatever). At that point their availability was limited & I wasn't able to order them online. Which was a bit of a bummer, but honestly...my life would certainly go on without bookends. So what a treat to unwrap these! I love.

The husband also came through this Christmas with a subscription to House Beautiful!

We decided to stick with just stocking suffers this year (since we "gifted" ourselves a new kitchen & trip to Mexico). The husband is finally getting the hang of this stocking thing. Last year I received a lint brush, hair elastics & notepads. Useful, yes. But the House Beautiful subscription was a total winner this year. He says he has has no clue what House Beautiful even is....but I do, and I'm very anxiously awaiting the arrival of the February issue (that I gaze at each & everytime I'm at the store. Must. Resist.).

Here's hoping your gifts were all good ones this year!

Back to reality

I took a wee bit of a blogging break for the purpose of this...

I can tell you that this trip was quite possibly the best way to ring in the new year (and celebrate our delayed honeymoon, of course!). No worries, no technology, no snow. Now if that isn't a vacation, I don't know what is!

I've been in a bit of a haze as I try to adjust to the reality of going back to work, the cold weather & that darn to-do list--that (much to my dismay) was still here when we got home. I'm fairly certain this transition into "real life" would have been much more managable had I paired it with a margarita served by a friendly man named Carlos (well of course!). But alas, that's not gonna happen as our house has zero fixings for a margarita and Carlos is still in Mexico. A smart man, indeed.

I'll be blogging more this week as we're nearly finished with project hallway. I know, I know...I've been promising some sort of reveal for the last 2 months. But honest, it's coming. And "project backsplash" starts later next week. Things are sloooowly coming along in the kitchen. More pictures to come!

Now where is that margarita, alright already?!