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?!