Backyard progress

My mom and the husband have been diligently working on the backyard (with a little help from me now & again...there's something to be said for being pregnant!) Our yard has been a bit of a process for the last 3 years (we've come a long way since our days of cultivating a weed garden, much to the horror of our neighbors).

Last summer, we decided to part ways with the ugly tree that sat behind our garage. Talk about a mess...we definitely don't miss that thing anymore! Remember how things looked before? Let's take a walk down memory lane, just for kicks...

And then the tree left us. Best. Day. Ever.

And then nothing happened...for a long time. The tree/landscaper dudes never came back to complete their work until December. Yep, December (thank goodness for our mild winter). So things sorta looked like this for a solid 4 or 5 months.

After the soil was delivered and sculpted (is that a technical landscaping term??), things sat idle for awhile. And then a ton of weeds showed up. We have a HUGE crab grass problem that spreads from our lovely neighbors in the back. And try as we might, that stuff comes back each and every year. So with that tackled (until it comes back next year) & some misc. things planted, we had made some huge progress....

 

(points to anyone who can find the dog in this picture!)

The husband digging holes in prep for our trees to be delivered...

 

The trees are delivered (holy hell, these suckers are big!). And then the el prego would sit around and bark orders for the next 30 minutes...ha (it's funny, but only to me...the husband and my mom were not as amused)!

See? He doesn't look amused here...



We couldn't find the dog for much of the day. He was taking a nap in the garage (smart doggie).

Then I moved him out into the sun. I had to keep myself busy while heavy trees were being planted!



After everything was planted, I helped mulch. It's my favorite (I'm not sure why), and my way of actually helping that day. Things are looking much better, huh?



Our grass is shot to hell & we can't figure out how to get it back to normal (the crab grass really does a number to it each spring). I've been busy tossing around grass seed like it's my job, so we'll see if that works. Until then, ignore the patchy grass & admire the new landscaping, okay? The tall bushes were our way of somewhat disguising the neighbors ugly yard. They've made improvements to the house over the last year, but the ugly backyard and ridiculous shed don't seem to be going anywhere anytime soon. The eventual goal is to put some pavers or a patio of some sort back here. We've got 4 big chairs back there now (shoot...never got a picture of that!), but I can tell you that we enjoyed this remodeled area all weekend!

And a view from the new landscaping, overlooking our garden (which is about 3 bags of mulch away from being finished!)...

The dog is enjoying his new surroundings too!

So now that the backyard is pretty much complete, we've shifted our focus back to the indoors. Since, yeah...we're t-minus 11 days from the home tour and I'm crapping my pants just thinking of all the things that need to be done before then! So you bet your behind I'll be posting progress pics over the course of the week (heck, at that rate you won't even need to go on the actual tour!). See you soon!

Are we ready for this?

So, I did something. I signed us up to be in our neighborhood association's tour of homes. Yep, add this to the 'crazy things I don't think are so crazy while I'm pregnant' list.

I'd always been a little curious as to how people got into the home tour. Last summer our neighbor encouraged me to do it, telling me the association was always looking for new homes to feature each year. I sort of forgot about it, until this past March, when the monthly newsletter went out with an attached application for the home tour. This was it! I was so in! I filled out the application, boasting how awesome our home was, added some historical references for kicks (information I'd been told in the past) and was ready to hit submit. And then it occured to me....I should probably tell the husband about this, right? That come May 20 hundreds to a thousand-some people would be trapsing through our home, and I was about to sign us up for this craziness. His response?

"Wait, what? This means I'll have to clean the man's den."

Ugh, as if that was my only problem!? At that point I considered him game. If cleaning one room in our home was his only issue, then he was totally on board (I've gotten really good at husband translation/speak these last 5 years). So off went my application, and I quickly received a response from the event chairperson that she'd be in touch with more details soon. And then I waited. A full month. Over the course of the month, I'd gone back and forth as to whether this was really a good idea afterall. I mean, there's so much we still need to do to this house. The kitchen floor still isn't replaced, the master bedroom makeover isn't complete, we're going on 5 years of no window treatments in the dining room, blah, blah, blah....you get the picture. The list could go on and on. And then it hit me...no one will know if the bedroom isn't complete, that we're contemplating new kitchen floors, or that there are no blinds on the windows (they'll be too busy admiring all the natural light!). House projects just never end. That's just a fact. When you get to the bottom of your to-do list, you start back at the top, tweaking all over again.

I must say, I was mildly relieved to hear this was a sentiment all the fellow homeowners shared at our informational meeting this past week. In fact, one person on the tour is in the midst of a kitchen remodel! So I guess I'd say we're fairing well at this point. No one will ever suspect that our old black & white linoleum floor is in need of an update (well, at least we hope no one suspects)! It was a pretty cool thing to sit down with these folks...we all share of love for our big old homes, we're always working on one house project or another (or sometimes juggling several at once), and we all love our neighborhood. To sum things up, we're all house proud. And if our house isn't perfect, that's okay. We love our homes anyway. I'd say that's the best kind of person to be showing off their digs, wouldn't you say?

The husband and I (and several contractors) will be working like busy bees at our house these next 2 weeks. But if anyone is interested in more info on the home tour (and you're in the Buffalo or Ontario, Canada area to attend), I certainly won't be too busy to shoot you some info. You can e-mail me at smigelkm@yahoo.com or check out our association's website for more info. The list of homes won't be made public until the day of the event (to keep all you crazies from stalking our homes), so you'll have to wait in suspense for a couple of more weeks. Sorry. But it will be good. Promise!

Looking forward to seeing some of you on the 20th! Even if we're missing blinds in the dining room (just don't point that out to the other folks, okay?)...

The reason my blogging has been sporadic (at best)

I suppose there isn't much more to say, other than I've had a really good excuse as to why my blogging took a backseat for the better part of 3 months (and by excuses I'm referring to food aversions and general overall laziness). But now that Stella's got her groove back, I figured now seemed to be the best time to announce to the blog world (all 4 of you!) that the husband and I are expecting our first little one come October 29. The fact that I have an aversion to Halloween (something I'm sure will change by next year), means that this bambino is definitely going to arrive into this world in a full-on costume. We just know it.

I'm currently 14 weeks and have officially entered the second trimester. My pants are too tight & I've had my first pregnancy meltdown (of epic proportions) while shopping for 'bigger gal' clothes this past weekend. I can say that both ain't pretty. But with the second trimester brings more energy & the urge to nest and organize like nobody's business. I may be a little ahead of the game when it comes to that arena. And then again, maybe that's my type A personality coming out of first trimester hiding. Well, whatever is going on, I feel much better. Period. I actually have the desire to go thrifting again, and to take on home projects that are within my ability to tackle (it's really a bummer to tell a DIY--and do it all--gal that she can't lift more than 15 lbs....it's so not cool). 

City Dwellin' won't be turning into a baby blog, but I'm hoping to do some pregnancy posts here and there (especially when it comes time to tackle the nursery...I bet you can see the wheels spinning in my head as we speak!). My goal was to get a bit more personal, and well...there you have it. We're going on an exciting ride these next 6 months!   

Some before & afters (without the befores)

I got a little spray paint happy this weekend. It had been awhile, so my hot little hands got a hold of some gold spray paint, and away we went! Naturally, I never thought to take before pictures. When I've got a project on the brain, I've got all I can do to pick up a camera. High tailing it to the finish line is far more important!

Awhile ago I had the genius idea that this formerly oil rubbed bronze bowl would look way better gold (I thought about it a solid 3 months before pulling the proverbial spray paint trigger). I had just purchased the sculpture-like sea creature above, with full-on plans to make it gold. So, as they say...have gold spray paint, will spray everything gold (or something like that). I'm loving my new gold sculpture-like sea creature. But the bowl? Not so much. These pictures don't do it justice, but it's so gold, it looks like one of Liberace's Goodwill outcasts.



Maybe my expectations for a spectacular after were too high? Or perhaps I sat on this one for way too long, overthinking the whole thing. Yep, that's it. So I'm planning to live with the results for now. Mostly because I'm too lazy or cheap to go out and purchase some oil rubbed bronze spray paint. It's the age old question....what would you do?



HomeBads

Our HomeGoods is pretty HomeBads right now. It's undergoing a renovation and there's a lot of controlled chaos going on in there. Not to mention the merchandise is pretty blah. I suppose when everything is crammed into narrow aisles & spaces, there's not much room for anything new or exciting. Yet that doesn't stop me from going on a regular basis...that gift card from my birthday has been burning a hole in my pocket since March!

I've been itching for some organization lately. Our house is in a constant state of chaos, and I just can't keep up. I figured it's best to start small, and after seeing this idea for a dish soap dispenser, I was on board!

I found this olive oil dispenser for $3.99 & figured if it didn't work...meh, I was only out some spare change. Plus, it would save the husband from having to bend down and get the soap out from under the sink. See, now we're organized and the husband can't make up excuses as to why he can't do the dishes. No bending required! 

It remains to be seen if this is the most efficient way to dispense our dish soap, but again....spare change people, spare change. We could always go back to the under-the-sink method of storing things. But then the dishes just wouldn't get done. Knowing when to exert your efforts is sometimes a difficult decision.

On a totally unrelated note, I started using Picmonkey to edit these photos! Mild panic ensued when Picnik closed it's doors, but so far Picmonkey seems to be the best replacement (I suppose it should...I heard some old Picnik folks started it!). Free and no registration, thank you very much. More effects are coming soon, but so far I must say, I like.

Hmm....how's that for a really exciting post (about soap, no less)? Betcha wish you could get back those 5 minutes of your day!



TTLIF

...otherwise known as thank the lord it's Friday! It's been one heck of a week, and I can't begin to describe how thrilled I am that it's the weekend! Which, as far as weekends are concerned, it's a shame they're not longer than 2 days, no? Sigh.

Just some randomness that's on my mind today....

I simply can not get enough of this stuff. We went a solid 2 weeks without hand soap at our kitchen sink (mostly because I was too lazy to go out and buy any). I think the husband enjoys it just as much as I do, as he came to bed last night with fresh, basil smelling hands. When I remarked at just how awesome this soap was, he asked what took me so long to buy some because (in his words), what was he supposed to do in the meantime, use dish soap? "I mean, I'd have to bend down and get it from under the sink!"  I'm not sure what's more sad....how excited I am about this hand soap, or how lazy the husband is. I wasn't joking when I said we lead some exciting lives here!

Domino's Quick Fixes recently hit newstands, and I must say....eh, I'm not impressed. I was that crazy fool that tossed all my old issues before it went defunct (sad, so sad), so I was initially excited to get my little mits on this. I heard mixed reviews that this issue was more hype than anything (and apparently contained a ton of old images from past issues...clearly not something I had a problem with, since I no longer had anything to reference!). But after flipping through it during a recent visit to B&N, I decided it just wasn't worth the $10.99 price tag. I know, feel free to release the hounds on me for shooting it down. But I'm curious what other folks are saying....

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I'm digging this stencil from Cutting Edge Stencils. Michelle over at 4 Men, 1 Lady shares her step by step process for those of us (me) who are a bit intimidated by the time consuming thought of stenciling. It seems easy enough! And Cutting Edge's website boasts that stenciling is Easy....Fast....Fun! And surely they can't be wrong, right? Maybe there is hope for people like me!  

 

This is what my office looked like earlier this week...a new computer that's totally out of place, paperwork strewn about (in short, one big hot mess). I'm happy to report that I've since regrouped, reorganized, and tossed a whole lotta crap that I just didn't need. It's the best feeling, isn't it?  Ever since, I've had this urge to do the same at home. On the surface our home appears to be organized, but I can vouch for every junk drawer, cabinet and closet to say that it ain't so pretty inside! The girl who used to have a system and home for everything has suddenly failed. Big time. So I'm going to try. We'll see how far my ambition takes me this weekend....

So over and out...that concludes today's randomness. Happy weekending!

Can I be honest for a minute?

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Would you look at that? This my friends, this is the blog that's been largely ignored for the better half of a month or so. And no one's more aware of that fact than your's truly. It's just that lately, I haven't had much to talk about. And I'm tired. And zero projects are getting accomplished around our house. And frankly, not one single one of you comes here to hear me talk about nothing. I know you...you're nosey and you like interesting people (or maybe that's just me?). And that's just not me these days.

So I've been thinking for awhile now about a little shift at City Dwellin'. While I don't always have the energy to tackle a project, take photos of it, and then post about it...that doesn't mean I want to give up on this little blog. Let's face it, there's always something to be done around our abode. But one day that's not always going to be the case (unless I change my mind about something design related...in which case, I might just have more to talk about than I realize).

So things might just get a little more personal up in here. You might see more pictures, I might speak my mind a time or two, and I might talk about things that aren't so house related. Because even this design lovin' gal needs a decor break from time to time. And you might just like it...because remember, you're nosey. Just like me. I can't promise anything life altering here (because we're just about as normal as they come), but I'm guessing that sometimes you're okay with me talking about what I ate last night. And if you're not, then that's okay too.

So hang with me a bit longer. From here on forward, I vow to have a bit more spring in my step, the energy to talk about what's real sometimes....and if your lucky, some pictures of the husband's man muscles (or something like that). Anything to keep you entertained!

The end.

Just when you thought City Dwellin' had been abandoned...

...I'm back! And I realized (after looking through random photos of our pets on my Iphone) that I had taken pictures of the new throw pillows for the master bedroom makeover awhile ago. Ooops. My bad. Get with it Katie!

Anyhoo, remember this fabric?

The fabric that when I last spoke about it still had not arrived from Calico Corners? Well, low and behold, all it took was walking the dog on a different route, past our house to find the package of fabric just sitting on our front porch. I still have no clue how long it had been there, since we don't use the front porch regularly. Nor did UPS or Calico Corners bother to notify me when it was going to ship (or when it had arrived, for that matter!).

Anyway, I quickly shipped off the goods to my mom so she could get crackin' on some throw pillows. And days later, this is what we ended up with...

I must say, I'm quite pleased with how well the fabric ties in the gray of the walls. I'm still not in love with this duvet (there, I said it). I suppose had I gone with another wall color I'd feel differently. But since it's much easier to one day buy a new duvet vs. repainting an entire bedroom....we're living with the stupid duvet for now.

This project also bears mentioning that I'm a hoarder of down pillow inserts, yet didn't have any spares floating around when it came time to tackle this little project. The easiest way to nab yourself a good old fashioned down insert? Just find yourself an ugly cheap pillow, remove the insert, and sew (or buy) yourselves a new cover! I purchased these pillows for $18 each at Homegoods. In this case, the old covers were of the neutral, Ralph Lauren variety (which I actually wound up saving for possible future use). But any old nasty looking (but not actually nasty) pillow will do! They just happened to have decent cheap ones the day I went looking.

So there you have it! One more project down, a million more to go! I probably should make a list of what we really want done in this space....it would probably help keep me more accountable and organized (something that just isn't my strong suit lately). And then by the time 2014 gets here, there's the possibility of at least 3 more items being crossed off said list. Wishful thinking? Perhaps.

Happy almost TGIF!

The unexplained abscence...

Well, would you look at that...half of March is already over, and where the hell have I been?

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Vacationing, that's where. Oh, and just really busy too. Which is why we took a vacation. We arrived home from Florida on Monday, and I'm very sloooowly getting my groove back. Stella is hoping to get into the swing of things soon. Next up on my list? Prime and paint those nightstands, alright already! For some reason the task of oil based priming seems waaaaay too time consuming (and smelly) for me to even want to bother with. Wouldn't you agree? Here's hoping I get my mojo back soon!

The post birthday edition

I know February is a short month, but when did March get here? I barely blinked and there came & went my birthday. Which, btw was great...a lot of relaxing, lunch & cupcakes with the husband, a night out with friends, some Hunter boots and a Domino book...yes, it was good! I might be 35, but don't look or feel a day over 29! Okay, maybe that's stretching things a bit, so let's move along shall we....

So now that the celebrating is over, life has resumed to it's normal pace. The dining room table has become its usual dumping ground, I've got dogs sleeping on folding laundry, and our bedroom is a hot mess....

Speaking of bedrooms, see those lamps on the dining room table (um, I mean lamp...the other one disappeared before taking this photo apparently)? Well, don't get yourselves too attached, as I think they're going back. The shape is all right, but the size and color are totally wrong. Of course, it's nothing a little paint won't change, but I just don't have the energy for that right now. So back to the drawing board we go. I take extreme issue with forking over money for a lamp base and shade (yes, Target I'm talking to you), but might have to cave since there are some great lamps there calling my name. We'll see...

So really, what this boils down to is that I've got nothin' today. But I'm hoping to have the oooomph to post some pictures of our new bedroom pillows, and another little project I'm working on for the front door. Because nothing says welcome to our home like another letter K in our abode. You know the husband loves it! 

Project Hallway panels

Okay, it's time to share what became of this fabric! Remember?

Duh, of course you do. You read this blog & you've seen this picture no less than 12 times (but I know I never mentioned the fabric is from Anna Marie Horner's Innocent Crush line, now did I?). I commissioned my mom to make simple panels for the lonely little window in the hallway. The window doesn't let in much light on a good day, even without a window treatment. So I was a little worried how the panels would or wouldn't affect things in there. But none-the-less, that boring bare window needed something stat!

I'll spare you the details of how we got to this point (mostly because I don't think the husband would be amused). But let's just say it started with me buying a cheap-ola $5 curtain rod from Christmas Tree Shops, and then the husband climbing up, down, up, down the step ladder, leveling, measuring, drilling, climbing back up, down, up, down the ladder some more, measuring again, drilling again, all the while I was in the background saying helpful things like, "ooooh yeah, that doesn't look right". So needless to say, for obvious reasons, there were no photos of this process.

So the panels were looking okay at this point, but they were blocking out way too much light and I knew I needed something to tie them back. So off to Joann's I went. I came across some great trim (do you know Joann's carries Cynthia Rowley & Project Runway lines? Ooooh, yes please!). Anyway, after much debating I narrowed it down to 3 choices...none of which are C. Rowley or Project Runway, ironically....

In the end I chose option #3. I loved greek key #1 and #2, but there was something about the braided gold that I loved even more. It's not something I'd originally thought to work with, but it spoke to me at the time, so home it came with me!

There was no rhyme or reason to how I tied these back. Really, it's almost ghetto when I tell you I simply hammered a nail in there and voila...instant tie-backs!

I'm still getting used to the fact that we have some sort of treatment for this window. But I love that the fabric adds a pop of color to the gray-black-white color scheme that's happening in there now.

And the good news? The curtain rod & panels are still intact...so, bonus points to the husband for all of his hard work! And who said a cheapy $5 curtain rod isn't legit?

Master bedroom updates!

Okay, here we go...I'm back to share some master bedroom updates! I'm all out of wit and candor today, so instead you'll just be getting some crappy pictures & a bit of commentary on what's currently going on in there (besides the usual mess of clothes, books, etc...hey, at least the bed is made!). Mmmmm, kay? Here we go!

So two weekends ago I got down to business & painted. Painting a room is so exhausting to me, especially the prep work. Seriously, prep works makes me want to just live in the old and forget the new. It's more of an effort than the painting itself! But recently I taught myself how to cut in with a good brush, which pretty much eliminated the need for tape (and because I'm neat, I really didn't bother with a drop cloth either). I'm telling you people, a good brush makes all the difference in the world! I use an angled brush by Purdy (I'm not sure the dimensions, but I don't think that really matters...it's whatever you're comfortable holding). The paint was a low VOC & paint/primer in one from Benjamin Moore, which required only one (count 'em....ONE!) coat to cover that burnt orange/brown that was previously in there. From me to you...I thank you Benjamin Moore. Lazy painters of the world rejoice!

Yep, how's that for a set of crap-tastic photos! But you get the point, right? Anyhoo, because these pictures were snapped in haste, the the color is not true to what we're seeing in real life. It's definitely cooler with more blue undertones, but at different times of the day it looks brown. To say this color took some getting used to is the understatement of the century! When I started painting, I actually stopped to check the label as I wasn't so sure the lovely gal at Benjamin Moore had even mixed the correct color. Then I began to wonder if I even asked for the right color in the first place (if you're still curious...Benjamin Moore wins, Katie loses). So, zero points for me for being lazy and not bothering with a sample. Oh well. You live and you learn. I'm certainly not painting this room again. 

To make a long story even longer, I'm bothered by the fact (but slowly gettting used to it) that the comforter and the wall color are all wrong together. But apart, I feel the love. So since I'm not planning to repaint, or get a new comforter, we'll have to make it work, right? I ordered this fabric from Calico Corners last week. It's the ikat pattern I had in mind, it draws in the deep grays of the wall, and was on sale for $14.99/yard. Score!

I never shop at Calico Corners but did you know (that despite having bolts & bolts of fabric on the walls) you have to order your fabric anyway? I guess it's a new policy or something...or so I was told. But for 2 yards of this stuff (for throw pillows) I was a little miffed they couldn't make an exception for little 'ol me. BTW--it's a week later and still no sign of the UPS man with my fabric...just sayin' Calico Corners...

So there you have it! A little update as to what's going on in our master bedroom. If the weather ever gets a bit warmer & predictible around here, I'll be priming & painting the new nightstands which I'm super anxious to add to the space! When and if that ever happens before June, remains to be seen. But I'll be updating you all along the way!

TGIF!

Hey, yo.

Alright, so here we go....a new City Dwellin' design! I know several of you have stopped by in the last day or so to compliment the new digs. I'm absolutely thrilled with the way things turned out! Moe Howard of the blog Five Sixteenths (as well as With Love Crochet) is the fabulous gal behind this here design. And because I'm a little special when it comes to navigating Blogger (and well, anything tech related really), she was all sorts of help getting me to this point...tweaking, assisting, listening to my stupid questions, etc. If you like what you see, check her out!

I'll be back this week with regularly scheduled blogging. Promise. I'll be sharing some pictures of the master bedroom progress, as well as some DIY art we finally got around to hanging, and some new curtains for project hallway. Remember this lovely fabric?

See you later this week!

Oh my.

Wow. So I fully intended to blog a bit more this week (my mind is racing with projects and ideas). But then things got busy, life got in the way, and before we knew it...it was Friday. Which is a good thing of course. Bring on the weekend!

Okay, so first things first. I've got some exciting changes happening to the 'ol blog! It's out with the old, in with the new around here. So expect to see some updates in the next few days. In the meantime, if things are a little wonky....well, now you know why. Tech support isn't ranked as one of my strong suits.

Also, did you know my birthday is coming up? In 2 weeks and one day to be exact (but who's counting?). I'm turning 35. Which is probably something to get excited about, right? Well guess what folks. I feel great...35 definitely does not scare me! At least my 34 year-old self doesn't think so (asking my 21 year-old self that same question would have elicited a different response).



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So even though I'm turning 35, I'm still allowed to ask for gifts, right? These are some things that are currently on my wish list...

A personalized phone case, like this one from Etsy seller Abigail Lee Home


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This book (because Santa never delivered). And yes, I'm still the only design/decor interested human who doesn't have one.

A manicure. Of any kind, really. But if I'm going to get specific, then it's going to be of the gel variety. Because I can't be the only one who gets uber annoyed when their polish chips just after one day. Right?



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Maybe a pair of boots...



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Or shoes. I'm not picky.



If you were me, which would you choose? All of them? I thought so. Good answer.

TGIF!

Love

A little Instagram love today. And a rasberry mocha to hit the spot.

Happy Valentine's Day!