happy 2 year blog-iversary: a house tour

Two years of blogging, and can you believe it- all of 5 posts!  TOTAL!  I know, I know.  I can barely handle it.  

I know my posting has been sporadic at times, and I certainly have many updates I need to make, still... BUT I wanted to look back at the original and remind myself of how far it's come.  It's hard not to beat yourself up for not doing something every weekend or still having unfinished edges to a room.  I also have the silly dream that there are new readers that may not know how much of a dump I got myself into... so there's a little bit of bragging angled towards them.  Nannie-Nannie Boo-Boo!


Most of the before pictures were from the virtual tour the listing agent posted, as I forget my camera on move-in weekend.  Which was also demolition weekend.  I'll try to capture with my eloquent words how these rooms were when I was handed over the keys...

Rec Room

BEFORE

AFTER

Now is when we start the list of outdated photos for me to update... starting with this guy.  We have curtains and a rug and other decorative items (see more here, here, here and here.)  More on the aquarium here, here and here.

Man cave

BEFORE

AFTER

Long-overdue update #2.  These bookcases aren't even IN there anymore!  I mean, honestly.  This room has our DVD collection, our entertainment center, and a fabulous futon (see the transformation and the coffee table staining.)

Guest Room #1

BEFORE

AFTER

haHA!  This is what the room still looks like!  Take THAT, neglectfulness!  I hope to get curtains, a new pendant light, and paint the dressers....


(I guess I only posted about the soda-candle-glasses and not the room as it is.  Still good!  Still good.)

Guest Room #2

BEFORE

AFTER

More to come on this one.... but for now here's the history of this stupid room and a look at plans for it (yes, that makes #3 out-of-date.)

Downstairs Bathroom

BEFORE

AFTER

(Suspiciously missing.  #4.)

Kitchen

BEFORE

AFTER

Working on this post... technically, this is #5 (the kitchen previously.)

Dining Room

BEFORE

AFTER

And THIS one is spot-on!  Maybe a little shelf rearranging, but that is it!  Totally kicking butt.  (For chandelier spray painting and candle stick spray painting, follow da links!)

Living Room

BEFORE

AFTER

Uh, #6?  Yeah, working on this too (in the meantime, look at the bar!  And the previous orange color scheme!)

Upstairs Bathroom

BEFORE

AFTER

You've seen this one!!! (tiling, plans-that-were thwarted, how they were thwarted, reveal, and in-depth look)

Office

BEFORE

AFTER

Really really out-of-date, (#7,) but at least you see the wall paint and the rug?  That amounts to something, right?  RIGHT?!?!

Master Bedroom

BEFORE

AFTER

Done! (painting, curtain-closet, and new duvet posts.. check 'em out!)

Front Yard

BEFORE

AFTER

Sure sure, I will update this too (as of now you have just seen the bench and the original.)  #8.

Back Yard

BEFORE

AFTER

What is this, like the second one that is actually current?  Go me.  For the full pain that is our backyard plight, see posts 1, 2, 3 and 4.

many of these should be "CURRENTLY" instead of AFTER...

Oh, and yes I am posting this exact post to the House Tour page.  Some may call that laziness, but I call it "proper budgeting of time and resources."

backyard overhaul: starting a-new

GUESS WHAT I FOUND WHEN I GOT HOME?!?!??!

BEST BF EVER!!!!

Back story: The backyard has never really, truly had a lawn, per se... small clumps of grass, sure.  But a true lawn, consistent covered with the green stuff?  Not so much.  There was almost NO grass when I moved in (see below.)

sorry for the dark photo

And we have tried for YEARS to get grass to grow.... but to no avail.  Part of the problem was not doing it right (as in, not doing enough seeding and fertilizing), and part of the problem was the pup.

REALLY patchy

only kinda patchy

So, the beau stayed home on Monday to make sure all was ok with the new pooch as she adjusted to the place and decided to take on the lawn!  He raked & loosened the dirt, then laid seed and top soil-with-fertilizer (we got the Scott's new lawn top soil,) and covered it with straw/hay and roped off to keep the dogs from trampling it.  We will water this sucker daily for a couple weeks and keep foot (and paw) traffic off it for at least a month.  Fingers crossed!



Shared on Centsational Girl's Spring Link Party.

to-do list FAIL

So, I was all gung-ho and boastful about my lofty goals for the weekend.  Now is probably a good time to revise that to weekend month/spring aspirations.  Let's recap:

Task:
1) Tackle backyard?
2) Start either dresser or bed-frame project?
3) Caulk kitchen?
4) Bake cakes?

Accomplished:
No, no, no and 1/2 done.

Yup.  How's that for being a go-getter?!  What we DID do was talk more about a plan for the backyard (including discussing having a stamped concrete patio put in,) bought grass seed & fertilizer to start on the lawn, and baked one out of the two cakes planned.

You know what I DID do?  Picked up a new dog!  I'll be updating the menagerie page with her story, but for now here's a picture:

furniture painting inspiration and weekend plans

Otherwise known as: Biting Off More Than I Can Chew.

picture & inspiration: ApartmentTherapy

I want to paint my old & banged up twin bed RED!  However, I think I am going to give spray paint a whirl with this guy- so many bumps & crevices... I think it's the best form of attack.

You see, I have a bee under my bonnet.  Where, the "bee" is all the mis-matched woods that were free hand-me-downs, and the "bonnet" is my house.  It just looks bleh (technical term).  So my solution to all the dinged up, mis-matched furniture?  STAIN or PAINT THEM ALL!!!!

Side Panel:  How many painted pieces of furniture is too many?  For a house?  For a room?  Discuss.

remind me to tell you about that little lamp... 

Anyways, so the dressers in the grey guest room (or seen here) were hand-me-downs from a neighbor.  As you can see in the pictures, some of the hardware is kinda hanging off.  And no, I haven't thought to spend 5 seconds of my crazy busy day to fix those.  It's avant garde.

So, as you can see, there's a yellow & grey thing going on in this room.  My vision is to kick that color scheme up a little bit with a lil' bit of yellow dresses!  KA-POW!

picture: DesignSponge

picture: Joyful

Love.  Yellow makes me so happy.  

So, weekend plans include either tackling the horrible scariness that is the backyard, starting one of the above painting projects (should PROBABLY pick up some primer first...), caulking a long-problem area in the kitchen (ooo, vague mystery!), or doing nothing but baking cakes.  Decisions, decisions.

BIG news coming tomorrow!!!  Stay tuned, class!