Happy Love Nest

Bookshelves In The Dining Room Fail.

2013-04-22T10:53:00.000-04:00

So when was it, Thursday morning? I spent the day moving furniture around, specifically in the dining room trying out my bookshelves.

It did not look good.

The configuration was pretty limited, too - there's a vent on the left and a power outlet on the right so I couldn't add anymore bookshelves (so it all looked more substantial) and I certainly couldn't use less (too dinky).

Moving the sideboard/buffet over in the living room didn't look good either.

But I kept the sofa table behind the couch.

The next day I moved the bookshelves out and put the buffet back. I tried a few different things though. I took down the white shelves, brought in a lamp, some books, a silver tray. Just to see.

with a big picture

with a mirror

But everything just looked like it was hiding behind the dandelion pendant. From the side, no. But from the kitchen you can't see through the pendant enough.

Next, I thought I would try hanging a few pretty plates like I talked about but I realized that I liked the mirror idea... Not this round mirror pictured above, but a big tall silver mirror.

It would be nice to see the reflection of the dandelion pendant from the living room... and it would make the room look bigger and brighter -- but most importantly, I could spy on the kitchen! Bad kittay!

The round mirror was too small (23") and the picture frame was a nice width (36" square) but even if I hung it it'd be too short. So I'm looking for something as tall as 4.5' and 3' wide? Around there.

Too bad Ikea's Songe mirror isn't smaller - the curved top is my favorite part so the rectangle version doesn't do it for me.

(source)

This one from World Market is gold, but I could spray paint it. Eh.

(19.6" W x 32.6'' H)

Or maybe I could hang multiple mirrors vertically, sort of like this... but just two or three.

(source)

I have a few matching mirrors around the house I could try. Or maybe I'll go raid my mom's house this weekend! :)

Told Her So

2013-04-21T16:05:00.000-04:00

I'll be back Monday with an update on my (no-so) brilliant idea to add bookshelves in the dining room, but first...

Let me tell you a quick story: My mom and I went shopping Saturday and hit up My Favorite Place and against my advice she left behind this giant bird bath / flower planter.

She texts me the next morning in a panic saying how she can't stop thinking about it and something about regret and could I please go back to see if it's still there and grab it for her -- and to not say I told you so.

Of course I went back!

She was so excited! I am awesome, and I told her so.

Roominating: Dining Room Bookshelves

2013-04-18T00:50:00.000-04:00

Because I had coffee before bed, and because it's after midnight, and because I can't stop thinking about our dining room, and because I can't start moving furniture for another 8 hours (minimum), here's this post.

I was contemplating moving the sofa table back behind the sofa (I've really, really missed it) when the idea of moving the dining room sideboard over to take its place hit me. Then I thought about what I could use in the dining room instead --

Why not the bookshelves?

(source)

Why didn't I think to try my bookshelves in the dining room? Why?! Now I have to carry them up again!

I think they could look pretty great, but I'm hopped up right now. But if they look even half as good as they do in my head -- it's got the potential to be fucking fabulous! Plus, they'll solve my cook book storage problem, my extra dining-ware storage problem, and my collection of pretty-things-I-want-to-display problem.

It's a win win!

(source)

I've been wanting to make the dining room less formal (without spending any money on new furniture and decor) and more relaxed. Bookshelves are pretty traditional and naturally kinda class up a space... but they're also cozy, to me. They remind me to sit down, to take a break, to enjoy the peace and quiet.

(images found on Pinterest)

Riiight?

(images found on Pinterest)

I just have to make sure to keep things looking modern and uncluttered -- I have a soft spot for traditional and french pieces but I'm wanting a cozy vibe minus the country charm.

A Pretty Handy Kitchen Corner Cabinet

2013-04-16T15:07:00.001-04:00

About a month ago I was looking around my kitchen thinking of all the things I wanted to do to improve it - to make it work for me. When we moved in stuff was just thrown in the pantry and cabinets without much thought to a work flow (just because that's where it was at the old place) and now 8 months later my kitchen is working against me.

I started by adding more work space. But now the mess over the dining room sideboard needed addressing. Hanging the white shelves was a way for me to put up some of my pretty white ware. But I ended up not liking any of that there.

So I started thinking about where in the kitchen I could display some of it and saw a few options: Above the sink, above the stove, or by the windows.

As you can see I used the cabinet by the windows. I took off the door and gathered up my favorite items and played around with the display until I had something I liked.

But the best thing about this new little set up is not only how pretty it is (it is, isn't it?), it's how handy everything is.

My favorite mixing bowls and matroyshkas measuring cups at the ready.

An extra set of measuring cups hide inside the pitcher and
an extra measuring spoons hide inside a small baking dish.

These dessert bowls also act as ingredient bowls while I cook or bake.

My cake stand holds more bowls for mise en place (and dips and sauces too).
My cute (espresso sized) coffee cup holds toothpicks.

More mixing bowls, plus a pretty mug hold my best measuring spoons.

Our favorite coffee cups hang right below. Thanks previous owners!
This square platter now holds salt/pepper and oil (and garlic)

I still have more stuff to clear and rearrange in the dining room and our kitchen (especially the cabinets) still need lots and lots of work - but every little bit is getting me closer to a kitchen that works for me, instead of the other way around.

Best Kitchen Towels Evah!

2013-04-15T15:17:00.001-04:00

My kitchen towel supply was wearing kind of thin. Most of them were over three years old and definitely showing signs of abuse. My favorite for years has been Ikea's Tekla dish towels - I love that they're all cotton and have that pretty french stripe. Plus, they're less than a $1 each!

But over the years the quality has gone down (the edges crinkle like crazy!), so I was hoping to find something new. Last year I bought some new organic cotton ones (here's that post) and those still look great, but I really wanted something white and less towel-like and more linen-cloth. Like what I had, but better.

I'd read somewhere (lots of places actually) that flour sack towels were the bomb diggity so I ventured into Wal-Mart to find some. I found them in the kitchen towel section sorta hidden in a bottom shelf:

I like to buy my kitchen towels on the cheap since I'm pretty rough on them so I was happy to see they were 5 for $5! Niiice! I'm so glad I bought them! They are a dream!

They are super absorbent. You don't have to go over the same spots to get all the moisture streaks off.
They dry fast too. I think because they are so thin (like a really thick cheese cloth).
They are sooo soft!
Durable
They're also a little bigger than standard kitchen towels, which is nice actually.
But my favorite part is that they don't crinkle so they fold flat!

They remind me of baby burp cloths (not at all like a towel). I love them! They clean up so easy, too! A little oxi-clean on the worst stains, a quick spin in the "sanitary" cycle with some bleach, and wah lah!

But by the way: I got these too while I was there - I couldn't pass up the charming french stripe!

However they were a big pack of crap.

Worse than crinkle cut potato chips. I returned them and used the money to buy more flour sack towels.

So buy the flour sack kitchen towels. You will love them!

Pull Up A Chair, Or Two

2013-04-08T16:54:00.001-04:00

Guess what? I moved out the bookshelves!

Before:

Progress:

Much better I think! Those bookshelves made the room look smaller. Now you see how big and tall the room really is! I also moved the piano bench to the side of the sofa for fun, and I moved the sofa table against the wall to see how it looked -- turns out it looks great! I think I'll stick with it like this for a while (or at least until I move things around again).

Now let's talk about the new chairs!

You might remember that Ikea's new Strandmon wingback chair all but had me at hello with its mid-century good looks and low-ass price -- so I got it in blue.

It's gorgeous! I think the blue is even better looking than the gray version. But I'm partial to black and blue.

"what part of meow don't you understand"
I love this little pillow, the corner is a little tattered but I love it anyway.

Update: Here's a close-up of the fabric.

It just doesn't look like an Ikea chair to me! I mean, I know it's Ikea, but it just doesn't look like Ikea furniture to me. Getting it home was not easy so we didn't get off on the right foot, and it off-gassed like a mofo! But today as I'm typing up this post I feel like we're buds.

The second chair I bought arrived a week later. A few months prior I started shopping around for chairs and really liked Room and Board's Delia Chair, but the steep $699 price tag took it right out of the running.

But lo and behold I found a look-alike/copy-cat at Overstock.com (here's the link, and another similar one in green, here and here, and a beige one here)!

I couldn't pass it up! I snatched it up for $137 (including a $20 off coupon I got from their Lott-O daily scratch card). Shipping was free because I am an O member (which I also got on sale for $5 - hell yeah!). But 5 days later the price dropped again so I contacted overstock and asked them to honor their price guarantee and they gave me $15.80 back as store credit -- so technically I got it for $122.19! Gotta love Overstock!

But it's not the steel blue I expected, it's more steel green. I was afraid of that.

I normally dress it up with one of my pink and red pillows so it blends it in better - but this way you get to see the whole chair as-is.

It's pretty cool though and I like it a lot, but it just doesn't go. It might end up as a corner chair somewhere else. It has a liner cover that velcros all around the bottom of the seat - it's where the legs of the chair were stored. But it's actually kinda handy, you know, if you wanted to hide bail money... or stuff. Just sayin'.

I've been impressed with the chair so far. A couple of the reviews had me a bit worried but other than the chair needing anti-skid pads, I can't complain. It was less than $200, you know? Granted I've only owned it for a month but we sit on it when we gather around the coffee table and it's comfortable. Kinda laid back but not so much you can't carry a serious conversation. It forces good posture without being a pain in the ass, does that make sense?

Lorne really likes it!

I'm happy to see the living room coming along!

Oh but I can't wait to buy a rug for this room! And I want to hang some photos and art on the walls! I really want to replace our coffee table with a large tufted ottoman, wouldn't that be comfy, not to mention look amazing? I also want to do something different above the TV (I'm digging the idea of a big clock, maybe).

Adding Work Space To Our Kitchen

2013-04-01T14:42:00.000-04:00

There's so much to love about our kitchen. I remember walking the house for the first time and thinking "it's perfect for us two". I love the vaulted ceilings, the big wide window in front of the sink, the fact that it's got an actual ducted range hood, and the 6-burner (Viking) gas cooktop is a blast! I even love the original cabinets (I need to retrofit them with pull out organizers, but they're great otherwise). Though, I have to say the built-in wall pantry has to be my favorite!

It's got a lot going for it...

Sorry for the bad listing photos, it's the only "before" pics I found

But not in the way of counter space...

I have 2' to the left and 2' to the right. That's it. We want to renovate the kitchen down the line to address some issues (like moving the dishwasher closer to the sink, and adding head room above the fridge, so I can buy a new fridge) but that time is not now. Right now I just needed to add some extra prep space to be happy.

That's where my giant cutting board (a $7 Goodwill find) comes to the rescue! It's become a permanent fixture behind my stove. I flip it down when I need it (it's super handy for mise en place), and lean it back up when I don't. I know the idea of using a cutting board over the stove is nothing new but when I thought of it I felt pretty brilliant! ;)

funny I chose tomatoes to stage this photo because I'm allergic to them

And for a while that did the trick, but eventually we got on the topic of adding an island - well not an "island", more like a worktable (something like this, this, or this). It would help with the work flow and it would provide some quick storage (a nice bonus in a kitchen with more upper cabinets than lowers).

We measured the space and figured the best size would be around 24" x 48". So we shopped around, researched stainless steel grades and even had one all picked out (this one) but I'm glad I didn't hit the checkout button too soon because while I was walking Lorne one day I took a look at my potting table (the Ikea Applaro Outdoor Serving Cart) and a light bulb went off!

Could this work (after I clean it, of course)?

I don't know, let's try!

Not bad! I was leaning towards stainless steel because I thought it would be a nice break from all the dark wood but this looked good! It was a couple inches lower (33.5") than the cabinets but it wasn't uncomfortable, and although it was 8-9 inches smaller than what we had been considering it wasn't bad at all! In fact the smaller foot print meant it didn't crowd the kitchen (especially around the dishwasher). I think anything much bigger than this would have been a mistake.

The surface wasn't ideal (slats) but easily fixed by using a cutting board on top. But my cleaning ocd wouldn't allow me to use it in the kitchen after it'd been outside for so many years. I removed the grime until the water ran clear but there were some stains that didn't make me feel too good.

So I went to Ikea. Isn't that how most problems are solved?

Ikea Forhoja Kitchen Cart

I'd never looked around their kitchen island/carts area before so I got a little excited :) but eventually settled on this slim island/cart. It resembled the outdoor serving cart the most (which really was almost perfect), but with a few nice upgrades!

it's taller (counter height)
a little longer/wider (by 8.25") and deeper (by 1.125")
and it has an extra shelf
and it has two drawers that open from both directions!

SOLD!

I love it! It keeps my favorite pot at the ready, it's my coffee/tea station, and by adding a couple of baskets for root vegetables I was able to move out the wire hanging baskets!

It's the perfect size island for this kitchen!

But I want to paint it (and probably stain the butcher block, too). What color should I paint it? I thought about a deep shade of blue, or a shady grey, maybe a mossy green, or even chartreuse! Or black! Natural? Ooh purple!

Meanwhile in the Dining Room

2013-03-28T15:34:00.000-04:00

The only good thing (ok, not the only good thing) the dining room had going for it was a cool rug (Ikea's Lappljung Ruta) and curtains (Ikea's Janette). But then I stole the curtains and hung them in the living room, so all it had was the rug...

But then I hung my favorite curtains... I love these curtains.

Then I added my white shelves above the sideboard because I thought they'd look cute...

But they didn't. I hated them almost immediately, and they ended up being a magnet for everything I didn't have room for in the kitchen and as a result the sideboard became a landing strip for additional unsorted stuff.

I'm growing ~~alarmed~~ self-conscious of how much Ikea I own but I couldn't help myself... I bought the dandelion pendant!

Oh how I've coveted this light. Gorgeous! Initially I wanted the big-big one (inspired by this pin) for the living room but the arch floor lamp looked so much better in there anyway, but I still really wanted to use it somewhere so I got the smaller one (yet still large at 22") and decided to hang it in the dining room.

I was so happy to see the ceiling fan go!

Eating at the table doesn't seem like such an inconvenience anymore. :)

I love that I get a peak of the stems from the living room. It looks so sweet.

Again, I am shocked that my cats haven't tried to play with it. Shocked. [knock on wood]

The impact of these little changes is not lost on me: Between the natural linen curtains and the airy dandelion, the room is looking very au natural-chic, which I really like. I like dining rooms to feel relaxed but look a little fancy (kind of like an office to dinner outfit <wink>), especially in our case since our dining room is adjacent to the patio and kitchen.

I have plans to organize/edit a bit more, not much, just to declutter some.

I'm going to take down the shelves above the sideboard and hang some pretty plates kind of random and organic-like instead. The idea of a mirror bores me and art would be great except I really want to do plates.
The rug still does it for me but I hope to replace it in the future for something just a tad bigger. I still really like the pattern and it's holding up really well-- I hope it keeps looking as good as it does for a while because 7' square rugs are difficult to find.
I want to polish up our dining table and sideboard. It's 15+ years old and all I ever do is wipe it down.
I got some recycling bins as you might have noticed and the spot is really convenient but they make the spot look kinda messy, right? Maybe some fun labels and a nice basket would clean up the look some.
You only see it on one photo but the blue trash can holds bird seed. I just have to buy a new one with a lid-lock so I can move that outside.

Shopping Trip: Ikea's Newest Stuff

2013-03-21T21:43:00.000-04:00

I was up early running some errands and decided to take a quick trip to Ikea (while the crowds were light), so I could check out a few of the new items I've been dying to see in person.

First thing I went looking for is the Strandmon Wing chair. I've been virtually stalking this chair since it was announced and I've been itching to try it out (if you follow me on Pinterest you've seen the obsession)!

The chair doesn't disappoint! It really is as comfy as it looks! Its got a small footprint, but it doesn't feel small when you sit in it and try to relax. I like that it leans back slightly, just far back enough that you want to put your feet up for a while. Guess I'll have to get the ottoman too! Sorry I don't have more photos - a few people were approaching and I didn't want to be seen taking pictures of myself sitting pretty in the chair. :)

Another new item was just around the corner... Meet Ikea's new sofa, Soderhamn (sorry, no web link for this item yet). I was pleased but a little surprised to see it in the Atlanta store - I'd seen a couple of pictures of it online but it never made it into the catalogue pages so I'd assumed it was an overseas item only.

Looks a lot like a huge daybed-sectional, huh? I hope the covers aren't as saggy as in this floor model because that would be unfortunate, it's got a lot going for it! The covers are removable (dry clean only but still a nice bonus), it comes in five colors, the price is crazy cheap, it's super deep with generously wide seats-- it's definitely a lounging sofa, and even when you sit in the cracks it's springy and bouncy. The only other thing I noticed was that there were no back cushions in the seat crack areas. Here's a closer look, maybe you can see what I'm saying...

You'll definitely want to buy extra throw pillows for this big guy!

But this was supposed to be a quick trip so I took the shortcut downstairs to the marketplace and went straight for the dishes. I am a HUGE fan of their 365+ dinnerware and I recently broke one of our dinner plates so this was the perfect time to check out the new blue and white design I've seen others talk about!

These plates (called Promenad) are so charming, and they have such a happy vibe to them. It looks like origami or kaleidoscope-like patterns in a pretty willow blue color. Between the hot air balloons and stray birdies this is by far my favorite dinnerware design of theirs. I got a dinner plate and one side plate but I wanted to take four.

I skipped the glassware section because saying no to the plates was hard enough, there's no need to rub it in. When I passed by the rugs I had to stop and admire my favorite rug there (the Alvine Ruta) - then I had to take a picture of this new guy for you.

It's called the MOBORG, $69.99

I did see one other rug that I liked. I think they'd just hung it because there was no tag on it yet. I took a snapshot of the label though: Tjareby, flat weave, 5' 7" x 7' 10".

Then I cut through the lighting section and made a beeline for the garden area where I was hoping to find a Fiddle Fig Tree (because the one I bought last fall is dying). I didn't find any but I did discover pallets full of new items. Here's a peak!

Mega Size Succulent (10"), $19.99 in black stone pot
I should have snagged one.

POTATIS Basket (sorry couldn't find a price or web link)
These are so pretty, I couldn't dirty 'em up with a plant!

KASTANJENOT Basket (sorry, no price, again)
These looked neat.

GRASET garden container.
This thing is huge!

What did I leave with? I got the pretty plates, two packs of batteries, a pair of their herb scissors, and the chair and ottoman! Oh yes! I'd called my husband on my way to the store and told him this might happen ;)

I got it in blue!

A big shout-out to my husband for coming home early and going to pick it up with me and for staying positive when we realized the box wasn't flat...

I like our adventures.

Bloggity Changes

2013-03-21T11:00:00.000-04:00

I sorta kinda just pretended my move to Wordpress didn't even happen... It was such a frustrating and exasperating experience that I just wanted to forget it and pretend that nightmare didn't even happen. I even deleted the post that announced the big move.

I was wrong. The grass was not greener on the other side and it took me a couple of months to admit defeat. Blogging is supposed to be fun. It's a hobby for me. Blogger is just easier and it lets me do my favorite thing about blogging... talk to you.

I was able to switch back to Blogger and I dove right into the fun parts I've been missing. It should all be back to normal but I'm having trouble accessing some parts of my blog still so if you see anything odd, please let me know!

Now onto some more bloggity changes going around. As you might have heard, Google announced that they are retiring Google Reader. You can read the whole story here.

Shits changing. Picasa Web Albums are now redirecting to Google+... Reader's dead... What's next, Gmail? Ohmygod, I take that back! Let's not even think-- OH MY GOD what if Blogger's next?!

No, think happy thoughts, think happy thoughts. Breathe!

But I'm actually kinda glad I'm being forced to look for another rss reader because I haven't been very happy with Google Reader for a long while (*when I delete a feed, I mean delete the f-in' feed!). So I'm not surprised that "over the years usage has declined". They've played favorites for years and Google Reader suffered.

Anyway, so this means that if you're reading my blog through Google Reader you're in the same boat as me and are looking for a replacement. But first, it goes without saying (so I will tell you anyway) that I don't want to lose a single one of you. So here were my choices as I saw them, maybe I can help you out:

You can go old-school and use your browser's bookmarks to save the blog link and check in whenever the mood strikes to see if I've posted something new. That can be a pain in the ass.
You can subscribe to my blog via e-mail so you can receive an e-mail every time I post, then follow the link in the e-mail to my blog. That's a bit intense, unless you have a small number of subscriptions, or you could manage your email with smart folders and rules.
You can follow my blog with Bloglovin. This works just like a blog roll - simple and easy. It will import your google reader subscriptions and you can manage once there. They also have an app, a nice plus.
Or you can use a different aggregator, like Feedly, which is kind of fancy and streamline. But there are others (I really liked The Old Reader, too, I just couldn't find the sign up button) - I just liked Feedly best because it had tons of preference settings and viewing options to play with, and I can use it online or on my phone or pad.

So far so good! I'm happy with my blog again and with my new reader! It takes getting used to but that'll be the case any way you go.

Curtain Switcheroo + New Coffee Table Light

2013-03-20T16:11:00.000-04:00

Ok, so the few times I've shown you the living room it's looked pretty rough.

But it's gotten some love recently. I started by getting rid of the curtains the previous owners were so kind to leave behind. But before I jump to that can I just say, I've sorta fallen in love with my knotty pine wall.

I'm serious.

I don't want to paint it. I want to showcase it. I wanted to see something bright and alive to compliment all that wood and I knew exactly the pair of curtains I wanted to use - but I would have to steal them from the dining room.

I didn't mind. I'd been imagining a lighter, more natural dining room so they came them down without guilt. High five to me for not having hemmed them yet and for thinking of this little curtain switcheroo because...

They look even better in the living room!

Riiight?? My mom hemmed them for me. Don't they look great? That got my decorating motor running so I brought in my sofa table and tried it out behind the sofa. It's not nearly as long as the length of the windows but it will do for now until I find a better solution. They look so bright and happy! We've had an unusually grey winter and they've brightened the whole room up! They'll look amazing during spring and summer too. Total keepers!

The curtains looked so cheerful that it gave me the energy boost I needed to unpack all the books and movies and knickknack stuff. I hadn't planned to use my bookshelves in this living room but I needed to unpack the boxes, they were driving me crazy.

They were bit of a kill joy though. I don't like what they do to the room. I've tried to like them, even thought about painting them but I rather have something else on that wall. I haven't even bothered staging them because I plan on moving them out and relocating all that stuff.

The other kill joy was the serious lack of overhead lighting in our living room. The windows face west so that's great, and the skylight brings in tons of extra light too. But sometimes the sun doesn't shine. Sometimes you loose the remote when it's dark out. Sometimes two lamps aren't bright enough.

Sometimes you just need overhead lighting!

Ikea really came through for us with this floor lamp. It's called the Regolit. It's solid, it looks cool, and it was cheap ($50)! Just when I think I have too much Ikea... they pull me back in! Hey, it beat hiring an electrician!

I find it strange that the kitties haven't tried to kill it yet. I mean, it looks like a giant cat toy wand thing with a paper toy at the end... but they've completely ignored it (knock on wood).

Here's the living room from the other side...

And from the front door...

It's getting there! Still to do:

Find a rug
Find chairs to go on the left and right.
Move the bookshelves out and bring in a long (and low hanging) floating shelf to hold a few books, catalogues and knickknacks
Add poster art and picture frames (maybe even a record player!) above said shelf.
Find a round ottoman, preferably with storage. The current table will go in our den to live out the rest of her days, along with the bookshelves.
Find one long console/sofa table to use behind the sofa (maybe two of them put together, hmm). Something that gives me storage from the sides would be great.
Light up the foyer/front door area. An electrician will have to be called, so this will go last.

Just a few changes but it's coming along nicely, I think!

Floor Plans of Favorite TV Shows

2013-03-16T03:27:00.003-04:00

This is so neat! I saw this first over at From The Right Bank, thank you Ally for posting it!

I love looking at house interiors but the next best thing are floor plans, especially from TV show sets! Spanish artist Iñaki Aliste Lizarralde does some impressive illustrations of famous residences.

My favorite (of course) is Monica and Rachel's apartment on Friends and it even includes Chandler and Joey's apartment across the hall! Amazing!

He's got tons more floor plans including, Dexter's, the house from the movie UP, and Will and Grace's (which I've been dying to re-watch - hurry up Netflix). I'd LOVE to see the floor plan for Designing Women!

Battle of the Beetles

2013-03-13T12:59:00.002-04:00

You want to know what I was dealing with soon after painting my bedroom black? Ladybugs.

Hundreds of fucking ladybugs.

As you can imagine, having dark walls and only two lamps for illumination made tracking them down a lot harder. Lorne, our in-house sheriff (he's not just a pretty face) was the first to alert me to the problem.

When we moved in last year (in late July) I remember finding a ton of them in the bathroom (around the cabinets and toilets), but they were all dead. I 'd just assumed that since the house had been empty for over 8 months that some bugs were to be expected. I remember my mom saying they were good luck, but I thought, they're all dead... so how lucky can they be? Anyway, I didn't think I'd ever see those numbers again-- after all the house was sprayed when we moved in and I've been cleaning the house from top to bottom since day one.

But then in late September I saw them again... and this time they were alive and crawling all over my stuff! It was really sudden! Painting had nothing to do with it, that's just a coincidence, but it was bad timing!

When I looked up information on ladybugs I learned that they like to hibernate indoors during the winter, preferably in south-facing rooms (our bedroom has south and west facing windows), but they don’t eat or lay anything indoors so they're not destructive. But one ladybug is one too many in my opinion so I read up on ways to get rid of them. One particular website mentioned some home remedies.

In total, I tried:

Having the house "professionally" sprayed for bugs a total of three times (2x with their "green" eco-friendly stuff and 1x with their regular stuff). No change in the number of bugs, lady or otherwise.
Burning lemon-scented candles. This was pleasant in both the bathrooms and kitchen. The ladybugs looked pretty in candlelight.
Spraying mint oil. This lasted all of 12 hours, but it made the rooms smell really nice when I would spray it.
Spraying vinegar. Same as above, but it didn't smell quite so good. It faded pretty fast.
Vacuum them up, dead or alive. I bought a hand vac exclusively for this task so my Dyson wouldn't stink. This does work if you have the time to vacuum them up every single time you find them. But you'll be at it ALL day. Side note: when you do dispose of them do be careful that not a one is alive and kicking because they will bite you as you shake them loose from the canister.
Using Vick’s in a humidifier. I even rubbed it inside the windows! We certainly slept better, but they were still there in the morning.
Securing the window screens. Of course I did this but I ended up removing them all together when I noticed that they were forming clusters around the corners, in between the glass and the screen. I bet they were comfy.
Caulk all cracks around windows, doors, etc. This is realistically impossible but we did this to the best of our ability.

Nothing was working. It was getting worse and quite gross. It seemed as if every time I vacuumed, a dozen more would come to take their place. One week I cleaned the windows every. single. night. I was fighting an uphill battle -- a common opinion on getting rid of ladybugs from what I read - once they're inside it's almost impossible to get rid of them.

Ladybugs release pheromones, it is sort of like "perfume" to attract other ladybugs. They use pheromones as a means of communication during mating and hibernation. Insect pheromones are very powerful. They can be detected by others up to a 1/4 mile away. This helps ladybugs find each other and it lets future generations know of a good place to "camp out" for the winter. The pheromones don't go away easily. The chemical "scent" can remain year after year, and not only on the outside of a structure, but also within the walls, where ladybugs tend to hide before emerging into your home. So, scrubbing pheromones off a house is a BIG task, if not impossible. [source]

By late November our bedroom was crawling with them. I started finding them in our bed, I started finding them in the bathtub, and even in the kitchen!

So I started being more aggressive about cleaning them up-- and the fuckers started fighting back! My husband got bit twice trying to evict them from our kitchen! It was crazy! It was like living with bees!

It turns out we weren't dealing with just any ladybug but with a different and aggressive spices called Japanese Ladybug (aka the Halloween Ladybug because its tendency to invade homes in October).

After that bit of information sank in I kept my distance and used my Dyson extension arm to vacuum them up.

When I told my mother of my battle she decided to skip our monthly shopping trip to come over and see what I was talking about because she couldn't imagine getting that many ladybugs.

But once she saw them... the numbers of them, she was speechless.

This is just one window, and one early morning's worth.

My mother is no stranger to pest control - she's lived in her share of infested rentals like I have -- but she doesn't mess around with "green" this and "eco" that. When she sees a bug she wants it dead. now.

My feelings exactly! The time had come to bring out the bug guns! See what I did there? ;)

So she told me about this can of bug spray that she'd used years ago to get rid of a plague of roaches. She swore it was the only thing that worked -- but she only found it at Kroger (we were optimistic and checked Publix but no luck) so off to Kroger we went and bought a can.

NO ODOR • NO STAINING • NO MESS • NO BUGS

I would have to make a second trip to Kroger an hour later. This stuff kills, and not only kills but flushes everything out so you can be sure it dies. It's incredible!

Look at this shit.

This was just the start - while I was brave enough to stay in the room when we sprayed. My mother was sweet, she loves me and knows how awful my allergic reactions can be, not to mention how squeamish I am when it comes to roaches so she took over spraying and when she gave the signal I would come in and vacuum them up. I was the clean up crew. We made a good team!

I wish I had pictures of the bedroom massacre but I couldn't take well lit pictures and most of the concentration was in the ceilings which are really hard to reach and photograph. I was too freaked out anyway [shivers].

We only sprayed our bedroom and bathroom but it still managed to kill things downstairs.

Since then we've cancelled pest control. It just didn't produce results worth the amount of money paid. They even offered us a discount to keep us as customers but we declined. When they asked us why, I was dead honest and told them. "This $10 can of bug spray has done more to keep bugs out of the house and dead upon arrival than all three of your "treatments"".

It's the truth. Before we were finding huge roaches alive every week in various rooms of the house. Since spraying this Begal Roach Spray (four months ago) we've killed, I think, 3 small roaches? And all the ladybugs are gone! I still find a few dead ones here and there but when I open my windows they're gone -- they used to come raining down!

Anyway, by January we were ladybug free and today I can relax in bed without hearing their obnoxious weird popping sound, or my cats knocking the lamps over trying catch them, or watching them crawl over my ceiling when I open my eyes in the morning.

I'm just so happy with this product! If you haven't tried it, you must! I spray it without fail every single month because I'm trying to set myself up for success - if the ladybug problem improves next fall I'll ease up and spray it every couple months. But otherwise I find two cans will treat the entire house. I spray around ALL the doors and windows and around the cabinets, and I hit the closets for good measure, too. So far so good! I think I've won the war! Thanks mom! :)

Turtle Shell

2013-03-08T12:30:00.000-05:00

I mentioned our anniversary in the last post and I remembered I never showed you what my husband really got me!

Ever since I saw that mellow yellow turtle shell by Nate Berkus at Target I wanted it sooo bad!

My first pet was a turtle so I have a soft spot for them. It's my favorite aquarium attraction- in fact I once took a job at a doctor's office because he had a giant turtle aquarium. I even went snorkeling once and got to swim with them!

Anyway, here's me all smiles while picking out where it would hang. Look at my little boy smelling stuff.

I decided pretty quickly where I wanted it. Oh yes, that's perfect.

I think my turtle collection is growing! :)

What's your favorite Nate Berkus item at Target? I loved his book by the way.

Goodwill Hunting: Sofa Daybed

2013-03-07T15:19:00.000-05:00

Last October (Halloween, actually) I stopped by at my favorite Goodwill to kill an hour before meeting my husband for a lunch date. I remember because our anniversary was the 28th and we hadn't celebrated it yet and I asked this to be my present...

Isn't it pretty? I didn't even know where I'd use a daybed, but I have three spare bedrooms, a mudroom without seating, and a den without a sofa -- I could find a home for it! Plus, it was just $40, how could I pass up a bargain like that?

The vintage pink fabric was in great shape but it was dirty and it had a few stains.

The wood frame was sturdy but the legs and edges were a little beat up with scratches, and the caning in one of the arms had a hole. My mom has replaced the canning on her dining chairs before so she promised to help me with this in the future. As far as the scratches go, there's got to be a marker or something to buff/blend those in, right?

It wasn't hard to get it cleaned up. I used hot water and a combination of Charlie's Laundry Stain Remover and Dr. Bronner's Unscented Soap to wipe down the fabric with a microfiber cloth. The really caked-on stains I gently scratched away with (believe it or not) the blunt edge of safety scissors.

When I flipped over the frame to wipe it down I noticed a couple of things.

1. One of the springs is loose (which explains some of the scratches on the fabric).

2. It was stamped Yugoslavia. No other markings, just Yugoslavia. At least it didn't say China!

So where did I end up putting it? I decided it would be perfect in one of smaller spare bedrooms which can only house a small twin bed and dresser.

This is no "After" photo! The room is a mess right now but once we move out the last of the moving boxes and start setting up the bedroom it's going to look great!

Paint It Black

2013-02-28T17:12:00.003-05:00

I want it painted black! Benjamin Moore's Raccoon Fur to be exact. I had to try it on my bedroom walls after I painted the closet. I was scared, I won't lie. I almost chickened out a few times but I shrugged off any doubts and just went for it! It's only paint.

Before:

After:

I made the bed just for you ;)

I don't know why I was so scared! The color did go on navy and not at all black or charcoal like the sample, but lucky for me I love navy.

By the way, some of these pictures where taken on different days (and times of day) so things might not match up. I play around with lamps a lot! But you get to see the different shades the walls take on.

It took FIVE coats for even coverage!

I would have never guessed the first color I would paint my wall would've been so dark. Maybe it was to be expected after living in rentals for over a decade... It was almost therapeutic. It just feels good to try something for the hell of it, you know?

At first I didn't like the top trim painted white. I kinda obsessed about it for weeks. I didn't think it looked bad but I regretted doing it. I don't know why, I can't explain it. The hubs likes it, my mom agrees with me, but my friends think it looks great. What do you think?

I tried a few different curtains before finding the pretty grey ones you see. I love them - they look really delicate in person. The rug is also new, I found a great deal on it online and I took a chance even though buying a rug sight unseen is for the experienced and brave. I am neither but I was on a roll.

I do regret a few things:

I should have used a flat finish not satin/eggshell. It's not forgiving (seen in the pic below)
I should have left the top trim alone. At least until I had lived with the new color for a while.
I love the color but next time I want a more midnight-grey green color.

Things I am still working on:

I am still hunting for the right lamps. I actually found some great wall lamps at Goodwill but they are missing the wall-plate part that actually allows them to hang on the wall. I'll show you in a different post.
The rug doesn't feel right in the room -- and I don't think I like wool, I might be more of a flat-weave kinda gal.
I love the mirrors, but I think I want to paint them. I want to live with them the way they are for a little longer though, at least until I figure out the lamps.

Now tell me, what do you think?

Mobile App Test

2013-02-20T17:55:00.001-05:00

Testing...
Testing 1 2 3

Master Closet Reveal

2013-02-08T16:31:00.000-05:00

This post is loooooong over due (sorry for the 4 month hiatus). I have enjoyed the break though... Have you ever discovered a TV show that's got like 7 seasons (+ spin-offs!), and it's over a decade old and you're just now watching it? And it constantly creeps into your thoughts and changes how you feel about stuff and when it's over you cry and you proceed to re-watch it all over again because you miss the characters so much it makes you feel a little lost? It happened for me with Friends, and Buffy and Lost, but I didn't expect to feel this way when my husband introduced me to Star Trek. Star Trek! I was watching Friends for the millionth time when Rachel makes a dig at Ross about Kirk being smarter than Spock (S4 E2 "The One With The Cat", uncut version) and I turn to my husband and ask "what's the big deal with Captain Kirk anyway?" and so our Star Trek marathon began, and it only just ended a few weeks ago. I am a total Trekkie now.

But back to our bedroom closet. Take a look at the before...

As you can see, it's a tight space, only 5' x 4.5', technically it's a walk-in but as it was you could not turn around without the hangers hitting your head (at least for a me, because I'm only 5'3"). My plan (as I mentioned before in this post) was to keep the left-and-right layout but with hanging clothes on one side and folded clothes on another. We didn't end up using the Ikea Pax system like we thought but everything else we pretty much stuck to.

Here's the much improved version.

It's sexy and I know it. :D

I'm still trying to find the best shoe and denim organization. The pictures show my shoes in the closet but a few days ago I moved my shoes out and brought in my husband's (he recently admitted he hates the Ikea shoe cabinets - something about feeling like he's in kindergarten). My denim needs dividing up (maybe labels, or dividers will help) so I know which are my boot cuts, capris, skinnies, etc.

Here's a quick run down of the process...

First we emptied out the closet.

Then the hard parts started: Removing the shelving, the carpet and prepping the room for paint and eventually the new closet system.

The shelving needed to be cut out. We literally had to take a saw to every single shelf to remove it because it was built in around the air duct.

See?

Next, we pulled the carpet and pad, and all those thorny nail strips.

When that was all done we took a two week break (we take DIY projects really slow around here, mainly to make sure we do/get what we want but also to save our marriage).

The next step was to sand the walls smooth. It took me two days to 1. sand down any flaky parts on the wall caused by removing the old shelving and 2. apply (and sand down) the joint compound I used over any damaged areas. I didn't try to get it perfect -- after all the walls would be covered up by shelving and clothes and lets be honest, it's just a closet.

It was messy and dusty, and if I had to do it all over again would have purchased a small electric sander with a dust bag collector. Sanding pads took too long and it felt like a work out (because it was).

But when it was done and cleaned up it was worth it.

Then it got painted Benjamin Moore's Raccoon Fur. Nice huh?

Then we installed the closet system, elfa by The Container store. We considered more affordable options (even reusing what we had) but we needed a shallow system (no bigger than 12" deep) and nothing beat how flexible this system is - you can easily add and remove as your needs change and they have tons of accessories to maximize organization. It's super sturdy and those wood "Fascia" fronts polish off the look even more. Not to mention they were having their annual 25% off shelving sale.

Next we brought in one of our Ikea Billy bookcases, and the two Rast chests I'd bought. We also hung my jewelry armoire using the same elfa Drywall & Plaster Anchors that came with the system (we didn't have a stud there, and those suckers are awesome!).

Then we took a break and lived with it likes this for another week or so. A month later I decided to paint the dressers with some left over trim paint I had, but decided to leave the bookcase alone because it looks great the way it is.

Oh! The dresser hack - super super simple, you only have to do two things:

1. Do not install the bottom kick board (on page 3 of the assembly instructions). You could leave it but then you don't get that extra cubby space.

2. Stack them atop one another and secure them to each other using an (inside) "corner brace" on each side. I got mine at Ace Hardware (I used the 3 1/2 in. x 3/4 in. size)

btw: I painted the wooden drawer pulls that came with the dressers after running across this pin on Pinterest. Here's the link to her beautiful blog (thanks Bri!). Yep, that's Star Trek in the background! :)

And that's it! Lets take another look at the after!

Ooooh, ahhhh! I love it!

- I love not having clothes surrounding me while I'm browsing for something to wear.

- I love that we have room to get ready inside.

- I love the light! You don't see it much in the pictures but it's the lotus flower pendant lamp from Ikea (found in the as-is section for $15!) and all I had to buy was a $3 light socket converter to make it work.

- I love my little storage ottoman! I keep static spray in there and a lint roller, extra insoles, etc., plus it boosts me up so I can reach my purses and shoe boxes.

- I love the his + hers dressers, they are a perfect size! They store all our underwear, socks, bras, undershirts, etc.

I still want to hang some poster art, just for fun, and I have to figure out how to better organize my jeans and shoes, but overall, this is it! What do you think?

Here's Hoping for 2013

2013-01-30T15:22:00.002-05:00

Has it really been 4 months since I last updated? I have been in a bubble for the past few months, I'll admit. I've been working on our little love nest, sure, but most of my time has been spent enjoying life and our new house as-is. But let's dive in and update - better late than never, right? Let's start with my new year's resolution (which I am getting ready to implement in a couple of weeks).

Last year's new year's resolutions were:

Spend more time with my family.

I am happy to say my mother and I make a monthly date in our calendars to hang out. We look forward to it every month, it's our thing! I wish I could spend more time with my brother but he's been busy making a life of his own. I remember those days so I'm supportive when he comes around but otherwise I stay in touch and see him when the family gets together.

Save more money and invest it.

Oh, I saved money, but then we blew it all on the house (and all those unexpected moving/new-house costs).

Continue creating a home that makes us happy.
- Check!

Decide whether or not we'll keep renting or to buy a house.

- Check!

Make stuff.
- I did make some candles, and I hacked an Ikea dresser (I'll have to update, soon, promise), but I wish I'd done more.

Pamper myself.

I've had a standing wax appointment once per month for almost a year, which is wonderful, and my hair stylist sees me every couple of weeks and cuts my bangs / trims my hair, too. I've taken to doing my own nails at home (which doesn't sound like "pampering" but it is) because I get better results and I save money.

Blog more about it.

- I did OK. It's not that I don't like

writing or sharing, I do, but it takes a lot of time - time I don't often have or rather spend doing, not rehashing. I have to figure out a better way to manage my blogging time.

So what are this year's resolutions? I only made four!

Blog more
Recycle
Save money
Improve my eating habits / health (my cholesterol in particular)

Roominating: Our Bedroom Closet

2012-09-27T12:02:00.000-04:00

As I mentioned in my previous post we're redoing our bedroom closet -- we actually started this project a few weeks ago but work halted when I had to pick out a paint color. Let me tell you about our closet.

It's small.

It's almost half the size as our previous closet. Technically, technically, you can walk-in but you cannot turn around -- not without the hangers hitting your head or your hair getting caught on a button or something.

It doesn't help that there's an air duct running up the left wall. By the way: we couldn't figure out how to take those tie spinners down and apparently neither could the previous owners because they didn't take it with them.

Are you staring at the brown shag carpet or the central vacuum pipe? ;) Not pretty, true. But there are finished hardwood floors underneath that carpet, and the air duct and central vac pipe (as unsightly as they are) I could ignore or hide/camouflage.

It's a tight space, only 5' x 4.5'. I'm 5' 3" so this closet can't fit one of me! But it has one good thing going for it -- vaulted 9' + ceilings, so if I can't go long, I'll go up!

I considered a couple of different layouts but the left-and-right layout makes the most use out of the space -- but I didn't want clothes hanging on both sides, just one. Here's my amateur over-all-idea-not-to-scale drawing:

The left side (which has less room because of the air duct) will be drawer/folded clothes storage, and the right side will have the hangers and a little shoe storage. That way I don't feel like the clothes are closing in on me. Can you picture it? Maybe this will help?

Left Side:

Using two Ikea Rast chests (stacked) will give us 3-drawers each, they're shallow but they're perfect for socks and underwear.

If my measurements are correct we'll have a good 9.5 inches around the chest of drawers so I want to buy some hooks for my purses.

We're going to grab one of our Billy bookcases and buy extra shelves to store folded clothes like t-shirts, shorts, and my collection of denim.

Center Wall:

I'm hoping we can hang my full length jewelry armoire in the center (it'll be perfect there) but it needs a stud so we'll see how that goes. Maybe just a light weight mirror? It would make the closet feel bigger too.

I'll keep my round mini storage ottoman in this closet as always, which holds random sewing tools, static spray, etc, but it will help me reach my shoe boxes.

It's not pictured but I want a new ceiling light

a rug.

Right Side:

I don't know if we can custom fit the Ikea Pax wardrobe around the central vacuum pipe, so the plan is to hang long dresses over in that corner. But if we can hack the Pax to fit around the pipe I'd like to use it in the corner so I can have more hanger space.

The Pax wardrobe will hang skirts (and hopefully, dresses), a few pairs of boots, and (if there's any space left) a couple of storage shelfs.

The rest of the wall will be taken up by two his & hers closet rods.

We're also going to add a shelf above the Pax frame and closet rods so things look finished but more importantly it will be where I stack shoe boxes and some seasonal storage boxes.

Most of our shoes won't go in the closet, we'll use our shoe cabinets for those - one right outside the closet door and two will go in the mudroom by the entry doors. Maybe this will help us stop wearing shoes in the house!

We might need to invest on some skinny hangers to get the most out of our closet.

I want to add a little storage inside the closet door -- maybe figure out how to hang a hamper off it. But I'll figure out those details after we install everything.

I'll definitely need to purge and edit along the way to make this work -- our already small wardrobe will be narrowed down to just our favorite items (shoes included). But I hear this is a good thing! Is it true? HAHa! We've already cleared the room and prepped it for painting; which is happening this weekend, yes, we've picked out a color and we're ready to go!

Roominating: Black Bedroom Walls

2012-09-21T11:47:00.000-04:00

I've always wanted to paint a room black. I love black, it's one of my favorite colors, but I've never had the guts to use it so boldly.

Paint a whole room black? I don't know... I can't do that. It's too dark for indoors... But it could be great... no, I'd get tired of it, but maybe not. Stop! Now's not the time to try something crazy!

I've always talked myself out of it.

But recently when I had to decide what color to paint our bedroom closet (we're in there setting up a closet system), andI thought I might want it to match the bedroom (to keep things simple) so it got me thinking again, what color do I want the bedroom? Can it be black?

Source: apartmenttherapy.com via Jerrica on Pinterest

So I started looking up images of black rooms on Google and Pinterest and the more I found, the more convinced I became that black could work, especially in a bedroom -- if there's one room in the house where black goes is in it's the bedroom. It could go anywhere (on one wall or four, big or small) but I think the bedroom is where black really shines.

These first few pics are showcasing a duvet, but the black wall makes a strong impression, yet highlights and compliments everything around it.

Source: decorpad.com via Jerrica on Pinterest

Source: westelm.com via Becky on Pinterest

Some blacks, depending on the lighting or the ceiling and trim color, hit smoky and grey, or blue, or green... I have soft spot for these because they look so great with wood. Rooms look natural, like they're part of the outdoors.

Source: nytimes.com via Jerrica on Pinterest

Source: ffffound.com via Jerrica on Pinterest

Source: abchao.com via Jerrica on Pinterest

Some have a plum or indigo, or navy undertone... I like a lot of these shades because they suggest a different vibe, more private and romantic. They look especially stunning with white trim and ceilings...

Source: gallery.apartmenttherapy.com via Jerrica on Pinterest

Source: Uploaded by user via Jerrica on Pinterest

Source: madebygirl.blogspot.com via Jerrica on Pinterest

I know what you're thinking: "It's gorgeous! In pictures..."

I know, I know, there's a lot to consider, especially because we have so much wood, but black can work with anything, anywhere -- I just have to find the right shade!

Choosing the right black is important in a room with so much natural wood (floors, ceilings, and trim) and although there's two large and wide windows, our bed is under one of them. We also have to consider that our room is seen from the living room / hall.

I want to find a shade of black that looks good with natural wood, and doesn't give off a goth vibe, and doesn't make the room look like a black hole from down the hall. But I think black could make the bedroom feel warm and sexy, and nothing is more conducive to sleep than cozying up in a soft bed surrounded by black velvety walls.

What do you think? Am I crazy? If any of you have tried this, are there are tips you can give me? Who's with me?

Securing the Garage

2012-09-19T10:15:00.000-04:00

So I told you the story of how we broke in the house after getting locked out. Good times. ;) Well, this past weekend we had the doors taken care of! I didn't think we would tackle this problem so soon after moving in but it was a huge security risk and to make matters worse we were finding tons of bugs in the garage and den and recently a mouse in the basement! I'm too old to be scared like that.

Here's that situation again:

What I wanted was the "side-entry door" removed and walled up using the same style of wood panels and stained to match. I also wanted the back-to-back doors inside the garage removed but walled up using wood panels on the garage side (to keep moisture out) and dry-wall on the inside of the den's bedroom.

We hired this work out. Both projects cost us $600 total and the two-man team knocked it out in two days. A bargain in my book since we don't have the tools, or the know-how. They did such a great job!

The wood they were able to find at Home Depot wasn't as "rustic" and raw as the kind used throughout the garage but I thought about it and that wouldn't matter much because they'll go on the inside of the garage, and after staining the panels used outside on the front of the house wouldn't show the difference.

Here the front of our house now...

The stain was an almost exact match, too. The slight color difference will blend/fade with normal weathering and aging to look similar to the surrounding wood. Plus, I have an idea for a trellis over there now that the door is gone!

Here's the other side, inside the garage...

Here's where the the double-nail shut doors used to be.

So glad to see those gone! The bedroom on the other side always smelled like the garage and the carpet around that corner of the room was always dirty but now it's all clean and sealed off!

I still have to paint that wall -- but I plan on painting other rooms in the house first, so for now I'm just glad we don't have any more "secret" passages" into our house. I've never been so happy to take down doors!

New Dining Room Rug and Curtains

2012-09-18T00:36:00.000-04:00

I am not comfortable buying rugs, it's the one decorative item I've never bothered buying before -- I mean I've bought, like, a runner and a dozen doormats, but that's not the same. Plus, they're so expensive. But I really, really miss having something soft underfoot (especially in the bedroom and living room) so I've done a lot of rug window shopping lately.

I decided to start my rug buying training in the dining room though. The way I see it, if I fucked up, at least it wouldn't be with a giant and expensive 8'x 10' rug. My dining area is 9' 10" x 9' and it's connected to the kitchen so I thought a square rug would look best under my round table, plus the square shape would help define the two areas. So when I went and checked out some inexpensive options at Ikea and saw this rug for only $70! I literally looked around like I was getting ready to steal something.

Ikea Lappljung Ruta Rug, white/black

It was perfect for our dining room! I love the black and white diamond pattern and the chartreuse and teal band give it a folky vibe that I really like. I wanted something bold in there -- our rooms have a lot of wood (and I love it, it's gorgeous), but my dining room furniture is traditional too, so I wanted to break it up and make it feel updated and modern without buying new furniture or painting.

Oh, and did you notice the new curtains? They're also from Ikea (called Janette). I've picked them up and put them back several times because I wasn't sure if I wanted the grey version or the green ones you see here, but when I bought the rug I noticed that brighter colors would work better in our house. They have some really pretty colors actually, blue, black, white, and a pale turquoise and grey. They might not stay in the dining room, but they're definitely keepers.

We don't have any overhead lighting in this room (the ceiling fan stopped working shortly after we moved in) which is why I have two lamps on the sideboard (so those are temporary).

The curtain's product info says:

A walk in my garden amongst the flowers and vegetables is what gave me the inspiration for JANETTE curtain and fabric... to create a large pattern with many dimensions, in a uniform color scale. Something that would stand out, without screaming. Something new, but not trendy. - Designer Ida Arnfelt

Well, she nailed it. I love the pattern, the color scheme, and I agree that they stand out without being the center of attention. They're modern but feel classic, and I love seeing them frame all that light and view to the outside. The view will be better next year. :)

I want to add flower containers and some vegetable boxes, and when we redo the deck/pool area the scary shed will go and the fence around the pool pump will be upgraded.

I plan on hemming the curtains and raising/widening them up a bit but I'm still deciding if they'll stay there or get moved into the living room. But I love how well the rug and curtains work together!

Breaking in the House

2012-09-11T00:41:00.000-04:00

I swear the sliding glass doors in this house have a mind of their own -- even the contractors have locked themselves out, so it's not just me! But yeah, we locked ourselves out. No keys, no phone, and the stove was on.

I'm not one to stay calm in situations like these, I'm Latina, plus I have a natural fear of being locked in or out of places (who's with me?). I imagined my new house catching fire and my kitties being trapped inside and I'm embarrassed to say I became a little hysterical. But only for a minute, then I pulled myself together and managed to help us get back in. That's the rule: You are allowed a minute to freak the fuck out, but then you have got to pull your shit together.

Our house has a side entry door -- it's actually facing the front of the house (but whatever), and it's not secure (i.e. those locks you see are just for show, the door is barely hanging on). So we kicked in our side entry door pretty easily.

Then with adrenaline still pumping, I pushed and slammed my body as hard as I could until I busted open the double doors leading into the mudroom. My husband was shocked! He was looking around the garage for a tool to use but I didn't have the mind for that.

My victory was short-lived, though. The den's sliding glass doors were also locked. I almost cried.

I was quickly loosing my ~~mind~~ steam but then we saw another option! When the previous owners enclosed the carport they left the exterior door (it connected the garage and the den's bedroom). They literally just nailed shut the doors to avoid having to wall it up.

So we had to break away the door's slats, tear away the screen, and rip through some thick insulation plastic. I don't have a before picture but the aftermath will speak for itself.

It was not easy. We went at it like crazy animals, but once we had access to the second door we realized there was another obstacle. The previous owners had installed wall shelves on the other side of the door.

We didn't have much room, maybe seven inches? But my husband was able to squeeze through while I slammed against the door to give him more wiggle room. Those are the marks of a struggling man on the wall. His back and chest got hurt pretty bad. I felt so terrible for him but more grateful than ever for his (hot) lanky body. I totally played nurse afterwards.

It was an exhausting and infuriating experience but we learned a valuable lesson: Keep a spare key somewhere. The paranoia of someone finding it is nothing compared to the paranoia of getting locked out.

We've fixed and secured the double doors in the mudroom again but we're having that ridiculous front facing entry door removed this weekend (we've known it's a security risk) and the two back-to-back doors, too. I'll be sure to post about that next week. :)

So that's the story of how we broke into our new house! Anyone else ever had to do that before?

New Bed Bench

2012-08-30T19:50:00.001-04:00

I've always wanted a bench at the foot of the bed. Our new bedroom is essentially the exact same size as our old one -- except it's a foot wider and deeper. I was never able to use a bed bench before at our old place but this new bedroom has a different layout and has slightly more space so I was determined to find something that could act like a bench. They are just so helpful when you're making the bed, or sorting laundry, or getting ready.

Most benches or ottomans are about 16-18" deep and I really wanted to find something skinnier than that, maybe 15" inches deep, tops. I actually have a 15" x 15" storage ottoman and I'd been using it at the foot of the bed since we moved in and I thought it just big enough -- except it was not a comfortable seating height.

But I was really hoping to find something even slimmer and taller. The dresser won't always be there (I'm hoping to make room for all the dresser stuff in our closet) so that way there's more walking room.

I knew finding something that skinny and tall wouldn't be easy, and I didn't want to spend a fortune, so I thought maybe I could group something together... I looked at storage ottomans, sitting stools, foot stools, step stools, bathroom benches, shoe benches, storage benches -- I looked at a lot of options! But nothing fit or looked right. We have a king size bed so it's wider and groups of three sometimes didn't look long enough, and a group of four looked too much, and if the legs weren't straight anything more than two of them looked ridiculous.

But a couple of weeks ago we were at the Pottery Barn Outlet and found this! On Sale!

It was perfect! It's called the Tavern Bench, it's part of their Tavern collection based on the tables and benches in beer gardens. The top plank is mahogany and the folding metal legs are hunter green.

It comes in two sizes: Bistro (seats 2) and Dining (seats 3). We got the smaller bistro size and it could not be more perfect!

The wood color matches our wood ceilings so good, and it's got a distressed / weathered look to it. So charming!

It's worked out so well! It's really sturdy, too! Not wobbly at all -- but it's not to heavy either, just light enough to easily lift and swing out of the way when you make the bed (which I never do but had to for these pictures). It even has rubber feet to protect the floor. I'll probably spray paint the legs in the future but I want to live with it for a little bit to be sure about what I want.

I hope the bedroom keeps coming along... I've made it my priority. I'm looking for a rug, and I've been thinking about paint colors, too. I've already bought brown velvet curtains, I think that will add a nice cozy luxe vibe, don't you think?