Our Condo Space

Let There Be Light!

2011-02-07T14:11:00.000-08:00

We finally did it! We updated our kitchen lights from the old paneled lighting to recessed. We also have a pendant over our dining room table! As much as we love the blue glow from the fish tank, we really needed more lighting.

Here are the before photos:

We taped out the dining room table on the floor

so we knew where the center would be.

Here are the "during" photos:

And the final product:

The updated lighting has made all the difference to our condo. I've actually been dreaming of that pendant for about 9 months now. We purchased it at IKEA (of course) and we used THIS COMPANY to do our lighting. The process is dustless and they did everything in about 4 hours.

Oh Happy Day!...

2011-01-29T16:53:00.000-08:00

Since moving into our condo over a year ago, we knew our kitchen faucet had water pressure issues. We weren't sure what the source of the problem was, but I finally had enough, AND, the faucet was downright ugly.

Luckily, over Christmas we won a $25 gift card to The Home Depot in the family White Elephant gift exchange! We decided to put it towards a shiny, new faucet. Before I get to the details, here's a look at the original ~~freaking ugly~~ kitchen faucet.

I was on an online mission to find the perfect faucet on The Home Depot website and we opted for the Glacier Bay Series 400. The faucet is tall and dramatic and I love every inch of it! Thanks to my lovely husband for installing it in record time and to our delight, our water pressure issues are gone. We laughed and asked ourselves why we didn't change it a year ago! Here it is!

1 Year Anniversary Camping Trip...

2010-10-10T13:52:00.000-07:00

For our 1 year anniversary we decided to go camping in Big Bear, California. For the past month we've been preparing for our trip and we were so excited it was finally here! Here are a few pictures of our adventure... PS - Morgan stayed home with his grandparents.

Bike ride to Big Bear Lake

Our Campsite

Our AMAZING Honda Element!

Campfire

On our way home

Crafty Cake Stands...

2010-09-23T21:33:00.000-07:00

After reading how easy it is to make cake stands on a few other crafty blogs, I had to try making them for myself. I recruited my mom who is an avid antique shopper and she found great deals on gorgeous antique plates! I also made a trip to Pier 1 to find cheap candleholders.

What you'll need: plates (any plates will work with a flat bottom), candle holders, liquid nail (clear drying and can be used on glass or ceramic), Q-tips and a damp cloth.

The process below took about 5 minutes per plate.

First - Clean your plates and candleholders...

Find the center and place a small beaded line of liquid nail on candleholder... stick to plate!
Wipe the excess glue that squeezes out with a damp Q-tip.

Place upside down with a small amount of weight for added pressure (I used small dessert plates)

Done!

Meet our other pets...

2010-09-13T21:40:00.000-07:00

Did I mention we had a few other pets? My husband Michael has a beautiful saltwater aquarium in our living/dining room. Below are a few of our beloved fish... some were a little camera shy and YES, they all have names =)

Banana

El Camino

Blueberry

Corals

Holiday & Hobby...

2010-09-06T08:45:00.000-07:00

A few months ago we purchased Trek mountain bikes. There are dozens of great biking trails all over Rancho Santa Margarita so we couldn't resist. While we ride our bikes 3 to 4 times per week on the trails, we decided it was time to take them to the real mountains =) Big Bear, California is only 2 hours away so over the Labor Day Holiday weekend we went. Did I mention my parents are in on the sport too?

Blog Updates...

2010-08-19T16:30:00.000-07:00

I've uploaded photos to the "Our Condo" and "Our Dog" tabs above... Morgan welcomes you to check 'em out!

Birthday Decor [Part II]

2010-08-15T20:39:00.000-07:00

Finally....

got the z-gallerie clamshell!

Michael remembered how much I loved it and hunted it down for my birthday. I LOVE it.

Birthday Decor [Part I]

2010-08-10T16:07:00.000-07:00

Since we purchased our new camera, the Canon Rebel T1i, Michael has become quite the photographer. For months I've been wanting to display his photos on shelves in our entryway. About a month ago we found the perfect shelves at IKEA for his photos...

The day before my birthday he walked into our living room with the shelves! I was super excited. He gave them to me a day early because I was going to IKEA that night to buy frames and he didn't want me to buy the shelves myself.

The big bare wall finally has some style!

The Orange County Fair...

2010-08-01T19:51:00.000-07:00

Last night we made our annual trip to the Orange County Fair. We love the animals, the vendors and of course the food! The big hit this year was the fried butter... yep, fried butter and no we didn't try it. I'll stick to my chicken kabob and onion rings :) We also watch the hypnotist show each year, which is pretty hysterical.

A view of the ski lift

I was convinced I needed this truck to drive on the crazy California freeways!

The Animals!

Gigantic Ferris Wheel!

Hopefully a problem solved...

2010-07-21T21:22:00.000-07:00

Thanks for the tips on a recent post "It Happened Again..." featuring the damage my ~~crocodile~~ puppy did to my couch.

First we put foil on the sofa... he immediately jumped up and walked all over it. He wasn't scared one bit!

Then we decided to build a custom ~~gate~~ wall for our kitchen entrance. Did I mention he chewed through the standard baby gate we had for the kitchen? The kitchen is truly the best spot for him during hot summer days [he prefers the balcony which stays shady all day, but it's still warm]. The kitchen is a good size and has cool tile floors.

We called for backup [thanks dad!] and Mike and my dad built a wall. Pressed fiberboard, 1x2 wood reinforcements, metal plated edging and screws! They also built a custom latching system so the gate would stay in place. $30 buckaroos later and here it is!

Our View from the Dining Area

Morgan's View from the Kitchen

The Metal Edges & Latching Loops

Let the countdown begin...

2010-07-15T18:25:00.000-07:00

The 2011 IKEA Catalog will be online this August. Doesn't get much better :)

Happened Again...

2010-07-09T09:58:00.000-07:00

I came home early from work yesterday because I was feeling sick. To my horror, I found the arm of our sofa destroyed [for a second time] by Morgan. I'm pretty upset, but I love my dog more than my sofa. It can be fixed, but not anytime soon.

We've tried everything... he's interested in everything other than his own toys and chewys.

Any suggestions?

"Homemade" Cupcakes

2010-07-05T16:38:00.000-07:00

This past Saturday we celebrated the 4th of July early with a few friends from college. I decided to make "Homemade" red, white & blue cupcakes for the occasion. I was super excited to use several items from our wedding registry that I hadn't put to use yet.

Thank you Pillsbury...

Finally used my Kitchen Aid Hand Mixer... LOVE it.

Hand Mixer in Action...

Slowly but Surely...

Morgan bought me this owl oven

mitt for Mother's Day...

Red, White & Blue Sprinkles...

The Double Decker Cupcake Carrier!

Ready to go...

The cupcakes were super yummy! I must say the cupcake carrier is awesome! I actually forgot that I had it and I made several attempts to fit the cupcakes into a tray. Mike reminded me of the carrier LOL. The 4th of July weekend was great. We saw family and friends and had wonderful food. Happy Birthday America.

Overstock [Amazing] Dot Com...

2010-07-01T12:43:00.000-07:00

Is it just me or am I the only person in the world who is new to Overstock.com? I've seen the commercials, read about deals found on Overstock on other blogs... what kept me from looking myself? Maybe I secretely knew of the "danger" that would ensue.

Between emails from places like IKEA and West Elm and my crazy searches for Mid Century Modern furniture on Craigslist, do I really have the time to check Overstock.com ~~hourly~~ daily? Why yes I do!

Look at this adorable bedding I found... I have a thing for bedding.

This rug has been staring me down for a few days now...

Do I even need to mention this fabulous sofa for $399?

Please tell me I'm not the only one in love with Overstock.com Please share your fabulous finds with me!

Things we do for free...

2010-06-22T20:55:00.000-07:00

I realized that most of the things we really love to do are actually free [so awesome!].

We love to take our pooch with us everywhere we go. This includes the Irvine Spectrum Center otherwise known as "The Spectrum." The Spectrum is an outdoor shopping, dining and entertainment galore experience... and not to mention, dog friendly. Summertime you'll get free concerts and in the winter a fabulous ice skating ring.

We also catch ourselves making the 15 minute drive to Dana Point Harbor with our doggie in the cargo carrier of our Honda Element. Mike grabs his camera and away we go for a relaxing walk and photography session at the beach.

There are also many free events in our community for families and animals. Hence the Dog Day Afternoon.

And last, but not least, the beautiful lake 5 minutes away from home...

What do you do for free?

One Year Ago Today...

2010-06-06T21:13:00.000-07:00

One year ago today we closed escrow on our condo. I remember feeling nervous and feeling oh so fortunate at the same time. We were so fortunate to find the perfect place to live in and make our home. We were so fortunate to find a place before our wedding day in October.

Here is a recap of our year... we've painted, renovated, shopped, got hitched and welcomed a little puppy dog to Our Condo Space.

We painted over the awful yellow/red!

Finishing touches...

Installed a new vanity in our master bathroom...

We managed to plan a wedding at the same time...

One week after our honeymoon we brought home Morgan Simon Seybert

[a.k.a. the cutest dog on the planet]

A few weeks later Morgan helped himself to our ~~fabulous~~ WAY TOO LIGHT sofa...

[cream & black dogs don't mix]

We decided to purchase this chocolate brown replacement...

This was certainly the short summary of our year. We hope to accomplish more this year, but at a much slower pace. We put so much pressure on ourselves to make our place "perfect" before our wedding day. We learned that things will get done when they get done and we must have fun in the process.

Stay tuned...

Home Slice...

2010-05-23T19:40:00.000-07:00

Tonight we made a fantastic homemade pizza... ingredients courtesy of Trader Joes. Flour, dough, pizza sauce, salami, cherry tomatoes, bell peppers, lots of cheese and green olives were the toppings of choice. Mike and I actually divide our homemade pizzas in half (his side/my side).

Side Note: Today is day number three that I've been a vegetarian. This is a new adventure and I'm curious to see where it takes me. I've never been one to crave meat so I figured I could attempt to give it up. With that said, the salami was on "his side."

We baked our pizza for approximately 20 minutes at 450 degrees. We like our pizza and cheese crispy. It was delicious and we have leftovers for lunch tomorrow!

The pizza pan and pizza slicer were wedding gifts from our Crate & Barrel registry :)

Four Heartbeats...

2010-05-20T18:35:00.000-07:00

These past few months we've been seriously considering adopting a playmate for Morgan. He has so much energy and he absolutely adores other dogs. When we get home from work, we're usually exhausted and Morgan is ready to play! Granted, he gets 2 to 3 walks each day and we run him around the condo with his toys, but he still has energy to burn.

What kind of dog are we considering? Another ~~Terror~~ Terrier of course! We found a wonderful rescue organization called Westie Rescue of Orange County. That's right, a West Highland Terrier. This process could take a while or we could adopt a new family member soon... it all depends on which dog they feel is the right fit for us and Morgan. Wish us luck!

"Yardwork" Condo Style...

2010-05-16T19:35:00.000-07:00

I purchased these fabulous pots about 2 months ago at HomeGoods. The large green one for $19.99 and the small orange one for $14.99. Since I'm known for killing any plant that comes my way, I was hestitant to plant anything. Today, I got the itch and plant we did. Good thing for us, Lowes offers a 1-year warranty on their plants... I'm so grateful!

First we had to drill holes in the bottom of each pot for drainage...

Then Miracle Grow Potting Soil [believe me, it's going to take a miracle for these babies to stay alive], rock for drainage and time to plant...

And last but not least, final approval from the boss...

I thought I should include a photo of the beautiful tree that's blooming just outside of our front porch... I have a great view from our kitchen window too...

Out with the new... In with the old?

2010-05-03T20:53:00.000-07:00

Well friends, the obsession with Mid Century Modern has been passed along to my mom. After reading our blog, my mom was on the hunt for Mid Century Modern pieces for our place. She found an amazing chair for $50, but waited for my approval and it sold the next day! Although we missed out on the chair, she found a fabulous end table for our living room... did I mention it was $25!!! I couldn't be happier with her find and it fits perfectly next to our sofa. It is retro 1950's and looks fantastic!

And speaking of sofa... I was going to devote an entire blog post to the new sofa but I've opted not to. To make a long story short, we purchased the new Karlstad sectional sofa from IKEA a few months ago in chocolate brown because the color was more "Black, Scottish Terrier" friendly.

Four days after purchasing the sofa, Morgan chewed the arm off. It was terrible and the tears were flowing. He never touched our old sofa, so I'm assuming the new smell to this one attracted him to it. Anyway, it's been fixed and we've moved on. Morgan seems to have no hard feelings either. :)

Mid Century Modern...

2010-04-20T21:24:00.000-07:00

I have a new obsession with mid century modern furniture. I've stumbled upon many fabulous mid century pieces on Craigslist and have become a crazy bargain hunter for these particular designs. Apparently I'm not the only one because most of the furniture is quite expensive, so I'm hoping to find someone who is selling a great piece and is unaware of its value... wish me luck!

Below are a few of my favorite Craigslist mid century pieces... yes, I've been eyeing these for several days now:

These pieces are gems! Can't you see why I'm obsessed? Mid Century Modern is so simple and chic. I adore!

Wedding Crashers [Fayetteville, Arkansas]

2010-04-19T19:56:00.000-07:00

Mike's best friend Aaron married his beautiful bride Sabrina this past weekend in Fayetteville, Arkansas. Mike, his mom Bonnie and I made the trip to Arkansas early Friday morning.

When we arrived, Mike had to go to the rehearsal dinner immediately while Bonnie and I took long naps! Thank goodness too, because we didn't get a wink of sleep the night before.

Fayetteville is absolutely beautiful. We saw incredible farms, lush green hills and ZERO traffic. It was so different from Southern California.

We took this photo late Friday night after the rehearsal dinner. We HAD to find our way to Wal-Mart... Fayetteville is the home to the first Wal-Mart so we couldn't miss the opportunity:

Saturday was the wedding at the most beautiful Chapel I've ever seen. I will never forget the gorgeous architecture and incredible views through the glass:

The Bride & Groom:

My BEST man:

This awesome man was the tour guide for a senior group staying at our hotel. I couldn't resist

and had to take a photo with him. Check out the shoes!

The trip was fun. We were a little exhausted today so we slept 'till noon! The next wedding crash will be next month in Austin, TX for my best friend Andrea! Can't wait for another adventure. I'm super excited for Mike to see Austin. I've been several times and absolutely love the city!

The New IKEA Shopping List...

2010-04-11T15:02:00.000-07:00

I've been dreaming of IKEA lately...

Two of these woven pendants over our dining room table would be fabulous!

This bright rug in our bedroom:

I would love two of these side tables as coffee tables for the living room:

If the above side tables don't look good, there's always this sleek coffee table too:

The hard part: how do I convince Michael to make IKEA trip #65 to check these items out? I really think he is beginning to hate IKEA. His words: IKEA = assembly which ='s work! :)

Photos: www.IKEA.com

The Mini Condo...

2010-04-02T08:21:00.000-07:00

We've been having a few problems, issues, lack of training, discipline errors, bad habits, unpleasant behavior, from our pooch. One of them being the complete destruction of the arm on our new sofa [4 DAYS AFTER HAVING IT]. Morgan never touched our old sofa, but something about this new one has him in a fuss. More on the sofa drama on a later post.

We decided that Morgan could not have access to our entire condo while we were away at work; we could no longer trust him. We now keep him in our kitchen with a gate and I come home on my lunch breaks to let him out or we keep him on the balcony which has been completely puppy proofed. Morgan prefers to be outside barking at the birds, trees and whatever else may catch his attention.

My parents [Morgan's grandparents] graciously purchased him a new mini-condo for the balcony from Amazon.com.