The Lilac Project

A Rustic Pink Baby Shower!

2014-03-19T13:23:00.000-07:00

After three different invitation designs, I finally came up with this idea of a rustic pink and white baby shower. My sister was quite clear that she did not want a "theme" however I needed to have something to decorate around!

It started with a Telegram Invite which I designed and had printed at PrintMoz. These were 5x7 postcards that were actually printed on a type of plastic so that they would not bend during shipping. We also coated them to have a soft touch feel (similar to a iPhone case cover).

I bought mason jars and Annie Sloan chalk paint and painted and sanded all of the jars. I also painted my owl, a metal table and two of my planters with the chalk paint! Once I get started I cannot stop!

Then I hung pink and white paper lanterns all throughout the yard and placed rustic flowers in each of the mason jars.

I also ordered some fun cocktail, luncheon, and bathroom guest napkins.

To stick with this vintage/ rustic look, I found some ideas on Pintrest for the perfect Cameo Cake!!! Look how stinkin' cute this cake turned out!!

Everything turned out great. We ended up having close to 70 guests in the backyard!!!

All I need is a can of spray paint!

2014-03-19T13:00:00.003-07:00

In order to get ready for the baby shower I was hosting for my sister, I wanted the backyard to be picture perfect. It is all about the details I WILL see.... all the weed pulling etc.

The outdoor gate and all of the light fixtures were looking pretty beat.
Just give me a can of black spray paint, some duct tape, and some brown paper bags and I can make it all look new!

Just some frames...that is all.

2014-03-19T12:50:00.001-07:00

I still need drapes in my master bedroom. I am undecided about what to do.
Anyway, to make it feel less naked, I hung some frames.

My friend had given me this great old Frank Lloyd Wright book for a birthday a few years ago, so I cut some of the photo pages from the book. We love the Arizona Biltmore (where we got married) and these frames reminded me of that hotel and the photos work perfectly in them!

In order to hang these right, it is absolutely crucial you have a measuring tape and a laser level. It is all about that laser level!!!!

Add caption

Fountain Landscaping Done!

2014-03-19T12:45:00.000-07:00

After ten trips to Lowe's, running over my ankle with the pallet cart, a few bags of mulch, and ten thousand tons of rock later, the fountain landscaping is done!

I think this turned out pretty nice. It totally transformed this space. The fountain is so relaxing and these succulents are easy to maintain.... meaning I won't kill them.

Window Paint

2014-03-19T12:33:00.001-07:00

Slowly, I will have repainted the entire front of my house...haha.
This metal window treatment outside over the front windows was badly faded. I couldn't tell what color it was supposed to be because there were two colors coming through; a dark greenish color and a blue.

I decided to just repaint it cream to match the window trim below.
Eventually, I want all the railing and trim detail to be cream and white and I want to get rid of the blue entirely. Looking to paint the front door a shade of black as well as these window shutters you see in the photos that are faded blue.

That's for a professional to do though...maybe!

This also happened to be the day that Boss was bit by my neighbor's dog. It was a terrible day. He is doing fine now, but it was a close call. The front of the house looks a little better...newer anyway.

Bathroom Fixes

2014-03-19T12:26:00.000-07:00

These have been on the "To Do" list for sometime, but with my sisters baby shower, this last weekend, I put these into high gear.

DOWNSTAIRS BATHROOM SINK:
The downstairs bathroom needed a new faucet. When I went to take the faucet out, it couldn't and wouldn't budge. The faucet had become fused to the fabricated sink/countertop piece. So, what do we do? We have to get new countertops and a new sink. It was worth it. The bathroom feels cleaner.

My mom Instagrams me under the sink.

Finished!!!

UPSTAIRS BATHROOM LIGHTING:
After we fixed that issue, we finally fixed the lighting in the upstairs guest bathroom.
We had originally pulled the one piece mirror down and replaced it with two fancier mirrors. That meant that we needed to replace the one light fixture with TWO. This bathroom has had this crappy light up with the two light bulbs for a year now. It was time.

I have already purchased two new under mount sinks for this bathroom, but need to find a replacement cabinet for this bathroom before we spend the money on the countertops. This cabinet is not in the best of shape.
Still looking.... maybe later this year. Or sooner. I hate this tile and the over mount sinks. Yuck.

Moving the Elephant....errr Fountain.

2014-01-28T15:07:00.000-08:00

The previous owner of our new house {we believe} was trying to make his neighbor/ best friend jealous and put the pool, grill, fire pit, outdoor fans, outdoor misters, and the 2500 lbs fountain all on one side of the house. It is a ridiculous layout and we are trying to make it all work.

We decided to move the fountain so that we can actually enjoy it. Well, it didn't hurt that I went to a local fountain dealer here in town and found out that it is worth well over $3500 - so that obviously motivated me to get this thing out of the dark corner it was in. Plus, I have been trying to figure out what to do with this weed filled area that sits behind our patio furniture.

To start this project we needed to create a foundation for the fountain to sit on. The area before was very uneven and I wanted the fountain to sit above the patio so that no children can walk right into it.
The previous owner also left me tons of leftover stone.... till this point we've had it piled on the side of the yard collecting black widows. Luckily, this was a perfect use of these large stones. They were too big and heavy to throw away.....One man's trash is another man's treasure, right?

This before the weeds took over!

That isn't grass.... its weeds!

It took both my mom and I to lift each stone. Each weighing at least 100 lbs!

This photo below is the wagon maxed out with stones, sand, and river rock in front of Lowe's. People in the parking lot couldn't believe how much stuff Scott fit in the back. The back looks slammed!
We really need a truck!!!

It took 3 men, a pallet jack, a giant tire, and a few pieces of PVC pipe to move it. The base alone weighs over 1800 lbs!!!!

This was pretty dicey! It didn't fit, so they had to tilt it!!!

Almost there!!!

I don't know what took us so long to do this. Now when we are outside, it is so pleasant and relaxing to hear the water splashing. Sounds like rain. Of course, I have to give the credit to my mom. I originally didn't want to bother with moving the fountain and I wanted to add another fire pit in this location. This is waaaaaay better!

My lil helper. No pants and Nike Dunks!

I decided to add the river rock around to make the fountain appear to have a larger base. I plan on doing another row of stones and then add some landscaping.... maybe I can finish that next week!

Here it is, almost finished. It looks great looking outside from the house!

Wish List - Bathroom Remodel!

2013-11-14T14:50:00.003-08:00

I want to redo our master bathroom so bad.
I don't even shower in this bathroom because I hate the tile so much. I despise this brown tile and I hate the mold the previous owner left behind. Gross, I know! I clean it every week, but that pesky mold just keeps coming back. Once it gets in, you can't get it out.

I have been going to every tile place in town and all the new model homes to get ideas.
What I would like to do is get several slabs of Quartz (a manmade, durable surface) and put that on the walls and ceiling of my shower.....with as few grout lines as possible.
Since I do not have a window or vent in my shower, I need to eliminate as much grout as I can.

Here is a photo of a model home shower I liked using Quartz. I don't like how they did the accent tiles, but they ran the Quartz slabs up all the way to the ceiling and covered the entire seat in it as well. I would actually put it on the ceiling too.

I am digging this Elysium tile called Crystallite that mixed Carrera Marble square tiles with diamond glass tiles. http://elysiummosaic.com/product_view.asp?proid=304&group_name=MILANO%20Series

You know I love my bling and chandeliers! I might put a chandelier in the bathroom if I went with this tile. Me likey.
See below.

Model Home Using Grey Quartz slabs with Carrera Marble accent tiles

I am looking to go with a bright white Quartz with an accent tile for the floor and maybe to run down the wall vertically.

Here is my busted up brown shower. It is like a dark, creepy cave.... that was kind of going for the tuscany look. Enough with the tuscany style near the wineries people!!!!

My sad shower.... where people go to die :(

Check out the tile on top! Glass Diamonds!!!!!!! Yes please.

I like this combo best. I'd put the silver tiles on the floor of the shower!

Wash the Deck!

2013-11-11T11:01:00.003-08:00

I power-washed the deck off of Scott's office. That was a therapeutic job!
I hadn't realized how truly dirty it was till I started washing it off. I bought two jute rugs from Pottery Barn (that Boss clearly thinks that I bought just for him) and a cute little bistro set.

Now its a nice work space and the 'kids' like it too!

New Family Room Rug

2013-11-05T16:22:00.000-08:00

Buying rugs is so difficult!
Either they are not the right size, the right color, the right price, the right texture or the right anything!
Honestly, we have had the best luck with FLOR. I love it. Great colors, great prices, and super durable with kids and dogs.

After doing our fireplace, we really needed to pull the room together. The hard black and white rug was not doing anything for the room. I moved that rug into Scott's office and part into the dining room and they both look great.

We went on www.flor.com and found this awesome herringbone pattern rug (which matches the fireplace design) in a nice linen color. We bought ours in a 10x14..... that is not a normal rug size!
I knew I wanted to layer the rug with a nice cowhide rug with a mix of creams and browns. We found both, bought them and crossed our fingers that the colors were close to what we saw online. Scott actually found the Brazilian cowhide rug from Oklahoma in a rare 8x8 size, which is perfect. Most are 7x6 size.

Both were delivered and we LOVE them!
Also, I purchased not ONE but TWO tables off of GILT. The room is so big we needed two.
Great price too!

Before - Just too many patterns and colors!!!

After - Much more neutral and it makes the furniture work better!

Major and Boss love it!

Oh yeah, my night stands came!

2013-10-21T14:23:00.000-07:00

Late post, but my night stands I had on order for 2 months finally came (errr about 3 1/2 weeks ago)!
I still need decorative pillows and drapes.... just not sure what I want.
I don't know what color of drapes and I haven't found pillows that I like yet. I also need art for the walls.... not sure if you can tell, but I am going for a Old Hollywood Glam bedroom.

The headboard I found on Horchow, but ended up finding it in a furniture store locally.
The night stands I found at Macy's of all places. I liked the mirrored look but wanted something more durable on top. These have black granite on top, much easier to clean too!

I found the lamps and shades at Pottery Barn before I found the night stands about 2 months prior.

Sorry about the bad photos....and the bed was a mess.

Messy Bed....ugh. Sorry!

Ideas for Family Room

2013-10-21T14:12:00.003-07:00

These are some photos I am looking at for inspiration for our family room.
Like I mentioned in the fireplace post, the way I have the family room now, its all fighting. The furniture isn't meshing with the carpet and none of it is working with the fireplace. I must do something!!!!

Can I please have $20,000 for a new family room makeover? K, thanks!

I like the double layered rugs and the furniture is about the colors of mine.

Liking the mix of furniture styles here.

Again, same colors that I have & that double rug!

Almost there......

Ok, this is it! Now I just have to find everything here.

More Palms & Plants

2013-10-21T14:04:00.000-07:00

Two of the palms we moved ended up dying, so our gardner came back out and replaced them. We also had a few more Bird of Paradise put in!

............Stay tuned for more yard work projects now that the weather is a little nicer to be outside.

Dead Palms OUT!

New Palms IN!!! Plus Bird of Paradise in between!

Different Angle.

FIREPLACE!!!!!

2013-10-21T13:37:00.000-07:00

Shortly after we bought the house, started the renovations on the floors, I knew what I wanted to do to the fireplace. We bought all the fire glass and carrara marble in a herringbone pattern back in January!!! We have been sitting on this project for over 9 months. I have had multiple tile setters come to give me a quote, but they turned me down since I had already purchased the tile. I am guessing they make a cut on the product and this project was just too small for them to bother with. Annoying.

This last Sunday, I was drinking my coffee on the couch and I just couldn't stand looking at this fireplace anymore. I am having my first Thanksgiving at our house and I cannot have this unfinished project showing up in any photos. PLUS, if it should turn off cold on Thanksgiving, I am going to want this thing lit! With my luck it will be 80+ degrees, like it always is. Haha.

To start this project, I grabbed some cardboard boxes from the recycling bin (we just bought new luggage so the boxes were huge). I measured the space and created a template:

This was what the room looked like before - old brown tile on fireplace.

Step 1: Create Template!

The next thing I did was lay all of the tile out to make sure I had purchased enough tiles. Keep in mind, I purchased this stuff 9+ months ago. Who knows where my head was at when I ordered it online.
Whew..... looks like I ordered just enough!

Always with the "helper" in the way!

By this point, I had convinced Scott that I could handle this project. He had been frantically searching and calling on people from Craigslist asking people to come give us a quote while I was laying all the tile out on the floor. However, I talked him into going to Lowe's and getting me a few items that I needed. I had gone two days prior and bought my thin-set, grout, and tools. I just needed one more item..... THE TILE SAW!

While Scott was out, I called my dad over to help me with the cutting.

Prepping my station!

The tile cutting station! It made a mess outside.

At the end of the day, the only way to set the tile is measure, cut, then place.... and keep going! This tile was particularly difficult because you have to make sure the tile is in the right direction when measuring and cutting so that all the pieces line up.

Me and my faithful sidekick applying thin-set and tiles!

My dad taking notes. I will be helping him with their bathroom remodel!

Praying that the tiles will all line up and connect as planned. This tile is TRICKY!!!!

Helping me fill in the empty spaces.

Putting toys in my thin-set. The wipes box makes a perfect trough.

Tiles up! Now we need to wait 24+ hrs before applying grout!

I originally thought that I wanted to gray grout. I didn't want the grout to be screaming at me. I had a bad experience with white grout in my other house so I wasn't sure I would be happy with it here. However, I bought both and tested them out on leftover tile. I am so happy that I did because had I gone with the Warm Gray (from Lowes), I would have been so unhappy. It was too muddy and made the tile look old, and not in a good way. The Bright White (from Home Depot) made the tile look clean and crisp. I didn't buy a white from Lowes because their whites were all too yellow. Home Depot had a better selection of whites. Also, I went with a un-sanded grout due to the high polish on this tile and the small area of grout. A sanded grout would have scratched.

Always test your grout colors! Left is bright white. Right is warm gray. I went with Bright White!!!

I started this project on a Sunday at 1pm, I finished setting the tile around 8:30pm that same day (with some drink breaks and dinner in there too). I woke up the next morning with very sore quads. Lots of squatting in this project.

I started the grout the following Monday around 11:00am. I finished the grout around 4:30pm. The grouting took the longest and was the most work. Getting all the areas smooth, even and free of air bubbles took a lot of time and elbow grease. It was a serious workout. In the end, I think I did a pretty good job. My hands were sore for a week and extremely dry, but I can appreciate this job so much more now. I bought sliding glass doors for the front, but right now, I don't think I am going to put them on. I like the way this looks. I'll just have to watch that no toys go flying in!

Now I need to decide on furniture for this area. Now that the fireplace is done, the rug and furniture are all fighting and screaming at me to fix this eclectic mess! Too many patterns and colors fighting.

Don't look at the mantle. It has too much junk on it!

Ahhh, Tuesday morning admiring my work... I need a quick break. I am too sore to clean!

Nice side by side photo of before and after

Weed Removal & Walkway

2013-10-21T12:24:00.001-07:00

After I finished the paver project to the hose I started a project that I've been putting off.
I have pulled weeds so many Sunday mornings by our pool pumps, but they just KEEP COMING BACK! This area is overrun by weeds. It is scary.

We cleared out the weeds and I added this stone and pebble walkway to the pool pumps. Again, the only way to walk to this area was through mud, weeds, and it was gross. The previous owner left all these stones scattered through the yard, so I put them to good use.

After we put the pathway in place, we filled it in with pebble stones, we put down wood chips and put all the trees on a drip system. This should keep the weeds away. I HOPE!

Ahhhhh! Its the garden of scary weeds!!!!

Walkway in place!

AFTER!!!!!

BEFORE & AFTER

More Pavers!!

2013-10-21T12:17:00.000-07:00

We have been traveling and busy with everyday life that I haven't had a chance to do any projects.
We went up to Half Moon Bay and San Francisco for 10 days and when we were away, I promised I would come back and get stuff done. I am sticking to that promise.

First project I tackled (after recovering from being sick for 2 weeks when we returned), was another paver project. We have a hose at the back of the yard and the only way to access it was to walk through mud. So I decided to add another pathway. Unfortunately, there is a tapped off sprinkler right in the middle, but Scott will fix that soon!

Seriously, the best way to stay fit is to do home improvement projects. I am at my fittest when I am working on the house and yard. Loading and unloading pavers and bags of sand is a LOT of work!

I bought 80 pavers at LOWES.

BEFORE!!!

Cleared the area out and put down a weed barrier!

Second, I played with the shape. This didn't work for me.

I decided to wrap the path around an existing rock.

Then its all about how to fill in the shape!

Next, filling in sand and making sure everything is level.

Always with my little helper by my side!

Finished!

Planted two more Bird of Paradise. I think that yellow palm needs to GO, though!

Finally, new fan!

2013-07-21T14:03:00.002-07:00

This was the last of the old fans to get tossed.
The old lady fan is gone! Yay. Fans aren't my first choice, most of them are hideous but it gets so hot here. It's a necessity.

We picked this one up at Lowes: Victoria Harbor Fan

You will not be missed!

I think this one goes better with the headboard.

Headboard Refresh!

2013-07-21T14:02:00.001-07:00

I decided to 'beef' up the headboard I made with a more bold trim. In the LA house, I used a smaller moulding and painted it white. I went to Hank's hardware store in Temecula because they have a huge selection of moulding. I went with a 6 inch style and stained it black. I only used one coat, I liked that its a little uneven and there are parts of the wood showing. Oh yeah, we bought another tempurpedic king size bed for the downstairs guest bedroom where the headboard is.

I need to get drapes for this room and night stands.... it's never ending.
I hope to get this room feeling and looking like a hotel room. The inspiration came from the US Grant hotel in San Diego where my sister got married. I think it's pretty close!

Here is the headboard in the LA house with the white trim

Staining while keeping an eye on the baby monitor!

More paver pathways!

2013-07-21T13:05:00.001-07:00

I did these before the baby shower...my mom of course helped!
We use these pathways all the time now. It was dumb that there wasn't a place to walk to get to the grass.

Media Doors Refresh

2013-07-21T12:30:00.002-07:00

These doors were in need of a modern update.
I hammered out the decorative pieces of wood and removed the old plexiglass and replaced it with new clear plexiglass. The new pieces look etched or fogged, but its really just vinyl! So I can actually change it later if I want. I ordered these pieces from www.printmoz.com

My little helper!

I may make them less transparent. We'll see!

Front Paint Quickie!

2013-07-21T11:24:00.001-07:00

We had friends coming to stay with us and I was tired of driving up to these ugly faded blue garage doors. I called up my mom and the following day we were out bright and early painting. I was trying to do it so that none of the neighbors would see....I mean, who paints their house themselves? haha.

A month after we did this, I read in the HOA newsletter that all changes made to the front and backyard must get HOA approval first. Whoops.

Well at least it matches and its not pink or purple!

Got our flag hung too!

Better late than never......

2013-07-21T11:10:00.000-07:00

I never posted any photos of the Kentucky Derby themed baby shower!
It was the hottest day of the year, over 90 degrees and everything was outside. Uggh. It all looked nice though.

After the party, I didn't want to take down the paper lanterns or the tables. I have to string up lights outside like this.....next project.

Did I mention that it took my mom, cousins and two of my aunts to lift the trampoline over the citrus trees to move it! So crazy.

We did a custom backdrop with www.bubblegumbackdrops.com too. It was a hit.
Oh, and I'm an aunt now. Archer was born 4 weeks ago!! I am a little behind!

I special ordered my hat from London off of etsy!

New Fridge!

2013-07-21T10:46:00.004-07:00

We finally replaced our fridge.
The one that came with the house had horrible storage space and the ice maker wouldn't work. We kept a hammer in the freezer with a bag of ice. Classy.

The part to fix the ice maker was over $300 plus the cost to get someone out to fix it. Best just to get a new refrigerator :) Plus this one matches our range and microwave!

I went to Pacific Sales just to see their selection and it turns out that this was on special, so we got it at half the price. Love that.

Upstairs Guest Bedroom: Before & After

2013-04-16T19:01:00.001-07:00

This was a huge transformation. The blue walls were not only electric and blinding, they were painted poorly. Crooked lines, paint bleeding, all over the windows, on all the trim, and the old color (a more horrific blue color) was bleeding through. Terrible. If you're going to paint (even an ugly color), do it right. Tape off and if you don't prime, use a paint and primer-in-one!

Also, DON'T paint the windowsills!!!!!!!!!!! Keep those white if the window trim is white.
These people painted all over these beautiful windows and I'm still trying to scrape the paint off. Live in a 102 year old house with original windows and you will appreciate nice windows and NEVER get paint on them.

We removed ALL of this ugly lighting!

Major's Room: Before and After

2013-04-16T16:19:00.002-07:00

This was the PEPTO PINK room.

It was a gross shade of pink, enough to make anyone sick.
Luckily, paint is so easy to change.

Before and After Side by Side

Major being dramatic. He "fell" right in front of me.

We still need to redo the outlets in here - don't look!

Put up Dad's old skateboards for Major