Curly Girl

Those Terrible Stairs- Revisited

2015-04-23T13:42:00.000-05:00

When we last left the stairs they looked like this:

And while lovely, they're also near deadly.

The treads are shallower than in a new home and everyone over the age of 35 that climbs them acts like the earth is shifting while they do. "Oh wow these are scary." "Be careful!" "You actually carry the baby on these?" "Wow you could fall right over the side of these." "You USE these stairs?!" I realllllly heard it when everyone came to the house after Lila was born. You'd think I was carrying her upside down the way everyone acted about me actually transporting her from one floor to another. I've gotten used to them. I navigated them in the dark while pregnant multiple times a night going to the bathroom!

We added a gate at the top since Zulu has started getting forgetful. We were afraid she would accidentally turn and fall down during the middle of the night (she has fallen down once before and it was terrifying). We also figured it wouldn't hurt to get a jump on Lila-proofing the place. But we knew that wouldn't be enough. We need a railing and something to keep her from going over the edge. Fortunately, my family is in the carpentry business and my uncle and cousin came out to make them safe. It about killed me to not DIY this, but I just couldn't figure out how to attach a post and railing without significantly narrowing the stairs.

Get ready for lots of pictures:

Just a reminder of where we started...

Then I added stripes and painted the railing white:

Then I ditched the carpet and found something scary underneath:

Tried to stain it and hated it:

And finally painted the treads black and added a thin crown molding to the back (making the stairs 1/4 in shallower and adding to the fear and agitation people experienced near the stairs)!

So Lila, the pets, and I packed up and moved to the basement for a day while they set to work.

She then proceeded to have a blow-out and got to hang out like she was sunbathing while I went and apologized for needing to climb the stairs to get her new clothes!

These are the inspiration photos I gave to my uncle to see if I could achieve something like this:

He pointed out that this would be easy to climb like a ladder for a little kid. There went that plan. I would LOVE to have a glass wall to keep the look of the stairs the same:

But that would be expensive and the Kardashians have stolen my idea. So there went that. My uncle sent me these two pictures and basically told me to pick one. I was glad for the lack of decisions and just to be done:

Ready to see what I picked and how it turned out? Well… I'm writing this post as it's being built so stay tuned for part 2!

Tea Staining Wood

2014-05-02T21:00:00.001-05:00

Have you ever heard of staining wood with tea? Neither had until I got a free table.

I loved my other table. It's still sitting off to the side waiting to be sold actually. But the drop sides led to the surface being a little uneven and the top wasn't real wood. When I told someone had an antique that had a bad finish and needed some work that was going to Salvation Army if I didn't want it, I jumped.

I didn't know what to do with it so I left it as is while I thought about it and made sure the size worked for me. It had lots of scratches and water rings, which made me feel not guilty about possibly painting it.

I finally decided I'd paint the legs white and stain the top. I found this great looking grey stain that I would stain it with after I got the original stain off.

It was a super super messy job. Note the floors.

I was covered in oak-colored dust. There is something about sanding furniture that helps me find myself. I got lots of great finding myself done and good music listened to.

This was it when I was done. Isn't it soooo pretty? I wanted to leave it like that but knew I'd need to protect it if we'd be eating on it.

So I got my gloves and brush and went to work

Here it is after getting it all on. It was really close to the cabinet color so I was hoping it would coordinate well

Here it is after rubbing off the stain. I HATED it. Maybe this is someone's cup of tea, but it's not mine.

So I was back to square one. And I remembered my french doors directly behind the table and realized it'd make my life and clean up MUCH easier if I just dragged the table out there to sand. The grey stain was way harder to get off than the oak for sure. After 2 days of sanding I got the table mostly back to its bare glory. My mom sent me a link about tea stain as a possible idea for the table.

So I grabbed a glass jar, some steel wool, and vinegar.

Rip/pull apart the steel wool and pour vinegar over it to completely cover it. Loosely put the lid on and put it in a dry cool place for at least 24 hours.

While I was waiting the pets and I sanded

Taped and painted

and moved it back in

Again I adored the rough top but needed to protect it. I decided that if the tea thing didn't work I'd sand it and leave it as is.

Next you brew some strong hot tea. After it's cooled brush it on.

This was it going on

Here it is after it dries. The top went back to the way it looked before. Here is the "stain" after it's ready. It looks no different. I was quite sure that it wouldn't work since it didn't smell any different from vinegar and was clear. How nice to work with something easy on the lungs!

Here it looks after brushing it on. I knew that it really worked when I saw the marks that it left when I accidentally touched it to the white paint. It didn't come off either!

Here it is about 5 minutes after brushing it on to one side of the table

Here it is after 15:

And after an hour:

Doesn't it look good? I love that it's natural and rustic and not 100% painted like the rest of the kitchen

After it dried I gave it a couple of coats of polyacrylic

I love it. It's weathered but slick looking

And it has some really cool looking depth

It was so easy and fume free to tea stain! I will definitely do that before Minwax next time!

Bar Stool Makeover

2014-04-04T12:00:00.000-05:00

Since I got this table I've needed a seat for it

I was looking at something like these from Target:

When I remembered my old bar stools:

They were out in the middle of the basement for a long long time. They are really high though. If I wanted to use them something had to change

We don't have a saw but my brother did. I marked 7" up on the stools and my brother came over and chopped

They were a little unsteady with the second set of crossbars not there. But, we needed to trim those down to fit into a narrower place. So we pulled out the traditional saw and got sawing:

Then I made some paint. I wanted this to be another free project and I thought grey would work perfectly down there. I pulled out my old samples from this project and started mixing

This is it after two coats. I didn't care for how flat it was though and wanted to coat it with poly acrylic

See how much better it looks with a gloss? (and that we still haven't sold the dumb couch)

My drill battery is having some issues at the moment so I haven't reattached the crossbars so this is the 95% done after-shot!

What do you think? I'm loving the free makeover!

Homey Update

2014-03-07T05:05:00.000-06:00

We now have wedding pictures up!

I got them printed on canvas using a coupon code online and am thrilled with how streamlined they came out looking!

I also did a speedy update to our "front hall" closet. I don't have a closet right inside the door, but this is across the bathroom and those frames in the little hall between there and the kitchen. It's under the stairs and holds our coats and shoes:

This was it when I saw the house for the first time:

This was it when I was trying to get a handle on all of my shoes and put them all in shoeboxes:

And here they are away with a little shoe rack on the bottom:

Well that wasn't cutting it… Especially after I married someone with more clothes and shoes than me! So I went through the boxes. I hadn't really opened more than one or two of them since doing this project two years ago! The rack got the most use. So I purged. Lots of shoes got donated.

Then I installed elfa to make the most of this space. These shoe racks glide out. The bottom one is for heels and the others are for flats. I did this one night after I got home from work around 11:00 pm. It was super easy and I managed to not wake Chris up!

This is it after I put all of the shoes Chris and I had left. The basket on the top right is for hats and gloves and stuff. I have very few purses. They're not my thing. None of these are probably in style even… Oh well! I have room if I ever get trendy! I have lots of extra empty shoe boxes for future shoe shopping too!

During the summer I keep my boots in boot boxes under the guest bed. During the fall and winter they hang from the closet rod so they can keep their shape from these guys. It's an oddly deep closet and I wish I could've elfa'd the whole closet, but leaving the rod further forward made more sense.

I also got this really cool fireplace from my brothers for my birthday:

I love how modern it is and we tote it wherever we want a romantic fire

And now it's living here in the dining room:

I also got a kind of shadowy picture from our wedding up on one of the walls:

So those are our recent homey updates!

2 Sectionals Are Better Than 1!

2014-02-28T15:05:00.000-06:00

We got a second Ikea Sectional! This one was the Friheten Corner Sofa Bed and it lives down in our basement:

After hauling our Kivik home we knew what transporting a whole sofa with a borrowed truck felt like. This time we thought we'd check into their delivery service. This was the BEST decision ever! They came during the window, cleaned up snow that came in with them, and were really friendly. And, we didn't have to borrow a truck! Complete game changer! It was definitely intimidating to look at.

Chris still had about three hours until he was due home when the delivery guys left. I decided I would unbox everything so we could tackle it together later. Once I did it it wasn't anything I found scary. I decided I'd see what I could do alone… An hour later I had finished it myself! I just needed Chris's help laying it back down.

The couch was crazy easy to build and we love it! Now the basement is a happy marriage of Chris and I. I have the wall next to the leather chair with all of my favorite prints.

Chris's wall is all kinds of his favorite guy stuff. He is currently hunting for a sword or something else guyish to finish off his wall:

Here is our dirty little secret though. The couch. I can't seem to even give it away. It's listed for $50 on Craig's List and a local Facebook buy/sell group with no luck. So it sits on its side behind the new couch.

I also got a C Table from The Container Store which is a great little work surface:

And the sectional folds out into a bed. It's nice and firm and comfy too without that awkward center bar that pull out sofa beds have.

And it has some great hidden storage!

We also got our "guestbook" up on the wall on the way down the basement stairs:

And even our books have merged!

So, here is our basement in action:

The cat has channeled his inner Lion King and will be very upset whenever I do eventually sell the love seat:

The House Today

2014-01-23T18:08:00.000-06:00

It's been a while since you've been through the house with me. Since then some things have evolved…

I got an awesome final sale rug at West Elm for $99 that was far more proportionate for the living room! It looks like it was made to live with us!

I also got the yellow tray from next to nothing at Ikea. Overall the room seems so much happier!

The flower pot held our wedding programs and is now repurposed

We got a second canister from Target as a gift and Zulu's spoiled lifestyle has now been accommodated

We picked up two lanterns when we were down in Austin and got a third as a gift from Chris's mom. I finally got up the nerve to string them from the ceiling

We also got this really cool knife block… And the cat needed to photo bomb!

I bought a bookcase from The Container Store in the spirit of compromise for Chris's Christmas gift. When I was sure Chris was in bed I hauled all of the books he didn't think I noticed that he had hid in the attic downstairs and set this up:

I also got a sewing machine for Christmas… I've truly become the person I swore I never would be! I put off unboxing it until I had a sewing table I could spread out on. A quick trip to Ikea had that solved!

I bought a desk top and two Expedit cubes that I wanted to stand it on.

First I laid it out like this but it seemed pretty bulky:

Then I tried it like this and liked it… But wanted to try a little more leg room:

So, this arrangement was born. It required screwing the top on from the bottom.

Unfortunately, the top didn't completely cover it. There is about 1.5 inches of uncovered space… Despite that, I'm loving it!

I found containers at The Container Store and now that I figured out how to use the machine I'll just need to figure out how I need to store all of my new supplies!

We spend a lot more time down in the basement now. We have surround sound, the treadmill, the old living room TV, and my sewing stuff. Next step is another sectional:

Here is our room in action now:

I actually managed to sew the little tiny pillow myself!

We also needed another hamper with all of these extra clothes in our lives.

So, that's our house these days!

It's Almost Here

2013-11-13T21:35:00.000-06:00

This wedding is about here! Big changes have happened around the house. By big changes, I mean big TVs…

Actually this is the TV from upstairs. Chris came roaming in with 50" of fun the other day

Him and my dad did a little swap

And now the giant tv is in the living room

And we have a grown up basement

And I installed a mirror like a lazy person

So now I can be part of this big tv action:

Now Chris wants a sectional. Here's where it'll be if that happens

Something as simple as a TV in the basement just made the house feel so different. It isn't that girl's first house that it once was. It has family spaces.

It has pictures of first copies of keys that I can imagine being replaced with sonogram pictures and things like that.

It's much more grown up than it ever has been before. My life is just so different than it was before. Two weeks from now I'll be in Florida, it'll be my 30th birthday, and I'll hopefully making it to the marriage license office before they close.

I had my wedding hair trial today. I did NOT go with this.

I just needed to take a moment to reflect. Life will be very different very soon.

Re-Covering a Chair: Part 2

2013-11-01T19:34:00.000-05:00

This was my chair after the first go around here:

I was looking at different fabrics to re-cover the chair with when I remembered the set of Eivor panel curtains I'd gotten at Ikea that were by the door to return. Chances of me getting enough fabric to cover the whole thing for less than $14 were very slim so I opened them up:

I wasn't sure if there would be enough fabric to cover the chair. One panel was more than enough. I laid it out realized I'd need some black out fabric, but otherwise it looked good.

So then I researched painting them and found posts like this and got started after I picked up a small stencil brush and some acrylic paint in grey, tiffany blue, turquoise, and green:

Isn't the little bird so cute?

Once I did the green I realized I needed to simmer down. I greyed over the green and kept on moving:

Then I laid it out so I would get the right mix of color on the chair:

I looked back at my past post and realized I already had black out fabric underneath the stripes. I ripped out the staples and pulled off the striped fabric. Then I laid the new fabric out and stapled away:

Here is the after!

$18 Master Bedroom Makeover

2013-10-30T19:14:00.001-05:00

After writing this post about wanting to redo some things in my house (mainly my bedroom) I couldn't stop thinking about it. This was my master bedroom:

I got one $14 set of curtains (somehow forgetting I have TWO windows in my bedroom!!!) when I was picking up wedding stuff at Ikea. I'd seen posts like this about people adding some color to them and wanted to do the same. I'll write a post all about the project next, but for the sake of instant gratification here is what the "after" looked like when I decided to not return the set of curtains, but to instead use them to cover my chair… again:

Then I decided to get rid of the green. As I'd stated in my big plan post I was going to paint this DARK grey and the walls elsewhere a very light grey.

I decided that was way too much work and the white was good. I had leftover light grey from the dining room stencil project and the bathroom so I figured I'd use that to cover the green.

By last night my room was in chaos and I was out only $14 and was seeing some big changes!

I was able to exchange some duplicate items from my shower and get the other items I needed for "free!" I picked up these great dark grey flannel sheets

They have this perfect textured look. Now the room is neutral enough that I can use my old dark green sheets, as well as the Tiffany Blue, and white ones and they'll all compliment the room nicely!

I also took down these leaf pictures from a friend of mine that I love. I think she got them at Hobby Lobby. She has yellow at her house and I have green. I decided to make them yellow like hers.

I started by peeling off the leaves and picking up 3 sheets of $.69 textured scrapbook paper

Then I used leftover yellow paint from my various projects to yellow these guys:

Here is the after:

And here is the complete reveal… Fit for a We instead of just a Me!

The room is pretty much done by Target. Namely, their Threshold collection which is my favorite thing in this world. I registered and received the cable knit pillow and throw (they can be seen in my living room photos from last week) and the duvet cover. I also used my swap out to get the the lamp and lampshade.

Linus loves it and loves that he matches the sheets. We also got a memory foam topper for the mattress. Since I put it on Linus is OBSESSED with the bed. I lint roll it non stop now.

All of it was done for $18 dollars in 24 hours!!!

Post-Registry Organization

2013-10-25T14:33:00.000-05:00

I had my wedding shower a few weeks ago. People were SO generous and I think they ended up staring at me opening presents for approximately an hour. Seriously. After it was over Chris and I loaded up both of our cars and left everything in the breakfast room:

I had to work ALL day the next day.

Finally the next day I was able to have the unpacking event of the decade:

Now I'm left with the living room of my dreams. Seriously, what am I going to do when teal and tiffany blue are no longer hot colors. I finally have almost my whole house coordinated!

We even have a cute little coffee station area of the kitchen

And grown up dishes. And cups. And silverware!

And pots and pans!

Seriously... getting married is so awesome for so many reasons. Wedding showers are one of them!

I Can't Do That Project

2013-10-23T14:26:00.002-05:00

Getting married is putting a major damper on my projects! I'm itching to do so many things around the house but my days off are booked solid for the 5 (!!!!) weeks up to the wedding. I can't wait to get married for many reasons, one of the minor ones is to get back to a normal schedule so I can get crafty again. Want to see what I'm planning?

The Master Bedroom:

I got this duvet cover off of our registry.

I'm planning on painting the white walls... Again. This time the same color as the downstairs bathroom:

I'm planning on painting the green dormer the same color as my basement bathroom and my cabinets:

I'm planning on covering the chair... Again.

I'm looking at fabrics like these:

And, adding a pop of color like this to the bed:

I also want to add a shelf like this one in white over the dresser as a rotating photo display area:

Switching out the curtains for something more masculine:

I also would like to flip out the rickety table

for a C-Table like this in white:

Or this:

I'd also like to replace this too small lamp

with a combo like this:

The closets:

The front hall closet just isn't working for my shoes. Then add Chris's shoes and it's a hot mess. The pantry shelves are that cheap Rubbermaid stuff and I can tell I'll wake up one night to a loud crash as the shelves all cave in. I'd like to avoid this. We're planning on adding elfa to both of these spaces to make them more functional than now:

The kitchen:

Now that two toned cabinets are good and trendy everywhere it's time to move on. You know when something trickles to the midwest that it's been trendy for several months everywhere else first! Now I know white cabinets are the way to go if you watch appliance ads and photos from magazines. I'm ready to paint the kitchen cabinets a crisp white to replace this:

I'll also add a little white to the backsplash like I experimented here:

And I'd like to finally make this floor:

Whole again!

So, that's that. Starting in December expect to see some actual progress to these things!

The Most Painted Room In My House

2013-09-20T19:50:00.001-05:00

You wouldn't believe how many times I've painted my basement bathroom. It's on its fifth paint color since I moved in and it's probably the least visited room in the entire house.

Here's the good news... It's finally the right color! I thought I'd walk you through its journey.

This is the bathroom when I saw it for the first time. It was actually the perfect shade of green and I just didn't realize it. It was flat paint and very dingy and desperately needed freshening up.

So I brought a "better" green into the bathroom. It came with plumbing issues... Here it is during the repair process. The other green was a way better match for the curtain I hung over the closet. I knew this green had to go for a closer match to the curtain.

So then I decided to go with blue. I aimed for the same shade as the curtain. Fortunately, the blue was free during a free Ace paint day. I also got the yellow I painted the closet for free during another Ace paint day.

Isn't it just radioactive? It was way too much and my teeth even hurt looking at it. It was way too much.

So then I got inspired by these bins:

Except I didn't know if I wanted to go dark grey or something fun. So I used the paint from my guest room and did this:

Except that looked crazy too. Ugh. Part of my obsession with painting down here is the opportunity to have the excuse to watch seasons of TV shows. The first green was "Revenge." The blue was "Mad Men." These stripes were "Orange is the New Black." All amazing shows by the way! The green was warmer than it looks above. This is probably the closest:

So, out with the stripes! This was after the first coat of primer and starting "Boardwalk Empire"

They didn't die easily. This is after the second coat of primer.

Then I used the white paint from my bedroom and guest room to cover up all walls but the green one. I wasn't sure if I wanted to keep the green or go a different color. I just needed the stripes gone!

By the end of season 1 of Boardwalk Empire I had it finished! The entire project was $14. The shelves are new from Ikea's Lack line. The grey was left from painting the kitchen and bathroom cabinets. I'd also used it on the square project. Ohhhh it's just so deep and pretty. I was able to keep the yellow trash can and soap dispenser and the yellow closet. Pretend it's much more organized than it is right now. It will be soon!

All we need to do is lay the tile... Still!

Evolving Into Adulthood (This post actually IS about decorating!)

2013-09-18T13:16:00.000-05:00

Quite the title huh? I know this blog has been pretty feelings centric lately, which isn't something I particularly like reading about as a reader. Unfortunately for you, it is something I like to write about! Today I'll attempt to balance both my feelings and some decorating :)

In realization that my house is very girly and Erin-centric in a lot of ways I've been working on making it the place of "we." This week I replaced the EJ picture in the dining room.

It now reads EC. The good thing about that is that it's still kind of all about me ;) Just joking. Kind of. Those will be my new initials. They are also mine and Chris's. Win and win.

This is my final week off of work until wedding week. We started it off in Austin, TX with one of my best friends and her husband so they wouldn't be meeting Chris for the first time at our wedding. It was an AMAZING time where we got some great pictures in front of the "love wall." I'm sure Austinites have a real name for it... But that's mine.

After a picture printing fest, and some inspiration from my friend's amazing new house I remembered this little unused area in my hallway. It was time to tackle it. When we are more than just the two of us I'll want a gallery area to display family pictures, so it was the perfect time to start this:

I started a shadow box with wedding stuff in it. I'll probably put wedding bubbles or some other memento in this later on. For now it's a silly picture we took moments after getting engaged and our invitation with lace envelope.

Here it is in action:

Everything is from Ikea and super easy to put up. The entire project took me about 30 min. after I found screws for the shelves (I swear they used to come with them?).

This weekend really struck me that I've hit adulthood. You think you're there when you turn 18 and 21, or maybe when you get the keys to your first house, or start dreading checking the mail because you know it's lots of bills. That wasn't it really for me. It's been when I've started planning for someone else to share my life and talking about kids.

My friend Ana and I were sitting around in their new house while the guys were watching a variety of football games. We were talking about cleaning products, paint colors, and what our future kids might look like. The guys would then chime in. It's strange when both genders are on the same page and wanting the same mature things!

It's crazy to me that 7 or 8 years ago this was our life...

Now instead of being kids we've gone and cut our hair and are out to brunch...

Wow life sneaks up on you!

I'm Still Talking About the Wedding...

2013-09-11T14:07:00.002-05:00

It's getting real. We're down to less than 80 days now. I got my bridal shower invitation in the mail yesterday. As in MY bridal shower... Is it hard for anyone else to believe that I'm the bride this time around?! After posts like this, this, and this it's hard to deny that I was sure I wasn't going to find the one. And now I get a bridal shower?! It's crazy.

Speaking of things that came in the mail... I also got my wedding shoes:

They're my "something blue" and one of the prettiest things I've ever owned.

We're finally getting to be the bride and mother of the bride!

Here we are planning away!

I have no home DIY experiences I'm able to share at the moment. I can't wait to do a post all about planning the wedding, but I want the guests to see it before you do! I just needed to write a quick "holy cow this is MY life" post!

Wedding Wedding Wedding

2013-08-23T10:13:00.000-05:00

That's what I've been up to. I've painted some things around the house (more to come on those things in other posts) but mainly I've been focused on being a wife. We've been through pre-marital counseling and are in the final stages of planning!

I have a maid of honor and a matron of honor. No bridesmaids. They are my sister's in law (my brother's wife and Chris's sister). I sent them these cute necklaces from here to ask them to play this huge role in our big day:

My mom made me this cute hanger. Isn't she way craftier than me?

Chris has been in full bonding mode with the pets. Zulu has loved him nearly from day one.

Linus on the other hand... Linus hates Chris with a passion. In fact, anywhere that Chris has been Linus must pee. Linus has a history of being terrible and territorial but this took it to a new level. My past post mentioned all of the herbal things I've tried for his scratching and peeing. I finally got him declawed later in life, and now he is medicated.

I put Linus on Prozac. As seen above, he peed. We have figured out every other day is enough to keep him behaved but not zombified. We learned this after trying every 3 days and getting the above result. So I have to put him in a towel burrito and drug him every other day.

And Walgreens called me after I picked it up to see how my depression therapy was working. I had to explain it was for my cat. Today when I got his refill I saw this note. Now, Linus is adjusting to the idea of marriage too with a little help from his Prozac.

I saw this post on Pinterest and laughed at how silly people were to put invisible ink on their invitation RSVPs. Then I got this mysterious thing back:

No I can't advocate enough for invisible ink. I still don't know who isn't showing to the wedding!

I also have a little RSVP count going on the inside of my cabinet door of who is (and isn't) coming and keeping the RSVPs on the fridge (so many people are sending sweet notes on them!) so they're always staring at me!

We got Chris's suit for the wedding and our wedding rings:

The basement has done some adapting.

I got a treadmill. I also am preparing for baby.

Allow me to explain. We want kids. Not this second, but we want them. My grandma recently moved and I had the chance to buy a dresser from her and also inherited a cool ship and a globe that reside in my unfinished part of my basement:

When we do have a kid my office would be the nursery. The dresser, globe, and ship would go upstairs. That would mean the desk and officey things would need a home. So my plan of a barish thing and high top table for the stools needed some adapting. For the next couple of years it would appear that furniture shifting will be in our future.

We continue to be tourists in our own city. Recently Chris and I went to the Art Institute and the Bean:

My army brother also came into town and FINALLY met Chris and me and all of the boys went to the Taste of Chicago where my brother bummed sunscreen off of a random woman

And finally, while helping my grandma pack she got my wedding invitation.

Life is good, and I'm sorry I've been missing for so long! Less than 100 days until I'm a wife. Then I can stop with all of this wedding wedding wedding stuff!

I Finally Got This Piano Thing Right!

2013-08-21T21:22:00.003-05:00

Maybe you remember this post where I thought painting my doors black was going to give my house some cool depth, and it actually made it stupid and cave-like (and like a piano).

So I went back to classic silver and white and all was right with the world again. But, as usual, I got bored. Oil rubbed bronze called my name down a Home Depot aisle and just like that I realized how to give my house some depth without dark, black, doors. The time had come to unhang all the doors again (see the last makeover here) and give the hardware a makeover.

This time I wised up and did one floor of my house at a time. I remember the sheer amount of screws and knobs from last time. I started on my second floor.

This was just from three doors (two have knobs). I discovered paper plates and solo cups this time... I highly recommend using both if you don't have cardboard or styrofoam laying around.

After everything dried for 24 hours I put the knobs back on and let it cure for another two days before I started using everything and rehung the doors again.

This is an after shot. It's adds a little drama to the doors with the darker hardware!

Then Chris and I unhung all of the main floor doors one Saturday and I got to work painting

Later that afternoon we brought them all back in to cure in the breakfast room for a week. I like this shot so that you can see how they're not quite black:

A week later I went and added piles of each item needed in front of the unhung doors

Here is the after shot!

I think Guliana Ranic (or her interior designer) and I have the same taste. I see a lot of similarities in their house and mine in colors and style

(see the sectional, the knobs, and the stairs?)

(see the knobs?)

I finally nailed the black and white balance without getting to piano level! I love it! Look for a post in the next six months with how they're holding up!

Bridal Stitch Fix

2013-07-05T05:41:00.000-05:00

In case I haven't shoved it down your throat enough... I'm gonna be a bride! I thought Stitch Fix could help me do some shopping for the big event and trip.

When I requested my fix I included the following details:

And here's what I got:

This was a much better experience than my last fix. Something about a personal note just makes a big difference. It's hard to see, but my stylist Angela told me they didn't have any lace dresses in currently but sent me other dresses and accessories, and wished me luck.

So here is what I got.

#1 The necklace

I'm wearing it in the next picture. It's like 5 lbs. I'm in love with it. I would've never bought it on my own but it's so pretty! I can picture myself wearing it with a long dress down in Florida! It's a definite keep.

She also sent this #2. This dress.

My big thighs did NOT look good in this one, so there are no pictures. It was really cute though :(

#3 Was this linen lace shirt.

I love the details and it works with my whole wedding lace thing...

And the back of it is super cute!

This is also a definite winner.

#4 was this paisley maxi dress. I'm loving maxi dresses these days (along with the rest of the world) but this print is a little like my grandmother's wallpaper. I wasn't sure I could swing it.

It actually fit great and was really comfy, but I couldn't wrap my heart around the print enough to keep it.

#5 was this great colorblock maxi skirt.

This will also be living with me!

So there it is! StitchFix redeemed itself all with one little note and I'll be keeping 3/5!

Make Some Lace Envelopes

2013-07-03T10:18:00.000-05:00

The invitations are out! It's official that this thing is happening! Soon! The wedding is in five months already and because it's far away I thought it was important to give people plenty of time to make reservations, plans, etc. I wanted to flex my crafty muscles in several areas of the wedding and one thing I saw on Pinterest I was sure I wanted to do was make lace envelopes for my invitations:

So, above is my finished envelope! I got most of my inspiration here and assembly details here. I wanted to know if I could make it happen any easier without buying velum, spray adhesive, and tracing paper. My main colors are white/ivory lace and charcoal grey. So I looked at the following invitations:

In the end, the one with the lowest price one (the first one with the white background). I absolutely love the script, but the background was kind of bland with matching envelopes. I was able to negotiate with the seller to get addressed envelopes for the reception cards, but that I would provide my own mailing envelopes. By doing this I could use more charcoal grey, and find a larger envelope to accommodate my pretty lace one. I was able to buy 50 envelopes (yay for small weddings!), 50 paper doilies, 1 silver Sharpie pen, and 1 roll of double stick tape and I had everything that I needed to get my invitations done!

Aren't the grey and lace pretty together? I managed to keep everything sealed until my big box of wedding everything showed up one Saturday!

So, here is how you make a Martha Stewart looking envelope without all of the Martha Stewart trouble!

-She instructs that you need a 9" paper doily. Good luck finding that. Once you've admitted defeat (like I did) get yourself a 10" paper doily. Click the link above for a great one. I think they're so pretty! The 10" ones I got worked great for a 5x7 card.

-Find a surface that is easy to sweep. Pulling apart all of those doilies was unexpectedly messy.

-Lay out your invitation on the doily:

-Followed by your reception card:

-And finally your RSVP card:

-Once you've laid everything out start folding in one of the side corners:

-Make sure you fold both corners in the same place and firmly crease them. Test the envelope before folding the top and the bottom to make sure there is enough room on either side to pull the cards in and out without tearing the envelope. Once you've done a couple you'll find a groove and things move "quickly."

- Here is where your tape comes in:

-A little double stick tape does a great job of helping the envelopes stay crisp and folded. I tore off long strips and cut them in half to place on either side. Then I got annoyed that Chris wasn't experiencing the wedding magic and made him help me out. Here he is cutting strips:

-Stick your tape right on here and fold up the bottom flap:

-Give it a good press and you're done!

-And take it for a final test drive to make sure everything comes in and out smoothly! That's it! No other tools needed. It probably took about 3 hours to do 50. It's not fast work, but it's easy and looks great!

Then the moment came where my mom and I got to address them!

Seriously, we're so picture happy!

Here is a tip. With envelopes like these do not use a white sharpie paint pen unless you want to go over each letter at least 3 times. We were so disappointed and almost scrapped our efforts. In one last shot I tried the silver, and look what we were left with!

I dropped them in the mailbox today! It's happening people!

Live With Intention!

2013-05-23T21:58:00.000-05:00

I drive a lot to and from work. I've seen more fatalities in the last year than I could've ever imagined. It's a very real reminder that you're never guaranteed to make it to work. Or to wake up... Have you been living each day like it was your last? I know I haven't. We could all take some notes from this guy, who unfortunately died this week. I promise you, this is a video worth watching from beginning to end... Although you'll probably cry like a baby like I did.

Now go make today worth it!

Being Engaged Sucks

2013-05-20T21:35:00.000-05:00

How rude of me huh?! I spend a decade complaining about how I want to get married and now I am about to. And I complain! But after googling "is it normal to fight all the time after getting engaged" and seeing the words pop up before I finished typing I figured I wasn't alone.

First off:

I adore this man. I am 1000% making the right decision.

But the seriousness of this whole thing just came crashing down as soon as the ring was on. I'm going to be washing his crusty socks and folding his jeans for the rest of my life. He will eat all of the good food I was excited for before I get to. He will use fabric softener instead of detergent when he hears me complaining about the laundry and decides to help. He will not do things my way.

I'm at the brink of this whole thing coming a little too late. I've lived on my own for the last 8 years. Completely alone. I've always refused to get a roommate in an apartment or for my house. Me, the dog, and the cat were a complete little family. I could stash a chocolate bar in my pantry for 3 months and pull it out in a moment of desperation and know it would be there. I could put the toilet paper on with it folding over the top and know that nobody would do it backwards. I could sleep with it super warm so that my nose didn't get cold. I could sing badly and nobody would hear.

It's all about to change. A year from now it might have been too late for me and I thank God for his timing.

Not only that, but I am signing on the dotted line that this one and only man is the only man that will ever ever be for me. I'm great with that. But then he does something and I think, "ok wait. That for the rest of my life?!" And I wonder if I'll be enough. What do I do that makes him think "Ok wait, she'll be that OCD for the rest of her life?!" We're making some serious vows! And I hope I can be a great wife. A great mother. I just hope I can be enough. And he is putting pressure on himself. Will he provide enough? He's about to inherit a woman, a dog, a cat, a house, another car, and a whole life full of responsibility.

On top of that the wedding is this year. I have 1 more week off before it. I need to plan. Planning has brought out the great and the terrible in people. I hate making phone calls, yet lately it seems like all I do! It'll be amazing, but it's stressful. If it'll all work, if I'll forget something major, if it'll be wayyyy too expensive, will I fit into my dress, etc. Those are all things that are looming.

Then there is family. We have to merge two families. All of the great things and all of the junk have to merge. My mom always told me to take a long hard look at a man's family before you agree to marry him.

Put all of this commitment, all of the little things that you're realizing will be a part of your life forever, all of the set-in-my-ways stuff I have to let go of, family, and all of the planning that has to happen together and there will be fights. I found this site (I don't know the owner. It just was great reading)! It made me feel like I wasn't alone. I also talked to my mom. She said every thing I'd been feeling and gave me advice. This weekend we went on a date where I banned myself from talking about the wedding. It was heaven!

So I have no resolution. I am incredibly blessed to be typing this with an engagement ring on my finger, his crusty socks in my hamper, and wedding pamphlets everywhere. This will pass and I'll look back later and wonder what the big deal was. I just needed to put it in print so I could look back later :)

The One Where I Try to Not Talk ALL About Wedding Stuff...

2013-05-03T14:43:00.002-05:00

So, it's been a couple of weeks since I updated. Since then I've done a few things around the house and I've flown to Florida to plan my just-after-Thanksgiving wedding. I still think it's crazy that I'm the bride this time around and that I know what I'll be wearing and where I'll be standing when I say "I do." So, here's what's new:

I started juicing. How could you not after watching the documentary "Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead?" I'm a sucker for lifestyle changes after watching those. And... I have a dress to fit into. "Forks over Knives" is another good one if you want some motivation!

This is my refrigerator these days. It's so strange!

I'm gonna have a new last name on in less than 7 months!

We've had some campfires, s'mores, wine, and dog play time in the yard.

She seems to be super happy at the prospect of having a dad!

We had a planting and mulching partner this year!

I got this super cute cork board for the side of the fridge that makes my kitchen look so cute:

Chicago had some major rain and flooding during that hell week a few weeks ago. My basement took on water for the first time. Fortunately it's all good and cleaned up now.

I've added some family pictures all over the house

We've been happy

My mom and I went down to Florida to marathon plan a wedding. Everything fell into place perfectly

Chris went ring shopping with my mom. After we got engaged she sent me this. How cute is that? And how sweet is it that he took her?!

I'll be getting married here. I'll give more details later on. Sorry, but I don't want mystery blog readers attending... There is only so much room ;)

I bought a super cool piece of furniture for the basement that will act as a bar and a game area. All we need now is a high top table!

Sorry for the random photo dump blog post, but it was all I could manage. The good news is that I think I'll be painting the kitchen cabinets white this summer and have a few other fun projects planned so this blog will be back to normal soon!

My Last First Date (part 2)

2013-04-21T17:05:00.000-05:00

My first date was with a mini man. I like tall tall men. But, decided to get over myself and be willing to date 5'8" and above. So I met this guy Tobin (yeah really) for a date. He was pretty much Jionni from Jersey Shore. Attractive, but quite compact. He said he was 5'9" but was definitely more like 5'5" and I wore heels. We had a fine time, and then we stood up at the end and I was taller than him. He didn't even walk me to my car after the realization hit us both.

I was off to a great start...

So I lined up 3 more dates. I filled my mom in on my progress and she questioned why so many. I told her it was about quantity rather than quality. I had 0 feelings invested and just wanted to get through as much of the state of Illinois as possible. If something happened, great, but I doubted it. Anything to keep me out of Artie's dove hunting sites.

So I went out with Chris. I pulled up to one of my favorite restaurants (which turned out to be owned by his family. I was wondering why he was narcissistic enough to choose a place with his name in it!) early. I had almost cancelled since I'd gotten my new iPhone 5 that day and would've rather stayed home to program it than force conversation with this guy. I was early and sat in the car adding my email to it, adjusting the brightness, etc. All the while marveling that I wasn't even blotchy (I get that way when I'm nervous or excited), checking out this hot guy on his phone out in front of the restaurant from my rearview window, and watching the clock. I wondered what this dude even looked like since his pictures were hard to figure out. I couldn't tell if he'd be hot or if that was him 36 years ago... Finally I forced myself to put my phone in to my purse, shut off the car, and get out. I walked up and the hot guy pacing on his phone in front of the restaurant looked up, said "oh, I have to go," shut off his phone, and grinned...

I was shocked. He was hot. HE was my date! Immediately I was blotchy. Ugh. We went in and he just kept grinning at me. The conversation ebbed and flowed and lots of wine was had. I barely ate a thing, and was blotchy the whole time. I had a great time, but barely remember what we talked about. I remember him telling me I talk with my hands more than anyone he's ever met. That must be how I flirt. I have no skills! I remember studying his face, and deciding that I really liked his nose. Near the end of dinner he looked at me and said "I want you to not see other people." I laughed and said "Good luck with that pal!"

He was persistent. He shook my hand at the end of the date. I hugged him because the hand shake just felt so tragic. I was sure I'd never hear from him, after that. 10 min. later he was on the phone. He worked hard to book all of my time and someone managed to be my last first date. I cancelled all the others.

He knew he'd love me right away, and he said it first. I fought it hard. I didn't trust a word out of his mouth. I didn't trust a thing he did. I just didn't get how someone could like me so much. My friend Ana asked me what was going on with us and I said "I don't get why the guy likes me so much. Something must be wrong with him!" I felt so beyond being lovable, and he just didn't quit. Eventually I trusted him.

He fills my kitchen table with constant flowers. He walks my dog. He gives my cat treats. He can't keep gifts a secret. He texts my parents and has lunch with my brothers. He will go on 0 sleep if it means he can see me. He goes to church with me and prays with and for me. I've never met a man like him. He's fearless. Around Christmas we were out to eat and we entered a raffle and I looked over and saw this:

And he told me he wanted that some day.

And at last on 4/20 he asked.

And before this Christmas I will be Erin Cooper.

Thank you for joining me on this journey. It's been hard, and painful, and sucked, and been sad, and been ugly, and funny, and annoying, and educational. And like anything you work very very hard for, it tastes good. I am so grateful it wasn't easy. Because it sure was worth all the tears, the short guys, the bird hunters, and the almosts.

And now on top of DIY projects I can fill you in on DIY wedding planning. Thank you thank you thank you again!

My Last First Date (part 1)

2013-04-20T12:00:00.000-05:00

I found "the one."

I can't believe it either. It's time to change the sidebar! I'm going to tell you the whole long sappy story...

It starts last April. Far before I met him. My cousin H and I have this eternally long email chain going. We were both going through hard times. She wanted a healthy baby and I wanted to stop dating jerks and find my husband. We made a pact to pray for each other and vowed that we would appreciate our babies and husbands. It seemed unfair that so many people had both effortlessly, but we would love ours and be glad for the work it took to get there. Flash to this April. She just had a healthy baby girl and I've found myself with a non-jerk soon to be husband.

God is good!

So now the story of how I became we... Last April my previous relationship ended a few days in to my new job. I felt hopeless. I felt a desperation. I was so disgusted at who I was. I hated looking in the mirror. I felt like I didn't deserve to be loved and I didn't deserve someone being faithful to me. I just plain gave up. I was incredibly lonely and angry that my job took up so much time that I could've spent home alone wallowing in misery. I wished cars would cross the median and hit me, and all kinds of other sad things. I just was over it all. My mom was over me being over it all. She asked if I'd be open for a fix up. I said "whatever. At least it's a free meal." Fortunately she didn't know anyone my age that was single! But she kept looking. That summer she found out about Artie. Artie Van-ryhmeswithmyfirstname (it wouldn't be right to say his full name, but you can figure it out). The only name I've ever come up with that would give me a name like Julia Gulia in the Wedding Singer! She didn't know Artie. He was someone at church's son's brother in law. For real. Artie the atheist. I was told he was a promising young individual who seemed like he might be attractive. I was shown a picture. He appeared quite... bearded. Still, seriously I did. not. even. care. one. little. bit. Whatever. I said "sure, give Artie the atheist my number. It's free food." Except even when she did he never called. Talk about a blow to the ego. A few months passed and my outlook became a little less dark. I had resolved that I was going to stay single. I was quite happy with it. I would probably never be a mother, but I would be a fun aunt. I was fine and good. I heard a great sermon on it at church. I was set. Then one day I was at my brother's folding his laundry while he played video games when my phone rang. I was expecting Comcast later on, so I uncharacteristically answered a number I didn't recognize. It was Artie. Very long story short, Artie turned out to be quite the racist woodsman that invited me to the bar to watch football and talk about dove hunting. No exaggeration. NONE. I told him I had to go but I'd let him know. I called my mom and broke down. Was she that unhappy with who I was alone that this is what I had been reduced to? Why couldn't I just be happy? What was so wrong with being single. I was finally happy. She told me I was enough but all of my words about being lonely didn't mesh with my Artie shunning actions. I pled with her "If I go online and really really really try to find somebody can you not make me go out with Artie?"

Get it? When doves cry?!

So, I signed up for match.com...

Nesting

2013-04-04T19:52:00.000-05:00

I got the coolest thing ever a few weeks ago. The Nest thermostat. I'm blogging about a thermostat. That's how you know it's awesome!

The first thing I love about it:

-It's pretty.

Second thing I love about it:

-It's crazy easy to use.

The third thing I love about it:

-It's connected to the Wifi in my house. So it updates itself.

The fourth thing I love about it:

-There's an app for it. As in- I can lay in bed and adjust it. Not only can I do that, but I can set it if I leave and forget to turn it down, or leave work on a cold night and want the place warmed up before I'm home! I can also view my energy usage and set a scheduled for it. Oh, and it's a free app. Who doesn't love those?

The fifth thing I love:

-It learns. It knows when I'm home and when I leave. It remembers if I crank it up every night at 7 and it remembers when I go to work on Tuesdays. Even if I set a schedule it will still keep learning.

The sixth thing:

-My dad said it was super easy to install. Since I wasn't going to do it, anything I can do to make it easier for him to install is a great thing!

The seventh thing:

-It matches all of the black and white I have going on here (I'll be painting the plate behind it to match the stripe. I'm taking this puppy with me whenever I move and putting the old thermostat back, so it's not worth totally fixing up the wall from the old thermostat).

The eighth thing:

-It came with the cutest screwdriver in the world.

People, I have a serious crush on a thermostat! I won't bore you with btu comparisons and energy usage. I'll sum it up with the fact that my furnace has been on 50% less than it was before! There are tons of reviews of this bad boy online. I just wanted to weigh in and tell you I'm in love! While it was expensive right outta the gate, it's saving me money and looking pretty while it does it!

3 Years In...

2013-03-27T20:01:00.000-05:00

It has been 3 years, this month, since I bought my house! I can't believe it. I'm so proud of how far we've come together! Join me in remembering (and looking at tons of pictures)?

The stairway right inside the front door:

I did tons of painting, I ripped up the carpet, added molding and trim to the stairs and painted them, removed the lock from the upstairs closet, and replaced the hardware holding up the railing and the handles on the door:

Hm. It's so pretty!

More of the same with a different view. I also replaced the thermostat... More on that in another post. I wasn't sure how long I'd love the stripes. I'm still not. Right now I can't imagine ever tiring of them. I love them so much!

I've officially painted every single wall in the house (except for the closets), every piece of trim, and replaced all of the blinds. The living room features 100% new furniture. I didn't have a thing in this room prior to moving in. I did own all of the pillows and pictures though!

(Looks like the previous owners had a Nordic Track where my couch is!)

I have a hard time identifying a favorite piece in this room. I adore the barnwood frames, the rocker, the barrel, the light fixture, the pillow fabric, and the sectional. I also love the wire baskets that you can't see in the entertainment unit.

This room has been 25% repainted in the last 3 years. The art is almost all existing from my previous place. The table is hands-down my favorite. The light fixture is a close contender though!

The stenciled wall was the repainted area...

I think it looks so much better than the stripes I had here before! I'm still thrilled that I chose grey instead of tan for the walls!

It's fun to count how many photo bombs Zulu is responsible for!

The bathroom. It was so very oak and spider filled when I moved in! And breezy. It still is.

I replaced the oak medicine cabinet with the floor mirror hung sideways, painted and added hardware to the vanity, and added some cheap art.

A little scrubbing, mopping, and painting was all it took to improve the bathroom. It was in great shape! Oh, and lots of caulking.

This window is the next on the project list. It has no winter projection and snow literally drips in. I covered it with saran wrap for now. This summer it's being changed out. I also replaced the towel hook with a robe hook, and added a curved shower curtain rod:

I've painted all of the hinges and doorknobs in the hallway and given it a fresh coat of paint and hung up a painting I got in Africa. I'd like to eventually make this hallway a black and white family gallery (you know, when there is one!), chevron the ceiling with the stripes colors, and get a semi-flush mount black light fixture:

The guest room has been 100% repainted. It started white and I repainted it paper bag brown. Then I brought all but 1 wall back to white. I'm thinking about painting the ceiling a really light tiffany blue. But... Why mess with perfection!?

I'd love to refinish the floors in here, but that would require the whole first floor being done I think and I'm not ready for that. Otherwise it's good!

The kitchen was a yellow, peach, oaky wonderland too. The countertops were great, but that was all. There were cable wires coming out of the wall in the breakfast room, peel and stick tile falling off, no appliances, and beach vertical blinds.

I'm close to being ready to paint the off white tiles white and bring the cabinets along for the ride... Close. So far the cabinets have been repainted twice but the walls have stayed the same. Hardware has been added to the cabinets, the backsplash has been added with appliances and a pantry cabinet, and the cabinets have been moved over 2 inches.

This is the view with the newest light fixture. Perfect :)

Excuse the darkness... So much better than the vertical blinds!

This is why under the table is such a mess...

This has also seen no repaints, although the furniture in here has almost all been painted! The carpet was ripped up and blinds replaced.

My bedroom may be my second favorite transformation (my stairs are my favorite). It was so dark and dirty feeling.

Now it's so open and light! This has seen a complete repaint, and the floors have also been touched up. I bought a mirror and end table for the dormer, and made a new night stand. Otherwise, I owned everything in this room when I moved in.

The basement stairs have been repainted and I built a thin coat rack. This is one of my favorite spur-of the moment projects. It was done so quickly and was FREE!

I had to replace all of the thin, glass, basement windows with glass block when I moved in. I also had to add the railing in order to secure my home loan.

The basement is still in progress:

Eventually there may be a sectional down here and there will be a much larger TV.

I'll finally replace the contents of the frame with this Chicago drawing I've had my eye on for awhile. I repainted the accent wall down here and all of the squares. Otherwise, the rest of the basement is still the color I chose when I moved in.

I will be buying a black bookcase like the one under my TV for under the mirror to use as a bar/game storage area. I also am hoping to score a high top table I can paint black for on the rug. Until then I just do laundry and yoga down here.

Now the basement bathroom...

It's structurally better than when I moved in. The plumbing issues have been fixed but the tile still needs to be replaced and I really need to figure out what color I'd like to paint it and make it happen.

The outside... I love it so. This tree makes apples. The broken window has been replaced and the deck repainted.

The red deck is a little less red, the dead tree has been cut down, the screened porch is re-screened, and the hammock has a home!

It's been 3 years (sniff sniff) and I love it so :) Thanks for being with me every step of the way!