Junky Vagabond

Friday's Letters

2012-05-18T05:00:00.000-04:00

Here we are for another edition of Friday's Letters.

Thank you Gwen for introducing me to my favorite post because even if I'm knee-deep and weeks into a project, and don't have anything to show you, I can still post this.

Dear Scalp,

How about you start filling in some of that hair you've been losing, hmmm? No, really. Start now. Don't make me go all Rogaine on you.

Dear Hair,

I know the maternal side of the family goes gray early (like in our 20's), and you've been good for many years of 'just a few here and there' grays, but I feel the need to tell you that the lengths that you have gone to are a little extreme lately. (hair pun - har) Two weeks in between gray roots is not long enough; can we go back to colorings every 4 weeks minimum? It's getting a little expensive to still look like little ole brunette me.

This is just after a cut that's a graduated bob with sideswept bangs - flat ironing doesn't help with the thin look. After I style it myself, it'll be a little bouncier. I should probably think about coloring it soon too.

Dear Gray Paint,

ACK! 6 plus samples and still not the right shade. More being bought today. At this point, you might be out of contention as a color in my house. Every shade looks too blue, too purple, too green, too dark, too light, too brown. Something nefarious happens between the shade in the store to the shade in the can to the shade on my walls. I think I've tried most of the shades recommended as 'the perfect gray', and am giving a few more a try as a last ditch effort. On a positive note, I have tons of samples to make chalk paint with and with which to paint lots of projects. (Random grammar - my specialty.)

This pic is pretty true of the colors - all of these are 'gray' in some form or fashion. I'm thinking the one to the right of the three lightest ones is the one to beat. It was color matched to MS Stonington Gray. They all looked lighter in the can! The three on the far left all looked white when first painted on. I taped up the chips next to all of them just to see if the color was true, and it was. After seeing what they look like at night, I may just make a decision...probably.

Dear Self,

Please stop doubting yourself when it comes to your projects. You have style, you have taste, you have an eye for what works; if you continue to second-guess yourself, sh*t just won't get done! You go with your bad self! Ryan Gosling would most certainly agree.

Dear Thighs and Booty,

I was skeptical all this running was making a difference until I put on those jeans. Yes, 'those' jeans. Thanks for showing me it's all worth it!

Dear Scale,

I am no longer listening to you; ask Thighs and Booty why we're breaking up.

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

Good Times with Groovy Gals

2012-05-14T05:00:00.000-04:00

How much fun is it to meet people in real life that you've admired online? And no, I haven't started dating online...ewwww! Married 13 years, people! But I digress...

Will they be like they are in their posts? Does their blog 'voice' carry over? Will you like them as much as you did before you met them?

I met up with Gwen, Cassie, and Andi and yes to all three questions! They were even nicer and more fun than I had imagined!

Andi, Crazy Gwen, me, and Cassie

We went thrifting, and then on to lunch, and then there were gifts!!

Here's Gwen's adorable little change purse.

That girl has some mad sewing skillz. Check out her apron - awesome!! And if you like her blog design, she's now in the business of doing blog design for the rest of us! If you're contemplating a new design, or a move from Blogger to Wordpress - she's your girl.

Andi makes beautifully designed jewelry, brought some, and let us all pick our favorite; I chose this bird's nest ring.

Isn't it purdy? Check out the offerings in her shop, Natalily Designs...you won't be disappointed.

Cassie was the hostess with the mostess and shared her ~~hoard~~ garage full of projects with us. She found the most amazing pieces in the thrift shops while we were exercising our jaws :)

Cassie with her haul - groovy orange lamps (a pair!), a killer drum table, and a bamboo vanity chair. Sigh, she got the good stuff :)

Although, I did manage to finagle the manager into selling me this:

It was a little table that they put a tv on for the kids in the shop. I inquired if it was for sale and was told it was for the tv...to which I asked if they could use another table? The manager switched it out and priced it right then and there. Never hurts to ask. And now I have a fabulous little table with tapered, brass tipped legs to make over! (if anyone recognized this brand, let me know please - no markings other than a number - thx!)

Now for my gift to them - my fav little woodworking project - totes. Using some of the scrap wood that

~~I bought too much of for another project~~ was laying around, three little totes were made.

5 pieces per tote (plus the bottom) - easy! The hole was easy with a forstner bit - I highly recommend this drill bit if you work with wood.

They were painted in my breakfast room color

They needed to be glazed and waxed, but were still missing something...like a chalkboard label. So ~~being cheap~~ always wanting to repurpose, a 5-gal paint stick got two quick chops

A little chalkboard paint, and some felt on the bottom and voila!

Uber-cute divided totes! Humble, no? ;)

If there's ever a chance to meet your fellow bloggers in person, make it happen. Not everyone understands this crazy ~~obsession~~ hobby, and when you find another person who does, it's like magic.

Happy Anniversary To Me and My Husband

2012-05-10T11:10:00.000-04:00

Today is a special day for me.

13 years ago, I married my husband.

On a beach in St. Thomas.

In a wedding that was just us, the JOP, and a lizard, and he planned the entire thing (my husband, not the lizard).

I knew nothing; not the location, not the date, not the honeymoon plans. The only thing he would tell me is that my dress should be geared towards warm weather.

On that bright sunny day, we were happy.

The cruise around the Caribbean was the best vacation ever - sightseeing, scuba diving, and well...honeymooning.

This was my formal half-head cornrow look - hey, when in Rome (or the Caribbean) right?

Today, we are very happy.

In the years between, there have been some ups and downs, some twists and turns, but we've always managed to come back stronger than ever.

To my husband, all my love TTA

Friday's Letters; The Running Edition

2012-05-04T05:00:00.000-04:00

My new favorite blog post to write is Friday's Letters. I get to jot down random thoughts and rants about anything and everything that pops into my head and it's so much fun to write.

Today it's the Running Edition. I composed the following letters while on a 5 mile run on this lovely trail near my house:

Dear Bikers on Trail,

Just in case no one has ever told you the etiquette when sharing a path with other bikers and runners; please pass on the left but more importantly, please, please, please tell the person in front of you that you are passing. You might want to say it loudly enough to be heard, and give the passee enough time to process it, when you're about 15-20 feet away.

Said in a different way: W.T.F? Did you just whisper 'on your left' 2 seconds before you were on me? Scaring the bejeezus out of me?? My heart rate didn't need to jump 50 beats in 2 seconds. I don't know about you, but when I'm running (or what passes as running for me)... I am probably zoned out and thinking of anything but what's going on around me. I can't be held responsible if I suddenly veer into your path, taking you out because you thought I was paying attention to what was behind me. Rant over. Here's a funny to lighten the mood:

What I strive for on each run:

This is probably more true to life:

Dear Kids,

If you think you won't ever use math again in your life, think again. If you ever want to build something, you'll need math. If you ever want to distract yourself (from the awfulness that is running) with figuring out your mph on a run, you'll need math. And you'll want to distract yourself. Trust me on this one.

Dear Universe,

Have you ever heard the saying 'Be Careful What You Wish For', and it's variant, 'I wished for XYZ, and I should've been more specific'? Well, this should be tattooed on me so I don't forget it. I wished for a more temperate climate, and got it, but also got HILLS! Good grief, Maryland is hilly. So, it's nice enough earlier in the season to get outside and exercise, but the hills are going to kill me.

Dear Self,

You know better than to even think of patting yourself on the back. You know what happens when you do. Something goes wrong. And you have to redo it. And it might have involved math…calculated incorrectly. (Pay attention Kids.) This has nothing to do with running, unless you consider that maybe I was unable to do the math because I was dehydrated from running?

I swear I measured. Math. Sigh. In case you're wondering - the top should overhang, not underhang.

Dear Joints,

Thank you for your continued support; we're almost there. I will keep my promise to stop running if you can just do this last little race with me. However, I need to pull Calves into this discussion. Calves, you've been my best muscle group ever. No matter what I throw at you, you've taken it in stride. Until now. Now you decide to seize on me while running. C'mon now! We've done this before; we can do it again. And you do not get a reprieve after this half marathon - you'll continue to be pressed into service, so do what you need to do but don't think I won't put you in a weight machine and work you just as hard as running hills does; maybe even harder because I'm feeling a little vengeful.

Dear GPS Watch,

Why is it that I go out 2.5 miles, turn around and it takes longer to make it 2.5 miles on the way back? On the same route in reverse? When I calculated it perfectly to avoid that hill at the end?? This isn't even me doing the calculations; it's a satellite watch! It should be correct. Sigh.

And there you have it. Hope I've made you laugh a little :)

Linking up here:

Little Update on the Breakfast Room

2012-05-02T05:00:00.000-04:00

Since I've kept you waiting for so long, I'm starting to feel a little guilty about not having the BIG reveal yet. The breakfast room remodel is going in a stop-and-go fashion, mostly because I'm being a bit lazy about finishing it.

Doesn't this look like fun?

Switched out all the ugly old outlets, switches, and plates. Only had a few sparks along the way and so far, haven't burned down the house.

*If you're at all nervous about electricity - let a professional do it!*

But that's not what we're here for, is it? I'll show you a bit of what's going on.

First, I teased you with this:

That's the color on the walls, but this post is about the latest in my plethora of decisions necessary in this room makeover: curtains! My nemesis.

They are the hardest to find in that it's almost impossible to find just what I have in my head, they are difficult to put up, they're never the right length, not to mention the expense...it just seems like I can't get my head around the whole idea.

These are the inspiration curtains I found at Pier One:

Just love this fabric...so much so, they are being tried out in the breakfast room.

But first, I needed a super long curtain rod. 9 ft to be exact. That's an expensive rod, so I had the bright idea of finding a better, cheaper way online. Over at House of Hepworths, she had electrical conduit spray painted black - and it was only $2 for 10 ft! Perfect! Well, I spray painted the conduit black (primed first) and installed them on my super big bow window:

Notice anything wrong with this? 10 feet is too short. Wanh, wannhhh.

Another light bulb moment was that I could extend the rod with additions to the ends, but was having doubts about the permanence of the spray painting and sliding rings and general red-necky-ness of the additions. So yet another light bulb moment was to try plastic rings (from Ikea) to not scrape the paint off.

Well, off to Ikea I go and what do I find there? $9 extendable curtain rods that are already black. Sold! And the plastic rings work perfectly too, so the conduit goes into the garage for another project.

Now we can get to the curtains:

Bad picture, but on one side are the inspiration curtains, and on the other are white ones from Ikea. (The white sheers on the traverse rod will be leaving, as will the light fixture and flooring.) I picked up some glass finials too, but they don't really show up like I had hoped:

And the finials that came with the rod seem too small:

So you see a little of the conundrum I'm having. The white curtains are boring, but I'm leaning toward them...with some embellishments. The inspiration fabric will stay in the living room, even though they look great against the color in the breakfast room.

What do you think so far?

I'm busy making a humongo project for one corner of this room...this one will take me a minute. I'll try to show you some other updates as it goes along.

Letters on Friday

2012-04-27T05:00:00.000-04:00

It's Friday's Letters, where I get to ramble a little. No pictures, no projects, just some random thoughts going through my head on a Friday. Enjoy!

Dear Home Depot,

How I love shopping with you at 7:00 in the morning and this is from a non-morning person. It's so lovely to walk down the aisles and not be jostled by other shoppers, and not have to dodge all the humongous lumber carts. It's especially nice to be able to find an employee whenever needed. Thank you for opening early.

Dear Computer,

I may have to spend less time with you. When I spend less time in virtual life, more things get done in real life. Please don't be upset with me but sh*t needs to get done.

Dear New House,

I promise to bring you into this century, but you must be patient with me. There's only one of me and you have 40+ years of fuuuuugly to repair. Plus like Computer, there is more to my life than your demands on my time...or there should be.

Dear Me,

You do not have to fix everything right. this. second. As mentioned to New House, it took over 40 years to get in this predicament, and being overwhelmed by the sheer number of projects is not going to get anything done sooner. Plus, you will enjoy the process much more if you take one project at a time.

Dear Trail Marker,

On a 5 mile run, on the second to last mile, would you be so kind as to not provide a helpful mile marker stating, "Mill Road 1 Mile" and then at the next mile marker state, "Mill Road 1 Mile" Huh? Was I running parallel to the road?? Dang, that's just cruel.

Dear Joints,

(I'm talking to you, Knees and Left Ankle so listen up)

I promise to stop running just as soon as you get me through the half marathon in May. You have been very good to me for the past 48 years, and will be rewarded by a switch to only walking/hiking, and cycling, if you can just hold out a little longer. Would you mind if I added a little strength training in the mix too? kthx.

Linking up here:

The Cupboards are Bare(ish)

2012-04-24T05:00:00.000-04:00

Do you mind if I stall a bit? Not quite ready to do a full reveal as there are about a gazillion things left to do before it's finished, but I can show you one thing that's done.

I had just finished putting the second coat of paint on the walls, and had thrown away everything, cleaned up, and put everything away. Then opened my pantry door and BAM! forgot about painting/fixing this:

Yuk, right? I was thrilled to have a real pantry in the new house, but the shelves were too shallow, and covered in contact paper. We wiped everything down before we moved in, but um...

...don't judge. We moved from one state, sold that house, and bought and moved into a new one all within 30 days. I guess I overlooked how gross the pantry really was. I don't even want to acknowledge the smeary brown sludge on the bottom there. *shudder*

Buh, bye shelves. You will be fine in the garage...under oil cans...and loaded up with paint cans.

The shelf supports are wide enough and the pantry is deep enough to handle a 14" shelf. Could I find a 14" shelf? Nooooo, but I did find 7 3/8" shelves which did just fine after doubling them up. After a complete scrub with TSP, and a coat of white, here is my 'new' non-gross pantry:

Yes, I've cropped these photos down to avoid showing you any more than necessary :)

It's amazing how much more room there is with a deeper shelf! Better get to the grocery store to fill up the cupboards again. All healthy, organic food of course :)

No More Birch Trees...Inside Anyway

2012-04-23T05:00:00.003-04:00

Ok, I was punking you with my last post; I felt like being a little silly and thought I'd give you a progress update while letting on that it was the finished look.

Almost no one fell for it; except maybe one person who shall remain anonymous, but the comments were hilarious :) I don't think I'll be starting any trends or receiving any calls from Cutting Edge anytime soon.

This was the second round of priming, as the first round was with Kilz, but not the uber-smelly stain-fighting kind and it ended up brownish. Since when did Kilz branch out and make a paint that isn't what Kilz stands for - stain/smell blocking?? Shame on me for not reading the label, but dang isn't that what that brand is all about? Moving on...

I did not want that brown bleeding through the final color, so off to the paint store for the industrial strength stuff. My house still smells of it, but with this topcoat, it's definitely better.

Here's a peek at what's to come...can't show you all of it as there is a ton left to do.

At this moment, I've got three outlets that mysteriously quit working. There are curtains, shoe cubbies, and other assorted projects to be done, so I may have to leave you hanging on the reveal for awhile.

Wish me luck; and pray to the electricity gods that I figure out those plugs!

A Whole New Look

2012-04-20T05:00:00.004-04:00

Paint! It's a wonderful thing, isn't it? My breakfast room is paneled and I've transformed it with you guessed it - paint!

Ugh. But the good thing is that I like the look of painted paneling, if not the actual process of it. As I was doing the prep work, I stepped back and decided it was actually kind of like a log cabin but vertical. We have a historical log cabin on my trail run, and it really has that look.

The more I looked at it, the more I liked it! It's not everyone's cup of tea, but as bloggers we need to keep coming up with new and different things, right? Well, here is the first look at my 'log-cabin-chic' style:

More photos in the next few days. With this new look, the light which was awful before now makes sense. Plus the black and white floor adds a certain eccentricity.

What do you think? Think I might start a trend??

Finally, Motivation and Inspiration!

2012-04-18T11:16:00.000-04:00

Ok, I know my little blog has been neglected lately but it was either neglect my Junky Vagabond life or neglect my new life in my new home. Well, you know what happened...if you're still checking to see if there have been any updates in the last millenium that is.

So now that things like drivers licenses have been updated, addresses have been changed, utilities are on - I can focus on decorating the house. Right? Turns out that's not exactly the case...

If you've seen my videos showing you what a project this house is, you'll understand how overwhelming this is. At least it is for me - the decisions! So I went to Chicago to help my sister make some home deco decisions instead :)

Working with someone else's home deco (and $) just seems to work for my motivation; we figured out a new couch, new paint for her living/dining room, new carpet, and narrowed down her kitchen cabinet color...in one day!

Coming home, I was motivated to do something and after a morning shopping, here's what I found:

Isn't this curtain panel gorgeous? (Rhetorical) It almost didn't come home with me, but I figured it could always be returned. The inspiration fabric has the aqua and green colors that I was looking for, but also bits of yellow, which I wasn't. It may require me to change the dining room color up a bit...but that's another post for another day... I tacked it up on my wall and fell in love. The fabric lights up the living room, and makes it interesting. I'm so glad I took the chance on it!

I just love the retro fabric and the colors work so well with my green leather chairs:

There's even paint on the walls...even if it's only samples. I think the lighter one is going to be the one, but I need to see it in night light as well as day time. The darker one is a bit too blue and isn't as sophisticated...and if Ah cain't be so-fis-ti-kated in real life, my walls sure can be.

Curtains are always the hardest decision for me and now that these are perfect, I can move forward...unless my husband hates them...oh heck. I'll keep you posted.

Christmas in April!

2012-04-11T09:40:00.000-04:00

Who doesn't love getting presents? Well, when my good bloggy friend (and soon to be IRL friend!) Gwen of The Bold Abode fame said she was giving me a present...well it was just about the nicest thing ever.

Gwen and I have been chatting about our blogs, our lives, the challenges of balancing both, and all the good things that have come since we've started blogging. She got involved in a pay-it-forward gift giving party, and chose little ole me to receive her gift!

Well, I'm knee-deep in rehabbing our recently moved-into house so I wasn't up to sleeping on the porch while waiting for her package...which she did when waiting for her package. She's kinda nutty that way.

I waited while she assured me she was working on it...and working on it...

Finally! The day arrived and my new gift was in my hot little hands!!

random glove added for privacy reasons :)

Unwrapping the gift and what do I see but complete awesomeness! Gwen knew I was working on a paisley project and thoughtfully wrapped my present in pretty paper.

Not only did I get a thank you note, a cute Bold Abode orange daisy clip, music mixes direct from Gwen and Cassie at Primitive and Proper, but a completely amazing bedazzled measuring tape...which will get used in my ~~woodworking shop~~ corner of the garage.

Sooo cute!!

But that's not all! The main gift is a beautiful wooden box, painted out in a lovely shade of teal, bordered with glitter, and stenciled with lyrics from a song.

The sentiment describes what we, and a lot of bloggers out there, are trying to accomplish as women, mothers, and wives...

..."Remind me that I'm older...to be brave, smart, sweet, and BOLDER...and don't give up on what we're trying to do..."

For now, this sits on my tv stand, right where I can see it.

Thank you so much Gwen for giving me this amazing present when I least expected it! It truly was like my birthday or Christmas :) Now, I have to go work on something worthy of this exercise...who will I give a special Junky Vagabond gift to? Who knows dear readers, it just might be you!

Suffering in the Name of Beauty

2012-03-30T08:58:00.000-04:00

As I work on things in the house, I often think to myself, 'gloves would be a good idea...' but never take the time to actually go get them, continuing on with the project at hand.

It's hard to see, but the base of my ring finger is a little swollen and bruised from repeatedly banging it taking out these suckers:

The tack strips were keeping this tacky carpet down:

lovely mint green stairs

Smokey likes smelly, yukky stuff

However, a swollen and bruised hand is all worth it when you pull up carpet and find this underneath!

Pay no attention to the orange plush carpeting at the base of the stairs...

I was very surprised when they turned out to be oak instead of plywood! The stairs are so pretty and in such good shape that it'd be a shame to cover them up...so they stay naked.

We may put a runner on them eventually, and I know there's a ton of paint makeovers out there, but we like them just like they are...for now.

Putting Out Fires

2012-03-26T05:00:00.001-04:00

Sigh.

All the plans, big and small, are on hold while things like toilets and chimneys get fixed. Having a working chimney that isn't crumbling seemed more important than paint colors.

I would like to say my dresser makeover is done, but raking the yard and picking up downed tree limbs and sticks took precedence. Being able to mow the lawn (or have someone else do it) seemed more important than hitting a thrift shop.

Funny how things like a remodeling schedule get thrown out the window when you realize nicotine stains are on all the surfaces in the house...

...but getting to see the Cherry Blossoms on a gorgeous sunny day and spending time with the one you love is more important than anything in the world.

The house isn't going anywhere...

Let's Do The Time Warp

2012-03-20T05:00:00.001-04:00

Another thing on my wish list was a ranch with a walkout basement. Check. Just keep repeating 'Potential...Potential...'

The carpet is orange and plush. The brick fireplace with brass doors is so...yeah. But I've been madly pinning ideas that don't necessarily involve painting it white. Again, super-secret until it gets done. And have you gotten the idea that I LUV that bar? Yep, it's like the elephant in the room but it's too cool to trash. Can you see everyone gathered round while signature drinks are being made? I can :)

The rest of the lower level is only being taped cuz it's a House Tour, and them rooms is part of da house. Kinda like having a kitchen only because it comes with the house.

There you have it! My super-60s, retro-fab, untouched-until-now house. No awful granite to tear out, no funny floor plan 'fixes' to rework, no sloppily painted surfaces to sand down, and lots and lots of projects for moi.

Thanks for tuning in!

Ready for Yellow and Aqua?

2012-03-18T05:00:00.002-04:00

Ready? Ok, you were warned! The yellow and aqua projects probably aren't what you're thinking...they are the colors of my 60s-tastic bathrooms. Oh yes, they're something all right...but first I'll ease you into it by showing you the offices.

My hubs is going to be working from home and wants a 'cool' office. He hasn't exactly defined 'cool', but that's not quite what's happening in here right now:

He does have my cool vintage desk that I painted in Graphite, so he has a start to a pimpin' office :) I'm in a MCM (Mid-Century Modern) mood - think Don Draper of Mad Men...I'll wait for ya... ok? you're back?

Every suggestion I come up with is met with a 'nah'. He even thought the lemony yellow on the walls was ok...um, no just no. The wheels are turning and he'll love what I come up with...he always does :)

Next to what will be Don Draper's office is Fred Sanford's junkyard, also known as Junky Vagabond central. Go ahead and watch the video. Imma go get a drink to hide my shame.

I'm a hoarder. After packing and unpacking this space, it's time to admit it. All this stuff that fills this office is either going to get sold in the shop or made into decor for this house. I swear it (my hubs will be happy to hear that!)

Now for a little breathing room; the Guest Room. Just imagine it without the empty boxes. Are you catching all these curtains in the house? They were made by the original owner...50 years ago I'm sure. They might actually be worth something as they're now 'vintage'...unfortunately, not all of them are cool vintage. Some are just 'oh no you di-n't' vintage.

I don't really think anything but a splash of paint and new window treatments are needed in the Guest Room; it already has new bedding and cool furniture. Whew! One room will be easy!

Watch this and tell me you don't want one:

Isn't that the coolest?? It almost works as we can sometimes get something out of it, but the wiring is old. We'll weigh fixing it with how much it will probably cost. Love it though.

Ok, are you ready? Go get your sunglasses...

There are no words, are there? The counters are truly hideous, and yellow is fine...in small doses. And not in a toilet. Or any other bath fixture.

Moving on. The Master Bedroom, which earns this designation due to the fact that it has an en suite. Sorta. You'll see.

It's big, it fits a king-sized bed, it has double closets, two windows, and has it's own bath. That's what I wished for, but seriously! I should've specified a bathroom that you could turn around in :) I'm kinda digging the aqua fixtures, but not the vanity or that hideous cultured marble top. Got some ideas, but I'm keeping them super secret until the reveal. Not a peep until then.

That's the entire first floor - I'm so excited about the potential in this house! Stay tuned for the lower level!

First Impressions and More

2012-03-16T05:00:00.012-04:00

Here we are, continuing on with the House Tour; I hope you're enjoying this peek into my new home!

First up is the Breakfast Room (and I have no idea if this is what it should be called, but the realtor said it and the name stuck):

Pay no mind to the miscellaneous everything in the house from the boxes, to the cat bed, to the various stuff stuck on random nails left on the walls. These videos were shot a week after moving in and my only goal was to show you the worst Before pictures possible to make the Afters that much more impressive :)

My kitchen has so much potential...take a look and tell me what you think:

The cabinets are in such good shape; it's like no one ever used them! No gunky gunk around the pulls, no broken hinges, no paint has touched these puppies since 1966. Even though I don't foresee keeping them in their current placement, they will stay somewhere in the house (think garage or workshop). The work triangle is terrible and it's all closed off - all I want to do is knock down a wall (or two) and open it up!

Keep turning right and you'll come to the Dining Room:

Having a dedicated dining room seems a little silly for two people who either eat out or eat on the couch, but hey, it came with the house :) I think that window will transform into a set of french doors onto a deck, just don't know when that little luxury will happen.

Coming around from the dining room, completing the circle, this is what one sees from our front door; our Living Room:

This furniture is from our old family room, which is currently swathed in a sea of orange carpeting...don't worry, you'll be seeing that in all its glory soon! The room is going to be challenging in furniture placement - I'll need some help if anyone wants to give me some constructive advice. With all the doors and windows and pathways, I'm stuck.

More videos to come; next up are the rooms that time has passed by, also known as the baths and bedrooms!

2012-03-15T10:47:00.000-04:00

The videos are done! The videos are done!

You have no idea how much time these took; between figuring out how to work the camera, where to look, to how strange I sound/look on camera :) After a lot (and I mean A LOT) of retakes, here are the first few videos of my House Tour - The Intro and The Foyer. (If I capitalize them, doesn't it make them more important? *grin*)

(now that's a great look, isn't it?)

Yes, I said 'giving you a tour of the tour in Maryland' but by the time I realized it, my makeup was off and reshooting wasn't in the cards. And to add something to my perfectly scripted monologue (yeah, right!), selling the house quickly was a result of staging AND pricing it for the market. I talk about that in my post about Moving. Just to make sure that clarification was in here somewhere.

On to the Foyer which is an exciting room to have, coming from a house that opened right into the living room:

The sidelights are classy, no? The deadbolt is the older deathtrap kind - you need the key to unlock it - so while I love the vintage look of it, we may value our lives a bit more :)

What about those closet doors? The doors in the house are all like this - original and never painted, and all the closets have that no-mans-land up top that is impossible to get to, but is a LOT of space. Anyone dealt with those before? What did you do??

So what do you think? Keep the videos coming? I'll understand if you hate my videography, but everyone has to start somewhere, right? My thought is to show you the 'Before' videos now, and add the 'After' as we go, then have a sidebar section for the House Tour. That's the plan, Stan.

Thanks for stopping by!!

Some Thoughts on the New House and New Goals...

2012-03-14T05:00:00.001-04:00

As I sit here after another day of figuring out how this house is going to work for us, I'm trying to get some perspective on this move. We moved in record time - drove from Michigan to Maryland and exactly 30 days later closed on a house (click on the link to see pictures).

The house is a fixer and that's exciting...but a little frustrating too in that I keep finding things that don't work, or maintenance that was neglected over the years. Or finding some windows that were painted shut. That's not so exciting. Part of the problem is that we couldn't do things like paint or refinish the floors before we moved in due to the speed of it all. I guess I just want things done quickly and have to stop only looking towards the end product and start relishing the journey :) There, I've just talked myself out of my funk.

Goals for the house? Um...bring it into this century. It's 1966 all the way and just about anything we do to it is going to help. However, I really believe you need to live in a house for awhile before ripping it apart. As we live in it, the flow of the house and its function will show itself.

My first thoughts are to open up the kitchen:

It doesn't have any natural light, but if we open up that wall straight ahead, the dining room has a great window in it.

We do know one of the first things we absolutely have to do is replace this carpet:

It's pretty horrid, isn't it? Plus all the paneling in the family room, and in the breakfast room...

...and that black and white linoleum. I tried to clean it, but it's completely yellowed and scratched up...got to go.

What I really need to do is sit back and look at all the fantastic potential in this place and take it slow as we rehab the tired old bones of this house!

Stick around for all the fun, and feel free to chime in with ideas any time!

First Look at the New House!!

2012-03-13T10:48:00.000-04:00

Ok, here we go! We closed on the new house on March 2nd and I've been up to my eyeballs in boxes and trying to find stuff - if you've ever moved, you can relate, right?

I have grand plans to post a video house tour, but am having a little trouble with it so I'm going to update you in pictures...cuz Gwen at The Bold Abode told me an update was in order and I listen to Gwen :)

Without further ado, my new house:

Our New House!!

We have an actual foyer :)

living room - check out those curtains

dine in kitchen/breakfast room

old, old, old

before in the extreme, but the cabinets are in great shape

My husband is in constant motion - LOL!

dining room

Hubby's office

Junky's office (help!)

guest bedroom (slash kitty bathroom...jk - we moved that to the basement)

yello-tastic main bath

See what I mean?!

yep, that's right folks...I didn't make my bed and my cat likes it that way

double closets and the world's smallest master bath...with turquoise fixtures

brick fireplace wall - big plans

Moving in :)

So there you have it - a first look at my Project House with capital letters. Working on the video today...wish me luck! (and thanks for sticking with me)

Waiting, Waiting, Waiting...

2012-02-13T04:00:00.002-05:00

There was so much activity last week, and now we wait; we wait for home inspections, loan approvals, negotiations to play out. This is the non-fun part of buying/selling a house.

The home we're selling passed the home inspection with flying colors and I wish the same could be said of the home we're buying. There's a possibility there is asbestos and we have to wait for that to be tested before we can approve the home inspection.

Here's to hoping the buyers of our house have a solid loan in place; here's to hoping that stuff wrapping the heating ducts in the basement of our new house isn't asbestos and if it is, it's not too expensive to remove.

All my things are in storage and I'm waiting to get my hands on something, anything, to get creative with...waiting is always the hardest part of anything, isn't it?

OMG! Moving Part Three

2012-02-07T15:22:00.000-05:00

Today is Tuesday. This time last week, we were on a two hours into a ten hour drive to our new state of Maryland.

In those seven days, we have received 6 offers on our house in Michigan and have just received word that our offer was accepted on a home here in Maryland. I'm in shock. There's a weird calm about me right now. I'm betting this won't last and I'll spontaneously break out in a spazzy dance.

We have to pass inspections on both ends, but it looks like we're well on the way to being buyers and sellers all in the same week! Woo Hoo!!!

How did the house generate that much interest and over-list offers? These are some basic principles that everyone can use to help sell a house (pictures are from my awesome Realtor - Stacy Miletti of Real Estate One in Troy):

1) Declutter
2) De-personalize
3) Clean
4) Here's one especially for this market; listen to your real estate agent about realistic pricing

Living Room Before:

We angled two chairs into a large tv as that is how we live...

..but it does nothing for the flow of the room and cuts it off.

Living Room After:

In the after pictures, you can see I took out the large tv and added a loveseat (part of the sectional from the basement). This created a more open space and a conversation area, without blocking the bay window. I also moved one shelving unit to another wall.

Kitchen Before:

This is unfortunately what our counters looked like most days...can't use the excuse of 'we were moving'!

Kitchen After:

The main difference is take away ALL clutter. Pack up any non-essential cooking items. No one cares if you have the latest Keurig coffee maker, or you make floral arrangements, or your little one's artwork. Pack it away for your next home; not everyone has your taste :) Take everything off the refrigerator and leave your counters clear and open.

Bar Before:

Lots of personal photos, and misc. bar items

Bar After:

All personal items gone and same clear counters as in kitchen

Basement Family Room Before:

Can you tell we like to watch tv? Half this sofa went upstairs...

Basement Family Room After:

Taking away the return opens up the whole space.

This is actually the Master Bedroom After, but all I did was take the bed and angle it, and put the storage bench over on the wall. It didn't fit at the end of the bed anymore, but I liked the way the angle looks, and it opened up a built in bookcase blocked by the bed before. Not much else changed up here.

I'll have pictures of the other two bedrooms when I get back to Michigan; they were cleared of everything but a desk in each, and yes, my Gator office was neutralized with beige paint :)

And in this market, the realtor knows what the price should be. Not what you paid for it. Not what you think you should get. What someone will be willing to pay for it. That's the hard truth. We took a hit, but it's SOLD...in 6 days. That's realistic.

In a nutshell, the home you love and have decorated to your personal taste is now a house that you'd like to sell. In order for that to happen, you have to take 'you' out of the house.

Not everyone likes faux painted walls, huge ficus trees, or aquariums. Those are your tastes...and just might turn off a potential buyer. Think hotel room. Think model home. Both of these are spaces people can walk into and start to envision themselves putting their things into the rooms.

You have to pack anyway, start with your 'stuff'. You saw my pod...it was filled with random junk from my business, personal items, and extra furniture.

And after you've made your home model-home-worthy, clean that sucker! If the home is dirty, or if little things aren't fixed (like a broken light or switchplate), it makes a buyer wonder what bigger things might not be taken care of. It can be done in this market; it takes some hard work and detaching yourself from this house and looking forward...to your new home.

As for the home here...we were in serious sticker shock arriving here from the SE Michigan area. The home we chose has TONS of potential. Yep, that means it's kind of a wreck now :) Livable...if you're from the 1960's :)

Here's a little sneak peek of my (hopefully) new home:

Check out that floor! And the paneling!!

The realtor thought I was crazy, but that bar is so retro-cool! Can you see it? We actually wrote that bar and the three stools into the contract...no one was taking any of that from me :)

Obviously, there is going to be a lot of work to make this house uniquely ours (and bring it into this century), but it has good 'bones'.

Looks like this blog is going to take a little turn into 'Rehabbing a 60's Era House Into a Modern Home' :)

Whew! What a Whirlwind!

2012-02-05T04:00:00.001-05:00

Wondering where I've been? Well, it's not been in Michigan for the last 5 days...we drove out to Maryland last Tuesday with two doped-up cats, one fully-packed truck, two bikes on the bike carrier, and a lot of hopes for an easy transition.

Before heading out, we were packing a Pod, having the carpets cleaned, a room painted, closet doors hung, packing last minute items, and doing a ton of last minute errands.

This was a life-saver:

The snow melted by packing day, but just as we got going, it started up again:

Needed to shovel a path at this point - it's about 6:30 a.m.

I think we even shoved a few more things in here after this pic was taken...

And this is the stuff that didn't need to be in the house to show it - mostly personal items, clutter, and a lot of my 'junk' ;) It's important to show a house like a model home - something that looks like a buyer could move their stuff in and live in it right away.

We were packing right up until noon on Tuesday and we had to get on the road...so I didn't have time to take the staged pictures - SORRY!! I'll have them when I head back home...soon...and I may even have some news to share with you!

Keep your fingers crossed that my house sells and we can find one in Maryland quickly!

Wordless Wednesday - Moving, Part Two

2012-01-27T08:58:00.000-05:00

Delayed Gratification

2012-01-26T04:00:00.008-05:00

My middle name is not Patience. Nor is it Self-Control, or Forbearance. Imagine my chagrin when this came right in the middle of our moving saga:

You wanna know what's in that box?

It's the Holy Grail for some crafters...

Via

The Silhouette Cameo, a die-cutting machine that cuts designs from paper, vinyl, and fabric. Here are some examples of what it can do, all from the Silhouette site. It does fabric, glass etching, scrapbook pages, temporary tattoos, and vinyl decals. Can you hear the angels singing?

Via

Yep, I won this in a giveaway from Amy of The Idea Room! Thanks Amy - winning was quite a surprise.

I won it back in November, but it came while I was in Florida, basking in the warm sunshine of the Sunshine State. This is so exciting...especially since I only entered that one giveaway and figured I would never win it. I even bought one on Black Friday (since winning one was a long shot anyway). The ordered one was on backorder and came about two weeks ago...

...so now there are two in the house. And we're in the middle of moving. And my office is packed up and looks like this:

Yes, this is getting painted before putting it on the market; not everyone likes Gator colors :)

I'm going to sell one of these for what I paid for it - $230 plus shipping. If you'd like it, just send me an email and we'll work it out.

As for my own Cameo, it'll stay in the box and will have to wait to be played with until we land somewhere...can you imagine anything more agonizing??

The Process of Moving, Part 1

2012-01-25T10:13:00.000-05:00

We're moving. It's really happening. I'm surrounded by boxes filled with the 'stuff' of living and am still coming to grips that Michigan, my home since six years old...home for 42 years...a Michigander for over 4 decades...will no longer be my home. *big sigh*

Since we got the news, I've been busy, busy, busy with packing and making arrangements. Of course, there was a side trip last week to Florida, but it's back to reality now :)

Ever face a move and realize there's going to be a lot of boxes in the immediate future? Take a look at this:

After three full days of packing, it now looks a little more like this:

There's still some work to do in there, but I'm running out of room for boxes. The storage unit is to be delivered tomorrow morning, which will help with the overcrowding going on.

Here are the 'befores' of my living room:

dirty dishes and all - June Cleaver I'm not

Yes, it's a strange arrangement but this arrangement works for us. The room is basically just a tiny rectangle with a walkway through it. All my neighbors with this same floorplan have issues with where to orient furniture and tv. That's where staging will come in handy. I've got some plans to fix the layout, but right now it looks like this:

there's a story behind one of these boxes...but that's for another day

It's like an episode of Hoarders! *bigger sigh* More to come on the other rooms and on the staging...