Fire Pit

Fall is here and so is our new fire pit! This past weekend, Daniel & I built our very own, and we love it! It really wasn't that complicated, and it definitely adds something to our yard. Here is the process...

We basically just went off the natural slope in our yard and stacked stones (from Lowe's) to make a wall

Then we just dug a hole in the ground to start our fire pit

Then we just shoveled over some dirt from the slope to level it out (we had to add a little top soil to help with that as well). We also added pea gravel for aesthetics

We used a smaller stone to line the pit

And voila!!

Now we just need some seating and it is complete! Party at our house!

Also, this may have happened the night we built it :) We, along with our neighbors, really love Friends, so this was a must to create a great evening...

Rustic Kitchen Floor

The kitchen floors are done! We found these amazing brick pavers, which is what we knew we wanted, and we are so happy with the end result.

Can't believe I forgot a "before" picture....but you can sort of see the linoleum floor in this picture

Our friend Alex (left) came over to help us take up the old floor and lay the pavers. We are so grateful for his help!

In process....

Before we spread the grout

Spreading the grout and wiping off the haze....

And AFTER!! It's so rustic, I love it

One more for Pinterest

I just recently jumped on this bandwagon, but I'm loving Pinterest! I follow my fair share of blogs, but this is a pretty easy and fun way to get quick inspiration for ANYTHING!

I'm slowly building my boards, but I've really had fun looking at other peoples'. I usually just end up repinning others' pictures that I like.

If you haven't seen it, you should! Join me!

Hardwoods!

Yes, it happened, we got hardwoods! You have probably seen me direct your eye away from our nasty linoleum floors that were in our breakfast nook, but they're gone now! Hallelujah. AND this weekend we are installing a brick floor in our kitchen - I'm so excited I can't stand it.

We just got a medium-dark interlocking laminate floor that should hold up great (and it was nicer on the wallet :) ). We are very pleased with the end result...although it was not too fun getting there at times.


Original floors in the entryway (they were all termite eaten and also wouldn't match what we chose):

Putting in the new ones:

Finished product!

Be still my heart.

Erasing Hell

Incredible.

Palette Shelf - Complete!

Remember this? It is complete! This was my inspiration:

Then I made it my own:

For us, this project cost about $4 - boom!!

We got the palette from my husband's work warehouse - FREE
The old tools were given to us by my husband's grandfather - FREE (and awesome)
We had the mason jars around the house - FREE
I just got the plates from a thrift store - $4 for both

Please excuse the hideous light fixture...it's on our list of things to replace

Neutrals

If any of you have seen my house (or my wardrobe) you know that I love neutrals. Beige, gray, white...love them.

I think the reason I love this palette so much is because it's like a blank canvas. If I start with neutrals, I can bring in whatever splashes of color I want. Not to mention, they almost always go together, so that's easy.

I also just love how airy whites feel. I am a fan of the farmhouse look, and whites play a big part in that.

Here are a few images I found that I LOVE

Bathroom Redo

Well I haven't gotten around to making the palette shelf yet, but we DID redo our bathroom! Before, it just had beige walls, nothing special. But NOW we added some color (which is big for me because I'm a major neutrals girl) and some siding, and it looks great. We still want to do something to the floors, but that will come later.

The color we chose is a dull country blue, which really does give it some brightness, but it's not over the top

Valspar Powder Blue - Satin Finish

In progress:

And the finished product!

Junk is a Treasure

I saw this on a blog the other day and LOVED the idea, so I'm going to do it! You know that anything rustic/junky makes me drool, and I have just the place for it

Daniel brought home the palette we're going to adjust, so it's just a matter of doing it! Final product to come....

(Unknown source)

Tall Paint

If there was an appropriate place for this in my house, I would do it!!

Passion 2011 Fort Worth!

If you know of any college-aged students that missed Passion 2011 Atlanta, tell them to go to Passion 2011 Fort Worth! It's in a few weeks April 1-3, and there are still plenty of spots left.

There is room for you, too, though! If you want to volunteer, it is an AMAZING experience and you won't want to miss it. Click here for details

Also, be sure to check out Do Something Now. Together we are a force for good

DIY Chandelier

Our Saturdays have quickly become "Project Saturdays", and we love it! Am I glad I married a handy husband, or what??

A couple weeks ago I saw a DIY project that was inspired by the below Pottery Barn chandelier. Amazing and right up by style alley! I love anything rustic so this made me drool.

So Daniel and I made our own! Here are pictures of a few stages:

Daniel did all the electrical work himself. We just bought 18/2 black cable, he cut it to size, ran it through the mason jar lid, & attached a lamp socket to the end.

He also built the box it hung from out of an old palette from his work's warehouse. It was perfect. (Sorry didn't get a good picture of that before he hung it)

Before:

After:

It looks so much better in person! These were taken with my phone...sorry for the poor quality. We find ourselves just sitting at the dining room table just to enjoy the chandelier (lame, I know)...

The Word made Art

As I mentioned in the last post, Passion Conferences just happened at the beginning of this month. Well, last year for Do Something Now, I made a wall collage out of Bible pages in all different languages. It was pretty amazing to have the Bible represented by so many countries all in my hands that would soon end up in the hands of someone who had never heard its contents.

I still had a stack of pages from last year, so I finally made something out of it! With just a little Modge Podge and a canvas that I already had, I made this:

We put it over our bed, and it works perfectly! Such a low-cost, yet meaningful, piece of art!

Desk Magnificence!

The office in our house has been one of the last things we've gotten to since moving, but we are taking great strides in the process!

Last week, Daniel made an amazing, but simple, desk for the office that we both love. It's big, but perfect.

The table top is a door that was made for Do Something Now, which is the heartbeat of Passion Conferences that just happened at the beginning of this month. If you've never heard of Do Something Now, you need to visit the new site (launching Feb 15th). It will change your heart. Daniel built a few huts for DSN, and this door was leftover after we tore everything down post-conference.

Then he just made some sawhorse legs, painted it white and that was that!

To top it off, I got some clear jars and filled them with office supplies for effect :) And practicality, I guess...The other two things, I got at Hobby Lobby for 70% off! I LOVE that place!

Mirror Makeover

So when we moved in, the downstairs 1/2 bath already had a mirror in it. It's not one that I'm too fond of, but it's nice to have one. The question is, what tactic should I use to cover up the hideousness of its border?

We've talked about spray paint, but that makes me a little nervous...I don't want it to look cheap.

Any suggestions??