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.

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)

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!

Our New Kitchen!

Major update!!

We just moved into our new home in Suwanee 2 weeks ago, and we have been hard at work! There isn't a whole lot to change about this house, it's in great shape. Our biggest urge, though, was to do something about the outdated kitchen. So we did!

Here is a before shot of one side:

And with the cabinets painted:

Also, my husband/my project hero installed new counter tops from IKEA (VERY cost efficient!)
AND I got a farmstyle sink from IKEA for HALF OFF in the As-Is room! Swoon.

Here is the final project! I LOVE it!

I'll post some more from the rest of our house this week...

My Latest Inspirations...

I. Love. IKEA.

I'm sure many of you do. We went to browse a few weeks ago, and it really got my senses stirring. I love tearing out pages in magazines for home inspiration, so I went through the IKEA catalog and tore out plenty. I'm mainly fascinated with their kitchen designs. Here is a taste of what has lately been running through my head:

I like the brightness of this kitchen. One day, I would love one of those hanging utensil racks (Only $25 at IKEA!) If this kitchen were mine, I would redo the counters with the amazing chopping block wooden counter tops from IKEA. I adore that type of surface.

I also LOVE the look of these shelves instead of cabinets! It really opens up the space.

 

I really just like the back wall again with the shelves. I've always wanted a sink by a window so I can put plant life on the windowsill.

And I just like this look from Pottery Barn

Inspiration abounds!!

Dog Toys Don't Match

So as you may know from a previous post, Daniel and I have a lab/boxer puppy named Duncan. He's 8 months old now, and is still just as precious! We, unfortunately, are going through a phase of getting him new toys where he destroys them in 10 minutes flat. Hard to be mad, when it's just impressive...

I hated how his toys were sprawled all over the house and in the couch cushions, so I came up with a happy medium. I've always loved galvanized metal, so I got him his own bucket from Lowe's! Not only can he grab a toy out of it himself, but it actually looks decent.

So for all you dog lovers out there, it can be an organized, simple and cheap fix!

Mail, Mail, Go Away!

I feel like the clutter that's in my house is mostly due to mail that I have not tended to yet. I'm not always Johnny on the Spot, so if I haven't taken care of it yet, I can't throw it out right away....that brings up the question of "where do I put loose mail??"

It usually ends up in a few different places, which can cause some confusion and "old lady brain" from not remembering where I put something.

Well, today I implemented a solution! I got a 2-tiered hanging basket from TJMaxx for only $12! Love it there. I put it on a small wall space in my kitchen, so it's easily accessible, and I know I'll walk by it multiple times a day.

I think it will be a great problem-solver. I love that it has 2 tiers so I can keep a to-do list and my new return address stamp handy for when I need them!

Return Addresses Can Be Your Friend

Sorry it's been WAY too long since I've posted something...We've been busy with the dog, work, our 1 year anniversary cruise (!), etc.

So I've mentioned before that I work at a stationery/gift shop called PlainJane Designs, and I just got an order in for something that is changing the way I send mail!

We have a vendor called PSA Essentials and they specialize in stamps. I decided to jump on their bandwagon and I ordered a return address stamp from our store. I love it!! Here is a picture of the design I got (it's not my address, but it's an example of what mine looks like):

 Let me know if you're interested in ordering one! It makes personal notes and even bills that much more pleasant. Thank you PlainJane!