Salvage finds

The high/low challenge from HGTV was fun -- if you're into that kind of stuff -- which, if you're reading, you probably are.  Look at these four sets of items and choose which one has the lowest price tag:

Then find the answers here!  This was that contest I won... or well, at least won a HGTV t-shirt or something! :)

----        anyhooo.... back to reality....     ------

There is this 'surplus' or 'recycle' store that I've visited a few times now - called Construction Junction.  Sometimes there is a lot of junk, sometimes there is a lot of cool finds -- like this one:

AND I found TWO of them!  Perfect!  I have two open holes next to the guest bed windows.  They look period-specifics (at least to me... 1930's that is...).  Actually I found these a year ago and just haven't used them yet.  I believe $8 a piece or $8 total.  Yes, not a hell-uv-a-good-deal but that's okay.

They have some paint on them, so we polish it off AND find some brass!  Perfect!  

We'll just peel the paint away (sanding, polishing, or soaking in a slow cooker on high with dish soapy water -- then peeling it off) and then we'll have a beautiful brass fixture!

Or not...

There is a yucky steel under this paint.  Blech.

So, we found some hammered nickel spray paint so that will look well with the ceiling fan.  Spray painting is the easy part -- wiring it is not!  That is on our to-do list this wknd... as well as too many other things :)

Hopefully I'll be able to share a picture of these installed... soon... (Tom?)

On a different note - I am in serious need of covering or 'dressing' my windows. We have far TOO many windows, truly (38 windows?  Tom?).  We MADE some curtains on Saturday - yahoo!  MAJOR thanks to my amazing mother-in-law!  (and then that night, she watched the kiddos while we went out for our anniversary!!)

Check them out!  Still need to add some more hooks to make it sit against the window better.. And now I also feel like I need to add something up top!  That will be a wayyyy later type of project...

A couple weeks ago I had an interior designer here, Kay.  She's not very good with using email, but she definitely has the designer 'look' going on for an older woman! 

She was with Caldwell's Windoware.  I was impressed actually (despite thinking I might not be after a few conversations...  She brought some awesome samples though!

I believe we will go with one of those 'bamboo' looking shades with a valance up top - that way I don't hide the beautiful woodwork we took so much time to strip/sand/stain last year.  I think our living room will be our project for the next spring/summer/fall.  We need to close those holes in the fireplace, paint that, install a beautiful mantle, fix the french doors - DRESS the doors and windows... and probably get new furniture to fit.  Thats a LOAD of work - but enough work for the entire year I think! :)

Do you spy what I spy?  :)  Besides the mess of course...

Reduce, reuse, recycle,

Heather

WOW

WOW.

I literally said, "WOW!!" out loud the other day.  And then I said, "I can't believe its only been two months!".

In a matter of two months time, we have gone from this:

To this:





THAT IS UNREAL!  We have done ALL of this ourselves (other than carpet install, but I still had to go there and pick it out!)

AND with a small infant and 3 yr old!  Of course, couldn't have done it without the help of family, friends, babysitters, etc.  Mind you, we don't have any family in town!  (Although the in-laws make it here pretty frequently)

What color should I add to this gray room?  Let me know.. I'm debating.  Rick agreed with me, it needs a pop of color!

Next up?  Finish this dag-on bathroom!  We have visitors (in-laws) this weekend - and we haven't had a chance to have the ducts cleaned.  Too much construction debris in there to turn on the furnace...

Also, I found someone to make drapes for us!  Yes!  She is currently working on those, I cannot wait!  I have some more projects for her after the new year too (granted she does a great job).  Anyone in Pittsburgh - she said she love to sew something for you if you need it!  Apparently, I know a bunch of moms who are great sewers (I just talked to another mom who made her babies crib sheets!  What?!?!)

Happy Tuesday ya'll!

OH!  I forgot!  I felt like a real 'home designer' the other day!  There was this challenge on HGTV - and I won!  Basically, it had photos of two very similar items, and you had to guess which one was the cheapest.  I didn't see anyone else with the same comments as me... but I went with my gut :).  Here is the link - take a guess and make a comment below... I'll write the answer next time!

In the name of good home design -

Heather

Productive Weekend - YIPPEE!

I can't contain my excitement...
 
We purchased a range hood for our 36" range in December of last year.  DECEMBER OF LAST YEAR.  It's been sitting in our basement ever since.  True story.  Hard for me to believe but not hard when I think about all we've actually done since December of last year.  (Moved, had a baby, gutted and still renovating a bedroom and bathroom... I know you know, but when I stop to write it out it still kinda blows my mind).
 
ANYHOO.  This is the hood we purchased (a Costco buy, yet again --- due to the cost, of course!  But I do trust them to choose good products...) 

I think we've been delaying the installation because it required Tom to cut a hole in our roof.  Yeah - I would probably hesitate on that one too.
 
And we had to make sure our dear friend Mickey was available to help.  Probably would have NEVER got this done without him!  Here are some parts and pieces and the beginning of the work...
 

 
To my ergonomic buddies - YES, I corrected Tom's poor posture in that photo and praised Mickey!

The instructions said the hood needs to go 24 - 30" above the stove top.  That would have placed it under the top line of the mosaic tile over stove.  SO - we went something like 40".  Mickey said it was okay - and he's done this plenty before - so I hope he's right! :)

 

I got to look at this beautiful face while instructing the men on the proper height...

 

 

 

Here are some more pics of the process.

 

It was quite the process.  Yes, I decided to hang my laundry the same day.  WTF was I thinking?!?

Here is Tom waltzing over the remaining awning posts we have yet to know what to do with.

 



 Do you spy a small metal clip on that ledge of shingles?!? 

 
Oh yeah, and Mickey's head from inside?!?!  Bahaha.

It was hard to know where to cut the hole in the roof.  They measured from inside, and then Tom measured from outside.  BUT we forgot to add in the fact that the shingles hang over the brick a few inches... so once we got that figured out I think they did a great job of being spot on!

All in all, this project took about 3 hours (6 man hours total).  Not too bad - I AM ONE HAPPY MAMA!  Go Mickey and Tom!

Looking good, eh?!?

On a side note, the stove is also from Costco.  Started using it in January, then noticed some minor issues with it.  Nothing was that big - until we realized the enamel on the inside was chipping.  Yikes.  SO, we wanted a new stove.  This is an all gas stove, as we do not have a 220 circuit for a duel fuel range.  Wouldn't you know that almost ALL 36" ranges are duel fuel?!?  So, we got the same stove again.  I really really hope that this stove doesn't have any issues.  It is highly rated online and Costco was surprised I was having issues with it.  Good thing their return policy was super easy.

Anyways, it was a busy weekend.  But we still had time for some fun.  Took a 1 hour bike ride Sunday morning.  (too bad it took us 1.5 hours to get everything ready for the bike ride!).  GO Tom for carting an extra 50 lbs!

Mary Alice said Sunday night while getting ready for bed, "I had a FUN day with you guys today!".  :)

Happy Tuesday ya'll!

Heather

20 minute fix!

Its been slow progress on the home front lately...

But yesterday I was inspired.  I was cleaning and organizing and stumbled upon this chalkboard peel-and-stick roll I purchased from Living Social forever ago (9 months?).

I've been thinking about putting something up next to this open chimney hole we have in the kitchen.

So I did!  Mary Alice was sleeping and William was playing nicely so I got it all done in about 20 min!  Here's the first picture I took of the process:

I first measured the hole opening in the chimney and figured I wanted the chalkboard cut-out to be 22" long.  I also realized on the back of the roll they had a grid I could use to make sure whatever I made was symmetrical.

 

I started drawing my design on the back of the roll, and tried to make it look the same on all four sides.  I quickly realized that I only needed to draw 1 quarter of it - then gently fold the paper in half and trace it!  WOW - that worked like a charm!  Here is the finished product.

Not bad for 20 minutes, eh?  Yes, it actually took me about that long.  And no, we never got around to eating ice cream for dessert.  :0

Now if only I could make that kind of progress for the duration of the 2 hours they've been sleeping today!  I'm thinking turning HGTV on was my problem :)  I do like that show Fixer Upper a bit, but all the houses are decorated with the same type of decor, as Joanna always does the finishing touches -- so they all look the same!

Here's to a productive weekend (as Tom is already home and already working!  I'm cooking up a storm to help fuel him!)

My best,

Heather

Its the little things...

It's the little things that can really piss you off and be ever-so-time-consuming, eh?!?!

Last weekend we did NOT even enter the 4th bedroom.  In fact -- we went to Kennywood -- Pittsburgh's pretty awesome and OLD amusement park.  Actually, some of the buildings are National Historic Landmarks.  Been there since 1898! 

Anyways, last weekend we also mowed the grass, swept the floors, and cooked!  That was all.  NO home improvement projects.

And next weekend we're in Ohio.  Yikes.  I guess as long as we get the room finished before thanksgiving?  Or our next visitors... whichever is first... probably visitors!  (come visit!)

The previous weekend Tom installed the shower faucet/head,etc. and the ceiling fan.  Weekends are about the only time we have to work on this house, as Tom is in Cleveland during the week.  If you were wondering how I am doing as a single mom --- I would say its a little tougher than I thought.  However, I've decided I need to try and relax and significantly lower my to-do list.  Easier said than done.

Here is Tom installing the shower fixings.  I am beginning to really get excited about everything!

There are a ton of small projects that need finished, and they all take some time.  I actually painted the bedroom for the FOURTH time last week while the kiddos were napping.  I spied that it needed a second coat, so Tom did that.  Then I still spotted quite a bit of white marks that weren't covered with the second coat, so Tom painted again.  Of course, he did not paint the whole room.  I'm not blaming him (but I really am) - so on went the FOURTH coat.  Or, shall I say, FOURTH time the walls were painted?!?!  Jeez Louise!

Here's all the small projects that are just bugging me:

 -  Threshold (transition between rooms/floor finish) needed.

 
 -  Lighting install needed (on sides of windows, somewhat unusual)

 
 -  Ceiling fan needed: 

DONE already though!   YAHOOO!  But that vent behind it is still hanging out :)

 -  Light with fart fan needs installed

 
That is done too!  But paint needs fixed around window trim.

There are TOO many projects here to list... but I feel the need to list:

• Door hung
• Sink installed (plus faucet)
• Cabinet drawers back (after inside is swept out)
• T.P. holder installed
• Mirror hung (needs painted first though)

 
Shower curtain rod needs hung

 

Outlets need covers.  Of course, some of our house has dark stained wood baseboards - so those outlets are almond colored (which looks way better than white against dark wood). HOWEVER, these baseboards are white -- thus they get WHITE outlets.  BUT OF COURSE, some have almond outlets and almond switches.  WHAT A PAIN!  Lessons learned for when we do this again... yes, I have a feeling we will do it again sometime... bahahah!

 

And finally, some cuteness to finish off the morning.  This awesome baby is sleeping right now, and his sister is at preschool!  Of course, he just fell asleep though and we need to leave in 30 min. to get her.  !!  :)

Happy Tuesday ya'll!

Much love,

Heather

CARPET!!!

Carpet in the 4th bedroom... YAHOOO!!!!

SOOOOO close to the finish line!  This makes me SO happy on SO many levels!!

Here are some pics of the progress today.

  

In other news, Tom is now working on a job in Cleveland.  Its an 18 month project, but he is the head honcho on a $95 million dollar job.  This is a big deal for him professionally, and a big opportunity to shine.  However, personally, this means he will be away from his family 3 nights a week.  That will be tough, but I think we can make it through this.  BUT what that also means is that we will not be doing any major projects on the house.  We were going to replace our windows, but are now going to wait.  He said to me -- last night -- well we could just do it on the weekends with Mickey and Jones?  I said no.  Weekends are now family time!  I'm okay with 2 hour projects here and there... but someone still has to mow the lawn, clean the house and do the laundry!  On top of cooking, etc.  Its crazy how much time all these activities take, isn't it?!?!

So, I'll wait until it is 100% ready to share the final photos of the bedroom and bathroom... maybe... but here is our little crawler - crawling on the new carpet!!

Our neighbors and now good friends, brought over these pom poms for Mary.  Eva used these when she was a cheerleader at Duquense University.  I didn't get a chance to grab a picture of when she asked her Daddy to do it... but here she is...

I grew up a soccer player.  So.  Not sure how I feel about that photo.  :)

Hope you are having a great Wednesday!

All my best,

Heather

Inspirations

This isn't exactly inspiring, but I've been wanting to share it with you for a couple months.  Jeez Louise.

 

I am ashamed to say those photos were taken in my house, and still look like that today.  BUT I just had to share the fact that ALL the trim in the house was once PALE YELLOW and at another time it was also PASTEL BLUE.  And when we inherited it, I would say it was all pastel pink/mauve.  Cray-cray.  (that is soooo not something I ever say, truly)

 

 

But, I am now in the decorating phase of some rooms - FUN!  But of course, none of our furniture really fits anything well... and I'm decorating our living room/ kitchen/ dining room right now.  For the dining room, I'm going bold, glam, classy - basically all gold/neutral colors.  I think its going to rock. 

 

For the living room I'm going green - the color looks great with all the windows, in my opinion.  So, I was reading the latest issue of This Old House, and guess what?  They wrote, "There's something about being in nature that is inherently calming. "That's why green is an ideal color for a living room—it relaxes people," says Sara McLean, color expert for Dunn-Edwards Paints.".    YESS!! Score one for ME!!!

 

So, I'm using this photo for inspiration for my living room:

 

 

I'm kind of in love with this retro feel.  By no means am I replicating it to a T.  (those drapes are just too much for me.  And the wall color is too dark)  But I like the artwork, and some of the lamps.  Just feels relaxing, doesn't it?

 

Does this?

 

Yeah, I don't think so either.  I plan to paint the top of the fireplace brick a dark green, and replace that cheap white aluminum mantel with a real nice wood one.  Also, as you can see, we are trying out some curtains (sheers really) - and I'm not loving them.   So, I think I may make my own roman shade?!?!  My friend gave me the idea, its all over pinterest.  And I found some fabric from Calico Corners that isn't too expensive:

I also found inspiration from The Tile Shop.  They have really beautiful displays, many of them!  We will eventually be re-doing our master bathroom.  I am SOOO in love with this one for SO many reasons...

It is so classy, isn't it?  I'm pretty sure we'll be doing white subway tile on the walls too.  I love that brown border around the floor tile (and the hexagonal tile has a brown colored grout!).  It just looks classy, eh?  I'm definitely doing the oval mirror with sconces on the side.  I want our bathroom's 'style' to last for forever really.  I also love the tile baseboard in this bathroom.  But, can we say EXPENSIVE!  Yes.   But not that expensive when you DO IT YOURSELF!! :)

I also like this bathroom, but not as much:

 

 

I like the white vs. blue - good contrast.  Not crazy about the marble hexagonal floors though.

 

Let the inspirations continue!

 

Heather