Paper cuts

Remember making snowflakes in grade school? Folding the paper up super small. Cutting circles, squares, triangles, and lines at whim into the folded paper? Unfolding the paper always revealed a unique and beautiful design. I loved making snowflakes. These are way better than snowflakes. *from Tina Tarnoff* I only discovered paper cutting this Christmas. Isn't is charming?

Home on the . . . farm?

Awhile back, I mentioned I wanted a new kitchen table. It wasn't that I didn't like Chris' kitchen table. It was more that I REALLY didn't like Chris' kitchen table. He felt the same about mine. I also mentioned that I wanted a farm table. I have a minor obsession. Well, we found one we both love. It's perfect. It fits perfectly in our little nook and look amazing with our new woven/wooden chairs. The table is from an antique show. The chairs are from friends. At some point, we'll clean up the paint a little and seal it. The chairs will be painted black or a rich chocolate brown. We both think it's a good compromise.

Happy holidays!

And, a white Christmas? Chris and I are snowed in. I took these pictures yesterday afternoon. Today I can barely see my car. And yes, if you look closely, the entire side is covered with ice. This is our back entrance. About 8 inches of snow covered in a half inch of ice. Fun. It is beautiful though.

And now, the living room

It's as if we have a brand new living room. We've incorporated my furniture, received a beautiful new rug (wedding gift), and painted the living room and hallway. We both agree the house is starting to feel more 'homey'. So here, again, is the before. The living as it stood when I moved in: And, here *drum roll, please* is the after: All decked out with a Christmas tree. Pretty! We used my couch and chair, our awesome new rug and Chris' super comfy leather chair. The wall color is a soft blue-gray. It changes color depending on the light and is very dimensional. We love it. The doors and trim are a warm cream. The colors are more apparent in this picture: Living room to-do list: - Ceiling fan. Or something! - Quarter round moulding. There's still a gap between the floor and baseboards. - Furnace ducts. Period to the house. Next up, our new kitchen table.

m-i-a

I have a new camera. this is good news, and I'm sharing because since the last time I posted I lost two -- TWO -- cameras. Yikes. We've done a lot to the house. W lot. I'm so ansy to share pics! I've officially moved in. Chris and I married in October. Then I tried to unpack. I'm still unpacking. We painted the living room and the hallway. They're both a lovely light blue. Sometimes they look grey. I LOVE the color. Everything looks so clean and fresh. I'm always amazed at how a coat of paint will transform a room. We've arranged the furniture in the living room and have the most beautiful christmas tree now! Unexpectedly, our oven broke. in the middle of making bread. Sad. In looking for a new oven though, we decided to replace the fridge(s) that leaked with one that actually works. So now we have beautiful new updated appliances. So pics of all the fun changes -- including our fun christmas decor -- coming soon!

is it september?!

it's been awhile! we've been busy, but not so busy working on the house. not that there isn't plenty to do (there is). but wedding is taking priority till october. these decorating tips are from rita konig. i have no idea who she is, but the tips are great. so, i'm sharing. they can be found at frolic . Decorating tip #1 "Don't think that you need to decorate in one go. Decorating a house takes a while and it always looks better when it has evolved over time. You will also be able to afford much nicer things if you do this." ** Chris and i need to tatoo this to each other's foreheads. then, when we get excited about all the projects we're working on, we might have restraint. Decorating tip #2 "It doesn't necessarily follow that if everything in the room is beautiful you end up with a beautiful room. I think the best rooms are those that have a mix of things and an ugly lamp with a crooked shade, or an inherited table or the rug from your childhood bedroom. These are the things that add texture and life to a room." ** one of my most favorite things is an ancient stained glass lamp from my great aunt. my entire family hates it. i love it and it adds life to whatever rooms it's in. Decorating tip #3 "Comfort is terribly important. A good room for me is one that i want to sit down in, with a drink and a friend for a chat. If it is somewhere you want to hang out then it is a good room." ** yep. Decorating tip #4 "The wall colour and the curtains are simply the canvas on which to build the rest of the room, the decoration comes as much from the things in a room rather than from the items that we traditionally think of as the 'decoration'." ** i like this one. we don't have curtains or wall color. yet. Decorating tip #5 "When you are decorating a room think about how you want to use it, i know this sounds a bit strange, like yeah a kitchen is to cook in, but is a sitting room going to be for slobbing out and watching TV and having TV suppers, or will you be trying to seat 12 people in there when you have people over for supper. This will help enormously with how you design the room. Be very honest with yourself and don't try to get a room to fulfill too many functions, it gets very small and cluttered very quickly that way!"

why girls need pressure

Our house had no warm water pressure. The shower dripped. DRIPPED. Shampoo can't be washed out with a drip. But now, we have water pressure! Chris spent about three days without a shower last week (ew) while our entire house was replumbed! Sorry, no pictures here. We can see the pipes, but trust me, they aren't very photogenic. The old pipes are completely rusted out and laying the backyard (nice), and the new pipes . . . well, they're just plain ol' pipes. In our eyes, though, they're beautiful. Well, maybe just my eyes. I do have way more hair than Chris. Coming soon though . . . pictures of the newly painted exterior! Chris spend countless hours last week trimming the house, and it's looking awesome! Soon, I'll unveil the finish product.

an update and an introduction to power tools

After weeks of not working on the house, we had a non-stop work weekend. Chris was super productive prepping the outside windows for paint. He stripped and primed all the windows! Poncho the hired help? No, Chris in his *paining hat*. Apparently the sombero prevents him from becoming a red neck. I don't think there's much hope. ;) I continued on my quest to prep the kitchen and met my new best friends -- the power sander. Why haven't I been using this all along? Seriously, work went SO MUCH faster. The pics below might not look great, the those windows are smooth and ready to prime. And, my muscles and hands are pain free. What could be better? Last, I found this picture tonight, and it's exactly what I have in mind for our back porch. Simple and fresh.

the kitchen table

There's been much debate about our kitchen table, but THIS is my idea of the perfect kitchen table. Or, the perfect island in the kitchen. I'd take it for either.

Love at first sight

Oh, this designer is fabulous! I was purusing desire to inspire today and came across their feature of Ashley Roi Jenkins design. I love it. I know, again with the wall paper. But it's a great color and has great visual detail. I love this grey color, especially leading in the pink bathroom. Of course, I'm not sure I could get away with a pink bathroom in our house, grey walls would probably pass with flying colors *or lack there-of*. I want this. A closet that serves as a office. I'm racking my brain as I type trying picture where in our tiny house this could go. The hall closet? Also, check out how nicely the textured wallpaper complements the cozy pink drapes. Drool.

Oh how hectic

This is just an update. I haven't been posting, because we haven't done anything. (insert frowny face here) Between moving and being out of town over the 4th, we had to put the house on hold. Things will pick up again soon! ********************************* Until then, I have a confession. I'm mildly obsessed with the new trends in wallpaper. I'm not talking entire rooms of wallpaper, but wallpaper as an accent. Nook? (from HGTV)

Chalk drawings

I love lists. I have more than one list that I'm continually updating. I'm not really into blackberries and such as I like to write my task down and then check it off. You should try it. It's one of the best feelings in the world. I've often toyed with the idea of painting a section of the kitchen or backdoor landing with chalkboard paint as a central message center. But, how cool are these? Such great ideas for always having your lists handy, and sharing with others. From See Jane Work photo via simply lovely

And I have pictures!

I think I mentioned in this house needs a lot of work. The list below (and the pictures!) is everything we need to do that isn't decorating focused. We'll prioritize later, but it helps to write it all down so we know what lies ahead. It also helps you all to have a better idea of what we're getting ourselves into. This post is sort of long, but I hope you enjoy! Nook: - Strip paint, *all eight or nine layers*, from windows - Sand and even out built-ins - Repaint all Kitchen: Before I begin my kitchen list, let me warn you that the kitchen needs a complete remodel. It's not laid out well and it's very, very old. We aren't in a place to hire someone now, so for the time being, we're going to tackle what we can ourselves and with the help of our wonderful families. - Remove cabinet doors - Strip paint from doors - Paint doors - Replace cabinets doors - New appliances - Paint walls - Install island Living Room: - Paint walls and ceiling - Install ceiling fan - Find something to do with the weird fireplace (paint??) - Install molding between the baseboards and the hardwood floors - Reinstall missing vents Bathroom: - New, smaller sink - Strip paint from vanity, sand to even out - Repaint vanity - Paint walls and ceiling - Find something to do with the window in the shower - Remove caulk and then recaulk shower Backdoor landing: - Repaint all - Remove carpet - Install handrails Back porch: The back porch is on the other side of the door above. I don't have pictures, but it's also a priority because it's such a great space. - Power wash floor - Install siding in missing areas - Whitewash - Secure screens - Spray paint screen door

I love blue

I love blue. I've tried to get over it and I've tried to love new colors, but in the end I always return to blue.

It took me months and many, many paint samples to arrive at a decision I'd wanted from the beginning: our living room will be blue. I could decide between blue or yellow. Our kitchen will now be yellow.

See these great blues from desire to inspire

This is very close to our living room color.

I love how yellow is used as an accent with the blue, brown and tan. This could be an option for bring yellow into the living room. So many decisions!

A little inspiration

I finally downloaded pictures of the house and will have them posted soon! We're also working on a list of goals, and I'll post those also. We might need a little accountability :). In the meantime, I wanted to share a few things that have been inspiring me lately. I think I'm having trouble prioritizing because there's too many great ideas out there and I want to try them all!

You can find larger (and more!) images here.

This great lamp can be found at Hudson.

This amazing master suite is by Candice Olsen and I'll take one of everything please.

Why do we love green?

Mostly, because it isn't RED. The spare bedroom was red. Fire engine red. On all four walls. After two coats of primer and two coats of 'blade', the room is a nice mellow shade of green. It's relaxing. It's inviting. And most of all, it's not red.

Our first ever post!

This is the story of Chris and Jenn. And the story of our house. I'm getting married in October. To Chris. Chris owns an adorable 1928 bungalow in Portland. When I say I adorable, please read: has potential but needs so much work. Basically, we have a home in the making. This house is exactly what I've always wanted in a house (I'll post pictures soon!). It was love at first sight, and Chris and I are so excited to turn it into a home. I haven't seen pictures of when Chris first moved in, but I've heard horror stories. Dirty, nasty carpet, the starkest of stark white paint, years of dirt, holes in the walls, etc. He’s transformed the place. Chris pulled up 90% of the carpet and refinished the hardwoods underneath, he painted the kitchens and the bathrooms, he re-roofed and he painted the exterior (in a completely amazing shade of yellow). I’m marrying quite a handy guy! Well, we aren’t getting married until October, but the work has already begun! We’re using this blog to share our progress, what we’ve learned, and hopefully tips and tricks for budget remodels. Thanks for joining us!