inspired

Ran across these today and love both ideas. *from Living, Etc. via Desire to Inspire* How great are these crates? *from Urban Grace Interiors* Chris suggested an idea very similar for our bed. Love it.

the case for painting the fireplace. part II.

As I've mentioned before, we have an eyesore of a fireplace. See proof below. I've wanted to paint it from day one. My lovely, and usually easy-going husband, refuses to paint it. Chris is also very visual. This leaves me looking for pictures of rooms improved by painted bricks. *see above eyesore* *from HGTV Canada* This is a perfect example. In the *before* pic the fireplace was ho-hum and screaming for undue attention. My fireplace is not an insecure teenager. It does not need to scream for attention. The after pic is amazing. The painted fireplace looks like it belongs in the room and helps create a cohesive and comfy look. My fireplace would look lovely cream-colored. If anyone out there has other great *painted* brick photo sources, please share!

our sunny kitchen

I'm so excited about this post! I finally get to show off our kitchen! And, I'm even more excited that I'm linking to it on Simply Seleta's Fabulous Fridays! Seleta has a wonderful blog, a beautiful home and impeccable taste! So, thank you Seleta for hosting Fabulous Friday's. I'm excited to participate! Take a few minutes today to check out her blog and all the other fabulousness going on. So, the kitchen. We've had the doors off the cabinets since last August. They'd been stripped and primed and were waiting for us to catch up. We started painting on weekends in mid-February. THIS WEEK Chris finished installing the doors! Phew! Ta-da! I could not be happier. The yellow is so cheery, without being overly bright and citrus-y. When the sun is out this room radiates. I love it! I have to share a few things we learned in the process:

• Paint can and will run off the walls. Panic can and may ensue. Well, from one of us. Can you guess which one? ;)
• Cabinet doors nearly 90 years old may be warped. Plan accordingly.
• Built-ins are beautiful. And, very time consuming to paint!
• My husband is color blind. He thinks the walls are brown.
• We are not open cabinet/shelving people.

And, of course, here is a before: What is that color, you ask? *Lettuce-alone*. Seriously. I think Chris misses the color a little :).

a living room update

I did a little work here this weekend and as I was going through old posts, I realized my previous living room photos were, um, not great. Hopefully these give a better idea of new color, decor, etc. (sorry about the blinding white light. Just imagine a really big window with sun streaming through -yah!) If anything, these pictures scream "hang pictures on your walls!" Someday.

pet peeve

I spent a good chunk of my morning cleaning our nook exterior windows. Not just with soap and water, with a blade. Blades and I don't have the best history. I've had quite a few nasty cuts in the past. This morning though, no one and nothing was harmed in the cleaning of my windows. Windows on historic homes are not clean and tidy. The wood is old, there are most often lots of panes, and it's very hard to keep a straight line when painting. I've seen countless older homes that look beautiful from afar, but up close reveal paint on the windows. Not the wood around the windows. On the windows themselves. Why? I can't understand why a homeowner would take the time and effort to paint a house (no easy feat!), only to leave the windows sloppy. Windows can be the crowning glory of a house -- crisp lines, architectural features, the beautiful accessories! It's turning into a pet peeve that people can't: 1. tape before painting (it's all about prep people) 2. just be more careful! 3. go back and clean up. Leaving paint on the windows is messy and detracts from the houses character. So this morning as I was sitting in my freshly painted nook I wanted clean windows. Now. When we finished painting the exterior last summer, we were in a rush. We had the wedding and a big move ahead and never gave the windows a good clean. But this morning I wasn't rushed and although I have plenty other things I can be doing, this couldn't wait. With blade, windex and paper towels in hand, I tackled our nook windows. Much better. Alright, what's next?

inspired

As someone so deeply entrenched in their kitchen these days, I love a little kitchen eye candy. *from Pure Style Home* I love concrete counter tops. This is what I'm currently leaning towards for our counters. Except darker. Have I mentioned our counters? They are currently a very cheap green-blue laminate. Ugh. They match the green in the cheap ugly linoleum. Lucky us. An added bonus, I hadn't noticed until we cleared everything out for painting, is the counter has a very jagged cut against the fridge. I'm not talking slightly crooked. I'm talking what-kind-of-blindfolded-drunk-cut-this- counter crooked? My husband. Sober. Practicing with a new jig saw. I think it was his subtle (or not) way of promising me new counters sooner than later :).

inspired fabric

Loving these fabrics this afternoon. . The first two are from Moda, and the last is Amy Butler.

so embarassed

I'm so embarrassed at my recent posting negligence. Two months. Oye! But, I promise we've been busy making our home and are there are great things happening. Here's a sneak peak.