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.

the kitchen floor, part 2

I found a fabulous new blog last week. Door Sixteen She and her husband are renovating their late-1800's house. I've been loving reading how she's solved problems that Chris and I are facing. Today, I opened up her blog to find painted white floors! And, not only pictures, but a step-by-step tutorial. Not only did it answer my questions, but it made me want to run home and tear up the floor. Chris will be thrilled.

the case for painting the fireplace. part I.

Let me begin by saying I LOVE fireplaces. I'll just get that out there from the start. But we have a hideous fireplace. It's dingy pale brown. It doesn't add anything to the room. It's just blah. The problem here is Chris hates the thought of painting brick and has firmly put his foot down. So out of the blue the other night he brings up the fireplace. Chris: Do you really want to paint the fireplace? My brain: omg. yes! yes! yes! Me: Yep. Chris: What color would you paint it? My brain: play it cool. don't make him think you want it toooo much. let it be his idea. Me: The same cream that's on the ceiling and all the trim. Chris: Hmmm. That might look nice. My brain: he's CAVING! Chris: But, doesn't your mom agree with me about not painting it? My brain: ha. my mom has taste. Me: Nope. She told me it's one of the ugliest parts of the house, actually. Chris: Hmmmm. And, he goes back to reading a magazine. Yep, that was the end of the conversation. But, it was a huge conversation because HE BROUGHT IT UP. So, now it's my goal to keep subtly (hahaha) nudging. Partly through negotiation and partly through proof. Stay tuned for beautiful painted fireplaces.

Dogs should be allowed in restaurants

I came across Jonathan Adler's design manifesto today. Wow. I'm in love. Here are a couple of my favorites: 1. We believe that your home should make you happy. 2. We believe that when it comes to decorating, the wife is always right. Unless the husband is gay. 3. We believe in rustic modernism: Big Sur, A-Frame beach houses, and raw beams. 4. We believe you should throw out your Blackberry and go pick some actual blackberries. 5. We believe dogs should be allowed in stores and restaurants. They resonate with me and make me laugh. I'll be sharing numbers 2 and 5 with Chris. In fact, I'll be printing and framing numbers 2 and 5 so they become ingrained in his brain. Number 1, though, inspires me. Your home should make you happy. You should smile when you walk into any room. It should offer solace and peace and comfort. Chris and I are getting there. In the midst of the cracking walls, lack of kitchen cabinets and bathroom mold, we have pockets of comfort. Pockets of solace and warmth. These pockets are slowly starting to make us both happy. I'm even becoming less stressed about all we need to do. We had ambitious hopes when I moved in. The kitchen and living room, at least, would be finished by Christmas. Ha. Ha. I'm beginning to realize this will take time. This is a process that may never end. Oddly, this is discouraging. This is exciting and stimulating. I didn't choose this house, but it is growing on me. We will have a home that makes us happy.

the kitchen floor

This post is dedicated to our kitchen floors. Somehow, our worn out, cracked and stained linoleum just isn't cuttin' it for me. Weird, right? These floors are so beautiful. We're nervous, but we're going to pull up the linoleum and see what's underneath. We know there's wood, but we're not sure of the state of the wood. Regardless, I'm painting the floors like the above pics. The first one is the smallest portion of floor, but it's so lovely. Now, we just need to figure out how to protect the paint once it's on the floor. I don't want to be repainting every year!

I am a chiquita banana . . .

I have a soft spot for Chiquita bananas. The song. The sticker. Both remind me of my childhood. I laughed out loud when I saw their new sticker on our bananas. I heart lunch boxes too!

my crafty hubby

We discovered quickly, after moving in together, that we needed a central place to post reminders, important docs, etc. Our kitchen is all torn up though, so whatever we came up with wasn't necessarily permanent. We found four plain, non-framed cork boards at Target, and hung two. Hung consisted of placing the included double sided tape on the back and hoping it stuck to the wall. It didn't. In fact, it fell so often that three broke. I tried more double sided tape. I tried thumbtacks. They wouldn't puncture our walls that are apparently made of steel. Chris took matter in his own hands, and the result is so adorable! He found a variety of buttons and nailed one into each corner. Except on the board with a broken corner. There he nailed TWO buttons so the broken edge stayed. Adorable. And, so easy!

Organizing inspiration

Although we're both very organized people, Chris and I are far from being an organized household. Confession: I haven't gone through the mail since last week. And, it's strewn across a table in the living room. Ack. I'm looking desperately for organization. Or just ways to hide the mess. I found these early today. Very rustic. I love them. *from Rockett St. George*

Can I live here please?

*from Gridley and Graves* Completely amazing.

Inspiring

Happy Monday! Clearly I've been hanging around Chris a lot. But isn't it the best color? This year I want to be more bold in my color choices. This is great inspiration. Chris is embarrassed that I'm posting a four-door on the site.

Where did '08 go?

Happy new year!
This year, I'm already thankful that I'm moved into our house and I don't have a wedding to plan. Instead of a typical new year's resolution -- one that I'd inevitably break my March -- I made a list of things I want to do this year with all my event-free time. They are in no particular order, and I have all year to finish them. I like that they're in list form. I can check them off as I go. :)

Without further ado, I resolve to:
1. sew nook curtains
2. sew napkins
3. visit the portland art museum
4. go on a mountain bike ride
5. hike dog mountain
6. take a cooking class
7. entertain at our house at least once a month
8. have a garage sale
9. list unused stuff on ebay (no, but I took pics of a bunch of stuff and plan to upload this week!)
10. list unused appliances (!) on craigslist
11. organize my design file
12. rebuild the garage
13. grow tomatoes
14. plant a flower box
15. clean out fireplace
16. paint the kitchen
17. repaint the master
18. set up my sewing room
19. finish 3 quilts
20. go on a picnic
21. go to a stargazing event in the gorge
22. build an inspiration board
23. get a professional massage (it was actually a facial, but close enough)
24. take more pictures
25. blog at least 3 times a week (not quite yet, but am getting so.much.better!)
26. volunteer at a homeless shelter