Spring!

We're loving the daffodils our good friends Damien and Elizabeth gave us this fall. The flowering pear tree and daffodils came out in full force this spring! Summer is right around the corner!

Our Painted Fireplace

Yes, we decided to paint the fireplace. Click here for photos of what it looked like before we painted it. I'm so glad we did because I think it really brightens up the space. We used a white semi-gloss latex paint from Lowes. It took several coats to fill in all the little holes since the brick was so porous.

We also installed a fireplace screen. It really helps with heating that room. Without the screen, we were losing the heat from the radiator when it would go right out the chimney.

Nursery for New Baby!

I've been on hiatus from blogging for a while because I had a baby! Stephen Tyler was born on January 16, 2011. His name is a combination of my name, Stephanie, and my husband's name Tyler and Stephen is also my dad's name, who I was named after. So Steph-en-Tyler, get it? He'll just go by Steve though. The picture is of him at 2 months old.

Before he was born I spent some time working on converting the den upstairs to his nursery. Check it out!


We had french doors installed and I painted a mural on the wall where his crib will go. (His cousin hasn't outgrown it yet so we use a bassinet in the meantime.) Some of the characters are inspired by a bedding collection from Carter's.



Here's my own version of our dog Gary to match the other characters.



I made a felt mobile of the mural characters to hang over the changing table.



The book shelf is the collector's shelf from Pottery Barn Kids.

On either side of the one window in the room we hung fun pictures including us as babies and some of Gary in white frames.


When I get the crib I'll be updating the photos so check back soon.

To Paint or Not to Paint

I'm seriously considering painting our brick fireplace white to brighten up the room but I'm not sure if we should take the plunge since you can never go back. Our bricks aren't anything fancy, just ordinary, bland bricks. Here it is currently:





So if you have an opinion let me know, I'd love to hear them!

Online Surveys & Market Research

It's That Time of Year Again!

I'm busy with sculpture and ornament orders from my shop for the holiday season.

Here's the latest little guy, Jesse a Cairn Terrier.

Mini Blinds to Roman Shades - New Window Treatments for the Kitchen

I was sick of the plain old white mini blinds in our pantry and kitchen so I decided to make some new window treatments that would bring some customization to the room. I chose a beige ticking stripe fabric I found at Walmart for $4/yd and a muslin for the backing.

Rather than making roman shades from scratch, I reused some of the old parts of the mini blinds. I got rid of all of the slats and attached the shades to the bracket with velcro so its easy to detach and throw in the wash when they get dirty.

To make the folds I sewed the fabric together and put a dowel in each fold. Then I added small plastic loops where the blind cords hang down.

Here are more pictures of the finished product...

New Patio

Well, we're still trying to grow some grass around the edges of our new patio so that's still a work in progress. But this is the new stamped concrete patio we had installed last month. We had the door and stairs put in from the porch. Eventually we'll be painting the pressure treated wood white, but since you have to let it weather a little before you do that, we'll probably tackle that project next year. We love the new outdoor space! We're out there every day and night enjoying it!

The process of having the concrete installed was quite involved. We had to take pictures during the process. They make a frame first, put stones and wire down, pour tinted concrete, smooth it out and let it dry a little, then they throw a tinted powder on it and stamp the whole thing. After that dries, they wash the powder off and add a clear sealant to the top for the finished look.

Springtime for Gary

It's definitely Spring! Gary sure is enjoying the weather in his backyard.

We've been enjoying the backyard too because we had a new stamped concrete patio put in! We also had a new door and stairs added to our enclosed porch so we have easier access to the backyard. More details and pics to follow. Stay tuned....

Complement or Clutter? Please Vote!

I bought this Dacke stainless steel shelf from Ikea (http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/40126205) to go in a corner of our kitchen and I'm having trouble deciding if I like it. Does it make the kitchen look too crowded and cluttered? I don't want it to give the impression that we don't have enough space to store things elsewhere. I'm not opposed to returning the shelf to Ikea since I have 90 days to return it. It was super easy to put together so it wouldn't be hard to take apart.

We thought it would be a great spot for cookbooks and easy access to onions.



So this is where I need your help! Please vote and let me know if you think the new shelf is a complement to the rest of the kitchen or if it's clutter.

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Here's a reminder of what the opposite side of this room looks like.