Finallly...done...

The side patio that is.

What did we do, other than do the concrete? We added four hanging baskets filled with ivy that hopefully in time will look amazing. We also added three pots of plants to add more texture and create a more tranquil enviroment. The four light figures we got are battery operated so we can turn them on when we please.  For the three big bushes on the left side, we added white marble rocks to offset all red flooring.  I still need to tile the step but that's for when I'm on leave.  I need something to do, right? :)

Here is a photo of our outdoor living space at night (taken with my iphone hence the poor quality).

What do you think?

The Patio redesign...

  So now that the hubby has finally gotten the stain on the concrete, we are THIS CLOSE to when I get to finally do something.  Tonight he has to seal it to give it a shine.  HOORAY!  Before I had these ideas of colors and styles but it's changed.  I finally found some photos of the patio before we even moved in.  Yes, they are screenshots of a video I took during our house inspection so they aren't the best but it's better than nothing. 

  By the photos, you can tell it's a long space.  We're moving the basketball game (it's one of those due shot games you have to make as many baskets before the timer runs out) to run parallel to the end wall.  Things we are adding... Two lounge chairs from Ikea.  One will run along the wall of the house and act as a couch with lots of pillows to lean on.  the other will run perpendicular to make it look L-shaped.

Then we bought two of these chairs, again, Ikea.  These will just fill our the space to make it more of a seating area. We bought two end tables that will be used in the middle as a coffee table, easy to move and clean.  We have one planter but I think we might need a few more to spruce up the space and not make it look so empty.

  We also have a bookcase that we used to use for our wine until we got actual wine shelves.  We are going to use these outside and for now put our weights and when KLM gets bigger, we will use it as storage for her outdoor toys.  You know me, things must have their place.  It will also be nice to have a space to put my laundry basket while I hook clothes up the the line (which is out here too but that will have to be another post on how we did it without taking up more space).  I'm not one for too many things but I think it needs more.  I still want to make more cozy so I'm on the hunt for more inspiration. 

Wednesday Ramblings

• Six or so weeks till D-Day!  YAHOO!!!!!  I can't believe the end is getting so close!  I wonder if she'll come early?  Late?  Right on time?  What do you think?
• Only two more classes till we're done with our birth class.  At first I was a bit apprehensive about taking it, thinking I wasn't going to learn anything but seriously, it was COMPLETELY worth it!  You can learn stuff in books but it's totally different when you have an instructor going through it and sharing experiences with you. 
• Brace yourself people... The Side Patio has been stained.  YES!  Now it's just a matter of getting it sealed and we're good as gold!  I hope this weekend we can get the rest of the furniture for it and complete it.  Talk about checking something HUGE off the list!  
• I almost threw the biggest fit this morning.  Yes, the kitchen is mostly clean but since I've resigned myself to being a spectator to putting stuff away nothing is in its place.  Now, I said I almost threw a fit.  I calmly made a comment to the hubby about it and tonight, operation kitchen will take effect so this fit I'm trying to keep in will not leap out of my mouth.   
• This weekend is our maternity photo shoot.  Yes, I fill finally post a few photos here once we get them.  I still don't know if I look huge yet.  Somedays I think I do, others, not so much.  I'll let you decide.  
• Looking forward to Sunday... Sunday means I can nap!  
• I love love love when they do 80's songs on Glee.  Just makes me feel like a little kid again!  Oh and Puck?  DROOL....  sigh!  :)
• Indian food today for lunch!  YEA!!!  Almost makes me as happy as 80's Glee songs!  
• The creature inside is stirring.  Lately she's been getting her feet stuck in/near my ribs.  OUCH!
• Did you know I'm actually very shy?  If I had it my way, I'd be helping in the kitchen during parties instead of mingling?
• I want to share with you my all time favorite quote and a very good way to live.
           I guess what I'm trying to say is, I don't think you can measure life in terms of years.  I think longevity doesn't necessarily have anything to do with happiness.  I mean happiness comes from facing challenges and going out on a limb and taking risks.  If you're not willing to take a risk for something you really care about, you might as well be dead.  --Northern Exposure

Yet another excuse to decorate...

So, you know us, when one project is on the verge of being done, I'm always thinking up what is next. Well, the next one is our sorry excuse for a side patio. It can be a lovely area with tons of prospect but, it's fallen to the wayside.

What made us really want to do something in here was the floor. There is ugly "carpet" was from the previous owners. I think they were covering up their horrible paint job that was here. AND IT'S PEELING!!! UGGH! Not something I want my kids picking up and eating. They can eat dirt and bugs, just not chips. :) Anywho, we decided it was time to take care of this so are going to redo this area. We want to keep this place a casual play area, so the basketball game, bar table and stools will stay, but it just needs more. Here is our color palate we're using:



The house is already painted, and the white accent color is actually really refreshing in this shaded area. The dark concrete color is what the hubby will be staining the floor and the dark green will be pillows or other accents. Now, planning all this, it's kinda hard to see think of what else it needs. This is what we are feeling like doing:



Let's go over this... The white rocks on top will fill go on top of the dirt area where the shrubs come from. Chairs, because we need two chairs, some type of artwork, baskets to put outdoor toys in, small shelf unit (darker wood preferably) to put baskets and weights, side table for chairs, and maybe a outdoor plant to liven it up.

The goal is do all the decorating and staying within 100$ budget. I think it's possible but it's going to take some work on my part. We'll reuse things we have, others I'll just have to hunt down. I'm really excited about this project. It's going to be fun!

The case of the ever-changing hallway

In the middle of all the changes going on in our lives, we decided to throw another ball in the air. This weekend we did some work on the house, adding a door to the garage from our media room (will post later about that), but also finally changing our hallway color.

When we bought the house, every room was painted a different color. Some okay, others, just too loud for our tastes. After two + years in the house, we are finally kicking out those colors. Case in point: our hallway. This before photo doesn't even do it justice how BRIGHT this burnt orange it really was. When the lights were out and doors were closed, it was like a cave in there. So dark. Now, I don't mind dark, but seriously... this was DARK! So, a week while on our date night we decided to mozy over to the paint supply store and picked up this lovely lighter orange tone... or at least we thought it was. The next day, armed with tape and paint brushes we took over the hallway and painted it. The next day we woke up to a PINK/MAUVE hallway. Ummm... no. After three days of deliberating to see if we liked it, we realized we were just trying to like to cause we didn't want to paint anymore. Well, this weekend, my loving family came over and helped us repaint it. During this repainting time, we figured out a way to totally screw up how to primer something and had to wipe it off... Hense in the before photo all the mess on the orange walls.
Before


We color we ended with was a creme tone. OMG... did I LOVE IT!!!! We added some little art pieces to it liven it all up and just totally pleased with the outcome. (Yes, that's our little werewolf Ringo... I think he just woke up.)

After


OH DROOL!!! I love finished areas!!!

Media Room... Before and After

For the past few months (okay, like 6) we've been talking about getting a new couch for our media room. We got our couch when we moved in 2.5 years ago but we learned the hard way that a tan microfiber couch is not one that will withstand the test of time with us and our puppies. We decided it was time for us to stop talking about it and find something we really liked. After several stores we headed back to where we got our new couches in the living room and found one that really fit the bill. Late on Friday we put in the ordered and went on our merry way. Well, that was a snowflake that turned into an avalanche! In the next few days, I happen to win a fabulous giveaway on the most wonderful blog: Silly Little Mischief. It was for some wall art.

When it finally came, that sealed the deal that we just had to redo the room. First we talked about putting it off but then realized we wouldn't want to paint once the new furniture was in there. So I dragged the hubby to Home Depot and got a gallon of paint to add to our ever-growing supply of paint at home. We had this dark dark chocolate color we got when we moved in but never used it and felt this was the perfect opportunity to really do something drastic to the room. After I primed it, the hubby came home and helped paint the room. It only took about 4 days of a few hours here and there to finally get it completed. Once that was done, I made a few extra pillows and a dog bed (craft project of the month), hung up some art work and our new piece we got and just waited for the goods. Saturday came, twenty minutes before our family came over and delivered the most COMFORTABLE sofa and ottoman you can ask for!

Now, onto the photos...
BEFORE




AFTER





Can I just say how much I am in LOVE with how everything turned out? What do you think?

Just a little upkeep

While it's 85 degrees outside, I'm inside dreaming of winter. Right now our room looks like this:


When winter nights hit, we will freeze freeze because the down blanket we've been getting away will with will only heat us up so much. I think it will be time to pull out the comforter. This is the beauty that's been catching my eye:


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Do you change out your linens to suit for cooler temps?

An adult looking room...

We finally added the last few touches to our master bedroom. Nothing fancy but just spruced it up to make it look like we live there. We loved how it turned out when you clean things off and add a few decorative pieces.

First off, the hubby's night stand...


He loves having a little plate to put his keys and wallet when he gets home.

My side, not too dirty, just blah.


Yes that frame doesn't have any photos in it but we ordered a really neat one of us from our honeymoon in Bali we're going to put in it. I thought about putting some flowers there but it just didn't fit so I made a little arrangement with some wheat, straw and coffee beans. It smells soo good in the morning!

Now, the long dresser... it ended up always being a place we toss stuff on and it just ends up getting piled up. So, here it is cleaned off...


I LOVE how this turned out. It was just a few things we added from our trip to Home Goods.

and what did I end up doing for artwork?

After going back and forth on what we wanted, artwork, photos blown up, we ended up getting some iron art work. It really tied in a lot of the room.


and ringo... hamming it up like he always does when he sees the camera! I think he must have been a model in a former life!



Our end thoughts on how it turned out? Simply divine!

Undone...

Waking up this morning I noticed it was time to really finish our room. We brought in a new comforter, new pillow case shams and finished moving some of the furniture around it is time to add the personal touches that make the room ours and be done with decorating it.

On my search for artwork the other day, I kept my eye out what we could do and last night I wondered if any photos we had would do if we blew them up.

Same photo just different editing on it:




What do you think? Do you like either or if you like one, which one, A or B? Don't worry, you won't hurt my feelings. Also any guesses where this photo was taken? :)

take a seat...

It's always nice to feel productive and have something to show for it. What did we spend our weekend doing?

Making this:



It was suppose to be two benches but when you are working off a photo without any measurements and just guessing, it takes a bit longer. My parents came down and helped us. I'm pretty proud of it. Granted there a little things off but I think it gives it personality! :) We have to wait a few months before we stain it espresso. BTW, the photo was taken yesterday and it was overcast and dusk.

We are ordering cushions for it:

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I think it would add color and tie into the color of our house (it's an earth color). What do you think?

Game night photos... better late than never!

Remember that game night about a month ago I blogged about? Well, after figuring out how to use the new camera, I finally uploaded a few photos from that night before our guests came.








I wish I got some photos of the ice cream sandwiches that were a HIT! Next time!

We've been talking once we know we can guarentee a warm spring evening, we are thinking of doing a BBQ. We shall see! :)

i've been a bad little blogger...

I've not kept up on my list of things to do... so I will try to tackle that later today... but for now, let's talk about decorating.

We've gone through some nice little changes around the planner household. From clearing out the old closets, new carpets, adding a garden...(that needs another post), I think it's time to really finish decorating our master bedroom. So, the colors of the walls are like a green/sea foam color. The carpet is darkish. It's nice and serene and opens into the master bathroom which is a light tan/taupe color and the granite and tile are tan-ish color too. Our furniture is dark wood and there's quite a bit of it. We have a sliding glass door that opens up to outside and that's give some great light in, but still needs to be brightened up a little more. Everything is new (well, we bought everything when we moved in) So, really the only work it needs is some artwork and new bedding. Hmmm...Maybe I should take some photos so you can see what I mean.

The room can get dark so I'm thinking of a light tan/taupe color, preferably no prints, for the bedding, and then something like this for the wall:


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or...


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or...


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This will be my next goal to tackle I think for April or May.

Inspirations Part 26

--I LOVE HOW SIMPLE THIS IS! You could totally use potted plants for an outdoor ceremony!

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Inspirations Part 24

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Inspirations 21

All of the following designs are from Juniper Floral Designs in Santa Barbara! I love them all!!!!