One year.

It's been exactly one year since that day I started this blog, and here I am in the same house, on the same couch, overlooking the same sky and mountains. I knew this past year would be something worth documenting, but I never could have imagined this. I still feel as if I'm living in a dream each day I wake up, and I just hope that feeling never fades... it's what drives me to work harder and reach even higher.

I've had an amazing week filled with family, food, wine, dance parties, music nights, Yosemite trips, tea parties, goat walks, catching up with friends and new babies, midday bar outings, football games (go niners!) and lots of love.

Tomorrow we spend the day making the 3000 mile trek back home, back to our kitty, back to work. I'm just about ready to pull the trigger on a new wide angle lens so I can get some proper After shots of the bathroom, and with the holiday shopping season over, I'll finally have time to jump back into new house projects. Hopefully 2012 will be just as fulfilling and exciting as this year was... who knows where we'll end up in a years time—I can't wait to begin the next leg of this journey.

Merry Christmas and Cheers to the new year!



Business + Bathrooms.

I have been such a bad blogger... I know. My life has been nothing but eat, sleep and work since Thanksgiving. Our house has turned into a warehouse, with an endless cycle of boxes in the foyer from FedEx, UPS and USPS. My office has become a shipping and processing facility, with my sweet assistant Brad helping me package orders past our bedtime every night.

But it's been oh so worth it.

My booth inside West Elm, 12/1

My first big show in Gainesville, 12/4

A day's worth of prints

Our house is so overrun by boxes and supplies that we were forced to reassign the hall closet with a new function tonight:

Not that I am complaining, I wouldn't have it any other way.

On to a few bathroom updates.

We got both of our showers refinished.

They are now a nice sparkling white. Goodbye last trace of almond in our house FOREVER!!!!!

We were planning on replacing the outdated chrome fixtures with nice modern ORB, however there was some sort of issue with the valve in the wall not being able to fit anything else, so we were stuck.

Spray paint to the rescue...

Brad lightly sanded the chrome finished to a brushed nickel and applied a few light coats of paint. (sidenote: Rustoleom's verison of ORB is a lot more accurate than Krylon's. It has the gold sheen dimension, whereas Krylon looks flat black indoors).

We're quite pleased with the results. We've used the shower/bath a few times and no issues yet, so fingers crossed!

Quick comparison shot:

And there you have it. The first and only "fully completed" room in the house.

And now for the master bath.....

I feel like I'm in a scrubbing bubbles commercial. This new white tile is ah-mazing. Did you notice the snazzy new ORB fixtures too? Love.

How about this before & after...

We also added some storage above the toilet:

Shelves: Lowes, Baskets: Walmart

And we finally installed our tp holder, robe hooks and towel holders (sorry, forgot to snap a pick of the first two)

And one of my favorite parts... remember these impossibly perfect porcelain containers I scored at Michaels?

This is why they are so perfect:

They were made for this little pocket. We also built this handy shelf out of a piece of leftover wood and some ebony stain. Once I take some official after pics I'll get a better shot. That shelf is my favorite in person.

That about sums it up for now... still working on replacement rope handles for the vanity (if I only had the time)... and getting a nice new wide angle lens so I can take some decent after pictures. I'll do what I can to post updates, but until Christmas is over and the insanity subsides... you'll just have to wait patiently :)

Back to work!

Thanksgiving Love + Wreath

Today I am thankful.

The windows are open, a cool breeze drifting through the house, cider mulling on the stove, holiday candles burning, sweet kitty in my lap, classic jazz on Pandora. Today is good. Life is good.

I can't put into words how grateful I am to be where I am today. Just a year ago we were still unpacking, and while I'm still 3000 miles away from family and missing them like crazy, today it feels like home.

In the spirit of the season, I've made my first holiday-ish project.

Remember these?

They turned into this:

I spotted this wreath online a couple weeks ago and had to have it. I was aching for a crafty project, and this fit the bill.

It took a few nights to complete, but it was worth it (as long as it doesn't get destroyed by the rain!)

There are lots of blogs with tutorials, but the easiest explanation on how to make the roses was from here.

Once they were made, I needed to find my wreath base.

I ran to Michaels to pick up a foam wreath... but they were all small and squared off, like this:

So I headed to Hobby Lobby... and it was the same thing. Then I spotted this hay wreath in a pile of leftover halloween/fall items...

It was round, larger, and just $5 compared to $12 for the foam one. Score.

I wrapped it in the same old book pages as the roses for my base...

And proceeded to glue all my paper roses... for hours. Sorry, no pics of this process... hard to arrange and snap pics with one hand before the hot glue dries.

In the end, I had this:

I picked up some $3 ribbon to hang the wreath from, and added a bow:

Ta-da! $8 wreath.

Time to tend to some drinks & appetizers... but first, I'm giving some love back to my customers who helped me make it this far. Someone will win a free print by leaving a comment on my facebook page.

Have a warm, happy, thankful day.

Master Bath Reno: Week 4

This week's reveal isn't going to be nearly as exciting as last week's, I'll spare you the suspense.

However, we finally made the last big decision for the bathroom: we're not ripping out the shower. Instead, we've decided to go ahead and have it reglazed. We figured we'd also reglaze the guest tub/shower while we were at it. It's going to run us around $1200 for both rooms, but that's a whole lot cheaper than demolishing and rebuilding a new fancy shower.

The tile is pretty new and in good condition, so a nice glossy white coat will make us happy.

Of course, we'll be replacing the fixtures with some updated oil rubbed bronze ones so it matches the rest of the bathroom. We've got more important things to save for, so I think it was a decision well made.

Now that that's out of the way... I have a handle update.

We knew we didn't want handles in a finish that didn't match the ORB, but black handles on a black vanity were just too much... so it was time to think outside of the box. Since I wanted to incorporate somewhat of a nautical/oceany feel, I immediately thought of rope. I love those little rope knot pulls that can double as door pulls...

 However, our doors have two holes for screws so that wasn't going to work. I had to get creative.

First, I ordered a set of standard stainless steel handles, and spray painted them ORB:

Then, I grabbed some twine and hot glue....

And got to work.

Until I had seven of these:

Here they are installed:

To be honest.. I'm not sure how I feel about them. I like how they match the baskets underneath. But I think they are just a bit... too much. Brad isn't a fan either. I have a Plan B in mind though, which I'll try to get to this week.


Moving along... I had my best Michael's experience ever today.

I was dreaming about what to put in this cubby hole to store necessities (toothbrushes, toothpaste, q-tips, etc)...

After giving it a lot of thought, I decided I needed the perfect size square white ceramic vases. Three of them (two on the bottom, and one on top on a shelf we would build). I spent forever googling to no avail and started thinking of what I'd have to settle for.

And then.... today... I walked into Michaels, and came face to face with these:

The white ceramic Gods have answered my prayers! These could not have been more perfect. They are the *exact* size, down to the millimeter, that I need, there's THREE of them, and they were on sale! $15 for the trio. I've never been so lucky.

Soon we'll install that shelf and the cubby hole will be complete. And so will my life.


Switching gears for a minute....

I have my very first art show on Dec 1st. Then I have 2 more that same week. That means it's time to get down to business and build myself a booth.

I won't go too much into detail, but this setup has required a lot of thought and research. Today we finally started putting it all together. Here's what the skeleton looks like:

Try to ignore all the mess in the background. We secured PVC into cement, built this 9 foot tall contraption from which my prints will hang, and secured it into two 4' tables.

I picked up these crates from Michaels at $13/ea...

Which will store my prints. I'll end up painting them white I'm sure.

I still need to pick out some fun fabric to drape over the table... and then of course finish all the prep work that goes into this. A new and exciting project... can't wait to see how it turns out!

Oh, and while we were in Home Depot picking up the pvc pipe... Brad decided we needed these:

Truthfully... we didn't need them. But they were on sale, and they were shiny, and I guess Brad couldn't resist. They were on sale for $599 each with free delivery, plus we had a 10% off coupon, making our grand total $1100.

Today we sold these guys for $200 for the set:

So we're basically out $900 for a brand new steam washer/dryer set. Not too shabby!


The bathroom refinishers are coming Wednesday, so our bathroom will be 95% done by Thanksgiving (almost made our goal!) Just have to add the finishing touches, and then I'll be back with the full reveal :)


I'm also working on a fun little project in the meantime.... here's a hint:

I'll post as soon as its finished :)

Master Bath Reno: Week 3

We're back with another installment of the master bath makeover extravaganza! We made some big strides this week.

Quick recap of where we were just 6 days ago... (I actually had to just double check the last time I posted because it felt like way more than 6 days ago!)

And then this happened....

Hold on. Can I just preface any opinions you are forming right now with this: This tile looks WAY louder in pictures. It's not busy or crazy looking in person... it's pretty subtle actually, and honestly I am still quite breathtaken whenever I walk in the room. And you should know by now I am the most un-crazy-risky-loud decor person when it comes to this type of thing, so I speak the truth about this tile.

It makes the room. I'm in love with it.

And again in the shower...

My favorite lights in the whole world happened...

Some oil rubbed bronze faucet and plumbing happened...

Apparently Mercedes makes sinks now

This new *white* toilet happened:

Ignore the gross yellow lighting and SLR kit lens... ugh

It was not all good things happening, however.

I was about to make a Home Depot run for trim to frame in these mirrors, taking the mirror measurements, when I realized something...

Due to the nature of the way these mirrors are hung, they do not sit entirely flat against the wall at the top (they are hung on screws with brackets). So, if I simply glued some pieces of wood on top of the mirror... there would be an even larger gap where it does not sit flush against the wall. And that would look strange.

I did some research and determined we needed wood with a "rabbeted" edge, like so:

Unfortunately, we are not in possession of such tool to create these edges. Ugh. Fail.

I'm unsure if the hardware store would have some pre-rabbet edged wood pieces... anyone know? Guess I'll cross my fingers and check next time I am there.

But until then, the mirrors will remain frameless. Not my favorite look, to be honest.

While we are on the subject of pesky first world problems, as you can tell my vanity is still black. Maybe if I write this smaller no one will read this and notice and this will all just go away. But seriously... I begged Brad to let me try and make it browner but he refused and wouldn't budge and I decided it wasn't worth causing a rift in our marriage. So I will learn to live with it... or just close my eyes everytime I walk in there.

You win some, you lose some.


Back to happy things.

I got some baskets.

Yes, that is a light underneath the vanity. LED rope lighting, or if you prefer,
a blue nightlight with a picture of a galaxy. Brad did it.

I was so excited to have a floating vanity so I could put one of my top favorite 5 things ever underneath them. And fill them with pretty white things, like towels and toilet paper. I also store my hairdryer and curling iron in one (it's hidden towards the back). I'm so excited to organize this bathroom!

I was actually at Target a few hours ago picking out drawer organizers and baskets for the cabinets. As soon as I'm done with this post I'll be transferring all of my junk back over to the new bathroom, and decluttering/reorganizing in the process. Now that is my kind of Sunday night!

Oh... and before you stare at those silver vanity handles in disgust too long... no, they are not staying.

We quickly realized that silver and ORB do not mesh well.

But what were our options? ORB handles? Black on black... meh, no thanks. White handles? Possibly... but that might be a little too much black and white for me. So I'm getting creative.

Not giving it away entirely yet... but here is a hint if you can remember back to a few months ago:

I have no idea how this is going to turn out, but I'll be sure to report back with results!


Here is another issue we are having.... we did this reno completely backwards. I'm not sure how the shower took the backburner, but it is now a huge eyesore in the room.

It's the glowing yellow room of terror! It needs to be addressed. Originally we were thinking we'd just reglaze it, but then we were quoted $600 and maybe that's not the best option afterall. However, we're not exactly looking forward to ripping out that entire room (which means new drywall, having to repaint, possibly rip out the step that is so beautifully tiled now)... and also potentially revealing any hidden issues. Then, of course, there's the cost of everything.

I'm going to get some estimates this week, and we'll weigh our options and make our decision at that point. But either way, SOMEthing has to happen. I cannot live with almond tile any longer!

Lots of goodies coming in this week... the bathroom is far from over. Here's what's left on the list:

1. New vanity handles
2. Accessories (ORB towel and paper towel holders, robe hooks, wastebasket, soap dispensers/jars/visible storage)
3. Shelving above the toilet
4. Wall art(?)
5. Mirror frames (hopefully)
6. Recessed box shelving/storage
7. Recessed lighting in the shower room & closet
8. Figure out the entire shower!

We may or may not make my initial deadline of Thanksgiving... it all depends on if we decide to rip out that shower or not.

Stay tuned... who knows what this place will look like next week :)