Inspiration, Imagination, Motivation

I'm so looking forward to Fall!  It's my fav season; pumpkins, football and that feeling of cozy comfort mixed with anticipation blowing through the leaves as the holiday season approaches...  here are some things that make me so excited and inspired for the coming months...

Go Seahawks!  I've already made my scrolling slideshow of all-things-Seahawks for my digital picture frame to have on during game days.  I usually work on craft-projects while watching the game with the hubbin.  Sundays are usually (knock on wood, if I'm lucky!) our one chance a week to have a day off together.  I'm thinking this season's project will be making my Christmas Cards by hand. 

Walks in the Fall leaves... even though we have so many Evergreens here.  I love going to the pumpkin patch, corn mazes, parks, etc.  Anywhere I can get it.  Bonus if it smells like apples and fireplace smoke. 

Decorating the house for the holidays... Our front stairs are pretty dark and we worried about the Trick-or-Treaters last year.  I love this bright welcoming porch and want to add some festive lighting for a really neat porch for Halloween this year. 

Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate... I actually have never had one.  So many people were posting about them on Facebook last year during Fall/ Winter and I never indulged.  Since I'm already thinking about it in August- I think this is going to be my year!

Celebrating our second wedding anniversary on October 10! 

(This is the first picture we ever took together, back in May 2006!)

We are planning to make the time for a weekend away to celebrate our anniversary this year (even if it's not on our actual anniversary weekend.)  Last year, I worked a 13 hour day and Brian picked me up to get take-out from Anthony's restaurant and we took it back to a downtown hotel.  We soaked in the jaccuizzi tub and enjoyed the evening but I was WIPED OUT.  This year, I will make more time to celebrate and enjoy.  Our marriage is a happy one, but that's not to say we don't work really hard to keep it that way, and it deserves proper credit!

What is your favorite season, and why?

It's been a while...

It's been too long, friends!

As an Event Planner, Summer means loooong days at the office- which means zero projects at home.

Down time is much needed, people!

I've been in "Maintenance Phase" since my last post, and here's where I'm at:

Garden is doing OK.  The Mammoth Sunflowers are... well, Mammoth.

The Corn is thinking it can...

The tomatoes are green and growing.

The Peas are delicious.

RIP zucchini, pumpkins and onions.

I read a blog recently where someone used these little mossy rocks in a beautiful Spring display. 

Since Western Washington never knows which season we are in anyway, I wanted some too:

Can you believe they are from *ahem* the Dollar Tree?

In my pretend life, I live inside "Real Simple" Magazine and I read this tip in there...

Keep your cleaning supplies where you need them, not all in one place.

And it works.

Clorox wipes on the bathroom counter to swipe away toothpaste and Hubbin's shaving messes?  Nice!

Spray & Wash hiding behind the bottles of perfume on the dresser to just spray on the soiled article and right into the hamper?  Oh yes!

The little pouches of Pledge Multi-Surface wipes?  In the side table in the living room, kept in the glovebox, etc- DUH!

Usually, I like to use chemical free cleansers, but I temporarily chucked that for a little sanity and staying-on-top- of things while crazy busy at work.  Besides, ain't nothin' cleanin' my tile like some Soft Scrub.  Word!

That little trick has helped me- hope it might be helpful to you too- since keeping house is such a dirty job, afterall.

My next big project I want to tackle is our bedroom.  It's never gotten much love- and it needs it! 

Anyone else out there always neglecting the bedroom?

It's the place where we start and end our day- shouldn't we ensure it makes us feel good?!

We have a small room with a big ol' king bed- so I need to get creative with how we make it both functional and heavenly...

I think the most comfortable bed I've slept in was at the Edgewater in Seattle.  While I don't love the fish/ plaid look of the rooms for my home, I do think I will start by making the bed as comfortable and welcoming as that bed was and work from there.  Big, fluffy yet full pillows, high thread count sheets, and that perfect down alternative bedding which keeps you warm in Winter but cool in Summer?  Sounds like a plan!

And, one more thing- the original purpose of the blog... to document our journey of becoming home-owners?  We're getting closer by the moment!  More on that soon.

Green Thumbs and a little more "Decrapification"

It's been a while since I've had time for house projects!  I have a mid-week "weekend" this week, so mixed productivity with relaxation and the following projects were accomplished.  First, we finally got our little veggie plants in the ground!  We started them back in April in our greenhouse from seed, something we've tried before but never stuck with- here they are starting out...

 I think we got it down this year!

Finally, we got them in the ground where they belong... and they even got a little sun and some warm soil to welcome them to earth!

And, of course- my rock decor identifies the varieties we have growing...

We planted Sweet Corn, Red Corn (should be interesting!) onions, spinach, summer squash, pumpkins, snap peas, tomatoes, and watermelon.  I also have strawberries, but those are in a pot on the patio.  We may be pushing corn later this summer- so, local friends- consider yourselves warned!

Additionally, I tackled another organization project inside the house without spending a dime (which as I've admitted before is a weakness of mine- buying more junk in order to organize existing junk...)  I hit up the linen closet which doubles as medicine cabinet.  Here's the horrendous "before."

A definite identity crisis was at play here- am I for linens?  Am I overflow bathroom storage?  Am I a "catch all" area?

Here I've limited to linens as it is intended, and a few organized medicine cabinet items:

I added a few dryer sheets for a clean scent, and arranged dish/ hand towels like this:

This way, they don't get wadded up and shoved in any ol' place.

Feels good to check these things off the "to-do" list.  Keep your fingers crossed that the garden will make it!



Dirty Yard Work

Today was a gorgeous sunny day and with the exception of an interview for Bri this afternoon, we had the day to get dirty and get some things accomplished.  We borrowed a pressure-washer from my parents to tackle some areas which were desperate to have the moss removed. 

Take a look at the before & after of our back driveway...

Before:

After:

We obviously need to re-stain those garage doors, but pressure washing helped a bit.

We also washed the siding of the house and the patio as shown below...

The side of the house shown below wasn't even visible before we cut that tree back, but once Bri pruned, we were left with mossy/ dirty siding.

The patio also desperately needed to be cleaned...

Clean siding, patio and driveway...

A few weeks ago now we started veggies and potted some flowers in the green house... it's finally time to bring the flowers out to the patio!  Another month or so and the veggies should be ready to be put in the ground, but they are still pluggin' along in the greenhouse.

This is from a few weeks ago when we planted...

At home in their new pots! 

A sneak peek at the veggie garden... most are already growing

And today... the flowers go outside! 

Also, because for some reason, I feel the need to decorate everything, here's a look at my rock decor.

  (I know, I can't believe I just said that either.)

Kind of hard to see, I know- but I used paint pens and sharpies to write words of inspirations and little designs.  ("Go Hawks" "Smile" "Welcome" ~ Sun, Moon, Watermelon, Flower, etc.)

When it comes to my garden, I like little touches of whimsy, I'm not into the statues of cherubs or little kids sitting on a bench together- I prefer little details that could almost go unnoticed, such as a painted rock or a flower planted into a hollow tree trunk.  My herb planter is an old utility sink.

 I'm sad to say Betty cannot inspect our progress on this project because she is an indoor cat... but she did supervise us dying Easter Eggs last weekend, so here she is approving that project:

Thanks for following us and our dirty work!

Guest Bedroom Decrapification

So, today I had a rare day off/ home alone day- so decided to tackle a project which had been nagging on my mind for far too long.  Listen closely if you have any "dumping ground" in your home- whether it be an entire room (like me) or even a drawer or closet.  I am embarrassed of the "before" pictures. (Mind you, in the before pictures, I actually dumped out some boxes on top of the bed since I was prepared to organize and purge my heart out.) This spare room for us has very rarely served as a functional guest room, but more commonly is known as the "catch all" or "half finished project graveyard." When it has served as a functional guestroom, it's because I moved all of the junk down into the basement, and I am tired of moving this mess around. I use it to keep all of my craft items, items I mean to give away/ get rid of, and those that just haven't found a home yet.  I have been reading many blogs lately by women who keep fabulous, chic, vintage, eclectic and "upcycled" homes which have encouraged me to tackle this project without spending a dime.  (Usually I convince myself that if I go buy more stuff that it will be easier to keep the things I already have.  Is anyone with me here- it sounds crazy when I actually put it on paper.)  I love buying organizational items, boxes, bins, baskets, space bags and any other contraption which makes me feel like life would magically be so organized once that item is in my home.  Then I realized I was drowning in these such things, and still had a mess.  (grrr)  So it was time to roll up my sleeves, and get dirty. 

Here's some before & after photos of my work today:

Look how good my intentions were!  There are boxes waiting to go to Goodwill!  There are items I posted online to sell & get rid of! 

After:

A little more inviting, right?  I dusted, swept, washed the bedding... and my personal favorite, ORGANIZED.

Then, there was my craft closet...

Wow, Inspiring, right?

After:

My ribbon collection was one thing I always felt like I had to buy an organizer for- but today, not a dime, remember!?  I went online and got some great free ideas with items I already had- I used ribbon to display my ribbon, and clothespins to hold my bows onto another ribbon, shown here:

So, in about 8 hours, I feel pretty good about checking this task off the list.  (I have a few minor details which need to be completed, such as putting random pics into albums, etc.)

The key for me with keeping it clean is not moving things back in there.  I packaged up my wedding dress to be sent off for cleaning / preservation.  I have already called the ARC to come pick up my giveaway items so they don't sit around in my way until I shove them back into the guest room. Things that have a home elsewhere in the house have already made their way back. 

And, last but not least...

Betty has approved this room for visitors!



Sew Simple? Somebody lied to me! (Kitchen Makeover Part II/ Complete!)

Hello my fellow crafters- and wannabe crafters!  This project began well beyond my area of expertise- might I even say, in wannabe status? But it ended up a great lesson in patience and desire to enhance my sewing skills even further.  I began with my sewing machine (Necchi 4757) which was one of the sweetest gifts I've ever received (was a wedding gift) from two of my fabulous girlfriends.  Mom gave me my great-grandmother's sewing box with all of the beginning essentials for Christmas and then I bought this "Sew Simple" book.  (Ha!)  All are pictured above as my "getting started supplies."  The next step, and my personal fav was to pick out fabric.  I didn't have anything too specific in mind... but set out to find a white, black and maybe yellow fabric for the kitchen curtains I was determined to make.

Here's me at the fabric store with the fabric I ultimately chose.

I know, it doesn't look very black or yellow, does it?  Once at the fabric store, I felt like black and white would be too "matchy matchy" with the rest of the kitchen, so went with something that would accent and flow instead of be uniform.  But that's just how I roll. What about you- do you prefer "matchy matchy" or a flow?  For instance- I am an event planner by day and my own wedding had a "collection" of blues, browns and bright greens- while other brides whom I work with often prefer that every detail of their wedding be the same shade of "David's Bridal Eggplant" or "Brushed Nickle Silver." 

THANK GOODNESS for ironing seams, pins, and really good fabric scissors!

This is my final panel in progress!  (Needle don't break now!)  I have four windows in the kitchen which needed to be covered- so with two panels each- I sewed a total of 8 panels.  (And am now proud to call myself a straight-hem pro!- Just don't ask me to sew on a curve!)

Mom brought over some Ric Rac on one of her 5 trips up to my house to help me when I wanted to throw the whole project away... I've used some here as tiebacks...

(Also, note how close the neighbor's house is next door- we needed the option of privacy... coffee in your skivvies at 5am anyone?)

I also saw in a book called "Farm Chicks" that they lined open air pantry shelves such as ours with Ric Rack.  I affixed it with those craft dots that you use for scrap booking.

A close-up of the Ric Rac shelves.

Also- I'm very excited to show you the bakers rack seen here.  Originally I had posted that we were going to refinish one- but my Mom found this one on super ultra clearance at Pier 1 Imports, so she spoiled us and surprised me with it one day.  Also- See the curtains back there?

Here's over the sink.  At first I was concerned about the greens clashing- but I think it works since the kitchen has that "Vintage Chic" feel.  Generally, my decor style is not country- but there is something to be said about cooking bacon on a Saturday morning in a kitchen that feels like Grandma's.  (And my Grandma Eastman's kitchen is eclectic and vintage as they come!)

The newly white cabinets with the black hardware, the Baker's Rack, the curtains, the hand-painted spice rack, it's officially DONE!  (For now.)

And of course, the most important part of the project...

Betty has approved this kitchen for use. 

*A note about sewing*

  I am really looking forward to some new projects.  I have decided about 1 project a month would be manageable and keep me learning at a steady pace.  If you too are a novice sewer, I have the following advice:

1.  Befriend your manual!  I despise few things more than reading instructions/manuals, but it's necessary and you won't become "one with your machine" without using it.

2.  Keep everything together and neatly organized to easily start, resume and put away projects.

3.  Sew often- even my Mom and Grandmother had both forgotten the fundamentals since so many years had passed since they'd used a machine.

4.  Take accurate measurements- and then consider whether your fabric has a direction- specific pattern or not.  Luckily- my measurements worked even though I didn't take this into account... (Ie; up & down, side to side, etc.)

5.  Have fun!  And if it stops being fun, walk away and resume later!  I'm a "finished product" kind of gal- I like to sit down, do, and be finished! But I have learned with a sewing project, you often have to walk away and come back later.  If you get rushed or frustrated, needles break and bobbins go crazy.  Breathe.

Thanks for following me on this project- it basically consumed my 5 day staycation- but it's done!