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Showing posts from February, 2012

Master Bath: Nearly Complete

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A View of the Windows and Greenery Forgot to add a completed photo of the master bathroom. It was the same sandy beige as all the other rooms -- which is also the same shade as the moldings and the tile! Hello Beige! While househunting, we walked through a master bathroom that was a calming blue, so I tried to recreate it here. I am surprised by how much I like the color with the beige tile. It's very spa-like. The Vanity Corner There's a little "water closet" that I had planned to paint a darker blue for some contrast, but am thinking of continuing the soft blue to keep with the tranquil mood. I also need to find some pretty jutte or seagrass rugs for the room to complete the project. I hear Overstock.com has some good deals on rugs, so I'll check there first. The photos are not that great ... the room got messy in the last few days. And the kids LOVE using the huge tub. Bathtime is a recreational event now! Lastly, in case you're wondering,

Snowy Morning

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What we woke up to on Friday... My Snow-Covered Backyard

Leah's Room is FINISHED!

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A Look into the Desk Nook Three days of work, with lots of planning, and we're all done! Leah requested BLUE and by golly she got it! It's blue! It's white! It's slightly green, too! All the art is up and toys are moved back in... though I'm doubting it will ever be this clean again. More stuff will wander in here, I'm sure. Leah slept in there last night and loved it. And, to be honest, I'm ridiculously proud of this room. It's dreamy! Sure, there are a few things left to do: A) There's a chalkboard by the door that needs a painted boarder and picture rail above. B) And I'm going to hang some twine with mini-clothespins to display her art. C) And there may be curtains in the future, though I haven't identified what or where -- but black-out curtains might trick her into sleeping in. But, for now, this is pretty much done. *Pat on back.* Next up, their bathroom is going bright green. Perhaps a "fresh cut green"

Leah's Room: Before the Toys

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Finally! The shelves have been hung and the furniture is moved back in and placed. Doesn't it look nice and clean?! Documenting this moment because it won't look like this again until Leah leaves for collage. Look Into the Nook View From the Door Final photos with all the picture hung and toys in place to follow. Hurray for completed projects! Related posts: More bedroom stories

Nook No More!

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Nook Complete! So, what I once contemplated hiding (this crazy nook in the corner of Leah's room) is now a nice, "custom" work space. Bam! I tricked it out with IKEA shelves (that are level) and a charming accent color on the back wall (that could have been a shade darker -- I chickened out there). And a (slightly-higher than average) built-in desk. It came out a-okay! We'll complete the nook with an office chair and accessories later. Related posts: More bedroom stories

Leah's Built-in Desk Project

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Check that out! Level! Success!! Leah's desk project is mostly complete. The top has a fresh coat of poly, the supports are dead-on level and the chair looks adorable (from Ikea). Too high? Too bad! But..... I'm nervous that it's a tad higher than I would like it to be. I measured several times and the right height seemed too low, so i added two inches. Bad idea. (Lesson learned: Trust the numbers!) But, we can't move it without crazy wall damage so I'm getting over it. And Leah doesn't seem to mind. Lastly, there is nothing cooler than drilling 4" screws into the studs in the wall. Raw Power!!! Next up, paint! And some shelves. Can you picture her writing her college essay here. *Sniff* I can. Related posts: More bedroom stories

This Week: Leah's Room

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We're in full-swing house-project mode here. Lots to do! This week my focus is on Leah's room.  I found this lovely comforter set from The Land of Nod , which land on a blue/teal walls and citrus-green accents.  I also decided to construct a desk and shelves in that troublesome nook, instead of trying to hide it. I found great desk wood at Lowes and applied several coats of poly. I'll post photos soon.  I'm also painting a chalkboard on the angled wall with a painted scolloped boarder around it. It's going to be very cute!  I've pulled all her toys and smaller furniture out of the room and it's all over the hallway. So, I'm motivated to finish it up, reorganize her stuff and reclaim the hallway. Before and after photos are coming!  I also finished painting my master bathroom in a dusty blue. Leah helped with the area below the cabinets. It looks very soothing. Related posts: More bedroom stories

Nook Be Gone!

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In Leah's room I have a strange little nook I'm trying to wrap my head around. Unfortunately, it's in the location where it makes the most sense to put the bed. I had an idea: Cover the spot with a fun curtain and make a secret hiding spot. But it's looking funky. Version 1 - High Curtain Version 2 - Lower Curtain Does this look bananas to you? Keep in mind the curtain is just a test and is hanging there by safety pins. What if I built a shelf over the curtain and displayed stuff? This room has such a strange floorplan!

Local Eaters!

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In the long list of goals for leaving urban New Jersey and moving to suburban Illinois (and there were quite a few things on that list) "finding local food sources" was high on the list. Sure, we had a pretty good farmer's market in Montclair, but I wanted the farms to be closer and the food to be available all year. Well, the all-year thing will have to wait until we move back to California (in my dreams) but for now I can say that I've achieved that goal in a two ways ... so far. Simply. The. Best. One: MILK! I'm completely obsessed with Oberweis milk. Sure, it's a chain of dairy stores around Chicagoland but they are committed to locally-sourced milk from cows not treated with bovine growth hormone. (The hormone that makes cows produce more, but is getting passed into the milk and causing issues for little girls. Go read up on it, it's troubling.) And the milk is DELICIOUS. I'm a bit of milk snob. I don't like the cardboard aftertaste

It's Pink! And Yellow!

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BEFORE: SAND COLOR WALLS With the paperwork complete and the house finally all ours, it was time to put some paint on the walls. I started with Alice's room, because she has the most furniture and a comforter set that is staying. Also, it's a pretty easy room with lots of straight walls. I pushed for the color yellow, because I don't have anywhere else in the house to put it and I just love cheerful yellow walls. When asked, the three-year-old wanted pink, pink, pink! "It's my favorite color!" she said.  Normally, I'm not a pink fan. The hue is either too peach or too red -- and reminds me of PeptoBismo on the walls. However, given that Alice is my baby and in a few years she'll be old and sophisticated and will probably want grey or maroon on her walls, I decided to take this opportunity to celebrate her little girl-ness. And nothing is more little girl than pink.  So, we compromised. Pink on the accent wall with the big window and