Progressive Progress is Progressing

I found the photos of our house listing online from last year!  It seems appropriate to walk down memory lane as we get close to the 1st anniversary of our move.  Plus it makes me feel less overwhelmed with unfinished projects and makes me see progress!

Kitchen Before

I think it is funny that a Realtor would take such a funny photo.  Did he mean to feature his Dr. Pepper?  I'm pretty sure it was not included in the purchase. 

Kitchen During - this is still in progress.  In case you were concerned.

Living Room Before with bright yellow bedroom in background.

Living room during

Bedroom before

Bedroom After - this one is finished.

Mint Green Master bath before

Master bath during - I hung a funky light so I have something new to hit my head on daily. 

 
There is still lots of work to do, but I feel blessed to have come this far!  And maybe a little sad that we will eventually be finished with what we can do and have to start forking over money and control to more qualified individuals.

You know, that patriotic THING!!!

Have you ever wanted to order something on the internet, but you didn't know the name of what you needed?  This happens to me a lot because either a) I look for weird stuff to order online or b) my very limited vocabulary, especially when it comes to home improvement, is a major impairment.

For example, I googled "Plexiglass thing to cover my florescent light" when I needed a plexiglass thing to cover my florescent light.

I am called a "Light Diffuser Panel" and am not available in your size online.

And most recently, I wanted one of those semi-circle flag things to hang out front.  You know, the patriotic kind.

So I Googled "4th of July decor" and received these results:

Images from Coolglow.com

No, that's not what I am looking for!  It is a flag thing... So I googled "Flag Decor"

(source)

No!  That's not it!  If I wanted a pink-flamingo-wearing-a-Santa-hat-with-a-present-in-its-mouth flag, I would've Googled "pink-flamingo-wearing-a-Santa-hat-with-a-present-in-its-mouth flag."  Come on technology, work with me here.

Then I tried "Patriotic Flag"

And I am not even kidding, this was the first result. (source)

Really, people, that is just WEIRD! 

Finally, I used all the words I could muster and Googled "Patriotic flag drape decoration"

May I introduce you to B-U-N-T-I-N-G?  (source)

I thought bunting was "hitting a short distance at bat," but actually, I learned a new word!  Or I guess I really just learned a new definition of an old word.

Bunting home at last!

Pulling off the two toned look

I have a friend who is considering (at the suggestion of her husband) painting her kitchen cabinets in a two-toned look.

To be honest, when I hear two-toned, I picture:

This

Not everyone can pull off this look.  In fact, maybe NO ONE can pull it off!

Then, it struck me like lightening!  Actually, it struck me like a Fiber One commercial.  Fiber has that effect on people.

I know you are scratching your head here.

But just WATCH THIS!!!

How cute are these cabinets?

still shot from the inspiring fiber one commercial

I think it is possible to pull off the two toned look!  My eyes have been opened!  Why was I so closed minded?  Here is another pretty one. 

Lavender and white looks so pretty!

I like how they painted the drawers and door fronts one solid color but the "framing" another color.

Not bad

Cute use of chalkboard paint on the doors!

So my advice to my friend is GO FOR IT!  I would help you but I am painting my own cabinets tomorrow (in a boring monotone, because I do not have courage like my friend.)

U-G-L-Y Fans

It is so hot.  so. very. hot.  What do you seek when you need to cool off?  A fan.  Perhaps, a ceiling fan?
Where do you draw the line between comfort and style?  Do you wear comfy shoes or look great and suffer in your heels?  This is the ultimate question.

I think I would rather be hot.  This looks like a contraceptive.

Wow.  This fancy one reminds me of an unfortunate royal wedding headpiece.

For the ULTIMATE fan (pun intended)

I am fancy.

Mauve and gold is the new black.

So what is your choice?  Comfort or style?

Digital Mood Boards

Chances are, if you have talked to me over the past week, we have had some sort of discussion about my kitchen. My complete lack of direction was stressing me out.  I needed a mental picture, but my imagination failed me.  In fact, I think I lost my imagination back in the 1990s sometime.

I decided to start compiling several elements together on a Keynote slide (that would be the same thing as Power Point for those of you PC people) to figure out where I am heading.

I started by picking out the things I already have like:

Chandelier from LampsPlus

Rug from Overstock

Art from World Market

Wall color from Benjamin Moore

Then I started "shopping" for other things I like such as:

This paint color from Benjamin Moore

This fabric from sewmamasew.com

This ceramic woodgrain tile

And I was able to use screen shots (Command+shift+4) or just drag and drop everything onto my slide in Keynote to create a Mood Board (click here for some really cool MoodBoards)

I think I like it!

This will require me to repaint the wainscot that I never liked, but I am finally feeling some peace about where this project is heading.

Life in the Gray Area

In honor of me plucking out my first gray hair, which apparently sprung forth from the top of my head overnight and was sticking up so proudly, I would like to introduce you to:

An assortment of my Gray Haired friends

Meet Storm Cloud Gray

Source

Which turned this -

into this.


And Gray Horse (love the name - I always bet on the gray horse at the races!)

Source

Which I painted my bathroom and entryway

And Smokestack Gray

Source

Which I bought a sample of, I guess for my kitchen?  I am not sure.  But I didn't end up using it.  It is a really beautiful color, though.

And Colorado Gray

Source

Ditto - have a sample but it didn't materialize into anything in the house. 

And Silver Gray

Source

Which I also apparently just bought for my collection.  Why purchase a fan deck when you can just keep collecting actual samples of actual paint?  I thought it would make a pretty ceiling color in the kitchen, but ended up just paining the ceiling the same color as the walls.

And Dior Gray

Source

Which I used on some woodwork in the kitchen but I am not really that pleased with it. Why does it look so blue?

Blue Wainscot?  And hello Roomba.

Finally, this is Ozark Shadows -

Source

Which transformed Carly's room from this -

into this (scroll down - it is a long post!)

I love Gray!

Might not get the light fixture up before dinner.

I finally ordered a light fixture to replace this.  It took me forever to find what I wanted in my price range.

This is really what I wanted (Lamps Plus).  Too pricey.

I decided to settle for an Open Box item at 1/8 the price of what I wanted:

ALL SALES ARE FINAL - ENOUGH SAID

So my fixture arrived today, fresh with the Return Authorization from one Sturr Barton (location unknown) written in Sharpie on the side of the box.  I decided to try to hang it before dinner.

Hello.  I am here.  Put me up before dinner. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I opened the box and found that the hardware was in a zip-lock bag.  I am going to go ahead and assume that Sturr Burton (location unknown) provided the zip-lock bag-o-hardware. Clue #1 that I would not get it hung before dinner.

Well Traveled but Home at Last.  Because you can't return me.

Next, I took out the instructions.  Only the last page was included.  That's the page where they tell you how to put the lightbulbs in and hang the shades.  Clue #2 that I would not get it hung before dinner.

I noticed the wires had a warning on them that they are made of a substance that has been possibly proven to cause cancer in California.  I don't live in Cali, but I took this as an omen.  Definitely clue #3 that I would not get it hung before dinner.  

Then, I began taking down the old chandelier.  There was no electric box and all wires were (I assume) attached in the attic.   It is kind of hard to tell where the wires are seeing that there is only one tiny hole with which to peer. Clue #4 that I would not get it hung before dinner.

The dark circle is just what didn't get painted around the old chandelier canopy.  There is no electric box with wires.

I tried to pry off the long center wooden panel on the ceiling to find the electric box.  I couldn't dismantle it because I had painted it together.  Clue #5 that I would not get it hung before dinner.

I climbed in the attic to see if I saw any wires.  I looked at what I thought must be this part of the ceiling, (it is hard to get your bearings in the attic) and found a mound of insulation in an unlit section of the attic.  I pictured myself falling through the wooden panels and landing on the dining table.  I retreated to stable ground. Clue #6 that I would not get it hung before dinner.
 
I tried to figure it out and rig it to the ceiling.  I realized that I am not that handy and there is no room for the mounting hardware (assuming that said hardware even exists in the zip-lock baggie from unknown location) BECAUSE THERE IS NO ACCESSIBLE ELECTRIC BOX.  HAVE I MENTIONED THAT???? Clue #1 that I would not get it hung EVER.

Oh, contractor???  I have a little item to add to our upcoming kitchen renovation.

Remember me?  I might have been cheaper in the end.