~86~ New Craft Room Redo

Now that we have a baby coming soon, Jake and I needed to move our office (now the nursery), and we decided to combine it with my craft room.  To do so, we got rid of our giant entertainment stand and rearranged things that allowed for a configuration that flowed and still allowed for us to use the futon as a guest bed if needed.

This change also gave me the reason I needed to revamp my craft table.  Ever since moving, my craft table that I built with Jake a couple of years ago has been on the fritz.  The top section had completely detached from the bottom and was no longer secured to the table top.  I had admired this table design by Ana White for over a year and I'm excited to say, I finally made my version of it!

My design isn't nearly as fancy and large as hers, but the functionality is the same.  Although Ana White provides great step-by-step plans complete with a materials and cut list, I decided to keep the design the same and customize the measurements fit my specific wants and needs.  

The guy at Home Depot probably cursed my name for many hours after I left, but I am very grateful (as is Jake) that he was willing to make all of the cuts for me! For the 2 legs, I bought one 4'x8'x1/2" and one 2'x4'x1/4" MDF board.   The 1/2" thick board was for the frame of each leg.  The 1/4" thick board was use from the shelving pieces that would hold each bin. For the top of the table, I repurposed my old top instead of buying a new one. 

Putting it together was a little more difficult than I had thought it would be.  The main issue was that the MDF would split from the screws because it's just not thick enough.  Pre-drilling the holes definitely helped, but we still ran into some splitting.  Regardless, my new table was born and I LOVE it!  

Each leg was redesigned so that I could access my most used bins from the front while seated at my table instead of having to reach around to side as I previously had to.  The interior parts were painted in pink and the exterior parts were painted white.  The entire table was then coated in Martha Stewart glitter paint that I found on clearance at Home Depot. 

  

In addition to the new table, I added some wall shelving behind it to house my stamps, markers, DVDs, and display my dried wedding bouquet that I just didn't have the heart to throw away.







With the new arrangement of the room I also needed find a new home for my Korean doll collection.  To free up space we got wall mounted shelves so that I could still proudly display them.


I now love spending time in my craft room even  more than I did before.  The updated table provided much needed extra functionality - plus, it looks prettier too!

Now that the craft room/office combo is complete, we can focus our time and attention on getting the nursery ready!

Until then, 

~83~ Kitchen Update

With Baby H on the way, Jake and I are using this time to finish any extra projects we want to do on the house.  For the past 2 weekends, we decided to redo our kitchen floors in a faux hardwood and add a tiled back splash.  When we bought the house, there was a tan colored linoleum all throughout the house.  I've always hated it, but putting in real hardwood floors just wasn't in our budget any time soon.  The last few times I've been at Home Depot, I've noticed a faux hardwood that clicks together and is much more economical.  

When we were in one Friday to discuss carpeting in the nursery, we asked about the faux hardwood and were led to a product called Allure that is a vinyl plank flooring system that is easy to lay and requires no prior treatment or underlayment.  After reading many great reviews and knowing it's backed by a 25 year warranty, we decided to go for it.  For our 180 square foot kitchen, 8 boxes was perfect.

This stuff is pretty darn easy to lay.  It looks great-AND-it doesn't ruin your pre-existing floor, so if you end up wanting to change it or do something differently down the line, it's easy to remove.  The biggest challenge we had was getting our cuts to cut straight when a full panel wasn't needed.  This resulted in some wasted panels, but that was to be expected, which is why we made sure to overestimate how much we would need.

Take a look at the before and after pictures.  What a HUGE difference it makes.

Please excuse my lopsided kitchen towels!  How embarrassing!

The next weekend we put in back splash.  We found some great clearance tile when we went to buy the Allure flooring and decided to go for it.  On Wednesday, we laid the tile and after the 2 day waiting period grouted.  By Sunday evening, our kitchen was put back together.  The hardest part was cutting the tile and placing it around the light switches and outlets.

Even though the pictures make it look like 2 different kinds of tile, they're the same.  It's just the lighting that makes them look different. 

Next up: New Craft table and getting the nursery ready!

~76~ House-i-versary

Not sure if "house-i-versary" is actually a word, but I'm making it one. 

A year ago today, Jake and I signed our life away and this beautiful house became ours. 

It's hard to believe it's been a whole year already. 

In some regards, it feels like we've lived here forever because it is so much like home.  I LOVE coming home to this house.  In other ways, it feels like we just moved in because time has been going by so quickly lately (and we don't even have kids!).

As I reflect back on the past year, it amazes me how much Jake's  we've done since moving in. One of the appeals of the house was that we didn't NEED to do anything.  It really was move in ready.  It was really well maintained and aside from the absence of an en suite (aka attached master bathroom), it had everything we wanted in a home.  However, it had lots of potential to really make it ours; a task that I believe we successfully accomplished.

Our immediate project when we got keys was painting. LOTS of painting. Like 7 rooms and 2 hallways worth.  I'll be ok never picking up a paint brush again.  

All that aside, here's what we've done in just 12 short months:

1. Add track lighting and a recessed appliance box to our den

2. Redid the vanity in the master bathroom 

3. Redid the guest bathroom

4. Converted the guest bedroom into a poker room/man cave

5. Updated the master closet

6. Sodded the backyard, added a flower bed, and lattice fencing around the deck + putting a border around the front garden bed. 

Plus, all of the little things that provide added functionality, but aren't necessarily blog-worthy ;)

So, what's in store for our house in the next year?  Not a whole lot.  We adore our house and feel that we now have everything the way we really want it.  The smaller projects are left include: 

-Combining my craft room with the office.  The plan is to create a fold down craft table, with better shelving.  The office desk will get moved into the craft room and the large entertainment center and futon will get moved out.

-Expanding/beautifying the garden. Fingers crossed the plants I put in last year come back this year!

-Finally getting the chimney inspected and in working order.  We still haven't taken down the plastic that's taped inside for fear of what we'll find.  That will be a summer task. 

Other than that, I guess we'll just have to wait and see what the next year brings. 

Until then, 

~75~Master Closet Redo

Apparently all of this cabin fever leads to lots of updates in our home.

This past weekend, we dedicated it to redoing our master bedroom closet.  

When we bought the house, this is what it looked it. 

(This is really my craft room closet-it has the same doors, but it slightly smaller than our master closet)

I knew right away that I wanted to replace the doors with bifold ones to maximize the space and make the middle of the closet accessible.  After doing some research online, we agreed on this set from home depot. 

We also knew that we didn't love the set up inside the closet and wanted to add some built-in shelving to make it more organized and easier to find what we wanted.  Our inspiration was this: 

Many of the closet systems that we initially found were outside of the budget we had set for ourselves.  Luckily on a random trip to Target, I noticed that their ClosetMaid items were all on clearance.  Score!  I picked up 2 floor organizers to put shoes on, since prior to the redo, they were chaotically strewn on the floor.  

I also purchased 2 stackable shelving units to center in the closet. 

A few dowels and shelves later, we were ready to put it all in. 

The first step was hammering the frame pieces on the inside of the arch.  Our closet was 58 1/4" wide, and the bifold doors are 60" wide when closed, so we needed to add almost 2 inches to make them fit.  

Next, we had to trim down one of the shoe shelves to make it fit along the bottom.  Once those were done, we installed the vertical shelves. 

Then, we added in the dowels, fitting them between the vertical shelves and the wall for the lower racks, and from wall to wall above the shelves for the upper rack. 

The last step was installing the doors!

We love the new look and efficiency of our closet.  Since we don't/can't have a walk in closet in this house, we figured this would be the next best thing.

Project Details: 

BiFold Doors: $44/ea

Shoe shelves: $20/ea 

Vertical Shelves: $20/ea

Dowels: $8

Shelves: $28

Total cost: $204

~73~ Guest Room Redo

Now that the guest bathroom was complete, the next step was converting our guest bedroom into a "Man Cave".  

Jake has been wanting to do it for a while, and after making a plan for everything he wanted, we finally put plans into actions.  While I was hesitant at first to give up our guest room, Jake made a very valid point that it was a room that was a waste of space for all but 5 or 6 days a year.  

The plan included turning the guest bed into a a make-shift murphy bed that would be easy to set up when we did need a guest bed, and just as easily put back into place when we were done using it.  On the back of the box spring we screwed in MDF board with built in nuts to screw leg posts into.  When we have a guest, the legs are added and the bed flips down into place.  When it's in man cave mode, the bed acts as a faux wall, instantly opening up the space.

The room is complete with an homage to all of Jake's favorite teams: Vikings, ISU Cyclones, and Cubs), as well as his favorite tv show, Game of Thrones.  

The centerpiece to the room is our new poker table that we found on Craigslist.  It's a vintage bumper pool table with an added poker top that also flips over to create fully functioning table.  It fits perfectly and was a necessary piece to go with Jake's new poker set that he got for Christmas.  

I really love how the room came together, really represents Jake in a really cohesive way.  One of my favorite pieces in the room is his poster from "AfroMan" signed by Samuel L. Jackson that he got from work, along with the animated dvd that goes with it. 

The final touch was a bar made to fit around his mini-fridge. 

Project Details: 
PokerTable (craigslist): $100
Purple paint: $50
Sports decorations: $75
Wood Shelves: $40
"Murphy bed" supplies: $50
Wood for Fridge Shelf: $25
Light Fixture: $30
Light Switch: $20
Total Cost: $390

What do you think?  What would you want in your man cave?

Until next time,

~72~ Guest Bathroom Redo

It's probably not a huge surprise, but our guest bathroom isn't exactly the nicest room in our house.  Ever since we moved in, changing pretty much everything about it was on the list.  

The first changes were made a few months back when I added a stained crate shelf that doubles as a hand towel bar, as well as some cute framed art I found at JoAnns. 

Just before Christmas, Jake and I agreed that we'd use any Christmas money that we received to buy a new vanity/sink for the guest bathroom.  We ended up finding a great deal at Home Depot where we also bought the chrome faucet.  With the help of Jake's uncle, Johnny, we were able to get it installed without too much hassle.  Immediate upgrade!

While we were at it, we decided we might as well get rid of the bulky and not so pretty mirror and light combo.  After doing some searching online, I found a 3 bulb wall light from Lowe's that I really liked.  It's different from any other light fixture I've seen before in that type of style, and wasn't too expensive.  

Once we got that installed, we needed to touch up the paint underneath the old mirror.  Unfortunately the previous owners didn't leave any of the paint or the name of the color.  However, Jake cut out a piece that is hidden under the vanity and I was able to get it color matched at Lowes, which is also where we ended up getting our mirror from.  

At first, we debated on what shape mirror to get.  I had contemplated going with an oval just to mix things up, but after talking over with Jake and some friends, we decided to go with a rectangular mirror because we thought it would mix better with the linear look of the vanity and light fixture.  By the way, holy cow mirrors can be REALLY expensive.  The one we ultimately chose was very reasonably priced at only $30.  We chose white to compliment the vanity top and to provide some contrast between the dark vanity and dark light fixture.  

The final product: 

It's amazing to me how just a few little changes can make a big difference in the overall look of a room, and it was done very inexpensively.  When all was said and done, it cost just over $200. 

Project Details: 

Vanity: $69

Faucet: $30

Light Fixture: $60

Mirror: $30

Paint: $15

Plumbing Supplies: $20

Total Cost: $224

 I absolutely love our guest bathroom now and I can't wait to show it off to family and friends.  A HUGE thank you to Jake and Uncle Johnny for all of their hard work getting it done, and so quickly!  We started the project on Wednesday and it was completely finished by the end of Saturday night.  

In addition to transforming the bathroom, Jake is also working on converting our guest bedroom into a Man Cave that will double as a poker room and workout room.  There will be more on that in the coming weeks as we finish out the project. 

Until then, 

~65~ First Christmas in our Home

One of the many things I love about owning a home is decorating for Christmas.  While I was able to decorate in the apartment, the options were much more limited.  The best part about this year's Christmas decor was getting a live Christmas tree, something I haven't had in at least 6 years.  We picked ours up the weekend after Thanksgiving from Costco after a tip from a friend.  It is a beautiful 7' Fraiser Fir.  I'm still figuring out how to decorate/light a tree since the last 5 years we've had a pre lit one, so this year was somewhat of a learning year.  I'm thinking next year we're going to stick to all white lights and a general color scheme of red/white/silver.

In addition to the tree upstairs, we added some Christmas items to our console table and side coffee table. 

In addition to our tree, we also bought a gorgeous pre lit garland for our downstairs mantle. Our mantle is probably my favorite part look.  In my planter I change out the flowers seasonally and currently have red and white poinsettias.  I also have the sled that I painted last year, a silver reindeer from Kohls and a "Noel" sled that I picked up on the way home from a Vikings game. 

Perhaps the best part of being in our new house at Christmas is getting to host Christmas dinner.  Traditionally, we have spent Christmas Eve in Minneapolis with my side of the family and Christmas day with Jake's side of the family.  However, this year, due to work schedules, we celebrated with my family in Minneapolis the weekend before Christmas.  So, this year, on Christmas Eve it was going to be just Jake and I celebrating together-starting new traditions.  That is, until my Mother-In-Law called Christmas Eve morning to ask our invitation (that they had declined a couple days prior) to come eat dinner at our house was still open.  I of course said, "yes!".  Not only were they coming, but so were Jake's brother, his girlfriend, Jake's grandma, and uncle.  I had never made Christmas dinner before, let alone cooked a full meal for 8 people, but I was up for the challenge.  

I quickly jumped into action and began getting things ready.  It has always been tradition to eat Swedish meatballs, Swedish sausage, mashed potatoes/gravy, spinach soufflé, and rice pudding on Christmas eve, and I so that was the menu.  Thanks to many, many phone calls to my mom asking how exactly everything is done, the food was ready, and turned out perfectly (if I do say so myself).   While I do hope to spend many Christmas Eve's in Minneapolis as tradition usually dictates, it was so much fun having Jake's family over and sharing more of how I grew up celebrating Christmas, and I'm looking forward to doing it again in future years. 

How do you celebrate Christmas? What's your favorite decoration?

Until next time, 

~62~ Summer Update

I'm in my last week of summer break, and I want to know, where did summer go?!?

I have thoroughly enjoyed my break and find it hard to believe that it's only 6 more days until I'm back at work.  So, one might wonder what I've been up for the past 2 months.

Camp Invention
From June 24-28, I directed a new camp for the first time.  I was hired for the job in March and frantically spent the subsequent months getting things ready and spreading the word about camp.  It went magnificently and I am already excited for next year!

During the weeklong camp, kids honed their inventing skills creating a duck launcher from recycled materials, used problem solving skills to develop ways of surviving on far away Planet Zak, created an updated and eco-friendly community, and worked in teams to play games from around the world.


2nd Anniversary/New Family Member
It's hard to believe that Jake and I have already celebrated our 2nd anniversary.  Time certainly does fly!  While it was not as extravagant as last year, we had a great time.  We had dinner and drinks at Bravo! Cucina before going to World War Z, which we both enjoyed.  And what better way to finish the night than with some delicious cheesecake.

As for our newest family member, the weekend prior to our anniversary, I found a little cutie while getting supplies for camp at Petco.  Jake and I had talked about getting a brother for Buckles a while back, but decided to table it for the time being.  However, this just seemed like the perfect fit for us.  He is a beagle/basset mix that had a similar temperament to Buckles and was already house-trained (well kind of), "fixed", and up-to-date on shots.  We had a brief meeting prior to taking him in that went well and we knew it was fate.  We named him Viktor and love him so much! Buckles doesn't seem to mind him either ;)

4th of July

Now that we have a house, Jake and I love having people over.  On the 4th, we had a bunch of friends over for grilling, drinks, and a "bags" tournament.   All I have to say is thank goodness for Pinterest!  I made some red/white/blue center pieces and my biggest brag piece-flag cake.  When you cut into it, each piece looks like a US flag.  It was really good too!

Gardening

We added in a flower bed surrounding our deck and a hosta garden underneath our walnut tree next to the shed that my parents helped to start when they came to visit at the end of July.  I would say that I have more of a yellow thumb than a green one, but I'm having fun seeing my garden grow!

Baby Showers

We learned this past spring that many of our friends are expecting little ones due this fall.  In addition to wedding celebrations, there were quite a few baby celebrations.  The first of which was at the beginning of August.  I made my very first diaper cake (who knew they were so easy??) after seeing some inspiration on (where else), Pinterest.  The dad-to-be is a big 49ers fan, so I themed it for that. 

Wedding Projects
Not for me, but for my dear cousin, Liz.  I was beyond flattered that she trusted me to make her wedding invitations.  She found a sample inspiration and we went from there.  The desired elements were purple and black with a damask print and royal purple ribbon tying it all together.  It was a labor of love (emphasis on labor), but they turned out better than I could have imagined.  I was even a little jealous that these weren't my own invitations.

I also bedazzled some purple flip flops with Swarovski crystals.  I initially had planned to do it with a hot glue gun.  Yeah, didn't work. At. All.  So, the plan B was to use super glue.  I went with a bottle of maximum bond Krazy Glue and it worked like a charm.

Finally, Liz also asked me to play the violin during the ceremony.  After some research, Liz and her fiancé, Jeremy decided on the Love Theme from Cinema Paradiso (seriously, if you haven't seen this movie-put in your list, it's a beautiful movie).  It took some trial and error, but after purchasing 2 different pieces of sheet music and some musical editing, we have a gorgeous piece ready to go.

This summer definitely flew by quickly, but I have no complaints.  And now the countdown until next summer begins...