A Little Bit of Christmas

Wow! It's been a while since I've visited this blog.
Thought I'd share some of this year's Christmas decor today.
It's my first Christmas in this house and I've had a lot of fun decorating.

Wishing everyone a wonderful Christmas and Holidays!

(There may be a whole set of new adventures in the New Year, so stay tuned.)

It's Here!

The media console, that is. It's the Ming Media Cabinet from Ethan Allen in the "aged teal" color.

We've also ordered the tile for the kitchen backsplash. It has a little bit of a metallic sheen.

When sealed and installed, it will look like this (I hope).

A Teenie Bit of Decorating

We've been hanging pictures and I'm starting to get my decorating feet wet again.

I have an update planned for these chairs...

...using something like this:

Living Room Update

This weekend I "moved in", which really means we moved the big stuff. Quite a few things still have to make their way over from my old place but it should all be done by the end of the week. Finding room for everything is still a huge challenge.

I thought I'd share a little update on the living room today. We're nowhere near done, but at least there's furniture!

Before:

During:


Right now:

We're waiting for the new media console to arrive, blinds have to installed, the coffee table has to be replaced/refinished, pictures will be hung, the chairs have to be reupholstered, etc., etc., but we have somewhere to sit!

Sharing the Treasures

The big move is this weekend! I've been moving smaller things in my car the last two weeks and it's quite overwhelming to figure out how to fit my things into a house that's already filled. Many, many things are being donated.

I've always loved visiting yard sales and thrift shops but there truly isn't any room in this house for bringing treasures home.
This brought me to the conclusion that, in order to continue finding joy in thrifting, I'm going to have to share the wealth, so to speak.

Announcing my brand new Etsy vintage and handmade store!

This morning I listed this cute little honey jar:

I'll be adding more items as I continue sorting through my things and thrifting for more as soon as everything settles down.

Kitchen Update

The counters are in. I love them!

The ovens and faucet have been installed too, but I'll share that after we get all the drawers and things back in. Be sure to have a look at my previous posts here and here for the "before and during" photos.

Next up - backsplash decisions!

Bring it on, granite people!

We're ready for you!

Dining Room Ideas

The carpets are in!
The granite guys came to make the templates for the countertops yesterday. And took my new sink with them, which gives me the heebie jeebies.

The house is a complete disaster zone but I thought I'd share some of my thoughts on the dining area today. This is the best photo I have of the dining table. It's maple with a butcher block top.

The new chairs are the Seagrass Side Chairs from Pottery Barn. You can also see the new carpet and paint color in this photo (taken in the living room because the dining room is filled with furniture from other rooms).

I'm thinking of this light fixture, but I'm having a hard time visualizing it and don't want to make a mistake. It's "Lucy" by Robert Abbey.

Today I'm off on another quest to find paint for the master bedroom.  As of right now I have 4 Behr paint swatches on the wall and I hate them all. Going to see what Benjamin Moore has to offer.

Busy, busy, busy

It felt like Grand Central Station over here at times today.

First, the dining room chairs arrived two days early. I'm very impressed with Pottery Barn, but finding somewhere to store them while the carpets are being installed has been a challenge.

The carpet guys showed up right on time,

followed by the appliance delivery truck.

We now have everything but (literally) the kitchen sink, which should be here tomorrow.

Kitchen Decisions

We have most of the kitchen decisions finalized!

Range: GE Cafe™ Series 30" Free-Standing Gas Double Oven with Convection Range - two ovens!

Microwave: GE Cafe Series Advantium® 120 Above-the-Cooktop Oven - counter space is very limited in the kitchen (which made the countertops more affordable), so we decided to stick with the over-the-range microwave.

Countertop: Black Pearl Granite in a honed finish. A little scared of this one because I've read that it may be hard to take care of, but it's SO pretty and we're adults, right?

Sink: Gourmet Elkay Kitchen Sink ELUH3120RPD

Faucet: Talis S 2-Spray HighArc Kitchen Faucet, Pull-Down

Progress!

Although we bought fairly high-end items, we did not pay anywhere near retail for any of them.  I'm a big bargain hunter but I was still shocked at the difference between retail and the best prices I found online.

We still have to make a decision on the backsplash and cabinet hardware but figured it would be easier once the countertops are in.

Kitchen Before

Just scheduled the carpet install! Woohoo!

We've been visiting granite showrooms for what feels like forever and will be back there this weekend.
I never realized picking countertops would be this hard. Not to mention what to do with the backsplash!

Today I'm sharing some "before" photos of the kitchen. I think the "after" is going to be stunning - as soon as I can decide on the product and color.

We've bought a new, stainless steel range and microwave and are seriously contemplating replacing the dishwasher. The sink will also be stainless steel.
Unfortunately the refrigerator is pretty much brand new so it's going to have to stay for now.

Merging

Within the next couple of weeks, I will be officially moving from my temporary abode into a "new" place. It's quite exciting but does involve the merging of two people's tastes and belongings. We're setting off on a fairly extensive remodeling and redecorating journey, which has already proven to be fun, but challenging.

Living room before:

The built-in window seat made the room feel smaller and was truly not a comfortable spot. The enormous entertainment center is out of here too.
We're hoping to get the painting done this week before the carpet installers come...if I can make up my mind about the color.

Lists - app or paper?

 I'm a "list person". Always have been, always will be. When I'm tossing and turning at two am with "to-do's" spiraling aimlessly in my head, I get up and write them down. Nine times out of ten that's all it takes to get me back to sleep. I think it has to do with fear of forgetting something important. Or control issues. Or a bit of OCD. Or all of the above.

With the advent of the smart phone and tablet, I rejoiced. No more carrying around tattered notebooks. "There's an app for that"!

I tried multiple "list" apps. And many work quite well. I've been using the myShopi app for my grocery and other shopping lists for a couple of months and really like it.

For "to do lists" however, nothing beats my good old notebook and pen.

I'll share the system that works for me in a future post, as soon as I actually get something checked off a list, that is.

Happy New Year!

These are my "bling-y" shoes.

Since this blog seems to be a hodgepodge of my life, and I'm a little obsessed with clothes, nails, and all things girly right now, I've decided to add a "fashion" post every now and then.

The dress I wore on New Year's Eve.