Our '68 Hillcrest

Dapper Drapes

2010-04-05T17:23:00.000-07:00

Some of the time I spent during the past few months was making drapes. I love the fabric, found it at Joann's deeply discounted. It is the perfect shade of green with just a bold enough pattern to bring some life into the room but not be overwhelming.

My very own greenhouse - week one

2010-03-26T17:35:00.000-07:00

Yes, I currently have my very own greenhouse and I don't even have to leave my house to get there. I have created my very own Seed Sewing Station in my basement. Why? To hopefully save my pocketbook this Spring at the garden center. Flowers and Herbs are so expensive when you compare them to their original state, the seed. I can get one Basil Plant for the same price I can grow 10 or more. If I were to purchase a flat of snapdragons for my window boxes, I would easily be out more than $1.69 (the cost of a million seeds) But you wonder, who needs 10 Basil Plants? Good question, but with mothers day around the corner I am hoping to make some great Potted Gifts, and who doesn't like to get flowers for a gift?!

So far I am a week into germination and going strong. This year I am attempting to grow, Lavender, Rosemary, Basil, Lettuce, Tomatoes, Snapdragons and Foxglove.

Interested in starting your own seeds? It is not to late, here is what you need:

1. A place that it is okay to leave a light on constantly and has a constant temperature, I am using my basement.

2. A plant light, you can buy this at Home Depot for $4.99 or less for a 60 watt bulb

3. Trays or Pots (I am using both, but the Jiffy Pots make transplanting a breeze) Don't know what jiffy Pots are here is the link: Jiffy Pots

4. Potting Soil

5. Saran Wrap

6. Planting Tags

7. Water

8. Table, to set the pots and trays on

Here is the progress I am making after 7 days of germination. Most plants begin to germinate within 10-14 days. As you can see the Lettuce is really taking off, as well at the Basil. Currently I have at least one sprout in of each plant I am trying to grow except Rosemary.

Back from Hiatus!

2010-03-22T17:04:00.000-07:00

Wow! My apologies, but we have been taking a well deserved break from renovation realities. As it begins to warm up we are beginning to gear up for everything we need to do on the outside of the house....more to come on this in the coming weeks.

I wanted to take some time to show you what we have been up to lately. It has been all about the details. Refinishing old flee market finds and sewing up a storm. Everything is coming together just in time for Spring. Did I mention, I am attempting to start my own flowers, herbs and veggies from seeds, in my basement to save money at the greenhouse this year. Rosemary, Lavender, Basil, Lettuce, Tomatoes, Snapdragons and Foxglove are what I am currently trying to start! I will keep you posted on the progress and any tips I learn!

Back to the TOPIC:

The last few months have been all about accessorizing! Here are a few pictures of to show you what we have been up to!

This is the largest room of the house and the last main room we completed because it needed the least work. We ripped up the carpet to reveal beautiful hardwood, just like the rest of the house, and all it really needed was just a few coats of paint.

This is the flee market table I bought years ago. Michael refinished the top and painted the legs black. It looks much better.

More to come... I promise.

It's Finally Here

2010-01-04T18:07:00.000-08:00

Well the long awaited day has finally gotten here! Our kitchen is amazing. We absolutely love it. We got the rest of the crown molding up today and there are only a few minor details to go! I forgot how much I enjoy being in the kitchen. I love it!

We have plenty of storage and it is so open! I can see my front and back porch and watch TV while I cook or do the dishes (aka load the dishwasher). Some cabinets have glass, some have interior lighting and the appliances are great. I have gotten the hang of the stove and our sink is so deep it hurts my back to get things out of it! : ) Much better than the previous alternative of not being able to fit anything in it but a few glasses.

Well enough of the babble here are a few pictures to remind you of what it used to look like!

AND now........for the reveal of the NEW KITCHEN

AND here are some Close Ups

2009-12-20T08:24:00.001-08:00

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

The Drywalls up and the Floors are almost complete

2009-12-09T17:15:00.000-08:00

WOW! We can finally take a breath...but not a large one because the fumes may kill us!! But it seems as though everything is almost coming together!

But I don't want to speak to soon though.... Here is a picture of our new floors, they should be complete by Friday and We get to pick up the Cabinets on Saturday so hopefully I'll have more for you to see by Monday!

NEW FLOORS in the KITCHEN

REFINISHED FLOORS in the TV ROOM
DRYWALL in the KITCHEN

I can SEE clearly now!

2009-12-05T20:09:00.000-08:00

I can see clearly now the walls are gone!

Well one of my main hang ups about this house was the teeny weeny hole about the sink. It was literally a 2x3 foot hole that you could not see anything through... definitely if your 5'2"!!

Well I can officially say it is gone for good. I can now see out both the front and back windows and the TV while I'm in our soon to be kitchen!

Here is the before and after!!!

The Bathroom - COMPLETE

2009-12-04T20:00:00.000-08:00

As the Demo on the kitchen started the thought of not having a finished bathroom loomed over our heads......

It was a crazy mess, taking way longer than we ever imagined working nights and weekends and even during the Holiday though we were able to get it complete...minus a few decorative touches.

(FYI - Every time I say 'we' I mean 'Michael & TJ' I usually only provide moral support and spend my time making several steps to our favorite store.......)

Well here it is!

NEXT --- A few baskets, towel bars/hooks and we are really in business!

Demo-Tastic

2009-12-02T19:49:00.000-08:00

Well - Thanks to a lot of help the Kitchen could now be anything! It is completely bare... right down to the studs. We had a ton of help, me excluded, Michael, Gene, Tommy and TJ all pitched in and by the time I was back I was greeted with a very large green dumpster!

Here are a few photos of the current Kitchen and Helpers!

Next to come..... 1. The New Opening 2. The Drywall 3. New Electric 4. New Cabinets and Sink 5. New Appliances 6. New Counters 7. Backsplash 8. a Little Paint and ...... We will have a new kitchen

Ohhhh ... what a weekend

2009-11-23T17:12:00.000-08:00

Well after a wonderful Friday out we were welcomed home by a SKUNK. One that had gotten under our back porch and let out a hell-of-a-stink. We have slept with the windows open all weekend and yes it smells horrific!

FYI - If your house gets sprayed there is nothing you can do. I have tried everything... cooking tomatoes, using the peroxide/baking soda/ dish soap mix and of course my new best friend Glade "Crisp Linen" Air and Fabric odor releaser!

After the initial shock of it we did manage to get things done around the house. The bathroom is well on its way, crossing our fingers for before Turkey Day and we re-did our bookshelf!

Here is a before and after of the bookshelf. I have not decorated yet since the floors in this room are getting redone in a few weeks, no need to have two dust more than necessary!

It's getting there

2009-11-22T17:20:00.000-08:00

Well we now have Drywall, insulation and even some tile!!

It is getting there and starting to look like a bathroom again. Thanks to Michael and TJ I will soon have a mold and smell free bathroom with a vent that is going to be so perfect!

Here is an updated photo of the subway tile we will be using in the shower:

It has not even been grouted yet but I love it!

Bathroom Update

2009-11-20T17:09:00.000-08:00

The past two weeks the guys have managed to really get the process rolling... starting with installing the shower basin in... Which of course took a little longer due to having to fix some plumbing. But if you want to save some time a pre-molded basin is the way to go. For a little less than $100 we have our shower floor.

Within the last two weekends they have been able to work on the drywall/backer board. Of course, this was after they replaced shut off valves, re-insulated the wall facing the exterior of the house, since the moisture deteriorated everything, and replaced all of the sub floor.

Well this is where we have been....... Bathroom disaster

2009-11-17T16:54:00.000-08:00

To start off it was a wonder week. We had a company come out to fix our toilet and our garage door and everything was working perfectly, until Saturday morning....a few weeks ago. I was on the floor checking to make sure the toilet was not leaking anymore and it wasn't BUT that is when I discovered this horrible smell and had Michael come and inspect!! Of course the toilet had been leaking for who knows how long and the sub floor had began to well for lack of a better word decay! We decided, oh well we will shut the door and at least get the kitchen finished before we decide to use fix the bathroom. BUT of course before we evacuated the area I had Michael climb up and rip off a piece of wallpaper that looked weird and here is what we found.....

MOLD!

Of course be being paranoid I could not have this growing in my house so we decided to rip out the bathroom, which made Michael tickled pink!

Here are a few shots of the bathroom before hand. Sorry Michael is in the pictures because literally as soon as I said lets do the bathroom he was Demo-ing.

Well as the story goes, we ended up having to rip out everything! There was so much moisture built up that all of the drywall was moist and we discovered there was no bathroom vent which did not help the moisture situation. The good thing... the Mold had not spread and looked like it was most likely from an old leak!

Here is the bathroom completely down to the studs:

We originally though this would be a quick 5 day project (about two weekends).....We are currently on our third weekend. More to come....

Halloween on Hillcrest

2009-11-16T16:50:00.001-08:00

We were so lucky this year that Briar and Cam could come trick or treat in the neighborhood. We all had a blast, I think I may have enjoyed it a little to much.

Here are a few pictures of the boys and there costumes!

Here is Briar in his costume at the neighbors house. Everyone was all decked out and in the Halloween spirit.

Here is Cam striking a pose before we leave the house!

Gracie and Ella came to play

2009-10-25T17:24:00.001-07:00

What a great day! We did not work on the house at all, but made some more decision on what's going to be done next. We are still deciding if it will be the bathroom or the pantry! I am shooting for the pantry so I have a place to put everything while the kitchen becomes a disaster zone.

In the afternoon Garcie and Ella came to play and shop. Thought I would share a few pictures with everyone. This is the first time Maddie and Miles didn't make Gracie cry, they are finally starting to understand the difference in people ages, or they are simply getting older : )

Miles gave Gracie kisses!

Maddie says hello!

Gracie was all giggles

Ella liked them too!

Ella was on the move.... "get out of my way Maddie"

Ok - maybe she liked Dads lap more!

Farmhouse Sink

2009-10-21T18:36:00.000-07:00

We choose to do a farmhouse sink in the kitchen. It is a stainless steel double bowl and we are so excited about it! Michael found it on ebay and we were able to get a great deal on it!

Here is a picture of what it looks like. This is not the exact sink but similar!

Still looking for a great faucet. Has anyone seen one?

We are in Production

2009-10-18T18:14:00.000-07:00

So we have taken a few weeks off but we are heading forward full boar! The cabinets are finally in production and will arrive in December. I have attached a few photos of the original sketchers to give you an idea of what it will look at!!

The cabinets will be painted white. Some of the overhead cabinets will have glass in them.

The back splash will be my favorite white subway tiles!

Here is the wall with the stove on it. The range hood is stainless with a glass arched bottom. We decided to do these upper cabinets without glass so we could hide the mess of ugly plastic cups and tupperware!

Here is the wall with the stainless farmhouse sink (more pictures to come). This is where we are making the hole larger to see through to the den/living room to the fireplace.

Just wanted to include a photo of the soon to be old kitchen so you can compare!

Just a suggestion

2009-10-04T20:17:00.000-07:00

If you are bored this weekend and looking for something to do. Find a bare space in your house or an area your just not satisfied with, just something small, such as a bookcase or a shelf, even a console table.

Than move things around. Many of us once we put something in a spot that is where it goes, whether we really like it or not.

Think out of the box ..... grab your random nick nacks from all different areas and play. Remember it can always go back to its original place but you may like it better once your done!

Here is an example of the shelf I am working on in the computer/office room. It has some personal items and things that are important to both of us as well as a vase that still needs something in it... but it does add a splash of color for now!

Another Room almost complete

2009-10-02T20:07:00.000-07:00

I always say almost complete because you can never be finished when it comes to your home. Well as least not me... I am constantly trying to personalize it and customize it to express who we are!

Last weekend we hit the weekend painting! We got three rooms completely trimmed and two painted! One which is below.

It is one of the bedrooms that we are currently using as an office/computer room. We painted it a light gray and have accessorized a little but it is far from complete. Here are the Before and Current pictures

BEFORE

This is at about Midnight on Saturday.

CURRENT

The walls and windows are still a little bare but it is a work in progress!

THE APPLIANCES

2009-09-30T19:31:00.000-07:00

Well we have officially begun our kitchen remodel. We went and purchased our appliances, the sketches for the cabinets are in and we have begun the process of hurry up and wait. There seems to be a process for everything and everything has an order.

This needs purchased before this can be done, that needs purchased now. You have to wait on this and NO those are the last thing to go in. Michael and I repeatedly remind each other of what needs done and I don't know how anyone could do this alone.... or without a Mom that's an interior designer... WE are SO LUCKY!

I feel like we have been searching for appliances since we first looked at the house in June and realized the originals had to go. We currently have all white appliance, which is GREAT but the fridge is the size of car and it's right in the middle of my kitchen, the dishwasher doesn't wash the dishes, it simply leaves food particles for us to eat with our next meal... forcing me to do the dishes by hand when I specifically registered for everything Dishwasher Safe and the stove I can't complain about, it heats water faster than any other one I have used.

Alright to the pictures...

This is not the exact model. It is vary similar except we have knobs on the front.

Here is the Dishwasher. All I care about is that it really washes!

The fridge. It is wonderful and Michael loves it because it has a deli drawer large enough to fit a large pizza box in it! LOL.

Hopefully soon I will upload some pictures of the Cabinets!

Introduction

2009-09-27T19:22:00.000-07:00

Wanted to introduce everyone to the little faces you will see popping up in pictures throughout our cosmetic update. Above you see Maddie (brown) and Miles (blk & wht). They are everywhere we are and go anywhere we go, so they are bound to show up a few times : )

Maddie will be 2 in November and Miles is 2 1/2.

Promise to post shortly about the house.. just got the kitchen appliances.. yippie!

At first look.....

2009-09-20T15:06:00.001-07:00

Let me give you a brief overview of why we love this house. ...

Of course it is in the best neighborhood ever! Our neighbors are lovely and there is a great park across the street.

Hillcrest consists of 4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms and a great yard, which Miles and Maddie can't get enough of.

Below are a few of the beginning pictures. These are the before pictures. Many of the rooms are still a work in progress BUT we are seeing some headway.

Here is the Beginning Exterior of the House to where we are currently... still a work in progress but we are getting there with ALOT of Dads help.

We have added some Arborvitae, Day Lilies, Iris', Daffodils, Hostas, Lambs ear and are searching for White Azalea Bushes.... anyone seen some?

Here is our Master (which is basically done) minus a few touches... Here is the before:

It was a light mint great. Almost the exact color of mint chocolate chip ice cream.... yummy!

Here it is currently. We have toned the color down and tried to make it very calming, so we have a place to retreat after a long days work. The rest of the house is still a mess so this gives us a great place to go.

For finishing touches I am looking for some great sheer fabric to make plentiful panels to go from floor to ceiling as well as a great rod to hang at the top of the wall... I would like to hang the panels at both edges of the wall, right behind where the lamps are now. Has anyone seen any great Sheer Panels?

Here is the other side of the room. Still looking for a few more nick nacks and maybe some new knobs for the dresser. It was an antique from my uncles house but I don't think the knobs are original..

Our next big project is remodeling the kitchen and den area, we are praying for before Christmas

Current Kitchen:

As you can see we are in the process of ripping out the upper part of this wall so we can see through to the Den. Our Plans::

We would like to do the white shaker style cabinets with stainless appliances and black pearl honed granite countertops. We are also hoping to put hardwood down to replace the current laminate.

I Can't Wait!

Finally our Den:

Which you can see below is all paneling. It does sport a GREAT fireplace and built in unit.

Here is a current picture of where we currently are:

We are painting it all White but are waiting to do any decorating until the wall comes out. Since it will be so mess.

Hopefully next weekend we will have more done, just have to wait and see!