Renovation Update: Whitewashed Fireplace

This post is a little, teensy bit overdue.

Over the summer, I decided to whitewash our fireplace to lighten up our living room.
I read a tutorial online that made it seem easy as apple pie.
Maybe it would be for most people, but considering my awful baking skills
it was just about as hard as baking pie. ;)
(It's all relative, people!)

The tutorial said it would take a measly 3 hours.
It definitely took me over 3 weeks.
I am sure that is due, in part to my perfectionistic nature
but I can assure you, 3 hours was quite optimistic.

The process itself was, in fact, quite simple.
All I did was mix trim paint with water,
painted it on the brick,
and wiped it off.

The tricky part for me was getting the layered effect
that I was desiring, keeping it consistent, and (since our bricks are sealed)
not over layering to the point of peeling paint
(I wanted to pull my hair out when that happened!).

I finally walked away from the project,
slightly dissatisfied but hopeful that it is an improvement nonetheless.
It is definitely more white than washed but
it does lighten up the room,
and I guess that was my overall goal.

Renovation Update: Hutch

Giddy with excitement, 

I am proud to brag of our latest renovation.

A good friend of ours graciously accepted our commission

to paint and distress my great-grandmother's hutch. 

I love this hutch but it needed some updating 

to fit in with the decor of the rest of our house.

 Blake was the first to come to mind for the job, 

for obvious good reason. 

As the owner of Blake's consignment,

he has experience in taking dated furniture 

and making it appear brand new without losing its aged charm.

With his talent, we knew we could not go wrong.

Not only did he exceed our expectations in terms of quality 

but also in speed. 

Seriously, this man is a beast! 

He picked up the hutch early Tuesday morning

and delivered it late Wednesday night.

YES, that is the very next day!

We are blown away by Blake. 

Check out his store in J-town and 

if you are in need of any fabulous photographs

make sure to call his beautiful wife, Jenna.

We're talking about a seriously talented couple right there.

House Renovations: Before and After

Last Saturday, Alex and I hosted an Open House

for family and friends to finally experience our home.

We bought our house back in March

but it was in such need of renovations 

the only people invited over were helping us 

tear down wallpaper/paint/clean/pull up carpet/sand/etc.

and to those of you that helped,

I want to say THANK YOU!

We really couldn't have done it without you.

2 1/2 months later, here are some before and after pictures of our home.

The afters are all taken right before the party...

we don't usually have flowers in every room 

or gourmet food {thanks dad} fancifully displayed.

And, we aren't completely finished with the renovating 

but we are at a nice stopping point for now.

KITCHEN:

*** *** *** *** ***

Granite countertop and tile backsplash

 DINING ROOM:

*** *** *** *** ***

STAIRWELL:

*** *** *** *** ***

*** *** *** *** ***

LIVING ROOM:

*** *** *** *** *** 

BATHROOM:

*** *** *** *** *** 

*I forgot to take a picture of the other side of the bathroom.*

That is all for now. 

I will have to save the upstairs for another post!

Happy Saturday!

Renovation Update: Stairs

This weekend we decided to tackle the stairs.

Originally the stairs were carpeted 

with this very lovely navy blue:

We pulled up the carpet weeks ago and as I am sure you can recall

we were not happy with the condition of the wood underneath 

{lots of nails, lots and lots of nails}.

The stairs had some nails but most were clustered up the middle.

Our initial plan was to remove the carpet, refinish the edges, 

and carpet the center with a runner.

However, we saw a picture on Pinterest

of white stairs with a neutral runner and fell in love.

Pinterest Inspiration

 So, Saturday we woke up bright and early and decided to go for it!

We had to sand each and every step to scuff up the wood varnish

allowing for the paint to have something to stick to.

We started with 60 grit sandpaper and worked our way to 150 grit.

 Our generous friend Kenny helped Alex with the sanding of the steps

while I focused my attention on the landing.

I used a sander for the majority of the surface but around the nails I had to hand sand.

I'll admit, I was not loving life then.

Once we scuffed the wood up,

we primed the whole stairwell.

I "forgot" to take a picture mainly because 

it looked terrible and nearly gave me a stroke.

I began to question everything we had started.

The primer went on so streaky, which I know it normal, 

but was not aesthetically pleasing in the least!

Sunday morning Alex left for a business trip 

and as soon as he left for the airport

I painted the stairs.

We still have to look for a runner 

but I am so thankful the paint covered 

much better than the primer.

Renovation Update

Here's the latest:

We decided to rip up the downstairs floor only

and replace with hardwood.

Due to financial constraints, 

we will leave the upstairs floor in its current condition

and hide as much of it as possible with rugs.

We move in next weekend,

so this whole hardwood situation needs to happen STAT!

*********

That's all for now.

Off to go rip up our downstairs floor.

Wish us luck.

Renovation Update

Hooray! Hooray! 

Our house is finally, finally starting to resemble a residence again.

After nearly 27 days of destruction,

we are beginning to put the pieces back together.

Here is our new kitchen floor:

It is without grout but still, oh my heavens, 

this is SOO much better than the original yellow vinyl floor.

HOWEVER,

{and this is a BIG however}

we removed the carpet

to discover the most devastating tragedy.

Okay, so I am being a little melodramatic but

it is a terrible shame what the previous owner did to her beautiful hardwood floors.

Without rhyme or reason {that we can tell}, 

she had someone put large silver-headed nails ALL OVER THE FLOORS.

The nails are everywhere:

downstairs hallway, dining room, living room,

upstairs hallway, and all bedrooms.

Whew! I think I need a glass of wine just typing that.

We are trying to figure out where to go from here,

so if you have any suggestions please send them my way.

I will keep you posted.

P.S. My anti-anxiety fix is coming in the form of these three lovely reads and a nice hot bath.

Happy Tuesday!

Yesterday was a happy day.

First of all, every day on a teacher's Spring Break

qualifies as a happy day

but yesterday was exceptionally swell.

*****

I worked on the house for the vast majority of the day,

and when I say house I really mean the dining room.

Apparently, I am rather meticulous. 

Well, I already knew this about myself but it was officially confirmed 

after spending five full hours painting trim in the dining room alone.

I was hoping to get more accomplished but such is a snail's life.

The trim is not painted in this picture but it is the only updated photo I have on hand.

******

While I was painting away one of my very best friends came to visit 

with his girlfriend and their cute little Penny-girl.

Jake lives in Lawrence, Kansas now

so it was such a treat to see him, 

even if it was only for a short little while.

******

That evening we celebrated my Mimi's 79th birthday 

at a new restaurant, Decca. 

Let me tell you, this is a Nulu keeper!

If you are in the Louisville area definitely check out this hot spot.

The food was delicious, the decor was fresh, the service was great, 

and the company was even better .

{ I guess you will have to go with great people to get a similar experience to mine ;) }

I highly recommend.

The biggest, and the best, lima beans I have ever eaten.

Celebrating Mimi -- {I tried to take this picture three times, this was the best I could capture.}

Espresso poured over cinnamon orange gelato.