Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Credenza Crazy


I am completely consumed right now in furnishing my new home. And I'm loving it!

The only thing my husband really wants is to mount the TV on the living room wall. So my search began to find some kind of media console to put underneath it.

We found this console at Pottery Barn and fell in love with it and the color. But the price tag wasn't appealing.
I recently found this credenza on Craigslist and it was love at first sight. It's the perfect height to place underneath the mounted TV and still be able to put knick-knacks on top.
I think we would remove the center door and place the cable box and DVD player on some shelves inside. Maybe replace the hardware and paint it an antique white. Perfect! And the best part...only $100.

Monday, December 27, 2010

Home Tour- The Before Pics


We closed on our house last week and have been preparing for the projects ahead. We have someone coming in 2 weeks to refinish the hardwood floors and stain them a shade or two darker. And before he gets there, we need to paint all the ceilings and walls.

So before the projects begin, I thought I'd share the before pictures.
From the front door you walk right into the living room.
I love this little built-in. This is directly across from the front door so I'm thinking of putting a console table against the wall to the left to designate the entryway.
How great are these windows?? They take up the whole wall and let in so much light.
This is the front door.
Off the living room is the dining room.
These stairs off the dining room lead to the second level.
Here's a little breakfast bar and the kitchen.
In this eat-in kitchen, my dad will be building some banquette seating.
Off the kitchen is the backdoor to the backyard and a stairway to the basement.
Down to the basement.
As you can see we have already started demolition in the basement. There used to be carpeting and a counter and cabinets along the far wall. We have taken out the cabinets and the fridge will be leaving as well to make room for a wall to wall desktop. We'll make 2 workspaces here- one for an office desk and the other for my sewing/crafting desk. Once some crawlspace work has been completed we'll put in new carpet.
There is even a half bath in the basement.
Up on the second level this will be the baby's room.
Directly across from the stairs is the full bathroom.
I love the wainscoting.
There is even a great linen closet in the bathroom.
On the other side of the bathroom is the guest bedroom.
This room was originally the master bedroom so it has 2 closets. This larger one will house our out-of-season clothes.
And the smaller one will be used to store bed linens.
And finally there is one more staircase leading up to the third level.
This is the master bedroom converted from attic space.
I love this little nook by the dormer window.

And best of all...a walk-in closet!
Here's a view of the backyard (and the garage on the left).

So there you have it- a quick walkthrough of our first home. We are so anxious to start the projects and bring you along for the ride.

Stay tuned!

Friday, December 10, 2010

A Pastel Christmas

I was reading Hostess With the Mostess today and came across these beautiful pictures of a Christmas dessert buffet.
I love that the colors aren't the typical red, green and white but lovely shades of pastels and silver.


The soft hues really give this a vintage feel.


What a pretty, soft holiday palette.

Sunday, December 5, 2010

Holiday Swag



My next holiday project was to make a holiday swag for our front door.

I bought a plain evergreen swag at Joann's and got some embellishments to decorate it with.
Here's what it looks like on the door.
I made my own bow from green and gold ribbon and added gold leaves, pinecones and gold ball ornaments.
An easy 10 min. project and you have a unique holiday piece for under $15.

Linking up with Between Naps on the Porch