Love-Lee Homemaker

The Ultimate Hidden Storage

2012-01-31T11:38:00.013-06:00

Here is what our kitchen was recently looking like. But there is one thing that was driving us nuts...no counter space!

For the time being, there is nothing we can do about the bottles and drying rack :( However, we can gain some major counter space by moving the microwave.

Luckily there is an electrical outlet in the under the banquette so my husband just drilled a hole in the side of the cabinet. And voila!

Instant counter space!

And it's not an inconvenience at all to just reach a little lower to use the microwave.

Ahhh...much better :)

Tuesday's Treasures

Tutorials & Tips

Between Naps on the Porch

A Wall of Tile

2012-01-14T11:52:00.017-06:00

We've been in need of a tile backsplash ever since we moved into our home 1 year ago.

But instead of just a backsplash underneath the cabinets, we decided to tile the entire wall.
And since a big window occupies this wall it really wouldn't add up to that much tile but enough for a big impact.
Here is the kitchen before:
And here is the after with the entire wall tiled.

I think it really adds a subtle texture to the room.

Originally, we thought we'd go with a penny tile but fell in love with this larger honeycomb pattern on our first shopping trip.
It's an off-white glazed clay tile.
The brown border picks up the brown in our countertops and goes well with the darker cabinets.

Next up is adding the trim/molding to the cabinets and windows, cafe curtains, and a rug for the kitchen table.

Between Naps on the Porch

Thrifty Decor Chick

Turning Lemons Into Lemonade

2012-01-04T12:41:00.018-06:00

We had some ceiling damage by our back door due to a leaky roof. Once that was fixed we were left wondering how to fix the ceiling.

My husband didn't want to go through the work of skimming new plaster and repainting so I mentioned covering it with some kind of paneling.

My husband found this great bamboo paneling online and ordered 3 panels right away.

Here is the view of the back door entrance from the kitchen.

And here is our new, AWESOME ceiling!

I love the look of it with the white trim framing it.

The view coming up from the basement.

My plan now is to add some coat hooks and shoe storage on this left wall.

Here are some of my favorite mudrooms:

All images courtesy of Pinterest

Linking up with Between Naps on the Porch for Metamorphosis Monday

Holiday Preparations

2011-12-11T22:17:00.007-06:00

I found this picture on Pinterest and knew I wanted to make one to remember my son's 1st Christmas.

My first attempt was not successful so I gave it another try once he fell asleep :) Here's how it turned out.

That's my husband's thumbprint, my son's and mine.

I put it in a cheap-o frame from Ikea.

And now it sits on the sidetable near the Christmas tree. And I plan to bring it back every year as part of the holiday decor.

And this is our Christmas tree this year. My son conveniently learned to crawl just in time for Christmas so if you look closely there are no ornaments on the bottom half of the tree :)

I swap out the fillers in this vase with the corresponding season. For winter I added some evergreen branches with pinecones and a glittered, bronze colored poinsettia.

This is the table below our living room TV. I added some garland and my favorite pinecone lights I found at Target 3 years ago.

Tiki found a comfy spot on a bright pink and red throw.

This is the holiday dining room table and buffet. I LOVE those candle holders from Hobby Lobby. I'm mad for plaid!! And some appetizer plates that have various types of evergreen on them.

A matching tablecloth covers my kitchen table.

Got my cookie recipe book out and ready to fill the cookie jar with some goodies.

And lastly, here is our Christmas card this year. I am so proud of taking these pictures myself! I set up a faux studio in our living room, using a white curtain as a backdrop. I ordered my cards from Photo Affections for the third year now and am so impressed with them. I took these pictures on a Monday and uploaded and ordered them online shortly after. My cards arrived at my door that same Friday! Awesome!

Hope everyone is enjoying the holiday season!

Centsational Girl's Holiday Craft Link Party

Hi Sugarplum! Holiday Craft Link Party

Very Pinteresting

2011-11-29T11:43:00.003-06:00

Here are some photos I have pinned on Pinterest that I would love to replicate.

I would love to transform my Ikea dressers into something like this. Just a little bit of paint and a product called O'verlays. It's a wooden design that you add to the front of a dresser drawer.

This could be made into any shape using antique brooches.

Printing photos on tissue paper and then gluing them to a canvas.

Love love LOVE this! Painted numbers on a kids table to resemble letterpress.

Felt lettering sewn onto a pillow. Could be done for Christmas with the words peace or joy.

Beads glued to an ornament.

Ornament vases.

Thumbprint reindeer. I tried to do this the other day with Beckett's thumb and was unsuccessful. Maybe I'll try again when he's asleep :)

Desk Progress

2011-11-29T11:18:00.003-06:00

My built-in desk is 99% done!

The only thing left is to install some drawer pulls and base trim on the walls.

My shelves have been hung and accessorized.

Loving my bookends :)

These are vintage spice jars with a rack to hold them all.

Inside they hold all my buttons, ribbons and scrapbooking odds & ends.

Check out my magnetic board.

Such a great space to work, blog, craft, organize...

Happy Fall

2011-10-16T21:47:00.005-05:00

Today we spent our Sunday at the pumpkin patch.

This was Beckett's first encounter with pumpkins.

He was a big fan of hay!

What a great day.

Hope you're enjoying the season :)

Basement Re-do/ Built-in Desk

2011-09-08T00:29:00.013-05:00

Here was our basement just after we bought it. The previous owners had a bar and refrigerator at the back wall of the room. We decided to remove all of this to make room for a desk and craft area.

Before:

After some new carpet and dry wall this was the new built-in space.

Next step: paint the walls a darker gray color.

And here was my design plan for the built-in desk.

Here's the basement after the painting was done.

And here is the HUGE mess of desk and crafting items.

After lots of shopping around, my husband and I decided to go with Ikea kitchen cabinets for the desk base and an Ikea kitchen counter as the desk countertop. We just cut the counter down to size and gave it 2 coats of dark walnut stain.

And here's the after.

These are Ikea's Akurum kitchen cabinets. You can customize the cabinet size and shelving or drawer layout. This side has shelving that hides the printer and storage boxes.

This side has 3 drawers for filing folders and desk accessories.

I love the dark wood against the white cabinets.

And since we used kitchen cabinets, the desk height is a little higher than the norm so we needed a new height-adjustable chair. This chair is of course from Ikea :)

I found this antiqued brass lamp from HomeGoods. Love that it has outlets on the base for easy access.

And for my favorite piece...a framed magnetic board. I found this at an antique store in Milwaukee.

The owners of this store covered the board in a beautiful gold/black fabric. It also came with these magnets made from antique brooches.

This frame will eventually be hung on the blank wall to the left of the desk.

(Almost) After:

I have a few more projects to work on before the desk is complete. I plan to stain 2 shelves to hang above the desk for extra storage and to add a few more touches. Stay tuned...

Before & After Party with Thrifty Decor Chick

Gallery Wall

2011-08-02T00:40:00.011-05:00

This has been the longest work-in-progress project EVER! But my gallery wall is finally finished!

I used all Ikea frames and traced them on brown paper.

Then I arranged them on the wall. I moved them around a few times and added more frames until I had the arrangement I wanted.

And voila!

Here some close-ups of the pictures I used.

This is a thank-you card my wedding photographer made using one of our wedding pictures.

Some pictures of my lovey, Beckett.

Here is my prom picture with Ryan, our wedding photo, and now our family of three pic.

Ryan's grandparents and our kitties.

A picture of me and Beckett right after he was born and a picture of his feet.

Ryan's family and my family photos.

My grandparents and a picture of Ryan and I.

This was a great way to fill up a blank wall in my living room.

Linking up with:

Before & After Party with Thrifty Decor Chick

Metamorphosis Monday with Between Naps on the Porch

Weekly Baby Photos

2011-07-16T22:07:00.010-05:00

Every Tuesday Beckett and I have a little photoshoot. I want to document his growth each week for his first year. I use his baby quilt my mom made as a backdrop and dress him in a simple onesie. It's amazing to look back at week 1 and see how much he's changed! Each week you can see his little personality developing. So sweet :)

Here are the photos for Beckett's first 12 weeks:

week 1

week 2
week 3

week 4

week 5

week 6

week 7

week 8

week 9

week 10

week 11

week 12

He's my little lovebug and I wish I could freeze time to keep him like this always. Since I can't, I'll try to savor each moment and capture them with a bazillion photos :)

A Punch of Color

2011-06-09T13:01:00.009-05:00

This is the what our living room built-in bookcase looked like when we first bought our house.

And here's what it looks like now.

We removed the bottom shelf to allow for taller items. Eventually I would like to have an electrical outlet installed so I can put a lamp on the bottom shelf.

We also painted the inside wall a bright burnt orange color to coordinate with the living room colors.

Here are my Pottery Barn design books and framed locket necklace that I carried on my wedding bouquet.

A few more decorative items. All found on clearance at Home Goods. The "8" jar was purchased on My Sweet Savannah's etsy shop.

A nice pop of color when you first walk into our home :)

Linking up to

Before and After Party with Thrifty Decor Chick

Metamorphosis Monday with Between Naps on the Porch

Landscaping & Outdoor Living

2011-05-26T12:31:00.013-05:00

It's been hard to imagine outdoor living here in Chicago with the temps being so low but it looks like that might be changing this weekend. Thank goodness!

Even with the crumby weather, my husband and I have been busy preparing the outside of our house for big landscaping changes.

Here's a look at our house when we bought it and some of the changes we have in mind. The 2 long front bushes will be removed to make way for several different shrubs, trees and perennials. The large red oval on the far left shows where we would like to plant a smaller, ornamental tree such as a magnolia or Japanese maple. The three white ovals are where we will plant hydrangeas. The right side of the house will have tiered rows or evergreen bushes, spirea shrubs and some kind of perennials.

Here is the recent front of our house with the bushes removed and a nice clean slate :)

I plan to plant hostas on the side of the house, lining the driveway.

These windows lead to our basement so it will be nice to look out and see some greenery.

And this is the view of our backyard. We will plant smaller arborvitae trees along the fence leading to the garage to give a little privacy to the yard.

I am so excited to discover the peony plants on the side of the garage! My favorite flower!

A landscaper is coming by next week to remove a lot of brush and weeds and clean up the backyard a bit.

And this muddy mess is where we had the original concrete patio removed to make way for a larger paver patio. My husband has begun digging up the grass to make a more rounded-shaped patio that will also house a fire pit.

I cannot wait for it all to be finished so I can start furnishing the patio to make it cozy. We already have a black iron patio furniture set but I think I want to add a bench settee. Like this...

or this...

And a pretty cushion like this...

add some nice candle lighting will these lanterns...

and these oil lamps...

We already have many birds in the backyard so I would love to give them a cute bird house and feeder and a bird bath.

(all outdoor furniture and accessories found at Pier 1)

I am loving the variety of planters offered at Home Depot.

Stay tuned for the progress photos and the final reveal!

Welcome Beckett!

2011-04-20T10:40:00.003-05:00

Here is my latest project:

Beckett Harold Lee

born April 12, 2011

7 lb. 8 oz.

Such a cuddle bug and has a great disposition.

Millions and zillions of photos to come :)

The Banquette...continued

2011-04-10T12:29:00.011-05:00

Here is the empty eat-in kitchen space when we first bought our house:

This is the banquette seating my dad built.

And here is the pedastal table I found on Craigslist for $60. Just added a little white paint and now we have this...

...a little breakfast nook.

I bought 4 pillow inserts and 4 covers at Ikea for a total of $25.

I also bought a chair at Ikea for $20.

And now we have a cozy little spot to eat a snack or drink our coffee :)

Metamorphosis Monday hosted by Between Naps on the Porch

Guest Bedroom Plans

2011-03-31T13:10:00.004-05:00

Here is our guest bedroom before we moved in. Not much has changed since then except for the addition of a bed, a pair of dressers and clutter.

We did replace the ceiling fan with something a little smaller and plan to paint the walls a dark beige and a chocolate brown accent wall.

I recently purchased this quilt coverlet from Target and love the vintage feel of it.

And once the flea markets start up again I'll be on the look out for something similar to this dresser. I love the chipped paint and the gold mirror above it.

Image by madebygirl

Nursery at 98%

2011-03-18T14:01:00.005-05:00

Our vintage truck-themed nursery is almost done. All that's left is painting the window trim white and hanging the roman shades.

We have one more baby shower this weekend, as well, so more goodies will be added :)

Here's what we have at the moment:

Vintage truck theme

Ikea shelves were added above the armchair.

The slipcovered armchair.

A closer look at the fabric. My mom made the pillow that sits on the chocolate brown houndstooth chair.

Some truck-themed items sit amongst books on the shelves. The gas pump is a piggy bank :)

Gotta have a toy truck.

Vintage truck artwork.

A cute basket to holds some stuffed animals.

The wall decal I found on Etsy.

I love the look!

The truck-themed quilt my mom made. It even has our family dog riding in the back :)

And the picture that inspired the whole room theme: Papa in his 1950's Chevy truck.

And that's the nursery! Just one more week and we can call it DONE! And just in time...baby arrives in 4 weeks or so :)

Metamorphosis Mondays with Between Naps on the Porch

My Very Own Banquette Seating

2011-02-27T14:08:00.006-06:00

You may recall from this old post my love for banquette seating. It's funny how I am now blogging about this project almost exactly a year later from my first post :)

Here are some more inspiration photos:

I found this beautiful fabric at Calico Corners a few months back. It was perfect for a cushion to my bench because it was so think and durable. And the colors matched my kitchen cabinets perfectly.
Here is the empty eat-in kitchen space.
Just the right amount of space for a bench seat and a little round table.
Well my dad has been hard at work for the past month and built me this GREAT banquette seat!

My mom knows a lady that does slipcovering and did not disappoint with this cushion!
How great is my dad? He even added a piano hinge to the top of the bench to give me a little more storage room. Who couldn't use that?

I LOVE it! We do have a round pedastal table that we found on Craigslist and it's just waiting for a new coat of white paint. Stay tuned for the finished look!

Metamorphosis Monday hosted by Between Naps on the Porch

New Seat Cushions

2011-02-27T14:00:00.008-06:00

Here were my original dining room chair cushions:

It was just a plain white suede fabric cushion.
Too boring for my new fabulous dining room curtains :)
And here is the after:
I beautiful sea foam green brushed velvet.
It has a little bit of a silvery sheen to it.
Look how great it looks against my curtains.

The finished set:

Metamorphosis Mondays hosted by Between Naps on the Porch

Dining Room Transformation

2011-02-22T13:50:00.005-06:00

My husband and I finally finished up the dining room windows. We took down the original blinds, that can be seen in the photo below.

Here are the windows after a few coats of paint.

So much brighter and cleaner already :)

And here's the final look:

My mom made these curtains from my FAVORITE fabric at Calico Corners.

We hung a thin silver curtain rod from Target and added some bamboo shades from Home Depot.

And the windows now have a soft, warm look. I love love LOVE it!

Vintage Chair Makeover

2011-02-14T10:27:00.007-06:00

I finally did it! I took this pair of chairs in to be re-upholstered.

Here is the before:

And here's the after:

I picke out a aqua/gray crushed velvet fabric from JoAnn's.

I decided to keep the caning and the upholsterer cleaned up the wood a little and restained it rich brown color.

And here they sit in my new house! We just moved in this weekend so stay tuned for future projects and a look at each room.

Metamorphosis Monday hosted by Between Naps on the Porch

New Home: The Befores & The Durings

2011-01-31T09:38:00.012-06:00

There has been some major progress at the house. This past weekend brought an end to all the big projects. And here was a great delivery:

Our new high efficiency washer and dryer.

And the best part? This little tag stating that the total annual operating price of our dryer will be $14!

Now on to the befores/durings.

This was our basement a few weeks ago. There used to be grungy carpet and a built in bar cabinet at the end of the room. There was also an old refrigerator and a huge out-dated TV.

Now we have new carpeting and a new insulated and drywalled nook.

This is the new carpeted staircase leading down to the basement.

We picked out a great patterned Martha Stewart carpet at Home Depot. The grayish-beige will be a great base for any color scheme we decide to go with in the room.

And this little nook will be the future site of a built in desk/workspace for office and sewing projects.

Moving all the way up to the top floor is our master bedroom before picture.

Now we have newly painted walls and a new bed frame and best of all...new mattress!

These are the new sheets I found at HomeGoods that match the color green in our new West Elm duvet cover. (more on that later)

The new wall color is soft and subtle but really leaves a clean-looking room.

The color is a soft gray with a tint of green.

The dining room got a new ceiling light.

Very modern and very pretty!

This is a before picture of one of the living room walls with a great built in shelf.

Now the walls have a new coat of paint and the built in shelves have been painted white. We also removed the bottom shelf to give us some room for tall knick-knacks or a small lamp.

These were the original wall sconces. They were very dated and had an art deco feel to them. (Also noticed the original floors. They have now been re-sanded and stained a darker color).

In their place are these fabulous antique-finished sconces.

I think they have a great Pottery Barn feel to them.

They go great with our new Pottery Barn sleeper sofa.

On to the nursery. Here's the before:

And here's the during:

A new wall color of a silvery-blue and a new Ikea dresser. This will also be the changing table.

My mom bought us our crib: a Pottery Barn crib she found on Craigslist. It matches the rest of the furniture perfectly!

She also made the roman shades.

Another Ikea find- a shelving unit with some baskets for toys and books.

My mom found a great lamp on clearance at HomeGoods and of course...baby's first stuffed animal :)

And finally an Ikea ceiling light replaces an old ceiling fan.

As you can see, things are coming along. Just 2 more weeks and we will be officially moved in!! So stayed tuned for the AFTERS!!

Metamorphosis Monday

Designing the Nursery

2011-01-12T12:06:00.008-06:00

We have started painting the baby's room and purchasing some furniture items.

Here are some of the items we have purchased so far:

Untitled by meggpie88 on Polyvore.com

Graco Lauren Classic Convertible Crib White : Target
$160 - target.com

EXPEDIT
$40 - ikea.com

KULLA
$50 - ikea.com

KNIPSA
$17 - ikea.com

Bliss Outdoor Pale Blue Rug
overstock.com

Home - IKEA | Storage furniture | Chests of drawers | HEMNES | 3...
decorpad.com

Again, we are using Behr's Silver Setting for the wall color. It looks more gray here on the computer screen but on the walls it's more of a blue silver color.

As for a nursery theme, we're kind of going for a vintage truck theme. I have been looking through Etsy's wall decals and came across these great choices:

This one can be personalized with the baby's name and a variety of color choices.

This one is great too and on a bigger scale.

And lastly, I have this photo of my husband in the truck he used to own. I plan on blowing this up and putting it in a great ornate frame.

So this is the nursery design so far. Stay tuned for more progress pictures.

Let's Talk About Paint

2011-01-06T11:31:00.004-06:00

We're currently in the midst of a painting marathon. We are having our floors re-finished this Monday so we're trying to get all the rooms painted before then.

Here are some of the colors we have picked out:

This is Glidden's Muslin White. We are using this on all the ceilings, molding and trim.

The living room and dining room will both be painted in Glidden's Natural Wicker.

Along the same line but a bit more golden is the kitchen's color of Behr's Raffia Cream.

I wanted something bright and bold for the main bathroom so I picked Behr's Winter Lake. I think this will really pop against the white wainscoting and silver fixtures.

The master bedroom will be Behr's Ocean Pearl. We have a new West Elm duvet in a soft green so I think it will look very serene with this paint color.

And finally, we have Behr's Silver Setting for the baby's room. This matches the grey/blue in the fabric choice for the curtains.

The colors for the guest bedroom and basement have yet to be determined but I'm thinking about having a rich chocolate brown accent wall for the guest room.

We're slowing trucking along. I think we're planning on having my baby shower at our new house so I have a March deadline to have everything done and moved in by then. I need a deadline, though, to keep me motivated :)

Credenza Crazy

2010-12-29T10:08:00.003-06:00

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.

Home Tour- The Before Pics

2010-12-27T13:52:00.010-06:00

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!

A Pastel Christmas

2010-12-10T14:14:00.006-06:00

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.

Holiday Swag

2010-12-05T11:48:00.006-06:00

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

and Centsational Girl.

Pottery Barn-Inspired Holiday Centerpiece

2010-11-29T10:27:00.006-06:00

I found this great holiday table on Pottery Barn's website and thought I could replicate their centerpiece.

Here is my DIY version.

I bought 2 potted silk poinsettia plants at JoAnn Fabrics 2 for $10, a mini wreath on sale for $3.99 and some burlap fabric.

I took the gold wrapper off the poinsettia plant and replaced it with some burlap. And I hot glued the mini wreath to the top of the styrofoam base as an evergreen filler.

An easy, fast and inexpensive holiday centerpiece that can be used year after year.

Linking up with Between Naps on the Porch

and Centsational Girl.

Swimming in Swatches

2010-11-28T21:25:00.007-06:00

We are now 3 weeks away from closing on our first house and the decorating ideas are flowing! My mom and I have been to several fabric stores and I think we've nailed down the main colors for the living room, dining room, kitchen and nursery.

Here is a look at our living room:

This is the view from the dining room at the front of the house.

And this is the view from the front door looking in.

These are the main colors that we will be working with. We will be refinishing the floors throughout the house and have decided to use a darker stain. The Pottery Barn fabric swatch will be the color of our couch, Walnut. The floral fabric will be used to reupholster 2 vintage barrel chairs. This fabric has a great medley of chocolate brown, steel blue, cream and a burnt orange. The orange isn't really demonstrated in our swatch so the orange fabric shown below is the same color in the floral fabric (which would make great pillows for the couch!).

The living room, dining room and kitchen all flow together so I think it's best to use the same wall color (or a shade lighter/darker) for all 3 rooms and use coordinating colors throughout. I'm considering using the same fabric that will be on the living room chairs for the dining room curtains. And then my dining room chairs will be recovered in a coordinating blue fabric. That fabric is yet to be determined.

And finally, the kitchen. The little eat-in nook will eventually have banquette seating being built by my dad :) The benches will even have hinged tops to utilize more storage space.

The fabric on the bottom will be used for the cushions on the banquette benches and the top fabric with be used for curtains.

And as of Thanksgiving, we found out that we will be having a baby boy! The picture below is the room that will become the nursery.

This is the fabric that my mom and I found for the baby's room. I am totally in love with the chocolate houndstooth fabric and that will be used to slipcover an armchair and also for the crib bedskirt. The coordinating fabric will be used for the roman shades my mom will be making and maybe a pillow for the chair.

The majority of the house is already planned and ready to go! Now we're ready for the hands-on portion to begin!

Sewing- Baby Burp Cloths

2010-11-08T10:03:00.005-06:00

My co-worker just left for maternity leave but before her last day we threw her a baby shower. I decided to try a sewing project I saw on Prudent Baby- terry cloth burp cloths.

I found some fabric in coordinating colors and then bought a cheap towel at Target. I cut my fabric pieces to 8" x 18". After ironing fabric, pin wrong sides together.

Sew around the edges and leave a gap to turn fabric right side out. Then sew around edges, closing up the gap.

And now you're done! Check out the colorful fabric and the terry cloth underneath.

I rolled them up and tied a ribbon around them.

So cute and so easy!

Linking up with Metamorphosis Monday on Between Naps on the Porch.

House Wishlist #1

2010-11-02T10:17:00.003-05:00

I'm going to start my wishlist one room at a time and this one is for the living room.

Eventually we would like to move our current couch into the basement and find something new (that will hold up to cat claws :/ ) for the living room.

I found this sleeper sofa in the Pottery Barn catalog. I think it's the perfect size and shape. Adding the sleeper sofa will give us even more sleeping space for all the guests we anticipate for the arrival of our baby. :) I like this color pictured or maybe a shade or two darker.

There really is no designated entryway into our new house so I thought I could create one with this bench and shelf from Pottery Barn. There is a small coat closet directly across from the front door but it has been converted into the housing station for the surround sound system. Having this bench and shelf will give us a spot to hang a few coats or purses.

I wonder if Santa can fit these items down the chimney :)

We Are Homeowners!

2010-10-31T13:25:00.003-05:00

This is our first house! Just had our offer accepted today and will be closing a week before Christmas!

This is a bi-level house, 3 bedrooms, 1.5 baths, a newly finished kitchen and a finished half basement.

I am beyond excited and can't wait to show you the inside pictures and what projects we have planned.

Happy Halloween!!

It's Fall Ya'll

2010-09-27T10:54:00.004-05:00

It's that time of year again- my favorite season! The temperature has fallen to a comfortable, crisp 65-70 degrees. And now that we're nearing the end of September I thought it was time to bring out the fall decorations.

Here is my new addition:

I bought this huge wreath at Hobby Lobby. I love all the glitter!

Some metallic pumpkins from Home Goods flanked with some leafy swag.

Another new addition: 2 fall scented candles from Bath & Body Works. They smell amazing.

Dining room centerpiece.

Glitter candles on the sideboard and pumpkin lights around the mirror.

Tray on the kitchen counter with fall coffee mugs.

Are your fall decorations out?

Enjoy the season :)

MIA

2010-09-16T11:35:00.003-05:00

I feel so bad for not blogging in over a month. But here is what I've been up to:

We just found out last month that we are expecting our first child! My due date is April 12, 2011.

I am finally starting to feel like my old self again so hopefully that will bring more blog posts. Especially now that I have nursery room plans on my mind!

Please stick around. I've got projects up my sleeve and lots of fall decorating to do.

The Procrastination Project

2010-08-05T11:36:00.005-05:00

Remember these chairs I've been wanting to re-upholster for over a year now? Well I finally picked out some fabric choices and brought home some samples.

Here are the contestants:

I picked out several fabrics that are either the same navy color as my couch or have a navy color in the pattern.

And here's the fabric against the color of the couch.

This one is at the top of my favorites.

Here's one in a contrasting color for something a little more bold.

But still looks great with the navy.

Here's another favorite. I thought this one is a little more geometric so that a patterned pillow might look nice against it.

Love it!

And lastly, a fabric that is a little more gray but with blue undertones.

Which one is your favorite??

Movin' Up!

2010-08-02T13:35:00.005-05:00

The bad news: our apartment's kitchen/dining room flooded a week ago.

The good news: the unit directly above us was being renovated and was complete on Friday.

Even though we weren't too keen on the idea of packing up and moving again, we were really pumped for spruced up place!

Our old place and our new place are the exact same layout so it was easy to put everything back in it's correct spot.

Here is what our old kitchen looked like:

The built-ins were nice and added great character but really broke up the kitchen and dining room spaces.

And here is the new dining room and kitchen. This picture is a little dark because the sunlight just pours into our new unit :)

The kitchen! Complete with new Ikea cabinets. (please ignore our clutter- we are still in the unpacking phase)

See how everything flows much nicer without the built-in cabinets. I think it makes the space look bigger too.

Lighting inside the glass cabinets.

Look how the light just bounces off my glassware.

Modern handles and the cabinets have a no-slam feature.

More lighting underneath the cabinets.

And a new kitchen sink.

The Swedish design faucet. The end of the faucet pulls out as a hose. Fancy fancy!

We are so pleased with the final results and are loving our new place.

More pictures to come!

A Flood of New Opportunities

2010-07-25T23:07:00.003-05:00

Friday night was a wild one here in Chicago. I work second shift at a hospital so I got home at about 12:30 am. I watched a little TV and then went to bed at 1:30. I was just drifting off to sleep when I heard a noise of gushing water. I couldn't imagine what it was or where it was coming from. I got out of bed, went into the kitchen and was standing in water in the dining room. I turned the light on and sewer water was gushing out of our kitchen sink!

For 3 hours, it never let up and my husband and I were shoveling the water out the back door. In this picture you can see the red shovel in the background.

We used all of our towels and our dining room rug to create a barrier to the rest of the apartment. All I wanted was to keep the damage to a minimum and not ruin our couch or bed.

We stacked the couches and our dining room chairs as far away as possible in case we couldn't keep the water out.

My husband and our landlord were finally able to stop the water at about 5:00 am! I had packed up a few essentials and our cats and drove over to grandma's house to stay the night. We're so lucky to have family only 5 minutes away.

So this week will be a busy one for me and the hubby. We will be moving to a unit directly above ours in the apartment building. It is being renovated and will be ready by the end of the week. So I'm really excited to have a brand new kitchen, complete with Ikea cabinets!

Blogging will be slow for me until next week but I will be sure to share photos of the new place once we're settled.

Sweet Summer Tablescape

2010-07-22T11:43:00.010-05:00

Congrats to Susan at Between Naps on the Porch for hosting her 100th Tablescape Thursday!

Here's my contribution:

My tablescape is based around this piece of fabric I bought recently. I would like to make table napkins out of it. But until then, it's my tablecloth :)

Lots of summer yellows and bright oranges.

My favorite plates from Crate & Barrel.

My mom's friend just gave me this vintage coffee carafe. It's to tell in this picture but it's a great light gold color. Perfect for summer iced coffee!

My husband moved our table against the window so he could fix our ceiling fan. We've kept it there for a few days now since it gives us more room to walk from the dining room to the kitchen. Our apartment is so tiny :) But I kind of like that you can sit, eat and gaze outside the window.

Boho Chic

2010-07-12T11:38:00.005-05:00

I've been reminiscing about my trip to San Diego & La Jolla lately and wishing I had a little Spanish villa there as my summer home :)

Here are some inspiration photos that show that Boho chic style that I imagine in every La Jolla home.

Apartment Therapy

Cottage Living

Coastal Living

Red, White & Blue Tablescape

2010-06-29T12:49:00.010-05:00

July 4th is always a fun holiday to celebrate. And since most people like to be outdoors and BBQ for the weekend, it's easy to throw together a simple and casual look.

Here is my festive tablescape:

I added everything around the tablerunner my mom made me last year. (Here's a look back at it.)

My Ikea cocktail glasses.

The place setting starts with silver chargers, my patriotic napkins from Hobby Lobby, a basic white plate and a decorative blue salad plate on top.

My new Pottery Barn utensils wrapped together with twine.

The burlap-wrapped candles I made a few weeks back.

A blue bucket from Hobby Lobby holds more napkins and would be handy if you want to take the party outside.

And there you have it! Happy 4th everyone!

Linking up with Centsational Girl and Between Naps on the Porch.

Patriotic Pretzels

2010-06-23T12:11:00.003-05:00

July 4th is just around the corner and I've been busy preparing for my long holiday weekend.

Here's a sweet treat I borrowed from Martha Stewart- Pretzel Sparklers.

Just melt some chocolate (I chose white chocolate) in the microwave. Dip each pretzel rod in the chocolate and then lay them out on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Pour some red, white and blue sprinkles on top and refrigerate to harden.

Once the chocolate has hardened stack them up in some jars.

Easy to grab and go.

Trip to Hobby Lobby

2010-06-21T11:03:00.004-05:00

My trip to Hobby Lobby was quite successful. Let's take a look at the goods:

A double pail container with a handle. I plan to use this to hold silverware or napkins and haul it out to the back patio for some outdoor dining.

A glass jar, patriotic baking cups and some red, white and blue sprinkles. I saw on Martha Stewart's website some chocolate and sprinkles covered pretzels. I plan on whipping up some of these and staking them up in the glass jar.

Some paper tags that can be used for gifts or as placecards at the table.

4 napkins

And a wire basket I plan to use to hold all my cloth napkins.

And stay tuned to see how all these patriotic items come together in my 4th of July tablescape.

Vase Alternatives

2010-06-17T22:54:00.006-05:00

Looking for something other than the ordinary vase?

Take a look at these pictures of great vintage finds converted into flower vases.

Teacups and teapots.

Bottles and crates.

Coffee mugs.

Tiered wire baskets.

Water pitcher.

Images courtesy of Style Me Pretty and Snippet & Ink

Framed Pictures

2010-05-27T12:18:00.004-05:00

Remember these flower prints I found at the Flea Market?

I picked out 6 prints with mostly blue and green colors in them for $1 a piece.

Then I found some frames at Michael's for $7 for a 2-pack.

And here is what they look like hung on my dining room wall.

I love how they look flanked on each side of the mirror. Now I'm on the hunt for 2 matching table lamps for the sideboard and to get rid of that floor lamp.

Linking up to the Inspired By Party by The Inspired Room and to Metamorphosis Monday by Between Naps on the Porch.

Summer is here!

2010-05-27T11:29:00.005-05:00

Memorial Day weekend is here and summer is upon us.

Here is my Memorial Day tablescape.

All the colors were pulled from my tablecloths (rugs from Ikea- only $2.99!)

Add in WalMart chargers, Crate & Barrel white plates and red plates from HomeGoods. The napkins are from Target and Crate & Barrel silverware sits on top.

Each person's seat is labeled on their drinking glass. These are so cute and were given to me as a wedding shower gift.

Here are my burlap ribbon candles I made last week. And some flowers bought at Trader Joe's.

A pitcher sits in my old pie tin I found a few weeks ago at the flea market.

Have a great weekend everyone! And happy summer!!

Linking up to Tablescape Thursday at Between Naps on the Porch

Burlap Ribbon: A Craft Project

2010-05-22T12:54:00.007-05:00

My mom found this burlap ribbon at Hobby Lobby a few months ago and I finally came up with something to use it for.

I bought some candles at Ikea for $8 and some upholstery thumbtacks from Home Depot for $1.

...and voila!

Cute little ribbon-wrapped candles!

So quick, simple and cheap.

Happy weekend crafting to you :)

Linking to Metamorphosis Mondays at Between Naps on the Porch

Flea Market Finds

2010-05-19T12:52:00.005-05:00

My mom and I went to Elkhorn, WI this past weekend for their HUGE flea market.

We found lots of awesome finds but walked away with only a handful gems.

Here's what I got:

Flower prints for $1 apiece.

I bought six and plan on framing them and hanging them around my dining room mirror (stay tuned for that!)

I found this beauty in the first 5 minutes!

A big tart pan. I love love love it! It will look great with a few candles in it or even turned upside down as a pedestal.

And lastly, a few printer's block letters. I see many people with these and just love them!

Luckily my last name is short so these only cost me $9!

Not bad for our first flea market of the season. Can't wait to see what we find at our next one!

Ooooh! My New Favorite Time Waster!

2010-05-06T12:10:00.006-05:00

I was reading Our Suburban Cottage today and came across a recent post she did on how to use the website Polyvore. This site allows you to create your own virtual inspiration board with pictures of your choice. You can put together an outfit using any clothing item from any store you can think of. Or put together your dream bedroom using items from Crate & Barrel and Ikea. Whatever your mind can come up with! It's so fun! Here is the room that AnnNicole put together:

And since I'm obsessed with shopping for clothes this was totally up my alley!

Here's my first attempt at using Polyvore:

I titled this outfit "Saturday Errands In Style"

The clothing items are from Forever 21, the jewelry from H&M and the clutch from Target.

Check it out for yourself and have fun! And be prepared to see about a million of these in my future posts :)

Feliz Cinco de Mayo!

2010-05-05T12:43:00.009-05:00

These flowers were the color palette for my tablescape this week. Lots and lots of bright colors.

More color in the tablecloth.

Basic white plates on rattan chargers.

Add in some drinking glasses from Ikea.

A bright yellow tray holds a cutting board for my limes, a silver tray for some utensils and mini candle votives for some soft light.

Yellow bowls from Ikea and a pink vase from HomeGoods.

A vintage plate I found at an antique store. I'm actually on the lookout for several plates in similar colors to make a collage on my dining room wall :)

The plate matches my glasses perfectly!

And there you have it! A bright colorful table for all your Cinco de Mayo festivities!

And the perfect meal to serve at this table...Tyler Florence's Ultimate Fish Tacos! I just made this recipe last week after returning from my trip to San Diego and I think it's my new favorite dish. It's absolutely to die for!!

Here's the recipe for you to try:

Ingredients

2 pounds mahi mahi (skinned, boned and cleaned) cut into 1-ounce strips
2 cups all-purpose flour
3 eggs, lightly beaten
4 tablespoons water
2 cups Panko bread crumbs
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Vegetable oil, for frying
1/2 head savoy cabbage, finely shredded
1 bunch cilantro, leaves picked
1 bunch chives, chopped
3 limes, cut into wedges for garnish

Pink Chile Mayonnaise:

1 cup sour cream
1 cup mayonnaise
3 chipotles in adobo, plus 2 tablespoons of adobo sauce
1/2 lemon, juiced
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Prepare the fish. Cut the pieces of fish into 1-ounce strips. Set up a breading station of flour, lightly beaten eggs with water, and seasoned panko bread crumbs. Season all with salt and pepper. Dredge the pieces of fish in flour, egg then bread crumbs. Once all the fish is breaded deep-fry in small batches in (375 degrees F) oil. Drain on paper towels and season with salt. Keep warm until ready to serve.

Prepare the pink chile mayonnaise. Put the chipotles in a blender and puree until smooth. Add the sour cream, mayonnaise, adobo sauce and lemon juice and continue to process until the mixture is consistent and creamy. Season with salt and pepper and refrigerate until ready to use.

To serve, set up the tacos "family-style". Assemble the fish in a pile on a plate and the pink chile mayonnaise in a bowl. Set a pile of shredded savoy cabbage, cilantro leaves, chopped chives and lime wedges next to the fish. Toast the corn tortillas lightly over an open flame (on your stove top) and serve.

Tablescape Thursday hosted by Between Naps on the Porch

Outdoor Living

2010-04-29T11:26:00.006-05:00

Mild weather is starting to come around again, here in Chicago. And it has me thinking about warm days and nights spent on our outdoor patio.

I'm in the midst of collecting ideas for potting plants and flowers and ways to add color to my patio furniture set.

Here are some of inspiration pics:

Pottery Barn

Coastal Living

ajc homefinder

decorology

And here are some items at Ikea that I think I need!

I am loving the solid striped pillows. I have seen them at Pottery Barn and Crate & Barrel as well.

More pictures of my own patio to come :)

Lunch Date with Mom

2010-04-28T12:17:00.006-05:00

My mom had me over for lunch the other day and she prepared a cute little setup at her breakfast bar in the kitchen.

She received these napkins in a gift swap she recently participated in.

The menu:

Lentil and Sausage Soup, whole wheat bread and lemonade.

The recipe was found on our new favorite food blog: For Love of Cooking.

Tablescape Thursday hosted by Between Naps on the Porch

San Diego Trip

2010-04-19T12:58:00.008-05:00

Just got back from San Diego and LOVED it!!

I think the best part was that everything was so green and full of color.

And I love all the architecture.

This is the bridge from downtown to the museum park and zoo.

These flowers were my favorite! They were everywhere.

All the restaurants downtown had outdoor patio seating.

We spent a day on Coronado Island.

A little beach action.

The Hotel del Coronado.

The hotel's sundeck that overlooks the ocean.

Even this Coronado hair salon is adorable.

The homes of Coronado:

Rounding out the week with a trip to La Jolla:

The seals that have taken over the childrens' beach.

How cute is this? Having a little picnic on the beach!

Look at that little table.

My favorite style of house. Can I move in??

And the site of the wedding we attended.

Our trip was short but amazing. Probably one of my favorite vacation spots to date.

Easter 2010

2010-04-05T10:39:00.011-05:00

We had the best Easter at my parents' house in Milwaukee. Good food, great friends and family and lots of fun playing Frisbee Golf on the Wii!

Here are some pictures of the festivities:

Me and my husband.

My mom had to get in on the love!

A spring-y planter greets you at the front door.

The dining room table is set and ready.

Cute little quilted placemats.

Beautiful plates and silverware.

Some extra seating in the hallway.

One of my mom's recent swap gifts: a flower candle.

All the glasses and mugs on the kitchen counter.

Set up for self-serve.

My homemade cranberry-orange muffins.

A little vignette on the kitchen table. Look at the little creamer that holds vintage spoons. Love it!

Must have Easter bunnies and chocolate!

As my mom's hostess gift, I made this Peeps garland.

I found the project on a new blog I'm in love with: MADE.

And here they are in their new home on my mom's mantle.

I hope you all had a great day yesterday t00!

Tablescape Thursday hosted by Between Naps on the Porch.

This Irish Lady Has Turned Italian

2010-03-29T12:33:00.013-05:00

I am a huge Giada De Laurentis fan and for Christmas my husband gave me this cookbook.

Giada's Kitchen

Ryan and I never thought of ourselves as pasta lovers but this cookbook has changed us! I have tried about half of the recipes so far and love all of them.

This recipe is Ryan's favorite and in the cookbook Giada mentions that her husband loves it as well. So I guess it's a man's meal :) It's basically sausage, peas, ricotta cheese and pasta.

First you brown the Italian sausage with some garlic. Add some frozen peas until they are warmed and smash them with the back of a wooden spoon. Mix them together with some ricotta cheese.

Add the cooked pasta (I used orecchiette this time) with some of the pasta water to thin out the sauce.

Chop up some fresh basil to sprinkle on top of the pasta, along with freshly grated cheese.

And there you have it!

A delicious, hearty dish in just 20 minutes!

Giada's Tagliatelle With Smashed Peas, Sausage and Ricotta Cheese.

Entertaining

2010-03-29T10:29:00.006-05:00

These photos were featured on Design*Sponge today and they just made me think of spring and even *gasp!* summer!

These photos are from a book called Table Style: 101 creative ideas for elegant and affordable entertaining.

It stresses using what you've got in your own kitchen.

San Diego Living

2010-03-19T12:41:00.006-05:00

I will be going to San Diego in a few weeks and have been dreaming of the beautiful weather and the sights to see.

I came across this San Diego home featured on Apartment Therapy.

Check out this gorgeous kitchen!

I love the glass door cabinets and all the white dishes.

A beautiful black cabinet in the dining room.

The living room.

Guest bathroom.

Master bedroom.

Master bath.

Lovely Lilac

2010-03-08T11:02:00.013-06:00

I am so in love with the color lilac right now. I have recently purchased 2 tops for my spring wardrobe.

Here are some lilac photos to get you in the purple mood:

Plant pots from Ikea.

A pair of flats from Payless.

Sheets from Anthropologie.

A necklace from Anthropologie.

(Desire to Inspire)

(Elements of Style)

(decorology)

(Desire to Inspire)

(decor8)

(Desire to Inspire)

Love-Lee Homemaker

The Ultimate Hidden Storage

A Wall of Tile

Turning Lemons Into Lemonade

Holiday Preparations

Very Pinteresting

Desk Progress

Happy Fall

Basement Re-do/ Built-in Desk

Gallery Wall

Weekly Baby Photos

A Punch of Color

Landscaping & Outdoor Living

Welcome Beckett!

The Banquette...continued

Guest Bedroom Plans

Nursery at 98%

My Very Own Banquette Seating

New Seat Cushions

Dining Room Transformation

Vintage Chair Makeover

New Home: The Befores & The Durings

Designing the Nursery

Let's Talk About Paint

Credenza Crazy

Home Tour- The Before Pics

A Pastel Christmas

Holiday Swag

Pottery Barn-Inspired Holiday Centerpiece

Swimming in Swatches

Sewing- Baby Burp Cloths

House Wishlist #1

We Are Homeowners!

It's Fall Ya'll

MIA

The Procrastination Project

Movin' Up!

A Flood of New Opportunities

Sweet Summer Tablescape

Boho Chic

Red, White & Blue Tablescape

Patriotic Pretzels

Trip to Hobby Lobby

Vase Alternatives

Framed Pictures

Summer is here!

Burlap Ribbon: A Craft Project

Flea Market Finds

Ooooh! My New Favorite Time Waster!

Feliz Cinco de Mayo!

And the perfect meal to serve at this table...Tyler Florence's Ultimate Fish Tacos! I just made this recipe last week after returning from my trip to San Diego and I think it's my new favorite dish. It's absolutely to die for!!Here's the recipe for you to try:

Ingredients

Pink Chile Mayonnaise:

Directions

Outdoor Living

Lunch Date with Mom

San Diego Trip

Easter 2010

This Irish Lady Has Turned Italian

Entertaining

San Diego Living

Lovely Lilac

And the perfect meal to serve at this table...Tyler Florence's Ultimate Fish Tacos! I just made this recipe last week after returning from my trip to San Diego and I think it's my new favorite dish. It's absolutely to die for!!

Here's the recipe for you to try: