Tour My House

My House - 1987 Ranch

1700 sf :: 3 bedroom :: 2 bath

I would like to say up front that everything is still a work in progress.  Currently the progress is very slow, since I don't have the same disposable income as I did a year ago, but I'm working on it.

Living Room

note all of the white swatches?  what do you think?



view from front door



view from back door



across the room to front door

standing in hallway view into kitchen

Guest Room/Future Nursery

the green is not my favorite, it was existing.  i'm waiting for baby #2 to repaint it.

Claire's Room

view from doorway



view from closet

nursery furniture

Hall Bath

it's an odd little bathroom in the center of the house so it has no windows

Master Bedroom

Master Bath

this bathroom has so many problems and the only way to fix it is to gut everything and start over.  one day my dream will come true.

Dining Room

when you walk into the kitchen from the living room this is to the right

Kitchen

and this is to the left

Laundry Room

off the other side of the kitchen

I fell in love with this house mainly because of it's location.  It's in an older, quiet neighborhood in town.  Claire's future primary school is right around the corner (seriously, it's a 2 minute walk).  It backs up to a pond and on the other side is a wooded area that surrounds the school so no backyard neighbors.  We have an in-ground saltwater pool, which rocks.  But my favorite part is that it is a blank slate.  It has so much potential.  Since we plan on being here for a good while I can take my time and  make it just the way I want it.

~ Andrea

Dining Options?

It rained here all day yesterday so I'm pretty sure it won't rain again for at least 2 months.  In light of this good news I've decided to tackle refinishing my dining room table.  I have been toying with a few different ideas for a while and still haven't decided on anything so I thought I would ask for your help.

The Patient:

I bought it a few years ago at an "antique" barn.  It was super cheap, really big and had pretty legs so I was sold.  The problem is that the finish on the top is not in the best shape and I'm really not a shabby chic kind of girl.  My first response is to paint it white and call it a day but that is just too much white for me.  I need color, it makes me happy.

I have thought about painting it a pale blue or staining it the same color as the chairs.  The chairs and the table did not come as a set.  I actually bought the chairs online from and unfinished furniture store and assembled and stained them myself.  By the way, sanding, staining and sealing 8 chairs is a lot of work.

The other idea I have been thinking about is doing a weathered finish to it so it has more of a grey undertone.  It is something that I want to do to my pendant also but I just haven't built up the nerve to do it yet.

So what do you think?  Paint, stain, weathered?  Or maybe you have another fabulous idea that I haven't thought of.  Please share!

ps...don't forget to enter my giveaway for a chance to win a free room design!

Christmas Tablescape

Since Claire was born we have hosted Christmas dinner at our house.  This year we will be visiting my grandparents for a few days before hand and won't be back until late Christmas eve.  We MUST be at home so Santa can bring Claire the baby doll she has been asking for since September. 

Anyways, I decided to go ahead and set the table so that I don't have to do it in a rush Christmas day.  I've never really decorated my table before.  Usually, I put some flowers in a vase and call it a day but I felt the need to dress it up this year.

The table decorating started with my off-white linen tablecloth and a conversation that went a little like this:

Me:  Do you think I would be sad if I dyed the tablecloth blue?

Chris:  You would be sad if it didn't turn out exactly the way you wanted it to.

Me:  (sigh) Good point.

I have so much white in my dining room that I didn't want the entire table to be white too.  How boring.  This got my wheels turning trying to figure out a way to put blue on my table without spending a lot of money. 

Then I had the bright idea to make a runner out of an old curtain panel.  It took a total of 15 minutes, including ironing, and turned out fabulous.  Plus, it's my favorite color so I know that it will make future appearances.

Next, I pulled out my gold chargers.  I bought these a few years ago at Target and I use them all the time.  They are the easiest way to dress up a table and they make any plate look fancy.  Which is good because I don't own fancy china. 

I decided to use my blue flower plates to add another blue element.  I'm sure they have a name but I don't remember what it is.

I was really pleased with myself when I thought to use the mini picks as napkin rings.  I bought them last year at Walmart after Christmas (on sale for .50 for 3) with the intention of putting them on Claire's mini tree but I thought they looked cuter here.

For my centerpiece, I used my owl pitcher and filled it with tree limbs.  It has actually been filled with limbs since the beginning of the month but I decided to jazz it up with some sparkly red picks and gold ornaments. 

Add some votives and a few more red ornaments and "decorate table" is checked off my list.

Notice the empty oval frame?  It is patiently waiting for a Berkley Illustration print that I posted about here.  I am hopeful Santa will leave one or two under my tree.

And if you were wondering where Claire sits, she is the plate right in front with no silverware.  She gets the same plate as everyone else but a special fork.

Merry Christmas from Minnie Mouse!

The whole table cost me $3 and is just perfect for a low key family dinner Christmas day.