Fawning Over - 2.26.10

1.

It hasn't been above 35 degrees in over a week. Warm stews and soups have been on the menu. This curry recipe over at Smitten Kitchen is perfect for this time of year. It's pairs well with Trader Joe's Garlic Naan.

2.


I recently came across the artist Blanca Gómez's Etsy page. I love the prints and greeting cards!

3.


Great step by step instructions for making Yo-Yos by Heather Bailey. I want to sew these on to just about everything I own.

4.


I am so inspired by this Before & After over at Design Sponge. This would be darling in a toddlers room or guest room.

5.


We will be tearing up our carpet and refinishing the hardwood floors soon. I love these Poufs from West Elm as a seating option for parties.

Living Room Mock-up

I made a mock-up for our living room plan. We have all the furniture pieces in the image as well as a couple vintage items. I'll get pictures of them on here soon. I want to get a new coffee table. I would love something like this from Wildflower Organics but it is WAY out of our budget. A girl can dream I guess.

Fawning Over - 2.19.10

Here are five things that are on my radar this week.

1.


This recipe from Smitten Kitchen is all that I could think about this week. I think it would go perfectly with some Quorn Naked Cutlets and diced tomatoes.

2.


I've had my eye on these necklaces from Etsy Seller Noemiah ever since Heather over at We Met at a Bar bought one. They are the perfect combination of a statement piece and dainty.

3.


There is just something about this kitchen area picture from The Style Files. I love the composition of the picture, the colors in the room and the use of the letters. I think the letters would be a really cute idea for a baby's room.

4.


We are in the process of planning our summer getaway long weekend. All I can think about is sitting at the beach at the Cherry Tree Inn in Traverse City.

5.


I want garden stool from Overstock.com so bad! I think it would make the most adorable side table for our living room. I just can't bare to spend $100 on it!

Kitchen Envy

I am suffering from some major kitchen envy. I like our kitchen but I'm not in love with it. It has excellent potential given it's size.

This is the floorplan of our kitchen area.


Anyway... We've started painting the walls in the main kitchen and breakfast nook the Mandarin color. We're doing white, chocolate brown and a buttercup yellow for accents. The kitchen cabinets, countertops and flooring are a big thumbs down. Once it gets nicer out and we can actually open a window we're going to start sanding down the cabinets and paint them white. I also want to replace some of our upper cabinets with opening shelving.

I love the look of this kitchen


Photo by Jon Jensen.

Right now our back splash is white subway tile, which is really nice but I think this is such a statement. It's recycled glass!


Photo from HGTV.

Color Planning

We have struggled for months with paint colors. We had a general idea of what colors we wanted for our living, dining, kitchen areas but picking the actual colors was work. We found the our kitchen and living room colors first. After a few months with the living room color we decided to didn't love it and it was making it harder to pick a color for the dining room. So off to Lowes we went.

I think now we have finalized our color story for the main living areas.



All the paint is Olympic. We have used it several times and have had great results. Additionaly, it's a no VOC paint!

The Big Before

We got lucky with our house. After inspection we were told there were no "major" items that needed to be tackled right away. Music to our ears considering our house was built in 1921. At closing we found out that we were to be only the third owners of the home!

Here are some before shots!

Front Porch


Part Living Room & Dining Room


Kitchen & Breakfast Nook




Bedroom #1 (small)


Bedroom #2 (medium)


Bedroom #3 (large)


Bathroom


Back Yard

New Leaf

About two months before our September 2009 nuptials we purchased this gem of a home. As we've settled into married life, home design ideas have been racing in my mind. Thus the creation of this blog-land. Enjoy!