Showing posts with label Around the House. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Around the House. Show all posts

Thursday, July 1, 2010

A Garden Request


When the greenest gal I know asks to see some pictures of the garden, I'm happy to oblige. These are for you, Sara!

It's not the nice serene spot your garden is, it's more like Little Shop of Horrors garden. Sure it produces a lot but pretty soon it's going to be wanting blood to stay alive!

Maybe we planted a little too close. The two of us aren't really known for under doing something...


These Zinnias aren't in the garden, but I did grow them from a seed.


Home Grown Tomatoes = Awesomeness Squared

The corn I thought was a goner after a wind storm managed to stand itself back up.


This pic is what reminds me of Little Shop.


Finally, the dill slices I made last night. T-2 weeks!





Friday, February 20, 2009

Pencils Down

A pop quiz?! My good friend, Sara, the queen of awesome information, posted a link to this quiz from Sproost and I couldn't help but take it. What can I say, I'm a sucker for self-exploration quizzes!

Sproost is a really cool site, they help you discover (or focus) your personal style to make your home a place you love. I really enjoyed the descriptions of the different styles, they seem to be dead on what I'm into. I try to suppress my love for the beach, just isn't right in the dead of winter in Indiana...

Here are my results: (I've added a quick shot from around the house that I think represents each style.)

Cottage Chic (50%)

Who says that cottages can't be modern and chic? Who says that they have to be floral and cheesy? Not you!

You love the carefree spirit that the cottage interior inspires, but you are also serious about your appreciation for modern art and hip treasures. You love old and new alike, and love to highlight them all to expose the uniqueness of each. What better way to show off these treasures than with a light background?



Nantucket Style (30%)

Oh how you love the beach! Who doesn't, right? And so your dream home is either perched in your favorite beach town, or you've brought that favorite beach town into your house.

Your art and accessories speak directly to the activities that are found at the beach. Pieces of driftwood you found here, pictures or paintings of the amazing views there. Things that remind you of the coast - surf boards or fishing boats - are found throughout the house. The feeling of the seaside is both abstract and literal in the design of your space. The fabrics are natural, cottons and linens and are light in color and touch. Much of the furniture is wood or wood framed (the lighter the better, think driftwood!) and wicker, when done right, is a must.

And since your true inspiration is the sea, the colors and textures in your home are the same that you would find at your favorite beach: white, light beiges and grays of the sand and driftwood, a variety of blues for the ocean and sky, and greens and vibrant blues of the sea glass, but the key is white! Your space should feel light and airy and give off the mood one has when at the beach: laid back!

Your furniture is comfortable and the layout is cozy. The more it reminds you of actually sitting on the warm sand, the better! And what do you do at the beach? Hang out with family and friends - and your home is just an extension of this play place. And though the space is filled with large white furniture, it somehow manages to feel both durable and casual.



Vintage Modern (20%)

Flea Market, anyone? You know you are drawn to modern furniture and interiors, and yet you don't like a space that feels cold and sterile. And who could blame you? That's why Vintage Modern is so appealing to you. Though the backdrop of the room, the walls and windows, are many times white or monochromatic, the furniture and accessories have the color, shape and texture to bring the warmth into the space.

The great thing about Vintage Modern is ease of mixing different styles in the one space. You can have a new modular sofa mixed with a great pair of chairs that your grandmother purchased in the late 1950's. The new and old work appear as though they were destined for each other. Even if you don't have time for swap meets and garage sales, so many of the mid-century pieces were so great that they have been remade and mimicked year after year.









Monday, December 1, 2008

A Washable Backsplash, Yay!


Know what makes a bad backsplash?? Flat paint...

Know what makes a good backsplash?? Tile!

A few weeks from looking straight down the nose of a stagnant real estate market, we've been doing some "enhancement" projects around the house. One of the first, was addressing the dirty backsplash in our kitchen. Since the surface consisted of flat paint, our options were pretty much limited to repainting the whole kitchen or installing some sweet subway tiles, so we picked the later. Already having all the materials except the tiles on hand, it was a pretty simple project. 

Before: The first row goes up


Midway: Tiles are up, no grout


After: Grouted and ready to be splattered with tomatoe sauce



Since the total area was less than 25 sq.ft., we used a premixed mortar and grout. This saved loads of time opposed to mixing small batches of the powdered stuff. Great stuff! The brand was Tile Perfect, I'd recommend it to anyone with a similar project.