Goodbye Mud, Hello Deck

1 May

We’re proud to report our back deck is finally built! This project actually began late last fall. We bought the cedar timber during a sale, and poured the footings then. It got too cold to build, so as soon as we got some decent weather, Ben was out there framing it up.

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He did the majority of the work himself over several weekends and nights, but he also traded some old furniture to a sub-contractor for 2 days work on the deck. It worked out great. Here are the guys finishing up this last weekend.

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We still need to stain it and move out our good patio furniture, but here it is all built. That’s our hot tub (which we moved from our old house) in the corner.

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I absolutely love how the boards run opposite directions and meet in the middle, almost like a herringbone (all Ben’s idea).

IMG_4609Ben used a hidden fastener system, called CAMO, which made hiding the screws much easier.

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The CAMO tool spaces the boards evenly and then guides the screws into the joists. You can see a video of how it works here. The tool itself is less than $40, however the screws that you have to use with it can get a bit pricey.

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Here is a closer view of the hot tub area. Our cover broke so don’t mind the weights holding it down for now. And the hammock will be moved somewhere else.

deck hot tubIt is so nice to be able to walk out onto this…

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Instead of this….

old deck

While there is still plenty to do out here, it is quite a change from this when we bought the place.

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Here is a similar view now.

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In addition to staining the deck, next up is laying some pavers outside the new laundry room door here. We didn’t continue the deck all the way because the doors were at different levels.

IMG_4613And also building a retaining wall here out of railway ties. And of course laying grass.

retaining wallCan’t wait to fully enjoy this area this summer! Pool party anyone?

DIY Nursery Button Monogram

14 Apr

I’ve been having fun personalizing and adding more color and “girly-ness” to our formerly gender neutral nursery. I shared plans to make a K monogram out of buttons last month.

Here is the finished product:

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For my supplies, I ordered 200 pink/coral buttons from Etsy, and then picked up a 9×12 frame, Fabritac fabric glue and these neat pre-made burlap-covered boards from Michaels, which made it so easy.

Then I printed a K on the computer and outlined it in pencil on the burlap.

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Next came the fun part.. gluing on all the buttons. I started with the biggest ones and then layered on the smaller ones. It took less than an hour.

I debated hanging it on the outside of Kate’s door, but decided we didn’t want to put a hole in it, so I added it to her gallery wall.

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You can also see I moved the baby handprint art to the gallery wall from over the chair in order to make room for this…

IMG_4572It was a gift from one of Ben’s clients. I think it is off of Etsy.

More personalizing was framing a photo of her, spelling out her name in blocks, and draping a colorful quilt (handmade by Ben’s Aunt) over the crib.

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That’s all I have planned in the nursery for now, but I’m sure the photos and things will rotate over time.

Right now, our sights are 100% set on finishing the deck. Here is a sneak peak of some of the progress.

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An update to follow!

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Baby’s First Craft

9 Mar

We’re back!! We welcomed a beautiful baby girl to the world three weeks ago tomorrow. Here is a photo of our little bundle of joy, Kate, cuddling in front of the fireplace.

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It has been a whirlwind three weeks. It’s strange to even be back on the computer. While DIY has obviously taken a back seat, we were able to do a fun little handprint craft project to capture this time when she is so tiny.

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To make it, I picked up three colors of acrylic paint, an 8 x10 frame and four pieces of white card stock from Michael’s.

I made four versions knowing we might have trouble getting a good print from Miss Kate.

IMG_4423It’s very important that the baby be asleep when you take their handprint. We tried it with her awake and just ended up with a clenched fist full of paint and a huge mess. Rookie mistake!

With her sleeping, it was still a bit of a challenge but we got three good ones out of four.

We hung the handprint art in Kate’s room above the rocker.

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Looking forward to starting on my next craft for Kate which is going to be something like this.

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Source: http://diycozyhome.com/how-to-make-a-button-monogram/

I’m also going to have a final kitchen reveal and an update on the addition very soon!

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The Nursery Reveal

29 Jan

With only 5 days until my due date, it’s time to share the completed nursery! The room turned out even better than expected and is probably my favorite space in the whole house. We put a lot of love into this room and DIY’d most of it.

So without further ado, here is the grand tour….

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Thanks to building out some shelves and buying some baskets, we have a beautifully organized closet with tons of storage.

Nursery Closet Revised

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I was able to fit so much in here that the dresser/changing table is less than half full. I labeled each of the baskets with chalkboard tags, so they are easily changeable.

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Now for a little more detail on all the different items in the room.

I shared here how we painted the stripes and built the crib. The two paint colors are Behr’s Powdered Snow and Perfect Taupe (lightened by 20%).

IMG_3853The changing table is a dresser we already had and we painted it with Annie Sloan’s chalk paint in Pure White. The dresser hardware we refinished using Rub-N-Buff (spanish copper mixed with ebony).

IMG_4249Hanging over the changing table is a musical sheep mobile from Pottery Barn. There are quite a few sheep in here as a nod to Ben’s childhood growing up on a sheep property in New Zealand. I’ll show you my favorite sheep soon.

IMG_4247I tried to include lots of other animals too including this adorable elephant laundry hamper from Home Decorators.

IMG_4256The art over the crib is homemade of course. For those non-New Zealanders, you may not recognize the animal, but it is a kiwi bird, the national symbol of New Zealand.

IMG_4241Ben built the wood sign out of some leftover barn wood that we used on the ceiling beams in the living room. I tried to freehand draw the bird but we agreed to just get a large copy made to use as a stencil. Then I painted it with white trim paint.

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Next to the crib is a shelf with some framed baby shower cards, baby blocks, a Harrod’s puppy from a Welsh friend, and a sock monkey which started in my hometown, Rockford IL.

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We installed a ceiling fan in the room to create some circulation and help prevent SIDS.IMG_4259The white Ikea Ektrop chair we already owned, except we retrofitted it so that it is now a rocker. We purchased a swivelling rocker base off of this website and then Ben created a plywood bottom and screwed it into that.

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I see lots of hours in this chair in my future.

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Above the chair are three wire baskets from World Market which hold a few books in quick reach.

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Next to the nursing chair is a distressed-wood floor lamp we already owned from Target and a new nightstand from Kirkland’s.

IMG_4275On the gallery wall are a few items off Etsy, a small mirror, clock and childhood pictures of both Ben and I.

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Can you spot my favorite sheep? On the right is 8-year-old Ben and his winning sheep, Lizzy.

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Also I love this hook on the back of the door from World Market to hang a towel or jacket. It’s the little things!

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And last but not least is the amazingly soft rug which came from Lowe’s. Seriously this is the the softest rug I’ve ever felt. Can’t wait to play on the floor with our little one.

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Here is a full source list:

Wall paint: Behr’s Powdered Snow and Perfect Taupe (lightened by 20%); Rug: Lowe’s; Rocker base: swivel–chair–parts.com‎; Chair: Ikea Ektorp already owned; Chair ottoman: Ikea Sandby; Nightstand: Kirkland’s; Ceiling Fan: Menards; Floor lamp: Target– already owned; Wire baskets: World Market; White shelf: Home Decorators Standard Cornice Shelf; Crib: Toy’s R Us Nursery Basics Crib; Changing table/Dresser: Already owned off Craigslist; Crib sheet and crib skirt: Oilo Taupe Modern Berries; Wood kiwi art: DIY; Bamboo blinds: Home Depot; Curtains and clips: Target; Changing pad cover: Carousel Designs; Giraffe art: Etsy; Alphabet art: Etsy; Frames: Target and Home Goods, most already owned; Baskets: Target; Chalkboard tags: World Market; Elephant laundry hamper: Home Decorators; Sheep mobile: Pottery Barn Harper Lamb Mobile; Closet shelving material: Menards

I can’t believe there will be a baby boy or girl living in here soon. Now we wait!

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