Blinded by the Light

Victories of Victories! Finally, after oh, about 7 months of living here we got blinds for the large picture window in the Living Room. Here is an old picture of the day we got the couches:

So yea, that huge window in the room we spend just about the most time in. I get that these things are important, but I it wasn't really a priority for us. I love the amount of light that this window brings in and such. But now it is cold, and not so bright out - it was time that the blinds reached the top of the to-do list. I didn't realize how difficult it is to find blinds for windows. It took us two Home Depots and a Lowes to finally get the blinds:

Notice the viewing spot for Lucy. We picked cordless cellular blinds. This allows us to adjust them just by pulling down or lifting up - without any messy cords (awesome for dogs and children). The cellular part has the nice bonus of insulating the window a bit more. We also opted for non-blackout. This allows for the light to come through and since we aren't sleeping in this room, blackout isn't important to us. 

This room is coming along, but curtains are on our list...as are blinds for the other windows...

Crate and Barrel...My Blush with Luxury

I find almost everything at Crate and Barrel to be gorgeous. It is like grown-up Ikea. It has the clean mid-century modern vibe but without the dorm-room feel...oh and sadly, without the dorm room price. We went looking for things we still haven't been able to track down, that coffee table, storage, oh and little luxuries, like a dining room table. 

They had lots of tables, both coffee and dining, that I think would have looked great. There was only one problem, the price. No surprises there, but it is always nice to look - to get ideas - then to try and find something similar at Ikea later, hehe. 

I thought there was nothing we could afford, but low and behold, a super duper sale on just what we needed (storage - although not the kind my mother will be super happy about - sorry mom). This little cutie with the clean modern lines and space saving wall mount was just under twenty dollars - which makes it in my budget. 

Chris was able to mount it the same day (a record in this household) in the dining room on the small wall between it and the kitchen. This is perfect because I am not sure what else we possibly could have done with that small, rather awkward space. Chris isn't totally sold on it, saying it looks a bit awkward, but I think it is cool looking - and lets face it, if I like it, it's staying (although that might have more to do with that it would be more work to take down than that I am in charge around here....but we will just go with the later).

So now we have a fancy wine rack (and a mirror) in the dining room - practically finished if you ask me. Oh and it is always nice that the value of the wine exceeds that of the rack (if only by a few dollars), the epitome of living large.

Additions to the Living Room

So life has been pretty crazy lately. School is ramping up again and the projects are getting harder and harder (no work has been done on that awful wall paper). So let me apologize for the lack of posts, I'll keep trying.

So we did manage to do a bit more in the Living Room in terms of decorating. Since we took out all of the carpet, Lucy has been quite upset about it. She enjoys digging and rolling in the carpet and this was limited to the Master Bedroom. Well that is no more. We picked up this fluffy guy at Ikea. Although he is a bit whiter than would be ideal for this room, it does make the room look more finished. But more importantly, Lucy now has somewhere to roll and dig on the main floor:

And yea, I still have not refinished the Kidney Bean table and despite looking for the perfect coffee table nothing is up to our standards (and down to our budget)...yet, I am holding out hope that we will meet the perfect coffee table and ride off into the sunset together. 

Also in the Living Room, we (mostly Chris) finally hung up the picture we picked up at Ikea months ago:

It is centered above the couch and features five sketches by Picasso (or so Ikea tells me). There is a flamingo, chick, horse, and more importantly a penguin. Oh, and the center one is titled "Sausage Dog." Winning!

I Love Lucy

I guess I have gotten to the point of being a crazy dachshund lady because a larger percentage of my Christmas gifts this year have been Lucy/dachshund themed...And I love them. One of the most creative ones was from Jenna:

It is a canvas of Lucy that fit perfectly in the frame that was left over from the headboard ideas. We have been really slow about hanging up stuff around the house (like ridiculously slow), but this one went up in record time. I found the perfect sized wall in the hall into my study:

It is the perfect width for this sized frame and this hallway needs some love. Now for the after:

Perfect if you ask me. Thanks again Jenna - Lucy and I love it. 

Christmas!!! Part 2

So last week we got our outside lights hung, but this weekend we got the piece that really makes the house feel like Christmas...the TREE!

This is my first real Christmas tree and it was quite an adventure getting it. The weather wasn't too kind this past weekend, but that didn't stop us from picking this guy out and bringing him home:

We strung up the lights and hung the ornaments:

Some of the special ornaments that we have already received include two pieces of the Civic Arena from my mother:

It is quite literally a piece of Pittsburgh that we are able to include in our tree. Pretty nifty. We also have a multitude of penguins and a glass wiener dog from Chris' mother:

That isn't the only Lucy themed Christmas decoration we have going on. My Pap-Pap found this cutie who is keeping one of penguins company:

This is getting me super excited for the upcoming holiday. It's beginning to look a look like Christmas...

Christmas!!! Part 1

So it is December now and I am just starting to get into the Christmas mood. Chris is insistent on doing Christmas this year - real tree and all. The first part of this is getting the lights on the house. When we returned from Pittsburgh for Thanksgiving many of our neighbors already had their lights up - some going much further than others (yea, there is a lighted pig in a Santa suit...idk). Chris has been talking about getting lights for the house for several weeks now. This past weekend we finally got around to it.

We decided to go simple this year. I wanted just white lights, some icicle lights and some for the front tree. Chris wanted LEDs, same brand so we had the same shade of white. Easier said than done. We bought two Targets out of the lights we needed and still could have used more:

Chris strung the lights on the porch and the top of the tree, while I did the bottom:

This being my first light stringing experience, I was shocked at how little one string of lights covers. Four strings and the tree wasn't completely covered - and it's a small tree. Even after all of that, I am happy with how it turned out.

It's nice and simple. And maybe next year when we get more lights we can add on it. Not too shabby for our first year. 

Bedroom Furniture! Woo !

So as I hinted in my last post, we finally picked up some bedroom furniture. Although Chris has been committed to not filling the house with crappy cheap looking furniture, he did finally decide that a certain line at Ikea was worth it. He also compromised to white furniture. He was all about a dark, cherry wood look, but I warned him it would take the edge off the bold wall color. We picked up two nightstands and two dressers. Here is the short wide dresser that we placed between my closet and the bathroom. It fit perfectly. 

It is a huge improvement over the nothing that was there, both aesthetically  but more importantly functionally. Hell, I finally unpacked two more boxes. But one dresser isn't close to enough space for the two of us. So here is the first dresser's taller, skinnier brother (yes, the dressers are male - it has been decided). 

And lastly we got two matching nightstands for either side of the bed (we had the matching lamps through a lighting set we picked up on sale at the home depot):

I love the monochrome thing we have going on in the bedroom - it looks awesome and makes it really easy to pick out things I think will match, lol. We also picked up much-needed new blinds in a matching white:

Still need to pick out some window dressings, but this was a huge step for us. No regrets on the furniture - it was perfect, and on budget. Feeling so much more like a grown up - can almost overlook that it will be more than half a decade before I get my next 'real' job. 

Ikea Upgrade: Mirrored Headboard

So as many of you know, Chris and I have been really slow about buying bedroom furniture (and honestly, furniture in general). I have just been really stubborn about only getting things we really love. I have passed by many an alright coffee table certain that the perfect one will cross my path in the future. One of the areas of greatest contention had been the bed. I don't know if you remember, but when we first moved in, we almost bought a bedroom set from Bob's (read about it here), but I wasn't in love with it...so we didn't. 

(Picture Credit: mybobs.com)

After the mattress was delivered  I decided that I didn't want a framed bed, but rather just a headboard hung on the wall. I thought this would prevent the very large bed from looking too large for the room (I am simply demonstrating how large the bed really is):

Also, that picture does a good job of showing the empty wall behind the bed (yea, focus on the wall). I had the crazy idea of making the headboard out of square thick black picture frames, with a variety of black and white photos in them. A play off the bedspread and to add a bit more of us into the room. But, on our trip to Ikea to pick up the furniture that we liked (finally - but you will have to wait until the next post). I got the inspiration for a mirrored headboard. After a quick call to Jenna to test the ridiculousness of this idea, we picked up the mirrors. Chris was happy because, although this was a lot of work, it was less work than the picture frame idea I had before. And tah-dah (also a little peak at the new bedside tables & dressers):

It is very difficult to take a photo of a mirror without the flash washing it out, but here is another try:

The mirrors help to make the room brighter and are a perfect contrast to the dark blue of the walls. Overall, I am really happy with how it turned out. It is different, unique, but also clean and modern. 

Fall Color

So last week I also mentioned that we were redoing the front flower bed/mini jungle. We worked really hard last weekend to rip it all out, leaving it looking awful!

Woo, hard work.... So while we were working on getting this back to something we want in our front yard, we picked out some fall mums to add a bit of fall color (and a sneak peak of the black mulch that I put down - Big reveal on Friday):

A rather large orange one:

And some color...albeit not really fall themed:

So while we are still working on dealing with the jungle turned wasteland in the front yard, we did put some fall mums in, hopefully to enjoy for at least a few weeks - it is getting really late in the season. But even so, There isn't much in this space, so I think I will let the mums come back next year to add greenery during the spring and summer, and some color during the fall. Lets see if they come back in the spring. 

The New Mattress!

So I have been sleeping much better this week. Much thanks to the new bed:

Found the comforter at Marshall's after an exhaustive search for something we liked. Oh and someone really likes it:

She only has one complaint, that it is now too tall for her to jump on. We are trying to educate her about a step stool we placed by the bed...it isn't going as well as I hoped. Might be finding some doggie stairs. 

Hung!

So we have been living here for just about three months, and I am a bit embarrassed to admit that we haven't really hung any of the pictures we have up. Well, Chris was in a hanging stuff up mood and we have some new additions to the walls. First off, is this framed mirror that I picked up at Kirkland's for only 15 dollars:

Right now it is on the dining room wall. I like it there, but as we get furniture for that room, it might move. He also hung up a painting that we had from our  Jersey City apartment:

Sorry for the awful glare on that one, but all my no-flash pictures came out blurry. Basically, it is a story oceanscape that we hung between the bathroom and smaller closet in the Master Bedroom. The colors in the picture are shockingly similar to the "winter lake" color on the walls. We didn't plan it, but I like it. Hopefully we can find a dresser or some other storage for below it. Next, we move to the Office, which got spoiled:

A picture and frame that we picked up from Ikea back when we moved into our Jersey City apartment now graces the wall above the piano. I really like the continuation of the nature/forest theme that this room has going on and This makes the room feel more complete. Also in the office went up my white board:

Right now it is covered with a diagram of protein synthesis initiation, so I opted for the picture with the love note from Chris. It is hung on the otherwise empty wall opposite the piano. It might not be the most attractive thing to hang on the wall, but it is sure getting some use. These four things were only the tip of the iceberg of items we need to hang...but Chris' picture hanging interest waned, and I am more than pleased that these items got put up. 

Remembering Vacations in Our Decorations

Chris and I have gotten the chance to go some really cool places. We also happen to collect trinkets from the places we visit. I am always looking for cool - yet classy ways to display these items around the home. I was extremely excited to do this with a set of three display boxes I got at Kirkland's for only 15 dollars:

They are hanging up in the foyer on the wall that you see immediately upon entering. I picked that spot because it such an empty wall and it is unlikely that we will put any furniture in there any time soon. Makes the place feel lived in as soon as you walk in, which is nice in my opinion. Now for some close ups:

In the largest of the three boxes, we put a painting and some figurines that we got while in Jamaica. This is my favorite of the three boxes because it adds a lot of color to the corner. Now for the two smaller boxes:

These two are lacking in color and that is something that I am hoping to change. The top box has a photo from a waterfall climb in Jamaica and a glass ornament that we got eating at a fancy restaurant at Columbus Circle (Chris won the meal for free and it was amazing). The smallest box contains a shell and a glass bottle that we found while snorkeling in Bermuda. I tried to balance each box with one tall item and one short item so they looked unified. The other thing that I really like about these boxes is that if I get bored with the items in the boxes, I can always switch them. 

Thrift Store Find: Kidney Bean Shaped Table

I love the thrift store. Everything is so cheap, and yea, you have to sort through a bunch of crap, but every once in a while you find something really unique. It has been quite busy since we have moved, and it took me almost two months to venture to the one nearest us. While there I saw this table that I really liked. I told myself I was going to wait on it; If it was still there the next time I went I would pick it up. 
Well, I ventured back and venture home with this crazy table:

It is so funky (so is the thrifty store floor - but who am I to judge) and cheap (29.95$). I am not quite sure where it will end up, but I am sure we can make it work somewhere. Sadly, it does need a touch up. It currently has a faux marble finish, but it is chipped and has some rings. I am hoping to paint it, but it will need to be sanded first. Stay tuned to find out how it turns out. 

Design Dilemma: Wood Details

One of the things that I loved about this home when we were looking is that it still had some of the original details, wrought iron railings, funky layout, wood molding. When my father and I were preparing to paint the downstairs we found out that some of the wooden accents were removable. These included the two dark wood scrolls that were in the doorway between the Foyer and the Dining Room:

They are pretty funky. The color is a dark wood that matches the molding in the Foyer. (Sorry about the color in the picture, if I captured the true color, the detail was off). So they formerly hung in this space:

The space looks just fine without them, and honestly more modern. Right now they are hanging out on the floor in the Family Room, while I decide if they are going back up. I am really torn about this. After we removed them, I realized they were never originally part of the house and they lost some of their charm. That being said they are certainly funky and do compliment the molding in the Foyer. Anyone want to weigh in on their fate? To Hang or Not to Hang?

Couches!

So although the Living Room isn't quite finished, we decided we desperately needed somewhere to watch TV. We had picked out a couch and loveseat set that was a dark chocolate brown before we had even moved into this house. The plan was for it to match Chris' beloved recliner. 


Well, we went back to that furniture store to make sure we still loved the set we had picked out and happened upon a nicer set in a lighter color. Although Chris really wanted recliners, they are really ugly and I was happy that he though these couches were more comfortable than the one we had picked out before:

They are this soft suede like material. They feel wonderful, but aren't the the most photogenic...sorry. Before we went back to look at the couches we did some measuring. I really wanted the loveseat to be centered under the window. Chris insisted that regardless it wasn't going to be. Well guess what?

No surprise, but I was right again. We basically just walked into the store and saw these couches. They were a calculated impulse buy (they were discounted because we had to move them ourselves :-/). They are really well sized for that side of the room given that we didn't really measure them:

I think they go really well in the space and for 600 dollars for the set (plus the cost of renting the truck and taxes), I don't think we could have done much better. The pillows came with the couches and seem to play nicely with the blues and yellows in the room. Maybe not something I want to keep permanently, but in the meantime, the pillows certainly add a polished touched to the otherwise empty room. Overall, I am really happy with them and even happier that we have somewhere to sit. We are practically grown-ups at this point. Now just for a coffee table, and a rug, and some endtables, and wall art, and...well, I guess practically might be a stretch. 

Ikea Upgrade: Bookcases

A couple of weekends ago, Chris and I went to Ikea to buy bookshelves, because as it turns out 99.9% of my material possessions are books (the other 0.1% is dog toys). This is just a small taste of the number of boxes of books that we moved:

Needless to say, I couldn't get away with not having bookshelves. I picked up two 50$ BILLY bookcases from Ikea in white:

These bookshelves are perfect in that they are large, cheap, and have clean lines. That being said, they are a little boring and do scream IKEA!! Since I am trying to trick my friends and family into thinking I am an adult, I wanted to make these look like more than 50 dollar bookcases. I found a beautiful idea on Pinterest, where a woman stenciled the back of her bookcases to add color and pattern. It looked amazing, but then I remembered that stenciling is  a lot of work and I'm not yet trained in the art of not-making-a-huge-mess-with-paint. So I decided on my own little twist: Fabric!

Isn't it perfect? I was smitten. A special thanks to the lady at Jo-ann's who was nice enough to explain that each baton doesn't have the same width and then wait while I worked out the math. So after I got my fabric home and started to build my bookcases I needed to line the back of the bookcases, which without fabric look something like this:

So i laid out the fabric to make sure it would fit. All that extra time thinking at Jo-ann's paid off, because it fit:

Then I flipped it over and taped it into position:

I used Chris' fancy Gorilla Tape and to be honest, I don't think I could get that fabric off even if I tried. After I doctored up the back of the bookcase, I built it as per the instructions to get this:

I'm in love! Here is a close up:

I rinsed, washed, and repeated to have two matching bookcases. I think they look much better than the cheap bookcases they were before. All in all, this project wasn't that intense or expensive and I would totally do it again. Now I just have to get around to putting all those books away...