Hey all, are you feeling completely done with winter where you are? I definitely am. I started working on a few projects in 2015 that I just cant wait to complete once spring comes around, but until that time, I've just been vegging out, and not accomplishing much of anything. For that matter, I haven't done much of anything for awhile now.

I worry that I've hit that point in homeownership where all of those things you had dreams of changing, are all just that now, a dream. I feel complacent in our space, now that 90% of the aesthetic changes we wanted to make are done. They are all done "for-now" but not done "the-way-I-inevitably-want-them" you know? I would still love to totally-overhaul the upstairs bathroom someday, and restore the exterior of the house (that is a whole nother story, my friends), but a little refresh to all things in the meantime makes it feel just fine, you know what I mean?

Every single wall in our house now (except for the attic, but I'll get to that in a minute) has received new coats of paint, virtually all of the fixtures have been replaced, and every room has almost all of the furnishings we need for them purchased and installed: beds, tables, rugs, etc. It all just feels like we're waaaiting to upgrade at this point. Like: We have a rug that functions for now, but eventually we'd like to upgrade to this one...

Do you ever feel like that, home / apartment owners? How do I keep my vision alive and well in my brain, and stay motivated until such time that I have the time and money to take on these projects? I dont want to stall out now and remain like this forever, dreams-deferred.

But at the same time, I realize that I am so fortunate to have come this far, to have done as much as I have. I try to remind myself what it all looked like when we first moved in, and the leaps-and-bounds better everything has become (and not just aesthetically, but functionally too!).

In the meantime, as we continue to putter away these last few weeks of winter, I'll leave you with some photos of the house as it is today, and will remind myself to enjoy them! Hope you are all safe and warm and well, friends. And here's to spring!

Continuing with the house updates, I am very proud to (finally) show you all my finished kitchen remodel! A good, solid month was taken up by my big fat kitchen project, back in February/March (that was allotta tile hey!). Since then, I've been dragging my feet on tiresome little projects, finishing up caulking, replacing hardware, fixing broken things, and various miscellany. I still havent gotten around to changing out all of the doorknobs with period antique hardware in the house. And I still havent decided if I really want an electrician to come in and install another box for a pendant light over the kitchen table (thoughts?) But it's pretty much there! Phew.

Above is one set of comparable before and after pictures for comparison on how far its come since our inspection in July 2012. For more before pictures of the kitchen (and the whole house), you can visit my Flickr album, here!

Especially during this big project, I was getting all kinds of comments and questions on products and techniques I was using. You can always follow my progress on instagram, for those of you who follow me there, where I always try to respond to questions. I update there at least once a day, if not multiple times. Thank you all so much for the love and encouragement during this project you guys, it meant so much! This really has been one of the biggest projects I've undertaken to date (well, aside from the physical labor of installing the patio last year, of course! *shudder*). I am so proud of it and I still get that feeling of awe that I cant believe this is my own kitchen, every time I step foot in it, even now.

Sorry for the extra large photo dump, guys! I just had way too much fun fiddling with a nice camera for once, I made it way too hard to edit down. Scroll all the way to the bottom of the post for product information and etc!

You'll notice that I did actually forget to grout this column under the counter top (above), so I have to finish that too! Oh, how things stack up... *sigh*

wall paint: Ace Clark & Kensington in Whisper // subway tile: Daltile from Home Depot // sanded grout and caulk in Charcoal from Home Depot // kitchen island pendants: Ranarp pendant lights from IKEA // drawer cup pulls: Martha Stewart collection from Home Depot // vintage table: Craigslist // eamsey vintage swivel chairs: from a friend who was moving! // brass herb drying rack over the sink: made out of brass tubing, s-hooks, and twine from the hardware store // red stripe hand towels: Ikea // b&w chevron hand towels: Target // rug: Nate Berkus for Target // magnetic knife strip, towel bar and utensil racks (spray painted black): IKEA // vintage Kodak darkroom timer: antique store // cutting boards, macrame plant hanger, miscellaneous utensils: thrifted // framed hot dog print by artist Michael Aberman // framed scribble drawing: found (artist unknown)

Okay, so I've made so much progress on the house since my last post, and I've just been so busy enjoying each one of them, the small things and the big changes! But sharing them here on the ole blog is wayyy past due dont you think? So let's get started playing catch up.

First up, the mini-makeover I gave the first floor bathroom (see before pictures in this post). It was put in when the previous owners flipped the house, in an existing hallway to the kitchen. And luckily the fixtures (decent pedestal sink, toilet with traditional styling) aren't too horrendous (though not what I would have chosen), but it really was sort of basic in there, and I wanted to bring it up to the level of character that the rest of our house has. So all I really had to do was paint, change out the light fixture, add period door hardware, repaint some existing things, add accessories and VOILA! I really want to add just one more small detail that will add a little bit of character to the otherwise pretty new-construction-looking space: a simple painted white pine beadboard ceiling and crown moldings to match the simple details of our house. I'll add a photo of that as soon as I can!

For now, please enjoy these awful iPhone photos that I took for you ;)

I'll be installing that same set of antique door hardware on all the doors in my house, eventually. I lucked out, usually old backplates dont fit over the pre-bored holes of new doors, but these were a perfect fit! Also, what do we think about this rug, versus the old rug? I wanted one that fit better, but am worried that this one is almost too small for the space. Though I do love the colors, pattern and most of all the texture!

the deets:

lighter grey and darker grey wall paint: Ace Kensington & Clark color-matched to Benjamin Moore // vanity light fixture: Industrial Loft Double Wire Guard pendant from Barn Light Electric // hand towels: Turkish bath towels, souvenirs from our trip to Istanbul last summer // handmade ceramic vase: vintage, thrifted // wool and jute rug: thrifted // antique black porcelain knob set and lock: Northwest Architectural Salvage // towel bar (existing) painted with: Krylon matte black finish

Thanks for bearing with me, guys. This whole homeownership thing has taken over my life, and I am enjoying every minute of it:) Coming up next on my house-project tour, the studio upstairs! This one's also an oldie, but a goodie :)

I have been pondering how to spruce up the first floor bathroom since before we even closed on the house, and I keep having some great ideas, but none have really resonated with me the way that I've wanted them to. I really wanted something relatively inexpensive in the budget department, but transformative. And everything I wanted to do in there was either too grandiose or not quite right... until recently. 

Inspiration finally hit when I saw a dark chevron pattern the other day (was it at a restaurant? I can't quite remember.) and I knew that is what I wanted! I've wanted to create a dark, moody bathroom (just take a look at my bathroom pinterest board!), and I always thought that it would eventually be the upstairs bathroom to be the dark one. But now my mind is completely changed! Dark bathroom downstairs, bright white bathroom upstairs, it's settled! So I played around a bit with the photoshops to fully visualize all of the elements together, and I think I'm pretty much there in terms of planning.

Let's consider the before, shall we?

This is pretty much the way it has looked since we moved in last year, khaki tan walls, mismatched chrome and bronze fixtures and a pedestal sink and matching toilet that are a bit too grecian in style for my taste but am however very thankful to have, versus the standard Home Depot cabinet sink that could have easily come with it instead! So they will do for now. We've since added this nice moroccan (?) hooked rug that we inherited, and I really like the warmth it gives the space, so I think we'll keep that. And the mirror, again, is not my favorite, but has a medicine cabinet behind it that would be a pain to replace, because of the unusual shape, so I think we'll keep that for now too. The medicine cabinet is the only storage space in the room! But please ignore the little wallpaper samples that have been taped up, as those were originally being considered along with a thousand other ideas, but are no longer in the running, haha! 

Okay, here is what I'm after:

1) the walls will be similar to these colors (which I found via a nice little tutorial from fromrentingtoremodeling.com), two warmer dark greys in a bold chevron pattern, like I spotted out in the world. Please ignore my haphazard photoshop job, I all I needed was to patch together the image so it fit into all the nooks and crannies, but it will look much better IRL, I promise. 

2) my parents recently offered to buy us a gift for our Birthdays, as they had not gotten around to that, and wanted it to be something for the house that we would not be able to get for ourselves right away. I knew immediately that I wanted a light fixture from Barn Light Electric, as I have been coveting them for ages. And it would be perfect to have it be for the first floor bathroom, so that my parents could see it every time they come over, and be reminded that they bought it for us! The light I chose was the Industrial Double Wire Guard pendant in black finish. Though we will be installing it horizontally on the wall, versus from the ceiling. 

3) I plan to spray finish the existing towel bar black to match, but am having a hard time deciding what to do with the remaining chrome fixtures. Do I leave them as is, or will that still be too mismatched and gaudy in comparison, or should I attempt a little extra elbow grease and take them out, spray them too, and reinstall them? Getting new fixtures is out of the question at the moment, but might be a possibility further down the line. There is also a standing chrome toilet paper holder, not pictured. Thoughts?

4) Then I'll swap out the old hand towels in lieu of some beautiful black and white Turkish hand towels that we picked up on our trip to Istanbul this summer! I'm excited to finally put them to good use, where everyone can get use out of them.

5) You can't see the ceiling in this picture, but I also want to install a beadboard ceiling with moulding around the edges, similar to the bathroom in this picture. It would be quick and easy to install, since the bathroom is so small. I think it would add just a bit more original charm to the space. I would love to also install it in the kitchen someday, though that will be a much larger undertaking!

What do you guys think? Any thoughts on the fixtures or have any additional advice that I should consider? 

I have been waiting a long and hard 11 months to get the light fixtures in the living / dining room changed out, as that is where we spend the majority of our time and therefore, find ourselves staring at the hideous builder's grade boob light fixtures most often in. We finally got around to it these past few days... Pro tip: installing things on the ceiling during a 110 degree heat wave is not fun! So sweaty and tired!! But it was worth it.

Exhibit A: Before! The dreaded (matching) boob lights!

Exhibit B: After! We've got two new reproduction ceiling medallions installed and two beautiful (unique) fixtures! (Sorry for the filtered iPhone photos y'all, its all I got!)

The medallions still have to be caulked, patched and touch-up painted (and we're missing just one of the bulbs in the chandelier? (I dont really know what happened there) But they are up and they look beautiful! Hooray!

EDIT: Now that the new fixtures are up, I am sort of feeling the urge to rearrange the dining room art wall. So soon, you say? Why yes, I only finished installing that about 6 mo ago, but I think a change in the art for Fall is an all-around good idea, no? A9Alex is going to kill me when he reads this! :D )

YOU GUYS, I am getting so excited to attend my friends' upcoming SPACE PARTY! Any and all kinds of space related costumes will be in attendance, and all sorts of weird alien foods & beverages will be consumed. Last time around (yes, this is our second space-themed party, the last one was so epic we had to do it again! Flickr proof here!) my costume was pretty blah, and thrown together last-minute, but this time around I am determined to be prepared (there is a grand prize for the best costume... we are nerds.)

Emma and I went to the craft store last weekend to collect items for our costumes, and I ended up getting super inspired by all the weird plants and materials in the floral aisle. I even started construction and spray-painting some things the other night. I cant wait to see how it turns out! But to give you a little sneak peek, here are some of the inspirations I've gathered from the diverse corners of the internet. Think sort of a white ethereal moon-princess-type-creature. But with a little edge. ;)

This great outfit via The Fashion Void that is DC

The Childlike Princess from the Neverending Story

Moon Princess by McMugget on Deviantart

white leather harness by BCBG Max Azria via Elle (via an amazing DIY harness tutorial by DeSmitten)

Whitish alien plantssss

And of course, I cant decide what to do for a manicure yet but, GEMS? PEARLS? YES BOTH!

As promised, like a million years ago! Sorry dudes! You cant see the polka dots very well in the top panoramic photo (they are very subtle), but there are some good photos of them down below. I love my freshened-up bathroom! And the new oiled-wood shelf! Next up, I have to find a replacement light fixture for above the sink (or maybe just clear globes... we will see...)