Taking the Wall Down Was Sooo Worth It

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01.4.13

Removing a Wall 05

Anyone want to see some walls taken down? OK good, because that’s what we have for you today. A 14 foot opening where a wall used to be. It’s was a lot of work Ray Ban outlet on Bryan’s part and a lot of cleaning allergy inducing dust in every nook and cranny of the house on my part. But after the dust has settled it was soo worth it.

It’s changed the whole feel of the house.

If you remember we started with an off center doorway and cutout that helped to open the room up a bit but it still felt somewhat outdated. When we took the wall down we were left with some electrical that needed to be moved around.

Removing a Wall 01

Fortunately for us Bryan’s Dad (a former electrician) came by to help Bryan move the wiring. It was a big job and took them most of a day to get it all moved and back together.

What was left was a couple of 2 x 4’s holding up the wall. The old owner had cut out almost all of the supporting posts which was king of scary to see.

We put up a brand new header which involved all hands on deck (including mine). We held the beam up and we slid it into place and slid the old supports out.

Removing a Wall 06

It’s amazing what a difference the lack of a wall can make. The whole house feels larger has a more open modern. It’s completely changed how the house looks and how we feel about the space. We still need to replace some sheetrock and will add some molding to finish off the opening soon. I can’t wait.

PS: Did you spot the dresser in the kitchen? It’s standing in for an island to help us visualize if we’d like one there. The verdict’s still out on how big the actual island will be but we love the idea of adding one there. We’ll keep you posted on the progress.

How I Use Pinterest to Shop Online

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26.3.13

Online widow shopping is a favorite time killer of mine. I like to browse and look around for ages before I buy anything. But sometimes I feel like browsing the old fashioned online stores are getting less and less easy to view. Sometimes, I just want to quickly scroll through and see if anything catches my eye.

Pinterest is great for browsing. The online Mecca for pretty pictures and inspiration is becoming one of my my go-to places for shopping online. Curious what I mean? Let’s say I want browse what JCrew has to offer, but I don’t have anything Ray Ban outlet specific in mind. There’s a way to see what everyone is pinning from JCrew’s site.

Type this URL http://pinterest.com/source/jcrew.com/ into your address bar.

Viola, all of the pins from JCrew’s site pop up.

Without even scrolling down those gladiator wedges catch my eye and that striped mini skirt and emerald green earrings are great too.

Okay let’s try it one more time. Let’s say you’re looking for Home Decor and want to see what Pottery Barn has to offer.

Type this URL http://pinterest.com/source/potterybarn.com/ into your address bar.

Ohh pretty pendant, vintage sailboat print and that Capiz chandelier immediately catch my attention.

This trick works for any website just replace the “website” text in the url below with the site you’re trying to view. It works like a charm.

http://pinterest.com/source/website.com/

Happy shopping!

PS: I cannot be help responsible for what this information does to your credit card. 😉

New Trend: Large Beach Photographs

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21.3.13

Did you ever have one of those days where the words in your head aren’t making it out quite right?

That’s so me right now.

So instead of trying to fight it and form complete sentences I’ll practice the art of distraction and instead share some pretty pictures.

Max Wanger photo, mid-century modern dining table

image via

Are they distracting you yet?

Ok good.

This Emily Henderson shared Bri Emery’s house she designed on her blog, the whole home is amazing. But what really caught my eye was the large scale beach print over the dining room table. It’s a photograph by Max Wagner called “Tulum”, taken from the top of the ruins of Tulum in Mexico looking down on the Caribbean sea. Bryan and I spent our honeymoon in Mexico near there so I think I just talked myself into buying this print.

Plus it’ll go wonderfully with the slightly more modern beachy feel I want to go with in the Living Room this time around. I’m not entirely sure what that means due to my aforementioned thought problems but I am sure Ray Ban outlet that this print will fit in somewhere.

I think I just talked myself into getting it now even more.

And just in case you weren’t thoroughly convinced at the awesomeness and versatility of some large scale beach art below is another example that will bring you over to the beach side.

image above Jordan Ferney from Oh Happy Day’s apartment tour on Cup of Jo

So have I convinced you?

Target is on the Threshold of Something Awesome

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19.3.13

Have you been to Target lately? Before we started demoing the wall on Sunday afternoon I stopped by Target to pick up a few things and of course wandered into the Home Decor section. Is it just me or is it impossible to just walk into Target for one thing? While browsing I just couldn’t get enough Target’s Threshold Collection. It’s seriously fantastic, take look.

1) It’s doubtful that starburst mirror will ever go out of style. This 24in starburst mirror with antique gold detailing is a classic stunner. The best part is that it looks infinitely more expensive than the $39 price tag.

2) The grey herringbone lampshade and and ombre glass lamp would be the perfect mix of classic and trendy for a bedside table.

3) The Casetta Patio Dining Furniture Collection almost made it’s way into our shopping cart. The chairs were smallish in scale yet comfy and the table was a perfect size for an intimate summer dinner outdoors.

4) A good photo frame with a large mat is a really versatile decor item. The Target Threshold walnut frames are a great alternative to the tried and true IKEA Ribba frames but with a slightly more rustic beachy feel.

5) Stackable cheap oakley sunglasses outdoor ottomans are a great way to add extra seating. Stash a few of these around the patio for guest to pull up during an BBQ. Cheery and colorful these will add a great touch weather you’re using them to prop your feet or as an extra seat.

6} I’ve always been a sucker for anything turquoise. This small square vase would be great next to the bed with a few sprigs of spring branched tucked into it.

PS: Can you guess which one came home with us? It’s the starburst mirror, the price tag just couldn’t be beat for such a great mirror.

Images: Target

Removing Walls to Create an Open Floor Plan

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18.3.13

Yesterday I had great intentions of filling up our new Ribba frames in the Living room with some art. I had all the supplies and it was going to be a quick project to bring a little color into the space. Then Bryan and I got to talking, he wanted to start a project and asked me what I really wanted to do next in the house. In my infinite wisdom I said I wanted to open up the Living Room cutout into the kitchen….I was half joking, never imagining we’d start something like that on Sunday afternoon.

But let’s back up for a second so you can see what I’m talking about. So you see the opening to the left, it’s off center in the room and really causes some major traffic flow issues. To get to the living room you need to walk, through the kitchen, past the table, bumping into chairs along the way . We’ve wanted to open up the wall for a while and create a more open floor plan. It’s been on the to-do list forever, just waiting for the right moment.

Here’s another view from the Kitchen (ignore the dresser, that’s leaving soon) as we started moving furniture around. See what I mean by the doorway being off center? The traffic flow was annoying. The cutout was nice because it helped to keep the living room open. But the whole design felt very 90’s to me. So right after that picture was taken this started to happen…

Yup that’s right the wall is coming down!

After an hour or so of demo and a TON of dust it looked more like this.

We found all kinds of things in the wall that you should never find, like a hidden outlet that was never disconnected stuffed up above the cutout. Along with a mess of other structural issue like supports cut out of the load bearing wall etc. Oi!

We finished up 90% of the demo late last night and made sure it was all safe with no live wires so we would have to worry about Nikolas until next weekend when we can start putting it all back together. Ah I’m so excited, this is probably the single biggest thing we’ve done inside so far.

It already feels so much more open and natural, and the best part is there no more awkward flow. Three cheers for a good demolition project to end the weekend. I can’t wait to see how it all turns out. This should be good.