Radio Silence...

Oops! Sorry about the radio silence there, as luck would have it - Ralph and I managed to get 5 days off together, which means we went in overdrive on the home projects.  So much has changed, and we've done so much work, that today we are off to Monterey to relax.  We've been working 12 hour days on this house, and I can't wait to show you the results.  We fixed a major drainage issue in the yard, but that was so boring that I didn't bother with photos. Let's get to the good stuff!  Remember our porch dilemma? Here's a snapshot:

Yea... interesting little cave there. Behind that is a door, a brown oak door at that - I am pretty sure that this outhouse looking contraption is what helped us get the house over other people.  I'm sure people saw it, noticed the lack of curb appeal, and just left. I mean, where is the front door? We were going to chop it in half, make a cute patio, then on Sunday... we just.... kicked it down in a split second decision. Here's a sneak peak (warning - blurry phone pics!):

We painted the door red in a spur of the moment decision too, "Fire Cracker" by Behr.  All the names in the red category were really... interesting. My favorite was "Flirt a little" - who knew paint could flirt?  You can also see the wood 2x2's on top there that we set there to see how it looked...

There - we have a front of the house! I have a million more pictures, as we didn't stop there. We've been turning the frame into a little pergola... and repainted the whole thing (frame, not the house! I wish...).   We decided to just ditch the half banister and keep the whole thing open, and I like it. Of course a bench, some pots & planters will make an appearance later... baby steps.... (name that movie!)

More to come soon... just didn't want to leave you all in the dark! Have a great day - are you getting the itch to start working outside too? Spring is here!

     -Jesse

Let's keep in touch: Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, Twitter, Subscribe & of course, Email me.

Post a Comment

How To: Hexagon Top Dresser

Hey everyone! Hey it's Friday, finally - this has been a long week! I'm so happy to share this tutorial today, Ralph and I bought a TV recently for our bedroom and started dreaming up what kind of dresser we wanted in there. It's not a huge room, so I imagined finding a long, low, old school dresser that we could do something fun to.  The very next day I was browsing craigslist and actually found it. FOR $25! After making sure I read that right, I rushed over & snagged it, and we got to work right away.   Check out this before & after:

This project took ONE day. Start to finish, with a lot of breaks and a lot of Radiolab.  We combined a few different techniques that I've talked about on the blog, and I love how it came out! We really wanted something in a bright color (red!) but still sort of subtle. We both love patterns so that was a pretty easy choice for the top, and ever since we did the Triangle Tabletop we've both been digging the wood grain showing through the paint look.

So, you want to make something similar? I show you how! Read on.......

Post a Comment

DIY Picnic Blanket

Spring has sprung! It's official, and though I can't speak for the rest of the country - out here in California, it's showing!  This weather get me into major planning mode and I start thinking up all the fun things we need to do this season.  Actually, once the time changes I spring into that mode - and start reserving camping spots and prepping for hikes ASAP.  All this talk reminded me of an awesome picnic blanket project I saw on Design*Sponge last fall, this is a total afternoon project:

The pattern is great, and this uses one of my favorite mediums: spray paint! And an old sheet. Perfect little picnic set up.  Stevie & Ashley provide a well written tutorial over on Design*Sponge - swing by and get the details.

Our house is starting to get a lot more sun now, and it's really exciting to see that the front deck right of the kitchen gets BLASTED for about 4 hours... I could totally see us deck-picnic-ing on a big blanket like this, soaking up the rays... here's a photo that was taken about noon...just the beginning:

Glorious sunshine, and a huge cat. Let's just say, she's "permanently pregnant", heh.. you can see that even though it's a big towel, a large blanket would be ideal.  I'll have to think of a way to make it padded..any ideas?

What projects & activities do you have planned now that spring has sprung?  An early start is a great way to make the most of it... Enjoy!

     -Jesse

 Up next: Learn how to give an old dresser an entirely new look:

  

Let's keep in touch: Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, Twitter, Subscribe & of course, Email me.

Not done with me yet? Perfection... keep reading:

Rain Gutter + Table = Built in Cooler

Succulent Furniture

DIY Wooden Welcome Mat

Warm weather, I can't wait!

Post a Comment

Custom Dining Set Update

Hey, It's Monday! Did you end up making that corned beef? We did, and oh-man - it was delicious.  It was totally worth the amount of salt it came with, haha...seriously a years worth in that puppy.  The new cabbage experiment? Totally gonna remember that, it was great.  But anyway...

A long time ago, a little over a year - I started in on a mega dining project that a customer requested.  It was a really fun project and I was excited and flattered that she asked me to do it for her.  We were in communication the whole time, from picking the fabric to scouring craigslist, and it came out great.

Well, I've sold a lot of furniture over the years and it's always SO great to see the furniture in it's new home. Leila was nice enough to send me a picture of the dining set I did for her, staged nicely in her beautiful home:

Aaaw! So great to see the set in it's home.  Special thanks to Leila for sending these pictures my way, and good luck to her too - she's following her dream and starting a new adventure in a new state, have fun Leila!

Alright before I head out, let me leave you with a gallery of links that'll catch you up to speed if you're new around here.  Thanks for stoppin' by!
     -Jesse

Next up: DIY Picnic Blanket? Yes please...

Dining Set: Part 1

Dining Set: Part 2

Dining Set: Part 3

Dining Set: Part 4

Last minute Table Swap!

Let's keep in touch: Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, Twitter, Subscribe & of course, Email me.

Post a Comment

Corned Beef and Cabbage

Happy St. Patrick's Day! Almost... it's this weekend (already!?) and I have been looking forward to one of my favorite dishes for about 6 months now... Corned Beef & Cabbage.  I know, you can get it year round - but something about the wait makes it that much more delicious.  Growing up my mom would make this every year, and now that I'm all growed-up, I'm carrying on the tradition.  We've tried it several different ways, traditional, crock pot, extreme crock pot (it cooked for like, 12 hours...serious)  and it's always delicious. This year, I think I'm going to try a recipe I saw on the food network website, it looks super easy, and has a different take on the cabbage. She takes it out and saute's it with butter and onions, which sounds amazing.

Link to the recipe: Corned Beef & Cabbage

You like? I agree... one modification though, I'm going to cheat a little and have the crock pot do some of the cooking here.  Then, when it's time to add the vegetables, I can either let the crock pot work on them for about an hour or transfer everything to a pot if I'm low on time.  Either way, that cabbage is getting sauteed!

Post a Comment