Paint Nite Part Deux, or Let’s Paint the Town

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Literally. We painted the town.  Ta da!

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It’s no professional painting, but it was a much more successful endeavor than my circle painting from a few weeks ago.  You see, a friend who wasn’t able to make it to our last paint night turned another year older, so three of us ventured out for some beer, some painting, some nachos, and some good times.  And lucky for our naked walls, my fingers were a little keyboard-happy and I accidentally clicked to buy two tickets to Paint Nite, rather than one, which not only meant that I spent $50 instead of $25, but that I had to buy yet one more ticket so that I could take this guyIMG_3479

to my third (and most likely final) wine-bar-painting-experience.  Just think of how great the house will look!

Stay tuned…

Pinterest Challenge: Spring 2013 Edition

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I took the easy way out for this edition of the Pinterest Challenge.  I just wasn’t feeling all that inspired this month and since we’ve been doing lots of work outside and trying to save some moola (and pay off some debt while we’re at it), I figured I should take a day to actually do something productive and wipe it off my loooong list of things to do around this here heezy.

So I stole some inspiration from none other than YHL, who had painted their daughter’s pretty little black mirror a nice shade of green.

I love the green on green action, and after living with three white mirrors (that looked pretty darn nice on our green walls, before we upgraded to white board and batten), I figured I’d take a little risk and paint all three a darker shade of green (it’s called “artichoke,” if we’re being specific over here), which would hopefully layer nicely over our guacamole green walls.

Here are some before photos:

Please disregard the overflowing laundry basket.

white mirrors

Oh and now it has a little friend, the overflowing waste basket.  Can you tell I dislike doing chores until I absolutely must get things done?

Here are some after photos for you:green mirrors green mirrors 2 green mirror close up

It was an easy but majorly attractive upgrade, in my humble opinion. And all it took was a few coats of green paint.

Now go check out those other Pinterest challenges, which are linked up at:

YoungHouseLove

Bower Power

Red Bird Blue

Sparkle Meets Pop

Divide and Conquer, or How our New and Improved Fence Keeps the Neighbors at Bay

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When we first moved into our house, we realized that we would need to upgrade our fence sometime in the near future.

Enter that ridiculous wind storm I keep mentioning, and this is what we were left with:

old fence

I neglected to photograph the view from the side, which would have shown two (out of three) panels leaning very badly to the right.

We were pretty sure that any upcoming strong breeze would dump our fence right onto the neighbor’s car, which is ever so nicely located about three feet away from said fence.  So, when the family came up for an impromptu visit last weekend, to Lowe’s we went.  We grabbed ourselves four new panels of fence, four posts (since we kept the one good one in the ground), and a post digger.  I’d like to say that I put a lot of effort into this project, but the reality is that by the time we got back from the store, the old panels had already been thrown into the brush fire, and the good ol’ fam got right to work digging holes and re-laying the fence.  I pretty much just supervised.  And carried large tree trunks back and forth to our brush fire between bouts of raking leaves.

Here are some fancy little after pictures for your viewing pleasure:

new fence 2 new fence

They did a mighty fine job and we were very thankful that all of those happy little (helpful) worker bees came up. Now we can look at our pretty little garden without enjoying the view of our neighbors’ trash cans. Score!

garden may 13

While I barely did a thing in this whole process, I did pay attention since we have about 95% more of the yard to fence in sometime in the near future.  It looked pretty easy, minus all the heavy lifting of course.  Just dig a hole, insert a post, attach a fence panel, lather, rinse, repeat.  Let’s see how long it takes us to get the entire yard done.  Any bets?

 

 

 

 

It’s the Little Things, or How We Made Simple DIY Half-Circle Nightstands

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We have been using Ryan’s old bedroom furniture for almost 5 years now and I have been slowly trying to phase it out.  It’s just not my style; and it’s seen better days.  We’ve already gotten rid of the old frame/headboard and have been using a dinky little metal frame for the past year until we can get our act together to either make an inexpensive headboard or save up some dinero to buy a nicer, fancier one.  I have also been using the floor to house my glasses and technology since we only had one nightstand, which was on Ryan’s side of the bed.  Needless to say, that had gotten really old really fast.

I have been on the hunt for some thin, inexpensive nightstands to catch my eye over the past few months, but all of my window shopping has turned up nada.

Searching Lowe’s for some inspiration, we noticed that one half of a large circular piece of wood would probably be perfectly sized for the space we have.  We also snatched up six staircase ballisters and decided to experiment with the walnut stain and wood glue we had on hand at home.

First, we sliced the wooden circle in half and Ryan also cut a few inches off the ballisters.

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Then, we sanded down each piece and applied one coat of dark walnut stain. IMG_3392

Next, I simply glued three ballisters onto the underside of each half-circle and stood them up for 24 hours to dry.  We don’t have photos of this part, so you’ll have to use your imagination.  Riveting visual, I know.

After 24 hours of dry time, I brought them upstairs and voila!

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Ryan’s side is a bit cluttered at the moment and eventually I’d like to mount the remotes somewhere (maybe on the wall, to the bed frame, or to the underside of the nightstand), but overall, they work pretty well and turned out just as I imagined.  We only spent about $30 for the project and don’t have any complaints yet.  I’m just happy to finally have something to rest all of my clutter on!

Have you made anything lately?

Installing Gutters Around the Garage

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I’d like to begin by pointing out that Ryan did 99.9% of this project all by himself.  I handed him screws when necessary, photographed the progress, and provided moral support along the way.

You see, we only have one tall ladder, which I originally thought might be a hindrance to this project.  I was pleasantly surprised that Ryan was able to do this all by himself- minus the help with the screws and moral support, of course, for which my assistance was very important.

For the past year, we had been talking about putting a gutter up around the garage.  Once the new mulch was laid down last week, we decided that the time had come to just get on that.  So get on that we did, and to Lowe’s we went. <–three separate times, I’d like to point out, because we relied on guesstimates rather than actual measuring. Don’t do that. Take some measurements.

We spent about $130 on this project, which was more than we thought it would be.  We figure, however, that it is a one-time project, so it’s worth it, of course.

Ryan began by laying out his gutter pieces so that they were ready to go when he needed them.

IMG_3401 IMG_3395 He then began by simply screwing in the piece that connects the gutter to the downspout.IMG_3405

He then estimated where he thought the L bracket should be placed so that the gutter would be held up in the middle.  We hoisted up the gutter, he connected it to this first piece, and it sat, waiting for him to repeat the process with the other pieces of gutter.

It was a really simple process and went relatively quickly.  He simply moved down the length of the garage and repeated this process until it was done.IMG_3393

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It looks a little more polished than before and now we can actually send the rain water down the spout rather than all over the flowers and mulch and probably toward the bottom of the wooden garage, which is a big no-no and leads to rot.  We have talked about making a rain barrel to collect the water, which we will then be able to use to water the grass.  However, after seeing this finished project, we may hold off a few months before beginning that project.  Not only was it a major pain to cut the plastic materials (we used those giant chopping shears you use to trim tree branches), but it just looks so nice that we don’t want to slice and dice it up just yet!

Stay tuned…

Getting Busy in the Backyard, or How We Have More Than Doubled Our Space

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We have been more than a little busy knocking things off our list of things to do in the backyard these past few weeks.

It all started with that crappy little wind storm we got a few months back, which left us with a fallen tree.  We eventually cut up that tree and ended up clearing out many others over the course of the past few months, which left our yard looking much larger than it had before.

We even ended up with some stump seating around our brush fire area.IMG_3400

Where all of those stumps are to the left, there had previously been one gigantic tree, a tons of little dinky ones, and an entire 25 foot patch of wild forsythia bushes.  There had also been a huge area of poison ivy up against the neighbor’s garage (right where that ladder is laying), which we demolished last spring.

Ryan was feeling all motivated last weekend and not only burned some extra brush, but also added new mulch and a gutter to our garage.  I’d like to say that I chipped in, but really, Ryan did most of the work himself.  I was there for raking purposes and moral support.  I also spread a bit of mulch, but the 40 degree weather, while a nice change from winter, wasn’t really warm enough for me to be excited about spending time outdoors.

Here’s an update look at the yard, which has essentially doubled in size over the past year.

IMG_3398 IMG_3404 IMG_3399We’re looking forward to doing even more work this week (and the next few) and having a bigger and better yard in no time.  Here’s to spring!

Paint Nite: Our $15 Girls’ Night Out

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My longtime group of girlfriends and I always do some sort of Christmas activity together.  For the past few years, we have been going to the Langham Hotel in Boston for the Chocolate Buffet.  It has always been delicious, but lately we have been itching to do something a little different.  Enter a $15 Groupon for Paint Nite in Boston.

A bunch of us bought the Groupon and settled on a date night to get together and drink some wine paint some canvas.  Then, we had the great misfortune of that blizzard that knocked out our power for one weekend back in February, which threw a wrench into our original plans.  The night was eventually rescheduled, but more than half of our group had to drop out due to previous engagements, illness, or other matters.

So four of us got together and got our drink paint on.  And it was awesome!

We met at Slate Bar in the Financial District of Boston one recent Saturday night, grabbed a glass of wine and some supplies, and listened to our instructor.

burg before nicole julia before

She guided us through the process of painting circles on our canvases and we began by shading our background with various tones of brown.

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We then slowly began tracing, then painting, then coloring in various sizes and shapes of circles.  It took a surprising amount of concentration but was very relaxing and very fun.  All of our paintings look completely different from one another and all reflect our personalities pretty well.  It was a great night and we had a blast catching up both before, during, and after our paint session.  I highly recommend drinking and painting with your group of friends and I look forward to doing it again sometime soon.

Here are our finished products:

burg done me done julia done nicole done all done

And maybe next year we can celebrate Christmas in July!

Just Sitting on Top of the World

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And eating on top of the world, to be more specific.

Ryan and I aren’t big into celebrating anniversaries or buying big gifts for holidays and birthdays.  However, we are really good about putting money toward a nice dinner out or a weekend away for special occasions.  It’s pretty much what we do for celebrations around here.

To celebrate our second wedding anniversary, we decided to go big or go home.  Ryan had the idea to make reservations at the Top of the Hub in Boston, which we had never been to before.  I was pretty skeptical that spending almost $200 on dinner would make it the best dinner of my life.  But. I. ate. my. words. And much more.

It was amazing.  It was the best dinner I have ever had and I can’t wait to go back once we’ve recovered financially.

We started with two different types of homemade bread; garlic bread and cranberry walnut.  We then ordered the yellow fin tuna appetizer and my only complaint about the restaurant is that they offer no non-seafood appetizers <– which made this seafood-free writer a little sad.  You can, however, order the three-course option and that would give you a choice of a beef appetizer.  I didn’t do this, but absolutely will next time. Luckily, I was able to nibble at the garnish, which may or may not have been some sort of marinated seaweed and an unrecognizable-yet deliciously sweet-vegetable, along with baked plantain.

ryan hub

For the main course, I got the only chicken dish on the menu and it was to die for.  It was roasted chicken, with some fancy potatoes, and creamed spinach with feta and red peppers.  I loved it.  Ryan got some delicious steak and the best potatoes he has ever had in his life. We also tried some fancy martinis.<– Plural.

And for dessert, we had a molten chocolate lava cake with homemade gelato.  They so nicely lit two candles and wrote “happy anniversary” in chocolate.  Words cannot describe the most delicious night of our lives.

They also have a view that isn’t too shabby at all.hub view

So happy two years to us!  Let’s all go back there sometime soon.  We just need an occasion…

Two DIY Ottomans from Ikea Lack Tables, or How I Blatantly Steal Other People’s Awesome Ideas

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Sometimes, you just need a little inspiration to light that fire under your butt.

For most of the time we’ve lived in this house, our “middle room,” or “passing room,” as we generally call it, has looked like this:record hall to kitchen

to record hallway couches tv wallVery beige.  Very boring.  Very blah.  It is basically just a ginormous hallway that connects our bedroom to the rest of the upstairs rooms.  You may recall that it is the exact same furniture and setup from our previous apartments.

Right before our roommate moved in, we decided to get rid of the couch and to keep the loveseat and TV, mostly so that the room looks a little more put-together than it actually is. Our roommate also bought a desk and some shelving to take up the space that our former couch was taking up and we were happy that the room was actually being used for more than just walking through to get to the office and bathroom.  It’s also Marilyn’s formal bedroom and she actually puts herself to bed each night, as evidenced by this photo.

A few weeks ago, Ryan ordered HBOGo, which enables us to use the XBox to stream HBO, HGTV, and a handful of other random shows and movies.  The catch is that we can only access these from this particular TV (until we eventually hook it up downstairs), which is fine by us because it curbs our HBO and HGTV obsession from taking too much time away from other things.  The only problem?  Fitting two normal-sized adults on a tiny loveseat.  Snuggling is fine some of the time, but this was beginning to get a little old.  And we look like weirdos.

So we began hunting for an inexpensive coffee table or ottoman, but couldn’t find anything we really liked for what we wanted to pay <– which was next to nothing.

Enter a two-hour school delay and some Pinterest.

I saw this, I pinned this, and I headed to Ikea after my short day of work.  I take absolutely no credit for this idea because I stole it directly from the blog Turned to Design, which has an excellent tutorial you should definitely check out.  I had wanted to buy some Lack tables after reading Young House Love’s design book, but couldn’t figure out exactly what to do with the tables.  A few months later- voila!

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IMG_3362 IMG_3361It’s still a boring beige room, but at least now it serves more of a purpose.  It’s a place to rest our feet, catch up on shows, and slay some dragons. <–Ryan’s been busy getting reaquainted with his XBox these last few weeks.

P.S. I am all linked up with Young House Love’s inspiration page.  This project is number 010 in their book.

 

 

A DIY Fail, or How I Glazed and Glittered a Thrifted Shelf

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I “finished” decorating our family room walls a few months ago, but something was a little off. It was the golden shelf.

The style was awesome, but the color was icky. Very, very icky. It was a dark gold/brassy color that did nothing for the shelf. So I painted it white, thinking that would solve the problem.

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Problem not solved. So I decided to glaze it with some Valspar gold glitter I bought, figuring I could tie in the color of the mirror up above and bring out the details.

IMG_3351But that didn’t look so hot either. I didn’t take photos <– it was a bit of a monstrosity. I then thought I’d try my hand at mixing glaze and glitter, trying to get a more consistently golden hue.

Here’s the finished product:

IMG_3349 Up close, it’s not the cutest thing in the world, but from farther away it works.IMG_3367It’s a subtle upgrade from the “before” look, but it’ll do. If only there were more golden shades of paint around…first world problems again.

Have you glazed and/or glittered anything lately?