• Backyard Progress
  • Weekend Musings
  • Color Play: Mint

Backyard Progress

Landscape 11 Backyard Progress

Depending on how you look at it, buying a new house without a finished backyard can either be a blessing or a curse. I have experienced a variety of feelings about this space; most of which were largely negative until we actually poured some concrete back there. Spending six months wiping dirt off our dogs paws every time they came in from the back was very tedious. Now that we have the hardscape and some preliminary landscaping in, I feel like we can actually enjoy the backyard. Me being me however, I cringe that there is no furniture (aside from our cheapie adirondacks and borrowed patio chairs) or outdoor accessories.

Landscape 10 Backyard Progress

While we wait for the pain from the financial sting of phase one to subside, I have been daydreaming about my plans for phase two. Our lot is set up so that the main part of our backyard is actually located around the side of our house. We designed the hardscape to include two main pads divided by a grassy area. We knew we wanted to have a fire pit on one pad and use the other as a dining area. In an effort to plan ahead, we also had the dining area trenched for electrical and plumbing so that we have the option to build an outdoor kitchen later on.

Landscape 1 Backyard Progress

Right now we have the basic structure for the fire pit and are planning on capping the top in a honed travertine. We contemplated going with built-in seating options but ultimately liked the freedom of purchasing lounge furniture. Our faded adirondacks and folding patio chairs are fine for the interim but I would love to see a nice love seat and a few deep lounge chairs so nights by the fire are a little cozier. Since we like to entertain, I want to get a few floor pillows or stools for additional seating. I’m  also contemplating some sort of storage chest for blankets and other outdoor necessities.

Landscape 8 Backyard Progress

For the landscaping, we went with a mediterranean theme and looked for plants and trees that worked with the architecture of our home and the landscaping in our front yard. I would’ve  loved to have several fruitless olive trees but since they require a 10′ setback, we weren’t able to include any in the yard. I was really disappointed about that but am pretty happy with everything else we decided on. Among other things, we went with lavender, rosemary, kangaroo paw, star jasmine, cape honeysuckle, silver sheen pittosporum, podocarpus, lemon and lime trees and a metrosideros tree in lieu of the olive.

Landscape 7 Backyard Progress

Probably the biggest obstacle in the backyard was figuring out how we wanted to conceal the AC unit. We were considering several different fencing options but ultimately decided to go with a trellace structure so as to bring in more plants rather than having another hard surface. Mr. C and the elder Mr. C spent a whole Sunday building the structure and they did an amazing job! I just need to find some finials for the posts and we will be finished with it. The bougainvillea will take a while to climb up and give us the coverage we want but when it does, it wil really add some nice color to that area of the yard.

Landscape 9 Backyard Progress

The dining area will probably be the most fun area to design. It offers a lot of opportunity to introduce different patterns, colors and texture to the yard. The area lends well to either an oval or rectangular table for six. I want to find some great pots or big lanterns to anchor the corners of the hardscape and get a nice big rug to bring some softness to the space.

Lastly, we are still deciding on wether to go with grass or artificial turf for the center area. We are leaning towards the turf because of the easy maintenance and I like knowing there won’t be any fertilizers or chemicals that I need to worry about with the baby crawling on it. You can’t beat the look and feel of real grass, but the technology has come so far in the last few years, it can really look nice if done correctly. If any of you have any experience with artificial turf, I would love your input!!

Weekend Musings

M 1 Weekend Musings

Have you ever tasted something so delicious that you can barely stop “Mmmm”ing long enough to swallow? Fresh macaroons from San Diego bakery, Bread & Cie will do that to you. They are so light and fluffy, yet delectably dense and creamy at the same time. I would even dare say they rival the macaroons I had at famed Paris bakery, Laduree.  Every time I see them in a bakery case I think of that amazing scene in Marie Antoinette with all the Laduree cakes and Macaroons. I can’t help but be inspired by the variety of pretty colors these sweet mini meringue cakes come in. With ten plus different flavors, picking out just six was no easy feat (yes, you caught me- I ate one already!) Oh well, guess I’ll just have to go back to try out different flavors next time!

There were a ton of awesome projects around the web this week, many of whom come from some of my favorite bloggers. Take a peek at these awesome DIYs from some really talented ladies!!

- I am obsessed with these chic folding chairs from Jennifer at My Fabuless Life.

- Kristin from Bliss at Home made a beautiful library wall built from Ikea Billy shelving.

- The stripes that Allison, from The Golden Sycamore, painted on this Ducan Phyfe table are just divine.

- These cute and easy DIY scroll style map frames by Brittany from Brittany Makes over at 6th Street Design School.

- I love the pink, orange, and gold color combination on this chic decorative box makeover from Julia at Cuckoo 4 Design.

- You will love this light grey DIY herringbone table by the talented Jennifer of The Chronicles of Home.

- Duck Egg just might be my favorite Annie Sloan chalk paint color. Check out how Cassie from Primitive & Proper used it on this gorgeous set of table and chairs.

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Well I’m off to enjoy the last few macaroons and the rest of the weekend with my favorite new papa and our wee babe. I hope you all have a wonderful Father’s Day weekend!! Cheers!

Signature2 Weekend Musings

 

Color Play: Mint

Mint is without a doubt one of the most popular color trends of spring/summer 2013. I have yet to look at my Pinterest feed and see less than five mint-centric pins. Mint is EVERYWHERE. In fact, as I type this with my mint green nails, I’m thinking of how delicious a big bowl of mint chip ice cream for breakfast sounds. I’ve been seeing more and more pastel colors in interiors lately, especially mint. Wether it’s splashed up on walls, used on furniture or added in with accessories, this fresh hue is sure to make any room just a little cooler.

Color Play Mint Color Play: Mint

Images: Mint Door Mint Bathtub Mint Kitchen  Mint Tiles Mint Camera Mint Plate Mint Heels Mint Dress Mint Chip Ice Cream

Weekend Musings

Chevron Drapes 630x420 Weekend Musings

Well I am still busy enjoying every single second I get to spend soaking up my little sweet pea but I figured the least I could do was pop in and share a few things I’ve been oogling this week. The first is this fabulous bedroom by designer Thom Filicia. Remember him from Queer Eye for the Straight Guy? I admire his ability to mix and match styles and patterns and his penchant for large scale furnishings. In this Greenwich, Connecticut home, I especially love the way the tufted wingback bed sets off against the wall of burnt orange chevron drapery. To be honest, I’m kind of tired of the chevron epidemic but something about this fabric makes me forgive and forget and want to drape my whole house in that pretty Jerry Pair linen. And don’t even get me started on that Paul Mathieu hammered metal bench. Just gorgeous! Here are some other things across the web that caught my eye this week:

- These funny Father’s Day typography glasses from Mr. Printables

- I definitely have some old bowls that could use some revamping a la Liz Marie’s super cute DIY book page rope bowl tutorial.

- The girls over at A Beautiful Mess are making me want to paint some of my lawn flamingos gold.

- Taryn’s healthy homemade tropical fruit frozen yogurt looks like the perfect treat for hot summer days.

Signature1 Weekend Musings

Image: William Waldron

Guest Post: Bliss at Home

Hello!!! Today, I have a very special guest here to share one of her fabulous DIY projects with us! Many of you may already know Kristin from her awesome blog, Bliss at Home, but if you don’t, you will have to hop on over  there to check out more of her amazing furniture transformations or thrifty upcyles! And without further ado, here is Kristin’s chic DIY stationary box. Enjoy!

 

 

Hi, everyone! I’m Kristin from Bliss at Home and it’s a pleasure to be a guest blogger on Sarah’s blog today! A big congrats to Sarah and her husband on their beautiful the little girl they have been blessed with!  I miss the baby stage and I remember what those first weeks are like– no sleep, lots of cuddles, and wonder.

 

Today I’m going to show you how I took an old silverware box and made it into a stationary organizer. I love to thrift shop and repurpose items that no longer serve there intended purpose. I kept coming across old silverware boxes on my last couple Goodwill visits and I got an idea. I picked one up and the dimensions were perfect for a stationary box. It just needed a little tweaking.

 

 

Here’s what I used:
• Sample size of Valspar paint in Sweet Mint (The sample sizes of paint at Lowe’s are great for little projects like that and they usually have all the trending colors on hand each season)
• 1 roll of contact paper (I found mine at TJ Maxx)
• Minwax water-based Polycrylic Protective Finish in Clear Gloss
• Scrap wood from Habitat Restore 
• Gorilla Glue
*make sure to have on hand: scraper,  scissors, 2 paint brushes (1 for paint, 1 for protective finish, fabric tape measure, sand paper,  hand saw or power saw
The first thing I did was rip out the guts. They came out pretty easy. I just used a scraper to get the little bits out that didn’t come out cleanly.

 

 

Next, I painted the outside. I lightly sanded the top with some sand paper just to smooth out some scratches and I used a good quality craft brush and did two coats of the sweet mint. Once it dried I sealed it with the Minwax Polycrylic. I did 3 coats for a high gloss shine.

 

 

Then, I measured and made my cuts for the contact paper. This was so easy to work with for a project like this.

 

 

I did a run through to see what kind of separation I needed for all my stationary items. Then I cut pieces of my scrap wood to size. I opted to use the handsaw, just because I was making small cuts. You could definitely use a power saw if you don’t want the arm workout.

 

 

I wrapped the wood dividers with contact paper and glued them in place. Now I have a nice place to tuck away all my stationary needs.

 

 

 

A big thank you to Sarah for having me today! I really enjoyed being here!!

 

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www.bliss-athome.com

 

Thanks Kristin for sharing this great project with us! I think I need to fly you out to San Diego so you can help me pretty up my craft room! This is just a glimpse of Kristin’s undeniable DIY prowess, to check out more of her great projects, be sure to visit her blog or get updates from her on Facebook and Twitter!

 

DIY: Flea Market Style Bookcase

A few weeks back I was lucky enough to share one of my favorite DIY projects with Allison’s readers over at The Golden Sycamore while she took some time to welcome her beautiful baby girl. Over the past few weeks she has featured some amazing bloggers and projects and I’m so flattered to have been one of them!

This DIY project is definitely one of my favorite projects I have completed for the house so far. Our living room was begging for a large bookcase but without $500+ to spare, I had to start brainstorming. I thought back to all those awesomely distressed but outrageously overpriced wooden crates I always see at flea markets. They are the perfect shape and size for displaying my favorite decor accessories and knew it would be a manageable DIY.

Crate Shelving Unit1 DIY: Flea Market Style Bookcase

 

 

Crate Shelving Unit 101 DIY: Flea Market Style Bookcase

Michaels sells unfinished wood crates for around $10 each that are perfect for staining. I was initially thinking of going with an espresso colored stain but when I saw Minwax’s new Classic Gray Wood Stain, I quickly changed my mind. A great staining tip I picked up a few years back is to use an old t-shirt to rub in the stain as opposed to a towel or rag. That way you don’t get any lint sloughing off with the stain like you do sometimes with towels.

Crate Shelving Unit 3 copy DIY: Flea Market Style Bookcase

After all the crates were stained and had dried completely, I painted a few quick coats of a flat interior white pant on the inside bottom planks. I wanted the items I displayed in the crates to stand out and felt like they would have gotten lost or looked too boring if I had just stained the entire inside.

At this point I brought in all the crates and started playing around with the configuration. I tried a few abstract, skyscraper-like options but ultimately thought it looked kind of disorganized. I opted for a pyramid shape with some crates lying horizontally and some vertically. This shape is also the most stable so I don’t have to worry about anything falling down.

Crate Shelving Unit 9 DIY: Flea Market Style Bookcase

After I had spent far too much time pondering the direction and position of those 15 crates, I got bored with how uniform they looked. One of my biggest (and most expensive) flaws is that if I stare at anything too long, I start itching to change it. Once I had the configuration finalized, I decided to add some of Martha Stewart’s Metallic Gold Paint to some of the crates. I picked six crates and painted two of the 5 planks. I really like how the gold brings out the warmer undertones in the wood and compliments the bronze accessories I have in there now.

Crate Shelving Unit 7 DIY: Flea Market Style Bookcase

This project is perfect for most any space since you can customize the size and arrangement of the shelving unit. I didn’t end up nailing them together because I like the flexibility of being able to change the configuration or even the location when Baby C starts crawling.  It took a little while to stain and paint all the crates but it was totally worth the time in the end. I love how the crates add a rustic touch to the room and are a really fun way to display all my favorite accessories and books!

Weekend Musings

Flowers 1 Weekend Musings

TGIF. I know I can’t be the only one thinking that right now. Even though I am on hiatus from both work and blogging, it seems like my days are busier now than they have ever been.  Even now as I peck at the keyboard with one hand, I am rocking a sleeping babe in the other.  Life as a new mommy has been a whirlwind. Our sweet baby girl has been a dream and has even given us a few five hour stretches of sleep here and there! I still can’t believe it’s already been three weeks since she arrived!

An unexpected perk of bringing home a new baby has been the numerous gorgeous bouquets of flowers we have received. I LOVE having fresh flowers in the house. Since I am largely housebound for the moment, I have truly appreciated having some lovely spring blooms scattered around the house!

Flowers 2 Weekend Musings

I will still be taking a few more weeks away from the blog but am excited to share one of my favorite DIY furniture projects next week as well as some more awesome guest bloggers!

I hope everyone has some nice outdoor activities planned for this four day weekend!! Happy Memorial Day!

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Guest Post: The Golden Sycamore

Hi everyone! I hope you all have been doing well over the past few weeks!! I have momentarily come out of my baby-cation to introduce one of my super talented blogging friends, Allison from The Golden Sycamore. If you love finding amazing furniture transformations, this is the lady to watch. She is a pro at taking forgotten pieces and turning them into fabulous works of art. Her DIYs are always inspiring and I just know you will love her chic style! Today, she has an awesome DIY for anyone like me with a black thumb. In the few short weeks since becoming a Mommy I have managed to lose even my draught resistant succulents. Yikes! Allison’s cute faux potted plant idea will definitely be on my ever growing DIY list. Enjoy!

Hi there! I’m Allison from The Golden Sycamore. My passion is painting furniture, but I also share craft projects, home renovations, and home decor ideas on my blog.

Before I get started I want to say thank you to Sarah for having me over on her blog today! I’m so happy for her and her family and am glad she’s able to take a little time off to snuggle that precious baby of hers! icon smile Guest Post: The Golden Sycamore

potted plant decor graphic Guest Post: The Golden Sycamore

So, one thing you should know about me is that I am not a plant person! I know nothing about plants and flowers and desperately need help with our landscaping! It’s pitiful!

But now that spring has finally arrived and the vegetation outdoors is getting so lush and pretty, I wanted to bring some of that fresh feeling indoors. So I whipped up this little project. It’s such an easy way to add a little life, and style, to your home…well kinda!

planted herb 3 Guest Post: The Golden Sycamore

Remember when I said I’m no good with plants? Well, for that very reason, I decided it would be best to go with an artificial plant for this project! icon smile Guest Post: The Golden Sycamore

Here’s how I put it together…

potted plant 2 Guest Post: The Golden Sycamore

Supplies:

Paintable pot

Artificial potted herb

Circle stencil and colored pencil

Paint and paint brush

Sandpaper

Plastic bags

River stones

How to:

1. Cut out a circle shape and trace it onto your pot with a colored pencil (I used a circle paper punch to make my stencil)

planted herb 2 Guest Post: The Golden Sycamore

2. Paint inside of your circles with chalk paint or craft paint.

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3. Let paint dry and then use a little sandpaper to distress it a bit.

4. Fill pot part way with plastic bags. This will help to fill the pot without having to use a ton of the heavy stones.

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5. Place your plant into the pot and fill with river stones.

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That’s it! See! So easy and it still brings a little freshness and style to your decor!

planted herb 1 Guest Post: The Golden Sycamore

And want to know a little secret? I only painted circles on half of the pot, so if I ever choose to change up the design, I can just turn it around and use the other side! Brilliant, right?! icon wink Guest Post: The Golden Sycamore I like to think so! Haha!

planted herb 5 Guest Post: The Golden Sycamore

I hope you enjoyed this simple, yet stylish project. If you’d like to keep up with more of what I’m doing you can find me over at my blog {here}, or on Facebook {here}, Instagram {here}, or Pinterest {here}.

Thanks again to Sarah for having me over today! icon smile Guest Post: The Golden Sycamore

allison signature Guest Post: The Golden Sycamore

 

Thank you Allison for this cute and simple DIY idea! Be sure to explore more of her fabulous ideas on her blog and follow her on Facebook for updates on all her awesome projects!!