Sunday, May 30, 2010

Our New/Old Dishwasher and a Magazine Shoot with Mom


Hey there!

Are you having a good weekend?
Hope so!

It's been relatively quiet around here this weekend
(more about that later this week),
but last weekend, on the other hand, was nothing short of supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!
(That's short for "chaotic".)

It started with a phone call to my Mom earlier in the week.

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(Ring, ring)

"Hello?" (Mom)

"Hey Mom!" (Me)

"Hey- what's up?" (Mom)

"Are you still thinking about coming up here this weekend?" (please say yes, please say yes)

"Yeah, why?" (Mom)

Now, like any daughter that didn't want to scare her mother out of coming to her house would do, I decided it would be best to tell her the fun news about styling and shooting the house for Cottages and Bungalows magazine- instead of the exciting-yet-not-exactly-fun news about lifting a stainless steel dishwasher into, and out of, the back of a vehicle in 94 degree weather so that it could be in the shots of our kitchen.

"Well, I have to photograph the house for Cottages and Bungalows magazine, and it would be awesome if you could help me style everything. You're so good at that kind of stuff." (me, and a pat of butter)

"Oh. Okay. Yeah, that's fine." (Mom/Saint)

"Awesome, thanks!" (me, trying to figure out how I can at least sort of prepare her for "other" news)

"Oh! I almost forgot!" (me, after I figured out a way to prepare her for the other news)

"What?" (Mom)

"Well, ya know how we haven't had a dishwasher in a couple years?" (me)

"Yeah?" (Mom)

"One of our local readers offered to give us their previously-loved, stainless steel, GE Profile dishwasher! It's only a few years old, but they got a new one, and couldn't justify keeping the "old" one. Isn't that awesome!?" (me, hoping she just focuses on the awesomeness of the situation, and not on how the dishwasher will get from point A to point B.)

"That is pretty awesome." (Mom, smiling, and no doubt amazed that things like this can happen thanks to the internet.)

"I know. It's crazy." (me, just glad she didn't bring up the point A to point B thing.)

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Well, long story short, Mom did come up last weekend.

And Mom did nervously drive up a really steep driveway in her PT Cruiser.

And Mom did do a 6-point turn at the top of the really steep driveway so that she could drive backwards up another driveway, so that the back of her PT Cruiser was facing the garage door of the sweet family with the previously-loved, stainless steel GE Profile dishwasher.

And Mom did lift the dishwasher into the back of her PT Cruiser (with the help of Mr. Previously-Loved Dishwasher) in 94 degree weather, while yours truly stood in the garage and told Mrs. Previously-Loved Dishwasher about all the disgusting things we found behind our old dishwasher when we moved it out of the house.
(Let's just say they begin with the letter "R", and rhyme with the word, "COACHES".)

(Note: I really didn't mean for my Mom to do all the stressful driving/heavy lifting. She's just such a go-getter, I tell ya! She has a way of just jumping in there before I even have a chance to stop her from go-getting. I really just wanted her to go with me to pick up the dishwasher. And I thought I was going to borrow a neighbors truck- so she wouldn't have to drive. I should've known Supermom would swoop in a save the day, as usual.)

(LOVE YOU MOM!)

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Anywho- the dishwasher alcove in our kitchen has since been cleaned up, exterminated, and is home to a brand new (3-year-old) previously loved, stainless steel GE Profile dishwasher!

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It's so pretty.
And SO quiet.
You can hardly even tell it's running!

As you can see from the photo above, we've still gotta get a stainless stove.
But for the first time in a long time, it actually feels like we're making some progress in the appliance department!

And speaking of the stove, my Mom made me unplug it.
Ya see, ever since we moved in, two and half years ago, the stove just randomly comes on by itself, all throughout the day and night.

And when I say, "comes on", I mean ON.
Like, full on "go ahead and throw the pork chops in cuz the oven is 350 degrees right now even though the knob is clearly in the OFF position".

The electrician that helped us install the new dishwasher also thought it was a good idea to unplug it when it wasn't being used.

So I unplugged it.

But now that's it unplugged, I kinda don't want to pull it back out just so I can plug it back in when I wanna cook something in/on it.
Ya know what I mean?

Pain. In. The bootie!

Needless to say, I've been eating a lot of raw fruits and veggies, and microwaveable food this past week.



As for the photo shoot- well, it was pretty sunny outside, and my Mom is the bomb stylist, so we got some great shots. She works with flowers on a daily basis, so her talent came in extra handy when it came to putting together flower arrangements for the rooms we shot.
I believe our house will be featured in the September issue of Cottages and Bungalows, and I'm especially excited about it because the photography and styling was a family affair this time. Every time I see the photos, I'll think about the crazy/fun weekend me and my Mom had preparing the rooms for their close ups!

(LOVE YOU SO MUCH MOM!)


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And as if she hadn't already done enough- my Mom also surprised me and Kev with a few early birthday presents last weekend too. (We're both turning 36 in June- SHHHH!)

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She hooked us up with the quilt, the duvet and one of the quilted shams.
I love how it all looks together!
The colors just make me feel happy!

(THANK YOU MOM!)

Now I've just gotta get a bedskirt, three euro shams and inserts, and a bed to put it all on- and we'll be on our way to a real life, grown up person bedroom!
Woo hoo!



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Thursday, May 27, 2010

Aimee's Nature-Inspired Nursery and a Leen The Graphics Queen Giveaway

Hello and Happy Thursday!

Today I'd like to introduce you to my new blog friend Aimee.

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Aimee is a self-proclaimed, "do-it-yourself girly-girl with a head full of ideas and fingernails perpetually splattered with paint".



I was so excited when she emailed me about her latest reno project.
She used our reading room as inspiration...

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...as inspiration for her recent nursery make over.

Check it out!

Before...
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After...
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From ripping out the old paneling and ceiling tiles, to installing new windows, to completely re-wiring the room- Aimee really created a beautiful room for her baby-
don't you think?

For the full story, and more before and after shots, head on over to Aimee's blog:

My Pink Life

And Aimee, if you're reading this, way to rock that re-do girl!

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Now on to the free stuff!

If you dig the vinyl "wall words" in Aimee's nursery, you will love today's giveaway!

Leen the Graphics Queen
has offered to give one lucky TLC reader a $50 Gift Certificate to use on the graphic(s) of your choice!

All you have to do to enter is leave a comment on this post between now (Thursday, May 27th, 2010) and Monday (May 31, 2010 at noon CST).

And, yes, she can create custom graphics too.
Remember the number 3 she made for me?

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All I had to do was tell her the size and font I wanted, and voila!
Instant vinyl awesomeness!



Good luck!



Wanna see more wall word inspiration?
Check out my latest Ideabook
"Word Up: Applying Vinyl Wall Words"

on Houzz.com!



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Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Reader Re-Design: Katie's Fab New Fireplace

Last year, I did a Photo Consultation for a sweet gal by the name of
Katie.

She wanted some low cost/high impact ideas that would help spiff up her Living Room- so I sent her a bunch of suggestions and a inspirational photo drawing to help get her creative gears a-turnin'.

Here's what Katie was workin' with...

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One idea I suggested had to do with beefing up her fireplace.

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Since it was almost the same size as the furniture around it, it was really struggling to become the rooms focal point.
And it looked so tiny compared the wall around it.
I thought a little extra trim molding would help solve both dilemmas in a jiff.

(Move your cursor back and forth over the photo below.)



This week Miss Katie sent me a photo of the finished product...

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Isn't it great!?

She came up with a great, low-dough way to replicate the candleholders I suggested in my drawing too.

She used spindles and spray paint!

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And what's reeeeally cool is that it only cost Katie 12 bucks to make each of them!

So awesome!

If you'd like to make some super-cool $12 candleholders, head on over to Katie's blog, Impatiently Praying For Patience to read her step-by-step tutorial.

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In other news, tomorrow marks the 2 year anniversary of our blog.
It's crazy how fast time flies!



See ya maƱana!



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Monday, May 24, 2010

Milk Jug Lamp

Hello!

Did you have a good weekend?

It was a busy one over here at TLC!
Among other things, I finallllllly finished re-doing the jug lamp I got last year on the Endless Yard Sale...

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It's no longer blue, it no longer has a fabric decal on the front, and the shade is much spiffier now too.

Check it out!

Up at the top of the base, under a few layers of grime, I discovered a pretty copper color...

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And underneath the huge fabric ship sticker, I found the words

Mitchell Dairy Co
Bridgeport CT 63



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They're sort of engraved into the metal, so I used an old sponge tip applicator to rub some light brown eyebrow shadow into them so they'd stand out a little more...

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I used Rustoleum's "Heirloom White" spray paint (satin finish) on the base...

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And last but not least, I re-covered the shade in a textural, neutral-colored fabric and a bit of jute trim I had left over from my chandelier project...

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The fabric came from Claudia's Cloth Barn (here in Prattville, AL), and the jute trim came from M&J Trimming

Here she is!
All made up and ready to sit on my bedside table...

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I'm stoked about how it turned out!



Especially when I saw that this one (available at Bellacor) costs $524.90...

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My milk jug lamp cost just $30 altogether.

That's what I'm talkin' 'bout Willis!



Happy Monday!



PS- It looks like I removed the handle in the photos- but I didn't! It's still there!

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Saturday, May 22, 2010

Pottery Barn Wine Bottle Chandelier Project by Brandon and Caitlin

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Thanks for sharing your project with us Caitlin!
You guys definitely rocked it!

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(Caitlin and her awesome $50 wine bottle chandelier)

If you'd like to create a $50 wine bottle chandelier like Brandon and Caitlin did, head on over to their blog to read all about how they did it!

That House on the Corner

As for my latest lighting project, well, it's almost finished- so I look forward to bloggin' about my rustic-yet-refreshing re-do very soon!





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