Saturday, September 19, 2009

Ripfest 2009 - Day Two

Wow.
What a dusty couple of days we've had here at TLC!
I thought I'd show you some photos of what's been going on around here.

Note: There is laminate wood flooring temporarily covering most of the hardwood floors in our home. Within the next year or so, we plan to remove the laminate flooring, and to refinish and patch the hardwood flooring that lies underneath. Do not be alarmed when you see the large chunks of debri that have crashed down onto the floor in the following photos. It is laminate wood, I repeat, insanely durable laminate wood.)

Now back to our regularly scheduled post...

Our hallway is not a huge space. It's basically just a little area with lots of angles, and lots of doorways that lead to various rooms- the guest bathroom, reading room, guest bedroom and our home office.

The room with the door closed in the photo below is the guest bathroom.



Does that door need a paint job and a new door knob or what?!
Better yet, I'd love to replace the door completely with an old one, with a frosted glass window on it. (mental note: be on the lookout for an old door with a window on it)

Inspiration:


Photo Credit: Bay and Gable Victorian



The room with the sheet over the doorway is the reading room.



The room on the far left is the guest bedroom...



...and our office is directly across from the guest bedroom.

Anywho, I've been dreaming of covering up our ceilings with tongue-and-groove planks of wood for quite some time.



I just thought it would be one of those things we either never got around to doing, or that we would do waaaaay on down the line because of the cost involved.



But I've been giving the stain in the photo above the evil eye for nearly two years now, and when we found out there were already planks of wood up above it- well...enter: my Home Improvement Hero...



He started day one of "Ripfest 2009" by making a trip to Walmart to buy one of these...



But because I was working in my office most of the day, I didn't get a chance to ask him to try to actually use it...



Maybe he just forgot it was there. Judging from its size, it would be an easy thing to miss, especially in that amount of square footage.
Or maybe it had something to do with the contract he was obligated to sign shortly after birth that stated he must make as much of a mess as humanly possible while cooking, doing home improvement projects and using the bathroom. >;-)

(I'm totally kidding...I love you and your messes honey!)

He barreled through that drywall like a champ...



As a matter of fact, we decided mid-project that it would make more sense for him to go ahead and rip down the drywall on the walls too, before re-installing the crown moulding.



Check out our hallway now!













Apparently there used to be a stove here...



This area used to be the kitchen back in 1950. The house was added on to and re-configured in 2003.

Check out the old, decorative metal vent cover...



(You can click on the photo to see a closer up view of the picture on it)

Unfortunately, only about 1/4 of this wall is brick underneath the wood. Sure would've been awesome to have an entire wall of brick here!

Mr. LC took the day off to watch college football (and recuperate) today, so nothing happened in the hall today except for clean up. Tomorrow he'll be back at it, removing nails and any other debris that's still clinging to the walls and ceiling.



The day after that, he'll start priming and painting.
In the meantime, I'll keep blogging and creating design plans for the folks who have asked for my help.
But don't worry, I'll make sure to poke my head out occasionally to make sure he's using a drop cloth. :-)


Layla




This post was brought to you by:


Trendy Home Decor Wall Decals

Friday, September 18, 2009

Ripfest 2009 Begins!



Kevin got A LOT accomplished today. This video only shows a fraction of what he did. We're excited to show you the rest- so stayed tuned for more footage and photos of Ripfest 2009! Have a great weekend! Hope yours is a little less dusty than ours!





This post was brought to you by:


Trendy Home Decor Wall Decals

Thursday, September 17, 2009

Ripfest 2009 Announcement!



(Correction: There are wood planks underneath the sheetrock in the Dining Room too!)




This post was brought to you by:

Trendy Home Decor Wall Decals

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Awesome Blog Alert


Have you been to the "For Love or Funny" blog?
I could sit and read through Lynn's posts forever!

This is one of my favorites: Marriage Can Make You Dumb

I could literally feel her pain as I read it!
She's an excellent writer and she has the best sense of humor.
I'm totally hooked on her blog!

Layla



This post was brought to you by:

Trendy Home Decor Wall Decals

Reading Room Reno Rumblings

Our Reading Room has no idea what's about to happen.
Look at her...just sitting there all peaceful-like...



You see, like every other room in our home, this little room is very much a work in progress. We still have ten things left to do in this little 6'x6' room alone. #1 is to rip down the sheetrock that's currently covering our newly-discovered, planked wood ceilings. I'm excited to report that demolition is set to begin very soon! #2 will be to add crown moulding. #3 will be to create a new hole for a (#4) new hanging light fixture in the middle of a (#5) new ceiling medallion. #6 is to finish painting the quote around the top stripe. #7 is to find the perfect pillow to put in place of the blue one I had sitting there temporarily for the photo. #8 is to decide on a window treatment. #9 is to finalize my decisions on accessories. #10 is re-cover the little shade on the lamp.

Of course I'll have to pack up everything in the room and move it out before we start to tackle item #1, a.k.a "Dustfest 2009".
I'll start with the twin-sized bedspread I recently bought at a flea market/antique mall here in Prattville for $12.50...



It's identical to the ones my Grandma Evelyn used to have when I was a little girl. She and my Grandpa had separate bedrooms. She had two twins beds in her room and there were two bedspreads just like this one on each bed. When I stayed over night with her, we would hold hands across the space between the beds until we fell asleep. Well, at least until I fell asleep. I'm sure she waited for me to doze off before she undoubtedly placed my arm gently back onto my bed.
I sure wish I could ask her if she did that.

She passed away on Valentines Day of 1999 and I've missed her every single day since.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Another new addition to the room is the $3.00 milk glass lamp I picked up at a flea market in Milton, Florida...




...its hobnail pattern and the pom pom fringe on the bedspread are now BFF's. :-)

Another newly-added item in the room is this lithograph by artist Roger Tory Peterson...



It was printed in 1942, and it's called "Dogwood Time".
I'm not sure if it will stay in the room or not, but for the time being I enjoy seeing it propped up on my rustic, old shelf. It reminds me of my Mom. She's a bird watcher, so I think of her every time I look at it.

I enjoy the process of creating an inspired home so much.
It's natural and flexible. It allows your personality to speak, and your heart to sing.
Sherry Holetzky once wrote, "Choose and use the things you love. Surround yourself and your family with comfortable, usable things that make you feel relaxed. Remember, if you love it, it is good design."
Well said!

Hope you're having an inspired day :-)
Layla

PS...If you'd like to read about how I painted the stripes in the Reading Room, click on the FAQ's button in our left sidebar.



This post was brought to you by:

Trendy Home Decor Wall Decals