Making A Rental Feel Like Home: Living Room

As you all know, we moved to Denver in June of 2017 and started renting our 1,000 sq ft 2 bedroom 1 bathroom home just 15 minutes from downtown Denver. You can check out more of our entire process here from when we first moved to the area and picked a home.

Now, since then, we've been fortunate enough to be able to work on different elements of the home to make it more "homey" and somewhere we feel like we could be awhile. We already talked about the kitchen and dining area, the master bedroom and lone bathroom, and if you've been following along with the blog we are currently working on converting the second bedroom that was once the guest room and office to the nursery (with tiny corner office area!) through the One Room Challenge. So far it's going well! Check out the week one progress , week two, and week three!

The only place we haven't talked about much is the living room space. Here is a reminder of what it looked like when we walked through it the first time last May:

A pretty great space with room for larger sized furniture and to have a bunch of people over. Something that we definitely enjoy being able to do!

Let's talk about what we did to take this peanut butter living room and transform it into something more cozy and that reflected our style. Thank goodness for our amazing landlord who has a lot of faith and trust in us!

Making Our Rental Feel Like Home: The Kitchen & Dining Room

We spent a lot of time after we moved in making the house cozier for us. We love the kitchen and dining room area, but it definitely lacks in storage and the washer and dryer are in the kitchen right there. That was a compromise, for sure. At our old house it was off of the kitchen but separate enough that it worked. I wanted to make sure that it was at least as attractive as it could be. Having a place with a washer and dryer hook up was big, so dealing with it in the kitchen and not having shared laundry seemed a fine trade.

Budget-Friendly DIY Bridal Shower

When my best friend from college asked me to be her Maid of Honor, I was totally thrilled! I would be able to stand up beside her at her wedding and watch her pledge to be unified with the man of her dreams. We went through a lot in college together- like the teaching program, the long hours of first year teaching, and the struggles of dating and post-grad life.

I wanted to make sure that the Bridal Shower we threw for her was going to do her justice. Here were some of the goals and themes we had for the day:

• Be creative! Our friend is amazingly creative so we wanted to honor that.
• Use the wedding colors (teal, burlap, chalkboard, etc.)
• Have games that don't totally suck.
• Prizes that people want to win
• Easy set up and tear down.

Our invite asked people to bring a recipe for two, a bottle of wine for the couple, and a bible verse/quote to share!

Our total budget for the wedding was roughly $200.00 (not including the food). That included:

• Invites (made mine online for free here and just inserted it into the body of an email to her friends and family. I also shared it via our event on Facebook.
• Total cost for invitations: $0.00
• Decorations. We used a bunch of stuff that another bridesmaid is using at her wedding, and other things that we had on hand between all of us. 
• Total cost for decor: $45.00
• Bride-to-Be Sash: $21.00  I got a really cool customizable one on Etsy here
• Venue. Originally we considered going to a church or something like that- but instead we did it at her mama's house. It worked great and was free.
• Total cost for venue: $0.00
• Games & Prizes. I found some great games online at Etsy.com and we printed them ourselves. I then bought a package of Blue Ball jars from Target and filled those with fun prizes with different themes to each. We had one prize per game.
• Total cost of 6 games (got em here): $10.40
• Total cost of prizes: $45.00 (though I did go to Sephora and Ulta and ask for free samples of perfume and make up to put inside the prizes.)
• Food & Drink: The bride's mama organized all of the food and she did a remarkable job! We did the shower in the afternoon and wanted to go with finger foods and mama had that on lock! 
• She made a variety of things (mini BLTs, spinach balls, chocolate covered Oreos (MY FAVE!), mini caramel apples, rice krispies, and little sandwich wheels.) It was delicious. 
• Drinks were pretty straight forward. I brought two fancy dispensers with the little spigots that make it easy. We had Sangria and sorbet punch. 
• "Stations." We set up some fun stations around the shower for people to cycle in and out of to make sure everyone has something to do and make meaningful gifts for the Bride. More about that later!
• Total cost: $70.00

Now I'll take you on a tour! I'll let the pictures speak for themselves for the most part. 

As she walked in we wanted it to be a surprise! That's the big part that she was excited about, she didn't want to have much to do with the planning. So, as she walked in, she was greeted by this veil on the door!

She did supply us with some awesome photos of her and the groom together. We used twine, little clothespins in her wedding colors, and dollies from Hobby Lobby and strung it up. Everyone loved it!

The games that we got off Etsy were a big hit! They included:

• What's on your phone?
• He Said/She Said
• Scattegories
• Word Scramble
• Scratch-Off Game

Plus they were super cute! We got to order them in gold and blue so they matched her theme. 

We had the party set up in stations. One of them was to buy this beautiful leather bound bible from our local Barnes & Nobles and have it set up for people to highlight their verse. Some people aren't as comfortable with that, so we also added a couple moleskins in the wedding colors to give people a space to put their quotes. It was a big hit! We set it up in the backyard looking across the grass with a chalkboard for instructions.

My personal favorite was our photo booth station! I used a foam board I may or may not have found in the supply closet at school to cut out a frame for the Polaroid! Use an exacto blade. I tried to cut mine with scissors. It was not a good idea.

We brought some props (that will actually reappear at the wedding...) for people to have a good time! We added a chalkboard for people to write on for how they met the bride. It was fun! Plus, if you cropped it to put on Insta, it worked perfectly and looked awesome!

 Another station that we had set up was a letter writing station. The bride and I had gone to the store previously and picked out a scrapbook that she loved. We invited everyone to spend some time writing a letter to the bride for her to read on her wedding day. She can't see it until then! It was really special to see people sitting around the table sharing their love and thoughts for the bride and her soon-to-be hubby.

In the living room we had the gift opening station set up. We had a cool vintage box that was originally a box for shoes but we stole it for bottles of wine for the bride and groom! We're hoping it helps them get through that first year together! One of the bridesmaids made those great tissue paper balls and we used a a DIY chalkboard to tell people where everything should go. 

She seemed to totally love it and I couldn't be more grateful! It was a challenge to organize a bridal shower from 250 miles away, but I'm glad we put it together! The other bridesmaids and the Mother of the Bride were instrumental in making it a day that she would cherish.

And Poochie, he was loving it too.

Together we made an awesome thing happen and I am so excited! The wedding is only three weeks away and it should be a night to remember. :)

Just Porchin' Around

It is officially summer for this teacher! And I am super glad! It has been a whirlwind year of testing, Speech & Debate coaching, planning, and a lot of changes. But it is over. Next year will be easier. I plan on doing some decorating and updates to my classroom next week, so I shall have to post about that here soon. Speaking of changes... I finally bought a new computer! The first new one I have owned since 2007. It is a refurbished MacBook Pro and I love it! 

Plus I love my Little Mermaid sticker that I bought for it, check out all the different options on Etsy.com, I found mine {here} and it was an easy fun way to accessorize my computer. I also put a clear case over it that I bought from Amazon. com to keep it safe. 

I've also made progress on the porch! Remember last week when I showed you the new (safer) decking?

Well, I had a four day weekend and decided to take that time to stain it! I used the color Gunstock by Minwax. I did it all with a brush. It was ridiculous to try and use the pad and the handle thing from Lowe's. It soaked up so much of the stain that I used 5 times as much on three planks as necessary. Ugh. It only took me a few short hours to complete and do the steps at the same time. 

Though I confess... I did accidentally forget to unlock the back door, it was cool. I hung out in my yard for like awhile.

Here's the after!

I totally love it! I think it gives the house more character and pop, plus it looks way fresher. Which is always a plus. Of course... once you finish one thing there are still more things to do.

Here's a few images of things that remain on the the To-Do list:

Summer Porchin' Re-do List:

• Install new decking  $650.00
• Stain new decking $20.00
• Spray paint lawn furniture
• New accessories for tables
• Plant flowers
• Touch up front door
• Install dead bolt
• Paint roof
• Repair wood damage
• Hang lights beneath awning
• Paint trim and sides of deck

Hopefully I can manage to get a few of those things done before the summer really gets going. It would be great to have friends over to hang out and grill, and just have a good time. Until all that is done though... here's one last look at the cozy porch!

Most MIA Blogger, Evs. But hey! Porch.

  Oh, goodness. It has been such a longggg time since I posted! Over five months! I feel like all of my posts start that way so, well. I will apologize now for being missing in action. It's been a whirlwind year in my life, we've had a death in the family that was very hard, teacher life has been dramatically more challenging this year than last year, which still seems crazy to me, and I think overall I just got into a creative slump with my house.

This month is the 7th anniversary of living in my house, which I hope to celebrate with a blog post.  But I suppose we'll see if that really happens! Let's hope. haha.

Anyway. One of the big things that has happened around here lately is that we got a new front deck! When I was in college we collapsed it during a party (oops) and made some repairs then, but since the gutters were so terrible before we replaced them, it expedited the rot occurring on the deck.

Here's some before action:

This is one of those embarassing moments where the deck is actually well, worse, than it appears in the photo. The wood was sort of start to move away from the white frame and supports beneath it... a little sketchy.

I went ahead and hired this job out to make sure that it was done correctly and looks good. Here it is:

Even in progress it looks safer and better!

Plus, our new step is actually to the size of a human foot. Which is great and results in less people falling to their doom.

The new deck with labor and materials was $650 big ones, but it looks great and will help with keeping the resale value of this little joint. 

I have purchased some stain for the entire deck and I haven't decided if I should stain the side steps that are still wood, or if I should paint them white. Any opinions out there? 

Here is the hopeful color of the new deck after I stain it:

(it came from Pinterest, but I can't find a direct link. Sorry. :( )

Obviously that house is quite a bit nicer than mine, but that's alright. I still like the way that wood tone looks with the white beams. 

Next steps to the TrailerPerf summer porch?

• Stain the entire deck and step
• Stain back steps to match (oops)
• Redecorate!
• Spray paint outdoor furniture
• Accessorize!

Here's to a summer that is less crazy and strange then the school year!

Master, Get Fabulous.

The more that I do some upgrades in other rooms in my house and start getting bold... the more that I want to update other spots in the house as well. My latest consideration? The master bedroom. Last time I updated that space was 2012 {see it again here} and it still looks okay, but a little boring. I want to try and be bold! Like an adventurer! Too far? oh well. Back in January, which was already 6 months ago, I made a list of things I wanted to do in my room, and then! I did nothing. Ha. Oops.

Here's a reminder for all of us on what that list actually was:

Master Bedroom Update:

• find a second short dresser as a nightstand- paint it white
• get a new rug situation
• make/find a new headboard
• update the shams and bedding
• new wall art
• patch and repaint sections
• replace door
• organize dog kennel area 
• clear clutter/donate unworn clothes

And a reminder of the room itself:

Now if you follow me on Instagram (which I know is set to private, but if you request I'll add you! Until I figure out how to make a second one maybe? #teacherprobs) You'll already know that I've made a bunch of changes that are real exciting. Not everything on the list is done yet, but I already love the progress!

For instance when I went and changed out the nightstand, which was originally two laundry baskets on top of each other. For like. 10 months. I instead made this wonderful desk into my nightstand {see it again here}

Doesn't it look adorbs? Plus I also started changing up some of the art beside my bed! 

But the biggest (and one of the most bold) projects that I have undertaken in my room is my new feature wall! Now typically I don't do feature walls, but I think you'll see why this one is cool.

The story goes like this... First I was just trying to move the door stop for the new door so that it would line up with the new handle, and then things escalated and I ended up tearing out chunks of the paint and drywall. Whoops.

When we originally bought the house back in 2008, the entire house was wall paper, so we decided to use wallpaper paint and just paint over it. If you have ever lived in a manufactured or pre-fab home a lot of the times they make the wallpaper into the drywall before installation, which means you can't really take it off without removing the drywall.

I found this fabulous wallpaper at Lowe's! It is the exact same product that I used in my kitchen as the back splash (which I can't seem to find a picture of anywhere). It is a pre-pasted product and one roll almost covered this entire huge wall. The product is about $16 and can be painted and stripped off later if you so desire. Which is great for DIY people like us who change our minds all the time! I couldn't find this one online but here is the link to see different varieties from Lowe's {here}.

Check it out in progress!

Stay tuned for a full update on the wallpaper wall of my master! I think it looks pretty awesome, especially with the bold blue/gray door!

Summer Series: De-Trashing the Trailerhood

****If you are seeing this content on http://manufacturedhomefacts.com/ please be advised it is there without permission! thismessybusiness.com is the OFFICIAL and only site I publish on!***

One of the hardest parts about owning the home I do is the fact that it is a trailer. I try to make it pretty by calling it a manufactured home but the truth is... it is still a trailer and I live in a trailer park community for all intents and purposes (though technically it actually is a neighborhood because you have to purchase land where I'm at.) I hate that. I feel as though people judge me before they pull up to my house.

They imagine this:

{source}

Well I can't change the fact that it's a trailer, and the way the market is right now, we're not moving. So we are going to de-trash the trailerhood for the rest of this summer!

The goal of this series is to change people's minds about trailers and change my attitude about it as well.

I've outlined five major steps to help out this process:

1. Manage It.

2. Clean it Up.

3. Wear it Well.

4. Give Me Attitude.

5. Keep it Up.

The goal? Have the nicest trailer in the hood, and maybe encourage my neighbors to do the same!

If you would help me out, please comment with a notion or thought that you have about trailers and people that live in them. It will help me a lot! (And don't worry I'm a high school teacher, tough skin yo.)

Wall-e

****If you are seeing this content on http://manufacturedhomefacts.com/ please be advised it is there without permission! thismessybusiness.com is the OFFICIAL and only site I publish on!***

Now that I finally have the living room all painted and mostly rearranged I have started changing around the wall art. My attempt this year is to really commit to being creative with wall art. I always feel guilty putting holes in the wall (blame my father) and have to make sure that I am posting 100% of what I want on the walls. Well. All things can be patched and painted. So I'm just going for it!

I started with the front entry wall by the door. It looks even better with the new front door color:

This bike art is from Palisade, Colorado. I am a huge fan of bikes and Colorado and local art so it's pretty fabulous. The art underneath is actually vintage style postcards from a road trip that my family and I took when I was in high school and I finally get to display them!

And I found a happy place for my critter art work! Ode to my furbabies. YayYayy. And of course my wine cork board that is full of wedding and baby shower invites.

#truth.

To the right of the door (pre-painting photo) is one of my favorite paintings and then another little piece of Colorado art...

 From Palisade, Colorado as well... pretty cool right?

Now to just finish this side of the living room... phew. We are slowly but surely getting there!

Oh and just an update on the teacher-job-hunt, I have an interview on Wednesday for a local Charter School. It's not exactly where I imagined I'd be starting my career but it will definitely give me a unique experience that will really encourage my learning as a fledgling teacher. Wish me luck!

Run-On List of Lists

So I got the idea to compile a gigantic list of all things my house from one of every home decor bloggers favorite sites Young House Love. Such amazing smart people. This list includes all the things I have done to each room and still want to do and is styled similiarly to the one on YHL. I think it helps me with prioritizing and knowing where to go. I know I've made a lot of lists lately but budget restraints have kept me from really starting any major projects. Hopefully this helps me decide what I can do. :)

 

Exterior/Porch:



(50% complete)

 

To-Do:

• Fix step into house
• Remove ramp (it's rotting and collapsing)
• Rebuild steps in back yard
• Pot plants
• Repaint porch
• Grow more grass
• Build new back porch
• Replace exterior doors
• figure out a new carport situation (former roommate drove into a post so it's on it's way out)
• organize sharage (shed+garagey thing=sharage)
• add more motion sensor/security lighting
• new gutters for the whole house
• enhance privacy in back yard either with new fence or just slats

Done:

• The yard has finally started to grow grass again...
• Repainted the lawn furniture
• Got a grill and lots of pots. 

 

Entryway:

 

(75% complete)

 

To-Do:

• Maybe get a runner rug somewhere down the line
• Keep updating accesories
• Paint walls
• Paint back of door a fun accent color

Done:

• Replaced the floors in the whole house
• Got a fabulous vintage vanity
• Hung some art 



Living Room: 

(50%ish complete) 

 

To Do:

 If you have seen my recent post about the living room you know the list is pretty long. I say "50%ish complete" because it's fully decorated and pretty I'm just in the market to go Beyonce on that room and "upgrade ya."

 

 Consign glass end tables

Fix 50" TV from rents

Sell IKEA entertainment stand

Build entertainment wal

make a decision on wingback chair (reupholster? Sell? Give away?)

New sectional couch

New flat weave area rug (more durable than fluffy shag rug now)

Paint ceiling (white, durr)

Paint walls (either Revere Pewter by BM or Moonshine by BM)

paint moding and beam to  match beadboard (white)

replace interior doors (the holey 80's hanging off the hinges doors suck)

Done:

replaced coffee table

upgraded wall art

upgraded lighting

love my curtains (hehe)

Dining Room:

(20%ish complete) 

 

To-Do:

This is sort of the same deal as the living room. I want to upgrade the dining area and make it more "my style" within the next year or so. Right now I have the same furniture in there I've had since I was 18. So it's totally done remodel wise.

• Buy new table (this one from IKEA)
• New chairs that don't have fabric seats
• Jute rug for under table
• Upgrade wall art on "big wall"
• Figure out how the heck to make window wall function/look good.
• Paint walls to go with living room and entryway
• Find a new fabulous light fixture. (sort of feeling a drum shade chandelier)
• paint the ceiling/molding (white o course)

Done:

• love my curtains
• painted the ceiling fan so it works well enough for now
• upgraded flooring through out the house

 

Kitchen:

(75% completed)



 

To Do:

• replace painted countertops with a new laminate (love solid surface-but it's a trailer ya'll)
• repaint cabinets with more durable paint (been a year since I've painted em and they chip)
• frame out doors to create shaker style
• replace hardware
• paint ceiling/molding to match rest of living space
• paint behind fridge (hehe)
• frame out wallpaper after new countertops are in
• install new faucet
• get prettier cabinet support sticks
• make bar counter out of wood for a butcher block effect (Like this blogger did here.)
• Make range hood less homely.

Done:

• repainted the cabinets
• repainted the hinges/existing hardware
• upgraded dishwasher/fridge to energy efficient
• upgraded art work
• added wallpaper tile backsplash

Master Bedchamber:

(90% complete) 

 

 

To-Do:

• upgrade tiny nightstands to small dressers upcycled from thrift store (I have lots of clothes)
• switch living room rug to bedroom and jute rug to dining room
• new headboard/footboard set up
• smaller pillows (brown ones)
• upgrade ceiling fan to pretty light
• paint the molding around bathroom entry, upgrade to prettier trim? maybah? 
• upgrade to double rods
• new bedroom door
• replace mini-blinds

Done:

• upgraded all the flooring
• removed crazy scary sliding closet doors
• installed closet organizer
• revamped filing cabinet
• painted ceiling fan so it's prettier for now
• took down uglio I-wish-I-was-French-doors
• put up curtains for closet/bathroom doors
• turned cheapy bookcase into magical shoe display land
• upgraded desk area
• added new/pretty artwork

 Master Bathroom:

 



(95% complete)



 

To-Do:

• replace/fix shower stall (at least the door, it pops open. Sebastian likes it. I don't.)
• take down cheap over the potty thing and install something prettier (only if there's studs)
• recaulk around the vanities/tubs/shower/wet places.
• upgrade the hardware (just painted the original stuff when I did the redo. heh.)
• add second shelf under little shelf that has been in my trunk for 3 years... no rush yo.
• work around garden tub area to add new tile or something. It's ugly.

Done:

• repainted all cabinets in a two tone fashion
• upgraded artwork
• painted the walls and ceilings
• added accessories
• installed jewelry cabinet
• added changing chair

Cube Hallway:

(60% complete)

 

To-Do:

• Paint the walls to match the living room space
• Paint ceiling/molding
• add beadboard wallpaper from Lowe's to bottom to make it match the living room
• upgrade switch covers
• remove drywall strips and texture
• replace/repaint light fixture
• replace both bedroom and bathroom door and handles

Done:

• added storage using old microwave stand
• upgraded flooring along with the rest of the house
• painted furnace cover (gotta love trailers)

Bedroom #2:

(10% complete) 

 

To-Do:

This is when my unique situation comes into play. Right now in order to afford the mortgage (just graduated college-seeking new full-time job) I rent out bedrooms #2 and #3 for extra cash. Meaning I can't do much in this room. My goal time to "reclaim" this room is by the end of 2014. So a year and a half. This list will read as the future office I want it to be.

• since this will be my office one day, I want to repaint it completely.
• replace bedroom door and knob
• add custom desk with lots of storage. ((sort of like this)
• add more to the existing closet organizer for files/paperwork/craft supplies
• get a wonderful amazing rug
• texture the walls
• upgrade the curtain rod

Done:

• flooring is all replaced with the rest of the house
• upgraded the light switch covers
• new water heater (it's in the closet in there, again, trailer weirdness)
• painted the ceiling and molding
• added closet organizer for max storage space
• took down crazy ugly closet doors and replaced with curtains

Bedroom #3:

 

(50% complete)

 To Do:
Again this is a similiar situation to what's going on with bedroom #2. I rent this room out also because I need help with the mortgage and such. Back in the day it was my office but in the future it will be a guest room. If my life follows it's current path that should be by the end of 2013. Yay!

• upgrade night stand and dresser
• add headboard
• buy a second curtain for the closet (currently has desk on one side, roomie clothes on the other)
• add more shelving to closet organizer so can be used for seasonal shoes/clothes, etc.
• replace bedroom door and knob
• replace mini-blinds

Done:

• upgraded all the flooring with rest of the house
• purchased a full-sized guest bed
• upgraded the curtains
• added new curtain rod
• painted magnificent stripes
• already own bedding for future guest
• have a good grey IKEA rug
• have a TV for guest room
• added closet organizer
• upgraded ceiling light

Guest bathroom:

(90% complete)



 To-Do:

• upgrade to energy efficient white potty (bye-bye bisque)
• add trim under countertop
• replace mirror
• touch up paint

Done:

• painted all the walls Dolphin by Home Depot's Martha Stewart collection
• replaced countertop
• replaced faucet
• tiled shower and flooring
• replaced bathtub
• fixed faucet/showerhead
• added storage cabinet
• upgraded light fixtures
• upgraded cabinet handles
• upgraded towel bar
• added new art work (see the reveal for the whole thing here)

Laundry Room:

(68% complete)

 To-Do:

• lighten up the paint color, it's pretty dark
• add tile wallpaper backsplash on space under cabinets
• replace exterior door with an outswing insulated door with dead bolts
• fix electric... :/
• upgrade light fixture
• added microchip pet door for Sebastian (little spendy but I don't want Pouka and Lucy going outside)

Done:

• new energy efficient washer/dryer
• build countertop
• added storage for kitty area
• added shelf for storage baskets
• painted ceiling/trim/molding
• painted cabinets
• added cabinet hardware
• upgraded outlet covers

 All in all, I have definitely done a lot since I've owned the house. (it'll be 5 years in May. craycray yo.) Some of the things I want to do just are reflective of where I am in my life and upgrading from the free college furniture to stuff that I would like to have for years to come. Some of it is to just keep up with the trends. At this point I think some of my redos are going to be a little sporatic. So for example, replacing furniture might be 6 months to 2 years depending on what I decide to get.

The first five things I do plan on doing are:

• repainting the living room (pretty sure Revere Pewter by BM)
• painting the ceiling in the kitchen/living room/dining room area
• paint laundry room
• upgrade countertops
• replace back exterior door

Hopefully some of those other nit-picky things get knocked off along with the ones listed above. I think it will be great! Besides I get my first paycheck in March for substitute teaching so I'll finally be able to do things! (thank all holyness everywhere.)