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!

Time to Get to Class

About a month ago I showed you some of the steps I was taking to update my master bedroom and I have to say... I think its starting to look pretty smashing! It isn't totally done, there are a few things on my to-do list but so far the progress is great!

I am so excited about how adorable my room is! Ready to see it! Let's start with my fabulous new door, that I still will occasionally stop and pet and coo at. Not a big deal...

As you walk in you can see that I have taken down some of the art and photos that have been up foreverrr. I left the same gray walls because I just love how soft and airy it is. I added a hat rack for my more adorable hats, the baseball caps and such still live elsewhere. Having it reminds me of my Grandpa who used to have one full of trucker hats in his living room that he would let us try on.

I stole my Raggedy Ann and Andy back from the guest room and holy moly do I love them in here. The contrast of their vintage fabulousness and the glam high gloss wallpaper is on point! In the office they felt dulled and blended against the stripes but against the walls in here... perfect. I plan to add some more cool pieces to that wall but only one step at a time.

I traded a white mirror from my room for the cool vintage mirror from my sister's room. I like it against the white wall also.

Here's what the wall looks like after being painted (notice that the 80s wood is gone? Holla at it!) I also pet this wall sometimes too. It is sort of like being in Willie Wonka, minus the Schnozberries.

Oh! And of course my new rugs! I decided that doing runners would be much better than a big area rug, partially because I love how much larger and open my room feels with some of the wood floors showing but it makes it cozier to have some rugs on the side of the bed. I got them at IKEA for $19.99 a piece. $40.00 total is way cheaper than an area rug! What do you think?

And here's another look at my wonderful new art! I love the mismatched frames and the gold tones. Don't get me wrong- I still love white but I feel it is reflecting so much more of who I am and reflects my quirkiness.

So here is the break down of the new changes! I'm still in the market for a new comforter and shams, as well as a headboard, but I think its looking pretty great so far!

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

Oh Porch, How Cheerful of You!

I love the updates that I showed you last week, so I figured I should continue that trend into the front of the house. This post is a bit picture heavy but that's because the  front of my yard is a lot larger and I like to focus on the curb appeal, I will let them speak for themselves. The first five are the "before" pictures this year, and the rest are after the new paint job and accessorizing:

Sebastian had to stay inside because he was barky, he still tried to keep an eye on things.

Ready for the after? Here you go!

To- Do List Items Finished:

• Repaint peeling paint 
• Clean the steps
• Replace old ramp with new steps
• Plant flowers
• Repaint from doors and posts
• Accessorize
• Organize seating for max functionality

Product List:

• Large lattice rug, clearance $7.48 at Target
• "Welcome" mat, Target
• Lanterns, Homegoods and IKEA
• Pillows, handmade by mama
• Assorted flowers, local Bookcliff Gardens shop
• Brown furniture, free from friend spray painted with "Espresso" Rustoleum 
• Compass art, clearance $14.38 at Target
• Blue lawn chairs, free from mama, she found them in the trash. 

What do you think of the front porch? I'm totally digging the new rug! Especially since it was dramatically cheaper than replacing all the carpeting on the front, though that does definitely still need to be done. Maybe next year. 

Outdoor Happiness

When back in the day when I first bought my house the back "yard" was a very sad and terrible looking space. Since the dryer sat in front of the door just enough that you couldn't use it, I didn't give much attention to it. I would just cringe and pretend it wasn't there when I saw it. Here's an original angle:

A wondrous "before" shot of the door of doom:

The weird cheap light fixture that has never worked in my recollection:

Overall, I wouldn't describe it as a pleasant area. The cheap lighting, the scary door, the cheap tiny piece of gutter above the door, broken steps, and peeling paint. So this year I decided it was time to step up the game on the entire exterior. Last summer I replaced the light on the front of the house:

The lovely gentle that gave me the light for the front, also gave me another for the back! So after one year of having it around the house, I decided to finally install it:

The new stark white door looks so incredible and keeps the house so much cooler. I love it! But it did make the peeling paint look that much more terrible...

Here's a full range view, ignore the lumber and debris, that should be gone soon!

Every year I repaint the front porch, so it totally makes sense that I should repaint the back porch. Finally. After six years. I used the same paint from the front porch to keep costs down and make it look cohesive.

Ah fresh paint how much I love you! Here's another view from the same angle with the light and paint. The new steps also look fantastic! There are still a few things to do, for instance; clean up the rubbish, paint the new step runners, and fix the mulch and rock leading up to the steps. 

 

I feel like it looks a thousand times better! It makes the back of the house much more in line with the rest of the house. Plus it helps increase the resale potential, if I ever get to that point of course. Maybe next year I can build a wood fence along the chain link to create more separation and visual appeasement from the neighbor's yard. Hopefully before the summer is out I can get you a full updated image of the space with accessories and everything! I hope you like it as much as I!

Team Should-Finally-Fix-That

It has been so long since I posted! The end of the year is such a busy crazy time for a teacher, especially a first year! But now it is officially summer (6 weeks of paid vacation!) and I have finally the time and energy to get things done. So I have made a simple list of things that have to get done. Mostly things I've put off for about five years. No rush right?

First things first: I need paint this outdated light fixture and make the light actually work. It has worked since 2009, whoops.

2. I started this project last summer. I think I should probably go ahead and like... I dunno... finish painting the beam...

3. My bedroom needs to have all the trim updated and painted out. It looks so tacky being the outdated 80s faux wood.

4. On that same note... I should probably install the trim I bought for the door in March.

5. Oh and this other randomly not updated light fixture in the master bath. Should do that too.

6. I exploded a bottle of nail polish on my wall... my favorite new color. :( I need to repaint the wall and the trim. 

7. Within the next couple weeks I am going to replace these doors just like I did with the master bedroom, that is going to be fabulous! Fully updated trim and doors! Amazing! Fully updated and no more ugly wood!

8. I am also thinking about replacing this door to make it coordinate with the others in the house, though it is in the best shape of all, so it might be one I can postpone for a bit.

9. New backdoor! That is actually happening this week! Finally. It is going to be great to have a secondary entrance that is fully functional and safe. 

10. Though it is hard to see... I am also getting new gutters this week! Super expensive... but it will be nice to have a fully functional system on the house. Then I can actually repaint the porch and beams without losing all progress from rain the next day. 

Operation Get-er-Done has officially begun! Here's to an excellent summer. :)