Powder Room? I Didn't Know We Were Renovating the Powder Room...

Our life has been a whirlwind of activity for the past 2 weeks.  I feel like we live in the home improvement stores.  Because of the water leak in the powder room sink, we have to renovate the powder room as we renovate the kitchen and dining rooms.

The only bad thing is that items must be on site by certain dates.  That means I can't do the comparison shopping that I would normally do to find the right product to suit the room.  I'm very limited to what can be delivered on time, and usually that means I have to buy something directly from a local store unless I want to pay for upgraded shipping.  I just spent $30 for upgraded shipping on the faucet, towel bar, and paper holder.  Here's what we selected:



Photo from faucetdirect.com

 This is the Danze Antique Copper Widespread Faucet from the their Opulence collection.  I really love the warm look of copper.  I wanted to get a hammered copper sink for the kitchen, but they were $3-5,000.  I wasn't going to spend that much money on a sink when we get one for free with the granite purchase.  The bathroom was a way to bring the pretty copper tone into our home without spending a fortune.  The vintage design of this faucet really appeals to us, and it is low lead compliant too.  We tried to buy a faucet that we liked better, but they would not ship the lead compliant model because we don't live in Vermont or California.  Apparently you must live there if you want safer products.  Ridiculous.

We purchased the coordinating Danze Opulence Collection Towel Bar:


Photo from faucetdirect.com

 And Danze toilet paper holder:


Photo from faucetdirect.com

 And for the vanity, we will likely purchase Celeste Vanity by the American Classics Collection from Home Depot:

Photo from homedepot.com

Jeff picked this one out.  He likes that it has a stone countertop and that it is made of poplar wood. 

We're going to get the coordinating American Classics Celeste Mirror:

Photo from homedepot.com

For the wall color we may choose a pale rusty/burnt orange color.  We already have some wall art that would look great with that color scheme.

I'm excited to see the progress at the house.  The triple window over the kitchen sink has been installed, and I can't wait to see it!  That is the one thing that we really wanted to bring more light into the kitchen. 

Is it Fall Yet?

I'm a bit ahead of myself, but I can't wait for Fall.  I couldn't resist picking up a few seasonal decorations to celebrate a little.  I love this wooden pumpkin, and like the message carved into it.  Gratitude is so important.

Who doesn't love a pair of snuggling birds?

Santa Croce Angel of Contemplation

She's finally here:  our angel.  We bought this art piece to fit in the nook adjacent to the front door.  I wanted to be sure that we have her as a memorial to beloved family members who have departed, and also to protect those who enter and exit our home.  Here Jeff is holding her up.  Excuse the dingy wall color.  We haven't painted yet, but we are currently deciding on colors.

DIY Flower Pots

I needed to transplant my 4 African Violets that I've managed to keep alive and thriving for 2 years now, but I've had the hardest time finding simple white ceramic planters that would fit our decor.

I started out with 2 violets that my friend Sandra gave me when her life got too hectic to take care of them.  One had two babies so then I had 4--and with 3 living in one pot I had to find planters fast.  I finally found these at Shoprite after searching all the garden centers and even online:

Before

I liked that the drainage plate was built in, so I thought they were perfect.  I wanted to give them a little pizazz, however, so I went to Michael's craft store to pick up some little crystals so that I could put a meaningful word on each pot.  I decided on "Live," "Laugh," "Love," and "Dream."  Not very original I know, but they are simple--and they are words to live by that mean a lot to me.  I really like how they turned out:

With Mom's help I transplanted them.  I needed her expertise because the 3 plants potted together had severe root entanglement which I have no experience with.  The violets look happy now:

Discoveries at the House

When I finally went to bed at 6 a.m. Jeff was still half asleep.  I started talking to him as I often do about the million things that race around in my brain that keep me from sleeping like a normal person.  Must be terrible to be married to me!  My head was full of ideas about the house and everything around it.  My attentions had turned toward the landscaping as everyone I know is giving us plants and trees and wanting to know when we can plant them.  Uh... we haven't even figured out the inside of this place yet.  We are grateful for the gestures, however.  Anyway I was thinking about my favorite trees and flowers and got stuck on the intoxicating scent and beauty of peony flowers.  They're my favorite!  I excitedly asked Jeff still in half-slumber, "Can we get some peonies?  Please, please peonies!?"  He was less than enthusiastic and muttered "I sleep."

We had to meet with our electrician today and what did I discover when we went over to the house this afternoon?  PEONIES! 

And lots of them!  I was so happy to see them--yet unbloomed and petals tightly wound in a ball so sweet even the little ants can't resist.  We also have a purple azalea that is in bloom.

Emerson wrote, "The Earth laughs in flowers."  I think he was right:-)

So onto less pleasant things... the living room looks like a warehouse for boxes.  Well, it kind of is actually.  The cabinetry is taking up the space right now.

I'm glad it's here so I can catch a glimpse of something brand new amidst all of this chaos and dust.



Here's one of the cabinet doors that will be on the base lazy susan cabinet.  I wonder who Susan was and why she was so lazy.  I'm glad she was!  Now I will have an easier time storing things.



This is some of the filler detail work.  I think it's so pretty!

I was happy to discover that there are a lot of ornate hinges original to the house.  I hope that we can get the paint off of them and keep them.  You just don't see charming details like this anymore.

FREAKING out!

Today we got bad news.  The window guy we signed our contract with neglected to tell us that we have to add more money onto the price for any windows that test positive for lead--to the tune of $120 per window.  That's a big price adjustment!  We have about 21 windows which are original and sure to contain at least some lead in the framing, which translates into really bad news for our budget:-(  We may have to postpone other projects because of this--and there are so many left to do.  I'm angry.  How could they overlook something so important?

More bad news (that actually should be good news, but it isn't) is that our cabinetry order is ready to come in.  We ordered 21 days ago and were told that the order would arrive in 6-8 weeks, so we built our timeline of To-Dos around this date.  We worked really hard to schedule work/estimates with different companies and planned our schedules ourselves to do some work to be ready at that time.  And Jeff is probably going to have to ask for additional time off from work soon, and it's always better to schedule that sort of thing in advance and not at the last minute.  We're really in a bind.

Now I feel like everything has to be flashed forward and that we need to rush.  I really, really hate rushing.  I'm glad we could potentially move in earlier and avoid paying rent AND a mortgage/utilities, but I'm really freaking out about how in the world we are going to get everything finished.  We haven't even sent the flooring order in yet!  I'm less than happy about these glitches in our plan. 


Trying to keep my chin up and not lose heart.  It's difficult though since it is a holiday weekend coming up, and I suppose we won;t be celebrating so we can go to the house and get some work done.  I probably have to cancel some orders for household things we need to get as well.  I thought they were in our budget, and because of someone else's mistake they apparently are not :-(
:-( :-( :-(  I want to cry. 

Art

Just got a great deal on 4 poppy oil paintings art for the dining room.  I have a hard time finding things that I like enough to keep on the wall, and these are gorgeous!  These particular paintings have a lighthearted and casual elegance which is the feeling I want to create in the dining room because that is where family and friends will gather.  These canvases have that rustic aged feel that we like and poppies are such happy little flowers that have always been a favorite of mine.  And to me a house is not a home until there is art on the walls.

These paintings also coordinate with the poppy painting I've had in the kitchen for years.  I bought 2 sets so I can create a large grouping of 4 to ground the bar area I'm going to create in that room.  So, I got $400 worth of art for $180.  Not too shabby:-)  So far everything we bought for the house has been a floor model, closeout, or extreme sale price.  That makes us happy and leaves more savings to use on the actual renovations.  Now, if I could just find the furniture for that room.  Can't seem to find a white table that seats 10-12.

Bought a Window Seat

We bought the large storage ottoman that is part of this sectional at Bassett Furniture:
http://www.bassettfurniture.com/store/productDetailForm.asp?imgid=21437&Seq=1&utm_content=cpfeff1%40yahoo.com&utm_source=VerticalResponse&utm_medium=Email&utm_term=&utm_campaign=Save%20up%20to%2035%25%2A%20on%20our%20bestselling%20collections%2E

We're going to use it underneath of a window and create a little reading nook.  We bought a floor model and paid 50% of the price.  Gotta love that!  I'm starting to see our home, if only in my head.  It will be a reality soon.  If only things would get moving so we can move!

Review: La-Z-Boy Furniture Bel Air, MD

I wish I could say that it was a pleasure to shop at La-Z-Boy.  I was quite disappointed with the service even though I was impressed with the craftsmanship of the pieces I looked at.  I don't like junk!

Upon finding pieces of interest it was hard to find someone willing to help us since the people working there seemed disinterested in helping.  Instead they sat down at a desk and we ended up having to ask them to assist us.  The person who finally did assist spent a lot of time coughing/hacking in our direction.  After finding the chair I wanted we asked if there was a further discount since it was a floor model.  The salesperson told us that it would be reduced in price in a few weeks for the Martin Luther King weekend sale. 

We returned when they suggested, but what they told us was not true--there was no discount.  We waited for nothing.  And here is what really bothered me:  they don't wrap your piece to keep it clean during transport.  And once you pay their inflated price here's the clincher--they offer no assistance for people to load heavy items into their vehicles.  Even Target does that!  I think we overspent even for a floor model, but to save my back I have few options out there for furniture.  I kinda have to bite the bullet and pay more for things that work for me.  Most of their items seem to be grossly overpriced even for quality items you seldom find anywhere else.

I'm not very happy with the service there, but in the end I purchased a beautifully made chair which is really hard to find these days.  And honestly I was less concerned about the price and more concerned about getting a quality piece that has the essential support I need for my bad back.   For something used daily, it's so important to buy something that I truly love that is very comfortable, and something that will last.  That's better than a cheap chair that will further destroy my back. 

Now I just have to figure out how to find coordinating pieces, but I'll be doing that elsewhere.

Bought a piece of furniture

We bought our first piece of furniture!  On a whim we decided to check out La-Z-Boy, and we weren't expecting to see anything since we weren't looking for a recliner.  I thought that was all they sold.  I found the perfect chair; if I could design a chair for my own customized comfort it is this chair:
http://www.la-z-boy.com/Product/29-544/Hampden-Small-Chair/

It swivels and rocks and has the perfect back support for me.  Having a herniated disc forces me to shop for function over form, but this chair is cute enough and looks better in person.  The only color they had on the floor was robin's egg blue, so I will probably decorate my living room with blue accents and paint the walls a whisper light yellow.  I think that will be cheerful! 

We have another appointment with the kitchen designer next week as well as a structural engineer since we plan to remove a wall.  I hope we can do it--I really want the kitchen to be open to the dining room.  It will give an airy feel to the floor plan and look amazing.

We Got a Housewarming Gift...

And we're not even home owners yet:-)  What a sweet present!  It was an unexpected surprise--a very pretty set of vintage cut crystal candlesticks with prism drops.  They're gorgeous and I can't wait to use them.  We enjoy using candles often, and these will be great on a mantle (hopefully we will have a mantle!).