jump up and down

before and after: curtain call

I promise I had good intentions to blog a little more often this week - remember how I said Peter was starting summer school this week?  I thought I might have a few more quiet moments at home, just Ned and me.  Well, really I've had a lot more moments sitting on the floor with Ned in Peter's classroom reassuring him that he is fine.  The first day was pretty awful, for both of us.  The second day was better.  Hopefully we'll be on our way next week.

Last Saturday, I woke up at about six in the morning and decided I couldn't take the ugliness of the kitchen curtains anymore (see ugliness above in the "Before" shot).  Seriously, these things are paper thin, 85% polyester scratchy fabric and stained with greasy dust because no one had bothered to wash them.  So, I dragged my feet out of bed and started sewing.  I had my new curtains almost finished by the time the boys woke up at 9 am!  It is so unlike them to sleep this late and it was so nice!

I got the great fabric from Randi's shop - not a great picture here, but this is the only window in that room, so it made getting the lighting right sort of impossible for me, the amateur photographer.  The walls in the kitchen are covered with the ugliest contact paper and there was no way I was going to go the trouble of removing that when we're only living here for a year, so I was trying to work with that color (sort of a beige-salmon).  This fabric did the trick!  I am loving those curtain rings too - they are from IKEA and I've used them on all of the curtains in the house.  I love just making a straight panel and hooking it on the rings - so easy!

I think I am in love!

before and after: the entry

 The curtains are finished and the maps are up - yes, I used vintage road maps to cover up what one commenter aptly referred to as "puke on walls."  If the house were mine, I probably would've done something more permanent, but I think this really works for a rental. 

The idea came after I saw a vintage map tablecloth on a wall.  It made me think of the cupboard full of road maps that my grandparents had in a cupboard in the house I grew up in.  My grandparents have driven their car to a lot of places.  My grandpa worked for IBM and was sent to school in New York once.  The whole family drove the car across the nation and spent a few months there. My mother always talks about how much that experience opened the eyes of a born and raised in Utah girl. Unfortunately, I encouraged my Grandma to get rid of most of those maps a couple of years ago when I was helping her purge, so I bought a couple of lots of maps from eBay.

There are a few other walls in the house that have been or will be covered with these maps.  We all enjoy looking at them, especially Ryan.  And Peter brought one of the leftover maps to the table today and said, "Where do you want to go, Mommy?" so we're all getting from these maps what I hoped they would accomplish - a sense of adventure and a feeling of wanting to hit the road.  At some point in my life, I want to take a cross-country road trip, so I'm fueling the desire in those who will hopefully join me on that journey.

I think the entry is going to look even better after I re-do the two pieces of furniture I picked up a couple of weeks ago at the thrift store.  Along with this chair, I've got three other wood chairs with upholstered seats now that will all be painted white and have various homes throughout the house, but I haven't decided how to do the re-upholstering.  And I'm thinking about a nice golden yellow for the side table - it is actually painted in some sort of faux wood finish right now and I'm trying to decide if I need to strip it or not. 

before and after: the play area

I finally have one area of the house ready to show - our little play area.  The living room is short and wide and naturally separated into two spaces by the front door (which you can't see from the road because of all of the pine trees so everyone comes in the back door anyway, but that's another chapter in the book of this quirky house), so we decided to make half of it into a play area for the kids. 

This is the best before picture I have of the area, taken when we looked at the place the second time.

And the afters....

The Entire Area - the rug was a clearance deal from Target.  I almost paid as much to ship it as I paid for the rug, but still a great deal and covering up as much of the nasty carpet as possible is a must! 

The bookshelves - both were pieces we had before.  The white one is actually one from Ryan's childhood and I painted it white.  It was a dark blue, about the same color as the corner chair in the overview pic above.  I considered keeping it the same color, but after we put up our white bookcase in the living room, we liked the white so much that we decided everything that could possibly be turned white should be painted.

My one splurge for the room was a set of Trofast toy storage units from Ikea.  I knew that if I were going to have most of the toys that close to the living room and dining area that I would need them to be easy to put away and then not seen when they are put away.  My favorite drawer is full of a set of vintage wood blocks I found a couple of months ago.

My wonderful Mom came two weeks before we moved and helped make the curtains.  I was lucky enough to have that ribbon in my stash - a roll I bough when our local Hancock's went out of business.  The top is just white muslin and the bottom is Alexander Henry's Traffic Jam.  The chair is another great thrift find, bought for a whopping $2.25.  I had planned to put it in the bathroom to sit on when bathing the boys, but it didn't fit, so I thought it added a little something here.  I will probably make a cushion for it, but there are so many sewing projects right now that it's on the backburner.

The top shelf of the bookcase is a mini-office space - a vintage aluminum pan I picked up a while back and filled with envelopes, staples, tape, and all those things that the boys love to play with but we can never find if we let them.  The two bread pans are for mail and bills. 

And a bit of decor...the top print is from Candace at Sparkle Power and the bottom is from John W. Golden and both were hanging in other areas of our previous place.  The globe is thrifted - does it count as vintage becuase it still has the USSR on it?  We bought it as a family a week or two before we moved.  You'll see as I show you more of the house that there is a bit of a geography/map theme.

I'm quite pleased with it.  I'll probably add a few more things - maybe some pennant banners over the windows and possibly more artwork, but overall I'm liking the looks and it seems to be functioning well for the boys and for me.

 

settling in

Apparently, moving is tiring for the whole family.  Ned fell asleep on our office chair on Saturday afternoon - it doesn't look very comfortable to me, but he seemed happy there.  We're settling into our new place, still swimming in a sea of boxes, but starting to make our way out of the mess.  I did have a couple "What have I done?" moments after we moved in.  The toilets and faucets and lights are all working now and hopefully I won't have anymore.  I also had not realized how dirty the "new" place was or had assumed that it would be cleaned before we moved in, but it wasn't and we have had to do a lot of cleaning and still have quite a bit more to do (anyone know an easy way to clean linoleum that has dirt stuck in all of its little divots?).  I'm hoping that by the end of this week I'll be ready to start on some of my projects and re-open my store.

I never got around to another post before the move because the boys are having a harder time adjusting than I anticipated.  The other times we have moved, they were both very young and it didn't really seem to phase them.  Their anxiety started about a week before we actually moved as they saw everything going into boxes and has just started to ease up.  Ned especially has reacted by clinging to his blankie that he had finally given up except for bedtime, asking for his binky (which he has been denied), and needing lots of extra patience.  I'm glad Peter has a few months to adjust to being here before he has to go to a new school too. 

Here are the things we are loving about the new place:
    -waking up to chirping birds and hearing them all day long.  I don't think I ever mentioned that our last place was right next to the freeway - no birds there!  I'll never live next to the freeway again.
    -the yard. The boys are constantly asking to go outside and loving every minute of it out there.  Even Ryan was surprised by how much he enjoyed mowing the lawn with our new electric mower.  We keep saying, "You get the smell of grass, without the gas!"  I have planted our vegetables that we started a little while back and I hope to get a few more this week.
    -our new ward at church.  Everyone has been super friendly, warm, and helpful. 
    -watching the price of gas go up and not having a heart attack.  Ryan just had to pump up the tires on his bike (that he hadn't rode for 2.5 years) and it was ready to go for the 1 mile ride to work.  Hooray for that!

inspiration board: vintage couch

I successfully cleaned the couch and it's sitting in the garage now, waiting for its new home.  I just open the garage door and it's my favorite place to sit while I watch the boys ride bikes in front of our row of garages.  We are the only ones in our building who actually park in the garage (or we did until the couch took residence there), so it's a fairly good spot for the boys to turn circles. 

I decided to drape some of the fabrics  over the couch that I'm thinking about using for other projects - my new inspiration board, I guess.  I'm super excited about keeping my favorite pillow from that last set that I made.  I think I'll move the other two to my bed, but the big red vintage print has to stay out in the living room and I think I'll make it work.

I've got so many plans here...just need to get school (only a week left) and the move over so I can get to them!!  My mom is coming next weekend for Ned's birthday and to help do some sewing. The Kaufman pears print is going to be the bottom panel of the curtains, with the white on top.  I thrifted the white fabric (which is actually a subtle white on white stripe) for less than $1 a yard.

Actually, the great thing is that most of these fabrics are thrifted - things that I already had, or things that I've found since we decided to move - really, everything is from the thrift store except for the Amy Butler there and the Kaufman pears.  The light teal is a wool fabric that I will use for some pillows or maybe some sort of rug.  The houndstooth in the back right there is also a wool that I picked up over a year ago and just happens to be the exact same colors as the couch.

I'm thinking about adding a splash of yellow to the mix too, what do you think?

flower power

If you are wondering how I used those crochet flowers I made last week, here it is - my flower garland that I made for spring/Easter!  I have done at least one of those projects I wanted to for Easter.  It might be the only one - I always forget how close Easter can be to Peter's birthday, and since they are just five days apart this year, we'll be doing some partying this week and not too much more crafting before Easter. Now I'm just hoping that this garland's flower power can actually get a little bit of spring here!  I am itching to wear skirts and go outside without a coat on.

These are fairly simple to make - I wanted to do a tutorial, and probably will at some point, but it's just not going to happen for a little while with the moving to-do list and birthday partying that I have now.  I think they would make a great pin on a purse, jacket, shirt, etc. too.  I might have to make a few more for my spring and summer wardrobe.

I am heartened that you all feel that my to-be home is not nearly as bad as I had first described.  I forgot to mention that when we first looked at the place, the blinds were not open so the wood look a lot darker and foreboding!  I should also have noted that I do actually like the kitchen, the cabinets at least, and the amount of them.  The countertops are pretty beat up and the linoleum has a couple of rips (will be covering these with rugs), but the cabinets are totally vintage cute.  Did you see this?  (See the whole house here).  If I had the budget to replace all of my furniture and decor, I would totally do it and be incredibly trendy, at least for a year.  Alas, I do not have that sort of a budget, but I do have some good ideas and projects already going.  Thanks so much for all of your suggestions and advice - it has sparked some great inspiration on my part!  It looks like moving day will be May 22...we'll be counting down the days!

the before

I've been trying to get myself to post this all day.  After I went and looked at the place again yesterday I got a little overwhelmed - trying to make decisions about what to do and really just about how much effort and money to spend to do things when we really won't be there for too long. 

I really am grateful that we were able to find this place and that the timing is right for us to make this move.  Ryan's commute has been a major source of stress in our family for the last two and a half years and it really will be nice to be closer to his workplace.  

I do like that there is so much natural light in this room - there are three big windows and one small one.  This is more natural light than we've ever had in any place we've lived.  It will be good for me.

It just seems like a big task right now.   We won't actually move until the end of May when Peter is finished with preschool (yes, you are going to have to wait a long time for after pictures), so I've got quite a bit of time to do some research and make decisions (I might need some help!). 

I have to keep reminding myself that this will be worth it.  We moved and made a big change (I quit my lab research job and became a piano teacher) about a year before we moved out of California and we were so happy that we did it, so I'm trying to remember that when I get overwhelmed.

And the funniest part - when we were all looking out the window as I took measurements, Peter said, "Look, it's like a yard!"  Too funny - I replied, "It is a yard, Peter!"  I think at least one member of our family has a 100% chance of liking this change.

p.s.  I did not take a picture of the sponge paint - I think I may take your advice, paint over it and risk losing the deposit (it's really quite small - nothing compared to the $1000 deposit we made for one of our California apartments).  If I do, there will definitely be a before and after.

our housing dilemma

Yesterday afternoon the boys and I ventured out to the town where Ryan works.  Have I ever mentioned that he works 40 miles away in a very small town (population 1800)?  I'm not sure why the government decided to build their research station there, but they did. 

When we first moved here, we tried to find a place closer to Ryan's work, but not wanting to buy (Ryan's job is temporary - I explain it by saying that it's sort of like a medical residency, just for a person with a doctorate degree - it's meant to last only 2 to 4 years), we just had no luck and ended up in the closest "big" town about 40 miles away.  It has turned out to be a good thing that we are here because of Peter and the services he has needed and being able to put him in a good preschool this past year.  But, next year he will enter kindergarten and I really think that he might be better off in a smaller school where he would get more attention from teachers, aides, and therapists.  I called and talked to the speech therapist in the small town elementary school and it was confirmed - his speech therapy would be on a one-to-one basis for a longer time instead of in a small group setting for a shorter time as it would be in our current town.  I'd also like to be more involved in Peter's classroom and it would be much easier if we were somewhere where Ryan could just pop home for an hour to watch Ned and then go back to work.

We are also nearing the end of Ryan's appointment - we know he has to be finished by November 2010, so we are absolutely in the last year and a half and that might mean more late hours in order to get things done.  Not to mention the fact that he has never quite gotten used to his commute.  He does carpool most days in the winter, but in the summer he often has to drive by himself, and boy did that hurt with last summer's gas prices!

So, we thought it might be a good idea to try again to find a place to rent in the town where he works.  And today we went to see the a potential place.  On the upside, everything was functional and fairly clean, the house was bigger than where we are now, the garage was ginormous, and the rent is significantly less than what we pay now and we would save a lot in gas too.  On the downside, it was so ugly that I'm not sure I can do it, even for only a year and a half.  There was dark wood paneling in the entire (and fairly large) living room and upstairs bedroom (which would be my sewing space), along with a few random pieces of wall paper, horrible light fixtures, pretty ugly carpet and the entryway had been painted with that sponging technique that is oh so 15 years ago.  I tentatively asked about the prospect of painting and was pretty much shot down (the landlady said she had just painted almost the entire house, including that hideous entryway).  Am I being too prideful?  Should I just suck it up and live with it for a little while?  Will you still read my blog even if you see wood paneling in the background of the photos?  I'm pretty sure the owners like the wood paneling - some sort of rustic appeal - bringing the outdoors in sort of thing, so I don't think we'd convince them to do anything to it.  So if we do decide to move there, does anyone have any great ideas on temporary ways to cover up walls or brighten up dark wood paneled rooms? 

I'd love to say that something better might come up, but based on our previous experience, it probably won't.  The places we looked at when we first moved out here were in such disrepair that they really were unlivable.   At least this place has new pipes, new electrical, is wired for cable, and had forced air heat with a fairly new furnace.  We will do some more searching, but that is difficult too.  All of this is by word of mouth - I suppose they figure if you want to live there, you know someone who knows someone who...it's a little frustrating because we don't really know anyone. Oh, what is a girl to do?

wip: finally, the pillows

Sorry for my disappearance last week - studying took over my life.  I'm glad I only have two classes.  It's just right most of the time.  But, when things get crazy busy, I seem to be able to manage two things.  The boys (the three of them) are always number one of those two and so that really only leaves room for one more thing - last week it was studying.  And then we had a lovely weekend - great weather, a little outing to a nearby town where I dropped the boys off at the park (the plan was to drop them at a movie, but Peter and Ned didn't want to go - I'm not sure what that was all about) and I went thrifting, and we all enjoyed a delicious dinner at a great BBQ restaurant. 

And I managed to finish my living room pillows!  A true miracle indeed, since these have been in the works since January.  I'm so glad that I took my time with these though - I'm very happy with how they turned out. 

I was able to use one of my favorite pieces of thrifted fabrics.  I think this was the perfect use for it - something that is large enough to see the fabulous print and something that I will look at and enjoy every day.  There's still a bit left of it - I may have to work it into the wall hanging I need to make.

I love the grey corduroy on the back of these - I found it at JoAnn when I started this project and I think it may have been a big part of why I actually got started on it. I've been thinking about making new pillows for about a year and a half - thinking about sliding my fingers across that soft corduroy was the motivation that I needed to get to it.  And I made sure to make these covers easily removable - I didn't do that with my last set of pillows and regretted it everytime they started looking shabby.  And now I might just have to sit on the couch with my pillows this afternoon and watch the snow fall (yes, it's a downright blizzard out there after such loveliness on Saturday) while I read a book.

spring plans

This little guy needs to be taken to a better place.  I think I bragged about keeping him alive way back here - and that was the beginning of his demise.  But, I think I'm ready - spring is coming, I think, and this guy is on the list.  What list?  Oh yeah, that list of all my spring cleaning chores that I made in church yesterday when I should have been listening attentively.  Now I just have to wait for spring break...next week!  Hooray!  And for once, the geniuses (note sarcasm) that run all this city's going-ons did something fabulous - we all have spring break next week!  One full week of staying home, cleaning, cementing that potty training (yes, it is going well but still needs a week at home where we can just let him run around in his underwear and get comfortable with the whole thing), and of course crafting and sewing (the living room pillows are also on the list).   I also have teacher that did something that I love - both of my tests are on Friday, which means no homework for spring break either...but that does mean that I better hit the books now!