Curtains Up! (And other related items)

We finally have curtains in our bedroom! My mom was a pro with our power drill and helped hang these guys:

Closeup of finial. (Curtains are from Ikea, curtain rods from Christmas Tree Shops)

Not sure if I posted this update of our upstairs bath vanity. (Not the best before pic, but you get the idea..it used to be natural wood colored)

These are a closeup of the old handles:

Can we say, GROSS???

Finally found some pillows at Walmart for the fireplace:

The other side of the cushions is not pleated, so I can easily switch up the look of them if I get bored!

I moved the ottomans that used to be there to the guest bedroom to serve as night stands/storage:

The ottomans have the same blue/green color as the curtains in the paisley swirl so they coordinate very nicely!

The house is starting to feel like a home!!!

It's crunch time baby!

So we're having a housewarming party on October 16th so we have just a little over a month to get everything done...no pressure!

Here's some more of the progress we've made over the past few weeks:

We finally have color on the kitchen walls!!!

It's sapphireberry by Benjamin Moore - I just love that name!! It still needs a second coat but I love how it ties in the color in the floor:

This is the actual color swatch..it comes out a bit darker on the walls tho

We replaced the doorknobs on the accordion doors in the basement. Not the best before picture

Closeup of the old doorknob:

New knobs:

Closeup:

Best part? This quick update only cost around $6 and makes the doors look a little more modern

Another cheap update ($3.50) was replacing this gross sink drain:

with a brand-spanking new one:

Instant upgrade!

The guest room is looking better and better every week too:

We had a futon in this room and rather than keep it in the "couch" position I lowered it to make it feel more like a bed than a couch. I grabbed a duvet cover I wasn't using anymore and threw up some curtain rods/curtains from Target...Just need a few more accessories (side table, lamp, small rug) and this room will be totally done!

We've been switching out (no pun intended) some electrical outlets and switches to make them all match w/ the crisp white trim and it looks soo much better!

Check back in a few more weeks!!

So close to the finish line!

We've been working very hard at getting the house in tip top shape!

Here's a little view of some recent projects!!

Guest bedroom with freshly painted walls, trim, moulding, doors and new hardware!! (Hallway has not been painted yet, but the trim is basically done!)

Another view of the guest room (please disregard the litter box in the corner - temporary!) We painted the vents (they used to be gross brown!) and replaced the outlets/switch plates with fresh, clean white ones!

And the before, just to refresh your memory :)

(Looking into the room from the doorway...notice the hideous border paper around the window???)

Oh hello fireplace doors! So nice to see you painted black and back in your home!

I can't believe this is what it used to look like!!!!!

Check back in a few weeks for more updates!!

Guest bedroom

-Wall color: Wind's Breath (Benjamin Moore)

-Trim/Doors: Super White (BM)

Fireplace

-Woodlawn Dewkist (Valspar)

I heart IKEA!

Seriously.. I could spend an entire DAY there!

Here are some gems from a few recent shopping trips:

Lack coffee table/side tables for the family room (downstairs)

Lock ceiling lights (for office/hallway/guest bedroom)

Grono glass lamps (they look a lot cooler in person than in this picture!)

Jattefin planter (you can see it in my recent blog post - it houses our fun little green plant!)

I'm eyeing a few things for my next trip:

Egeby flatwoven rug - for the living room

Alve storage bench - for our foyer/entryway..I'd probably go with black (they also make it in white) because it won't show the dirt! I'm planning on hanging a mirror/hooks above the bench

A work in progress...

I know, I know.. I haven't blogged in over a month..

It's been a whirlwind of a month tho - vacation, new kitties, lots and lots of painting/making our new house our own!

So, onto the pictures!

There's not a whole lot of anything new in this room, except if you notice the baseboards are primed and ready for white semi-gloss paint! The slipper chair is a recent buy from Target and I'm still working on getting a slip-cover for the couch, a rug, and plan on painting the coffee table

The walls are ready for paint! It helps to add some accessories to the fireplace so it starts to feel like a real room!

Hard to tell in this picture, but the bathroom walls are now a glossy white! Trim is also painted and the doors will be painted soon too. (We also painted the medicine cabinet white, but I forgot to take a picture!)

Brandon's office - is now grey!

Baseboards are painted..just need to do the window and the doors!

So here's what the kitchen floor used to look like

And HERE'S what it looks like after some scrubbing/elbow grease!!

That's all for now - current projects/future updates include:

1. Painting all the trim on the main floor - a lot of work, but it's going to look so fresh and so clean clean! (sorry, couldn't resist!)

2. A painted guest room! Walls are painted, trim is painted..just need to reorganize the furniture in the room, accessorize a bit and then take a picture!

3. Tackling the kitchen cabinets!!

New paint colors!

Nothing super drastic tho! A lot of expert painters (AKA friends and family who've done more painting than me, hence they are experts!) have been recommending Benjamin Moore paints so today I went to our local retailer and picked up the following:

For the kitchen:

For the fireplace wall in the living room, which also leads into our dining/kitchen area. We'll also use this color for our guest bedroom

For the rest of the living room/hallway/foyer

My dad and Brandon worked on priming everything today and painting will start tomorrow! Can't wait to see more transformation!

I've been a very bad blogger!

I have been neglecting my blogging duties lately and I apologize! We're still settling into the house, unpacking boxes and adjusting to our new living quarters.

We've also been making plans to add some new additions to our family - kittens!

A recent visit to our local animal shelter brought us face to face with these 2 cuties:

They are 8 week old sisters and lovey-dovey to boot! We're filling out paperwork to adopt them this weekend but won't bring them home for a few weeks because we'll be away on vacation (a much needed vacation!)

I should have more house updates in the next few weeks too!