Casa Azul

As my Aunt Taunya so aptly named it, our house is now Casa Azul. 

We knew from day one of buying the house that the paint color needed to be changed. Badly. Peach isn't exactly my favorite color....or anywhere close. Some spots were badly faded, too. We decided on a color called mineral gray. In the samples on the Sherwin Williams app, as well as pictures online, it's definitely grey. However, what we were seeing on our own house was definitely a little more blue than we anticipated. Ok, a LOT more blue. ;)  Good thing we like blue!

Easter Weekend

What an incredibly busy weekend for us! Friday night was the quiet before the storm, so we enjoyed dinner and a movie. As soon as Saturday hit, so did the madness. Carter had an early morning game, which didn't go so well (story of this season, for sure), so we quickly put that behind us with a packed weekend.

 

First thing's first - that giraffe finally had her baby! I've been watching this unfold since the beginning of February, so it's about damn time, April! The baby came out at 5'9" and 129 lbs. He looks like a toy! I just want to be locked in that stall so I can play with him all day. And since I can't have one of my own.......

 

We also got a lot done around the house, in preparation for some much bigger projects.  We got some patio globe lights and got those installed to the underside of our canopy. I'm not sure if this will be the final home for these lights, as the fire pit project is quickly approaching and the lights might be relocated to that area of the yard. Or maybe we can do both - no final decision has been made.

 

 

We also did more painting - because why not, right? The paint to the inside and outside of the house has definitely been the biggest project because it needs the most updating. Though we are 70% done with the inside, the entire exterior needs done. It just never ends with home-ownership, does it? ;)  This specific project was an accent wall in the entry way. There is a bathroom (which also needs updating) that shares the wall, which will be part of a larger project. It has a pocket door which has been a total thorn in my side since the day we moved in. I HATE that pocket door. It will be yanked and a sliding barn door will be added as a replacement. The flooring throughout the entryway and the entire dining room will also be yanked out and some light colored travertine will be the replacement. I can't stand that dark flooring, so I'm really looking forward to pulling that out and getting something lighter in those large spaces.

 

 

 

 

 

 

We also spent some time over at Settlers Park relaxing in the sun while the kids played. This bipolar Idaho weather is really messing with me - I need a steady 83 degrees, please! No more wind, no more rain.

 

 

 

We also tackled a quick project that I've been meaning to do for about four years now. ;)  I made these little garden stones for what seems like everyone BUT me. So I put the kids' hands into the muck and made our own stones for the backyard flower beds. A few years too late, but hey, now I have their little handprints for myself.

 

 

 

 

 

 

And Easter, of course. We didn't color any eggs this year because it really seems like such a waste. I never turn around and use the eggs, so we just stuck with the plastic, candy-filled ones the Easter Bunny brought.

 

And while we didn't see the Easter Bunny himself, I think he sent a little helper. :)  Our neighborhood is flooded with ducks right now, constantly in the front and back yards.

Christmas Pinterest Project - Stocking Holder

Since I'm off work for several weeks due to surgery, I have lots of projects I want to get done. The family room in my house is a work in progress, and we are coming along nicely. We should be painting soon!  I also found a really cute stocking holder on Pinterest that I really wanted to make. I got all the supplies at Lowe's, my dad cut down the wood, and then I hauled everything over to Dana and Veronica's house so we could get to work making this thing come to life. It was really fun and I love how it turned out!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Projects

In between my normal job, raising little humans, house projects, and preparing for surgery next week, I'm also cramming in Christmas projects. Because why not? Fortunately, I enjoy Christmas and projects, so it's relatively low on the stress-o-meter. ;) 

 

I noticed last year that my ornament wreath was starting to show some wear and tear from years of in and out of storage, etc. It was painful, but when Christmas came down last year, I tossed that wreath. I immediately went out and bought a foam core, knowing that the project would surface this time of year and it's next to impossible to find a store that isn't sold out of them. As I was putting up the indoor Christmas décor this last weekend, I came upon that foam core and got so excited to do another ornament wreath. I got all new ornaments, and surprisingly didn't stray from the color scheme of the last one, and put together the wreath last night while watching Monday Night Football. There are still a few little places that bother my symmetrical-needing eye, but overall, I'm pleased!

Kids' Bathroom Makeover

With this project now finished, the entire upstairs is totally done (minus the carpet and trim, which are coming soon). I think this bathroom was the quickest and easiest project on the house to date. Eventually, I will get to the flooring, tile, sink, but had to work within my budget for the time being. I'm really pleased with how it turned out, and I'm obviously thrilled to have that ugly powder blue pain gone.

 

 

 

Next up is the family room, which is already in progress. Whew!

The Headboard Project

Another Pinterest project was completed this weekend. This was also one I had picked out a long time ago, and it took quite some time to bring it all together. First I had to find the 5-panel door I wanted, which was a project all in itself. I ended up finding it at the Habitat For Humanity Re-Store. It was definitely more than I had anticipated paying, so I asked the guy at the store why it was so much more than 90% of the doors in the store. First of all, it was from the 1950s, he explained, and a whole different building generation. Second, "craft women like you pay for it."  Fair enough, and thanks for the honesty! Sheesh! Once I had the door home, I set to work on sanding it down. I knew it was going to have one of the same colors of milk paint that was on the plank wall, so that part was easy.

 

 

Then the project came to a dead stop because I was stumped by the crown molding aspect. The tutorial wasn't super clear on adding the molding, and construction isn't exactly my thing. I picked the brains of a few people, and ended up at Lowe's with my parents to pick out a nice, decorative piece. Once I got that painted, I glued it to the top of the door and clamped it overnight to secure the adhesion process. Yesterday was the install day. Instead of doing some 2x4's to brace the bottom, we mounted the door straight into the studs in the wall. Another project that turned out just how I envisioned - yes!

 

Christmas Project #2 - FINISHED

I've told a few people about this project, but here's a full description of what I did:

Last weekend, I attended several Holiday Bazaars with Eric's family.  We had a great time hopping around to various places, finding treasures.  One item I stumbled upon was an old window.  Judging by the wood and the paint and the glass used for the windows, I would say this is from a very old house.  I decided that I wanted this window for my house - for decoration.  It's old.  It's rustic.  I figured I could find the perfect place in my house for it.  So I bought it.....and then Eric's grandma got mad at me because she had planned on sneaking the purchase when I wasn't looking (she knew I had my eye on it) for a Christmas present.  So we tore up my check and she wrote a new one, and the window was still mine.  ;) 

So I brought the window home and decided it needed to go up above the fireplace.  Perfect location.  So We hung it up and instantly decided it did NOT go there.  Or, at least painted as it was.  It was a light cream color, as are my walls in the living room.  It totally blended right in and I wanted it to POP.  So it came back down and we happened to have some paint out in the garage.  So the project began.

Here is the original window (which, by this point, I had determined it was actually half of a door....but I needed it to be a window, so it's a window) with the paint it had on it when I made the purchase.

 Took it out to the garage where I sanded it down.

 The paint we had in the garage was brown, so I decided to just go with that instead of spending money on a new can.  Plus, brown would go well with the cream colored walls and carpet.

 I'm not a big painter, so I don't know the rules on painting this way or that, or how many layers, or how thick of layers to do.  So I just slapped some on and called it good.  It was going to have a rustic look anyway, so perfect painting was far from my mind.  In fact, the more imperfections, the better!

Once the entire thing was painted, I had to let it dry.  Once it was dry, it was time to distress it all over again.  So I took the sandpaper off of the sander and started sanding away, by hand, adding emphasis in some areas.

 Here is the finished product - please excuse the reflection of the Christmas tree!

 I put it back above the fireplace, though it's sort of outdone right now by all of the Christmas decorations that are up. 

 Some detail shots.

Overall, I love it.  I think once all the Christmas stuff is taken down, I will try to find some other items that can go up there with it, to give it sort of a mood or theme.