The Big Reveal:As Promised!

It has been ten weeks since the day we moved into Miss Shania. Six of those weeks were spent actively unpacking, painting, and transforming her into the home we live in now (as actively as you can work with a husband in the Navy and a baby at home). I knew the before and after shots would be dramatic. But I had no idea just how much we have transformed this 1967 ranch house until I put these pictures together for you. I think it's just like anything else; it's hard to appreciate the progress you've made when you're focused only on results. As our first round of rehab has just about come to a close, I couldn't happier!

Today I'm going to share our den/ dining room combo and our kitchen and breakfast nook with you. We wanted to finish these spaces first, since they're where we spend the majority of our time. The other rooms are unpacked and livable, but still need some attention and organization.

I figured we should start with some true before pictures. These were taken the day we put an offer on the house.  

Dining and Den Before

Do you remember all of that fabulous, dark, wood paneling and trim? I'm totally joking about the fabulous part...

It was definitely a labor of love to makeover this little beauty. Looking back, I can hardly believe my eyes. I'm really glad we believed in Miss Shania, despite how dark and dreary she used to be.

Now, finally, feast your eyes on the progress we've made.

Dining and Den Progress

As you can see, we painted the paneling a neutral gray and painted the trim white. The day we put the primer up, I may or may not have shouted, "And then there was light!" But honestly, painting the paneling and being able to enjoy the natural light that floods in has made Miss Shania feel much less like a dungeon and more like a happy home.

We went back and forth for weeks about whether or not we wanted to remove the bookcases that were serving as a room divider between the dining room and den. I breathed a huge sigh of relief the minute they came down and I have to say, I don't miss them one bit. I'm positive that taking them down gave us an extra 200 square feet in this space, visually at least. This layout makes it so much easier to mingle when we have guests over, and most importantly, we can keep a better eye on our mobile 11 month old.

Okay, enough about the painted paneling and the bookcases. How about that table?!

In a few days, I'll share all of the details about how my husband and I built this little beauty from scratch. That's right, we built it! Okay, well Andrew did most of the work. But I did help him lay out and glue the design, sand, and stain it. This bad boy measures 43"x 98"! There are about 250 pieces of cedar that make up the tabletop while the legs are made of raw steel (which we ordered from here). 

With such a beautiful finished product, we really had a hard time deciding on chairs. Since the table is over eight feet long, we wanted ten chairs. I know ten chairs seems like a lot, but we regularly feed that many friends, or more. We immediately decided against wood chairs. Ten upholstered chairs weren't in the budget and also didn't seem very practical. It was quite the dilemma...

That is until we stumbled upon these chairs from World Market, that just so happened to be the exact same color steel as our table legs. We were sold. Once we brought them home and realized the height of the chairs wouldn't take any attention away from the intricate design of the tabletop, we knew we made the right decision. I just love 'em!

I may or may not find myself staring and drooling and forgetting what I was doing every time I see the table...

Our couch and chair are from the Hovas line at Ikea. The chair is a new addition, but we've had the couch for about a year. I'm sure you think it's crazy to have white furniture with two dogs and a baby, but I actually love it. The slipcovers are super easy to wash, and since they're white, I can use bleach. Which unfortunately is a must sometimes...

Yes, the frames are still empty. I'm getting there! Unless you think empty frames are artsy and creative, then... I like your style! haha...

The buffet and side table are antiques that have been in my family for a long, long time, but our coffee table is made from an old door. It's the first thing my husband built for us after we got married and I love it bunches.

I recently refinished our TV stand. It's another piece that has quite a bit of history in my family. For as long as I could remember, it held toys and puzzles on my Grandma Betty's front porch. Now it holds Everett's toys and I think that's pretty special!

I know Patrick Swayze was against putting Baby in the corner, but we keep baby Everett's stuff in this back corner of the den. He's an expert at pulling toys of our old crock and books off the shelves.

This buffet, that also used to be my Grandma Betty's, keeps us organized and serves as our landing strip by the carport door. Keys, sunglasses, and loose change all find a home right on top. I'm pretty much obsessed with our new elephant piggy bank. We like elephants... a bunch!

Okay, so this shot of the buffet concludes the dining room and den before and after shots. What do you think? I'm more than pleased, I hope you are too!



Kitchen Before

It wasn't an awful kitchen to begin with. We obviously needed a refrigerator, but other than that, this space was pretty much a blank slate. The cabinets were new. The oven and dishwasher were new. The tile floor was new. It wasn't exactly our cup of tea, but everything in here was brand new. On a tight budget, we made quite a few adjustments and really personalized the space.

Kitchen Progress

I wrestled with the idea of painting the cabinets from the day we bought the house. Eventually, I snapped back into reality and realized that this isn't our dream home, its our first home. There's nothing wrong with these cabinets and I'm glad I didn't entertain the idea of ruining them with a bad paint job. I honestly think I was so turned off by the dark wood color because the rest of the house was covered in wood paneling. Now that the wood paneling is gone, the kitchen's actually kind of nice! Adding some new hardware and painting the walls Sherwin Williams' "tame teal," also made the world of difference. We bought a top of the line refrigerator, and eventually we will upgrade the other appliances. But for now, money's tight and they work just fine.

New counters and a back splash are next on the agenda. We decided we can live with the cabinets, but after ten weeks, we really still hate the counters.  We just had the guy come draw up the template for the new counters, so any day now we'll be rid of the orange and pink marbled yuckiness. I'll be sure to keep you updated!

Oh, and bye bye florescent lighting from the 60's and hello bright and clean track lighting. This minor adjustment has seriously been rocking our worlds. The crown molding in here is also new! Another fantastic job well done by Andrew.

We took the cabinets down from above the pass through. This is a little embarrassing to admit, but I couldn't even reach them. Andrew hung them in our laundry room for more food storage instead and I don't miss them one bit. It's definitely more open now. We actually bought this buffet from goodwill a couple years ago for $40! It's almost a perfect match to our cabinets and fits the space like it was made for it. And lets be honest, I desperately need the extra storage!

I think I may have saved the best for last. I L.O.V.E. my new breakfast nook. We originally thought we'd have room for more cabinets AND a table. Turns out, we definitely underestimated the space. But that's okay, because we got creative and came up with something even better: open shelving! Yep, Andrew built that too. Isn't he the best?

Before the shelves, fitting our serve ware and bake ware into our cabinets was a joke. But now we have the extra storage to not only house our huge bowls and platters, but display them! Of course, we have to dust over there and wash off each piece before we use it and all of those shenanigans... totally worth it though! Just like with the dining room table, I find myself staring in here too. Sigh...

The table and chairs are the ones I grew up using. My parents got the set when they were newlyweds, then my sister and her family used them, now we have them! Honestly, I don't think I'll change a thing. I had planned to paint the table and chairs white, but I think I might be too sentimental. I want Everett to eat at the same table I did as a little girl: scuffs, scratches, glitter pen stains and all.

So that's it! That concludes the tour! I think our home will always be a work in progress, but the transformation that's occurred since we just moved in a couple months ago is pretty astonishing, at least to me! I hope you love it as much as we do and that the tour was worth the wait.  I'll be sure to keep you updated as we change things around. Thanks for sticking with me! Oh, and more details about the table soon!

The Reason We're Not a Very Welcoming Bunch

As the newest print in our home suggests, we are so happy to be back in our home sweet sunshine state! In the two months since I have posted last, we have busy little bees: a cross country move, traveling, visiting with family, and tackling our first round of many makeover sessions for Miss Shania. In the next few days, I'll give you a virtual tour of the progress we've made on our home, so stick with me, I promise I'll finally get to it! All I can say is that we are loving being home owners and loving being in Jacksonville even more.

Since I'm not quite ready to take you on the tour yet, I thought I'd introduce you to the newest addition to our family and a related craft project!

First things first: We rescued another dog! His name is Rigby, and he's a chihuahua/ terrier mix. He's a year and a half old and weighs in at only 13 pounds. After a short two weeks, he's already part of the family and loves his new home. Rigby gets along great with Lucy, our four year old Australian cattle dog (Rigby and Lucy. Yep, we like The Beatles. Who doesn't?). He adores and protects Everett. He's quite the mama's boy. He's house trained, potty trained, and well behaved. And I'm happy on all accounts!

Here's a picture of Lucy and Rigby snuggling. They love to find sunny spots on the carpet together. I swear, this isn't posed. They're already best friends!

I have to say though, our home was already very well balanced before bringing home another dog, and I'd be lying if we said we weren't skeptical. Lucky for us, he's fantastic. I can't tell you how relieved we are that he's doing so well! Although, since he is already very protective of us and his new home, he is having some issues with the heavy foot traffic in our neighborhood. He's getting better, but his occasional discontempt for dog walkers and school children is nothing compared to how he feels, and sounds, when someone comes to the door. When Lucy joins in, it's definitely a nap and bed time ruiner for poor Everett (and poor mama). The other night when the UPS man rang the doorbell after bed time AGAIN, I thought maybe I could get crafty and help our new little fella out.  

Here's where the new puppy related craft comes in! I decided that with all this barking, I wanted a message for our door. I wanted it to be cute and clever, but most importantly I wanted it to ward of unwelcome guests while Everett is sleeping. I also wanted it to be a subtle hint for the UPS and FedEx guys with their incredibly persistent knocking. So I came up with this: "Please don't knock or ring the doorbell. The dogs will bark and mama will bite." What do you think? Did I find a happy medium between: "beware of dog," and, "this house is protected by the good Lord and a gun?" I realize this officially makes us the least neighborly folks on the block, but heck, I don't care... I just hope it works!

I figure the least I can do, especially after leaving you guys in the dark for over two months, is offer to share! So if you like my little message, download it, use it, share it with a friend. I'm by no means a graphic designer, but I'm sure I'm not the only one in an, "If those dogs wake the baby one more time, I'll scream," boat!

Just right click, save, and print away. Of course, just don't pass it off as your own and we're alllllll goooood. =)

***UPDATE***
So I feel like the worlds biggest dummy. Not everyone in my boat has multiple dogs. Here's a new printable to correct that for all of you one-dog people! Enjoy!

If you have a cat that barks and wakes up your baby, I think you may have bigger problems, my friend...

Thanks for sticking with me. I'm so glad to be back and we really do have so much to catch up on! Stay tuned and I'll have all kinds of home updates, how to redecorate on the cheap, and even some carpentry projects. Get excited!

"Home is Where the Navy Sends Us"

There's a saying I've grown to love "Home is where the Navy sends us." This week, that saying definitely rings true for us.

In just a few days we will leave the home we made here in Corpus Christi: where Everett first slept through the night, where he learned to hold that big ol' head by himself, where he learned to roll, speak, laugh, and love. I will be saying goodbye (for now) to the incredible women I have met here, fellow P-3 wives who will forever be a huge part of my heart. This week, Andrew and I will leave our little place on the Gulf of Mexico for the home we will make on the Atlantic coast. I know it will be a happy home filled with love, laughter, and lots of elbow grease. It will be the place where Everett learns to crawl and walk, where he will play in the yard with Lucy, chase lizards, learn to ride his bike, and grow from momma's sweet baby into an independent boy.

As full of hope as I am for the future, I just can't help but get overwhelmed with emotion as we are about to make our way to Jacksonville. It hit me this morning as I was wading through the mountains of boxes and the piles of clothing to be donated, just why we're putting ourselves through this again. After all, we did just move here six months ago. But we aren't relocating six months later out of choice: we are going through this all over again because of my husband's service to our country. And for that, I'm proud to have to bob and weave through the disaster that is our living room.

My heart is full of pride when I think of the sacrifices my husband has made, and will continue to make. I'm proud of the thousands of hours he has prepared to become a pilot and the missions he will be assigned in years to come. I'm so happy that he will soon be able to apply his training to defend our freedom. It's because of the oath he has taken and the dedication he has to our country that I'm committed to stand behind him, to uproot our life once more, and to follow the orders he has been given.

It's not always easy to see the big picture. The Navy is not always kind to us. It's easy to feel robbed of the small pleasures of civilian life and to want the luxuries we are not allowed. There have been many lonely days and nights. There have been plenty of instances where leave has been denied and I've had to travel cross country alone with a newborn baby.  He's already had to miss out on too many weddings and funerals. One day he may even have to miss out on pregnancies and births. There will continue to be special occasions and milestones that pass, things Everett will wish he had a daddy for and times I will need my husband. It's easy to hate the Navy and hate this life when you're left alone for life's big moments. But out of love, I am choosing to also be dedicated to the Navy and to share in his sacrifices willingly. Everett and I, we do not wear a uniform. We do not carry rank. But each time Andrew has to stand watch, each time he each time he deploys, Everett and I share in his sacrifice.We will do it proudly and out of love for Andrew instead of begrudgingly out of hate for the Navy.

As we are about to leave the last place we will ever live where Andrew is not deployable, I'm humbled and hopeful. I feel blessed that this is the life the Lord has chosen for us. Even though I hate packing tape as much as the next girl, I have a happy heart knowing that each obstacle we face will bring us closer to each other as a family. So with this I am saying goodbye to Corpus Christi and hello to the adventure waiting for us in Jacksonville.

Please be patient with me as we load up that truck, drive 18 hours, and sort through the chaos. I have lots of ideas to share and I promise regular posts are in the near future for Winkler Avenue! As soon as I can find the keyboard again...

Merry Christmas

I'm enjoying celebrating the birth of our Savior with my sweet family today. It's beautiful to see the difference one year makes. Last year I was still experiencing morning sickness, pregnant with Everett. Now he's a happy and healthy (almost 8 month old) boy. It was such a joy to celebrate his first Christmas.We are truly blessed! I hope you and your family had a very Merry Christmas and that you continue to enjoy the holiday season!

Oh Christmas Tree Oh Christmas Tree

Since we knew our stay here in Texas would be temporary, we decided not to unpack a lot of the things we would not use. Partly to save ourselves the trouble since we'd be moving again in five months and partly because we are staying in a very small apartment and we just don't have the space here for all of our things. So unfortunately, our traditional Christmas decorations were inaccessible this year. But that only gave us the opportunity to get creative and do something a little different.

I have had Anna Maria Horner's tutorial on how to make a colorful felt garland bookmarked for years, literally years.  We usually do a red tree with all of our memory ornaments, but this year was my chance to get colorful and once again I felt inspired by that felt garland.

 

Only, I didn't have any felt, so I crocheted my own version instead. During our recent trip to FL, we were in the car for five full days, and it took just about that long to crochet 40 feet worth of garland. After seeing it on the tree though, I'd say it was well worth it. I honestly think I'll have a hard time going back to my traditional red tree after embracing bright colors this year. I just love it!

Since our tree skirt was also packed away, I whipped one up a small white one (shown above under our tree) using Teal and Lime's great tutorial for a ruched look.

Here is the Teal and Lime skirt I used as inspiration. She used a round tablecloth, but I decided just to work with some old white flannel I had lying around. It was a quick and easy little project and I think it turned out pretty cute. Isn't hers gorgeous though?

 

The best part about all of the decorating I did this year was that it was FREE. I had all of the yarn already and I also had the flannel for the skirt too. You can't beat free!

If you're interested in trying to make this garland yourself, it was unbelievably easy, just tedious! 

Here's the quick how to:

Round 1: Using a size 5.00mm (H) hook, make a magic ring then dc 12.  Slip stitch together.

Round 2: Chain 3 then dc in same stitch. 2 dc in the next 5 stitches. (After you have finished half of round 2,  you can slip stitch into the edge of your previous circle to join as you go). Then continue adding 2 dc into the remaining six stitches. Slip stitch and finish off! 

Easy peasy. It's much easier to join as you go, but you can of course join the circles together at the end. Each circle measures aprroximately two inches. It took almost 250 circles to complete 40 ft worth of garland.

Merry Christmas, and enjoy!

Wings of Gold

Very shortly after we started dating in high school, Andrew and I went to a costume party as a pilot and flight attendant for Halloween. I needed a little something special to pull our costumes together, so I went to the Army Navy store in the mall. The man behind the counter knew I was clueless when I asked for some pilot wings. Luckily though, with some patience and wonderful customer service on his part, he led the 17 year old version of myself in the right direction. I had no idea, but I had purchased the exact wings Andrew hoped to wear one day in the distant future after he became a Naval Aviator. I have kept them safe in my jewelry box for six whole years. That is until this week, when my husband's lifelong dream of becoming a pilot for the United States Navy came true. 

 

Six years; four years at the United States Naval Academy and three completed phases of flight school have passed and he has finally earned his right to wear those wings of gold! I could not be any prouder of him.

 

His parents flew into town for the celebration here in at the Naval Air Station in Corpus Christi. It was a day full of wonderful festivities and we were thrilled the day was finally here. There was an informal and a formal ceremony, a tour of the aircraft and simulators, and a wonderful breakfast and after party put on by his class.  

I am so happy to have been on this beautiful journey with you and witness your dreams coming true, sweetheart. There's no one that deserves this honor and celebration more!

Go Navy! Beat Cranberry!

My husband went to the Naval Academy and has yet to see his Midshipmen lose to West Point. We're looking forward to Navy continuing their reign over Army this afternoon. But right now, I'm getting in the spirit by celebrating my newly finished navy wing back chairs. We found a pair of dated wing back chairs on craigslist. Despite the fact that they were certainly not our taste, they were in wonderful shape, the price was down right amazing, and we needed more seating options... Sold! I originally thought I might be brave enough to try my hand at slip covering or reupholstering them. That is, until the glorious day when I stumbled upon a tutorial on how to paint, yes PAINT, upholstered furniture. I'm embarrassed to say that I let those hideous cranberry colored chairs sit in our living room for weeks until I summed up the courage to get my paint on. Now that they are finished, I can't believe I waited so long! 

They are certainly not brand new chairs by any means, but the difference is night and day to us! And for just $40, YES $40, and a few days work, I couldn't be more thrilled with the results. I'm so grateful to Kristy at Hyphen Interiors for the wonderful tutorial. I practically had it memorized before I was brave enough to give it a go. And I can only imagine how much easier it was than reupholstering.

Here is a closer look at just how awful these chairs looked to begin with. Surprisingly though, the cushions were in great shape... they just needed 30 years worth of dust cleaned off of them and a little love. I am still completely smitten with the claw feet. 

After studying the tutorial and reading about the results of other Hyphen Interiors readers, I decided to skip the first step in the tutorial, which is to prime the fabric with a layer of latex paint. It seemed as though the results were the same with or without that step and that the pigment really came from the acrylic. I also wanted the fabric to remain as comfortable and flexible as possible by doing the least amount of paint layers. So I skipped right on ahead to mixing my acrylic paint with fabric medium. 

I used about 15 (2 ounce) bottles of navy blue acrylic paint and I mixed that with 3 (8 ounce) bottles of fabric medium. The tutorial demands a ratio of 1:1, but with the tiny bottles of paint, I found it hard to get every drop of paint out. So I added three more bottles for good measure. I found the fabric medium on the same shelf where I found the acrylic paint in the craft store. 

I watered down the paint until it was almost a drinkable consistency, think of a watered down smoothie or heavy cream, just like the tutorial said to do. The fabric medium appeared white as I dumped it in, so I was worried it would lighten my navy paint and I'd end up with royal blue chairs. But surprisingly, with a little mixing, it blended into the navy with no problems or color changes whatsoever. 

Here's my paint all mixed up. Since I was doing two chairs, I wanted to be sure not to run out of paint or have to mix colors more than once, so I opted for a fresh one gallon paint can from Home Depot instead of mixing in over and over again in a cup. I have to tell you, Kristy was right, the absolute most important step was wetting down the chair first. And I don't mean damp, I mean wet. I used an old febreeze bottle to fill her up and spray her down. It made the paint glide on so smoothly, creating the most even finish possible. I was surprised to find it didn't dilute the paint one bit. 

I have to admit, after applying the first layer of paint, I was incredibly nervous and thought for sure that I had just ruined my chairs. The wet paint made the fabric look like vinyl and I had a small panic attack waiting for it to dry. Thank goodness, it did not dry looking like shiny blue vinyl! 

Here is a look at the first coat of blue. It's still quite streaky, but it's certainly a huge step in the right direction compared to that leafy cranberry lookin' guy on the right. 

Since my chairs had the raised leaf pattern in the fabric to begin with, the finished product also has a raised leaf motif. I was sure I'd hate that, but you can only tell they are leaves if you look closely now that the chairs are one solid color. It kind of looks like an expensive damask pattern, or even lace. My husband says they went from trashy to classy. ;)

I had just enough paint to finish two layers on each chair. I really was cutting it quite close (Don't look at the underside of the cushions, they are still red. Gasp!).  In some light, the chairs look almost purple in some spots, and I'm sure a third coat might have done them some good, but I really was happy with the results after two coats. Plus, I feared that with each new layer of paint I was making the fabric more stiff.  

Although, just like the FAQ section in the tutorial, these chairs aren't "crunchy" at all. The texture is now more like that of a drop cloth canvas than soft cotton. But I can already tell that they are beginning to soften with a little use. Kristy is right though, they're definitely not chairs you would want to cuddle up and watch a movie on anymore. But for a mere $40, that's absolutely fine with me! We still have the option to buy nice fabric and reupholster them down the line when we have the extra dough. But for now, I think they will make excellent formal living room furniture for Shania. ;)