10.28.2010

Before and Afters are Fun!

I was thinking about how much I love a good before and after.They are sooo instantly gratifying.You can quickly see the disastrous beginning and the divine end result! I want to get better at taking good before/after shots at each clients house, because even if it is a LONG and tiring process to get from start to finish...it is so nice to come back later and see what a huge difference the before is from the after.

Here are a couple of quick snapshots I took of a bathroom I remodeled this summer...
BEFORE...
sweet wall paper, brass/plastic fixtures and saloon doors to the pottie...
and AFTER...
My two favorite things on this project were the awesome HOTSOAK tub, and the glass/travertine mosaic accents in the tub surround...
This sweetie pie client wanted to warm up her kitchen without redoing the cabinets or counters.
BEFORE...

 so we installed this 5 inch, hand scraped wood flooring.
It really made this builder grade space feel much more inviting...
AFTER... (those floor mats were not my idea, just fyi ; )
And here is a Before/After from our casa:
When we bought the house, there was an entertainment center sitting right in front of this lovely insulation filled hole in the wall. This hole used to be a window, until the garage was added on, and this was the solution that the previous home owners came up with...hmmmm niiice.
I wanted a focal point for this wall so Lucas and i came up with this simple idea to cover up the dirty secret...I call it my dining room mantle. ; )
I will definitely start taking before and after shots on all my projects. I tend to just not think about it or just don't take the time to do it. But, it is definitely worth it to have something to look back on, so from now on I'm gonna make it happen. ; )
Hope you all have a Wonderful Thursday!!! Peace Out, Girl Scout.

10.25.2010

Porch Reno

So this August/Semptember I decided it was WAY past due time to scrape all the old icky layers of peeling paint off of our front porch.... it looked really rough...needless to say, just check out this lovely pic...
There were MANY layers of paint which included: an orange, a blue, a gray and a yellowish white layer. It took me 30 or so hours of scraping. I tried all different methods, and got several opinions on the "best" way to get it all off. When it came down to it...muscle and patience are what FINALLY got it done! My right arm is now much stronger.; ) Once I got it all off there was still paint down in the cracks and there were LOTS of little cracks so I got this cement patch stuff, patched it all up, and let it dry. Then came the Epoxy paint. It was stinky, but it is supposed to last for 15 years...so it was worth it! 
I haven't taken any more pictures recently...this is right after I finished...but I just wanted to show you my brand new porch! I'll put more pics up later once I have some potted flowers or pumpkins. ; )
 P.S. You can also see the carolina jasmine has really grown alot since May. It's about 7 feet now!!

10.22.2010

Shoppin'

In case any of you Abilene Laidies haven't heard about "My Sister's House"  consignment sale that has been going on this past week...you need to go check it out! I've found a great pair of dark wash trouser cut jeans, 2 shirts, 2 pairs of shoes and a belt and I've spent 50 bucks. The half price sale starts today so you should go check it out! It's on Pine Street, right off of North 1st. Click here for more info.



I'm wearing these super fun shoes today that I picked up for $10 last night. Go get ya some good buys! : )

10.21.2010

100 things

I've seen a couple bloggers doing this -100 things about me- and I've loved reading them! It was definitely hard to think of all these things, but I think everyone should do it. I think it's a fun way to learn about each other!

1. I love jalapeƱo stuffed green olives



2. I enjoy cleaning my house.


3. I love getting rid of things; Simplifying and purging my home of unnecessarily stored items makes me feel lighter (whatever that means).


4. Throwing the ball at the park with the dogs and the husband is my favorite


5. Dressing up Hedi and Kody (our dogs) in people clothes brings me great enjoyment. ; )


6. I don’t like scents that are blue. Candles, Lotion, Body Wash etc…


7. I like sewing, but I’m not very good at it.


8. I don’t like watching sports on tv. It would sure be convenient if I did, but I don’t.


9. I would like to have friends over for dinner more often.


10. I like to stay really busy whether at work or at home. I need to learn to be still sometimes.


11. My favorite weather is 75 degrees, sunny and a breeze.


12. I used to love roller coasters. LOVE. Now I can’t even turn around to quickly or I get dizzy.


13. I am so thankful for my wonderful heritage. My grandparents are amazing people whose love and prayers have made me who I am today.


14. I love organizing anything (drawers, the pantry, closets, etc…)


15. I love going to the Thanksgiving parade via the train in Ft. Worth every year.


16. I LOVE Earl Grey Tea. I have my mother to thank for this. : )


17. I Love road trips/weekends with my girlfriends where we have hours to just sit and talk about our lives. These are the times I feel closest to them.


18. I love my siblings and I’m so thankful that I can call them my best friends.


19. I love singing along with praise and worship music in my car. (Although now I am aware of the fact that I don’t sing very well thanks to a certain sister of mine ; )


20. I never wear jeans when it rains unless they are cuffed or tucked into boots, cause there is nothing worse than sitting in air conditioning all day with 6 inches of wet hem!


21. I like going to bed early and getting up early


22. I love that my husband makes me laugh until I’m in tears (on a weekly basis)


23. I actually don’t like getting pedicures or manicures that much. I guess I have sensitive cuticles or something, but the only part I enjoy is when they dip you in the hot wax and stick your feet in the little booties and leave you alone for a few minutes.


24. I always second guess my taste in clothing so I prefer to shop with a friend whose taste I trust.


25. I prefer to shop for my home alone.


26. I cook. Lukie cleans. It works great.


27. I wish I could eat ice cream instead of meat for the rest of my life.


28. I hate getting my hair cut. My hair tangles SO easy, you have NO idea. So it is a painful process, but the end result is always worth it.


29. I love art museums


30. I love to snuggle, whether it’s with a certain fella, a couple of grey pups, a sister, or a best friend.


31. I love checklists. I have a long term TO DO list for our house and it feels so good when I get to put a line through a completed task.


32. I love being tan, but don’t want to be a wrinkly woman. So I’ve opted to be a sunscreen queen.


33. I love pictures, printing them off and putting them in albums is my fav.


34. I hardly ever wear bracelets (i own 2), I rarely wear necklaces, and I always wear earrings


35. I’m so proud of my Marine sister, she is the toughest person I know and also one of the sweetest.


36. I love lighting. Lamps, Recessed Lights, Chandeliers etc… Lighting can totally change the look and feel of a room with the flick of a switch.


37. I like filling out forms. There is something nice about having exact information for each blank.


38. I would like to have a green thumb, I don’t know if I do or not yet. Maybe next Spring I will find out.


39. I am blind without my contacts. BLIND.


40. I’ve always enjoyed running but I’ve been painfully lazy for two years going on three. Yeesh


41. My husband and I have the exact same hair. The length is different, but everything else is the same.


42. I love having Kody and Heidi sleep in bed with me when the hubs is out of town. Heidi is a professional snuggler, and Kody just makes me feel super safe.


43. My American Girl Doll of choice was: SAMANTHA (Loved her)


44. In third grade I told my mom I wanted to wear a dress every single day to school. So I did. Such a girlie I was.


45. I don’t like flying. I did when I was little. This is probably related to the roller coaster thing.


46. My dad used to take me on Saturday morning breakfast dates when I was young. Love him.


47. I like my job a lot…I enjoy the creativity aspect as well as the problem solving. I’ve learned how to face challenges and work through them.


48. I was homecoming queen in high school


49. I still wear my retainer at night. So. Cool.


50. I only like rain when I can stay home.


51. I LOVE Sharky’s Burritos


52. I’ve wanted to be an Interior Designer since I was 8 ½ years old.


53. I have been to 10 countries. (Venezuela, the Dominican Republic, England, France, Austria, the Czech Republic, Italy, China, Brazil, and the US, duh :)


54. I have been to 18 states (NY, IL, NV, AZ, CO, NM, OK, TX, MO, AR, LA, TN, MS, AL, GA, FL, SC, NC)


55. I want to travel more, but without flying or sitting in the car. Hmmm, maybe by boat.


56. I can’t stand when people tell you a movie, like it’s a story, from beginning to end.


57. I like wearing high heels.


58. My closet is arranged by color.


59. I throw away perfectly good hangers if they don’t match the ones I have in my closet.


60. I like painting without painters tape.


61. I wish Abilene had a real mall. (Dillard’s and VS are the only two stores that I approve of in our current shopping center) sad.


62. I don’t like OLD NAVY or GAP. I love Banana Republic. Weird. Aren’t they cousins or something?


63. I heart 30Rock


64. I NEED a sister, mom or grandmother to be living in the same town as me when I have my first baby. (You have 2-4 years, plan accordingly, please.)


65. I never have cash on me


66. I wish I was better at talking in front of a group of people.


67. I make my bed every day


68. I’m not a coffee or soda drinker. My beverages of choice are water and OJ.


69. I rank my Love of seasons as follows: FALL, SUMMER, SPRING, WINTER


70. I want four kiddos (at least at this point I do)


71. My older sister and I used to play Boxcar Children for HOURS when we were little


72. I used to faint pretty regularly in jr. high/ high school, I have only fainted once since I graduated high school. My blood sugar can be a little iffy.


73. It takes me less than two minutes to get from my driveway to my parking spot at work. Pretty sweet, huh?


74. I really enjoy scrapbooking.


75. I can’t type without looking at my fingers. Pathetic, I know.


76. I love my wedding dress and I wish someone would throw a “wear your wedding dress” party so I could wear it again.


77. My middle name is Anne.


78. My favorite color changes on a monthly basis.


79. I would rather be hot than cold.


80. I love having candles lit around the casa / Lucas likes blowing them out


81. I love white out tape (not the liquid kind)


82. I was born in Caracas, Venezuela


83. Christmas is the only holiday I decorate my house for. Maybe when we have kids…


84. I loved summer camp as a child. I was a CH-YO-CA girl!


85. I have 10 large boxes stacked against my dining room wall. These lovely boxes contain hardwood flooring that will soon become the floor of the dining room…I can’t wait!


86. I don’t like plastic shopping bags


87. I don’t like garage sales. I do like flea markets and thrift stores.


88. I enjoy craft projects, but mostly when my older sister is with me. She brings out the crafty in me. ; )


89. I don’t like peanuts, but I like peanut butter.


90. I love markers


91. I don’t like water spots. My glasses and silverware come out of the dishwasher with water spots. I tried that Jet dry stuff. What am I doing wrong!!!???


92. I would rather play in the sand than the snow.


93. I like playing dodge ball and kick ball. At least I did during P.E. I bet I still would.


94. I used to have a Louisiana accent. I lost it when I moved to Texas. I don’t think I have an accent anymore.


95. Mint Chocolate Chip ice cream is my fav.


96. I don’t like fast food. Except for Sharky’s and occasionally I like Chicken Express. (Mostly just when I’m on road trips with Jordo, for some reason we seem to end up at Chicken Express a lot.)


97. I had a really hard time thinking of 100 things about myself (it took me a week)


98. I love Christmas music anytime of year.


99. I love blogs, if you have a blog and I don’t have it listed as one of my daily reads then that means I don’t know that you have one, and I want to read it! So tell me!!! Puhleeeze


100. I love Jesus!!!

Now go write your own list so I can learn about you! Have a Wonderful Thursday!!!

10.12.2010

Ceilings

Ceilings are often not given as much attention as walls. Here are some beautiful examples of ceilings that are given a little/lot more attention and really bump up the AWESOME factor of these already gorgeous rooms.
 Painted a differnt color than the walls.

High Gloss - Soo coool



Rustic Beams
LOVE this one. :)

Hope you are all having a good Tuesday!