downstairs bathroom update!

hey all.

so i don’t even know if you remember this, but a looooong while ago i mentioned how we were going to have to re-do the downstairs bathroom. well fast forward practically a year, and we are finally underway with bathroom renovation #2! of course we have tons of great reasons why this didn’t happen until now… but the important thing is we are getting it taken care of. it’s funny – there is always this huge wish list of things we want to get done in the house someday when we have time. but now that we are renting it out, we have a fire lit under us to start working through this list.

there are a ton of smaller things we have done, but the biggest project by far is finishing up the bathroom. so, the first step: new tile in the shower!



shower all ripped out - notice the basement behind?

in my fantasies [yes, as a grown woman i know fantasize about things like this] we got a new shower pan, but hey, we are on a time and budget crunch now. i was at least able to get the shiny white subway tile i wanted – we are going for a subway look. now i know what you are thinking – dirt and grime and rats in the bathroom? we are going to somewhat model it after our old F stop in brooklyn – carroll street. so we [this is the royal ‘we’, not the literal ‘we’, because of course PI is doing all the heavy lifting while i finish up school] left the top few rows of blue tile that were not damaged by the moisture of the shower, and the subway tile will be underneath.



subway tile with original tile above

looking great!

our old subway stop in brooklyn

 

 

so the sign won’t actually be in tile, but the decals go over the tile, and with the border… well, it will look pretty damn awesome. it’s definitely a change of pace from my typical eclectic, mixed bag, morrocan-french-bohemian décor look the rest of the house is. the new sink should arrive in the next week and i’ll change up the décor in there a bit before the holiday party.

besides the bathroom… it’s been pretty busy but pretty much the same. lots of homework, but i have another class wrapped up now so just two more to go. they are slowly dwindling – and it’s just over two weeks until graduation. it can’t come soon enough!

as soon as i have a little more time i will catch everyone up on our trip to LA for thanksgiving – maybe this weekend?

til next time!



pinspiration #3: outlet covers

so you all know we've been working on the bathroom for a while now.  but there are a few things that remain unfinished (small details).  and one of them was light switch and outlet covers.  we haven't had them on for months, which i'm pretty sure isn't good for the wiring. 

which is why i was so happy to find this pin!

from the real housewives of riverton

seems easy enough.  all you need is switchplate covers, scrapbook paper, an exacto knife and modge podge.  which means i only had to buy four things at the store.  this was also my first experience with modge podge, which is much stickier and smellier than i thought it would be.  but in my defense, i didn't know what it was. 

switch cover one

close up

outlet cover

not bad...

to be honest, it wasn't worth the hours they took me.  outlet covers aren't expensive.  HOWEVER, having looked for months i know how difficult it is to find just the right outlet covers.  so i guess it wasn't so bad.  and since i have three more pages of scrapbook paper, i guess i could do a few more for our bedroom or something.

lots more house projects coming up! i have lots of cleaning and organizing to do before our party on saturday.

til tomorrow!

saturday morning blanks

notice a trend here?  yeah, i'm too busy to blog on fridays.  that's the trend.  last night PI & i celebrated valentine's day, since my birthday is on the obnoxious holiday.  so we went to a fancy dinner and celebrated ourselves.  it was awesome :)  today is filled with - you guessed it! - homework, and then a fundraising dinner tonight.  should be lovely.  

but for now... blanks time!  lauren @ little things posts them every week, and these week they are home themed.  it makes me sad... i remember the days when i used to post about updating our bathroom, decorations, fun stuff like that.  now all i do is complain about politics and homework.  someday.  sigh.

1.  my favorite room in my home is   our living room  because   it's where everyone hangs out.  plus it's the most versatile room in the house, and it's the only one i feel like is done.

2.   my current decor style is   eclectic, mismatched and worldly but i wish it were more    cohesive & pulled together.  it's all over the place, just like me.

3.  i wish i could redecorate the kitchen in my house to make it more our style.  it was updated by the last owner, but it still isn't really my cup of tea.  there's a window over the sink that's too tall, so i stare at the base of it when i do dishes.  the green marble and natural wood just isn't my style either.  but that would be a fortune.

4. my dream house absolutely has to have a  history.  i don't like new houses, or houses that are so updated you can't feel the story of the house.

5. one house item i am willing to splurge on is   a couch. We practically live on our couch, so it's a good investment. We're currently on the hunt for something that is both modern and comfortable, which is surprisingly difficult - many times clean lines = hard lines and we definitely need a comfy couch .

6. a decor trend that i just don't "get" is the farmhouse look.  i like antiques, but i don't get why anyone would want to live in a space that's that rustic and not super comfortable.  i think a home should tell a story about the people who live in it.

7.  tons of candles and photographs  is a little touch that makes my house feel like home.

til next time (maybe even tomorrow!)... 

holiday update 2!

what a whirlwind weekend!  between buying and wrapping presents and planning (and having) our christmas party there has been zero time for blog updates!  but there’s always a bit of time to share photos ;)

after a week of running around like a crazy woman (well, moreso than usual at least), we had a wonderful christmas party saturday night!  the turnout was wonderful, the cocktails were perfect, the food wasn’t too bad (even my experimental spinach-artichoke dip was a hit!) and the company was perfect.  the highlight of the evening was a surprise guest – my brother AJ showed up, having just flown in from boston.  it was a great night with all the people i love around here :)

me & rach

my bestest girlfriends :)

SURPRISE! AJ showed up! 

my adorable husband, the bartender.

decorated tree - in the front yard :)

with the help of my awesome girlfriend W who showed up early, we got the house totally decked out.  we were even able to make sure of the christmas tree from hell, which now looks pretty cute.

so besides all the christmas trimming and shopping, i have spent a lot of time wasting my life away on pinterest (my sister bianca sent me an invite and i can’t stop pinning things!) and paperless post (thanks to the little things we do).  i am still trying to figure out exactly how pinterest works, so i don’t know if i can link to my boards or not but i’ll give it a shot here.  the best one are the baby shower ideas i have for my soon-to-be little niece!  i literally can’t wait until christmas when the cat’s out of the bag and i can blog 24/7 about how excited i am for baby to come :) anyone who knows me knows that i hate and am awful at keeping secrets!!! anyway, back to my holiday card.  last year i totally slacked and didn’t send out a holiday card.  when things started getting busy this year, i decided to do something easy and green by sending a fancy holiday card online.  sometimes online cards look really tacky – but i think the one philip picked out is super cute!  check it out:

the next few days are going to be just as busy – my mother-in-law and sister-in-law & her bf are coming in for christmas.  we are driving up to the mountains on thursday afternoon to spend the holiday snowed in, watching christmas movies and drinking.  now that’s what you call the perfect colorado christmas :)

holiday update

hi friends!  sorry for the absence… i’ve been out of school (which is sooo wonderful) for nearly two weeks now, but things haven’t slowed down a bit.  i guess that’s just how it is this time of year.  there are just SO many things to update on!  where to start, where to start…

THE HOUSE

well, i finally have all our decorations up (pics coming soon, i promise!)!  our big annual christmas cocktail bash is saturday night, so we have been working hard all week on getting the house in tip-top shape for all our friends.  as i mentioned before we had to get a fake tree… but it’s actually looking quite lovely. philip was finally able to install this gorgeous exterior light fixture we bought months ago – and it has the perfect holiday look, right in front of the wreath with the snow on it!  i also have a gift-wrapping station set up in the sunroom (but it’s sooo cold since it’s right next to the windows), where we have all the gifts laid out (don’t look too close!).

i wish i could post pics of the upstairs bathroom and show off how it’s totally done.  but you know what?  still not done.  however we are VERY, VERY close… just had one mishap with a cracked pipe that needed replacing.  but since it’s an IKEA part, we had to get it specifically from IKEA, and then they shipped us the wrong one… it’s been a whole big mess.  so we have just one sink out of order.  the rest of the decorations should be done by this weekend, but here’s pretty much the finished product!

i also wish i could tell you the downstairs bathroom has been fixed and is also close to done… but also not the case.  our contractor will be out tomorrow night to check it out and hopefully we’ll start construction next week – there will be LOTS of pictures to come.

so, since we haven’t done much to the house you might ask… what have i been doing to not be updating you all? 

MY LIFE

christmas shopping, mostly! i have most people done with a few exceptions… my mom is very hard to buy for this year (would it kill you to drop some hints once in a while, lady?!?).  last weekend we really kicked off the season right, since it was my first school-free weekend!  we treated ourselves to an awesome dinner at our new favorite place (we’ve been dying for a reason to go back after philip’s birthday), followed by the denver ballet’s performance of the nutcracker.  it’s our tradition; we go every year.  it’s so much fun.  sunday we got up for a lovely holiday brunch with the family to hear all about rich & beth’s honeymoon.  then philip and i headed off to one of my favorite stores and then the mall for christmas shopping.  it would be great if i were one of those people who could holiday-shop all year long, but it just doesn’t work like that for me.  besides, we kind of love going to the crowded mall.  they have carolers to make it so much merrier :)

also, i’m going to be an auntie again!!!  the cat isn’t out of the bag yet so that’s all i am going to say for now.  but i can’t even describe how blissfully happy i am… and there will be MUCH more on this to come!!!

i also attended christmas high tea at the brown palace yesterday – something that you usually have to book like a year in advance!  but my husband is amazing, and he called a few weeks ago to see if they had any cancellations, and secured a tea time (haha) for mom and i for yesterday.  it was so lovely – we sipped kir royales, had pots of tea and little sandwiches and cookies.  if you haven’t ever done this before, check it out!  it’s a fun, girlie thing to do with people you love during the holidays. of course it’s also fun during the year, too.

AND (there’s more!) my dad is here this week!  he doesn’t come to visit that often so i get totally stoked when i have the chance to show off our home and our neighborhood to him.  so all evenings this week have been spent hanging with my dad and getting ready for the party rather than blogging, i am [not really] sorry to say.  i hardly ever take pictures at the party – but this year i am determined to change that tradition!

how’s your holiday season going??

xoxo

breaking point.

me, very unhappy.
but not as unhappy as i was today.

wow.  i guess it was my own fault, really.  i went on and on yesterday about how it was a rough week, and i was so looking forward to vacay, but friday was a bad last day at work...

today was worse.  much worse, actually.

while i was at school (and really just not feelin it, by the way), i got a text from philip.  see, we have been using the downstairs shower for a few weeks now while we finish the upstairs bathroom makeover.  it's a pretty small space, but i repainted it last summer and we did a few little updates to make it useable.  another thing you need to know about this story is that our basement is uber-gross.  i refuse to go down there (i think that's where hostel was filmed), so it's just philip that goes down there every once in a while to retrieve or store something we don't use often.  today, it was his bicycle.  we put them away about a month or so ago, knowing it was too cold to go bike-drinking anymore.  but today he needed to get a part at the hardware store while i was at school, so he was going to bike.

but as he walked down the stairs into the basement, he noticed something curious.  the wall, along the right side of the staircase, was black.  so he touched it.  and when he touched it - not only was it soaking wet to the touch - but the wall caved in when he touched it.  apparently, whoever installed the bathroom shower with it's fancy greek-blue tiles installed it right to the drywall.  which doesn't hold up to moisture well.  so there was a giant puddle in the basement, and so far it seems to just be dumb luck that we have been using the bathroom shower and it hasn't fallen in to the basement.  there could be mold growing, but we haven't been able to find out just yet so that's another post for another awesome day.

so as of today at, say, 3pm, the downstairs bathroom is strictly off-limits.  it's upstairs bathroom only for us, which of course isn't finished yet, so that's not really as great as it sounds.  but i found out about this at exactly the wrong moment (would there ever be a right moment to hear this news?), as i was feeling totally overwhelmed with school.  and it's worth mentioning that instead of eating lunch on our noon break today, i got in a fight with my dad.  so i was feeling especially awesome.

what i guess i'm trying to say is, lesson learned.  i will never again post that i'm so stressed and it can't get worse.  because it can and it did.  but it's kind of funny, because this was my longest streak yet- i haven't had a day off since columbus day weekend and i won't be done until monday.  so i don't know how many days total that is but it's quite a bit.  i thought i was handling it all well - lots of stuff going on at work, increased responsibilities with the campaign, the home stretch with school - but it all just came crashing down today.  i did some serious therapy-crying on my way home from class.

but to make it all better - my mom was waiting at our house for me when i got home :) we had wine and brainstormed ideas for the fancy new downstairs bathroom we'll have to renovate now.  and then we all went out for moules frites at indulge.

the bright side?  our next house project will be remodeling the bathroom... downstairs.  suggestions anyone?  also - moms make it all better.

til tomorrow when i update you on the UPSTAIRS bathroom...

xoxo

the bathroom vol. 2: update iii

it's just that time of year.

it's hard to get out of bed in the morning.  it's cold.  it's dark.  you just don't want to do too much besides cuddle under the blanket.  that's how i feel lately (and apparently so does the mous, my cat).  so there hasn't been much going on house-wise for me.

but philip, on the other hand, is a MACHINE.  i know i married him, so i might be a bit biased, but he is so amazing.  he has made leaps and bounds on the bathroom project and i tell you what friends it is looking amazing.  here's a glimpse of what's been going on.

putting together our new vanity today!

instructions, piping, new tile... 

new wall color.

getting the sink on just right.

TWO sinks!  count 'em! 

we got started early today with the paint.  philip had already painted the walls but the trim still needed some help.  so i put on a few coats of killz to get rid any mold or mildew.  while letting that dry before the trim paint i was anticipating on painting, we ran to ikea!  whoooo!  i didn't get the legs for the vanity and it turns out we needed them, so off we went on a little trip.  and, of course, we picked up a few other goodies while we were there...

our new lamp in the living room! 

actually that was it.  or at least that is all i can show you now.  but once we got home, i made an awful discovery: we don't have any trim paint left from our paint party!  what the hell!  so now i have to figure out the shade we used and see if i can match it so we can have some consistency in this house.  so instead i did a little bit of fun decorating.  hooray!

new mantle arrangement.

other side of the mantle.

finally hung the frame philip got for his birthday! 

a GIFT WRAPPING station for the holidays! 

there's already some presents up there :)

picked up this gem yesterday - in our bedroom
from my favorite shop around!

so all in all, it was a strange weekend.  off friday, worked saturday, impromptu sleepover @ mom's saturday night, and bathroom/ikea all day today.  we expected the bathroom to be done tonight... but with an old house like this, when you start one project, three or four more pop up.  so we have to get ourselves some different pipes.  of course.  hopefully it will be done soon - our big new york trip is coming up!

hope you had as great a weekend as i did :)

til next time...

high high #3

today, my high point was peeing.

in the brand new toilet in our bathroom, that is.  and anyone who saw the old toilet knows why.  this one is so clean and shiny and, well, ignorable.  it's just a normal functioning water efficient toilet.  i never thought i would be so happy about a commode.  now i know this basically the opposite of my last high high, but i'm just so happy with how the bathroom is turning out and how quickly it's moving!  when we re-did the shower in the spring it seemed to take forever... this has been about a week or so.  lovely. 

here's a shot of the bathroom this evening:

ok, so it's mostly a shot of the new john.  but it's so nice to have a normal one.  and next up: painting!  we picked out some samples last night and i am happy to report painting should begin by this weekend.  stay tuned friends! 

stay warm out in that snow :) 

the bathroom vol. 2: update ii

well, this weekend, i went to school and philip went to work.  and we gots ourselves a new tile floor.

fancy new tile! 

i was a little worried to be honest... at dinner on friday night, philip made a comment to mom about how the tile 'doesn't match at all,' so i was a little worried.  that wasn't quite what we were going for.  but because of our crazy time constraint, we had to go to home depot separately, take pics of the tile we liked, and text them to each other.  we are such a modern couple.  but i was a little unsure that we were making the right choice via SMSing.  i mean, we didn't have the shower tile to compare to and we were kind of just choosing blindly.  but the results are - so far - kind of AWESOME.  i love the way the new grey tile has amber striping that perfectly matches our shower tile.  our old shower curtain is still up. but that will be changing soon too.

floor is done! just drying now.

tile shot with new shower. disregard the curtain.

yesterday i was charged with the task of picking up our new bathroom vanity from ikea.  it was the ultimate test of trust in my marriage - me, a credit card with no balance and time alone in ikea.  yikes.  i only picked out a few extra things... the bulk of my time was spent picking up the box of the bathroom vanity, trying to push the cart to jim (our subaru legacy is named jim), then going BACK inside to pick up the sink, and loading that into jim.  not the best two hours, but i did get a little something as a treat for myself :)

the bathroom vol. 2: update i

guess what...

buh-bye old nasty bathroom tile and vanity.  you've overstayed your welcome :)

soon that space will have this:

IKEA baby! 

but for now we are still doing some work.  here's a few pictures of the tile being ripped up yesterday:

i'm helpful :)

man at work

my sexy husband :)

makeshift medicine cabinet on philip's shoe shelf

haven't quite emptied out the old bathroom drawers yet

there's plenty more to come!  i'm picking up the vanity on saturday from ikea :)  i still need to find a mirror, we need to pick out lights and paint colors, and a new toilet (glamourous, i know).  not much is going on now but a lot of demolition - but i'll have more updates soon!

i already know what my high-high is going to be tomorrow... so stay tuned!

xoxo

fitb saturday... again

ok friends, once again, sorry i'm doing this a little late (like usual).  it's been yet another busy week with an after hours at work, and now school this weekend.  but there are exciting things on the horizon!  here's a little preview of what october has to offer: a trip to LA, my uncle's long-awaited wedding, starting to finish the bathroom (!!!), and finishing my first weekend class.  can't wait to share it all with you.  but for now, let's get on with the blanks, and i'll share the bathroom plans with you later. :)

1.  my best friend is my insanely awesome husband.  i know it sounds corny, but philip is without a doubt my best friend in the world.  he's the one i call when my day sucks,  the one i text random funny observations to, the person i go to when i need advice from in a difficult situation.  and we have the most fun together, even when we do nothing, just like best friends :) 

2.  if i could live in a different era it would be the lost generation (1920s paris) because it was a culmination of a million things i love.  watching midnight in paris was like watching my dream that will never come true.  but that exact event would be my answer to this question.  but like woody allen said, you can't enjoy the presence if you always live in the past.

3.  i like president obama.  a lot.  

4.  if you only know one thing about me it should be that i value equality and open-mindedness towards other cultures and lifestyles more than anything else. 

5.  my favorite book of all time is [SO GLAD THIS QUESTION IS ON HERE TODAY!] extremely loud & incredibly close by jonathan safran foer. i happened upon this book back in 2007 while stuck in the airport in amsterdam. i read it and it changed me. it's absolutely amazing. i've bought this book as a present for so many people and everyone who has read it loves it too. and now, it's a movie starring tom hanks. i saw this trailer for the very first time last night and the combination of my favorite book, plus my 2nd favorite U2 song of all time, plus the beautiful story being sold brings tears to my eyes. for reals. go read this book and watch this preview.

6.  blogging is a release.

7.  one of the best feelings in the world is getting settled in my seat on the plane when we are headed somewhere new on a trip.  the anticipation might be better than christmas.

blanking weekend

1.  the best thing i did all week was some how avoid (or at least defer) getting sick.

2.  my favorite tv shows on thursdays make me super happy.

3.  pets are what can make anyone happy anytime, no matter how down you are.

4.  my husband is the best thing about my life.

5.  with the cooler weather i am looking forward to using our new fireplace and drinking wine again.

6.  something that's on my "wish list" right now is a maid. no joke.

7.  this weekend i am going to  celebrate my three year wedding anniversary with my best friend :)

that's right people... 

three years ago, philip and i got married <3 

so sayonara suckers, see you next week, because this weekend i'll be celebrating my anniversary! 

ok sorry that was rude.  but seriously this weekend we are celebrating our anniversary because it's actually tuesday (the 27th) and i have the phone bank.  it's a super busy week next week followed by another weekend of classes.  but one big announcement first... we have started, after philip turns in his fall paper, to get back to working on the bathroom.  FINALLY!  our next order of business is to tear down the tile and start painting... so soon i should have some developments.  hooray! 

enjoy your weekend!  i am headed off to a surprise dinner somewhere... ;)