Quarterly Review

Sometime in January, I got too confident with my door and trim painting skills – I said I could have everything done by the end of March. Ha!

When I set this goal, I thought doors and trim would be my only task for those 3 months. Well, let’s just say, I’m awesome at getting distracted…

Organizing the cleaning closet:
Ripping out carpet in 2 rooms and putting in quarter round:

Organizing the office closet:
Redoing the office:

And what am I doing now? Painting the fireplace.

I must admit, I have always been like this – starting project after project when the original project isn’t even done. I feel in some way this makes me work harder, but I lack any logical explanation on the whys and hows.

I do hope though, for my next quarterly review I can say that the doors and trim are finally done.

Click here to see how I’m doing overall with my 2010 home goals.

March's Books

Books read in March: 6
Books listened to in March: 3

Books:
14. “Nightlight: A Parody of Twilight” by Harvard Lampoon
15. “Glamour: Making it Modern” by Michael Lassell
16. “Betrayed” by P.C. Cast (House of Night #2)
17. “Chosen” by P.C. Cast (House of Night #3)
18. “[the nest] Home Design Handbook” by Carley Roney
19. “Untamed” by P.C. Cast (House of Night #4)

Audiobooks:
12. “Bed of Roses” by Nora Roberts (Bride Quartet #2)
13. “The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy” by Douglas Adams
14. “Her Fearful Symmetry” by Audrey Niffenegger



Favorite book of the month:
“Her Fearful Symmetry” by Audrey Niffenegger
I must admit, I debated awhile about picking this book as my favorite, because honestly, I still not quite sure how I feel about it. The author is so talented at playing with reader’s emotions –I am still torn about how I feel about the twins. It’s an intriguing story, and even a week after finishing this book, I’m still thinking about it.

Biggest Disappointment:
“The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy” by Douglas Adams
Once in awhile, I try to be good and take a break from my guilty pleasure of young adult books, and read a book on the 1,001 list. I’ve heard positive things about this book, so I decided to give it a try. Ugh. While this definitely isn’t a long book, I found myself just wanting it to end toward the beginning.

Family room plans

When it comes to my family room, slow and steady wins the race. This is the room I spend the majority of my time in, so I need it to still be functional while I work away at it. My plan is one project at a time, whenever it feels right. My only goal is to have it done by Brent's 30th in August.

This is the only room in the house, that still feels like the previous owner's home. Even with the carpet ripped out, it still feels too traditional for my taste. I'm slowly working away at painting the fireplace white, and that is definitely helping – but I think it's time to face the fact that I'm not crazy about the wall color. I think it's time to introduce a greige color to my house.

As of now, here's the plan:

Just Paint It Challenge

You know that project involving paint you’ve been putting off? Whether it’s been on hold because of laziness or sheer terror – it doesn’t matter – it’s times to get it done.

So, I have a proposal (yes, it’s so romantic of me). Paint the thing you’ve been putting off – whether it’s trim, a piece of furniture, a fireplace, a room, a floor, cabinets, doors, spray painting some accessories – it doesn’t matter.

I love a good challenge, so I am excited to announce my first Decorating Obsessed challenge.


The concept is simple – you and I will take the plunge together in painting that thing that scares us the most. Then, on Monday, April 19th – we will have a McLinky-posting extravaganza.

So, what do I fear the most? My fireplace. Yes, after some talk and much debate, that mofo is going white. If you want to liberate your fireplace as well, awesome. If not, that’s cool too.

So seriously guys, who is with me?

Edit: If you have a private blog or don't have a blog – you can send me photos and a description – and I will post it for you.

News!

I'm excited to say that I have my first client in the furniture-flipping world. I will be painting a china cabinet, and I am so excited about it. It's a beautiful piece, it just needs some updating. Hopefully, I will get that bad boy home to me soon and the fun can start.

Here's the photo the client sent:


In other news: While driving, I was behind a semi called "beaver express." I'm really concerned/curious what that truck is carrying. It also made me realize how immature I am.

Design Time: Home Design Handbook

I must admit, I was pleasantly surprised by “[the nest] Home Design Handbook.” Since it’s basically a book for newlyweds on how to set up the home, there were tons of great tips and pictures.

My favorite part of the book though, was the illustrations. While I know the names of some furniture and styles, that knowledge is minimal – so graphics like those were extremely helpful for me.

Here are some of my favorites:


And for those who weren't in a sorority:


(While I am sure there are some non-sorority types who know how to set a table...if you were in a sorority, you can probably set a formal table in your sleep. Just like you will always remember that the salt and pepper can never be separated, because they are married. Have I talked you out of the benefits of sorority life yet? Awesome).

The Living Room – Where I Got It

Since my living room is finally done, I am excited to answer the most frequent question I get – where I got something that’s in my living room.


1. Sofa – Nebraska Furniture Mart (Ashley Furniture), $900 (including stain guard protection and tax rounded up)
2. Coffee and end tables – Nebraska Furniture Mart, $500 (after I ordered this, I discovered Z Gallerie also carries these)
3. Art – This piece was a housewarming present from an artist from of the family
4. Lamps – Z Gallerie, $220 total (during their 20% sale)
5. Rug – eBay, $110
6. Bowl – Kate Spade, $149 (gift)
7. Tealight holder – Z Gallerie, $3 for both (gift)
8. Bowl – Crate & Barrel, $29.99 (gift)
9. Vase – Z Gallerie, $24 (during their 20% sale)
10. Picture frame – Z Gallerie, $14.95 (gift)
11. Pillows – Etsy seller Nestables and custom made, $100 (including inserts)



12. Chairs – Home Decorators Outlet, $300 total (gift)
13. Pillows – from sofa
14. Panels – custom made, $200 (includes fabric and labor)
15. Sofa Table – Target, $110
16. Mirror – HomeGoods, $59.99
17. Vase – Z Gallerie, $29.99 (gift – my mom gave me this vase and she has broken it twice. So yes, hot glue can do miracles)
18. Candleholders – Z Gallerie. $26 total (during their 20% sale)
19. Bling candleholder – Hobby Lobby, $14.99



20. Floating shelves – Lowes, $80
21. White vase – Z Gallerie, $29.95 (gift)
22. Crystal vase – I only have 2 things from my grandma, this is one of them
23. Candleholder – Z Gallerie, $16.00 (during their 20% sale)
24. Westie art – DIY, free
25. Line art – art.com and Michaels, $30 total
26. Bud vase – Michaels, $3.99
27. Vase – HomeGoods, $12.99
28. White vase – Gordmans, $14.99 (gift)
29. Bling candleholder – Z Gallerie, $9.99 (gift)
30. Candleholder – Kohls, $4.99 (gift)


Total I spent: $2,392.98
Room total: $2,979.83

I must admit, I had a difficult time figuring out how I should do room totals. Because what I actually spent versus the room total are 2 very different things, I wanted to include both.

There were other things I debated, and that's where it gets complicated. There's at least $400 in the "total I spent" category that could be debatable. Any gift certificates I received, I included in that total. As well as the console table I bought with my March Madness winnings several years ago.

And for those curious about the multiple "gifts" in the room...a good chunk of it is wedding presents that we finally get to display. Brent's and my birthday's are really close together, so we took advantage of that last year with the amazing chairs.

Yep, I think that is about it. I hope I answered all questions. :)