I haven't posted a lot in the past couple months... But we have been very busy working on all sorts of projects. I think we have house a.d.d... But we really have accomplished a lot.
Here are some more recent projects:
Because we were broken into over Christmas break, we installed two more security cameras and a couple of signs stating that we have cameras. While the signs are not beautiful, I hope they will deter future break-ins. We also have signs in the yard that advertise that we have a security system, so hopefully this makes our house seem less appealing.
We also purchased a locking mailbox because our mail was tampered with around the same time that we were broken into. The mailbox has been great because I don't have to worry about the dogs being out front when the mailman comes. It is also nice for when we are gone on short trips... We don't have to worry about having someone come over to bring our mail in.
We added the 2x4s to the top of the arbor out front. Now all the arbor needs is a fresh coat of paint. We caulked all the screw holes, so it needs new paint pretty bad to cover the off-white caulk.
These were our windows before... The window treatments we had were left by the previous owner and were absolutely disgusting.
We planted a lot of bulbs last fall and have been enjoying watching them bloom. We are definitely loving the yard. We have hyacinths, tulips, daffodils, crocuses, and a ton of shade plants planted.
We also decided we wanted flower beds along the walkway up to the house, so Thomas killed the grass along there and he rototilled it today. We planted blueberries and strawberries and are going to use it as a garden and flower bed.
In the backyard, we decided we wanted to have 4x4s line the garden beds. We stained them to match the fence, and will most likely be adding another layer of 4x4s to make them raised. I don't have any finished pictures of this, but right now there are 2 4x4s lining the beds. Here is a during shot.
After: pretty, colorful annuals.
After the stain. It's so dark... But I love it. I'm very happy with the paint color we chose... It makes the trim really pop.
Well, I think that's about it for now. We plan on really focusing on the woodwork... But we will see what happens. We often get bored of a project and take breaks. I really hope we can stick it out on the woodwork because I want to finish the floors this year, and we don't want to do them until we finish painting and staining.
Here are some more recent projects:
Because we were broken into over Christmas break, we installed two more security cameras and a couple of signs stating that we have cameras. While the signs are not beautiful, I hope they will deter future break-ins. We also have signs in the yard that advertise that we have a security system, so hopefully this makes our house seem less appealing.
We also purchased a locking mailbox because our mail was tampered with around the same time that we were broken into. The mailbox has been great because I don't have to worry about the dogs being out front when the mailman comes. It is also nice for when we are gone on short trips... We don't have to worry about having someone come over to bring our mail in.
We added the 2x4s to the top of the arbor out front. Now all the arbor needs is a fresh coat of paint. We caulked all the screw holes, so it needs new paint pretty bad to cover the off-white caulk.
We also decided to finish the small projects left on the fence. We finished up the arbor on the side gate. It took no time at all, but it really makes the gate look finished.
While we were doing this, I noticed something I hadn't seen before. The previous owner's children (who visited and got to see the house) had mentioned that they had written their names in the concrete.
It's hard to see, but it says:
Hill
Sandy
Mary
Am I the only weirdo that finds things like this cool?
We ordered wood blinds from blinds.com and received them a few weeks ago. Here is Couver modeling the new blinds.
These were our windows before... The window treatments we had were left by the previous owner and were absolutely disgusting.
We love that we can open the blinds and get light without the entire neighborhood seeing in the windows.
We also decided we wanted flower beds along the walkway up to the house, so Thomas killed the grass along there and he rototilled it today. We planted blueberries and strawberries and are going to use it as a garden and flower bed.
In the backyard, we decided we wanted to have 4x4s line the garden beds. We stained them to match the fence, and will most likely be adding another layer of 4x4s to make them raised. I don't have any finished pictures of this, but right now there are 2 4x4s lining the beds. Here is a during shot.
I gave up on my parasol plants that were left outside too long this winter, and decided to plant some pretty annuals in the pots to keep on the porch. These make me happy.
Before: parasol plant that was trying to come back... I just didn't have the patience.
We finally decided to go for it and get back to work on the woodwork. There is a sale going on at Sherwin Williams, so we decided it was time to get some paint. We got Hubbard Squash for downstairs and Bunglehouse Blue for up the stairs and hallway upstairs.
The living room is an absolute mess right now, but we are getting a lot done.
We stained the first bit of woodwork today, and it was shocking. The stain we chose is so dark... But it is perfect. It matches the pictures from the 1930's almost perfectly. It is going to be a huge project, but will be exciting...
The front door trim. This is newer wood... Not original to the house. It is a lot lighter than the rest of the wood we have and had far fewer coats of paint on it. It will be interesting to see how it stains differently than the rest of the woodwork.
After the stain. It's so dark... But I love it. I'm very happy with the paint color we chose... It makes the trim really pop.
Well, I think that's about it for now. We plan on really focusing on the woodwork... But we will see what happens. We often get bored of a project and take breaks. I really hope we can stick it out on the woodwork because I want to finish the floors this year, and we don't want to do them until we finish painting and staining.
Ooh! Will you share the brand of of stain you used? Our wood-trim has aged to a deep brown and we're slightly panicked since the big-box hardware stores don't carry anything that dark! (We have to stain our salvaged front door this summer.)
ReplyDeleteI'm trying to cultivate a flower walkway too . . . currently I've got some lavender there, but since spring sprung early in Illinois, all of my hyacinths and tulips have already died off.
The stain is Minwax. We have pictures from the 1930's and it was the closest color to what the beams used to be.
ReplyDeleteIsn't hubbard squash a great color? Your woodwork looks wonderful! I look forward to sharing your pain as we get started on our next room of paint stripping. Ugh.
ReplyDeleteWe are loving the color. I hope I like the color I chose for upstairs as well. I think it will really pop with the white trim we have upstairs.
ReplyDelete