I tried to give myself a break this year and not beat myself up about doing everything that I wanted to, and one of those things that did not get done was our Christmas card. We just never had a good time to get pictures done, and ended up having my friend Gennifer take them on the fly. There was still time to get them printed and sent, but with our travel schedule, it did just not work out… so our card this year is an e-card delivered via my blog, facebook, and email. So really we are just super “green” right? So in lieu of a card in the mail, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

The decorating mostly got done – I couldn’t slack on this since its our first year in the house and I was excited to see how my existing decorations fit the new house. I still need a bit of filler since the house is so much bigger than our apartment, but I can pick some of that up on clearance on Monday! Here are a few snapshots that I took of our decorations this year:

(the iphone 4s takes THE BEST night-time christmas tree photos)

I saw the ruffled tree skirt tutorial that was floating around pinterest. I got everything ready and started to glue all of those ruffles, but only made it a few inches and decided it would be MUCH MUCH easier to just sew the ruffles on (actually my mom was visiting and she sewed them on for me – which is why this is even finished BEFORE Christmas). And trust me, if you do this, SEW the dang ruffles on, you will save your fingers and yourself from going crazy.

I totally need two more cream stockings from pottery barn! And extra points for anyone who spots the baby!

One other exciting thing that happened this week was that our back splash tile went in the kitchen! It looks amazing and I’ll share it very soon!

I hope you all have a wonderful and relaxing holiday weekend!

I have even placed my cute blue, white and taupe dishes in the cabinets. Suprisingly only the small blue plates and large teal cups were purchased recently. Everything else has been collected over the past few years.

The cabinets will have glass doors, but we’re not in any huge hurry. Also looking at this photo makes me want to do some Christmas decorations in the kitchen. maybe a dainty garland across the upper cabinets.

You can see the veining of the marble a bit better in this (awful) cell phone camera photo from the day of the install:

(I swear I need to put a disclaimer on my site about my terrible photography skills. I really am sorry that my photos are so bad. I should be fired from blogdom and have my blog taken away for such a crime against the blogging community).

You can also see above what a difference having stuff in the cabinets makes the room feel so much more homey.

Here is a peninsula view. I LOVE my corbels which I still need to post about. Can someone keep track of everything I have promised to post about and email it to me?

And an up-close shot of the upper cabinets.

So that’s the kitchen as it pretty much stands today. I don’t know what got into me but I was so verbose today! I guess I’m just so excited to have a fully-functioning kitchen!

(If any photographers in the Sacramento, Tahoe or Bay Area wants to take pity on me and come and take a few actually good shots of my kitchen please feel free to stop on by!)

After MUCH ado, we finally have a fully functioning master bathroom. a few weeks ago, I posted a sneak peak because I was so excited about our progress. And since then, the pine planks were painted SW Duck White, the lights were installed, the plumbing finished, the cabinet stained and finished, and the mirror made and hung. Whew! Thats a lot of work, but luckily Mr. Project was up to the task and finished it fairly quickly considering he was on a business trip all of last week.

My favorite part of the bathroom is the plank wall. I just wish it weren’t covered up! But the mirror looks pretty awesome too, and it’s nice to be able to see myself when I put on make-up. Here is an in-progress photo of the plank wall… so pretty:

Here is the other side of the bathroom (yes it’s a small room, but it’s about a million times better than it used to be!). I got that gorgeous train rack from Restoration Hardware. Notice the TP holder has no TP… Ollie found out how fun toilet paper rolls are so now we keep them out of the reach of little hands. I thought about installing the bar up high, but decided no matter how much sense it made, it probably was not the best idea.

Well that’s the master bath! I do want to find a basket for under the sink, but I haven’t seen one that is the right thing for the space yet. So it’s pretty much done and I am one happy lady!

Hello dear readers it’s Angie Hinksman here and a very Happy Holiday Season to you!  Today I’m going to share with you a little hybrid project, inspired by what is probably the most is talked about product this Christmas; the iPad2.  I love the simplicity of the design of the iPad and I think that the included stand is pure GENIUS!  Now, while my little Recipe Stand won’t help you surf the net, it’s certain to brighten up any kitchen table!  You’ll need very few supplies (no need for specialist binding materials  here, just paper, card and some basic crafting supplies.

To create the Recipe Stand and 6 recipe cards, you will need the following supplies:

• Recipe journaling templates – you can download the pdf file here
• Some plain co-ordinating paper or cardstock for printing the journaling cards.  I’ve used some simple ’letterhead’ stationery for mine.
• Selection of 12 x 12 inch patterned scrapbook papers – I’ve used papers from Jen’s beautiful Stella & Rosecollection.  You’ll need 2 for the stand and 1 sheet will 6 recipe cards.  Cut your paper to the following measurements:
  • 1 piece:  8.5 x 12 inches (just keep the off-cut handy, we’ll use this later)
  • 1 piece: 6 x 12 inches (again we’ll use the off-cut later)
  • 1 piece:  cut out 6 at 4 x  6 inches
  • Chipboard or very thick card.  If you can’t get hold of plain chipboard, the back of an old note book will work perfectly! I’ve used the back of one of my scrap-pads.  Cut your card to the following measurements;
    • 2 pieces: 4.5 x 6.5 inches
    • 1 piece: 2.5 x  6.5 inches
    • 2 pieces: ¾  x  6.5 inches
    • A ruler
    • Cutting tools (such as a Stanley knife or rotary cutter and scissors)
    • Adhesive (I’m using a glue stick and some double-sided tape)
    • Cutting matt
    • Rolling pin (this helps the glue stick well)

    

Instructions for the recipe cards:

Print your recipe journal pieces onto your paper and cut out.  Glue these to the front and back of your 4 x 6 inch pieces of scrap paper.  I’ve rounded the edges of mine, to keep with the iPad feel of the project!    

Instructions for the Recipe Stand:

Place your 4.5 x 6.5 and 2.5 x 6.5 inch pieces of chipboard on your 8.5 x 12 inch scrap paper as illustrated.  Align the top and bottom pieces with the edges of the paper.  Place the middle pieces approx. ½ inch below the top piece.  You want to have a bigger gap at the bottom (this will help your recipe stand close well).  Use a pencil to mark where your placed this pieces, then glue them down.  Use your rolling pin over the top then turn the whole thing over and use your rolling pin again. This will make sure your glue has good contact.  Leave to dry for a few minutes then glue the sides down as shown.

Once dry, glue the 6 x 12 inch piece of scrap paper on top, as shown and leave to dry.

Glue the 2 ¾ x 6.5 inch pieces of card together as illustrated.  Once dry, glue and cover with a piece of your left over scrap paper.  Leave to dry.  Once this is dry, glue to the bottom of the main piece(the bottom has the small piece of cardboard).  Leave this whole piece to dry thoroughly (I left mine for about an hour).

On the inside of the stand, cut a piece of your left-over scrap papers in a strip: 2.5 inches x 12.  Place this at the bottom of the stand so that it meets the edge of the ¾ inch piece.  You’ll need to trim this down so it fits your stand.  Using either a thin layer of glue or double-sided tape, glue this down.  This will create pockets to keep your recipe cards in.

Once your stand is completely dry you will be able to fold it as shown.   As you can see, the ¾ inch piece helps  the Stand stay in place!  Cut another little scrap of paper in a triangle shape to act as a photo corner to display your cards(mine is about an inch and half wide). Glue into place. 

Finally place your finished cards in your pockets and enjoy!   I think this would make a great gift andit  is light and small enough to post to far-away family and friends.  Why not invite some ‘recipe-loving’ friends over, give them each a recipe stand, filled with cards and have a recipe swap party.  Now wouldn’t that be fun? 

Have a great day

The shower and toilet are working and the room is finished, but we don’t have a mirror or sinks etc. This is what it’s looked like since we moved in:

There are more pics on my Master Reveal.

And here is my original idea board:

A few things have changed in the process. And as we were drawing out the plans for the vanity, I just wasn’t feeling it. So we decided to scrap some of the ideas and go with something a bit more unique.

I liked the idea of a white plank wall, but we already had the tile, we talked about chipping out the tile, but in the end decided to keep the tile and do the plank wall above it. The sinks remain the same, but we made the vanity a more modern “floating” vanity with a wood counter and wood front. This is where we are at right now:

Not quite there, but close enough to get an idea of where we’re going. The vanity is finished, but the drawers need to be stained to match the top. The sinks need to be installed and the plank wall painted white. Also we scrapped the medicine cabinets and are now doing one long mirror to keep the horizontal flow. I’ll update with a final reveal once we’re done!

I am sewing with Jen Allyson’s fabulous Christmas fabric line: Holly Jolly from Riley Blake.

Materials:

• Fabric for decorating towels
• Towels to be embellished
  (helpful hint: when possible pre-wash and dry your fabric, especially when using dark colors to prevent them from bleeding color onto your towels)
• Additional trim such as ribbon, lace or rick rac
• Scissors, sewing machine, measuring tape, thread and straight pins
  

Steps:

• Measure the width of the towel. Cut the fabric strips the width of the towel, plus one inch.  I like to layout my towel with the fabric and trim so I can see what the over-all effect will be.
• Measure trim the width of the towel plus 1/2 inch and cut.

• Turn under 1/2” on each long edge and press with your iron. Turn under 1/2” on each short edge and press.
• Load your bobbin with thread that is the same color as your towel and the top thread the closest color to your trim and fabrics.  You may need to switch colors for the same towel, but keep the bobbin thread consistent.

• Pin your fabric and additional trims with straight pins onto your towel.  Now you are ready to sew!
• Start with the fabric and edge-stitch along front pressed edges of strip, through all thicknesses.
• Decorate with more fabric strips and embellish with coordinating ribbons, lace, or ric-rac.

Pair your finished towel with your favorite bottle of hand soap and you have a wonderful gift that you’ll be proud of giving and the receiver will be pleased to get!

This is looking from the family room into the kitchen. We new right away that the wall would have to go and the kitchen expanded into the eating nook, and now 9 months later we are *almost* done with the kitchen. I showed you pictures of it not yet painted yesterday, and today, after much sweat and a really really late night…

Tada! You can see in the right hand side of the image the wall near the end of the nook area. That stayed the same, so it gives you a point of reference of the expansion.

And here you can see how it interacts with the other half of the kitchen

Still waiting on the countertops and backsplash tile.

The cabinets will have glass doors, and the wood planks will be painted a smoky aqua. And once all that happens, the kitchen will be officially done! I can’t believe how long of a journey its been, but it was all worth it!

If you want to see the journey, you can view older posts:

Picking a Marble Slab

Kitchen update – install 2

Kitchen Reveal

Cherry Countertops

Kitchen Cabinets Painted 1

Kitchen update – install 1

Move-in Kitchen

Kitchen Plans2

Kitchen Plans 1

]]> http://www.theprojectgirl.com/2011/11/15/what-a-difference-a-day-makes-kitchen-reveal-pt-1/feed/ 8 http://www.theprojectgirl.com/2011/11/05/our-marble-slab-tips-on-buying-a-slab-for-countertops/ http://www.theprojectgirl.com/2011/11/05/our-marble-slab-tips-on-buying-a-slab-for-countertops/#comments Sat, 05 Nov 2011 22:39:37 +0000 Jen Allyson http://www.theprojectgirl.com/?p=3034 We found a slab today thay we just love… and its within the budget! The type of marble is called Statuario, and its white with grey veining, but its not as cold/grey as your standard carrera marble.  I think it’s going to be just gorgeous in the kitchen.

Now we just have to pick out tile and have it all fabricated and installed. Yippee!

A few tips that I have for hunting for a stone slab:

• I recommend shopping for a fabricator before you visit suppliers. They will recommend you to one or two suppliers that they have a relationship with, and generally steer you in the right direction. In the end you will need them to do the templating, purchasing, and fabricating of the slab anyway, so might as well get their help from the beginning.

• Have an open mind of what you want, and really look around at all the offerings to see if something speaks to you.

• Visit more than one supplier. There could be varied prices or specials on the type of stone you are wanting, also batches of one type of stone can have different tones and marbling etc, from one batch to the next.

• Expect quality fabrication to cost roughly 2-3 times the cost of the slab. Ouch!

• Don’t skimp on your fabricator. Fabricators generally have pre-negotiated rates on slabs, so you can get a better price than the supplier will quote you if you were purchasing it on your own . Also some low-end fabricators use cheap glue and supplies, and if they are not insured they will not cover the price of a new slab if it breaks while they are doing the fabrication. You can ask your supplier about the reputation of the fabricator that you are working with. Whatever you do, don’t have “cousin jimmy” who “does this all the time” fabricate your slab for you. It’s not worth the money you may save if the slab breaks or if they don’t template it out correctly and you have to purchase a replacement slab to get the correct cuts you need.

• You’re going to have this countertop for a very long time, so take the time to choose something that you really love.

• If you have your heart set on a higher maintenance stone, do the research. A lot of people tried to dissuade us from marble, but I just love the look so much. We found that if you seal the marble regularly, clean up messes that might stain immediately, don’t put hot pans directly on it, and use a cutting board, then you shouldnt’ have any issues with marble (YMMV). Its totally worth it for us to do some upkeep on it to have the look that we want.

• If you are on a tight budget ask a fabricator or supplier about pre-fabricated countertops. If you have standard depth cabinets, this is a great option and can save you a ton of money.

My favorite season of all….FALL!

However, I like to call it HARVEST! 

This is why….

Usually every fall I get to spend a few hours in the drivers seat of the combine.

However, this year, I just sat in the passengers seat for about an hour.
It has been a busy season of working my real job and my fun job {plus, it’s a ‘new’ combine…and I didn’t want to wreck it!}.

I did get to haul some corn back to the home site, which just added a few more minutes to my already dozens of hours of tractor time.
{My fun job….I often drive a tractor for the hayrides on the weekends at Center Grove Orchard.}

So, due to being busy and some traveling with my real job, in addition to the extra hours I’ve put in at my fun job, on top of being sick for the past week, my post has changed a little.

In honor of my favorite season, I have done some Pinterest searching for fall/autumn subway art.

Subway art is the rage these days.  It is an easy, cheap, and fun addition to any home decor.

I thought about making my own subway art at one point, but with all the freebies out there, I took the easy way out. 

Over on Pinterest, I made a board of Fall Subway Art.

Some of the links have other free fall printables there as well.

Here are a few of my favorites.
{Each picture is linked directly to the website it was found on via Pinterest.}

Once you find some art that will work best for your home, either print it off if you have a nice printer, or send it off to some place that can print it for you.  I have printed things like this at Walmart, Target, local print shop, etc.

To finish off the look, get yourself a nice frame from Hobby Lobby {or the store of your choice}.  I always go to HobLob, because 1) it’s local; and 2) if I don’t get things 50% off, I wait for the 40% off coupon. 

As the seasons {or your mood} change, so can your subway art…and on the cheap!

1. A LOT of my posts will be about decorating, redecorating, remodeling, etc.

2. My posts will always have LOTS of photos.

We love Halloween around these parts. Not the cutesy smiley pumpkins and friendly ghosts, it’s the FULL out scary, horror movie Halloween. It’s my husband’s favorite holiday (he dresses as Leather Face every year) and I try to play along because he is so sweet and accommodating when it comes to Christmas, my favorite, and my over the top decor. So, here is my before, everyday, normal living room (pre-kid-destruction):

And here is the after:

So, it looks like a lot. It has been collected over the course of our 10 year marriage. But, this year, Tyler brought the four large Halloween rubber maid boxes to the back porch and I was so disgusted by 3/4 of it that I dropped it off at Goodwill and headed to Michael’s. With a couple of grape vine wreaths, a role of burlap, some strands of skeletons, and a bag of spider webs, I was able to finish off my final look. Our outside is pretty spooky too, but I waited too late today to take the photos, I’ll have to add them tomorrow.

I have to let you in on a secret though, I love decorating, but I don’t like paying a lot for it (in other words: I’m cheap!!). The majority of my items were purchased at after Halloween sales and saved to display the next year. One, of my haunted houses, on the entry table, was found at Goodwill for $3!! I was so excited. My run to Michael’s was broken up into two separate purchases so I could take advantage of two 40% off coupons.

So, this is our spooky Halloween. If you have any questions about anything that I did, please just ASK!!

I’m so excited to be a contributor to Jen’s blog and look forward to my future opportunities to be crafty and creative.