Spare Bedroom #1...

This is one of three spare bedrooms we have. We assume from the BEFORE picture above that it was the previous owners teenage child's room. As you can see, there was very basic decorating and a rock and roll theme. I decided to go a different route as this is the bedroom that you see as you come up the stairs. I decided to make it a little more formal and RED! This room was an interesting remodel as we knew there would be some rough patches on the wall that would need to be re-mudded and sanded before we could paint. What we didn't know was that the spots that were bumpy were actually huge holes that had been covered in masking tape (yes...I said masking tape) and then painted over. It was a mess. Jon probably ended up patching, mudding, and sanding 10 BIG holes.....We have called it the anger management room ever since!

As you can see from the AFTER pictures, I did go with the RED walls and they turned out perfectly. I consider this one of my favorite rooms. It is very soothing, inviting, and (believe it or not) calming..... My parents were kind enough to let me dig this four poster bed out of their attic and they also contributed the beautiful gold quilt that covers the bed. I decided to continue the gold theme with long gold silk curtains - there are a total of three panels along a large and long window in the room. I then added a splash of green, peach, and yellow on the butterfly themed pillow and the paintings on the walls. (Remember to click on the photo to get a closer look and a little more detail). This room turned out to be a nice transformation and a succesful remodel. A totally different look and a beautiful room altogether........

A Nice Surprise...

There wasn't much landscaping when we moved into the house. In fact, we knew we would need to start from scratch. However, we did find that - to our delight - the previous owners did have some daylilies planted in the back yard. They had already bloomed by the time we moved in last August so we knew we'd have to wait until this summer to see what color they were, how big they were, and whether we knew the variety. Well....they have arrived and they are spectacular!

I couldn't believe it once it bloomed because it was a triple petal bloom. I had never seen such a daylily. I did a quick Internet search and found the following info....."the brilliant orange 'Kwanzo' or 'Kwanso,' which cannot set seed and is reproduced solely by underground runners and division. Usually referred to as a "double," meaning producing flowers with double the usual number of petals 'Kwanzo' actually produces triple the usual number of petals." This daylily is consider to be an heirloom daylily. They are related to the old fashioned ditch lilies but have progressed differently.

I have to say this was such a nice surprise.......just beautiful and a spectacular addition to our garden!

New Kitchen Rugs

As most of you who know me, know that I like to shop and I like to change things up, you won't be surprised to find that I have already chosen different rugs for the kitchen........if you remember from the kitchen entry earlier in the month, the rugs I had previously chosen for the kitchen were greens and brown. In fact, the entire kitchen color was chosen because of those rugs. I liked the original rugs so much that I even had the smaller rug that would go in front of the stove special ordered from Lowe's (I know, I know.....this was very unusual for me since I like everything to happen immediately!).......Anyway, there was one huge problem with the rugs. The quality was awful. They did not wear in a kitchen well nor did they vacuum well. In fact, they looked down-right awful after just a month or so. Even Jon made comment about their low quality. So, as you can see from the photo above, we have new rugs......I just ordered them last Wednesday and they were here when I arrived home on Friday. Talk about instant gratification. These rugs are WONDERFUL! They are blue, green, and brown - adding a little splash of color to the room that was missing. They pull a hint of the blue out of our palmetto prints and bring out my lovely blue canisters that sit on the counter tops! Not to mention that they are extra plush and comfortable to work on......let's hope they wear a little better that the previous rugs! No worries on the old rugs either....Jon and I plan to use them in his new office as they will definitely go with the Dutch Fork green!

The Den......

The den was the room I enjoyed remodeling the most. The reason being that it is the room that my mother and I worked on together one Saturday. The unfortunate part of that day was that she insisted that I do ceilings and she do walls and there is no other painting chore that is worse to do than a ceiling. Your neck gets in a crick, your shoulders begin to ache, and your legs wear out from going up and down the ladder......But, I regress.......as you can see from the BEFORE photos above the room we began with was very neutral. Cream colored walls and cream colored carpet. The previous owners had very basic furniture and wood in the room that went well with the cream colors. However, I felt the entire room needed updating!

I decided to continue the gold walls that we used in the entry hall and accent the molding in bright white. We then brought in our leather furniture along with a rug and window treatments that tied in burnt orange, blue, green, and reds. To me, I felt these accent colors gave it just the splash it needed to make it feel warm and welcoming. I do want to give credit to my mother for the beautiful window treatments she made in a day! It's wonderful that she puts up with me picking a pattern she's never seen and fabric that could possibly be hard to work with.....and she does so with no complaints! You can also see from the AFTER photos above that Jon changed the ceiling fan and switch plate covers. The carpet was replaced with a nice light coffee color frieze (a very short shag). The dogs love to stretch out on it and even I realized how much I miss carpet in a den. We also had the fireplace re-done. We had the gas logs replaced with logs that actually put out some heat and looked a little more modern and we had the 1990's door removed completely. We really love the new den. Its our style....very comfortable and inviting. We enjoy spending time in this room!

By the way.....if you look closely (click on photo to enlarge) you might just see a wiener dog....or two!!

More daylilies....

"Bursting Loose"

"Prague Spring"

"Darius"

"Christmas Ribbon"

"Ozora"

The Front Entry Hall...

Even though the front entry hall is a small space, I still feel it is one of the most important parts of a home. After all, it is the first space others see when they enter our home. As you can see from the BEFORE photo above, the hall was very basic. It was painted a gray/beige and had (most likely) only been painted once since the home was built. The decor was simple and somewhat "country".

We decided to make the hall a little warmer with a golden wheat color on the walls and bright white trim. I also decided to use reds, oranges, and golds in the rug and with the prints on the walls. I added an antique secretary that Jon owned before we met and a small table with a sunburst mirror above. Again, we were fortunate to have hardwood floors in the space that are in good condition. In the AFTER photos below, you can see that it has made quite a difference in the space.

We have made some slight changes even since these photos were taken, but only in the form of adding items that reflect our tastes!

The office....

We were fortunate enough to find a home that had the perfect room for an office. It's located on the front of the house and right off the den. As you can see from the BEFORE photo above there are built-in bookshelves. There is also a nook in the corner that is just the right size for the boyz crate. The royal blue color left a little to be desired and the carpet was in bad shape. This is the first room that was completed. As you can see from the AFTER photos below, it is much more our style now......relaxed and comfortable. A room that Jon and I both feel comfortable working in!

A few of our daylilies......

Jon and I love to garden. In our former yard, we had over 300 daylilies and many other flowering plants that brought beauty to our garden each spring. Luckily, we did have some of our favorite daylilies planted in pots and they were easily moved with us. The others, unfortunately, had to be left. Because we purchased a home that had no landscaping, we knew we'd be starting from scratch with our garden. Since the temperatures have warmed up, we have started the process.

The major photos of the changes we've made in the yard will come later. However, I couldn't resist sharing some photos of the daylilies we have planted and that have been blooming this week. Here are some close-ups of a few of the daylilies we have planted so far.....

"Dream In Color"

"Unknown Spider" with Kim's Knee High Coneflowers

"Spacecoast Sonata"

"Jolyne Nichole"

"Unknown Red Spider"

The Kitchen......

We all know that the kitchen is the most important room in the house. Not only do we prepare and cook our meals here (yum!), feed the boyz their delicious kibble here, pile our mail on the table in this room, and stack our shoes by the kitchen door…. it’s also the place everyone seems to congregate when we do entertain. This room was also one of the more challenging rooms in the house to remodel. As you can see from the BEFORE pictures below, the wallpaper left a little to be desired. It was an early nineties red with bold white dogwood flowers throughout. The light fixtures were also the original contractors choices…meaning cheap and low quality. The appliances were a mixed group of black and white and the countertops were white, chipped, and scratched… The one "plus" this room had already were the beautiful hardwood floors. (Hint: If you click on the photos you can get a better view!)

Instead of going through the horrible task of removing the wallpaper, we made the decision to paint the wallpaper. This is a multi-step process as you first have to paint the paper with oil-based primer...in our case with the red and white flowers…it took two coats (three in some areas!). At this point you check the seams in the wall paper, mud those that are obvious and sand smooth. After this was complete, we then painted two coats of our latex paint and two coats of the woodwork paint. Jon replaced the light fixtures with something a little more modern. We replaced the appliances with new white and upgraded pieces. We changed the hardware on the cabinets and doors. But the most amazing change of all….TADA….the counter tops!!! We went with neutral colored quartz called Silestone. It was not in the original plan to replace the counter tops but Jon (the real cook in the house) really wanted them and I am so very glad we did! As you can see from the AFTER pictures below, it definitely looks like a different room. I am very pleased with the outcome and can say that Jon and I both enjoy working in the kitchen now! What do you think?

Our new home....

Most of you know that Jon and I moved last August. Most of you know this because we moved on the hottest day of the year - really, it was a 100 degrees easy - and we still say that we never want to move again. I would be happy to grow old and feeble in this house just so I would never experience a move like that again.....Anyway, it was also the weekend between Jon's two weeks of band camp. Nothing like giving him a break, huh? Anyway, since then we have diligently been working on remodeling the house. We have come a long way in a short amount of time and now I feel ready to share. In the coming weeks (heck...maybe in the coming days) I will post some before and after photos for you to see the changes. What you may see might be considered small changes to you, but for us they have been huge. Its been an interesting ride. We've both learned alot about home repair and I have confirmed that I love the feel of a paint roller in my hand. The one thing I can say is that we do love how things have come together. I hope you will enjoy what you see too.....stay tuned!