One Year in the "New" House

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We are quickly approaching the one year anniversary of moving to our new house!  It's very easy for me to focus only on what we still have left to do, but I'd like to take a moment and focus on what we have accomplished in one short year:

 

The Front Entryway Before/After:

Ahhh, yes.  My first project that I accomplished basically while Miss L. napped in the afternoons.  A fresh coat of paint on the columns, trim, and front door cleaned everything up.  My dad replaced the old brassy windows with some simple glass inserts.  New accessories helped freshen things up too!

Click here to see full entryway post.

 

The Laundry Room Before/After:

Wow.  I forgot how bad the laundry room looked before we repainted and reorganized it!  (Sorry about the horror-ific graphics on the before pic.  It was right around Halloween when I posted them, and I can't find the original images anywhere...)

Click here to see the full laundry room post.
 

Newly Painted Walls & Trim

 Newly painted walls make a big impact, but I think the white trim makes a big difference too! (I can't wait for the day those cabinets are white....*sigh*)  It really is a shame that I didn't take pictures before we replaced the awful brass light fixtures that were hanging in the kitchen and eating area.  Big difference!

 

 Kitchen Sink Area:

At first glance, you may not notice much of a difference, but let me point out the changes! I took off a cabinet door for some open shelving.  I hung new white plates above the sink.  I also spray painted all of the kitchen's brass hardware with Krylon's "Brushed Nickel" spray paint.  The walls and window trim are also painted.

Mantel:

This one never gets old. :) Just some paint and new accessories!

The Master Bath:

Whooo, doggy! (One of my fifth graders used to say that all of the time, and I still think of her every time I hear or use that expression!  Some of those kids will never leave your memory!)  Anyways, we just started this project about a month ago, and I had already forgotten how ugly the old bathroom was.  Geesh, I forget so quickly!

 

Here is another shot:

I mean....how did I not rip that border down months before now?!!

 

Goals are important, no?  I'd like to set my goals high for year two.  I sure hope Mr. Hoff is reading this today!

 

 Mrs. Hoff's Goals for Year 2:

                                              -  Finish master bath

                                              -  Re-do guest bath

                                              -  Finish painting the rest of the trim and doors in the house white

                                              -  Make back deck much prettier!

                                              -  Have kitchen cabinets painted by professional painter

 

What do you think?  Have we come a long way?

 

Have a great day! :)

                                           



My First Roundup for Simply Designing!

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Good morning!

Just popping in today to let you know that I'm the newest contributor over at Simply Designing with Ashley! 

I will be contributing monthly roundups, which is so exciting, because I LOVE a good roundup!

 

My first roundup is: 10 Amazing Planter Ideas!

Be sure to click on over and check it out!

 

Have a great day! :)

 



Accessorizing the Master Bath

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Our master bath re-do is coasting along....nice and easy and slow.

We're not finished yet, but we're getting there! 

 

Care to see our progress?

 

We have a light fixture installed!

 

Adding accessories is my favorite!  I grabbed this large blue vase at Target.

 

The walls look a little bare, but they are such an improvement!

 

I may not be at the beach, but I can pretend like I am with my starfish friend.  I got this basket at Target, and the towels are from Kohl's.

 

I got this bird at Goodwill!  Whoot!

 

I also found this little wooden crate at Goodwill.  I stained it to match the (eventual) frame of our mirror.  The shells are from our honeymoon in Mexico!

 

I have big plans for this big empty wall...next $30 Thursday project, perhaps?!

 

Have a great day! :)

 



Rope-Wrapped & Painted Terra Cotta Planters

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I have a goal this spring and summer.  If you are a regular reader of my blog, then you know about my goal.  I want to put more effort into making the outside of my house pretty. 

 

I am starting small with these cute little rope-wrapped (say that 10 times fast!) and painted terra cotta planters for our outdoor table centerpiece.

Aren't they pretty?! (And yes, those are fake Ikea plants in them...for now.)  I plan to plant some real flowers in them soon!

 

Here's how I did it:

1.  I started out with some terra cotta planters from Wal-Mart.  Random Fact: Terra cotta is Italian for "baked earth".  I found that out when I had to Google how to spell terra cotta... :)

2.  Starting at the top, I began hot gluing my rope down to the pot.  I continued to do this around the pot all the way to the bottom.

3.  I snipped off the rope  and secured it with hot glue.

4.  Using left over latex paint from my front door and a standard paint brush, I added a touch of blue to the base of this pot. 

 

This is one of those easy and inexpensive projects that adds a touch of texture and interest to the table.  Now, I'm hoping this will motivate me to get going on the rest of the deck! :)

 

Have a great day!

 

I'm linking up at:  Show Me the Goods Monday

  

 





Finding My Photo Style...

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I really like taking photos.  It is a hobby that I've developed in recent years and am constantly practicing and perfecting.

 

Here are some shots I captured in our front yard the other day:

 

 

 

 

I am signed up for Big Picture Classes' Finding Your Photo Style Workshop, and I can't wait for it to begin!  One of my favorite photography bloggers, Rebecca Cooper, from Simple As That is teaching this workshop with five other photographers.

 

Do you have a hobby or skill that you're trying to improve?

 

Have a great weekend and Happy Mother's Day to all of the moms out there!
Now that I am a mom I really understand the meaning of the phrase,
"It's the hardest job you'll ever love."

:)
 

Playing With Sticky Circles: A Guest Post From Miss L.

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Hi!  I'm Miss. L.

I am my mommy's favorite little person.  I mean, just look at me:

As I am getting older, my mom is trying to come up with ways to let me be creative and have fun.

But, I don't always cooperate with her.

 

I eat crayons.  I lick finger paint. I will even try to chew on chalk. Mommy still lets me play with these things, but only when she's feeling up to the challenge.

 

My mom is smart though.  She's figured out a solution for days when she doesn't feel like making a big mess:

Yup. Sticky circles! Or, "culs" as I call them.

I am going to tell you about the different ways we have figured out to play with these sticky neon things!

1.  Practice Finding Body Parts

 

Sometimes my mom draws a little girl, and we stick the dots on her!

 

2. I Practice My Colors and Point to the Circles!

My mommy hands me a circle, tells me the color, and I stick it on the paper.  Sometimes we do this with the whole sheet of stickers!  It is fun!  My mom also points to the stickers and says, "Look at the circles...can you say 'circle'"?  I can find circles in my books and puzzles since we started doing this!

 

3.  We Make Bugs & Caterpillars

I think my mom gets a bigger kick out of this than I do...I'll look at these bugs for a few seconds, then I get kinda bored and start sticking circles in my mouth.

 

 

Do you have a toddler like me?  What do you do to entertain them?

 

Have a great day! :)

 

Linking up at: The 36th Ave., Tatertots & Jello, It's Overflowing

 Show Me The Goods Monday

 



A Sweet Mother's Day Gift

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I am a sucker for milk glass.  I also really love succulents.  Put these two things together, and you've got a sweet Mother's Day gift!

 

I recently found these three little milk glass pieces at Goodwill.  As soon as I saw them, I knew what I wanted to do with them!

I purchased my succulents at a local greenhouse, but you can find them pretty much anywhere.  I even saw some at Wal-Mart the other day.  To see my tutorial on how to plant succulents, click here.

 

I made the little clips by spray painting some bottle tops black.  I used a white paint marker to add the hearts and hot glued them to some mini-clothespins.

 

I found and printed out these beautiful Mother's Day tags over at The Painted Arrow. Don't they add the perfect vintage detail?  Love them!

 

Remember that it is teacher appreciation week!  You could switch out the tag for a note written by your kiddo for his or her teacher.  Teachers are some of the hardest working professionals on the planet...I should know, I taught 5th grade for 6.5 years.  I've also been subbing lately, and it reminds me how much planning and work goes into each and every day of school!

 

Have a great day! :)

 

Linking up at: Bring Me the Goods Monday, The 36th Ave., Tatertots & Jello, It's Overflowing