The new old house exterior editon

I'm blowing the dust off my blog to share some pictures of our new/old house. I want to document our progress as sort of a scrapbook to look back on and hopefully inspire someone as well. 

Time has flown by, we have been working away on house projects and living life here in our new town. I have to admit I was completely overwhelmed on and off for the first six months or so. We gutted the kitchen and downstairs bathroom before we moved in so living without them for over six weeks didn't help. The the little one was starting a new school in less than a week and life was chaotic. We still have lots more projects to work on but at least we feel more settled.

Today I'm sharing the exterior all dressed up with an evergreen garland and urns that stand about as tall as me. (I'm 5'3) The font of the house got the most attention this year with a new front door, landscape, lights, a new doorbell and fresh paint for the molding and cornice around the door. The back of the house and garage are another story.

Our house was built in 1940 and is a cape cod style. Our street has seen a lot of tear downs with new homes built to look vintage. Two streets up towards town the lots become wider and the original homes are grander, built around 1920. The streets closest to town are mostly from the turn of the century again with new homes mixed in. Total eye candy for the house lover with so many different types of architecture in a small area.

This is the house when I saw her for the first time. Tons of landscape rock with 7 huge stumps hiding underneath that we found later and an old storm door that would slap our guests in the butt. Work would have to wait out here until we got things going on the inside. I was trying to be patient but I missed having flowers and landscape.

Weeds started coming through those rocks and it was getting worse as fall wore on. We were still busy working on the inside so I got a great idea to put an ad on Craigslist for free landscape rock. A few people came and took all of them within a week or so! One step closer and we didn't have to dispose of them. After removing the 7 giant stumps that hid under all that rock we were left with this. A new roof, a couple new lights and a rock free garden bed ready to be planted in the spring.

We planted 40 baby boxwood that will eventually form a hedge, (patience) and 10 little lime hydrangea along the foundation. I also planted annuals in front of the tiny boxwood since the hydrangea wouldn't bloom until later in the summer. 

Then the day came to have the new front door installed. (This is the primed color) We are a mix of DIY and hiring out. This was one we didn't want to tackle. The installer did a great job preserving the original molding around the door inside and out. 

He even removed the railings for us. No need for them since there are only two steps and it really closed the stairs in. I was doing a happy dance right about now! You can see the hydrangeas were doing great at this point. The empty space is there to allow everything room to grow and will be part of stage 2. We did plant a bunch of tulips in there this fall so I'm excited to see if they come up or if the bunnies ate them.

The steps are not in great shape with holes where the railings were so the plan is to have them covered with some type of stone and widened a bit. A black door was my first choice but that would make us three in a row so I tried to go outside my comfort zone. I had a grayish green color picked out but changed to this last minute. Its a pretty color it just wasn't working for me so I painted it again before the cold weather came.

A black door it is! It feels more like me now.

It feels like home.

Sold!

We have been very busy over here.  We put our house on the market this spring and buckled in for a wild ride of house showings and house hunting.  When our house sold we still didn't have a contract on a new one so the pressure was on.

Not our ideal situation and stress was high for a while.  Mr. 65th even had a crazy father of the bride moment and wanted to buy our house back when we couldn't find a new one to buy!  But we had to remember why we wanted to sell in the first place, better schools.

After signing a contract on a much larger house, it didn't feel right and wasn't in the neighborhood we really wanted so we got out of it.  We would be buying for location this time around and that is what we did.

As of last Thursday we are the new owners of a cozy 1940 fixer upper in a wonderful neighborhood. Great schools, walk to train and a trendy downtown complete with a vintage movie theater.

The new owners of our house are letting us stay until next week so we have been able to get some work done at the new house before moving in.  I will be back soon with pictures!

The Fiddle leaf fig

It's been freezing and snowy here in the Midwest.  School has been cancelled five times so far which has to be a record.  Instead of being cooped up in the house for months on end we try to participate with old man winter by snowshoeing, ice skating and just getting outside.  Sadly none of that is happening lately. 

One way I am keeping my sanity is by bringing plants and flowers inside.  Greenery in the house makes me happy.  So after admiring the ever so popular and trendy Fiddle Leaf Fig in design magazines and blogs, I finally got one of my very own.  I've heard about people finding small ones at Ikea for cheap but never saw one there until this past Saturday. 

We headed out early hoping to find one of the elusive fiddle leafs.  I was happy when I found about six of them to choose from. 

This is Mr. Fig.  He's just a baby but I think it's the perfect size for this spot in our living room.  For twelve dollars it won't be a huge loss if he doesn't make it.  I've read they can be kind of tricky to keep alive.  I found the basket at an estate sale this summer.

This glossy green guy is called a goldfish plant.  It gets little orange flowers on it that look kind of like goldfish. 

It seems to be in the succulent family and has been really easy to care for so far. 

Having a few new plants will get you to clean and organize your house.  I bet you didn't know they could do that for you.  It's true.

Have you had any luck with a fiddle leaf?  I will let you know how it goes.

Christmas at our house 2013

Hello! I am feeling better and I'm ready for the festivities to begin.  Today we are making lasagna for our annual Christmas eve party.  And tomorrow we will stay home in our jammies and play all day, I can't wait!

During a snow storm a couple weeks ago I ran out and took a few pictures.   



To see our exterior remodel click here.
 

We were hoping the snow would stick around until Christmas but it didn't. 

I bought a couple five dollar wreaths from Home Depot and used one here on the front door.  I pulled off the wrinkled red bow that it came with,  hot glued some pinecones and added our glittered H.

I think it's a blogger prerequisite to use black and white ribbon this year.  I really love how versatile and sophisticated it is.

The playhouse window boxes are filled with evergreens and icicle ornaments.  The little boxwood wreath was leftover from last year so I popped it on the door. 

Is all this snow making you chilly?  The high is supposed to be 16 degrees here in Chicago, Brrr.

Here on the kitchen chalkboard wall I hung another one of those five dollar wreaths and glued on a few more pinecones....

The buffet in the kitchen got some fresh greens and paper whites. 

 

 

Our tradition is to cut a fresh tree the day after Thanksgiving.

Pretty tree, just a very crooked trunk.  When looking straight on you can't tell but from the side it looks like it's falling over.

 

Mr. 65th strung about 2500 lights this year. 

 

I thought I was late to plant my paper white bulbs but they bloomed just in time. 

 

 



 

More fresh greens on the dining room table and on the mantle....

 





 

Everything smells so good!

 

 

The little one didn't have her room clean in time to share her tree with you.  Maybe next year;)

 

 

From our home to yours, have a very Merry Christmas!!

Christmas Mantel

One week until Christmas and I am sick.  So instead of doing a Christmas house tour today I thought I would pop in and share our dining room mantel. 

 



This year inspiration came from a branch I found in the backyard.  I carried it around the house wondering where I could use it until I laid it on the mantel.  It stayed so nicely without having to secure it I decided to hang ornaments from it.  

The fresh greens make the dining room smell so good, it puts me in a festive mood every time I walk by.

 

The pinecone and acorn ornaments are some of my favorites. 

 

 

I used them on our table top tree last year.

 

 

Well, I'm off to bed.  Tomorrow I am going to finish up our Christmas shopping and wrap presents.  How about you?  Are you ready for the holidays?

 

 





Serpentine Dressers

There comes a time when I really miss having a paint brush in my hand.  So lately I've been stalking craigslist and visiting estate sales to find a few projects for me to do.  When I found this serpentine dresser set with the ball and claw feet I was sold.

I love furniture with curves and keyholes. 

They were in pretty good condition except for a few chips and nicks that I fixed with wood filler. 

They came with attached mirrors but I decided to remove them and patch the holes on top.  I think that makes them more versatile and I'm sure I will find a use for the mirrors. 



I followed my typical steps to make these girls over.  First I clean the drawers and get rid of dust and spider webs.  (my least favorite part)  Then I sand everything and wipe it all down.  Spackle if needed, sand and wipe down again. 

 

 

Apply a light coat of good quality primer, I usually let that dry overnight to cure.  Sand and wipe down and start your color of choice.  I used Soft Chamois by Benjamin Moore.  It's a soft white that doesn't look too new for antique pieces.  Oh, I lightly sand between coats of paint too.



The original hardware was ok, in hindsight I should have painted a few and tried it out.  Buying sixteen new knobs is expensive, especially when I bought these to makeover and sell.  I think the glass hardware fits well with the feminine lines of these pieces but these knobs from Anthropologie would have been perfection.  At fourteen dollars a piece I sadly passed. 

Since it's getting too cold to paint outside, I am going to give Annie Sloan's chalk paint a try.  I'll be back to let you know what I think of it. 


Sharing this makeover with Miss Mustard Seed




Happy Halloween!

Hello.  It's been a while hasn't it?  Today I'm just going to jump right back in and share our fall porch with you. 

I took these pictures the other day when it was nice out, today it's raining and supposed to continue all day.  I'm hopeful the little ones will be able to go trick or treating later. 

This year we have a dramatic black cat.  She was going to be a fox but changed her mind last minute.

I have been on the lookout for someone cutting down their tree so I could take a few of the stumps. They can be used in so many ways.

I used one here to elevate my favorite owl pumpkin front and center.  Mr. 65th spray painted it and carved it with a template.  A bit of the paint came off when we pulled the taped template off but otherwise it's been holding up great.

Off to clean the house and get ready to party indoors incase the weather doesn't cooperate.

Have a fun and safe Halloween!!