tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-90874758929490600022024-03-05T02:55:47.398-08:00ZodiroweCChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06597441911612799354noreply@blogger.comBlogger79125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9087475892949060002.post-53306595002080822032016-07-22T11:07:00.001-07:002016-07-22T11:07:16.480-07:00Under ConstructionI'm back, baby! Or at least, I'm trying.<br />
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Blog is currently under construction and testing phase while I try to update and improve the site. Bear with me, as I hope to be back in action very soon!<br />
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Until then, here is an update family pic.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_Uh_T-7YYbSUlQ0ety6DgGURj_155lnTQdg7bliNCYyy_wdFvELeeq5GCD5aGpysKBsNpBtzAMGQqLG9K2IplsERBxbcz-a5EZs2Pe-VSn3g1WmUnZT7M7daP7EuRHelnHflDb_fdOQ8/s1600/10383550_10100338623752701_6066366547735334428_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_Uh_T-7YYbSUlQ0ety6DgGURj_155lnTQdg7bliNCYyy_wdFvELeeq5GCD5aGpysKBsNpBtzAMGQqLG9K2IplsERBxbcz-a5EZs2Pe-VSn3g1WmUnZT7M7daP7EuRHelnHflDb_fdOQ8/s320/10383550_10100338623752701_6066366547735334428_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Yes, that is our newest baby, Sweet Pea. She is actually a year old now. I know. We have so much to catch up on. I can't wait!CChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06597441911612799354noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9087475892949060002.post-74379361906348354622013-05-05T08:00:00.000-07:002016-07-22T11:10:14.591-07:00Karl in the Hizz-ouseI have no idea if I spelled that correct because I just typed what it sounded like in my head.<br />
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I actually had another post planned but I am just too excited and have to share this update with you. Post order be damned!<br />
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In my<a href="http://zodirowe.blogspot.com/2013/04/step-two-paint.html"> last post</a>, I told you the good news about our sectional update; we found one! We chose the Karlstad from Ikea in Sivik dark gray.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSjYB5oYdem7b_8rDYgLTFGc11LOSw4q2PsOgN-lwUfpJjcbB-YM0R2utfm0lfFp4aTxFnRILfwTkqX_wtUQH0p4of7KR6jYexwJjCRGADBGE34DfSL6i9l3WoYs_yw2-IK9SjLrxIITc/s1600/Capture.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSjYB5oYdem7b_8rDYgLTFGc11LOSw4q2PsOgN-lwUfpJjcbB-YM0R2utfm0lfFp4aTxFnRILfwTkqX_wtUQH0p4of7KR6jYexwJjCRGADBGE34DfSL6i9l3WoYs_yw2-IK9SjLrxIITc/s400/Capture.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Found <a href="http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/S69840434/#/S59840439" target="_blank">here</a>.</td></tr>
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I had seen this sectional on <a href="http://www.younghouselove.com/2011/01/surprise/">younghouselove.com</a> originally and really liked it. However, at the time Husband wasn't totally sold. It wasn't that he didn't like the color or style, he was just nervous about buying a couch without being able to see it in person. He worried the fabric might be uncomfortable or the couch would feel cheap. I completely agreed and we continued our search.<br />
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We have been searching and searching since the day we moved in. 9 months of nothing. Well, maybe not nothing (Double negative! English majors hate me!). We found a couple of options that we liked but weren't quite right for the space. The sectionals we found were either the wrong color, wrong orientation (we didn't want to block our back door), or it was ridiculously expensive.<br />
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We found this one from Havertys that we really liked. It was comfortable, a good price, and each piece is seperate so we could get any configuration we wanted to fit the space. I wasn't completely sold on the color but they have a good return policy and we decided to buy it and see it in the space. Different lighting can drastically change colors.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhABFmYGcEdnxBt8TmS3Wc7q9y2HubGwNaI9z16HtEdZqvX4cJPhvWpCyNwiyfwNrhSeQ-0mPDEcLtFpXYi9PI7KXtQW6mddYCGscM-HZvvC4zANtJaj-8RPvUlb-HWxivQbfgwhtP67zk/s1600/Capture.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="208" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhABFmYGcEdnxBt8TmS3Wc7q9y2HubGwNaI9z16HtEdZqvX4cJPhvWpCyNwiyfwNrhSeQ-0mPDEcLtFpXYi9PI7KXtQW6mddYCGscM-HZvvC4zANtJaj-8RPvUlb-HWxivQbfgwhtP67zk/s400/Capture.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Found <a href="http://www.havertys.com/Product_49961?curIndex=7&resultCount=19">here</a>. We went with the Porto Granite.</td></tr>
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Sadly, the color looked worse in our living room. I don't have pic but, trust me, it was bad. We wanted a gray couch but it looked really brown, as opposed to only kind of brownish in the store. It also made the walls look pink. I tried holding up some gray paint swatches (since we want to paint anyway) but that only brought out more of the brown and it really clashed. We had to return it.<br />
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Womp womp.<br />
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Unfortunately, we couldn't find any other affordable option in the style and color we wanted. We had to go the custom route and order something. We picked out this little number from Christian Street Furniture.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghvgVJ3jNoNsfYxPx5KSSkHtbNzDo8NmbUCpeiNWKIkQwO28TBjWg_Jt-VmJTapXU3_zUxxuKc2LWVSYTU_x5z1-Z1dXdSWOR_bjGm_BCDeHSkVfjrtxFnh-6WzqaDWE7X0VQWVcYPpgc/s1600/Capture.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="215" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghvgVJ3jNoNsfYxPx5KSSkHtbNzDo8NmbUCpeiNWKIkQwO28TBjWg_Jt-VmJTapXU3_zUxxuKc2LWVSYTU_x5z1-Z1dXdSWOR_bjGm_BCDeHSkVfjrtxFnh-6WzqaDWE7X0VQWVcYPpgc/s400/Capture.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Found <a href="http://christianstreet.microdinc.com/ItemInformation_NewUI.aspx?SKU=K626SECT&Catalog=338">here</a>.</td></tr>
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The price tag for what we wanted, with delivery and taxes, was well over $4,000.<br />
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Ouch.<br />
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We decided to suck it up and save the money. We didn't really have any other options. It turned out to be a good thing that we were taking so long to save the cash. It gave us more time to really consider if an expensive custom option was what we wanted. Our house has a dog, a cat, and a really messy wife so paying $$$$ for an everyday couch felt like a bad idea. Sure, a pricey piece would probably hold up well to the daily abuse. BUT. Husband and I knew we would just be sweating bullets every time someone came over and hovered too close with a drink or snack.<br />
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That's no way to live or host a party, ya'll.<br />
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I really knew Husband and I had to reconsider the custom couch when we had some friends and their son over. Their two-year-old cutie was playing with our chalkboard table (oh I'll have to show you that too! Later.) and he had chalk on his hands. He ran over to our sitting area couch and got chalk dust on it. The mother apologized profusely, trying to clean off the hand prints. I told her not to worry. The couch is slip-covered and inexpensive! It's not like it's a heirloom piece.<br />
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That's when it really hit me. Had the kid done that to our $4,000+ custom sofa, I might not have been so laid back about it. I told Husband about the incident and it registered with him as well. Could we really live comfortably with a sofa we couldn't be relaxed around? Nope. Nope. Nope.<br />
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We took another look at Karlstad and the price was definitely right. Even with $350 in shipping, the sectional with the add on chaise was only about $1,600. That's less than half the cost of the custom piece. Plus, the Petersiks had posted <a href="http://www.younghouselove.com/2012/04/post-haste-2/">here </a>with an update about how Karl was holding up to their daily abuse. Spoiler alert, it was holding up beautifully. That and the price really sold Husband on it. So we bought it! And it came early! SCOOOOOOOORRRRRREEEE!<br />
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I just want to reiterate that the style, size, and orientation were also perfect. Not just the price. The only thing that kept us from buying it in the first place was the inability to see it in person, since we live several hours away from the nearest Ikea. I strongly urge you NOT to buy something just because it has a nice price tag. Buy something because you love it or need it.<br />
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It took me about 3.5 hours or so to put it together. I took a couple of candy breaks in there too. Husband was under the weather that day and couldn't help. I, however, was uber-determined to have that thing done. I wanted our new couch already!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1nfLsMP9ZNcQac2qESQscB0Y85ZR0TF4EBvNFqVCOoeifRiWPs4bEKfHmP6sLnsPJMHc5TtV0_iM-bErPqm4X0FmpH_ymlotjXSt7SgesLR3HcI72pxpz591KpEOfMf35jQe5X0PUw1g/s1600/DSC_0789.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1nfLsMP9ZNcQac2qESQscB0Y85ZR0TF4EBvNFqVCOoeifRiWPs4bEKfHmP6sLnsPJMHc5TtV0_iM-bErPqm4X0FmpH_ymlotjXSt7SgesLR3HcI72pxpz591KpEOfMf35jQe5X0PUw1g/s400/DSC_0789.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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I used a dolley to bring everything in and Husband helped push our old couch to the side. A real plus to having such a large, open concept home is that there is always space to work on things!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNYyZmI85kCe9KflckWbDQnHqT6H43hFZ0kpHxh01FD8qcrXn4Vn_zz3x_VGcPdJVrRdJ2Uq-WgODP1O9CTi_G015OQuPhEOoXA0294Hoz2a3OaO7yFmfjcqCCc6u-inwot-IqKN4anhM/s1600/DSC_0793.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNYyZmI85kCe9KflckWbDQnHqT6H43hFZ0kpHxh01FD8qcrXn4Vn_zz3x_VGcPdJVrRdJ2Uq-WgODP1O9CTi_G015OQuPhEOoXA0294Hoz2a3OaO7yFmfjcqCCc6u-inwot-IqKN4anhM/s400/DSC_0793.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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I suppose I wasn't completely solo on this assembly. My furry little helper was always underfoot. He makes a good product tester as well.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV0ocTIG6YWOxykxteaxgWdTPfNYIGFVw1I97rsjt3wq9Ejl6RDOLI7ne9ZJcu9xGcWsRLij4pQ2v57nssCjuWMRB_4_IpbESWh-AAsXXyxVYtcjhXFAbsNnPaj4rHQkLL9eWFqQ_a7AI/s1600/DSC_0802.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV0ocTIG6YWOxykxteaxgWdTPfNYIGFVw1I97rsjt3wq9Ejl6RDOLI7ne9ZJcu9xGcWsRLij4pQ2v57nssCjuWMRB_4_IpbESWh-AAsXXyxVYtcjhXFAbsNnPaj4rHQkLL9eWFqQ_a7AI/s400/DSC_0802.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hurry up with the rest of those cushions, Mom. I'm ready for my nap.</td></tr>
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Here he is, all assembled and in our living room!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJzPjW34OAcx6duW6pHY2V9FPDocf4_m4_qrzerC3xT7OARMJrDwWNl_OUKs_MBCbgu4sq-ZeCzlHlhLJ9QHjZ6Cp_YzUN9U0D6cL_xBJUXA_fL_sEC7fRVXe280zt1zG_2CI4enamrto/s1600/DSC_0330.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJzPjW34OAcx6duW6pHY2V9FPDocf4_m4_qrzerC3xT7OARMJrDwWNl_OUKs_MBCbgu4sq-ZeCzlHlhLJ9QHjZ6Cp_YzUN9U0D6cL_xBJUXA_fL_sEC7fRVXe280zt1zG_2CI4enamrto/s400/DSC_0330.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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Husband gave the aluminum legs the ok and I'm glad he did. I really like them and they add to that modern feel we want!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj_DCJiqmXsWZwe_LmwKdr_VRivxox29sxMlrqjYj-Sl8ggF4flPGyDSrvwF2KCaG1s9yr2Lip17q4-4AbCZ8N_osf52FgV7abHttQljNLUgCA_HiEc8LBBv-V3YYHrBQCWM2ZC9fbXic/s1600/DSC_0348.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="331" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj_DCJiqmXsWZwe_LmwKdr_VRivxox29sxMlrqjYj-Sl8ggF4flPGyDSrvwF2KCaG1s9yr2Lip17q4-4AbCZ8N_osf52FgV7abHttQljNLUgCA_HiEc8LBBv-V3YYHrBQCWM2ZC9fbXic/s400/DSC_0348.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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I will say I like the fabric and look of the couch. However. Yes there is a however. However, the cushions are a lot firmer than what we're used to. Our old sectional was cushier to start and has been broken in very well over the past 5 or so years. I'm used to sinking into a sofa, which I don't really do in this one. I'm hoping that we will be able to break it in a bit more over time. All in all though, I really like the couch. I can't wait to have friends over and have everyone fit in the living room at the same time! It will be EPIC I tell ya!<br />
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I get excited over the weirdest/lamest crap.<br />
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We also hung the gallery wall from the condo (seen <a href="http://zodirowe.blogspot.com/2012/02/continuing-on-wall-decor.html">here</a>) above the couch and bought a large rug (that looks pretty much identical to the one from the condo) from Lowe's. The rug is 7x9 and it is from the Sophia line at Lowe's in the Ivory color. I don't see our exact one online but it was about $400. I know, that's a lot to pay for a white rug but OH WELL. It was what we liked and we saved a bundle on the couch. It is also super plush and soft.<br />
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We plan on adding some more colorful pillows and finding/building a console table to go along the back of the couch that faces the dining room. As always, I'll keep you posted!<br />
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Another before,<br />
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and another after,<br />
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and another shot of Ty!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7mvRmMACjv9XG9uDvDbEbrghcM7gNr5XIKvqYzcfVA7pC1cnRiEHdOEJ0V8nPEvXJGj8UDhcMcbhurMNnBGI98veURgf4jDMo_ilcP7vxzl_Qt_ICMl2dPVgZ0eP3noMdEN0-XDgsTg0/s1600/DSC_0335.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7mvRmMACjv9XG9uDvDbEbrghcM7gNr5XIKvqYzcfVA7pC1cnRiEHdOEJ0V8nPEvXJGj8UDhcMcbhurMNnBGI98veURgf4jDMo_ilcP7vxzl_Qt_ICMl2dPVgZ0eP3noMdEN0-XDgsTg0/s400/DSC_0335.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Love those leg wrinkles!</td></tr>
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PS - I'll have a separate post about how we hung the gallery wall. It was really frustrating at first but Husband and I came up with a method that worked perfect and made the entire process much faster and less headache-inducing!CChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06597441911612799354noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9087475892949060002.post-17986068611273973402013-04-11T07:30:00.000-07:002016-07-22T11:51:55.759-07:00Step Two: Paint!Husband and I had a nice long list of projects and To Do's when we bought our house. See that list <a href="http://zodirowe.blogspot.com/2013/03/new-house.html" target="_blank">here</a>. Step One after buying the house was CELEBRATE!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZzctqnawRMn75UgPlgl8lQ3bMKV2s6fmcomuZa8ggOmVEE8EuTCYLdmDWnp9ZSCxPKlJqQs8jYPstb3GE5NgZBmDI41c0ZAjCsRq10Ov5PKqOrHoLd3LmMbazt20NFkzYyrANe-EJC7Y/s1600/373897_10152012657625228_516053436_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZzctqnawRMn75UgPlgl8lQ3bMKV2s6fmcomuZa8ggOmVEE8EuTCYLdmDWnp9ZSCxPKlJqQs8jYPstb3GE5NgZBmDI41c0ZAjCsRq10Ov5PKqOrHoLd3LmMbazt20NFkzYyrANe-EJC7Y/s400/373897_10152012657625228_516053436_n.jpg" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This was our first time using our key and walking into the house right after we bought it. The brown envelope has our closing documents. Yeah, we were excited.</td></tr>
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Right after we moved in, we moved on to Step Two: Paint. Specifically, the man room.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm-5dlE2NNpJZze1yumOXw-A0CHIZZx3FThIEbG3zCF-6bGvAoQLSk_cvV9iz9bdA1Tf-AMavmj0CU_EpNbpU37BbtZEiimZyjlZOvdRVUie4jV_JM6otVjsj0-nwZIFAKy1ERjBjy_8E/s1600/385492_10152017288690228_120972011_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="262" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm-5dlE2NNpJZze1yumOXw-A0CHIZZx3FThIEbG3zCF-6bGvAoQLSk_cvV9iz9bdA1Tf-AMavmj0CU_EpNbpU37BbtZEiimZyjlZOvdRVUie4jV_JM6otVjsj0-nwZIFAKy1ERjBjy_8E/s400/385492_10152017288690228_120972011_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not so manly right now.</td></tr>
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This room used to be a little boy's room. As with all things, it was time for this room to grow up and become a man. Don't make that as dirty as it sounds.</div>
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This room is meant to be Husband's little bit of oasis. The room where he can do whatever he damn well pleases, such as relax without a nagging little woman around. Hey wait...that's me.....I just insulted myself on my own blog in a really sexist way.</div>
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Not much relaxing could really happen in here with the neon colors. So, before we even unpacked all of our boxes, we grabbed some paint swatches and Husband started picking colors. Since this is the Man Room (I should capitalize it from now on) I have nothing to do with the decor choices in here. I'll give my opinion if Husband seems stuck or asks but whatever he wants to do in here, he can do.</div>
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Husband and I try to agree on everything decor wise that we do in our home. This is OUR home and we should both love it. That's not to say one of us doesn't compromise sometimes but, for the most part if we both don't like something, it doesn't make it into the house. Except for our offices. We each get free reign in our own rooms. Teal walls in the office, here I come! </div>
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Sidenote: There is one thing I'm not allowed to do in my office anymore and that's cut things with my dremel. I may or may not have been cutting molding in my office with my dremel and I may or may not have set off the smoke detectors in the entire house. I need a workshop, yo. Because I've been banned. *sigh*</div>
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Back to Man.</div>
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Husband wants his Man Room to have a classic, elegant feel. Maybe elegant is too feminine of a word. Classy? Fancy? High-end? Yeah, high-end. Manly and accurate. Think, modern lounge. He decided on a light, neutral gray with some warm undertones. The color is called Filtered Shade by Valspar.</div>
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Luckily, Husband's parents were free and willing to help us paint! We primed and painted the room in a day. Many hands made such quick work that we primed the dining room the same day!</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZdYNw41UcQr1fJYgsAV-cnly5N5IjpYzeImSO_TlQIwcI_NFfwNrJpbrcFl2_WvxPQsRWbQv_l61MQeCwQ1Q1Wpjpu8N65DtJhvBNN3d7-K33KaWjCk9hyphenhyphenpbyk_IixUo8oSSW6-MNgGU/s1600/DSC_0041.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZdYNw41UcQr1fJYgsAV-cnly5N5IjpYzeImSO_TlQIwcI_NFfwNrJpbrcFl2_WvxPQsRWbQv_l61MQeCwQ1Q1Wpjpu8N65DtJhvBNN3d7-K33KaWjCk9hyphenhyphenpbyk_IixUo8oSSW6-MNgGU/s400/DSC_0041.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Crappy phone pic. Nice.</td></tr>
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We could have painted but we hadn't picked out a color for the dining room yet. Oy vey was that a long process. But that's another post.<br />
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We did have a bit of a hiccup that day. We only had so many rollers and brushes and, at one point, my father-in-law was left with no roller to help with painting. Not being the kind of man to idle, he decided to cut some overgrown bamboo that was along the side of the house. Unfortunately, that disturbed a nest of carpenter ants. The ants begin to scatter, with many of them climbing the side of the house and into the air vents that lead to the attic! These little buggers don't eat wood like termites but they do destroy it to make nests and tunnels. Husband and his dad had to act fast. They <strike>ran </strike>drove to a nearby pest control store and bought some heavy duty ant killer. Husband sprayed around the house and sprinkled the bait in the attic.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTp6sQu5YCepG4so0NtLLVKulAxEgUHGOUwmEg6_wVOmVJuiMsvreGNlm2fg2KuvV8YUXArXNoNyA2KTt1_9NAOBPWsvITtkOA4QfpoxMZq0hozrZTiZh_MNPt3Su11je5-9-NhpQNktk/s1600/Camponotus_fellah_MHNT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTp6sQu5YCepG4so0NtLLVKulAxEgUHGOUwmEg6_wVOmVJuiMsvreGNlm2fg2KuvV8YUXArXNoNyA2KTt1_9NAOBPWsvITtkOA4QfpoxMZq0hozrZTiZh_MNPt3Su11je5-9-NhpQNktk/s400/Camponotus_fellah_MHNT.jpg" width="247" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Details about these little buggers <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carpenter_ant">here</a>.</td></tr>
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Needless to say, Husband and his dad weren't able to help paint because they were a bit busy keeping our home from being destroyed. So, the two women (me and my mother-in-law) painted the Man Room. Is that irony? I'm not sure but it seemed like it at the time.<br />
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Our house is still standing so I guess the bait worked.</div>
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Here is the Man Room now, with a more subdued hue!</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcU1dMUXdKLvjW9um2qoKc9K10-j4EaMJIHOa9hQrn5DzRfohIu_Ju3nVM2kSzScNfM7QbKTE4aALfPhzsZXJBrPfCOjuOqIshXWIwFqvbqI-lDPqE77ouWJ1BDvhU61zbwnauADNNR10/s1600/DSC_0699.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcU1dMUXdKLvjW9um2qoKc9K10-j4EaMJIHOa9hQrn5DzRfohIu_Ju3nVM2kSzScNfM7QbKTE4aALfPhzsZXJBrPfCOjuOqIshXWIwFqvbqI-lDPqE77ouWJ1BDvhU61zbwnauADNNR10/s400/DSC_0699.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: start;">I'll post better pics when it's a room instead of a box graveyard.</span></td></tr>
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And that's it. That's all that has been done to this room for the past 9 months. Sad, I know. Our current living room couch will end up in here. Until we could get some new furniture for the living room though, it has been forced to stay nearly vacant. Lucky for Husband, that will be changing soon!<br />
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We finally picked out and ordered a couch! We decided on the Karstad sectional from Ikea in Sivik dark gray.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit-LvN_D8EpmFs2ypRVKkaWVIsfJgpjdYQnDwLzl9W1KYjvzah-2uJ1YKad2tq_k_bIS-NEiNrfEsS3FE7wYqqEm_N5s3dnsRVR2T2a_b7o7MrdLr615M0Hbiq-dpTUCTcRmMKnl1kOv4/s1600/Capture.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit-LvN_D8EpmFs2ypRVKkaWVIsfJgpjdYQnDwLzl9W1KYjvzah-2uJ1YKad2tq_k_bIS-NEiNrfEsS3FE7wYqqEm_N5s3dnsRVR2T2a_b7o7MrdLr615M0Hbiq-dpTUCTcRmMKnl1kOv4/s400/Capture.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We ordered the add on chaise as well. I know, I should rename this blog YoungHouseLoveCopycat.com.</td></tr>
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We also ordered the aluminum legs but Husband said he may or may not be sold on those. We'll have to wait to see them in person before we say yes to using them. I'll post details when that happens.<br />
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The couch is set to be delivered this week! *squeal* Once we have that set up, we will move our brown sectional into the Man Room and Husband can really begin setting up his space. He currently has his favorite artwork sitting on the floor, leaned up against various walls. I know that some people do that and it looks cool and artsy but, trust me, it doesn't look like that in there right now. He was waiting on the furniture so he could hang things properly the first time. Until then, there hasn't been much incentive to do something about the piles of boxes and disorganized junk everywhere.<br />
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Wait! We did do one other thing to the Man Room! The ceiling fan was changed. Husband was looking to change out his white fan for a brown one, which would fit in with his style more. When he pointed out a few he liked, it struck me that what he pointed to looked very similar to what was in my office. And I had been thinking I wanted a white one! We really are soulmates! So, instead of spending dough on two new ones, we just switched. It was easy enough for Husband and his dad to do and we saved the moolah for other projects.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Use what you got it! Because sometimes, it is just as good!</td></tr>
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Wow, this post is kinda all over the place. Painting the man room, dining room, ants, couches, fans, etc. I guess that is just a testament to what working on a home is like. One project leads to another and to another. It is just one big domino effect. I suppose that's why our homes are always In Progress.<br />
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I'm ok with that. How about you? What dominoes have you been knocking over recently?</div>
CChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06597441911612799354noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9087475892949060002.post-46552305535175093122013-04-03T11:00:00.000-07:002016-07-22T11:02:24.753-07:00Set the Stage<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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As promised, I wrote up a little something about what we did to stage our condo to sell quickly and for what we were hoping for. I should note, I am no expert. I didn't go to staging college or anything, if those exist.<br />
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I don't think they do.<br />
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Anyhoot, these are the things Husband and I did to give us a leg up during showings. These tips are all about what to do the day of an open house or potential buyer drive by.<br />
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<b>First and probably the single most important thing, CLEAN CLEAN CLEAN (full caps means business).</b><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtGFp92EPc4sPF6j68EtMMKJQ8oZuWkdTV4nxvnMR6mwtWqQxmZGt-ucVrn9dJtnL7szP60Ro6nyM08USXn2AuyneY1e6-Y8kzl0I0wtq0WzH-jJfDIv0Wsfh62Kdw0Tjj8J7osNdYmmw/s1600/rubber-gloves_300.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtGFp92EPc4sPF6j68EtMMKJQ8oZuWkdTV4nxvnMR6mwtWqQxmZGt-ucVrn9dJtnL7szP60Ro6nyM08USXn2AuyneY1e6-Y8kzl0I0wtq0WzH-jJfDIv0Wsfh62Kdw0Tjj8J7osNdYmmw/s320/rubber-gloves_300.jpg" width="268" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo credit, <a href="http://realsimple.com/">realsimple.com</a>. Check out<a href="http://www.realsimple.com/home-organizing/cleaning/daily-cleaning-checklist-00000000000953/index.html" target="_blank"> this great cleaning checklist</a> I used as a starting point for my own checklist!</td></tr>
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Oh Lawd, clean like you have never cleaned in your life and then continue to clean everyday like Martha Stewart herself is coming to judge your home. You might think most people won't notice the smudge on the baseboard but, when people are house shopping, they notice everything. Even if just on a subconscious level.<br />
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Husband and I did not leave dishes in the sink. We did not leave semi-clean laundry hanging on any chairs. We made the bed religiously. We dusted, vacuumed and scrubbed all surfaces constantly. We made sure there were no dust bunnies in any corner of the house. We emptied all trash cans (even the bathroom one) almost daily, or at least right before someone said they were coming by, regardless of how much was in the can. Yes, it was exhausting but it paid off in the long run. Hopefully, your house will be so clean it will sell almost immediately and then you don't have to clean ever again.<br />
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To let you know how important this step is, I'm going to tell you this little story. There was another condo just like ours (same size, floor plan, etc) on the market at the same time we listed our condo. The other listing had some older flooring upstairs and wasn't staged like our home. Other than that, same condo.<br />
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There was a much bigger difference in the price, though. That condo was listed for $20,000 CHEAPER than our listing. It had also been on the market for some time so, it probably could have been negotiated for less. I don't know that for sure because, obviously, I wasn't trying to buy it. This listing made Husband and I extremely nervous but, we forged ahead. We had to try.<br />
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When our buyer told us that he had checked it out but chose our home instead, I asked why (because I'm stupid like that).He said it was because, out of all the listings he had toured, our home was the cleanest place he had ever seen. He went on to say that made him feel like our home was well cared for and, therefore, less likely to have any major issues.<br />
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!!!!!!<br />
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Our crazy cleaning was worth $20,000 to our buyer.<br />
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!!!!!!<br />
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Cleaning is important!<br />
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<b>My second tip, which kind of goes along with the first tip, is to move any pets out of the house. </b><br />
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Some people might have an issue with this but it really does help with keeping the house clean and fresh. Plus, not everyone is a dog/cat/turtle person. Shockingly appalling, I know. We did disclose that we had pets in the condo because we weren't moving the kids out to be deceptive. It really is easier to keep a house clean with fewer living creatures in it. Heck, I thought about moving Husband out temporarily. No one would take him.<br />
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Kidding, honey!<br />
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I am <b>not</b> at all suggesting you take your pets to a kennel or get rid of them. Heavens no. We could never do that to our babies. We <strike>begged </strike> asked our parents to take the kids during showings. The cat went to my mom and the dog went to my in-laws. Our kids are high maintenance and giving both to one person would have been too much. So, if you have a family member or really good friend who is willing to take your furry babies for a bit, just do it. And buy that person lots of booze and cookies.<br />
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I'll be honest, it was hard. We missed the kids, they missed us, and our families were burdened with our brood. But, we all knew it was important to help us sell quickly. Since the pup is a little more maintenance than the cat, we would leave him for a few days and then take him back for a day or two, until someone called to set up a showing.<br />
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The cat was more difficult to move (mainly because of the litter box) so he stayed with my mom for about a month (or two). He also doesn't handle change well so I knew seeing moving boxes would stress him out. My mother is so awesome for keeping him for that long (until we settled into the new home) and ignored her own stress level for it.<br />
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THANK YOU MOMMY!!!!!!! She reads the blog sometimes. Everyone say hi mom and thanks for taking care of your daughter's fat cat for so long!<br />
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Once we had a purchased agreement signed though, we moved the dog back for good. He can handle the boxes.<br />
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If you can't temporarily relocate your pet, then keep that litter box/kennel/aquarium super clean (I use sifting liners in True's litter box and they are fantastic for a quick clean), try to bathe your pet so they don't stink, and consider using paper plates or bowls for their food. That way, you can toss their food dishes before a potential buyer comes by. You want to minimize your pet's footprint as much as possible.<a href="http://www.younghouselove.com/2010/11/how-we-sold-our-house-by-owner/" target="_blank">The Petersiks</a> would even drive their babies around in the car to get them out of the house while people were checking out their pad.<br />
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<b>Tip #3, do a quick pass through to declutter before showing your home and shove it all in the car. </b><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I have about 5 of these bad boys and used every single one to decrapify. They are about $5 each at Wal-mart or Target.</td></tr>
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These items are things that you need in your day to day life but may crowd your home, such as your dirty laundry basket. I would pile things into empty laundry baskets and toss them in my car, then drive my car to the other side of our lot. It feels kind of sneaky but it really did help our tiny condo feel airy and clean. My car was usually stacked with our laundry baskets, my bathroom trash can (because it stuck out in my bathroom and interrupted the flow), our Roomba, clean clothes that hadn't been folded yet, the baskets on our stairs we used to corral clutter, and other random items that we would normally throw in a closet before company comes over because there wasn't time to properly put it away. Since this company would be looking in all of our closets, there was no place to hide our mess.<br />
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By tossing all of those random things in the car, it allowed us to use what little time we had for getting ready to focus on scrubbing. Some people may call and want to stop by in 10 minutes or less and you want to be ready for them. They could be The Ones!<br />
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<b>Tip #4, Light some clean smelling candles and spray some Febreeze.</b><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcfo_9EqjsGeXlWgGSUyMBA6gvj0yWVaJjNSzkahgBjeIdIhI_ZWZpj81edSJ-8KS40uBp0OAnx60SAusPD3BN0zU0CG6yMjVzAvEomJoZgkNIR-z2iTQvYKWJqz8aEGJlxETHzZPQkGQ/s1600/CandlesCrispWaters.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcfo_9EqjsGeXlWgGSUyMBA6gvj0yWVaJjNSzkahgBjeIdIhI_ZWZpj81edSJ-8KS40uBp0OAnx60SAusPD3BN0zU0CG6yMjVzAvEomJoZgkNIR-z2iTQvYKWJqz8aEGJlxETHzZPQkGQ/s320/CandlesCrispWaters.png" width="153" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.glade.com/en-US/Products/Pages/GladeCandles.aspx#" target="_blank">Photo credit</a></td></tr>
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<b><br /></b>You've probably heard tips about baking fresh cookies in your oven during an open house and, while that's a good idea, I didn't think my waist line could handle such a thing. So I opted instead to use cleaning smelling candles and Febreeze. I wanted the clean smells to reiterate my goal of a nothing-dirty-ever-happens-in-this-house-seriously-we-go-next-door-to-do-number-two vibe.<br />
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I picked up a couple of Glade candles in Crisp Waters scent for the bedroom and bathroom and a bottle of Febreeze in the regular odor eliminating scent for the couch and carpets. I would light the candles and spray the carpets before Husband and I would do our quick pick up and clean for potential buyers, so the scent would have some time to disperse throughout the rooms.<br />
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Cookies or clean sheets, the choice is yours. In my *limited* experience, clean smells and bright colors make a home feel bigger and fresher. Sounds weird but, I tell ya, it worked.<br />
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Just to note, I wasn't paid or perked for my recommendation of Glade and Febreeze. They don't know I exist, let alone know to pay me.<br />
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<b>Tip # 5, Open some curtains and light it up</b><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyuke07C7FPDptDs3ZG9h6OlsXIVdLBYJxEVksRVF7kbq2GdVyrsT13fo7cHhGKFQ3Y0gEuKRvfpdLe1625mTMql8HItfQHbeEy9cmktE8qIgnUD9kL_IRemS-gVdGB37glVLpVCz9ZDs/s1600/703617_852014030511_1395086023_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyuke07C7FPDptDs3ZG9h6OlsXIVdLBYJxEVksRVF7kbq2GdVyrsT13fo7cHhGKFQ3Y0gEuKRvfpdLe1625mTMql8HItfQHbeEy9cmktE8qIgnUD9kL_IRemS-gVdGB37glVLpVCz9ZDs/s400/703617_852014030511_1395086023_o.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Get it? Lights on the Christmas tree? Ok so this is a big stretch. I just wanted to post a pic of our new house all decorated for Christmas. SUE ME.</td></tr>
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By light it up, I'm not talking cigarettes or joints. Don't do drugs, kids.<br />
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Part of our prep included opening all of our curtains and cracking the blinds to let in as much natural light as possible. It adds to the open, cheery feeling buyers love. Also, turn on lights in every room. You don't want buyers to walk into a dark room and search for the switch. EVERYTHING should seem bright and welcoming No dark corners. Light is good, ya'll.<br />
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Since buyers will be peeking into every nook and cranny, I would also turn on lights in closets, pantries, basements, etc. It's just one less thing someone has to do, because buyers don't like to work. That is true for any kind of buyer, in any retail situation.<br />
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If your showing the house during the day, I wouldn't worry about outside lights though. That would be overkill.<br />
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Just to recap all that glorious info I just gave away fo' free:<br />
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<b>1. CLEAN CLEAN CLEAN</b><br />
<b>2. Move out the pets, temporarily of course</b><br />
<b>3. Do a quick declutter and shove it all in your car</b><br />
<b>4. Light some clean smelling candles and spray some Febreeze</b><br />
<b>5. Open curtains and light it up</b><br />
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As I said before, I am not even close to an expert. I did a lot of research before we listed our condo and these are the things Husband and I did that worked for us.<br />
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Anyone out there have any other tips or tricks that helped them sell? Any house shoppers who have a list of things they look at when touring homes?CChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06597441911612799354noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9087475892949060002.post-38659830217049519202013-03-01T06:30:00.000-08:002016-07-22T11:52:26.104-07:00New House!Ladies and gents, I present to you *drum rollllllllllllll*<br />
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Our New House!!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXbLbd796PZlRzIBgW7i2xS8vBsqH7iX5r_UWqo50O2U_jxiOTl1sZA3vJ39M-X0HVc5Ceillhoc8oVqRSuuXWuYYySqau4dtfwt8SqraVNUhC0mvaOHHwnGgSQp2iEWu67lJ5quW7MA4/s1600/207810_10152452671895228_352854248_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXbLbd796PZlRzIBgW7i2xS8vBsqH7iX5r_UWqo50O2U_jxiOTl1sZA3vJ39M-X0HVc5Ceillhoc8oVqRSuuXWuYYySqau4dtfwt8SqraVNUhC0mvaOHHwnGgSQp2iEWu67lJ5quW7MA4/s400/207810_10152452671895228_352854248_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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It may not be much to look at from the front (trust me, it's on the To Do list) but Husband and I fell in love with what was on the inside.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2es-cxr2tV03BNRinLsoRRhZ-iIxgAIcw5-InjbQmkEx1oOEPSQJ_TU4DBbhRIQV1Hv-H0mgUqDHsgrzrD4yoqfUa8Ioq_1LyiWvEMA1RaCxORjR4fqkkmwe-wnMmf0Fj_cEeMJFHSsc/s1600/555506_10152017287500228_689452820_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2es-cxr2tV03BNRinLsoRRhZ-iIxgAIcw5-InjbQmkEx1oOEPSQJ_TU4DBbhRIQV1Hv-H0mgUqDHsgrzrD4yoqfUa8Ioq_1LyiWvEMA1RaCxORjR4fqkkmwe-wnMmf0Fj_cEeMJFHSsc/s400/555506_10152017287500228_689452820_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is the living room area. The natural stone tile is throughout the main living areas, guest bath, and laundry room.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikB4lQUxpxm8BjpLB6okgFdEm5O6mqUs1DigLRjppYVz_oPdpxrAjAu2Lu9lrFBnnYvpEMLo2sAu3ZQ7mASV8JQDCpoht7y1F91UEjgbBInQUp3zsrZVCCpTazDkEMmFQ4TSRbVqE82lU/s1600/293091_10152017287655228_1395671494_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="217" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikB4lQUxpxm8BjpLB6okgFdEm5O6mqUs1DigLRjppYVz_oPdpxrAjAu2Lu9lrFBnnYvpEMLo2sAu3ZQ7mASV8JQDCpoht7y1F91UEjgbBInQUp3zsrZVCCpTazDkEMmFQ4TSRbVqE82lU/s400/293091_10152017287655228_1395671494_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is the view from the front door. I love how everything is wide open & feels so spacious!</td></tr>
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Just look at all of that MOLDING. I know, the picture quality is below average but mama doesn't have the money for a wide angle lens. Husband used his phone with a stitching app because it was the only way to do this open concept any kind of justice. And I didn't even have my camera with me at the time. And my laptop with pictures is in the shop.<br />
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I know our original plan was to buy an older home and fix it up. We wanted more square footage and thought we could only afford that with an older home. We were very fortunate to find, okay our Realtor found this spacious open concept home that was doable for our budget! Notice I said doable and not within. Yeah, we went a bit outside our original budget but still within our comfort zone. Actually, when we first started looking at homes, our budget was around $160,000-$180,000 which we quickly realized was LAUGHABLE around our city. Hence, the two years of saving and planning.<br />
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I was skeptical when I first saw this place. We drove into the neighborhood, with it's fancy gas lights at the entrance, and I thought, no way can we afford this. When we walked in the front door and I saw the triple crown molding and big open living area and I thought, there's no way, as a sarcastically cackled to myself.<br />
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O ye of little faith.<br />
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Just a few short weeks later and we had moved in!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiylTdtVQ8QA_p0xAvFH2G-nqUxuNQy95oQb-BvrafZqr-_n5jNrxGG9hMp7BzULfMAlB22SFI-PSQL4K0zjd_liV0eNs8iKH4c0qocJszI_gaf9ZLIDLtfpRXHqiSKr2k4FUf_6hEU82g/s1600/314376_10152017287825228_1048635339_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiylTdtVQ8QA_p0xAvFH2G-nqUxuNQy95oQb-BvrafZqr-_n5jNrxGG9hMp7BzULfMAlB22SFI-PSQL4K0zjd_liV0eNs8iKH4c0qocJszI_gaf9ZLIDLtfpRXHqiSKr2k4FUf_6hEU82g/s400/314376_10152017287825228_1048635339_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The kitchen & sitting area. O how I love this kitchen and sitting area! It is THE spot in our home during parties and get togethers. Still more work to do here but it has come a long way (functionality wise) since this picture was taken.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOGxe2vga-4r8rPvBFg_JWo6lvQsI4WAtlJ2Wbu6pi-VjESRWkWiGrusXN7Zr1_0BCwXqZgtx-MRaN0x0vxOBVCPsPYubze9kbKZYUAbCCKtz6kihuHKLEkb8aYYqemvy4aLrKpSZmrgQ/s1600/304813_10152017287965228_528359469_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOGxe2vga-4r8rPvBFg_JWo6lvQsI4WAtlJ2Wbu6pi-VjESRWkWiGrusXN7Zr1_0BCwXqZgtx-MRaN0x0vxOBVCPsPYubze9kbKZYUAbCCKtz6kihuHKLEkb8aYYqemvy4aLrKpSZmrgQ/s400/304813_10152017287965228_528359469_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is our master bedroom. Love the tray ceiling & it gets a ton of natural light.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFex1m9a1N9UqD2GUDKTWd53Bm5BkhyphenhyphenvrnClYddyAV-EsC3lwIyRxQ5IdT4H5wlhQZEDoPiURFhyMwiC5U4l9lYuEgddFVPFL6MHZkcjI8dbxfdRQuirkIiL5MsWW4HpWGuH9g86ySCtc/s1600/314317_10152017288350228_1763256650_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="343" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFex1m9a1N9UqD2GUDKTWd53Bm5BkhyphenhyphenvrnClYddyAV-EsC3lwIyRxQ5IdT4H5wlhQZEDoPiURFhyMwiC5U4l9lYuEgddFVPFL6MHZkcjI8dbxfdRQuirkIiL5MsWW4HpWGuH9g86ySCtc/s400/314317_10152017288350228_1763256650_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The master closet. Yeah, my heart went pitter patter when I saw the built ins.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjrf1ICybSBnH1JQJxpooPCPsR54qTBbJjCa6Rv-D_4Fpz5_yDW516i6XMexr3RyCWfmLaILwbM07g2FEQF_-WPqEBqB-OPQuxtZ1-t5mkGn_EuY33Crrf-F52EnmvrClLg020Hy1Kl1c/s1600/599812_10152017288165228_1770795549_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="351" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjrf1ICybSBnH1JQJxpooPCPsR54qTBbJjCa6Rv-D_4Fpz5_yDW516i6XMexr3RyCWfmLaILwbM07g2FEQF_-WPqEBqB-OPQuxtZ1-t5mkGn_EuY33Crrf-F52EnmvrClLg020Hy1Kl1c/s400/599812_10152017288165228_1770795549_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The master bathroom. The jacuzzi tub works and is a nice little getaway. We have some simple ideas to spruce this area up and we will probably do a bigger renovation/upgrade a few years down the line. It's pretty basic, with the exception of more drool-worthy molding.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihYEjnLMMlZ-GfzfAuU-Raux0Q-DmygO351XVWOQeDHCMwM1LjXCvXvl6Vt9ZL_JpumOlp8KuDAFBJtwe2pUrh3jVdHHJB1DXun-7Z0qw13K04ToBewOtDDOESftG5GKy8K275_3owB1M/s1600/524302_10152017288525228_2106468575_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="207" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihYEjnLMMlZ-GfzfAuU-Raux0Q-DmygO351XVWOQeDHCMwM1LjXCvXvl6Vt9ZL_JpumOlp8KuDAFBJtwe2pUrh3jVdHHJB1DXun-7Z0qw13K04ToBewOtDDOESftG5GKy8K275_3owB1M/s400/524302_10152017288525228_2106468575_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is my office and will also be the guest room. Big plans!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguv1lAFkp2qNXlgT5xtw_jhKax9Hch-rGWfsZ37Lnc-3-YNdXBaOb6yL_ICMT0lAtetpg4aBD-wqHpidPtkn4JEpp0ic3xkZqclLaBv7HRFJCCkKyKCpHJfYzYMLrNyAao6Xbg4-7Datw/s1600/385492_10152017288690228_120972011_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="262" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguv1lAFkp2qNXlgT5xtw_jhKax9Hch-rGWfsZ37Lnc-3-YNdXBaOb6yL_ICMT0lAtetpg4aBD-wqHpidPtkn4JEpp0ic3xkZqclLaBv7HRFJCCkKyKCpHJfYzYMLrNyAao6Xbg4-7Datw/s400/385492_10152017288690228_120972011_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is Husband's Man Cave. Yeah....it was the first to be painted because ow my retinas.</td></tr>
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I forgot to snap pics of the laundry room, guest bath, and kids' room. Yes, our pets have their own room. It's actually an office (because there's no closet) but it works perfect for a pet bedroom. Those rooms are also pretty basic and just needed some organizing and a little sprucing.<br />
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This place is fairly move in ready. I say fairly because there are always things to do to a new home. When Husband and I discuss our To Do list, we joke about our home being move in ready. Laugh cry mostly.<br />
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Just for kicks, here's a rundown of some of the things we want to do at our new Casa de Comeaux:<br />
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1. Landscaping in the front (although this will wait for spring because SO MUCH ON THE INSIDE).<br />
2. Buy a lot of furniture Like, a lot. My sister asked how our stuff looked in the new place and my only reply = "Small."<br />
3. Organize. Organize. Organize.<br />
4. Add a deck/more patio to the backyard. It's pretty small, ya'll. I'll have pics of that soon.<br />
5. Paint the dining room.<br />
6. Paint the man room.<br />
7. Paint my office.<br />
8. Set up a sitting area off the kitchen.<br />
9. Add some art to any and every room. The walls are all still empty 8 months later. Ridiculous.<br />
10. Make some matching built ins for the other side of the fireplace.<br />
11. Paint the master bath.<br />
12. Add some shelves to the toilet room of the master bath.<br />
13. Add a bed and some other comforts to my office to make it a guest room.<br />
14. Set up a mudroom by the back door for our daily junk.<br />
15. Get shelving in my office to organize it.<br />
16. Make a divider for the kids' room (details soon!).<br />
17. About a million other little things.<br />
18. Paint the living room a soft gray, which means painting that entire area. Oy. Vey.<br />
19. Add a tile backsplash to the kitchen to give it a finished feel.<br />
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I'll be honest, some of those things on that list have already been completed. I really want the satisfaction of publicly crossing off some items. I have no shame.<br />
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Don't let the 19 items fool you. Pretty much every room needs furniture, organization, wall art, and decor. We are slowly but surely saving pennies and finding some time to tackle all of these projects. And I can't wait to share all of it with you peeps!CChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06597441911612799354noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9087475892949060002.post-76778988612914012682013-01-02T09:58:00.000-08:002016-07-22T11:52:48.004-07:002013 will be blogged!July 10th. That was my last post. Great job, CC. Way to stay on top of things!<br />
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I've been dealing with this constant feeling of overwhelm, too much change and transition, and too many things on my plate. New job with much more responsibility, new house with much more responsibility, new bills, new this, new that, more this more that... You get the idea. Unfortunately, I put blogging on the back burner because too many other things took priority over it.<br />
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Looking back, I don't think I made the right choice. We had a Christmas party at our home and some friends were so impressed with my organized kitchen that they took pictures. Seriously. One friend even took pictures of my pantry and my entryway. I totally admit to feeling some major pride and that's when it really hit me. I have missed being able to share my work and oh, there has been so much work.<br />
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2013 will be blogged!<br />
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Last I left you (way back when), we had a purchase agreement on our condo and we found a house we were in love with but we weren't sure if we would get it because of a lawsuit filed against our condo association. Most banks didn't want to loan money to our buyer because our place was under litigation. It was an incredibly frustrating time for us because we did everything right (saved $$, paid our dues, researched, advertised, etc.) but we could still lose the sale and ultimately our dream home.<br />
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I'm happy to report, all turned out ok.We sold our condo! We got the house! Hurray!<br />
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To catch you up to speed and give you all of the details, the lawsuit was regarding $2,000 worth of unpaid dues and interest. $2,000 was going to cost of everything! We were pretty desperate and even offered to pay to make it all go away, because the amount of equity we would lose was way more than $2,000. It was too late though; the suit had been filed and was in process.<br />
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Our Realtor, God bless him, had some great contacts and found a bank that was willing to loan to our buyer. When the lender found out some information about the suit (it was already in mediation and looked to be reaching a settlement soon), he agreed to loan to our buyer, who had 20% to put down and excellent credit. In today's market, you can't lose a buyer like that.<br />
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We were ecstatic! That was our last obstacle! We had already put in a purchase agreement on the new home, with the stipulation that our current property would sell, of course. We got an inspection done on New House and it came back clean and clear. There was some more back and forth with paperwork and timelines. SO MUCH PAPERWORK. SUBMITTED IN TRIPLICATE, YA'LL.<br />
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We listed our condo for sale on June 10th. Within two weeks, we had two showings. Both of the potential buyers called us back a week or so later, wanting to put in an official offer. We had a purchase agreement signed about two days later. We had a couple more phone calls from interested buyers after that but, since we already had a purchase agreement, we turned down showings and stopped advertising. We were able to close on our condo on July 31st. We closed on our new home on August 1st. Husband and I joked on the way home from closing on the condo that we were now homeless, since we hadn't officially bought the new house yet.<br />
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We feel pretty damn lucky. There were other condos and homes in our area that were not selling. Some of those places are STILL on the market. Times are tough, peeps.We were very nervous when we put our place on the market. What if it doesn't sell? What if we get an offer, but it's not enough? We have a certain amount we need and, if we don't get it, we can't afford to buy a place.<br />
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Luckily, our place sold quickly and for the price we needed. Whew!<br />
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Financially, we came out better than we planned. We got our full asking price for the condo, we squirreled away as many pennies as we could for a nice amount in savings, our payoff for the condo was a little less than we thought it would be, and the sellers of our new home were ready to get rid of their property and gave us an amazing deal. I'm not saying we're rolling in the dough with our fancy pants on, but we can buy name brand ramen noodles. I mean, we still gotta furnish this new place.<br />
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I really believe that our two years worth of planning and staging of the condo made it all possible. No joke on the two years of planning. When Husband and I got married, we started planning on buying a house together. We spent a year getting my credit up and paying off all of our debts, like student loans and cars. We researched real estate prices in our area. We researched what kind of home we wanted and how that translated into dollars. We figured out how much we would need for a down payment to make the mortgage affordable. We budgeted to make that happen. We researched tips to sell our condo. We spent a year staging our place, a little bit at a time. It all paid off!<br />
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I think I'll do another post with tips I learned for staging. Spoiler alert: Clean like you have never cleaned before. And of course I will do a post with pictures of New House! We took plenty when we moved in! I have so much to catch you up on too! We've already organized and painted some rooms. I told you I've been busy! It's been worth it though.We wake up everyday saying, "I love this house."<br />
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Catch me up to speed with you! How has the blog world been?CChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06597441911612799354noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9087475892949060002.post-74738201914633437762012-06-10T20:43:00.000-07:002012-06-10T20:43:15.971-07:00It's on the market!It's official. We listed our condo for sale! Wooty woo!!!<div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpyeLWmxT43jBSGbdJLLoIzHEgRCWpwktpAZkxTlhZssv5XgwE2Ar6Sk1wTdp91WoLupD9kBrqcN572EJmQai4RssvwbujiCmiQCONeAYytIltm8fYXdpg38jYr8HcH16pojyUxplJ81s/s1600/Condo+Ad+Picture.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpyeLWmxT43jBSGbdJLLoIzHEgRCWpwktpAZkxTlhZssv5XgwE2Ar6Sk1wTdp91WoLupD9kBrqcN572EJmQai4RssvwbujiCmiQCONeAYytIltm8fYXdpg38jYr8HcH16pojyUxplJ81s/s400/Condo+Ad+Picture.jpg" width="308" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here's the flyer we put together.</td></tr>
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We also listed our property online <a href="http://www.zillow.com/homedetails/6212-Stumberg-Ln-APT-202-Baton-Rouge-LA-70816/66274152_zpid/" target="_blank">here</a>...</div>
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And <a href="http://fsbobr.com/default.asp?f=listing_details&listingid=306711&listingtype=2" target="_blank">here</a>!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgwhdKdzQtFVhGF7CoGmSet8n9kw_kXHPSQr4IQI8jY8560Qq1KFafAz-7ieKTTTQ-7X_rFklG9H8n_qt3QKjaCicWzUpk-aoKsnIMrNPdl8rYxPLkyB-JXA4KylDvUlMNwwnhHKMwLio/s1600/Untitled+picture2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="308" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgwhdKdzQtFVhGF7CoGmSet8n9kw_kXHPSQr4IQI8jY8560Qq1KFafAz-7ieKTTTQ-7X_rFklG9H8n_qt3QKjaCicWzUpk-aoKsnIMrNPdl8rYxPLkyB-JXA4KylDvUlMNwwnhHKMwLio/s320/Untitled+picture2.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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Is it sad that we had to take pictures with my husband's phone, which has an app that stitches pictures together, because my super duper fancy camera only has a standard lens and it would have taken twice as many pictures to showcase all the features of our rooms? I really need a wide angle lens. Certainly not going to buy one now because we need to save all the moolah we can!</div>
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I have to admit, it is really nerve-wracking posting our home for sale. I know I post pictures of our home on this blog but now, you know exactly where I live. It's frightening but necessary. Please don't stalk me. Unless you want to buy the place. It which case, I'll bake cookies when you come over.</div>
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It feels so great to finally have this done! And now.....we wait......and hope.....*gulp*......</div>CChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06597441911612799354noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9087475892949060002.post-31761574173768148922012-05-19T21:35:00.000-07:002012-05-19T21:35:42.499-07:00Under ConstructionI'm making some changes and updates around the blog. I added a Projects Page (with the tabs at the top of the blog) to make it easier to see all of the projects I've done since starting Zodirowe. I want to add an Organizing tab too. I love those tabs on blogs and I think I need some of my own. I'm also planning on cleaning up my labels, probably making categories instead.<br />
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So, don't be surprised if things look a bit wonky for a few days. I'm still learning and trying to improve! Please bear (or is it bare?) with my while I try to better the ol' bliggity blog. I could probably start by never saying bliggity blog again.<br />
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Yeah, like that would ever happen.CChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06597441911612799354noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9087475892949060002.post-27261624255899691002012-05-18T06:00:00.000-07:002012-05-18T06:00:03.291-07:00Turning Napkins Into PillowsI have a problem with pillows. I think my family will commit me to rehab soon if I don't get a handle on things. I even posted a question on <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/Zodirowe" target="_blank">twitter</a>.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: -webkit-auto;">This is titillating stuff, I tell ya.</span>
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My family hasn't sent me away yet, so I think that means I can make a couple more pillows. Wouldn't you agree? Don't answer that. Just indulge me. Then commit me.<br />
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While cruising around Target's website for something (I can't even remember what exactly, probably more pillows), I came across these napkins with my favorite shape on them.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy-JnYTpJCQukIU9O4INystTn8FZzAZqAzaH7pAWO90CFjt07lXqa5oICShO0Hc773uuytoGsdCSRl3SAKFAnW-pOQvJDB4olEqGRhgf1LKDEvBI3DrhLOqXiI-WiIcN_JMGrj7hLACD0/s1600/yellow+napkins.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy-JnYTpJCQukIU9O4INystTn8FZzAZqAzaH7pAWO90CFjt07lXqa5oICShO0Hc773uuytoGsdCSRl3SAKFAnW-pOQvJDB4olEqGRhgf1LKDEvBI3DrhLOqXiI-WiIcN_JMGrj7hLACD0/s400/yellow+napkins.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: -webkit-auto;">Via </span><a href="http://www.target.com/p/Home-Yellow-Lattice-Textile-Collection/-/A-13993241" style="font-size: medium; text-align: -webkit-auto;" target="_blank">here</a><span style="font-size: small; text-align: -webkit-auto;">. $10 for four. Qua-trefoil is my favorite shape, in case you didn't get that.</span> </td></tr>
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Target isn't selling the napkins on the website right now. I swear I bought them a little over a week ago. You could check your local Target for availability, although mine has lied before. Well, the tutorial works for any type of fabric napkin so you could find another pattern. If you really like the pattern though, may I suggest <a href="http://www.target.com/p/Yellow-Lattice-Tablecloth-70R/-/A-13949504" target="_blank">the tablecloth</a>?<br />
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Anyway, the napkins are also in a nice bright yellow, which is my <a href="http://zodirowe.blogspot.com/2012/05/new-dining-room-chairs.html" target="_blank">new thing</a> apparently. I thought this fun, bright pattern would make a great addition to our living room. So, into my cart they went. Along with the <a href="http://www.target.com/p/Yellow-Lattice-Table-Runner/-/A-13949821" target="_blank">matching runner</a> and some other fun stuff, such as a pretty <a href="http://www.target.com/p/Gray-Distressed-Medallion-Table-Runner/-/A-13951141" target="_blank">gray runner</a>. I sure know how to live it up.<br />
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I used the same basic tutorial from Budget Wise Home (see it <a href="http://budgetwisehome.com/no-sew-pillow-cover-tutorial/" target="_blank">here</a>!) that I've used on countless other pillows, with just a few tweaks to fit my budget/needs. You see, the tutorial on Budget Wise requires one panel of fabric to be 19x19 and two panels to be 14x19. Your average fabric napkin is about 20ish x19ish. I wanted to make two pillows but I didn't want to buy another set of napkins. I was trying to keep my cost per pillow cover at $5 because I'm a cheapo. Spoiler alert: It's still totally doable.<br />
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First things first, remove the tags from your napkins. You don't wan't the lovely blue of the tags peeking through the fabric and messing your whole these-totally-aren't-napkins vibe you want to acheive.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRH8__W5ZmymEP2csIhOeodMNOvzWhVM-J0bJejaJArAo61kduwQCozu13xNnGKcJPZEI3-kJLMiWbr2t03ALBWvnAgVeHS0j-x0QBX7ZHzMF8uFDoDPXehslcG1X9cu60F-T_ERqqvvg/s1600/DSC_0039.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="317" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRH8__W5ZmymEP2csIhOeodMNOvzWhVM-J0bJejaJArAo61kduwQCozu13xNnGKcJPZEI3-kJLMiWbr2t03ALBWvnAgVeHS0j-x0QBX7ZHzMF8uFDoDPXehslcG1X9cu60F-T_ERqqvvg/s400/DSC_0039.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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Then, iron your napkins so you won't have any funky creases and your measurements will be more exact. Next up, measure your napkin to find the longer side. Cut the longer side in half. In my case, the longer side was right about 20 inches so I cut one napkin into two 10x19 inch panels.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_ueU5VemAtGquslCW0oGovdpDBS6htwqKU8iEVRmT54g3qminv4UGb9YodEmWhzcJwyTxbRj1fiLs33UcgQ7zbn_puBqQm_ovJHtG9MpUbhEgx6BVHKDd7Ug2D_x5aeMqJVoBhRKMCBc/s1600/DSC_0041.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_ueU5VemAtGquslCW0oGovdpDBS6htwqKU8iEVRmT54g3qminv4UGb9YodEmWhzcJwyTxbRj1fiLs33UcgQ7zbn_puBqQm_ovJHtG9MpUbhEgx6BVHKDd7Ug2D_x5aeMqJVoBhRKMCBc/s400/DSC_0041.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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Next, take a second napkin, find the longer side, and mark it at 19 inches. This is where you want your two pillow sides to meet. I had about an inch of extra napkin fabric that I just cut off, so I wouldn't mistakenly attach one of my 10inch panels to the edge and have a big gap in the middle.<br />
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Take your whole napkin and lay it pattern side up on your ironing board. Your going to make you pillow inside out so you don't have to worry about pesky seams. Place one of your cut napkin pieces pattern side down on top of your whole napkin, like the picture above.<br />
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Tip for you, position your half napkin so that the finished edge is towards the middle. Normally, you would hem all sides of your fabric when making a no sew pillow but, with napkins, you don't have enough length for that. You need every inch you can get. By putting the finished edges in the middle, you don't have unsightly edges!<br />
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Using thin, heavy duty hem tape, iron your pieces together. Take your other piece of cut napkin and repeat the process on the other side. You should have a little overlap between the cut pieces.<br />
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Be sure to flip your new pillow cover over and iron the other side as well. This ensures that the hem tape will adhere completely to your fabric so it will be nice and durable. Once it's all cool, turn your cover right side out. Bingo, you have a pillow cover!<br />
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I will give you the heads up that, sometimes, the back gapes open. It isn't a big deal to me because the pillows face forward and look fine. Fantastic even. If it becomes an issue for me, I will either attach some velcro strips to the inside of the opening (so I can still switch them out) or maybe I'll even get crazy and sew a button on there. Did I mention I'm a wild woman? Button sewing! So crazy! I'll let you know what happens.<br />
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I put my new <strike>napkins</strike> pillow covers over some dark red pillows we already had on the couch. It's spring/summer and it's time for the dark colors to hit the road. For now. This also means that I didn't TECHNICALLY add any pillows to the couch. I merely recovered some pillows, which is completely acceptable and means I DON'T HAVE A PROBLEM IT'S COOL YOU GUYS NO NEED TO COMMIT ME.<br />
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Ok, so all of those caps lock letters would beg to differ. Time to distract you, look pillows!<br />
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I think they look rather happy on the couch! Husband gave them his approval when he said they were actually quite comfortable and soft. He supports my habits. I'm a lucky addict, I mean gal.CChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06597441911612799354noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9087475892949060002.post-45544844978385075142012-05-11T06:30:00.000-07:002012-05-11T06:30:02.393-07:00New Dining Room ChairsAfter slapping on a fresh coat of neutral paint in the dining room, the space was looking a little bland. Ok, really bland.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This was before the lighting switch I blogged about <a href="http://zodirowe.blogspot.com/2012/05/stop-search-party-im-still-alive.html" target="_blank">here</a>.</td></tr>
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I've always wanted to recover our dining room chairs but haven't been sure what fabric to use. Traditional pattern? Modern? Color? Neutral? Ah I couldn't commit! However, with this very bland dining room, my need for some color helped me narrow my options. I needed some punch/pizzazz but nothing too crazy. I didn't want to feel the need to match my table linens to my chairs. I'm crazy like that.<br />
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So I dug around on my favorite discount fabric site, <a href="http://fabric.com/">fabric.com</a>! I love that site. They have a great mix of styles and have the lowest prices I can find. Before you ask, no I'm not being paid or perked by the site. I wish.... I genuinely love this site! I found this lovely pattern called Waverly Square Root Sterling.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">If you like this pattern, get it <a href="https://www.fabric.com/ProductDetail.aspx?ProductID=5d827d98-e668-4846-a82c-c2117de24d44" target="_blank">here</a>!</td></tr>
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I think the yellow and gray combo is the right mix of fun color while still being kinda in the neutral family. Plus, I think that's a trendy color combo right now. Or maybe that was last season? I've never been great with trends. This pattern comes in a <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Wide-Waverly-Square-Tigerlily-Fabric/dp/B004TNM71O" target="_blank">pink and orange</a> combo, <a href="http://www.fabric.com/ProductDetail.aspx?ProductID=64c66367-e350-4c90-9d31-d387dd446a2c" target="_blank">blue and green</a>, and a<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Fabric-Waverly-Square-Tuxedeo-Swatch/dp/B006P1D0YG" target="_blank"> black and gray</a> mix. Those links aren't all from fabric.com. Sometimes fabric.com has them in stock, sometimes they don't.<br />
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After I got my fabric in the mail (side-note, isn't receiving a package in the mail an awesome feeling?), I was excited to get started. I used my nifty new screw gun to remove the seats from the chairs.<br />
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We bought ours from <a href="http://www.lowes.com/pd_278304-353-2354-01_0__?productId=3265459&Ntt=skil+cordless+drill&pl=1&currentURL=%2Fpl__0__s%3FNtt%3Dskil%2Bcordless%2Bdrill&facetInfo=" target="_blank">Lowe's</a> and it's been working out well. It is not the most powerful drill but it has awesome battery life and works great for little projects like this. I imagine it would be great for assembling furniture too.<br />
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There are about a million chair recovering tutorials out there, so I won't get too detailed about each step. It's pretty straight foward.<br />
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1. Cut a piece of your fabric that will fit around your cushion with some overlap.<br />
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2. Iron your swatch of fabric so you don't have any annoying creases in your seat. That would not be fancy.<br />
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3. Place your seat cushion face down on top of your fabric, making sure you center it with enough overlap to go all the way around. Always check before you staple because it just makes life easier!<br />
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4. Put one staple in on one side.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Putting your first staple in the center is your best bet.</td></tr>
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5. Then, pull the fabric taut from the opposite side you just stapled and add a staple to that side. The trick to get it right is pulling your fabric nice and tight, but not so tight you strain/rip the fabric.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Can I tell you how difficult it is to take picture and staple at the same time? IT'S HARD YA'LL. Which is why I'm not actually stapling at this moment. That's right. The shot is staged. It's all fake! Smoke and mirrors! The cake is a lie!!</td></tr>
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6. Keep stapling around the seat, switching to opposite sides and pulling the fabric taut. Don't hesitate to flip the cushion over the check the state of your pattern. Remember, it's much easier to take out five staples instead of fifty!<br />
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7. Once you fabric is stapled down, just reattach your seat to your chair and prest chango columbo, you have a new chair!<br />
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I timed it, by the way. It took my 5:09.5 minutes to recover one chair, with no picture taking and one stop to break up a cat and dog fight. If you hate doing math and trust mine (which is not a great idea but I get it you're brave), it took me less than 30 minutes to do four chairs. I added some time for blogging and refereeing.<br />
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I love a good before and after!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">*yawn*</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">*yay!*</td></tr>
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I think the dining room is looking much brighter and happier!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Except that these pics were taken at night. Details, details...</td></tr>
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I also picked up this <a href="http://www.target.com/p/Gray-Distressed-Medallion-Table-Runner/-/A-13951141" target="_blank">new gray runner</a> and a <a href="http://www.target.com/p/Yellow-Lattice-Table-Runner/-/A-13949821" target="_blank">yellow one</a> from <a href="http://target.com/">Target.com</a> because, apparently, I'm on a gray and yellow kick.<br />
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I'm adding more color and brightness to the dining room soon by way of new fabric for the bench cushions. I can't wait! It's sooooo pretty, kids. And I just waved my freak flag by become giddy about fabric. Oh how far I've come.<br />
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<br />CChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06597441911612799354noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9087475892949060002.post-21436043079867324082012-05-10T07:00:00.000-07:002012-05-10T07:00:09.000-07:00Stop the Search Party I'm Still Alive<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I guess, since this is a DIY blog and all, I could post something DIY related.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Even though I haven’t been posting DIY stuff (what will all of the <a href="http://zodirowe.blogspot.com/2012/04/bribery.html" target="_blank">pets</a> and <a href="http://zodirowe.blogspot.com/2012/04/happy-anniversary-husband.html" target="_blank">anniversaries</a> and whatnot), I promise you that things have been going on in Casa Comeaux of the home improvement variety. Husband and I have been wrapping up some projects around the condo because we want to put it on the market ASAP. We keep seeing homes go on the market and we’re like, OOooOO! Look how pretty! Too bad we can’t get attached because it will probably be sold before we can even list our place! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">You may think we’re being dramatic but that exact scenario has happened to us a few times already. Husband has shown me listings to ask what I think about them and I tell him, I can’t fall in love again. It hurts too much.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We’ve been working non-stop to whittle down our list. We had a couple of weekends where no progress was made, even though we worked our buns off. The beginning of April was a very frustrating time for us. So frustrating that one weekend I just crapped out. I did nothing. I felt like nothing. I laid in bed most of the day on Saturday and felt very blah. There is no better way to describe it other than…blah. Do you ever get that way? Do you just gas yourself out so that you have nothing left to give? I couldn’t even blog, even though there were things to blog about because, did I mention we were always working?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Well, now we are on the other side of our to do list (meaning more things done than to do) and things are looking up! So here’s a little wrap up of what we’ve accomplished to help keep me motivated in these last few weeks. These<a href="http://zodirowe.blogspot.com/2012/01/happenings-at-zodirowe.html" target="_blank"> kinds of posts</a> help remind me that progress is being made and helps with my blahs. </span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">These are just a few things little things we’ve done to the condo.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We patched a hole in our wall. I won’t go into details about how the hole came about (for Husband’s sake) but we required some plumbing work in the kitchen a long time ago and we took a long time to fix the hole. The hole is under the built in desk in our living room and behind Ty’s kennel. So, it wasn't visible at all. Out of sight out of mind, right? Potential buyers may not agree or like having a giant hole in their living room so it had to be fixed. Husband’s friend, Adam, came over and showed us how to do a floating patch. It’s a fairly easy process.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is Adam. Everyone say hi!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">You take a piece of drywall and mark how big your patch should be. You want to make these marks so that this square will fit easily inside the hole. You may even want to cut your hole in the wall a little bigger or straighter to make floating the patch easier.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Next, you need to make a second set of marks about an inch or so outside of your initial marks. This is going to be your “tape,” I guess you could call it.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here's a little diagram from Adam to help illustrate your marks and what they do.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Using a saw, cut out the larger square. </span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Then, using a box cutter or exacto knife, cut through the drywall paper on one side of your smaller square. Likea so…</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Once you make these cuts, you can break and peel off the drywall bits while still leaving the tape.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwX_Kh1ghWBxftPAZKfu147GssfSUckoPFjqF2nOMwpmHmCPahBK3d_IxCz2gcPMn-u3GJsttH6g9hL8HO5wC_jwy77JMUsZ4A6A_ygiuhtCWTErjgPRayw3k5y9yuS17rgijZBYGOWtQ/s1600/052.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="206" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwX_Kh1ghWBxftPAZKfu147GssfSUckoPFjqF2nOMwpmHmCPahBK3d_IxCz2gcPMn-u3GJsttH6g9hL8HO5wC_jwy77JMUsZ4A6A_ygiuhtCWTErjgPRayw3k5y9yuS17rgijZBYGOWtQ/s400/052.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioq3utR-Q0O0ZQIdaNkt7vDTq2IZIZWzfDb_LL4pgKV3hmsvWw8Pv9XLIUTppvOKZyx3mO2kCoZltOjn7XUVV9epU8FMsQb79IBfXFxmtWlyx3GSbjmvCInghDW1491ouTqt-ZDMBth2E/s1600/065.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="365" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioq3utR-Q0O0ZQIdaNkt7vDTq2IZIZWzfDb_LL4pgKV3hmsvWw8Pv9XLIUTppvOKZyx3mO2kCoZltOjn7XUVV9epU8FMsQb79IBfXFxmtWlyx3GSbjmvCInghDW1491ouTqt-ZDMBth2E/s400/065.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is what you end up with.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Then, you use some mud and the drywall tape to float the patch inside the hole. You want to apply mud a little farther out than your patch so you can blend it in more easily. Smooth out the mud as much as you can so you can do less sanding later on. Please note, this patch will not be strong enough for hanging a picture or shelf or anything. This patch works perfect for this spot though. I don’t plan on putting any pictures down there.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggOKsicABTKZOL6ogewei3801KbyOSLFedl3mu0OeqFdlgZGjn4KehfBIXK_BlNKGRDJfWwGww5LwcHLwYvuXLTZySg8l0nZE11kqSbh5t9t85STbi9Ds2b7U9Gb4sOvfIZgNvBKdFbq0/s1600/081.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggOKsicABTKZOL6ogewei3801KbyOSLFedl3mu0OeqFdlgZGjn4KehfBIXK_BlNKGRDJfWwGww5LwcHLwYvuXLTZySg8l0nZE11kqSbh5t9t85STbi9Ds2b7U9Gb4sOvfIZgNvBKdFbq0/s400/081.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ty wants to become a DIY dog so he's learning the ropes.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Once the mud fully dries, you can lightly sand and paint it. Be sure to paint farther out from your patch to help it blend!</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuhyphenhyphenlzpYK9wRav_0LJukkSn3-zoQ41qYAw4DTqGHoPRBD97Db9g5juz_K9j2mO6NiG0dwexAfCKpEXPhZ3zdlDA9FHkGz9kjlws0rG0N_0pEc2GfNwvWMQgBNe1ORzSTFDuE5hYavr9mY/s1600/118.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuhyphenhyphenlzpYK9wRav_0LJukkSn3-zoQ41qYAw4DTqGHoPRBD97Db9g5juz_K9j2mO6NiG0dwexAfCKpEXPhZ3zdlDA9FHkGz9kjlws0rG0N_0pEc2GfNwvWMQgBNe1ORzSTFDuE5hYavr9mY/s400/118.JPG" width="265" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Can't even tell! Except for the missing molding, which is on the To Do list.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Viola! All done. Thanks Adam!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Some other things around the abode include:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Putting a fresh coat of paint on the patio furniture.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPBAePy-LFmiYQH37pqMmCUcoG1PBRUbeiohRy5tzYqZaaShjnkSTVS4p91kWPPToQl2Qs_Q_dqEjtpVGH6IQVD4nuq3Uvsd97mt0LfubtFiRYCCsyBLzR_ajiwaIgFo5SQEP_rxwd4dM/s1600/065.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPBAePy-LFmiYQH37pqMmCUcoG1PBRUbeiohRy5tzYqZaaShjnkSTVS4p91kWPPToQl2Qs_Q_dqEjtpVGH6IQVD4nuq3Uvsd97mt0LfubtFiRYCCsyBLzR_ajiwaIgFo5SQEP_rxwd4dM/s400/065.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I originally posted about all of the work we did <a href="http://zodirowe.blogspot.com/2011/10/patio-makeover.html" target="_blank">here</a> but some cracking and peeling had occurred since then. I wanted everything freshly painted so the patio wouldn’t look cracked or peeling. I even sanded and primed the loungers! Yay for proper prep work!</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-gKr2kUwWid_k4rBpnaLzwr30p4Q28Ew-36OODSXlOrZRoEMUJCWuFN5iMnUfF58QNBfe6mneMSlC1GZdXfsUq163f_koYFHBy7kNrfe5tttQ7xqWzYkgakj95_ruOEtynAdgGig-4v8/s1600/006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-gKr2kUwWid_k4rBpnaLzwr30p4Q28Ew-36OODSXlOrZRoEMUJCWuFN5iMnUfF58QNBfe6mneMSlC1GZdXfsUq163f_koYFHBy7kNrfe5tttQ7xqWzYkgakj95_ruOEtynAdgGig-4v8/s400/006.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: small; text-align: -webkit-auto;">I mostly did these extra steps because I got a hand sander for Christmas and was dying to finally try it out. Whatever works, eh?</span>
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<span style="font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">We finally fixed Husband’s closet doors and cleaned the junk out. It still needs a little sprucing up but it's a big improvement. More details to come!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">We fixed a hole in our ceiling.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2pxYZ0VYywDN4wa80ij-PPt2cKRiUIIf7tmIBtdoMDHVRqzGY2eJczRWvQ3K7s-ZP3h7tEUsKFKFzKzIT2a-xHztqXF8WzEPtA5TRuidx41rG_tH4XW2OYOjSWTHpaxyrKSqhRaIIH7g/s1600/001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2pxYZ0VYywDN4wa80ij-PPt2cKRiUIIf7tmIBtdoMDHVRqzGY2eJczRWvQ3K7s-ZP3h7tEUsKFKFzKzIT2a-xHztqXF8WzEPtA5TRuidx41rG_tH4XW2OYOjSWTHpaxyrKSqhRaIIH7g/s400/001.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I promise it came out better than this.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Yet again, more holes. I promise our condo isn't falling apart. This was another hole that hung around for months before we finally fixed it. I may post more in-depth about this project because what should have been a quick fix, took several weekends to finish. Ack.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I painted the cabinets in our bathrooms. Same color, just a fresh coat. The cabinets had some chips and dings but nothing a fresh coat of clean paint couldn't fix!</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Freshly painted cabinet in our half bath!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZOSfSjT56dGN0Kcqezd-epkBJhevJxqj9UWwPZWwdJMBRqVKe5Mu5O6qoXer0LceXZj7hmvTbcChjhI8OUw9u0VPTvFYjfMrjfoyo6NcAe3Y6y-CB_UA5dFm4_XFH3xaTe7KzeiM7i3c/s1600/105.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="283" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZOSfSjT56dGN0Kcqezd-epkBJhevJxqj9UWwPZWwdJMBRqVKe5Mu5O6qoXer0LceXZj7hmvTbcChjhI8OUw9u0VPTvFYjfMrjfoyo6NcAe3Y6y-CB_UA5dFm4_XFH3xaTe7KzeiM7i3c/s400/105.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Refreshed cabinet in my bathroom!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Symbol; text-indent: -0.25in;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri; text-indent: -0.25in;">We changed out our dining room light.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Before</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Our previous light was off center and really low. It drove me crazy. Not only did it look off, but anyone over 5’9” would run into it. </span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I would give you a step by step tutorial about how we changed out our light by ourselves but I can’t. Because the entire time we were working on it, I was like this:</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5imFwnBlUr6zF_VHchsAIBXej7rg19EBeWS_MnFt_MKL5f53I0ddCDkrdjVoUqlsuhzMvXFjU1kdCc1_UQ4F9lcaXRjY-3iV-UtTn2sry6QCHJ6foAceCrNxpRs-M7uiheN91hRoeKLM/s1600/i-have-no-idea-what-im-doing-dog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5imFwnBlUr6zF_VHchsAIBXej7rg19EBeWS_MnFt_MKL5f53I0ddCDkrdjVoUqlsuhzMvXFjU1kdCc1_UQ4F9lcaXRjY-3iV-UtTn2sry6QCHJ6foAceCrNxpRs-M7uiheN91hRoeKLM/s400/i-have-no-idea-what-im-doing-dog.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Via <a href="http://anongallery.org/6141/i-have-no-idea-what-im-doing" target="_blank">here</a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Yeah I had no idea what was going on. Husband has messed with electrical stuff before but even he was confused. Turns out, these were “easy” installation instructions and we were thrown off. And by we, I mean Husband had never seen anything like it before and I was useless. Seriously, at one point, Husband looked at me and said, “Quit just standing there and hand me the screw driver.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">That might seem harsh but I was no help whatsoever. Zip zilch NADA. I actually got in the way a bit.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Even though I took pictures of the process, I don’t feel comfortable trying to give anyone any kind of instructions. Although our house hasn't burned down, I’m still not confident about what I learned. It’s cool though because we have fire monitoring at home.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I’m happy with the results though! This may not be the light fixture I would choose for our forever home but it will certainly do for our let’s-just-list-the-damn-place-already home.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXB1nYngfTC8YSE2LN6M9tMEUq1TUK-J1IP2seNs4q9TgSQ3t_sny2hi2qhCDtxYEsLpSU7SzlISChmntgPobMdZuhkLjSQGwZS21c_PAw0oFPNC0tyaaTqRDHFBB_2k2W1dfc_2-aOOc/s1600/072.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXB1nYngfTC8YSE2LN6M9tMEUq1TUK-J1IP2seNs4q9TgSQ3t_sny2hi2qhCDtxYEsLpSU7SzlISChmntgPobMdZuhkLjSQGwZS21c_PAw0oFPNC0tyaaTqRDHFBB_2k2W1dfc_2-aOOc/s400/072.JPG" width="265" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: small; text-align: -webkit-auto;"> It's also the closest match to our existing fixtures, which we are not about to switch out.</span>
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<span style="font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I changed our entryway to look more like an entryway. </span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Our old set up worked ok but never great for me. It also didn’t look like your standard entryway.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I thought a bench would be the best way to show, hey you CAN fit an entryway in this dining room. I found <a href="http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/product.asp?SKU=132657" target="_blank">this awesome one</a> at Bed Bath and Beyond for about $80 ($64 with a coupon!). It has three cubbies and two lift up seats with more storage.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqTGdmTCj1T1RMo_50eah6enKpV_vRc_cUTyfafISHwQKOZCLSCu1VXexuGk4SiaPzFDo6SF8GQJS4h7TDTNs21LHVy16Ts0yihHHTYMrkTOSL_iBefzXcw-Ztd13rTTKYNzq3U8DU7wE/s1600/DSC_0144.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqTGdmTCj1T1RMo_50eah6enKpV_vRc_cUTyfafISHwQKOZCLSCu1VXexuGk4SiaPzFDo6SF8GQJS4h7TDTNs21LHVy16Ts0yihHHTYMrkTOSL_iBefzXcw-Ztd13rTTKYNzq3U8DU7wE/s400/DSC_0144.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I also picked up a hook rack for coats and such. I really like our new entryway and it’s easier for me to toss my bags on the bench and they still look neat. I plan on recovering the cushions so the room isn’t so beige. I know we wanted this room to be more nuetral but there is a limit for us.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6-c5fjop7Q8wMN3dY_PUI4SWWkBL8WfdT2-_Ej6n85_0m8IZ-64muhv4xtL3qfc2ZedTH7igrKthRv1JIJBbH509E6iEMyqhyphenhyphen9wL0uognlpdnVWqMqUiGIbXBuNOa91e-HX1eFyN-CZ8/s1600/DSC_0142.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6-c5fjop7Q8wMN3dY_PUI4SWWkBL8WfdT2-_Ej6n85_0m8IZ-64muhv4xtL3qfc2ZedTH7igrKthRv1JIJBbH509E6iEMyqhyphenhyphen9wL0uognlpdnVWqMqUiGIbXBuNOa91e-HX1eFyN-CZ8/s400/DSC_0142.JPG" width="265" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: small; text-align: -webkit-auto;">I just ordered some bright and fun fabric to cover the cushions. I can't wait to share the results!</span>
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That's just some of the stuff that has been going on while I took an unintentional blogging hiatus! Those seem to happen a lot lately. Don't judge.</div>CChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06597441911612799354noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9087475892949060002.post-37237640141811277042012-04-17T10:27:00.001-07:002012-04-17T10:27:29.740-07:00Happy Anniversary, Husband!<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Today marks two years Husband and I have been married. Shocker, no?</span><br />
<span style="color: #222222;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: #222222;">I kid, I kid. It's pretty easy to be married to someone as awesome as </span><span style="color: #222222;">Husband. Here's a little list of just how awesome.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;" /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: #222222;">He's very supportive and helpful of my many, many crazy ideas.</span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWG3XsVIeMW1-jCkdc4C11zt9rDWJXSQ-370WzBILmHCt0AOgRCwJPXfKqxVuQLBt0Z93J-zdcy6Pudr8VwXsnE5LfrncjRNWF2wR5S_-4tnZ9lAL8TLW1S3CYqjt31VThK-uKznnhlyI/s1600/Blog+101.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><img border="0" height="212px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWG3XsVIeMW1-jCkdc4C11zt9rDWJXSQ-370WzBILmHCt0AOgRCwJPXfKqxVuQLBt0Z93J-zdcy6Pudr8VwXsnE5LfrncjRNWF2wR5S_-4tnZ9lAL8TLW1S3CYqjt31VThK-uKznnhlyI/s320/Blog+101.JPG" width="320px" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: small;">Here he is helping me finish the </span><a href="http://zodirowe.blogspot.com/2011/07/diy-canopy-part-two.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: small;">canopy </span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: small;">for our</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #222222;">patio after I was ready to give up.</span> </span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">He's an animal lover, just like me. He's great with the Kids.<br style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;" /></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOPaNGNzD0HwsImKVdID5CO84nS_tmJKcAGAxpoO0Iq3yIe1wAfMDSOVhmu81kQfQl9qUAXm_MjH-11jn2F9TVETnu_sN3N-ee92VzjMqTuO1T5IhtZ5rfg693U9dDtjhECBN2HsCgzTA/s1600/147.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><img border="0" height="240px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOPaNGNzD0HwsImKVdID5CO84nS_tmJKcAGAxpoO0Iq3yIe1wAfMDSOVhmu81kQfQl9qUAXm_MjH-11jn2F9TVETnu_sN3N-ee92VzjMqTuO1T5IhtZ5rfg693U9dDtjhECBN2HsCgzTA/s320/147.JPG" width="320px" /></span></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkrhNKZ6FzPKDNqG8zH4aIf5l6zmQQbIra5VXSOyjFUhhoFhpUrq9zmnYnaFd10-webO8J1LkxzPDmBDcaADPsn5lIvG_kqqzHFKRV_Yjgin7t6bBCmWTgcUsMTsiYRxeT4E6tjQteHTI/s1600/100.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><img border="0" height="240px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkrhNKZ6FzPKDNqG8zH4aIf5l6zmQQbIra5VXSOyjFUhhoFhpUrq9zmnYnaFd10-webO8J1LkxzPDmBDcaADPsn5lIvG_kqqzHFKRV_Yjgin7t6bBCmWTgcUsMTsiYRxeT4E6tjQteHTI/s320/100.JPG" width="320px" /></span></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNlkD7HDbEwz59ihxMLGOaujJoGcDPK_2VHuO2NH8gslasVxQvTieRiX_Y7HTDYYBlQANu4x3zUY2_smIMzruzzD3z7FaYZ3cYJMKE9hsxl2Oy5K5GGhyphenhyphenk0_jo8zSwn3L1z8JscHaCBIs/s1600/102.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><img border="0" height="240px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNlkD7HDbEwz59ihxMLGOaujJoGcDPK_2VHuO2NH8gslasVxQvTieRiX_Y7HTDYYBlQANu4x3zUY2_smIMzruzzD3z7FaYZ3cYJMKE9hsxl2Oy5K5GGhyphenhyphenk0_jo8zSwn3L1z8JscHaCBIs/s320/102.JPG" width="320px" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: #222222;">He's funny as hell and constantly cracks me up.</span><br style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;" /></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPekUpNqghvxjnJFVLsu9gumln8iQlUmlx9d9BpXEgd5Jl4PikfCWMvE8-QEUQma8qvN2O2C-BV7qMr0x021boNvEyyAj8BT4NoICAkv0eUdYkNiO0gdWU8tm2Hc9KdmA0SGE1eHRY26k/s1600/021.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><img border="0" height="240px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPekUpNqghvxjnJFVLsu9gumln8iQlUmlx9d9BpXEgd5Jl4PikfCWMvE8-QEUQma8qvN2O2C-BV7qMr0x021boNvEyyAj8BT4NoICAkv0eUdYkNiO0gdWU8tm2Hc9KdmA0SGE1eHRY26k/s320/021.JPG" width="320px" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="color: #222222;"><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: #222222;">I can tell by the way he looks at me that he adores me, which is always nice.</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiTsopPLcjLbfNJKQmU6rEKUFp_X_3rJxwyRp7jTmDIDXxJwdwKXkCFNAubsSEnyLoeOsfAsEE5eekUvKvvkGmF1Tq5msbbRwqnHZE0_Qd83BK0W7Z4HjQHxggmHrqKizDiqAVS82oUZg/s1600/IMG_1466bw.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><img border="0" height="320px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiTsopPLcjLbfNJKQmU6rEKUFp_X_3rJxwyRp7jTmDIDXxJwdwKXkCFNAubsSEnyLoeOsfAsEE5eekUvKvvkGmF1Tq5msbbRwqnHZE0_Qd83BK0W7Z4HjQHxggmHrqKizDiqAVS82oUZg/s320/IMG_1466bw.jpg" width="208px" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: #222222;">He puts up with my crazy antics.</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsO_amoq5l072hs85C9c44G_KZ8eKKoiLee8SwZlLWNbpUklkH5tgTJRMDfy64SMEctfdUw055vl1OpgC4EpncPJ73jIDX3s0gzapuQXFHiCJgurd7mepAMGHZvq0pxOQvgt1BIdSK194/s1600/wes&cheryl-wedd_0048.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><img border="0" height="213px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsO_amoq5l072hs85C9c44G_KZ8eKKoiLee8SwZlLWNbpUklkH5tgTJRMDfy64SMEctfdUw055vl1OpgC4EpncPJ73jIDX3s0gzapuQXFHiCJgurd7mepAMGHZvq0pxOQvgt1BIdSK194/s320/wes&cheryl-wedd_0048.jpg" width="320px" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #222222;">Recognize this from the blog header? It</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #222222;">kinda sums us up. Me = goofy. Husband = <strike>Oblivious</strike> Cool with</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #222222;">it.</span> </span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: #222222;">I can't help but go gaga for that smile.</span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYoO4-LnTmENzwlUFXoBt_z3lKB3QHs7vZ-4cTM8O4SZdviQoMHjmCzlG7_7UAzj0hFe_fHa4FZx2wgI1S4AnMlZqUYv2DMgJkykXzByV1XENTIkxJdTfbpHs2EodCi9DnluRlp3NicBE/s1600/fav.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><img border="0" height="240px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYoO4-LnTmENzwlUFXoBt_z3lKB3QHs7vZ-4cTM8O4SZdviQoMHjmCzlG7_7UAzj0hFe_fHa4FZx2wgI1S4AnMlZqUYv2DMgJkykXzByV1XENTIkxJdTfbpHs2EodCi9DnluRlp3NicBE/s320/fav.jpg" width="320px" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #222222;">Sorry, I just turned into mush. So.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #222222;">Damn. Handsome.</span> </span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: #222222;">He helps make our house a home.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMh4vVqLoMHHXnpXYwzlEFK8CUcvIMIf_FsoPyVV5KMhdVujg-fTFSHltqnEmqK_Xasxo3X17M47Dna29wjgIKVqlYLQvijUWz6vDXK48gAxFeFytRgDQa2Ea8dYODIiRADifLJINHUf8/s1600/181.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><img border="0" height="320px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMh4vVqLoMHHXnpXYwzlEFK8CUcvIMIf_FsoPyVV5KMhdVujg-fTFSHltqnEmqK_Xasxo3X17M47Dna29wjgIKVqlYLQvijUWz6vDXK48gAxFeFytRgDQa2Ea8dYODIiRADifLJINHUf8/s320/181.JPG" width="216px" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: #222222;">He's also (among many other things) sweet, loving, and genuine. Oh, </span><span style="color: #222222;">and he's my sugar daddy. And looks great without a shirt on. But, I </span><span style="color: #222222;">can't show you that because then you would all be knocking down our </span><span style="color: #222222;">door and I don't like competition.</span> </span><br />
<span style="color: #222222;"><br /><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">So, to my amazing Husband. I love you more than anything. You are so special to me. You are my partner, my best friend, and my soul mate. You make everyday a little brighter, just by being you. You make my world go 'round. I don't think I can ever thank you enough for all that you do. But, I promise to try. I love you, my Wesley! Happy Anniversary.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRTKC3_wI2lwIaTX5264qq5t5EXxGVtphbJANCoUe6V-2GCV8CzwWAihoLFRkmF3DAwo4KaOpEohgxRskpkzgHUBijgJDDQ0_p8eJzca6Ic5JGGQ6ojdXF_8bbyczUeGM6vVg1YeA2NNY/s1600/IMG_1469.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><img border="0" height="213px" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRTKC3_wI2lwIaTX5264qq5t5EXxGVtphbJANCoUe6V-2GCV8CzwWAihoLFRkmF3DAwo4KaOpEohgxRskpkzgHUBijgJDDQ0_p8eJzca6Ic5JGGQ6ojdXF_8bbyczUeGM6vVg1YeA2NNY/s320/IMG_1469.jpg" width="320px" /></span></a></div>
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I promise to go back to our regular programming and cut out all this mushy stuff. Eventually. </div>
</span>CChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06597441911612799354noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9087475892949060002.post-17672031809519213272012-04-09T07:35:00.000-07:002012-04-09T07:35:00.207-07:00It's Go Time!**Title idea from Husband. Thanks babe!<br />
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That has been our motto recently. You may remember me mentioning a few million times how we are preparing our condo to go on the market. I've been tackling little things <a href="http://zodirowe.blogspot.com/2012/02/continuing-on-wall-decor.html" target="_blank">here</a> and <a href="http://zodirowe.blogspot.com/2012/02/perseverance.html" target="_blank">there </a>but it's time to crank it up a few notches. Husband and I are ready to get the hell outta dodge. So, it's go time!<br />
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We decided to tackle a big project and repaint the dining room. My original plan was to paint just the dining room in one weekend. But our plans changed for the better. Husband and I were having dinner with his family when we mentioned our plans to paint. His parents offered to help. Now, we didn't take them too seriously because well...there was alcohol involved. Not that his family doesn't help us out (a lot actually) but alcohol makes everyone agreeable at night and regretful the next day. Take that however you like.<br />
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Lo and behold, his parents came over the next day with brushes in hand! They had a suprise for us though. You see, my in-laws have a few rental houses and paint a lot of rooms regularly. They're pros, people. We had mentionad how we wanted to paint the office at some point as well and my in-laws said, "Why not do two rooms today?"<br />
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Two rooms knocked off of our to do list in one day? We had to take advantage. I called my mom to reschedule our shopping plans and when she heard why, she offered to help out too. Holy crap, you guys. Best. Family. Ever. I now had three extra sets of hands to paint away. We got right to work prepping our rooms.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4vyf96OnzGOpG66r_RxE8bqFi3Ul4u-RUZhNdm5sgnt1jmi_GMNvUQzwCRAn8EXTdCgpu3LoyxObHsg5F128kojawH34JVAChrTfGrNwliq5n8184i8Lalortz5g9l8_cUhkrEAnk7qs/s1600/183.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4vyf96OnzGOpG66r_RxE8bqFi3Ul4u-RUZhNdm5sgnt1jmi_GMNvUQzwCRAn8EXTdCgpu3LoyxObHsg5F128kojawH34JVAChrTfGrNwliq5n8184i8Lalortz5g9l8_cUhkrEAnk7qs/s400/183.JPG" width="265" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We removed switch plates and caulked nail holes. </td></tr>
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For the record, I would like to state that we loved having this rich pop of color in a room. Alas, we know that is not everyone's cup of tea and we have to give this place mass appeal. Beige it is then!<br />
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We had picked out a very light tan/cream color, but with all of the natural light in this room, it looked stark white. Husband had to make a quick trip to the store and picked up the same color we have in our living room. We went with that color because Husband really likes it and I didn't feel like spending a lot of time trying to pick a color that wouldn't be in our "forever" home.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixty69J43P1nSoVi2p4t71EpE98PqOfRtwgCVlZ3lWMtTi9A_xnFuGe3Fm0URP_BYs0kPMvmVcFNpkk9U4A4A56wIHRIdw_ktRq3jx-OsUa2BCohlEDSqIqk12dBnrvm7lbFel9QOMpPI/s1600/201.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixty69J43P1nSoVi2p4t71EpE98PqOfRtwgCVlZ3lWMtTi9A_xnFuGe3Fm0URP_BYs0kPMvmVcFNpkk9U4A4A56wIHRIdw_ktRq3jx-OsUa2BCohlEDSqIqk12dBnrvm7lbFel9QOMpPI/s400/201.JPG" width="265" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here's the lighter color info and my fancy schmany Purdy brush that I'm in love with now. It really works great for cutting in and painting molding.</td></tr>
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We ended up putting the lighter color in the office. That room was always too dark so, the lighter the better! I don't have any before pictures of the office because it was a last minute update. There was no time to snap pictures of the room. It was quickly prepped for painting. Here's a photo from my <a href="http://zodirowe.blogspot.com/2011/12/office-light-feature.html" target="_blank">office light feature post</a>, to give you an idea of the original wall color.<br />
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It was an exhausting day. My back was sore for a week after but it was so worth it to get that much done with so much wonderful help.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjip19v-QPRWJp1PbnDrgzztWA2oxg-RJ3eNoRs621mnflspu5m2Ob1KPRuIVOnXxF1Fr3e4Y-nc9PT3CALR7p0Ic2TrUq8XUn0LEkJXI1pIrSxp9bV2V1PlaCo4xVoxSyMyxvBOXrhUKU/s1600/DSC_0133.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjip19v-QPRWJp1PbnDrgzztWA2oxg-RJ3eNoRs621mnflspu5m2Ob1KPRuIVOnXxF1Fr3e4Y-nc9PT3CALR7p0Ic2TrUq8XUn0LEkJXI1pIrSxp9bV2V1PlaCo4xVoxSyMyxvBOXrhUKU/s400/DSC_0133.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our new dining room!</td></tr>
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Husband thinks the new dining room is too neutral so I'm thinking it's time to recover the dining room chairs in a fun color or pattern. But that's at the bottom of the To Do list (waaayyyy wayyyy bottom) and I'll get to that eventually. Probably. Whatever. I agree with Husband, this room needs some color, but I'm just not concerned with it right now.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBrzS25gQ7cTFEksAMQSFR5rQ9J2dSw-5P2vxagboXwimKCNxdpZmYRUMTUvj-fKElJwMhGLs2ORj7TkLSaYre0g3iYO7arnDyHmALtw3HuzwhV8M1az2W8uwD_aa0TTrcCZPmA3nT6X0/s1600/DSC_0167.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBrzS25gQ7cTFEksAMQSFR5rQ9J2dSw-5P2vxagboXwimKCNxdpZmYRUMTUvj-fKElJwMhGLs2ORj7TkLSaYre0g3iYO7arnDyHmALtw3HuzwhV8M1az2W8uwD_aa0TTrcCZPmA3nT6X0/s400/DSC_0167.JPG" width="265" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our new office. Much brighter and better!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">As many things as <a href="http://zodirowe.blogspot.com/2012/04/bribery.html" target="_blank">True is afraid of</a>, cameras and flashes are not on that list. He's totally used to that stuff by now.</td></tr>
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What do you think of our makeovers? Does it make you want to buy our condo? I'll give you a good price! Please?<br />
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I must say, the last <a href="http://zodirowe.blogspot.com/2012/04/bribery.html" target="_blank">random bribery post</a> I did helped my writers block tremendously. I feel like writing so many things! I want to post everything! I guess the best way to beat writers block is to just <strike>push</strike> write your way through it.<br />
<br class="Apple-interchange-newline" />CChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06597441911612799354noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9087475892949060002.post-80937116854873521042012-04-06T07:30:00.000-07:002012-04-06T07:30:00.914-07:00BriberyI promise I am hard at work on some posts. No really. I am. I've been having a wicked case of writers block, though. Has that ever happened to you? What did you do to get over it? Every time I sit in front of my laptop to get to work, I can't make myself type. No words come out. I can't make any kind of order out of my thoughts.<br />
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So, I'm going to bribe you all with cute pictures and videos of the Kids.<br />
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The biggest development for our little family = True stepped outside! I mentioned in one of my <a href="http://zodirowe.blogspot.com/2011/06/our-family-introduction.html" target="_blank">first posts</a> about True's fear of the outdoors. It's a pretty severe fear. He actually has a lot of fears and anxieties. Loud noises makes his fur fall out more than usual, he's afraid of new people, gets upset if anyone yells (it doesn't even have to be fighting, just raising your voice), and any kind of change freaks him out. Moving is very stressful for him. Hell. When Husband installed surround sound speakers in our living room and we suddenly had these little black boxes hanging from the ceiling, True had trouble dealing. He stared at them for awhile, panicked, and went upstairs. I really should start giving him Prozac or something.<br />
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In the past, if you tried to bring True outside, he would scream bloody murder and would not hesitate to rip your face off to ensure HE NEVER GOES OUTSIDE OMG NEVER OUTSIDE! But, things are changing. My baby is making progress. He comes downstairs now! He sits on the couch with us! He is no longer deathly afraid of Husband!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvLUfdX32DtTTuqJspvT3LnjBChzcISNngvjalTXHTPK9ftpjo54mQ468GWXYd5iH-cGV16u7hd4CA69gmn_op-t8AcqJIXxqjgN9u4zvD6bsvrzmNnv9ahB46T3ofRAbG9heXuqiuNlA/s1600/IMAG0123-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvLUfdX32DtTTuqJspvT3LnjBChzcISNngvjalTXHTPK9ftpjo54mQ468GWXYd5iH-cGV16u7hd4CA69gmn_op-t8AcqJIXxqjgN9u4zvD6bsvrzmNnv9ahB46T3ofRAbG9heXuqiuNlA/s400/IMAG0123-1.jpg" width="311" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">He didn't venture out much farther than this but, I'm telling you, this is huge.</td></tr>
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It's so major for our family, we had to take video. I will warn you now that there is nothing special about this video (except I say a cuss word. Yeah, those happen.). It is just True sniffing at stuff right outside of our backdoor for about 2.5 minutes. You could skip over the video and you're life would not change in anyway. We just HAD to get this on video. Husband's dad has never seen this cat. We need video to prove True exists. Like Bigfoot. But Bigfoot hangs outside a lot more so he would be easier to see than True.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/hBeFc6G3QgY" width="420"></iframe><br />
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One thing True has never been afraid of is laundry baskets. Seriously, this cat can't get enough of them.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEI3uuKLIXNEVbiUETjIXgjxFGRoCbVp4Lw4RDTtHqL4AckAg7945g1zxp14z68udekjFS4NOkuozabMi9N7HOy99b4rgLGiSN71KBT1nCD67kNP5-oS_cxEGsCmjNbNGp9QGOEVJhmmg/s1600/IMG_20111211_231055.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEI3uuKLIXNEVbiUETjIXgjxFGRoCbVp4Lw4RDTtHqL4AckAg7945g1zxp14z68udekjFS4NOkuozabMi9N7HOy99b4rgLGiSN71KBT1nCD67kNP5-oS_cxEGsCmjNbNGp9QGOEVJhmmg/s400/IMG_20111211_231055.jpg" width="238" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">As soon as I finishing putting away the clean clothes, he hops in for nap time.</td></tr>
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Now, it's Ty's turn! Here's a video of Ty running back and forth between the back door and the front door. Some may say it's cruel because we're teasing him but we're just helping the little guy stay in shape. Our laughter is how we show support!<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/NevcsCQcEhk" width="420"></iframe>
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He doesn't run around like that all the time. In fact, we have more pics of him sleeping than just about anything else. That's mainly because he looks so damn adorable when he's asleep. See for yourself!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtbfUYREZuiFPwep9EkPYG7ph-JwDDqEHjD5cTB0QTAdTjgVIGDTfFDMY-J9QOxv_JuCYWSxbRW4lhY7E4nFY_6GCgPBN28lT3Z8p_bvEHky4DD3QBwnsBvyC4s4kDKIRnHSYMgrzuNMY/s1600/IMAG0032.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtbfUYREZuiFPwep9EkPYG7ph-JwDDqEHjD5cTB0QTAdTjgVIGDTfFDMY-J9QOxv_JuCYWSxbRW4lhY7E4nFY_6GCgPBN28lT3Z8p_bvEHky4DD3QBwnsBvyC4s4kDKIRnHSYMgrzuNMY/s400/IMAG0032.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Passed out on daddy's feet. Gah that's cute!</td></tr>
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PS - He's asleep on me right now.<br />
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Here's another funny thing about Ty. He tries many tactics to get his dinner early. I promise he gets fed the proper amount of food everyday but he is on a strict diet. Ty is half dachshund and has a long back. Any vet or dachshund owner will tell you that obesity for a dachshund is a death sentence. It puts too much strain on their back and can cause their back to break, leading to paralysis or even death. We love our little buddy and want him to stay healthy and keep us company for a loooooooonnnnnnnngggggggg time.<br />
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He still tries his hardest to get dinner just a few minutes early. First, there's pitiful begging. He's so abused and neglected! Not. (Yeah, I'm bringing that back.) Then, usually I start mocking him and he gets pissed and lets me know he is mad at me and wants dinner RIGHT NOW LADY. His last tactic is sickness, starvation, and death. He's coughing because, oh he's dying!<br />
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It's all very dramatic and like a Jersey Shore style tan. Orange. O wait I meant fake. Yeah, fake.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/qf9ctqDx-lo" width="420"></iframe><br />
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Trust me, he's spoiled. And very loved.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbzM0ElfvumRr3fFkVk1hJWDQftsEjSOTNDrSaFvia5s7-kXeEh-0Cu2zFk-UapzPcp0WTUNCiv62Xa7MjWpi52Az8E3BnlYQLRnYtpo78otJWvTr_iVJxef8A99ATIcM22jG17zvs_Kg/s1600/IMAG0043.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="322" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbzM0ElfvumRr3fFkVk1hJWDQftsEjSOTNDrSaFvia5s7-kXeEh-0Cu2zFk-UapzPcp0WTUNCiv62Xa7MjWpi52Az8E3BnlYQLRnYtpo78otJWvTr_iVJxef8A99ATIcM22jG17zvs_Kg/s400/IMAG0043.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
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<br />So, does this make up for my lack of posting for the last few months? <div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfkhQbKVINFfy94SMXcGC8InzuwVl61G1oyNzaKA6NeLCx3qY_nnNGZ4kUSBB_XNqp3jF_I-NzNSlAqHkKLhmTcEheA5S5CntAK6E_YV9QFlhbkwsaSJCxjbW12FZ8_QBvksV_ekD4YEM/s1600/2012-03-08_20-46-11_239.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="243" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfkhQbKVINFfy94SMXcGC8InzuwVl61G1oyNzaKA6NeLCx3qY_nnNGZ4kUSBB_XNqp3jF_I-NzNSlAqHkKLhmTcEheA5S5CntAK6E_YV9QFlhbkwsaSJCxjbW12FZ8_QBvksV_ekD4YEM/s640/2012-03-08_20-46-11_239.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">How about now? I wasn't kidding about the high volume of sleeping dog pics.</td></tr>
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<br /><br /></div>CChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06597441911612799354noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9087475892949060002.post-7635352199132037542012-03-26T08:18:00.000-07:002012-03-26T08:18:00.313-07:00A New Living Room. Again.Does busyness ever stop? I'm guessing not.<br />
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I started my new job last week! So far so good! They haven't told me to leave and never return, so I'm taking that as a good sign. Husband and I tackled some BIG projects last weekend thanks to some helpful family. More about that to come. I still need to take the after photos.<br />
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I had to post about this condo update now though, because Husband was pretty insistent. He figured you all would really like what we did to the living room. He's kinda cute when he gets these crazy notions.<br />
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Last you saw of the living room, it looked like this.<br />
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Yeah, that lasted all of five minutes. In fact, my mother (who bought us the curtains as a present) didn't even get to see the curtains in the living room. Sorry Mom. You gotta act fast around here! Husband and I lived with the set up for awhile but something felt.....off. We really liked the art work and the curtains seperately, but they just didn't jive together. We like jive. I think it was too much square.<br />
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While Husband and I were out and about, we stumbled across this perfect set of curtains. They are simple, light colored, and still had a little something so they weren't completely plain. We both liked them instantly, which meant we bought them on the spot. We've learned that if neither one of us has any reservations about a (home related) item, we should just buy it, no matter what it might be. We have yet to regret any of those purchases. Usually, one of us really likes something and has to convince the other why it is so awesome. Sometimes that works out, sometimes it doesn't. But if we both love it with no hemming or hawing, it is meant to come home with us!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6cyHFwzdFN_Y5cy7lB3yfy9bU43QYONMhIAw_QkSogmbbVLRqVlWHG8feY4FoO_4PIpbzEOnOq1h7uMBum4qYsJayiTTFlkesQTD2h_YoT8cI2OOjP3gBTkHaDAnDkaGWuaIU-3gqo3Q/s1600/007.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6cyHFwzdFN_Y5cy7lB3yfy9bU43QYONMhIAw_QkSogmbbVLRqVlWHG8feY4FoO_4PIpbzEOnOq1h7uMBum4qYsJayiTTFlkesQTD2h_YoT8cI2OOjP3gBTkHaDAnDkaGWuaIU-3gqo3Q/s400/007.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Available <a href="http://www.lowes.com/pd_41482-55802-10396_4294795254__?productId=3308850&Ntt=waverly+panel&pl=1&currentURL=%2Fpl_Solid_4294795254__s%3FNtt%3Dwaverly%2Bpanel&facetInfo=Solid" target="_blank">here</a>, from Lowe's.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>We both loved the subtle texture on the curtains. It filters the light really nicely. See for yourself!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiilA7AVKA2ljvHScgOCjRd-JqQ0hkan0SaOE80Lf6sUfLXg1x1GNJuTZSmNTZ8HeJE5btAZbViVmtqb8ZTJpmwzyGqr34sasKAUqXGcH2vfy7UGplUs5wWb_hRF_yXF7zBoJKuY_7YjCM/s1600/017.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiilA7AVKA2ljvHScgOCjRd-JqQ0hkan0SaOE80Lf6sUfLXg1x1GNJuTZSmNTZ8HeJE5btAZbViVmtqb8ZTJpmwzyGqr34sasKAUqXGcH2vfy7UGplUs5wWb_hRF_yXF7zBoJKuY_7YjCM/s400/017.JPG" width="265" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ok it may not be that spectacular in photos but it looks fab in person. Honest.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihwyTVWbSiYStVuNY0ogiTigQKb1Dp1kYcpQFo7c4EIPcEoW0XiWAA3eDTXFS0xV4KP2SFUxJJ2vFV3sGy-y263J0kowC3rDLYjqDee5GnH6JcpvBHTQDbEzq2SLX0wpqxzaWpIJpQLpk/s1600/062.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihwyTVWbSiYStVuNY0ogiTigQKb1Dp1kYcpQFo7c4EIPcEoW0XiWAA3eDTXFS0xV4KP2SFUxJJ2vFV3sGy-y263J0kowC3rDLYjqDee5GnH6JcpvBHTQDbEzq2SLX0wpqxzaWpIJpQLpk/s400/062.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNDf6hob5RW1O7DPje9cR8sG6nHLtbNdlIZUA8O495L6nnkdxZj3MlCfDGcnjLJk0TeW5T66b7HprW8ac8Lbq6Es9FRYp68HlBMR_ckY67nIswQWNCQEi_jVxfqKxmOfaSeFtaPEkBmxE/s1600/053.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="261" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNDf6hob5RW1O7DPje9cR8sG6nHLtbNdlIZUA8O495L6nnkdxZj3MlCfDGcnjLJk0TeW5T66b7HprW8ac8Lbq6Es9FRYp68HlBMR_ckY67nIswQWNCQEi_jVxfqKxmOfaSeFtaPEkBmxE/s400/053.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div><br />
</div><div>I picked up the white throw (Available <a href="http://www.blogger.com/"><span id="goog_939256014"></span>here<span id="goog_939256015"></span></a>!) and the white pillows (Available <a href="http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/product.asp?SKU=118035&COL=115&RN=99&" target="_blank">here</a>!) from Bed Bath & Beyond. The throw and the pair of pillows were only $20 each, or $16 if you have a coupon, which I always do. Seriously, I don't even bother stepping foot inside a BB&B without my stack-o-coupons.</div><div><br />
</div><div><div>Don't fret about the previous curtains.I pinned them to some brown curtains in the office, to give them a little more jive.</div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ17D3G2YpHGv5lDy23zSxvktq-Op0-SUFEekA35sO1MnHH4NbudRsiC04dCbsquM_UhhfGcE62SVbQJ3kq76ceIOO9V3PvJhqImgShZBhoEc0WhVJs70usBsIzl4LRikE7FzeBcmPghI/s1600/105.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="271" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ17D3G2YpHGv5lDy23zSxvktq-Op0-SUFEekA35sO1MnHH4NbudRsiC04dCbsquM_UhhfGcE62SVbQJ3kq76ceIOO9V3PvJhqImgShZBhoEc0WhVJs70usBsIzl4LRikE7FzeBcmPghI/s400/105.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div><br />
</div><div>One last look for those who don't like to scroll!</div><div><br />
</div><div>Before:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfJ4r4M8al-LE8Ms398DICXRfrNTTcOB0ZcAD2pggVG4wHASe1JDgzyfgn1uP2qcJiZabz-McJELtMk3TgJkr2hsC6HEdMvHkAaAI2wJuiTIbYv4-tCpy9xGQqgNIJxp3SV7rNyR2eAIE/s1600/DSC_0151.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfJ4r4M8al-LE8Ms398DICXRfrNTTcOB0ZcAD2pggVG4wHASe1JDgzyfgn1uP2qcJiZabz-McJELtMk3TgJkr2hsC6HEdMvHkAaAI2wJuiTIbYv4-tCpy9xGQqgNIJxp3SV7rNyR2eAIE/s400/DSC_0151.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div><br />
</div><div>After:</div><div><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNDf6hob5RW1O7DPje9cR8sG6nHLtbNdlIZUA8O495L6nnkdxZj3MlCfDGcnjLJk0TeW5T66b7HprW8ac8Lbq6Es9FRYp68HlBMR_ckY67nIswQWNCQEi_jVxfqKxmOfaSeFtaPEkBmxE/s1600/053.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="261" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNDf6hob5RW1O7DPje9cR8sG6nHLtbNdlIZUA8O495L6nnkdxZj3MlCfDGcnjLJk0TeW5T66b7HprW8ac8Lbq6Es9FRYp68HlBMR_ckY67nIswQWNCQEi_jVxfqKxmOfaSeFtaPEkBmxE/s400/053.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div><br />
</div><div>Much better!</div><div><br />
</div><div>I know I've been kind of absent (ok really) absent the past few weeks. I'm hoping to get a better handle on life now that things have settled down with the new job and some of our bigger condo projects have been crossed off of our list. What have you all been up to? How's life? I've missed this place.</div>CChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06597441911612799354noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9087475892949060002.post-17944391555629182132012-03-16T06:39:00.001-07:002016-07-22T11:51:18.642-07:00Mirror MakeoverI'm hard at work on a post about our living room update (yes, another one) but I'm not satisfied with the after pictures. I want to take more but it's 8:40 pm and not the best lighting situation. One of my personal goals is to have better pictures for my blog so it's taking more time and effort. Worth it? I hope so.<br />
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So, until I can take those pictures tomorrow morning, I have fun makeover to show you! At least, I thought it was fun. But I'm weird so...yeah.....<br />
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I painted a mirror!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXpj8Bd4FqCx1DnTQtpF3Hy0M5El0WDOuzeEYRD2l47_YN0gI98FW_OeNr1RQ8kaPxRnTuP2AW-6W-3Yphxw27GBxbfvOzSKnTd_AgEIPJdfhjDuFUhagZuP0APTctJo6S4ektEYAbdVE/s1600/DSC_0175.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXpj8Bd4FqCx1DnTQtpF3Hy0M5El0WDOuzeEYRD2l47_YN0gI98FW_OeNr1RQ8kaPxRnTuP2AW-6W-3Yphxw27GBxbfvOzSKnTd_AgEIPJdfhjDuFUhagZuP0APTctJo6S4ektEYAbdVE/s400/DSC_0175.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Remember how I talked about better photos? Yeah....my camera went temporarily beserk and I lost my before pics. I think the puppy makes up for it though!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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I bought this mirror from Target a year or so ago, which I don't see online but I still see it at my local store. There's a similar mirror available at Lowe's <a href="http://www.lowes.com/pd_304390-13535-LMCLH22ES_4294856758_4294937087_?productId=3093977&Ns=p_product_prd_lis_ord_nbr|0||p_product_qty_sales_dollar|1&pl=1&currentURL=%2Fpl_Framed%2BMirrors_4294856758_4294937087_%3FNs%3Dp_product_prd_lis_ord_nbr%7C0%7C%7Cp_product_qty_sales_dollar%7C1&facetInfo=" target="_blank">here</a> but it's larger and more expensive than the Target option. It is a good mirror and all but I'm on a mission to lighten and brighten up our home, especially our living room. I did this project during <a href="http://zodirowe.blogspot.com/2012/02/free-project-february.html" target="_blank">February </a>so I had to make it free.<br />
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I had <strike>some</strike> a lot Oops paint leftover from some molding touch ups. It's the perfect light, cream color and just what our living room needs!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgh9Gmv0YLqBTsrmgVKdjwmMoKK_x2_hGykzBKK1mu6so9KIsAS0uUQ7NSarZTV7LFj6_gSaTIPO7_iGUIl4MxVlltfP8hYBYKFkP1LZyBB_l7oZPQML7yVGV-JbeUZt7NIWfN1LnN4g4/s1600/032.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgh9Gmv0YLqBTsrmgVKdjwmMoKK_x2_hGykzBKK1mu6so9KIsAS0uUQ7NSarZTV7LFj6_gSaTIPO7_iGUIl4MxVlltfP8hYBYKFkP1LZyBB_l7oZPQML7yVGV-JbeUZt7NIWfN1LnN4g4/s400/032.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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I put two good coats on the mirror. I didn't use primer because I didn't have any on hand but, luckily, it wasn't necessary. Too coats were good enough!<br />
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Even though I originally taped off the mirror, I had some issues with the underside of the black frame reflecting in the mirror.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZvfwmCgnJ53EgQ4mGwC1DlAw8k3Qp9HQygfh3zpPbTYZ4sWLLufCszI27-3yTlppnwdybjBMUzFQPhGJwQmWZTL0BfgumKaiWuxKPT2hc2slyIxXervznZdkGVWver4-nVzIjdAH2gH4/s1600/036.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZvfwmCgnJ53EgQ4mGwC1DlAw8k3Qp9HQygfh3zpPbTYZ4sWLLufCszI27-3yTlppnwdybjBMUzFQPhGJwQmWZTL0BfgumKaiWuxKPT2hc2slyIxXervznZdkGVWver4-nVzIjdAH2gH4/s400/036.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">See the slivers of black totally messing with my light and bright vibe? Not cool, bro.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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I ended up removing the frame to paint the inside, which would have been the easiest way to paint it anyway.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW2LXx7jxlXZokSoJc_HDMjHt9gFSc37qol8pxvfMi_3WFy6DX-GL5BzdCs1_XEleHuKepRt021xQ9jENr1N-pY8Xh2cYlj5liVlo2MO5JSJIjdg0qEzOfwVY4mO7qrFcer6gFkLG2x-o/s1600/040.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW2LXx7jxlXZokSoJc_HDMjHt9gFSc37qol8pxvfMi_3WFy6DX-GL5BzdCs1_XEleHuKepRt021xQ9jENr1N-pY8Xh2cYlj5liVlo2MO5JSJIjdg0qEzOfwVY4mO7qrFcer6gFkLG2x-o/s400/040.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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After two coats of Oops Cream, the mirror was definitely lighter and brighter but it was little too plain. The shape of the quatrefoil (which is my favorite shape) was kind of lost. I dug around in my stash and found a solution! A test pot from Wal-mart!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIN10bXhkej8qvMdOq0qU9cI-_M_TsJKtRDPfZH0OnVrvDouA4vvZ0W_IrPl9JKfirsrFhFQooaYzwrEJSIfCQlkj3Z4wiMnt_KizB0FOMMSOZ1GkK5_thEnzcZQ8oSMoxo9uUhDJBrFs/s1600/046.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIN10bXhkej8qvMdOq0qU9cI-_M_TsJKtRDPfZH0OnVrvDouA4vvZ0W_IrPl9JKfirsrFhFQooaYzwrEJSIfCQlkj3Z4wiMnt_KizB0FOMMSOZ1GkK5_thEnzcZQ8oSMoxo9uUhDJBrFs/s400/046.JPG" width="363" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Glidden French Grey WGN52.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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It's a nice soft, blue grey so it's keeps with the neutral colors we love but it has a little somthin' somthin.' I debated how to add the color. Should I paint the top outline or maybe the outer border? I eventually decided that painting the outer border would make the mirror shape pop the best. I used a small brush to paint my outline.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUDcEwk3KH_Z5XZ_xf0yjYdpm2-kqoWVcG7B7qWFSXQvWWu3a9pN7KTqoQ1VSLroRoKOknRPzBzZ-MHDA6z5Onsrx31CByKzA-9H_j3PcTsBY46A0XYSMhXQ1BUFrDCxgtYS5bWm5Ioo0/s1600/056.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUDcEwk3KH_Z5XZ_xf0yjYdpm2-kqoWVcG7B7qWFSXQvWWu3a9pN7KTqoQ1VSLroRoKOknRPzBzZ-MHDA6z5Onsrx31CByKzA-9H_j3PcTsBY46A0XYSMhXQ1BUFrDCxgtYS5bWm5Ioo0/s400/056.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This also took two coats with a few touch ups.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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I must say, I love this mirror even more now!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjirT1qrBtW1vKaytW5Fo0q08_tL2zNjUMuxGw-7H3OacS7Qk4gilG1GWHoSHwNiRS3pRFSFSSdH3A_3U0pUmS-I9VRMLv-B5c6vVvg13HnLtoNfMjxl0f0JkD3frkJIwS4TAloZkLBqU8/s1600/062.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjirT1qrBtW1vKaytW5Fo0q08_tL2zNjUMuxGw-7H3OacS7Qk4gilG1GWHoSHwNiRS3pRFSFSSdH3A_3U0pUmS-I9VRMLv-B5c6vVvg13HnLtoNfMjxl0f0JkD3frkJIwS4TAloZkLBqU8/s400/062.JPG" width="382" /></a></div>
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I love this little corner of our living room even more now too. I picked up the rug from Target for $15, which I also can't find online but still see in the store. Theme!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ55A24Iz0tnxsM7yQ_FBMebnnTTj5mdAmY9SLkn8ymwOHv3HJOGAT4GeZVq2msC08_YXnJoD53itcoyU_xrFNM2IBJbqrVuyFlUvnWBPcFYL0NFLexiYXRUTykBLjVXhRtC25edXiat0/s1600/064.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ55A24Iz0tnxsM7yQ_FBMebnnTTj5mdAmY9SLkn8ymwOHv3HJOGAT4GeZVq2msC08_YXnJoD53itcoyU_xrFNM2IBJbqrVuyFlUvnWBPcFYL0NFLexiYXRUTykBLjVXhRtC25edXiat0/s400/064.JPG" width="271" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I picked up the table from Ross so we could have a place to sit our universal remote. Also, qua-trefoil craze!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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My mission to bring light colors into our living room is moving right along!<br />
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I'll take pics of the rest of the living room tomorrow and try to get that post up in a few days. Notice I said try. Don't hold me to this, Internets! Please?<br />
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What about you? Are you having to retake after pics? Paint any mirrors this weekend? Know where the hell I can find links to my stuff? If you have one, send it to me and I'll update my post!CChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06597441911612799354noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9087475892949060002.post-63184562461983969832012-03-02T08:06:00.001-08:002012-03-02T08:06:00.097-08:00Victory!I didn't spend a single penny on any project (or pretty much anything else) for the entire month of February!! I achieved my goal!! Go me!! I still have more projects to post but I just had to toot my virtual horn for a sec.<br />
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Now, on to March, aka Paintapalooza. March is also the month of big changes for this little blogger. I got a new job! Woot! I'll be an Executive Assistant (who knows what that means) at a small company with my own office and, get this, a window! My mom was totes jealous. *apologies to Mom* This job will hopefully be the change I've been looking for, at least professionally. I'll get to organize stuff. I'm so excited! I also get a nice little pay increase so I may just have to buy myself a little treat.<br />
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Calm down, Husband. I was thinking of a frappuccino. Or maybe some hooks for the entryway. I haven't started the new job yet.<br />
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Anyway, back to the Paintapalooza.<br />
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As I've mentioned a dozen (or fifty) times in the past, we're putting our condo on the market this Spring so we've been making simple changes and upgrades to help us sell the place. We're planning on repainting our dining room, office, and kitchen cabinets. Can you tell I'm SUPER excited? O, you can't? That's because I'm not. Blah. I know painting isn't hard or too terribly time consuming it's just.....well......it's painting and I'm not a fan. The actual painting part I don't mind but I hate the prep and the clean up. So, if any of you want to come to my house for the next couple of weekends and:<br />
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<ul><li>move out my furniture </li>
<li>lay down some drop cloths </li>
<li>tape off and protect surfaces that will not be painted </li>
<li>patch and sand any holes </li>
<li>and then (when I finish the painting part) come back and clean up</li>
<li>fix any mistakes I made</li>
<li>and move my furniture back in</li>
<li>remove all of my kitchen cabinet doors</li>
<li>clean, degrease and prep my kitchen cabinet doors</li>
<li>once the paint dries, reattach all of my kitchen cabinet doors</li>
</ul><div><br />
</div><div>By all means, PLEASE DO! I can provide pizza and beer. Or wine, if you prefer wine. Hell, I'll buy you all kittens and pedicures if you come do that stuff. I have no idea why I picked those two things. It's late and all this painting talk makes me tired.</div><div><br />
</div><div>Well, that's all I have for now. I just wanted to show my success with my self-imposed <a href="http://zodirowe.blogspot.com/2012/02/free-project-february.html" target="_blank">Free Project February</a> goal and tell you all about my new job. Because you're my friends. Question: Do you ever refer to your blog friends in real life conversations to other people, and talk about them like your blog friends are your real life friends too? Even though your blog friend probably couldn't pick you out of a well lit line up? Yeah, I do that. Does that make me weird or stalkerish?</div><div><br />
</div><div>I hope not.</div><div><br />
</div><div>PS - Holy crap a post with no picture! Can't have that! </div><div><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho3knSkpPC_bTK8TNsmdYdv8PZmwPDdCUdym5wOh37Z0itLc3FafRX0XG-T6YD7Awz3oWsc2ZBMNHW7e_c7DTg-Kq423XZTa3ATJgFcOa35jlR7dfM7EvSPJwsjxXxtjkCs3rPawoezlw/s1600/IMG_20111219_074608.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho3knSkpPC_bTK8TNsmdYdv8PZmwPDdCUdym5wOh37Z0itLc3FafRX0XG-T6YD7Awz3oWsc2ZBMNHW7e_c7DTg-Kq423XZTa3ATJgFcOa35jlR7dfM7EvSPJwsjxXxtjkCs3rPawoezlw/s400/IMG_20111219_074608.jpg" width="238" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Good thing Mother Ty-resa* came to answer our prayers.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div><br />
</div><div><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlTiWWhEuAkHtj2DuVb4WZ2Dm_WFo3m0dGV3Nvq6Db87NcOf-gfyyNPj_C0_KbcKEV9CqwOmakqBmIX7LVOKJzgHc36bI3eqCZwSzjOv2hmmYKF16E0YAi9tcLS4a9h9oOuttPD28Gtf4/s1600/IMAG0010.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlTiWWhEuAkHtj2DuVb4WZ2Dm_WFo3m0dGV3Nvq6Db87NcOf-gfyyNPj_C0_KbcKEV9CqwOmakqBmIX7LVOKJzgHc36bI3eqCZwSzjOv2hmmYKF16E0YAi9tcLS4a9h9oOuttPD28Gtf4/s400/IMAG0010.jpg" width="238" /></a></div><div><br />
</div><div>*Husband came up with this name. I married a comedian. Be jealous.</div>CChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06597441911612799354noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9087475892949060002.post-57163536085841898032012-02-21T09:00:00.000-08:002012-02-21T09:00:01.453-08:00New Use For a Christmas Ornament<div class="MsoNormal">I’ve been slowly but surely adding some greenery around the condo to add some life and hopefully freshen up the air a bit. I pinned this little goodie a few months ago because it seemed like a really cool, easy way to bring some plants into our home.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7EnHjmri6qlxDSmCU4vPAEFZs8SMJxwiddu_SxrP16h4T9bWnB9ITGR5JHUu-zXt1GkXjJub8jYF7rtEn-DVhfkFRYhXuBjCBFQhZsLChDIckdLh8nyWXpK_Z0ryvqOPz8RaNjh8HM-g/s1600/119204721356665565_B1OuCygf_f.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="337" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7EnHjmri6qlxDSmCU4vPAEFZs8SMJxwiddu_SxrP16h4T9bWnB9ITGR5JHUu-zXt1GkXjJub8jYF7rtEn-DVhfkFRYhXuBjCBFQhZsLChDIckdLh8nyWXpK_Z0ryvqOPz8RaNjh8HM-g/s400/119204721356665565_B1OuCygf_f.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pinned <a href="http://pinterest.com/pin/65020788339867341/" target="_blank">here</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">You just stuff some small greenery into a Christmas bulb. Easy enough! And no, there is no sarcasm here, for once. Ok there was your sarcasm but no sarcasm in regards to this project. It really is easy to do.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I had picked up some silver Christmas balls from Wal-Mart for 75% off.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzJAHx9PmUAtvYhA_TUrPLm4xOK4uZxqnSNcG7tL4r3sF0VT9Fgp43l7tNR69-Gb8bD-xvLzmaABLq1eLzIZKJ0Vo37-MmMja7i6iBsaafi6PraWoqLcWIFK3YrrSh_D53hu0RuBzIBSg/s1600/119.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzJAHx9PmUAtvYhA_TUrPLm4xOK4uZxqnSNcG7tL4r3sF0VT9Fgp43l7tNR69-Gb8bD-xvLzmaABLq1eLzIZKJ0Vo37-MmMja7i6iBsaafi6PraWoqLcWIFK3YrrSh_D53hu0RuBzIBSg/s400/119.JPG" width="355" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: -webkit-auto;">Grand total was $1.25</span> </td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I bought these in January so I’m still sticking to my Free Project February goal. I just couldn’t buy anything else for this, meaning plants or dirt. I had originally planned on buying some long grass or something like that but, there’s no spending allowed. As it turns out, my forced resourcefulness came out better I think!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I have nice airplane plant on our patio that is still alive, despite my lack of a green thumb.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5EhOlnN8-mfm_GuZ3XC55i8BRJM4z79s7oSXcfe8o-0xv7DO0CppeGJ8L8YomQIhHE8iYgt5-lTfExHh0ZVu0n9DiykaG88x4Bzoh4uzi3oXoVooeROjOU5JClI732-zfcBgD4mkyfg0/s1600/165.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5EhOlnN8-mfm_GuZ3XC55i8BRJM4z79s7oSXcfe8o-0xv7DO0CppeGJ8L8YomQIhHE8iYgt5-lTfExHh0ZVu0n9DiykaG88x4Bzoh4uzi3oXoVooeROjOU5JClI732-zfcBgD4mkyfg0/s400/165.JPG" width="265" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The great thing about this plant is that it is really hard to kill, which bodes well for me. Airplane plants also get these little off shoots which are perfect for this project. I snipped off a few of the little baby airplane plants.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0d4p_shK6aLxwK_XXg1aWCCg2z4Hsku3kju-DbVXRPzVViBC2Us6c5N3U6ifIT64lfBQnxszWHU_IewYfetCO02pUc_nEG7YAKNuhuIrHLVGQZ7RYa-1zYPWjLzmm6LhVuA8CXbC53U8/s1600/122.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="313" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0d4p_shK6aLxwK_XXg1aWCCg2z4Hsku3kju-DbVXRPzVViBC2Us6c5N3U6ifIT64lfBQnxszWHU_IewYfetCO02pUc_nEG7YAKNuhuIrHLVGQZ7RYa-1zYPWjLzmm6LhVuA8CXbC53U8/s400/122.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I scooped out some dirt from an empty pot on our patio and gathered my balls (heh) and baby plants. I took out the ornament hook so I was left with a cool new vase. Then, I scooped some dirt into the ball with a plastic spoon. Once I had filled the ball about halfway or so with dirt, I added a little bit of water and just slipped the plant into the ball.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnvHk0mr7FZ0EGJJGT1FUzF-RuRtxuRCcnheH-UjA1u7MwMv1fU3sDv6w-t4kf8aupc8x3EuiBCvjedllp0XFA7-xd9ks2TnbxJbNMjai3xqidBIllIQOlmqpgHY-HyNn_C8nKge2LXi0/s1600/125.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="303" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnvHk0mr7FZ0EGJJGT1FUzF-RuRtxuRCcnheH-UjA1u7MwMv1fU3sDv6w-t4kf8aupc8x3EuiBCvjedllp0XFA7-xd9ks2TnbxJbNMjai3xqidBIllIQOlmqpgHY-HyNn_C8nKge2LXi0/s400/125.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Now, I was worried that the round ball would be too rolley (is that a word?) to be considered a good idea. I could just picture one hip bump to the table and I would suddenly have dirt and broken glass all over my floor. Then, of course, Ty and/or True would have to investigate or eat it, get dirt on their paws, and then go take a nap on our cream colored comforter. Yeah, I thought this through. So, I needed a way to keep the ball from rolling around but I wanted to stay true to my no-spend promise. That’s when the light bulb went off.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYTpfTuXcIIBX7FgW06odgzuz82eGU-C1FXSsKHBnIOuE2070X7rzLI_U_xWqua98OPs6rWsHFOSHPfT6Ka1KSwVZfkVe-Y98yuKizCiF4bYY5OyOaHXpFM2cT-9uw1ssAjKiXZ2lPxfw/s1600/135.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="328" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYTpfTuXcIIBX7FgW06odgzuz82eGU-C1FXSsKHBnIOuE2070X7rzLI_U_xWqua98OPs6rWsHFOSHPfT6Ka1KSwVZfkVe-Y98yuKizCiF4bYY5OyOaHXpFM2cT-9uw1ssAjKiXZ2lPxfw/s400/135.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Hot glue! No, I <a href="" name="_GoBack"></a>wasn’t going to hot glue the ball to my table. I change my mind way too much for that kind of commitment. But, the hot glue could make a nice little no slip foot for the ball to rest on. I gobbed some hot glue on the silicone pad that came with my hot glue gun. Then, I quickly stuck my new planter onto the glue at whatever angle tickled my fancy.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvoxrj60mOrCMOSmKYU1FS4RnKmt7H0r9Dg_MbyT5YltQcCuHDTdrZSC3sOjODxTu0erZAicdgN3f0EUi3khyphenhyphenE0kJUGZqqQgTQbkXbz9cM7CEa0rO5JfmE2nJIgABHOSxdABXzvouC2Cg/s1600/136.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="242" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvoxrj60mOrCMOSmKYU1FS4RnKmt7H0r9Dg_MbyT5YltQcCuHDTdrZSC3sOjODxTu0erZAicdgN3f0EUi3khyphenhyphenE0kJUGZqqQgTQbkXbz9cM7CEa0rO5JfmE2nJIgABHOSxdABXzvouC2Cg/s400/136.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Once the glue is completely cool and dry, I carefully peeled the glue off of the silicone pad and made sure it stayed on the bulb. Since the pad is made for this, it was no problem. The rubber like consistency of the dried glue keeps the Christmas balls in place.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs7tlE2EkZIqZudG1y5BZNC12cfbc_cqkkQI0Ab5JVS-JecaHakfp_Hm-WefMutEdsUGz3IUIkeQpgbqyIUYm4sejdFIcHqbpFbfaMsb56pxOkZmLr1vjkPKNQD6QEIQzjrCAgYYmr-J4/s1600/128.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="396" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs7tlE2EkZIqZudG1y5BZNC12cfbc_cqkkQI0Ab5JVS-JecaHakfp_Hm-WefMutEdsUGz3IUIkeQpgbqyIUYm4sejdFIcHqbpFbfaMsb56pxOkZmLr1vjkPKNQD6QEIQzjrCAgYYmr-J4/s400/128.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I’ve had three of these in various places in our home and not a single one has rolled away! Knock on wood, I hope I didn’t just jinx myself!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW3MHfs7eZwCuIDXVnLqarJT5vagxQpoaID0TO-iqUNYOif9Rb55dxTGhKU1yo6EeW1YVMxbr9lpM9nC2lmpr94j8H3omn6HHsU5hasvxvqZYnGv-dosZdIKrh1OpduHcm3sys1Bgfuxc/s1600/138.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="282" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW3MHfs7eZwCuIDXVnLqarJT5vagxQpoaID0TO-iqUNYOif9Rb55dxTGhKU1yo6EeW1YVMxbr9lpM9nC2lmpr94j8H3omn6HHsU5hasvxvqZYnGv-dosZdIKrh1OpduHcm3sys1Bgfuxc/s400/138.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn5eOcQqnR82THOM0Yhw2ZZXcycn3BTnQRcfhU-azUACPL7nlaZ0X8xJ9_9FjZMDLL7-4zvvwsw-aHQnLNYHRIVkhYPIFTfcJsX7DrzUuMXksHCwgCWeDNK6y5EPVscaSN7Peobw7bnW0/s1600/141.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="322" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn5eOcQqnR82THOM0Yhw2ZZXcycn3BTnQRcfhU-azUACPL7nlaZ0X8xJ9_9FjZMDLL7-4zvvwsw-aHQnLNYHRIVkhYPIFTfcJsX7DrzUuMXksHCwgCWeDNK6y5EPVscaSN7Peobw7bnW0/s400/141.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">From start to finish, these 3 modern plant holders only cost me $1.25 and I still have 5 left to use how I see fit! Total time to make these was about 15-20 minutes for all three. And, I get to pat myself on the back for finishing a project without spending any more cash. Victory!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div>CChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06597441911612799354noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9087475892949060002.post-17703650288399404442012-02-21T08:00:00.001-08:002012-02-23T20:36:40.268-08:00Get the Dot!By scaling back on my To Do's, I've had more time for this. Yeah, this is a silly video of our puppy and a laser pointer. It's 2:33 long, which is actually edited down from 4:14. I figured you could only take so much. There's also this weird audio thing in the beginning but it goes away after a few seconds.<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/BA6hs25XtWE" width="420"></iframe><br />
<br />
Taking breaks are so worth it.<br />
<br />
PS - Sorry for the high pitched squealing from me. It really gets Ty worked up.CChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06597441911612799354noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9087475892949060002.post-53680757346432192702012-02-20T09:00:00.001-08:002012-02-20T09:00:08.946-08:00Free Project February<div class="MsoNormal">I know we’re halfway through February but I got a bit behind on blogging because <a href="http://zodirowe.blogspot.com/2012/02/perseverance.html" target="_blank">one post</a> turned into <a href="http://zodirowe.blogspot.com/2012/02/continuing-on-wall-decor.html" target="_blank">two</a> and it took me awhile to finish them. Plus, I’ve been suffering from burnout lately. I took on too many projects and my sanity and wallet have suffered for it.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">You see, I’ve had materials for several (like 30, no joke) different projects in my possession but no time or energy to finish any of them. I also have a really bad habit of trying to do several projects at one time, and then I never really focus and finish a single one of them. So, I’m left with a clutter-mountain of half-done projects. This also leads to wasted money because I will have inevitably forgotten a key material or run into a speed bump that requires an additional purchase, but I have no budget left for it because that money was spent elsewhere for a different half-done project. Wow that was a long sentence. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Here’s my big declaration to the Internets: All of that changes this month. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Yes, dear friends, I need you to hold me accountable and help me not spend any money on any project for the entire month of February. NOT A DIME. The idea is to use up materials I have, which will eliminate the clutter-mountains which feel like they are everywhere in our condo and I will recoup my finances and get back to a zero balance on my credit card. Plus, I’ll finally tackle all of those pesky To Do’s and shrink my task list, so I feel like things are more manageable. I’ll be able to focus on one thing at a time because my list won’t be two miles long.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">So far, I’ve been doing really well. I’ve been tempted. Oh Internets, I’ve been so tempted. I’ve thought, it’s only a few dollars and it will be an easy project I can knock out in a day. Then, I smack myself straight and remember that that line of thinking is what has gotten me into this mess. Things need to change because I can’t deal with the burnout anymore.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">It’s now February 17<sup>th</sup> and I’m proud to say I haven’t bought a single item or material all month. Snaps for CC!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Rest assured that I’ve been keeping busy though. But I haven’t felt overwhelmed. My To Do list is steadily shrinking, my bank account is slowly rising, and my home is beginning to clear. It’s a great feeling. I think I’ll keep this up through March, with the exception of paint. We need to paint a couple of rooms before we list the condo but that may just be it.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">So, for the next couple of weeks, I’ll be sharing with you all of the loose ends I’ve been tying up around Casa de Comeaux. Some of the projects may even be free to you if you hoard stuff like I do!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The first project I’ll share with you today is a fun one that helped me use up some long hoarded materials. Is hoarded a word? It sounds funny in my head. Moving on…</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Remember <a href="http://zodirowe.blogspot.com/2012/02/what-do-you-see.html" target="_blank">this post</a> I did not too long ago about some fun ink blot art I made? I was inspired by <a href="http://www.trianglehoneymoon.com/2012/01/30/what-do-you-see/" target="_blank">this post</a> by Triangle Honeymoon during my Free Project February but I didn’t let that get me down! I made some art with paint and paper I already owned.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxB09AVmLh7Myfb-mVYi02fmJW-rjj7Auo6-xVcIp5IEGip3t48m1rVZR7lcS9p_HBG1dH0VVPh147i-UkK0kRB3CYD3kfUZ7Ua7RuXLzvWME21ZrMnsoXhQ_ZchupDOXlP08aFRE_FrQ/s1600/DSC_0176.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxB09AVmLh7Myfb-mVYi02fmJW-rjj7Auo6-xVcIp5IEGip3t48m1rVZR7lcS9p_HBG1dH0VVPh147i-UkK0kRB3CYD3kfUZ7Ua7RuXLzvWME21ZrMnsoXhQ_ZchupDOXlP08aFRE_FrQ/s400/DSC_0176.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: -webkit-auto;">Here’s a refresher picture.</span> </td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">After I finished our living room updates with new curtains and wall art, it made some other spots in the living room need some sprucing up to. Gotta love the domino effect that is decorating! Hmm, I wonder if that’s how the magazine Domino came up with its name?</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">You see our pillows on the couch?</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNzyUrpgb3n1PyLZLuxMPhTmmxvomDTArOdAGiuAQRvsO7PUbScAHJsocbszsQ0g_GBKEO3KJOrimVh-cmak57rcCfolAM2IkiZ3uo5leEuRLQNHQqsa5BNl0NHFCA0fVxX8gNHuN7CYo/s1600/DSC_0133.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNzyUrpgb3n1PyLZLuxMPhTmmxvomDTArOdAGiuAQRvsO7PUbScAHJsocbszsQ0g_GBKEO3KJOrimVh-cmak57rcCfolAM2IkiZ3uo5leEuRLQNHQqsa5BNl0NHFCA0fVxX8gNHuN7CYo/s400/DSC_0133.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Yeah…they didn’t really jive with the space anymore. I wanted some brighter, more modern pillows; something that would pull from the colors of the art. But, what is a girl on a self-imposed budget freeze to do? Raid her stash, of course!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Well, I loved the cool modern art look of the ink blot paintings and thought it would look great somewhere in the space. Since the photographs still make me happy, I decided to incorporate the ink blots into something else. See where my mind is going?</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxfiozYbGukTSboCDjSlcIoUYION9ZCqDlyJga270FVL3gkZoRIQH1WBy1kU1NP7WkxW-xHT2JHAZw5SsWjOsoscrL-rIQnARKU9oW_B3ExUmDlwFsjSRYVhE6fTsAoB1T56MoOo6P338/s1600/189.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="247" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxfiozYbGukTSboCDjSlcIoUYION9ZCqDlyJga270FVL3gkZoRIQH1WBy1kU1NP7WkxW-xHT2JHAZw5SsWjOsoscrL-rIQnARKU9oW_B3ExUmDlwFsjSRYVhE6fTsAoB1T56MoOo6P338/s400/189.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Yup, I made an ink blot art pillow! And I SWEAR I didn’t buy a thing!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I used some leftover canvas drop cloth from one of the <a href="http://zodirowe.blogspot.com/2011/07/diy-canopy-part-one.html" target="_blank">failed canopy attempts</a> I did during our <a href="http://zodirowe.blogspot.com/2011/10/patio-makeover.html" target="_blank">patio makeover</a>. Luckily, I had enough large scraps to cut out 3 pieces of fabric to make a no sew pillow, following the same awesomely <a href="http://budgetwisehome.com/no-sew-pillow-cover-tutorial/" target="_blank">easy tutorial</a> I always use. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I took the piece that would make up the front of my pillow and used the same technique that I had used to make the paper art. I folded the fabric in half to make nice crease, which I used as a guide. I applied some acrylic paint in fun swirls and globs to one side. Then, I carefully folded the fabric along the crease.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicWjMp8q0STnEFHPmt7GYJ8KYbr47ZQaek8OKdj2u9emOyJvhubf2kHl22YAqLyr3F5lzrI0yBPEz3F6wF0ID3alUhrMfAq7GfGWWHovKZLe4vHZTqEC-YbCf934ddaFkyRK11v8LJn7c/s1600/088.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="227" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicWjMp8q0STnEFHPmt7GYJ8KYbr47ZQaek8OKdj2u9emOyJvhubf2kHl22YAqLyr3F5lzrI0yBPEz3F6wF0ID3alUhrMfAq7GfGWWHovKZLe4vHZTqEC-YbCf934ddaFkyRK11v8LJn7c/s400/088.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The colors I used, from left: Mustard Yellow, Burgundy, Dark Orange, Bright Red, and Metallic Gold.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy9xy6D2ejHL9M-p2aOPxrQkgA2OyObcTox9gFlyedfpghytUS-fVIpneA52FSv9gDd-fA-1EHIw6UM8UV9xKGsluXbyMNrypvvGvjAAW9R0AY7h68wNI2YS1C7X9aViIqVzVE47wOcVY/s1600/100.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy9xy6D2ejHL9M-p2aOPxrQkgA2OyObcTox9gFlyedfpghytUS-fVIpneA52FSv9gDd-fA-1EHIw6UM8UV9xKGsluXbyMNrypvvGvjAAW9R0AY7h68wNI2YS1C7X9aViIqVzVE47wOcVY/s400/100.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: -webkit-auto;"> You may want to leave more room around the edges for seam allowance. It didn’t make a big difference but I noticed my hem tape didn’t quite stick in the painted areas.</span> </td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The paint seeped through the bottom a bit, but my desk wipes off clean so I wasn’t bothered. Just a heads up for you though!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">If you find you want more paint globs or blots or whatever, I would wait to apply a second coat after your first coat dries. It’s really hard to fold the fabric perfectly and have it lay the same way twice. You may get this ghost effect, like I did.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3zbBKY_i_WD7dYjUa9BvaFy5ZZs0YkcWEUp-59iW_9mIfsclItl6vG-nBhrxa89U7k54zX8xEI5e3jgG2LL59dtYvg0W22aRM8k04xpQdR8HsBPUGAZrmPW2tkFpxdLs3dzcQoALG8ZI/s1600/098.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="271" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3zbBKY_i_WD7dYjUa9BvaFy5ZZs0YkcWEUp-59iW_9mIfsclItl6vG-nBhrxa89U7k54zX8xEI5e3jgG2LL59dtYvg0W22aRM8k04xpQdR8HsBPUGAZrmPW2tkFpxdLs3dzcQoALG8ZI/s400/098.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I waited for the paint to dry and used my third application to mask it a bit. The beauty of abstract art is that mistakes can look intentional. Ha!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">After the paint completely dried (I waited a day), you can use hem tape to bring it all together! In case you don’t want to scroll up, here’s that <a href="http://budgetwisehome.com/no-sew-pillow-cover-tutorial/" target="_blank">no sew pillow link</a> again. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaa8c6KCSbNNlJN6mPukNvqVwETtJ3weFPhynNMQjbD0tJ4K99M4giVTsO6ZF9GFfJBWa5KIZGK9G0Lbq4ZD4IC-WeGrK2ilsPzP3Y048bgcJWoinRkU-U58A_A7m8HeQRZQZAza2XyEQ/s1600/102.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaa8c6KCSbNNlJN6mPukNvqVwETtJ3weFPhynNMQjbD0tJ4K99M4giVTsO6ZF9GFfJBWa5KIZGK9G0Lbq4ZD4IC-WeGrK2ilsPzP3Y048bgcJWoinRkU-U58A_A7m8HeQRZQZAza2XyEQ/s400/102.JPG" width="248" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Once I made the pillow, I threw it in the dryer to soften the painted areas a bit. They can be kind of stiff. This pillow is more for looks than a restful night’s sleep. Although, you could just flip it over if you’re desperate for a pillow. The canvas isn’t too rough, in my opinion. I’ve heard that putting painted fabric in<a href="" name="_GoBack"></a> a dryer cycle can help set the paint, but I’m not sure how accurate that is for acrylic. So, I can’t say if this pillow cover is washable. If I wash it at some point, I will definitely let you know how it comes out. It’s not like a spent a fortune on it!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRzTeNX-PyVkAJQp9Y7Q-IkzY0xg8Sl_eOjZMYIyldxGKQBubIsmOyz2gmxyHQX8ycgxfW_ioxUANNr2hcS-dm0CBCDtOTLOkNUKG6v2XRBqy-YDEVQrQbM1csNFhQS_w8p_SbdxBNHvo/s1600/190.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRzTeNX-PyVkAJQp9Y7Q-IkzY0xg8Sl_eOjZMYIyldxGKQBubIsmOyz2gmxyHQX8ycgxfW_ioxUANNr2hcS-dm0CBCDtOTLOkNUKG6v2XRBqy-YDEVQrQbM1csNFhQS_w8p_SbdxBNHvo/s400/190.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I also switched my <a href="http://zodirowe.blogspot.com/2011/10/from-dining-table-to-couch.html" target="_blank">placemats pillow</a>, using the blue pillow instead, to coordinate with the blue from the wall art.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">What do you think of my free pillow? I’m digging it and its price tag! I may make another one down the line. You know, when I’m allowed to spend money again! Have you ever given yourself a spending time out? Was it actually a relief, like it has been for me?</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div>CChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06597441911612799354noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9087475892949060002.post-63229554583332023342012-02-16T08:48:00.001-08:002012-02-16T08:48:00.372-08:00Continuing On, Wall Decor!<div class="MsoNormal">I loved the wall décor right after we hung it and then things went sour. It just didn't jive with our new style. I’ve disliked it for months but I kept putting it off for a few reasons. One, because I couldn’t decide what to put in its place. Two, I wasn’t ready to drop any cash on new art. Three, Husband thought it would be pointless because we would be moving soon and we should focus on projects for selling the condo. Once I had taken care of One (knew what I wanted to do) and Two (saved up my funds), I rationalized Three. We needed to make the place look more modern for buyers so this would count as staging! Isn’t rationalizing a beautiful thing? Husband took more convincing, mainly because he didn’t want more holes in the wall. I told him not to worry, I had a fool proof plan and it wouldn’t be a problem.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Oy.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Famous. Last. Words.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">We’ve always had trouble filling the space but I knew I had found the solution. A lovely gallery wall!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2Zc8NnCiAzl0KiXZmvm9TPmSj-hZSkMnCVnoevBhOqPuwNrKkj7-a0pLebdK4IUfwveSWgiU_Wm7rxsGbB1WOuUwJf1fk6pRxxFZt96bm050wKza9E1qOigDh-II38BaoQBe2-zI4naE/s1600/Gallery-Wall-5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="271" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2Zc8NnCiAzl0KiXZmvm9TPmSj-hZSkMnCVnoevBhOqPuwNrKkj7-a0pLebdK4IUfwveSWgiU_Wm7rxsGbB1WOuUwJf1fk6pRxxFZt96bm050wKza9E1qOigDh-II38BaoQBe2-zI4naE/s400/Gallery-Wall-5.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Via <a href="http://thejoyofdecorating.com/2011/09/the-joy-of-gallery-walls/" target="_blank">here</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYcO5GJ1ZuajrsZJchVJltCSGULQNIEP_FLNAWdtZCsziAblkrl3M1AnddBSfObzEMoU323RS2rf80uNUoXLbbqYHYuDLo_63a5nVecSwwVqkBqFYyyHUcv1FBx6gkDx2NYx8uOA43eZI/s1600/5574054968_aa6b6cb9a9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYcO5GJ1ZuajrsZJchVJltCSGULQNIEP_FLNAWdtZCsziAblkrl3M1AnddBSfObzEMoU323RS2rf80uNUoXLbbqYHYuDLo_63a5nVecSwwVqkBqFYyyHUcv1FBx6gkDx2NYx8uOA43eZI/s400/5574054968_aa6b6cb9a9.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Via <a href="http://www.brooklynlimestone.com/2011/03/shore-files-gallery-wall-unveiled.html#.TziAz8UV12A" target="_blank">here</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaeW9SfBOyJcjDkF4pdqOtDzVwYmP_UpNW-47O4CRdsJA2pNNEBsJW_BswBNV9_bcIj1rjydYo_3RoFH6FT0n4IM8_lAZkG9ejhYicqlsMnmbbauUZ0ttEHMGZ22qXks57psvzYXh1k9M/s1600/GalleryWall-400x268.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaeW9SfBOyJcjDkF4pdqOtDzVwYmP_UpNW-47O4CRdsJA2pNNEBsJW_BswBNV9_bcIj1rjydYo_3RoFH6FT0n4IM8_lAZkG9ejhYicqlsMnmbbauUZ0ttEHMGZ22qXks57psvzYXh1k9M/s400/GalleryWall-400x268.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Via <a href="http://www.chictip.com/design-tips/get-inspired-picture-wall-gallery" target="_blank">here</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">There are many different styles of gallery walls but I think the symmetrical style would fit in with my OCD sensibilities the best. Not only would this fill the space and look more modern, I could easily change out the art as my moods or style changed. Perfect! I showed Husband some inspiration pictures of what I wanted to do on our wall. He expressed concern because he just knew that a gallery wall would be hard to pull off and look symmetrical. It is too hard to make everything perfect, he said. They always look slightly off, he said. I told him I had been researching and knew of a great method for gallery walls.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQZDcFJdk-6LIzPcwBs8xhrbRpSo5HN8jxa_TtMW4j5bFSB9rVwsH4EXp70gxFLVrosvBpbfxfmPEykjsc_Vt7ctxntPIBjrddCLpJHfKr8aHqeS3kxby09fiWtsRU3I0rZVrri4-a540/s1600/DSC_0066.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQZDcFJdk-6LIzPcwBs8xhrbRpSo5HN8jxa_TtMW4j5bFSB9rVwsH4EXp70gxFLVrosvBpbfxfmPEykjsc_Vt7ctxntPIBjrddCLpJHfKr8aHqeS3kxby09fiWtsRU3I0rZVrri4-a540/s400/DSC_0066.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Paper templates! It’s what <a href="http://www.younghouselove.com/2011/03/the-hallway-full-monty/" target="_blank">The Petersiks</a> used and it works! I’ve used it before for hanging pictures! It will work for a gallery wall I just know it!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">See all of those exclamation points? They meant that I was confident. Ha.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Okay, Internets. Here is where Husband will be very happy. Are you reading, Husband? You were right.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">No, I won’t say it again.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I’m going to show you a nice, bulleted list of all of the steps I took so you can see how this simple weekend project turned into a confidence destroying nightmare.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><ol start="1" style="margin-top: 0in;" type="1"><li class="MsoNormal">Find nice, inexpensive 12x12 frames online and order.</li>
<li class="MsoNormal">New frames arrive! Celebrate!</li>
<li class="MsoNormal">Make paper templates of frames.</li>
<li class="MsoNormal">Hang templates on wall with painters tape.</li>
<li class="MsoNormal">Move and adjust templates for two hours until you have the perfect spacing and everything is even and level.</li>
<li class="MsoNormal">Measure frames for hole placement.</li>
<li class="MsoNormal">Mark paper templates according to measurements.</li>
<li class="MsoNormal">Double check all of your measurements for everything.</li>
<li class="MsoNormal">Triple check all of your measurements for everything.</li>
<li class="MsoNormal">Close eyes, cross fingers, and hammer nails in the wall according to your triple checked paper templates.</li>
<li class="MsoNormal">Hang frames.</li>
<li class="MsoNormal">Step back to enjoy your work.</li>
<li class="MsoNormal">Realize that the 12x12 size is too small.</li>
<li class="MsoNormal">Confirm this with Husband. *sigh*</li>
<li class="MsoNormal">Return frames.</li>
<li class="MsoNormal">Thank the Lord for in store return policies.</li>
<li class="MsoNormal">Find new, larger <a href="http://www.amazon.com/20x20-Satin-White-Picture-Frame/dp/B00428U31W" target="_blank">20x20 frames</a> at a higher price.</li>
<li class="MsoNormal">Bite the bullet and spend the money.</li>
<li class="MsoNormal">Bigger frames arrive! Yay!</li>
<li class="MsoNormal">Make BIG paper templates.</li>
<li class="MsoNormal">Hang new templates on the wall.</li>
<li class="MsoNormal">Wait a week to continue because your weekend is gone. Paper templates fall because painters tape sucks.</li>
<li class="MsoNormal">Rehang paper templates. For a third freaking time.</li>
<li class="MsoNormal">Move and adjust templates for two hours until you have the perfect spacing and everything is even and level.</li>
<li class="MsoNormal">Measure frames for hole placement.</li>
<li class="MsoNormal">Mark paper templates according to measurements.</li>
<li class="MsoNormal">Double check all of your measurements for everything.</li>
<li class="MsoNormal">Triple check all of your measurements for everything.</li>
<li class="MsoNormal">Close eyes, cross fingers, and hammer nails in the wall according to your triple checked paper templates.</li>
<li class="MsoNormal">Step back to enjoy your work.</li>
<li class="MsoNormal">See this:</li>
</ol><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKZ37LwPm1Frm3BUIGKdGLoaZzVpGlV0mlVqOLzd8nGWzpUjjJnIYUIFYlrw26R_IhXhrHIp-G8N1eNL6fxS7dUzk73Yt-Logal1cH16jS81e4s3xnKvrYkXWV4RwxBYpmtbrrp8JZM5k/s1600/DSC_0086.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="242" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKZ37LwPm1Frm3BUIGKdGLoaZzVpGlV0mlVqOLzd8nGWzpUjjJnIYUIFYlrw26R_IhXhrHIp-G8N1eNL6fxS7dUzk73Yt-Logal1cH16jS81e4s3xnKvrYkXWV4RwxBYpmtbrrp8JZM5k/s400/DSC_0086.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><ol start="32" style="margin-top: 0in;" type="1"><li class="MsoNormal">Cry because, where did things go wrong?</li>
</ol><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal">After I choked on my feelings of defeat, Husband was nice enough to help me out by bringing the dog to his mom’s (because Ty and True had been under my feet the entire time and I was already on edge) and he brought me Popeye’s because, God help everyone if I got hungry as well. We ate and discussed possible solutions and ways to salvage this mess. Lots of ideas were tossed around but nothing seemed to work.<br />
<br />
During brainstorming, Husband summed up our problems very eloquently. "Common sense and math are not helping us at all. Trial and error it is," said Husband.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
So, that's what we did!. First, we adjusted the slack in the picture hanging wire to correct the height differences of the frames. With me so far? Here’s a pic of Handsome Helpful Husband that might help.</div><div class="MsoNormal"> <div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVd5QlFnQWyHuKwX0Y6hXfvduc7_qfvQdO7PH7sNzD43xYEEco98SCL34uOnevYpUqN4IdjP3Le8nJcwdK4C1jNh5aLPjtwuzJtlcrQ5KaxCfp0-vh_OvCN8Sw0lrxZr5fGu4PS3U9wPg/s1600/DSC_0091.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVd5QlFnQWyHuKwX0Y6hXfvduc7_qfvQdO7PH7sNzD43xYEEco98SCL34uOnevYpUqN4IdjP3Le8nJcwdK4C1jNh5aLPjtwuzJtlcrQ5KaxCfp0-vh_OvCN8Sw0lrxZr5fGu4PS3U9wPg/s400/DSC_0091.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: -webkit-auto;">He’s creating more slack in the wire because the frame was hanging too high. He did this for a few; I did it for the rest.</span> </td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p><br />
</o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Once we figured that out, all of the frames were at the correct height but the spacing between the frames was still off. Here’s where some foresight on my part paid off. I’m gonna go ahead and pat myself on the back for that because I REALLY NEED IT YA’LL.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Luckily, I had attached some Velcro to the back of the frames already so we were able to use that to help us out. I originally attached the Velcro as a way to ensure the frames would stay level and even, because you know there’s always that one frame that likes to stay askew. Or all of the frames, in my case. Oy again.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi63F7T2Loc7N5K25ByQjiNXNhyqwtXn1zB75eKzTz2ArQxb-rdQPtC2HQUOToECGxlY8jvWGK3By0uGFItuyQCfw2qrH0QcAZYywEXz6svlta_-oFOcJGaWB8X5szMeAmXRbZhC1Fk2z4/s1600/DSC_0070.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi63F7T2Loc7N5K25ByQjiNXNhyqwtXn1zB75eKzTz2ArQxb-rdQPtC2HQUOToECGxlY8jvWGK3By0uGFItuyQCfw2qrH0QcAZYywEXz6svlta_-oFOcJGaWB8X5szMeAmXRbZhC1Fk2z4/s400/DSC_0070.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: -webkit-auto;"></span> </td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I carefully measured an equal distance between each frame, no templates. I used the actual frames this time because *ahem* we’re not going through THAT again. I peeled off the backing of the Velcro strips (per the instructions) and stuck the frames in place. Since the Velcro is able to hold up to 16 pounds, I could have probably just used the Velcro, no wire necessary. However, I wanted to be double sure that nothing would come crashing down because this is where I sit on the couch. If those frames were to fall…oh I can’t even think about it. Let’s talk about something else, ok?</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxGsw3Bh7rqwoASglQ4ZAEnqPdtUGxNw5y-ZEwuxUdZJOO0VIgC_woeeWrbZJ2yPAtzi2ZnOrGxBswFCX0jJUmEMXnoqoViDepymgV5wbsAvm3d5852G8a3adAiPxrV-VD5pn6AdtTCA0/s1600/DSC_0128.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxGsw3Bh7rqwoASglQ4ZAEnqPdtUGxNw5y-ZEwuxUdZJOO0VIgC_woeeWrbZJ2yPAtzi2ZnOrGxBswFCX0jJUmEMXnoqoViDepymgV5wbsAvm3d5852G8a3adAiPxrV-VD5pn6AdtTCA0/s400/DSC_0128.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Here’s our new wall art now. Yay it’s all straight!! You best believe I did a happy dance after it was all fixed.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">*Side note: The top row may be a millimeter off but no one say anything, mkay? Thanks so much!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Oh! You may be wondering about the actual art in the frames! Doh. I gathered some pictures I had taken on various trips. Yup, those are my very own photos. They make me happy because not only are they my own making, but they remind me of some great trips.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The prints are 5x7 size and centered on 12x12 scrapbook paper sheets, that are then centered on top of some white poster board I bought for 2 for $1 at the Dollar Store. I may eventually cut out an opening for the scrapbook paper so it will look more like a “real” mat but I’m happy with it for now. I didn’t want to cut into the poster board right away since one of the big reasons for the wall art change in the first place was to have something I could easily change with my ever evolving tastes.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I played around with a few different options, such as DIY art (couldn’t get my vision translated to paper), just the 5x7 prints on the mat, or just using the 12x12 paper as art. In the end, I liked the pop of color behind the photographs. I picked the scrapbook paper to bring out certain colors in the prints. I promise I don't always try to copy what I see on <a href="http://www.younghouselove.com/2012/01/our-living-room-art-switch/" target="_blank">yhl</a>, but when something works, it works. And John & Sherry know what works!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAvYBfyk8bstEQ8VwvokaFcFvi3D479HuIgvBGVZY2zhw7PMYyKZujAayT_fDAczy9V0L6FLBkus7MejRb9Z8536fR8MKW5vQ-pFwEyioza7dodPHkUhsB4VZliLuP8C-YBG2GvZM-Rwk/s1600/DSC_0073.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAvYBfyk8bstEQ8VwvokaFcFvi3D479HuIgvBGVZY2zhw7PMYyKZujAayT_fDAczy9V0L6FLBkus7MejRb9Z8536fR8MKW5vQ-pFwEyioza7dodPHkUhsB4VZliLuP8C-YBG2GvZM-Rwk/s400/DSC_0073.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">True is helping me pick out colors. Color blindness be damned!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p><br />
</o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">I already had the prints and the paper on hand, so no more money was spent on this project. Something that makes Husband very happy. </div><br />
<br />
I'm very happy that <a href="http://zodirowe.blogspot.com/2012/02/perseverance.html" target="_blank">the curtains</a> and the wall art are officially done now. Let's take another look at the before and after, because that is always the best part!<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3uY-ScUueX9egcVN0nepsoy2r3EGfvrQjv4X-vXVpWEcKb2MId_muOwq3JxP4JNkqXtxQnoDEOMt2fYCTIpP7GziM9QXAaO-Nj38eqcy1E7nwy3SMq-zTsjcIADZ-zI9oEut9mz2qkSk/s1600/007.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3uY-ScUueX9egcVN0nepsoy2r3EGfvrQjv4X-vXVpWEcKb2MId_muOwq3JxP4JNkqXtxQnoDEOMt2fYCTIpP7GziM9QXAaO-Nj38eqcy1E7nwy3SMq-zTsjcIADZ-zI9oEut9mz2qkSk/s400/007.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Before</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHidYaTvXyAmoYC7CebkLhdoDbYLT0WYMp7zSyfQxqxlgCQLFAMsKipbo_thRRLaMqBCV5OhqiPtcXF5dNtl2z6R79wuTZ_5OEe3Fa754W1uLolRKFe244UN8Ll_SgdCJ6hRBU3V0WWEA/s1600/DSC_0132.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHidYaTvXyAmoYC7CebkLhdoDbYLT0WYMp7zSyfQxqxlgCQLFAMsKipbo_thRRLaMqBCV5OhqiPtcXF5dNtl2z6R79wuTZ_5OEe3Fa754W1uLolRKFe244UN8Ll_SgdCJ6hRBU3V0WWEA/s400/DSC_0132.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The After</td></tr>
</tbody></table>I learned a lot from these living room updates. I learned I need to slow down and only take on one project at a time. I'm human and that's ok. I also know now that paper templates and picture hanging wire are not a fool proof solution. Well, not for me at least. I think if I hadn't used picture wire, I may have been better off. I'll know for sure when we move and I have to do this all over again. Second time will be easier, right? When it's time to cross that bridge, remind me not to plan anything else for that week.<br />
<br />
</div>CChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06597441911612799354noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9087475892949060002.post-46551354799818354612012-02-13T08:30:00.000-08:002012-02-13T08:30:03.304-08:00Perseverance<div class="MsoNormal">That’s the name of the game for our “little” living room update. I put “little” in quotation marks because these updates turned out to be anything but little. Not only did they make a big impact on the room, they took foreeeevvvvveeeerrrrrr to complete. Well, maybe not forever but they sure as hell took longer than I anticipated.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I gave you a sneak peak in <a href="http://zodirowe.blogspot.com/2012/01/happenings-at-zodirowe.html" target="_blank">this post</a> of the changes I was making to the living room. The first project was making new curtains.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghSjdFTCIOFFeGmtelwkqgWfilbyEmLqPK3-rIJf4Q4KKV7j_xf8KNnCqs9iAbMFOQrFFo9zD6UKzO1yWPH1xIJB61v3PT3sPvq4-broaK0grWNZZ9J5YLM-5mYOoF9NP97SVN6PbNFfE/s1600/007.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghSjdFTCIOFFeGmtelwkqgWfilbyEmLqPK3-rIJf4Q4KKV7j_xf8KNnCqs9iAbMFOQrFFo9zD6UKzO1yWPH1xIJB61v3PT3sPvq4-broaK0grWNZZ9J5YLM-5mYOoF9NP97SVN6PbNFfE/s400/007.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Before</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Our old curtains were just plain dark brown. Our living room is a bit on the tiny and dark side (Star Wars joke goes here) and these curtains were not helping. Neither are the dark wall décor, dark brown couch, dark accent pillows and low ceiling fixture but one thing at a time, folks! Husband and I agreed that we should get some lighter colored curtains and maybe *gasp* a pattern!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I scoured the Internets and the real world for curtains and/or fabric. I got zilch. Nothing. Nothing seemed right. I am way too picky for my own good. I found a few options I kind of liked:</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQW2GcC7v13i2CNW930A5c8yn6piu9-j5W1T-JBJBYAfwWPrE8xW5fOOf9YKmqYX5_aD-_64nUAE_m4w4xzobVsnkGuC4NY-OcZm2Y25vpLY129CBdzxlWfOKBnr17UVBT9wylRXAsagI/s1600/000287826.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQW2GcC7v13i2CNW930A5c8yn6piu9-j5W1T-JBJBYAfwWPrE8xW5fOOf9YKmqYX5_aD-_64nUAE_m4w4xzobVsnkGuC4NY-OcZm2Y25vpLY129CBdzxlWfOKBnr17UVBT9wylRXAsagI/s320/000287826.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Via <a href="http://www.calicocorners.com/product/designer+fabrics+for+the+home/shop+by+pattern/abstract+and+geometric/slick+outdoor+mink.do" target="_blank">here</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCds5bladi4t6W2scoH6a-AFl-94tfc-2tRhsLU4kcR8rwbwKaIaY8gV8cFjH1QTAD2uRvr3GFLLq3Y2DvnT9OrP-DiQRjQWfHJjRQPLUReLFgdEW2IsEGd2x7AQbNsdV3MvA1ZlbRKRU/s1600/000263776.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCds5bladi4t6W2scoH6a-AFl-94tfc-2tRhsLU4kcR8rwbwKaIaY8gV8cFjH1QTAD2uRvr3GFLLq3Y2DvnT9OrP-DiQRjQWfHJjRQPLUReLFgdEW2IsEGd2x7AQbNsdV3MvA1ZlbRKRU/s320/000263776.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Via <a href="http://www.calicocorners.com/product/designer+fabrics+for+the+home/shop+by+pattern/abstract+and+geometric/bocce+coffee.do" target="_blank">here</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcaw49SoYv2o5beGpBw2e2N_TnHIgWhgzJbpo5WYM2I0OFU7XwwJRHDLbN9sNXO0BRK35_wf2wy8BHztn1gp5gCUOyMigQijiRavmLMxVkHBrBgiU-Na9BPDkB0VoHpBMOBzU1eU0hAQ0/s1600/174412.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcaw49SoYv2o5beGpBw2e2N_TnHIgWhgzJbpo5WYM2I0OFU7XwwJRHDLbN9sNXO0BRK35_wf2wy8BHztn1gp5gCUOyMigQijiRavmLMxVkHBrBgiU-Na9BPDkB0VoHpBMOBzU1eU0hAQ0/s320/174412.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Via <a href="http://www.decoratorsbest.com/prod-Imperial_Trellis_Il___Sand_Ivory-130953.aspx" target="_blank">here</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>These are pretty expensive, at least for my budget. I really didn't want to pay too much for some fabric that I only kind of like.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">For Christmas, my mom offered to take me shopping for curtains and she would pay for them. Shopping is our thing so she got something out of this gift too, no matter what she tells you. Husband was even brave enough to join us. I should have taken a picture but we were too focused on the task at hand. I decided that if we couldn’t find anything, we would just get white curtains. I know white would still be plain and simple but a least they would lighten the space. Then, if I discovered the most perfect magical soul mate curtains (which would likely happen right after we bought some), we could just switch them out and use the white curtains elsewhere. It wasn’t a matter of settling. It was a matter of saving my sanity and realizing that things don’t have to be perfect. I didn’t want to waste months trying to find the perfect curtains because, really, it’s not that big of a deal. Let it go, dude.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">After searching around, Husband and I decided we liked one of my previous picks from fabric.com.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-xi39mtZR89gqFPTbNDOgsPRZccNbxJxMpYn-Ax_jCNZVE_1UcBuv0ErDFKFVzgLba2iS0tJVUTIX52z4TXR7LHLq8tVlyRa4OlvbkkyNOH9qpWhskUpIXUogtP94AWMJ1JytyFNpggA/s1600/Medium_DU-777.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-xi39mtZR89gqFPTbNDOgsPRZccNbxJxMpYn-Ax_jCNZVE_1UcBuv0ErDFKFVzgLba2iS0tJVUTIX52z4TXR7LHLq8tVlyRa4OlvbkkyNOH9qpWhskUpIXUogtP94AWMJ1JytyFNpggA/s320/Medium_DU-777.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Via <a href="http://for%20your%20home%20chippendale%20taupe%20%20du-777/" target="_blank">here</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">It’s still brown, but it’s a light brown and it has a pattern. This fabric is also a bit more modern, which is the direction our decorating style has been heading. Done and done.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Once I got the fabric in the mail, I cut and hemmed the fabric with some heavy duty hem tape.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgttMLkTBczMz8gAGMN7ZHAyZKwHTwCH3fHcHA_Ddr3Jwni1F8EXHqI8iXLL4DaIOilQKZOtGPgdNiIZAiSHYpK0BIelkvtPG4GDPp75W0_UL5MHYoCq5TL0jTPcpu2VOIo-yrTaxHcaKs/s1600/014.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgttMLkTBczMz8gAGMN7ZHAyZKwHTwCH3fHcHA_Ddr3Jwni1F8EXHqI8iXLL4DaIOilQKZOtGPgdNiIZAiSHYpK0BIelkvtPG4GDPp75W0_UL5MHYoCq5TL0jTPcpu2VOIo-yrTaxHcaKs/s400/014.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">I use this stuff because I suck at sewing. It works just as well, as </span><a href="http://zodirowe.blogspot.com/2011/10/glass-is-half-full.html" style="text-align: -webkit-auto;" target="_blank">evidence will show</a><span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">.Who needs a sewing machine?</span></span> </td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I picked up some ring clips at Bed Bath & Beyond and here is where I give you a little tip. Did you know that ring clips come in different sizes? You did? O I guess it’s just me. Well, if anyone wasn’t aware, ring clips come in different sizes. I discovered this when I tried to put these on our curtain rod and they were a millimeter too small. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4qJ-q2TR5PRVZzqZqh-l-LtE6ji8j1ObQKoqxPPcmgChth_aGoJwZjxXwqCt9bOBmFZtvO0MP8WS2N6N-DbAkRarK_94aDxt3OoPWgyKuIivcFTY6woqa0E9FP5W-svsv7qCwt6PbAV8/s1600/027.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4qJ-q2TR5PRVZzqZqh-l-LtE6ji8j1ObQKoqxPPcmgChth_aGoJwZjxXwqCt9bOBmFZtvO0MP8WS2N6N-DbAkRarK_94aDxt3OoPWgyKuIivcFTY6woqa0E9FP5W-svsv7qCwt6PbAV8/s400/027.JPG" width="265" /></a></div><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal">I tried and tried and tried to make them fit but they just wouldn’t. I almost had a mini meltdown because I was having lots of issues with some other projects and all I could think was, “Can ONE project go smoothly?!? Just ONE?!?!?!?!?!”</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Another tip = one project at a time. That way, you only have one hurdle to cross at a time instead of sixty because you decided to do sixty projects at once. Ugh. Shortly after hanging the curtains, I did <a href="http://zodirowe.blogspot.com/2012/01/recharge-and-reset.html" target="_blank">this post</a> because I just needed to take a step back and breathe.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">So anyway, I went back to Bed Bath & Beyond and exchanged the curtain rings for a larger size and all was right with the world again.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmQal-KbqnlJRq08PeLBTFHGSVxgauYmtg0OWngRGK0mfyRjRO9P565leIb2k-x5FUALWggLAo9ikjQStOL5b16X9zLeNx40-BudGBJPqhPjGy5w7Eg9ERhNw1YAGk1kUS-MpnErsQpxQ/s1600/035.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmQal-KbqnlJRq08PeLBTFHGSVxgauYmtg0OWngRGK0mfyRjRO9P565leIb2k-x5FUALWggLAo9ikjQStOL5b16X9zLeNx40-BudGBJPqhPjGy5w7Eg9ERhNw1YAGk1kUS-MpnErsQpxQ/s400/035.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal">I clipped my curtain panels and strung 'em up!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-_4VevMKF3Ecrvy0WVNA-oYCHNcNN94BQpb-V_DwlzsP92f0k5Evq1O5qqHxdSicNgTPBQw7XAAi0VeO-5ss4T0GufHGWhI33amf1oAKyrBU0UKlk8xXsEmpTKjmjnOYfEIgrndqBvGw/s1600/DSC_0163.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-_4VevMKF3Ecrvy0WVNA-oYCHNcNN94BQpb-V_DwlzsP92f0k5Evq1O5qqHxdSicNgTPBQw7XAAi0VeO-5ss4T0GufHGWhI33amf1oAKyrBU0UKlk8xXsEmpTKjmjnOYfEIgrndqBvGw/s400/DSC_0163.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Better open?</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3SIdWfooU72rNW7XGdrypwjS4ehaeX2lCCc20Seu71f2xKGA-h3oSjuzIDo7pAIdWm5f9Qw1Wi7FUjcQ-DxQiUPoOZZSrku6DnXifWTgYYQbdUHFF4OsELQ-bRJiSAjidFRSpFVf61Qc/s1600/DSC_0167.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3SIdWfooU72rNW7XGdrypwjS4ehaeX2lCCc20Seu71f2xKGA-h3oSjuzIDo7pAIdWm5f9Qw1Wi7FUjcQ-DxQiUPoOZZSrku6DnXifWTgYYQbdUHFF4OsELQ-bRJiSAjidFRSpFVf61Qc/s400/DSC_0167.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Or closed?</td></tr>
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</div><div class="MsoNormal">Viola. New curtains. Oh and I also hung the curtains higher because all of the experts recommend you hang your curtains high and wide. Little did I know, this action would spur quite the *ahem* debate between Husband and <st1:place w:st="on">I.</st1:place> Let’s just say, I have yet to fill in the holes from where the curtain hardware was previously located so that I can easily put the curtains back where they were. I’ll keep you posted.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">My original plan was to continue this post with my new wall art, but it was starting to get a bit long. The wall art gave me fits and a big headache. So, the rest of my living room update will be posted later. See you then!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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</div>CChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06597441911612799354noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9087475892949060002.post-40483657532541764332012-02-02T19:55:00.000-08:002012-02-02T19:55:34.028-08:00I Got a Shout Out!Thanks to <a href="http://www.trianglehoneymoon.com/" target="_blank">Triangle Honeymoon</a> for a great reader shout out!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPUTnX5C_tk_OT6HZbHIO7BHdhKXd8aeG9bmHwpu4I_yAOOLd8yTiKIdpblNE5hlTRUjqeBOiF62gMdInOB4dhmw46nfXOql1x_dB3tQjwC1-UjLxbeOgPIvuvYONDpZv1i-MkkyiVIsg/s1600/TH+Shout+out.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="281" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPUTnX5C_tk_OT6HZbHIO7BHdhKXd8aeG9bmHwpu4I_yAOOLd8yTiKIdpblNE5hlTRUjqeBOiF62gMdInOB4dhmw46nfXOql1x_dB3tQjwC1-UjLxbeOgPIvuvYONDpZv1i-MkkyiVIsg/s400/TH+Shout+out.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
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See their sweet post <a href="http://www.trianglehoneymoon.com/2012/02/02/reader-shout-out-ink-blot-art/" target="_blank">here</a>. It's about my <a href="http://zodirowe.blogspot.com/2012/02/what-do-you-see.html" target="_blank">ink blot art</a> I posted yesterday and it made me totally giddy to see their shout out. I really admire their blog and it's humbling and exciting to be recognized by them.<br />
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Blogging is awesome.CChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06597441911612799354noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9087475892949060002.post-55743607155142353802012-02-01T18:50:00.000-08:002016-07-22T13:47:50.511-07:00What Do You See?I'm currently working on a beast of a post about our living room updates. It has turned into two posts, actually. Just writing those posts has tired me out all over again so, I'll be working on them in small chunks. Very small chunks. At least the projects are finished!<br />
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After I finished our living room updates, I needed a little break. Thanks to Amy & Chad from <a href="http://www.trianglehoneymoon.com/" target="_blank">Triangle Honeymoon</a>, I found some awesome inspiration. Ink blot art!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRJgGBZZkly87t1AnCJCXwbwTFLO2ZYOjU1yaFg5hfzrIbJbrxxbzwOcNVI0bRzsaLSSeSmd3AZjxxeZm_3-J2S4A-3inTuvJzdJ9X-1DSe4lnnxnLaRAdVZNMZF1wC0j_ZGFn2VvNASw/s1600/vagabond.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRJgGBZZkly87t1AnCJCXwbwTFLO2ZYOjU1yaFg5hfzrIbJbrxxbzwOcNVI0bRzsaLSSeSmd3AZjxxeZm_3-J2S4A-3inTuvJzdJ9X-1DSe4lnnxnLaRAdVZNMZF1wC0j_ZGFn2VvNASw/s400/vagabond.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I saw it <a href="http://www.trianglehoneymoon.com/2012/01/30/what-do-you-see/" target="_blank">here</a> thanks to Chad & Amy. They found it<a href="http://vagabondvintage.com/" target="_blank"> here.</a></td></tr>
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It seemed easy enough to DIY and holy crap it was fun! Am I lame for thinking this was fun? No, I'd like to think I'm "artsy fartsy." Yeah, that'll do.<br />
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It is seriously the most fun you will have globbing and smearing paint. No tutorial necessary. Just plop some paint in dots and lines on one side, fold carefully, and boom. Done. I used paint and paper I already had so this was free entertainment, which is great since I'm trying to recoup my finances after the living room updates.<br />
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How do you unwind after crossing off some big To Do's? See anything in my paint blots? I see a weird alien smiley face and a guy doing yoga. I don't get me either.CChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06597441911612799354noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9087475892949060002.post-60617251942127706362012-01-26T19:42:00.000-08:002012-01-26T19:42:26.527-08:00Recharge and ResetRecharge and reset. That's what I'm doing in the picture below. After the feedback from friends and some awesome readers about my <a href="http://zodirowe.blogspot.com/2012/01/happenings-at-zodirowe.html" target="_blank">last post</a>, I realized I needed to give myself a break. Sometimes, I just expect way too much from myself. I run myself ragged trying to accomplish these self-imposed lofty goals. I'm working on that.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiQJqleWDIfiojajcjemP1BZKLRU8CWBarE5UjkKVIC9dJOIHeZw6YJYbUsWmGCADwavm680Ym058gk24MTviIAwu7bxT1_fxFdMJapRGgqFaOcyyYliwHAXWpACfjZzCeQTqwCK6RxsQ/s1600/IMAG0053.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiQJqleWDIfiojajcjemP1BZKLRU8CWBarE5UjkKVIC9dJOIHeZw6YJYbUsWmGCADwavm680Ym058gk24MTviIAwu7bxT1_fxFdMJapRGgqFaOcyyYliwHAXWpACfjZzCeQTqwCK6RxsQ/s400/IMAG0053.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Step One to recovery.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>I met with a friend at Barnes & Noble in the middle of the week. We got some coffee and chatted for a bit about this and that. Then, we each grabbed a stack of books and magazines and settled in to those big, comfy chairs in the cafe. I had nothing but shelter mags and home decorating books. Narrow focus much? It was absolute heaven. I was able to zone out and relax for a few hours.<br />
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I picked up the infamous Domino book and OMG. It. Is. Awesome. I actually bought it because it was so inspiring.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNZmIpSZFIJygUngNBVDECfl2a_RMmrdYM5t8qzdJCtnTgfY3WhM5JdcTYJh6V8HWiFE_ESrbTCVftooqJXoIoSP7aeqOESKO-PY9taxnjGfFTWmyO9dPaWBosrGS47qMf8gWy4oCyn0Y/s1600/IMAG0062.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="367" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNZmIpSZFIJygUngNBVDECfl2a_RMmrdYM5t8qzdJCtnTgfY3WhM5JdcTYJh6V8HWiFE_ESrbTCVftooqJXoIoSP7aeqOESKO-PY9taxnjGfFTWmyO9dPaWBosrGS47qMf8gWy4oCyn0Y/s400/IMAG0062.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Have you taken some time to recharge and reset? I highly recommend it!<br />
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PS - Yesterday was Husband's birthday! Everyone say Happy Birthday!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO-iFATXA9H45NhWLwLFhUpkUZ5rMFee5SS7n_I2xKGnqVW_XTAGPGrQDcrrH4EoD2riI1djFGh1FYuPpkeQys5P_k0n8kgUbrEGbp7mAxlFA7VDzYXotrM4_6W88oujpyQaDo6CDJwrI/s1600/021.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO-iFATXA9H45NhWLwLFhUpkUZ5rMFee5SS7n_I2xKGnqVW_XTAGPGrQDcrrH4EoD2riI1djFGh1FYuPpkeQys5P_k0n8kgUbrEGbp7mAxlFA7VDzYXotrM4_6W88oujpyQaDo6CDJwrI/s400/021.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Still haven't aged a bit.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>CChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06597441911612799354noreply@blogger.com2