MORNING IN PHOTOS

it's FREEZING outside

and 

the school bus never arrived

needless to say, my day started horribly :(

trying to stay warm and doing house stuff

take a peek into our morning....

views out my window... brrrrr!

i woke up this cutie... all cuddly in his warm bed

straightened up reilly's room

apparently littlest pet shoppe has invaded her barbie dream house! 

one direction everywhere!

this guy startles me

every time i enter reilly's room

 spot cleaning the boys bedroom carpet

(a potty training accident)

did you know power rangers ride dinos?

a surprise from dan 

straightened the kids bath

what is going on with the toilet paper?!?

planning our super bowl party 

with my new favorite cookbook - GO NINERS!!

magnet board diy

why do kids always mess up the throw pillows

and push around the furniture?

lucy enjoying a morning ray of sun

sat down with a cup of coffee 

and admired my new cost plus table  

on sale for $49 (link)

$12 orchid from ikea :)

looking forward to a fun-filled weekend including

friday night pizza night
a soccer game
a slumber party for 7 girls
helping dan's parents move
and
a super bowl party
(did i mention i'm a HUGE niner fan?)

have a great weekend!
xoxo - e

the unfinished finished basement

we are at the beginning of a very long project...

creating a playroom in our dark, unfinished basement.

we're currently gathering ideas & making some decisions. 

here are a few thing we know...

1 - the kids need to vacate my office (the current playroom), so i can use it as it's intended

2 - we need to lighten up the basement... make it clean, inviting & desirable for the kids

3 - we can't spend a ton of money :(

4 - i need to purge... big time (the basement is full of cr@p)

yesterday, i went house hunting with my mother-in-law & i saw this unfinished basement.

by no means is it what i want. but, because we can't totally finish the space,
this unfinished basement does seem bright & less basement-y.

the design & photo quality is not so good, but i like how it's light & bright

so, how can i take this little piece of inspiration & make it colorful, fun & desirable for kids?

here are some inspiration photos. although none of these photos are perfect,

each one has something i like....

love the vinyl black & white tiles & all the bright white stairs/woodwork
via

very rustic, love the lighting & curtains
via

love the ceiling, lighting& red painted pillar
via

love the crates, the wall finish & the floors
via

pallet wall dividers... so clever!
via

lighting, floors, curtain walls & shelving.
clearly i want a playroom not a laundry room :)
via

love the lighting & the swing
via google

i like that it's bright with the natural wooden ceiling
via google

i think there are some great ideas in these inspiration photos.
now i need to put together a plan.

more to come on this home improvement project :)

happy wednesday! -erin

diy: painting my front door

the front door is painted

and i'm thrilled with the finished product.

AND

as far as diy home improvement projects go,

this one was quick and easy!

let me remind you of what my house looked like before

before

july 2010

after

this morning / september 2012

while i have you, i thought i'd share our family plaque.... i love it :)

here are the tools i used...

1. Exterior Behr Ultra Premium Semi Gloss

2. Color: Behr Red Red Wine

3. ScotchBlue Painters Tape

4. Wooster Journeyman Master 2 in. Angle Sash Brush

5. Wooster Pro 3-Piece Mini Roller Tray Set

How to paint your front door

(the easy way) 

1. This is tutorial is for doors that are already painted 

(not naked or stained doors)

2) do not take door off hinges 

3) wash the door (give it a good scrub) 

and let it completely dry (i used pine-sol and warm water)

4) if you only want to paint one side of the door, 

use blue tape to tape the areas you don't want painted

5) use a 2" angled brush to paint the angled parts around the door panels and 

cut in around the door hardware. paint a thin coat to avoid drips.

6) use a small roller to paint the flat surfaces, a thin coat to avoid drips

7) VERY IMPORTANT: let the door dry overnight

8) day 2, lightly clean the door and let it dry

9) repeat steps 5 through 7

my door only took two coats, but you may need more 

depending on the thickness of your coats and the color you use.

the result was beautiful and it was such an easy process!

xoxo - e

diy - painting the front door

i've been researching the correct way

to successfully paint my front door.

there are a lot of tutorials out there, 

but i decided to ask a professional.

more specifically, the guy at home depot:)

first up...

choose a color.

here is how my front door looks now...

 i used photoshop to change the door color.
here are a few options i'm considering...

 option 1 -  dark green

option 2 - red

option 3 - dark blue

option 4: dark brown (matching the trim color) 

so what do you think?

i'll reveal the "after" tomorrow.

xoxo - e

diy teacher appreciation gifts

in honor of the kid's being back in school 

(praise the Lord)
i've put together a list of

teacher appreciation gifts

thanks a latte

link

thirst for knowledge

link

give you a hand

link

one smart cookie

link

a cut above the rest

link

teach on

link

grass is greener

link

teacher's treats

link

what i like most

link

the internet is chuck-full of 

talented people!

for other gift ideas...

i've composed a list of hostess gifts (here)

and

a list of housewarming gifts (here)

love all these ideas -e

my budget bathroom makeover

over the weekend 

dan and i embarked on 

a small bathroom makeover

we didn't have much to spend

only $300

here is the before photo

do you remember this UGLY bathroom?

MLS photo (when we purchased the house)

ack! no?

the walls were a dirty mauve-y, pink-y, peach-y color. 

with a odd lumpy texture.

here are a few after shots

(please don't mind my horrible photos, i can't seem to take a good photo of a bathroom. ever.)

here's the makeover breakdown.

metal chandelier candleholder

(repurposed) $120 from Bacon Square Farm on Etsy... link

budget lighting

 $29 from home depot... link

Toilet Paper Holder

 $17 from home depot.... link

Hand Towel Rod

  this is an appliance/cabinet pull, i'm using for a hand towel

$10 from from home depot.... link

Magnifying Mirror

(repurposed) $5 Frack Mirror from Ikea.... link

Shower Curtain

(repurposed) $30 Silver Starburst Shower Curtain from Target

Curtains

(repurposed) My favorites - $25 a pair, Merete from Ikea... link

Paint Colors

Wall color - Martha Stewart, Heavy Goose

(mixed in Behr Premium Plus Ultra in eggshell)

Cabinet color - Martha Stewart, Cement Gray

(mixed in Behr Premium Plus Ultra in satin)

that's all i have for now.

i did order some new accessories that I will share soon.

also,

i need to think about artwork

and

i'd like to frame out the mirror and replace the faucets.

to bad $ doesn't grow on trees :)

xoxo - e