Front Door Refresh

Front Door Refresh

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I’ve been eyeing colored doors. It’s starting to become a bit of an obsession. I search for them on Pinterest and Google. I was in awe of them at Bella Beach in Gleneden Oregon. I slow down on my drive to work when a new door catches my eye. Admiring the colored doors of others is different than committing to a colored door of my own, but I think I’m pretty close.

For now the exterior of our house is a very light blue. I want a door that goes well with the current color scheme.

I considered fresh green to add a punch of fun.

image via HGTV

image via HGTV

I considered yellow to add a bit of happiness.

image via Real Simple

image via Real Simple

I considered charcoal gray or black to keep it classic and timeless.

image via Brooklyn Limestone blog

image via Brooklyn Limestone blog

I considered red and orange as complimentary colors to light blue.

image via A Blissful Spirit blog

image via A Blissful Spirit blog

I finally had a moment to stop by the paint store to pick up a few swatches. I tacked these Benjamin Moore colors to the door for consideration:
door colors 1

I was able to quickly rule out green and any red that was too red or leaned toward purple. Kendall, Taylor and I were drawn to Tucson Red. But, of course, we needed to get Dylan’s input.

Our process went a little like this:
front door colors 2

Dylan’s process went like this:
door colors 3

Pretty typical. :) I think that means three are kind of in the running. I’m leaning heavily toward Tucson Red. It’s a nice balance between rich orange and red. It compliments the house color nicely. And it’s similar to a color we used in our Seattle house that I still love. But, I’m also a sucker for classic and timeless.

What do you think? What would you go with?

A New Routine

A New Routine

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It is time for a new morning routine.  I’ve been considering this idea for awhile . . . as if it requires a great amount of planning and deliberation.  To clarify, it doesn’t.  All it takes is actually doing it.  A few week’s ago, in another post, I wrote the following:

“I’m a little obsessed right now with the idea of transforming my morning to make room for my sanity (writing, photography, yoga).  What are my mornings like now?  Notice the sun is in my eyes.  It is 5 a.m.  Turn over and ignore said sun.  Daisy walks over and nudges me with her nose.  I let her out.  I leave the door open and climb back into bed.  I fall asleep . . . slightly.  Daisy lets me know she’s back in.  I roll over.  I start to think. I don’t want to think so I grab my phone.  5:45.  I click on pinterest and aimlessly wander the online bulletin boards of people I love and those I’ve never met.  I stop in at Facebook to see my friends’ kids and some random political ranting.  I finally drag myself out around 6:15/6:30 and the mad rush begins.”

Since this post, a selection of diary entries from the last few weeks as I’ve attempted to get into gear:

  • 7/30 I’m pissed off that I’ve been sitting around for 2 weeks and I’ve done nothing . . . To clarify, I’ve done stuff, a lot of stuff, just not the stuff I really WANT/need to do.  What the *^%$#@*&^?  Why is this so hard?
  • 7/31 Woke up early and laid in bed . . . looked at my phone for awhile . . . picked it up and looked at Pinterest.  (Crap!)
  • 8/2 Woke up at 5:45 . . . closed my eyes and imagined roaming around the yard . . . Got up at 5:50, put on my robe and flip flops, found my camera in the kitchen and went outside to get some shots.  Wandered up the north side of our property, capturing . . . 6:10 a.m.–back inside to do a morning yoga routine.  A few photos from this lovely, cloudy morning:

 

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Concorde grapes stretching upward.

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The first rose to catch my eye.

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A sea of grasses, roses, and Russian Sage.

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A tale of 3 tomato plants gone wild.

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Confetti in the grass.

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A blossom sneaks through the fence.

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Coral roses edging the front walk.

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And my favorite yellow rose.

8/10 Get up at 6:15 and head out to the yard with Doug.  He is dressed properly–jeans & t-shirt. I am wandering around in my robe like someone of a certain age who refuses to do any household related task without the requisite dressing gown.  But–and here’s the beauty–I don’t care.  I honestly don’t.  Most of my neighbors are still in bed and we have great neighbors anyway . . . so if I want to wander in my grey, plush, polka-dot robe, who on this great, green, beautiful planet is going to care?  So, Doug and I–unequally dressed as we are–pick some tomatoes and then I go to town on my roses.  It is just slightly brisk, it is quiet, the world is light and silence and it is the perfect time to trim and weed and prune.  Then, back inside,  yoga stretches and a ride to nowhere on my exercise bike.

So, what’s next?  The true benefit of this routine will come from the habitual so the new goal is not just to do it, but to do it regularly.  I don’t want to be tied to the same things every day.  I want to get up a little early, I want to go outside, I want to come back in and stretch my body.  That’s all–how that time is broken down will be dependent on mood.  And this winter I’ll be figuring out how to easily bundle up and keep the outdoors a part of the experience.

Today, I am celebrating change, however small.  Here is to each precious day and what each of us chooses to do with it!

 

House Anniversary

House Anniversary

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What a difference a year makes!

I consider myself an impatient remodeler–Dylan would probably agree. He’s pretty impatient himself so I guess we’re a good match that way. Or a bad match. Depends on how you look at it. It’s easy for me to get caught up in the list of all the things we still want to do with the house. So, taking the time to reflect on the changes we’ve already made helps mellow me out.

Here is a breakdown of some of the projects we have knocked out in the twelve months we have called this place home.

Hall Bath

Painted light fixture, toilet paper holder and towel holder with brushed nickel spray paint
Replaced glass shades
Painted walls a light sand
Added baseboard trim
Painted vanity
Added brushed nickel drawer pulls
Replaced vinyl floor with tile
Replaced mirror
Added art work

Next Steps:
Replace toilet and sink with white fixtures
Replace sink faucet
Replace counter top with solid surface material
Add crown molding

Bathroom Before

Bathroom Before

Bathroom After

Bathroom After

Living Room

Replaced flooring
Painted walls a warm gray/beige (Sherwin Williams Worldly Gray)
Added white baseboard trim
Painted doors and trim a warm white (Benjamin Moore Floral White)

Next Steps:
New couch (GAH, I need a new couch!)
New chairs
Coffee table
Hanging pendant light over NEW couch
Replace art work
Replace can lights with a less bulky version
Paint stair rails
Build out fireplace wall between built-ins (flush mount fireplace, stacked stone, chunky wood mantle)

Living Room Before

Living Room Before

Living Room After

Living Room After

Fireplace Wall Before

Fireplace Wall Before

Fireplace Wall After

Fireplace Wall After

Living Room Bay Window After

Living Room Bay Window Before

Living Room Bay Window After

Living Room Bay Window After

Hallway

Replaced flooring
Painted walls gray
Added baseboard trim
Painted doors and trim white

Next Steps:
Replace knobs and hinges with silver versions
Add a gallery wall (photo ledge, photos, art)
Replace ceiling light shades

Hallway Before

Hallway Before

Hallway After

Hallway After

Entry

Widened hallway
Replaced flooring
Painted walls
Added baseboard molding
Removed closet doors
Painted Moroccan pattern with stencil
Installed coat hooks using reclaimed wood from the fencing we removed from the lot

Next Steps:
Add baskets to top shelf to house umbrellas, etc.
Build a bench with storage for shoes below

*Before and after photos are not the same angle but this gives you an idea of what the space looked like.

Entry Before

Entry Before

Entry After

Entry After

Former Desk Area

Removed desk
Added buffet
Painted light fixture with Oil-Rubbed Bronze spray paint
Replaced thermostat

Next Steps:
We may build a beverage station with wine fridge here. We’re undecided.

Before

Before

After

After

After

After

Back Patio

Replaced window with glass doors
Added paver patio
Installed hot tub
Added light fixtures

Next Steps:
Landscape around patio to bring it level with the ground
Finish filling holes with wood filler and touch up paint
Add a privacy screen between patio and heat pump (bamboo in a rectangular pot)
We may add a trellis or arbor over the doorway

Patio Before

Patio Before

Hey! Check out my new couch. :-/ That’s how projects occasionally go around here. We had an opportunity to get a hot tub for free from Dylan’s sister. But, free things aren’t really 100% free. Sure we’ll take the hot tub but we need a patio and a door to go with it. So, I begrudgingly handed over my couch funds and they quickly turned into patio paver funds. I can’t complain though because guess who has been using the hot tub almost every night–this girl. It’s way more comfortable than a new couch.

Patio After

Patio After

Patio Door

Patio Door

There are so many other things we have knocked off the list and so many other things we still want to do. But you get the idea. I’ll be back with details about our powder room remodel. The total project cost was around $300, most of that in tile flooring. It was an inexpensive project that made a big impact. It’s a happy little room now.

Have a great weekend!

Kitchen Inspiration

Kitchen Inspiration

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I’ve heard people say that you should live in a house for a while (at least a year) before making major changes. We made several changes before we moved in because they had to be done. But the one project I’m glad that we waited on is the kitchen. It wasn’t really by choice; it was more about budget restrictions. But having lived in this house once before and then living in it again for a year allowed my vision for the space to evolve. Modern country kitchen is the look I am going for.

I have looked at hundreds, if not thousands, of kitchen photos over the past year. When I shared my vision of the laundry room/kitchen cabinet swap project with Dylan, these are the photos I showed him that got him on board with the idea:

Crown Molding Inspiration

image via Bryn Alexandra

image via Bryn Alexandra

Door & Drawer Front Design

image via Amber Interiors

image via Amber Interiors

Pantry & Refrigerator Arrangement

image via In The Fun Lane

image via In The Fun Lane

And the biggest decision I have yet to make–whether I want all white cabinets or dark gray lower cabinets with white upper cabinets. What do you think? Do you have any strong opinions on the matter?

Bi-Color Cabinets or Not?

image via Apartment Therapy

image via Apartment Therapy

Playing Musical Cabinets

Playing Musical Cabinets

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As you may know, my kitchen has been in this state since we moved in–not very functional.

stacie kitchen 2013

stacie kitchen 3 2013

stacie kitchen 2 2013

When we moved in nearly a year ago we hadn’t planned to touch the kitchen for a few years. But then we realized all the flooring needed to be replaced before we could move in. We knew we were going to change the layout of the kitchen and decided to do that before installing the wood floors. I’ve been dreaming about cabinets, countertops and backsplashes ever since. However, our budget for a kitchen remodel is essentially non-existent at the moment and I don’t see that changing in the near or even kind-of-distant future. I was feeling a little hopeless about it.

You can see the style I want by checking out my on Pinterest. See all those gorgeous white cabinets? Turns out that even basic cabinets are thousands of dollars. Then, it dawned on me, I have almost all the cabinets I need right here in this house. They just need to be rearranged.

Bear with me here; my husband does all the time. Poor guy. We have these not-so-lovely cabinets in our laundry room:
stacie kicthen 4 2013 They are the exact same cabinet boxes as what we have in our kitchen–just different doors. Redoing the laundry room is one of our future projects and these cabinets were slated to go. I sat down and mapped out a plan. I numbered each cabinet using sticky notes and drew out my ideas. After a few adjustments I was completely happy with the results. And then Dylan came home. Our conversation went a little like this:

Dylan: Why are there numbered sticky notes on the cabinets?

Me: Because I figured out how to do our kitchen remodel for practically free! Well….pretty much free. Mostly free.

Dylan: (stunned silence) (blink, blink)

Me: No, really. Just listen.

I told him my plans and showed him the drawings. His response: “Can we do that? Will it work?”. That was way better than the “HELL NO!” I expected, which is often his response to my brilliant ideas. I knew I had an in with him. I also knew I needed to work on him gently because he didn’t seem totally, 100% convinced. I may have been a little too eager the other night and I think I pushed my luck. I asked “Can we move some cabinets today?” :) He sighed and maybe rolled his eyes. They were closed, I couldn’t tell for sure. But I’m pretty sure he’s mostly on board. I sent him a link to a video tutorial on how to build custom cabinet doors and drawer fronts. He put his foot down there. It’s not a project he is interested in tackling. So those will be made by a local company.

Here are my sketches:

Kitchen-North Wall
kitchen sketch 1

Kitchen-West Wall
kitchen sketch 2

Laundry Room
laundry room sketch

These are the steps we will take to make it all happen:

  • Move the wire rack to the garage to store pantry items (they now reside in the laundry room cabinets)
  • Move three upper cabinets and one lower cabinet from laundry room and install in kitchen
  • Buy and install a second-hand 18″ upper cabinet
  • Add counter top to new lower unit since it currently houses the laundry room sink
  • Replace microhood
  • Replace laminate on all counters
  • Paint trim on cabinet boxes
  • Have doors and drawer fronts made
  • Add new hardware
  • Replace kitchen sink and faucet
  • Add crown molding
  • Replace refrigerator (this may have to wait a while)
  • Build a custom pantry unit to fill in the space between the refrigerator and wall
  • Add tile backsplash
  • Build wine storage boxes for above refrigerator

Wish us luck. I will be back later this week with an inspiration board to show you some of the ideas I have for the design and materials.

A Productive Weekend

A Productive Weekend

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We decided to stay home this weekend and take advantage of the extra time to knock some projects off of our to-do list.

Our weekend has also been peppered with questions from the girls about the purpose of Memorial Day. It has given us a chance to talk about our fathers and their service in the military. Dylan and I both lost our biological fathers to car accidents when we were young. We don’t really have memories to share with the girls but we do have stories to pass on which were shared with us by our families as we grew up. The conversations this weekend remind me of another project I want to tackle in the future. We have our fathers’ flags. Currently they are stored in something like this–

But the triangle cases are starting to fall apart. I am in search of a creative, more modern way to display them. If you have any ideas, please send them my way.

Dylan’s big honey-do was to re-tile the powder room floor. I will have photos later in the week. My honey-dos revolved around the sewing machine. Some of you may remember that I have a love-hate relationship with my 1970′s era JC Penney sewing machine. Our relationship just got a little more complicated. The reverse button started acting up. I don’t know if she’s going to last much longer. But I was able to knock out these cuties.

Cafe Curtains 1

I started with this Market Floral fabric from The Alexander Henry Fabrics Collection. I simply cut and sewed four 19-inch squares and used ring clips to attach them to a tension rod. If you want super simple cafe curtains just buy square cloth napkins–no sewing required. It doesn’t get much simpler than that.

Cafe Curtains 3

 

Cafe Curtains 5

Cafe Curtains 4

Cafe Curtains 2

What are you up to this weekend? Are you relaxing at home? Traveling? Doing projects?

Shower Curtain to Cafe Curtains

Shower Curtain to Cafe Curtains

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I have wanted to add a touch of green to our house for a while now. I was also in need of new cafe curtains for our dining room bay window. I read that you can use dish towels with ring clips as cafe curtains but didn’t find towels in the right size. I wandered into Target’s bathroom section and found the perfect solution–a shower curtain in the fresh green and white color scheme that I’ve been wanting and in the perfect square size.

My supply list (all from Target) included:

CafeCurtains2

The first step was to trim off the top band where the shower curtain rings normally go.
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I then cut the shower curtain into four equal squares and sewed up the raw edges so that they were even in length and width. So simple!

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For around $60 I have new window coverings. I love the way they turned out. They add just the right touch of spring green to the dining nook.

Movie Trailer–Adventures in Yard Work

Movie Trailer–Adventures in Yard Work

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Kendall made a movie trailer to document the work we did in the yard last weekend. It makes me laugh every time I watch it. I can’t wait to see the full length feature. :)

from on .

Garden Dreams

Garden Dreams

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You might remember a while ago I admitted that I was overwhelmed by our 1.2 acres of land, which right now is a blank slate. I offered the task up to anyone who wanted to take a shot at designing something. Nikki from offered to come over and take a look.

I met Nikki through this blog. She was one of our first commenters and she has been a faithful reader and supporter of Hometown Perch. Nikki loves to garden at her own home and she is a hired gardener for a couple of local ladies.

Nikki and I walked around our property. I told her what key features I hope to have–a couple of fruit trees, chicken coop, vegetable garden, cutting garden, areas of shade, a fire pit. She had some good ideas for placement of the large items and she came up with a couple of creative solutions that I have been thinking about since her visit. She also had sage advice that were good reminders:

1. Don’t bite off more than you can chew. Start small and add as you feel ready.

2. Don’t feel like you need to plant every kind of plant, tree, shrub, flower out there. So many times people put in too much, it’s too much maintenance and doesn’t look good.

3. Plant in multiples. If you like a certain shrub, plan to use several of them. It’s better to plant multiples of the same kind of items than it is to plant one of everything. Your garden will look more uniform and be visually more appealing.

4. It’s your land. Do what you want. Just because the previous owners had a flower bed in a specific spot doesn’t mean you have to work with it if it doesn’t work for you. Just because they used railroad ties as borders doesn’t mean they have to stay.

5. And related to the point above, if it looks dated, it will probably still look dated after you try to spruce it up. Instead, take it out and start fresh.

I didn’t realize it but I really needed to hear that last piece of advice. I admit, there are things in the landscape that I just don’t like. And I was trying to work with them, trying to fix them so that they would look better. But they are dated and they won’t look better. That was a mind block. Now that the block has been lifted (thanks Nikki) my ideas for our outdoor space are flowing much more smoothly.  Her visit was in October or November. I have walked the property numerous times since then and sketched plans. But nothing felt right. Finally it all came into view this week. I sketched a plan that I love! I know where all of the major elements will be. It will take time. We have a lot of work to do. But, in a few years we will have some of these beautiful spaces:

Raised Garden Beds–

hansen-wood-raised-bed-veggies

Fireplace or Fire Pit–

Pinned Image

Ample Outdoor Seating–

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Fun Spaces for kids to explore–

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Chickens–

chickens

And, if Dylan and the girls have their way:

Above-Ground Pool–

image via ebarah.com

For more inspiration and other ideas, check out my Pinterest boards.

You can follow me on Pinterest  and follow Mandi on Pinterest .

Now if you’ll excuse me, there is a 1-ton truck with a hydraulic lift sitting in my driveway waiting for me. We are off to get some topsoil to even out some patches that badly need it.

Have a great weekend!

The Portable Path to Order & Happiness

The Portable Path to Order & Happiness

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I have a beautiful, antique desk from my grandma.  It is charming and it sits in my living room and I do use it, for storing files and bills I’ve paid . . . but I don’t use it on a daily basis.  Why?  Because I love my kitchen and end up stacking everything on a sweet little corner of the counter.  I have a fear of putting things away until I’m done with them.  Doug shoves things into drawers and I take them back out and arrange them on the counter.  Papers from school, piano music, bills, notes from friends or family, torn pages of to-do items, grocery lists, dental appointment reminders, recipes torn from magazines and so on . . . the pieces of my life that I need to keep visible.

But I also really, really love a tidy space and do not enjoy waking up every Saturday morning to this:

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Enter the portable desk–a reduce-reuse-recycle solution to the age-old problem of paper AND a great place to store all my beloved, decorative office supplies.  I made a list of the items that tend to hang around and the tools that could contain them:

  • files & papers
  • bills
  • photos
  • magnetic surface
  • cork board
  • pens, tacks, paper clips and other supplies
  • whimsy & hope

Starting with a cool-old-narrow-distressed door and adding some Benjamin Moore love (Oceanfront 660) to the panels:

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door project 2

 

 

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Collecting came next:  I scavenged through my own garage and went shopping in my dad’s, as well.  Some of the spoils:

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Antique muffin pan cut into a single row

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And the finished project, in a happy corner of the kitchen.  Our home is small and the beauty of my new “office” is that it can move to an out-of-the-way corner when we’re having company over.  Pick it up and go.

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Check out the individual pieces:

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Magnetic strip

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Not sure what this was originally . . . now it is my pen/supply holder

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Strips of cork for my favorite photos

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Muffin tin holding paper clips & tacks

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And the best for last:  baking pans that my dad cut, folded & stenciled.  Perfect, perfect, perfect.

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 Hometown Perch is thrilled to be a part of the Creating with the Stars contest, hosted by East Coast Creative.

 11 winners will be chosen by East Coast Creative and their Blog Stars.  #12 will be chosen based on the number of clicks a submission receives.  Help us rise to the top!  Click this link, scroll down and click our thumbnail, #323 Portable Office.