Posts made in May, 2009

Julia's Hooked on Old Houses today!

Posted by Lindsay on May 29, 2009 in Architecture, Blogging | 0 comments

I just wanted to post a link back to Hooked on Houses because every Friday Julia hosts a “Hooked on” Blog Party that I try to join whenever I have a chance!  You add your name and specific blog post to her list, and it’s a great way to go through the list and make some new friends and read some great blogs!  This week she’s “hooked on old houses” and if she ever visited my alma mater in Chico, California she would be in heaven.  It was a great place to learn about architecture, especially Victorians like she blogs about this Friday.  So go check out Julia’s blog party and have a great weekend!

(image linked to source, via flickr: drpimento)

Busy on the Bathroom!

Posted by Lindsay on May 29, 2009 in Bathroom, Decor, DIY, flickr, Me | 7 comments

Blogging or bathroom?  That is the question.  Hehe!  We’ve spent a lot of time recently working on the bathroom plan, and it is coming into motion!  My handy-dandy husband ripped out the old shower surround and then put a new bright and shiny one up!  He also put up new trim and sealed everything!  I painted the walls (while I was home alone with our 9 month old – go me!), and he painted the ceiling because it would have taken me forever and he whipped it right out!  And last night he painted the new trim nice and white.  Now we just need the finishing touches; new light, new mirror (so we’ll have to paint a little more soon), new shower curtain and new towels.

We were going to re-finish the bathtub in white, but after reading the directions it just didn’t seem worth it.  It was very complicated, very toxic, and very easy to screw up!  Plus we couldn’t use our tub for 5-6 days.  So we decided to keep the green tub because the color won’t clash with the design, plus we are just so lucky to have a green tub!  Now I’ll quit talking and get to the pics.  Thanks for stopping by!!

Here is what it looked like back in July when we bought it.  Notice the lovely, faded flower motif on the surround.  Nice, huh?

And here is a shot after Glenn ripped everything out.

Here’s a tip: use the box the surround came in to make a template.

The walls and new trim are up!

And now I begin to paint!

Ahhh…finally done!  Ceiling and everything!  We’ve never painted the ceiling the same color before, but we thought it would be nice to surround ourselves with this earthy brown.

Finishing touches added back.

As you can see it was quite a transformation over Memorial Day weekend. The room is a lot darker now, but I’ve found I can still put my makeup on, phew! I decided on a dark brown with purple undertones called “Pumpernickel” by Ace Hardware paints.  It was very hard to photograph because of the light and the reflections and the darkness, but you get the idea. The old shower curtain and towels are okay, but now that the room is so dark I’m looking forward to lighten it up with new towels and a new linen shower curtain. Plus the green and brick shower curtain and towels don’t match the pistachio bathtub. I’ve also decided that I want a clock in there so I don’t have to bring my phone in to watch the time when I’m getting ready.

So there’s what I’ve been working on…what projects are you hard at work on, or have finished and are proud of? I’d love to check them out!

It's a Start…

Posted by Lindsay on May 18, 2009 in Landscaping | 0 comments

Yay! I made my first real trip to our local nursery as a homeowner! I haven’t bought anything yet…except this pretty hanging basket I couldn’t resist!

We’ve been very busy (on days off!) here at Casa Christensen with lots of weeding and planning, planning and weeding. We pretty much ripped everything out so that we can start from scratch. Here is what the front yard looks like today.  Pretty bare!

Here are the empty flowerbeds, just waiting for some new tenants…I’m loving the funky shapes (as a designer, can you blame me??). I’m thinking some evergreens on the outsides, some dark ground cover in interesting textures, and perennials and annuals in varying shapes and heights. I love the tall, spiky flowers and grasses, and the colorful, globe shaped flowers. I’m not sure of the names yet, but I’m sure the guys at the nursery will be sick of me soon!

Our dog, Molly, can’t wait for her new yard!!

As you can see, we have lots of work to do, but I’m very excited after getting a little horticultural education today. Don’t you just love a little confidence boost? Especially if you have a black thumb like I do!

Do any of you have any favorite plants or flowers to recommend? Have you written a recent post about gardening and/or landscaping! Feel free to comment and link!! Happy gardening!!

Our Bathroom Plan

Posted by Lindsay on May 15, 2009 in Bathroom, Decor, Design | 2 comments

Our main bathroom is something to behold. It is lacking any style, mainly because the tub is a gorgeous (i.e. hideous) shade of green…I call it pistachio! And the shower surround is old and dated and needs to be ripped out. But we have a plan for it, so we’re very excited to get started!

The Before:

My husband and I love dark colors. We knew we wanted to do something dramatic and fun for this bathroom and I was so excited when I re-opened my Domino Book of Decorating and saw this bathroom. I showed it to Glenn and we instantly clicked and knew it was the inspiration for our bathroom! We’re even planning on adding some architectural features to the room by putting up some vertical molding like the inspiration photo.

The Inspiration:

So here is our plan, which shouldn’t cost too much as we plan on doing a lot of projects ourselves!
The Plan:

All we need to buy is 1 gallon of dark brown semi-gloss paint, a cheap-o fiberglass tub surround, a potted fern for some greenery, the wall sconce, a mirror and some driftwood (I already have the glue gun!), a few yards of linen, the molding, and new towels! We’re hoping to keep it all under $300! We already have a tub re-finishing kit (sparking white!), some nice bath mats, a decent sink vanity that we re-painted white, and some dark brown baskets for storage!  Wish us luck!

Waiting Patiently…

Posted by Lindsay on May 15, 2009 in Decor | 0 comments

My orchid, which was a birthday gift in 2008 (yay! I didn’t kill it!) has not bloomed yet this year. And my birthday has passed…I’m assuming it’s because I moved from a warmer climate to an area with a shorter growing season. But it is definitely growing something and I’m hoping it will bloom soon!