Mission Accomplished

I am finally getting back to my blog after successfully completing some labor intensive house cleaning and enjoying an informal get-together with friends for a tostada buffet dinner. We really had a good time.

Let me show you some photos of my house, at least the part that I have been able to put into an orderly way. I wish I was better when using my camera. I miss having a wide angle lens! But, this will give you an idea of my home.

When I bought this house, the fireplace surround was a very dingy, dirty looking red brick. For numerous reasons I did not want to remove it and start over. So, I found a product called Brick-Anew which when applied (in four stages) produced  a focal point instead of an eye sore. The color selection I chose is called Trilight Taupe which is a combination of three different paint colors applied seperately in layers. I finished it off with a sealer. The kit included an instructional video which was excellent. I am very pleased with how it turned out. Just a note, the propane stove is new. It replaced a wood burning stove. All the issues with procurring, stacking and storing the wood as well as disposal of the ashes became to much hard work for me.  You may be able to see that I really enjoy interior decorating.

Isn't SHE fun? I love the wimsy that she brings to the room. I have named her Tallulah.

According to Tallulah Bankhead, “Only good girls keep diaries. Bad girls don't have time.”

When I start decorating, I have no idea where the universe is going to take me. The room just evolves. I think the room ended up with this picture (print from ebay) being the  theme. Note the lamp (photo is further down) that has a monkey similar to this picture. When I saw the lamp, I could hardly believe the similarity.

Little Lily is in on one of her very favorite spots to take a nap! The black and white photos are photos I have taken and printed with my scanner and printer. The abstract art is a canvas reproduction of Composition VII, by the Russian painter and art theorist, Wassily Kandinsky. He is credited with painting the first modern abstract works. According to his words, Compostion VII which he painted in 1913 "was the most complex piece he ever painted".

I think the picture speaks for itself.

 

Because my home is quite small, we served ourselves in the dining room and sat in the living room with trays. It worked out very nicely.

Since I was setting up by myself, I like to set out all of the serving dishes ahead of time. It makes it easier for me to remember everything and then I don't find something in the refrigerator later that I wanted to serve!

This is the mosaic kitchen backsplace that I made when I remodeled the kitchen a few years ago. I will post more photos of the kitchen at a later time. I have had a difficult time taking good photos because of the glare from the ceramic mosaic pieces. I will say, the mosaic project is one of my most favorite projects I have ever undertaken! It is so much fun for me when people say to me "No - - - you didn't do that!" And, then they say "It's so professional."

The next photo has the monkey lamp with the tall tail. Compare it to the previous shown picture and you will see what I see.

This five piece canvas wall art gets a lot of compliments,too. The various color tones seem to pull all the colors in the room together. There is even a tad bit of red.

And now- let me show you the bathroom that I thoroughly enjoy since redoing the entire room. I love-love-love it, especially the spa wirlpool tub!

The lights over the tub are on a dimmer which makes it very relaxing and romantic.

This was the typical 1970's bathroom with a little aluminum framed window. Now the room is two feet deeper and has a nice big window for lots of light.

When I decided to start updating my home I knew I had to do it in the most economical manner possible. As a result of that I did a lot of the labor ie., painting and installation of as many things as possible ie., towel bars, hardware and many more things. Also, I did a lot of shopping on ebay and that worked out fabulously. I think you would be surprised at how many items came from ebay. One example, is the bathroom sink with the gold trim. It is a $300.00 sink retail and I was able to get it for less than $100.00 including shipping. The detail on the sink is quite lovely.  Buying in that manner saved me a lot of time as well as money. And, it was fun trying to put the house together in that way. I think it looks like it cost a lot more than I was able to spend.

I hope you enjoyed a little tour of a little of my home. When I get the other half of the house in order I will post more photos. The other bathroom also turned out lovely. It has a hand painted floral sink that of course came from ebay.

This is certainly a work in progress with lots more work to complete. There is a fair amount of painting to complete such as doors and trim in the hallways. I have to work at it very slowly because of the limitations with my back problems - and also, I am getting older and it is getting more difficult for me to do every thing I want to. But, I really like the outcomes. 

~Mary~