Welcoming staircase...

With all of the remodeling we have done so far to this home, this by far has been one of my most time consuming. Crazy right? I mean, it's just a small set of stairs. Au contraire! I knew the look I wanted, it was there in my brain, but getting it from just a vision in my mind to an actual finished product took a lot of planning. Throw in a few mistakes along the way and it was the staircase that never seemed to end. I knew I wanted to remove the carpet. I knew I liked the look of stained treads with white risers. I knew I liked the look of a carpet runner, but not the work to keep one clean. So here it is, in all its glory along with some photos of the process. Everything you see is painted, either with gel stain or porch and patio paint. The bannister still needs to be painted.

How I love doors!

Here is our newest door! My husband so graciously indulges my door fetish. I had been looking for a door for our home office. I found this door off of a local FB page where members can list vintage items for sale. I don't know the actual age of the door, but believe it to be from the early 1900's. Now before you ask…let me say this, "No, we do not run a remodeling company". I wanted something whimsical for the glass. Since I was fortunate enough to receive a Silhouette Cameo for my birthday this year, I knew I would be adding some vinyl to this door. My husband and I were married in 1989 and quite literally have been remodeling our homes ever since!

Closet turned mudroom space

This closet is right off of our garage. Since we already have a coat closet for guests in our entry foyer, I thought it would be nice to have a closet that was just for family items. I have always liked the look of a wall using reclaimed wood and our basement remodel had us swimming in the stuff. This closet seemed like the perfect place to try my hand at a reclaimed wood wall. I will come back and add more photos later of the process, but for now..here is the finished project.

Updated for Fall

Enjoying decorating the bicycle corner.

Finding just the right spot.

We've moved the bike from the foyer to an odd little nook we have in our living room. We are still working on accessorizing. I added a picnic basket since this photo was taken. As we move into autumn I will replace with something more…'fallish'. I am liking it all so far, but I know it will look much better when we replace the carpet with wood floors!

Goodbye to our Best Friend...

We said Goodbye to our best friend last week. Jenna was 13 1/2 years old and she was suffering from congestive heart failure. Last Thursday she suffered a major heart attack and within moments was gone. We are grateful that she did not suffer and that we were with her when she passed. We are adjusting to her absence, but find the hole she has left in our family to be much larger than we imagined.

A New Space to Decorate

The new drywall is up in the foyer and the painting is complete! I chose SW Wool Skein. Now on to decorating the space. I was generously gifted this 1949 Schwinn bicycle from my in-laws. Now to figure out just how to use it in the space. They foyer is fairly large so I have lots of wall space with which to play!

New Favorite Room! The Master Bathroom is finished.

Remember the 'before'? The after will take your breath away!

Never did post our Christmas Picture.

For those who may not have seen it. :-)

And the two shall become one….

Here are the before pictures of our bathrooms. Can I just say, if we ever sell this house we will use the photographer that did these? The difference between the photos and real life were astonishing. I know, I've made this point before, but never ever trust a photo. LOL. Now that the kids have a wonderful new bathroom we are combining the two old ones to create one large master bathroom. The room dimensions are roughly 10 x 11. We decided to go with a custom shower and no tub. We really like the look of the subway tile size tumbled stone, but have not made a final decision yet. The vanities will be the same design as the ones in the kids bathroom only in a different finish. They will flank the door from the master bedroom.

Here are some photos in its current state. We are down to absolute bare…EVERYTHING! Ceiling is gone, floors are gone, walls are gone. Next up..the door to the hallway will get walled in and the current door from the master bedroom is being moved.

Den with new wood burning insert.

The den continues to be our favorite room in the house. The new wood burning stove adds to the overall cozy feel.