This is old news but a while back we were featured on Retro Renovation. I'm sure some of you found us because of that article but if you have never seen it here is the link. It's a great little write up on how we got our house and the pink bathroom that came with it. I hope you enjoy it and thanks for reading our site.
Susan becomes a fan of her 1962 Jack 'n Jill bathroom
Sunday, December 19, 2010
We need your suggestions! New front doors?
So our house is a bit odd when it comes to the front doors. From the outside it looks like we have double doors. However, only one of the doors is functional and the non functioning door on the inside is covered with drywall. On the outside it looks like we double doors and on the inside it looks like we have a single door. I have yet to run into a neighbor that has a similar situation.
Since our front doors are old and don't seal well we are looking into replacing them with real double doors. We had debated about doing a single door with a window next to it but once we saw this kit from Crestview Doors we knew this is what we wanted. We have priced it up and are close to pulling the trigger on the project but we are curious what you guys think and if you have any color suggestions. I am posting 3 pics for possible colors but feel free to either mock up your own example or share a color swatch.
UPDATE
Here are two other color options we were thinking about.
Since our front doors are old and don't seal well we are looking into replacing them with real double doors. We had debated about doing a single door with a window next to it but once we saw this kit from Crestview Doors we knew this is what we wanted. We have priced it up and are close to pulling the trigger on the project but we are curious what you guys think and if you have any color suggestions. I am posting 3 pics for possible colors but feel free to either mock up your own example or share a color swatch.
UPDATE
Here are two other color options we were thinking about.
Sunday, November 28, 2010
The Den
The downstairs den is one of the rooms we spend the most time in but sadly it's one of the only rooms to not be fixed up well. Lately we have been trying to change that. Some new furniture and a little paint has helped a lot.
The biggest and most noticeable new piece is the sofa. I had seen this sofa from Macy's on numerous blogs before. We loved the look of it so my parents were kind enough to buy us one for our first anniversary. Thanks Mom and Dad!
This corner table was the first piece of furniture we actually purchased for the den. When we bought it we did not know who it was made by. Then one day when I was browsing blogs I saw that these guys had posted about some tables they had found at a thrift store (lucky!). So thanks to them I knew it was made by American of Martinsville and we were able to search for a matching side table.
We recently found this side table at Kudzu Antiques. One day in the future we will have the two tables refinished since they are not in perfect shape. They look great for now though.
I got really lucky and scored this awesome lounge chair from an estate sale for $80. Everyone at the sale kept asking me about it so I knew I was lucky to snag it. I have been looking for one of these for a long time and I this is the first one I've found in my price range. Eventually we will have the cushions recovered but the frame is in perfect shape.
It took forever to decide on window coverings for the sliding glass doors. We ended up going with the Kvartal system from Ikea and we are very happy. The shades let a lot of light in but you can't see through them at all. The only issue, and maybe we are doing something wrong, is that you can use one pull rod to open all the curtains but you need multiple rods to pull everything shut again. That seemed a little odd to me but maybe I was expecting too much from Ikea.
I got this clock for pretty cheap from Storehouse when they were going out of business. Initially it kept horrible time so my Dad changed the clock mechanism. It works like a charm now.
Also, you may have noticed that the floor is a different color. When we first pulled up the carpet we put down a coat of primer as a quick way to hide the ugly brown tile. That got grimy fast so we have now painted the floor with some honest to goodness floor paint. We still plan to redo the tile one day but until then we will rock this painted floor, which actually looks pretty good. The only other things we would need to address down here are a new coffee table, some matching lamps, an area rug and what to do with the bar. We plan on keeping it but I would like to rebuild it. The the wood panelling is not doing it for me (soon we will post some better pictures of the bar and ask you, our valued readers, what you think could be done to improve it). Either way I am finally happy with how this room is looking.
End of line.
The biggest and most noticeable new piece is the sofa. I had seen this sofa from Macy's on numerous blogs before. We loved the look of it so my parents were kind enough to buy us one for our first anniversary. Thanks Mom and Dad!
This corner table was the first piece of furniture we actually purchased for the den. When we bought it we did not know who it was made by. Then one day when I was browsing blogs I saw that these guys had posted about some tables they had found at a thrift store (lucky!). So thanks to them I knew it was made by American of Martinsville and we were able to search for a matching side table.
We recently found this side table at Kudzu Antiques. One day in the future we will have the two tables refinished since they are not in perfect shape. They look great for now though.
I got really lucky and scored this awesome lounge chair from an estate sale for $80. Everyone at the sale kept asking me about it so I knew I was lucky to snag it. I have been looking for one of these for a long time and I this is the first one I've found in my price range. Eventually we will have the cushions recovered but the frame is in perfect shape.
It took forever to decide on window coverings for the sliding glass doors. We ended up going with the Kvartal system from Ikea and we are very happy. The shades let a lot of light in but you can't see through them at all. The only issue, and maybe we are doing something wrong, is that you can use one pull rod to open all the curtains but you need multiple rods to pull everything shut again. That seemed a little odd to me but maybe I was expecting too much from Ikea.
I got this clock for pretty cheap from Storehouse when they were going out of business. Initially it kept horrible time so my Dad changed the clock mechanism. It works like a charm now.
Also, you may have noticed that the floor is a different color. When we first pulled up the carpet we put down a coat of primer as a quick way to hide the ugly brown tile. That got grimy fast so we have now painted the floor with some honest to goodness floor paint. We still plan to redo the tile one day but until then we will rock this painted floor, which actually looks pretty good. The only other things we would need to address down here are a new coffee table, some matching lamps, an area rug and what to do with the bar. We plan on keeping it but I would like to rebuild it. The the wood panelling is not doing it for me (soon we will post some better pictures of the bar and ask you, our valued readers, what you think could be done to improve it). Either way I am finally happy with how this room is looking.
End of line.
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Thanksgiving is almost upon us! We are not hosting this year but here are some things I might be doing if we were!
Oh Martha, you always make my crafty heart go pitter-pat.
I love these turkeys! You are never too old for elementary school type crafts.
This is like something from the Muppets (and that's a wonderful thing).
Nice chairs. I could handle my Turkey Day table looking this classy.
How about something stylish to put your gravy in? The Kitchn has a nice roundup of stylish gravy boats. The lovely Classic Century Sauce Boat is featured and if we were hosting Thanksgiving I would have to buy it. I already have the coffee set.
You could always go for something a bit more authentically mid century
Or maybe this? Maybe not.
If I was really into Thanksgiving I would put this on the roof to announce the festivities.
So there you have it, my random Thanksgiving post.
Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
Oh Martha, you always make my crafty heart go pitter-pat.
I love these turkeys! You are never too old for elementary school type crafts.
This is like something from the Muppets (and that's a wonderful thing).
Nice chairs. I could handle my Turkey Day table looking this classy.
How about something stylish to put your gravy in? The Kitchn has a nice roundup of stylish gravy boats. The lovely Classic Century Sauce Boat is featured and if we were hosting Thanksgiving I would have to buy it. I already have the coffee set.
You could always go for something a bit more authentically mid century
Or maybe this? Maybe not.
If I was really into Thanksgiving I would put this on the roof to announce the festivities.
So there you have it, my random Thanksgiving post.
Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
Sunday, October 31, 2010
HALLOWEEN at the O'Cropolis!
Here are just a few pics of what Halloween is like at our house. Sorry for the poor night shots. I really do need to get a better camera one day.
Halloween! The day on which we traumatize our pets! -Susan
Susan did a great job making this bat lamp thanks to an idea from Martha Stewart.
I buy Martha's Halloween mags every year and this is the first year I've managed to make a decoration from one!-Susan
These were really easy to make but I am sad I couldn't take a good picture of them. They looked really good in person.
Halloween! The day on which we traumatize our pets! -Susan
Susan did a great job making this bat lamp thanks to an idea from Martha Stewart.
I buy Martha's Halloween mags every year and this is the first year I've managed to make a decoration from one!-Susan
These were really easy to make but I am sad I couldn't take a good picture of them. They looked really good in person.
Monday, October 25, 2010
Well, we DID have a Preway fireplace in the living room....
... but we decided it didn't quite go.
The in-laws were renovating their den and we saved the fireplace from certain doom. We thought maybe it would look cool in the house.
Here it is sitting in our corner without the stack on it....
Err.... yeah. Not so much. Maybe if the window didn't end so close to the corner it could have worked out. We kept it up for a few weeks, shifting it here and there. It didn't even look good enough in any position to warrant more pictures. Finally I couldn't take the cluttered feel anymore and our poor Preway was relegated to the basement.
However, all hope is not lost for our sad fireplace. When we finally build a real patio out back I'm thinking something like this:
Not the dress, which is not that exciting, the set-up with the fireplace (and while we're on the subject of , could someone please buy me this? Thanks in advance) I realize the picture is taken in some kind of sun room but I think the basic idea could certainly work out on a well planned deck situation. That project is slated to start when one of those home shows decides we would look great on TV. Anyone want to nominate us?
UPDATE
Here is a pic I found on my phone of the fireplace right before I took it out of my parents house. I loved the look of it with the brick. - Eric
The in-laws were renovating their den and we saved the fireplace from certain doom. We thought maybe it would look cool in the house.
Here it is sitting in our corner without the stack on it....
Err.... yeah. Not so much. Maybe if the window didn't end so close to the corner it could have worked out. We kept it up for a few weeks, shifting it here and there. It didn't even look good enough in any position to warrant more pictures. Finally I couldn't take the cluttered feel anymore and our poor Preway was relegated to the basement.
However, all hope is not lost for our sad fireplace. When we finally build a real patio out back I'm thinking something like this:
Not the dress, which is not that exciting, the set-up with the fireplace (and while we're on the subject of , could someone please buy me this? Thanks in advance) I realize the picture is taken in some kind of sun room but I think the basic idea could certainly work out on a well planned deck situation. That project is slated to start when one of those home shows decides we would look great on TV. Anyone want to nominate us?
UPDATE
Here is a pic I found on my phone of the fireplace right before I took it out of my parents house. I loved the look of it with the brick. - Eric
Saturday, October 23, 2010
We haven’t updated the blog in a while but I promise we have a good reason. A really adorable and good reason!
House projects are being completed and blog readers' opinions are needed but lately all the camera time has been taken up with our new addition; Hayward the Potcake Rescue Puppy!
We will return to your regularly scheduled remodel soon!
House projects are being completed and blog readers' opinions are needed but lately all the camera time has been taken up with our new addition; Hayward the Potcake Rescue Puppy!
We will return to your regularly scheduled remodel soon!
Friday, September 3, 2010
NEW FLOORS!!!
That last post about us ripping out the rest of the carpet actually happened about 4+ months ago. We were happy to get rid of the nasty carpet but the floors and stairs underneath were not much better and it made the house look kinda crappy when we had guests over. Here is what they looked like in case you forgot.
When the stairs were removed here the majority of the space was filled with pine straw and leaves. It did not look like a nest of any sort so we have no idea how all of it got there. One theory is that when the house was being built all of it was just swept into the space instead of being thrown into the trash.
Unfortunately I had to go into work so I missed the rest of the demo and most of the new wood being installed. Luckily the floor guy was kind enough to take this picture for me on his iPhone. This makes me wish the stairs could lift up and we could have a secret room in there.
We wanted the new floors to be blended in with the original ones so strips were taken out and new wood was woven in to make a seamless transition. I almost didn't do this but I am very happy that I did.
Our old stairs creaked like crazy but the new ones are rock solid. I was very impressed with how well they turned out.
This was the only picture I was able to take of the floors being stripped before I had to go to work. I was bummed I had to miss such an exciting project going on in the house.
However, when you leave for work and the floors are all bare and you come to them looking like this that bummed feeling quickly goes away.
Every time I see how good the floors blend into one another I have to smile.
Installing all of the new wood only took one day and the staining and sealing took 3 consecutive days. It was kind of a pain to come home from work and not be able to walk through most of the house but it was worth it. Everything was done by a company named Cearbaugh and Son Hardwood Floors. The owner is a real craftsman and I was very impressed with his attention to detail.
Now that all the upstairs floors and stairs are done the downstairs floor looks like crap. We need to decide what we are going to do down there. Until then there is lots of painting and other little odd and ends to do.
Be seeing you.
When the stairs were removed here the majority of the space was filled with pine straw and leaves. It did not look like a nest of any sort so we have no idea how all of it got there. One theory is that when the house was being built all of it was just swept into the space instead of being thrown into the trash.
Unfortunately I had to go into work so I missed the rest of the demo and most of the new wood being installed. Luckily the floor guy was kind enough to take this picture for me on his iPhone. This makes me wish the stairs could lift up and we could have a secret room in there.
We wanted the new floors to be blended in with the original ones so strips were taken out and new wood was woven in to make a seamless transition. I almost didn't do this but I am very happy that I did.
Our old stairs creaked like crazy but the new ones are rock solid. I was very impressed with how well they turned out.
This was the only picture I was able to take of the floors being stripped before I had to go to work. I was bummed I had to miss such an exciting project going on in the house.
However, when you leave for work and the floors are all bare and you come to them looking like this that bummed feeling quickly goes away.
Every time I see how good the floors blend into one another I have to smile.
Installing all of the new wood only took one day and the staining and sealing took 3 consecutive days. It was kind of a pain to come home from work and not be able to walk through most of the house but it was worth it. Everything was done by a company named Cearbaugh and Son Hardwood Floors. The owner is a real craftsman and I was very impressed with his attention to detail.
Now that all the upstairs floors and stairs are done the downstairs floor looks like crap. We need to decide what we are going to do down there. Until then there is lots of painting and other little odd and ends to do.
Be seeing you.
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