House Tour -- Spring 2013 -- Kitchen

The kitchen is a room that has had some easy upgrades that have really made a huge difference.
Here's the MLS listing photos for the kitchen:

Gotta love the purple and blue color combo they had going on there. I mean, pair that with the awesome fluorescent light and how could you not want to buy this beauty?
A little paint, some cheapo light fixtures (seriously, I stalk the clearance end caps. The pendants were $12 and I spraypainted them the brushed nickel color), and a subway tile backsplash (also cheap) really helped transform this place! Obviously the stainless steel appliances helped too (an AMAZING craigslist find). Moral of the story today, be a stalker. As in a clearance and craigslist stalker, not the other kind.
Here's how it looks today:

The chalkboard wall and ikea cabinet were also great additions! :)
And look how talented my cats are with their self portraits.. clearly looks just like them.
So thats the kitchen as it stands currently. This is the next room we really plan on working on. We want to bring it up to the next level by switching out the countertop (remember that debate? we're leaning towards butcher block), the sink, and faucet.
Just for fun, let's look at an in-between photo of the kitchen:

I don't know what I was thinking with the yellow... I must have been out of my mind!
So, that's the kitchen!
Tomorrow we'll jump back upstairs to the master bedroom!
xx, Shannon

House Tour -- Spring 2013 -- Master Bathroom

About a month before I left for Rome, I photographed the entire house hoping to show you a house tour while I was gone, you know..so the awkward silence than ensued wouldn't have happened. Seriously, it was more awkward around here than the 8th grade dance. At least my 8th grade dance. All the boys hung out on one side, and all the girls on the other for like the first 2.5 hours of the 3 hour long dance. By the time we all realized we were supposed to you know... dance.. the freakin' dance was over! Now that I think about it, I haven't grown since 8th grade (I'm 5'9") but I have put on like 30 pounds so I was tall and lanky and as awkward as they come. So there was probably no hope for me to bust a move anyways. Not now though, now.. I bust a move whenever I please. WHAT WHAT!!

So, sorry about the awkward silence and now I also apologize for the awkward story telling. Let's move on, shall we? :)

Okay, so I photographed the house and never showed you. So I'm going to be honest and say that some of the rooms you'll see this week have already changed. Some just a little, and some a lot. But that should come as no surprise because I like change and I'm sneaky like that.

I like to just paint/rearrange rooms when no one else is home (aka Aaron isn't home because the cats don't count) just for the fun of it. Also to make sure Aaron is paying attention. Gotta keep him on his toes. Muahahaha.

I also have another surprise for you guys!!

Aaron found a site that still had some of our MLS listing photos online!! So, I'm going to share those with the tour! That way you all can look at them and say "you are out of your mind. that house was disgusting. therefore you guys must like disgusting things and/or be disgusting yourselves." But then, you'll also see the pretty current (minus two months) photos and think "you guys are brilliant!! pure genius!! i see the light!! hallelujiah!!".  Why thank you, you're too kind. :)

Okay, here's the current photos of the master bathroom. Remember we did a complete remodel in this room back in November of last year? Then I added some accessories in January. I've only made a few changes since then, but I think they make all the difference! Like a fun shower curtain and some bright towels. :)

Welcome to my bathroom. Have a look around, aka walk in two steps and then back out because our bathroom is tiny. :) But we make it work!

Sorry about the poor lighting, I did my best!

And now, the before photo from the MLS listing.

Ps this photo doesnt show how every tile is cracked, the grout lines are uneven, the tub is like 3 inches deep (okay maybe 6). Plus everything is boring builder grade. So I think for our first big DIY, this bathroom turned out great and really upgraded the space!
Tomorrow I'm going to share the kitchen. :)
xx, Shannon 

Legit Cabin Envy

I'm back!!
And oh boy am I ready to get back into projects and blogging! I've missed it so much!
Though I didn't blog while I was away -- maybe I should have started renovating my hotel room, or the colosseum, or the sistine chapel. Any of the above --, I did keep up with my favorite blogs, and I even found a few new favorites too!
I'm not sure how I stumbled across Smitten Studio, but I am so glad I did. I literally spent a few hours one day just reading about the cabin that Sarah is reonvating.
Not only am I completely jealous that she has a little getaway cabin, but her sense of style and the way she's decorating it... I pretty much had to pick my jaw up off of my desk because its just so perfect.
Okay, enough talk. Check out these pics.

 Smitten Studio

  Smitten Studio

  Smitten Studio

  Smitten Studio

 Smitten Studio
How awesome is that? I love how everything is really white and clean. Pretty sure Absolutely certain I need a cow hide rug like yesterday. And I seriously LOVE that kitchen. Pretty positive I am dubbing her kitchen as my kitchen renovation inspiration! Speaking of which.. we need to talk kitchen details next week. As well as details about all the other things that have been happening at my house that I haven't told you about. Like my Pinterest challenge mid century modern inspired coffee table I built... next week. BE READY!!
xx, Shannon 
P.s I don't know Sarah and Sarah doesn't know me. I just really like her sense of style and thought you guys would like to see her drool-worthy cabin! :)

Hi pals! I'm in Rome.

Sooo.. yeah. 
I've been missing for like a month.
But I promise there's a good reason for that.
Ready?
I'm in ROME!!!!!
No, not Rome, Georgia. (I had no clue there was such a thing until the weather.com website repeatedly suggested that I was in Rome, Georgia not the legit Rome with the colosseum and the "legit" gladiators and all those other legit things. Like the Pope.)
So yeah, I'm in Italy.
Don't be jealous. I'm here for work.
Alright, you can still be a little jealous. :)
I ate at some of the most delish restaurants last week and went exploring this weekend!
Here's a few pics to tide you over until I'm back on American soil doing crazy American things! Like eating 32 oz steaks, singing the national anthem in public places, and eating crappy frozen yogurt.. because nothing compares to gelato.
NOTHING.
Ciao!

Star Wars represent!!

 Hey David, your goods are showing.

 The money shot. I swear I'm not a perv 100% a perv, I had to sneak this pic and this was the angle I got. hehehe

Florence was gorgeous!
xx, Shannon

Spring Pinterest Challenge!

Who's participating in the Spring Pinterest Challenge?! Katie and Sherry issued this season's challenge yesterday and I am pumped to have an excuse to stop pinning and start doing!!

Last challenge I was inspired by some herb planter boxes I saw on Pinterest and decided to build my own!
This challenge, I have plans on a project for the living room!
I have been obsessively looking for a coffee table, specifically something with a mid mod vibe to it, and I haven't had any luck in my price range. Seriously, I've been stalking Craigslist (don't take that the wrong way HA!) for the perfect piece but just haven't found anything yet... sooooo I'm going to build one! Wooo!! Time for a little power tool action! Here's my inspiration!

 Source

 Source

Source Obviously the third table is my favorite but I'm not sure if I'd be able to DIY that fab brass hardware connecting each table leg (any ideas?!). I think the first table may be more the look that I can accomplish. I absolutely love the tapered legs, and I like that the table is long and narrow (perfect for our 93" sofa!). Think I can crank this bad boy out by next Wednesday?! I sure hope so! If you're participating in the challenge, be sure to let me know what you plan on making! :) xx, Shannon

Haven Conference

Is anyone else going to Haven this year? I am beyond excited for such a great opportunity to meet other bloggers, learn from the best, and to hopefully network with as many people as I possibly can!

Not to mention some of my favorite bloggers will be speaking this year! John & Sherry, Katie, and Carmel! Can I get a what what?! I'm totally counting down the days.
I would love to know if any of you are attending Haven, that way we can be sure to meet eachother! Also, if you've attended a blogging conference in the past, I'd love to hear any tips or tricks you have!
xx, Shannon

Dream Design

If you haven't already noticed, I've got a thing for mid century modern gorgeousness. Like, it's obsessive. If you follow me on Pinterest, you've seen this first hand. :)

Maybe I was born in the wrong decade? I probably should have lived in the 70s when poofy, crazy hair was cool. Then my afro hair would be acceptable and I wouldn't have to blowdry it everyday... not that I do that now. Waaaayyy too lazy.

I digress. Where were we?

Oh, right. I am mid century modern obsessed. Emily Henderson is one of my favorite designers, I absolutely LOVE her design style, which makes sense since she uses a lot of vintage, mid century modern elements in her designs. Plus she's a thrift shop/flea market junkie, and I like that in a designer. 

When I was perusing her blog the other day, I saw a recent living/dining room that she made over, and seriously?!!! I am pretty sure absolutely positive I was drooling. I showed it to Aaron about 83 times and told him that when we buy/build our dream home one day, it has to look like this. I think he was watching baseball or something, so he merrily obliged. This is written evidence that my house will look like this one day. You all are witnesses.

MUAHAHAHA.

Alright enough chit chat, let's get serious.

Feast your eyes on my dream design

All photos from Emily Henderson's Blog

That couch, chair, coffee table, chandelier, dining set, bar cart, everything. I love it so much! This design style seriously speaks to me. I can hear it calling my name. Totally normal, promise.

Do you feel like theres a certain design style you just can't get enough of? Do you love mid century modern as much as I do? Or are you more of a traditional/contemporary/whatever is trendy at the moment fan? Maybe you like a mix of different design styles? Share! :)

xx, Shannon

P.s. we went to Ikea to look at butcher block this weekend.. and we may or may not have looked at some other kitchen things too!! More details to come!