carport --> screen porch

construction is underway!
the outer corner of the roof over our carport was slightly tilted. the concrete foundation underneath settled and cracked over the years. the whole thing has been supported by two spindly metal posts since 1955.

so we decided that since we had to pour new footings and install new, stronger posts, we might as well put up a railing and create a screen porch. my grandparents' screen porch in arlington convinced me early in life that no home is complete without one. a one-car carport in a 2-car household was proving next to useless anyway.

here's the progress after one week:

i'll be expanding the driveway with gravel and making a flagstone patio along the screen porch to the side door

much more substantial! the framing and trim will be painted white when the siding and interior walls are completed. there will also be a storm door and another layer of screen to add privacy.

the ceiling will of course be haint blue. after many hours on pinterest, houzz and in the sherwin-williams store, i decided on "hazel:"

inspiration

 can't wait to start decorating!

christmas cookies!

america's test kitchen all the way! definitely my favorite cookbook.

the lineup:
molasses spice cookies with dark rum glaze
cream cheese rolled sugar cookies
bourbon pecan bars
jam sandwiches

december 8th

$27 costco tree - perfection.

mabel the christmas pug (how about that $7 home goods star over the couch? love it!)

phil and mabel love their tree

clockwise from top left: west elm tree topper; west elm felt garland; $5 home depot poinsettia; frontgate garland

pug in the window

master bedroom makeover

i finally got around to working on our little 11 x 14 bedroom. given the window placement on the longest wall, our huge dresser, and the king size bed...there wasn't a lot of wiggle room.

the goal: ditch the dresser so we can center the bed under the high window and use built-ins surrounding the bed to expand our closet space.

yes, for the thousandth time, i toyed with the idea of learning carpentry so i could make just what i want in a built-in. but that would potentially be a lot of wasted money, time and effort since we eventually want to either rebuild or pop the top of our rambler and this (hopefully!) won't always be the master. also, i happen to have a full time job.

i figured there was really only one place to go for creative storage that won't break the bank: ikea. even the most basic furniture can be dressed up with trim and anthropologie knobs. i started searching on pinterest and google images for "bedroom built-ins ikea" and sure enough, my fav blog for inspiration, young house love, had a great post for almost the exact same bedroom layout!

here's the before:

before: bed off center under window and too close to exterior wall (dresser is just to the left of picture)

before: closet wall opposite bed, with cool original built-ins - note original sliding metal doors that make it so you can only see half the closet at a time

before: this is our first walk-through of the place, showing the only possible placement  for a dresser

solution: (still need to do some crown molding that "attach" the ikea units to the ceiling and pick out a headboard)

ikea besta units with 5 drawers and one door each; home goods frames around window; ikea  tv console with 3 drawers and cubbies to replace the bench at end of bed (storage for jammies!) - and note how much better it looks to have the bed centered!

anthropologie knob

etsy knob

etsy antique drawer pull

no more dresser! hmm what to do with the empty wall...

replaced metal doors with curtains for better closet access, painted trim white to emphasize built-ins, installed etsy antique ceramic knobs, painted the closets "sticks & stones" by sherwin williams (leftover from main living area, love how it goes with the green!)

adair plug-in sconces from pottery barn (when we have a headboard we can hide the cord!)

the doggies are glad mommy dog has put the room back together!  the construction zone this week stressed them out 

want:

ren-wil bleached elm headboard

the day after thanksgiving

crafts!

now that i have a sewing machine, i finally made some tie-up valances for over the roman shades in our bedroom:

diy 10 minute tie-up valance

tie-up valances

i also tried to make my own stockings...i was trying to make stockings i could imagine being sold by anthropologie. the results are laughable. construction turned out great, but i made them a bit small in the toes. phil said they looked like stockings for a geisha because the foot part was tiny and awkward. i'll try again!

using cheapo stocking as a pattern for my diy pillowcase stockings

cutting out lining (that's right, lining is leftover thomas paul "botany" fabric from the valances!)

decorating the fronts

my new janome heavy duty sewing machine!

stockings - first attempt

his-and-hers den

converted closet into my own desk nook, thank you pinterest for that idea! now phil and I have separate workspaces.