Tour through Blogland

Hope y'all had a great weekend. We spent most of ours working on the master bath and watching football. Check back for a progress update on Wednesday.

I was so excited when Ashley texted me asking if I wanted to be nominated for the Tour through Blogland. Sometimes I don't follow through with these kinds of things because they can be a lot of work but I knew this was the perfect opportunity since I have some new friends around here to introduce myself to.

If you haven't heard about the Tour through Blogland it is basically a weekly tour in which bloggers share about themselves, their homes and their blogs You'll find out who I'm passing it on to at the end!!

You may have heard mention of Ashley @ Attempts at Domestication because she is another RVA blogger and we have met on several occasions (and are planning a lunch date soon since we work close by now!) Her and her husband are an amazing DIY duo and make farmhouse dining tables for fun, what?

*And if you are stopping in from Ashley's blog, start here! And leave me a comment so I can get to know you!*

source

This is how she described our friendship:

"Samantha is a local Richmond blogger that I met at a blogging event last year and she’s a very talented interior designer. It’s so nice to have a local blog friend that I can talk shop with and she doesn’t think I’m a weirdo. "

Um, maybe I do think you're a weirdo...kidding :) She really isn't so go check out her tour!!

Ok lets get started!!

1) What am I working on now?
-Well you know about the master bath "reno" but what you may not know is what we plan to do once we finish that.
-We are going to paint the master bedroom (because its that same awful lime green)
-Work on the gallery wall in the entry/living room. I found a console table at World Market (all thanks to Sam @ The Junk House). I've got it all worked out in my head. I just need to execute!!
-Oh and Tim is going to paint the brass fireplace screen!!

-For Fall, I want to ACTUALLY make some decorations this year (and not at the end of the season). I want to start with a banner like the one below. If I were Gabby, I would have 20 done by now ;)

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-I also have design boards made up for my laundry room because a girl can dream, right?

2) How does my work differ from other's in my genre?

I think that since we are new to this whole DIY gig, we tend to want to let the professionals do some of the work. Whereas I think lots of other DIY bloggers do EVERYTHING themselves even if that means watching hours of tutorials. I also work with alongside the professionals on a daily basis and know the value of their experience and knowledge.

I also think that my blog differs from other DIY blogs because I am an interior designer by day and by night ;) So it feels like there is this expectation for me to have a jaw-dropping house designed from top to bottom. Well folks, that is not the case. I have a budget just like everybody else. I wish I had a magic wand to wave and just make my home look "pinterest-y" but I don't. It's okay...I love it just the way it is because its my home that I share with Tim and Artie!

3) How does my creative process work?

Slowly. My brain uses a creative process 8 hours a day, 5 days a week. Since its ingrained in me, I tend to carry it into my personal design decisions as well. I am very much a worry-wart so I try to be very thorough and tend to be cautious. It basically means I am afraid to make mistakes (which I know is dumb) This causes my process to be slow because I could spend months finding the perfect tile or finding the best deal for fear of missing out later on. This drives the hubby nuts because he is usually ready to start right away.


4) Why do I write/create what I do?

I do most of my writing late at night. And now that its football season, I blog while Tim watches football. I do try to map out my posts beforehand in my head or on paper so that I can just sit and write instead of spending hours (on Pinterest)

The direction of my blog has changed a bit since we bought a house in March. I document our projects so that you can come along on our DIY journey. Our home has already changed so much in 6 months and I LOVE looking back to see how far we have come. I continue to write and come back to this space because of the love and support I receive from all of you! YOU ARE THE BEST! You make my day. I also love blogging for the connections. I have made so many friends and learned so much from fellow DIY bloggers.

I nominate The Junk House & Jade and Oak

To end the tour, I have decided to show our house when we first saw it and how it looks today!! What change do you think made the biggest impact?

Master Bath before

Just last week I announced that Tim and I were going to start on our next project. Since there is plenty to be done in our first home, we are going to give the master bath some love. Be sure to go back and check out my design if you missed that.

So this probably isn't the worst bathroom you've ever seen but the green was driving me crazy. You can see all of the "before pics" below and find me on instagram to keep up with our daily progress! Like I said before, I knew there would be some changes to the original plan. After analyzing the bathroom a little further, Tim and I agreed to replace the light fixture and take down the medicine cabinet. Let me just add those to our mile long list!

I headed to Lowes Saturday morning to get samples, put those on the wall, chose one and went back to Lowes to get a my supplies. (all before lunchtime) After lunch, Tim and I both managed to paint the bathroom at the same time. We got the first coat done and called it quits for the day.

We did the second coat on Sunday after church and lunch. But Day 2 turned out to be more complicated than just painting.

We ran into a few unexpected things already....

-there was no junction box behind the vanity light. It was basically hanging on by the wires and some screws in the drywall. Haven't figured out how we're gonna resolve that one yet.
-We decided to replace the existing outlet and switch since they were almond colored and the switch paints since they were painted green....easy right? wrong! The existing junction box was damaged and so the switch would not screw in properly.

Don't you just love the hollywood light? Um..no. {Here} is the one we picked up from Lowes. And since it's a mix and match fixture we got these seeded glass shades for it!

See how far the medicine cabinet sticks out? And its not centered or lined up with ANYTHING!! Buh-bye! We won't really lose the storage because we are going to add a cabinet/shelves above the toilet. We will just have a huge drywall repair job. 

Don't let looks deceive you. This is NOT stone....it's vinyl tile. But it will be stone soon enough!!

I can't wait for a "brand new" vanity. Tim has been researching the best place to get new doors for it. Once those come in, it will get a fresh coat of grey paint!! I can't wait to pick up the Anthropologie knobs this week. And I'm thinking to add feet to give it a "furniture" look!

I've also been thinking about the art for the space (in the midst of all the chaos). It's so small so I don't want to over-do it but here are some idea's I'm considering: (all found on Pinterest)

1) Ombre painted canvas: If I don't end up finding a home for this in the bathroom, I will make one for the living room gallery wall!!
2) Baby pictures (in the bathtub): I LOVE this idea!! I think I would do black and white pictures in white frames for a classic look!!
3) Scrabble art: I love that this is so customizable!

Stay tuned for some progress pics!!

Our next project

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I cannot believe it has been almost six months since we moved into our first home. It seems like just yesterday that I was measuring for appliances, changing locks, and steam cleaning carpet.

Our goal is obviously to make our house feel like a home. This takes time but we have been working very hard to accomplish this goal. Every room is functional and some of the rooms have also made a lot of progress aesthetically. We focused on the living room because that's where we spend most of our time and the outdoors because that needed the most help! Once we finished the deck, it was time for a break. We put the paint brushes down and decided to just enjoy the home we have been working so hard on.

Well it didn't last too long because Tim and I have DIY fever! We decided to take a trip to the Home Depot on Labor Day for inspiration.

So what is our next project?? The Master Bath!! And I am sure you weren't surprised by the color inspiration above.

There are some other things that may take priority over this room but the budget is just right to complete this over the fall season. And Tim just told me last night that he is ready to start this weekend!

Here is my preliminary design. It may change some after I gather all of my samples and work out a more exact budget.

I will be sharing more drawings, progress pics and even a 3D model later on!!

Here's the punch list:

-demo existing floor

-uninstall toilet

-install new hexagon honed marble tile

-reinstall toilet

-demo existing countertop/sink
-install new custom solid surface top and rectangular under mount sink

-prep vanity

-paint existing vanity

-buy or make new beaded shaker style doors and panel

-replace faucets

-buy new knobs

-prep walls for paint

-paint walls

-possibly replace light fixture

-make a barn wood frame for mirror 

-install new wall storage cabinet over toilet
-come up with some DIY art
-purchase shower curtain and new bath mat

Would you take on a project this size? Or would you hire the professionals?

linking up with Remodelaholics, Thrifty Decor Chick, Living Well Spending Less, Nancherrow and Ella Claire

Friday Letters

Dear bed, I was so thankful I got to spend some extra time with you this morning. I think Artie would agree with me!

Dear Blacksburg, we meet again!! FINALLY. I can't wait to eat some great food, spend time with my sister and cheer on the Hokies in Lane Stadium!!

Dear Ty and Gabby, why couldn't you have stayed in Christiansburg so we can visit you more often??

Dear weather, thank you for proving to everyone that we have a little bit of summer left. I really appreciate it. And please cooperate this weekend...no rain!!

Dear twitter, I am so glad we have a better relationship now. I finally understand you and your purpose. If you don't have an account, come join and I will teach you my ways!!

Dear Jessica, thank you for giving us this gorgeous free "hello fall" printable from your shop!! I can't wait to display it. (use code HELLOFALLFREEBIE until Saturday)

Dear blog, I'm sorry that because of my neglect I forgot to wish you a Happy 2nd Birthday on July 29th! I did so much better last year. Dear bloggers, I am planning a little giveaway to celebrate this. Let me know if you want in!!

Dear wardrobe, you are about to get a revamp between all of the new jewelry I'm getting and the clothing swap that I'm going to in a few weeks. YAY! It's like Christmas is coming early. I got 12 items for free from hosting a Premier Designs party with Ashley. Even if you aren't close by, you can still do a facebook show (which is a ton of fun). (tell her I sent you!!)

Dear car, thank you for passing the always-dreadful inspection with flying colors. I will reward you with a nice car wash soon..I promise. P.S. I still need to name you. My last car was Shirley and my friend Denise's is Laverne!! (suggestions welcome)

Dear computer, you are really making me miss my Mac. I mean why do you always have to "update" when I am in the middle of something?!

Dear hubby, thank you for making me dinner on your day off :) And when I saying making me dinner I mean taking me to Qdoba!! Haha love you! (and can we get a Salsarita's please?)

Dear Richmond, thank you for having so many fun summer festivals. And there a lot more coming up and lots of new great restaurants and shops too!! (including Duck Donuts, Perly's (reopening),and Graffiato-top chef restaurant)

Dear post, I think you need some pictures. (phone dump time) Have a wonderful Labor Day weekend everyone!!

Deck Refinishing Do's and Don'ts

If you have been following along, you know I have been obsessively talking about the outdoors. I shared our front porch reveal, an easy outdoor living design and how I daydream about decks and patios. So today we are continuing that obsession by talking about the best way (in my opinion) to refinish your deck! I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say we are not as awesome as Young House Love because we did not build a new deck but we did bring some life back into our old one. We Tim faced a lot of trial and error in refinishing our deck. I told him from the start that this would be his project but that I would help paint. The end result was amazing but there a few times I wasn't sure that we would make it.

Way's we thought we could get the paint off:
Power washer-NO (but we did use it to clean the siding)
Paint Strippers/Thinners- NO (we tried this one and this one)

How we DID get the paint off:
A Belt Sander- Tim did each board individually. If anyone knows of a better way, pleas share!! If your boards are flatter, you may be able to use an orbital sander but ours were too uneven.

What paint we put on:
We purchased Olympic Maximum Stain and Sealant in One (Solid Color-Autumn Brown). We used multiple brushes and rollers. I used smaller brushes to get in little crevices and a larger brush to get in between boards.

FEATURES
-Enhanced Waterproofing Protection
-Advanced SunBlock® UV Defense
-Extends Color Life
-Exclusive Scuff Guard® Technology
-Provides Our Best Mildew-Resistant Coating

Other Tips:
-We also cleaned it with Olympic deck cleaner
-An employee at Lowes told us about this little thing called a painting mitt (best.invention.ever) If you plan to paint any railings in the near future go ahead and pick one or 5 up! You're welcome :)
-Get as many volunteers as you can. This could have went a lot faster had we had some more helpers.
-You may already know about this one but instead of cleaning out your rollers and brushes every day, wrap them up in saran wrap tightly, stick them in the fridge and they will keep fresh for a few days.
-Make sure the deck is completely dry before you start and make sure to check the weather because the new paint needs about 48 hrs of dry time. If it rains, you will have to touch it up or possibly redo it.

 So the backyard was definitely one of the major selling features of the house for us. We loved the size of the deck and yard and knew it would be perfect for our every day and entertaining. All it needed was a little love, right? We may have underestimated how much work it would be. We did get an estimate to have the work done but figured we could tackle it ourselves and save the money! Not only was it in pretty rough condition, the color just wasn't doing anything for us. You can see that Artie wanted to help but we only let him be a spectator.

 You can see that we didn't get ALL of the paint off. But it covered really well in the first coat! I put down a few samples before we started (not that it mattered, we had already bought the paint. They do not sell sample sizes for this product so we just had to cross our fingers.) We actually came to an agreement on the color pretty easily. I think it compliments the siding color and blends in well with the fence and trees.

TA-DA! I love the dark stain that we chose because it doesn't show much dirt at all. I also think it makes the teal and yellow really pop! I put "after" because the deck is finished although we do have a few things left to take care of to complete the look. We have a new security light to put up (that's oil-rubbed bronze) We need a few more lights to string to the other half of the house. There is some trim work around the doors that needs my attention. The red paint was just slapped on and is all over the almond colored trim. Not sure what to get it off with so thinking I will have to find a paint to match the trim and cover it up. Oh and we need a new roof too...no big deal.

Here's hoping the mosquitoes go away soon so I can actually enjoying the deck without being bitten 5 million times.

Do you have any additional tips to add? Should I put something to the left of the door?

Sources:
Yellow tub chairs: World Market (no longer available)
Table: Target
Umbrella: Target
String Lights: Target (no longer available)
Teal Paint (on doors): Valspar La Fonda Teal
Door Hardware: Lowes

Linking up with Remodelaholic, Nancherrow and Work it Wednesday