House Tour: Jamie's House (Part III-Basement)

Here is the last stop in our house, the basement. I have mentioned before that basements give me the creepy crawleys but this basement is surprisingly cozy. If I do not find myself tearing up the stairs like a bat out of hell then I know it's a winner.

Stairs: I actually like the carpeting, I think it helps to make a basement feel "homey" and more inviting. The racks are nice to have for extra food storage and cleaning supplies.

Most of the basement is for storage with the exception to the beauty salon (the former owner was a hair stylist). Behind the sliding doors is the water heater and furnace...and a scary room that was added under the porch. We were told the seller used that as a playroom for their kids but they had to have been messing with us, I am not joking when I tell you it is a plain concrete room where the creature from the movie Goonies could have been chained up.

Laundry room: I was thrilled when the sellers decided to leave all the storage units, this thing is perfect for detergent, plastic bags etc.

Hair Salon: This is really the cats wash room. The sink is fully functional but I have yet to find anyone who will let me use it on them. Besides having this space to conceal the cat's litter it does not really have a purpose for us yet.

Half Bath: It is really great to have an extra half bath. For the past five years Kelly and I shared one bathroom which seemed fine at the time but now that we have had two for almost 2 months there is no going back (yes I know mom, another toilet, it's clean, I swear).

You have now seen the entire house with exception to the backyard, when it start to get warmer I will introduce you to the Koi pond. Everything needs a bit of work, a few tweeks here and there and it will be fun to have you along for the ride! Kelly and I plan on staying here for quite a while so if you have any ideas that you think will help us out please send them on over!!

See you swoon,

All the trimmings

A few weeks ago, I blogged about how different tones of wood flooring can completely change up a space.  Up today is a similar concept with another wood item: trim.  Does anyone really like painting trim?  Really?  Ugh.  I groan just thinking about it.  In the hierarchy of painting, walls are best; trim and ceilings are at the bottom.   But for something that is so tedious to paint, the impact that it has in a room is worth the effort.  Here are a slew of different rooms with different color trim.

White: white is the classic, traditional choice (and the favorite of yours truly).  It makes the woodwork pop and instantly makes a space feel crisp and clean.  Whites can run the gamut from pure bright white to a softer cream.  Choose whichever you like.  You really cannot go wrong with white.

Natural Wood: Notice how stark the contrast is between the above white trimmed rooms and the rooms below.  These natural wood trims give off a warm rustic, yet polished vibe.  If you have this kind of trim, choosing the right wall color is absolutely crucial.  Whereas white trim will work with nearly ever color in the rainbow, wood is a bit trickier.  But when it works, the payoff is huge.

Monotone Wall & Trim Color: And then there are rooms where the trim is the same color as the woodwork.  This is tricky.  When done well, it can knock it out of the park. When not done well ... well, it's pretty grim.  But as you can see in these rooms below, the perfect appointments and decor will make the trim color a non-issue.

Where do you fall on the great trim divide?

See you swoon,

{Images courtesy of (from top):  Dwelement.com; ths.gardenweb.com; vincent furniture;country living, real simple, my notting hill}

House Tour: Jamie's House (Part II-Upstairs)

Today we are headed up the stairs to the second floor, I am going to warn you, the colors are bit crazy(except for my bedroom which Shanna and I just finished off) and there are smaller projects that could probably keep me busy for a lifetime but I am looking forward to every one of them. I am still getting used to the idea of actually painting when I want to, or making holes in the walls wherever I please, this is our home and we can do what we want which is the best part of owning a home!

Bathroom: This room is a bit small but is bright and very white so it works for now and has a clean feeling to it. It seems as though the previous owners painted all the tile white because there are some scrapes that reveal pink underneath and the entire shower is still pink. I would love to re-tile, get new flooring, and replace the sink, the current base of the sink has some water damage. I like keeping the bathroom door open because the big window sheds so much light on the stairway and hallway. Every time my mom comes over she shuts the door because she says I should not display my toilet to the entire world, she is right but I opt for the light and will deal with the idea of my toilet taking center stage (I mean I keep it clean so I have no shame!).

First Bedroom (Man's Room): For now this is Kelly's man lair. This is where he can play video games all day if his heart so desires and, l I guess just do man things whatever that may be. At this point he will be perfectly happy changing the color of the walls and getting a couple IKEA chairs. Eventually this will be a bedroom but that is down the line so for the time being I fear I will not have too much say in this room, however, the medicine cabinet that was there when we moved in is making an exit soon and I would like to hang more practical, eye pleasing shelves for his books and such. Crazy that I care this much about the guy's room!

Middle Bedroom: We have not quite figured out what to use this for yet...except for a kid one day. Right now it is just a dressing room and ironing room. It is nice that we have this extra space for the time being but I would like to create some sort of a guest room for family and friends. A full size bed will take up the entire room so that idea is out. A pull out couch could work but I am not totally sold on that yet either. So instead of just throwing furniture in there for the sake of putting a label on this room I will try to control myself and focus on other things.

Kelly snuck in just as the camera was going off!

Master Bedroom: If I only had my camera to show you what this mess looked like before Shanna and I got our hands on it. The ceiling and wall with the bed against it were dark green and then everything else, and I mean EVERYTHING else including woodwork and walls was a mustard yellow. It had to go, there was no other option. So here you see the bedroom design that I literally stole off the IKEA floor with exception to the TV stand, TV and the headboard which is still our old headboard. The only thing missing is our gold mirror that will go above the dresser, I will be sure to show that to you once we have it up. This room is so much brighter and really feels larger with the beautiful white woodwork and new white plantation blinds, I could not be happier with how this turned out.

I know you see that neon butternut squash color, OH YES, it is outta here.

So here you have it, I may show you the basement in a future post because I am actually pretty proud and love to show it off (I have never had a basement that I am not afraid of but this one does the trick). I hope you have enjoyed the tour so far and let us know what you think, we would love to hear your design ideas. If you want to send in pictures of your homes and projects you are working on we are happy to feature them for everyone to see!

See you swoon,

Swoon-Worthy Site: Copy Cat Crafts

Prepare to swoon, my friends!  My good friend Dana recently introduced me to Copy Cat Crafts, which is the brilliant new blog by Wendy, a self-professed blogging and crafting addict.  Copy Cat Crafts features creative DIY projects from her readers, who recreate home decor and apparel from Anthropologie, West Elm, Pottery Barn, and Ballard Designs, to name but a few.  You know with a list like that, the Swoon girls would be all over it!

I submitted my DIY Pottery Barn typography prints, which I posted about last week, and to my great surprise and delight, Wendy featured them on her site yesterday!  I was thrilled and flattered, especially because of the super cute and ingenious ideas already on the Copy Cat Crafts site.  Who wouldn't love these Anthropologie-inspired lampshades?

Or what about this super chic abstract numbered wall canvas also inspired by Pottery Barn?

Or, OMG, this Marimekko-inspired wall mural made with ... wait for it ... SHARPIES.

That's just  a teeny tiny taste of the slew of swoon-worthy ideas on Copy Cat Crafts.  And Wendy has just gotten started, so there will be so much more eye-candy to come.  You can bet Copy Cat Crafts is now atop our "must read" list each day!

What about you? Got any favorite copy cats on the blog?  I'm really digging those Anthropologie-ish lamp shades and the Marimekko-inspired mural made with SHARPIES.  Gotta give the all-cap shout out to my most beloved marker.

See you swoon,

{all photos courtesy of Copy Cat Crafts}

House Tour: Jamie's House (Part-I Downstairs)

OK, here we go. This week is your introduction to my first home. I know I walked into the house in the beginning loving every little detail and I recall saying, "everything is just perfect, I don't think I will change a thing", well, I still love my house but now that I have lived in it for a little over a month there are many things I want to do to make this my home.

So without further ado, welcome to my home (part I).

Front of the house: The stone is just beautiful. Two of our best friends, Andy, Mo and their baby, Kane, live on the other side that is attached to us in case you were curious about the neighbors (we loved them instantly). I have to say, having a front porch is much different than the balcony we had in the apartment, and there is a lot more action to watch as you drink a morning cup of coffee or an evening glass of wine with friends. The chairs are from Target, the little brown table is from Home Goods, the hanging baskets were courtesy of our neighbors and the sellers, they took turns every year planting for the whole porch, and lastly, the hanging lantern in the background is from Pottery Barn (I had two but smashed one the first weekend we were here). I have some serious plans for the porch, Andy and Mo's porch is surrounded by beautiful wood railings and columns, I have no idea how much this would cost but I would love to do the same on our side and rip out the iron (if that is even what it is made of). The front door...well that is next and I mean probably in the next month or so, it has to go pronto.

This guy's days are numbered:

Front Sitting Room: I am not the type of person that will have a proper sitting area but since we have an addition on the back of our house where we spend most of our time I do have plans to make this a "sitting room" for lack of a better term but it will have a lived in feel. So far we have our new Anthropologie rug, half of a china hutch that we used in our apartment and plan to give to my mother since she has the other half and it does not quite go with the style we have in mind. What's that you ask? The little green guy in the window? That is a plant I inherited from my grandmother and has been about the only living plant that I have ever been able to keep alive!

Dining Room: I am in love with the wood floors that extend from the front room to the dining room, I am doing my best to find area rugs that will warm the space but still show off the wood and walnut strip around the edges. I will include more about where I aquired each item through the house in my source list that I will have coming up in future posts. The paint colors are a bit insane so Shanna and I have plans to jump into that project sometime after Thanksgiving so get ready for some before and after pictures!

Kelly put this centerpiece together :) He is so cute:

Kitchen: One of the things we love most about our home is the open floor plan. It was not always like this, the former owners changed a lot. They moved doorways around along with adding cut outs to give it this airy feel, it really makes the space more functional and feel larger. I dream of a kitchen I saw in Ikea, however, our kitchen right now is in pretty good shape so this is not at the top of the list just yet-stay tuned for this down the line.

Den: LOVE. This room just says home to me. The fireplace was the sealer of this deal. Kelly and I love sitting in our den, watching TV or having friends over and enjoying a blazing fire. The holidays just feel right with a fire going and it makes the bitter winter months much more bearable. There will be a new couch on the way...one day. I dream of one that allows me to lay down without being on an angle or hanging off the side, this is my fault for not measuring correctly the first time. The hold up now is that I need to train my younger cat Macy to stop clawing the couch and to turn her attention elsewhere, wish me luck on that one.

So this is our place, well the first floor anyway, the upstairs will be coming soon. Slowly but surely this will all take shape and I am so happy you can all be here for the ride! As always, you know we would love to hear your advice or ideas!

See you swoon,