Wednesday, June 29, 2011
road trip
Last weekend Lee visited the boundary waters of northern Minnesota. He made the trek north with guys from small group canoeing, camping, swimming, even a bear visit in their campsite...
But since this is a design blog, I'll show you what he saw on the way home...a Frank Lloyd Wright designed gas station in Cloquet, Minnesota. Random, I don't think Lee knew about it beforehand. And the only gas station designed by Wright. Here's a good article on it if you are looking for more...So there you go, a famous gas station in small town Minnesota. You never know what you will see on a road trip!
Monday, June 27, 2011
the landing
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| when we purchased the house in 2008 |
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| before we removed the carpet |
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| so much better! |
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| ideas for this? like the idea of grass here, but need a planter |
Sunday, June 26, 2011
modularity tiles in the kitchen?
We received our Modularity Tile samples! They are thicker than a traditional stick down tile with no texture. I like the modern look, though I'm aware it will show dirt. I hope we go this route so that we can move on with our kitchen! Here are a few concepts using the "modulizer" tool. Not focused on scale yet...
A traditional checkerboard pattern:
This image from Pinterest (originally from here, a Kate Spade store) caught my attention and inspired the next two. The stripes would be made of 12x12 squares so would look much thicker than the image. Unless we cut them in 1/2...
And the last 2...I liked last night. But this morning remind me of scrapbooking paper...
Opinions? Favorites?
Thursday, June 23, 2011
staples + nails
We worked our way down the hall and last night pulled up the remaining carpet on the landing. It was a mess...they didn't remove the staples from the original carpet (2x the fun for us!) So far we've pulled carpet off 2 stairs and there are staples EVERYWHERE.
Monday, June 20, 2011
vintage car ramp
We stopped by a garage sale this weekend. I had $2 and wasn't sure what it would buy...then I saw this fisher-price car ramp. Made in 1970 it is SO much stronger than the modern car ramps we've tried. A lot of fun details, oh and best of all, no batteries required!
Friday, June 17, 2011
lighting side project part 3
the breakdown:
Lamp Bases $10
Primer free (already purchased)
Spray Paint (2 cans) $20
Gloss coat $10
Lamp Shade $12
Current Total $52
in my spare time
I decided to pull up the carpet in the upstairs hallway (free improvement, the best kind!) I find it kind of relaxing. You just need a few tools and a lot of patience. I'm going a little at a time to ensure that the floors are clear of staples + nails. Can't wait to see our beautiful stairs for the 1st time!
Saturday, June 11, 2011
modularity tiles
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| photos: modularity tiles |
I have questions like--do they have a warranty (how many years will they last)? And how strong is it? But at around $2 a square foot (and easy diy installation) we might just try it. Will keep you posted as I learn more and hopefully order a sample.
Thursday, June 9, 2011
big girl bed
Our daughter graduated from her crib last week! We are teaching to sleep in her bed the same way we did with her brother--a twin sized mattress on the floor.
Though I secretly love this Jenny Lind bed from Land of Nod...
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
photos displayed!
Lee and I mull over design decisions for a long time and displaying family pictures went in that catagory. If you've ever visited our house you know the only pictures we have displayed are on our fridge (I know, we are weird!) So I decided to do something inexpensive until we could make a permanent decision (we're thinking canvas) I bookmarked a bunch of ideas on pinterest and last week at IKEA bought inexpensive frames.
The photos on the stairs lasted about 30 minutes until our son pulled them down (thankfully they are plexiglass!)
So our photo spot is upstairs. And a little more out of reach. It makes me want to paint our walls....don't you love how projects transform into more projects!
Monday, June 6, 2011
lighting side project part 2
We painted the lamps! Lee and I each took one and painted it according to our own style (for example, he wanted drip marks + laid the paint on thick) where I took my time and sprayed lightly. We ended up with Montana Gold in Dolphin, around $10/can.
We didn't sand, wood fill, ect and went straight to primer. Since we don't have a paint booth I've seen some dirt flecks. But its been such a fun project that we're okay with that...
This afternoon we'll spray a gloss clear coat and then we need to find the right shade. I noticed that new shades usually hang from the base of the light and ours connects at the top so we might need an older shade...
Friday, June 3, 2011
lighting side project part 1
Our living room lights are leaning, literally. We bought them from IKEA a few years ago and I guess they are tired! I've been inspired recently by bloggers who use spray paint to create a new looks. I'm especially excited to follow mod nest's tutorial. I picked these up today at our favorite thrift store for around $10.
I then drove to Wal Mart thinking I could find an inexpensive shade + spray paint to mimic the Mariposa lamp from Z Gallerie ($140). But after trips to both Home Depot and Wal Mart I'm realizing this color is not standard. And I've got to hunt for the right shade.
The next steps? I remember using auto paint in college on design projects so I'll check that. I've also discovered Montana Gold sold at art stores and available in 204 colors (!) Any other advice before I get started?
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
flooring update
I called Home Depot and asked for a new quote for the dark grey porcelain tile. I believe its 1.89/sq ft. The floor prep+install is going to be where the bulk of our money goes. So while they are working the numbers, we will take out a sample of the original floor (there is a chance of asbestos in the glue). I'm researching places in town that can analyze it so we don't have to wait for weeks.
Thats about it for now. I suppose we should get more quotes for a tile install, any ideas for finding good installers?
Fort Snelling
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| Lee took these with his iphone. I love the filters...and his creativity |
We headed with the kiddos to Fort Snelling on Memorial Day. We drove 15 minutes and felt like we'd gone on vacation hours away...
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