Wedded Whittaker

exterior update

2011-10-26T13:33:00.001-04:00

Jeff has been hard at work on our exterior updates over the last few weeks... The progress made after such a short amount of time is so exciting!

Our 'Exterior Project To-Do' list currently looks like this:

~~Install new living room windows (and centering them)~~
~~Install new guest bedroom windows (making them regular-size)~~
~~Prime new siding~~
~~Hang new siding~~
Hang horizontal batten strips
Paint all siding (including exterior of sunroom)
Paint storm door & replace house numbers
Build pretty trellis to cover stone side of house, with flowering vine
Plan and build covered front porch (plans TBD)
Widen natural area in front of house & landscape

We still have to decide on the paint color... and whether or not we'll paint just the board & batten siding... or the entire house, brick included (which is my vote).

But for having made just a little dent in the list so far, the difference is incredible!

Before:

In Progress:

Stay tuned for the rest of our updates... And my best attempt at talking Jeff into painting brick!

the sofa returns

2011-10-21T13:36:00.002-04:00

I am so excited that we got our Lee Industries sofa back from the reupholstery shop! Two short weeks later, and it hardly looks like the same piece of furniture...

To remind you of our 'before'...

We worked with Sugar Hill Upholstery and highly recommend them. Their prices include pick-up and delivery in the area and wrapping the cushions. They also added casters to the front legs for us, since it appeared that the sofa originally had them.

It's a little hard to tell in the pictures, but the fabric is a light grayish blue color.

I ended up splurging on the fabric at $14 per yard, but really wanted to invest in something that was neutral and durable. I decided to go with the practice choice here, since we plan to have this sofa for a long time (and it will hopefully need to stand up to some kids and dogs one day). So I went with a durable commerical-grade.

And considering these sofas retail new for close to five times what we spent, I feel really excited about our find! Now I'm off to hunt for a few new throw pillows and a rug... Happy weekend!

new living room windows

2011-10-16T17:46:00.001-04:00

While I was off celebrating the nuptials of one of my sweet friends from high school, Jeff was working on installing new windows in our living room. Much to my surprise, I came home to the work already in progress...

Before, with windows off-center & awkwardly placed in the corner...

In progress, with new windows separated and centered...

city livin vs. country life

2011-10-12T14:21:00.003-04:00

One of the things that I adore about my husband is his love of homes... real estate browsing, home remodeling, all of it. On a monthly basis, we exchange MLS links to homes we're interested in. While our next home is certainly in the distant future, when the time comes, I have a feeling we'll both have a strong idea of what we want.

However, we do occasionally drift over to the 'what-if' of country living. We both realize that you pay a premium for living close to town, and those old, walkable, convenient neighborhoods just so happen to be the ones that we love... and are out of our price range.

Then I stumble upon this dream home, and I start to wonder about moving out of town. Seriously. I love everything about this house... except that it is located in Monroe.

But then I look at this house again, and think I could suck it up for those floors and windows and fireplaces... And the unpictured cottage with separate living quarters on the property. Oh, and the fact that it is priced only slightly above our current mortgage.

So what do you think? Would you manage an hour commute to work (each way) and the hassles of living in a small town for an amazing (in price and detail) historical home? Or would you keep the convenience of city living?

lately...

2011-10-03T11:52:00.001-04:00

{via}

This pretty much sums up my life lately... We've had a lot going on and none of it has involved finishing anything on my project list (or cleaning my house for that matter).

The campaign chest is half painted & sitting in the middle of the sunroom, my Craigslist bookcase is lined with paint chips, the 'new' sofa is covered in tiny fabric swatches... and our back bedroom is filled to the brim with items for a yard sale that was supposed to happen two weeks ago.

I'm hoping that my house will be restored to normalcy soon... But (honestly) it's pretty unlikely, given that we purchased windows last week for our upcoming exterior remodel.

Let's all agree to view it as organized chaos, okay?

sofa fabric inspiration

2011-09-27T15:22:00.000-04:00

My original plan for the 'new' sofa was an ivory or off-white fabric... Especially after reading Kirsten's design with kids in mind series, where so many said washable and bleach-able white is the way to go {and fur children and human children make roughly the same amount of mess, right?}

{via}

Jeff wasn't so impressed by the concept, reasoning that our sweet puppy daughter's love of furniture and my OCD cleaning would have me washing the cushion covers every week.

Plan B was an outdoor fabric (also a suggestion from the kids in mind design series) in a light gray or bluish-gray...

{via}

Then, of course, there is a very ~~big~~ small piece of me that wants to throw practicality out of the window, in favor of a beautiful home... With a colorful velvet upholstery...

{via}

In my defense, Lauren at Pure Style Home has two little ones with velvet upholstery and says it has held up great! {As a side note, she also mentions purchasing her LEE sofa on Craigslist for $300... That loud squeal you hear is my excitement over our deal!}

So what do you think? Washable white? Outdoor fabric in gray? Or a fun velvet?

craigslist find

2011-09-27T12:20:00.001-04:00

Recently, I've been drooling over English roll arm sofas... Starting with my LEE Industries find on Craigslist a few weeks ago. I have to admit that I am so glad my hubs didn't let me spring for that one...

Because I scored a different English roll arm sofa for a steal at $80! ::{This is the part of my blog where I openly acknowledge that Jeff's frugality and patience waiting for a deal pays off for us both}:: When we went to look at the sofa, I caught a glimpse of the tag and immediately knew it was coming home with us.

Yep, for $80 I finally got my LEE Industries sofa! I've heard so many good things about the quality of this furniture and definitely feel like it will be a sofa to keep for many more years. But, like most good deals, there is one slight difference between this and the $1200 find (or a brand new one for around $5000)...

Our 'new' sofa is a little rough around the edges, to say the least. But for the low low purchase price of $80, the hubs has agreed to having this beauty reupholstered. And honestly, that makes the find all the more exciting... Not only do I get the style I want, but I can customize the color and fabric too!

Now to just find the perfect fabric! And I'm challenging myself to get a great deal on discount fabric too... Any suggestions on where to look in Charlotte?

dining rooms

2011-09-23T12:19:00.000-04:00

My mother-in-law recently took down her dining room wallpaper, and it got me thinking about dining rooms I love. I absolutely can't wait until we start looking for our next home (a long time in the future), and I know a formal dining room will be on my must-have list.

For now, here are a few of my favorites...

{via}

Which do you prefer for a dining room... dark saturated walls or light and neutral?

gallery wall

2011-09-21T11:18:00.000-04:00

Lately, I've been considering switching up the art in our living room. I love the look of a gallery wall around the television... And we have a lot of smaller framed pieces that I think would work together if I kept the frames to gold and black.

Here is a little of my current inspiration...

{via}

What do you think? Would it add an eclectic feel? Or would it just look cluttered?

birthday wishin

2011-09-14T16:12:00.004-04:00

Friday marks my 27th birthday! I realize I'll get a lot of disagreement here, but I'm not ready for summer to end... Swapping out my sundresses for jeans and sweaters just doesn't sound appealing to me yet.

But in an effort to get in the mood for fall, I'm posting my (mostly) fall-themed birthday wish list...

{Toms Womens Classic Cords}

{Rustic Pedestal Side Table}

{Eternity Circle Bracelet & Gold Beaded Bracelet}

{Plaid Blanket/Throw}

{Comfortable and cute sweatshirt}

{J. Crew Leather Tote}

And in a complete in-my-birthday-dreams moment...

{Nikon Digital SLR Camera}

Feel free to send gifts and/or donations in an effort to get me psyched for cooler months ahead...

womp womp

2011-09-13T16:12:00.000-04:00

... That's the sound I heard as soon as I got the disapproving email from my husband. And since the verdict is in (or out, as the case may be) on this amazing Craigslist find for my house, I'm hoping someone else can take advantage!

An incredible Lee Industries sofa for sale, just under an hour outside of Charlotte...

{rolled arms & casters for legs}

{fabric detail}

You may recognize it as the sofa featured in a handful of my favorite design bloggers' homes...

{Pure Style Home}

{Little Green Notebook}

Keep me updated if one of you lucky readers takes the plunge for this great find!

new pillows

2011-09-12T14:25:00.001-04:00

I was so excited that our new pillow covers for the living room arrived this weekend! These new editions marked the second time I worked with Lauren at labdesigns. She has an incredible Etsy shop and was so easy to work with, even with my custom requests. The pillow covers are great quality and the best prices I've found for Schumacher fabrics!

I ordered two custom 20 inch pillow covers in Schumacher Betwixt fabric (in the water colorway) and couldn't be happier with the texture and color. I also ordered one 18 inch pillow cover in Schumacher Imperial Trellis fabric (in the citrine colorway).

Before:

After:

I feel like the new pillows give the room a more sophisticated and complete feel. Can't wait to get the painted campaign dresser in here to finish our latest updates. In the meantime, be sure to check out Lauren's shop!

rug options

2011-09-08T15:32:00.001-04:00

Since our ever-so-brief attempt to go with an oriental rug in our living room, I've noticed that my inspiration images almost always feature a natural area rug. I absolutely love the neutral palette and casualness that the rugs bring into a room.

Jeff, on the other hand, is not the biggest fan of the sisal rug in our living room. We purchased it with gift cards from our wedding almost two and a half years ago, and I've been so impressed with how well it's held up. It started off under the kitchen table and then moved into our living room... the two heaviest traffic areas of our home.

I love it, but the hubby feels like it's not soft enough for the living room. Our compromise is now to move it off to the sunroom, and find something softer for the living area.

So I've been scouring the internets for something that is soft but has the neutral color palette and the ability to hold up as well as natural rugs like sisal or seagrass. Luckily, Lauren from Pure Style Home has an incredibly comprehensive post on the pros and cons of different rugs.

My favorite option (as of right now) is to find a wool rug that looks like sisal, and have it cut to size and bound, like Lauren did in her own family room...

Here are a few of my favorite options so far:

{Granada}

{Kalahari}

{Mirage}

{Softer than Sisal}

I think this seems like a pretty solid compromise. According to Lauren, wool rugs are pretty low maintenance (and work with her family of two little ones). Have you ever used a wool sisal look-alike in a high traffic area? What did you think?

wall swing arm lamps

2011-09-07T10:04:00.000-04:00

It only took a few days, and I'm already over it... The purple couch that is. As all of you suggested, this bad boy is a slipcover or sell situation. And I'm currently doing both. It's listed on Craigslist, but for the meantime, it's slipcovered. Although Jenny's post on slipcovering has me wondering if I would be able to DIY something more custom?

In the meantime, I'm considering adding a few wall-mounted swing arm lamps to the room... Behind the sofa to be exact.

{via}

I also love the space-saving solution this provides, since our sunroom doesn't have tons of room for side tables with lamps. I have my eye on this one, and especially love the pleated shade!

{via}

Now if I could just get all of my furniture painting projects out of the sunroom, we'd be almost ready to share some 'after' pictures...

revisiting exteriors

2011-08-31T13:40:00.001-04:00

Remember way back when we were discussing an exterior remodel? That was pushed out with our sunroom addition, but it's become a regular topic of conversation again!

Our thoughts are pretty similar, although we're trying to be ~~a lot~~ a bit more budget conscious. We're tossing around a project start date of the end of September, but still discussing all the financial considerations. For now, here is what I'm envisioning...

Adding a front porch with a high roof to break up the straight lines of our long, one-story house:

{via}

{I love this idea of a full porch with an open arbor off to the side}

Replacing the two off-center and the two strange, small windows with pretty cottage windows:

{via}

Painting (yay!) the exterior in a shade of gray with white trim:

{via}

Painting the storm door a pretty Carolina blue and updating with fun house numbers:

{via}

And, of course, lots of landscaping! Now to just get started...

the purple couch returns

2011-08-29T08:00:00.004-04:00

One of our to-do list items for this weekend was to move the purple sofa out of the back bedroom. This sofa has been shuffled around our house, listed on Craigslist and been the topic of much design discussion.

Bottom line: I'm going back to my previous thought to include it in our sunroom. Jeff & I set a goal to have the back bedroom cleaned out by this winter, as part of our overall goal to declutter the house. And this room has plenty to declutter... The purple couch, campaign dresser, bookshelf, tv stand, dual recliner... basically everything but a bed.

Whether the sofa stays in the sunroom or gets listed on Craigslist for the ~~third~~ fourth time is to be decided. While we decide, I'm absolutely loving this inspiration for a purple & coral color palette...

{via}

If I go this route, I'm thinking a bright coral for the back of our bookshelf....

{Emily Clark}

{Little Green Notebook}

And some pretty pillows in a coral ikat pattern, like one of these...

{via}

For now (learning from my past mistakes), I'm just going to live awhile with the purple sofa. ~~Do you want it for your house?~~ What do you think? Purple sofa for the sunroom or Craigslist?

*Update: Vote in our poll on what you think we should do with our purple sofa!

featured

2011-08-26T11:34:00.000-04:00

I am beyond excited to start out my weekend being featured as part of 'before & after' on Matters of Style today! It has long been one of my favorite blogs, and I'm thrilled that our skirted console table project made their list!

Be sure to go over and check us out, along with all the other incredible before & after's featured... Because who doesn't like a good makeover?

We're picking up a bookcase from Craigslist this weekend (in need of a little love), and hopefully starting a few more projects to share soon...

Happy Weekend!

dresser as a tv console?

2011-08-24T10:16:00.003-04:00

Once I get an idea in my head, there is usually no turning back (much to Jeff's disappointment). Lately I've been obsessed with using a pretty dresser as a tv console.

Because let's face it, there is not much attractive about a tv stand.

But using a beautiful dresser? Much better...

{via}

I also love that the dresser would add valuable storage for toys and other odd & ends once we have some wee whittakers in the picture. But for now, I think I'm already sold... And making plans to paint our $25 campaign dresser this weekend for it's upgrade to the living room!

What do you think? Would you use a dresser for your tv console? Or do you like the dedicated space for equipment in a tv stand?

a pinterest problem

2011-08-19T11:04:00.000-04:00

I keep finding these incredible images on Pinterest that make me want to do things like order all new pillows for my living room...

{via}

... And so I did.

preview

2011-08-05T12:00:00.001-04:00

Although the weekend trip to Mary Jo's was a bust for me, we picked up some beautiful fabric for a little project at my sister Sarah's boyfriend's house (You can imagine how excited he is to have me and my sister on the prowl to decorate!)

Sarah had the great idea to take the fabric to an alterations shop. She manages the family dry cleaning business, so she works with one frequently and was able to get a great deal on having two euro sham covers made. Even if you don't have a relationship with one, I'd definitely suggest checking out an alterations shop as a more budget-friendly option for custom pillows or curtains.

We have a few more projects to work on, hopefully this weekend (pending boyfriend approval, of course). But here is a quick glimpse:

It's so much fun to help Sarah with these projects, and I absolutely love how the shams came out! Plus, now her boyfriend and my husband have one more thing to bond over... our love of ~~and their dislike of~~ our decorating (just kidding... I think!)

Happy weekend!

repurposing frames

2011-08-04T12:34:00.002-04:00

Over a year ago, I picked up this set of two botanical prints for a whopping $7 at a local estate sale. I knew immediately that I wasn't going to keep these prints (although, in general, I do love botanicals), but the frames had great shape & detail.

They took their place in my guest room closet, full of 'potential DIY' projects... For slightly longer than I'd like to admit. After we completed our sunroom, I realized that our desk area could use some practical improvements.

Enter the frames... I decided to turn them into a chalkboard and bulletin board set. The project was very much Jeff-approved (aka cheap), coming in at around $20 total, including the original cost of the frames.

I pulled off the backing and took out the artwork and glass. Then lightly sanded the frames and spray painted them gray.

We purchased an Ikea bulletin board for $4.99, then Jeff used the old glass as a template to measure and cut the piece to fit in the frame.

For the chalkboard, I took the glass and very lightly sanded it, just enough to give it a rough texture. Then I painted it with chalkboard spray paint (you can find it at Lowe's in the spray paint aisle) It took about 3 coats, with plenty of drying time in between, to get it completely covered.

We lined the inside lip of both frames generously with superglue, then dropped in the bulletin board and chalkboard pieces. After letting them dry (frame-side down) overnight, they were ready to hang!

Quick tip: Per the instructions on the chalkboard spray can, I rubbed a layer of chalk over the entire surface before writing anything on it. So far, it's held up very well.

This was a quick, cheap and easy project... Not to mention it pulled one more item out of my guest closet. Doesn't get much better than that!

o fabric where art thou

2011-08-03T19:07:00.000-04:00

It's Wednesday, and I'm still recovering from my weekend heartbreak... I headed to Mary Jo's with my sister to scout out some fabric for my bedroom. I hadn't really intended to even purchase anything, but just start with some ideas.

Then I found exactly what I was looking for... My perfect headboard fabric.

Neutral but with an incredible ikat pattern... just enough to keep you interested, without being overwhelming.

The problem? The blot only had about 4 yards left on it, and I definitely need at least 6. I thought I'd come home, google it, and have enough fabric ordered by lunchtime.

Only I can.not.find.it. Can you make out the desperation in my tone? (And ten points to anyone who got the cheesy reference to O Brother, Where Art Thou in my post title)

The fabric vendor is listed as Palette, with the style as Sausalito in the sand colorway. Any idea on where I can order this from?

I seriously will love you, for like ever, if you know where I can find this...

master bedroom, round 3

2011-08-01T22:25:00.001-04:00

If you follow me on Pinterest, you may have noticed a theme recently. I've been pinning away bedroom inspiration. You can see how our bedroom got to it's current state here & here.

But, as is usual around here, I like to make changes every year or so (sorry Jeff!) I feel like with every tweak the house takes another big step towards our style. And since I've cycled through the living room, new sunroom, and guest bath already...

Well, you get the picture. So here are some of my absolute favorite inspiration images:

{via Lonny}

{via}

Notice a pattern? I love neutral bedding, monogrammed pillows, and a burst of color or pattern in the headboard or even throw pillows.

Can't wait to get started with a fresh coat of paint in the bedroom. For those of you keeping score, that will make 4 out of 7 rooms in our house to be repainted in two years. Now to find a weekend when the hubs won't notice...

Recent Finds

2011-07-29T12:12:00.001-04:00

Despite my break from blogging, I've still been browsing the thrift shops this summer. A few of my favorite finds at the moment...

A ceramic animal head at Salvation Army for $4.99. I know, I know... It doesn't exactly scream chic (it's a little more southwestern now), but I think a few coats of high gloss white spray paint would have it back in shape. And it was 5 bucks, who could say no to that?

And I've been seeing these everywhere recently, from West Elm ($20-$150) to Pinterest...

{via}

I must admit that my first thought was how I'd love to put this in a baby boy's nursery. Then my second thought was, too creepy for babies? Pinterest to the rescue again...

{via}

Definitely used in nurseries before, so maybe not as creepy? Jury is still out on this one...

Moving on. I also found these framed puzzle pieces of North & South Carolina for less than $10. I thought they looked vintage and fun. Still deciding on whether the frame should get a bright coat of paint... Maybe orange?

Hoping to hit a few of my favorite spots this weekend to add more finds to the list... Happy Friday!

Back to blogging

2011-07-29T08:19:00.002-04:00

Hi friends! Anyone still out there? Thanks for hanging around, while I took a month-long (oops!) break from blogging.

I've been doing a lot of this...

Taking a little time to relax & a little break from the projects around here... and of course, rethinking the direction of the blog and freshening things up on Wedded Whittaker. Hopefully some good posts to come, including a few new recipes, home projects, and a big exterior home makeover in the fall!

Excited for more posts to come...

Sunroom Addition: Final Reveal

2011-06-14T13:58:00.002-04:00

I have been SO behind on updating our sunroom progress! For those you new to our blog, we started back in November with the idea of converting our covered back porch into a sunroom... And that idea grew into almost a complete room addition (you can read about our entire process)

I couldn't be happier with how it turned out! And can't sing my husband's praises enough! He built the entire room... planning, framing, wiring, putting up drywall, tiling the floors. I still am amazed by how well he could do all of it! We, of course, enlisted lots of great help from both our Dads, Jeff's brother, and lots of friends (especially from Amy's husband!) Thank you to everyone who spent time helping us finish the room!

So after a 5-month long process, we are finally done! Well, done with construction... For those of you who know me, decorating is a definite iterative process (sorry, Jeff!) Here is how it looks now...

Before:

After:

Before:

After:

One of my favorite elements in the room, the bead board ceiling....

Before:

After:

I wish I could capture on camera how much light this room lets into the kitchen and living room too, making the whole house feel much more open and inviting. Definitely the perfect spot for entertaining, relaxing, or working at the desk. Thanks to Jeff, this room is quickly becoming my favorite spot in the house!

What do you think? What big projects have you tackled yourself?

Spring Project Updates: Living Room

2011-06-08T15:09:00.002-04:00

As I mentioned last week, I've been behind in posting all of our before & afters from the spring project marathon a couple months ago. We've continued to make small and large tweaks to our living room. In our ranch home, it's the room you walk straight into from the front door. And the room where we spend the majority of our time. So I think it feels extra important to me to get it right.

Check out our house tour button (still in progress) to see the earliest 'before' shots of our living room... It's thankfully come along way!

And for a glimpse into the most recent 'before'...

And After....

Not really a huge difference, but we just wanted to declutter and make the room feel more open. So we swapped out the yellow love seat for a wing back chair we already owned. Eventually, I'd like to get an off-white chair to replace it with, just to break up the blue tones by the new ottoman.

We also moved out the bookshelf and flanked the tv console with two gray ottomans, also already owned. They're perfect for extra seating! We had my family over a few weeks ago, and everyone had a seat in the living room.

We also took the speakers off stands (finally!) and added some new artwork to the wall (post to come!) I also splurged ~~a lot~~ a little and had the tufted ottoman made with my new favorite fabric. It's on casters, which makes it perfect for when Jeff wants to pull it over to put his feet up & watch tv or when we put a tray on top to double as a coffee table.

Up next: Hopefully mounting the tv to the wall (to level it with the frames), painting the tv console & swapping out the knobs, styling the mantel and finding a new side table...

For your blog roll

2011-06-08T13:37:00.001-04:00

Exciting news! My amazingly talented friend Sarah has just launched a new design blog! She's currently an interior design student and has such a unique, eclectic style.

{right to left: me, sarah, amy, shiva in nyc}

I'm so hopeful that her new blog will feature pictures and projects from her own home... In addition to chronicling her journey to open her own design business and store!

"I believe that design is a constantly changing process as it molds itself to suit and inspire our aesthetic as well as our conventional needs"

So without further ado, here is The Curator Collective!

Considering...

2011-05-25T12:27:00.000-04:00

A few months ago, I picked up this campaign dresser for $25 at our local Goodwill. Not bad for a full-size dresser and considering that a refinished campaign dresser was recently listed on our local Craigslist for $300!

It's in need of some love, so I planned to give it a coat of paint and call it a day. Similar to these...

{images via Lonny}

{source unknown}

But I've done painted furniture before (best instructions I've found for painting coming soon!) And for some reason, I'm feeling a little over the painted campaign dresser. So I'm considering going a different way...

{via Bryn}

{via Mr. Goodwill Hunting}

Surprisingly, I'm leaning towards staining the dresser a dark shade. I wonder how difficult it would be to sand down and restain the dresser myself... Has anyone tried this before? Any tips to share?

Recovering Kitchen Chairs

2011-05-23T16:05:00.001-04:00

I debated recovering our kitchen chairs for a while... On one hand, I loved that the upholstery appeared to be original to the 1970s Henredon chairs (snagged for a major deal at Sleepy Poet about two years ago). On the other hand, they were really starting to show their age.

The construction zone that was our house for 5 months, during the sunroom addition, answered the question for me. All of the dust certainly did no favors for the wear & tear of the chairs... So recovering was a go!

I hit up Mary Jo's (one of my favorite weekend spots) and found this perfect-shade-of-gray linen fabric for the chairs.

I also picked up some batting to fill out the seats. The original plan was to remove the entire old fabric, add batting, and recover. A few too many original staples sent me the easy way out...

We unscrewed the base of the seat from the frame, cut pieces of batting to the same size as the seat, and cut the fabric a few extra inches wider than the seat (allowing for enough extra fabric to staple down).

Then we laid the batting over the top of each seat, covered with the fabric, and stapled to the bottom with a staple gun (with one of us pulling the fabric tightly and the other stapling down). We stapled once around the seat, then went back and stapled even closer together.

For the corners, we folded the edges (like wrapping a present) so that the front would appear flat and the only folded edge would be off to the side.

Then we cut away any excess fabric and re-attached the seats. For a refreshed final result...

It was so much easier than I thought! One Friday night (I know, we're so fun) and the project was done! Have you ever done a DIY reupholstery project? How did it turn out?

No Sew Skirted Console Table

2011-05-17T13:22:00.004-04:00

I struggled with what furniture to put on the back wall in our living room. It couldn't take up too much space, needed to serve as part of our entryway, and provide some much-needed storage. In the end, I settled on a skirted console table.

I originally planned to use the console table that my parents gave us. However, I knew it would be a no-sew project, which means lots of staples into a nice piece of furniture (not ideal). Additionally, I wanted the table to be taller, so I'd need to raise it with bed risers (also not ideal).

{entryway & table before}

Jeff wasn't a fan of this plan either, and in about 30 minutes built me a console table with scrap wood from our shed! He also added a shelf, so that we'd have the additional storage needed. So for $0 we had a custom console table, ready for a skirt!

{Jeff demonstrating the new table's sturdiness}

{view of final table... excuse the unfinished floors!}

I based our skirt off of instructions from Camila at Effortless Style and Jennifer at Newlywed Diaries. To start with the bottom: Camila used various panels to create a faux pleat in her skirted table. I took this idea and simplified it for our smaller one. Instead of 5 panels, we only needed 3.

I cut 2 panels to wrap around the corners and 1 small strip to go down the middle of the table to create a center 'pleat.' Since I knew the console table would be against the wall, I just wrapped the corner panel a few inches around the back (that's all you would be able to see anyway).

Then I used Stitch Witchery iron-on hem tape to finish the edges (only the ones that would be exposed eventually). This could not have been easier, and so far the iron-on tape has held really well!

{finished corner}

I also used Stitch Witchery to iron-on the Greek Key trim around the bottom of all the panels. I just used double rows of tape to make sure the bottom and top of the wide trim was secure.

Jeff was sweet enough to help me with the staple gun. We stapled the middle section first then layered the 2 corner panels on top to create our pleat.

{shelves already filling up}

For the top, we followed Jennifer's instructions, measuring our fabric and leaving a little overhang on the sides. We stapled the top piece along the front edge first, with the bulk of the fabric hanging off the front of the table. So we were actually stapling the underside of the fabric down to the table (sorry we forgot to take pictures here). Then we folded the top back over itself to create a clean edge.

Next we folded under the sides and placed a little strip of Stitch Witchery underneath and ironed down those edges (and a little over the stapled front pleat to finish it off more) Lastly, we stapled the back edge of the top panel to the back edge of the table (we stapled down on the underside to make sure no staples were visible from the top of the table)

And here is our finished skirted console table...

The no-sew skirt has been on my list for awhile, and I have to admit being pleasantly surprised with our finished table! I couldn't be happier with how it came out!

Quick Bathroom Update

2011-05-10T13:28:00.032-04:00

About a month ago, I started the process of redecorating our guest bathroom. As was the case with many of the rooms when we first moved in, I took colors and things I liked (many admittedly purchased on impulse), threw them all together, and thought I was done.

For the bathroom, the end result was blue walls, a bright yellow shower curtain, and a DIY red mirror. Not exactly the welcoming, peaceful experience that a guest bath should create.

So I started with an easy update to make any room brighter: paint. I went with Benjamin Moore’s Paper White. It is an off-white with just a slight hint of blue (actually very similar to Horizon, which I repainted our living room, kitchen & hallway – but less gray)

{painting progress}

Up next was to remove the gigantic towel bar beside the sink. I have a feeling that no guest of our’s will really need a 4-tiered towel rack, no matter how long they stay. And we also sent off the wobbly glass shelf above the toilet. I’ve seen bathrooms that these look great in, but our’s was just a junk collector.

I replaced all the hardware with a matching polished nickle set from Lowe’s, and Jeff even replaced the electrical outlets and light switch with fresh plates (who puts in black outlets anyway? what an eyesore!)

{before & after}

We also added a bright white shower curtain, to keep the room feeling as open and bright as possible. I had it monogrammed in dark gray (interesting fact: the woman at the shop told me that it used to be that the man’s initial always went first, but now people don’t keep to that as much… So we put the J first, because otherwise we would’ve had a huge space between the C and W – then almost no space between the W and J. Sorry Emily Post, aesthetics trump tradition this time)

{before}

{after}

I also ordered my new favorite rug from Garnet Hill (also have one in our kitchen now) in gray...

...and this cute print from Etsy. I framed the ‘Keep Calm & Soak On’ print along with one of my favorites that Jeff’s grandpa painted in matching Target frames.

I’m so happy that we decided to spruce up the guest bath some. Not a major overhaul, but enough to make it feel brighter and more guest-friendly!

{before & after}

Psst... Apologies for the many weird camera angles. As you can tell from the picture of the rug/floor, this room is small! And the tight space meant not so great overall pictures.

Marbled Paper

2011-05-09T10:27:00.000-04:00

Happy Monday! I finished a quick project this weekend, and I promise to post the full details later this week (along with tons of other projects that we've been knocking off the list)

I was inspired by Kristen's living room artwork...

And Bryn's secretary update...

Marbled paper is such a fun way to create artwork on the cheap. For those of you in Charlotte, check out the selection at Paper Source or Binders Art Supply & Frame...

I love the turquoise and gray in this paper from Binders...

Or, the ever-popular, Pirouette marbled paper from Paper Mojo. Love the gray and apricot combination...

Stay tuned for our quick marbled paper art project, bathroom updates, and a few others. I'll be making up for our recent lack of blogging, starting this week!

The Carolina Inn

2011-05-04T09:39:00.000-04:00

I love the fact that Jeff & I both went to Carolina... The college and town of Chapel Hill hold so many memories for us. So it's fitting that we're celebrating our two-year wedding anniversary there. Jeff's sister is graduating from college on Saturday, so we're heading up on Friday night.

I am beyond excited to be staying at the Carolina Inn! It is a historic inn right in the heart of the college town, just steps from campus and Franklin Street. At one point during Jeff & I's engagement, my mom & I even went up there for the day to consider it for our wedding venue.

We're planning to catch Fridays on the Front Porch, hosted every Friday in the summer by the Carolina Inn. The website describes it best: This fun event features live bluegrass music, a picnic, drink specials, and comfortable seating on the shady front porch and lawn.

And walk around campus and grab dinner on Franklin Street... It will be a short trip, but I already can't wait!

6 Years & Counting

2011-05-03T11:17:00.001-04:00

I've been feeling a little sentimental lately, and last night started sifting through the box where I keep little mementos from the beginning of our relationship... a Pittsburgh Pirates baseball card from a game we attended, a John Legend concert ticket from one of our first dates (one of my favorite stories now is how a couple beside us at dinner that night asked if we were married)

I also found a wedding program from April 30, 2005. Jeff & I had known each other for a long time, and I had a huge crush on him from middle school on... asking my friend Erin (her older brother just happened to be friends with Jeff) all about him and dragging my college roommates to the parties at his house. At one point, we even went on a double date while we were dating other people.

But Jeff called me the day after that wedding and asked me out on a date... Making it 6 years that my sweet hubby and I have been together.

{at Jeff's college house on McDade, my junior year & his senior year}

{Top of the Hill}

{Pittsburgh, while Jeff was in grad school}

{my college graduation dinner at La Rez}

{moments after getting engaged at Pops in the Park on July 4, 2008}

And now here we are... six years later and ready to celebrate our two-year wedding anniversary in less than two weeks!

Bossypants

2011-04-26T11:42:00.000-04:00

Whoo hoo! I'm officially done with grad school for two weeks... Until the summer session, which will be my last class of the program and is still unbelievable to me!

I've already decided that I must read Tina Fey's new book, Bossypants, over break while I have the time.

My love for this woman knows no bounds. And as if I need to prove to anyone that she is the funniest ~~woman~~ person alive, check out her prayer for her daughter.

Chairs, round two

2011-04-25T14:07:00.001-04:00

Hope you all had a wonderful Easter weekend! Jeff & I finally finished all of our painting projects, did a ton of work out in the yard, and spent Easter Sunday with both of our families. It was a perfect mix of productivity and rest!

I'm also happy to report that I found a set of chairs for our sunroom! After searching some of my favorite consignment shops and Craigslist, I found this pair at South End Exchange.

I swoon every time I see them... And my favorite little $12 elephant table fits perfectly too. Now just a few more details, and I'll be ready to share how it all came together!

Psst... I also have to admit that these chairs were slightly out of budget, but I loved them so much that my sweet hubby (uncharacteristically) gave me a budget extension. He originally told me that we couldn't get them, then surprised me this weekend by waking up one morning and asking, 'so when should we go get your chairs?' I'm the luckiest... Thanks Jeff!

Cane-back Chairs

2011-04-19T14:32:00.001-04:00

We've finally settled on a room arrangement for the sunroom. Fortunately, Jeff insisted that we use our current furniture to layout the ideas I had for room set-up. I say fortunately because every idea I had (floating a sofa or two love seats facing each other) made the room feel too small or too crowded with furniture.

After a week of brainstorming, asking for different opinions and moving furniture, I think we finally have a winner! And now it's on to my favorite part... shopping!

I fell in love with these vintage French cane-back chairs on eBay... But unfortunately the $600 chairs ($450 price plus $150 estimated shipping) is far out of the budget.

I keep looking at them, hoping that somehow the price will magically drop by hundreds of dollars and they can come live with me. Or that Jeff will tell me he was just joking about not winning any money in Vegas, and he bought them for me as a graduation gift. I can dream, right?

Done.

2011-04-19T12:21:00.001-04:00

I was pretty excited when Amy's post on upcoming home to-do's included repainting their living room and hallway. Remember a while back when Jeff (and my mom) thought I had totally lost it, because I was ready to repaint our house again? Good to know I'm not the only one who likes to switch things up in the paint department!

Well, it is almost a done deal. I grabbed my paintbrush and changed things up around the house. Like I've mentioned before, I've been moving towards keeping things simple, uncluttered, and clean... And I feel like the new wall color for our kitchen, living room, and hallway makes me feel all of those things!

The color is Horizon by Benjamin Moore and is a great neutral for the house. It looks light gray during the day, but definitely much more blue at night. It makes me swoon. It makes the house feel much bigger and brighter. And it is a definite overall improvement.

On a second note, I kind of did this as a sneaky wife activity. Jeff never told me not to do it... He just said he thought it was a bad idea and 'unnecessary.' So I surprised him & went for it while he was in Vegas... And am happy to report that he likes it! Or at the very least doesn't dislike it. I'll take that as a win!

Tuesday's Facts

2011-04-12T09:37:00.000-04:00

Jeff & I are heading to Ikea after work on Wednesday to check out their desk offerings. But interestingly enough, my need for a desk at home will drastically decrease in the next few weeks... why?

Because I am presenting my final graduate project (my capstone project) tonight! So that ::shriek:: of excitement you hear at about 9:30 pm this evening will be me!

We have been working on our projects, among a few other deliverables, throughout the semester. And tonight we present them to a panel of faculty, fellow students, and really anyone else who is interested.

{images via}

Then we submit our final projects at the end of this week, have 2 more weeks of other classes (theory for me)... And graduate on May 6th!

Although I'll still have 1 more class to finish up this summer, I cannot believe I am just weeks away from graduating! The last 3 years have flown by, and I am nervous, excited, sad...

But for the moment, mostly feeling lots of butterflies about this presentation! Wish me luck!

Deciding on Desks

2011-04-11T11:28:00.000-04:00

It's finally time (well, almost time) to move furniture into the sunroom! By the end of this week, all the paint touch-ups and trim work should be finished! And Jeff & I are already discussing our desk options.

I knew I wanted something 'open' that wouldn't take up a lot of visual space... So I've been gravitating towards sawhorse desks. Originally, I planned to buy Ikea legs and add a cool old door or shutters with a piece of glass over the top. Jeff wasn't too enthusiastic about the glass top, so on to Plan B (oh marriage compromise!)

Here are the current front-runners, within our small budget of course...

Pier 1 Sawhorse Desk

World Market Campaign Desk

Or, the most cost-effective option, pairing either of these Ikea legs with a birch table top...

Ikea Vika Artur

Ikea Vika Lilleby

For some reason, I'm leaning towards a birch/ light wood finish with several of these options... What do you think? Is the light wood too bleh? The Ikea options also come in a white lacquer finish, but not sure if it would be over-kill with white walls in the room?

Feel free to pipe in with your two cents... Hoping to pick out our desk this weekend!

Two Nights of Grout

2011-04-08T10:36:00.002-04:00

Wednesday night was grout night. Jeff and Amy's husband Ray (once again!) teamed up to work on the floor. They had all the grout done pretty quickly, and then it was time to clean (& that's where yours truly came in).

Apparently, you grout the tiles (which is quite messy), then go back with a damp sponge and wipe up the floor. And repeat. And repeat... Wiping with a clean, damp sponge until the grout (and eventual 'haze' that's left behind) is gone.

Easy right? Ray headed home after two rounds of cleaning, and we were all convinced that it was maybe a few more rounds, and we'd be done in time to watch Modern Family.

Fast forward over two hours later... And we were still cleaning. With a light haze still on the tiles (and slight grumpiness from both of us), we called it a night about 11 pm.

Fortunately, we were able to clean off the remaining 'haze' last night with sponges that have the scrubber side (and yes, that is the technical name). And we are so happy with how the floors came out!

Jeff is planning to seal the tile tonight and hopefully put up the last of the trim this weekend... We're finally closing in on the finish!

One More...

2011-04-07T12:42:00.001-04:00

I couldn't resist sharing one more project as we go about 'sprucing up' the house for spring and rearranging a little with the sunroom addition.

After much back-and-forth, I decided not to go the DIY route with an upholstered ottoman coffee table (like Jenny did) But leave this one to the professionals!

Now I'm super excited to get it back in a few weeks. Especially since I picked out the most swoon-worthy fabric. ever.

It's a gorgeous peacock blue velvet... And I could not be happier with how it picks up the gradient shades of blue in our living room throw pillows (fabric at top of photo).

Hoping the end result will be similar to this...

But in a size appropriate for a small-scale living room... And in peacock blue, of course (I'm just a little obsessed).

Sneak Peak

2011-04-06T07:00:00.003-04:00

We have a ton of little projects around the house right now, and I just can't help but share a 'sneak peak' into the goings-on in the Whittaker household....

Repainting rooms:

Thrifting furniture:

Painting furniture:

Rearranging rooms:

And building furniture:

On a similar note, although we disagree over my love to continually ~~completely redo~~ tweak the rooms in our house, I am so thankful to have such a supportive husband! For the most part, he puts up with my requests to install new towel racks, pick up or move in thrift store purchases, hang pictures, and move furniture outside so I can paint (or repaint) it... Oh, and add on a sunroom.

Whoever said 'patience is a virtue' must have been referring to my home project ideas... Thank you, Jeff!

Sunroom Tile: Check!

2011-04-05T10:21:00.000-04:00

This weekend we made major sunroom progress... Our floors went in! Friday night, Jeff and I headed to Lowe's to purchase the tile and other materials. We had gone back & forth so many time on what to do with the floors in this room. Surprisingly, after pricing out several options (including stained concrete and cork), tile ended up being the most cost-effective.

So Saturday morning, Jeff went to work. A huge thank you to Amy's husband for coming over bright & early and helping lay tile! The floor was a little bumpy and uneven in spots, so it was time-consuming to lay the tiles straight and flat... But the guys did such a great job! And another huge thank you to Jeff's dad and brother for cutting tiles and helping out over the entire weekend!

With our small crew of free labor, the floor was almost finished by Saturday afternoon. A few more pieces on Sunday, and the floor was down!

And, because I owe you a few other updates, the door trim is also done and columns are finished...

{even Ellie's doggie door got a little trim}

Up next: Installing the shoe mold, painting all the trim, touch up paint on the walls, and grout & seal the tile! Fingers crossed that we finish up by next weekend... making it almost exactly 5 months from when we started!

Weekend DIY Fun

2011-04-01T12:00:00.000-04:00

We have some big DIY plans for this weekend, like most others recently. I've been behind on the sunroom updates, but we've been working away! The ceiling and walls are primed & painted, most of the trim is in place, the columns are complete, and we're picking up the tile for our floors tonight.

I can't wait to share some more pictures next week! I keep telling Jeff that I'm submitting him to host an HGTV make-over show after this project.

And much to Jeff's dismay, I've been investing in a few other projects around the house too... Like picking up fabric for my own skirted table, scouring Craigslist, and painting.

Some of my inspiration for the weekend...

{images via}

Happy Weekend!

Take Two

2011-03-30T12:59:00.001-04:00

So yesterday I mentioned my TV wall dilemma, and this morning I found two incredibly timely posts to consider...

As if we were reading each other's minds, Jenny posted this:

Her own swoon-worthy TV wall... Storage cabinets with a skirted stand in between... And most importantly, it looks like her cabinet also comes out over a window.

While this is totally do-able in her open, loft-style New York apartment, would it work in our small, not-so-open North Carolina house?

An option that would undoubtedly work in our space, despite the lack of storage options, is this incredible idea from Brooklyn Limestone:

I just adore the simple, uncluttered feel. And right now, I'm leaning toward this idea... with the thought that we can always add cabinets or bookcases down the road when storage becomes an issue.

As my professor said last night, there are times when you just have to commit and go with it!

Shelving Dilemma

2011-03-29T15:27:00.002-04:00

What is it about spring that makes you want to grab that to-do list and get it all done? For me, that to-do list mostly includes rearranging furniture and painting everything I can get my hands on!

I mentioned before that Sarah came by a few weeks ago to offer some suggestions on a few 'problem' spots in the house. One of the the places I've struggled with the most is our TV wall.

The space has looked like this since we've been married, and I've never felt 100% satisfied with it. Mostly because I can't stand the unbalanced look of a bookshelf on one side and then nothing on the other. I could hardly contain my excitement when Sarah suggested achieving some symmetry with built-in bookshelves around a TV stand.

Unfortunately, the hubs has vetoed this one. Apparently, he is not game for adding the built-ins and shifting down the off-center windows behind the couch.

So now I'm considering adding another leaning shelf to achieve a similar look. I did a quick mock-up of the idea... And would also consider adding a pretty linen skirt to cover the TV stand. Thoughts?

I just can't get too excited about the double leaning shelves for some reason... If it were built-ins or even a pair of Lack shelves, I'd be running out today to get started! But this just doesn't do it for me.

On the other hand, I'm not sure if I want to eliminate the great storage that comes with shelves flanking the TV stand (especially when we're looking for places to stash toys down the road).

What do you think? Go for the leaning shelves, or keep brainstorming for that problem corner?

This or That?

2011-03-25T09:00:00.019-04:00

After careful consideration and about a million different options, I have finally narrowed down my choices for spending the remainder of a few Crate & Barrel gift cards. Sarah recently gave me some great advice on breaking up all the square/angular lines in our living room... So I've decided to use the funds to replace one of our current side tables with either...

Option 1:

{Jules Accent Table}

Option 2:

{Quarry Side Table}

I am kind of obsessed with both… I love the classic look of the Jules side table, but am crazy over the marble top of the Quarry. Which one gets your vote?

Decision 2011

2011-03-23T11:19:00.000-04:00

I bought a couple of paint samples for the sunroom... Okay, five. But I'd highly recommend the process. I generally just tape a paint card to the wall and go from there. However, with my recent itch to change the wall colors in our house (yes, almost all of them), I decided repainting for a third time would most likely be out of the question. So I better get it right!

Here is the line-up...

And while these two were cut pretty quickly, I think the color on the left will be the perfect smokey blue for our bedroom!

Despite all the choices & my general lack of decision-making, the winner was easy to spot! Granted, I still need husband approval, but my vote is with Chantilly Lace (color furthest to the left in the top picture).

It's a little hard to see on the primer, because it's a crisp white. I've been thinking about white walls since last summer... And all the bright windows in this space have me even more excited about the choice. Plus I think white would look incredible with the dark floors I'm currently begging for...

{source unknown}

Can't wait to get the paint and trim up this weekend!

Face-to-Face

2011-03-22T12:51:00.000-04:00

I have a new obsession (surprised?) Sofas facing each other... Love.it.

But I've also read that people can feel like this is a 'confrontational' room arrangement. And if you know me, I try my absolute hardest to be opposite of confrontational.

{via Lonny}

{via Effortless Style}

So what do you think? Intimate, conversation-enabling arrangement... or the set-up for confrontation mediation?

Two Weekend De-Clutter

2011-03-21T14:19:00.000-04:00

Last weekend, I started the de-cluttering process by cleaning out my closet, dresser, and guest room closet (which was packed to the gills!) With two huge boxes filled already, I hit the kitchen this weekend… I briefly considered having another yard sale, since we had so much. But quickly realized many of the items were ones that didn't sell at our last sale in September (why did I bring those back inside?!)

So I packed up an entire car full (literally... including the trunk) and headed to Goodwill. Needless to say, getting rid of it all felt great!

But what felt even better was moving out a few big pieces… Remember the china cabinet with kitchen items in our guest bedroom? It found a new home at my in-law’s lake house, along with the yellow carpet that was in the same room.

I honestly really liked the china cabinet, but it was so out of place in a bedroom! Especially given the fact that everything fit into the kitchen, with a little scaling down and sorting out.

By moving out the yellow carpet (purchased a few years ago at Habitat), we finally have a spot for the 8x11 rug that used to be in our living room! Yep, that baby has been rolled up and stashed in the corner of our bedroom for almost a year… True hoarder style.

With every room, I used the 'one-year' rule... If we hadn't worn/used/thought about the item in one year, it went! All of the clearing out also got me thinking about 'cleaner' looking rooms... So stay tuned for a quick guest bathroom makeover (and paint job!)

Whew! Now on to the week… Hopefully picking out a paint color for the sunroom and getting at least a coat done one evening after work.

Lonny Love

2011-03-15T14:00:00.002-04:00

Right after I posted my thoughts on living 'smaller,' the March/April Lonny came out with total inspiration...

I adore this space... The neutral palette, navy rug, side tables and gallery walls on both sides (yay symmetry!) A perfect example of how a smaller space can still be everything you want!

Probably...

2011-03-15T10:02:00.001-04:00

So I probably should have waited to post the sunroom update. We decided last night to prime the entire room, while the floors and molding are not installed to make it a little easier on ourselves.

It's amazing what a difference it makes!

Columns Up!

2011-03-14T13:40:00.001-04:00

We had such a productive weekend back around the house. I kept telling Jeff that it was like we were trying to make up for our weekend out of town!

There was a lot accomplished on the sunroom. My dad came over Saturday morning to help Jeff, and by Sunday the wall between the sunroom and the kitchen was almost finished!

{hard at work- framing the old window space}

{in progress}

My dad is a (semi) retired architect and had great advice for us on what to do with the wall between the kitchen and sunroom. We had originally planned to keep the existing brick, add to it, and paint. But in the end, we decided that even painted, you'd really be able to see the lines where new brick was added.

So we continued the bead board (obviously to be painted to match above) as a pretty accent on this wall.

The openings on the left and right will stay as half walls to keep the views & light from the windows. There was so much to consider on this wall... And we were really limited by the existing steel header above this opening.

It would have been almost impossible to open this wall up any more and keep the structural integrity. So we tried to balance the structural needs of the header above (most important), how it would look best (with opening centered), and what would create the most useful space.

Finally, the space to the right of the half wall will be built-in shelving for storage! They won't be too deep, but a perfect spot for displaying a few pieces.

And for fun, a before (post-window removal)...

And after (as of this weekend)...

Now we just need to finish the drywall on the kitchen side, trim out the columns, and add molding to the entire room. Then it's time to add flooring and paint... Then, we are (unbelievably) done!

Mardi Gras Recap: Part 2

2011-03-11T10:31:00.000-05:00

Now on to Mardi Gras day (Fat Tuesday)... Jeff was up at 3:30 am to secure our spot with his brother, Uncles Glen, Barry & Eric, and a few others. The rest of us headed into town around 8:00 to catch Rex and the truck parades, which last through late afternoon.

There were multiple grills going with hamburgers & hot dogs, snacks, and King Cake under a couple tents... Along with speakers for music and a platform for catching beads. It is seriously the most deluxe set-up!

{grills going}

{platform dancing}

Everyone dresses in costume for the Fat Tuesday parades, and we were 'Boeuf Gras' (a float in Rex). It was so fun to see our crowd of 30+ dresses as cows!

{cows up close}

{Jeff giving a little cousin a lift to catch beads}

{full view of the platform}

There is something that is so much more than the good time to be had at Mardi Gras... There is so much love in the Whittaker family, for each other and for their city. I don't think I could ever do the feeling justice in a post, but New Orleans is so alive and the pride that New Orleanians (including our family) have for it is palpable.

I am truly blessed to be part of it all.

Mardi Gras Recap: Part I

2011-03-10T13:45:00.000-05:00

We're back from our Mardi Gras trip to New Orleans! Here is a recap of the fun and festivities... Stick with me, because this is a two part-er...

After arriving in the city about 3 am our time, we slept a few hours before the girls headed to a bridal shower for Jeff's cousin. The shower was in an old house (turned restaurant). The food was delicious, and it was so great to have a chance to see the bride-to-be before her wedding in May!

{opening gifts}

{Jeff's mom, me, Jeff's sister Laura}

{we were under a tornado watch during the shower & the rain flooded the street in front of the restaurant}

Due to the rain, Endymion was postponed to Sunday evening. We spent the night visiting with family and cheering on the Tarheels to victory over Duke!

The weather cleared overnight, and Sunday morning we were up early to head to Uncle Bruce's house for their annual party. Their home is in a beautiful neighborhood with historic homes and tons of cute shops and restaurants within walking distance (aka my dream).

They are also right off the parade routes for Mid-City and Thoth. We took in both parades and enjoyed one of my favorites, Aunt Laura's red beans & rice.

From there, we headed uptown to see Bacchus and Endymion (two of the largest parades). The crowd was packed! Fortunately, Jeff's cousin scored a prime condo rental right on St. Charles Avenue, which is part of both the parades' routes. We were so lucky to have that set-up, since they didn't ended until around midnight.

{crowd at Endymion, extending all the way to the opposite side of the street}

Monday (Lundi Gras) was spent taking in the sights of the French Quarter... And there was much to be seen that cannot be shared on this blog! We went to Pat O'Brien's, Johnny White's (a bar that has never closed it's doors, even during Katrina), and the Carousel Bar at Hotel Monteleone.

{Pat O'Brien's}

{French Quarter balconies decorated for Mardi Gras}

Up next... Mardi Gras day!

Happy Weekend!

2011-03-04T13:24:00.000-05:00

Hope y'all have a great weekend... And do something extra-fun to celebrate Mardi Gras!

I'm heading down to New Orleans for the real deal... And couldn't be more excited for lots of time with family, King Cake, and all the Mardi Gras festivities!

Just for fun, here we are 2 years ago in the Big Easy. Everyone dresses up in costume to watch the parades on Fat Tuesday. We were clowns then... This year: cows.

It should make for some pretty interesting pictures to share when we get back! As they say in New Orleans, laissez les bon temps rouler (let the good times roll!)

Gray & Yellow

2011-03-03T15:45:00.000-05:00

I absolutely love all of the gray & yellow I've been seeing lately... From nurseries to living rooms, my eye is always drawn to the color combination. And then I saw {me}longings' recent post on a gray & yellow color scheme for her cousin's upcoming wedding!

I just couldn't help but pull together some detail pictures from our wedding with the same colors...

Since it was spring, we went with vibrant yellows, dark grays & creams. I've definitely seen these colors done in so many different ways, and adored them all! Our wedding was nothing over-the-top, but I thought it would be fun to share.

It's hard to believe that in almost 2 months, we'll be celebrating our 2-year anniversary! Time absolutely flies when you're having fun... And renovating!

Less is More

2011-03-02T16:56:00.002-05:00

For graduate school, I recently reviewed a book called What’s Mine is Yours: The Rise of Collaborative Consumption. I couldn't have loved, or needed to read, a book more… The whole premise is the recent rise of collaborative consumption, or the move away from ownership in the traditional sense to borrowing/ sharing/ collectivism.

I really can’t do the topic justice in a blog post, but the authors discussed everything from product sharing services, such as Zipcar, to re-distribution services (my personal favorite), like Craigslist, and collective lifestyles, such as LandShare. All of these services connect people who have a product with others who want to borrow it, buy it, or share it.

Thus, eliminating the waste associated with making a new product as well as the waste associated with throwing away an old one. To get a great sense of the message, check out this YouTube clip:

For me the bottom line was: We have too much stuff. In America, the average home size has gone from 932 square feet in 1950 to over 2,400 square feet in 2005 (over double!) – while the average number of people per home has gone down from 4.5 to 2.6.

I’ve mentioned my recent home goal to start de-cluttering rooms. But this is also a personal goal… Less consumption and greater appreciation for living within the space we need.

{all images via loving.living.small.}

Part of this effort for me includes looking for great design inspiration for smaller spaces… Can't wait to share more, as I continue to explore!

Decor Dilemma

2011-02-25T13:46:00.002-05:00

So the eggplant sofa is officially on Craigslist... Now just keep your fingers crossed that it sells! Hubs & I made a deal that if it sells, I can get something else for the sunroom (if it doesn't, it obvs stays)

I decided that even if we did cut the skirt off, it would still be too formal (and purple!) for how I envision the final space. And it goes along with my new 'if you don't love it, get rid of it' motto.

I need some help sorting out my vision from here though...

Plan A:
The Inspiration:

{via Ashley Goforth}

Possible Furnishings:

{Ikea Karlstad}

Plan B:

The Inspiration:

{via Lonny}

Possible Furnishings:

{Craigslist}

So the question is: How 'sunroom-themed' should the room be decorated? Or should we decorate it just like an extra living space?

I'm kind of in love with the Craigslist (vintage!) bamboo couch, and for the cost-savings I could easily try sewing some off-white pillow covers for it... But I just don't know if I'll eventually wish it was decorated like a 'regular' room... Thoughts?

Take a vote in our poll on the right side of the blog... Help me decide, before another couch is purchased & then listed on Craigslist (just kidding, Jeff!)

Weeknight Demo

2011-02-25T12:29:00.000-05:00

If I haven't mentioned it before, my husband really plans before we start a project... He considers the budget, timing, return on investment, placement of potential furniture... You name it, we discuss it.

But once Jeff gets started, we are off... Exhibit A:

{view from sunroom looking into kitchen}

{laundry room window removal}

Just a typical weeknight... Coming home from work and ripping out windows & walls in the Whittaker house...

{view from dining area into sunroom}

{view from kitchen}

Now that its nice and open, we're reconsidering the pocket doors. This weekend will be the test, since no pocket doors & a doggie door means that Ellie has the run-of-the-house all the time!

I tried to very nicely explain to her this morning that she should be good, so that I can keep the rooms open to each other... Fingers crossed.

Tomorrow we'll be priming, finalizing our choice for flooring & maybe even taking down a little more of that wall. Happy Weekend!

Uncluttered Living

2011-02-24T14:28:00.000-05:00

I recently stumbled upon The Nesting Place and a post on how to cure thrift shopping disease.

This is pretty timely stuff for me... When Sarah came over last week, she pointed out that I have four lamps in my living room. Four. I also have three end tables, a coffee table, a TV console, and a sofa table.

{evidence of how much I love tables}

Which would be fine... If the room wasn't roughly 18x11. Let's not even get into the china cabinet (that yes, holds china) in the bedroom.

Moral of the story: We have too much stuff.

The first step is admission, right? So my resolution for the spring is to unpack this house... And send everything I don't love (or need) right out the door. Can't wait to share along the way!

Psst... A certain eggplant couch is currently listed on Craigslist... baby steps.

Painted Floors?

2011-02-23T17:33:00.001-05:00

I've always loved this skirted console table. And I just noticed that the floors beneath it are painted {cue wheels turning in my mind}

{source unknown}

Camila at Effortless Style (my new blog obsession) successfully painted her kitchen floor. And I wonder if it could help us with our multiple flooring-types dilemma...

Thoughts? Anyone out there tried it?

Four Walls

2011-02-22T12:48:00.001-05:00

Jeff has finished so much work on the sunroom recently! Last weekend, he finished the molding around the windows...

And finished hanging all of the drywall...

And while I was out of town, he finished off the drywall with joint compound (mud). It's hard to believe that this week we'll be removing the wall between the kitchen & sunroom, and then priming the room for paint over the weekend!

Making the Cut

2011-02-21T11:09:00.002-05:00

Hope that ya'll had a great weekend! I headed to Raleigh to see some of my oldest friends (we calculated that we've known each other since middle school... so an average of 15 years!) and to celebrate the first one of us to be expecting a baby! I was so lucky to also spend Sunday afternoon with my college roommate, Lindsey (who is less than two weeks from her due date!)

We all talked babies. A lot.

But... Our current project is the sunroom, and before I left to talk babies for the weekend, Sarah came over to talk decorating.

We pondered removing the skirt from the eggplant sofa when it moves into the sunroom... To give it a less formal look. As a quick recap, this couch started in our living room, then moved to the office & was slipcovered... And will make it's final move into the sunroom.

I'm in the mood to start cutting away, especially once I found this amazing 'after' on Centsational Girl. My only hesitation is whether or not the sofa needs the skirt to balance out the heaviness of the arms and pillows...

You have to use your imagination a little here (and ignore the burlap sample)... I really keep going back & forth on this one. Any thoughts?

In Place

2011-02-18T12:36:00.000-05:00

Happy Friday! We finally found a location for our new-to-us chairs... And so I thought I'd share a quick living room update.

As a reminder, we've had this ~~horrible~~ older dual-recliner since we've been married (a souvenir from the hubby's bachelor days):

And we literally just swapped it out for the leather chairs...

Turns out that the only way to make them work in our smaller living area is to place them right next to each other. Ideally, I'd like to have enough room to put a little table between them, but I'm definitely loving the improvement from the recliner!

Happy Weekend!

Double-Take

2011-02-17T09:07:00.002-05:00

My heart skipped a beat when I found this leather couch on Craigslist, currently listed for $900:

Why? Because I think it's doppelganger lives at Anthropologie for $6,000:

Tufting, rounded arms & nail head trim? Check, check, check...

While we Whittakers have reached our couch quota, I'm not above begging one of you to consider a purchase. It would make a nice addition, don't you think?

Inspiration Heartburn

2011-02-16T14:42:00.001-05:00

In case you haven't noticed, my mind is going a million miles a minute with design ideas... Once again. I find a lot of comfort in reading other blogs and about other husbands who don't understand the constant tweaking (or sometimes just total redesign).

My inspiration over the past few weeks...

{via}

...equals my husband's heartburn.

Yea or Nay?

2011-02-15T13:54:00.002-05:00

I've been considering this pair of chairs on Craigslist for a week or so now... And am starting to take it as a sign that they're still listed.

Obviously in need of a re-upholstery job (including getting rid of that skirt)... But for about $42 each, I think I could swing the extra cost.

Plus the shape reminds me of this stunner...

I think I'd split the pair and put one in each of our bedrooms... What do you think? Should I go for it this weekend?

It's Electric

2011-02-14T16:00:00.002-05:00

I know, I know... I've been behind in posting our sunroom progress! Things have been moving right along over the past few weeks. And since it's Valentine's Day, don't mind my gushing about how hubby is talented/ amazing/ skilled/ hardworking... He has done such a great job on this project and devoted tons of weekend and after-work hours... Who doesn't love a handyman?

As a quick recap, last weekend was running electrical and running a gas line for our little corner heater.

In other words, almost two entire days of crawling around under the house... where Jeff also found a leaky pipe that required a few extra hours of repair time. A huge thank-you (once again) to my father-in-law for fearlessly tackling our crawlspace along side Jeff.

When they were finally out from under the house, the exterior lights were also installed... One on the deck-side of the sunroom, and one by the driveway-side entrance.

Next up? Window trim, insulation, and drywall!

Pure Goodness

2011-02-14T14:41:00.004-05:00

It was like a Valentine's Day gift from the blog universe... I literally just posted my rant & rave about coming up short in my search for a campaign chest. Then I hit the thrift stores this weekend and...

Hello gorgeous! Well, actually not so gorgeous now... But just oozing with potential! Currently living in our kitchen, the hubby said to me at dinner last night: "You do such a good job making the house look nice, but can you remind me why you bought that ugly dresser?" Clearly, he is asking for a post on campaign dresser inspiration...

This piece was actually being used to store items in a thrift shop and didn't even have a price on it... So I asked the owner if she would consider selling it, then talked her down $15 from the original price!

I also picked up this lamp at the Sleepy Poet, on sale for $30!

I originally planned to paint it a fun color, but I am completely re-thinking that now. I kind of like the gold and aqua accents... What do you think?

Definitely a fun weekend for finds! Cannot wait to get started on that campaign chest...

Good Advice

2011-02-11T12:19:00.003-05:00

We finally found a great arrangement to include our new (large) leather chairs in the living room! Jeff & I dragged furniture around, measured, and considered multiple options for two days...

Then my mama came over last night, and in literally 15 minutes had the furniture arranged perfectly (which coincidentally wasn't really that different from what we had with the recliner).

{before... with the dual recliner}

We should send this woman into politics... She can set you straight and give great advice like nobody's business. I don't make decisions without her. Seriously.

For example, I've been searching consignment shops and thrift stores high and low for the perfect oriental rug to overlay on our sisal in the living room. I found a show-stopper, but it was unfortunately too small when we got it home (so back it went).

Then last week, I found one that looked perfect in the store and was definitely the right size... It had red's, navy's, and light blue's... Just the combination I was looking for!

I brought it home, put it in the room... And it just didn't do it for me. It felt too dark. So I called my mama.

And she told me: Everything you get for your home should make you happy, every time you look at it.

See what I mean about the great advice? It is so easy for me to be swayed by a sale, great price, or impulse-buying... But at the end of the day, our three-bedroom ranch doesn't have the room for things that make me feel so-so.

The rug went back to the store... To find a home with someone who feels ecstatic when they see it. And I am keeping that solid mama advice in mind as I continue to find pieces that I absolutely love. And looking is the most fun part anyway!

P.S. - Hallelujah! I found the camera cords and will have non-iPhone picture updates from the living room and sunroom next week. Happy weekend!

New Chairs are Here!

2011-02-09T12:58:00.001-05:00

Happy Wednesday! Sorry for the little break... I turned in part one of my Capstone course deliverables last night (my portfolio). Very exciting! But needless to say, it has been taking up all of my time recently.

In more exciting news, I came home from class to find that my hubby had picked up our new living rooms chairs! What? You don't remember way back, when we scored these two leather chairs for free? Well, they've been patiently waiting in my in-law's basement... And it was a total (very welcome) surprise to see them in our living room!

The only problem? They are so much bigger in our little ranch than they seemed at my in-law's house! So I need your help... Right now we have them arranged side-by-side, so that one blocks the fireplace corner. That means you have to walk through the middle of the chairs to come into the living room (the old dual recliner blocked the middle section, and you walked by the fireplace to come in).

It also means that our end table is pushed back against the wall now, and one of the chairs is situated somewhat behind one side of the sofa...

Thoughts? Obviously this isn't set up (you can see the old recliner in these pictures, currently living in the middle of the room), but does it look too cramped?

We're going to try to live with them for a few days to see how we feel...

Fever of 103

2011-02-04T16:03:00.000-05:00

Yes folks, I am referencing my current baby fever! My oh my, how the past few weeks have been busy... I celebrated my college roommate's baby shower with friends... And then had to browse around Etsy for cute baby items...

Then we found out that our dear friends Ray & Amy are expecting! And now the news that my blog friend Caroline & her husband are having their own bundle of joy!

And, as if that didn't have me bursting with happiness & baby-induced giddiness, I found out yesterday that my sweet friend Christine & her husband are due on their 3-year wedding anniversary in August (how wonderful is that?!)

So, for all the mommas-to-be...

{all images via}

Some lovely weekend inspiration... And TONS of love & congratulations! Also, be sure to check out ohdeedoh for more swoon-worthy nurseries & children's rooms!

P.S. - You can witness my last bout of the fever (about a year ago) here.

A Rant & Rave...

2011-02-02T15:25:00.002-05:00

To the person who snagged the FREE campaign chest off Craigslist before me... I hope you stub your toe on it... every.single.day.

I'm just kidding (kind of)... But I do find campaign furniture to be incredibly elusive. I have been searching for a full-size dresser or small chest (like the free one from this week) for literally the past 6 months!

I have emailed 3 different Craigslist finds, only to have the item already sold each time... So tell me, how do I find one of these puppies?! In blog land, it seems like everyone has found one (at a great price too)...

Bryn found this dresser on Craigslist for $50

Jessie also found her dresser on Craigslist... with matching nightstands! (check out the 'after' too)

And there's Jenny's amazing campaign dresser find (also CL) for $60

And now Mr. Goodwill Hunting has done an entire round-up post on all the bloggers with campaign dressers and chests... Including his own find.

I don't know if I can take it anymore... Oh and if you help me find one, I will love you ~~more than my husband~~ forever.

Say Hello to my Little Friend

2011-02-01T13:53:00.002-05:00

Over the weekend, Sarah and I hit some of our favorite thrifting spots... Tons of ideas and inspiration (which makes me happy), but only one purchase (which makes the hubs happy).

This little elephant came home with me for the grand total of $12!

He is in need of a coat of bright-colored paint, but I think he'll look incredible by the chairs planned for our sunroom addition. He reminds me of these guys...

{Lonny}

{Matters of Style living room}

{Matters of Style nursery}

{Domino}

Then, of course, I had to do a quick browse around the internet...

At William-Sonoma Home for $160:

And at Inspired Living for $169...

Can't wait to get our little elephant table all cleaned up... Now to decide on the color!

Thoughts?

2011-01-31T08:00:00.003-05:00

My mind has been going non-stop on home projects lately... Add to that my recent find of Effortless Style, and... well, you can just feel sorry for my hubby. A definite add to your blog roll, with tons of inspiration images & great DIY projects!

I saw this duvet with a Greek key border and immediately feel in love...

A quick Google search later and I found this beauty...

But the price tag of $358 for full/queen and $388 for king duvet left me ~~a little~~ a lot less giddy. So I started thinking, could I get the same look with a solid white duvet and a little Greek key trim?

A 530 thread count plain white duvet from Overstock for $65 and Greek Key trim for $12 per yard. Definitely much more cost effective, but would the look hold up?

I'm really tempted to try this out... Any thoughts?

Ellie's Room

2011-01-28T12:30:00.000-05:00

We sometimes refer to the sunroom as 'Ellie's room' so it is only fitting that she receives a puppy-sized entry...

The verdict? She loves it...

Many apologies for all the iPhone photos recently... We got rid of our old desk in preparation for sunroom rearranging, and all contents - including our camera cords - are stuffed into boxes!

Cork It

2011-01-26T16:25:00.002-05:00

As I mentioned before, we've decided on cork flooring for our sunroom. I have to give Jeff credit for this, and admit that it took me a while to get totally on board. All I could picture was this...

Not my style! But I've found that you can actually get the flooring in a wide variety of shades & colors and lay it in a variety of patterns. Here are a few of my inspirations...

{images via}

I still can't believe that some of those are actually cork! Plus the flooring has tons of benefits... Number one being that it is eco-friendly! Not to mention that it is an ideal choice for kitchens and bathrooms, due to the water-resistant nature... and it's a great insulator (making it warmer and softer) for on top of our current cement floor in the sunroom.

I may just lobby to replace our manufactured hardwood flooring in the kitchen with this too... What do you think? Would you try out cork flooring?

Privacy, Please

2011-01-26T10:41:00.002-05:00

Over the past few weeks, we really took notice of the view to be had from our sunroom addition. In the summer, it would look out to an over-grown, green yard... Unkempt, but necessary to hide our neighbor's yard/house from view. However, in the winter, bare trees just show...

Yep, a clear shot to our neighbor's home. Jeff, in typical Whittaker fashion, started to scour Craig's List for privacy fencing. He found exactly what we needed for free... with a little labor investment. Jeff responded to a post offering free privacy fencing to anyone who would remove it (boards, posts & all) themselves. The home owner won since they got rid of unwanted fencing with zero labor, and we saved a few hundred dollars!

Over the weekend, Jeff took a small break from sunroom work to install the fence with his brother (thanks, Michael!)

{progress... fencing up to the right}

And it makes all the difference in our sunroom view!

Now we'll be ready to clear out this over-grown mess, once we get some warmer days!

Too Soon?

2011-01-24T14:57:00.002-05:00

I cannot help it... Young House Love is making me, almost downright forcing me, to repaint our house.

It has been a little over a year & a half since I stormed into Jeff's bachelor pad, paint brush in hand... Well, actually, he did the painting, so it was more like paint swatches in hand... And we updated a house with entirely white walls to this:

Note that the guest bedroom actually looks much more lavender than pink

& the 'below chair rail' looks much more dark brown.

Our current color scheme is pretty neutral, with what I would consider relatively traditional choices. But I'm just dying over the moody colors from Young House Love's new home...

{images via YHL}

Gray's, dark blue's & crisp white's... oh my! But is approximately 18 months too soon to break the paint brush back out? What is the shortest time frame you've repainted in?

Kitchen Storage

2011-01-18T16:30:00.001-05:00

Hope everyone had a great long weekend! Sorry for the silence lately, but not too much to share... Jeff did a few little projects around the house & took a trip up to the lake, and I headed to the beach!

In sunroom news, Jeff made some more progress on finishing the exterior, and we should have some picture updates later this week! Eventually, we plan to change out the two large windows in front of our kitchen table for large pocket doors, like these...

{image via Young House Love}

After replacing those doors, we'll also seal-off the current entry from the sunroom. With the extra space, I planned to add a small china cabinet for more storage. Perhaps something like this...

{image via The Newlywed Diaries}

But after seeing these open shelves on Pink Wallpaper, I'm considering another idea...

I could get the storage I wanted from a china cabinet, and the open kitchen shelving I've been drooling over... Any thoughts? I think I might be in love...

Kitchen Rug Love

2011-01-12T16:54:00.002-05:00

It's no secret that I love rugs... In fact, I have an extra 8x10 oriental rug rolled up in our bedroom right now (long story). Like all other home items that I love and have extra of, I can't stop myself from browsing...

Overstock is a great resource for rugs, and here are a few of my current favorites (which all happen to be in the running for the spot in front of our kitchen sink):

Black & White Maze Rug

Grey World Classic Rug

Diamond Rug

I also can't stop thinking about this rug from Rugs Direct (as featured on Copy Cat Chic)...

Which one gets your vote? I'm leaning towards the second one from Overstock... It looks like it needs to come live with me.