it's Demo Day!

The cabinets are all cleaned out and ready to come down. The kitchen actually looks good in these photos, and you might be thinking "why are they getting rid of those?" Well, the paint is tired and chipping here and there, especially on the trimmed edge. The openings of the cabinets are 12" wide between the slats, so it's very difficult to get things in and out. The shelves are not adjustable, anywhere. The granite tile countertop is okay, a few areas of grout need repair, but there's no salvaging it when you're taking out the cabinets!

From afar it does look rather clean and neat in these photos. See how good no clutter can look! The upper cabinets are being salvaged to be used elsewhere, but the lower cabinets are coming out in pieces. Bye bye white kitchen...

And look what they found underneath! Who knew? The original countertop and backsplash was 4x4 white tiles, with a navy blue diamond accent. Surprise! Double the demo here.

White tile, that's what they were using in 2000.

I hear the hammers and crow bars knocking,

more pics to come later...

because no project can ever be too easy...

I was so excited to find that great bathroom vanity at Home Goods, I failed to notice that the opening in the back isn't centered. The door on the left has the opening for the plumbing, and then there are drawers on the right. Here lies the problem. The plumbing is centered on the wall, and the vanity needs to be centered on that small wall, but the drawers are in the way. I so wanted this to work and had to figure out how. So... we took the back off of the vanity and hooray, there was enough leeway that we didn't have to cut into the drawers themselves, but we did have to cut into the dividing panel.

A quick cut with the jig saw. Not too much harm done, and nothing visible. We were now able to connect the cold water and push the vanity up against the wall, centered. Problem averted!

Here's the new brushed nickel light fixture,

and toilet paper holder in the mirror!

I painted the old mirror that I had in there black. I'm not loving it, at all. So today I bought some silver craft paint to brush on it. But seeing it all together tonight, I've decided it's just too small for the vanity. I have an old cherry wood oval one that I'm going to try.

What I do love is the new faucet! The brushed nickel goes so well with the granite!

Now it needs the finishing touches. I have to hang the towel ring, some pictures on the walls, and find a new small rug. But not a "bathroom rug", more formal than that... because after all, it is a powder room.

Something else to shop for!

we painted the powder room today, it was inevitable...

I needed to spackle and paint to cover up the old towel bar holes, so decision time... we could paint the powder room the same green it was or try a new color. I love to update and change, so we just had to try a new color of course! I went with "Pavestone" by Sherwin Williams, a medium base gray. I wanted to try gray because the granite on top has gray speckles in it and it also seems to be the "it" color right now. At first, trimming it in, I was worried it was looking purple. I was afraid to go gray for that reason, I even asked the paint guy at HD what the colors were in the mix before ordering the paint to be sure. I wanted to get the first coat on before panicking...

ta da, here it is... "Pavestone" gray

No purple undertone after all, phew!

Here it is with the speckled granite

Next step... installing the new brushed nickel fixtures. I decided to go with BN versus ORB because of the gray in the granite. All the ORB I found had copper coming through it and I didn't care for that. So, new BN faucet, light fixture, TP holder, towel holder and outlet covers to be installed... soon.

How can you pass up a good buy at Home Goods?

You gotta get it! You know if you don't buy it, it will be gone and you won't have the option any longer. Okay... I admit it... I'm a home remodelaholic. Many of you out there are too, admit it. We buy our houses mostly because of timing. Most of the wishlist is there, but there is always work to do to make it yours, because no home is perfect. It's a work in progress. There are things you change right away and things you learn to live with.

Today I found something I wasn't looking for, but I always have my eye on when I see one. I found a bathroom vanity for our powder room, one to replace our pedestal sink with the shiny brass faucet.

I saw two other women looking at it, but then they walked away. I wheeled my cart over to look closely... nice dark finish, real wood, nice oil rubbed bronze hardware, nice neutral granite top, very nice price. I thought quickly, hesitated for a moment and then ripped the tag off to claim it! It's now sitting in my foyer.

Even my husband said it was a good find! I wanted to start the install right when we unloaded it, but no, it's patiently waiting. It has a good home now.

Of course I will have to find an ORB light fixture, faucet, towel and toilet paper holder, and paint the mirror frame in there ORB too. Maybe even paint the walls a different color... but it was a good find, and I am very pleased!

When you give a mouse a cookie you know it never stops there... especially if she's a remodelaholic!

deciding on a neutral wall color for the next decade

I've lived with Duron Plantation Beige for the last decade and now it's time for a change. February 1st we're renovating the kitchen with new cabinets and granite and tearing up the place a bit. Since all that will be new, we feel we need to paint the trim and walls on the main level and make it all new too. My house is open enough that the main level walls also go up the stairway, and those walls go down the upstairs hallway. That means that 70% of the house will be this new color I choose. Pressure right?!

I have 6 different color samples on the wall at the moment. As you go from wall to wall the lighting changes so therefore the color changes. I may like one color on one wall, but then on another wall it looks too dark or too green or too taupe. I know grays and browns are very popular at the moment but I can't go too gray or too brown because that doesn't really go with my furnishings.

I want to stay with a warm neutral color.

These two below are Behr colors, Bone on the left and Parachute Silk on the right. You probably can't tell from this photo I took at night, but Bone actually has a bit more green undertone than Parachute Silk. They're only one color away from each other, but I have found that the slightest undertone makes a big difference, especially when it's covering 70% of your house.

Today I stopped at Sherwin Williams and picked up their new mini fan deck. Quite a few colors that I may want to try... like Wool Skein, Rice Grain or Ramie.

It's a big decision and I want to get it right so I don't mind spending money on samples.

My house will soon look like a patchwork quilt!

winter red

Amaryllis in full bloom

They were just bulbs a month ago

Bringing a little color to your white winter!

Thanks E&R for the Christmas gift, it's beautiful!

when you're iced in and can't drive...

...what do you do? You walk! It's Day 2 of the Atlanta Ice-in.

We got ~6 inches here where I live. They don't plow or de-ice or salt the streets around here. It just has to melt and dry up. We haven't even had mail service for the past 2 days. So much for "through sleet and hail the US Post Office delivers the mail"... not!

Today we decided to get out and walk to Home Depot and Whole foods. It was a short 1.5 mile round trip walk through the slush and ice, and nice to be out in the fresh air. We needed garlic for this yummy turkey vegetable chili recipe I had made yesterday.

Since we were already out we bought a few other things too... lettuce, butter to make cookies, and coffee beans and half n' half because that's something I have to have in the morning!

Some people I know are already complaining of "cabin fever". Something I don't quite get, and by "get" I mean understand. I have no problem finding things to do at home. I've cooked and cleaned, played scrabble and read, and done 4 loads of laundry over the past 2 days with 2 more to come tomorrow. Do these complainers live in perfectly clean houses with nothing to do? Do they not like being home? Do they have no hobbies? That is sad!
I'm always doing something at home.
We are getting ready to paint the main floor, so while we were out we got a couple of paint samples. So far I like the one on the right.

Of course I usually need ~ six samples before I can commit. Another walk to HD tomorrow? Maybe.