Saturday, August 27, 2016

Imperative Update

Chad and I took all the custom blinds out of the windows during recent window replacements. While the blinds were down, we scrubbed and rinsed them thoroughly to remove nearly a decade of dust and pet hair. We scrubbed and rinsed the blinds on the back deck, draping them over the deck rails to dry. This method worked very well. All the blinds survived and hang in our new windows now.

On a cleaning bender, Chad asked if I thought it would be a good idea to take the eight foot by ten foot,  wool-blend rug out of the living room for a good scrub and rinse on the deck. I must have been distracted and/or suffering from a momentary lapse of reason when I said, "sure". Long story short, the rug separated from the backing, lost its shape and didn't dry after several days in the searing Texas summer sun. The rug essentially died a sad, soggy, shapeless death.

The pets and I failed to appreciate the bare hardwood floors. We needed a new rug. In addition to a new rug, we needed new chairs to replace the saggy, lumpy, twelve year old mismatched chairs in the living room. The pets and I needed a new look for the living room. (Okay. Maybe the pets were happy with the old chairs, but they did not like sliding around on the bare wood floors. I stand by my statement that the pets needed a new rug.)


Before: one of the old chairs with the old rug with two old cats



After: Janie finds the new rug very plush and relaxing.


After: Yes, I did just vacuum the ultra-suede (not really suede, it's polyester blend) sofa. 
Why do you ask? But look! The chairs on either side of the sofa match!



Opposite the sofa, some colorful knick-knacks distract from the TV.


As always, click on any photo to view it larger. New chairs and chair pillows from Overstock.com. Twelve year old sofa by Mitchell Gold for Storehouse. (Rest in peace, Storehouse. We miss you still.) Our awesome new rug is from Gilt.com *CLICK HERE* for an invitation to shop on gilt.com for all kinds of cool, discounted designer clothes, accessories and home goods.

Monday, August 01, 2016

Ten Year Refresh

Chad and I recently celebrated the ten year anniversary of purchasing the 1952 House. After ten years, it was time for a refresh and some repairs. We had the air conditioning ducts replaced, installed a solar-powered attic fan, installed an attic access ladder in the long hallway, got the original bathtub reglazed and installed a fan in the bathroom. While these were very necessary repairs/renovations, they aren't anything to photograph and submit to House Beautiful magazine.

The showstopper projects to behold are the new windows and the new exterior paint color. If you happened to drive by the 1952 House during the past month, you surely noticed an ever expanding collage of test paint patches on the front of the house, seven different colors in total. After much negotiation, Chad and I chose Sea Sparkle by Valspar. As always, click on any photo to view it larger.

Before paint and new windows in May 2016

After new paint, new windows and removal of shutters in July 2016




Back of house in May 2016 before new paint and new windows

Back of house after new paint and new windows in July 2016

Major props and thanks go out to The Fix It Chick, Kristi Copeland, and her amazing crews for all the interior projects and the perfectly executed paint job. I highly recommend The Fix It Chick!