Project Renovation: Kitchen Floor

Here I'm going to attempt to illustrate the craziness that is my kitchen floor. After pulling up about 3 layers of burlap-backed linoleum & a layer of 90-year old tar/glue, I was left with  beautifully untouched original flooring. If you remember (and much to the horror of my contractor), I had the unwavering desire to paint my floor. *Gasp!* in total incredulity he says, "You want to paint your wood floor?!" Seriously. I don't think this man has EVER picked up a home decor magazine or even knows the word "blog". He even asked me to send him a link that would show how to properly paint wood floors. I obliged, knowing full well he was never going to read it. He's a do-er, not a dreamer. So, whatever. *shakes head in dismay* Contractor painting floor was out. 

Thinking that maybe Flooring Guy would be able to take care of it, because after all, he is Flooring Guy. He smiled and said, "I've never painted a floor. But, sure! No problem" *Mistake! Red flag! Red flag!* So, no. Flooring Guy did not paint the floor. I had him sand the tar & renovation crud that had built up. He got it down to a bare, smooth-as-a-baby's-behind state. Then we covered it in about a billion layers of paper for protection. Remodeling continued. 

I thought maybe Painter Guy could do the floor, because after all, he is Painter Guy. He smiled and said, "I've never painted a floor. But, sure! No problem" *Mistake! Red flag! Red flag!* So, no. Painter Guy did not paint the floor. 

No one to paint the floor. No one even knew how to paint a floor (or were just afraid).
I couldn't trust any of them. I got depressed.
Then, I got excited...
Hand on hip, finger to the sky and in a voice worthy of a superhero, I bellow; "I'll do it myself!" 

Sliding Doors

In my alternate reality where I have my own dream-like fashion week...

I'd Have cascading waves of pink hair & stroll the catwalk in this dress

and this would be my runway...

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Monthly Obsession: Rattan Chairs

This monthly obsession is brought to you by those fabulous rattan chairs that seem to be popping up everywhere these days. I mean... everywhere. I saw Ikea's version about a year ago. I was on my way to the registers - hell bent on getting out of the weekend crush ASAP {weekend Ikea = worst nightmare ever!}. When I saw the display they had set up, it was like a cartoon scene - my body kept walking while my head stayed to savor the awesomeness that was that rattan chair. At the time, I was still in the thick of demo-ing my house & trying to figure out what fixtures to order. Decor, let alone patio furniture, was the last thing on my list. So, I left Ikea and kept that chair in the back of my head. I figured if it was out of store by the time I was ready, then it wasn't meant to be. Fast forward to now, and violá! Chairs. It just so happened that I snagged the last 2 on the shelf that morning. Score! {I'm sure they had a billion more waiting in the back, but I felt lucky at the time}

I'll share pictures of my actual chairs a little later. 

top photo via Apartment Therapy

1. bamboo & rattan chair, 1stDibs; 2. round chair, The Family Love Tree; 

3. hanging chair, Serena & Lily; 4. Storsele chair, Ikea;

5. rattan chair w/ cushion, One Kings Lane; 6. red armchair, Meg Braff Designs

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Mom's Garden: Caravaggio

 I put this arrangement together and immediately thought of Caravaggio. His paintings full of light and dark, mysterious shadows and amazingly velvety textures. This arrangement was from mid/late summer, but somehow it seems more like a wintery mood. Don't you think?

 Flowers used:

Rose "Prospero"

Rose "French Lace"
Monarda

Wild grape

Buddleja "Harlequin"

Gomphrena globosa "Fireworks"

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Monthly Obsession: Moravian Star

This edition of Monthly Obsession is brought to you by the fabulously versatile moravian star pendant light. After ripping apart my little Spanish Revival house, I wanted to keep the interior looking relatively close to what you may have found in it when it was built in 1924... with a few classic updates, of course. When I looked up at my living room ceiling after all the whipped cream had been removed, I pictured awesome moravian star pendant lights. Those things have been around for so long, they're a classic. They can be found is so many variations, the star lights can be applied to pretty much any european-style house {spanish, moorish, german, english cottage, etc}. In true obsessive style, I scoured lighting stores and the interwebs for the perfect ones. Originally, I found really great ones from Rejuvenation that were the right size and in my budget. Unfortunately, by the time I went to buy them, they were discontinued. Sadness. {something about the shade randomly falling off the light. Not good} Just as I was getting disheartened, I somehow found lights from Ballard Designs. That catalog store isn't at all on my radar, like ever... but they had some nice ones that were also on super sale! Yessss! Done!

{see my bro & sis-in-law helping with the install below. I have amazingly awesome family}

I pulled together a small collection of Moravian Stars for you to peruse below. {links below image} Enjoy!

1. Vaughn Designs, 2. World's Away, 3. Greige, 4. Ballard Designs, 5. 1st Dibs, 6. Direct From Mexico

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Views of a Renovation: Jasco

Oh, Jasco®. A renovation/restorer/rehabber's best and worst friend. A necessity that is totally disgusting and toxic, but also totally amazingly awesome. I was adamant in keeping all my original door and window hardware. It just so happened that all of said hardware was covered in 2-6 layers of paint... often with big dried up drips hanging off. I invested in a big can of Jasco. Grabbed an old toothbrush, tweezers, pliers, rags and heavy duty gloves and got to work. Man, was it messy. The stuff ate right through my gloves and left my skin burning and tingling. So, {don't tell anyone} I tossed the gloves and continued barehanded {hence the tweezers & pliers}. I kept a bucket of water and a clean rag nearby in case I bumped into it with bare skin. It was much easier, but WARNING, do not do what I did. Use gloves. Use those huge, nuclear-tested, Homer Simpson gloves. Much safer.

 Finished product below! Viola! Amazingness.

Views of a Renovation: Color

Views of a Renovation: Color Selection. It can take awhile... and a lot of obsessing, to get the perfect color. And, NO, white is not just white.

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Views of a Renovation: Sweat Equity

Sweat equity is something that you usually hear about in a joking-but-I'm-mostly-well, almost-entirely-serious context. If, like me, you run out of money three-quarters of the way through your renovation... you invest in some serious Sweat Equity. This usually involves you, your partner/spouse, family, friends... hell, even your children if they're old enough to hold a paint roller. You suddenly become Mr. Electrician, Pro Painter 5000, or Ms. Stucco Patcher!, or Carpenter Extraordinaire! if it'll mean saving you several thousand dollars along the way. {provided you have lots of time and serious energy to dedicate to it all}

I'd just like to go on record by saying that there is no way, and I mean NO WAY I'd have been able to finish my house without the help of my family. Especially my brother. I'm going to be owing him baked goods & beers for the rest of his life. I mean, srsly. My brother is Epic... yes, with a capital E.

 This is my family. Being awesome. And, I didn't even get pictures of half of it.

 And, of course, some hiccups along the way that had to be remedied.

PS. On occasion, you may have to admit defeat and bring in professionals who are more equipped to fix certain things. Thanks Ryan!!!!!!

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Looking Up

Taken on one of my trips to NYC. 

The architecture never ceases to amaze me {even when I was living there!}

Taken with Instagram - follow me at: MyLifeEclectic

Project Renovation: Tile... and some advice

Oh, tile. What can I say? It's a pretty way to set tone and style to your whole house. When it's done well, it can be pretty amazing.
There's not many people yelling over the rooftops about the detail-oriented, painstaking way of doing tile well {except, maybe those who have gotten bad tile jobs}. Now, don't get me wrong, it's totally awesome to be able to do a DIY tile weekend adventure. But, if you've got an old house, complicated patterns or difficult obstacles (window frames, built-ins, curvy tubs, etc.) it's probably a good idea to go professional. I had two different guys do my tile (long story), but both were incredibly detail oriented. It's obvious when you've seen a job well done. Pay attention to the corners and where tile meets other surfaces. Good guys will skimp the effort and just stick with 90 & 45 degree angles. The good guys cut curves into the tile.
Look at the lines and the symmetry. Does the pattern pick up after an interruption, like a window? Are the grout lines evenly spaced and connect from shower floor up and over the curb? Did he lay the floor first, before the walls so water doesn't find it's way to the subfloor? How does the tile meet the flooring of the rest of the house - is it a level & smooth transition? A good tile guy, who is proud of his work, will pay attention to these little things. And, especially, how clean does he leave his area at the end of the day? This also applies to ALL subs - tile, electrician, plumber, roofer, etc. If they leave the job at the end of the day, your house should be spick-and-span. If they leave trash/food lying around, tools in the middle of the floor, concrete/wood debris without vacuuming... it's obvious they don't care too much about your house OR their own workmanship. {I repeatedly found open, half-full taco sauce packets in the middle of my newly refinished wood floors... just waiting to be stepped on. I about had a fit. Don't get me started about the apple core thrown in the void in the wall. But, those were other guys which I hope to never deal with again}

Ok, lets get back to the good stuff before I really start going off. 

Good tile choices and installation = beautiful! Yay!

PS. Don't worry, I'll post pictures of the finished rooms when it's all said and done.
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