25 August 2011

Family Room...

So here's the deal, I have the itch. The itch to "re-do" something. It happens all the time. But sometimes I obsess over it. Like right now, I can't get it out of my head. It starts with one bad photo.
I started critiquing the awful photos on Remax when I started looking for my house. They are BAD people bad. Just take a look. Some of those people don't even clean up, and the CRAZY listing agent takes a photo of the "mess". It's nuts I tell ya nuts. So I went around taking pictures of my house with my phone just to see what it might look like on one of those sites.
So here's the deal, I started this blog on a whim. I was searching the Internet one day for some pics and I came across a very popular blog. I decided I should start one too! It might be fun, its a way to get my talents out to the world. If you know me then you know I have this talent. So instead of giving people random advice when I see them now and then, I figured why not create a space for them to come and get inspired.
I get inspired to, hence the inspiration page. I get that a goal of a "magazine cover" style hose is impossible, if you want to live in it. But I can try right?
Anyhoo, Pottery Barn came out with there "pre" fall catalog. I am gaga over some of the pictures, as usual. It's dangerous people, dangerous.
Here's what's swimming around in my brain. My family room. I hate this room. Sure it looks good, but not good enough. Not magazine quality, I know I'm crazy!

Its like a hodge podge of a bunch of crap that I have accumulated over the last 3 or so years. Look even the picture on the wall is not even in the center of the couch??? Seriously.
I mean we got the new sofa, and I didn't want to just get rid of the pillows that came with it. But the focal point of the room is red, obviously. The pillows are blue and brown. Its not working. I hate it. I spend alot of time in here when I'm home. I want it to feel like the other rooms!!!
Here's what I've got in mind. I love, love, love all three of these rooms in the new catalog.


Here's the red inspiration. I will recover my old pillows, and add a few extras. Also get a red throw. I also love the oval wall sconces which i want to flank on either side of the round mirror below:


I love the idea of a table behind the sofa, against the wall, but I'm not sure I can pull it off. I am trying though.  Also, some new lamps.
So watch out, I'm going shopping tonight for some new "options". Lets see what i can pull off in one night!! O yea, I want to spend less than 200 bucks on this WHOLE room, think I can do it??  We will see... stay tuned

20 August 2011

Boston!!

I have just celebrated my 26th Birthday and every year I usually try to go on a road trip, or some kind of excursion. This year I was pondering what to do, what to do!  We all know that I have been to New York City, many times, I was meant to live there I swear. Anyway, this time around I said I want to see a big city, and possibly a water view as well. I went to Toronto last year so that was out, I am going to New York next weekend, so that's out. I thought to myself, where can I go that is withing driving distance and that I have never been to?  BOSTON, its like a light bulb went off in my head! But wait, its kinda far... O well I will just get up early, right??? YES!  So we got up at 5 am and headed out for the 6 hour drive to Boston. The drive was easy, smooth and very scenic. I would definitely do it again. We got in around 11am. It was so exciting.

We were greeted by a beautiful sunrise....


While stopped at a rest stop I noticed the beautiful landscaping. This is what I want around my deck to look like. I need to get workin!!!



After a few rest stops, we finally got into Boston!


And after we found where to park, which was very easy but VERY pricey. We were off, to enjoy the day!

They have trolly tours, duck boats, child sailing, HUGE yachts, a ton of churches, great shopping, amazing food and very friendly people. An all around great city, and a bonus... smaller than New York and MUCH easier to drive through!


Newberry Street...


While in Bost you have to have a Lobster...


Beautiful Scenery....

Big Boats...
Big Park...

After lunch we decided to take a drive along the ocean, you know Cape Cod. One of the most beautiful places in the coutry...  We didnt get very far because we had a limited amount of time. But we stopped at a placed called Nahant Beach. I still don't know how to say the name :(
It was really pretty, very low tide...

And lastly a beautiful sunset.....



All in all, I had a great time. It was a very loooooooooog day. But so worth it. I would do it again in a heartbeat.

Have a great weekend!!!!

17 August 2011

Mini Before and After

Hi all, hope you are having a great week so far!   I wanted to share a quick switcheroo I did this morning before work. I have had this little wine cupboard for-ever and a day. It keeps making its way around my house. Last Thanksgiving I needed a  sideboard table for the "extra" dishes. Its been there for a while, and I bough it for the space in the kitchen. Its the perfect length and width. :)

          Here are the before pictures:
     Before: Kitchen                                        After : Kitchen
 

It was in the dining room, it was to small for the wall. So you know what that means.... I am on the lookout for a longer sideboard table :) :) Watch out now!

  Before: Dining Room
  

So now the room is bare :( It wont be for long, I have major plans for this space!!!

After: Dining Room
Have a great day!!!


12 August 2011

My Favorite Products

So you know how I said I was obsessed with outdoors, I am seriously. I have so many mosquito bites I should probably see a doctor. However, I did try this new product I saw at home depot. I think it worked really, there were so many out there I think it killed about 75%. I think that you have to use it for a few days in a row to get rid of them completely. Also, they will make their way over from other untreated yards.

The product is called Cutter Bug Free Backyard. You hook it up to your hose and spray EVERYTHING. Or at least we did. The deck, the plants, the grass, everything...


It covers about 5000 square feet as well. Plenty big enough for our back yard, he did the front yard also. It costs around 10 dollars for this bottle, and they do have a smaller one for about 5. It was well worth 10 dollars, especially because my dogs go outside at night. Mosquito bites on dogs can cause heart worm :(  Don't want that!  As an added bonus it kills ants and fleas. I still see a ton of ants around so I don't think it works as well on them.

As long as I'm talking about my favorite products I can't go without mentioning a must in my house. Its Bar Keepers Friend. This stuff work miracles. It gets out anything and gets anything off metal. I have stainless steel appliances and pans. We all know this was the worst invention of mankind. Sure, they look amazing but trying to keep food and fingerprints from sticking is a nightmare.
They sell it at Target, Walmart and Wegmans, my local grocery store. For the appliances I use this with in combination with Cameo stainless steel cleaner. You just mix them with water.
I use these two products for the deep clean. They also work great on my kitchen sink.
For the fingerprints, I am obsessed with cleaning fingerprints. I HATE THEM!!  And no matter what I do they are always there. It drives me crazy. I want to put a sign on the fridge that says "Only Touch Handle". I'm that nuts about it. Its crazy. Anyway, I use Method streak free cleaner, it works good and it smells great!

I cant forget about my dear friend swiffer!  Its crazy but I walk around my house with this think like 3 times a week. I'm crazy! I actually use all of them, the wet, dry and dusting cloths.


Thanks for reading and have a great day!!!

10 August 2011

Deck decorating...

So i have a huge deck, like massive trust me when I have to stain it i can't move for a week. And it needs to be stained really bad right now. But besides the obvious, I keep reading, seeing, obsessing with outdoor spaces. You read about my "front porch" redo here. I love being outside and therefore love it to feel cozy and inviting. You have seen pictures of my deck and it looks great except for the staining, I know. I just haven't found the time to do it. It takes forever.  Here it is before:

See it looks great!  But I don't want to see my neighbors AT ALL when I'm back here. I like them, they are great. But they are ALWAYS home, they are retired. 
So I decided I would try and soften the view...


 It helps, its not perfect. Those are palms. I usually cant keep them alive for very long. I am going to try really hard this time. And when its time for them to come in, I already have a spot.

I put them in special drainage pots, special miracle grow soil and EVERYTHING!! If they die I will be so mad >:(

But see, no neighbors anymore!!!

05 August 2011

Spare Bedroom FREE redo :)

Hi all, so I was playing around with a bunch of "stuff" i had laying around from past projects. I realized I have so much and instead of stuffing placing them in other parts of the house why not pull them together. I said lets see what I can come up with, spending NO money at all I mean zero, zip nada. After all it is a "spare" bedroom why should it cost alot, or anything for that matter!  As I had piled and PILED and PILED.
I'm like ok you have to stop shopping Alyssa its getting out of control!!  But as I was looking around I thought wow I really have an eye for things. Because I could see this pile coming together and working well together.
I didn't have to paint, alter or change a thing, I just whipped it right up. I love when that happens.

So here is the before picture, partial pile showing in the bottom right hand corner. There is more behind me, I was just trying to spare myself the embarrassment of the pile...

Before:

Most of the stuff showing was from the old bathroom and needed to go back into the new one, hence the TP. Seriously I don't just have random half used rolls of TP laying around my house, LOL.

Just so happened my mom had a mattress and box spring in her garage, SCORE! and I had an old queen bed frame from years ago.
See, now you are starting to see the pile ;)

I had the bed skirt from the bed set that was originally in my mater bedroom, it was never used because my bed frame doesn't allow for a skirt.

And here here you have it:

After:
Nightstands and end of bed bench from the master bedroom :), I did buy new for that room :) :)
Lamps from the master and bedspread from there too!! Rug from the family room. The pillows were stuffed placed into the linen cabinet in the hall and have been there for about two YEARS!! I was so happy to get them out and used. No I have a TON more room in the linen closet to stuff more things into. ;)
I loved doing this, I feel so creative!!
Night stands in this picture were what I was going to use, then I decided to get new ones for our bedroom. That explains the difference. Also, it was a bit brighter than the other photos.

and the chair from the master, looks 100000 times better in here. This room is sooo light and airy it needs big chunky pieces to ground it. And I think this did the trick, I and SOO happy I moved it in here, plus I got a new one for the master ;)


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