AZ Updates

The project is kicking our butts these days, and we find ourselves trying to recoup on the weekend(s). We both end up working large portions of Saturdays and scramble to do something enjoyable on Sundays. The best part? We're together.

Raptors, this state is obsessed with their birds

Waiting to watch Obama speak

The Darn Teleprompter! Obama, greeting us at our jobsite.

Parts and pieces of our jobsite. That's Big Benny, the crane.

Sunsets and Sunrises here are great (this photo is unedited)

Cactus love

the Sunporch (Before & After)

The lower sunporch is directly off the Dining Room and entered through a pair of french doors. When we purchased the house, it was a plywood box enclosed by louvered (70s) windows. It was dusty, the glass had never been cleaned and we used it as an enclosed cut shop while working on trim and other items on the ground floor.

One morning in May 2009 I awoke to my husband dismantling the louvered windows. Thus, the demo began and I joined in on the fun... The neighbors behind us started cheering us on as they saw their backyard view instantly improve with the louvers coming down. I'm sure our house was cheering too,I know I was. It instantly brightened up the Dining Room as light was now able to enter unobstructed.

The sunporch looked like this for about a year, until we finished residing the exterior and had some experts come strip the paint. SO glad we didn't think about replacing these doors with new ones. The fir was in pristine condition and looked brand new.

And once it got painted?

Those are hops that are growing and provide shade during the summer

Ahhh, summer

When we return from AZ, we plan to tile the floor (it's painted plywood right now!), hang some light strings, and possibly make some outdoor curtains to accent the space.

Crafting: Jewelry Box Revamp

It would be logical to take a before picture - but I got a little too happy with the can of spray paint. This is my childhood jewelry box that my mom brought to me... straight "brown" wood with tacky gold glass, a mirror and pink interior. I guess you could say it had "good bones"
Materials Purchased: High Gloss Paint/ Primer ($8.99)
Materials on Hand: Jewelry Box, Scrapbook Paper

Disclaimer: this photo makes me cringe because we have minimal natural light and I struggle to get photos of anything inside the apartment that aren't washed out by my limited toolbox of supplemental lighting.

I matched the scrapbook paper to the pink velvet that lines the bottom of the chest and the drawer below. The hardware could use some TLC, that I may/ may not do. Verdict is still out. I kept the glass out and am toying with the idea of a screen material instead that could double as additional earring storage.

Tackling the Rhino

At work,our client uses an analogy about taking one bite of the "rhino" at a time. Meaning, you can't do it all at once and you must approach anything one step at a time... I find that analogy to be so true for our ongoing home renovation.

The method to our madness is to take one room at a time, and until we finish the infrastructure and facelifts... we don't move on to furniture purchases and styling.

In a perfect world we'd have a big pot of money to spend all at once and renovate top to bottom while living somewhere else. But who are we kidding? We'd also have enough money to purchase our dream furniture... but that's a pipe dream.
While we embark on finishing our first phase on the house, here's what we have left to do, and places that have never been touched since we moved in.
1.) The Entryway: Woodwork Touch-Up, Refinish the Front Door, Strip the Banister Paint, Paint

2.) The Upstairs Landing: Finish the Built-in, Paint
3.) Second Floor Floors: Refinish (requires furniture moving... vacancy)

4.) The (Ninja Turtle) Green Bathroom: Top to Bottom gut job. Upgrade of the plumbing, wiring and fixtures required.

5.) The Library: Plaster Repair, Trim Repair, Paint, Electrical fixes.