Flooring Update!

Well, lots of work has been going on around here this week...so much so, that I thought I should jump in today with a quick update...

Earlier this week the room looked like this...

Now McG has a day job and he works very hard, most days from 5 am to 5 pm...and then he comes home and keeps on working until its time for bed!  He's a hard-working man and I love and appreciate him for all that he does...We've worked on the floor every night this week, with the exception of last night, 'cause it was our 26th anniversary yesterday and we enjoyed a lovely dinner out, and then a bit of shopping for some castors for another project!! Hopefully, I will be able to share that one soon!...Anyway, I snapped some pictures of the floor this morning so you could see the progress...It's dark and rainy here so I hope they show the true beauty of the floor...

You can see that we are working in not the best light...My job was to make sure we were mixing up the pattern and laying out each row..McG was cutting and fitting the pieces together...it was a bit difficult but we've managed to get most of the living room and dining room done over the last few nights...

We've just got the hallway left to do this weekend...here's a sneak peek of the room with some of the furniture moved back in...REMEMBER - this is NOT the finished room...there's a lot left to do!

And look, there's Sloan curled up on the trunk in the front window..eyes glowing at me!  This is what we've been working on this week...what have you been up to???  Leave a comment, I'd love to hear from you!

Cheryl

Weekend Fun Turns to Weekday Work!

Well, as you all know we are in the midst of a big renovation here - it's exciting times!  And this is what the excitement was about this past weekend...

I know this doesn't seem too exciting to some...but let me tell you - I was excited as H - E - double L - about getting rid of that carpet! Woo Hoo - it's outta here! - Why the excitement you ask???  That's because  it was followed by this...

Now ain't  she pretty?! All shiny and new - I love this new floor - and McG will too once the work is done...but for now, we've got a few more days of this before it's all done...and even then, is it ever really done? No, because then there is baseboards to do and some other trim work, bringing back in the furniture and then of course the stairs will need to be done...and then all the good stuff, like fluffing and nesting...I am hoping it keeps moving along at a fast pace, but I am sure that other things will get in the way,  like this...

Yes - it seems that other work is piling up, so today I guess my job is to work on this while McG is at his day-job...so that he doesn't have to contend with this when he gets home...and he will have nothing to do but to work on the floor again...ain't that sweet of me!  Oh well, its a beautiful sunny day here, might as well get me some fresh air and get to work.

Are you working outside today?  I'd love to know what you are working on today!

Cheryl

The Wall is up!!

I know I shouldn't be so excited, but I am...

You see our entryway used to look like this...with its orangey trim and railings....and our living room couch lived with its back up against this ugly railing for 16 years...really it was meant to be a wall from the beginning, but the builder messed up and installed the railing instead...and for 16 years I have been trying to hide it behind the furniture...it really made it hard to decorate the living room but we lived with it - UNTIL NOW...I have finally talked McG into getting rid of it and installing the wall that the builder should have oh so long ago!!

So down came the railing..and quite easily I might add...

Up went the framing and the hardboard and in less than an hour, McG had the new wall in place! WOO HOO!

He made the framing from two by six lumber and screwed it down well to the adjacent wall and floorboards.

We had purchased these MDF panels a few months back at our local RONA store.  They were on clearing for $7.49 for a 4 x 8 sheet with the design carved out on one side...three panels were enough to cover the whole wall.  We faced the carved side out in the living room, but on the side facing the entryway we chose to have the plain side facing out as I am going to wallpaper the whole wall on that side.  I primed the wall with 2 coats of primer.

The entryway now looks like this...since this picture was taken, I have also painted out the baseboards and started on the remaining handrail.  I must say that I am loving the painted trim.  It makes the whole house look lighter and brighter!!

My last post talked about my inspiration for the kitchen...NOW FOR A SNEAK PEEK OF HOW IT TURNED OUT....

This picture is taken from the view of the dining room through the pass-thru to the kitchen - a full kitchen reveal will be coming soon!!  IT'S EXCITING TIMES HERE AND I AM LOVING IT!

Cheryl

Where do you get your inspiration???

Most of my inspiration lately comes from reading blogs and of course, Pinterest (you can follow me there by clicking the link on the side bar).  But I must warn you, IT IS SO ADDICTIVE!!!  I could (and do) spend hours looking at photos dreaming of what my house could be...McG is not so fond of Pinterest as it just adds fuel to my creativity and more to his honey-do list.

Before the days of Pinterest, I got most of my inspiration from decorating magazines, like Style at Home and Better Homes and Gardens...or from the many shows on HGTV.

As I began to prepare for our latest renovation, I knew I had to incorporate the honey oak kitchen cabinets that were existing in our kitchen.  This is the inspiration I found on Pinterest.  The original source of the photo is http//thefreshlivingroomideas.onsugar.com

What do you think of my inspiration?  Where do you get your inspirations for decorating?  I'd love to hear from you!





P.S. - the painting has begun in my kitchen - and I am so in LOVE with the colour!!

Is this a step backwards???

I am starting this blog at the beginning of our home Reno and re-construction...so in some ways if feels we are taking steps backwards instead of forwards...This is our living room before the demolition...See the railing behind the couch...that lovely orangey thing - it is no more!

Gone also, is the lovely orangey trim around the door frames in the entry and the entire main living areas - I have been decorating around this orange colour for 16 years - AND I WANT IT GONE!!!  And while my before pics are lovely...and the during stage (that we have been living in for the past few weeks) aren't so pretty...I know we are on our way to an even better "after"...so hold tight - its going to be messy for a while longer...

I am trying out some new colours as you can see...but they look alot more blue in this photo..the current wall colour is a "pear green" - not sure of the exact shade but I know the paint came from Sears years ago - I don't even think they sell paint at Sears here in Canada anymore...I am leaning towards a grey-blue colour by CIL paints called Canadian Sky for the living room and dining room...and the kitchen is going to be another CIL shade called Smoked Turquoise.

I'm off to paint another coat of white on the entryway baseboards...wish me luck!!

Cheryl