It’s time for another round of Instagram pictures! You can see the previous six recaps here
If you have an account, you can follow me at: SAMTJH22. If not, this recap is for you! I’ve rounded up my last 16 Instagram pictures for you here today. This roundup includes the last few pictures from our London and Paris trip, my bowling victory (I usually suck), my parents’ dog Sadie in the snow, and as always, Ringo and Abby pictures!
As usual, my plan is to share a pretty collage of all the pictures and then pick my top 5 in different categories: Abby, Ringo, Cutest Couple (Ringo and Abby), Yummy (Food or Drink), and Wildcard (Non-Food and Non-Puppy).
OK, enough talk! Here’s the seventh round of Instagram pictures:
And here are my favorites:
Abby
This picture makes me melt! This is my boyfriend and Abby every night before bed. She loves cuddling and he loves the attention (although he probably won’t admit it). I could look at this picture all day – that sweet sleepy Abby face.
Ringo
This is definitely one of my favorite pictures of Ringo ever! He’s always the first in bed and sometimes we tuck him under the covers as a joke…but he loves it! He’s just lays there completely content.
Cutest Couple
Like most dogs, Abby and Ringo love riding in the car. Abby always climbs into the passenger seat and Ringo loves having the backseat and both windows all to himself. He loves to stick his head out the window and feel the wind on his face.
Yummy
Have you ever seen the movie Pulp Fiction? If you have, you’ll definitely understand this picture. After my mom and I finished touring the Palace of Versailles we stopped by McDonalds to see if the Royale with Cheese was a real thing. It’s actual Royal Cheese, but close enough. My dad loves Pulp Fiction and thought this was the greatest thing ever.
Wildcard
It was hard to pick just one “Wildcard” picture this time because there were so many great shots from our London and Paris trip, but I had to choose the Eiffel Tower at night. I’ve always loved Paris and I’ve bought a lot of Eiffel Tower/Paris décor over the years. Seeing it in person was one of the best moments in my life. I’m so grateful that I got to share that experience with my mom.
OK, who else is on Instagram? Leave your username in the comments, so I can follow you.
Wow, time is flying by! I can’t believe we only have a couple weeks left to finish everything up and pull our rooms together!
OK, let’s just right to it -
As you saw on Tuesday, the drywall has been fixed! The drywall guy did such an amazing job and I’m so happy with how it turned out! You’d never know there used to be a hole there!
I got all of the trim and both doors painted over the weekend. I swear a fresh coat of white paint can fix anything! Although it never looks as good in pictures...
I also bought another light fixture, but we haven’t hung it yet…
OK, now let’s talk changes -
I decided to scratch the wall cabinet idea. Due to the measurements of the wall, a pair of standard cabinets would be either too short or too wide to fit in the room. I’d have to get custom cabinets and I really don’t want to put that much money into this room. So, I decided to keep the shelf instead. I gave it a fresh coat of paint and replaced the plain metal bracket with a decorative wood one. The wood bracket was only $10, but I think it makes the shelf look so much better. Before
After
That being said, let’s take a look at the updated to-do list:
Repair Drywall Paint Walls Paint Trim and Doors Paint Ceiling Paint Shelf and Replace Bracket Install New Light Fixture Update Light Switches to White Add Wood Countertop Hang Artwork Install Ironing Board Hanger Add Accessories/Final Touches
So, I might be stealing some of the thunder from Thursday’s One Room Challenge post by talking about drywall today, but I don’t care. I’m so excited to finally have this project done, I can’t help myself! I’ve been meaning to have some areas of drywall fixed around the house for awhile now *cough*3years*cough*, but I hate calling for estimates, so I just put it off.
This year I finally decided I should stop procrastinating on these kinds of projects (anything that requires a professional), so I added “Call for Help” to my 2014 Home Goals. Then I signed up for the One Room Challenge and that was the final push I needed to get it done.
I found a respected drywall company with good reviews and I set up an appointment to get an estimate. The drywall guy came out and gave me a quote to fix four areas in the house. I thought the price was fair and the guy was nice (plus the positive reviews online), so I hired him. I didn’t bother getting any other quotes.
A couple weeks later his son (it's a family-run company) came by and fixed up my house. He did an amazing job and I’m so excited to have this crossed off my list!
Anyway, here are the areas that were repaired, before and after:
The ceiling in the hallway was damaged due to an incorrectly installed A/C condensation tray...
I don’t really know what happened here, but the corner of the living room wall was crumbling.
The previous owners cut a hole for a cat/dog door between the laundry room and garage. We hung a piece of drywall to close the hole, but that’s as far as we got. And then puppy Ringo chewed a hole through it...
And here’s the garage side of the hole.
It might not be the most glamorous before/after post, but I’m so happy to have it done. Plus it looks amazing! Once I finish painting, you’ll never know that those areas were repaired!
If you live in Mesa or anywhere else in the east, central or west valley and need a drywall company, let me know! I’ll send you their info!
It’s week 3 of the One Room Challenge! Can you believe we are already halfway to the finish line?!
OK, let’s talk progress –
The new light fixture is up...and it's coming back down. My boyfriend and I installed it over the weekend (Saturday at 11 p.m. to be exact) and aren't sold on it. We both think it's too modern and fancy for the space...and compared to the rest of the light fixtures in the house. I think I'm going to return it and get the light fixture I originally liked.
I also started painting this week! The ceiling was the first spot to get a fresh coat of paint. I used the white ceiling paint that I had leftover from the other rooms. It’s probably hard to tell the difference in pictures, but it looks some much better now. Side Note: I just realized that I never shared a picture of the back wall in the laundry room, so here it is –
I haven’t started painting the walls yet, but I have picked a paint color! Cumulus by Behr was my front runner from the last week, so I picked up a sample pot at Home Depot so I could test it out before committing. I painted a test square and knew it was the one. I went back to Home Depot and bought a gallon of it, so I’m ready to start anytime. Please ignore the filthy wall...
In other news, the safety pins from Ballard Designs arrived last week and they are amazing in person! They are bigger than I expected and they actually open and close. I love them! I can’t wait to get the walls painted so I can hang them.
The drywall guy comes on Monday, so I’ll have that update for you next week plus hopefully the room and trim will be painted.
Don’t forget to check out the other bloggers participating and leave them a note of encouragement!
I was hoping to start off the challenge strong, but this week ended up just being prep and shopping time. At least I finally got a drywall guy to come out and give me an estimate - it’s only been three years in the making…Anyway, I liked him and thought the estimate was reasonable, so I scheduled him to come out on the 21st. I was hoping to have it done sooner, but that was the earliest available appointment.
I originally didn’t plan to paint until the drywall was complete, but now I’m thinking I better get started before 21st or I’m not going to have much time to install everything. I don’t know if that will really happen or not, but I figured I should pick a paint color so I’m ready to go whenever the motivation strikes. I want a really pale blue color on the walls (white on the ceiling, trim, and doors), so I grabbed some paint cards while I was at Home Depot. I’ve narrowed it down to two choices. I’m think I’m going to grab a couple test pots next time I’m there before I make the final decision.
Speaking of Home Depot, I bought a light fixture! I was originally planning on this Moroccan drum-shaped one, but ended up buying this square glass fixture instead. I really liked both of them and couldn’t decide, so I asked my boyfriend to pick. Of course I was happy either way, but I do like that this one was $15 cheaper than the other one.
I also ordered this set of safety pins from Ballard Designs while they were having a 20%-off sale. I tried to find a cheaper set elsewhere, but these ended up being the best deal. If you are in the market for just one safety pin, I found them at Hobby Lobby and online here, but they only come in one design. I liked the three in different styles, so I went with the ones from Ballard Designs.
As for the rest of the items, I ordered the Laundry Today or Naked Tomorrow vinyl from Etsy a few years ago…seriously, it’s still sitting in the box it was shipped in. Now I just need to find a board to hang it on. I also ordered this ironing board holder from Amazon.
So, I can’t cross anything off my to-do list this week. I’m planning to paint the ceiling, door, and trim by next week. Plus I want to hang my new light fixture…and maybe start painting? Don’t forget to stop by Calling It Home and check out everyone else’s second week progress!
I’m so excited to be joining this round of the One Room Challenge! Basically you have six weeks to complete one room makeover – start to finish. We’ll link up our progress every Thursday until the final reveal on May 8th. You can read all of the details here. And don’t forget to stop by the link party to see all of the other bloggers participating!
My laundry room is perfect for this challenge. It’s the only room in the house that hasn’t been painted yet. Actually, I haven’t done anything to the room except add a washer and dryer…and make a mess!
As with my last couple room makeovers, I put together a mood board to help myself focus on what I want the completed laundry room to look like. Source list at bottom of post.
The first big project is going to be repairing the drywall. The previous owners cut a dog/cat door opening between the laundry room and garage and we’ve never fully repaired it. My boyfriend hung a new piece of drywall, but Ringo chewed through it as a puppy and we never fixed/finished patching the wall.
Of course I’m planning to paint - I’m thinking a nice light blue color for the walls and fresh white on the trim. I’d like to replace the shelf with cabinets, but we’ll see…I also want to build a countertop across the top of the washer and dryer. The rest of the projects on my to-do are relatively small, so I think this is definitely doable!
Let’s take a look at the to-do list: Repair Drywall Paint Walls Paint Trim and Door Paint Ceiling Remove Shelf Install Cabinets Add Pulls to Cabinets Install New Light Fixture Update Light Switches to White Add Wood Countertop Hang Artwork Install Ironing Board Hanger Add Accessories/Final Touches
Antique Plaza is two-stories of antique/vintage finds - it’s hard to believe that I’ve lived here for over five years and have never been to this antique mall. Actually, I’ve never even been to Mesa’s historic downtown area. It’s lined with shops, restaurants and even the Arizona Natural History Museum. Clearly I need to get out more…
Like most antique shops, there are booths filled with old toys. I even recognized a few toys from when I was little…I’m getting old!
And of course there are plenty of old tools and items for the guys to look at. I’ve never taken my boyfriend antique shopping with me, but there was one booth with old fishing stuff that he’d probably like.
Painted furniture is big seller in antique stores right now (like this end table I bought). This is the booth of another local blogger, Laura from My Dear Trash. Actually, reading about her booth on her blog is the main reason I stopped by Antique Plaza.
OK, let’s look at some of my favorite finds:
I’ve never been to Australia (maybe someday…), but I love this colorful lithograph - it’s signed and numbered. The yellow mat and yellow frame is a little too much yellow for me, so I’d probably paint the frame or have it re-framed. There was a second print too…$39/each.
As most of you know, I collect white ironstone. It’s the main thing I search for while I’m antique shopping. I found these white ironstone plates in one booth for $9.95/each. I would want at least a set of four, but didn’t feel like dropping 40 bucks on four plates so I had to pass. I still kinda want them though…
This glass case held an impressive collection of Jadite items. So pretty, but way too expensive for my taste. These items are obviously for a collector and not someone who just likes the pretty green color. For example, that set of 4 bowls in the bottom corner was $145.
This ironstone pitcher and basin would have come home with me if I had a place for it. I’ve never seen ironstone with that fuchsia colored stripe. Originally priced at $89, it was marked down to $49. Such a good price and such a great piece…ugh, I want it!
I’ve never seen Tiffany & Co dishes, so this cake set definitely caught my eye. Five plates and a cake stand for $25.99.
Speaking of cake stands, this glass cake stand was $28 AND everything in that booth was 50%-off! You can’t buy a glass cake stand new for $14!
OK, now let’s talk about an “antique” item I don’t understand buying/selling – bedpans! I see multiple bedpans every time I go antique shopping, so I assume someone is buying them. I just don’t get it! This one was $32, which isn’t even a good deal (according to my Amazon search). Someone please explain this to me…
Anyway, let’s talk about what I did buy – I bought four ironstone bread plates for $11. I found two in one booth for $2/each and two in another booth for $3.50/each. I also bought this print of the Paris Opera building. The picture made me think of my mom and I eating Pierre Hermé macarons on the steps of that building while we were in Paris. It was originally $39.95, but it was marked 60%-off so I only paid $15.98. The frame is in pretty bad shape, so I’ll probably have to reframe it, but I love the picture.
Do you like antique shopping? Do you look for anything in particular? If you are local, I also recommend Merchant Square Antiques in Chandler and Main Street Antique Mall in East Mesa.
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