Choosing a New Couch

Our living room has pretty well looked the same since 2011 when I painted the walls and got a new rug and coffee table. The rugs were 2 $20 Ikea rugs that I had sewn together to make a more space-appropriate size.

Really the only changes we made in the last 3 years were to add a second layer of curtains and replace the old slip-covered sleeper sofa with my old couch. This set up was just fine and worked well for us, but I started getting a little tired of looking at the saggy couches that David and I had both drug around with us throughout our college careers. They were quite comfortable, but definitely showing their age.

We started looking around at couches to see what we liked and what kind of budget we would need to make that happen. We both decided we wanted a large U shaped sectional, in a fabric that was not microfiber. After living with microfiber for so many years and with an assortment of pets, we (really, more me than David) grew to despise how difficult it was to clean.

After searching around and sitting on couches in pretty much every furniture store in town and online we narrowed our search down to three contenders.

Each one had pros and cons, so we took our time weighing each one to make sure we were getting the one that would work best for us. We actually made a list and talked about what we liked and didn't like about each one. We loved the lines and the tufting on couch #1, but it was the least comfortable of the three. Couch #2 was the cheapest, but also the smallest. Couch #3 was much larger than the other two, but also the most expensive. It was also the most comfortable and the only one out of the three that fit our coffee table inside the U.

We did lots of measuring to help us decide which would fit the space best, both in the living room and in the basement where (hopefully one day) this couch will reside after the basement is finished.

Finally, I talked with my friends and family to get more opinions and thoughts on each couch.

In the end (and by "in the end" I mean "after about 3 months of deliberation"), we chose couch #3. We decided that comfort and being able to use our current coffee table were more important factors than price or appearance. Since we plan to keep this couch for 10+ years, through children and all that life brings, we didn't mind spending a little more to get what we truly liked best.

 

We didn't, however, like the color of the couch in the store. Light tan was not going to be a good choice for us. We ordered a swatch of the grey fabric, and hung out with it in the living room before deciding it was the one.

While we were waiting for the couch to be delivered (it took over a month) we also made some other tweaks to the living room.

I was at Target one day when I came across this baby. It was an online exclusive that had been returned to the store and thus was $100 off the regular price. I had been pondering how our new grey couch was going to look with our current grey rugs and so, after some deliberation, I decided to go for it.

Even the new rug alone made me love the living room that much more.

On the day it was to be delivered, I was super nervous I was going to dislike the color, since I had only ever seen it as a small swatch.

I ended up loving it, though. It's a perfect fit for the space and is very comfortable, especially the corner spot.

We added more art to this wall to fill in the space. Our wedding guestbook canvas is in there. We also installed that Ikea pendant light over the corner section of the couch for cozy reading time.

In the end, we are absolutely in love with our new couch! It makes us feel like real grown ups.

Hopefully, hearing about our thought process is helpful for anyone else pondering a big purchase.

Replacing the Garage Door Part 1

Our old garage walk-through door was in some major need of replacing. It was literally falling apart. Someone could have looked at it too hard and it would have fallen off the hinges.

The frame wasn't in great shape either and had started to rot at the bottom. It had also been home made by the previous owners and wasn't exactly easy on the eyes.

My mother wound up with an old exterior door when she replaced hers that was still in good shape, so we took it off her hands and got to work.

We had a couple of fun surprises: this is what the inside of the old door looked like.

When we removed the old trim, we discovered that a horseshoe used to be above the door.

The first step, after taking the old door off the hinges, is to remove the old frame. David did this using a pry bar to loosen things, then running a reciprocating saw down the space between the door frame and the cinder blocks to cut through all the nails and screws holding it in place.

Then he used a hammer to free it from the opening.

We purchased an exterior door frame kit from Lowe's that includes weather stripping, but it ended up being a bit too small for our opening.

We fixed that problem with some 6" wide decking boards. David cut them to fit the opening on each side. We ended up not using the top board because it made the opening little too short for the frame to fit so ignore that piece.

Then we tested the fit of the frame again and it was just right.

He attached the decking boards to the cinder block using toggle bolts and taking advantage of the naturally occurring holes in the block.

David marked and attached the door hinges we bought to the door itself according to the package's directions. We needed to carve out notches in the door frame to accommodate the hinges next (pre-hung doors will already have all this done).

David removed the frame and laid it down on the floor, then set the door inside of it, as though it were closed. He then marked the location of the hinges on the door frame so he would know exactly where to carve out notches so that they would match up properly when the door was hung.

Because the door is steel, we weren't able to carve out notches on the door itself like you normally would want to. Instead, he used a chisel and mallet to make the notch twice as deep so that when the door is shut, it still sits flush with the frame.

Once we got the door hung, it actually set rather well in the frame, so there wasn't any shimming necessary. I painted the door with the same yellow paint that's on the front door, since you cane see both from the road and it helps to tie in our detached garage to the house.

Then we attached some oil rubbed bronze hardware to complement the black window frames on the door.

We still have some finishing touches to put on the door in the way of trim, but the weather has suddenly turned very cold, so we will have to wait for a warmer day to finish this project up. I'll be back with another post when that happens!

It's The Most Wonderful Time of the Year!

No, I'm not hopping on the Christmas bandwagon early, I just happen to think fall is the best season of them all. Amidst all the working on wedding projects, I found time one night to convince David to go up into the attic and get down my fall decorations.

And I thought, wouldn't it be swell to share a little fall decor.

I actually made that wreath with a grapevine-type wreath I got at Michaels which I glued some fake fall leaves to.

I got these little guys last year at a consignment store. They are hanging out on the side of my pantry cabinet.

Since I don't have a mantle, I like to decorate my tv stand as though it were one.

I love lots of candles in my fall decor. It feels so cozy on chilly nights.

My monster foot stays out year round, because it's that awesome. He's just especially appropriate at this time of year.

 

I like to fill up the apothecary jar with seasonally appropriate stuff n' things. It currently has some scented pine cones and fake leaves left over from my wreath. At Christmas, I fill it with extra ornaments and ribbon.

Does anyone else have any fall eye candy to share? I love checking out inspiration!

I Saw the Sign...

The wedding is going to be... well... in the middle of nowhere. While I assume most people have GPS these days that will show them the way, I figured having some signs up to assure people they are, indeed, still going the right way certainly couldn't hurt. So I got on that and knocked out three signs in about an hour.

I started out by cutting out the sign parts and posts using scrap wood that I had in the pile. I used some treated and some untreated. Though they will be outside, it's for only one day, so using untreated wood won't pose a problem. For the sign part, I used 1x6" boards and for the posts, I happened to have a decking board that had been cut long ways into a nice post size. I made each sign in the shape of an arrow, using the corner of a sheet of paper to trace the angle. I cut out each piece using a jigsaw, then screwed the post onto the back of the sign using two screws. Make sure to pay attention to which way the arrow is pointing.

I designed my wording on the computer, then printed it out. I then traced the letters over the wood with a pen, using a lot of pressure.

This left a nice little indention, which I then filled in using a black paint pen.

And that was seriously it! If you wanted to, you could paint, stain or seal the wood, but I opted to leave mine natural for simplicity's sake.

Hopefully, they will help point guests in the right direction so no one gets lost out in the country!

Two Quick Wedding Crafts

In case you're starting to sense a theme in my posts lately, you're not wrong. The wedding is in 16 days so I have been getting a lot done the past couple weeks.

The first thing I made was a card box. One of those practical things you need to have that is easy to forget about. I didn't want to spend much time or money on this item, so for the most part, I worked with what I had.

I started out with a cardboard box that I got for free at the liquor store. Stay classy, friends. I also used some extra fabric I had from making curtains in the office. This "fabric" is actually two twin sheet sets. I used the flat sheets for the curtains so I still had both pillow cases and fitted sheets left.

The first thing you want to do is tape your box shut. Then use an exacto knife (or box cutter) to cut an opening in the top that will be the opening people drop their cards into.

For this project, I cut up one of the pillow cases so I was working with a flat piece of fabric. Then, I sprayed my box with spray adhesive and smoothed the fabric over the top of it.

The edges and bottom, I folded as though I was wrapping a gift. When everything was nice and smooth, I glued down the edges with hot glue.

Then, I used an exacto knife to cut through the fabric that covered the opening. I used a glue gun again to fold the edges under and hold them in place for a clean edge.

I found a cute slate sign at Michaels, which I hot glued to the front of the box and used chalk to write "cards" on it.

And that was it!

Next up was a chalkboard sign outlining mine and David's "love story" or the series of major events that lead up to the big day.

I started out with an ugly old frame that I found at the Goodwill for $3.50. I removed the staples holding everything together at the back and took apart all the pieces. I gave the glass a good cleaning, painted the frame with a sample pot I had already, then painted right over the art with chalkboard paint that I mixed up.

Looking much better already! I started free-handing my words and was happy with my heading, but the dates and events just weren't coming out the way I wanted. At Cait's suggestion, I designed my text on the computer, printed it out, the covered then back of the paper with chalk. I held the paper on my chalkboard surface and traced over the letters with a pen. This provided a faint outline for me trace with the chalk.

This method provided a much cleaner look that I was much happier with! I then reassembled everything, using duct tape to hold everything together, in place of the staples that were originally there. Not the most secure thing in the world, but it will hold well enough for its purpose.

I worked on both these projects sporadically over a few days, but if you were ready to get down to business, each could be completed in about an hour.

I'm sure I'll have more projects to share as the day gets closer and closer!

Wedding Party T-Shirts

After seeing lots of cute bleach pen shirts on Pinterest, and reading a few tutorials, I knew I wanted to make some for me and my bridsmaids to wear during my bachelorette party and also white we are getting ready the day of the wedding.

I got some plain v-neck t-shirts from Target for each of us.

I took a piece of cardboard and wrapped it in wax paper. It only needs to be as big as the design you're putting on the shirt.

Slide the cardboard inside the shirt behind where the design will go, then smooth everything out.

Then go to town with the bleach pen. I had never used one before, and it's not as much a "pen" like I expected, as it is a small opening like an Elmer's glue bottle.

If you make a mistake, it's best not to try to fix it. I accidentally got a drip and made some things a bit too thick and globby but it probably would have looked worse if I had messed around with it any. You can go back over and thicken up any thin spots so everything is an even thickness.

Let them sit for 10 minutes or so. You can see around the edges of the bleach and through the back of the shirt that it's working. This next part if definitely easier if you have a helper. Here's how we did it.

I held the shirt open from the neck, keeping the top and bottom layers from touching while Cait removed the cardboard. Then, we carefully turned the shirt upside down (so the bleach design was facing the floor) then put it under the faucet.

Turn the water on high and rinse the bleach off from the inside of the shirt so that any bleach falls straight down into the sink without smearing onto any other part of the shirt.

Once it's all rinsed off, use hand soap to wash it and then run it through the washer and dryer.

Super simple! The hardest part was making sure I didn't spell anything wrong! Now that I've done these, I wanted to make even more bleach art clothing.