Progress

The bricks are gone!

The up side:  demo went well, and I can't believe how big our room looks without the brick wall!
The down side:  we just got the contractor invoice (gasps of shock from both Jeff & I!)  I hope we can afford to put this room back together!

Slippery Slope of Oak...

OMG... I started and now I can't stop!  I finally primed my doors.  Then I thought, "hey... why not go ahead and prime the paneling in the entry way?"  Now I'm thinking, "oh yikes... now I have to start the railings...  and you can see a little bit of the office paneling from the entry way...  and the whole family room needs to be done... not to mention the whole second floor."  See what I mean... slippery slope?

On a super exciting note, our brick fireplace wall is coming down on Monday!  Wooohoooo!  After a lot of deliberation, we decided that the only way to really fix that situation is to start over.  Here's the before picture:

SketchUp

I love starting things.  I was excited to paint a couple weeks ago, so I got all of the supplies to do the doors.  As of today, my doors are still fake-oak with no hardware because I took it off so I wouldn't have to paint around it.  Whatever.  No one seems to mind our doors with the empty hole where the handle should be.

I did, however, start a fun new project!  I'm learning how to do 3D renderings.  It's something I've been wanting to try, so I downloaded Google SketchUp, watched a couple tutorials... then a couple more tutorials... and after one late night and one quiet afternoon... voila!

Here is a 3D model of Mom & Dad's family room reno.  I still have to figure out how to ad the scenery outside the windows, but it's a pretty good start.

Or... a different view (better for space planning)...

There are so many fun features with this program that I haven't even delved into yet.  Can't wait to sketch up my own family room!

Carolee's Fab Find

First of all, just a note to say that I don't usually say "fab"... I had to use it for Care's benefit... she'll catch the joke. 

Anyways, last week Carolee got in on a garage sale while up at the lake and found this gem for $1.  Crazy!!!  

In typical Carolee style, she's not sure that she likes it in her house.  I can't quite fathom that, so I searched around for a few ideas...

Idea #1:  between 2 windows (... note to self.... windows are just like in my dining room!)

Idea #2:  above a console table  (...note to self... similar to the turned-leg table in my foyer...)

Idea #3:  above a bed  ( no note to self necessary here... this bedroom is fabulous, mine sucks.)

all photos from decor pad

So, if Carolee doesn't like any of these ideas... I think it's safe to say I can find a spot for the $1 sunburst clock in my house!!!