enJOY it

ORC: two weeks in and too many changes!

October 14, 2021

We went up to Sacramento last weekend (the girls and Paul actually stayed the full week and I am headed back tomorrow for a wedding!) and were able to see some progress on the laundry room. Lots of updates and a surprise twist! Let's run through them for a One Room Challenge update.

FIRST: we met with a contractor. He is someone we know through Paul's mom and we are excited to work with him on some small and HUGE projects over the next year. His team demo-ed the laundry room (and powder room) floors last week and we decided to have him install the new floors in both rooms. I am sad we will not be tiling ourselves but also relieved. If we lived up there right now it would be so fun. Trying to squeeze it in during brief trips up isn't going to work.

SECOND: I did get a chance to see the Hunter Green hex tiles in person! I laid them out to test my pattern. I absolutely love it. You can see above that it's going to be a bit off center. That left side is going to stay the same for sure but, I think when it's actually in place with spacers it will be a bit more even on the right side (but also that side will be covered by the washer and dryer).

THIRD: we picked a grout color for both the bathroom and the powder room (I am a Make A Choice Once person so most likely this will be the grout that goes everywhere grout is needed in the house). We are going with Laticrete Light Pewter it's a pretty gray/taupe color that I think will look good but also be able to get dirty (aka, not a white).

FOURTH: I found the extra tall beadboard! I was worried that this was going to be something I had to order and was excited to find it at Home Depot. The panels are four feet wide by eight feet tall. I plan to get them cut down to probably 5 feet in store. I will add some simple casing like this to the top and then I ordered these shaker pegs. So my wall dreams are coming true!

FIFTH: Some of the green colors I thought I liked all looked terrible in person. I had sample pots made and none are right. The far left is SW Privilege Green and it looks too minty. The middle is SW Farm to Table and it looks too gray. The right is SW Balsam Fir and it looks fine in these photos but eh. I can test Basil and Dried Thyme but I fear they will bit too gray as well. It's impossible to tell in photos but the room is very dark and the color is tricky.

But, finally SIXTH: picking a color might not matter! I may be replacing the cabinets all together; not just the doors. It's a long story for another blog post but the Cliffnotes is: we may be embarking on a much larger remodel these next few months and if we are doing the kitchen cabinets, it may make sense to do these cabinets and the hallway cabinets with them (and possibly add more functional drawers!). We are in a good situation: we have this empty house and, because we sold our San Diego house October 1st (we will be renting back through next June when Paul is out of the Navy), we have the ability to make changes now instead of waiting until we are there and trying to live (with cats!) through a remodel.

So we will see! Ultimately I am moving forward and making some progress on this One Room. But it may turn into the All Room Challenge here pretty soon.
a post about the most magical garage floors.

October 12, 2021

A few years ago my dad epoxied his garage floor. He sent progress photos to our family text chain and I thought "cool, Dad." And then a few months later we came up to visit and I saw them in real life and exclaimed "COOL, DAD!" They were gray with white, blue and black paint chip flecks and just looked so nice. Every single time I came up I was impressed with how finished the garage looked. It was a total extension of the house and just so clean.

At the time, we in San Diego and had no plans to move. For awhile, I was thinking about having my dad help me transform our current home's garage floors while Paul was deployed but then, of course, Covid happened and so many of our plans changed.

As soon as we decided to move I thought to myself "in the next house we will epoxy the garage floors first." It's just such a relatively easy thing to do when there is nothing stored in there yet.

AND SO, it should come as no surprise that the first thing we did to Cripe Cottage is paint the garage and epoxy the floors. It might, however, come as a surprise to hear that I agonized over the epoxy color choice (the first decision of any project is by far the hardest decision for me). I take absolutely no credit for garage; my dad did it all. I am so thrilled with how it turned out.

Let's first look at some before photos.

Obviously, just painting the drywall white can make a huge difference. This is the third garage we have owned and the third we have painted white. Even if you don't spend a lot of time in the garage, it can be worth it to make the whole space look brighter and cleaner. We spend a ton of time in our garage (it's where I pack Get To Work Book!) and so for us, it's extra valuable.

To really finish it off though, I think it's fun to do the floors. For one, it seals the concrete, making the floor more durable and easier to clean. But mostly, I love the look. For me, it was an visual choice more than anything, for sure. My original plan was to go with this "sandstone" coating but unfortunately (at the time) it was sold out everywhere. I had no plan B (hence the agony of making a back-up decision) but after a trip to Lowe's I realized they sell a tint-able epoxy which opened up a bunch of color options.

Above is a photo of box my dad used. It's called Expoxyshield Garage Floor Coating Kit (and I am typing that all out for future googlers. It was impossible to find photo examples of different tints.) It took two of these to complete the full garage (it's about 23×23 feet). On the box, you can see the 9 "color tint" options (you just bring it to the paint counter and they mix it like paint). I choose Harbor Mist (top center) but, frustratingly, that color name (or any of the color names) don't appear to be in the product link above. The kit comes with beige, gray, white and black paint chip flakes to spread on the epoxy. It would have looked fine, of course, but I decided to order custom colors because… well… it's the same amount of work to spread custom chips and it wasn't too much more money to do something extra that I really wanted.

I found paint chips here in so many colors and ordered green, eggshell and tan. My dad blended them together in a box and spread them just like the kit ones would have been.

And so more after photos! (You'll notice in these photos the color sometimes looks more green and sometimes more almost teal. The lighting makes it look different! I would say in real life it's much more green than blue.)

I really, really love it. On the one hand it's not a "necessary" house project. But on the other (much larger) hand it's a total "sparks joy" project. I am so glad the original beige plan didn't work out so I could have fun green floors. All the thanks to Grandpa Frank for getting it done. He's very proud of his before and after photos (as he should be).
making plans for the laundry room.

September 30, 2021

sources: cabinet doors, possible paint color, light, floating wood shelves, similar washer/dryer, utility sink, possible faucet option, 4" hex tile.

This fall I am going to be working on our laundry room in the new house as part of the One Room Challenge. I have watched this challenge on Instagram for the past few years and am always hugely impressed by every transformation. I am sure we are not going to "finish" by the deadline (the lead time on the cabinet doors alone puts us at January), but I love a public goal so I am going to join in anyway.

Our new house is the first time ever that we will have a designated laundry room! In San Diego (and Oxnard before that), our homes have had the washer and dryer in the garage. It wasn’t a big deal and we were very used to it but this new extra space is exciting.

What I like most is that there is now a transition space between our garage and our house. For the most part, our family enters the house from the garage and so I am excited to have a place to put the “stuff.” Stuff like backpacks, lunch boxes, shoes, umbrellas, reusable shopping bags, cat food, cleaning supplies, etc. Right now, these items are spread out all around our house and it works! Of course it works! But this will be new and fun.

Here are my plans so far:

One whole wall is filled with floor to ceiling cabinets and I am so excited to keep them but replace the doors. I am planning to use Nieu Cabinets Cottage Style doors and have them painted in a to-be-determined green color. My plan is to get hidden hinge doors. We will see how the installation goes but I am feeling hopeful after watching this YHL tutorial. I am going to replace the hardware too. Not sure with what yet.

You can just barely see in the photo above that there are also cabinets in the hall to the left and we will be filling probably half of those with pantry staples and lesser used kitchen items (like some of our serving platters, maybe my kitchen aid mixer) and then the other half will be "fun" storage like games, art supplies, pool towels, swimsuits, googles, etc. (This hall goes by the powder room that leads out to the future pool and is also right off of the kitchen). I plan to replace the hall cabinet doors with the same cottage style doors. The door to the right in the photo above goes to the garage.

I have looked at every Sherwin Williams green there is (Nieu Cabinets will paint them for you if it's a SW color) and we have sort of narrowed it down. Above are a few we sampled while up there. The room is dark and so anything we paint is going to read darker. I want it to be green for sure but not green green, so something with a bit more gray to it is where I am leaning.

We are going to be using the poppy wallpaper in the photo above in the dining room which is right around the corner and so I want the green to fit with that as well. I think I am leaning toward Rosemary or Dried Thyme (the two on the white paint swatch). Both feel green but more of a muted green? Ahh. We will see.

On the wall next to the cabinet wall you can see the door to the garage again and the existing beadboard wainscotting. I love the beadboard, but I would like run it closer to 3/4 the way up the wall and add pegs at the top (similar to some inspiration photos here). Above the beadboard the wall will be painted white (Greek Villa by Sherwin Williams is the current plan) and the trim and beadboard will be painted green to match the cabinets. I am excited about the hook storage but also (honestly) just think it looks cool.

The previous owners took their washer and dryer and we will most likely be bringing our current models up with us when we move. (Also, here is the point where I tell you we are going to install a clothes line in the back yard to start air drying our laundry more often! My mom has been doing it and I am excited to start up as well. When needed, the washer and dryer will both be powered by our solar.) I plan to remove these upper cabinets and install two open wood shelves that will hold detergent, clothes pins (in a cool bucket or something), baskets and of course a plant.

The current metal sink I would like to move to the garage (never enough utility sinks) and replace with a hanging sink like this.

We are planning something fun for the floor! I ordered Tusk and Hunter Green 4" hex tile from Fireclay Tile. Both were on their "quick ship" section and are just beautiful. We may be installing these ourselves but I am not sure if timing wise that is going to work out. The last time Paul was at the house he laid some of the pattern (above). I played around with it again and I think measurement wise the border may end up fitting better if we try the layout below.

Either way, I am so excited.

And finally lighting! The current can lights are probably 5000K in color but they are also dim. So it's like an operating room but somehow still dark? I don't know what's going on. Obviously we could just switch them out for better bulbs but you can see in that very first photo that one light is off center from the others. I am going to chat with an electrician and see if we can change them for flush mounts and depending on how bright those are, that is maybe cover up two of them as well. Who knows?! I feel like I have a lot to still figure out here but that should make it fun.

Looking forward to sharing more here and on Instagram through the ORC.
I am extremely late to this, but it’s fine.

September 16, 2021

framed vintage embroidery art! $22 in san diego

So, I realize many people got on this train years ago and me writing a post about it now is the opposite of cutting edge. But hello! I am still going to talk about Facebook Marketplace because wow, I am finding good things.

Whenever I mention FB Marketplace on Instagram I get two kinds of DMs. People either say "Isn't it the BEST?!?! I am so obsessed." Or they say "I can never find anything good on there. Tell me your secrets."

I believe this post will be interesting to both types of commenters because as a fellow obsessed person, my second favorite thing (after finding my own cool stuff) is seeing the cool stuff other people found. I love to see what people thrift/buy second hand/find because it's fun to cheer for them but also it gives me ideas of things to look for in my own treasure hunting.

And for the latter folks: I totally get it. Three months ago I was you! I have learned a lot since then.

expandable wood table and six chairs: $100 in sacramento

First: I don't think I understood what Facebook Marketplace was until this past summer. I do not use Facebook. I have an account because I was in college in 2005 but I don't scroll or post at all. I am for sure on Instagram (which is obviously owned by Facebook) so it's not like I am making some sort of giant statement, it's just not how I spend my online time. In the past when I heard people talking about FB Marketplace I just sort of tuned out because I don't go on the site. I have used Craigslist a ton over the past ten years (both to sell and to buy) and I sort of just thought FB Marketplace was like that.

I no longer think it's like Craigslist. Part of it is that it feels so much more visual and the categories seem to make more sense. But it's also just easier to use. If you are logged into your Facebook account, it's extremely easy to message an item's seller. It's even auto-populated with what you can say to that seller (more on this later).

But second, and this will surprise no one, FB Marketplace uses an algorithm. So once it's learned your browsing interests it serves you what you want to see. The first week or so that I checked FB Marketplace all of my suggested listings (called "Today's Picks") were for boat trailers, RVs and like riding lawn mowers. Cool things, for sure, but not at all what I wanted to buy at the moment. Now when I check the site I see listings much more relevant to my interests (recent screenshot below).

Facebook has endless data about me already but after using the site for a week they really started to understand what I liked to see in the marketplace. In the beginning I searched for specific things "round dining table" "table lamp" "basket" "floral art" and of course those searches showed me relevant results but they also told the algorithm what I was interested in. Once I saw more of what interested me, I started to click on more listings, further reinforcing the algorithm. When I use the site now, I try to help the algorithm along by "saving" any item that is the right style and inline for what I would purchase. I save much more than I would ever plan to buy because it's about engagement. I want the marketplace to know what I like so the marketplace will do some of the searching for me.

drop leaf table ($65), chandelier from a house that was being flipped ($30), pair of twin beds that I plan to paint for the girls ($100), framed California wildflower poster ($10) … all in sacramento

Third, I think it's important to set your parameters. I am currently searching in two areas: a ten mile radius from my current house in San Diego and a ten mile radius from my parent's house in Sacramento. Those radius markers are important! Otherwise you may find something you LOVE that is not feasible to get to (of course if there is a very specific thing you're willing to drive for expand that radius when you search. Right now I would drive a loooooong time for a secondhand sink that looks like this.) I also have told Facebook that I want to see only "local pickup" listings. I found that before I had this specified I got served so many online shop items. That's cool but not what I am interested in right now.

a lamp I covered in plaster of paris and then painted (following this tutorial): $60 in san diego.

Fourth, if you find something that you really want and the price is right — JUMP. And by JUMP I mean message that seller. As mentioned, your first contact will be auto-populated with "hi [Seller Name], is this available?" I have found that it helps to change that a bit. I often adjust to say "hi [Seller Name], I love your [whatever the item is]! If it's still available can I pick up tomorrow?" Or something similar that shows I am actively interested. It takes effort to list something and then usually a lot of effort to coordinate a pickup. I like to be as clear as possible about when I can pick up to minimize the hassle on the seller's side. (And similarly, I like to be clear as fast as possible if a pickup isn't going to work.)

I found my powder room mirror that was pretty close to my original plan! $55 in san diego.

Those are the beginnings of my "tips" so far. I suppose the last thing would be to keep list of what you are actually looking for because yes, this can be addicting (it's a Facebook product after all). I have a long list of big and small items that I would like to find for the new house and it's been so fun to check some of those off these past few months. Having the list is keeping me (sort of) focused which is important. I am excited to start setting up the new house next summer but I am also really enjoying the collection process right now.

Disclaimer — buying stuff from strangers online can be risky. I have had wonderful experiences but I know that is not always the case and it's important to take precautions when you are exchanging money online and meeting a stranger in real life. Take a friend with you! Tell someone where you are going to be! Meet in a public place! Do a porch pickup! Etc! Etc. I feel like you know this but I am saying it just in case.
simple homemade apron.

September 1, 2021
I mentioned last week that the one thing I "needed" while wallpapering was a tool apron. There are so many tools I was constantly reaching for: scissors, pencil, craft knife, straight edge, tape measure, smoothing tool, etc! I knew before I tried this DIY again I was going to want to sew an apron.

And so Monday, I did! It's a very simple project and entirely customizable. I am going to share the measurements for mine and a brief explainer in case you find yourself in need of a work apron as well.

I cut my apron from a white cotton canvas fabric that I had on hand. It is made up of six rectangles.
1. the main apron piece – 26×16 inches
2. the large pocket – 16.75×8.25 inches
3. the mini pocket – 2.5×7 inches
4. the waist-tie – 2×76 inches
5. the large pocket top – 2×16.75 inches
6. the mini pocket top – 2×2.5 inches
You can adjust any of these sizes (maybe you want a longer apron or maybe you prefer a larger mini pocket). You may also want a longer waist-tie (mine can tie in a bow in the back but just a knot in the front). Also, tip: if you don't have a long enough piece of fabric for the waist-tie, just sew two strips of 2" wide fabric together.

I hemmed the main apron rectangle by first folding the side edges back 1/2", then over again 1/2" and straight-stitching into place. Then I folded up the bottom edge the same way and straight-stitched that as well, creating three finished edges.

Next I prepped my waist tie and pocket tops. I folded the 2" strips in half and then folded the edges in toward the mid line.

I pressed these folds into place creating a piece that looks like the above (for all three of the 2" strips).

Then I used the large and mini pocket tops to finish the pockets. The photos above show this process for the mini pocket. I lined one edge of my 2" strip up with the top of my mini pocket. Then I sewed it into place using my 1/2" fold line as a guide. I trimmed the excess seam allowance and then folded the rest of the strip up and over the top of the pocket. I sewed this second fold into place from the front.

Once both my pockets had their finished tops, I folded back the remaining 3 sides by about 1/4". I secured the fabric with wonder tape to hold it in place.

I sewed my mini pocket onto the large pocket first, leaving about an inch of excess fabric on the bottom which would later be tucked under as you can see in the photo above.

And then I sewed my larger pocket to the apron, eyeballing it to keep it centered. I added additional straight stitching in a few points on the large pocket to create smaller sections that would hold my different tools.

Finally I attached the waistband to the apron. I first pinned the center of the long strip to the apron and sewed along the edge just like my pocket tops.

Then, I started at one end of the waist-tie and folded the unfinished edge back on itself (so the raw fabric edges were tucked together) and then sewed the length of the strip. When I got to the main apron portion, I wrapped it around the top of the fabric and kept sewing (creating a finished edge just like the pocket tops) then I sewed along the strip again until I got to the other side.

That's it! An apron! Super useful and can be customized in endless ways (think about a floral fabric for the pocket tops and waist-tie! Think about extra pockets!)

I cannot wait to use it.
what I learned on my first wallpaper attempt.

August 28, 2021

Last week, I wallpapered our powder room as planned! This was a small room (4' 10" by 8') with two doors and beadboard wainscotting that covered nearly half of the wall. I had my mom to assist (and she was necessary!) and it took us about 7 hours the first day and 5 hours the second day to complete the project. This room is not done (I am still going to paint the ceiling and doors, wrap the switch plates, install a sconce, find a mirror, change out the faucet, get the floors done and paint the baseboards but honestly the hard part is over.)

Per usual, let's start with a disclaimer: I don't plan for this post to be a tutorial! My wallpaper was called Alpine Garden by Schoolhouse x Hygge & West and I followed the H&W instructional videos to learn what to do. This page provides the basics for installing traditional wallpaper and then this page shares how-to videos for some of the more complex parts (wallpapering around corners and wallpaper around objects like outlets and molding). I watched all of the videos three or four times and did my best to follow the instructions.

I found the videos to be very clear and helpful but I did want to note a few things about my specific project and then emphasize a few tips I wish I had known right at the beginning.

First, my wall had an orange peel texture. You can see it in the photo above and you can also see how that texture "comes through" a bit on the wallpaper. This doesn't bother me visually at all but it's something to consider when you are looking at your own walls. It's obviously way too early for me to know if the texture will cause the wallpaper to peel or come loose over time (that's something I will update you on if it does happen!) but I can tell you that it definitely was sticking as I was applying it.

I did not prep the walls with a primer. That is suggested in the tutorial so maybe you will want to! I would have, but my local shops didn't have a primer available and I wanted to get going on this project. My walls were previously painted with traditional wall paint and I was not applying directly to drywall but I would need to do more research to know what exactly the primer is for and when it's needed. (Do your research if you are worried! Clearly I was not worried enough.)

The first panel I put up I did not use nearly enough paste and it didn't stick well. The tutorial says "apply a thin even coat" and I think everyone's definition of "thin" might be different and it may take you one attempt to get a handle on the appropriate amount. I also found it really important to be sure there was a lot paste on the left and right sides; if your paper is going to peel up, it's going to be along the edges and so you want to make sure you get a really firm hold there. (Can you see my seam in the photo above?) It's less necessary for you to get a lot of paste along the very top and bottom edges of your panel because those you will cut off once it's installed on the wall. (You can see below that third panel has not yet been trimmed.)

Speaking of cutting: be prepared to use A LOT of razor blades. It's noted in the tutorial that you will need a sharp blade but I found to get a clean cut I needed a fresh blade for every cut. I used 5x the number of blades I thought I would. When the blade is dull, you risk tearing the paper and you also may not get a through cut which means you have to go back and hit it again. Each cut is so tedious and doing another pass of the same cut line is extra tedious. I personally worked best with a pen sized razor (the smaller option here is what I used). I was working in a tight space and felt like I had more control with something small instead of a larger box cutter type blade.

I used scissors a lot too when cutting around objects because in my normal hobby life, I work with scissors more often than blades and I am very comfortable with them. The only scissors I had were the big orange handled Fiskars which worked, but the next time I do this, I will use detail scissors (something like this) for more control.

One tip from the tutorial that I skipped was the advice to paste your paper before cutting it for a corner (this is detailed around the 1:07 mark in this video). When I saw it I thought it seemed too messy and so I cut my paper to the correct size to go around the corner before pasting. This was a mistake. I realized around corner three that the paper expands when wet. So while my corners lined up okay (you can see some detail below), I could have gotten a better match (and had less vertical waste) if I had just followed the instructions and cut my paper after pasting. Next time I will do this step for sure.

Finally, I would highly recommend wearing a waist apron with pockets to hold the gazillion tools you'll need for this project. I would say 10% of my time went to finding and reaching for a pencil, straight edge, tape measure, blade, scissors, etc. (Not to mention the amount of excess paste I wiped on to my shorts and legs!) Before I wallpaper again I am going to sew up an apron! I can picture it in my head and it's going to be cute. I'll share a how-to for that in a post as soon as I have it made. (Project creep is real!).

To wrap up: installing traditional wallpaper is tedious and hard. I completely understand why it's a DIY people shy away from and why you so often hear it's worth it to hire a pro. After doing it myself, I believe the pros are artists and worth every penny. I also plan to do it again myself for sure. I do think it's doable with the right tools and a lot of patience. I also think it's important to have a helper at least for your first job. Be prepared to go really slow. Get excess of all the materials (paste, razors, paper) because you can most likely return what's not used but it would be very frustrating to run out early. Measure three times before you cut. When you start to get tired STOP and start fresh the next day. I found this to be one of the most satisfying decor projects I have ever done and such a confidence boost that I can DIY so much of this house. As you can see above, the rest of the powder room is far from finished but it's already so exciting.
plans for the powder room!

August 24, 2021

Sources: wallpaper, wall sconce, mirror (I want to thrift something like this or this), floor tile, existing sink (similar), centerset faucet, paint, existing beadboard.

As mentioned, we are waiting on a few big projects for this new house but also planning to get a few done before we move in. One of the first full room makeovers will be the downstairs powder room. It’s a simple rectangle (4′ 10″ by 8′) and features an exterior door (which is amazing as it means easy access to the restroom once we have a pool installed in the backyard). We are keeping a lot of the current features like the pedestal leg sink, wood storage cabinet, toilet and beadboard but changing the other surfaces and details.

Here’s the plan:

I am excited! This feels like a perfect small space to test out a new style for me and help set the tone for the house. Most of this will be DIY (I am actually up in Sac this week and painted the beadboard today!) but I think I am going to have the tile floor installed by pros (we are keeping the hallway tile for now). My hope is that it will all be done by Thanksgiving. Let’s see how that goes…
Cripe Cottage Style Plans.

August 20, 2021

I shared a few photos from our new Sacramento area house early this month and in that post I alluded to the fact that yes, it’s a very different style from our previous homes. I also mentioned that this “new-to-me style” is making me so excited. (If you want to see more of the house & property, here is a 9 minute walk-through video.)

If you have been here awhile (or followed along on Instagram) you know I tend toward “mid-century minimal” (although once I got a DM that my style was “Crate and Barrel circa 2010, and I mean that as a compliment”). This is because for the past nine years we have lived in two homes that were built in the 1960s. The first had a lot of actual mid-century details with the fireplace and ceiling (see a tour here) and the second one probably could have gone a different direction but coming from the first home, it made sense to just sort of lean into that minimal clean style (but with more blue. I loved blue in this house). See photos of our current home here.

So I understand how different this house feels and looks. I keep hearing “will you modernize it?” which is a good question but interestingly, it was built 20+ years later than our current home. It’s Tudor style but certainly not part of the Tudor Revival that took place in the US from about 1910-1940. (The original Tudor period was from the late 1400s – early 1600s in England.) The exterior (to me) looks much more “Tudor” than the interior, but there are some features (like the arched doorways and ceiling beams) that also lean into the style.

It should go without saying that I am not an expert on architecture, history or home design. But I do plan to have a ton of fun listening to this house, learning more about design and making this home feel like us. As soon as we saw the listing I started pinning ideas on Pinterest and saving photos to a “next chapter” folder on Instagram. Let me show you some screenshots:

The images above are clearly a kitchen, living room and then a primary bedroom and bathroom (that slanted ceiling over a tub should work for our new house! I am going to borrow square footage from the closet and add a skylight). They fit the “feeling” I think I am looking for but they also seem realistic for the house. They have a lot of things in common: wood, green, layers, beams, arches, paneling, paned windows, light. In a lot of ways it feels like “me” but with more texture.

You can see photo sources and more images on this Pinterest board.

I find that it’s easiest to look for inspiration for the whole house first, before starting in any one room. In addition to Pinterest and Instagram, I am looking in books for ideas (and colors and patterns and products and mixes of all four). The library is an awesome resource for decor books and I have been making my way through the stacks these past few weeks. But I also ordered a used copy of The Tudor Home (which focuses on the American Tudor Revival period from the early 1900s) to see what sort of ideas I could find. So much of it doesn’t translate directly to our built-in-the-1980s home, but that’s normal! It’s just about seeing new details and trying to figure out what might make sense for us.

Above is an example with a photo from The Tudor Home, page 191. I love the curved archway and think something like this could be replicated for the little hall that leads into our bedroom (on the right).

And here is an example of a dining room from the same book, page 196. The ceiling in that room is similar to the beamed ceiling in our bedroom (on the right). It could be fun to add texture like this.

We are years away from renovating these features but for my process, this whole house brainstorm method helps me get an overall feeling/style in my head. It will change a million times, but it’s still a “framework” to go off and I find that building a framework is important for me to start a new project. (More on building a framework in this podcast episode if you’re interested).

Part of my “beginning” process is also ordering samples. The above mix feels pretty right, right now! Lots of greens, some florals and warmth.

But what comes next? An idea framework is exciting! But how to actually start? What’s first?

First, I have to say that we are so lucky because my parents live in Sacramento and are retired and “fixing up the house” is my dad’s favorite hobby. This means so much of what we have planned for this next year will be DIY and it’s a huge gift to have him able to make changes before we move in. He started two weeks ago by painting the garage white and he is also going to epoxy the floors (more on this soon).

And next we have a few things happening! We are going to have the (what we think are) white oak floors upstairs refinished. I am meeting a flooring pro up there next week to talk plans. I am not sure yet if we want to go lighter or darker but you can see that over the years they have gone a bit yellow. It will be nice to have them done before we move in furniture.

Also this fall I would like to do surfaces makeovers to the downstairs powder room (left) and laundry room (right). Both of these spaces feel like good places to start because they are small and don’t require any new electrical or plumbing changes. They also feel like a good test spot to try this new style on! For the powder room I am going to be using wallpaper for the very first time. And for the flooring in the laundry room I hope to do something like this.

In the spring we plan to get the girls’ bedrooms set up completely and I am sure at some point I will paint most of the walls white for a fresh slate, but other than that we do not have plans for major renovation. We would like to live in the house first to see how we use the space.

So that’s a brief intro to the “style” and to some of my early plans. In traditional terms I think you could call the style I am hoping to achieve in this house “Cottage.” In NON-traditional terms, the style I am hoping to achieve is “A Modern Princess Farmer Lives Here.” As mentioned, I want to lean into the Tudor vibe with wood, paneling and paned windows. I want florals and textures and it to feel a bit fussy. But I also know we have a legit vineyard in the backyard with fruit trees and space for a plentiful vegetable garden and so the kitchen will actually function as a “farmhouse kitchen” of some kind. And then modern because I know some clean lines and cleared countertops will be important for my brain.

So… ha! That’s it. That’s the rough idea. We are getting started this next week on the powder room! More soon.
our next chapter!

August 5, 2021

Dusting off the blog for some HUGE news. After 18 years away for me and 20 years away for Paul, we are moving back home to the Sacramento area next summer when Paul's Navy commitment ends. 2020 (with a pandemic and a deployment) really! Changed! Our! Perspective! And we realized how much we want to be back in Northern California by our parents and so many of our friends. (A support system! What a concept.)

It's a big move! And may seem a bit shocking! For us it feels big for sure, but not shocking. Instead it feels almost too normal. Like of course we were always headed back home. How did we forget?

But, so much more interesting to see is the fact that we found a house. It's very early to find a house! We know! But this one was special enough that we had to jump. We have a million big and small projects planned for the property and will be starting right away (and then continuing for literally years to come).

First: the house was built in the mid-80s in a Tudor style. We purchased it from the original builders/owners. They clearly loved the home and it has so much charm we are excited to preserve and then so much potential we want to expand on. It's obviously a different style than any place we have lived before and that's what I love most about it. After a decade of living in "minimal, mid-century-ish" I am ready for something new. Such a great, exciting adventure.

Second: the lot is large and includes a hobby vineyard. When we first saw it via Facetime tour (my parents went to an open house) we saw the greenery archway that leads to the garden and I joked to Paul that the girls could get married in the backyard. (Turns out the original owners' son actually got married there!) It's…overwhelming and overwhelmingly beautiful. There are also plenty of fruit trees on the property and a large plot for a vegetable garden. We are very excited for all of it.

Third: the backyard also features a small "house" with electricity and water that the previous owners used as a garden shed/greenhouse for starting seedlings. I will use it as a pottery studio/craft space/workshop. It's magic. The wood and windows were all salvaged and if I closed my eyes and imagined my dream backyard studio it would be this. It's meant to be.

So much more to come. I am looking forward to being back here on this internet corner to share more of this next chapter and I hope to share a video tour on Instagram early next week.
MARCH MAKE!

April 3, 2021

I finished my Hinterland Dress in March and love it so much.

The fabric is a cotton poplin from Blackbird Fabrics (currently not listed on their site) and continues with my "blue makes" theme for the year.

I made two changes to the pattern. First, I omitted the bust darts because they never look quite right on me. (It's possible I am sewing them wrong? Or the placement is just off? I am not sure.) And I also added three inches to the length. This was my second time through the Hinterland Dress pattern and while I love my first version, I knew a few extra inches (so it hits just below mid-calf) would be a good change. For reference, if you're considering a length alteration, I am 5'3".

And that's it for March! I still have a sock to finish and a second to cast on, but I am taking a break from "garment making goals" for the rest of the spring and summer. I have a HUGE sewing goal for my current project, MAKE36, and I want to be sure my energy is focused there.