A Big Exterior Update! Painting Our Eaves and Windows Black

Since we moved in this house 4 years ago one big thing on my to-do list is repaint the eaves. Last year we replaced the grey roof with this beautiful black one I started thinking about tackling the eaves. I got stalled with choosing a color and then it was too cold out and then I was too pregnant. Fast forward to July and I finally started gathering my energy to start this project!

$100 Room Challenge | Week 5: Organized Modern Shed Reveal

 I can't believe my 8th (!!!) $100 Room Challenge is already over! It took me three weeks to really get going on this project but once I started painting it really began to come together. In just 5 weeks we went from dingy and brown to white and bright! Before you couldn't even see the floor because it was covered in stuff, now the floor is almost bare. So much room for activities! I actually had so much room from adding the pegboard wall that I brought in stuff from my tool closet in the house. 

Week 1: The Shed Interior Befores
Week 2: Cleaning & Painting the Shed Interior
Week 3: Painting, Painting, Painting
Week 4: Installing the Peg Board Wall

$100 Room Challenge | Week 4: Installing the Peg Board Wall

These weeks are really flying by! It's been a full 4th progress week for me, I installed the pegboard wall, painted the floors, finished painting the walls and ceiling, and dropped a nap. Only one more week until the reveal! Let's jump right into some progress pictures.

Week 1: The Shed Interior Befores
Week 2: Cleaning & Painting the Shed Interior
Week 3: Painting, Painting, Painting

$100 Room Challenge | Week 3: Painting, Painting, Painting

There's nothing like how time flies when you're doing a project on a deadline! This week went by crazy fast for me, so I made just a little progress on the shed. Progress is progress! Week 3 and I've been painting all weekend. To be fair, I got really distracted with moving dressers around in the house which turned into hanging our tv which turned into running the cables through the wall, so I put this project on the back burner for a minute but I've hit a stall waiting for some Amazon boxes and I got some more painting done in the shed.

Week 1: The Shed Interior Before

Week 2: Cleaning & Painting the Shed Interior

Installing Peel & Stick Faux-Tile in the Kitchen

There are not many things you want to do when you're 6 months pregnant (back in January), but I had just started feeling better from my first and second trimester sickness and wanted to check a few things off my to-do list before baby got here. One task was to tile the backsplash in the kitchen. I was planning to use real tile, but when I decided I wanted to also do the door wall I started getting major scope creep. I didn't have the budget, time, or energy to tile that much so when I came across this great subway looking peel and stick tile, I instantly bought some to try!

$100 Room Challenge | Week 2: Cleaning & Painting the Shed Interior

Week 2 of the $100 Room Challenge and we are in full swing reno mode! Most of this week I spent cleaning out most of the shed. I removed a thousand random nails from every corner imaginable and shop-vac'ed all of the cobwebs.

Week 1: The Shed Interior Befores

$100 Room Challenge | Week 1: The Shed Interior Befores

Wait, is it September already? It seems like January was simultaneously yesterday and 10 years ago. I'm not sure if the time warp is because of being first time parents or from all the craziness going on in the world right now. Either way, I need a outlet to focus my creative juices on. The $100 Room Challenge fall round came at the perfect time. Last year I focused on the exterior of the backyard shed, because I was 6 weeks pregnant I didn't get to the interior so I'm taking it on this year!

Phase 2 Half-Bathroom Refresh

One of my projects on my "To-Do Before the Baby" list was to refresh the half bathroom that connects the master bedroom and the nursery, and I got it done just in time as baby Jase arrived a week later. 10 weeks later and I'm finally getting around to writing a post about it. For my very first $100 Room Challenge I tackled the first phase where I painted, laid flooring, and built shelves. As my style has changed in the past 2 years I found myself not utilizing this space much because I didn't like it. With the baby coming I wanted to make it "my" space where I could spend time on myself, all for less than $50.

We Got An Out-Of-The-Box Mattress (& $130 Off Coupon Code!)

So many times I've marveled at those mattresses that come in a box and wondered if they really are as comfortable as a regular from-the-store mattresses and do they really come in a box that small? We bought a new one from a store when we moved in and it worked great for about 2 years. But when Auston started having back and hip pain from the divot that had formed on his side, we knew it was time to start looking again. We know we want to invest in a good sleep number bed but that will probably be a purchase we make when we build in a few years. Until then it finally gave us the opportunity to do some research and online shop for one of those fancy out-of-the-box mattresses!

A Not-So Conventional Topic: Bidets (We LOVE Ours)

What's more awkward than talking about bathroom habits in America? Before this post, I would have said nothing. Now it's all I want to talk about because this bidet really changed our entire outlook on bathroom topics. In other developed countries, bidets are the norm. I've hardly heard of friends who travel overseas and not have a bidet experience. But for some reason America hasn't gotten on the bandwagon, and that was us, until about a month ago.

2nd Trimester Update (30 Weeks!)

Now that I am officially in my third trimester (!!!), I thought I'd give you guys an update on how it's been going for me and some products that I couldn't have made it through the past 12 weeks without. In my 16 week update I shared how difficult my first trimester was. Unending nausea and throwing up and losing so much weight because I wasn't able to eat. Finally around week 21 my nausea went away due to finding the right medicine and ever since then it's been typical pregnancy stuff!

Budget Room Refresh: Mid-Century Modern Living Room with AllModern ($1,500)

Our living room is one area that I have yet to touch with a real project. Almost everything in here, except for the drop cloth curtains, was bought. We love our deep sofas and our most recently acquired West Elm coffee table, but everything else is pretty much temporary. I've even started to outgrow the ever popular faux fiddle leaf fig, even though I do like something "green" in here. So I've teamed up with All Modern to put together a mid-century modern refresh for this room — for $1,500!

New Runner for the Hallway (Less than $200!)

Last week we revealed our less than $100 Hallway Refresh where I painted, put up frames, did some DIY art, and scored an awesome coat rack. It was my last $100 Room Challenge for a while, but I'm still trying to check projects off the list before baby gets here. One of those projects was to find a runner for our extremely long, hardwood hallway. I honestly don't know why rugs are so dang expensive. I mean, I understand economics and the cost of making something but that doesn't comfort me when I'm searching the internet for a budget-friendly runner.

Etsy Finds: Ceramic Mugs

The older I get the more I appreciate the beauty and quality of handmade things. One of the best (if not the only) places I've found to discover new artists and their works is Etsy. If you don't know what that is, I'm sorry because you're about to spend hours going down the rabbit hole of beautiful creations.

As I'm starting to think about replacing old dishes, I've found myself drawn to more handmade, unique pieces. I spent hours scouring Etsy for the best ceramic mugs, ones that would make any kitchen shelf truly stand out. All those hours added up to a really beautiful collection of mugs and I thought I may save you hours by doing a roundup of all my favorites.

Source: Studio McGee

$100 Room Challenge | Week 5: The Hallway Refresh Reveal

January really flies by when you live Wednesday to Wednesday! For the past 5 weeks I have been working on refreshing the hallway with a budget of $100. For my second (or third) $100 Room Challenge I took on the hallway closet, installing new shelves and doing some organization. It was great, but left the rest of the hall looking pretty dull next to it. My goal for this $100RC was to bring the rest of the hall up to speed with a quick, low skill refresh.

Week 1: The Hallway Pt. 2 Befores
Week 2: The Natural Hallway Mood Board
Week 3: Painting the Hallway White
Week 4: DIY Modern Art

Refinishing & Modernizing Our 70's Built-In Pantry

I don't know what it was about the 70's but they built-in everything, down to a nook for a rotary phone! In our house the builder included this large built-in pantry in the dining space. I'm not sure how the people who lived here before us only had one side of cabinets because this pantry is the only space to store food. When we moved in I had to give it a massive scrub down because like every other surface in the house it was covered in smoke tar, but it was still remained that over-varnished orange color.

$100 Room Challenge | Week 4: DIY Modern Art

Three day weekends should be an every weekend thing. I get more done around the house, I'm more productive at my day job, it's a win win for everyone. This past weekend I worked a little more on our hallway for the $100 Room Challenge Week 4 and started checking more off my "To-Do Before Baby" list.

Week 1: The Hallway Pt. 2 Befores
Week 2: The Natural Hallway Mood Board
Week 3: Painting the Hallway White

$100 Room Challenge | Week 3: Painting the Hallway White

I'm convinced paint is absolute magic. It can completely transform a space, costs as little as $30, and can be done in less than a day. The $100 Room Challenge is in full swing and for Week 3 I painted the hallway a perfect shade of white. When we moved in we painted every room Sherwin William's Repose Gray, which really is the perfect gray. But I wanted to lighten up the hallway and create a clean canvas to display the gallery wall. I used my go-to white is Behr's Snow Fall increased by 100%, and bonus I had it left over from our guest room meaning I didn't have to spend any money (woo!).

Week 1: The Hallway Pt. 2 Befores
Week 2: The Natural Hallway Mood Board

Project List for January to April

January is half way over and April is creeping up fast! With that in mind, I have several projects I'd like to finish before baby Jase makes his arrival in late April. It's not a strict "I must get these done" list, it's more of a guideline that gives me goals to achieve. Most of them are just buying a piece here or there, but there are a few DIYs I have in mind.

$100 Room Challenge | Week 2: The Natural Hallway Mood Board

Week 2 of the $100 Room Challenge and spent the entire week thinking and debating on what I want to accomplish for this challenge and what direction to take it (aka the hardest part). I really wanted to focus on simplicity and making the gallery wall the star of the show since that will be our most prominent photo display in the house. The mood board I ended up with is simple and natural, incorporating a lot of different shapes and texture.

$100 Room Challenge | Week 1: The Hallway Pt. 2 Befores

2020 is here and we have so many new things in store for us this year. Until baby gets here in April, I have a whole list of projects to complete. One of them is our barren hallway I decided to tackle for this round of the $100 Room Challenge. This will be my 7th (!) round of this challenge and I enjoy it every single time. So far I've done the half bath, the carport, the hall closet, the full bathroom, the tool closet, and most recently the backyard shed exterior. I actually was 6 weeks pregnant and super sick while tackling the shed, but Auston helped me get all the landscaping done. I'm 24 weeks now and am feeling much better so I'm ready to make this hallway pretty and functional.