a year's worth of "before & after"

I have so much to be thankful for this holiday season. First and foremost, I am extremely blessed to have a family who loves me unconditionally (even when I slip and fall). My family is supportive of every ambition, dream and the occasional nightmare! I also have a great group of friends. Even though many do not live close to Tulsa anymore, I'm lucky that I can pick up the phone and pick up right where we left off. I have two little puppies who live with me. I'm thankful for their "protection" and warmth at night when we fall asleep. I'm also quite thankful that last year, I was able to purchase my first home. Another reason to be thankful for family. If it wasn't for them, I would not have accomplished the drastic changes made to the place. As of October 21, 2010, I have owned my house a full year! It's been a long road and besides the constant seasonal decor change, I think I'm done with renovations (aka) "before and after" projects. This means, I will need to occupy my time with other "before and after" projects. I know I will be posting these upcoming projects, but until then...I thought I would share the last year of my life in my first home.

Around 5:00 p.m. on October 21st, I crossed the threshold into my first home. No. Not carried across the threshold in someones arms, but with my own two feet, I leaped across the door jam and planted my feet right where they belong.

Little did I know that when I purchased this dusty treasure, I would want it near perfect before moving in. Previous to my December 19th move in, I renovated (in no particular order) the kitchen, dining room, living room, master bedroom and bathroom. I also attacked the ugliest front porch and fake-flower-filled landscape.

Kitchen befores: 

This is the view of the main part of the kitchen. Aren't those curtains wonderful? Ewwww....

  

 

Wonderful wall paper border and ugly red paint job. Pictures don't show the detail left on the cabinets...cat hair, dust and peeling paint. Absolutely gross. I don't know where or how I saw the potential in this place, but I did.

Kitchen afters:

  

 

 

The kitchen became a dream for my first home complete with stainless steel appliances, glazed cabinets and a wallpaperless walls.

Living and Dining room befores:

 

 

 

Again with the hidden potential and wallpaper. It's going to be a recurring theme throughout the post. Before tackling the wallpaper in the biggest room in the house, I had the hardwoods refinished throughout the house and then stained darker. The dining room, again with the wallpaper plus a filthy, dusty chair rail and chandelier.

The living room is the biggest and most utilized room in the house. It needed to be cozy. Enough said. Currently, fall and Thanksgiving decorations adorn the fireplace making this room an ever-changing room.

 

Besides the baskets on the wall in the dining room, I am not completely finished with this. My dream is to have a pub table that expands with (matching) chairs. Yet, I can't seem to find one that I love for a price that I love equally as well. And I can't move on with this post without thanking my Grandma Dixie for lending me the table, chairs and bakers rack.

 

The master bedroom was simple and easy...until we reached the west wall. Whoever lived here before me, or before them, put a layer of wallpaper over the wallpaper. I know, right?! Next time you're going to do a job halfway, think of those who follow in you and what they will have to go through to "correct" your job to their liking. Finish it and do it right the first time. Stepping down from my soap box...now.

 

After the corrections were made, paint was applied and then applied again because I didn't like the way the first color turned out. The color I ended up falling in love with was chocolate brown. I always thought I would hate to have a dark room, but I really love it. I like to play with the decorations. For instance, I have changed the comforter 3 times and I like to change them so I don't get bored. And...here is the "final" product, that I'm sure by the time this post goes live, it will have changed.

 

 

Oh and I added a photo of my proudest innovation moment. I found a window cover from an old house, turned it sideways and it now is home to many necklaces and scarves behind my bedroom door.

Moving on to the hallway and bathroom. Let's start with the hallway. Covered in metallic, leafy, paper. The good news about this wallpaper? It took about 7 minutes to remove all of it! I don't know why it just peeled right off, but I was happy and I'm not complaining.

Seeing that the hallway isn't wide enough to place furniture in, I decided to decorate the hallway with old family photos. Each photo frame is matted with wallpaper removed from the pre-renovated house.

The bathroom was painted an awful red color with some striped natural colored wallpaper. It didn't feel like much of a bathroom. The mirror was about 8x10 in size and housed the only storage for the entire bathroom. The sink was cracked and if you ran the water hot enough, you would see the crack grow up the side of the bowl. Aren't these sinks made to handle this kind of heat and use?

Finally, a bathroom I can primp and pretty myself in everyday. I am constantly looking and adding antique and unique hand mirrors to the space above my window and heater closet. It's only a matter of time until its full.

 

After I moved in, I decided to take a break from renovations. That is until some friends decided to come visit me and I needed to provide them with a place to stay. The befores...more wallpaper. Another room's potential covered in Laura Ashley flowers and topped off with a border.

 

As wallpaper peeled off, blank canvas was revealed. Paint was necessary. What color? That took some testing and much thought. Creating a place of comfort for yourself is easy - you know what you like, want and how the designs you choose make you feel. Creating a home away from home for guests is an entirely different animal. I thought about what most of my friends that would be staying would enjoy. One word came to mind: Anthro. I'm still in need of wall art and maybe a make-shift head board (unspoken thoughts have not been released, but I'm excited to find what I'm looking for and will keep you posted).

 

And this is what I call home. My nest and place of retreat. A dwelling place...with a porch to watch the world from. And I thank God everyday for this humble little abode that I get to call home. Paint color might change, decorations will come and go, but this will always be my first home and for that, I am thankful!