Tuesday, March 28, 2017

Patio Makeover

I'm really excited about our current project, the covered patio.  As you may recall from my last post, we did a great deal of work to the exterior of the house.  For the past two years, we've been playing with the idea of building a covered patio.  We desperately need one as the kids love to play outdoors and it's just too hot under the Miami sun.  A covered patio will also give us a place to chill out in the evenings and drink some wine, which we love to do. By we, I mean ME of course.  When we purchased the house, there was a screened in covered porch measuring about 10x7 with wood plank floors.  Without hesitation we tore it down as it served no purpose and was falling apart.  We left the wood planks in place so that we wouldn't step straight into the dirt when exiting to the yard.  In this photo you can see the wood planks but unfortunately, I don't have a photo of the screened in porch.  Our original idea was to immediately lay concrete and build the covered patio.  We soon realized that our budget did not extend that far and moved to an alternative.  We settled for mulch and walking stones in the dirt area until the right moment came along.  

















Fast forward two years later, it's tiiiiiiimmmme to get this party started!  I've always loved exposed beam ceilings.  They give a rustic feel to an open space and just scream COZY to me.  Exposed beam ceilings go perfectly with our farmhouse-y type home, of which you will soon see for yourself.   I'm happy to say that construction started this week and here is where we are {yay}!  




Our hope is to have it done for my son's first birthday party in April.  I've accepted the fact that it probably won't be painted by then, and the space will not be decorated to my liking.  But, a roof over our heads is all we need.  I've drawn inspiration from these beautiful spaces and really can't wait to get started.

This is similar to the ceiling we'll end up with, but I think we may paint it white. I am obsessed with with the hanging lights, they give off the best ambience.  I also really love the Chicago brick floors in this space.  Our house came with Chicago brick inside (yes, you read correctly) so it might be nice to extend it into the porch area. I think it's time for Handy Andy to start building me a table like this one too.


Another gorgeous space. We plan to add at least two fans and a T.V. for Handy Andy.  He needs his sports,  I need my wine, it's the perfect compromise.  I also love the polished concrete floors here.  Gives the space a modern vibe while incorporating vintage furniture and accents. Totally me.  



I've thought about painting the beams the color of the house like in this space.  I think it would add a nice contrast to the white ceiling.  Too bad we can't use fireplaces in Miami or I might just add one. So gorgeous.



Decorating is really the best part and I can't wait to start picking out flooring, paint colors and furniture.  

Wednesday, March 22, 2017

Appearances Matter

Now that we've officially met, let’s move past the terribly awkward getting to know you stage and jump right into serious relationship status. I know, I move fast, but I am dying to tell you all about my tiny abode. We bought this house just about two years ago, exactly to date. We were lucky enough to find it right away and snag it up. Guys, it's sooo cute and tiny. I am not kidding when I say tiny. We're talking 980 sq. feet filled to the brim with love {and junk}. It was truly love at first sight for me. You know how they say, when you know, you know? Well I knew. This place was definitely sending me some good vibes.

Here we are, our first picture with our new home and our one baby at the time. Completely unaware of the hard work, sweat and tears {obviously my dramatic tears, "no, that's not the paint color I asked for! Why does everything happen to me?"} that lay ahead. I could kick myself in the rear for not taking better before pictures with my camera.

Apart from a new paint job the interior of the house didn't need much, but we'll discuss that another time.  Don't think because we're in said "serious relationship" you get to see all the goods right up front!  For now, you'll have to settle for the exterior which we tackled immediately. By we, I mean my very handy husband who we shall name Handy Andy going forward.  Handy Andy and I are actually kind of like Chip and Joanna Gaines. You know, a very amateur version of the {best couple ever} but can't you see the similarities? I digress. Take a look at this yard, and that paint, and those windows. Pretty terrible.




The first thing we did was add hurricane impact windows and doors. Living in Miami, it's an absolute must to have some sort of protection against the hurricanes.  Next, we added trimming. Poor old house, it was in desperate need of a face lift.


Once all that mess was said and done, it was time for my favorite part. Picking the paint color! I was actually on the fence about the color at first. I originally wanted to paint it a very light gray or mint green. Handy Andy came home with a sample of the color and I just wasn't sold.  Years of experience have taught me to paint a few HUGE swatches on the wall and live with it for a few days.  That kind of convinced me and we went for it. So happy we did because  the contrast with the white looks amazing and very different from all the other houses on the block.



We also had to lay an insane amount of grass, as much of it was dead and not very well taken care of.  Handy Andy is OBSESSED with his grass. No, I mean OBSESSED. We have sprinklers in and he still waters it every night.  I can't say I blame him, it is looking beautiful these days. 

 
{We actually have to repaint the house. When the sprinklers were first put it in, the water stained the walls. We tried to paint over it with with color-matched paint and failed. Rookie mistake}. Here she is today, in all her glory.  Handy Andy built the pergola over the front entrance of the house and planted the bougainvillea.  I love, love, love the hot pink against the dark gray. Adds the perfect pop of color. We also recently added the white fence and landscaping. 
Isn't she charming?


{Can you spot the T.V. on and Handy Andy standing by the window? He can't get away from the game for a second. I forgive him, look what he's done to the house}.

On to our next project...

Thursday, March 16, 2017

I have arrived.

To think its taken me two years to write this post.  Two years!  In my defense, I had a baby and I have a toddler.  I think that's a pretty valid excuse as to why I never "got around to it."  However, the real reason I "never got around to it" came to me as I was driving to work one morning.  There I was driving along, day dreaming about my non-existent blog and how perfect it was going to be.  Promising myself, that night was THE night I was going to sit  down and finish this post. Then this thought creeped into my head, "the reason you can't finish the post is because you are trying to create something that isn't there."  OH.

I had a vision for this blog.  Fancy pictures of my tidy home, recipes that could possibly make me the next Top Chef, immaculately dressed children playing quietly in their  playroom. Problem was, I was envisioning something for this blog that wasn't my reality.  My reality is a messy house, albeit chic, but messy.  Our nightly dinners consist of quick meals, faster than Rachel Ray can imagine.  My attempts of putting together Pinterest worthy outfits, consist of trying to carry my 11 month old while balancing on my Louboutins.  With that acceptance came a liberating thought.  I want to share my reality with you, because it is raw and beautiful.

If you came here for inspiration, you will find it.  If you came here because you're passionate about design, cooking, photography and fashion, so am I. You'll also find that I like to keep it real.

This is me.  Welcome.