Art Attack

Yangyang Pan

Christine Gray

Barbara Luel

Marc Davis

Pierre-Auguste Renoir

The Love Shack

Welcome to our home.

This post took a while to put together, 

it was a hard one.

Being new at blogging I just pretend I'm having a conversation with someone, 

hence the terrible sentence structure,

bad grammar, 

lack of direction.

I just blurt out what I think, 

throw in some pictures, 

and hit publish.

It works.

But when you have a story to tell it becomes overwhelming.

A few times I have sat down planning to write this post, 

usually I ended up showing you pretty jewelry, 

art that I like, 

things I have bought. 

Things that I love.

I will continue to do that, don't get me wrong. 

But damn I love this house, 

The journey we took to get here.

The relationship we built and the lessons we have learned.

How do you blurt out the last 5 years of your life?

I guess you don't.

Somehow it will all weave itself in here.

It's a journal, not a novel right?

I'll tell you how we ended up here eventually, 

don't worry it's nothing horrible or dramatic.

Just a LONG story.

but for now....

Let's take a gander.

That's me and my husband Chris. 

Taken in July 2012.

We look really really happy here, 

that's because we just got the keys to our first house!

The following pictures are the before shots.

Taken the day we got the keys.

It is a four level back-split, 

an 80's baby just like us.

While we have spent the last 25 years growing, 

this house sat preserved in all of it's glory.

The decor was horrific.

Trust me, we do not live like this!

 It was so ugly, 

so pink.

Here is the front entry.  

Check out the dirty blue door. Yum.

Imagine yourself walking in the front door, 

to your left you would see this.

Living/Dining Room.

We use it simply as a dining room.

Two views, one from the front door, 

one looking towards the front door.

Sheers!

At the end of the Living/Dining room are a set of stairs, 

they lead up to the three bedrooms.

More pink.

To the right of those stairs is a small set going down into the family room.

Now, back to the front door. 

When you walk in the house looking straight ahead is the galley kitchen

These are particularly scary.

We were moving, 

We were setting up for a week of painting.

Garbage everywhere.

There was drinking.

Those walls aren't painted yellow, 

they are wallpapered solid yellow.

Yeah.

Here is a view from the family room looking up, 

towards the front door again.

My step-dad doing a great job at hiding behind that pole.

The family room.

All we had were lawn chairs at the time,

we didn't officially move in until a week later.

Off of the family room is a small three piece bathroom.

To the left of where the picture was taken.

Remember the bathroom post?

Well this one is his...

So much baby blue.

This one is mine...

It's upstairs with the bedrooms.

So much pink.

And another view...

There are three bedrooms upstairs, 

I'll only show you one because we have yet to touch the other two.

The master.

 I'm in the process of taking some after shots of the rooms with the most improvement.

This just gives you an idea of what we were working with.

Pink walls, green carpet, no character.

It gets better, 

I promise.

Blurt, pictures, publish.

Done.

American baby

A week ago I went on a little journey, 

to a far away land...

to a little old place called BUFFALO, NY.

I went with my sister in law Lisa.

we  called it a road trip but it was all of 45 min away.

It was rainy, 

we drove my mother in law's mini-van.

We had lunch at Applebee's, 

Lisa called the border guard Ma'am.

He laughed, 

we didn't pay duty.

It was thrilling.

So thrilling I don't really remember what I paid  for most of this stuff,

 but it must have been cheap.

I rarely pay full price for anything.

Here's what I bought....

Steve Madden.

Gladiator enough for me without looking crazy.

Marshalls - $20?

Boring black eyeliner.

 $8 in Canada, $4 in America.

Target

The Body Shop Room & Linen spray

Prettier version of a glade aerosol, smells better and lasts longer

Marshalls - $5

Lucky Brand white linen tee

Hard to photograph, also boring but I have worn it everyday since I bought it.

Marshalls - $16

3 stretchy tanks.

I wear these every day under whatever shirt I have on.

'The rose and grey colors will be great under white shirts', says Lisa

She's right

Charlotte Russe - 3 for $12?

Antique looking brassy gold frame

Really in love with this one. 

Marshalls - $6

I also bought cereal and cake mix and a bunch of stuff you wouldn't be interested in.

I just realized I bought everything from Marshall's and Target

and that both of those stores are right here in Hamilton.

Sometimes you just need to go for a drive and eat shrimp with your sister.

While you're here, check out Lisa's blog

Balivathis

She shops far more than I do 

and is in the middle of a room makeover that involves pink, gold and a giant skull.

Score.

Swing batter batter...

When we moved into our house my husband Chris and I each claimed a bathroom as our own.

Weird right?

Maybe, but it is so practical...

I would suggest it to anyone lucky enough to have two full baths.

I immediately filled mine with all things girly....

 and that is when Chris declared we were having a 

BETTER BATHROOM COMPETITION.

I wish I was kidding.

I think he was just afraid I would fill 'his bathroom' with flowers.

Since I pretty much have full reign when it comes to decor throughout the house, he was claiming this space as the place where he would call the shots decor-wise. 

Realistically he just likes competition and will turn just about anything into a sport.

Well it is coming up on a year of living here and while 'my bathroom' is close to finished in that department, his sits, painted blue, without a single thing on the walls.

It is a sink, a toilet and a white shower curtain.

again, I wish I was kidding.

In an effort to help the process along I've been searching for items to spruce the place up. I'm going for.....

Vintage

Masculine

Blue, grey, brown...

Anything that looks like it smells like cologne....

or motor oil....

Found an etsy shop called Honey & Fitz.

Bought these.

Chris is a huge baseball fan, 

and one hell of a pitcher. 

Baseball pants, yes please.

He's happy because these are 'his' pitches.

I'm happy because it will look less like a public washroom....

These are 8x10 and I plan on finding some simple frames to hang them in.

I win.