Evil Onion

Paranormal Realty

2010-03-19T11:55:00.003-06:00

So, we are slightly amused that an agent in Ohio was able to sell Jeffrey Dahmer's house... and we still can't sell ours!

Could it be?

2010-03-12T12:03:00.002-07:00

Could it be that I seriously haven't posted a blog in SEVEN MONTHS????? How is this even possible? More importantly, why am I not laying on the beach drinking margaritas seven months after we first listed our house?

Let's bring you up to speed on the seventh circle of hell that Josh and I have been living during our blog-absence... We have had COUNTLESS showings on our house - imagine spending between two and four hours a day cleaning...everyday! Some of these showings were actually no-shows. Really, people? You're going to call and make an appointment that requires an average of three hours of preparation on another person's behalf (not to mention the two hours that we are forbidden to be in the house) and then... NOT SHOW UP? Not even call? Lucky for you that your identity remains anonymous, because otherwise, you might want to watch over your shoulder in dark alleys!

We've had Realtors leave our front door open (I'm not talking about unlocked, but OPEN, as in, WIDE), we've had Realtors cancel their showing the day after they were supposed to be there, we've had Buyers who couldn't afford within $50k of the original asking price. All in all, it is a zoo out there! What is with the wild west of real estate? Shouldn't this be an exact science at this point?

And yet, somehow, even amidst the insanity of the process, we are still optimistic. We've drastically reduced our asking price and are starting to get some interest generated. Good timing, because I've lost interest... Completely!

Blog Lovin'

2009-10-28T13:14:00.002-06:00

So yeah, I love the blog Faces in Places.

Entertaining, artistic, colorful, fun. Nothing more needs to be said. Check it out for yourself!

Bathroom Remodel

2009-10-28T11:07:00.009-06:00

Josh's last few weeks have been dedicated to doing a bathroom remodel for the fabulous Petty family... And the almost-finished results are so incredibly awesome that we think it definitely deserves a post!!

Let me preface this by saying: this is an extremely busy family with FOUR (yes: one, two, three, four) kids under the age of 14! Having their bathroom torn apart for three weeks was, I'm sure, a big experience for these guys. Josh and I are just delighted that they will be able to get some kiddie-free time in their new grown-up master bathroom! Second, Monsieur Petty happens to work with me and is unfortunate enough to have to put up with the daily shenanigans of myself and my doppelganger, Allison. So, a big round of applause goes to Ryan for having a new place to relax after dealing with the two of us all day!

Check out the redo below:

Before. Certainly not a bad looking before, but Ryan and Elizabeth actually have not used this shower since they moved in over a year ago!! A tub support issue combined with a little urine smell (see their blog for the explanation!) created a master bathroom that rendered itself useless to them.

They had the idea to just nix the tub all together. Introduce: BIG OL' SHOWER, a great friend to those of us who enjoy our bathroom time!

Out goes the safety hazard, in goes the shower.

Diggin' on the mosaic tile. Good choice!

A vaulted ceiling + tiles that go allll the way to the top = awesome!

Brand spankin' new floor all matchy matchy.

All in all, this bathroom ROCKS! Hopefully Elizabeth will post some completely finished pics when it is all said and done - I'll keep you updated!

Daily Obsession Part Deux and Lucky Fiona GIVE AWAY!

2009-10-21T09:50:00.001-06:00

Okay, okay I've had a couple new obsessions this week - but they have been very obsession-worthy items, if you ask me!! Check out these fabulous Lucky Fiona dog collars that have us droolin' like dogs! I ordered the "Poindexter" collar for my Jack Russell, Jonas - and to commemorate the occasion, Josh and I will be giving away a Lucky Fiona collar to one lucky reader's dog (or cat): all you have to do is email a photo of your beloved pet(s) with a little bio of your four-legged friend (funny stories would be great!) to EvilOnionDesigns@hotmail.com. Make sure to put "LUCKY FIONA" in the subject line and include your pet's collar measurements as these are custom made to size. The winner will be picked at random from all submissions received by November 6th.

"Poindexter", above

Let the games begin!

Family Fun!

2009-10-21T08:13:00.005-06:00

We have recently discovered that our son likely has a gluten allergy - which has forced us to explore a more creative side of cooking at home... I had been planning on making fun and festive Halloween cupcakes, so the new gluten-free rule was really throwing us for a loop in terms of baking - and then, down from the heavens comes Betty Crocker's new Gluten-Free baking mixes (cue choir singing).

We are happy to report that they are mmm mmm good and 100% wheat gluten free! See our cupcake excapades below:

Sash used an entire tube of the gel color on one cupcake.

Yummy Mummy

The blood splatter cupcake is my favorite!

Everyone loves a googly-eyed monster.

Makeover Complete!

2009-10-21T08:07:00.003-06:00

Ben and Jill finished their bedroom makeover and I am proud to present the results! They say:

"Thanks for all your advice and any further comments would be great! Gotta learn somehow! right... A few simples differences as we couldn't get everything exact. We haven't found the lamps so without spending too much we bought new shades for the ones we had. Installed some floating shelves, bought Decor items, refinished the vanity as you said, funnily enough I still had the mirror to it to! I also added new hardware and even used a stainless steel paint spray on the mirror bolts. I didn't get to the fabric store so Wal-Mart supplied the fabric, which I made pillow cases the new comforter cover and cushion for the vanity. We also bought a floor lamp as our room has no lighting other than the bedside lamps. We found some white curtains and a bamboo shade. As for the storage, we found this neat white shelve setup at $19 which can fit 6 fabric cubes, we opted for 4 as Jill has a few books plus the alarm. The Rocking chair we picked up for $20 from craigslist which is great for Jill's nursing of Brodie and his current crib is a co-sleeper which we wheel in and out. The changing table is still there for the time being. Overall we're stoked to have this extra room again and being able to breathe. Overall its come together nicely. We hope you enjoy the pictures and thanks again for the advice. Overall we spent about $250 Ben Jill and Brodie"

Congrats to the Southgate fam!

My Daily Fix

2009-10-19T08:40:00.003-06:00

Obsession of the day... these adorable aprons from Kitsch'n'Glam! Not to ruin the surprise, but everyone I know is getting one for Christmas! I love how they come in children's sizes - and they are very affordable at around $30. Be sure to enter the code REALSIMPLE at checkout for extra savings!

Fabulous Friday

2009-10-16T13:28:00.005-06:00

Blog readers Ben and Jill wrote to us and said:

"Here's our needed project, since the arrival of Brodie our Bedroom has become disaster zone, so please excuse the mess, but given we've only been home a few days from the hospital. I feel like everything is landing in our room so need to figure out some sort of arrangement. The baby will be living with us for the time being, espcially since our guest room and office have will people staying in them. SO overall Im very open to suggestions on paint, making bedside tables whatever really! any thoughts would be great, thanks ever so much Ben and Jill ( and Brodie)"

And you may recall their master bedroom looking like this:

We decided that what Ben and Jill needed was a little extra storage in addition to a room that is completely theirs. Afterall, little Brodie won't be in there for too long! No one wants to buy a bunch of new furniture on a new-baby-budget, so we came up with an inspiration board that is functional, affordable, baby-friendly, and best of all: relaxing!

Master Bedroom Re-Do by EvilOnion on Polyvore.com

We liked the neutral wall color and light wood furniture that Ben and Jill already have because a neutral scheme gives you the ability to change your design down the road! We thought that dark wood accents would add some sophistication to the room, and we wanted to keep the color pallet simple and elegant.

First order of business, remove this night table that is over-flowing with books!

1.) Say goodnight to the nightstands! We think installing the floating shelves from the inspiration board at mid-headboard height on either side of the bed is an original way to add knick-knack storage that is purposeful. These can be found at a million different retailers (like Home Depot, Ikea, etc.) and only cost about $14.99. You could even install them at staggering heights for contrast. The metal letters displayed on the shelves give a touch of personalization and all of the twig balls, candle holders and curly willow branches can be purchased from Save On Crafts for under $9.99! I absolutely adore the wall-mounted light fixtures and they help reduce table top clutter. The ones pictured are from Lamp Select and retail for $58, but I run across these in thrift stores all the time - all you'll do is repaint the finish and replace the shade. Done.

2.) Ben and Jill have this sweet little vanity table that is being used as a TV stand. We'd like to re-purpose the table back to its original purpose (imagine that!) by painting it black and upholstering the seat in a modern-print fabric similar to the green and white swatch above (think around $10 for the fabric and $10 for a small can of black paint). Adding a little table top mirror and some decor would bring home the sophistication factor big time!

3.) To tie in the existing natural wood headboard, we suggest using a simple bamboo shade (around $20) in a similar woodtone. Dress the window with chic white linen grommetted panels ($20 for the pair) and instantly anchor the window to the room's white trimwork.

4.) Adding some simple storage cubes with colored-canvas baskets creates functional (and concealed) storage for Brodie's things. Plus, the units are pretty affordable at $20 a pair and can easily be moved once the little man is sleepin' solo.

5.) The best part: BEDDING! I have a love-hate relationship with shopping for bedding, but in the end, it really is the focal spot of the room and should therefore be perfect. For Ben and Jill, we envision a solid charcoal-color quilted comforter. A clean white sheet set will compliment the dark color of the spread. Then add accents of all of the major room colors: white, black, tan and green. I always recommend non-patterned bedding with highly patterned throw pillows. The clearance sections at West Elm, Pottery Barn and Urban Outfitters are usually great places to find fun prints at reasonable prices. Again, throw pillows can cheaply and easily be switched out when you want to update your decor!

And, voila! With a little reorganizing, repurposing and a touch of decor, we put the sweet in Master Bedroom Suite!

Jet Lag

2009-10-15T08:29:00.006-06:00

Please pardon the extended blogspot vacation as we have just had the busiest month of our lives! On top of juggling showings and filming and working and parenting, I just returned from my home-sweet-home where I was in attendance at Marissa's wedding extravaganza!

Now that we've had a moment or two to, you know, breathe, we're going full steam ahead with a project that we are very excited about! Meet blog readers Ben and Jill's master bedroom.

This super cool couple just welcomed baby Brodie into their family and are now experiencing what us parents come to know as the Eye of the Baby-Stuff Hurricane. We are so pumped to help them out on this project, especially because Ben tells us that they have the real deal DIY spirit!

Sweet little Brodie!

Stay tuned for the transformation!

Fiiinally

2009-09-28T11:38:00.002-06:00

The house has been listed and we have successfully made it through two showings and a preview in the last 48 hours. Check out the listing site here!

Although, who could imagine how difficult it turned out to be cleaning-house in under an hour with a toddler and three dogs? We're both just hoping the house sells FAST because we are already ready to wrap it up!

The Big News...

2009-09-21T14:59:00.004-06:00

A little pile of fingernail chewings has been building up next to my keyboard as I have been anxiously awaiting the green light to share our big news, so without further ado:

Josh and I have been cast on HGTV's new series My First Sale!! Please keep your fingers crossed that 1.) we are able to sell our house rapido and 2.) I won't do/say anything completely embarrassing!

Stay tuned for more details. And in the meantime, I highly suggest that you pop on over to Marissa's blog and watch her big debut on Dr. Phil from last week!!

OPP - Other People's Pictures

2009-09-12T08:58:00.008-06:00

Found these pics while snooping around Design*Sponge and the world wide web beyond... even though they are making me feel rather inadequate at the moment, at least I'll have plenty of inspiration for our next project!

I LOVE LOVE LOVE the design in the last photo. Since I was just a wee lil' lass, I dreamed about having my own secret garden - and this awesome solarium/dining space really takes the cake! Now, paying for it might be an issue... But maybe we'll get lucky and win the lottery or something. Until then, I'll keep dreaming.

This crazy week

2009-09-12T08:09:00.002-06:00

My good friend Patrick once told me "Ask a more specific question and I'll give you a vaguer answer". So, in order to keep the mystery, I'll tell you that we MAY OR MAY NOT have very exciting news to share with you next week! I know, I know, I have a special way of building suspense. Check back soon for updates!!

Lovin' It!

2009-09-10T12:17:00.008-06:00

Megan Kline, Pat Scott and Kevin Faulkner are rockin' our world right now! We just got the listing photos back and after I celebrated their awesomeness by inadvertantly karate-chopping myself in the forehead, I lightning-typed my way to blogspot to show them to you! Countdown to listing: 28 hours!!

We are most excited about how much everyone loved our repurposed aquarium stand, turned console table, pictured above. It was literally a last minute project, conceived as we pained over what we could put there to fill the space. Moments later, wood from an old door and the aquarium stand that had been in our garage for the past three years were reborn as a sweet little sidetable. Success!!

Labor Day

2009-09-06T21:40:00.005-06:00

This weekend, Josh and I took a blood oath to have the house picture-ready for Kevin, the photographer who is scheduled for Tuesday. Other than some minor setbacks - including a piece of shrapnel that the table saw regurgitated at about 60mph straight into Josh's face, and then of course, Kevin calling to say that he would be coming today for the exterior photos, everything has been going according to schedule. And using our standards, which are by all accounts a controlled state of chaos, this means that the inside of our house looks like a Home Depot bomb went off. I have all ten digits crossed that we can pull this thing off. On the bright side, our guest bathroom looks stellar! Funny how the very last room that we started ended up being finished first. A little before and after for your viewing pleasure:

Hopefully you have already deduced that above is the before.

Ta-da!!

Just for fun, a picture of Josh's brush with death:

This is why you should wear goggles, kids!

Keep Dreamin

2009-09-03T20:42:00.003-06:00

I keep dreaming about that Jonathan Adler living room I mentioned in an earlier post, and I have made it my personal mission to recreate that room for my own selfish enjoyment. Here is the inspiration board I have concocted so far... Best part is, it is in true Allison fashion (aka CHEAP).

Dream Room by EvilOnion on Polyvore.com

My obsession with this room is fueled by the fact that our Realtor is sending a photographer over on Tuesday to take the pictures for the house listing. This means that (hopefully) soon, I will be able to start decorating anew in a completely different house! The thought of this makes me simultaneously ecstatic and nauseous, but for that living room, I'll deal with the nausea.

Off Topic

2009-08-28T06:42:00.011-06:00

Marissa kindly reminded me about the time we dressed Gary, our chihuahua, in Mr. Potato Head accessories and I feel that my dogs deserve a tribute for their patience and their misbehavin'. View below a presentation of all of the canine hilarity.

Jonas, after he rolled around in the mud.

Dog beds are great chew toys!

Here he is hiding, immediately after he destroyed the dog bed.

Little muffin.

Oh, the inequality.

Make yourself at home, Jo!

Argyle is Gary's color.

The King.

For some reason, he wasn't really feelin' the diaper.

True love.

Holy Hilariousness!

2009-08-26T18:57:00.002-06:00

He's got a face that only a mother could love.

Noah's Arch

2009-08-26T17:43:00.014-06:00

We managed to whip out another blog-worthy project in just a day's time when we built a custom arch that leads into our master bathroom. Amazingly, it was all done with scraps of wood and sheetrock that were in our garage, meaning our sweet new arch cost us nothing but a little elbow grease! Read on below for a step-by-step that will give ye olde doorway a little flair.

In the beginning, there was an ugly ol' hole in the wall, framed and ready for your average door.

We drew the shape of the arch's corner on scrap piece of wood and cut it out with a jigsaw.

You'll need a total of four corner wedges - two for each side.

Magically, a piece of 1/2" sheetrock sandwiched in between the two wedges = the exact size of the existing door frame. Go ahead and cut three pieces of sheetrock the same size as your corner wedges, and what you'll end up with should look like this:

Don't get confused: the color below is different because the picture was taken from the other side of the doorway! Screw up (as in install, not destroy...) some flexible corner bead and you're over halfway there.

A little plaster will blend it in with the surrounding walls:

Paint, and enjoy!

Home Invasion

2009-08-23T19:18:00.010-06:00

Our friends, Wes and Dani, had us over today and a good time was had by all! Our little guy, Sash, had a blast playing with their gorg little daughter, Weily. They also had a new baby a couple of weeks ago, and holding little Finn helped tide over my baby fixation (for now)! Let's also just say that they pretty much have the dopest sense of modern-contemporary style ever... Josh and I have long been assisting them with tiling and miscellaneous home-improvements, most recently their girls' bathroom. They've graciously agreed to let us come over soon for a full-on photo tour, but for now, ch-ch-check out what we did today:

This appears innocent enough, but what you can't hear is Dani and I screaming "ONLY COLOR ON THE PAPER" with such frequency that we could have been performing a musical canon.

A little camera lovin'.

Wood paneling didn't look this good in our house!

The nursery.

Weily's room... So sweet!

I'm crushin' pretty hard on this double sink and bubbly tile back-splash in the little girls' bathroom! Ikea wishes their showroom looked this good...

I absolutely CANNOT wait until we get to go over there for the blog photo tour... The best has yet to come!

At long last...

2009-08-21T18:46:00.009-06:00

I haven't posted a blog in the last week because before and after photos are usually more climactic when there is an after instead of an almost finished! We had been very impatiently awaiting the new carpet installation in our master bedroom when Home Depot (or, as we call it, "The D") miraculously had a cancellation in their install calendar and came TODAY! So, make some time for a quick debriefing of the entire project:

If you'll remember, when we bought our house in 2006, the master bedroom looked like this:

Since this fabulous faux brick paneling has probably not been available for purchase since 1982, it is technically a one-of-a-kind antique; none the less, we decided to forgo its rich historical value in favor of something not-so... hideous. Josh hooked it up with a Venetian Plaster effect, we high-heat-painted the fireplace, added a hearth and some trim, and voila:

The little cast iron Jack Russel was my early birthday gift; his legal name is Darren, but in homage to the best tv show ever, we call him Derwood or Darwin, interchangeably.

I can't ever get the dogs out of the camera shot. Attention fiends.

After having had plywood floors for three weeks, you'd fall asleep on the new fluffy carpet, too! I was too tired to even take the tag off of my new sheepskin flokati that I scored for (drumroll) $60!!

We, undoubtedly, will have made renovation leaps and bounds by tomorrow, so stay tuned! And a little lesson on how to build an arch is planned for tomorrow, kids!

Capiz Light

2009-08-10T17:58:00.003-06:00

Just a quick post as I break from the master bedroom redo (coming soon!)...

I instantly fell in love with this romantic Capiz Shell pendant fixture from West Elm:

That is, until I found this one, from World Market, which made me happy-as-a-clam-at-high-tide (yes, I just said that) when I compared the price tags: West Elm: $129, World Market: $19.99!!! Looks like someone is getting a new Capiz Light fixture this week!!!

Afternoon Delight

2009-08-04T20:08:00.006-06:00

The labor pains have officially begun; after three years of gestating our home renovation, our friend/realtor extraordinaire came over for a pre-sale preview. Too bad no one offers lamaze classes for first time home-sellers, because this morning, I would have benefited from an instructional breathing exercise or two. "I wish I would have picked a different paint color! We need new bathroom towels! The mantle is dusty!" And all of a sudden, what I previously considered a clean living space now seems about as clean as a urinal at the Waffle House.

At any rate, and despite my sudden decor-insecurity, the agents have fallen in love with our little Englewood cottage and are making plans to get the sign in the yard by next week. So obviously, this completely reaffirmed the fact that I am as perfect and talented as I always knew I was! Obviously.

So here is the first taste (the kitchen)... And it's Almost.For.Sale. Eeeek!

Not bad for free cabinets... I wish they were a little nicer, but "free" remains the operative word. Also, try not to notice those missing tiles on the bar; if you did notice, you can blame Josh for that: I do.

I think the darker shot is moody and artistic. Coincidentally, Josh thinks I am delusional.

And finally, in order to grasp the gravity of the situation, I will remind you what this same room looked like before:

The End.

obsessed!

2009-08-02T11:09:00.008-06:00

My four-legged children have gotten me all kinds of crazy obsessed with canine-inspired decor. Meet the culprits:

Gary, above and Jonas, below

Before you start picturing me scouring flea markets for Jack Russell mini-figurines, I will steer you in a more appropriate direction with these photos; aka my new fixation:

This Jonathan Adler room has almost put me on the brink of infinite sadness that I am not, in fact, looking through the door into my living room. On the bright side, it will probably take me about two solid weeks to find an affordable version of every object in that picture, which will at least keep me distracted from all of my other psychoses.

Everyone loves a creepy little Boston Terrier from ebay.

Find one for your breed.

From Naked Decor.

Anatomical Dog.

Jeff Koons Vase.

Send me pictures of your dogs/dog decor and I'll post them here.

Build a Pergola

2009-08-01T08:17:00.013-06:00

I told you I'd give you instructions on how we built our pergola for under $150! The hardest part of the process is picking a design and customizing it for your house. For example, we built an attached pergola, meaning that there are only two support posts and the other side is anchored to the house. You may need or choose to build a freestanding pergola for applications where there is no structure nearby to support it. At either event, the best place to start is by googling images of pergolas and picking one that is similar in design to what you want. I picked this image as a starting off point for ours:

To be fair, I should let you know that my husband is an experienced home builder and there are a lot of ins-and-outs to attaching a structure to your home. There may be local building codes that require a permit for building an attached pergola and I would definitely check with your local building department before you go drilling into the side of your house! For inexperienced builders, I would suggest doing a free-standing pergola that has four corner supports. This will be a lot easier than trying to locate and drill into the framing of your house without encountering concealed electrical wiring and potentially creating entrance points for water. That said, you can always email us with pictures of your home and we can give you more specific advice from there.

As far as the actual construction goes, I think this website does a really good job of giving a step-by-step tutorial for building a freestanding structure. The only problem is, you won't be building that pergola for $100! Here are some hints to save some dough:

For our pergola, we saved the most $$ by using untreated Douglas Fir from Home Depot, instead of pressure-treated cedar like that website suggests. The downside to using construction lumber is that it generally has all kinds of markings and stamps on it that need to be sanded off before you stain. But, if you're like us, you're willing to put in a little extra elbow grease when the savings are substantial!

Changing the design will also cut down on lumber costs. If you look at our pergola, you'll see that we used one 4"x6" carrying beam instead of two 2"x6" face boards:

The goal here is to use the least amount of wood possible without compromising the structure or the style. Unless you really like the look of the double rafters, you can cut down on a lot of the lumber expense by using single rafters and substituting the 2"x4" purlins (the very top boards that run across the rafters) for 2"x2" boards that only cost about $1 each. The total cost of lumber for our pergola? About $80.

We ended up using two stains to achieve the color we wanted: a base of Minwax Cherry and a topcoat of Minwax Special Walnut. You'll probably find that the wood still looks really dry even after it is stained, so we applied a finish coat of Linseed Oil to make it shiny. I should point out that when using untreated wood, it is very important to fill all nail/screw holes with clear silicone caulk to prevent water from getting inside the wood. Other than that, the stain and linseed oil are certainly enough to protect your pergola from the elements. Cost of stain and oil: $20.

All of the nails, screws and miscellaneous fasteners added about $30 to the project, bringing us to a grand total of.... $130!!!!!!!

To finish it off, I suggest purchasing a wisteria from a local garden center. I really love this particular vine plant because it grows very very quickly (each chute can grow 12 feet in a season), you couldn't kill the thing if you tried, and it is makes some crazy beautiful flowers. Remember, mine is just blooming for the first time this year, but soon it will look like this:

Like I said, don't hesitate to email us if you want advice specific to your project! Just don't forget to include pictures and any relevant details about your plans.

Budget Shopping!

2009-07-31T06:43:00.005-06:00

If you know me, you know that I looooove to budget shop. In fact, my desire to find the absolute lowest price is bordering on obsession - when Josh buys me a gift, he has grown accustomed to me having the fervor of a rabid animal when asking whether he looked for a coupon. That said, when it was time to buy patio furniture, I was shocked at how expensive everything was! My dream outdoor set was the one pictured below, from Pottery Barn.

Ringing in at $979 (on clearance), this bad boy was way out of my league. I spent days frantically searching ebay and every online clearance site and had almost resolved to seek spiritual guidance when I stumbled upon this very similar set from World Market....

The patio set we actually bought is no longer available online, but is a dead ringer for this 4-piece wood ensemble... And the best part is, it was only $199! Obviously, I found a coupon (10% off!) and ended up bringing my new baby home for around $180. The second we had it assembled I began the reconnaissance for outdoor throw pillows; again, without thorough searching, they are expensive! We ended up going with some neutral 18" pillows from Pottery Barn and turned to West Elm for the patterned designs, they were all on clearance for $9.99!

Backyard Angst

2009-07-30T19:52:00.008-06:00

We were unlucky enough to fall for a property that had a backyard suitable for dumping toxic waste. Upon moving in, our dogs promptly massacred whatever living vegetation that was there, and we were pretty well left with a giant dirt pit. See exhibit A:

I'm not really sure what to say about that picture, other than you really had to see it to believe it. Take my word for it, though, it was worse than it looks in pictures. Josh wanted to create levels in the yard to add visual interest and fix a rainwater drainage issue, so he dug out the lower portion into steps. We had an incredibly heinous back porch that blocked sunlight from the entire back portion of the house. To fix this problem, we ripped out the porch roof and built the wood pergola (for under $150, details later) and tied-up the wisteria vine that will one day canopy the entire structure. Here is the improved yard:

Laying the sod.

Mulch planting bed next to the porch.

Our wisteria bloomed for the first time this year! (I am aware of my severe loss of coolness over being excited over that... But come on... It took three years!)

Growing new grass by seed - by the way, this is a seriously un-fun project but it is waaaay cheaper than sod and once it's done, it's done! Josh loves nothing more than to talk about his martyrdom to the grass gods, so please feel free to email if you have any questions about home-grown turf!

Welcome to the Imaginarium

2009-07-29T17:13:00.016-06:00

Inspired by my good friend (or more accurately, the breath in my lungs, the Goddess of friendship - is that better, Riss?), Marissa, who introduced me to the lovely site "Young House Love", I have decided to start a blog dedicated to the transformation of our little Denver house. You've already missed three years of blood, sweat and tears - or as Josh and I jokingly call it: Blood Bath and Beyond. So, to all of our friends and family who never made it out here to see it in person (cough, Carrie) here is the house au naturale:

The front of the house, circa 2006. At least the grass coordinates with the awesome astro-turf on the porch that has since made for excellent weed-matting material.

Yeah, about that backyard... I love how my dog is even precariously tip-toeing around; he knows bad landscaping when he sees it! The previous owners' homemade swing set was definitely an OSHA violation and was one of the first things to go. I did, however, unearth that sweet little garden ladder - score!

I don't think it is really even necessary to point out the portable dishwasher.

Is that faux brick veneer you ask? Why, yes, it is! And 30-year-old orange and brown carpet!

This picture of the living room was actually taken while our Realtor was showing us the house before we bought it. What you can't see here is the glittery popcorn ceiling and the look of bewilderment that washed over our agent's face when we told him we wanted to make an offer.

In the third bedroom: Yellow trim, check. Plywood cabinetry, check. Glued-on fabric dust ruffle, check. Aside from the obvious aesthetic issues, we found this third room to be a waste of space since the washer, dryer and water heater were basically sitting in the hallway next to the kitchen. The first major project we tackled was putting up new walls in this room to accommodate a laundry room, master closet and master bath.

I intentionally saved the best for last. This was the one-and-only bathroom in the house, and it had clearly been intensely remodeled about 30-40 years ago. We couldn't decide which was worse: the matching blue fixtures or the fact that I refused to take a shower without shoes on.

Just removing the stench of 1970 from the house took up the bulk of two years. We are just now getting to the decorating and finish work, and our house is really transforming. Stay tuned for a play-by-play of each room - but here is a teaser of the front of the house, now:

The clematis vine was already here but never really grew because it needed a trellis to climb. Our awesome next door neighbor-slash-fence-builder gave us a slammin' deal on the privacy fence and the clematis took off when we tied it up to the garden trellis that we got (for free) from Josh's uncle.

More free decor (thanks, mom!)

There is more we'd like to do outside - like staining the new concrete porch we poured (and by "we", I mean "Josh") and putting in more flagstone - all in due time! Can't wait for you to see the inside!