Scenes from the Week/end

The state of master bedroom is kind of atrocious, and sadly, we have actually made a lot of progress in the past 5 months. We bought a headboard, nightstands, dresser, bedding and bed skirt and full length mirror. Hung curtains and painted the whole room. BUT, the walls are still virgin, and the entire room looks like a neutral blob…..I digress: Here are some belly pics I took after our maternity picture session on Thursdays. I love this dress, and can’t believe how big my belly is!

Dress is from asos.com / find here 

Here is a sneak peek shot from said maternity session:

^This was the eat ice cream in the kitchen scene! And I wanted all my favorite pregnancy foods to be captured as well. I’m still a little surprised at how different a DSLR camera and an iPhone camera make me look. DSLR’s definitely add 10 lbs if ya know what I mean.^

^Matt and I went to infant safety and CPR Saturday night. Then we gorged down at outback steakhouse. I was craving crab legs and baby got what she wanted! Nothing fancy, but we sure did eat a lot on Saturday night.^

Then I trekked out to Ikea on Sunday to meet my mom and stepdad, and we finally solved all my shelving issues! We worked on the nursery all day after that.. and I have to say it’s really, really coming together. FINALLY. It has been stressing me out for a while, and I’ve waffled between pushing through or just finishing it after she is here. I’m so darn glad it might be finished before she is here. I'm planning a sneak peek here pretty soon! Stay tuned!

Furniture Friday | hutch and dresser

Two posts in a day?! Illegal right! This is what nesting does to you my friends.  Here is the hutch we bought off of Craig's list for $225, and then painted a frosty blue (paint is "ice rink" by Martha Stewart)

Ignore my vacuum cord and amateur photo taking skills.

 

I kind of hated the way the color worked in our dining room initially, but it's growing on me. I need some light blue accessories and to change my cornice boards. I know I know. I said that last week, so it should be done. But, good ol' pregnancy brain had me forget to grab my mom's staple gun last weekend. So we shall see when that happens, and then the dining room will be done! With the exception of adding her high chair ;) I can't wait for some home tour posts. 

And then next up: our new dresser that we got for 60% off at a consignment store. Isn't she gorgeous?! And no it does not look like that right now,  I just don't have another pic at the moment. The master is shaping up! 

Furniture Friday

Furniture Friday, Furniture Friday. Ok, so really a lot has been going down in Casa de Cook, but it’s all a jumbled mess and not quite finished therefore my furniture Friday is in a bit of a holding pattern. Not to toot my own horn or anything, but with me being a couch potato with a bad back, getting things checked of the list is MUCH, MUCH harder.  I usually start projects, and then make my husband or mom help me finish them, but yea that isn't happening these days. BUT. Some progress has been made. 

We painted the master bedroom. It's a behr color called vintage linen. We bought a new dresser (not pictured) last weekend,  and the dresser you see has made it's way to the nursery. Our new dresser is a a whole post in itself; we searched high and low for a while, then had to trek out to Austin to get it! We still need to paint her dresser, but more on nursery in a few weeks! 

I love our windows. It's one perk of a three story house. All you see is trees when you look out the master windows :) this has a lot of influence on the direction I want to take for the room. I'm not going full on green like I said when I got home from Costa Rica last year. I pretty much wanted to move to the rain forest after that trip, but I very much want green accents in our master bedroom. And indoor plants. Stay tuned! Green isn't the easiest color scheme. 

The difference between my super light walls and the vintage linen below 

We have painted this hutch a light, frosty blue! Pictures coming soon, husband literally finished it last night. Two weeks ago, I painted 85% of it.. Then my back gave out and I said no more. Oh, I have a new neutral fabric for our cornice boards. Bye bye to that navy in the right corner.

And, I am so not ready to talk about the nursery, but we did paint it about 5-6 weeks ago.. Here's a peek:

The color is much more peach in person, and I can NOT wait to stop with my house projects and move into the nursery. There's is not too much left in the house, but I just know it will not get get done once she is here, and want to be in a good place! 

Here's to hoping this weekend is productive... and our first weekend in three weekends that doesn't include a road trip. Thank goodness! Love you blogworld. Peace. 

Furniture Friday

Happy good Friday blog friends! I am off today, but running errands and getting ready to go out of town. Not exactly how i want to spend my day off, But I woke up at 6 am on the dot. Little miss c says no sleeping in mommy! I'm gonna move around til you feed me! But back to the furniture, and why I'm writing today. 

If you're new around here, I enjoy a good house project every now and then, and have a sister who pretty much lives and breathes home projects. I'm not exaggerating, I don't think she does anything else with her spare time. And she is really awesome at it, if I can just brag on her for a second. So, I called on her to help us finish the house as much as possible before the baby gets here.  So in efforts to document this madness/huge nesting phase,  I'm going to start posting any projects on Friday. Furniture Friday that is! I've never had a weekly planned post before, so I'm really excited about it! 

And first up, the easiest and cheapest project we've ever taken on to date - a drum shade (aka a huge lamp shade) as a chandelier. We used a lighting kit from Home Depot, then this 30.00 drum shade from the West Elm section of pottery barn outlet in San Marcos. It originally cost 149.00 and I got this sucker for 30 bucks! 

BEFORE: 

AFTER: 

OH YEA!

Here is a close up of the lighting kit and how it fits into the shade. 

Now we got the new chairs and bench back in December, but I had to go wayyy back to find a picture that actually had that horrific lighting fixture in it. Now that gold beauty and the beast" mirror (does that not look like gaston?!)? That sucker is is my next victim. Stay tuned! 

I'm off to look at paint swatches before we head out to rockport, TX. 

A Glorious Saturday

Oh my. It's been a glorious Saturday morning. We woke up late, watched Mad Men in bed, then headed out to pick up breakfast tacos practically in our Jammies. To add to the amazing ness of today, the weather here in Houston has been phenomenal, and I've found myself falling more and more in love with my neighborhood this spring / summer season. I love the trees mashed up against the urban scene.  It's just my cup of tea. Now we are headed to the coast! Happy weekend friends!

3rd Floor Makeover

Phew. This weekend was a whirlwind. I am in 3rd floor makeover mode which ='s master bedroom and nursery.  My furniture shopping trip to the Austin / San Marcos this weekend wasn’t as lucky as we hoped either. Actually, we struck out pretty big, but we did plan out our master bedroom makeover. And buy a lot of things we weren't looking for, imagine that! We went to 3 outlet stores, a restored furniture store, and 2 garage sales. YET, This little drawing is pretty much the most important thing we got accomplished!  My sister plotted out the exact pieces we need, including size of all the items, and I’ve got my inspiration and budget hashed out. So groan, I mean yay for that! I also figured out exactly what I want for the nursery (squeal!) and we started the paint swatch debate. 

We did find out that Restoration Hardware Outlet in San Marcos is running 40% off til May 4. We'll be checking that place frantically via phone. Maybe other outlets across the nation are too, but I'm not sure so check your local outlet! 

We've got a new 'chandelier' project in the works. I'm gonna post the results this Friday for my first installment of furniture Friday! 

paint swatching awayyy..

That would be my niece and nephew burying a lizard. LOL. They are so darn funny at this age. 

I found a lamp that I am still not at all sure about. I think it's too modern for our house. 

and we bought a hutch off craigslist that we plan to start painting soon. 

and that was that! let the nesting begin! 

Bargain Shopping in Furniture Land

I am here today to tell what has been consuming my time. Besides work of course, which has been eating my lunch. But outside of work?? Furniture shopping! And in blogworld, it’s pretty much illegal to not spill the beans on good bargain finds. 

 

I bring to you, the Furniture Outlet Circuit in and around Austin, TX!

Pottery Barn Outlets - this outlet has a William Sonoma Section, A West Elm Section, and duh, a Pottery Barn section. Apparently they all are owned by the same company. What I love so much, is you can find plenty of current holiday items (ie. Ornaments, runners, pillows, candles, placemats) in the Pottery Barn section. It is not just a hodge podge of broken, offseason items. Which they have that too, but the cheaper in-season items lure me in every holiday season. Then, they have a great assortment furniture at great prices. It’s always scratched or dented somewhere, but if you are an easy going furniture shopper like myself, you can easily find a million pieces that will work out great for you! I always keep my eye out on the stuff I really like on the west elm and pottery barn website, that way I can spot the deals real quick. You can also call if you have an item in mind. My sister usually has her eye on things and calls frequently until they show up. Last year, I, well actually my sister, spotted the west elm rug I had been drooling over for about 700 dollars cheaper than retail. It was missing 4 tassles, but I did not care one hoot.

Now.. Restoration Hardware Outlet. First up, I would never ever buy anything full price in this store. It’s ungodly expensive. And I just refuse to walk in. But the outlet?? Totally Tessy approved. I scored these chairs for 174 - 25%, (about $141 each after tax). 

I have been on a dining chair hunt for ages, so you have no idea how excited I (and my sister, #1 furniture confidante) that we FINALLY pulled the trigger and bought these babies. Now where are the rest of the chairs you ask…perfect Segway

The JOSS and Main website / furniture auction thing is sending me the missing bench. You become a member (zero cost), and then you just search the deals. I’ve heard they are super slow to ship things, but if you have patience, who cares! Hopefully it be here in the next two weeks. The fact that it was less than half the price of the west elm bench I have had my eye on for a very, very long time helped me decide to just buy. I hope it gets in on time for our Annual Girls Christmas Party!

And last but not least,  a new place I added to this year’s list: Four Hands Furniture Outlet in North Austin. I liked these chairs, but couldn’t find 4 of the same kind. I also decided they might fit a true formal dining space unlike our big open room. Regardless, I really want to come back to look for bedroom furniture.

Now, for the rest of the week - I will scour black Friday deals. 

I am already a tired shopper ^^proof above^^ but I want to be prepared this year!

 

Cracks

Today we finished our 1 year inspection with our builder.

Everything went pretty smoothly minus this scene - 

 

A crack in the foundation prompted a complete re-tiling and bathroom overhaul to fix it
Oh and the minor heart attack I had when my builder said everything wrong with the house after this 1 year Inspection is officially on us! Eek. Scary homeowner stuff I tell ya. 
 

The weirdest things start to happen as a new house starts to "settle." Cracks all over the place. Foundation cracks, wall cracks, tile cracks. (Say crack again, crack) crack, crack, crack. 

But two weeks later, and were done with random people in and out of our house fixing things. Thank The Lord because worrying about making your bed before you run out the door is seriously for the birds. 

In good news, our little table found a lamp friend. A pretty, shiny lamp friend. And an ornamental pumpkin. I'd say this table is making out pretty good here; its the only place in the house improving, besides small foundation cracks.

Also - I can't forget - we showered rachie and little baby cash this weekend too. Kristen and co. Hosted an animal-themed shower and it was pretty darn cute. 

 

Now, onto really important things - when does the bachelor start again? Mondays are starting to feel a lil' empty. Empty in my heart. Sad face.

and I updated my post from last week with pictures of my friend Jenn and her cute kiddos!

I was totally random today. Over and out - Tessy 

Refinishing furniture with Chalk Paint for First timers

There are a million Chalk Paint How to's on the interwebz, but I finally decided take a stab at it myself. I learn best by doing, so there was only so much I could read before I actually bit the bullet myself. My motivation? We have a few small furniture pieces we need on the 1st and 2nd floor, and I'm all about finding them on craigslist and refinishing. On Saturday night we stayed in, and I was completely determined to finish an old night stand that we are now using as a lamp stand on the 1st floor. 

 

Now, Annie Sloan paint isn't cheap, it runs at $39 smackaroos a can - which is supposed to cover two large furniture pieces - and if you wanna cover it with wax, that is another $30 bucks a can. Overall, it gives furniture a great shabby chic look, so I think it's very much worth it.  Especially when you compare it to buying NEW furniture. I mean geesh, we all know that can annihilate any bank account. 

 

So, as I know very little about this paint - I called up my sis-in-law Sara, and she gave me the skinny. She's the expert chalk painter in the fam, and here is what I learned. 
 

First find it - Annie Sloan Paint isn't sold everywhere. Go to their website and find out who sells it. I bought my two cans at Michella's in Old Town Spring. What I liked about this place was the samples they had. Sounds weird, but keep reading.  

Wax on / Wax off - Every chalk paint color can be fininished with clear wax, dark wax, or a combination of both. Or you can forgo wax all together - to really get the chalk look. Your waxing decision will make a big difference in the final look of your piece. These sample boards below really helped me decide: 

Now for materials - I've got all the usual suspects below. But most importantly - the dish rag and water (not pictured here) are the most important. And as soon as you open up a can an door into your paint container - seal that sucker right back up immediately. Exposure to air changes the consistency - which you don't want to happen to unused paint. 

Before we get started - here's my little night stand turned lamp table before - pretty ugly - I know. I liked this piece because it was small, and I figured would serve as good practice. I recommend everyone start out small, because even this small piece took me about eight hours (four on Saturday, 4 on Sunday). 

Now, I've sanded this piece, which isn't always necessary with chalk paint. But since this piece was dark, and my paint was light - I knew it was required. I also think any piece looks better if sanded. Obviously it is up to you. I have also heard about liquid sand paper to save time, but I didn't have any and will try that on my next project. 

 

Then I started painting. This was after the first coat. What's most important is I dipped my brush in water occasionally, then wiped off excess on the rag to help the paint go further. Some people dilute the paint outright, but I heard this brush in the water trick is easier from Sara. 

Here is the rag and water bucket toward the end of the project 

On Sunday I was finally finished. I'd say I put three coats everywhere. Places that weren't sanded well probably had four coats. Excuse my old, ugly hardware.

I plan to get something new in the future. 

this color is Arles - and has no wax finish

And that was my first go at chalk-paint furniture painting! I wish I was looking forward to repainting the six chairs in my dinning room. 

But I am not. (So much left to do in this room!!) 

Over and out!! -Tessy. 

Home Progress: Living Room One year later

It's so crazy to me that we've been in the house for over a year. We've started our one year walk-through with our builder, to make sure everything stays in tip top shape - and I couldn't help but think of this time last year. We were closing on the house (obvi), and I was so anxious about how much furniture we needed. Then I ran into a few older pictures, and the disparity really struck me. I never really posted pictures of the inside (the thought gave me anxiety), but I finally think it's a good time to take a peek inside. I mean, I only promised pictures a gazillion times, and never came through. And while nothing about my house screams professional home decor blog, I'm pretty proud of how far we've come. 

I really wish I had a picture of the carpet swatches underneath the ugly, black leather couches we had, but here is our then brand new gray couch from Bassett. It was in the back of the store for 50% off, because another customer sent it back after Bassett sent the the wrong couch. That was the first rug we bought too. The rug was a fraction of the West Elm price, because it was missing four tassels and had two bald spots. I couldn't pass up the deal, and just like that we had a gray color scheme. Something I wasn't expecting AT ALL. What can I say I guess I'm just a sucker for a bargain :)

 

Somewhere along the way we added curtains, which we got for free with our West Elm points. We racked up points from our table and another rug not pictured here. But yaaaa, we were still using TV trays to hold things. LOL. 

Needless to say, our friends gave us a really hard time about the TV trays.

Then, enter the piece that took us so so long to buy. I bought it on a whim, for what I thought was a steal at HomeGoods. We still use throwback speakers lol. 

 

And here is where we are today; AKA our current living room (yes my frames are crooked, still need to finish my gallery wall): 

 

 

Our eating area is right behind the camera, and where our stripe wall is. Hopefully I'll blog about that space soon!

 

Oh and the weekend was great, I finally experimented with Annie Sloan Paint. And was overall really productive. I love the fall energy! Tata and happy Monday!   

-Tessy 

Converting a Buffet to a Media Unit

Hello and Happy Friday! I'm back from California and catching up on sleep. This post isn't related to my recent trip, but I've been wanting to share this for a couple weeks, so here it is! Our 6 month furniture search has come to an end!

Matthew and I are both bargain shoppers, so finding the perfect piece for under our TV was taking forever.  It was so hard to pull the trigger because we really wanted a buffet piece that we would to convert into a media unit. We also have a distinct theme going on in our open living/dining/kitchen space (Which is very navy and reclaimed wood-ish). Well I finally found something I loved at HomeGoods, and within 5 minutes of seeing it I was telling the salespeople to take it off the floor!

HomeGoods put it on a paid hold, so I had seven days to pick it up, and could return it just as easily. I told Matt if he hated it we could take it back, but we were buying this piece and testing it out no matter what! 

Now onto the conversion process, you need this huge drill bit specifically for drilling the perfect hole. Which we borrowed from our neighbors. 

Voila! We finally have the missing piece to our living room. 

Now, time to tackle the walls and add shelves around it.  Has anybody else used a buffet piece for a media unit? Have a good weekend everybody! 

A Curb Appeal Weekend

Hello my dearests! I hope everyone had a good weekend. Matthew and I finally got to spend a low-key weekend by the house, and we loved every minute of it. Well there was one snag, but that requires a whole new post. But onto my favorite moment of the weekend, right here my friends. I bring you Rocks!!! Yes rocks. Lemme splain'.

So basically, we have this ugly ditch in our front yard. For inner-city homes in Houston this is really common, you just gotta give them some love and pretty them up.  Since this curb appeal project has been on our to-do list since we moved in, we decided it was time to dig in. Literally.  So nine months later we get to check the box! Heck yes!

The details: We went to Yale Stone down the block, bought "pavers" as Spence would call them, and then one yard of this black/gray stone. 

 They came by to drop it off, which was our favorite part. Happy hubs right there! 

And then we (as in Matt and Spence) leveled the area and shoveled the rocks into place. 

I got to stand-by and play with little Miss Presley (our neighbor) as Spencer helped Matt. 

And here is the final result!

Now if only my vines would hurry up and grow! Anybody else into curb appeal lately? With summer it's always on my mind!

-Tessy