The Most Painted Room In My House

You wouldn't believe how many times I've painted my basement bathroom. It's on its fifth paint color since I moved in and it's probably the least visited room in the entire house. 

Here's the good news... It's finally the right color! I thought I'd walk you through its journey. 

This is the bathroom when I saw it for the first time. It was actually the perfect shade of green and I just didn't realize it. It was flat paint and very dingy and desperately needed freshening up. 

 So I brought a "better" green into the bathroom. It came with plumbing issues... Here it is during the repair process. The other green was a way better match for the curtain I hung over the closet. I knew this green had to go for a closer match to the curtain. 

So then I decided to go with blue. I aimed for the same shade as the curtain.  Fortunately, the blue was free during a free Ace paint day. I also got the yellow I painted the closet for free during another Ace paint day. 

 Isn't it just radioactive? It was way too much and my teeth even hurt looking at it. It was way too much. 

 So then I got inspired by these bins:

Except I didn't know if I wanted to go dark grey or something fun. So I used the paint from my guest room and did this:

 Except that looked crazy too. Ugh. Part of my obsession with painting down here is the opportunity to have the excuse to watch seasons of TV shows. The first green was "Revenge." The blue was "Mad Men." These stripes were "Orange is the New Black." All amazing shows by the way! The green was warmer than it looks above. This is probably the closest:

 So, out with the stripes! This was after the first coat of primer and starting "Boardwalk Empire"

 They didn't die easily. This is after the second coat of primer. 

 Then I used the white paint from my bedroom and guest room to cover up all walls but the green one. I wasn't sure if I wanted to keep the green or go a different color. I just needed the stripes gone!

By the end of season 1 of Boardwalk Empire I had it finished! The entire project was $14. The shelves are new from Ikea's Lack line. The grey was left from painting the kitchen and bathroom cabinets. I'd also used it on the square project. Ohhhh it's just so deep and pretty. I was able to keep the yellow trash can and soap dispenser and the yellow closet. Pretend it's much more organized than it is right now. It will be soon! 

All we need to do is lay the tile... Still!

Evolving Into Adulthood (This post actually IS about decorating!)

Quite the title huh? I know this blog has been pretty feelings centric lately, which isn't something I particularly like reading about as a reader. Unfortunately for you, it is something I like to write about! Today I'll attempt to balance both my feelings and some decorating :)

In realization that my house is very girly and Erin-centric in a lot of ways I've been working on making it the place of "we." This week I replaced the EJ picture in the dining room.

 It now reads EC. The good thing about that is that it's still kind of all about me ;) Just joking. Kind of. Those will be my new initials. They are also mine and Chris's. Win and win. 

 This is my final week off of work until wedding week. We started it off in Austin, TX with one of my best friends and her husband so they wouldn't be meeting Chris for the first time at our wedding. It was an AMAZING time where we got some great pictures in front of the "love wall." I'm sure Austinites have a real name for it... But that's mine. 

 After a picture printing fest, and some inspiration from my friend's amazing new house I remembered this little unused area in my hallway. It was time to tackle it. When we are more than just the two of us I'll want a gallery area to display family pictures, so it was the perfect time to start this:

 I started a shadow box with wedding stuff in it. I'll probably put wedding bubbles or some other memento in this later on. For now it's a silly picture we took moments after getting engaged and our invitation with lace envelope. 

 Here it is in action:

 Everything is from Ikea and super easy to put up. The entire project took me about 30 min. after I found screws for the shelves (I swear they used to come with them?).

This weekend really struck me that I've hit adulthood. You think you're there when you turn 18 and 21, or maybe when you get the keys to your first house, or start dreading checking the mail because you know it's lots of bills. That wasn't it really for me. It's been when I've started planning for someone else to share my life and talking about kids. 

My friend Ana and I were sitting around in their new house while the guys were watching a variety of football games. We were talking about cleaning products, paint colors, and what our future kids might look like. The guys would then chime in. It's strange when both genders are on the same page and wanting the same mature things! 

It's crazy to me that 7 or 8 years ago this was our life... 

 

Now instead of being kids we've gone and cut our hair and are out to brunch...

Wow life sneaks up on you! 

I'm Still Talking About the Wedding...

It's getting real. We're down to less than 80 days now. I got my bridal shower invitation in the mail yesterday. As in MY bridal shower... Is it hard for anyone else to believe that I'm the bride this time around?! After posts like this, this, and this it's hard to deny that I was sure I wasn't going to find the one. And now I get a bridal shower?! It's crazy. 

Speaking of things that came in the mail... I also got my wedding shoes:

They're my "something blue" and one of the prettiest things I've ever owned. 

We're finally getting to be the bride and mother of the bride!

Here we are planning away!

I have no home DIY experiences I'm able to share at the moment. I can't wait to do a post all about planning the wedding, but I want the guests to see it before you do! I just needed to write a quick "holy cow this is MY life" post!

Wedding Wedding Wedding

That's what I've been up to. I've painted some things around the house (more to come on those things in other posts) but mainly I've been focused on being a wife. We've been through pre-marital counseling and are in the final stages of planning! 

I have a maid of honor and a matron of honor. No bridesmaids. They are my sister's in law (my brother's wife and Chris's sister). I sent them these cute necklaces from here to ask them to play this huge role in our big day: 

My mom made me this cute hanger. Isn't she way craftier than me? 

Chris has been in full bonding mode with the pets. Zulu has loved him nearly from day one.

Linus on the other hand... Linus hates Chris with a passion. In fact, anywhere that Chris has been Linus must pee. Linus has a history of being terrible and territorial but this took it to a new level. My past post mentioned all of the herbal things I've tried for his scratching and peeing. I finally got him declawed later in life, and now he is medicated. 

I put Linus on Prozac. As seen above, he peed. We have figured out every other day is enough to keep him behaved but not zombified. We learned this after trying every 3 days and getting the above result. So I have to put him in a towel burrito and drug him every other day. 

And Walgreens called me after I picked it up to see how my depression therapy was working. I had to explain it was for my cat. Today when I got his refill I saw this note. Now, Linus is adjusting to the idea of marriage too with a little help from his Prozac. 

I saw this post on Pinterest and laughed at how silly people were to put invisible ink on their invitation RSVPs. Then I got this mysterious thing back:

No I can't advocate enough for invisible ink. I still don't know who isn't showing to the wedding!

I also have a little RSVP count going on the inside of my cabinet door of who is (and isn't) coming and keeping the RSVPs on the fridge (so many people are sending sweet notes on them!) so they're always staring at me!

We got Chris's suit for the wedding and our wedding rings:

The basement has done some adapting. 

I got a treadmill. I also am preparing for baby. 

Allow me to explain. We want kids. Not this second, but we want them. My grandma recently moved and I had the chance to buy a dresser from her and also inherited a cool ship and a globe that reside in my unfinished part of my basement:

 When we do have a kid my office would be the nursery. The dresser, globe, and ship would go upstairs. That would mean the desk and officey things would need a home. So my plan of a barish thing and high top table for the stools needed some adapting. For the next couple of years it would appear that furniture shifting will be in our future. 

We continue to be tourists in our own city. Recently Chris and I went to the Art Institute and the Bean:

 My army brother also came into town and FINALLY met Chris and me and all of the boys went to the Taste of Chicago where my brother bummed sunscreen off of a random woman

 And finally, while helping my grandma pack she got my wedding invitation.

Life is good, and I'm sorry I've been missing for so long! Less than 100 days until I'm a wife. Then I can stop with all of this wedding wedding wedding stuff! 

I Finally Got This Piano Thing Right!

Maybe you remember this post where I thought painting my doors black was going to give my house some cool depth, and it actually made it stupid and cave-like (and like a piano).

So I went back to classic silver and white and all was right with the world again. But, as usual, I got bored. Oil rubbed bronze called my name down a Home Depot aisle and just like that I realized how to give my house some depth without dark, black, doors. The time had come to unhang all the doors again (see the last makeover here) and give the hardware a makeover. 

This time I wised up and did one floor of my house at a time. I remember the sheer amount of screws and knobs from last time. I started on my second floor. 

This was just from three doors (two have knobs). I discovered paper plates and solo cups this time... I highly recommend using both if you don't have cardboard or styrofoam laying around.

After everything dried for 24 hours I put the knobs back on and let it cure for another two days before I started using everything and rehung the doors again. 

This is an after shot. It's adds a little drama to the doors with the darker hardware! 

Then Chris and I unhung all of the main floor doors one Saturday and I got to work painting

Later that afternoon we brought them all back in to cure in the breakfast room for a week. I like this shot so that you can see how they're not quite black:

A week later I went and added piles of each item needed in front of the unhung doors

Here is the after shot! 

I think Guliana Ranic (or her interior designer) and I have the same taste. I see a lot of similarities in their house and mine in colors and style 

(see the sectional, the knobs, and the stairs?)

 (see the knobs?)

I finally nailed the black and white balance without getting to piano level! I love it! Look for a post in the next six months with how they're holding up!