More from the humble abode

Here we have the view from the back yard. Hmmm. Needs a little work with the landscaping, but we seem to have a hard time putting a lot of effort into the yard when it is brown or covered with snow for half the year.

The rest of the backyard, looking toward the garage (the little gray roof behind the fence) and the alley. The little fence is part of our yard, keeps the dog from getting into the crazy garden.
Here is our little green room. It is tucked away in the corner of the yard and these vines get a little more out of control every year. I expect they will take over the table and chairs at any time.

The entry. Usually one of the kids pulls out at least half the shoes and it becomes a major tripping hazard. This area is due for a mini-makeover.
My three-year-old's room. Everyone always comments on the fact that she has a queen-sized bed. It's a lot of bed for someone that is only about 36 inches tall. My mom made the duvet, pillow shams, throw pillows and curtains. She had the same fabric in her room when she was a baby. I love baby/kid rooms that are cute without being sickenly baby-ish.This kid has way too much stuff. She picked out her own art for the walls - that would be a poster of the "Mota Weesa" and "some weird people," a.k.a Mona Lisa and American Gothic. I have a slightly odd child.
The rest of the room. Another thrift store chair, not yet slipcovered. The original upholstery seems to work with the decor, so might not ever get around to it at this rate.
Close up of Elissa's dragonfly and ladybug bedding.
Here we have the nursery. Very tiny room, good thing it is inhabited by a small person. Thrift-store rocker chair ($7!) slipcovered by me. Matching slipcovered ottoman is a leftover relic from my husband's college days. Hubby built the bookcase, I painted it green to match the walls.
My mom did the crib bedding and curtains for this room. I am not a very good photographer. Trust me, it's cute. I have a number of little hand-painted wooden animals that will one day get put up around the room.
My goodness, babies sure do have a lot of toiletries and other equipment.
Close-up of the camping fabric used for the crib bedding and curtains.
This is the only picture of our bedroom I could get that didn't turn out dark. (I mentioned that my photography skills need some work, right?) Sky blue walls, chocolate brown bedding. I made the duvet from two flat sheets and some ribbon, used the scraps to make the window valances. My sewing/crafting area also lives in this room. It's a wee bit crowded. I'm standing in the opposite corner to get this picture.
The only artwork in the bedroom other than my wall-o-thread. My husband took these pictures on a vacation to northern Minnesota. Various scenes of Lake Superior.
Oh boy. Another area in need of some attention. We are a bit challenged when it comes to square footage, so the end of this hallway has become a dumping ground for all sorts of miscellaneous stuff. The door leads to the attic.
Our new couch, complete with a passed out kid. I have a feeling we'll be living with the so-hideous-it's-almost-cool pattern until I find the time to slipcover it. Dang, slipcovers are a lot of work.

And thus concludes our tour! Thank you, please come again.

Welcome to my humble abode

There it is. My little 1945 one and a half story home. Just old enough to still have a little bit of old-house charm and also old enough that things are starting to fall apart. Let's go inside, shall we?


Here we are in the living/dining area. Love the wall color in here, but the rest of the room needs to be updated. Consider this a "before" picture because we're getting a new (to us) couch sometime in the very near future.

Another view of the living area. I slipcovered the two chairs and might be a little nuts because I plan to recover them with a different fabric. I'm seeing blues for this room.

And a final view of the living/dining area. You can catch a glimpse of the corner of crap. We're working on that. Really.

Let's go visit a room I like a little better. My kitchen. Hmmm, can't seem to find a better picture that shows the cherry curtains, but this picture shows my best antique shop find EVER - a $5 retro kitchen chair that matches my paint job perfectly.
More kitchen. When we bought the house in 2002, the kitchen had a lovely 1970's mustard yellow color scheme, complete with depressingly dark cabinets and ornate brassy hardware.

Not anymore! It's probably good that I never actually tallied the number of hours I spent sanding, painting, and repainting those cabinets. I'm happy with the end results, though. Can't beat the price - just a few cans of bright white paint and a few dozen new cabinet handles. We also installed a new countertop, replaced the tile on the floor, and painted the walls a lovely shade of red. To match my Kitchenaid mixer.
Here we have the sun porch, aka the area of the home that cannot stay clean. Every time I clear the porch, my husband fills it up with recycling, cardboard boxes, or miscellaneous bicycles. In an effort to make it a sitting area, I added cushions to the furniture. Too bad you have to climb over about ten piles to find a place to sit....

Here is the legitimate bicycle storage area. And non-working Dustbuster wall art.
Partial view of the deck/backyard. Those vines are the happy hubster's grapes. The backyard is covered in them.
Our one and only bathroom. Cozy, isn't it? I especially like the window in the tub. You know, just in case you want to see the view into the backyard while you're scrubbing your hind end.
Well, that covers the rooms that are presentable. Stay tuned for pictures of the bedrooms, maybe even as early as next week!