House To Do: Patio and Yard Updates

This might end up being one of my favorite inspiration posts. I adore, admire, lust and long for a beautiful yard and garden. I'm lucky in two ways- 1. the husband enjoys yard projects 2. part of the reason we bought this house is the enormous sprawling yard! 

That being said, we seriously, have a ton of yard work to do. We did lots of work last year with weeding out the excess plants, but there is plenty to come. I want to replace some of the old, scraggly plants with new ones...and I cannot wait. We probably have at least 25 azalea plants and they are not my favorite. They look great a few weeks out of the year and that's it. Some of them have to go! 

 The plan: big boxwoods....we planted a ton last year with the hopes that thet will be growing together sooner than later. We were so inspired after visiting Charleston last Spring and seeing pretty gardens, full of boxwood hedges, and neatly kept beds. Of course, if you know me at all, you know I am obsessed with hydrangeas so there will be loads of them in this yard.

I also want to invest, or rather, find a good deal, on pretty planters. I want the ornate, cement kind...if you have any tips please share!

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We also have a space in the backyard that is going to be a brick patio and have a special spot for the grill. This area used to hold an enormous palm tree {dug it up} and a rock pond {thats gone too} and lots of plants. It always looked messy and was a little bit of an eye sore. The plan is to build a brick patio, preferably in a herringbone pattern. I love the classic brick look, and it matches the style of our traditional exterior, which will soon be painted white.

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I don't think I ever mentioned that we do not have any kind of walkway to our front door. Not sure how the previous owners lived here for 30 years and had visitors walking through the grass up to their front door all that time. It drives me nuts! Of course, the back door has its own decent entrance with a driveway, so its manageable. We don't use the front door that often but I would definitely like to make it pretty and accessible. I think another brick walkway {wider than below} would be perfect to connect to either the side yard or out to the street. 

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I love boxwoods for front yards, they are neatly kept and uniform. I prefer a tidy front yard with evergreens and my pretty blooms to grace the side yards and back yard. We would love a little white fence one day as well, since I'm dreaming. 

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My List of "House To Do"

-Paint the Exterior

-Paint the Shed

-Hall Bathroom

Saturday Shopping

Retro Chunky Sunglasses

I got a pair of sunglasses last summer that were black, and I swear I got the most compliments on them! Since we live at the beach, I tend to pick up cheap pairs for when we are on the water so I don't have to worry about them. I'm pretty sure this is the exact pair in tortoise and they are 50% off making them even cheaper! So cute, I think I will go ahead and get them for the summer. 

Crystal Raindrops Bracelet

Loving this steal of a bracelet for a little pop of glam on your wrist, but nothing too big. Take an extra 10% off with code LOTSTOLOVE.

Sunglasses

These are really similar to the pair I mentioned above, but in black. Take an extra 10% off with code LOTSTOLOVE. So chic and affordable!

Majesty Peacoat

I got this coat for my birthday and I love it. The bright coral color is so beautiful for dreary winter days. I have also gotten a ton of compliments on this coat. There are some sizes left in the coral, and more sizes in the other colors. It's a complete deal now and you can take an extra 40% off with code WEEKENDMUST.

Thermal Swing Top

I also got this top for my birthday in grey and it has been on repeat. Perfect for being around the house, yet being put together. It's so comfy its crazy! It's roomy too, so you might could size down. It is currently on sale, loving the pink.

Light Silk Popover Blouse

I am wanting to add the perfect white shirt to my wardrobe and I'm loving this one! {Comes in other colors too!} Great for throwing on with jeans or even black pants. Everything at Banana Republic is 40% off with code BRLOVEYOU. 

etsy

Happy Valentines Day Y'all! Especially to my sweet, handsome, patient, loving husband and darling boy Weeks. Love you guys to the moon and back, and back again and back again! 

XOXO.

Treat Yourself!

tassel earrings / sunglasses / naked 2 palette 

leopard print tee {on sale!} / pink party dress {25% off with code xoxpl!}

mosaic scarf {use code xoxopl}

metallic nude wedge {use code xoxpl} / magic cream 

Well this was a fun little list to round up. Just in case you are in the mood to treat yourself to something pretty, or something that makes you feel good, or something just plain fun! I think the party dress is just about perfection with the soft pattern. On the other hand, I'm loving the subtle leopard tee and the fun print on the scarf. Two things I would like to try: the eye shadow palette and a really good moisturizer. Go ahead and add those wedges and sunglasses to my lust list! And just in case you needed something fun {with a tassel, of course} pick yourself up those pretty earrings! 

Saturday Shopping

Double Layer Crew Dress

I am obsessed with the simplicity of this dress! I think it would be so easy to throw on and I love the shade of grey. Would be perfect for parties early Spring!!

Bri Layered Shift Dress

It also comes in a similar version, short sleeved, which is actually on sale with a few sizes left. I'm hoping to see this in some Spring colors soon.

Lakota Suede Booties

Even though my mind is thinking Spring, we are still very much in winter. These are a great bargain that you can wear now and pull out again come fall. Love them!!

Side Slit Tunic

One can never have enough classic striped shirts, am I right? This one is only $27. Loving this one to get us into Spring. Wear it now with a cardigan, and of course then wear it all summer long. Would be so cute with white jeans and a metallic sandal! 

Embroidered Dolman Tunic

I never got this tunic last year, but everyone loved it. I love the white and it looks so airy and comfortable for the South's hottest beach days.

Happy Saturday!

Five on Friday

-ONE-

More details to come on my new chairs, but until then what you should know is that avocado toast is definitely worth a try. I don't know why I haven't had it before...but it's good. Real good. I mashed the avocado in a bowl and just spread it on top of a toasted piece of sourdough bread, since we had that on hand. I sprinkled mine with some pepper, but left off salt. So good! 

-TWO-

I'm pretty good about laundry, and I really can't  recall any major mistakes. Well, a few weeks ago I ran a load of stuff and washed our dog's Christmas collars in there too. Somehow one didn't make it out, and I ran a load of whites immediately after. Well. That was no good...everything was now pink. Including a brand new Biltmore monogrammed washcloth {part of a set my parents gave us for Christmas!} Everyone knows how amazing Biltmore towels are, right? They are the best. Anyway. I tried everything, even resorting to bleach and it didn't take out the pink. When I was in the grocery store looking for more stain remover, I saw this little box and decided to give it a go. Wow! Add it to a sink of hot water and the color run immediately dissapears in your damaged garments!! I was so happy!

-THREE-

What was everyone's favorite Super Bowl snack? No lie, I really, really look forward to the Super Bowl just because of the food! I love apps and it is the perfect day to pull out your best. We decided on nachos and kept the rest fairly easy with fresh popcorn from the Whirley Pop {best popcorn ever, ever} and my in laws brought veggies and chili. 

These nachos...my goodness.

| NACHOS SUPREME |

-Tortilla Chips

-Queso

-Black Beans

-Salsa

-Pickled Jalapenos

-Shredded Rotisserie Chicken

-Chopped Tomatoes

-Diced Avocado

-Sour Cream

I broke it down in two layers {no one wants an empty chip underneath} and toasted them in the oven at 325 degrees until the cheese was melting.

-FOUR-

I splurged on these new cleaning supplies and I am obssessed! Not only are they the cutest scrubbers you can find, they work about a million times better than what you can find in the grocery store. They are earth friendly, made of bamboo and recycled materials! Win, win, win.

Kitchen Brush / Crystal Clear Glass Cleaner / Vegetable Scrub Brush

-FIVE-

Weekend plans include getting a coat of primer on the newly drywalled walls in the bathroom! Thanks for all of your comments yesterday! Definitely keeps me going and I appreciate that so much! :)

I think we are planning to make my husband's amazing shrimp as well, find the recipe here.

Linking up with the Ladies of Five on Friday!

{darci, april, christina + natasha}

 

Hall Bathroom Remodel

After prioritzing early in January, we realized we had a few main goals that were still remaining for getting our "new" old house into shape. Our bathrooms were desperately outdated. Complete with nasty textured wallpaper, bright gold {not the good kind} faucets that were deteriorating, floors that didn't give off a squeaky clean feeling, and everything else outdated under the sun that you could throw in. The other big task we want to tackle this year is painting the exterior. Cannot wait for that one, but for now we are working indoors.

Here is early into the remodel- we removed the cabinet doors, made that whole in the soffit box you see over the mirror, and removed the laminate backsplash over the counter.

Originally, we thought we would give the hall bath a mini makeover. As in, paint away every surface possible, replace faucets etc that we could still use at a later date with a full renovation, and basically put lipstick on a pig. I decided if this was a temporary fix, why not make it fun and different- use a bold color on the cabinets that I would never do in normal circumstances. Maybe even try my hand at painting tile. Perhaps try painting the laminate countertop? Or maybe replace the countertop with a newer cheap laminate? Oh, and my husbands brother is a wonderful asset with his profession in a flooring company. He has helped us do backsplashes in our current house and last house. He could help us tile a new bathroom floor {maybe even free tile!}

Things quickly went downhill from those choices above. First off, I wasn't sold on the blue color that I had researched and chosen for the cabinets. Instead of reading "fun and bold" it read "old and you forgot to paint during your renovation." Of course, I never got to see them in all their glory with bright bold gold and lucite accessories like I had envisioned. But staring at them for a few days was probably enough for me. Then, we hit the countertop dilemma. Not that laminates are expensive- but we were comparing the price to those to the price we could pay for a remnant piece of quartz countertop available through the company that did our kitchen counters. We decided that if we were going to spend the money, we might as well go for the real deal and get the quartz. Already upping the budget. 

After we decided on the quartz counters, it was a sure bet that we would be retiling the broken tiled bathroom floors. Here is where it gets crazy! Of course, everyone knows the first step to new tiled floors is the ghastly job of removing the old tiled floors. Pretty much the worst ever. After Stephen chipped the tile out, we discovered, like, inches thick of concrete that was laid below, that all had to come out. Just imagine a concrete/gravel combination...pretty much what is was. While he was removing the concrete, one of his legs actually fell through the sub floor and into the crawl space. Perfect! So unfortunately/luckily we realized that all of the sub floor in the bathroom was rotting and had to be completely replaced.

This was what we hoped wouldn't happen. But, I guess its kind of comforting to know that there is a brand spanking new floor {and sub floor!} in the bathroom and is extra sturdy for years to come. Apparently, it is a common problem...picture kids getting out of the bathtub and not using a bath mat, etc. Anytime there is water it can be an issue.

So we re-tiled, and ended up going with a dark grey/slate-ish color for the floors. After all of the work done on the sub floor we didn't want to spend anything more than we had to. I personally love a large grey tile in a bathroom, of course coupled with my ideal mainly white bathroom.

At the same time all of this is happening, we removed the soffit box that was hideously hovering over the vanity. They are in both of our bathrooms and I truly disguise them. My pet peeve {besides the popcorn ceilings} in the whole house. They completely close in the already small space. We were told that they aren't hard to remove, but what lies behind them might be an expensive issue. Think: plumbing/electrical wiring etc. Against Stephen's will, he agreed to get them removed. Luckily, for the most part it was an easy fix with reworking some plumbing, and also getting an electrician to run some wires for different lighting.

That leads us to the fun stuff! Really, my first time trying to pick out fixtures for a bathroom from scratch. I have chosen a mix of brass and chrome....fingers crossed this all plays out! 

Pretty pics to come...promise.

Whew- what an update. Props to you if you made it all the way through!!

House To Do: Hall Bathroom

Today I'm sharing some photos of what is inspiring our current hall bathroom makeover. As I think I mentioned before, we wanted to give it a little facelift and in turn, focus on a full renovation in our master bath. Those plans quickly changed when we ran into some flooring issues. So the hall bath is getting a decent upgrade with new floor, counters, fixtures etc. It is relieving to know it will be in good shape and more than just presentable to guests. I'll share our latest progress this week! 

Until then, I'm loving the cool, clean feel of these baths. The bathroom lacks a window, much to my dismay, so we have to work with making it light and bright with what we install.

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