Under Construction

When I was home for Christmas visiting my family, we had several days to spend working on the house -- a little "sweat equity," as Habitat for Humanity says.

I didn't take very many pictures, and absolutely NONE of them show the work we actually accomplished! We did a fair amount of minor things like pulling nails and moving stacks of lumber, but we also drywalled one and a half whole rooms! And a closet!!! But, like I said, you can't see them because I didn't photograph it. Hopefully my mom will take some pictures soon and send them to me.

Remember the tiny kitchen? Here's the kitchen with the cabinets and ugly faux-brick walls torn out:

And remember all the random doors? This one, in the bedroom, basically leads to nowhere, so E and I are taking off all the hardware (hinges and doorknobs) so that it will be flush against the wall. Later, we nailed the door back in place and drywalled right over it!

Layered and Pink?

During the renovation of the little yellow house, we have peeled off layers and layers of different siding, wallpaper, drywall, carpet, flooring, etc. In one room we discovered a fabulous pink patterned wallpaper that has me thinking pink for my new bedroom! (E and mom just rolled their eyes at me, of course!)

What do you think?

I don't know what it is, but I love it! The trouble is, I'm not sure I'm ready to commit to painting a whole room that shade of pink, and I'm not sure how to incorporate just part of it. If I were to paint/stencil just one wall of my bedroom, what color would you paint the other three walls? Plain white? A darker pink matching the stenciling? A lighter pink?

While browsing the internet, I found this image at Desire to Inspire. What I love about it is that the pink is so contained without strict lines. The different patterns and shades of pink are tied in from the poster down to the rug and it feels very rich and indulgent without feeling overwhelming.

What it all boils down to is this: how do I make the color from the wallpaper remnants work without getting too over-the-top little girl Barbie? How can I make pink work in a grown-up room?

Refrigerators?

What kind of refrigerator do you have, a side-by-side fridge/freezer combo, or a top-bottom combo?

I prefer side-by-side fridges, because they better suit my obsession with ice! I've seen very few top-bottom fridge with an ice machine in the door. However, side-by-side fridges are generally several inches wider than top-bottom fridges, and space is a priority in this little yellow house! So I think we'll opt for a top-bottom fridge, and possibly supplement it with a fridge in the garage.

Also... wouldn't it be fun to paint it with chalkboard paint?

Wall Stencils

One of the most exciting things about remodeling the little yellow house is that I get to pick out things like paint colors, cabinets, countertops, carpet, etc. Sooo fun!!!

It's a bit overwhelming, with a world of possibilities. I won't be starting completely from scratch. E and I lived in a 2-bedroom apartment for a little over a year, so we have some furniture. But in the meantime, I'm pulling images that I see from the internet for inspiration!

(via flickr)

I love the stenciling on this wall! Right now I'm leaning towards something international / layered in my bedroom, with lots of pattern and color. I wouldn't do a whole room, but I think stenciling on one wall would provide a little something lovely.

Raw Materials

These are some of the earliest pictures I have of the house, on my first visit actually looking inside. September 2009

This is the outside of the house! That's the current front door, but we plan to move it. There's also an entrance from the porch.

I'm standing where the front door is, and E is modeling the placement of where the front door will be.

This is the living room! (Note the fake rock wall. I wanted to keep, but E wouldn't let me.)

Teeny tiny kitchen. There's a back door, a window, and a 3-foot or so alcove to the right. Alas, we didn't keep the whitewashed brick, either.

Bathroom. I love how the laminate on the walls matches the laminate on the floors. (It doesn't.)

Bedroom #1

Note the door. Straight out the back in case of emergencies!

Bedroom #2

Bedroom #2.5 (0nly accessible through bedroom #2)

Basement. Nothing much to see here.

Despite the shabby conditions of the house, the yard is big and beautiful! This is the view from the front porch. If you walk straight across the road and through that field, you'll get to my parents' house!

By the way, total exterior door count: 4

What the WHAT?!

Hello!

Welcome!

This is the story of a little yellow house.

This is the story of my little yellow house.

In the fall, my parents bought a house that had been foreclosed by the bank. It borders their farmland on 3 sides.

I've lived in Pennsylvania for almost 4 years now, but I love southern Indiana, so my parents decided to fix up the little yellow house for me to live in! I'll be moving back home at the end of May, but there's a lot of work to do before then!

I hope you enjoy the ride!

(I hope I enjoy the ride!)