the elephant in the room..

if you know me, you know i love elephants. not in a weird they're-all-over-my-house/elephant-stuffed animals-on-the-bed kind of way. i think there is only one other in my house, and it sits inconspicuously on a book shelf in the office.

so, when i saw this little guy at a second-hand store for 25¢, well. he's at my house now, obviously.

 it's just a tiny terra-cotta elephant planter. what else? oddly enough, the second i saw him,
i knew exactly what his fate would be. i don't know why it took me so
long--he's been hiding behind a curtain on the kitchen windowsill for months. 

but last night, he got sprayed white and planted.

(i snagged a fake succulent from hobby lobby)

he is now a friendly greeting (although suffocating under a cloche) 

to anyone who walks in the front door. 

[literal] house project

so, i went outside (on a grey, rainy day) and took a picture of the house to add to the house tour.

i mainly just needed a decent before picture, and this only gave me inspiration to update the outside. soon.

 eek! it's not that bad from afar. but close up, there's two-tone soffit (you know--some black, some white--the usual), rot, and rusty nail holes (the previous owners obviously hung their christmas lights up with nails) 

helpful tip: stainless steel, galvanized or aluminum nails should be used outside

anywho. i uploaded this photo and played around with colors. i am wanting a muted sandy-grey, but the colors that i envisioned on the app were too close to the grey/green already on the house. and i want a change. so i went with a dark grey/black just for the heck of it.

 

photo made using this tool

what i want in the end:

dark, sandy-grey exterior (including garage and brick on either side)

black shutters and  front door: 

 

updated doorknob and lock on door

garage door keypad

large silver house numbers

i think three colors are recommended for house exteriors. i am at two. i would like to have cedar shutters and cedar shake shingles on the gable. (eh, dad?) so, in the future, that would make three.

[you can see a full list of house projects here. and i mean full]

living room rug dilemma

so, in the near future we are adopting a new couch. one that fits our too-big-oddly-shaped living room, and one that is large enough for two people to watch movies. 

but, i'm having bit of a rug dilemma. um. which one?!

i've been looking at these options (of course, the red/grey zigzag one which i've never seen until today is calling to me) online but am nervous. it's a big purchase. literally. 8'x10'.

i don't want it to be so loud that i can't change up curtains, pillows, etc. (this girl loves change).
but, i don't want it to be boing all-grey. or do i?

there are two things in the room that need to play nice with the new rug:

mainly, our ugly red/yellow/orange/brown/cream tile with dark grout. bleh.

and a blue garden stool. but hey, no one says i can't paint you.

thriftstore finds

yet again, i was out thrift store shoppin'.

this little silver cutie was on a high shelf, so after tiptoeing to get a better look, i was stopped in my tracks.

the inside of the bowl is blue as can be!!

here it is with major camera-flash so you can see. it's lacquered. and awesome. and only $1.50

then i stumbled upon two matching throw pillows (that are much cuter and less-hallweeny in person than they are in these pictures). 

but, they're super cozy and i seem to aways be searching for throw pillows. at $3 a piece, how could i say no?

madi approves. happy super bowl sunday, everyone!

medicine cabinet facelift

so, for awhile now i've been perusing the web for a medcine cabinet but they all seem to be ugly, white, dinky, and..oddly pricey. now, don't get me wrong, the system we've got going right now is swell..

uuhhh..

anyway, if you know me, you know i love me some thrift store shoppin'! well, last week i found a medicine cabinet at a local secondhand shop and immediately sent a pic & called my mom for a second opinion. (i'm a terrible solo-shopper). she said yes, definitely! can you believe i need someone to give me the go ahead on a $10 purchase?!

can you believe this beaut was only $10!?

so i took her home and painted her black to match the hall bathroom and filled 'er up!

she looks right at home 

eh?

according to real simple these are the things you need in your medicine cabinet:

(i've crossed off what i already have)

aspirin
acetaminophen (like tylenol)
ibuprofen
thermometer
cough medicine
decongestant
throat lozenges
antihistamine (benadryl)
hydrocortisone cream
calamine lotion
eye drops (but i keep mine by my bed)
antacids
antidiarrheal
laxatives
gauze, bandages, medical tape
antiseptic (hydrogen peroxide)
antibiotic ointment 
aloe vera gel (but we keep ours in the fridge)
sunscreen
antifungal cream

ch-ch-changes

If you haven't noticed, I have added some pages to the ol' blog. So now you can go on a house tour (it's a work in progress), learn a little about me, see the never-ending list of little things we have done/want to do to our house, and finally see some wedding photos!