Wall bubbles out of embroidery hoops.

I spent about 10 minutes making these bubbly little treasures. Fabric clamped inside embrodiery hoops. That's it. I used lace, burlap, satin, an old curtain and cotton. Sounds easy, right? Well it was (with the exception of this small accident).

Above-the-couch decor.

We finally finished our above-the-couch decor! It's an eclectic eye-full. I thought and thought and thought about what I wanted to hang here. Eventually, we decided to hang just a few little odds and ends. There's fabric-wrapped cardboard, recycled frames, craft paper scraps, dried wildflowers, etc. There are also a few very special things hanging, including an embroidered masterpiece that my grandma made my mom circa 1995.

I didn't spend one penny.

What do you think? I sort of love it. I may add to it one day. What's hanging over your couches? What are your focal points? I love seeing them!

A shout out to the men. 

More details.

Some inspiration was gathered from this cute blog.

Bathroom decor.

I've decided to post about something NON wedding related. I am a bit weddinged out. So, onto home decor. My house is slowly coming together and being turned from a freshly painted bare-walled warehouse to a welcoming home. I'm trying so hard, at least. 

We decided to go with yellow and grey for our guest bathroom colors and I was able to leave the new puppy for a minute today to get some of the items. I'm trying to get the bathroom in somewhat usable condition by the time Winter (my bff) gets here from AZ.  

 

Towels are from here.

Wallflowers here. (They also come in black florals and brushed nickel dragon flies.)

Cute shower hooks here.

Shower curtain here.

First night here.

Somehow, in between DIYing my whole wedding and moving in, I managed to load some pictures from the camera to the computer. I had forgotten we took this photo.

This is how we spent our first night at home. They gave us the keys after closing, we grabbed some sleeping bags and Chinese food and watched FRIENDS. It kind of rocked.

Moved in. Kinda.

Hello blog world. It feels like an eternity since I sat down to post a few words on the good ol blog. It's been chaotic around here, to say the least. FUN (OMG SO MUCH FUN) but sort of a hot, busy mess. We are all moved in. Not settled. But moved. It's a good first step. The new house is amazing. The overwhelming paint and new carpet smell is starting to clear (which you would think would make us happy, but it's proving to be a tad bit sad). 

Let's talk for a bit about this whole big, scary home-buying experience. I feel like it's important for me to get this all out there: it so WAS NOT big, scary or hairy. The group of people we worked with made it fun and easy. The home builders, DR Horton, were unlike anyone. They were the opposite of what we heard about other builders. All of the walk-throughs, blue taping and meetings ensured that we were getting exactly what we wanted/planned for. I couldn't be happier with their ethic and quality of work (not to mention the fast pace YOWZA). This home far exceeds the expectations we had for our first owning experience. I mean, c'mon--we're just a couple of kids and they made it possible for us to BUILD and live in something brand new. I've got to say, knowing that I'm the first to cook in the kitchen and use my toilet puts my mind at ease. 

We also used DR Horton's lender and Marylee was a pleasure to work with. She offered the use of her Mexican timeshare for our honeymoon. I'm serious. It doesn't get sweeter than that. 

 

Okay, so we talked about the process. But WHAT ABOUT HOW IT ALL STARTED? It's kind of an awesome story. Chris and I decided last summer that we hated living in an apartment. The fighting neighbors, thin walls, three flights of stairs, no garage...the list sorta goes on and on. "Well maybe we should try to find something before the tax incentive ends?" I said. "Okay, yeah. We should at least start scoping the market to see what we find in our price range" Chris casually replied. 

Our initial attitude was lax. We weren't hugely committed to moving out, but ideas of a home were bouncing around in our little heads. My acquaintance turned good friend Amanda mentioned she was interested in helping us find the perfect home. She works with The Judy Allen Team and is an extremely bright gal (not to mention CUTE). Have you seen her, guys? 

Forgive the tangents. It's late.

Anyway, we let her know our requirements (and there were LOTS) for a home and she went to town. Literally. This girl, along with Judy herself, was more committed to finding our perfect home than WE were. I started feeling guilty because home after home, appointment after appointment, Chris had complaints and reasons to not buy these gorgeous houses  Amanda was showing. (What? Chris doesn't go near this blog so I am allowed to blame him.) Nonetheless, time was running out (for the tax credit) and our lives continued to get busier. First we got engaged, then the disappointing wedding venue news, then my less-than-perfect work situation. We had pretty much given up on the idea of owning anytime soon. Then, Amanda and Judy to the rescue. This is her actual email to me sent on February 9th, 2010. 

Subject line: LOVE THESE!!!

I have been doing a bunch of research for you guys on these new townhomes now that I am out of my morning meeting.  They have a little patio that will be secluded with a 6' tan vinyl fence... perfect for the pups!

I have attached a price list for The Village at Old Farm.  Looks like the Mckinley would work best for your needs.  It has 1705 finished square feet, with 3 bedrooms and a 2 car garage.  Great location!  Let me know what you think and we can set-up a reservation to meet with a representative. 

Talk to you soon lady!

Her enthusiasm and use of exclamation points is kind of adorable. It got me excited to go check this place out. And, lo and behold, these were it. A place for the pups: check. A 2-car garage: check. LOTSA space: check. No yard work required: check. 

Their help didn't stop there. They met with us for walk-throughs, held our hands at contract signing and sat front row at the closing. See? There are pictures to prove it. 

 

 They just handed me KEYS

          I may have added facial hair to make our expressions seem less intense. 

And here is their cute new blog. 

We so appreciate you guys. Everyone involved: you are the reason this wasn't scary. I would without a doubt recommend your services to anyone.  

Um, it's done

Are you sick of reading/hearing about my new house? Well then you're in luck because IT'S DONE. WE ARE FREAKIN CLOSING ANY DAY.

Carpet is in.

(there was some controversy on the pad we purchased, but we got that all worked out. it's a 1/2-inch memory foam with pet stain resistance.) 

Countertops are in.

Shelving in the closets is installed.

(this is the spare bedroom walk-in.)

Back porch cement is poured.

And we are as happy and weird as ever.

So, next on the house-building agenda = blue tape. Then final touches. Then final walk-through.

What will I blog about now? Oh yeah--I still have this wedding disaster thing to document. I'll let you know how that fiasco turns out.

Our home: rocks, appliances, lighting, toilets, countertops

The rocks are all in. I love them. (also, we have a garage door)

Seeing the kitchen/nook is what made it seem so REAL yesterday. We have WORKING appliances and lighting. 

Countertops, johns and sinks are installed and working.

Ceiling fans and closet racks are in. 

It's looking like only two-ish more weeks till we close. O..M..G..

Our home: exterior colors, floor and paint

The exterior is going to be...*drum roll*...yellow--which happens to be my favorite color. It's almost like almond; it's not an annoyingly obnoxious pee yellow or anything like that. The color will be toned down with a lot of earth toney rocks (which aren't all the way up yet).

The vinyl flooring is ALL installed (we went with a very neutral shade of ivory/grey since the rest of the house is so boldly colored).

Also, we now have stairs AND doors. Aren't the doors cute?

My favorite part of this week's developments: the walls. They are all painted and beautifully textured. 

 (please excuse this amateur photo. you get the idea though, right?)

3 - 5 weeks left

House update! It's coming along and it's looking great. 

According to the construction schedule that the builder sent us, we have somewhere between 3.5 and 5 weeks until it's completely finished. This number is shocking to me, since it was only a month or so ago that we got the call from the Judy Allen team about this charming Farmington neighborhood. Thank goodness we did. With how fast these townhouses sold, we got the lowest price in the bunch; several of the upgrades came standard for us, too. Oh we're lucky. And just in time for the tax incentive.

So, here's what's happening now.

They are starting to stucco the exterior (or at least they're laying the base layer). I am still unsure of what color the exterior will be. It's like Christmas! It'll be the greatest surprise to drive by and see the actual colors in the next couple days. 

As far as the inside, WE HAVE WALLS. Omigod we totally have walls. Aren't they the greatest walls you've ever seen?

(living room)

(front door/hallway)

(partial kitchen and nook)

(walk-in pantry where I will have room to put my extensive spice collection and tupperware) 

(stairs, upstairs hallway, bedroom #1 aka computer/craft room, bedroom #2 aka guest room)

(view from master bedroom/green goblin)

(master bath)

(a scary closet)

(it is a good day for a guinness)

 (upstairs bathroom #2)

(an awesome crawl space. i cannot explain the face.)

(our backyard, at least until DR Horton decides what they wanna do with the land)

 Our neighbors moved in this week! This unit is the exact same floor plan as ours, so it will look similar. I think we'll have different colors though.

I'm excited to plant our little roots here. 

Our home: framed

This is what it's going to look like:

(ebony-stained beechwood cabinets)

(ivory/greyish vinyl flooring)

But, right now, this is what it actually looks like:

(complete with tipped-over leaking portapotty)

I may be getting a tad impatient.