Patio Preview

Before

After

 

Herban Life

We live in a condo. We love our condo. We love that we do not own a lawnmower. We love that we don’t pull weeds. But we miss our green thumb. In Harrisburg, despite living in the center of a city, we had two lovely planter boxes–home to all sorts of greens, tomatoes, and even black raspberries.

At #8, outdoor square footage is at a premium. As in, we have a 10×7 patch of concrete covered with chipping pool deck. It’s ugly and happens to warrant our DIY attention. In the meantime, I thought I’d bring some life to our otherwise drab and shabby front porch with some herbs.

A few planters made the journey from Harrisburg to Scottsdale and they looked a bit worse for the wear. In comes the DIY panacea: white spray paint.

I heart white spray paint.

Never forget the primer. Yes, it’s an added expense (just shy of $3), but totally worth the time you’ll save in spray paint layers. Never again will I spray paint without the primer coat (or coats in this case).

Because the white seemed so boring, I thought I’d liven the planters up with the addition of chalkboard paint. I liked the idea of labeling the herbs (for Quinn’s sake–we don’t want him mixing up mint and basil, of course). So, after two coats of primer and two coats of paint, I taped off my area and layered two coats of chalkboard paint. Thanks to my intense impatience the Arizona sun I didn’t have to wait to requisite drying period. Hooray!

Then came organic planting soil and Peppermint, Rosemary, and Basil. Rosemary has been the perfect addition to roasted veggies and the Basil found delicious company with ripe tomatoes, fresh buffalo mozzarella and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.

The green is an affordable and very welcome contrast to our sorry looking patio (which is under transformation as I type!). Stay tuned!

Edited to note: The herbs have since moved onto another life. Despite strategically placing them to receive the least direct sunlight and watering them regularly, the herbs only lasted 4 weeks or so. Interestingly enough, their death coincided with my week long vacation to Philly and New Jersey. I left Quinn to tend to our mini-garden. You do the math.

I promise…

That we will post not once, but two times this week. Shocking, right? Especially since the last time I posted was in April. Yikes. A lot has happened in between then and now, including a remodeled guest bathroom, a closet-office, and some fun porch projects.

The guest bathroom is 99% complete (and occupied by Quinn’s parents this week!) and I’m writing from my closet office as I type. Pictures soon. Promise.

So… thanks for your patience, family. xo

Kieran Alden King – 6 Months

Meet Kieran Alden King: my favorite, most adorable nephew. Ladies, he’s taken. Are your surprised? How could you not love this chunky face!

A Special Treat

Sometimes, you just need to pay $3.50 for a (gluten-free) cupcake.

Oh Happy Day!

Gluten-free bread that is 1. EASY, 2. DELICIOUS, and 3. BEAUTIFUL.

This is a cause for celebration.

I ordered the Gluten-Free Girl’s cookbook last week.

It arrived two days ago. The “crusty bread that even those who eat gluten might like” jumped off of the page. I actually had most of the necessary ingredients on hand.

I baked.

I loved.

Guest Bath: Reeeemix.

The guest bathroom has been the boring room. White walls. White fixtures. Grey tiles. It was perfectly functional, and nothing to be ashamed of, but it was the only room in the condo that I didn’t love. Because I just love the rest. Seriously. I love this place. #8 is actually starting to capture my affections, a la Shipoke.

I wanted to give the space a little oomph and decided on bead board–cheap fix for a big impact. I do love me some bead board.  I had a particular vision for the room, and although there is always distance between imagination and reality, I’m still happy with the results. The room isn’t completely finished, but here are some photos of our latest work-in-progress.

Before, Before (as in, the day we bought the condo):

Mid-Renovation:

Somehow, I managed to NOT take a picture of the guest bathroom when the initial renovation was complete. Odd.

Paint!:

I know you’re probably thinking, “How can one achieve oomph with more grey?” Tis’ true. Grey is the least oomphiest of colors. But I had to fight Quinn on this one. I wanted a cobalt blue or even a deep purple. I lost. This doesn’t happen often.

New light fixture:

Bead boarded and beautiful:

You may not be able to tell from the photo, but the bead board still needs a nice coat of shiny white paint. We also need to reconnect the sink to the drain (or something handy like that) and hang the mirror cabinet. Then, the prints will go up and the towels will, too.

And only then will you see the final product. Patience.