This is just so awesome! I had emailed Holly Becker, of the famous Decor8 awhile back, asking for some guidance in my quest for a more cohesive place to invite clients to review my work and chat about their wedding day.
Along with Vanessa De Vargas they came up with some outstanding suggestions for my office space!
Check out Holly's post right here to see all the wonderful things they offered up to help out my studio.
You know I've done a few things to the space since I originally contacted Holly, but oh my word, I am SO VERY invigorated by this post. I liked the changes I had made to the office space well enough, but wasn't loving the outcome now that I've had a couple clients over and actually lived in the space awhile now.
So, check out Holly's post, and stay tuned for some office updates that are very likely to be coming along the pipeline now with such great ideas to jump off of!
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
It's done!
So, last night we finished the floor! We layed the glue down (didn't get a picture) and then the vinyl, and lastly used the 100lb roller to smooth out air bubbles.
I can't explain how much better I feel about my kitchen now. It's still far, far faaar from a dream kitchen, but the thought of being in it now and cooking makes me less gaggy. Who knew a cheap temporary patch could really lift the spirits like this?
I can't explain how much better I feel about my kitchen now. It's still far, far faaar from a dream kitchen, but the thought of being in it now and cooking makes me less gaggy. Who knew a cheap temporary patch could really lift the spirits like this?
Saturday, July 12, 2008
So, not going anywhere...yet. And a new floor!
I wouldn't call that last post pre-mature. I am not sure how often Four Beds Two Baths will be updated in the future, but hey, look!! We are working on our house!!
Spur of the moment, we started ripping up the old floor in the kitchen. We've been here for a year, and one of the first projects that we promised to one another when we moved in, was to work on the kitchen. Over the past year, you've seen some of our more grandiose plans, some small musings, a whole lot of bitching, and then total and complete inaction. I guess we both had had enough with that nasty floor. And the other night we just started ripping. Even if whatever we were going to do next was a temporary solution, we needed a change and we needed it now.
Then this morning, Kyle heads out and next thing you know he's back from Home Depot with this lovely stuff. To be honest, this was his second trip. What was brought home the first time was deemed unacceptable. But look at our new floor just waiting for us!
Everything was shuffled out of the kitchen into the dining room.
And we started scraping and peeling.
Peeling and scraping.
We're done for the night. Kyle started to measure and cut a few angles, and for laughs, I rolled it out to cover most of the floor. And it. is. glorious!! For $150 I think I will stop whining and complaining about the kitchen. At least for a little while.
When all is said and done, I will certainly be updating again.
Spur of the moment, we started ripping up the old floor in the kitchen. We've been here for a year, and one of the first projects that we promised to one another when we moved in, was to work on the kitchen. Over the past year, you've seen some of our more grandiose plans, some small musings, a whole lot of bitching, and then total and complete inaction. I guess we both had had enough with that nasty floor. And the other night we just started ripping. Even if whatever we were going to do next was a temporary solution, we needed a change and we needed it now.Then this morning, Kyle heads out and next thing you know he's back from Home Depot with this lovely stuff. To be honest, this was his second trip. What was brought home the first time was deemed unacceptable. But look at our new floor just waiting for us!
Everything was shuffled out of the kitchen into the dining room.
And we started scraping and peeling.
Peeling and scraping.
We're done for the night. Kyle started to measure and cut a few angles, and for laughs, I rolled it out to cover most of the floor. And it. is. glorious!! For $150 I think I will stop whining and complaining about the kitchen. At least for a little while.
When all is said and done, I will certainly be updating again.
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Crickets
I know it's been rather quiet around here. Wedding season has officially picked up for me, and it's left me with little time for the house, even less time to blog about the house.
With that said, I am contemplating letting Four Beds Two Baths go. I don't think I could totally stop updating about the house, I might just be doing it alot less and when I DO want to gab about some little home improvement, it might be over at my other, more full time blog, Kimberly Hurst, Inc.
Four Beds won't be disappearing any time soon, but if you want to see what I am up to, check out my wedding photography blog, newly designed by Nicole Balch, aka Making It Lovely herself.
Thanks all!
With that said, I am contemplating letting Four Beds Two Baths go. I don't think I could totally stop updating about the house, I might just be doing it alot less and when I DO want to gab about some little home improvement, it might be over at my other, more full time blog, Kimberly Hurst, Inc.
Four Beds won't be disappearing any time soon, but if you want to see what I am up to, check out my wedding photography blog, newly designed by Nicole Balch, aka Making It Lovely herself.
Thanks all!
Monday, June 16, 2008
I was tagged by Corey over at Baltimore Rowhouse.
The rules: Answer the following questions about yourself. At the end of the post you pass on the questions to 6 (or so) other bloggers and list their names. Then write them a comment telling them that they've been tagged and ask them to read your blog.
1. What did you do 10 years ago?
That would be my freshman year at Rochester Institute of Technology. I was 18 and an Advertising Photography major. I spent many long hours in windowless studios taking photographs of bars of Ivory soap, Tupperware, freshly poured glasses of beer, and other lovely product shots. I am so thankful for my time at RIT. It took me some time to come to that realization, but with 10 years between now and then, I’ve realized how much I DID learn, and how much it started me off on the track I am on today. Go Tigers!
2. Five items on your to-do list today:
-Email Ray (my local upholsterer) some photographs of my curbside pick-up’ed couch. As well as dimensions for the new bolster cushions.
-Investigate some outdoor lighting, especially for the busted light by the backdoor. I am tired of taking out the trash at night by my sense of touch alone.
-Hang the large corkboard I found in our garage up in the studio. We cleared out our garage this past Friday night, and it’s unbelievable how something can be so “out of sight, out of mind.” I’ve been thinking how badly I need a real corkboard for the studio. I was ready to drive to Staples to pick one up. Never realizing I had one sitting in my garage! It use to hang in the kitchen in our Sea Cliff apartment.
-Think about re-arranging living room and master bedroom furniture. I haven’t figured out if this desire is rooted in genius or boredom.
-Photograph some of the recent changes going on in our backyard makeover. Ikea’s summer sale is the best. Cushions, lanterns, and candles all for a steal. We also hung our hammock and laying back looking up into the maple trees is pure heaven.
3. Snacks I enjoy:
-Those flat pretzels. You know the ones I am talking about? They are so damn crunchy. I love dipping them into say, tuna salad, or what have you.
-Guacamole.
-I make a mean Texas Caviar. It’s a glorified salsa I guess.
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 1 bunch green onions, chopped
• 2 jalapeno peppers, chopped
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes, quartered
• 1 (8 ounce) bottle zesty Italian dressing
• 1 (15 ounce) can black beans, drained
• 1 (15 ounce) can black-eyed peas, drained
• 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 bunch chopped fresh cilantro
It’s delicious!
4. What would you do if you were a billionaire?
Renovate my kitchen and then buy another house. Or several homes, scattered across the globe. And Kyle and I would both quit our jobs and hop from place to place. I’d also start an environmental foundation and use my money to try and effect positive change.
5. Places I would live:
I loved living in Brooklyn and would move back in a heartbeat. I would also love living in some kind of seclusion. Maybe a home where I could raise sheep and spin boutique yarns for a living, or grow maple syrup, or something whacky like that. I don’t think I could live somewhere too far away from family and friends for any length of time to be honest. So, I’d say places in the Northeast seem the most appealing. Maine and Vermont in particular.
6. Bloggers I am passing the challenge onto are:
How about The Brick House, At the Westwood Ranch, and Tiny Old House!
The rules: Answer the following questions about yourself. At the end of the post you pass on the questions to 6 (or so) other bloggers and list their names. Then write them a comment telling them that they've been tagged and ask them to read your blog.
1. What did you do 10 years ago?
That would be my freshman year at Rochester Institute of Technology. I was 18 and an Advertising Photography major. I spent many long hours in windowless studios taking photographs of bars of Ivory soap, Tupperware, freshly poured glasses of beer, and other lovely product shots. I am so thankful for my time at RIT. It took me some time to come to that realization, but with 10 years between now and then, I’ve realized how much I DID learn, and how much it started me off on the track I am on today. Go Tigers!
2. Five items on your to-do list today:
-Email Ray (my local upholsterer) some photographs of my curbside pick-up’ed couch. As well as dimensions for the new bolster cushions.
-Investigate some outdoor lighting, especially for the busted light by the backdoor. I am tired of taking out the trash at night by my sense of touch alone.
-Hang the large corkboard I found in our garage up in the studio. We cleared out our garage this past Friday night, and it’s unbelievable how something can be so “out of sight, out of mind.” I’ve been thinking how badly I need a real corkboard for the studio. I was ready to drive to Staples to pick one up. Never realizing I had one sitting in my garage! It use to hang in the kitchen in our Sea Cliff apartment.
-Think about re-arranging living room and master bedroom furniture. I haven’t figured out if this desire is rooted in genius or boredom.
-Photograph some of the recent changes going on in our backyard makeover. Ikea’s summer sale is the best. Cushions, lanterns, and candles all for a steal. We also hung our hammock and laying back looking up into the maple trees is pure heaven.
3. Snacks I enjoy:
-Those flat pretzels. You know the ones I am talking about? They are so damn crunchy. I love dipping them into say, tuna salad, or what have you.
-Guacamole.
-I make a mean Texas Caviar. It’s a glorified salsa I guess.
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 1 bunch green onions, chopped
• 2 jalapeno peppers, chopped
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes, quartered
• 1 (8 ounce) bottle zesty Italian dressing
• 1 (15 ounce) can black beans, drained
• 1 (15 ounce) can black-eyed peas, drained
• 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 bunch chopped fresh cilantro
It’s delicious!
4. What would you do if you were a billionaire?
Renovate my kitchen and then buy another house. Or several homes, scattered across the globe. And Kyle and I would both quit our jobs and hop from place to place. I’d also start an environmental foundation and use my money to try and effect positive change.
5. Places I would live:
I loved living in Brooklyn and would move back in a heartbeat. I would also love living in some kind of seclusion. Maybe a home where I could raise sheep and spin boutique yarns for a living, or grow maple syrup, or something whacky like that. I don’t think I could live somewhere too far away from family and friends for any length of time to be honest. So, I’d say places in the Northeast seem the most appealing. Maine and Vermont in particular.
6. Bloggers I am passing the challenge onto are:
How about The Brick House, At the Westwood Ranch, and Tiny Old House!
Sunday, June 8, 2008
Tales of Dirt and Sweat
Well, we picked the hottest weekend of the year to do a brutal amount of manual labor. And then we asked all our friends to come over and help!
What can I say other than we have the most awesome group of friends ever. A bunch of them swung by, on their day off, or TOOK a day off from work to come and help us. Shovel dirt no less! Kyle and I are really blessed to have such wonderful friends.
Saturday, Kyle, my father and I laid the groundwork. We framed the majority of the patio space, and started to move dirt. At the very back end of the yard, we first had to build up the retaining wall about 2 feet in order to level out the area and prevent the massive amount of run-off that would occur each time it rained. My neighbor had been the recipient of some amazing top soil all these years, while we were left with our fair share of sand. NOT FAIR, said I!
So, this alone is a huge thumbs up. Our dirt is gonna stay our dirt!
Ideally, we would have liked to complete the project using 8x8's. Even 6x6's. But they were costly, and hard to come by. So, we settled on 4x4's and got to work. My father happened to be demolishing some concrete in his backyard, so we took it and used it to reinforce our foundation and to aid in drainage.
Once the frame started to fall into place, we then started tilling and moving a TON of dirt from the high points in the yard, to the low points.
Here are James and Adina helping us check for level. We had to do that....alot.
And lastly, here is where we stood at the end of the day. The framing is in place. We need to go and buy dirt unbelievably. But there are areas that still need to be filled in. We need to lay some seed in the areas around the patio. And then we need to get some gravel and spread it around. We've decided to live with just the gravel for a year or two until we can afford bluestone or flagstone or the like. Right now, it's just not in our budget. But WOW! I feel like we made some incredible progress on our backyard. I am starting to invision where the tables and chairs and grill and lights and fire pit and lounges will all go.
Just so very happy with the work we did.
What can I say other than we have the most awesome group of friends ever. A bunch of them swung by, on their day off, or TOOK a day off from work to come and help us. Shovel dirt no less! Kyle and I are really blessed to have such wonderful friends.
Saturday, Kyle, my father and I laid the groundwork. We framed the majority of the patio space, and started to move dirt. At the very back end of the yard, we first had to build up the retaining wall about 2 feet in order to level out the area and prevent the massive amount of run-off that would occur each time it rained. My neighbor had been the recipient of some amazing top soil all these years, while we were left with our fair share of sand. NOT FAIR, said I!
So, this alone is a huge thumbs up. Our dirt is gonna stay our dirt!
Ideally, we would have liked to complete the project using 8x8's. Even 6x6's. But they were costly, and hard to come by. So, we settled on 4x4's and got to work. My father happened to be demolishing some concrete in his backyard, so we took it and used it to reinforce our foundation and to aid in drainage.
Once the frame started to fall into place, we then started tilling and moving a TON of dirt from the high points in the yard, to the low points.
Here are James and Adina helping us check for level. We had to do that....alot.
And lastly, here is where we stood at the end of the day. The framing is in place. We need to go and buy dirt unbelievably. But there are areas that still need to be filled in. We need to lay some seed in the areas around the patio. And then we need to get some gravel and spread it around. We've decided to live with just the gravel for a year or two until we can afford bluestone or flagstone or the like. Right now, it's just not in our budget. But WOW! I feel like we made some incredible progress on our backyard. I am starting to invision where the tables and chairs and grill and lights and fire pit and lounges will all go.
Just so very happy with the work we did.
Friday, June 6, 2008
Succulents and Herbs
The other night when we were at Home Depot, I picked up some little herbs to plant in Mr. Owl's head.
Then last night when we went price shopping for a fire pit, I picked up some succulents and planted them before going to bed. Nothing like a little late night potting to set you off to bed in a good mood!
We are calling today the calm before the storm. Tomorrow we are getting up bright and early and starting work on the back patio. My father is coming over and we are going to start building the retaining wall, and mapping out the lumber and where we are going to be digging and moving dirt on Sunday.
Then last night when we went price shopping for a fire pit, I picked up some succulents and planted them before going to bed. Nothing like a little late night potting to set you off to bed in a good mood!
We are calling today the calm before the storm. Tomorrow we are getting up bright and early and starting work on the back patio. My father is coming over and we are going to start building the retaining wall, and mapping out the lumber and where we are going to be digging and moving dirt on Sunday.
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