Front yard!

Another project to report on! This time we worked on our front yard/patch :). It had grass but looked drab and we were tired of wasting money on watering since it is a desert out there (be water smart). So we gutted and replaced with some desert friendly plants and this vibrant red mulch. I have to say, our yard definitely stands out now! Oh and Johnny put a coat of paint on the front door so it's not so sunfaded anymore :) Enjoy....

Before (when we bought the house)....



After we gutted the grass...



And the results:
(I admit the plants look a little puny, but either they fill out or we replace them - gardening is definitely a new hobby for us!)

Updated 1/2 Bathroom

Aye, I thought I blogged this, but I am clearly behind! :) Johnny and I did some work on our half bathroom downstairs. We updated lighting, the mirror, removed medicine cabinet, painted the walls and the cabinetry and various other little things. We LOVE it! It's dark, but we love the warmth and coziness to it. Even better we did it for less than 500 dollars! Check it out...

BEFORE -BLAH!





DURING...



AND AFTER....

Real Estate obsession...

So, here I go again. After 6 days of being bed ridden because of my sinus surgery (which, by the way, went very well!), I spent way too many hours watching way too much HGTV, DIY, and reading too many design magazines (not that that's a bad thing :-)..)....

Also, Johnny and I have tossed around the idea of moving to Austin, TX. We are super attracted to that town and it's one we both agree on. I, of course, love Seattle and Portland, but he hates the rain, clouds...which I think I would also get sick of, being a California girl and all. Oh and another huge reason is that my sister Dara lives there. She absolutely loves it! Hopefully she stays though...she is working on her Doctorette and may or may not find a job there/be able to stay. I have visited it once (and plan to drag Johnny there soon) and loved it! It's such a funky and fun town. And obviously the fact that it's the "Live Music Capital of the world" is a huge draw too. AND there are some Master's programs that I'm very interested in there, it's one of the few places I would consider going to for grad school. Even Johnny is thinking of going back to school! Only drawback would be that it's pretty far from friends and family. :-/

So of course, in my boredom I began to look up housing there. I really think I should be in Real Esate...I LOVEE looking at homes! I don't know why! I would love to live downtown, or close to it, and be a part of all the action! I want to be able to walk to coffee shops, restaurants, shopping, etc. I told Johnny we should just sell everything and get a 500 sq ft. loft and go for it. He said "ok", kinda... haha. The thought of getting rid of all my unnecessary junk is highly appealing right now. Just have what you need and love and get rid of the rest. (Maybe I need to dejunk :)). As I was browsing lofts and condos I came across this absolutely adorable loft. PERFECT! What I've always imagined!! A little sleeping area above the kitchen, built in shelves....cozy, quaint, PERFECT!

Check it out... (can you not post PDF's on here?! - click on more info)
http://www.urbanspacerealtors.com/properties/510

Dreams do come true

So many girls desire clothes, shoes, makeup, etc...I desire furniture hehe. After MONTHS and MONTHS of waiting for this stupid couch, I finally got it! From my favorite store Cost Plus World Market... It starts as a couch, turns into a chaise or lays all the way flat into a bed. I love it! Johnny made that table in wood shop in high school...I keep trying to convince him to going into business with me...I design the furniture and he builds it?! It could work! ha

So our done loft....

Guest Room!

Aww finally some substantial projects have been completed!! I'm loving it! Our house gets cozier and cozier every day!

One random project was these little nightstands that Johnny's dad gave us. He is a true junk collector - he see value in EVERYTHING which is cool and annoying at the same time (most of it is really just junk) but success with these nightstands...free plus a can of stain, some sandpaper, new knobs and some elbow grease....



and after...



so here is a more final guest room....



and yes Johnny hates this picture that I painted in college...but he hung it anyway hehe



oh and the famous costco wine crate/boxes...

CREATIVE URGES!

Oh screw you economy!!! All I want to do lately is quit my job and stay at home and play, decorate, paint, bead, read, update my music life or wander around town, go to the gym, cook, etc! So my hopes for working at home (but not work hehe) are at an all time high. Sigh!

MAYBE I COULD DO THIS IN THE GUEST BEDROOM OR EVEN SOMETHING SIMILAR IN THE 1/2 BATHROOM. LOVE THESE DECALS! TOO MANY OPTIONS!



I KINDA WANT QUARTER SLEEVE TATTOO'S...MMM MORE MONEY LOL (I THINK I'M IN A FLORAL PHASE).....



ANYTHING WITH COFFEE MAKES ME HAPPY....




GOING TO GET THIS WITH TAX REFUND MONEY, A PRETTY RUG, SOME PILLOWS AND PUT IT IN THE LITTLE LOFT...2 GUEST SPACES NOW! OH AND IT WILL BE GET AWAY READING SPACE...CAN'T WAIT



I LOVE THIS ROOM...ANOTHER OPTION FOR THE GUEST? I CAN'T MAKE UP MY MIND!?



OK ...BACK TO MY REALITY....

SETTLING IN....

THIS IS A HIGHLY OUTDATED POST (BY MY STANDARDS-MAYBE I'M STILL RECOVERING FROM THE MOVE? OR I'M JUST LAZY :))...BUT HERE ARE SOME PICS OF US SETTLING IN! THE DOWNSTAIRS IS MOSTLY DONE...ALTHOUGH I THINK I NEED TO PAINT SOMEWHERE (ESP THE 1/2 BATH!!). UPSTAIRS HAS TONS OF WORK NEEDED TO BE DONE, BUT WE ARE ON BROKE STATUS NOW SO IT WILL HAVE TO WAIT (OR COME SLOWLY) :)

SNOW DAY!!!

Holy cow...has Vegas had an incredibly wet and wild winter!? We had 4 inches of snow in ONE day...set the record I guess. It was soooo beautiful! Kind of made me wish I wasn't in Las Vegas hehe...here are some gorgeous pics of our new house in the snow...

Gardening Day!!

Johnny parents showed up at the house on Sunday with pounds and pounds of Steer Manure, trees, flowers and the eagerness to help my pathetic 'black thumb'. It was so fun, so therapeutic!! We (they) planted some trees to create privacy (see how you can see into the neighbors yard..) and we are trying to salvage the grass. I was amazed at how much they know about gardening, I am so eager to learn. Made me feel like a true homeowner!! Now I just can't wait to get a covered patio for some summer BBQ's!!

Here's an obsession for ya...

So my latest obsession (or ongoing shall I say?) is social networking sites. (AH) I just joined Twitter...and know like 4 people on it, but have checked it obsessively all day. Then there's Myspace and Facebook of course! I dont know what it is lately...maybe because I have been sick for the past 2 weeks and haven't seen anyone but Johnny and coworkers, or just that I'm bored at work. But either way, I'm obsessed and want to get a new phone so I can be 'connected' even more. GAG

PS I've been meaning to update this for a while, but haven't been much in the mood, or known what to write about. I gardened this past weekend...will post pictures soon!