The Best of 2012 & a look ahead to what’s in store for 2013
2013…..that just sounds crazy!! And kinda futuristic, dontcha think?!? I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday!! We had a really good Christmas with lots of family visiting this year from Canada, and we managed to get out and enjoy some fun holiday events here in the Greater Cincinnati area despite us ALL coming down with the stomach flu! Ugh. Before we get into the nitty gritty, here are a few highlights (completely un-related to design) so you can see what we’ve been up to the last few weeks!
We started a holiday tradition to go skating at the Fountain Square rink downtown, so this year we took the boys (and anyone else who was feeling up to it!) there on Christmas Eve. We first stopped by to see Santa before his big trip around the world and get the inside scoop as to what kind of cookie was his favorite:) We also had snow a few days after Christmas which is pretty rare around these parts. For someone like me who grew up in Canada and New England, I always kind of missed the snow around the holidays, so this was a special treat! The boys had a great time making snowmen with Gramma too.
Goofing around at Christmas dinner. We ended up eating a day late since everyone was feeling under the
weather. It was as equally delicious though!
We spent an afternoon touring underground brewery caves in Cincinnati's Over the Rhine district. The area has undergone a huge transformation over the last few years as old historic buildings have been restored to house new and upcoming local businesses and restaurants. I’m so glad steps are being made to preserve this historic area. It contains the largest concentration per capita of Italianate architecture in the United States, and it would be a shame if the city of Cincinnati let this great part of our history go to waste. If you live nearby or are planning a visit & are interested in reading a little more about this area, check out Over The Rhine Blog.
Our New Year Eve was pretty quiet this year. We went to the Zoo for their festival of lights and fireworks show. We usually go out with the grown-ups, so this was the first year we celebrated New Years Eve with the kids, and it was pretty fun! They did the countdown & fireworks at 9pm, which is a great idea for avoiding melt-downs from over tired pre-schoolers!
Anyways….enough about that. Holidays are great fun and my most favorite time of year, but I am glad they are over and life is returning back to normal. So let’s get down to business and talk about my completed projects from 2012 and what I plan on achieving for 2013!
Taking a look back at my first post in January of 2012, I had quite a wish list of things I wanted to do around the house!! I’m proud to say I began a few of those big projects, but others are still on the backburner and will hopefully get started sometime this year. I admit, I’m not very good at making solid plans and timetables for re-decorating my house. My decorating A.D.D. kicks in and I'm starting something new before I finish up what I’ve already started! But that's just the way I roll…..I do what I’m feeling at the moment. That being said, I now have 3 big Room reveals coming up in the beginning of 2013!
My first big project I started planning way back in February was the Boys/Guest Bathroom reno. Here’s a shot of what it looked like before we started the demo back in the spring….ho hum, boring standard builders white.
We were originally planning on painting the existing vanity, but after we took it out, there was some water damage at the back, so we decided to buy a new one. We also had to do A LOT of unexpected drywall repairs. We actually replaced all the drywall behind the tile in the tub/shower because come to discover, the builder didn't use mold resistant cement board. During the summer, not much happened in this room, mostly because we were busy doing a lot of this.
But I’m happy to say that after a rush to get the bathroom in working order before the holidays, this room is now close to being done!! Here’s a quick sneak peek of the vanity and the tile we chose.
This is what still has to be done to complete this room:
Back in February I also started planning a makeover of our Guest Bedroom while including a work space and storage for my craft supplies. You can see the before pics read all about why I need a separate space (with door locks) to house my craft supplies other than my open office. If you have little boys at home, you don't even need to read the post to know why:)
I have completed quite a few projects in this room, including my Thibaut Inspired Stenciled Wall,
and my Faux Roman Shade Tutorial.
Back in November, I re-finished a round drop-leaf table for this room using a whitewash technique, and will be sharing that tutorial soon, as well as a great way to add open shelving on a budget.
Still to be completed in this room:
One of the projects I dove into last year that wasn’t initially planned was my 3 year old’s room makeover. We figured it was time to ditch the crib and get him a big boy bed. And you cant just buy a new bed without re-decorating his entire room, right?!?
Here’s what it looked like before when it was just a nursery, all outdated, green and gender neutral. (We didn't find out if we were having a boy or girl!)
And if you follow me on facebook, you would have already got a sneak peek of what it looks like after I decided to paint the ceiling red!
What I still need to do to complete Carson’s room:
We started a holiday tradition to go skating at the Fountain Square rink downtown, so this year we took the boys (and anyone else who was feeling up to it!) there on Christmas Eve. We first stopped by to see Santa before his big trip around the world and get the inside scoop as to what kind of cookie was his favorite:) We also had snow a few days after Christmas which is pretty rare around these parts. For someone like me who grew up in Canada and New England, I always kind of missed the snow around the holidays, so this was a special treat! The boys had a great time making snowmen with Gramma too.
Goofing around at Christmas dinner. We ended up eating a day late since everyone was feeling under the
weather. It was as equally delicious though!
We spent an afternoon touring underground brewery caves in Cincinnati's Over the Rhine district. The area has undergone a huge transformation over the last few years as old historic buildings have been restored to house new and upcoming local businesses and restaurants. I’m so glad steps are being made to preserve this historic area. It contains the largest concentration per capita of Italianate architecture in the United States, and it would be a shame if the city of Cincinnati let this great part of our history go to waste. If you live nearby or are planning a visit & are interested in reading a little more about this area, check out Over The Rhine Blog.
Our New Year Eve was pretty quiet this year. We went to the Zoo for their festival of lights and fireworks show. We usually go out with the grown-ups, so this was the first year we celebrated New Years Eve with the kids, and it was pretty fun! They did the countdown & fireworks at 9pm, which is a great idea for avoiding melt-downs from over tired pre-schoolers!
Anyways….enough about that. Holidays are great fun and my most favorite time of year, but I am glad they are over and life is returning back to normal. So let’s get down to business and talk about my completed projects from 2012 and what I plan on achieving for 2013!
Taking a look back at my first post in January of 2012, I had quite a wish list of things I wanted to do around the house!! I’m proud to say I began a few of those big projects, but others are still on the backburner and will hopefully get started sometime this year. I admit, I’m not very good at making solid plans and timetables for re-decorating my house. My decorating A.D.D. kicks in and I'm starting something new before I finish up what I’ve already started! But that's just the way I roll…..I do what I’m feeling at the moment. That being said, I now have 3 big Room reveals coming up in the beginning of 2013!
My first big project I started planning way back in February was the Boys/Guest Bathroom reno. Here’s a shot of what it looked like before we started the demo back in the spring….ho hum, boring standard builders white.
We were originally planning on painting the existing vanity, but after we took it out, there was some water damage at the back, so we decided to buy a new one. We also had to do A LOT of unexpected drywall repairs. We actually replaced all the drywall behind the tile in the tub/shower because come to discover, the builder didn't use mold resistant cement board. During the summer, not much happened in this room, mostly because we were busy doing a lot of this.
But I’m happy to say that after a rush to get the bathroom in working order before the holidays, this room is now close to being done!! Here’s a quick sneak peek of the vanity and the tile we chose.
This is what still has to be done to complete this room:
- Find or make a shower curtain
- Install some decorative molding and towel hooks
- Install picture ledge
- Accessorize and add some fun wall art
- Paint linen closet
Back in February I also started planning a makeover of our Guest Bedroom while including a work space and storage for my craft supplies. You can see the before pics read all about why I need a separate space (with door locks) to house my craft supplies other than my open office. If you have little boys at home, you don't even need to read the post to know why:)
I have completed quite a few projects in this room, including my Thibaut Inspired Stenciled Wall,
and my Faux Roman Shade Tutorial.
Back in November, I re-finished a round drop-leaf table for this room using a whitewash technique, and will be sharing that tutorial soon, as well as a great way to add open shelving on a budget.
Still to be completed in this room:
- Add artwork
- Revamp some thrift store lamps I found.
- Spruce up the ceiling fan to make it look a little prettier
- Find a chair for the table (I’m secretly holding out to purchase a ghost chair!)
- Style shelving
- Add toss pillows to existing bedding
One of the projects I dove into last year that wasn’t initially planned was my 3 year old’s room makeover. We figured it was time to ditch the crib and get him a big boy bed. And you cant just buy a new bed without re-decorating his entire room, right?!?
Here’s what it looked like before when it was just a nursery, all outdated, green and gender neutral. (We didn't find out if we were having a boy or girl!)
And if you follow me on facebook, you would have already got a sneak peek of what it looks like after I decided to paint the ceiling red!
What I still need to do to complete Carson’s room:
- Add some fun wall art
- Buy nightstands
- Create reading nook
- Paint his closet, maybe with a chalkboard wall?!
- Sew roman blinds
- Sew giant floor pillows & toss pillows
- Accessorize
- Re-paint kitchen and install backsplash
- Re-paint living room and add new curtains and occasional tables & lamps
- Start decorating Master Bedroom.
