home improvements

Have you ever seen the movie Overboard with Kurt Russell and Goldie Hawn? There's a scene in the movie that has become the stuff of legend in my family. He says, "Honey, this never used to bother you." And she growls, "Well, it bothers me now."

This is what happens to me whenever I come home from a long trip. I'm always so happy to be home, surrounded by special objects full of memories, our pictures and candles, and the cozy comfort of home. But I also tend to suddenly notice things that bother me--I mean really bother me--things I didn't even think about before I left. And this is when the purging, organizing, cleaning, sewing, driving-my-family-crazy mood sets in.

Our crazy DIY bias means that I head for the sewing machine and Daniel heads for the power tools.

Here's a glimpse of what we've been up to:

#1: Sew new living room pillowcases. I decided to go whole hog with the yellow and gray, all based around these sweet antique yellow figurines my Mom gave us back in grad school (see them on the mantle?) and the black-and-white wallpaper we inherited with the house.

#2: Change out kitchen decor. Trying to fight the grayish-green counters (which I don't like) with my collection of cobalt blue glass from my Grandma just wasn't working. So I took out all the blue glass and swapped in anything lime green, white, or silver I could find in the house. Then I made some new napkins/tea towels. A friend gave me the vintage phone from a reject pile in her garage. Score!     

 #3: Strip, stain and refinish our hideous Craigslist table covered with sixteen layers of peeling, crusty poly and black stain and who knows what else. 

#4: Build a gorgeous new bench to match the "new" table. (Isn't Daniel dreamy? I mean, what kind of man just throws together a beautiful bench in a day?)

 

Ah, so happy. Less than $100 later (plus a few nights of not sleeping but instead plotting and scheming), and we've got a few small changes that make our home feel fresh and clean. 

 

 Now to attack the guest room, office, boys' room and our bedroom....