Bag Lady

If you're like me then you're all about saving shopping bags--they're good for so many things--packing lunches, toys, lining small wastebaskets--the possibilities are endless. Not long ago my grandmother purchased a plastic bag holder similar to this one:

Cute right? Hers is a kitty in a dress :-)



And it got me to thinking, maybe stuffing all of my bags under the sink wasn't the best option.

"One Day All them Bags Gon' Get In Your Way...I Said One Day All Them Bags Gon' Get In Your Way... "

 

So I headed over to Pinterest to see what I could see, and low and behold I came across this:

Kinda cool huh? At least I thought so...

All that was needed to create this look was a coffee can and some paint. Even though I don't drink coffee I knew that getting my hands on a can would be pretty easy--we throw away a ton of them at my job.

Rescuring Coffee cans from Landfills since 2015



The first thing I did was peel off the label and thoroughly wash the can (inside and out). Keep in mind, the spot where the label was glued will be a tab bit tattered, be mindful of that when determining what will be the front of your dispenser.

Ready to be transformed. Ha! I didn't even wait for this to dry before I snapped a pic.

 

My first attempt  was a complete failure. I used real paint, and when I tried to wash it for a second time it peeled like Elmer's glue on the hand of a child (I'm not the only person that did that, right? Right?). No worries. I always have my trusty spray paint nearby!

I had the great idea of altering between gold and silver, so I sectioned it off.

Once I removed the tape I realized that it didn't look anything like I wanted it to (not even worth the time to snap the pic), so I decided to paint the whole thing gold.

And Wahla! Here is the finished product :-)

 

I didn't cut the slit in the top to actually make it a "dispenser", I kinda liked it as is. There is still a lot of time to decide if I want to slice the lid or not; I'm not tripping about it. If you're super crafty & coordinated you can paint the words on yourself, or if you want it to look 'just so' and would rather not bother with trying to have a sturdy hand, you can cheat like me and buy adhesives. I recommend the adhesives--I'll be using them for many more projects in the future.

 

In the end, it's no kitty in a dress...but it was nearly zero dollars and now the cabinet beneath my sink will be a lot less messy. I think that's a WIN!











Detroit Castles, Say What?!

This past weekend I was in the mood for a little adventure, so when I happened to come across what they call "Detroit Castles" on Pinterest I was ready to go. One of my absolute favorite pastimes is touring historical districts. How was it that I had never happened upon these castles? Being a frequent visitor of the "D", and a vehement historic lover, a part of me was embarrassed that I had no clue that these homes existed. I decided to rectify that situation ASAP! And there was one house in particular that caught my eye: James Scott Mansion, better known as Peterboro Castle. I mean, look at it!!!

 

 THAT is indeed a castle, at least in my opinion.

Shout out to the photographer...it took skills to capture this bad boy!

Here's Bodiam Castle in Sussex England for a little comparison. Detroit's Castle is just as grad. Don't think so? Put a moat around it.

 

Saturday was a dreary day in my neck of the woods and quite frankly, time seemed to escape us. After doing a few impromptu projects around the house (painting, electrical work, etc.) and waiting for our little guy to wake up from his super duper long nap, my husband thought that it would be best if we put off our castle search until another day. I wasn't having it. I had already gone my whole life being deprived, I didn't want to wait another day. Besides, what better than an ominous, dark evening to go to an old castle? I batted my lashes a few times and by eight o'clock we were on the road.  *Happy wife happy life, right fellas?*

 

I was in awe when we pulled up to the mansion. Perhaps it wouldn't have done anything for you, but *insert old southern accent* baybee, it floated my boat! Historic? House? Ruins? Yes, I was on ten and a half :-) 

Talk about a challenge...couldn't even fit all of this house into my camera lens...

Naturally I had to take a few pics with me and my little guy :-)

Perhaps my excitement rubbed off on him just a bit! Hey cutie!

My camera just couldn't capture all of it :-( Still, how dope is this?!

 

The only thing that would have enhanced the experience for me would have been getting the chance to explore the inside. Since I had my baby love with me that was out of the question, but I've never been above a good ol' trespass. Don't believe me?

 





 Yea, moving right along...

 

 

That same day we also went to Brush Park and checked out these pretty cool homesteads, unfortunately, they are currently returning to the wild:

Nope, definitely not cookie-cutter...

I'd take it!

Rumor has it, that the area is getting a major makeover--let's hope so!

 

 

After having such a nice time we wasn't quite ready to end our day, so, we headed downtown and decided to let our little guy take in the night air and the city lights. He had a absolute ball :-)

 

 Canada just across the water

 

Night Rider...hanging like wet clothes.

Proud display of U.S.A flags

I was taking shots like a tourist ;-)

 

 

 The Spirit of Detroit!

 

Of course we chilled by the fountain and listened to jazz...

 

City Streets, looka there!

The "beach" between the buildings...cool right? 

 Headed home...the night was good to us...

 

 

So there you have it, our night in a nutshell. We do self-guided historic tours quite often and I NEVER grow tired of them. I hope to go back to Detroit soon (much earlier in the day, obviously) to hunt down more "castles". Just thinking about it fills me with childlike excitement, then again, I'm a bit odd :-P. Anywho, what did you think about the Peterboro Castle? Would you give it a visit?



 

The Great Door Fiasco

So we got a new door. The process should have been all butterflies and gumdrops, but remember what I said about my world? Yea. :-/ The first issue was that my husband and I couldn't agree on a style. I wanted a plain black door. Something simple. He wanted something with windows up top. Now don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with more detailed doors, in fact many people prefer them. However, I wanted a simple backdrop to display my wreaths. In my opinion, wreaths MAKE a door.

 

You can't convince me that this wreath doesn't take this door to another level

 

 

 

So because I wanted a plain door and because it was the cheaper option the hubby agreed. Win for me! However, when we got up to the counter we found out that it would be an extra $200 to get the door in black. Insane! And to top it off, since we wanted black (and we weren't budging on that) it would take another month for them to get the door in. No thank you! The point was to get the door that day, and I would be a fool to pay an extra 200 bucks when I was standing in Lowes with all types of black paint. So we moseyed on over to the paint counter after inquiring about which paint would be best for the job.

 

 

Sherwin-Williams Exterior Satin is what was recommended. We didn't need a whole gallon so we paid our $18.99 and got a move on...much better than $200 wouldn't you say? We purchased that white door LIKE A BOSS!

But the next morning my husband woke up with a change of heart. He still wanted the door with the windows and said that even if it cost more money we should get what we really wanted. I DID have what I really wanted, but if the Peeping Tom friendly feature meant so much to him then he could have at it. So we once again made our way up to Lowes. Whomp, whomp, whomp.


Finally we found the door he wanted, but there was only one left in stock. The man took it down and I instantly noticed the slightest, teeny tiny ding in it. Not wanting to exchange the door in the first place I quickly pointed it out. Yea, I was being a bit petty, but it paid off. To my surprise the associate knocked the price down so that the door was even cheaper than the original one we had without the windows. I was definitely on board with that!! Like magic, I turned into a happy camper. :-D

Now all we had to do was paint the door, easy right? Wrong! We probably considered divorce five times just painting the darn thing! Tensions always run high when my husband and I take on a project. We're both very passionate people and believe that things should be done 'just so'. Unfortunately for us, our 'just so's' never seem to align. Really it shouldn't be that hard to slap some paint on a door...but it was, Lord knows it was.  If patience really isn't your thing or you and your work partner's relationship is like mine and the hubby's, just pay the money. By the time it was all said and done, we would have gladly paid  $200 OR MORE just to be done with it. The next day I got smart and went it alone. It was a much smoother process, if I say so myself :)

 

Letting our little guy get in on the action :-) BTW when painting your door do NOT use a sponge-that was just for him ;-)

So now that the door was painted all we had to do was have the man come put it on--unscrew a few screws, screw in a few screws--done--go on about the day. Cute idea. Coming behind someone who couldn't have cared less about the house attributed to all kinds of problems. Some mastermind had the bright idea to install the door UNDER the siding...so the siding on the side had to be removed *groans*.

A hot mess!!

 



Surprise, surprise...the frame was poorly pieced together with basically just scrap wood.  Now, I'm all about saving a buck, but come on people--do things right. Who would purposely do this to their home?! The gentleman doing the job was a professional, and there was no way he was going to leave it like that. So it turned into another trip to the home improvement store (this time Home Depot) for wood and a whole 101 in woodcutting. What I thought would have been maybe a two hour job tops turned into a whole day ordeal.

 

The Work Station

From 12:00 pm until 8:00 pm our house was filled with the sound of sawing, nailing, and banging--the joys of cleaning up someone else's mess! The guy doing our door was an absolute sweetheart though, didn't even charge extra. Of course we still paid him more--anything less would have been unethical, but it's good to know there are still good people in the world. Unfortunately, we ended up missing our good friends wedding anniversary celebration in the process, but since we were stationary it gave me a chance to work on my flower pots. Gotta find the rainbow in every cloud :-)

 

Container gardening anyone?

Now that the door is on it makes the house look a whole lot better--I mean a whole lot. And once I get my wreath I am sure it will work wonders.  Already our neighbors are stopping us when we're out in the yard and telling us how nice everything looks. Our adopted auntie across the street loves updating us on how slow the cars go pass our house trying to get a good look.

 

Drive slow homie-- in my Paul Wall voice! :-) 

But without a doubt we still have a lonnnng way to go. Ha! After all that I almost forgot to add an 'after' pic of the door. One moment please...

Yup, had to run outside real quick...SMH. It's a bit dark, but you get the point.

All I can say is that we're trying. We're definitely a lot further along than when we started! And I suppose that's all we can ask for!







If Money Were No Object

My computer is still down *sigh*. I am too lazy busy to load all of my pictures to the hubby's computer, so no post about my actual house just yet, but it's coming! Nevertheless, I've been thinking--and thinking usually turns into writing for me, so here goes:

I've always wanted a house of my own--well not just a house, but a home. I can remember being in elementary and scouring the real-estate section of the newspaper selecting what I thought I would like to be my home. Back then I wanted nothing more than a Bloomfield Hills manor--that was the life :-) I did the same with the furniture glossies. I'd pick out luxurious bedroom sets, classy living rooms, and so on and so forth. I was no  stranger to home improvement stores either, I'd go through the catalogs choosing the type of faucets and sinks I wanted, I planned everything right down to the tile. Fast-forward a couple of decades later and I cannot put into words the frustration I feel by not being able to get what I want. As a child it was easy to go through a magazine and draw a star or write 'THIS' in all caps to indicate my desires. As an adult, however, there is no gratification in this process unless it's followed up with a purchase. The unfortunate truth is I don't have it like that...at all. Some days all it takes is a mere flip of a home décor/improvement catalog to incite depression. Well, maybe not depression, but you know what I mean! Bottom line is, it sucks not to be able to get what you want in the timeframe that you want it. What's more is that I can't even afford my own taste*double sigh*. If there are two near identical furnishings it is inevitable that I will like the higher priced item more. It is also inevitable that whatever it is will be out of my price range, either by the manufacturers choice or mine. Let's face it, there are just some things I am not dropping a whole pay period (or more) worth of money on, I don't care if I have it to spend or not.

So today, only for a moment (before I get myself too down) I would like to transform into that little girl I was so long ago and look at things I would like if money were no object.

Lets start with the house. There are so many choices, I hate to be pinned down to just one  (I talk like I'm really getting this, lol). For the purpose of this post I will just 'pick one'.

 I love this house because there is nothing NOT to love about it. I could pull up to this everyday of my life…

The Living room:

Well, it’s not like I have pictures just laying around of my dream house. I am trying! What I like about this room is the neutral colors and the variations of textures and patterns. Yeah, I  absolutely love old homes—but don’t come at me with old furniture looking like George Washington is about to walk through the room at any moment, no thanks! 
  I’ll pass.
   

The Dinning Room:

 Baby, fire up the fireplace! I can imagine my family here.

The Bedroom:

Not too in love with the décor, but basically my room just needs to open up to something magnificent!

The Kitchen:

Suddenly I want to learn how to cook…like a pro...

The Bathroom:

Mannnnnnn! Talk about R&R.

My Secret Location:

Romantic Shabby Chic. No fellas allowed, momma’s got writing to do!

So there you have it, my life if money truly was no object. Hopefully one day it won't be, but until then I can dream right??? ;-) What about you, what would you have if you had the big bucks?



5 Tips For Purchasing A Home

So you’re thinking about buying a house? Awesome! Allow me to share some tips with you –some of which I learned the hard way.

1.      SAVE. Before buying our house my husband and I had just came off of what was literally the worst financial year of our lives. Although we knew that we could afford a mortgage (it would be significantly lower than our monthly rent at our townhome) we just didn’t take into account all of the other expenses. Our closing cost ended up being over $2000 more than what we were originally quoted and after we got finished with all of the surprise repairs we were left with a whopping $0.00 for the fun stuff—that’s right, no new furniture for me.

2.      DON’T ALLOW THE BANK TO TELL YOU WHAT YOU CAN AFFORD. This is the one thing that my husband and I got right. Although we were preapproved for a much higher amount we decided on a price range we were both comfortable with on our own. Remember, the bank is just going strictly off of numbers—gross numbers at that. They won’t take your lifestyle into consideration, so you have to be mindful of that yourself. If you like to travel or are engaged in other hobbies, too much of a house note can put a halt to your pastimes. While we wanted a house that we liked, we didn’t want to spend every waking moment in it because we didn't have any money left over for other things.

 

 

Need I say more?

 

3.      HAGGLE (like it's a swap meet). We paid exactly the asking price for our house. While that’s not necessarily a bad thing (we still got a deal), in retrospect I wish that we would have gone about things differently. I’d made the mistake of getting emotionally attached to the house, and after coming out of a bidding war where we were on the losing side, I was a tad bit vulnerable too. Had the circumstances been different I am sure we could have gotten at least five or six grand knocked off. Hello new furniture!

4.      MAKE A MUST HAVE LIST AND STICK TO IT. There are very few things I find more annoying than the people on House Hunters with a long list of demands and a short amount money. I didn’t want to be that person. I wasn’t that person; in fact I was the total opposite. I required only the bare necessities. Looking back I see where I went wrong and I am convinced there has to be a happy medium. Considering my lack of requirements I did pretty good; my main grip is the fact that I don't have a master bedroom with en suite. There's time for that later, right?

 

 

 

NOW this is the life! However, my tolerance for dirt/germs would never allow me to let my bedding hang to the floor...it looks nice though..

 

5.      TAKE TIME OFF FROM YOUR HOUSE HUNT. Buying a house can be fun, but it can also be pretty stressful. If you begin to feel overwhelmed it’s ok to take a step back. Chances are you won’t miss out on the home of your dreams during your break and your sanity is so much more important.

So there you have it, my 5 tips for purchasing a home. Do you have information that you think is beneficial to those looking to buy? If so, drop a few lines in the comments. Hope this helped!

1930's Dreamin'

You go to my head
With a smile that makes my temperature rise
Like a summer with a thousand Julys
You intoxicate my soul with your eyes

There aren’t many things more sophisticatedly sexy than Louis Armstrong singing ‘You Go to my Head’, the tune is absolutely swoon worthy—add to that some dim lights and a little wine and you have yourself the start of a very lovely evening. You're probably wondering what this has to do with historic homes. Well, this scene is exactly what I wanted, the very reason I bought my home. I purchased a historic house to capture a feeling. Revive an era, if you will. For as far back as I can remember, I’ve always had a thing for days gone by, oddly enough, I felt I belonged there and I was fortunate enough to find a man that shared my same sentiments. Here we are one of our many times pretending to be old school:

 

 

Nothing like that Old Hollywood glamour…

 

That face you make when you KNOW you’re clean…

 

 

Yes, even our little guy gets in on the vintage action!

 



 

The fashion, the music, the class—the vintage attracts as well as inspire me. So as soon as our realtor pulled back the door to our house I knew that it was the one for ME us. After being underwhelmed by most of its predecessors, our  house was like a breath of fresh air. It was built in 1930, and true to design back then, it had its fair share of uniqueness. Back in the day people truly put a lot into architecture (the attention to detail in older homes is unsurpassed in my opinion). 

For me, there are very few things as boring as a subdivision with row after row of the exact same house, the only difference being the address. Although those communities are often kept in tip-top shape and nice in their own right, we just didn’t want a cookie cutter property. And we didn’t get one either. 

;-) 

Even though our house was in horrific shape when we first laid eyes on it, my mind instantly begin converting it into what I knew it could be. I imagined John Coltrane on surround sound and the hubby and I having Gatsby-like gatherings. Of course our home would have to be a whole lot grander/larger to reach Gatsby status—but it was old. And it was beautiful. A livable time-capsule. It cultivated my vintage dreams, allowing me to play make believe in a time long gone away. We put the offer in before we left the showing... and the rest, my dear, is history.

 

 

It’s Pretty, isn’t it Old Sport?

 

Perhaps my reasons for purchasing may seem impractical; what adult buys a home to essentially role play? One that is happy (most times) with their purchase, that's who! Not only does my home provide a roof over my head, but it gives me a feeling that no other place could. Lucky me.

Listen to Louis Armstrong's You Go To My Head here :-)

How was that? Now keep it sexy and Listen to Coltrane's In a Sentimental Mood Here :-)

I "Shutter" At The Thought...A DIY Project Gone Wrong

We could hardly wait for the weather to break; the harsh Michigan winter left us chomping at the bit. After the first frost came my husband and I decided to call a truce with our house:no more projects until the spring. For us, March 20^th couldn’t come fast enough, and so it begun…

The first order of business was to take off our God-awful shutters, I mean seriously, it looked like someone had been gnawing on them. How does that happen?! The plan was to throw away the broken ones and salvage the others by painting them black. I made sure to do my research…it was supposed to be soooo easy.

Simple as 1, 2, 3 right? No Pinterest, you’re a liar!

 

 

Had our plan gone as intended it would have saved us lots of money. But plans rarely go as intended…at least in my world.

The shutters were so dry-rotted that they began breaking off in the hubby’s hand. Every time one crumbled so did my dreams of our mini-makeover. This was supposed to add curb appeal! Instead it left me wishing that I had a tarp large enough to cover my entire house. Now that the shutters were gone the built up dirt from over the years made our house look even worse. WTH! I didn't even realize that was possible. It definitely wasn’t pretty.

 

 

 

At least he looked good doing it, aye?
By the way, that siding is as clean as a whistle now!

 

And here's a look at the carnage…and those were the “good” ones…

 

Because none of this was in our budget, we decided that it would be easier to get the house power-washed rather than to replace the shutters right away (which would have included installation costs as well). So the next week we paid someone to give our house a bath. 

Although the place looked 30 times cleaner afterwards, the spots where the shutters were originally still looked a bit off in color. We were told the sun would tan it in time—but hopefully we’ll have the shutters replaced before then (that is, if the hubby can ever stop vacillating about whether  he wants them back or not).

I said all of this to say, that although I love DIY projects, sometimes things can go wrong. Expect the unexpected, and make sure you have a backup plan.

Once everything was said and done our house looked a lot better, then again, it would have been nearly impossible for it not to. Looking on the bright side, at least the experience (as frustrating as it might have been) gave me something to write about and I am satisfied with our results ;-)