The Wonderful Window Seat

When we talk about all the things we want/plan to do in the house, the window seat was something that got people really excited.  And bay windows are the perfect spot to build one customized to the home.

We have a bay window in the dining room and one in the eat-in kitchen. I was having trouble choosing the best spot for a window seat…until we had a party and everyone gathered around the kitchen, of course.  Decision made: we were definitely going to need more seating in the eat-in area.

This was a project for my dad.  We helped, but he did most of the sawing, building, and measuring.  I was ready with the paint brush when it was all done.  Here's the frame going up below the windows:

Here it is with the storage hole (over which a hinged cover would go) and the beadboard going up on the face of it.  You could just use plywood on the face (which we used on the top), but we wanted a little extra detail on the front. (When it was complete, we added moulding too.)

Here is the lid with storage underneath for Maya's dog food.  Maya, of course, had no problem being one of the first to test out the new seat which conveniently overlooks squirrels in the backyard and food on the kitchen table (her kind of spot).

We painted the seat and the inside of the window inlet all white; I figure this will allow for more colorful pillow options.  As you can see, we are beginning to work on the walls around it too, but there's a lot of prep work because it's painted wallpaper that is peeling up.

Aside from patching up the walls, the next (and most challenging task) is finding an affordable cushion that will work with a custom-sized bench.

It's great to now have a seat that will accommodate at least three extra people in the room…and it looks so pretty.

(Eat-in Day 1)

(Eat-in Now)

Thanksgiving Lamb

We celebrated our first holiday meal in our house--Thanksgiving with Tommie's parents (and cat).

We collaborated on cooking non-traditional lamb (who says we all have to pick on turkeys?) with traditional Thanksgiving sides like stuffing, mashed potatoes, corn, and homemade pumpkin pie.

Even though our dining room is a work-in-progress, our Craigslisted table and chairs serve us well for the holidays.  Next up; Christmas with my side of the family.

Guest Room Finishing Touches

With Tommie's parents headed our way for Thanksgiving, it was time to put some finishing touches on the guest room and bath. (The color looks different in pictures--it's light lavender with a yellow accent wall.)

Some recent updates to the guest room include a yellow, gray, and tan chevron curtain bought for $15 at Target.  We also put a desk in the corner so people can set up a laptop if they need to do work.

I thought this floating shelf would be a cute way to display some reading material for guests, like local magazines.  (We're getting another small floating shelf to put above it to better fill the wall.)

The guest bath also has a couple new features like a chrome hotel-style curved shower rod (I don't know why, but I love how spacious these things make the shower!).

There is also a updated large silver mirror I bought for $20 on Craigslist, and a nice new chrome towel rack with shelves.

Our guests may have one of the best spots in the house so far!

Party On

Last night we hosted a birthday milestone masquerade party at our house.  It was our first gathering in the new place.  Part of the whole reason we bought our house is because we love the layout, which has a great flow to it even with a group of people inside.

Because I'm having some kind of crisis about turning 30, I basically threw myself a kid's party.

I set up a craft station in the dining room where guests could make their own masks.  I pre-made masks from colorful foam sheets using free templates online and got some glitter glue, rhinestones, and feathers at the craft store so people could personalize them.

I also set up a table in the eat-in kitchen for make your own cupcakes.  I baked a combo of vanilla and chocolate cupcakes, had a few different types of frosting, and some candy toppings.  Not only was it easier than frosting them myself, but it also gave people something else to do during the party.  I like to encourage creativity.

We put a small assortment of food on the kitchen island next to the eat-in area.  This is where most people gravitated during the night (always near the food).  But people also broke off into groups to make masks or sit in the living room and talk.  It's a good house for hosting and will hopefully be even better in the future when we get the kitchen and yard/porch in shape.