House updates

While on my winter break, I've been working on organizing and updating our home in my spare time. I also realized it's been a while since I've written any posts on the house so i'll start with what we've done so far . . .

This was the ugly wallpaper that was there when we moved in

This is what our half bath on the lower level looks like right now (sorry for the poor picture quality), I would like to update the vanity next, i'm thinking espresso.

I got this image from a Little Bit of Paint blog, I love the molding, this was were I got some of my inspiration, I just need to find the finishing touches to add to our bathroom.

This was my least favorite guest room when we moved in, the bright blue was too much for both of us to handle and neither of us could wait to see it go

We decided to go with an accent wall with a much lighter blue and the other walls are a khaki color. Again it's still a long way from being finished, but I do think it looks better than it did. Eventually I would like to get new bedding and curtains. It also drives me nuts that the previous owner painted the trim on the floor white and just left the trim around the windows and doors. (another project for later).

This is similar to the look that I would like to go for with our guest bedroom. I got this image here.

I'll update you on the rest of our projects next time :). Have a great Friday!

-xo Ashley

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Happy Holidays!

I hope that everyone had a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! I'm looking forward to a new year and a new healthy beginning for my little family and I (the hubby and our dog, don't get too excited yet fam ;)). The hubs and I got a juicer for ourselves and we're looking forward to all the benefits from all the different recipes we'll be trying and sharing with you as well! I am also determined to be a healthier and fitter me in 2014, and I WILL be sharing my success with you throughout the year, so don't wish me luck, just keep encouraging me! :)
I also plan on posting more of my DIY projects that i've been working on, starting with the gifts I made for my mom and my mother-in-law for Christmas: Yarn & Twine wrapped wine bottles!

Supplies Needed:
4 empty wine bottles
Yarn
2 rolls of 120ft twine
mod podge
accessories to write the letters
hot glue gun
scissors

First I started prepping the bottles by soaking them in warm water in our sink to get the labels off and any leftover residue on the inside of the bottles. Then once the bottles are clean and dry, get your twine or yarn ready to start wrapping. Apply mod podge around the top of the bottle where you'll start wrapping, make sure to leave some of the yarn to wrap over to secure it and pull it tight.

When you get to the curve of the bottle, it gets a little tricky so you'll need to apply more mod podge and make sure to pull the yarn tight, but not too tight otherwise it'll start to bunch (like it did at the top of my first bottle). Then when you get to about 1/4 of an inch from the bottom of the bottle, add more mod podge around the bottom, then secure the end with it. Each bottle takes approximately 20-30 minutes to wrap, I wrapped all 8 bottles while watching movies, it also helped being snowed in too :).

Once the mod podge dries, you can add your accessories to them. I got all of my materials from Michaels, as well as the little accessories to spell out the words. Both mom's loved their gifts! My hubby liked them soo much too that I'll have to make a set for us! :)

I hope everyone enjoyed my post and had a safe and Happy New Year!

Continue reading Happy Holidays!