Fun Find Friday #2

The kids have had runny noses for 2 weeks now. Ugh! I guess it is allergy season. I should take it as a sign of hope that Spring really is coming. When Olen's nose is stuffy and runny, he doesn't sleep. The only way I can get him to rest (not sleep) is if I lay with him propped up on my arm. While we were laying around, I surfed through craigslist with my free arm.  (I learned the art of multitasking like a pro when I became a mom.) As I went through my list of daily searches, I found this beautiful rectangular vessel sink still in the box with the drain included, listed for $100! I immediately did an internet search to compare it to others like it. I quickly found that this was a steal. The exact looking sinks, not including the drain, were listed from $275-$1200! I contacted the seller and sent Joe on his way home from work to pick it up.

The lines are a little modern for my usual taste, but I love the look of mixing modern with traditional. I think this will look beautiful on a rich piece of furniture, or a table cut in half and mounted to the wall or just a cool slab of wood. Topped of with a wall mounted faucet above. My hope is to use this sink in the powder bath.

Here are some of the pictures from my Houzz ideabooks.

I love the marble herringbone back splash in this bathroom.

Traditional Bathroom by Chicago Interior Designer Michael Abrams Limited


I am not a big fan of the wall paper in this bath, but I do love the simple slab of wood they used.

Modern Powder Room by Minneapolis Design-build w.b. builders


The light traditional tile makes the dark piece of furniture acting as a vanity, pop!

Traditional Bathroom by Thousand Oaks General Contractor JRP Design & Remodel


Thanks for stopping by,

Carrie


Have a great Easter weekend!

"The Son of man came not to be served but to serve and give His life as a ransom for many." Matthew: 20:28
 

Home Owners Again!

We are home owners again! I guess for the next several days, that is. Then we will just become land owners. The house was in pretty rough shape, but we were able to salvage a lot. We typically list salvageable items on Craigslist, but we are in a time crunch to get the place cleaned out. So, Joe called Earth Wise Architectural Salvage to come take a look. They were able to take the entire kitchen and appliances, some doors,  entire deck, and a few other random pieces. In return for the donation we receive a merchandise credit to their stores. Now, that may not sound too cool to most, but I am really excited. They have a tone of vintage light fixtures, door hardware and other goodies.

 

 

The exterior of the house wasn't that bad. In fact, the deck was a composite type deck in great condition. I'm so glad Earth Wise was able to come and take it apart for resale.

 

Now the interior was another story.

 

 

The family room wall was used as some sort of message board, if you will. There were some very interesting messages and "anatomically correct" drawings written on the walls and doors. Good thing the kids can't read or interpret "art" yet.  Hmmm?

 

Here is a little throw back to the early 90's, I believe. I too had that ivy wallpaper boarder with the matching sheets and comforter!

The former owners must have been huge University of Washington Huskie fans because most of the base boards and trim were painted bright purple and gold. (you can see a glimpse on the right of this photo) This is something that Joe will probably take a sledge hammer to first, seeing that he is a Washington State Cougar to the core. Go Cougs! (that's for him:)

I love Dutch doors! Much to my surprise, this old guy was there! We are not sure if he is salvageable just yet. It looks like an exterior door, but when you go inside, it isn't there. It would be where the yellow graffiti wall is in the picture above. Let's hope when we pull away the sheet rock, I can give him some TLC and reuse him!

Now we are waiting on the asbestos check. I am pretty sure this home is full of it, so it will have to be properly removed before we can begin the demo.

Let the fun begin!!

Carrie

 

 



Fun Find Friday!: Thriftin' w/ Brittin

I have been busy thrifting away these past couple of weeks. Joe does not find the joy I do out of other people's old junk. For me I see a treasure chest of little things that call out and say "take me home and make me new again." Joe sees, junk. At first glance of whatever little gem I bring home, he usually looks at me like I just escaped off a crazy train. But once I explain what I am going to do with it, his look changes to a more "umm, okay, whatever. I trust you" look. It goes both ways. He sees potential in homes and properties. I don't. I see stinky, scary places surrounded my creepy trees and wet mud. I trust him and his visions and I would hope he feels the same. So, I am happy to have a friend here that shares in my love of thrifting, Brittin. Brittin, also happens to be a transplant from the same town in Florida where I grew up. We have a lot in common. Only difference is she doesn't mind the rain and I do.

Now to all the Fun Finds....Since Brittin has been my partner in crime for each of these finds, I will call this segment of Fun Find Friday: Thriftin' with Brittin:

Our first find was scored at the Habitat for Humanity store in Bellevue, WA. This place ROCKS if you are looking for building supplies to repurpose. They have tons of cabinets, light fixtures, and this location has furniture.

 

Now, when I brought these home Joe's first reaction was, "You know we need to sell the house, right?" then I told him I have big plans for these in our laundry room. I found this picture on Pinterest to help show the idea.

Like Pinterest, surfing Craigslist for specific pieces is also part of my night time winding down routine. (Another must have App; Craigslist Pro) One day last week I stumbled upon this beauty. It was once used to make brown sugar. Now it sits on our dining table with the kids decorated Easter eggs. I love the shabby chippy paint and the crazy lady that sold it to me.

Next,we took a trip to Pacific Galleries Antique Mall in Seattle. I found a lot of little goodies. Right when we walked in I spotted this little guy. I collect turquoise pottery, so he fit right in at home.

 

 

I also found some great little things for the kids rooms as well. In Olen's room I am going for a vintage and rustic car theme. I found this adorable little red tool box to put on his dresser. As he gets older, he can keep his little treasures in it. It even says My Buddy on it! We call him Buddy, so I HAD to have it.

I let these turquoise night stands go and then couldn't get them out of my mind. So, I took the trip back a few days later to bring them home to Lila.

 In "the next house" she wants her room to be pink and turquoise. I found the picture below on Pinterest as inspiration.



I don't typically find so much in such a short amount of time. I guess because I am in building and designing mode, my eyes are open wider to finding things. I am sure I will have more to share with you next time of Fun Find Friday!!!

Thanks for stopping by,
Carrie

 

 

Plan, Pin and Paste

The countdown has begun to when we close on our property and begin demolition then construction. Over the last few months, we have been fine tuning our home plans. Joe has been busy bidding out the jobs to the subcontractors, while I have been building our inspiration boards. I am not a professional designer nor do I claim to be, so I look at other’s work as inspiration for my own designs. One tricky part to being married to a builder, you always have to be looking at the resale aspect. Not everyone is going to love my style. (I don't even know what you would call my style. Cozy Craigslist Chic?)  Yes, the home will be ours for us to live. It will also need to appeal to someone else in two (or so) years. Therefore, we spend months looking at homes in the area at the price point we would like to eventually sell.  We look at what “wow” items (as Joe calls them) they have. What finishes they have in common (ie, millwork, railings, carpet) and try to stay close to that. All while putting our own extra touches that  will set our home apart. We are continually bouncing our choices off our amazing real estate team at Northwest Group (NWG) who know what our future potential buyer wants. For example, below you will see the back of our house drawn with siding. After discussing it with our agents, we are now doing it in all shingles. These are little details I would have never looked at as a deal breaker. But, that is why we have them.

Below are our final exterior plans, as well as, places we look to for inspiration to bring our whole vision together. 
 

 

 (We have been working with Northwest Architects.)

 

The plans are done, the permits have been submitted, and the financing is underway. Now it's my turn to explore the web, magazines and neighborhoods to start putting the design together.

Houzz: www.houzz.com
This site is life changing. If you have an iPad or iPhone, you need this app! You are able to search specific rooms, styles, products, even your metro area. It has anything related to designing or decorating a home. With this site/app you can create "ideabooks" for each project area. I am so thankful for that one late night when I was up with my dear son, who doesn't sleep, and discovered Houzz. Since, Joe has had each of his clients create an account on Houzz to help he and his team see the home owner's vision. It can be hard to explain to someone what you like. With this, you can show it to them.

NO, I DON'T GET PAID BY HOUZZ FOR THIS. I JUST LOVE IT THAT MUCH!!!

Here are two beautiful homes from Houzz I shared with the architect to show her what we were envisioning. She did pretty darn good, don't you think? 

Traditional Exterior design by Minneapolis General Contractor Stonewood, LLC
 

Traditional Exterior design by New York Architect James Schettino Architects

Pinterest: www.pinterest.com 
For those who don't know about Pinterest, it is similar to Houzz in that it has the ability to create idea boards. Pinterest is more than just ideas related to the home. It is a virtual pin board. A nice way to collect all your interest from the internet and keep them in one place. I would say Pinterest is life changing as well. It is my "glass of wine" in the evening as I wind down from the day. It is a little overwhelming at first. After I got over the fact that I didn't HAVE to complete every idea I pinned and that I wasn't a crappy mother because I don't make my own laundry soap, I love it!!!
 
Here are some images I pinned on my Pinterest boards before we began the architect design.


by Great Rooms Designers & Builders


from the Douglas Lumber webpage.

As much as Houzz and Pinterest have changed my life. There is still nothing like ripping pages of inspiration from an old fashion magazine. Coastal Living is one of my favorites. I love all the cool colors and natural elements displayed in the homes featured in that magazine. I grew up surrounded by water, so it is nice knowing I am not landlocked here in Seattle. Though it is the freezing Puget Sound, but I will take it.

Lila loves to do crafts while Olen is napping. So while she may be crafting up a colorful rainbow or a beaded necklace, I am crafting up inspiration boards with scissors and glue. Here is a sample from a couple of the bathroom designs I did for a spec home Joe's company recently built. (Spec home short for Speculation Home; a home designed and completed by a builder in anticipation of finding a buyer.) 

 

And here are pictures of my cut-and-paste project brought to life in the completed master bathroom.

 (I will tell you later how I got that amazing Calcutta Marble look for less)

Armed with my Houzz ideabooks, Pinterest boards and cut-and-paste projects, I feel less overwhelmed when making choices for the designs. I am a visual person. Typically when Joe has an idea about something, I make him draw it for me. That is just how my brain works. I am getting better at reading home plans (I guess they don't call them blueprints anymore) and understanding his builder jargon. They didn't teach me this stuff in the College of Education at UNF. This is all on the job training as a builder's wife.

I would love to hear where you find your decorating or designing inspirations. Feel free to post a comment and share your awesome finds.

Hope this helps you find inspirations for your next project.

Carrie

**Disclaimer** I am not very techy, so I am learning as I go on how to properly add links and images to share. Thanks in advance for your patience with me.

Welcome to Nesting in the Rain

I am Carrie and this is a glimpse into the life of builder’s wife.

I was born and raised in the sunny state of Florida. Joe and I met on vacation in Key West.  We fell in love and a year later I traded my flip-flops for fleece, packed my car with everything I owned, my dog Daisy and headed 3,500 miles northwest! I was a special education teacher at the time and he a builder, so it was a no brainer where we needed to be to build our future nest.  It was the hardest thing I have ever done in my life. Leaving my family, friends and a job I loved. I took the leap of faith and it was worth it!!!

So fast forward eight years and here I am, making a nest for my little family of four in rainy Seattle.  I am the mother of a very creative and dramatic, Lila (5) and an active and accident prone Olen (2). Joe is the co-owner of a local custom home building company.  Joe has a passion for building and I have a passion for designing and decorating on a dime. I like to call our combination economical elegance. Since we have been married, we have done a complete gut/remodel of a 1960’s home and lived in it for 4 ½ years AND built a new construction home and lived in it for two.  Now we are about to begin our "next house.” Being married to a builder, I have quickly learned not to get too attached to the merchandise and that there will always be a "next house."
As well as being a builder's wife, I am also a stay-at-home mom who loves to refurbish furniture, write children's stories and do some serious bargain shopping. I am excited to share some of my fun finds, projects and experiences on building our "next house" with you.

Thanks for stopping by,

Carrie


 

A special thanks to Shelly from Dolen Diaries for encouragement and inspiration to begin this blog.