you're killing me, basement

Friends and countrymen, the basement reno is almost done.  I know i've been telling you this for years, literally yeeeears, don't think i don't know that.  But.  We have made progress on those incidentals that have a way of bringing the whole thing to a hault.  Or in our case, prolong something from progressing.  I guess that's actually what bring it to a hault means, but that implies there was actual work being done.  We sort of go in spurts where we focus on the basement, and then refinish a tv cabinet, and then go on vacation, and then build a patio. And then we're like, so what are we doing about that thing in the basement?

So.  There were two situations with the basement looming over our heads.  What do we do with the pole, and what do we do with all the electronic equipment for all the theatre stuff.

Starting with the pole, we wanted to make it have a purpose.  It has to be there, it may as well DO something.  So we're making it a table, for that little retro chair and for people who may be congregating in the bar area.

And since my darling knows i'm a visual person, he printed out templates from work so we can get a general idea of what the table would like like.  We like the look of the bottom boxed out, but for the top we may just paint it. 

Just enough space to rest a beer on, i don't want the table to take center stage.  Here i think it looks too big, but the picture below doesn't leave much room for your beverage.  However, if we don't drywall the top of the pole, it will mean the table will be plenty big.

The height is a little higher that the chair so that people standing can still use it.

This feels unobtrusive, right?

The many sizes he brought home, each adding an inch to the table top.  S keeps calling it a guitar pick shape, but to me it's a ouja board piece. 

Some a little less unobtrusive. Lordy. I think he was just trying to annoy me.

Some apparently, quite comfortable. 

And then finally we have the component bench!  This looks simple (at least to me) but it took him ages to draw up and was full of mathematical thought. I am telling you, this, for some reason, was a lot more complicated than it looks right here.   It looks like a pretty simple box....right?  I had hoped we could rig something from Ikea and be done with it.

But my darling is a man's man, and a man's man's theatre room has surround sound and wi fi tv and remote controls i can't even begin to understand. He put a lot of thought into making it perfectly line up with the electrical and computer input things...yeah.  I love how the sub woofer (that big speaker on the left) is partially sunken behind the face so that it looks just like the right hand side.

We realized the receiver gets too hot when it's in use, so he installed a fan on the right  The man just thinks of everything.  We'll install a flip down door that covers the whole front except that very bottom, and he (of course) has a fancy pants remote that works through the door. We'll also add pillows and cushions up top for seating.

Listen, just as long as i don't have to see this mess, i'm golden.

I need some input with the wall behind the bench, if you would indulge me.  So when the theatre screen is down, it won't be a problem.  When it is up in the ceiling (like in the photos) and we're using it as a bench, it's a big empty wall with an off center and high, typical basement window.  How do i decorate this?  Any sort of artwork would have to go really high so that people sitting on the bench aren't uncomfortable.  Should i just do something to balance out the window?  Do nothing at all?  Maybe just look into pillows for now?  Help!

 

 

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Black and white backyard makeover

Well, i have to give the boyfriend some credit.  He was totally right about the patio, and i was wrong in my need for immediate gratification.  I didn't want to put the extra time and money into leveling the yard around it by adding dirt to perfectly fine and green grass, and then putting sod over said dirt.  I was fine with the step down into the grass because it meant it was done.  And you know how projects go.  Done is good, in fact, done is better than good.  But done done wrong is never good.  You follow?

Since all the main furniture is neutral-the table and chairs, the swing, the gazebo-it allowed for a bold pop of pattern with the rug and the pillows. 



And you can see how there's no step down from the patio into the grass, it just floooowwws.

I have wanted to put out these thrifted plant stands for years, and they look great now that there's a patio for them to stand on.  Imagine that garage stuccoed.

Love how the bold black and white stripe works with the bold square planters on the garage wall herb garden.

These pillows are double sided, and were a steal at 2.99 from Ikea.  Got 'em in case the ones on the swing get ruined, but since none of them are technically outdoor pillows, they'll only be put out when we're entertaining.

Remember how i felt bad about covering the herringbone pattern?  I think we still get a good sense of it around the outside of the rug.  The patio itself is 12x14, the canopy is 10x12, and the rug is just shy of 8x11.  Shout out to Dawn at Inspired Living for giving me the heads up on this Frontgate rug.  It is exactly what i had in mind for this space.

The Hampton Bay dining set is 7 years old from Home Depot and has held up fabulously.  The viney backs were never my cup of tea, but in the past i let things being on clearance count for way too much.  I'm trying to get away from that mentality.  I actually think the bold rug balances the more traditional table nicely, and think this space does reflect my style now.

The swing is about 5 years old, and it looks much more updated with bold pillows.  Such a relaxing spot. Swinging should not just be done by children. 

Trifecta of backyard gorgeousness.  Listen to your partners sometimes.  Sometimes they might be right.  Sometimes. 

The netting, you can see, is just collected at each pole and fastened until we need it, like if we're eating a meal and we want to be bug free.

Obviously this is before the rug, but we were testing out the lighting.  So cute, right?




These are just strings of globe lights attached with electrical tape to the hard structure.  This, too, has held up for a few years.  Hopefully i'm not jinxing anything with talk like this!


Bold, graphic, colorful, lush.  Finished.  Never thought these words would describe my backyard.
 
Ready for summer and outdoor living, right here. 

sharing is caring:  living savvy outdoor extravaganza, thrifty treasures @ southern hospitality, travel photo mondays @ travel photo discovery, places i've been @ the tablescaper,  travel photo thursdays@ budget travelers sandbox , Monthly projects @ Evolution of Style , inspire me mondays and power of paint @ domestically speaking, Places I've Been @ The Tablescaper,  Before and After @ Thrifty Decor Chick,   Sundays @ Suburbs Mama  Mod Vintage Life, Motivate Me Mon @Keeping it Simple,   home stories a-z, show and sharev@ Coastal Charm, be inspired & garden party @ elizabeth and co, the scoop @ stone gable, the makers @ persia lou,  inspire me tues, get your craft on, sugar bee crafts. inspire me weds @ 733, wow us weds @ savvy southern style,  work it weds @ the blissful bee, outdoor weds @ a southern daydreamer, whimsy wednesday, wicked awesome weds @ handy man, crafty woman,  whatever goes weds @ someday crafts,  charm of home, link party palooza @ tatertots and jello, Flaunt it Friday @ Chic on a Shoestring, open house @ no minimalist here, creativity unleashed @ shaken together,creative connection @ making home base,  inspiration gallery @ Craftberry Bush, Frugal Friday @ The Shabby Nest, my romantic home, jennifer rizzo, Weekend Bloggy Reading @ Serenity now,  furniture fridays @ mustard seed, Feathered Nest @ French Country Cottage, design it fridays @ finding fabulous, best diy @ 36th ave, overflowing w/ creativity @ it's overflowing, nifty thrifty sundays, under the table and dreaming. inspire me please @ liz marie blog,sunday best @ the girl creative  shaken together, seasonal sundays @ the tablescaper,  lump it or link it @ delineate your dwelling,pinterest party @ just us four, diyers @ homecoming.

Recycled brick patio

The patio project is completed!  Weekends have gone by where i didn't have to help the boyfriend move the table and chairs in order to mow the lawn!  Dinner has been enjoyed outside without swatting bugs away from my face or my food!  Legs and feet, no longer in the grass, remained bug and itch free! 

Patios are the shit, yo.
 

 Like most things in my household, the project isn't yet 100% complete.  The yard needs to be graded, adding dirt around the sides of the brick so there isn't a step down, i clearly want to style this and can't wait to add the rug i bought, bring in more plants, put the swing out on the frame, etc.  But-it's totally at the stage where one can enjoy it!

 
My plan was always to add a rug, because truly i didn't want more brick.  The house itself is brick, and i thought it would be overload.  But it really isn't, since the sunroom is stucco and takes up most of the back of the house.  And since the brick was given to us for free, it didn't make sense to use another material. 



My darling and i did this nice border, the herringbone inside, these fancy little corners...and now i'm going to lay a rug over all this hard work.  I feel guilty, but he knew that going into this project and a rug will modernize this space. 

So now you might be wondering how we keep this tent structure from blowing away in the wind. When it was on grass, we didn't use the yard stakes that came with it, we came up with a more secure idea.  And while the structure stays up year round, the canvas is always put away.

And this is how.  This is 10 inch long galvanized steel piping that is sheathed by the poles of the tent structure, making it sturdier and more secure. We cut it in half, to make 2 pipes, each 5 feet long.  They are bolted to the ground with a stainless steel bolt and stainless steel locknut. So my darling tells me.

We drilled the holes in the patio (crossing our fingers it wouldn't shatter the brick)...
 

We then used the mallet to pound the steel pipe two feet into the ground/brick to solidify the structure so it isn't at the whim of the wind.  The remaining 3 feet is above ground and comes to about halfway up the gazebo once it's fully built.

It is imperative that the pipe go into the ground straight in order for it all to fit properly and for the structure to come together.  These magnetic mini levels are perfect for the job (and so cute, too.  Seriously, i was amazed at how smart this is allowing you to be hands free).

Then you just put your structure over the piping, and lift the top part of the gazebo up and attach it to the bottom which is securely in the ground with the interior piping.  The two pieces then clip together about halfway up. S tells me this thing isn't going anyway.  He likes to demonstrate this by taking hold of it and vigorously shaking it, making his own severe weather pattern.

Voila.

The white caps at the base of each pole secure the canvas so the pieces aren't flapping about, and the caps themselves are attached to the brick by being between the sleeved pipe and the pole. Then there's a clip to the canvas and a clip to rod.

So to recap, the bricks that have lived on the other side of the garage have now been replaced with the grass we dug up to make room for the patio.  Green space is always much nicer, and i'm sure our neighbors enjoy this more than a pile of brick.

The garage wall herb garden is out of hand in a good way.

And we got a fabulous new patio to enjoy.

Go forth and enjoy your outdoor space!  Is anyone else not getting as bitten up this year by mosquitoes? We enjoyed the patio yesterday without the netting, and it was totally fine.

sharing is caring:  living savvy outdoor extravaganza, thrifty treasures @ southern hospitality, travel photo mondays @ travel photo discovery, places i've been @ the tablescaper,  travel photo thursdays@ budget travelers sandbox , Monthly projects @ Evolution of Style Make it Pretty Mon @ Dedicated House , inspire me mondays and power of paint @ domestically speaking, Places I've Been @ The Tablescaper,  Before and After @ Thrifty Decor Chick,   Sundays @ Suburbs Mama  Mod Vintage Life, Motivate Me Mon @Keeping it Simple,   home stories a-z, show and sharev@ Coastal Charm, be inspired & garden party @ elizabeth and co, the scoop @ stone gable, the makers @ persia lou,  inspire me tues, get your craft on, sugar bee crafts. inspire me weds @ 733, wow us weds @ savvy southern style,  work it weds @ the blissful bee, outdoor weds @ a southern daydreamer, whimsy wednesday, wicked awesome weds @ handy man, crafty woman,  whatever goes weds @ someday crafts,  charm of home, link party palooza @ tatertots and jello, Flaunt it Friday @ Chic on a Shoestring, open house @ no minimalist here, creativity unleashed @ shaken together,creative connection @ making home base,  inspiration gallery @ Craftberry Bush, Frugal Friday @ The Shabby Nest, my romantic home, jennifer rizzo, Weekend Bloggy Reading @ Serenity now,  furniture fridays @ mustard seed, Feathered Nest @ French Country Cottage, design it fridays @ finding fabulous, best diy @ 36th ave, overflowing w/ creativity @ it's overflowing, nifty thrifty sundays, under the table and dreaming. inspire me please @ liz marie blog,sunday best @ the girl creative  shaken together, seasonal sundays @ the tablescaper,  lump it or link it @ delineate your dwelling,pinterest party @ just us four, homecoming.

A sunflower bridal shower

How is it that my baby brother is getting married in just a few weeks?!  Super happy for him and his soon to be bride.  We hosted a sunflower themed bridal shower for her a couple weekends ago, and i think it came together really well.  The wedding is being held in a barn, as they all seem to be these days, so we wanted to go with that rustic, ball jar, low key sort of feeling.  I also did something rather bold for me, and me as a blogger; i reached out to the owner of Wild Herb Soap Co. and asked if we could partner on the favors.  And i was truly shocked when she said yes. So in full disclosure this is not a sponsored post, but rather a partner post about her Etsy store.  And of course, i wanted to share the details of the shower with you all.

Does this invitation (also from Etsy) say casual and rustic or what.  We had the image printed on top of the cake, too, but it didn't come out that great. Perhaps stores who offer such services should then package the cake without material to smudge the icing of the image one carefully selected. Just saying. 

 

This was the display when guests entered, to drop off their recipe cards and to lay out the fabulous favors.  We used clip art of a giant realistic sunflower, printed with the words "Thank you for showering Julie with love" and then the soaps-the delicious smelling soaps-displayed in the box next to it.  Also a good saying would be "From Julie's shower to yours" but that one just gives me visual images i'd rather not have.  So "showering" with love also makes sense with soap, and doesn't give anyone mental images of Great Aunts they'd rather unsee.

I wish this was scratch and sniff.

From the moment we opened the box, they smelled  Hea.Ven. Ly. Heavenly.  They are bundled together with raffia, and come in flavors like Citrus Explosion and Green Tea and Aloe.  Individually, they smell and look amazing, but together is like Wow.  And the shape/size is absolutely perfect for a favor.  They are packaged with 3 handmade slices, 1.5 ounces total, nut oil free and soy free.  There was a slightly smaller option, but i would absolutely recommend the size we got as any smaller would be too small.  We opted out of customized tags, but you can go that route, too. I love the scalloped edges on some of them, and the color variation.

The recipe cards had the same image as the bigger invitation, and the wood box was perfectly sized for guests to deposit them for the bride. We also encouraged guests to share a recipe for a happy marriage or a date night idea, and they were placed in two Ball jars.



The gift table early on, with more Ball jars, and more sunflowers.

To add some extra wedding-ness, i stuck these cake tooth picks in some of the desserts and hung the lanterns from the dining room chandelier. 

White paper lanterns mean instant festive feeling.

We were lucky to have great weather, and of course everyone had a nice time and loved their soaps.  Who wouldn't.  Seriously, i can't recommend Carol and her handmade soaps from Wild Herb Soap Co. enough.  She was super to work with, going above and beyond (like when i had a question but was leaving for vacation, so i asked her to email my mom instead) to make sure the customer was satisfied and up to date.

Please visit Carol's Etsy shop www.wildherb.etsy.com  or go directly to www.wildherbsoap.com if you'd like to order or find out more info.

Now let me ask you about some wedding etiquette-My cousin got married 9 months ago, when she learned that she was pregnant.  So she and her husband were married, in front of immediate family, by a rabbi, before she had the baby, who is now 7 months old.  She had a baby shower, as one should, for their first child.

Well, now i'm invited to her wedding.  But she's married. For almost a YEAR she's married, but, you know, i'll give her that and attend the wedding and buy a wedding gift (even though she chose to get married before her daughter was born, did i say that yet?).  But then-i get a bridal shower invite.  And here is where i draw the line and get all capital letters on you.  YOU ARE MARRIED! YOU DON'T GET A SHOWER!  I'm sorry you got pregnant and then had a shot gun wedding, but that is what HAPPENED and you have been MARRIED for almost a YEAR.  You don't get to go BACKWARDS and pretend you're NOT MARRIED and get MORE gifts and then MORE gifts!  Or is that just me?  I joked to my mom that i'm not married-nor am i engaged-but apparently there are no rules.  So with these no rules, even though i'm not engaged and not married, i'm gonna have me a "we've been together for 17 years SHOWER" and everyone can BUY ME PRESENTS.  How's that for ya?!

Am i being crazy to think this is just a ploy for gifts?  What would you do?  I'm not going and i'm not sending a gift.  This just bothers me to my very core. Tell me your thoughts on it. 

All opinions are 100% my own, i received a percentage off the favors in exchange for blogging about the store.

sharing is caring:  living savvy outdoor extravaganza, thrifty treasures @ southern hospitality, travel photo mondays @ travel photo discovery, places i've been @ the tablescaper,  travel photo thursdays@ budget travelers sandbox , Monthly projects @ Evolution of Style Make it Pretty Mon @ Dedicated House Throwback Thursday @ Sweet Pea, inspire me mondays and power of paint @ domestically speaking, Places I've Been @ The Tablescaper,  Before and After @ Thrifty Decor Chick,   Sundays @ Suburbs Mama  Mod Vintage Life, Motivate Me Mon @Keeping it Simple,  give me the goods @ rain on a tin roof, home stories a-z, nifty thrifty @ Coastal Charm, be inspired @ elizabeth and co, the scoop @ stone gable,  inspire me tues, lil luna, get your craft on, sugar bee crafts. inspire me weds @ 733, wow us weds @ savvy southern style,  work it weds @ the blissful bee, outdoor weds @ a southern daydreamer, whimsy wednesday, wicked awesome weds @ handy man, crafty woman,  whatever goes weds @ someday crafts,  charm of home, link party palooza @ tatertots and jello, Flaunt it Friday @ Chic on a Shoestring, open house @ no minimalist here, creativity unleashed @ shaken together,creative connection @ making home base,  inspiration gallery @ Craftberry Bush, Frugal Friday @ The Shabby Nest, my romantic home, jennifer rizzo, Weekend Bloggy Reading @ Serenity now,  furniture fridays @ mustard seed, Feathered Nest @ French Country Cottage, design it fridays @ finding fabulous, best diy @ 36th ave, overflowing w/ creativity @ it's overflowing, nifty thrifty sundays, under the table and dreaming. inspire me please @ liz marie blog,sunday best @ the girl creative  shaken together, seasonal sundays @ the tablescaper,   sunday soiree @ craftomaniac