Every now and then I find myself in need of inspiration. Last week I had a few hours to myself and decided to recharge my batteries by visiting some of my favorite resale shops AFTER visiting Joanna Gaines pop up shop inside Fabulous Affairs in Uptown Normal. My agenda, down time and refueling. Always on the lookout for something that could be transformed and put to good use (really it is parts of my heart that need transformed and put to good use but that’s another post and another Blog)!
Found a fun bracelet idea I’d like to try. Love her wall art!Didn’t find anything today. We’ll come back.My home town fav. Love the people who are at this store! The Cheers theme plays when I walk in!
Taking cuttings this time of year is one of my favorite ways to add elegant, simple beauty to our home. Magnolia, forsythia and many others will bloom by cutting & placing in water. That’s it, enjoy watching them unfold before your eyes! My Mother would do this all the time with Pussy Willow and Forsythia.
Take a cut just above a outgrowthLovely!
For more info. on what shrubs will bloom inside check out this great article.
Since the last post Brian and Mike are still working hard to get wiring installed while committing a few days of the week to landscaping. In between their busy days Brian and I went to our local DIY stores to decide on some details like…
Lights!
With all the wiring going in we need some lights. I was drawn to this…
YES! I can hear Abba sing “Dancing Queen”!
Below is what we came to purchase. A small detail can sometimes take a lot of time. These lights are for recessed lighting. We have some spaces where we don’t have enough room for a standard can (old house) so some of these new LED’s fit in a shorter can and will save Brian time and money when he installs them into the overhead lights in the ceiling. Lots of 6″ we want 4″.
We also came to look at tubs. Did you know if you want a tub in a 48 by 32 inch space it will come 48 by 34 not 32?! Guess we’ll have to adjust that wall! Did you also know it is hard to find a tub where the seam is above the water splash line? Easier to clean!
Doors! We need some doors! We will purchase solid doors as this old house does not have standard door sizes so Brian will have to cut part of bottom off the door off to get them to fit. We ordered 10 plus doors. Date nights are not cheap for us!
Doors!
Cool feature in upstairs bath will be barn doors double hung with 2 half panels on each side so the panels close to hide the washer & dryer. This was the creative solution to putting the washer & dryer in the upstairs bath and function as both bath & laundry. Doors will be white. Still have to find the hardware for a double hung barn door. These panels will have to be customized.
Some of our windows are in, picked those up while we were out. Our kitchen cabinets are in too but drywall isn’t up yet. RP Lumber will hold those for us till we’re ready.
Waiting to check out… These little guys are begging for you to take them home! I just took their picture but we’ll be back soon.
If the amount of wiring that has been going into the flip these past two weeks were Christmas lights, we would have one festive house! One can only see so many pictures of wiring so I’ll save you from that however it is amazing to note the change taking shape from house to home. No light to light.
Here’s what happened in the last week and a half…
Sub flooring installed downstairs
The upstairs bathroom layout is finalized
Lots of meetings with contractors to bid for plumbing, drywall and installing the ductwork for heating and cooling
Sliding door for kitchen arrives next week & a few windows that need replaced are on their way.
Some of you have asked when we plan to have it on the market. That is a great question and right now it’s all about balance. Our original goal was around April 1, but now we’re looking to end of April. However, because we are heading into Brian’s busy landscape season it will depend on how quickly it warms up calling Brian & Mike outdoors! (They were out two days this past week already)! We will daily balance the needs of Dorch Landscapes and restoring the Flip all the while still cooking and cleaning and running kids here and there. I bet you have something you are balancing too.
Katherine makes the below pic look so easy but I have seen the conditioning she goes through to train her muscles to hold that pose. She has great strength and is looking where she wants to go.
We will keep looking (& working) where we want to go relying on God’s strength!
Is this art or electrical? YES! It’s both because it’s an art to install this correctly!
Diagram of a 3 way split receptacle outlet
Testing took place today on these outlets, they work!
Will held a drill pulling the trigger to make the drill go, Katherine could turn off the drill from the light switch.Wiring continues with plumbing on the rise.
Last week was all wiring AND we finalized the details on the kitchen. We want to give a shout out to RP Lumber and Crystal for all the hard work that goes into a purchase such as this. We are pleased to support RP as well because they donated TONS of raw materials to a community service project our church did last Spring. Check out some pics below for what we decided on.
Here’s the plan! You are looking at the north wall, it’s as if you are coming down the stairs. The door to the left will be a double slider and on the other side of the fridge is the walk in pantry.This style cabinetry only in whiteWhite cabinets w/ gray counter top (middle tile, not as dark in person)We look pretty happy for just spending a ton of money! All our date nights at home improvement stores have well prepared us!
Everything will be here in @ 6 weeks. Gotta finish the wiring, install heating/cooling duct work and plumbing. Back to work we go!
