Weekend Reading

Hey all! I’m so excited, tonight my guy and I are headed downtown to see Journey and Steve Miller Band rock at Mandalay Bay, it’s going to be so much fun! At last an opportunity to change out of paint and dust covered clothing…. New flooring and fixtures are getting installed next week at the…

House Progress + Flooring Decisions

It’s a busy week for us with our Las Vegas renovation project, we’re in Official Demo Mode and much is changing! The good kind of change… We decided to hire two handyman helpers that came highly recommended to assist us this week to speed up the demo process. We have high pitched ceilings in three…

Weekend Reading

It’s been an interesting week around here, I’ve spent much of it looking at tile samples until my eyes glaze over. Also picking up extra power tools and packing dishes and furnishings to load up on the moving truck next week as we head out to the desert to start work on the house. We’ll…

Alma Project Update + New House Inspiration

So there’s good news and bad news on the housing front. Let’s start with the bad, or shall I say, the disappointing setback. You may recall I was given the task in February to furnish a house for our local COTS (our charitable efforts we dub the Alma Project) and I embraced the challenge and…

BOTB 6.6.14

Welcome to the weekend friends! Great news, this week we closed escrow on that fixer house we bought, I’ll share more details about the purchase process and some ideas for the future remodel next week. I’m really excited to have a blank canvas to transform and there will be plenty of DIY projects as we…

Kauai Beach Cottage

Aloha all! Today I wanted to share pictures of the most charming little beach cottage we rented during our vacation last week. We’ve stayed at so many over the years but this one has been the favorite so far. I loved so many of the design elements incorporated into this plantation style cottage just steps…

BOTB 5.9.14

Hey everyone, welcome to the weekend! I’m sure many of you have some special plans for Mother’s Day, we’re headed out to Sonoma for a leisurely lunch in the Plaza and some relaxation in the sun. I don’t want to clean or cook anything, and I think a nap and a pedicure are in order…

Freestanding Bathtub Beauties

In the fixer we’ll be working on soon I’m already thinking about upgrades in the bathroom. The home has plain Jane builder grade tubs and I’m considering a fresher  look with a freestanding tub. I’ve never installed one in any of our homes but I’ve stayed in a hotel rooms with a claw foot tub…

BOTB 3.28.14

Ugh, you guys I’ve spent the past 48 hours fighting off another cyber attack to the site, this is never fun. So many of you wrote to me, thank you for your concern. Long story short, there are sophisticated evil hackers out there, and it takes A LOT of work to defend yourself. Thanks so…

Kitchen Countertop Options: Pros + Cons

We’ve been doing a lot of research lately on countertops since the fixer we’re buying has 25 year old Formica tops in the kitchen which will need replaced – more details on the house coming soon! Seven years ago when we were choosing countertops for our own kitchen I exhausted myself researching all the choices…

BOTB 3.14.14

What are your plans for St. Patrick’s Day weekend? With an Irish heritage, we will be cooking a full corned beef with veges and pints of beer traditional feast. It’s one of my most favorite meals of the year! The weather here is absolutely divine, so we are off to spend some time outdoors this…

DIY Bone Inlay Inspired Tray

Over the weekend, I finished up a craft project I’ve been meaning to try for a few months – recreating the look of bone inlay with paint and a stencil. I love how it turned out and now this bone inlay lookalike tray sits on my vanity in my master bathroom to corral makeup brushes,…

Entertainment Faves + Best of Jan & Feb

Did you watch the Academy Awards last night? We don’t have cable so I had to wait for the updates and videos online and get snippets via social media, but I love love love Oscar fashion dress (all those starving stars in beautiful designer gowns!) and Ellen’s Twitter feed cracked me up because she instigates…

Vinyl vs. Laminate Plank Flooring

My friends, I am up to my ears in plank flooring samples and could use some insight. We want to replace the stained Berber carpet in our studio above the garage and we’re finally ready to tackle replacing the flooring. Originally, I thought we’d go with hardwood or engineered wood but the more we thought…