Where were you during the royal wedding?

Matt and I set our alarms for 2am and bundled up in our "brown blanket" on the couch and watched the royal wedding.  Oh the things my sweet husband will do for me!  We went to bed after they were officially married and finished watching the festivities later Friday evening, but I'll always remember snuggling up with my husband at an ungodly hour to watch Prince William and Kate Middleton become the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.

Can every Monday be like this?

Sometimes these things happen just in time.  Lately Ellen and I have been needing a vacation, but things are so busy and it costs so much to get away I was starting to wonder if we would ever get a break.  Thankfully this Easter weekend our schedules aligned and we got 2 amazing days off in a row...together.  That's a rarity and it was so needed.

Easter Sunday was filled with friends, church and killer Mexican food.  Then on Monday Ellen and I drove up the PCH to Zuma Beach.

Relaxing with a picnic on the beach is not overrated.  If it wasn't for the tornado speed winds and the Hidalgo-style sandstorm they created, I think we'd still be sitting there now.

But we left in the late afternoon and got some Baskin Robbins, took a nap, grilled out and then went to the 10pm showing of Water for Elephants (Ellen's choice, not mine).  If only every Monday could be like this.

Paint the Dresser. Check.

Well folks, the first project on our list is done.  On Saturday we turned this:

Into this:

Matt and I are so happy with the result!  It was a looong process that included four steps: sanding down the entire piece, priming with oil based primer, painting two coats of the color and then brushing on a protective top coat.  I'll save you the details because we essentially followed these instructions to a T.

Right now the dresser doesn't really have a place in our home (which, by the way, is starting to look like a furniture warehouse) but I think it will be perfect for our bedroom in our next home.

This project has definitely given me the DIY bug and I am filling my mind with all sorts of new projects to accomplish.  Stay tuned.

D(oing) I(t) O(urselves)

As we are preparing to move to a two bedroom in a couple months I am determined to get creative with furnishing our next home on a budget.  We already have a couple major DIY projects on the to do list. (Two numbered lists in two days!  Lucky you):

1. Last weekend we scored this amazing dresser on Craigslist for $100.

This weekend, we are planning on sanding it down and painting it.  We went to Home Depot last night and picked out this Glidden paint color, Slate Gray. 

 I'm going to turn in to the crazy lady on the block because I'll probably accomplish this task out front in a bathing suit to get some sun. You can pretend like you don't know me starting now.

2. Matt and I have been wanting a desk for a while now but haven't found one that fits in our budget until now.  A bunch of people where I work were switching offices (Did I mention I got a promotion?  YIPPEE!  I am now the Community Group Coordinator.  It's pretty great.) and this little desk was not going to be used by anyone.  The church was going to give it to Goodwill but I volunteered to be the church's goodwill and they let us take it for free!  Definitely in our budget.

Because the desk isn't solid wood the plan now is not to paint it.  While we were at home depot last night we bought some hardware for the drawers that will spruce it up a bit and we are searching for a chair to go with the desk (preferably something with a cool geometric print).  Pics to come soon.

3. The original add for the Craigslist dresser above had a listing price of $125 because this mirror was included with it.  We didn't really need the mirror so we asked if we could buy the dresser for $100 and not take the mirror.  Well when we got to the seller's apartment to pick it up, they told us to take the mirror at no extra cost.  I think they just wanted to get it off their hands. Glad we negotiated because we got a huge new mirror for free!

I am not a huge fan of the stain on the wood so I am going to sand it down as well and stain it a darker color (see below).

4. This next project is a doozy.  Since we will have two bedrooms soon, we are going to need a new bed.  I have always wanted a big wooden headboard for our master bedroom and I am finally going to get it!  I have long since loved the clean lines and classic look of the Mason Headboard over at Pottery Barn but I am not about to spend almost $800 on it.

Well I headed over to Ana-White.com and found a plan for this very headboard! So Matt is going to build it for us!  Then, I'll stain it to look almost identical to the "real" headboard.  I am super excited about this little endeavor and will definitely be blogging about the progress.  See below for a homemade version of the headboard using Ana White's plan.  Looks great right?

So that's what we'll be busy doing the next couple of weeks.  I'll keep you posted.

Change of Address

So guess what?  We're moving again.  AGAIN!  I honestly have moved at least once a year since I was a freshman in college (not to mention moving 3 times in one year).  And let me tell you, it is getting old.  I always dreamed of a life like Carl and Ellie's.  I love the idea of buying an old house and loving it and fixing it up until you die.  Morbid I know, but I love the idea of making memories in a home to the point where the home is almost like a character in your life.  Well this dream has come and gone with us :)

But I am actually excited about the move this time around and it is absolutely necessary for several reasons:

1. The biggest and best reason: My brother Oliver is moving in with us!  He wants to come out to LA to work in the film industry and he will be staying with us until he learns the city and figures out what he wants to do here and where he wants to live.  Since we don't want him sleeping on our couch for 6 months, we will definetly need a second bedroom.

2.  We want a guest room and a room for a potential bambino.  Currently when my family visits, out come the air matresses.  It gets CROWDED when seven people are sleeping in a one beroom apartment.  It will be nice to spread out and give our guests some personal space.  Also, I like the idea of not having to move if we were to have a baby.  We're not planning on having a baby anytime in the immediate future but ya never know.  I'd hate to have a "surprise" and then stress out about moving to a new place.

3. We've never loved out current apartment.  We had to move out so quickly from the duplex that we didn't take the time to find a place we would love.  Not that our apartment now isn't great; it's just that it has always felt very temporary and I'd love to be in a home that we love again.

We won't be moving until July because that is when our lease is up.  I have been scrolling PadMapper like a madwoman though to see potential places to live.  I have actually sort of fallen in love with a townhouse that is located in our old neighborhood, is in our price range and has all the amenities we want.  Too bad it is for rent now and we can't move for another 3 months.  Here's hoping no one snags it!

We also hope for the day that we actually get to plant some roots and purchase a home.  But I don't know if you got the memo: Los Angeles real estate is wacko expensive!

Not So Plain

Who would have thought that the most beautiful commercial I'd ever seen would be about yogurt?  I swear I go into a trance whenever it comes on the television.



I think it's just beautiful.