The Side Yard Garden

We finally took on the side yard and made ourselves a little garden for chile, tomatoes, strawberries, blackberries and raspberries.

As you can see we still have a long way to go in the very back part of the yard. Those are all weeds back there, but we have made great progress.

Adding Some Seating

I have been having a really hard time with the living room seating arrangement, simply because I could not figure out what I wanted in front of the fireplace. While I was at my parents house I noticed two old chairs that they had planned on taking to good will. I decided that they could work in my livingroom and took them home with me. They looked really outdated, especailly next to the fireplace. Yucck to the slate surround and our decision to paint the mantle brown.

After looking at one of my favorite blogs (Better After) I realized that I should just refinish these two chairs into something more my style. My inspirations were these guys, here and here. Once I decided on the direction I wanted to go I ripped apart the first chair. 

It came apart very easily. Next I sanded the frame, primed and painted it white. By doing so it really made a huge difference, gone is the 70s/80s fuax wood.

Next up was reupholstering the seat and backing. The seat cushion was very easy to work with since it came off, the seat back on the othher hand was a little bit more tricky. 

After the seat back was finished I started on the second chair. Here they are in front of the newly repainted fireplace. The house is going through a small transformation. I have slowly been painting all the trim, doors and fireplace white. It has really helped the house feel more open, your eye is no longer stopping on all the grey and brown. 

Dining room progress

Now that I've been able to live in the house for a while, I've made a few changes and added items to the dining room to make it feel a more grown up.

While I was in California in May helping my sister, I was able to grab a few goodies from Ikea. These curtains really make the room feel taller and more finished. I also added a few new pieces of art to the walls. The lily painting was at my parents not being used and both the Van Gogh prints are Geoff's. On the right side, I added three square picture frames that still need to be filled with some colourful artwork.

It amazes me how much this room has changed over the last couple of years. Replacing the light fixture made a big difference and now with these curtains, everything seems to be coming together.

The last item on the dining room list is replacing the floor, I cannot wait for the tile to be gone.