I know what you're thinking, "Sallie! You already told us you were moving!" That's true -- I did! I am moving physically, and now I am moving digitally as well.
This weekend and part of next week I am working to move The Urban Acres over to a new platform and a new website that is more user friendly and will help you to better enjoy the content you love!
In the meantime, I'll still be right here and when it's the new site is all up and running, this same web address will bring you right to the new site.
I am figuring all of this out on my own, so bear with me as I try to navigate my portion of the internet. In the meantime, follow along with the house renovation on Instagram or Facebook!
Not so, people. Not so.
When I told people how quickly we planned to renovate, a few laughed at me. Literally, out loud laughed! And I thought "Well I'll show you! I'll be organized, I'll work hard, and we'll get it done!" I now know why everyone was laughing. One word -- Contractors.
Contractors are a lot like cable companies except cable companies give you an 8 hour window of when they'll show up, and contractors give you an 8 week window. They say they're going to show, and they don't. They are impossible to get a hold of. When you ask when they are going to show they say "Tomorrow, or next week, depends on another job." It's maddening I tell you! Maddening!
I realize that it's not all the contractors fault. They work for builders, and side projects like ours don't take top priority, but at least call us back (looking at you plumbing guy!)
We've been ready to move onto the next phase of work for nearly 2 weeks now, but have been waiting on the electrician to show. Bless God, he finally came yesterday and now the real fun stuff can start happening!
Here's the progress so far!
The entry way has been completely gutted! We knocked out those two closets and widened the walkway into the den. Now when you walk in, you aren't immediately in a small hall. We also ripped out all the tile (easier said than done), ripped out the old concrete, and laid new subfloors that the hardwoods will go on top of.
The kitchen opening is now totally open! You can see we moved the walkway to the center of the wall, and made it a 6ft opening instead of the previous 30in. This will really help these two rooms feel more connected.
This blue bathroom has been the bane of Andrew's existence. See all that blue tile? ALL of it was attached with concrete! Even the walls. Andrew had to take a sledgehammer to this entire thing. He finally got the tile out, but there's still concrete in the shower floor to be removed.
Other progress includes cabinet delivery, tile delivery, faucets and light fixtures. We also put can lighting in the front living room since it had no light whatsoever. Today the HVAC guy is going to move two vents, and then the plumber should be able to wrap up his part this week, too.
Lord willing, all the contractors will finish their jobs so our floor guy can install next week! Once floors go in it's pretty much smooth sailing. Andrew will be able to hang drywall, get cabinets in place, and we can start painting. This place will really start taking shape in the next couple of weeks and I can hardly wait!
Happy Homemaking!
Sallie
It's no secret, I love felt flowers. Long before I became the Mrs. Meyer's Home Maker, I was making felt blooms and if I'm being honest, they weren't very good. It wasn't until I made my Fall Felt Wreath that I really honed in my felt flower skills and even learned a few tricks of my own.
I love how versatile felt flowers can be. I've used them to make flower crowns, bouquets, wreaths, and even napkin rings. You saw them in my Mother's Day Bouquet project and on top of my Galentine's Day Cake. I've found that little felt blooms are cute no matter how you use them!
Side note: I want to let you know that next Thursday July 28th I am teaching a Felt Flower Workshop at West Elm in Utica Square! The cost is $30 for a 2 hour, in depth workshop where you'll leave with a plethora of supplies and all the skills you need to start making. Space is limited, so sign up here!
Back to our regularly scheduled programming.
Today I want to show you a flower tutorial that is completely original to me! I made this one myself, so you won't see one like it anywhere else -- my Peony! This flower uses my signature "Fold + Glue" technique that helps give your flowers dimension and makes them look real!
Easy huh? I'd love to see your felt flower projects! Tag me on Instagram tell me what you made in the comments below. Don't forget to sign up for the workshop next Thursday!
Happy Homemaking!
Sallie
In case you are wondering, the renovation is still going strong! There really wasn't a ton of progress to show last week, but this week I have the plans and the progress of the first bathroom we're tackling -- The Powder Room.
Let's take a little trip down memory lane, shall we?
This little two piece bathroom is right off the kitchen, and was not on our original remodel list. As we started discussing the plans for the floor, it made sense to go ahead and rip the floor in this room and connect it with the hardwoods in the kitchen. We then discovered the toilet was leaky, and promptly moved this bathroom to the top of the demo list.
Andrew put in some back breaking man hours and now, the bathroom looks like this!
Let's take a little trip down memory lane, shall we?
This little two piece bathroom is right off the kitchen, and was not on our original remodel list. As we started discussing the plans for the floor, it made sense to go ahead and rip the floor in this room and connect it with the hardwoods in the kitchen. We then discovered the toilet was leaky, and promptly moved this bathroom to the top of the demo list.
Andrew put in some back breaking man hours and now, the bathroom looks like this!
We (he) have to remove the shelving, but other than that, this salmon pink bathroom is ready for a facelift.
While searching for some inspiration, I came across this charming bathroom from Architectural Digest.
While searching for some inspiration, I came across this charming bathroom from Architectural Digest.
And this one from The Lighter Side of Real Esate.
Both of these bathrooms have a form of paneling on the walls which ends up being great for us, because we can cover the old wallpaper without having to replace dry wall! That's a big time and $$$ saver.
We also LOVE the idea of DIY-ing a bathroom vanity by using an old table. I scored the one you see in the progress picture for just $20.
We'll add a porcelain vessel sink with a wall mount, and as my niece Bea says "boom baby!" Altogether, this room will end up costing us about $700 -- not too shabby for a powder bathroom! Here are my sources and maybe some inspiration for your next project!
1. Bead Board Sheets -- The Home Depot $20
2. Wall Mount Faucet -- Amazon.com $70
3. Porcelain Vessel Sink -- Overstock.com $125
4. Antique Table -- River City Trading Post $20
5. Sconce Lighting -- Overstock.com $63
What are your powder room ideas? I'd love to hear them!
Happy Homemaking!
Sallie
When we found our new house, Andrew and I immediately fell in love with the backyard. It is almost 100% shaded and has great climbing trees (or so Andrew tells me). The owner before us was quite the gardener, and she put really beautiful plants and landscaping around the entire perimeter.
It definitely feels like our own little paradise and I can't wait to get in and start enjoying it!
When I was showing my friend Anisa our backyard she started pointing out all the varieties of plants that we have. Then later, I was in my mom's house and noticed a very old picture someone had made of various plant leaves with little notes as to what they were and what type of environment they grow best in.
It didn't take long for me to connect the dots for how I could do something similar with the plant foliage from my new backyard!
What I love about this DIY is that it's specific to YOUR home. No two prints will be the same, and it will always remind you of fun memories from you backyard. It's also incredibly easy and requires no special skills. You just need to pick up leaves, write, and cut!
Materials
• Glass Float Frame(s)
• Leaves
• Thick cardstock or watercolor paper
• Pen
• Scissors
Directions
1. Gather your foliage. I picked mostly leaves that would press well in my frame.
2. Use your pen and thick paper to draw "banners." If you don't feel very artsy here's a template
you can use! Or you could cut simple rectangles from your paper and draw a border.
3. Write the names of the foliage. I had to use google here to figure out what I was dealing. If you
have a friend who is a Botanist, now is a good time to give them a call!
4. With your leaves and labels face down, layout your design. I started with my larger leaves and
filled in with my smaller ones.
5. Assemble your frame, clean the glass of any fingerprints, hang on the wall and enjoy!
How did yours turn out? I'd love to know what leaves you used for your print!
Happy Homemaking!
Sallie
I hope everyone had a restful and relaxing July 4th weekend. For Andrew and I, this weekend was anything BUT relaxing. We took the hammer to our house and started what has turned out to be a very long, hard demo process.
If you missed it, go back and see the Home Tour of our new house so you can get a good idea of everything we did. Let's start with the kitchen.
Kitchen Before
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