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You're A Mean One, Mr. Grinch...

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Or.... in our case, "You're a Mean One Mr. Pig"  ever since I photoshopped this picture of Rocco in a Santa suit to make my little boy look like Dr. Seuss' Grinch (Rocco's nicknames are Pig, Piggy, Mr.Pig, Piggleferds, Piggy R, Piggyfiggins, etc., yes it's lame but true).... 
Green fur is courtesy of Photoshop; I would NEVER dye our pups hair
Can you imagine this cute little bugger stealing your gifts on Christmas??? Certainly not :) unless it was something beef or cheese flavored, haha!  Still, even after photoshopping him green he still doesn't look mean, maybe just grumpy because mom put him in a Santa suit?

I think I mentioned that we aren't traveling back to Michigan for Christmas, it's just the two of us (four if you count Rocco & Sadie) in our little Dutch Colonial.... So now that our gift shopping is done, our gifts are shipped, and work is slowing down, we FINALLY have extra time on our hands to relax and enjoy the holidays...

And waste time doing other silly things on Photoshop!  So, I even gave our Grinch his very own Max the Reindeer.... courtesy of our other pup Sadie :)

Yes, that one isn't very high quality, but who cares?!?  Tis' the season for silly Photoshopping!  Just in case you missed last year's, here's my favorite Photoshop gem from 2011... 
Note: Alex's body is not in the photo, his head is photoshopped in
I found an awkward photo of a man in a holiday cat sweater and stuck Alex's head on his body. It ended up being our Christmas card that we sent to our family and friends, haha! Thankfully Alex was a good sport and thought it was hilarious too.

Anyway, we hope you are slowing down too to enjoy time with family and friends during this special holiday.  And hey, if you're not the Grinch might show up!!!

Happy Holidays!

PS- If you haven't gotten a look, be sure to check out some of our 2012 Christmas decor including our staircase, mantel, tree and dining room!

Linking this post up!

Hammers & High Heels Year in Review- 2012 Projects in a Flash!

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I can't believe 2012 is almost over but as each year comes to a close, I've always loved looking back at the the year through our blog.  One of the blessings about blogging, is that it becomes a place where we've captured a glimpse of our lives along with the things we have accomplished in our home. 

It's funny because if somebody asked me what I did this year I would say, "Hmmm not a whole lot, travelled, we redesigned our bedroom & deck, I think that's it?"  But once I gathered up all of our photos through the months and got to reflect on things, it helped me appreciate all that happened in 2012- even if they were small, heck it even seems like we did a lot? !

So, cue the paint, hammers, nails, saws, band-aids, sandpaper, screwdrivers, and trips to Home Depot.... oh and of course Alex's curse words (no project is complete without them), here's our Hammers and High Heels 2012 Project Review!

We kicked off 2012 with a BIG project to tackle, our Master Bedroom redo.  This ended up being a lengthy project stretching all the way into April but the before and afters totally speak for themselves! 

Earlier in the year, we also started working on our kitchen nook.  The space has been hard to figure out but once I added my $40 thrifty hutch and transformed it into a Barmoire the space started looking up! 

As we rolled into March, I had to take a business trip to New Delhi India, Hong Kong, and Shenzhen & Shanghai China which included a visit to the Taj Mahal.

While I was away for 17 days, Alex kept himself busy adding wainscoting to our dining room.  Talk about an awesome surprise to come home to!  I LOVE the updated formal look!

Also while I was gone (and just because I can't let Alex forget this one) he did this to our Jeep. Alex is ready for the Zombie Apocalypse if it ever happens y'all.

Once spring arrived, I was able to finish up decorating our Guest Room (for the 4th time). But this one was a fresh update since we had the hole repaired from the 2011 tornado....

Back in one piece!



Rolling into summer, I freshened up the look of our Living Room and did it for just $50! 
I still can't believe what the room looked like when we moved in, it's come so far!

At that point we were half way through 2012.  I stayed pretty busy in July and August doing some travel.   First I went to Grand Rapids, Michigan for my sister's baby shower then to China and NYC for business trips...

During those weeks Alex kept himself busy rebuilding the deck....

... AND adding beadboard to the back entryway.  Gotta love a man that likes to stay busy right!?!

Then, once I got back those projects led into "Deck-orating" the new deck...

 ... and updating the decor at our back entryway.

Around the time fall began, Alex and I finally planted a tree to replace the one we lost from the May 2011 Tornado.
GROW BABY, GROW!!!!
We also enjoyed the excitement of Stylist Home featuring our house "Before" & "Afters" and writing an article along with!


My excitement continued when I discovered a wonderful product that fixed our nasty kitchen grout problem.  Talk about a miracle!


As fall came to an end, so did my "Old House Tale" skeleton key mystery.  I was able to connect with the new owner to swing by with the skeleton key I had found.  We discovered that the key did unlock some of the old doors in the house.  Other keys might have worked too, but hey it was still pretty cool! Mystery solved!

As winter arrived and the end of the year approached, we rounded out the year with our last two 2012 projects.  First up was my $3 vintage chair redo...

Our last project of the year was one that I tackled while Alex was out of town on a boy's cycling trip (except the light fixture, that is man territory).

I took our plain vestibule entryway and made it an entrance!  It was such a little space that we ignored for way too long, who knew it could hold so much character?

Well, that rounds out the house projects for 2012, phew!  That was a lot of photo loading and hyperlinking!  I hope you enjoyed a look back at our house projects with us!  I want to recap everything elseabout the year now... But that might end up being a cluster of silly dog photos :) ha!

What do you think our best/coolest project was this year?
What was your favorite project that you tackled at home?
What are you planning on for 2013?

Like I said, taking a look back made me appreciate everything in 2012 more, so I hope you take time to reflect on all the things (big and small) that made your year special as well!   Onward to 2013, cheers!

Head Over Heels DIY Friday: Behold! Alex's Magnificant Moose Antlers

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DISCLAIMER: A big gulp of Belgian beer preceded this post...

Time for a manly(yet still very nice decor oriented) DIY Friday post, from Mr. H&HH.  I'm happy to beupdating you all with my homemade paper mache moose antlers. As with most of my projects, these took a tad longer than I had originally estimated but I am really pleased with the end product. Best part of all - this cost me about $6...not $900!

Drumroll please..........


I bet you're wondering how this Magnificent Moose Antler came to be. Well, sit back in your finest easy chair and go on a little DIY journey with me...

Quite some time ago, in a dining room not too far away, a wild idea spawned from Carla's lodge/north woods cabin themed holiday decor. The idea grew slowly and started with with nothing more than simple 20gauge hobby wire and masking tape (in hindsight, a slightly larger gauge would have made this project slightly easier).


I knew that I would need a sturdy skeleton to attach the paper mache to, and the hobby wire served as the perfect platform. I spent my first night twisting, taping, and bracing the shape of the antlers (seen below), while Carla laughed at me and made sexist cat calls and whistles (just kidding). The main shape construction was then followed with further support from "cross section" hobby wire pieces and masking tape. 

Next came the fun part - a quick trip back to 2nd grade art hour...flour, water, and paper come together to create a beautifully artistic platform...Paper Mache! This stage took two nights as there was a lot of drying time required. I focused on the top (forward facing) part of the antlers on the first night and then the back on the following night. The result was a hard/sturdy cast of my DIY moose antlers.


I wasn't certain which option would be best for painting the end product so, I grabbed a couple from Home Depot and a leftover from the basement and got to work!


Sadly, after a coat of nearly EVERY spray paint that we own....I still didn't have quite the look that I had imagined. Alas, I was not defeated! I realized that all of the paint left an end product that was far too glossy and left much to be desired with newspaper seams and a serious lack of depth.  

The solution: drywall repair spackling. With the addition of this simple "repair" I was able to achieve a more natural look for the antlers while also adding some much needed depth. The best part - the spackling dries white and looks like perfectly sundried antler bone!!

So, again one more look at some great inspiration from West Elm...


So, what do you think? Did my antlers turn out nicely?  

There a bit smaller than the fancy ones that served as my original inspiration from Etsy....and again, they cost about $890 less!!!

Are You Head Over Heels?

I know I am! Thumbs up for DIY Moose Antlers!!!

Carla and I hope you have a great New Year's weekend!  We are thinking of diving into a new home project instead of spending on going out, what are your plans?

Out With the Old, in With the New... Countertops, Sink, & Faucet!

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We are getting ready to kick off the new year with a BIG new project.  BOY, we are pumped, amped, geeked, gee... I am practically peeing my pants (not really though, ick!).  Why?  Because we are going to be changing the look of our kitchen with new countertops, sink and faucet!!!

We are so, so, so ready to say goodbye to the old laminate countertops, scratched/stained/damaged fiberglass sink (this photo spares you from the icky-ness), and wiggly leaky faucet....

And HELLO!  To these new friends!  A single handle pull-down sprayer faucet, oak wood countertops,and a gorgeous oh-so-dreamy ceramic double bowl apron sink!


Ugh, wood countertops, apron sink, ahhh it's so exciting!  I might pee my pants now, ha!  Yep, we decided it was time to finally make this change since we've been talking about it since we first bought our house.  Aren't these inspiration photos just gorgeous?!?

Images via Country Living
The story behind all this begins with the nice but minimal update to the kitchen just before Thanksgiving in 2009 (which was before our blog even existed).  Once I started the blog in May of 2010, "Our Kitchen Cabinet Redo" was the 7th blog post we wrote (crazy and fun to look a fact up, and sorry our older posts are so wordy/junky, ha!).
I included details about painting the walls, cabinets, replacing the hardware and light fixtures in the post, but we also mentioned what else we would like to do in the future. So, to quote myself- which is kind of funny- I said...   "Next on our wish list for when we really redo the kitchen is a new sink, new countertops, wood floors and of course getting the matching stainless steel dishwasher and fridge... but all in time! Patience and saving some moolah is key!"

Well, after looking at that list we realized it's been almost 3 years time, we've saved moolah for the project, and did additional product and budget research.  Patience? Check.  Moolah? Check.  Research? Bonus gold stars :) just because I like extra gold stars.


Anyway, back in 2009/2010 when we started blogging and did our 1st redo on the kitchen,  I read This & That's post about their newly finished butcher block countertops and haven't forgot about it since. 
I loved the way their new wood countertops looked in the house! I also loved that they detailed all the DIY steps to complete the project, so I knew when it came time it would be something Alex and I could tackle.

We also read a few articles like this one from other bloggers talking about pros & cons of wood countertops.
Image via The Inspired Room
Both helped us to understand challenges, maintenance, installation, and wear over time when it comes to wood countertops.  We will cover some of those topics in the future posts about the project as well (so stay tuned).

In weighing our own pros & cons regarding the cost for the project, we knew that adding expensive stone countertops (granite, soapstone, quartz, etc.) wouldn't be ideal for us given the inve$tment and although I like soapstone, I've never been crazy about other stone countertops. BUT  I can honestly say I have been CRAZY about butcher block countertops ever since I feel in love with the house from the Father of the Bride movies....

Adding these wood countertops just furthers my quest in making our little Dutch Colonial look a wee bit more George & Nina Banks fictitious home:) at least on the inside- the outside is still a ways off, that George Banks had some mad skills when it came to landscaping right?!?

Whoops, okay a bit off subject but you get the idea right?  We area really excited to make this change in our house!  I know we aren't going anywhere anytime soon, but if we ever did want to sell our house any buyer (or guests/friends) would think the same thing we thought if we left the laminate as is, "hmmm, those countertops need to be replaced."  Although practical, nobody ever 'oohs' and 'awws' over laminate right? I know I haven't!

I feel it's time for me to finally 'ooh' and 'aww' in our kitchen! I can't wait to kick 2013 off with this update!  Hope you will join us too! 

Happy 2013, Cheers!

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I can't believe we are saying goodbye to 2012, the year was so wonderful for so many of the people I love.  So many moments and memories I am thankful to have had...

We hope that 2013 holds many more blessings and beautiful memories for everyone!

Thank you for sharing 2012 with us, have a safe and happy New Year's Eve!  Cheers!

Countertops + Sink = Ikea Shenanigans

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Hello and happy new year everybody!  With all the holiday festivities over with now, we're getting back to business and jumping right into our kitchen project!  We headed out to Ikea and Home Depot to get everything we needed and of course, what trip to Ikea is complete without goofy shenanigans, fighting, screaming kids, annoying shopping carts, mobs of people, unpronounceable Swedish names, and a trip to the cafeteria for some Swedish treats right?  So we had to share some of those joyous moments from our trip, here it goes...

We kicked things off by paying a visit with Ikea's lunch ladies in the cafeteria so we could fuel up before braving the maze.  Who can resist those Swedish meatballs and lingonberries anyway?!? 
With our bellies full we headed to the kitchen department to place our order for the countertops and pick out which sink we wanted. Alex and I had already settled on getting Ikea's Numerar oak countertops but we weren't decided on the sink. I had always wanted an apron style sink but the cost for that style was higher than the inset style sinks- but with the apron sink, we also wouldn't need as much of the wood countertops. 

So Alex demanded a few moments of personal time into order to crunch the numbers for the different options in a place where any man can do his best thinking.  
After completing another round of "research" in a faux toilet, Alex decided our best bet was to go with the Domsjo double bowl sink since the cost would be about the same as getting cheaper sink and buying more countertop to inset it.  We also wouldn't have as much extra waste/unused cut countertop.  Yay!!!!  

Here's a look at what we picked out (including the faucet which we bought at Home Depot). Thankfully, we only had to buy one 8 foot slab of the oak countertop because we actually had another slab at home.  Back in 2010, I bought one for a table that was in our kitchen nook but I removed it when we got the hutch. Glad it is going to go to good use now!
Glacier Bay Invee faucet: Home Depot $149.99; Numerar oak countertop: Ikea $129-$195 (priced by size of wood slab);Domsjo double bowl sink: Ikea $312
But the story doesn't end there because any Ikea trip involves packing the car and it was NOT easy... and boy it was cold out! 

The countertop section was 8' long, so we had to be creative when it came to fitting that and the sink into our car.  You might remember that we get pretty crafty when it comes to getting oversized things into our car so of course we managed.  Yea, I did have to lean my seat back and ride home with a countertop on my head but I was able to use my safety restraint :) winning!
After Ikea, we made a stop at Home Depot to get the faucet.  That shopping trip wasn't as filled with as much torture excitement so I will spare you.

Next up will be tearing this up!!!

It's going to be exciting and messy from here! Stay Tuned! 

Head Over Heels DIY Friday: FINALLY! A Silver Tray Wreath Tutorial!

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Today is a very exciting DIY Friday because I have a tutorial to share for something that really needed need one!  Back when I wrote about Bachman's 2011 Holiday Idea House, there was plenty of photos and plenty of ideas but the most popular by far was this Silver Tray Wreath.

Once this photo was pinned on Pinterest, we started seeing lots of traffic in our stats from it.  It's also the most frequent question I get asked in emails, "I found your Silver Tray Wreath on Pinterest but couldn't find a tutorial on how to make it, can you send it to me?" or "I love that Silver Tray Wreath, can you tell me how you made it?" 

Alex and I thought about taking a stab at making one, but we weren't able to ever find enough pretty Silver Trays to try making it with. After a while when I saw Silver Tray Wreath in an email subject line I would think, "ugh not another one!"  And not because the email bothered me (I love emails about blog stuff!), but because it was such a bummer to not be able to help or have an answer for anyone since I didn't make it.  But now, all of that will change because of a a great surprise I got in my inbox today!

Take a look at this DIY Silver Tray Wreath made by Alexis from Sweet Beginnings!

Back in November, she too sent me a Silver Tray Wreath email and as usual I gave her the bad news that there was no tutorial- but I also said at the end of the email, "If you make one let me know, I get asked about it all the time actually."  And wouldn't ya know it?  She replied back today letting me know that she made one and created a tutorial to go with!

Isn't it beautiful?  Hers looks just like the Bachman's one right?!?

The best part- she shows you how you can make one too! 

I can't give it all away, you will have to stop by Sweet Beginnings to see the full tutorial!  I know I am Head Over Heels for this project and to FINALLY have an answer for any future inquires about that wreath, LOL!

Thank you Alexis for letting me share this and for making that awesome wreath!

Have a great weekend everyone, I will update you on the Kitchen project soon!

Tearing Up the Kitchen

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We got busy over the weekend tearing up the kitchen to prep for our new sink and countertops!

After tearing out the old laminate countertops and fiberglass sink, Alex started framing in countertop supports along the wall separating our kitchen and dining room.  Since that cabinet doesn't touch any walls, Alex wanted to make sure that the extra supports were there.

 Here's another look a what we took out....

Another set of supports he added in was for our big (and super heavy) double bowl apron sink.  I think today is day 4 of not having a kitchen sink and I have to say it is pretty tough.  I never realized how much we rely on using that, thank goodness we have a dishwasher though!  I can't wait to have a sink again though.
Since our new sink hangs over the front of the cabinets, Alex also had to remove the two faux drawers that were in front of the old inset sink.

Next up will be cutting the wood countertop slabs to size!

The countertops have to be installed before we can add in the new sink in since it sits on the top of the counters, kind of like this....
Image via Houzz
So, I better get back to work assisting my hubby while he does most of the work (sad but true). I see lots of sawdust in our future, ugh!  I can't wait to have a sink in the kitchen again though!!!

I will be taking another work trip pretty soon, so Alex might be at the blog helm for a while but he/we will do our best to keep you updated on the progress!  I'll have more on my travels soon, so see you then! 

Wheels Up & India Bound

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As I mentioned in Monday's post, I will be travelling for work this week and next so you will be hearing a post or two from Mr. Hammers and High Heels (Alex is a good sport about his nickname).

It's kind of crazy that this will be my 4th trip to China and 2nd to India (here's a link to photos from trip #2).  Even through my focus is work, I love any little moment where I can take in the culture and experience things I never dreamed I would get to.

Gotta love the little champagne glasses when you board the plane right?!?
 We headed out from Minneapolis to Amsterdam and our next stop for a few days is New Delhi, India.  I hope to share some photos or videos soon.  Until then, alvida!

Head Over Heels DIY Friday: "Oiling and Lotioning".... The Countertops

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Welcome to a sort of goofy DIY Friday post...  I didn't have an extra DIY project (aside from the kitchen) going on before I left for India, so instead I thought it'd be fun to share one of the silly stories from our kitchen project with you, hope you still enjoy!

I think most couples out there would agree that not every moment during a house project is warm & rosey.  There are moments of frustration, bickering, cursing, or even minor injuries. Thankfully, we seem to be good at filling those moments with humor which leads to my story....

In our last kitchen redo post, we shared that the kitchen had been torn up and we were ready to cut and install the countertops.   The other thing going on at the same time was our discussion regarding the countertop seal vs. treatment oil.  Alex and I decided to go with the recommended Behandla wood treatment oil for our Numerar countertops.  The product description states that it "Protects the wood, both on the surface and in depth; gives the surface a fine luster and prolongs the products life." 
Alex and I weighed the pros & cons of this versus the Waterlox (or other brand) sealant route and decided that this is fits best for us.  We know that using the oil will require more maintenance but we wanted to keep the natural wood look instead of having the glossy wood look.  Based on internet research I know that not everyone will agree with our decision, but like I said it's our kitchen and it will work for us. We can always sand and seal them in the future if we change our minds as well.

So, after Alex cut each section of the countertops and got them installed (Alex action shot!)...

It was time to apply the wood treatment oil, which is where my fun began!  Why?  Well, I am a nerd and watched probably waaaaay too many movies growing up because as Alex applied the oil I could not stop myself from repeating, "Oiling and lotioning, lotioning and oiling!!!!"

And that is all because of the movie The SandlotAhhh, it was one of my favorite movies as a kid (I hope some of you out there agree?).
Who can forget the Beast, or Benny the Jet Rodriguez, and my personal favorite Squints.  One of the most memorable moments in the movie is when he makes out with the lifeguard he has a crush on- Squints had a thing for 'older' women as a kid I guess?
The full quote from the movie is "I've been coming here every summer of my adult life, and every summer there she is oiling and lotioning, lotioning and oiling... smiling.  I can't take this no more"  Then he fakes downing in the pool so Wendy tries to save him and gives him mouth to mouth...  You get the idea of the whole scene.

Anyway, while Alex applied four coats of the oil on our new countertops I think I said "Oiling and lotioning, lotioning and oiling!!!! .... Oiling and lotioning, lotioning and oiling!!!! (pause) Oiling and lotioning, lotioning and oiling!!!! (longer pause) Oiling and lotioning, lotioning and oiling!!!! (pause)  Oiling and lotioning, lotioning and oiling!!!! (super long pause) I can't take it anymore!!!!"-  until my poor hubby couldn't take it anymore.  He was applying oil and I guess that quote was all I could think of apparently?  But hey, at least he got through applying all those coats even though I was driving him crazy :)

And now, I really want to watch The Sandlot... haha!!!  So I know this was pretty silly, but I hope you were Head Over Heels for the story anyway! 

Have a great weekend, I am headed from New Delhi to Hong Kong tomorrow! Hope to share pics soon, but right now I just hope I sleep for eight hours non-stop!

A Day at the Market in India

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We've already left India and are staying in Hong Kong until this evening, then I head into China so I won't have any Facebook/ Blogger access (it is blocked in China).  Since I haven't had a chance to gather/edit photos, I'd love to share this video that shows a glimpse of our day shopping at the Delhi Haat Market in India.  I have a couple other videos from India that I hope to share soon, but I will likely be 'off the grid' until Saturday when we come back to Hong Kong.


I keep wondering what Alex has been up to while I have been away... hmmmm???

Anyway, enjoy the video!

Alone In The Kitchen

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With Carla out traveling for work, I am left here with the kids for a little DIY time. It’s funny; when Carla is out of town my DIY time typically includes late nights, loud music, and a lot of chatting with Rocco and Sadie. Honestly, I bet the neighbors wonder what the heck is going on over here when Carla’s gone.
With all of that excitement going on in our little Dutch Colonial, I bet you’re probably wondering how that Kitchen Project of ours is coming along since Carla last mentioned it here… Well, I’m pleased to say that it’s moving along nicely and we even managed to get the sink installed before she left – that was kind of my going away gift for her (and me).

Typically I try to tackle a surprise project while Carla is traveling but, she already knows what I have in store this time – Tile Backsplash!! With the sink installed, and the counter tops “lotioned and oiled” it means we’re getting really close to having a whole new look in our kitchen. It also meant that I had a trip to Home Depot planned because we had already decided that the best look for our spruced up kitchen space would be white subway tiles. This should help to brighten up the area and compliment our new Domsjo apron sink too! Hopefully I won’t run into any road blocks along the way, and will manage to have this project completed before Carla gets back on Sunday.

What do you think? Will the subway tiles look great with the hardwood counter tops and apron sink?
Wish me luck…I think I’m making fairly good progress and who knows; I may even have a small special project planned as a surprise.
I'll try to get another update in before Carla returns too. Hope you're having a great week!

Head Over Heels DIY Friday: Home Decor from Around the World

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Hello and happy Friday from Shenzhen, China!  I only have one more day left on my business trip before I head home to Alex and the pups (I can't wait!).  But I just couldn't miss a DIY Friday post during my time away!  Since I haven't been home tinkering with any projects, I thought I'd ask you for ideas for creating home decor with things I have from my China & India trips.

First, I have this little booklet of beautiful handmade Chinese paper cuttings (isn't the amount of detail crazy?!?)  I got this as a gift from a co-worker in China  and just loved it!  There are so many things I could do with the cut paper images, I just haven't been able to decide on one.  I would love to make something pretty that we could use for wall decor, so maybe frame them?  There are about 10 or 12 in the booklet so organzing them for framing has been tricky too, hmmmm.

Next is this printed cloth I picked up during my market shopping in India.  I loved the authentic feel of it and the fact that it's fabric and not paper.  I thought it might challenge me to do something other than just framing it and sticking it on a wall but, the fabric might have me stumped now.  I still think it is beautiful though and I hope I can find a way to display it.

I just love having beautiful reminders around our home of the beautiful places we've been able to see (like our framed photos from Croatia).  A glance at artwork or a photo always gets my mind going on fun memories!

Let me know if you have any fun ideas for turning these items into home decor/ artwork!  I hope someone will have an idea that I will be Head Over Heels for!

That way I can get started on a project right when I get home, LOL!  Have a great weekend everybody!  

Back Home & I'm Already Getting Into Trouble

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I am finally back from my trip to India, Hong Kong, and China (not to mention a day trip to Macau!).  The trip was timed perfectly so that I arrived home on Alex's 29th birthday to help him celebrate!
Alex made some major headway on the kitchen project during the time I was gone(you can see a bit of the finished subway tile in the above photo), but we have another slab of butcher block we need to purchase and install before I can take after photos.  I know that part stinks (wa-wa $), but I am just happy to have most of the kitchen in working order... including my beautiful new apron sink and faucet! 

Sadly though, on just my second day home I got in trouble with the new kitchen police Alex for stacking up dirty dishes in the new fancy pants sink....
Again, wa-wa... but actually, I thought this was hilarious because I used to get in trouble for "loading the dishwasher incorrectly".  Alex would often remove the dishes I loaded and load them back in the "correct" location in the dishwasher.  Ahhhh, love, marriage, and the quirks of sharing a home right?!?!  Oh, also hilarious- Alex can't ever seem to locate invisible or scotch tape, just the blue painters tape.  For some reason it always makes me giggle :)

Anyway, we might be a week or so away from finishing the kitchen before I can get after photos, so this week I plan to share some of my trip photos with you!  Heck, you can't go around the world and not share some of the journey right? 

I'll be working on gathering up those photos as I get back into my routine!  Hope you will enjoy a glimpse of my trip with me!  Until then keep your fingers crossed for me, I hope to keep out of trouble with the kitchen commando! Ha!

Photos, Videos, Food, Fun, and Long Drives in India!

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The India portion of my trip seems like so long ago already, but was fun to take a look back though.  I hope you will enjoy some of these photos, videos, and stories with me!  Here we go....

First highlight, the India Gate!!!  On my last trip to Delhi, I was so bummed that I didn't get a photo by the India Gate or really, a clear photo in general of it.  This time we were able to stop and snap a couple photos but sadly it was from a far distance since the Indian Army was practicing for the Republic Day ceremony. 
We thought we had to just stay behind that "Delhi Police" gate but ended up getting in trouble for being there in general. The police shooed us back into our taxi.  At least I got my photo though!!!!

We didn't have time to see much else as far as tourist-y architecture but I loved these sites from our van.


Since I mentioned our van, that is where we spend a lot of our time on our business trips so this is what that looks like....  

For the most part it's pretty dang boring but also pretty eye-opening to get a feel of life for lots of the people in India.  They don't really have a middle class, there's a class of extremely wealthy or extremely poor.



Here's a video version of theview from the van...

Honestly, some of it is incredibly hard to see and understand, and I don't think I am educated enough to speak to their government and culture so I will leave it at that.  One thing I do know for certain is that traffic is RIDICULOUS in or around Delhi.  There's not much sense to the driving and the flow of traffic, can you imagine four hours of this....

Sidenote: did you catch the guy staring at me around the 15 second mark? That happened a lot when we sat in traffic, it was strange! 

I think it takes an hour to go 10 miles in India sometimes.  It is kind of maddening, those moments of our trips are when I think, "I never want to do this again, ever."   

-BUT-    Even now I know I would do it again :)  Especially when I get to look back on the cultural moments and experiences (the fun stuff). I mentioned our visit to the Delhi Haat market while I was still on the trip but here's a few more photos of the goodies in the market...

We also decided to get Henna done before we left.  I think Henna is a fun experience and also a sort of souvenir that stays with you for a week or two.  Instead of both sides of my hand (last time), I only did the outside this time since it takes 2-3 hours to dry and set in. 

I love each unique design and how fast they can apply it!  It reminds me of cake frosting kind of, ha!  Here's a video...


Now, as far as food goes I admit that Indian food in general isn't my favorite but I did discover two new favorites- Paneer and Gulab Jamun!
Gulab Jamun is almost like a warm donut with syrup but it is curdled milk solids kneaded into dough.  I know that sounds weird but it is pretty yummy stuff!  Paneer is also made of curdled milk or soft cheese, I know it looks weird/goo-like and sounds kind of weird but again surprisingly delicious!

As the India portion of our trip came to an end, we checked out of the Imperial Hotel...


But, before we headed out to the airport for Hong Kong, we noticed a celebration of some sort starting to happen...
 
From what I found online (which may or may not be accurate), it was a Lohri celebration which is common in Northern India.  Lohri signifies the harvesting of the Rabi crops and marks the end of winter.  I took a couple videos to share the feel of the celebration, it was pretty neat!

The typical celebration includes music, dancing, traditional foods, and throwing puffed rice or popcorn in the fire.  I found that after popcorn or other foods are thrown in, one traditional/custom is to say "Aadar aye dilather jaye"(may honor come and poverty vanish!) which is a prayer to Agni, the fire god, to bless the land with abundance and prosperity.

I have to say that celebration made for a perfect way to end our stay in India!  Hope you enjoyed that little glimpse!

I'll be back tomorrow for DIY Friday then I'll share some of Hong Kong, China and Macau!  Somewhere soon we'll have the kitchen done too (hopefully)!  Hope you'll swing back for all that fun stuff, good night for now!

Head Over Heels DIY Friday: Valentine Ideas (and Cheese) To Heart

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I don't know about you, but I still miss Christmas a little bit.  Our house just feels empty with out the decor (yes still) and I think I miss the whole 'spirit' that goes with the holidays.  Anyone else feeling that?  I can't think of any better way to combat that than embracing Valentine's Day!!!  In my heart and within our home of course :)

I started looking for fun decor/gift ideas and I am amazed at some of the unique ideas I stumbled upon!  Seriously, I found great DIY ideas stretching all the way from heels to hot dogs, ha!  Here's the DIYs I heart the most...

Which ideas are you Head Over Heels for too?


Now, I also have to tell you that I enjoyed a fabulous Friday off of work today!  I didn't even check work email, aahhhh!!!!  So I had a lot of fun surfing around for those Valentine ideas along with cleaning the house, a cold run with the doggies, and doing oh-so-needed laundry.  But the highlight of my day had to be this...

Oh yea.  A visit to Trader Joes to restock my cheese supply.  Oh heavenly cheese!!!!  I missed it a lot during my trip and when I got home our supply was pretty low.  I was so happy while shopping for cheese that I took this picture, haha!

Anyway, now I want some cheese and then I'm heading off to bed early!  Perfect Friday for me, I hope yours was splendid as well and have a great weekend!!!

The Home Stretch To-Do Today!

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The kitchen is coming together!  We're onto our last and final step in our kitchen redo- adding a slab of butcher block to the dividing wall between the kitchen and dining room!  Here's a look at where we need to place it...
Ooooo weeee!  Doesn't that white subway tile look nice????  Alex did a nice job finishing up all the tilework while I was away (here's a link to that post if you missed it).
It really WOW-ed me when I got home, I'd love to show you all of it now but it'd be better when we can get the full 'after' effect once we finish cutting and installing this section of the countertops. 

We're pretty sure this used to be a full wall separating the kitchen and dining room, I think the previous owner was the one that opened up this wall.
Even though it isn't original to the traditional Dutch Colonial layout I am glad that it is open between the two rooms.  It's a pretty nice feature for modern day living and entertaining :) We weren't 100% sure that we should add countertop here or some white wood to compliment the wainscoting.  But in the end, it made sense to have the wood countertops since we were used to having the laminate countertop there anyway. 

So, that is our big to-do today.  We have the new section of the Numerar wood countertop to cut, install, and start "oiling & lotioning" of course (make sure you read this post if you have no idea what I am talking about, it's a good one).

The next kitchen post will be the 'after' photos and I will have some Macau & China photos next too!  Hope you enjoy the rest of your Sunday, anyone else going to catch the SAG awards/red carpet later today?  I hope we're done working on the kitchen by then, I love the red carpet action, how about you?!?

We Did Macau & Macau Did Us

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Our day trip to Macau was totally unplanned.... being spontaneous is a thrill right?!?  We certainly thought so, until it backfired on us.  Here's what went down on our visit to Macau...

We finished up the India leg of our trip and arrived early on a Sunday morning in Hong Kong.  Being a Sunday, we didn't have any meetings lined up for work (click here for my first trip post) and had to figure out what to do with our day.... Oh the possibilities!!! 

We read in a travel magazine on the flight over that Macau was only an hour ferry boat ride from Hong Kong and everyone quickly jumped on board with the day trip idea.  After all, it was a whole new location to add onto our trip!  We left our hotel and bought round trip tickets on the Turbo Jet ferry to Macau.  
Since they sell tickets with assigned seating, we had to choose our return time when we left Hong Kong. I can't remember exactly but I think we left on the 11:30am and chose the return for 6:30pm (had to mention that part since it has a lot to do with the story).

Once we got to Macau the excitement began!

Well okay, no excitement right away.  Instead, we had to hover around an island map for what seemed like an hour to figure out where to go/ what to see.  Lesson learned- tis' best to have a plan or rough idea of attractions beforehand - BUT - we were taking a stab at being spontaneous!!!!

We decided to see Our Lady of Penha Chapel first. 

The Chapel sits on top a of hill with amazing views of the city.

It was interesting looking out into the downtown area from the church.  Sort of like looking out at the newer-modern world while standing back in an older world.

I thought every old-world detail along with the lush landscaping was just breathtaking....

... Along with the beautiful views of Macau of course! 
We took in a last look of the church and then headed back down the hill to our next stop, the A-Ma Temple (and a search for lunch).

There were so many beautiful sites during our walk from the Chapel to the Temple.

This mural had to be my favorite though, it had such a fun and colorful spirit!


Have you noticed through the photos that there's a mix of Chinese and European cultures in Macau? 

Turns out, Macau is a former Portuguese colony administered from the mid 16th century until 1999 when it was the last remaining European colony in China. The Portuguese influence was visible just about everywhere. The city streets in the older part of the city had a European look and feel to them....


... And I think we found the BEST Portuguese restaurant to enjoy lunch at called O Porto Interior.  I don't think I've ever had Portuguese food before but oh my goodness, it was soooooooo delicious!
The Macau Blonde Ale only made our lunch more amazing!  Who knew Macau's beer would be a Blonde Ale?  I wonder if I could find that anywhere in the US, hmmmm?

After our tummies were full and happy, we headed over to the A-Ma Temple.

The A-Ma Temple is the oldest temple in Macau built in 1488.  The entrance is a large boulder with ancient engravings.
The smell of incense filled the air as there was plenty burning in front of the main shrine dedicated to Kun Lam.

It was incredibly beautiful walking up to the top of the temple.

 Nearby boulders on the walk up had red Chinese characters evoking gods or to make prayers.

The peak of the Temple was very peaceful.  For being a tourist attraction I was surprised by the calm feeling I felt standing there. 


When we finished our visit at the Temple, we planned to head to the old city center of Macau... and that's where our day trip turned a bit sour. 

We were able to hail two tuk-tuks/trishaws (basically a pedi-cab in the US) to take us but thought they wanted to charge us $20 US for each ride.  We thought that was crazy expensive and told them we would get a cab instead.  Well, that was a BIG MISTAKE.
We ended up walking along the busiest street by the Temple trying to hail a cab for over a half hour until we ended up by that busted scary looking building above.  We didn't know exactly where we were and weren't sure if we could find the old city center, or heck- even make it back to the Ferry Terminal in time to catch our Turbo Jet. 

It was a bummer, we only got to see two tourist sites and had to give up (wa-wa).  Feeling desperate, we ended up hopping on a random hotel's shuttle bus that had a sign on it that said "Ferry Terminal".  We just hoped that we would end up back in time to catch our boat. 

For giggles we taped this video on the shuttle bus so we could remember the moment forever!  Never be too cheap to pay for a ride when you don't know where you are :)

So my visit to Macau wasn't the greatest, but I intend to have a do-over in the (hopefully) near future.   
We will meet again Macau!!!!


I'll have one last trip post from China/Hong Kong, then the kitchen 'after's!  Alex is adding the last pieces of trim to the counter tonight!!!!

Our Completed Kitchen Makeover! Before & Afters of Our New Countertops and Sink!

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Our latest kitchen update is complete!  The new countertops, backsplash, sink and faucet are all up & running! 

Get ready for some 'before' and 'after' photo action!!!  Here's where we started soooo long ago...

... and how things are looking now!  I can't believe how far the space has come along, I'm so in love! 

Our project started about a month ago when we realized we had to ditch the old sink and laminate countertops once and for all.

We had been dreaming of adding butcher block countertops and an apron sink since we bought the house. 
So we spent a wonderful evening gathering the Numerar countertops and Domsjo sink from Ikea.  Then picked up our faucet and other project supplies from Home Depot.

After we got everything home the fun began when Alex started tearing up the kitchen.

It was very exciting but it was rough being without a kitchen sink for four days.  Alex had to use that time to cut and install the wood countertops.

Once those were installed, Alex completed the "oiling & lotioning" step as we like to call it.


Ugh!  I'm so in love with the new tile!  I didn't even know Alex was going to add it next to the oven (where we had the faux vintage plastic tiles before), it was such a nice surprise! 

The white tiles just look so crisp and clean!


So here's how everything turned out!

To quote Outkast it just looks "so fresh and clean" right?!?!   Haha, just kidding but the song keeps coming to mind when I look at these pictures.  I'm so happy with how this DIY redo project turned out!

The kitchen countertops and sink were the last big things that we wanted to fix on the main floor of our house.  The laminate always felt like it screamed "I need to be replaced" and now with the butcher block it just looks fresh and updated.  I finally feel like our kitchen is a space we can be proud of!

So, what do you think of the new look in our kitchen?

What new decor elements should I add to compliment the new look?

Click here to see all of our Kitchen & Nook project posts

Head Over Heels DIY Friday: Winter in Home Sweet Homewood

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We live in North Minneapolis.  It's a simple statement but to local folks that statement often met with confusion and concern.... which is unfortunate (and a bit annoying).  North Minneapolis as a whole doesn't have a great reputation- and yes some parts have certainly earn that poor reputation, but honestly there are plenty of wonderful  neighborhoods that are nothing like what locals think of when they hear "North Minneapolis".   One of those neighborhoods is our home sweet Homewood.

There's something incredibly special about this little neighborhood we found in North Minneapolis and I felt like sharing some it with you today.  Although winter is not my favorite season (-2 today but feels like -25, yuck!) it brings out all the charm of Homewood.  So, I hope you'll enjoy this "DIY" glimpse of our neighborhood through my camera lense. 

Aren't the homes just beautiful?  They all look so warm & cozy covered in fluffy white snow!

You might remember in my post about our neighborhood's history that these stone pillars were erected to mark the exclusivity of Homewood.  Everytime I walk by them all I can think about is the history around me and stories of the people who lived here.


Farwell Park is a couple blocks from us and it looks so peaceful in the wintertime.  Much different in the warm seasons when it is filled up with kids from the neighborhood!  Our nephew enjoys playing here when he visits too!

Speaking of parks, just over the Plymouth bridge is Theodore Wirth Park....

It's funny to think we have a ski chalet a few blocks away, but it's a lot of fun in the winter!  Theodore Wirth is mainly a golf course in the summer but in the winter it's buzzing with winter sports including cross country skiing, snowshoeing, tubing, and more! 

It's just so pretty isn't it?  Even though I am freezing right now these photos make me feel all warm and fuzzy!  I heart Homewood!


I really hope you enjoyed a stroll through Homewood with me!  Are you Head Over Heels too?

Be sure to take a look at our new countertops, sink, faucet and backsplash in our kitchen if you haven't already!  Have a great weekend everybody!
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