Graduation Open House

Guys, I can finally breathe again! We are behind on sign orders and I have lots of email follow through with clients that I can't seem to catch up on, but most of Kennedy's graduation actitivies are  behind us now and while I can't say I completely enjoyed the preparation and house maintenance projects that we haphazardly completed leading up to her open house, I am so glad that we chose to host it early and that now we can enjoy the open houses of her friends without concern for hers. 

Taking the advice of a more seasoned parent and client of mine, I chose to have her open house on the Thursday night before graduation. We had a beautiful evening weather-wise in spite of a quite dismal forcast earlier in the week and a great turn out of people!

Her only request for the entire event was that we served her favorite food-donuts! I called around and the most reasonably priced place for 15 dozen was "Good Time Donuts" in Holland. 

I ordered chocolate and vanilla frosted cake donuts with yellow sprinkles as her fave color is yellow. 

I stuck to the yellow/white/navy theme throughout because it was easy to pull together and seemed cheery for the occasion. 

I found this metal stand at a garage sale two weeks prior to the night and Ken cut me the barn wood to fit so I could stencil this:

 My friend DC, and my sis Cherie, were excellent caterers that evening and refilled the food trays when they were looking empty. 
We kept it simple and ordered six 6 foot party subs from Walmart in Grand Haven. We usually order them from there because they precut them into platters. Guests were going off about how tasty they were. I was so glad that worked out and it was super simple. We had one entire six foot sub left over, but that meant we ate 5 six footers that night!

When our friends and family entered our garage, some commented that they had never seen the walls and floor before! It is always a complete and utter disaster!! They thought we had installed all new cupboards! Nope...just cleaned it up! Truth be told, a few hours before the party, we were hauling all our junk over to our neighbors garage to stash out of sight! :)

 I got my friend Sony's donut hole (french puff) recipe and made the dough ahead. I froze the dough and rolled them out that morning. I scattered them around the tables and used them as centerpieces on the outdoor tables. 

 The sign was Kennedy's senior quote she chose for her yearbook picture. 

 I used an old door to display her more current photos of family/friends tacking them up with push pins and vintage flash cards.

 Here, I copied a client of mine who had Ken make a rustic frame for an old bed spring she ordered online. I think she saw the idea in Pottery Barn, but we did the same thing using a vintage crib bedspring. Ken framed it and I stained it classic grey and hung pics with clothespins. It's for sale in the booth now.

 We rented a 20x20 tent from Taylor Rental along with four large tables and chairs. This worked out well as people did sit there throughout the evening in order to stay out of the sun/heat.

 Kennedy had asked my sister, Cherie to make her special tissue paper flowers that we could use in various places for a pop of color. Cherie spent ALL DAY doing that for her. What a gift. We hung them in the corners of the tent and used them as centerpieces on the tables. 

Just for fun and to add some more yellow and white, I ordered ten striped beach balls online to float in the pool. Who would've known they were a hit with the little kids who came and became something for them to play with while their parents visited?

 I tried setting up drinks and more pics in the backyard so people wouldn't stay stuck in the garage. I wanted the food set up inside but wanted things outside to draw people into the yard.

 This garden bench I spraypainted navy for the occasion and will be listed in the booth soon. :)

 This drink stand is currently for sale in the booth. My sister gave this to me last year. It was used as a potting bench in the garage of one of her cottage rentals. we took the top off of it and Ken made a tray to hold drinks for the party. We lined it with pop cans and dumped ice over the whole thing. The ice melted quickly and we knew it would, so we intentionally put it in the grass area. 

 I wanted to show you some pics of my friend Alison's work on her sister's brunch open house the Saturday following ours. 
I thought it was so classy and tasteful with the pink and white theme.

 Here we are at the Baccalaureate service. It was a great night celebrating God's faithfulness in Kennedy's life. 
I have surprised myself these past few weeks. I've held it together better than I did for both of my older nephews. 
I think it's been such a whirlwind, I haven't had time to process that in less than two months, she will be leaving for Azusa Pacific California to attend college out there. Ken and I are still working out the details on how we will get her there and what exactly the 'good bye' will look like, and I may lose it then, but I am so excited for the person she has become, the choices she has made and Lord willing, the bright future ahead. Thanks for letting me share a bit of this life season with you. Stay tuned for the tears. :)

 I dropped off loads of party favors and treasure last week after the event. Cleaning house and attic over here again. Head into Not So Shabby soon to see what's left!

 Brecken hugging Kennedy

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Random Wednesday Ramblings

I had great intentions of posting last week and even had a blog entry ready to called "Throwback Thursday Laundry Room"...well, it's now Wednesday of the following week and we'll move on to the next random thought strand...which these days are short and unfocused. 

I have been comfortably busy this spring working on lots of remodels with you fabulous Champs while simultaneously prepping for Kennedy's graduation open house, which somehow turned into scrambling to complete house projects that haven't made the priority list in a few years (repainting the South side of our house which had faded, repairing cracked and peeling stucco, re-staining the back deck, repainting the garage, replacing wood trim in the garage, power spraying the cement patio and walkways, etc, etc.

. 

I knew that by hosting the open house here, it would put pressure on us (KEN-with lots of help from this nagging wife) to finally finish these unappealing tasks and I knew exactly what I was doing! :) It feels good to have those maintenance type of things checked off the list, but now...to actually plan the party. :)

I have asked for accountability from some of my closest friends to monitor me along the way. By that I mean, I do NOT want this open house to look like a Pinterest Page exploded in my backyard. 

Of course, that's what I REALLY want it to look like in my head, but in my heart, I know that would make this party more about me than it is about her, and I don't want to be 'that mom'.

I'm "that mom" so much of the time...overbearing, overly loud, overly involved, over-committed, over the top, that I promised myself that I would focus on the milestone of the event...the accomplishments of my daughter..not my flair for centerpieces. 

I will post pics afterward and let you be the judge of that but in the meantime, here's some random pics of some projects that are in various stages:

This ranch remodel was so much "FUN" to work on-I have "fun" in quotes because there were so many snafus along the way, the homeowners, my contractor Travis and I didn't know which end was up half the time. but we pulled it off and I have memories of it being one of my all time faves! 

The homeowner Kyle, missed his calling as a stand up comedian and luckily we could laugh at all the mishaps (none of which were ever our fault). Seriously, none were and we enjoyed the fact that we could find a little humor joking about the incompetence of others. Mean but true. 

This flooring below was one of them...I had the tile installers walk off the job upon my request because they pretty much couldn't guarantee me that this flooring could be installed right. They were worried that there would be large gaps where the grout lines would be much thicker than other areas. I ran it by my client (homeowner, Tauna) and we both agreed that we could live with imperfection in exchange for the size of this hex tile which was so cool. They came back the following day and in the end it turned out great! Any minor imperfections we call 'the artisan look'. :)

The cabinets below used to be oak. We had them painted "Kendall Charcoal" by Benjamin Moore. 

At the time this pic was taken, we were still waiting for the mirror, which we had framed out and painted our trim color. 

This is such a dark pic but I wanted to show you the cool valance that connected these new cabinets in their kitchen. Really pretty way to bridge the gap.

 All cabinets for this job were ordered from Starlite Kitchen and Bath in Byron Center. 

 This area in the lower level wasn't even slated to be finished this go round, but Tauna and I talked Kyle into doing it while everything else was under construction as opposed to later having to track through a brand new main level. I'm pretty sure he's glad we did.
(debacle number 1,002 is that the quarz countertops were installed wrong...the kitchen counter was laid down in the lower lever (here below) and the LL counters were installed in the kitchen! I have never had that before! We ended up being okay with how the lower level turned out in spite of it and we chalked it up to a happy mistake, but we did make them replace the upstairs kitchen. That one didn't work at all in there! So both kitchens now have the same countertops, but they look completely different because of the selections/finishes that are next to them.

 Sorry it's so blurry but you get the idea.

 We used sliding barn doors in a couple of different locations. I am hoping to designate an entire lengthier post to this project. It will be worth the wait. We just ordered furniture and I will get back over there to show you the rest. 

Fun orb light that ordered for ambiance lighting above the stairwell leading to the lower level. 

We had the main floor guest bath wallpapered in a fun geometric print.  I'll get a pic soon of the mirror we added.

Many more pics from this project to come....

Switching gears....I haven't really been painting for clients this past year as things were just getting too nuts with the business (too many different irons in the fire) so that was one thing that just had to give. 

However, I couldn't say no to this young soon-be-mom who wanted me to recreate a certain look on a dresser that she had seen somewhere online. 

Here was the dresser before:

 This is the after:

 BEFORE:

 AFTER:

I used a dark brown espresso paint for the base and then painted the base a charcoal grey, which I rubbed off slightly before it dried completely. I painted the drawers and knobs a mustard yellow which I sanded down with a sanding pad. I then topped it with a provincial stain by Minwax. She was happy with how it turned out and the transformation almost made me miss my former painting career....but not quite enough to ramp it up again. :)

Just a reminder to you that this week Saturday May 21 from 9-2 downtown Zeeland is hosting it's annual Peddler's Market on Church Street. Ken and I aren't participating this spring, which we're bummed about because we just love this market, (and Zeeland) but we just couldn't swing it with all we have to do to help get Kennedy's Senior year all wrapped up. We are hoping to make product for the fall market in September. 
Stay tuned...
Enjoy the rest of your week!! 

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DIY envy!

Happy Monday! It's sunny and warm and beginning to look and feel like spring has officially sprung!

I am making frequent stops to my booth at Not So Shabby and it seems like every time I fill it, I need to make another restocking trip. It's a great problem to have and it makes me look forward to garage/estate sale season!

We didn't hit many sales last year, but this year I am anxious to see what I can find!

Ken and I elected not to participate in Zeeland's annual amazing upcoming Peddler's Market. We've participated since the beginning but will sit this one out in order to make sure our focus is on Kennedy and her graduation. We hope to be back at it for the fall market. 

Check out the new library table I just brought in. It actually extends for more seating and is painted a soft white. $225 I'm slowly getting rid of my door, shutter and window collection. So look for more of those architectural salvage items in the weeks to come.

 Last week, I had a crazy sign making week. It felt good to get last week's orders finished after putting in almost two solid days of cutting, painting and stenciling. Here are a couple I can show you. The others are gifts and I have to let some time pass before I post, so I don't ruin the surprise. 

 Last Friday, my Mom and I made a road trip to the east side of the state where she was raised. We spent some time sorting through and cleaning the house where she used to live. My Grandma no longer lives there, but as you can see, had some pretty bold taste in the 1970's when this wallpaper was hung. I told Mom to leave it as when they list it as someone might appreciate the mid-century modern vibe of the cabinets and furniture in adjacent rooms. Go Grandma! 

And last but certainly not least, I got a text update from a wonderful couple that has hired me for some direction a few times when looking to update some interior spaces. When I first met them, we worked on a sunroom/dining area and new paint colors for some rooms. This last time, was a kid's bath remodel now that the kids are no longer living at home. 

I love these people!! Lou and Lisa...you are so fun to work with and have incredible taste and DIY skills!! 

 I take very little credit for this project. We met on site several months ago, they asked a few questions, we met again for tile selections and confirmation on vanity and wall treatments and away they went. 
Fast forward to yesterday when I received these pics texted to me. I asked for permission to blog about them because they did ALL the demo work, tile installation, flooring, painting and accessorizing. I told them to look out, because after seeing these pics, people will inquire if they're available for hire!


They wanted to incorporate subway tile somehow, and I suggested doing an entire wall of it to really offset the beautiful texture and rustic nature of the vanity. The flooring is actually tile, not wood and we used 12x24 rectangular tiles from Duca for the tub surround. 
The vanity and matching mirror were ordered from Williams Kitchen and Bath.

Hoping to have some graduation party ideas up next as this is where my head is at these days. I think I made it through last week only having cried twice about her leaving. Maybe I'll be all cried out come August. :) See you back here soon. 

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