Just for fun

Compare what the old paint in the kitchen looked like to what the new and improved paint/decorating looks like. 

Remix, stage and redesign...

Hey everybody,

I'd planned to email to my mom, sister and best friend photos of my own personal little decorating reality show here in Jamestown. (In other words, how I've been decorating our house as we try to sell it.) But, being lazy, I decided to post them instead.

A. It's easier than emailing several people a bunch of photos.
B. This way you all can see it too.

Be sure to scroll down for all 11 photos. There's aslo two cute ones of Eli smiling that most of you haven't seen yet below that.

Design on a dime, Holly style

This is, of course, the master bedroom. (The bed is tucked into the dormer, I believe it's called, where the window sticks out from the slanted roof, so it looks like a smaller room than it is.) Previously there was a dark blanket hung over this window since I work nights and slept in mornings. Not wanting to spend money on curtins but not wanting the blanket thing to scare off buyers I put up some lace ones my grandma gave me. When we move I want to get some blue or navy blue curtins (less frufroo) to go with the bedspread we got for our wedding.

I've been watching too many of those redecorating/sell your house shows and am obsessed with making our house look inviting and homey to prosective buyers. So I've been decorating as cheaply as I can. Funny how I didn't really feel I should spend money decorating until we decided to sell it. Now all those projects I wanted to get done, are getting done.

Examples:

I finally framed two prints that go with our bedspread in our bedroom. (frames not shown) I'd had the prints, which I bought for 50 cents each at an antique store that has snice burned to the ground, for about a year.

The kitchen is repainted, obliterating the perky yellow and blue that clashed with the new dining room paint.

My mom sewed new curtins for the kitchen to replace the ones that were there. When we repainted the old ones just didn't match anymore.

I finally put up some framed "prints" in the kitchen. See note below to see how I saved moeny on that...

These pics are all out of order. Doh.

Anyway, here's a pic of the material I want to recover our dining room chairs with. It's the same material shown below next to the wall that I'm using for cloth napkins. I like it, it's not perfect, but it's the closest I've come to what I have in my head. Which, apparently, doesn't exist. Or not in North Dakota at least. 

Kitchen

I used things I had in our hutch to decorate this shelf. While we lived here it was jammed with cookbooks. The pic at the left is a cheap way to decorate. (See note below.) 

More of my design on a dime in the kitchen. The pics below Chad's ships are pages torn out of a 10 cent thrift store national geographic framed in $3 walmart frames. I wanted to redecorate without spending a lot of money and I must say, I'm pleased with the results.  

Here's the curtins my mom sewed to go with the new paint in the kitchen. My best friend Jen gave me design tips to choose a color for the material. And Chad and mom patiently helped me choose a material pattern, even though I was completely confused and indecisive. Mom did a great job, it looks exactly the way I wanted it to.

Mom also bought me this cute little pine cone decorative ball for Christmas. Doesn't it look nice hanging there?  

Here's the cloth I bought to sew cloth napkins to coordinate with the walls and new tablecloth. Of course, the colors are a bit off in the pic but you get the gist.  

Again, too many design shows. I set the table, complete with the new napkins, apples in a decorative bowl, wine glasses and candlesticks. I really like the way it looks.

Here's a close up of the table cloth I chose. I never would have thought I'd like this gold color, but it looks nice, it coordinates with everything else well.  

The perfect smile

Here's Eli smiling last weekend at our (better-late-than-never) Nordvick family Christmas. I took several shots to capure this grin. 

The "not quite" smile

Wonder what he's thinking of here? 

Wardrobe malfunction

Here's Chad at the party doing his Madonna impression. 

Here's Oliver, Jose and Penny. Eli isn't in the family pic, of course, but it's a nice one of the origional three.. 

Tio Chad and Eli

Here's Eli grinning up at Tio Chad right after he gave him his bottle. (Chad gave it to Eli, not Eli to Chad, LOL.) Eli is wearing the outfit my best friend Jen gave him. He looks like a cute bumble bee! 

Have his cake and eat it too!

Here's Oliver at his 3rd birthday. We looked the other way and Oliver and his cousin (who was also having his 3rd birthday) decided to take matters in their own mouths. They nibbled frosting right off the cakes sitting on the cake table. 

Three and a half weeks until....

So, the rumor is true.

I’ve accepted a job in Grand Forks. It’s two magazines, one about ethanol and the second on biodiesel. Grand Forks is closer to my parents, the same distance we are from Chad’s family and the same town where my best friend lives. Her three children are my niece and two of my nephews. (You all have seen pics of them under Oct. 11 in my archives.)

It’s exciting to think that I’ll be able to work the same hours as Chad, with no more holidays and weekends.

It’s also scary. Right now I’m looking for a cheap place to crash and planning to drive back to Jamestown on the weekends to be with Chad. He’s going to continue working here until the house is sold. Or until I have a mental breakdown and beg him to move to Grand Forks anyway. You know, whichever comes first.

I’m really hoping the house sells fast. Tomorrow Chad’s going to finish sanding the wood floors, we’d done the dining room but now the living room needs to match. And this weekend we’re going to paint like crazy. The whole kitchen needs to be repainted so it doesn’t clash anymore.

Well, I’m home sick today so that’s about all I’ve got. Must go back to sleep now.

Happy New Year

Chad and I had a really nice, relaxing weekend this weekend. I had to work for a few hours Sunday but got to stay home on Monday with Chad.

New Year's Eve is the anniversary of the day we met and started dating, three years ago now, so we always celebrate the same way we did that first time. By staying home and watching movies. After all the running around we did and will do for the holidays (the Nordvick family Christmas is yet to come) it's really nice to just relax.

Here's hoping you all had a wonderful holiday weekend. And best wishes of peace, prosperity and happiness for 2006!!