Bookshelf? What Bookshelf?

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 The R.R. Chronicles:

Chapter One.

The time I almost gave myself a concussion;

Because I decided after my seventh cup of coffee, to demo the floor-to-ceiling bookshelf in the kitchen, by myself.

 Yes, that is wood paneling, the whole kitchen has it.

 In this glamorous shot you will see all the important documents that fell behind the bookshelf throughout the decades.

 Luckily, I got to see the original carpeting that previously covered the forty four year old floor underneath the exceptionally heavy and obnoxiously beautiful bookshelf.

 Then I got to remove the absolutely gorgeous carpet from the floor, yay!

Words cannot express how sad I was to see it go.

Chapter 2.

The time I painted the whole kitchen white; 

Except for the amazing cabinets, which I love so much that I refuse to put anything in them because they smell like the best fragrance in the world; old people.

(See folks, positivity is a state of mind.)

Chapter 3.

The time when I was shopping for wallpaper to go on the dining room wall where the bookshelf once stood, RIP.

 This is the number one pick so far.

 Side note: I'm totally diggi'n that Beverly Hills look, and if I could legally marry a "look" I would totally propose to this "look," and marry it, and we would live happily ever after in our tricked out 90210 house.

Chapter 3.

 The time I hung up some curtains in the dining room with my age old trick; copper pipe.

 I use the pipes in place of the telescoping curtain rods.

1. It is a zillion times cheaper...no exaggeration.

2. Easy to find and get cut to your dimensions.

3. Holds up well, you can spray paint it any color you want. I still have to paint mine.

4. It looks cleaner and more custom than the telescoping rods.

5. People at the hardware store think you are a total DIY badass, which is the only reason I do anything.

6. One day when copper becomes extinct and junkyards are paying you $100 a foot for copper pipe you can trade in your amazing curtain rods and buy me a steak and lobster dinner at Kanki.

You can also get caps to go on the ends to finish it off. Most standard curtain rods are about 1/2" so buy that size and save money because for a 10' long piece you are only paying about $15.

The End.

Painting Dilemma At The Ranch

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In between unpacking an ungodly amount of boxes (holy cheese where did all this come from? I am such a hoarder) I have been slowly but surely painting the living room white, 

and I got a little bone to pick.

 I spent extra money on the green paint y'know that kind that doesn't smell and you could eat it and it wouldn't kill you, yeah.
I bought two gallons, surely I thought to myself, this will do the whole living room two coats and maybe even the hallway. I hate to say this to because I really, really, like the way I feel when I tell everyone how green I am; "OH ya all the paint is totally green because the environment and y'know, I got the reusable shopping bags too."

I really do care! My recycling bins are fuller than anyone else's on my street!

Maybe three walls, actually I only got 2 and three quarters of walls in TO-TAL. 

WHAT A RIP!

 Two gallons = 2 and 3/4 of painted wall. Granted I got two coats in all but still, that paint just doesn't go as far as the non-green kind and I still can't figure out why. I understand some of the cheaper paints are thinner and have less coverage, but I am talking about same caliber in terms of quality; one being environmentally friendly and one being the normal kind.  Mr. Ben Moore if you are listening...

Here are some white rooms to feast your eyes upon while I sort out my paint dilemma.

I chose white because we have so much art work and I wanted the get away from a "cluttery arty look" which is what I used to have in my last house, and move towards a "clean arty look"...these are professional design terms of course.

It took me awhile to decide on a good white, some of them have gold undertones some have blue undertones, ultimately I decided on Decorators White by BM. OMG!!! it is so perfect, perfect, perfect! It is warm, it is cool, it is whatever you want it to be baby.

The shelf detail with the marble in this picture is decadent. 

Seriously though,

 I would have that shelf crammed with crap after about a week. 

 I was so happy when I found this picture because I have almost that exact chandelier (bought at a thrift store) that I have been keeping in storage for years. Best believe I busted that thing out, I'm going to put that mother in my entry way.

I really like this kitchen, the waterfall White Carrara marble counter top, and the white flat front cabinets with the wood toekick, YUM. 

They took my idea with the candles on the table though. Mine have a nice layer of wax drippings all over them. If wax drippings hold memories, then mine have plenty of stories from all the weird convos that have taken place over dinner or a glass of vino. 

I find it slightly romantic that a candle could hold a memory.

See what I mean though, clean, bright, and crisp. This is the direction I am going currently with the R. Ranch.
 It's like American Psycho (for the modern), meets Amelie (for the quirky) mixed with Meet Joe Black (for the art), and a sprinkle of Clockwork Orange (for the retro.)

Bon weekend folks!

The Rosario Ranch - Our new Home

Pin It Ok, I am so in love with this house!Three bedroom and two bath. We moved in about a week ago and it has been a wonderful experience so far, besides the unpacking bit. Built back in the good old Mid Century days, it has it's little quirks. Just the other day Andy suggested we clean under the washer and dryer....this turned into me ripping up six layers, yes six, of linoleum. The list of future projects grows everyday.

 These pictures were taken by the Real Estate company and they used a fish eye lens which I think is kind of funny, but I wanted you to see pics of the house empty first.

 I would like to eventually paint the house maybe a warm grey with dark grey trim on the window moldings, and give it a bright yellow highgloss door or even a nice sea foam green door. The landscaping out front is going to get a major overhaul, I am thinking tropical plants and large flowering bushes. That cedar tree right next to the house will be removed, and normally I am so against tree removal, but that one is too close for comfort.

The windows are the best feature of this house, those triangular ones are my fav. The lawn definitely needs work, I am leaning towards landscaping the whole front yard with plants rather than grass mostly because the  front lawn is not very large and I hate mowing.

 I have been resisting the urge to take a sledgehammer to this kitchen. My brain has been rolling around different layouts for the space. I am leaning towards more of an "L" shaped work space, but I love the all white look. That floor has got to go. I am thinking white for that too. I have been doing a lot of research on commercial vinyl composite tile (VCT) in large formats like 24x24" because they are made from recycled material and they are totally green and Leed Certified. They are installed like tile but they are thinner, more durable, and no grout, can I get an amen!

 This is the Master bedroom, has two closets and a bathroom large enough for a double vanity. The bathroom is pretty updated with white tile and and new ceramic tile floor.

 This is one of the rooms with the triangle windows, there is one almost identical to it on the other side of the wall with the closet. Right now this room is filled with boxes, you can't even walk in there, but every time I shut the door I feel like the work is almost over, it is wonderful how I can trick myself into thinking that.

 Living room; There is actually one more window just a few feet down from these three. This was the major selling point for us. I am currently painting this room a bright white. We have so much artwork that it made the most sense.

Eating area in the same room as the kitchen; The bookshelf will go, not a fan of that gingerbread molding. I will most likely wallpaper there. The wall to the right will get a large five foot wide opening cut that goes into the living room for a more open feel. The room is large enough that I was able to extend my dining room table to over six feet long, bring it on Thanksgiving, I got seating for yo momma ya gran-momma and ya daddy!

The dogs are so happy too, they have a fenced in backyard so they have literally marked every stick and bush, and each time it rains they get to do it all over again, doggie paradise. They are much more calm and Pdiddy (the Pomeranian) hasn't done anything dumb or annoying in the last week, knock on wood.