And We're Back...

So after a month hiatus, I'm finally back to posting things on our house. We've done some small projects, but I've fallen behind on talking about them here. My fall goal is to continue posting things both big and small.

Over the week, Steph and I bought some really cheap picture frames from Hobby Lobby, which I thought would look perfect in the corner of our living room. It's a slow-going process, but the living room is really coming together, from the surprise wall color I chose to the third-time's-a-charm curtain selection.

Here's the before and after for the corner of the room. The lone clock no longer feels like it is on a sea of wall.

Before:

After:

Steph and I were both amazed at how adding five picture frames totally cozied up the corner. The next step is finding a way to add a new end table and getting rid of the four cubes that are just there. 

Seaport Paint

Steph and I have been busy with a number of small projects this week, everything from the office that will forever be in a constant state of fixing to attempting to reupholster a couple of chairs we found on the side of the street (Yes, I know. We've become those people). I'll be sure to document our attempts at the chair.  On Wednesday, I had the afternoon off, and I was given the go-ahead to buy some more paint. This time for the bathroom and our bedroom. We're thinking of trying something experimental with the bedroom, and we'll need to complete some tests before we're ready to actually paint the room. The bathroom, on the other hand, was ready to go. Just an FYI, here's what it looked like when we bought the house.

I've actually been really happy with the quality and shape of the bathroom. The shower, sink, and toilet (after I installed a new valve for the flusher) all work really well, and there is plenty of storage in the cabinet underneath the sink. The color just was really bland and didn't help to make the room stand out on its own.

We get some really good light in the room, and even though it's a smaller room we wanted to go with a darker color to make it have its own personality from the hallway, We also thought the beige-ish tile and white trim would complement a darker color nicely. After some time spent in the paint section of Lowes, we ended up purchasing a Valspar, Allen Roth color called Seaport. Here's what the room looks like now. 

There is a slight greenish hue, which works perfectly with our towels, and blue hue work well with the white trim. We also for the first time in our married lives have put up "art" in our bathroom: San Francisco ocean waves and Paris. 

Herb Gardening (shrunken)

One of my dreams since I graduated from school was having my own garden. I remember my childhood summers spent in the garden with my mom and brothers, hoeing the soil, canning vegetables, selling some to neighbors, etcs. So having a garden in the new house was a no-brainer, but because we moved into the house in mid-June, it was a bit too late to set up a full-fledged garden.

I decided a  good option this year was to create a micro-herb garden with three of my favorites: basil, parsley, and green onion (I know, the last isn't technically an herb). Taking a $3 ice bucket from Bed Bath and Beyond, I simply popped some holes underneath to let excess water escape, laid rock along the bottom, and fill it with soil.

A garden in a bucket

I've had the micro-garden for about two weeks now, and the herbs are already starting to sprout.

Basil and green onions are already sprouting

We should have some great, fresh options for pasta sauce ready to go by mid-August, I hope. Moreover, this is the perfect option to curb my desire for a garden this year.