Our new house

When we moved in to our new house it was both creepy and smelly. We took a chance and got very lucky. We were able to have stinky carpets removed and replaced with laminate, our kind parents helped us clean the whole house and paint half of it, and we made a few furniture purchases that made it functional.

Some before

Some afters (in progress, really)

Ikea Ektorp corner sofa, craigslist $400

Coffee table, from my childhood home (dad made it)

Rug, Winners $79.99

Throws, Ikea $10-30

Knit grey pillow, Ikea $20

Faux Sheepskin, Ikea $15

Wall colour: Crystal, Home Depot

Lamp, Winners $17

Cardboard side table, my own silly art project

Painting the fireplace made the biggest difference of all!

Lack Sofa Table, Ikea $59.99

Yellow Chair, London Drugs $20

Table and chairs were a $150 craigslist find, rug was a hand-me-down. We will eventually paint the table all white and the chairs a different colour or shade.

The bedroom hasn't changed much from what my bedroom looked like in high school.

Instead of hating the ugly countertop I tried to find a complementary colour to make it work.

Not a pretty picture (not a pretty kitchen) but it illustrates how we made the kitchen functional by adding much needed storage and counterspace.

Pantry, Ikea $15!

Island, Ikea (hand me down)

Not pictured are the laundry room, backyard, office and second bedroom. We also painted the front door black to cover the peeling brown paint. Obviously everything is decorated for halloween so I will redecorate a bit and work on some other projects.

House to do list:

• De and Re-Caulk the bathtub
• Hang bamboo blinds in the living room
• Finish unpacking the random, leftover boxes
• Paint the upper half of the kitchen, the hallway, the closet doors and the baseboards
• The Nursery! (paint, window coverings, light fixture, furniture, decor)
• Fix the two, ugly, scratched up kitchen drawers (possibly cover with fabric or wallpaper)
• Organize the laundry room
• Organize and decorate the office a bit
• Hang more artwork on the walls
• Work on the backyard, salvage the yard-waste-stuffed compost, garden, get some patio furniture for spring, clean up the shed a bit
• Trim some branches on the many trees and shrubs in the front yard
• Paint exterior (property management company to do it they said in a few weeks, but something tells me we will be waiting until spring)