Where the 'Magic' Happens

Sounds like an episode of 'Cribs', right?!? Well I'm not an aging rock star and this ain't that type of magic!  This is where I turn coconut oils, beeswax, and soy wax, along with many other things to create the fabulous items of LilacAve.
We finally moved back into our house on Lilac Ave back in mid July.  I had set up shop "sorta" in our smallest room, but last night my daughter decided she wanted the smaller cozier room, and I could have the bigger room.  This room will double as a guest room when we have people, so it does have a full sized bed in it....which I think will likely serve as a dog bed for my assistant, Bear. But the rest of the 12' by 14' room is mine.
What actually worked out well, is I tried to use every excess piece of furniture and repurposing it versus buying bookshelves and 'new' things.  As a military family, we move all the time, and it seems in the past we've always needed to buy and sell things to work in whatever new space we have.  This time not only were finances a constraint, but I was tired of being wasteful. So I thought I would share some of the ways this space was repurposed.

• The green folding rack was originally bought as an easy fold and go display for craft shows.  In its off season I used it for its intended use as a plant stand. Here it works great at holding my fragrance oils, microwave and soy wax.  I *would have* likely bought a microwave cart for this.  So using this plant stand instead actually saved me $50-150

• This white bookcase we have used for actually several moves.  It was a black color, but I love it in this white color.  It will be holding all my finished product. Saved me $75-100 (granted this wasn't a repurpose, just a reuse).
• The table is actually my utility table for craft shows.  Underneath it is all my packing materials, and on top will be my actual work space for setting candles, soaps, etc.
• Here is a sewing station.  The white cabinet we inherited from our renters.  They left this over the toilet cabinet in our master bath.  Instead of ditching it to the curb, I thought I could use it for extra storage.  I am thinking during Craft show season, I will have my husband saw off the legs, and I will use it as a table top display.  This saved me $50. Right now it holds my boxes I use for tarts, tealights, and soaps. The folding table was also painted white from black.  I bought it from TJ Maxx about 4 yrs ago, and let me tell you, there is nothing as versatile as a large folding table.  It has been everything from a TV stand, craft table display, computer desk and more.

• Inside the closet I have little closetmaid shelves that were bought for a craft show set up that didn't work so well.  They've also been used for toy bin storage for my kids, and closet organizers.  Right now they are working fantastic as my glass storage.  I sure am glad we lugged these around and even kept them when we were not using them.  They are $15/ea, so these 4 would've costed $60-$80 brand new.

So the good news is, the less money I spend on my office, the more money I can spend bringing new products to you! 
And even though this room was originally supposed to be my daughter's....I'm kind of diggin her 'Cozumel' Teal choice for the walls....I feel so exotic in there!

Bathroom Renovation

One of my favorite blogs belongs to an old Homefront hommie of mine. She has an awesome geekery shop, Geek Details, and is a fascinating gal. One of my favorite features on her blog is showing her home renovations and projects. I have some other blogger peeps, like Nice Girl Notes, that also time to time posts pictures of decorating or project tutorials. I figured, I may need to back track (blu-do do- dopp) back to the beginning of our home reno experiences. This, as we prepare to get settled back in to our beloved house on "Lilac Ave".
So here are the gory details. We bought the house about 7yrs ago. At the time it was a 3 bedroom 1 bath home in Chesapeake, Virginia. It had 1086sq ft, window AC units, and no real upgrades since it was built in 1962. The previous owners did take really great care of the property though, which is a major reason why we chose the cute little brick cottage.
Our very first project was the bathroom. There was 1 bathroom, and although now I can actually appreciate the retro-ness of it. The bath tub, and tiles needed to be replaced. Also one day while my parents were visiting, i asked my UN handyman Dad to check out the sink because it was clogging. Next thing we now, the pipe went into the wall and collapsed. Sooooo, it was maybe time to update a bit, and we were so stoked to do our first home project. Plus I wanted a deeper tub.

these are the befores.

Demolition

it ended up, we found the subfloor was rotted. So we needed to replace it.

We stripped it down to the studs (yep, that's my stud husband)

new tub, piping, and sub floor

new floor tiling

tiled shower

We put up white bead board and crown molding on the walls. We also put in a new vanity and sink.

I think if I recall, we spent between $2500 and $3000 on this project. ALOT thanks to my husband being so handy, and his friend Chance, that has experience in plumbing and welding pipes (the height of the spout, etc on the new tub was higher than in the old, and needed to be moved).

As is, with some home renovations, especially your 1st, you may see this one again in the coming year. This reno was done in 2005. Let's just say potty training my son, ruined the veneer on that vanity, and we need to go back and "de-fog" the floor tiles, since we did not wipe the grout well enough. Still...a dramatic update from the original.

Coming soon.....the kitchen renovation. The master suite addition, and anything to come after we settle back in.

Kitchen Renovation

In 2007 we renovated the kitchen. The kitchen in the house was original, and super small. Even the stove was smaller than the average standard size these days. The budget for the job was $10, 000. We hired no help. Here is what was done!

The original kitchen...cranberry countertops, and linoleum tile. You can't see but the dining area had a pink carpet.

We pulled up the floor, removed the appliances, removed the old cabinets.

Then we laid down, unfinished hardwood floors. After spending all day bent over (I laid the lines, Hubs came in and nailed them down), the soreness in the hind of the legs was massive!

We rented a floor sander from Home Depot, doing layers of vanish and sand, varnish and sand. Aren't they gorgeous?!

Then came, putting the cabinets up. We purchased these from Home Depot, and Hubs put them together (almost like you would a bookshelf you buy from Target). Then we read up in some home reno books, how to install them. You can see Hubs made a T with wood. This would be the guide to make sure all cabinets are level (also proofed with a level).

This was very exciting for the kids!

We added in a hutch in the dining area for extra storage, and of course a wine fridge.

Here is the finished kitchen. New appliances, and so much more cabinet space...and of course GORGEOUS. And WE did it!

Homefront Photography

I love photography and art. Sometimes I am lucky enough to snap a great photo....but I am no real photographer....that requires skill and study.

Another thing I really love, is the Etsy Homefront Team. This team is made up of spouses and significant others of members of the U.S. uniformed services, as well as military veterans. This team has not only been a huge support of me and my business, and my military life....but they are also inspiring artisans!

3 in particular are some of our pro photographers. All with different styles, but all touch you with the single snap of a photo. I have an art wall, and all but one photo is from this team. Here is the wall, containing photos from JrzyGirlPhotography, CreationsAnew, and LEvansPhotography.

The photo wall and Bear and Kitty (can you guess which is Bear and which is Kitty?)

The top right is from LEvansPhotography, the remaining all from JrzyGirl Photography

JrzyGirlPhotography

If you are a pet lover, you'll understand. They were there....they had to get photos take too!

I am remiss in that I have not hung my CreationsAnew photo yet, in this new house. But it is amongst my favorite photo EVER!!!! So it will be up very soon (still looking for the perfect frame...and it was lost in unpacking for a bit).

I also recently got this train photo for my Dad, who is an amateur photographer, and fascinated with trains! I LOVE the colors on this one!

I encourage you to discover these 3 shops! Also each of them does on location photos, so if you are in Germany, New Jersey, or Colorado...you are in luck!

Spring Cleaning

Spring is a time for a fresh start! I think this is why so many of us start to Spring Clean.

Here are some fantastic items from Etsy, that can help you spring clean in a stylish and unique way!

These Lemon Handmade Wash Cloths are so cute...they just 'look' clean! And I know from my personal set, not only do they jazz up my kitchen, but work well too! See a whole assortment at Teri's Treasure.

We all need a little apron for our cooking and cleaning, why not look sweet and sexy while you are at it! I love this Cherry Apron from JenHarruff's shop. She has a bunch of incredible designed aprons.

SSymmondsCreations makes all sorts of items for an eco friendly home. But for spring, I'm really loving these room sprays. The scent is cleaner and less perfume-y than mass market sprays. This Lavender one will make your rooms smell delightfully clean!

What better thing to do in your spring cleaning than organize! I don't know about you, but half my clutter is papers. Between MemoriesToYou and her sister store HoldsIt...that cluttery mess can be picked up in no time! MemoriesToYou specializes in french memo boards. They are a beautiful way to mix decor with organization! And HoldsIt specializes in Magnets and tacks in a gorgeous floral patterns....talk about lighting up your office with pretty office supplies!