Finding your Homes style...

There are various rules of thoughts when buying an old house. Do you re-imagine it? Make it something brand new? Like blowing off the top and adding a second story. For example and taking a basic ranch and transforming it into a Colonial.

Or you could basically ignore the old house you bought and transform it into something modern and new.

I've chosen to embrace the home that she was built to be.  My house in the middle of the block is a very, very fine house...beautiful, yet simple brick and stone one and 1/2 story Tudor.  Classic details and simple lines for everyday living.  I will be opening up a few of the rooms to add light and function and reimagining others.  I've chosen to kick the pink and burgundy tile to the curb but will install beautiful classic mosaics that will stand the test of time and honor the 1940's.  Re-wiring and re-using many of the original light fixtures, restoring some elements and adding others that make living in the home work for today's lifestyles. 

I'm so excited, we've started DEMO! Follow along as I respect the beauty of this lovely old home and reveal her new potential. Bye, bye to low arches, pink tile and a tiny, tiny kitchen space.  Hello, open, bright and lovely!

With the demo comes lots of dust and a lot of clarity. We've assessed our budget, reviewed our skill set, negotiate with several subs and contractors.  We are now dividing the project into two phases. Technically 4 but two of them are happening simultaneously.  I have registered as a General Contractor and will be managing the main level of the project for our home. We will still use a larger General Contractor to work on the upstairs re-working of the roof, stairs and the new addition.  This is definitely a bigger scope of work than we are used to managing and we want a seamless finished product.  Phase 1 & 3.

Phase 2&4 are the yard.  This was what we originally thought of as Phase 3. But, reality hit. The yard was in a very natural state of affairs.  There was a lot of clean up and clear out of plant material and debris so that we could find and see the house.  We also lost a few more trees because they were growing too close to the retaining wall and house and actually causing damage.  We have now done a very complete clean up and clear out.  We've built a fence and will add a semi-circle drive to the front of the home, rebuild the retaining wall and add wrought iron fencing so that we create security around the creek.  This will complete phase 2 and leave us with a beautiful pallet for new plants - phase 4.

Clean up!

It was so awesome getting Phase 2 the yard clean up under way! Can not thank the City of Dallas enough for their bulky debris clean up crew! They did a wonderful job cleaning up our debris. It wasn't a small task but they stuck with it and did a great job!

Rub N Restore, Inc. Leather Restoration

It's back to school and this year that meant a rental for two of my college age kiddo's. That also meant furnishing said rental on a dime, um, or as few dimes as possible!

A few of the items were their own bedroom sets, a few pieces donated from mom, dad and family friends, but in the end we had to buy some things. Mainly things for the living room. We found several really nice inexpensive pieces on Craigslist.  We found a Pottery Barn Leather sofa that was 2 years old! The cushion were perfect condition and the couch was great looking and very comfortable. It had a stain the owner said was from a toddler spill on one side. Looked like something oily, and some water stains. The owner said she tried to clean it with tips from a friend and it stained the leather. No weird smells. She replaced it with a new one and just wanted to get rid of this one. $150. YES please!

The next piece we were on the hunt for was a leather chair to complete the living area. We found a leather chair with a FREE ottoman $50, originally from Haverty's as one of their custom pieces. SCORE again! The cushions were still in great shape and very comfy and the leather felt like a well conditioned ball glove. 

After a little research I stumbled across a great little product called Rub N Restore . It is a leather dye. I purchased their cleaner, a 16 oz. bottle of their camel colored dye and a 16 oz. bottle of their sealer. We tested the camel color on the seat cushion of the chair. Oops! the color looked more like the original color of the chair online - should have paid more attention to the color description. Too light for the look we were going for. We kept the Camel color for future projects and bought a 16 oz. bottle of the Mahagony color for $59.99. The ottoman is showing our first coat of the Mahagony.

The chair had a few minor surface cracks in the leather, but there were two that were deeper and went all the way through the leater on one arm. I used a thin line of super glue on the deep cracks and then lightly sanded with 500 grit sand paper then wiped with a damp cloth. We used the cleaner on all pieces. It made a huge difference on the sofa and we almost skipped dying it but decided we loved the rich Mahagony color. The cracks were not visible once we dyed them. Nice surprise.

Bingo! Mahagony was the magic color. The kids now have a rich colored, high end leather set. Yes, I'm feeling a little envious. ;) Below is the final color.

The chair has two coats of the sealer. Couch had one at time of photos, but we did do two on it as well. LOVE it. They look so good. We did front back and bottom of all cushions. We ended up with about a 1/4 of a bottle left for touch ups.  Yes, I put the college kiddo's to work helping "rub".  The room mate loves it and when her parents came in they thought we had bought new furniture!  The set is in great condition and a higher end, higher quality look than we thought they would have or could afford.

Rub N Restore was delivered quickly and on time. I did watch several of their You Tube videos before taking the plunge. As shown in their videos it was easy to use. We did 3 thin coats of dye allowing to dry a few hours between each coat and then using a blow dryer on cool for a few minutes for good measure. We did two coats of the sealer and allowed it to dry for a full 12 hours before sitting on it and then another full 24 hours before it was put into regular use. The biggest draw back is it is time consuming but in less than 24 hours we had 3 recolored pieces. We did buy extra gloves, we used an old toothbrush, q-tips, and a toothpick wrapped with an old t-shirt to get into all the cracks, creases, and seams. We also "buffed" the piece with an old t-shirt between each coat. The product was easy to use and the results were amazing!

Below are two of YouTube tutorials by Rub N Restore , Inc, leather that I watched. I hope you find them useful.

Where to buy and get more info click on the link: Rub N Restore

Let me know your thoughts...

Exciting changes!

The popcorn is gone. The island was removed, tile patched, floor plug counter sunk and a new floor plug is in place. The walls are painted, the granite is in, cabinets are primed and backsplash is chosen....It's getting closer to reveal day!!

I'm also excited because this house has more painting to do and I'm talking to Home Right about their Finish Max paint sprayer! Wouldn't that be an awesome tool to add to the tool box. I all ready own 3 of their paint sticks that I used to do the guest room and I have their heat gun which is a DIY'er must have when you are working with pieces that are covered in old paint.

So, let's take a sneak peak at the still rough around the edges but quickly improving kitchen!

Texas ReVamped! ©

New Granite going in, checking for level. LOVE the color, white ice. Going to the granite yard is always a fun day time.

Texas ReVamped! ©

Popcorn & fluorescent lights gone! Love the red, it makes my heart sing. Cabinets are primed & you can see sneak peek of my new light fixtures!  Things are looking so different and I'm loving it. Hope it helps inspire you to embrace your space and make it your own.

Summer Savings....

Wow, this summer has flown. In our home we are looking at school clothes, backpacks and school supplies all ready. YIKES!

I hate to see it go. I will totally miss lazy mornings, the sound of kids splashing in the pool, sticky fudge pop wrappers left on the counter, and late night dinners on the patio. Still time left for a few more great summer memories for 2014. But, what I won't miss are end of summer SALES.  Don't you love the fun of seeing what great summer items you chose not to pay crazy prices for at the beginning of the season and seeing if that treasure you coveted most made it to the end of season sale?  I do. I love the bargain. I love the fun of seeing the price fall and the treasure become mine. If I don't find that original item I often find something that works even better.  It's part of the fun of waiting on the deal and then putting it all together to create a beautiful space!

Here are a few sales you don't want to miss. I think I will find a fun outdoor rug for my patio. Where do you like to find end of season savings? What has been your favorite summer find?

Crate and Barrell

World Market

Pier1

Sunny Land Furniture

Pottery Barn

Restoration Hardware *Clear The Decks Sale

Let's Spice It Up!

It's been a fun day. Paint bought, fabric chosen, trim purchased....A new kitchen is starting to sizzle!

Here's a peek at the colors that will be spicing up my kitchen soon.

and where did I get the inspirations for my colors?

My colors originated with this vintage cracker tin from my grandmother. Love the chippy old style and love that the colors are also trendy colors in today's color schemes.

Some of you may also be wondering about fabric in the kitchen?! The fabrics are being used in window treatments and for cushions on a couple of stools that will be updated. Stay tuned.

What's cooking?

Well, it won't be me for the next 2 weeks! That is the timeline I am setting for painting, painting, painting. It is the start of our kitchen make-over. After a delay and a ton of summer fun things are ready to get started.

I received the new legs for the farm table...can not wait to see the transformation of this much used and loved piece turn into our kitchen island/dining table! I could not part with this table that is perfect for our large and noisy family but I didn't like it in our dining room and it swallowed up the space. It didn't fit in our kitchen with the island. There are struggles when you choose to downsize your home and you have pieces you loved that were a perfect fit in a larger home. This is that moment for me...so we pulled out the kitchen island and drew up plans to transform the table to work in our space.

Bye-bye went the old off centered tiny island! YAY.

We're ditching the popcorn ceiling, have taken down the pot rack and are having the lighting re-worked to start.

The cabinets are going a bright and clean white. Counter tops are being chosen. After several days of research and interviewing different paint manufacturers I have taken a break from my tried and true Sherwin Williams and will be using Behr Premium Plus Ultra for my cabinets. I will let you know how it turns out. Exciting times are happening! What's cooking this week for you?

**A little bummed that my HomeRight Paint Sprayer never showed up. The company said they were sending me one to test and review....but it didn't show. I am now reviewing paint sprayers and will be purchasing one for this project. I will let you know which one I choose and review how well it worked.

Remembering Holly!

Life takes little detours. We have taken the past few months off from remodeling our home to spend time with Holly. We feel it's important to let those you love know how much you love them while they are here and it's important to give of yourself and your time. This Saturday we will host an official Memorial to honor and celebrate Holly's life...Today I share a recent memory and journal post.

Memories...by Teresa Stephens Harvey
I wrote this one short month before Holly would leave this world.. I did not have a clue at that time that we would be saying good-bye so soon.

We miss her dearly. We still seek to honor her by finding our happy and thankfully for a life of great memories and stories we share we all laugh often with her as the common thread in those moments of laughter. We will have tears. We will feel moments of loneliness and loss. But, we will never ever forget the amazing gift and spirit of Holly. Our lives have a light and an extra layer to them because we were blessed to experience the gift of having Holly in our lives.

Our journey was not perfect. The walk with Cancer is never easy. We pray none of you ever face this journey but it Cancer enters your world we hope you remember to look for the moments of happy. The gifts to be found along the way.


This is the journal entry I wrote on April 8...today I look for my happy and my hope is that all of you look for yours too. ~Teresa

Tuesday, April 8, 2014

Lessons learned along the way...

There are days that are hard. You learn that in life rather quickly. Days you don't feel all that well. Days that you feel kicked before you get up.  That is just part of life. Sometimes you are left with the darkness after a thunderstorm without any signs of a rainbow.

If you're a caregiver you put those days behind you as quickly as possible because you see first hand that your worst day is a piece of cake to the one you are caring for.

Our family talks about choices a lot. I believe that life is made up of a thousand choices and depending on the ones you make with a whole lot of help from God behind them that regardless of your circumstance, your health or your position in life you can have a good life. You can have a life that makes a difference.

My sweet Holly has terminally ill cancer.  The statement itself is like a stone in my heart.  However, until a few months ago that seemed to be such an abstract statement.  We have an amazing faith, prayer team and support group. Doctors that have kept up with every trick in the tool box to keep this cancer at bay! No one wasn't willing to do whatever was physically possible to fight this fight!

However, sometimes, the physical fight isn't enough.

Holly's cancer has advanced. The tumors in her brain have refused to respond to treatment.

Now we have another choice...

Cancer takes away many dreams in life. Holly will never get married, have children, watch her family grow.  God gives back in other ways. Holly has spent her time being an awesome Aunt to her nieces and nephews. Holly has spent her extra time volunteering at Children's Hospital rocking babies who are ill and need love. It's amazing to see one dream be answered with NO and have another dream provided.

Holly has had the opportunity to travel, to build amazing and lasting friendships, and to work in a job she enjoys and that challenged her. Those are blessings that both enriched her life and led to enriching others.

 I have watched a feisty, funny, beautiful spirit become more so.  Holly has never wallowed or let Cancer define her. She has instead chosen to walk with Grace, to look for joy, to seek ways to fill her time and mind with positive things in life. And I am so thankful that I get to share this journey with her.

So, when we sat down for our family meeting recently the heartbreaking reality that sometimes Cancer wins hung heavy in the air. Our kids listened with mixed tears glistening in their eyes as they bravely held them back. My son sat in stoic silence. Several questions from our curious lot finally surfaced...but what did not ever surface is that this was defeat. We may not have our happily ever after this time but we will have our happy. We will find our joy and share our time with Holly in love. We will continue to enjoy our great family and AMAZING friends. Our choice is to lean on faith, to find joy, to look for the best in every day. We prepare now to explore that we may have to let Holly go. To let God take her home and to lean on our faith that we will share time with her again in a different place, setting and time and it will be filled with a new HAPPY. We will pull together as a family and look at the lessons we've been gifted and look for the new ones we will learn.



Psalm 41:3
The LORD sustains them on their sickbed and restores them from their bed of illness. (NIV)

Kitchen Make Over!!

It's time.  Life is never going to fully settle when you have all that goes on in our world BUT sometimes you just have to set a date.

That's what we've done.  We are re-doing the 1987 outdated, popcorn ceiling, dark cabinets, beige laminate kitchen! Can you say ba-bye fluorescent lighting? Oh, yeah!

There is nothing more motivating that changing out a tired outdated space in your home for something clean, new and current.  The kitchen is the heart of our home and we promised ourselves to wait a year when we moved in to make any changes and we did!! So the dreaming, the planning, and the desire have built up until everyone in the house is ready to see it come together.

Here is a peak at the before....

The island has all ready been ripped out...I can't wait to show you what we did instead of a standard island in our kitchen space!

Updates...

I recently had the privilege of being hired by a client who had a meticulously maintained home that was ready for some updates!

This home was full of history and memories and a life time of love and family...so the challenge was to honor the memories and family that lived there and give them an updated look to their home that still reflected "their" memories and make room for future ones.

Here's where we started.

Texas Revamped © 

Texas Revamped © 

Texas Revamped © 

Texas Revamped © 

Texas Revamped © 

Texas Revamped © 

Texas Revamped © 

The home was a monotone sea of pecan finished wood. The copper tile back splash was all the rage in the 70's and the Tapan oven was top of the line in it's day. The gingerbread moldings were everywhere and lovely with an old fashioned charm. Time marches on and what was oh so fashionable then just left the space looking a little dark and showing her age for today. A face lift was needed!

So, with a lot of discussions of what the home owners loved about their home. The beautiful beams in the ceiling, the swirled texture in the plaster, the lovely wood floors, the flow of the room and the terrific built in's, it was time to address the things that no longer worked for them. The dark enclosed feeling in the space, the appliances that were no longer working at their best, the heavy feeling of the rooms compared to other areas of the home and the reality that no matter how well you maintain sometimes things begin to wear out. This also opened the door to address a few modern ideas.  New built-in pantry shelving to their mud room, a water line run to the refrigerator for an ice maker and sliding shelves added to the cabinet spaces to add to the form and function of the space. 

We still have some things to do...but, I can't wait to share how beautifully she has transformed. Soon there will be new bar stools, window treatments, and a bit of Christmas cheer but I think we're far enough along to show you our progress!

First we had to mess up a little...

Then we needed to do a few field trips. Our favorite was to the granite yard!

So many beautiful choices and we found the perfect choice for this home.

The painting was finally done, the hardwood floors were refinished a richer color to compliment the existing wood tones while still making a statement of their own, the kitchen flooring was ripped out and a new choice was chosen, the granite and new stainless appliances were installed. Now she was ready to be loaded!

Can you say CHA, CHA, CHA, CHANGES?! ;) I can!

With a new furniture layout, lighter walls and cabinetry you can now appreciate all the beautiful furniture and collections in this home. Furniture was moved in a bit to make the seating area inviting. The bookshelves were re-loaded with a mix of books, photos, and collectibles. An update from the dishes and glassware that was there before. The office nook is now showing off without furniture blocking it from view and a few personal accessories added to warm it up and keep it inviting when you need to sit down and pay a bill or two. The China hutch turned out lovely with it's new trim work and crisp white color pallet, the home owners collectibles sparkle and show off to their finest! I love it and loved working on this project. I hope you love it too.  We are doing a restoration to the master bathroom and a face lift to both secondary bathrooms that I will share soon.

While working with this home the goals were keeping the best of the character and charm, while brightening up the space. Adding some beautiful updates expected in today's homes and improving the function for the home owners needs. All combined to make a warm and inviting space.