Better Homes and Gardens tour

Hello all! Oh my goodness, I have been so excited to tell you about the trip I took a couple weeks ago. I was approached by Better Homes and Gardens recently asking if I wanted to help promote their products at Walmart and then TAKE A TRIP TO THE BHG HEADQUARTERS.

Uh. Yes, I would like to take a trip to the Better Homes and Gardens headquarters, thank you very much. It is an honor and I’m so excited about this partnership:

I took a TON of pictures and this is only half of them – but still a lot of pics! The headquarters are located in Des Moines Iowa – which is really weird because the only two times I’ve stayed in Iowa in my life were this summer.

They truly went all out for us:

We got to see so many of their current and future products and in addition got a grand tour of the facilities. It was so fun.

Nancy Hopkins, the food and entertaining editor, gave us a beautiful presentation in one of their test kitchens:

Do you see the cutie fall cookie jars? Adorable. They’ll be out in stores soon. :)

Nancy did the easiest, most beautiful entertaining displays using basic dishes and food. It was so simple, seriously. I think we way over think things when it comes to decorating sometimes. The simplest are often the prettiest:

That was a plate, an upside down bowl and then another stacked on top. (She suggested using something like Velcro to make them stay put when entertaining.)

We got a peek at the fall and holiday products that will be in stores soon:

We also got a tour through the test kitchens – it smelled AMAZING:

What’s funny is they were making this shrimp and pesto meal and Christmas cookies – and the combo still worked. ;)

One of the most exciting parts of the tour for us bloggers was seeing where the shoot spreads and advertisements for the magazine. Rooms were built everywhere with fake window and “natural” light. You can’t even tell they weren’t real!:

   

And we got to tour the prop room. People. We could have spent hours in there poking around – it was crazy!:

And really, so well organized too. Everything down to the cutlery was organized by color. So cool.

We got to see some photo shoots in action too. We walked in to one and the space was so dark, I didn’t think there was any way they would get a good shot:

But the images were coming up on the monitor and were stunning. It was fascinating to watch!

One of my favorite areas was the workshop:

Gah. This girl was in heaven! It smelled so good in there too. Pesto and wood – good smells. ;)

They had a room filled with just walls – exterior and interior. My favorite was the board and batten wall:

There’s a planked on there in the back too. ;) The exterior walls even had lights and doors, it was so cool.

The part of the tour I was most looking forward to was the test garden and it did not disappoint!:

This is another spot I could have walked around in forever. It was beautiful:

I think the shade garden was my favorite. I want to create one in our backyard just like this:

Easy, right? I love that they use this garden to see what plants work – how well they grow, what kind of light they need. I’ve become a bit of a gardening nut over the past few years so I was all geeked out. :)

We finished up the day with a trip to the Iowa State Fair – we had dinner and then had a couple hours to play:

We rode a bunch of rides and had an absolute blast.

I have to tell you, I was SO impressed with the products – I was surprised more than once at what was available and the price. This bedding was one of my favorites:

I don’t know why but I was obsessed with it. I just think it is so pretty – perfect for a girl’s room. Or an adult girl’s room. ;) I LOVE all the colors. OH and the headboard – (with nail head trim!) starts at $150 and comes in two different colors!

I was so, so impressed with their lighting. I bought a very similar lamp for NOT $60 a couple years ago:

Here is the wood one and I believe the swing arm lamp will be coming out soon.

Their weathered wood pieces had us all excited – they look SO good and this finish is so popular right now:

That console on the left is really for TV components but I loved it as a sofa table – or in a dining room as a buffet.

Their slip covered sofas and chairs were comfy and didn’t have that slipcovered look at all – I didn’t believe them at first. ;)

And I wouldn’t think I would like a fish pillow but those looked pretty adorable.

Their dishes were gorgeous (very Pottery Barn-like) and that little tray in the middle with the candles was so versatile:

It would be so easy to decorate your table for the fall or Christmas with that! I can’t find it online but I’ll do some checking and see if I can find it.

Talk about knocking one off the bucket list! It was an absolute honor to be invited and they treated us so well. I can’t wait to show you more of the products in a couple months! If you want a link for anything you see here just let me know. :)

 

I received compensation from  BHG at Walmart for my time and participation in the BHG Live Better Network. All experiences and opinions are my own. :)

Tearing down a wall!

HELLO everybody! I’m back with an update on the wall demolition progress. Otherwise known as “BEST. DAY. EVER.”

I’ll go through the steps and also a few of our plans – keep in mind that we are still early in this process when you see the pics. :)

We started bright and early last Wednesday – I started scoring and taking down the boards on the office side of the wall so I can reuse them later:

More on where I’m using them in a bit. :)

It was quite a treat to take them down and not worry one bit about the drywall damage:

Side note – I didn’t use glue to put these up but it seems caulk acts exactly like glue when it seeps under the boards. Good to know.

On the other side of the wall the trim was being taken down as well – I saved about 90 percent of it for possible use in other spots:

Early on the guys mentioned that they don’t take down walls like you see on TV – hammers flying, kicking in drywall. I was all, DANG! I was looking forward to that part.

So they let me have at it. I laughed out loud when I saw my face in this picture:

I forgot my protective eyewear, I know I know. I remembered later.

Think this made me happy?:

They had me slow my roll a bit when they realized the drywall was shooting all the way across my office – I was having fun.

I tore down some of the drywall (while my sister and I marveled at how very little is really holding our houses together) and then stepped back and watched as the light started pouring into the family room:

I actually watched a few YouTube videos on how to take down a wall the night before and I was happy (but not surprised) to see that the guys followed all the precautions mentioned in those videos. Things like moving boards with nails out of the way as you go, hammering down any nails sticking out of the studs so they aren’t a hazard and little tricks like tilting the outlets face up. That’s so when you pull the drywall out it doesn’t rip the wiring out along with it.

By the way – we turned off the gas to the fireplace and all electrical in this wall before doing a thing. Very, very, very important.

Tearing down the drywall was cool but knocking out the studs was way more fun. It’s not hard (again, surprisingly so). I mean, it definitely takes some force, but that was my favorite part for sure:

Those outlets you see were cut before we took out any studs so there was no need to take them off first.

A few whacks and it was out – then you just pull and rock the wood so the nails out:

I liked it so much I ended up taking out all the studs. ;)

One more BIG thing – I knew from my own research that this wasn’t a load bearing wall for a few reasons. One, it was a partial wall that didn’t end with a large post. I could tell by using my stud finder that the end of the wall was just a few studs and not four or five next to each other. If you have that many it’s probably a support for a beam in the wall/ceiling.

Also, I know which way our beams go in the ceiling because of how our hardwoods were installed upstairs – the flooring needs to be nailed into them so it’s installed perpendicular to them, not parallel.

Because I knew the direction of the beams in the ceiling, I knew the wall wasn’t load bearing – if your wall is perpendicular to your beams it’s probably load bearing, if the wall is parallel with your beams it’s most likely not. Hope that makes sense!!

Anyway, within a few hours everything was out and taken away. The debris overflowed the back of their huge pickup truck – I was shocked at how much was on that little wall so you’d need a small dumpster or truck if you try this even with a small wall.

Of course it went fast because they had so much help:

Always.

So when you take down a wall you’re never 100 percent sure what’s inside. I knew we had a cable, two outlets and a gas line. I wasn’t expecting the extra cable and speaker wires:

Those hung like that for about a week till the audio guy could come out today. They operate our sound system and cable in the family room so he rerouted it all through the ceiling and wall so it can be used when the TV is moved. Still some work to be done to pull everything over from where it is on the other wall – I’ll probably make the whole TV placement a post of it’s own. :)

So far we’ve been really lucky with each trade coming in to do these separate things in a timely manner. I SO appreciate that. Also – I didn’t realize it but you call a plumber to move a gas line – who knew? Not me obviously. :) The same guys that did this also ran our gas line for the basement dryer years ago. They do a great job so if any locals need a name just email me.

I wasn’t planning on the fireplace happening this early but the surround had to be built up in order to move the gas line. I shared my inspiration pics and the guys started building it yesterday. Because we have a direct vent gas fireplace we kept it right where it was, keeping the same vent. No new cuts on the outside of the house. Problem is, the fireplace box is about 16 inches deep, plus some room for the vent and you get a very deep fireplace. Most homes that are built with a similar fp have a “doghouse” extension built so the back of the unit can stick outside a bit. But to do that would mean cutting a hole in the house and getting permits and ain’t nobody got time for that. :)

We were prepared for that though so this baby is deep! But by the time we’re done it won’t look quite as deep:

Here’s my inspiration pic to give you an idea of how this area will kinda sorta look eventually. Fingers crossed:

(source)

I was planning glass fronts on the cabinets to the side (I’m looking into different doors that I will have glass installed in), but I figure the TV components will need to breathe. So either we’ll figure out something to vent them on top of the cabinets or I’ll use radiator grates instead of glass.

I think I’m most thrilled with the fact that this is now a standard sized, wide fireplace – I haven’t had one this big in our family room yet. :)

Lots of room for trim and tile!:

Even thought the fireplace comes out into the room quite a bit (which I knew before we started), I think the depth will actually be one of my favorite things about it. We’re adding a wall that will be at least three inches deep above it that will reduce the thickness just a bit – I think it will work out beautifully when all is said and done.

SO many things to figure out still!

Here’s the room as it is now:

The desk will be gone, the dresser will move and I have a plan for that side of the room but will have to see how it all comes together. The rug width and length will have to be cut down (or I’ll have to find a new one, but I really love this one) so it doesn’t sit right in front of the fireplace.

The board and batten will continue throughout the whole space and french doors will go where the double windows are to the right of the fireplace. Thing is, this new room is MUCH more spacious, but it will be long and skinny. So the sectional/fp area will be cozy, but we knew that going in. It’s totally worth it with all the extra light!!:

There will be a walkway behind the sofa that feels a tiny bit tight now, but that’s mostly because we’re just not used to it. I’m moving some furniture around that will help to open up that area quite a bit too. All these ideas make me giddy. It’s Christmas in July people! For real…this is my Christmas present. ;)

And moving this all down into the old office makes everything SO much more open down by the kitchen, I cannot even tell you. It feels AMAZING. Ack! More on that later too. :)

I’ve been told to plan for extra costs that pop up during a reno and it’s already happening. :) Since the ceiling it already opened up we’re taking this opportunity to add recessed lights throughout the whole space. Hallelujah! There’s no overhead light in my office so it’s needed. I’m thinking of removing the hanging light in the family room for a cleaner look – if I keep it will be moved to the center of the room.

Next, the guys will finish up the fireplace build this week and then start on the lighting. The sound system stuff will be moved and then LOTS of drywall patching, mostly in the ceiling. After that I’ll have the floors patched – and then comes the new doors, installing a TON of trim on the walls (board and batten, base and crown) and painting the entire space – the last two jobs I’ll be doing myself.

Whew! There you go – the progress and the plan! I’m so happy with it so far. I can see the finished result in my head and in there it looks pretty awesome. :) Are you seeing my vision?

Today is the day!

It’s happening. I was just telling a friend the other day that I will mull over a project idea for months and months and then will “go” at the drop of a hat. Today I’m doing exactly that. :) We’re tearing down a wall!

The handymen we use for stuff occasionally texted me earlier this week to see if I needed anything done because their job was canceled this week.

Why yes, yes I do.

They came over yesterday and gave me a quote and should be here within the hour to start tearing down the wall.

DUDE. I am so excited and terrified all at once. I’ve never done anything quite this major! I could barely fall asleep last night, I was so giddy.

As a refresher, the wall to the left of this photo is coming down:

It separates the family room from my office. For reasons I mentioned here we are tearing down the wall and I’m GIDDY. The fireplace will move too. Funny, when a reader suggested this idea my initial thought was, there would be no spot for the fireplace. And then someone else mentioned, uhhhh, on the back wall would work. Duh. But EVERY person I talk about this with wonders the same thing – where in the world will you put the fireplace?

It will be in the same area, just flat against the wall. Flat people. Am I in heaven? It will be much wider in it’s new home too, and I plan to add a tile hearth. Glorious.

Here’s the rough floor plan as it is now:

Ignore that 1/3 to the right, that’s all kitchen.

Here’s what we are planning over time:

I have decided to do this in (short) phases over what I’m hoping will be the next six weeks or so. Well, all but the extension.

First phase is taking down the wall, patching drywall and electrical. The lights above the fireplace need to be moved and the main light in the family room needs to be moved over.

We’re hoping to have that done by this weekend. We’ll see. :)

I say “we” because I am helping – it’s always been a dream of mine to knock down a wall. Dreams do come true people, they really do.

I considered trying this by myself but we have electrical and a gas line to figure out – I know my limitations so I’m getting help.

For now we will place the gas insert up against the wall so I can finalize the mantel design. I need time to ruminate over things too – that’s why I’ll do this in stages. Oh yeah, and the budget.

I’m still a little nervous about the furniture placement. We searched high and low for a “small” sectional years ago and it’s still basically six by eight feet:

A beast. That’s another reason I’m going to let the fireplace just sit for a while – I need to decide the room/TV set up before we move any sound system stuff.

The next phase will be replacing our double windows in there with french doors. We’ll have to special order them anyway. I was initially planning to add another window off to the left of the space (where there’s already one now) – I was just thinking it would balance out the french doors. But now I’m thinking the one window is fine. I want plenty of space for the fireplace and built ins.

One of the biggest issues has been fixing the hardwoods. I had our flooring guy come by to take a look and he’ll be able to feather them in, but he’ll sand down quite a bit of the floors in the family room, kitchen and office and restain to make sure they are seamless. The price is great too – I was nervous about that part, but so far (crossing fingers) this will be a MUCH more affordable way for us to gain some living space.

Whew. OK, I gotta go move some furniture! So nervous, so excited!! Whoot! I’ll share progress as soon as I can! (If you follow me on Instagram I’ll probably update on this project while it happens.)

To see more of how our family room looks now, check it out here. (And you can see how we’ve tried to make it’s awkward layout work over the years.)

More (almost) FREE art!

So I think the art is one of the hardest things to pick out, right? It’s always SO expensive too. As I get older I look for less produced-in-mass-quantity pieces and more one of a kind pieces. But overall my favorite art is photography – I have photos on our walls EVERYWHERE. Mostly because they’re free – I print them right off the computer at home and they look great. (Sometimes I send them off to Walgreens or another local place too.)

Anyway, I saw some blog friends using a new app on Instagram a couple weeks ago and decided to check it out. I’m now obsessed. It’s called Waterlogue, have you seen it? It’s $2.99 and it turns your photos into beautiful watercolor paintings.

I went through my phone to pick out a few to show you – keep in mind the before pics are all unedited and sometimes dark, and yet the Waterlogue drawings still come out beautifully. First up, a few from our latest Disney trip:

Isn’t that awesome? The Epcot “ball” looks especially beautiful:

I got an awesome shot of my son blowing bubbles into my camera and turned that one into a watercolor:

I took pictures of our backyard in a recent snow and even a photo without much color turns out beautifully:

We had a gorgeous sunset the other day – I took this in our neighborhood with my phone:

How cool is that?? There are all kinds of filters too and you can change the size of the file, change it from light to dark, all kinds of things.

I had to deal with all this snow somehow, so I picked up some of my favorite flowers the other day:

It’s not a great shot because it’s so dark, but check out how it turns out:

Are you loving it?

I was curious to see how they printed out and they look wonderful:

I just used white cardstock for these but I’m going to pick up some more white textured cardstock to print out more. It’s kind of cool because you can enlarge the photo and the quality isn’t really affected because it’s all blurry anyway, you know? Now I just have to decide where to put them!

Have you tried this app? I find faces don’t turn out quite as well but I did some of our animals and they were super cute:

SO cool. Let me know if you try it! I believe it’s also available for android phones too. Any other fun apps you love?

Have a GREAT weekend!