Category Archives: DIY projects

Pretty Things make me Happy!

So I promised to finish a DIY project this weekend and I delivered!! Yesterday while Antz and Liv were napping, I was working hard in the kitchen. We have *the worst paint job* cabinets that were embarrassingly full of unorganized dishes and food. It was a total mess. I bought some cabinet liner paper almost 6 months ago that I intended to use in the hallway linen cabinet. I wasn’t in love with the paper I bought so I never used it.

Our messy linen cabinet/liner dots paper

 

I want a bright turquoise and yellow print for the cabinet. As you can see the cabinet needs organizing and better storage. I have too many toiletries and hair products. So Antz was getting on my ass about when I was going to finish that project so I thought I would buy new paper *in a print I liked better*. While I was at Target with Aimee a few weeks ago, I saw some really pretty wrapping paper. I wanted liner paper because it’s thicker and has a sticky side but I figured, I could use wrapping paper and tape and…

“Make it work” as Tim Gun says.

It wasn’t difficult at all *after some serious scrubbing*, I just measured the cabinets, cut and taped…easy peasy!

 It helped that the paper was premium *it had some foil in it* quality because it was pliable which made it easy to fit into corners without tearing.

 The walls were disgusting! I used bleach spray and Kaboom to get the gunk out.

 Only we would have a photo of us in our cabinets *total Nerds!*

I wish I had prettier dishes and cups*sads*

The spice cabinets before…what slobs!!

 

I was starting a Santos *that’s Saints to you heathens* candle collection but the other ones are super scary *like Carrie* looking.

I threw out stuff we never used and by the time I was finished, the cabinets looked less crowded and gave me room for…
My new clearance score!

My Target canisters!! I really wanted them and I was annoyed I didn’t buy them last Thursday with Aimee *especially since they were on clearance* So Antz and I went to our Target *I knew Eagle Rock wouldn’t have them* Boo, I had to call like 6 Target’s to find them. We had to drive all the way to the East Pasadena store but I got them and they were even cheaper than the ones I saw at the Culver City store! SWEET. I was worried for a second they wouldn’t fit on the *oddly sized* shelf but I am so happy with how pretty it turned out. I can’t wait to do the linen cabinet and maybe even the laundry nook too!

This month is flying by so I had to revisit my Things to Do list and get started on more projects.
Things To Do *OCTOBER EDITION*

Start shopping for Liv’s Christmas presents *Started on an Amazon List*

Make Christmas card list *So far 30 cards*

Choose a Christmas card theme *Antz is thinking something at Disneyland, when we go on the 14th*

Send our knives to Cutco to be sharpened.

Make prints at CVS and finish Liv’s scrapbooks

Make photobooks for the Grandmas *score, they are buy one get one free at CVS*

Antz~Make Liv’s video montage *this is a big project*

Liz~Bake a pumpkin pie *switching to pumpkin cupcakes, I got a great recipe and I’m making them for Thanksgiving dinner {possibly at Antz Mom’s house}

 

Decorate our house for Halloween

Take Liv to *West Hollywood* pumpkin patch for photos and buy a white pumpkin *going to decorate them today!

I still have a ton of stuff to do…*it’s overwhelming* I just got a 10% coupon from Target to use before November 22nd but I wish I had it 3 weeks ago when I spent almost $200 on just household stuff!! Maybe I can finally get the bedding I’ve been drooling over?

I am so Happy Happy, yesterday I got the tickets for Yo Gabba Gabba Live! We have been listening to the Music is Awesome playlist day and night so we are super stoked to go.
Let’s get the SILLIES OUT!!!

It’s time to get Real *Estate*

As I reflect on my evening as an Atwater Villager poser, I am getting more and more serious about selling and getting the hell out of Highland Park. As I was perusing the Atwater Village Neighborhood Council table last night, I asked for one of the I heart Atwater Village bumper stickers, I was asked if I lived there and I responded, no, but I’d love to. One of the guys said why not? I said we bought in 2006 *the height of the housing bubble* and couldn’t afford to buy in Atwater at the time. He gave me his card and said I’ll sell your house and help you find a house here *little does he know my house is pretty much unsellable and I have already found my Atwater dream house*. So as I am putting my new I love AV sticker on my fridge this morning as motivation…

*notice the lovely note from my dearest?

I am thinking to myself, Liz, why can’t you sell your house and move into your dream house and live happily ever after? Well, I can give you several reasons why not but let’s be optimistic about this and look at how this can happen *preferably before Liv starts kindergarden!!*

Selling our House

The economy/housing market is making selling this house at a profit impossible *I hate using that word*. I am constantly checking the estimates on Zillow and my neighborhood has dropped in value to ridiculous lows. Comparable houses are selling in the low $300k and my *GROSS* neighbors across the street aren’t helping. On the plus side, we are the only house on the block with a garage and completely gated property. We also have one of the largest lots, complete privacy in our backyard and wonderful views. That’s all the pros I can come up with about our little abode

having said that, our house is in need of the following major repairs:

Foundation damage. This is a huge issue, *the main reason we don’t think we’ll be able to sell in this market* not going to spend the 30k to repair it and just sell as-is which will hurt our listing price.

Plumbing repairs desperately needed. I have vented more than once about the poor state of our plumbing. Our house was built in 1923 and I am sure that’s the last time the plumbing has worked properly. This is one hit we will have to take. I am going to have to get an estimate *if I have to shake it out of him* from our plumber, Malcolm to replace the galvanized pipes to copper in the bathroom and kitchen. *estimated cost $4500 – $6000*

Cracks in the walls and ceilings. Due to the foundation problem, our living room and bedroom walls have cracks that even after we patched and painted 4 years ago, need addressing. This I think, we can do ourselves but if we paint the living room *I get bummed just thinking about all that painting* we have to remove the popcorn ceiling *which we assume is covering more cracks*. *estimated cost $300*

Our HVAC system isn’t working very well. Actually we paid $440 back in April to be told we need to replace it, WELL DUH! The system is old, the electrical on it is shoddy and it doesn’t work very efficiently *we use it on special occasions because it increases our water & power bill by $50* I don’t necessarily want to buy a new system but at least get the vents cleaned and fix the blockage in our bedroom. *estimated cost $700 and up*

Cosmetic repairs that we need to get done

*Just enough to look good to a realtor but not pimping it out

Cracked glass our bedroom window, thanks to our gardener, the kitchen, the front door, not devastating but will help with the overall maintenance of the house. *estimated cost no idea??*

Our lawn/front and backyard needs a makeover. We moved our patio furniture downstairs and now our upper patio is bare and needs seating. We also need to re-seed our lawn, water regularly and plant some flowers in the front yard for spring. *estimated cost $600 and up*

Remodel our kitchen. This is more than major but it has to be done simultaneously with plumbing repairs *since we want to replace the back splash tile*. We need to paint the cabinets/walls, refinish the floors, and install a new light fixture *estimated cost $4000* here’s my ideal kitchen makeover

Remodel our tiny bathroom. The first thing we must do is replaster the horrendous dusty rose tub and shower wall. Next is retile the floor, paint and replace the sink basin and toilet. *estimated cost $1700*

New curtains in the bedroom. This is not a big deal but it can really make the bedroom shine. I’m putting off getting new curtains because my sweetheart cat, Lola thinks it’s awesome to claw her nails on our current curtains *boo*

My plan is to start tackling these small projects and do a major remodel/repair in April *yay for tax refunds* and since spring time is the best time for our yard, have our agent Debora Bright-Laney come by to give us a professional evaluation. She was our agent and helped us write 13 offers before we got this house. I wouldn’t want to use any other agent but I have no idea what her commission costs are *she works for one of the biggest real estate companies in LA* The biggest obstacle in getting into our dream house is the down payment *also need to secure a loan with our current interest* which would take us decades to save. I am counting on helping my Mom selling her income property in LA so she can gift us the 20% down payment. That in itself sounds impossible but hey, good things happen to good people right? I really want to raise Liv in a nice neighborhood that promotes community, has like-minded rad people like us *my neighbors here belong in a fuckin’ zoo!* and is SAFE! I am not looking at mansions in Beverly Hills, the house I want to buy is a total fixer-upper *with great bones/potential* and the location is perfect for us, close to Antz job, walkable neighborhood, and close to our favorite places to hang out.

Chi Chi Chick-fil-a!!

Yesterday we flaked on volleyball *boo, next week we are going for sure* but instead we went to visit Antz Mommy and his Tia Pancha.
First, we went to chick-fil-a *yum* to use the coupons I got from my last visit when they took forever to make my order. We feasted on chicken and went to my Mom’s house in LA to pick up some stuff her best friend/manager Debbie had for us. She gave us some pretty cool candles *too lazy to upload pics now*
some swifter stuff, and some lame stuff for Liv *boy shoes, gross!*
We went to Antz Mom’s house and hung out with his Tia, his sister and his nephew. I am LOVING my new hipstamatic app!

I am loving my new glasses *so nerdy*

Me and my SIL Clinnie *Incredibooth app*

On another note, Martha Stewart now does KITCHEN CABINETS and Countertops!!! I want them soooo bad! BUT…not in this house. The cabinets here are like 80+ years old and they are the oddest sizes *in most cases too small yet too big so it hogs up counter space*. I will be happy to strip the *years* of old paint on these cabinets and paint them white. I’ll have to use new hinges and some generic silver knobs and line the inside with pretty paper and call it a day. I am not going to pimp out this house when I know I won’t recuperate any of the money I spend. I would much rather make it sellable and appealing to *boring* sellers. My dream house is where I would put those dreamy cabinets, I envision glass upper cabinets with spotlights showcasing my pretty Anthropologie dishware *that I would probably never use in fear of breaking it*.
So Liv and I have been loving Yo Gabba Gabba! and now I must take her to the live show at the Nokia Theater in November. Problem is *although tickets are still available* I want the VIP party package which includes photos with the cast, a special VIP room and premium seating and those are sold out. On Facebook, they have contests for the VIP package but no luck yet. I am keeping my fingers crossed that Antz may have a connection and get us backstage/after party passes. Since this is a public event, it’s highly unlikely.

Like, the Valley, you know?

We finally made it to the Calabasas farmers market and you know what? It wasn’t that impressive.

Calabasas is a pretty cute town but the traffic on the way there and the extreme 100+ heat wasn’t worth the effort.

I was seriously melting!! The farmers market didn’t even have a Korean BBQ stall *every FM has had one and Antz loves it*. There was kettle corn but it wasn’t fresh so I passed in lieu of a bag of warm roasted peanuts. We also bought some strawberry lemonade and some pretty spider mums for the nursery.
Leaving the market, I drove past a familiar site. *I know I am a huge NERD*

Yep, I totally took a pic in front of the Kardashian’s boutique. We were dripping hot so we hightailed it to the nearest mall *The Oaks* for some much-needed air conditioning.

We ate at the crowded *Boo* food court. I BF Liv too, it felt weird like I was grossing everyone out.

Of course checked out Janie & Jack and Build-a-Bear

*this guy is super cute but will soon be retired 🙁

and Anthro *I bought Liv’s nursery rug from this store*

I am so disappointed in the *lack of* size of this armchair in person. It was on my wishlist but for $1200 bucks I need a cushy chair that I won’t need assistance to get out of.

I LOVE this lamp/shade!! Very cute *in person* and very retro.

After the mall I wasn’t ready to jump back onto the traffic heavy freeway so I took a detour route and somehow ended up in Malibu. There was a carnival going on but it was tooo hot for us to go.

We drove along PCH *sorry no Seal sanctuary, Olivia spent too much time in the car already* but it was lovely drive.

By the time we made it back home it was after 5pm. We have been tossing around ideas for Leslie’s party tomorrow but so far nothing has inspired us. I am leaning towards this Martha Stewart mag cute idea but Antz pointed out, it’s not a mythical creature *but perfect for Halloween*
*Photo to be uploaded tomorrow*
Tomorrow I will be making my *now famous* honey cornbread to bring to the party.

The Absent-minded Mommy

I can’t believe I failed to mention some huge developments!! The first and major change is Olivia has been sleeping in her crib since Monday! *well, she attempted* She has almost outgrown her bassinet and I promised that at 12 weeks *which she is today* she would start sleeping in her nersery. We don’t want her to become dependant on sleeping with us. So, we have established a nighttime routine since she is no longer falling asleep on her own. After a feeding and a diaper change, we read her a few books and end with Goodnight Moon in dim light. If she hasn’t fallen asleep by then we sit with her in the glider and hold her until she falls asleep. Then we put her in crib and hang out until she is deep asleep. She usually sleeps until 3am when she wants to eat. Then *hopefully* we put her back in her crib, if she doesn’t fall back asleep we put her in bed with us *guilty for the last 2 nights*. We are going to crack down and keep her in her crib tonight. She is growing up so fast. The first night she slept in her nursery I was a nervous wreck, peeking in through the door and standing over her crib every half and hour. She seems to be just fine in there but it has been unbearably hot so we leave the ceiling fan on and she has been going sans pajamas.
Another development has been now that Liv is growing her bassinet we have to think of a portable system *for visits to Grandma’s house*. I was adamently against Pack n’ Plays. I think they are cheesy *with exception to this one*

Unfortunately, this guy is sold out on Babesta.com.  When we went to Apple Valley we checked out Pack n’ Plays at Target but we didn’t like any of them. I strongly detest any baby graphics *ie: Winnie the Pooh, generic ABCs or mainstream characters like Dora or Looney Tunes* so it has been difficult to find a set in a style I like. Well, I think I found one I can live with. When I went to Best Buy Monday to get the modem, I went next door to Babies R Us *a store I never thought I would ever go to* but I was curious so I checked it out. I wasn’t at all impressed *as I expected* with their inventory but this Pack n’ Play caught my eye.

Now I am not crazy about the plaid print but it’s the features that make this work. It has a changing table, adjustable mattress, storage bins for diapers and wipes, wheels to make it portable and a cute Monkeys motif. I think I’ll pick it up this weekend since we are going to Apple Valley on Saturday. I’ll probably sell our bassinet on craigslist in October.
I am hoping Antz can take tomorrow off *or at least leave early* so we can prep for our party and work on our new project. I have been wanting to frame Olivia’s photo shoot pics in a collage style on this empty space in the nursery

I like the placement Young House Love did for their daughter Clara.

We’ll check out the frames at Target and Ikea and I already have a shadowbox for her hospital ID bracelet. I want to decoupe a Thrift Shop frame like this guy

Restoration Hardware has this lovely shadowbox frame but the $79 price is pretty steep and too large for the space.

I would love to put her christening gown, bonnet and candle in it but I know it’s too short to fit. I’m sure Antz will figure out something genuis.

Apple Valley weekend

We decided to spend the weekend at my Mom’s in Apple Valley. It’s probably the last time we’re going out there this summer. I totally forgot to pack Liv’s starfish float so we didn’t get in the jacuzzi this time. We went to Target and Best Buy to check out flat screen TVs and sound systems for my Mom. She bought a cute Samsung *with a little prodding from me*, a Bose surround sound and a full motion mount, which I am mesmerized by, it swivels 180 degrees so we can watch TV from any spot in the kitchen/family room. Antz installed the TV and the mount and I hooked up the cable and the surround sound. *patting my own back* We still need to figure out where to put the cords.

Antz and Liv watching the new TV…Love Liv’s pouty face!

By the time it was finished, the day was over. We ate pizza and watched Inglourious Basterds. This morning we went to my Mom’s cute next door neighbors *Skip & Marilyn* house to thank them for the present they bought Liv.

Liv’s lovey

They were super nice. Liv wore her sailor suit *my favorite, from Godmommy Aimee*

My Mom likes the style of their house so now she’s inspired to remodel her house and possibly build another house on the property. All this remodel talk has me yearning to work on our tiny bathroom.

When we moved in, I fell in love with this Johnathan Adler 7 Deadly Sins shower curtain *from BB&B* so when we were designing the small space we thought lime green and orange, would be a fun palette for a tiny bathroom. Now we are finding the paint too Nickelodeon themed. I am ready for a more mature color scheme and seller friendly. We want to put in hexagon white 2 x 2 tile flooring *California Bungalow style* install a pedastal sink and replaster the shower/tub white. It’s a hideous dusty rose color as you can see in the before we bought our house photo

before we bought the house

the day we moved in

A Sunday walk in Atwater Village

It’s been a whole week since we took Liv for a walk in Atwater.

We went a bit late today so we kept it short since the sun was setting and it was chilly. Most of the shops were closed because it’s Sunday but I peeked in the new, larger space of the Little Knittery. Antz is always giving me the business because I took a class there last year to make a crotchet hat and I never finished it

*I completely forgot the stitching* but whenever I pass by I drool over the pretty Amigurumi figurines and yarn colors that are rad.

I also spotted a pillowcase dress in the window of Mila Tot’s boutique *sorry about the glare*

Makes me want to craft so bad but I am a much better beginner than finisher. I get super excited and spend money on all the supplies but after a few days I am over it and move on to my next hair-brained scheme. Sigh.
Speaking of schemes, I have a super dilemma. I really want to buy some Erin Uggs *priced at $60* for Liv. The Ugg website is sold out of Erin’s in blue

So I was bummed but I can live with the pink ones.

Well, I was looking at the MilkShop website and they have a pair of pink Erins on sale for $27.00!!! Now you would think this is not much of a dilemma but herein lies the rub…they are only in size 17 – 24 months. BOO! I mean sure she can wear them in the future.  Not at the rate her skinny, narrow feet are growing, her feet will be too long by the time her feet are big enough for size 17 months. She has a pair of Vans *size 6 – 12 weeks* that she can fit *in length* but her feet are much too narrow for them. By the time she is 12 weeks, her feet will be wide enough but too long to fit them.

*long, narrow feet, just like her Mom*

Well, I still may get them *can’t resist such a great sale*, she already has 8 pair of shoes she can’t fit so 9 won’t hurt. I also need to buy her new socks. All of her 0 – 3 month BabyGap socks are too small!

A woman of few words

Sorry about yesterday’s post, I was on Liv duty and was unable to type with my lovely in my arms. I had to post those videos made by Antz on his new iPhone!! She is so magnificent and she cracks me up when she tries to talk *owl*. Our Saturday was pretty lazy, I woke up early and wanted to hit the road and get out *maybe an easy hike in Malibu or a walk in Downtown Disney*

but Antz wasn’t in the mood for big crowds so we hung out at home until almost 5 *weekends always seem to fly by* and I insisted we go for a drive. I had no particular destination so I headed south and on a whim ended up in Manhattan Beach. It was super chilly *and again I forgot my jacket* so we decided not walk with her on the Strand. While driving she drank her only bottle and began to get fussy so we headed home after picking up dinner. We watched Kick-Ass when we got home and the only thing that kicked ass was the foul-mouthed little girl. The writing was horrible and Nic Cage is mega lame. I am cancelling our Netflix account because the last few months I haven’t had time to watch the movies, every movie I have rented ends up on cable the next day *I watched Moon on Thursday and today it’s on cable* and there is not much I want to see in my queue anyway. So Antz was wiped out and he went to bed. I stayed up a little later *a whooping 11:30 on a Saturday night*.
Next week we have absolutely nothing planned so I’m going to start tackling my Summer Bucket list. Antz is taking the 18th off *our anniversary* and we’re dropping Liv off at his Mom’s while we finally see Inception. We are taking her with us to Duke’s for dinner that night. Next weekend we are going to get our backyard pretty again for our upcoming S’mores party on the 27th. Antz is now at Lowes picking up a new floodlight *our old one died* and he is getting some flowers to replace our dead garden. So far only 3 couples have confirmed they are coming on Facebook but a few of our friends don’t check Facebook that often so they will probably show up anyway.

I have never been so excited for a weekend of nothing planned!

Today is half day Friday for Antz so I’ll be going to run errands when he gets home at 3pm. Yay! I took on too much today and now I’m exhausted. I cleaned Liv’s nursery, the bathroom is now sparkly clean, big clean up in the kitchen, washing the bedding and towels and a bit of swiftering! *whew* In the interrum of this cleaning binge, I’ve changed Liv 4 times, given her a bath, fed her and had some animated tummy time. The best part is Liv has been super happy all day. She slept a bit in her swing while I cleaned the kitchen and I even wore her in the Babywrap for awhile. She’s now laying contently in her bassinet allowing Mommy a small break to eat and blog 🙂 I am loving all this hard work. I feel so …*hold please epic diaper change*
I have returned. Olivia spit up Exorcist style! …rewarding and truly happy.

I watched Up in the Air with Antz, I really liked it, surprisingly. I was annoyed at the opening song but the rest was charming. I am so happy the weekend is here so we can do NOTHING! I have missed not having something scheduled. Of course next week is full of things. My Mom is coming in town on Wednesday and I’m going to color her hair. Then Thursday Olivia has her pediatrician appt *and will be getting 3 vaccinations!* and I have my follow up appt. with Dr. Teng. I want to bring Liv to meet the nurses. Friday we will be making the christening cookies at Leslie’s house *I still am looking for the monogram stamp*. We nixed the plan to go to Marston’s after the christening because Antz doesn’t want to exclude any of his family. So it will be cake and punch at our house afterwards. Leslie and Antz picked out this awesome cake today

We are definitely getting rid of the topper and putting her name on it. The issue is, the cake and punch is impromptu so we aren’t sure who will be coming to our house. Oh well, this is the new unstructured me!Today I lucked upon this rad DIY that I am super excited to try to make *or ask Antz Mom to make for me*

This sweet dress is made from *drumroll* a pillowcase! I have got to hem it with pom poms and and some zigzag trim. Maybe I’ll check out the fabric store I got my bridesmaid’s skirt fabric from. I suck at sewing but it looks feasible for even me. I have not a clue where I will find such a cute pillowcase but maybe I’ll get lucky over the weekend.

It’s rough out there on your own

Boy did I learn the hard way today. My day started off pleasantly, Aimee and Holden came over to visit Olivia. Holden has 3 brothers and 2 sisters so he is an expert in babies. He made Olivia very happy.

After their visit, I went to meet Jennifer and Baby Charlotte in Montrose for our walk. I am digging Montrose, it has a charming downtown area with tons of sweet Mom & Pops. We went to this adorable kids shop. They had the birthday hats I want to get for Liv.

Olivia turned into Fussypants when I tried to put a hat on her but I have to get her one for her 1st birthday.

She is not into hats but I hope she’ll get out of the phase. After swooning over the cuteness of the shop we went to lunch. I had a turkey, avocado and croissant sandwich and sweet potatoe fries *so yum* but I only had half of my lunch because Olivia was hungry and she let everyone know it. I had to feed her in my car but that was horrible. It was like 100 degrees in my car, I couldn’t get comfortable in the backseat. I was trying to be discreet but every person was walking right next to my car and Liv was screaming bloody murder when I cut her lunch short. I breastfed her last weekend in my car at the mall so I thought it would be easy peasy.

I tried to hurry home but I was having issues with taking out the car seat *it got stuck* and I hit my arm on a piece of metal in my garage. To top it all off, I was hot and sweaty Betty and feeling frustrated and sad that Olivia was so unhappy. I felt like a Mommy failure! I called Antz and he gave me good advice *pack a bottle when I go out, load the car before I put her in, etc* so I felt better. I was so confident from our first time out alone on Tuesday that I thought I would be fine. Nothing is worse than Olivia crying and I can’t make her happy. I have a new found respect for single parents because today was hard for us. She is perfectly happy since we’ve been home and I am planning to meet Jennifer the Thursday after next at a Mommy & Me class. I really like Jennifer, she is rad, she is into Tom Waits and classic movies. I love her wedding pics *at Silent Movie Theater* she wore a gorgeous vintage gown.

So stunning!
So I found the metal beads *India Tree Dragées*

and the edible flowers *India Tree Party Decoratifs*

for the christening cookie favors at Sur la Table online last night but one thing concerns me. The beads have a warning that present a major problem. Is the presentation of these cookies worth possible cancer? And if the manufactorer knows they may cause cancer, how are they still selling this product?? Grr! I already can not find the swirl and monogram embosser for the cookies. I want these EXACT cookies!!