Thriller, Filler and Spiller Window Boxes

I have finally finished putting the finishing touches on my thriller, filler and spiller window boxes. When you last saw them they just had the pansies and arborvitaes, but after my walk through Beacon Hill in Boston scouting out some inspiring window boxes I decided to add some ivy for the "spiller" effect and added in some narcissus for the "filler" so that the arborvitae didn't look so tall and alone.

Let me tell you about this narcissus deal we got. We were driving to the hospital to visit Meredith when we were almost to Logan Airport we saw this sign that the narcissus were 19 cents. We bought two flats for $2.85 each and then felt like we should have bought more and went back a couple days ago and bought two more flats. The total cost for the narcissus per window box was under $1 for four plants... I love steals like that!

Now if we could just get the grass to grow beautifully and replace our rotted front porch we would be good to go... AJ plans to replace the porch this summer, whoo hoo!

Did you notice our little helper at the far bottom left of the top photo? :)

Tell me, what did you do this weekend?

Friday Kitchen Ideas (Part 2)

First off, before I start talking about Christina's kitchen I want to show you the passage I read in Luke this morning:

Then Jesus entered and walked through Jericho. There was a man there, his name Zacchaeus, the head tax man and quite rich. He wanted desperately to see Jesus, but the crowd was in his way—he was a short man and couldn't see over the crowd. So he ran on ahead and climbed up in a sycamore tree so he could see Jesus when he came by.

When Jesus got to the tree, he looked up and said, "Zacchaeus, hurry down. Today is my day to be a guest in your home." Zacchaeus scrambled out of the tree, hardly believing his good luck, delighted to take Jesus home with him. Everyone who saw the incident was indignant and grumped, "What business does he have getting cozy with this crook?"
Zacchaeus just stood there, a little stunned. He stammered apologetically, "Master, I give away half my income to the poor—and if I'm caught cheating, I pay four times the damages."
Jesus said, "Today is salvation day in this home! Here he is: Zacchaeus, son of Abraham! For the Son of Man came to find and restore the lost."  Luke 19:1-10 The Message

I love that passage because it shows two things: Jesus doesn't care who he is seen hanging out with... rich cheaters (picture Bernie Madoff type) or lepers (picture the worst outcasts in a society). He loves them both equally! Second, I just love the last line... he came to find and restore the lost. Yes! There is HOPE in that.

Okay, kitchen design time! :)
Blog reader Christina is moving into a rental this summer but she's allowed to do some "sprucing". In all fairness to Christina, these pictures were taken with the current tenants messy belongings in the house.
First off, these colors are OUT. OF. CONTROL. Christina, I'm not sure if you had this in mind or not, but paint the cabinets base and the wooden strip on the cabinet doors white. It'll make for a more seemless look. 
Second, did you know you can buy Rust-oleum appliance paint at Home Depot? Maybe get some white appliance paint and go over the dishwasher, my guess is that it is between $20 - $40 (the counter and tile paint Rust-oleum makes is in that price range).

Christina specifically asked for some paint ideas to make the whole house flow. I found this amazing website Design Seeds and took these image inspiration photos from there. You know me... I love the ocean and beach so that's where I took photos from (especially since Christina said she loves gray).

I think I would use all the lighter colors for the main rooms and then maybe the teal for a bathroom or something smaller.

I like all these colors except for the darker brown.

I love all these colors, but don't think the two darker colors would look great in the space.

I'm a big fan for the more vibrant color to be in a smaller space, like a bathroom, especially if the bathroom has some beadboard or wainscoting in white to balance out the bright color.

Lastly, Christina, I'm not sure if the owner would be up for this but if you hate your current countertops Formica has a great option for a $16 / square foot laminate that looks a lot like real Calcutta granite. See below.

 

IKEA also has some pretty great butcher block counters for $39 for approximately 49" x 25".

 

Lastly, two simple ideas:

You know the desk like spot where the mini fridge is sitting? You could either frame some really great artwork in the area above the desk and use it like a buffet or use it as your command center with a bulletin board and some bins to catch mail.

 

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The side of the fridge seems like it is lost space... would the owner allow you to paint it with chalkboard paint so Caden could doodle or you could write yourself notes (or leave an inspiring quote up there). 

OR put a skinny bookshelf in that space and display things on the top shelves and put things on the bottom that you wouldn't mind a little guy ripping off the shelves. :)

 

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Do you feel like you have an idea for your space now?

Friday Kitchen Ideas (Part 1)

Who of your stopped over to Allison's blog yesterday and saw my guest post on a budget kitchen makeover? Well, if you did, you know today I'm going to be giving two blog readers some ideas for their kitchens. This morning I'll be featuring Sheryl's kitchen and this afternoon at 2pm I'll be featuring Christina's kitchen in her rental.

Sheryl from Arizona, who owns the kitchen below, has plans to paint the cabinets white and install a white subways tile backsplash. I love those ideas, Sheryl, and I'm going to suggest a couple more. First off, I love this kitchen for the size and all the potential it offers... and I'm jealous over your countertop space! Second of all, I'm not sure about your budget, so I'm sorry if some of these ideas are too big...

Four ideas (some are easier than others):

Put cabinets above where your current cabinets stop (where the off-white paint is on the wall). To avoid the room looking too "cabinety" I think it would be great to have glass fronted cabinets and display things you don't often use... or paint the wall a dramatic color behind the cabinets and buy a bunch of white ceramic pottery to display. Here is a photo that shows a little bit of what I mean (although there is definitely lights in each of the glass fronted cabinets).

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Because this will be hard to reach it would make a fun, and dramatic statement if you had a ladder that could be hooked up (am I over the top here? yes. but would it be amazing? yes. :)) This photo makes the ladder look obtrusive but you wouldn't need to keep it out all the time... search "kitchen library ladders" on Pinterest and you'll see some great ideas.

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Second, are you handy at all? I think if you or your hubby made a range hood to cover the distance in between the cabinets you would love the custom look it gives to your kitchen. Sherry and John, from Young House Love, recently made an inexpensive one for their kitchen so here is a great tutorial, and they even did it over their existing hood to save money (so could you!). Picture something like this that makes it look integrated into the cabinets:

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If it seems like too big of a deal to build a range hood then just extend your subway tiles to the top of the range hood.

Third and Fourth: before you replace your countertops could you build a raised bar like this for your island? That way it could create some height on that side of the kitchen. This is definitely the least important thing on my list and if you don't do it your kitchen will still look great!

Could you have two to three pendant lights dropped from the ceiling?

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Before I sign out, a couple of other things:

Replace the faucet in the island to something more sophisticated (see photo below for an idea).

And if you are already planning on changing the floor I really like darker hardwood floors next to white cabinets, if you aren't going to do that then the light floor is fine!

Okay, I promise I'm done now, Sheryl. :) Just wanted to give you some inspiration for what this could look like when you are done... I think it'll be gorgeous!

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Remember, stop by at 2pm to see some ideas for the second kitchen!

Guest Post: My First Home

Please welcome Allison Lundstrom from Whatever the Circumstances blog... I think you'll have fun reading about her new house and all that she has planned for it! Allison and I decided to do a guest post swap today so I'm over there posting about taking on a budget kitchen makeover!
Hi readers of Migonis Home! I am so happy to be here today. Jen and I go way back, her sister was my college roommate for all four years of college and is now one of my very best friends.  Not only that,  but Jen's husband AJ was our real estate agent who helped us score this fabulous fixer upper! And although I know pre-baby, pre-AJ and pre-house Jen, one thing has not changed, she is still (and has always been) a real life Martha Stewart. I don't know how she does it!?

I am thrilled to be here today on her FABULOUS blog sharing a little bit about my new home. I blog over at Whatever the Circumstances where you can find everything from my daily adventures to sewing and DIY projects. My husband and I just bought our first home, so I am going to start doing home project posts. We are also expecting our first baby in September, so lots of changes for us in the future!

Today I am here to talk about my new home. I am going to share some 'before' pictures with you a long with some inspiration I have been collecting for a few of the rooms. I hope you enjoy, and I would LOVE suggestions and ideas. BUT, before I show you the 'problem areas' and possible projects I wanted to share with you why we fell in love with this house in the first place.

1. It has the most wonderful backyard, over 1/3 of an acre, which for the North Shore of Boston is actually quite a lot! There are a number of magnificent mature trees and lots of vegetation. Can't wait to watch our littles running around back there!

2. I love the light in the living and dining room. There are beautiful large windows in both rooms that let in a lot of natural light (we will be painting these walls).

3. It has lots of character. Because the house was built in 1900 it has wide planked pine wood floors, built ins and wide moulding (though the moulding could use a fresh paint job and some cleaning, along with just about everything else in the house).

4. I love the little entry way at the front of the house, the three-season porch at the back and the two decks. For those of you not familiar with the term 'three-season porch' it is a room or porch that is not insulated and has windows all around (aka a sun room) but it is only used for three seasons when you live in a colder climate like New England (I explain this because my aunt, who lives in Georgia, was very confused by the term).

Okay, so now on to the projects. Let me tell you, the 'honey do list' is getting longer and longer. Part of the problem is I can't participate in several projects due to the little growing inside of me.

Kitchen

Besides the fact that our kitchen needs totally new cabinets and a new counter top, the biggest problem is a lack of storage. So I have been searching for storage inspiration in the kitchen. What you see is about the entire kitchen. There is enough room to put a table or a island in the kitchen (see project idea below) and their is one bare wall we can use for creative storage.

We will be painting the cabinets and probably even the countertops for the time being to make the kitchen look more fresh and clean. I am so excited about the paint color we chose for the walls and can't wait to see the final product with the white cabinets and vibrant paint!

From RHBC

We are definitely going to have to be creative about the wall space. I love the use of the wall (and the color of the tile, but that is sort of out of the question right now)

From Allison Lundstrom on clipix.com (via hgtv.com)

A pot rack is also a MUST. What a great way to store pots. I am not one of those hide everything from sight decorators, I like form and function to make sense.

From Allison Lundstrom on clipix.com (via houzz.com)

We are going to put in an island at some point. I like both of these island ideas (not sure of the original source of the first one)

From Allison Lundstrom on clipix.com (via blogspot.com)

From Allison Lundstrom on clipix.com (via thisoldhouse.com)

Bathroom

Lets just be honest, we are going to have to make los of bathroom compromises and be very creative. But I am up for the challenge.

I am thinking an above the door storage solution is going to be a must (husband is already on board with this one).

From Allison Lundstrom on clipix.com (via apartmenttherapy.com)

From Allison Lundstrom on clipix.com (via marthastewart.com)

I love this simple and clean way to store towels and other small items. Like the kitchen, I will be utilizing the small amount of wall space in the bathroom.

From Allison Lundstrom on clipix.com (via bhg.com)

Once we put in some sort of vanity or cabinet in the bathroom I may try this project out. I love how everything has its own space.

From Allison Lundstrom on clipix.com (via bhg.com)

Sewing Space

This room is by far my favorite room. Notice the deck off the room (this is on the second floor and there is a lovely dogwood right off the edge of the deck) and the amount of light that seeps into the room. Love it!

One of the things I am most excited about (besides having a room for the nursery) is having space for a sewing desk. We won't have lots of room, but I am going to have a space in the guest bedroom for my sewing machine and projects.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE this space from Oh! Sweet Joy.

From Allison Lundstrom on clipix.com (via blogspot.com)

Great storage ideas on this desk, and not cluttered!

From Allison Lundstrom on clipix.com (via sfgate.com)

Allison, thank you SO much for joining us and giving this tour of your new digs! Maybe you'll stop in later with some before and after photos? :) Migonis Home readers, make sure you check out Allison's blog!

Hospital Johnny (exciting, right?)

I've hesitated to post this, even though it's been done since February, because I never wanted Meredith to think I was exploiting her for the sake of a blog post. I asked her last night if she would mind and she didn't at all so...

In February, I think it was a little after Valentine's Day, International Heart Health Awareness Day was a big thing all over, but especially at Mass General Hospital.  Meredith really wanted something red to wear; I'm sure you can picture how hideous the hospital's johnnys are... nothing cute, or red, about them. We wanted Meredith to have something really fun for heart day... so off I went to Old Navy and found some clearance pants with hearts on them. AC Moore (our craft store) had some great junior sized red shirts on sale (for about $2.50) that sort of matched the pants. Not bad to spend under $10 for an outfit. :)

I had this vision after reading about designer hospital clothes that celebs wear about creating Meredith her own hospital outfit. I took the red shirt and cut it directly down the middle of the back:

After I cut it open you could spread the back apart like this:

I then turned under the sides and sewed in a (mostly) straight line. I was in a rush to do it because I had to get into the hospital to give it to her and completely forgot to buy matching red thread (big oops) but maybe just think that I chose black so you could see where I stitched. :)

  

I added a grosgrain ribbon at the top to tie so Meredith wouldn't be flashing the world. I went over it a few times with the sewing machine to secure it. As you can see from the left side I did a beautiful job sewing it (remember two things, friends: I am a terrible sewer and I was in a huge rush). :)

The completely johnny and heart PJ pants! 

I made her a little tag to celebrate Heart Day: 

She says that all the doctors and nurses ask where she got her outfit (because it doesn't look like standard hospital wears). April, AJ's mom, made her as few in pink, purple and blue after this worked out okay... so now she is getting close to accumulating the colors of the rainbow in hospital johnnys, just what she always wanted, right :) So, there you have it, a little tutorial on how to make a hospital johnny. Make sure YOU buy matching thread and are more careful sewing the ribbons than I was. :)

Meredith update:

She is doing really well, even better than the doctors expected. She will have physical therapy to teach her to move again. She can't stand and can't even hold a cell phone for any length of time because the muscles have completely atrophied from lying in a hospital bed for weeks. 

BUT the good news is that she is able to eat more and more things. Everything is still pureed and her favorite thing right now is Starbucks Green Tea Frapacino extra thick (she has good, and high caloric taste, which is a good thing right now). On Tuesday night I chose her menu for breakfast and dinner with her... picture a menu that says "Mac and Cheese Pureed" and "French Toast Pureed". Ick, but at least it's helping get her healthy.