Guess Who is in a Home Tour?

You probably guessed correctly, me! Well, not me exactly me, but my house. I am very excited to be a part of the 2013 Irvington Historical Home Tour. This is the 40th year the tour has run (it is the longest running home tour in Indianapolis) and I am totally geeking out that I get to be on the tour. I wrongly assumed that home tours would only be interested in the large and gorgeously groomed historical homes in my neighborhood not my tiny 994 square foot baby, but I am glad to be proven wrong!

If you live in the Indianapolis area you should come out and support the Benton House (all proceeds from the tour go toward keeping the historic Benton House up and running) and take a tour of a lot of cool houses (including my own!). The tour is on September 15, 2013 so no need to plan for it yet, but this post isn't just about my announcement.... it is also a to-do list.

Yep, I'm going to be on a home tour in a few short weeks, which means I have a lot to do! So here are the things I absolutely want to get done before the home tour and a list of things I would like to try and get done before then.

Must be done:
- screen in the porch
- mow grass, trim bushes, maybe even mulch
- plant plants in a few of the empty planters on the porch
- "decorate" the porch
- clean all base boards and doors with a magic eraser or something like that
- clean windows inside and out
- remove old blinds caps in the living room
- re-grout bathtub and tile (not particularly looking forward to this but it seriously needs to be done)
- if I don't have time to refinish the wood floors in the bedrooms they need a seriously good cleaning, I might try and remove some of the obvious paint spots in the hallway so it looks less like the floor of an old shed.
- fix hall closet door (it doesn't latch and is perpetually open which drives me insane)
- get bookshelf for the dining room
- do something with bare wall in bedroom (desk? chair? art? bench?)

If I have time:
- paint entry
- paint hallway
- add curtains in the entry
- replace blinds in the living room
- get a table cloth for the dining room table
- refinish hardwood floors in the bedrooms (I think this is wishful thinking but it would be really nice)


Uh, so I have a lot to do, I gotta go! Wish me luck!

Front Porch Musings

I love love love my front porch, but when I first bought this house it wasn't much to look at.

This house was vacant when I bought it and the only thing on the porch was a giant trash can. After buying the house I moved that to the side of the house out of sight and in it's place I put a beautiful snow shovel which remained there for six months. The house definitely lacked curb appeal well after I bought it. But then, I got it painted and everything changed!

My favorite feature is the original (I'm assuming) porch ceiling. So pretty! After getting the house painted I finally bothered to add two craigslisted chairs and an old table and a bunch of empty planters. 

It is finally starting to look slightly lived in but it's not quite there yet. I've found out that most people that read this blog and haven't been to my house think that this porch is either screened or glassed in well let me blow your minds... it is just empty framing. I know, super cool right? The first time I visited this house I did the cautious arm through the frame thing to see if it was filled in or not. I think I even said out loud, this porch would be so easy to screen in because it is already framed out. Yes, super wise Jasmin-of-the-Past it would be super easy to screen in except you aren't qualified to do that and paying someone to do it is money you don't have. So it has sat, as is, for the last 18 months. Unframed, yet still dearly loved. Seriously, this porch is great because it's just big enough and it is somehow always shady.

But I've got grand plans for this porch. Okay maybe not 'grand' but definitely an upgrade from how it is now. 

Step 1: Screen in the porch and add a door

I'd like to finish this step by the end of the summer. I don't think it will be super expensive and it will be really nice to sit out there and not get bitten by bugs. Although, having a door on the porch will be a sort of an annoying adjustment, but I'll get over it.

Step 2: Get better furniture

The two chairs are great and for only $10 for the pair they were totally worth the money but I'd like to upgrade to something more comfortable. I've toyed with the idea of putting a twin daybed out there because it would be nice to sit and nap on, but I'm a little worried about it all getting too wet. I've been doing a case study on how wet the porch gets during storms and unfortunately my data is inconclusive. Some storms the porch is bone dry and then one day it will be misty and the whole porch floor will be soaking wet so I'm not sure what to make of that. If I don't do a day bed I've thought of getting something mega comfortable like this: 

via Pinterest

This one is no longer in stock and is a billion dollars anyway but I like the idea of it, though maybe in a more fun color. 

via Pinterest

I could also go the DIY route, but that takes planning and tools so that's probably not going to happen. 

Step 3: Repaint the floor or get an indoor/outdoor rug

When I had the house painted I also got the porch floor repainted because it was hunter green which was super random considering the rest of the house was two shades of blue. But over the past year the floor has really gotten torn up. 

I could probably call my painter back and have him repaint it but he was super creepy so I'm just going to deal with it on my own. So in my mind I have two options, repaint it myself or get an indoor/outdoor rug. I'm strongly leaning toward the latter considering I've done more painting in my lifetime than any sane human. 

Step 4: Stylize

I'm thinking art, plants, pillows, lanterns, string lights, basically the works. 

When all that is going to happen is TBD but now you know, I got plans yo!

DIYable Thrift Shop Find #4032

I'm still chugging away on my thrift shops articles (all available to read here) which means I'm still trying hard to not spend money every weekend. 

Thankfully, this last time I only spend $2.99 on this framed art. It looks small here but it's actually about 18" wide and 12" tall. I really like the frame even though it is a little beat up. And let's be honest, this is not the best painting ever painted but it's a sweet little scene.

Right now this painting is just leaning against my bedroom wall but I have a few ideas about how to spruce this guy up.

Idea #1:

via Under the Sycamore

Paint over the existing painting with new colors. I saw this on Pinterest awhile back and thought it was such a creative idea. It's basically a play on paint with numbers. It's unique and cheap and could potentially be easy. Although, let's be honest a lot of these types of projects look easy and I over-confidently think I can do it but then I get into the project and... it's a mess. But I'm just crazy enough to keep trying projects like this.

OR

Idea #2:

via A Beautiful Mess

I actually reference this idea in my last attempt at DIY art (here and here). I like this project because it is extremely simple. Stick letters on canvas, paint over letters, dry, peel, and done! I'm not sure what I could write on such a small canvas though...

What would you do? I'm leaning toward Idea #1 but I'll see what my mood is when I decide to start this project. For now, it will just be a weird little painting in my room.

Trend Spotting: Orange Front Doors

In previous 'trend spotting' posts (here and here) I went with less obvious trends, but this trend is pretty easy to spot. Brightly colored front doors are nothing new but bright orange doors have been popping up everywhere these days. And I have to say, I'm a big fan! All images via my 'Outdoor Spaces' board on Pinterest here.

It is very possible that I love this trend so much because I can't paint my front door. I know what you are thinking, why can't you paint your front door? It is because I live in a historical home in a historical neighborhood and we are strongly encouraged to leave any original exterior elements as is. My front door is lovely so I shouldn't complain...

but wouldn't my door looks so nice painted a bright orange??? I think it would look amazing, but alas it is not meant to be. So for now I will just dream of orange doors and encourage others to go big and bold with their exterior paint colors.