Rick is making fantastic progress sanding the stairs, gradually removing the old pine color from the treads and railing (eventually we’ll be replacing it with a darker stain).  It’s been a huge job to tackle on his own.  But given the amount of dust that this project has generated, maybe it is best that I have been away for this part (we don’t want a replay of the asthma attack following the carpet removal when we first moved in).

Here are a few pics taken by Rick to document the progress he is making.  The one dark stair tread was a test run on a replacement stain color. Check out those doggy footprints in the dust!

In this pic, Rick has totally removed the stair railing and all the spindles in order to finish the sanding.  It looks so open and airy without stair railing – it’s a shame it’s such a death trap!

I love that there is so much dust in the air that even the camera has little specks of dust in the lens.

You can really see the difference between the sanded stair treads and the original orangey color of the floor.  I think that using a rich chocolate brown on the stairs will add depth and sophistication, and hopefully the “wow-factor”, to the entryway.

The next decision we have to make is what to do with the stair risers.  Keep them white as a nice contrast to the darker stain on the treads?  Or stain them for a cohesive look?  Or do something daring such as paint them a different color, add wallpaper, or even tiles?  What do you think?

Ok, this is not strictly to do with DIY stuff, but it looks so gorgeous I just had to share…

Yummy. During my stay in the UK, I’ve been buying a popular DIY magazine to get some British-based decor inspiration (in fact, one of the magazine issues has given me an idea for the spare bedroom – more on that later). Whilst perusing their website, I came across this recipe.  And started drooling.  This looks L.U.S.H.  And so easy to do. 

How great would this be for dessert on a summer’s eve, sitting out on your dream deck?  I think I’m gonna have to make these soon!  Here’s the recipe…

You will need (serves 4):

For the towers
150ml whipping cream
8 shortbread biscuits (cookies in the US)
350g hulled and halved strawberries
4 tsp strawberry jam (not jelly)

For the raspberry sauce
350g raspberries
25g icing sugar (powdered sugar in the US)
1 tbsp lemon juice

Directions

First make the raspberry sauce, sprinkle the sugar over the raspberries and lemon juice and leave for 20 minutes. Then force the mix through a fine sieve to remove the seeds. Cover and refrigerate until needed.

When ready to serve, whip the cream to a soft peak stage. Place a biscuit on each plate and spoon a heaped tablespoon of cream onto the centre of each. Take 4-6 strawberry halves of roughly the same size and arrange in a circle, cut side out, around the rim of each biscuit, pressing into the cream to hold them in place.

Add a teaspoon of strawberry jam in the centre of the strawberries, spoon a little more whipped cream on top, and crown with another biscuit, pressing down gently to make sure the cream and strawberries merge together – but not so hard that the cream comes out the sides. 

Top with a little dollop of cream, and a half strawberry, arrange more strawberry halves around the outside of the plate, and drizzle with raspberry sauce.

Linking this post up to Show and Tell Saturday:

Wallpaper seems to be making a come back.  The designs are graphic, bold and modern – a world away from those popular in the 80′s.  However, wallpaper can be expensive.  And, in a few years when you’re ready to change the scenery, it’s a major pain in the #&!# to remove. That’s where stencils come in.  Stencils are much easier to apply and can create just as much impact in a room as wallpaper.  Plus, when its time to redecorate, you simply paint over the design and move on.  Simple. 

If stenciled walls evoke images of tacky bathrooms and kitchen borders – think again! Stencils are hot right now.  Lots of people are using them to update their living spaces. I’ve noticed a number of stencilled decor projects popping up all over blogland, so I’d thought I’d share some of the eye candy.

Image sources:    1    |    2    |   3    |   4    |    5   |    6    |    7    |    8

Do you have a favorite? I love them all, but could see using the muted tone-on-tone stencil in the first image in our master bedroom. Could you see using one of these designs in a room in your house?

If all goes according to plan, we should have family from the UK coming to stay for the Thanksgiving holiday.   Although it’s not on our list of renovation goals for 2010, we really need to make a start at getting at least one of our spare bedrooms more visitor friendly by November. 

 Until recently, the spare bedrooms have been empty shells… well, apart from a few boxes of junk that we’ve never sorted through since our move in 2009:

A couple of weeks ago, I worked up a inspiration moodboard for this room.

It involves repainting the walls a lovely duck-egg blue color, and bringing in some sumptuous chocolate furniture, with touches of turquoise and silver and contrasting red accessories.  I also talked about having a dark bedspread, but funking it up with some graphic black and white sheets and punchy pillows.  Throw in some modern sleek lined furniture and an architectural light, and we had an initial plan for transforming this blah space.

Well, phase 1 of the bedroom makeover is currently underway. We’ve yet to paint the walls – I think this will make the biggest transformation in the room.  When I return to the States at the end of this month, the search will be on for the perfect duck-egg hue (any suggestions?). We have moved some furniture in to the room, making it decidedly less storage-room and much more bedroom.

A brand new queen sized mattress and box springs has been topped with a simple black bedding set and a few cute pillows.  The bed is flanked by two glossy nightstands (that were bought on clearance, score!).  The generic drawer handles were replaced with some funky crystal topped ones, which I think tie in nicely with the brushed nickel finish of the lamps.  The black bedding is only temporary until I can find a more exciting set like one of these.  I do like the graphic pop of the black-and-white sheets and pillow that peek from behind the more subdued cover.

Opposite the bed, an Ikea Hopen dresser (another Craigslist bargain) is topped by three mirrors found at Target, which are great for bouncing light around the room.  The dresser is actually quite large and so has plenty of space for guests to place their foldable items (the door to the left of the dresser is a small walk-in closet).

A few small red accessories have been placed on the dresser, including the very first photo taken of Rick and I when we began dating (10 years ago – eek!).

So, we’re starting to make progress transforming this room in a more liveable space.  There are many things left to do in this room: paint the walls, lay some flooring, change the bedding, bring in some artwork and figure out some cool lighting.

Eventually, I’d like to think about installing a built-in bookcase in that wall where the roof line comes down (instead of that small door).  It might also be cool to install some window seats under those two windows.  That would add a little extra storage and create a nice relaxing space for our guests to chill with a book or to look out the window at the scenery.

I am still looking for design inspiration for this room.  Do you have perfect duck-egg blue paint on your walls?  How about a great architectural light fixture?  Have you built a fab window seat? Help a girl out here and spill the beans!

How cool is this eco-friendly alarm clock?

The clock is powered by water.  Yep, H2O only.  And it also has a thermometer and calendar. You simply add water to the cell to activate, and enjoy free energy to run your clock.  I could see having one of these in each of the guest bedrooms, not to mention the office  and the front rooms.

In addition to being good for the planet and pleasing on the eye, it’s a steal at only £14.99 GBP (approx. $25 USD).  Want one (or five)? Check ’em out here!

It is a common sight in many modernized households to see flat screen TV’s mounted above the fireplace.  Technology has progressed so much in the last decade making TV’s thinner and thinner (could someone find a way to apply that technology to me, please? Pretty please?!?).  In many homes, the mounted television has replaced the omnipresent mirror as the go-to accessory over the fireplace. Our house is no exception:

I’ve talked before about wanting to get a larger TV to replace our modestly-sized older model.  I know for a fact that Rick would love any TV over the 50″ mark. Whilst that is a whopping-sized television, I have to admit that it would fit the space above the fireplace much better than our current one.  Here’s a mock-up of what the fireplace might look like if we invest in a larger TV:

But here’s the problem.  When the television is not in use, it can become a big black eyesore.  So what are some of the options out there for covering the TV? A quick googley  and a common solution pops up.  Turn the television into a piece of art!  The simplest option is to frame the TV in, making it look more placed and grounded, rather than randomly floating above the fireplace.  Or you can go a step further and cover the TV with artwork of your choice.  It can simply be hung in front of the TV, or you can invest in a mechanized system that, at the a touch of a button, rolls out the artwork when the TV needs hiding, then rolls back in place when the footy comes on.

These systems can be expensive, but there should be a way to DIY this set-up for less moolah.  Another fab (but expensive) option is to cover the TV with a two-way mirror:

Advanced beam splitter mirror technology (which I don’t pretend to understand!) enables you to watch the TV as normal when it is turned on, but when you turn off your TV, it is transformed into a decorative mirror.  I’m not sure if it would be possible to DIY this set-up given the speciality glass, but this solution definitely combines function and style well.

What solutions are you using / have you come across that hide the TV?  Do you prefer the artwork idea, or the mirror one?  Or something else? Or maybe you’re not bothered that the TV is on display when not in use.  Spill it.

Over the July 4th weekend, Rick has been keeping himself busy working on one of our 2010 renovation goals (which is surprising given his penchant for starting new projects, like staining our stairs).

He’s been braving the North Carolina heat and clearing out the brush at the back of our yard:

He’s been making fantastic progress, stopping every now and then to snap a few pics to send to me. At the very back of the brush, he’s made a good clearing…

And between the trees, he’s starting to make headway clearing out smaller trees and brush:

What’s taking the most time is clearing out the random menagerie of bricks and breeze blocks that have been long buried in the undergrowth…

These leftover bricks must be a gift from the previous owners (and builders of the house).  I guess burying them in the back yard was easier than getting rid of them the normal way. Rick says they must have been there for years because the trees have actually grown around some of the bricks…

So far he unearthed a truck load of bricks…

Oh yeah, and a copperhead snake.

That’s a new critter to add to our list! (read about the deer, moles, bats, spiders and bugs).