Outdoor fireplace!

Hi everyone! I know it has been a very looooong time since I have blogged. I have really missed it! I've had several messages asking for details on our outdoor fireplace we had installed two years ago. When we bought the house 4 years ago, it was a brand new home that was just built. We loved everything about the house except the back yard! It was nothing but a big hill!

We had originally planned on putting a pool in. We had a couple of pool companies come out and draw up some plans, but found out we had a big easement on the back of the property. We also found out that the pool has to be several feet away from the back of the house... Our pool was going to be really long and skinny. Not what we were wanting. We went back to the drawing boards and decided that an outdoor fireplace would be perfect! We absolutely love it!

Here are a few pictures of the "backyard hill" we had to work with. Yikes! As much as my husband and I love to do DIY projects, we quickly decided this one one we needed to leave to the professionals! We hired a great company to do all the work from start to finish.

Our covered back porch was great, but we wanted to extend it by adding stone all the between the fireplace and the patio. My husband & I brainstormed our ideas for the space, put a few things on paper & met with the company. They loved the ideas we had and followed them exactly!

I thought I had some pics of the first days of work, but couldn't find them. They basically dug out of the hill, laid a concrete pad with giant rebars to support the weight of the fireplace, laid the stone pavers, and created a drainage system behind the fireplace & rock seating area.

The fireplace was brought in three pieces. I was jumping for joy the day it arrived! It was exactly how I wanted it to look like.

Once it was set in place, they began building the wood storage boxes. We had tossed around the idea of having a waterfall on each side, but decided on the wood storage boxes in the end. Glad we made that choice. Love how it looks when it is full of wood!

Next came the sod, adding the outdoor furniture we picked out and decorating! They were still cleaning up their messes and washing down the patio when I was decorating for Fall! I couldn't wait! 

One of my favorite times to enjoy the patio is at night, fire going, happy lights on, music playing... Ahh... So relaxing.

Now, we need to start thinking about phase 2 of the project. We would love to add landscaping all across the back fence. Thanks for stopping by! Maybe it won't be as long between posts next time!

Board and Batten Project

My husband and I had talked about putting up board and batten for a few months, but knew it would be a huge job.  This was one of our biggest projects to date, but made such an impact!  I am in love with how it turned out!

We started with some free labor...  Ha!  She begged us to help rip off the old baseboards!  This little girl loves anything DIY.  Just like her Mom & Dad!

The hubby then started cutting boards & nailing them up with his nail gun.  That thing is amazing!  Saves so much time!

Ahh... Starting to see what it's going to look like!  I seriously thought I was going to go crazy from all of the messes at this point...

My husband working hard.  Did I mention that this was his first big woodworking project without his Dad's help?  This man is amazing!  We had to put plastic up everywhere to protect the rest of the house from the dust.  Lots and lots and LOTS of sanding!

So close to being finished.  That's what I kept telling myself, until I realized how much painting I had to do.  I painted all of the trim all day every day for three days!

The finished dining room!  I am in LOVE with the light airy feeling in this room now.  All she needs now are some pretty hardwood floors.

The finished entryway!  My husband did such a good job on this project, I may just find a few other things to add to to the honey do list!

Thanks for stopping by!  You can see some before pictures of these spaces here.  Feel free to pin any pictures!

China Hutch Makeover!

Hey there!  I am excited to share with you a project that I have completed for our dining room!  I purchased a smelly old china hutch on Craigslist for $60 and my husband couldn't believe I would even think about trying to make it pretty.  It was BAD!!

I used Annie Sloan chalk paint for the hutch and used her brushes as well.  The thing I love most about using chalk paint is that there is no prep work, other than giving it a good cleaning.  No sanding or priming at all!  I wish I could find my before picture.  It was pretty pitiful!

Here she is all finished!

I used Annie Sloan chalk paint in the color Old White.  I also used a coat of clear soft wax and used the dark soft wax to accentuate areas that I distressed.  I went ahead and invested in quality Annie Sloan brushes in different sizes & also her wax brushes.  They make all the difference for application!

Here's a close up that shows some of the distressing I did using sandpaper.  I LOVE the old look!

I left all of the original hardware on and painted right over it.  I didn't want the hardware to stand out too much from the off white finish.  I sanded down the pieces to age it a bit.

I love having a place to store my china and some pretty accessories.  Thanks so much for stopping by!  I'd love to hear from you!