GOOD BYE FENCE AND GOOD BYE DECK!!! OOOH YEAH!!!!

After about 8 months of winter and freezing temps, we had to take advantage of the 1st really nice weekend.  Brady started on the exterior of our home while I was at a friends baby shower and we finished up late Sunday night.  Here is what our home looked like on Friday.   The fence wasn't doing anything positive for the curb appeal

This is what the home looked like a few years back 2 owners ago.  I think it looks pretty cute.. needs new trim paint and a paved drive way, but it still looks better than the above pic.

1st, we ripped out this strange little garden..

said good bye to the fence.. Brady hooked a toe rope up to his four-wheeler and yanked the posts right out of the ground.  It took him a few hours of hard labor, but we are soOOOO happy with the results.  Our yard feels so much more open and welcoming.

then we decided to tackle this mess of a deck.  It's a shame to tear things that the previous owners did as "improvements".  It is a great example of why you need to higher a professional or actually do a little research when putting up big and expensive improvements.. see how the stairs don't line up with the concrete walkway..

notice how the deck railing actually butts into the bay window.. and therefore, the window doesn't function.

Here's Brady removing what seemed like 5 Trillion screws..

here's the mess our driveway was in all Sunday..  this picture was taken before he started on the deck, so can image the current state of our driveway.. yikes.

Oh, and we had to recycle a bit of the fence to block the dogs off... they didn't enjoy being confined to the back yard.  We had to put the rock in front of the gate to stop Koko from escaping every 10 seconds!

oooh, sad puppies!

and here's how our entry looked Sunday night.  I staged a few plants to make it look even better for the time being..

Yay!

Pimp my Canisters

I found some sweet vinyl labels from Uppercase Living that I couldn't pass up..
Here are my boring Walmart canisters before:

 and after:

After seeing these pix, I realize how badly I need to buy a new camera.. any suggestions for super awesome affordable cameras? 

TV Art

Yep, I managed to make our bedroom TV look a little more artsy fartsy... yes, I just said that!  I deconstructed my perfectly good mirror to steal the frame for this project..

Here's what the area above our dresser looked like before..  please ignore the fact that I skipped cleaning my bedroom b4 snapping these pics. 

 The mirror still needed hung, but I felt like this arrangement wasn't going to work either way..

...This is the end result..

 I just flipped over the perfectly good mirror, which I bought a while back at Pier 1, and unscrewed the frame from behind. 

The cords still need to be hid, but this is 1 step in the right direction.  What do ya think?  Better before or after?  Am I crazy for ruining a perfectly good mirror?  Keep in mind I can still force Brady to build a new frame for the said mirror so it can still be used in our basement bathroom..

OOOh happy day!

On Wednesday, I was happy to find a few boxes sitting at my door when I got off work.. 

 Any guess what they could be????   Well, here's a little hint~!

 it's a little blingy..

 Here's what one of the items will be replacing..  anybody want to buy a chandelier that's just a few months old?

 or a set of old chairs and table.. probably not, but just thought I'd throw it out there! lol

 and these are the fabulous chairs!!!

 AND!!!! Here's the big reveal!!

 The chairs are actually really comfortable.. and durable..  my Dad used one to stand on while he and Brady hung the chandelier.

 I know it's silly to replace a brand new light fixture, but I just wasn't happy with the one from Home Depot.. it wasn't "cool" enough!

Now I just need to decide whether or not I need a new dining table.. this is the one I've been dreaming of..  I already have the glass, which is setting on top of the current table to protect the table top and add a bit of glamour.

OOOO NO!

OOOOO CRAP! I am addicted Overstock.  I didn't want this to happen.. but now I've found four chairs that I think I have to have.  Okay, maybe I'm not addicted..that might be a little dramatic.. but until yesterday all I've ever bought from the site was a pair of boots and at one time had a big wish-list of vessel sinks. 

Any ways, as you all know, I hate my dining room set.  We've been using my parents old but functional table/chair combo, that I believe was purchased at Sam's Club (of all places) when I was still in Elementary school.  I want to be frugal and just go with what I have, but the set isn't really my style.  I've posted different table options in the past, but still I haven't made a commitment.  PST..I am a cheapo, a bargain hunter, a do-it-your-selfer and if you ask my Mom, a procrastinator (wtv) heh.. so we've been thinking of sanding down and re-staining all 6 chairs and the table.. GAG!  That doesn't sound very fun, so we've been putting it off...plus when you are remodeling an entire home inside and out, the dining table gets put on the back-burning.  Until now.. I found these sweet Tolix chair look-a-likes while searching Overstock.. Tolix chairs are not cheap.. they're $980 for a set of 4 at Pottery Barn.. these are only $168 and have a 5 star review!   They just might be the right amount of urban-modern-antique that I like for my house.  Now, I just have to make up my mind :).  What do you guys think?!

here's what I have now..

these are the overstock chairs..

these are the Tolix chairs from Pottery Barn

update

drum roll.... I bought one of those chandeliers!!!! woot.. and you'll just have to wait to see which one.  it'll take about 5 days to ship.. and probably 1 zillion days for me talk Brady into hanging it :) hehe

take your pic ladies..

I just found the affordable chandelier motherload. Overstock.com is the best! I just can't decide which one to buy. What do you think?  I have it narrowed down to four choices.. 1, 4, 6 and 7. 

 ^$59

 ^$76

 ^$145
(this one is originally $999.. that's a pretty good sale.  but it might be a little too fancy for my house.)

 ^$172

 ^$150

 ^$59

 ^$89

^$99

(this is actually just like the one I almost bought a while back here in Great Falls.. but the reviews aren't too great.  So, I dunno)

^$159