we got a contractor!

We got a contractor lined up - now we're just waiting on close of escrow! Here are my design ideas so far... Please excuse the layout, I couldn't get them to line up properly and eventually gave up.

Here's the layout we're going for.
















And here are some design ideas I love. There's a gorgeous picture of a cinnamon/orange living room that I totally want but I can't find it!!:

we got the hooooooouse!

we got it!!! I made a layout for the updated master bed/bath/office and I've been researching cabinets for the new kitchen. I really like white with white or black countertops and black with white or black countertops...both very simple and very pretty. The only hard part is fitting everything into the budget. We need to reconfigure the walls for the bathroom, master, office, closet, and old bath is being turned into a laundry room, and the kitchen is getting expanded. Plus we need new carpets, new paint, updated electrical (possibly), a new stove and tub and sinks >.<

it's a little overwhelming and scary, but really exciting too!

billy button beads

I ran across these cute beads today, and they totally remind me of billy buttons which are some of my favourite flowers. Can't you just picture these on a green stem?









I've been obsessing about redecorating/renovating the house we bid on, even though we haven't heard back about our offer yet. Here's the old layout (on the left) and what we're thinking of doing (on the right) it's not terribly accurate because I don't have measurements, but gives a general idea. I've been researching how to fit everything we want in the budget - it's tough on a tight budget! Any renovation resources or suggestions will be highly welcomed!