Oh, gardening, how I’ve missed you…

September 11, 2009 at 4:02 pm | In Aurora peppers, Gardening, Peanut, Planting | Leave a Comment

I’ve started another garden! Woot! Due to space constraints and my compromise with my husband not to take over the entire patio, I’m only planning one Aurora pepper, one Everglades Cherry tomato, and one Marglobe tomato. The two tomato seedlings are just a tad too young to transplant, but I just transplanted this beaut:

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I almost lost this little guy in the transplant process. My yogurt container didn’t want to let go. I don’t remember that being a problem last time around and I’m concerned about the same thing happening when I transplant the tomatoes. We’ll see soon.

And, just because I haven’t shared any Peanut pictures lately:

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Because sometimes she just gets too tired and doesn’t make it all the way under the couch (which is one of her favorite naptime spots).

Kitchen nook

September 4, 2009 at 9:18 am | In After pics, The Joys of Decorating | 1 Comment

Except for a new window treatment of some kind, the breakfast nook area of the kitchen is finished.

Note: I’m not a good photographer, so the paint color looks quite off in the second picture. :(

Here’s our new artwork from Ikea:

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And, on the opposite wall, our chalkboard/herb garden project:

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The rod and herb pots came from Ikea. We used chalkboard paint from Lowe’s to paint a rectangle on the wall. We also used some unfinished molding from Lowe’s that we cut to size with a miter saw, nailed together to assemble, painted white, and nailed to the wall.

Now I’m just hoping I can keep the herbs thriving. Fingers crossed!

Casa Zavala has been Ikeafied!

September 3, 2009 at 2:23 pm | In The Joys of Decorating | 1 Comment

Oh yeah, I just created a word: Ikeafied.

We went to Ikea for the first time ever on Saturday. Three hours later, we giddily returned to our car with lots of loot and a couple projects in mind. To be completely honest, I went a little nuts and went to Ikea again on Sunday–that time with a friend (also visited Crate and Barrel Outlet, but that’s a whole other can of worms). And now I’m obsessed. Here’s the rundown:

-A new office chair for $15. $15!!! It’s very comfy, and the best part is we don’t have to deal with WD-40ing it because…wait for it…it doesn’t squeak. It’s made my conference calls much easier.

-Several super-cute knick-knacks for the wine bar/bookcase unit we’ve ordered from Crate and Barrel (and are impatiently waiting for; it’s on backorder).

-A framed black-and-white poster that’s perfect for the breakfast nook.

-A magnetic knife strip to hang on the kitchen wall, with three spice jars to stick to it (this looks great with two sets, so we’ll head back another time and pick one up!).

-Three baskets; two for our living room bench cubbies and one for Peanut’s toys and leash. The baskets were only available in a natural color, so I spray painted them black. They look oh-so-good, even if I do say so myself.

-A great project idea: A framed chalkboard area on the kitchen wall for writing entertaining menus, love notes, shopping lists, etc. Under this we’ll hang a rod with three small hanging pots for herbs. We’re working on it, but it’s taking longer than anticipated. We’ve painted the chalkboard rectangle, planted the herbs, and started the frame. Tonight we’ll finish assembling, painting, and hanging the frame around the chalkboard area (we’ve got mad woodworking skills, yo). Then we’ll finish by hanging the rod and plants. I’ll post a pic when it’s finished!

-Another project idea: Instead of buying a new lamp for my office (we can’t find one we like, anyway), I’m going to spray paint the base of a lamp we already have. It will be perfect, and something I’ll be proud of.

I think that wraps it up. I’m anxiously waiting for everything to be more or less finished so I can take great pics. We might even post the kitchen and dining room on www.ratemyspace.com.

*happy sigh* Oh, Ikea. I can’t wait to go back.

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