Not So Ivy League

            Here's before-you see the ivy hanging down in the pool.

I clipped from above while Shauna got the parts hanging in the pool

Afterward- the rock wall is exposed, and no ivy in the pool

I have made an enemy here at 918 Woodland- THE IVY! It is everywhere in the backyard but not entirely welcome. As my friend (and garden Queen) Nicki says, "Ivy doesn't play fair" and therefore I plan to remove it. Ivy is tough, but there's a new sheriff in town, and she has garden snips! 

The first batch we're tackling is the part that's growing into the pool. I don't need any more leaves in there, so we attacked it over memorial day weekend. Additionally, a FROG has been living in the ivy and swimming in my pool! I think a chlorine free pond would be better for him and happier for me, so I am going to try and encourage him to pack his bags and hop on out of here by cutting back the ivy.

Sitcker Fun

             The inspiration-the front door on Blueprint's first cover.

                                          My version-love it!

                         Old mailbox- yuck. Can I recycle this?

New mailbox-yay! A dressed up box that we bought at Lowe's for $11.

I have been wanting to copy the first issue cover of the dearly departed Blueprint Magazine. The cover shows a front door with "No. 1" (cute reference to the premiere issue) as the address of the house. I loved it and finally had a door to copy it with!

It's a very simple process. Speedysigns.com allows you to create vinyl stickers with their easy website. I made a couple of 918 address stickers for use on the door as well as the new mailbox. The old one was dented, rusty, and ugly. I hate those default numbers from the hardware store, so I was delighted to use the vinyl ones I created. The whole thing took about 20 minutes to order online and they arrived in five days! I love how they came out!

The mailbox was a cheapie from Lowe's, all I did was spraypaint the flag and add an adhesive ribbon from Martha Stewart's craft line at Michaels, and the vinyl stickers I ordered. Big improvement, don't you think?

Shauna Arrives!

                       Go Braves! Mango's legwarmers were a hit.

             Three cheers for a new house!

     Triscuit enjoys leaning on the porch like a person & watching birds.

May 18 was a big day. Gabe, Triscuit, Mango, and I went to Bark in the Park, the Atlanta Braves' annual doggy ballgame event. By purchasing a ticket for you and your dog, you both are admitted to watch the game! It's such a great event and both the girls did really well.

Later that evening, Shauna rolled up with parents Gail and Obie, all the way from Cape Cod by way of Brooklyn. Lots was to be done in the two days they stayed, including getting a job for Shauna and moving in. Obie spent all day working on the house for us, which was greatly appreciated. He fixed everything on the roof from the inspection report! What a superstar! That evening we had champagne on the front porch to celebrate the new house.

Decorating projects, Phase 1

 Old chandelier- boring!

                                        New chandelier- just right.

There is lots to be done at the new place, and I am so scattered because everything is a top priority! I have to divide and conquer which is hard when you're impatient. I HAD to get the awful chandelier out ASAP. I've posted a picture from the real estate listing, which shows the previous furniture and chandelier. They look alright, but very contemporary in an historic house, and the chandelier was too large for the room. It was also what I call a "Home Depot Chandelier", which is to say it was incredibly boring and lacking in style. Fine for a large subdivision house lacking in character, not fine for my 1925 brick bungalow! 

The new chandelier is in and please excuse the mediocre pictures my iphone takes. It has to be rewired as only half of it is illuminated, but that isn't so bad considering I found it in a parking lot in Savannah and added the crystals from the most fabulous store in the world, The Paris Market. It's also hung much higher than the old monstrosity which is better for sight lines between the kitchen/breakfast area and living room.

Also exciting are the new coffee tables! They are Belgian bins that I got at Scott Antique Market several months ago. I try to go each month when Scott's rolls through Atlanta and I almost always find something. These bins had potential, and at $30 each I eagerly lugged them back to my Prius. They sat in the old house for quite some time as I wanted to make lids for them out of zinc (sheets of zinc stretched over wood) but I couldn't find zinc anywhere. I know people do it as I have seen it a lot recently, but I eventually gave up. Gabe attached the casters (don't you think things with wheels are so much better?) and made the lids for me out of birch with several layers of varnish. We put $5 hinges on them for easy storage and I am thrilled with the outcome! Unique coffee tables that no one else has- for $35 each!

Pool Maintenance 101

So the house has a pool! I learned that pools don't add value to homes; when they are appraised it's like the pool isn't even there. Thus, I got a free pool! I'm really excited about it...when I was growing up in Alaska they were nonexistent. Everyone says, "The maintenance!" but I think it's easier now than it used to be and I think I can do it. The first thing I did? Drained it and shop-vac'd the whole thing. We have a watering ban here in Georgia due to the drought but we are permitted to refill pools, and since the previous owners didn't do it in five years I just wanted to start fresh.

I had a time with the shop vac! I dragged it down into the pool and began sucking up the dirty leaf water, but soon found it was too heavy when full to roll back up and out of the pool. So I put it on the ledge/bench in the deep end and stretched the hose to the bottom, but had to sweep the water to the hose as it wasn't long enough. Eventually it became too full and heavy for me to lift off the ledge, so I had to POUR SOME OF IT BACK so I could lift it! This lead me to ask: why do they not make clear shop vacs so you can see how much is in them? Finally I had it all cleaned out and it was time to fill! Very exciting!

Move It!

The first Sunday in May was officially MOVING DAY. Not only do I have a lot of possessions, I have a lot of strange items. That being said, I decided to put Gabe in charge of the move as he has moved me three times already, in lieu of a moving company. I had been casually packing for a couple weeks and then vigorously packing for several days up until the move. Anything that was left I could go pick up at my leisure, since he will remain at 716 Dill Ave where we lived for two years. 

The dogs and I went over after the closing on April 30 and brought a few breakables that couldn't travel in the moving van. They enjoyed the wide open space of an empty house to scamper around. 

Next it was time for the real work. We picked up the moving truck (16' Budget- next time I will need the 24') on Saturday and had it for early morning loading on Sunday, which was much better than getting the truck and loading on the same day. Having it on Saturday also allowed us to pick up a couple of items from around town, like the farm table I bought on craigslist for use as a dining room table, and the china cabinet from Stanton Home Furnishings. After we picked them up, we used the truck to get some garage sale furniture back to the old house for Gabe to have after all my stuff was moved out. Having all his furniture crammed on the porch so we could fill the truck with mine and then moving his inside was somewhat stressful but it had to be done. I hired his friend Mike to help with the loading and the two of them really rocked it. Gabe has an amazing talent for fitting everything in like a giant Tetris game, I have seen him do it before and I am still impressed! He also knows what to expect: old metal post office boxes, a dresser I found by a dumpster in college and repainted, a large German classroom chart of the ear, that sort of thing. He fit everything in with not an inch to spare, which worked well for all my fragile items that were packed in tight. We headed over to the new house, unloaded, and were done in five hours! Then we took the truck to Ikea and bought him a couch for the old house before returning the truck. The dogs and I moved over the next day as I couldn't put a bed together after all of that.

First Things First

So I have been wanting to begin a new house blog but have been so busy with all that moving business that it is long overdue. Tiffany suggested using this host space, so here goes! We shall see!

Here's what has been happening: exasperated by rent and pet deposits, I decided it was time to buy! After a somewhat depressing search, I was getting out of the car with my realtor (the fabulous Kay Quigley from Jenny Pruitt Realtors, thanks for the ref Nicki) and checking out a substandard property. The house we were there to see was not up to par, but the house across the STREET was by far! Like a chicken, I crossed the road, grabbed a shiny flyer, and fell in love. Several weeks later, I had a set of keys in my hands and a lot of signing to do! I plan to update this space with all the changes and fun things (frogs in the pool) that come up as part of the whole new homeowner experience. Enjoy!