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I don’t think I’ve been as nervous as I was last night since I presented my thesis in college. We had to go to the Architectural and Historic Board of review and discuss the renovation plan we have had in the works for months. Up until I knew we were putting the final plans in place I didn’t want to mention it here. There has been a roadblock almost every step of the way.
We were finally ready to go apply for our building permits and I discovered we were technically in the historic district, which meant any changes needed to pass review. Yikes. We had to wait a whole month to get our paperwork and samples in order and the meeting public meeting finally took place last night.
We showed up early and sat on the steps waiting for city hall to open. We were the first ones in the meeting room and watched as architects and contractors on the agenda as well filed in with blueprints, huge sample boards, etc. I felt grossly under-prepared. The board grilled the first people up to bat, which only made me more nervous. We were up third and they were very kind to us. I would guess the fact that we were so young (and I was clearly terrified) helped a little. Not to mention, ANYTHING is going to be an improvement. They went over some requirements with us, such as all corner boards and trim has to be at least 4 inches wide.
They didn’t have too many concerns and seemed pleased with the choices we had made. We were very open and asked for their input. It was pretty painless. In the end our project was “deemed appropriate” by the board and their waived the 2 week waiting period. So change is on the way!
This is what our little house looks like as of this week…
It’s pretty stark. Much like the inside of the house when we moved in, it has been stripped of any character or charm. It’s not a very big or busy house, and it never has been. You may notice we have some new corner planters and removed that awful railing (as pictured in my post about the porch from April). The three middle planters have also been moved.
And here is a (very quick and dirty) mock-up of what the proposed finished product will look like. Please excuse the unfortunate clone-stamp work.
Some notes on the plan…
- The Door // The ugly storm door pictured is going to go. We are going to replace it with a white framed all glass storm door. As far as the color goes, I’m not set on a color yet. I have always dreamed of a yellow or orange door, but a mint blue would also be so pretty.
- The Lighting // Once again I have not pin-pointed the exact fixtures we are going to use yet. Something barn-light inspired and in a black-ish finish. I’m debating on putting one light over the door or one on either side.
- The Roof // One thing you can’t see in these photos is the awful roof. It’s a pale green/gray right now. It is also being replaced with a slate almost-black dimension shingle.
- The Siding // One thing that I wasn’t able to change in this mock-up was the scale of the siding. Currently on the house we have about 8″ aluminum siding. We are replacing it with 4″ wood-look vinyl. So the scale of the slats will be much more proportionate to the size of our house.
- The (lack of) Shutters // Yes. The shutters will be gone. The ones we have are vinyl shutters that are faded and warped. The AHRB was concerned about the silly shutters on the big picture windows (obviously if you closed them they wouldn’t cover that big window…). So we are going to take them off for the time being.
This is only the beginning. I’m sure this won’t be the last obstacle. But it does feel good to finally have to go-ahead from the city and now it’s in our hands.
I would love to hear your thoughts about the proposed changes and details I am still debating.
I find myself inspired by light, fluffy colors today. See the Color Play palette and picks today over on Cotton & Brass.
It was a busy weekend, but I feel refreshed and inspired. Still no luck finding Peter-Bird’s owners this weekend. It makes me sad to think either no one is looking for him, or we are just not contacting the same people they are contacting. He’s chipper and seems happy, but still doesn’t like to be handled. If we still don’t hear anything by Wednesday we’ll start looking for a new forever-home for him.
It’s been sweltering hot here in northeast Ohio. The rain refused to quit on Father’s Day Sunday. Our evening have been quiet for the most part. Sitting outside with the dog when it gets a little cooler out and watching our garden grow.
I melted a spatula to the heating element in the dishwasher. So of course the house smelled like burning plastic all week. And of COURSE it has to be the week I’m hosting a Cotton & Brass shoot.
Wednesday a friend called in the middle of the day having found a parrot flying around at work. We brought over a cage we had left over from our finches and brought it home. We have been trying to find his people all week with no luck. We are calling him Peter (aka Peter Parker, Petey-Bird, etc.) for now. We can’t keep him. We have our hands full, but we think we have a home lined up for him if no one is looking for him. He seems to like me and sings every time I come in the room. I’m being a big girl though and not getting too attached to him.
Busy weekend ahead of me! Hope you are having a lovely June!
As promised, here is a review for my new Society 6 Iphone case. There is not a lot out there in the way of reviews for this case, so I purchased it almost blind. I received my case on Friday and had an active weekend with it. The one I purchased was Animal’s Tea Party by Teagan White. The print is even cuter in person.
// Pros:
- HUGE selection of styles. I spent hours searching the website and deciding on the case I wanted. There is seriously something for everyone.
- The image quality is beautiful. Great color, crisp image and won’t bleed, peel or fade.
- Very secure on the phone. Doesn’t move around or slip. No gaps. Clipped on easily.
- It is plastic, but doesn’t feel cheap.
- Nice thin profile. My phone doesn’t feel bulky.
- All the buttons, switches and charging outlet are still easily accessed. No issues with reception or the speakers.
- Shipping time was reasonable. I think it took roughly 5 days from the time I ordered to when I received the case.
// Cons:
- If you are looking for something that offers a whole lot of protection, this probably isn’t the case for you. It protects the back from scratching and protects most of the edges from impact. But it does not protect the screen and I would imagine if you drop it right the case wouldn’t help much.
- It’s not exactly cheap. It’s pretty in-line with the prices of other comparable cases, but at $35 plus shipping, I wouldn’t call it a budget option.
Overall I love the case. I think Jared was hoping for more. But it meets my expectation. I will probably be ordering a screen protector to protect from scratching and maybe a sleeve since my purse can get a little messy in the summer.
EDIT //
I have finally opened my Society 6 shop! Thank to the encouragement of my readers you can now purchase Lost & Fawned Iphone cases as well as photo prints, canvases, totes, tees and more!
This product review is unsolicited. I was given no compensation for this review and purchased the product myself.
This Saturday I ran The Color Run in Cleveland. If you’ve never heard of it, it’s a massive touring race where your time doesn’t matter (it’s really more of a 5k frolic) along the route you come to stations where you are doused in colored dust. At the end there is a huge color party. It raises money for a local charity and is one of the happiest events I have ever attended.
You are required to wear a white shirt at the start. In your packet you also get a lovely white sweatband. We made sure to get a clean before picture before we lined up.
We were right about in the middle of the mile of people at the starting line. It was an ocean of white shirts as far as you could see. The crowd of runners was so diverse. From toddlers in running strollers to grandparents in wheelchairs.
It was tough to get photos along the route, so we’ll skip right to the end… These pictures are post-race and post-color party. The packets of color you get in your race kit are saved for the end party and are much more vibrant than the stuff you get hit with on the run.
A couple more photos from my phone. Jared managed to stay clean. He was such a good sport and held onto our towels and clean things. Even after I dusted off and wiped off with a towel this is how I looked. I wrapped the car seat with a fitted towel for the ride home.
// Tips
- If you really want to run, plan to get there early, REALLY early. Like maybe even camp out in your car early. If you are in any wave but the first one, you will run into some congestion at the color stations on the route. You may even end up at a standstill for awhile.
- If you can, go the day before and pick up your packet. I picked up mine at the race and it wasn’t too bad, but the line was pretty long and I would have rather been lining up at the starting line.
- Since your pace doesn’t really matter, your shoes don’t either. Unless you have major arch issues, you can pretty much wear any comfy shoes you don’t mind getting dirty. I wore Toms, since I didn’t want to get my new shoes colored and I knew I could just throw my Toms in the washer.
- It washes off your skin pretty well. The only thing I had trouble with is blue and green, especially in places that it really got rubbed in (the inside crook of my elbow, under my arms, under the wristband, etc.).
- Have a clean bandana ready for the color toss at the end. I thought it wouldn’t be too bad without it but the cloud of color is so thick it blocks out the sun for 15 seconds or so. I’m blowing rainbows out my nose 2 days later.
- Have a blast! Inevitably an event of this size can get a little disorganized, especially since volunteers are local. Make the best of it and enjoy every moment.
All photos courtesy of me, Jared or Kaireese (my sister-in-law). Please credit if using,
I love having a nice camera on hand all the time now. I admit it, I’m totally hooked. It will be nice to have a decent camera in Jared’s pocket as well. Once we gather enough I’ll be ordering some square prints for a little memory box.
First picture is of this beautiful house near ours that needs rescuing. I wish we could help it (or at least the door!). The last picture pretty much sums up how we feel in the evening after work most evenings.
PS: Follow me on Instagram for more daily photos from 86 Maple (username Lostandfawned)
I toiled over choosing a case for my phone. There are so many options out there. While I ultimately went with a case from Society 6 (which I will be reviewing when it arrives) I explored a lot of options. Here are some of the options that made it into my final choices.
Disclaimer: At this point I wasn’t looking for something super rugged or offered a huge amount of protection. These picks are based solely on aesthetics.
Top Row: Teagan White “Animal’s Tea Party” from Society 6 – $35 // Neapolitan Stripe by Pencil Shavings Studio – $39.99 // Chateau Sculptural Case – $34.99
Bottom Row: Marc by Marc Jacobs Arrowhead Case – $38 // Species Walnut Case – $59.98 // “The Great Gatsby” by Out-of-Print – $35
Yep, my birthday came early! Jared and I treated ourselves to new Iphone 4S’s for early birthday gifts. No regrets about upgrading to get the 4S. This camera is awesome. Ordered this case from Society 6. Until then, I’ll be super paranoid to put this puppy in my messy purse.
Feel free to add me on Instagram (username Lostandfawned or course).
PS: Holy cow… I can make .gifs now. This could be dangerous…
Time for my Summer Style series to begin! Ah! The romance of the femme fatale! By no means should anyone strive for a life of crime, but there is no harm in dressing the part a little. I love this mix of vintage pieces (like a classic beret) with modern studs and sleek black leather.
I’ve also included some beach reading, a soundtrack and the perfect summer flick to pair with this look. Stay tuned for more collections as the summer goes on.
Photo above courtesy of Least Wanted on Flickr.
- WATCH // Bonnie & Clyde (1967) – This Faye Dunnway and Warren Beatty flick is perfect for a summer movie night or rainy day (borrow it from the library or pick it up on amazon).
- LISTEN // Johnny Cash at Folsom Prison – Nineteen live tracks recorded on location at Folsom Prison in the late 1960′s (available on amazon).
- READ // Classic Paperback Pulp Fiction – Look for these at any garage sale or libaray book sale for a quarter a piece. Etsy also has a nice collection if you don’t feel like digging (like this one from Rhino Bookseller).
- Harley Clutch – Need Supply Co. – $52
- Handmade Gold Stud Earrings – Maya Geller – $99
- Wool Beret in Winter White – The Village Hat Shop – $11.95
- Somewhere Out There Spectators – Ruche – $46.99
- Smart Stripes Top – Modcloth – $37.99
All images property and courtesy of the original owners. Please link with love.
I’ve been in the middle of a art and craft identity-crisis for awhile. I like to say I have “too many hobbies for my own good” and usually mean it jokingly. But it might be time for me to come to terms with the fact that it may be hindering me a little. In the past five years I have dabbled in….
- sewing
- papercraft/card making
- painting
- block printing
- screen printing
- embroidery
- jewelry – beaded, painted, wire, wood, PMC, etc.
- upholstery
- plush toys
- apparel
- graphic design/stationary
- quilting
- ceramics
- knitting
- photography
- …and so many more.
I have a ridiculous collection of craft and art supplies. I spend a couple of weeks learning everything I can about each of these genres and before I know it, I’m moving on to something new. I can’t say I’ve mastered anything on that list.
I want to be one of these people that finds their craft, hones their voice and masters it. But nothing has ‘stuck’. Maybe I just haven’t found the right craft. I love making things. I want to make that my someday career (or at least a small business to earn us some fun money).
Maybe I need a creative vacation. Or perhaps I need to keep exploring. Or maybe I just need to bite-the-bullet and pick something and stick to it. At this point I don’t know what direction to go. Has anyone gone through something like this? What did you do? Did you ever settle? Or are you a craft-hoarder too? Any book recommendations to work through it? Thoughts?