The Farmhouse Project - The Final Chapter

Hello there friends! I am writing to you from a nice 80 degree day here in Iowa, which is actually pretty nice considering it was 100 degrees all last week. I am not sure what is up with Iowa lately, but I guess 2020 has taught us to be ready for literally anything.

We just wrapped up a 9+ month renovation, the farmhouse project, and we are really excited how it turned out. We have a lot of new visitors here, so I will give a super quick recap.

Last October, we bought a tired but sturdy c.1900 home in the heart of our community. When I say tired, I mean it showed it’s age and was missing some modern amenities. Since then we tore off a section of the home, rebuilt it with added square footage, put in all new windows/doors/siding/sheeting/roof/hvac/electrical and added central air and a large deck. It took a little longer than planned, due to 2020’s challenges (complete with a ‘derecho’), but in the end it was all worth it.

Let’s get right to the photos (roughly in chronological order)

Photo from the listing when we bought it

Tore the back section off that needed new trusses

New Foundation!

Putting a large Addition Back On

Tearing off the siding and sheeting from the original section of the home

All put back together, complete with new windows

A very cold day! (view from front porch)

The kitchen ceiling no longer droops!

Vertical siding for the win!

As you can tell, we replaced almost everything at this home. Here are a couple fun before and after shots, I tried to take the ‘afters’ at the same angles for easier reference.

Let’s start with the kitchen…

Sink and stove in same position

There’s really nothing the same about this kitchen other than a few of the appliances, everything else is new. We kept the kitchen the same size and roughly the same layout, but this new space is much brighter with an added window and lots of lighting!

Here’s another before and after set…the upstairs bedrooms!

Bedroom 1 before…

Bedroom 1 after

Bedroom 1, second angle

Bedroom 1, second angle

Bedroom 2 Before

Bedroom 2 After

These bedrooms both received new windows, flooring, paint, doors, trim, electrical, and some drywall. The photos from the first bedroom show the new set of stairs and new railing as well. New stairs were essential, as the previous stairs were no where near the correct size, but there weren’t building codes 120 year ago!

The living room was part of the original structure that was kept intact during demolition, and we really wanted to keep as much of the home's character as possible. We tore off multiple layers of ceiling, added all new drywall, windows, electrical wiring and fixtures. We also took up the flooring and sanded down decades of carpet glue and stain. These next photos show the transformation of the living room, which is one of my favorite parts of the home.

We kept the same door in the same place, for reference.

Next up is the main bathroom, which was also serving as the laundry room. We moved the laundry into the (newly added) master closet, and this room got to return to single function status after it was torn down and rebuilt, of course.

Last but not least, the exterior. You might notice no window air conditioners in the after photos….that’s because this home finally has central air. I’m not sure how previous owners managed the sweltering Iowa summers for 120 years with no air!

Front view

Back View

New Back view, with deck! (and central air!)

It was a long 9 months, but it was all worth it in the end. Throughout the renovation process, we had neighbors stop by almost every single day and express how happy they were to see this older home in the heart of their community get the help it needed to see its next 120 years. We even had a person stop by that used to live in the home in the early 2000s, she was amazed at how far it had come since then.

These encounters with the community members were so heartwarming, and often the motivation we needed to get through another 16 hour or 100 degree day (or both!).

Last week it was time to see this house off to its new owners, and while it was almost sad to pass the keys along, it was also very rewarding. It’s in good hands.

Our ‘inspector’ even gave her final seal of approval!

What’s next for us?

Well as you can imagine this project took up most of our free time, but now that it’s completed we have a few other small things in the works, along with some storm damage repairs from our most recent natural disaster. In October we officially will own our acreage, which will bring on another list of projects. It’s going to be a down-to-the-wire finish for us to complete everything before winter but we wouldn’t have it any other way.

Stay safe out there and we will chat soon!

-Rachael

Farmhouse Bathroom Design

Hello there, friends! It’s certainly been interesting here in Iowa lately, and I have found myself extra busy and unable to update as often as I would prefer, but I am here now!

Since Adam and I are ‘essential’ employees at our real jobs, we have been working consistently through this virus mess and all of our other side projects have taken a backseat. We are very fortunate to both have our regular income during this trying time for our country, and our small business can continue to operate as time allows. During this time of so much uncertainty, I think it is important to maintain some sense of normalcy and that is why I am trying to make as much time for this as possible!

Anyway, the entire purpose of this post is to share some fun bathroom inspiration…because who doesn’t love a relaxing oasis built right into their home!

This space I am sharing today happens to be my own master bathroom, and I realized recently that I had not previously shared it with you all. When we built our house, we started with a design we made on a piece of notebook paper, and we really had no previous design experience with a bathroom.

I remember creating several different layouts and pinning all kinds of ideas on pinterest, but the main design feature that I could not get away from was the idea of a separate vanity/makeup counter without a sink. I don’t know about anyone else, but I am clumsy and will knock everything imaginable into the sink given the opportunity, so I knew that if I wanted non-broken cosmetics to use, I needed to find a way to make this design work. Here is a photo of what I am talking about…

The center counter works great for all activities, including painting my two year old’s nails (often times she sits in the chair and plays at the vanity counter while I am getting ready in the morning). Those barn wood mirrors were made by Adam, and I couldn’t be happier with how they turned out! Here’s a close up…

This second faucet is for our reverse osmosis water system in our home, and I love having access to drinking water in the bathroom in the middle of the night!

Here’s another angle/view of the bathroom vanity and cabinets, which were made by the same cabinet guy who built our custom kitchen cabinets (which we absolutely love). Also, this tile is from Lowe’s, for those wanting to know. The sinks and counter tops are a faux marble, that we picked mostly for it’s grey/concrete look.

Also, not pictured, is a speaker in the ceiling that connects to the sound system for our home. One of my favorite things to do is to turn on some relaxing instrumental music or rainwater sounds, toss some soothing oils in a diffuser, and sit in the steam of a hot shower. Even if I can only spare a few minutes, this routine has helped me flush out the uncertainty and stress of the day.

Well that’s all I have for you today! Feel free to pin your favorite images on Pinterest (just hover over the photo), and I hope I was able to provide you some bathroom design inspiration for any future projects! As always, thank you for stopping by the blog, but especially right now during this time of so much uncertainty. Sometimes we need a break from the chaos of reality to help remind us that things can and will return to normal at some point, myself included! Take care of yourselves, and wash your hands!

Until next time,

Rachael

Simple Spring Dining Room

It’s beginning to warm up here, and that means it’s time to bust out the spring decor! I am trying to follow a more simple style this year (less to dust!) and I am really enjoying it.

Speaking of things I am really enjoying, I found a small tray with little glass bottles on Target’s website lately, for a very affordable price (around $23) and I see it is still available online. I decided to add it to my dining room table, here is how I styled it….

As for the greenery that I used, I have a bin of random floral that I have collected over the years and I just cut some of that up and put it into the glass bottles. I tend to like the looks of faux greenery that isn’t ‘shiny’ or plastic looking, and of course that is always the type that costs the most, so buying off season/clearance and keeping them in a tub is a way to offset the price.

Another really good deal that I found at Target in their spring floral area, are their small faux eucalyptus plants. They are surprisingly ‘dense’ and nice looking for the amazing low price of $5. My target still has them available, and I will be snatching up a few more and putting them all over my house!

Here is a photo of how I used these plants on my table (they come in a nice white planter, and I just set them inside a larger white pot that I already had).

Now for a shot of the whole table, so you can see it all together…

And there you have it, my simple and festive dining room! I hope this post brought you some inspiration for your own home, and as always thank you for stopping by the blog today! We really appreciate it! We will chat again soon!

Cheers!

-Rachael

Sawhorse Table Refresh

Well hello friends!

It’s been a little while since I posted a decor refresh, and there’s no time like the present! February is when I normally dig out some of the faux greenery, mostly just to remind myself that spring is almost here. The temperatures have been steady in the 30’s lately, which might not sound warm depending on where you are located but trust me it’s pretty darn good for winter in Iowa!

The table I am sharing today is in my entryway, it’s a sawhorse table that my husband Adam built several years ago. Here’s a few photos of what I did with it recently.

These magnolia stems were considered holiday decor at Target, so I snagged them at the end of December for 70% off (y’all know I love a bargain!).

Recently, a friend generously gave me this stack of old books and I stacked them in an old birdcage with some wooden beads. Simple! I also wanted to mention that little green plant in the background, they are currently at target for $5! They are quite nice quality for the price!

Here are a couple photos of the whole table put together…

This table came together nicely, minus the crooked frame on the wall but hey, we can’t have it all together ALL the time :)

That’s all I have for you today, thank you for stopping by the blog today and be sure to check back soon for my dining room refresh that I have in the works!

Stay warm out there!

-Rachael

It's a Farmhouse Christmas!

I cannot believe it’s already December, and here we are just a few short weeks from Christmas. Maybe it was the wonky weather, or the fact Thanksgiving was so late this year, but either way I found myself quite unprepared for December’s arrival! I did (finally!) finish getting my house decorated and photographed, minus the front porch, and I am here today to share these with you!

If you are feeling behind in decorating and want some quick inspiration, this post is for you!

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Here’s a quick dining room tour!

I love all things budget friendly, and Christmas is no exception! While I do purchase a couple things each year, they are always marked down or on clearance. I mostly just use the decor from previous years in new ways or in new places, and that always makes it seem like a fresh new look. For example, this garland on the table is tucked into my re-purposed chicken feeder that I frequently have on display here, and I added a couple candles and pine cones that I had on hand. Ta-Da!

I made this ‘Merry Christmas’ printable last year and took it to a copy and print shop to have it enlarged and printed on cardstock (for $1). If you would like the file for a quick download, shoot me a message!

Linking our personalized book sets here.

This corner of the dining room is new this year, since I picked up this vintage sewing table super cheap on marketplace. I also grabbed these mint bells from the Target dollar section this year, can’t go wrong with over-sized bells!

On to the kitchen!

I did a whole post on the kitchen that I will link here, but if you just want a couple quick ideas here are some photos from that post!

Next up is the entryway table, and if you have been following along for a while you might remember that I have a terrible time decorating this long table. I strive to keep it uncluttered, but it seems to just collect things on its own!

I am really feeling the ‘woodsy’/tree farm/greens and whites vibe this year, and that is new for me from previous years. I am not entirely sure why I gravitated toward this style this year, but I embraced the challenge to incorporate what I had on hand and decorate this table.

And, the tree

let’s just ignore the un-decorated shelves on the flag wall in the background. This pencil tree was new to us last year (hello Michael’s clearance!) and this nook in the railing is about the only location we can put it at the moment, as we have to tether it with twine to secure it won’t fall over. Our 2 year old has never tried to pull the tree over, but i am sure the moment I didn’t have it secured she would give it a try. Kids just know when you are taking a shortcut!

As you can see, I have a bit of a Starbucks ornament collection going, and soon I will need my own tree just for them. For now, I will just hang them out of reach of little hands.

Also, our tree skirt is just a burlap sack from our local farm store, Theisen’s. They sell them for roughly $1, and while they do shed a bit I like the rustic look they bring to the tree.

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Well, that’s all I have for inside decor this year. I have yet to finish my front porch, as I am waiting on something to be delivered that I bought the day after Thanksgiving. Hopefully I will have that post ready sometime before Christmas!

In the mean time, I hope I was able to bring you some decorating inspiration and as always, thank you for stopping by the blog today! All of your support really means a lot to us! I’m going to sign off for now and get back to the farmhouse remodel, big changes happening this week so stay tuned for that!

Cheers!

Rachael

Kitchen Christmas Refresh

It’s that time of year, the most WONDERFUL time of the year! I know some people wait to decorate for Christmas, but I like to get it over with early and enjoy it for a couple of months. Last year I felt like everything got a little too cluttered/cramped around here so I am trying to keep it simple this go around.

I really am feeling the green/white color scheme this year, so you will mostly see that style from me. I started in the kitchen, because that seemed the easiest!

I picked this dough bowl up extremely cheap on a local Facebook site, and it has been sitting in my kitchen ever since. This season I added some faux greens and an amazing candle from my friends over at Antique Candle Co. (I am not an affiliate, I just really like their stuff!). This candle scent is ‘Tree Farm’ which works perfect for giving that real tree smell to a home.

Now on to the sink area, and I struggled with what to put in the ‘window’. Originally, I wanted a wreath, but opted for the copper bells for the sake of simplicity.

It just wouldn’t be the Christmas season without home baked goodies in the company of friends and family. Both of us have close friends we consider family, thus our annual celebration ‘friendsmas’.

Lastly, a simple wreath over the range hood ties it all together! Here are a few additional photos that I took…

Dough bowl close up!

Hopefully my early decorating has provided some inspiration for your own home, feel free to tag me in your photos so I can take a peek! For now I am back to managing the fort, it’s Friday night and that means (most) tasks can wait until the weekend!

Cheers!

-Rachael

Repurposing : The #1 Budget Friendly Decorating Hack

I often get asked about decorating in general, and the cost associated with it. It’s no secret I am an epic bargain hunter, and I think that’s why repurposing old items is my favorite budget friendly decorating hack. The possibilities are only limited by your search terms on Pinterest!

Don’t like an old cabinet or buffet taking up space in your garage? Add some new paint and hardware and turn it into a decor display cabinet or changing table in a nursery. Looking for inexpensive ‘new to you’ furniture? Check out your local thrift store or salvage yard, and then spruce it up a bit.

Today I have a few examples of repurposed items currently on display in my home, and I will share the cost of the items and the updates that I did to them. Feel free to pin any images for later reference!

First up, my medicine cabinet turned decor cabinet! I found this beauty at a local thrift store, and I believe the price was only $10 (it was even on sale!). I completely updated it for only $5, and it now sits as a permanent fixture on my entryway wall, and I simply change out the decor for different seasons. For details on how I updated the cabinet, click here.

Total cost: $15

Medicine Cabinet, original condition

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Next, I have an old shutter style hinge door on my front porch that I simply use hooks to hang different decor on depending on the season. This item was FREE, on a local facebook marketplace group. All I did was clean it up and bit and do a small amount of sanding. Here are a couple examples of how I have used it so far, and the photo on the left is how it looks currently.

Total cost: $0

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I’m not afraid to get a little dirty and bust out the chalk paint when necessary, and this comes in handy when an item needs a fresh look. A perfect example is a set of 3 spindles I picked up at a salvage store, and I was determined to make them look like candlesticks. I had Adam cut them at different heights, for a total of 5 candlesticks made from the 3 spindles. At $2 a piece, my cost was $6 total. A little chalk paint and sanding later, I have 5 pretty versatile pieces of decor and you will see them in my home during every season. For the full tutorial, click here.

Total cost: $6

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Lastly, I have a deep love for decorating with old farm items. These might look like junk to the untrained eye, but the history in each piece is what calls my heart to them. For example, this chicken feeder from a local flea market sits on my dining room table almost year round, filled with various seasonal decor. I sometimes find myself wondering how many chickens ate from this trough over the years and what other stories this item holds, not to mention it makes a great centerpiece because it doesn’t obstruct views of people sitting at the table!

Total Cost $10

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I hope today I could show you that having a vast assortment of decor and/or decorating your home for each season doesn’t have to be expensive. In fact, I get such enjoyment searching for that bargain and then bringing new life to old items. How do you decorate with repurposed items in your home? I would love to hear all about it!

I hope October is treating you well, wherever you are!

Laundry Room Makeover

I am always looking for inexpensive ways to update and/or decorate our home, and my laundry room was recently at the top of my list of spaces that needed serious help. I had seen several designers recently posting about using wallpaper to update a space, and my first reaction was not a positive one. I mean, wallpaper?!? Who has time for that??

Well as it turns out, I had time for it, and so do you! Wallpaper has come SUCH a long way from the days where I remembered my grandparents mixing paste and matching patterns, only to have it dry and shrink just enough that it no longer lined up perfectly. I was curious how this “new” version worked, so I ordered a roll from Target’s website, which has dozens of options.

Today’s version of wallpaper has no mess, simply peel and stick. Make a mistake and need to remove it? Just peel it off the wall, no damage to the paint/wall, and you can re-use the piece! This feature in particular makes a wallpaper project budget friendly, I did this entire laundry room makeover with only one roll, which was $30. Don’t worry about matching patterns either, the print I chose has a tiny pattern line on it so you can easily tell where the next piece should line up.

So I went for it and ordered the wallpaper….

Before I show you how it turned out, let’s take a look at some ‘before’ photos!

This laundry room functioned just fine how it originally was, but I wanted a space that was more inviting and had a ‘fresh’ look. I first shopped the garage for some shelving materials, then picked up a vintage window for the space above the sink, and finally picked out the wallpaper that would tie it all together Somehow, I roped Adam into helping me.

Neither one of us had ever worked with wallpaper, and thus we had no idea how to install it. I envisioned unrolling it and sticking it to the wall (why make it more difficult than it needs to be, am i right?), however Adam had other ideas.

He approached the situation as thought it were flooring, and found the center of the wall and the center of the wallpaper pattern and started there. As a result, the first piece took about 45 min to place, but the rest of it went much faster.

After the wallpaper was applied, we placed a small white trim around the top edges to give it more of a polished look. Then all that was left was to mount the shelf and hang the window, and suddenly the laundry room had been transformed! Here are a couple photos…

This budget friendly update has made quite a difference, and I am really happy how it turned out. This was a learning experience, but it really was quite easy, so if you are looking to freshen up a space consider using wallpaper!

That’s all I have for today, I am headed back outside to enjoy this second Summer that Iowa has given us this week! I will be back soon with our latest outdoor client project, as soon as I load and edit the photos :)

As always, thank you for stopping by the blog today! We really appreciate it!

-Rachael

Fall Front Porch Decor Guide

Ok, we made it to September, which means Fall decor is in full swing!

I have the pumpkin bread in the oven, harvest candles burning, and a huge bale of straw on the front porch. It’s just not officially Fall until a bale of straw is on the front porch!

Our porch is west-facing, and has quite a bit of afternoon sun & heat throughout September. For this reason, I have initially decorated with only faux items as any live flowers or pumpkins would be scorched by the elements. I imagine around the beginning of October I will be able to add some Fall mums and pumpkins to the mix. For now, I will share what I have done so far so you can hopefully find some inspiration for your own porch!

As I mentioned above, a bale of straw is a must! I picked up one at a local farm and fleet store for $5. If you wanted a super simple front porch setup, and didn’t have time to round up other decor, a simple stack of three bales of straw would work perfectly!

Here I have my bale of straw sitting on end, matched up with some other items I shopped from my garage!

Next up, I grabbed some trimmed dead grasses and stuck them in a rusted metal milk jug that usually resides on my porch year round. I also had a few faux pumpkins and put them in a crock along with a fold out sign. The vertical barn beam is the front pillar to our house (neat, right?!).

If you have been following along for a bit, you might remember the thrift-ed set of white shutter-style closet doors that I picked up this spring, and how I used them on the porch to hang buckets of succulents. Well, that set of closet doors remains in place, only this time with a few Fall items….as pictured below!

We are still in the process of getting a black door, but for now I have to work with what I have! I found the door hanger in the holiday section of a local craft store, and I am extra excited about the fact that it doesn’t make any noise when it blows in the wind!

My last important piece of porch decor is this metal sunflower, which is one of my all time favorite outdoor items. Around November I will have to retire this guy until next Summer, but for now he stay’s put!

Well friends, that’s all I have going on for the front porch this time around! As I mentioned above, I will be adding some live flowers and pumpkins as the days get cooler, and I will be sure to post an update. Until then, happy decorating for Fall and thank you for stopping by the blog today!

-Rachael

Fall Decor Preview

I love Summer, and believe me I am not rushing it along, but September is by far my favorite month of the year and we are just days away from being there. Often as hot as August, the weather in September is much more manageable with cooler nights and less humidity. It’s the best of both Summer and Fall, all wrapped into one!

My home always shows my excitement for Fall decor, and this year will be no different! I definitely have more Fall/Autumn items than any other season, which requires some creative storage but also quite a bit of time for setup. Each year I do everything differently, and that’s all part of the fun! We have an event here the first weekend in September, so my goal is to have everything decorated by then. Fall decor takes a bit of work, but is so versatile and lasts all the way through Thanksgiving. I will just add a few pumpkins/gourds in October and boom! Done!

I have a few areas of my home already set up for Fall, and today I am sharing them to hopefully bring you some inspiration when it’s time to decorate your own home. I will note that I don’t change anything out for Halloween, but that is just my own preference. This year I am really feeling inspired by the neutral tones and I tried to incorporate them as much as possible on my front entryway table. Here are a few photos.

I tried to keep this area fairly simple, as it is highly trafficked by the 1 year old and items are pulled down constantly to be played with. I haven’t really embraced neutral white or brown decor for Fall in the past, but I am experimenting and incorporating it this year. Decorating is an ever evolving hobby!

Next up is my dining room buffet!

I brought in a bit more color to this nook of the home, as this buffet sits right next to the dining room table and that will undoubtedly have some bright displays when I am done with it.

I have recently discovered a company that takes antique pieces and re-purposes them into candles, and I had to have one. This bucket candle is filled with ‘Fall Harvest’ and it’s fitting in just perfectly with my Fall decor!

That’s all the Fall decor I have ready to go as of today! I hope some of this can inspire you for your own decorating this season, and as always feel free to share your photos with us either here or on Instagram.

Thanks for stopping by the blog today! We really appreciate it!

Happy Decorating!

-Rachael