All Together Now...

This afternoon we got together with our neighbors and accomplished a lot. The fence is down, the ginormous ivy roots are up, 2 post holes are dug, and all of the ivy is bagged, bundled, and on the curb (11 bags, 5 bundles, and 2 cans worth).

Our house and yard is on the left, the neighbors garage is on the right. We think the garage technically marks the lot line.

Star Light Star Bright

Do any of you read the blog Young House Love?  It is my very favorite, and the only thing that I read every day.  It is all about home design/DIY.  I saw this picture there a few weeks ago and was immediately in love with the entry way light.

http://www.younghouselove.com/photo-gallery-2/our-current-house-2/

We have had our eye out for a new light for our entry since we moved in. So with my new found inspiration, I started searching the web for something similar.  And, I was able to find this Moravian Star Mercury Glass ceiling light from Ballard Designs.  I ordered it on the spot (well, after a quick consultation with Chris, and he was totally on board).  

Chris had it up ASAP once it arrived.  It is the perfect size and I like the little design it casts onto the ceiling too.

Another house upgrade on the books.  I told Chris that if we ever move, the light is coming with us!

Bringing Down the Ivy

The fence right next to our patio is in bad shape and has been since we moved in.  So, when we got new neighbors last year, we talked to them about replacing it.  A big issue was overgrown ivy on the other side that was so old and the branches so big, they were growing through to our side of the world and breaking the fence slats.

They were in agreement to remove the ivy and move forward to replace it.  They knew a handyman and got a quote (they offered to split the cost) to remove the ivy and replace the 22' fence to the tune of $1500.  That number was outrageous in our opinion, so we decided to do it ourselves, we just needed them to take down the ivy.  Except, neighbor Kevin is allergic to the stuff.

So, Chris has been hard at work this past week.

All of this ivy...

Used to be on this fence that separates our yard from said neighbors to the North.  This view is from the neighbors driveway:

Look at the size of the ivy "stumps"!

This is what it looks like back on our side for now.  We hope to have the new fence in place by next weekend.

AGPERP

A quick photo from last week. Cuties.

Upgrading the Front Yard

The front of the house has skinny flower beds with old scalloped edging. A la this:

We started installing new cobbled edging, which made the beds bigger and added some curves and interest.  After lots of tamping and leveling, we have this:

This is only the first side of the yard, and we still need to put down weed barrier and new mulch here. The other side will see a much bigger garden expansion.

Anyone close by want the old edging, by chance?

Farewell

We had a great visit with AGPERP.  Here is a re-cap:

Lunch and Distillery Tour at Stranahans

Patio Drinking

Bike Riding

Lunch in Morrison and Hiking at Red Rocks

Tailgating and Concert at Red Rocks

Dinner at Parisi and Drunk History re-runs

Trip to Winter Park (hiking, moose sighting, relaxing)

Dinner Party

Cyclocross Spectating

Pearl Street and Upslope Brewery 

Moose

We came across moose tracks, which lead to a moose. Can you see it?

Winter Park

Spending a couple days in the mountains.

Red Rocks

We walked around the park yesterday. We are heading back to tonight for a concert.

Whiskey Boys

Two Peas in a Pod

Rain, Rain, Go Away

We are safe and dry, but the rain keeps coming down.

Chris's office up in Longmont is closed, so he is working at home with Zoey. Erica is on her way to Colorado Springs for meetings.

Placemat Pillows

I have been looking for new pillow covers for a few months now.  I couldn't find anything I liked for a reasonable price.  Why are pillows so expensive?  

Thanks to a nice leisurely trip to Target this past weekend, where I had time to really scout out the deals, we now have new pillows for cheap.  What do you think?

First, start out with a pretty placemat that has a lined back.  This one has lots of embroidery on it and was $4.49.  I bought 2 of them.  

I also bought 4 bright placemats on clearance for $1.96 each for out on the patio.  Here you can see how I took apart the seam.  I used my sewing scissors.  I could have sworn I had a seam ripper, but I guess not.  

I re-used the forms for the living room pillows, but used plastic shopping bags and shredder paper to stuff the patio pillows (don't worry, they won't be outside all of the time, but waterproofing spray is not a bad idea).

Finally I hand sewed them closed.

Cost Breakdown:

6 placemats - $16.00

Old pillow forms - $0

Plastic bags & Shredder Paper -$0

Sewing stuff - $0

Grand total for 6 pillows: $16.00

Not too shabby.

Today's Project: Garage Door Opener

Our garage door went kaput right as we were leaving town for Labor Day weekend. We had a screw drive and the mechanism that engages the screw and pulls up the door failed.

Chris says the unit was not centered on the door, which might have been part of the problem. Chris is centering the new belt drive opener this time around.

Sniff in' Out Brews

Our neighborhood liquor store allows well behaved dogs. Zoey got a dog bone at the check out.

New Little Fence

Chris built this guy today.  The back yard is coming together!

Valley of the Wind

Got caught in the rain, so we ducked into Valley of the Wind and bought a bottle of wine to drink on their covered patio.