Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Superstar

Fumi and I watched Juno a couple of nights ago and I forgot how cute this movie was.
Remember how Juno's future baby's daddy loves that Sonic Youth cover? I grew up listening to The Carpenters and we actually had this album when I was a kid. I told my mom last night how much I loved this cover and she threw the CD in and next thing I know she is singing into her thumb microphone and swaying back and forth to the beautiful beat. My mom is the cutest.
Here it is for your listening pleasure.

Thursday, March 24, 2011

Movie Lovah

I saw The King's Speech last night and it was AMAZING.  I know there has been a ton of buzz about it and it was well deserved. The movie was just beautiful to watch. The architecture and set choices were just perfect. I wanted to share some of my favorite design elements from this film, so here we go!
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I loved the bold wallpaper used in the film. That lamp is the shit.


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Oh and THIS fireplace, I want to see that baby in action.

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How cute is this couch? I love the dark moulding and that amazing wall. Oh can you believe that ceiling window? (whatever you call it :p) amazing natural light!!

So the moral of this story is if you haven't seen The King's Speech please do yourself a favor and go see it. Be sure to pay attention to the details :) I feel like I have grown to appreciate a lot of things that I would have never noticed before. I guess there are advantages of getting older.
xo,
Ashton

P.S. My laptop is ill with an awful virus :( So I'm going to have to combine my spring bulb pics into one post. But spring is definitely here because we have bloomage.

Thursday, March 17, 2011

For Japan With Love

This tragedy has deeply saddened me.
My husband's native country was forever changed by this natural disaster. 
Thankfully, Fumi's family is all safe and sound.
Thank you to all of you who contacted us regarding his family.
Pray for Japan.

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Our home addition (the whole story)

So when Fumi and I fell in love he was living in this cute little house with Mocha,
(his nine-year old wiener dog, whom I have proudly adopted.) 

How could you not love this face?


He actually had 737 up for sale when we were first together so I was helping him fix it up so he had a better chance of selling it. So we started with the back of the house, the addition. So with the help of our friend Melissa, we picked out a nice neutral color and gave the room a nice face lift, as seen here:
It's hard to see in the picture below, but while we were painting we noticed a little water bubble. We didn't think it was a big deal, but after having a qualified construction worker look at it, we were living under a big mess. After removing the sheet rock we found severe water damage. No bueno.

It turns out whoever added this addition onto the original house practically built it on top of a deck, no foundation, no permit, not up to code. NIGHTMARE!! But fortunately our homeowners insurance helped with some of the expense.


 So over the past year we have had to demolish half of our house, and completely start over.
Mocha; ball in mouth.
But there were actually many advantages of starting this part of our house over again. We were able to put in a big sliding door that I found on ksl classifieds for $200. We also were able to keep the ceiling vaulted to make the room feel more spacious and open. 
So after starting this project in March 2010 the "just" of it was done in January 2011.
Before paint and carpet....


In my short time being a home DIY-er I have discovered that every project I attempt takes about five times longer than I expect... This paint job that Denise and I attempted was also kind of a nightmare.

After lighting our paint three times we finally achieved the right color. 

Then came carpet!! Which I was soooo excited for...
We got a great deal from Shag-Ra-La on this remnant piece. If your in the Salt Lake area and are in need of carpet, you can't go wrong with them. We had Steve Gallegos install it and he was so great! Really fast and professional.
So there you have it. The full story. But of course it's not quite done yet.. Here are some inspiration I'm using for the room:
Via Jersey Ice Cream Co.
 Love this barn wood wall.
Im planning on trimming the sliding door like this... Love that it's modern with that old charm.

Im planning on trimming the windows like so...
So these images are what I am planning on doing structurally, I'll soon be posting on what I want decoratively later.....
xo,
Ashton

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Inspired By...

I discovered this AMAZING interior designer yesterday via design sponge. Her name is Jessica Helgerson and I believe she is out of Portland. If I had a fat budget for 737 I would hire her on dime.
Here are some of my favorites...
Love the natural elements and lighting in this room.
Hopefully these images make your heart sing like they do mine.
Happy Tuesday everyone!

P.S. There are some big changes ahead for our new addition starting tonight, can't wait to share!

Thursday, March 10, 2011

Spring Bulbs: Week 1

I am going to be tracking the progress of my cute little bulbs I planted last fall. This was the first time I have ever planted bulbs so I am very excited and eager to watch them bloom.



So I planted Purple Alliums...

as well as Hyacinths....
Hopefully they turn out just as beautiful. Can't wait to see what week two brings...

Thursday, March 3, 2011

DI Goodies

I had a creative itch today that I couldn't deny...
So I decided to hit up my favorite Sugarhouse DI.
I just rhymed ;D
So here is what I snatched up....
I have a plan for these... Stay tuned.

I have a deep love for branches.. Couldn't resist this beauty for $5. I think I will spray paint the vase a turquoise blue...

Lovely little frame :)

Beautifully shaped candlesticks.

I am going to do a little research on how to make those glass vases bright white again... Im not sure if you can tell but they are a little dingy.. A few hints on the purpose of the vases. Three words..
Spring.
Salon.
Display.

Happy Thursday everyone!