Tuesday, October 12, 2010

{ mice and birds salutes diy heroes! }


mr & mrs homeowner
hello lovely,
here's to you taylor and jon! jon and taylor are new home owners who weren't afraid to think outside the box. with a lot of hands-on projects, and an eye for detail they turned a plain jane into a southern belle. taylor admits jon was the mastermind behind most of these projects, but she had a vision, and a sassy one at that. how did they do it? for starters they had an eye. being able to imagine the potential for this house was half the battle. the other half? learning how to do projects on their own while saving money. jon's best advice is "don't be afraid to try. you can learn everything you need from research online." that's how he learned to do a lot of the projects in the home. jon and taylor are also quite the bargain hunters. keeping an eye on sales at nearby stores and many weekend trips to ikea in atlanta are how they saved money along the way.

my favorite feature in the house? an old window from big ed's was used as a light fixture in the kitchen. unfortunately i wasn't able to capture this in a good photo... basically jon screwed the window into the ceiling above the kitchen light and it looks amazing! so clever, that jon.

well enough gabbing... below are some pictures of the great transformation. i wish taylor and jon many years of happiness in their new home. future projects for the diy heroes? taylor says they might add another room and bathroom. for now, they are enjoying their new home.


before: front of the house
2 bedroom, 1 bath, living room, kitchen, dining room, laundry room


kitchen before


bathroom before


laundry room before


kitchen before again




the final product! jon added shutters and a decorative star from lowes for $23. taylor planted some flowers along the walkway as an extra touch. (jon was thrilled that they were pink and purple)


mr. and mrs. harris sit proudly on the steps of their new home



love the magnets on the fridge
side note: these letters graced my fridge when taylor and i lived together!




mr. and mrs on the other side of their awesome kitchen



this sink makes the new kitchen! taylor and jon bought this sink at ikea for less than $200. the same sink at lowes was $500! jon installed the sink with a little help from online diy videos



jon got a great deal on the stove. instead of buying a new range hood, jon sanded and painted the old one.



green walls, red chairs, brown table? taylor had trouble figuring out how to tie it all together! she pulled it off with this tablecloth from world market.



the living room table is one of my favorite features in the house. jon took an old door from the house and made a fabulous coffee table! taylor made curtains and  added fresh flowers to finish off the room.



taylor made these pillows too! the fabric matches the curtains



i love candles in fireplaces :)



the new bathroom was a total shock to me! jon covered up the window, tiled the floor, added new fixtures, installed a new sink, and mirror! i'm sure there is more that i'm missing. it looks incredible! doing all of this on their own saved MAJOR cash along the way.



jon carved taylor's initials into a piece of wood, painted it, and made it a towel hook :)
is this not just the most precious details in the home?



taylor is a total germ-a-phobe. this sign fits her perfectly. the bench is just a shelf jon turned on its side, repainted and added extra shelving
never in my life would i have thought of that. jon you amaze me



jon built a closet around the water heater. taylor added a curtain as an inexpensive door. the table came from jon's work for free! jon cleaned and repainted it.

there are many MANY more projects i could blog about! but i think that is enough for now. hope you enjoyed the tour :) special thanks to taylor and jon for letting us admire your home.
xoxo,
alyssa renee


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