Getting Rid of the Jungle!

We bought our fixer upper in October and moved in November. Because it was winter, we had time to hold off on the jungle outside our front and back windows while we focused most of our energy inside the house! The house had been vacant for a year, so when I refer to our yard being a "jungle", I really mean that. You couldn't see the front windows of the house. The swing set and pool equipment were buried behind bushes and weeds and the palm trees had been eaten by ivy! It was a mess. I actually remember when I showed my parents the house, they both tried to talk us out of buying the house. Everyone who saw the house thought we were crazy! But lucky for us we ignored their concerns and trudged forward!

As spring got closer, started honing in on ideas for the yard. We didn't have much money to spend at this point and knew we needed at least sprinklers for both the front and backyards. It was actually great having some time to think about what we wanted for the yard. I remember us walking the neighborhood looking for ideas from similar homes. What we did see and like is a sitting area out front. What this meant is the jungle plants in front of the windows had to go. We also knew we wanted to keep most of the grass out front for the kids and the olive and magnolia tree. In the back we wanted to keep with the same layout, but clean it up, get rid of the ivy, plant new plants and bark and take out all the plants in front of the pool equipment. Shortly after the landscaping we ended up building a deck out by the pool area.

So with our plan in motion we began the clean up process. It took about 3 weeks and some help from our parents. I remember packing over 25 bags of ivy with my mom. It was horrible! We hauled rocks from the front yard to the backyard and tore out a lot of hideous plants! It was back breaking work but we knew we had to do it ourselves in order to stay on budget!

Once all the clean out was done, we meet with a few landscapers and discussed ideas and costs. We cemented a porch, got sprinklers and drip lines, leveled out the yard and got bark. To save costs, the landscaper took us shopping for plants so we could get a discount but we planted them all ourselves. In the end we spent about $5,000 on landscaping.

Shortly after we were done, my husband and his father built a redwood deck in our pool area. It was a Christmas gift from his parents so all it cost us was $40 for a gallon of deck stain:)

Tips for landscaping:
1. Have a plan before you start!! Talk with a landscaper, designer, friends, neighbors, etc. for ideas for your yard.
2. Walk or drive around the area to see what you like and don't like.
3. Be mindful of the costs of things and your budget. It is so easy to over spend when remodeling a house or yard. We only had $5,000 to spend which is not much so that meant were we could save money like on doing the tear out, we did it.
4. Cut corners were you can. Rather than laying sawed, we seeded the grass. It was a 1/3 of the cost and it came out beautiful!! You just have to be patient for a month while it grows.
5. Do it yourself it you can. My hubby had never put in a deck before but his dad had. Find a friend or relative to help you out and do some things yourself!
6. Take pictures throughout install! This is important if you ever have a sprinkler leak and need to dig up your lines, least you have a picture to tell you what area to dig in.

Here are some before and after pictures! Of course, the yard is different today because just like our house, our yard is always a work in progress and constantly changing!

 Before.

 

 After. Bushes gone and cement in.

 Bench find at a yard sale!

 Repainted the trim of the house. Table and chairs found for $5 at a yard sale.

 Leveled out the yard.

 Bark laid.

 Moved all the rocks that used to line the driveway.

 Planted plants and grass was seeded.

 About 3 weeks later.

Today. We got new windows and had to redesign the 3 middle windows to meet code. Changed the house trim around the windows and garage.

 Painted the garage doors to match our wood door. We later put hardware on them too. I will blog about this paint project later:)

Back yard madness!

 Pool equipment is hiding in there.

 Garden!

 Swing set!

 All around the pool was ivy and palm trees.

Clean up process begins!

 25 bags of ivy!

Patio repainted and put up a screen on top. $100 fix!

New deck!

 

 

 Sitting area and table! All yard sale finds!!

Pool equipment now. We used the old lattice from the patio cover and put it up. Repurposing:)

 Garden!

 Ivy is gone and now we can use that space for a swing.

 Homemade art work!

Swing set now!

Recently gave the rod iron fence a facelift with spray paint!

 

 

Decorating Walls Dilemma!

I can't tell you how many friends have said to me, "I don't know what to put on my walls." This is the biggest dilemma in decorating!!! Way bigger than finding furniture! Because so many of us don't know what to put on our walls, we just don't put anything at all! Not good!! Well, hopefully this blog will help some.

First off, I am no expert by any means on decorating! I am just a mom, on a budget (a serious budget), who loves getting creative with used goods. I do remember the days, prior to kids, when I would go to any home decorating store and buy all new things. Well, those days are over. I don't have the time shop, nor the money and god knows it will be broken within 1 day knowing my luck and knowing my children:) So for decorating in my house I have become really creative. I first come up with a plan. You don't want to go aimlessly shopping. You will never find what you want, nor be able to put it all together. Look online at houzz.com or pinterest and pull some pictures of things you like.

 Here are some design ideas for your walls:
- Mirrors- Old, new, put them all together and make a collage of mirrors.
-Empty frames- Love this one because it's so easy and cheap! You can find next to nothing priced frames at yard sales. Give a pop of color with a can of spray paint. Put them all together and you have a decorated wall.
-Fabric- You can find discounted fabric just about anywhere. Glue it onto a piece of wood or glass and throw a frame over it.
-Old Posters- You can find really cool old posters at antique shops or thrift markets. Frame them and hang!
-Stencils- Stencils are great because if you hate it in a year from now, you can just pull it down. The only thing I don't like about them is that they can be pricey. Shop around online and make sure the stencil you pick fits the size of the wall appropriately. You don't want a tiny stencil sitting alone on a huge wall!
-Shelves- Shelves are fun because you put any treasures on them- photos, knick knacks, flowers, etc. Making your own shelf out of reclaimed wood is good on the budget too!
-Vintage Items- shadow boxes, signs, pictures, ladders, clocks, mason jars, reclaimed wood, phones, baskets, crates, etc. Anything old and cool looks amazing on the wall!
-Maps- Maps are fun and interesting. They add color and texture to any space. Find an old map at an antique shop and mount it on or in a frame.
-Plates- Old vintage plates are pretty in a dining room or kitchen. Having them out for everyone to see is much better than keeping them hidden in a buffet.
-Photos of nature or vacations- Print up some cool nature or vacation pictures in black and white and frame them. They will be a huge conversation piece for your guest.
-Monograms- Monograms are easy to make and can add so much color to a colorless room. You can paint, fabric, wallpaper or decoupage monograms. They are inexpensive to buy and easy to add to any photo or frame wall.
-Family Photos- I have tons of walls filled with photos of my kids and extended family. They not only add color on the wall but they make me smile every time I look at them.

Now that you have a plan, start searching for those items. Turn to craigslist, facebook, yard sales, antique stores and thrift stores for your used items. Most of these ideas listed above are inexpensive and easy to do. Don't buy new!! Take your time finding these pieces. Your wall isn't going anywhere;0 Once you have all your items, lay them out on the floor in an area the same size as your wall. This way you can move around pieces easily until you find the right look for everything. Once the items are set in place, take a picture of it!!! This is important! You don't want to forget the look if they somehow get mixed up. Measure out the spacing between each item and start with the middle!!! This way if you are off in your measurements, you can fix it easily.

Below I have posted some cool pictures I found online and some from my own house projects!! Enjoy:)

 Starting here and below are some of my DIY projects. I took some old frames and painted them. Using an old window I covered a piece of wood with burlap and attached it. I hung an old washboard I got for $3 at a yard sale. I made the latter using an old frame. I painted the shadow box I found at a market place. And I hung an old window frame with chicken wire and attached photos of friends on it with clothes line clips.

 Old phone from my late great aunt, shadow box, sign, picture I painted with friends. Anything I can find!

 Maps!

 These maps my husband found at an antique store. I bought these framed corkboards and glued the maps on them! Easy and inexpensive!

My yard sale find!!! Vintage shadow box I got for $8. I white washed it and then when to the antique trove and found some inexpensive goodies to go inside it!!!