Touch Ups

Since the fireplace makeover in the fall, we haven't done any significant changes or improvements to our house. Oh, the list of to-dos and want-to-dos is still very long. But the cold weather had us less than enthusiastic about tackling any projects. And the dwindling of the initial home improvement budget had covered the essentials and not much more.

But we are still moving in, still tweaking things here and there, still touching things up. We are still making this previously neglected house a home.

Here's what we have been up to...

New lighting fixture in the dining area. The previous light fixture had a single light bulb and such limited ability to actually light things that dinner felt more like a poker game in the back room of an cheap Italian restaurant than a happy family meal.

Dim old light fixture

Bright, new light fixture

So pretty and shiny!

New lighting fixture in the family room. (I'm slightly obsessed about having light.) The old one, while nice enough, didn't light the ends of the rather long room. It left the fireplace and toy shelf pretty dark.


And we've finally hung up art work! Most of the wall are still bare, but we're slowly taking care of that.


I'm pretty particular about what I choose to hang on my walls. I want it to mean something. So most of the art are pieces that have been made by myself or family members, or that are incredibly sentimental.

These are our tribute to Mondrian. Bug and I made these over Spring Break. I love how they play off the bright colors and linear lines that are already in the family room.


And these...

Monkey's contribution on the left, Bug's contribution on the right

These were made by my two favorite artists of all.

These are just little changes, but they have all made a big impact. It's amazing what a difference actually being able to see each other's faces at dinner can make.

We do have a HUGE project coming up (keeping fingers crossed!). Hopefully, it will be ready to reveal around the beginning of the summer. Any guesses?