"A CHANGE WILL DO YOU GOOD"

It's been about 2 weeks since the last update...and you will notice some changes on this one.  We've gone from cinder block to stucco frame, to stucco, to painted!  Drywall is now hung and being finished.

Probably the most exciting news for us comes with the final pictures. Something we've waited over a year for.....Take a look!!!!!!

So this is how they make siding out of concrete. 
Evidently wood and sea breezes don't mix

Jax wants to know if he can "play on the jungle-gym"

The winning color...OH and the Roof is on! 

Drywall hung in office!

1st floor foyer

Uhhh....Did you guys forget the ceiling?
Nope, we have something special planned here.

Master is coming together.

Even the boat spots it!!!!

The boat beat us to the new home!

Making the perfect bed: Downy Wrinkle Releaser Giveaway

I've been combing through catalogs lately (alright, so that's not a new thing!) looking for ideas for bedding in the guest room. And, my own bedding got jealous, I think :)

I like very simple linens. In fact, every year I ask for new white sheets for Christmas. It makes it easy to launder (hello, bleach!) and I can mix/match sets if necessary.

I pasted a few of my inspiration pieces below, but I wanted to tell you about a fabulous find.

Downy Wrinkle Releaser got me through college. I hate to iron and this product works GREAT on casual clothing like t-shirts and other knits.

But, it also works great on sheets. I am NOT Martha Stewart (I thought about changing my blog name to notmarthastewart.com but there are TONS including, http://www.notmartha.org/) and I do not iron my sheets. That said, I do like them to be unwrinkled. I think I sleep better.

The Downy Wrinkle Releaser is a God-send, then, for my wardrobe AND my household fabrics. Here's how I do the sheets.

1. Wash and dry sheets as normal
2. Pull the fitted sheet on
3. Spray Downy Wrinkle Releaser on the fitted sheet when it's already on the mattress
4. Using your hands, smooth the wrinkles out in a swooping-fashion
5. Put the top sheet on and repeat the Downy Wrinkle Releaser steps
6. Smell the fresh Downy scent
7. Put the comforter/duvet on
8. Admire your work :)

I'm going to give away 10 bottles of Downy Wrinkle Releaser.  To enter, become a Google Friend (look to the left of this post). If you're already a Google Friend, leave a comment here with another usage tip for Downy Wrinkle Releaser.  Oh...and it comes in a 3 oz travel version, too. Great for travelling!

Wisteria.Com

Wisteria.com

Pottery Barn

Clearly, one of these things is not like the other!
But, I do like the idea of this coral/blue quilt.
Garnet Hill

Color Conundrum SOLVED!

And the winner is....HUMBLE GOLD :)

 The color is a bit deceiving, though. We used Sherwin Williams to color match the paint of the condo currently next door to us. So, this is what the color actually looks like once paint goes on. Oh, and paint should go up SATURDAY!

It's not you, it's me

We've been dealt another blow to our timeline. This time, the cabinet builder/installer is closing shop and heading north. The coup de grâce was when he noted in an e-mail that he only wishes this could have been done 4-5 months ago. When it should have been.

I'm beginning to take this personally. Maybe it's us....Nah, can't be :)

The good news is he didn't leave us too much in a bind. We've got his wonderful plan and he put us in touch with another salesman. (Am I deluding myself to think maybe this will *save* us money?) We meet with him on Thursday.

Before this snafu, Keith and I had already been debating over the color of the cabinets. We're on the same page (for once!) as we agreed that one cabinet was too red, the other too black. The new salesman directed us to Home Depot to look at a similar line (ours are Timberlake. Home Depot carries American Woodmark, a sister company).

The good news is that I think we have found the correct color. Here are the overall color choices, and our final selections with the red check mark. The Bordeaux was our original too-red selection. We're both leaning toward Java.

The Color Conundrum

With the roof and stucco on the near horizon, Keith and I began a full-court press to settle on choose the outside paint color.   

You should know that we approached this from opposite ends of the spectrum: I wanted blues. Keith wanted something more in the sunset family.

There's a condo in our current subdivision that Keith and I both love. And, it's yellow. So we set out to find that match. And, I tossed in a few blues just for fun.  Here are the contenders, all from Sherwin-Williams:





The swatches don't really do the actual colors any justice! We ended up getting samples of each of the paints and painting swatches on the house.

In the meantime, which one do you like?

ISO: Under Bed Storage Bins

I was flipping through a copy of All You magazine's April issue, which is all about staying organized. If it's one thing I'm not, it's organized :)

I think the take away from the article is a lesson my mom has struggeled to teach me: A place for everything and everything in its place.

In one of the images, they show this adorable bedroom. I love the storage drawers and they would work PERFECTLY for Caroline's bedroom.

Where can I find them?!

They look like they'd be from Land of Nod, or Ikea.

I'm off to shop :)

New Post...New Builder...New Progress

I think it's been almost 6 weeks since we did a update on the house...and I wish it was due to us being on vacation.  But that's not the case.  We were informed that we needed a new builder....we'll just leave it at that.  Luckily, we bought into a family of builders (literally) and 1 brother stepped in.

After working through the numbers, going through all the paperwork and getting the bank to agree, he has stepped right in and got right back to work.  Electrical is going in, entertainment centers are being constructed, observation decks are being reconfigured, oh and our dock is in!  Now I just need to find some power!

Have a look!  The next update should have drywall in it...so we hear!



Shot this one from the Weather Deck...which saw more than sunsets
this past week!



Oh it's just a few wires...it won't hurt ya...plug it in!



The new "Rooftop Bar"...well the start of it at least.

 

My staircase through the new "Rooftop Bar"!  And those only get you to the ceiling on the 2nd floor. 

Wait till you see how to get down from there!

 

The long awaited Entetianment Center frame & Fireplace.

Yes they have those in Florida!



The floating crane delivering the materials for the dock.



The poles go in for the boat!

The frame goes in for the dock.



Ahh...The Dock! 

<Boat: When do I get to come?>







My House is Your House: Guest Suites and Housewares Show

Today starts the beginning of the International Home & Housewares Show in Chicago. I'm very excited to walk the tradeshow floor, get some ideas for the Bimini House and share trends and tips with you all.

Today also begins the first in a series of posts on guest rooms. This week, we'll have a Q&A with designer Christopher Lowell, products from QVC and a host of other ideas.

We're staying at The Wit Hotel, a Hilton property, here in Chicago. The suites are a great example of what I want the guestroom to look/feel like in Bimini.

From the workspace to the comfy pillows and the modern white, blue and orange color scheme to the luxurious spa bathroom, I feel like every need has been thought of in advance.

Oh...and the warm cookies at check-in are pretty fab, too :)

Some pics (Special thanks to TheLavish.com for some of these pics as they are a better photographer than me!)

The modern color scheme is an exclamation point on the
lavish AND comfortable guest suite at The Wit. Every
guestroom should have an extra place to sit and the orange
chair is the perfect spot.

I love the extra touches like this "Sweet Dreams" pillow. I'm
all for whimsy :)

The workspace in the room is well-equipped and reminds me
that I still am looking for a writing desk of my own for the
guest room

The Guest Bath defines pure luxury. I love the glass tiles-
I hope Keith does, too!

This was, of course, one of the best parts of my arrival. On
the edge of the bath was this surprise: a trio of oils and body
scrubs along with the offer to have a member of the Spa
come up and draw me a bath. I drew my own but will be
copying this idea, complete with the fat spoons that remind
me of a sushi restaurant.

The tray with all of the normal goodies (shampoo, conditioner,
soaps) goes a step beyond at the Wit. They've included a
mending kit, refresh kit and a few more extras. I like how
they are organized on the tray.

BETTER TO SEE YOU MY FRIEND...

It seems like we are on a bi-weekly scheduled update on the house, and this one brings windows.  The story here is of non-egress windows that were tall and skinny on the front of the house..which turned out to be against code.  The solution was to go to fat and chubby checkers....literally... which didn't fly for us.  5 emails and 4 phone calls with the window maker....and we have a "Licursi Special".  Turns out you can custom design windows when you have the right maker...and builder.  Take a look!



Front windows are in...and yes, these are a "Licursi Special"



Back Window are in...as are the sliders!!!



Master Bedroom Windows look super imposed with images...
but no special editing here.  Even the sunset on the front
of the house can be seen on the side reflection.



Master Bath...might be quite the view from either side of the window :-D.

Typically you would see the ocean going by from portholes...
ours has the house across the street and the sunsets over the canal.

Megan's office with the only arched widows in the house.

Keith's office window and door to the upstairs patio. 

Green idea for subcontractors, renovations

We are trying to be green-conscious in the building process. It's not always easy! I know we'll do a lot of LED lighting and we've decided on a tankless water heater. But, I'm not sure we'll do a "living" roof (though how cool would that be?) or have low-odor paints.

I heard about a company today, though, that might make it easy for some subcontractors to green-up their practices--and save money, too!

Recycled Billboard Tarps, available at Repurposed Materials, Inc. are the actual vinyl advertising wraps used on huge roadside billboards. 

You know they have to be weather-resistant and waterproof. Just think of all the uses for them!

According to the company, they are 400 percent thicker than most commercial tarps at 20 mils thick and 12 oz/yard material.

The tarps come in three sizes (10'x30'; 12'x42'; and 14'x48'). Prices start at $60.

I think I'll look into one when it comes time to add some accent paint. Or perhaps Keith could look into it for boat work. And, there's always the slip-n-slide idea as shown in the picture above!