Scrapbooking the Old House

*I started writing this post a few days before our buyer closed on it (think May 15th). I was WAY emotional about leaving this little (SO LITTLE) fixer-upper behind. I never finished the post because, yall, moving is the worst. Why did no one warn me?! But now that we've been in the new house for a few weeks (we rented the old place from the new owner until July 1st) I can look back fondly but not miss this old place at all! that's how much of an upgrade the new place is.*


My eyes well up a bit when I think about leaving this treasured, frustrating-at-times, labor of love little house behind after almost 9 years here. 

Luckily part of the selling process was having a professional shoot our (so.freaking.clean. WE SLAVED) home for the listing, So we will always have great photos of the space (even if it was denuded of our personal stuff and some questionable staging props added). 

There aren't pics of the kids room because it had already been thoroughly shot professionally by IKEA (and we were using it as a cesspit to throw all our junky personal stuff into on the day the rest of the house was shot), nor of the main back yard because Jesse didnt have it quite ready in time for the photographer. 

(all photo credits: Brenda Stewart unless noted)

front view from road. remember when we painted the door?

That fence project (we were the mission field for that youth group!) was really the DIY that got us moving and in love with our home.

Putting in new floors and getting a couch I had a love affair with were huge. 

$10 oversized chair and ottoman remains our garage sale benchmark. #notmytulips

did a skin graft on that IKEA rocker to make its footstool match

love our 3 goodwill stools that have been reupholstered thrice now.  The perfect bar lights were c/o the wonderful Shepard Lighting, who positively ruled at picking out just the right fixtures for out style.

jesse built the table and dining banquette bench custom from scratch. those stayed at this house. It's underwhelming as a dining room until you realize we used to have NOTHING for dining on because this was my sewing "room"

Hheaven lawd this kitchen was the biggest improvement of the entire 9 years. The cabinets that nearly finished me, but turned out SO worth it (and in that same project was when we painted the countertops from beige to black---SO easy and impactful).

Deciding to take the doors permanently off one set of cabs was a move that totally worked for us. Fabulous gooseneck sink light c/o Shepard Lighting . #notmyfruit 

moving the microwave from the countertop and turning it into a built in above the stove was a major coup!

Behind those doors was a very sexy project that was the creation of a pantry where once there was none...also that post was where I shamelessly hinted that I was pregnant with a 3rd baby. The fridge is/was black. The photographer used sorcery of some kind to make it silver!

We never did much more with this room after it became the first true made-over one. #notmyferns

#stillnotmytulips

full blown master bath upgrade in one easy weekend.

the guest bathroom with so many cool things that I never blogged about. I LOVED that room

the junk room, turned sewing nook (that was so terrible yet I was so proud!), turned Layla nursery, turned actually great sewing studio, turned white walls with hand painted herringbone accent, turned shared sewing room/Noa nursery.

Goodbye, sweet first home of ours! We brought 3 kids, 2 dogs, 3 cats, and a whole lotta cray into you, and you, in return, did not poison us with mold or radon and taught me a deep, abiding love for red-hued wood and popcorn ceilings.