Thursday, November 15, 2012
I hate to admit it, but I'm more than a little worried we may have bitten off more than we can chew. I'm currently sitting in our kitchen, amid a mess of objects from the sun porch, as we scurry to decorate the room at warp speed in time for Alexandria's Holiday Designer Tour of Homes on December 1. Let's face it, we all know Alex and I don't do well with renovation deadlines.
We have curtains partially installed, but in need of hemming. Our walls are barren and devoid of any art. Atop our brass Asian table sits a dated silver lamp, completely the wrong size and finish for the location., and the list goes on and on!
In the basement sits a chair that once belonged to my great grandfather.
Currently it's in pieces, as years ago we disassembled it in order to better sand and restore it. It's this same chair that we hope to have fully restored, and nestled in the corner of the sun porch in just two short weeks.
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Wednesday, November 14, 2012
If you've been reading our blog posts for the last few months there's no doubt you know how much we like our new butcher block counter tops from IKEA. The efforts that we put into modification of the edges, leveling the base cabinets, ensuring a nearly perfect fit, and finishing the corner in front of the sink were well worth it given the result.
Though we love how our counters look now that they're done, all shiny and new in the space, there's one thing we absolutely must keep in mind to ensure we like them long term, and that's the treatment and care we must give them. But what exactly does that mean?
By their nature, butcher block counter tops are not an "install and forget it" kind of surface. Actually, literally by nature (and by their history/namesake), they are quite the opposite. As a result, a litany of options for treating, sealing, staining, and protecting butcher block counters has popped up. It's big business and a multi-million dollar industry, so it's no surprise every company wants you to believe their product is far superior to the rest.
Before we get to actual treatment and finishing, it's important to recognize why a higher level of maintenance is necessary when caring for butcher block. First and foremost, they're wood. This is where I mean "literally by nature." As it exists in nature, trees are meant to absorb the elements around them. Trees are literally sponges, trying to suck in whatever comes in contact with them including water, sunlight, and CO2. When a tree (or trees) became our oak butcher block counter tops, their life may have ended (sorry tree), but their natural mission to absorb did not.
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Tuesday, November 13, 2012
As we announced yesterday, we're super excited and flattered to be one of the homes selected for Alexandria's 2012 Scottish Christmas Walk Weekend's Designer Tour of Homes! (And it's not too late to enter to win two tickets to this event.) But as much as we're looking forward to lending our home to this charitable cause, we have a lot of work to do to prepare. And to be totally honest, I'm kind of worried about getting it all done in time.
For the tour, the first floor of our home will be shown, which means we have exactly two and a half weeks to get it in tip top shape. Not only do we have extensive holiday decorating to complete (with the help of local designer, Sarah Bohl, and local florist, Helen Olivia), but we have now have a very hard deadline for completing our sun porch makeover. You know, the room that, back in January, through the purchase of a clearance rug at HomeGoods, was the catalyst for our unplanned kitchen makeover? Yep, that very same 8x10 space we've been working on all year.
Making over this room was one of my public New Year's resolutions, and in January I took down the floral window coverings, and attempted to freshen up the space with a new rug and bamboo blinds. Sadly, that's where I got stuck.
All creative inspiration vanished, and the room sat in a sad state, mid-identity crisis for many months. I lamented my decorating woes back in May, and with encouragement from many of you, finally got my decorating mojo back.
Painting of the room commenced, and the new Benjamin Moore London Fog color really transformed the room. Next we had the idea to move the awkwardly placed wine fridge into the kitchen in order to build a wine bar.
With the solid wall freed up, we moved the tall white hutch that once stood in the kitchen into this space.
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Monday, November 12, 2012
***This Reader Reward is no longer accepting entries – Congratulations to Deb, who will be visiting the DC area for a girls' weekend. We hope you enjoy!***
Earlier today we told you all about our invitation to participate in the 42nd Annual Scottish Christmas Walk Weekend's Holiday Designer Tour of Homes! We're really excited to open our home along for a good cause so participants can enjoy our holiday decor.
After we were invited to participate in this year's tour, we asked if there would be any way we could give away two tickets to our readers. We figured you guys are the main reason why we're on the tour in the first place, so we'd love to give someone a chance to win and attend. The Campagna Center happily donated two tickets, valued at $70, to give away to one of our lucky readers.
Please see our complete terms & conditions page for more details.
We'll be around Old Town all weekend during the Scottish Christmas Walk Weekend, so we hope to bump into you if you're around. We hope to see you on the tour (we're touring all of the other houses), and if you're going to the Taste of Scotland Scotch tasting the night before the tour, we'll also see you there.
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Monday, November 12, 2012
We have some very exciting news to share today. The home of the Old Town Alexandria bloggers, Wendy and Alex, ahem, that's us, has been selected to appear on the Scottish Chrismas Walk Weekend's Holiday Designer Tour of Homes taking place December 1 in Old Town Alexandria! Yes that's right, our humble little row house will be decked out to the Christmas nines and open to guests for a tour. Best of all, it supports a really great cause!
Want even better news? We're also giving away two tickets to the tour right here on the blog.
As you can probably guess, we're a little bit excited about this whole adventure, but we're also a bit frantic. I mean, after experiencing this festive weekend as a spectator for the past 12 years, this is our first opportunity to be a participant, so we have some pretty big expectations of our own to live up to.
If you're not familiar with the Scottish Christmas Walk Weekend, let us fill you in on some of the details. After all, it is one of our favorite events of the year, and one of the prime reasons we think it's pretty great to live in Old Town Alexandria.
Each year during the first weekend of December, the Campagna Center hosts their annual Scottish Christmas Walk Weekend. This year marks the 42nd year of the event, which is a multi-day celebration covering the streets of Old Town Alexandria. The Scottish Christmas Walk Weekend celebrates the Scottish heritage of Alexandria, the shopping associated with Christmas, and the pomp and circumstance of a good parade. Throw in a little Scotch tasting the evening before, a whole bunch of men wearing skirts, and an official sponsorship by the Scottish government, and you've got yourself a recipe for a wonderful and festive weekend.
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