Twins Take on the DIY: Painted Pumpkins

Hi friends, it's me, Jess!  This year, I was looking for a way to change up our traditional Halloween decor, which is usually just a few orange pumpkins.  I thought that using craft paint would be an easy way to jazz up some little pumpkins and also change up the color scheme a little.  Finally, I thought this would be a fun activity that I could do alongside my kiddo.

First things first, we gathered our materials:

• Acrylic craft paint (Available at Target or any craft store)
• Small pumpkins (I couldn't find white ones, which would obviously be easier to paint.  Get them if you can, or just plan on doing more coats of paint)
• Foam brushes 
• Newspaper or tarp (to cover your table)
• Paper plates

We decided to choose a color scheme for a more cohesive vintage look.  I chose a copper, shimmery white and a grey-green color.  Our procedure was pretty simple.  We used the paper plates as pallettes and then dipped our brushes in and painted.  We found that it was easier to start with thinner coats and then layer on more paint after a short drying time to get better coverage.  I started off drying to direct my preschooler to adhere to the color scheme, but her mixture of colors looked cool, so I just let her rock and roll.  

After they dried overnight, we displayed them in a little fall decor scene.

There ya have it!  Easy, cheap, fast and festive!  

Would you try painting pumpkins?  Let us know how it goes in the comments below and Happy Halloween!

Twins Take on the DIY: Kitchen Remodel Part 1

Hi pals, it's Jess.  My family and I have lived in our house for a while now and we've done a lot of work around the house.  One room we hadn't gotten to yet was our kitchen. When we moved in, the room was...well...colorful.

I still don't get this.  Were the previous owners Washington Redskins fans?

Our first completed project (before we even moved in) was to paint the cabinets white and the walls a light grey.

A little better, right?

We hated the original yellow and grey linoleum floor, but we just couldn't deal with replacing it.  We hoped that it was hiding original hardwood floors (like the rest of the house) but sadly, the linoleum was stuck right onto the subfloor.  We left it alone for a few years, but complained about it most days!

Finally, we decided we couldn't stand it any longer, so we started researching vinyl tiles.  We thought these tiles would be a great option because they were affordable and easy to DIY.  We checked out a lot of tutorials like this one and this one.  We decided we wanted to use grout to make them look a little more finished.  We decided to tile right onto the old linoleum instead of removing it first.  We were afraid that it would be too hard to remove after 60+ years of stickiness and didn't know what condition the sub-floor would be in.  After a little research, we measured our kitchen and drew a diagram to estimate how much tiling we would need.  Then, we finally headed to Lowes to gather materials.

Nice little Saturday going on!

We chose this tile and grout (don't forget the spacers if you're grouting).  We also grabbed supplies like two of these grout floats and grout sponges.  Then we dropped off the kiddo at Grandma's and got ready to get down!

Here's the big before look:

Smell ya later, yellow!

Our first step was to clean the floor very carefully.  You want to make sure that there's no residue or dirt on the floor so that the tiles adhere properly.  You can use TSP as you would before painting, but I just used my trusty Mrs. Meyers cleaner, hot water and a little elbow grease.

Next, we removed the quoter-round trim around the room because we wanted the tile to go all the way to the edge.  Ours was old and unpainted, so we just planned to purchase new trim and replace it after we were finished.

Yay, 60 years of grossness!

Then we (okay, my husband) did some measuring and marking so we could lay out the tile.  You want to lay it out BEFORE trying to stick it down to make sure it looks the way you want.  You might want a level and tape measurer for this part.   We found the center line of the room and worked out from there.  You will likely need to cut some pieces for the ends, so don't worry about that yet.  We adjusted our tiles slightly to accommodate our somewhat crooked wall (see Odds and Ends), you might need to do the same.

Now it's go time!  Find your center-line tile, remove the backing and start sticking.  You'll then use the spacers to make sure that you leave room (We did 1/8 inch) in between tiles so you can get the grout in later.  This part is time consuming and a bit tedious.  We worked together and listened to some podcasts (OMG, if you haven't heard How Did This Get Made? do it now!)  You might reference your straight edge or level to make sure you're working in a straight line.

I was getting a little loopy on Snapchat!

This took us until around 1:30 AM, so we hit the hay before grouting.  Here's what we looked like at the end of Day One.

Cameo by my husband's knee pads!

Armed with coffee, we started up on Day Two.  While my husband finished cutting the custom tile pieces to fit into the smaller spaces (you can do this pretty easily with sharp craft scissors or a box cutting knife), I got my grout on.  Make sure you buy grout that is meant for vinyl tile and pre-mixed.      You'll also need a bucket with water to rinse your sponge and I also used some paper towel to minimize mess.

It's grout time, y'all!

I started in a less visible area because I was afraid I'd mess up!  You want to drop on a fair amount of grout onto the float and then push it gently into the space between tiles. Once you have spread out the grout, you need to run the level across the grout at a 45 angle to level it and remove excess.

Then you want to get your sponge damp (make sure you squeeze it to make sure there are no drips of water) and gently rub off the excess grout.  I rinsed the sponge often, to try to make sure you remove as much of the grout as you can.  You may have to do this to remove any grout residue).  I found this process very similar to frosting a cake after a crumb coat!

Now, repeat this about a million times!  If I thought laying the tile out was time consuming or tedious, I had no idea.  Our process was a little faster once my husband finished cutting tile and helped grout.

Not too shabby, right?

Finally, we were done and stood back to admire our hard work!  You'll want to avoid stepping on the grout to let it cure for at least 24 hours (a great excuse to get ourselves invited to dinner at Ry's!) and avoid getting it wet for around a week.

Here's the finished look!

Hooray!

A pretty big difference, right?  We plan to continue our small remodel by adding the trim, learning up and adding a new table and bench seating, so I'll update you all once it's all finished.  I am impressed with how big of a change we could make in such just a couple of days.  Here are some last odds and ends to keep in mind before you get to work!

Odds and ends:

• Getting started is hard, but JUST DO IT!  Before we started to grout, I was so afraid I would mess it up that I didn't want to start.  Finally, after a pep talk with Ry, I realized I would never learn if I didn't get started.  After an hour, I considered myself a grout pro!  You never learn if you don't try, so just get in there!

• You might want to invest in some knee pads.  This is hard work which requires a lot of bending and squatting.  It's as taxing as a tough day at the gym.  Take some Advil and be sure to take some breaks and stretch.

• We measured everything accurately but didn't take into account that our actual walls are a little crooked!  Hey, human error, right?  We had to adjust our tiles slightly to accommodate a slight bowing of the wall.  You might have a tilt in your floor (which we also do) and some of the tiles might not adhere as well due to this.  We used a small nail on the couple of warped spots that wouldn't stick down.  

So there you have it!  Would you try installing vinyl tiles?  Let us know what you think in the comments below!  Jess out!

Friday Pick-Six: 8/25/17

Here's what we are loving and living for this week!

1.  As much as we love summer, we always look forward to wearing fall clothes!  There's something so cozy and cool about booties and blanket scarves.  Jill from Good Life had a great post this week about the 13 new pieces you need for fall.

2.  Our favorite workout, Pure Barre, just added a great new class called Empower.  It incorporates the great burn from our regular PB class with an added cardio and plyometric component.  We are trying it out this weekend and cannot wait/are going to be so sore!

3.  I've been on the hunt for the perfect paint color to change up our master bedroom.  We painted it upon moving in a few years back, but didn't test the color first and it came out differently than we hoped (too light).  As we've been looking at chips to repaint, I came across this great article from DIY geniuses, John and Sherry at Young House Love.  Look forward to an upcoming post this fall documenting our search and final choice!  --J

4.  One of our favorite blogs, Go Fug Yourself, had a great retrospective of all of the outfits that our BFF Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge, rocked this year.  Check it out and be prepared to be jealous.  So many beautiful looks.

5.  Sunday is the Game of Thrones season finale!  You can catch up on HBO Go if you need to prepare for the final episode.  We plan to be glued to our TV on Sunday at 9:00.

6.  After manicures earlier this week, our new favorite shades are CND Shellac Creekside (Jess) and OPI Tiramisu for Two (Ry).

What are you loving and living for this week?  Let us know in the comments below and TGIF!

DIY Cold Brew Coffee

Hi friends, it's Jess.  I know we've mentioned our love of cold brewed coffee around the TTO Headquarters.  There's nothing more refreshing on a warm summer morning than a tall glass of iced coffee.  However, if you've ever tried to make it yourself by simply pouring brewed coffee on ice, you have likely found yourself with a watery cup without an ounce of that coffee flavor you love so much.

That's where cold brew coffee comes in.  Instead of brewing through your coffee machine or Keurig, you let coarsely ground coffee steep in cold water to slowly infuse the flavor.  This creates a delicious coffee concentrate that will rival any coffee house drink you can find!

It's actually easier to make than I realized.  I used this tutorial I found on Pinterest and enlisted my husband for a little help.  First things first, I gathered my materials: whole espresso beans (We love Black Cat Espresso from Intelligentia Coffee, coffee grinder, food scale (you could also use a measuring cup), water, a pitcher, a paper coffee filter and sieve.

We started by grinding the coffee.  You could use already ground, but I found that the flavor is more intense in freshly ground.  This is admittedly one of my least favorite kitchen jobs (I hate cleaning the grinder!) but it's totally worth it for the flavor.

After you have your coffee grounds, you'll measure the water in the pitcher and stir the grounds.  They'll clump together, but that's okay.  Now it's important to let this mixture steep.  Twelve hours is good, but it can go even longer.  We mix this up after dinner to have extra in the morning before work.  Now, take a rest!

Once you wake up, it's time to get straining.  Line your strainer with the coffee filter and fit it over a bowl or pitcher.  We used this measuring cup because it's easy to pour.  Pour the mixture SLOWLY into the filter and let it drain.  Do NOT stir your coffee again (I learned this the hard way) because it will take way too long to filter.  It's best to try to keep the solid grains as close to the bottom as you can while you pour.  We've tried using a spoon to hold them down works well.  This process takes a few minutes, but don't rush it!

Once the coffee has filtered through, you can discard the grounds (they're great for your compost bin or Hydrangeas) and filter.  Now you've got a delicious coffee concentrate that can be stored in your fridge for a few days (if it makes it that long).  To serve, we add milk and a splash of CoffeeMate.  I find that I need to add more milk to this, as it's a stronger brew than just a regular cup of coffee.  I'm interested to try this tweak which sounds just like my beloved  Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold brew at Starbucks.

So there you have it!  The easiest, best cold brew for the summer!  Give it a try and let us know what you think in the comments below!

Twins Take On Home Improvement: Yard revamp!

Ryan here!  For the last few years, I have attempted a garden on the side of my house.  I generally get super excited the first week or so of nice weather, plant my garden and am psyched to eat tons and tons of fresh veggies all summer long.  And then... I get busy, it gets hot, and this happens.  This is an actual picture from last summer, guys.  Yikes.

So, this year, I started  I wasn't sure if I wanted to give the garden one last try or if there was something else I could do to make this part of my yard more enjoyable.  I started thinking, what do I NOT like doing outside?  That would be weeding, mulching and lots of manual labor.  What DO I like doing outside?  Relaxing, visiting with friends and having a frose or two.  I started poking around on Pinterest (what did people do before Pinterest?  Seriously) and quickly found an inexpensive and easy way to transform this spot into a space I will actually use and LOVE.

Unfortunately, I didn't take pictures along the way, but I used this tutorial from City Farmhouse to transform my former garden into a pea gravel patio.  The steps are straight-forward and even by myself, it really only took about a day to complete.  (Pro tip:  if you can swing it, ask your local store to deliver the pea gravel to you- this will save a few back and forths to your local Lowe's to pick up additional bags of gravel).  I happened to have some wood leftover from when we built my deck, but if you don't and want to use it for borders, you can also have them deliver a few pieces along with the gravel.

With the gravel down and the hard work behind me, then came the fun stuff.  First, I picked a color scheme- my house is a light grey/blue, so I decided to stick with shades of blue with some purple and red accents in both decor and plants.  Feel free to get creative here!

Next, I picked up some various plants at our local nursery.  I already had a couple of butterfly bushes planted nearby, but also got some taller grass and hanging plants (perfect for the plant hook that Jess and her fam gave me for a housewarming gift years ago).  I also got a variety of herbs- they are easy to grow in a container and perfect to throw into a variety of summer dishes, including cocktails.  Since I have a chain link fence, the plants serve as a bit of a screen as well as some visual interest for the space.  I followed out very own tutorial to paint some existing pots both navy and a robin's egg blue to tie the planters together and continue with the color scheme.

I picked up some great lounge furniture at Target as pictured here.

1. I love the idea of a loveseat for this space- it can be a great spot to relax solo (I'm laying on it as I type!) and also a comfy spot for more than one guest to relax on together.
2. How great is This table the top opens up so you can use it for storage (just beware because some water can seep through when/if it rains).
3. Throw pillows like this one and these are a great way to make your space look more lived in and comfy.
4. Even though this space is in the sun most of the day, I got some lighting to make evenings more enjoyable, including this little lantern and also these hanging lights.  (Keep in mind, even if you don't have outdoor outlets, they make lots of lights that run on solar power- just make sure to read the label to ensure you have lights that will work in your yard.)
5. Finally, I got this fire pit- who doesn't like an easy way to make some s'mores?

Check out these photos of the finished product!

So much better, right? 

Who's ready for a bonfire?

Just add margaritas!

Here's the cost breakdown:
- Patio supplies:  $100
- Furniture/decorations $200 (If you're shopping outdoor furniture at Target, keep an eye out for sales- they have had some great deals lately!)

I can't wait to enjoy it all summer long!  Do you have any summer yard projects in th works? Let us know in the comments!

DIY Painted Ceramic Planters

Hi friends, it's Jess here.  Now that it's warm outside, my thoughts of home decor have extended to our curb appeal and front yard.  When we moved into our house many years ago, the previous owners had two large ceramic planters flanking the front porch.  Over the years, we've used these planters for pretty annual plants, but I've always hated the boring color.  This summer, armed with a little Pinterest inspiration, I decided to do something about it!

Here's what they started off as:

I decided to choose a paint color that I found more pleasing than the current color (I guess one would call this rust?)  Spray paint seemed to be the best paint for the job because I need good coverage that will stand up to the elements outside.  I wanted high-gloss both for the durability and the look.  We did check and Lowes had a great selection of high-gloss spray paints from Rust-Oleum.  However, I had some paint leftover in the garage from a previous project, so I chose this bright blue.

My next step was to clean out the pots.  I started by emptying out any dirt and flowers leftover from last year.  Then I gave the pots a good washing, using a little Mrs. Meyer's Multi-Surface Cleaner diluted in a bucket of water and a sponge. Then I made sure the pots were nice and dry, leaving them out in the sun for a while.  You better believe these things were pretty dirty after sitting outside for the past several years!

On to the paint!  I waited for a sunny, not-too-windy day so I could do the painting outside.  You want to get outside because spray paint fumes are no joke.  I also wore gloves and sunglasses to protect my manicure and eyes.  I spread an old cardboard box (you could use a paint tarp if you're fancy) on the driveway (to protect it from any errant paint) and got to work.  I gave the outside of the pots an even coat, trying to prevent the paint from being too thick or thin anywhere.  Then, I let the pots dry for the recommended 5 minutes before spraying again.

After drying for a few minutes, I sprayed any bald spots, trying to ensure even coverage and a smooth finish.  I think one of the keys here is making sure to allow the paint to dry completely before moving on to the next coat (just like nail polish).  For me, I did 4 coats in some places, but you might need more/less, depending on the paint colors you're using and your base color.

Finally, I filled the planters with potting soil and put in a few colorful annual flowers and some mulch.  Check here for some tips for planting containers.  Plant and water your plants and voila!  Curb appeal success!!

Would you ever try painting ceramic containers?  Let us know what you think in the comments below!