We have been in the process of clearing my grandparent's house for 6 months now, and on Sunday we will be getting new, taller bookshelves. So the living room has been rearranged. The Expedit unit that was holding the TV has moved to the dining room, and the TV is up on the wall. We've moved the couch down and the bookshelves are where the couch used to be. 

Having the couches facing each other creates a galley feel in our tiny house, but it's not so bad. 

We are getting a third bookcase to go in the middle to replace the dark brown one, but we started with two to see how it went. The third one needs to be modified for the air duct that is between the two bookcases, but M. assures me it will be an easy fix. 

The final plan is to have books on top and storage baskets on the lower shelves. We will also be moving our DVD collection to the third bookshelf when it comes, which will free up space under the window.

Curb Appeal

Today we finally tackled a few outdoor projects. We planted some seeds in the big pots that have been taking up backyard space for awhile, and moved them to the front.

It's not real fancy, but hopefully soon there will be actual plants in them. 

I also planted herbs in these herb planter boxes. I know they look really sad now, but I'm hoping they will be bushy soon. 

And we moved our deck box outside! M had to grind off some metal stakes that were embedded in the parking pad in order for the box to fit, but now that he owns his own bench grinder, he took care of it. 

We added a cable and a padlock to try to deter theft (unfortunately common in our neighborhood), and plan to keep our grilling supplies in it for easy cookouts. 

Finished!

Before:

We opted for a faux wood finish because M. had to putty so much of the front. We followed this tutorial: http://www.lucydesignsonline.com/2011/05/ive-been-to-gel-stain-hell-and-back.html?m=1

After the first coat of regulat latex paint:

Mid- gel stain:

After texturing the stain:

Drying before polyurethane:

First poly coat:

Finished!!!:

M. installed it while I was out today and it looks fantastic! I can't wait to start putting things on it. And clean up the fireplace a bit...