Making a House a Home

This is my new home. Isn't it cute? It was built in 1951 and is a Cape Cod style. It has some beautiful features inside including built in wall shelves and an adorable kitchen.

Unfortunately, since it is a rental, it has also been somewhat abused. After getting the keys from our landlady, hubby and I went through the empty house yesterday and realized that numerous former tenants have not given this little gem the respect it deserves. Every wall needs to be painted, and it needs a thorough cleaning. But there is a great house underneath the grime and we're going to discover it!

Yes, it is a rental. Yes, we are going to leave this house better than when we moved in. Is that wasting money? I don't think so. It's our home and while we're there, we are going to love it - not just deal with it until something better comes along. Housing in this town is expensive - and we are actually renting this house for the same amount we paid for an apartment (thanks to our landlady's generosity). We are in no position to buy right now and this house is the perfect size for us at this point in our lives.

Fortunately, I have a very handy hubby. He can do maintenance like nobody's business, and that's a big bonus when you're short on funds.

Yesterday, we went and bought paint and painting supplies, and today I've been looking for design ideas. This is the fun part of moving into a house. We can make it our own! It's not like my apartment where everything had to stay the same. We can decorate and paint to our heart's content.

I'm focusing on kitchen ideas right now and of course, I want to make it look vintage! Check out these adorable kitchens. I don't think I want to go with red and white, though I've always loved blue and white.

I've been haunting the thrift stores around here and I've already found a ton of goodies that will be terrific when I get to the decorating part. Right now, I'm trying to decide on wallpaper or paint. The kitchen is currently painted a mustard yellow (eww!) and I can either paint it or put some fun vintage wallpaper on it like this:

I really, really wish I could sew. I haven't touched a sewing machine since high school home ec class, and even then, I wasn't very good at it. But I'd love to sew my own curtains and make a custom tablecloth with a really cute retro design! (Hint: Valerie, come visit me and help me make them! She's a sewing whiz and makes some adorable handbags! Plus she is a terrific writer and friend.)

Thankfully, we have almost three weeks to get the house ready. Hubby is painting as I type, and I plan to get the window measurements tonight or tomorrow, then start shopping for curtains.

The challenge, for me, at least, will be to find great stuff at a great price. Thrifting and bargain shopping is the order of the day!

I can't wait to turn this house into our home.