I started this blog to keep track of the ideas that are filling up my e-mail inbox. You see, my husband, Tyler, and I recently bought our first home and I've been collecting design inspiration in the form of reminder e-mails to myself. The problem is that I never seem to be able to find what I'm looking for - if I can even remember to look for it! I'm hoping that this blog will help me keep track of all of my design/inspiration/DIY ideas, and that one of these days I'll find the time to execute them! In the mean time, I'll also post about our renovation progress.

A bit about our new house - from the title of the blog, you might have guessed that we bought a bungalow (and you would be correct!). It's a charming all-brick number that was built in the '50s. The family that lived here before us had lived here since it was built, and had made only minor modifications and improvements. When we were looking for a house, we considered several "fully renovated" options, but in the end, settled on this fixer-upper because we wanted to put our unique touch on our home. When I was growing up, we used to move from house to house and my dad would renovate it, and then we would move again. Luckily, he just completed the house that my parents are currently living in, and was looking for a new project. Tyler's brother is also a self-taught handyman. So, we have lots of help on our journey to make this house a home!

Our current projects include...well...everything, really. The only thing that's "done" are the oak hardwood floors, which have recently been refinished with a gorgeous chocolate brown stain. We currently don't have a kitchen - but the good folks at Lowe's have assured me that our cabinets are on their way! I'm working every night on painting all of the horrifying colours on the walls a nice greyish-brown. Tyler is in the process of renovating the basement (which currently consists of cement block walls and a lime green cement floor). The only furniture we have in the house is a mattress on our bedroom floor. In a way, I'm enjoying the simplicity of not having a kitchen and sleeping on the floor - it gives me a chance to really feel the house. Don't get me wrong - I'm looking forward to furnishing it and decorating it, but it's nice to be able to do everything from scratch, the way we want it to be done.

Here's a sampling of what the house looked like before we got our paws on it:

Hideous hospital green with red brick. Christmas in July!

50 year old shag carpeting, pink walls, and chandeliers adorn every.single.room.

I'm pleased to report that this kitchen was one of the first things to go!

I'm kind of liking the retroness of the bathroom - minus the floral wallpaper, pink fabrics and seashell toilet seat of course.

Getting that plywood off the walls was quite a challenge! The man of the house must have received a nail gun for Christmas in 1962, because there was a nail every inch.

Pretty hideous, right? Not for long! I hope you'll join me as Tyler and I turn this beast into a beauty.