Sherry, Clara, Burger and I took our little home-improvement-hungry hands on the road this past weekend to help out a few family members in Northern Virginia who, by coincidence, have also moved recently. There must be something in the water – or at least in our gene pool – that has us all relocating lately. First up was my little sister Carrie, who we managed to get zero pictures of so here’s a random shot that she sent me after the fact (that guy on the left is her boyfriend, Robert, who will be making another appearance momentarily).
Carrie just rented a new apartment in Northern Virginia last month (you may remember us helping with her first apartment in Philadelphia and her second one in NoVa). She’d been planning the move for a little while, so back around her birthday in February she hinted that she’d like help painting as her actual gift. So Sherry and I wrapped up this little token of our commitment (a painting stir stick with a paint can opener on the end) as her official “present.” It reads: Redeemable for 1 gallon of Olympic Premium Paint And Painting labor – may be exchanged for a Starbucks gift card at any time (since we figured Carrie deserved an out if she decided to forgo painting – or if her moving plans fell through).
But all systems were go, so we arrived early on Saturday morning to look at the space with her and help pick colors. She and Sherry had chatted about how she wanted a taupe-y tan with a smidge of gray for the bedroom (to match the curtains that Carrie already owned and would later hang). The verdict: Benjamin Moore’s Ashen Tan, color matched to zero-VOC Olympic Premium Paint. We gave her that brand as a gift because we love how pure it is (even the colorants are VOC free) since the bean was with us (we switched off watching her in another room while others got their paint on). We landed on Ashen Tan because it would cozy things up and add some warmth to the otherwise basic white box of a room without feeling too dark or crazy (since Carrie wanted something soothing and classic). Here’s a pic of the space before we arrived:
And here’s Robert and me in full on painting mode on Saturday. Robert earns major points for helping me roll the room while Sherry cut in and switched off with Carrie as “babysitter.” Forgive this terrible iPhone picture that Sherry grabbed in progress:
The two coats of paint that the room needed took about two hours to apply – almost less time than it took us to navigate rainy day traffic from her apartment to the nearest Lowe’s (which, lucky for Carrie, was next to a Starbucks) and back. When we came back the next morning to help put the room together again (once the walls were dry) the freshly painted room was looking much, much homier thanks to the warmer walls:
Sidenote: Wondering what our favorite neutral wall color is? We have declared that it’s Edgecomb Gray, and you can click that to see why we love it so much.
Carrie would be annoyed with me if I didn’t emphasize that she still has art, pictures, and curtains to hang (maybe we’ll share an update pic in a while). She also plans to gradually replace some of the Ikea furniture down the line with pieces that are a bit less common (perhaps a craigslist find or two). But we still think it looks quite nice for just moving in a few weeks ago. Isn’t it amazing how even something subtle on the walls can take a room from “generic rental” to “cozy home”?
Carrie also already owns a lot of great accessories that help add a happy splash of color here and there (with more to be hung, like art and curtains) so the room still feels vibrant despite the muted wall color. Because you know Sherry went nuts feathering the heck out of Carrie’s nest with things like the blue throw over the chair and the pillows on the bed and these colorful accents on her side table before we snapped any after pics. The girl can’t help herself.
Even Carrie’s cat Duncan seemed to be digging the cozier vibe. Something he didn’t dig very much? Having to be trapped in the bathroom while we painted. Thanks to his keen interest in the process (he kept trying to rub up against the paint can and tiptoe through the paint tray), it seemed like the best plan (but not to him, of course). As for Burger, he voluntarily camped out in his crate (aka, his home away from home).
Of course, my favorite picture from the day is this one – which I jokingly snapped while Sherry adjusted the side table. When she heard the shutter clicking and asked what I was shooting, I lied and said “just white balancing.” I figured I’d get a laugh (or at least an eye roll) when she spotted her less-photographed end in the day’s photos when we uploaded them. Never did I suspect that she’d let me put it in the post. Her response “oh why not, we’ll keep it real.” Best wife ever.
Carrie’s still planning to paint her living room, but the size of the apartment kept us from being able to clear two rooms at once. So it’s gonna have to wait a bit. But we did use this trip to help Carrie select a cheerful artichoke-y green color for those walls.
While Robert and I rolled (and rolled, and rolled) the ladies settled on Fennel Splash by Valspar (sorry, I’ve got no clue which one that is in the pic above). And when I say “ladies” I do include Clara in that group. Look how much interest she takes in paint swatches. That’s my girl.
After all of the Saturday painting adventures at Carrie’s new apartment, we headed about 15 minutes away to my cousin Travis’ house. Travis and his wife Cat and their almost-2-year-old daughter Elsa also moved last month (Cat is Sherry’s best friend of 11 years who we introduced to Travis, then they got married, and the rest is history). They needed a larger house because baby #2 is expected to arrive any day now (although Cat’s hiding it well in this pic we snapped, she’s actually due next week).
They’re a stylish bunch, so we’re excited to see them get more settled so we can eventually officially House Crash them. Even though they’ve only been in their new place about four weeks, we were already loving things like their new yellow and gray bedding (from Target) and the fun yellow rug (from Garnet Hill).
Sherry even found herself helping Cat with a small house project on Sunday morning – hanging a collection of frames in one of their spare rooms. Leave it to my wife to happily take a hammer to someone else’s walls.
Since it’s the last visit we’ll have with those three before they become four, Sherry also used it as a chance to deliver her homemade baby book for Myrtle (the placeholder name they’ve been jokingly using throughout Cat’s pregnancy). They haven’t found out if it’s a boy or a girl, so the book had to work for either one.
Sherry made it the same way that she created Clara’s homemade baby book (the template is free for you guys to download here). It’s basically just colorful scrapbook paper (from Michael’s) slipped into a sleeved scrapbooking album (also from Michael’s) with home printed labels on each page (from this template Sherry made) for listing lots of memorable moments. Like events and trends from the day he or she is born (for Clara’s we put The Snuggie and Justin Bieber hair)…
… and mom and dad’s predictions for baby’s features, firsts, and favorites (which we witnessed Cat and Travis fill out right then & there) – among other things like developmental milestones and all that good stuff.
We didn’t assemble all of Clara’s book until after she was born, which meant that creating one for a bun that was still in the oven required a few placeholders – like these little footprint cutouts that Sherry made (which will be replaced with the real thing once the baby arrives).
Despite how much we enjoyed all of the painting, picture hanging, food eating, baby watching, and competitive board game playing* – this was perhaps our most favorite moment of the weekend: when Elsa snuggled Clara and Clara leaned over and nuzzled her right back. And how miraculous was it that I actually had the camera on hand? Maybe that’s why I got to put Sherry’s butt in this post. I earned some major daddy points for capturing this cute Clara-Elsa cuddlefest.
*We mentioned board games as one of our oh-yeah-we’re-wild weekend activities with the fam (there’s nothing like blowing off some room-painting steam like a rousing game full of smack talk and competition). This time our game of choice was Apples to Apples, and we accidentally invented a fun slash weird variation that we thought we’d share. In each round we blindly threw in an extra red card from the deck for the judge to consider (we started calling this non-existent extra player “The Computer”). It’s surprising how many times the random card was chosen over the ones that us human players thought long & hard about (which created a fun everyone vs. The Computer rivalry and a few “I can’t believe that was random” moments when The Computer played the best card). In fact, The Computer nearly won the entire game but Travis narrowly beat it in the end by just one round. Crazytown. Do we know how to let our hair down or what?
Lauren H. says
The Burger/ Clara video is adorable.
L says
Awwwww . . .
Great post!
About baby albums: Careful should y’all decide on more than two! I am the eldest of four, and my baby documentation is awesome (three photo albums, baby book, etc.). My one-year-younger brother’s is okay (one filled-out baby book). But my two little sisters just barely have any baby pics at all, and I found an album for the youngest one that had not even been filled out!
Elizabeth says
Same thing with my siblings. Oldest sister…documented in fine detail. Me? A few things noted. My little sister? HA! She’s lucky there are pictures. LOL
Meg says
OMG, that video was excellent!
joni tyrrell says
burger and clara are so cute!!!
amymargaretc says
We LOVE apples to apples. I will definitely suggest the computer variation next time!
You guys are so nice to donate your time to family projects!
Kristin says
The video at the end had me cracking up at my desk at work. That is hilariously adorable. I play that game with my little schauzer when he’s feeling feisty. Hopefully when we have a little one, he’ll still be up to playing.
Thanks for sharing!
Amy @ All In A Day says
OMG! That video is too funny! I love it! You do have a couple of cuties on your hands!
jenna{frombostonwithlove} says
That same rug from Garnet Hill is on my wish list! I have my eye on the teal or aqua. The yellow looks perfect in their room!
Kim S says
Wow, you Petersiks would fit right in at game night at our house! I mentioned yesterday that I saw Quiddler in your console basket and that is one of our favorite games, and Apples to Apples is definitely another family favorite! Next time we play I’m going to suggest the “Computer” variation…that sounds like fun! Our most popular variation is the speed round, where if your card is the last one in, it doesn’t count! My sister is a notoriously slow picker, so this rule usually is used to speed her up, haha. It makes for some pretty hilarious “panic throws” though. :o)
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, I love the idea of a speed round to panic people. Hilarious.
xo,
s
Steph says
I’m also a fan of Apples to Apples. I’ve never played with the “Computer” before, but sometimes we play with two green adjective cards and you have to put in a red card that fits both words. Makes it a little more challenging and a lot more hilarious. :)
YoungHouseLove says
Oooh, that’s a fun twist!
-John
threadbndr says
Hey, the bean is getting some hair that shows! It’s just so blond that you usually can’t see it, but that bit of ‘fluff’ in the video shows that she’s not bald anymore!
Thanks for the color inspiration (in the post and in the comments). I think that I’m going to be using a warm ‘toasty’ color in my master BR once I get there. I want one with lots of grey undertones since the curtains are probably going to be grey shot linen look alike. Have to get the guest room done first, though (so I have a place to sleep LOL)
My Beautiful Life says
Adorable video. That is the cutest thing to watch. My one year old loves dogs, but the one he gets to visit with is an old golden retriever who has a heart of gold. She lays there while he plays with her tail, and tries to get on her like a horse. Loved watching Burger and Clara.
Oh, and you guys did an awesome job on apt#1, bedroom makeover 2, and the paint came out fantastic at her 3rd place.
Glad you linked up the 1st two projects because I hadn’t “met” you guys then.
;)
Hope y’all have a beautiful day.
Ted says
Oooh…be careful about the baby who is trying to “ride” the dog. There was a letter in Dear Abby (March 8) about a dog who was severely injured by a child trying to ride the dog. Granted the child was older, but you still need to teach the kids as early as possible not to climb on pets because they can get hurt.
YoungHouseLove says
No worries! We’re already teaching Clara to be gentle with Burger when he sits still long enough for her to touch him. She actually knows the word “pat” so she pats him lightly. And of course we’ve taught Burger to be gentle with Clara and not jump or run into her (he’s very good at avoiding her, haha). Thankfully they seem to love each other and have yet to make each other cry (or howl, haha) so we’re definitely grateful!
xo,
s
Ashley says
You guys are awesome! Adorable video of “the kids”. Thanks for sharing all your ideas.
allison says
You are welcome to come down to florida and help me paint;);)
Oh and thanks for the new addiction to pintrest!!
Brittany says
Love the apples to apples “Computer” variation. Definitely going to play that way next time!
Christina says
I have been enjoying your all’s blog for the past few weeks. John’s post on installing the new toilet button ‘thingy’ had my husband and I laughing and we were hooked!! In reading this post and seeing John’s cousin Travis…my husband and I might have gone to high school with him!! Small world! We went to Parkersburg South (Parkersburg, WV) and if it’s the ‘right Travis’ I had some classes with him. I even played b-ball with his sister (if it’s the right Travis ). Anyway…thanks for all of the info you post and your very detailed projects. People like to see projects step by step and you guys do an awesome job. Thanks again!
YoungHouseLove says
No way- that’s the right Travis! He grew up in Parkersburg! And yup, he has a sister named Megan who played b-ball. It’s such a small world!
xo,
s
Christina says
Oh my gosh..I can’t believe it!! I remember being in a couple of classes with Travis and he always impressed me as a really smart guy…like in Physics and Math (ugh). Meghan was always very sweet and worked really hard on the b-ball team. I was a year or two older than she was but I still played on the JV with her (volleyball was my game :) ). Question….do you all offer any advice on people’s spaces? Like, I desperately need outside advice on kitchen cabinet colors. Thanks for all you all do! You all have helped us with a couple of projects around our 1960’s lovely…ah, so much work left to do.
YoungHouseLove says
That’s so funny! What a small world! Megan is still very sweet and hardworking and athletic and Travis is the smartie pants lawyer of the family. As for advice on your space, why don’t you upload a pic to our Facebook page and people can weigh in with suggestions (we’ll try to add our two cents as well!). Hope it helps!
xo,
s
christina says
Thanks! I will upload a pic this weekend…thx so much! Oh, random …….but your quilt for Clara brought tears to my eyes! All of the energy, time and love that went into it is just beautiful! Good work and way to conquer Oh Brother!
Carrie says
Love the video. Baby laughter…best sound in the world. Love that Burger and Clara play together.
laura says
Love you guys…even more for keeping it real! Sherry – where did you get your jeans? I’m short like you, and have a difficult time finding petite jeans!
YoungHouseLove says
They’re from Banana Republic (I wait for clearance though cause I’m cheap).
xo,
s
Elizabeth says
Do they have other racks in stores besides the clearance racks?
Christa M says
So he doesn’t get a picture of his sister, but he gets a picture of his wife’s butt….nice! I see where your priorities are ;)
That video of the Burgs and Clara had me laughing. LOVE IT thanks for sharing!
Peg says
I play that way with apples to apples, too! Except my friends and I pretend my dog is playing and we call it “Moses’s card”. Its pretty sad how often Moses wins.
Jackie says
Love the room and LOVE the video… Burger may start to charge hourly for his entertainment services. =)
Maayan says
Love the owl lamp (and all the suggestions of where to find one!), and also that sweet little calendar on Carrie’s desk — do you know where that’s from?
YoungHouseLove says
Hmm, I think that was a gift. Maybe try etsy?
xo,
s
Heather says
I have a wall version of that calendar, it’s from Paper Source!
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks so much for that tip Heather!
xo,
s
Sarah says
Dang it all–I’m terribly allergic to dogs, and don’t want one in the least, but that video has me in love with chihuahuas. My kids would die for some play time like that!
linda says
what an adorable video! i love clara and burger playing together! soooo cute!
love the color you chose for the bedroom! very soft and cozy!
Wendy says
Ok, I totally see a new feature in your future – “John and Sherry on the Road” – I’m only 2.5 hrs away from you guys if you every want to come to my house and just go crazy! ;-) Heck, I’ll even throw in free babysitting – I love a baby – especially a cute little thing like Clara! We may just have to hit up the local Target and buy some clothes!! LOL!
Kristen says
That video is the most adorable thing I’ve ever seen!
I love the color that you used in Carrie’s bedroom. I’m going to check it out for my own!
Christa M says
My friends and I play Apples to Apples. At the end of the game, all of the cards you have won are used to describe you. Usually at this point we are all tipsy and it is hysterical.
YoungHouseLove says
We do this too. It was hysterical for us also – and we weren’t even tipsy!
-John
Briel K. says
You are such a great sport Sherry! :)
I love how Carrie’s room turned out. The little pops of color that you added for the final pictures really make a difference.
John, you look so tall in that photo of you and Robert! Maybe it’s just that you are closer to the camera than he is (or are you really that much taller?). haha
YoungHouseLove says
Oh, I’m actually on a stool. I didn’t realize ’til now that it was cut off in the photo and makes Robert look like a hobbit. Sorry Robert.
-John
Ted says
Yeah…I thought something like that, or else your sister got an apartment with the world’s lowest ceilings. Even 6′ John should not be that much taller than the top window sill if there were standard 8′ ceilings.
Briel K. says
I thought you might be standing on something but wasn’t sure! :)
Bob says
I have to ask… was the bottom middle photo in the five photo hanging intentionally placed about an inch higher than the ones to each side? Just curious about the motivation for doing so.
YoungHouseLove says
Yup, we just eyed it and liked it best that way. Since it’s horizontal and the rest of the frames are vertical, when it was flush with the tops of the frames next to it, it was kinda cramped looking. And when it was flush with the bottom of the frames next to it the gap above it was a bit too wide to feel like a cluster. Cat actually loves imperfections (she kept saying “I don’t want them perfect because the photos in the frames are angled and imperfect”). She was going for that we-just-threw-these-up-on-the-wall-before-breakfast look (so we did that, haha).
xo,
s
Bob says
Cool. Sounds good to me. I like it.
Jenny @ Bakography says
Um that video could not be ANY cuter! Gosh she is seriously one of the cutest babies I’ve ever seen.
Megan says
I love the color you all chose for that bedroom. Clara is too cute with all those paint chips!
Veronica says
Cutest video ever!
And just so you don’t look too out of the loop, it’s Justin Bieber, not Beiber ;) My college student self caught that one right away.
YoungHouseLove says
For some reason I makes me kinda relieved that I don’t know how to spell his name correctly. But thanks for the catch – fixed it!
-John
Joey M. says
I love love love the bright pillow on the bed. Where did she get that?!? Thanks!
Kristin says
Um, NO. Your kids could not be any cuter.
LOVE your variation on Apples to Apples. Great idea – I’m excited to try it. (Oh yeah – I’m wild and crazy on weekends, too. Don’t even get me started on Sequence!)
Jessi says
Apples to Apples is one of my favorite games ever! Best game we ever played resulted in the card ‘sexy’ being won with the card ‘woodchipper.’ To this day I tell my hubby that he’s sexy as a woodchipper. I even made him a pair of boxers with the word woodchipper on them. I love your variation! We’ll definitely try it next time around. Of course, we sort of play that way anyway when our 3 year old wants in on the game. Have a great week!
YoungHouseLove says
Awesome compliment. Hopefully Sherry won’t catch your comment until after I have the chance to savor the confused look on her face after saying “Sherry, your butt in today’s post was as sexy as a woodchipper.”
-John
Elizabeth says
What a fun weekend!! I love that video of Clara and Burger.
Ashley @ DesignBuildLove.co says
too cute! All of it! Looks like you guys had a wonderful weekend!!! Also, I totally love the room for your sister, Sherry. It looks great, and so warm and inviting!
And the yellow and grey bedding at your friends’ house is totally adorable! Maybe I should put that into my yellow bedroom/guest office… I’ve been thinking about it… (http://designbuildlove.co/?p=174)
And of course, LAST BUT DEFINITELY NOT LEAST, that picture of Clara and Elsa- John totally gets major dad points! That is a priceless picture totally worth framing!
stephanie says
oh my gosh that video just…MADE MY DAY!!!!
Blair says
I’m barely past the first paragraph, but… perhaps it’s opposite day? “…that guy on the right is her boyfriend, Robert, who will be making another appearance momentarily.” On my screen, that guy on the right is a girl wearing a paisley dress. Maybe my computer is flipping images. There is a nice male torso on the far right, however, so maybe that’s Robert? Obviously teasing. :)
YoungHouseLove says
Ha! Maybe it is opposite day – or maybe I meant to write “on her right.” I dunno. Either way, it’s fixed now. Thanks!
-John
Rachael says
I love these “keeping it real” posts, especially ones that involve watching Clara and Burger play together and board game variations. That’s real life. :)
Paige says
so jealous of how thin you are. do you do any particular diet?
YoungHouseLove says
Breastfeeding! Haha. And I’m not that thin. Trust me. I’ve got some rolls but Clara’s worth it! Haha.
xo.
s
Jenna @ Spitzer Stories says
You guys are painting rockstars. And you’re not too bad at picking paint colors either.
That video of Clara and Burger is priceless. Totally made me laugh…and I needed that today!
Chelsea says
As a cyclist I NEED to know where she got that desktop bike calendar!?!?!? It is sooo cute.
YoungHouseLove says
I think etsy? Hope it helps!
xo,
s
YoungHouseLove says
Update – someone suggested Paper Source for the calendar.
-John
Julie Ball says
I’m still smiling over you and your sister being Sherry & Carrie:) Killer!
YoungHouseLove says
Haha that would be funny! John actually wrote this post, so his sister is named Carrie (but he does get tongue tied a lot when we’re together and calls me Carrie and her Sherry).
xo,
s
hi-d says
That photo of Clara with the paint chips is just too perfect. A future DIY girl! So cute!
Linda says
Question: so many of the colors you and others choose look fantastic with white woodwork. Our woodwork, which we prefer to keep as is, however, is stained in fruitwood. Are there any specific color choices (preferably muted) you recommend for a small bedroom (i.e. 10 x 11) with good sunlight that would work well with and complement the existing woodwork? We don’t want the outcome to appear “dark and cramped.” I do like pure whites with color in accents but have been trying to challenge myself to try a wall color this time. Perhaps white is our best choice?? I am looking for suggestions. Please, no blues or lavenders. Thanks!
YoungHouseLove says
Celery or artichoke! Muted and soft greeny-yellow tones can look so pretty with wood trim! Maybe just get a few swatches and hold them up to see what looks best?
xo,
s
Leigh Anne says
Although I love mine, there are two families that I would also love to be a apart of – the Kardashians and the Petersiks!
Stephanie says
Had to smile after seeing the pics and then reading the comment on the lamp. I took one look at the owls and thought, “Chi Omega!” Love it!
mrs. lusher says
Ok, so we have totally played Apples to Apples with The Bookshelf, because my husband didn’t think the game was fair, or that anyone “got” the cards he played. Guess what? The Bookshelf won.
Love the picture of Clara with the paint samples, the look on her face is too cute!
YoungHouseLove says
Hahaha, I love that your computer was The Bookshelf. Hilarious! And the fact that it won proves that the game is more about chance than originally thought. Haha.
xo,
s
Bethany G. says
John, you are correct: your babies couln’t be cuter. That video was hilarious!
Kelly says
I love your blog, I can’t wait to have a place of my own soon so I can use a lot of your amazing techniques! The one thing I’m dying to know now is where did Carrie get that white owl lamp on her desk? That is absolutely the one thing missing from my office! If you can find out and let me know I would be eternally grateful!
YoungHouseLove says
I think that’s from Urban Outfitters but a few others bloggers have mentioned seeing it in other places, so maybe that info will help as well!
xo,
s