Dining Room Conversion: Part One

Brent and I love to entertain at our house. We often have people over for dinners, bbqs, yard games, game nights and more. We had a need for a larger dining room, but didn't have the money to tear out walls. So one day I told Brent my plan and he thought I was a little crazy...

(Just for a reminder here are two pics of how the front room and dining room were set up)

My crazy plan...Convert the small-ish dining room into a sitting room/wine lounge. To do this, I moved the small loveseat from the front room under the wall of wine art. I also pulled in a small white coffee table, two side tables and two wonderful chairs I'd found a couple years ago at a flea market. I left the bar and hutch in the room.

I love the result! And since we've had the room arranged this way, people have already been sitting on the furniture. When those pieces were in the front room, they were NEVER used.

The room is cozy and comfortable now. It also feels more appropriate for the square footage in the room.









And it's just off the kitchen, so guest can sit in there and enjoy a glass of wine while I'm finishing up meal preparations.

 

Someday...in my dreams, I'd really love to make that window a set of french doors that open out onto a larger deck in the back yard. It would create really nice flow in and out of the house to the yard. Even better for hosting large gatherings.

For now, we'll enjoy this new lounging area.

And soon, I'll share what we did with our dining table, because I'm sure you're wondering where we're eating our meals now. :)

Karli

Packing for Vacation

Brent and I are going on a vacation! We haven't been on a "touristy" vacation since our honeymoon. We're so excited. We got a GREAT deal through TravelZoo for two nights in Sonoma and I booked another two nights through Expedia for San Francisco.
 
So here comes the challenge. The weather in Sonoma is warm/hot like it is in Colorado right now. Meanwhile, San Fran is cool with highs in the mid-60's. AND we'll be doing a mix of walking, sightseeing, hiking, wine tasting (duh!) and eating nice dinners. In my mind that equals a lot of clothes! But I was determined to streamline so we could pack both our clothes in one checked bag...I'm cheap like that.
 
Here's a look at what I ended up packing:
 

Day One: Travel. Once we arrive in San Fran, we'll get our rental car and drive north to Sonoma. I'm wearing my bulkiest item (jeans), comfy gray and white tanks, a black jersey cardigan, my new favorite flats, silver jewelry and my over-the-shoulder bag.

 

Day One: Afternoon Wineries and Evening Concert. Once we arrive and check in, we'll change and head to Healdsburg for a concert in the plaza. Such a fun night planned with food vendors, wine and live music. Same jeans, a lightweight tank, statement necklace and my go-to red flats.

 

Day Two: Wineries! We'll spend the morning/early afternoon visiting wineries and probably eating lunch at The Girl & The Fig. I'm planning to wear a black maxi dress, lace crochet vest, turquoise sandals and silver jewelry again.

 

Day Two: Dinner. This evening we have reservations at the Michelin-rated restaurant at our hotel. The dress code is business casual (no jeans) so I've planned to wear this new stretchy seersucker dress with orange belt and jewelry. I'll tie in my purple flats with a purple wrap.

 

Day Three: Hike. This morning we'll hike in the Armstrong Redwoods. I'm thinking layers may be necessary. Black tank and black workout pants topped with a half-zip pullover. I got those new Clarks Privo shoes and they are so comfortable! I think they'll be great for lots of walking.

 

Day Three: Mid Day Drive. We'll head back to San Fran this day. We're planning to drive alone the Coastal Highway and we'll stop along the way to eat at a seafood shack--fresh oysters!! When we arrive in San Fran we'll probably walk around Nob Hill near our hotel. Black skinnies, a striped tank and orange cardigan with silver necklace and new flats.

Day Three: Dinner. We'll walk down to Scoma's (my favorite Italian seafood location) for dinner. I'm going to wear my latest StitchFix top with jeans and my purple flats. I got this new clutch for LillStudios.It has purple piping!

 

Day Four: Sightseeing. This will be our busiest day. We have time in the morning to walk around/ride the trolley. At lunch time, we are taking a boat out to Alcatraz and the Golden Gate Bridge. Later we have a North Beach Food Tour. So lots of walking requires my favorite new shoes along with jeans, a striped tank and a cardigan. I might also pack my purple scarf in case it's chilly on the boat.

 

Day Five: Sightseeing and Travel Home. I wanted something comfortable for walking around and flying. Khaki linen pants, white t-shirt with statement turquoise necklace and turquoise sandals.

  

Practicing rolling my clothes like my Grandma taught me! Such a space/wrinkle saving idea!

I'll drink some wine for you! Happy end of summer!
Karli

Put a Cork in it

As we're working on this joint blog, laughing and drinking wine (ok, maybe in a couple of hours) we're struck by the number of wine corks we possess between our two households. We both decorate with wine inspired decor and really love the look. So what do you do with all those corks?

Here are several ideas for using and displaying wine corks (and some other wine decor thrown in for good measure).

Vintage candy jars filled with a collection on open shelving in Kandy's house 

Corks cut in half, used as magnets on the fridge

Wall of wine with framed corks in Karli's dining room

Write significant memories on special corks and display in clear vase or basket

 

We've seen lots of clever ways to use and display all those corks. What are you favorite ways to reuse them?

~Kandy and Karli