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Small Talk: Living With Dust, Casual Blazers + More


 

Does anyone else feel like January is the longest month ever...? How is it not February yet? Maybe it's because we're still working on the bathroom project & I know, in the back of my mind, that it will be finished when February arrives! That's right! The Bathroom Project should be wrapped up in the next week (or two). In the mean time, there's still a lot to do...



As many of you know, the bathroom renovation has been consuming our lives and home for the past two weeks, which means we've been living with dust. SO MUCH DUST. Between demo, drywall patching and sanding... the dust is inevitable. But, this always brings up the question of "how do you live during a renovation?" Well, I'm sure everyone feels differently about this, but here's how we do it.


"How do you live through a renovation?"


I wouldn't say that we "embrace" the dust, but we definitely just tolerate it. We tolerate the dust until it makes sense to clean. Right now, all the surfaces in our home are covered in a thin layer of dust and our floors have dust and foot prints ALL over. You're probably reading that and cringing (I know I am), but hear me out.


We like to work smarter, not harder. We don't feel it makes sense to dust every day or try to maintain a clean home when there is dust pouring out of the bathroom every day. I would go crazy if we cleaned up all the dust and then the next morning, Nathan created more by having to sand a wall. That will drive you insane. So, our solution? Get demo and sanding done as quickly as possible and once those stages are complete, do a deep clean of the house. Sometimes the dust can be contained but honestly, dust is a reallllly difficult thing to contain. You could tarp off a doorway & make sure you block any vents nearby... but I guarantee, you'll still find dust on the opposite end of your house. Plus, walking back and forth from the garage or work space is enough to make your floors filthy, especially if you have contractors working in your home. After we completed our fireplace project, we actually hired a cleaning company to come in a do a DEEP clean of our entire home - I swear it was the best money I've ever spent.



Besides dust, I like to try and contain all of Nathan's "stuff". We never use our dining table, so when we 're working on a project, we like to tarp the table and keep all tools, paint, purchases, etc. on that table. It keeps everything contained and helps keep other rooms in the house less cluttered. Nothing drives us (yes both of us) more crazy than having tons of stuff on our kitchen counters or in random areas of our house. Plus, this helps keep you organized while working... you'll always know where something should be if you're looking for a specific tool.



Speaking of the bathroom, as of this week, tile, sanding and painting are complete (which means I can clean this weekend!! ) Did you catch the tile pattern that we decided on? I pretty much kept it a secret until the tile was laid... but thankfully everyone shared my love for the unique pattern - phew! Some people call it a basket weave and others call it a parquet pattern... either way, I'm here for it and I predict this pattern will be trending soon. As for the paint, I had every intention of sharing our choices and the process of narrowing down a color, but we ultimately decided to move forward with my first choice. At first, I was a little nervous about the color... and truthfully, I couldn't believe Nathan wanted to go with that color , but it turned out amazing! You can see it here. We also moved the vanity back into the bathroom, just as a dry fit until we get our countertop... and oh do I have news about the countertop!


Originally Nathan was going to build a countertop, like he did for our office desk... but we found someone local who makes custom, live edge tops. We were able to pick the exact wood species and choose from available wood slabs... to say we're excited is an understatement. I know it's going to be stunning & I'm hoping that I'll be able to go with Nathan to pick it up.. we should be getting it next week sometime. Fingers crossed! Here's a photo of the two wood slabs that will make up the countertop... SO excited.



Bathroom Sources: Everything We've Used In The Bathroom So Far




Besides the bathroom, if you've watched any of my Instagram stories this week, you'll know... I got bangs!


**does anyone else read "I got bangs!" and think of Legally Blonde when her brunette friend

says that to Elle over the phone?* * Hah! If you know, you know.



I also placed quite a few clothing orders this week... I had gift cards and decided to spend them on clothing (opposed to home décor). I've been trying to update my wardrobe a little bit by including more versatile pieces. I grabbed this blazer and can't wait to style it in a casual way. Have you seen the trend of blazers with graphic tees? One of my favorite fashion bloggers @missmarypowers styled two blazers very casual in this post! I've even seen them styled with a sweater or hoodie... @chrislovesjulia wore one with a hoodie and I loved it! I'm really enjoying finding "my style" lately and creating a staple closet - something I'm trying to be more intentional about this year.




 

Other fun things from this week:


  • These slippers were part of a "gift card" order I placed this week... and I am in love with them!

  • Impulse bought this label maker on Amazon - after seeing @thekwendyhome use it so many times... plan on tackling the office closet (that is still not labeled) this weekend!

  • I've been wearing these boots non-stop since the weather got super cold... they're Sorel dupes! You'll love the price tag

  • @sammyonstate just shared a DIY frame tutorial and I think I'm going to try it from artwork in the bathroom. Check out these frames - love em!

  • Is this not the perfect sweater to wear for Valentines Day? ...may add to cart!

  • American Eagle is having 60% off clearance sale! I don't know about you, but I live in Aerie clothing on the weekends, the coziest! I snagged these leggings & they're still on sale!!

Hope you have a great weekend!




Talk soon, friends

Kayleigh







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