Holding true to my motto to do a little bit everyday, I thought I'd share a few of the projects I have going on right now. There seems to be a never ending supply of them, so I've already taken the liberty of calling this Part One as I anticipate many more of these posts. I'm doing everything from hanging artwork, to caulking windowsills, to scraping film off our front window.

Here are a couple of DIY renovation tips I've picked up along the way... 

When caulking (anything), make sure you have a wet cloth and a plate or board to lay the gun down on. Some caulking tubes like to ignore your every desire to control their release and you'll having oozing caulk on every surface if you aren't careful. The wet cloth is to clean up messes that will occur, and the board or plate will catch any excess when you need to lay the gun down.

Spackling is not a fine art and I am confident anyone can do it. One thing I've discovered is that you cannot rush this process. Apply thin coats and let them dry completely before adding the next. This thin application will ensure a smooth finish. Also, always sand and prime them before you paint.

Removing window film or a stubborn sticker is about to get a whole lot easier. Simply spray a mix of soapy water on the surface, and cover with a sheet of plastic (I've been using bubble wrap due to an abundance from moving). Let this sit for 1-2 hours and carefully scrap or peel away. I used a scraper tool. You'll be amazed at how much easier it comes off and you'll have a squeaky clean finish.

Next on my list? More caulking. There a small cracks in all our baseboards and crown moulding that need attending to. Follow me on Instagram for behind-the-scenes peeks at these projects on Instagram Stories. - b.

Our house was built in the 1920s and I spent hours researching color palettes and trends at the time to start deciding on our own paint scheme. After much deliberation the above is an outline of my plans for the space.

Downstairs will be a little more bold and dramatic, with a cozy rich feel. While upstairs will feature similar colors in softer hues to evoke a calmer, subdued mood. The one exception being the bathroom which will be a graphic black and white scheme. Overall it should feel fairly neutral with pops of color found in the accents in each room. I've hinted at those in the Living Room and Guest Room with orangey reds, corals, and mustard tones.

I've been using Farrow & Ball to build the color palette from, but must admit that I will probably reserve their paints for furniture and accent pieces. Due to cost I favor Benjamin Moore for the walls and ceilings. Benjamin Moore offers high quality coverage and their colors are rich and fine. - b.

Since I'm going to be sharing a lot more of our home life now, capturing every last filled hole and caulked crack, I thought I should do a "before" tour of the house. We have lots of plans, as I'll layout later, but for now let's keep it a simple photo tour. Shall we begin? 

You enter the house through a small foyer, which opens up into a long, narrow room with 2 huge windows. This was originally the Living Room, but Ryan and I have decided to make this the Dining Room as it's shape is better suited for this use. Something we don't want to do, is remove any of the original walls.

I've been doing a lot of reading on row home architecture, and one of the things they talk about is how these homes were designed to be energy efficient and by removing the foyer or vestibule area you're opening the house up to drafts and energy loss. Both Ryan and I are very conscious of this and want increase our energy efficiency, not decrease it. Also, I'd be lying if I didn't admit I always wanted a foyer in my home.

From the Dining Room you enter what we're using as our Living Room space. It's darker and smaller in size than the Dining Room and admittedly best for TV watching. There's lots of great space for built-ins, hint hint.

The Kitchen is by far the smallest room in the house and there isn't much room for improvement. This will most likely be our biggest project down the road (like 5-7 years down the road). 

Off the Living Room, you descend a steep, narrow staircase to the basement. Normally I wouldn't show this space off, but it is serving an important purpose. The front half will be Ryan's Music Space and the back half will be the Laundry Room and workspace for all the tools we'll be needing.

On to prettier things - The foyer also contains a tall staircase (with original bannisters) that leads to the second level. Up here you see our Master Bedroom. This room alone makes me feel like a real adult. It's spacious, bright, and affords a spa like escape in the evenings.

Also upstairs, our petite bathroom. It's not actually that petite and has more than enough room for all our needs. It too has a large window that looks out on the back yard (!!).

Our second bedroom will serve as the Guest Room and Art Space for me. I have big plans to make this my feminine jewel box.

Finally, the Backyard. It is 3 times the size of most Philadelphia spaces and our imaginations are going wild with ideas on what to do back here. For now we plan to leave it as is since the interior space will be used far more.

And that's it. Our sweet Chatham St. House in all its original glory. We feel extremely lucky that as it sits now it looks and works just fine, all we'll be doing is fine tuning the details and making it feel more ours. - b.