Looks like We Forgot to...

Clean the gutters...  Last fall and perhaps earlier this spring.  Whoopsie!!!

It had been raining for a couple hours today here in Minneapolis and it didn't take us long to notice water spewing over our gutters.  With a flash flood watch today and rain in all of the extended forecast...

Alex decided he had better hop on a ladder and clear the way so water could travel out of the downspouts and away from our home's foundation.  At least he looked pretty cheery doing it right (or it was because he had just downed a Venti Starbucks and was amped on caffeine)?

I guess we're getting those April showers now just in time for June flowers?  At least our gutters are now ready for the spring/summer rain and storms!  Guess it reminds us to always be ready for severe weather during this time of year- outside and inside our home. 

Hope everyone else in this same band of rain and severe storms across the Midwest is staying dry and safe! 

Head Over Heels DIY Friday: Summer Styled Rope Mirrors and Candle Holders

Hello and happy Friday!  I have a sort of Summer DIY decor post for you today, because honestly I'm confused about whether we are in spring or summer right now.  It feels like we just skipped over spring and went right into summer here in Minnesota, does it feel like that where you are?  I know Memorial Day is next week which is the official start to summer, but heck it was freezing a week or two ago so let's just call it summer I say! 

Now onto my summer styled DIY project- Rope Mirrors and Candle Holders!

I've been seeing a lot of home decor made with rope lately and figured I could add it to some mirrors or candle holders at home.  So, I grabbed some Sisal rope from Home Depot for just $8.81 to add onto three glass candle holders and two mirrors I had at home.

For the candle holders, all I did was wrap the sisal rope around a few times and then pinning the ends to hold them on (no glue required on these!).

The mirrors were a little trickier and required the use of a hot glue gun.  I cut enough rope to go around my square Ikea mirrors three times with a bit extra to loop at the top.  I glued the rope in place around the edge of the mirror (shown in images below).

For my round mirror it was a bit easier.  I just placed cut rope on the inner edge of my mirror and glued the ends together.

Easy-peasy right?!?!?

I'm Head Over Heels for this simple DIY's, are you?!?!

I'm loving this fresh summer-y update for the mirrors & lanterns, but right now they are on my mantel and I feel like we are lacking some color.  So, help a girl out!  Tell me...

What could I add to the mantel or fireplace itself that would add color and compliment the rope/summer theme?

Home Depot Gift Card Winner and the Best Kept Secret at a Twins Game

Thank you to everyone that posted a comment on our 3rd blog-o-versary post!  But before I get to the giveaway winner I have to tell you that I loved reading the comments as they rolled in!  Some comments were really sweet and it was helpful to get feedback on what kind of posts you enjoy most or how you found us in the first place.  It was fun that a couple of you mentioned the room redo we got from Kevin & Layla of The Lettered Cottage and have been reading along since (mostly because before that my mom and sister were our only readers!).  But we also loved to hear that some of you have a similar style/older house or that you live nearby (neighboring states count too!).

So thank you again to everyone that commented, but it's time to find out who won the Home Depot gift card giveaway?!?!?  Drumroll... and the winner is....

Congrats Susie! the winning random number was 4 and your comment was the lucky 4th posted! Please send me an email with your mailing information and we will get that Home Depot gift card sent out!

Random winning number selected by Random.org Sequence Generator

Now onto a different topic (which is very different than any of our posts ever before) the Minnesota Twins!  I have to tell ya that we are majorly distracted this week because we went to a Twins game Monday and I went to another at noon today! 

Woo-hoo!  Nothing makes spring/summer feel more fun that a good-ol baseball game out in the sunshine!  But I think I might have learned the best kept secret at Target Field thanks to my neighbor Chris on Monday! 

Did you know there is an actual organ player on the 4th level inside the 2 Gingers Bar?!?! 

I had no idea either!!!!  I just thought that all those old fashioned baseball songs were just a recording that came on when someone pressed a button, but no!  All the tunes are played by organist Sue Nelson, she's the real deal and it is quite fun to watch her in action!  Alex caught me in action after we found her, I'm bopping around like an idiot but I was having a blast in the moment :)

Well, now I must admit I'm kind of tired and sunburned so I'll call that's a wrap for today!

Any other local folks go to the Twins games this week?
Did you know that there was a real organ player at the stadium or did you think it was a recording too?

Thank You Mom

Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there!  Sadly, I won't get to celebrate today with my mom since she is in Michigan so I thought I'd do a long distance celebration here on the blog in honor of my mom Nancy. There are so many reasons I am thankful for having her as my mom- so many things she did, gave me, taught me, showed me, and all of it is a part of why I am who I am today.   It would be hard to cover it all in a blog post so I will stick to a few highlights that tie back to some old photos I got my hands on during our last trip to Michigan (which will also be very entertaining for you)!  So...

Mom, in honor of you on Mother's Day I want to say thank you for everything but especially these highlights from my life!  Hope you enjoy these memories and stories, I miss you very much today!

First, thank you for all the years of orthodontic work on my teeth- and I mean YEARS.  I know you could have bought a Lexus or something for all the retainers, spacers, braces, headgear, and whatever else I endured to straighten out my teeth.

Money well spent, thankfully I no longer look like a human jack-o-lantern and I must say I love my smile!

Next, thank you for getting me a car on my 16th birthday.  I know I was kind of a brat about this back then since it was a Geo Metro and my friends called it a "clown car", but man I was lucky to get a car!  I'll also never forget learning how to drive a stick shift in that Geo, that had to be a hoot for our neighbors!


Note- related to the orthodontics topic, this was my 16th birthday and I had braces still. They came off my Junior year of high school... yep, wasn't kidding, nine YEARS of orthodontics!

Now to my smile-sparkle-shine years filled with french braids, frozen smiles, injuries, and sheer teenage girl madness.  Mom, thank you for enduring six years of competitive cheer.  I can't imagine how many competitions you went to over that time, or how many times you drove all around the state of Michigan to watch me execute the same routines over and over. 

I know that last year was especially tough in our quest for world domination winning the state finals.  Thank you for supporting me through it all, some of it was silly indeed but it certainly taught me to be disciplined, to never quit, work well with a team, and commit to my goals.

Lastly, thank you for letting me wear whatever I wanted which included high heels at the age of 4.  I can't imagine life without high heels!  Maybe it all started back in 1988 in this moment?  Aside from the heels, you really let me create my own style even as a teenager... which I am sure had to be scary at times.  I'm thankful for my unique style and continue to see fashion as fun!

Mom, thank you for letting me be me and for giving me all those experiences that made me who I am today.  I'm proud of the woman I've become and even though I'm not a kid anymore I hope you'll always be proud of your little high-heel wearing daughter.

And again, thank you for fixing my teeth!  My jack-o-lantern photo is somewhat embarrassing but mostly hilarious looking at it now :)  I hope everyone gets a kick out it too!

Happy Mother's Day to all moms out there, hope you feel special and loved today! 

Head Over Heels DIY Friday: A Coordinating Navy Blue Cabinet for the Closet

It is a GORGEOUS Friday here in Minneapolis, makes me excited to kickoff the weekend!  This week's DIY is a pretty simple furniture redo that I just had to do because of how much I loved my updated navy blue campaign dresser.  It totally needed a buddy right? 

The only bummer about this DIY is that I missed a MAJOR step- yes, I forgot to take a "before" photo.  I know, I know, how the heck could I miss that?!?!  I am wondering that too, but the cabinet was just white before with silver hardware so I found a similar looking cabinet online to give you an idea.  It was a cabinet that the previous homeowner had in our upper level bathroom.  We didn't need it in the space so it was just stored in our basement... Until now!

I removed the hardware and used the same Rust-o-leum glossy navy blue paint that I used on the dresser.  For the hardware, I actually had some old knobs that had a unique look so I just painted them gold to match the dresser.  I figured they would work fine since I couldn't get or fit the same hardware that was on the campaign dresser.

I cleaned it off, added the hardware, and brought it up to my closet room.  Here's how it's looking! 

I think just that little bit of extra storage was the missing puzzle piece for my Closet-Room redo (I still need to take all the 'after' photos though, stay tuned!). 

I know I am Head Over Heels for this DIY, especially because it was free and I put some clutter from our basement to good use!

What do you think?  Are you Head Over Heels for the revamped look?

Hope you will be back to see the full Closet-Room "afters"!

Before I go, in case you missed our 3rd Blog-a-versary post be sure to check it out and leave us a comment to win a $25 Home Depot gift card!  For those that already left us comments, thank you so much!  They have been really fun to read and make me so happy for keeping up with the blog :)  We will announce the winner on Wednesday, May 15th.

Three Years of Hammers and High Heels- Plus a Celebration Giveaway!

Well, it's been officially three years since our very first blog post went up and Hammers and High Heels came to life.  My-oh-my how we've changed since then...


... Well okay, not really but our home sure has (along with our photo quality) and Hammers and High Heels has too!  Even just year ago our blog had a whole different look/feel and the year before that too....

Any Followers remember the old blog looks?


It has been really fun to see the blog evolve over time along with our home and us!  With that (and yes it's sort of nerdy) I can't help but also compare the numbers part of our growth too.  Sure, we may not be "big time" but seeing these numbers change/grow over time is very cool!

In our first year we had 182 posts written, 246 followers, and 732 comments published

 Then in the second year 374 posts written, 805 followers, and 1,896 comments published
Today, those numbers have changed to....

539 posts written, 1,019 followers, and 2,989 comments published

Sharing each experience wouldn't have mattered or felt as rewarding if it weren't for the people out there reading it....  Which leads me to our celebration giveaway!  Afterall, a big part of this celebration is because of YOU!   So, we have a $25.00 Home Depot giftcard up for grabs!  We'd love to know how to make year FOUR better, or bigger, or different than before- so all you need to do is let us know in the comments!

For a chance to win all you need to do is...
1.  Post a comment answering any of the questions below about our blog
2. For an additional entry "Like" our Facebook page if you haven't already!

The winner will be chosen by random number selection according to the order of the comments in this post and on our Facebook wall.  Again, I'd really love constructive feedback so let us know what's on your mind!  Here are some starter questions, but any insight is good too...

What brought you to our blog?
What do you like about reading our blog?
What do you wish we showed/shared more of?
What type of posts are your favorite?
What do you think is missing from our blogsite?
Etc. (feel free to let loose!)

**************

Lastly, I have to close out this third blog-a-versary post in the same fashion as year one and year two (I think it's a tradition now!)...

In closing for year four, I look forward to every post I get to write, every renovation adventure ahead, every DIY project that comes together, every comment that comes our way, and every follower that decides to join our adventure. I truly love what this little blog has turned into, it has brought a lot of fun and happiness into my life.

Thank you for coming along with us on this blog journey!!!!
~ Carla & Alex (and fur babies Rocco & Sadie!)

Head Over Heels DIY Friday: My 2013 Kentucky Derby Hat!

Giddy-up!!!  We're gearing up for the Kentucky Derby this weekend!   But... no, we aren't headed to the Churchill Downs (sadly, because how awesome would that be?).  We will be heading to the 2nd most awesome place to be on Derby day- our friend's annual Kentucky Derby Party! 

I know it might sound silly but it is probably my favorite "theme" party.  Think about it, everybody dresses up in their best southern type style, you can place bets for a little friendly competition, sip mint juleps, and it's a must for ladies to wear their biggest or best derby hat (which is my favorite part of course)!  We've attended their party for the past two years and I'm so excited for year three!  We always have a great time and the photos are cute memories to look back on.  It's a theme the boys love to get in on too!

So naturally, the DIY on my mind this week is my Derby Hat!  As you can see in our 2011 and 2012 photos, I went for the big hat look.  This year I'm switching it up with a smaller cloche style hat.  I was totally inspired by Marisa Miller's 2011 look, small hat but big style!

Inspiration via Bad Joan, Etsy, My Scoop, and Makowsky Millinery

I got lucky and found a perfect hat on clearance at Target for $6.48!  Then all I did was add some ribbon and a peacock feather embellishment from JoAnne's for $3.99.

I don't wear hats all that often so it feels extra fun and costume-y, totally Head Over Heels!  Now if only the weather would cooperate so I don't have to wear snowpants to the party.... shhhesh!

How about you? 

Will you be sporting a Derby Hat this weekend? Or attending a Derby themed party? 

Better yet, which horse are you betting on (we could use tips on that one!)? 

Remember, whether or not you attend a party wearing a pretty hat still fun!  Have a great weekend!