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North Country Nest

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It All Started on the Lake

Lifestyle· Relationships

1 Jun

Memorial Day Weekend is significant for a number of reasons. The most obvious being to honor those who have lost their lives protecting the freedoms of this country. We are blessed beyond belief to call America home. Next up is the fact that we get an extra day off work. Who doesn’t love that? Last, … Read More about It All Started on the Lake

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Off Our Rocker – A Garage Sale Makeover

DIY Projects· Furniture

30 May

See how we transformed these boring rocking chairs with this great tutorial on how to paint outdoor wood furniture with chalk paint. [post contains affiliate links, which means we make a small commission, at NO additional cost to you, if a purchase is made. thanks for supporting north country nest!] Happy Memorial Day! The sun … Read More about Off Our Rocker – A Garage Sale Makeover

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Let There be Light

Renovations· The Bedroom· The Guest Bedroom #1· The Living Room

27 May

This post may contain affiliate links. Click here for our full disclosure.  When we moved into the house, one of the first quirks we quickly noticed was the lighting. The bathroom has old looking hanging lights and the master bedroom’s lights are connected to plugins. There is nothing overhead in the living room and the … Read More about Let There be Light

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The Liebster Award Nomination

Lifestyle

25 May

We are so happy and proud to announce that we were nominated by Pack Your Baguios for the Liebster Award – an award that is given from one new blogger to another. Pack Your Baguios is a super fun blog about Carmen and Joe’s travel adventures. You can also check them out on Facebook and … Read More about The Liebster Award Nomination

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Finding an Outlet During Home Renovation

Lifestyle

20 May

North Country Book Club This post may contain affiliate links.  Home improvement is stressful. We’ve only been at this for a few months, but we’ve been asked what it is like living in constant renovations. Well, neither one of us are sugar-coaters so we’ll be blunt – it sucks sometimes. Yes, it’s dusty. Yes, it’s … Read More about Finding an Outlet During Home Renovation

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Summer Home Improvement Project List

Renovations· The Bedroom· The Garage· The Laundry Room· The Office

18 May

The sun is shining here in Minnesota and the days are getting longer and longer. We’re on the cusp of summer and I don’t know about you, but I feel like I was just ringing in the new year. 2016 seems to be flying by – I can hardly believe we’re only a week and … Read More about Summer Home Improvement Project List

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North Country Nest Gets Engaged

Lifestyle

16 May

So we are here to grovel, apologize and offer our most sincere “I’m sorry.” We took a week off from The Nest, but in all fairness, it was for good reason. Last Saturday, May 7, Brett and I got engaged! It was completely unexpected on my part and an absolutely wonderful surprise. Not only did … Read More about North Country Nest Gets Engaged

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Friday Inspiration: The Home Office

Home Decor

6 May

Home Office Inspiration The office is a place for getting stuff done. It is a place that should foster creativity and hard work. A place where ideas are born and items are happily crossed off the to-do list. Unfortunately, our office doesn’t even have four walls. Which is why I want to share some spaces … Read More about Friday Inspiration: The Home Office

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Thrift Store Bar Stools to Patio Side Tables

DIY Projects· Furniture

4 May

Thrift Store Bar Stools to Patio Side Tables [This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, view our disclosure.] I’ve got a quick and easy thrift store makeover for you today! In honor of it being an absolutely gorgeous week of weather here in Minnesota, I wanted to share my repurposed bar stools, made … Read More about Thrift Store Bar Stools to Patio Side Tables

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Repurposed Thrift Store Office Chair

DIY Projects· Furniture

2 May

Makeover: Thrift Store Office Chair One of the first posts in this blog was about making over a thrift store desk. Haven’t read it? Click here to check it out! Ever since that desk makeover, I have been on the hunt for its mate – an office chair. I mean, what is a desk without a … Read More about Repurposed Thrift Store Office Chair

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Friday Inspiration: 9 Creative and Inviting Entryways

Home Decor

29 Apr

An entryway is (usually) the first point of contact a new visitor has with your home. Think about the last house you went into and the feeling you got as you walked in. Was it warm and inviting? A little cluttered or completely spotless? Cozy or wide open? Not that one option is better than … Read More about Friday Inspiration: 9 Creative and Inviting Entryways

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April Rewind

Lifestyle

27 Apr

A Look Back at April Can you believe April will be behind us in FOUR DAYS?!? It’s even harder to believe that we’ve been in the house now for two months. I don’t know about you, but I feel like every month goes by faster and faster. I remember going through school and life seemed … Read More about April Rewind

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We’re Brett and Kelly! A husband and wife team tackling our first complete home renovation. We love all things DIY, our two furbabes and lazy summer days out on the lake. Our mission? To share the journey of turning a house into a home.

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Who doesn't love a good before and after?!? Who doesn't love a good before and after?!?
Last summer, Brett and I didn’t get out on the w Last summer, Brett and I didn’t get out on the water at all – not once did we take the boat out.

Given the fact that we live in the Land of 10,000 Lakes, I felt like the worst Minnesotan. How could we not enjoy the water when there’s three within five miles of our house?

This year? We've been able to get out on some body of water at least once per week - how cool is that?!

What’s been really great about these last few months is that we’ve seemed to have found a nice “balance” between go-go-go and taking time to enjoy whatever it may be.

While this season of relaxed work is probably not the norm, it's been a pleasant surprise that we'll be enjoying for as long as we can!

Enjoy the week, friends!
If you need me, I'll be here gazing lovingly at ou If you need me, I'll be here gazing lovingly at our newly trimmed windows and painted walls 😍

We have to add trim to the slider, install the baseboards and frame up + install the pantry door.

And then...

This kitchen will be DONE! 🙌
Yesterday, #ontheblog we did a mid-year check in o Yesterday, #ontheblog we did a mid-year check in on our renovation list and shared two new projects we're adding (of course!)

The second addition? Giving a little refresh to this laundry room by pushing back the washer, dryer and cabinets.

We finished it wayyyy back in 2017 but there was a small frustration: the washer and dryer cover the window.

Every few months we'd circle back to the space and see how we could make it work. It was one of those little issues that might not seem like a big deal to anyone else, but here's the thing - you deserve to LOVE your home.

After four and a half years of constant projects, I often find myself wondering why in the hell we are doing this and I keep coming back to this idea that a home is meant to be loved, to share a story, to work for you, to be a space that you can relax in and enjoy.

So while the washer and dryer covering a window might be insignificant to a visitor, for us, it's something we see every day. And, after three years of brainstorming, we finally found a solution that felt good.

I guess that's the bonus of being four years into a reno - the idea of knocking down a wall seems like an easy project nowadays 😂😂
Just in case you missed it - new last Thursday #on Just in case you missed it - new last Thursday #ontheblog is a tour of our front porch and a few summer decorating ideas!

Hope you all had a safe and happy Fourth of July! 🧨
Sometimes, it's not all rainbows and butterflies.. Sometimes, it's not all rainbows and butterflies... especially when it comes to neighbors.

New post #ontheblog today all about the lawsuit we've been in with our neighbor for the last year. And it started all because of our garage.

In short: three years ago the county required us to get a survey done on our property in order to build the garage. The results showed that the easement our neighbor was using to access her property was not in the right place - it was inside our property lines instead of outside.

Fast forward to July 2, 2019 when we were served lawsuit paperwork from said neighbor, claiming the rights to the easement location - and it's been a long, stressful process since then.

But, we received the good news last week from our lawyer - everything is finalized and we can finally put this whole mess behind us!

Cheers to starting the week off on a high note!
One more coat of mud on the walls and then it'll b One more coat of mud on the walls and then it'll be time for paint in the kitchen!

In other news, Brett scored big time and found a giant rug for our living room - it was half off and arrived last week. Now we're patiently waiting until we get the new floors down until we roll it out. Check the stories if you want to get a sneak peak!😁😁 Enjoy the day, my friends!
Spent the evening at my parent's with two of my si Spent the evening at my parent's with two of my siblings and their kiddos.

Brett showed up around dinner time and proceeded to spend the next hour in a water + cake fight with six kids under 10.

Yup, I'm married to an adult child. 😂😂 Kidding aside - I had one of those 'I love summer' moments, watching them all run around outside, laughing their heads off.

Hope you're enjoying the start to your week, friends! 🙌
So, here's the deal. The kitchen tile project was So, here's the deal. The kitchen tile project was not all sunshine and roses.

Two words: dried grout.

On the plus side, you can in fact clean dried grout from tile. On the negative, it's a complete pain in the ass... And doesn't get you back too 100%. #ontheblog today, I'm diving into all the details on how we cleaned the tile... And the (now funny?) story on how it even happened in the first place (hint: renovating with your husband on an empty stomach never has a positive outcome) 😂
The last four years have been a constant experimen The last four years have been a constant experiment of finding the balance between function and design.

We started this entryway with white built-ins and light walls. Damn it looked good in pictures but real life? With two black dogs and a lake... Well let's just say the functionality of the design choices were at an all time low.

So, we overhauled the space and darkened the walls and built-ins. While I was a little nervous to go so dark, I have to admit Brett's instincts were right one this one.

So, here's to continuing to find that balance of function and design - and I'd love hear, have you compromised anything because it just didn't fit with how your family lives in your home?!?

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