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This post may contain affiliate links. This won’t change your price, but may share some commission. Read my full disclosure here.

For this month’s pattern, I chose a cute little kingfisher with brightly colored feathers and background. Simple, but fun to stitch!

Every month, I’m sharing new cross stitch patterns created by me. This year I seem to have a thing for birds, because this is my second one! But when I came across a few images of the brightly colored kingfisher, it just seemed like a great cross stitch pattern in the making (with a little color block creative licensing, of course). Perhaps when I make a few more avian-related patterns, I’ll create a bundled set called “For the Birds” 😉

I decided to keep this one simple, with limited colors instead of trying to go for a more photorealistic image. If you’d like to see more complex patterns that look more like the real deal though, let me know!

About this Kingfisher Cross Stitch Pattern

• Designed for 14 count Aida
• Full counted cross stitches only
• DMC floss colors: 9
• Size: approximately 6 in. x 6.1 in. (15.2 cm x 15.6cm)
• 84 x 86 stitches

How to use the library:

Just type in your name and the email address you subscribed with in the box on the library homepage, and it will pass you through to the library of this pattern and all other free patterns I’ve shared on the blog before. If you are new to subscribing or haven’t been able to get access, it’s likely because you still need to confirm your subscription (every signup has a confirmation email and it’s REQUIRED you confirm to add you to my list… if you haven’t seen it, check your spam folder!).

Don’t forget to pin this if you like it, and feel free to hit up the rest of the cross stitch library to see sneak peeks of all 2020 patterns coming up! I’d love to hear suggestions on new patterns that you’d like to see, so you can leave a comment here or on Instagram (be sure to tag me if you create one of my patterns, too!).

Thinking twice about renovating your house? It’s a typical dilemma. You know your house wants updating and your roof wants alternative, however financial uncertainty freezes you from transferring ahead.

Unfortunately, houses don’t look forward to recessions to finish. Roofing wears out and severe weather strikes. So, there’s no time like the current to make good enhancements.

Consider these factors earlier than planning a serious renovation.

1. Know Your Options

Want to save money on utility bills? Re-roofing — that’s, putting in a brand new roof over an current one — is a surefire approach to try this.

Re-roofing with high quality metallic supplies — these which might be coated to enhance power effectivity — can prevent up to 40 % on annual heating and cooling prices.

Even primary, unpainted metallic roofs replicate extra photo voltaic radiation than asphalt roofs. But low-glare metallic roofs with sure colours and coatings replicate principally non-visible, infrared and ultraviolet rays. These produce probably the most warmth and trigger probably the most injury.

A standard query is, “How much does it cost to reroof a house?” That is dependent upon many elements, together with the brand new roofing materials, its options, and the contractor. However, re-roofing often is extra inexpensive than roof alternative, which entails ripping out the outdated roof, and all the prices related to that, and putting in the brand new roof.

Removing an old roof might set you again $1 to $5 per sq. foot, which implies the typical elimination might price $1,000 to $1,500, in accordance to HomeAdvisor. If your roofing contractor prices hourly, anticipate to pay $40 to $80 per hour. Additional prices might apply, relying on the prevailing roof and roof decking’s situation.

Re-roofing removes a few of these prices since you’re laying a brand new roof over the outdated one. Generally, you’ll solely pay to appropriate any imperfections on the prevailing roof and set up the brand new one.  Re-roofing can be higher for the atmosphere as a result of it retains asphalt shingles out of the landfill.

Just verify space constructing codes to be certain re-roofing is an choice on your house.

Proper roofing set up is essential. That means having adequate insulation, airflow and air flow for all seasons. While it’s tempting to look in your attic, verify for naked spots and buy insulation to fill them, first verify space constructing codes to guarantee your insulation meets or exceeds requirements.

Good eve and ridge air flow programs assist keep constant roof temperatures, whatever the roofing materials. Covering all of those set up particulars may also help stop costly issues, akin to ice dams in cold-weather areas.

2. Consider Long-Term Costs

For large-scale house enhancements like re-roofing, selecting the most cost effective estimate is tempting. But the saying is true: You get what you pay for. Cutting corners on inferior supplies and labor now might price you rather more later.

While asphalt shingles cowl your house and get the job executed, their restricted life will go away you shelling out massive bucks for repeated roof replacements. Not to point out the complications and hassles that include them. 

Think of it this fashion: You might substitute a 15-year asphalt roof thrice — and fear about changing shingles after delicate to extreme storms — or you can buy a high quality metallic roof, which might final for so long as 50-plus years.

Best of all? You don’t have to sacrifice model for stability. Metal roofs now are available in many types, akin to shakes, slate and tile. 

So, the selection is yours. Pay extra upfront now, scale back ongoing upkeep prices and save on long-term bills, or select cut-rate supplies, pay extra long run, and face extra upkeep.

3. Prepare for Severe Weather

Damage from hail, hurricanes, wildfires and winter storms is rising, in accordance to the Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University.

In truth, spending on disasters totaled simply $14 billion from 1996-1997 and nearly doubled (to $27 billion) from 2016-2017. This was the newest interval that the middle collected information.  

Wood shakes are a lovely roofing materials, however they make your house particularly weak throughout wildfires. The extra sturdy choice is fire-resistant metallic roofing. 

And whereas hailstorms could seem insignificant in contrast to hurricanes, they wreak havoc on asphalt shingles. A direct hit from hail can crack a shingle. Then, water seeps in, which might trigger main injury over time. 

In some areas, homeowners insurance doesn’t even cowl storm injury, so it’s essential to make enhancements now to guard towards extreme weather later. You can begin by investing within the best-quality roof you’ll be able to afford.

The Metal Roofing Alliance, a nonprofit group, may also help. MRA, a number one authority on metallic roofing, connects owners with skilled, vetted, trusted producers, contractors and installers.

MRA’s monitor document offers peace of thoughts and assurance, whether or not your house enchancment plans name for re-roofing or roof alternative.

Want to be taught extra? Download MRA’s free Metal Roofing Buyer’s Guide at present or go to www.metalroofing.com.

A bunch of you bought a sneak peek at this transformation due to Instagram Stories proper after the vacations, however right here’s a fast replace in regards to the new loveseat we acquired and what the sitting room is trying like nowadays.

We acquired the loveseat on Overstock, and naturally now it’s out of inventory – however I did discover it here and here within the darker shade (ours is the “light gray” one). So far we’re loving it, and it actually went a great distance in making the entire space really feel like a reputable hangout house. It’s additionally tremendous cozy, which is de facto what issues (and this submit goes to have some John & Sherry for scale pics).

We talked about in our submit a month in the past about the evolution of our sitting room area that we’d like to get some bigger seating, like a loveseat for the wall under. You would possibly keep in mind this graphic from that post.

The big aha second occurred every week or two into proudly owning our new coffee table, which was: the dresser on that entrance wall subsequent to the door (seen above on the correct) which was our non-negotiable-we-need-this-here piece… grew to become lots much less vital as soon as we acquired a espresso desk that’s FULL of storage (two deep drawers on both sides!).

Suddenly all of the issues we stored in that dresser by the door might reside in there (, like canine poop baggage, sun shades, a spare key, a masks, earbuds, Burger’s leash, and different stuff that we seize on the way in which out the door).

It was such a FREEING REALIZATION! Because it meant the loveseat we longed for would possibly truly discover a higher spot on that entrance wall below the window – which it did! But let’s simply stare upon that fairly brass {hardware} on The Coffee Table That Changed Everything for yet one more second:

You also can see that we did get a little brass floor lamp that appears lots just like the one in our rendering from that post last month. First we dragged a heavier/bigger wooden one in from the bed room (which is what you noticed in our IG Stories a couple of weeks in the past once we shared the loveseat replace), however the brand new mild simply suits higher within the house with out feeling as heavy. It’s not an enormous space, however having a lot gentle & cozy seating feels fairly unbelievable for this little spot by the entrance door that used to just have two floating chairs.

Reminder: it’s regular for rooms to take some time to evolve, so don’t beat your self up in the event you don’t get issues proper on the primary strive. Creating a house that works further exhausting for your loved ones takes lots longer than these 30-minute HGTV makeovers. We virtually by no means get issues precisely proper off the bat – and typically it takes us years to get there! But each evolution of a room inches you nearer to the very best resolution for your loved ones – which appears to be like completely different for everybody – and sure will evolve over time as your wants change anyway. Truly, I can’t stress this sufficient – simply take your time, mess around with new preparations, borrow issues from different rooms, and have enjoyable embracing the journey. Our final home took us nicely over 5 years – as did our first one!

Here’s a wider shot of that complete facet of the room. Every time we {photograph} this it appears to be like like varied issues are blocking the entrance door, however it’s simply the angle.

Here’s a video walk-through the place you may see me cross by means of the house just like the sleek telephone videographer that I’m. If you watch me document that window/door wall, you may see how issues look like in entrance of the door they usually shift as I stroll throughout the room (the couch additionally seems to scoot over). Smaller areas undoubtedly have their challenges with pictures, so thank goodness for video!

Note: You also can view this video here on YouTube.

I had a couple of folks ask on IG ask if that space between the chairs and the loveseat on the left feels tight for us…

I believe it appears to be like a bit of tighter on video than it’s in actual life, as a result of it’s truly round 25″ large. That’s not precisely an enormous opening however it’s wider than the doorway to our bed room closet was in our final home, and we lived with that for practically 7 years!

If it was too tight for us we’d simply take away the little side table to the correct of the couch and transfer the loveseat over extra, however it hasn’t been a problem. I even stroll backwards by means of it on the video 😉

As for the place we retailer different “running out the door” objects, that’s truly the place the laundry closet proper subsequent to our entrance door is available in.

Here’s what it appeared like once we completed building storage shelves and a big counter for it earlier this summer time:

Now that it has gotten colder we use the hooks on the correct for jackets, which we regularly seize on our manner out, and we additionally added a couple of different objects to that picket counter proper behind them that was in our dresser by the entrance door.

Behold: extra sun shades, a hairbrush, a plethora of extra poop baggage, extra masks, and crystals. You know, the same old.

As for the place our sneakers normally find yourself – you may see right here that we maintain it informal with a giant pile of flip flops on the entrance porch.

Oh and see these two white ottomans by the door? We simply borrowed them from in entrance of the TV upstairs – however finally some storage ottomans of their place may very well be much more purposeful. So I’m preserving a watch out.

This sitting room undoubtedly might take a bigger rug sometime (ideally no less than the entrance legs of your chairs and loveseat would sit on the rug, which helps to outline the house), however I really like this little metallic guy. It appears to be like so fairly with the brass objects within the room and ties into the grey loveseat, so I believe we’ll reside with it like this for some time.

Ok, as promised, right here’s John for scale (with a 9 pound chihuahua for good measure). Fun truth: Burger loves shoving his face into that crack between the cushions.

And right here’s each of us. I really like that I can tuck my legs below myself whereas sitting with John – and I’ve spent a good period of time with each children piled onto this loveseat.

If I sit sideways, I can totally stretch out my legs with room to spare. Sometimes Burger will get proper in that house on the backside of my really feel like I made it only for him.

As for the material, it’s a pleasant tight woven warm-gray tone. So far it’s holding as much as Burger’s nails and youngsters and crumbs and all of the issues. I’m so mad this factor is totally out of inventory on Overstock (and solely accessible within the darker shade here and here) however when it’s again I’ll hyperlink it. It’s very cozy and it had tons of five-star evaluations, which is what gave me the arrogance to offer it a strive (there are practically 40 evaluations, many with pictures, and it has a 4.eight out of 5 star ranking!).

So there you will have it. An up to date submit about our little sitting space.

Eventually once we totally renovate the kitchen, now we have a couple of extra concepts that ought to make this zone much more purposeful and well-planned, however within the meantime we’re so completely satisfied to have this house to hold, play board video games, do puzzles, and have extraordinarily spirited yarn-ball slingshot fights. Yes, the children acquired slingshots for Christmas, and people ottomans make a reasonably epic barricade to cover behind and pelt anybody on the opposite facet of the room.

To see what the kitchen facet of the room appears to be like like now, there are tons of pictures and a video in this post. You also can see each single undertaking and replace we’ve executed to this home during the last eight months in this spot.

*This submit accommodates affiliate hyperlinks

More posts from Young House Love

The kitchen is usually one of many largest rooms in the home and, for a lot of, remains the center of the home. Of course, it’s not often within the precise heart of the home as this creates points for plumbing and the extraction of cooking smells. 

Nevertheless, as the middle of your house, it’s essential to spend a while contemplating the most effective structure of the kitchen. The proper alternative is private however there are 6 generally chosen layouts price contemplating.

Before you rip out the outdated kitchen you need to think about investing in outdoor kitchens, a bespoke out of doors kitchen can add practicality and worth to your house. You may even use among the elements of your outdated kitchen.

1. One Wall

The one wall kitchen is an effective alternative when the kitchen is a part of one other room. It maintains the kitchen space however minimizes the quantity of house it occupies. At the identical time, all of the models and home equipment being on one wall offers you loads of house to maneuver round.

In brief, it’s aesthetically pleasing and sensible, particularly if you happen to’re restricted on room

2. L Shaped

An L-shaped kitchen can work in small or massive areas. It might be designed along side wall models or as a standalone affair. This maximizes house across the kitchen whereas conserving the home equipment collectively and simply accessible.

3. Islands

The island has lengthy been a preferred alternative in kitchen design. However, lately islands have been getting larger and even develop into the kitchen. These are a fantastic concept for those that like to fulfill within the kitchen. Cooking, chatting, and even crosswords can all be accomplished sat across the massive island. This helps to make the kitchen the middle of the house, which stays essential to many households.

4. U Shaped

The U formed is an effective way of extending n the island or U formed precept. It creates the identical spacious really feel across the kitchen and permits folks to take a seat and chat whereas meals is being ready. But, the U formed has the benefit in that the chef can stay contained in the U, that’s their house. It prevents accidents from folks bumping into one another and appears nice.

In truth, it’s a fantastic alternative for busy households.

5. Peninsula

This is a stability between the one wall kitchen and the island. Instead of separating the 2 types, it incorporates each. The peninsula actually comes out of the kitchen, jutting into the room. 

This is an efficient method to have a conventional cooking house however offers house for relations to affix in, making a neighborhood really feel.

6. Galley

Finally, the galley kitchen is usually reserved for small kitchen areas. It is a row of cupboards on either side with a small passage within the center. This will increase the cupboard space obtainable in small kitchens which is essential for bigger households. However, there’s restricted house to maneuver round, limiting the variety of folks that may congregate on the identical time.

partnered submit • cc-licensed image by Jeremy Levine

This submit might comprise affiliate hyperlinks. This received’t change your value, however might share some fee. Read my full disclosure here.

I completed one thing HUGE and I’ve been dying to share it with you: I accomplished the search for the within “nook” space of the Murphy mattress within the visitor bed room!

This submit is sponsored by Minwax. All phrases & opinions are 100% my very own.

Somewhat background: as you may already bear in mind, little Ellis arrived six weeks early and completely derailed our plans to complete the guest room built-ins. The entire plan was that we’d end the cupboards, finalize the Murphy bed, and get all of it painted earlier than the infant’s arrival in order that Okay’s mom might have a comfortable room to sleep in whereas she helped us modify to parenthood. And that… didn’t occur.

Instead, my son and I had a number of well being points that rushed his supply, then had emergency surgical procedure final month (extra on that later), and we’re nonetheless form of… looking for some sanity in all this new chaos. I’m truly stunned I’m stringing these phrases collectively for you now, as a result of my mind feels completely indifferent currently!

You could also be questioning, “Given these occasions, why hassle in any respect with this mission (or something that isn’t showering and sleeping)?” My reply won’t make sense to everybody, however to place it merely: I would like me time, and initiatives make me really feel most like ME. I truly get extra wired and drained when my to-do checklist is dangling. Working on each the wall artwork and headboard introduced me a way of accomplishment and one thing to concentrate on that wasn’t all spit-ups and sleep deprivation. I’m engaged on the entire “let’s not put too much pressure on the DIY right now,” nevertheless it couldn’t make me happier to take a look at this little adorned house and really feel like issues make sense once more. It immediately calms me to take a look at it.

Colors of Calm

Let’s speak about that for a second: calm. Naturally, the visitor bed room is a superb place for that to be the “theme” of the room (assuming below regular, non-pandemic circumstances that we would have an precise visitor occasionally). But whenever you consider calm, do any explicit colours come to thoughts? For me, it’s often cooler hues like blue and grey. However, figuring out I’ll finally paint your entire built-in space a darkish and dramatic inexperienced, I believed it may be enjoyable to mess around in some hotter rust colours to make some artwork above the headboard. It was completely outdoors of my consolation zone (and Okay had some enter since this room can also be his dwelling workplace). I’m glad I gave it a strive; I adore it so freaking a lot now that it’s put in!

I had a number of items of scrap underlayment that led to the artwork you see. In reality, I created TWO completely different artwork concepts for the wall; I wasn’t certain which I’d like higher and had free scrap wooden to spare, so I needed to strive each.

Option 1:

Minwax Colors used:

• Deep Terra
• Sandstone
• Light Ginger
• mixes of those three colours

Option 2 (winner):

For each choices, I used Minwax’s water-based stable coloration stain. It is available in a palette of 200+ completely different coloration choices, which you may get blended on the Lowe’s paint desk. You may also get colours custom-matched to color swatches (I could considered one of my favorites, Tricorn Black, blended for a future mission simply so I’ve it readily available).

Ultimately, I went with choice #2 as a result of I favored the pairing of the minimalist artwork with the textured headboard. I feel I might nonetheless actually just like the busier sample elsewhere, so I could re-stain it and place it in a brand new spot some other place in the home (how nice would a tone-on-tone canvas look with these shapes so as to add texture??).

Both had been created utilizing fairly comparable steps and merchandise, so I’ll concentrate on simply the “EXHALE” artwork within the DIY tutorial beneath (you possibly can just about join the dots by yourself of the way to do the opposite and I’ll add a number of notes the place I feel it’s value mentioning). I’ll have a separate tutorial for ya on the DIY carved headboard within the subsequent submit!

DIY “Exhale” Stained Wood Wall Art

And, carried out! To make choice #1 as an alternative, I just about adopted the identical steps as above, besides I’d add a tip that when making an attempt to get all of the smaller arch items to kind the identical form, I held them collectively as one thick piece whereas sanding them on the benchtop sander. That manner, I might management precisely which areas to sand and knock down any excessive areas that didn’t match the remaining. Easy!

Special because of Minwax for sponsoring this mission; verify again for the subsequent submit to see the headboard DIY!

Don’t neglect to pin!