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Making it Lovely

House Tours

• Tour our current home, an 1891 Victorian in Oak Park, IL.
House Tour: Making it Lovely's Oak Park Victorian Home
 

 
• Tour our first home, a 1910 bungalow in Oak Park, IL.
House Tour: Making it Lovely's Oak Park Bungalow

Hello! I’m Nicole Balch.

Hello! I’m Nicole Balch.

Designer with a handyman background, renovating our Victorian home in historic Oak Park, IL (just outside of Chicago). Mom of three, fan of pink, keeping busy all around.

More about Nicole…

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#sponsoredpost There’s still more to do in the #sponsoredpost There’s still more to do in the kitchen before I call it complete, but one big step was installing our new faucets from @brizoanddeltachicago. The Odin touch faucet was a novelty at first, especially to the kids, but it’s becoming second nature to turn the water on and off with a tap now. And filtered water with its own tap? So nice! I have an apron-front sink and soapstone counters coming in soon, but between the faucet upgrade and a new color on the cabinets, the kitchen already feels so much better. #designwithbrizodeltachicago #brizoanddeltachicago #mydeltavoiceIQ #brizo #deltafaucet #mybrizodeltachicago #sourcedatbrizoanddeltachicago
I’ve been trying this cool new thing where I wee I’ve been trying this cool new thing where I weed the garden, assess what I already have, and make space BEFORE I go plant shopping. Hoping to avoid plants sitting in their pots forever! Success so far has been mixed.
Blooming today : John Davis climbing rose. 🌹 #m Blooming today : John Davis climbing rose. 🌹 #makingitlovely #thelovelyvictorian #thelovelygarden
Hostas! The giant ones are my favorite, followed b Hostas! The giant ones are my favorite, followed by the ones with blue edges. I do not know the names of any but I love them all. 🌱 #makingitlovely #thelovelyvictorian #thelovelygarden
I created a bunch of baby shower sets for a big ca I created a bunch of baby shower sets for a big campaign right around the time we were selling our last house. It was fun, but it was a whirlwind of a time and I lost this @riflepaperco tablecloth in the move. BUT I JUST FOUND IT! It doesn’t really go with this house at all, does it? 🤔 But it’s still a cutie and I’m happy about it.
A productive weekend of trimming and pruning! And A productive weekend of trimming and pruning! And there’s still so much I want to get to out there. I sheared the boxwood hedges and will go back in to hand prune a little more (for health and shape). We also borrowed a mini chainsaw to cut out some large dead lilac branches. I was intimidated before I saw it, but it was a wee baby of a tool and pretty fun to use.
I’ve been doing some heavy pruning. Cal took the I’ve been doing some heavy pruning. Cal took the branches and built himself a quite good fort. ✨🌱
I think we’ve had our last frost? It snowed on T I think we’ve had our last frost? It snowed on Tuesday, hopefully for the last time this spring. Sweet autumn clematis went a little wild last year and took over a huge rose bush. I didn’t realize soon enough that it was smothering it! I cut out what was dead and this year it is not looking so good. Might be a good spot for a flowering tree or large bush though? We do have a shade tree on the parkway that may not make it a good idea. I need to get out there and take measurements to see if there would be room, considering mature sizes. Swipe through for my quick photoshopped versions - one with a flowering tree, and then with the elm eventually growing to block a good portion of the front.
I have a tip for my fellow business owners, especi I have a tip for my fellow business owners, especially if you’re new to it or at a growth stage. My sponsor @wave_hq has software that does all the things I need to do to run my small business, and it could be a great fit for you too. I didn’t need to do everything I do today when I was first starting out, and I’m sure that’s typical of a lot of small business owners. Maybe you start with a spreadsheet to keep track of expenses before you realize you need something better for bookkeeping. Then as you grow, you realize you need to send invoices and receive payments or run payroll. A lot of people find these services piecemeal as they need them, paying fees to different places and trying to make sure it all works together. If you’re with Wave, you can keep everything in one place as you grow! Plus it’s simple and free to use. I’ve added a link to Wave’s website in my bio for you to learn more and create your free account. #WavePartner #ad
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Nicole Balch Design

Our 1891 Victorian

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Sources & Paint Colors

Sims 4 CC and Stardew Mods

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Stardew Valley Lovely Kitchen Mod

March 26, 2021
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Bathroom Design Plans

March 11, 2021
Making it Lovely
#sponsoredpost There’s still more to do in the #sponsoredpost There’s still more to do in the kitchen before I call it complete, but one big step was installing our new faucets from @brizoanddeltachicago. The Odin touch faucet was a novelty at first, especially to the kids, but it’s becoming second nature to turn the water on and off with a tap now. And filtered water with its own tap? So nice! I have an apron-front sink and soapstone counters coming in soon, but between the faucet upgrade and a new color on the cabinets, the kitchen already feels so much better. #designwithbrizodeltachicago #brizoanddeltachicago #mydeltavoiceIQ #brizo #deltafaucet #mybrizodeltachicago #sourcedatbrizoanddeltachicago
I’ve been trying this cool new thing where I wee I’ve been trying this cool new thing where I weed the garden, assess what I already have, and make space BEFORE I go plant shopping. Hoping to avoid plants sitting in their pots forever! Success so far has been mixed.
Blooming today : John Davis climbing rose. 🌹 #m Blooming today : John Davis climbing rose. 🌹 #makingitlovely #thelovelyvictorian #thelovelygarden
Hostas! The giant ones are my favorite, followed b Hostas! The giant ones are my favorite, followed by the ones with blue edges. I do not know the names of any but I love them all. 🌱 #makingitlovely #thelovelyvictorian #thelovelygarden
I created a bunch of baby shower sets for a big ca I created a bunch of baby shower sets for a big campaign right around the time we were selling our last house. It was fun, but it was a whirlwind of a time and I lost this @riflepaperco tablecloth in the move. BUT I JUST FOUND IT! It doesn’t really go with this house at all, does it? 🤔 But it’s still a cutie and I’m happy about it.
A productive weekend of trimming and pruning! And A productive weekend of trimming and pruning! And there’s still so much I want to get to out there. I sheared the boxwood hedges and will go back in to hand prune a little more (for health and shape). We also borrowed a mini chainsaw to cut out some large dead lilac branches. I was intimidated before I saw it, but it was a wee baby of a tool and pretty fun to use.
I’ve been doing some heavy pruning. Cal took the I’ve been doing some heavy pruning. Cal took the branches and built himself a quite good fort. ✨🌱
I think we’ve had our last frost? It snowed on T I think we’ve had our last frost? It snowed on Tuesday, hopefully for the last time this spring. Sweet autumn clematis went a little wild last year and took over a huge rose bush. I didn’t realize soon enough that it was smothering it! I cut out what was dead and this year it is not looking so good. Might be a good spot for a flowering tree or large bush though? We do have a shade tree on the parkway that may not make it a good idea. I need to get out there and take measurements to see if there would be room, considering mature sizes. Swipe through for my quick photoshopped versions - one with a flowering tree, and then with the elm eventually growing to block a good portion of the front.
I have a tip for my fellow business owners, especi I have a tip for my fellow business owners, especially if you’re new to it or at a growth stage. My sponsor @wave_hq has software that does all the things I need to do to run my small business, and it could be a great fit for you too. I didn’t need to do everything I do today when I was first starting out, and I’m sure that’s typical of a lot of small business owners. Maybe you start with a spreadsheet to keep track of expenses before you realize you need something better for bookkeeping. Then as you grow, you realize you need to send invoices and receive payments or run payroll. A lot of people find these services piecemeal as they need them, paying fees to different places and trying to make sure it all works together. If you’re with Wave, you can keep everything in one place as you grow! Plus it’s simple and free to use. I’ve added a link to Wave’s website in my bio for you to learn more and create your free account. #WavePartner #ad
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