Just a box you say?

Recently my mother-in-law moved a couple of hours away, selling her house that was near us. In the process of cleaning out 20+ years of stuff, she gave me some landscaping lights that I was wanting. She had thrown them in this box that was getting discarded. Wow, can't believe this almost got thrown away. Oh, I gotta say there was some seriously sweet stuff that she got rid of. But, alas, she did not offer any of it to me...sigh.

It is a wooden box from, I don't know how long ago! The box sat in my garage for months cause I wasn't sure what I wanted to do with it but new I couldn't throw it out! It was just 2 kool! I debated about using it for a box to hold wood for the fireplace.

One day, I started messing with it first by washing it out (It had sat in her garage for years!) then I told some pickling stain and whitewashed the box. Let it dry. I then bought some of those decorative balls made of branches to stack in the top. It's a pretty big box and didn't want to buy enough to fill the whole thing (being the cheapo that I am) so i filled the box with some foam.

So, it now has a new home on top of a 'knock down' wardrobe that I found at a sale for $25. The top of the wardrobe once looked bland, but now is grand!

Linking up to:

http://thepersimmonperch.blogspot.com/

http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/

Trash to Treasure Tuesday at Reinvented

http://linda-coastalcharm.blogspot.com/

http://pumpkinpatchdesigns.blogspot.com/

A POP of Green!

My living room has been bothering me for quite some time now. Everyone that comes in my house thinks it is beautiful but for me, something was not quite right. It was not as good as it could be. The color of the walls were not quite the right shade of green and the curtains the same.

My living room is my favorite place in the morning. I love to sit in my favorite leather chair, read my Bible and drink my morning coffee. There is a great view out the front window and, though we are in a residential neighborhood, oftentimes I see herds of deer running through the front yard or bunnies hopping across my porch and the birds chirping. Even in the winter, the snow piled on the branches of the pine trees make for a beautiful sight. But there has been something lacking in the peace and tranquility of my living room.

I knew that I liked the green of the walls but it wasn't the right green. So, I kept searching and praying which is the way it usually works for me. Then, one day an idea will pop into my head or I will see a picture on the internet that sparks an idea and Walla, I know just what to do! This time was no different. I finally found the perfect green and, paint brush in hand, started to tear apart the living room and paint it my new green.

I was so excited! I just knew that this would be perfect. Well, after two gallons of paint and much more painting to do I had to run to Menard's for more paint. Only to find they were out of the base paint that was used. They graciously offered to substitute another base coat but I had learned the hard way previously not to do that. Cause even though they mix it exact, it will be just a touch different. So, I had to wait a week for a new delivery. Yikes, not good cause I had a houseful of people coming over in four days (I always work well with a deadline looming!)

During my week of waiting I kept looking at my walls and getting more and more worried. I was worried that I didn't quite like the green I was putting up. Ever happened to you? You have to understand that EVERY wall in my house is textured. Some of you might think this is just great but have you ever painted textured walls? What a bear! I had worked hard on the first three coats of paint and the thought of starting again freaked me out. After all, I'm not as young as I used to be!

Now that the pieces are finally coming together, I am truly loving it! It is sooo relaxing and calming for being such a vibrant green and at night....ooooh it is cozy and warm. I wish I was this happy with all my choices!

This was the before green color wash that I put on over the existing pre-owner beige.

This was while painting.

 

New window treatments added a few months later.

It's the little things...

I truly think that it is the small details that will really make a home pop. Over the six years that we have lived in this house, we have been converting the baseboard from a dark, 70s walnut over to white. Other than the kitchen which has oak baseboard (apparently changed when the old cabinets were replaced with the current oak cabinets). We have put new flooring in our living room, dining room, front entryway, back entry and 1/2 bath, and back room. Take a look see at the way my rooms flow into each other and the different baseboard. Ouch!

I finally decided I couldn't take it any more so I donned my baseboard thinking cap and started tearing off the old baseboard.

In many cases, as you can kind of see in the above pictures, lots of the boards were just falling apart anyway and when I removed it, came apart in my hands. So, I hand to cut and miter new baseboard and quarter round but in some cases, I could just paint what was there and put it back up. Oh, well it's still not quite as easy as it sounds, you have to pull all the old nails, paint a bazillion coats of paint, let it dry REAL good (did I say R E A L good) cause even when you think it's dry, it smudges paint on the floor or your nice pants or something. Needless to say, in some ways it was pretty easy and I was pretty proud of myself, there were certain areas that were FRUSTRATING! The cut would be right but the pieces wouldn't butt together. Or, the pieces would fit but the flooring transition between rooms was different and so the baseboard was crooked. Yikes.

Well I am almost done and have learned tons. Probably the biggest thing I've learned is I won't do this kind of DIY again for a reeeeeeal long time. Very tedious. But, despite some of the rough transitions and corners, I think it looks a ton better and makes the rooms flow better as well. So, while this isn't one of those "WOW" transformations, it has a huge impact.

Joining up this week with Works for me Wednesday at We are that Family

Transformation Thursday at Shabby Chic Cottage

Strut Your Stuff Thursday at Somewhat Simple

Thrifty Thursday at Tales from Bloggeritaville

Mantel of Inspiration

Mantels are a toughy for most and I am no exception! My mantel is wide but not very deep. To top it off, the whole back wall is brick and the mantel itself was very dark brown wood slab. Since my husband is dead set against changing the whole thing out, I had to work with what was there.

So, I whitewashed the mantel with a white pickling glaze. Had to do it two times to brighten it up. Oh, and I've played with the accessories a bajillion times and it never seems quite right. Or, my taste changes. Or, I just want to switch things up.

I forget, I also added a wood scrolly thingy to the front of the mantel to jazz it up a little. Painted it a medium brown and white washed it and glued it up. Really made a huge difference. The picture does not do it justice as it was a major change. And, it was before the bloggy world embraced me and I did not take pictures of everything!

Linking up to thenester.com mantel party.

My Broken Angel, a DIY rescue

I love to garage sale! But, it takes a lot of patience and driving, stopping, getting out and running up to glance over the goods. I'm getting so good that I can do what I call a 'fly by' where I cruise through the stuff and instantly spot anything that might be a good candidate for repurposing.

Of course, if I can find a good pick in somebody's trash, I am not above pulling off to the side of the road, hopping out and grabbing the goods. Much to the embarassment of my teenagers! They get soooooooo embarassed!

A couple of years ago I ran into this cute little angel dish. It's made out of ceramic or porcelain, was dark green with gold metallic highlights. She was so cute but when I got her home, I noticed she had a broken butt! I almost threw her out then realized I could still use her and nobody would notice. I sprayed her with white spray paint and antiqued her with brown glaze. Simple, easy finish that goes great in my new bathroom. She is my little guardian angel who keeps watch over my pretty soaps.

Joining in this week at:




 

Make it for Monday at Cottage Instincts.
Making the World Cuter Monday

DIY Kitchen Counter Beadboard Treatment

We have lived in our house for six years this month and every month of every year I have hated the back of this bar area! It is sooo blah and sooo oak  and sooo country looking.

So, started researching what I wanted to do with it. First I tried to add the decorative wood corner pieces along with a decorative wood scrolly thing (real technical name, huh?) for the center. Did a cool paint treatment and really loved it, just threw some wood glue on and glued them up there. They lasted about six months. Every month or so another decorative piece would fall off until all I had left was one corner piece and the middle thing.
I then tried a paper bag wallpaper treatment that really worked well and, of course, was real cheap. After applying the paper bag wallpaper I mixed some brown paint with water and antiqued it. Then, let that dry and antiqued it with a black glaze. Looked absolutely fantastic but as it started to dry the paper bags started lifting off the wall. So, I finally ripped it all off and lived with a nasty looking counter. (This was all before I entered blogdom and have no pictures of it).

Then after we had finished the beardboard in the bathroom I was looking at the pile of leftovers and realized that I had enough to finish off the back of the counter. This got me searching on the internet to look for ideas and inspiration because although I liked the beadboard idea, couldn't figure out how to finish it and marry it with the oak cabinets. Which, quite honestly, I would like to paint but hubby is not sold on the idea!

My husband did cut the wainscoating for me. I decided to paint it black from inspiration I got from Thrifty Decor Chick. She did a great job of blending a black beadboard counter bar with her maple cabinets. After a simple (only about 16 coats of black paint....easy!) paint job, I applied liquid nails and some panel nails and slapped it up. That was super easy! Finished off the outside corner with the existing trim piece painted black. Purchased the cheap baseboard and quarter round, again painting it black. Mitered it and installed it. I think it turned it pretty nice. Actually, I love it!

Now, to find a cheap solution for my 'blah' counter top!

This week, I'm hooking up to:

 Before and After Party at Thrifty Decor Chick

Funky Junk Interiors Saturday Nite Special

Inspired Ideas Party at The Shabby Chic Cottage

Make Your Monday at Twice Remembered

DIY Day at Soft Place to Land

The Decorating Chica: $2.50 garage sale lamps and a little paint

The Decorating Chica: $2.50 garage sale lamps and a little paint

The Decorating Chica: DIY Tuesday at Kimba's

The Decorating Chica: DIY Tuesday at Kimba's

Wall Renovation

Starting with a blank slate is always a good thing, right? I have been staring at this blank wall for more than a year not sure just what I wanted to do with it.  I have started a couple of different projects for this space but never finished them cause nothing seemed quite right. I spent $20 on trim that I didn't use, I started painting some old frames that are now in my basement half painted. Still didn't seem to work.

In the meantime I was collecting white plates that I found on clearance or at Salvation Army not sure what I was going to do with them either. But I took pictures along the way because I was sure that I was going to wow everyone with my great DIY projects! Well I don't know about the rest of you but oftentimes my projects start out one way and by the time I'm through end up 180 degrees from where they started. Such is the case with this. I love how it turned out though. It is simple, nothing worthy of great accolades but it fits the room well and reflects more light into a dark space. The best part was the price. I didn't pay for than $3 for any one plate. Couple I paid $1. for. And, the mirror was on sale for $25.!

Joining up with Thrifty Thursday at Tales from Bloggeritaville

$2.50 garage sale lamps and a little paint

I found these lamps for $2.50 each at a garage sale and just had to get them. Didn't know what to do with them or even where I would use them but I loved the 'bones.'

Well, I let them sit in my basement for a few weeks just thinking about them, trying to figure out what I would do with them. Then, saw a cool project on "resolved-2-worship" xanga site and decided to try it on these lamps. Took off the shades and donated to Goodwill! Got out the spray paint and "wala" (is that a word?).

See the 'after' and let me know what you think.

They look like brand new but I don't think the picture does them justice.

Power of Paint....Party at Domestically Speaking

When I found out about Domestically Speaking's Power of Paint party I had to enter. I am a paint FANATIC. Did I say I LOVE to paint? We will just hit six years this February living in our current house and I have repainted the kitchen three times, the living room twice. Let's see dining room twice, family room turned office three times, 1/2 bath 2x....okay I guess I can stop. That doesn't include the spray painting of picture frames, furniture, whatever can hold paint, I will try it.

This post, in particular, is about painting my built-ins that are part of my fireplace surround. Yes, as you will see in the pictures it is 70s brick. Now I know the trend is either to paint this or to cover with updated tile that is more contemporary. Trust me, I have thought of it all. But, I have to admit when it comes to permanent changes (like painting brick) I REALLY hesitate to alter something that can't be changed back to the original (well, in this case, not very easily anyway). Because if you live long enough you will find that "there is nothing new under the sun" and what is not popular now probably will be popular again in 10 years or less.

But, as you can see the whole fireplace area is D.A.R.K. as is the whole room. I whitewashed the dark brown mantel which helped a little but was still wanting something to brighten up the area and make it 'pop'.

So, I grabbed the paintbrush and went at it. Took several coats to cover the dark bown wood shelfs and trim. I then used the red color from my kitchen as the background for these shelves. I still wanted something more. I searched and brainstormed wallpaper, brass washers glued in a diamond design to the back (from Myles of Styles) but finally settled with adding the stencil using a gold metallic glaze. I have to say, although the pictures may not do it justice, it really came to life and I absolutely L.O.V.E. it!

A simple paint transformation.

Show Me Your Bathroom

A look at the original, to read more 1970s bathroom.

One of our biggest and most time consuming remodels was our upstairs bathroom. But if you could have seen it before! Okay, you asked so I'll show you.


See? Not pretty for sure. Oh yeah, I did a few temporary updates like painting the turquoise wall tiles and painting the cabinets. Only good this did was to eliminate some of the turquoise that was originally in this room. Can we say obsessive? I was never happier than to start ripping that old tile out!

New bathroom vanity, quartz countertops and sinks installed.

Wainscoatting, new paint color and toilet of course!

Mirrors were hung to cover old recessed medicine cabinets
that left a big, square, hold in the wall after removal!

What can you say about a new toilet other than it is
not turquoise!

Huge transformation that was finished almost three years ago. Time for a little refresh in the near future! Soon as it gets cool enough to even think about painting on the second floor!

What were we thinking? Bathroom Remodel #1

For five years we have lived in this house and I have HATED the master bathroom. Original to the 70s when it was built, the turquoise floor, wall tile, toilet, sinks, and vanity counter were pretty h a r d on the eyes! However, even for me who is c.o.n.s.t.a.n.t.l.y. thinking about what to remodel I was way too overwhelmed to think about tackling this project. Look at the picture and you can see why. But, alas, we were backed into the proverbial corner as, piece by piece, the floor tile starting coming up, the vanity doors started falling off, the drains broke. Oh the horror!

Finally my husband said that it was time to start thinking about remodeling the bathroom. So, the journey began of brainstorming ideas, searching the internet, looking at vanities, etc. A very time consuming journey that started one way and, by the time it was done, did a total about face.

  

Nice looking wall don't you think?

So the destruction began with ripping down the turquoise wall tile that functioned like wainscoating. Ahh, I LOVE demo!

Even now as I'm looking at these pictures I am breathing a nice, contented sigh of relief that all of this old stuff is G O N E!

We carted it all out to the front porch and would you believe...

That the Habitat Restore came and took all this junk? I gotta say that I thought even they would not have a use for it, but I 'm glad they did. I much prefer to reuse than throw in the junk.

Stay tuned for Bathroom Remodel #2...the adventure continues.