The Reveal!

 

 

 

We are all moved in! 

 

 

 

 

 

I've done a little syling - BTW, I already bought new lamps - these seemed too small. 

 

 

I used a bedskirt from my former bedding rather than the one that came with the set because I wanted to add some texture and pattern.  Lime is my accent color which I am pulling from the bedding.

 

 

I liked this pillow.  It has a masculine edge.

 

Still on the to do list

 

• Window treatments -  I have a plan
• Refinish the vanity and skirt it
• Make pillow shams - we use kings and my bedding is a queen.  I plan on using the same fabric that I will use on the vanity
• Some more artwork - need something tall and skinny beside the mirror on the triple dresser
• Add a bit of whimsy and personality - I have a plan
• More pillows - if I can sneak them in there

 

All in all  I am thrilled with the final results. 

 

What is next????

 

Well I am setting up a workspace in one half of the dining room. 

 

 

 

Construction is DONE!!!!

Construction is finally done!  Five months almost to the day.  We can't move in until next weekend becasue the 3rd coat of ply has to cure.   I am really pleased with the results.


Remember the before pics?  missing trim - ugly trim - worn floors - ugly fan - hospital green - no architectural details.

 

Now look at it!!!
 

I love the Van Courtland Blue by Benjamin Moore.  Aura Paint is the BEST!! And my crisp white trim makes me sooo happy.  The sconces are set so they will frame the mirror on the triple dresser that will sit on that wall.  They would also work if you had a full bed but our queen won't fit on that wall with two nightstands.

 

 

 

My closets are worth EVERY single penny!!!  And now we have solid wood six panel doors on both the entry door and the bathroom door.  New lever handles will make it easier when your hands are full - from shopping or laundry. 

 

I am so thrilled with the way the trim turned out and the light strings in the crown molding.  All the lights are on dimmers. 

 

I think the floors cam out great! 

 

So Troy, the contractor, has turned over the keys to me, the decorator.  Now he gets to be my assistant!!

 

Not bad for two DIYers! 

Date Night....and Beyond

Friday night was date night sooo

off to Home Depot we go.... to buy trim, baseboard and crown moulding!  Finish work, my friends, finish work.

I didn't want to use what we'd used in the rest of the house.  I saw this at a home show a few years ago and really liked it.

So we decided to try it ourselves.  I convinced Troy to buy poplar instead of pine.  We dedided to use a 22 1/2 degree angle. 

First piece up!

Side rails installed

 

 

Closets trimmed out - they look even better!

 

Windows trimmed

 

We also got the baseboard installed. 

 

And all the nail holes are filled and everything has been sanded and ready for primer and paint. Does this mean I don't have to cook since I'll be painting?

 

 

We got this all done in one day!  On Sunday we decided to tackle the crown moulding.  We are setting it down from the ceiling a few inches so we can run a line of rope lights to light the ceiling.  

 

First step was to make a bracket that we can mount the moulding too and provide a ledge for the rope lights.  We ended  up riping two by fours into triangles and mounted them to the walls.  The corners were a bit challenging but we finally got them done.

 

 

 

next we tackle the crown - after watching 20 YouTube videos and burning up a piece of crown with test cuts.

 

Looks like another date night at Home Depot next Friday Night.



 

Garden of Earthly Delights

 

 

 

We hope

This weekend we - well let's be honest - Troy built a raised garden and planted some vegetables.

He made a simple box using 2x8's stacked two high. Next came some dirt and composted grass clippings all mixed together. On top - a layer of miracle grow potting soil.

 

Time to plant...

 

Peas and Yellow Beans (I see three bean salad on the menu!)

Green Beans - my favorite!!! and Carrots

Radishes for the boys and Catnip for Izzy

Cucumbers and we left a space for a Tomato plant for me

 

This is our first attempt at growing veggies so we came up with a plan B.  The leftover seeds were thrown over the fence into the now mostly empty dirt pile.  Which will grow better - the carefully structured garden or the random seeds?  We will let you know!

So now we have a vegetable garden!  Thanks Diana for the 12 Chord!  As you can see we used it just like you used to!

 

It's a great day!

Saturday was the day I have been waiting for ....

The new closet doors were installed

If you remember

We have a full wall of closets and the doors were the same as the ugly brown entry door - basically the same color as the trim.  Not only that, they didn't close all the way and the doors swung free as the bottom track guide was long gone.

Now look .......

I think they were worth every penny and I bet Troy does too but he'll never admit it!

Moving Forward Again

After what seemed like standing still, we are finally moving again.

Last week I was out of town at Tobi Fairley's Design Camp.  What a great opportunity!  I learned a great deal - mostly about myself.  I am re-energized and have a long list of projects as I explore new ideas and mediums.  A new dream is blooming in my heart.

The weekend before I left we got the floors sanded!  Our little sample piece made the guy at the flooring store stand up and take notice.  You can't get 100 year old red oak floors anymore. There is a reason I love wood!!

My timing was perfect - the floors were polyed while I was away.  I came home to warm, honey floors! - and no smell!!

This weekend Troy put me right to work!! We wanted to build some shelving in the closed in the dead space between the two closets.  After much discussion about who would get the most cubbies - I won!! - we set to work.  This was harder to engineer than we first anticipated and after a few missteps, we finished.  Now for some priming and painting.

I plan on putting some hooks on the flat pieces for hanging scarves, jewelry and those things that are hard to store.

I also graduated this weekend.  I can now use the chop saw without adult supervision!!!  I LOVE that thing!!  After a weekend in the classroom, it was nice to get a dose of power tools!

Soon it will be time to hang the closet doors.

Side Tracked

One thing about doing a major project is that you don't get much instant gratification.  NOTHING is finished and while the to do list gets an item or two knocked off, it seems to continue to grow.

This weekend we took the weekend off and worked on another project.

A few weeks ago, I rescued a table from the trash man.  (Well Troy did the actual rescue).  I really only wanted the base.

When Troy bought the mahogony slab for the mantle, he picked up a piece of walnut for me.  I didn't really know what to do with it at the time but once I got this base, I thought it would make a nice bistro table for the patio.  We don't have anywhere to sit and eat or drink a cup or coffee or do some laptopping.

We started by ripping the board into planks to get as many peices as we could - there were knot and the it was rough sawn. 

Some glue and screws and we had a tabletop!

Next was planing and sanding trying to get it flat and smooth. Easier said than done with just hand tools!

 

 

I painted the base to match the ceiling and the accent color on the storage dresser.

Next came two coats of poly.

My new table - complete with a hole for my laptop cord!! 

My table's new home.  Now I have to move the bench into the garage - it will be my new toolbox and then there will be room for the two brown chairs I picked up at a garage sale for two dollars.  Next time I am at the fabric store, I'll be looking for a remnant to make cushions for the chairs. 

Hitting a wall

The past two weekends have been a study in frustration.  I hit it in every reno but this time it involved my favorite part of the job - painting

Last weekend was priming weekend.  Priming is BORING!!  All you end up with is white walls and a bad paint job at that.  No pictures - that is how boring it is!

On Sunday the FIOS guy was here and after grocery shopping Troy sent me to Home Depot.  The trip had two purposes...

Remember how I said I was going to paint the bathroom.  Well I decided to keep it the same color.  Problem was, I neglected to write down the paint color when I painted it nearly 4 years ago.  We had a sample - from some peeling paint so I took it to Lowes to try and match it.  The guy at the store was great.  The first attempt was too dark so we tried again. 

I came home and figured I could just do a touch up job on the new drywall areas - no such luck.  The new color was slightly lighter and I ended up painting the whole bathroom again!  Note to self - start a spreadsheet with all the paint colors!!

The second reason for the trip was to pick out a new light fixture.  The original got broken.  No great loss.  So now I have the bathroom back.  New light fixture and a few new pictures.

 

 

The pictures add some blue to the bathroom and I'll add more with the new valance and a new shower curtain.

The MAJOR frustration was painting the bedroom.  This is what I've been waiting for.  I could finally put on the Benjamin Moore paint I won.  I now have to confess that I didn't test the colors first.  I picked them from the cards. 

So I painted the ceiling.  The color was so nice and the Aura paint is great!

Then I painted the walls!  EEEEKKK.  The ceiling looked purple gray and the walls looked green/blue and not blue.  What I failed to take into account was two things - the lighting in the room and the effect of one color next to another.  By bedtime, I decided to repaint the ceiling the same color as the walls.

I wasted a whole morning because I took a shortcut.  THAT is a mistake I will never make again!  Funny thing is that Troy always jokes me because I will usually go through 8-10 samples before I settle on a paint color!

 

If you look carefully at the insides of the closet you will see the original ceiling color and see what I mean. 

Before we quit for the weekend, Troy installed the lights in the closets. And all the wiring and structured media set up is done so we are wired!   The ceiling fan is purchased and the sconces are ordered.  Floors are next. 

We may take next weekend off.  I have to work and the yard is starting to look like a jungle.