Our weekend project: A sneak peek

Perhaps the most daunting project of our house renovation has been the stairs. We had pulled the carpet and gone back and forth on what we wanted to do, finally settling on this inspiration: 

White risers, dark step. white spindles, dark railings. For now, we're focusing on the stairs themselves. We'll worry about a runner later, if it's in the budget. 

We determined, after much research, that ordering stairs in the color that matched our new hardwood exactly was ridiculously expensive (think, thousands) and since most of our house was DIY anyway, we figured we could do this too. 

The process, however, is tedious. There are multiple coats of paint, primer, sealant, etc... and each has a drying time of three years days. And since we actually live here while renovating, we need to do each flight of stairs separately so we're not quarantined to the main level away from all of our stuff. 

At this point, the stairs have been stripped and sanded and look like this: 

This weekend, we are hoping to make serious progress on them and should have completed photos in a couple weeks. Stay tuned!

Garage Sale Guru

We are having a garage sale this weekend and I'm pretty excited about it. Granted, I'm a little tired after three days of cleaning, pricing, staging the garage, and placing signs around the neighborhood, but it is going to be so worth it come Sunday. 

I actually grew up in a family of garage-salers, both hosting them and shopping them. And after years and years of helping my family set them up, I'm pretty good at it. I know how to price things reasonably, draw people in with bigger items, and how to keep the overhead low so you actually make a little money. 

With Al's help and a few friends pitching in, I'm sure the weekend will be a huge success. 
I'll check in on Monday to tell you how it went!

Our Master Bedroom, The Interim

When we bought our house, the master suite was one major selling point for me. A large (but not overly) bedroom with an ensuite bathroom and walk-in closet. But, since our focus was on the main level kitchen and living areas, we knew no major renovation would take place. It was up to me to use decor and organization to get it looking its best in the interim. 

If you recall, the before shot of the bedroom:

This is basically what you see when you walk into the room.

This is a photo of the room shortly after we moved in. Just haphazardly decorated with mis-matched lamps and bare walls. After a few hours on a Saturday (and after Al re-wired my lamps for my new shades) I transformed it just enough to give it a pulled-together look. A few unique and kitchsy pieces make it feel home-y and warm. 

This is the view when you walk in now
Hamper - Flea market in Florida; 4-drawer dresser - Target; Memory foam rug - Lowes
{The dresser holds extra toiletries and blankets, sheets, etc... It was a great interim plan to before we can mount the TV.}

 Moving the bed to the this wall, opposite of the previous, opened up so much room for the reading nook.
Headboard - DIY; Sign - Sam's Club; Side tables - Walmart; Brown comforter & sheets - Target; Red sheets - Walmart; Accent pillow - Walmart

My lamps from the auction, with new wiring and shades.
Lamp bases - Auction; Lamp shades - Walmart; Decor tin - thrifted

My reading corner. This love seat is so plush and comfy and the little table came from Germany with my grandparents. And the pup loves curling up in his bed next to me! You can also see the open arch leading to the master bath (which is a post for another day!)
Love seat - second-hand; Table - second-hand; Dog bed - Petco; Accent pillow - DIY slip cover

This corner is behind the door, but had enough room for a dressing space. I can set out an outfit or two and prep my gym bag, briefcase, etc... (excuse the blasted blurry pic!)
Mirror - Walmart; Clothes hooks - ?? (since childhood); Rainbow Vaccum/Air purifier

We still have a long way to go in this room. We need to patch the walls and paint. We need to lay new floors (perhaps hardwood with a great rug or just better carpet.) We need to get more artwork and wall decor. And, overall, I just need to come up with better storage solutions and remove some of the clutter. For the interim, though, this is good enough for me. 

Our Dining Room

Some shots of our "finished" dining room.  The dining room is off the main room, tucked behind the main floor half-bath. It's a somewhat open floor plan, so you can walk through either side of the room. (You can see the living room in the background. The other direction is the kitchen.) 

I wanted the room to look breezy and cozy. Nothing extensive, just a nice place to sit and enjoy a meal with company. The table is "on loan" from a friend who said we could use it while we stored it for him. We're looking for a similar table as a long-term solution. 

I did a photo wall opposite the windows, with the table centered under the light fixture. A simple table vignette and a couple place mats really pulled it together. 

 A better view of the photo wall. I'm not totally happy since it's black and tan and we did this room in brown, blue and white. For now, though, I'm glad to have things up on the walls!

The center piece. Flowers, a candle and some candies in a milkglass vignette.

"Action shot" - We've really enjoyed the coziness of eating in the dining room together.

  The details: 

Curtains & curtain rod - Lowe's (clearance) / Silver platter and all milk glass - thrifted / Place mats - Kohls

Table - Pottery Barn (on loan)  

Project Week: Kick-off and File Cabinet Organization

This week is going to be very busy for me. I am ramping up my day time with events and meetings and I am at the gym in the evenings twice as much as I normally am. As such, I decided this would be a great week to feature some projects I've completed around the house recently. They are all projects that can be done in a few short hours and (for the most part) use materials you have already laying around. 

Today, I am going to kick it off with an organization project I did in my office. You remember when I re-finished my file cabinet last fall? Well, at the time, I just threw my work files inside it and figured I would get to them "later." 

Last week, later finally came and I sat down (while watching a boring finance training video) to complete the project.

1. I pulled everything out of the cabinet and started making piles (as well as tossing unnecessary docs) 

The beginning. Stacks and stacks and stacks...

2. I then made a list of each pile of documents and created bigger categories

My list: 

1. Administrative (ORANGE)

2. Business Resources & Networking (BLUE)

3. Finance (PURPLE)

4. Legal (GREEN)

5. Volunteer & Memberships (PINK)

3. Then I made my labels, color-coded for main category and sub-category written-out

4. I then added the labels to the folders, clearly separating the main sections for ease-of use

5. Time to fill the files! 

Voila! Easy-peasy. The whole project took about two hours and the most tedious part was creating the categories. Every time I thought I was done, I'd find a new doc that needed to be added in. Now that I completed this project for my work-related documents, I want to go back and revamp my personal files using the same method. it is so much easier than simple alphabetization. 

Side note: I partially used this for inspiration, adapting the method to work for my needs. 

This is a great project for a grey day or when you're sick because you can get comfortable on your floor and get it done in mere hours. Have you done any organization recently that has made your life easier?

A Reveal: The Great Guest Bath Transformation

This project wasn't quite as fast as the kitchen remodel because both Al and I are working significantly more than we were those first couple weeks. This project happened over about two months, although the actual "working" time was only 4 days. I don't have an official before shot, because I simply forgot when we started the project. 

But I have plenty of other photos to make up for it:

Demo:

Floors are in: 

Getting closer: 

(Peel n' stick linoleum tiles for the vanity inside. Easy to clean and maintain. Any damage? Just pull and replace!)

Adding the details:

(Dry erase, so I can change them if I move them to another room!)

The final product:

Time frame: 4 days

Original budget: $20 ($5, if you ask Al)

Final cost: $120

The breakdown:
Tile -  $40 (clearance at Home Depot) (includes subfloor, mud, grout, & sealer)
Vanity - $19 at Habitat for Humanity ReStore, Painted with Cabinet Restorations left over from kitchen remodel, peel n' stick tiles on inside (Lowe's) / Sink - $8 at Habitat ReStore / Faucet - FREE (Pulled out of parents old bathroom, less than 1 year old.) / Counter (original) - Painted with Countertop Restorations left over from kitchen remodel / Light fixture (original) - Spray painted, Valspar Silver $5 / Shelf - $6 (On-hand, painted to match cabinets, added hooks from Walmart)
Decor items: Shower rod, curtain & hooks - $30 (Walmart) / Basket - $2 (thrifted, spray painted) / Tin buckets - $2 (Target $1 section) / Set of 3 mini candles, set of 2 pictures on wall, rock candle holder, towels & floor rugs - FREE (all previously owned)

In progress: My coffee bar

I have been plugging away at this for a couple of days now and it's still not done. I might be trying too hard to "style" the shelves like a pro and incorporate decorative elements, but I'm not willing to admit that quite yet. I still have a few things to add/try before I am calling this project complete. Currently, the coffee bar is in this state: 

And over the weekend, I am going to work on this sign for the top shelf: 

Source: cherishscountrystore.com via Mel on Pinterest

I was lucky enough to find some canvasses on clearance at Michaels the other day ($5.99 for 2) so I snatched them up. Canvas is expensive, so I'll hang on to the other one until I have a new project. 

Once the project is complete, I'll share the details (what it looked like before, paint color, etc...) and maybe a DIY on the sign.

Any ideas on the coffee bar are welcome (and happily encouraged)!

Almost the end. (Of the year, not the world)

As you can see, the world didn't end. In fact, it continues to spin on its axis, on its orbit around the sun. We got up on the 22nd and went about our days, loving on each other and enjoying the life we're blessed enough to have. Gratefully, we've got more time to soak up those moments, focus on what matters, and leave our mark on the world.

The world didn't end, but the year is going to.

Early this morning (sickeningly early) Al and I put the last few bags in the Budget truck and left for Colorado. The drive is a manageable 14 hours, so we should get home at a reasonable time this evening. Still, after we unload the truck, unpack the necessities, and find the energy to shove a few morsels of food down our gullets, I will be left with just enough energy to crawl upstairs and into my bed. Perhaps still in my jeans. And shoes.

When I wake up tomorrow, however, I start the "year-end wind-up" around the house. This year, that includes unpacking all the new boxes and getting organized. It also includes everything on this list.

My favorites (that I do every year):

1. Do a deep clean of your home.

I did this partially because I hate leaving for vacation and returning to a messy house. But also because it's a good thing to do at the end of the year,

4. Plan meals based on what's already in your fridge and pantry.

Want to hear a secret? We did not spend a single dollar on groceries for the month of December (and some of November), We made our year-end meal plan with the intention of eating anything that was left in our fridge from prior meals and to clear the pantry of soon-to-expire items. It was nice to have those extra funds go to things other than Safeway.

7. Clean out receipts to prepare for taxes. 

For me, this also includes a whole wallet clean-out and recording all year-end expenses.

20. Complete unfinished home projects. 

This does not mean starting new projects, but rather touching up the paint on a previous project, cleaning out the garage mess, and prepping spaces for the new year. That way, when the time and budget comes, the new projects can start!

Use the last few days of 2012 to wind up the year strong and productive. Hope this list gave you some great ideas on how to do that!

Wordless Wednesday: Touches of Christmas Cheer

DIY: Striped Candles

I decided a few weeks ago that I wanted a navy/white theme for decor in the kitchen. Mainly because the kitchen reno just doesn't feel like it will coordinate with brighter colors. I put this very simple tablescape together (if you can even call it that) and wanted to find some navy/white striped candles, inspired by these: 

Source: designsponge.com via Mel on Pinterest

Obviously, the price of these candles was out of the question. I found some at Target, but even those were more expensive than necessary, so I thought I'd make them myself. 

Here is the tutorial of that project:

Supplies: 

Small paintbrush (poly is best!)

Plain white candles

Navy blue acrylic paint

Thin painters tape

Total cost = $5

 Step one: create stripes with painters tape

 Step two: paint white spaces with acrylic paint (I needed two coats!)

Step three: Let dry for at least 4 hours (longer would have been better!)

 Step four: peel off tape

**At this point I noticed that the edges were jagged because the acrylic paint stuck to the tape. If I were to do this again (I probably will in a couple other colors) I would use spray paint for easier application and cleaner lines. 

 I was able, however, to scrape off much of the blue paint that had bled onto the white and once I did, the jaggedness of the lines didn't bother me too much. 

My new tablescape. Simple and clean. 

The project was super-cheap and really easy. With the exception of drying-time, it took less than 30 minutes. As I said, I would probably use different paint next time and let it dry a little longer. I plan on making some gold glitter striped candles for the table when I host Thanksgiving dinner!

A Reveal: Our Kitchen Makeover

 After a few grueling weeks of remodeling the kitchen, we finally have the end results (almost, sort of.) Here are the BEFORE shots to refresh your memory (pulled from the Zillow online listing.)

Blue linoleum floors. Blue laminate countertops. Old, dingy appliances. Drab, dirty walls. Outdated fixtures. It all needed to go!

Of course, we wanted to do the project on a budget and by doing the work ourselves.

The plan:

New tile flooring

Paint walls & ceiling

Paint trim and accents

Paint & refinish cabinets

Re-do countertops

Update light fixtures

Install new appliances

 STEP ONE: Demolition

 STEP TWO: New floors are in! Walls are painted.

 STEP THREE: Counters and cabinets refinished.

 STEP FOUR: Appliances start going in...

 And the final results...

The whole project took two weeks and $2000 - so even though there are things I would still like to change (like real counters instead of just covered counters) I am extremely happy with the results. I have an amazing husband who is handy enough to do these projects and I am grateful for that!

I will take a photo of the other side of the room, where the table is set up, but right now it is storage for all the things from the dining room while we paint those walls. I also plan on doing a post of the pantry and pantry organization, so stay tuned for that.