Entry

I logged on and fully expected that I hadn't posted here in at least a year. Nope. 7 months. #winning.

Several projects I wanted to update my sister on (Since she asked. Hi Mel!), so for now, I'll just do the biggest one. The longest one. The one I'm not convinced is actually done yet. The entryway.

(before)

(during)

(after)

That stupid bench has become a thorn in my side. I'm letting it be for now, but I built it and the legs bowed when sat on. Which is kind of the point of a bench. I tried adding a support in the middle and that was a massive fail. So I disassembled it and it sat in the garage all summer long. I've finally gotten into a routine with my work schedule, so I worked on it the past couple of weeks and abandoned the idea of the original turned legs for simple straight ones and also mitered a frame for it. I still think it wobbles, so we will see. But I do really like how it looks. I have buttons I plan to sew on the pillows. Just got too excited to get the bench in. That also explains the pictures. I keep forgetting to take pictures during the day, so excuse the lighting. And generally terrible pictures in general. They don't at all show what I did.

Since the table had to go for the bench, Mister's walk supplies needed a spot. I used this idea from Pinterest. He has a hook for treats, which need to start being taken on our walks for when the neighborhood kids want to pet him. There's also a hook for his coat, his dry off towel (which was the real need in the entry. We previously just left the towel in a heap on the floor), flashlight, and leash/collar/harness. Who knew such a little dog needed so much stuff!

Mirrors and Closets

Happy St. Patrick's Day everyone! Just wanted to share a couple of small projects I've been working on. First, in the entry way:

The pictures were already there, but I rearranged them around the new mirror.

Speaking of the mirror, Target. $19.99. That's pretty fabulous. Especially since quatrefoils are pretty important to Phi Mu. I love the subtle nod it gives. I technically hung it "wrong" but that's the direction our quatrefoils go. Nothing a picture hanging kit couldn't fix. I also love how it looks slightly like a compass, pointing to the different directions in our lives. Whoa! Heavy stuff!

The entry way is on my list of projects for 2012. I want an umbrella stand (since Mister gets walked rain, sleet, snow, or shine) to corral the giant golf-sized umbrella I use. I also want to make this boot tray as a permanent home for my rain boots and the shoes Husband keeps by the front door. Finally, we want some kind of bench to put right in the entry way. Makes putting our shoes on much easier. I also would LIKE a skinny console table, to store things like iPod running equipment and Mister's walking paraphernalia) on the opposite wall, but I'm concerned that would make the space feel too narrow and closed off. I've been Pinning a few alternate ideas, so we'll see what ends up happening. Not only is style ever evolving, these small projects change as I go, too.

Speaking of project evolution, here's another one that changed from my original inspiration:

Ever since painting the master closet, I wanted to do something with the narrow space between the two shelves. I finally got myself in gear and cut, painted, and hung 5 shelves for sweater storage. Now everything in the closet hangs properly and everything else has a real home.

Since my original idea board, I've changed up all kinds of things :) I decided to forgo the shoe cubby in favor of a couple of basic shoe racks (like these). Since I don't really wear long dresses, I have plenty of space under that hanging storage. Plus, since relocating the hanging shelf from the door wall, I was worried that several of my other ideas for shoe storage would close that space off again. I have another great idea for that wall though. It's already required a trip to Hobby Lobby, so hopefully that will get done this coming week. That takes care of my second focus area of 2012 projects :)

Project Update

I know. I know. I know. But in my defense, December was insane. And January is proving to be incredibly productive. So what I'm lacking in blogging, I'm actually making up for in projects. Since I'm not Young House Love (for better or worse), I'm combining all of my projects into one behemoth of a post! But, to make it worth your while, I have pictures!

How about we just back up and I'll do a little timeline for y'all.

As is our tradition, we have 2 Christmases (Christmai?), one with Adam's side, one with mine. Adam's family Christmas was the weekend before calendar Christmas, with my family following the calendar this year. Both were great. Being with family is always fun (well, usually). After Christmas, I had the week off work and seized the opportunity to work on a project I had been planning: the master closet:

(I could never, ever be a hoarder. Having my life like this for just 2 days drove me absolutely bonkers)

I painted both the master closet and the "toilet room" in our bathroom Olive Green (by Valspar). Don't let the pictures fool you, it's a very nice green. I also built and painted my laundry sorter:

I'm about a week into actually utilizing my new laundry system and I LOVE it. I'm doing laundry a little more often, but instead of doing it ALL in a day, only a load or two at a time. Keeps the dirty laundry piles out of the dining room.

I built the sorter basically exactly to Ana's plans. I used 2x2s so I didn't have to fool with the metal angles. Her plans don't actually instruct you in attaching those, so I had to figure that out myself. Not hard if all the pieces are already cut. I painted the interior the same green as the closet and the exterior was primed white and then painted with Sherwin Williams' Snowbound in semi gloss, color matched by Lowe's (I had gift cards, so the total of both area's redecoration cost about $25 out of pocket).

I also re-re-hung (long story) a shelf at the end of the closet.

After having the week off, I went back down to Tennessee and went with my parents to the Liberty Bowl in Memphis. Adam stayed home with Mister (an adventure that ended much better than either of us expected), not wanting to travel a third weekend in a row.

Cincinnati (Dad's alma mater) took on Vandy (on of the schools in Mom's repertoire and a team we all like to see succeed). Mom and I were prepared to root for either team, but ultimately cheered for UC.

(don't worry. The stadium filled in. It was like an hour before kick-off.)

A sign for Pead (/peed/), Cincinnati's lead running back

When I finally settled in at home, I had a few small projects happening around the house (besides constantly moving the laundry sorter. It's in its third and final home).

First, I took some inspiration from Pinterest (here and here) and made a Christmas canvas with my favorite quote from "How the Grinch Stole Christmas." I downloaded the Grinch font and typed it out in Pages. The font went way wonky (some letters overlapped, others had huge spaces), so I actually cut everything out and then taped back together. Then, I got some graphite paper from Michael's (in the painting section) and used that to transfer the traced letters onto the canvas. A little painting later and there you go.

Some of you may wonder "why didn't you just use a Cricut for the lettering?" Easy. I don't have a Cricut to do the fancy vinyl transfers everyone on Etsy and Pinterest use. I'd say insert subtle hint for my birthday here, but honestly, I'm not entirely sure I'd use it that often. Sure it'd be handy when I needed, but how often would that actually be?

I also hung a floating shelf in the toilet room. Previously, there was a towel bar over the toilet, but with no sink in that "room" and since it was far from the shower, it served absolutely no purpose. I stole a sunflower from a fake bouquet I got for the fall and love the pop it gives the room. The shelf itself is hung a little high (since I'm so short, I tend to overestimate "eye level" to normal people), but I think some art would be nice underneath it. By the way, I really like the shelf. Last year, I got one from Target for the guest room, but it didn't hang flush against the wall. I was afraid that with enough weight, it would come crashing down. This one is solid and isn't going anywhere on its own.

I have another tiny project/picture, but for whatever reason, iPhoto doesn't want to upload it from my photo stream. For Christmas, my MIL got me a nice set of make-up brushes. I took this idea from Pinterest and put my own spin on it. I was concerned about using actual coffee beans, since I didn't know if they would spoil or otherwise get gross over time. So I used some vase filler marbles (or whatever they're called) instead. I used mostly clear with a few pops of green and turquoise. Super cute and very functional.

Whew! So that's what I've been doing instead of blogging. How about y'all?

Laundry Room

I think...I'm not quite sure...what this feeling is. It's kind of like relief, mixed with "what?" I have completed my very first room! All of the other rooms in the house, although "done," still have minor things to be done. I know. I know. That list never ends. I am trying to keep my list divided into things that need/I really want and the things that would be nice, but if they never happen, no biggie.

Today, I completed the last project for the laundry room.

I had a head start, with painting and doing some art projects, before the arrival of our favorite 4-legged family member (how naive were we, thinking he'd actually sleep in the laundry room?

Anyway, since I moved the shelves lower to accomodate my un-tall stature, there was a large expanse of wall that just felt empty. I considered getting a vinyl decal that are all the rage lately, but I just don't want to hop on that train. Plus, nothing I saw was really what I was thinking. So I decided to make my own art (again).

I bought a long poster frame from Michael's while waiting on Mister at the groomer (how convenient is it that they are next door?). It's one of those really long but narrow ones. I didn't want to totally fill that space, which is my tendency. Bonus: the frame was on sale...30 or 40% off!

Then, I made a trip this week to Hobby Lobby and bought some chip board letters, light blue acrylic paint and some scrapbook paper. My original idea was that wrapping paper might be more economical, but the only thing I found in my color scheme was a pattern and I couldn't get the look I wanted with that.

I painted my letters (bonus that I didn't have any letter repeats, since the package only had 1 of each letter!) in alternating colors, corresponding with the colors in the laundry room. Then, I made sure my scrapbook paper would indeed fit the frame. 3 pieces of 12x12 were perfect! Plus, the paper was 30% off, so it was way cheaper than wrapping paper. I began going around the paper with my phrase "Wash, dry, fold," hoping and praying I wouldn't have to end in the middle of a word. Luckily, it worked out almost perfect. I traced the letters in light blue Sharpie.

I was ready to hot glue my letters onto the paper and then realized I misspelled "laundry," omitting the N. Oops. Since I had mixed 2 blues and 2 greens (I already had), I couldn't just use more. I had to salvage my mixes from the trash (still right on top and not attached to anything gross). Easy fix. Once dry, I finally did hot glue them into place, roughly center. I added my fun catchphrase at the bottom and let everything dry for a few hours, just in case.

I placed the plastic layer on top, popped the edges back on, and hung in center to the shelf.

Now I have a laundry room I don't mind doing laundry in! Figures that my first "complete" room is not an actual ROOM. Total cost: $10 or $15. Don't remember exactly how much the frame was, but it wasn't much.

On my "maybe one day" list is to switch out the light fixture, except it's florescent and I'm not sure how cut and dry that would be.

Closet Makeover

1. Laundry Dresser by Ana White to replace our current hamper

2. Necklace hanger via Pinterest

3. Shelf brackets from Lowes. Add a piece of 1x10 and we'll take advantage of some wasted space and create shelves for sweaters

4. Minwax Stain in Red Mahogony (for said brackets/shelves)

5. Shoe Cubby by Ana White

6. DIY scarf organizer via Pinterest

7. Purse Organization via Pinterest

One paper separates me from the end of the semester, so of course I'm procrastinating as long as possible.

Just thought I'd give a quick update on my winter project plan. I had three options, but after hauling laundry and spending at least 30 minutes sorting last week, I immediately knew my priority. The Master Closet.

Of course, it will be painted a similar green to the background and that color will also go in the "toilet room" of our master bath.

The laundry sorter is my project priority. If I can get the shoe cubby in before it's too cold, great. If not, it'll wait til spring. This will all give me something to do in December when I don't have schoolwork hanging over my head :)

Life and Drawers

I mentioned yesterday that life had been a run-away train. Between the house, husband, dog, work, and church, it's a wonder I actually have time to watch TV :) It's about to get a little crazier, too. I don't remember if I mentioned this or not on the blog, but I'm going back to school. The state of Kentucky requires me to have 15 hours towards a Masters to keep my teaching certificate current. I have until next year to get that done. Tomorrow, I will begin my first summer course (yeah, a summer term that starts in April. Whatever). Luckily, I only have to be on campus the first day and the rest is online. For the second summer session, things will get very interesting as I'm taking 2 classes and I'm not sure how much will be online vs. on campus. BTW, I'm obviously getting a Masters in Education, but I will take a few additional hours to have an endorsement as a Reading/Writing Specialist. I'm happy to have a conversation about why!

Anyway, I told you all that so that I can be even more excited to show off my latest project:

No, I did not built that entire thing. No that is not one solid piece. The top section is actually half of a pair of bookshelves my daddy built me when I was little. We've had them stacked on top of each other in the office and they held canvas bins with my crafty supplies (I looked for a picture, but I totally can't find one with the bins). When we started plotting what we actually wanted to DO with the office, we took a few measurements. Turns out one on its side measured the same as the walls on either side of the windows. Thing was, they're still only a few feet tall and we've got some high ceilings. Plus, we were utilizing the tops to hold picture albums and scrapbooks. Our solution? Huge drawers. I thought I may be able to make up how to build it. After all, it's a big box with one side open with another, slightly smaller box without a top stuck inside. However, I felt the need to browse Ana White's plans just in case.

My box is basically the Braden Entryway Drawer Bench, modified for what I needed. I did use 1x12s for the drawer sides and back, but didn't do essentially steps 3 and 4. In step 2, the bottom part is actually at the bottom. Also note, in step 8, she talks about installing the drawer slides, but doesn't include them in the shopping list. The comments also have a few comments about the drawer slides and I agree that a single under-mount is wobbly. I wonder if a side mount would be better? I'll pick up 2 more slides on my semi-weekly trip to Lowe's and go ahead and install 2 for the second drawer and hopefully get around to installing a second in the first (that makes sense, right?).

The rest of the plan includes moving these books to the sideways bookshelves and selling this bookshelf (or at least possibly moving it to the guest room). This wall will get shelves on the wall for my crafty bins and also a secretary-style desk for me to do homework/crafty projects.

This wall will stay relatively unchanged. The lamp will get moved for another drawer/bookshelf unit. The file cabinet and desk/chair will get sold. The drawer on this side will get inserts for hanging files and will hopefully have room to hold old magazines, notebooks, etc.

This gives a better idea of how tall the unit actually is. Not quite as ginormous as it looked at first! Although the drawer measures 29" across and is 23" front to back (deep? wide?)

Room for all of my scrapbooks!

After the second drawer gets built (the rain lately makes it tough to get spread out and saw), the next big project will be a garage work bench and storage!

Plans

Ugh! Has is really been over a month since I last updated? I would say 2011 will be different, but I've had this blog for over 2 years. It won't get better. There is a little bit of hope though, because I have several projects planned for 2011. Unfortunately, they won't really get started until early-spring.

Until that happens, I can share what I'm dreaming up FOR said projects ;) I've mentioned Ana White's website several times. So far I've built this headboard:

this console table:

and talked my dad into building me these nightstands:

(By the way, I added some curtains in this room, too! One day I'll actually take a picture of it!)

A few days ago, she had a post about Google's SketchUp, the software she uses to design her plans. Naturally, I had to play around with it! After my initial learning curve (and it was a pretty big curve. I had given up last night, but decided to try one more time today), I sketched up my plans for a workbench for the garage:

Ignore SketchUp Susan standing IN my workbench. I am still learning and literally figured out about 5 minutes ago that there were more than 4 template options :/

Anyway, my plans aren't nearly as informative as Ana's so I'll just have to explain them. I plan on an 8 ft. workbench. I know, it's crazy long, but since studs come in 8 ft. lengths, it's kind of perfect. Second, it's only going to be 21-22" deep. That's crazy shallow, but we just don't have the extra room in the garage for wider without sacrificing a parking space. And since it snowed about 2 inches last night, neither one of us are willing to give up our indoor parking spots. It should, however, be deep enough to hold my miter saw (which is all I cared about). I also plan to put casters on the bottom, so that when I am working (I do actually sacrifice my spot for that), I can pull it away from the wall for easy clean-up. I love the idea of the bottom shelves to hold my new circular saw and those other odds and ends that are too big for the pegboard and compressor shelf. I might end up just building the miter saw it's own bench and build a separate bench for clean work space...Winter is just beginning, so there's no telling what this will look like in a couple of months!

So that's my big plan for 2011. I've got a few other projects for the garage, including mounting pegboard for the smaller tools and building a shelf for the air compressor. I also plan to build these bookshelves for the office to give us a little more room in the garage. I have a few other smaller project hopes, which may or may not include a trip to Ikea (OK, probably, may or may not include a few gallons of paint (OK, probably), and possibly may involve me departing from my beloved Lowe's for it's big orange competitor because I REALLY want these chairs. We shall see how it all plays out!

Tis the Season

Brrr! It is super cold here. We actually had our second snowfall of the year the other day...when we normally don't see snow until at LEAST after Christmas!
Christmas season is fully upon us. Husband and I are going tree shopping this weekend and will decorate it next week. We've got lots of present shopping that needs to get done, cards to send, family to see, parties to attend (and host). A lesser person would be overwhelmed. However, I just survived the craziest month EVER, so I'm not stressed about it. It all gets done...usually on time.
I hosted Thanksgiving this year. What the heck was I thinking? It sounded like a great idea in September! We've never had that many people over period, let alone to sit down to a full dinner. I've never cooked a turkey...ever. On top of all the stuff I was responsible for doing at church, I had several evenings full of tears. Partly because of stress, partly because we were yet AGAIN eating take-out. Maybe I was stressed BECAUSE we were eating take-out. Yeah, that's good for my heart.
Life, obviously, hasn't exactly slowed down and eating out is on the menu at least Friday, possibly tonight because of a meeting I have after work (why do I bother meal planning?) I did, however, want to take a moment to share some pictures of our Thanksgiving.
Like I said, we hosted. This meant my parents, my sister, my grandmother, Husband's parents, Husband's brother, and Husband's grandparents. Luckily, his family is close enough to come in that morning and left that evening. My parents got a hotel room. So really, we only had my grandmother and sister actually stay with us. Mister loved all the attention. So many people to beg from!











The buffet ready for the food











Mister begging












Waiting on the food












More snacking and waiting















"Need any help, Mom?"















Carving the turkey and mashing potatoes












Will sit for food













How do you resist this face?














The food is done!













Almost everyone











Find the difference












Sweet potatoes and dressing












Turkey and mac and cheese











Me with my table. Breathe a sigh of relief!

Show Me Your Life - Laundry Room

I'm going to say something not many people say. I love my laundry room. No, I REALLY love my laundry room! It's one of the few rooms that actually has a color scheme and I selected it mostly to build from for when we get to the rest of the house. In short, actual THOUGHT went into decorating this room.
Now, you're probably wondering "Seriously? Who decorates a laundry room?" Most people want to get in, get out, and be done, right? Laundry is one of the few (and I mean FEW) household chores I don't mind doing. Do I wake up on laundry day and jump on Husband and say, "It's laundry day! Hooray!!"? No. But I also mind getting up every 35-50 minutes (depending on the wash or dry cycle) and switching things out, or bringing a load into the living room to fold while I watch TV. Ironing, well, that's another story.
Anyway, our laundry room is a pass through to get from the garage into our house, but we don't actually use anything in there as the "catch-all." Our keys, my purse, etc. all live somewhere else in the house, so it's actually fairly easy to keep clean.
The pictures are a little light, as we have a fluorescent fixture in the laundry room (which will be gone once I brush up on my electrical skillz). It looks like more yellow, than green, but I promise it's a pretty light apple green. When we paint the kitchen (which connects to the laundry room), it will be a shade darker and match accessories we have in there.










The washing machine, water heater, and cleaning organizer. The washing machine and dryer were a move-in gift from our parents (all 4 of them) when we got our first apartment, which conveniently had hook-ups :)









The "folding table," which as I've said, I don't fold there, so it's where Husband's work shirts live until I get around to ironing (see the board hanging on the wall?) The only difference between today and when this picture was taken is that the dog crate is no longer there. A Mister update is sorely needed, but suffice it to say that his crate in in our bedroom and the laundry baskets are in place of the crate.









The art I did over the folding table. On the far left says "Laundry schedule: sort...later, wash...tomorrow, fold...next week, iron...get real!" I made it (and it's counter-part on the right) out of scrapbook paper and a frame I ordered online (since 12x12 isn't really standard i.e. cheap). The one on the right says "Laundry today or naked tomorrow!" Teeheehee! In the middle is a print I ordered from Amazon.com. It cost a whopping $0 thanks to gift cards I had earned through Swagbucks (ask me how you can get Swagbucks, and yes, I promise it's NOT a scam!)













My biggest accomplishment in the laundry room was lowering the shelf that was above our washer and dryer. I stand at a statuesque 4'8" so reaching over the machines and getting the bins without anything falling on me just didn't happen. I can now get a good firm grip on the bins (or basket, which is what the detergent lives in) and lower it without getting a concussion...or breaking anything. It will most likely have to be raised whenever we move, but that won't be soon, so I'm making my house livable! Of course, now we have a huge open space OVER the shelf that I'm trying to figure out how to fill...

Show Me Your Life - Bathrooms

Today's installment of Kelly's Show Me Your Life is bathrooms. We have 2 full baths. Our first apartment together had 2 baths and that came in handy more than once (sometimes you just can't wait), so one requirement when we were shopping was at least 1.5 baths.















This is our guest bath. It's nothing super exciting, tub/shower combo, toilet, and single vanity. There is a small linen closet on the right side, hiding behind the door, which is pretty handy. This bathroom is outfitted with all the bathroom stuff we got for our wedding (basically because it's the bathroom that required a shower curtain and our wedding set was newer). Unfortunately, that meant the soft, fluffy towels went in there as well. We're slowly working on getting nice ones in the master though!















Speaking of the master, here it is!

















Double vanity, something our apartment didn't have and I now can't live without!
















Garden tub and stand-alone shower (to the right, just outside of the picture).














The neatest part about the master is that the toilet has its own little room. I can do my business in peace while Husband brushes his teeth or whatever. There is also a linen closet directly across from the toilet.


I have just one question. Can anyone give me a logical reason for the towel bar over the toilet? Clearly our sink is in the other section and I'm certainly not wiping my hands on a towel BEFORE they get washed (just ew). Why is it there? Whenever we get around to painting, it will come down and be donated to Habitat Restore or Goodwill or someplace unless I get one logical reason as to why I should keep it there.