projects

I Painted our tile Backsplash, yes I Did

April 25, 2013 By Debbie Filed Under: island, kitchen, paint, projects

After adding upper cabinets in my kitchen, painting it and giving it a whole new look, I decided the gold backsplash wasn’t working. I guess I wasn’t thinking that far ahead when I was thinking about freshening up the space. I hate when that happens, don’t you? All I could think about was a shiny, new subway tiled backsplash. I love the fresh, clean look, but realized that change wasn’t going to happen soon, so I came up with plan B, my substitute for subway tile.

American Olean Subway Tile 199x300 Top Ten Kitchen Backsplashes

source Isn’t this subway tile beautiful?

upper cabinets

The gold backsplash was great with my old kitchen and really wasn’t that bad with the new look. It was the gold I wanted to be gone. You can see the previous looks of the kitchen here.

tile backsplash painted

Plan B was painting the tile. It was a quick and easy solution. I used plain old flat white paint. Because of the texture of the tile, I didn’t think a shiny finish, like subway tile, would look good.

backsplash painted

I didn’t cover every nook and cranny completely to emphasize the texture of the tile. It looks more like a whitewash.

kitchen painted backsplash 2

It really looks so much brighter.

kitchen painted backsplash

So there’s the new look! It’s working for me now. I’m almost certain that I’ll get tired of this too! Confused smile Who knows what will be trending next?

kitchen

It looks pretty with pops of bright colors.

kitchen plants

Here’s a closer look at the tile and my pretty old cheese box filled with plants. Hope I can Keep them alive!

Next up on the interior project list will be painting but that will have to wait until all my work outside is finished. I’ve been enjoying working in the garden and getting the flower beds ready for summer. The weather has been just about perfect for working outdoors and it feels great to be outside. We’ve got some power washing to do and I need to paint the shed door but it’s looking good.What have you been up to?

Thanks for visiting! Debra (((xx)))

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Progress in the kitchen, new Pantry doors

October 10, 2012 By Debbie Filed Under: DIY, kitchen, projects, projects 2012

I’m doing a happy dance here because all that’s left to do in the kitchen makeover project is paint! This is the before picture. I added white lines to mimic where the trim and crown molding would go to get a feel for how it would look. The bi-fold doors out-of-here! kitchen-wall-refrigerator-Copy

I didn’t have a friendly relationship with those doors! They were always getting stuck in the track and were the source of much aggravation.

pantry

Here’s how it looks now, all trimmed out with crown molding and new doors. It looks fancy and I love it! We decided to add another set of doors from the microwave down. That will give me tons more storage on this side of the kitchen.

kitchen

Today the kitchen looks like this, a mess. The upper cabinets have been painted but all the other ones still need to be painted. The pot rack will be taken down and I might add pendant lights.

island

At this end of the island the shelves were removed and nice big corbels were added. Those shelves were nothing but dust catchers anyway and removing them opened up the space a little more.

red island

It looked like this before, always very dusty.

corbels

Removing the shelves also made space for another stool.

That is where we are at today with this project. The upper cabinets are the only part that were DIY. I hired a carpenter to trim everything and am so glad I did. He got all the doors at a decent price from a cabinet shop and was easy to work with. He understood what I was trying to achieve.

When doing DIY projects it’s best to know your limitations. My husband wasn’t comfortable with doing this kind of finishing work and crown molding is something we haven’t mastered but I’m working on it. Winking smile

Thanks for visiting! Debra (((xx)))

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Project update, What I’ve been working on

August 30, 2012 By Debbie Filed Under: cabinets, DIY, kitchen, projects, upper cabinets

The upper cabinet project continues but I’ve taken it just about as far as I am willing to do as a DIY project. The doors are being ordered online and I’ll share that link later. A carpenter is coming to look at the job and give me an estimate for trimming it all out and adding trim on the opposite wall to make it look built in. Something like this,

Source: ourfifthhouse.com via Bungalow on Pinterest

On the wall opposite the sink in my kitchen there’s the refrigerator, microwave, a row of deep shelves where I store cookbooks etc. and a pantry with bifold doors. I really want to get rid of those doors. I posted about this before with a little glimpse of what I’m trying to achieve.

Meanwhile, I started a new project, which I thought would be quick and easy.

photo(1)

Boy was I wrong!

oak table base

This is the base of 25 year old oak table. I’m showing it to you so you can see how light the finish was. I really wanted the top of the table to be darker and the base painted.

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These are the leaves propped up so you can see how dark they are now compared to the base.

dark stain oak

Here’s the table top after a full day of sanding off my mess! I used a product that was stain and poly in one and totally screwed up, all because I didn’t read the directions. I thought you used it like any other stain and left it on the surface to make the wood darker. It got all gunky and sticky like gum when I tried to wipe it off! UGH! So I scraped and sanded and sanded some more until I thought I got it all off. It took all day! The next morning I thought I was good to go and start all over with a different stain, this time it was just stain, but I ended up sanding more of the mess off. I think I got it now.

dark stain oak2

I just have to get some fine sand paper and go over it a little. Phew, what a project!

chalk paint table base

Here’s the table base after a coat of CeCe Caldwell chalk paint in Seattle Mist, a light taupe color.

upper cabinets

This is a shot of the upper cabinets painted. The lower cabinets will get painted with the same paint, Advance from Benjamin Moore. This paint is a latex paint that acts like an oil based paint. It went on very smooth and is self leveling so there are virtually no brush marks,

photo(3)

Young House Love wrote a great post about this paint, they used it their kitchen too.

So that’s it. Now I’m looking for fabric and not having much luck. I actually had fabric that I thought I was going to you but it’s just not doing it for me anymore! Got a good fabric source to share?

There’s still time to enter the Shabby Apple giveaway.

Thanks for visiting! Debra (((xx)))

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DIY Knockoff, How to make a Restoration Hardware coffee table Part 2

July 10, 2012 By Debbie Filed Under: coffee table, Decorative Details, DIY, projects, projects 2012

The DIY Restoration Hardware coffee table project is now finished! It’s a fairly simple DIY and will definitely get you the look for less. So here’s how to make a Restoration Hardware coffee table. Part 1 is HERE.

welded coffee table frame

Part 1 is here. We used angle iron to create the base. It needs to be welded together, so you will need to find someone to do that for you. A friend maybe, or check a metal shop or a welding shop.

This project originally was intended to use pallet wood for the top, but after a lot of work creating that top, it just didn’t cut it. Despite all our efforts, the wood didn’t lay flat and the top looked too thin for the base.

pallet project1

Here’s the pallet wood laid out for the top. I loved the way it looked and was so disappointed that it didn’t work out,

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We glued the pallet wood to a piece of plywood.

pallet table top

Next, we weighted it down while the glue dried.

pallet top plywood

This is the old piece of plywood we glued to the back. It fit inside the frame. I was planning on sanding it to make it look better. I didn’t get a picture of how this top looked on the base. Thumbs down No good. Too thin, not flat, a total failure! Failure #1.

boards coffee table top

Off to Lowe’s we went to get some new boards for the top. We used 2” x 6′” boards this time. We laid them side by side and used 3 pieces of 1” wood to fasten them together. You can see how those pieces fit inside the frame to keep the top from moving.

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We used 3 pieces of 1” wood across the bottom and screwed them in place.

boards coffee table top 2

The top lays on top of the frame, it’s not fastened to the frame. The 1” boards fit inside the frame.

staining top

Now it was time to get to work on finishing the wood. I started by sanding, then stained the top with a gray stain. I used a practice board to get an idea of how the stain would look and ended up adding water to the water based stain to make it lighter.

When we took the top inside, it was way too dark! Failure #2. I ended up sanding, sanding and sanding off a lot of the stain to get the look I saw in my mind.

2family room coffee table. restoration hardware knockoff

Here it is all finished and in the family room!

3 family room coffee table. restoration hardware knockoff

Before I stained the top, I beat it up with a hammer and whatever I could find to add dings and scrapes in the wood.

4 family room coffee table. restoration hardware knockoff

I like it!

5 family room coffee table. restoration hardware knockoff

55 family room coffee table. restoration hardware knockoff

56 family room coffee table. restoration hardware knockoff

What do ya think? Here’s my DIY version.

coffee table. restoration hardware knockoff

Here’s the original.

restoration-hardware-coffee-table

It’s longer and looks lower but our DIY version costs MUCH less! Here’s the cost breakdown.

The original $1500-2000 depending on the size!

Our DIY version, angle iron $114.

welding, $80.

wood for top, $25

total $219.00

$219.00 verses $1500.00

I’ll take the DIY version any day! Hope you like our version.

Added to Tutorials and Tip at Home Stories A to Z

Thanks for visiting! Debbie (((xx)))

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A sign made from pallet wood

April 3, 2012 By Debbie Filed Under: pallet, projects

One day when we were out and about for appointments, I saw this sign. Free pallets. Stop! I couldn’t believe my luck, that I saw the sigh and we were in the truck! Now what to do with all that lovely wood? Pallet projects flooded my mind…you know how that is!

Here’s my first project, a pallet wood sign, but first prep the pallet safely!

2012_02_09_3687

We began with the pallet leaning against saw horses and a quick lesson on using the sawsall, to cut through the nails because removing them is almost impossible.

pallet cut page

We wore gloves, safety glasses and masks. Bill made the first cut as an example of how to do it correctly.

cutting a pallet2

His cut was so perfect because he’s, “an efficient machine.” He gloated. get over yourself already

pallet cut

No spiders were harmed in the making of this project.

My first time using the sawzall was not as perfect as his, but I got better with more practice. Pallet wood is pretty rough, so I sanded both sides then screwed them together using pieces from the bottom of the pallet.

tape back pallet

Because the screws were just a little too long and poked through the front, I covered them with duct tape to protect the wall and added wire for hanging. I Red heart duct tape.

pallet sign 1

Next, the lettering. I had no idea how I was going to do this, since I had a previous lettering project fail. After a little searching, I decided to print out the letters and rub a pencil over the back of each letter and then trace them onto the wood. This method is supposed to transfer the graphite from the pencil onto the wood. I should have printed out just the outline of each letter instead of using so much printer ink.

pallet sign 2

That didn’t work because the graphite was the same color of the wood. What worked was pressing the shape of the letters into the wood with a pen, like etching. I used a sharpie to fill in the letters.

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After coloring in the letters, I decided to sand it a little more to make the letters a little less dark.

mantel

Here’s the finished sign.

I still have a bunch of pallets left, what would you make? I think I’m going to attempt some crates for magazines, pillows and stuff and I’d love to make a coffee table for the patio.

For more pallet ideas check out my Pinterest pallet board.

Added to Best DIY projects at Beneath My Heart

Debbie (((xx)))

20 Comments

Creating ombre dresser and shabby lampshade

February 6, 2012 By Debbie Filed Under: decor Details, decorating, Decorative Details, paint, projects

Inspired by this sweet ombre dresser, I decided to makeover a little dresser that I already had. Ombre is a French term meaning shaded. It’s usually a multicolored stripe, with colors graduating from light to dark.

Norske InteriorBlogger

If you think this picture looks familiar, it’s because I posted it before in this post about painting fabric on a chair, in the green guest room makeover.

To paint the dresser, I used the same paint that I used for the chair project. In the plastic milk container is the chair paint that already had textile medium in it. I mixed up lots for the last coat, because I didn’t want to run out of paint for the chair. I used that paint, with some white latex to achieve the different shades for the dresser.

It’s not the best paint job but it still looks pretty cute.

The lampshade got a makeover too. The original shade on the lamp was a tan color and I knotted strips of plain white fabric around it. That same fabric was used to create drawer pulls. The top drawer had 4 knobs but I like this look better.

This is the inside of the shade, but I could move the knots to the outside for a different look. You can see a full tutorial here with more pictures at Emerald cove.

Tomorrow I’ll reveal the whole room redo.

Linked up at

Debbie (((xx)))

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Project board and batten/Paint colors

February 2, 2012 By Debbie Filed Under: board and batten, DIY, paint, projects, projects 2012

Last year I was all set to start a board and batten project in the family room. Originally, I wanted board and batten in the small guest room but changed my mind. I posted about it Here and Here, wondering how long the trend would last.

Last winter my husband fell on ice in our driveway, had a concussion and the project was stalled. Then Summer came and he is busybusybusy, so no board and batten, until now. The cold months of winter are perfect for us to do projects, if we can manage to work together and be nice!

Good bye Laura Ashley gold, hello Benjamin Moore palladian blue.

We put up a chalk line and I started painting palladian blue on top. I always prefer greens over blues, but this color has enough green in it to keep me content.

Ultra white, in semi-gloss from Valspar, is going on the bottom.

The board, of the board and batten, will go on top of the wavy line. With the new color scheme, the gray stone fireplace is looking great.

Benjamin Moore has chosen wythe blue as their color of the year 2012. On the color strip, palladian blue is under it, and is pretty close in color to SW rainwashed and SW sea salt. Sea salt looks a little more gray in this picture.

My Mom used wythe blue and hollingsworth green in her living room. She actually marked the x and the o on the color strip. I think she would approve of my color choice.

Which color of the year do you prefer?

Tangerine tango from Pantone,

Wythe blue from Benjamin Moore or

Sherwin William’s argyle?

I’ll be posting more about our progress on this project, wish me luck!

Debbie (((xx)))

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Painting fabric on a chair, Part 1

January 10, 2012 By Debbie Filed Under: decorating, Decorative Details, paint, painting fabric on a chair, projects, projects 2012, projects crafts how to, tutorial

Painting fabric is something I always wanted to do. I’ve seen gorgeous examples on Pinterest and knew I had to try. This chair from my grandmother is the perfect chair to try it on. It’s a chair that I always sat in at her house. At the time it was covered in a textured orange vinyl. After she gave it to me I had it recovered in gold velvet, in the 80’s.

Even after years in the basement, the chair is in good shape with just a few stains and nicks in the wood.

You’ll need textile medium, paint, fine sandpaper, a spray bottle of water and brushes. I’m using acrylic paint but you could use latex too.

I bought all the bottles of My Studio acrylic paint in aqua that were in the store and will be looking for more I’m sure. Mix up equal parts of paint and textile medium and thin with water to make it really thin.

First you vacuum the chair well.

Next, using the spray bottle of water, liberally spray the area you’ll be painting and then just do it. I used a foam brush.

I got the back of the chair painted today and will post the progress as I go along. For the next coat of paint I’m going to try a paint brush instead of a foam brush to see if that makes any difference. I’m not sure yet how I want to handle the tacks. Wish me luck on this one, it’s not looking so pretty at this point. Have you got any tips for painting fabric?

In case you’re wondering where this bright chair will go, in my newly painted green guest room, see post below.

Debbie (((xx)))

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A $5 floor lamp, thrift store burlap and a curbside find

May 2, 2011 By Debbie Filed Under: met Monday, projects, thrifty finds, trash to treasure, yardsale

This cute dressing table was a curbside find just sitting in my basement awaiting the day I got around to her makeover.

It’s a sturdy piece and I didn’t have to do much except scrape off some old glue where a skirt had been glued on, sand it and scrub off all the dirt.
Inspired by Miss Mustard Seed’s fabulous makeovers, HERE and HERE, I decided to decoupage the top with pages from an old hymnal.

This is now in a corner of the basement family room. I have a set of old shutters (that need a little work) to go behind it to hide the breaker box, but haven’t added them yet.
I replaced the plug on the vintage $5 yardsale lamp and covered the shade in a piece of thrift store burlap.

It has 3 arms and a nice aged patina! A great find for $5.
I’m trying to create a family photo wall on the stairs. I’d love to have the whole space filled up with black and white photos.

The piece of burlap was long and narrow so I had to figure out a way to cover the shade. I ended up pleating it and think it turned out ok, not perfect but still ok.

I’m linking up to
Rhoda’a Thrifty Treasures
SouthernHospThriftyTreasures copy_thumb

Met Monday at Between Naps on the Porch.

I’ve been painting the living room today and working on my yardsale stuff in the garage. It’ll feel great to get this done! Laughing out loud
Debbie (((xx)))

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An HUGE old frame becomes a bulletin board.

November 15, 2010 By Debbie Filed Under: before and after, decorating, Decorative Details, family room, met Monday, projects

I spotted this old dresser mirror frame at a consignment store this past Summer. I didn’t buy it right away because I didn’t really have a use for it. But since it was only 5 bucks I ended up going back for it. Finally I’m getting around to transforming it.

I hit it with some black satin spray paint and it was all set.
It was a struggle finding material for the actual bulletin board. I tried looking for cork board and could only find small thin squares. So I put on my thinking cap and thought of using ceiling panels. They aren’t sold by the piece and I definitely wasn’t going to buy a whole box, so I kept looking knowing eventually I’d come across something that would work.

Voila! Look what I came across at the Re-Build-It store. Just two panels were all they had and it was all I needed. smile_regular Just $1 each! It didn’t matter that they weren’t perfect, I needed to cut them anyhow.

A sharp razor knife and a straight edge was all it took to get the right size to fit in the frame. You can see
that it wasn’t perfect.

I just kept chiseling away until it fit.

When it was the right size, I taped the panels together and laid them out on the fabric, making sure the fabric was straight. It was about a yard and a half of cheap muslin fabric.

Next, I stapled.
Because the ceiling panels are soft, I used lots of staples so they wouldn’t pull out.

Now it was ready to be put in the frame.

These straps were already on the frame, probably to hold the original mirror in place.
We had these L shaped brackets on hand and I used several to hold the ceiling panels in tightly. I turned some of them on the diagonal…..it seemed to work better that way.

Here it is all ready to be hung. This thing is heavy so I’ll need hubby’s help for that, but he seems to be extremely busy in his chair watching football. smile_cry
Cost breakdown:
Staples, tape, paint, brackets, on hand
Frame, $5.
ceiling panels, $2.
fabric, $4.
Total, $11.00
Cheap!
Tomorrow this baby will be done and I’m ready for another project, recovering a chair.

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Added to, Metamorphosis Monday at Between Naps on the Porch.

Funky Junk Saturday Night Special

***One post below is my DaySpring $35. gift certificate giveaway. Check it out! Have you entered? I hope so!

Debbie (((xx)))

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HALL OF FrAMES

July 6, 2010 By Debbie Filed Under: decorating, Decorative Details, projects, projects 2010, projects crafts how to

CopyKat, copyKat, I’m such a copyKat. You probably already knew that!
I TOTALLY copied this frame wall from bloggers like Nester,

and here’s another beautiful one in black from Classically Amber, don’t you love how they go all the way to the ceiling?
A Martha Stewart version, I love the mix of round and square.

Cottage Instincts has frames and mirrors, Gorgeous!
Here’s my wall. It’s the hallway. I had other things hanging here before but never put anything back after it was repainted a few years ago. The frames add lots of interest and some architectural detail to the drab hallway.

I might add more and take some all the way to the ceiling. That should make the ceiling seem higher.
Here at the end of the hall I’ll definitely be adding more and taking them higher.

This corner would be the perfect spot for some branches, don’t you think?
I didn’t bother to arrange them on the floor to see if I liked how they looked or make templates to see how they fit on the wall? I just grabbed the biggest one and started nailing. Did I mention that I have holy walls, er….holey walls.

Thrift shops and yardsales are where most of them came from and I scored a whole bunch from a free box sitting outside a thrift shop. If you have any art work you’re tired of, you could take it apart and reuse the frame. Most of mine are wooden but some are plastic, it doesn’t matter after they’re painted.

If you have a wall that needs something, this is a cheap way to fill it up! It’s frugal decorating for certain. Have you decorated with frames?

Met Monday at Between naps on the porch.
Making the World Cuter Monday.
Nifty Thrifty Tuesday at Coastal Charm.

^Debbie

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New Life for a pretty old table

April 12, 2010 By Debbie Filed Under: before and after, decorating, Decorative Details, make overs, makeover, met Monday, My home, patio, projects, projects 2010, projects crafts how to

Remember this story from a previous post?
I spotted this neat table at a yardsale a couple of years ago and loved it instantly. It wasn’t even for sale, just holding things to be sold. I asked if it was for sale and the sellers just shrugged their shoulders and said, “ahhhh, sure.” I came back later and picked it up after they carried the chairs out of their basement. $20 is what I paid for the table and 4 chairs!
[table[3].jpg]
Since our patio is much bigger now , the table will finally get a chance to show off. I happen to think she’s so pretty.
The weather was so nice for working outside, so I got to working on her. Her previous owner was quite enterprising in recovering the cushions……..they used an old towel and seat cushion and just wrapped the whole thing up in vinyl, which I discovered after removing a bazillion rusty staples.

Not to be outdone, I decided to use that same cushion. And I’m kinda cheap at times.
I tore off the blue fabric, spread out the fiber, filled up the holes where there was tufting in the cushion and filled those holes with more tufts of stuffing. Got that?

I had the wooden base, next a layer of foam, topped off with the guts of the old blue cushion and ended up with a sort of cushion sandwich.
Next I stretched and stapled on some white fabric that I had on hand and the pretty fabric on top of that. I’d like to add that tools are a gals BFF. The right tools will make any DIYer’s project easier.
Before, ugly grey vinyl. After, pretty lime green!
This set was in our basement for about 3 years. When I bought it I didn’t even know where I would use it. I just loved her cute curlicues, but here she is at last. I ♥ it!
Here are the fabrics I chose to make some pillows and cushions for a bench and a swing. A swing we got in a very thrifty way. That’s another post.

Linking to

DIY Showoff

Southern Hospitality, Thrifty Finds
Between Naps on the Porch, Met Monday
Sumo’s Sweet Stuff

Best DIY Projects for April at Beneath my Heart

32 Comments

A thrifty project and THE GIVEAWAY

April 5, 2010 By Debbie Filed Under: projects, projects 2010, projects crafts how to, rain, recycling, thrifty finds

Rain barrels,
I love them and wanted one for a long time. The water doesn’t have a fancy label, but it’s free for all your plants.
I did some searching online and found these.
$79. for this blue one seems like a lot for a plain blue barrel.

This one’s a little prettier for $159.

For $219 there’s a white one that’s much prettier.

And there’s $699 for this monster.
(Pictures from Rain barrel source)
It couldn’t be that difficult to make a rain barrel, could it? So I searched online again to find directions on how to make your own. I found this site, which we used as a guide to making our own for much less $$.
And here she is, I’ve named her Rainee. She might not be so pretty to you, but she’s beautiful to me. Because she’s a little shy, she stands beside the shed, behind a big arborvitae where people can’t stare at her.
We paid just $1.00 for the barrel at the salvage center and about $30. for the hardware. That’s pretty thrifty, don’t you think? If you have a local salvage center, you should check it out, there’s all kinds of stuff for cheap!

This post is linked up with,
**Rhoda’s thrifty treasures, every Monday, Southern Hospitality
**Susan’s Met Monday at Between Naps on the Porch
**DIY day at Kimba’s, A soft place to Land, tuesday
**just Something I whipped Monday up at The girl Creative
**It’s so Very Cheri’s, It’s so very creative, Monday, It’s so very renovated, Tuesday.
**2nd Time Around at A picture is worth 1000 words, tuesday
** Talented Tuesday at My frugal Family

There’s a giveaway going on over at Bungalow’s review page! It’s a good one. Don’t miss it!

And it’s from a great website with stores where you can find tv stands, furniture, toys, home decor, and so much more. You’ll want to check it out.

Debbie (((xx)))

9 Comments

Lamps, Help Me Decide

January 23, 2010 By Debbie Filed Under: decorating, Decorative Details, master bedroom, projects, projects 2010

Here’s the original post Projects in the new year.
My inspiration lamps

And these are the lamps I found at TJ MAXX. The nearest TJ MAXX store is getting lots more home furnishings, it’s still not as big as Home Goods, but I have hope that it’s going in that direction.

They’re so close to the inspiration lamps and I was pretty excited about finding them.
This is the one I like. The shade has a nice texture and has the tan color I’m adding to the room. So which lamp do you prefer?

Using tan in the window panels and lampshades will tie to the tan color in master bath…that is,when I get around to painting it. OH I hate painting a small room.

The master bedroom will get a softer look without breaking the budget by
*using the all white bedding, which I already have, I’ll be changing the fabric on the euro shams to something heavier.
*making window panels from drop cloths, the tan color,
*adding a white slipcovered chair….already have the chair, just need the slipcover,
*new throw pillows, possibly burlap, bed skirts and new wall decor.

I’m not quite sure about what to put on the walls. Any suggestions? Should I use white frames, maybe red, dark wood? What do you think? I’m always stumped by what to put on toile walls.
This is the lamp I chose.

This is the lamp I rejected. The pair looked too small beside the big tall bed.

That’s it so far. Got any suggestions?

Please come back Monday for the Getting Ready for Spring Gardening GiveAway. I can’t wait to get out in the sun!

11 Comments

Projects in the New Year

January 11, 2010 By Debbie Filed Under: projects, projects 2010

I’m feeling a bit flustered here……I had a whole post just about ready about all possible projects I might do in 2010 and it disappeared into cyber space….it’s somewhere out there just floating around forever. Have you seen it anywhere?
So here’s the condensed version. I’ll expand on these projects and others in upcoming posts.
Here’s our master bedroom in all it’s toile glory. Yep, I’m getting a little tired of it since it’s been like this for a long time, a really long time. But, am I ready to take off all that wallpaper? ugh..maybe…not sure……no.
I’m thinking about getting rid of the window panels, lamps, etc. and trying to give it a different feel. Do you think that’s possible? Maybe some burlap pillows and all white on the bed, get rid of that ugly 1990 green velvet chair……change out the wall decor and lamps with some that have a modern feel, like these,

Then I’d have to do the master bath too. Paint it a burlap color and get rid of the border.

Guest room
This is the only room that I have never painted. It’s still in builder’s white.

I bought this oak sideboard at an auction many years ago and it’s staying even though I prefer darker woods now. What do you think of board and batten in here? I’m thinking of that and lime green, teal or even an orange tone above it.
Stairway to basement
Another area I never painted. After it’s painted, a collection of mirrors or frames would be nice here…….huh? And the railing….?

Kitchen
Getting tired of the fabric in here too. Changing it and the style is a pretty simple project so I’m sure I’ll get it done.

Walls in laundry room
This is a must do. No, might if I get inspired attitude on these walls. I need to scrape off the flaking paint, go over the areas with muriatic acid and Drylock again. It has a cold cement floor and the ceiling isn’t finished but I’d still like to cuten it up.
I’m starting this on Tuesday.
I am I am I am

Those are some of the projects in 2010. Some will get done and others might require a push and there are more possible projects and a list of things I’d like to have. We all have those lists, right? I’ll post about this more later…..
Now, tell me how to change that toile bedroom without removing the wallpaper…pretty please.

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The Secretary Desk, unveiled at last.

November 2, 2009 By Debbie Filed Under: decorating, Decorative Details, projects, projects crafts how to, secretary desk

Here’s how she started out, but just look at her now!

Here she is at last and looking so pretty! I’m extremely happy with the result. After I got this piece, my first thought was to just go over the original finish, which you can see in the previous post. But then I was inspired by these white lovelies!

You can read the saga of this piece here and how I learned a lesson I will never forget! Don’t leave your projects outside even if you think they’re protected from the elements.

In the above picture, lower right side, there is still some rippling of the veneer, but it’s not rippled veneer, it’s character! Sort of like wrinkles.

Shopping at home to find accessories for the shelves was fun. All this STUFF I already had.

These red beauties are some of the last blooms from our double knock out rose.

The interior back is painted the same color as the living room walls, Whole Wheat by Sherwin Williams. The dining room wall color is similar to Antique White which is on the same color strip. The desk sits between the living and dining rooms.

I was considering painting the interior back red, but I think I like it like this. I may some day cover it with scrap book paper or change the color. But for now it stays like this.

The original drawer pulls were wooden and I replaced them with these I found in my stash. They were taken from an old dresser and I think they look better than the wooden ones.

To finish up, I gave the whole desk a good coat of Butcher’s wax. I used this before after seeing it on Martha Stewart. It protects the wood and gives some depth to the finish but it smells, so if you use it, open the windows!

Project complete….it only took 8 or 9 months. The chair is my next project…..how long will that take……

I’m participating in Met Monday at Between Naps on the porch.

AND while you’re over there be sure to check out the daily giveaways this week.

The Knockoff Knockout party at It’s So Very Cheri.

Thrifty Decor Chick,Before and After Party

Progress Report Monday at Addicted to Decor

D I Y day at A Soft Place to Land

2nd time around at A picture is Worth 1,000 Words

67 Comments

Project BOO HOO & project complete

September 13, 2009 By Debbie Filed Under: projects, projects crafts how to, secretary desk

Remember this secretary’s desk that I was so happy to finally find? I procrastinated for a long time trying to decide what I wanted to do with it. And of course, what I decided on was not my original plan.

When I saw this white desk from Eddie Ross I was smitten!

Then I saw another lovely one!

Somerset Bay
That did it, I knew It would be creamy white.

There was a week when the weather was absolutely gorgeous and I decided to get this done. When I sanded, most of the original finish came off. There were some small spots where the veneer had lifted, but wood filler to the rescue.

A larger area of veneer had lifted where it looked like ink had been spilled. A few layers of filler fixed that too. When Bill saw it, he mumbled something about it being a piece of junk. He has no vision, poor guy!

OK, so it’s not a precious antique of solid mahogany! It’s still lovely, I like it and it didn’t cost what a solid mahogany piece would have!

All the pieces were nicely primered but the body still needed more work. I was happy with the way it was going…………..yeah, almost done. Oh what a feeling when a project is going well!

I took the back off to make it easier to paint and repair.

We moved it to the patio and wrapped it in the tarp. And then it rained and rained and rained! Stupid me, ( I’m kicking myself here ) I thought all would be fine……..forgetting that the patio awning leaks The whole side got soaked right through the tarp because of the drip, drop, drip.

The veneer lifted and crinkled and I about sobbed. Gritting my teeth, stomping my feet, swearing…..can you picture it?

Bill saw it, I told you it was a piece of junk.

But, I’m fixing it….glue and clamps and it’s turning out OK. I’m happy again and never ever will I be so stupid to let a piece out in the rain! It’s still not finished, but when it is I’ll proudly post pictures of that piece of junk!

Another project, this one, is finished now. I stenciled some numbers on it to help Mia learn to count. Just another piece of junk!

And last, look what I uncovered in the secretary desk. Coin wrappers, some sort of cording and a sheet of well used carbon paper with a date of 1955. It makes you wonder about the history of the desk. Somebody must have sat there typing away long ago.

I’ve added this to Met Monday at Between Naps on the porch.
Lots more projects over there!

Have a great week.

30 Comments

Projects Completed. …almost

September 2, 2009 By Debbie Filed Under: Blissfully Domestic, Decorative Details, projects, projects crafts how to, thrifty finds, trash to treasure

~~Finished up~~ Almost finished a couple little projects. Whoppee!

I got this kids clothes rack last year at a yardsale and painted it for Mia Kate. I think it’s cute, but I’m not totally satisfied with the finished look.

BEFORE

When I sanded it, most of the pink paint started falling off. Loved that! Next I sprayed it with French Lilac from Rustoleum.

I’m no artist but I tried! It’s a bear holding a flower, in case you couldn’t tell!

AFTER

I dug out my old stencils for some extra detail….didn’t have a plan, just added here and there.

I used a limey green, teal and lilac with black. I really like how the black gives it a little punch.

I’ll probably tweak this a little more before I call it totally done.

NEXT Project——–

I went to work on these little steps that I got from my neighbor when I lived in the old house. He made it for his daughter when she was little. I had this thing for years and sometimes used it in the bathroom to hold towels and soaps beside the tub.

The paint color is Soft Wheat.

I still want to add some numbers and then I’ll call it done.This piece is for Mia too. She can use it to wash her hands and brush her teeth in the master bath. The colors will work well in there.

I’m adding this post to the Blissfully Domestic link up because doing these small projects really does make me feel Blissful. “Blissfully” – full of, marked by, or causing bliss (extreme happiness or joy)

I’m just that kinda gal!

I’m also linking up at DIY day at A soft Place to Land. Lots and lots of project inspiration over there!

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I Painted our tile Backsplash, yes I Did

Progress in the kitchen, new Pantry doors

Project update, What I’ve been working on

DIY Knockoff, How to make a Restoration Hardware coffee table Part 2

A sign made from pallet wood

Creating ombre dresser and shabby lampshade

Project board and batten/Paint colors

Painting fabric on a chair, Part 1

A $5 floor lamp, thrift store burlap and a curbside find

An HUGE old frame becomes a bulletin board.

HALL OF FrAMES

New Life for a pretty old table

A thrifty project and THE GIVEAWAY

Lamps, Help Me Decide

Projects in the New Year

The Secretary Desk, unveiled at last.

Project BOO HOO & project complete

Projects Completed. …almost

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