bathroom envy

I posted many moons ago about renovating my kitchen. Well, that project got put on the backburner for another year. In the meantime, I am comtemplating redoing my bathroom. It is much smaller, more doable on a DIY scale, and I can break it up into two or three phases to make it more affordable.

Step 1: Rip out the awful plastic/melamine/whatever shower surround and redo some plumbing work (courtesy of my awesome neighbor). Tile the walls in lieu of a new surround and reglaze the tub. I've seen reviews on Angie's List that this is relatively affordable and easier than a new tub.

Step 2: Repatch some of the drywall, install a new sink pedestal and repaint

Step 3: New tile floor, new lighting

I'm not sure of the order on replacing the sink and the tile floor. Tile first, then the sink on top? New sink and tile around?

One thing is for certain: I have bathroom envy of Freckle Chick's guest bath.
I am in love. Gray walls? Check. Gray tile? Check. Tile shower? Check. And it looks pretty simple on a DIY scale. I think she has another post on how easy it is to tile. I'm not one for complicated projects, but surely someone in my family or friends is slightly handy? Right? Ummm....yeah.I love her gray tile floors from The Great Indoors. Such an unusual size. I have no idea where to find anything even remotely similar in Indianapolis. I may have to venture to the Great North aka Castleton to check out some fancy pants tile places.

This is the only pic I could find of the bathroom and it's pre-mirror. But you can see the green, which features prominently in three rooms of my house. I'm kind of over it and want something new and fresh. I bought paint for the stairwell (finally! Only FIVE years!) although I immediately wished I had purchased something darker. I may use that in the dining room to repaint and then go with something a bit darker in the stairwell.

**Off topic, I logged in and somehow old Blogger dashboard was back hallelujah! And I also noticed that all four lightbulbs are on in the bathroom pic. I had forgotten how darn bright the bathroom is/was because they have been burned out for I don't know how many years...it's probably time for some new ones, eh?

field trip time - kitchen scouting

I ventured into the dangerous territory of the Lowe's kitchen design center this week to gather ideas for my future possible kitchen redo.



I like the dark colors in this cabinet set and also the contrast with the countertop. I really want granite but I'm not sure I can afford it, even with only 14 square feet of countertops.



I like the color of this one, too, but the countertops of the one below.



This is some sort of eco composite countertop made of recycled material.



This is a Corian countertop, I think. I love how it merges in with the sink seamlessly. But I would worry about scratching the sink up, since mine is pretty beaten up from use.



How am I supposed to select one color out of all these different countertops?? Too many choices!

blog me: kitchen ideas or fixer-upper blogs

Blog me! I need blogs, pictures and ideas for a new kitchen. I have big plans to update my kitchen this summer with some tax moolah and extra money I have saved up. I was hoping I had some pictures of how truly terrible my kitchen is, but I don't have any that show how truly disastrous it is.




Here is one from before I closed on the house. I repainted the cabinets solid white before I moved in, but you can see the brick that is on the wall beside the dishwasher. That's fake brick, folks. It's also yellowed with age so the entire kitchen has a yellow hue from forty years of cigarette smoke (not me), cooking, and time. And that "retro" countertop? While it looks all nifty and such, it's really a germ factory since it's been scratched, nicked, and dinged for decades upon decades.




And don't even get me started on the sink. Something we cleaned it with when I moved in removed all protective coating from the porcelain, so it's stained from five years of tea, soda, and dirty dishes. It's terrible.

I hate it and I want it gone!

I know the cabinets have "good bones," and that I could just strip and repaint them, but I will not. I want new cabs, probably IKEA for the quality and price plus the promise of additional, better storage space. Right now my wine glasses don't fit in the cabinets anywhere (shelves are too close together), so they are in a box above the cabinets. Consequently, my sister and I drink our wine out of Pizza Express cups all too often. Stay classy, San Diego!

This is probably closest to the style I would choose (via IKEAFans.com). I am not 100% sold on dark, since there is a lot of dark wood in the next room in the built-in cabinet. But I hate how dirty white cabinets get, especially with the dogs (Bristow can reach the counters the mangy mutt!).

I need recommendations on some blogs with kitchen ideas or fixer-upper type stuff. I know about Young House Love (obvs), and loooove their work. But I need more ideas! I used to follow several DIY/fixer-upper/This Old House type blogs when I first moved into my house, but for the most part they stopped blogging after a while. Some got bored with renovating, but most of them had kids and just stopped blogging so darn much. Which is great for them...but I need ideas, how-tos, price ranges, etc.

I read YHL, Apartment Therapy (sometimes), Design Sponge (sometimes), Freckles Chick, and I just found Rambling Renovators.

postcards on the edge- of the hallway

My mom picked up these wire ornament frames from Pottery Barn- for less than a dollar apiece! I wish she had bought even more, there are so many things to do with them!



The silver wire frame holds a 4x6 photo. They originally came with a red velvet ribbon, meant to hang on the Christmas tree as an ornament. However, I immediately had other plans for them.




I took some 1.5" (ish) green satin ribbon from my stash, and threaded it through the top wire loop of one frame, behind the photo, through the bottom wire loop and then through the top wire loop of the next frame, and so on. I made a little loopy at the top so I could hang it on a nail, and secured the ribbon with a few hidden stitches in matching thread.



See how the ribbon covers up part of the wire frame? Behind the ribbon I used some yarn to tie the frame together. This might not be necessary if your ribbon is wired or thick enough, but with three frames chained together, I wanted to make sure they stayed together.



Instead of using photos, I used three postcards I bought when I went to France eight years ago. I love the idea of changing these out seasonally for other postcards, photographs, or even Christmas or birthday cards.

Other ideas:
-Place a festive photo in it and tuck or tie onto an existing wreath
-Glue patterned scrapbook paper onto the back of photos, and use ribbon to tie from a chandelier
-turn the frames sideways and tie the frames together or string onto ribbon for a garland (they are pretty lightweight)

tiny stitches

a gift from my mom...






my mother's own pattern


tiny beads!

to do, or, procrastinating just a bit longer

I've been hard at work on my To Do list today, which is to say that I'm not actually doing anything. I feel productive, because look! A list! Of Things To Do! But what am I actually doing? Uploading photos onto Flickr, reading teh internets, and posting to my blog. I think it goes without saying that I am still in my pajamas, too.

Things on the To Do List:
-Clean the entire downstairs. There are actually 11 points detailing this, but it is essentially: the downstairs is a wreck (I have been gone for a week, left in a shambles when I hurriedly packed before my trip)

Okay, that is really all that's on the To Do List. So instead of mopping the floor, I made a Crafting To Do List too!

• Finish Elbac (not pictureD)- I am about 1/3 of the way through, thanks to four hours on a plane last week.
• Work on my Crafting binder (on my 101 Things list)- I've been printing out or copying projects and ideas for a few weeks. I put them in plastic sleeves rescued from the trash bin at work, and an old binder I found in a drawer here. I also need to make a cover for it.
  
• Sew a dress (also on 101 Things)- from a pattern I bought last year at this time. Maybe this year I'll buy the fabric and next spring actually make it! Ha!
  
• Butterfly collage inspired by Ali Edwards and craftster
• Hoop circles inspired by The Purl Bee. I found most of the circles at the thrift store near my house, although they also seem to be VERY inexpensive at Michael's and Hobby Lobby. I probably paid about the same price.
  
• Wooden Christmas Tree inspired by the ones in this C&B catalog (although it's not actually IN this catalog, just on the cover?). Red and flocked in the photo, mine will probably be a white/blue/green color, though I would love to try flocking some day.
  

halloween decorating

I finally got my fall decorations out yesterday. I put all the leaves into assorted vases, strung up some "Boo" silver garland, and did up my chandelier. The spiders were made by my mother, probably back when I was in 2nd grade or so. She used to help run the Halloween party at school (back when we could celebrate Halloween at school!), and she could do a killer Haunted Laboratory, complete with brains, eyeballs, and other assorted grossness!

101 Things

I'm starting a 101 Things in 1001 Days. My end date is June 29, 2011, so I have plenty of time to finish these!

I sorted them into categories, although some do overlap. I think the first one I'll finish is the Marathon (November 1st!). I'll also try to post on my blog every day until then.


Crafty Things:
1. Post on my blog(s) every day for a month (0/30)
2. Do a Photo-A-Day every day for a month (0/30)
3. Tag/sort/organize all my photos in Flickr (0/1)
4. Tag all my photos on my Mac (0/1)
5. Make extra cards so I have a stash of 20 extra birthday/baby/thank you/wedding cards (0/20)
6. Finish duvet for my bedroom (0/1)
7. Find four photos for the dining room frames (0/4)
8. Make a cork board/bulletin board for the back door (0/1)
9. Make the Bean an Xmas Stocking (0/1)
10. Start knitting group (0/1)
11. Learn to crochet (0/1)
12. Take an art class (0/1)
13. Sew a dress (0/1)
14. Do Wordless Wednesdays for two months (0/8)
15. Buy an original painting or artwork (0/1)
16. Make a felt bowl/box/something (0/1)

Financial Things:
17. Pay down my CC debt (0/1)
18. Pay down my Dad debt (0/1)
19. Pay down my termite debt/Get termites taken care of too! (0/1)
20. Save in Emergency Savings account $500-$1000 (0/1000)
21. Close all credit cards for cards I don't use/Credit check yearly (0/2)
22. Put $5 into emergency account for each task completed. (0/101)

Things for me:
23. Read 21 books off Big Read List (I've read 39 so far) (0/21)
24. Spend a (non-vacation) day off the internet (0/1)
25. Volunteer 101 hours (0/101)
26. Send and receive a postcard via postcrossing.com (0/1)
27. Identify 101 things that make me happy, make a list, maybe a wordle? (0/1)
28. Take a gardening class (0/1)
29. Go to a lecture at the library, IUPUI, Herron, etc. (0/1)
30. Get a tattoo (0/1)

Things for other people:
31. Send ten thank-you or birthday cards (0/10)
32. Send special cards to my mom 30 times. (0/30)
33. Buy my mom flowers (0/1)
34. Donate 30,000 grains of rice to freerice.com (0/30000)
35. Freecycle ten things (0/10)
36. Cook dinner for Mom and Dad (0/1)
37. Take my cousins to a museum/zoo/out for a day (0/1)
38. Take my parents out to dinner (0/1)
39. Vote in (and encourage others) to vote in the 2008 elections (0/1)

For funsies:
40. Go to the movies alone (0/1)
41. See a Broadway/Broadway Across America show (0/1)
42. Watch 20 classic/old movies- get from AFI List (I reserve the right to skip scary movies!) (0/20)
43. Buy a dress from Anthropologie (0/1)
44. Get a mani or pedi every week for a month (0/4)
45. Create an inspiration board or book for crafting and home (0/1)
46. Read five biographies (0/5)
47. Read 35 more of Agatha Christie's books that are available through IMCPL (0/35)
48. Learn to drive a stick (0/1)
49. Win a contest (0/1)
50. Buy red shoes (0/1)
51. Read five graphic novels (0/5)
52. Go to the Symphony (0/1)

Gardening Things:
53. Build raised planting beds (0/1)
54. Plant Way Back garden (0/1)
55. Plant a tree (0/1)

Health and Fitness Things:
56. Run a marathon (0/1)
57. Bake a gluten-free cake, not from mix (0/1)
58. One week without candy- three times! (0/1)
59. Donate a gallon of blood (0/8)
60. Walk the Bean every day for a week 10 times (0/10)
61. Do a triathlon (0/1)
62. Join an Intramural sport (0/1)
63. Sign up for a 5K with Mom (0/1)
64. Take a new fitness class at the gym 10 times (or 10 new classes total) (0/10)
65. Join a running club (Athletic Annex) (0/1)
66. Buy a new bike (0/1)
67. Go hiking five times (0/5)
68. Go rock climbing (0/1)

House Things:
69. Purge and donate 101 Things (0/101)
70. Organize pantry (0/1)
71. Clean out bedroom closet so you can see the floor (0/1)
72. Paint guest room (again) (0/1)
73. Paint hallway (0/1)
74. Dismantle Panic Room (0/1)
75. Document possessions for insurance- photos, registration numbers, etc (0/1)
76. Put together an Emergency Kit/Evac Kit (0/1)
77. Find, buy, or create a headboard/bedframe (0/1)
78. Find, buy or create art for above said headboard (0/1)
79. Buy a hamper, put clothes in it! (0/1)
80. Get another dog (0/1)
81. Escrow monthly for termite contract ($22/month) (0/32)

Social Things:
82. Go to ten local live-music shows (alone, if I have to!) (0/10)
83. Go to Roller Derby (0/1)
84. Go on a blind date (0/1)
85. Have a Girl's Night In for movies and mixed drinks five times (0/5)
86. Go on at least five dates (0/5)
87. Throw a Family Dinner twice (0/2)
88. Host a game night (0/1)
89. Try ten new restaurants in Indy (0/5)
90. Go to a wine tasting (0/1)
91. Go bowling (0/1)
92. Celebrate my 30th birthday IN STYLE (0/1)
93. Go to the Indiana State Fair (0/1)

Travel Things:
94. Travel to one foreign country (0/1)
95. Go to a Cubs game (0/1)
96. Go to Ikea in Cincy/Schaumburg (0/1)
97. Travel to at least three other states (Ohio and Kentucky do not count) (0/3)
98. Spend a weekend in Chicago (0/1)
99. Visit Grandpa (0/1)

Work Things:
100. Get a raise (0/2)
101. Get a promotion (0/1)

new Amy Butler fabric!

I am simply in love with the new Amy Butler Daisy Chain fabric. I saw it online last Friday, and sent a few links to my Mom to check out. My very resourceful Mother called around to a few fabric stores in order to find it. We ended up driving all the way down to Franklin, only to find A) they did not have Daisy Chain, only other AB collections and B) we didn't bring the measurements of the furniture to cover. DOH!

So yesterday, after my 14 mile training run, I stopped by Quilts Plus since it was *right* next to our finishing point. Convenient! They did have the fabrics, and they are even prettier in person.

This is one of my favorites (clematis in forest on the top)


(photo by Rubysdaughter)

I also loooove this handbag!


by poseypatch1956

I can't wait to head back up to the store to get all the yardage I need!

blue and green equals art

I finally hung some pictures in my house. Only two years late! Story of my life.

The downstairs of my house is painted green, and I've been accenting it with blue- blue glass vases, blue pillows (to come), and artwork with touches of blue. I have a large, gorgeous photograph I bought at Penrod several years ago. It's of a bright blue door somewhere in Santorini- I love it, and I can't believe it's been hiding in my closet for two years. It's my first and only true "art" piece so far, and I even tried to find that door in Santorini when I went four years ago. Alas, I couldn't find it. I did, however, take many other "blue" photos in Greece (pretty easy to do; everything there is bright blue!) and I am going to accompany those with some other "art."

I took some square frames from the clearance section at Target- three bucks apiece last winter. I added some pages taken from a calendar we gave my Mom last year. It's a page-a-day type of beaches from around the world. I picked four of my favorites and hung three on a column in my dining room, and added another to an end table that was missing something in my living room.




(sorry the flash blew it out so much)

There are over a hundred photos left, and I didn't want to waste them! I took some photo coasters that had been sitting empty and unused, and cut up four other calendar pages for those. I didn't want a recognizable "beach scene," so I picked four aerial shots that had texture to them- they are all water, but it's hard to tell when a small section is used in a close-up.



Tomorrow I'm going to finish using some of the other calendar pages in more square frames. I love making art out of found pages like this...it's professional photography, but it didn't cost much, and I'm recycling the pages too, in a way.

How to refinish a floor, or at least how I blundered through it

Last week I refinished my 80-year old wood floors, and they were worth several days of work, and a week of staying at my parents.

This website was of invaluable help (recommended by my uncle), and I followed pretty much the same steps. It's best to put the varnish on during the day, or at least with plenty of bright light. Putting coats on in the dark is a recipe for disaster. I cannot stress this enough. Invest in a Mouse by Black & Decker hand sander. It's great for getting into all of the low spots and corners. We actually went out and bought a second one to speed things up!

Ingredients:
1. Varathane EZ four-head orbital sander, rented from Lowe's for $35/day (two day rental)
2. Four gallons of Varathane Oil-Based Satin Finish for floors (used liberally, discarded quite a bit at the end, really 3.5 gal)
3. Two palm sanders, two Mouse sanders, plenty of 60 grit sandpaper
4. 12 packs of 36-grit, 6 packs of 50-grit, 2 packs of 80-grit
5. Four lambswool applicators
6. Two dropcloths
7. One pack of 120-grit or 150-grit for scuff coats
8. 12 two-packs of tack cloths from Lowe's
9. Four varnish brushes
10. One large back of chocolate
11. Two parents, one sister, and two friends to help

We sanded for two days, starting with the 36-grit on the floor sander. We probably should have stripped off the old old varnish, but instead spent a day trying to sand it down. That included standing on the orbital sander (not safe!) to really cut into the finish. Once we got the finish off, it was smooth sailing. Again, the Mouse sanders were really the best tool to knock down the high spots and dig into the low spots.

We put on four coats, letting it dry at least 24 hours between coats. This is longer than necessary, but because of my day job, this was our only option. I do recommend giving it ample time to dry to prevent hazing or crackling. I stayed at my parents house while the varnish dried- since it was oil-based, the fumes were extremely strong. My throat tasted like burning for hours after each coat.

All in all, the process took over a week. Two full days of sanding, and then around two hours a day for four days to varnish, then three days to cure.

finally an after

One of my largest projects of the year is coming to a close, and not a day too soon. I have been wanting to put up my Christmas tree for over a week, but was unable to because I was waiting for my floor to dry. That's right, I finally refinished my downstairs floors.

The progression...
Before:


Post-Carpet:


Post two days of sanding:






After the first coat (will dry a satin finish):

before&after

This was before:


And now...finally...the after!

My neighbor gave me a dining room table (free!) and my mom lent me some chairs for the time being. The hardwoods aren't yet refinished, but it finally looks like a home!


Ready for fall too!


On top of the built-in cabinet, my international corner of souvenirs from trips abroad. Okay, two vases are really from Target but they were made in China!

inspiration

I've been working diligently (mostly) on my house the past few weeks, in anticipation of my sister moving in. I've spent several weekends painting her room, and I'm still not happy with it. It will double as my craft room, and I've been dying to paint it orange. It did not turn out well. Twice. I've also been working on the bathroom, and I'm thisclose to finishing, but I just can't get my act together. I've also been scouring the web for sofas, headboards, and inspiration for my walls. I have a ton of photos to put up, but no "art." Just postcards from my travels and photos of the fam.














"Sprout," redbeandesigns

















"occie ocie 1.1," birdsandwings

and my favorite! "Flora in Blue," meArtDesign