Lansdowne Life

Easy end-of-year teacher thank you gifts: Decoupaged clipboards

2013-05-22T07:00:00.000-05:00

With the school year wrapping up, it was time to make more thank you gifts for Elise's preschool teachers. I truly believe that gift cards are sometimes the most appreciated, but it doesn't hurt to pair them with a little something handmade.

Decoupaged clipboards are easy to make, and they're the perfect companion to a gift card. I found plain mini clipboards at my favorite well stocked Dollar Tree, but I've gotten similar half-size clipboards at office supply stores in the past.

This is a quick craft you can whip out in under half an hour. A coat of Mod Podge to stick down the card stock and another to seal it. Super easy.

It's also cheap! A dollar for the clipboard and even less for the card stock -- you're all in for under $2 each!

Project FAIL: Painted bathroom sconces

2013-05-15T07:00:00.000-05:00

I don't think I share enough of my project fails with you. Not that I have a ton of them, but when they do occur, I'm usually discouraged and it hardly seems worth the effort to put together a post about it.

But I don't want to give off the impression that everything happens without incident around here, so here's my latest fail.

When we remodeled our bathroom, I chose these vintage-style sconces. They were from Lowe's and budget-priced at $30 each (although I don't think they sell them anymore). But I still find myself lusting after fancier, pricier painted shade sconces such as those at Schoolhouse Electric.

Photos: Schoolhouse Electric: 1 / 2 / 3

I even considered purchasing replacement shades for the existing sconces just to give them a bit more style, but who knows if they would actually fit in the fixtures correctly. Plus even that option would have me spending an unnecessary $70+.

And then I had a giant "duh" moment: I could just paint the shades I already had!

After removing the shades and washing them in some soapy water, I cleaned them with rubbing alcohol (per the instructions on the bottle of craft paint).

Then I taped off my first stripe. It took a while because I was trying to match the decorative edges in the shade.

After burnishing the edges of the tape down, I painted the exposed area with three thin coats of glossy craft paint.

When the paint was dry, I peeled off the tape and... bleh. Not only did the paint bleed a little under the tape, the stripe just looked heavy and sloppy. I had planned to do a second thinner stripe, but just scrapped the entire project once I saw the results of the first. Project fail.

Luckily, craft paint is pretty easy to clean off glass, especially when it's fresh. I soaked the shades in some hot water for a while.

And most of the paint scraped right off without much effort. I did have to scrub a bit to get the last little bits off, but they cleaned up completely. And we're back to where we started. Hmph.

The busy mom's 10-minute 'Happy Birthday' banner + printable

2013-05-13T07:00:00.000-05:00

I did not do a lot of decorating for Elise's birthday party. I did, however, make a super quick and easy 'Happy Birthday' banner that made us both happy. And today I'm going to show you just how quick and easy it was.

First, I started off with a pre-cut pad of paper (called a mat stack or a mat pad in the scrapbooking world). I picked this one up at Michael's. It's basically just a bunch of sheets pre-cut to a certain size, which eliminates cutting up larger sheets.

I designed my banner, then fed the paper through the printer. After the ink was dry, I trimmed off those white margins.

I used some mini clothespins to hang them up onto a length of string and done! Fastest party decoration ever.

No gluing, no sewing, no tape. I'd be shocked if it took more than ten minutes to put together. A bonus: the whole thing can be disassembled and saved to use again at another birthday party.

Want to make one for your party? You're in luck! I've made a printable!

I'm trying something different with this printable, and I'm offering it up as a "pay-what-you-wish" download. What this means is you are welcome to download it for free, or you can make a small donation to help support this ad-free site.

Visit my new shop to download the printables >>

The download includes two files:

Quick 4.5" x 6.5" "Happy Birthday" banner, printable on 4.5" x 6.5" paper
Alternate 8.5" x 11" version, containing four letters to a page. Finished size of each letter = 4.25" x 5.5". (This version requires some cutting, but doesn't require special size paper.)
Both versions print in black ink on your choice of paper. Bright colors or subtly patterned paper look best!

But it looks great on kraft paper too, if you're going for a more subdued, adult color scheme. (That's the slightly smaller version printed from the 8.5" x 11" file pictured above.)

Please e-mail with comments or questions: erin (at) lansdownelife (dot) com. I'd love to hear from you!

Antique mall finds: Vintage kitchen

2013-05-09T07:00:00.000-05:00

I picked up a couple of vintage kitchen items on a recent adventure to the antique malls. I love this jadite green scale. It's in great condition with just the right amount of patina.

It was $20, which is more than I would normally pay for a such an item, but it's so perfect. Plus similar scales go for more online, so I don't feel like I overpaid.

I also fell in love with this sculptural solid brass pitcher. Hello brassy goodness! It is seriously heavy; I should probably keep it on my nightstand in case of an intruder instead of in the kitchen.

See? Nearly five pounds!

See more antique & thrift finds >>

Curb appeal: Adding board and batten cottage-style shutters

2013-05-07T07:00:00.000-05:00

After a bunch of curb appeal improvements we did in 2011, I was thinking the house was looking pretty good. But after we removed those giant Rose of Sharon bushes last year, it was glaringly obvious there was something missing.

Once upon a time our house had shutters. You could see sloppy paint outlines on the brick from where they had been, but they were gone long before we bought the house. Their absence didn't used to bother me, but once I really took notice, I couldn't un-notice the outlined nothings on the sides of the windows. I needed shutters and pronto!

The ones available for sale are not cheap (the size I needed run $86/pair at Home Depot) and I needed four (just for the front windows). Much more economical to DIY them. So I asked my dad if he would make me some board and batten cottage-style shutters as a Christmas gift.

He made them from some old barn wood he cleaned up and planed smooth. He even painted them for me in the color I chose, Valspar's Homestead Resort Olive. Our brick is mostly red, but has some odd yellow and green bricks thrown in, so I coordinated the green with those tones.

After the never-ending winter, he finally hung them up a couple of weekends ago. They really brighten the face of the house and add another layer of architectural interest. And the cottagey cuteness factor is turned way way up.

Just for kicks, here's how far we've come since we moved in five years ago. Feels totally different! I think the brick and the windows are the only things I haven't touched. (Excuse the junky photo below; it's from the real estate listing when we bought the house.)

I want to paint the stairs the same color as the porch this summer. And replacing the broken walkways is still on the to-do list. One day that will get done.

See more curb appeal improvements >>

Simple and special: Small family birthday party

2013-05-01T07:00:00.000-05:00

My little girl turned four last week. FOUR! Can't believe I have a four year old.

With a newborn baby, I knew that this was the perfect time to scale back, pare down and host a super simple family birthday party. But being a newly minted big sister, I didn't want Elise to feel overlooked or unnoticed. Like any kid, she was so so SO excited for her birthday party. I had to deliver something small, but special.

So we ordered pizza from one of our favorite local places and got a cake from the bakery. Elise did not have any special requests besides cake and icing (yes, two separate items), so I kept the decorations simple in bright fun colors.

I sort of love driving myself crazy party planning, but for once it was nice for once not to stress too much.

FREE printable: Preschool handwriting worksheet

2013-04-24T07:00:00.000-05:00

To my surprise, Elise has begun writing her name on her own. Nevermind that the letters aren't in order or in a straight line left to right. Proud mama, here. Can you see all the letters?

If I had known this was going to be the first time she wrote her name, I would have given her a better piece of paper.

I thought I would help her out by making her a traceable handwriting worksheet, and I'm sharing it with you as a free customizable printable!

Download handwriting worksheet (PDF)

Click on the link above, then save the file to your computer by selecting File > Download. (You won't be able to customize the form within your web browser.)

Enter your child's name in the first field, press TAB and the rest of the fields will fill automatically. Then print!

(Note: You won't be able to save the PDF with your typing unless you're using the full version of Adobe Acrobat, not just Acrobat Reader.)

The first page is simply fields to trace while the second page has blank lines below the fields in case they want to try writing without any guidance.

You can type upper case, lower case, mixed case. If your child's name is short, you might even be able to fit it twice on each line as I did above.

Of course, you're not limited to just a name. You can do numbers, letters or whatever other words you can fit in the width of the field. Let me know what clever ideas you come up with in the comments!

p.s. The font I used is called Quicksand Dash.

At last, another kitchen update!

2013-04-18T07:00:00.001-05:00

Finally! Another kitchen remodel update. I can't believe the last one was more than a month ago. Baby was nice enough to let me put this post together for you, and hopefully she'll continue to be cooperative in these final stages of our minor renovation so we can bust this thing out.

Introducing, the new countertops, dishwasher, sink and faucet. And a new garbage disposal that doesn't sound like a garbage truck. Seriously this thing is so quiet, at first I wondered if it was actually disposing of anything at all. But it seems as though garbage disposals are a lot quieter than they used to be.

We replaced our pinkish laminate countertops with new laminate. While that might seem like a strange decision to some, it works for us and our house.

First, the home prices in our middle-class neighborhood probably wouldn't support expensive countertops. I don't think anyone would expect to find much more than laminate. Maybe the most basic granite, but I'm not particularly fond of the look of the cheapest granites anyway.

Second, I love the look of soapstone, but it's out of budget. So pricey! Luckily, this pattern is a pretty close match so it wasn't much of a concession. It's called Oiled Soapstone (Wilsonart), and it really does look like soapstone. The finish is completely matte and so smooth. A bonus: it was in the cheapest group of laminates.

Third, I've never known anything other than laminate, so I'm used to it. I didn't really want natural stone maintenance tacked onto my to-do list. Plus my husband is prone to breaking things (sorry, Dan), so laminate will probably save us many shattered dishes.

You also might notice my tall backsplash underneath the window. I'm really loving the simple, clean look it brings.

The hodge podge mess that was here before had to go, but I had a bit of trouble figuring out what to put in its place. With the counters, paneling, and plaster wall above, I thought a fourth material (such as tile) might be too much. The simplest solution for me was to order a separate, thinner piece of laminate the width of the window apron. I considered having it go the entire length of the wall, but the switch for the garbage disposal was in the way. And since that's a masonry wall, it would have been a huge huge undertaking to move.

Now that the bulk of the work is done, everything's downhill from here! Really, the only things left are some finishing details, painting and decorating. Can't say it will all get done quickly, but I'll have another update shortly!

See all kitchen remodel posts >>

Tips for a DIY newborn photo shoot (for the non-professional)

2013-04-10T07:00:00.000-05:00

Etta and I collaborated on a couple of newborn photo sessions a few weeks ago and I thought I'd pass along some tips I picked up along the way.

Now, if you're a frazzled new mom, don't trust your photography skills or you have a fussy baby, you may want to opt for a pro. But if you're like me and are comfortable with your DSLR, kind of a cheapskate (ahem... raises hand) and your baby is (somewhat) cooperative, give it a go! Nothing to lose, right?

Get the timing right

I've read that the best age to take newborn photos is in the first 14 days, while the baby is still very sleepy. I took these photos at 7 days and 9 days. I wanted to sneak them in before her skin started peeling or she got a weepy blocked tear duct or cradle cap or all that other ugly stuff. (Elise had all of these at the same time, so I am well acquainted.) I don't know if any of them will actually happen, but why procrastinate and miss my opportunity for good photos?

Feed the baby prior to the photo shoot. You want them to fall into that deep sleep and a full belly will help with that.

Start out with a clean diaper. Dress (or undress) the baby in whatever outfit you may want before they fall asleep. Changing diapers and clothes will only disturb them. Keep naked babies wrapped in a blanket. This should probably go without saying, but the goal is to keep the baby calm or asleep.

Setting up the photo shoot area

Gather all your supplies ahead of time. Blankets, pillows, props, outfits, etc. (I used woven blankets with nubby textures.)

Choose a spot in your house that gets good natural light, then open the blinds, curtains, etc. to let in as much of that light as possible. Aim for a time of day that gets soft, indirect light; avoid the harsh shadows of the late afternoon.

I did two sessions. For the first, I had great light. The second day had pretty crummy weather, so I supplemented with a flash. I just use my on-camera flash (still very much an amateur here), but I use a product called a Light Scoop. I love love love this attachment. I wouldn't use my flash without it. It's just a piece of plastic and a mirror, but it bounces the flash onto the ceiling allowing the light to diffuse over the whole room. If you've ever struggled to get well lit photos indoors, the Light Scoop will be nothing short of a revelation.

It just so happened that the spot with the best light in our house is the kid's bedroom, which allowed me to work on top of Elise's twin bed. I put two of our dining room chairs on the side of the bed, with the backs of the chairs facing the side of the bed. This allowed me to create a sloped backdrop with a large blanket.

For many of the shots, I used a Boppy pillow positioned underneath the blanket. If you don't have a Boppy, try using another firm pillow. (Of course, be safe. Use common sense. Supervise. Keep baby's face away from soft surfaces.)

I also turned on the white noise machine we have in the bedroom to dampen the noise of the house and keep her calm.

Other tips

Keep baby warm. Turn up the thermostat. (I've read other tips about using heating pads or space heaters, but I didn't do that.) If you are doing a naked baby photo shoot, keep them covered with a blanket whenever you aren't snapping photos.

Use a pacifier. If they'll take a paci, use it. I was able to pull it out, snap a photo and give it back without her getting upset. This may or may not work for you.

Take a lot of photos. If you take hundreds, you are bound to get a few good ones.

Get down to baby's level. This means you'll probably be sitting on the floor. Get close and avoid strange angles.

Be patient. I spent about 90 minutes to two hours on each session. There's a lot of time spent calming baby, shushing and slowly posing. If you wait until baby's really asleep, you'll be able to reposition them without much resistance.

Keep it simple

This was my first time trying to photograph a newborn, so I kept it simple. Basic natural poses. No props. Nothing fancy. No baby hanging out of a bucket or a basket. Or propped on a stack of books. Those are cute and all, but perhaps too much of a challenge for a first timer.

Any other tips for mom photographers? Add them in the comments!

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*This post contains an affiliate link to Amazon. Making any purchase through that link supports this site. Thanks for your support! See full disclosure.

Pretty new things: Happy birthday to me!

2013-04-03T07:00:00.000-05:00

My birthday was a few weeks ago, just two days before Etta was born. You may ask yourself, how does a nearly full-term pregnant lady celebrate when she can't have drink or sweets or comfort foods (stupid gestational diabetes)? Buy herself pretty things, of course.

The first, a brass lamp from the second wave of Nate Berkus' Target line. The shade is part of the collection too. I tried to pair it with a lighter colored shade, but none of the others at Target fit on the lamp! By design perhaps?

I love the look of the dark shade, but black shades can steal so much of the light, and our living room is so dark without any overhead lights. Luckily, the inside of the shade is bright white, so it's kind of a non-issue.

My second self-purchased present was this old wire basket I found at an antique mall. Have no idea what it was used for. It was a bit dirty, like it had been in someone's basement or garage.

Honestly, I am not quite sure why I had to have it other than I love it. I am practical to a fault and can talk myself out of most any purchase, so once in a while, it's nice to buy something purely for the heck of it. It's going to be bringing its vintage charm to my kitchen shortly.

Hinged canvas (Guest post from Living Analog)

2013-03-27T07:00:00.000-05:00

Today I am featuring a guest post from Living Analog. I stumbled across CT's blog last year sometime and was surprised to discover a fellow St. Louis blogger! Small world! Thanks to CT for sharing her project with us today.

Hi everyone, CT from the blog Living Analog here. I live near to Lansdowne Life in St. Louis, MO and chronicle my design and DIY adventures along with whatever else is going on at my house. My husband, JT, occasionally hops on the blog with a guitar update or two. Today, I'm here to share an inexpensive D.I.Y. hinged canvas idea we recently put together.

A few weeks ago, JT and I made a few picture ledges for an art wall we are putting up in our dining room. We ended up with some extra lumber and an idea was born — hanging a hinged canvas on the art wall to hide a light switch and thermostat from view (while still allowing access to these controls). Luckily I also had some grey canvas dropcloth on hand as well but all of these items are easily picked up at your local hardware store.

To start JT simply used wood glue and some clamps along with the help of a square to create the frame outline. We were using up extra lumber so we were okay with the canvas being rectangular. If you want a square canvas, be sure to cut two of your pieces of wood shorter (by the thickness of the lumber) to ensure a square. That way no mitering or anything fancy is involved. Once the glue was dry, JT drove a few nails into the frame to hold it together. You could also use screws if you wanted more stability but once the canvas is stretched and stapled around the frame, it becomes pretty rigid anyways.

Now on to making this square o' wood look like an artist's canvas. With the help of a staple gun and two sets of hands, we simply tacked the canvas around the backside of the wood frame. I like to put a few staples in the middle of each side before cycling back around and finishing off each side. For the corners, I picked a side for the top and bottom and put simple creases in to gather up the extra fabric. Play around with it a little to find a look you like. Once the dropcloth was all stapled on, I trimmed the excess fabric to align with the frame.

The next step was gesso and this is where the artist's canvas really begins to emerge. You can find gesso with the painting supplies at a craft or hobby store. I simply brushed on a few coats, allowing it to dry between each layer. The gesso stiffens and hardens in the fabric, pulling the canvas a bit tauter and making it look finished. Make sure to gesso all the sides as well. Once it's all dry — voila! — you have a canvas.

Get out the paint colors and have a party on your new canvas for a custom piece of artwork. We made a large canvas a while back (4'-0" by 5'-0") and it's a great way to inexpensively fill a wall. Plus if you decide to change up your room or bring in some new colors, you can simply re-gesso and repaint your canvas for a new look.

The extra step we did to this small canvas was to attached a simple set of hinges to the back of the frame so it could swing open when mounted on the wall.

Here's a sneak peek of the (almost) finished project — the canvas installed in an art wall.

I wanted to fill up the ledges and live with the installation for a little bit while I decide what to paint on it. Check in on Living Analog to see what ends up happening to it! Have you ever made your own canvas or do you prefer to pick them up at the store? Do you ever paint over bizarre paintings you find at thrift stores like Goodwill? I've been known to do that a time or two...

Thanks Erin for having me over! Cheers - CT

Update: High contrast, black and white paintings for baby

2013-03-25T07:00:00.000-05:00

Basically, this post is just another opportunity for me to show you more baby photos.

But seriously, I was amazed that at only two days old, Etta was totally checking out the black and white high contrast paintings Elise and I made for her. We hung them right next to the changing table, and when she's there, she is fixated.

It made Elise feel pretty good that Etta was so interested in something she made. So good that she thought Etta might also be interested in her crayon drawings. Big sister/baby sister relations success!

Scrap bag fabric flower garland (Guest post from Moonfield Lane)

2013-03-20T07:00:00.000-05:00

Thanks to Michele for filling in for me today and sharing her project with us! Check out her blog Moonfield Lane for more great decorating and project ideas!

Hi there! I'm Michele and I blog over at Moonfield Lane. I've been a fan of Erin's creativity for a long time, and I'm thrilled to guest post at Lansdowne Life while Erin cuddles her new baby girl.

Today (in honor of spring and baby girls) I'm going to show you how to make a flower garland from scrap fabric.

If you sew or if you've ever made fabric crafts, you probably have an assortment of fabric scraps already. If you don't, you can buy fat quarters cheaply at the fabric store, often bundled into coordinating prints.

You'll need:

fabric scraps
scissors
cardstock and a pencil to make a pattern
needle and thread
twine
hot glue gun

Before you start, I'd think about where you want to hang your garland, how long you want it to be and how many flowers you'll need. I hung my twine across my mantel before cutting it, allowing for drape. I then marked the middle of the twine, so that I could begin my flowers on either side of the mark. I also tried to get a visual idea of how many flowers I wanted and how I wanted them spaced. I ended up with 12 flowers on 7 feet of twine to hang on my 4 foot mantle.

Loosely draw and cut out three petal shaped circles on the cardstock, each one smaller than the other. These three petals make up one flower. Mine turned out to be about 2 3/4 inches, 2 1/4 inches and 1 3/4 inches respectively, but you don't need to be precise.

Decide on your fabrics and start cutting! I was able to cut through four folds of fabric at a time, making the process go a little faster. You'll need a flower on the front of your garland as well as a flower to glue on the back, meaning I created 24 flowers in all. So I cut 24 petals of each size and 72 all together. You'll want the flowers on the front and back, if not entirely the same, to at least sort of match.

As you're cutting your petals, lay them on top of one another the way you're going to sew them so you can visualize the finished flower and how your patterns look together. You can see in the photo that I frayed my edges a little by running my fingernails around the edge of each petal, pulling some of the loose threads.

Now it's time to sew! Start stitching about 1/4 the way through the smallest petal and go all the way around ending with your needle on the wrong side of the fabric (not like in the picture where the needle comes up through the correct side.)

Pull the needle and thread as tight as you can through the back (without breaking the thread!) as you would a drawstring bag. This creates the center of the flower. Tie a knot in the thread and cut it off. You may need to adjust the center a little until it looks right. You can stick something pointed through the back to sort of "fluff it up" if you need to.

After you've made your flowers, glue them to the twine. I just put a small blob of hot glue on a flower, laid the twine on the glue and pressed another flower on top.

Glue the flowers along the entire length of twine and you're done!

Thanks for having me, Erin!

About Michele from Moonfield Lane: I live in Virginia with my husband and our two wild and woolly little boys. I blog about home decor, crafts and chocolate, and much of my day is spent picking up Legos and cleaning up dirty footprints.

p.s. from Erin: Wouldn't these flowers also be super cute on little girls' hair clips? Might have to make some for my girls! Thanks again, Michele!

Surprise! Introducing Etta Emily

2013-03-13T07:00:00.000-05:00

Etta Emily arrived two and a half weeks ahead of schedule on Friday, March 8 at 5:32 a.m., weighing in at 7 lbs., 15 oz. and stretching 20 3/4 inches long. She is Elise's newborn identical twin.

Arriving with more than two weeks until her due date, a lot of things were left undone around here. Elise's Jenny Lind bed. The kitchen. My dad worked like crazy over the weekend to get our dishwasher and sink installed by the time we came home from the hospital. But none of that really seems to matter anymore.

She's only been alive five days, but I can't imagine life without her now. I feel completely lucky to be the mom to two such beautiful little girls.

I have a few posts scheduled for the coming weeks and plenty of projects to show you, but I hope you'll understand if things are a bit quieter around here for a while!

Quick and easy: Semi-handmade baby mobile

2013-03-06T07:00:00.000-06:00

I wanted to make a mobile for the new baby; Elise never had one. (Instead, I made sort of a paper banner that hung high above her crib.)

But my pre-baby to-do list isn't getting any shorter, and so I concluded that semi-handmade was definitely the route to go this time. No tedious paper folding. No sewing. I needed it to be quick and easy and done in an hour or two.

I started off with a pre-made clip mobile. (I got mine at Amazon for $8.) You can clip nearly anything to it, and I like the thought that we can change it as the kids get older.

I didn't have a clear idea about what exactly it was that I wanted to clip to it though.

And then I found these laser cut wood "doilies" at Michaels (in the Easter/spring section). They were $2.99 for a 3-pack before coupon, which is sort of high in my opinion, but they were the first ready-made objects I found that I loved that also met most of my requirements. I had ten clips to fill and only nine doilies, so I picked up a bird for the tenth

They are big enough that they won't pose a choking hazard, but still light enough to not cause any injuries if they should fall off. Perfect.

I gave them a quick paint job with craft paints I already had on hand...

and clipped them on the mobile.

I hung it from the ceiling using a screw eye. Drilled a hole, screwed it in and it's not going anywhere.

Voilà! Instant mobile in less than an hour! It moves with the slightest breeze. Just lightly blowing on it puts the whole thing in motion.

It's not much to look at from an adult perspective, but from the baby's point of view...

It's really pretty. And that's what really matters, right?

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*This post contains an affiliate link to Amazon. Making any purchase through that link supports this site. Thanks for your support! See full disclosure.

Kitchen update: Removing the weird sink light

2013-03-04T07:00:00.000-06:00

Oh, sink light. I never did understand you. Who puts a light with an open outlet mere inches above a sink?

The light (or at least the wiring) seems to be original to the house. Was this a common feature in 1930? Sink light?

Anyway, my dad disconnected the wiring from the junction box in the basement, and then we removed as much of it as possible. There are still a few inches of wire embedded inside the wall that wouldn't pull out, but it's dead and doesn't connect to anything on either end. The holes left were pretty minimal; I was expecting to have to cover up a giant junction box!

After removing the wire, I filled the holes in the window trim with a few rounds of wood filler and sanded like crazy to make it smoothish again. I haven't repainted it yet because I'm probably going to be repainting a fair amount of the woodwork, and I'll just do it all at once. But already it's looking much cleaner back there. You know, if you can look past the crumbly plaster that was under the tile.

This was so not a big project. I wish we had tackled it sooner!

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Attention bloggers! I am still seeking a few more guest posters for late March/early April. If you are interested, please send an e-mail to erin (at) lansdownelife.com and I'll send you further details. Thanks!

Kitchen update: Undressing the windows

2013-02-27T07:00:00.000-06:00

Sorry for this out of sequence post. You might be confused why it appears the old countertops and backsplash are still here. Well, they're not. I took these photos just before all the work that was done over the weekend. (And then I couldn't wait to catch you up on all the progress that was made!) Anyway, here's a little something I did before that.

I put up curtains in our kitchen shortly after we moved here. They were originally longer (brought along from an old apartment) and my mother-in-law hemmed them for me in my pre-sewing machine days.

At the time, I was under the impression that every window should be "dressed." I thought they looked charming and cottagey, but now... now, I'm over them. And I think I might even be over kitchen curtains entirely.

Our kitchen can be a bit dark so it can use all the natural light it can get. Privacy is not really an issue here; the back of our main floor is on the second story (walkout basement) and the neighbors can't see in. Small kitchen windows like these are the perfect candidates to go au natural.

Plus nearly every inspiration photo I've liked has naked windows. (Just check out my Vintage-Inspired Kitchens board on Pinterest.)

So off the curtains came! And the whole space is looking a bit more open. Honestly, I had no idea how much light I was blocking. It's easily twice as bright now during the day, and it's still winter. I can't imagine the light spring and summer will bring.

Scenes from a DIY partial kitchen renovation

2013-02-25T07:00:00.000-06:00

This is the state of my kitchen today.

I have no idea why there were newspaper ads stuffed inside the countertops behind the sink.
I hope I survive being dishwasher-less for a week.
I'm thinking of keeping the rustic backsplash. ;) (Better than the blue tiles, at least!)
More to come.

How to corral and camouflage wires and other tech

2013-02-21T07:00:00.000-06:00

We got our internet service upgraded over the weekend (yay! for being able to watch a video without it stopping after five seconds!), but when the serviceman left, I was left with this:

A giant new modem and even bigger wireless router. In my living room. The old modem and router plus all associated wires used to fit within that smallish basket, but now... not so much.

Baskets are my favorite way to corral wires, power strips and all that other small tech junk we can't live without. They make a tangle of messy wires look just a bit tidier.

So I grabbed a new larger basket on sale at Michael's for about $8. I was just happy to find something in the right dimensions that would fit underneath the table legs without a lot of searching.

Baskets don't conceal everything completely, but this stuff gets hot! Devices need to breathe. Put them inside something with a lid and you're probably asking for trouble.

I did the same sort of thing in our office next to the desk. Not the most beautiful thing ever, but easy access if something needs to be moved or unplugged.

p.s. I realize a closet or a cabinet might be a better hiding place for this stuff, but this is an old house, where outlets and phone jacks are not always in the most concealed of places!

Kitchen update: Countertop sneak peek + more

2013-02-18T07:00:00.000-06:00

This side of the kitchen is looking a lot closer to finished. The other side... barely anything's changed. So I'm just going to focus on showing you this side for now.

First things first, the bisque range hood is gone! My dad installed new stainless one. It seriously took less than half an hour. So fast!

It does look a little stainless/black-heavy over here, but rest assured I have plans to add some colorful accessories in to warm it up. The vintage beer tray I had above the range before no longer fits in the space (hmph), so I'm on the hunt for something different.

Over the weekend, we picked up our new laminate countertops, but they haven't been installed yet. These two small pieces by the stove are just resting up there so we could see what they looked like; they haven't been screwed in place.

You might have noticed the counters don't have the typical laminate integrated backsplash. After reading a bunch of kitchen reno forums, I found the suggestion to have the laminate made without that four inch lip to make it look more high-end.

Then I browsed every hoarded back issue of This Old House magazine (my favorite) I own to seek out kitchen photos. And yep, most vintagey looking kitchens with expensive soapstone counters had no integrated backsplash. An easy way to get the look for less.

Of course, this leaves me with some wall repairs to tackle (sanding and repainting), but I'm hopeful it will all come out looking great in the end.

You can also catch a glimpse of the wall color I'm auditioning (on top of the cabinets). It's a greeny gray that I think will really brighten up the space. But that probably won't happen for at least a couple of months yet. I'm taking this renovation rather slowly. Baby comes first!

See all kitchen-related posts >>

Stimulating high contrast paintings for baby

2013-02-14T07:00:00.000-06:00

We're still getting ready for baby around here! I put together this simple "sibling activity" to get Elise more excited about baby sister and their shared room. Plus, she's always up for any crafty project I can throw at her.

There's a lot of research out there that suggest babies prefer to look at black and white geometric patterns and high contrast images. We decided to make some of our own to hang up near the baby's changing table to give her something interesting to look at during diaper changes.

I bought some small 6"x8" canvas boards at Michaels for a few bucks. We covered them in office supply dot stickers and painters tape, creating different geometric patterns.

Then Elise painted the entire canvases in black. I didn't care that the coat of paint was uneven. Actually, I think it gives it some extra interest. But if it bothers you, a second coat of paint will take care of it.

Before the paint dried completely, I carefully peeled off the stickers/tape revealing the white below. The edges of the stickers came out a more raggedy than the tape due to the texture of the canvas, but that's OK. Handmade!

For the polka dot and striped paintings, that's all we did. Easy peasy.

The diamond pattern was a bit more complicated. Initially, I thought it would only take a couple of layers, but I took over and ended up doing multiple multiple layers of tape and paint. ~~Honestly, I stopped taking progress photos, and I'm not sure it would be worth explaining in detail. Sorry. If anyone is super interested, leave a comment and I will write up an explanation.~~ See below for a photo explanation of how I did it!

p.s. Of course, Elise had to take some project photos with her own camera. My little blogger without a blog.

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Update 03/25/2013: Baby Etta is fascinated by the paintings! Even at only two days old!

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Added 02/24/2013:

A brief explanation of how to complete the diamond pattern, in photos.

[I don't have a photo of this, but paint the exposed gray diamonds in black, then peel off the tape.]

Big rug in the kitchen

2013-02-11T07:00:00.000-06:00

I have been on the hunt for a new kitchen rug. The one we had before (a $4 Lowes clearance find) was fine, but I wanted something a bit larger than the standard 2'x3' in front of the sink.

After shopping around online, I took a trip to Home Goods. I didn't have a lot of hope of finding anything because I've walked out of Home Goods empty-handed more times than not. But luck must have been on my side; I went in for a rug and I found a rug! And for $50 (!), which is a pretty good price for a 4'x6' wool rug. Everything else I saw online was at least twice as much for the same size.

I know decorating details such as this are better saved for the end of the project when all the pieces are in place, but there are enough colors in the stripes that I don't think it will be a problem.

Plus it has a grippy rubber backing like a bathmat so I'm not straightening it multiple times a day like the old one after it gets kicked or after this happens:

She had an undying love for the old rug. I hope she'll forgive me for replacing it.

Shared kids room update

2013-02-06T07:00:00.000-06:00

I've gotten kind of a late start with transforming Elise's bedroom into a shared room for her and the new baby. Now at 33 weeks, I'm under the gun. It's time to get this place in order. Bear with me; these aren't super pretty photos.

The accessories and artwork are a complete mess right now. I need to do some major decluttering to simplify this tiny room. And I'm replacing the rug with something larger. (I've had the new one for several months already, but I haven't showed it here yet.)

The crib is mostly up. A couple of the screws were stripped, so we have to get replacements. Nothing's ever easy, is it?

We've also shuffled some of the furniture around and moved the bulky laminate bookcase out. It was underutilized and kind of a waste of space in such a small room.

Elise's mattress and box spring have been on the floor for nearly a year. I started her big girl bed out that way to keep it lower to the ground, but (knock on wood) she's never fallen out.

So I got my hands on this family antique Jenny Lind style headboard and footboard. It's been stashed in my parents' basement for years. The finish is flaking off, but I am so in love with this bed! It's too far gone to use as is. Refinishing is out mainly because it would be so so much work (also the wrong time of year for that kind of project). A paint job in a bright and happy color it will be! More to come!

Kitchen update: New appliances!

2013-02-04T07:00:00.000-06:00

There's a whole lot of new and shiny in my kitchen! So far, we only have the refrigerator and the range installed. The dishwasher is waiting in the wings until the new countertops on order are installed.

We were locked into a certain size of refrigerator. And I really, really wanted a bottom drawer freezer. Not really for the freezer so much, but because the refrigerator is at eye level now. I guess we should consider ourselves lucky that they actually still make the dimension we needed, since most of the options are so much larger now. (In fact, if we had space to play with, we could have gotten a larger refrigerator for less than what we paid. Don't ask me how that math works.) I'm so glad we weren't forced to move or alter any of the cabinetry. That would have been a real pain.

I must say that I feel completely spoiled using new appliances. Safe to say, I have never cooked on a stove as nice as this as an adult.

The oven we just got rid of would sometimes randomly spike 100 degrees in temperature and burn what I was baking.
The lemon of a stove we had in the apartment before we moved to this house took an hour to get up to 300 degrees. Plus if you were using the stove top and turned on a second burner, the flame on the first one would get cut in half.
And I seem to remember a stove we had in college shot flames out of the broiler on occasion.

Now cooking is almost enjoyable! The first time I used the new stove, I had three burners going and the oven still pre-heated in under 10 minutes. Unimaginable with my old range. Tools that work are a revelation!

We still have to install the new stainless hood fan. The old one is not vented outside and the new one won't be either, but I am hopeful it work a little better at keeping the grease at bay.

I was disappointed to find out there isn't enough clearance for a microwave above the stove. I know a lot of people don't like over-the-range microwaves, but I was hoping to get it off the counter. No such luck. We're stuck with a countertop model. As a consolation, we'll be upgrading that too, to match the stainless appliances. And I'm working out an idea in my head to make it look more built in.

And a sneak peek at the new countertop I just ordered. Yes, it's laminate. Our neighborhood and housing prices wouldn't support natural stone. Besides, I'm not too good for laminate. Not sure when everybody got all crazy about stone countertops being a necessity. I blame HGTV.

Next up: A much anticipated kitchen makeover

2013-01-30T07:00:00.000-06:00

Get ready folks. I'm finally tackling the kitchen!

Other than some haphazard decorating and replacing the light fixture, we haven't changed anything in here since we moved in. We didn't even re-paint. Actually, I just kind of gave up on this room knowing that no amount of dressing would hide aging bisque appliances and not-my-style countertops. (Not to sound like a complainer. I know there are many kitchens worse off than this one.)

So after nearly five years of living with it in its current state, it's finally time to tackle some much needed updates. And with the late-March due date of baby #2 ticking down, I am not sure if this is a smart idea or a crazy idea. Time will tell.

But first, a little "before" tour...

Our modest kitchen is fairly small at 10'x12'. Not "apartment small," but definitely "old depression-era house small." There's no island. No peninsula. No pantry! Still by old house standards, we have a lot of counter space. It was likely last remodeled in the 90s, and I think they did a decent job. The layout works. The appliances are in the right spots. And all of that makes doing a cosmetic update possible.

The cabinets are staying the same. I love the look of painted cabinets, but I'm not ready to open up that can of worms just yet (if ever). The cabinets are maple (not orangey oak as they may appear in the photos), so I will save painting for a later date, if necessary.

The ceramic tile floors are also in good shape and are neutral enough. The light colored grout gets pretty gross, so I recently scrubbed it as clean as I could get it (I went through a whole can of Bar Keepers Friend!) and then put two coats of grout sealer on it. We will see how that holds up. I'm hopeful I won't be on my hands and knees scrubbing again in the near future.

While we have a fair amount of counter space, the existing laminate is a pink and peachy faux marble that I don't love. My husband doesn't see the pink tones, but you do right? Plus it doesn't contrast enough with the tone of the cabinets. I do have to say that it is excellent at hiding crumbs and grime, though. I'm usually pretty horrified when I get down at eye level and discover all the filth I missed wiping up.

Our appliances work OK. Just OK. They are all about 18 to 20 years old. (Tip: If you inherited appliances with your home, this is a great site for dating them.)

The stove periodically spikes in temperature 100 degrees, which makes baking fun. And it lacks any sort of modern features like self-cleaning or letting you know when it's preheated.

And this actually isn't even the refrigerator that came with the house. About a year ago, that one stopped working, and coincidentally, my parents had just replaced their fridge so they donated their old one to us. Lucky for us, it was the right size to fit within the cabinetry. And weirdly, it's the same approximate age as the one we had. But now this one has started cooling unevenly. Ever cracked a frozen egg?

To make it a dysfunctional appliance trifecta, the dishwasher is hooked up incorrectly and frequently collects dirty drain water from the sink in the bottom. (Yeah, that's stinky.)

This area behind the sink drives me nuts. So many things to fix in one photo. The faucet is leaky and terrible. The sprayer hasn't worked for going on three years.

And check out the most unique feature: the sink light. I don't understand it. I might have turned it on twice in the time we've lived here (and that was just to see if it worked). What's weirder is that there's a non-GFCI outlet on the underside. Hello, electrical hazard!

And the after-thought of a tile backsplash? Yeah, that has to go.

I also plan on repainting the upper third of the walls which are currently a dark brown, but I'm going to wait until I'm not so big and pregnant anymore. Not going to push myself on this one. Maybe late spring/summer?

So what do you think? Enough work for the couple of months of free time I have left?

(p.s....I'll let you in on a little secret: the new replacement appliances are already in tha house! Post on that coming next week.)

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