Little Blue Chairs

Going on Hiatus

2012-12-09T19:26:00.000-05:00

This past year things have changed, I'm finding that I am having less, and less time to keep up with Little Blue Chairs. Between family commitments and school, I am left with little time to do projects, much less document and write about them.

I want to thank everyone who's been reading, commenting and interacting with me here. It has made my time blogging both important and satisfying, which is why it has been so hard for me to officially put my blog on hold.

As I am terrible with good-byes, I want to keep this short and simply say Thank you for all the happiness you have given me.

-Laurie

Totally free closet re-do

2012-11-21T18:40:00.000-05:00

I hadn't planned on tackling my son's closet, but after he pulled the bar down for the third time, I knew I had to work on it sooner, rather than later.

In the last year or so I added some shelves to one side of his closet, but they never really worked out, so I knew that everything was going to come out.

Here is his closet before I started work...

I took everything out, and started from scratch. I wanted to keep the shelves, but move them to the back wall. I did need to cut them down and I reconfigured them slightly.

I also wanted to use the drawers from under his bed.

He never used these drawers and told me he would prefer having it open underneath so he could have a fort, and since we did need drawers in the closet, I figured I could relocate them. Before I could do that I needed to cut out the center section.

Here is a shot of the closet in progress...

I placed the shelves on top of the drawers, filled in all the edges and sanded everything smooth. From here I used some paint I had left over form a previous project. I also added a low rod, so my son can reach and hang up his own clothes.

And finally with his clothes and things all put away.

A big improvement indeed, and as I was able to reuse things I already had it was free, if you are not including my hourly fee.

-Laurie

Dresser to Kitchen Island

2012-11-20T18:19:00.000-05:00

After removing the kitchen peninsula, we needed an island to make the kitchen work. Our budget was $100, which is the price for the FORHOJA island/cart from IKEA

The cart is fine, but it seemed like it belonged in an apartment rather than a home, so I wanted to see what I could do.

I started with a craigslist dresser that I picked up for $25.

I removed the 2 center drawers, added shelves, a pine wood top, paint and new handles. It cost just under $100. I didn't save any money, but it looks more like a proper island.

I have added baskets for additional storage.

Next on my list is to paint the cabinets white. I am anxious to try Ben Moore Advance paint, but am struggling on which white is best. If you have a favorite Ben Moore white, I would love to hear your suggestion.

-Laurie

Handle fail

2012-10-25T09:15:00.000-04:00

I mentioned I was going to do more work on the kitchen, re-painting the cabinets and such. Well, I figured it would be time to update the handles. I don't hate my handles, but I thought I could improve upon them.

I found some on-line that I though could work, and they were in the right price range. There were a couple of option in finishes that I could choose from. And in the end I made a poor choice.

Initially, I wanted either a brushed nickel or a flat black to match with the other finishes I have in the room. But then I realized I didn't want to spend the extra money to replace the exposed hinges, which are an aged brass. I thought that either the nickel or the flat black would only highlight the fact the hinges were different. So I though I would go with the aged copper.

To me in the photo, it looked like the bright copper was mainly on the edges and the handle itself was darker. But I was off in my interpretation.

Here is what I got...

I haven't taken them out of their packages, because I will be returning them. But they are definitely a bright copper color, and they will definitely stick out, and not in a good way.

So I am back to the drawing board. has this happened to you?

-Laurie

Next up....This

2012-10-23T09:16:00.000-04:00

Now that I have finally amputated our peninsula, I am left with a kitchen that needs an island.

as well as other things, but and island is up next. and I am hoping to make it out of my $25 Craigslist find.

It needs some work before it is ready to use, but this is whats up next.....

I hope it is ready to be revealed soon.

-Laurie

Rustoleum Countertop Coating Project

2012-10-20T16:37:00.000-04:00

Changes are happening in the kitchen. I got out-voted on changing the cabinets from blue to gray, but I still am itching for a change. Of course what I really want is brand new wood counters and real hardwood floors, but that is not happening right now. Nope. But what I do know is that the floor really bothers me and I need to figure out something to make it fit better in the room.

OK, I hate the fake tile inset in the fake wood floor, combined with the light counters the whole room looks like it is floating a bit. It needs to be grounded. (All sorts of parenting jokes are swirling in my head about sending the floors to their room without dinner, but I digress)

In short, I am praying and hoping that by darkening the counters I will be able to "ground" the room. Oh and I'm getting rid of the peninsula.

Due to budget constraints, I am going to use Rustoleum Countertop Coating, which runs about $20. The colors are limited, and I have read mixed reviews, but I am desperate to visually change the room.

So we start off knowing the price is right, but trying to select a color is a nightmare. First of all, you are expected to be able to select your color from the tiniest "swatch" on the top off the box.

I wanted to get an off black color. I knew Black was going to be too dark, but trying to decided between Midnight, Storm, and Clay was frustrating. Remember you are trying to decide this in the store and in their great (read sarcastic) lighting. I also found out that I would not be able to return the paint if the color was wrong. ERGH.

I did decided to try Storm. It is gray, it does have a blue undertone, and is close, but I still would have liked it a tad darker. I wish I would have asked if I could have used a custom color. Anyways, I got lucky.

But before I could get started I needed to remove the peninsula. I created a guide with a board to help get a nice straight edge.

I filled the raw edge with wood filler and sanded it smooth before painting the counters.

I spent time on degreasing the counters and sanding the surface. The directions say you don't need to sand, but with our counters being so smooth I decided to take the extra step. I also used a microfiber roller cover for a smooth finish. (I had read that foam starts to flake off).

The paint is stinky. I decided to paint the counters on a weekend when the family was going to be out camping, and it was a good decision. The smell does fade as the paint dries, but it is still pretty strong for a day or so.

It took me 4 thin coats to cover the ivory counters. I would have been done with 3, but afer returning home I discovered the cats had been on the counters....oops.

Actually, I think they did me a favor, because my last coat was a bit patchy. So on my fourth coat I was cautious with my roller marks. You don't have a lot of work time with this paint.

The package says you should let the paint cure for 3 days. I gave it 4 and am still being really gentle with the surface. But so far I am happy with the results.

I do feel like the darker counters help minimize the floor. But like any project, you are never done with one step. Nope. This is just the beginning of a few more "projects" I will be working on in the kitchen.

Since we have removed the peninsula, I will be replacing it with an island. I want to lighten the color of the cabinets. I have ordered new door handles, and I will be making new curtains. Just a few items to keep me busy. I hope to have all this done before Thanksgiving. XX fingers crossed XX

-Laurie

Weekend Project

2012-10-12T14:54:00.000-04:00

Oh Yeah- It's happening

This weekend.

-Laurie

Planning is for sissies

2012-10-03T08:05:00.000-04:00

My plan was to either work on my kitchen cabinets or maybe the guest room, but it was definitely not pulling out everything from my sons closet and re-building it from the ground up.

Why am I doing this?

Well, lets just put it this way.....He pulled his clothes bar off the wall, again. And I was sure I hit the studs this time. Guess it is time to put new batteries in my stud finder.

After picking up his shirts and hanging them on the top bar, this is how he left it. Ok I try and give him slack, he is a 6 year old little boy.

(I know it is blurry, but believe me it is no better in focus)

After clearing out the stuff, here is my true starting point.

The closet is a good sized walk-in, but the shelves on the right make it too tight. So I knew that if I ever got around to it I wanted to move the shelves. Guess there is no time like the present.

But first it all needs to come down.

Well this is where I'm at now.

My new plans are to first tackle the closet then move on to finally finish his bedroom. Not sure how long it is going to take, but its about the journey-right.

-Laurie

Privacy curtain with knife pleat detail

2012-09-26T08:30:00.000-04:00

To me there is nothing worse than having to start the day by opening blinds and curtains to let the sunlight in. That is why I love privacy curtains. Having the morning sunlight gives me that little jolt to get going in the morning, and I don't have to worry if anyone can see me or not.

I know that opening the blinds does not take a huge effort, but it is a little quirk of mine, and I just embrace it instead of fighting it.

In the past I had made some temporary privacy curtains for our living room windows. I either wanted to replace them with shutters or nicer curtains. Alas, shutters are priced out of my current budget, so privacy curtains they are.

I used an Ivory linen/cotton blend. I wanted to keep them simple, as I will be adding some over drapes that will have a stronger pattern. I did use a knife pleat hem, just for a little interest, and because I have been crushing on knife pleats for a little while.

Creating the knife pleats was easier than I thought. To make them I started out by determining the how long I wanted my hem to be. I decided on 3". I took a piece of fabric 8 inches long and folded it in half (it may not have needed to be that wide, but I like to make sure I have enough). It is important to know you will need to have a strip of fabric that is 3x as wide as your finished piece.

From there I decided how wide I wanted the pleats. I decided, very cleverly, that they would be as wide as my ruler.

From here I pressed in the pleats. Making sure the edge of the new pleat came right to the edge of the previous pleat, and making sure they didn't start to tilt. After this I pinned and basted the top of the pleats.

For the header, I wanted something easy and casual. I was inspired by some Arts and Crafts styled headers and came up with this, reversed box pleat-y thing. I am not sure what its offical name is, but it has an easy, casual look.

And there you have it. My new privacy curtains. These ran me around $30 dollars for the fabric. I was able to recycle some old rings I already owned and reused my existing tension rod.

-Laurie

Spoonflower-Have you heard?

2012-09-22T14:55:00.000-04:00

A few weekends ago I spent the day at the Summit of Awesome in DC, hosted by Hello Craft. If you are unfamiliar with Hello Craft, they are a non-profit organization devoted to the handmade movement in crafts. Kind of a neat organization, check them out.

They keynote speaker for the day was Stephen Fraser, the co-founder of Spoonflower.

Have you heard of Spoonflower? I had, but am ashamed to say I had not used the service myself, but I am feeling the need to do so.

Spoonflower is a place where everyday people can design personal prints on fabric. And the best part is you can order a yard for as little as $16 per yard for fabrics you personally design.

It is pretty neat. They even host weekly themed contests for fabric designs. I am telling you if you haven not already checked them out do so, and let me know what you think.

-Laurie

Help!

2012-09-12T09:19:00.000-04:00

I am getting ready to touch up my kitchen cabinets.

As you know I try to be honest about what I do and how things wear. My upper cabinets are holding up great, my bottom cabinets, not so much. What I think happened is...When I went to add the darker color, I omited the step of sanding and/or priming the cabinets. Meaning I went ahead and put color over poly. Not a smart idea.

So...I need to give a light sanding and prime the cabinets before I recoat them. This time I will not omit a step.

But here is where I am stuck. Do I keep the cabinets blue? Or do I make a change?

I love the blue, and I have more of that color so it would be easy and less expensive to do.

But I could use a pretty gray. Gray is so nice on cabinets and in the end would maybe be the way to go. Gray being the new neutral and all. Gray may have longer staying power.

Source- Decor Pad

Or I could go with classic white, but there I think I may have a problem with the counters and would need to refinish them, which is on the list, but not anytime soon.

What would you do? Would you stay with a color you love, but may be a bit "out there" or go in a totally new, safer direction?

Oh, By the way, I haven't told the hubby that this is my plan.
-Laurie

Clearing up toys

2012-09-05T16:12:00.001-04:00

I know if you have kids you are knee-deep in the same battle we are fighting. For us it is the never ending stream of toys that are left out. And personally, I am tired of nagging and they are tired of being nagged, so we have implemented the chore bin.

You may have seen this floating around. I think I spotted it on Facebook, but I am sure it is on Pinterest as well.

Here is my version.

The poem came from Just Another Day in Paradise.

How it works. If I come across a toy that is just laying around, I pick it up and put it in the bin. At anytime they want it they must randomly pick a chore to earn it back. We have them go through it every weekend to keep it clear. If they don't earn it back it goes to the Goodwill.

Here are a sample of the chores I wrote up..

Scrub all 3 toilets, pull weeds or outside work, parents Choice, wipe down base cabinets, wipe down base boards. I tried to think of all those jobs that I rarely get to that need to get done. But you can choose whatever works for you.

So far it is working great. Now I need to conquer the attitude we are facing at dinner. Any suggestions?

-Laurie

Summer hair- Dove Conditioner Spafinders giftcard giveaway

2012-09-04T06:00:00.000-04:00

With such a hot summer, my family and I spent many hours soaking up the sun and water at our local pool. Did you know that summer is hard on your hair? I had forgotten this little fact. The sun and chlorine left our hair dry, almost like straw, my daughters, in particular.

I think she has great hair (yep, proud momma). Her hair has a great silky texture and yet has some thickness to it, not too thick, and definitely not too thin, like her mother's. Taming her hair on a daily basis is usually not too much trouble, but after this summer the battles over hair started to escalate. Below is a picture. And this is after she brushed it. It is stringy and really doesn't want to lay nicely. It started to snarl easily and she wouldn't let me get near it.

Before starting Dove

So when the time came to review Dove's Daily Moisture Conditioner I was excited to see how it would work on my daughter's hair, and she was a willing guinea pig.

After one application I noticed a difference. Her hair was smoother and easier to brush. Gone was all the snarls and the straw-like feeling was replaced with healthy, silky hair. She has even let me start brushing it. I was amazed to see all of this after one use.

After using Dove Conditioner

I have always loved Dove as a company, especially after their "real beauty campaign". Personally, my hair is so fine and thin, I avoid using conditioners out side of the dry winter months, but did take to using Dove Conditioner to help repair my own summer sun damage.

On a side note, I have also been using Dove Daily Moisture Conditioner as a shaving lotion. It leaves my legs smooth and silky, and it is on less item to have in my shower.

Along with my review of Dove Daily Moisture Conditioner, Dove is holding a $1,000 Spafinder gift certificate giveaway. All you need to do in is (follow their link) and answer this question....What is you favorite part of summer?

Follow all of the instructions below to enter the giveaway.

Enter to win a $1,000 Spafinder gift certificate!

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY

COMMENTS TO THIS POST ARE NOT SWEEPSTAKES ENTRIES. PLEASE SEE BELOW FOR ENTRY METHODS FOR THIS SWEEPSTAKES.

You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry methods:

a) Follow this link, and provide your email address and your response to the Promotion prompt

b) Tweet (public message) about this promotion; including exactly the following unique term in your tweet message: "#SweepstakesEntry"; and then visit this link to provide your email address and the URL to that Tweet.

c) Blog about this promotion, including a disclosure that you are receiving a sweepstakes entry in exchange for writing the blog post, and then visit this link to provide your email address and the URL to that post.

This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older. Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail. Winners will have 72 hours to claim the prize, or an alternative winner will be selected.

The Official Rules are available here.

This sweepstakes runs from 9/4/2012 - 9/30/2012

Be sure to visit Dove^®Hair.com to get a coupon for $1.50 off Dove Hair Therapy products.

-Laurie

Why Embroidery?

2012-08-31T12:16:00.000-04:00

A few weeks ago I was asked what I like to do with my spare time, and at the time I was at a loss for words. I wasn't sure exactly how to answer, but I have figured it out.

 I create.

It is a simple statement, but it is the truth. I guess I am just a hands-on type of gal. When I started Little Blue Chairs, I was mainly focused on the DIY aspects of our new home, but I always wanted to keep it open to share other interests. And lately you may have noticed a new interest showing up, namely embroidery.

I haven't decided if it was a perfect storm type of situation or a slow growing seed? But in either case, my interest in needlework was an outcome of 6 specific exposures.

1. About a year ago, I saw a piece on Sunday Morning about the Royal School of Embroidery. I always knew there was more to needlework than cross stitch, but here were modern day people doing it. I stashed it away in the back of my brain to someday...maybe...try some needlework.

2. Another day I randomly came across the book Scandinavian Needlecraft, and 15 minutes later walked out of the store with my very own copy. This is significant, because I rarely by things on an impluse, but I could not leave with out this little guide. I made a few items, but struggled with the transfer of the images on to felt. But even as I put the book aside, I knew I would come back to it. So instead of storing it in a closet, it has been sitting on my desk.

3. During this time, I have been developing a close friendship with a fiber artist. Although our creative medium is different, the creative process is similar. During our talks she has exposed me to the world of wool and yarn, and I have been inspired. However, knitting and crochet hold very little interest for me. The idea of working with fibers was itching in my brain; ticking away trying to find a way express itself.

photo by Erdmann2

4. Then 6 months ago I started back at school and was enrolled in a Textile usage class. For one of the projects I checked out a book titled

American Arts and Crafts Textiles.

This book was all about the embroidery that was so popular during the arts and crafts movement. These needlework designs were nothing short of inspiring. No little dogs, or Santa Clauses in sight. Instead, well thought out designs used in the right places. This is where I really decided it- embroidery was something I was going to try.

5. During the Textiles class, one of my projects was to design an fully custom window treatment. I designed one for my living room. And Although I will not be able to create that specific treatment, I was sparked to create something different, and the idea of designing my own pattern to embroider in the vein of the Arts and Crafts movement was born.

6. So then I knew I was going to create this wonderful embroidery, but really have never tackled the art of embroidery. So I got a book. This book to be exact.

Mary Thomas's Dictionary of Embroidery Stitches

I got right to work practicing the stitches. I made it through the first 23 and then got stuck on the cable stitch. So I ditched that idea and created my first original design. I have been happily working on it for the last 4 weeks.

So even though the presence of embroidery on Little Blue Chairs seems a bit random, it is a something I have been processing for at least a year. I am excited to explore this new medium for my creativity and have many ideas of future projects. I hope to be able to share this with my readers as well.

-Laurie

EmbroideryThread Storage Chest

2012-08-30T18:11:00.000-04:00

The other day I shared with you my new hobby to keep me busy. And with a new hobby there is always new materials that need to be contained. And when I have a new hobby and new things to be contained I find something to contain them.

This is my solution...

It is perfect. It allows me to keep everything in my living room (where I do my stitching) and have some organization. And it is cute. Currently I am sorting my floss in shades of reds and pinks, yellows and oranges, blues, greens, neutrals, and one drawer for needles and other tools.

But as with everything in my house, this particular box has had many lives. I can't remember exactly when I purchased it from Ikea, but I know it was at least a decade ago.

Originally it was unfinished, but rather quickly I painted it glossy black. Of course I didn't take pictures of it until I started altering it.

But you get the idea...From here I had pasted paper on the fronts. And this is what I started with a few weeks ago.

Not too bad, but I wanted to do something different.

I wanted to add some small pulls to the drawers. I had some wooden pegs on hand that I wanted to use. I drilled some small holes to the back of the drawer and added a small piece of wood on the inside.

Next I used some Antique Brass spray and coated the everything, including the wood pegs.

I then added a coat of creamy white to the drawer fronts and the box and on top of that some Antique Brass rub and buff.

Followed by some sanding. I wanted to have a bit of the blue show through, but mostly keep it white.

From here it was just a matter of tweaking the amount of sanding and in the end I added a touch more of the rub-n-buff. I glued the pegs into the holes and waited for the whole thing to dry.

The best part of this whole thing is it was free to me. I had all of the supplies on hand.

-Laurie

Embroidery pillow project

2012-08-29T14:31:00.001-04:00

I have been trying to write something about my new project and I get bogged down, so I thought instead I would just show you what I have been working on.

July 29

July 31

August 6

August 12

August 27

August 29

And that catches us up to today. What is it? Well, it is going to be a throw pillow when I am done with it.

So far it has been a lot of work, a month to get me here. Any free time I have I try to get a bit more done. I am guessing it will be another month before I am finished, but I want to finish this before I get distracted with another project.

-Laurie

16 yards of fabric

2012-08-22T07:15:00.000-04:00

It is here. My fabric for the living and dining room window treatments. All 16 yards.

I knew I wanted natural fibers for this treatment. I really wanted 100% linen, but in the end I had to settle for a 55/45% linen cotton blend. I got a pretty good deal and was able to get this for just over $100.

Now I need to move on to the next phase which will include hand embroidering my original design. So you remember me showing you? If not here it is again.

It is a large project, and I am sure this one is going to take me most of the winter to complete. Oh Boy, but I am super excited to get started.

-Laurie

Sooner or later a new computer is in order

2012-08-21T18:59:00.002-04:00

Lookie here- a post.

I know it has been a while. Summer has taken over and I have been slow on getting posts. I have been enjoying my time with the kids. And in the end that is how it should be.

But summer is wrapping up for us and I am excited to get my own time back, meaning more projects for me and more blogging time. And to help me out with all of this I have enlisted my new friend.

I am super excited that the computer fairies have shined down on me. My computer was so slow and difficult it was making it almost impossible to get any work done.

But now I have this little beauty.

Yay me. So watch out. I have no more excuses.

-Laurie

Citra Solv Transfer to Fabric

2012-07-31T16:52:00.000-04:00

I was scouring the inter-webs to find an easy and inexpensive way to transfer an image to fabric, and came across the Citra Solv technique. It is simple and easy and compared to transfer paper, inexpensive.

Finding my Citra Solv was the toughest part of the process. It is not available everywhere. I didn't want to drive all around town, so after checking my grocery store, Target and Whole foods I went on line. I spent about $13 for a 16oz bottle (with shipping) at Soap.com.

Once you have your solvent, you will need an image to transfer. The printed image needs to be one from a toner based printer, not an ink jet. Also be aware that the image will be in reverse from the original, so if you are using text you will need to print it as a mirror image.

Once you have your image, place it in your fabric. I used painters tape to keep it in place.

Then apply the Citra Solv to the back of paper. I poured the cleaner into a small dish and used a small paint brush to apply. For an image this size it did not take much cleaner. The fumes can be strong, so you may want to have a window open.

After applying the solvent you will need to burnish the back of the transfer. I used the flat end of a fork, but if you have a larger image you could use the bowl of a spoon. Just make sure you get all of the image rubbed.

Remove paper and let dry. The tighter the weave of the fabric the crisper your image will be.

There you have it. A quick and inexpensive way to make your own transfer. From what I have read you can wash this and the image will stay.

Have you tried this technique yet?

-Laurie

House Portrait in Fabric

2012-07-25T20:18:00.000-04:00

Here is a little something I have been tinkering with over the last few weeks. It is a portrait of our house done up in fabrics.

Here you can see the actual house versus the portrait.

It is a rather smallish portrait, measuring 12"x12". I wanted to keep to natural materials, using cotton, wool and linen. The trees are wool felted with embroidered leaf and flower accents.

Does it look familiar? It is the same process I used when recreating 3 Girls on a Jetty, just on a much smaller scale.

Check out how it all came together.

Now I just have to find where to place it.

I think it may go on the gallery wall devoted to our family.

-Laurie

The Eyes of TJ Eckleburg

2012-07-17T09:00:00.000-04:00

I should not be surprising anyone with my declaration of love for F Scott Fitzgerald and the Great Gatsby. And now that my basement is completed (mostly), I can move on to my next project, which is going to be a guest room inspired by The Great Gatsby.

OK I said it. I really did not want to spoil the surprise, but with a remake of the movie in production and a Christmas release date, and not knowing what monkey wrench will be tossed my way, I want it known that I have been wrestling with a Gatsby themed room.

I don't have much more than solid ideas for the room at this moment, really not much more than preparing the room and a duvet that I have purchased and have waiting for my amazing Gatsby treatment. But I do have something I made a while back.

I am not in love with it, but it is a start. Or maybe a pro-type would be a better description. Well- here I will let you take a look...

It is a plaque of the floating eyes of TJ Eckleburg.

I have always wanted an old antique oculist sign, but I yet to come across one. So I attempted to make one. It is not what I envisioned, but currently it is above my door. I would like to try again. It would make sense to put one in the new "Gatsby" room, but I kind of like it above the door. I like the reference of keeping an eye on what you see outside the door and the idea that the eyes remind you that when you go out people are also watching you.

Much more to come....

-Laurie

Basement Artwork

2012-07-16T08:30:00.000-04:00

I want to address the art work in the basement, and why I did what I did. Mainly I am speaking of the one sign to the right of all the others. If I lived in a perfect world I probably would not have placed a lone piece in right there. But some times there is a hole one needs to cover.

And you can see the hole in not in a regular picture height, it is high on the wall, so I knew I needed a long piece that would not be floating around the top pf the room. Oh and not only did I have a random hole, I also had a floating outlet, a phone jack and light switch (there is a second light switch just our of this shot) I needed to address.

Lets take another look at the finished wall....

The tall plaque covers the hole. I placed the piece to just cover it. I then lined up the collection over the sofa to share the same bottom height. The large picture on the bottom left (the umbrella) just covers the phone jack. For the outlet and the switches, I painted them out. Normally I would not suggest painting over switches and outlets, because the paint just chips off, but in this situation we will not be using them so I just wanted them to disappear.

The tall piece was one that I created especially for my kids. I have always love Winnie the Pooh and I love this particular saying, and what better saying could you subconsciously give your children? (You know they don't actually see things like this, nope it is just part of the back ground for them)

It says- Promise me you always remember you're braver than you believe and stronger than you seem and smarter than you think - aa milne

It is exactly what I want my kids to internalize.

For the cluster above the sofa- I used some of the kids art work, some art from a calendar I purchased on Etsy and some printable images from the internet and a key. I also has a few mirrors left over that help balance it all out. I really struggled with the layout. In the end it was a simple solution, but really it took me hours, and I had to discard many other collected frames.

I think there is an opportunity to connect the lone plaque into the cluster as the years go on, but really it was not an option at this time. I just did not want to spend the time collecting images or spend the money of frames. I just wanted to finish the basement.

-Laurie

Basement Before and After

2012-07-13T07:00:00.000-04:00

Yesterday I shared our basement facelift. Today I wanted to share some of the before and after images to show just how much had changed. In the end I think I touched everything except the carpet. No wonder it took so long.

When I see the side by sides, I am amazed at how different the rooms look. By changing the floor plan, lightening the walls and painting the ceiling it really expanded the space. I will spill a secret. It took many samples of white to find the right shade. Since there is no natural light in the basement whites really took on different casts in the space.

In the end I ended up with Popped corn by Behr (I think it is the one to the left of the knob). It was bright enough not to take on a dirty cast, or become too yellow-y. It was light and white, but not a pure white. I then decided to paint the trim and doors in a warm gray, Sherwin Williams Backdrop (7025).

One of the other problems that bothered me was the "tile" by the back door.

As you can see in the left hand picture the tile cuts half way under the table. I am not sure why they had the tile end where it does, it seems pretty random to me. But either way, I needed to neutralize the brown. I wasn't prepared to replace the existing flooring. Then I remembered having these Ikea rugs that I was no longer using. I pieced them together and used carpet tape to affix them to the floor. I did take up the floor trim, paint it and re install to cover the raw edges. Done and done. No more crazy brown tile and in the end it was free for this project.

Speaking of budget. This was a budget project, but I did splurge in some areas. OK splurge may be a stretch, but I went over my allotted budget and my comfort range on expenses. I wish I had kept better track, but I didn't. I did spend about $80 on the sofa, another $80 on the fabric for the chairs (although I did win the chairs themselves... score), around $120 for paint, $10 for pink chair slip cover, $15 for table, and $30 for pillow covers. That brings it to about $335. I am sure I put more into it, but in the end it was under $500 all said. So not too bad. I did re-purpose and reuse whenever possible, which saved me a lot of money and even more important, saves landfill space.

-Laurie

Basement facelift reveal- finally

2012-07-12T08:00:00.000-04:00

I know you have all been waiting for this. Or maybe it is just I have been waiting for this. I am finally able to write these words.....

My basement facelift is D.O.N.E

And it only took me 7 months to complete. OK 7 months may not be unreasonable if I was actually doing construction, but all I was doing was a quick update. You know, a lipstick job, some paint, some rearranging, some fabric, just making it look nicer.

But however long it took me, I am happy with the results of the basement space. This space is mainly for the kids, but I also wanted to be able to hang out and enjoy a movie or drink with friends and family. The room ended up being bright and colorful.

First you should know, there is not one window in this basement. The back door does open, so you can get light in, but mostly the door stays shut. So bringing in bright colors and and having high contrast was something I wanted to play around with in this space.

The sleeper sofa got a new slip cover, as well as the chairs. Recently I shared with you how I refinished the toy chest. Here it is in its new home. It is still a much need toy storage receptacle and also a coffee table/Lego play surface/wii-mote landing pad. And the art work above the sofa features my kids art as well as internet printables and calendar images.

Here is a view of the far corner. Do you remember the chair? Yep that is my $10 bedspread slipcover. Also I brought down the table I painted almost a year ago (and talked first about my basement makeover). The rather large entertainment center was left from the previous owners and also got a coat of yellow paint. On a side note, if this was more of an adult space versus a kids space, I would have chosen different accessories, but in the end it is mainly their space, so cue the toys.

Here are my Blissdom chairs sporting their new furry covers and caterpillar pillows. Also the new home of my recent craigslist find. The painting on the wall was given to us at my bridal shower. It is one of those treasured pieces.

And I finally got to execute my door plate idea with a nod to the movie Hugo (even if my thunder was stolen).

So there it is, 7 months of hard work. I am glad to say I am done. Well, maybe not 100% done. I still have 2 items left.

The cubby under the stairs, which I want to turn into a reading nook and the dreaded ceiling.

Yep it still needs to be painted. Oh well. It will get done, someday.

-Laurie

Craft Wars Floor...Looks familiar

2012-07-11T16:07:00.001-04:00

I finally got a chance to check out TLC's new show, Craft Wars. This is the type of show I enjoy Tivo-ing and watching when I get a spare moment to enjoy a cup of coffee.

And do you know what jumped out at me?

Craft Wars striped floor

The Floors.

They look a tad bit familiar.

You can read more about how I striped my floor.

Have you checked out Craft Wars yet? What did you think?

-Laurie