The Mod Cube

Second Bathroom Complete! +A Penny Floor

2016-05-19T16:14:00.001-07:00

We finished the second bathroom a while ago but I didn't share the process. The pictures don't do it justice...it turned out amazing. My husband did it all, with a little help from myself and his dad. The penny floor was so tedious, but, we love it!

Before:

During:

After:

New Renovations!

2016-05-19T16:03:00.001-07:00

Two more rooms...torn apart and being put back together. The living room has been drywalled and painted, but we continued into the other room so we could finish the floors in both rooms all at once. Such a mess--but it will be worth it!

Crafty Holiday Porch Idea by @carolynjbraden

2014-11-23T17:12:00.001-08:00

Though a dreary, rainy winter day in Louisville, I felt festive and got my porch holiday ready. The burlap covered pots were the perfect addition.

Carolyn Braden's Guest Bath Bliss

2014-01-26T16:01:00.001-08:00

This is a mock up of our 1st floor guest bath remodel. It's still in the demolition phase but we've purchased the shower pan and have decided on a copper penny floor and white subway dimensional tile walls.

Carolyn and Tommy Braden: 1st Floor Bathroom

2014-01-06T09:39:00.001-08:00

Construction has officially begun on our 1st floor bathroom. Tommy started the demolition part over the weekend. The wall you see below that separates the toilet from the shower is going to be gone soon in order to open up the entire room. We did this in our upstairs bathroom and it made the area look much larger. He's going to move the water lines to the other wall which is what should have been done when the bathroom was first added by previous owners. We think we will be putting in a tiled stand up shower instead of a claw foot tub/shower as we did upstairs. However the bathroom looks at the end of the renovation, it will be a million times better than it looks now.

Carolyn Braden's TOIE: Make Your Own Laundry Detergent

2013-07-28T11:55:00.001-07:00

Summer 2013: Carolyn and Tommy Braden House Update

2013-06-20T16:15:00.001-07:00

I haven't posted our home renovation updates in a while. We finished the upstairs bathroom last summer. After that we focused on decor. The house isn't completed inside yet but I still wanted to liven it up a bit. We designed a sofa for our living room. I decided to switch the living room and the dining room and it made a wonderful difference! Who said the living room had to be in the front room of your house anyway?! With the switch came 3 new rugs and the couch.

I moved a modern chair we had left over after all the rearranging that fit perfectly in the foyer. We also switched the second floor rooms around. I switched our bedroom with our office. I love having the screened in "sleeping porch" off our bedroom now. We went to several thrift stores until I found the Louisville Ballet poster I wanted. It's the photo of the toe shoe balanced on an egg by Julius Friedman. It's beautiful! I also found a framed Kentucky Derby sepia etching print from 1983. It was perfect for the living room. We took a trio to Ikea to get new bedding, pillows, a record cabinet, curtains and more. We took a trip down memory lane in our attic. T and I found all our old toys. He loved Star Wars and I loved Barbie. We set up our 3rd floor workout room to also be a toy room. It is like a museum of 1980's stuff. My niece and nephew love that room!

That was our winter; focusing on the indoors. Last month we had the outside of our home painted. It looks like brand new siding was put on our home. Nathan's was the business that gave us the best quote and the best customer service so we had them do the job. They did fantastically. We have planted some organic vegetables in old whiskey style barrels and that's about it for my gardening. I really don't like yard work so most of what I plant are things that come back year after year without my help. Tommy has been working on our camera surveillance program for our home and it is fantastic. We have cameras watching every angle of our home, recording all around us. We live in a wonderful neighborhood but we love having the extra bonus of cameras with our security system. You can never be too safe. Anything Tommy puts his mind to, he can do it and do it well. Such a genius mind.

Next we will be finishing up the outside of our home with new front porch columns. Then maybe the 1st floor bathroom. Since we are still doing the majority of the work ourselves, it a slow but steady process. The more we accomplish, the more it feels like home.

Carolyn Braden's TOIE: How to Turn Fabric Into Art

2013-06-20T15:34:00.001-07:00

Here's a video I created to help you decorate the walks of your home with fabric art.

It's cheap and chic!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6mWosY-Ugmw&feature=c4-overview&list=UUYDUYXfJ-3IZcTg4IeisXNg

Carolyn Braden: Exposed Beams, Pinterest

2012-12-30T17:20:00.001-08:00

I like this idea....exposed ceiling beams. With every ceiling in our house having to be re-done (we still have 4 more rooms to complete) I like the idea of keeping one exposed. I'd do it in our sitting room. Love it!

This idea was one I pinned from Kelly Wearstler.
http://www.kellywearstler.com/

Carolyn Braden's Retro Christmas

2012-11-25T18:56:00.001-08:00

Why have one tree when you can have a menagerie? Here's my solution to the no fuss Christmas decor I wanted this year.

New, New, New, Tommy and Carolyn Braden: Sept. '12 House Update

2012-09-22T07:39:00.001-07:00

Our second floor bathroom is complete! We've added a new door to the 1st floor bathroom and will begin construction on it soon.
Today we are having a new roof put on and will have some gutter work done soon.
We've really come a long way on this major home renovation project!

Carolyn Braden's Curtain Dilemma Solved With Pinterest

2012-08-15T09:16:00.001-07:00

Our bathroom is functional after gutting and renovating it. Since we replaced a traditional tub with a claw foot tub, I had to choose a way to hang a shower curtain. After consulting a Google search and pinning all the ideas to Pinterest, I easily came to a resolution. I decided on buying two curtains and will hang them above the tub, splitting them open like regular curtains to display the tub. I chose a curtain from Amazon that has many colors. The photo is below. It is by Waverly. It gives me many options for towel colors and for artwork for the walls.
Follow me on Pinterest (carolynjbraden) to see the websites for the other photos. I especially love the ocean colored ruffle curtain. Believe it or not, it's a DIY curtain!

Our Upcoming Future: The Penny Floor

2012-07-30T10:07:00.001-07:00

Our upstairs bathroom is almost complete. Following that project will be our downstairs bathroom. We will be installing a penny floor. It is a small space so it's not as ambitious of a project as it seems. This project photo is from http://www.designtrawler.com/2011/04/tread-softly-you-tread-on-my-dreams.html

My Pinterest: A Dream Staircase

2012-07-30T09:55:00.001-07:00

I love this staircase!
http://www.houzz.com/photos/staircase/p/8#
Follow me on Pinterest: carolynjbraden

Our Latest Project: 2nd Floor Bathroom

2012-07-23T18:37:00.001-07:00

With a some ideas and a little IKEA, we have almost completed our bathroom project. After gutting it completely, we have constructed something modern, minimalistic and marvelous. We are now getting ready to install our claw foot tub from Architectural Salvage. We added some new and some old to this room like we are doing to the rest of the house.
Next up, the 1st floor bathroom. We will be hand laying a "penny floor" in that bathroom. Yes, a floor made out of pennies. Stay tuned!

Karastan Rug For My Foyer Thanks To @tjmaxx

2012-02-12T09:05:00.001-08:00

Great deals are being found everyday at TJ Maxx. I wanted a circular rug for my foyer and finally found one! It was a Karastan for only $135.00. When looking for a rug, check out what fiber it is made from. I like all wool rugs that are handmade. My grandmother is the queen of beautiful home style and she said wool rugs are the best.

Seize the Deal or Seize Your Money and Run?

2012-01-28T11:58:00.001-08:00

I will never buy anything from Seize The Deal again and I encourage others to do the same. In a recent purchase of 4 Christmas gifts, my recipients mysteriously were unable to use their gifts. As it turns out, unknowingly to me prior to purchase, Seize The Deal hired Digital Doorstep to deliver the gifts. DD just went bankrupt. When you call DD, their phone is disconnected. When you talk to Seize The Deal, they say to call DD because it's their fault. Even their CEO will not speak up. No where on ANY paperwork does it say Seize The Deal would be hiring another company to deliver the goods, therefore Seize The Deal should refund the money. But, even after talking to them non-stop, they will not take responsibility. It is STD's (oh wow.... not a good abbreviation!) problem and they are to refund the money of the 6000+ people who purchased this gift and then they are the ones that are supposed to sue Seize The Deal. Our bank is going to help us out and I am contacting the Better Business Bureau and as many news stations as possible to spread the word of this horrible company. They need to ask themselves what I ask my students. "What is the right thing to do?" If I don't get anywhere with my ideas soon, I am contacting my "higher-ups" to take the steps necessary to get my money back because this is wrong. Never have I had a problem with a company not taking ownership of a serious wrong doing. It's really really really really crappy of STD.

Carolyn and Tommy Braden's Kitchen Before and After 2011

2011-12-28T11:33:00.001-08:00

With the exception of a few little details, our kitchen renovation is complete. We reused the kitchen cabinets that were in the house when we bought it but transformed them with Rustoleum Transformations. Our open shelving is from IKEA. Tommy created a cabinet for our stainless Bosch dishwasher. We purchased butcher block from IKEA for the counter top above the dishwasher. That will be installed soon. Our other counter top is from Lowe's. Tommy did all the drywalling, painting, some plumbing and all the trim work. The 1st floor bathroom is next. We're off to find a claw foot tub!

Carolyn and Tommy Braden "Kitchen almost finished!"

2011-10-30T09:57:00.001-07:00

We still have a few cosmetic things to complete but our new kitchen is totally functional! We are painting the refrigerator white, painting the door, hanging some more trim and adding some more lighting. I don't have to be a laundry room chef anymore! With only a little drywall help (from a friend and his dad), Tommy completed this room by himself! Well, I helped a little too. :) He even built a cabinet to surround the dishwasher. Our old cabinets were transformed with the help of Rustoleum Cabinet Transformations in Espresso.

Carolyn J. Braden
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Carolyn Braden's Kitchen: America's Next Top Kitchen Contest: Rust-Oleum Transformations - A Revolutionary Kitchen Transformation System

2011-10-29T09:20:00.000-07:00

Our kitchen is truly transformed!

America's Next Top Kitchen Contest: Rust-Oleum Transformations - A Revolutionary Kitchen Transformation System

Vote for Carolyn Braden: One is Silver and the Other Gold : Lucky Magazine

2011-10-04T15:16:00.000-07:00

One is Silver and the Other Gold : Lucky Magazine

Carolyn Braden One is Silver and the Other Gold : Lucky Magazine

2011-09-30T12:31:00.000-07:00

One is Silver and the Other Gold : Lucky Magazine

Vote for Carolyn Braden today: Hostess with the Mostest : Lucky Magazine

2011-09-17T15:25:00.000-07:00

Vote today!

Hostess with the Mostest : Lucky Magazine

Carolyn Braden's Hostess with the Mostest : Lucky Magazine

2011-09-13T18:44:00.000-07:00

My entry for Lucky Magazine's Lifestyle Contributor Contest:

Hostess with the Mostest : Lucky Magazine

Carolyn Braden's Cute Serving Tray

2011-09-01T19:10:00.001-07:00

Serve up breakfast in bed with this fantastic tray! I found this adorably cute octopus printed tray at T.J. Maxx on clearance for $5.00. Great deal!

Carolyn J. Braden
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone