Now that it is May  – the “junking” season has begun. I had read a lot about Lucketts Antique Market in Virginia from reading the blog, Miss Mustard Seed and have always wanted to go. Ed was going away for the weekend, so I thought I would take the opportunity to get away from the computer and take a trip myself.  It was a 3 hour drive south into Maryland and then a few miles over the border into Virginia.  I left late Saturday afternoon, so I could meet up for dinner with a bunch of bloggers who were going to the Hometalk meetup on Sunday.

HomeTalk.com had arranged a meetup all day on Sunday with Funky Junk Interiors and The Graphics Fairy. They had their space  set up for all to hang out.

Donna of Funky Junk Interiors was there to answer questions, discuss all things junk, and do…

hands-on demonstrations while helping her many fans make signs and decorative stuff all made out of – junk!

Each went away with their own creation following Donna’s tips and tricks – she had many!

When I was not hanging out at the Hometalk area, I went out browsing. It was not the best day weather wise, misty in the morning, but luckily it never poured.  I leisurely strolled around the fair and found lots of inspiration.

Loved these chairs.

and this table  – does it look familiar?  It is almost exactly like mine. My base is still black and I have been on the fence about what color to paint it.  This is all the inspiration I need to get it done.   Will be posting about it soon.

All through the day, bloggers came and met up in front of the HomeTalk tent.   Miriam from HomeTalk, Breida, from Breida With a B, and Karen, from The Graphics Fairy are just a few of the bloggers that I met.

I didn’t get a photo of her, but one of the people I was most excited to meet was, Sharon from Elizabeth and Co.  Long story, but the first time I landed on her blog over a year ago, I saw that she lived in the Maryland town my husband grew up in.  (My husband has not been back since he graduated from high school.)  I asked her if she grew up there. She told me she didn’t, but her husband did. She told me his name and when I asked my husband if he knew him, he smiled big time and answered ,Yes as he looked at me in a questioning way.  Then I told him, “I just met his wife online, she is a DIY home blogger, too!”  They were best buddies with a third friend through childhood and into high school.  Small world and all made possible through blogging.

These two creative gals were fun, fun, fun, but since they had their own space where they were selling their lines of jewelry they could not hang out at the hometalk tent.  Loved them.  Jeanne from junxtaposition and Lucy from bel monili.

Jeanne -Junxtapostions makes typewriter key jewelry.

Necklaces and Bracelets.  I bought a bracelet and a keychain.

Lucy -bel monili is all about taking vintage jewels and making them modern. So much delicious eye candy.

I had no plans to buy anything big, but if I did, I would have loved to take this home with me.

I like to study painted finishes to see how colors are combined, layered, distressed, etc. and now have a few new images to add to my painted finishes “reference file”.

Lucketts is the name of the antique store and seasonal market that are held, but also the name of the town. The local Lucketts community fireman (in pink t-shirts) were on hand all day to help buyers carry their purchases to their cars.

How sweet is this pitcher and glass set?    It has SUMMER written all over it!  I can picture it in a County Living photo spread – each glass filled with freshly squeezed lemonade.

I am not a fan of decorating with antlers, but there were plenty.

Classic planters – slate and zinc.

Colorful distressed and mottled letters to hang on a wall or place on a shelf.

Marian, Miss Mustard Seed’s tent was right next to HomeTalk. She was very busy and sold most of the furniture and items she brought to sell.

Marian and her mom.

What you can’t experience only seeing these photos, was the beautiful scent of  lavender that filled the air around her space. I had to buy some to bring home with me.

The merchandise in her tent was styled just like her home -beautiful.

One of the benefits of being a blogger – your office is anywhere there is an internet connection.  Karen, The Graphics Fairy.

When lunchtime came, it was hard trying to decide what to eat.  It all looked and smelled delish.  I went for a Crabcake sandwich.

Even the picnic area was filled with old stuff.

After grabbing a bite to eat, I went into the Design House. It is like a decorators show house that is only open at certain times of the year. It was open for this event and I was told by everyone, I had to go see it.  It was crowded, but I did get a glimpse into some of the rooms.

Even the exterior of Design House was a visual treat.

It was getting late and I wanted to get home before dark, so I left around 3:30.  Everyone who came received a hometalk tote bag.  I bought a few little things –  4 glass door knobs, a key chain and typewriter key bracelet that says “Junker” from Junxtaposition.

I also brought home a white pitcher and soup tureen to put in my newly stripped cabinet.  Both were end of the market deals!  Now I just have to get the inside of the cabinet painted where the stripper dripped.

I had a great time at Lucketts. The best part was meeting and getting to know so many others who are passionate about the same things. If you ever get the chance to go – I would highly recommend it.

The post A Weekend Spent Junking at Lucketts Spring Market appeared first on In My Own Style.

Happy weekend!  Do you have any fun plans?

I am headed to the Hometalk Meetup in Leesburg, Va tomorrow.  Donna of Funky Junk is going to be there, Karen, The Graphics Fairy, and Marian a.k.a. Miss Mustard Seed as well as many other bloggers and readers.  Donna is one of my faves; I wrote a post about her a few years ago.  Since she lives in western Canada, I figured this may be the best opportunity to finally get to meet her.

While I am away, Ed was invited to dinner by a friend of his.  He bought a bottle of wine to take as a hostess gift and asked me if I could make the bottle look a bit more festive.

I wasn’t sure what I was going to do with it, but as soon as I walked into my studioffice and saw all the pretty, colorful, and festive gift wrap that I have been buying for a few dollars a roll at HomeGoods, I had an idea on how to make a festive wine bottle wrap.

supplies needed:

I found these all-occasion chalk board gift tags over at ellienee.com. You can download them for free there.

Photo: ellie.com

I saved the download on my computer so I could use it again, but to save on printer ink, I used the “Snipping Tool” to just snip the tag I wanted from the pdf. I saved it to “my photos” on my computer and then printed it out alone.

Never heard of the Snipping Tool?   It is a handy little tool to have if you like to capture anything from your computer screen and save it.

I have a PC, not sure if Mac has its own version.   It is free. To download and learn how to use it,  click here.

1. Cut a piece of  gift wrap that is about 6 inches longer than the height of the bottle. The width should be enough to roll the bottle on until it is covered.  Lay the wine bottle on its side on top of the wrong side of the gift wrap.    Roll the bottle on the gift wrap and tape the edges to secure gift wrap around the bottle. Tape the excess gift wrap on the bottom to the underside of the bottle.   Cinch the top of the gift wrap around the top with your hands to form fit it around the neck.

2.  Cut out the tag and ribbon.  I chose not to use it as a tag, but a label.

3. I made slits with a craft knife on the tag to thread the ribbon through.

4. Secure the ends of the ribbon using Glue Dots or hot glue on the back of the bottle. Line up edges with the seam in the gift wrap.   Cut and then press with your fingers to make sure it is adhered and smooth.

5.  Wrap ribbon around the neck of the bottle using the Glue Dots to secure.   Using a pair of scissors, make vertical cuts 1/4-inch apart from each other in the excess gift wrap on the top of the bottle.   It will splay out creating a festive topper.

Before I sign off for the weekend, I have a new post up over at My Colortopia. With summer coming – you may get inspired to lighten up your rooms a bit.

If you haven’t heard about the HomeTalk Meet-Up in Leesburg, Virginia this Sunday, you can find out more over on the HomeTalk site.

Are you going?

See ya back here on Monday!

Sharing with:  Tatertots & Jello, Tidy Mom

The post Fast & Easy Wine Bottle Wrap appeared first on In My Own Style.

I am loving the look of raw wood lately. It is classic and goes with everything. I see more and more of it popping up in catalogs, decorating magazines, and Pinterest. It is a classic country look that style setting retailers have restyled to fit their brand.

Have you been in a Restoration Hardware store since they re-branded a few years ago?    Going into the store is like stepping into a dark Film Noir set, but with lots of raw wood and silver mixed in for masculine appeal. Not the look I am after, but when I look past the branding and see something that truly inspires me – like a perfectly designed table, I take note!

I would never want the whole “manufactured perfection” of any style setting retailer – as it is someone else’s style.   I don’t want Shake n’ Bake perfection – I want to create a home that is perfect only for me and my family’s life + style.

Taking a few bits and pieces that inspire me from retail style and putting my own stamp on them is what takes the “manufactured perfection” out of the equation.

After being inspired by a raw wood table the brand sells, I stripped my kitchen table  recently.  I do not like to strip furniture, it is much easier to paint, but to get the look I am after – furniture stripping is required.   Having had success with the table along with the little voice in my head that kept telling me “Just Do It” has me in the process of stripping another hand-me down piece. I have improved upon my method and have a few furniture finishing tips to share with you.

Do you remember the post I did on creating your own furniture by combining two non-matching pieces?

I have used these two pieces in many different ways, but they have been in my kitchen like this for awhile.  I love the glass fronted cabinet, but not the aged stain that has taken on an orange hue over the years.

I never painted it, because even though I love painted furniture, I also think there needs to be a mix of finishes to create a nice flow and appeal to the decor. Too much of one thing ends up looking like a furniture showroom.

Since I liked the burled design in the wood on the cabinet – it is the piece I chose to stay wood tone.

Recently I pinned the photo below along with many others of pieces with raw or natural wood finishes.   They helped make my decision to – go for it! Why have inspiration boards if we are never going to take action and make the inspiration happen to make our style + life the way we envision?

Photo: Country Living

It can always be re-stained or repainted if I don’t like how it comes out, right?

I am not entirely finished with the cabinet, but I will show you how the process is going.

I know why I didn’t do a lot of furniture stripping in the past –it is smelly, messy and you need to be careful as the stripper is a powerful chemical.  Since I still had some left from the brand I used for my kitchen table stripping project, I used it. If I am going to strip furniture again, I would look for a product that is more natural and not as harmful to humans and the environment. If anyone knows of a good brand, please share in the comments.

I took the cabinet out to my garage and placed it on a plastic shower curtain liner I bought at the dollar store.  I opened the garage doors wide so there was plenty of ventilation and went to work.

Supplies Needed:

Make sure to wear eye protection, rubber gloves, long sleeves and pants. If the stripper touches your skin – it burns!

I used a rag and an old paint brush to apply the stripper to the cabinet. I let it do its work which took about 15 minutes.  I then dipped a piece of steel wool into a bucket of water and scrubbed it over the wood until I removed all the stripper along with the stain/varnish gunk.  I had to clean out the steel wool pad a few times in the bucket of water while I worked.

I did the drawers first and then worked on the cabinet. After finishing the process, I wiped everything down with mineral spirits to remove any stripper residue.

I brought the cabinet back inside to work on a few detailed areas that still had some stain on them.  I put some foil down to protect the top of the sideboard the cabinet is on.

I brushed on a tiny bit of wood stripper, let it sit for about 10 minutes and then scrubbed it off with a wet SOS pad.   I rinsed it off with a damp rag and let dry.

I am very excited about how it came out.  I may add a coat of paste wax to bring out the patina of the wood.

As I mentioned earlier – stripping furniture is a messy job – the inside of the cabinet took a beating from the stripper.  One step forward for this project and one step back.  Nothing a sanding block and a fresh coat of paint can’t fix.

Back out to the garage again for the cabinet to get more clean-up and polish.

I will show you the completed AFTER soon.  I am also giving the sideboard a little bit of a makeover, too.  It won’t be its first.

Have you ever stripped a piece of furniture. Any tips to make the process less messy or easier?

The post Mixing It Up: Wood and Painted Furniture Finishes that Suit Your Style appeared first on In My Own Style.

Over the course of the year, we spend most of our decorating energy on the interiors of our house.  When the weather starts to warm up, we take that energy to the outside of our home to begin attacking the exterior To-Do List. That is what Ed and I did over the weekend.  Our list is a long one. After living in our house for 19 years – there are always things to be done.

I have to thank my good friend and neighbor, Debbie for helping to bring this post to you.    She had recently painted some of her outdoor light fixtures and when she saw the sad state of mine, she showed me what she did to make hers look brand new and shiny again.  She had leftover paint and gave it to me to try out.

It is amazing paint. It provides a metallic hammered finish. It is from Benjamin Moore. It is called Molten Metallics Paint in the color – Bronze.  I went to the Benjamin Moore site to see if it came in other colors, it does – Gold, Copper, Bronze, Gun Smoke, Silver and Charcoal.

It is oil-based, so I used throw away brushes.

When using inexpensive brushes – rub the brush against the side of your hand a few times to remove any loose bristles. Do it a few times until they stop falling out.

I have used Hammered Bronze spray paint from Rustoleum before with great results, but this paint is so much easier to use since you can leave the fixtures right where they are.

I painted, cleaned, and prepped 3 exterior light fixtures in about 2 hours time. It would have taken me longer to replace them. Since I love these fixtures, I was happy to bring them back to life.

Here is what the carriage light looked liked before.  Bleached and rusted from the sun, wind, and weather.

Transformed with steel wool and the metallic paint.

The lights on the side of my house received the same makeover.

The rusty before.

I first cleaned the metal using a wet S.O.S pad. I scrubbed hard and then rinsed off the soap and residue with clean water and let the metal dry.

This is how the fixtures looked after scrubbing them. They cleaned up nicely.

If the rust doesn’t come off – apply one coat of rust preventing primer and let dry, then paint.  The directions on the paint can say that priming is not necessary if you prepare the surface correctly.

It is cool to watch the hammered effect happen.  It goes on like regular paint, but after 30 seconds it starts to take on a hammered finish right before your eyes – presto-change-o!  One coat may be all you need, but two coats are recommended.

I figured why I was painting the fixtures, I might as well remove the glass to get rid of all the dead bugs and make the glass shine again.

They look as good as the day I bought them at the Home Depot 10 years ago.

All done with a little can of amazing paint.

I am very happy with the results, best of all it was a fast and easy project. Now, I have 4 more to transform.

Thanks Debbie for sharing your “paint find” with me.  XO

The post Transform Outdoor Light Fixtures With a Hammered Paint Finish appeared first on In My Own Style.

My rolling door has been up for a week now; to say I love it is an understatement. It was just what the bathroom needed. Now I am looking at every door in my house  to visualize what it would look like with a rolling door installed.  So many possibilities!

Before I announce the winner’s name -

Rolling Door Designs is offering a 5% discount to any of my readers who wants to purchase the hardware.  At checkout, enter   myownstyle    in the coupon code box to redeem.

The winner of a single rolling door hardware kit is…

Commenter # 59    Lisa M.

Congratulations Lisa!  I will be emailing you.

Happy weekend everyone.

The post Announcing Rolling Door Designs Giveaway Winner appeared first on In My Own Style.

My mom used to say a lot of things that all mothers do, like – brush your teeth, pick up your wet towels, do your homework, clean your room…

More often she would say, “Just because everyone is doing it doesn’t mean you have to do it.”  That was always a tough one to hear, especially as a teenager when you would do almost anything to fit in.

She also used to say, “You are getting my dander up”, when she had just about enough of whatever rambunctious and inappropriate stuff my siblings and I were doing.  When we heard, “You are going to send me to the boobyhatch and she shook her hands over her head”,  we knew we better settle down or our world might just come to an end.

But, the #1 thing my mom used to say when I was growing up that made the biggest impression was…

You gotta have style!  Spunk, charisma, gusto, charm!

This is exactly what my mom preached to us every day.

She was born and raised in Brooklyn and worked in Manhattan before moving to Philadelphia to work. That is where she met my dad and then settled down.

As kids growing up in suburbia, we would get embarrassed sometimes when we were out in public with her. She didn’t dress or drink like Auntie Mame, and was not quite as worldly, but was very much like her in spirit.  Not shy to get the attention of a sales clerk, she would step on her tip-toes, raise her arm and wave her hand in the air as she would call out, “Miss…Miss…” for all to hear.  As kids we would just want to shrink, hide, and pretend she was not our mom.

She never apologized for what she called, “her New York ways”. It was just her style.  We knew going into an event that she would be the first one standing and enthusiastically applauding while the rest of the audience stayed seated.

When we were older and brought home pop music (in the form of vinyl records), she loved listening to them.  She would dance around the living room trying to get one of us kids to dance along. She would call the songs – “numbers” – like they were in a Jukebox, not by the song’s name.  One of her faves was Sara Smile by Hall & Oates. She would always say, “I like that number, play it again.”

On Mother’s Day we knew better than to buy a purchased floral arrangement at a florist. She truly hated them. She much preferred cuttings from the wildflowers in the field across the street or a vase filled with the forsythia and lilacs that she had planted in the yard.

Step-by-step tutorial:  How to Decorate a Frame with a Necklace

When we were older, we would buy things using our own money – say a pair of new shoes that we were all excited about. She would always say how nice they were, but then add – “you have more shoes up in that closet than you can shake a stick at”.  She always wanted us to save and spend our money wisely. It was her way of saying we didn’t need the item.

Way before it was popular, my mom loved white as the base for everything. We  ate off of white dishes,  had white drapes and white walls in most rooms except the bedrooms where we were allowed to show our style. When she picked out a colorful wall-to-wall striped rug for the open concept living/dining room that resembled a Dash & Albert rug, it was the talk of the neighborhood.

I thought it was so cool.  It was so different from what anyone else had at the time.  She could put anything in the room and it would work.   She moved things around constantly. It was always fun to come home from school to find the living room completely rearranged.   My siblings and I would jump all around and sit on every piece of furniture, just to see how it felt in its new spot.

Now looking back on these moments, I can only smile as they were what made my mom, my mom.  We are all individuals, but are shaped and influenced by our mothers in one way or another.  She lived as authentically as she could. It was what she wanted for her children the most – for us to live with style and gusto, to  just be ourselves and go out and live the best life for us alone.

It is what I try to do and teach my own daughters.  You can tell  how much I was  influenced by her, by what I named my blog – In My Own Style.

Photo: A Country Farmhouse

My mom is no longer living, but her words will stick with me forever.  This photo hangs in my dad’s apartment.  I blow her a kiss every time I visit. XO

I am going to head out to the garden center to pick up flowers today – lilacs – her favorite. Seeing them in a milk glass vase on my kitchen island will be one way I can fondly remember her this Mother’s Day weekend.

I know if my siblings are reading this – they are smiling now!

What did your mom always say to you?

Happy Mother’s Day!

The post My Momma Used To Say appeared first on In My Own Style.

I bought the perfect white ceramic lamp for my desk about a year ago. I loved this lamp. It was a real find at Walmart.  Nothing had to be changed or altered to fit my style.  I loved it for about 3 months until a cat named Trax jumped up on my desk and knocked it over. It crashed on the floor into pieces. It was truly a sad day.  My poor, perfect-for-my-desk, lamp – a goner!

I have been searching for a replacement ever since.  I am picky about my lamps – they can’t be too big or too little – they have to be just right – so I searched and searched until a few weeks ago….

…when I spotted this one at Ross for $13.  It was very similar to the one that broke, but more streamlined.  The only thing I didn’t like about it was the black shade.  Time to decorate a lampshade.

lampshade: before

I figured I could just buy a new shade for it. I soon realized since it was such a bargain price lamp,  the wire shade was permanently attached to the lamp and changing out shades would not be so simple.  I figured I would cut it off with wire cutters and replace it with a small white barrel shade using a bulb shade clip like this.

I looked at Target, Walmart, HomeGoods, and Lowes, but could not find a shade small enough.  Glad I didn’t cut the original off first.

Which takes me to the project of this post.  With a little bit of paint, fabric, and glue, I was able to cover the existing black shade to make it more in tune with my style.

lampshade: after

One lingering problem that I still can’t get right, is the wire shade frame is slightly crooked. I keep bending it to straighten, but it is still crooked.  I will keep bending and tweaking until it stays straight!

Supplies Needed:

1. This step is optional. Since the shade was black and there are white sections on the fabric, I didn’t want the black tones coming through the white.  I used white craft paint to paint the shade white to prevent this from happening.  Let the paint dry before adding fabric.  I thought about just painting the shade in a glossy color, but the floral design on the shade is raised. I didn’t like the way it looked.

2.  Cut fabric to the size needed. See supply list for measurements.

If your fabric is fraying – use pinking shears to cut.  You could also dab all the fabric edges with white glue and let them dry. When you cut – no fray.

3. Spray an even coat of spray glue on back of fabric and on shade. Let the glue get tacky.  Align fabric and roll the shade on the fabric to attach. Using a geometric pattern can make it a bit tricky to make sure the pattern is straight.  Smooth with your fingers.  Apply Tacky glue under seam edges of fabric to flatten and adhere.

4. Turn the excess fabric on the top and bottom to the inside of shade.  Use a paint brush to apply Tacky glue under the fabric, then press the fabric with your fingers to smooth.  I also needed to make a slit with scissors on the fabric right under the wire frame arms so the fabric would lay flat inside the shade.

5.As the top edge may be exposed to passersby, bthe rush Tacky glue on one side of cut ribbon.

6. Align ribbon over raw edge of fabric inside the shade. Press with fingers to smooth. Cut excess to line up with seam on the fabric cover.

All done.   I still have more of the fabric I used. You may see it pop up again in a future decorating  project.

The post How to Decorate a Lampshade appeared first on In My Own Style.

I have an exciting post for you today.

A before & after makeover showing you how I used a hardware kit from Rolling Door Designs to install a rolling door in my bathroom…

When Rolling Door Designs asked me if I would like to install a single rolling door in my home using one of their hardware kits, I wrote back with a big, YES!

I know you have seen rolling doors all over Pinterest.  They add tons of character to a room and my two-story bathroom needs just that!   It is just a big cavernous space.  With the removal of the swinging door into the room, I have created a better flow between rooms while adding lots of fresh style and character.

before: swinging door

When you walk into my bedroom there are 2 doors that overlap and then a third one behind the second one. Sound confusing?  It is !  There are way too many overlapping doors – door to my bedroom, door to bathroom, and the door to the shower all within 3 steps of each other. Not good!  The door knobs always touch and the shower door gets linked to the bathroom door knob daily and has to be pulled apart.  Ideally pocket doors are what the builder of the house should have put in here.  

after:  rolling door designs hardware installed

With the help of the hardware from Rolling Door Designs –removing the swinging door in the bathroom that hid the shower stall and replacing it with a rolling door creates a much better flow and the bonus…

…of adding character and style to my cavernous two-story bathroom.  Bold and big accessories are needed to create balance in here. The addition of the rolling door is like adding a piece of large art.   I chose to paint the door a fun color – the name of the color is Celestial #A1403 from Glidden.

View of doorway with the rolling door installed from the Bedroom.  I painted the outside of the door white and the inside – blue.

The bathroom door no longer swings into the room, blocking the shower door, but silently glides along the rail that is attached above and along the wall with 4 brackets.

Here is how it looks open.

and closed

Adding the door was so easy to do!!  It looks hard, but it took longer to paint the door, than to hang it.  Getting the rail up and level took the most time. This is best done with two people. I had Ed help me do this. The rest, I did myself.

Rolling Door Designs sells many different styles and metal finishes – each with their own clever name – like – The Madonna, The Shakespeare,  The Don Draper, The Willy Wonka. I chose – The Winston Churchill in satin nickel.

Each kit comes with:

• 2 roller straps
• Rail
• Mounting brackets
• 2 Rail end stops
• Floor door stop
• Floor center guide
• Rail tap and splice kit (when necessary)

You will also need:

• Door – A solid, not hollow-core door that is at least 6-inches wider than door opening. It can also be taller.   My original swinging door was 30” wide. I bought a new door that was 36” wide and about 1-inch taller.  You need the overlap so the doorway opening will be completely covered when closed.
• 2 Door Pulls

Roller Strap Installation on Door

Paint the door on both sides before attaching the roller straps.

1. Install the roller straps onto the top edge of the door. The location of these straps is critical for the proper, safe use of the rolling door.

2. The distance between the top of the door and the outer diameter of the back of the wheel (measured from the back of the door) should be 13/16” – 7/8” (this will achieve approximately 3/32” gap between the top of the door and the rail when these measurements are achieved).

3. Using the screws provided, attach the strap to the door. It is very important that the screws are installed into solid wood, not hollow-core doors with thin veneer skins. It is also recommended that you pre-drill the screw holes. Make sure that proper vertical alignment of the strap is achieved before fastening the strap to the door.

Rail Installation

1. The location of the rail is dependent on the height of the door, desired gap between the floor and bottom of door and desired overlay of top of the door to door opening.
2. Recommended spacing for the wall mounted brackets is 16”
3. The Short Bracket will accommodate doors up to 1-1/2” thick, the Long Bracket will accommodate doors up to 2-1/4” thick.
4. Wall brackets must be mounted securely into the studs behind the sheetrock. If the brackets are to be mounted to the molding surrounding the opening, the molding must be firmly secured to the wall framework

When attaching the brackets, I ran into a problem. The molding around my door is not flat. I could not mount the brackets on it.  Rolling Door Designs sells two different bracket depths – long and short. Neither was right.

You know me, I was not going to let this stop me from having a rolling door. My solution was a 1/4-inch thick piece of plywood cut to the size of the back of the bracket.   I pre-drilled holes in them to match the holes on the brackets.

I used one behind each bracket. This added the right depth so the door would glide over the molding freely. I could have added one long- 1/4” thick board above the door to hold the brackets, but I wanted to keep the look above the door clean-lined.

To Attach the Door to the Rail

This is best done with two people or as I like to call it a 4-hands needed DIY  :)  Remove the rail from the brackets. There is a groove along the back of the rail that slides over the bracket tips.   Once it is off – slide the rail under the rollers that you attached to the door.   Once the rail is under both rollers, slide the rail back over the tips on the brackets.  Attach an end cap onto each end of the rail.

1. After installing the door onto the rail, slide the door to the desired opened position.
2. Install the End Stop bracket to the floor or wall so that the door stops in the desired opened position.
3. Install the Center Guide bracket so that the door will always be captured by this bracket in the fully opened and fully closed position.
4. Repeat step #2 for installation of the other End Stop bracket when the door is in the closed position.

I bought two types of pulls at the hardware store. A flush mounted cap pull for the outside of the door. (This is needed since this side of the door will roll back along the bathroom wall.) A pull style handle is fine for the inside of the door.

To attach the flush mounted cap pull, I needed a drill bit that would cut out a circle into the door so I could push the round metal pull into it.

Do you want to get rolling?

Now that mine has been up for a week – I love it!!!  I am now looking at every door in my house and visualizing them with a rolling door installed.  So many possibilities.

To see all the  Door Hardware kits  Rolling Door Designs carries. Click on over to their site to see the many designs and finishes.

Rolling Door Designs provided me with the door hardware to write this review and giveaway. All thoughts and opinions expressed are mine.

The post My Bathroom Gets a Rolling Door appeared first on In My Own Style.

There is something missing around my desk.

Look a little closer – can you see what is missing?

I did a little cord management yesterday. All the needed, but pesky cords and wires that go to my lamps, computer, and chargers – GONE!

I have been meaning to corral and manage all the cords since moving my desk to the middle of the room over a year ago. I finally had enough of the unsightly mess and took control.

I gathered up the needed supplies – most of it is from the dollar store – so it is not an expensive system – nor is it perfect, but it does help keep the cords organized, electrical outlet easily accessed, and the wires out of sight as much as possible.

Supplies Needed:

The wire basket is going to hold the power strip and be hung upside down under the desk using cup hooks.  It could also be hung on a wall.

1. Using wire cutters, cut one of the corner pieces of wire off the basket. This will allow you to thread the plugs into the side of the basket.

2. Once the outlet strip is in, tie it down on both ends to the bottom wire on the basket using cable ties.

3. If needed, attach the power strip to an extension cord. I have an outlet on the floor under my desk that Ed put in for my many years ago. Best invention ever – floor outlets!   To keep the cord from getting damaged under the rug, cut a piece of rubber cord protector to the size needed and thread the cord into it. Make sure is is flat.

4. Cover the protected cord with the rug.

5. Attach the basket with the power strip under the desk using a cup hook at each corner. The power strip outlets should be facing down.

6. Attach clear cord organizers to the side leg of the desk.   They open and close like a barrette.

7. Run the floor power cord up through the clips. I used two on the leg.

8. For the lamps on top of my desk, I used 4 flat cord clips.

9. I attached them along the front lip of my desk and then ran the cords through.

10.  Once I had all the cords clipped, I brought the excess under the desk and wove each through the basket and then used another cable tie to secure.  I left enough cord excess to plug in each item into the power strip.  For my large laptop cord with the bulky box, I screwed in 2 cup hooks about 6-inches apart on the under side of the desk to hold it out of sight. When I take my laptop away from my desk, which I do a lot. I can simply grab the tied up cord and unplug it.

It may not be perfect cord management, but it sure does look neat and tidy.  No more dangling cords and cords on the floor.

Trax the cat is not too happy with the new arrangement. The cords were like his own private amusement park.    I will have to buy him something new to keep him occupied.

I am working on a big project this weekend. I hope I can get it finished, so that I can show you on Monday. I think you are going to like it!

Happy Weekend!

The post Wire & Cord Management Idea appeared first on In My Own Style.

Way back in August of last year, Ed and I helped our oldest move into an apartment close to the medical school she is attending. The previous tenants had just moved out.  The place was not clean yet, so I took it upon myself to at least start cleaning the kitchen until the cleaning company came, so we could start moving my daughter’s stuff in.  While cleaning under the sink, I found a big spray bottle of Isopropyl rubbing alcohol.  I had never seen a spray bottle of it before and found it odd that they left it.    I soon found out why from the landlord.

When you live in a rental – no holes can be made in the walls.  To the rescue – Command Brand Damage Free Hanging products which require cleaning the wall surface first with the alcohol.

That bottle sure came in handy.   When we hit Walmart later in the day for all the little things we needed to get the apartment set up, we also purchased lots of picture hanging strips, hooks, and clips to get everything successfully hung on the walls without making any holes.

When Command Brand asked me to create a few projects for them, I knew that my daughter could use a decorative towel rack in her kitchen.  She has a turquoise  scheme going. You may remember the post I wrote about painting an old dresser and table and chairs for her.  I used the color to create a one-of-a-kind chalk painted towel rack that could be hung on her kitchen wall using her stash of the Damage-Free Hanging strips.

Supplies Needed:

Decorative pine board
3 decorative molding accent pieces
Chalk paint (in your choice of color)
Clear paste wax
Dark paste wax
Soft cloth
Small bristle paintbrush
Wood glue
Sandpaper
Paintbrush
Isopropyl rubbing alcohol
Command™ Brand Medium and Large Picture Hanging Strips
Command™ Brand Terrace Hooks

Note: Follow all Command™ Brand package instructions for proper surface cleaning and prep, adhesive strip placement and recommended weight claims; for example one Command™ Brand Terrace Hook holds a maximum weight of 3 pounds.

1. Select a space in your kitchen for a decorative dishtowel rack, such as on the kitchen island or the side of counter.

2. Use wood glue to attach decorative molding pieces to a pine board, and let dry. Be sure to leave enough space in between each piece to adhere a Command™ Brand Terrace Hook.

3. Paint the board with two coats of chalk paint. Let the first coat dry thoroughly before applying the second coat.

4. When the board is completely dry, rub sandpaper over all the edges of the board and molding pieces to create a distressed look.

5. Apply a coat of clear wax, and rub it into the surface of the painted board. Let dry for about 15 minutes, then buff with soft cloth.

Use a small paintbrush to remove wax from the detailed parts in the decorative accent molding pieces. Note: Do not apply wax where hooks will be placed as this can affect adhesion.

6. Repeat the process with the dark wax to give the board an aged, worn look—also known as “patina.” Note: Do not apply wax where hooks will be placed as this can affect adhesion.

7. Attach the Command™ Brand Terrace Hooks to the front of the board. First clean the area in between the decorative accent molding pieces with isopropyl rubbing alcohol, wipe gently and let dry.

8. Then remove the red liner from the adhesive strip and press to the Command™ Brand Terrace Hook firmly. Remove the black liner from the adhesive strip and press the hook to the board for 30 seconds. For maximum holding strength, slide the hook up and off the board and press the base to the board firmly for 30 seconds.

9. Repeat for the additional hooks. Slide the hooks back on their bases and wait one hour before hanging dishtowels.

10. Adhere two sets of Command™ Brand Picture Hanging Strips to the back of the board to hang the piece to the wall or cabinet.

To make a set, place two strips together until you hear them snap. Remove one green liner from the Command™ Brand Picture Hanging Strips and attach to the back of the board. Remove the other green liner and press the board into place on the wall or cabinet for 30 seconds.

Note: 2 medium sets of Picture Hanging Strips can hold 6 lbs. 2 large sets can hold 8lbs. Ensure that the weight of your board and the items hanging on it do not exceed the maximum weight for your strips.

11. Remove the board by slowly pulling it from the bottom and towards you. Wait one hour to re-mount, pressing the fasteners together until they click.

Hang your dishtowels.  I looked for colorful towels to coordinate with the turquoise rack.

To give them a style of their own, I simply sewed a few pieces of ribbon along the bottom edge.

I took these photos of the rack in my kitchen, but I removed it so I could send it to my daughter this week as a little surprise gift. I like to make sure they get goodies in the mail every once in a while.  No fun going to an empty or only junk or bill filled mail box every day, right?

If you would like to learn more about Command™ Brand products and see more ideas on how you can use Command Picture Hanging Strips and Damage-Free products in your home you can visit their web site – Command.com. Follow them on Twitter @CommandBrand,  Facebook, and Pinterest.

I am working with Command Brand from 3M to share projects I created in my home. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

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