Junky Vagabond

A Place to Play

2013-06-08T05:00:00.000-04:00

Whew! We've been busy and while we're not completely done, I have something to share; a Music Room for my husband's band practice. He's recently been playing with a new Celtic Rock band called Empty Flask (click on the link for more info on them) and wanted a nice place to play (one that's air conditioned mostly).

But this isn't about them...you want to see Before and After Pictures, don't you?? (Bad lighting makes for fuzzy pics, but it's the best I could do.)

Here's what we started with:

A paneled room with a red stanchion holding up this side of the house
Speckled linoleum tiled floor
Retro lights (kinda cool, but not Empty Flask cool)
Windows that didn't open (maybe due to all the dirt!) and had vintage custom-made Sears drapery

Looking into room from down the hall

Baseboard Heating

Ugly, dirty red stanchion that would be too much trouble to remove

This is the beam that was boxed in and I already cleaned it and started painting

YAY! Drywall!

Guitar wall

This will be where the drums go

And now we have this:

The hanging pendant lights are simple pendants and industrial metal cages. The look is industrial and it throws some fun shadows around.

See those floating shelves? I'm super proud of them as they not only look amazing (IMHO) but solve a little issue of the bump out in the wall. They wrap around that oddity and need some stuff on them!

Here you can see the beam painted black - no need to box it in. The stanchion was painted out black also. It works for the space just fine.

The shelves are simple pine boards, built like a box with a open back to attach to a board on the wall so no hardware is showing. I stained them with n a mix of Jacobean and Ebony stain and then waxed with paste wax. At the moment, I'm deciding what type of decorative objects to place on them, but for now there's a mirror, some musical notes, and this:

a beer can found behind the paneling. Looks like the workers building this house might've quenched their thirst while working. Hmmm.....might explain some of the wonkiness in some areas...

The bar you might recognize from another room - it was cut in half and the top needs to be changed, but for now it's fine. This room has had new carpeting for over a year, but is just now losing it's wood paneling...I'll show you that when we're done with that!

This is just the start and there's a lot of wall space to decorate. My husband has a lot of stuff that he wants to put up. Should be fun working on that, but the basics are done and the band is here tomorrow for the first band practice in the house.

What will I be doing while they're playing? Shopping ;)

Are Owls Still Hot?

2013-02-26T05:00:00.000-05:00

I have no idea if owls are still hot or not, but in unpacking some boxes of ~~junk~~ treasures that've been waiting for my office to be done, this collection presented itself.

An Ikea Ribba frame, an old Latin dictionary, and a baby owl trivet.

There was a spot on the shelves in the living room that needed something, and this fit perfectly!

from across the living room, the thread really isn't noticeable

I now pronounce my shelves perfect!

And now that you've seen my perfect shelves, here's a sneak peek of something that's taking a lot of my time these days...

Before...

...After?

New Year, New Blog

2013-01-05T05:00:00.000-05:00

It's a new year, did you notice? Some days I don't know what day it is, much less what year.

With this new year come resolutions. Like lose weight, make a budget, GET. SOMETHING. RENOVATED. It would appear that getting my house updated and working on my blog are mutually exclusive. Which is a bit of a bummer.

Here are my thoughts about what's to become of my blog:

No more posts about what's going on (or not going on as is the case currently) in the renovation process. WHAT?? No more updates? Wasn't this blog turning into a blog about renovations on my 1966 house??

Let me explain. I started this blog almost 2 years ago as a way of redefining my new life outside of the corporate world, exploring my creative side. Lots of creativity has happened, many projects have been started...with some finished, and I've found a whole new world to explore via style blogs, Pinterest and Houzz.

For those of you that love pictures, here are some of my favorite projects from 2012 are:

Gallery Wall

Pipe Shelving with Bench and Chalkboard Door

Silver Dusted Side Table

Board and Batten Dining Room

Mid-Century Atomic Side Table

Mid-Century Dresser

Penny Table

With all the ideas out there comes Inspiration Overload. It's been a ton of fun refinishing furniture, building stuff, making jewelry, painting stuff...but not much of the home renovations are getting done.

AND...here's the rub: DIY isn't really my thing. I do little projects and will continue to switch out plugs, paint furniture, etc. but the big stuff like demo and moving walls, new plumbing, new windows, and all that jazz is best left to someone who will do it properly. When I was a single mom, I put in a new kitchen with the help of my dad...and wonder if it's still standing or if the couple who bought that house still curse me for it.

Very long story short, (yes, I'm a rambler and a lover of tangents but if you wait for it, a point will eventually get made...) this house needs some serious work and we are working this year on getting some real renovations. I had thought that my blog would be a journal of sort to show off the renovations, but now I'm not so sure.

For me, blogging about projects is fun; blogging about my personal life is more like being on a reality show. Throwing my life out there for ~~the world~~ even a few people to read is too intrusive for me. Way to buck the trend, right? Keeping my personal life to my friends and family?? But it's right for me and for my blog.

So, I may throw in a pic or two of the house as things get done but the blog will be more about things that interest me and hopefully you.

Ok. Hope I haven't lost you with this long-winded post. Happy New Year to all of you and may this year bring lots of good things to all!

Jingle Bell Junk Swap

2012-12-03T05:00:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, I told you about the Jingle Bell Junk Swap and my vintage item came from Abbie, the genius behind Five Days...5 Ways

Here's what I started with:

And here's what I came up with:

See it in the center of the wreath?

Taking off the candle holders and stringing it in the wreath gave me just the little touch of brass I needed...and with a few more accents and a string of twinkle lights, it's just right for the corner of my newly board and battened dining room.

Vintage brass bells, a gold ribbon, and a gold-toned cherub finished the look.

Honestly, I sat and stared at this thing for weeks and just couldn't see Christmas in it. There was always the option of paint and glitter, or making it into a Christmas tree as my husband suggested, but none of those options seemed right. So I'm cheating a little bit and using just the brass parts as an accent and not using the glass candle holders at all. But most importantly...I like it and this little vignette makes me happy.

Oh, and what's that table you ask? It's another fun project I came up with that used up a ton of pennies, some scrap wood and an unloved sewing machine base.

The copper and brass accents work so nicely with this wall color. In fact, you might be seeing the start of a theme...

This is a tough room to photograph, even with a sunny day. But the color is a beautiful neutral taupe color. Totally different than what I had planned on using in this room, but sometimes plans have to change, right?

Here's my before of the table base:

Dirty, greasy, with a contact paper-covered plywood top...well, my husband couldn't see why loaded it in the moving van.

But with a little cleaning and some scraps of 1x2 wood, paint and pennies, and a little styling...

These screw heads are supposed to stick out - I like the look of them exposed.

The pennies aren't resined in or glued down or anything...why go through the trouble? They don't move around and this leaves me with options. And options are good.

My husband loves the penny table and I love how it works in this corner.

And that's my contribution to the Jingle Bell Junk Swap. Now go see what the other contributors to this fun event came up with (and tell them I sent you!)

Happy Holidays!

2012-12-02T05:00:00.000-05:00

I'm lucky to be a part of a fun group of bloggers who keep me laughing with all their wacky goings-on, and now they've asked me to be part of a fun Jingle Bell Junk Swap. We've swapped vintage junk and are creating something christmas-y with it.

We're all posting on Monday, December 3rd, so make sure you come back to see our awesome creativity. Here's the group so you can go visit them and see what they've come up with:

Here's a preview of my piece of vintage loveliness:

Hmmm...how is this going to end up as a Christmas item? (Personally, I think mine is the hardest thing to make christmas-y, but not having seen the rest of items, I could be wrong.)

Check back tomorrow to see if the Christmas Spirit has moved us...or passed us by :)

And in case you're wondering what's going on with my home renovations...there's been a change in my direction. More to come on that soon.

2012-10-18T05:00:00.000-04:00

Well, well, well; another project finished! I'm on a bit of a roll, aren't I? Unfortunately, these are just the pieces and the whole room reveals...well, they reveal that I'm not getting much done in the overall completeness department :) Oh well, they're a start to the whole process.

For today's post, everyone loves a good furniture transformation and here's my latest:

It has nice, simple legs

It has a formica top, but I'll forgive that because those handles are so sleek!

Master Bedroom Reveal...wohn, wohn. Seriously, this room will probably be the last thing done so just ignore the pale green, banged-up walls, the old bedding, and lack of any interest anywhere in the room. Focus on the deliciousness of my sleek, modern dresser :)

The sides are real wood and a pretty grain, so they stayed as is. The drawers got a glossy, ultra-white white - love the contrasting look!

This is how it started out; a little banged up, with a formica top, and nice...but a little bland. Nothing really pops out here.

This is my attempt at a little art. Sad. I lived with it for awhile and decided that it just wasn't going to work and am so glad I bit the bullet and painted the drawer fronts!

Hope you're all having a fun Fall!

A Thrifted Mid-Century Redo

2012-10-15T05:00:00.000-04:00

This little table was found on a thrifting adventure here in Maryland with two of my fave bloggers, Gwen and Cassie.

On my way out the door with a bunch of little items, I saw the tv playing to keep the kiddies happy while their moms found ~~junk~~ treasure. What was really catching my eye was the little table that served as the tv stand.

I convinced the manager that she could give up that table (to me) and another table would work just fine as their tv stand. She had to work a little to switch it up, but ~~I have no shame~~ it never hurts to ask!

It's scuffed up from being in a thrift shop, with a tv on it, and kids near it...and it's cheap formica top means it'll be a pain to paint, but the shape is really interesting.

The three metal leg tips that it came with were a little gunky, but steel wool is amazing for shining up metal.

Wish I had all four, but what can I say - the table was only $5.

Since I put gray on the walls, and black and silver on the shelves, and silver accents on another table in the room, it seemed like black and silver would work well.

Here's the newly updated table and I love it!

The star is a stencil design that I cut out using a stencil blank and exacto knife. I did the star on the lower shelf first, then did the one on top with a different method...and of course, the one on the lower shelf turned out better.

C'est la vie, right? If I ever feel ambitious (not likely), I'll sand down the top and redo it. Seriously, not gonna happen.

Here's where I might share this little project:
Sunday

Under the Table and Dreaming, I Heart Nap Time,Nifty Thrifty Things

Keeping it Simple, Around Tuit, Mod Vintage Life

Tuesday

Home Stories A to Z,

DIY by Design Project Queen, My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia, Vintage Wanna Bee, Today's Creative Blog

Wednesday

seven thirty three

Saved by Suzy,Primitive and Proper, Restore Interiors, Passionately Artistic

Thursday

Saved by Love Creations, The 36th Avenue, A Glimpse Inside, House of Hepworths

Somewhat Simple, Frugalicious Me, Making it with Allie,My Repurposed Life

Friday

At the Picket Fence, Creation Corner, A Little Knick Knack, Delicate Construction,

Happy Hour Projects, Finding Fabulous For Less, Miss Mustard Seed, Perfectly Imperfect, Remodelaholic

Serenity Now, Simply Designing, Stuff and Nonsense, 733

Saturday

Funky Junk Interiors, Be Different...Act Normal, Simply Designing

The Creative Paige, Tater Tots and Jello

Weekend

Lovely Crafty Home

Friday's Letters - The Diet Edition

2012-10-12T05:00:00.000-04:00

Ugh. Never say Diet, right? It has DIE in it, right? No more cupcakes! No more indulgences! No more yummy food! Who wants to diet??

If you're tired, bored, or just not interested in people who are trying to lose weight, stop reading now because this is Friday's Letters - The Diet Edition!

Dear Self,

You know you were in denial about exercise and losing weight right? The first half-marathon you ran in Oct of 2011, you didn't really lose any weight...maybe 3 lbs. Got in shape? Yes. Improved cardio health? Yes. Lost weight, not so much.

If you were thinking it was going to be different training for the next half (definition of insanity...), well surprise! Same thing; improved health but no weight lost. Wohn, wohn.

Dear Doctor,

Thank you for putting it in terms even my Lost-in-Denial Self could understand: "Exercise is great for maintaining weight; your diet is what will determine whether you lose or gain weight."

Dear Self,

Time to get real. After getting results from the blood tests, there is no more waffling about health. Either lose weight, improve your diet, or (cue dramatic music) duhn, duhn, duhn...suffer the consequences.

Dear DVR,

Thank you for allowing me to skip all those commercials in prime time that are geared towards making me want to eat not so healthy foods after dinner. Best invention ever.

Dear Pinterest,

It's hard to surf you without seeing tons of recipes for food that would feed my food addiction. Can you make a non-food version and let me spend my hours perusing beautiful crafts, furniture redos, and home decor again? Kthx :)

Dear Sister,

Thanks for leading the way and starting this diet and exercise journey before I got serious about it. You give me a goal to shoot for (losing at least as much as you do - LOL!), and keep me motivated even though you're far away.

Dear My Fitness Pal,

Thank you. You are the best, and easiest, website for counting calories and keeping track of food and exercise. And no, I'm not being sponsored by them - just love this tool for helping me stay the course. I am a yo-yo dieter, I see this now. My goal is to get to and maintain a healthy weight, along with a healthy attitude towards food.

So far, I've been walking several times a week and keeping track of my food. It's working so far, but this is not a diet; it's a lifestyle. When the weight comes off, I'll be able to have a splurge every once in awhile. Not every day, but occasionally. I cannot live without cupcakes :) With the holidays coming up, I'll probably eat more than is necessary, but in the long run, my goals are attainable.

To anyone out there who is struggling to lose weight, what's working for you? If you want to join My Fitness Pal and friend me for mutual motivation, register (it's free) and look up sbrchick.

Good luck everyone!

Dining Room with Character

2012-10-01T05:00:00.000-04:00

Ever see a trend and think, 'Self, this would be a good trend to follow.'? And I'm not talking pointy shoulder pads or Flock of Seagulls hairstyles...

I'm talking board and batten. That wonderful half way up wall of wooden stripes that instantly gives a room character. Yep, that trend was one I was comfortable following.

There are a ton of B&B tutorials out there. Please go look at them for instruction...this was a total mess when it came to planning. But this project turned out so nicely in the end - it only underscores how easy it is to do! Seriously though, please check out the other tutorials for the best tips :)

Remember me threatening my dining room that it was next? Well, I actually finished a project that was started, can you believe it?

These are the shutter/doors that shut the kitchen off from the dining room.

And they're gone. The shutters were HEAVY! Solid wood, which means they'll probably get re-used...somewhere...for something other than as doors. Already have some ideas.

This is the 1960's swag formal valance (I had ripped down the blue curtains already, but kept the sheers for a little privacy/light control.

Can you spot the problem in the photo below? I might've messed up on the length of the boards (battens?)...the up and down strips. They would run right into the light switch. I cut them all down about 5" and now I have 5" wood lattice strips to make something with. Like I don't have enough projects going on...

BAM! Color on the top half of walls! It's a shade I've used in my last house and it was a custom match, but unfortunately I don't remember the original name. I really love it though and was craving something neutral after the aqua in the kitchen, and it goes well with the gray in the living room. Plus, with this color, I can put some color in decorations...when I get around to the actual decorating part.

I used 2 1/2" wood lattice boards that were 1/4" thick and just nailed them onto the walls with finishing nails. I didn't want anything too permanent, in case I ~~messed it up~~ didn't like it. The painters tape holds it up well while getting an idea for spacing. There's about 14-ish inches between battens (boards?) with a little cheating around corners and on the short walls.

And here is the finished look with the top board and a little spackling and a finish coat of paint.

lighting - arghhh!

Here are the gray Ikea curtains and simple matchstick blinds. I love the look of the gray in here, pulling it from the adjacent living room.

Without the flash, you can see the detail a little more.

The table is our family's original dining room table for probably 45 years or more. Between my mom, myself, and my son it was refinished from a dark pine finish to a lighter, more natural color. It's been our dining room table for as long as I could remember and has three more leaves...that aren't refinished. The brass chandy is original and will be getting a little makeover. There are curbside chairs that will need their own makeovers before they come into the house. It's all coming eventually, promise :)

PS: I did get around to changing out the outlets and switches too, but not before these pics. I'm lazy, but not that lazy.

Mid Century Nightstand

2012-09-28T05:00:00.000-04:00

I'm warming up to the furniture of the 50's and 60's - all those clean lines! And wood just waiting to be modernized with paint! Ok, there's a lot of formica out there too and that's what I seem to be finding...but I'm cool with that too. Plus, I don't feel like I'm committing a crime by slapping some paint on it (for all those MCM purists out there...)

I found this at a thrift store and with a 35% discount, it was totally worth it at $10.

It's a little banged up, a little dirty, and has that awesome formica top...but it's just what the side of my bed needs.

This is a before-and-after of what a little scrub with steel wool will do for metal pieces. Very shiny!

I ended up just painting the outside first with high adhesion primer, then an ultra white topcoat. All the wood needed was a little orange Pledge to shine it up a bit.

The drawer has a built-in pull underneath the drawer, but I had other ideas. More specifically, a pull I rescued off a demo from a previous home.

Authentic pull from the 50's - so cool

Do you know this tape trick? How did I not know about this?? Put the tape on the back of the handle, poke holes...well...where the holes are, and then put the tape on the drawer and measure and level out the holes from there. So Easy!

Love!

And yes, to be super nit-picky, the handle is not level but it's not because of the tape...it's because my drill wandered just a bit when I was drilling the holes. When will I learn to pound a nail first to make a little hole to set the drill in? Oh yeah, I already know that...I was just too raring to go to actually do it. Lesson learned.

One day, I might redrill that hole. Or not. Probably not as it's going into my bedroom... which I can't show you until I take down the hideous curtains, paint the walls, make a headboard, buy a new duvet...etc.

Thrifty Shelf Stylings

2012-09-26T05:00:00.000-04:00

Having shelves to display your treasures sounds awesome, right? Especially when you look at all the gorgeously styled shelves you-know-where (Pinterest, in case you've been in Timbuktu for the last year).

My two Target leaning shelves (bought on sale) worked well in my last house, and I figured it would be just as easy to throw them up in my new house. Um...no, not exactly. My previous dark brown and terra cotta living room is a little different than my current spring green and light gray color scheme.

Plus the placement wasn't working so well. Here's what I started with:

They were flanking the entry to the dining room, and it felt heavy. So, they were moved to one side:

Here they sat for about two weeks. And sat. And sat some more. Occasionally, I'd move some stuff around, but they never looked right.

Then, my husband went out of town for the weekend and ~~I totally took advantage of it~~ inspiration struck! The chairs and sofa were on an angle, and so was the tv unit. Never being really happy with having the back of the tv facing into the entry, I moved some stuff around. That's when things started working:

This picture is the truest for showing the Stonington Gray on the walls. In case you were wondering.

YAY! I luv it this way...and so will my hubs eventually. It's still totally good for tv viewing and once the placement was set, I started styling. The first things to go were anything with the aqua color from the breakfast room. It just wasn't working for me.

What worked well for me in the styling process:

taking everything off the shelves and having it all available on the floor to pick from
grouping in odd numbers - if you look closely most of the stuff is singles or groups of three
since I was working with two sets of shelves, I tried to alternate singles on one side to groups of three on the other; and alternate groups of three and singles on the same side (clear as mud, right?) I didn't follow the rules exactly, but was pretty close
I like a less cluttered look, so I stuck with a max of three items, but I've seen some beautiful shelves with lots of stuff on them...I just never could get the look right and figured less is more
I tried not to have too many small items - seemed cluttered

Much of my stuff was on the smaller side, so I picked this up at a thrift store, specifically for the shape:

At first, I thought this was carved, but it turned out to be painted on. While it's pretty (?) and an interesting shape, I needed it black.

Spray paint and adding a few skeleton keys gives it a little interest. Much better black, don't you think?

Most of the stuff on these shelves was thrifted, from estate sales, or bought from the clearance aisles. Almost all of it was something I already had (and there's plenty more where this all came from...probably not something to be proud of...)

One candlestick, the stained glass lamp, and the silver incense ball were gifts. My centaur is a souvenir from my trip to Greece. I guess the only things that were full price (and totally worth it!) are the wine corks ;)

This is the only color on the shelves...so much for 'tying in' my color scheme throughout my rooms!

Having shelves styled like this makes me feel like I'm making progress in making this our home. Plus it's one more thing I can check off the list :)

Do you have trouble styling shelves? Since I have another set of shelves coming up, if any of you have tips - please pass them along!

To Paint or Not To Paint

2012-09-23T05:00:00.000-04:00

This is the tale of a sad little table. So sad that nobody wanted it. Except me - I saw potential...plus side tables are needed at Casa Vagabond de Junky.

It was dirty and in serious need of sanding

It was missing some detail

It had a broken foot

And was in need of a little gluing

But...it was made in the good ole U.S.A, and is solid mahogany.

Enter Citrastrip

Looking better

stripped top

stripped bottom - too bad this wasn't the top!

Ok, now I had a decision to make - paint or no paint? Since it was not in pristine shape, it wouldn't be a crime to paint it. While ~~waffling~~ deciding on a design for the top, a little wax couldn't hurt, could it?

See the difference a little Minwax paste wax makes?

half waxed - the wax deepens the color of the wood and brings out the grain

In the end, painting over the whole top seemed wrong. But highlighting the claw feet and detail on top was just the right touch

I'm keeping my options open on this one. A design might appear one day on it, but for now the silver highlights strike the right note. Too bad the same can't be said for my hair. Sigh.

Showing this off at:
Primitive and Proper POWW
Funky Junk Saturday Nite Special
Redoux Interiors

Friday's Letters - The Unfinished Projects Edition

2012-09-14T05:00:00.000-04:00

Welcome back for another edition of Friday's Letters!

This is where I usually rant about things like how much running hurts my knees (so I quit running), or how many Shades of Gray was needed before a decision could be made (get ready! a decision has been made!), but today I figured you deserved a little insight into the goings on around here. Or in other words, here are some photos of my unfinished projects.

Ready? Here we go...

Dear July Windstorm,

Thank you for putting a branch through the roof and then through the living room wall. This necessitated an insurance claim which provided us with a crew of contractors to fix the hole, and paint the living room, hallway and entry way! Woo Hoo!! Within two weeks, we received our new sofa and ottoman and new paint.

Hole in wall, water damage on ceiling, 50 bazillion shades of gray on the wall

Dear Gray Paint,

I have endeavored to take a picture that shows your true shade. You have been uncooperative. I do love your color, but if my readers want to see what it really looks like, they will have to stop by. They can come by anytime, I'm usually home, ~~overwhelmed with projects~~ staring at the boob tube. Your True Name is Stonington Gray by Benjamin Moore. Your different looks are documented in the photos below. At least I can count you as finished.

Dear Shelves,

Moving you to this house was exciting! I would get to put all my well-thought out objects back on you and sit back and enjoy your delightful display! Unfortunately, this was not the case, as well you know. The old objects did not fit with the new color scheme. The new objects do not fit either. You're bumming me out.

Bookshelf placement - Option 1/Gray shade #1

Bookshelf placement Option 2/Gray shade #2

(Do not adjust your monitor; this is really how these darn things look and have looked for the last week or so. There have been many additions, subtractions, shuffling, etc. And no, I do not plan on incorporating the dumbbells into the shelf decor - that's where they ended up after my workout. I will conquer this shelving styling challenge...eventually.)

Dear Long Narrow Living Room,

You are a challenge for furniture placement, but this arrangement seems to be a winner with ~~everyone~~ my husband and I. And since we're the only ones here besides the cats, who don't really care, it's a winner. Now to figure out how to place art on your walls...and fill that odd triangle behind the couch...you see? Even though the couch, chairs and ottoman are in place, there is still a LOT to be done to you.

New sofa and ottoman, sneak peek of another unfinished project behind chair/Gray shade #3

Looking into the living room from entry way, at the bow window with the inspiration fabric

A close up of the new drapes (luv this fabric!) and yet another shade of gray (#4).

Dear Ornate Gold Mirror,

I did not care for your original shade of gold. Plus you're plastic...and looked a little cheap. And flowery. Spray paint to the rescue:

This is what you look like now. And yes, you've been hung. But you're a little lonely in the entry way (and yes, that is the same shade of gray in the living room!), so you're still classified as an unfinished project.

Gray shade #5 and a wine crate idea...and a cat gate. Awesome.

Dear Dining Room,

You're next.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Hopping on the Black Door Train

2012-08-31T10:32:00.000-04:00

Have you seen the pins of black doors? Do you love them, or are they the exact opposite of what color doors should be? The images knock me out and make me want to go on a door painting spree!

I love this one especially:

Source

So high-end looking! But if you're looking for pics of black doors in my house...well, here's where I let you down gently.

There is a one black door in the house now, but it's my take on it.

Let's start at the beginning, shall we?

This is what I've been calling the Breakfast room, just a few days after we moved in. Notice the 1960's paneling and light fixture. This is door to the garage, and it's functional, white, and blah blah boring.

If you've been following me for awhile, you know I painted the paneling and built a little pipe shelving unit/bench.

Well, the door got a little makeover too and here it is, as a chalkboard:

It started with just a corner cut out design, but needed something.

I didn't have a stencil, but free-handing it wasn't really cutting it:

yep, needs a little clean up

Coming back after a day off, I found the patience to clean the swirls up a bit:

real shopping list, don't judge

And we needed a place for the chalk; enter a scrabble tile holder stuck to the wall next to the door:

I just love the black color in this room, and that my hubs can add stuff to the list (apples were his addition).

Now about the rest of the doors in the house...

sharing at Funky Junk Interiors SNS #150 and Five Days Five Ways Feature Friday Free For All

A Gallery Wall...Finally

2012-08-24T05:00:00.000-04:00

Remember when I said 'One room at a time'? This was my solution to being overwhelmed by a house in which every room must be touched. Finish one room before starting another. Uh huh. Right on it.

Well, my eat-in/breakfast room area has been languishing for a little while.

It went from dark and wood paneled:

to a bright aqua

This light fixture got changed out (but not it's not ready for viewing just yet),

and this bench and pipe shelf thingee got built in that corner

The curtains are *mostly* changed out...

...which ones do you think I went with?

Then summer hit and I was ready for some lake time...and a wind storm caused some damage in the living room...so everything was put on hold. Plus, I helped my sister paint her kitchen cabinets. Might or might not do a post on that, but I posted some pictures on FB.

But as the title of this post states, I finally have a gallery wall. After surfing Pinterest for awhile and creating a Gallery Wall board with lots of inspiration...it was time to gather up some frames and other things to make one for myself.

Some black frames, some black iron items, some other items that were painted black; everything but the record was found at a thrift shop or estate sale for pennies.

Here is my first go at it:

Kinda blah. Not really loving it. Needs more stuff.

It looks so easy; just arrange into an eye-pleasing arrangement...then the ~~frustration/second guessing~~ fun began. Maybe it would be easier if all my items were square, but ~~after a gazillion switcheroos~~ in the end, it all worked out with my ~~fifty-eleventh~~ next attempt.

From the above picture, you can see the new gray living room color that got carried into the foyer (post will follow as soon as it's finished being decorated), a little of the new breakfast room light fixture (and the brassy, soon-to-be changed fixture in the foyer), the new curtains, and my bike shop sign table that I painted for my husband.

*Disclaimer* This linoleum tile floor looks better (?) in pictures than in real life. It's easily scratched, impossible to clean, and some of the corners are coming up. It will not be staying...but that's a whole other project for another day.

Ready for some more pics?

A little shelf, my own key painting, a small iron trivet, an ornate frame

One of my fave records from my own stash, made into a clock

This was a mirror in a horrible gold/black-glazed combo. The mirror part was the only thing that didn't survive our move to MD. I like it much better glossy black.

Lots of thrift store frames, painted black, and a license plate from the Great Lake State.

I did the paper cut outs taped to the wall in arranging, but honestly with a lot of the frames the same size, it was a hot mess. This whole project seriously could've qualified for a Pinstrosity post (if you haven't seen this blog, it's pretty funny...and for people like me who attempt something seen on Pinterest...with less-than-spectacular results).

Ok! One room done, right? Ummmm...not really. The old sheers need to be taken down and a new sheer solution put in their place. The bench and shelves still need some tweaking. A new table/seating solution needs to be found (did you notice there were no chairs??). Another corner that holds a desk and file cabinet needs ~~an overhaul~~ sprucing up. Got an idea for the garage entry door...seems like I might've picked the hardest room of all to start with, doesn't it?

Doesn't matter, I'm breaking my rule of one room at a time and have been hard at work in the living room. Amazing what having someone else paint the entire room will do for one's motivation :)

There will be posts on that and the entry way...as soon as I get around to finishing some projects. I should change the name of this blog to 'Don't Hold Your Breath'.

Until then, hope you're enjoying the last few days of summer. I know I am :)

No Excuses Here

2012-07-24T10:48:00.003-04:00

Sigh. I know posts have been few and far between lately. I'm not going to offer any excuses or go into a long post about how there needs to be more balance in my life or that this blog has been so successful that it's gotten away from me...mostly because neither of those statements are true.

I will tell you that this blog was started to let me combine my love of writing and my need to create something (anything), and maybe show it off to friends. The combination has worked out nicely for the most part, but this business of blogging is strange when the thrill of comments, followers, features, etc are thrown into the mix...see that word 'business'?

Keeping up with the Jones' has never been important to me, but blogging seems to encourage a morphed sort of KUWTJ that is constantly trying to suck me in. The pull of the need to see what's going on, who's doing what, who's having a giveaway, who's making it into the big leagues is strong, strong, strong, I tell ya. Some bloggers have made this into a business; my purpose was never to make it one and I lost my way a bit.

My solution? Get back to my original purpose and just write about what I want, and create when and whatever moves me at the moment. Write stuff that my family might think is funny, and let my friends ooh and ahhh over my little projects; just have fun with the blog.

All the ads are gone from the blog, and my followers gadget too. I'll probably redesign the whole thing...when the spirit moves me. If you want to keep up with me, you can always bookmark my blog, subscribe via email (you won't get a bunch of emails from me, that's a promise!), or check out my page on facebook.

I sincerely appreciate everyone who makes time to stop by and read my words, checks out my pictures, and takes the time to comment. The comments always make me feel like a million bucks!

That's all, just in case you were wondering what in the world was happening with my blog. As for me personally, I'm still hanging out on vacation at the lake. My sister's kitchen makeover Part Two is happening this weekend. I found some new thrift stores, but haven't started any projects lately. Summer is hot and I'm doing my best to enjoy the moment; hope you all are too!

Fridays Letters - The Summer Edition

2012-07-06T05:00:00.000-04:00

Dear readers,

The last time we were together, I said my summer was going to be full of wine, lake living, and exercise. Well, exercise has certainly been on the menu! My sister and I spent a week ~~wrestling, swearing, whining about~~ successfully dealing with tannin stains in order to prep her cabinets for painting:

The actual paint goes on in a few weeks. It's going to be BEE - U - TEE - FULL!!

We also ran a little every day; nothing like jogging with your sister. In 95 degree heat. She's toughening me up ;)

As for the wine, we also decided to not eat or drink past 8:00 pm, in order to give our bodies a chance to have a 12-hour fast and to burn some fat. It's been ~~almost impossible~~ easy to not have anything but water after 8:00. So far, so good!

Dear Global Warming,

Sorry I doubted you.

Dear Crazy, Cycling Neighbors,

You have had a little while to get your cycling legs under you. I have been ~~barely~~ jogging, but not cycling. Maybe taking me out for a 20 mile bike ride in 96 degree heat was a bit much...unless you were trying to kill me? Good thing my sister had me running every day to acclimate me to ~~sweating buckets~~ exercising in this heat.

at 7.8 miles...only 12.2 to go...

Dear Goodwills in this area,

Thank you for always coming through for me. I found a bunch of little things to transform into decorative pieces with my DIY chalk paint. Thanks for also not jacking up the prices.

Dear Hydrangeas,

Wow, you have EXPLODED!! As have all the plants around my deck. Guess not pruning last year was a good thing. Hydrangeas for everyone :)

They're usually pink, but there's an explosion of blue and purple this year. So pretty!

No, really...feel free to clip some to display in your home. I can't possibly use them all.

A window from the old cottage that we saved in the remodel, an old ironstone pitcher that makes a perfect vase - my favorite summer display.

Dear Pinterest,

I'll be looking for 'drying hydrangeas' pins soon. Of course, I'll forget what I was looking for the instant I see that transformed dresser/cool jewelry/yummy dessert recipe/funny e-card...

Hope everyone is enjoying their summer!!

Summertime...and the Living is Easy

2012-06-24T05:00:00.000-04:00

Woo BABY! It's SUMMER!!

This means I'll be spending some time on a lake, maybe doing a little of this:

and a little of this:

Maybe spending time doing nothing but looking at these:

and these:

Definitely spending time wearing this:

Absolutely enjoying this with friends and family:

and soaking up lots and lots of this:

I have a few projects to work on too...if I have any spare time with my very full calendar...you'll be the first to see if any get done. Don't expect much from me for the next six weeks...

May your summer be just as relaxing and fun too; and don't hate me for being a very, very lucky and grateful woman!

The Mudroom Reveal

2012-06-15T10:03:00.002-04:00

Hey guess what? This project that was so exciting to work on...in the beginning...and had become my personal stumbling block...is finished (well, finished except for some decorating tweaks).

Hallelujah and thank the powers that be. And good riddance. Let me tell you why I feel that way now.

I started with this corner, where we come in from the garage.

Nice and bright!

We needed a 'landing pad' for shoes, coats, purses, etc when we come in. Something other than the kitchen table and chairs. We needed a mudroom, but a corner will do.

The inspiration came from where else? Pinterest! This particular industrial looking shelving done with pipes caught my eye and sparked my imagination.

via

This pipe and flange look was inspired by the Ace Hotel in Palm Springs.

Since the need for some kind of bench/hangar situation was needed, Ana White's site was the first place I looked for plans. Working with wood doesn't intimidate me. I found a couple of nice plans for benches/cubbies and came up with something that would work...or so I thought.

Here's where things get a little messy...

1) Never go off plan. Especially for your first big build.

2) Measure at least ten times, cut once.

3) Remember which side is up, which side is the back...before screwing it in place.

4) Think about the finished look...before you start painting.

5) Never go off plan.
6) Try to screw in the piping to the same depth for a more level look. (Not easy, trust me.)

7) And finally; never, ever go off plan. Carpenter Jill, I am not.

Without further ado, my Ace Hotel inspired mudroom bench/shelf corner:

the 2 extra pipes on the right side may be used once I get to decorating; or they may get nixed

**Update** Well, for 'decorating tweaks', I've come up with stencils on the galvanized buckets. I had some chalk paint mixed up (1-2 T baking soda dissolved in a bit of water to 1-ish cups any paint) and had the stencil...nothing more exciting than that, but the new look works for me!

The garage entry door got the chalkboard treatment and is now very functional as a shopping list and calendar and place for notes.

The bench was featured on Apartment Therapy, and on Hometalk!

The little boxes were from the closing of The Great Indoors around the corner from me - $2! I should've gotten a few more.

I painted the inside a gray to tie into the living room color, and did a little reverse stencil on them. They'll hold the sunglasses, keys, lip balm, hair elastics, etc that we need as we're heading out the door.

Looking back, this would have been easier if I'd spent just a skootch more time planning it instead of diving in. With adding a second shelf, making the whole thing longer, not using mdf (as per the PLAN), and other assorted roadblocks, this project has kept me from moving forward on anything else because my other plan is to do One Thing At A Time. It's not perfect, but I do like the look of it and it'll serve it's purpose. Good enough for me. Calling this one done.

This should've taken me 2-3 days tops, but 6 weeks later, it's mostly done. There are some decorating tweaks to do on it, but honestly I just want to move on and do something else for a bit. I'll come back to this as inspiration strikes, but for now no more forcing it. Next up is getting something on those beautiful Jamaican Aqua walls!

This is part of the Bloggy Olympics that Hating Martha and a bunch of other cool bloggers have thought up. This week is decorating; be sure to check out all the tutorials and linky parties, maybe participate in a few :)

Sharing at parties on sidebar and here: Funky Junky Interiors SNS #139 and I Should Be Mopping The Floor and You're Talking Too Much

And Now For Something Completely Different...

2012-06-13T05:00:00.000-04:00

Well hello there, where have you been? Oh yeah, it's me that's been AWOL :)

I've been taking it easy on my latest project due to lack of motivation and inspiration. It's all well and good until a project doesn't come together and then it's just meh.

In the meantime, I got it into my head to do some freezer make-ahead meals. Armed with a shopping list and recipes, it was time to get some healthy dinners in the freezer.

I don't usually show you my escapades in the kitchen, but it was my most productive day this week. Cooking is not my specialty; choosing yummy stuff off a menu is. Occasionally though, I do throw some stuff together for a home-cooked meal. All the recipes are found on Pinterest by searching 'easy crock pot meals' or 'freeze ahead'.

I tend to customize my recipes, and won't be listing them. Plus they may not turn out and I don't want the blame for a crock pot debacle.

This is after shopping and pulling my spices out of the cupboard:

Yes, I carried that aqua into the kitchen. One day I'll show you more than a peek.

The menus are printed out, the bags are labeled, and I'm ready to prep!

It's not completely full, but there are 20 make ahead meals in there. Some grilling meat that's sitting in marinade, but mostly crock pot meals. Easy.

Oh, and most of the meals are just the sauce and meat and spices; the recipes call for adding veggies within the last 30 min or so. Otherwise, they turn to mush so say the experts. Makes prep that much easier to just worry about veggies/sides at dinner time.

While I was cruising around Pinterest, I found a site for healthy desserts. Ok, I'll bite ;)

What does this...

...and these have in common?

It whips up a delicious and healthy bowl of yummy goodness!

Cookie Dough Dip via Chocolate Covered Katie.com

Honestly - I had about two spoonfuls before dinner and it's sitting in the fridge waiting for dessert. Even my husband (who's a bit picky and suspicious when I say, 'Try this') thought this was yummy. Until I told him it was made with beans. Now it's all mine!!

Check out Chocolate Covered Katie and her site of yummy goodness - the recipe for Cookie Dough Dip and much more is all there. I can't wait to try a few more...oh who am I kidding? ...most all of her recipes!

The Slow Boat to China

2012-06-01T05:00:00.000-04:00

It's time for another round of Friday's Letters...and what is basically a post that's the equivalent of blurting out the first thing that pops into my head.

Dear Dr. Sports Medicine/Gait Anaylzer,

When you analyzed my gait and pronounced, "You'll never be a long-distance runner", I almost believed you. Then me, myself and I went out and did 3 sprint triathlons and 2 half-marathons. Good thing my middle name is Contrary. Trying is always an option and while I'll never be a fast long-distance runner, I am a Triathlete and a Half-Marathoner. So there *sticks tongue out at Dr.* I might just be a little bit immature too.

Dear Mud Room Bench,

It wasn't your fault that I didn't follow a plan. It wasn't your fault it's taking me so long to finish you. It's not even your fault that some of your boards are warping just a little bit. It's all me and my silly 'Plans? I don't need no stinkin' plans' attitude. Now that you're basically done except for the decorating, I'm not 100% sure I like you. Or that you'll function as *ahem* planned. But you're mine and soon you'll be shown to the world. Just as soon as I figure out how to outfit your shelves with something useful. Like baskets, or boxes. And figure out what color they should be. And what to do about the wonky top shelf. This might take a while.

Dear Pinterest,

I love you. I love searching for inspiration and having you come back with pretty pictures of just what I was looking for. I love the validation received when someone follows me or repins something I repinned from something someone else repinned from...you get the picture. I love having an easy way to remember cool sites, or projects and being able to organize them. And believing that having them organized in some way translates to my very all-over-the-place life. The thought that maybe one day I'll be as cool and as stylish and as awesome as my boards makes me all warm and fuzzy. I'll just disregard all the horrible copyright infringement problems and your distinct disavowing of any responsibility for said infringement. Delusion is preferable to the alternative.

Dear Self,

Any day now you're going to realize that an entire week has gone by and you've only done 1/2 hour of yoga and seriously, that's long enough to recuperate from your Slow Boat to China half marathon. There's only so much you can get away with before you're in full-blown couch potato mode again. Get. That. Butt. In. Gear.

Dear Reader(s),

Thank you for sticking with me as I slowly work on my house. I suffer from CDI (Chronic Design Indecision), and therefore everything takes about 20x longer for me to finish than what you'll normally see in blogland. And I'm not really a passionate DIY-er; if I could get away with it, everything would get hired out. I'm the idea person, not really the executor. But the process is fun as long as it's not rushed, and since I'm getting tired of the room I'm working on, chances are I'll knock it out a little faster just so I can move on :)

2012-05-30T05:00:00.000-04:00

ahhhhhhh....a whole week off, visiting friends, traveling by car cross-country with just me and my hubs, finding out that I'll be a mother-in-law in a year or so, and running another half-marathon. It was a busy vacation, and wow am I tired!

I'll be back to work on my big build tomorrow, and hope to have something to show you soon. Plus, if it doesn't get finished, it'll just drive me crazy!!

Friday's Letters

2012-05-18T05:00:00.000-04:00

Here we are for another edition of Friday's Letters.

Thank you Gwen for introducing me to my favorite post because even if I'm knee-deep and weeks into a project, and don't have anything to show you, I can still post this.

Dear Scalp,

How about you start filling in some of that hair you've been losing, hmmm? No, really. Start now. Don't make me go all Rogaine on you.

Dear Hair,

I know the maternal side of the family goes gray early (like in our 20's), and you've been good for many years of 'just a few here and there' grays, but I feel the need to tell you that the lengths that you have gone to are a little extreme lately. (hair pun - har) Two weeks in between gray roots is not long enough; can we go back to colorings every 4 weeks minimum? It's getting a little expensive to still look like little ole brunette me.

This is just after a cut that's a graduated bob with sideswept bangs - flat ironing doesn't help with the thin look. After I style it myself, it'll be a little bouncier. I should probably think about coloring it soon too.

Dear Gray Paint,

ACK! 6 plus samples and still not the right shade. More being bought today. At this point, you might be out of contention as a color in my house. Every shade looks too blue, too purple, too green, too dark, too light, too brown. Something nefarious happens between the shade in the store to the shade in the can to the shade on my walls. I think I've tried most of the shades recommended as 'the perfect gray', and am giving a few more a try as a last ditch effort. On a positive note, I have tons of samples to make chalk paint with and with which to paint lots of projects. (Random grammar - my specialty.)

This pic is pretty true of the colors - all of these are 'gray' in some form or fashion. I'm thinking the one to the right of the three lightest ones is the one to beat. It was color matched to MS Stonington Gray. They all looked lighter in the can! The three on the far left all looked white when first painted on. I taped up the chips next to all of them just to see if the color was true, and it was. After seeing what they look like at night, I may just make a decision...probably.

Dear Self,

Please stop doubting yourself when it comes to your projects. You have style, you have taste, you have an eye for what works; if you continue to second-guess yourself, sh*t just won't get done! You go with your bad self! Ryan Gosling would most certainly agree.

Dear Thighs and Booty,

I was skeptical all this running was making a difference until I put on those jeans. Yes, 'those' jeans. Thanks for showing me it's all worth it!

Dear Scale,

I am no longer listening to you; ask Thighs and Booty why we're breaking up.

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

Good Times with Groovy Gals

2012-05-14T05:00:00.000-04:00

How much fun is it to meet people in real life that you've admired online? And no, I haven't started dating online...ewwww! Married 13 years, people! But I digress...

Will they be like they are in their posts? Does their blog 'voice' carry over? Will you like them as much as you did before you met them?

I met up with Gwen, Cassie, and Andi and yes to all three questions! They were even nicer and more fun than I had imagined!

Andi, Crazy Gwen, me, and Cassie

We went thrifting, and then on to lunch, and then there were gifts!!

Here's Gwen's adorable little change purse.

That girl has some mad sewing skillz. Check out her apron - awesome!! And if you like her blog design, she's now in the business of doing blog design for the rest of us! If you're contemplating a new design, or a move from Blogger to Wordpress - she's your girl.

Andi makes beautifully designed jewelry, brought some, and let us all pick our favorite; I chose this bird's nest ring.

Isn't it purdy? Check out the offerings in her shop, Natalily Designs...you won't be disappointed.

Cassie was the hostess with the mostess and shared her ~~hoard~~ garage full of projects with us. She found the most amazing pieces in the thrift shops while we were exercising our jaws :)

Cassie with her haul - groovy orange lamps (a pair!), a killer drum table, and a bamboo vanity chair. Sigh, she got the good stuff :)

Although, I did manage to finagle the manager into selling me this:

It was a little table that they put a tv on for the kids in the shop. I inquired if it was for sale and was told it was for the tv...to which I asked if they could use another table? The manager switched it out and priced it right then and there. Never hurts to ask. And now I have a fabulous little table with tapered, brass tipped legs to make over! (if anyone recognized this brand, let me know please - no markings other than a number - thx!)

Now for my gift to them - my fav little woodworking project - totes. Using some of the scrap wood that

~~I bought too much of for another project~~ was laying around, three little totes were made.

5 pieces per tote (plus the bottom) - easy! The hole was easy with a forstner bit - I highly recommend this drill bit if you work with wood.

They were painted in my breakfast room color

They needed to be glazed and waxed, but were still missing something...like a chalkboard label. So ~~being cheap~~ always wanting to repurpose, a 5-gal paint stick got two quick chops

A little chalkboard paint, and some felt on the bottom and voila!

Uber-cute divided totes! Humble, no? ;)

If there's ever a chance to meet your fellow bloggers in person, make it happen. Not everyone understands this crazy ~~obsession~~ hobby, and when you find another person who does, it's like magic.

Happy Anniversary To Me and My Husband

2012-05-10T11:10:00.000-04:00

Today is a special day for me.

13 years ago, I married my husband.

On a beach in St. Thomas.

In a wedding that was just us, the JOP, and a lizard, and he planned the entire thing (my husband, not the lizard).

I knew nothing; not the location, not the date, not the honeymoon plans. The only thing he would tell me is that my dress should be geared towards warm weather.

On that bright sunny day, we were happy.

The cruise around the Caribbean was the best vacation ever - sightseeing, scuba diving, and well...honeymooning.

This was my formal half-head cornrow look - hey, when in Rome (or the Caribbean) right?

Today, we are very happy.

In the years between, there have been some ups and downs, some twists and turns, but we've always managed to come back stronger than ever.

To my husband, all my love TTA