Home Sweet Home

Makings of a Bead Board Medicine Cabinet

pleasanthome@verizon.net (jodi @ Pleasant Home) — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 15:45:00 +0000

I am a lucky girl to be married to a guy who has many talents. One of them being woodworking. Hubby grew up surrounded by wood and all the tools of the trade.

I thought I'd show just a tid bit of how Ro and I work together.

I wanted a small medicine cabinet for our Master bath. I had an idea in my mind, but Ro isn't so good at reading minds. So to Google I go. I run off images of either the exact piece I want. Or in this case, 4 pictures each having an element or two that I want incorporated into the Medicine Cabinet I would like. I make notes on the photos. "the bottom should look like this", "the door like this", etc.
Then we headed to the Bathroom for measurements. In order to decide on the size for this cabinet, I grabbed a framed photo off the wall and held it up on the wall in the bath where the cabinet would go. It was the perfect size.
Then off to the shop he goes. As he starts cutting and putting it together, there are usually a few trips out to the shop for me. He usually has questions like, "this router bit, or this one?", "how big do you want this piece of trim", etc.
And in this case, a few hours later, all scraps from the shop, and a bit of paint, I had this;
I love my medicine cabinet. The knob came from our old little farm house. It was on one of my grandmother's cupboards. Very cool and just perfect for this project.

Spray Painted Halloween Owls

pleasanthome@verizon.net (jodi @ Pleasant Home) — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 04:02:00 +0000

This post is from the Archives: October 6th, 2008.

I was inspired by Marie at Watch the Wind Blow and her owl collection. I found this pair at the Goodwill for $6.99 (which I think was a bit too much) But I couldn't resist.

They're the perfect addition to my Halloween decor and fit perfectly on one of the bookshelves next to the fireplace. I sprayed them with a couple coats of black Spray Paint. And with a few old books between them, the look is complete.

Me thinks it's almost time to bring them out again.

Fall Cleaning and Organizing

pleasanthome@verizon.net (jodi @ Pleasant Home) — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 12:31:00 +0000

Generally I do Spring Cleaning and Fall Cleaning. Something about the start of those two season's makes me want to get all my ducks in a row and like a little squirrel, store all my nuts away. I think I like the Fall Cleaning the best. Just something about the anticipation of good cooking, baking, reading, t.v. watching, curl up under a quilt, holiday time kinda stuff in a clean house, energizes me.

Summers can be busy. And most of my time is spent outside. Which means, most of the inside is neglected. About the time school starts, I get the bug to weed, prune, spruce, pick up, and put away, Inside! The sugar, salt & pepper, and cinnamon & sugar shakers are filled. The GLAD Containers were the perfect size to organize my seasoning packets. And a new Turntable that is awesome.

I threw away outdated everything. Made a list of the spices & seasonings I was running low on and filled up the spice cabinet.
Cooler weather brings early morning and winter evening hot cocoa and tea. All stocked up, clean and in one place.
I have a small Fire King collection. White Restaurant-ware. I started collecting it when you could find a mug for .25 cents. Now I'm lucky to find one for $1.99 at the goodwill. Usually they're like $5. I haven't picked up a new piece for ages. But we use it almost every day. The "glasses" up on the left are actually light covers for patio lights! They are awesome glasses!
My smoothie makin station. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE my Magic Bullet. I don't do all that fancy shmazy stuff you see on t.v. But I tell ya, for making smoothies. It's divine! I have one almost every morning. It's all cleaned up and ready to go.
One of my favorite things. I bought a couple of those 3M Command Hooks
A wire basket for the shower, added a couple little washers and wah lah. Within easy reach, always there, and out of sight, under the kitchen sink.
Lunches. It's that time of year again. All stocked up on sandwich baggies. Crumbs have been vacuumed out of the drawer and we're set.
Paper Sacks and Plastic spoons for lunches, right next to the sandwich bag's drawer.
mmmm. Love me a clean and sparkly silverware drawer. When we lived in our little old house in the country. We had mice. Like ALWAYS. They LOVED my silverware drawer. Drove me nuts. My entire silverware drawer got thrown in the dishwasher almost every day. It was a royal pain. I shoulda just left my silverware in the dishwasher. {Now I think of it. LOL. }
Cooking Utensils. Spoons. Spatulas. Tongs. And we love the silicone basting brushes! They're awesome.
One last drawer to tackle. Not sure how this drawer ends up looking like this all the time?
Most of the items are things we don't use on a regular basis. Although I do see some strays in there. I think a trip to the Dollar store for a few drawer organizer thingys is on the list today.

I'm not the only one who's Fall Cleaning. I've been super impressed with Anina and her use of a toothbrush this week!

Now on to other rooms. Yesterday I washed a ton of bedding, linens, and quilts. mmmm. they smell so good, all fresh and clean and ready to snuggle under.

Masterbath Makeover

pleasanthome@verizon.net (jodi @ Pleasant Home) — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 12:00:00 +0000

BEFORE: Crisp Khaki is the color on the walls from Miller Paints. It was nice, but never really was "me".
I have disliked these vanity lights since I first saw them. And it was really rather bland and boring in there, until a couple weeks ago.
AFTER: My parents had an extra gallon of the perfect color. It was the color I'd been thinking about putting in our Master bedroom / bath. So last time I went to visit, I brought it home. It's from Ace Hardware and the color is Woodland something. I'll come back and post it, as soon as I find it. I would have never picked this color. It's the lightest shade on a paint swatch of Greens! I had been looking at blues/Aquas never finding quite the right one.
Hubby made the little Medicine Cabinet. More on that later. It's perfect on that wall. Now hubby can put all his junk in there instead of sitting on the counter.
A little Spray Paint and Sand Paper to these and they're like new.
I found this vase at Tuesday Mornings quite a while ago. The shells are from the $1 store.
The little picture is a dollar store frame I turned into a shadow box. The sand dollar is one that the boys found on the beach years ago.
I love these photos of my guys. They are a set of my favorite. And I love being able to look at them everyday. And of course the colors in them are perfect. It ties the aqua-ish color and the browns (counter top, tile, floor) together fairly well.
I found these on clearance at Fred Meyer's a couple years ago. They're perfect on the little wall outside the shower.

I was hoping I would find a little basket of some sort to set on the back of the toilet. I was so excited when I found this at the Goodwill! Two bucks! It's filled with shells from the $1 Store and our trips to the beach, a few shell balls from the craft store and some awesome rocks that my dear bloggin friend from American Somoan sent me! They're perfect in my little tray of beach keepsakes.
And all though the rubbed bronze and "black" finish for faucets and such is so 'in' right now. I really didn't want to invest that sort of money replacing perfectly good fixtures. Plus the knobs on the drawers, door knobs, shower, etc. are all brushed nickle. And I know there may be differences of opinion, but being a professional house cleaner, I much prefer to clean these than the rubbed bronze stuff. So much easier to clean.So I updated the light to match the other fixtures and it looks so much better. And a new toilet paper holder too. You know one of the more important items in a bath. LOL

Later I'll share with you how my hubby and I work together to create the projects he builds for me. I seriously am thrilled with this one. And it was all from scraps in his shop. Very fun!

To Do To Pay To File

pleasanthome@verizon.net (jodi @ Pleasant Home) — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 13:00:00 +0000

"The Room" aka my Studio is used for many things.
My home office being one of them.
I adopted this system several years ago, and LOVE it!

This "scrapbook" organizer has three drawers. The drawers are plenty big. One drawer is marked "TO PAY", another is marked "TO DO" and the third is marked, "TO FILE". This is how it works;
TO PAY: Any bills that come in the mail, receipts, & checkbook go in this drawer.

TO DO: Mail that isn't bills that I don't have time to open or read that second. And anything else that needs to be done. My TO DO List's. My kids' school papers. If there is a bill or invoice or something that comes in the mail and I have a question; it goes in the TO DO drawer. Catalogs I want to look at later. Newsletters I want to read. etc. I try once a week to go thru the TO DO drawer. It's like my second brain! LOL.

Some things are in and out of there in a week. Others hold out for weeks or months. Just depends on what it is. But I am constantly going through that drawer, so I should never forget anything "to do".

TO FILE: Anything that needs to be filed has a temporary holding spot in this drawer. Bills that have been paid. School papers I want to save. Important documents etc. ANYTHING that gets filed, goes here first. This concept is part of "a place for everything and everything in it's place". Papers that usually pile up on top of a counter or desk waiting their permanent home, have a temporary holding spot in the TO FILE drawer.

Petit Debutant

pleasanthome@verizon.net (jodi @ Pleasant Home) — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 00:14:00 +0000

I found Norma and her blog PETIT DEBUTANT, through the DQS#7.
She did an amazing Peacock trapunto quilt.

She also has an ETSY Store where she sells fabulous
silhouettes. You send her a few pictures and she
sends you a digital file of the silhouette she has created from your photo.

Wouldn't these make fabulous Christmas Gifts ?

I love this one. You can totally see how happy this couple is.

Oh gosh! And how cute is this one.

PETIT DEBUTANT is GIVING AWAY 1 regular Digital profile silhouette ($15.00 value) of one person (bust style, no pets and not full body.)

TO ENTER:
1) Leave a comment here
2) Head on over to Norma's Blog and leave her some bloggy love!

contest ends Saturday September 12, 2009 @ 12 p.m.

Sign Me Up! Vinyl

pleasanthome@verizon.net (jodi @ Pleasant Home) — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Meet Adele of Sign Me Up! Vinyl. She's my husband's cousin. But I really don't think of her that way. She's become a good friend and I wish we lived closer. I know we'd have so much fun together! She has a small business cutting wonderful vinyl quotes and scriptures and other fun things! I was crossing my fingers she'd want to play along this week. And she did! I have framed pictures mostly black and white & mostly of my boys that hang in my stairway. Rarely do I ever walk up or down the stairs without looking at one of these picture's.I find myself reminiscing quite often recently. No. 1 has left the nest and No. 2 and No. 3 aren't too far behind. Which leads me to question, "Did I do enough?" "Did I do it right?" "Have I given them what they need?" "Have I been a good parent?"

Although there are a few things I wish I could go back & do over. I am comfortable in that I do feel like my husband & I gave them a good foundation. We did our best in teaching them to be good, happy, & productive people. And although it is hard for me to watch them grow up, leave the nest & start lives of their own. And although they may not always do what "we" think they should or ought to do. I am very proud of them & their accomplishments & most importantly that they are 'good, happy and productive people'.

When I asked Adele what she'd like to Give Away. It was the scripture below."I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth"

She sent me a sample and I was thrilled. What a perfect addition to my stairway. And how apropos for my thoughts and feelings as of late. Thanks my husband's cousin!

What do you need to do to win this Fabulous vinyl scripture/quote for your own wall?

Leave a comment. That's it. That's all. Pretty Simple. And...

Adele is offering a special to any readers of Pleasant Home. You can buy this quote for $16.99 which includes shipping. It's approx. 6" x 32".

If you'd like one, shoot her an email at: ammlamb@hotmail.com {tell her, her cousin's fabulous wife sent you! LOL}

Paper & Cake Printable Partyware GIVE AWAY

pleasanthome@verizon.net (jodi @ Pleasant Home) — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 08:00:00 +0000

This GIVE AWAY has ENDED

Incredibly Fantastic Printable Partyware!

Check out this cute party pack!
And this one

And just in time for Back To School
oh and you know, this is just right around the corner. How fun are these!
The awesome gals over at Paper & Cake are GIVING AWAY a GIFT CERTIFICATE for 3 collections of your choice (excluding "blue bird wedding").

~~To ENTER~~ ~~visit Paper & Cake, come back here and tell me what your favorite collection is.~~ ~~GOOD LUCK !!!~~ contest ends Wednesday September 9th @ 12:00 p.m. PST

Folkart Gatherings GIVE AWAY

pleasanthome@verizon.net (jodi @ Pleasant Home) — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 08:01:00 +0000

THIS GIVE AWAY HAS ENDED
Winners will be announced SUNDAY September 13th.
THANKS to everyone for all your bloggy love!

Louann is the Shop Keeper of Folkart Gatherings in Sumner Washington, Folkart Gatherings Too in Centralia Washington & her Online Folkart Gatherings store.

You are going to flip when I tell you what Folkart Gathering's is GIVING AWAY !

One LUCKY reader will win a $20 GIFT CERTIFICATE!

Another LUCKY reader will win this ADORABLE Pumpkin Man with a Crow. Seriously! You totally flipped, didn't you! He is so cute!
~~To ENTER Folkart Gathering's Awesome Give Away you can do one or all of the following:~~

1) follow this page {Home Sweet Home} and leave a comment

2) subscribe to this page {Home Sweet Home} and leave a comment

3) Blog about my new home on the web and Louann's fabulous shop. Leave a comment letting me know you did.

3 comments. 3 chances to win! And TWO winners! GOOD LUCK !
contest ends Tuesday September 8, 2009 @ 12:00 p.m.

Refinishing my End Tables

pleasanthome@verizon.net (jodi @ Pleasant Home) — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 13:22:00 +0000

I have two hand me down end tables from my brother and sister-in-law. I've had them for several years now. I re-did one of them months ago.
I FINALLY re-did the round one, this weekend.

I've gotten several "spray painting" projects done this past week!
It's been perfect weather for painting. Which doesn't happen often enough around here.
So I got BIZ-EE.

I used spray paint for the entire project.
First a coat of BLACK Primer.
Then a couple coats of DOVER WHITE.
Letting the table dry well, between each coat.

Little bit of Sand paper

Giving it that nice aged, distressed, well used look, I love.
And tah-dah! A "new" table.

Here is the square one I did earlier this year. I love how they turned out.
And they are the perfect size for that room.

I've been crossin projects off my list, left and right. Or is that right and left?
And all the while, runnin around like a hen with her head cut off.
It's been busy. Dentist appts. Doctors appts. Ortho appts. Meetings. Baby Showers.
Birthday luncheons. Birthday dinners. You name it! But I LOVE the weather
we're having. It totally energizes me. Tomorrow I have a New 2 Me blog to
share with you! And the rest of the week?
More fun projects I've been working on.
Which may or may not include, sewing, quilting, painting....

Chalkboard Spray Paint

pleasanthome@verizon.net (jodi @ Pleasant Home) — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 13:24:00 +0000

I bought this print for really cheap, a few years ago. Originally the frame was a dark brown. It just wasn't working. I attempted to lighten it up by painting the frame. Didn't really do anything for me either. So I decided to make something new with it. I {heart} Chalkboards. And I've wanted something big and flat for this wall. It's a small hallway off the kitchen that leads to the powder bath and laundry room. It's perfect!

My Garden and Patio

pleasanthome@verizon.net (jodi @ Pleasant Home) — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 13:33:00 +0000

My garden is coming along quite nicely!

The lettuce is oh so yummy...

We won't be eating these, but man I just love these flowers...

I picked my first 2 yellow zucchini Wednesday morning...

The green zucchini are coming along too...
The old wheelbarrow is overflowing with nasturtiums...
and the Hosta's are loving their new home this year...
I've been spending as much time as I can here....Enjoying every square inch of it all...

Coffee Table Re-Do

pleasanthome@verizon.net (jodi @ Pleasant Home) — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 13:35:00 +0000

BEFORE:

AFTER: