Category Archives: Before & After

May17

All Tied Up

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No, this is not some S&M related post (although the title may lead you to believe otherwise).  Instead, I wanted to share a simple and affordable route we took to update a light fixture.   It all started as I fed our darling girl, letting my mind wander and mull over the living/dining rooms’ decor.  I wasn’t pleased with the room’s overall feel, but couldn’t my finger on what was bothering me until finally my eye settled on the deviant: the metal chain that suspended the pendant light over the dining room table.

I realize that this may sound insignificant to most folks, but it was a bain on the aesthetic feel.  But what I could do other than change out the light fixture?  Inspiration struck and I was off to the home improvement store.

My purchase was a 50 ft section of rope, roughly a 1/2 ince in diameter.  My plan was to wrap it around the chain, effectively hiding it from view while simultaneously lending the light fixture more interest.  With Aaron’s help, it took me 10 minutes to complete and only $8 in expense.  Whoo-hoo for little investment with a big return!

Apr23

Master-ing Stripes

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First and foremost, I have been quite the absentee blogger lately, but for what I consider good reasons.  I decided to take it easier these last few weeks to get in as much quality time as possible with our little girl before my return to work and I have enjoyed it tremendously.  Charley is now smiling, cooing, and melting my heart on a regular basis! As for projects, I have managed to undertake a few- like giving our master bedroom a bit more pizazz.

When we moved in the master bedroom wall color was a nice green, but it had loads of marks and scratches that made it necessary for a new coat of paint.  My solution was to paint two of the walls using the same off-white color I used downstairs (Valspar’s Honey Milk) and then paint stripes on the remaining walls using Honeymilk, the original green base color, and the color used in our living room.  Sound complicated? I promise it really wasn’t. Here’s what it all looked like before I started.

 

To be perfectly honest, it wasn’t just the wall imperfections that were annoying me- it was also the lack of function in this room. It’s a rather large room and is quite long.  I decided the best way to utilize the space was to cut it in half- visually not physically- using fabric.  I screwed my curtain rod directly into the ceiling and- presto!- I immediately had what feels like two spaces in one.

As for the stripes, they turned out okay enough where I can live with them…for now at least.

Last but not least, I hung some personal memorabilia and photos on one of the walls to personalize the space.

Seeing as how I used paint leftover over from other projects and re-used or rearranged items I already possessed, this redo was entirely free.  Whoo-hoo for spending zilch! With that said, I will attempt to post more regularly about my projects and our travels.  Until then, cheerio mate!

Apr6

Setting the Bar

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Getting settled in our house has meant a lot of figuring out where to put what and how to put spaces to best use.  For the most part we have most of the rooms down, but still have work to do on the nooks, closets, and basement areas.  We managed to knock one area off the list this past week when we tackled the spot at the bottom of the stairs that lead from the kitchen/back porch to the back patio.

Lovely isn’t it?  We decided that this would be the perfect spot to make a bar area- useful when we grilled outside and had folks over.  Instead of making everyone tromp up and down the steps to the kitchen to grab a cold brew or other beverage, they could just take a few steps and quench their thirst.  All that had to be done was to paint the back wall, scuff up the dry sink for a rustic look, and put everything in please.  The result isn’t too shabby for only an hour’s worth of work.

 Super pleased that we were able to turn an unused space into something that will be useful and facilitate easy entertaining.  Whoo-hoo for 1) using what we already had and 2) employing our creativity!

Apr2

Call Me the Breeze

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Perhaps it’s because I am a Southerner through and true, but I love a good porch.  Not the kind you see on most houses nowadays, but the kind where you have enough room to prop your feet up, enjoy the view and breeze, and simply relax for a while.  We are fortunate enough to have two porches at present: one on the front of the house and one on the back.  The one on the back has admittedly seen better days.  Whoever built the thing had a good concept, but not great execution.  This means that some point in the future we will have to rebuild/renovate the porch although for now we are content enjoying it as is.

It has taken me a while to actually make the porch functional and inviting- not that I haven’t been busy with other projects (namely the new baby, painting, etc.)! Here’s how it looked up until this past weekend.

As you can see for yourself, this space wasn’t exactly beckoning one to stop and sit for a while.  My first step to transforming it into a lazy oasis was to put up window shades/curtains since the sun pours into/heats up this space for the good part of the day.  My solution for this was two part: hang wood blinds we already had on hand and make some super cheap curtains for the main window drag.  The curtains were made using cheapo white sheets for Walmart I picked up for $12/per and plastic grommet kits from Joanne’s Fabric I found on clearance for $3/per.  Curtains for only $36?!  My kind of deal.

 Next it was time to reassess the seating situation.  I pulled our wooden couch frame, lovingly known as “Uncle Cliff”, up from the basement and picked up some outdoor cushions from the Christmas Tree Shop for $57 total.

I made and hung a few paper stars (click here for the how-to) for some added interest, threw in a few decorative items, and, wah-lah!, we had an inviting and comfy porch to enjoy.

We have already used the area more in the last few days than we had had in the last few months.  For less than $100, I’d say my porch revamp was a bit of a success.  If you need me, I’ll just be relaxing with a mason jar full of homemade sweet tea and a good magazine in this now comfy little spot!

Mar16

Mirror, Mirror on the Wall

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Our house is outfitted with furniture and accessories that have been amassed over time and acquired from a variety of sources, but mostly from family, the side of the road (yay for dumpster diving!), and/or thrift shops.  Looking around, it seems that every piece of furniture, lamp, picture, etc., has some story/memory behind it- an aspect that I find comforting and meaningful.  Anyhoo, one accessory that feels like it has been around fo-eva is a mirror Aaron has had since college.  It’s a heavy beast and has been repainted by yours truly multiple times in order to fit into whatever decor I have going on at the moment.

I like where we have it hung at the moment, but I just felt like it was still a little plain and simple for my tastes.  My first thought was I could age the mirror portion to give it a faux patina using acid.  After looking online at some tutorials I nixed this idea, not because it was difficult, but rather because it takes practice to get the technique right and I really didn’t want to ruin the mirror.  My next idea was to paint a portion of the mirror with chalkboard paint adding a little function to an otherwise stagnant piece.  Perfect!

My first steps were to tape off and then apply two coats of chalkboard paint.  After letting it cure for 24 hours, we had a chalkboard for dinner menu announcements, grocery lists, reminders, etc.

 I am fond of how I left mirror on both sides of the chalkboard- it makes the mirror unique and not so cookie cutter.  Three cheers for an easy project with a great  end result!

Mar14

I See the Light

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Since we’ve moved into our home we have learned some interesting tidbits about the home and its previous owners from our neighbors.  For one, the home had at one time been turned into a duplex and then converted back to a single family home by different owners.  Another interesting item is that two owners before us was a well-known interior decorator in the area.  The owner after her hadn’t repainted except for the two front rooms that were that hideous orange color that I quickly painted over.  This makes sense since for the first time ever, I actually liked the existing colors in most of the house.  The only downside is that over time someone had tried to retouch areas using a similiar paint color that was the completely wrong sheen (i.e., satin instead of flat).  You could clearly see the “touch-ups” and it was driving me batty.

The room most afflicted with these spots was the living/dining room.  I attempted to first match the color since I thought it looked pretty good, but was unsuccessful.  It was then time for Plan B: repaint it a lighter color that would pull in more of the natural light and compliment the existing color that would still be in the adjoining kitchen.  Here’s the room before my paint job:

 

The color Aaron and I chose is a khaki tone with a hint of green/yellow.  I wasn’t completely sold on it at first, but I have to admit it’s grown on me.

 I used Olympic’s no-VOC paint and was rather impressed.  The coverage was actually pretty good and the fumes were almost non-existent (although I did still open up the windows and doors for ventilation just in case).   Considering the price was ~$25 for a gallow compared to Sherwin William’s no-VOC brand Harmony at $39, I think I found myself a new brand of paint!

Mar9

ReBath

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We consider ourselves pretty fortunate to have two bathrooms in our house.  Our first home only featured one, our second had three, our rental had one, and now we find ourselves with two.  With three people vying to get ready in the mornings, having multiple showers/baths/etc. has become a necessity.   That being said, the upstairs bathroom in our home was a tad dated (read: 80′s!) when we moved in.  It featured the hollywood lights-style fixture, big vanity mirror, and boheameth of a vanity.

First things first, the mirror and light fixture had to go.  I promptly put Aaron on the task and breathed a sigh of relief to have them tossed to the curb.  The paint color on the walls was my next issue to remedy.  It’s not that I didn’t like the color,  but it was chipping in places, I didn’t know the brand or color so I could touch up, and it made the room feel small and dark.  Solution?  Paint!

I decided to use the same off-white (Valspar Honeymilk) as I used in the front entry.  When this was done, there was still a major problem/eyesore that had to be dealt with.  The vanity.

 I didn’t feel like going to purchase more paint so opted to use random colors I already had on hand for a bohemian feel.  After applying two coats and allowing ample time for drying, I scuffed up the finish for a distressed look.

The only thing left to do now is to get Aaron to make my driftwood drawer pulls and I will consider this room much improved.  Nothing like a little paint to transform a room!

Mar5

Nursery Tour

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When we moved into our new place we had a bit of a dilemma.  It’s a three bedroom house, but the master and one bedroom are upstairs while the other bedroom is on the first floor.  With a young child under 5 and a newborn, I felt uncomfortable with us not being all on the same floor.  Call me neurotic, OCD, or helicopter mom, but I want to be steps away from my babies when they need me in the middle of the night.  To remedy this predicament, Aaron and I put our heads together and came up with a workable solution: sacrifice our walk in closet by transforming it into a nursery.

Here’s the closet before we removed all the shelves, clothes bars, etc.

The first step in converting this space was of course removing everything so we had a blank canvas.  I then painted the room the same charcoal gray I had painted the downstairs den/office/sitting room.

Once the paint dried it was time for the fun part: decorating! My originally planned color scheme was either red/turquoise or turquoise/green, but that morphed over time into green/charcoal.  Why the change?  Entirely due to an attempt to use up what paint I already had on hand.

After painting, Aaron pin nailed the chip board letters I covered in scrapbook paper (although I have to get the ‘Y’- we didn’t know at the time whether we were having a “Charley” or a “Charles), hung the shelf I painted green, and the mobile I made.

It’s a small space for sure, but plenty of room for a crib and chair.  Given that it is tiny we knew we had to make the most of the space.  To that end, Aaron built shelves in a the little nook and otherwise used what we had to make the room work for Charley.   My favorite item is the mobile I made using a round wood piece salvaged from an old chair, paper medallions Roscoe helped me make, fishing line, and ribbon.

So anyhoo- that’s it!  Even though it’s a small space it’s perfect for Charley and allows everyone to be on the same floor.  Who knows what we’ll do when she gets old enough to need a real room, but for now we consider this a problem solved.

Feb21

Utterly Pink

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I am not a “pink” kind of gal.  In fact, I’ve always had a bit of an aversion to the color.  When I was a kid my parents asked me what color I wanted my room painted. My answer? Blue.  It’s not that I think that all shades of pink are horrendous and I certainly don’t judge folks who think it’s the cat’s pajamas.  I just don’t want it in my house.  That is until I had a kid (soon to be kids).

Now that we’re mostly settled into the new place I figured it was high time to get Roscoe’s room in order.  Of course I asked him the same question my parents asked me at his age: what color do you want your room?  His answer(s)?  Pink and purple.  Seriously.  I don’t buy into that whole gender specific color theme junk so it’s not like I cared that he likes those colors, but why pink?  My least favorite color and that’s what you want?  My response was that he could pick one of those two and that purple sure was nice.  He insisted on the pink.  Of course.

 Luckily for me Roscoe was willing to compromise.  We decided that one wall would be pink and then the others blue, although even this plan got modified in the end.  Here’s the room before (complete with plaster repairs to fix all the previous resident’s nail holes).

So what exactly was the end result?  One wall ended up pink as planned.

 

One wall stayed the original green upon Roscoe’s request.

The last two walls were painted turquoise (left over from another project) and blue.

I stencilled the walls using orange and white paint in order to tie all the disparate colors together.  All in all, it turned out better than I imagined when Roscoe insisted all walls be different.  I don’t even think the pink looks that bad! I suppose the saying that anything in moderation really holds true…even for pink.

Feb6

Nookie Time

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No, not that type of nookie- get your mind out of the gutter! I am instead referring to the the nook where wholesome activities such as reading and quiet time can be indulged.  That’s much more exciting than any hanky panky, right? *crickets*  Anyhoo, Aaron and I worked dilligently this weekend to transform an awkward spaced into something that was not only useable, but rather funky cool as well.

The space in question is at the bottom of the stairway and one where we believe used to be a seperate entrance to the home many years ago.

Whatever it’s purpose was at one time, now it was just a bizarre little alcove that was pointless as it was.  So what does a gal do?  Jump on the ‘net of course and begin googling/binging the heck out of small space/nook/alcove ideas.  Lo and behold, after a few queries and clicks of the button I found an idea I was smitten with: a reading nook!

 My first thought was cute! My second was more considerate: how perfect a spot for Roscoe (particularly with a baby on the way who is about to shake up life as he knows it)!  So I enlisted Aaron’s help and we got to work this weekend.  First steps included taping off/painting the area with paint leftover from the front sitting room.  Then I used a concentric circle design circle to add a little pizazz (not the best photo, however).

Next, it time to put Aaron to work and bring the landing level with a piece of plywood.

I won’t bore you with the next steps other than to say that it involved installing a seat, upholserting said seat in some remnant fabric, hanging curtains, etc.  Before I reveal let me first say that one of my favorite aspects of the inspiration photo was the word “Nook”.  I am rather giddy lately over letters/words so, of course, had to incorporate this element.  Lucky for us, the antique shop literally right up the road sells a bunch of old marquee letters.  We snatched up the letters for a steal at $29 at hung them up as the crowning glory of our project.  Behold:

 Did you notice the bent spoon at the bottom of the picture? That was my clever husband’s idea to provide Roscoe a spot to hang his jacket(s).

Now it’s time for the big reveal!  Woot woot, here it:

 

I don’t feel like these shots really do the space justice, but 1) my camera is just a point and click, and 2) it still isn’t complete!  We still need to build some shallow book shelves and install a light for the interior.  All in all, I’d say it was a job well done and, if Roscoe is the judge, it is an uber success!