{Spit*Shined}: To Do List

For the past, oh I dunno, 5 years, my New Year's resolution has been the same:  Try new things.  It's one of those vague ideas that I can apply when necessary.  Gets me out of my little bubble when I feel like it, ha ha.  But I think this year, without really realizing it, I've set a business resolution.  I was cleaning out some files on my computer, and kept coming across all these pictures of things I've saved, thinking, I'm gonna do that one day.  Well, this year is going to be my "one day."  I've created a list of enough projects to have one per month, for the remaining months of the year (since January has already said good-bye...and I better get a move on if I'm gonna make February, ha ha!).

Now this list doesn't actually comprise of those above mentioned items.  As I was going through them, seeing all of those things I've wanted to create, I realized I have a long enough list of items to do here in the new house still!

So, as it stands, this is my list.  As I complete a project, I hope to post.  Kind of like a DIY series.

In no particular order:
1. storage dresser redo {march 2012}
2. corkboard/chalkboard calendar {april 2012}
3. master bedroom dressers redo {april 2013}
4. office curtains
5. sofa pillows
6. magazine holder redo {may 2012} *fail*
7. dining room chair seat cushions
8. advent calendar from my mom's old tchotchke shelf
9. oval mirror redo {february 2012}
10. breakfast table bench cushion {november 2012}
11. office desk & chair redo replaced with a new desk & chair

January wasn't a total waste; I was able to knock a couple of projects off my list, not included in those above, of course.  And I'd like to share those redo's with you. 

Presenting, the made-over metal drawer cabinet, which is now my organized business do-dads storage unit. {very technical term there!} :)

This cabinet originally resided in my grannie's office for her business, but she graciously gave it to me and it was perfect for organizing all my Just Crafty stuff.  The cabinet got a coat of new paint--a metallic goldy-beige {much prettier than it sounds}--and new funky labels.  It's perfect!

My other project was one I've always had in the back of my mind but only until recently did I for sure know how I wanted to execute it.  Before, this little stool was just that:  boring wood stool.  I had a long time ago chopped the legs off to fit at my desk, which made it the perfect height to sit at the vanity in the bathroom.  But that little white stool just wasn't cutting it.  Painting it did wonders, but the seat was still uncomfortable.  I had some scrap sheepskin stowed away that I thought would make a cushy spot so I nail-trimmed it to the stool.  And I think it turned out not half bad.  :)

UPDATE:  I'm thinking this stool is going to get another make-over.  It's not really working with what I've got going in my bathroom now.  That, or it's time to just up and get something new.  I think some things can only be made over so much????

Hopefully you found a little inspiration, and will maybe find a little more once I get going on my to-do's.

Hope everyone has a great day!

Ta ta for now...

as always, i {heart} comments :)

My Old House {Part 3: The Bathroom}

Ah, the bathroom.  Possibly the second most designed space within a home, following the kitchen, of course.  And after helping design many bathrooms, I'd like to think I'm pretty confident in what a bathroom needs.  So I was excited to give this bathroom a much needed makeover.  That is, until our landlord put on the brakes.

You see, remember when I mentioned that way back when, the original ranch owner's wife gave some input in building this little house?  Well, apparently she liked pink.  Actually, that might be putting it mildly.  She was a huge fan of pink.  And after growing up in this house, I don't have much appreciation for pink, although in recent years, it has started its gradual ascent back onto my good side.  There was pink everywhere in this house:  pink tile in the kitchen (yeah, just wait), pink tile in the bathroom, and at one point the walls were pink (we found evidence of that in a couple of closets that I guess had never been painted since). 

So, pink tile in the bathroom.  Baby pink.  And I suppose, when you have baby pink, you need baby blue, because our bathroom has baby pink and baby blue tiles.  Boy was I anxious and excited to get rid of that stuff.  Until those brakes I mentioned.  According to Mr. Landlord, the tile is still in good condition (which it really is) so there is no need to go and rip out perfectly good tile.  *Tear*...

But, every good designer takes on a challenge with a smile (whether real or forced) and tries to find the best solution.  And once the room was cleaned up, freshly painted with new fixtures, it wasn't all that bad.  And it's fitting with the house, which goes back to my belief that the house will tell you what to do.  Now that's not to say, given the opportunity, that tile would be outta there!  But it's definitely not as bad as I remember it.



This room also isn't a big "WOW" makeover, but I think you can see it is fresher and the new fixtures make it shine.

I would have loved a pedestal sink in here, but this was a compromise made with the hubs.  And yes, I have our toilet paper on the back of the toilet.  Bathroom's gotta be functional, right? 



Would like to thank my model "Dear Hubby" for holding the shower door shut.  Because it didn't stay shut on its own anymore.

See those fish on the shower door?  They were everywhere.  On the walls in the shower, the wall by the sink, the shower door.  We freed the fish.  :)

Can you see the narrow mirror that was there before?  It really only did a person good if they were sitting at the vanity, or if, when standing, you were only interested in viewing the lower half of one's body.  (Not going there.)  So we replaced it with a much taller mirror, and it not only proved to be more functional for viewing purposes, but also opened up that corner of the room.

It's all in the details: the medicine cabinet did not have a knob on it and made it difficult to open, but we found the sweetest little porcelain knob that fit perfectly and looks like it was always there. We also replaced the knobs on the sink cabinet to match the knobs we used on the existing bathroom cabinet to make it all cohesive.



We added--actually the awesome hubby added--a light to the shower and wow, does it make a world of difference. I'm also super proud of our shower curtain rod. We originally had one of those spring-loaded curtain rods in place, but pull the curtain open too hard, and down it came. So we bought closet rod hardware and took a PVC pipe, painted them bronze, and voila!

So I thought this was funny:  my hubby found this pic when we were cleaning out some of the drawers in the bathroom.  It actually was a while before I noticed it sitting here, but when I did, I had to laugh.  C'est moi, when I was much younger, ha ha.  So sweet he keeps it on his side.  :)

So, here's what we did:

• Painted all walls, cabinets, and ceiling
• Bathed the room in CLR
• Installed a new, CHAIR HEIGHT toilet (so wonderful after the "nearly sitting on the floor" toilet we had before)
• Installed a new sink cabinet
• *Note on this:  I never noticed how low the previous sink was until I came back to the house.  I felt like I was bowing to the queen every morning when I washed my face and brushed my teeth.  When we bought the new sink cabinet and were about to install it, it was nearly the same height as the old sink.  So we remedied that by building a base for the cabinet to sit on to make it about 36" high.  Now the queen gets a nice nod. :)
• Installed a new medicine cabinet
• Installed new light fixtures
• Installed new plugs
• *Note on this:  This bathroom had NO plugs.  The old light fixtures had plugs in them and they were not convenient by any means, way up there.  So when we installed new light fixtures, that meant good-bye plugs.  Thank goodness for my electrician hubby! 
• Installed new cabinet hardware
• Removed old towel bars, etc.

I supposed that about sums it up.  It would have been more drastic had we been able to trash the tile, but I think it still looks good.  The only downside of this bathroom:  it's the only one!  My husband and I are still trying to work that out! :)

Kitchen's next.  I promise.  ;)

Ta ta for now...

i heart comments :)

My Old House: {A Country Christmas}

Calling it a "country" Christmas may invoke an image in your mind that isn't exactly like what I'm about to show you.  But this is our first Christmas in our new home in the country, and I think our decor somewhat resembled that--a little bit traditional, a little bit new.  In our previous house, we had a wide variety of Christmas decor:  a mix from our marriage combining two households and from gifts.  This year, in keeping with our "simplifying" mindset, we downsized our Christmas decor, kept it simple, and went a little vintage--on a shoestring budget.  As always.  :)



We try to keep our Christmas tree simple:  white lights, pearl garland, red bows, glass ball ornaments, and our "yearly" ornaments, a tradition started by my mom a few years ago.  Each year we get an ornament that has special meaning for that year.  I love the stories that our tree can tell.

The centerpiece of my centerpiece is a glass serving bowl that was left here in the house.  We found it while we were cleaning up and I knew I had to keep it.  I love the way it looks with the doily and candles.  This was the inspiration for my sparkly vintage Christmas.



My kitchen table needed a centerpiece too, so I improvised.  Mini cake server filled with glass ornaments, wrapped in lace.



Our house has no fireplace, therefore no mantle, and no place to traditionally hang stockings.  So we bought a mantle and hung it on one of our living room walls.

Our Christmas cards were nearly last minute this year.  I just had no inspiration.  But that light bulb finally came on and a design came to life.  I also decided to use our cards as a way to let some of our family and friends know we moved, and of our new address.  I think they turned out cute.  Not too bad for last minute, ha ha.

Finally, I'd like to share a Christmas gift I made this year for my grannie, who has been digging more and more into her family history for me, telling me all sorts of stories from when she was growing up in Oklahoma with her brothers and sisters.  I love hearing them because that's part of me too, and I pray one day to have kids that can appreciate those kinds of stories.  But in thinking of where she came from, and those of us she's given life to, I wanted to make her a family tree, a reminder of everyone she loves hanging on her wall.  I didn't design the tree myself--I found it here--but I did tweak the base of the tree to add in her parents and grandparents.

{I'd like to throw out a huge THANK YOU to Lisa for helping me get the tree printed.  I had such a time finding somewhere to print in this neck of the woods, but Lisa saved the day!} 

I think it turned out fantastic! :) 



The names of the innocent have been blurred out for their protection from my crazy ramblings. :)

I do hope that each and every one of you had a blessed Christmas this year and a beautiful holiday season.  Jesus is the reason for my season, and I hope that if you don't share that sentiment, you will one day know that amazing love that was born that blessed morning.  May God continue to bless you into the new year!

Ta ta for now...

i heart comments :)