YOU CAN DO IT!!!

This is not a “feature.”

This is not a “tutorial.”

This is to encourage you…IF YOU WANT IT, JUST DO IT!

Wow…that should be a product motto…lol!

But seriously, if there is something you envy…a beautifully painted room or piece of furniture, (this blog is FULL of painted furniture!) a flagstone walk, a swing pergola…JUST DO IT.

I know you can!

A few weeks ago my neighbor asked if she though it was possible to put new boards on her deck…her’s was pretty old and rotted and the railing was a hazard waiting to happen.

The deck is off her bedroom…she likes to sit out there in the morning and drink her coffee. The original plan was to tear off the existing 2x4 deck boards and replace them.

She and her husband decided they wanted to drop the deck a bit, add a step and add steps to the back yard. That was a whole nuther project…and required some serious planning and rebuilding.

Probably a good thing we decided to redesign and rebuilt the entire deck because even the frame was pretty rotted. It ALL needed to go.

The hitch…the only “muscle” we had were 5 housewives/retirees…myself being the youngest…everyone else was over 60.

But by goshy, WE DID IT!!!!!

We demoed the original deck (man was it showing its age!) and replaced it with a brand new one with access to the back yard!

The only thing left to finish is the railing and she decided she wanted black iron railing…so that is on order. When she gets it finished I’ll post some better pictures!

For now, she has a beautiful new deck!

We are not young. We are not strong and we are certainly not “deck design” experts.

I have a little construction knowledge but I have never actually designed and built a deck.

We have the internet.

Between the five of us we managed to work together to lift the heaviest boards.

And we were able to “tag team” so when one got tired, another jumped in.

Two construction dudes could have knocked it out in a day…it took us a week. But by goshy WE DID IT!

It was a labor of neighborly love.

This was certainly the result of a bunch of “old women” giving what we have.

This week I am building ANOTHER swing pergola….I guess working on the deck gave me “the bug.” When I get it finished I’ll post pics. For now, if you want a swing pergola, HERE is a great tutorial. YOU CAN DO IT!!!

Another fireplace makeover....

It is time.

Time to give the fireplace in the living room a little facelift.

Like the fireplace in the den, I have known from day one the living room fireplace would someday get a little makeover.

Its not totally offensive…it’s just…well…I just don’t like it much.

(I didn’t have to tear out what is there to get a good visual like I did in the den).

So the first thing I did was “find my inspiration.”

I did what I usually do…scoured Pinterest and the webisphere and dropped pictures I liked into a computer file….

In it are pictures of fireplaces that have at least one element I like.

I would post all the pictures of individual ones that really struck my fancy but again, I am HORRIBLE at keeping the original source to link back to…but this is my inspiration file.

This is one I like best…

SOURCE

You may notice this is a “stone” fireplace surround…but I think I can make something similar out of trim and paint it.

One thing I know for certain…I want “more formal” than the rock and walnut mantel I put in the den but less that the formal froo-froo in more formal living rooms. Simple but with a little class.

The den, kitchen and living room are all “open space.” The den is our “casual” space and the living room is the more “formal” space…and since you can see both fireplaces from just about any spot in all the rooms, it is important that they be different to reflect their individual purposes but not clash.

Does that make any sense at all?

So, I found my inspiration…or at least 20-30 I can combine to get the look I want.

The next step is to “make a plan.”

To do that, I measured the space (wall width and height, floor to bottom of TV, firebox) and drew it out on graph paper. That way I know exactly what my measurements are.

Again, most of the “inspiration” pieces I like were stone…but those are super expensive and I really think I can achieve a similar look with wood trim.

I haven’t yet decided on what tile I want between the fire box and surround. Or if I even want tile at all…I like the solid look. I think I may have to wait til I get the surround up to get a good visual.

This is definitely one of those “fly by the seat of your pants” deals.

Again, I know I do not want a hearth. This is a gas log firebox enclosed in glass….so no “need.” There isn’t one now so I know we can live without it. Since I went with the stone and natural wood in the den I’m pretty sure I am going to stick with painted.

So…inspirations in hand…check. Measurements taken…check. Set plan…well that is still a work in progress. I ordered the large concave (cove) crown and I will take a piece of that and build around it to find a look I like. I believe this is what they call a “fluid” plan.

This week the ladies in the neighborhood are building a deck. MAJOR chore…but by goshy we are getting it done! It is part of my “give what you have” plan for my life. I get to share a skill set, the ladies are learning something new and the fellowship is wonderful. So far, so good!

Hopefully next week I can get started on the fireplace!

Another grindstone path...

A few years ago I inherited some grindstones that had originally belonged to my grandfather. I shared HERE how I turned them into a path to my storage shed at the Lankford House.

When we sold the Lankford House it was one of the things I wrote into the contract that DID NOT convey. We dug them up and moved them to the Bogey House and set them under some potted plants.

When we were making the side yard pathway a few weeks ago, Brian suggested we use the grindstones to make a path in the large back flower bed.

Outstanding idea. You could hardly see them under the pots and using them for another pathway would really highlight them. Bonus: I have wanted to make a little path in that flower bed.

The original plan was to set them and then fill in with rock…like the rock we used in the side yard.

We raked out the area where we wanted the path…not difficult since it was mostly decomposed mulch from last year. We bordered the area with metal landscape edging then proceeded to set the stones as I did at the Lankford House.

When we were putting down the cedar mulch I decided we should save a few bucks this year and just fill it with black mulch…just to create a contrast.

LOVE!!!

Truth be told, I think I like it better than I would rock. I know it will take some annual maintenance, but it only took 7 bags of black mulch, which is waaaay cheaper than the $250 worth of rock it would have taken.

The hostas are popping, the dogwoods are just starting to bloom and in a few weeks I will fill the other pots with colorful annuals. As I mentioned a few years ago I do most of my summer flowers in pots and just a few in the ground. Saves on my back and knees!

Spring is just around the corner. We have had a few days of “window open” weather but the heat still kicks on every once in a while.

Any day!

Another flagstone path...

HERE I shared a flagstone patio I did at my last house. I loved that area. I am grateful I have a covered front porch in this house, but I didn’t at the Lankford house and this little “patio” really opened up the front of the house.

I also shared how to repair flagstone HERE.

HERE I shared how to set a grinding stone walk way.

These were just a few of my stone walk projects. The Lankford house had a good 10-15 tons of flagstone walks and gardens…I love it!

One thing I don’t love is small rock…unfortunately there is one area in our yard that I decided I have no choice.

It is on the south side of the house but it is completely shaded by trees and I think our neighbor’s garden pond leaches into the area keeping it damp.

When it rained or there was a snow melt, water would pool in this area.

No sun, constant damp = no grass.

Out of sight, out of mind. So I have done little here, other than attempt to seed and grow grass, to no avail.

I have two big dogs who like to run and play and always seem to gravitate to this area and inevitably their muddy paw prints end up all over my house! I HAD to so something.

I decided to do a rock pathway.

AGAIN, there are hundreds of great tutorials on how to lay rock pathways. Find one that works for you!

I started by scraping down the area about 1-2” and compacting it well with a garden tamper, paying close attention to the grade. I wanted to make sure there was a gradual fall from the back of the house to the front.

This is where a lot of tutorials suggest putting down “garden fabric.” I do not. I don’t like it and I am willing to spray a little roundup on any weeds that may pop through from time to time.

Some also suggest putting down a firmer base. In some areas you may definitely want to do that. I did not do that here because I didn’t feel like it need it.

The next thing I did was put down sand where the flagstones where going to be set.

This is a super important step in my opinion. First, you want the large stones (whether flagstone or paver stones) to sit on a “clean” base…no rocks or pebbles. If a rock were to work its way into underside of the stepping stone and you put pressure on it by stepping on it, it could break. Second, it gives you a soft “pliable” base…so when you set your rock, it is easy to make adjustments by adjusting the amount of sand…just pick up the stone and easily remove or add sand as needed.

I usually add about 1-2” of sand. After putting down the sand I wet it down well then I used a long 2x4 and dragged it over the sand several times to level it out, again paying close attention to the grade of the area…you DO NOT want to create low spots where rain water and snow melt won’t drain!

Since I was creating a “path” I “walked” the path to see where I wanted each stone to set. I wanted the stones to kind of match my stride.

I leveled each stone as I set it, starting from the lowest area by the front gate and working my way back to the highest point by the corner of the house. There is only about a 6” drop in this 22’ span so I had to be very careful and pay close attention to that grade.

This is where you want to make sure you are not doing anything to impeded the natural flow of any water shed.

For example on the other side of the front gate is the side yard of the front of the house. It is already has a good grade and I wanted to make sure that what I did was not “lower” than that grade, creating a dam.

I also wanted to make sure I wasn’t altering the grade so that water actually flowed toward the house…that could be a major issue! So each stone needed to either be perfectly level or slant slightly away from the house, never towards the house.

Once all the pavers were set and leveled, I hosed down the area so that the sand leached under the rocks, filling any voids that might have been created by all the movement.

Next up was the gravel. You may wonder where I got all this rock. At the rock store, of course…lol! I was talking to my daughter when I went to pick out my rock and mentioned I was going to the rock store…she laughed at the fact that there really is a “rock store.” I picked out my rock, determined how much I needed, then paid them to deliver it. I had hoped they could deliver it to my back yard, but their little machine couldn’t fit through the side gate so I had to wheel barrel four thousand pounds of rock around my back yard! Yes, I hurt like heck this week!!!!

I decided I wanted a “path look” to the rock…so I picked out two different rocks. A small brown rock and a larger multi colored.

I used a 6’ piece of garden edger between each rock to create a crisp line. Put it in place, lay rock on both sides, walk on the rock a bit to bed it down, then just pick up the piece of edging. I used the garden tamper as I went to bed the rock a bit more.

I think this looks super awesome…course the first things the dogs did were run back there and scatter rocks so I am not sure how long this “crisp” look will last.

So far so good…

We have had one light rain and of course it is spring so I am sure we will get some heavy rains in the next few weeks. I held back a few buckets of rock so if there is any settling or pooling I can add more if needed.

Eventually I may add some shade loving plantings…someday. Again, out of site out of mind.

While I was digging around and creating pathways I decided to tackle another area as well. This one will highlight the grindstones that were my grandfather’s. I shared those HERE when I made a path at my other house. It was one of the things I made sure did not convey in the sale…yep, we dug them up and moved them here. They have been sitting under potted plants for over a year but Brian had a wonderful suggestion for using them and I will run with it…when I can run again.

I will share that at another time…maybe when I get further along in the process. I rarely leave a project half finished but after days of digging and hauling I was just too pooped to finish up Sunday. Fortunately it is it has rained for a few days so I a good excuse to stay inside and work on my quilt project.

Until next week….

WHY DO I DO THIS TO MYSELF!!!

If you have ever checked out my “About Me” page you may note the annual pictures of our family in our Christmas PJs. No pictures of the last two years because Brian and I had Covid in 2020 and then Sarah had it this past year…so no family Christmas celebration for two years in a row. I still got everyone matching PJs but no family picture…poooo!

Anywho, I have always wanted to make a quit out of all the different plaid PJs. I have put it off because, well, I hate sewing. Hate is not a word I use often, but I really hate sewing. I wasn’t really sure why. I’m pretty good at it. I love the end results…whether it be a decorative pillow, reupholstered chair, or a custom formal dress.

I just know that every time I sew, I find myself growling and gritting my teeth.

I finally realized why I hate it so much after two weeks of working on this latest project!

It hurts…my back hurts, my neck hurts, my teeth hurt, my head hurts. Most likely the result of my horrible posture and hours of sitting.

The latest project? A PJ quilt…or rather quiltS! As in, I am up to three quilts and two throws.

Why…well, we have a full and twin bed upstairs in the bunk room and I really want some cute Christmasy quilts. Then I decided if I was going to make two for upstairs, I need to make a queen size one for the guest room. And of course the grandsons had different PJs than the adults so I thought it would be neat to make throws for them out of their little PJs.

And then of course I need to make something for the daughter-in-laws…they both want throws…and Sarah wants pillows…

AND BEFORE I KNOW IT ONE TINY SEWING PROJECT HAS TURNED INTO A FRICKING NIGHTMARE!!!

So be it…like I always say, the best way to eat an elephant is one bite at a time. So every morning I take 4 ibuprofen and start chomping away.

As with any DIY project I first had to find my “inspiration.” I knew I wanted quilts, but I also know I don’t want to do a tedious piece mill quilt. When I was in college, I worked for a lady who made applique’ baby quilts…so I know how to do that.

So I went searching and found this….

…I love it and it is something I can do with my skill set…applique’ trees made out of the flannel PJ’s on flannel panels.

I am not going to go into a long tutorial on “how to make a quilt”…as I have said time and again, I am not good at tutorials and there are THOUSANDS of tutorials out there on how to make all kinds of different quilts. Find one that makes sense to YOU!!!! I’m just here to “inspire” you!

So my next step was to gather up all the PJs we have. I sent out a message to all the family to gather up their old PJs and send them to me….

These are just a handful!

We have had this tradition for over 20 years but most of the older ones are long gone. I was able to gather about 15 different plaids from years past. The little guys (my two grandsons) had to wear different PJs up until about 4 years ago and my daughter actually had some of their older PJs stored away….SCORE!!!

I decided (based on some complicated math and chintzy fabric widths) to make the panels 10 1/2” x 10 1/2”. For the little guy’s throws the panels are 9 1/2” x 9 1/2”.

Easy peasy, right?

OH MY GOSH!!!! WHAT HAVE I DONE TO MYSELF!

The queen size quilt requires 72 panels, the full size 56 and the twin 48. The two throws will take 24 each…and each panel has THREE trees! That is a total of 672 trees…so not only did I have to cut out 224 panels, but then I had to cut out 672 trees and 672 tree stumps…and then I had to applique’ three trees and stumps on each panel.

THIS product has been an absolute life saver for me!!!!

Back in the day you would have to iron on a fusible backing. With this stuff, I just cut out the trees on the webbing, peeled one side, stick it on the fabric, then cut it out. Then I peeled the other side, and stuck the tree onto the panel. This stuff allowed me to peel the tree off and reposition it if needed. Not easy to do with iron on fusible backing.

I did use an iron on fusible webbing on the back of each panel…flannel is “stretchy” and this made sewing the trees on a bit easier. It is a “tear away” webbing so when I am done I can just tear away the backing and have a nice soft panel!

Actually, I stuck all the little trunks on the panels, sewed those on with a satin stitch, then went back and added the trees.

Again, it is waaaay more complicated than I make it sound, but this is the end result….

A total of 176 big panels and 48 panels for the little guys.

It only took me two weeks and a big bottle of ibuprofen.

Soooo, now I wait for the flannel I ordered for the stripes that will go between each panel. I got the cute white flannel with little stars for the panels from a local craft store but I read reviews on their flannel and it didn’t score high marks. So I decided to buy a different brand from a different source for the stripes and backing. It was a bit more expensive, but if you are going to put in this kind of time and money, I say go with the best. I want these quilts to last a looooong time!!!!

I decided to go with plain ole’ red…very Christmasy. My plan is to connect each panel with 1 1/2” red stripes and back the quilt with red or maybe another plaid flannel…then bind it with a red and white striped fabric…kind of “candy canish.”

Truthfully, I am grateful for the time off while waiting on the flannel. I need the break!

I am very fortunate. My daughter’s boyfriend’s mother quilts and he knows how to do the top stitch quilting…so he has agreed to do that for me. That is an expensive part of this project so I am grateful he is willing to do it!

AGAIN….find a tutorial that makes sense to you for the type of quilt you want to make. My quilt is a tad more complicated because of the applique’ work, but you can do a simple patch work quilt if you have no other skill than the ability to sew a straight stitch! Don’t let the complicated and beautiful quilt projects intimidate you…they are amazing and I envy the women who have that ability, but you can make a simple keepsake without all the fuss!

I have seen keepsake quilts made out of baby cloths, old jeans and athletic tshirts. My neighbor saw this and decided it would be a great way to preserve a bunch of her father’s old flannel shirts she kept.

This is definitely a “labor of love.”

It is also a prime example of doing something I dislike because I know I will love the end result!

The "new" Drexel server....

I shared my plan for this wonderful vintage piece HERE….

I know purists cringe when people even talk about painting vintage pieces.

This is a prime example of “doing what you love.” If a piece will be more loved and treasured in a different state then go for it.

I painted the first one I found years ago and have had it in my dining/breakfast room…

…I recently swapped it out for the china hutch (featured HERE) and sold it.

Now this piece, a Drexel Accolade, has some value as is….if you do a little research you will find they sell for hundreds. But for me “hundreds” is not a value that will keep me from giving a piece a little makeover. If we were talking tens of thousands, yeah, no.

I also have a Drexel nightstand I refinished and shared HERE.

I planned to sell this piece after it’s makeover but I have moved it into my dining room and now I am kind of liking it…hum…guess we will see.

So…what did I do to give this thing a little more appeal?

First, I removed all the old hardware and brightened it up.

The hardware on these pieces are solid brass but after a few decades of neglect it is hard to tell. You can tell if something is solid brass with a magnet. A magnet WILL NOT stick to solid brass.

If the hardware is solid brass, the only way I have found to really brighten it up and get the decades of grime off is with Brasso and SOS pads.

Coat each piece with Brasso. I use a little chip brush to coat the pieces. After that sits for awhile, take an SOS pad and scrub away. You may need to repeat this process a time or two. I also use an old toothbrush to get in all the nooks and crannies.

After all the pieces are really clean, I scrub them with “Never Dull.” It seems to get the last layer of grunge off and gives them a little bit more “brightness.”

Not the easiest or fastest way to clean brass hardware but I just don’t think you can beat beautiful brass hardware.

Now, if the hardware is NOT brass and you want to spruce it up (without the cost of replacing) you can always give it a good scrubbing, prime it with metal primer and then paint it with spray paint. (TIP: put the screws back into the screw holes so that you don’t get paint in the threads.)

I shared another brass hardware restoration project HERE.

So, the hardware is done. If you find a Drexel piece and it is missing any of it’s original hardware, you can find replacements on Ebay…but be prepared to pay dearly for it! Each pull can range from $30 to $110 EACH!!!

I decided to strip and oil the drawer and door fronts. On the last Drexel makeovers (the bedside table and server) I painted the entire piece. This time I decided to shake things up a bit.

While I like wood grain, I am not a huge fan of oak. No biggy since, again, my original plan was to sell this piece. To highlight the pretty wood grain, I stripped the drawer fronts and doors using my trusty 1/2 and 1/2 mixture. 1/2 acetone, 1/2 lacquer thinner. HERE I posted a pretty lengthy tutorial on how to use this mixture to strip even the most stubborn finishes!

After stripping off the old finish I gave the drawers and doors a little mineral spirit wash, lightly sanded, wiped with tack cloth, then applied 3 coats of tung oil finish…my current favorite being Waterlox.

After that had dried and cured well, I taped and papered the doors and began prepping the cabinet for paint. (I removed the drawers to strip and oil them!)

I didn’t need to paint the inside of the cabinet so I taped that off, along with the black laminate under the flip top. I primed with Bullseye primer, then sanded smooth with 220 grit paper and wiped it all down with tack cloth.

I decided to paint the cabinet with high gloss black lacquer spray paint. I am obsessed with the high glass finish on these pieces. I just think it really makes a huge impact, especially with the bright brass hardware.

(You may notice I am all decked out for Easter…that is my new thing…decorating for each holiday/season. Next up will be Memorial Day/4th…patriotic stuff…then “summery”…then fall…then Christmas…then Valentine’s and back to Easter. See what happens when you “retire.”)

The trick to a flawless spray paint finish is LIGHT COATS…lightly spray, let it dry, spray again. It may take 3-4-5 coats but it dries quickly and in the end you will have a beautiful finish. If you go heavy handed you will have drips and runs and will be hugely disappointed!!!

Also pay attention to the temperatures and humidity. If it is too hot or too cold, or if the humidity is really high, you may have issues!

HERE you will find some additional tips on how to property paint furniture…very helpful!

After the paint had properly cured (gave it a good day or two) I replaced the hardware and OH. MY. GOSH!!! I seriously love this piece. Even though I am not a huge oak fan I am really loving it!!!

So the past few weeks I have been tackling a MAMMOTH project. Maybe next week I can share it. Hint, in entails A LOT of the thing I hate most….but man will it be worth it…I think…I hope….

china hutch makeover...

I originally bought this piece to makeover and sell…

When I gave my breakfast room a little makeover (featured HERE last week) I decided I kind of like the look and it gives me a place to display my heirloom china….

I didn’t take pictures while I was giving it a makeover because, well, I just didn’t….

But the process was pretty straight-forward.

I removed all the hardware. The drawer hardware was not the original so I ordered hardware that would have come with the piece originally. Fortunately the door hardware was still there so I just cleaned it up a bit with Brasso and SOS pads to highlight the engravings.

Before you go scrubbing on hardware with Brasso and SOS pads, make sure it is real brass. A magnet will NOT stick to real brass…if one doesn’t, scrub away.

I removed the shelving. I also removed the glass and decorative glass inserts. Not difficult because it was just held in place by some strips of tiny molding and nails…I just popped those right out and set them aside to paint and reuse.

The shelving was pretty warped and I tried my trick of laying them on the floor and placing weights on them…no go. So I ordered glass shelves to replace them. Honestly, I like the glass better.

The glass shelves where a lot heavier than the wood shelves. Originally the piece just had two little supports on each side for the wood shelving (no supports along the back for the span which might explain why the shelves bowed.) I didn’t feel comfortable with that so I added 1x3 support boards along the back, securing them with glue and staples. Now I feel confident that the shelving is properly supported and can handle the weight of dishes. (If you have ever had a glass shelf come crashing down on your china you would understand my concerns. Yeah, it happened!)

There were a few other minor repairs that had to be made…since I was painting the piece, I did them before primer and paint.

Remember, if you are staining, stain first then repair. If you are painting, repair first then paint.

I cleaned the piece well then I caulked all the “joints.” Remember if you are painting a stained piece you have to caulk all the places where wood meets wood…and you may even have to putty nail holes. If you miss anything it will show up when you prime the piece…just caulk and putty and spritz it with a little primer.

I sprayed the entire cabinet with Bullseye primer. Primer is MUST on mahogany pieces because it will bleed through the paint! If you paint a piece and see “red” or “shadows,” that is the mahogany bleeding through…or water stains, oils, etc…more layers of paint WILL NOT cover it. Prime it then repaint it. Or save yourself the grief and prime everything before you paint. Mahogany is not the only thing that will bleed through paint. Nail holes and “gaps” will show up and you will be able to fix them before you apply your paint.

Also, you will get a much prettier and durable finish.

I know some paints (like this one) profess to be paint and primer in one. Maybe so but I always prime with a primer. Usually Kilz or Bullseye.

I sanded it smooth then wiped it down well with tack cloth.

I decided to paint the inside white and the exterior black. I painted the inside with some satin white latex I had on hand, let it dry and cure then taped it all off to spray paint the exterior.

I painted the interior a satin finish but I wanted a flat black for the exterior. I went with Rust-Oleum Matte Farmhouse black.

After the black had cured (I usually give it a few days) I replaced the hardware, reinstalled the door glass (without the decorative doo-dads) using the small trim and silicone and moved it into the house. I gave it another few days to cure before adding the glass shelving.

I did not paint the inside of the drawers or the inside of the lower cabinets. I rarely do unless the piece has an odor or stains I can’t get rid of by cleaning. If you have a piece that has odors or stains sometimes your only recourse is to prime and paint!

I added a LED light to give the display a little glow! That entailed drilling a small hole in the top for the cord and mounting an LED light strip in the top of the cabinet….simple simon!

Lovely.

This is where I remind you that “cure time” is super important when working with painted wood. I always get annoyed when I watch those shows on HGTV and they paint and stage furniture the same day. DO NOT DO THAT!!!! Be patient…give paint time to cure. If you don’t you will scuff and scar your new paint job and will be seriously disappointed.

If you look back at this blog you will see I use to do this kind of thing all the time…I loved it.

I don’t do it much anymore and I forgot how much I love taking an old abused and neglected piece and turning it into something beautiful and useful again!!!

Board and Batten in the breakfast room...

This is a simple project I have wanted to complete from day one.

Board and batten in the breakfast room.

As I have said before, there are TONS of board and batten designs and tutorials on the webisphere. Watch videos, read blogs, search Pinterest…find a design you love and a tutorial that makes the most sense to you.

So here is a little before and after.

Before….

Not totally offensive but lacks a little “character.”

After….

Simple project for me since I have done this a time or two. (Check out the guest bath, the entry in the Lankford house and the Bogey house. )

You might notice another little change…the china hutch.

Originally I had the awesome mid century Drexel buffet but I thought I would change it up a bit. I read somewhere china hutches are making a comeback. I can see why…pretty and functional.

Eventually I would like to add some art on each side of the hutch…maybe some botanicals.

My original plan for this piece was to repair it, paint it and sell it but honestly, I kind of like the look in this room. I FINALLY have a place to display some of my heirloom china that has been boxed up and in storage for a year and a half!

Before…

After….

Next week I will share the steps I took to give this piece a little facelift! Not difficult and as you can see it made a HUGE difference!

Until then….

Home office makeover reveal...

Last week I shared the need to give my home office a little “character and design appeal.” (You can go to the link to see the “before.”)

This week I will share a few changes I made…not huge changes but enough to give it a little be more appeal.

It wasn’t until I was working on my “Bogey Home Tour” page that I realized I had done absolutely nothing to this room. Not a huge deal but, as I mentioned, you can see this room from the main living area and it is right off the entry…so it really needed a little something.

The first step was to purge and organize. The closet is great for storing my small seasonal decor (Valentine’s, Easter, the 4th, etc.) and office supplies but it could stand a little purge and organization.

It had a mismash of boxes and baskets and binders so this is one of the few things I splurged on…matching boxes for receipts and such and new binders. Then it was just a matter of organizing everything else…mostly the small seasonal stuff. I even organized all the decorative candles I switch out for every season on my dining table….

After purging I painted the walls and trim. Three of the walls and all the trim were painted white…just plain ole’ white. The wall I decided to do an accent feature on was painted pink. Yep, pink.

This mess of a wall and credenza had become a dumping ground. I removed all the “unnecessaries,” changed up the pictures on the wall and organized the laptops in THIS little gem.

Eventually I will get another piece to put here but for now, this works.

I also have some leftover walnut and may make some floating shelves or a picture ledge for this wall…maybe…we’ll see.

I still like this shelving/cabinet….

…it just desperately needed to be purged and organized. I debated putting the printer inside the cabinet, but we really do use it a lot. All the paper, business checks and cartridges are stored in the bottom. I may eventually add a little more greenery (aka fake plants) but for now this will suffice.

I really wanted to put a glass top desk in front of the window, but as you can see, this is Cleo’s lookout chair…she spends most of her day in this chair guarding the house. Okay, she spends most of the day SLEEPING…but still…

The only real change in this little window space (besides paint) was the removal of the blinds. The window had blinds when we moved in that have never been closed…so I just took them down. I rehung the curtains…they never get closed but they “dress” the window.

I may eventually change out the big ugly brown leather chair for something a little more sleek and modern, but for now Cleo seems perfectly comfortable and content.

I will also eventually change out the rug but for now it matches the chair. This is one of those times when I would love to do a whole room makeover…new chair, new rug, new credenza…but I am doing what needs to be done with as little expense as possible…baby steps!

As I have said time and again, sometimes our design “wants” are dictated by pets and kids…and of course finances. You may WANT a white couch but that’s probably not a good idea if you have a toddler running around with a sippy cup of juice or a large black dog that likes to run around in the mud. (BTW, if you think you will finally be able to get that beautiful white couch after the toddler becomes a kid or the kid becomes an adult, forget it. )

Now, the desk and accent wall….

The top of the desk needed a good purge. There really was nothing on there that couldn’t be put in a drawer or filed away…out of sight. I did buy one acrylic organizer for the top just to put bills and such in. The rest got cleared off and stored away. (Remember, I open my mail by the trash can…trash goes in the trash, mail for the kids goes in the mail holder by the front door and anything that needs my attention goes on my desk. No piles of mail laying around screaming for my attention…I take a few minutes EVERY day to deal with the mail as it comes in. )

I recovered the seat of the office chair with some pink velvet I had on hand.

Now, the pièce de résistance. The accent wall. HERE I talked about “finding my inspiration” for this room. After weeks of cruising the internet, I finally decided that this was the look I love.

And I do love it!

Next week I will share a full tutorial on this wall. Tutorials are usually not my forte’ but hopefully I can make sense out of how I created this “visual interest.”

As with all DIY projects, I firmly believe it all comes down to confidence. No, I had never created a wall like this…but I had no doubt I could give it the old college try. Succeed or fail, I would learn something. I think I succeeded although I will admit there are a few things I might do differently if I did it again (which I probably won’t!) But that is the great thing about sharing what I do…you can learn from my challenges (never say mistakes!)

Until then….

Finding inspiration for my home office...

When I updated my Bogey House Tour page I realized I have done nothing in the office. It is truly a very bland and boring room….

We painted the walls and added the hardwood before we moved in and we have changed out the paddle fan and added curtains but other than that…nothing.

Not a HUGE problem since I only do book work once a month and the only soul who uses this room on a regular basis is Cleo…this is her lookout!

But it really is an issue for a room that is right off the entry and can be seen from the main living room….

This room has ZERO design appeal or character.

So I have decided that this room will be my next big project.

The only question is WHAT TO DO, WHAT TO DO!

So I do what I always do when it is time to plan a makeover. Find my inspiration, make a plan and execute the plan.

First, Pinterest. I know I want some kind of accent wall so I searched “accent wall” and “office wall.”

I found a few things I liked so I dropped them in my “office makeover file.”

I debated whether to do just board and batten or an “accent wall” on the main focal wall…behind the desk.

Hum…I have board and batten in the entry…I like it but not sure if I would like it in this space.

Keep in mind, the one AWESOME thing about this room…the 10’ ceilings…make picking a wall accent very challenging in my opinion. Certain wall treatments just don’t look good in a large room with high ceilings.

My DIL sent me a few that were interesting….this is one….

I love the wood accent as opposed to the all-one-color-treatments like I did in my entry and guest bath….

Now this brings me to the color choice I KNOW I want…I think. I want pink. Not pepto-bismol pink but kind of a pale/blush/coral/whitish color.

Kind of this colorish….

(I can’t for the life of me find the link to this picture…my sincerest apologies!!!!)

One of my blog-friends, Cristina at Remodelando la Casa used it in a bedroom makeover…”Parisian Pink”….I have loved the thought of using pink in a room since.

Somewhere in the room. Maybe paint the board and batten/accent wall white and paint the walls the “pink” color or visa versa. Not sure yet because it will really depend on the wall treatment I choose.

Another choice….

SOURCE

I would paint the entire accent wall the “pinkish” color I choose and then paint the other walls white…just plain ole’ white.

But to date this is my favorite look….

SOURCE

Now, stick with “my vision” here. This is actually a three-dimensional wallpaper. My plan…paint the wall the “pinkish” color then make the vertical stripes out of strips of walnut.

OR paint the wall a darker charcoal greyish color and make the stripes pine with the whitish stain I used on my dining room bench.

If I do decide on this treatment, I know I want a “high contrast”….either light walls and darker stripes or dark walls with lighter stripes. And I really think I would want the stripes to be in wood.

Hum…what to do, what to do.

I am still looking for my inspiration…something that makes me say “YES, THAT’S IT”…not sure when the light bulb will go off but I have learned to live with changes in my mind for a time before I jump head long into a project.

Until that happens the desk, shelving and closet all need to be decluttered, purged and reorganized.

I still like this shelving and it serves a purpose…printer on top, paper and cartridges in the cabinet. But it seriously needs to be decluttered and the pictures on the wall need to be “rethunked.” The long vertical one is of our ski trip 20 years ago…the one with tulips is something that has been hanging around for 20 years…the cute little guy is Brian (that one will go somewhere…just too cute!)

The desk…

The desk will be on the “focal wall” so it needs to be completely clutter free. I thought it would be pretty to put a glass desk in front of the window and move the “reading chair” to this wall…but Cleo likes to lay in the chair and look out the window. Sometime our design decisions have to revolve around kids and pets.

The mirror propped against the wall?

I think I have kicked it around for a good 8-10 years and have never hung it on a wall. I love it but have never found the right place for it. It will be the first thing loaded in the car for donation!

This whatever it is…

The credenza is from our living room in the Lankford House. Between Brian and me, we have 4 computers and a slew of charging cords. The lamp was a Christmas gift from my dad to my mom THEIR FIRST CHRISTMAS…it is literally older than me. The Sonos speaker was in the living room and was moved in here before Christmas. The old mail holder. The wall decor….it’s all just a mess and needs some serious attention!

I have every computer I have owned for the last 20 years and for some stupid reason I think I need to keep the hard drive…you know, just in case I need to find an email I wrote 15 years ago. So I need to dismantle all the computers and pull the hard drives. I also have all the paper work for every car I have owned in the last 20+ years. Why? I don’t know…and I don’t know why I think I need to keep it, but I do. I just need to find a way to organize it all so that it isn’t taking up as much real estate as it is at this moment.

All that is stored in the large closet along with my business supplies, coats and some seasonal decor.

I swear…I am not a hoarder. Ask anyone in my family…they all swear I throw IMPORTANT stuff away all the time. Maybe so, but there have been many times in my life when having documentation for something I bought, or a contact I made, or insurance claim I filed, or bills that I paid, YEARS later, was important.

As a small business owner I also have to keep records for years….especially tax records. Fortunately we have tons of storage space upstairs and I am good about organizing and labeling boxes.

As long as I have the room to keep records on the car I bought in 1999 or the hard drive from the computer I used in 2006, I will keep them. But maybe they can be stored in a box upstairs and not taking up valuable space in a closet downstairs….hum…maybe.

The entire room needs to be purged and reorganized. Since we just moved into this house a little over a year ago, it really isn’t THAT bad.

I always purge and “organize” before I go out and buy storage boxes or organizing systems. And truthfully, I want to get rid of stuff so I am really not interested in adding more stuff…my goal is to try to use what we have!

So my goal this week is to get rid of and reorganize stuff and keep looking for inspiration. Once the clutter is gone and I know exactly what I want, I can make a plan.

Until next week…