The G-Man's Room Reveal...

I had the MOST fun working on the G-Man's room! After months of admiring board and batten projects online, I finally got to try it myself!

Here are some pictures:

 Had to make a new bedskirt to replace the light blue one he had...made this out of a queen flat sheet I had in the linen closet. Still looking for a new quilt or comforter.

Drapes made from a canvas drop cloth. Looks like I need to adjust the length on the left one!  



Update...

Got the G-Man's room done! Well, almost. We got the Board and Batten and the painting finished. And I am proud to say that I not only used a compound mitre saw for the first time (Loved it! Its now on my Christmas list!), but I also switched out an old putty colored outlet for a white one! And no sparks or smoke!

I still have curtains to fix (doing the canvas drop cloth kind) and a few "pretties". 

I'll post pics soon!

Laboring on Labor Day...

Well, I am happy to say that I am celebrating Labor Day weekend in a way worthy of its name: by laboring! I told y'all about the new project I had planned for the G-Man's room a while back. Saturday I finally got it started.

We began with some 1x4s that we cut down to about 46 inches long.

Then I attached them to the wall with Liquid Nails (I used a 16" long piece to space them out evenly around the room).

As you can see, I've left off the top piece.  We decided that since we're going to repaint the top of the wall too, we'd paint first, then put the top piece of wood up. 

Today it was time to prime...I got some help with that job from my little guy!

Did I mention that I'm also painting all the woodwork in the room white? I don't think I told Hubby that part of my plan. That may land me in the doghouse, since Hubby really likes stained woodwork!

That's about as far as I've gotten for now. Hubby is on his way home with the paint, so as soon as the primer is dry, I'll be getting my paint rollers out!

Stay tuned!

My next project...

Have you seen this?

Its the Little Things that Make a House a Home

Or this?

A Soft Place to Land

Or even this?

Shanty2Chic

Do you see a pattern here?

I've fallen in love with the board and batten wall treatment!

The G-man's room would look great with B&B. Yesterday I emailed the hubster at work and told him that I'd like to do this, and he replied saying to make a list of what I need. Well, that was all I needed to spring into action!

I must have worked about 2 hours making sketches and taking measurements and figuring out how it all would work out. By the time he got home, I had drawings and a materials list done. I don't know when I'll get to start, but I can't wait! 

Done painting (this room, anyway)...

The red is gone!  Wahoo!  I've been wanting to cover up that paint since about a month after we put it on. Don't get me wrong, I like red. Its just not the peaceful, serene color I wanted for our bedroom. 

It took a lot of convincing, but I finally talked the hubster into bringing home some more paint. He wasn't thrilled with the color; if it were left up to him, every room would be painted in a different bright, bold hue of the rainbow. I'm not opposed to color, but sometimes the eye needs a rest. So for our room I chose "Jute" by Porter (its the second from the top). The blue on the bottom is "Prussian Blue", which is the master bathroom color.

Now usually, when we paint, Derek does the cutting in and I do the rolling. However, since he was at work when I painted, I did everything on my own. And I must say I'm pleased with how it turned out. And to top it off, no smudges of paint on the ceiling!

(The color doesn't show well in these pictures. Trust me when I say its not nearly as green as it looks here!)

I also took the opportunity to make a few other small changes. First, I moved the bedside table on Derek's side of the bed (he doesn't really use it and hasn't missed it). Actually, it is just a tray table. In order to make it a round, I used a round piece of wood that Mom was about to throw out. She said it was the base of Dad's recliner (it had to be replaced when the chair was repaired), and was going to be thrown out unless I wanted it for something. It turned into the perfect table top!

I hung a shelf (also something Mom was getting rid of) to hold part of my teacup collection and some antique books.

I was going to change the drapes and comforter, but after seeing it with the new paint color, I've decided to keep it for now.

I am so pleased with the result. Our room is a calming spot where I can relax. What a difference paint makes!

Silhouettes...

Just a little something I whipped up...

So easy to make! Here's how:

1. Take a profile picture.

2. Print picture and cut out.

3. Trace onto black cardstock and cut out.

4. Secure to background paper.

5. Put in frame (mine came from the Dollar Tree).

Little birdies...

Stopped by the Dollar Tree yesterday after dropping Derek off at work and having breakfast at DQ with the kiddos. The kids were excited about spending their dollars, but I was even more excited about finding this:

I picked up 2 of them and was going to use them just the way they are, but being brown, they didn't really show up. So, of course, I thought about spray paint. Not so fast-the little clear votive cups were glued in. I really didn't want to paint over them, so I decided to brush on the paint. Since I couldn't find any craft paint in the color I wanted, I searched the garage for some old interior latex paint. I found some that we'd used to paint the G-Man's room a few years ago. To say that it had thickened up a bit is an understatement!

I put it on kinda thin at first, leaving a lot of the brown to show through.

I liked it, but thought I'd add a bit more paint.

I really like how they turned out!

This one's for you, Julie Rae!

The other day, I got to meet Julie Rae, who, along with some of the gals at the London Sentinel Echo, have been checking out this blog for a while. I had to sheepishly apologize for not posting in, well, how long has it been? Well, in honor of Julie, here's my first post in ages!

I wish I could say that I haven't posted here because I've been so busy with projects around the house. The truth is, I've been so busy that I've put off house projects! Derek and I finally got some time to do a few things around here. Yesterday we finally got the thorn-in-our-sides project done: the master bathroom.

We actually started this project a few months ago, but it has been at a stand-still for a while (funny how running out of money for building stuff will do that...). However, about a month ago, Derek came home with 3 boxes of tile and some stuff to adhere it to the floor.  So the fun began...

For several evenings, I worked a little at a time until the plywood floor (so not a good look!) was covered.  We put up the freshly painted baseboards, a new shower curtain, and a few new "pretties". And we finally have a master bath we enjoy being in.

(Sorry for the not-so-great pictures.)

vinyl tile: Do It Best

paint: Porter Paint-Prussian Blue

shower curtain: Dollar General

bird prints: Dollar Tree

May you have a blessed and happy Easter Sunday!

A New Project...

I'm back!  I know its been a very long while since my last post, but we've had internet issues and have been very busy since the G-Man started playing Upwards Basketball.  The season is over now, so hopefully I'll have a moment to stop and take a breath!

The beginning of Spring has me thinking lately about new projects. There's one that I've been contemplating all winter ( I hadn't started since the garage was just too cold, and working inside was out of the question since spray paint is involved!).

A few months ago, I saw something over on Susie's blog, Bienvenue, that caught my eye. Actually, just about everything on her blog catches my eye-she's very talented! But this eye-catching thing was something that I thought I could recreate myself (I'm not nearly as talented as Susie!).  A coat rack:

Isn't it pretty?   So I'm thinking that maybe I could make something similar for my house.  I have a scrap of moulding, but I still need some beadboard and either hooks or knobs.  I'm thinking of going with hooks. Something like these:

So now that the weather's warmer and I have a little more time, I think I'll start looking around for the rest of the supplies and make myself a coat rack. 

What projects have you been putting off?

A Nice Surprise...

Don't you just love when you find something perfect that you didn't even know you were looking for? Saturday afternoon, after taking the kids to feed the ducks at McHargue's Mill, we went over to the flea market.  After checking out the vendors inside, we went around back where there are tables set up. Usually, we don't even venture out there, but let me tell you, we found out yesterday that that is where the interesting stuff is!  Much better than inside.  The very first set of tables we walked by had all sorts of old stuff, and right away, something caught my eye. I had remembered seeing an article in Country Living Magazine not long ago that featured a woman in Connecticut who had a collection of antique rug beaters adorning her stairwell walls. They were so pretty, all their different shapes and designs.  So when I saw two antique rug beaters, one with a green handle and one with red, laying on the flea market table, I knew I had to have it.

After striking up a conversation with the lovely older couple running the booth, I asked how much it was. "$12".   Not too bad, but a little high for me. I put it back down and decided to think about it. Now I'm not a good negotiator, you see. I hate it when the price on the tag is not the actual price. So instead of trying to negotiate, I just put it back and walked on down the aisle. Imagine my surprise when about 10 minutes later, while waiting for the kids at a toy booth, my husband appears, holding the rug beater, purchased for $8. 

I wasted no time hanging it up when I got home. I love the design, and I've realized that its not only decorative, but it could actually be useful. Since I already have a mechanical contraption to clean my rugs, it could really come in handy for keeping my husband in line! 

It's Done!

My first chair rehab is finished! I was so excited when I found this chair at a yard sale this past weekend! It was only $7--how could I pass that up?

It was already black, but was in serious need of some touch-ups. I gave it a good coat of glossy black, then set out to recover the seat. This was the first time I'd ever done this, and I was surprised that it was indeed as easy as I thought it was going to be. The hardest part is making sure the pattern of the fabric is on straight.

After a bunch of staples, here's the finished product:

Yard Sale Find...

This past weekend I got to experience a yard sale like I've never seen. Imagine 22 miles of non-stop yard sales, all along one country highway. Now, I know this pales in comparison to the annual US 127 yard sale that stretches through several states, but for those of us close enough to shop the East 80 Yard Sale, it's an amazing experience! I didn't get to shop the entire yard sale (I would need a LOT more money to shop with!), but I did see some interesting stuff. I'm tellin' ya, there was something for everyone.

I did come home with one thing that I've been scouting around for. For months now, I've been looking for just the right chair to rehab. I finally found one, for only $7! Here she is:

I'll touch up the paint, but it will remain black. The seat will have to go, though. I'm going out tomorrow to find a piece of fabric that will coordinate with my living room colors, taupe, brown, and paprika red. When its finished, it will be our new chair for the computer desk.

Check out Rhoda's Thrifty Monday Party!

Cornered in...

One corner of the dining room has long been a thorn in my side. It is quite small, and is in a high traffic area, so furnishing it has been a challenge. Not quite big enough for a desk or chest, but big enough that without something, it looked too empty. Last week, my mom surprised me with something that fit perfectly...her green bench.
She got this bench several years ago from a catalog that I brought home from work. It didn't cost much at all, less than $20 if I remember correctly. She had it in her guest room, but moved it out last week while decluttering. She asked me if I wanted it, and of course, I said yes. What kind of daughter would I be to refuse Mom's castoffs? As soon as she offered it to me, I knew where it would go-that problem corner.

I found the red pillow at JCPenney for only $7.99, and the rooster pillow was another gift from Mom (she found it at Cracker Barrel). The baskets were laying around the house.

Fills that corner just perfectly!