I Wish I Had Before Pictures
May 21, 2009 Home Improvement, Outdoor Adventure
If you just read my blog, you might think I’ve dropped off the face of the Earth into an unproductive abyss. I’m still here, getting a lot done. Unfortunately for my blog, I have not energy by the end of the day. So what have I been up to? Yard work! Isn’t that the purpose of Spring?
This year we decided to tackle the backyard. While it doesn’t look horrible, portions of the yard haven’t really been touched in decades. Anything that is growing survived years of neglect.
Here’s the short list of activities:
- Cut down garbage trees and dead trees
- Weed large flower bed
- Fill trailer with old wood bins, picket fence, and other debris
- Trim crabapple tree
- Plant lots of plants in the front yard
My nemesis, our neighbors dead pine tree, is schedule to be cut down in a few weeks. Then we’ll have a new set of projects:
- Tear down shed
- Remove old fence
- Build new fence
- Build raised beds for vegetables (the vegetables probably won’t be planted until next year)
It’s fun to see our yard transform into a place we love.
Starting the Year Off with a Bang
Jan 6, 2009 Home Improvement
The last week or so has been non-stop project fun. I’m use the word fun to try and convince myself it was a really good use of my vacation time. Since my last post, I went from auditioning paint colors to a freshly painted bedroom, which sounds so simple. If only that was true. Here’s the two minute summary of the bedroom redo:
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
- Empty room
- Remove wall lights that were way too high
- Make junction box covers for electrical wires
- Plaster over the holes
Thursday, January 1, 2009
- Sand plaster
- Wait for plaster to dry
- Turn up the heat to help the plaster dry
- Put Christmas decorations away
- Sand more plaster
- Finally paint the ceiling with two coats of paint
- Crash sometime after 1 am
Friday, January 2, 2009
- Paint wall with two coats of paint
Saturday, January 3, 2009
- Clean up paint on the ceiling
- Paint trim on windows
- Put the bedroom back together
This list of my daily activities makes it sound so simple. Yet the experience exhausted me. I still need to paint the closets. Before this happens I need a plan for closet organizers. Any affordable ideas that don’t involved wire shelves?
Even with our old bedspread and mismatched furniture, the room feels better. I have my eye on a new bed and sidetables. I just need to save my pennies. For the timing being I’m just enjoying the fact that I started and finished a project.
As for the contest between my sister and I, she won. In fact, she wrapped up bedroom on January 1. By that point I think I managed to paint my ceilings.
Game On!
Dec 29, 2008 Home Improvement
Last week, my sister and I entered a little challenge to see who could paint their bedroom first. We both need a little motivation to see this project to the end. So the loser will be buying the winner a $25 gift certificate to IKEA.
Today I got my start. I bought some paint samples and plaster stuff to repair a few spots of plaster.
As you can tell we’re going for a stunning beige.
Our new quilt has plenty of color, and I don’t want the walls to compete with my work of art. I prefer the beige on the right. Ross prefers the beige on the left. Unfortunately it reminds me of really ugly foundation makeup. So it probably won’t happen. Sorry, Ross. Right now I think I’m going to go with one shade lighter of the beige on the right. The current color matches the carpet a little too closely. I need a little contrast in value between the walls and the carpet. Oh, I hate choosing paint colors. At least the ceiling will be easy, Ultra White.
Scattered Thoughts
Oct 14, 2007 Home Improvement, Sewing
First thing first, the craft room is progressing. On Thursday, an electrician installed grounded outlets and track lighting. I can’t say enough about track lighting. If you don’t have it, you need it. The improved lighting makes the room feel warm and inviting. I’m sure I’ll be inspired to make lot of wonderful things.
Since Thursday, I’ve been spending my time prepping the wall for paint. I had my work cut out for me. First I had to repair a few holes that the electrician made. Ugh! Then I had to fix previous damage. Quite frankly, I should probably do more repairs. The original wall board work isn’t the best. So I fixed what I had the patience to fix.
Today, I spent a lot of time prepping everything else for paint. That means lots of blue tape and clean walls. Tomorrow is all about paint.
Recently, I realized that the Pottery Barn style probably wouldn’t work for our new house. I think of Pottery Barn as modern farm house. Our house is a craftsman bungalow. While the styles aren’t radically different, they don’t blend very well. Furniture and home furnishing with clean simple lines look best in our house. Where am I going with this thought?
I received the latest Pottery Barn catalog this week. Of course I looked through it even though it really isn’t the inspiration that I’m looking for. Lucky for me this catalog had a surprise for me. These pillow covers:
They are so Scandinavian. This is a departure for Pottery Barn. These pillows and others have inspired me to make some throw pillows for the holidays. Now I just need to find the perfect fabric.
The next best thing to crafting is …
Sep 30, 2007 Home Improvement, Life, Sewing
Eating homemade cookies.
After church I decided to make cookies. For some that may not mean much, for me it means a lot. I’m not a big baker. Baking requires patience that I normally save for crafting. Despite my lack of patience, these cookies are a winner. I used the recipe that Amy, from Angry Chicken, posted a couple of days ago. I’ll definitely make these again.
These cookies were the first thing I’ve baked in my gas oven. Gas oven are new to me. I really don’t know what I’m doing. However, I do thing my gas oven is easier to use. Normally, I have a hard time baking cookies. This time all of the cookies were perfect. Like I said. There will be more of these cookies in my future.
So when will I start to craft again? Well first I need a craft room. On Friday, I bought ceiling paint for a Saturday project. After talking with Ross, we decided that I really need to address the electrical issues in that room before I paint. The room has one ungrounded outlet, and the lighting is subpar. I really need track lighting. Tomorrow, I’ll call an electrician. If I’m really lucky we can fix the electrical issue fixed in the next 10 days. After that I have a couple of days off work. I’d like to use that time to paint.
My goal for October: Assembly craft room.
Finally! Ikea is in town
Jun 24, 2007 Home Improvement
Through the course of reading many blogs, I started to covet the wonderful stuff that can only be purchased at Ikea. I knew that my home would be organized and look just as cool as everybody else’s. Now I have my chance to make it all happen. On May 23, the Ikea in Draper, Utah opened. Yea! (loud clapping in the background) A couple weeks later, I made my first of many trips to Ikea.
So what did I buy? Just a few things. I bought a few Branäs baskets, spice jars, and a cute bamboo plant.
The bamboo went to my office to live in a sunless environment called my cube. The baskets are waiting for me to put fabric inside. (I’m not sure what is holding me back on this one.) The spice jars have been put to work.
The Ikea hacker blog inspired me to personalize my spice jars to suit my tastes. I created one of a kind labels just for the Rajtan spice jars, not a true Ikea hack, but a nice embellishment.
I’ll be honest these spice jars were not my first choice. However the price was right. With the addition of the labels, I actually like these labels even more. I’ve decided to share my work. You can download a pdf here to print your own labels.
Tips:
- Print on full-sheet labels, like Avery 8165
- The circles measure 2″. I trimmed them to 1 7/8 when I cut them out. The labels fit better, and there were no white edges.
If somebody figures out how to make the top of the lids a smooth surface, please tell me. I really want to put a label on the lid. However, I need to get past the groove. I know that has to be an inexpenive way to fill-in the groove.
