Progress with a bedroom

Like my mosaics, this bedroom is (slowly) getting finished - little bits at a time.
Before                                                                      After

Closets finished √
Room painted white √
Mirror changed up√
Next project - hardwood through out.

The Big Closet Makeover

I've been wanting to tackle 'my closet project' for a while now but kept putting it off. It seemed like such an overwhelmingly big, scary job! Three weeks ago, for some reason(?), I decided to take it on. After tearing up the carpet and removing the trim there was no turning back.
"I can do this" was my mantra.

BEFORE

Putting down the hardware (my first time) was the most intimating part of the project.

I used a mitre saw (which I had) to cut the hardwood and took my time - measuring 4 times! and cutting once:). The last couple of pieces needed to be ripped with a table saw (which I didn't have). The borrowed table saw that I used did the trick and it came with a bonus perk - I discovered that with a mitre saw + a table saw the 'building stuff' possibilities were endless. It was a game changer!

"I can really do this"... 

I put up a mirror that was removed from a bathroom years ago and trimmed it up, built two built-ins and trimmed them up, took the old trim and glued them to mdf boards (1x5x8) making for much nicer (bulkier) trim. It was all about the trim.

START                                                                                 FINISH

I learned a lot but also realized that I have a lot to learn. "I did this"... 

NEXT

There are two closets in this bedroom so I'm now on to the next one which will mirror this one.

AND AFTER THAT... 

The Blue Bedroom (yikes!) will need to be brought up to speed with it's white, trimmed up, hardwood floor clad closets. 

The good news is that it doesn't seem like such an overwhelmingly big, scary job anymore:)

My new mantra (which I use when mosaicking) - "It will get finished - one piece at a time"...

Trash to Treasure Desk

A couple of weeks ago, on the way home from grocery shopping, I spotted these 'kicked to the curb' night stands. They were in my car before I knew what I was going to do with them:) They're in good shape, kind of funky, and have lots of drawers - all good things.
Wood glue and white paint to the rescue...
I built a very simple 6ft long box top from leftover plywood which took the height to 30" and gave Miss Hannah the new (free) desk she wanted/needed. Yeah!

White♥

Hello Sunshine!

I was just finishing up a run the other day when I spotted this sad looking chair that had been kicked to the curb:( I thought should I, should't I? Do I really need another project? where would I put it?... And then I was painting it:)

It was in pretty good shape - just needed a little glue and some paint. It looks lovely in Hannah's room.

Before and After Bathroom Alcove

For the last couple of days I've been working on a small makeover in our 'master' bathroom. This alcove was made a little more useful and a lot more exciting by adding an easy to make built in shelf + some white paint (Benjamin Moore's 'Cloud White'). White♥

After the before and after is finished there is always styling to be done. Styling, I love doing it but it's racked with decision making:) Which one works for you?

My New Studio/Guest Room

All the moving around, switching up and painting that we've been doing lately started with me wanting to move my studio space from our dark, unfinished basement to our bright, spacious guest room. Beds were switched, shelves were made and lots of painting was done.
I'm happy to say that I'm no longer working in 'the hole' as Marathon Man often called it. Our guest room is now my new studio/guest room. I'm loving all the light, the dogs are loving the day bed and how could our next company not love waking up to a room full of mosaics?!
From dark Basement...

To full of light Studio/Guest Room

I made 4 shelves that are all 8ft long. They were easy to make and are perfect for displaying my many sample boards.

Now it's time to get back to making mosaics and for William to take a nap:)

The Life of A Daybed

In 2000 we bought a day bed for Emma. At the time she was climbing out of her crib which meant she was ready for 'a big girl bed'. It was purchased at Sears and was originally a cream colour. I painted it lot's of fun bright colours to match Emma's fun crazy coloured kids room. What I really liked about this bed was that it had a trundle (2 beds in 1 really).

By 2005 we'd moved to another Province and Emma's day bed became Hannah's new bed. It was painted white to match Hannah's purple and white coloured room.

By 2011 we'd moved to another city (same province) and Hannah's bed stayed white but we took the rod iron swirl work off the back and sides as the little (kind of sharp) maple leafs kept catching on her pajamas:(

Last week I filled in the back and sides of the bed with tongue and groove pine, added some big wood beads (because I had lot's of them in my studio waiting to be useful) and repainted it white.
Then it was moved from Hannah's room to the guest room. Where it will most likely live out it's life, unless Emma would like to take it with her when she moves into her first apartment? The circle of life:)

Hannah, by the way, was very happy to switch up this bed for the guest room's queen size bed - the ultimate 'big girl bed'.

And this is William and Kate (our other kids), in the guest bedroom, right before I yelled at them to get off the just made new/old day bed!

...and they took it to the floor:)

Deck Love

It wasn't until the end of last summer that we finished our deck so unfortunately it didn't get the use it deserved. We're off to a good start this summer. The planters are loaded with flowers and herbs (out of reach from, we'll eat anything, William and Kate) and the fabulous flexfence shutters are doing what they do best - giving us lots of privacy (when needed). It's our own little NYC rooftop oasis (someone said that at dinner last night:)

Hard to believe it used to look like this.

An Alcove Altered

For the last couple of weeks I've been working on the girls bathroom, all with the help from our most recent kijji purchase, a mitre saw! Ahhh The Mitre Saw. My world has changed. With it the possibilities seem endless.

The girls bathroom is a long and narrow space with an alcove/nook at one end. A couple of weeks ago there wasn't much going on there. Today it's a different story.

Over the years we've taken down every big vanity mirror in the house (don't like them) and put them in the basement - each patiently waiting to be recycled.

One of them was used in 2011 for my Big Wood Ruler Mirror and last week another one was used for the girls bathroom makeover.

This is how is worked...

The mirror that I recycled was 3'x4' and luckily the alcove in the girls bathroom was about the same size.

All I did was...Adhere the mirror to the wall and put up the anchors for the shelves. 

The ladder kept the mirror in place while the glue set. As you can see the original plan was to have three shelves but decided later that it didn't make sense to have a third shelf that the girls couldn't reach. I finished up by trimming the mirror then putting the shelves in place.

It was a bit tricky to get a good shot - it's a small space.

Below is the same big mirror in two different bathrooms - hard to believe. Have I mentioned how much I love my mitre saw?

P.S. As you can see I also did some wainscoting and painting which I'll share more of when the bathroom is completely finished. Stayed tuned...

Our new room with a view

This is our new room with a view (or not) thanks to Flexfence shutters:)

The Deck was our big summer project and I'm glad to say that it's finally done!
It took a bit longer (even with so many helping hands*) then we'd thought and was a little more complicated then we'd expected but like most diy projects it was well worth the blood, sweat and tears.
I'm especially enjoying the privacy walls. The shutters are from Flexfence and were the perfect privacy wall solution for us. I like them shut. Marathon Man likes them open. Every one's happy.
Our morning coffee/quiet time just got that much better:)

*Many thanks to Handy Man Dad, and our 2 favourite neighbours.

Next summer it's all about landscaping...

Our 'new' old Console Table

We bought this Console Table on Craigslist ($80) about a month ago. It was all about the 3 drawers. As you can see in the before shot it was a little sad looking. Marathon Man didn't say anything but I'm pretty sure he was thinking I drove all the way to Etobicoke for this?! Little did he know...

We added some trim to the front of the drawers, replaced the knobs (love you Anthropology), painted it black and topped it off with a piece of clear glass. Now he knows...

It looks fabulous in our Front Hall (it was due for a change;) and we all agree that it was worth the drive to Etobicoke.

P.S. Thanks again Marathon Man for driving to Etobicoke* twice! (on the first trip it wouldn't fit in his car - oops).
*For everyone from away -  Oshawa (where we live) to Etobicoke is about 60kms (37miles). That means Marathon Man put in 240kms (148miles) for this baby:)

Happy with our pretty Laundry Room

The problem: Two weeks ago our laundry room was calling to me for a makeover? Poor thing. I was eager to offer my services but was a little low in 'the funds' department. I had to think, think, think...
The solution: Do a makeover on the cheap. Use leftover paint, borrow things from other rooms and only when needed make some 'small' purchases.
BTW: Marathon Man wanted to know why the laundry room needed to be made over? He got the look and went for a run.
What went down: The walls were painted grey (leftover from the office makeover).
The chandelier (borrowed from H's room) was painted purple (Corrostop Ultra, Benjamin Moore, $20). The first 'small' purchase.
The clock (borrowed from the kitchen) was painted purple.
The cork board or communication board as Marathon Man is now calling it was a 'small' purchase (HomeSense-$49). Its frame was painted purple.
The curtain rod was a 'small' purchase (BouClair-$31).
The purple material (photo doesn't do it justice) was a 'small' purchase (Fabricland-$45).
The 6 tin baskets I've had for awhile. Can't remember where I bought them(?).
The shelving and brackets (hidden by the material) were another 'small'? purchase (Home Depot-$150).
As you can see the 'small' purchases are adding up. They do that. $295 to be exact!?!hhhmm!?!
Was it worth it? Yes. Our laundry room is now very pretty and kind of sexy too.
Special thanks to Hannah, my 9 year old designer in the making, who suggested that we use some hits of purple (plum, actually) to make the room more colourful:)
And a big thanks to my subcontractor/electrician guy, Poppa, for putting up the new shelves and changing up the light:)!

P.S. Marathon Man really likes the new look but doesn't understand why a laundry room needs to be pretty? That's ok, I'm not sure I understand why someone voluntarily runs 26.2miles?
P.S.S. If the family room starts calling to me for a makeover I'm going to ignore it and go fold some clothes.