My New Love

Saturday marked our 1-year anniversary of life at Creekside. We are so thankful for our home and love that it's useful for guests. Until last week the two most important features of the house were:
1. a master bath (hallelujah!)
2. a playroom.

Until last week, that is. I now have a new favorite feature.

Drumroll, please.

My pantry.

She's beautiful and my love for her has overtaken the affection I have for all other inanimate objects combined.

Check her out.

She's tall. I actually need a stepladder to reach her heights.

And thin. One entire wall is 7" deep shelves that are perfect for food pantry items. The kiddos can even reach their own cereal in the morning. Love that! I even stocked up on sale cereal just because I had the space to store it all.

And organized. All the shelves are adjustable. (you may notice the Nutella perched next to the Jiff - 1st time buyer and already crave the chocolate nuttiness)

And bejeweled. These little sliding drawer beauties have resided with us in all 3 houses and will now hold potatoes and onions.

And accessorized. Bright Marble and Granite gave us a great deal on a remnant slab of granite for the counter.

I love her. She's my new BFF. And if you ever need to borrow a cup of sugar I know exactly where it is.

eating by candlelight

We're not really eating by candlelight. That would require too much effort on my part. And I promise there would be hot wax spilled on the kitchen table and eventually, a fire of epic proportions.

That's how we roll. Other people spy lovely taper candles and smile at the beautiful ambiance they cast. Not me. I momentarily get a far-a-way look in my eye as I picture Moose knocking it all over in an attempt to tackle his sippy cup or Schnickle hip-checking the table as she flits to Frank Sinatra. The far-a-way look quickly turns to panic as I quickly set any fire-starters beyond the reach of little mishaps.

But enough about candles and Sinatra. This post is supposed to be about ME!

'Cause I accomplished something! Shocking, I know.

I did this . . .

two of these . . .

and one over the kitchen island that broke as I was finishing it. But we won't talk about that one. Because I might get persnickety. Or ornery. Or both. Here's where it was.

It hung for one brief moment before a spring sprang and sprung my worn-thin patience. It was here awaiting three energy efficient light bulbs. And hopefully the bugger will be hung again someday after I get a new part or light fixture. But I'm still cooling my jets. It's been only four weeks. My jets needed quite a lot of cooling. They needed the same amount of cooling as my bi- and tri-cepts did after hanging it.

But, I digress.

After three months of no lights (or mirrors) in the master bath and eating by the pale light cast from the kitchen spots, it's done. Of course, it took me a while. But this short and stubborn thirty-something single-handedly hung these buggers.

With only 4 or 5 calls to my dad.

And they haven't even fallen down yet!

a friend with a chainsaw

We love our friends. All of them. We have amazing pals in our life.

But today I have a favorite.

This one.  Jooooooosshhh!

He came on Saturday morning. He brought his chainsaw with him.

The chainsaw charmed me . . . and my son.

I asked Kevin if I could get one. Maybe a junior-sized pink one with an automatic push-button start.

I briefly pictured myself trolling through our "woods" in search of downed trees and branches.

I could start a firewood business.

He said no.

Then I asked if he would charm me with his chainsaw skills.

Again, a no.

And since I have no desire to make an emergency room run or preserve a sawn-off digit in milk, I've reluctantly given up my chainsaw dream.

But Josh and his sawdust-producing toy are welcome at my house any time.

Spray Away

After reading about Becky Higgins' obsession with spraypaint last fall, I set out to find a few secondhand pieces of my own to whip into shape. Our area is not known for it's high-end resale boutiques. These were all pretty dirty (and pretty cheap) when spotted, but hunting for a diamond in the rough is half the fun. If you decide to try it, wash the item well. Any residual dirt or grease can mar the outcome.

Here are my rules:

1. Don't spend more than $5
2. Pay attention to shape and line
3. Be able to picture it in the house somewhere
4. Just because it's paintable doesn't mean it's beautiful
5. Spraypaint color is king

For what it's worth, I've found Home Depot to be the best spraypaint resource of the big box stores. They have a wide variety of colors and the prices are good. Here are a couple of pieces I scrounged up.

This one was a good find. Cheap and cute. We could use it for almost anything (but I'm a sucker for oranges).

Lesson learned on this little yellow number. The finish was too shiny and I didn't sand or prime before spraying it. I do like the shape and will probably start over with it on a sunny day this spring.

This is a rustic lantern we received as a gift a dozen years ago. I've always loved the shape, but could do without the finish. So now it's got a fresh coat of mossy green and it feels new again.

Here's a candle holder I found at the Salvation Army. Again, lesson learned. The finish was too shiny and the paint couldn't cover competely without appearing uneven. I don't mind the peek-a-boo color and still display it in it's less than perfect state.

The challenge to find something worthy of painting was fun. I now keep my eyes peeled for future paintable pieces. Do you have a spray paint story?

Chalk Talk

As mentioned in the last post, a recent trip to the ReStore got us this never-used cabinet door for $7.

And now it looks like this.

I purchased Rust-oleum's magnetic paint and chalkboard paint at Home Depot and went to town.

Now we have a sizable and useful piece in our kitchen.

The kids love it and actually read what's written. We've used it for love notes, special reminders and to do lists. If it weren't for the chalk dust it would be my favorite accessory in the whole house.

Excuse me, I need to go write "sweep the floor" on my new chalkboard.


Disclaimer:  Please ignore the uneven edges of the white "matte." Due to the texurized nature of the specialty paint, the painter's tape allowed feathering. I plan to re-tape and caulk the tape edge before giving it a final coat. Someday.

ReStore It!

Recently the boys and I have been browsing at the local ReStore every week or so. It's never the same place twice and while I think their pricing is a bit on the swollen side, it's still possible to find a good deal.

I had my eye on a couple of pieces and waited (impatiently) for their prices to reflect their stagnant state. On one piece my patience was rewarded with $ savings. Alas, on the amazing still-in-the-box lighting fixtures my cheapness caught up with me. They were long gone when I went back to check. There were almost tears in my eyes. I just kept saying, "Oh, no! Oh, no! I'll have to tell you what we plan to do in place of gorgeous light fixtures in a future post.

Meanwhile, here's a peek at the items I've picked up the last few months.

Cabinet door for $7

Bookcase for $25

2 bookcase end tables for $12 each (technically, these are from the Salvation Army and were purchased in the summer).

Wire storage items $3 total

Bamboo tables for $12 each

These bamboo, glass-topped end tables are still in their original state. I've tossed around the idea of painting them a fun yet sophisticated shade, but have found neither the courage nor the color to inspire. For now they're fine and functional.

I'll be sure to show you what I've done to the other pieces to make them presentable in our home.

Laundry Inspiration

It's Spring Cleaning time again. And that means an influx of articles out there with cleaning instructions and schedules, to-do lists and miracle products.

I'm exhausted just reading about it. So in the spirit of spring cleaning I thought I'd post my own inspiration for getting the laundry done.

Just a bit of background here. I do not have trouble washing our clothes. Or drying them, for that matter. Even ironing has it's moments. It's the folding and putting away steps that elude me.

I know, why wash clothes if you don't put them away? That's the question that doesn't seem to get answered around here.  I'm of the rare breed that walks impeded through her laundry room due to the abundance of clean clothes.

Although blushing from admitting this, those of you who have dared open my laundry room door can attest to this weakness of mine.

So while I draw the line at showing Blogland a picture of the laundry room in the throes of distress, I will show you what I did about it.

Enter - Fabric! It's the balm for so many household ailments. I found this on clearance at JoAnn's and used my trusty 50% off coupon for even better savings.

Now to be completely honest, I never did get around to using the thread. Thread is highly overrated when time is of the essence.

I give you item #1. Our wacky cabinet. The washing machine thoughtlessly trespasses into the laundry room, keeping the cabinet door from opening more than a few inches.  Problem is, I love storage. And tucked back behind there is about 12 square feet of storage. It's calling to me. If only I could get to it. 

Solution - trusty fabric. After removing the cabinet door I made this little number with some fabric and stitch witchery (love that stuff). It's secured to the cabinet with upholstery tacks (love those too).

And, voila! Paint storage. Ahhhh . . . I'm almost feeling like folding some clothes. But first, one more necessity. How could I introduce fabric into the room without addressing the window? I found ideas for window mistreatments on Nesting Place. This particular mistreatment is here. It only took some fabric, 5 upholstery tacks and 15 minutes.

There. That's better. I can now fold laundry and put it away . . . and I did.

Now if I could just get window treatments atop all the other windows.

Balloons!

After discovering this wreath on How Does She, I set out to make one myself.

I used 7-inch round balloons and managed to use about 10 times the balloons than the instructions did. Does it mean I'm uptight since my balloons were placed super close together and all uniform? Probably.

I wish I could just apply this obsessive trait to a needful area of my life. But back to the wreath. Once finished, I tugged some balloons out a bit to add a bit of "droopiness" to the finished product. Before that it looked a bit too buttoned-up.

My thumbs are raw from shoving the floral pins into the wreath form, but the kiddos love it and it's quite fetching in it's colorful glory. Technically it is a birthday wreath, but since today is my sweet sister-in-law's birthday, we'll pretend she doesn't live in Buffalo and display it in her honor.

Happy Birthday, KR!

Meanwhile, I'm enjoying the splash of color in our otherwise sterile-looking, pre-window treatment home.

What's It's (Re)purpose?

Real Simple magazine has a monthly feature entitled "New Uses for Old Things" that I find intriguing. Dental floss has amazing applications, in case you ever wondered.

So here are a few things scattered around our home that have found their (re)purpose.

Ikea toy storage for socks, undies and undershirts, respectively.

Empty spice jars as coin banks (Source: Giver's Log ).

Plastic silverware organizer (dollar store find) as bathroom drawer organizer.

Decorative box as make-up storage. (Please ignore the pink counter)

Plate rack to display photos.

Retro chair (found on curb for $1 each) as a nightstand in sons' Detroit Tigers bedroom.

Glass cabinet door as photo display (door was not yet drilled for hinges).

Drop ceiling tile as tack/ribbon board (idea from Megan).

As I perused the house searching for repurposed items, I was excited to see how much we use these quick fixes and finds. Now I need to go hunt down my magazines to figure what else I can do with my extra rubber bands.

Bathing Beauties

Last year our school's wonderful 3rd grade teacher, Mrs. F., happened to mention she'd always wanted a clawfoot tub in her classroom. I was bemused, befuddled and bewildered.

Turns out she wanted this tub to be a reading spot for her kiddos.

Well, if that didn't sound like an interesting challenge I don't know what would!

So unbeknownst to her we spent the next few months scrounging Craigslist in search of a tub.

We found many. All either too expensive ($600?), too gross (someone actually bathed in there?) or needing too much work (reglazing was not an option).

At one point we'd spoken with a lady in Toledo who said we could have one for a reasonable price if we removed it ourselves from her 2nd story bathroom. The catch - we had to wait a month till they were ready to remodel.

No problem. I informed the teacher and we got a group of strong folks who'd drive the hour+ to Toledo to fetch the thing.

Fast forward 2 months with no word from the seller. Turns out they decided to wait at least a year to remodel.

Square one. But Craigslist always comes through. We finally found a couple nearby who'd sell us a claw foot, cast iron tub for $100.

SOLD! All it needed was some elbow grease and fun paint.

And when I informed the couple what was in store for the tub, they dropped the price to $50! Turns out the lady had a jr. high teacher with the same inspiration as Mrs. F.

So the 3rd grade classroom now has a tub worthy of a nap, a good book or a Kindle.

Thank you, Craigslist!

Coffee, anyone?

Every once in a while I get bit by a bug.

Once bitten, I must create something. Anything. I must find a worthy project and attack it until it is complete. Or at least until something else catches my fancy.

Strange, I know. Anyhow, my most recent welt found me enthralled with the Nester's beautiful coffee filter wreath. Not only does she know how to create, but she also displays her finds and creations beautifully.

I then had to make a wreath. I gathered my supplies, one being my nemesis the glue gun, and got to work.

Several blisters and a host of coffee filters later, voila!

I gave it to my dear friend, Megan for Christmas. Then I made sure I had supplies to make another one for myself. Now if I could get around using the glue gun all would be well.

It's not difficult, just time-consuming. Go ahead, give it a try. I'm sure you won't burn yourself as much as I did.


P.S. No coffee was consumed in making this project.