New flooring and Sasha's bedroom

Wow, it's been hectic around here the past few weeks! First, my second cousin whom I had not seen in about 30 years (she was 5 or 6), came to visit. She arrived on a Thursday noon. Then my good friend from South Carolina arrived Friday evening. We had a great time, just joking, cutting up, staying up late, and sleeping late every day for about 10 days! They both left July 2nd and suddenly the house felt so quiet, not peaceful, just quiet. I loved every moment they were here!
I, being the ultimate procrastinator, had received 26 towels to embroider for a customer. Of course, I waited until the day before they were to be picked up to embroider them. In my defense, I had sprained my wrist a week before, so hooping the towels was difficult. And for some odd reason, my computer decided to crash every time I brought up the designs onscreen. I figured out a workaround after 3 hours of messing with the computer.

This week was all planned out as well. We were scheduled to have new tile installed in the bathrooms on Monday and laminate throughout the upstairs on Wednesday. Here is what I had picked out:

Isn't that the most gorgeous tile?

The tile installers come Monday morning, show me 4 tiles, then open a new box. What? No green on a single tile! Grey, white, brown, but no bluish green. I take 3 tiles to the Flooring store to show to the Salesman, who calls the rep. Several hours later the salesman from the tile store calls me to say he spoke with the rep and guess what? Only 1 out of every 32 tiles will have that coloration! That means I'll see maybe TWO tiles in that color in the entire master bath. Maybe NONE in the smaller bathroom. OK, I'm sad now :-( Time to select a different tile. And it's not getting installed this early in the week.

Here is the closest I found with sort-of the coloring I want. Sorry for the poor picture, I don't know why I always try to take them at night

The small paint chip is SW Watery, the 4 color swatch card is Behr Swan Sea at top, Gulf Winds below that. Gulf Winds matches the taffeta I'll be making our duvet out of perfectly, but I have not decided which paint color I'll end up using.

Tomorrow is laminate laying day. And we were told it could take up to 3 days to install it in the gameroom, 4 bedrooms and the hallway. About 1400 square feet, I think. I hope there are no other hiccups.

Any recommendations on the paint color I should use?

Well enough whining. Here is a past painting project, in my daughter's bedroom.

I made her a canopy bed of sorts. I'm going to paint that bed frame with my handy-dandy Annie Sloan Chalk paint in Old White. That tan color is sooooo over! I love the paint color on the wall though, a soft sagey green (Behr Sage Leaf), which is no longer available (or so I was told) cause the company no longer makes that base! Now where is that huge Ball jar full of paint for touchups? And what do you think of the leaf pattern? It's been mistaken for wallpaper so many times, but it's just stamped on with a giant sponge by Sponge Prince. I love it, only took 2 hours for the whole room. And it took that long cause I would remove the excess on a sheet of paper before I stamped the wall. Got the lamps at Lowes for $5 each, you know, when they put clearance stuff outside for cheap?

 a slim shelf unit to fit between her 2 closet doors, embossed wallpaper inside the sides to cover the scratchy plywood. Sandpaper? What's that? Crackled the sides and passed a paint and opal glaze mixture over the whole thing.

Whatcha think?

My Sewing room and the painted desk

Well, I knew it wouldn't last. That great looking room has seen some changes tonight. Not bad, just different. Since the desk is so wide, it almost needs it's own wall. But that can't happen since I have this sewing cabinet that opens up HUGE! And I have an extra cubby to put on the left side which creates a large U-shaped cabinet!

And the space beneath the built in shelves is not that wide leaving me very little space due to the french doors (wish I could replace those with bifolds or something). The only thing that fits in that space is the cutting table. So some rearranging has occurred. The desk is almost finished so it's already sitting in it's new space. I've been looking for some fabric for the roman shade I want to put on the window, it's like a giant black hole at night. I have found two I like but cannot find the name or manufacturer of the second. Any ideas?

I'll bet you guessed that the huge open space in the middle of the room is for opening up the cutting table, right?
One day, one day, like when I win the lottery (oh, do I really have to buy a ticket), I will replace that Albany Oak cabinet and the cutting table for this, if it's even available by then.

And when I do, I can empty the drawers of the Ikea cabinet and use it in the kitchen!
Or I could go work some shifts somewhere and buy the combo table/cabinet. Nah, I'll wait for the big lottery, LOL!

Cedar Hill Ranch is giving away a gorgeous tea set!

How generous is that?

http://cedarhillranch.blogspot.com

Follow up on the desk....

Howdy! Just sitting around thinking I need to post something while I've got your attention from Saturday's post! I've been working on my desk (off and on) since Saturday evening.
First I cleaned off the greasy grime (you know the kind, the slimey kind like over your stove?) on the keyboard shelf and the front top of the desk. Wiped down the rest of it which wasn't bad. And removed the keyboard shelf so I could access some areas to paint.
Didn't bother to sand anything, I was too anxious to try the chalk paint! It took hours (no joke) to paint every area that was visible and it swallowed up 1/2 of my quart of paint. I decided to paint over the Louis Blue top of the desk with Old White, so when I sand it, the blue will show through. Applied clear wax to everything I could reach (not done, need help to turn it over), and followed with dark wax.
Let me tell you, that wax is THICK and DARK! Here is how the desk looked after I swiped it with the dark wax...

Being the lazy busy woman that I am, I seriously was considering leaving it like that. I mean I could deal with it, but what would the majority say? That I was being sloppy. Why should I care? Why indeed, but I figured I would put in the extra work and see what happened. So, this is what the other side looks like with some of the dark removed. *Note: I have not removed the excess wax from the entire inside area marked with arrows...

Whatcha think? Am I on the right track or do I need to remove more dark wax? Add more? Please don't say "Distress"! Remember I'm soooo lazy uh, busy, I mean. Opinions please?

New used desk

Hiya! It's Saturday afternoon and I'm sooooo sleepy! I taught a class this morning and since I only had one person attend, it went by quickly and we were done before noon. I teach the guide classes on Pfaff sewing machines at the local dealer's shop.
Anyhow, I made my first Craigslist purchase this past Tuesday morning. I found this awesome, solid pine desk, but had to drive clear from I-10W to I-45S to get it. I was nervous that it might be a lousy deal after driving so far. And when I arrived, the home it was in was so dark, I couldn't hardly tell what was what. The seller assured me it was solid wood, but I couldn't tell in the near-dark! I was still wondering about it the whole trip home, hoping it was a good buy and not a mistake. Until my son came to get it out of the car and had to use a dolly to bring it inside. I tried to lift one side of the desk while it was in the SUV and could not budge the thing! It IS solid pine, massive and heavy. I'm pretty sure it is made in Mexico as I have seen that kind of furniture before when I lived in Del Rio (3 miles from the Texas/Mexico border.
So, I paid $60 for the desk. And since I had the class this morning I knew I could not go to Wonderfaux Studio to pick up some Annie Sloan Chalk paint to paint this sucker (longest sentence ever?), I went yesterday just before they closed. The paint cost more than the desk! Well, the brown bag special plus extra wax and a wax brush did. Here is a pic of the desk before I get started (same pic from Craigslist). See ya in a bit, I'm off to start painting!

The Den: The Great Reveal!!!

First, I saw this awesome bathroom with board and batten installed. Then I saw this room and this little boy's room (which btw, helped alot with installation of the hardboard)!
Finally! It's taken me a full 2 months to get to this point. Ripping out old baseboards, cutting panels of hardboard, cutting more MDF than I care to ever work with again, and PAINTING! So much painting! Layers and layers of paint, I really believe this room has shrunk by at least 2 inches in every direction :-(
But, it is worth it. In the end, the room is awesome, I know I will enjoy every minute I spend in it, whether I'm planning my next home project, drafting a pattern or sewing, and of course, playing games and watching Netflix the whole time.
My favorite color is BLUE. Always has been. My bedroom at our home in Portland, TX was blue. EVERYTHING was blue. My Dad built desks for us, mine was blue. My Mom bought these pretty glass sconces to hang next to our desks, Daddy painted the inside of mine blue. First house my parents bought, I painted all the mismatched furniture a Turquoise Blue so they would sort-of match. Even the inside border of the mirror (which I still have) got a coat of the Turquoise paint.
Well on to the show, huh? I love leaving the best for last so if you are really impatient, then just skip the middle and go to the end of this post, LOL!
In it's last life, this room was my Dad's room. He had had a stroke in March 2010 so when we brought him home, this was the only room downstairs that we could use for him. And someday, when he is able to come home again, it will again be his room. But in the meantime, I've prettied it up and will use it for my studio. So this is where we were 2 months ago:

Here are some pictures taken during the makeover.

Oh, I can't contain it any longer! Please keep in mind that I'm not done "decorating", or bringing in all my sewing stuff yet. And one day I'm going to replace that long sewing table and the cutting table with an all-in-one. My camera is not that great AND it's after 1AM in the morning. But for now, this is my dream space. Hope you like it :-)

And here are the shelves I built and installed, just for fun!

In case you are wondering, the colors are: Benjamin Moore "Cotton Balls" for the board and batten, and Behr "Sonata" for the upper walls. I would love to hear what y'all think!
Love and hugs, Edna

There IS an end to this job after all!

Oh my Gosh! Almost finished! Next step is to paint the window sill and baseboards with my nifty Benjamin Moore "Waterborne" oil paint that cleans up with water! How sweet is that? Hope to start moving machines and cabinets in tomorrow evening :-)
I am LOVING this room. Great reveal coming up ASAP!

Screaming Meme: Give~a~way

Screaming Meme: Give~a~way

Meme @ Screaming Meme is giving away 2 quarts of Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in your choice of colors!

The Den: Continued

Wow, it's been over a month since I started working on the den. I think I sort of bit off more than I could chew this time. I say sort of because 1) I can do the job, but 2) it's taking WAY longer than I ever imagined. I believe age has a lot to do with this problem. You know, I think it's true when they say, "it's all downhill once you hit 50". But I've also heard it about 30, 40, 50, etc. Guess it's been a downhill climb for years but now I'm rolling full steam ahead!
I want to post pictures for you, but I would rather finish up the room first. I'm almost done, all that is left is to paint the left wall as you walk into the room and paint the baseboards one more time.
One of the major problems with this room was not the installation of the boards and batten, but the PAINT. I started with a Behr satin finish. Then I decided to go with a semi-gloss. I purchased the Behr Premium Plus Ultra which has the primer in it. Well, after noticing major streaking (you could see the color of the Zinsser primer underneath) after 3 coats, I called Behr. Yeah, they called me, and suggested that I was going to need 2 more gallons of paint to get proper coverage. Hello?? This room is 12 x 12 feet and I was only painting 5 feet up on a 9 foot wall! Sure they would reimburse me for the extra 2 gallons, but who was going to reimburse me on the time?
So I changed paints. I went with Benjamin Moore Aura after reading various reviews. Holy guacamole! $60/can! I could not get a good match so I just completely changed colors to something lighter, sort of an off white. I've gotten great coverage with it. 2 coats. But it dries FAST! No sooner do I brush it on and it's already drying to where I can't go over it with the next brushing. So you have to work fast and don't go over your previous strokes.
I also decided to add 2 shelves to the wall on the right of the door. I just got that up and screwed in place tonight.
This job has shown me how wavy and uneven our walls are. Never going the panel installation route again. But if and when we decide to sell and move from here, the new owners can remove everything since nothing is glued in place. Just nails and caulking, etc.
Last night my hubby said I can have the room for me since it is downstairs and he likes it upstairs. I HAD told him he could take it. But I'm happy to take it. I was mine before, hehehe! And one day when my Dad comes home, it can be his room again. So I'm gathering knick-knacks to put on the shelves. If only I had all the beautiful things my Mother had given me before I had kids! See ya soon!

Cedar Hill Ranch: Chalk Paint Class Give-Away

Cedar Hill Ranch: Chalk Paint Class Give-Away

Molly Susan Strong: Market Monday GIVAWAY revealed.

Molly Susan Strong: Market Monday GIVAWAY revealed.: "THREE QUARTS of Chalkpaint from Wonderfaux Studio see this link or previous below GO HERE Molly"

Tatertots and Jello: Silhouette Heat Transfer Project and $250+ GIVEAWAY!!!

Tatertots and Jello: Silhouette Heat Transfer Project and $250+ GIVEAWAY!!!

Silhouette Machine Giveaway and a Discount!

Silhouette Machine Giveaway and a Discount!

A bowl full of lemons.: May Silhouette Giveaway!!

A bowl full of lemons.: May Silhouette Giveaway!!: "Im so grateful to be able to give away Silhouette SD machines on my blog. This week, I am offering another chance at a giveaway! This set ..."

Painting

Try washing your paint brush immediately using cold water and Murphy's Oil Soap when using latex/acrylic paint. First, rinse all the paint you can off with cold water, then pour some oil soap into your hand and work into the bristles. 

The Den: an all purpose room: Progress

Wow, this is quite a job! I've been working on this room since last Tuesday, though not all day every day. DH has been gone for 16 days and I had so many plans for completed projects by the time he got back. But, I spent the first week sleeping A LOT, the house was just too quiet. Or you could read that as a sign that I was just being lazy.

But he got back Monday night and is trying to settle back into the normal routine, especially with the 8 hour time difference. I'm not sure what percentage you could say I have done, but just take a look. It already looks brighter (and less depressing) than wall-to-wall baby poo color.

I am so LOVING the pneumatic nailers! When I first turned the compressor on, it was on for an hour and had not built up any air pressure. Finally, I asked someone I used to work with at the sewing machine shop and he told me what to do. Smart Dude! I never would have figured it out. And apparently the Home Depot guy was not very knowledgeable either, as I had called there (where I purchased) after 45 minutes and the guy said it should start building pressure after another 20-30 minutes! Once I did what Smart Dude told me, it took about 5 minutes to fill and I was nailing up a storm!

So, here is my progress so far:

Yeah, I know, I'm not so good with cutting the holes for the outlets and stuff, but I'm improving :-)

I have filled in the area under the window with the hardboard since I took these pictures.

I'm so anxious to see the blue in the room, so I guess I'll start cutting in now! I can caulk and spackle the boards later.

A bowl full of lemons.: Silhouette GIVEAWAY!!!!

A bowl full of lemons.: Silhouette GIVEAWAY!!!!: "A SILHOUETTE GIVEAWAY!! I was sent a Silhouette Rhinestone Starter kit this month, to try out and giveaway along with a Silhouette SD Mac..."

The Den: an all purpose room

A Den? Seriously? Only in Texas would a home have a formal living room, a family room, a gameroom, AND a den! Yes, we were given the choice of making the den and/or the gameroom into bedrooms, but we felt that 4 bedrooms in the original floor plan was already enough. You know, too many extra bedrooms and family members feel a need to move in.

So the "den" has been many things over the last 9 years. My Dad's room about 7 years ago, my sewing room (really, my stuff didn't fit), my husband's office (for about a month), then when my Dad came home after a stroke last year, his room again. Dad has since been moved and the room is empty again. Hmmm, what to do with an empty room?

Three years ago, we had tile installed throughout the entire first floor. We despised the baseboards that the builder had put in, some of them were so rough and had so many flaws that we had the tile installers throw them away, with the intention of installing new ones ourselves. And so we have not had baseboards downstairs since. Before Dad came home from the hospital last year, Hubby hired 2 incompetents to come install the baseboards in the den. We purchased the materials and DH paid them to install them. Well, this is the type of job they did.

Can you see that? The paint on the tile AND the wall? And the paint was so thin that you could see the streaks throughout the board. Wish I had a pic of the 3/4" gap in the molding right smack in the middle of a different wall....

I was so busy making plans for Dad to come home that I didn't go check it out right away. BIG mistake! I was so angry when I saw it, I started tearing the baseboards off, only to find they GLUED them to the walls with Liquid Nails!

So I ended up with 1) no baseboards & 2) the paper torn off the sheetrock at the bottom of the walls.

Yes, I can get pretty angry. I told my husband I could have done a better job with my eyes closed, one arm behind my back, and trying to do a bad job! I tried to pry the name and phone # of the home monkeys from him, but he just ignored me. Gosh, you would think he thought I was gonna call them and chew them out. Or something. Which I would. Have liked to. But would have just cursed their names instead.

We moved my Dad in anyway, but I had a really hard time ignoring the bottom of the walls where we were supposed to have baseboards. And had paid to have installed. But didn't.

Now, a year later, the room is empty again, and it's my chance to try something new.

I have to install wider (taller?) baseboards to cover where there is sheetrock chalk crumbling out and to prevent any further damage. And checking out the board and batten that is all the rage at blogs such as: Decor Chick and Centsational Girl, well I have to give it a try! It seems like the perfect makeover for this blah room! Take a look at what I have to try to "fix":

see the torn sheetrock at the bottom left?

BTW, the home monkeys were supposed to patch holes in the walls where I had things hanging. I had to scrub the excess spackle off the walls with baby wipes.

Tomorrow the home health agency comes to pick up the medical equipment.

Stay tuned for updates...

My 2011 Resolution

My resolution this year was to simplify my life and home while creating beauty and serenity within both. I have come to the realization that to accomplish these things, you must first create chaos. You move things around, stir up the dust (and dog hair), push things from one room into another, and work your way through.

We have lived in our present home for just over 9 years. The first time in almost 25 years of marriage that we have stayed in one place that length of time. Our 2 children, now adults at ages 21 and 23 have moved out and we find that a 2-story/4 bedroom, 2900+ sf house is just too big, empty of kids and their friends. We used to complain that they used the house as a sort of Grand Central Station, but now it's so quiet, with echoes when we speak, and 3 empty bedrooms.

Also, as we have passed the 50 year age mark, we are increasingly finding that it is so much harder to climb the stairs, come down the stairs, carry laundry up and down, let alone carry furniture or new purchases up the stairs. Add to that the fact that I have had 3 surgeries on my right knee, 2 surgeries on my neck, and back surgery, and you can imagine how much more difficult it is becoming. So downsizing is a real possibility in the near future. But first we must make this home appealing to others as well as ourselves.

I started painting 2 weeks after we moved into this house. I so wanted to make my mark on it, to make it ours. I don't think there was any such thing as blogs at that time, though if there were, I wouldn't have know what they were. So any home improvements or decorating attempts I tried were trial and error.

I have painted most rooms in the house at least twice, but the family room/kitchen have more than 5 coats of paint (again, trial and error); enough that my husband swore the room was getting smaller.

He tries to help sometimes, but most often I have to do things myself. I have done all the painting in my home, without his help. He is, though, capable of putting up light fixtures and ceiling fans, replacing toilets and sinks, etc. So we each have our place in this adventure: making this house or any place we live, our home.

I invite you to follow along as I make many mistakes, a few good choices, and achieve my goals one step at a time. And please feel free to make any comments or give advice. Thanks!

Edna