365 Photos Day 296

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Since I couldn't watch the football game I wanted to watch on Sunday, I decided it was a good time to finish up some non-painting house projects.

Have I ever said how much I hate puzzles? No? Well, I do. Not as much as I hate Brussel sprouts, but pretty close.

Anyhow, sometimes I shouldn't be allowed to put something together without supervision from a left-brained person.

I couldn't figure out why in the world my crown molding would NOT line up correctly. Seriously. Took me almost 2 hours to realize that I had flipped one of the pieces the wrong way when I cut it, so NO. There was less than no chance it would EVER line up correctly.

And did I buy enough molding to account for any mistakes?

C'mon, now. You should already know the answer to this one...

NO. I surely did not.

Sigh.

31 Days of Pinterest: Day 14 Wood Valance Window Treatment

This project wasn't nearly as hard as I thought it might be. Mostly because I didn't add any cool moulding or doo-dads, but hey.

I can't remember if I originally saw this one on Pinterest or over on the I Heart Naptime blog (which I read), but either way, it's one of those projects that add some visual oomph to a room without much effort.

I used a pre-cut 48" 1"x6" aspen board and 2 pieces of scrap wood from another project. The scrap wood was also from a 1x6, so I didn't have to cut them.

Last summer when I was deconstructing our master bedroom closet, I saved the pole holders in case I decided to do a double rod configuration. I didn't, so I decided this would be a good project to re-use them on. I screwed them in about the center of the scrap wood pieces.

Then I fastened the scrap wood sides to the main board using Elmer's Wood Glue and corner brackets.

I also had a closet clothes pole from the closet re-do, and it was almost the perfect length. I marked the length and cut it with the chop saw.

Before I went too much farther, I put everything together to make sure everything was straight and level.

I let the glue set overnight and had the Kid pick up some more brackets for me. She couldn't find the ones I'd used, but did find some other L-brackets. I put those on the sides and removed the corner brackets and used those to fasten the wooden valance to the wall instead.

Finally it was time to get out the table runner that I was going to use as a valance.

I found it at Goodwill for $1.99. Seriously.

I used curtain rings that clipped on to the fabric and threaded it on the clothes pole and put it into place.

I haven't decided whether to paint the wood or not yet. I like the natural wood, so I'm probably just going to leave it for now. And just like that, I'm one step closer to being done with the laundry room (!!!).

To see my other 31 Days of Pinterest projects, click on the image below, and it will take you to my original post.

365 Photos Day 287

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Every so often I have to remind myself that it's only when I'm actually ready that things/people/whatever magically appear in my life. That perhaps I'm a bit impatient sometimes and need to remember that everything will work out fairly well in the end if I just let it.

I'd been searching for the perfect valance/curtain for the laundry room for a few months. It wasn't until I decided that maybe I'd just let the window stay as it was that this showed up. It's actually a table runner (I think), but with the help of some curtain clips and a little DIY on my part, I now have the perfect valance/curtain in the laundry room and am now one step closer to crossing it off my 2011 Home Improvement Project list.

365 Photos Day 276

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This is part of a project I'm working on for my 31 Days of Pinterest projects.

It's going to live in the laundry room when it grows up.

Normally I'm not a big fan of yellow, but for whatever reason, it just works in that room and makes me happy to see it.

So, I'll combine the two and "Bee Happy."

365 Photos Day 274

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One of the good things about this whole laundry room project getting done is that now that I've shifted a larger cabinet in there, I can shift some other furniture around in the house.

This was going to be a shoe holder for the inside launch pad (which still isn't finished) until I realized that it was too tall and didn't have enough room. Then it came to live in my home office to hold my computer tower. After I moved the big white cabinet into the laundry room, that freed up the little white cabinet that had been in there.

After putting the white cabinet into my office, that freed up this one to go into the main floor half-bathroom. I know, I know. It's like one of those sliding puzzle things around here sometimes.

And so here it is, in all it's glory.

365 Photos Day 273

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I'm never sure if Dart just sits around wondering what in the world I'm up to, or if he's a natural supervisor.

Either way, whatever room I'm in, usually he is too.

This weekend, we spent some quality time trying to get things put all the way back together in the laundry room. We learned the valuable lesson of why it's important to put cabinet doors on the correct way (right-side up and on the correct side instead of upside-down and on the wrong side), and how to finagle different sized screws to work in hidden hinges (hint: lots of force and some swearing).

All that's left now is to find a valance to go above the window, and we're marking it off our 2011 Project List. And then he won't have to sit in the sink giving me disapproving looks.

365 Photos Day 269

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Whilst working in the laundry room this past weekend, I remembered I had this yellow flower pot thing. I wouldn't normally have thought to put this with the aqua, but on the poster Steve printed for me, it worked.

And amazingly, I like that pop of color as I'm looking down the hallway toward it. It makes me happy.

Now to get the REST of the room done.

365 Photos Day 268

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Along with the painting of the closet fiasco project, I wanted to finish up the laundry room re-do this past weekend.

Part of that plan was to move this cabinet from the basement to the laundry room.

By myself.

At 3 in the morning.

This did not go well.

This is one of those cabinets that has a sort-of cardboard-y paper back. I didn't think it was going to make it up the stairs very well, so I cut out a plywood backer for it and screwed it onto the cabinet. I didn't really go for level or square, just for stability.

I managed to get it up the first set of stairs OK, but could NOT get it up the second set of stairs to save my life. I ended up taking the doors off on the landing (where they still are), and a chunk out of the top of the cabinet to boot.

But I FINALLY got it upstairs and into the laundry room to make sure it fit OK where I wanted it (it does).

Now I just have to take it back out and straighten out the back & then re-install the doors. Then I'll almost be completely done with the laundry room.

365 Photos Day 267

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This was my Saturday project. I figured this would be a super-great!!!! weekend to finish up a couple of projects which have been dragging on and on and on and on and...well, you get the point.

Steve & Amanda were in Iowa for a softball tournament, so I didn't need to be done by a certain time, which was good, because this took me 3 hours.

See, this color is one of those colors that I can't always distinguish between the shades of when I'm comparing them. This was SUPPOSED to be the same color that was in the closet already and thus would have taken me 5 minutes to touch up the paint, and ta-da! On to the next project.

Yeah, if by "5 minutes" I meant "3 hours". Which, apparently I did.

I didn't bring up the roller or pan with me. Oh, no. Just a 1.5" brush. When I started to touch up the paint, I was not-so-pleasantly surprised to see that no, this was not the correct color. In fact, this was actually the color of the closet in the hallway where we have the laundry hampers.

Since I no longer had the correct paint for THIS closet because it'd gotten too goopy and unusable and had already been recycled, I ended up repainting the closet this color. With a brush. A 1.5" brush. (I was too mad to go downstairs and get the roller/pan at that point)

I did use the roller & pan for the second coat, which miraculously went much quicker. Gee. Who would've known?

365 Photos Day 252

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This is part of my laundry room subway art that I need to actually put in the frame that I have for it and hang up.

I found it at Simple Crafter, and immediately knew this was perfect for the laundry room.

I'd painted the walls a lighter aqua color this spring, and hadn't really decided on the accent colors. I'd thought about red because I like the combination, but then when I came across this subway art, it's like the Universe said, "And here you go. Here's how it all works together."

Steve printed it out for me in a larger size, and I got a poster frame for it. Now all I have to do is put it all together.

365 Photos Day 251

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Sometimes there isn't enough spackle in the world to help when I've inadvertently drilled yet ANOTHER hole in the drywall without hitting a stud.

Sometimes I just cut my losses and use one of these.

It's a wall anchor.

It's also a pain, especially if the hole wasn't quite wide enough, or the screw goes in wonky, or it's a day ending in "y" and I really just want to move onto the next project but can't because Steve would then get all cranky that there are lots of holes in the wall and the sweet refrain of "************************[beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeepppppppppppppp]***********" sounding through the house.

They work, but I still like a stud finder that does what it's supposed to do...you know, tell me where one might be located in the wall.

365 Photos Day 250

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Speaking of spackle and the use of, here's the kind I like to use. It's kind of like the ceiling paint that I like in that it goes on purplish-pink and dries to a white so I know when I can keep going with the project.

Unfortunately because of the stupid stud sensor, the closet I've been working on looks rather like it came down with a bad case of chickenpox and has lots of Calamine lotion on it.

365 Photos Day 249

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This piece of home improvement equipment has the potential to be really handy.

This piece of home improvement equipment is a waste of my time.

I don't know if it's just me, or it, or a combination thereof, but when I use this stud sensor, I end up drilling LOTS of holes in the wall where the little lights said there should be a stud, but alas, there's only sheetrock.

Yes, I know how to use one. Yes, I've successfully used other stud finders and gotten very good results.

This one? Not so much.

Good thing I have a tub of spackle handy. And that I know lots of bad words. Both of those are essential after drilling the umpteenth hole after double and triple checking with this thing.

365 Photos Day 247

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I've had about as much math as I can take lately. And about enough of this small side closet in the master bedroom closet too. It's the closet that wasn't supposed to actually BE a closet, but ended up a closet anyway because I didn't get it changed in time.

Between making sure the shelves are actually, you know, LEVEL, and trying to locate the studs (our studfinder and I don't seem to play well together) in which to affix the brackets, I'm starting to reconsider my decision to put this on the "easy" project list.

I'm sure it will look lovely when it's done.

I'm also sure I need to go find the spackle to fix a couple of holes in the wall where I thought the studfinder had found a stud, but was actualy just LYING through it's little beeps.

365 Photos Day 244

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This hammer and I have spent LOTS of quality time together over the past week.

We hung my diplomas. We did a little bit of "attitude adjustment" on some shims in the laundry room (they weren't going along with my master plan. After the "adjustment", all was well.) We did a bit of swearing (seriously, how many wall anchors can I go through in one day? Answer: Enough to make me wonder if it'd be OK to just pump the hole full of Gorilla glue before screwing the bracket in.)

It's not my favorite tool, but it sure is effective. And, my project list is getting shorter every day, which is also a Good Thing™.

365 Photos Day 230

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Painting done, now to move everything back in. Why I seem to think 11pm is a great time to do this, I haven't a clue. I worked until 1am, and gave it up. I also don't know how I'd gotten everything to fit in my office before. Either that, or since it's been in the hallway, it's all expanded to double in size.

But I'm loving the light color and the way it changes throughout the day. It'll be even better once I get my desk area (which is still mostly in the middle of the floor) back in place and organized.

365 Photos Day 228

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My painting crew and I painted my home office tonight. They are SUCH a big help, I can't even begin to thank them enough.

The color I went with is Martha Stewart's 'Magnolia Grandiflora'. Partly because I really liked the color in all it's variations throughout the day, and partly because I liked the name of the color.

What? Doesn't everyone pick paint colors by the names? I judge books by their covers ALL. THE. TIME. so this really isn't any different.

I'm just glad I got the first coat on and that it covered as well as it did. I didn't want to have to do another coat of primer. I wanted to get cracking on painting the real color so that I can get all my bookcases & books back where they go so that I can traverse down the hallways without feeling like I'm running through an obstacle course.

Steve wasn't too sure about the color when I started painting. He said it looked just like the primer. Nah. If anything, it's kind of like the ceiling paint I like that goes on pink and dries white. Except this went on pink and will stay pink. One hopes.

Tomorrow I'll put on the second coat and see where it's at.

One step closer to a 'new' office.

365 Photos Day 222

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Unfinished projects drive me nuts because the house gets all wonky because things aren't where they should be.

Currently I have 4 FOUR projects going (the laundry room, pictured here, the upstairs side closet, the inside launch pad, and my office). This does not make for a happy me.

I know, I know. Finish one before going on to the next, which is great advice. But sometimes I think, "Oh, while I'm waiting for [some component] for this project, I can get started on this other one..." I'd like to say it works for me, but no.

Ah, home improvement season. A good time had by all.

365 Photos Day 221

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My home office has informed me that it is NOT a blue kind of room. In fact, it's not anywhere on the blue or green spectrum, which kind of negates my entire (rough) plan of what I thought that it should look like.

One thing I've learned since choosing paint colors for rooms is I have to let the room be what it wants to be, rather than what I think it should be. Yes, I'm aware that rooms don't speak out loud, but they do speak. How many times have you gone into a room and thought, "You know, something's not quite right with this room..." but you're not sure what. Sometimes it's the decor, sometimes it's the paint color.

So, I thought about it for awhile and figured out it still needs to be in the red spectrum of colors, but a bit less saturated than the red it was previously. And then I went to Home Depot to get some color sample cards and hung them up. I think I can discard a couple immediately, but I'll leave them all up for a couple of days so that I can see them in all sorts of lights.

Then maybe, just MAYBE, I can paint the walls and put my office back together (which in turn will make me very happy indeed).

365 Photos Day 218

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I've been working on priming my home office all day. I had to do 2 coats to make sure all the red was covered.

I'm pretty sure I've hit the Point of No Return.

It'd be a pain to repaint the red (and at $64 a gallon, there's NO WAY that's going to happen), so it's onward and upward.