Baby Henry

Well, the guest bedroom is no more.  I am excited to show off Baby Henry's new room.  Due the last week of June, we are super excited to have this room complete in March.  I haven't posted much lately, but it's been a bit hectic around here. :) 

Bradly swears this is the last pallet project I will ever talk him into doing.  But I could not love this wall more.

We painted the floors white and distressed them with brown and black craft paint (similar to how I did the hall floor).  

A few late nights, some added touches, a nice soft rug... And we have Baby Henry's room reveal.  ❤️

Stairway to heaven-ish

I thought I already posted about this, but I can't find it, so ignore it if it is a double post.  :)

When we pulled up the carpet on the stairs we found the character I wanted when buying an old house.  We haven't touched them and I don't honk we ever will!  

I love the pop of color they add to the living area!

We also decided to paint the dark panel walls and redo the ceiling with pallet wood we found in a throw away pile.  💙

Master bath and beyond

I updated the master bathroom again.  I wanted to make it look clean.  The walls hadn't been painted since we moved in and it was just time to give it an overall update.  

In the beginning...

Along the way...

And today...

The outside room needed some updating too.  I wanted the two rooms to be separate, which is hard since they are really just one room with a bi-fold door.  

Here is the work in progress...

Anyone up for some color?

I tried cleaning the office floor (originally painted white) and instead I ended up accidentally stripping the paint.  So I decided to try something with a little color. Since I taped off each individual plank, I could only do roughly twelve planks a night.  It took me about four week from beginning to end.  

At first I was afraid it was too much, and for some it probably is, but we love it.  It is unique and gives a pop of color that we need.  

I used regular acrylic craft paint and I sanded it to give it a distressed look.  To protect it, I covered it with a clear acrylic spray.  It has held up very well.

I might be a paint-aholic... as more hardwoods fall victim.

Unlike some other areas of the house, pulling up the carpet in the guest hallway did not reveal golden-brown heavenly hardwoods that had some ounce of potential.  This floor was bad.  No amount of TLC was going to bring this bad boy back to life.

As bad as this little bit of flooring was, I had lost all desire to mess with it.  So there it stayed, for more than two years, this filthy, uneven, mismatched, bowing, splinter-giving, collection of boards, formerly known as a floor.  It was like a wart on a nose, removing any chance for beauty from everything around it. 

I suppose that sometimes it just takes time, or in this case enough splinters.  I finally met my limit and decided I had to do something with it.  This was, by no means, a final solution, but it did cover the problem for the time being.

Paint is always a good idea, right?

I cleaned and sanded the boards (we're talking about a very light sanding here, I wasn't trying to find a reason to dust my entire house).  Then I filled in the large gaps with paint-able caulk and gave them several thick coats of plain white paint (the cheap stuff from the hardware store). 

As you can see, the white was a tiny bit on the bright side. I knew they could not stay this way.  Even if I wanted them to stay this way, the eight paws of our two butt-shaking behemoths wouldn't have allowed it.  I mean, really, it's almost as if they don't like clean floors.

So what's a better fix than a light brown wash to give a aged-wood look?  

 

For a quick fix, they turned out pretty decent.  I'm pleased with them for now.  I did go back a few days later and applied a light Minwax Polycrylic coat as a seal.  I was really happy with the final look that this gave the floor.

If I had the energy (and room to move out furniture) I would consider doing the entire guest bedroom floor this way.  But for now, shutting the door to that room works for me.

Trial and Error Kitchen Table

I'm beginning to see a pattern form, for the past three years just before Thanksgiving, I have decided to take on a project that couldn't possibly be completed before Thanksgiving without giving Bradly serious thoughts about he's desire to stay in this relationship.  Not surprisingly,  this year is no different.

If you have followed my blog, you know that I acquired a lovely kitchen table (click there for a link to the original blog or I've put a picture of the table below) from a family friend.  I can remember the table from my childhood and I love having it in my home.  Originally, it came with a set of chairs and a bench on at least one side (I can't remember if both sides had a bench or not, but that really doesn't matter).  I currently have it paired with a set of chairs from a small wooden dinette set that I got when my grandparents sold their farm in Fairfield.  The chairs don't exactly match the table, but they are functional.  I'm looking for some metal industrial type chairs, but the dinette ones will work for now.

Original Table

If you like following me and happen to follow me on Pinterest, you know I have been pinning a lot of weathered kitchen tables lately.  So, today I began my annual project that will, without a doubt, cause unneeded stress over the next two weeks.  However, I will say this, the projects that cause the most stress are also the ones I enjoy the most when they are complete!

Achieving a weathered wood look is difficult.  I experimented with several different stains and mixtures before I came to a color I think will work.  Let me back up, I wanted to make sure I truly was ready for this project without tearing apart the entire table, so I dug the leaves (I'm not positive that's what they are called) out of the garage and turned them into my guinea pigs.

I first sanded the original finish completely off, down to the bare and shockingly white wood.

I was really impressed with how white the wood was once I got it all sanded down.  It is a beautiful wood. 

I was extremely pleased with the texture of the wood, I think it's in excellent condition.  I purchased two different finishes, Minwax Polyurethane in a clear satin finish and a small container of Minwax Wood Finish stain in Ebony.

I mixed them together in various amounts and used them on their own in different ways.  I finally came to the two following options (and for the record, I wanted a weathered look that had a grayish hue, look through some of my other posts, everything in this house is some shade of brown).

I have taken a poll of my people and tomorrow I am moving forward with the lighter option.

I had some gray paint left over from one of the upstairs rooms that I decided to use as my light coat over the stain.  I watered it down quite a bit, then went over the table in sections, painting gray and then wiping off any excess paint.  This left the table with a weathered grey look.

After the stain and grey wash have been applied.  The lighting doesn't show the grey as well as it looks in person.

I decided to paint the base white.  It makes it pop against the brown floor.

Lastly, I went over the table with an acrylic clear coat.  I will probably go back and put a thick enamel or poly coat, but for right now the acrylic will work.

Completed project!  I really love it!  Just enough grey to set it apart from all of the brown in the house.

Before and After

Puerto Rico Girls Trip

Not related to the house at all, but here are a few shots from the girls trip (w/ Erin and Jennifer) we took to Puerto Rico in February/March.  I fell in love with this place.

Happy times!!

Click here to view this photo book larger

Memorial Day Weekend: Porch Projects

For the extended holiday weekend, I decided to work on my back porch.  Several weeks ago we were given an above ground pool, one of those bright blue ones.  I never really liked the look of those so I searched around Pinterest until I found a way to make it look a little less blue.  I covered the outside with bamboo fencing from Home Depot. 

The bamboo gave the backyard a tiki type feeling.  I decided I needed to decorate my porch a little to match the effort I had put into the pool. 

I repainted an old night stand that I found, painted some folding rocking chairs that were left on the road for the dump, painted the back of an outdoor rug I had already on the porch, painted my porch swing that I got for mother's day, and hung some signs around (LOVE Hobby Lobby). 

I went through entirely too many cans of spray paint and probably killed a few brain cells, but I am happy with the end result!!

Next weekend I'm painting the porch! I think.  

Luster Lack

Since we moved in, I have struggled to keep our floors looking clean. No matter what I did, there was always a dirty film left on the floors. They never look clean and they never shine. 

I tried everything, product that I purchased to products that I made. Nothing worked.

I finally found something recently. Quick Shine by Holloway House.  I purchased this product at Home Depot and it finally works!!

Summer is coming!

Time to get the front porch ready!

(I think I have an obsession with old metal lawn chairs!) 

 

I do love my old metal chairs.  I've gotten most of them from Muzzy's Alley in downtown Greenville.  But several came from my parents and one or two came from a garage sale.  I just can't say no to them!