A budget craft project

I've been trying to decide how I want to decorate my office so that it is a room conducive to calm and lots of studying. If you've ever seen them, the bulletin boards for sale at Ballard Designs are lovely. However, the price tag is outrageous. The large one is $100! Crazy! I was determined to make my own for much less. I was at the Salvation Army today for an entirely different purpose when I found 2 large bulletin boards for $1.99 each. They were in great condition and barely used. I then went to Home Depot and bought a few boxes of upholstery tacks ($1.34 each) and a 5'x5' canvas drop cloth for $7.98. I sprayed adhesive on the cork part only then laid the drop cloth on top. Starting from the center and working out, I smoothed out the fabric.

My well ventilated area

Then I started adding the upholstery tacks

I used my staple gun to pull the fabric tight around the back

The finished product

I was able to cover both bulletin boards with just one drop cloth.

Thanks Pinterest for this great idea!  

Baby Steps

I still haven't taken any pictures of my bathroom.  I would like to do a bit more decorating before I make it final.  I am able to finally use the shower and this makes me ECSTATIC!  I even hung the bathroom door.  Baby steps, people, baby steps!

WAY behind

Why didn't my 1.5 blog readers tell me I was so far behind with my blogging?  I hadn't realized that it had been since November.  I really don't even have a good excuse.  I guess LIFE happened.  I've been working a crazy amount of overtime in order to pay for school in the Fall.

Drumroll please.......

The bathroom will be officially complete TODAY!  TYL!  The plumber came yesterday and fixed the mess I had made in the tub.  Here are some before and after photos.

Before

After

Anthony did an absolutely amazing job with matching the color.  He's returning today to replace the drain and then I will finally be able to use my master tub for the first time since last March!  Wow!

I really like the way the rest of the bathroom turned out.  I'll try to post some other before and after pictures once I have all the finishing touching and "decorating" elements integrated.

GRRRRR!!!

My modem has been down since the beginning of the week so I'm just now getting back online.  Let me not fail to mention that the modem that died was the NEW modem that AT&T had sent me less than a week earlier.  Sweet Peter, whom I am sure lives in Bangledesh, was on the phone with me for over two hours to decide my modem was bad.  DUH!

On a lighter note, the bathroom is progressing well.  I finished the floor and it looks great.  My dad came to visit earlier in the week and we installed two new faucets and put up the horizontal pieces for the board and batten.  I have a few pictures that I will post later.  I'm hoping to get it finished off before mid-December.  It's amazing how slow a project progresses when there is only one person working.

More to come soon...

It's Crunch Time

I'm in a bit of a time bind.  My dad is coming to visit on Monday (to help me with some plumbing) and I really need to finish the floor.  The majority of the tile is down but now I need to work around the edges to fill in a single tile here and there.  I will also need to cut a few tiles to fill in other gaps.  I did a good bit of the work this morning (after having worked last night) but now I'm tired and I really need to get some sleep.

I REALLY, REALLY, REALLY... need to get this done tonight... like FRIDAY night.  The adhesive can dry while I'm watching the Alabama vs. LSU game on Saturday and then I will tackle grout Sunday morning.

MUST PRESS ON!

So here is a list of the pending projects (more for my own use than anything else; these are in no particular order):
FINISH FLOOR
install faucets and new hardware in the shower
buy and install NEW toilet
install board and batten; patch holes and paint
Figure out what I want to do with the shower curtain (I'm leaning toward floor to ceiling but I have yet to find a fabric ... or curtain.. that I love)
New hardware for the cabinet doors
Find rugs

Oh.., and Anthony still needs to come and actually REPAIR the tub... UGH!

I'm sure there is more but I can't think of it.

Keep on keepin' on

The bathroom is still in progress.  Last night (and this morning), I taped off the walls for the board and batten and then painted the upper parts of the walls.  Tonight, the vanity light fixture will be installed and the bottom part of the walls need to be sanded and then painted.

I'd really love to get this project wrapped up by Thanksgiving.  Keeping my fingers crossed and praying all along the way!

I have hot dogs for fingers...

My fingers are so fat and stiff from all the chiseling and scrubbing I've done on my bathroom floor.  I've having muscle spasms in my hand that are making my pinkie and my thumb move spontaneously.  It's kinda creepy!  However, I finished removing all the adhesive last night so it is clean and ready for tile.   Am I ready for the tile?  Well, I'd like to say yes but I just ordered it yesterday so I'll have to wait until I can pick it up on 10/24.  For now, I'm in a holding pattern.

This will be short...

.....because my fingers are hurting...terribly!  I spent the day scraping linoleum adhesive off my bathroom floor.  My body hurts worse today than it did walking 12 hours a day in New York City over the weekend.  Tomorrow will be clean-up and a little more scraping; hopefully not much.  I would have taken a picture of the progress but I am just too darn tired.

My least favorite part of remodeling

... the toilet.  Removing the toilet isn't a difficult task, it's just kinda gross!  Like I said in my last post, there was a leak under the toilet that molded the linoleum.  Once I got the toilet up today, I realized there was NO wax ring.  It had totally disintegrated.  I got that area cleaned up the best I could and I've been reading on the internet about cleaning options for the cement.  Most websites say either bleach (which I've done once) or vinegar.  I'm going to try the vinegar next.  There doesn't appear to be any mold on the drywall which is a plus but I need to get down there to see if there is any on the wood behind the walls.  If there is, I have no idea what I should do next.  Suggestions?

It's A Start...

Motivation is my worst enemy.  Once I start a project, I'll finish it until the end.  It's the getting started that is my problem.  The past two nights I've had plenty of motivation (well, it could have been the 11 hours of sleep I got on Friday) so I was able to do several projects.  Here's a preview.

My dad gave me this thermostat for Christmast 2010...I just installed it yesterday!  

New pendant light fixture over the sink. 

Pulled up the linoleum and baseboards.  The floor will have to be stripped.  

The dark area is bleach.  The toilet has been leaking and there was mold under the linoleum.  I'll probably need to do a few more treatments before I lay the tile  

These are my color choices.  The top is Martha Stewart Rainwater, the bottom left is Behr Silver Save, and bottom right is Behr verdigris.  I went with #3.  

A Little Motivation

I started work on the Master bathroom Sunday night.  When I was ready to paint the crown molding, I realized it was kinda gross.  There was this filmy/sticky stuff on it.  I'm assuming it was soap and 13 years of house yuck.  I got out the 409 and wiped down the molding before painting it.  The painting part was amusing in itself (I used Valspar Fresh Cotton.. it's a muted white).  Have you ever stood on a ladder that is half inside the bathtub.  Let's just say that I'm thankful I'm not afraid of heights.  I'd love to rip up the floor but I'm not sure I'm psychologically ready. I think I need the bathtub fixed before I do much more work.  Here are some before pics for your viewing pleasure.

Trying to decide if I want to replace this light with a chandelier.  Is that too trendy?

I've always thought the toilet was so sad all by itself in the corner.

This ladder has been well worth the $$!  It's been through MANY a home improvement project.  

Ahh, the bathtub!  The impetus for this remodel.  

This is the drain.  You can see where I put my screwdriver through the fiberglass trying to fix the drain.  

This is another chip in the fiberglass that I tried to fix once before but it chipped again.  It's much larger than it appears.  This is a big bathtub.  

I want to hang new blinds and maybe make a faux roman shade.  

I have GOT to get rid of this ghastly vanity light.  It's one of the few brass fixtures left in the house and I despise it more each day.  

A BIG shout out to Frog Tape.  This is one of the most amazing products I've ever used.  It's WAY better than the blue tape.  It is more expensive but well worth it!  

I'm also still debating the wall color.  The one I originally chose, Martha Stewart's Rainwater, looks a little funky for some reason.  I know I will have to prime before I paint but I'm not so sure that will make much difference.  Guess that means I'm back to spending some time in the Home Depot paint department.

Bathroom Remodel, Part Two

I'm am FINALLY getting around to remodeling my master bathroom.  A few months ago (well, 8 to be exact), I put a rather large hole in the bottom of the bathtub rendering it useless.  I had someone come out for an estimate to replace it and they wanted to charge me over $5600!  Uh, no thank you.

A few weeks ago, I found out that someone at work is also a master plumber.  Anthony came out this past week (on his way home from work, bless him) and he said he could definitely repair my bathtub.  Amen!  This will probably happen sometime in late October.  As soon as he is finished, I can get started on everything else.

I've been scouring the internet for bathroom ideas.  This is NOT easy.  The tile I REALLY liked was $150/sq ft.  OUT OF CONTROL!  I have a 100 sq ft bathroom!  I think I have settled for a white 1" hexagon tile (the MUCH less expensive option) with a medium to dark grey grout.  I'm also considering a board and batten look on the walls.  All the blogs I've read make it sound fairly simple.  I'm still trying to decide if I want to buy my own nailer or just do it by hand.  I've done it before, I suppose I can do it again.

My other major dilemma is deciding where to stop.  My neighborhood is made up of fairly "cookie cutter" homes and most of them have not had much work put into them.  I'm not planning on staying here but for MAYBE 5 more years.  I'm not sure how much $$ I want to sink into this bathroom if I'm not going to be able to get my $$ back when I sell.  I think the work might make it more "sellable" but I don't want to price myself out of the neighborhood.

So much thinking!

Busy, Busy...

I haven't blogged in a really long time.  Guess I just didn't have much to say.  However, I've been off work for three days and I'm proud to say, I've been busy.  Maybe busy is the wrong word.  I guess MOTIVATED is more like it.  Generally, when I'm off work but still awake at night, I don't do much except go to the gym, read, and watch TV.  This weekend has been different.  Everything I've done has been crafty-ish.  I'm not sure why I all of the sudden decided to do all these things but I'm glad I did.  Here's a photo synopsis of my weekend.

These are the pillows I made for my living room.  I did these a few weeks ago but wanted to add them in.   They were a LONG time coming.  I even taught myself how to make my own piping. Thank you Pinterest!  

This is my new entertainment cabinet that was delivered on Friday.  Doesn't my television look SAD?

I love this coffee mug.  I bought it in New York a few years ago. I'm going back next month and I'm SO EXCITED!

I have a new addiction - the Chevron pattern

I used this pearl paint to make the following project.  

I found a cool chevron pattern online that I cut out and used as a template.  

The final product.  This photo really doesn't do it justice.  I've added a cool frame so it looks a little more artsy! 

Another project.  I got the inspiration from all the map projects I've seen on Pinterest lately.  Georgia is my home state and I wanted to integrate it into my photo wall (see below).  Up close, this almost looks like a photograph.  It's just oil crayons, a metallic pen, and a little craft paint.    Originally, I was going to paint the entire state but I'm really pleased with the way the crayons turned out.  I also sprayed it with a clear gloss so the white part wouldn't smudge once I framed it.  

Sorry this is sideways.  This is the pot roast that is currently cooking in the crock pot.  It's 3:30AM and my house smells delicious!

These are the items I want to include in my photo wall.  Not sure where they are going to go but I like the layout! 

I made this bolster pillow for my bed.  

I'm not a HUGE fan of the monogram craze but I thought something small would look OK on my photo wall.  I used the same paint for this that I used for my chevron art piece.  Painting this made me realize that I need some new paintbrushes.  

I took a trip to Hobby Lobby on Friday night.  Bad idea.  I was totally overwhelmed by everything there.... especially all the Christmas items.  I bought two of these birds.  I don't know why but I thought they were adorable (and they were 50% off).   

This pillow has to be the pride of my weekend.  My sister in law asked me to make an American flag pillow and this is what I came up with.  This photo really doesn't so it justice.  It's really cute!  I hope she likes it!  

Oatmeal raisin cookies (mom's secret recipe) for a friend at work who has been begging me for months to make him some cookies.  

Sigh.....

I just finished my last exam of the semester.  It's such a relief.  I didn't realize how much time this class would take.  I got all freakish about my grade too.  I really want to make an A.  I had a 91.5 going into the last exam.  Now that it's over, I'm not sure why I worried so much. I already got into the Nurse Anesthesia program so any grade I make from here until August 2012 is a moot point, right?

Tonight, I celebrate!  That translates into "I'm gonna drink at least one margarita".  Tomorrow, I'm back to my summer reading list.  I'm determined to cram in as many books as humanly possible in the next year.  Once I start back to school full time, there will be no extraneous reading allowed (the Bible isn't considered extraneous.... it's considered VITAL!).

Any book suggestions?

Why yes, I am a dork!

Summer classes start today.  I'm taking a Pathophysiology class to decide if I REALLY want to go back to school.

I'm pretty excited about taking this class.  It's online so I can watch my lectures whenever I please.  Just waiting for the instructor to post the first discussion.

Yes, I am a dork!

Happy Mother's Day

Just wanted to say a quick Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers out there.  I also wanted to include all those women who have been like mothers to me through all my almost 35 years.

I'm including one of my favorite pictures of my own mom.

My mom passed away from cancer 5 years ago this coming June.  Among the numerous flowers and plants we received, this is the one I took home with me.

This is a Peace Lily.  It looks a little sickly in this picture but it's much healthier in reality.  

Peace Lilies are supposed to be good at managing indoor pollution.  The house I lived in previously had a really damp, moldy basement.  This plant almost died while I was living there.  When I bought my new house, the plant started to perk up a bit and had been doing well ever since.  

All this to say, this plant has NEVER bloomed.  I'm not sure why.  I've read online horticulture sites (yes, I really am that boring) and have found nothing useful.  Well, I was looking at it today and found this:

That little white thing in the middle of the picture is a BUD! Can you believe it?  It should be nice and bloomed by Easter.  I'm so excited!  

Challenger

Today is the 25th anniversary of the Challenger disaster.  It's hard to believe it's been 25 YEARS!

This morning, on Facebook, I asked people to tell me where they were on that very day.  I was amazed to hear that so many people were off school on a snow day.

I lived in Macon, GA at the time.  I was watching Scrabble with Chuck Woolery.  My dad was home that day for some reason and I vividly remember my mom coming home from work that day because she was sick.

I'm amazed how well I remember that day!

Where were you?

Blogs I Love

I love reading blogs.  There are so many great people with FABULOUS ideas and TONS of creativity.  I especially love finding new blogs to read.  There are a few that I follow every day.... most of these blogs belong to people I know... but not all of them.  These I have linked on my own blog to the LEFT.  There are others that I visit probably once a week.  Some of these I absolutely LOVE and if it didn't make me feel like a total stalker, I would visit several of these blogs more than once a day.

All this to say, I REALLY, REALLY want to share some of these with you.  Maybe you will be convinced to read these blogs along with me.

1.  Pioneer Woman-- There is FAR too much to say about this blog.  Ree Drummond lives on a ranch in Oklahoma.  She loves, food, photography, her children, and her husband's hind end.  READ IT!

2.  Fly Through Our Window- This is the blog of an Auburn grad.  She's very witty.  I just love her creativity and her willingness to be real about her life as a stay at home mom.

3.  Urban Grace Interiors- The twin sister of #2, this blog not only documents some of her work as an interior designer, but also as a working mother.

4.  Ann Wade Parrish Photography-- A fellow Samford grad, Ann Wade photographed a wedding I attended last summer.  She's absolutely amazing.  If I ever get married, I want her to photograph my wedding.

5.  Picky Palate-- If you don't already know, I love food.  I really love food blogs.  I don't make many of the recipes I read (because I would be the size of a house) but I love to slobber over the photos!

6.  Made-- This blogger is a genius with a sewing machine. I love her ideas!

7.  All Things Thrifty-- This is where I got my lima bean wreath idea.  She also refinishes furniture.  Lots of creative ideas!

8.  Effortless Style-- An interior designer in New York City, I love her modern ideas for interiors.  Lots of inspiration!

9.  Bobbi & Mike-- This is a husband/wife photography team located in Indiana.  I love reading their blog.  I'm pretty sure they LOVE their job and have lots of fun.  Beautiful photography as well.

10.  Thrifty Decor Chick-- Great low cost ideas for making your home look like a million bucks!

Hope you enjoy these links and become a regular follower.

A Good Day

Friday was a really good day.  My sleep is all crazy since I've been off work but I'm trying to use my daylight hours wisely.  I woke up at 1 AM and was up until about 3 PM.  It's now Saturday morning at 2:30 AM.

Yesterday I made a trip to Home Depot for the first time in quite a while.  It was like being home!  I miss that place.  I'm hoping this means I'm going to get motivated soon to do a few more home improvement projects.  I broke the drain stopper in my bathtub a few weeks ago so my goal for this weekend is to get it fixed.

I joined the gym!  I didn't work out but at least I joined... it's a first step.  I'm hoping to go today (Saturday).  When I paid my dues, the lady working the desk gave me a four pack of Sugar free Red Bull.  Does anyone else think this is a little weird?  I don't drink anything with carbonation or artificial sweeteners!  

I finally bought and started reading "The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet's Nest".  I've been putting off buying it full price since it's only out in hardback now.  I went to Second and Charles on a whim to see if they might have it. I've been looking there periodically but could never find it.  Yesterday, they had it!  I had a credit at the store for selling some of my own books so I didn't have to pay out of pocket!

Well, the coffee is calling and I should probably get started on some laundry.