snap, snap, snap

Get ready for lots of show-and-tell photos - yep, that's right, I found my camera! Since I'm terrible at remembering 'Before Shots' (I'm always just too excited to get started with a project), you'll just have to visualize this area with all beige walls and tools, bins and random paper bags strewn everywhere! Not to mention the shopvac, baseboard trim and uninstalled doors!


I thought this blue was so calming - it's very similar to the color in my craft room. The kids love doing their homework here and it keeps everything off our dining room table so I'm not just moving piles of papers from one countertop to the next. It's also easier for them to keep track of their homework papers. And now their backpacks aren't on the floor by the front door either! I decoupaged a board with an old Curious George book and Gavin added the hooks.


I still had the inspiration to decoupage, so I made this homework clipboard to keep their papers organized. We'll see if it holds up through the year.


And finally this bookcase I grabbed for $3 at a thrift shop, so I painted it orange and decoupaged pages from old books. The color inspired me on the opposite wall of this room which I turned into our reading corner.


So this is our new reading corner and we are always finding ourselves hanging out in here. It's not a great shot of the olive green chair I picked up off Craigslist, but it fits me and Worker Boy quite comfortably with a good book! It's been a lot of fun pulling each piece together to make such a comfy little nook. Can you tell I'm just a little proud??


This cabinet I found at the Goodwill - it was all wood with the ugliest starburst brass knobs! So I painted it, scuffed it and put on a glaze and new knobs and I'm so happy with it. It's a great piece with great storage.


I went nuts with this fabric combination. Now I just need to get in and sew up some coordinating pillows to bring all the colors together! I can hardly wait.


In the midst of creating new livable spaces, I organized our mudroom which was a complete disaster. Eventually we'll install cabinets (I love being able to close doors for a clean look), but for now this is soooo much better. Each kid has their own shelf with a basket for shoes and a bin for miscellaneous stuff like soccer gear, dance stuff, jumpropes, etc. Notice the paint chips on the wall? We'll see what happens next. I'm really enjoying adding color on our walls.


My desk needed some serious attention too - so I forced myself to go through most of the stuff and I got bins for the things that didn't really have a spot.


I've still got a long way to go this year, but I feel like this is a good start; "a great shot in the arm" as Gavin and I say. Hopefully the walls, furniture and organization distracted you from noticing our concrete floors (rough concrete, not the en vogue stained and polished kind) or lack of baseboards and window trim! I can hardly wait to sink my teeth into those projects.

More to come.....

completion

I actually finished putting the glaze on the cabinet today - yea! I'm very excited about the results - especially since this is the first time I've attempted something like this. I still need to apply the clear varnish (otherwise I'm worried that dust will collect in droves since it's kind of sticky) and then put on the new hardware when it arrives.

For those who didn't see it the first time, here's the memory of the ugly cabinet's past life....


And here's the makeover version! Sorry about the clarity, I wanted natural light instead of the flash. I promise a better photograph for the final product.



Since I have all the supplies still out, I'm thinking about doing the same process to a wall shelf I've never done anything with. It should turn out pretty cute. And then I thought maybe I'll do a giveaway with it. What do you think? If you're interested in participating in the blue-glazed shelf giveaway, just leave a comment to this post and I'll draw a name from a hat next Monday.

progress...

I thought it would be a good idea to show my progress on the ugly cabinet - which is not so ugly anymore, by the way! When I put on the first coat of blue paint - Bay of Fundy (funky name, hunh!) - I kept telling myself not to freak out since the white primer was showing through. So by the second coat I was a lot happier with the results and almost considered putting on the varnish and skipping the whole scuffing and glazing altogether since I'd never done that before! But I forged ahead (more photos to come).

It's amazing how quickly a project progresses when someone else is occupying the kids and you decide not to worry about the appearance of the house! BUT, then that time period is over, you have to return to reality and the project gets put out in the Back 40! I worked a little bit today right up until getting dinner started couldn't be delayed any longer. I think I see a window of opportunity on Sunday?? Wow, that's pretty far away.

Here's a fun quiz if you have a few spare minutes...

Take the Quiz here!