B
Wednesday, 31 August 2011
Handleless drawers - yay or nay?
I am seriously considering handleless drawers for our bathroom vanities (not kitchen though). What do you think of them? Do you think they will date quicker than any other handle? Are they durable? Would you recommend them for all 5 of our vanities? Are they ok for kids' bathrooms? Would love to hear your thoughts :)
B
B
Tuesday, 30 August 2011
Blackbutt!!!!
This is what our upstairs floors looked like yesterday. Still not 100% sanded, a couple of grits to go still. But looking goooooooooooooooooooood. Can you tell how excited I am? :)
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| Master bedroom |
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| Bedroom 2 |
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| Can't remember where this one is from :) |
B
I have an announcement.
I'm dropping in for a rare mid-week post today because this news is too exciting to hold in until next Sunday:
I'm going to be featured in West Elm!!!! WEST ELM. As in, the West Elm.
Back in May I was contacted by the marketing folks at Etsy who were working with West Elm to find handmade pieces for their 2011 Holiday Catalog. West Elm spotted my shop and asked me to send them some of my items to be photographed. It wasn't guaranteed at that point because anything can happen during the editing process, but they just confirmed to me that my print made the final cut, so now I can finally share the news!
I sent them several of my city maps and I'm not sure exactly which one was featured, but I can't wait to find out! I'll also be featured on their website and in their Etsy profile as a featured seller. The holiday catalog hits stores October 4th... I'll be anxiously/excitedly/impatiently waiting until then to get my copy! And of course, I'll post everything to the blog once it's in my hands.
Ok, back to work! Just had to share :)
I'm going to be featured in West Elm!!!! WEST ELM. As in, the West Elm.
Back in May I was contacted by the marketing folks at Etsy who were working with West Elm to find handmade pieces for their 2011 Holiday Catalog. West Elm spotted my shop and asked me to send them some of my items to be photographed. It wasn't guaranteed at that point because anything can happen during the editing process, but they just confirmed to me that my print made the final cut, so now I can finally share the news!
I sent them several of my city maps and I'm not sure exactly which one was featured, but I can't wait to find out! I'll also be featured on their website and in their Etsy profile as a featured seller. The holiday catalog hits stores October 4th... I'll be anxiously/excitedly/impatiently waiting until then to get my copy! And of course, I'll post everything to the blog once it's in my hands.
Ok, back to work! Just had to share :)
Ripplefold drapes
What do you think of ripplefold drapes? Do they only look good with square set cornices/hidden above the ceiling or can they also look good with cornices? Our ceilings are 2.7m high and our windows are all 2.4m high. Our cornices are 90mm. Would you recommend ripplefold drapes for our home? If yes, would you install them just above the windows or just under the cornices (90mm from the ceiling)?
B
B
Monday, 29 August 2011
Garage doors and water
We've now got water inside the house! YAY! And today all 3 of our garage doors were installed :)
Mr B, together with my dad has been sanding the top floor for the past 4 days, and his mum is finishing off the painting :)
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| Panel door at the front of the house |
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| Roller door on the detached garage |
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| Roller door to the back of the garage |
B
Sunday, 28 August 2011
Guest Bath Reveal, Old Window Frame & Giveaway
First order of business: The "final" guest bath reveal!
Last week Brad installed a dimmer switch for some much needed mood lighting control. At that point we were 95% completed last weekend, so this weekend all that needed to be done was hanging art, finishing the recessed cubby, and swapping out the knobs on the vanity.
I knew I wanted to add a shelf to the cubby for extra storage, so we went to Lowe's to get a piece of glass cut to size (FYI, our local Home Depot said they don't cut glass—just a heads up to anyone wondering).
So we came back with our shelf and a few plastic mirror hangers to prop it up. They broke as soon as the screw tightened, so those were out. Brad suggested we just use the bare screws and paint them white.
And so I did. And it worked excellently.
Next up was accessorizing (the funnest part, of course). I went to Hobby Lobby, for the first time in my life, on Friday evening and it was a similar experience to my first time at Garden Ridge.... pretty close to heaven. I don't know how I managed to go 26 years without stepping foot into one, but now that I know I live 5 miles from one, it's going to get dangerous.
Luckily, everything I purchased was 50% off so I scored some amazing deals. Like these mason jars for just 75 cents each!
To help them coordinate better with the rest of the finishes in the bathroom, I whipped out the ORB and gave the lids a new look:
Much better!
I fell in love with these brownish-grey tinted glass knobs, $4 for both (after 50% off)
Finally, I framed a couple of my prints in Ikea frames I had leftover and hung them above the loo:
A couple more finishing touches and the bathroom is D-O-N-E! (Until we tackle what's behind the shower curtain.... just pretend that part doesn't exist for now)
Let's get a quick before & after shot to make it more official.
Before:
After:
And there you have it! And since I actually remembered to record most of this, here is a rough price breakdown:
Toilet - 125
Vanity/Mirror - 177
Baseboards - 17
Faucet - 55
Vanity light - 110
Dimmer switch - 20
Bead board/trim & supplies - 100
Trash can & paint - 22
Oil rubbed bronze hardware - 37
Recessed cabinet trim, lighting & glass shelf - 30
Accessories (standing mirror, mason jars, knobs, soap dispenser) - 30
Paint - already had
Art - made/already had
The only thing left off this list was tile and installation... because we don't have an exact figure since it was quoted with and installed at the same time as the foyer and kitchen. If I have to guesstimate based on square footage and tile/labor cost... I'll go with $80 for tile (27 sq. ft @ $3/sf tile), and another 150 for labor. That sounds about right. So,
Tile - 230
Grand total: $950, give or take a few. So it's safe to say it cost under a grand for this:
Not too bad, right? Stay tuned for the shower re-do... coming soon. Or maybe not.
In other news, I was browsing Craigslist and found someone selling an old window pane (no glass) near my work and decided to stop by to check it out. He said it was from some 150 year old house in Pennsylvania and belonged to his mother who passed away. I thought it was perfect, and walked away with it for just $12! Happy Dance.
Here it is at home, waiting to be prepped:
It was painted a light beige, but there were layers of paint underneath it from years of use.
I took out our new electric sander and got to work. We picked up this sander a couple weeks ago at a yard sale for just $10.... best $10 EVER, let me tell you. It took about 15 minutes to turn years of paint to this:
Can you imagine if I tried to do that by hand? It would take weeks. Everyone go buy one of these, now.
After it was sanded with heavy grit, I put a finer sheet of sandpaper on to smooth the surface a bit. Then I brushed on a coat of turquoise, let it dry, and then put a coat of white on. Sorry, no pics of this process... I was working on like 5 things at once and had no time!
After both paint colors dried, I went over it with the fine sandpaper to get some of the turquoise, wood, and original paint colors to show through. Here's the final product:
To hang it, I picked up a french cleat, which is my absolute favorite way to hang heavier pieces. I used it on my dining room mirror and it was the simplest thing ever. This time was no exception.
And the window now lives happily on this previously empty bedroom wall:
I may dress it up later with hooks or something... but for now it can just sit there and look pretty :)
And finally... I made a small update to our living room. See if you can spot the difference.
Before:
Yes... Mr Octopus and Miss Seahorse are no longer with us. They have been replaced with this:
These are bus rolls I made of all the special places in our lives...places we've lived, visited, special vacations, etc. It was time for a change.
As for these guys....
Well, it's time for them to move on to become part of someone else's family. Therefore, I'm going to give them a second chance at life in one of your homes.
Here's the technical specs: the prints are 11.5x11.5" (shown here in Ikea's Virserum frames, also fits in Ribba).
They are from my Ocean Animal Collection, valued at $20/ea.
All you need to do is leave a comment on the blog if you're interested in adopting them, and next Sunday (9/4) I'll randomly choose a winner and ship the prints right away. Sound good?
To make it interesting... tell me what your favorite project has been so far from this blog. It can be something as big as the bathroom reno we just did, or as small as painting all our handles ORB. I'd love to hear what inspires you most.
And with that, I'm off to get some work done in the shop... be sure to check back Sunday to see if there's an octopus and seahorse with your name on it :)
Last week Brad installed a dimmer switch for some much needed mood lighting control. At that point we were 95% completed last weekend, so this weekend all that needed to be done was hanging art, finishing the recessed cubby, and swapping out the knobs on the vanity.
I knew I wanted to add a shelf to the cubby for extra storage, so we went to Lowe's to get a piece of glass cut to size (FYI, our local Home Depot said they don't cut glass—just a heads up to anyone wondering).
So we came back with our shelf and a few plastic mirror hangers to prop it up. They broke as soon as the screw tightened, so those were out. Brad suggested we just use the bare screws and paint them white.
And so I did. And it worked excellently.
Next up was accessorizing (the funnest part, of course). I went to Hobby Lobby, for the first time in my life, on Friday evening and it was a similar experience to my first time at Garden Ridge.... pretty close to heaven. I don't know how I managed to go 26 years without stepping foot into one, but now that I know I live 5 miles from one, it's going to get dangerous.
Luckily, everything I purchased was 50% off so I scored some amazing deals. Like these mason jars for just 75 cents each!
To help them coordinate better with the rest of the finishes in the bathroom, I whipped out the ORB and gave the lids a new look:
Much better!
I fell in love with these brownish-grey tinted glass knobs, $4 for both (after 50% off)
Finally, I framed a couple of my prints in Ikea frames I had leftover and hung them above the loo:
 |
| Prints can be purchased in any size here |
A couple more finishing touches and the bathroom is D-O-N-E! (Until we tackle what's behind the shower curtain.... just pretend that part doesn't exist for now)
Let's get a quick before & after shot to make it more official.
Before:
After:
And there you have it! And since I actually remembered to record most of this, here is a rough price breakdown:
Toilet - 125
Vanity/Mirror - 177
Baseboards - 17
Faucet - 55
Vanity light - 110
Dimmer switch - 20
Bead board/trim & supplies - 100
Trash can & paint - 22
Oil rubbed bronze hardware - 37
Recessed cabinet trim, lighting & glass shelf - 30
Accessories (standing mirror, mason jars, knobs, soap dispenser) - 30
Paint - already had
Art - made/already had
The only thing left off this list was tile and installation... because we don't have an exact figure since it was quoted with and installed at the same time as the foyer and kitchen. If I have to guesstimate based on square footage and tile/labor cost... I'll go with $80 for tile (27 sq. ft @ $3/sf tile), and another 150 for labor. That sounds about right. So,
Tile - 230
Grand total: $950, give or take a few. So it's safe to say it cost under a grand for this:
Not too bad, right? Stay tuned for the shower re-do... coming soon. Or maybe not.
In other news, I was browsing Craigslist and found someone selling an old window pane (no glass) near my work and decided to stop by to check it out. He said it was from some 150 year old house in Pennsylvania and belonged to his mother who passed away. I thought it was perfect, and walked away with it for just $12! Happy Dance.
Here it is at home, waiting to be prepped:
It was painted a light beige, but there were layers of paint underneath it from years of use.
I took out our new electric sander and got to work. We picked up this sander a couple weeks ago at a yard sale for just $10.... best $10 EVER, let me tell you. It took about 15 minutes to turn years of paint to this:
Can you imagine if I tried to do that by hand? It would take weeks. Everyone go buy one of these, now.
After it was sanded with heavy grit, I put a finer sheet of sandpaper on to smooth the surface a bit. Then I brushed on a coat of turquoise, let it dry, and then put a coat of white on. Sorry, no pics of this process... I was working on like 5 things at once and had no time!
After both paint colors dried, I went over it with the fine sandpaper to get some of the turquoise, wood, and original paint colors to show through. Here's the final product:
 |
| I know, it's hard to see the detail with this crap lens. Working on getting a better one! |
To hang it, I picked up a french cleat, which is my absolute favorite way to hang heavier pieces. I used it on my dining room mirror and it was the simplest thing ever. This time was no exception.
And the window now lives happily on this previously empty bedroom wall:
And finally... I made a small update to our living room. See if you can spot the difference.
Before:
Yes... Mr Octopus and Miss Seahorse are no longer with us. They have been replaced with this:
These are bus rolls I made of all the special places in our lives...places we've lived, visited, special vacations, etc. It was time for a change.
As for these guys....
Here's the technical specs: the prints are 11.5x11.5" (shown here in Ikea's Virserum frames, also fits in Ribba).
They are from my Ocean Animal Collection, valued at $20/ea.
All you need to do is leave a comment on the blog if you're interested in adopting them, and next Sunday (9/4) I'll randomly choose a winner and ship the prints right away. Sound good?
To make it interesting... tell me what your favorite project has been so far from this blog. It can be something as big as the bathroom reno we just did, or as small as painting all our handles ORB. I'd love to hear what inspires you most.
And with that, I'm off to get some work done in the shop... be sure to check back Sunday to see if there's an octopus and seahorse with your name on it :)
What a week...
Let's just say that I have never been more grateful for having a full time job in IT.
Really looking forward to going to work tomorrow.
B
Friday, 26 August 2011
Any last minute sanding tips? :)
We will be hiring a Floor Sander and a Floor Edger Sander over the weekend to do the top floor (4 bedrooms, sunspace, walk in, hallways and hopefully the staircase as well).
Any last minute tips would be greatly appreciated :)
Wish us luck!!! :)
B
Any last minute tips would be greatly appreciated :)
B
Wednesday, 24 August 2011
Our new front yard plan
I think I may have finalised our front yard/ concreting plan :)
I am thinking the walkway path to match the width of the front doors (1.64m) and the hedge bed between the walkway and the driveway to be around 1.3m. The greyed out bits are exposed aggregate and the patch on the very left is grass, obviously :)
What do you think?
Man holes!
The smaller one is downstairs and the bigger one is for upstairs.
Too busy?
