Just one more piece of furniture...

I definitely have a tendency to let things spiral out of control. This potting bench is an example of just that. It all began when a kid at work was selling Yankee Candles as a fundraiser. I couldn't decide which set of candle holders to buy, so I bought both.

Well, not surprisingly, six candle holders are a bit much for one piece of furniture. The obvious solution is to build a new piece of furniture, right? So I decided to build this potting bench. Of course, the bench in the plans was too big, so I had to shrink it down. Yup, I had to do math. The project went a lot more smoothly than the bench I built but one shelf was not quite square which caused the legs to be uneven. Rather than stick a piece of paper under the leg, which is my usual solution, I had to replace one leg. It doesn't tip anymore but the shelves are far from level. Nonetheless, I think it looks just fine. I spent most of today finishing it. I tried to weather the wood using a vinegar steel wool solution but that just stained it red. So I scrubbed it with steel wool soaked in vinegar and it looked better. I tried a gray stain but that just made it look dull and painted. So I painted it with green tea. The tea and rusty vinegar are supposed to somehow make gray. The tea and brush turned black but not so much the wood. It definitely looks better and it definitely looks weathered, so I'm pretty happy with it. And I'm hoping I can finally declare the mudroom done. I actually ordered some tile for the kitchen floor to force myself to stop making furniture for the mudroom.

Btw, the bench cost $26 to make. That is why I have started making furniture. I'd rather have a so-so potting bench that I made myself and fits perfectly in the space than a crappy $50 potting bench from Ikea made without any actual wood and barely fits in the space.

Shoe boxes

The final touch on the bench was the monogrammed boxes from home.

Beer + HGTV = Trouble

Fueled by too much HGTV and a deep hatred for Ikea, I googled around and discovered the inspirational Ana White, a self-proclaimed girly-girl who makes her own furniture and posts plans and tutorials to help others follow in her footsteps. In need of a bench for the mudroom, I found a plan for a "simple" bench. Well, simple, it was not. In fact, it took me almost four months to finish, but in the end I have a decent functional bench for under $30 and I learned a lot. I am no longer petrified of power tools and I no longer cry at the thought of going to Home Depot. And the mudroom is officially done. Little victories.

More on the mud room ... Or should I call it the sand room?

I finally finished the dresser. It was a cheap veneer dresser that was here when I bought the house. It was cowboy themed, too! I couldn't escape the wild west! I took off the longhorn handles, painted, sanded, and antiqued it. Phew! It took some time but I love the outcome.

More Mud Room

I don't love curtains. I love lots of light, open windows, and a sea breeze. But I have a very nosy next door neighbor, so I had to compromise. I wanted cotton gauze curtains but couldn't find any, so I had to finally unpack the sewing machine.

Mud Room Makeover

Well, most of you know that I spent last year juggling (poorly) three jobs and two dying dogs. I had no time to work on the house and had to just make the best of living in a construction zone. Just before Thanksgiving, I had to put my sweet 15 year old, Jasper, down. Just 6 weeks later, my beloved basset hound, Moses, lost his battle with cancer. It was definitely the hardest two months I've had to endure and I miss them both terribly, but I am glad to have all of our suffering and stress over. I am also glad to have the extra sleep and a tiny bit more time to work on the house. I definitely can't stand to live in a construction area much longer...


The orignal mudroom

I decided to start the remodel at the front door and make my way back to the bedroom at the back of the house. The mudroom makeover is coming along well albeit VERY slowly. It actually began shortly after we moved here. Before I had a chance to install the dog door, Moses had a terrible potty accident on the carpet. I have no idea what he ate, but it destroyed the already questionable carpet. Rather than scrub, I decided to tear the carpet out. Much to my surprise, I unveiled and even nastier carpet. I took that up as well and lived with the plywood subfloor for the past year.

Have you ever seen nastier carpet??

In the meanwhile, I painted the old faux wood paneling and trim white and painted the old exterior red wall green. I love that sea green color and one day, I intend to paint the outside trim, porch, and shutters that color.

My brother was nice enough to install a new light fixture...

Finally, Jenna and I installed slate floor tile just after Christmas. The tile is the off-the-shelf stuff from home depot and the whole floor cost under $300 to install. Considering the cost, I'm pretty happy about the outcome. I installed a little trim to cover the edges and the floor is good to go...

Next up ... some curtains and furniture!

The Bathroom Project: Demo!

The first step in the bathroom was to confirm that it was indeed an old clawfoot tub inside the handmade shower stall...

Yeah! It needs a LOT of work, but it is indeed a clawfoot tub!


I removed the tile board to find lovely poo colored glue. I prefer it to the nasty fake tile though...




With the wall between the tub and sink gone, the bathroom looks MUCH larger.

The Bathroom Project: Before (Yuck!)

The bathroom is definitely the low point of the house. It was lined in faux tile plastic walls and walls were built around the old tub to make it a rather ineffective shower stall. The walls made the small bathroom painful.



The worst part about the walls built around the tub was the pile of brown caulk that surrounded the sides. Since it was lower than the tub edge, it held puddles of water.

The Living Room Project: Rounding Third

I repainted the yellow walls sky blue and the living room is starting to look a lot more like the beach cottage it should be. It only needs new windows, a new light fixture, and some wall art and it'll be complete.

The Living Room Project: Continued

The Living Room Project: In Progress

I painted the trim white and replaced the nasty old blinds with sheer panels, outfitted the room with new furniture, thanks to Mom and Ikea. I removed the door between the living room and dining room. Eventually, I'd like to paint the walls light blue and add a cabinet beneath the tv. Ultimately, I'd love to remove the odd half wall and the wall between the living room and dining room, replace the plain molding, and get a ceiling fan that works, but I have bigger problems right now, like the bathroom...