Lock and Key

Completing this project was great in two ways. First, it was nice to check off not one but two TBC items from my list and second, we finally have a door in this house that locks. Praise the lord!

With the change in the kitchen layout our master bedroom door is now right off of the back door. Which doesn't bother me a bit but when company is over it is nice to be able to actually close it. (We actually went about six months without a door at all but I knew that couldn't last.)

Since it was our master bedroom I splurged a bit on a doorknob and went with this brass beauty from Signature Hardware.

It's best feature?

A working lock and key! (My dream goal would be to replace all of our doors with new doors, but for now I've just been patching them up).

It's oh so fancy and a bit extravagant but I think it is the neatest.

So there you have it. Two more items off my list and some well deserved privacy.

Cheers!

Snazying Up a Boring Refrigerator

Like many people out there I have a boring, white, builder basic fridge.

I could replace it with a stainless steel pretty but honestly, I don't feel like shelling out cash for a new refrigerator when this one is basically new. 

A few dozen photos and some sticky tack later I had this instead.

I've been doing some major closet clean outs this month and I found dozens of extra prints from vacations and what not so I figured, why not put them somewhere I can see them.

Now my kitchen is happy! I love looking at them and reminiscing.

Even if you bought prints it would probably be the easiest, cheapest, and least damaging appliance upgrade out there. 

I've been feeling very motivated lately so things are actually getting done around here! Maybe it is this beautiful summer weather? 

Cheers!

TBC- To Be Completed

I have a problem. I like to start projects and then not finish them. It has gotten so bad that I currently have 14+ projects that are half done. So, in an effort to make myself accountable here they are. I'm laying it all out there. Don't judge people.

Or the trim in the kitchen Complete! 7/19/2013

This sliding door project for the bedroom? Nope, not done. Complete! 7/18/13

Apparently I don't like painting around trim. COMPLETED! 3/27/13 

Ceilings aren't much fun to paint either. 

That hole in the ceiling has been there 2 years.  Complete! 7/10/13

We moved the chandelier. Never patched that hole either.  Complete! 7/10/13

That's supposed to be a light switch (in my defense, this is a Daniel Project) COMPLETE! 6/2/13

I started the built-ins. Got hung up on sanding. 

My new porch gate still needs paint. COMPLETED! 3/21/13 

We never finished fixing the crack in the kitchen ceiling. 

The hood still isn't vented (**cough, cough 8 months later cough**)

I never installed the trim around the cabinets in the kitchen. 

I never actually finished painting the kitchen cabinets. 

Our bedroom door doesn't actually close. We should get on that. Complete! 7/19/13

I have a new light for this room that is gathering dust. 

I need to add more rocks to my newly expanded patio. Complete! 7/17/13 

I never got around to installing that rain barrel I bought last year. COMPLETE! 5/29/13 

Daniel and I have made a pact to not start anything new until everything else is finished. Things are going to get pretty boring around here for a while. On the plus side This is all slated for after the bathroom is finished (since that is number one priority) so you still have a few pretties to see coming up! 

Someone tell me I'm not the only one with a house full of unfinished projects. I swear, there has to be a support group out there for this. One that comes with people willing to paint.

Cheers! 

To Paint or Not to Paint?

While my Physical Therapist is making me swear off heavy lifting (as well as standing too long, sitting too long, and just about everything else) we are still managing to make some progress on our bathroom renovation. This weekend we are planning on working on plumbing so one significant step had to be made- the sink.

Namely pipe placement. Of course that brought up a whole new issue so, I come to you for advice. I took my $30 vessel sink, my $9 sewing table and my $60 faucet and put them all together.

Do I paint it the original Emerald I was thinking (from this inspiration), do I leave it as-is color wise, or do I stain it darker? Or something else?

So, what do you think? I'd love to get your input!

Cheers!

Linking up to:

Electric

Daniel and I spend 12 hours last weekend doing the electrical work needed for our bathroom renovation. Well, mostly it was Daniel. I spent 12 hours handing him things and listening as he worked out how to re-wire a three way switch.

Now we are not electricians, nor would I recommend doing anything you aren't comfortable with, but so far we haven't blown ourselves up (I kid). Daniel swears by Wiring a Home by Rex Cauldwell and even I can understand it but it definitely isn't light reading. Just remember, when in doubt, turn off the main breaker.

As usual, the end result often looks worse than before but we got everything we wanted accomplished (I even wired a light switch all by my self!). We ran all of the wiring for the bathroom, fixed the three way switch in the hall and moved the hall light.

Please excuse the temporary light and temporary hole. The only thing left before we can start drywalling is the plumbing (which should be a hoot).

Cheers!

Craigslist Score

Somehow Craigslist always slips my mind when I start shopping for non furniture items. But, we've been doing a lot of purging lately and making a little money Craigslisting some items that have been collecting dust in the extra room downstairs so I thought hey, why not see what I can find.

How about this fine looking thing.

Remarkably similar to this $120 one, mine was only $30! Even better is that someone took our old medicine cabinet for $75 which means I'm ahead on this deal! It is always nice when things end up being cheaper than you expect (especially since the framing is turning out to be a bigger part of the project than we originally expected).

Do you use Craigslist often? I love good deals but sometimes I am nervous to handle things on my own.

Cheers!

When Winter Comes

You can't have too much light! One of the only things I don't love about Seattle is the darkness. Winter is ramping up here and the darkness is closing in. For those of you unfamiliar with the Northern latitudes this means that in the dead of winter the sun rises at 7:55 am and sets at 4:21 pm giving us all of 8 hours of daylight. I know others have it worse but sheesh!

End rant.

The point is, we can use all of the light we can get. This one, in particular, is all about the kitchen (though I'm still pretty smitten with our new Dining room light). With the new layout the end of the kitchen by the door wasn't getting enough light. It's been something we have been planning on fixing for a while now (like since this July 9th post) and we finally got it done.

Here's our little nook with it's brand new light.

Amazon still offers it for a mere $43.29, such a steal! It compliments the light over the sink as well as the track lighting we put in perfectly. All, in all, I'm a happy camper.

In other kitchen news. We finally started installing the rest of our molding in the kitchen.

 It still needs a few touch ups and some caulk but we are rounding the bend on the last few minute details. I'll tell you all about our process and plans when we get it finished. Until then!

Cheers!

Covering Up

When we upgraded our door hardware there was just one thing that got left behind.

That ugly brass deadbolt was a bit of an eyesore. To top it off, there was no key to it (the house had five different deadbolts and one key when we moved in) so if you locked it there was no way in without unlocking it from the inside. As you can imagine, that caused some problems. 

So here is a nice little before and after for you (I'm full of them right now aren't I)

Before

After

Not bad right? Obviously there was a huge hole in the door when I removed the deadbolt but never fear, Home Depot is here! The cover only came in brass which wouldn't have been any better than what I had but that's nothing a coat a ORB can't fix right?

The idea is simple. They are just metal plates that attach through the door (I threw the package out before I took a picture so this is the closest I could find). Like so

Here it is installed from the other side

Simple easy and done. Besides waiting for the paint to dry the whole project took around 5 minutes and about $5 (I already had the paint). Maybe one day we will get a new door but I rather like this one, so for now, this is perfect. 

Who doesn't love an easy fix? 

Cheers!

Watermelon, Mint & Feta Salad AKA Summer in a Bowl

I may or may not be addicted to Trader Joes. Not going to lie, I am probably in there at least four times a week and many of the employees know me by name. Come on, you know if you had a Tj's within walking distance you'd be there all the time too. Any-hoo. The last two days (hey, I told you I had a problem) they have been sampling watermelon salad and I just had to share it with you. This is definitely becoming one of my staple recipes.

It is super easy. Gather your ingredients.

Chop and toss.

I pretty much eyeballed it. I would guess it would be 1/3 cup feta, 1 tbs rice wine (or white balsamic) vinegar, one small watermelon, and 2 tbs chopped mint. Delicious and not that bad for you. I used fat free feta which made one serving (this made 2) cost me 1 pt+ (for you weight watchers folks out there).

This lovely thing showed up today too.

Sadly it won't be installed until the weekend but I am giddy just thinking about it (picture me dancing around the kitchen singing "it's finally happening!") 

Anyone else have an easy and low fat summer salad they love? My goal weight is about 15lb away and I am excited about getting there.

Cheers!

Linking up to:
Frugal Friday

April Showers

I've been secretly hating my bathroom for a few months now. Well, hate is a strong word. Let's say I love my bathroom but hate what it is doing to our relationship. The thing I love most about my bathroom is the tub.

It is just the right depth that I can really get a good soaking in there. I love it so much in fact that I take a bath about once a day. So what's bothering me? The water bills. That bath holds something to the tune of 300 gallons of water, which means, if both Daniel and I decide to become clean in the same day we have used around 600 gallons of water. Water = $$$. Lots. So Daniel has been after me to get the shower kit installed. We've talked about this before right? It has been one of those classic projects where nothing works the way you think it will and everything is 10X more expensive. Who knew polished brass was the most expensive option? Or that you can't find risers tall enough for anyone over 5'4" to shower under? It was a mess. 

Needless to say I finally worked it all out and ordered and waited and payed the money to find that the sales person had neglected to tell me I needed one more little piece. The one that holds the whole thing up. So the kit sat in the corner until we got another water bill (less this time but still bad) and I caved. A few more weeks and now I can finally shower in my bath.

You wouldn't think such a few pieces of metal could bring a woman to tears so many times but I have to say this has not been my favorite project. At least now I can say it is done! (Kitty likes it too)

So now, when you visit my house you can take a shower, or a bath. Your choice.

Daniel and I are off to the Museum today so maybe I'll find a bit of art for above the toilet. That place holder frame has been there too long.

Cheers!