Yep, we still have stories

Perhaps they're not as dramatic as they seemed to be last week, but none-the-less, we still have stories. It seems I'm a bit overdue for an update of any kind these days. And since baby is coming in less than 8 weeks and I'll probably forget I have a blog (or the time to talk about anything house related), I should get on with it.

So first and foremost, we've made significant progress on project hallway: part duex. As you may recall, the husband took care of all of the big stuff. And then I jumped in and helped paint (the no-VOC way, of course!). Then the carpet was installed last Thursday. And since then we haven't bothered to do a damn thing. There is still a lot of paint to touch up, hardware to install, window treatments to be purchased and hung, new light fixtures to be installed, and we need to organize our coats, shoes, hats/gloves back into the space. You get the picture. Busy work.

But let's back track, shall we? Two nights before the carpet was installed, I got started on this little project for the baby's room...

 

 

...spraying this $7.99 Salvation Army find. Every good project starts with primer, right (of which, I've learned the hard way over the years)?

 

 

 

 

Well, I'm here to tell you that this s*&t is for the birds. This worthless crap came flying out of the can like silly string. Then a gust of wind blew through the yard and misted the entire right leg of my black yoga pants. It's a good thing our closest neighbors haven't been home all summer, or they would have witnessed the crazy pregnant neighbor cursing and flailing about the lawn. Also, I'm not getting rid of the yoga pants, so if you see me at the gym and wonder why I have paint on one leg...well, now you know. You're welcome.

 

So, project 'paint the lamp' was officially over for the night (before it really began), and project 'get your ass painting the hallway before the carpet is installed in less than 48 hours' began. Boy, I'm glad we went the no-VOC route so I could help the husband, but I'm not happy we went with this...

 

 

You guys, never again. I think the husband and I spent the first hour bitching and complaining at how awful this paint was. It was like working with liquid enamel, which as you can imagine was all sorts of fun (especially after working all day & coming home to paint all hours into the night). Once we got a handle on how to work with this paint (it wasn't easy) we spent what seemed like another hour debating about who was the better cutter-inner. I'll spare you the agony of having to guess...but it was me. I've taught myself how to cut in with a good brush (totally key!) and quality paint. But cutting in with this paint proved to be nothing less than a challenge...one that's totally doubled while 8 months pregnant. To add insult to injury, this paint required TWO coats (even with the already primed walls), and as I headed back to our local BM retailer to buy another gallon, I couldn't help but think....well, there goes $120 down the drain. I complained to an associate, to not much avail (as I type, I'm still waiting on a response from the folks at Benjamin Moore...we'll see how well that goes). So, lesson learned. I'm still a tried and true BM fan...I'll just never use the Natura line. Like, ever again.

 





Okay, so here you go...some crappy updated shots of the hallway (in it's current state)! It's so hard to take photos in a space this small, but I think you'll get the general jist.

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The substituted carpet looks WAY better in person than it did on the sample board. So we're totally pleased with our second choice. We're also loving the color of the walls (see, something good did come out of the whole painting fiasco), and the white moldings totally brighten the space. And the plaster walls also look a heck of a lot smoother in these photos than they do in person...either that or my photography skills are totally lacking (that's probably more like it).

 

So this is the point in my story where you are all thinking, "great Katie...we can't wait to see the finished, finshed space when all your tweaking is done". Well folks, you would be wrong. After the carpet was installed, I headed back to work and found out I got a flat tire from a TACK the carpet guys carelessly didn't pick up in our driveway! Yep, this sort of thing only happens to me, I tell you. The good news is that my year-old tires were still under warranty, so the repair was 100% covered. And after 2 days of silly string-like primer, shitty-ass no-VOC paint, and complete and utter exhaustion...well, that's just about the best news I'd heard all week.

 

With the bulk of the hallway work under our belt, I've been able to dedicate a lot of time to the nursery. Which I'm excited to share updates! I'll be back next week with daily (we hope) updates to show you what I'm incorporating into the space. It's slowly coming together. Now, let's just hope baby doesn't get any funny ideas and come arriving any earlier than she should! 

 

 



Project Hallway (Part Duex) progress

This is a post about the.longest.project.in.house.history. For reals people. But we're getting there...slowly but surely.

door to our unit

 

 



the view from our unit door

 

 

 

the attic door & utility closet adjacent to our unit

 

 

 

heading downstairs to the lower unit

 

 

 

 

entry into the house

  

 

 

lower unit entryway

 

 

Props to the husband who's been working tirelessly on this project. Which is probably why it's taking so long, since 'el prego can't be in the space (with all the oil based primer he's been using). Plus, you know...we have lives and full time jobs and went on vacation...so toss all those things in there & that's a major reason this project is taking (what feels like) 18 years to complete. But again, we're getting there and seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. Which is easing my anxiety of getting this damn space complete before baby arrives... 

 

So let's do a little rundown of what's been going on here...

 

We've removed the wallpaper, sanded the walls, skim coated & sanded them AGAIN (in fact, the husband has also patched & sanded other sections of the walls after all of that nonsense...the joys of owning an old home!). The walls & formerly green trim and doors got a coat of primer and the ceiling was repainted. Currently, the doors and moldings are getting their second coat of paint (Dover White by Sherwin Williams, to match the rest of the trim in the house). I hit the panic button this week & called in my mom for this step. She's worked on painting the trim for the last 2 mornings (thanks mom!), since I wasn't so sure we'd have everything painted by the time the carpet gets installed next week.

 

Which speaking of the carpeting, we got a call this week informing us that the one we chose had been discontinued (cue sad music...but not really since this kind of carpet is just carpet). Needless to say, it was a bump in the road, but nothing major. I had the carpet guys pull some comparable samples for us, without a price increase (woo hoo!). We're just eh about the replacement. But in the case of this area, carpet is just carpet. I'll be happy to have anything installed in there at this point. Bye, bye ugly linoleum!

 



If nothing at all, we are totally pumped with how light and bright this space has become. Even if it's all primer and trim paint at this point. Aside from the green to white trim transformation, the utility closets are the other 'why didn't we paint these sooner?' element to the space. Naturally, I didn't take a before pic, but the inside of the closet will show you what we were working with....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

With any luck, we'll have a wall color picked out soon and can start painting the walls this weekend! We're definitely thinking something beige-y and light. It's hard to believe we lived with such dark colors in this hallway for so long!

 

TGIF!

 

 

Project Hallway: Part Duex

Okay folks. Here we go. The latest & greatest (and quite possibly most scary) project to date...Project Hallway: part duex. A few weeks ago, I mentioned our latest ambitious efforts to tackle a side hallway remodel. It's not glamorous, stylish or fun. It's a purely functional space that's used-on-the-daily and needed some work STAT!

We (aka, the husband) ripped off the wallpaper, had the damaged moldings & door repaired (from last year's break-in), sanded the walls, skim coated them, and sanded them again for good measure. And then things hit a major standstill. The husband was out of town for the better half of 2 weeks, el prego was unable to help, and then it got so damn hot that doing anything other than sitting inside the fridge seemed like a good idea. 

And then several weeks ago the cat peed on the rug. Yep, that's right. Our cat that minds her own business & has never given us so much as a problem, got pissed off by all the mess (quite literally) and then got herself a urinary tract infection in the meantime. We had already planned to tear out the carpeting ourselves (there I go again with the 'ourselves' reference, when again, this is the husband's doing) to see if hardwood was underneath. But sadly, we recovered linoleum--circa 1970's--instead.

 

 

 

The dog found it necessary to be in every photo I took, so there you go. There's only so much yelling I can do around here. Not to mention that doing so in this hallway is really LOUD. Which is one of the reasons we're having carpeting installed soon. We need some sound absorption in here asap!

It took us no less than 5 minutes to decide on our options. I only bothered to bring home two samples, since low-pile, high-traffic carpeting all looks the same. 

In the end, we decided to go with the dark brown/grey option you see in the upper lefthand of the second photo. At $2.19 sq./ft. (including installation) it's significantly cheaper than the top option at $2.77 (and much better looking too). Don't bother to ask me who makes this either....I think Shaw, but I could be wrong. Let me say it again...all low-pile, high-traffic carpet looks the same people.

So there you have it. The (not so) latest and greatest update on the side hallway. With the husband out of town this week for work, we've hit another standstill, but hope to get priming and painting next week. And hopefully have some carpet installed in the next few weeks too! Slow and steady wins the race....

Project Hallway panels

Okay, it's time to share what became of this fabric! Remember?

Duh, of course you do. You read this blog & you've seen this picture no less than 12 times (but I know I never mentioned the fabric is from Anna Marie Horner's Innocent Crush line, now did I?). I commissioned my mom to make simple panels for the lonely little window in the hallway. The window doesn't let in much light on a good day, even without a window treatment. So I was a little worried how the panels would or wouldn't affect things in there. But none-the-less, that boring bare window needed something stat!

I'll spare you the details of how we got to this point (mostly because I don't think the husband would be amused). But let's just say it started with me buying a cheap-ola $5 curtain rod from Christmas Tree Shops, and then the husband climbing up, down, up, down the step ladder, leveling, measuring, drilling, climbing back up, down, up, down the ladder some more, measuring again, drilling again, all the while I was in the background saying helpful things like, "ooooh yeah, that doesn't look right". So needless to say, for obvious reasons, there were no photos of this process.

So the panels were looking okay at this point, but they were blocking out way too much light and I knew I needed something to tie them back. So off to Joann's I went. I came across some great trim (do you know Joann's carries Cynthia Rowley & Project Runway lines? Ooooh, yes please!). Anyway, after much debating I narrowed it down to 3 choices...none of which are C. Rowley or Project Runway, ironically....

In the end I chose option #3. I loved greek key #1 and #2, but there was something about the braided gold that I loved even more. It's not something I'd originally thought to work with, but it spoke to me at the time, so home it came with me!

There was no rhyme or reason to how I tied these back. Really, it's almost ghetto when I tell you I simply hammered a nail in there and voila...instant tie-backs!

I'm still getting used to the fact that we have some sort of treatment for this window. But I love that the fabric adds a pop of color to the gray-black-white color scheme that's happening in there now.

And the good news? The curtain rod & panels are still intact...so, bonus points to the husband for all of his hard work! And who said a cheapy $5 curtain rod isn't legit?

Project Hallway revisited

So to start the week off, I'm revisiting project hallway! And nope, it's not quite finished (I had you fooled, didn't I?). The same goes for the rest of our house. There's always some tweaking, adding, changing, moving things here & there....you get the picture, right? At any rate, I finally took the time to finish painting the risers on the steps this weekend. Check that off the list! Next up? Window treatments (if I would ever get around to ordering the fabric)! And then things should be for reals complete in there. I'm gearing up to work on the real (real) entryway to our house--yep, there is one! I'll be back soon with some before pics & plans for that space!

For those of you who want to take a trip down memory lane, you can revisit the 'ol before & after post HERE. And for those of you too lazy to check out that post (I don't blame you, it's Monday afterall...) here are the most up to date pics of the space!

(eeek...maybe I should do something with that ugly cord, ya think?!)

I've also linked myself to the Roomspiration link party over at Abode Love today!

Go check it out! Or vote for me! Or something like that. Or how about this? Just check out all the amazing entryways that are over there. There are some good ones!

Happy Monday!

Project Hallway update!

Okay, so remember this $15 steal?

Of course you do. You don't have a short term memory.

So when I purchased this frame, my plan was to switch things up in the front hallway. Things just weren't sitting right with me. As much as I liked it, something about the wall of frames was just off. Let's take a look...

That something "off" would be that large rectangular frame. It didn't have much character & screamed, "look at me, I'm a large empty boring frame!" The husband had his gripes too. He'd always been super annoyed that the thing was bent & never sat flush against the wall. I can't say I disagreed either. I thought about putting some smaller frames inside, but wasn't totally over-the-moon about that idea. And then my friends, the new frame came along!

So I got to work removing the old frame & touching up the walls. The new frame was sprayed & ready to hang, and then this happened...

Ah, the beauty of an old home with plaster walls! Hanging things around here is a bit of trial & error (well, at least for me anyway...I'm sure the husband would have done a better job). And if you're wondering, my trial & error is still there. I just hung the frame over the holes without bothering to patch them up. Because I'm lazy & impatient like that. And because I put the caulk away.

So anyway, here's what things are looking like now!

You might notice I added another, smaller frame to the top left of the wall. I actually added that awhile ago, but never got around to mentioning it. But now that the new frame is in place, things seem very complete! I'm so happy with the way things turned out. See? A minor frame change out, and all is right in the world again!

Oh, and in case anyone is curious (probably not, but anyway...), my spray paint of choice is Valspar. I mean, I go through cans like it's my job. There was zero rhyme or reason how I came to this discovery, other than the fact that Lowes is conveniently located to me and I can get in & out of there in a jiff. It's probably not the best brand out there (it'll set you back less than $4 a can), but I've found it to work the best for me. In an effort to cut to the chase, I don't prime or do much prep, but I get a smooth even finish everytime I use it. And no, Lowes didn't pay me to say this. It's just that this is the sort of stuff I would find helpful if I was desperately seeking Susan a good recommendation. So there you have it folks.

TGIF!

Risin' Up!

I'm back! I took a little blogging break, including reading all my favorite blogs. That list grows everyday...I have a lot of catching up to do!

In the meantime, I tackled a couple of to-do's around here. On a typical day, the list is fairly long. But I'm happy to report that I'm finally getting a chance to get to all those little things that usually make a to-do list quite lengthy! So I shifted my focus back to Project Hallway. Back when I revealed the finished space, I knew I wanted to tweak a few things when I had some free time. So this weekend, I painted the staircase risers!

Here's what we started out with...

Meh. They're plain, boring stairs that were never refinished when we tackled the rest of the floors shortly before moving in. They're in decent condition & the slightly darker stain is right up my alley. But hmmm...it needed something more. After a coat of primer & 2 coats of paint (Dover White by Sherwin Williams, which is the color of all of our trim--one of the more helpful pieces of information the previous owner gave us!), I peeled away the painters tape to reveal what I thought would be a perfect finished product. Not so much...

Folks, this is what happens when you're impatient & don't take the time to sand. Let that be a lesson to all! So with my steady hand & a mini paint brush, I touched up all the areas that peeled away with the tape.

And ta-da...the finished product!

I'd been wanting to do this for some time & I'm quite happy with the results! I'm usually pretty hesitant when whipping out the 'ol paint & brush (I know, I know it's just paint...apparently I have major anxiety when it comes to minor changes like this), but I had absolutely no doubts when I tackled this project. It really brightens up the entryway, no?

And with that I'm off to admire my work & watch The Bachelor finale. All bets are on Chantal at this point. Time to find out!

And then we got stuff done around here

Seriously, I'm starting to think there aren't enough hours in the day. This house has seen it's fair share of projects that get started. But at times they never quite get off the ground & running...let alone see the finish line for awhile. Maybe that's why I feel so overwhelmed sometimes?

Now that the contents of our kitchen are no longer spewed all over our house (and yes, spewed is a word...at least by my standards today), and things are almost finished in there, the rest of the house is very slowly taking shape. Well, at least until I decide to change or update something again. Which, with the amount of blogs I read & inspiration that comes from them...it's happening a lot these days!

We have friends coming over for dinner this weekend & in a rush to get things ready for their arrival (ie, actually cleaning the house), I FINALLY finished project hallway! There are a few elements I'll add or change in the future, but for now it's complete & I'm quite happy with the results!

Okay, first let's take a trip down memory lane, shall we? Here's the very shocking before:

As you may recall, the top of the landing was ONE BIG HOT MESS. It was a collection of everything we were too lazy to deal with. So we cleared out the space & put everything up into the attic (where hoarding is completely acceptable). And here is the lovely after:

The desk was a hand me down from my mom that I got the a-okay to paint. I debated about switching out the hardware, but kept the existing ones & spray painted them a coat of silver. I love them now! Which makes me wonder why I debated changing them out in the first place!? The mirror was a HomeGoods find that occupied every last minute of my time to get it to the way it looks now (note taken, next time I'll spray paint something this intricate). The "K" is also a HomeGoods find that I spray painted yellow & attached brackets to the back so that it stands upright. Which means it's secure enough that if a tipsy guest happens to fall into the desk while leaving our house (hey, it could happen!), it's not going anywhere. The random white cup is a Goodwill find, and the vase was my grandmother's. And then of course, there was my Salvation Army lamp that I scored for $5...

In the end, this lamp was all sorts of trouble. I couldn't find a shade to suit it, and after 2 attempts to cover the one I had...I surrendered and replaced it with the current Homegoods lamp that now sits on top of the desk. It made me a little sad to replace my $5 find. But I'm hoarding it in the attic, with the hopes that it will find another home one of these days.

The frames were the last element of the space. They were all purchased from random antique & thrift stores (I think the largest one was $35, the rest were less than that--not bad!) & spray painted black. The ceramic birds are a gift from the husband from a local home interiors boutique (Nest--for all you Buffalo folks). So let me just say, I pretty much avoided hanging these for the longest time, since the plaster walls in our old home can be pretty tricky. Imagine if you will--lots of dust, nails that hit studs (and not the cute kind), and holes that inevitably have to be patched before starting over. But the decorating gods must have been looking over me because hanging these were a cinch. If you're keeping score...that's one point for Katie, zero points for the wall.

And one more picture for good measure...a view into the living area as you enter from the stairwell...

Excuse the pillows...our living room is going through a bit of an identity crisis, as I'm not totally sure my latest Etsy purchase is fitting in so well. The orange pillow cover turned out to be a bit too orange, so I might give it a home in the spare bedroom. So much for not being afraid of color in 2011...

And with that, I'm off to admire my work...hope you all have a lovely weekend!