howidiy Recent Entries

Old headboard reused

2011-07-11T04:13:43.24Z

This old headboard had a new lease on life with this application in the garden.After 8 years in use it might need a fresh coat of spray paint - other than that it's great, adds a nice touch and contrast to the fragile flowers, and serves as a little fence.

Part of projects

Old headboard reused

Face lift for the chairs

2011-07-11T04:12:31.78Z

Those 2 porch chairs were lacking some pizazz- I decided to change that. I reused the foam from the old cushions, changed the shape of them to fit the chairs better, and just reupholstered them with new fabric. It took me a few hours but I think it was worth the effort. Somehow the same chairs look more inviting now, wouldn't you agree?

Part of projects

Face lift for the chairs

A more elegant way to anchor the umbrella!!!!

2011-07-11T04:11:48.81Z

The umbrella is free standing, which I love - we can move it around according to our needs.And we put it away into the garage for the winter.But it's quite heavy and when open tends to flip.The temporary solution we came up with was the sand filled bags. They seem to do the job, but are not very sightly or esthetically pleasing. Any suggestions to remedy this?

Thanks to all your wonderful advice this year the umbrella looks much more appealing! And not one sand bag in sight! See for yourself!

Part of projects

A more elegant way to anchor the umbrella!!!!

Making the board

2010-05-14T22:38:43.47Z

So, basically, it was all just a matter of finding a good sized piece of cardboard, some different materials, and stapling them all together.
Of course, folding the edges of the materials help them to look clean, and you have to press quite hard to get the staple to go all the way through.
Step 1: Cardboard!
Step 2: Choose materials, decide where they'll go.
Step 3: Staple them on, making sure to fold under the sides and make the staples go all the way through. Do this by wrapping the material over the edges of the cardboard.
Step 4: Do the same with the back. (I just did the back in one color) Also, rather than wrapping it over the cardboard, just fold it so the extra goes between the material and the cardboard.
Step 5: Find inspiration! I just printed a few pictures to get my friend started. I think kitten pictures are a must though. [=

Part of projects

Inspiration Board

The Golden Room

2010-04-20T02:37:56.54Z

Bedroom before:
Uninspiring window treatments
Boring beige wall-to-wall carpet
Old fashioned wallpaper all over

Bedroom after:
Gleaming hardwood floor in Mahogany color.
Crown molding.
Soft Architectural Off-white color + Chair rail 3/4 of the wall up.
Updated wall paper 1/4 of the wall.

... and the final touch - absolutely stunning (as I see it!) window treatment. I think it MADE the room!

The room turned out warm and inviting, as if it basks in the glow of sunshine.You could never tell that it has the Northern exposure. The curtains are lined for better protection from the draft.The pine furniture contrasts well and stands out against the dark wooden floor.( Now I shiver when I think back - I wanted to paint the furniture white! Imagine, to cover all those wonderful wood knots and golden tones with some paint!!!!??? I must have been insane! )
I might add a nice little area rug when I find something irresistible :)))

P.S.:
If you take a closer look at the shot with just the crown molding you will see the problem I had with my wall paper- as I didn't have much experience in hanging the wallpaper, I really made a mess of the top of it where it meets the crown. I was devastated when all of it was in place and not ONE piece was hanging evenly(mind you I did a pretty good job at matching the pattern!). But those guys at Home Depot know their stuff - they told me to get a thin strip of wood to add to my existing crown that would cover all the imperfections in the wall paper, AND at the same time will widen the crown! Who would have thought,eh? I just lo-o-ove the result!

Faucet Facelift

2010-01-07T02:45:17.46Z

We're keeping the pedestal sink. It's pretty. It's in like-new condition although I'm certain it is fairly old and I kind of like that it has a history. It stays until big dream-remodel occurs. However the faucets presented a dilemma. Look at the set up. One faucet for cold. A separate faucet for hot. Washing hands is a challenge. It requires a back and forth motion between faucets or hoping that the hot water isn't instant. Or, using the stopper and filling the basin to get a sink full of warm water. I imagine original home owners used it that way. I looked to replace them...but I didn't have any luck in finding separate hot/cold faucets. Now I'm kind of glad that I didn't.
The old faucets are solid and silver. I'm guessing these things are old. I tried looking them up. They say "volverwine". There is an old "Wolverine" brand. ? They're heavy and the quality is awesome. I however want oil rubbed bronze to match other fixtures in the room. I decided that my old trusty favorite DIY magic transformation technique (spray painting) was the answer.

Before:

I tested the process on a gold brassy door stop. I loved the results.
This is my all time favorite spray painting project so far!

I sanded all surfaces of the faucets, drain and metal parts and chain for the plug. I used a 3M sanding block and even an emery board to get every single area. I made sure I got all areas nice and scuffed up.

At this point...they looked beautiful and polished. I almost backed out but I felt like silver faucets and oil rubbed bronze everywhere else just didn't "go together".

I washed and dried them and I taped off the areas I didn't want painted and put the knobs in the "off" position so I wouldn't gum up the opening/closing function.
I start by painting the underneath and sides. Each piece got a couple of lightly sprayed coats of Rustoelum Primer in "rust". I let each coat dry at least 8 hours before applying another. Once the underside was done, I flipped and did the top and sides.
I used a piece of packing styrofoam to hold them upright.

I followed the same steps for the oil rubbed bronze spray paint. (Upside down and sides = light coats, then flip and top and sides = light coats). Once that was dry...
I used a high gloss lacquer and the same steps. It's been drying for about a week. It'll probably two weeks by the time all is said and done and ready for installation. Plenty of time to cure.

This piece was easier painted when hanging.
After:

Here is it against the porcelain:

I LOVE how they turned out. What do you think? The finish is very hard and durable. The faucets open/close without any issues. And now they match the door knobs and light fixtures. I'm happy!

I can't vouch for long term durability just yet. We have many bathrooms and only 3 of us and this is a guest bath, so it won't get tons of use and like I said, I don't think I'd recommend giving it a scrub with an SOS pad...it'll be something I'm really careful with when it comes to cleaning. But with the really good sanding job on it (think days of sitting while watching tv, pick it up here and there) and then leaving plenty of dry time between coats and a high gloss lacquer...it is a hard smooth finish. Keeping my fingers crossed that it stays nice! Also - when re-installing fixtures, be sure to cover tools with fabric/something soft to prevent scratching.

I used:

Rustoleum Rusty Metal Primer
Rustoleum Metallic Brilliant Metal Finish (oil rubbed bronze)
Valspar Lacquer Hi=Gloss (for metal)

I did at least two coats of the primer and ORB then quite a few of the lacquer. I didn't count...I just wanted to be sure everything was protected.

I stayed back about 9-12 inches to keep the spray even and to prevent runs.

Part of projects

DIY Bathroom Makeover

Painting the floor

2010-01-07T02:25:10.60Z

A temporary bathroom floor makeover (temp likely meaning a few years) until bigger renovation with tile is in the budget can make a HUGE difference. Look at the transformation, using paint. I love it! I may never want to tile this floor!

When we bought our old farmhouse, there was carpet in the bathroom (gross!). So we immediately tore it out before moving in. But that's as far as we got (so many projects, only so much $ and time). We have big plans for this bathroom. It sits between my office/guest room and the family room so even though there is a powder room on the first floor too, this bathroom gets used just as often by guests and family. It needed SOMETHING!

Before
I filled in the cracks/seams with wood filler.

Sanded. (It's not completely smooth and perfect, but we were okay with imperfections. It is an old farmhouse, after all.) You could also lay down a fresh new base but we were cutting corners.
2 coats of Zinsser Primer
2 coats of Valspar Porch and Floor paint. I chose a color called Journey. It's a nice dark chocolate brown.

Then, a lot of measuring to create a painted rug base. I used Frog Tape. It is amazing and really cuts down on touch ups. Actually when I used it on the walls, NO touch ups were needed. I did need to do a bit with the floors though. Anyway, I also used the Frog Tape to create a border by covering up some of the base.
I painted my 'rug' color twice using Benjamin Moore (eggshell finish) in Smoke Embers.

Then immediately pulled off the tape, pulling away from the paint (some of the tape was completely covered though so fingers do get paint-y). I had newspaper laid out near by so I could throw the wet-painted tape on it (pushing into a garbage bag = bigger sticky mess).

Once that was dry, I continued with measuring, taping and using a stencil to complete my design.

My big center area is 3 x6, so using a pencil, I drew a grid with 12" squares in order to keep everything symmetrical. I learned that a Magic Eraser is quick and easy for erasing pencil! But, when all was said and done, most of the penciled area was covered by paint and what wasn't, I painted over when doing my final touch ups. I considered using a chalk line, but intimidation got the better of me. I've never used one and with me being down on the floor...I was worried I'd smear it all.

I even painted over the gray area one time because despite drawing some ideas on paper, I didn't like the first design. It's just paint and it really doesn't take too long. Right under this room is a wood stove, so the floor is warm and helps to speed up drying time.

I did use acrylic craft paint for the stencil (that happens to match the dark brown perfectly) because it is thicker consistency than the brown floor paint I used. Also - my stenciled areas "bled" a little - anyone know how to get a perfect stencil? Anyway - it actually gave it more character and I like the effect of "fuzzy" edges with the stencil rather than "clean edges". It really does give it more of a "rug-look". And honestly - can you really tell? Not unless your nose is 6 inches from it. :)

Next, a couple of coats of water-based polyurethane to seal and protect. I used Minwax Water Based Polyurethane. I'm applying 3 coats by using a brush along the border and against the wall and a foam roller for the rest of it. Now it's waterproof and protected.

NOTE: You do NOT want to use Minwax Water Based Polyurethane on light colored paint. Despite what I read, it yellows. :(

Although not the ideal outcome, we're okay with it since our project is a temporary one and since we have an old farmhouse, we're okay with the old/vintage/worn/tea-stained look that appeared after a day or two.

Overall, disregarding the yellowing and fuzzy stencil - we think it looks amazing compared to the bare plywood we were living with before. What do you think?

How to create a Polaroid fall wreath

2009-12-22T17:42:02.38Z

My friend Heather Crosby at inspiredbyeverything and I have creative chemistry. Whenever we get together we build on each other’s ideas until it becomes something totally original.

Heather came over for dinner last week toting stacks of Polaroid pictures that she’d snapped that weekend – bright yellow mums, pumpkin patches, rows of individual pies, Indian corn, orange marigolds, gourds, colorful fall trees against blue skies, and other Midwestern fall finds.

I took a look and immediately thought of turning them into an urban wreath to perfectly accent our Chicago city apartment door.

Difficulty: Easy

Supplies:
* Polaroid photos: Pack of five instant film takes 50 Photos - we used Heather's photographs
* Styrofoam wreath (I used 12×2x2; here’s one that’s 10X2X1-1/4)
* Scotch double-sided removable foam adhesive
* Burnt orange lightweight denim fabric
* Straight pins
* Raffia
* Wreath hanger

Measure 3 inches from the edge of the orange denim fabric and cut a small slit. Holding on each side of the slit, rip the fabric into a strip …just like they do at the fabric store. Repeat until you have three strips.

Take one strip and pin it to the styrofoam. Wrap the strips around, overlapping as you go around. Secure the ends of the strips with straight pins.

Tie one piece of raffia around the top to make a hanger. Lay out your photos onto the covered wreath, overlapping and layering them.

Cut the removable foam adhesive into smaller squares. Remove the backing from both sides and slip under the Polaroids to attach them to the wreath.

And there you have it: The Urban Wreath. While intended for covered apartment or condo front doors, I couldn’t resist hanging it outside over the beautiful 70 degree (!!) November weekend we just had in Chicago.

And in true Heather fashion, I love the back of this wreath just as much as the front.

Project originally posted at MerrimentDesign.com. Craft and pass it on!

Part of projects

Urban wreath for fall using Polaroids

Fall Decorating

2009-12-16T00:28:08.23Z

This is an idea that is easily interchangeable from Autumn to Halloween to Thanksgiving.
That mesh netting for this time of year works well when it's orange. A bag of faux leaves will act as a perfect floating object for a 3D effect. Window stickers in the shapes of leaves, pumpkins, and possibly even acorns in yellow, red, and orange can be stuck to the underside of the glass.
With my table, I've been able to rest mesh netting on top of supports that hold up the glass on the table, and the faux leaves can be spread out and resting on top of it.
For Thanksgiving, I've used window stickers in the shape of turkeys, and added more leaves than I used during Halloween.
For Halloween, though I don't have pictures, I used window stickers in the shapes of cats, bats, and jack-o-lanterns. While they are subtle differences, they make a huge difference to the eye.
It's decoration you can keep up for months without having to make any changes at all to fit the seasons.
**Note: This can't be done justice in photos. It looks far better when you see it first hand. You have my guarantee.**

Winter Decorating

2009-12-16T00:26:25.26Z

For my Christmas decorating, I altered by suggestions a little bit. Instead of using a mesh material, I used a white cloth with glitter covering it to use as "snow." Small gold ball ornaments, little festive ornaments and a couple personalized ones from the times when my brother and I were younger were used as my free-floating item. For the stick-on pieces to go on the underside of the table, I used poinsettias. All of these things have been used in the past for different decorations, but you can use whatever sources you choose for your own decorating.

Part of projects

Glass Table Holiday Decorating

Bedroom chic

2009-12-05T04:19:57.36Z

So I am addicted to all these decorating programs on TV, so what? At least I learn something from them. Magazines help too - they are great to get ideas! I noticed a kind of trend recently - those picture frame moldings. They were everywhere I looked. I like the look! It was time for a bedroom reno, and I decided that I can do it myself - nothing to it! Right? Wrong!!!!! If you don't have the right tools - don't even bother starting. What could have taken an hour with the electric saw, took us the whole day. We did it though! and I do like the results (if I say so myself!)

I guess I should start with the pictures "before and after". So these are some of the "before" pictures:

The room was very outdated, with hand me down furniture of almost 35 years old, bright yellow and boring walls (which I interpreted as cheerful at the time :)),and washy-wishy beige carpet. After 10 year of this I could not take it any longer! Something needed to be done!
So, out with the carpet, and hello gorgeous dark, gleaming, mahogany stained engineered hardwood floor! I can't take my eyes off of it! and it's so-o-o easy to clean!
The next thing we did to add dimension to the wall was ... I don't know what to call it...look at the 3rd picture - a 4" build -on the width of a bed. Which created the most beautiful little niches on both sides of the bed + the headboard is standing out more.
The crown molding went up next, and the medallion for the chandelier - very chic!

Next were the picture frame moldings – the inspiration for the whole project!

• White moldings made me think that I made a huge mistake - they made the room look smaller and choppier....
• .. but painted the color of the walls, they add the architectural interest , style, and timeless beauty to any wall. Wouldn't you agree?

As you can see the color we chose was in the same palette but of a softer shade (called "Architectural white" by Ralph Lauren from the Home Depot). The side lamps and the chandelier are from the Home depot as well. The dimmer on the chandelier was a final touch - adds so much to the mood!
Next project is - the curtains!

I sewed the curtains myself using a very simple pleat tape.They needed to be lined as the sun would have bleached them in no time.Took a few days to complete, I am very proud that i was able to do it myself - saved quite a few dollars doing so!

Even though the hardwood floors from Home Depot are absolutely fantastic, with the winter approaching I wanted to have something warm and soft under my feet (especially in the morning getting out of bed).So I found a very inexpensive (under$400) area rug at Winners. It feels luxurious and adds colour and interest to the room.
Here, take a look at the final look!

Every morning I wake up in my beautiful room and don't want to leave it- so warm and cozy it is!

Part of projects

Bedroom chic

Orc Statue

2009-11-15T22:17:57.63Z

Built a clay bust of an orc creature. Currently I am a college student, studying computer animation. Finished this piece in a couple of weeks. Measurements are 9" x 34" x 22", length by width by height.

Part of projects

Orc Statue With Armor

From blah wood floor to stunning ceramic floor.

2009-11-15T18:18:53.90Z

We got tired of seeing our blah looking wood floor in the kitchen, so we installed ceramic tiles. The results were better than we expected. This was a 3 day project but the work was worth it.

And I (Finally) Painted Them Too

2009-11-13T02:09:51.13Z

The next weekend after I primed the chairs, I finally got around to painting them too. I used an oregano green spray paint and although this particular green isn't the most wonderful color in the world, I think they turned out pretty well. And anything that gets them closer to being completed is a good thing in my book...

"All" that's left is to buy some seat padding and fabric. Oh, and I still have to stain and finish the table too. Which should hopefully only take a few more years...

Part of projects

Refinishing dining table and chairs

Basement remodeling

2009-11-04T21:33:42.99Z

We are in the process of remodeling our basement to make it inviting for guests when they come over. We wanted to have a 2nd living room and decided to remodel the basement into a 2nd living room. Currently we are putting up drywall, which is time consuming but can't wait to see the results after we are finished.

Vintage Desk to Modern Beauty

2009-11-03T04:32:22.45Z

When I was 10 my grandmother gave me my grandfather's old desk. He passed away before I was even born, so to own something that was his made me feel very close to him- although I never knew him. Over the years the desk traveled with me from town to town (my family moved a lot), ending up in the guest bedroom in my parent's house in Wyoming. Last month they surprised me by bringing it to my new home. It had seen better days, many of them in fact:

I knew that a beautiful piece of furniture was hiding beneath all of those scratches and orangy stain. After sanding it down, I stained it with two coats of an espresso finish and then covered it with two coats of polyurethane. For a complete tutorial on sanding and refinishing wood furniture, visit one of my very first posts as the How-To Gal HERE.

Final touches of crystal knobs and floral drawer liners completed the project- a true Cinderella story.

Isn't she a beauty!?! I can't stop looking at my fabulous "new" desk.

Now all I need is some great art to hang above it!

Large Vintage Dominoes

2009-10-29T12:10:17.93Z

We started out with a 2x10 piece of lumber that Whitney purchased from Lowe's for $5.00. We marked off every 16 inches and began cutting with our circular saw which made 6 individual pieces.

We then picked up our battery powered sander and took turns sanding down every edge and corner to form the shape of a domino.

Now for the paint! We purchased Behr Cozy Cottage Satin from Home Depot...we picked this one purely for the name (it's a shade of cream).

We dry brushed some Behr Forever Black Satin over a circle stencil that we cut with our Cricut. It made for perfect dots...

We placed electrical tape on each domino to form a stencil for us to dry brush a line down the middle....we let it curve around the edge just a tad....

Now for more sanding...We used our 3M sanding block with 80 grit sand paper and roughed-up the edges a lot (especially the corners)....

A coat of Minwax Red Mahogany stain over the distressed edges gave the dominoes a great vintage look...

and we finished these babies off with our FAVE ~ Ralph Lauren Smoke Glaze (also purchased at Home Depot) to complete our vintage look ~ just paint on and wipe away with an old cloth!

Our finished Large Vintage Dominoes!

We decided at the last minute that our dominoes would be best displayed hanging on a wall.... A package of 6 Saw Tooth Hangers (purchased at Wal-Mart for $0.97) made hanging simple!

Just hammer one in the center of each domino....

A few wall anchors later and our dominoes are on perfect display!
I decided to hang mine on a wall in my dining room/entry way. They add such a fun touch to the room!

Whitney decided to hang her dominoes on a wall by her sitting area in her loft. They look great and make the perfect conversation piece!

You can see this and many other DIY Tutorials at our blog Shanty2Chic!

DIY Shutter Headboard

2009-10-29T11:29:41.98Z

I love these shanty shutters that Ashley found up for me about a month ago. I had 2 sets in the corner of my dining room on the floor and two sets that belonged to my mom out in the garage. I just left them laying around until I WANTED to do something with them… See how that works? When I moved the queen bed from my son’s room to my daughter’s room I was in need of a new headboard. As I was walking through the garage one day and staring at them I finally found their purpose… Here’s how I did it…

I removed all of the old hardware from the shutters and laid them face down on the ground, side-by-side. I then used a couple of 1x2’s and a 1x4 to brace all of the shutters together. I put a small line of gorilla glue under each piece and then used wood screws and my drill to secure them.

I flipped the whole piece over and laid it face up. We had some spare crown in our garage so I cut a piece of that, angled at each end and attached it to the top of the shutters using gorilla glue, 2 wood screws and some finishing nails. I spray painted the cute scroll pink and let it dry while painting the headboard. I used Olympic Satin in Aloe Vera… love this color! After letting it dry I attached the scroll with gorilla glue and a few finishing nails. I then used my block sander on the entire thing. I scraped just about every edge. You can guess my next step… Ralph Lauren Smoke Glaze… Painted it on and wiped most of it off to give it a perfect aged look
Final step… I used D-ring hangers on the back of the headboard and anchors and screws on the wall. I want to give props to Cobra Triple Grip anchors… I can’t tell you how many anchors I have used in the past that were cheap and flimsy and left a big mess on my wall… Not these! They are superb!

So… You want to see it in her room??? Me too!! Here it is!! You can also visit our site and check out more detailed pictures and other DIY projects at Shanty2Chic !

Dramatic Dining Room Centerpiece

2009-10-02T16:25:24.34Z

Sarah the Thrifty Decor Chick came up with this great centerpiece idea.

The base is a de-trimmed five dollar back-of-the-door mirror adhered to a piece of plywood and finished with with two types of molding. To achieve the aged effect the molding was painted, then lightly sanded in random areas. Any wood exposed by the sanding was brushed with a touch of water-based wood stain to highlight the "wear and tear".

The lanterns started with thrift store finds. Assorted glass vases were wrapped with gauzy white fabric, simply secured with double-sided tape. A votive inside each lantern provides a soft glow.

A few faux twigs, berries, and pine cones tucked between the lanterns are all it took to finish this fantastic project. Why not give it a try yourself If you're looking for a festive holiday centerpiece?

Some variations to consider:

Skip the fabric and frost the glass vases
Add autumn leaves and small gourds to the arrangement
Keep some vases uncovered and fill with pine cones, cranberries, or other festive items

A New Dining Room Centerpiece from Thrifty Decor Chick

Wobbly Planter

2009-09-27T09:58:13.92Z

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Part of projects

An Idea I got From howidiy.com !!

How we built our sun deck....

2009-09-27T09:26:35.26Z

Having decided where we wanted the deck to go we had to clear the area of the gravel that was there, lift the membrane and then level the ground.

Paul (husband) and Lee (Neighbour) did all the carpentry.

And I did the gardening andlandscaping

What a great Team

Part of projects

Sun Deck

Faux-Copper Backsplash Panels as Ceiling Accent

2009-09-06T23:10:25.33Z

How's this for a low effort, high payoff project?

Featured on Apartment Therapy, this project idea involves inexpensive faux-copper backsplash panels adhered to a recessed ceiling and trimmed with crown molding. It's a great modern take on a classic copper ceiling.

The best part of this project idea? You don't need a recessed ceiling to get the effect!

For those of us unable (or unwilling) to raise a portion of our ceiling, a square or rectangle of copper panels in the middle of the room could be trimmed with chair rail or other molding to achieve the same effect. True, it wouldn't be as impressive as pairing it with a recessed ceiling, but it would still be a great accent for any room.

The panels come with adhesive strips, but based on past experiences I'm not sure I'd trust those to secure anything to the ceiling. A few brads or small finish nails would hold the tiles securely (tips for hammering tiny nails) and be hard to spot from the floor.

Window treatment

2009-08-27T23:53:25.44Z

Well, the curtains were a bit of meticulous work.You see, the room has southern exposure and all the curtains I had there before were bleached by the sun in one season.I got tired of it. So I decided that I need to line this curtain to prolong its life. Plus, it should serve as an insulator from the draft in the winter and a very good darkening device if you want to take a nap in the daytime (for those who work shifts,for example).
Now I can say that this project is COMPLETE!

Priming the hated chairs...

2009-08-14T21:20:54.77Z

My original intention was to strip the finish off these chairs and then re-stain them. However, they have quite a bit of fine detail to them, and very few flat areas, so stripping them by hand ended up being time-consuming and painful (see here for my thoughts on that...).

So after about 3 years of procrastination on finishing the chairs, I decided to just give up and paint them.

To keep things as simple as possible, spray paint seemed to be the obvious choice. So after a trip to a Home Depot in the suburbs (Chicago Home Depots located in the city don't sell spray paint) we had three cans of gray primer and several cans of green spray paint.

I first lightly sanded the chairs and then cleaned them with some mineral spirits to make sure I had removed any leftover stripper. Here they are having fun in the summer sun:

Next up was to put down some plastic drop cloths and start putting the primer on. I had a friend help, and we decided it would be best to do the priming in two passes: once with the chairs upside down to get the hard to reach places, and then get the rest with the chairs standing up. One coat of primer seemed to do the job nicely.

I had my doubts about painting these guys, but I think they turned out pretty good... especially never having used spray paint before! A lot of paint ended up on the plastic sheeting, but I guess that's hard to avoid. I also found that I had a tendency to hold the can too close to the chairs, resulting in some dripping that I had to smooth out with a brush .

We originally hoped to do both priming and painting on the same day, but according to the primer and paint directions, we would have had to put on each successive coat within one hour or otherwise wait a full 24 hours for them to dry completely. And rather than stress ourselves out too much, we just decided to wait for another day...

Before...

2009-08-02T01:50:22.13Z

It is hard to believe how hideous this structure was when we bought the property in 2004. There was only one 12" x 24" (non-opening) window in the whole structure!

The garage doors were half-rotten, and they no longer swung freely on the rusted hinges.

There was no garden, simply a huge, old apple tree + some grape vines. The apple tree was immediately removed and the vines moved to the edge of the future garden.

Moving in... and setting-up shop...

2009-08-02T01:46:22.24Z

I scored a large L-shaped desk unit last year. It's a beautiful birch wood with classic black legs.

The MacBook Pro has great wireless broadband from the Airport Express. And pictures of some of my favourite projects accent the walls.

My workspace looks out to a brick patio and garden. For me, it's the perfect workspace!

Replace original garage doors with sliding glass doors - allowing the sunshine in!

2009-08-02T00:47:01.56Z

The original doors to the old garage were disintegrating! Years of weather had taken a toll...

We debated whether to replace them with French doors or sliding glass doors. While we both liked the look of French doors, we couldn't make them work within our budget. So we found a used set of sliding glass door, in perfect condition, for $100.

The hardest part was re-configuring the opening and building the new door frame. But the sliding glass door assembly fit the new frame like a glove! It was a perfect fit!

Now we needed to re-work the siding on the front facade.

Drywall and paint

2009-08-01T22:48:57.37Z

The original garage was bare studs on the interior.

In order to use it as my studio, we had to insulate and drywall. Neither material is my favourite to work with. But after we were done, we rented a paint sprayer and sprayed everything white. EVERYTHING!

The concrete pad was then painted-over with a beige floor paint.

New Roof

2009-08-01T22:40:46.78Z

There were several layers of asphalt tiles on the roof of the old garage. Although we didn't have any obvious leaks, we wanted to ensure that the work we were doing inside was safe from the elements.

So it was off with the old tiles and on with some new ones.

Part of projects

Garden Studio

Tipsy Topsy Terracotta Tower Planter

2009-08-01T00:16:17.50Z

Last evening, I stumbled across an article on GardensandCrafts.com detailing the process for building terracotta pot towers... and fell in love with the idea!

It all sounds so brilliantly simple too.

First, drive a 1/2 inch diameter rebar rod two feet into the ground. Then, thread terracotta pots through their drainage holes (each resting atop the previous pot as pictured). All that's left is to fill each container to the brim with lovely, colorful annuals... preferably some that cascade nicely :)

I love, love, love this idea! The only change I will make is to fill the first pot (the one resting on the ground) with stones. I fear that the upper pots will sink into the soil base recommended by the original how-to. Otherwise, I will be constructing a beautiful tower of my own by the book!

Just added to my (ever growing) to-do list: assemble two tipsy terracotta towers for next year's garden...