April 2nd, 2010
Before we moved into the bungalow almost three years ago, the kitchen looked like this:
Shortly after we moved in, one of the first projects was to get rid of the half-assed screaming yellow paint job (yes, the PO painted only parts of the walls before running out of steam).
Since we weren’t going to tear out [...]
April 1st, 2010
As part of Apartment Therapy’s Spring Kitchen Cure, we were to choose a special project to work on, something that would improve the kitchen aesthetically. This prompted me to put the kitchen wall repair on the fast track, something I’d been wanting to start on anyway.
To refresh your memory, this is how the wall looked:
(You [...]
August 26th, 2009
If our Master Bedroom is Tranquility Lodge, then our other room upstairs is a Weimaraner Dinner Party according to its paint color names (Benjamin Moore AF-155 and AF-300, respectively).
I can just picture a bunch of Weimaraners lounging about, listening to jazz and sipping cognac. They’re much more sophisticated-looking than the Dogs Playing Poker, wouldn’t [...]
August 21st, 2009
When we’re not chasing bats, eating our veggies, working, visiting Pete’s dad in rehab or the myriad other things that seem to constantly pop up, we’re also trying to make headway on our attic remodel so that we can move in/up.
Once the hardwood floors were finished, I was itching to start painting, my favorite “chore”.
I’m [...]
April 8th, 2009
Except for hanging more pictures and stuff on the walls, our TV room is done. Done. DONE.
Here is where we started, in the summer of 2007 when we first moved in. All woodwork was painted white. All walls were painted white.
Fall 2007. We trashed the icky plastic blinds. Redi-Shades went up while we decided [...]
February 27th, 2009
I recently noticed that Benjamin Moore is introducing a new line of Zero VOC paint called Natura, and I couldn’t be more excited to try it! It’s already out in a few areas, including California and Washington, and will be released nationwide this spring.
If you don’t know what VOCs are, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency [...]
March 3rd, 2008
We accomplished a number of little things this weekend. Little things, big impact. For one, we finally hung a few pieces of art from the picture rail.
For our larger pieces, I bought picture hooks and hanging cord from Rejuvenation.
Okay, this one doesn’t look quite as good on our “distressed” bedroom walls, but it’s better than [...]
February 12th, 2008
Just a short post today since I need to catch up on the work I should have done last week. Instead, I primed, I painted, I cleaned, I painted some more, I cleaned some more, and I will have to clean again. Pete joined in on Sunday and helped paint a little, but he quickly [...]
November 23rd, 2007
Thanksgiving is over and we had a great time with family and friends. The turkey was perfect and the other dishes were also pretty tasty (and with the help of a new tablecloth, completely free of cat hair!).
To get ready for Thanksgiving, Pete and I wanted to have the basement fixed up as much [...]
November 14th, 2007
We had another productive weekend on the basement project. I painted the window trim as well as the red ceiling stripes, and it is looking fantastic. I love being able to use up paint, and I had a quart of paint called “British Red” from long ago that I thought would be perfect for the [...]
November 6th, 2007
Pete and I were fairly productive this weekend, thankfully, because there are a number of things I’d like to accomplish before Thanksgiving.
As planned, I started to prime the basement storm windows. What wasn’t planned was that some of them had cracks and gouges that needed to be filled first. That became a job for Pete [...]
September 18th, 2007
While I was buying the paint for the kitchen, I mentioned my backsplash problem (Swedish flag blue and yellow using bathroom tiles) to the sales clerk. She steered me toward a water-based paint called Breakthrough!, made by Vanex Color, Inc. of downstate Mt. Vernon, IL. There is not much information on the web for this [...]
September 17th, 2007
Remember our eyesore of a kitchen? Half-painted screaming yellow walls? Wagon-wheel cabinet trim/plate rail that served no purpose, decorative or otherwise? Blue-and-yellow bathroom tile for the backsplash? Exposed wiring in the ceiling? Ah yes, it was quite the site to behold!
Not knowing when we will renovate the kitchen, I had to make the kitchen [...]
August 21st, 2007
We did a lot this weekend, even though it doesn’t seem like it. I was hoping to paint the kitchen, but it took a good part of Saturday just to get my painting supplies organized (and I have to be organized before I start on a project, otherwise forget it!). The paint cans, rollers, trays, [...]
June 16th, 2007
Continuing with the staging of our current house, I knew I had to at least paint the ceiling in the living room. Why? Well, I had painted it red. Not cherry or fire engine red. It was a warm red, kind of brick-ish. The walls were red too. Yes, all FOUR walls plus the ceiling. [...]
June 12th, 2007
Okay, yes I love watching HGTV from time to time. Pete will disagree with me here, but I usually watch it in chunks—I get a big dose of it and then I don’t watch it again for a long time. He always rolls his eyes when I turn it on. But I’ve gotten some great [...]