Ok, now on to son's room.  Going to paint it again.  Last time was probably 2004 and then on Christmas Eve 2006 or 7 for the red wall.  I'm doing it the same color as hubby's room - I had originally bought 2 gallons of it but only used one last August. 

We'll be dividing and conquering again - meaning one side of the room and then the other side...and then the closet.  (Grandson J got in there with an artistic flair and permanent marker.  :-(  lol) 

Here's a basic before picture, but after the spackling.  (I never remember to get them before before.) 

I'll post when we're done too.  Exciting!  :-D

Completions and (non-leftist) Progress ;-)

Yes!  Completion of a project can be a rare, yet always beautiful thing around here.  ;-)  I started this a while back and just now got the clothespins painted while hubby and son were away for the weekend.  (I get so much more done when they're gone.)  Anyway - here's one of A's presents.  It should come in handy with so many pictures the grands are drawing. 

I ended up hot gluing the hangars on the back.  In the original one I saw on Pinterest, she'd added some holes and tied ribbon through, then screwed a pretty button to the wall and hanged it that way.  Seemed too fiddly for me - particularly with a more boyish themed whatever this is.  I do need to spray some varnish on it still, but other than that, it's done.  :-)  I feel like Liesl Von Trapp after her kiss from Rolf in the rain: "WHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"  hahaha 


sleep sack

I made our new granddaughter - haven't posted about that yet - a new pink/orange sleepsack.  It was from Bernat Baby Blanket BIG skein of yarn.  When done- I still had so much left over that I went to Ravelry to get some ideas for stash busting.  This is what I found, started, and finished in less than a day: 



Harry Bear pattern by Berroco


Have I mentioned how much I detest Blogger?  (Yes)  There is no way to pick where the pics will go - only with certain parameters that haven't been made clear to me. And now I can't type in here except in the picture's caption box!
ARRRGGGH! 

Oh- ok, now everything's back to normal.  Still hate it.  Ok, I'm out - need to go work on the Sunburst mirror.  I got it sprayed this weekend but it was SO windy out that it looks ridiculous. lol  Must get that evened out. 

Ta-ta

Before and After

I forgot to post about my big weekend a couple weeks ago.  For starters, I should mention that dh and I have separate rooms.   We don't sleep well together.  He goes to bed at 8 pm and gets up at 3 am!, plus he kicks in his sleep and we both snore.  lol  So after our dd moved out for college 3 years ago now, he moved in to her old room.  It's been pretty much a storage/sleep room ever since.  Strangely, I didn't think to take a before picture as I started my adventure.

Ok, with that understanding I'll get on with the story.  Hubby and son went on their annual camping trip after we'd had breakfast together.  I came home, read for 45 minutes and then tried to take a nap.  (Yeah, I know, it was still morning.  lol)  I couldn't sleep - but it occurred to me that I could use the paint I bought TWO YEARS earlier and finally paint my hubby's room.  I just dove in.  I brought the paint back to Menards and had them re-shake it. I bought all the supplies I'd need, so I wouldn't break my momentum by searching high and low at home for them.  Came home and got to work.  I painted and even cut in! by myself.  I also had to clean, dust and organize as I went, as I didn't clear out the room beforehand.  I just shifted things as I went.  There was already a big bag being used as a garbage bag in there- so that went out in the hall and was filled in no time.  The room is now empty except for what you can see.  No clutter.  Happy sigh.  :-)

It was so dang exciting - as I worked, I kept imagining how happy he'd be when he had a man-cavy type room.  I also put up new, darker mini blinds, and new curtains.  I'd bought him a nice new comforter set a year earlier, but since I hadn't painted yet, it just sat in the bag while dh slept in daughter's former bedding.  :-(  It took a total of a couple days to get it all done.  The carpet hadn't been vacuumed in there for years, in some spots.  I washed the windows - inside and out.  It was so fun - even spackling.  The only things left to do are the ceiling fan - I bought him a masculine one, lol, the same week I'd bought the paint.  I don't dare do that myself.  That's still in the corner - but it's dusted and clean.  ;-)  We also need new carpet eventually as dd got strange little spots all over it.  Plus, it's old.  The original owners had put it in and it's a light aqua color.  Doesn't quite work with the dark (no VOC) walls.  I'd also like to buy new closet doors.  Daughter darling had painted all sorts of different sized and colored circles on her closet doors.  Even though I painted over with the new color - I think it'd look better with  dark wood doors.  I'd also like to buy him a headboard, faux leather, for the bed.  It's from WalMart - and only $149, so maybe sooner than later.  http://www.walmart.com/ip/Modus-Furniture-Ledge-Square-Headboard/22418165  The frame that's over his bed now, I already had but didn't have any pics to put in.  So I ordered some online and picked them up at Costco.  I'm going to change them up a bit - print off some I have to find online of the lakes he grew up around.  That should be peaceful and gorgeous.  After I get the headboard - I'll just hang this above it.
One thing I'm most excited about is that these are all items that I'd mostly had on hand.  The comforter set, the paint, the pics and Ikea mirrors I used to decorate with, and his dresser.  We'd bought him a Hemnes dark dresser two years ago when dd took her old one.  I'd even saved the burgundy drapes from my room to put into his.  Sadly - I'd given them to Goodwill, thinking I'd never get around to doing his room.  GRRRR.  So I did need to dole out for those.  I also bought new outlet covers and switch plate covers.  The new dark taupe blinds were, I think, $3.97 each ? from Wal-Mart and they fit into the brackets of the old ones so that made me extremely happy.  :-D  (I don't 'do' drills.) 

Well, here are the best pics I could get of before - it doesn't show the room as it was AFTER she'd left though.  Also, her dark, dark, brown stripe all around the room hadn't been painted yet in this pic. but it's the only ones I have:

dd and bff

 

And here is the after:

I got the mirrors straight!  :-)

 

Definitely better and it's so calm.  I can't explain how much of a difference it makes though.  It's the most serene room in the house.  Even with that horrible carpet.  ;-)

Back Again

Hello.  Ok, update on that sunburst mirror thingy.  The mirror arrived in about two days!  Great.  However, I haven't used it yet.  On Aug 8, we celebrated a birthday over here, so I had to move the beast (sunburst part) out on to the patio table outdoors so we'd have room on the kitchen table.  Sigh.  I left it there overnight and into the next day.  The sun melted the glue and several pieces started coming off when I lifted it.  (I hadn't yet discovered how to lift it from underneath, via the rings.)  More sighing. 

So, my dh found the spray stain/varnish in a can deal finally, but first I have to reattach the 'rays' of sunshine.  lol  Ironic, as it's fast becoming a pain in my rear! 

In other crafty news - on Pinterest I saw a cute Etsy product: http://pinterest.com/pin/68724146073/  It's to hang your kids' artwork. :-)  I thought, "Hmmm, I believe I'll make that for my daughter for Christmas."  And...I did!  I'm almost finished.  Have to wait for the last touch up painting to dry and glue on the hardware to the back and spray paint and adhere the clothespins. 

The almost finished result.

Gluing on the border, to beef it up, and figuring out the spacing of the clothespins. 

Even though a little granddaughter is coming in November, I figured I'd stick with the boys' room's jungle theme colors. 

As I mentioned in the photo caption above, instead of leaving it just a slab of wood, I decided to beef it up a bit by adding some subtle borders.  I bought everything at Michael's and Joann's.  When I'm completely finished with the painting and gluing, etc. I'll give it a few coats of varnish.  There'll be plenty of time to air out before I wrap it up for Christmas.  I sure hope she doesn't read my blog.  ;-)

You Are My Sunshine...

Our new bookcase - has slate tile inlay. 

Hi there.  Our latest project around the house is our basement.  We had new carpet put in in July and bought a new tv console and bookcase.  It's the nicest room in our house now - and it's not even done!  lol  Here are some pics from the work-in-progress. 






Removed shelves from walls on left.  New cabinet
on landing at bottom of stairs.



New tv console.  

 

 

So now I want to make a sunburst mirror for the wall over the sofa downstairs.  It's a large, blank wall right now, and a 40" in diameter mirror is just the ticket.  :-) 

 

Hubby and I bought the necessary items today and I even finished the first part of it today!!! ;-)  I also ordered the mirror online, as it's a 12" convex acrylic one that's apparently next to impossible to find in stores.  It won't come for another several days.  In the meantime, I'll stain and varnish the first part.  Here's my progress so far:

I 've been reading about something called Dutch varnish (I think).  It looks really pretty, but I'll probably end up just spraying on some all in one stain/varnish.  A nice medium to dark stain.  When the mirror comes, it gets glued right in the center.  I hate to jinx myself, but I'm thinking that it's going to turn out correctly.  :-D

I'll keep updating as I get 'er done.

 

In other news, we've got another grandbaby on the way.  This time, after two boys, it's a girl!  So much fun to knit for.  ;-)  I've still got the birth announcements I was going to send out for my daughter's birth, but I never did.  So now she'll use them for her daughter.  Fun when things come 'round like that. 

A cute couple of outfits for a little girl. 

Newborn sized outfit.  Check out the shoes.  Cute.

Small Haul

So we're all home today, Good Friday, due to the holiday.  My husband (of all people) suggests we go to the Mall of America!  I'm like, "Yes!".  ;-) 

I finally got to go to Sephora and The Body Shop, and discovered while there, that MAC is there too.  Ahh!  Well, I only had so much money, but I did get a few things.  The most exciting is the Naked 2 pallet.  Initially I just wanted the Basics - those are great as well and I'll probs go back and get them too, but the colors in Naked 2 were too gorgeous to pass up.   I'm a little worried about the shimmer, but I'll make it work. 

B&BW had a sale on body creams - my favorite-not as drying as the lotions.  They were only $5 (normally $12.50).  So I bought the new one - Beautiful Day.  It reminds me of a summery shampoo scent.  Very green apply.  Num. 

At Lush I just got the babies a play-doh/soap thingy.  No preservatives and it smells lovely.  They can play with it in the tub. 

The Body Shop was fun.  I got to play a Plinko type game for coupons.  I got the Get $10 off a $30 purchase so I bought a perfume - Indian Night Jasmine and a candle - Sandalwood and Ginger.  The candle's scent is bizarre-but in a good way.  It reminds me a lot of a tobacco plant...even though I've never actually smelled one.  ha 

A couple nights ago I picked up a 1 1/4" curling iron - I love that thing.  Nice and loose waves.  Grabbed some Elf blushes too.  One in Candid Coral (my favorite) and Mellow Mauve.  I love that too - but a little dark for my skin.  Only for nighttime. 

Naked 2 pallet colors and Candid Coral on left, Mellow Mauve on rt.



Overview of the small haul from MOA. 

 

And last weekend Yankee Candle started their awesome $1 tart and votive sale. I got my daughter 12 and another 5 or 6 for us. 

 

Ok, well, Easter's in two days.  I still need to plan the details.  Better get hoppin' - ha!  Get it?  lol  Bye all, happy Easter.

Rainy Day in Minnesota

Yay!  After over a year of looking for new flatware, (and just being sick and tired of the topic), we found it!  And for only $69.79 at Costco including a 5 pc. serving set.  !!  Which is $310 less than what we were going to spend @ Pottery Barn or Bloomingdales.  Very cool. 

In funner news, our ds flew out, at 3:15 a.m., to D.C. and NYC this morning.   He's with 12 other kids from his school.  I'm so excited for him.  He's going to so many incredible sites.  Particularly the Holocaust Museum.  He's been wanting to see that for a few years.  He'll also be heading to a play on Broadway.  Disappointingly, it won't be a classic like Phantom of the Opera, but SPIDERMAN!  Oh please!  Blech.  lol  Like his generation hasn't seen enough of that show/movie/cartoon/t.v. shows. 

Hopefully, he'll take lots of pics to post later.  Gonna go have a 'date night' with husband watching t.v.  :-(  lol