We Got a House!(..and I'm redoing everything!)

We got a house!  I can't believe it!  We are like grown-ups now. (so weird)  I love this place.  It was a blank slate.  This house was a foreclosure that Fannie Mae bought up, fixed up slightly and sold to us for an incredibly cheap price.  When Fannie Mae buys a house they will do some improvements like putting in a new microwave, stove and dishwasher.  Yay!  They also like to paint the whole entire thing a peachy beige...which is fine for painting over.  However, they do paint the ceiling which I am sure was white before that ugly peachy beige.  What the heck!  Uhhh.  They are really high ceilings.  Getting them white seems so boring and so hard on arms! This might be a project for someone else. Another day.

Anyway here is our home. Isn't it cute?!?

I started on the living space right away.  I mean right away… like as soon as I walked in for the first time after we bought it.  I had been dreaming about what I was going to do to this home from the first time that I saw it!

It's Demo Day!!!!!

This is what happens when you watch too much HGTV.   I look only slightly like an insane person here, right?  This is me removing the chair rail.  I am not
anti-chair rail.  I actually like most chair rails bu, this one was very crappy and randomly stopped at one part.  I just used a hammer and screw driver.  So easy. I then went around and filled the nail holes with some spackle.  This stuff starts off pink and turns white when it's ready to be sanded.  My son saw me doing this and said "Uh Mommy, why are you painting the walls pink? :)  He was very concerned. :) http://www.homedepot.com/p/DAP-1-pt-DryDex-Spackling-with-Dry-Time-Indicator-12348/100634326

Once this dried I went around with my handy dandy electric sander.  Be sure to wash your walls before painting especially, after sanding.

I took months trying to decide on a main living space color.  Yes, months.  From the first time we saw the house with our real estate agent.   I knew that I wanted a color in the gray family but warmer than a straight gray.  I really like confusing colors that can appear to be different colors.  I was between Magnetic Gray and Silver Strand by Sherwin Williams.  I decided on Magnetic Gray.  Once I painted a little strip on the wall I decided that it was too dark (Silver Strand was the shade lighter).

This is my baby girl who was enjoying her new house as I was working.

I decided to do a test strip on the parking lot of Sherwin Williams when I was taking my cans into be lightened.  Just kidding, of course.  I had my two little ones (as always) and I was trying to carry WAY too much (also, as always). Makes you sick doesn't it? Paint is expensive!  At least it’s funny now! Fortunately, I was able to scrape up most of it. 

Since I was having the paint lightened, losing some on the pavement made getting the color just right a little tricky.  The lady at Sherwin Williams was able to lighten my colors a bit but not get them to the Silver Strand color that I wanted.

When I got home I mixed my two paint cans together to make sure my color was all the same.  The one that spilled had more room to be made lighter than the full can.  I did a test strip and decided it was still a little dark.  So in my impulsive nature, I took all the paint into my garage and dumped a bunch of white into it.  :) I used my Silver Strand test strip to get the color as close as possible in case I needed to get another can.

I got to painting.  Of course, I ran out of paint a few small walls before I was done.  I went in and bought a can of Silver Strand…and…it worked!  You cannot even tell the difference.  I did have the wall that I ran out of paint on that I had to redo with the new color just to make sure it blended but other than that it all looks like one color.  Do not try this.  I am very, very lucky and absolutely recognize this. :)

I painted all the trim and doors white as I went.  I used a few different methods for sanding all the trim and doors.  I used a liquid sander on the baseboards and my hand sander on most doors.  I was seriously seeing baseboards in my sleep.  I was so sick of painting them white!  So boring, but what a difference this made!!

Once I was done painting the main living space, I tackled the kitchen.  I was determined to get a lot of this work done before we moved in.

I used Klean Strip Liquid Sander on all the cabinets and my hand sander for the island.   This liquid sander/deglosser seemed too good to be true but the lady at Home Depot told me it is the way to go and that it absolutely works.  http://www.homedepot.com/p/Klean-Strip-1-qt-Easy-Liquid-Sander-QWN285/100112667 Figured I would give it a go. :)  Following the Home Depot lady’s instructions, I wiped the wood down with the deglosser using those standard green kitchen scrubby clothes.  Way too easy but worked great as far as I can tell.  I took the hardware off the cabinets but did not remove the hinges. I just put a strip of painters tape over each hinge. The cabinets stayed up as I worked. I chose durable gloss finish paint from Home Depot.

I really wanted white cabinets but also did not want to make my kitchen look too boring so I stained the island with my dark espresso stain (same stain as the kitchen table).  As soon as I stained the island, I went and sanded and stained my mantle.  :) I was glad to say goodbye to all the orangy wood.  (No offense to anyone who has a lot of orangey wood in their house.  It is just not for me) http://bytrialanderica.blogspot.com/2015/04/kitchen-table.html?view=sidebar 

Here is where we are at so far! (White washing the fireplace this week and hopefully adding wood beams!)

Before and Afters!

What I would do different:

·        I would have not spilled all my paint. :) I would say that I would not try mixing my own colors but it actually worked out really well for me so instead I will just say that I do not recommend that you try to mix and match your color.  If you try this and it doesn't work you are not allowed to blame me ;)

·        For the love, if you are staining something and do not have gloves to use, go buy some!  Ahhh the chemicals! I know it’s awful that I didn't use a glove and I had a strange colored hand for like a week.  Wear a glove!!!!

Moral of the story- You can make over just about anything.  You really do not need to be a professional or know exactly what you are doing . Just do it!  I had plenty of oopses and would do it all again in a heartbeat! I love how everything came out.  The beautiful thing about home DIY projects is that you can make your home how you want and there is room for error.  I have had plenty.  Once you start on these sorts of projects you will also have the supplies to fix any oopses or issues down the road.  You can absolutely do it!  Let me know if you have any questions!

Thanks for reading!

Erica

O My Doorknobs

One of the first things that my very wonderful, practical husband wanted to do right as we got our new house was to change out the locks.  Makes sense. Of course, I am just focused on trying to make everything pretty. :)  So I went to the hardware store and picked out a new front door knob and side door knob.  He would have gone but knows too well that I wanted to pick out what they look like.  What a different pretty knobs make!

This is how all the doors looked before 

This is the store bought knob that inspired me to attack all the others. (and my sweet Adelaide who was trying to push the door open because her daddy had just left for the evening and she wanted to join him)

The next day, I did this.

I had to work quick so I wouldn't get in trouble!    ;)  I took all the door knobs and closet knobs and sanded them lightly.  I then applied a quick coat of primer.

I used the same primer and Rust-oleum Spray that I used in my previous posts for furniture hardware.  Have I mentioned how AMAZING this stuff is!  I comes in all different finishes and you can use it on so many things!

The trick with the Rust-oleum is finding a good position for whatever you are finishing where you can get all the sides, nothing that you spray will touch anything else,  and where it won't fall over.  This box worked pretty well.  

I set them all up, primed them (not pictured), waited about 20 minutes and then gave them a good spray down.  I have yet to be able to get away with one coat on something.  There is always a part missed.  So wait a little bit, turn them and then spray only the missed parts. Unless of course, that you are some super sprayer and do not miss any parts.  This is not me.  No matter how hard I try.

Seriously, this is the quickest, easiest, cheapest upgrade ever. It's kind of ridiculous.  This spray holds up too! None of the hardware or doorknobs that I have done with the Rust-oleum show any wear and tear.

 These knobs look so pretty.  They look just black in the picture but are definitely a sparkly metallic.

What I would do different:

When you shut doors that do not have knobs they are very, very hard to open.  I got locked out of a few rooms during this process. :) I, also, would not have my kids around while there were no knobs.   My three year old loves to shut doors!  Thank goodness, none of us got locked in any rooms!!!! Small miracle. Thank you God!  Luckily my husband was able to get all the doors open.

Paint the doors first!  I was in such a rush to get the knobs back on that I didn't get a chance to paint all the doors first.  Small problem.  Just had some paint to scrap off the knobs....ok, ok, still have some paint to scrap off the knobs :) I'll get to it.  I just have way more fun things to work on.

On a scale of 1-10 on how much I would recommend this project.  I say 10.  Cheap, easy, quick reward for little effort.

Good luck on all your projects!

Thanks for reading!

Erica

A Crib Makeover!

A wonderful co-worker bought this crib for me when I was expecting my first.  It was a not real wood, Wal-Mart one.  The crib was the one essential we were not gifted.  Anyway, this crib sure served its purpose with my son; however, he beat it up!  Little wild thing that he is.  The whole side had scraps all along from where he chewed it up. Yes, chewed it!  Some babies do that evidently! I noticed he had been chewing a bit too late and he probably ate more fake wood then he should of.  Live and learn, right?  So here is the crib.  In true Ericaness I forgot to take a picture before I disassembled the crib. I was too excited!!!

 

 I finally decided to try Annie Sloan Chalk Paint.  I was hesitant because pins I have seen often look way too distressed for me.  I like the distressed look, I do, but some pieces seem to be trying too hard :).   After lots of research, I decided to give it a go.  I realized the versatility and that I can distress it if I want.  I really loved the mat finish.  Also, I learned I didn't have to sand! Umm sold.  You cannot get this paint on Amazon or in most stores.  Annie Sloan likes to sell in small local shops.  You can order from them or find a shop on her site http://www.anniesloan.com/  

I walked into my local store with an idea in my head.  I was going to paint the room a light gray, have a white crib to match the furniture and have purple accents with a chandelier.  I go into the store and right away see a piece done in a light tealish color (Duck Egg Blue) up against a gray wall.  It was all over.  White was suddenly way too boring.  With the prices of Annie Sloan (around $30 for a small can of paint and another $30 for wax) I was not about to leave that store with boring white.  Annie Sloan has very few colors but the wonderful thing is that her colors are absolutely gorgeous! If you are not so good at picking out colors then you can pretty much rest assure that if you just pick one of her colors that makes you smile then your good to go. (Well there is a yellowish color that I am not too keen on but yellow and I don't always get along) Fitting it with your room or decor is another story...but your piece will look great!

I got to work sanding and then washing the crib.  I only sanded the parts of the crib that had chew marks with my new favorite little toy.  A Black and Decker Mouse Sander.  Cleaning wipes such as Clorox Disinfecting Wipes (or any kind you like) work great and are super easy.  I did not have any on hand so I used a little dish soap and water.  I used two tubs.  One to wash and one for rinsing.

I love my new toy!  Felt all powerful with my little sander ;)

 I did not buy the fancy brushes.  I am sure they are wonderful but I had spent enough!  I started painting and this stuff covers incredibly.  The paint hardly has a smell to it.  Once it was painted, I sealed it with the Annie Sloan clear wax.  Just rub it all over your piece with a tightly woven piece of cotton.  I used old burp cloths. Of course, you can buy the official stuff for waxing that Annie sells but we all have old T-shirts, underwear whatever. The wax stinks!  It is strong! If you are doing this inside make sure that your room is very well ventilated and do not do this with children running around. 

  Here is the finished project.
 

 I love, love, love this crib.  I still have to get a chandelier and the other girly touches in here but I love this space.  I told my husband I might need to make this my room :) He wasn't OK with that. 

I got the pretty lacy curtains from IKEA.  Nice and long and so beautiful.  Here they are! http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/20112011/  They are cheap too!!!!!Sorry for the random curtain rant :)

What I would do different-  

I would be to be in a better ventilated area with the waxing.  Pretty sure I got a little high....but hey at least my kids weren't around!

Also I would be more thorough with the wax.  It looks like I missed a couple spots.  Not a big deal and I will go back and touch up.  The only problem is it takes a good 30 plus hours to seal once you wax. Annie says that you can use the furniture right away but the wax isn't fully ready for 30 days.  Yes days.  It seems ready after an hour. With it being a crib I would wait before putting baby girl back in.  

I might have considered making my own Chalk Paint and just matching the color but in all honesty it was not only easier to just buy Annie Sloan. I also really like to support little local shops so I am happy to once in a while pay a little more to do so. I will make Chalk Paint when I do my sons dresser so stay tuned for that experiment.

I might....might distress this a little.  I can't decide!!!!! For now I am happy and really if I do distress this and hate it then it would be easy enough to do a quick coat over it to bring it back to this.

Thanks for reading!

Erica

Armoire and Night Stand

These two pieces were my grandparents.  I love the idea of having furniture that was used by loved ones but do not love the idea so much of ugly furniture.  I know, so shallow.  I can't help it I am way to visual for my own good!!!  I am really bad at remembering to take a picture before I start a project.  I get way to excited to start!  I remembered after removing some hardware....and starting on one of the drawers of the night stand.

There was an old Culligan Coaster that had been glued to the top of this night stand.   My grandpa worked for Culligan Water.  My aunt speculates that he had been getting in trouble by my Grandma for not using a coaster and leaving a ring or marking it up from his cigars so he  glued a coaster on.  :) Sounds about right.



 

I started with the hardware. First, I removed it all and scratched it up with some sandpaper.  I then primed it (any primer will do). I then sprayed it down with the Rust-oleum metalic spray. I was planning to buy new hardware but then discovered this.   Sometimes it pays to be cheap!!


This stuff is AMAZING!  I am now using it all the time in our new house.  Doorknobs. Fixtures. Whatever.  More of that to come in my later blogs. 

Next step,  I lightly sanded the furniture.  Be sure to wash your furniture well!!! Especially the old stuff.  Primed with the same primer. No dry time needed because as soon as I was done priming where I started was dry.  Make sure to remove the drawers to avoid unnecessary sticking and headaches. Two coats paint and......



Finished Results!!

 My little guy was so proud of his mama :)   I love these pieces now!!! I hope to use them for years to come.  The great thing about refinishing furniture is that I know when styles change and these are suddenly so 2015 I can just refinish them again!!!!!!!! AMAZING!

What I would do different

As stated in my last blog...chalk paint.  Normal white paint worked fine but chalk paint is more pleasant to work with.

I would have scrubbed really hard when cleaning.   I did just a wipe down but should have cleaned it a bit more.  Only trouble this caused was needing a third coat in spots.  All needed two coats.

I can't even imagine loving furniture more then I love these pieces in my baby girls room.  She seems to like them too!!!