Small House = Small Living Room

More than just a living room, this area in my home also serves as the entry point from the front door, the access point to the second floor, and a throughway to the den/library.  That means a lot of traffic and very little uninterrupted wall space.

Like the homes of many DIY home decorators/renovators, my humble abode is a (continual) work in progress - it is by no means perfect.  Through my endeavors to make this small living room work for me, I have discovered and incorporated some small space living ideas and solutions that I thought would be worth sharing with you. [Read more →]

Remember that window over my kitchen sink?

The plan was to make a new Roman Shade, specially sized to cover the full width of the space between the upper cabinets on either side of the window above the kitchen sink.  Then, I was going to mount the new fabric window shade at the top of the wall, thus giving the illusion of a larger kitchen window.  The plan has not changed - the process of choosing the perfect fabric, however, has definitely slowed me down.

What I’m looking for is something fresh and bright to liven up the kitchen area.  I’d like something modern and funky, but the fabric I choose also needs to work with the character of this old house.  At this point fabric type, such as linen or cotton, is secondary.

So far I’ve been able to narrow it down to two color families:

Wish me luck - I’m going shopping!

Fabric Sources

For those interested, here are the sources for the above prints:

Yellows

(clockwise - starting with the top left)

Floral Print - Light Curry on White
Item # 40307
$9.49/yd USD
hartsfabric.com

Amy Butler Lotus Wall Flower - Mustard
Item # AW-150
$8.98/yd USD
fabric.com

Sunglo
Duralee
Simple Pleasures Vol.II
Pattern 20777-61

Grenada
Item # 72822
$44.99/yd CDN
designerfabrics.ca

Greens

(clockwise again from the top left)

Siria
Item # 28035
$23.99/yd CDN
designerfabrics.ca

OD Muse
Item # 28219
$12.99/yd CDN
designerfabrics.ca

Panama Bari Valeria Hajos
Item # 28323
$27.99/yd CDN
designerfabrics.ca

Pixie
Item # 28628
$20.00/yd CDN
designerfabrics.ca

The front door at my previous house was, to put it bluntly, ugly as sin! It was a plain steel slab exterior door painted in a brick red color to match what else - the brick. The sidelights were very dated and the glass inside them was impossible to see through. It looked like the bottoms of pop bottles. I don’t have a picture of the outside (you know the old pre-digital camera story), but I do have a picture of the inside. Excuse the quality please - this is a scanned shot.

Replacing the entire front door system was not in the budget, so I came up with a few simple and inexpensive fixes that I could do on my own.

Cheap Fix Number 1

Used chair rail molding to create the look of two panels on the exterior of the door.

Cost Approximately $21.00

Cheap Fix Number 2

Primed, then painted the door and its new panels in a semi-gloss black finish.

Cost Approximately $34.00

Cheap Fix Number 3

Removed the old pop bottle glass sections from the sidelights and replaced them with clear glass inserts.

Cost Approximately $75.00

Here’s what the front door looked like when it was all done:

For $130 I had what appeared to be a whole new front entrance door.

Sewing Machine Base Becomes Changing Table

I’ve always loved giving old or antique items a new lease on life by transforming them or re-purposing them for use as something other than what they were originally intended. Never one to walk away from something that had potential or pass up a good deal, I’ve collected numerous odd items that many others would likely consider junk. A perfect example - the dirty, old singer sewing machine base that was picked up for next to nothing at a flea market then left to sit in my garage collecting more dirt and taking up space until I could find a use for it.

When I became pregnant and began the fun process of setting up and decorating the nursery for my soon-to-arrive bundle of joy, the perfect use came to me. My baby was going to need a change table. Rather than buy a typical (and in my opinion, unattractive) changing table, I would build one myself using that old singer sewing machine base.

Building The Changing Table

Basically, I put a table top on the singer sewing machine base, then built a box that fit around it and was supported by the top.

The sewing machine base was scrubbed thoroughly with water, soap and steel wool. When dry, I gave the decorative metal a fresh coat of black paint. Constructing the top was easy and only required the purchase of a few inexpensive items.

Materials & Tools

1/2″ thick MDF
Wood Screws - various lengths
1″ x 6″ Pine Boards
Corner Braces
Wood Filler
Cordless Drill
Chop Saw / Cut-off Saw
Tape Measure
150 Grit Sandpaper
Carpenter’s Glue

Steps Taken

1. Determine size of table top - width & depth. Example: Width = 26 inches, Depth = 19 inches
2. Determine length of pine boards - width x 2 and depth x 2, add an extra 1-1/2″ to each width to allow for overlap when constructing the box, plus an additional 1/16″ to each width to allow placement of the box over the table top. Example: width = 26″ + 1-1/2″ + 1/16″ (Total Width = 27-9/16″)
3. Buy MDF cut-to-size or purchase sheet and cut on table saw.
4. Buy Pine Boards cut-to-size or purchase longer lengths and cut to length with chop saw / cut-off saw.
5. Position MDF on base, use drill and 1-1/2″ screws to secure MDF to wood supports on top of sewing machine base. Screw down from top. (I put 3 screws into each wood support.)
6. Construct box using a basic butt joint.Width pieces will overlap depth pieces. For added stability, glue then screw. Use 1-1/4″ wood screws. Sink screws slightly below surface.
7. Cover screw heads with wood filler.
8. Lightly sand the box smooth.
9. Stain and polyurethane or prime and paint box as desired.
10. Mount corner braces - Inside each corner, two inches up from the bottom edge of the box, mark the mounting positions for the braces.With bottom of brackets even with the marked mounting positions, screw the side flanges of the corner braces to the box sides - brackets should be positioned with the flat, triangular part of brackets down.

    

11. Fit box down and over table top. Gently push into place until the flat triangular sections of the corner braces are resting on the table top.
12. Screw bottoms of corner braces to the table top.

Once the changing table was completed, I made a soft liner and bumpers to protect my baby from the hard surfaces. Unfortunately, at the time I made this change table I didn’t have a digital camera to record the steps that went into its creation. When I did finally get a camera I was much more interested in the little person who was using the change table than the change table itself. The closest I can get to showing you the end result is this picture I created using a combination of Google SketchUp, Microsoft Paint and Photoshop - sorry about that.

As you can see in the photo below, everything worked out beautifully!

Ahhh, a subject close to my heart! I remember the excitement of getting the nursery ready for the arrival of my baby - deciding on a nursery theme, choosing paint colors for walls and fabric for baby bedding and window treatments, picking out baby furniture and accessories, then putting it all together. My baby is a big boy now - all of four years old - and although I no longer have the need for a baby room, my enjoyment of creating warm nests for new little people has not diminished.

Baby Room Basics

If you are like most expectant parents your head will be swimming with nursery ideas for your new baby. But where to begin? Start with the basics - a crib, changing table, comfortable chair and storage.

Baby Room Essentials

1. Crib -I can’t believe the selection of modern cribs available today. Were they around four years ago?
2. Changing Table - A change table that doubles as a chest of drawers offering closed storage is an absolute must, especially in a small space.
3. Rocking Chair/Nursing Chair - If at all possible, try to incorporate a comfortable rocking chair in your nursery design. It will prove invaluable for late night feedings or those occasions when all you need is a cozy spot in which to curl up and watch your little one sleep.
4. Baby Storage - They may be small, but you’ll be amazed at how quickly a new baby accumulates things. A bookshelf or armoire will help to coral all the little extras.

Will It Be A Girl Or A Boy?

Who cares, it’s a baby! Seriously though, there are some people who like to know in advance if their new baby will be a girl or a boy. It makes shopping for baby furniture and accessories so much easier. Others prefer to be surprised and choose to do the pre-arrival decorating of their baby’s nursery in a gender-neutral theme. Girl or boy, with white baby furniture you simply can’t go wrong. White never goes out of style and it coordinates with virtually every other color. Anyone planning to have more than one child will appreciate the economical benefit of being able to re-use the same baby furniture for future arrivals as well.

Featured Baby Products

Oeuf Classic Crib, Oeuf Classic Change Table/Dresser and Oeuf Mini Library all from Giggle
Collins Rocker from ModernTots

Ladders, Accessories & Safety

I’ve been up and down a lot of ladders lately while doing exterior painting and it occurred to me that a post on ladders would be very timely.

Odd as it may seem, a ladder can be a very personal item. Depending on who you talk to, you will hear plenty of opinions and preferences on which is the best ladder. I’m not a ladder expert, however, in one of my previous lives as a painter, I did have the opportunity to use a few different types of ladders.

Three of the four ladders shown in the photo above are ones I’ve used a lot - the 5′ Pro Lite aluminum stepladder, the 13′ World’s Greatest adjustable ladder by Cosco, and the black and yellow utility ladder / step stool, also by Cosco. The many colors of paint and stain, and dried chunks of drywall compound on each of them tell of their participation in numerous home renovation and remodeling endeavors.

My obvious preference would be to have one ladder that does it all - transforming as required to be suitable for every task, but I’ve yet to discover that magical piece of equipment. It seems that there are pros and cons or ‘ups and downs’ with all ladders, and no one ladder can satisfy every person’s particular wants, needs and desires.

Read on to learn about the different factors you need to consider when choosing the right ladder. I’ve tried to cover all the basics from ladder types and ratings, to ladder accessories and safety. Also included - my personal reviews of three different ladder types. [Read more →]

Exterior painting is continuing here at Suzy’s. With the front porch painting completed, I’ve turned my attention to the board and batten siding that covers the garage and the rear addition of the house. A rain delay this morning has provided the perfect opportunity to take a break and share with you all the dirty exterior painting details.

The front view of the house is a little deceiving. As these pictures will show, the board and batten siding carries over from the front and side of the garage…

to the back of the garage, the rear of the house…

and all the way around to the other side.

[Read more →]

Tips and Advice on Exterior Prep, Painting and Picking the Perfect Paint Color

Front Porch ‘Before’ Picture

Hooray, Front Porch Painting Is Complete! (Sort Of)

A fresh coat of paint on the front porch can do so much for the overall curb appeal of your home. That’s what I kept repeating to myself as I worked away at the prep work before the actual painting began. Did you know that the most labor-intensive part of any paint job, whether it’s interior painting or exterior painting, is the prep? Yep, all the effort you put into brushing or rolling on that new coat of paint is wasted if you haven’t taken the time to properly prepare a surface to receive that paint. [Read more →]

STEPS 1 TO 6

Front Porch Ideas for a Great First Impression

(A complete list of sources is included below.)

1. Grunge Is Passé - Replace those grungy, old or dated chair covers with new outdoor pillows and seat cushions made from durable, UV resistant outdoor fabric.
2. Set the Table - Pick a summer bouquet of flowers, pop them in a vase or antique pitcher, and place them in the center of your outdoor table.
3. Make Your Presence Known - Large, easy-to-read house numbers, placed in an easy-to-see location makes finding you, well…easy. Choose house numbers that complement or are in keeping with the style of your house and outdoor decor.
4. Romancing the Porch - Hang gauzy outdoor curtains to inject a little romance. Outdoor curtains mounted on opposite sides will elegantly frame your porch.
5. Roll Out the Red Carpet - Arrange your porch furniture on a new outdoor carpet or place a new welcome mat at the front door. (The color is up to you.)
6. Front Porch First Aid - Revive your front porch and your entrance door with a fresh coat of paint.

[Read more →]

I’ve had some sort of water leak going on under the kitchen sink for a while. One day last week the opportunity to address that leak finally arose. It was a perfect day for an indoor DIY project - rainy.

LOCATING THE LEAK

One of the first steps involved with repairing any leak is to locate the source of the leak. In this situation, I needed to empty the contents of my kitchen sink cabinet so I could get in there for a better view. (Sort of looks like I needed to do some dishes too!)

To locate the source of a leak it’s always best to start with a dry area, if at all possible. After removing the sink cabinet contents, I thoroughly wiped the water supply lines and the inside of the cabinet dry with a towel. Starting with a dry area allows you to easily see new drips.

I turned on the cold water tap and let the water run for about a minute. No leak. Next I tried the hot water tap. Ah hah - there it was! I turned off the hot water tap, and with a dry paper towel, wiped off the current drips, then turned the hot water tap on again to see exactly where it was leaking from. My first thought was that the water was leaking at one of the connections between the faucet and the water supply lines. As it turned out that wasn’t the case. Upon closer inspection, the drips appeared to be coming from within the kitchen faucet itself. Like many people, I turned to the web for repair help, but the only leak repair instructions to be found were for dripping spouts or leaks at the base of the spout. My kitchen faucet was leaking underneath. Looked like I’d be replacing it. [Read more →]