Butcher Block Table

November 11, 2014 / Winnie / Leave a comment

For many moons I have been Facebook stalking this regional for sale page for months. There was this butcher block tabletop that was super rough looking that popped up, but I failed to flag it, like it, comment on it – anything that would have let me track it down. Miracle of Miracles, it showed up again – for a lower price. Yeah!

Messages were sent, a drive was taken and the tabletop belonged to me. Dave took it on as his project. I am happy about that….don’t get me wrong….but this is all his work.

First order of business was taking off all the old weird hardware and putting some putty on the holes.

Dave used Donald Durhams Rockhard Water Putty

Legs were a problem. I had a ton of ideas on what to do for legs, but couldn’t quite find what I was looking for. I took to Pinterest to explore the interwebs and found a great inspiration table that had industrial pipe legs. Decision. Made.

We decided to use the bottom as the top, since the top had a serious low spot that Dave would not have been able to sand out. He could have taken a layer off but it would have interfered with the bolts that went all the way through the table holding everything together…..so bottom becomes top.

There was a lot of sanding.

I purchased the above rectangles and cut them to size to keep my floor protected from those fittings.

Looking good legs, looking good.

To protect the table top…and us, Dave used Watco Butcher Block Oil and FInish.

Decluttering OR Living with Less – The Plan

September 9, 2014 / Winnie / 1 Comment

Depending on who you follow on Pinterest…this could be a topic you have seen so many times you could puke. Well…me too. Until I came across this site and this article.

http://www.lifeedited.com/residential-behavioral-architecture-101/

Now, over the past couple of years I have heard the terms downsizing, decluttering, small living, etc. It sounds so freeing….for other people. I never thought I would drink the Kool Aid. A few articles that I was drawn into later and I realized that there are things in my house that I haven’t touched for months. I decided to take a step and worked on my closet.

https://thehappycrazyhouse.com/2014/06/12/organization-shoot-me-now/

Here is my ‘After’:

Not gunna lie…..I let it get super messy again. BUT I have not added to it, which is good. I was able to get it cleaned up in 10 minutes which is a miracle and a testament to keeping only the things you wear.

So – I have decided to start working on each room in the house. I hope to get through the whole house by mid October. My plan is to do an initial run through that mimics this……http://redefinedmom.com/how-to-declutter-your-house-in-five-minutes/ and then do a second round that is a more cut throat.

Move from the back to the front….Front entry redo

May 13, 2014 / Winnie / Leave a comment

In the spirit of outdoor improvement, I have moved from the back to the front. The backyard improvements have gone so well, that I decided to tackle the yucky front entry. Here is a long distance shot. There has not been very many nice spring days yet, so very few of my plants have begun blooming. It looks rather desolate with my front garden torn all apart (I’ll get to that soon).

I try not to get to close in – don’t want to scare myself. I purchased a new front door and in order to make sure that it is the focal point of the front I am redo-ing the porch.

First order of business is to take down that railing. Check out my mad carpenter skills! I want a clear sight line to the front door – the new sexy front door – the new awesomely sleek looking front door, the front door that will be put on next weekend (I hope). The door that the house currently has, was an addition from the previous owners. I wanted to find something that would be more true to the house itself (but sneaking in some mid-century modern) …….more to come on that.

Scrape some loose paint, substitute the vertical slats for horizontal….good times.

Here is an unflattering shot of the base coat stain, old front door, and the front garden all torn apart.

Here is a better shot of the work in progress front entry…….I have the slats up to ensure that the short ones don’t fall off. There is still a larger drop off (larger than I am comfortable with) on the front left side – I will be using those half barrels as planters on the high side.

Next up – finishing the front door and the front garden!

Check off the list (Hint: The Never Ending List)

March 20, 2014March 20, 2014 / Winnie / 1 Comment

Remember the Never Ending List? Well, I have fabulous news….I get to check 2 things off the list! #5 and #4. LOVE IT.

#5 – Getting these doors finished and up on the hinges.

I love the wood doors in comparison to the cottage builder doors that have been up since we purchased the house. Side Note – Captain and First Officer of Destruction really did a number on those doors and Dave had to do some reinforcing to make sure they did not fall off at every small child’s hand. Wish us luck with these new ones. Below is a pic that shows what the doors used to look like – forgive the focus:

And here is a rough After picture:

So in love with the new doors. The white was very crisp, which I appreciated but I wanted the warmth from the wood

#4 on the Never Ending List. As a reminder- I purchased a new bed for Jane and it is now put together and in her room. Here is the before – when Jules and Jane shared the room.

And here is her new bed:

It is low to the ground and easy for her to get in and out of. Jane will run full throttle into the room and throw herself onto the bed…..giggling the whole way.

The rest of the room is still in a state of flux. Dave and I scraped the popcorn ceiling – so a paint job is in order. The art work is the same and needs to be adjusted based on the new scale and placement of the furniture.

Another Side Note – I am in an online Photo 101 Class, so hopefully a noticeable improvement will be seen in the photos I post when I am done. I need some serious help with how to work with shadows, windows, movement, umm……the whole shebang. Fingers Crossed.