Friday Update ~ 09/18/2015

It's Friday!  This was the quickest, long week ever.  Things were super busy, I worked hard every day,  my body made me go to bed by 9:30 most nights (8:30 last night) and now it is Friday already.

FURNITURE

My shop is filled to the max.  I finished up my mom's dressers, worked on a desk, stool, and  sofa table for a client, plus had another client dropped off a vanity.  Earlier this week I shared our master bedroom bed side tables.  Love them!  Read about that makeover here.

BEFORE:

AFTER:

MASTER BATHROOM

If you follow me on Instagram you know that we have made tons of progress over the last few weeks.  The goal for the weekend is to have all the water lines and plumbing hooked up!

PAVER PATIO

Apparently I don't feel busy enough so we started the side yard/paver patio makeover.  Really, the bathroom is taking longer than expected since I took time off of the project to focus on furniture work and here we are in September already.  We want the side yard ready for fall and oyster season.  There is a plan for a smoker, fire pit, setting up a grill area, outdoor furniture and much more.  After lots of discussion we decided to hire out most of the prep work.  

One of the biggest struggles we have as DIYers is knowing we can do it.  Blittle and I did a paver patio at our first home.  There is no part of the project beyond our ability.  The problem is time....and energy.  We decided investing the money for someone else to do the heavy work was worth it.  And I am not going to lie, writing those checks have been painful but the work has been done in hours, not days.

First step was to tear out all the grass and frame the patio.  This work was done late last week then Brian and I framed the space over the weekend.  Today, the crushed concrete will be brought in and leveled.  That leaves us (we will actually DIY this part) laying the pavers and building the fire pit.

Blittle started the paver walkway to the dock last weekend.  The house originally had a concrete walkway that was putting pressure on the bulkhead and was broken.  It was the very first thing we tore out.  Seriously, our first weekend at the house we rented a jack hammer and tore it out making tons of noise that I have no doubt the entire neighborhood could hear.  Two years later we are putting in a new path to the dock.  We decided to do a simple paver walkway.  The grass will be removed and each paver will sit flush with the grass.  

And that's what I did this week.  This weekend will be busy with hunting, furniture delivery, birthday party and bathroom work.

Have a great weekend everyone!  To see what we are up to this weekend, follow me on Instagram.

Master Bedroom Bed Side Tables

At the top of my "must have" list for the mini master makeover was more folded clothing storage.   The first step was getting a larger dresser which I shared last week.  Next step, bed side tables with storage.

These bed side tables are another great find by my mom.  She is my personal furniture shopper.  :) Thanks, Mom!

Not sure where she got these but they are great.  And weird.  The wood is not super smooth.  It has these strange indentions in it.  They are actually considered small dressers so there is tons of storage space.

Before.

I decided to paint them instead of stain to match the dresser.  Matchy, matchy is not a design tactic I practice.  The room is in need of a little pop of color so I went with a light blue that is in our bedding.   Its a pretty contrast with the navy and white curtains and the newly gray walls.  Also, there were some problems with the wood.  The top pieces of wood were coming unglued so all of that had to be glued, pressed and filled to create a smooth top.  Other than that, the dressers are in good condition.  The original hardware was painted a soft iron to coordinate with the new hardware of the large dresser.

After.

It is nice to have a place to store more of my folded clothes and on Blittle's side, I have our extra bed sheets and pillow cases stowed away.  They turned out really pretty and are the perfect size for us.

The master bedroom mini makeover is almost done.  There is new bedding, bed side tables, dresser, curtains and wall color.  Now I need to get some decor and art on the walls as well as figure out what I want to do with the headboard.  Our current headboard was my first thing to build from scratch.  I built it for our New Orleans home and I do like it.  BUT when we moved to this house the headboard doesn't fit in between the two windows on the wall with the bed.  I built it oversized to compete with the 12-15ft tray ceilings and large wall in our NOLA bedroom.  It just isn't working for me here.  So do I sell the headboard and build or buy something else?  Do I keep it and just deal?  I haven't made up my mind yet.

The entire makeover will be revealed soon!  The bathroom, too!  We are so close to being done.  I can't wait!

Friday Update ~ 09/11/2015

Hi, all!  I hope everyone had a great 4 -day work week!  Here in the Houston/Galveston area it has been raining all week with a cool front on its way.  The weekend is supposed to be dry and gorgeous! Fingers crossed.

MASTER BATHROOM

We made HUGE progress in this room.  I seriously can't believe how it went from looking like a major construction zone Friday morning to feeling like a real bathroom by Monday night.  There was lots of laboring over Labor Day weekend.

Here is what we had Friday.

And this is now.

I haven't had much time to work in there this week but the plan is to get the tile caulked and faucets and sinks installed over the weekend.

FURNITURE

(HUGE SIGH)  I am having some finishing problems with the two navy dressers I have been working on for my mom.  It is extremely frustrating.  This is not my first, second or third project and I am using the same products I usually do so it is annoying when products act weird.  There is a chance it was the heat and/or humidity but that is something I always have to deal with so I really don't think that is it.  Those dressers should have gone home at the beginning of the week and yet, they are still in my shop.  On top of that, I am trying to finish up some client pieces that need to go home early next week.  I am feeling a lot of stress and pressure to get things done quick and my products (and weather) are making it hard.

I know I will get it done.  It just gives me anxiety when I get so close to or go over my completion dates.  I like to stay on schedule.

Earlier this week I shared our master bedroom dresser and was supposed to share our end tables' makeover yesterday.  Well, I didn't.  Things were just too busy (and I was too exhausted) to finish the post.  Sorry.  I hope to get to it this weekend and share first thing next week.

Here are the master bedroom dresser before and after shots.

MISCELANEOUS

We have tons of stuff going on right now.  The bathroom remodel.  Our side yard was tore out earlier this week to prep for our flagstone/pebble patio but it has rained all week (pouring right now...so bad the dogs stepped out to see the crazy wind and rain then turned around to come back in) and we have a muddy mess.  The other business (tell you more about that soon) has had a big week, exciting week but it has taken up a lot of my time.  Furniture projects in the shop.  Things are busy, busy.

SIDE NOTE:  I can't believe it has been 14 years since the tragedy of 9/11.  That day is imprinted in my brain.  I was standing in my College Station apartment getting ready for speech class, watching the Today Show.  Then everything changed.  I skipped school that day.  I couldn't tear myself away from the TV.  By the weekend A&M had organanized all kinds of tributes to be done during the football game.  It still amazes me that in a few short days this was organized.  (I am in the red section).

Please thank your first responders and service men/women.  It is free and easy and it does make a difference in their day.

Have a great weekend!

Master Bedroom Dresser Reveal

Wow.  What a weekend.  We made tons of progress in the bathroom.  It is starting to look like a bathroom again and less like a construction zone!  I'll have pictures and info about the bathroom on Friday or you can go to Facebook and Instagram to see some progress pics.  Today, I am going to show you our new dresser.

When we started the master bath renovation I decided to give our master bedroom a mini makeover.  The decor and color were never right for me.  Everything I used we previously owned or was handed down when we moved.  It was a weird mix of stuff that didn't work in the space or for us.  I painted the bedroom Pale Smoke by Benjamin Moore which coordinated well with our bedding.  I hated it.  From the first day it was on the wall, I didn't love it.  Unfortunately, there was no time to repaint the room then.  We were in the middle of unpacking, painting other rooms, and doing the kitchen renovation.  The master would have to wait.  See the first Master Bedroom Revel here.

So over the past few years I have been thinking about bedding color, furniture style and other decor details for the room.  I had an idea for furniture but I try not to get my mind set on something specific because it is not always in budget or available.  Mostly I needed pieces that had tons of storage.  A dresser that is at least 70 inches long that can hold much more than our current dresser.

Current Dresser.

My mom found this large dresser at a garage sale.

Does it look familiar?  It should.  It is the exact same dresser that my grandparent's had and I now use as a coffee bar!

Same company.  Same material.  Same dresser.  For this makeover I wanted a natural driftwood finish.  Something similar to these tables I did for my sister-in-law.  Pine can be hard to work with sometimes.  It wants to be really dark or really light so I knew a natural driftwood look might be challenging.  And it was.  So much so, that it didn't happen.  The driftwood stain didn't even change the color.  Not going to lie, I was disappointed but not shocked by this.

Plan B was the weathered wood look.  I tend to like driftwood better because I am drawn to the brown tones.  A weathered wood finish had me nervous because of all the gray tones and I wasn't sure I liked it at first.  Now the walls have their new color, we have new bedding and curtains, as well as new end tables.  It is all coming together and I love it.

Here are a few more before shots.

For this finished I used Rust-Oleum Weathered Gray stain for the first coat.  I let it dry over night then I distressed the wood.  I used 220 grit to lightly sand, focusing on the edges.  The last color coat was a white glaze (a glazing medium + antique white latex paint).  Finally, the clear coats.

The coffee bar has the original hardware but I wanted to do new for this makeover.  Something much more updated and sleek.  Hole size was a problem (as always) so I went with these soft iron colored handles.  It required drilling all new holes but they cover up the old ones.   :)

It has been great having such a large dresser.  The storage space is amazing and I finally have a home for my folded clothes.  Obviously I still need to add some decor on this wall (notice the new paint color) and a few things on top of the dresser but all of that will be shown in the room reveal.

Check back tomorrow to see our end tables!




Monday - Inspire Me Monday (Sand & Sisal,  My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia, Domestically Speaking, Sweet C’s Designs)  Made by you Monday (Skip To My Lou)

Tuesday -  Show and Share (Coastal Charm), From Dream to Reality (The DIY Dreamer), Show and Tell (Sugar Bee Crafts)

Wednesday:Wow Us Wednesday (Savvy Southern Style),  Be You tiful (Art is Beauty)  Wednesday Before and After (The Dedicated House) Work It Wednesday (The Blissful Bee, The Turquoise Home,  The Happy Housie, A Place of My Taste) 

Thursday: What To Do Weekends (Crafts ala Mode ),  The Best DIY Party at the Handmade Hangout (A Glimpse Inside, Christina’s Adventures, From Gardners to Bergers, Redoux Interiors, Too Much Time on My Hands), Creativity Unleashed (Practically Functional, Shaken Together, One Project Closer, The Bold Abode, and The DIY Village)

Friday:  The Party Bunch (The Idea Room, 30 Handmade Days, Whipperberry, The 36th Avenue),  Creativity Unleashed (Practically Functional, Shaken Together, One Project Closer, The Bold Abode)  Fabulously Creative Friday (Jennifer Rizzo Blog), Friday Furniture Fix (Thirty Eighth Street, Patina Paradise, 58 Water Street, Anastasia Vintage, Slightly Coastal)

Friday Update ~ 09/04/2015

Somehow I have let two weeks go by with no updates or posts.  Things have busy and as you know, the blog is put on the back burner when work and life gets crazy.  I promise I am here, I am just working hard.  Instagram has become my favorite social media since it is quick and easy.  Be sure to follow me to get all the behind the scenes updates.

MASTER BATHROOM

The bathroom is prepped and ready for the new countertop to be installed today!  I am so excited.  The backsplash, sink and faucets should be done in the next week or two.  Also, remember that the second sink was on the right?  Here is a pic.

The two drawers under that sink were dummy drawers.  Just drawers fronts attached to the front of the vanity.  I took those drawer fronts and built an actual drawer for them.  I stole drawer guides from the guest bath to use with the new drawers.  

The goal was try to finish by September but obviously that didn't happen so new goal is finish by November.

FURNITURE

Furniture has been out of control!  It is such a blessing to have consistent work.  In August, I refinished the Ebony & Brass buffet and its matching china cabinet, painted the White & Brass dresser, painted two dressers navy, AND refinished a large dresser plus painted two end tables for my master bedroom.  Oh.  And I painted my bedroom a new color (remember it is getting a mini makeover).  Right now I am working on a large desk, sofa table and bed for a client and with all the rain this week I am behind schedule.  EEK!  Looks like I will be working this labor day weekend.

Ebony & Brass Buffet.  Be sure to check out all the before and afters.

White & Brass

China Cabinet progress photos.  The reveal will be next week.

The dresser I refinished for our bedroom.  Reveal will be next week.

End tables I painted for our bedroom.  Their reveal will be soon.

Navy dresser progress.

MISCELLANEOUS

The month is another busy one. Blittle's parents will possibly visit next week, the few last weekends of the month plus first weekend of October are booked with parties and weddings (all out of town), and there is a good chance I will be headed to Round Top the last week of September.  Plus, I still need to do a few things for my sailing class so I can enroll for the next round (hopefully take in October) and they have to be done on a Saturday.  

We are starting a new home project next week.  A while back I mentioned that we wanted to change our side yard to a rock patio area.  The equipment is getting delivered today and the guy will do the dig out work on Monday. I am a little nervous about this one.  Right now there is no real plan, budget or timeline (mostly because right now we don't much free time).  It should be cheap and easy but things don't always go as planned.  

The grass has never grown well in the area and it is a bit of wasted space.  We want to do a pebble/flagstone patio area with a large fire pit, more outdoor seating, and a dining area.  The grill will be moved over to this space as well as a smoker we want to build.  Most of those things will happen over time but the goal now is to get the patio area and fire pit done in time for oyster season.  Roasted and chargrilled oysters are on the menu for fall!

I hope everyone has a great holiday!  We will be laboring on this labor day weekend.  :)  

Next week I will posting some items available to purchase.  Mostly furniture and a few home decor items.  I have been purging through some things and now that most of our rooms are set up and decorated I need to get rid of the left overs.  Be sure to check my Facebook page and here to see what is for sale.