Playroom Reveal

It's done!  Ok... it's been done for awhile now.  I was just so tired from doing the whole thing that I couldn't be bothered to take pictures??  

As I have said, I wanted to create a space that the boys can play in now, but will grow with them into the teenage years and beyond.  Someday we will reclaim this room and I wanted to have it be classic and something that we could love for quite some time.  I originally thought I wanted to change the wall color, but the boys actually begged me to keep the green (who knew they cared?) and after all is said and done, I think that they made the right call.  I fell in love with a goldenrod yellow rug that there was no way I could afford.  But that color stayed in as a highlight and I love that too.  I found the Nate Berkus box (on the shelves) at Target, of course.  And that kind of set the tone for the rest of the room.  I also scored a ridiculously soft goldenrod blanket at Marshall's to carry the color to the other side of the room.  

And I found a small navy blue throw rug that would add some color and pattern to the big brown floor.  You've seen some of the other room highlights like the magnet board and the wall map here and here, but the part that I am most proud of is the entertainment unit.  I had various versions of this type of thing sketched up in my notebook for months.  And I had finally settled on a design.  Then I happened to walk into the Schenectady ReStore.  Ok, no one "happens" to walk into the ReStore.  I walked in quite on purpose.  And I found this for $10:

I thought that it could be useful as the middle of the unit.  Save me some time and money on the materials.  It was slightly too long, so I sliced, diced, painted, and put it back together.  Then I built the rest of the unit around it and voilà:  

Total cost of unit:  about a zillion dollars less than buying anything like it.  And perfectly sized for my room.  Don't mind the olllldddd school tv.  I can't afford to get them a new one yet after all of this.  My sister was nice enough to dump give them her old one so at least there's something there for now.    

So there it is!  What do you think?  

 Onto the next project!!

New Map

In what I will now refer to as "the old playroom", there was a map.  It was a free political map of the U.S. that came out of some old magazine and still had the fold marks to prove it. 

 But being a use-what-you-have type of girl, I made a wooden frame for it and for years it lived on the wall where the boys play.  Geography by osmosis.  When it came time to update and grow-up the playroom, I knew I wanted to keep a map feature.  Just not that one.  So I started searching for ideas. 

I really liked this one, and planned on making it.  The wooden look was just what I wanted.  But then I decided that I actually wanted them to be able to read names of countries etc and - you know - eventually be able to learn where Pakistan is (for you, Kather).  So I went online to find the perfect map.  I eventually settled on this National Geographic map of the world.  Because it was the right size and price, and I liked its coloring.  As an added bonus, this guy came laminated.  So he will last for quite awhile.  But I knew that I didn't just want to throw it in a frame and call it a day.  After doing another search for unique map framing ideas (or whatever), I found this - a perfect compromise - from the girls at Shanty 2 Chic.

So I found myself cutting up some scrap pieces of pine and making this.  Yes, I am that lazy.  There was just no need to stain the center of this piece.  

The finished piece came out even better than I had expected and I LOVE it.

   So much better than if I had just thrown a frame on there, right?

Thank you Dick Bikowicz

As some of you know, my current project for the fall involves updating my kids' playroom from toddler to big boy and beyond.  Lots of pieces are finished.  Paint allllllll of the molding white.  Check.  Really cool metal cafe chairs.  Check.  Awesome cheapie desk/tables from my Ikea trip.  Check.  Update ugly top of the stairs light.  Check.  There are really only a few things left to be done. One of them is huge.  Build an entertainment center.  I'm not there yet.  But today I conquered a much smaller, and yet perhaps just as important piece.  The bulletin board.

Up until now, the boys have had traditional tack bulletin boards (which I covered in fun fabric so as to be less traditional).  I'm not sure where my brain was when I made those, but let me tell you that children and thumbtacks...  not a good idea.  They love their board though and are constantly hanging their lovely works of art and their "finisher" race and soccer ribbons.  So I knew that it was an element that I wanted to keep in the room.  But now, being that I've had two boys for all of these years and have stepped on many a tack, I decided that the magnet board was truly the only way to go.  Truly people, don't make my mistake.

The other day, on a whim, I ended up scouring the local Salvation Army.  As I was about to walk out empty handed, I spotted this from across the store.  I obviously had to go check it out.  Real wood, glass intact, giant well made frame...  $3.49!  Did you hear me??  $3.49.  I didn't even waste one second thinking about it.  Inside was a lovely retirement poem and signatures for Dick's retirement back in 2011.  And so Dick Bikowicz came home with me.

Today my mission was to find a piece of metal sheeting for it.  Went into Lowes and came out 5 minutes later with this piece of steel.

$20.  Which is not cheap.  But considering that I paid $3.49 for Dickie, I thought that I could make the splurge.  On the way home I also rewarded my self for the great finds.

So I got it home and guess what??  The metal sheet was the exact same size as the frame opening!  This just couldn't get any better.  Framed it, hung it.  Boys will be using it in no time. A don't worry, I reused Dick Bikowicz's retirement poem and signatures to add some padding to the back of the metal so the frame would hold tight.  Thanks, Dick.

Ugly Light Switcheroo

My upcoming fall project is a redo of the kids playroom.  The reorganization has begun and I'm itching to get into the larger details that will take them from toddler to big kid (and hopefully beyond...).  But in the meantime...

As I was brainstorming up there one day, my eyes fell upon this sad fellow.  Can't actually believe that I have let him live here as long as I did.  

After a quick inspection (on a chair at the top of the stairs), I had immediate ideas.  The actual pendant of the light was fine.  Needed a color redo, but that's easy.  

It was just the horrifying glass shade thingy that I could no longer live with.  And the last time I was out shopping I found the perfect solution.  So for under $20 (including spray paint), a bit of elbow grease, and some help in the height department from my dear husband (who actually seems to approve of this project!), we now have this modern beauty instead.

Isn't that a million times better?  It's the small things people...

I know that I have been a slacky blogger.  The worst.  I get it.  But I figure that now that I am coming out of my winter blues and back into project season, I will have more stories to tell.  More ugly things to turn pretty.  More projects to start and finish.  (Sorry dear)  So here I am again.  Maybe the posts will be few and far between.  But that's ok with me. 

Spring starts for me by the beginning of baseball.  Lots of baseball.  And three sets of cleats, bats, gloves, helmets...  The bags of paraphernalia get left in the garage, but the cleats keep trying to make their way into my house.  Ummmm, no.  So when I happened to spy this little rolling cart at the Salvation Army for $5 the other day, I knew what use he could have for my family.  

Now there would be no excuse for not leaving cleats on the deck.  But...  if you know me at all, you know that there is no way I could let this ugly thing reside on the deck where most people enter our house.  So an idea began to form.  Actually, more like an idea sprang into my head and I immediately got the saw out.  

Any now he is a multi-purpose summer bar/cleats holder/cushion protector.  Don't you all need one of those??

What do you think??

Craft Room Table: Fail.

What I really need right now is a sewing table.  Counter height.  So that I'm not killing my back trying to bend over and cut out dress patterns.  Or sprawling it all over my living room floor.  So a couple of weeks ago I set out to find one.  I went down to the Schenectady Re-Store (which is full of my kind of crack....) to look for a table that I could take apart and raise up onto some shelves that I plan on building.  What I found was an oval oak table with a pedestal base for $30.  Perfect.  I figured that I could just take the base right off and use the top as it or cut it down to the right size.  But it was solid and just needed a good sanding.  So I dragged it home stuffed into the back of the car with Shane sitting riiiiight up next to it.  There may have been a good samaritan named Anthony at Stewarts who helped me rearrange it in order to fit my kid in there a bit better...  but I digress.  That's another whole story.

When I got this table home and yanked it out of the trunk and onto the deck (thank goodness for a lukewarm winter), I realized something.  This table was waaaay too nice for me to be chopping it up.  I see potential in scrappy items, people.  It's what I do.  So I decided to refinish it.  As a dining table.  Unfortunately, I forgot to take true "before" pictures.  This is what happens when I get excited about a project and can not wait to start it.   But here she is halfway through the sanding process.

So picture that top with a coat of poly that had been scratched and dinged and markered and such.  The pedestal part got shipped down to the basement because I realized that there would just be way too many curves and bits to sand it down and restain it.  So I painted it.  White.  These two toned tables are all the rage these days on the home decor blogs (trust me mom), so I figured that this would be a great place to try it.  

Inspiration:

(even coffee tables are getting in on this treatment)

In my spare time (ha!) in the last few weeks, I have been staining, painting, and poly-ing. And I think that she turned out well.  

Now to re-sell her!  Does anyone need a table??  ;)

2012: New Opportunities!

So the end of 2011 has been an incredibly busy and stressful few months for me.  On top of all of the holiday planning and such, two amazing opportunities came at me basically at the same time.  And they are both the type of opportunities that I just can not pass up.  So I said yes please to both and buh-bye to my sanity for a few weeks.  Firstly, as part of my end of the year goal to sell some of the stuff that I can't stop making, I walked myself into the cutest little kids consignment shop right nearby and requested to work as a vendor for the shop.  The owner loved my work and signed me up right away.  So on January 2nd, my 'line' (yes, I'm using that word to sound fancier) of children's items will debut to the general public at Trendy Tots on the corner of Baker and Union St.  If you are local and you haven't been there yet, you are missing out.  Natalie has some of the cutest clothes around and her prices are fantastic!  Also, I will expect you to be going to check out my stuff!  Which includes items like these:

So after sewing over 40 T shirts, 20 ties, 4 dresses, 3 skirt outfits and 37 crayon rolls in just a few weeks, I'm a bit tired.  But hopefully it will be all worth it.

Now don't forget, I said TWO amazing opportunities.  A few days after I signed myself up for sewing my life away, I received an email from Ana White.  Ana is my idol.  And I mean that seriously.  If you have a few hours to spare, check out her website: http://www.ana-white.com/.  Ana is a DIY guru and will teach you to build anything that you have ever dreamed of building.  She is currently building a house.  From the ground up.  But the website gives free furniture plans and the most basic instructions so that anyone can follow them.  I found her years ago when her blog was very young, but she currently has one of the largest DIY blogs out there and if you are someone like me, she is your Oprah.  

When the email first appeared in my inbox, I did a double take.  My return email actually used the phrase, "is this for real??".  Ana had emailed me to request that I be a contributor to her website.  She has grown so large that she can not keep up with the demands of building all of the pieces that she makes plans for.  So she started a group of contributors who will take her plans and turn them into reality so they can be posted on her blog.  And Ana pays for all of the supplies.  So essentially I am donating my time and work, but in turn I am getting free furniture that I get to keep, built by me to my specs (within reason).  How can I complain?  I will also be getting credit as the builder and contributor on her site.  First up for me was a cabinet for my craft room.  It is almost done and I will let you all know when it posts on Ana-white.com.  

SO... my craft room is torn apart like a tornado came through.  Jay has been picking up threads, fabric scraps, and sawdust out of our laundry and kids' hair for several weeks.  I have bags under my eyes that resemble an 89 year old's.  And I might be slightly crazy right now.  But I'm sooooo in my element.  And who doesn't love a bit of crazy?