A Change in Direction

pinching pennies

The last time I posted I was rushing to get my office finished for returning to work on Monday.  I almost got it done too but the pressure is off anyways.  I returned to work and found I was still too ill.  Looks like I may have to take an extended sick leave which will mean the budget tightens and the pennies will be pinched.

I will still be continuing with my redecoration plans but I'll have to be a little more creative.  Luckily I've already bought some paint, fabric, wallpaper and lighting fixtures.  Stay tuned and good night....

Julie

The Finish Line is in Sight

Swag light from Ikea

This is one of the swags I bought from Ikea for my office/sewing room.  I finally decided today where the desk was going so I could hang it.  It's so beautiful - it just makes me smile.

This my old Ikea bookcase painted red.  I mostly have put my magazines on it.  You might think I have a lot of magazines but this doesn't include my Martha Stewart collection or the 130 that I got rid of...

See the box on the second shelf?  It was actually a Royal Doulton figurine box that I was throwing out when I realized the bottom was black.  I used leftover wallpaper on the top and now I have a sturdy storage box for $0.

The wild zebra box on the top shelf came from Homesense.  Finally, I have started painting my old cabinet that I got for $50.  Hopefully, I will get it finished tomorrow.



The inside top was painted with Sarah Richardson's Escarpment paint leftover from my kitchen.  The outside will be white.  I wanted the inside to be different but not too much.  I will eventually paint the inside bottom too but right now I'm on a deadline - returning to work on Monday.  I'm still mulling over the possibility of distressing the cabinet.  Am I brave enough?

What's left to do?  Some housekeeping of the built-in bookshelves, getting the table for my sewing machine, hanging the other swag light, sewing drapes and painting and covering a bulletin board...wish me luck.

Julie

working on this and that....

Don't you just love toile?

I thought I'd show you a pretty picture before the boring and nasty ones...

I haven't posted in a while but I have been working hard.  I've just been too tired at the end of the day to do much.  The last time I was on here, I was doing the baseboards and promised pictures so here they are...

I haven't installed the cove moulding yet but I have got it painted...my patio table was perfect to use as a work bench.  The trim was held in the slots so I could paint quickly, but the poor table really needs a makeover (sigh).

I've been doing so much painting lately that my drop cloth has started to look like a Jackson Pollack painting.

I'm painting my old IKEA bookcase RED.  I'm sure you've noticed it sitting in the middle of all my pictures.

and I'm still working on the old step stool for the kitchen...

OK - so the boring pictures are over and now for the nasty!

Ok this ugly duckling of a room is starting to become a swan...

Finn likes the new chair too!



Bye for  now.  I'm heading back to give the shelves another coat of paint.  Oh wait, I forgot to tell you that I bought a great old china cabinet today.  I'm sooo excited.  I got it on Kijiji for $50 (thanks Cheryl).  Picture it painted white and filled with my sewing supplies.

Julie

organizing sewing supplies

I was working on the office/sewing room today.  I don't really have anything wonderful to show you tonight.  I spent the day measuring and painting trim, and I painted the metal frame of my ugly window (the same black as the kitchen railing).  Later I will add some opaque film to the window and I have some lovely sheer fabric to make drapes.  I also put a white plastic trim around the window to protect the wallpapered edge.

But on one of my many breaks, I decided to clean out my box of sewing supplies.  I bought a pretty black and white case to hold most of it.  I also got some plastic boxes with red lids to store thread.  There's a Crown jar for my buttons.  I was also thrilled to find an very old pair of scissors I bought ages ago and my Mom's old tomato pin cushion.  Are you old enough to remember these?  I took pictures of this vignette for you...

Tomorrow I'll be able to show you the room with baseboards finished (fingers crossed).  Good night - sleep tight...

Julie

Update on Office - working on the floor

Hi all - I have been working on the office and have almost completed the flooring.  I had to run out today and buy a few more tiles.  Originally I was only going to tile around the edges as I have a rug that almost fits the room.  Then I started the peel and stick tiles and I loved the look so much that I decided to do the whole floor.  I'm probably going to forget about the rug now.  I'll show you the pictures but it really didn't photograph well.  I'm not sure if this is because I took it in the evening or if the photo just shows the flaws more clearly ;).  I have to say that the floor is in terrible shape - very bumpy and the room is definitely not square!  Anyways enough excuses...

I also painted the "baseboards" white.  I didn't want to spend any money on this so I used some old cottage-grade tongue in groove panelling and painted them white.

First piece of trim installed and don't worry, I'll  be ripping up those tiles closest to wall and redoing them!

Tomorrow I'm hoping to get an early start and finish the floor and trim.  Then I can start replacing the furniture and clean up my basement.  It's an awful mess and you can barely move!  Soon I'll get to the fun stuff...

Julie

Office/Sewing Room - Wallpaper!!!!!!

This is the window wall in my office.  I wallpapered it today and I'm so happy!  I love it even though it is far from perfect.  The wall is really not square and the drywall is quite rough and uneven.  Fitting wallpaper around the pipes was a nightmare.  I tried patching some of the holes but the wallpaper didn't want to stick to the patched parts.  In order to make it easier, I pieced the wallpaper around the pipes on the right of the window.  I'm going to buy a glue stick when I am out tomorrow to fix some of the paper around the pipes and I'm going to buy the clear plastic doorway trim for wallpaper and put it around the window.

The first strip goes up

Fitting the wallpaper around the window

Curse those pipes!

I will look up the pattern and the cost later and add it here...Hi again, it is a Blue Mountain wallcovering - no name but stock number is BC1582028 and it costs $30 a single roll.  Of course, they only come in double rolls and I needed 2 singles and a little bit.  I had to buy 2 double rolls so I'll have to come up with some creative ways of using the rest of the paper.

I can't wait to get the "bones" of the room done so I can play.  I have the floor and trim to finish and then I am playing - lots of crafting projects for this room.  I'll make sure to show you the before and afters.  Talk to you later...

Julie

Office Part 2

Well I'm going to post pictures but you won't be impressed yet.  I have painted the ceiling with Pencil Point from my kitchen and the walls have now been done with Contractor's White (horrible name - don't know why Benjamin Moore changed it from Decorator's White!).  The wall with the window only got one coat because I am going to wallpaper it.  That will be a challenge with all those pipes...

I was at Home Depot today and I bought a quart of Behr's Cherry Cobbler for painting furniture.  I got a new black knob for the door and thin cove moulding to tack up at the top of the wall for a cleaner look.   The ceiling is very old and uneven but I have had the room insulated and drywalled.  I'm so excited about this room and I can't wait to get to the point of doing the "pretty things".

Julie

Finally Started Office/Sewing Room

Well I finally started the office today.  I trucked almost everything out of here yesterday.  So now the downstairs hallway and my bedroom look like a hoarder lives here!  I got the ceiling painted today and the grey looks so much better than the green did.  It really does help to hide the ugly pipes.  I can't wait to start the walls tomorrow. See the finished ceiling below but bear in mind that the paint wasn't dry.

Kitchen Comforts

I was out yesterday shopping at Craftworks at the Barn - it is a large consignment type market with antiques, vintage finds, handcrafted goods and Amish furniture.  I got this magnet for the fridge.  Laughter is the best medicine and I aim to have a good laugh at least once a day.

I bought this Pyrex refrigerator box for $6.  We are using it as a butter dish and it helps carry on my red, white and black theme.

I was also really thrilled to find this ironstone soup tureen in my own cupboard!  It was a gift from my cousin and it's perfect above the cupboard.  I also found some napkins I bought about 20 years ago that are embroidered with the sweetest little strawberries. 

I'm starting to think I should just clean up the cupboards and drawers and do my shopping at home from now on.  :)