The dining room wainscoting reveal...

As I mention HERE when I was looking for inspiration for my dining room, I like to keep a list of projects I want to complete so I can check them off as I go.

CHECK!

The dining room wainscoting is done.

Not sure it is really even noticeable, but to me the room looks much more “finished.”

BEFORE

AFTER

Super simple project with simple but lovely results….

The entire space is a far cry from where we started two years ago….

So another simple project checked off the list.

If you will remember, I followed Timisha’s tutorial for this molding…she really does a great job of breaking down the process! She is one of the reasons I don’t do a lot of detailed tutorials…why reinvent the wheel when I can just link you to one…lol!

I still have a few more projects I would like to complete but OH MY GOSH it is stinking hot…with NO relief in sight.

Sooooo…I am doing what I always do in the heat of the summer. I am hibernating. Well, at least after noon. Good thing I get up early…I can cram my entire day into the morning hours!

Dining room wainscoting...

I keep thinking I have no more “major” projects to complete around this house…but inevitably I find something I want to do.

The dining room…a tad formalish but we actually use the room more than I thought we would for casual dining.

Like much of this house it has evolved over the last few years….the first Christmas featuring our new table…curtains…the new buffet….all relatively minor.

When we first bought the house the formal dining room was pretty blah…

Right off the entry…first thing you see when you enter the house.

This is the Christmas decor…LOVE! I love decorating this space for holidays and seasons!

As I have shared before, I replaced the arched transoms with rectangular ones, removed all the crown above the doors and windows and changed the light fixtures…all in an attempt to “detraditionalize” the space. It had chair rail and it was obvious it had wallpaper below the chair rail at one time. Before we painted, I had the painter repair some damage from where the wallpaper had been removed and add texture. Then we painted.

For months I have wanted to add wainscoting or SOMETHING to jazz up the space a tad. The only problem I have is that most of the wainscoting inspiration I can find is either really traditional/formal or casual “farmhousey” (like board and batten.) While I have made some changes to detraditionalize the entire space, I don’t want to go super casual. So not formal but not casual.

Don’t get me wrong…I like board and batten wainscoting.

I added it in the breakfast room …

….and entry

…and I love it.

But it just seems a tad too “casual” for a formal dining space.

So…what to do, what to do.

I did what I always do when I am looking for inspiration…cruised Pinterest and the blogisphere.

There are a few issues with this room that will influence what I can do. First, the walls do not go all the way to the ceiling…so in my opinion, I need to keep the wall color above the existing chair rail.

Second, the existing chair rail. I really don’t want to remove it because then I have to do a bunch of sheetrock repair and truthfully, I think I can incorporate it into any design I pick…at least the height of it incase I find another trim i like better.

I know I don’t want to do any picture molding above the existing chair rail…kind of formalish.

SOURCE

I realize I have elements in this room that make it more “formal.” But I want to tone it down a bit.

So far my favorite look is this….

Timisha has a great tutorial HERE for this look.

Easy, relatively inexpensive…kinda formal but not so much that you feel like you have to set out the fine china.

Perfect.

Hopefully next week I can share the finished project!!!

Painted bathroom litter cabinet...

I keep a list of projects I want to do on my refrigerator. Repair the irrigation line on the norths side of the house, wainscoting in the dining room, paint the trim, trim tops of windows and doors, paint the bathroom cabinet, add a flower bed around the backflow…and on and on it goes.

When something gets done, it gets marked off…when I think of something I want to do, I add it to the list!

It keeps me focused on what I want to get accomplished…eventually! And being able to check a project off my list feels amazing! (Sometimes if I do something that wasn’t on the list, I add it just so I can mark it off)

I’ve managed to get a few things done this week. The flower bed around the backflow is done. The dining room wainscoting is done (will share next week) and the littler box cabinet in the master bath has been painted.

Why did the litter box cabinet in the master bath need to be painted since I just painted it you ask?

Last year I painted the bathroom cabinets and in my opinion the two kind of clash…so it has bothered me for the last year.

So I wanted to paint the litter box cabinet but couldn’t decide on a color.

Last week I was cleaning out some drawers and found a little dish my daughter in law got me as a gift. I have no idea why it was stuck in a drawer, but it was my “inspiration” for the cabinet.

I have three cats…I would have more if Brian would tolerate it. My children know me well.

Anyway, I love pink. When I finally decorated my home office, I added a tiny bit of pink. I try not to over-saturate my house with pink because there is a guy living here, but I do like to throw it in there from time to time.

Pink…

Since I had already done all the sanding and repair and priming and all the other fun prep work before I painted it the first time (HERE I did a fairly decent tutorial for turning a cabinet into a littler box), all I did this time was remove the hardware, scuff the finish with 220 grit paper, tape off the inside and rolled and brushed on my new favorite paint…the BM waterborne alkyd.

Better than my “go to” white…not as stark as black. Shined up the brass hardware again and walla!

Love!

Check. One thing down, a dozen more to go! But that is okay…being able to check one thing off the list feels amazing!

A stencil backsplash...

Stenciling a backsplash!

A few weeks ago I shared my new kitchen pantry. I absolutely love how this space looks and functions.

I doubt too many people will ever see my pantry, but I want spaces I use all the time to be functional AND pretty. Like my laundry room…another space I doubt too many people will see…but I really believe if you make normally mundane or “functional” spaces pretty you are more likely to enjoy the function they serve (like the dreaded laundry chore) and keep them clean and organized. Maybe it’s just me…but the more I love something, the more I am likely to take care of it!

So I remodeled my pantry! LOVE!!!

I knew when I was done that I would eventually add some kind of backsplash around the countertop. I normally would advocate for tile or other hard surface around a kitchen backsplash but this area gets no food prep so it doesn’t really need to be that durable.

I just didn’t know what I wanted. Something simple. Something easy to install. Something that would be easy to change when the bug hit.

Stencils.

My blog friend Cristina used a stencil in your guest bath makeover. I LOVE it…so easy and inexpensive but really finishes off a space.

So I decided to give it a shot.

THIS is the stencil I choose. Not too busy or fussy.

Next head banging decision…color.

I had some green paint I used in the laundry room…I had some black paint from my front door. I mixed the two together and got a greenish/grey…PERFECT!

Again, there are hundreds of stencil tutorials out there…again, find one that makes sense to you. It is a seriously simple project…and if you make a mistake you can take a wet rag and wipe it off (from experience!).

In the end I have a nice “tile look” backsplash that will be super easy to paint over when I no longer want it.

It took all of MAYBE two hours to do and cost me $12 for the stencil. If you need paint as well, I would suggest getting one of the sample pots of paint or even a couple of little bottles of craft paints. It does not take a lot of paint!!!

There were a couple of spots where I got paint where it shouldn’t be…that is where leftover wall paint came in handy. I just took a little craft brush and spare paint and did a little touch up!

Simple, inexpensive project that packs a punch.

My favorite!

The Pantry Makeover....

It has only been a little over a year since I “froo-frooed” my kitchen pantry. I love it and have found all the little storage elements I added to be very helpful. I have managed to keep it fairly organized.

After living with this space for a few years, it is time to reconfigure it and install new flooring.

First things first….find my inspiration. Same song, second verse…cruise the blogisphere and Pinterest and see what trips my trigger.

Once I had an idea of what I WANT, it was time to take some measurements and draw everything out on graph paper…inspiration + space = ”the plan.” Drawing the space to scale gives me the ability to play around with the elements I think I want on paper before I start sawing and nailing. It also gives me important measurements for cabinets, flooring and shelf material.

I wanted base cabinets to hide rarely used appliances (food processor, grinder, etc), dutch ovens, crock pots, etc.

I wanted a cute counter top for the flour/sugar jars, toaster and can opener.

Lauren’s pantry was most similar to my layout so I looked closely at what she did….

Like Lauren, I knew I wanted to use 12” wall cabinets as the bases. However, I decided to build my shelves a tad differently.

I liked the look of the shelving featured HERE….

Unfortunately I couldn’t find any wall cabinets to use as base cabinets…at least none that are affordable. It’s a pantry. With the cost of materials THROUGH THE ROOF I have to be conscience of the cost of this little project.

I wasn’t real keen on open base cabinets but Lindsey built some really awesome bases…

She posted a great tutorial on building these base cabinets…pretty much exactly the way I built mine!

So all this got worked into “the plan.” Again, a fluid plan, but a plan none the less.

First up…the flooring. The flooring was the original tile and I decided to use the same tile I used in the laundry room. Tiling over the tile in the laundry room worked well so I decided to do that again.

I wanted to reset the shelving and build some additional “shelf towers” so I removed all the existing shelving….

I wanted a new light fixture so I found one I kind of liked. HOWEVER, it came with Edison bulbs. Kind of important since you can see the bulbs through the glass but I just don’t like the light…just too “yellow.”

One morning I woke up thinking “I really don’t like that light.” So I got up, took down the new one and put the old one back up. Again, it’s a pantry…functional is more important that pretty sometimes. Maybe I’ll eventually find something that is both pretty and functional…way down the bottom of the list at this point.

BTW, in case you want to see what “projecting” looks like around here….

I patched and painted the walls white (my new fav, BM Chantilly Lace), grouted the floor tile, then started building the base cabinets and adding the new shelves. I preprimed and sanded all the material so all I had to do after it was assembled was caulk and putty holes. A light sanding, wipe with tack cloth and it was ready for paint. Prepriming and sanding BEFORE you cut and install will save you a MAJOR dust storm in the house.

AGAIN, I am not going to go into a long drawn out tutorial…just so many great tutorials out there.

Some people go to the lake during Memorial Day weekend. I build shelves.

The countertop. I like wood since it is not an actual food prep space.

If I wanted to splurge I would have built walnut counters or even a butcher block. But again…it’s a pantry!

The question then is if I go with a less expensive wood do I stain it with a dark stain or just leave it natural.

SOURCE

I love the dark stain but I worry it is running it’s course. But you know what, I don’t care. I love the darker stain and since the walls and cabinets are white, dark it is! I decided to use the pine “project board” from Lowes, stain with a “brown mahogany” and then apply a couple of coats of polycrylic. (Remember, polyurethane has a tendency to yellow over time)

Floors done, walls painted, cabinets and shelves built and painted, top on. Now the hard part…letting it all sit and cure before I load everything back in. IT IS IMPORTANT PEOPLE!!!! Let your paint and finishes cure before you go all decor-crazy on it…otherwise you will scar and scuff and will have wasted all your time and money!

You may notice I actually gained a couple of shelves on the right and middle walls just by reconfiguring them. I also changed the upper shelves on the left to 10” and 8” deep shelves instead of the 12” that were there. I didn’t need the depth and it seemed to “open” up the space a tad.

I could have carried the top all the way around on the right and still had dog and cat food storage under it…but I needed a few shelves 14” tall so I decided to do a separate “shelf tower.” Perfect for taller items like the stacked storage containers, cereal boxes and wine bottles. All the other shelves have a 10” clearance which is ample tall enough for most of my stuff.

Right side….

Left side…

I love that we added an outlet in this pantry…perfect for the toaster and can opener so they don’t take up real estate in the kitchen.

I think my Kitchen Aide mixer would look cute in here but I like it on my kitchen counter. If it were in here I would have to haul it back and forth to the kitchen…it’s too heavy and I’m too old!

I was a bit bummed that I couldn’t originally find cabinets with doors but honestly I like this look better! While dutch ovens and crock pots aren’t really display worthy, the open shelves keep the room from feeling so small and claustrophobic. Believe it or not this space is only 5 x 5. Tiny but mighty!

I have no doubt that at some point I will add a backsplash…not sure whether it will be tile or wallpaper or something else…but something to give the space a little color and character. Right now I am worn out just getting to this point!

Last year I added glass to the pantry door. I LOVE it and I’m glad that is one chore I don’t have to do now!

The important thing I want to share is that reworking a space can make a huge difference. I now have a pretty pantry that works beautifully as an extension of my kitchen. Remember, I don’t have a lot of upper cabinet storage in my kitchen so this pantry is super important!

On a scale of 1-10? For me, not difficult because I have the tools and the know-how. For a novice DIYer, probably an 8. But there are a ton of tutorials out there for how to build simple shelving or how to use old cabinets to create a space like this. The first thing you have to do is find “inspiration” for the space you actually have and work from there. It is doable…YOU CAN DO IT!!!!!

On a blog board I am on someone said she was afraid to do something like this because she was afraid to mess up.

Don’t be afraid to “mess up.” That is how you learn…watch tutorials and read blogs. There are so many great resources at your fingertips these days.

Use them…and JUST DO IT!

The living room fireplace reveal....

FIREPLACE MAKEOVER!

I have known from day one that I wanted to give each of the fireplaces a little makeover.

HERE I shared the den fireplace….

Now it was time for the living room fireplace.

The original fireplace wasn’t totally offensive. It just wasn’t “my thing.” Whatever that is! A little dated…just blah.

My original plan was something like this…

SOURCE

I really loved this “cove molding” look but this surround is stone…and SUPER expensive. I decided to try to recreate the look with wood.

First thing I had to find was the “cove crown.”

I found it HERE. The only issue I had with it was the fact that it is a “polyurethane” material…basically styrofoam with a plasticish shell…hum. I did some research and it is SUPPOSE to withstand heat up to 200 degrees. That should hold up to the heat put off by my fireplace….should. I guess I’ll find out next year!

So as I mention HERE, I found my inspiration, took measurements and made a tentative plan.

What is the old saying about “best laid plans?”

No matter how carefully we plan, not all will go right.

Case in point.

So I started by removing the old surround….

TIP! When you remove wood trim from a wall, first score the joint between the wood and the wall with a utility knife. It should have caulk between the wood and the wall and if you don’t score it, you may tear the paint finish. If there is still caulk on the wall, just take a chisel or putty knife and gently scrape it off. Also use a board behind the pry bar so you don’t bust through the sheetrock…I did it just for demonstration purposes…NOT!

When I removed the old surround, I discovered this….

I forgot this room originally had carpet. When they added the hardwood, they had to work around the existing fireplace surround which sat on the slab, so of course when I removed it there was a gaping hole in the hardwood flooring.

“Best laid plan” #1….

Not a big deal for me. First, I always keep “spare.” The problem was remembering where I put the spare pieces of hardwood. Once I dug it out from behind all the stored Christmas decorations I went to work patching these floors. Since much of it was going to be covered by the new surround, I didn’t worry about “lacing” it in like you would a prominent area. I glued and laid some 3/4” material as a subfloor, then cut a few pieces of the oak and glued them to the subfloor with construction adhesive, using wedges between the wood and the wall to fit them tight until the glue set up. I sanded and applied one coat of polycrylic before installing it. After installing it, I used wood filler to fill the gaps, gave it a light sanding, then applied another coat of polycrylic.

Hardly noticeable…or as my daddy use to say, “You’ll never notice it on a passing train!”

I decided to build the surround on the wall vs. building it as a unit and then attaching it to the wall. Just personal preference honestly.

I used a stud finder to find all the studs and marked them on the wall.

I put up 2 x 4 “bracing/supports” on the wall using THIS construction adhesive and deck screws. I was able to hit a few studs, but not as many as I would have liked…hence, the adhesive. I like this construction adhesive better than most because I have found it is tackier and less likely to “slide” before it dries.

Since these were the “supports” that all else would be attached to, I made sure they were perfectly straight and level.

I strongly suggest priming and sanding all your materials before installing it…this will save you from a serious dust storm IN the house! First course of business.

I began building the surround by attaching 1x material to the supports I had secured to the wall, using adhesive and nails. I used 1 x 8” poplar material on the outside and faced the edge with 1 x 2 poplar. I attached a 1 x 4 pine on the inside of the supports. Then I added spacers between the two to provide additional support and nailer for the trim.

(At this point the cove crown is just “propped up”…not attached.)

My “best laid plan” was to use crown between the outside board and the inside board….

Okay, here is the problem and where my “plan” completely fell apart.

I was THINKING I would just take plan ole’ crown and “cope” the inside corners. Works on a ceiling, right?

Right…but on the inside corners of a wall/ceiling, you have two pieces of crown joining in the corner, both laying “horizontal.” On the inside corner of this fireplace, you have one piece laying horizontal and one piece laying vertical.

Now, you might not think that is a big issue.

Well it evidently is. I googled, I cut, I made mock ups…I spent an entire day trying to make this work. Evidently this is not a “doable” thing…at least not what I could find.

This might explain why ALL my inspiration pictures were stone or masonry.

I think the reason it worked a bit with the cove crown ( I say a bit, because there were still gaps I had to sculpt with putty and caulk) was because it didn’t have the “fancy” profile of a crown. Smaller cove molding will cut on a 45 on inside corners without coping. The larger cove molding had minimal “gaping.”

If you know anything about cutting trim and coping you know exactly what I am talking about. If you do not, do a TON of research before attempting to trim inside corners…or you too will learn the hard way!

Soooooo….best laid plans.

I rarely just give up, but…..

Time to punt.

I found another “inspiration” that appeared to be “less decorative.” I decided to give this look a shot since it would entail using basic 1x material vs. crown.

Truth is, this is one of those “happy accidents.”

I like the look more than I did the original plan!!!!

I used a 1 x 4 material, then stacked on a 1 x 3 material, then a small cove molding…LOVE.

Moving forward….it was time to attach the large cove crown.

First issue. In all my inspiration photos, I really like the “one piece” look. Since again, they were all stone, the material adjacent to the fire box was the same as the surround. If I recreated that look I would have to use painted wood adjacent to the fire box, and I just didn’t feel comfortable with that. Not that this box gets terribly hot, but it does get a tad warm.

Soooo….what to do. I really wasn’t loving the look of high contrast tile between the box and the surround.

When I was looking at tile, I found a split face travertine tile I really liked.

If you remember the Lankford house den fireplace I installed split face travertine…and I LOVED it. I still do…so I went with it.

Now, travertine is not “all the rage.” So this is a prime example of doing something I LOVE vs. doing the in thing.

Since I decided to go with tile, I used a 1x material for the inside of the cove crown to sit on…just to give it some lift so that the tile wasn’t butting up against it’s 1/4” edge. I glued and nailed 1 x 4s on the wall, then installed the cove crown on top of that.

Second issue…since the cove crown is “polyurethane” and not wood, I couldn’t attach it using a trim nailer. Trust me, I tried. I had to use construction adhesive, then tape it and constantly “press” it until the mastic finally set up. Pain.

Once all that was done, I caulked all the joints, puttied holes, gave it a little sand and then painted it BEFORE I installed the tile surround.

I used a latex paint because my research said that latex is a better product to use in areas where “heat” might be a factor…I guess it has a tad more flexibility. Makes sense.

Don’t forget the Floetrol…makes a world of difference in your paint finish.

After the paint had cured, I installed the tile. Again, there are amazing tutorials out there for installing tile…find one that makes sense to you! Installing tile around a fire box is NOT a difficult DIY project. But you want to make sure you have the right tools (wet saw, properly sized trowel, etc) and that you use a thin set or mastic that works with the type of tile you are using and is heat resistant. RESEARCH!!!!!!

There were a couple of scuffs and marks on the black fire box from scraping the old mastic off. I used a black Sharpie to cover those…works like a charm.

And presto, bingo….a new fireplace surround.

I like it much better than the old one. Bigger but simpler. Not quite so “traditional” looking. Again, I like it much better with the “stacked edge” than I would have with the crown. See, no mistakes, just learning as I go. A lifetime of doing this stuff and I am still learning!

I am EXHAUSTED (just look back at all the projects in the last few months) so I doubt I will be starting any new major projects anytime soon. Course I say that and I am already eyeballing and sketching a few things I have been thinking about starting. Hum….

So until next time…

The newest swing pergola....

One of the first things I did before moving in was paint all my doors black. It just made our new house feel like “home.”

One thing about my old house I have aways missed…the swing pergolas.

I had one in my front yard and one in the back. I loved them and I used them all the time!

Working on my neighbor’s deck gave me a “bug.” I have wanted another swing pergola and now I want to do a little manual labor outside.

Okay, so I didn’t REALLY want to do manual labor. My poor old body was still recovering from the deck build. But like everything else, I want what I want and I know to get it I have to put in a little time and labor…and sweat and tears and pain and agony.

HERE I posted a pretty good tutorial for building a swing pergola. And as I said HERE, if you want one, JUST DO IT!!!

I have built a few of these so for me it was a labor intensive breeze. I will say I use to be able to build these for around $200…thanks to inflation, this one cost upwards of $350 (not including the swing). And it was 8x4 vs the 8x6 I usually build.

But again, I wanted it, so I built it.

And if you want one, I know you can build it!

So a few pictures…..

I just love it…THIS is a link to the swing. Super comfy, perfect for napping!

One major change from my other swings.

Usually I put flagstone under the swing. Quite an expense…roughly $150-200 just for this little space.

Last year the City of Lowell tore out an old one-lane bridge near a house I built and we lived in when my boys were young. They removed HUGE 2” thick 16’ wood planks. My son managed to wrangle a few of them, cut them down to manageable (relative term) 8’ lengths and brought me a few. They have been stacked behind my shop…just waiting on inspiration.

And “inspired” I was. I used the planks to create a “deck” beneath the swing.

I put it down just like I would rock. I excavated about 4” of soil, put down a 2” sand base, then cut and laid the boards just like I would rock. I filled the gaps with sand and soil.. The boards are “rough” and that is okay…gives it character.

The flower pots are ones I have had for eons…they use to be “teal” when teal was all the rage. I spray painted them black and filled them with flowers. Lovely.

i am contemplating staining the pergola black. I have seen a few pictures of black pergolas and I really like the look. Fortunately treated wood needs time to “dry out” before you stain or seal, so I have a few months to mull that over.

In the meantime I have a perfect spot to sit and ponder!

That was last week’s project…this week’s was my living room fireplace. I mention HERE that I wanted to make changes. The changes are made and I am very happy with it. I had to make a few “design changes” due to issues I’ll discuss in the reveal.

So until next week when I HOPE to have the fireplace reveal….

YOU CAN DO IT!!!

This is not a “feature.”

This is not a “tutorial.”

This is to encourage you…IF YOU WANT IT, JUST DO IT!

Wow…that should be a product motto…lol!

But seriously, if there is something you envy…a beautifully painted room or piece of furniture, (this blog is FULL of painted furniture!) a flagstone walk, a swing pergola…JUST DO IT.

I know you can!

A few weeks ago my neighbor asked if she though it was possible to put new boards on her deck…her’s was pretty old and rotted and the railing was a hazard waiting to happen.

The deck is off her bedroom…she likes to sit out there in the morning and drink her coffee. The original plan was to tear off the existing 2x4 deck boards and replace them.

She and her husband decided they wanted to drop the deck a bit, add a step and add steps to the back yard. That was a whole nuther project…and required some serious planning and rebuilding.

Probably a good thing we decided to redesign and rebuilt the entire deck because even the frame was pretty rotted. It ALL needed to go.

The hitch…the only “muscle” we had were 5 housewives/retirees…myself being the youngest…everyone else was over 60.

But by goshy, WE DID IT!!!!!

We demoed the original deck (man was it showing its age!) and replaced it with a brand new one with access to the back yard!

The only thing left to finish is the railing and she decided she wanted black iron railing…so that is on order. When she gets it finished I’ll post some better pictures!

For now, she has a beautiful new deck!

We are not young. We are not strong and we are certainly not “deck design” experts.

I have a little construction knowledge but I have never actually designed and built a deck.

We have the internet.

Between the five of us we managed to work together to lift the heaviest boards.

And we were able to “tag team” so when one got tired, another jumped in.

Two construction dudes could have knocked it out in a day…it took us a week. But by goshy WE DID IT!

It was a labor of neighborly love.

This was certainly the result of a bunch of “old women” giving what we have.

This week I am building ANOTHER swing pergola….I guess working on the deck gave me “the bug.” When I get it finished I’ll post pics. For now, if you want a swing pergola, HERE is a great tutorial. YOU CAN DO IT!!!

Another fireplace makeover....

It is time.

Time to give the fireplace in the living room a little facelift.

Like the fireplace in the den, I have known from day one the living room fireplace would someday get a little makeover.

Its not totally offensive…it’s just…well…I just don’t like it much.

(I didn’t have to tear out what is there to get a good visual like I did in the den).

So the first thing I did was “find my inspiration.”

I did what I usually do…scoured Pinterest and the webisphere and dropped pictures I liked into a computer file….

In it are pictures of fireplaces that have at least one element I like.

I would post all the pictures of individual ones that really struck my fancy but again, I am HORRIBLE at keeping the original source to link back to…but this is my inspiration file.

This is one I like best…

SOURCE

You may notice this is a “stone” fireplace surround…but I think I can make something similar out of trim and paint it.

One thing I know for certain…I want “more formal” than the rock and walnut mantel I put in the den but less that the formal froo-froo in more formal living rooms. Simple but with a little class.

The den, kitchen and living room are all “open space.” The den is our “casual” space and the living room is the more “formal” space…and since you can see both fireplaces from just about any spot in all the rooms, it is important that they be different to reflect their individual purposes but not clash.

Does that make any sense at all?

So, I found my inspiration…or at least 20-30 I can combine to get the look I want.

The next step is to “make a plan.”

To do that, I measured the space (wall width and height, floor to bottom of TV, firebox) and drew it out on graph paper. That way I know exactly what my measurements are.

Again, most of the “inspiration” pieces I like were stone…but those are super expensive and I really think I can achieve a similar look with wood trim.

I haven’t yet decided on what tile I want between the fire box and surround. Or if I even want tile at all…I like the solid look. I think I may have to wait til I get the surround up to get a good visual.

This is definitely one of those “fly by the seat of your pants” deals.

Again, I know I do not want a hearth. This is a gas log firebox enclosed in glass….so no “need.” There isn’t one now so I know we can live without it. Since I went with the stone and natural wood in the den I’m pretty sure I am going to stick with painted.

So…inspirations in hand…check. Measurements taken…check. Set plan…well that is still a work in progress. I ordered the large concave (cove) crown and I will take a piece of that and build around it to find a look I like. I believe this is what they call a “fluid” plan.

This week the ladies in the neighborhood are building a deck. MAJOR chore…but by goshy we are getting it done! It is part of my “give what you have” plan for my life. I get to share a skill set, the ladies are learning something new and the fellowship is wonderful. So far, so good!

Hopefully next week I can get started on the fireplace!

Another grindstone path...

A few years ago I inherited some grindstones that had originally belonged to my grandfather. I shared HERE how I turned them into a path to my storage shed at the Lankford House.

When we sold the Lankford House it was one of the things I wrote into the contract that DID NOT convey. We dug them up and moved them to the Bogey House and set them under some potted plants.

When we were making the side yard pathway a few weeks ago, Brian suggested we use the grindstones to make a path in the large back flower bed.

Outstanding idea. You could hardly see them under the pots and using them for another pathway would really highlight them. Bonus: I have wanted to make a little path in that flower bed.

The original plan was to set them and then fill in with rock…like the rock we used in the side yard.

We raked out the area where we wanted the path…not difficult since it was mostly decomposed mulch from last year. We bordered the area with metal landscape edging then proceeded to set the stones as I did at the Lankford House.

When we were putting down the cedar mulch I decided we should save a few bucks this year and just fill it with black mulch…just to create a contrast.

LOVE!!!

Truth be told, I think I like it better than I would rock. I know it will take some annual maintenance, but it only took 7 bags of black mulch, which is waaaay cheaper than the $250 worth of rock it would have taken.

The hostas are popping, the dogwoods are just starting to bloom and in a few weeks I will fill the other pots with colorful annuals. As I mentioned a few years ago I do most of my summer flowers in pots and just a few in the ground. Saves on my back and knees!

Spring is just around the corner. We have had a few days of “window open” weather but the heat still kicks on every once in a while.

Any day!