The den window reveal!

From day one…three years. That is how long I have wanted to put a window in this room!

It was a cave. There are windows and a door on one wall but they are covered by the enclosed sunroom so the natural light is seriously defused. (HERE I swore I was through with major projecting on the house…HA!)

I crave natural light. This house has TONS of windows, but the majority are adjacent to a sunporch, screened porch and covered front porch. All which I am grateful for…I just wanted a hair more light in the den.

My original thought was to put a window on both sides of the fireplace. Unfortunately, the guest room closet extends out behind the bookcase to the left of the fireplace…so that is a no-go. That’s okay…I need the built in bookcase. (HERE you can check out how I refaced the fireplace!)

(Obviously I did not take “before pics” and the only picture I have of this space is from Christmas!)

A window on the right of the fireplace is doable….for someone like me with a bit of experience. Personally, I don’t think this is a “novice DIYer” project. If you are hell-bent, watch TONS of tutorials first and be prepared with a stand-by sheetrocker, framer, electrician, trim carpenter and brick/siding expert just in case you find yourself in over your head.

Even then, if you don’t have a basic understanding of how a home is constructed, I wouldn’t even attempt it. (HERE I posted a little bit about framing for a door or window)

Also, I highly suggest you check your local codes. You may need to pull a permit to modify framing.

As you can see from the post when I modified the laundry room opening I knew I was going to have to put in a header and maybe a few extra studs. Since I was only installing a 32” window, I figured I could just get by with a 2x4 or 2x6 (at the most) header.

Nope. When I opened the wall I found a support that was FOUR 2x4 sandwiched together…have no idea what that was all about. I went into the attic to see if maybe they loaded the roof rafters or something onto that area…not as far as I could tell. But what is there is there and I wasn’t about to assume it was just over kill.

Which meant I needed to put in a 12” header which meant I had to move the exterior light to make room for a bigger header, cut out way more sheetrock than I anticipated and add more stud supports.

CURSES!

All that being said, again it is doable. So if like me, you just HAVE to have a window (or even a door), go for it!!!

And go for it I did.

Again, I am not really a tutorial kinda person…there are tons out there, why reinvent the wheel. And honestly, every project will be different depending on what is behind the sheetrock.

Case in point.

After all this “rough in” framing was done, I drilled through the corners of the opening (using a wood bit to drill through the plywood and a masonry bit to drill through the brick) and marked where the actual opening would be.

My brick guy then came and cut out the existing brick 3” from the mark where the actual window opening would be….

You can see in this picture where I had to move the existing exterior light!

While I was waiting on the brick guy I was able to get the sheetrock repair done…HERE I shared a little tip about sanding sheetrock in the house!

When the window finally came in, I cut out the plywood…MAN OH MAN!!!!

If it weren’t 100 degrees out I would have just left a big ole’ hole in the wall.

There are TONS of tutorials on how to properly install a window…read them and follow them to a T. Find one that makes sense to you!

After the window was installed, trim and paint! The brick guy came back and installed a window “casing” with new brick around the window ….

This house is 23 years old so I can’t find the exact brick to match but I found one that was pretty close! (HERE I shared how I used this “good enough” brick on my shop!) This is why he cut the brick 3” around the actual rough in opening.

What a difference this little project made!

I LOVE IT!

Fortunately I originally bought matching sheers for the breakfast window and the den window. I couldn’t find sheers that matched them so I took the sheers from the breakfast window and used them for the new window and bought new for the breakfast window.

I love all the the wonderful light and the view of my flowerbeds! Blooming dogwoods in the spring and fall foliage in the few months!

Lovely!

How to sand sheetrock without a big mess!

My recent big project is one I have been eyeballing since day one.

Windows in the den next to the fireplace.

(Naturally I neglected to take a “before” picture so this is the only one I could find of the space…Christmas!)

My original plan was to remove the bookcase to the left of the fireplace but I discovered that the closet in the guest bedroom extends out so that part of the exterior wall is partially covered by that guest closet….poo.

So the only option was to leave the bookcase, which I honestly need, and just add a window to the right of the fireplace.

Why?

Well first, I love natural light…one thing I love about this house is the abundance of exterior windows.

The only problem is MOST are adjacent to a covered patio, a sunroom and a screened porch. So MOST of the natural light is seriously filtered.

Great for heating and cooling, not so great if you like natural light.

The den has windows and an exterior door, unfortunately both are on the wall adjacent to the sunporch.

Nice windows, but again the light is seriously defused. So the den was basically a cave.

ANYWHO, I wanted a window in the den…for light and for fresh air.

So, I busted out the sheetrock, removed the exterior brick, moved some electrical outlets and fixtures and framed in for a new window.

Sounds so simple. It was NOT!

First, you never know what is behind your sheetrock. In my case there was serious framing. Then there was the electric outlets and exterior light fixture. Of course insulation and brick and Lord I can’t even remember it all.

One a scale of 1-10 this is a 10 DIY project. For me, not that huge of a deal because I know electrical, I understand basic framing and I have a great brick guy. But for your average Joe, my suggestion is hire it done! And expect to pay dearly.

But even this old dog can learn a new trick. I saw this suggestion somewhere on the interweb but have no idea when or where. I had never tried it but because of some serious sanding needed on the sheetrock I decided to give it a shot!

Just duct tape your palm sander to a shop vac…then turn the shop vac on while running the sander.

(Palm smacking forehead!)

Boy did it work! I would say 95% of the sheetrock dust went into the Shopvac vs. all over every piece of furniture in my house.

A FEW TIPS.

Make sure the holes on the sand paper line up with the holes on the sander…that is where the dust goes.

Tape well between the sander and the Shopvac hose to prevent dust from creeping out. I used duct tape.

Make sure your Shopvac has a clean (preferably new) filter.

I have never used an electric sander on sheetrock in the house before…just waaaaay too much dust. This time, due to circumstances I won’t go in to, I knew a light hand sanding wasn’t going to cut it. Hooking the sander to the shop vac was a game changer!

Adding a window, whether you have brick or siding exterior, is doable. Just know that it is not a project for a novice DIYer!

Next time I’ll share the transformation! HUGE difference!

Christmas! It really is the most wonderful time of the year!

I almost didn’t do a Christmas post this year because I thought not much has changed.

But every year I add more and more to this house.

A few weeks ago I shared the new “black and white” tree in my office (I shared the accent wall and office makeover HERE)….

I love this tree and this year I wrapped all our Christmas eve gifts (shhhh…it’s pajamas) with white paper and black and gold ribbons to match the tree….LOVE!

Next year this tree will play an important role because we added a VERY special element to our Christmas decor.

In the 40s, Brian’s grandad (his Papa) gave his dad a used cast iron train set for Christmas. Brian remembers it going around his Papa and Grammy’s Christmas tree every year.

This year Brian got it from his dad. It is magnificent!

This year we are displaying it above the dining room with some miniature Christmas knick knacks and little fairy lights.

We can’t put it around the main tree in our living room because of all the gifts but next year we will put it around the tree in the office.

Why….because next year we will have a 10 month old grandson who will absolutely love it…it goes around the tracks and even blows steam!

When I began to look around I realized how much has indeed changed because of all the little projects I have completed this past year.

The dining room…I added wainscoting and the china display cabinet and that changed everything up a tad!

No major projects in the entry this year but I added a tartan holiday rug from Ruggable!

So far I really love this rug and am considering getting one for the living room!

The breakfast room…this year I added the board and batten and a new china hutch….

It didn’t change up things too terribly much…just added a few touches to the hutch, moved the tree that use to be in the corner onto the screened porch and replaced it with the tree that was in the office last year!

My master bedroom….

I’ve never decorated the master bedroom for the holidays but this year was kind of a fluke. I ordered a ton of stuff for the guest room earlier this year. My oldest son is currently staying with us while he gets his pilot license so there is really no reason to deck it for the holiday. So I decided to use all the holiday froo-froo for my bedroom.

I LOVE IT!!!

The green pillow with the Christmas trees is one I made with the scraps from THIS never ending quilt project. (To date I have made 8 quilts, two pillow covers and one throw pillow)

My friend brought me this amazing star from Germany…I can’t wait to add a light to it!

The little tree is the one I had in the guest room last year. Next year when the big dog kennel is finally gone I am going to put up a bigger tree. Similar to the one in the office…only red and white! (I am slowly working my way to my dream of having a Christmas tree in every room!!!)

Decorating this room was a no brainer since, like the guest bath and office, you see it from the entry….

Not sure why it took me three years to do it!

The living room…earlier this year I changed out the fireplace surround. It didn’t make a huge difference, but this year I decided to add garland to the fireplace mantels. I desperately wanted the soft touch Norfolk pine that is all the rage but by the time I knew I wanted it, it was all sold out.

I have to be careful about the height and placement of any mantel decor because of the televisions (one of the few “design concessions” I gave Brian) .So I settled for some pretty frosted berry picks…four laid out in a row. I added them to the living room and den fireplace mantels.

I left the mirror in the living room and I love how it reflects the tree!

Truthfully, I think I like the color and texture of the picks on the mantels better than I would plain green garland.

Great example of doing what you love rather than what Pinterest tells you to do!

So simple and so pretty.

Last year I shared how to make these little door signs…still think they are cute as a bugs ear! (the one on the left really is my wrapping room)

I did change all the other door wreaths. It really isn’t hard. Candle wreaths with a little ribbon…simple and inexpensive but very pretty throughout the house!

The kitchen…the only change in there this year was the pantry. Humungus difference for me for holiday baking but didn’t change the holiday decor!

I didn’t change much in the “Stewart plaid” all season room. I found this darling Stewart plaid top hat topper in a Christmas shop in Breckenridge and had to have it!

Little has changed outside…I did finish a TON of projects this year but nothing that really affects decorating for the holidays! (Check out the outdoor swing pergola I featured HERE)

I scattered a few things in my laundry room…nothing earth shattering.

So, while there doesn’t seem to be a lot of changes, additions and tweeks, there are.

I hope you and your family have a WONDERFUL holiday!!!!

The never ending project....

Six months ago I shared a project I was working on …quilts. Sewing…UGH!!!!

As I pointed out in the original post, it was for a good cause…a way to show off the years of Christmas PJs my family wears every Christmas.

I finally finished the first SIX quilts I tackled.

Four are throws that are being given to my daughter-in-laws and my grandsons for their birthdays. I know they should probably be Christmas gifts but I want them to have them for the Christmas season. I also made a twin size and a full size for the upstairs bunk room.

This past week I added shelving and organized our spare room closet so that Brian can move all his “stuff” out of the guest room closet and into the spare room closet. While in the process I finally decided to organize the boxes of leftover fabric from the massive quilt project.

Well, low and behold, I had enough panels to make a throw for Katie…might as well whip that up…

…and Sarah wanted pillows…I didn’t have any panels for those so of course I had to whip those up as well…

…and I wanted a pillow using some scrap green velvet I found…whip that up. Two days of “whipping” and I am WHIPPED!!!

But I managed to use up a good bit of my leftover scraps and get everything organized. I still have a bunch of plaid pieces left I may do something with…someday!

It has been a few weeks of “giving what you have.”

One neighbor wanted a counter top over her washer and dryer…done!

Another wanted a walnut mantel… (similar to mine)

…and a storage divider for her baking sheets…

Done and done.

And of course I have a long list of things I want to get done before we head out on vacation in a few weeks. So little by little I am chipping away at the list on my refrigerator.

No, the closets and the sewing projects weren’t on the list.

That reminds me, I need to add them to the list so I can check them off!

The wardrobe reveal....

Last week I shared the wardrobe cabinet I planned to refinish and convert to a display cabinet….HERE.

Definitely lacking in soooo may respects. But I had a pretty good idea of what I wanted to do with it.

These “inspiration” pictures have been on my computer for over a year, just waiting on the perfect piece to transform!

The last one is probably my favorite…a Pinterest find. It was the one that influenced me the most, as you will see.

So the plan…remove the panels in the door and add glass. Remove all the shelves and add glass shelving. Lighten the back of the inside. Strip the doors and drawers and apply tung oil. Paint the rest of the outside of the cabinet black. Replace the hardware. Add a light.

So of course the first step is to deconstruct and then begin the stripping process on the doors, drawers and inside back panel.

What a chore!!!! I think someone, at some point, had applied at least 20 coats of poly. The 1/2 acetone, 1/2 lacquer thinner process I shared HERE, wasn’t cutting it. I applied Citristrip and wrapped everything in plastic wrap…that seemed to do the trick for 80% of the finish…then I was able to sand off the rest since this was mostly solid, then clean it up with the 1/2 and 1/2 mixture. Remember, you don’t want to vigorously sand veneer because it can be super thin and you can end up sanding right through it. I started with an 80 grit then finished with a 220 grit. Then I hand sanded it with 220 to get it butter smooth.

I knew this piece was old (which is why I know the poly was NOT the original finish) and that was confirmed when I checked out the underside of one of the drawers.

It was signed and dated…most likely by the person who constructed it…August 11, 1914…wow!

The other thing I discovered was the mortise and tenon peg joint. So super cool. Normally drawers are constructed using dovetail joints. This was unusual to find, but probably not unusual for the times.

I removed the doors to make it easier to work on the inside as well as make it easier to strip them. Remember to ALWAYS reenforce screw holes when you remove the screws. Not hard at all. Just take a match stick, dip it in wood glue, then insert the stick in the hole and break it off.

This will ensure that when you go to reinsert the screw, it won’t be loose or “wonky.”

I stripped the inside back panel then sanded it down. I tried lightening it with oxalic acid but it still seemed a tad to dark and a bit yellow. So I ended up applying a whitewash. Just a little white paint mixed with water, brush it on, wipe it off…like a stain. I can still see the character and grain of the wood but it lightens the interior considerably.

There was a tiny bit of veneer on the base of the cabinet and one side was in pretty rough shape. My original plan was to remove all the old veneer and apply a new piece. I planned to paint the outside of the cabinet so it didn’t matter that it would be different than the other side.

Problem was, when I went to remove the loose veneer, some of it was SUPER stuck…as in it was NOT coming off.

Soooo, punt.

I scraped off all that I could then I used wood filler to get a smooth surface.

This picture is after the 1st coat.

The whole process took a lot of time and patience. Fill, let it dry, sand…apply some more, let it dry, sand. It probably took 3-4 applications to get the side perfectly smooth and ready for paint.

REMEMBER, paint will NOT cover poorly patched or repaired areas…if anything it will highlight it. So take your time and do it right!

After patching, puttying and caulking, I primed the entire outside of the cabinet with primer, sanded it smooth with 220 grit paper and then wiped it down with a tack cloth.

I then spay painted it with a flat black paint. Remember, light coats…2-3.

The paint I used SAID it was primer and paint in one. As you may know, I do not trust that and will ALWAYS apply a good primer before paint…always.

I stripped the drawers and doors (using this process) and I used my new favorite tung oil finish to seal them.

I added new shelving support using some leftover walnut I had from my office feature wall project. I wanted good solid support since it would be holding glass shelves and china…glue and nails!

(This is solid natural walnut…no stain…just an oil finish!)

I moved it in the house before I added the glass or hung the doors…just made it lighter and easier to move…okay, RELATIVELY easy…this sucker is big!

So, my original plan was to put it in my office. But it covered too much of the feature wall I worked so hard on. I moved the Drexel server into the office and put this cabinet in the dining room.

The final touch was the hardware. My original plan was to find some simple tear drop hardware. While looking, I found these precious little ginko leaf designs on Etsy.

Back story…years ago when my kids were little we lived in a house that had a HUGE old ginko in the court yard. I have the loved these trees ever since. Kind of quirky but with a story.

I added a LED light inside the cabinet…simple!

Now I have a place to display more of our family china.

Rather than fill it with all the china I have stored away I selected a few serving pieces of each set. I like to use antique books as risers so I picked a few up at a local flea market.

The only things I purchased were the candle lantern and a fake plant. I know, fake plants are suppose to be “faux pas” these days…I don’t care…I can’t keep a real one alive and it looks lovely.

I love to decorate this room for every holiday so I can’t wait to doll this piece up for fall in a month or so…then Christmas.

I think it will be just stunning!

The wardrobe makeover....

You may have noticed I have been MIA for a few weeks. Pretty unusually for me.

It is the “dog days” of summer…just too stinking hot to do anything major outside. Really too hot to do any projecting inside that requires me to go outside. Just plain HOT!

I have been working on a few little projects. My neighbor has been using her golf cart garage as a make shift office. A tiny little garage in her house with a tiny little garage door. It is heated and cooled and is a good little space for a small office.

No I did not take before pictures. Wish I had because after she had the garage door replaced with a large slider, I spent a few weeks repairing walls, painting and changing out the lighting.

SOOOOO darling. The large slider looks out over her flower garden and the space is just wonderful!

This was one of those “Giving what you have” projects. I can paint, repair sheetrock and do minimal electrical…and that was exactly what she needed.

I also started painting my interior trim. At some point, eons ago, I painted all the trim in the house a “whiter” white. Well now I have found a white that is even “whiter” and is my new “go to” white. BM Chantilly Lace. At some point I started using it on all my trim…when I gave my master bedroom a makeover….the laundry room…my office. I used the new whiter trim paint in all those rooms. But the main part of the house all has the old white trim. When I added the wainscoting in the dining room, I used the new white. No one but me could probably tell the difference….but I could. So now I have to repaint ALL the trim. Curses.

Good project for the dog days of summer!

A few early morning yard projects…a few “give what you have” projects…but really nothing earth shattering!

But that is about to change!

As I have shared, my days of major furniture makeovering are pretty much over. The ole’ back/knees/hands just can’t take it any more. But every once in a while I decide to take on something because, well, I want it.

For over a year a few “inspiration” photos have been on my computer. I just LOVE these cabinets….

(Again, no I don’t have sources…I found them on Pinterest and dropped them onto my desktop. I think the second one is an Etsy find and the third one has her watermark on the photo! She has a pretty good tutorial for the this makeover on her website!)

I just love these pieces and always knew if I could find the perfect piece, I would get it. Never thought I would, until I did.

A local flea market posted this piece….

It just so happens that last week I finally sold one of my office pieces….this credenza has been languishing in my home office since we moved in just collecting dust.

It is one of those pieces I LOVE and spent entirely too much money on…so the thought of selling it for pennies was painful. But it had to go…it no longer served it’s purpose as a flat screen tv credenza and was taking up space. So now I have moved my desk to that wall and have nothing on feature wall.

My plan was to put a mid century style credenza on that wall…the wall treatment is kind of “mid centuryist” and I do have a lot of other pieces in that genre. I absolutely love the style and was pretty much sold on the idea. Simple, clean, sleek. No frills or froo-froo.

But when I saw this old wardrobe, I knew it was exactly what I didn’t know I wanted.

Okay, not EXACTLY…it needs some serious work!

I brought it home and parked it in my garage.

I love being able to park my car in the garage now so I RARELY use it for projecting. But this piece was just too big and hulking to haul back to my shop so I decided to give it a facelift in the garage.

The plan….remove the door inserts so I can add glass. Strip and oil the doors and drawers. Strip the interior and lighten it…either with wood bleach or a whitewash treatment. I don’t want it painted “white” but I want it lighter. Rework all the shelving and add glass shelves. Lighting is a must. Paint the cabinet black. Black cabinet, natural wood doors and drawers, lighter interior.

I THINK the doors and drawers are walnut but I won’t swear to it until I get it stripped….I CAN’T WAIT!!!!

I think it will be amazing!

Funny…I have spent the last 20-25 years leaning more towards simpler, mid-centuryish stuff. Moving away from “traditional” and all the old antique stuff I loved so much 25 years ago. Now I find myself drawn BACK to those styles.

Part of it may be this house…I have the space to accommodate larger pieces. But I think the real reason is “style influence.” As much as I THINK I do my own thing and don’t allow myself to be influenced by the trends of the day…if I was honest, I think I do. I use to believe “my style” was mostly eclectic…leaning more towards mid-century/transitional. If I REALLY look at how I have decorated this house, I think it is kind of “modern farmhouse”/traditional…still eclectic…just a different mix.

Hum…interesting.

Regardless, I still think there is something to be said for being “eclectic.” This is a piece that you wouldn’t think would work in a room with a “mid century” influence…the desk, the side table, the wall treatment. But I think it will look amazing!

But that is me…to each his own.

Maybe next week I will have this done and ready to share…maybe. It is still pretty hot outside!

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!