New Molding and Lots of Prep ~ Room Redo

If you see a smile on my face, it's only because I'm dreaming about how much brighter my house will look when we're through.  Actually I'm usually a lot  happier when I have a project to do, as long as I don't have to do it by myself.  So with me and Neil working together I'm pretty happy right now.

We added crown moldings a few years ago when we first remodeled this area of the house but we never got around to the windows and all the little finish up details.  Here's the windows before the molding was added.

Pretty Plain and dull.  Neil bought the trim pieces and trimmed them out just a few weeks ago.  No one ever said we were fast.  In the next pictures you can see the new trim which hasn't been painted yet.

It's a really open house with all the walls we removed when we started this project years ago.  No body ever believes that this is actually a 1920's house.  All new walls and bigger rooms with all new trim made a huge difference.  If you look at my old house photos part 1 here and part 2 here, you'll see what I mean.

I'm standing in the dining room side of the archway Neil created between the dining room and the living room.  It used to be the bathroom.

I really love the trim color but I would have liked to have gone to a shade of white.  Not the bright white of the window trim above.  But with this much trim, I had said I would never paint it again and I am so glad that I don't have to.  I'm mudding in all the little cracks and all around the new window trim (these things happen with an older off grade (i.e. above ground) house.  We bought a paint shade that will work with the trim so there may be a little trim touch up, but it would take forever to paint all the trim in these two rooms if I changed colors.  So yea for keeping it the same.

In the photo above you can see some of the new window trim.  Neil still has to get some trim to go between each set of two windows.  We have 3 sets = 6 windows across the front of the house, that includes the joining living room and dining room.

I always dread starting projects like this, especially mudding and painting.  There's so much clean up.  But once I get started I enjoy it.  It gives me a fresh clean feeling and I get nice and worn out so I sleep really good.  I just can't wait to see the new color.  Now, does anyone know where I can win a shopping certificate?

I can't believe Friday came so fast this week.  Ya'll have a fun weekend!

Hugs...Tracy :)

Quote of the Day

"If you hear a voice within you say, you cannot paint," then by all means paint, and that voice will be silenced."

         ~Vincent Van Gogh (Birthdate March 30, 1853)

{Okay maybe this wasn't exactly the painting he had in mind.} LOL

Re-use and Make Do - Spring Is On It's Way

We had gorgeous weather this weekend.  Highs were in the mid 80's and lows were in the 50's.  Ahhhh...Spring is here in Florida.  But typical of  Florida the chill isn't really gone we've got a cool front coming and that means the temperatures plummet back into the 69-71 range.  Yeah, I know don't hate me because y'all be laughing come June when are temps are closer to 100 and we can't walk outside for 6 months.

But while it was feelin' nice I did get a little Spring crafting done.  I've had the old wall tin sittin' in the shed for years so it was due some respect.  Here's the before.

And now for the after.  Ta-da.....

And it didn't cost me a thing.  Yippee!!  First I freshened it up by sponging a little fresh paint on the tin.  Then I went to Graphics Fairy, where I printed out this cute Fresh Strawberries label.  If you haven't ever been over to Graphics Fairy, you don't know what you're missing.  Karen is so sweet and generously shares tons of vintage and graphic images with her readers. I didn't have any color ink in my printer but I didn't let that stop me. 

I just used some colored chalk and gave it a light vintage feel.  Then went over the whole label with a sponge & a ink pad.  The flowers I gathered around the house.  Now the porch is starting to brighten up.  I probably do need to buy some Spring/Summer flowers.  These are a little Fallish but hey you have to go with what's on hand sometimes.

 Thanks Karen!!!
What did you do this weekend?  I'd love to hear about it!
Hugs....Tracy :)

*Be sure to come back tomorrow, I'll be posting a new giveaway

My New Old Cabinet After Summer Scrapes and Cuts

We all know summer is full of scrapes and cuts but isn't it usually the kids?  They're all home for the summer, outside playing, having the time of their little lives.  

I wasn't having fun and believe me I'm way past school age.  Last week I could only be described as klutzy.  At the first of the week I was walking through the dining room with a smile on my face saying good morning to everyone.  The next thing I know my feet are as high in the air as my knees should be and with the sound of an overloaded dump truck I was laying on the floor.  The tile floor.  Not a lot of give there.  Ouch!!!!  My elbow seemed to take the brunt of it.  My MIL's our cat Pumpkin was in the middle of the floor and has the poof-est cotton hair.  It's like stepping on silk threads.  I'm not kidding I didn't just slip and fall forward catching myself, my feet went totally to the right and my body went totally to the left where I prominently hit the floor.  Lived through it for better times to come.  

Well by Saturday better times had come, not for me but for the evil mojo that keep me on the ground.  We have some cinder (cement) blocks on the other side of the wraparound porch and silly me stepped on them, fell, scrapping myself all the way down.  Much bigger ouch!!!  Such an attractive look for shorts season.  


My sinus' are the only thing playing with me.  And this is not my idea of summer fun.

On a much brighter note take a look at what I found.  A sewing cabinet!  Solid wood, no it can't be!   When I first saw the cabinet at GW, it was marked $39.95 cheap enough but not today.  No it's not the prettiest but it has lots of potential with great bones and I've wanted one for YEARS.

I went back the next week OMG it's only $29.95.  I asked the manager about it.  Is it going to be marked down again do you think?  The sweet surfer dude manager said it's been here awhile.  Why don't you come back Monday and if it's still here I'll mark it down and you can also get the 10% senior discount.  Hiding my err. for the senior comment I went home with dreams of a new cabinet dancing in my head.  I tell my sister that I hope the age eligible for a senior discount is under 55 since I'm only 50.  By now she is on the other end of the phone cackling with laughter. 

Monday morning came and things kept getting in my way.  Hate that.  I sneak away by 4:00.  Entering the store with a combination of hope and doubt and my necking stretching like a giraffes I spot it.  Way in the back.  It's still there.  
 
Heart pounding I rush  to the managers office and remind him.  He comes back minutes later and tells me the new tag's on it.  I couldn't snatch that baby off fast enough.  I grab a precious little side table marked $3.99 and head to the front.  When I tell her I get the seniors discount she looks at me with shock  (thank you Ms. cashier) and says you can't be 65.  SIXTY-FIVE..........It's still ringing in my ears.  Surfer boy thinks I'm SIXTY-FIVE?  Say it ain't so.........  I prefer to think he was just being generous with his discounts but he made no effort to assure me of that, but I tell her what he said, and we both have a good laugh.  Thank you again Ms Cashier for trying to ease the pain.  None the less she gave me my 10% discount (for being sweet and not 65 I hope).  I left paying only 10.66 for my new sewing cabinet.

Boy, what humiliation a thrifter will suffer all in the name of a deal.  So last week I took a beating both physically and mentally but I got my sewing table and my deal that I'd been dreaming of.

This little table's going to need a lot of work but I think it could turn in to a real cutie.

So now after all that I had a 2 day migraine and now a sinus head cold, but it was so worth it.  Now I have the redo to dread look forward too.

Hope you're all having a fun Summer week!  xxoo's....Grandma Tracy :)