Some of the Living room Makeover!!!

Heres my hunny up on the ladder taking down the old ceiling fan and white track lighting. he also took down the face covers of the beams so we could run it through the planner and finish them off a lil nicer than they were before!

This isn't a true before picture as where the fish tank is use to be a formal dinning area. we decided to build an in wall fish tank with shelves and storage... as you can see it is not completed yet. Also we use to have a small sunken living room.... which we both liked but it didn't serve the needs of our family so we raised it and installed laminated flooring. Tundra series from Ikea..... I really like the look of it and the cost was great!!

was looking through some old photos to see if I could find any before shots and well here are the best I could find.  This was once a formal dining room with LOVELY burnt orange carpet....(sarcasm) The funny thing is I really do like burnt orange!! 

Right after Kali started to crawl we moved our living room into what is now our dining room off the kitchen. We couldn't keep it in the sunken living room part cuz there was no way to block off where she could fall from because it was all open. So for Christmas we set up our dining room in the sunken living room part.......long story short this is what my sunken living room looked like prior to us raising it with out once again ever sooooooo beautiful gag carpet.

this is a better view of what was once the dining room that attached to our kitchen...... now we installed a wall with a built in fish tank and storage on the living room side and a walk in pantry on the kitchen side.

These pictures aren't in order but I'm tired of trying to figure out how to move them!! This is the focal wall in the vaulted section of our living room above the new built in aquarium/storage part... that still needs finishing touches. We did install lil pocket lights before closing in the wall for when we add shelves to light it up nicely on a dimmer switch.Because we di this reno in the winter after we planed the wood we didn't put a finish coat of sealer on it cuz the smell would be to great sooooo we still have to do that too but it should match the fan fairly close.

Just another lil tidbit about these pictures...... I was looking FOREVER for some kind of art work to put up there that wasn't going to cost me a fortune because the space was soooo large to fill. Too small would look out of place and I didn't fell like or have to to do my own stretched canvas...(which is still costly) So I went to a surplus store where my lil bro lives and they had these pictures on for $9.99 each I guessed 16 would probably fill the space which it did so for $160 bucks I thought it was thrifty and Fabulous all in one...... its not everyone, its a bit crazy looking but I dig em!!

This is a bad shot and I will have to see if I can find a better one.... front of the living room, after we raised the sunken in part.

My hunny mapping out where to drill all of our holes for the 16 pictures we bought to hang!

Again this is Dougie following my instructions on where to drill holes, But this also has a small shot of the track lighting Doug took down, sanded and sprayed flat black!! I was skeptical cuz I HATED the white track lighting when it was up. But the span of our living room and the size of the lights plus the fact that we couldn't add any electrical anywhere in this room left us limited for a cheap fix. But I have to say they look great BLACK!

Again bad picture, I know I have others but need to find em......basically this is a shot of the window we took out of the dining room and relocated it to the living room (the lower one). As well as the wall our colour!

Here are the beams before we planned them they were rough and dark and unfinished. The wall colour I loved but it got nixed cuz it was too dark..... this picture doesn't look as bad as it was. The picture before the photo doesn't do the wall color any justice either. Its a bit darker than that. 

Well thats it for now will post more living room photos when I find em. I will also do a post on how easy it is to plan out your holes for hanging pictures!!! You'll be kicking yourself for all the holes you needlessly put in your wall. 

Do it yourself Stain Glass

I'm trying to To reorganize any post from my other blog pertaining to the house and import it over here. SO I just found one on the the windows that I stained with do it yourself paint in our bathroom......

I was thinking today about my bathroom...guess its cuz poor Penny was spending sooooo much time in hers that I had a good look around mine!! LOL Anyhoo I was thinking how much I love my windows...... When we bought the house the previous owner was into making stained glass stuff....I must admit I would love to learn how to do this!!! She had made two hanging stained glass windows to put over top of the existing windows. I really liked the look of it...but ofcourse when they moved and sold to us she didn't leave behind her lil jewels. I also have to confess that I am not a lover of window treatments...I can never make up my mind about what I would like to go there. I didn't want curtains...or blinds...but I needed something cuz the bath tub is right by the windows and though I don't think my neighbor would be able to see my naked ass getting in and out of the tub I didn't want to take any chances!!! So I decided to do my own stain glass treatment!!......its the cheating, cheaper version but I love it and it still lets in the light and I have no window blinds or curtains to contend with.
I'd never done it before so it was gonna be a trial and error thing.....but I must say it was very simple and easy to do. it took a bit of time to finish it...I think it took me probably 12 hours in total...I'd work on it for a bit, then give myself a break, let it dry and continue on. In the end I thought I did a pretty damn good job!! its not super cheap to do but when you price out two stained glass windows the sizes I'd need.... it was SUPER CHEAP!!! The stencils will cost anywhere from 14 to 20 bucks I bought two, then I bought extra straight pieces which are 10 bucks each the window paint is about 3 bucks a tube so depends on how many colour you want....I still have lots leftover and my windows are pretty big. Alot of times at the craft store you can get the stenciling stuff in the cheap bins thats where I bought the next design for the french doors I don't have yet!!
Heres some tips if you plan on doing this!!
1. ensure your window is clean and dry before starting
2. figure out what you want before starting
3. measure out your windows and divide them equally I used a ruler and pencil to draw my idea on the window first.... then just tried to match the flowers and stems as much as I could free hand. its not perfect but I think it adds charm.
4.While your in the groove place all straight pieces in one sitting so you don't forget how you were doing it. press them on firmly...some of mine peeled back abit ..I just re stuck em.
5. when you start to paint the insides if you are doing a design with the brush...like dabbing or such ...try to finish all the design parts at one time or your stroke may vary the next time you do it and it will show.
6.Toothpicks worked for me...don't over fill the small stuff you don't want it to bubble or run...you can always add to it but its hard to take it away!!
7. if you don't like it let it dry and scrap it off with a razor blade....there were a few times I did this.

I also plan on doing a window or two in the greenhouse I have yet to build!! but I thought it would look pretty in there!! I have more ideas than time and money!! but I guess we all do!!

On grey days like today the windows don't light up as much as they do with the natural sunlight coming in....but I still love em!!!

Tree Fort

I don't know if we will get a chance to build a tree fort /play set this year but I am definitely excited about figuring out what to build and where!!

so here goes my wish list for their fort

1. Two or three level area including the ground level
2. two swings
3. two slides..... a lil one was given to us that we could use.
4. a rock climbing wall
5. a straight bar for hanging upside down on
6. rings / monkey bar
7. net ladder or fire pole
8. bucket on a rope for lifting stuff up to the top of the tree fort
9. a zip line not sure if we have a place for that but I think that would be a gas!!
10. a roofed in area/fort with electricity lights and a plug
11. Doug has an old front grill from a jeep I'd like to incorporate.
12. We have a sign from Dougs Granny I'd hang somewhere, even though it says Granny's House I think it'd be cool out there. We have a few other signs that might work.
13. a lil flower box under the windows
14. a sand box area
15. be nice to have a area to put a baby pool under the slide and a water hose down the slide for some summer fun on hot days.
16. A water cannon would be great for the kids but not so great for us sooooo I think I'll nix that. 

Is my list too massive!! whats that saying go big or go home!! I figure my kids are young enough that they will get years and years of play out of this. Plus us being in a more rural area I think they would use it longer than some other kids cuz there no other real place for them to go to out here. 

Its probably the last thing Doug even wants to look at this year as we have soooooo much other yard work to get done. This, I'm excited for, the other stuff is just work... thinking and designing this makes me feel like a kid again!! Again I got sooooooo many ideas from Barbara Butler!!! Go check out some of her stuff..... I guarantee you'll spend some time on her web page.

Does that come in adult sized!!

I have been wanting to get a swing set/play fort for the kids. I was thinking of buying one of those big costco ones. I figure my kids are little enough that they would get years of use out of it!! Then I thought wonder if we could just buy the bits and build one ourselves. So having this handy dandy internet decided to look for some ideas...... I came across a lady named Barbara Butler, my god does she do some cool structures!!! I' d be playing in there!!! I think my kids would have a gas for years and years in that. Maybe will have to think about building them the Shari and Doug version.Wouldn't it be cool to have an adult sized lil escape house.......to go lounge and read a book or just relax in a beautiful outdoor surrounding.

To the OUTSIDE!!!!

Well we have been on an unofficial break from doing renos in the House!!! We have sooooo many lil touches still to do. And I really haven't been me..... not sure what the deal is there but I have no desire to do anything even when I'm left alone and have the time to. So we have been on a bit of a breather..... I keep saying I'm going to finish off the hallway and I'd rather just go to bed!!! How sad is that???

The weather has picked up here and I find myself making a mental list of all the things I'd like to do in the yard. Our Yard is in some dire straits!!!!

Well, ever since we moved in we have been doing some kind of major yard project!!! And trust me there is no end insight!!! We can just pluck away at it and do as much as we can. But I am excited at the idea of figuring out what to do with some of our outdoor space.

The Kids Rooms

One of my most viewed post is how I rebuilt Kalis closet..... it gets a ton of hits because of Laura over at Orgjunkie

Infact I think this one post accounts for pretty much any traffic that comes here!!LOL I don't care I have always LOVED talking to myself!!! its how I get things done!! Plus its not weird, I'm a Gemini!!! I pretty much have to tell the other half of me whats going on! 

I added in here to save you from blog page hopping!!

So as you all know we've been working hard at getting Kalis room together and her moved over so we can work on Parkers room and have it done before his arrival!!!( I hope)

So heres a before shot of the closet with all sorts of stuff in it!!! theres empty shots of the closet....it was functional but not what I would say fully used. Kali being a girl needs a closet she can grow into.. there was no place for long dresses and a huge upper shelve that just was not being fully used to its potential!! I have to say I love to design closet spaces and get the most use out of them. So hope you enjoy the photos.
If you are designing a new closet space figure out what all you want to put into it and work with what else you could use the space for and design accordingly. I spent under forty bucks to do this space. I reused the old stuff that was in there just cut it down with a table saw to sizes that better suited me and bought two new pieces, used the scrap from the one I cut down and built the middle top piece to size cuz it was an odd size that I couldn't buy. I did all on my own... Doug doesn't like doing closets...plus I find I have an idea of how I want it and its better if I go with it he'd want to revamp my idea....so if I can do this on my own SO CAN YOU!!!!!!

PS Papa if you are reading this I made a nice small shelve on the bottom for you to make Kali a Jewelery drawer...Phone me and I'll get you measurements...just white melamine board or if you wanna get fancy you could make one that pulls out and she could take it with her after.

Heres a post on Parkers Room and Closet!!( or read below) I really need to update some pictures of his room.....hes now in a toddler bed, and the nursing pillow I'm glad to report has been long gone!

So like I said I've been BUSY BUSY BUSY.... Parkers room is mostly together, just have the closet doors to paint and the bedroom door to paint and hang!! oh yeah and to put PT in his room so he can enjoy it!! Not much time left!! I still have to pack my hospital bag!! LOL I know I know I gotta get on that!! Plus Doug and I still have to set up a bed for Dougs parents who will be arriving somewhere around the 19th!! Looking forward to having some company and some extra HELP!!!! LOL

Heres PT's room ....it looks soooooo empty compared to Kalis, in time it'll get filled!! ( probably overfilled!!)


The Nursing station, rocking and reading....and maybe even my bed some nights!!

Parkers closet...... looks sooooooo empty compared to Kalis!! But a girlfriend Stacey whos son Brett was born the same month 2 years ago has some hand me downs for Parker!! Should fill it up real soon!!

This will be the changing station, theres lights built into the bookcase that have a dimmer on it. I just LOVE this crib set my mom and little bro picked out!!

PT's BIG BED..... I Love these crib to college beds, Kalis is one too!! it'll convert to a day bed then to a double bed and back to a crib if they want it to for their kids!! Great Uncle Bill made the toy box in the corner for Kali but It looks better in Parkers room so they'll have to SHARE!!!


So what do you think???

Do it yourself Girly room Light!!

I still Love this light fixture I made for Kalis Room!!!  transformed.... from gaudy to Chic!!

Heres a couple of before pictures of a kitchen chandelier that was given to me I

decided to see if I could transform it into a cute girly chandelier for Kalis room.I was looking at one in Canadian Tire and it was $180 bucks and for a 3 lamp one was $130 bucks....so Free sounded like I should give it a try!!

I sanded down the brass, gave it a white paint job, pulled the guts out and flipped it around the other way so I could put shades on it!! then I bought 5 shades and hot glued some fringe to it, bought some colored bobbles at the craft store and put then on some fishing line....presto!! I think it turned out Okay!! what do you think??? I think I spent $50 bucks!!