Category: Inspiration

DIYing in the Time of COVID-19

3/24/2020

Well Howdy Friends! While the COVID-19 virus has caused a slew of shut downs, postponements and social distancing, I have been staying home to avoid the possibility of infecting anyone in my community who is at high risk. Since we live in a community with a high number of retirees, it is super important to keep those members safe. Unfortunately, my Hubs has been forced to work in close contact with personnel in his office, fixing their computers and touching their desk areas. Until he can stop being exposed, I cannot be sure I am not being exposed. It's a numbers game as any epidemiologist will tell you. You have to wait out your last possible exposure for at least two weeks. Until the people in this country take this seriously, this virus will continue to spread. You do not have to be a brain surgeon to understand this simple fact...
Ok, off my biologist soap box now... ;-) I am just hoping you are all staying safe and healthy!

Hubby and I have worked the last two weekends building a new outdoor kitchen area adjacent to our new deck. OH! The new deck! I have been negligent in posting here, but may I introduce you to our new outdoor space...

These pictures are from last November when it was just finished. Our contractor did a fabulous job, but the weather and the Trex decking availability didn't always cooperate for them. The end result is pretty great! We are looking forward to many neighborhood parties when we can all actually be together again.

If you look to the top right of the above photo, this is the area that needed some help. There is a blank wall of holey vinyl siding right where the grill is...

We spent the last two weekends building this addition to that area:

Urgh, that siding. I cannot wait to get new siding put on this house! Unfortunately, that is not in the budget for quite a while, so we get it cleaned and live with it...
I do have plans to add a bit more flare to this wall and maybe hide some of those holes... ;-)

We built this using mostly leftover materials from the deck and other projects. We had the 6X6 posts and 2X4's leftover from other projects and the Trex was left by our contractor from the deck project. The sink is our old kitchen sink we kept after getting new countertops. With a few plumbing supplies and a clearance faucet, we spent less than 100 bucks on this build. Man, I love a good bargain DIY!
We decided not to integrate the grill into the build due to fire issues and grill longevity. Who knows how long that grill will last and when we replace it we didn't want to have to retro-fit anything into this build. It is also freestanding and movable for future projects on the house.

We still have the camping trailer renovation to complete and the shed roof is in dire need of replacing. These are projects we can do ourselves without exposing anyone else.

Just remember, it may seem like forever when you have no symptoms, but this quarantine is key in preventing the spread of COVID-19 to our most vulnerable citizens. #itsnotaboutyou

Just look around your home. I am betting there is something you can DIY to keep yourself distracted and busy... OH, and wash your hands! ;-)
Cheers!
M J

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Luxury Vinyl Flooring Completed! (Sorry for the hiatus!)

8/2/2019

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Happy August! Yep, August. WTH? Last time I looked it was May! It has been super busy until the last couple weeks, so I am not going to beat myself up for being absent here. This blog is my hobby after all. It's not a job, I make no money from it and putting stress on doing this only makes me run away from it. Why? Well, when we are expected to do something, sometimes we rebel against that something. I do admit to feeling guilt for not posting since February, but, hey, we been busy! ;-)
Back to the pretty stuff! We finally finished the floors! We started them in February, hence the hiatus, and Hubby finished up the fiddly bits in June. JUNE! Let me tell you, this project is not for the faint of heart. I can't even tell you how many times I broke down working on this one. Not to mention my back is still in recovery. Anywho, here is the finished floor:

AND we also had a new front door installed! The previous black hole in the living room is no more!

The flooring flows throughout the entire house save the two bathrooms. Both bathrooms will receive full upgrades to ceramic tile in the future, just not now. We need a serious break from flooring for a good minute... :-)
This flooring is by COREtec, 5 inch Plank in Rocky Mountain Oak. It was a bit touchy at first learning the click-lock on this particular product, but after realizing we could run the flooring in both directions with no issues, we were sold. Just being able to install this flooring in any direction allowed us to flow the flooring from room to room with no thresholds. One of the best attributes of this flooring is the fact that it is waterproof throughout. This floor will not absorb water and warp like laminate. Believe me, after a washing machine overflow in our first house, we learned quickly just how bad laminate reacts to water. NOT GOOD. May sound gross, but if you have animals, especially a cat (or two), cleaning up after the occasional hairball incident is soooooo much easier now! LOL!

When I mentioned the fiddly bits earlier, I was talking about areas around doorways where we were left with small gaps. This is due to the click-lock nature of the flooring. You always need to give yourself space to lift up the piece of flooring you are installing to fit the tongue into the groove. Hubby filled the small gaps with matching wood putty that flexes a bit. It works well enough and you can barely see it unless you get down on your hands and knees to look. Man, I hope no one does that at our next party! LOL!
The other issue was HVAC floor vents. Since we went with a fairly light oak color flooring, we were able to purchase off the shelf oak vents that match pretty well...

There are tutorials on the COREtec website and plenty of YouTube video tutorials out there if you are interested in this product. I won't go through the entire process, but I will show you what state our subfloor was in:

Yeah, there was A LOT of hand planing of swollen subfloor. This particle subfloor is the entire reason we went with a floating floor instead of real hardwood. We had two contractors give us quotes and the better of the two refused to attach anything to this subfloor. He said he would just float the floor and if he was doing that, we may as well install it ourselves. NOT what I wanted to hear (my aching back!), but I was impressed with his honesty. Oh well, it's done now!
And look how purdy!

Thank you for hanging in there with me! I am currently on a lifestyle-changing journey and am giving myself space to allow health and wellness to flow to the forefront. If I am absent from this little corner of the web, I hope you will understand!
It's not that some people have will power and some don't, it's that some people are ready to change and others are not.
-Carl Sandburg
Well, I'm ready to live a healthier, happier life WITH new floors! ;-)
Cheers!
M J

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DIY Chinoiserie Lamp

2/1/2019

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One small DIY project that I was able to complete last year was a new lamp for the side table in the living room. I have a collection of blue and white Chinoiserie pottery scattered around in the living room, so I thought a coordinating lamp would be cute. I did do a little shopping for a Chinoiserie lamp and, Yikes! Sorry, but $260 bucks for a small table lamp is NOT happening. After a quick trip to Lowe's and 12 bucks later, I had a blue and white mosaic tile to work with...

I already had the cheapo Ikea lamp on hand. I updated a similar lamp for our bedroom here.
After I measured carefully, Hubby cut me some scrap wood to create the base onto which I could glue the tiles...

After the base dried, it was a simple task to glue the tile into place! I did have to use some painters tape to secure the tiles while they dried.
Here is the end result:

Not bad for 12 bucks! It gives just the right amount of pattern to our otherwise boring side table.

This was an easy project to complete while I was recovering from surgery last year. It became obvious that it would take longer to recover after that new sofa was delivered in pieces and I could not budge a few of them! When I have to call in a neighbor for help, you know I'm hurting! LOL! These small projects helped me recover, slowly, day by day...
Your body cannot heal without play. Your mind cannot heal without laughter. Your soul cannot heal without joy.
-Catherine Rippenger
Have a fabulous weekend Everyone!
Cheers!
M J

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Long Time - No See!

1/27/2019

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Happy Belated New Year! I have been totally MIA from blogging for a while due to many reasons, but let's not dwell, hhmm? Let's just say I put my personal health on top priority and that's that. I have, however, continued to DIY and create on my wee hiatus from this blog! So happy to be back and catch you up!
First of all, we finally had our quartz countertops installed in the kitchen, purchased new pendant lights and counter stools. Here is a before and after:

If you can tell, the peninsula was cut much wider to allow for true counter seating. This allowed us to fit four stools instead of three. The quartz is beautiful and is fashioned to mimic Carrara marble...

Of course, the quartz is worry-free compared to marble. No sealing required and no special care needs besides using trivets for very hot pots and pans. It has been a dream compared to the butcher block we had previously! All we did was take a spare subway tile with us to match the whites and the choice was simple. The company measured so perfectly, the counter snugged right up to my DIY backsplash. A small bead of silicone and done!
The pendant lights are the Cora pendants from Lamps Plus. I stalked these pendants until they came back into stock and I got a price drop email for half price. I just knew they would add sparkle to that new countertop...

The counter stools were from Houzz HERE. These are much more comfortable than our previous stools and were also a bargain. I really wanted something a bit modern with a wood tone that would coordinate with our other furniture pieces in the space. These fit the bill perfectly...

As you can see above, the floors are still awaiting attention. I am happy to report that the Hubs has ordered the flooring for the entire house and it is on a truck headed our way! Of course, our knees and backs won't be so happy very soon... LOL! We are putting the flooring down ourselves, again. Joy. ;-) We have plenty of experience, I think it is just the sheer square footage that is a bit daunting at the moment...
The most rewarding things you do in life are often the ones that look like they cannot be done.
- Arnold Palmer
We are firm believers that anyone can accomplish anything (even 1600 square feet of flooring) with a bit of research and hard work. Oh - and a good set of knee pads! :-)
Cheers!
M J

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Small Patio Updates

4/27/2018

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Hi there Everyone! I hope your week has been great and you are ready for the weekend! I know we are! We got to hang out with Friends last night on our little back patio and it was so lovely. Last weekend my Friend and I did a little shopping and wound up at Pier 1 for their outdoor sale. We were in need of seat cushions for the 2 metal bistro chairs, so, of course, I bought cushions, pillows, placemats, and melamine plates... LOL!

We also FINALLY invested in new umbrellas and what a deal they were! While food shopping at Aldi, they had these beautiful 9 foot wooden market umbrellas for 30 bucks each! That is less than half the price in the big box stores, so Hubby snapped up two! Our original umbrella is over 20 years old, faded, heavy and super hard for me to put up. These are lighter and have a pulley system that makes them really easy to open. The other umbrella will replace the old beach umbrella by the conversation area, but it needs an in-ground stand. Hubby is working on it! :-)

The cushions I covered and pillows I made with outdoor fabric are still holding up well. Of course, we put our outdoor cushions into the shed when we are done using them each time. This is why our old umbrella has lasted for over 20 years! ;-) If you plan on leaving your cushions and pillows outside all season, I would recommend treating them with an outdoor waterproof spray. There are many options on the internet. Since our shed is so conveniently close, it is just easier to throw them in and shut the door!

This was my view yesterday afternoon. I actually got to relax with a magazine and my lemon water! :-)
And, yes, we are still parking out back since the concrete guy said to wait 2 weeks to park on the new driveway. I am parking on it today, darn it!! LOL!
Have an absolutely fabulous weekend Everyone!
Cheers!
M J

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Good Riddance 2017 – Welcome 2018

12/29/2017

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I must apologize for falling off the face for months. This year has been fraught with sorrow, pain and disappointments galore.

Losing my last living grandparent, my Grandmother, was very painful. Although I know I should have been able to show my sorrow more, I was only able to voice it to a few. I simply chose to mourn my Grandmother in my own way, in private. Of course, that was easily done since my Grandmother was cremated and there was no memorial service… I digress.

Undeniably, some sorrow spilled over from 2016. Losing our beloved cat Raven was still weighing down my heart at the beginning of the year. I mourn him still.

Being in a state of sorrow does cause more stress, leading to more health issues. Clenching my teeth for decades, even with a night guard, has caused some dental issues. Gaining weight from stress amplified my female issues and my arthritis pain. Let’s hear it for stress! Yay! ;-)

The ridiculous state of politics in this country is a constant stress inducer as well. I have all but stopped visiting my social media sites and I avoid any news station on TV. While political issues will not affect me too much personally, many of my family and friends will pay dearly. Oh, and an imminent threat of thermonuclear war doesn’t help with the stress levels either…
Again, I digress.

Others are dealing with worse, I know that, but I am just writing this for a type of catharsis. Thank you for indulging me…

On a cheerier note, our neighbors' cat, Vader, now lives with us. They moved and asked us to care for him. He is a handful and we are still trying to acclimatize him to our schedule. If you were wondering, it is NOT easy to retrain a 9 year old cat. LOL! He is on a diet (because he is so fat he cannot clean himself), he likes to go outside (even when it is 17 degrees out), he wants to eat ALL the food, and he scratches our furniture. With all of that, we are still enjoying him. Example: We took him to the Vet for updated shots and mentioned that he couldn’t clean his behind. The Vet said, “No problem! We can help keep that a bit cleaner…”. We had no idea he would come back with a Brazilian shave… Hubby and I never laughed so hard! LOL! The look of shock and disgust on Vader’s face was priceless…

We gave up on the camper for a while and covered it for the winter. Hubby almost finished the outside of the new porch, but the freezing cold has set in now. It will have to wait for warmer weather…
Waiting… That has been sort of the theme of the year. I am tired of waiting. Tired of waiting for the sorrow, the pain and the disappointments to fade away. No more waiting. 2018 will be the year of making everything better. Whether it be surgery to handle my female issues or forcing myself to finish that damn camper! I realize now that the waiting has come from a place of fear. Fear of failure, fear of reproach, fear of the unknown, and I am just now admitting to myself that I lost my joy for a bit. Let's make 2018 as joyful as ever!
Happy New Year!

Find joy in everything you choose to do. Every job, relationship, home... it's your responsibility to love it, or change it.
- Chuck Palahniuk

Cheers!
MJ

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Frugal Table Setting Upgrade

2/16/2017

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If you have been around my blog for a bit, you'll already know how much I love a bargain! My Friend and I were checking out the new spring items at our local Pier 1 when I came across the clearance section... New blue and white square plates for 5 bucks a piece? Yes please! I knew these would coordinate with the dishes we already had so I snapped them up...

I had napkins and other dishes to coordinate, but I had nothing to bring a little "pop" to the table setting. Being as frugal (aka - cheap) as I am, I decided to make my own napkin rings out of an old dress from my project bin. I knew this dress would come in handy some day!

All you need for this project is some thin cardboard cut into strips, like a cereal box destined for the recycling bin for instance. My strips are 2 inches by 6 inches. Break out your scissors and cut up that old dress to cover the cardboard strips with your trusty low temp glue gun...

The frayed edges on the backside are easily covered by some grosgrain ribbon that was just hanging out in my craft stash. Just cut the ribbon to size, use a lighter to sear the ends to prevent fraying and glue it down...

Next, use a shot glass or, in my case, a sake cup to bend the strip around. You should have enough of an overlap to glue the ends together...

And you have a nifty new napkin ring that coordinates with your new table setting for practically nothing! Now, just do that 5 more times... ;-) Here is my new table setting all ready for a party of six!

I also stole a few items from other areas of the house to coordinate the centerpiece, lit some candles, and switched out the throw and pillow on the bench seat...

The cool part about this project is that I already had everything I needed. Next up, I need to gussy up a few old kitchen towels to match - I have plenty of that old dress left to hack up! Just goes to show that if you love the pattern of a piece of clothing that doesn't fit properly, you can always use it for something else. All you need to do is look at things in a different way.
"The happiest people don't have the best of everything,
they just make the best of everything."
-Anonymous
It's almost Friday! Have a great weekend Everyone, make it the best!
Cheers!
M J

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February Door Decor

1/27/2017

1 Comment

Happy Friday! I hope everyone is surviving the week here in the USA. It has, admittedly, been extremely difficult to be positive with such a dearth of negativity constantly pounding at us from all angles. Whatever your views, let's be honest with ourselves here: The current atmosphere being promoted is NOT helpful for anyone in a supposed "free society". Luckily, nothing can be done by this current mood to diminish the love for those we hold dear in our lives. Let us always remember that.
To that end, I decided, against my usual modus operandi, to create a Valentine's Day door hanging this year. I usually stick with my winter door decor as you can see here. Sooo, I pulled out some leftover stuff I had around the house to create something lovely...

I always save bits of ribbon and odd cuts of scrapbook papers. I also had this faux ivy just sittin' around waiting for me to either throw it out or do something creative with it. Seriously Folks, this took me like 10 minutes to throw together and I smile every time I see it...

As you can see, we left the original pineapple door knocker from the previous owners. It is old and heavy and just a lovely reminder of hospitality...

I heart this so much! ;-) And I heart you Guys! Just remember...
"We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope."
-Martin Luther King, Jr.
Here's hoping for a better February!
Cheers!
M J

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Well, that was a long break...

11/4/2016

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Hi there Everyone! I can't believe it has been over two months since I've posted here. All I can say is that I needed a break from all of the work on the house and life sometimes gets in the way. My last post was the finished kitchen. Well, after that, the Hubs and I were spent. Yes, we have completed a few minor projects since then, but after working on this house non-stop for a year, it was time for a break.
Of course, I also injured my foot (which had to heal), attended some nice events with Friends and Family, had a scary trip the ER, took vacation to California Wine Country and lost our beloved cat, Raven, forever. In short, the last few months have had their ups and downs and decorating has only just now started to slightly creep back into my current thought processes.

There are some things you learn best in calm, and some in storm.
-Willa Cather

We have been enjoying our local area scenery and restaurants...

And our first vacation in 5 years to Sonoma and Napa Valleys was great...

And since today has only been a week since we had to say goodbye to our sweet Raven, here is a reminder of just how beautiful our little guy was...

Our Friend had her annual Halloween party the next day, so we did try to have some fun through the tears. I was Flo and Hubs was Mayhem...

With our sleepless nights (I keep waking up and feeling for Raven at my feet, urgh) and work ramping up (our December Conference is coming up), I'm not quite sure how productive we'll be on the home project front. However, I will definitely try to update the blog more frequently.
I hope you are all well and looking forward to the Holidays!
All the best and see you here soon!
Cheers!
M J

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Our New Kitchen FINALLY Finished!

8/18/2016

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Believe it my Peeps! FINALLY DONE! YAY! Hubs got the cabinet doors painted over the past few weeks and we finished up installing them last night:

As you can probably see, Hubby also got the under cabinet lighting and the lighting in the glass door cabinet installed as well!

The satin paint worked out well as the doors are still durable and wipeable! Yup, already been there... ;-) The paint colors are Valspar Bistro White and Kettle Black. I also got to do a bit of accessorizing since the visual clutter of the open cabinets is finally gone. I still find it funny how many people told me that they never missed those doors at all!

Please allow me a small aside here... Hubs and I have been DIY'ing and helping with house projects since we were both kids. My Dad was a carpenter in his early days and his Dad was in maintenance. His Mom was always painting something in the house and my Mom did everything from tarring the roof to making wreaths. In other words, we come by it naturally. We enjoy it. That being said, we do NOT boast about it, we talk about it. 'Cause, hey, we ENJOY it! We are NOT telling others they should do what we do. We may ENCOURAGE others a bit, but there is absolutely NOTHING wrong with hiring a professional contractor. Heck, we have! I am only saying all of this because I want those that have perhaps a bit of insecurity about tackling a project to know: People are different and they have different priorities. We simply enjoy what we do. Period. Ok, I'm done! ;-)
Here's a last pic of the finished kitchen! AAAHHHHH, so happy! :-)

Thanks for hanging in to the end of this post! Just remember, you can do anything you put your mind to if you just TRY. Fear of failure is a cop-out and messing up is required. DIY, as in life, is a learning process. If we never try anything new in life or ever stop learning, what's the point?
Have a great weekend Everyone!
Cheers!
M J

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<<Previous

DIYing in the Time of COVID-19

Luxury Vinyl Flooring Completed! (Sorry for the hiatus!)

DIY Chinoiserie Lamp

Long Time - No See!

Small Patio Updates

Good Riddance 2017 – Welcome 2018

Frugal Table Setting Upgrade

February Door Decor

Well, that was a long break...

Our New Kitchen FINALLY Finished!

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