ikea list

we'll be in cincinnati visiting family this weekend... which means we'll be stopping at ikea on the way home.  yay!  i heart ikea.  on the ikea list:  

• bookshelves (for upstairs project) 
• potential overhead lighting (for almost any room... we have so many ceiling fans to replace)*

*so... a little backstory:  when we purchased our house we didn't have central air conditioning... what we did have was this ceiling fan in almost every room  - i know :)   so far we've replaced 2... so only 4 more to go!

symmetrical doorways

we realized the other day that the bathroom remodel is a great opportunity to make the 2 entry ways on either side of the tv the same height!  (one goes upstairs & the other goes into the undefined space).   this is great because that was one of the little things that i think eventually would have driven me batty.   the entry way into the undefined space is right beside the new wall we will be building.  perfect right?  we thought so.  this is what it looks like now...

new fun fabric

last weekend i went fabric shopping with my mom (so much fun!).  we visited my favorite fabric shop in columbus - sew to speak.   not only is it chocked full of beautiful, unique, affordable fabrics, but the woman who owns it is genuinely nice & super knowledgeable.  our purpose for visiting was to grab some fabric samples for another project i'll be sharing in the near future.  in the meantime i got these great prints!

ps... this is also where i got the awesome leo fabric for the fancy chair

upholstery class #2 (part 2)

here are pics from my first week of class (which was only 2 nights).  believe it or not, i'm a lot further along than i was at this point in upholstery class #1.  hahaha

i did think i would remember more from the first class.  oh well... as a friend of mine says, repetition is the mother of all learning  :)

for more pictures click here

hip hip hooray for sub-flooring!

the sub-flooring for the bathroom is now down, so no more risk of falling in the hole on the way to the kitchen!  things to be grateful for #29:  neither dj, cheddar or i are sleepwalkers :)

bathroom shopping

dj & i took a trip to lowes over the weekend to look at bathtubs, toilets & sinks... and it was one of the best shopping times we've ever had together!   it's reassuring to know we share similar tastes in at least 1 area, even if that area is toilets  :)  

seriously... we like the straight, clean, classic lines of the pieces below...  & pretty soon i'll have enough compiled to share our "vision" of what the new bathroom will look like.  

memoirs toilet (kohler)

i like the idea of having a flat top on the tank.  i think a nice tray on the back will provide a place to keep pretty things while keeping the bathroom looking tidy & organized.  

memoirs pedestal sink (kohler)

this sink comes in a 24, 27 & 30 inch version.  the 27 inch has the 3 extra inches added directly to the basin - which is nice & deep.  originally we thought about getting the 30 inch, but decided it was unnecessary & might look out of proportion in our larger - but still small by most standards - bathroom  :)

archer bathtub (kohler)

honestly... there are not a lot of great tubs to choose from out there.  we like this tub's simplicity 


oh... & all of these items will be white

fancy chair is now black!

woo hoo!  the fancy chair is now black and glossy (after 2 days & about 7 or 8 coats).   i must say, he's looking mighty fine  :) 

 i imagine there will be a couple of spots to touch up (after transporting to & from class + my skills with a staple remover have yet to be honed) but i can do that with a tiny brush (& left over spray paint maybe?)  yay!  

updating wood frame with glossy black paint

so... for a plan with only 3 steps there is much work to be done.   on the agenda for this weekend:  

• sand.  the wood on fancy chair is covered by a really thick coat of polyurethane or lacquer.  ugh.  it will need to be roughed up a bit so the new finish will really stick.  this is my least favorite part.  it is also the most time consuming as i'm only able to focus on sanding for about 10 minutes at a time (before getting bored, whiny or distracted).  

• spray.  because i've only given myself one weekend to do this (haha), i've decided to use all spray materials.  the positive - spray paint will help ensure thin coats.  the negative - if it rains all weekend i will cry  :(
  

1.  primer = 2 coats

2.  black gloss paint = 2 coats

3.  poly-acrylic top coat = 3 coats

upholstery class #2 (part 1)

i start my 2nd upholstery class at fabric farms on monday (before & after photos from my 1st upholstery class can be found here).  i'm super excited to revamp what i've dubbed the "fancy chair", which was given to us by dj's great aunt helen.  when i removed the fabric i found a card stapled to the arm that said the frame was made in 1959.  i find that kind of stuff really cool.  

so here is the plan: 

• update the wood frame with glossy black paint
• update the fabric with super cute & whimsical "leo" fabric (by Alexander Henry - below)
• scotch guard the hell out of the chair when complete

this is where i really wish i was a photoshop pro... then i could "recreate" the chair with it's new look.  fyi... if anyone knows how to do this, please share :)

     
 

seriously...  how great is this fabric?!?  i think it's going to look quite lovely. :)

pile of trash

this is the pile of trash formally known as our bathroom... & this is AFTER craiglisters raided the salvageable wood.  i have no idea what we will do with this stuff.  maybe host a bonfire party?  yummm..... smores :)

bathroom hole smells

there is a horrible horrible odor that hits you when you walk past the bathroom hole (like a mixture of mildew & dead animals rotting).  i think it is the smell of our basement (which is directly under the hole).  but i don’t understand why we haven’t noticed this incredibly offensive smell  when IN the basement.  weird.