Laundry How-To’s

Yesterday I shared with you our updated laundry room…

Today I’ll share with you how we completed some of these easy tasks and what we learned along the way.

First up….the closet curtain…

I had originally planned to use an old shower curtain rod but the rod was too wide for the closet.  Instead Nate hung two L brackets and one hole straps on the inside of the closet (which is only primed…don’t judge)… 

We hung the curtain (which I made out of 3 yards of fabric) on a dowel rod and placed in the one hole straps…done!  If I can sew this, you can.  It’s a large rectangle with a 1 inch seam allowance on 3 sides and a 3 inch seam for the dowel rod.  You don’t even have to sew that straight if you have a closet like ours.

Next, the shelves..

We purchased two shelving boards and cut them to size.  I primed and painted them.  I used a sample of Valspar’s Radiant Red.  The sample was just enough for two coats on both boards.  Nate hung four L-brackets and screwed the boards into them.  I then painted the white brackets the same color as the wall (Smoky Blue by Sherwin Williams) to help them blend…

I keep trying to go “natural” with cleaners…and then I get lazy.  Bring on the Lysol and Scrubbing Bubbles.  I inhale amoxicillin dust all day.  Pretty sure that will kill me before my toilet bowl cleaner. 

And lastly, the faux roman shade…

I decided to go with the faux shade because privacy really isn’t an issue in our laundry room..except when I walk in half naked in the morning looking for clothes that I failed to put away…but these upgrades are surely going to make we want to finish my laundry as soon as that dryer beeps….for like a week…maybe. And if someone is looking in my second floor laundry room window at 6:30am, I have bigger problems than a faux roman shade.

I followed this tutorial.  It was super easy to follow so I won’t bother with the step-by-step here.  Darby explains it better than I can. (And she remembered to take pictures…which I failed to do.) She used black out fabric but I just left up the blind that was originally in the window to block any light behind the faux shade.  I did have to use some stitch witchery (love the name…it’s basically iron-on tape) on the folds (front and back) because the window is wide and the whole shade was floppy. 

 

There you have it.  The how-to’s on our inexpensive upgrades!! Any questions? 

Who’s coming over to paint the inside of that closet for me?  On a side note, Nate hated hanging ALL of these projects and wanted the title of the laundry room post to include a swear word. Good thing I’m in charge of the writing and he’s in charge of the power tools!  We have a clean blog and straight shelves.  Team work!

Linking up to: Simple Home Life, Remodelaholic,

Lazy Laundry

This week-end Nate and I worked a little on the laundry room.  We didn’t want to spend a lot of money on this room because I’m the only one that sees it.  This was actually the 2nd time Nate had been in this room since we moved in 2 1/2 years ago.  Ok, maybe the 3rd time. 

The room needed help…




Yes,it mainly just needed cleaned but I also wanted it to be a little prettier.  I had originally planned to paint it.  Maybe even add some stripes.  Or pink.  But in the end, I was lazy.  And cheap.
I wasn’t in the mood to paint a room that wasn’t an ugly color…and did I mention that I’m the only one that sees this room. So, I sewed a closet curtain and faux roman shade.  I also painted some shelving boards.  Cheap and sort of easy.  And much cleaner…






I still need to add some art on the walls but I’m debating as to what I want.  We will also eventually add some crown molding and maybe a small sink. 

Our laundry room isn’t like some of the showstoppers that I have seen lately but these small, inexpensive changes did make the room just a little bit cheerier.  And when it comes to laundry…I need all of the cheer I can get!

What are your thoughts on laundry rooms?  Should a dumping ground be a well designed space or does it really matter because no one sees it but you? Does your significant other know where the laundry room is?

Linking up to:  Remodelaholic

HouseBlogging

Have you all heard about HouseBlogging.com? 

I kept noticing link referrals from this site and I finally got around to checking it out.

It’s pretty snazzy.  (I like that word.)

It’s a community site for blogs that are house focused.  Their home page is kind of like a Google Reader that is strictly home blogs.  (Not that I don’t love you crafty/sewing/life bloggers!)

Their current blog directory includes some of my home blogging favorites…

Do you have a home blog that you’d like added to the list?  If so, head on over!  And leave me a comment here and I’ll be sure to check it out!

**I am in no way affiliated with this site.  I just thought it was fun and I only wish I was creative enough to think of these things.**

Hope you all have a fantastic week-end!

It Mooves Me

I have a problem.  I get an idea in my head and I obsess over it.  It usually involves home decor or clothing.  I find something that I just have to have and it consumes my thoughts.  I also have this pesky thing called “a budget”.  Sometimes the two of these “issues” butt heads.

My latest obsession….cow paintings.  I really want a large cow painting to hang in our mudroom. (Yeah, the mudroom that we started working on back in May.)  Cows are so cute.  And paintings of them are expensive…

I’ve had a few suggestions to just blow up a picture but I want a quirky cow painting. Final story. Unfortunately quirky cows aren’t cheap.  Why do I do this to myself? 

Luckily my brother is pretty artistic.  I sent him a link to the last photo and asked if he could paint me one like it.  He texted me this sketch that he drew in 5 minutes along with this message….”possibly i have never painted but shouldn't be too hard ......ppl have been doing it for thousands of yrs. :)- “. 

I’m headed home in a month and I’m going to set him down with a canvas, some paint, and beer and not let him leave until I have me a pretty little cow.  I’m an amazing big sister.

Nate totally doesn’t understand this cow obsession but he is happy that I may have found an inexpensive solution to my cow painting conundrum.

Do you currently have any quirky obsessions?  What do you do when your wants and budget collide?  Who’s with me on the cows?  Or are they a little too midwest-quirky for you? 

Sweet Corn and…

What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you hear “Iowa”?  (Besides the quirky blog girl with the cute dog…)

Most people think corn, fields, or potatoes.  (FYI: potatoes = Idaho. Close. Not really.)

Corn.  Dirt. Fields.  Every time I get off an airplane in the Quad Cities, I take in a deep breath of that fresh farm air.  Love it.  Smells like home.  And sometimes manure.  Eh.

The above field is next to our walking trail.  We tried to get Ike to take a cute picture next to the corn.  He told me he needs to talk to his agent if he’s going to keep modeling for this blog…so I got this….

One of the benefits of these lovely fields, besides their pretty looks, is sweet corn.  Starting at the end of July, almost all of our meals include sweet corn.  I have named this ~3 week period “Sweet Corn and” because all meals involve sweet corn and something else.

It’s the one time of year that I actually eat vegetables all week.  Who cares that it’s a nice starchy vegetable covered in butter and salt?

How do we cook it?  We shuck the corn.  (The dog is no longer allowed to be on the deck when we do this because he steals the corn and eats it.)  Next we bring a big ol’ pot of water to a boil.  Once it’s boiling we cook the corn for about 3-4 minutes.  (Is it sad that I had to ask Nate how “we” did this because I don’t cook?  I do, sometimes, help with the shucking.  Girl power.)

Sweet corn is best eaten on the cob with butter and salt.  Delicious.  It’s pretty decent frozen but there is nothing better than eating it straight off of the cob.

Any local foods that you enjoy in your area for a short period of time?  Do people in other parts of the country eat sweet corn for every meal during the end of the summer?

Striped Sheets

I have a slight obsession with stripes lately.  When I saw these sheets from West Elm, I knew I had to have them.  Plus they were $30.00 off. I’m a sucker for a sale.  And I think I had a bad day at work.  I work because I shop. I shop because I work.  Viscous cycle.

I’m in love.  With sheets. Wrinkly sheets.  Who irons sheets? Seriously.  Don’t tell me you do. 

I was slightly worried because they were 200 thread count and I don’t have a West Elm near me to touch them.  They aren’t as soft as our previous sheets (which were a higher thread count). I may be blinded by their extreme cuteness but I think they are cozy.  Nate, on the other hand, claims the sheets are ripping his skin off.  I believe that is his poison ivy.  It’s hard living with a princess.

More importantly…what does Ike think?

Looks like he approves!  It also looks like I lost my spot in bed…

Do you and your significant other disagree on bedding?  How do you compromise?  I’m thinking about sewing half and half sheets.  Or we’ll just let the dog decide!

Rod Lightening

Do you remember when we made our own curtain rods for our master bedroom? (If not, read about it here.)

The black just wasn’t doing it for me.  (Neither is that ceiling fan but we’ll get to that another day.)

I decided to lighten the place up with some satin nickel spray paint.  I choose Rust-Oleum’s Satin Nickel.  It was ~$9 for the can.  Ouch. It is worth it though because I can speak from personal experience that the non-metallic spray paints are weird looking.

After a quick spray paint session, our bedroom now looks like this (with a fast dog)…

The bedroom is slowly getting coming together.  What’s left?

• Learn to fluff comforter and turn off ceiling fan before photos.
• Build a bed frame.
• Install crown molding.
• Replace ceiling fan with a less ugly ceiling fan.
• Replace carpet with wood floors.  (I’m dreaming big here.)

Does anyone out there have a completely finished room?  If so, how’d you decide you were finished? Once I think I’m close I always dream up something more.  Tell me I’m not the only one!

Stroll Down Memory Lane- Siding

I’ve been slacking the on the look back at our house building process.  Mainly because we didn’t take many pictures during this time period because we were doing super fun things like wiring and plumbing.  Not very photo worthy.

The last time we looked back, the house got some mortarless brick…

It was then time for the siding on the front…

Wasn’t our yard beautiful?? Love it.

We also finished siding the back of the house.  We hired the guy that framed the house to do the REALLY high siding.  DIY stops at a safe height…at least for Nate’s mom and I.

There you have it! Roughly 3 years ago.

What were you up to 3 years ago at this time?  I was about a month into being a pharmacist.  I worked 8-5 and then went to work on the house from about 6-9/10ish.  Every day.  I’m not sure how I did it.  I can barely manage to clean for an hour at night now…let alone paint all of the trim in the house. Craziness!

All Jacked Up On Mt. Dew

It’s time for my final Pinterest inspired post of the week.  (Here’s #1, #2, and #3!)

Today’s Pinterest inspiration was this recipe for Mountain Dew Cupcakes…


Mountain Dew and Cupcakes.  Two of the world’s greatest gifts. 

Diet Dew is my vice.  I’m not afraid to admit it.  I wouldn’t make it through a day in the pharmacy without it.  It helps me deal with situations like this (keep in mind, the following is a true story)…

Pharmacy technician:  “Ummmm, Michelle.  There is a clown in line to pick up meds.  What do we do???”

Michelle: Looks at line.  Holy cow, there is a real life clown.  I am going to be killed by a serial killer clown.  I knew this day started horrible but I really don’t want to be murdered…by a clown.  Calm and cool….”Just wait on the clown.  I’m sure they are just heading to a party.”…..at 9:30am. Oh man, I am going to be killed by a clown.  (I have a vivid imagination.)

Luckily it was a very nice hobo clown who was headed to an award ceremony for National Clown Week (which is this week…Shout out to all of my clown readers!)…but I totally needed a Dew after this one. 
I digress…

How can you go wrong with Mountain Dew and cupcakes together?  I know about 85% of you are thinking “You can go very wrong, very easily on this one.”  And the majority of you are correct.  Not good.  Not bad. Kinda weird.  I made them for work.  I work with vultures…who also love Mountain Dew.  The vultures ate like 4 of the 24.  Not such good odds. They looked kind of pretty though…



You can find the recipe here….if you don’t trust me and want to try them yourself.  I even cut back on some of the citrus flavor and they were still a citrus lemony-limey mess.  A moist cupcake with good frosting consistency but weird tasting.  It’s like you take a bite and you think…hmmm..a little weird. How about another bite?  Still weird.  But I think I might like them. 3rd bite. Nope. Just weird.

This recipe concludes my attempts at trying out projects that I pinned on Pinterest. I will go back to pinning away with no real hopes of attempting any of the them any time soon…those truly are the best pins.

What’s the worst recipe you have tried?  What’s your vice..or vices?  Anyone else automatically think a clown in a pharmacy in a bad part of Quad Cities, IA is a serial killer?

Hive Vase Sort of Knock Off

It’s time for Pinterest Challenge #3 (Here’s #1 and #2 ).

It’s no secret that I love West Elm. Just not their prices. 

Take this vase for instance….$24….seriously?  It’s tiny.

I REALLY liked it…but not $24 liked it.  So I pinned it and moved on.

And then I got to thinking (scary, yes), didn’t I pin something about using puff paint on glass jars and then spray painting them?  Why yes, I did!

How hard could it be to do a hive pattern on a $0.50 vase from the Salvation Army?  Quite hard actually.  About half way through I was about 2 seconds from clicking on “buy me now” on the West Elm site because I was so frustrated with this project.  And I went I get frustrated, I buy things.  (I should mention that it was also near nap time…my nap time.  Note to self.  Don’t do crafts when sleepy.)  But I did eventually finish it.

Eh.  The puff paint didn’t come out quite as even as I would have liked but at this point I was just glad that I had found a way to get some resemblance of a hive pattern.  It looks good from a distance.  Ish.

If you have a steadier hand, it may be worth trying.  Here’s how I did it.

Round up your supplies:

• A jar or vase
• Puff Paint
• Stencil

Step #1:  Figure out how to get your stencil onto your vase for easy tracing.  Or freehand it if you are super crafty.  Just don’t tell me about it.  I may hurt you.  The memory is still a little to fresh on this project.  I ended up printing out a bunch of little hives and then taping them to the inside of the glass jar (which I failed to photograph…because I was angry).

Step #2: Trace stencil with puff paint.  It helps to have a steady hand.  I do not.  (Dental school dreams were crushed when I realized that my shaky hand would cause some problems in a person’s mouth.)  The puff paint didn’t come out evenly.  I decided I liked it that way.  Because I was tired.  Don’t mess with my Sunday afternoon naps.

Step #3: I spray primed and painted the vase after the puff paint had dried.  Easiest step of the whole project.

Step #4:  Display it…proudly?…in your master bedroom.  You know, the room that a lot of people don’t see.

I’m kind of over crafts right now.  At least my dresser has a little bit more life.

Have you ever tried to knock off something that you loved? How’d it turn out?  What are your thoughts on knock offs? Are they thrifty or theft?  (Here’s a link to this topic on Apartment Therapy that has me thinking.)