Magazine/Notebook Holder

I needed help with some notebook organization.  I was keeping a stack next to my chair in the living room for numerous reasons.  I was looking on amazon to by one and then it struck me, Jeff could make one for me!

While at Home Depot for one of our trips, we were in the pre-made wood section and I noticed these sculpted shelf holders.  I held them up and noticed this would be perfect.  I showed them to Jeff and he agreed with a some cut wood he had at home, it would be great to try.

After determining the right width that I wanted with the pre-cut wood from other projects, he used his nail gun and secured them all together.  I used the original color that was picked out for the bathroom, Irish Cream to paint the holder.  At first Jeff and his dad was teasing that I didn't even paint it at all since it was so close to the wood color, but they believed me after I showed the bottom was not painted and what it looked like.

Now, my notebooks are organized and looks much better then just a messy pile. 

Modern Adirondack Chair

We've been busy. Jeff found a Modern Adirondack Chair pattern on YouTube and adopted it.  I was so excited he was making one, since we've been talking about buying the traditional made ones for our yard.  When he saw how the modern chair was to be made, he jumped right on it to make one.

Off to Home Depot for supplies.  Soon after, Jeff got to work and made a beautiful chair.  It was so comfortable, I was in love.   Owen even wanted one made for him (soon you'll see a very colorful adaptation of this chair for him made).  We decided to stain the chair with Dark Walnut (Varathane brand) and seal it with polyurethane.  It's so sturdy and functional, I think we have a winner.

Stay tuned for more Adirondack Chair ideas we've come up with to make the chairs even better (if that's even possible).

First Chair

After the DIY bug bit us and Jeff made beautiful shelves for the bathroom, he was moving onto other woodworking projects.  He watched some YouTube videos and decided on making a lawn chair.  He said it looked simple and I was hopeful since this was something we can all do together.

Off to Home Depot we went to get the supplies.  We are like kids in a candy store when we go there!

When it was time, Jeff worked in the basement work area to create his first chair.  I could tell he was proud of what he was accomplishing when he'd take a break and explain what was happening.  I'd go and peek while he'd work and smile over how much he was enjoying himself.  As the chair was coming together, Drew announced it was his chair.  We didn't mind, the chair was sturdy and could handle kids jumping on it with no problem.

Drew declared he wanted a RED chair.  We went to Walmart to buy exterior paint.  We just needed a small can of paint, so that was the right place to shop.  He looked over all the color options and came up with Fahrenheit Red.  While we were waiting for the paint to be mixed, he picked out the right paint brushes for the job since he was going to help paint his chair.

 

Once the chair was all set to paint, I was excited and worked on getting Drew motivated to paint.  Nope.  He didn't feel like it (even after finding the perfect brush to use in his eyes).  My other helper, Owen, came out to assist and supervise.  He painted the bottom of the chair and then played in my van and talked my ear off while we were in the driveway.

Jeff got home from work and put the chair together.  It was so bright from the red color, but it was definitely a sturdy chair.  It's heavy and will not blow over.  I can't pick it up to move it, but its well made and will last a long time.  We've been on the look out for the perfect cushion to go on it to finish the look off, but Drew really enjoys using the chair without one.  He doesn't mind!   I also sealed it a few days later even though we used exterior paint to be extra safe to protect the wood and paint.

Bathroom Decor

It took some time for the decor to finally arrive for the bathroom and to put it all together.  There was some items that I loved seeing online, but when it arrived it just didn't go with the theme in that room or didn't look good on a high shelf, so it was placed somewhere else.

Let me just say I love to shop on Etsy.  When ever I could find something made by someone that I love, I go there first.   Then my second go to is Amazon, then down the line to Target and then Walmart.

 The clock on the shelf might look a little out of place (like Jeff said, why do we need a clock, we have our phones) but it was a gift to my dad from his employer for working for 25 years before he retired.  Since he passed and now the clock was sitting in a box in our basement, I distressed it and placed it on the clock for its new home.

Bathroom Make Over

It was time.  The main bathroom needed a make over.  The last time it had a coat of paint was before the kids were born, over 11 years ago.  We had replaced a toilet and the old tank was larger, so when the new tank was installed, you could see the original paint job that stuck out beyond the tank.  The cat tried to jump in the window years ago and scratched the walls since he missed on the first try.  Dings were visible in the wall from years of use...........it was just time.

        

The floor was in decent shape, so at the time we were thinking of keeping the existing green linoleum tile style floor.  The new paint color was picked out, Irish Cream and while we were at Home Depot we looked at vanity's/sinks/mirrors and then it was decided we should do more than a coat of paint.  We were doing a full make over in the bathroom.  Then while shopping at Walmart, we saw flooring on display and it looked beautiful and that was when we decided we'd put a new floor down (and found a cute medicine cabinet to go with the other things we wanted to buy at Home Depot).  Between Walmart and Home Depot, we found all the hardware to hang too.  Of course I was on Amazon buying things too (and returned a lot too).

Memorial Day weekend arrived and it was time to work.  My husband Jeff took out the vanity/sink/medicine cabinet/mirror and doors out of the bathroom (it was soon decided we'd leave the closet door off in the bathroom and use a curtain for a more modern look).  He tapped the windows and ceiling off for me.  It was time to paint. 

As I painted, I wasn't too happy about the color, so I just kept going thinking it was because I was staring at it for so long.  After the room was done being painted, I still had the nagging feeling I didn't like the color, but kept it to myself.  Jeff (installer) and his dad (supervisor) worked the rest of the day putting the new floor in, it looked amazing when it was completed.  The medicine cabinet, vanity and sink were installed and everything was complementing each other in the room except the walls.

The next day, I was starting to feel anxious about the color theme and thought to myself, could I live with this feeling for 10 years..........nope.  I think it was because the paint color was picked out at the beginning of the project, before all the other new ideas were discovered.  I had to speak up.  I told Jeff I didn't like the color and just braised for what would be said.  After several quiet moments, Jeff just said to go pick out a new color (he didn't care either way).  What a relief it was, like the elephant was off my chest (I couldn't believe I felt that way over paint color, but whatever).  I usually wouldn't do this, but I decided to paint the wood trim too, so my father-in-law and myself picked out a slightly darker grey for the trim and a shade lighter grey for the walls.

Jeff and myself tapped the room up again, but it made me feel so much better to change the color.  And oh it did!  Once the color was changed and everything was put together, it looked fantastic.  Drew said it looked like a bathroom in a hotel.  The shelves Jeff made are my favorite part of the bathroom makeover.

Pandemic DIY

It all started during the pandemic, life changes becoming the new normal.  Our new normal at the beginning was working from home, home schooling and watching what was happening in the world.  A couple of weeks into the COVID-19 shut down of Massachusetts, my father passed away.  Not from the corona virus, but from stage 4 lung cancer.  This was unbearable heartache on top of everything that was going on around us.

After a rush job of cleaning out my dad's apartment, I now had time to reflect and absorb what was going on in my life.  With my husband home during this time too, he was working hard at helping me mentally stay afloat.  One day, we starting watching the DIY channel and we were instantly hooked.  We've watched DIY shows and before, but it was something with the timing that just clicked.  Now I wanted to take on a project.

My dad had an old elementary school desk that was given to him by his Aunt who had received it from a school in Wilcox PA (from her hometown area).  It was a cute red wooden desk and chair set.  I remember using it in my room as a kid and as I grew, it was in many different areas of the house and used for more that school work.  Since we cleaned out the apartment, the desk and chair made it to my house.  It was time for a make-over.

  

I decided I wanted a different color, so I ordered hunter green spray paint online (since at the time it was not an essential product during the peek time of the pandemic and so those items had to be ordered online).  When it was warm enough outside in April, it was time to start the project.  I had started sanding the desk by hand and then my husband said we had an electric sander.  He dug it out and that is when our 10 year old was interested.  It took a couple of hours, but our son Drew and my husband sanded the whole desk and chair beautifully.  Drew was so excited to have helped!

Then, it was my turn.  I spray painted the pieces, but didn't like the way I couldn't get into some of the areas.  I had to order a can of hunter green paint and wait for that to arrive.  A couple of weeks later, the new paint arrived and it was completed. We cleaned the top of the desk which was natural wood color and sealed, but it needed some attention too.  After some soap, water and polyurethane, it shinned so lovely.  I was so excited to have the pieces at home and cleaned up.  Its now something I hope our boys will take care of and continue to pass along for generations to come.