Friday, June 27, 2014

Basement Makeover Progress


This week has been a rough one.

My son and my husband both underwent surgery, and we spent a lot of time at the hospital. With such unexpected chaos, I was not exactly on top of my parenting game.

My older kids were basically at home fending for themselves. I'm sure they were playing too many video games, watching inappropriate movies, eating junk, and staying up too late. (One night they went to the movies and ate candy for dinner.) I wouldn't have minded so much except that my best friend's son was visiting from Arizona. I'm not sure he showered or had a home-cooked meal his entire visit.

That, my friends, is the kind of week it was.

Thankfully, we leave for vacation tomorrow. Hallelujah!

But, before I sign off for a bit, I wanted to share an update on our basement makeover.

Remember this big, ole' oak media cabinet? ...




Well, I finally finished painting it…







The cabinet was originally built to accommodate a large TV, and when the TV bit the dust, we were left with a big, gaping hole.




We built a shelf, so our smaller TV would fit and we could store the components below it.






Below you can see that I removed the glass cabinet doors in favor of open shelves. I used Annie Sloan chalk paint in "French Linen" and "Old White."






The top shelf had molding with a clock in it, and was covered with fabric...





We removed the ugly fabric and replaced the "clock" molding with a plain piece of wood for a simple, updated look.






My next step will be to add a piece of plywood behind the media components to hide all the ugly wires. I also need to add hardware.






Since this area of the house is primarily the kids' domain, I decided to accessorize with some of their favorite Lego creations.











I'm really pleased with how the media center turned out.  I originally wanted to rip it out, but once again, the power of paint prevailed!





I'm another step closer to finishing the basement. I have a few more changes to make, and it'll be ready for the big reveal :)

Hope you all had a better week than we did! Can't wait to be on vacay. You can follow my travels on Instagram.

Take care!

Monday, June 23, 2014

Exterior Paint Color Inspiration


Good Monday morning! Hope your week is off to a great start. I know Monday is typically a day most people dread. But this is one Monday that couldn't get here fast enough.

First of all, my 8 year old has an infection, and I am anxiously awaiting the test results. Of course, you don't get test results on Saturday and Sunday.

Second, on Saturday night my husband stabbed himself in the finger while trying to pry apart frozen hamburgers with a knife. He is pretty sure he cut a tendon, but the Hand Center isn't open until Monday. Perhaps he should have gone to the ER, but we are reluctant to go there ever since Spring Break when we had a $1500 middle-of-the-night ER visit with child writhing in pain, only to discover he was constipated.

I'm telling you, if my kids are going to develop strange medical conditions or have reactions to medication, or split their heads open, it is never during our pediatrician's office hours. 


At any rate, if I can keep my family healthy and injury-free this week, I might get back to choosing a paint color for my house.

It's a big decision. 

If I lived on a beach down south, I'd paint it these colors and call it a day...


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But, the reality is that I live in the Midwest burbs.






I've been researching paint colors, and here are some that have caught my eye.


BM Timid White...

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SW Tony Taupe with SW Black Fox shutters...

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BM Winter Wheat with BM Texas Leather shutters...

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The Southern Living Idea House in SW Intellectual Gray...

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C2 Paints "Wood Ash" color matched by Benjamin Moore…



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BM Ballet White with SW Attitude Gray shutters…


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SW Rare Gray…


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Obviously, I haven't decided if I want to go slightly darker or lighter than my current paint color. My plan is to choose 3 potential color schemes, paint larger areas of the house and shutters with the 3 options, and make a decision. Sounds easy, huh? Ha!

Wish me luck… and as always, if you have any suggestions, I'd love to hear 'em!

Have a pain-free Monday!