Revamp and Revive.

Even though I work about 55 hours a week at an aerospace engineering firm, somehow I get myself into projects that keep me even busier. Honestly, I don’t know where I find the energy or time to get them done but so far, I have been kickin’ butt on my DIY to do list. My sister bought a desk at the beginning of the summer that was in rough shape but had huge potential. I told her I would work on it little by little to make sure it’s done by the time she moves into her apartment for the fall semester at Northern Michigan University. So I took a hand sander to it and made sure to smooth the desk out… Here’s a picture of it once sanded. I wish I would have took a picture of it at the very beginning but I jumped into project without thinking.

Then once I applied the stain and polyurethane, she {yes the desk is a girl} looks like a million bucks. I still need to pick up some hardware for it… The pulls were extremely old and very ornate… But now that it’s been revamped, I am thinking about picking up modern pulls. What do you think?

Staining the mirror frame which needs to be reattached to the desk.

So be expecting a picture of the final-final project! Just wanted to show the progress, maybe as a way to motivate me to get it done!

While the stain was drying, I decided to start a different project. We designed a half bath for our back porch awhile back and it has been left unfinished. So I spackled the wall to fill in holes and uneven areas of the walls then sanded it smooth. It made quite the mess and was exhausting. So the last thing I did was wipe down the walls so they are clean and free of dust and ready to be primed. Yeah the lime green paint color needs to go.

Instead, the room is receiving a light tan paint color with white trim. The sink still needs to be put in as well as new flooring. Ahh so exciting! But honestly, thank goodness for this blog because I think it will help bring focus and motivation to my busy life… Can’t keep my followers in the dark about how the projects turn out! Haha. Right? So bare with me on these works in progress.

Anyone else revamping places or things in their life?

Step One: Inspiration.

If you have read my earlier posts, you’d already know that I am currently redoing the back porch and half bathroom in our house. My mom got overwhelmed with the whole DIY aspect of it, so she turned the job over to me. I was very excited to handle a big project all by my lonesome and started creating the longest to-do list known to man.  The only downfall is I realized no matter how driven I can be, sometimes you need to realize that I can’t do everything myself. The bucket of primer was bigger than me… I am so short that everything involves a step stool... And employees at home improvement stories don't think I know what I am talking about. {What should I expect when I wear wedges into those stores... I probably send off the "too girlie" vibe.}

The most successful part of the job so far has been the pieces of inspiration I have found online and in magazines. My mom is mildly obsessed with shabby chic and country style, so I thought I would bring aspects of this design into the new half bathroom. I love the crispy yet old-hearted feeling of these rooms... so I am taking pieces from each to translate into the design of our bathroom.

We have wainscoting in our kitchen and I am thinking of doing a feature wall that has this design as well. I think it would look amazing underneath the 2 windows that reside already in the room. Not to mention this detail would divide the room and give it some depth. I also love these shutters. The windows in the bathroom look out into the backyard, so its necessary to add curtains or shutters as privacy. I want the shutters shown below badly, so those definitely made the to do list.

Storage is extremely important for this room. With 5 members of the family, we have accumulated a lot of bathroom toiletries. Especially since my sister and I are back from college meaning all of our "almost gone" bottles of shampoo and body wash came with us. {Heaven forbid we throw it away because when you are a poor college student you are squeezing every single ounce of that conditioner out of the bottle!} Even with all the extra stuff, I love the simple look of this picture below. My mom went out thrifting the other day and found a cabinet just like this one, so I am going to sand it down and maybe even paint it this soft blueish-green color as well.  

I am a sucker for little details also... I have an old window frame that I found/purchased at a barn sale earlier this summer. My game plan is to sand it down to get it clean again, then make it into a mirror by replacing the 6 pieces of glass with mirror panels. Ahh, I am so excited! Of course, I thought I was the only one who has ever had this idea, until I googled it. Haha! Turns out people have been doing this trend for awhile now... Like this one was turned into a mirror and put in a garden.... Brilliant and beautiful!

So the one I am doing is going to be the mirror over the sink. No one uses this bathroom to get ready in, so a proper mirror isn't very neccessary. Allows me to get creative! Plus, I love how it will tie in with the shabby chic feeling of the room. Here's a few more mirror inspirations:

 Have you ever done this? Thought you were a genius then once you are looking online find that someone else pretty creative has beaten you to the punch?

Also, if anyone has a good eye or taste in interior design and have any ideas for a country-style bathroom, please let me know! I'd love some inspiration from the blogging world. Until then, I guess here we go... throwing myself into this project!

Pocket Doors Galore.

In previous blogs I have discussed my plans for our back porch. Since its our newest project, I wanted to find a way to accelerate the progress. So this Mother's Day, I gave my mom a card with pictures of these pocket doors inside. I told her I will pay for any door of her choice! 

The door is going to lead into a half-bath off of the laundry space. After doing some online hunting, I found a few that I fell in love with and hoping my mom will be equally inspired. 

In order from least to greatest doors:

Lastly, this next picture is what I want to do in my future home. The sliding-barn-door look! I love the pop of yellow color, but the overall function and style of this door is just so fun. I am quite the sucker for little touches/tastes of country. I mean can you blame me? I am from northern Michigan!

I am just hoping that the installation of the chosen door will be as easy as shopping for one! Let's get creative.