How I Tamed The Laundry Beast

     

Which part of laundry do you hate the most? 

• sorting 

• washing

• drying

• sorting (again)

• folding

• hanging

• putting away

     I think most of us would agree the actual washing and drying is the easy part. Sure, we all have our own beliefs about how much of which washing agents to use. Some soften in the washer and some in the dryer. Some of us wash nearly every load in cold water and some use hot and warm water frequently. Most of us agree, though, that laundry is a time-suck of a chore we wish we could avoid completely. I've had discussions throughout my life where I have touted the merits of disposable clothing. Which mother hasn't secretly wished she could just toss those soccer socks in the trash and produce new ones? 

     A few years ago I changed the whole way I do laundry. I declared the laundry chute off limits except for towels. Each of the kids got two hampers. These go in their room. That's ten hampers for the kids! My husband and I share two hampers. Each pair of hampers works simply; one is for light clothes, the other for dark clothes. When a hamper is full, it gets brought to the laundry room and I wash it. I haven't had to sort clothes in years. And it has been life changing, I promise you. Not only do I not have to sit and sort clothes before and after washing them, but I never have to hold up an item and ask "Whose is this?" I don't have a basket full of stuff nobody will claim. Clothes aren't going to the wrong rooms. 

     It's been a sweet, sweet thing. I kick myself for not knowing this would be a better way to do things years sooner. When you know better, you do better.  How do you deal with laundry at your house? Enlighten me further, please. 

Armoire makeover with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint

The first picture is for those of you who can't believe I painted over beautiful old wood.
I used to be one of you.
I know it looks warm and rich in the photo, but it did not feel like it to me. It was just drab.
With Annie Sloan Chalk Paint you don't have to sand or prime! 

First side done. Use of flattened Pepsi boxes in lieu of drop cloths is standard at our house.
Louis Blue loves to hang out with Old White. 

The first coat, which turned out to also be the final coat. 

The hinges are covered with Glad Press n' Seal.

 Then I tried different wax treatments.

I used clear wax and added Old Violet to some, Paris Gray to some.

She's smiling! 

In the end I decided to use the wax tinted with Old Violet on the whole thing. 

I still need to fix the bottom drawer to match. 

It is still wearing the Paris Gray wax treatment.

I may still change the panels on the doors and top drawer.

I am thinking about painting them back to plain blue and stenciling. 

Or doing a sheet music treatment with mod podge.

Or piano player rolls. 

We'll see

What do you think? Would you have painted this? 

I've linked up to:

Whipperberry

Chic on a Shoestring

Finding Fabulous Frugalicious Friday

Homespun Happenings Rustic Restorations

Miss Mustard Seed's Furniture Feature Friday

Reality - What Is Wrong With This Picture?

      Reality is rarely exactly as I had planned things would be. Part of the reason for me is I plan all of these projects, I dream them up in my mind, and they are so pretty. Then I do them, look at them, and think 'Aw shucks, this isn't what I thought it would be like. Everyone else's stuff seems so polished and perfect.' I feel like the kid in art class who never quite got it. This could be because I was always the kid in art class who never quite gets it. You might be thinking I am just too hard on myself, but if you get a super close look, you will see what I mean: 

Exhibit 1: Bookshelf trim not caulked or painted. See how nicely it lines up?  

Exhibit 2: Although the shelves were made deeper in the appliance garage, I still haven't painted and prettied it up at all.
I am afraid I will never get my embossed "Grown Up" card.
You guys have those, right?

Exhibit 3: What the heck happened to my stoop? I dunno!? It was like this yesterday.

Exhibit 4: All those rocks were what we dug up in lieu of dirt when the azaleas were planted too close together and never moved.
Ignore the non-existent upgraded lawn. Thanks for nothing on that one, Ryan Homes. 

The drop cloth I bought for curtains, still in the washer.
This would be no big deal if I had not failed to remove it for four days straight.
That's right folks, it's on it's FIFTH wash cycle right now.
I'm sure my Grown Up card is just lost in the mail, right?

blurry photo of the marks made on the wall just hours after I did touch up painting all over the house. 

The dog toy, leaves (other dog toys) and a different, already washed and dry drop cloth.
I am using it to make a screen the dogs can not penetrate so we can put the tree in the front room.
What? Don't judge me. 

Dining room. Someone needs to come and make my stuff look magically delicious.
 Marian? Miss Mustard Seed? Sarah? Thrifty Decor Chick?

Ann? Can I get a "No Doy"? Anyone? Ferris?

  *To read more about our Ryan Homes Ravenna click the "Our House" button at the top of the page.  

   

Progress Report

     A couple of weeks ago I told you about some projects I am working on around the house. Lest any of you realize what a total slacker I am, here is a report of some progress:

Built in Bookshelves in Office. We need more bookshelves!

They are not completed, but they are coming along, right?

Now for the closet by the garage door. The previously useless closet:

Coat closet turned appliance closet. 

 Also unfinished, but coming along. We are going to extend the shelves so they are deeper. Yes, we do need three ice cream makers. We are a big family!

  *To read more about our Ryan Homes Ravenna click the "Our House" button at the top of the page.    

The Wings Of An Angel

     I simply do not know how long I have wanted these angel wings. I had seen them around but my gosh, they were expen$ive! I started following Decor Steals when it was newish (I think it was, anyway) and it was called WUSLU. They would bring them out and the timing wouldn't be right for me, or they would all be gone before I got to them. But last time was my lucky day and I was able to get them!

     They arrived yesterday and they are everything I had hoped they would be and more. I absolutely adore them. All you new house gang - I know we are all looking for things to decorate our new, bigger homes. Decor Steals has a new fabulous deal every day - and a sister site, Antique Farm House, where there are more deals going on all the time. Don't let the name fool you - I'm sure someone with any decor style can find things they love. 

Welcome Home!

 Same picture, but different edits. I took this with my phone pressed up on the window from outside. I guess because of the double paned windows(?) I got some inside and some outside. I thought it was a neat surprise!

  *To read more about our Ryan Homes Ravenna click the "Our House" button at the top of the page.  

Dinah Meets Miss Mustard Seed

Just a little teaser of Dinah with her first spot of Tricycle Red from Miss Mustard Seed's Milk Paint Line.

I was babysitting for a bit today and when I got home the package was waiting for me. Hooray!

 I immediately changed my clothes and mixed up the first little bit of paint. 

Miss Mustard Seed's Tricycle Red Milk Paint

Did I mention I am excited!?

Shelves In The Water Closet

     A bunch of us have this, right? A water closet inside our big master bath. Nothing is nearby. No cabinet holds extra rolls of toilet paper, no vanity holds reading material. Anything you need to reach while on the seat is very far from you, so forget about it. I had a little time so I figured I would toss some shelves up behind the toilet.

Water Closet DIY shelves  - super easy!

     Yes, the picture is awful, camera phone, tiny room, blah-blah-blah. But you get the idea. 

  Here is how easy it is. Really, you have no excuse.

• I bought a couple of boards at Lowes - 1x10 or 1x12, I can't recall. Either will work. 
• Then I bought some 1x2 for the supports. 
• I also bought toggle bolts made for drywall - these suckers are going to support whatever we put on them! 
• Remember to buy the washers you'll need with the toggle bolts, or you'll get another trip to the store, like we did.
• We cut the 1x2 so it is as long as the shelf  boards are deep
• We installed the 1x2  boards to the wall with toggle bolts 
• We sat the boards on top of the supports we had just installed
• We did not secure the boards to the supports. This way if we need to move them to paint, clean, or do repairs it is easy. 
• The measurement for our shelves was 31.5 inches. Yours may vary, even in a Ravenna - make sure you measure the front and back of your wall. Chances are the measurements differ a bit. A sander would likely be enough to make the difference in a pinch. 
• I painted everything with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Old White. I love the color and it's pretty much a match to the walls. I sanded it down a lot after painting because I love the wood grain showing through. 
• The only thing I wish I had done, but missed, is giving the screws and washer a quick spray of oil rubbed bronze so it would match the rest of the hardware in the house. 

     So, if you have a couple of hours you can easily have some toilet paper & reading material storage in your little water closet, too. This will also serve as extra towel storage, which our bathroom was sorely lacking. 

Coming Attractions

     I've been planning on doing built in bookcases in the office since we were in pre-construction. We love books! I wanted to use hardwoods and build them 'from scratch', but oh boy- are those expensive and labor intensive or what? I do not want to spend a large portion of my life sanding raw boards. So I'm thinking about the Billy bookcases from Ikea. I measure the wall, and figured out what it would accommodate. I figured out how I could get the most out of the space. After the bookcases it would take a bit of trim, a couple pieces of plywood and caulk, paint, etc to get it finished and pretty.

     Did you know Ikea has a page on their website where you can build your own bookcase system and see exactly what it will look like, the exact total measurements, and the total price as you build? Did you know they charge considerably more per bookcase for colors other than white? Crazy when it's all laminate. Paint is a beautiful thing. Especially paints you can use on any  surface without priming, like Annie Sloan's Chalk Paint. And, coming in June, Miss Mustard Seed will have her own line of Milk Paint as well. I can't wait! She's a great lady.

    I think Centsational Girl, did a great job with hers. I'm no Sgt. Rich, so I will not be growing my own trees and telling them to jump into bookshelf formation. This is sorta DIY, right? 

     Stay tuned.

One Little Thing

     I have been on a quest to do at least one little thing a day to enhance our home. It can be anything at all, really. I started a guest room makeover one day, fixed up the mantle with books another day, did touch up painting, brought in a new piece of furniture, painted a piece I already had, etc. Anything, really, to add another speck of love to the house.

     After yesterday's failure to cut triangles I hung up an old pajama top on the other guest room window. Things don't have to match, right?

*There's nothing like a photograph to show you when something just isn't right. I for sure need to fix up that left side to make it nicer. But it's a start. And in person the light doesn't seem to show through as brightly and show how crazy-folded it is in the back. That's my story and I'm sticking to it!

     The other thing we did today was bring the new-old sideboard into the dining room. A family friend gave this to me (!!!!!) this weekend. It had been in her family for four generations, but nobody had a place for it now. It's a beautiful piece. It needs some love, and I'm not sure yet how to go about it, so for now I'm going to leave it as is. I'll clean it up a bit and let myself get to know it before I do anything drastic.

New-old Sideboard

      Isn't she gorgeous!?

Beautiful side of the New-old Sideboard

     So even though some things feel like slow-going, and I can't cut triangles, I have managed to make the house a bit more loved. In a few days when we can bring vehicles on our new driveway I will be bringing something else great in the house. Right now it is in extended immigration in the van, patiently waiting to move into my front room.

     What are you doing?

Failure In Action

     The reason some girls I do not do crafty things more often is this: I get about twenty minutes into it and I feel like I am failing kindergarten. Take today, for example. (Trust me, it's a perfect example.) I have these beautiful pennants I won from a blog giveaway.

      Since these are lovely I decided I would like to make some more. I have saved some favorite pajamas for years waiting for inspiration and they will be perfect for this project. I will admit I was feeling pleased with myself. A little giddy, even. I dug out the sets of pajamas, wrangled up some straight pins, and even found my sewing scissors. I brought the paper cutter into my room for a good hard surface. This, my friends, is going to be great!

     I took down the pennant and decided to use it as a template. It is cumbersome, since it's a whole pennant, so I thought to myself "Self, what you should do is get some greeting card paper and make a template from it. This way you wont cut the pennant you already have." At that point I began to feel a little smug. I was doing everything right!

     I should never, ever, never be smug about anything crafty. I should know enough to just thank God when I don't manage to accidentally cut my sheets, hair, or the clothing I am wearing.

     I decided to use the paper cutter to cut the paper so I wont have a bunch of jaggy "Tammi cut this" looking spots on the card stock I am going to use as a template for my triangles. I am so smarrrrrrrt!!! I am proud of myself.  My husband came in the room as things were just beginning to take a turn for the worst. He asked a question about immigration and I answered him. Then I started to tell him my plan. He got that look you give a person when you know it's hopeless and said he wouldn't bother me any more. That man got out of the room and downstairs as quick as he could! Once he was gone I managed to cut this 'triangle':

Triangle of Failure

     This is why every art teacher I ever knew hated me. By the way, looking around the room for a good photo op for failure is even more frustrating. Wave hello to my cute little guest room clock. I love it  - probably because I didn't make it. Probably even more because whoever did make it could probably cut a triangle with or without a paper cutter. 

   

     I should have opened a can of paint. I can rescue a piece of furniture and love it.  Cutting triangles is just not in my skill set.

Good Things Come To Those Who Wait

     Things have been super busy for me for a while now. Every time I think I am about to hit a lull, something new comes around the bend. This week has been no exception. I found time for a major project I did all on my own. The guest room had been limping along, bit by bit. It isn't done yet, but it looks very welcoming now. Every time I walk by the guest room door now, I see this:

I need to get pillows and bedside tables. I hope to find some tables I can make over. I also want to do something with the little old desk. It has it's charm, but it could use some love to go from nice to something lovely. The bed itself may have some Annie Sloan Chalk Paint or Miss Mustard Seed Milk Paint. (She just found out she's getting her own line of Milk Paint!)

     In the future I will get a picture to share all the goodies on the desk. There are treasures there, to be sure.

      Friday my son and I went to a town full of garage sales and found a few little things. I'll get pictures and share some soon.  Saturday the sky was giving us freezing rain/sleet/snow/rain, but an antique store produced a magical little find for me. I was thrilled, to put it mildly. My mother gasped when she saw it. I want to get it put in place and pictures of it are sure to follow. It's a great compliment to my antique wooden ironing board.

     Sunday my mother came over and ran "Garage Cleaning Boot Camp" According to my back I overdid it, but the results were worth it. I have things started for the garage sale the first weekend in June. After giving away what was easily half of our stuff when we moved in February, I managed to find more stuff and again have an excess. I will be glad to get even more stuff out of this house.

     They brought a giant machine to take away the stones from our driveway so the concrete could be poured. The machine's hydraulics line broke in our driveway. We were left overnight with a pile of rocks a few feet high in front of our garage. Our van was inside. The next day it was after 3:00 until he showed up again. Not stressful at all.

     Yesterday they finally actually poured our concrete! Yay!

     Today we are allowed to walk on it. I might go dance on it. The grading of our yard can not be far behind. After the final grading and inspection we will have a lawn! I bought my trees and lots of burning  bushes, rose bushes, and berry bushes already, so I am chomping at the bit to get them in the ground.

     There was a lot going on yesterday morning. We had concrete guys prepping the drive and sidewalks while we were getting deliveries. I ordered two couches exactly three and a half eternities ago. They are here and more beautiful than I expected.

     Yes, I realize today's photos are even worse than usual. I tried, I really did. You Sort of get the idea, though: Look! Sofas!

     I don't know about you, but I am happily exhausted.

More Adventures With Annie - Bench

      So I got busy a couple of mornings ago with Annie Sloan chalk paint (color: old white) and this old bench. I met a lady named Cindy who had a lot of stuff she wanted to get rid of in her three story house. I actually met her a couple years ago. Now I wish I had taken even more of her stuff off her hands. At that time, however, my husband had declared no more desks/tables were allowed to come home with me. You can see the 'before' here sitting atop another little bench I got from Cindy. Except for the tiny bit of after peeking out from the back- I forgot to take the picture until I already had her upside down on her counterpart, being painted.

After much paining, sanding, and waxing,  I have this shabby little lovely:

  

     She's not done yet. I think I am going to have to stop at Funky Junk Boutique in Seville to get a can of Annie Sloan's dark wax to finish the job.  I really loved working with the paint on this project. When I sanded with 320 grit sandpaper the paint was smooth like a baby's bottom. As sort of a bonus the Annie Sloan soft wax had a really faint smell of babies mixed with sugar cookies. Hey, I don't make the news, I just report it!

 A little close-up of the sheen added by the lovely wax:

I know, I know... someone needs to teach me how to take pictures. 
    

Five Minute Fix: Trash Receptacle For Bathroom

     When we were deciding what things to do while building our house one thing was sure: Oil rubbed bronze. Hardware, Plumbing, light fixtures - they all needed to be oil rubbed bronze. We have a lot of trash bins around  but they are not oil rubbed bronze.

     I wanted a small trash receptacle for the water closet in our master bath. The size they sell for bathrooms is a little overbearing in the small room. So I scanned the house for something small. I wanted it to have a lid. I found it! An empty Clorox wipes container! Bit it wasn't pretty. Do I really want my house to be decorated by Clorox? Not really. I went down to the basement, grabbed a can of oil rubbed bronze spray paint, and went outside.

     In *less than five minutes, for less than five dollars I had the perfect little trash can from my bathroom.

    Here it is, not taking up too much space. You can line it with a produce bag.

*Drying time not included.


I'm linking this up at:
House of Hepworths