Has It Really been Almost a Month?

Hello bloggy friends, I have missed you! 

Sorry I stepped off the blogger train. 

I got a little off track. 

It's much easier to jump off a moving train than to catch back up and jump back on. 

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In my mind I have written hundreds of posts.

  I guess you could compare it to planning on going for a run and never actually putting my running shoes on?

It's amazing how I filled up the time I spent blogging with other "stuff." I know you would all laugh at me if I said I was "busy," isn't everyone?   I'm no busier than any of you, I just lost my sense of time management for a bit, but I'm back and I can't wait to see all the wonderful things you've been up to.

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We have had some huge changes in our family this last month. 

My husband is retiring from a job he has LOVED for the past 21 years and starting a new career in the private sector.  Our girls think their Dad's job is the "coolest" in the whole world and don't want him to leave it, but the timing is perfect and it just feels right.  It's happening so fast.  Very exciting and scary all at the same time.  We are definitely stepping out of our hula hoop (comfort zone) to new uncharted territory.

On top of that I'm coaching club volleyball and have been traveling to tournaments out of the San Diego area. 

Both my girls continue to be busy with their own school work, club sports, and school teams.

While I haven't been blogging I still am addicted to projects and here's a preview of some of the things I've been working playing on. 

Painting Project

 

Sewing Project

 Mixing It Up

 Rope Project

Spring Decor

I'll show you more soon and I'm excited to see what you've been working on this past month.

 Thank you to all my bloggy friends that sent me an email to check up on me, so sweet!

Thanks for checking it out.

   

The Messenger Bag

My friend Kristy told me about a fabric store she read about on another blog.  It's called Maisonnette in Oceanside,  California.  I live about an hour from Oceanside at the opposite end of San Diego County, so it's not a shop I can just pop into.  I made a stop awhile back with Casey on our way home from Anaheim.  I have spent the last six months up there just about every other weekend for my volleyball team's tournaments or Casey's team tournaments.  

The shop is an old beach cottage that the owners, a mom and her two daughters have turned into a fabric, photography, and art studio.

Here they are modeling their hand made Mission Maxi dresses. 

To read their blog and find out about the pattern used for these dresses click here.

So Pretty!

The shop is adorable.

Casey and I thought it would be fun for her best friend's birthday (Maddie) to get fabric and a pattern they could make together.  There was a girl in the shop making a messenger bag and it looked like the  perfect project for the girls. 

Casey picked out some cool Japanese fabric for Maddie and her to use.

Here's Maddie

She is such a great friend to Casey!

Casey has had virtually no sewing experience. I thought this project would be easier than it was for a beginner.  I have been sewing for so long I forget how frustrating sewing can be when you're first learning. 

It took many hours to get to this point.  The girls got tired.  The moms got tired too.  So We took a break and I finished Casey's for her while she was at school. 

She gave it a great effort, but it was little too ambitious for a "newbie" sewing project. 

 

Here is the picture of the finished product.  Casey used it as a book bag for school.  Since the girls didn't finish their bags together, I didn't get a picture of Maddie with her bag.  Casey doesn't like when I take pictures of her so she's making her "fake smile face."  It's perfect for school. Casey loves it.

  Definitely make a trip to Maisonette if you are in North San Diego County. 

It's worth the trip.  I can't wait to go again!

Thanks for checking it out.

Bamboo Chair

I bought this chair and ottoman for $30 on Craig's List using my iPhone App. Craigs Pro.

It's going in my daughter Cami's room.  Cami's room is going through a huge makeover.  I already bought a dresser on Craig's List and painted it.  This is the second project on my to-do list for the makeover.

Cami wasn't too enthusiastic when I brought this home for her.   My husband asked, "why is that disgusting thing in our house?"  Casey said, "it's ugly but I know you will make it look good mom."

It just needs some TLC.

and a little imagination.

I started by recovering the chair and ottoman cushion with some left over fabric I had from a Halloween costume project.  I think I picked up the fabric for around $3 on a remnant table.  I only used a really small piece of it to make a witch costume for Cami a few years back.  It's part of the heart detail.

Bye Bye 80's fabric.

How did we survive before there were staple guns?

Still not there yet but I like the progress.

Time for a good cleaning with some warm soapy water and an old tooth brush.

I let it completely dry out in the sun and then I spray painted it white.

Hey Cami, can I find a different chair for you? 
I think I like this in my family room? 

She said "No Way," she LIKES it now!

Here it is in her freshly painted room. 
I painted it Benjamin Moore Poolside Blue, Cami's pick.
 She has some very strong opinions about what she likes.

The little ottoman has a circle detail that will be repeated in the space. 

The carpet is the next to go. 

Roscoe gives it the bark of approval too.

Thanks for checking it out!

Fireplace Makeover #2 It's Finally Finished

I FINALLY finished the fireplace.  This is the second part of the fireplace makeover.  To see the tile removal and drywall repair click here.  This was part of a larger project, my family room makeover.

Here is the Before.

No mantle and the builder put the floor tile around the fireplace.  See how the larger tile at the top makes the fireplace look like it's falling forward?  I've never liked my fireplace.  I painted the picture above it when we first moved in ten years ago to draw the eye away from the black hole below.

Here is the After.

 I removed the old tile, repaired the drywall, painted the walls and the concrete floor, made a new mantle, and added a new tile surround.



My dad was the Foreman on the mantle making part of the project.  I'm lucky to have my parents live about ten minutes from my house.  My dad has all the cool tools, saws, and expertise for woodworking like this. 

We started with the table saw.  We used this to make the MDF boxes for the mantle and legs.

We used this 12" compound miter saw to cut the molding.  I made the cuts, but there is no way I could have figured this out without my dad showing me what to do.  I just haven't done it enough yet, but I'm learning.

I glued all the joints with wood glue.

I used a staple gun to make the boxes and attach the molding.  More cool dad tools.

My mom brought us lunch.  Cutting wood makes me hungry. Yum! 

Thanks Mom.

We made these guide boxes to cut the big molding.  It makes cutting the angles much easier.  Make them the width of your largest piece of molding.

Here is the box with the the first piece of molding attached.

We attached the horizontal mantle to a 2x4 attached to the wall.  I diagrammed where the studs were when I was repairing the drywall.  This made it easier to secure the 2x4 soundly to the wall.

The 2x4 was a hair too long and I had to hammer the left side of the mantle down on to get it level.  The fit was a little too snug, but I fixed it.  Here it is before leveling.

Next we added the legs.  I used liquid nails to secure the legs to the wall.



Here is a detailed picture of the molding I used to create the mantle.  It's hard to see where the molding begins and ends once it's painted out.  It looks like all one piece.  This was a work in progress.  I didn't add the last the bottom piece of chair rail until after the mantle and legs were attached to the wall. 

All these moldings were under $2 a foot so everything was very economical.  They were all purchased at Home Depot. 

Once the mantle was attached I filled all the staple gun holes with wood filler and sanded it smooth.  I had to repeat this step several times to get the flawless finish I wanted. 

I wish this technique worked on my wrinkles.

I added some skinny picture rail molding to the legs.  I just glued it on with Liquid Nails.  Then I primed it with Zinnser water base primer.

I painted it with two coats of Frazee, White Shadow.  All the trim, doors, molding, and base boards in my house are painted this color.

Close up of the molding detail.

On to tile.  I borrowed a wet tile saw from my cousin Margaret's husband Andy.  He's an amazing contractor.  To see some of his work click here. 

 

I was a little intimidated to use one of these.  BUT IT IS SO EASY!  Really,  it's easier than operating a sewing machine.  My daughter Casey took to it right away and wanted to help.  Wear ear protection, it's very loud. 

I set it up in the SCARY, MESSY garage.  We don't have basements in San Diego.  Basements don't hold up to well in earthquakes.  We have earthquakes. 

 

Here's the first cut.

It took me a Sunday afternoon to complete the tiling.  Just apply Thin Set to the wall with a notched trowel and set the cut tile.  

I haven't been in a tile store in a while.  It's pretty incredible the choices and options out there.  I chose a natural stone mosaic rhomboid tile because it's timeless, classic, neutral, in-stock, and under $10 a square foot.  The lady that helped me at Encinita's Tile gave me the contractors discount for being nice.  Well I am the contractor at this job site.  I guess some of the people that she works with are not nice?  I don't know, but it made my day!

Here's where I started.

Here it is ready to grout. 

I used sanded grout and the color I used was Haystack.  Mix it with water and follow the box directions.

Use a rubber trowel to grout and mush it between the tiles.

Wear gloves, it's messy, but fun.

Sponge off all the excess grout.  Rinse and squeeze out your sponge often.  Change your bucket water often.  Make sure your sponge isn't to wet.  You don't want to clean your new grout out from between the tiles.

After two hours wipe your tile down again to remove any grout residue

I added a small quarter round piece of molding to the inside edge of the mantle.  The tile grout wasn't as clean as I wanted it to look on the edges.  I painted the molding to coordinate with the tile with the same paint I used to create the concrete floor stripes.

I still need to seal the grout.  I also need to figure out how to decorate a mantel?  I haven't had a mantle in my house since I lived with my parents back in 1989. 

I'll wait to build a fire until after I seal the tile or the smoke might stain the grout.

I'll put candles in it for the summer.

Thanks for checking it out.