Hanging children’s art

The idea for this came from Anna at Knock Off Wood.
My daughter’s sense of “art” is much different than mine :)
This is in her bedroom. Simple to make and she can keep all of her favourite drawings in one place, instead of strewn around the house.

Hiding computer cables and cords

My computer nook recently had a mini update, but I had no idea what to do about all of those darn cords and cables. 
Before the mini makeover:
One of the green boxes above was not being used and it dawned on me that I could use it to hide the cords.
First I had to make the opening larger. Not only to get the cords through, but also to provide more ventilation.

In went the router, modem and electric cords.

After, much better. I also added some trim to the two shelves above.



I'm linking up to the trash to treasure party at Reinvented and was posted on Ikea Hacker (I love that place, the store and the blog)

An update for you negative nessie's:   This has been in place for over a year and it has not caught fire, over heated or fried my components.  The vent in the back is large as well as the vent in the front, providing adequate cross ventilation.

If you have something negative to say, it's best if you don't hide behind anonymous comments.  Or just go away. This is a drama free zone.

Kitchen, almost done

I have some trim work to do, but it’s mostly done. It was a lot of work. Warning, don’t remove drywall unless you are up for hours and hours of work.
Drywall and ceramic back splash removed. New vapour barrier and drywall and lots and lots and lots of mudd.

I knew that I definitely did not want ceramic again and mosaic tile was cost prohibitive. I decided on bead board wall paper.

I needed a change from the green walls and fell in love with Whalley Abbey by Debbie Travis.  It was a good choice as bead board is very country and that’s not the look I wanted. The grey/green (it’s hard to tell it has green in it, but it does) helps to make the kitchen look more contemporary. It brought together the flooring and counter tops (yucky laminate, but I’m stuck with them for now). I put new casing around the window. My first time and it turned out pretty good. A friend installed new electrical outlets for me.


Here is a before of the fugly ceramic tile.
Since we have had so much fun with our chalkboard, I decided to do an entire wall, I love it.  I’m waiting on it curing before I start drawing on it.


Still to do: install two new shelves above the bead board here

This is what I’m thinking of (sorry, I don’t remember the source of the photo)

I will trim out the pantry door and the door into the kitchen with new casing too.
As I said, it was a lot of work but I am loving the changes.

I'm linking up to Met Monday at Between Naps on the Porch. So many talented bloggers out there, go see for yourself.

Ugly back splash, be gone!

I have ALWAYS hated the ugly back splash in my kitchen. I inherited it with the house.  In fact, I’m not a fan of tiled backsplash, period!  It looks good today, but 5 years down the road, it’s totally outdated. And let me tell you, it’s a lot of work to change it.

Yesterday I  borrowed a husband (since I don’t have one), and he set me to work. Ceramic backsplash, be gone! First I put up and taped new vapour barrier.

Then with some instruction, I set out to put up new drywall.  It took several attempts at cutting out the outlets.

Finally it’s all up and my borrowed husband came back for another lesson, this time in taping and mudding.

I am off for a hike early tomorrow morning, but I already know how the rest of my day will be spent; mudding!

Stay tuned for the reveal. No tile will be involved.

Updated directors chair

I have to touch up the paint. I tried to do it today, but it bubbled because of the humidity. If it ever stops raining I will give those spots a quick sand and paint touch up.  I used the old covers as a template to make these covers and I already had the fabric that I purchased from Ikea in the liquidation bin.  Two cans of spray paint $10, chair $7, total $17 for a new to me fantastic chair.  One down, Six to go.
Before:

I'm linking up to Thrifty Thursday's at Bloggeritaville. and Saturday Night Special at Funky Junk Interiors and Mustard Seed Creations Furniture Feature Friday.