January Cure Recap

02/04/2013

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So here's what I accomplished over the month of January, and my future plans:

Guest Room
2. Cleaned the guest bedroom mirror
3. Organized the guest room drawers
4. Got the ProActiv frequency to the longest time
5. Decided to leave the picture on the floor - I like it!
10. Stepped on the scale (and promptly stepped off)

Did not figure out ways to dry towels better (sticking to over door knobs and frames), find art for the walls, spray paint the lamp base or the chandelier 
Cleaned with a new light
Cleaned mirror and organized drawers

Bathrooms
11. Organized the shower stuff
12. Replaced the turquoise pouf
82. Ripped out the basement medicine cabinet
83. Ripped out the basement toothbrush holder

Did not replace the shower mat, buy more white towels, or paint the basement bathroom

BONUS: scrubbed the bathroom floors!
Scrubbed bathroom and organized cabinets
Cleaned and some easy demolition

"Baby" Room
15. Storage solution for the saw horses (threw them out and got metal ones that collapse)
17. Donated the mirror

Did not spray paint the bird cage, put together the light, remove the sweater (why oh why?), patch and sand the walls, figure out the parquet
Got rid of sawhorses, donated much of the clothing, and got rid of the wire hangers

Master Bedroom
22. Made the bed (repeatedly, haha)
23. Did the laundry (also repeatedly)
25. Dusted the blinds
26-28. Organized the closets

Did not cover the yellow storage ottoman

BONUS: cleaned this room really well, including the mattress
Added some purple decor and cleaned
Also cleaned out every closed and cleaned the mattress with baking soda and fabric softener

Hallways
32. Touched up the stairs
33. Put away some coats and accessories
34. Organized the shoes
35. Got a welcome mat for the hallway (not a runner, though)
36. Got a new light for the main entryway

Did not organize the upstairs hall closet, put a gallery wall down the stairs, get a new light for the hallway (although planning to use the old hallway light after spray painted silver)
Got a new light and organized some of the storage
Touched up the paint and stain on the stairs

Dining Room
39 & 40. - Used my new tripod and lens

Did not prime and paint the trim or update the sideboard decor

BONUS: cleaned this room really well
Washed all the linens from Christmas and dusted everything
Got some inspiring ideas from my YHL and D*S books (more to come on that!)

Living Room
41. Took down the overhead light
43. Mounted the speakers to the wall
44. Read some decor magazines (but there are so many more now that I haven't read yet!)
46. Made the gallery wall

Did not figure out how to hide the wires, sand and stain the TV unit, figured out the lonely vase 

BONUS: cleaned this room really well
New lighting and cleaned up space with mounted speakers
Need something for that far wall...
Got pictures for the gallery wall

Kitchen
48. Organized the change
49. Re-oiled the cutting boards (Matt is actually doing this as we speak!)
51. Bought milk
54. Cleaned the chalkboard (but didn't figure out something fun)
55. Shoveled the snow (multiple times, unfortunately)
56. Found a place for the cookbooks
57. Threw out the lavender
58. Threw out that orange

Did not organize the kitchen spices (although did rid myself of many of the ones in the basement), regrout tiles, paint the kitchen, figure out the top of the shelves, take down the ceiling fan, pulled out the plugs, fixed the wall bulge, or fix the clock
Florals to brighten up the kitchen
Spic and span kitchen, organized cookbooks, and a meal!
Dinner - Rosemary Chicken Lasagna

Basement
64 Dusted the shelf on the stairs
65. Put away laundry
66. Found a shop-vac space
67. Organized the bookshelf
69. Played the piano (Joseph Act 2!)
70. Used my office space
72. Stored the miter saw
73. Organized the wrapping container
74. Organized the storage pile (and threw a lot out)
75. Donated multiple items
76. Took back the empties
77 & 78. Organized the storage cupboards
81. Got rid of the old paint cans
86. Got the stuff out of the dryer
87. Washed the Christmas napkins and runner
88. Washed the stored the drop sheets
89. HHW disposal
90. Got rid of/washed some of the rags
91. Sorted the random wood
92. Dusted the laundry room rafters
93. Organized the tool drawers
94. Stored (but not cleaned) work shoes
95. Stored the towels (although not exactly where I want them yet)
96. Put away Matt's Queen's stuff
98. Covered the AC unit outside

Did not do anything with the chalkboard, get more ink for the printer, learned to golf, go on a picnic, called to service our AC unit
Organized files and bookshelves
An incredible amount of decluttering and organization
Wood gone, and a new home for the shop-vac
Tool area cleaned up and a little bit of love
And # 100 - Loved my home (a lot!) 63 of 100 things?  Pretty good!  Most of these things I didn't plan to finish in January in the first place, but it was a good list to get organized from.  Matt says "ohhh...so that's a C" to which I promptly hit him.  So supportive.  It was a great month, and can't wait to do more!

Plans for the next few months?
1. Organize the linen closet
2. Paint the kitchen, dining room trim, and basement bathroom
3. Spray paint crazy - chandelier, hallway lights, birdcage
4. Plus some of the easy missed organization from the above list.

Longer term, we are planning to build a storage area underneath the stairs, along with reinforcing the stairs themselves and tearing off the carpet on it.
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January Cure Day 16, 18-23

02/03/2013

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Day 16 - Clean Bathroom and Go Through Medicine Cabinets
I didn't actually do this until last weekend, but I did do a thorough clean.  What I did not do is wear gloves while I scrubbed the floors with quite caustic "scrubbing bubbles" bathroom cleaner.  Wow, were they red!  Besides the floors, the bathrooms were easy - they are cleaned pretty regularly and I keep the sink and faucets tidy each day anyway.  Making the shower glass look all shiny takes a bit more work, but not bad.  The basement bathroom needed a good dusting and more detailed clean as it is done less often, and I also did some easy demos too.  Specifically I pulled down the ugly medicine cabinet (all our stuff fits in the one upstairs or under the sink anyway) and the toothbrush holder.  Now there is a random space on the wall, but I'm okay with that.  I'm going to paint that room anyway at some point this year.  The pictures aren't incredible...the spaces are small and light is limited, but here is what I took:
Obviously a few days after I cleaned the glass in the shower...
These prints are so fun
Basement bathroom (not so much to look at as of now...)
Sans wood medicine cabinet and toothbrush holder...
Now I need to get rid of that ugly light too!
Looking at these pictures really makes me want to do over this room!

Day 18 - Weekend Chores: Clean the Living Room and Empty the Outbox and Flowers
Well the living room was not that bad, but I did give it a good dusting, cleaning, vacuum, and also went through all the coffee table drawers.  I went even further and did the same for the dining room.  We also got one new light - the overarching floor lamp from West Elm.  We took away the overhead light (planning on spray-painting it silver and putting it up in the hallway upstairs).  The only thing we need to do now is put a lower wattage bulb in it - it is VERY bright.  Since I sit pretty much underneath it, I feel like I am out in the sun...but without the warmth or tan or fruity drink.  *Update - I have now changed this light to a 40W equivalent - much better!*

As for emptying the outbox, we did a run to Value Village with a huge load of clothing, and Matt took all the empties back to the Beer Store.  We also took a huge pile for the dump (which also has a paint reuse center), and we gave the hutch in our basement back to Matt's parents to store for Megan (or for us in a future - and larger - house).

What I didn't do?  Flowers!  I forgot!  Ahhh!  I'll do it this weekend, I promise!
New light!
Broke out the tripod to let some light in
Ohhh J.Crew - was just discussing with a friend this week how beautiful all the stuff is in this latest catalogue, but all the most expensive things are featured!  I can't afford to have everything cashmere!!!
Clean dining room too!
Really need to change up this sideboard decor...
Not very often there is this much light in the dining room (only between 11-2 pm usually)
Some details - LOVE print by Jen Ramos, plus some design books from bloggers YHL and D*S 
plus a mercury glass owl.  Wouldn't be my home without some sort of owl decor.
Vase is from my friend Steph as a housewarming present (from Urban Barn), apple for my teacher side (and I have a green one for the Spring), plus a key my sister in law gave me!

Day 19 - Catch Up & Take A Photo
Yay - catch up!  Matt and I worked on the basement this weekend, and I did a bit on Monday as well.  We cleared out  a lot of the stuff from underneath the stairs.  Matt decided he wanted to play his guitar more, so moved it upstairs...so now it's in the guest bedroom.  Not being played.  He refused to get rid of his electric guitar, while fully admitting that he has not played it since high school.  Maybe he'll let my school kids use it?  I never thought of that until this second.  That's a pretty good idea! (*Update - he's considering it*) I went through all the keepsakes, and paint cupboard, and laundry room stuff, and as I mentioned above, its still a work in progress, but it's better.
First outbox dump - empties to the Beer Store, clothes to Value Village
Second round - to the DUMP!
Third round - all of this pile on the left to Goodwill, plus the big brown headboard and the Ikea light (not pictured)
Yes...this is organized (except the bottom - I really need to fold all these drop cloths)
A lot less clutter!
Print we bought for nothing (a few dollars) at Home Sense but didn't have a place for yet
(Which has since been ruined as Matt tried to clean some of the dents and scratches off of, but it had no finish on it so pretty much just took off the paint...so going to start over - paint it white and stencil the words on myself!)

Day 20 - Hang Your Artwork
Way back in the first week we were supposed to pick some art to get framed.  I hung the love print upstairs, and I got pictures for the gallery wall downstairs.  Still waiting for a key.  My sister in law gave me one, but it's a bit too ornate for the gallery wall (it's the one in the dining room pictures - much better there).  There is a set of keys from Pottery Barn that I just bought - one is large and will work perfectly, and the others will be decor or part of the other gallery wall that will eventually go up the stairs (love keys right now!).
Our gallery wall started off as this - on December 23rd, cut out brown paper the exact size of the frames, and played around with the spacing until it was something we liked.
Since we had yet to pick pictures, I filled the frames with wrapping paper and hung a little "NOEL" ornament (actually a wine bottle charm) in the gap at the bottom.
Pictures today - all Black and White pictures from our travels
Clockwise from top left - Rome just before sunset, lego-like Douglas Coupland Orca in Vancouver, sailboat at sunset in Santorini, Empire State from the Top of the Rock in NYC, beach scene in the Bahamas from our honeymoon, and the Eiffel Tower...the Vegas one (haha, my mom was very confused about the fountain for a minute).

Day 21 - Speedy Spruce Up & Surface Clean
Just spend a few hours tidying, dusting, and vacuuming.  My house isn't that big, so this was a quick one!
Day 22 - Shop for the Get-Together Goodies
So I'm a bit behind on the get together, although I have rough plan ideas for a few weeks from now with some friends (*Update - date of Feb 23rd for Brunch is set*), and I thought that this time would be best spent just getting groceries at all, haha.  
Day 23 - Relax, You're Done!!!
Yay!!!!!!!  Although all the projects I was supposed to finish I didn't...but I did a lot!  Recap of the January Cure in the next post!
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House Projects for 2012

12/31/2011

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Yesterday I featured some of the major projects of the year, and of course, with all of that, comes plans for the upcoming year.  We have a list too daunting to tackle in a year - in fact, it will take multiple years, and lots of money that does not currently exist.  Again, a lot of people ask me "what are you going to do when its all done?" - I just laugh and say that it will NEVER be done.  I estimate it would take at least 5 years to get everything on our list done, and by that time, we'll probably want a bigger house, and it will all start again.  Yes, the projects can be tiring, and straining, and frustrating at times, but they are also fun.  I like watching the house evolve and I like that I can work with Matt to design our house.  Oh yes, we disagree A LOT, but we have always agreed to not buy or do anything until we both agree on something.  I won't ever come home with anything that Matt wouldn't like, and he won't rip out walls or do any handy-work until we've talked.  That's how we work and not kill each other when our house is mid-renovation!

Anyway, from the very daunting list, we've pulled a few things we'd like to get done in the next year, and I'll also discuss a few long-term projects that will eventually be addressed...maybe if we win one day through the Heart and Stroke Lottery Calendar my mom bought for us!

1. Paint, Paint, Paint!
This is my major contribution in our house.  My friend Mike likes to joke that Matt does all the work and I just crack the whip.  Actually, he's not joking, I believe he thinks it really happens.  He has a "Free Matt" campaign he would like to start - anyone want a t-shirt?  Anyway, although I am not very handy (but willing to learn), I do have a lot of vision and ideas, and I also can PAINT.  We painted our bedroom and dining room together, but I painted the living room and basement myself, plus the closet shelving.  So there are a few places that paint is still required in our house, and luckily it's an inexpensive way to update a room!  

a) Hallways - both upstairs and downstairs.  We got a quote from College Pro in the Spring for them possibly doing the hallways while we were away on the cruise, but it was pretty expensive so we decided to keep it as a DIY project.  Now that my parents got Matt an incredible ladder for Christmas (it is like a transformer - it has SO many configurations), painting way up high will be a bit easier. We are probably going to paint the hallways the same colour as the basement - Benjamin Moore's Moonshine - it's a pale gray.  It looks a bit off-white in the basement, but with more natural light, it will show up more grey.  I am thinking about going a shade darker - not too sure yet.  Check out the two last pictures and let me know what you think!  The ceiling and trim will continue the "Cloud White" trend, as I want it to match all the trim of the other rooms.
Current downstairs hallway colour - pale beige of sorts
Upstairs hall - same colour - has a bit of gray undertone with natural light
BM Moonshine in our basement on walls and ceiling - pale gray but looks paler here than it is
BM Moonshine in Natural Light - via Young House Love on Pinterest
One shade darker - BM Gray Horse via Leah Lee on Pinterest


b) Spare Bedroom - right now the spare bedroom is the same seafoam green as was in the dining room.  It actually doesn't look bad in the space, but it doesn't match the bedding and needs a fresh coat on both the walls and wainscoting.  I'm not sure exactly what to do here - the duvet is chocolate brown and deep red on cream, and the sheets are deep red to match.  I'm thinking about doing a brown (not too dark) on a warm cloud white wainscoting.  What do you think?  This will probably be my March Break project room!
Here's the current green room colour
An inspirational photo via Pinmarklet
Another Pinterest find


c) Railings - easy job - not sure if I'm going to stain or whitewash or what, but these railings need some finishing!
Main floor railing - probably will stain to match the floor (or eventual floor) colour
Basement railing -  may be fun to add a bit of colour to this one?

2. Gallery Wall
Not sure whether I will put a gallery wall of pictures in the dining room, or up the main floor stairs, or even in the empty space in the living room, but I definitely want to add a mix of photos and art in a collage in our house - they are always so interesting to look at!  Here are some inspiration photos I like for various reasons, gathered from Pinterest.  Also another project I can tackle myself!
Like the black and whites - this would work best going up the stairs
Perfect symmetry, which I usually love, but not the look I'm going for this time
Very cool for a stairway!
More black and white beauties of all shapes and sizes!
Oh YHL, how I love your mix of pictures and art - great for the living or dining room!

3. Backyard Entertaining Space
This was something we started to do last year with the tables, but we really want some bench seating with storage underneath to free some space chairs would take up.  We could use it to lounge, or pull a table up for dining.  Here are some inspirational pictures gathered from Pinmarklet.
Current backyard - looking to add bench seating to that fence corner on the deck
I like the back bench and the colourful top
No storage, but still a simple bench design
Sectioned pieces to move around the design
I like the rustic look to this long bench

4. Gardening - Take Two
So this year's gardening efforts were a fail.  At least we now know what will spring up in the, well, Spring, and what we want to yank out and what to keep.  The backyard is in pretty good shape, will probably just add in some annuals to fill it out.  The front, however, is a jungled mess that needs some structure and good ol' TLC!
Current back garden - nice and green
Just needs a few pops of colour from some annuals
Front garden/jungle
Yeah...not really pretty...
Thinking of sectioning off the front and creating a path
Or adding some tiers to make it more organized

5. Lighting Purchases
So we have a lot of bad lighting, and replacing them would be nice. We need new lighting for: the front hallway, the upstairs hall, the living room (ceiling and floor and table), the kitchen, the hallway closet, the spare bedroom ceiling (although I may just spraypaint this one and keep it), and the other spare bedroom.  This won't be a rush, but we'll be keeping our eyes out for a good deal to replace some of these lights in the next year.
Spare bedroom light - not too bad, but may spray it dark brown or brighter gold
Upstairs hallway light - going to string a light from this outlet from the wall to the ceiling, and add a little chandelier
Front foyer light - little chandelier needed here too!
Other spare bedroom light - anything but this would be good
Kitchen ceiling fan - never used, so simple lighting would be better
Hallway closet light
Living Room - already took out the bad chandelier and capped it, but now need a light to fill it!


6. Refinish the TV Unit
This unit just needs to be sanded and stained to match our living room furniture - another March Break project.
Just needs a little facelift!


Future Projects
These are some things we'll be looking to do, but doubtful within the year, due to budget, time, and sanity!

Basement: new carpet in den/office and on stairs, built-ins for TV area in den, reinforced stairs, enclose and add storage beneath, move wall in bathroom back and get new vanity and fixtures and re-tile, finish laundry room and add storage.

Kitchen: completely redo kitchen - new floors, cabinetry, appliances, lighting, and probably make half-wall into the living room with breakfast nook - may involve adding a small addition to the back - VERY FUTURE PROJECT!

Living Room: get new couch, curtains

Dining Room: get new dining table and chairs, curtains

Main Floor Hallway & Stairs: new runner for floor and stairs

Spare Bedroom: new room lighting, side table, mirror, curtains, rug

Upstairs Closet: add hooks, more storage above

Master Bedroom: new chaise for under window, curtains

Middle Spare Room: this will probably be an eventual baby room, so will need to refinish gross parquet flooring, paint, add furniture, knock down door to closet and build storage, curtains, rug, all that baby-related stuff.  With that will probably come baby-proofing the whole house?  We do have a lot of sharp edges...I have the bruises to prove it!

So yeah - the list never ends!  There is probably many things I forgot too!  Anyway, lots to keep us busy!  Happy New Year!
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Two Mini-Projects

10/15/2011

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Just little things we did a few weeks ago to the main bathroom and front hall - nothing huge!
Reminder - what the bathroom wall used to look like...
Really we have no pictures - this is from when we saw it before we moved in - it's really just a blank wall!
Added some towels and new art - everyone likes something to look at...
They are silly, but I like them!  I got them at Home Sense - the pair for $23, in frames.
...and a new bathmat - it has a quilted pattern and is SO SOFT!  Our white towel bathmat was looking pretty gross
Our water must have iron in it because all our toilets and sinks get a orange ring, along with around the edges of our shower and floor when they get wet - so the white one was pretty bad...
Home Sense purchase as well - $12.
Reminder of the front hallway before - when we first moved in...
...and now!  Shoe rack and mirror!
Still have to paint the door and add hooks, but I like the new mirror!
Can you see a purchasing trend?  Homesense for the mirror - $25.
(The shoe rack is from Ikea)
It feels more welcoming when you are coming into our house
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