Front Door Makeover

Good morning all !

I'm in the process of giving the front porch a makeover - and it all started with the door.

It's the first room people see when they step inside and it looked awful - seriously embarrassing - peeling walls - the window frames are the tiniest flimsiest ones I've ever seen ( we didn't even need a crowbar to remove them - a little flick of a screwdriver and down they fell ) 

I started with the front door.

The interior of the front door actually because the exterior may be going red.

It's a nice front door - but it's seen better days now - someone must have shellacked it back in the day because it was peeling off in long strips - and was very shiny

It's newer to the house................I'm guessing probably the 80's or 90's - but the stain was a reddish color

( not the orange from the 70's but a close runner up ) 

Even John didn't like it - wood lover that he is ( John Wood is his name - loving wood is his game )
But to be honest had I had the energy it would have required I would have sanded it all down and stained it a brown that I actually liked - but I simply don't have that kind of energy lately.................

The color is more in keeping with the interior of the house ( greys and whites )
And the stained glass shows up more now that it's painted - it kind of all blended in before

and for some reason that I can't quite understand - even the molding/panelling seems to be more pronounced now

And now can I share that every single room we step into to redo is like a nightmare from hell?
Which is why I don't have much energy left a year and a half later?
Well those that follow know that - but it's disheartening that nothing goes easy here - so an easy fix like the door is such a welcome project !

In the late afternoon the stained glass stands out even more

Want to see the damage on the walls?

And that's because there was never any heating installed in this front porch..................why anyone would install drywall and not add heating - here in Montreal -  is beyond anything I can figure out - we're lucky we didn't have ice on the walls  ( it was that cold )
I think they had it done just before they sold the house - so that it would look in decent shape -
Anyway time to fix it all and install heating................and change the windows in the fall for that matter.

I've also started painting out the wood trim - this house was decked out like a ski lodge - and when I say wood trim I say it very lightly - it's mostly that cheap panelling that was so common in the 60's ...........
They covered absolutely everything in it ...................
Except the toilets - bathtubs and sinks.

I ordered the foam from Amazon - and have been cutting it down to size to fit on the built in storage benches
( which I LOVE having ) the benches are going the same grey as the door - everything else is going WHITE
WHITE WHITE WHITE WHITE WHITE !
I'm going to turn this Apres - Ski house into a cottage if it kills me !!!

And that's what I'll be doing this week :)
If I don't post again it's because it actually did kill me

Have a wonderful day !!!
I think I'll spend a couple of hours in the pool before I tackle this room again :)

( I used Behr Porch and Patio paint - in a satin finish ( because I've used it on floors and it's held up incredibly well )

Hugs,
Me,



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TIP JUNKIE

ADDING CORBELS FOR ARCHITECTURE INTEREST !

Good morning all !

Our last house had the most amazing architectural interest - with moldings and rosettes and cherubs ( 4 of them in each corner of the entrance way ) and corbels - all original to the 100 year old building and all in plaster.

It was what sold me on that place ( along with the original exposed brick walls )  and I miss them.  You can see more HERE

This house has none of that...............but that doesn't mean it can't be added.
We have a small archway - and I was only able to put one on one side ( the other side is a pony wall )
but just the one makes all the difference ( I still have to touch the paint up on the sides ) 

I bought this piece from Amazon - for much cheaper than it was at Home Depot actually
I think it cost 15.00 or so..............
It's made from a high density urethane -
Wood ones are very expensive - and not necessary if you plan on painting them anyway.

Because it's made from urethane I was able to hang it up with just No More Nails.............it's light enough that it just stayed in place until it dried.

And then John caulked all around the perimeters - making it look seamless.
It looks more striking at night - when the grey wall appears a deeper shade.

It's no plastered cherub ..................but it'll do - once we add the crown molding - it'll definitely do
And it adds far more than 15 dollars in value to a room !

Have a great Thursday  ♥

Hugs,
Me

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ANDERSON & GRANT

A Clock Makeover!

Good morning everyone !

Someone " threw " this in with a piece of furniture I bought once...............last year

A perfectly fine ( in perfectly fine working order ) clock

Except it was way too woody for me................here it is all shabbified.

And that's all I have " time " for today -
We hit another snafu in the mud room ...............need to put on my thinking cap and step away from the computer for a little bit.

Plus every time I have a few minutes to spare I run back to mini secretariat
Whose sitting patiently on the kitchen table waiting to be finished

Annie Sloan Chalk Paint -
Pure white on body
Graphite around face

Hope you all have a wonderful day !
Hugs,
Me


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A DIY Faux Marble Mantel

I LOVE marble -

And....................I wanted a slab of marble for the faux fire place we built for the bedroom.

You know, that cheap frugal DIY one we built?
So I decided a cheap frugal DIY marble mantel would fit perfectly !

We bought a length of wood for 12.00 - had it cut to fit the mantel ( and unbelievably enough there was exactly - to the tee - to make another mantel for the living room gas fireplace - which I'll age and stain )
It's a nice thick chunk - perfect for this project !

I gave it a coat of Annie Sloan Chalk Paint - Pure White - and then mixed a little Paris Grey with Graphite to create the " veins ": and simple painted them on the white - feathering some so that it was thicker in some areas
( with 2 different sizes of artist brushes - one pointy edge - and one flat edge )

The next photos are before I put polyurethane on it ..................but you can see it on the fireplace at least !

I don't have a tutorial because I was in such a hurry to get it done that I didn't stop to take photos - but if the truth be known it would be difficult to show through photos anyway - you'd kind of need a video I think.
( of which there are probably a million of them out there with far superior results !!! )

I just made my " veins " and brushed them out in places and left them in tact in others - the only important thing to remember when doing this is to bring your veins down onto the front and sides of your slabs for authenticity......................

Another mantel to decorate !  ( this was just thrown together to show you the finished product- the only thing I know that's staying is that wreath from Target ( 25.00 if anyone's interested ! )

And that's my final DIY project for 2014 lol !

Have a wonderful day everyone - I'm off to buy another one of these wreaths - I'm in love !

Oh and that perfect deer?
10.00 ( again Target )
You can see the tutorial for the actual fireplace HERE

Much love,
Me

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REMODELAHOLIC

Adding Planks to a Kitchen Table

Good morning everyone -

It rained cats and dogs here yesterday - and when it does that - for some reason my brain starts getting a little creative...............( think of trying to entertain a child on a rainy day - ain't easy )

Smack in the middle of working on the plank wall - ( because I seem to have a huge problem with finishing anything lately ) another idea was born................what if I took my little farmhouse table ( which does in fact open up to double the size in the photo below - you can see that post HERE ) and added planks to the top to make it even bigger - a real " work station " type of top?

in our previous home

I quickly ran to get the left over planks - there were 5 left over - and would you believe it - 5 fit perfectly for what I wanted to do - ( if that's not a sign that it had to be done I don't know what is )  I'm not sure why it looks lower than the counter top in photos - they're almost the same height

Suzan says - OMG John - I just had such a fantastic idea
John says - Oh no............
Suzan says - I want to plank the antique farmhouse table in the kitchen
John says - ARE YOU INSANE?  THAT'S AN ANTIQUE - I'M NOT SCREWING ANYTHING INTO THE TOP OF THAT..................
Suzan says - But
John says - NO - N.O. - NO WAY - FORGET ABOUT IT

I have a thinking ( SHOWER ) cap that I keep in the linen closet - ( you can actually see me wearing it HERE ) I sometimes use it when I'm painting - seriously - especially if I'm painting a tall piece where paint may end up on my hair -  but it also works for thinking strangely enough - and within minutes I had a plan ( because I'm nothing - absolutely nothing - if not determined.

Suzan says - What if I had a way where the original top would not be affected at all?
John says - Well that's impossible - how are you going to stop the piece from sliding all over the place without screwing it into the wood?
Suzan says - LIKE THIS !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

First we put brackets underneath the planks to hold them all together

Next we flipped it over and ran a pencil along the underside where the " real " table ends

And put a piece of molding on either side to hold the plank top in place - like this

Ideally we would have put molding on all 4 sides - but I couldn't afford the space it would take to make the table larger in depth - only length - but a piece of anti slip rubber ( like you use under carpets ) will hold it perfectly.
This is how it looks underneath - locking it in

Next I painted the top with ASCP Pure White...............again imperfection is fine - this is only the first step

Once that was dry - I made a wash with French Linen ( I eyeball it at this point - but half water - half paint is usually a good rule of thumb )

This took very little paint - maybe 3 tablespoons - this little bit was all I needed

After brushing it on

Next - ( and I don't have a photo of this step ) I took a damp cloth and wiped the entire surface.
I'm a very fast painter - if you aren't - this last step should be done in sections because a " wash " dries very quickly.

When you're done you should have a piece that looks like sun aged driftwood

This piece is now large enough for me to have a small prep area

I feel like I should have my own cooking show now !!!

Suzan says - can you take a couple of photos for me?
John says - of what?
Suzan says - of me, in the kitchen, in front of the new table
John says - Okay

I hurriedly pulled together some accessories

John says - Oh for God's sakes, I don't have time for this nonsense
Suzan says - c'mon - it'll be funny

Suzan says - Wow - I thought I was the world's lousiest photographer
John says - Is it bad?
Suzan says - Well it's very blurry which I don't mind at all - but I don't look anything like Giada de Laurentiis
in this whatsover..................
John says - Who the hell is that?

Are you impressed with my planked table idea?
No?  How about if I told you I painted it and white washed it in my favorite  little black dress?
Yes I did - I most certainly did!  ( I like to live on the edge like that )  I used to go dancing till the wee hours when I felt like having fun.  Now I sometimes paint in " good " clothes instead.

John says - that's the last thing we're doing to that table, you understand?
Suzan says - yessir ( but only because I can't think of a single thing more I could do to it myself.

We added a shelf on the bottom HERE

and height to it HERE

and now we've added some " girth " lol
and it's removable if and when we choose to take it off
NOT A SINGLE DROP OF THE ORIGINAL WOOD WAS DAMAGED IN CREATING THIS POST...................

Have a wonderful day all !
I'm going to chop and dice up Corn Pops and have a bowl of cereal at the table now - and then I'm going to put polyurethane on it to protect it.  ( 4 coats - since it will be getting a lot of use )
In my little black dress.

If anyone from the Food Network wants to contact me please drop me a line here on the blog - we can discuss salary.
Have a wonderful day!
Much love,

Partying here !
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