tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-89503229852546620062024-03-12T20:04:30.268-04:00The Creative Me and My McGJoin Me and My "McGyver" as we adventure
our way through home decorating and DIY!
Thecreativeme23http://www.blogger.com/profile/17758285954877901809noreply@blogger.comBlogger250125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8950322985254662006.post-43174332849499596712019-07-16T14:39:00.000-04:002019-07-16T14:39:03.973-04:00Still here!Things have been crazy...life has been busy.<br />
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I'm back today with a small project that I found yesterday at the<br />
thrift store.<br />
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It was a little banged up and needed some love, but it was too good to pass up at that price! I gave the top a quick sanding and wiped down the base with a Lysol wipe. </div>
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A fresh coat of stain is just what it needed. I used some leftover stain from another project that was a custom walnut mix.<br />
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It now sits as a small coffee table in our living room. I love that it doesn't take up too much space in our room and the open base keeps it visually light as well.<br />
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A quick, inexpensive makeover is just what our budget needed.<br />
Thanks for stopping by! We've been busy with some great outdoor projects that I'll be back to show you really soon!<br />
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CHERYL<br />
<br />Thecreativeme23http://www.blogger.com/profile/17758285954877901809noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8950322985254662006.post-33419924281378719652018-09-08T18:10:00.001-04:002018-09-08T18:10:54.974-04:00MIA - My Life and Where I've BeenHello Friends!<br />
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I can't believe that almost six months has gone by. Can you believe that summer is over already?<br />
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I certainly can't! Life has really been getting in the way of my getting here. However, if you follow my Instagram account (@thecreativeme23) you would have seen some of what's been keeping me so busy.<br />
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Since I started back to work part-time (over 2 years ago already), things have been slower moving here at home. It probably also has a lot to do with the fact that we don't have very many spaces left here in this house to complete.<br />
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Spring saw the completion of our family room. I haven't done a proper reveal post, but here it is today as I type this...It's a cool, grey day here today.<br />
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This is everyday life here today, lol, and we love how it turned out. As you can see we added some shiplap to the walls around the closets and painted an accent wall of Dorian Grey behind the fireplace. Gone are the 8 foot brick walls that actually made the room look smaller. The fireplace is free-standing now which we think gives it a more modern look. We have yet to paint out the closet doors, and to be quite honest, it most likely won't be done anytime soon!<br />
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September is upon us and hunting season for McG is just around the corner. We also have a grandson that is due to arrive in about 6 weeks! We are soooooooooo looking forward to his arrival and have been helping our daughter and her partner get ready. <br />
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A good chunk of my free time this spring and summer went to planning and throwing her a baby shower that was everything she had dreamed of. Our daughter is a girly girl and wanted a Kate Spade inspired shower, and that's exactly what she got! Baby blue and gold with polka dots. I made the centerpieces and the food was a group effort from all of her Aunts and her Grandmother and I. It was a perfect day and she was showered with lots of love and gifts for her and the baby.<br />
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Any spare time that McG and I had, we spent by the pool! It was a HOT summer here in Ontario, which was just fine with us. We got a huge amount of use out of our backyard oasis. We fit in a quick trip to Shipshewana Indiana at the beginning of July which is always fun.<br />
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McG also built a few things for the yard, including a great bar height table for under the covered porch and a BBQ cabana. The cabana is something he has wanted for awhile. The kids and I gave him Home Depot cards for Father's Day so he had a headstart on funding the project.<br />
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Here it is all completed. I will post a kind of How-to later this week (hopefully!)<br />
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This bar table he built from scraps that he had lying around in the garage. One Sunday we had no plans and he was bored so this is what I got as a surprise. Sometimes it's really great to have a handy hubby with ADHD. He creates his own projects when there's nothing to do! LOL<br />
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In order to help our daughter organize her kitchen before the arrival of the baby, McG built her a coffee bar. She has a small galley kitchen with not much counter space. In order to free up some of the space and still have a place for her small appliances, like a coffee maker and toaster, she wanted something that wouldn't take up too much space in her dining room. This is what he built for her...<br />
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It's 4 feet long and 18 inches deep. Just the perfect size. She has it fully stocked now so I will have to get her to send me an updated photo.<br />
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Well that's what's been going on here for the last 5 months or so. The cooler weather is here this week and it's giving me the urge to nest and change up some of the decor around here. I will be sure and pop in to show you really soon! <br />
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Until then, I'd love to hear about your summer! Drop me some comments, I'd LOVE to hear from you!<br />
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<span style="color: red; font-size: x-large;"><b><i>Cheryl</i></b></span></div>
Thecreativeme23http://www.blogger.com/profile/17758285954877901809noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8950322985254662006.post-84868711073676319252018-04-21T13:00:00.001-04:002018-04-21T13:00:10.880-04:00Plugging Away...It's been almost two months since I've popped in here...life and time are passing quickly these days.<br />
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In my defense though we were away for two weeks in March on our annual pilgrimage to the sunshine state of Florida. Boy McG and I really love it there. It was cooler this year than it has been in the past, but we still manage to soak up every bit of sun we could. Poolside is where we stayed the majority of everyday.<br />
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We had hoped to bring the sun and warm temperatures back home with us, but alas, that was not the case. We actually had snow here earlier this week...and if you can believe it, Thursday night we had a small earthquake that registered 3.6 on the scale. It didn't last long, but let me tell you the china shook in the cabinet when it happened.<br />
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That's not something that happens around here. But the weather really does seem to be changing here. Last year at this time, the magnolia tree in the front was in full bloom. This year the buds aren't anywhere near opening. In fact, I'm pretty sure they won't even flower because we had an ice storm last weekend. If they do open I will really be surprised.<br />
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Here's what it looked like last year on this day (you gotta love Facebook for sending you reminders...)<br />
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And here's what it looks like now...<br />
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The sun is out today and it's finally made it into the 50's today. Spring is definitely late around here!<br />
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As for the family room, this is pretty much the state right now. Flooring is next up on the to-do list.<br />
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This week we installed the 68 inch ceiling fan that we bought in Florida last March when we were there. It's been sitting in the spare bedroom waiting for this project to come up on the list!<br />
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Last weekend we purchased the flooring for the family room at our local Home Depot. We had $200 in gift cards that we used to help offset the cost of this. We decided to go with tile from the back door to the stairs leading to the kitchen and laminate for the rest of the room.<br />
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They were having their spring Black Friday sale last weekend. We purchased this 12mm laminate with attached foam back for just $1.37 per square foot. A STEAL of a DEAL!!<br />
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-W_b9Jrvg28U/WtpUq65lTvI/AAAAAAAAFV0/13d11DlV6xAcJR_fmySCtAMbNtASpipOACEwYBhgL/s1600/007.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-W_b9Jrvg28U/WtpUq65lTvI/AAAAAAAAFV0/13d11DlV6xAcJR_fmySCtAMbNtASpipOACEwYBhgL/s640/007.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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We bought it in "Sanded Oak" which is a greyed brown. The planks are 6 inches wide and it comes with a 35 year residential warranty and a 5 year for heavy commercial so we are thinking it will be more than able to stand up to the wear and tear.<br />
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McG pulled up all the carpet and backer this week and also removed the hardwood flooring that was laid from the back door to the stairs. Our decision for taking this out was purely for water reasons. We use this entry quite often in the winter and it was hard to keep the snow and water off the floor. We also have a pool and we use this entry for coming in after a swim. We both felt that tile here was the best option. It also allowed us to put laminate into the rest of the room, since we didn't feel that the transition from hardwood to laminate was the best choice and we didn't want hardwood in this room.<br />
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So far we have completed the following projects in this room.<br />
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* pulled out the brick from behind the fireplace<br />
* pulled down the existing panelling and took out the old insulation and installed new, higher R value<br />
insulation<br />
* installed new electrical outlets and switches, along with adding 5 new pot lights to the ceiling and<br />
upgrading 3 pot lights that were already in the room<br />
* added vapour barrier and new drywall to the room<br />
* spray painted the fireplace with high heat BBQ paint in flat black<br />
* took the old insulation and added to the attic insulation above this room<br />
* sanded and painted the drywall and painted the ceiling as well<br />
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Next up on the list is:<br />
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* Removing all the nails and staples from the sub floor<br />
* Screwing down the sub floor to help re-inforce it (it was originally only nailed down)<br />
* Adding a waterproof membrane from the door to the stairs<br />
* Tiling that section<br />
* Installing the laminate flooring and adding a transition piece from the tile to the laminate<br />
* painting and installing the crown molding, window trim, and baseboards<br />
* Adding ship lap to the walls around the closets<br />
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This really has been our largest project to do and we are hoping to have it finished up in the next few weeks. Stay tuned for more progress!!<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: red; font-size: x-large;"><b><i>Cheryl</i></b></span></div>
Thecreativeme23http://www.blogger.com/profile/17758285954877901809noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8950322985254662006.post-46016632930278976372018-02-01T09:47:00.000-05:002018-02-01T09:47:02.308-05:00Using Mood Boards to Help You Curate A LookHey there! Things are moving along here with the family room project. Most of the trim is now off and the paneling is starting to come down. The whole purpose of this project was to beef up the insulation in this room. It is very cold in here in the winter and hot in the summer. <br />
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McG also started breaking up the brick by the fireplace.<br />
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In order to get a vision for what I'm hoping to achieve in a room, I sometimes use or make a mood board. I shared the one I made for the laundry room with you back in the fall. You can check it out <a href="http://thecreativemeandmymcg.blogspot.ca/2017/11/laundry-room-reveal-34-done.html">here</a>.<br />
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I found some mood boards that I really like on Pinterest.<br />
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This one is from Studio McGee, you can find the link <a href="https://www.studio-mcgee.com/studioblog/2017/4/18/mid-century-modern-project-webisode">here</a>. We are considering a small sectional instead of a couch and love seat this time, along with two chairs. This is the color scheme that I would like to work with in this room, soft grays with punches of navy and green and weathered wood.<br />
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I also really like this neutral option from <a href="http://brassandwhatnots.com/neutral-living-room-mood-board/">Brass and What Nots</a>.<br />
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I love the calmness of it and with just some simple pops of navy and green I could really make it mine.<br />
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So, if you are considering a renovation in your future, I really suggest checking out some mood boards on Pinterest or even creating one of your own. I find that it helps to keep me on track and focused when I shopping for pieces for the room.<br />
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Although I wanted to take out our current fireplace and replace it with a more traditional looking one and not a "woodstove" looking one like we have currently, it is not in the budget for this project. So I am currently trying to design around it. We are considering two options right now.<br />
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Planking painted white, similar to this but without the shelving...<br />
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We have a large amount of pine planks leftover from the wall project in the master bedroom. If you missed it, you can check it out <a href="http://thecreativemeandmymcg.blogspot.ca/2017/06/changes-in-master-bedroom.html">here</a>.<br />
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...or a more modern look similar to this using a large porcelain tile.<br />
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Are you using mood boards? I'd love to see some of yours!!<br />
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<span style="color: red; font-size: x-large;"><b><i>Cheryl</i></b></span></div>
Thecreativeme23http://www.blogger.com/profile/17758285954877901809noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8950322985254662006.post-79698758794595331062018-01-08T09:17:00.001-05:002018-01-08T09:17:24.266-05:002018 - a New Year and some New Projects!Hello friends and Happy New Year!!! Again this little blog of mine has been neglected as I just realized that I haven't posted anything since November of last year! If you missed it - we finally finished the laundry room. It had been in a closet in our family room when we first moved in, but now has a room of it's own just down the hall from our bedrooms. Here's a peek.<br />
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You can see more of the details <a href="http://thecreativemeandmymcg.blogspot.ca/2017/11/laundry-room-reveal-34-done.html">here.</a> We have recently added a small antique wooden desk that we are using as a folding table and the laundry sorter that McG bought for me for Christmas. These two items have made the room so much more functional.<br />
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Now that all the holidays are behind us (so sorry for not posting any photos of the house decorated), and I am finally starting to get over the flu, we are brainstorming some ideas for the family room, which is the next project on the to-do list.<br />
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Here are some photos I took this morning. Keep in mind that this room is dark and we are in the midst of a snow storm, so the lighting is not the best.<br />
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A big pet peeve of mine are these ugly closet doors. Finding something to change these up is paramount on my list!<br />
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This little half wall at the back entry is going too! It really hinders people from entering our home.<br />
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The paint color is definitely being changed as the paneling is coming down to make way for better insulation. This room is the farthest from the furnace and a/c unit and as such is very cold in the winter and warm in the summer. We have added vent boosters that help somewhat but McG's whole agreement to this project stems from the fact that he wants to beef up the insulation in this room. </div>
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Last, but not least, is this fireplace. It is a gas fireplace that looks like a wood stove. While I would prefer to change it out to a regular gas fireplace, it's not really in the budget. So right now we are looking at ways to change the surround and make it more modern. (if you look closely, you will see what I am hoping will cover the closet doors on the hearth)<br />
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We also will be addressing the lighting in this room and have already purchased a much larger ceiling fan for this room. I know that they are taboo in the decorating world, but it really is a necessity in this room in the summer time. The flooring will be addressed also. This room will most likely be one of the most costly renovations we will tackle in this house as there are so many things that need to be done. We have a tight budget to work with so there will definitely be lots of DIY! <br />
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Stay tuned and please <span style="color: blue;"><b>send us your suggestions f</b></span>or dealing with the fireplace surround - we are definitely open to hearing what you think!!<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: red; font-size: x-large;"><b><i>Cheryl</i></b></span></div>
Thecreativeme23http://www.blogger.com/profile/17758285954877901809noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8950322985254662006.post-8268288972843326152017-11-22T14:46:00.000-05:002017-11-22T14:46:10.912-05:00LAUNDRY ROOM REVEAL - 3/4 DONE!OK - it's not DONE - but it's done enough for a reveal!<br />
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If you are just joining us - here's a look at the mood board from the room...<br />
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And here she is...<br />
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sorry - this one is a little blurry :S The piece on the right is a clock, but you can't see it very well from the glare from the lights... I put this chair in here so that I can just sit and admire it.<br />
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McG helped me hang some of the things for the gallery wall. I have wanted a gallery wall for sometime now, but was never sure where to put one. I didn't purchased any of this new. It all came from my stash, having lived somewhere else in the house before this. I need a few more pieces but it's coming together nicely.<br />
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Laundry is definitely higher on my to-do list now that I can spend time in this room! It's a definite upgrade from the tiny closet it used to be in and having the laundry room closer to the bedrooms is a plus as well.<br />
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McG still has to strip and restain the door and add new hardware, but she's pretty much finished up.<br />
We finished it up in just 5 weeks, working mainly on weekends and a few nights after work.<br />
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The cost for the project came in around $700, which included the flooring, paint, and the cost of running the water and gas lines to the room.<br />
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There's only a couple rooms left to renovate in this house - the family room, which will be our first project in the new year, and the spare bedroom. Stayed tuned for our next adventure...<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: red; font-size: x-large;"><b><i>Cheryl</i></b></span></div>
Thecreativeme23http://www.blogger.com/profile/17758285954877901809noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8950322985254662006.post-14105291719876389272017-11-13T07:50:00.000-05:002017-11-13T07:50:25.130-05:00Laundry Room ProgressHey there! Happy Monday! It's grey and cold here this morning...<br />
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I wanted to pop in and share some laundry room progress. If you follow on Facebook or Instagram you've probably already seen what's been going on.<br />
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Here's a reminder of the look we are going for...<br />
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Two weeks ago, we ripped up the carpet from the small bedroom that we are moving our laundry room to. McG and our son installed water and gas lines, which took the better part of a couple of weekends, since our son was on afternoon shift and not available during the week to help his Dad.<br />
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This past week McG gave the ceiling a fresh coat of white paint and then two of the walls got two coats of "Hale Navy" by Benjamin Moore that was colour matched to Beautitone paint from Home Hardware. The other two walls were painted two coats of "Just Chillin'" from Home Hardware. It was leftover from the main bathroom project. <br />
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While the paint dried, McG headed into the attic to install the wiring for a ceiling fixture in this room. Previously we had a cage light that was plugged into an electrical outlet and operated with a switch. It was time for an actual ceiling fixture. <br />
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Yesterday afternoon we started on the flooring. It is a vinyl plank click lock flooring that we purchased at Home Depot. The colour is called Harrison Pine Dark.<br />
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There are three different widths of planks in each box all with different colour variations. I have to say it was quite easy to install. McG might say differently, but it took about 2 hours to install, but the most time was trying to figure out a pattern and not put too many of the same coloured planks too close together. <br />
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My vision is really coming together on this room and I think having a mood board to work from really helped in keeping us on track. <br />
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Next up we will be painting and installing some new baseboard trim. Once that's complete we will be moving the washer and dryer in and setting up the pretty stuff!!<br />
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<span style="color: red; font-size: x-large;"><b><i>Cheryl</i></b></span></div>
Thecreativeme23http://www.blogger.com/profile/17758285954877901809noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8950322985254662006.post-27430175912531375892017-10-30T11:07:00.001-04:002017-10-30T11:07:45.631-04:00MOVING THE LAUNDRY ROOMHello Friends!<br />
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I'm back today with some exciting news! I'm sure the title gave it away, but WE ARE MOVING THE LAUNDRY ROOM!<br />
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When we purchased this home three years ago, we were fine with the laundry being in a large closet in the family room. We didn't see any reason to move it, but we did update the closet. Here's a look back at what we had when we moved in and what it is like now.<br />
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After living with it like this for almost three years, I have finally talked McG into moving it into a small bedroom which we currently just use as storage. That room got a small makeover as well last year.<br />
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I had wanted to steal some space from this room when we did the main bathroom makeover last year, but McG felt it would be better to leave this room as a bedroom option. FAST FORWARD and I have finally talked him into making this room into a laundry room.<br />
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Part of the reason he went along with it is because earlier this year we had to purchase a new washer and dryer and the new appliances stick out from the wall a little further and thus we can't close the closet doors anymore. This makes watching TV difficult at night since that's when most of the laundry is done. Many times he will wear headphones to watch something and I will watch TV in the living room since we only have one pair of headphones. Not to mention, the eyesore that is the laundry room as it takes away from the decor in the family room (which will be getting a makeover beginning in January!!!)<br />
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We have pulled up the carpet and he has installed the water hookup in this room already. Next will be to run the gas line for the dryer. I have been on Pinterest checking out some inspiration and I have put together a mood board of sorts.<br />
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Two of the walls (the wall with the window and the back wall behind the washer and dryer) will be a dark navy and we have already purchased the vinyl plank flooring. It's Allure in Harrison Pine Dark. I already have one wood shelf but we may add a second one to hold "pretties". I have purchased a similar clock and pear from the clearance at our local Homesense store. I will add wicker and some faux plants to round out the decor. All the storage that was in this room, will now be able to be stored in the old laundry room closet in the family, which is a much better solution for us.<br />
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I have so many ideas floating around in my head, but I will be sure to share them as things progress!<br />
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Here's hoping this project proceeds fairly quickly!!<br />
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<span style="color: red; font-size: x-large;"><b><i>Cheryl</i></b></span></div>
Thecreativeme23http://www.blogger.com/profile/17758285954877901809noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8950322985254662006.post-49906287573404830332017-10-12T12:33:00.001-04:002017-10-12T12:33:18.818-04:00What We've Been Up To...It seems forever since I've had something to sit down and write about.<br />
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The summer flew by it seems. We enjoyed our pool and worked in the yard...but nothing else got done on the never ending house project list. Don't get me wrong after the three week push to get the pool in and landscaped, we both were ready for some down time. <br />
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But fall has arrived and I'm itching to get back to the list. This past weekend was Canadian Thanksgiving, and McG took a break from his hunting weekends to be at home. I took advantage of that and suggested that we cross a project off the list.<br />
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We had decided that we were going to replace the front doors on the house, but after checking out options and getting over some serious sticker shock, we decided just to "fix up" the current doors we had. The doors are not my favourite and are a bit too ornate for the cottage-y vibe I'm trying to create in this house, but I'm willing to work with them to save some money for other projects.<br />
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They were a cornflower blue when we first moved in but I painted them a rich navy. The colour was great at first but after three years they were tired and needed something new.<br />
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We took them down, McG scraped out the old caulking around the windows and then he sanded them. Each door got three coats of Rustoleum Gloss Apple Red paint after we taped off the windows.<br />
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Once they were dry (which took overnight, so McG slept on the couch to make sure no one came in through the screen doors while we slept) we hung them back up the next morning.<br />
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Once they were hung we painted the trim around the window a crisp white to make the doors pop!<br />
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We also added new door hardware which we purchased last year when we installed the new back door. I really LOVE how the doors now POP against the dark grey of the siding.<br />
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A project that could have easily cost thousands of dollars was accomplished with $40 in spray paint!!<br />
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The regularly scheduled hunting weekends are back on the agenda, so it could be awhile before we begin another project...but next up on the list is - MOVING THE LAUNDRY ROOM!!!<br />
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I hope you stay tuned for our next DIY adventure!!<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: red; font-size: x-large;"><b><i>Cheryl</i></b></span></div>
Thecreativeme23http://www.blogger.com/profile/17758285954877901809noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8950322985254662006.post-90205299704955754782017-08-05T11:44:00.003-04:002017-08-05T11:44:37.750-04:00Summer Style in the Living RoomWhile most bloggers are already talking about Fall decor...this girl is still deeply enjoying SUMMER!! Why are the seasons rushed??? It's not FALL until September 21st people...until then I will be thinking and living SUMMER!<br />
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I badly needed to do some dusting around here, since we've spent the better part of the last month working outside on the pool area. Now that it's complete, I really needed to pay some attention to the inside of my home.<br />
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Today's project was cleaning the built-ins in the living room. <br />
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Here's what they looked like a few months back.<br />
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And here's what they look like now...</div>
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A calmer, more subdued look.<br />
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Less cluttered, less color...more texture.<br />
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More neutrals with just a touch of gold and green.<br />
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I'm loving the look and the simplicity of it. To me, it screams summer...<br />
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...where things are a little more laid back and easy.<br />
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The sun is bright here today and it's a little cooler and less humid. I've got the windows open and the radio cranked up, enjoying the great summer breezes.<br />
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Hope you enjoyed a look around our living room today. McG and I are getting outside today to celebrate with family and friends. Thanks for stopping by!</div>
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<span style="color: red; font-size: x-large;"><b><i>Cheryl</i></b></span></div>
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Thecreativeme23http://www.blogger.com/profile/17758285954877901809noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8950322985254662006.post-40085416776766248032017-07-17T09:46:00.001-04:002017-07-17T09:46:39.185-04:00Three Weeks to ParadiseHello Friends!<br />
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If you follow us on Facebook, you know that we've been busy creating our own little paradise here at home!<br />
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After just over three weeks, we are finally finished - here's how it turned out!<br />
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First we decided where the fence would go and purchased pre-made sections from our local Lowe's store. We installed the posts ourselves and then secured on the sections.<br />
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We have a side yard that is approximately 30 feet wide , so we utilized the back 40 feet of it which was just grass. We rented a sod cutter and McG and his brother took out all the grass.<br />
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Then we leveled the area where the pool would be and installed the brick pavers that the legs of the pool sit on. We had a few of our family and friends over to help install the pool and then we waited for it to fill up.<br />
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We purchased some patio stones on a local site for less than half the price and that gave us a 10 x 12 foot patio.<br />
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Before we installed the patio, we built a small deck to access the pool. Once everything was done in this area, we had 9 yards of stone delivered and we laid down landscaping fabric and then spread the stone throughout the whole area. This will keep the maintenance low in this area.<br />
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I thought you'd like a short tour of the rest of our yard...<br />
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This is the garden in the side yard that leads up to the pool area.<br />
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We had enough stone left over from the pool area to add to our front gardens, so we checked another project off our to-do list this past weekend. I was forever trying to keep up to the weeds in this area, so this makes things a little more maintenance free for me!<br />
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We even extended part of the front garden and shuffled around a few plants and added a new tree up front since our weeping mulberry was rotting. We had this small Japanses maple tree in the back yard, so we brought it up front to replace the rotting tree.<br />
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I weeded the beds and we added landscaping fabric down before we added the stone.<br />
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Here's a look into our backyard from the driveway.<br />
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I hope you liked our new "paradise" area here at home. We have enjoyed the pool already and look forward to adding this entertaining space to our home! </div>
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Thanks for visiting!</div>
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<span style="color: red; font-size: x-large;"><b><i>Cheryl</i></b></span></div>
Thecreativeme23http://www.blogger.com/profile/17758285954877901809noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8950322985254662006.post-47210356618964044302017-06-21T05:00:00.000-04:002017-06-21T05:00:00.930-04:00Changes in the Master BedroomHello friends!<br />
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A couple of weeks ago it rained almost everyday here in Ontario. I was feeling a cooped up and did some retail therapy to get me through it.<br />
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It all started during a trip to Winners where I saw this sign...<br />
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I loved the deep dark navy background with the gold lettering and the saying...well let's just say I needed an adventure after feeling cooped up with the rain!<br />
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Here's the before...<br />
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Not terrible...I still very much LOVE this quilt set and it will be kept to change out for a different look down the road, or go into a spare room. But it didn't look quite right with the new navy sign.<br />
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Our son had given me a very generous gift card at Christmas. I had been holding off using it in case I found something BIG that I wanted. Then on a trip to Homesense I found just what I was looking for...<br />
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It was just what I was looking for! And I only used a portion of my gift card! <br />
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I added some navy blackout curtains that I purchased at Walmart. I also stole two lamps from the family room to pick up on the gold in the print above the bed.<br />
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Here's a closer look...this is the table on McG's side of the bed.<br />
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It makes a big difference in the feel of the room. I find that it feels more masculine without the flowery quilt. And it gives off a cozier vibe in our room.<br />
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Thanks for stopping by! <br />
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<span style="color: red; font-size: x-large;"><b><i>Cheryl</i></b></span></div>
Thecreativeme23http://www.blogger.com/profile/17758285954877901809noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8950322985254662006.post-18586749040404558372017-06-15T08:06:00.001-04:002017-06-15T08:06:47.330-04:00Lighting up the Night!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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A few weeks back McG installed a new dining room light for his sister. When he was finished they said that they were just going to throw the old one away. He knew that I would most likely be able to find somewhere for it to go and so he hauled it home for me. I tell you that man knows me so well!!</div>
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I had him cut out the wiring.</div>
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He drilled holes in the cups so that they wouldn't hold water.<br />
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I purchased five solar lights from the local Dollarama - a total cost of $15. He then cut down the posts to cover the white electrical stems on each arm of the light.<br />
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They were a little bigger in diameter, so he first covered them in a few turns of electrical tape.<br />
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He cut the posts to length with a hack saw and added them to the fixture.<br />
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Then we hung it from a shepherd's hook by the patio in the back garden.<br />
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It's the perfect compliment to our yard and light's up the night with soft white light, and....<br />
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adds some elegance to our backyard for very little money!<br />
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<span style="color: red; font-size: x-large;"><b><i>Cheryl</i></b></span></div>
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Thecreativeme23http://www.blogger.com/profile/17758285954877901809noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8950322985254662006.post-43719025557636000162017-05-23T07:09:00.003-04:002017-05-25T10:03:49.873-04:00A Refresh for Summer...Hello Friends!!<br />
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This past weekend was the first official one of the summer season here in Canada - Victoria Day weekend. We celebrated the weekend with a wedding and some projects out in the yard.<br />
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McG has been working hard to get his garage insulated and walls up. It was basically a metal pole barn when we purchased this place almost three years ago. He has since had the ceiling spray foamed and now he wanted the walls to be insulated too. I didn't take any pictures of this process since I didn't find it to be worthy of a blog post, but I did want to mention it, as it is the reason we haven't really worked on too many other projects. I'm trying to be patient as he finishes this up and I'm hoping it will be done and put back in order this week.<br />
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In the meantime, the weather co-operated for me yesterday and I spent most of the day in the yard getting the grass cut and working on some small projects of my own.<br />
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There were a few garden art items that needed a fresh coat of paint so I worked on getting that done.<br />
I also wanted to give our old patio chairs a refresh. We've had them for several years now and while I wanted to get new ones I just couldn't bring myself to spend hundreds of dollars, when I knew that I could make them work at least one more season.<br />
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They were looking pretty drab and I wanted to add a burst of color to the backyard so I used the cheapest trick I knew of - SPRAY PAINT!! <br />
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First I cleaned the chairs with soap and water and left them in the sun to dry. Once they were dry, I sprayed the metal structure a shiny, gloss black. That alone made a huge difference.<br />
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Next McG took a break from his work and helped me to tape off the metal so that I could paint the plastic mesh seating and backs.<br />
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The side entry to the garage is under the covered patio and the door is painted red, so I chose Apple Red gloss Rustoleum paint that was made for plastic.<br />
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They turned out gorgeous!<br />
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First we sprayed the back of the backrest, and then we sprayed the front of the backrest and the seat of the chair.<br />
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We then pulled off the tape as soon as they were done and then left them in the sun to dry for about a half an hour. </div>
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I will be back later this week to show you how they look in the yard. I am quite impressed with how they turned out. I will keep you posted on how the painted seats hold up for the summer. </div>
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For chairs that were on their way out of here, they really do look brand new - and it only cost $25 to paint seven chairs!!</div>
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<span style="color: red; font-size: x-large;"><b><i>Cheryl</i></b></span></div>
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<span style="color: red; font-size: x-large;"><b><i>Linking up @:</i></b></span></div>
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<span style="color: red; font-size: x-large;"><b><i><a href="http://flusterbuster.com/2017/05/great-ideas-229.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+FlusterBuster+%28Fluster+Buster%29">Fluster Buster - Creative Muster Party</a></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="color: red; font-size: x-large;"><b><a href="http://raggedy-bits.com/DIY/waste-not-wednesday-52/"><i>Raggedy Bits - Waste Not Wednesday</i></a></b></span></div>
Thecreativeme23http://www.blogger.com/profile/17758285954877901809noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8950322985254662006.post-89896576088144349332017-04-02T15:03:00.004-04:002017-04-02T15:03:38.590-04:00A Little bit of Spring on the PorchHello again! Another month has gone by already - time is flying by so quickly isn't it?<br />
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McG and I arrived home yesterday from a two week trip to sunny Florida. We go each year for the last two weeks of March. Let me tell you, the weather was FABULOUS!!! The sun shone everyday and the temps were in the high 80's. So different from here in Ontario where we live. In fact the week we left we had snow here and temps in the 30's.<br />
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When we arrived home yesterday the sun was shining and the temps were in the mid 50's. All the sunshine in the previous weeks prompted me to do a little spruce up on the front porch. We haven't gotten the furniture out yet, but I did pick up some faux flowers to freshen up the place. First though I had to take down the wintery flowers of red, white and green to make way for this new beauties!<br />
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I spent $15 on these flowers, mixing them in with some that I had from last year's arrangement.<br />
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I even had a few leftover to add to the pots on the wall as well. The yellow and purple are new, the white I left in the from the winter arrangement.<br />
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Just a little bit of spring and some happy colours on the porch! Have you added some spring touches to your front porch yet?<br />
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<span style="color: red; font-size: x-large;"><b><i>Cheryl</i></b></span></div>
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<br />Thecreativeme23http://www.blogger.com/profile/17758285954877901809noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8950322985254662006.post-13432732652800724982017-03-06T05:00:00.000-05:002017-03-06T05:00:12.775-05:00Progress on the BathroomThis week we have really worked hard to get this bathroom into the homestretch.<br />
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As I told you last week, this is the main bathroom in our home and the one that McG and our son share.<br />
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We knocked the following projects off our to-do list this week...<br />
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1. sanded and re-stained/varnished the door and added new hardware - we used a satin varnish instead of the high-gloss that was on them previously<br />
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2. Painted the walls a soft grey called "just chillin'" by Beauti-tone from Home Hardware. It was a kitchen and bath paint in a velvet finish. We also painted the ceiling and trim a fresh coat of white.<br />
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3. We installed a new counter-top but kept the same sink. We also added new faucets.<br />
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4. McG installed the new light that we purchased at IKEA - the VIPPARP<br />
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5. Next McG mounted the new wall hooks I purchased from Home Sense, along with the new toilet paper holder and towel rack. He made mounting blocks for the toilet paper holder and towel rack and stained them to match new cabinet color.<br />
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6. He re-attached the cabinet doors and hardware, while I added the new shower rod and curtain. We also added a smaller mirror that we purchased at Home Sense. <br />
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Next up we are replacing the flooring and adding new baseboards - then we can mark this room off the to-do list!<br />
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Here's a look at the room so far...<br />
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Here's a side by side view of the before and after...<br />
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I'm loving the transformation so far and can't wait to show you it fully finished with the new flooring and trim!<br />
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<span style="color: red; font-size: x-large;"><b><i>Cheryl</i></b></span></div>
Thecreativeme23http://www.blogger.com/profile/17758285954877901809noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8950322985254662006.post-85211773317896001892017-02-26T06:00:00.000-05:002017-02-26T06:00:00.156-05:00Moving at a slower pace...Like many of you I follow a whole whack of bloggers...and I am amazed at the pace they seem to get their projects done. McG and I worked at a fast pace when we first moved here, but these days projects seem to take a whole lot longer to complete.<br />
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We started our main bath reno right after Christmas...we seemed to get the cabinets refinished quickly but the rest of the room has been moving at a snail's pace...<br />
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Here are some BEFORE photos to give you an idea of what we started with.<br />
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Green walls, walnut cabinets that were pretty tired and worn.<br />
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Pretty 1980's...(I didn't even crop out that empty toilet paper roll...that's how real I'm keeping it today!)</div>
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A great big mirror..</div>
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And some slate tile flooring and pretty worn trim.</div>
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Now for the plan. I had wanted to enlarge the bathroom by stealing some square footage from a small bedroom that backs on to the bathroom. McG, however, felt that we should keep the bedroom as is for a storage/weight room option. I have to confess that I don't usually give in, but for now, I'm letting him think that I did. I agreed, for the time being, to give the bathroom an overhaul without changing the footprint. So this room is getting the following updates.</div>
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1. Paint - a light grey called "just chillin'" - in a Beauti-tone kitchen/bath paint</div>
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2. Sanded and re-stained the cabinets in a weather grey/brown finish</div>
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3. New white trim and baseboards</div>
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4. New counter top</div>
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5. New faucets</div>
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6. New light fixture</div>
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7. New mirror</div>
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8. New flooring</div>
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9. New fan/light switches/ground fault electrical outlet</div>
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10. Sand and restain the bathroom door and add new handles</div>
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We have purchased everything and are in a state of limbo. The cabinets are done - we didn't replace the hardware because we did that when we moved in. The door has been sanded, stained and the new handles are on.</div>
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We have done some patching and sanding of the drywall and new electrical and a fan was put in.</div>
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The first coat of paint went up today (Saturday) and the second will go up tomorrow morning (Sunday). WE ARE WEEKEND WARRIORS!!!</div>
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I am hoping that if we can pick up the pace, the bathroom will be completed and put back together </div>
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by the end of next weekend!!</div>
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Finally, to really let you know that DIY is not glamorous, I had a counter top and sink, along with the upper tank to the toilet as decoration in my entryway today!</div>
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I can't wait to be able to show you the finished room!</div>
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<span style="color: red; font-size: x-large;"><b><i>Cheryl</i></b></span></div>
Thecreativeme23http://www.blogger.com/profile/17758285954877901809noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8950322985254662006.post-70377372664406209962017-01-07T07:00:00.000-05:002017-01-07T20:03:51.068-05:00HAPPY NEW YEAR!!Hello Friends!!<br />
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The New Year is well under way and I'm popping in to apologize for being away so long!<br />
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Work and holidays has really slowed any progress we have made around here...that and the fact that<br />
our to-do list has dwindled. <br />
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We started our Master bedroom in November and although it has seemed to be really slowly progressing, we are at a point now that I can share it with you. Those of you who follow on Facebook and Instagram may have already seen the progress but I will walk you through our process.<br />
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Back in the summer you may remember that McG secured some free pine tongue and groove flooring from a work friend who was ripping it out of his living room. I knew that I wanted to tackle a "ship lap" wall in the bedroom, but it really wasn't high on the list at the time. We took the wood and stored it in the garage. We cleaned it up by passing each board through the table saw to cut off the edges with the nails/nail holes. One side of the wood had been varnished so we flipped the wood over and McG nailed it to the wall behind our headboard with his nail gun.<br />
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I selected the boards, keeping in mind, to vary the sizes and the woodgrain to get the best patterns. We left it plain for several weeks, until I could decide whether I wanted to paint it white or stain it.<br />
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After finding this inspiration photo, I knew that stain was the way to go. First we painted the ceiling a fresh coat of white and the walls a soft grey almost white called Glacier Stream by Sherwin Williams.<br />
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I stained selected boards with a special walnut stain by Minwax first.<br />
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Next I used Weathered Grey stain by Minwax over all of the boards to give the wall an aged wood effect that I just LOVE!!<br />
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At first I was worried that the room would be too "dark" because of the stained wall, but with the light grey, almost white color on the other three walls, to room is actually much brighter than the dark caramel that was in here when we purchased the house. You can see the old color in this photo we took just before we started to add the wood. Although a warm caramel color, it really made the room feel small and dark. The room also previously had dark walnut stained trim. We painted out the trim around the doorways a bright white and we are in the process of replacing the baseboard trim as well.<br />
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We knew that we needed to paint our closet doors, but now that the weather is too cold to paint outside in the garage, we decided to temporarily replace our closed doors with curtains. I found these panels on clearance at our local Walmart for just $11.00 per panel. We purchased a $12 rod kit as well.<br />
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McG also used some of the wood to frame a mirror that we had previously just had hanging on the wall with mirror clips. We stained the wood to match and now we have a custom frame.<br />
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We are in the homestretch on this project and then we will be heading either into the spare bedroom next door to our room or the main bath. <br />
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I'll keep you posted as we move along! This home is quickly becoming my favorite home so far!<br />
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<span style="color: red; font-size: x-large;"><b><i>Cheryl</i></b></span></div>
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<br />Thecreativeme23http://www.blogger.com/profile/17758285954877901809noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8950322985254662006.post-23099370581746349342016-11-14T05:00:00.000-05:002016-11-14T05:00:25.011-05:00Decisions, DecisionsAt the end of last week's post about our new "wood planked wall" in the master bedroom, I asked for your suggestions with regard to whether to paint or stain the wood.<br />
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I have to say that I am not surprised that most of you voted to paint it white. The reason I wasn't surprised is because that was my first intent as well. A nice creamy white, much like this...<br />
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<a href="http://photos.hgtv.com/photo/renovated-bedroom-with-antique-chandelier">source</a></div>
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But then, I headed to Pinterest, and found many examples of stained wood that I just LOVED!!<br />
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BEGQCfWKbhR/">source</a></div>
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On a trip with McG to Home Depot to buy some supplies for his garage project, I picked up a small can of Weathered Grey stain, hoping that would help me to solidify my choice.<br />
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I grabbed one of the extra boards that we had in the garage and tried it out.<br />
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The piece I chose had some knots and some variation in the colour of the wood, much like most of the boards we used on the wall.<br />
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I did not use wood conditioner prior to the stain because the look I was hoping for was more mottled and not uniform.<br />
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I love how the wood grain shows and some of the natural colour of the woods shows through. <br />
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I'm really leaning toward this look and I think that the other walls will look great painted a creamy white along with the trim and closet doors.<br />
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Have I won you over...or are you still voting for white??<br />
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<span style="color: red; font-size: x-large;"><b><i>Cheryl</i></b></span></div>
Thecreativeme23http://www.blogger.com/profile/17758285954877901809noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8950322985254662006.post-57075029810174136192016-11-07T05:00:00.000-05:002016-11-07T05:00:16.695-05:00Getting Back to Work!!HELLO!!! <br />
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I can't believe that I have been away from this blog for so long!! I'm sure that some of you thought that we had fallen off the planet..and I feel that way too!<br />
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This little part time job turned into almost full time hours for the last three months. That, together with McG taking the last six weekends to go duck hunting, has really put a damper on our project list.<br />
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BUT - this weekend, we seemed to get ourselves in gear. The weather here was amazing at 60+ degrees. I think that helped to get us into the mood to work.<br />
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Back in the spring a co-worker of McG's offered him over 200 square feet of pine flooring for free. He was doing some work on his house and ripping it out and replacing it. McG took it, knowing that I was bound to find a use for it. <br />
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I, like everyone else, LOVE the look of shiplap walls and I knew that I wanted to try it somewhere in the house. And with 200 square feet of it, we could do a few projects!! (wink, wink!!)<br />
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McG cleaned it up by cutting off the tongue pieces which were pretty damaged up when it was taken out. It had a vanished finish on one side, so we turned it around and used the unfinished side.<br />
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Before we began, we found the studs behind the drywall with a stud finder and marked them with a chalk line. We started at the ceiling and checked our work with a level and measuring tape as we worked our way down the wall, making sure to stagger the joints.<br />
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The wall we covered was 12 feet long. The project took us just a couple of hours to complete.<br />
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McG secured it with his cordless Ryobi trim nailer using 2 inch nails because we had to go through 3/4 inch boards and 1/2 inch drywall. My job was to sort through the pile of boards and select which boards would go where.<br />
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I am loving the look of the shiplap, but now am torn as to whether to leave it natural, to stain it, or to paint it white.<br />
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I'm headed to Pinterest to search out some inspiration to help me make my decision.<br />
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I'd LOVE to hear what you would do!!<br />
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<span style="color: red; font-size: x-large;"><b><i>Cheryl</i></b></span>Thecreativeme23http://www.blogger.com/profile/17758285954877901809noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8950322985254662006.post-77375189854433331762016-08-05T18:32:00.002-04:002016-08-05T18:32:50.480-04:00Just When You Think You Are Finished With a Project...You know that great feeling that you get when you are able to cross something off your to-do list???<br />
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I had that feeling last week when I blogged about the changes that we made to the exterior of our house...<br />
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But this week McG decided that the covered porch off the garage needed more work...a "cheap, quick project" that would have big results. So, who am I to say no!...well, I think that I should have.<br />
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Here's a close up of one of the photos I shared last week. As you can see, the boards and posts were not in the best condition.<br />
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We had given them a quick fix last year by painting them black. McG felt that to be safe, he would replace the posts and add new boards to the framing, with the hopes that either later this fall or early next spring he would be able to screen in this area.<br />
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The photo below really shows the wood rot on the roof supports.<br />
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McG cut back the metal roofing and the rotting end of the supports.<br />
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Then he supported the end of the roof and began to replace the posts. However, the short brick knee wall was attached and had to be taken down in order to get the job done right.<br />
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What went from a 'cheap and quick' project, is now a big headache and will be more costly to finish up as now we will have to rebuild the short knee wall out of wood and then add siding to it to keep it waterproof.<br />
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I'm actually liking it fully open and am hoping that he changes his mind about screening it in. But then on the otherhand, it would be good to have it screened so that we could sit out there at night and enjoy the space without getting eaten alive by mosquitoes. This project is obviously going to take longer than we thought, and it will take a bigger bite out of renovation budget. <br />
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The worse part of this project has been having to dig up the garden that I had created along the edge of it. Hopefully those plants will survive in this heat until they can be replanted in.<br />
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I will keep you posted on our progress. We only have a few weeks left before our annual Labour Day BBQ so I'm hoping we don't run into any more problems on this one!!<br />
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Until then, I'm hoping when all is said and done, we don't regret starting this project - Has that every happened to you? I'd love to hear your story!!<br />
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<span style="color: red; font-size: x-large;"><b><i>Cheryl</i></b></span></div>
Thecreativeme23http://www.blogger.com/profile/17758285954877901809noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8950322985254662006.post-18536594200896402212016-07-27T15:54:00.001-04:002016-08-05T17:51:45.284-04:00Summer 2016 - Changes to the Exterior of the HouseIt seems that again it has been a long time since I've posted...but...<br />
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I GOT A JOB!! Yes, you read that right!! I applied for a part-time position on a whim, got an interview, and got the job! I'm doing clerical work for a Chiropractic office here in the city, and I'm loving it! But it has definitely put a damper on the projects around here. McG also has had some changes to his work schedule. For most of the summer so far, he has been on the afternoon shift which means we have been on opposite shifts. It makes getting things done a bit more difficult. We have been enjoying the summer as well on the weekends and had a small getaway to St. Jacob's, Ontario a few weekends ago.<br />
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In between, we have finished painting the exterior of the garage. It went from looking like this when we first bought the house back in 2014....<br />
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To this...<br />
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We used the same "Mined Coal" color that we painted the house with last summer and "Extra White" under the covered area to make it a bit brighter. We painted the side garage door a bright red, and added the same red to a star we placed on the peak of the garage and a few other accessories as well.<br />
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A month or so ago, we purchased a small awning for over the back door on Kijiji which is similar to Craig's List here in Canada. It was in mint condition and fit perfectly over our door. It was a great buy for just $50. <br />
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It really finishes off this area nicely and keeps some of the weather off the back steps. It's great not having to stand in the rain while you try and unlock the back door. It also keeps out some of the sun which heats up the family room. This doorway faces south and those door handles can get quite hot in the sun!!<br />
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The final project outside so far this summer has been to put siding under the windows at the front of the house. Although our home is vertical aluminium siding, for some reason there was never any siding put under the windows. They were just plywood with some decorative trim. McG worried about rotting and water getting in, so we knew all along that something had to be done. We just weren't sure what. We looked at many options, but decided on a stacked stone looking siding.<br />
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Here's a look at what the area looked like before...<br />
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And here it is now...</div>
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So there you have it! I know that we've been away from the blog for awhile, but we've been busy. <br />
Next project is to add some wide white trim around the windows and some stone to the gardens!<br />
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I'm hoping to be able to update you again soon! Until then HAPPY SUMMER!!<br />
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<span style="color: red; font-size: x-large;"><b><i>Cheryl</i></b></span></div>
Thecreativeme23http://www.blogger.com/profile/17758285954877901809noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8950322985254662006.post-3147990265198559162016-06-17T15:29:00.003-04:002016-06-17T15:29:47.776-04:00Catching Up!I know...I've been gone for way too long...life keeps getting in the way of my posts.<br />
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I have a few new things to share with you but none of them seemed a full post worthy so I'm sharing a Hodge- podge of things today...<br />
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First up...a couple of months ago we purchased a second hand desk on a local facebook buy and sell site. It was an old school desk, most likely from the 60's or 70's. The reason I wanted it was because it had four deep filing drawers.<br />
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I neglected to take a before picture (great blogger that I am!) and before I knew it McG had it cleaned up and painted with a hammer pewter paint. The top is a faux wood that looks much like butcher block with a shinier finish. <br />
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I love the extra desk surface it gives me and of course the fact that we could consolidate our filing system into something more streamlined is a great bonus as well.<br />
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It has an industrial/masculine vibe that appeals to both myself and McG, and it looks great in our family room.</div>
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I've been busy for the last few weeks purging and boxing up all the things that haven't been used since our move here almost two years ago. My daughter brought things over from her house and last weekend we had a yard sale. It was Strawberry Fest time in our little town and we knew that there would be extra traffic here because of it. We took advantage of that to hold our sale and I am happy to report that most of our stuff sold and combined we padded our pockets a little!! Whatever didn't sell we boxed up and donated to our local Value Village, so nothing was thrown away.</div>
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We have been busy also getting the garage ready for paint. I'm sure you remember that we painted the exterior of our home last year. It went from white with long blue shutters to a rich dark grey called Mined Coal.</div>
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We are now prepping the garage and "carport" for paint. So far we have painted the roof with a rubberised paint to seal up and waterproof it. Last year we also painted the supports of the overhang a rich black to freshen up the space. The next two pictures below show what the space looked like when we first moved in.</div>
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Here's a more recent photo with the trim painted black.</div>
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The garage itself will be painted the dark grey colour, but under the "carport" area will be kept a bright white or perhaps a bright yellow...I'm still trying to decide on that!</div>
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I will be back soon with photos of the finished project...hope you stick around - until then - what's your vote for wall colour under the carport - I'd love to hear your suggestions!!</div>
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<span style="color: red; font-size: x-large;"><b><i>Cheryl</i></b></span></div>
Thecreativeme23http://www.blogger.com/profile/17758285954877901809noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8950322985254662006.post-69327854095744406802016-05-21T09:37:00.000-04:002016-06-03T08:18:13.955-04:00Summer on the PorchThe weather here has actually been spring-like this week and I have spent the majority of my time outside in my daughter's yard. She was away this week on vacation and hired me to tend to her yard while she was away. <br />
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Once I was finished over there, I was able to work in my yard and to get some shots of the front porch to share with you today. Sit back and relax...lots of pictures coming your way!<br />
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There have been a few new additions to the porch decor this year...<br />
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These chairs McG gave to me at the end of last summer for my "BIG" birthday...I love them because they are rockers. The runner I purchased at IKEA in Florida when we were there back in March.<br />
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I added some faux flowers under the porch because real ones don't get enough sun under here.<br />
This table arrangement is made in a $5 cement planter that I found at a local thrift store back in the fall. It came with all the greenery and I just change out the flowers for the season. These flowers I purchased for a few dollars at a local Dollarama store.<br />
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This iron and wood pot holder used to be in the entryway of our other home and most recently in the family room here. I've had it for a number of years and decided it needed to make it's way outside this year. Under the porch it doesn't get much weather so it should hold up just fine. It holds some faux flowers for a great punch of fuss free colour on the porch.<br />
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Also new this year, is the round "barrel" table that we purchased at Costco. It actually opens up and holds the cushions for the chairs when we are not using them.<br />
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I've added some real flowers to the garden around the porch, for a pop of colour against the house.<br />
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This is the view from my chair...<br />
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I hope you enjoyed the tour of our front porch...I loved sharing it with you!<br />
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<span style="color: red; font-size: x-large;"><b><i>Cheryl</i></b></span><br />
<span style="color: red; font-size: x-large;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span>
<span style="color: red; font-size: x-large;"><b><i>Linking up @:</i></b></span><br />
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<span style="color: red; font-size: x-large;"><a href="http://chiconashoestringdecorating.blogspot.ca/2016/06/flaunt-it-friday-307.html?utm_source=bloglovin.com&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+blogspot/SRimK+(Chic+on+a+Shoestring+Decorating)"><i><span style="color: blue;"><b>Chic on a Shoestring</b></span></i></a></span></div>
Thecreativeme23http://www.blogger.com/profile/17758285954877901809noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8950322985254662006.post-87853414293071050972016-05-12T12:37:00.001-04:002016-05-12T12:37:33.361-04:00A Rooster in My KitchenThis week the weather has been pretty unpredictable and every time it's been nice out, I've been in the yard working in the garden and forgetting to take pictures of the front porch decorations.<br />
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It's rainy here this morning but the weather man promises some periods of sun before the next batch of rain hits. <br />
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I ran out to a local nursery this morning in search of a hanging basket for the porch but I came home with an addition to the kitchen. Anyone who knows me knows that I have an affinity for birds...especially owls, cardinals and roosters. Back a few years ago I let go of many of my roosters and moved on to owls, but while I was at the nursery this morning, I came across a rooster that I just had to have. He was a bit pricey, but I had a gift card from a friend that I had received last summer for my BIG birthday...I was itching to use it up!!<br />
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He's stenciled on some pallet wood that is gorgeous and rough. I hung him in the kitchen near the entry to the family room.<br />
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I think the wood ties in nicely with the beams on the ceiling.<br />
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I woke Sloan up from napping when I was snapping my pictures. The new window bench seems to be his favourite place to nap now. I've had to put a small blanket there so that he doesn't leave too much hair there while he sleeps.<br />
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I promise to be back soon with shots of the front porch!! That is if I can remember to get out there and take the photos!!<br />
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<br />Thecreativeme23http://www.blogger.com/profile/17758285954877901809noreply@blogger.com0