Smooth Ceiling Renovation, Part 3: After

It's finally time to reveal our beautiful new ceilings! (drum roll...) Tada! Crisp, white, non-stained, un-bumpy, smooth ceilings all around. I still look up and marvel at how nice it is. I can't express how much better and brighter and newer everything looks now! It feels like it was always this way (and should have been). 

Here's a comparison of the before and after.

Isn't it great? We are very happy with how it turned out and can't thank our friend, Jesse Wilson, of J. Wilson Construction enough for the time he spent working on it and helping us get through this massive project! 

We replaced the old iron wall sconces that had shades, with new simple brushed silver lights - which we discovered were on a dimmer switch. Bonus!

Here is another before and after comparison of the front play room. The light fixture was switched to match the one in the hall (similar style as before).

The living room and kitchen have LED recessed lighting, which are all on dimmers. The amount of light and the quality is amazing now. We can actually SEE what we're doing in the kitchen. Like chopping vegetables and not feeling like I'm in the dark. It makes SUCH a difference! I wasn't sure if we needed as many lights as we were planning on, but it was totally worth it! I don't regret any of them.

 

And last, but certainly not least, a new light fixture for our eat-in kitchen. I selected this pretty glass beauty at Home Depot and it's just right for this spot. Doesn't it look like a trifle bowl or an upside down cake stand? Perfectly fitting. The old chandelier was so bulky for such a small space and trying to keep 6 light bulbs always lit was annoying. I love the simplicity of the new light. 

This gives you a sneak peek at my mini kitchen makeover (no more red). More to come on that, soon!

I now have such an appreciation for ceilings and the work it takes to make them look good. Andrew and I survived another major home project and Marshall made it through his first one! It took two solid weeks of work, and then additional days of finishing up loose ends. Definitely memorable, and in the end, worth all the mess and inconvenience. I'm so thankful for my "new home", because cosmetically, it feels like we got a new first floor.

Tangerine Chair

Meet my "new" vintage tangerine chair. There's a bold addition to my living room and I love it! I don't know why, but this chair makes me so happy. 

It completes the corner of the room and feels like it was made for it. 

Originally, I had a pair of tan arm chairs in here, but one has since taken residence in my home office, leaving room for a replacement. I've been on the lookout for a Queen Anne chair with some character, for a loooong time. But, I wouldn't settle until I found the right one. Plus (as always), the price had to be right.

A couple Saturday's ago, I was perusing Craigslist, and came across this chair listing at a newly discovered second hand shop. As you can see, the photo isn't the greatest. I couldn't tell what shape it was in or the exact color. That afternoon, I had to see it in person. I walked through the shop a few times, trying to decide. It was only $30! Could I pass it up? Would I really like it in my house? Was it too risky? It was in very good condition. The chair kept calling to me. I had to take it home. Call me crazy. And impulsive. 

I considered putting it in my office, but once I got it home, it matched too perfectly with the living room to put it anywhere else. You should have seen me, I was so excited! 

The touches of orange accents already in the room tie it all together. 

The fabric is a soft velour in really good condition. It's comfortable too! This piece was a gem on many levels. I was giddy. It reminds me of my parents velour chairs. It also reminds me of the orange carpet, orange couch and orange checkered wallpaper in the kitchen of the house I grew up in. That might explain what I'm not afraid of orange. 

Don't you just want to sip a cup of tea and read a book here? 

If you're looking for new-to-you furniture, I am a fan of checking Craigslist before dropping a large amount of money on something brand new. Check often and don't get discouraged. Sometimes you might find exactly what you're looking for. I usually email first and ask a few questions, such as: Is it from a smoke-free, pet-free home? Is there any major damage to it or repair needed? Does it need to be cleaned?

This time I really lucked out because I discovered a second hand shop that I didn't know existed. The shop people told me that they know who the chair came from and they will be very happy to know it's going to a good home. That makes me feel ever better about my purchase. Welcome to your new home.  

DIY Gold Sunburst Mirror

This was supposed to be a project for my new office, but it ended up finding a home in my living room. It was a much larger scale than I anticipated but I love how it turned out. 

I was instantly inspired by this DIY mirror project by The Lettered Cottage. Thank you Christy for pinning it! I already had the circle mirror and it looked like something I could make. 

I picked up a bunch of .59 cent wood dowels from Hobby Lobby and cut them into 3 different lengths with this little hand saw. It was not the easiest way to cut them, but it worked!

I roughly configured the ray pattern while my hot glue gun heated up.

I drew a crosshatch on the back of the mirror to locate the top, bottom, left and right center points. This provided a reference for symmetry. Symmetry! 

Then I worked, very s-l-o-w-l-y to glue each dowel on, one by one. It. Took. A. Long. Time. I will say this, when it comes to gluing these on, less glue is more. The ones that I gobbed glue on and slathered both sides, were the ones that fell off and needed repair. About 5 of those little lessons learned. Thankfully, the glue dried quickly, and once it was set, they were good to go.

Once they were all in place, I  spray painted the entire thing with gold metallic spray paint. I removed the backing and the mirror, which made it even easier to paint. A few coats later and it looked great! 

My new mirror really pops against the gray wall in our living room. It makes quite a statement above our console table! I really like it. The cork mirror was relocated to the kitchen (in case you were wondering). It looks even better sitting on a red wall.

This antiqued metal gold mirror retails for $355. Yowza. Mine cost $16. Granted, this one is metal and has a lot more rays and detailing than mine. But gluing on that many dowels? Ain't nobody got time for that! 

If you're looking for a DIY wall art project that will add impact to any space, without a huge price tag, this mirror fits the bill. It would be fun in any color!

Supplies:
Round mirror
Wood dowels
hot glue
gold spray paint

 

Framed Scrapbook Paper Wall Art

Don't you just love scrapbook paper? It's uses are virtually endless. I finally got around to completing a simple wall art project using scrapbook paper, white poster board, and 6 uniform frames. 

Here's what said wall used to look like. It was time to freshen things up a bit and that particular wall needed more color. (See what I did there? Time. The clock. You missed that, didn't you)

I was struck with inspiration when I saw this wall of fun frames on Pinterest. Source here.

But my mind loves symmetry, and I've always liked a neat, orderly grouping of 4 or 6.

I just so happened to have 6 of the same pop-in frames throughout the house that would be perfect. 

Using plain white poster board, I set to work cutting 6 mattes. Just like I did for my other wall of frames. 

I selected 6 beautiful pieces of scrapbook paper from the craft store, in colors and patterns that would compliment my newly redecorated living room. I wanted them to really tie the colors in the room together.

I positioned them on the wall, measuring evenly between each frame. If you don't have a laser level, it's the best thing ever. Trust me. 

I love how they look! 

The wall feels so fresh and bright now. I look at it every time I walk in the room. The colors compliment the accent pillows on the couch and other pieces in the room.

This project was fast, super affordable, and added a lot of impact to an otherwise boring wall. You might have some frames and scrapbook paper lying around too. Pretty wall art is easier than you think. 


 

2 Panels for the Price of 1

Window treatments can be a pain. Am I right? Just thinking about installing a curtain rod makes me want to forgo it all together. When redecorating our living area, I decided I wanted to add matching curtains to the smaller window that previously had only blinds.

After experimenting with sewing my own patterned curtains and deciding I didn't like them as much as I thought I would (that's a whole other story), I decided to re-use the brown ones I already had for the large main window and find matching ones for the opposing smaller windows. 

The large window used to look like this. I said farewell to the light tan accent "swag" (looks so '90's to me now), and raised the curtain rod to about 3 inches below the ceiling. I also spray painted the black curtain rod with Rustoleum's Metallic Satin Nickel spray paint. 

This handy illustration (via Pinterest) helps visualize how high to hang curtains over windows. For more info visit here. 

I already had two matching curtain rods in brushed nickel, in the same exact scroll design (happy coincidence!) from my old bedroom. Perfect for both smaller windows! 

Now for the matching brown panels. Clearly the full size large panel would be too big for the smaller windows. I really only needed them to be half the size. But who sells half size panels? I could make my own curtains (again) just like I did here by ironing the hems. But it would probably cost as much as buying them (if not more).

Enter full size panel from Bed Bath and Beyond. I could always cut them in half - an idea that might not be so crazy! That means I would get two window panels for the price of one. Or in my case, four window panels for the price of two. I got the 84" which were $19.99 each, but with my 20% off coupon (and who doesn't have stacks of those?) it brought them to about $16 each. Yes! 

So, that's what I did. I cut them right down the middle and sewed up a quick hem on each side with my sewing machine. This did mean that they were no longer "pocket" panels, where the curtain rod slides through. I used clip rings instead, which I like the look of much better anyway. And with more of my 20% off coupons at B3 the rings were only about $7 per pack. 

That's my tip for saving a few bucks when dealing with painful window treatments. Unfortunately, I don't have any tips for installing the actual curtain rod to the wall. That took me at least two tries each and 4 extra holes in the wall. No joke. If at first you don't succeed...

Me and measuring correctly, just don't get along. It's like the numbers on the ruler are playing tricks on me. I do know how to use a laser level and a drill. It's the math that's the problem!