Projects!

I'm sure it's probably some form of nesting, but I've been struck with the urge to get some projects done around the house. Some of these are from the summer, but here are some of the things I've been busy doing.

I got this dresser for free a few years ago.  As you can see from the before picture, it was pretty beat up.  Parts of the top had broken off, and it didn't have any knobs which made opening and closing the drawers annoying, even though it was just out in our shed for several years.  I desperately needed the storage for craft supplies, fabric, etc., however, and I wanted to use it inside.  A little wood glue, a few knobs (which were actually from Darren's dresser, because right before I started this project a friend happened to give me some cute Winnie the Pooh dresser knobs that I put on his dresser), some scrapbooking paper, and a little Modge Podge later, I'm now quite happy with the result.  Since I already had the wood glue and knobs, and my mom donated some paper she had on hand, and with a coupon for Michael's, this project only cost about $3 for the Modge Podge.

 

 

 

 

 

This project cost me $0, with the donated mirror from Christine after they did a little remodeling, and I already had the hardware, some leftover paint samples and Modge Podge, and string on hand.  These are our family rules: 1. Be Kind and Polite, 2. Be Safe, and 3. Try Your Best. I like seeing them right by our front door.

This project isn't actually finished, but I figured it deserved a place in this post.  Several people in my ward are avid gardeners and have different versions of tiered composts.  My sister-in-law helped do the design and cut the pieces, and then Kendall and I assembled it.  The sides still need to be put on, as well as the screen for the sifter on the third tier, but I confess that I completely abandoned this project (and using and turning it consistently) when pregnancy nausea hit.  I've pretty much avoided any place with rotting food for the past several months.

This was another project that didn't cost me anything but time, because I had a gift card I used to buy the spray paint.  We had a tired looking, beat up white cupboard that hung near our dryer.  I didn't take any before pictures, but just picture very dirty, stained white, with varnished gold-colored hardware.  I spray painted the hardware a brushed nickel to match the fixtures in our new bathroom, and then painted the whole cabinet black so it can now provide some (stylish) storage for the bathroom.  I love how it turned out, and I am now completely converted to using spray paint to refinish furniture.  It's so much faster, and requires less to no sanding, depending on what I'm painting.  I also spray painted a small stool black that fits under the sink in the new bathroom, and I have plans to redo our coffee table and eventually our entertainment center.

Our biggest project from this summer was our bathroom addition.  The hardest part about living in such a small home was having only one bathroom.  Total cost of project: a whole lot.  Like any home renovation project, this took longer to finish and cost more than we had originally anticipated (more than worth that tax refund, though).  We ran into a few unexpected problems, like discovering that our addition in the back had been built without a subfloor (like code requires now) so we had to use a jackhammer to go through several feet of concrete, and finding water damage behind one wall, and having the wording of Provo's code change midway through our project so we then needed to install a fan (even though the bathroom doesn't have a shower or tub) and running into problems venting it through the roof, but now that it's all done it is so so wonderful having more than one bathroom!  I still need to get a skirt sewn to cover the ugly pipes and stool under the sink, and I don't have everything up on the wall in this "final" picture, but you get the general idea.  Here are a few (OK, many) pictures documenting our journey.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My very latest projects have really been organizing.  Knowing that we're going to adding another little person into our already feels too small home, I have been really driven lately to make the best use possible with the space we have.  One of the classes I went to at Education Week was about organizing and getting creative with small spaces, and I came away with some great ideas.  I've got a notebook with several pages of areas of our home I hope to organize before February, and I'm slowly working my way though.  It's addictive!  I don't have any before pictures, but here are some of the areas I've been able to finish.  To give you a mental picture, Darren's closet before was full of Kendall's suits, dress shirts, etc., and the bottom was piled so high with stuff as to not be functional.  The cupboard right outside our main bathroom used to have hair things piled haphazardly on a shelf, and everything would fall out when the door was opened.  A simple organizer hung on the door, added a shelf for toilet paper, hung a string (like a clothesline) across the top for bows and headbands, and this is now a very functional space.  It's also so easy to get ready in the morning when all of my makeup isn't just tumbled together in a big bag, and finding matching gloves, winter hats, scarves, etc. is so much easier when we can see them.

 

 

 

This last project is still ongoing.  A year ago our study/addition was nothing more than a glorified storeroom that happened to have laundry and our computer in it.  I didn't really consider it a continuation of our living space.  We've slowly been working to change that.  Adding the bathroom was the biggest change, of course, and required cleaning out the addition to make space for and clear access to it.  We've made a few other changes, too, like painting the walls, and my mom made some amazing custom Roman shades for all of the windows (thank you, thank you, thank you!).  Octavia (she's amazing) is in the process of building some shelves that fit under our windows leading to the bathroom, to store toys so that the kids will have another place to play besides their bedrooms (hard to do when siblings are napping).  That was my other big complaint about our home, that we didn't have a family/toy room, especially since I don't let the kids play in the living room (I need at least one room that stays somewhat presentable, for my sanity).  I'll post pictures when that's finished, probably around Thanksgiving.

 

I think that's all for now.  I have more than enough projects to keep me busy until the baby comes.  It's coming fast!