Strep throat, McDonald's, and the $200 Backsplash

It was a Monday morning that I woke up with equal parts motivation and removed patience. The kitchen in my new house was great, but it needed a little facelift. I had purposely not painted underneath the cabinets because I knew I wanted to tile the backsplash. That Monday was the day.

I went down to Lowe's, grabbed two boxes of white subway tile, some mastic, grout, and spacers, and called my contractor, Joel, to come over with his wet saw. I had measured (you multiply width by height) and knew I had about 24 square feet to cover. Not bad at $0.21 cents per 3x6 tile.

Start time: 10:08 a.m.



See what's on the wall? Not taking this little piece of granite away was a mistake I made in my last house when I did a rough edge, travertine, mosaic backsplash.

Removing it was pretty easy. I used a putty knife and a hammer to slip the granite away from the wall. Then I used the putty knife to scrape the countertop free from the leftover caulk.

Notice the other paint underneath those switch plates? Ugh. Also, the key when you remove the plates is to also unscrew your power outlets, so you can get underneath those screws with the tiles. We didn't turn off the power, but it's probably recommended. Cheers to living on the edge.



This is what she looked like before.



While Joel made the cuts, I worked on applying the ground layer of tiles. I used a notched dowel to apply the mastic and 1/8 inch spacers between the tiles. Without paying for the dowel, which I already had, I spent less than $100 at Lowes between the tiles and the rest of the supplies. The tiles only cost $22. A steal if you ask me.

Before starting, we also used a handy stick of wood that Joel had specifically cut to the size of the oven/stove. We drilled that in to help support the tiles and make sure I didn't go crooked there.

The cuts were beyond my skill level, and required a wet saw and polisher to smooth out the sides that were at the corner ends.

Four hours later, viola! This is what it looked like after the tile was complete and I finally went to shower at 2:30 p.m.

At that point, I noticed I was achey, but I thought it was just because I had been hunched over applying the tiles for so long.

But it wasn't.

Tuesday came and those sparkly tiles would stay the same. It was evident, I had a classic case of strep throat; aches, fever, and a throat that looked like something you'd see on Google images. Sorry, TMI.

I slept on the couch for the next 30 hours until I was so irritated with being sick I decided to mix the grout and finish it. (Can you tell how patient I am?)



Charcoal grout, a grout applicator, and a sponge are all you need. Apply the grout by pushing in each line, then swipe an 'X' across the pattern.

I started grouting right before a two hour window opened up at McDonald's where they were donating 20% of the sale proceeds to my kids' school. Naturally, they wanted to go. Naturally, I wanted to squeeze in grouting before we left. I knew it would take a little time to set. You don't want to wipe the grout off too fast or you will do more work than is necessary and remove more than you want as you go. So, off we went to the McDonald's drive thru. I thought, okay, 20 minutes, tops, right?!

The excess came off, but what was leftover in those grout lines took a little work to remove. I used every fingernail I have, thus staining every finger nail I have, in order to get the over-dried amount out of the the lines evenly. I thought more than once how dumb I was to have left, how ridiculous I was to have been sick and trying to do this, and feeling completely physically exhausted at the end. My hands were also raisins because I had run out of disposable gloves and I have no patience to be held up by cosmetic supplies I don't have.

The next morning, however, was a celebration! It was done. And even though my hands looked like they belonged to someone living on the streets AND working on cars, the finished product looked a whole lot better than before.

Between what I paid for supplies and what I paid Joel, I spent about $200 on this backsplash. 

Painting 101: Shortcuts that will make the next homeowner hate you

Why isn't everyone a perfectionist?

Some things are out of my reach. I understand that I can't have perfection because of certain budgetary restrictions or other limitations. But really, you can't paint between the creases?!?

Can humankind just do one another a favor and color between the lines, PUH-LEASE! Let me show you what I'm talking about.

My hallway.



I realized upon painting the hall that they had once been a bright green and yellow color, before turning brown, and now, gray. How did I notice this, you ask? Well, because it was SMEARED on the ceiling at the crease of the wall. WHO DOES THAT? Better yet, WHO LEAVES IT THAT WAY?

Thanks to ceiling paint, the issue was fixed. I took a slice of the ceiling out to Lowes to have it color matched. A real object is the only way you will get a true color match. Pictures on phones and even some fabrics, depending on the material, will not match accurately.

The extra step came in painting all the creases of the ceiling and walls before cutting in the trim paint.  While it added to my timeline, it made it so I could be sloppy in covering up what was on the ceiling without worrying about excess paint on the wall.

1. Always do what will look better in the long run, even if it takes some extra time. You will be rewarded with it looking good, and the next owner down the line won't secretly hate you.

My other hatred of the prior owner comes from this....

Who paints with switch plates ON THE WALL???

I mean, I know they're only like a dollar, but those
dollars add up, and some of these were completely stuck to the wall and not salvageable even with a little soap, water and scratch from my fingernail.

2. Don't take short cuts. (Which goes back to number 1) But seriously, who wants paint on things that aren't supposed to be painted. Don't be lazy!

3. Always test the colors first. I made this huge mobile swatch with my final choice grays to be able to see how the light hit it in each room. It took 16 gallons of paint to cover my 2000ish square foot house... you don't want to buy that much before you see what it looks like beforehand.

4. Paint in long, easy "w" strokes. You want to get a good amount on your roller before you go for it. I prefer 1/2 inch nap.

5. Buy the best paint. I use Sherwin Williams Emerald paint. In some spots, you only need one coat, but I like to do a second just for good measure.

6. When in doubt, call a professional. 15 foot ceilings like the ones in my house called for a 12 foot ladder. My contractor brought his 12 foot ladder and massive roller with an extension pole to get the job done, and it cost very little compared to what it would have cost to rent the ladder and do it myself.

7. Seams are important. Tape is important, but so is caulk. Finishing caulk over your tape can be a helpful way to keep the paint from bleeding through.

Show me what you've painted or have run into in renovating your projects. I would love to share your tips!

Once You Go Black....

Let me tell you about the most exhilarating, terrifying moment of my life.

Black.

Paint.

I popped open the can and poured. I have painted over black walls before, but never with black on a wall. Furniture, of course. But that's different.

To be clear, this paint is not black. It is Caviar from Sherwin Williams. I love finding out the base of every color I commit to. Caviar has a maroon base, so instead of being a hard, concentrated black it is more of a dull, seal skin black.

It was pretty scary not knowing if the black really would make the wall look endless, or if it would be a big bad barrier that says. "HERE I AM, THE WALL." Period.

The Master Bedroom started like this. Old curtains that were too short and hung too low by the previous owner's renter. Crown molding that was beginning to fall slightly. And this brown paint. It was all. over. the house... and made each bedroom feel SO closed in. 

First step in painting an accent wall is painting the walls around it.


I chose Sherwin Williams Repose Gray for the house in its entirety. This is what went on the left and right walls pictured.





I made sure to paint the seam beforehand and overlap with Repose Gray on the black focal wall so that the dark paint would not be in the seam of the wall.  Finally, I taped on the gray side.











Then I started rolling the Caviar......
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.......
..........
.............

The more I rolled the more scared I became. Then, it was like the most insane feeling of elation. Like being on a thrill ride when you can't go back, and you're bracing for the big rush.

The next step was justifying the black with lots of white to give it a really glamorous, cozy feel. I loved the line of the headboard on this bed from Target, so I gambled. The directions were really crummy and not bed specific. It took two hours to assemble by myself, and a little help from Ryleigh and Sydnee. But we got it done and I love, love, love it.

The chandelier was pulled from an old Las Vegas home that the contractor described as "burlesque." I threw in the Roar and Rabbit sheets, duvet and pillows from West Elm, and added existing nightstands and Pottery Barn table lamps I already had. Finally came the West Elm boho textured rug. It added all the color and intrigue to perfectly frame the bed between the rug and the wall. The room feels open, romantic, and so inviting. Tell me what you think. More pictures of this redo to come...

Mob Style Hit On The Yard!

I would like to call this meeting to order.

Agenda Item Numero Uno: 

Whack...

That....

Bush....

This bush reminded me of one of Dr. Seuss' Truffula Trees. Not only was it a security hazard blocking the view to and from the front door, it was just plain ugly! 

View from the front door

These pictures tell the story of when a little trimming and uprooting... 

 ...goes a long way. 

I CAN SEE!!!!

 d

As for the HOA, my motto is it's better to ask forgiveness than permission. SSSHHHH!

ALL BETTER!

Old Home, New Home: Transforming A Basic Tracked Home To A Swank Space

10 years ago I saw the model of this home and loved it. Back then it was almost $400,000. Two homes, two children, a rocky road and a recession later, this home came within my reach. 



It's 2,022 square feet on one story. The rooms are small but the main living space makes up for the cozy rooms. It started with dated paint, a muddy brown, and chair rails in two rooms. But having seen its potential, I knew what this place could be. 




It officially became mine on October 17th, 2016. 


On a side note, I was inspired to buy this home. I owned another home and had just listed it when we went into escrow, almost six months ago. I was blessed to spend all of those months in my old home. I got a call two hours after entering escrow with my buyer that the short sale had been approved. So many things had to come together for my good to have this happen. And it did. It was truly heaven-controlled.





 Everything to follow is the transformation of this beautiful little house under a rock in Henderson, NV....