Backsplash DIY for under $30

So we have been in the house a few weeks now.  And we are moving right ahead with some inside projects.  This is because it is still quite the winter here in Rochester, New York.  And the second it feels like spring, we want to be outside exploring our new city!  In addition to this, I have some exciting upcoming clients!  Yes, hopefully some fun BEFORE AND AFTERS for y'all soon on the blog!

This project can be classified as a $50 Friday!  Yay!  And a DIY.  

Below is our kitchen prior to moving in.  

BEFORE:

BEFORE:

Again, what is wrong with us?  Perfectly good "Before" photos right?

Well here is the deal.  I felt that the kitchen was a bit too masculine.  We are pregnant with girl #2 and my darling husband doesn't even mind soft colors and neutral touches.  The BACKSPLASH MY LOVES THE BACKSPLASH.  Yes.  All this is over a backsplash.  

Y'ALL!  A backsplash determines the ENTIRE feel of your kitchen.  I feel like backsplashes really determine your style.  Perfectly gorgeous granite can be out-played by some outdated backsplash tile.  The market has some fairly gorgeous upscale-looking laminate these days.  You can even take it to the next level with your backsplash!  I'm loving all these basket weaves and penny tiles.  They're gorgeous.  But we can't rip-out tile right now.  And it's not on the agenda or in the budget.

Well all that to be said, our backsplash was already installed when we moved in.  And it is black and grey.  And we have dark brown-grey cabinets.  It is too masculine for me.  I wanted something that felt fresh and "coffee shop".  Side note, all cute cuddly snuggly coffee shops have white tile.  And it feels so cozy and makes you want to drink lattes and wear sweaters and maybe even buy herbs.  My sisters and I would just say: "That is Esque".

Enter in this amazing little product.  Can we just take a moment to honor whoever Mr. or Mrs. Rustoleum is?    I mean this inventor has some GENIUS products for the savvy homeowner.  I mean genius.

BEFORE:

The product was pretty self-explanatory.  It's a two-part process where you mix the two canisters of product to activate the tile-adhesive paint.   Prep is fairly important.  I scrubbed my backsplash with a fairly abrasive cleaner.  Really scrubbing hard.  I then taped off my countertop, cabinetry and walls.  

Well.  As soon as I mixed and activated these products I realized that they smelled like Hades.  I mean if there was a toxic smell on this planet, this was it.  Strait toxic.  And I'm almost 7 months pregnant.  Oops.  I guess hubby has to do this DIY too.  No big loss for me.  I made sure the area was highly ventilated (because I really want to keep him around for a long time).  I also used essential oil diffusers and fans to cut down on the horrendous smell.  He used a regular paint brush.  It's sorta runny.  But it wipes up immediately and goes on fairly easily.

Our backsplash had black and grey tile, as well as dark grey grout, so it took 3 good coats for our kitchen.   

P.S. This product is cheaper on Amazon then at Home Depot.  Win!  Win!!

Once painting the tile, we realized we will be re-caulking the line between the backsplash and the quartz countertop.  

Otherwise I'm feeling very tickled with the turn-out!  Pretty "coffee-shop", don't you think??

AFTER:

AFTER:

AFTER:

AFTER:

AFTER:

Please share your stories or experiences in the comment section!  Happy Painting!!!!!

XOXO 

Love Y'all

Ashley

Fireplace BEFORE and AFTER

We bought our first house north of the Mason Dixon a week and a half ago and let me tell ya, it felt good.  We just love being homeowners.  Can I get an Amen?!  Paint what you want, smash what you want, redo what you want.  It's all yours.  It's like getting your own apartment, or first 'own' bedroom.  You're just really really excited.

We sold Taylor's Wood in March of last year.  It has almost been a year since we got to dig into some of our own projects.  The Lord has been good though.  I've had so many design jobs this past year.  It has completely filled my creative hole.  And doing y'alls projects is SOOOO much fun!!!!

However, call us crazy, but 2 hours after closing, Darling Husband had found a crowbar and we had BIG plans.

Here is our living room/fireplace BEFORE photo.

What a blessing of a 'Before' picture.  Natural light, gorgeous floors.  What is WRONG with us?  Well.  I think we have an illness.  Mostly me.  I'll take the blame.  And it's this: I love to take perfectly good spaces and redo them.  To maybe make them a teensy tiny bit better.  Take something that is already 'wow' and go to 'woah'.  That is the fun.  So stinkin' fun.

In other news, the fireplace re-do was going to be a tiny bit functional too.  Y'all.  We are about to be a family of FOUR... and I prefer TVs, electronics, and wires 'out-of-reach'.  Two-year-olds know how to climb on entertainment centers.  So to make life easier, we started our fireplace reno project ASAP.

I envisioned a wood paneled fireplace that extended to the wall (the fireplace stopped short of the wall with the brick, about a foot).  I wanted a rustic barn wood mantle (the existing fireplace had no mantle).  And I wanted all cords and wires concealed (the nearest electrical outlet is on the adjacent wall).

We started by doing some highly "not to code" electrical work.  We used concrete screws to attach 2x2s to the brick, making sure to leave tiny spaces for our highly official surge protector to run behind, what would eventually, be pine wood paneling.  

I know.  We are so legit.  Y'all... don't judge.  Just either steal our brilliant idea, or mentally make a note to NEVER accept electrical advice from us.  I never claimed to be smart.  Just savvy.  And I like pretty decorating.  And I like being a visionary, even when its dangerous.  I live on the edge.  What can I say?

Below is our gorgeous puzzle of electrical wires and 2x2:

The 2x2s, when thoroughly attached with cement screws to your existing brick, lay a perfect grid for safely screwing in the wood paneling 

As you can see, we then started attaching the pine paneling.  We began at the ceiling and worked our way down.  We needed eight 1x12s for our fireplace front.  We have a 3 sided fireplace and we paneled 2 sides.  As you can see, we carefully matched the paneling on both sides.

Code requires the wood paneling to stop short 6 inches on all sides of the opening of your fireplace.   We left a gap where our beautiful surge protector faced out.  We needed to access all those outlets with our mess of electronic crap (sorry male folk, that is what it is to me.  If it were up to me, this mantle would be covered in decorative knick knacks).  Insert marriage and compromise.  My darling spouse will be all the brawn behind my fabulous fireplace facelift, presuming he gets a 50 inch black box and sound system contraption placed atop my gorgeous new mantle.  Life is full of compromise.  I still think I get the better end of the deal anyway.  And he's pretty cute.  So we made the deal.

To finally act like safe adults, we placed 4-6 'easy to access' screws in each pine board so as to access our electrical 'guts' of the operation.  See, I told you we were cautious and unenterprising.  And you were worried about that blasted surge protector.  Pish Posh.    

Next we prepped for the mantle.  We didn't have any ACTUAL barn beams.  We had barn boards.  Easy, we would make a wood frame to cover, on all sides, with our barn boards.  Basically, you fake it to make it.  It actually worked out because the hollow mantle could house extra cords.  Below you can see the 1x1 we used to create our little frame.

First coat of paint.  My all time favorite, Benjamin Moore 'White Dove' in satin finish.  Bless my soul.  This color could have also been named 'Perfection White that Isn't Cream or Yellow'.  Or they could have named it 'The Color of Warm Steamed Milk in my Toasty Coffee'.  It's just brilliant, okay?

Here you can see my darling husband master-minding the cords.  A brilliant little knot-hole in the piece of barn board affixed to the top of our mantle frame, helped run HDMIs and Optic cords perfectly!  

Next we attached the TV wall bracket.  Finally, an easy step.

A second coat of paint, and hanging the TV, along with screwing on the front board of the mantle frame box, finished the project.  We are pretty pumped with the results.

This project took about 8 hours.  It cost $300, much cheaper then a furniture store TV entertainment center.  We bought the lumber at Home Depot and already owned the can of paint, the barn wood, as well as the TV bracket and surge protector.

The results are pretty cozy!   

DIY vintage toy kitchen

HAPPY $50 FRIDAY MY LOVES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So my baby girl turned one in September.  Oh it was horrible.  I am like any typical mama.  I am completely in depression that she is growing up sooooo fast.  Why does God make that first year go so so quickly?  It's absolutely heart wrenching to watch them get so grown.

First, there is that perfect newborn stage where they just sleep on your chest and grunt and act squishy.  Then that amazing three-six month stage when they learn to smile and coo.  The stage where they crawl around and laugh and say mama and dada.  And then they're one.  My daughter is now 18 months going on 18 years old.  It's awful.  She runs everywhere and talks non-stop.  I'm a mess.  Why does she have to grow up?  I've decided I fancy arranged marriages now.  It's perfectly logical that I elect her future husband.  Oh I've never prayed for anyone like I pray for that sweet baby girl.

Back to the DIY story.  She is growing up.  And I need to grow up too. 

And what do grown-up baby girls receive for their first birthday?  A play kitchen, of course.

Well I wanted something that wasn't expensive.  And I had a small desire for something that was cute.  My friend Kayla says all my baby's toys are so "aesthetically appealing".  Oh, hashtag blogger probs.  Ugly toys really do mess up my photo shoots for y'all.  What does one do with ugly toys in the background of pictures?  

Well we can just come up with our own version of a kitchen.  How about that?!  Hashtag I'm not a control freak at all, am I? 

Before I knew it, MiMi was offering to buy the grand-baby toy kitchen.  So I told her to hold off until I found us a good project.  MiMi knows a good fixer-upper and it would be a fun project to do together.

I finally found the one.  My beloved girlfriend was having a yard sale to raise funds for her international adoption.  And what was donated?  A shabby toy play kitchen!  I didn't snap this 'before' picture until after I had scrubbed the kitchen down with a good cleaning rag.  So it actually looked worse then this.

It clearly has adorable bones.  But could it be MORE adorable?  Of course!  

So this little DIY is how to doll-up a little garage sale toy kitchen.

This particular kitchen had some obvious flaws.  Maybe you are in the market for a toy kitchen for your toddler.  And the yard sale variety isn't cutting it.  Think again!  With a little help, any garage sale kitchen can be a vintage-glam kitchen!

Our kitchen had some minor flaws.  It had no sink basin.  All the shelves were missing from within the toy-oven and under the sink.  The handles on the fridge were too small and some were missing.   Other various handles and knobs were also missing.

We decided it needed:

A fresh coat of paint

A fun little sink skirt, which we would sew

New stove knobs

New handles on the fridge

A fresh coat of paint on the faucet

New hot/cold knobs

Wrought Iron hooks for little vintage enamelware pots and pans

A wooden crate to replace the missing basin

Accessories

So where did we go?  Our neighborhood Hobby Lobby of course! 

First we decided to finish removing the 'mostly-missing' oven and under-sink cabinet.  We removed all hardware and my darling hubby cut a fresh board for the bottom of the cabinet.  We then sewed a little gingham sink skirt out of 1/2 yard of fabric.  I just hemmed all the ends.   I then bunched the top of the skirt and used a utility staple gun to attach the skirt up under the wooden sink.

Next, we gave the entire piece a coat of white paint to freshen it up.  I just used semi-gloss white Behr paint from Home Depot. 

I also spray painted the old grey faucet an antique-red color to match the gingham sink-skirt.  Valspar $3 spray paint did the trick.  I threw away the old knobs and the old wooden hot/cold knobs. 

We found some cute little drawer pulls in ceramic-red at Hobby Lobby and used those as the new stove knobs.  Gosh, did they turn out cute!  We also found hot/cold vintage ceramic knobs for either side of the red faucet.  Drew screwed the new wooden crate into the bottom of the counter top as the new sink basin.

We decided upon cute glass handles to make the new fridge pulls.  They were larger and easier for babygirl to use when she opened her fridge.

We then discovered a few rusty Hobby Lobby wrought-iron red hooks to attach to the side of the kitchen for utensils and pots.  I had found some vintage red and white enamelware pots and pans at an antique store that just had to hang on those cute little red hooks.

It was sort of like the book "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie".   We just kept going with all the cuteness.

I'm pretty sure the kitchen turned out perfect.  MiMi accessorized with wooden toy food and a baby-kitchen-aid from Pottery Barn Kids as part of the Birthday gift.

I think the after photos don't even do her justice!

AFTER

AFTER

Love Y'all!

Ashley

Pretending to Chalk Paint a Chandelier

So I had bought this chandelier a lifetime ago at a church flea market.  Actually, my darling husband bought the chandelier.  It was a day when I was scheduled to work at the hospital.  On such a lovely day, there was a massive community flea market up the road that I knew would be good and juicy.  I had a feeling in my gizzard it would be stocked with the good stuff.  So I had sent Darling up the road to the sale at 7am with $50 cash and told him to bring me back the first chandelier he found.

Well my gizzard is quite trusty, and so is my man.  He came home with a massive gold chandelier.

Well.  It was pretty gold and has a lot of lovely little crackle techniques all over it. It wasn't quite being very "trusty" on it's own.  I needed it to feel awesome.

I am sorry to say, that my chandelier sat in a corner of my basement for 5 years.  I felt bad for her really.   So when we left The Birchwood, we moved to Taylor's Wood, and along she came. 

Here at Taylor's Wood I decided her crowning glory would be hanging in the breakfast nook.  But she still had crackle technique and too much gold.

Insert pretend-chalk-paint-technique!

You will need:

Light blue paint

Minwax Finishing wax

Rags

White acrylic paint

round shaped light bulbs

All I did was mix 1 cup of minwax finishing wax with 1 tablespoon of blue acrylic paint and a tablespoon of white acrylic paint.  I microwaved the globby mixture for about a minute and stirred it up with a plastic spoon. 

I then allowed the "new wax" mix to harden in the sun.

Then I used my rag to gently smear the new paint/wax mixture onto the chandelier.  Be hap-hazard and I was pretty strategic with smearing the paste on mostly raised areas of the chandelier.  Take heart.  If you hate the overall effect, you can always scrub it down and spray paint it another color.

To finish off my "new look", I replaced chandelier bulbs with round bulbs.  It just kind of made it more conversational.

Whaaa-Laa!  I knew she could be amazing!  Enjoy the new light!

Centerpiece, oh centerpiece

So this blog goes out to all my friends who desire amazing centerpieces.  Show stoppers.  Not the type of centerpiece where you just drove down to the big box store and bought something already put-together.  No.  No, no no.  Remember, this is about using what you have to make something original and special.

Yep.  Today's blog is a freebie.  Because everyone probably has something in their house that can be brought to life again!

I love centerpieces because they can be very beautiful, functional, and whimsical.  My mom has literally called me to say that her small group leader had a drop-dead-gorgeous centerpiece.

 Yep.  If you think people aren't staring at what's in the center of your table/island/breakfast nook/coffee table, think again!

I'm going to go ahead and use this rule of thumb: WWMD?

What would Marilda (Cuthbert) do?  Well if you didn't watch Anne of Green Gables as a child, I'm very very sorry for your poor soul.  Because Anne's adoptive mother, Marilda, was absolutely brilliant when it came to centerpieces.

In WWMD, 'M' can also refer to my great-Grandmother Mary.  She had a knack for centerpieces too.  Whenever we'd travel to their small home in up-state New York, she'd have a fresh bowl of concord grapes in an antique glass dish placed in the center of the peninsula.  The next morning she'd have a tiny silver tray complete with sugar, cream, and home-made black raspberry jelly in the center of the breakfast cart.  Usually, the round dining table had a grouping of antique soup terrines on a lace tablecloth staring down at me.  Oh these centerpieces were usually functional too.  My Grandma Mary was all about function.  But she loved something elegant.  She'd do this sweet little gasp when she loved something.  She was pretty amazing.

Marilda reminds me of Grandma Mary.  If you watch the beloved movies, you can see clearly that Marilda has absolutely perfect taste.  Her kitchen was lined with crocks and her tea service sparkled.  She always had fresh flowers, polished silver spoons, and baked goods beneath iridescent cloches.

Alas, this is what we aspire to.  So...  Shall we?

First.  Start with a base.  If you start with a tray or cutting board or basket, this allows for easy movement.  For instance, when the kids gather around the table, or your friends come over for a game of cards, you can quickly scoop the center piece out of the way.   Another rule of thumb, contrast.  If your table is dark wood, don't use a wood tray.  Do something that contrasts your piece of furniture.  

Some examples.  A metal tray on a wood table, a wooden cutting board on a painted table, a rattan tray on a fabric ottoman.

Second, think color.  This can be fresh flowers, faux herbs, a colorful bowl of vegetables, or a photograph.  A small child's painting works well too.  Try a stack of fiesta-ware dessert plates!  Copper mugs, or a hand painted flower pot can be pretty as well.  My sister once had a pretty antique bowl full of onions on her kitchen counter top.  Onions?  Yes, onions.  Something simple and ALIVE can be just what you never knew you always needed.  Especially in the winter time!

Third, layer in something textural.  I like a stack of cloth napkins, a doily, or a folded dish towel.  Sometimes a bit of rust, or a rare patina on a trinket can function as texture.  If your sugar and creamer is tarnished silver, throw it in the mix anyway!  Perfectly polished silver belongs on "Downton Abbey".  Insert silent prayer asking God why you were not born in the early 1900's.  Oh it was good.  As Mary Crawley or Sybil Branson of course.

Finally, add in something functional: mug coasters, silverware bundles, bottled sparkling water, or a tasty treat.  My grade-school girlfriend lived on a huge farm.  Her mom always had this big glass bowl full of goldfish crackers on the island.  The bowl had a little tin lid.  I'll never forget digging my hand into that dome for the salty sea creatures.  Functional items, like Grandma Mary's concord grapes, usually spark a happy memory for guests.

Other options can include: a scented candle, a conversation piece, good books, or something unexpected.  Unexpected items could include a vintage camera, a victorian bust, or a favorite knick knack.  We all know how I love trinkets.   My mom called that day after small group to explain a very unique centerpiece.  Her girlfriend had displayed a vase full of summer's gardenias in a little child's suitcase.  Quite memorable!

Don't forget to think seasonally.  Spring commands a little nest or a tiny ceramic rabbit.  Summer begs strawberries or hydrangeas.   Fall asks for gourds or wheat.  Winter would be a perfect time for pine cones or to showcase a fresh bowl of cracking walnuts.  How festive?!

So you'll need:

A base

A color

Something textural

Something functional

Something unexpected

Done!

With this piece the base is the tool box because it has a handle and is easily moved out of the way.  The color is the sprig of greenery.  The texture is the contrast of the silver with the ceramic with the wood.  The function is the use of the silverware.  The toolbox itself is very unexpected on the breakfast nook.

With this island center piece, the base is the scale.  Though the scale is not easily moved, it does ground the piece.  The color is the fruit.  The texture is the rust contrasting the stainless tray.  The function is also represented in the apples.  The unexpected is the fact that this is a vintage postal scale in the middle of the kitchen.

This is a grouping on an entry table.  The base is the tree slice.  The color is represented in the wildflowers.  The texture is the clean glass bottles contrasting the rough disc of the tree bark.  The unexpected is the deer antler.  Please note that this piece has no real function.  However, the wood slice was given to me by a friend, and the antler was from a deer harvested by my dad many years ago.  So beauty and memory is sufficient for this centerpiece.

In this centerpiece, the base is the butcher's scale.  The color is the greenery and the pears.  The texture is the terra-cotta pot contrasting the wooden bowl contrasting the cotton scarf.  The function is the fruit bowl.  The unexpected is the fact that the scarf is just that, and not a true table runner.

So go for it!  Spruce up your table.  Dress up your peninsula!  And don't forget to share your pictures with us!  We all want to see!  Tag @thebirchwoodblog in your instagram posts!  I can't wait to see y'all go!

Love Y'all!

Ashley

5 Reasons why You NEED open shelving NOW

Want to know possibly one of the most reasonable upgrades you can do to your kitchen or dining area?  Open shelving.  They are the best.  I have a million reasons as to why I love open shelving now.  And why this is the perfect last minute project before your big Thanksgiving get-together...

5 Reasons why you NEED open shelving NOW

1.  Open shelving is practical.  Our Birchwood kitchen only had 3 upper cabinets by the time we were finished knocking out two walls.  We NEEDED open shelving if I wasn't going to pack up half of my dinnerware!  The concept also makes it so easy to grab dishes you wouldn't normally use.  HELLO kids, it's the HOLIDAYS!  This is perfect.  In my case, the pretty white dishes rarely were grabbed for use in day-to-day dining.  However, when displayed on easily-accessible shelves, you are more inclined to take a pretty plate and enjoy your meal!

2.  They are pretty.  Dishes are pretty!  Whether they're from Dollar Tree (yes I own and enjoy a gorgeous set of dishes from Dollar Tree) or from your great-grandmother, dishes are beautiful.  Glassware is pretty too.  Mugs and coffee accessories are cozy and comfortable.  Bar-ware and stemware say: "relax".  Your guests even feel a little more comfortable with the causality of open shelving.  Instead of rummaging through cupboards, open shelving says "let's entertain".  People make themselves at home.

3.  They aid in traffic jams.  HUH?  Yes.   I've hosted huge dinners with 40+ youth leaders in my home.  You need traffic control! When your dishes are gently tucked on the wall, it frees up counter space for the food and serving pieces and folks can kind-of make an assembly line of sorts.  

4.  They can be seasonal.  Pictured below are my beloved Birchwood dining room open shelves in the fall--how perfect.  I loved to throw in seasonal touches.  Food and seasons always go together.  We all have cherished pieces we pull out during the Christmas time.  Or maybe some adorable little Peter Rabbit pieces for spring time.  Whatever the holiday, use it as an excuse to festive-up your open shelves.

5.  They're kid proof.  If you are strategic, you'll place your open shelving at a good distance from your floor.  Especially if you have small children.  This is a great way get breakables out of your lower cabinets and up on to open shelving.

Behold my DIY open shelving from Birchwood:

We bought 3 boards and 8 corbels from Home Depot.  I painted everything white and we attached them into the drywall after locating the studs.

You'll need:

3 boards to the length of your space

2-4 corbels per board depending on how many dishes you plan to use

Screws

White paint

Paint your corbels and boards.  Allow to dry.  We did 2 coats.  Locate your studs.  Be sure to find studs as dishes can be heavy.  Make sure if you have little ones that the shelves are beyond the reach of your kiddos.  Attach your corbels to your boards as well as the wall where each stud was located.  Decorate and enjoy.

DIY, done.

Preach.

Actually.  Come to think of it, Drew and I need to get some of these babies put up at our new Taylor's Wood house.  I guess there will be pictures to come!  

Now go get that last minute project finished up before Thanksgiving.!

COMING UP ON THE BLOG!!

How to DECORATE for your Thanksgiving guests AND cook a delicious home-made meal in under 90 minutes.  Yup.  That's it kids.  Everything you need to know for Thanksgiving will be here on the blog.  

And after turkey day.  Our Christmas tour will be going LIVE!  You're gonna love it!

Happy Thursday my loves!

Ashley

stove top smells

Y'all.  This is the best little brew for your Monday...and your week.  We have lots of holidays in front of us...EEEEEK!!!! 

But with that, is the cleaning and preparing for the house guests.  Then there is the seasonal decor.  Oh wonderful wonderful seasonal decor.  And online shopping.  Amazon Prime, Thank you Jesus.  Preach.

So yes.  I have a toddler, and I'll be at home, a lot.  And cleaning all my corners.   And Amazon Prime, and decorating, and eating.  And the Home Alone soundtrack serenading me.  Let every amazing memory commence.  So let THIS season rest on all your senses.  And that includes the sense of smell.

Sometimes candles are just soooo expensive.  Especially my favorite WoodWick holiday scents.  Sometimes Fabreeze reminds you of a dirty bathroom.  Even if it is in "Colorado Balsam Fir"  Sometimes plug-ins just aren't what you're looking for.  Other times, you want something to smell warm and clean.  While you clean.  I love my essential oils.  But that precious nectar gets saved for when sweet baby toddler is sick.

Enter in, my favorite stove-top brew.  This aromatic brew will become your new FAVORITE THING.  It smells so warm and clean and fresh.  In the fall and winter, having something simmering on the stove is just cozy anyway.  It's perfect for kitchen bar-top online shopping, dorm room lazy days, and cozy afternoons when the sweet babies get home from school.

The scent mingles perfectly with food as well.  It will over power a peeled onion, a time-to-get-bleached trash can, and even my daughter's dirty cloth diapers.  Gasp.  That's a good strong brew. 

You will Need for this autumn brew:

3-6 fresh rosemary sprigs

1 lemon cut into wedges

3 tablespoons of vanilla extract

4 cups of water

Throw all items into a pot.  Squeeze in the lemon and then throw in the wedges.  Fill with about 4 cups of water, or just to the top.  Turn on high until brew starts to boil and bubble, then turn down to a good strong simmer.  

As long as the mixture is simmering, the house is smelling.  I usually refill the pot a second or third time with water before I turn it off.  

Perfect for an evening when everyone will be relaxing around the kitchen.  

Of course, never leave something on the stove unattended.

Happy smelling my friends!  In other news.  Last night was part one of Christmas Home Tour set-up.  We had the fire going, the Christmas carols on, and this brew a-brewing.

 Festive decor and inspiration coming, y'all.  I CANNOT WAIT to show you the tour.

Love Y'all!

Ashley

"Cover your jugular" and remove a gigantic mirror

So when we bought our beautiful home, we accepted the fact that we would be starting the DIY process all over again.  That is okay.  That is what we love to do.

Drew was offered a new job on the north side of Atlanta and we would pack up everything and head off...yonder.  To a new territory.  On a new adventure.

We bought the second house we walked through.  Literally.  My beloved Birchwood Lane had sold the first day on the market and the clock was ticking.  I was hormonal and emotional with my 1 month old new daughter.  Packing up my first-ever home had been very difficult.  So many memories can be tied to a warm home.

Our beloved Georgia-mom, friend, and Realtor hadn't even unlocked the door and I knew Taylor's Wood was ours.  And if you saw my previous post on Garage Door Therapy, you'll know it wasn't exactly the curb appeal that "knocked our socks off".  I remember staring through the dusty window panes of the front door.  I remember thinking: "This one is the one". 

When you know, you know.

I will have many-a-more post that tells of the story of our Taylor's Wood home.  She's got a lot of brass knobs and 90's tile, but we love her.  And she has impeccable 'bones'.

Our first-ever renovation was the dreaded master bath.  We started a month after we moved in.   We worked in the evenings after our daughter went to bed.  I know I have readers out there that have a dreaded master bath.  Master baths can be easily neglected by young families who buy fixer-uppers.  But here's the deal.  If you end up selling, they command the second biggest return on investment, aside from the kitchen.  And statistically, people are more likely to buy homes that have bathrooms and kitchens that show as updated.  Here are some pictures to show you how special the bathroom really was before we got started:

It's a massive bathroom, as you can see.  However massive bathrooms cost massive money to re-do.  See that shiny brass shower?  Yea those can be over $1,000 to replace.  Oh, and see that 11 foot builder grade mirror?  Wait, 11 foot?!  Yes.  That's right.  At this point you're thinking "Ashley, you need professional help."  And as a matter of fact, in a lot of areas, I do need help.  But not in this area. 

Behold...REMOVING THE 11 FOOT BUILDER GRADE MIRROR

Supplies needed for this project:

Safety Goggles & heavy duty gloves

A long piece of wire (length of your mirror and then about 2 extra foot)

Crow Bar

Trash bags

Hammer

Duct Tape

Meter Stick

Old bed sheet

Step 1.

So first I taped all over the mirror.  Tape up, tape down, tape sideways, tape your name.  This is because the mirror, inevitably, will crack.  And when it does, you want tape everywhere so that glass shards don't start flying.

Step 2.

You and your volunteer (someone very brave) will need to position yourselves on either side of the mirror, each holding an end of the long piece of wire.  Drew was my lovely volunteer.  He volunteered for a lifetime of 'risky business' on May 19, 2007.  Apply safety goggles.  Also apply turtle-necks, steel toe shoes, prayer beads, and jugular covers).

We slid our meter stick behind the mirror (at the top) until we discovered where the "glue spots" were located.  Usually there are random big glue patches on the back of the mirror.  These glue spots are what will need to be loosened with your wire.  Once we located the "glue zones", we used the crow bar to GENTLY pull back the top of the mirror.  We then started to slide, back and forth, the wire behind the mirror.  This loosened and detached the glue.  Mind you, the 11 foot mirror is pretty heavy, and I was a NERVOUS NELLY.

Step 3.  Once the wire successfully can slide behind the mirror from the top to the bottom, all the glue has been detached from the mirror and the mirror is ready to come down.  At this point, we were holding the mirror steady, and ready to use the hammer.  The reason being, our mirror is 11 foot long.  We couldn't physically carry the mirror.   We couldn't even budge it.  Your mirror, however, may be smaller.  In that case, it can be lifted safely to the floor.

So Drew took the hammer and did a couple of smashes to the mirror.  7 years of bad luck.  Actually, probably 35 years of bad luck.  It's not as scary as it sounds because you taped your mirror.  So it, theoretically, cracks, but doesn't shatter.  Okay I am lying.  It was a little scary.

Step 4.  Take the mirror down chunk by chunk as it is attached to your strips of tape.  We had a big old bed sheet on the floor.  We wrapped pieces of the sheet around the chunks of mirror.  We also further smashed the taped chunks within the bed sheets so they fit perfectly into large garbage bags. 

Step 5.  Double bag your crushed-mirror trash bags and dispose of them.

And that's it!  Your scary mirror is off the wall!  Don't forget to tag us in your @Instagram posts!  We want to see your big scary mirrors come crashing down!

For a sneak peak of our final Master bathroom reveal, visit the tab on this blog called "Taylor's Wood House"

Enjoy!

Love Y'all!

Ashley

Lamps gone RIGHT

 So I received tons of positive feedback from y'all regarding the DIY garage door project I posted a few days ago!  AND...on that positive note, I'm giving y'all another easy project! 

Once upon a time, I was hired to re-design my friend M's house!  If you missed her GORGEOUS before and after Living Room tour, you can find it below titled M's Living Room BEFORE AND AFTER, part 2!

We all remember my friend M.  We all remember she has treasures that I was bawling over.  Literally.  I think I cried during her initial home tour.  Her heirlooms were beyond my wildest dreams, passed down through generations.  These trinkets all just needed to find their place in the re-design. 

As you may recall, M led me on a beautiful scavenger hunt in her home to decide what was going to be showcased in the upcoming reveal.  M wanted me to see a pair of amazing heirloom lamps she owned.  They were hiding in the basement.  She loved them but had no idea what to do with them.   She consented to me making them beautiful for the redesign.  

Here are the lamps BEFORE this DIY project...

(Aladdin's Genie couldn't have been more impressed)

Amazing right?  I mean, look at the detail!  I did some research and these lamps date back to the 1940's.  Holy vintage!  Well they totally HAD to go in the re-design for M.  They just needed some TLC.  Cobalt blue wasn't in my new color palette for M's space, but gorgeous vintage lamp-glam was! 

So if you have some lighting, that's in need of some love,   Grab your weird lamp and let's do this DIY!

Here's what you'll need:

1 can of Rustoleum's gold spray paint

A few paint brushes

1 can Minwax 'Early American' wood finish stain

1 cup white water-based paint

1 cup light blue water-based paint (or whatever color you prefer; pink, grey, green)

I started by spray painting the lamps with the gold spray paint for a good solid base.  

Can you spy M's lovely vintage dining room table in the background?  Oh yes, my friends.  Another bloggy day...

I've digressed.  Back to the revitalization of 1940's lamps. 

After the gold spray paint dried, I dry brushed the white paint on to the lamp.  Make sure your brush is very dry.  

To dry brush: barely dip the tip of the VERY dry paint brush into the white paint.  Then, haphazardly drag the dry brush along the natural raised areas of the piece, sometimes barely brushing the piece.  The tiny bit of white should adhere mostly to the cracks and crevices of the lamp.

When the white paint is dry, go back over and dry brush/drag the pale blue paint over the raised areas of the lamp.  Exactly as you did with the white.  Make sure to be random with your markings.  This patina needs to look natural.  

Finally.  When that coat is also dry, go back and run over the cracks and crevices of the lamp with just the smallest amount of stain on a fresh brush.  I followed using a dry paper towel, at this point, to really smear the stain around.

Wear gloves to protect your hands from the stain.

Below is the reveal!  M absolutely loved the final product and so did I!  No one else on earth will have lamps like her!  I topped them with linen Pottery Barn drum shades.

Be sure to tag @thebirchwoodblog in your @Instagram photos!  We love seeing your hard DIY work!

Love Y'all!

Ashley

Hideous Garage Doors seek Therapy

Ohhhhh my loves! I've been wanting to share this quick and easy DIY with you forever!  I'm such a fan of immediate gratification!  Think of all the glorious immediate gratifications in our lives.  Spray tans, keureg coffee pods, bronzer, Amazon Prime.  Need I say more?  I mean, can I get an AMEN?!  What would we do without 2 day shipping on our favorite can of spray tan while we drink our fresh-brewed coffee?  No judging, please. Yes, I spray tan.  Regularly.

So in December we moved from our beautiful Birchwood home, to our Taylor's Wood home.   This was quite the difficult move.  In many ways.  From a bloggy standpoint, we had renovated, together, almost every nook and cranny of the Birchwood home.  She was "a beaut, Clark, a beaut!" (National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation).  The Birchwood home tour is featured on the blog for your viewing pleasure.  One day I will have to post all the 'before' photos of The Birchwood.  Then all my lovely readers will get to see how far she did come.  We had DIY'ed major changes in the kitchen, laundry room, screened-in porch, master bath, master bedroom, guest bathroom, nursery, basement, living room and yard.  We had brought our daughter home to that house.  We had hosted a million youth group sleepovers and bonfires in that house.  We had shared holiday dinners, and tears and memories to last a lifetime.  We started our adoption process for our future son in that house.  We will never forget our years at The Birchwood.  

Well our lovely Taylor's Wood home is now in the process of being majorly renovated (by us, of course).  Today I'm sharing a rather gorgeous DIY.  If I do say so myself.

This specific Do-it-yourself is a great project that requires little time, money, or experience.  But first, the 'before' photos.

This was our home before our therapeutic intervention.  To be fair, this was our house before we bought it.  

So as you can see.  We have 3 garage doors that are very simple and plain and are taking up half of the front of the house.  Not quite the curb appeal I was after.  The home lacks warmth and character.  Nothing really stands out or says "come in".  When you see these photos, please keep in mind that other projects were needed.  We have started upon these other various endeavors including chopping down trees and landscaping and planting grass.  Oh how wretched it is to plant grass, my loves.  Absolutely wretched.  But for now, let's focus on garage door glam.

You will need for this project:

Exterior paint (I used Sherwin Williams "Keystone Grey") 

Blue painters tape

Garage Door Hardware kit (link below) 

Paint brush or small Roller

Screwdriver

That is all you need!  I used only 1/2 gallon of paint for 3 garage doors.  So keep in mind that you won't need much!

Step 1.  Tape off a design you like.  I googled a lot of ideas.  I really wanted something that looked like carriage doors but wasn't too fancy.  I also didn't want to do the "fake windows".  A lot of google searches showed taped black squares that faked windows.  I didn't want anyone driving up to the house and seeing shiny black paint squares and judging me too hard. 

Lucky for me,  my garage doors had raised panels so I was able to follow the strait lines of the panels so as to make perfect lines with the tape.  If your doors do not have raised areas, just measure out from the sides or use a tiny piece of foam to mark your lines.  Keep in mind that the taping is the most time-consuming and ANNOYING part of the project.  Tape along the lines you drew with your tool.  Like playing connect the dots.

If you have more then one garage door, be sure you are following the same rules of measurement.  To do the diagonal lines on the carriage door design, I used a small sand paper foam wedge as a tool to make sure I was keeping the correct width (About 5 inches thickness).

Step 2.  Now you get to paint.  But first, a word on paint.  Choose a color that matches other areas of your home.  For instance, if your front door and shutters are a gorgeous dark grey, go for that same grey or a version of the tone.  If your front door is a beautiful feature color like red, but the trim around the windows is a nice taupe, I'd recommend taupe.  If you want to update your front door (see last week's post $50 Friday!), choose a paint that you can also use on your front door!  Make your purchase go further!

Now.  Back to painting.  I used a roller for the larger areas, but since I had raised panels, I went behind the roller with a paint brush to get in all the nooks and crevices.  If your darling husband comes outside to help, be sure to mark WHERE he is supposed to paint!  It can be a bit confusing to see tape everywhere!  You may need several coats of paint if your garage door was a darker color.  My garage doors had a good coat of white base paint so I only needed 2 coats of fresh paint.

Step 3.  Pull off the tape.  What an obvious step.  But I had some minor touch ups because I painted on a very hot day and some of my painter's tape had peeled back a bit. 

Step 4.  Attach your carriage hardware.  Prior to this step you may have been thinking: "OKAY Ash, this looks like a mouse-maze".  This is the fun step!  Again, there are lots of options on where to attach your hardware.  The back of the hardware box even has some ideas for you!  Below is the placement we decided on and we really love it!  The screws are nice and tiny so you can use a screwdriver to attach.  Or, if you want to be super quick, a handheld drill.  All of a sudden you see the gorgeous carriage door emerge!

Step 5.  Enjoy the benefits of a gorgeous updated garage door and rest assured that this is an investment in your own home!  Such a dramatic transformation can easily be considered sweat equity!  Your neighbors will be sure to LOVE! 

Don't forget to tag @thebirchwoodblog in your instagram photos!  We want to see your garage doors!  

Love Y'all!

Ashley