I'm No Professional

FOREWARNING:  I am no professional.  I have no idea if a professional carpet installer would cringe at my methods.  I am pretty proud to have completed this project myself, with no help.  For years I have wanted to carpet our stairs.  They were always loud and the paint got chipped so easily.  But I always wanted to spend my funds on more important, or prettier, things.  But I ran across a blog post showing how a woman bought a few carpet runners and she put them on her stairs herself. (http://southernhospitalityblog.com/painted-stairs-and-adding-runners/) I thought "I can so do that!"  I found a wool runner on Overstock.com that I loved and I ordered 3 of them.  At first I wasn't happy with them because the runner didn't match the carpet perfectly that I ordered for the entryway, but with time I knew I wouldn't find anything I liked more. They were the "same" carpet, but there wasn't enough aqua in the runner for my liking.

 

Why can I never remember to take an actual "before" photo before I've actually begun the project??  I started by stapling one of the ends of the runner to the top stair.  I didn't go onto the landing. 

 

 

 

I kept putting double sided carpet tape on each tread -- this is important.  I didn't have enough for the last few stairs and it made a huge difference in helping to keep the carpet in place.  I bought more and redid those stairs.  Make sure to also measure each side of the runner on each stair to make sure you are keeping it even. 

Keep taping and stapling.  I cut the end off the runner and the end off of the next runner and butted them up at where one stair met the back of the tread. I used a plush wool runner, so the wool pile on the carpet hid the staples well. 

 

For the final runner I started at the bottom and taped and stapled my way up. I cut the runner to butt up at the seam where I left off. 

 

 It is holding up well and has made the stairs so much quieter. 

 

 

Ignore the mess.  Why did I have kids, again?  I'm told that I will miss them when they are gone and to enjoy the mess while they are young.  So I'm embracing it!

 

 

I also ordered a new rug for the dining room from rugsusa.com.  The reviews for the site where all over the place, but I had great service and would definitely order from them again.  Just be sure to print your order confirmation number.  They do not email you confirmation and I couldn't check on my order without it. 

 

All of my pictures seem to be taken mid-project.  I hate that our house looks so chaotic, but generally it is.  Tell me I should get my house "party ready" clean so I can take pretty pictures of finished projects!

 

To Live a Life of Grace, Not Perfection

Life sometimes has a funny way of taking over.  And then I remember that I want to live a life of grace, not perfection.  My focus wasn't this blog, but don't think that I wasn't actually monkeying around with my house.  That is my hobby, my fun, my escape.  And I have been slowly working on getting things done...

One of my many ongoing projects includes added molding to the doors upstairs and painting them black.  What a huge difference it makes. 

I'm done with the large floral pattern.  Time for a more simple design.  That will be a winter project...my mom ordered a creamy yellow and white scroll pattern wallpaper and decided she didn't like it. It's FREE and that makes my day.  But it's also classic and will go well with my décor. Unfortunately, the walls are old and not pretty enough to just paint.  Someday lot of money to have a drywaller fix them for me. That's not even on my list of priorities right now. 

 

 

And I forgot to take before pictures.  What kind of blogger am I?? I was too anxious to get them. done. They were hollow core, unfinished, ugly doors. 

 

 

 

A sneak peak of another project for next time....

 

 

More Black Doors

I finally started my upstairs hallway project.  More black doors in my house.  I like everything to flow.  I just took our ugly hollow core doors and added molding.  And I did it all by myself.  John is working and I was antsy to get one door done because I need to get started with a project to get excited about a project. 

 

One door down and way too many to go....

 

This weekend I also did a little antique shop hunting and found some cute little napkin rings.  I have been looking for some to use on my dining room chandelier.  They were exactly what I wanted.  I added a few more pink berries that I had on hand. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

These are the evenings that I wish I could stay home and work on my house all day, but how would I pay for these projects??  And I do enjoy my day job...

 

 

Soon I will have photos of a concrete staining project that I am helping my dear friend with.  Can't wait to see how it turns out!

 



The Color of the Day - Raspberry

I tend to get obsessed with a color.  Today's color of the day is raspberry.  I had purchased some raspberry trim for a project that never happened.  So I decided to use the trim on a new project. My fridge needed some work.

I didn't like all of the clutter and Emma no longer plays with the letters, so it was time for a change and the raspberry trim was calling my name.  I had some leftover fabric from my basement that matched the trim perfectly.  I had purchased a corkboard at TJ Maxx and used spray adhesive to attached the fabric to the cork.

 

Raspberry trim finishes off the rough edges.

 

And the fridge looks much cleaner and prettier :) 

I then couldn't just put the raspberry trim away.  My boring lampshades on the back porch light fixture needed some love.  Hot glue gun and raspberry trim to the rescue.

 

And again I ask myself, why did I wait so long to do these easy projects??

 

 



A Sneak Peak

I was going to show a room at a time and describe what projects I did in each room, but this week I have been so busy and exhausted from my real job that I haven't had time to clean up, much less take pictures.  So I decided I'm going to give you a sneak peak of our downstairs rooms.  With time I will describe the projects I completed in each room, but let's be honest, you want to see pictures and prefer not to read my blabber...

Back porch directly off of the kitchen...

Dining room...

 

Living room...

 

Upstairs bathroom....

 

I have installed my bamboo blinds in the kitchen and am painting the ceiling today.  Slowly, but surely, it is getting closer to being "complete."  Who am I kidding?? No room is ever complete because I'm always planning my next project, or ten.

Hot Glue Gun

 

 



The hot glue gun is my friend.  I can't just have tacks on my bulletin board in my office.  No, I have floral tacks.  And while I was at it, I needed some floral magnets for the fridge at home.  Michael's is a dangerous place for me to go.  I know it seems simple, but these little things make sitting in an office all day so much better. So many projects, so little time....

 



 

 

Brave

 

 

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You know when a song seems to be talking right to you?  Lately that song has been "Brave" by Sara Bareilles for me.  "I wonder what would happen if you say what you wanna say and let the words fall out.  Honestly, I wanna see you be brave." 

I took the plunge, jumped in headfirst and am saying what I wanna say.  Showing my home to the world (or the few who want to see it) was terrifying to me.  It is my private place.  My sanctuary.  My hobby. How I spend my evenings and weekends when I want some "me time."  But I have a dream to someday re:decorate for others. 

I made up this mock card a long time ago.  It's my dream.  And I'm being brave enough to throw it out there.  See if anyone would ever be interested in hiring me.  Is it a pipe dream?? Is it something that is unrealistic? Or could I really pull it off?  I won't ever know unless I'm brave and say what I wanna say...

It's All About the Name...

When trying to figure out what I should call my blog, I quickly thought of a saying I saw on Pinterest (that addiction is for another day and another post.)  "Just sitting here on the corner of awesome and bombdiggity."  I immediately felt like it expressed me well. My home is on a corner lot and my desk at work had a corner counter top where everyone stopped and tended to congregate (we are moving and the corner is now dismantled.  It was a very sad day for me.)  And I am perpetually positive.  I am a glass is half full kind of gal.  And who doesn't love the word "bombdiggity"??

 

 

The color of house is "Ocean Fog".  It's feels like a sin to admit that it is a Colorplace color from Walmart. Who buys paint from Walmart?  I do sometimes.  I like it.  John built the little deck and we have enjoyed many cups of morning coffee in this spot...until he built the deck in the back.  The grass is patchy, but I don't look forward to the days that there is no longer chalk art on my sidewalk and bikes being ridden over the grass and killing it. 

 

 

 

When we built the playhouse the plan was always to build a deck in that corner.  We built this deck this summer and we have already spent endless hours eating meals, reading, visiting, and enjoying our yard.  Landscaping will be on next summer's to-do list. 

 

Speaking of the playhouse, what little girl wouldn't LOVE this.  I do have to say this was my FAVORITE project ever. 

 

 

Isn't my husband an awesome carpenter?  His dad, Steven, is always willing to give a helping hand so John doesn't get all of the credit ;) And, of course, I enjoyed the painting and decorating.