My "life quandary"and FINALLY the shop reveal....

Occasionally I go back and reread some of my posts from the last eight years. Man i have transformed some awesome pieces of furniture and spaces!!!

Now that I am “semi-retired” I have been trying to decide what I want to do “when I grow up.” After a year of binge watching “Gilmore Girls” and finishing the little projects around this house, I desperately need something to do.

I still haven’t decided what.

I love refurbishing furniture but honestly my body isn’t exactly cooperating these days. After just one day of projecting, I am usually hobbled for at least two days.

I don’t like to golf, I don’t knit, sewing is NO WAY JOSE, I raised four kids so while I will eventually help with my future local grand kiddos, I don’t think I want to take them on full time.

Volunteer…an option, but where. I love animals but if I volunteered at a shelter I would have a house full of critters. I would love to work at a zoo, but sadly we don’t have one!

Sick kids…they make me sad. I just don’t know if that is something I could do.

Old people. Hum….to close for comfort?

A real job? Nice idea but I don’t want to work nights, weekends or holidays. Brian and I like to take little vacations so I need lots of flexibility. Not exactly an ideal employee.

Besides I have NO idea what I want to do and I don’t want to spend 20 hours a week doing something I don’t enjoy.

I am blessed. I was blessed to own a business for 23 years that darn near killed me but allowed me to care for my family and “semi-retire” at a relatively young age.

So what do I do?

This blog is a wealth of information and I am sure there is a way I could turn it into a “business.” But truthfully, I like sharing my experiences with those who need the guidance. And I don’t want to make people pay for that help.

Which bring me back to my first love….building, creating, repairing, helping, sharing, instructing…my blog logo says it all….I hope I can share with you a passion and desire to easily create a home you will love!

All this whining and moaning to finally share one of my favorite things about this house…the shop. A space I have wanted for decades, finally got, and now really can’t use to it’s full potential!

For YEARS I worked out of my garage…what a mess. When I saw this house had an amazing shop I was stoked! A place to keep all my tools and work on a few small projects and I would still be able to park my car in the garage.

It is insulated, it has electricity, large doors, windows….the only downside was it was SERIOUSLY ugly!
Like baaaaad ugly.

As with every inch of this house, I could see the potential.

I knew I had to make it pretty!

The windows were old aluminum windows so those had to be replaced. I even moved the front one to the left to make it more “aesthetically pleasing.” New light fixtures inside and out were a must. The doors were aluminum and vinyl siding and not real attractive so I did just enough to make them look a little better. New cedar posts, some shutters…

And the biggy,,…brick. No I am not a brick layers so I was super fortunate to find someone who would take on a few small projects. Finding brick to match the brick on this 22 year old house was dang near impossible, but I was able to find one that was close enough and it made all the difference in the world.

We went from having a big ugly vinyl shed in the yard to having a super cute building.

The inside…it’s a storage shed in spite of what it looks like from the outside. Lawnmowers, tools, yard stuff…nothing fancy. I love the workshops that are all perfect and spotless….but it is a shop/storage shed, plain and simple. (Note Brian’s big fancy grill/smoker….God forbid it sit on the patio and get wet like a normal grill)

As I shared HERE when I spruced up the storage shed at our old house, I firmly believe storage sheds should enhance your space…not just be a big eye sore where you store you mower and shovel.

GET CREATIVE…make it pretty. Take a little time to doll it up and make it something that is aesthetically pleasing rather than just a huge eye sore in your back yard. Pinterest (my “go to” inspiration") is full of outdoor buildings that have been transformed into something other than just big ole’ eye sores!

No, you do not have to do something as fancy (or expensive) as mine…but a Pinterest search and a little “oops paint” can really make a difference.

Do a little “storage shed” search, then let your imagination run wild. Remember, we have lived in this house almost a year and I am just now sharing…transformations don’t happen over night!

Lessons in DIY....

One of the things I love about this house is the irrigation system…no more dragging hoses and sprinklers around the yard all summer.

In theory.

The system has been severely neglect for years so it has been a total rework. We finally got the two zones (there are four) working for the bulk of the front and back yard.

As usual, I did what I always do when I want to learn something new. I hover. Followed the irrigation guy around watching every move he made (for a $100 an hour I figure I should get a lesson).

I googled how irrigation systems work and how to repair and replace malfunctioning and broken heads.

I installed the Zone 3 drip system for the flower beds. Yay me!

Now I think I am an expert and thought I could tackle Zone 2 which wasn’t working at all.

Zone 2, the zone on the north side of the yard, has been a total bust. I knew there HAD to be a break in the main water line some where, I just couldn’t find it.

I am tenacious…the darn thing was broken and come hell or high water I was going to fix it.

After WEEKS of digging around and tracing lines, I found not ONE, not TWO, but THREE breaks in the water lines…..curses!

Needless to say my newly sodded yard looks like it has been hit with mortar shells.

The first two breaks were relatively easy fixes….the third has been a total booger. It took three full days and at least 6 or 7 trips to Lowe’s…I repaired the same spot SIX times before I finally got it right…I think…I hope…unless one of the connections broke loose again when I covered it with dirt.

Today’s lesson on DIY. As I have said before, my daddy didn’t have time to teach me EVERYTHING I need to know about DIY. But what he did teach me was a valuable lesson. If you want something fixed, repaired, built, or changed, be willing to do the research and put in the time and muscle to do what needs to be done.

I didn’t have a clue about irrigation systems. Zip, zero, zilch. But I am not about to pay someone $100 an hour to do something as simple as change out busted heads. So I learned…and am still learning

The water line repairs….that’s another story. This was one of those times when after 3 days of crawling around in the mud and AT LEAST six trips to Lowe’s, I began to wonder if it was time to call in a professional.

I suspect it would take them all of about an hour to do what took me three days!

DIY lesson number two….know your limitations.

That’s a tough one for me.

I do get to share one little project I managed to complete while I was waiting on water line repairs to dry.

Years ago I bought these old metal wheels at an auction. Thought I might sell them but never have so they just sat in the yard with no real purpose.

This is the picture I took to post on Facebook Marketplace eons ago….

I’m not really a “yard ornament” kinda person so the fact that I had these big ole metal wheels just sitting in my yard was, well, just not my jamb.

I moved them to the new house and set them in the back corner of the yard and thought MAYBE I could find something to do with them…..eventually.

Now I do like “sitting” areas….and the more I looked at these wheels, the more I thought, “Hum, just MAYBE I can figure out a way to turn this into some kind of bench or something.”

So last week Brian and I went out to this ratty little old “hobby mill” and picked up a live edge board, brought it home, power washed it and made a bench…I really like how it looks tucked away in the back corner of the flower garden.

(The concrete “bench” in the forefront of the photo was there when we bought the house…we were told it was part of the old farmhouse that sat here originally…that sucker isn’t going anywhere! Makes a great place for squirrel food in the winter!)

Presto, bingo! Now instead of having some big ole’ honkin’ metal wheels in my yard that cause me confusion and grief, I have this nifty one of a kind bench in my back flower garden.

I haven’t decided whether to seal it or leave it natural.

LOVE!

We picked up another piece of milled wood just in case we needed another piece…I decided to use it to make a another bench. The concrete bases were from a bench in my Mother’s yard. It use to have a concrete top but someone (who I shall not name since it might embarrass my oldest daughter) sat on it and busted it. So these bases have just been sitting around waiting for inspiration.

I think I will seal these boards. I love how you can see the mill marks and a sealant will really make those “pop” like it did on this old wood I used to make a table.

Irrigation system is (fingers crossed) fixed and I managed to get a few little projects complete.

Makes for a good week!

Painted bathroom cabinets...

As I mentioned in the first two reveals of my master bathroom (HERE and HERE), it is one of those ever evolving rooms.

This is where we last left off…

…the addition of the operable windows. I can not express how much I love these.

The cabinets….not so much. They are actually kind of an off-white-yellowed-ick kind of color. And the hardware was pretty blah and cheapo. Cheapo is great if it has just a tiny bit of character, but these didn’t.

I debated changing out the drawers and doors to mission style doors but honestly I don’t want to spend the money on them right now. Someday I may do some major magic on these cabinets but for right now I just want to give the room a more “polished” look.

Paint…hum. An inexpensive way to give a space a little facelift.

So the debate raged…white or color…and if color, what color.

You would think as much as I do this kind of thing paint color would be no big deal for me.

WRONG!

This is just a few of the paint samples I brought home.

This is the trick to finding the right paint color. Go to the store and pick up every sample you THINK you might like…then take them home and look at them in your light. You would be surprised at how much a paint color can change in different lighting. If you still find yourself drawn to 2-3 colors, buy sample pots…they are well worth the investment. Also, if you are torn between a light color and just a tad darker, go light. First, the bigger the area, the darker a paint will look. Second, if you still think you want darker you can always go back and have them mix it the darker shade. Once you have the darker shade mixed, you really can’t do much more than buy another gallon.

I finally landed on one I think I kinda sorta like. I ordered simple brushed nickel hexagon hardware…inexpensive but with a tiny bit of character.

The two vanities took all of about 1/10th of a gallon of paint. I should have bought a quart but custom colors tend to be a smidge off in the quarts.

All in all I’m not UNHAPPY with it, but not sure I am over the moon thrilled. For the time and money you can’t beat slapping a coat of paint on a wall or a piece of furniture or cabinets to change the entire look.

Now, I want to share my latest “find.” I am, as I have said before, “old school.” Primer and oil-based on furniture, trim and cabinets and latex on walls.

I have experimented with a relatively new (to me) product and I have decided I kind of like it.

It is a “hybrid” paint….will go over latex OR oil-based without the need to strip or prime. I do knock off the shine and any rough spots just a tad with 220 grit sandpaper and wipe it all down with tack cloth, but other than that it takes very little prep. And the super cool thing is it doesn’t matter if the old paint is oil-based or latex…usually that matters A LOT. This hybrid paint needs no additive, brushes on super easy, “levels” beautifully (which is great if you are brushing or rolling on wood), cleans up with soap and water and so far seems super durable.

The only problem I have with it is it seems to be a tad thinner than most paints and you need to watch carefully for drips and runs…but because it levels so nicely they are easy to manage!

Both Sherwin Williams and Benjamin Moore carry it and I have used both…with great results.

So if you are not sure what type of paint your trim/cabinet/furniture is and you don’t want to go to all the trouble of priming, try this product. So far, so good.

So that’s that for this bathroom…for now. I really don’t have any more MAJOR changes I want to make in there. But knowing me, I’ll find something. This week my project has been my utility room. A necessary change that I will share next time….