The three things that are getting me through January

Hi Friends!

Since I like to keep it real here on this tiny slice of blogland, I will tell you I am doing so much better than I did this time last year.  I haven't made it a secret, I don't think, that I struggle with depression, and winter tends to kick my butt. This year, I am doing way better and I am attributing my well-being to three things. These aren't a prescription for anyone else.  They are simply what has worked for me.



1. I started hitting the treadmill in November. Hard. 

Running is not for everyone. But for me, it is a release. I swear I can FEEL the endorphins release. I run. I sweat. I crank up my music. I feel better. I have found myself unable to feel depressed, and run at the same time. Just my experience. But I am swearing by the preventive maintenance that starting back up on a running routine has given me this winter.  And I'm down a few pounds. That's always a pick-me-up!

2. Aveda Tea. 

It's ridiculously expensive. My sweet mother-in-law gives me a box every Christmas and I LOVE IT. It's hot. It doesn't need any sugar or sweeteners. It just makes me feel good. So if I go through the whole box this month, so be it.

3. I learned to knit.  

Again, my mother-in-law gets partial credit for this. She's made all of our Christmas stockings by crocheting and I asked her if she knew how to knit.  She said, "sort of - but you should take a class."  

So I called up my local knitting shop (called Knitwits - adorable) and did just that. 

I took a few friends with me and we had a great time!

 Loads of beautiful, snuggly, yarn, in a gorgeous rainbow of colors.  How could you not want to make something?!

I loved the two ladies who own the shop. They were sweet as can be.

In just a couple of days I completed my first project, that my 5 year-old wanted to wear. 

Smile. 

So, I run. And drink my tea. And knit.
And there's something in all of that, that is just... good.

January isn't so bad after all. 
:-)

XO,
Anne

DIY Holiday card display from a cabinet door

Hi friends!

It's about that time...we are getting ready for Halloween right now, but before you know it, it will be the holidays and with them will bring all the yearly greetings my family looks forward to so much!

We love seeing all the smiling faces in our mailbox every day.
But I have always struggled with a way to put some of those beautiful cards on display.

This year, I have made something I love, and I'm going to share it with you :-)

It involves supplies from three of my favorite places to shop - the Habitat for Humanity ReStore (or whatever similar place exists near you), the dollar spot at the craft store, and the home improvement store!

The ReStore near me was selling these cabinet doors for $1.00

I should have bought them all!
If you decide you want to make this project, I'd just call ahead to the place you're planning on going. Often times cabinet doors like these are in supply, but typically stock changes, so I'd call first. (That's another reason to start now, in case it takes a few weeks to find the right door.)

Then I hit the dollar section at the Michaels. They had a variety of pretty wood holiday themed words, again, for a $1.00! 

At the home improvement store (or possibly the dollar store depending on what they carry near you) you'll want to pick up clothespins,  twine, wood or craft glue, some screw-in eyes, and a hanger to attach to the back of the cabinet.  Other supplies/tools I used included a pair of pliers and my Ryobi drill, to create a pilot hole for the eyes we'll screw into the front.

Think about your home and your holiday decor and you can make this look coordinate - paint it, distress it, Mod Podge some pretty paper on the inside panel.  The sky is the limit.
I sanded my edges a little bit, and left it alone.

I cleaned my door with some plain white vinegar - a good natural degreaser.

I grabbed some of our old Christmas cards, that are 5x7 - that seems to be the largest size we typically receive. The cabinet door I bought is roughly 17" wide by 23" long.  I laid out the cards the way I liked (don't stress over this - it's a holiday card display, not going in the Smithsonian. :-) and marked the spots where I wanted the eyes to go with a pencil.

The top two were about 5" from the top of the cabinet.

Drill your pilot holes (they should be slightly smaller than the actual eye you'll screw into them) and using the pliers, twist the eyes into place. You'll want to leave room above the place where the eyes are placed, because the tops of the clothespins will stick out above that.

Mark the next spot where you want the lower row of cards to hang. Drill your pilot holes and screw in the eyes again.

Smile - this is SO easy!

Get your twine. Tie a double knot around the eye. Thread the twine through the other eye and pull it as tight as you can. Double knot. Trim.

Repeat with the next set of eyes.

I grabbed my wood holiday word from the craft store,

and used some wood glue to add it on the top.

Add some hanging hardware to the back and find a special spot in your home for this.

I can't wait to start getting those holiday smiles in the mail because now I have a smile-worthy (and ridiculously inexpensive) place to show them off.

I'd love to see if you make a display door for your family.

Happy early holidays!!

Anne

A Beautiful New Bath

It took 6 weeks, a couple hundred man or woman hours of labor, and about $2,000 in materials to get this job done.  And I am SO proud to finally be able to show you this!! Step right in!
(Here is the complete background on this room. In short, a family friend's house caught fire last year. Insurance paid for everything except her only bathroom, which dated to the prehistoric era. She desperately needed a complete gut job and reno, so my Dad, his good friend, and I set out to give it to her, pro bono.)

 The light, you might recall, came from National Builder Supply. It is a Seagull Lighting fixture from their Sussex line and Dad chose to hang it with the bulbs facing up.  The light gets bounced around on the ceiling and diffused nicely in the space. Bathrooms must have enough light! This fixture is like the crown in this room.

 The vanity came from Lowe's and included the granite countertop.

 The faucets are Moen, the Caldwell line.

 We really wanted to be able to get rid of a storage tower over the toilet.  Really.

It was taking up way too much space in this tiny bath.  Here was the inspiration photo we worked from.

Traditional Bathroom by Mercer Island Architects & Designers knowles ps

And here's the design I sketched out once we found out that we wouldn't be able to do one wide set of shelves because there is a pipe that runs vertically right behind the toilet.  

The thick white arrow represents where the pipe runs.

I had to either abandon the built-in idea, which I did not want to do, or work around it.  So I worked around it. I'm very pleased with how this turned out!  It adds architecture and storage and I think makes the room feel much more well thought-out.

We went with a mirrored medicine cabinet with storage behind it, to maximize the amount of storage Ms. H gets overall.  This is a small bathroom, and the only one in her house.  Storage is important!

Moving on... The shower curtain, I will confess, I chose myself and surprised Ms. H.  When I saw it on the JCPenney website, I knew it would be perfect for this space. It lends a great pattern and color to the room and the brown in it ties in with the oil rubbed bronze fixtures beautifully. A HUGE thank you to JCPenney for supplying this curtain to Ms. H.  It totally makes the room, if you ask me!  I'm impressed with the newer offerings in JCPenney's home department.  This ain't your grandma's JCP!

Dad also added a privacy film to the window - you can get them at the home improvement store.  It was a necessity as this bathroom is on the first floor. 

When we began, Ms. H needed a space that was brought into the current decade.  But it also needed to withstand the test of time.  We wanted this room to look current and lovely 30 years from now, and if all goes as planned, this space should last at least that long!  It was built to last!

That guided our design choices - white subway tile, beadboard wainscoting, neutral floors and counter.  Timeless and versatile, clean and classic.  

Last, I wanted to give you my best accounting of time and money that was spent on this room. 

Labor was free for this project - but please remember if you are hiring someone to do this kind of job for you, that labor costs are at least half the total budget.  This is hard work and if you want it done right, expect to pay someone for their time.  We had the ability to volunteer our time for this project, and we wanted to… even then, the cost for materials was about $2000.

That includes everything - new subfloor and waterproof backer board around the shower. Tile, mortar, grout, and sealer for the floor and shower walls. Beadboard sheets, chair rail, baseboard, lumber for the built-ins, and trim around them. Mirrored medicine cabinet. Vanity, countertop, shower and tub fixtures, and some new copper pipe, as well as some plumbing supplies to install the vanity faucet. Primer, ceiling paint, and trim paint. Safety handles for the shower. Caulk and spackle. Privacy film for the window. Shower curtain rod and towel bars.

The light fixture and shower curtain were generously donated, as was the incredible RIDGID tile saw from the great folks at The Home Depot, which all would have increased our costs.  Not that you have to buy a tile saw to do a project like this - you can certainly rent one, but that too has a cost.

As for time, my Dad was at Ms. H's house 5 days a week, almost without exception.  I was there an average of 3-4 days as was Keith.  I worked about 5 hours per day when I was there.  Dad and Keith probably worked closer to 7 hours per day.  And from demo to completion, it took us the better part of 6 weeks to complete this project.  We did everything ourselves - demo, plumbing, electrical, carpentry, tiling, and painting. 

I won't lie.  It was a TON of work. 

 

 That said, I think there is enormous value in choosing to do this kind of work...
 

 
 learning new skills...

 

 

 becoming more self-sufficient... 

 and going beyond your comfort zone when it comes to getting your hands dirty and getting to know how a home functions, from the inside out.

 I encourage you to educate yourself...

 do your homework..

 look around at the other phenomenal projects that people are taking on... 

 roll up your sleeves...

 and take a risk.

 

Try something new. 

Learn. 

 Work.

 Ask for help.

And reach out and give help to someone if you see that they need it.

 (that's my cute mom, with Ms. H.  Decades-long friends.)

 I especially encourage you to find those around you who know how to do things that you do not.  If you are fortunate enough to find them, take full advantage of it.  People like my Dad and our friend Keith, pictured in many of the photos above, are wealths of information - and kindness.  They are do-ers.  Take a page from their playbook.  Use your own two hands, your intelligence, and the unprecedented amount of information that exists in the world, and do something good.  
This has been such a valuable experience for me personally.  Spending this time with my Dad is an experience for which I'll always be grateful. 
It's my hope that this room will give Ms. H much joy in the years to come. It has given us much joy to see it through to completion.

Thank you so much for coming along with me on this journey.  I would absolutely love to hear your thoughts.  I'd love to read about your projects.  Why? Simple.  Because Home Should Be GREAT.

XO,
Anne