It looks like my New Year's resolution has already been broken!
We had a bought of illnesses and by the time the first one ran through the family, the next one was on the door step!
I have been working on my class...but not as much as i should be! I booked my mid term and the final yesterday.
I took a bit of hiatus from the built ins to give it a chance to stew in my head so i could formulate a plan of attack. When that wasn't working too well, I just jumped in...my arms were flailing for a bit but then I figured it out (note: i only had to take it apart and reassemble 3 times!) I am just about to finish up the second side. Once i am done, i promise i will post some pictures.
I have also been doing a lot of pinning. Yes, i went there - Pinterest! (you can follow me: jenmccambridge) It has helped me come up with a million and one things to DIY! So i will have a few more projects coming down the pipe! Here is a teaser list:
- my dinning room chairs: they are being reupholstered!
- curtains: I *think* i have finally found some fabric for the family room...
- storage bins for the boys' toys: I am going to attempt to sew up some canvas bins a la pottery barn
- storage cubes: also for the toys...yes they have a lot of toys and i feel like they are very disorganized!!
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
Monday, January 9, 2012
I *heart* Kijiji!!
The office. Also known as: the computer room, the study, the library, the abyss and the catch all.
Like a delinquent child, this is not what i want for this room. Here, let me paint the picture of my vision....
Open the modern 5 pane french doors, into a boldly coloured room. To the left there is a funky, retro looking arm chair in a daring print next to a dark wood sideboard. To the right, an L-shaped glass top desk, with an amazingly clean and clutter free desk top. Beautiful and functional built-ins flank the window on the back wall with some drawers for files and cupboards to hide the crap...errr i mean...to hold the printer and neatly stacked piles of paper sorted by type...ok you get the picture.
I want the office to be bold, colourful, and organized (or least have the appearance of such).
First thing I wanted was to tackle the built-ins. Inspiration hit me the other day watching Sarah's house...instead of hiring a cabinet maker to make my built ins, i will go to Ikea and use their kitchen cupboards!! Well that was a short lived dream...my vision was going to cost over $2000. Don't get me wrong, I see the value in paying a carpenter to craft some custom shelves built but i am not going to pay Ikea that amount for kitchen cupboards...clearly i needed to think this through a little better. I can't put built-ins on carpet now can i??
Yes, this is the only place on the main level of our house where there is carpet. We did it because it was too expensive an upgrade with the builder and because we thought we were going to hate the flooring we did choose and rip it out even before we moved in. But alas, the standard hardwood flooring was not that bad and we decided to let the boys destroy it before we replaced it with a maple floor. So that left the office in carpet. After a few weeks of scouring the flyers and calling around to a few places, by chance i was hunting on kijiji one day (i got a new iPhone 4S and it has been glued to my palm since discovering there is a kijiji app) i found someone selling leftover flooring from their reno and luckily it the exact amount we needed. YAY!! We negotiated with them, and got the 193 sq ft of flooring for $325. Its a gorgeous floor - 5.5" wide plank bamboo. My dad came over with his flooring nail gun and it was installed in only 2 days. Not bad for a rookie floor installer!
As i was carrying all the junk back into the room, i realized it was time to figure out the built-ins again. So i put my thinking cap on...that's when it hit me! We were going to mount the TV in the family room on the wall and so the cabinet that the TV had been sitting on was going to go the 2nd abyss in our house: the basement or get sold on kijiji so why not buy another one and build some kind of book shelf to go on top!!!
Only one problem, Ikea doesn't sell them any more. So once again i hop on the kijiji app and lo and behold there were 2 for sale (funnily enough they had both gone up for sale that day). Sweet. So i emailed both of them and waited a week and didn't get any response. BOO. I kept searching...and just yesterday, two more people put one up for sale - one being just down the street. My dad and i went last night and picked it up for $30!! Its in pretty rough shape but what does one expect for $30? I think with a little TLC no one will ever know.
Next on the agenda is to paint it white and replace the hardware. The current hardware is a lock that required a 3/4" hole in the door.
But with some googling, i found that you can use spray foam insulation and some poly-filla to fill the holes and no one should be the wiser.
Essentially, i am going to fill the holes with the foam, then use a serrated knife to cut off the excess, and then spackle it smooth. We'll see how it goes...
I am going to paint them white using a paint called Cabinet Coat, that i purchased at Benjamin Moore. I had used it previously on chair and it seemed to work really well covering up the wood grain and minimizing any brush strokes. Since these are mostly flat pieces, i am using a foam roller to make the job a little easier and quicker.
Next step is to figure out a bookshelf to go on top!
Like a delinquent child, this is not what i want for this room. Here, let me paint the picture of my vision....
Open the modern 5 pane french doors, into a boldly coloured room. To the left there is a funky, retro looking arm chair in a daring print next to a dark wood sideboard. To the right, an L-shaped glass top desk, with an amazingly clean and clutter free desk top. Beautiful and functional built-ins flank the window on the back wall with some drawers for files and cupboards to hide the crap...errr i mean...to hold the printer and neatly stacked piles of paper sorted by type...ok you get the picture.
I want the office to be bold, colourful, and organized (or least have the appearance of such).
First thing I wanted was to tackle the built-ins. Inspiration hit me the other day watching Sarah's house...instead of hiring a cabinet maker to make my built ins, i will go to Ikea and use their kitchen cupboards!! Well that was a short lived dream...my vision was going to cost over $2000. Don't get me wrong, I see the value in paying a carpenter to craft some custom shelves built but i am not going to pay Ikea that amount for kitchen cupboards...clearly i needed to think this through a little better. I can't put built-ins on carpet now can i??
Yes, this is the only place on the main level of our house where there is carpet. We did it because it was too expensive an upgrade with the builder and because we thought we were going to hate the flooring we did choose and rip it out even before we moved in. But alas, the standard hardwood flooring was not that bad and we decided to let the boys destroy it before we replaced it with a maple floor. So that left the office in carpet. After a few weeks of scouring the flyers and calling around to a few places, by chance i was hunting on kijiji one day (i got a new iPhone 4S and it has been glued to my palm since discovering there is a kijiji app) i found someone selling leftover flooring from their reno and luckily it the exact amount we needed. YAY!! We negotiated with them, and got the 193 sq ft of flooring for $325. Its a gorgeous floor - 5.5" wide plank bamboo. My dad came over with his flooring nail gun and it was installed in only 2 days. Not bad for a rookie floor installer!
As i was carrying all the junk back into the room, i realized it was time to figure out the built-ins again. So i put my thinking cap on...that's when it hit me! We were going to mount the TV in the family room on the wall and so the cabinet that the TV had been sitting on was going to go the 2nd abyss in our house: the basement or get sold on kijiji so why not buy another one and build some kind of book shelf to go on top!!!
Next on the agenda is to paint it white and replace the hardware. The current hardware is a lock that required a 3/4" hole in the door.
Essentially, i am going to fill the holes with the foam, then use a serrated knife to cut off the excess, and then spackle it smooth. We'll see how it goes...
Next step is to figure out a bookshelf to go on top!
A work in progress
Happy New Year! As with every new year, there are new resolutions. Can you guess what mine is? Yep. That's right. To be a better blogger. The only thing I will guarantee is that i will try harder to make it happen....
Its not that I haven't been doing any DIY stuff, its just that i have been a little A.D.D. about it and have done bits and pieces here and there and not completed any one room. I guess this is how its done so you don't go broke doing it. Who knew?
All that to say: with my vow to be a better blogger, I will do progress reports on the projects i am undertaking instead of waiting until its all complete.
Anyway, i will tell you today about the bits and pieces i have done for the office, tomorrow about L's room and the next day about the one wall i have painted in the family room and the agony of picking paint colours.
Its not that I haven't been doing any DIY stuff, its just that i have been a little A.D.D. about it and have done bits and pieces here and there and not completed any one room. I guess this is how its done so you don't go broke doing it. Who knew?
All that to say: with my vow to be a better blogger, I will do progress reports on the projects i am undertaking instead of waiting until its all complete.
Anyway, i will tell you today about the bits and pieces i have done for the office, tomorrow about L's room and the next day about the one wall i have painted in the family room and the agony of picking paint colours.
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
I can't find my glue gun!!!!
How is anyone supposed to work under these conditions?!?!
I am writing this post as i wait for the glue to dry on my Christmas wreath for our front door. I have three glue guns in a box somewhere and I can't find any of them...so i had to use the dreaded white glue!
I am taking this time to reflect on how i want my new crafting/sewing/upholstering room to designed:
I am going to need alot of shelving and labeled containers so i can find something (like my glue guns) quickly and easily...
I am envisioning my fabric hung on hangers on a clothing rack system similar to a dress shop. I haven't decided whether i will organize it by type or by colour...
I want a bulletin board type wall thing so i can display my ideas, size charts and notes...
I am going to get a filing cabinet and go through all of my patterns. I will put the pieces in a manilla envelope with the pattern number clearly written on it and then put the actual envelope or picture of the garment in a plastic sleeve in a binder with the number so i don't have to lug out ten boxes trying to find what i am looking for...AND i want to get a book shelf for all my books...
I would love to have my own laptop or computer so i can set up my pattern making software and printer. (and an update to this - i got a silhouette cameo for Christmas!!) So i guess that means i will need a computer station...
I want to get a really hot iron with lots of steam and i will need a new ironing board for that.
I want lots of light so i can see when i am working on my projects...
I would love a large work surface so i can roll out a bolt of fabric in one shot and can easily cut out the pieces to whatever it I am making....
I want a spot for my industrial machine, my serger and maybe a new baby - some type of embroidery machine where i can design patterns on my laptop and send them to the machine to be embroidered...
Stating the obvious, i am also going to need some drywall and flooring (preferably laminate or vinyl)...
At this rate, my hubby's man cave is getting smaller by the second!
Ok now back to reality...i am going to have to set up something make-shift until we can finish the basement which will be sometime next year because i have a ton of sewing to do!
---
With everything going on, I forgot to post this before Xmas...here is an update on my wreath:
It took 72 hours for the white glue to dry. It was the longest 3 days ever...L kept trying to play with the "pretty Christmas tree" and I had to do my best not to do the same, but i think in the end it was worth it!
Voila: my wreath
I am writing this post as i wait for the glue to dry on my Christmas wreath for our front door. I have three glue guns in a box somewhere and I can't find any of them...so i had to use the dreaded white glue!
I am taking this time to reflect on how i want my new crafting/sewing/upholstering room to designed:
I am going to need alot of shelving and labeled containers so i can find something (like my glue guns) quickly and easily...
I am envisioning my fabric hung on hangers on a clothing rack system similar to a dress shop. I haven't decided whether i will organize it by type or by colour...
I want a bulletin board type wall thing so i can display my ideas, size charts and notes...
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| kdvdesign.blogspot.com |
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| tartecitron.blogspot.com |
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| craftaholicsanonymous.net |
I want to get a really hot iron with lots of steam and i will need a new ironing board for that.
 |
| From HGTV |
I want lots of light so i can see when i am working on my projects...
I would love a large work surface so i can roll out a bolt of fabric in one shot and can easily cut out the pieces to whatever it I am making....
I want a spot for my industrial machine, my serger and maybe a new baby - some type of embroidery machine where i can design patterns on my laptop and send them to the machine to be embroidered...
Stating the obvious, i am also going to need some drywall and flooring (preferably laminate or vinyl)...
At this rate, my hubby's man cave is getting smaller by the second!
Ok now back to reality...i am going to have to set up something make-shift until we can finish the basement which will be sometime next year because i have a ton of sewing to do!
---
With everything going on, I forgot to post this before Xmas...here is an update on my wreath:
It took 72 hours for the white glue to dry. It was the longest 3 days ever...L kept trying to play with the "pretty Christmas tree" and I had to do my best not to do the same, but i think in the end it was worth it!
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