Entryway Command Center: Part 1 - Painting

Even though I'm not in school anymore, when I see all the kids heading back to class I feel the pressure to prepare.  I of course never liked going back to school, but I DID enjoy getting new school supplies.  Clean slate, fresh binders, ready to take on whatever challenge a teacher could dish.  So in that spirit, I thought it would be a great time to ramp up our "command center" - as they've come to be called.  A place to house everything you need - mail, keys, records, shoes...   Here's what we're starting with:

This area is technically a back-door entryway (the door on the right), but we seem to favor this door before leaving & when we come home.  I scored this library card catalog years ago, in the dumpster of a school, and it's been the handiest thing on the face of the earth! Plus it's easy to paint, so I think it's on paint job #3 (about to be 4, when we're done!).

Needless to say, this area was lacking. Boring. Ralph and I brainstormed over a glass of wine, and decided it needed to be a bold wall - since it's in a weird spot. A go to point. 

First step? Paint.

If you were standing in our home, in this area, the door on the left goes to the bathroom. I'm not crazy about that, but I also can't change it...so whatevs.  The door to the left of the fridge is the backdoor, and will someday be the type of door with a window in it.  The refrigerator is sadly in this area, but it's temporary. As it waits for a home in the actual kitchen, which is directly to the right.  We put in that light fixture, since it used to be one of those boob-lights, here's a close up:

Home Depot! Not bad, huh? I love the light it gives off.  Now, bloggers of the world will shun me for taking pictures in the evening, but I can't control the sun, and this was an after-work project. Which, if you find yourself with the energy to paint - never pass the opportunity up. Because you never know when you'll get that back!  Guess what color we went with...

Navy Blue!  (Benjamin Moore, Paint & Primer in one, "Old Navy" 2063-10 to be exact)Yea, frightening at first.  A dark house, a dark area, and we went with Navy Blue.  But in the end, I love it! It's only one wall, and we plan to put the library card catalog back, painted a bright white, with a big mirror & white frame.  So 80% of the blue will be covered.

Done. This was a quick paint job, and really satisfying.  By the way, we never use tape anymore (gasp!). We just use this Shur-Line paint edger that you can get at Home Depot, or on Amazon.  Once you get the hang of it you'll adore it. A couple daytime shots:

Light is a challenge in the mountains - a challenge I'm up for tackling.  Once this door has a giant window, light will pour in. And outside this door is a covered patio, begging for a skylight or two - bringing in even more - Just you wait...

 Let's take a step back into the kitchen...

 And a little farther back... you can see how this navy blue compliments the kitchen pretty well.

Part 1 done! My favorite part of a to-do list is crossing things off...no joke. Sometimes I add really remedial tasks that I'm going to do anyway just so I can cross them off.. (kinda crazy...)

1. Paint the command center wall Navy Blue
2. Paint the card catalog white...
3. Find & Paint a mirror
4. Bring in the accent colors & pieces  (gold? light blue?)
5. Trim the edges in something special. (Jute?)

Do you all have a command center? I've also heard them called "Take off & Landing Strips" which I think is really cute.  With the amount of drawers on our card catalog, it's the perfect spot to store everything we need to prepare ourselves for the day, or act as a catch-all place to dump out our pockets before settling in.

What do you think of the Navy Blue, too much?  Time will tell.  Up next I'll show you the card catalog paint job.... it's coming out great!  Also, update: we decided to trim the walls in something different.

-Jesse

Psst - If you are wondering about that spice rack, it's an oldy but a goody - see the post here. 

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How To: Hang Perfect Pictures

Earlier in the month I showed you my gigantic Marilyn Monroe string art piece that sits above my desk. Some of you wrote me and asked how I was able to hang each piece without nailing 65 different holes in the walls to get it right, and I'm here to share it! It was the first time I tried this technique, and it was definitely the easiest picture hanging experience I've ever had.    Ever.

I originally came across this awesome tutorial on Celebrate Everyday, who saw it on Pinterest - I'm sure you all have too. So it's been circulating for a while, I shared it with you all (because it's genius!) a while back, and finally got to put it to the test.  I needed to hang the 12 tablets that make up Marilyn, which was really intimidating as they needed to line up.  Here's a lovely photo run through:

1. Hammer a small nail halfway through the end of a ruler (anywhere near the end).
2. Make sure it sits half in, half out.
3. Use the nail to hold your picture, and float it to the wall.
4. Line the picture exactly where you want it, and use your free hand to hold the ruler against the wall.
5. Remove the photo (while keeping the ruler in place) and push the nail into the wall with your thumb, to make a mark.
6. Remove the ruler & don't lose that mark. Circle it in pencil if you need to.
7. Hammer a new nail into the mark you made, and put the photo back up. It should hang exactly where you had it before. 
8. Repeat!

That's it! It really was easy! What I thought would take me hours to do, took about 45 minutes. for 12 tablets. I felt so proud that I didn't have to repeat any, why haven't I tried this before? I rewarded my productivity by not doing anything for the rest of the day. I mean it looked like I did a lot, right? Heh... right.  This would be perfect for arranging a gallery wall, especially if you don't have all the pieces collected for your gallery yet.  Easy to add onto.

So that's that. We're done.  For this post I tried to go more, condensed, Pinterest friendly tutorial style - but if you're the type that likes more details, they are all included - photo by photo - after the break. 

Have a wonderful Labor Day weekend everyone!

-Jesse

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Curb Appeal: Part 2

Oops! I forgot to update you all when we finished chopping those ginormous bushes down in front.  So, remember in this post when we first tackled the beasts? Well we were only halfway done, and we finally finished! These things, were enormous.  We bought a chainsaw (yeeeea buddy!! Here's the one we got, it was great) and decided the easiest way to tackle them, was to chop 'em in half and clean up the damage. Check the progress out:

 Here's a wide view, it's so weird to be able to look out the windows and see more than just bushes! It's soooo barren now though! Don't worry - the bushes are still alive, they just got a much needed trim:

So the only drawback is our privacy level dropped, but since we're up high, we still have a lot of privacy inside the house. I just love that you can SEE the house now.  That water utility box... major eyesore. I'm not sure what we are allowed to do with it, so I'm just going to plant a big bush in front. I can't wait to fill up the hill with fun (deer-resistant!) flowering shrubs. 

And through the magic of the internet (Or, because we trimmed in June & I forgot to post) you can see the bushes have returned and the hill is filling up a little bit:

 The bushes are coming back but it's still kinda barren in front. This will be a big project! To keep things pretty, here's what I've got goin so far that the deer haven't eaten:

1. Lantana

2. Begonia (up high, otherwise I think they'd mow it down!)

3. Mexican Sage.

Everything else they eat, or try to eat.  I know, I know, clean that roof! Right? Well, I tried. I got up there, cleaned most of it, then got to the front and realized I was really... really...high up there. Scary! So until we get a mega ladder that will reach up there, let's hope the wind handles it.

What's your take? Is this too out in the open? Do you like homes that are cozy & private or standing proud in sight? 

Let's make it a great week!

-Jesse

Related Posts:

• I can see my house from here: Trimming the bushes Part 1
• Curb Appeal: Painting things White
• Building a Pergola

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Winner Announced!

Good Morning! A week ago I announced that Pfister was going to giveaway a faucet to one of my readers.  Welp - the time has come...  drum-roll please...

Sarah G.!

Congratulations Sarah!! I'll be notifying you by email, so keep an eye on your inbox.  Thank you so much to everyone who entered, and a HUGE thank you to Pfister for offering such a great giveaway.  Seriously, Sarah you're gonna love your new faucet - mine's incredible.

Have a wild weekend everybody!  Come by on Monday when I show you how drastically different our house looks without those 20 foot bushes in front... so open...

-Jesse

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How-To: Black and White Brushstroke Art

After we had whitewashed the fireplace, and painted the living room, it was time to add some visual interest to the fireplace wall.  I thought about doing fabric wall scrolls with a nice modern print, but worried it might be too busy. Perfect timing: I had seen this awesome black & white brushstroke art over at the Hunted Interior, and knew this was the project I was searching for:

Source

Aren't those lovely.. I'm a mega fan of abstract, and the black & white contrast is really clean & modern.  

Since we wanted to incorporate more modern elements into the house, I showed these to Ralph & he was totally on board.  Luckily, we had everything on hand (I always keep canvas around!) & were able to start. This project is so easy, and so fun!

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