The War of the Wallpaper continues and at the suggestion of many readers, I'm giving fabric softener a try. If this doesn't work, I'm heading over to either Lowes or The Home Depot tomorrow to purchase a wallpaper steamer. I will not surrender...victory will be mine! Hear that, wallpaper!!! See that baseball wallpaper behind the fabric softener. That's in my son's bathroom and it's adorable paper...but I … [Read more...]
Installing Hard Wood Floors: Final
January 28, 2011 by 19 Comments
With the sanding complete... It was time to evaluate the stain. The wood I always have installed is white oak (not red oak) so I can get a nice amber or yellow sunshine color. Last time a mix of equal parts Natural and Puritan Pine stain worked well to get the color I like. (These are Minwax colors, I believe.) This is the view standing in the hallway looking into the room. The Natural and PP combo is … [Read more...]
Installing Hard Wood Floors: Part 3
January 28, 2011 by 6 Comments
Floor is in... Closet is done, too. Sanding has begun. If you missed them, you can view Part 1, HERE and Part 2, HERE. Several folks have emailed and asked what company I am using for my flooring. I love A.L. Thomas out of Buford, GA. (678-546-6970) They have installed/finished flooring in my home before and always do a wonderful job. Plus, they have been in business 65 years! Wow! … [Read more...]
Installing Hard Wood Floors: Part 2
January 28, 2011 by 11 Comments
Things are moving quickly. If you missed Part 1, you can see it HERE. … [Read more...]
Installing Hardwood Floors: Part 1
January 28, 2011 by 9 Comments
Come along for the journey. Here's the room this morning. This was my son's baseball-themed bedroom and I removed all the furniture recently to create a home office since he's all grown up and has flown the nest. Bye-bye old carpet... Wish blogs had sound and smell-a-vision. Imagine the sound of saws, air compressors and the smell of fresh wood. Sounds and smells like … [Read more...]
Wallpaper H-E Double Hockey Sticks
January 28, 2011 by 43 Comments
When you die, if you've been bad...instead of going to heaven, I believe they send you to a room covered in wallpaper where the walls were never primed or sized. Then, you spend an eternity removing wallpaper, one micro-shred at the time...because an eternity is exactly how long it's going to take. :( When the first product I bought didn't work AT. ALL., I returned to the big warehouse store and armed … [Read more...]
Valentine’s Day Breakfast
January 27, 2011 by 68 Comments
Welcome to the 127th Tablescape Thursday! A few months ago, I came across flavored chocolate "coffee spoons" at Marshalls. The flavors are: Hazelnut, Mocha, Mint, Irish Cream, French Vanilla and Amaretto. On a trip to Trader Joes I decided to try their gingerbread. Do these not sound like the perfect winter "comfort" foods? They also sound like the perfect ingredients for a Valentine's Day … [Read more...]
Pottery Barn Bedford Home Office Renovation
January 24, 2011 by 82 Comments
Welcome to the 105th Metamorphosis Monday! I hope your weekend has been fun and relaxing! I've made a bit of headway in the "bedroom to home office" project I've been working on. Last Met Monday, I left you with my son's old bedroom looking like this (see photo below.) I had worked about 6-7 hours straight taking apart his whole bedroom...you can see the "Before" in THIS post. Stop by that "Before" post … [Read more...]
Growing Orchids
January 21, 2011 by 42 Comments
My sweet son sent me this beautiful orchid for my birthday last week. The enclosed card said he thought I would enjoy having it near my computer during the day while I work. He knows me well. I've never had much luck keeping orchids alive. All you fabulous orchid growers out there...anything special I should know? I'm a little worried about it being inside a container that doesn't have a drainage … [Read more...]
Buying China at Auction
January 20, 2011 by 44 Comments
Welcome to the 126th Tablescape Thursday! Thanks so much for all your help yesterday with attempting to identify the large bird who stopped by my backyard for a visit. Most folks thought he might be a Red-tailed Hawk, others thought he could be a Red-shouldered Hawk and another reader suggested he might be an immature Bald Eagle. I was surprised to see some of the images online for the immature … [Read more...]
