We have the stripes

That title almost makes it sound like we caught a case of something bad, but actually this is a good thing- a really good thing.  Slowly but surely we are making more progress in our little boy's nursery, and this is something I am particularly excited about.  

This past weekend, in lieu of our regular date-night-out, we picked up our favorite YNot pizza and had a stripe painting "date" at home.  We decided to paint some horizontal stripes on the crib wall, as an accent.  Instead of choosing on just one color for the stripes, we decided on three colors for a little different look.  Picking the colors was one of the most challenging parts, because we still wanted them to somewhat coordinate with the others.  

In our original rendering of the accent wall, Drew made sure that I wasn't planning on using purple in our son's room.  I assured him I was not, and that was the only crayon color choice that I could find at the time.

We changed the stripe placement after measuring everything out on the wall.  The final colors we went with were all satin finish from Benjamin Moore: Vermont Slate, Blue Stream, and Water's Edge.  Since we were only doing stripes on one wall, I was able to just buy the sample size paints.

I put Drew Babe in charge of the measuring and leveling of the stripes, because I know he is much more of a perfectionist than I am.  I do like things to look perfect, but some things I don't bother to take the time.  Thankfully I married someone who will do everything possible to make sure something is straight/level/etc.

 

The Frog Tape held up to its standards and prevented any bleeding, even on our textured wall.

The two colors here are the dark Vermont Slate and the Water's Edge.

After each stripe was complete, we got more and more excited to see the finished product.  The top and bottom stripes had us laughing hysterically while we were painting them.  They seemed to be the same exact color as the rest of the walls, when it was supposed to be a shade darker.  Thankfully after it dried, it was in fact darker than the rest of the walls.

Here is where the room started:

And here it is today:

I think we have officially finished all of the painting portion of the nursery.  There is still much to do, but we are making progress.

• re-paint all trim
• paint the stripes
• paint bedroom door and closet doors
• install new outlets and covers
• put together the furniture
• install blinds
• install curtain rods and hang curtains
• add some artwork to the walls
• re-do entire closet
• decorate and organize (the fun part!)

Progress in the nursery

Finally!!  We have finally started in Baby Jaxson's room!  Mimi and Pops (my parents) graciously offered part of their Saturday to help paint the main color in the nursery.  With four of us working in the room and the walls only requiring one coat, we were finished in less than two hours.  That is my kind of house project!  I just wish everything was that easy.

Here are some "before" shots of the nursery with the blah tan walls.  We only taped the windows, because we are planning to repaint all of the white trim.

 And here are some "during" shots with all the wonderful painters.

And finally the "after."  We went with a satin finish Benjamin Moore color called Blue Haze.  I love how it looks with the white trim and dark floors.

You can see where we are testing out some other blue colors.  We are going to eventually add stripes on this wall.

It has been a huge relief to have the main color finished, but there is still much to do.

• re-paint all trim
• paint the stripes
• paint bedroom door and closet doors
• install new outlet covers
• put together the furniture
• install curtain rods and hang curtains
• add some artwork to the walls

Hello again

Wow.  It's been a long time.  Nearly a year since the last post.  Well, much has happened at the Martin House in the past several months.  Don't worry, I won't  bombard you with all the details at once, but just thought I'd share a little kitchen update we recently finished.

Our kitchen has been a long process.  We have gradually added updates as time and funds allowed.  It is almost how we would like it, but it seems like new ideas pop up all the time.  And when are you ever really "finished" with a project when you own a house.

This last project included painting the walls (finally!!!!) and installing new cabinets.

Also, since I last posted our kitchen pictures, we have added brand new stainless steel appliances.  We found a great deal and are in love!

We decided to add cabinets above our peninsula for more storage.  I have always wanted to have some glass front cabinets in my kitchen and my wonderful Drew Babe decided it would be a good idea with this project.  He routed out the panel in the center of the cabinet doors, so there would be a place for the glass to rest.  A glass shop cut and installed the glass.  While seeded glass was my first choice, we just couldn't justify spending the $60/sqft, as opposed to the $6/sqft for the clear glass.

I am loving the glass front cabinets to display my white dishes.

I have been dying to repaint the kitchen for a long while.  We went with a Sherwin Williams color called Ancient Marble in a satin finish.  It is a grayish-sage-green color.  Drew says it looks a lot more "mature."  I guess we are growing up ;)

Drew Babe also beautifully installed a beaded board backsplash under the cabinets.  I swear he can really do anything.  All of the crazy ideas I come up with for house projects, he can always figure them out and complete them.  Poor guy, his honey-do-list is really never-ending.

Now for a little "before" and "after."

Before:

After:

Before:

After:

Like I said there are still a couple things we would like to do in the kitchen, such as install new lights (maybe recessed lighting Drew Babe?;), paint the kitchen table, or possibly install a new built-in breakfast nook bench/table, and add some wall art.  As of right now we are definitely enjoying our newest update.

Next big project at the Martin House: the nursery!

Brass to Bronze

Instead of spending more $$ and buying a brand new light fixture for the kitchen, we just decided to somehow update our old brass chandelier.  Not even two weeks after our wedding, I had already begun a little revamp on the light fixture by taking off the glass globes for a more modern look.
Through perusing one of my favorite blogs, Young House Love, I came across one of their chandelier makeovers with spray paint (they painted a chandelier here and here).  Now, why in the world did I not think of that quick, inexpensive, and simple idea?!

We purchased a can of our new favorite oil-rubbed bronze spray paint, and began the transformation (we also used this spray paint on our cabinet hardware).  Before going at it, Drew Babe made sure to tape off the places where you screw in the lightbulbs (knowing me, I probably would have never thought of that important little detail, but that's why I married Drew:).

Unfortunately we don't have a starting picture to show the brass and the glass globes, but this is after the first coat of the spray paint.

Here is the finished product after 3 coats of oil rubbed bronze spray paint.  Of course, we let it dry in between coats, and then Drew Babe carefully reinstalled it in the kitchen.

Originally this chandelier had the usual candle-tip lightbulbs.  For the final makeover step on our light fixture, we used small round lightbulbs for a slightly different look.

Well, there it is.  Our updated, from brass to bronze, chandelier.  Ever since our cabinet hardware project, and now this project, I am constantly looking around the house to see what else I can update with spray paint.  Have you ever used spray paint for a house project?  Sometimes I just want a quick and easy fix, and that's exactly what spray paint can do.

Progress in the Kitchen

Even before our wedding, Drew Babe started working on the kitchen.  Originally, the kitchen had faux wood laminate counters,  like in the picture here.  Actually, I shouldn't even say "faux" because that makes it sound chic, and this kitchen started out far from being chic.  I'm sure in the 1970's it looked quite nice, but we are going for a more 2011-ish kinda look.

So, our first step was to rip out the fake wood counters and install (with the help of Uncle Wayne) new laminate counters, just like these.  We also put in a new deeper black sink in place of the old shallow stainless one.  

Because we know the kitchen is everyone's favorite hang out spot, we wanted to make it was open as possible.  Originally, the counter up against the wall (now known as "the peninsula") used to be an island, sticking out into the middle of the kitchen and cutting it in half (unfortunately we forgot to take those before pics...I promise we really are working on that).  When we ripped up the island and turned it to be placed up against the wall, it was a perfect fit!  We did have someone extend the back to make it a few inches deeper, because we can always use more storage space.

To open the kitchen up even more, I asked Drew Babe if we could remove that decorative scroll-y wood piece above the window.  After he ripped that wood piece out, I immediately thought removing the wood shelves on either side of the window would make it look more modern (see why the Martin honey-do list is never ending...poor Drew).  We both loved the new open window!

Next came the daunting and tedious task of painting the cabinets.  We, actually Drew, began by removing all the doors and drawers, so we could more easily sand them down.  We sanded and wiped them clean, and then applied three coats of primer.  For the final coat of paint we went with Sherwin-Williams ProClassic trim and door paint, in a gloss Pure White color.  We had heard horror stories of people trying to cover their wood cabinets with white paint, but thankfully our cabinet project went smoothly, most likely because of Drew Babe's meticulousness and patience.

You might notice the hardware seems different as well.  I found the oil rubbed bronze knobs on Ebay for a little over $1 a piece.  Tons cheaper than the Lowe's or Home Depot price.

The hinges used to be an old brassy color.  Instead of spending well over $100 on new hinges, I suggested we try to paint them.  Drew was a little wary of this idea, because painting a metal contraption with lots of moving parts can be tricky.  We took our time and used our new favorite, (thanks to Young House Love) oil-rubbed bronze Rust-oleum spray paint, to paint all those little jaspers.  They turned out great and even after opening and shutting the cabinets countless times, the paint has stayed the same.

After we removed the scroll-y wood thing from above the window, it left a tiny fluorescent light for all the world to see.  Drew Babe used his electronic tech skills to install a new pendant light above the sink.  At night it gives off such a cozy, homey glow.

The first night of having the light installed, we both couldn't get over the beautiful glow coming from the light.  I bet we stood there for more than a couple minutes just staring at the light and pondering deep thoughts (well, maybe not that last part, but we definitely stared at it).

Drew Babe installed the white shelves above our "peninsula" as a surprise for me.

Still to do:

• New curtain above the sink.  I already have the fabric, so step one of that project is done!
• New floors.  Eventually we would like laminate wood floors throughout the kitchen, family room, and hall.
• New appliances.  The creamy stove really just throws off the crisp and clean look of the cabinets.  We are probably going to go with stainless and have already looked at some.  Still waiting for a great deal.
• I would also like to paint the wall and slightly different green color.  Less minty and more apple-y.  That may happen way down the road.

Bringing in the New Year

 with a bang bathroom!  Since it's the beginning of 2012, I thought I'd introduce you to the beginning of our Martin house projects.  Mind you, this is only the beginning of our continual transformation of the bachelor pad into our home.  Before we were pronounced Mr. and Mrs., and I moved in to the bachelor pad, Drew Babe began this first project of redesigning the Pepto-Bismol pink master bathroom.  Just the color of the wall (and ceiling....and door....and trim, everything was painted the thick, dull pink color), should give you a clear image of what the rest of the bathroom looked like.

Sorry for the lack of "before" pictures.  We will try to get better at that, but hopefully you can still get a glimpse of the very first Martin House project.

This is where the simple wood vanity once stood.  After being ripped out (I think Drew Babe enjoyed the demo part), the vanity was tossed to the street.  You can see the old dark green wallpaper and border, and the even older flowery wallpaper that was hidden behind the vanity. 

Drew Babe did an awesome job doing the majority of the bathroom work by himself (I'm so happy to be married to a handsome do-it-yourself-er :).  Thankfully we were able to get a new sparkly white toilet to replace this cream colored, mismatched-top throne.

Here is another shot of where the sink vanity once stood and you can see the two different kinds of linoleum on the floor.  Also notice the pink trim. There must have been a sale on Pepto-Bismol pink which made someone decided to drench the entire bathroom in this lovely color.

The floor was the first part of Drew Babe's bathroom overhaul.  To save money, we decided to go with the peel-n-stick vinyl tiles.  Personally, I think they still give the authentic tile look without the cost and installation effort of real tile.

I found this striped shower curtain at TJ Maxx (a Martin favorite), which inspired the master bathroom wall color, a light gray-blue color.  We went with a gloss paint for the wall which helps with preventing mildew and makes cleaning easy.

The hand towels were also found at TJ Maxx and match the shower curtain almost perfectly.

This vanity was found at Home Depot.  The white counter top, dark finish, and brushed nickel hardware gives the bathroom a modern and crisp look.  This was quite an upgrade from the old oak vanity with yellowy laminate counters.

While the vanity did come with a matching mirror (yay!), it did not come with any kind of backsplash (boo).  I believe it's a necessity to have a backsplash behind a bathroom sink to prevent having drips of toothpaste and soapy water all down the wall behind the vanity.  To solve this problem, my ingenious Drew Babe found a piece of marble door threshold at Lowe's (or maybe Home Depot...can't remember which) that would go with the counter top color, and then had it cut to fit perfectly around the sink as our backsplash.  Who would have thought that a threshold could double as a backsplash.

We continued the brushed nickel hardware for the towel racks as well.  Instead of spending hours tediously working to remove the hunter green wallpaper, Drew Babe and his godfather installed beadboard (or wainscoting) and a simple trim around the bottom part of the room.  We painted this white to keep the bathroom looking fresh and clean.