Projects

Projects.

I have a tendency to start them, and not much of a tendency to finish them. So it is with equal parts pride and dismay that I share with you some DIYs I've completed lately...

I mentioned a couple projects I had in my pipeline here, and sadly, some remain undone for now.

But let's focus on the positive.

I purchased this pair of shutters at a garage sale 6 months ago for $15. I wasn't sure exactly where they would land, but I knew I could find a happy place for them in my home. A couple coats of Krylon Catalina Mist later, and ta-daaa! I know it's nothing fancy, but my previously naked guest bedroom wall has a colorful head board.

The sun's been shining for months now, and we're soaking it up as much as possible before the temps reach too high to bare. We're enjoying meals, morning coffee and play time in the back yard, but the beige  color scheme was a little too much (or too little) for me. I've been meaning to spruce it up for years, but finally (!) we have some color. My sewing machine broke a couple weeks ago, but I decided I couldn't deny my backyard of this colorful chevron print any longer. A borrowed sewing machine + 1 1/2 yards of happy + afternoon nap time =  easy pillows and table runner.

*Note the Meyer lemon tree there in the back left corner of the porch. It's been in the family for just a couple months, so we haven't had a harvest yet, but I cannot tell you how sweetly fragrant this little gem is. It will take up permanent residence in the back right corner of the yard when it grows up.

Moving on... Our kitchen is a funny square shape.

I'm happy with the amount of work space and storage. I'm happy with the functionality of the space, but it has begged for an island. We already had a small kitchen cart, so as a temporary solution, it found it's home in the center of the kitchen floor.

Pathetic, right? I've perused stores, the internet, flea markets, craigslist, etc for the perfectly sized and perfectly priced (read: DIRT cheap) piece to replace it with, but to no avail. Then, in a serendipitous string of events, I found my little family on a Saturday morning stroll through the neighborhood and found the ugliest and loveliest little thing.

Why, yes. That is an old garage cabinet detached form it's intended structure. And yes, that is an old desk top surface with it's wood veneer peeling from each corner. Where my neighbor saw junk, I saw potential.  Let me assure you this project is already well underway. Ian set a goal for me to finish it this week, so we'll see what happens.

I'd be remiss to mention my projects without showcasing Ian's latest feat. About a year ago, we replaced all the ceiling fans in our house. We replaced our living room fan/light kit combo with a flush mount/no light fan. Our hope was install recessed canned lighting. But then it got too hot in the attic.... and then it got too cold in the attic... and it's about to get too hot again, so the procrastinating had to stop. Mind you, my only contribution to this project was purchasing the beer and keeping the kid out of the way. Ian and his handiest of friends spent the weekend sweating and cutting and bringing light to our cave of a living room. And for that, I am truly grateful. And because Ian has a great deal of tech savvy, our lights can be controlled by our TV remote! Swoon.

Please don't judge me for my phone photography skills. On my list of things to do, learning how to use my nice camera ranks high. There is hope yet.