Around The House

I thought I'd take you around the house and show you some things that I've done.

This is the back of my front door. I always liked the idea of the Jewish mezuzah - the little scroll of scripture on the doorpost to remind you of God when you entered and left the home. When my kids were little I wanted them to know that God knew everywhere they were and what they were doing. So, I painted the back of the metal door with a scene of mountains and ocean (the ocean, one of my favorite things) and wrote Psalm 139 in the panels. I put a lot of little details closer to the bottom (underwater fish, crab, etc) to give the "short people" something interesting to look at. It was very easy to do: I added a little dishwashing detergent to some acrylic paint and went to work! I read that the dishwashing detergent would make the acrylics stick, make it washable and strong. (I didn't believe it at the time) But the painting has been extremely durable, lasting 15 years!

The following picture is of the bookshelves in my living room. My nephew found the shelves when a local library was being torn down. I scrounged a few of them and my brother-in-law and I built the frames. He drilled holes in the frame panels at 6 inch intervals. We cut dowel rods in 1 inch pieces and put them in the holes to sit the shelves on.

You wouldn't think that would be very sturdy, but look at how many books I have on each shelf! We stained the frame to match the shelves and secured them to the wall with "L" brackets. Easy! I made 3 separate units so I could move them around anywhere I wanted to. (That weed-looking thing on the top is a tumble-weed from South Dakota that my friends brought back for me - a strange gift, but they know me completely!)

The next pictures are of the eating area in my kitchen. I ALWAYS wanted a booth in my kitchen. Don't ask me why. So, when we tore out some walls and reworked the stairs to the basement, I got my booth! My brother-in-law (the handy soul he is) helped me design and he built the hinge lid boxes (they are great extra storage). The lids are slightly tilted back for extra comfort. I knew that cushions for the boxes would have to be custom made and I knew that I wouldn't want to pay the price for having them made, so I went to work. At the time I wanted something quick and easy. So, I found a king comforter in the colors that I wanted and cut and sewed and stuffed and made 2 long cushions. I left them open on the ends so I could wash and refill them if I wanted. I closed the ends with 2 buttons. I am in the process of making more throw pillows. It is VERY comfortable. I can't tell you how many times, after dinner, people have laid down and fell asleep. I LOVE it!

The pictures on the left are photos that Katie took during her trip to Spain. The large piece of artwork is a piece Joel did. When I saw it, I knew I had to have it for that big wall. It's a stencil of his friend Daniel and the colors are fab!

The next picture is of a piece of metal artwork that I found at Pier 1. It was $39, more than I would usually spend for wall art. But have you ever seen something and you just HAD to have it? It was not meant to be a photo holder, but that's what I use it for. I took out some photos at the bottom so you could see how it looks alone.

The next is a microwave cabinet that my brother-in-law and I designed and built. I love old country furniture, but it's got to have a touch of modern for me to live with it. We added the metal grating in the doors and I put some fabric behind it. I spray painted it red. I'm not thrilled with the way the finish looks, but it's kinda funky. I painted the inside of the cabinet yellow. I took an old fork and spoon and had my husband bend them and put screw holes in them and I use them as handles.

A little table that I designed and my brother-in-law and I built a LONG time ago. I've used it in the house and now it's on my deck to hold pots of annuals. (It's winter, now)

This is my hall bathroom that we totally redid. I love the pedestal sink and how everything is white! The picture of the woman was the inspiration for the colors in the bathroom. I found the white metal rack at Marshall's for a steal and I use it as a towel holder.

Now the following is my pride and joy! I have always loved Mexican tile and seeing as how we are typically POOR, I can't afford Mexican tile. So, I saw a magazine article and it gave me an idea. Our front porch was one, long, gray, concrete (and might I add, cracked) slab. UGLY! Well, one day I got Steave, Joel and Katie and we went to work. Steave took a chalk line and measured the porch into 1 foot squares. Then I went behind him and taped the lines with masking tape. Katie went behind me and rolled the terracotta colored paint in the squares. Joel went behind her with a paint brush and added a golden yellow swirl in with the terracotta color. Then Katie and I went back and painted gray grout lines. We decided to add a diamond shape periodically in our pattern and so I took a regular rubber stamp and stamped a golden yellow design in the diamonds. I LOVE IT! And it is very durable. The wear and cracks just add character I think.

Here's my picture wall. I painted all the frames black and the cross was gold, so I rubbed some black paint on it to help it blend in. I am not finished. I will fill the whole wall as our family creates more pictures - graduations, weddings, etc.