Adam's teaching schedule picks up with the start of the school year, so I took advantage of the last days of summer break to fix up his basement studio. I started by moving the large jute rug from our living room downstairs and layering a couple of smaller rugs on top for colour (our dog and rugs just don't mix, so as much as I'll miss it upstairs, it's much safer in the off-limits basement).

 

After rearranging the layout and doing some major purging/reorganizing, I decided to give Adam's desk and a couple of mismatched chairs a fresh coat of paint. For the chairs, I used Rust-Oleum's Meadow Green in gloss. I love this colour! The desk is the same colour as our dining room table.

 

I found this cute vintage desk lamp on Kijiji. The compartments are perfect for corraling Adam's drum keys and guitar picks.

My favourite update may be the pegboard storage. I swiped the pegboard from our garage and gave it a fresh coat of white paint. It not only gives Adam a much-needed place to store cords and headphones, it also covers up the horrible texture on this small section of wall.

 



 

I also picked up some new light fixtures for a steal, but we haven't had a chance to install them yet. I think Adam is enjoying the new layout, but we'll see how long the clean desktop lasts ;) 



I'm trying to organize and decorate my office a bit better - One thing is, I'm not overly happy with this wall of bulletin board and have considered taking it down. But taking it down would perhaps damage the wall, so I'm not sure whether to live with my design mistake or succumb to my OCD about it. Anyways, apart from the look of the office, one of the things I needed to address was organization.

A month ago I decided to make the DIY desk slightly larger. I needed more space to store orders waiting to be shipped. To give some background in how I run my shop, I use these dollar store stackable baskets to organize orders. When an order comes in, I place items in the basket. Sometimes orders have products that have different production times (stamps take 14 days to make, whereas I have gold glitter ribbon in stock) so in order to make sure things stay together an gets it's own basket. If you've ordered from me, your order has likely been in one of these baskets. It's an amazing little system that has meant that orders get shipped faster, there is less product wandering around my office and order mistakes have 99% dissapeared. Little steps that help me as my shop is shipping out more orders on a weekly basis.

How we designed this desk was was similar to how we did my desk, but it actually was a lot easier. More after the jump.
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I've ticked a bunch of things off my to-do list lately, although none are particularly blog-worthy. Since this blog is essentially my online diary of all things house-related, I thought I'd post a few snapshots of what I've been up to lately.

I finally got around to touching up the paint job on our dining room table. The sealer I used on the tabletop the first time around yellowed over time, not to mention the inevitable marks, scuffs and scratches that come with a well-loved table. I lightly sanded the top and applied a couple fresh coats of paint, but I still need to seal it. If you know of a sealer that won't yellow, please share in the comments!

In the guest room. I finished painting the window and door trim (we still need to install new baseboards and quarter round), spraypainted the window latch ORB and added pulls (the same ones I used on the nursery window). I also finished painting the closet. It's still not much to look at (not that closets usually are), but I have plans to organize and store all my fabric, craft and gift wrapping supplies here. I bought fabric to sew a "door" for the closet and a curtain for the window, which I'll hopefully get around to this week or next.

Speaking of closets, mine is officially de-cluttered! I was able to donate two garbage bags stuffed full of clothing and I still have plenty to wear (not that any of it fits me right now). Forcing myself to let go of clothing that I didn't actually wear, but kept because it was "nice", was key. I also packed away most of my summer and maternity clothes. I bought some linen baskets to hold my jeans, skirts, shirts and sweaters - basically anything that doesn't need to be hung. The basket at the bottom is my new laundry hamper. I still need to paint or wallpaper the closet and I have some fun plans to add jewlery and bag storage, but this was a HUGE first step.

Last but not least, I've been working on getting Adam's studio ready for a new year of teaching. We decided to go for the layered rugs and I've been slowly collecting Kijiji finds. The trick is finding something we both like without spending lots of money. The room's a teaching studio and rehearsal space for Adam's band, so I can't worry about people tracking in dirt, dragging heavy equipment around, or spilling food and drink. It's all going to happen. I love how the rugs we've found so far (3) instantly cozy up the space.

I also finally got around to painting the window and a few other touch-ups. I painted a black "frame" around the mirror (re-used from our bathroom) and we added some greenery. I also fixed up and hung a white board I found at Value Village (not pictured) and ordered a little something so we can display all of Adam's show posters. Can't wait for it to arrive!

Meet Maddie and Henry:

They (mostly) get along, but Maddie, being a dog, will take advantage of any opportunity to eat Henry's food. While Maddie likes to inhale her food in 30 seconds or less, Henry prefers light snacking throughout the day so his food is always out (he also likes to be petted while he eats, but that's a story for another day). For a while, we just kept Henry's food in the basement, since Maddie had an inexplicable fear of basements that stopped her from going downstairs (she would happily go up and down stairs, as long as they didn't lead to a basement, any basement). Over Christmas, Adam's nephew cured her of this fear by showing her that, hey - there's food in the basement! From that point on, if your back was turned for even a moment, Maddie would hightail it to the basement and furiously inhale Henry's food (she looks innocent, but she's a sneaky one).

Now that we were going through bags of cat food like it was water, we decided to invest in a $20 cat door. And several weeks later, I finally got around to installing it.

Installing it was pretty simple: trace the paper template onto the door, drill a hole in each corner, then cut it out using a jigsaw. One side of the cat door screws into your door and the other side is attached using sticky tabs. Easy peasy.

Installing the cat door also inspired me to finally do something about the ugly doors in our basement (one leads to the laundry room/Henry's food and one leads to Adam's studio). Several coats of primer and paint and a couple of new door knobs later:

Of course they're not nearly as nice as the doors we installed upstairs, but it's a big (and inexpensive) improvement nonetheless.

Next step: paint the walls (and the baseboards). Oh, and as for the pet door - it's a huge success! It took Henry a little while to get used to it, but now everyone's happy (except Maddie I guess).

The basement has changed ever so slightly. Before it was 100% my studio. It's now 50% Oscar's space, and 50% mine...and I rather like it this way. The things that make it child friendly for us is that the couch is slipcovered, so I don't mind spills. The floor is laminate, so easy cleanup with a broom. There is a small TV attached to the wall (not shown) so we put on Raffi concert DVD's sometimes and have a little dance party. The washroom is right there - and although potty training hasn't begun in our house, when it does - this will be a benefit. And lastly, being the basement I feel some felxibility about toys being everywhere. I can go to bed with the basement being a mess, and really not mind. The house is evolving ever so slightly as time goes on, and really - I'm loving the changes that a child brings. :) xo

I spent most of the weekend working on a project that I can't wait to share with you - just as soon as I finish it. In the meantime, here's a much smaller project I checked off my list.

Much like our interior doors upstairs, the door to our basement storage room was a mess, so we chucked it. But as you can see in the photo below, we needed something to obscure the view.

Um, try to ignore the ugly stucco on the walls. It actually only covers a small area (thank goodness), so we're going to cover it up with pegboard to create a stylish storage area (why is it that simple projects get put off the longest?).

Anyway, on our trip to Boston I picked up a couple of inexpensive curtain panels at Ikea. Last week I bought a $6 tension rod and over the weekend I turned one of the curtain panels into a door.


TBC, as in, to be covered

I washed the panels first to allow for shrinkage, then measured the door opening and hemmed one panel using the iron-on hemming strip that came in the package. So easy. Unfortunately it probably means that we'll continue to put off organizing the storage room (out of sight = out of mind), but on the plus side, I can't wait to cover up that stucco.

Finally, some progress shots of our basement! Just keep one thing in mind: we're not done yet.

I still need to paint the window (you can kind of see the painter's tape around the window panes) and the plan is to replace that bare bulb with some kind of track lighting (we just have to find something we like). This weekend we're hoping to have a large piece of carpet cut and bound to make a custom shaped area rug - you can see the ugly carpet remnants Adam's been using in the meantime. We also need to pick up a bookshelf from my mom's house (thanks mom) and add some other storage for cords, mics, music books, papers, etc. (in case you're wondering, that's a spare couch cushion inside the base drum - it helps dampen the sound).

This is the other side of the room - you can see we have another bare bulb to replace (there are actually three in the room) and some wires running across the ceiling that still need to be cleaned up. You also get a better view of those ugly carpet remnants - the area rug will leave more space around the border of the room, but you can see the bump out we need to work around (hence the custom shape). The furniture is also temporary. Adam obviously needs a larger desk, and we need some kind of unit to store the stereo (I'd also love to replace the chair, but Adam may fight me on that one).

This is the small storage room off Adam's studio. This space was completely unusable before (it didn't even have lights), so we feel like we've gained some brand new space. The plan is to build some shelving to maximize storage, but otherwise we're done here (it's a storage room after all).

I wish I had photos of the uninhabitable 70s man cave that our basement used to be, but you'll just have to trust me that this is a massive improvement. I can't wait to add those finishing touches!

The trim is painted and Adam started teaching out of his basement studio yesterday! I still need to snap a few progress photos (soon - I promise!) and there are some finishing touches to take care of too. My mom is giving us a wooden bookshelf that will hold Adam's stereo, music books, papers, etc. but we still need to pick up some containers to organize all his 'stuff'. He also needs a proper desk area, some art for the walls would be nice, and we're planning to have a large piece of carpet cut so we can turn it into an over-sized area rug.   

1 - Aluminum top writing desk. I love the look of this desk and I think it's tough enough to handle life in a drum studio. 

2 - Painted tin cans. I spotted these on DIY planters on Pinterest, but I think they'd look just as cute holding pens, pencils or drumsticks. I'm definitely going to try my hand at making these.

3 - Storage boxes. Adam goes through a lot of paper. These boxes are the perfect way to hide the mess while still keeping it within easy reach.

4 - Magazine file. A great way to store music books and our growing collection of New Yorker magazines, which Adam likes to read in-between lessons.

5 - I'd love to frame some of Adam's band's best album art and show posters to hang on the walls.

Have you put the finishing touches on any home improvement projects lately? 

I'm off to Toronto for work this week and I'll spend the weekend in Ottawa visiting a friend and her new baby girl. Adam tells me he'll have the basement painted by the time I get home, which I couldn't be more excited about. Every other project in our house is on hold until the basement is finished, so I can't wait for the painting to be done! As a reminder, our basement basically looks like this:

Unfortunately I didn't take any true 'before' photos, so picture a 70's man cave complete with half-stucco, half-wood paneled walls, a giant vinyl bar (maroon), lots of mirrors and no light. It was bad.

Now the paneling, stucco, mirrors and bar are gone, the exterior walls have been insulated, framed and drywalled, and we have more outlets and overhead lighting (don't let that one sentence fool you - it was A LOT of work). Because the 'den' is so small (and framing/insulating the walls cost us more space), we decided to lose the window and create a storage room. Here's a terribly-lit progress photo:

We're thinking about adding loads of shelving in here at some point, so getting rid of the window made sense. I convinced Adam to leave the ceiling unfinished and just paint it (we got rid of that fiberglass insulation though). I figure drywall is really heavy, I'm short and it's a storage room. In other words, the cost-benefit ratio isn't good. Painting the ceiling the same colour as the walls will help it blend in and adding some simple trim along the tops of the walls will help it look more 'finished' (we're thinking thin pine strips painted the same colour as the walls/ceiling). This beautiful artist's rendering of said trim gives you an idea of what I'm talking about:

Of course we're also going to paint the floors and add baseboard. Here's another terrible progress shot - this time of the 'rec room':

You can see there's one remaining section of gross stucco. Since this room will be Adam's teaching studio and rehearsal space, we're going to cover that section of wall with pegboard to create a storage area for headphones, microphones, cords, etc. (I've come across tons of great inspiration photos on Pinterest). We'll likely switch out those lights for something nicer too.


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The ceiling in here is pretty low, but luckily much nicer looking than the storage room's, so the plan is to paint it the same colour as the walls. With everything the same colour, the wires and pipes will hopefully blend in and the whole room should feel more open and light than it would if we 'finished' the ceiling. We've chosen Behr's Premium Plus Ultra Interior Eggshell Enamel in Desert Springs (it's kind of a greeny-grey) for both rooms:

We like that it's a paint and primer in one, and that it's durable, scrubbable and mildew resistant. For the baseboard and trim, we're planning to use the same colour we've got upstairs (did I mention we already have the paint?) - Sico's Cotton Rag Paper:

Adam and his father have already added trim to the window (and created a nice ledge for a plant or two). We're planning to use similar trim around the doors and a wider version for the baseboard (we'll also fill those screw holes and paint the window for a seamless finish).

We're still researching floor paints, but we're thinking of a colour like Behr's Intellectual:

So that's the progress and the plan, and now we'll see how much Adam can get done while I'm away!

This week Adam became his own boss and started teaching drum and guitar lessons out of our house (he taught lessons as a contract employee for a music store for the past six years). It's great for a whole bunch of reasons, but most importantly because it makes him happy and I love having him home in the evenings, even though he's working.

Now that the basement is his studio, we want to create a more inviting workspace down there (we probably should have done that before it became his studio, but whatever). We've hired a company to insulate the exterior walls and crawl space with spray foam while Adam tours Eastern Canada with his band (you can find tour dates here), which should give the foam plenty of time to cure properly. Once Adam's back and the drywall is up (yes, he'll be teaching lessons upstairs for at least a couple of weeks), I think it's a good idea to tackle the concrete floors (you know, so we only have to move our junk in and out once). And I love the idea of staining them, thanks to this inspiration (and this):


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Found on Pinterest here

 I think it's gorgeous, but what do you think? Would you try staining your concrete floors?  

Exciting news - The basement is 100% done. All I needed to do was pay some attention to adding extra detail and hanging some art to get me to the finish line. And although the entire basement is considered as my workspace + studio, the space naturally divided itself into sections.  This was probably our biggest DIY of all, having broken up the concrete ourselves, replacing the drains, moving plumbing, it took a whole 6 months. I thought a proper showcase of the finished space would be a nice way to close the door on the design process for this space.

1. COMPUTER AREA
My DIY Desk is still going strong. Coming in at around $300 for the project, it really is one of my favourite DIYs. The baskets on the Ikea units acts as drawers, keeping useful things like camera cords, stamps, personal stationery. In this area there are actually 3 bulletin boards (1, 2 having their own blog posts) - and - all different sizes. But I upholstered them all in the same fabric to give them a unified look. Bulletin boards are a necessity in my life, as it helps me be creative.




2. Work TableBehind my DIY Desk and Computer is my IKEA Table where I put together orders and  pack + get orders prepped for mailing. The table height is much taller than my desk - a great height for crafting. On the shelves I keep packing materials organized in handy clear boxes to see what is inside. Running an online shop requires a lot of little things, so organization is really key in my space.

3. Lounge I love this area as I think it will be a spot where Oscar can come chill when he is older. With a casual couch covered in a slipcover, and wall mounted TV  - it is the perfect space to take a break from work. Unique artwork hangs in this area - I've framed my art that I sell in my shop, as well as pieces like Oscar's first bow tie, and also his awesome moustache on a stick that was wandering around the house looking for a home. Instead of it getting lost, I framed it. New pillows and a great coffee table make this space comfy.



Little Nook By the stairs to the main floor I fit a little vintage desk, where we've put Aubrey's laptop. Aubrey needed a space to work, so this area was perfect as it is separate from my space. This desk was $25 and I updated it by painting it white and adding in new knobs. For seating, you may recognize this chair as the same as in our dining room. Since we had 2 extra chairs from the dining room we put one down here for Aubrey - and if we need it for a dinner party we bring it back upstairs.


 
There are other areas down here that are worth mentioning. Our Washroom, and Washer + Dryer area. There you have it. A few unique awesome spaces developed over the course of decorating this area. It is kind of nice to look around and not have blank walls that keep screaming for something to be on them. And it is the perfect space to be creative. For those of you just joining my blog --- this is what we started with....


 
I am sooo proud of this space. And the fact that we did it 99% all on our own, is kind of crazy. :)

I love bulletin boards in my studio. I like to tear things out of magazines for inspiration and have them in front of me. Patterns and colours I see in home decor and fashion magazines help inspire not only my home, but my stationery.

Although I like bulletin boards, the cork colour isn't my favourite. So the same night I updated the bulletin board on the opposite wall, I wrapped this board with the same canvas (the same as we made a tent out of!) This board had a frame that made it the perfect contender for some nail head detail.  So this is what I started with...

And I updated it to this...

SUPER easy.
I stapled the canvas over the bulletin board using my desk stapler. Lots of awesome tutorials out there on that but really, you stretch the fabric and staple. Done.

Next, I wanted to make it more finished so I decided to do nail heads. I had heard that upholstery nail head detailing came on "trim". It is quick, and easy. The way that this  trim works is that it nail heads (with no pins) come on a piece of "trim". Every 5th nail is a hole, you punch in a "matching" nailhead that has a a tack that holds the trim in place, and it is supposed to blend in. I searched EVERYWHERE for this and finally had to buy it sight unseen from the manufacturer in Toronto. Total cost for this, $30 + shipping.

Problem is. The stupid "Matching Nails" that are every fifth spot didn't match! Want to see the proof, look at the picture below. The best spot to look is the top row. How on earth can they sell it like this? Bah. So mad. I think my exact words when I saw it was "You've GOT to be kidding me". Even though they didn't match I tried to see if it would work. Nope.

In an ode to Tim Gun I said to myself "Make it work". I bought some silver paint and tried to paint the little matching heads to blend in. Looked awful. I then cut pieces off the trim and glue gunned the nice looking pewter heads over the discoloured. But the problem is, the ones I glue gunned we're higher than the rest so, well, they still stood out. I threw my hands up. The easy route of this trim was not for me.

So, I went to MacFab here in Toronto, where they had a HUGE selection of nails and bought 500 individual nails and...

It is a little hard, and requires some concentration to put each one in in a straight line but I had a natural guide of the frame. Even still, any variation in the angle I put one in, could throw the whole look. But I'm really happy at how it looks...



Love it. Probably also because it reminds me of my beloved Colette Bed.

(And pssst, you can see the start of a matching project on the other wall)