My Closet Project

Well, I've done it again.  What started out as just a simple 'clean out the closet' project, ended up with a complete make-over.  I don't know what gets in to me, but once I start a project, different ideas start popping in to my head and then one thing leads to another.  My closet is very, very small, and what's worse is I have to share it with Douglas.  I'm somewhat embarrassed to show you the 'before' photo, but I must to give you an idea of how cramped it was, and there were no shelves to put my shoes. As I stood there staring at the mess, I just decided to pull EVERYTHING out and really make it a functional closet. Here goes...

Don't judge me from this photo,,I really am a tidy housekeeper.  :)

This is my side of the L-shaped closet..(I get the longest part of course)

This is Douglas's side of the closet.  As you can see he has no shelves to put things.

The first thing I did after I took everything out, is scrape the popcorn off the ceilings.  I hate popcorn ceilings!!

Next, I painted the entire closet to match the master bath area.

 

Our whole downstairs is hardwood flooring and I was tired of this dusty ugly carpeting, so I just ripped it all out and threw it out to the curb.

 

I already had a few shelves that Douglas built for me a couple of years ago, but obviously I needed more, so I just extended them around the corner.

 

I think I did a pretty good job.  I have an application on my IPhone 4 that is a level.  It sure came in handy when I was trying to align the shelving.

Next in line was the bare concrete floor to deal with.  Sadly, I think this is where the original builders kept spare paint, and when they sprayed the closet, they got paint all over the concrete.  There was also glue from the carpet padding I had to deal with.  I scrubbed and scrubbed and even used muriatic acid to get the stains off, but some of it was deeply set.  I decided to just live with it and make the most of the staining part of my project.

Here's the concrete during the cleaning process.

 

The next step was to spray on the stain with a garden sprayer.  I had to wear my rubber boots because the stain has acid in it as well.

I had to let this set for 24 hours before I could put the sealer on.  The concrete had a rather dull finish until I started putting the sealer on, and then it just started popping out color.  I was amazed at the difference.

Here's a shot of the finished floor.  You can see all the blemishes from where the paint overspray and glue was, but it still looks good and certainly much better than it did before.

 

Next, I started putting all our things back in the closet.  I actually did take some stuff to Goodwill during the process.

 

I've had these little bins forever.  Since I don't have a lot of storage space, I opted for these to store lingerie and other sundry items.  I even labeled each bin with the item that's in each one.

Here's a closeup of some of the tags I made.  I went to Google images to find the photo I wanted, then laminated them and used little clips to hang them on the handle of each bin. (click on each image to get a closer look)

I found that just having the extra shelves and adding extra bins, just made the whole look and feel of the closet a lot more organized.  Everything has a place now.

 

I purchased the laundry hampers, and throw rugs at Bed, Bath, and Beyond - one for each of us.

 

I love the baskets on each shelf for loose items like scarves and socks.  I even have my favorite perfumes displayed for easy access.

On Douglas's side of the closet, I installed the overhead shelves for luggage and ski wear, and a hook rack for towels and bathrobes.  I even built the wall shelf for shoes, books and other items.

 

I absolutely love my closet now.  It's so easy to find my things and I'm more inclined to keep it tidy now that there is a place for everything.  At some point I need to work on my upstairs bedroom where I have all my clothes. I'll have to look through some magazine ideas and come up with something creative.  I'm sure it will come to me on a moment's notice.

Have a great week wherever you are.

Colorful Houses

Lately I've been taking scenic, country roads to East Texas instead of taking the boring stretch of Interstate 20.  It's much more fun to drive through all the small, quaint towns with all the fresh fruit stands, interesting old buildings, and sweet homes and farms along the way.  The drive takes a little longer, but it's well worth it to see all the interesting sites.  At some point I started taking photos of brightly painted homes.  There's a certain 'appeal' to the bright cheery colors.  I thought I'd just share a few of the photos I've taken this summer. 

 

This house is really quite charming.  Quite an eye-catcher right off the main highway.

I love the tidy look of this bright red tin roof with the gray siding.

  

The American Flag really stands out against the blue.
 

All American picket fence.  This looks so cozy.
 

Aren't the trees beautiful on this front lawn?
 

 

This appears to have been painted recently.  There were signs of painting equipment that I edited out.
 

I would love to see this little house restored.  It's been vacant for so long and it's on a beautiful stretch of Hwy 16.
 

So cute!

 

Next time I drive through Edgewood, I'm going to stop and check out this little cafe.  I'm betting they have awesome homemade Southern dishes.
 

I've posted this home before, but here it is again.  I love that they took the time to paint the little bird house the same color.
 

I find the most interesting things to photograph on these little country drives.  I have a Garmin GPS in my car and sometimes I'll veer off the path on to little tar covered country roads just to see where it takes me.

Enjoy and have a nice weekend.  Stay cool!

Happy Birthday Twin Sister!

 
Yesterday....

And Today......58 YEARS YOUNG

HUGS AND KISSES

Homemade Pizza

I walked in to Williams & Sonoma the other day and there was a display of pizza making tools and a cookbook.  I suddenly became hungry for pizza and I wanted to make it myself instead of ordering from the usual pizzerias.   I already had the pizza stone, and the rotary cutter, but the cookbook was inspirational.  Turns out I had all the ingredients needed at home, except for the yeast, so I ran in to the store on my way home to grab some. As soon as I got home I started cooking.  The dough was so easy.  I just put the flour, olive oil, yeast, and water in to my food processor, zapped it for 20 seconds, let it rise for an hour, divided it and then spread it out on my pizza stone.  I smeared some olive oil and garlic salt on the dough and then  loaded it up with some left over vegetables that Douglas had grilled the night before, along with some red onions I had sauteed in some olive oil. I had a leftover chicken breast that I cut up, and then  lastly, I chopped up a whole log of goat cheese on top and stuck it in the oven.  I think it's the best pizza I have ever had!

I will definitely make this again.  The dough recipe makes enough for two loaves.  You can freeze the extra one for up to a month.  I'm pretty sure mine won't make it a month in the freezer though.  I'm ready to make another one.

Ladyfingers Side Patio Makeover Part IV

Back to the side patio...It's either been too hot outside, or I've been out of town on the weekends to work on this. Hopefully this project will be completed by the time the cooler weather arrives so I can enjoy it.  I've found some fun accessories to complete the 'room' that I'll show you.

I found 2 of these lime green wicker chairs at an antique store for next to nothing.  They match the stenciling I did on the rug perfectly!

 

This colorful framed poster of wines was at Goodwill so of course it fit in perfectly with my wine patio 'theme'.  I'm not sure how long it will last in the 'elements', but for now....

 

Here's a sweet little iron birdcage I found at First Monday.  It came with the little twig of fake ivy so for now I'll leave it in there.  I'm afraid if some real birdie comes to build a nest in it, her little eggs would fry in there it's so hot outside.

I got this cute little marble/iron cocktail table at another antique store recently.  I placed it between the two rockers I posted a few weeks ago.  Perfect place for a glass of wine.

 

This metal coffee table will probably rust right away, but that will just add a little 'patina' to the look. 

 

Here's a 'tree' I found at Goodwill for $4.99.  I need to find a new container for it.  This wicker one is about to fall apart.

I'm not sure what the function of this piece was, but I plan on making it in to an ice bucket to chill the wines.

You have to have candlelight on a wine patio.  I stumbled on this iron candelabra at an antique store in Dallas.  There were three of them and now I wish I had purchased the other two.  One was bright orange, the other bright yellow, and this one.  It adds a little color to all the metal out here.

Just to refresh your memory, here's a photo I posted several weeks ago when I first started this project. This is the patio as it was before.

Here's the patio all 'put together'.  It really is a cozy little sitting area that was just wasting away out there.  I could never figure out what to do with it and in one of my impulsive moments, it just all came to me.  I can't wait for the weather to cooperate so I can spend more time out there.  I sometimes go out early in the morning in my jammies to drink a cup of coffee before work, or late at night after the sun goes down and just stare at the sky.  I love it.

How hard could it be to add one of these to this patio?  Hmmm, I might have to do a little research. It sure would add a nice finishing touch to this little wine bar.  I'll keep you posted.