Mirrors, Beers & Chandeliers

...Not necessarily in that order, but they were all present this weekend. <br /><br />I'll begin with the "big project", the refinishing of the mirror. I had originally scored this at a yard sale last year. It had a cherry red finish which didn't match anything in my house, so I sanded and stained it a dark espresso brown (the same stain used on the console table my dad built for us).<br /><br />It's been packed away since September collecting dust in the garage, and it was finally time to be put to good use in the dining room. Here's the official before shot:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj30WjlLQseAkxCQLUFvNydEfsFR4Lmg4EPyKA-YJ6lW29qiBQW4uvz7d1peM_1pIBKmlfFFS5dNk6FiY7t-7f2SdkoHVuBDOSlWJOEeSvNQSoMiRnKrF7l7gnL7rDn3pO-zrmkr1OT92SY/s800/IMG_3766.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" h5="true" height="408" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj30WjlLQseAkxCQLUFvNydEfsFR4Lmg4EPyKA-YJ6lW29qiBQW4uvz7d1peM_1pIBKmlfFFS5dNk6FiY7t-7f2SdkoHVuBDOSlWJOEeSvNQSoMiRnKrF7l7gnL7rDn3pO-zrmkr1OT92SY/s640/IMG_3766.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />Still a lovely mirror, I just wasn't feeling the dark wood anymore. My goal for this house is keep things light and airy, so I weighed my options. I could play it safe and paint it pure white... but I plan on installing (white) wainscotting soon, accessorizing with white shelves and frames, getting a new possibly white dining table with more white accessories... I was worried it'd be too much white. Then I considered doing some sort of two-tone patina effect with possibly a pale aqua underneath and then a white on top. I even went to the hardware store and picked up the perfect aqua shade... but then I changed my mind. This image of pale whitewashed wood kept popping into my head and I wanted to try and re-create it. If it turned into a disaster, I could always just paint it white and call it a day.<br /><br />So I armed myself with the materials I thought I'd need..<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg9Aa6FpcsbzHQ49uyOa-n_VY1F4RWux0EyidQnPEO8KavZPWK8krwnvCSBAHXWnVcSvZFltmWZXoy7SN05RyhsQYUlDysqoV8GB30k6ls1Qere3FuTFcb_TSBWpe5Y7ocXI2FCZOqaEf8/s720/IMG_3767.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" h5="true" height="472" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg9Aa6FpcsbzHQ49uyOa-n_VY1F4RWux0EyidQnPEO8KavZPWK8krwnvCSBAHXWnVcSvZFltmWZXoy7SN05RyhsQYUlDysqoV8GB30k6ls1Qere3FuTFcb_TSBWpe5Y7ocXI2FCZOqaEf8/s640/IMG_3767.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />Turns out paint thinner does absolutely nothing to remove stain from wood. Good to know. The sanding block was pretty user-friendly, but it was a medium grit when I should have been using something more heavy-duty. This stain was in there good.<br /><br />I quickly learned this was a very messy process...<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKrUEZ8b0EQoCygFDNPH1bKtdouUz9kAhUePoEIt5D6PQrzrKGJhFdH6kctJrlrZ9BhhGTTbjYv8DWuG6gJ62KPVSkSPiyt4vnj8QBFLA5C3uUnMT3iPtQxActjBX43BIiixEQVaIWdcSc/s512/IMG_3768.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" h5="true" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKrUEZ8b0EQoCygFDNPH1bKtdouUz9kAhUePoEIt5D6PQrzrKGJhFdH6kctJrlrZ9BhhGTTbjYv8DWuG6gJ62KPVSkSPiyt4vnj8QBFLA5C3uUnMT3iPtQxActjBX43BIiixEQVaIWdcSc/s640/IMG_3768.jpg" width="476" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>I had to keep the dustbuster on hand to suck up the debris every few minutes. After a good 45 minutes of sanding, I had one side done...<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy5Qt_wCqorf9duUk8laCReQbA3AwIT7vuZXUd59TjBMTAS57-mcCyzg8xALGYwQSYU057t_F695BgrcjapshN33W9Npn97anYTVy0lEzSNDfBHKt6L-tBxbRU9t4MQv9CuE5Oy8DZSJaS/s512/IMG_3771.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" h5="true" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy5Qt_wCqorf9duUk8laCReQbA3AwIT7vuZXUd59TjBMTAS57-mcCyzg8xALGYwQSYU057t_F695BgrcjapshN33W9Npn97anYTVy0lEzSNDfBHKt6L-tBxbRU9t4MQv9CuE5Oy8DZSJaS/s640/IMG_3771.jpg" width="420" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>And my arm was about to fall off. This was more work than I remember it being the first time around. <br /><br />Another angle to show the difference:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghigOcxoTHY5FTV6ls3lRuvFZRobuWm6dczD7Gd4pKkCCZukxdQa9CBO9UbLpuwGmCBmgh3BkhliYCRBD5gubGp1wQUQOFsba6PJhPUZWnGywh8fykr0KuG7b4pL29JHc85A4mFRnWQ_xV/s800/IMG_3773.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" h5="true" height="420" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghigOcxoTHY5FTV6ls3lRuvFZRobuWm6dczD7Gd4pKkCCZukxdQa9CBO9UbLpuwGmCBmgh3BkhliYCRBD5gubGp1wQUQOFsba6PJhPUZWnGywh8fykr0KuG7b4pL29JHc85A4mFRnWQ_xV/s640/IMG_3773.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />So I trekked on and pushed through it, minute by minute... hour by hour....<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPM7KX8_CFCQin4f6sVdS_eaN7kTDbSEzsaXU1tIVKoetEh8IfcXAkYazVTnejg5ziEo7mFTPyGbCMuqSlkpmgXnrCxwtODP9ABzKbybYmGePHbPper5-RbQNykXXxeKdlCWqbeXGCoH0T/s800/IMG_3775.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" h5="true" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPM7KX8_CFCQin4f6sVdS_eaN7kTDbSEzsaXU1tIVKoetEh8IfcXAkYazVTnejg5ziEo7mFTPyGbCMuqSlkpmgXnrCxwtODP9ABzKbybYmGePHbPper5-RbQNykXXxeKdlCWqbeXGCoH0T/s640/IMG_3775.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />At some point I had to take a break for some liquid motivation...<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7HSMgnDX9op67ernJJsLl2rac_z7-m4n_g4jL_LXx8Ph-IDbd9yJfRPuxk9z_U1se9wBEVh5Uni7FH_AlatRZsgrZH23HZvJwhr-n6lecNfYtLOGH7rUjKiANOJM_gDZxWk2Y_eb0km7T/s512/IMG_3774.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" h5="true" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7HSMgnDX9op67ernJJsLl2rac_z7-m4n_g4jL_LXx8Ph-IDbd9yJfRPuxk9z_U1se9wBEVh5Uni7FH_AlatRZsgrZH23HZvJwhr-n6lecNfYtLOGH7rUjKiANOJM_gDZxWk2Y_eb0km7T/s640/IMG_3774.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yum.</td></tr></tbody></table><br />That was all I needed to make it through the home stretch...<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-Yl6Hzx6fXSnTDKQUdYVjo2Ymg_QOPWhl3MqRcHniIFoWo-aNhxybQUcJmZMFeDwYfWBzfB2qe8XzGno7n8MaJM284xRSUOe20dzGcWOjUJQd77mYx_8-j6i0X-Faglmhbs42F-Z1b0Z8/s720/IMG_3817.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" h5="true" height="440" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-Yl6Hzx6fXSnTDKQUdYVjo2Ymg_QOPWhl3MqRcHniIFoWo-aNhxybQUcJmZMFeDwYfWBzfB2qe8XzGno7n8MaJM284xRSUOe20dzGcWOjUJQd77mYx_8-j6i0X-Faglmhbs42F-Z1b0Z8/s640/IMG_3817.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br />Aaaaaaand we're done! Almost. Next comes the fun part... making it pretty.<br /><br />I had no idea what I was doing, but I figured there wasn't much more to it than slapping on some watered down paint. So I gathered my materials and mixed the magic potion...<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJdBdatQe4IUc044rKv1DUGmsVyQm2gYWlGG3wgST9O5Ol008swaGqy1Vw0nxG7zNlIIUJ-jmp-_6OprhDa6w-wBUa5I54qdFr0V2UaC8y3eZ_Lj6V7tUuqm8gPeiQoqls5Vzan0bmfgtj/s720/IMG_3820.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" h5="true" height="468" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJdBdatQe4IUc044rKv1DUGmsVyQm2gYWlGG3wgST9O5Ol008swaGqy1Vw0nxG7zNlIIUJ-jmp-_6OprhDa6w-wBUa5I54qdFr0V2UaC8y3eZ_Lj6V7tUuqm8gPeiQoqls5Vzan0bmfgtj/s640/IMG_3820.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />And lightly began to apply to the freshly sanded wood...<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIMFUjEOqJU1YNJHaUYfzxnOvrE1Pxu-eAvkVsXJlR7bwgcW5fC7S802HAHHMiWvZolfqZr_JcQcG5QmErogjMYSj2Z_cox8BLfPD5P1R49IJunhq1LT0gIb6q7SuK6XGkavhSRztDHp4Y/s512/IMG_3819.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" h5="true" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIMFUjEOqJU1YNJHaUYfzxnOvrE1Pxu-eAvkVsXJlR7bwgcW5fC7S802HAHHMiWvZolfqZr_JcQcG5QmErogjMYSj2Z_cox8BLfPD5P1R49IJunhq1LT0gIb6q7SuK6XGkavhSRztDHp4Y/s640/IMG_3819.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><br />To my surprise, it wasn't looking so bad. I was using way too much water at first, and by the end it was basically a dry-brush effect with very little or no water. I wanted to still be able to see some of the grain and wood texture through the paint so I kept it very light. Here's an almost-done...<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_lxXc3vzW1Gddr7h_-WRszBeWUYtNAKQ_0g12rF0WtMHGo4n75hZJ7FMpN4C7OIB6bZyzvVb47KLpE-NBiOth2eOtPSrDPfNuykBc3abINpfb7U98EV5w2QCGhEnWMPEQsJspHmkS-WIO/s800/IMG_3822.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" h5="true" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_lxXc3vzW1Gddr7h_-WRszBeWUYtNAKQ_0g12rF0WtMHGo4n75hZJ7FMpN4C7OIB6bZyzvVb47KLpE-NBiOth2eOtPSrDPfNuykBc3abINpfb7U98EV5w2QCGhEnWMPEQsJspHmkS-WIO/s640/IMG_3822.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />After a few touchups, we have the final result!<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi0A-DX2Smmb0hq_kQKQyZ6VhcFbMRKuIRBGS-8YUeKGSsHFIImKw5Eeso8lVEXi1RjbvIS29f2J87fE5yfit5-rJK1iKawT1ykS6q9GFIlY-NMeOD5cjHeiAi336avnz57RNPXJL5F6X2/s512/IMG_3826.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" h5="true" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi0A-DX2Smmb0hq_kQKQyZ6VhcFbMRKuIRBGS-8YUeKGSsHFIImKw5Eeso8lVEXi1RjbvIS29f2J87fE5yfit5-rJK1iKawT1ykS6q9GFIlY-NMeOD5cjHeiAi336avnz57RNPXJL5F6X2/s640/IMG_3826.jpg" width="618" /></a></div><br />You're probably thinking "Okay... um, this is just a white mirror" because I know it looks that way from the picture, but I promise up close it's really not. It has a weathered, faded look which was exactly what I was going for. <br /><br />Back to the not-fun part... the installation. In the past we've had nothing but horrible experiences with hanging large, heavy things. We can attribute that to the fact that we (as usual) did not have the right materials. I'm determined to break that cycle in this new house. So I dropped $15 on a french cleat from Home Depot. <br /><br />Observe:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7KJHeoL7wxNGdFiEkpHhzXZLYZALEuCZKAKi3aKVOV80DcdvstJJHpLFmGWreF_FrgIOOEze1_FGmByjQAR7uDjirhzLC7SDHkPBO55Ctit7d8wLntLu6GoHhBTb790eiulJK3e7miBe2/s720/IMG_3827.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" h5="true" height="464" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7KJHeoL7wxNGdFiEkpHhzXZLYZALEuCZKAKi3aKVOV80DcdvstJJHpLFmGWreF_FrgIOOEze1_FGmByjQAR7uDjirhzLC7SDHkPBO55Ctit7d8wLntLu6GoHhBTb790eiulJK3e7miBe2/s640/IMG_3827.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />This one's rated at 200lbs, which I got just to be safe. The mirror probably only weighs maybe 40 or 50lbs, but I dont like to take my chances, especially with drywall. Surprisingly, the instructions said there were no drywall inserts (or studs) needed. We were both a little skeptical, but it came with fancy drywall screws and Brad thought it'd be ok. Here he is installing the two parts:<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGulXi0-4cU6pZ4_lych036XtKLI1uDUx6XqE1PwYanQHaxDf7E108_EsArP2wo4KSedLmqI_MYiIZ3j0LrEOhGsmqntN7gN1owQ_F9ttTxXXEpS_JO7Cmt5HHdozJTaKNOLkpfcqFOk-D/s512/IMG_3828.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" h5="true" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGulXi0-4cU6pZ4_lych036XtKLI1uDUx6XqE1PwYanQHaxDf7E108_EsArP2wo4KSedLmqI_MYiIZ3j0LrEOhGsmqntN7gN1owQ_F9ttTxXXEpS_JO7Cmt5HHdozJTaKNOLkpfcqFOk-D/s640/IMG_3828.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiftIHKyS6S-Er8jOIhYR_61wab24PLexbzRTroVuBvELPg2LQD8E9fsIBBQOBIAEUqPcCLm3g2zoJs2bHPfQJFSpT1LTrYxY5Ox9amZepk01pz1QMyQWvHLmbekfnVrbxlRrgL1wD7OX99/s576/IMG_3831.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" h5="true" height="558" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiftIHKyS6S-Er8jOIhYR_61wab24PLexbzRTroVuBvELPg2LQD8E9fsIBBQOBIAEUqPcCLm3g2zoJs2bHPfQJFSpT1LTrYxY5Ox9amZepk01pz1QMyQWvHLmbekfnVrbxlRrgL1wD7OX99/s640/IMG_3831.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br />And just a few minutes later, no hiccups invoved, we had success!<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR3aKqodh0a1d7BAZOffkjvi6KrianWTXo2bqZq-1hzOwtEyi4GZ5-s7-5cln4TssuadrwmQWVR6SzHLu2t84pDXkxQIYuQR5uz4hPj11WbZjw3VC2Ew-8K7-guW7GbXlOjkj14Xq9cVFY/s640/IMG_3834.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" h5="true" height="516" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR3aKqodh0a1d7BAZOffkjvi6KrianWTXo2bqZq-1hzOwtEyi4GZ5-s7-5cln4TssuadrwmQWVR6SzHLu2t84pDXkxQIYuQR5uz4hPj11WbZjw3VC2Ew-8K7-guW7GbXlOjkj14Xq9cVFY/s640/IMG_3834.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br />Best $15 I ever spent. Seriously guys, if you have something flat and heavy, use a french cleat!<br /><br />Here's a couple close-ups:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvi1JuYLXTwYSUA2xgJtweGtVI6leoVHQ05vGY1XhpMY_4lHXS70poee7WJwFHEG9_WK7oFMm2PB7lhcvMiXBuS8nS4h-3bXUuiYpbFY0PO9ZrFPLisepeTCUnWs_yDAak4C0UqVYPU6AL/s512/IMG_3835.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" h5="true" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvi1JuYLXTwYSUA2xgJtweGtVI6leoVHQ05vGY1XhpMY_4lHXS70poee7WJwFHEG9_WK7oFMm2PB7lhcvMiXBuS8nS4h-3bXUuiYpbFY0PO9ZrFPLisepeTCUnWs_yDAak4C0UqVYPU6AL/s640/IMG_3835.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmWGaheXk2NeMtlrt85mAxjsu98Jc_mv_hKYUnHH1dMYLEG5gtZB6693FYJP3haNY6P7dXVRKUQMhNnTMQTSBRPyzRypHkGNGm5rHygaHjgSJ64fKsWhDx2dN8telht97sIoLbuch0cmoP/s512/IMG_3837.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" h5="true" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmWGaheXk2NeMtlrt85mAxjsu98Jc_mv_hKYUnHH1dMYLEG5gtZB6693FYJP3haNY6P7dXVRKUQMhNnTMQTSBRPyzRypHkGNGm5rHygaHjgSJ64fKsWhDx2dN8telht97sIoLbuch0cmoP/s640/IMG_3837.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><br />With that taken care of, I was able to hang these candle lantern sconces I picked up at Garden Ridge for $20 a couple months ago:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS_ohXs7VS1QKy1lPr5gHkKW9PAvXMut4fWU4YnUKiHxjQJMhKbw04FqjnDIwazl6AaEGHPCKUvSEUsUUr4Mh50WmsPOZ2UJQiBvaMc0f8v6vk7DrcEphXnkmElcpDoG5GlltQEyDncidq/s512/IMG_3841.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" h5="true" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS_ohXs7VS1QKy1lPr5gHkKW9PAvXMut4fWU4YnUKiHxjQJMhKbw04FqjnDIwazl6AaEGHPCKUvSEUsUUr4Mh50WmsPOZ2UJQiBvaMc0f8v6vk7DrcEphXnkmElcpDoG5GlltQEyDncidq/s640/IMG_3841.jpg" width="430" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2m6z8jIlyg8Xi6egETeT97UdDTfOqd170sHhM6ABnI20TNqewBUSmvPbvV-0DrdF0vq-1YwZcmUk0XatFNM0braxerezHMU338sCaiNnOMqby-C_gy3mMpVNlU0Apx6cVNY2dP8J6FJ3_/s512/IMG_3843.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" h5="true" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2m6z8jIlyg8Xi6egETeT97UdDTfOqd170sHhM6ABnI20TNqewBUSmvPbvV-0DrdF0vq-1YwZcmUk0XatFNM0braxerezHMU338sCaiNnOMqby-C_gy3mMpVNlU0Apx6cVNY2dP8J6FJ3_/s640/IMG_3843.jpg" width="470" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4tzCUr7fC13lWwme_kbMjdcZPLzXji5Kb-sYukF0n9J4lQRUXKlWLHUbuPuCAErumGBMXsZZcEQmdUp-NQdlfxmUIzvclXvgwV2rtE_KKs77WY08d-dJMBJhntN2b9Iy7zPbeECaSoY7T/s800/IMG_3842.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" h5="true" height="414" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4tzCUr7fC13lWwme_kbMjdcZPLzXji5Kb-sYukF0n9J4lQRUXKlWLHUbuPuCAErumGBMXsZZcEQmdUp-NQdlfxmUIzvclXvgwV2rtE_KKs77WY08d-dJMBJhntN2b9Iy7zPbeECaSoY7T/s640/IMG_3842.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />Now our dining nook (the poor neglected space of the house) is finally starting to look like one! But no dining room is complete without a light fixture. And I'm happy to say, as of two hours ago, we FINALLY have a light. <br />Behold...<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNdkofWRDTNeZTqceJyiDO50Ua6wXhUSNRnqUA_U3zQlB3_HkgxYZ38hSVaoNpjqbq_ijJJJzLRYKAFjC2jz7d3SGzkCAq7HSkDngSwfqjAlfY1MB3y0UQjiHUAvqfFdrUBZvfeQyfsBuo/s512/IMG_3855.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" h5="true" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNdkofWRDTNeZTqceJyiDO50Ua6wXhUSNRnqUA_U3zQlB3_HkgxYZ38hSVaoNpjqbq_ijJJJzLRYKAFjC2jz7d3SGzkCAq7HSkDngSwfqjAlfY1MB3y0UQjiHUAvqfFdrUBZvfeQyfsBuo/s640/IMG_3855.jpg" width="466" /></a></div><br />I picked up this wind chime at a beach shop a couple months ago, with the intention to convert it into a chandelier. This might have been the hardest project of my life. I won't even get into the near impossible process because I've been dealing with trying to retrofit it for weeks, but it's finally hanging now and that's all that matters (just waiting to hear a big crash in the middle of the night....) At least for now, as long as it stays up there, I can enjoy it, and the awesome sun/flower it projects on the ceiling:<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha53Cd-bwFhaBDcv6eFR0O1EDKsYu9AhcH4PLp0Z5k7l0mkr9E0nrNuH_sODHw1CH9GjEt9WOxbhSFZ2vX2rqC8GGtAEe85AM9NzZRI9HRnbLHseEGEUJIv1hB6BcCxb_M76jytPMswglr/s512/IMG_3858.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" h5="true" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha53Cd-bwFhaBDcv6eFR0O1EDKsYu9AhcH4PLp0Z5k7l0mkr9E0nrNuH_sODHw1CH9GjEt9WOxbhSFZ2vX2rqC8GGtAEe85AM9NzZRI9HRnbLHseEGEUJIv1hB6BcCxb_M76jytPMswglr/s640/IMG_3858.jpg" width="444" /></a></div><br />More pics... cause who doesn't love shells on a chandelier??<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm6HSkXn88AJjWUF058mKSsw9_fGVCtDJne3P8qvmIcDy9BfMHP2jEvtspEEvzWOhgdeOQ9tXS3j6-gjTcoNQa2w6_bDZoKZTIsxJErmfoclZwg1HZOEr-7Q5v3WatgYZoiRgObPrNFrTs/s512/IMG_3859.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" h5="true" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm6HSkXn88AJjWUF058mKSsw9_fGVCtDJne3P8qvmIcDy9BfMHP2jEvtspEEvzWOhgdeOQ9tXS3j6-gjTcoNQa2w6_bDZoKZTIsxJErmfoclZwg1HZOEr-7Q5v3WatgYZoiRgObPrNFrTs/s640/IMG_3859.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2Hvuwc-J2zZdaBFzP7jIHUNuZ_LnAj2454I2LcZ4lDvw6XUXdMUVMrxIyt1Ii7MXMwej2R6I54PHWy_brJK6e6hZRJWE4kCBAXKAfms0Brtkswl11dE5HAC9khFA6-V1HgsILA_9HCQou/s640/IMG_3857.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" h5="true" height="544" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2Hvuwc-J2zZdaBFzP7jIHUNuZ_LnAj2454I2LcZ4lDvw6XUXdMUVMrxIyt1Ii7MXMwej2R6I54PHWy_brJK6e6hZRJWE4kCBAXKAfms0Brtkswl11dE5HAC9khFA6-V1HgsILA_9HCQou/s640/IMG_3857.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />Ahh yes. My life is now complete. Hopefully I can show you the bottom half of this room soon, when it gets a little less boring. <br /><br />Here's something not boring though... our pool is now a light show! Brad apparently hadn't gotten his LED fix from all the yard lights we did a few weeks ago, so he went and bought a color-changing LED pool light (these things are not cheap either... hope it lasts and proves it's worth the $150 price tag...) <br /><br />Prepare yourself for this awesomeness...<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV34d1UN3V5yhocDHKKdllwxg1z1gSxXTe6bCAe8w5fq2dnpAhAVZ5hVdF4xTntQUmPuYR2ImBp3cC_v1ke81d9S01lrkRX-_vGqZ4Jh_RIhqtpSDqM2OWg17VbYDEzSyuRXiMengzuAqW/s800/IMG_3812.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" h5="true" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV34d1UN3V5yhocDHKKdllwxg1z1gSxXTe6bCAe8w5fq2dnpAhAVZ5hVdF4xTntQUmPuYR2ImBp3cC_v1ke81d9S01lrkRX-_vGqZ4Jh_RIhqtpSDqM2OWg17VbYDEzSyuRXiMengzuAqW/s640/IMG_3812.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJoEeBiEZAV_WY-whCBnlGkTXhTY-IUvzCySjwTKFEIjdT2w6FZoKhnVdm4vmlpJ08KVc9aKnOqbcfZWcyZaT3OMEAIWQ3ZW8prO9iQQT1Wz7_neDN9mRY4ES2rJxs-hwWuz7-0apPJMiy/s800/IMG_3813.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" h5="true" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJoEeBiEZAV_WY-whCBnlGkTXhTY-IUvzCySjwTKFEIjdT2w6FZoKhnVdm4vmlpJ08KVc9aKnOqbcfZWcyZaT3OMEAIWQ3ZW8prO9iQQT1Wz7_neDN9mRY4ES2rJxs-hwWuz7-0apPJMiy/s640/IMG_3813.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOs1usRD9kBse8yy4EU0ETd0FrSQUx0Xk64CLzB6sQjNn9e009VvnaUTTwSQWxXIk-8wo2O9syHoCqh5zGxSTCfhB_aHpXLXKTT7fTFi7g-HWB-NeRSCUmnyQ7T7sfU_Bmc9-lSsmMIaDr/s800/IMG_3814.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" h5="true" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOs1usRD9kBse8yy4EU0ETd0FrSQUx0Xk64CLzB6sQjNn9e009VvnaUTTwSQWxXIk-8wo2O9syHoCqh5zGxSTCfhB_aHpXLXKTT7fTFi7g-HWB-NeRSCUmnyQ7T7sfU_Bmc9-lSsmMIaDr/s640/IMG_3814.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3PREK3qLGfdGPbb3m9ikv70lJoewePtV3SD9m3ACR6lPbVUHzAzjut7cCGd4rmsIZN_8StDav2Oz23vqVvESueNzkYWGQIcfYbAk2AxLXsd6222ROCl02UxqxBnKYGWZUbmF2jYEkGY94/s800/IMG_3815.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" h5="true" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3PREK3qLGfdGPbb3m9ikv70lJoewePtV3SD9m3ACR6lPbVUHzAzjut7cCGd4rmsIZN_8StDav2Oz23vqVvESueNzkYWGQIcfYbAk2AxLXsd6222ROCl02UxqxBnKYGWZUbmF2jYEkGY94/s640/IMG_3815.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrCgmZ3UuN7r2pq3WzcY_JfLT0V6w49wr9uFarkwoSP71qm5YDkdINk9UUbgzx1zRj7V0XM6XX1y4n1ZfVVgCfWkx8lq48QrNWmSU4bgx0DO211S7t-jNVU75s9D7-EmcJ6G1YTzEofbwF/s800/IMG_3816.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" h5="true" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrCgmZ3UuN7r2pq3WzcY_JfLT0V6w49wr9uFarkwoSP71qm5YDkdINk9UUbgzx1zRj7V0XM6XX1y4n1ZfVVgCfWkx8lq48QrNWmSU4bgx0DO211S7t-jNVU75s9D7-EmcJ6G1YTzEofbwF/s640/IMG_3816.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />...It's much more exciting in person, really.<br /><br />And on that note, I've got a date with the couch & the Grammy's in 5 minutes... more fun stuff coming in the next post!<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD1ZOo4t-WmiA4eSDRQXGkIjlggfYfA4SkRFnkmfjkwnwBM0UMM7jh1uZcS64Wu6qWQhASAJ0OGeJxF4134Mlo0u60y3StchTU9_u6_2tXfY3MzPRSmTRyNMd00bGc_nt2T99Z39Csa1Cl/s1600/Signature.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" h5="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD1ZOo4t-WmiA4eSDRQXGkIjlggfYfA4SkRFnkmfjkwnwBM0UMM7jh1uZcS64Wu6qWQhASAJ0OGeJxF4134Mlo0u60y3StchTU9_u6_2tXfY3MzPRSmTRyNMd00bGc_nt2T99Z39Csa1Cl/s1600/Signature.jpg" /></a></div>

Mirrors, Beers & Chandeliers

...Not necessarily in that order, but they were all present this weekend. I'll begin with the "big project", the refinishing o...

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I'm sore.

But it was so worth it, because I'm typing this from my brand new office, courtesy of Ikea!<br /><br />Saturday afternoon, I peeked outside the garage to find this:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i1140.photobucket.com/albums/n571/jennasuedesign/IMG_3777.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" h5="true" height="506" src="http://i1140.photobucket.com/albums/n571/jennasuedesign/IMG_3777.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>I was hoping they would arrive in a big blue and yellow truck like it shows on their website... but hey, as long as my crap is in there unharmed, I'm happy.<br /><br />I had been anticipating this moment for two weeks, and when it finally came, we got right down to business:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i1140.photobucket.com/albums/n571/jennasuedesign/IMG_3778.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" h5="true" height="426" src="http://i1140.photobucket.com/albums/n571/jennasuedesign/IMG_3778.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />This was just the couch, there was about 20 more boxes outside the shot full of chairs & office goodness.<br /><br />One or two hours later the boxes transformed into this...<br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://i1140.photobucket.com/albums/n571/jennasuedesign/IMG_3784.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" h5="true" height="426" src="http://i1140.photobucket.com/albums/n571/jennasuedesign/IMG_3784.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em>This couch is so much larger in person... I swear!</em></td></tr></tbody></table><br />Finally, we have a real living room! We also built this TV stand (to replace the coffee table it's been sitting on since December)<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i1140.photobucket.com/albums/n571/jennasuedesign/IMG_3789.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" h5="true" height="426" src="http://i1140.photobucket.com/albums/n571/jennasuedesign/IMG_3789.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i1140.photobucket.com/albums/n571/jennasuedesign/IMG_3791.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" h5="true" height="640" src="http://i1140.photobucket.com/albums/n571/jennasuedesign/IMG_3791.jpg" width="425" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>I was debating between the white or this "grey-brown" flavor...<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.ikea.com/us/en/images/products/hemnes-tv-unit-brown__0106841_PE256079_S4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" h5="true" height="320" src="http://www.ikea.com/us/en/images/products/hemnes-tv-unit-brown__0106841_PE256079_S4.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>I'm definitely happy I chose the white, as the room is starting to become over-saturated with the grey/brown tones. <br /><br />Back to the couch. I had my eye on this Tullinge grey-brown for months, since the new catalog came out almost a year ago:<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.ikea.com/us/en/images/products/kivik-loveseat-and-chaise-lounge-brown__0114754_PE267701_S4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" h5="true" height="640" src="http://www.ikea.com/us/en/images/products/kivik-loveseat-and-chaise-lounge-brown__0114754_PE267701_S4.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>So when we finally bought a house with a living room big enough to hold it... I call and find out it's out of stock. This was back in November, and it's been out of stock in every store in America (and most, if not all of Europe since... yes I checked every.single.store). I was going to wait to take the "big Ikea trip" until it came back in stock, but there was no telling when that would have been. And we really, really needed a couch (among other things). So I sucked it up and went, crossing my fingers I'd be able to settle on something halfway decent. <br /><br />As soon as we walked in the door, there it was, on display. Our couch, in "Teno Light Grey". When I went in for a closer look, I was pretty much sold. I loved the durable woven fabric, and the thread coloring looked to be the same colors as our walls. That was the end of that couch hunt.<br /><br />When I held the swatches up to the fabric, it was dead on. The top color is our kitchen (which is semi-open to the living area), the middle swatch is the living room, and the bottom is the dining nook and entryway. All colors were present in the fabric. Can't get any more perfect than that, can it?<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i1140.photobucket.com/albums/n571/jennasuedesign/IMG_3794.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" h5="true" height="426" src="http://i1140.photobucket.com/albums/n571/jennasuedesign/IMG_3794.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br />And here's the new furnitures together:<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i1140.photobucket.com/albums/n571/jennasuedesign/IMG_3785.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" h5="true" height="426" src="http://i1140.photobucket.com/albums/n571/jennasuedesign/IMG_3785.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />The room still has a long ways to go in the form of pillows, art, accessories, etc... so we're not quite ready for an "After" picture. But just for fun, let's backtrack to a few months ago...<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i1140.photobucket.com/albums/n571/jennasuedesign/Jacksonville%20Home/IMG_2180.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" h5="true" height="426" src="http://i1140.photobucket.com/albums/n571/jennasuedesign/Jacksonville%20Home/IMG_2180.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />That makes for a good before shot! I don't even remember that room anymore. <br /><br /><br />Moving on to the room I am sitting at in this very moment... we officially have a workstation, ladies and gentlemen.<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i1140.photobucket.com/albums/n571/jennasuedesign/IMG_3786.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" h5="true" height="426" src="http://i1140.photobucket.com/albums/n571/jennasuedesign/IMG_3786.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br />It's still in the preliminary stages, as we're about to build a new computer and re-run the wires, get another printer, another chair, a rug, art, etc etc etc. But the bones are there, and I couldn't be happier/more relieved.<br /><br />Originally, I had planned to form an L shape with the two desks (one on the wall to the left when you walk in, and the other up against it on the back wall. That would have worked... but I apparently didn't measure the gap between the computer shelf and the second desk, leaving no room for my chair. Argh. But Brad and I worked together to come up with this alternative, which I actually think makes more sense now. It opens up the room a lot, so we can... stretch out on the floor, or something, if we ever wanted. Maybe we'll throw some bean bags down on the floor. Is that cheesy? Oh well. Here's another shot of "my side" <em>(I call it my side, but my stuff will really be taking up 80% of the desk, cause this was supposed to be "my" office... since Brad has "his" Man Cave)</em><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i1140.photobucket.com/albums/n571/jennasuedesign/IMG_3787.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" h5="true" height="426" src="http://i1140.photobucket.com/albums/n571/jennasuedesign/IMG_3787.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />Recognize those shelves above? They're the same ones we used in the Man Cave, in separated form.<br /><br />And here's "his" side...<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i1140.photobucket.com/albums/n571/jennasuedesign/IMG_3788.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" h5="true" height="426" src="http://i1140.photobucket.com/albums/n571/jennasuedesign/IMG_3788.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />There you have it, two huge checkmarks off our to-do list. We've been building furniture all weekend, but much of Saturday morning was spent hand-sanding down the dining room mirror that I'm in the middle of refinishing. I wasn't able to finish it today, but that will be the next post, so stay tuned! In the meantime, we've got a Superbowl party to host on our new couch. I hope the guests like it half as much as I do :)<br /><br />Happy Superbowl Sunday!<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtsISIU83QGF0wqlFCPztwdn53ogXwG0UwfdWICf44Ledo5GzZXODqzPRoG432q0-EGip_KoWZb8yaSh1HfP6Zc4mILeh0gmjieWyTEKDX48oiwzfYielxWko3lR5ZhTSFTBQDAqrTaBfn/s1600/Signature.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" h5="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtsISIU83QGF0wqlFCPztwdn53ogXwG0UwfdWICf44Ledo5GzZXODqzPRoG432q0-EGip_KoWZb8yaSh1HfP6Zc4mILeh0gmjieWyTEKDX48oiwzfYielxWko3lR5ZhTSFTBQDAqrTaBfn/s1600/Signature.jpg" /></a></div>

I'm sore.

But it was so worth it, because I'm typing this from my brand new office, courtesy of Ikea! Saturday afternoon, I peeked outside the gar...

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White Paint + Man Cave

Can someone remind me why off-white doors are so common? You don't usually see off-white trim... so how do they expect it to match anything? Both this house and our first home (located on opposite coasts so it's not a regional thing) had the exact same hollow faux-wood or whatever they are doors, in OFF WHITE. Maybe they designed them specifically to match the <a href="http://jennasuedesign.blogspot.com/2011/01/swedish-saturday.html">"white" Ikea frames</a>? Interesting. Anyway, builders/remodelers, please spend the extra few bucks or whatever per door and just get it in white. <br /><br />Luckily, our last house only had a few doors<em> (literally... there was 3 in the whole house, it was that small),</em> so repainting them all one by one was a pain but it didn't drive us <em>completely</em> nuts. And even luckier, someone at least made an attempt to repaint all the doors in the current house to white. But apparently they forgot doors usually have a backside to them, like this one in the office:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i1140.photobucket.com/albums/n571/jennasuedesign/Jacksonville%20Home/IMG_3724.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" s5="true" src="http://i1140.photobucket.com/albums/n571/jennasuedesign/Jacksonville%20Home/IMG_3724.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>Yeah, that had to go. A few coats later with white paint+primer and my favorite foam roller brush:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i1140.photobucket.com/albums/n571/jennasuedesign/Jacksonville%20Home/IMG_3743-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" s5="true" src="http://i1140.photobucket.com/albums/n571/jennasuedesign/Jacksonville%20Home/IMG_3743-1.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><br />*Enter sigh of relief here*. Actually I shouldn't say that just yet, because they also forgot the inside of our master closet door... which I'll get to one day (along with spray painting all the hinges ORB to match the handles! Gold star for you if you caught that)<br /><br />While I had the paint out, I went ahead and fixed this shelving gap in the Man Cave:<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i1140.photobucket.com/albums/n571/jennasuedesign/Jacksonville%20Home/IMG_3719.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="448" s5="true" src="http://i1140.photobucket.com/albums/n571/jennasuedesign/Jacksonville%20Home/IMG_3719.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />These are two Ribba ledge shelves from Ikea. I wanted one long piece to stretch across the wall, so the closest thing was to get two and line them up. As you can see from this picture, we sucked at mounting them and were left with an unsightly gap. In case you're wondering, the eyeball thing to the left is the screw hole, and the round stickers Ikea gives you to "conceal" it. I wasn't too concerned with it though because they'll be hidden by pictures.<br /><br />So, I whipped out my Patch & Paint to fill the gap. You can see how it ended up looking below...<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://i1140.photobucket.com/albums/n571/jennasuedesign/Jacksonville%20Home/IMG_3729.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" s5="true" src="http://i1140.photobucket.com/albums/n571/jennasuedesign/Jacksonville%20Home/IMG_3729.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em>No, the shelves aren't curved... it's just my lens!</em></td></tr></tbody></table><br />Not that great, I know. The edges actually lined up quite well in the back, but one shelf stuck out a smidge further than the other in the front, making it difficult to make a smooth transition. I thought about using caulk, but you can't sand it down smooth. <br /><br />Instead, I slathered on a ton of the patch & paint, waited an hour or so for it to dry, and was able to very gently sand it down, to create a smooth slope from one edge to the other. Then I painted the entire shelf a nice bright white. <br /><br />Here's an after shot where the two shelves meet...<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i1140.photobucket.com/albums/n571/jennasuedesign/Jacksonville%20Home/IMG_3744-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="446" s5="true" src="http://i1140.photobucket.com/albums/n571/jennasuedesign/Jacksonville%20Home/IMG_3744-1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />You can see an idea of where it used to be (I wasn't using the best tools for the job, i.e. too low grit sandpaper, crappy paint brush, wrong type of spackle)... but really it's hardly noticable in person. If I didn't point it out, I swear no one would ever know.<br /><br />Even the screw dots look much better!<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i1140.photobucket.com/albums/n571/jennasuedesign/Jacksonville%20Home/IMG_3746-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="496" s5="true" src="http://i1140.photobucket.com/albums/n571/jennasuedesign/Jacksonville%20Home/IMG_3746-1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>Here's the wide shot:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i1140.photobucket.com/albums/n571/jennasuedesign/Jacksonville%20Home/IMG_3745-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="210" s5="true" src="http://i1140.photobucket.com/albums/n571/jennasuedesign/Jacksonville%20Home/IMG_3745-1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br />And *drumroll*... here's the first post move-in shot of the Man Cave. I need to fill those frames with some custom art (I set emtpy ones there now to get an idea of the setup), and soon I plan on refinishing that wooden side table and painting it white.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i1140.photobucket.com/albums/n571/jennasuedesign/Jacksonville%20Home/IMG_3752.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" s5="true" src="http://i1140.photobucket.com/albums/n571/jennasuedesign/Jacksonville%20Home/IMG_3752.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>We're going with a grey-white-beige palette for the room. More to come as it's slowly completed!<br /><br />And I'm counting down the hours until Saturday when our Ikea furniture will arrive. Soon I'll be relaxing on this:<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.ikea.com/us/en/images/products/kivik-loveseat-and-chaise-lounge-gray__0112931_PE264819_S4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" s5="true" src="http://www.ikea.com/us/en/images/products/kivik-loveseat-and-chaise-lounge-gray__0112931_PE264819_S4.JPG" /></a></div>So excited... Hurry up and get here weekend!!!<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtsISIU83QGF0wqlFCPztwdn53ogXwG0UwfdWICf44Ledo5GzZXODqzPRoG432q0-EGip_KoWZb8yaSh1HfP6Zc4mILeh0gmjieWyTEKDX48oiwzfYielxWko3lR5ZhTSFTBQDAqrTaBfn/s1600/Signature.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" s5="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtsISIU83QGF0wqlFCPztwdn53ogXwG0UwfdWICf44Ledo5GzZXODqzPRoG432q0-EGip_KoWZb8yaSh1HfP6Zc4mILeh0gmjieWyTEKDX48oiwzfYielxWko3lR5ZhTSFTBQDAqrTaBfn/s1600/Signature.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>

White Paint + Man Cave

Can someone remind me why off-white doors are so common? You don't usually see off-white trim... so how do they expect it to match anyth...

Read more »