How I Spent My Summer Vacation

I have been on holidays for the past two weeks. I've knocked off a wack of to-do's on the list. Wack-a-do's done!

I also fit in a trip to my hometown with my son to visit my parents for a few days and it was a really nice break. They live at a beautiful lake in Saskatchewan and my mom has created an amazing oasis with all of her flowers and decorating.  She spoiled us rotten as she always does.  The weather was spectacular and it was a wonderfully relaxing time. Unfortunately my daughter had to stay behind and work which was disappointing.  Growing up sucks.

The bathroom is finished!

I love the way it turned out.  In fact, I think this might be my favorite reno I've ever done. Not in process, but in finished look.

I finally got the mirror on Wed. They told me it had been cut for a while but they couldn't figure out who it belonged to because the note taped to it had fallen off. Considering I had called 3 times 2 weeks prior to see if it was ready it sounded strange to me. I kept thinking they might have broken it, but couldn't understand why they wouldn't just tell me that. I was just so happy that they actually cut the holes in it that my exasperation did not last. Besides, it's pointless to get twisted about the small things in life. These minor inconveniences add interest to the day and are certainly not real problems. My son came over Thur to help me install it. Definitely a two person project. I can't quite believe it actually happened considering the earlier disappointments in the cost overrun, the run around at the glass shop and the possibility of breaking it during the install. I love love love the look of the lights on top of the mirror.

Friday I installed the faucet. I've done this once before quite a few years ago and all I can say is upon reading 'drop stopper into drain body and insert ball rod into opening' I'm grateful to the person who invented diagrams. I don't think I'll be applying for any plumber jobs anytime soon. The one thing that always frustrates me is my limited physical strength. It's harder for me to get fittings apart and so on but I persevere and having a locking vise-grip makes the impossible possible.

I made some folding tables that I will post later with instructions on how to make them.  

I made a jewelry case using a store bought picture.  

I finished a pair of socks (1 was about 2/3 done on the trip to Saskatchewan...10 hours each way in the car is a lotta knit time.  I love having grown up children who can drive!!!!  .

This picture which is now hanging in the bathroom was something that I had made previously.  I bought the frame in the As Is at Ikea for $5.  I cut the brown mat board for the back and then I used double sided adhesive and cut it to size and then sprinkled sand on top and then glued the shells on.  I bought the starfish at a cute little shop on the California coast.  I love having things around me that are meaningful from travels or handed down from family.

And THAT is how I spent my vacation.  Got lots done (even cleaned out the garage).  Had a great break.  Oh and I finished reading The Help and then went to the movie.  Both were very good and I highly recommend them.  The book was better, but I've never been to a movie that was better than a book.

Just Tell Me the Truth....

No mirror.  I called the glass shop on Tue, Wed & Fri to ask if the mirror was cut.  on Tue & Wed I had a very hard time getting any real answer - we're short staffed, their working on it, should be soon.  On Friday the receptionist said that the technician was nervous about cutting it and he had left the job for the manager who tried to finish up these jobs on Saturdays when it was a bit quieter.  This is all fine and understandable but she could have just said that on Tuesday.  Why the vagueness, it's not like we're dating.  I've tried every day this week to arrange a time for my son to come over to help install it and to take both of my kids out for dinner and it was impossible.

I'm at their mercy, if they are that busy then they probably don't need this piddly job and the stress but c'mon people just say it'll take a week or two weeks, when I dropped it off last Friday I was told that it might be ready the next day.  I have done as much as I can in the bathroom but I have no finished product to show you yet.  I know, I'm excited to see it all done too!

I installed the towel bars and that should be easy but it was a bit more challenging than it needed to be.   I installed it to the measurements in the directions to discover that the measurement was wrong.

TIP: there was a very small alan key included with the towel bar that you have to use to screw in this miniature screw in the bottom of the bar to hold it tight to the bracket on the wall.  When I have small pieces like this that I might need sometime in the future I like to put them along with the instructions into a ziploc bag.  In this case I will just leave it in a drawer in the bathroom.  It would be very difficult to get them off without this little tool if you ever wanted to replace them .

I have all kinds of projects up my sleeve and will fill time while I wait for the mirror.

Mirror, mirror on the wall, who's the slowest glass cutter of them all.......

On Second Thought....

I don't know if I could marry a guy like Cap'n Crunch.  I have a feeling our kids would be total froot loops.

Confession time

My name is Stitchy and I'm addicted to Cap'n Crunch. I love him so much I would marry him. Don't judge me.

Days 5 & 6

It isn't really only 5 days since I started the bathroom reno but my full-time job kept me from getting to much done in the bathroom this week.  On Saturday which was day 5 of the reno I painted the first coat on the walls.

This is the color, what do you think?  I'm really pleased with my patching job.  I didn't know if it would look really amateur but you can't tell where the patch is.  

The ceiling patch is a little more noticeable (at least to me).  I tried a different product.  It was a bucket of stipple made by Lepages.  It was much better to apply it using a sponge and being able to control where it was going.  The little pebbles in it that create the stipple weren't as large as the existing stipple so it's not quite a perfect match, however with a coat of paint today it isn't too bad.  If I was doing a ceiling where it would be more noticeable I think I would consult with a professional to find out what a better method would be.  

Today, which was reno day 6, I painted the second coat on the walls.  Painted the re-strippled ceiling that had the cracked spackle (just had to throw that in there), installed a new doorknob, put the baseboards back on and all of that took less time than cleaning out the filthy tub that the ....ahem...cracked spackle had fallen into.  

On the mirror saga there is some hope.  I found a discount mirror that was a thicker mirror than my original buy as well as less expensive (frugalista score) and the fellow at Crystal glass thinks he can cut the holes in it I need.  He told me he'd try to get it done for Saturday, but he didn't call.  I'm keeping my fingers crossed that he is able to cut it.  If it doesn't work I have found some mirrors that will fit between the sconces but it just won't be quite as trendy as I was hoping for.

The only things left to do are install the new toilet, the new faucet, the new vanity hardware, a transition between the hallway and the bathroom floor, the mirror and light fixtures, towel bars and shower curtain.  And a few finishing touches.

I highly recommend these great brushes called Eco-Brush.  You buy a handle and then the brush is sold as a refill.  They are one of the nicest paint brushes I have ever used.  I wash them and re-use them over and over and when they start losing their sharp edge I simply buy a refill.  They are far more economical than a really good brush so replacing a refill is not very costly.  I stopped using painters tape when I discovered these and I just cut in my edges by hand.  They really do create a nice sharp edge.  I also label my paint cans.  You will see that I wrote the room that I painted and the date on the can.  I always joke that my house used to be 1500 square feet but I've painted so often that it's down to 1400.  At one time I kind of just went with whatever color happened to suit me for a room but I'm more aware of being consistent with colours as I may at some point want to give up all of the snow shovelling and lawn mowing and I know that neutral is more sellable than anything too custom looking.  I also recommend these small paint samples.  I bought this one and kept the paint chip with all of the harmonious colors and taped it to the lid.  These sample paints are $5 and can save you a lot of money in the long run.  I loved this color called Cocoa Latte but it was simply too dark for such a small room that has no natural light.  Better to spend $5 for the tester that can be used to test another spot someday than to spend $40 for a gallon of paint to discover it just doesn't suit the room.

I think the next post will possibly be a finished bathroom.  I hope very much that the mirror works out the way I want it to.  Can't wait to show you the finished product!

I didn't pick knitting, knitting picked me

I can't remember a time in my life when I didn't knit. I have this vague memory of lying in my crib staring at my mobile and trying to figure out if I could get the sticks and string apart.  What  I can't figure out, however, is why I love it so much? I've knit sweaters that didn't fit properly, didn't look quite the way I'd hoped or shrunk in the wash because I didn't do a test swatch. The most recent project in my knitting basket was a v-neck tank top. I usually do a test swatch and wash it to see how it holds up, this time I just threw caution to the wind and cast on the entire back and worked the pattern for 14". I did check the guage as I was knitting and it was exactly what it was supposed to be.  I decided last night that I should actually see how it would wash. It shrunk 2 1/4" in length and grew 2" in width. How on earth does that happen? Craziness! And obviously the caution I threw to the wind came back and slapped me upside the head. (btw, you shouldn't spray paint into the wind either...just sayin') Yet....I don't give up. What's up with that?

I would like to think that I have gotten through a lot of difficulties because of this attitude. Some like to call it stubborn but I prefer to think of it as tenacious. Raising children alone takes a lot of perseverance. When there's no one to back you up on discipline, no one to relieve you from cooking, chauferring, doctoring, worrying, not to mention driver training you need a healthy dose of perseverance. I didn't always understand this, a lot of days it was just doing what needed to be done with no thought about it ever getting better or easier and then one day it just was.  (and some days it still isn't even though they are 20 and 22-yes I know I look too young to have children that old)  If you're raising children alone try not to let the difficulties take away from the joys.  If you can't afford much, maybe you can buy a carton of icecream and some sprinkles and have a sundae night.  If you don't know the right thing to do in a situation, do your best, your kids will know you care even if the decision you make isn't 100% right.

I may not understand my love of knitting and I may not understand why I ended up as a single parent but I know that I have some sweaters that are incredibly beautiful.  I have given gifts of baby sweaters, slippers, mitts and scarves to friends who have been delighted.  I've had many nights of feeling at peace as I knit my worries and care away and I have 2 great kids that I have been given the privilege of being a mom too.  

I threw caution to the wind years ago when I decided that I wanted to be a mom and after many washes they still fit my life perfectly.  Not every pattern will work out as you hoped it would, but how much richer will your life be if you try?  Maybe do a test swatch first....learn from your mistakes.

Tomorrow we talk renos. Stay tuned for updates to the bathroom.

Mama Mia here I go again...Days 3 & 4...

Yesterday I installed the tile.  

I took a bit of a break last night and watched Mama Mia with a friend.  I have a love of the cheesy musicals and the Abba.  A little dose of fun and friendship was exactly what I needed after a lot of hard work over Fri, Sat & Sun.  

Today I tackled the worst job of any reno project - painting the ceiling.  I can't tell you how much I dislike painting ceilings...well I guess I can, but will you listen?  Will you understand?  Yuck yuck yuck.  The one thing that makes it a little more bearable is that fantastic smart paint that goes on light pink, allowing you to see where you painted, and dries crisp white.  

I have a few tips for the diyr's out there.  

1) I used a product called Acoustic Patch by Homax, it is terrible.  It is a patching product that comes in a spray can for patching 'popcorn' ceilings.  I had a spot over the shower that the ceiling texture had cracked and needed fixing.  I scraped the cracked spackle (cracked spackle... makes me giggle) off and then used this product.  It clogged in the can, it sprayed unevenly, it clumped, it was awful.  I was covered in the stuff when I was done.  I decided to paint anyway, thinking that it might possibly look better after I was done.  It doesn't.  I will have to re-stipple and re-paint that section.  

2) Another great diy tip - wrap your paint roller in a plastic grocery bag and you don't have to clean it.  I don't think I'd ever have the patience to clean a ceiling roller anyway but it saves having to buy another one.  Especially if you need to do a crackled spackle repair (can you tell I like the cracked spackle?) and repaint in a day or two.  If I think I won't use if for a few days I put it in the freezer, just remember to take it out about 12 hours or so before you want to paint again.  (but do not bake at 350).  This works with any brush or roller that you want to re-use.

3) I always paint the ceiling before the walls.  I don't get crazy concerned about getting the ceiling paint on the walls if I'm repainting the walls but I keep a wet rag handy to wipe off any really excess spills.  If you get a drip running down the wall, you will see it through the paint, so wipe it off.

4) Wear a painters hat - you don't need diy highlights

5) Play music you love and face your Waterloo

The painting process is never that long, it's all the prep that needs to take place before that is so time consuming.  Once I got going it only took 1 1/2 hours to paint the ceiling.

I also grouted the tile.  Mixing grout is a lot easier than mixing mortar.  Now I will wait a couple hours for it to dry and then wipe off all the haze on the tiles.  Best to leave it for 24 hours to completely dry before walking on the tiles.  

Grouting in progress.

Grouting complete.

I love it ...  I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do!!!!