Getting set for summer fun around the house

 hello again friends....I hope you are all doing well and enjoying some sun, we have been getting so much rain here...but everything is very green...so that's a plus I suppose.

I am longing to spend  a whole lot of time outdoors very soon...so we have been focusing on our outdoor spaces...I finally got around to getting some flowers for our pots to brighten up our front porch.

The weather had finally warmed enough for me to get rid of the big brown door colour that we didn't love. I had planned on painting our garage door a pale shade of grey but it turned out to look like fleshy peach so I ditched that idea and went straight for the safest choice...white... and I love it.

I wanted to add some colour to my White wood workshop, why not have a pop of colour on the side of our house facing the farm behind??? I started by framing the back window with farmhouse trim and adding a nice header then I flanked the window with the cutest barn door style shutters I painted the colour Perfect Landing by Behr...it is a soft greyish blue with a whole bunch of perwinkle...I figured why not have a little fun with the back of the garage since I don't have a barn or bunkie...

it is the most charming addition to our outdoor space, the barn style light from Home Hardware goes a long way to personalize this space and to add that farmhouse charm I was after.

Before

 I used steel gate hinges that I painted black as non functional hinges to accent the shutters.

 I built these shutter out of 1x4 pine in an overlay construction and used kreg joinery for the frame and of course I used my Ryobi airstrike brad nailer and impact driver

 One of the must haves for our outdoor spaces would be string lights...we have been known to use them year round on a timer at our last house...we will have to take these down here in the winter due to snow sliding off our metal roof...but for the warmer months these are so charming...

I picked up these Canvas montmarte heavy duty garden lights from Canadian tire...they are very nice lights and the package came with extra bulbs which is appreciated, these lights really require a support line to hang them from...I wasn't expecting this step but after installing the lights I can see why the support line is needed.

 I picked up a medium gague coated wire, some clamps and eye hooks to create the zigzag formation wire framework.We used zip ties to attach the string lights to the wire support.

It's truly magical...and a very simple project to tackle in a couple of hours.

One more small project I was able to complete was this simple yet pretty gate from scrap wood I had in the garage... a bit of white paint and some left over hardware and now Moe has a nice leash free perch to enjoy...

I used this easy to install method to attach the gate to the deck, I just simply nailed the support to the gate then to the deck leveled it and did not have to fumble to attach the hinges...who ever came up with this method was a genius.

It also makes for a great back drop...

I hope that you are all enjoying this time of year...I'm just happy to be spending a good amount of time outside without a parka on.

Spring brings so much re-birth and a fresh start...

 We had our new door installed late last month...it went really smoothly, they did a great job framing in the opening to fit our new 36" door, it looks perfect and it works beautifully and keeps all the weather and critters out...so that is amazing... it sounds like a real door...the wood doors were very loud and there was a wood breaking noise that they would make every time they were opened...we could see outside 24/7 through gaps around the doors and under the doors... so replacing the doors was 100% necessary...the door was bought through Home Depot and is a Doorplex door.

I still have not planted anything...I'm sad about that...but the windows will sadly need to be removed and replaced and I imagine that will cause a mess and if I plant here the plants will surely be destroyed so I will be patient...as well we want to switch out the light above the door and I think that might require scaffolding... 

I am so glad we went with the seeded glass for the door...I can still see through it but it is private enough for us and it has loads of character, I wanted it to blend nicely with our old windows that we thought we could keep, sadly we can't...we really really tried, we honestly don't have the $40,000 laying around to replace them but if we don't the walls will rot...I need a sad face emoji here.

The coffee bar is coming along nicely with the addition of my barn door style chalk board...

I made this table to match our exsisting tables from the old house, one of them worked but this space allowance was tight so I made a smaller version.

I have made several of these antique bracelet holders and gave them as gifts for mothers day...the bottom is old reclaimed flooring from our new house.

Hope everyone enjoyed a lovely Mother's Day.

Faux barn board faux platform bed...White wood cronicles...#1 entry design plans

 I have been very slowly making progress with some aspects of our home....I have completed a barnwood style rustic bed frame for Mason....the ceiling height in the basement is pretty low so we have had this bed sitting right on the floor so I came up with a simple faux platform bed frame design to create a headboard from rough lumber that I stained with many shades of minwax stain...classic grey, special walnut, ebony and weathered oak....to be exact

I simply wrapped the box spring with more planks and used brackets to attach all the pieces... it looks like a platform bed but it is a faux platform be essentially...it is the perfect industrial rustic boho look we were going for..

 this is one of those simple two day projects... a bunch of 1x12" rough boards cut to length, sanded, stained and clear coated with a flat top coat...

I have a list as long as my arm to do of changes to make to turn this house into a home...well to make this old church into a home, one thing I want to convey from the design is that this is undoubtedly a home, there has been enough confusion....would you believe that we have had many people walk straight in the front doors...not even a knock.....even though I have installed a plaque saying private residence.... and now I have installed a doorbell.....so bizarre

We did not have any wiring for a doorbell so I ordered a replica old fashioned door bell...but you get what you pay for because it lasted about 2 months...so after I'd say 6-7 people walking right in I thought enough is enough...I'm getting a doorbell and I found this one from Honeywell...it's so neat, you choose the bell tone and the speaker can be installed or brought anywhere up to 150 feet away, so it can be brought where you are, basement, the garage the back deck, no more missing someone or a package at the door, especially great if I am working in the shop and waiting on a delivery...and it lights up...only $60 (not sponsored)

I have been working on the curb appeal, having a church/house has it's challenges...people not realizing it is a home being a big one...I am going for a modern farmhouse vibe for our new home...we love the beautiful white clapboard siding and simple lines...I fell in love with these big contemporary numbers from NumberMyHouse....you decide the font, color and size.

I think they are so much nicer than what was there and they are bold and clean....our new front door will be installed tomorrow which I am so excited for...it is one 36" door, no more squeezing in a 24" door, no more leaks...I'm hoping, it has a 3/4 window and seeded glass and is black...I am so excited to see how it looks on the house...the current doors will be used indoors...because they are interior pine doors...I will paint them and put them on the closet in the entry because I hate the sliding mirrored doors....that would never be my choice....

I will be planting limelight hydrangeas and boxwoods in the front beds as soon as we figure out where the water that is leaking in is coming from, I am hopeful it is just the doors that aren't functioning.

We have installed all the farmhouse lights with the exception of the one above the front door...we have to figure how to get up there safely.... I have the paint to paint the garage door it will be collanade grey a sherwin williams color....a soft grey...

Our home is heritage so we want to respect this and work with the committee to have alterations approved...we were just approved to paint the wainscotting a creamy white...which will be a big job but one change that will be like a breath of fresh air....and it will help us to upgrade the baseboard and the moulding under the chair rail that is currently missing and this will allow us to add more of this v-groove. 

you can see here just how bad some of the wainscotting condition is....and that baseboard well that isn't what this place deserves...oh and I finally have a house that really really warrants using this brick

This entry is a sad mess....

here are the current problems

-cords running across the floor

-leaking, narrow front doors

-dark

-tiled area is too small

-mirrored sliding doors

I painted the pew that came with the house a white chalkpaint...and it is a useful appropriate piece for the entry...but that big rug covers all the tile in the entry I can probably switch out that big rug already...it stops in a weird place in my opinion....this would have made a great one room challenge space....the smaller rug covered the electrical cord to power our Internet...so not practical and it is a temporary solution, we are waiting for a new internet satelite and that will be relocated to the back of the house where it should have been all along but it was installed in a snow storm on moving day....so....it happened.

Once the new door goes in then I will start demolishing the tile...

here is my entry to do list

-new door

-remove mirrored doors

-create mini mudroom with hooks and shoe shelving

-paint wood doors and install on closet

-remove tile and expand tile bed

-install thin brick in herringbone

-build a custom entry table

look at this fresh white canvas...I can't wait to paint...

until next time....

just to be clear in case it's not obvious, there are not sponsors for any of these products I have mentioned...