Got Frames?

During my a few naps (aka "free time") last week, I put together a little gallery for the basement wall.  I haven't done much in the way of decorating the space thus far, so it I am excited to have something up on the wall to make it feel a little more finished down there.

Here is a peek at what it looked like before we started the whole basement project:

Not the best angle, but you can sort of get the idea.  It is the left-most part of the photo, where the two patio chairs are....

And a few more progress shots along the way... 

I already had 10 of the 16 frames (plus the letter "P") from other places in the house, so I just ran out to Michaels and picked up the other 6 for 70% off.  They were on sale for 50% and then I had an extra 20% off coupon with me.  SCORE!  No real reason why I chose 16, it just ended up looking good once I laid it all out along the wall.

Most of the frames that I already had weren't white though, so I had to spray-paint them with some leftover primer and white semi-gloss paint that I had on the shelf (I think they were both Krylon).  

Next, I placed all of the frames on the floor in front of the wall to see how they would look arranged.  I probably changed them around 15 times before I got a winning layout....

Then I started to fill the frames with photos, posters, fabric remnants, pillow cases, etc.  Random things, but that was sort of the look I was going for.  Anything that fit a sort of nautical/navy/lime/turquoise theme.  I even had a sand dollar and some burlap, so I laid out the burlap as a border and placed the shell in the center.

Map of Ireland

An extra letter "P" from Pace's room, the #13 boat was from the navy yard sailing club that we used to belong to when we lived in Charlestown, then there is a print we got in San Fransisco a few years ago and a postcard from where we got married in the bottom left.  The top right is part of a piece of paper that I got at Paper Source for $0.25 a while back, the photo on the right is the view from our old condo in Charlestown and the bottom right is a wedding envelope invitation I kept....          here's a closer look...

I love the cool vintage stamps.  Such a great idea....

The whale is a print on a piece of fabric.  I bought this on vacation in St. John a few months ago and had planned to make a pillow out of it.....but it fit in this frame pretty well so I'll keep it in there for now.  The card above that was from my brother and sister-in-law when they found out we were pregnant.  I love the saying ("Life is a series of thousands of tiny miracles")....so true.  The fabric behind it is actually a sample that I got in the mail from Tonic Living when I was checking out different fabrics for Pace's nursery.  Love that website!  Go check it out if you haven't already.  And then there is the sand dollar that I backed with some burlap.  Closer look here....

And another post card (a little off-center and tilted....oops)....with burlap backing too...

Here is a close-up of the San Fran post card that I mentioned earlier too.  I have only been there once in my life but I loved, loved, loved it.  I wrote more about that trip here.  

And finally, I cut out pieces of newspaper the size of each frame and marked where the slots were for hanging it before taping them up on the wall where I wanted them.  This makes it easier (and less messy) when working on a project like this.  Instead of putting 50 holes in the wall trying to get it just right, the prep work really makes it more clean in the end.

And here is the finished product...

Hmm....I think the "tiny miracles" card in the middle is a little tilted too, now that I see it in this photo.  Oops!!!  We also still need to create a little box to cover up the septic system electrical box (to the right of the photos), but that is for another day......

And just a quick little recap of the project, before and after style:
 

I'll work on some full basement shots as soon as I can clear out the power tools and make it look relatively presentable. Until then, I'd love to see some of your gallery walls.....

Oh, and any suggestions for what to put in the frame on the bottom left?  There is just a stock photo in there now.  I was thinking of one of these, but I'm not sure which one..

The top one is from our trip to Zanzibar two years ago, the middle is from Schoodic Point in Winter Harbor, ME and the bottom is from Santorini where we went three years ago.  They are all special places for us, so it is hard to decide.  I think the coloring in the top and bottom ones might work best, but I'd love your opinion.....

 Linking up to these fun parties.....A to Z, Sew Much Ado, My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia and Lil' Luna

T(o)iling Away!

Here is what I've been up to the last few weekends....

Slowly but surely, I am finishing up this bathroom.  Any extra time that I've had over the last two weeks, I have dedicated to this shower.  An hour here, two hours there.  Luckily it is pretty easy to set up and take down this kind of project, since my tools consist of a bucket of thinset mortar and a trowel (and the tile saw every few rows or so), but I really need a solid 8-10 hours to really put a dent in it.  It is relatively easy work once I got started.....but it is painstakingly tedious.  The planning and measuring was really the hardest part.  I think I mentioned in my last post about the bathroom (here), that the shower floor has a slow gradiant to allow for the water to flow to the drain.  Because of that, and since I wanted the subway tiles to be perfectly level, I had to draw out a start line along the bottom edge to make sure that the first full set of tiles would line up perfectly all the way around the three sides of the shower wall.  To rectify the small gap that was caused by this, I am going to use thin pieces of subway tile in the brick pattern underneath that first full row to fill in the space.  You can see these strips have been cut and placed in the last photo above.  Once it is all grouted and finished, you will not notice that at all.....hopefully! 

I considered just starting the rows of subway tile right on top of the rock floor, but that would have made it difficult to match them up around the edges....and would have made the rows a little angled here and there as well.  EEK!  Not acceptable.  I am a perfectionist (if you haven't already noticed), and it would have bothered me more to have two subway tiles not meet in a corner than to have a few thin pieces along the bottom.  I am looking at those pieces as a sort of molding or trim anyway.  That makes it seem a little more deliberate.....or at least I'm telling myself that.  And in the end I think it will look nice when all of the sides match up.  It will be more of a continuous look for your eye to follow. 

The threshold was the next hardest part of this project, but only in terms of the cutting.  We found an 10' x 5' piece of carrera marble at Lowe's and cut it down to size with our small tile saw.  The blade could handle it, it was really just guiding the heavy piece through that took a lot of time.....and strength!  But after a few minutes of sweating and praying that it wouldn't crack from the pressure, we had a custom-fit piece of marble to attach on.  We cut it a little wider (or deeper, depending on how you are looking at it) to allow for a small lip on the outside edge.  I thought it looked a little cleaner that way.  In the shower, it meets up perfectly with a bullnose tile (to be shown in the next post). 

So that's where we are in the whole basement renovation process.  It is coming along, just not as fast as I would like.  My parents are coming up this weekend to help out, so hopefully I can get a full day of tiling in and see how far that gets me.  I'm getting nervous around the left-side of the shower where there is a little jut out in the wall, though.  As you can see in the photos, I have been avoiding it so far.  I'm thinking that I will use some bullnose tile to make the corner a little smoother, but we will see how it all looks.  I will post about that next week!

Oh, and I hope everyone had a great Memorial Day weekend!!!  We went up to Bar Harbor to visit my in-laws and it was peaceful.  I know that's sort of a boring way of describing a trip, but they live pretty far off-the-beaten-path.  Hm....that doesn't quite describe it.  Let's just say, when you think you've driven to the edge of the earth, its another 40 more miles......yea, that far....so it was really quiet and relaxing once we finally got there.  I actually had a pretty nasty head cold, so I slept on and off most of the time and read my book on the deck while everyone else took turns watching Pace.  Even though I didn't feel great, it was nice to be off-duty for a little bit.  And it's always fun to watch other people chase after him (since he's crawling and table-walking.....or rather, wobbling from one piece of furniture (or leg) to the next while trying to hold a toy in both hands...haha) and then look at me and say "I don't know how you do it".  I realize that my job isn't as intellectually stimulating as it used to be, but it is 10x more draining and physically demanding than it ever was.  To all of those people that asked me "what are you going to do with all your time" when I first decided to stay home, I am currently accepting babysitter applications.  He's all yours!  :)

He is truly at an amazing age though.  He discovers something new every day and its wonderful to watch.  I am definitely exhausted, but its worth it.....every minute! 

Sticks and Stones....

....were installed in our shower.  Ok, maybe just stones, but that was the first saying that came to mind.  So I went with it. 

I have been procrastinating this project for who knows how long, and last weekend I finally decided to check it off my list.  We went with a product called river rocks that are available at Home Depot.  They come in 12 x 12 in. mesh-backed pieces and you just place them side-by-side to get a cohesive look. 

Here is what they look like all laid out:

I placed them from the drain in the tub outward to get an idea of where I needed to cut.  The best part about the mesh backing is that there is no need for a tile saw.  I just used the scissors to make each piece fit perfectly.  Once I had it all laid out, I transferred the whole layout from the tub to the bathroom floor so that I would remember which pieces fit where. 

Then I just spread out the tile adhesive, OmniGrip (available at Home Depot), as evenly as possible across the whole floor.  The contractor who installed the shower drain for us put a layer of concrete in the shower stall to level it out and make sure there was a bit of a gradient towards the drain.  So my job was really to just keep the tile adhesive as even as possible to allow for that gradient to remain.  And in doing so, the tiles came up evenly with the drain.  If they were too far under, water would pool around rather than travel into the drain.  And if they were too high (because of too much adhesive), then the water would have to travel up to get into the drain.....not likely.  Surprisingly, it worked out and everything was even. 

Here are some process shots:

My trusty sidekick (Dad) helped me lay them all out and figure out which pieces could fit where.  It was almost like doing a puzzle.  I had to individually place a few stones here and there around the perimeter, but for the most part, it was a quick process.   Oh, and please excuse my outdated outfit.  I still like to feel like a bride-to-be every once in a while.  Haha.  This poor sweatshirt has seen almost every home improvement project we've done.  It's been through a lot!

So, after waiting 24 hours for the adhesive to dry, I grouted over the tiles.  I went with DeLaurean Grey (like Back to the Future..awesome, I know).  I used the same color on the backsplash, the half bath redo and the basement bathroom floor and loved it, so I figured I'd stick with what works.  Plus, I had some leftover....and I hate to waste! 

Here is the grout going in:

 Yes, it is the next day and I'm wearing pretty much the same outfit.  Different pants (and underwear, of course), but the same sweatshirt.  It's almost like I'm superstitious about it....if I don't wear it, then it won't come out as good.  Who knows.  I'm just a little crazy after all of this renovation.  My process for grouting was just to spread it evenly across all the tiles, making sure it filled in all the gaps between rocks.  Then once it dried a bit, maybe 20-30 minutes, I would take a clean sponge and wipe off the excess from the stones.  It took a few passes, but they came clean eventually and left me with this:

Sorry for the small pictures.  My cameras are both charging, so I took this with my iphone and it didn't come out great.  EEK!  Better pictures to come when there is more progress.  I had to buy a new blade for the tile saw since it had become dull after so much use.  I plan to get started on putting up the subway tile this weekend.  Yes, I know its mother's day, but I just want to finish it.  This basement project has gone on long enough!! 

But until then, I have a little sneak peek at an addition to the basement that arrived this week......

Can't wait to tell you more about it! 

 Before I go, I'll just do a quick before and after. 

Rug Search

We are getting close to the decorating phase of the basement remodel and I can almost taste it.  I enjoy most other parts of the process just as well, but I think this is my favorite.  It is definitely the most fun.  No work, all play makes a happy wife and mom.  I keep telling B that I'm really not that hard to please, but for some reason he doesn't believe me.

To give you a quick update on the progress, the floors are all down and the molding and doors are up but I still haven't started tiling the shower in the bathroom.  That is pretty much the final piece of the contruction phase that is left.  Until I get the time/courage to do that, though, I am investing any free moments into finding fun, affordable, kid-friendly decor.  We already have a couch.  It's a white/blue stripe sectional that we have barely used.  I know what you are thinking, "didn't she just say "kid-friendly decor" and "white" all in the same breath.  Yep, I did.  But thankfully we were smart in our pre-baby days and bought the couch slipcovered and with scotchguard protection as well.  And I say "we" in the loosest sense of the word.  I'm honestly less worried about my son destroying than my husband.  I'm sure there are a lot of you out there that can relate.

At the moment, my current obsession is with rugs.  I want to warm up the space a little (not heat-wise, just fabric-wise) and make it a little cozier down there.  I have looked at a few online, but its so hard to tell how it feels if you aren't there to touch the fabric.  I am leaning towards an indoor/outdoor rug so that we can just hose it off if it gets dirty, but I'm worried it won't be very soft.  My next option is to do a berber material and keep it plain.  I did that for the stairs, but I am just worried it will be too boring.  The walls are a blue/gray, the couch is blue and white and then I would get some sort of blue solid patterned berber rug......hmm.  It just seems too blah.  Definitely practical, which is what I need....but I want it to be a little fun down there.

Any other suggestions for a durable, comfy, soft-ish, cool rug style for a basement? 

Here are some that I've been looking at so far on Dash & Albert:

The first one is wool and the second two are indoor/outdoor.  I used to like hooked wool rugs until I spent most of my days sitting or playing on them.  They shed a lot and I hate having the fibers all over me and my son.  We currently have one in our living room (from Home Goods) and although it has held up pretty well to constant wear and tear and its relatively comfy, I am just not sure I want to go down that road again with the basement.  The last rug from the photos above is a rope pattern which I like.  It's sort of boring since it's just one color, but the darker color is good for kids (or husbands) and the pattern gives is a little something.  I know I said I didn't want berber because it was boring and this is pretty much the same, but I am a woman and I change my mind.  All the time.  Even in the same 5 minutes it has been since I typed about the berber.....ah well.

Long story short (sort of), I bought a groupon for a local Rug Store - The Rug Merchant in Rockland, MA, so I need to buy the rug from them.  Groupons are great, but that means that I'm limited to the brands they carry.  So far, I know that they definitely carry Dash and Albert, but I'm not sure who else.  I will keep looking for inspiration photos and keep you posted.

Worst case scenario, I can always buy a rug for the guest bedroom/office in the basement or the second bedroom upstairs if I really can't find anything for the living area in the basement, but I would really just like to focus on one project at a time.  My brain (and my pinterest searches) can only handle so much at once!! 

And then there were floors...

I know I used that line already (here) for Pace's arrival, but it seems to fit pretty well here too so I apologize for my unoriginality.  :) I know that people talk about "pregnancy brain" but I'm pretty sure that I still have it (or rather DON'T have it) seven months later.  Kind of like my body...haha.

Back to the floors though.  Pergo floors to be exact.  I have to tell you about the deal I got because I almost don't believe it myself.  As usual, I went back and forth (literally from store to store and website to website) deciding on the laminate.  One day I made a random trip to Lowe's to pick up an exterior light and I did a little drive by the flooring section when I came across a yellow tag on the bottom shelf.  I'm not sure if you are all aware of the yellow tag, but it usually means an AMAZING deal.  I initially assumed it was not what I was looking for (color-wise or style-wise) but to my surprise, it was pretty normal.  It was called Classic Red Oak by Pergo and it was on sale for $1.19/sq. ft. from $2.99/sq. ft.  CRAZY, right??  I would direct you up to the Lowe's website to show you what I mean, but the reason it was such a good deal is because they were on buy-back from Pergo.  I guess they were changing out the color or the name of the color or something (which they do on occasion when something isn't selling as much) so Lowe's was getting rid of them for cheap.  Real cheap.  I couldn't pass up the deal, so I bought every single one on the shelf....in 4 different stores.  I ended up having more than I needed, but I'm going to save a box or two in case we damage a piece later and they are no longer manufactured.  So all in all, we spent $556 on 520 sq. ft. of laminate (or $618 - $62.88 with a 10% coupon I had).  I thought that I just loved it for the price, but once we started installing it, I think that I like it regardless.....

 

And I liked it even more once the whole thing was complete!! (Please forgive the terrible, cluttered, messy photos....we haven't exactly cleaned up and put everything back in order yet, so these are just a sneak peek at the finished product)!

And for the bathroom floor, we chose the same tile as we used in our half bath renovation (more here).  It was $4.00/sq. ft. which came out to $182 ($168 for 42 sq. ft. plus $14 for grout).  I already had the tools and the thinset mortar from the kitchen backsplash project (here and here).  I apologize for the terrible process picture.  I meant to take more as we were working, but once we got started I got in a groove and didn't want to stop.....mostly for fear that I wouldn't start back up again.  Oh, and yes, I am wearing a sweatshirt that says "The Future Mrs. Carroll".  Haha.  Hell yea I still rock my pre-wedding digs.....to paint and tile and do messy things.  Sorry honey.  It's kind of weird to wear them anywhere else at this point (3.5 years later) so instead of wasting a perfectly good hoodie, I decided to put it to good use.......

Oh, and I also threw in a look at the shower floor tile.  It is only laid out at this point so I can see how many more 12x12 sheets I need.  What do you think?? 

And just because I have to throw in a picture of the little bug.....
 

We are so close to finishing this project, I can taste it!!  We even had time to install the doors and some trim so I will have more updates very soon!