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Saving the Planet with Paint and Great Tools

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A couple of weeks ago I heard a staggering statistic. Nearly 10 million tons of household furniture finds it’s way to our landfills every year. 10 million tons! It’s hard for me to even wrap my mind around that number. It gave me renewed appreciation for the DIY community and our emphasis on up-cycling and reusing old pieces. As it turns out, we are doing more than just expressing our creativity and creating beautiful spaces, we are also doing something good for our planet. 

So last week when I was wanting to test a new paint sprayer I decided to paint a dresser I’ve had sitting in my garage. 

About 5 years ago I purchased a mid-century set of dressers for my son. We’d recently moved and he was home from college for the summer. We needed something to hold his clothing. He was very much into creating a bachelor pad, with clean, modern colors and furnishings. These dressers were solidly built with dovetail drawers and mahogany veneer. The clean lines were perfect for a coat of black paint and new, shiny chrome hardware. 

Ugly! But it has potential!

5 years later, one dresser sits in my daughter’s room, unchanged from the way I purchased it. The other, also unaltered,  spent some time with my oldest daughter but made it’s way back to my garage several months ago. 

I dusted off the cobwebs, pulled it from the garage and got to work. 

(Please note this contains  links by which This Place I Belong can profit and some items were provided to me free of charge. However, I never recommend a product I don’t believe in.)

First, I cleaned it with A Maker’s Studio Furniture and Cabinet Cleaner. This removes any dirt, grime, old wax or residue from dust and cleaning products. This is important because I had no idea what this old dresser had been exposed to. 

Next, using wood filler, I filled a couple of spots where the veneer was missing then sanded them after the filler had dried. Because I intended to use A Maker’s Studio Rescue and Restore Paint and it will stick to anything that would have been the extent of my sanding if the existing finish had been sound. However, the finish on this piece was chipping up in several places. I simply hit the bad spots with the sander. This took less than 10 minutes. 

At this point, I should have been ready to paint. However, my brief sanding had taken the finish down to the mahogany veneer in several places. It’s been my experience that when painting mahogany from this era, color will commonly bleed through the new paint. For this reason, I decided to prime. Initially I was going to spot prime the exposed areas only, so rather than use the new sprayer, I just grabbed a brush. 

I used the Specialty Wedge Brush from A Maker’s Studio. This microfiber brush is amazing! It lays down a beautiful finish with no brush marks. When it was all said and done, because I’m a little bit crazy and sometimes don’t know when to stop, I’d primed the entire dresser with a quality, water-based, stain blocking primer. 

But alas, I still experienced bleed through on the top where the mahogany had been exposed. I coated that spot again. And again. And again. Still, I had that ugly brown mark bleeding through. If you read my post on primers, you might be wondering why I didn’t use the shellac based BIN primer since I touted it as the absolute best. Good question. I had some water-based primer left from a project where low odor was desired, and I was out of BIN. Because I’m impatient, I decided to use what I had rather than make the trip to the store to buy BIN. 

After four, unsuccessful coats, I decided I had to have BIN. Bin comes in regular paint cans and in spray cans. For small things like this, the spray can is the ultimate in convenience.  I sprayed that obnoxious dark spot and like magic, it disappeared! Finally, I was ready to paint. 

I have a paint sprayer I use when painting large projects, like barns and whole houses, but I don’t pull it out very often. I simply don’t like cleaning it. So, unless it’s a large project, I typically reach for a brush or roller. 

Still, I was excited to try this little guy. It’s the HomeRight Finish Max Super Sprayer and the good folks at HomeRight sent me one to test. 

I used A Maker’s Studio Weathered Shutters Rescue and Restore Paint. This is a chalk-based, matte paint that does not require wax! You can wax it to achieve different looks, but you don’t have to. For me, this is a huge benefit. I only had 1 – 16oz jar of the Weathered Shutters paint and I was a little concerned that it wouldn’t be enough for the entire dresser. That little jar covered the entire dresser with about 20% left over. 

For use with the sprayer, I diluted it with water by 20%. The sprayer came with several different tips and a chart showing which tip to use depending on the desired finish. I wanted a fine finish so I used the green tip. 

After I’d poured the paint into the sprayer, I realized it might have been a good idea to test with water in order to get a feel for how it works. Oh well. It was too late so I just started spraying and hoped for the best.  It was great! It laid down a beautiful finish and was so easy to use. 

I was a little frustrated because the spray pattern was fairly narrow. I wanted to be able to cover more with each pass. When the piece was finished and I was cleaning the sprayer, I discovered a little wheel I’d previously missed. That wheel allows you to control the width of the spray pattern. My impatience got the best of me again! If I’d taken the time to read the instructions before jumping right in, I would have known about that feature and saved myself some frustration. 

I loved using the sprayer, but the clean-up is what hooked me. It was so, so simple. I just pumped water through it then used the little brush provided to make sure I removed all of the paint from the little crevices and it was done, making this one of my favorite, must-have tools. 

When the paint had dried, I moved the dresser into my dining room to finish it.  That’s when I really noticed the smell. Rescue Restore Paint is infused with essential oils. It smells wonderful, and it wasn’t long before the smell filled the entire dining room. For days I found myself drawn to the dining room simply for the smell. 

I used the Floor Tile Traditional Mesh Stencil from A Maker’s Studio and Blessed Rescue and Restore Paint to add some interest to the piece. By the way, for a limited time, the Mesh Stencils are all 50% off! The stencil used on the dresser is only $9.00 and some are as cheap as $5.00.

Because I didn’t like the shape of the original hardware, I’d intended to change all of it. When I couldn’t find anything I really loved at Hobby Lobby I just used the Blessed paint and painted the original hardware. It turned out much better than I expected and I really liked the result. 

 

The dresser is still sitting in the dining room. It smells heavenly so I’m not in a big hurry to move it out and we are trying to decided where it should live. Three of my daughters are currently pleading their cases, each vying for the dresser that was once forgotten, abandoned and covered in cobwebs. It’s amazing what a little paint, a little time, and great tools can accomplish. 

Rising From the Destruction – When a Tenant Damages Your Rental House Part 2

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It’s been a couple of months since the tenant vacated the rental house. If you missed that story, you can read about it here. Though I’ve had a lot of irons in the fire and progress is slow, work is progressing and it’s starting to feel like the end is in sight. The goal is to have it on the market by October 1st.

To date, the following work has been completed:

  • All trash and debris was removed and disposed of
  • The house was cleaned, cleaned and cleaned again
  • Exterior trim was painted (though we still need to touch up in places)
  • Much of the interior has been painted
  • Kitchen cabinets and appliances were removed
  • Bathroom sink and toilet were removed
  • Bathroom wall paper was removed
  • Wood floors were sanded and refinished
    Normally, this would be the LAST thing I do, but in this case, it was completed very early in the remodel. The flooring guy is good, which means he’s busy. It just so happened that his family’s camping trip was postponed, creating a little window in which he could do these floors. If I’ve learned anything doing this kind of work, it’s to be patient and flexible!
  • New flooring in the basement
    We used vinyl planks. Because they are economical, easy and quick to install and waterproof, they were a perfect choice for the basement
  • Steps were sanded
  • Holes in walls were patched
  • Active water leak where the dishwasher used to be was addressed
  • Grass was planted in the front and back yards
  • New kitchen flooring
    We used stick down vinyl tiles with grout. They look really great and install easily. Still, I would not have chosen this product if it weren’t for the radiators.This house still has the old, cast iron radiators and a boiler. I LOVE them. They create the softest, nicest heat without drying out the air.  But, when it comes to flooring they create a real headache.Thicker flooring would have required me to remove the radiators. The added floor thickness would have required adjustments to the plumbing that supplies the radiators. Not even my plumber wanted to touch that! So, vinyl tile!
  • New flooring in the main bathroom
    This room got the vinyl tiles as well for the same reasons.
  • Broken glass was replaced
  • Broken window frames were repaired
  • Swamp cooler was replaced
    If you’re from the arid Western US, then you’re probably familiar with swamp coolers. If you’re climate is humid, you may not have ever even heard of a swamp cooler. Swamp coolers are a very efficient method of cooling in dry climates. Essentially, a fan blows air over pads soaked in water, lowering the temperature up to 20 degrees.I love this method of cooling. It’s simple, efficient and economical. It also adds a little moisture to our dry air. As an added bonus, unlike the refrigerated systems that require all doors and windows to remain shut,  it works best if a window is cracked just a little bit.
  • New ceiling fans were installed
  • The kitchen received new cabinets

Master bedroom. I left some wall paper in the closet because it’s original to the house and I like it.

Master

Master

Bedroom 2

Bedroom 2

Bedroom 3 – Notice the missing window! It’s been repaired and needs to be reinstalled.

Bedroom 3

Kitchen floor

Kitchen in progress

New kitchen cabinets. I used 42″ uppers rather than the standard 30″. They look so much better with the high ceilings.

Dining room. I could not get an accurate photo of the wall color. It’s much more similar to the color of the kitchen walls.

Looking from the dining room into the living room.

The bathroom is coming along

If that sounds like a lot, it is, but it’s not quite finished yet.

  • We still need to install the kitchen countertops.
    I’m trying to decide between granite, quartz and good ole’ laminate. There’s actually a laminate, available over the counter at Lowes, that looks great! But, for only $900 more, I can get granite or quartz.Granite or quartz would definitely be more desirable for buyers, but the laminate would allow me to finish the kitchen immediately. That definitely has some appeal!Ultimately it comes down to value. Will the addition of the granite bring enough additional money upon the sale to justify it’s use. That’s the question I’m trying to answer.In some houses and areas, it most certainly would, but I have to take into account this area and the buyers likely to purchase this house. Honestly, I’m just not sure. I’ve reached out to my long time friend and realtor for some insight.
  • The backsplash needs to be done as well as some tile work around the stove
    The tile around the stove needs to be replaced. The old tile is in good condition but just doesn’t match the design.
  • Some of the kitchen walls still needs some patching and paint touch ups.
    Initially, I’d planned to put in two additional cabinets so we didn’t repair that wall. When I got the cabinets into the kitchen, it just felt too crowded. Now we need to go back and deal with that wall, as well as some areas around the cabinets
  • The bathroom vanity and toilet need to be installed
  • A new floor will be installed in the laundry room, after the painting is finished
  • The third floor still needs some drywall work and paint
  • Stain needs to be applied to the steps, then sealer
    I’m planning to stain the treads and paint the risers.
  • There’s still quite a bit of trim that needs to be painted
  • One bedroom needs carpet
  • Basement walls need patched, the paint touched up, wall paper repaired, trim added and the red wall painted
  • A couple of  the windows we repaired still need to be painted and reinstalled, and there’s quite a few other windows we still need to paint.
  • The back door needs replaced
  • The rail at the back steps needs to be welded. My 16 year daughter offered to do it for me! I’ve never mastered welding. The fact that she can do it is just about the coolest thing ever.  Someday when I master Instagram that will be a #proudmama
  • There’s a dozen little things, like hanging a mirror in the powder room, curtains in the living and dining room, and replacing the front door knob. At the end, it’s all those little things that make me want to pull my hair out! 

It’s the final stretch, but the end is in sight!

 

 

 

Introducing … The Lake House!

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Lake Beckwith

A few weeks ago, I told you I’d be starting a new project for a client. I am so excited about this project and equally as excited to be working with the homeowner. Amy is a beautiful, strong lady and it’s my privilege to be able to create an inviting home for her and her daughters. 

Though the house is not located on a lake, I’ll call it “The Lake House” because a picturesque lake lies just to the west. 

Here’s  a peak at the list of things we’ll do to transform this house:

  • Upgrade the electrical service
  • Remove a wall to create a great room.
  • Move the kitchen
  • Create a new laundry room where the kitchen used to be
  • Remove an existing bathroom, a walk-in closet and another closet in order to combine two bedrooms and create a larger master bedroom
  • Creat a new master bathroom and a walk-in closet
  • Convert the garage into two bedrooms (after leveling the garage floor)
  • Build a new detached garage
  • New exterior and interior paint
  • New roof
  • All new flooring
  • New appliances
  • Some new lighting
  • New hot water heater
  • Update the existing bathroom

Whew!

It’s a big project, but I’m confident we will create something amazing for Amy and her family. Keep scrolling to see the progress. Just keep in mind, it gets worse before it gets better! 

See this wall? It’s nearly gone. The drywall has bee removed and the electrical wires that used to be contained within the wall have been disconnected.

Below is a photo of what it looks like now. The framers will remove the 2 x 4 framing  and support the expanse with a beam. An engineer calculated the load requirements and specified the size and type of beam as well as the necessary support posts.

While we’re at it, did you notice the floors? The carpet was removed, then the floors were thoroughly cleaned, cleaned again, then sealed with BIN primer. This house had strong pet odors, but that stuff is amazing. I recently wrote about it here.

Here’s another view of that space.

This is what the kitchen looked like when we started. This space will be converted to a new laundry room and the kitchen will be moved.

This is what the old kitchen looks like now.

The master bedroom and another bedroom were separate by a bathroom, a walk-in closet for the master bedroom and another closet. These walls were removed to enlarge the master bedroom. The plumber will finish removing the old plumbing visible in the photo below.

This is a picture of the smaller bedroom, looking into the closet. Obviously.

And this was taken from the same bedroom, looking into the space where the closet used to exist.

The green arrow points to the smaller bedroom. A new bathroom and walk-in closet will be created in this space. The blue arrow indicates the former location of the smaller closet. The old walk-in closet is indicated by the red arrow, and the black is pointing to the former bathroom.

Finally, this gives you an idea of what this will look like when it’s done. In the second photo you can start to feel how open the main living space will be.

If you’re wondering what’s next, the plumber will demo the old plumbing, the electrician will start the service upgrade and we are waiting on the framers to come and create the new walls. The exterior is being painted now and the new roof will go on in 10 days or so. So often, with construction, we just hurry up and wait, or start and stop. Much like raising children, it develops patience!

Next week I’ll give you an update on the Adam’s house rental. It’s really coming along and should be able to hit the market in just a couple of weeks!

12 Cheap, Fast and Easy Paint Projects using A Maker’s Studio

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Happy Fall! 

I know! Fall does not officially start until September 22nd, but there’s something about waving goodbye to August that makes me feel like it’s fall. It puts a little bounce in my step because fall is my very favorite season! I love them all, but if I had to choose only one, it would have to be fall.

I love the transition from summer grilling to slow cooked comfort food. I love the way the air starts to feel and smell differently. I love the colors, the apple harvest and the decorations. I just love fall! 

I can’t wait to jump into fall decorating and when I do, I’ll have a couple of new items recently created using A Maker’s Studio products. 

(Please note this contains an affiliate link by which This Place I Belong can profit. However, I never recommend a product I don’t believe in.)

Remember a couple of weeks ago I told you about A Maker’s Studio and the amazing paint and Mesh Stencils that can help fight human trafficking? (If you missed that, you can read about it here.) Last Monday, we had a paint party. Actually, it was paint and wine, along with some fresh fruit and cheeses. I’m not sure which my youngest daughter liked more, the painting or the snacks, sans wine, of course. 

In preparation for that gathering, my mom and I decided to create a whole bunch of art. I thought it would be good for people to see what’s possible with these products. I also thought it would be really great for me to work with them and see how they actually perform. 

I’d ordered a whole boxful of goodies, so for a few hours last weekend, we rolled up our sleeves and got to work. My mom bought some pieces and frames from Hobby Lobby and I  visited the local Habitat for Humanity store. 

Here’s what we created! 

I love the simplicity of this little picture.

I’d never gilded anything before so I was excited to give it a try. I love how this turned out. I could have used more size, (the glue that holds the gilding to the project), and the gilding would have been more solid, but I wanted this look. It just feels older, more like an antique to me.

I purchased an old cabinet door from our Habitat for Humanity store for $2.00. It’s made of pressed board and had a plastic veneer that was peeling. I pulled the veneer off, lightly sanded a couple of spots that were rough, filled and sanded the holes left by old hardware, then sealed it with a spray polyurethane. After that dried it was ready for paint. I used Rescue Restore Paint for the background, followed by one of the Mesh Stencils and ChalkArt paint.

This was the first little project I made at the Haven Conference in July.

My mom purchased this little piece of wood at Hobby Lobby. Rather than making another wall hanging, I stained it with A Maker’s Studio Gel Stain, used the Deer Stencil, attached antler drawer pulls left over from another project and created a cheese tray. This would make a really fun gift!

This was part of a wooden wall from my parent’s kitchen. It was removed during renovations. We glued two pieces together then sanded the backside. When that was finished, I stained it with Gel Stain and allowed that to dry. Next, I applied a black wash  made by mixing Preaching to the Choir Rescue Restore Paint with water. After applying it and waiting for it to dry, I applied the Mesh Stencil. I really love this piece and love that it was made from wood scraps.

This was a picture frame that my mom purchased at Hobby Lobby. We just painted the backer board after staining the frame with Gel Stain.

This wooden Hobby Lobby piece was stained with Gel Stain before the Mesh Stencils were applied. When the paint dried, we stapled the silk flowers into place. Did I mention that I love fall decorations?!

This solid oak cabinet door from Habitat For Humanity only cost $1.00. One dollar! I simply filled the holes left by the knob and painted. The Mesh Stencil fit perfectly on the raised panel. So cheap and so easy!

Hobby Lobby sells canvas boards for just a few dollars a package. We painted the canvas with Rescue Restore Paint then washed with Metallic Silver ChalkArt paint. The wreath in the middle is one of the  A Maker’s Studio Clear Stamps. I used part of a Mesh Stencil to write  “Love”. The hanger is a partially finished piece of bead work from my mom’s craft cabinet and we used old buttons to attach it.

 

My youngest daughter created two t-shirts using Rescue Restore Paint and letter Mesh Stencils. The “Elvis” was a practice, on one of Grandpa’s old t-shirts. Sometimes he’s the premier Elvis fan. Other times he fantasizes that he IS Elvis!

This was her second attempt. The quote is from the tv show, Friday Night Lights. There are dozens of quotes that could go on t-shirts or wall art.

Last but not least, these are some of the projects created at our paint gathering. Didn’t they do a great job?!

After using the products, I’m just as excited as I was when I was first introduced to them. I look at everything in my house and wonder how it would look with paint and perhaps a Stencil!

You can see more creative and inspirational projects at A Maker’s Studio Facebook Page.

Of course, if you’d like to have a paint gathering, live or virtual, or learn how you can purchase these products at a discount, just let me know!

Happy Creating!

The Best Peach Pie Recipe Ever!

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I’ve never given much thought to August. It’s just that awkward month, sometime between summer and fall without much to distinguish it. After decades of marginalizing August, I had somewhat of an epiphany this week. August is amazing, at least here in Southern Colorado. 

So, what sparked this change of heart, removed my blinders and allowed me to see August for all her amazing beauty? In a word … peaches! 

The western slope of Colorado grows some of the most amazing peaches in the world and August is the month they become widely available. It’s my personal opinion that no finer fruit exists anywhere! 

Some years I can as many as 200 pounds of ripe, yellow-orange peaches to be enjoyed by my family throughout the year. These home canned peaches are essential to an important family tradition dating back to my childhood. 

When I was a small girl, my Gramps, breakfast cook extraordinaire, introduced a new recipe to our family. He called them Swedish Pancakes, otherwise know as crepes. He would fill them with fruit, butter, powdered sugar and whipped cream. Though we sometime use fresh strawberries, through the years, we’ve dialed in on peaches as the fruit of choice. If you’ve ever had home canned peaches, you know the store bought varieties can’t begin to compare. 

With fewer people at home, I no longer have to can as many, but the canning tradition continues, none-the-less. This week I’ll start with the two boxes I bought from our high school wrestling team. Being able to help the boys while getting something I use and would buy anyway makes it one of my favorite annual fund-raisers! 

If the thought of freshly canned peaches isn’t enough to get your mouth watering, you need to try my Fresh Peach Pie recipe!

It was inspired by the Fresh Peach Pie recipe in my Grandma’s old Fannie Farmer Cookbook. I’ve tweaked it and adjusted it until I finally ended up with the recipe I now use. 

Fresh Peach Pie

  • Favorite Pie Crust recipe (click here for the printable recipe and here for a detailed post with instructions.)
    TIP: I make 3 double crusts every time and I freeze the extra. If I want to make a pie, it’s easy to pull the frozen crust of the freezer, thaw and use it. 
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 1/2 cup flour
  • 8 cups peeled and sliced fresh peaches
  • 2 Tablespoons of lemon juice

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Submerge peaches in boiling water for a minute or two, depending on how ripe the peaches are, then move them to an ice water bath. This will allow the skins to peel right off. Peel and slice peaches.

Mix the sugar and flour in a  large bowl. Add the peaches and lemon juice and carefully mix.

Line a pie pan with pie crust. Pile the fruit into the pie plate. Place another crust on top, draping in over the fruit. If desired, you can trim the crust then crimp or flute. I like crust, so I roll the extra, tuck it under and then flute the edges to seal the two crusts together. 

Using a sharp knife, create vent holes in the top crust. 

Fruit pies can tend to bubble over and leak, especially if you fill them full like I do. So, create a little “pan” out of aluminum foil and place it on the rack below your pie in your oven. This will catch any drips and avoid making a smoking mess of your oven. 

If desired, lightly brush the top of the crust with a egg whipped with a little water and sprinkle with sugar. This helps create a beautiful golden brown top. I was rushing out the door to pick up my daughter when I made this pie, so I skipped this step. The pie would have been prettier if I’d done it! 

Bake the pie for 15 minutes, then reduce the heat to 350 degrees and bake for another 40-50 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on a rack.

If you cut it before it cools sufficiently, the fruit and juice will still be wet and runny. It’s now an exercise in patience! 

Serve with vanilla ice cream and enjoy!

(Click here for a printable version of this recipe)

BONUS TIP!

If you love it as much as I do, you might find yourself craving it in the middle of February. Trust me, when snow is piled up outside, fresh peaches can be hard to come by. Even if you could find them, and even if the quality was decent, you’d probably have to auction a kidney to afford them. That leaves you two choices. Either suffer through the cravings while counting down the days until August and the next peach harvest or plan ahead … and that’s easier than you think. 

Simply prepare the peaches according to the recipe. Add the lemon juice, sugar, and flour. Place them in a pie plate and immediately place them in the freezer. In a day or so, when they are frozen solid, or when you remember, remove them from the freezer. Place the pie plate in a shallow sink with hot water. The water really should be shallow here. You don’t want water coming over the edge of the pie plate and it should not touch the peaches. If it does, it will be fine and no one will ever know. It will just be one of those cook’s secrets! 

Allow the pie plate to rest in the hot water until the peaches are released from the pan. Wrap the frozen bundle in the aluminum foil, taking care to remove all the air. Wrap again in plastic wrap. This double wrapping will help prevent freezer burn. I then put the whole thing in a large zip lock bag. That way, if one of the kids fails to get the freezer door closed tightly and things start to thaw, I won’t have a sticky, peachy mess all over the freezer. This is, of course, hypothetical. My kids have never done anything like that! 

When you’re craving pie, simply prepare your crust, remove the frozen peaches from their packaging (placing the zip lock in a hot water bath briefly helps with this), place them in the crust in one solid, frozen lump and continue with the recipe. Because you froze them in the pan, they will fit perfectly!

You will need to bake the pie a little longer. Just add about 20 minutes to your time, allow the crust to turn golden and check to make sure the juices are bubbly. You’ll be able to tell because they will be on the aluminum foil pan you made to catch them.

When Silence Speaks

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The house is quiet today. A lazy dog dozes in the corner. A cat stretches and yawns, content her in little patch of sunlight falling across the floor. Sitting alone in the silence, I take this in. I notice the dog hair on the floor in the next room and think I should get the vacuum. I don’t. Instead, I sit and listen for I know that often, silence speaks loudest. 

On Monday morning she called good-by, the door slamming behind her. For the first time, she drove herself to school. Only one more first day of school before this last child too will leave childhood behind, much like the forgotten doll, shoved into the corner of her closet. 

In the silence I remember.  

A box of books arriving from Sonlight Curriculum. Excited kids gathered around while we unpacked the boxes, examining the books and science and art supplies. 

Other days of school. 

Together. Five children and me. Little bodies cuddled up to me on the couch or sprawled across the floor as I read. Reaching the end of that day’s reading and kids begging for just one more chapter. The daughter who, I later learned, would sneak the read-aloud books and read ahead because she just had to know what happened. 

Fresh baked bread in the oven and it’s tantalizing aroma. Science experiments spread over the dining room table. Protests over Latin and why do we really need to learn Latin anyway. Tripping over shoes left in the middle of the hallway. 

Constant talking, laughter and siblings bickering; the music that filled our home in those days. Gone now. Only silence but for the soft snore of the little Border Collie across the room. 

Some days the silence hangs heavy, oppressive. But today, it’s soft and gentle, inviting me to remember. The memories come like a flood. Setting countless tables, braiding hair yet again, folding laundry, peeling another potato. One more bath. Exhaustion at the end of the day. The holy things of life masquerading as the mundane. 

The silence grows loud and insistent. “Remember!” it demands.

 

 

Picking apples together in the fall. Soccer games as the leaves turn gold and red and dance in the autumn sunlight. Sunday afternoons playing the Farm Game. Kids enamored with the soft, yellow baby chicks or a new litter of kittens. Teaching the little ones to pray.  Answering a plethora of questions. Saturday afternoons at Grandma’s pond.

“Alright. I heard you.” I speak into the silence and lose myself in the memories. “But why? Why this insistence on remembering?” 

The answer now soft, barely a whisper, but instinctively I know. 

As the memories flood my mind and fill the room around me, almost tangible in their clarity, thankfulness threatens to overwhelm me and with it a keen awareness of the miraculous that is our lives. 

Thankfulness for the children I’ve been privileged enough to mother, and awe at the miracle that is their very existence. Eternal souls, known and loved before the creation of the earth, entrusted to me. 

Gratefulness for time, for the time we’ve shared, and for those miraculous moments when time stood still. 

Thankfulness for grace, prodigious and vast, covering my multitude of mistakes. Failures that would stand in accusation only to be silenced by the overwhelming miracle that is the essence of grace.

Gratefulness for family and friends and for those experiences that have filled me with hope and joy.  Gratefulness even for those times that have threatened to overwhelm me, that have shaken the very foundations of my faith and finding there a miracle of hope, and life and redemption. 

Remember. Give thanks. Love. Appreciate. Choose joy. Look ahead. Grow. Change. Live! Find the Holy in the Mundane. Search for it if you must. Cherish it! Know that as life changes, and evolves and transitions, the Holy remains. Waiting. Calling. These were the words shouted in the silence.  

15 Minutes to Create This Stunning Pillow!

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(Please note this contains an affiliate link by which This Place I Belong can profit. However, I never recommend a product I don’t believe in.)

His movements were nearly imperceptible. With one hand he reached into the bucket and ever so slowly removed a handful of sunflower seeds, his young, great-niece, eyes wide, watching in raptured amazement. Cautiously, he extended his hand to little buck. Unsure, the buck hesitated before reaching for the seeds. 

Her eyes danced with excitement. Barely able to contain herself she whispered, “I want to try.” She’d been tossing apple pieces to the deer all afternoon. Some, like the little buck, were bold. Others remained cautious. Two young fawns had inched their way closer and closer, drawn by their desire for seeds and apples. 

For a young girl growing up in the expansive metropolis of the Phoenix area, the experience was captivating. The next day she would return home to her family. Life would resume it’s normal cadence with family, school, and extracurricular activities, but just maybe, every now and then, as she goes through her daily activities she will stop and remember the serenity of a mountain cabin and the magic of deer that eat out of a hand. 

As I watched my dad and my cousin’s daughter, I was thankful again for the beauty around me, for the wonder of God’s creation, and for the rain that finally came. Time and time again it speaks to my soul, never failing to stir feelings of wonder and awe. 

That was the scene playing through my mind yesterday as I created a throw pillow for my dad’s bed. My mom had ordered a deer stencil from A Maker’s Studio. If you missed the introduction to A Maker’s Studio, you can read about it and it’s amazing vision here.

We will be using the deer stencil as part of my parent’s kitchen update, but I couldn’t wait to give it a try. 

Blank, canvas pillow covers can be purchased from A Maker’s Studio for only $10.99, but I didn’t have one on hand and I’m impatient. So, I pulled out my old Viking sewing machine, rummaged through my fabric stash until I found a scrap piece of muslin. After a little measuring, a little cutting and a  little sewing, I had a very plain, very simple pillow cover. 

Then the fun began! 

I ironed the cover, making sure I had smooth surface. I placed the cover on the counter, smoothed it, then applied the deer stencil. At this point I decided it would probably be a good idea to place a piece of cardboard or something between the layers of the cover to prevent the color from bleeding through to the back. 

I reached for the closest thing I could find, the packaging for the stencil. I slipped it into the cover and positioned it directly underneath the stencil. 

Using A Maker’s Studio Gel Stain and their paint spreader, I carefully applied the stain to the stencil. I used stain rather than paint because I wanted that rich brown color. I simply dipped a corner of the spreader into the stain and pulled it across the stencil until I’d covered the entire image. 

When I lifted the stencil, a beautifully detailed deer image remained. The entire painting process took less than 15 minutes!! 15 minutes and the results were amazing! I love this pillow! 

Cleaning the stencil proved to be as easy as using it. I simply placed it in the kitchen sink and gently sprayed it with the faucet sprayer. The stain came right off. I then laid it on a dish drying mat, adhesive side up and left it to dry. 

That was it! It took longer to take photos that it did to paint the pillow. 

Now my mind is full of all kinds of possibilities! 

The Absolute Best Primer for Pet Odors, Stains and Glossy Surfaces

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Years ago, when I started buying investment real estate, a more experienced friend said that a smelly house was the smell of money. This is especially true when the odors are pet urine. It’s an immediate turn off for would be buyers, and understandably so.

No one wants to live with foul odors in their homes, and for many buyers, addressing the cause can seem overwhelming or impossible.  It creates an opportunity to buy a house at a discount and increase profits. Thus, “the smell of money”. 

Currently, I have two renovation projects under way. You already know about the rental house damaged by the tenants.  I call it the Adams house because it’s located on Adams Avenue. (If you missed that post, you can find it here.)  The other is an extensive renovation/remodel for a client. I’ll share more about that soon. The two houses are as different as can be, but they have one thing in common. Both reek with the smell of pet urine. 

The first step in addressing this problem was to remove fouled carpet. In my client’s home, we removed all the carpet and the odor still persisted. I could not identify any clearly stained areas in the subfloor. I have a nose like a bloodhound so I started going through the house room by room in an attempt to find the source of the odor. 

Client’s family room.

After eliminating two bedrooms as suspects, I sniffed parts of the living room floor on hands and knees. Nothing. 

If you’re imagining me crawling around a dirty floor and stopping to smell it from time to time, your imagination is spot on. Yes, I know it’s gross! This is the unromantic part of the job. When I talk about renovation, people tend to imagine the fun stuff. You know, Joanna Gaines staging a now beautiful home. Yes, that’s part of it, but there’s a lot of dirty (and smelly) work between now and then! 

I made my way to the family room. Under the carpet was old 12” flooring tiles likely to contain asbestos. As a result, the new floating floor will be laid right over the top of the old. A careful visual inspection showed an area, right in front of the fireplace that could have been the source of the odor. 

So, back to my hands and knees. I didn’t have to get too close before I knew I’d found the source! Cleaning and sealing should solve the problem. 

Adams house steps before the carpet was removed.

In the Adams house there was very little carpet, only the staircase and one bedroom. The other floors are wood, concrete, or vinyl. 

We removed the carpet from the bedroom, and again, though the odor improved, it still persisted. I never even thought about the steps until I was sitting on them, cleaning the railings. The smell seemed stronger and sure enough, that carpet was soaked in urine as well.

Yuck! I hurried home to shower and wash those clothes. With all of the carpet removed, the odor improved immensely. 

I’ll clean, then sand and stain the steps, but the bedroom floor was cleaned and sealed. 

There are many opinions for sealing odors, but BIN primer by Zinnser is the absolute best! BIN primer is a shellac based primer with superior stain blocking, odor blocking and adherence properties. I love this stuff! 

I first discovered it twenty years ago. I was on a very tight budget, but desperate to give my dated kitchen a facelift. The cabinets were dark brown, wood grained laminate. They were hideous! I did not think paint would adhere well to that surface, but paint seemed the only affordable option for changing the look. 

That’s when BIN entered my life and it’s never been the same. 

It turns out that in addition to it’s many other benefits, BIN will stick to anything, even glass, tile and laminate. It solved my kitchen dilemma, but I would learn that it’s also exceptional at blocking odors and sealing stains. 

Shellac actually comes from female lac bugs. Crazy huh? Lac bugs live in India and Thailand. The female secretes a resin which she leaves on the trees in which they live. The resin is scraped from the tree, then heated and strained to remove bark. It’s then poured into large, thin sheets and allowed to dry. Once dry it’s broken into flakes. The flakes are ground up and dissolved in ethyl alcohol for use. Shellac primers must also have the naturally occurring wax removed. This is referred to as “de-waxed shellac.” Removing the wax allows other coatings, such as paint to stick to the primer. 

I could go on and on about shellac and probably bore you to tears.  In addition to creating an exceptional primer, before vinyl, shellac was used to make records.  It’s been used to mold trinkets and jewelry, stiffen ballet pointe shoes, and even as a coating for pills and candy. 

I guess I’m kind of a nerd, but I find it absolutely fascinating that something excreted by a bug gives us something so useful and versatile! I also realize that not everyone is as captivated by bug resins as I am. So, if you want to know more about shellac, it’s history and uses, just click this link. 

For the rest of you, just know that BIN primer is the best primer for sealing odors, blocking stains and adhering to shiny and glossy surfaces. 

Adams house bedroom floor sealed with BIN Primer. It should have been applied a little thicker. Normally one coat is sufficient, but in this case, we’ll coat it again.

There are only three downsides to BIN primer:

  1.  It has a strong odor. This is because it’s not water-based. Fortunately, as it dries the odor dissipates and it dries fast. 
  2. It’s runny. Unlike most thick odor and stain blocking primers, BIN is runny, making it a little messy if you aren’t careful.
  3. It’s relatively expensive. At around $42 a gallon, it’s roughly twice the cost of other high quality primers. Still, it’s well worth it.If you need to block odors, including pet, cigarette smoke and fire smells, nothing works better. Imagine sealing a pet odor on a floor, covering that floor with new carpet only to the find the smell returning on humid days. You’d wish you had spend the extra 20 bucks!Similarly, if you need to adhere to a glossy, smooth surface, or hide difficult stains, this is your product. 

For less challenging projects, such as painting over a dark colored wall, I like Kilz premium, or Zinsser’s Bulls Eye 123. Both are excellent primers.

Kilz Premium. An excellent primer.

Adams house entry walls. Tenants had painted chalkboard paint and burgundy, two hard to cover colors.

Adams entry walls Kilz premium primer. Excellent coverage!

(Please note this contains an affiliate link by which This Place I Belong can profit. However, I never recommend a product I don’t believe in.)

If you aren’t concerned about stains and odors, don’t want to bother with primer at all, and want a stunning finish, just reach for a jar of a Maker’s Studio Rescue and Restore paint. No priming needed, even on slick surfaces. You can learn more about it here, or purchase it here. By the way,  A Maker’s Studio is offering a free 12″ x 12″ stencil with the purchase of 3 chalk art paints for a limited time. 

The greatest new trends in paint and how they can save a life, literally.  

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(Please note this contains an affiliate link by which This Place I Belong can profit. However, I never recommend a product I don’t believe in.)

I almost walked on by. The display booth was stunning but it was obviously a specialty paint booth and to be honest, I just wasn’t that interested. 

I use paint, a lot, and I’ve tried most of them. I’ve used latex, enamel, spray paint, milk paint and a whole host of chalk paints, from Annie Sloan to the stuff you mix yourself by adding powder to latex. I just didn’t really think anything in the paint world could surprise or impress me. 

Boy, was I wrong! 

First, I noticed the intricate designs painted on signs, pillows, bags and even drinking glasses. It turns out that all of those designs were stencils! These aren’t your ordinary stencil designs. These had so much intricate detail. I just could not fathom how they could get those looks with a stencil. 

If you’ve used stencils, you know they are usually designs cut in mylar. Even when they are carefully applied with spray adhesive and dappled on with a stencil brush, paint can tend to bleed around the edges, especially with more intricate designs. These were different. The designs had minute details and even the finest of lines were crisp and true. 

Yes. It’s a stencil!

Now they had my interest! 

I waited for an opportunity to talk with the lady who seemed to be in charge. That lady was Amy Howard, of Amy Howard Home and she was launching her newest business,  A Maker’s Studio. 

“For the last 20 years, Amy Howard Home grew from leading the interior design market by restoring and building luxury home furnishings, to providing makers with a distinguished class of artisan-quality paint products and training.” 

Amy says the thing that set her furniture apart and allowed her to command high prices was the finishes. So when she talked about this new line of products I listened. 

Visiting with Amy

I was captivated by the new stain/sealer she’s developed. With it you can change the color of wood in a single step. No sanding and no sealing. This product will do it all. I’ve spent hours stripping, sanding and refinishing wood. This could be a game changer!

She showed me the quality paint tools available and talked about the dyes she’ll release in the coming weeks. With them you can stencil and remake upholstery! What?? My head was spinning. 

She reached for a pillow cover.  She had applied gold leave to the cover, using one of her stencils. Just beautiful!

Pillow with copper leaf

When she opened a sample jar of her Chalkart paint it was thick and creamy, kind of like pudding and I’d honestly never seen anything quite like it. She explained that it’s used with the stencils and a little scraper kind of tool. A little goes a long, long way. If you don’t seal it, it’s fully washable, allowing creative people to easily change their decor with the seasons. 

If you want something more permanent, she has a paint for that as well. It’s called Rescue and Restore Paint.

Then, there was the thing that grabbed my attention in the first place.  Amy removed a stencil from it’s package. The thin, silky stencil was akin to silk screening. The stencil comes with an adhesive back, making it easy to apply and use. It’s washable and re-usable up to 30 times. Amazing! I’d never seen anything like this and I could not wait to try it. 

Fortunately, she was giving a workshop where I’d be able to get my hands dirty and actually try the Chalkart paint and the silk stencils. 

Can you see how the stencil is a very thin mesh? You can see through the parts that will allow the paint through.

And guess what?! On August 23rd, you have an opportunity to try the products as well. Amy is organizing virtual and live gatherings for people to create and fellowship together. I love that idea! August 23rd she’ll feature the Farmhouse Chic kit. Be sure to check it out!

If you’re in my area and interested in doing this, let me know. We’ll gather at my house. I’ll provide the wine and cheese!

Farmhouse Chic

Ok. Now that I’ve shared that, it’s back to the story.

At the appointed time, my roommate and I made our way to Amy’s workshop. We listened while she talked about the products and watched as she demonstrated their use then we worked on our own little projects. 

When Amy talked about the opportunity to sell these products, I was intrigued. Because the nearest Annie Sloan retailer is over an hour and a half away, I’ve been considering partnering with a chalk paint manufacturer to carry their products. This product line offered great paint and so much more. 

Then she started talking about her real passions, about the things that drive her. She shared her passion for mentoring and helping women, for using the products to help people relieve stress, connect with others and build community. 

She talked about the vision of the company.  “A Makers’ Studio empowers the modern creative woman to make a difference in homes and hearts. Our mission is to support her with in-depth education, unique projects, and meaningful work as she leads her community in crafting a beautiful life.” 

I loved her heart! Making a difference in homes and hearts sounded a lot like creating beauty in space and finding beauty in relationships, the mission of this blog. 

That might have been enough to sell me, but when Amy shared her vision of using proceeds from A Maker’s Studio to raise millions of dollars to combat human trafficking, time stood still. 

Suddenly, I was back in Colorado, at our local county fair, near one year ago. I was visiting with another mom.  She often has foster kids and has even adopted a couple. I inquired about the two little girls she had in tow. I had never met them. She explained that they were foster kids, rescued from a sex trafficking ring that operates out of a nearby city. I don’t remember for sure but I think the girls were 2 and 5 years old at the time. 

In that moment my heart broke. Watching the girls run around in their little cowboy boots, playing with the animals and knowing they had endured horrors beyond what I can even imagine brought tears to my eyes and an ache to my heart that remains untouched by time. 

I think about them often, and the godly man and woman seeking to give them a home, to bring some measure of healing to their little hearts, to create beauty from tragedy and to give those little girls a hope and a future. 

This deer is also a stencil! Imagine the gifts you could create!

Then I remembered the Facebook post I saw on our community website just a couple of weeks ago. It was a picture of a van and a warning. The van had been in our area, it’s driver attempting to capture and kidnap young girls to be sold into trafficking. I showed my girls. I emphasized the need to be aware and alert at all times and to let me know where they are and where they are going. Then I prayed. For safety, for protection, for the girls and the families touched by monsters like this. 

These were the things going through my mind as Amy spoke. “How can they ever believe there’s a God who loves them when they experience the things they are experiencing and no one is coming to help?” she said. “We can make a difference in the lives of these woman and little girls.” 

This is the sign I made at Amy’s workshop. Less than 10 minutes!

And I knew. I knew I wanted to use and sell her products. This Place I Belong is about creating beauty in our spaces and finding beauty in connection. Sometimes, when we connect with people, it’s messy. It’s ugly. It’s hard. We get our hands dirty and sometimes the pain of others penetrates our own hearts. But we do it anyway. Sometimes it takes a while for the beauty to become evident, to sprout and grow, much like a seed. Sometimes we have an opportunity to make a real difference in people’s lives and nothing is more beautiful than that. 

Not all of us can be like my friend and foster and adopt little girls. But when we need paint or a stencil we can choose a company committed to making a difference in the lives of women and girls. 

Where to start when a tenant damages your property.

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Stunned, I slowly made my way through the house, carefully stepping over trash and debris as my eyes surveyed the damage and squalor.

Doors had been ripped from the kitchen cabinets. Drawer fronts were missing. The mahogany countertops were badly damaged. There were holes in the walls. Window sashes, broken and devoid of glass hung from the windows and broken glass carpeted the floor.  The bathroom sink had sustained a couple of cracks. Entering the bedroom that once belonged to my son, I caught my breath.  The smell of pet urine was suffocating. And filth. Everywhere filth.

This is the old girl a few years ago.

It took a minute to get over my shock and horror at the condition of my house, and a few more to set aside my anger at the tenant. Ok. That’s not quite true.  The truth is, I’m still angry. It’s hard to understand how someone can treat someone else’s property like this.

I’ve had rental units for many years now. Early on, I was too trusting, too naive. I assumed that everyone was good and would treat my properties the way I treated homes when I rented.

This is her today.

I quickly learned that this just isn’t the case. So, I got better at screening tenants. Even so, sometimes a bad one slips through the cracks. As a landlord, I know this is a possibility. Never-the-less, when it happens it makes me angry!

For a while now, I’ve been contemplating selling this house, so when confronted with the mess and destruction, my first reaction was to find a buyer and sell it fast. Repairs take time and that amounts to lost income. Our real estate market is really hot.  In fact, while we were evaluating the damages, a neighbor stopped by to ask if we’d consider selling “as-is”. Tempting!

Damaged cabinet. Notice the mold in the open area. She removed the dishwasher and simply bent the copper supply line over, allowing water to seep out.

The kitchen, after most the rotting food, and pet messes had been removed.

One bedroom

Broken glass

Living room. This could have been much worse.

When I set my emotions aside and evaluated the situation, I realized that I spend a lot of time and money looking for damaged houses to fix and make a profit. So, why would I leave money on the table this time?

I was simply having an emotional response to an ugly situation. Doing the work to restore the home will bring a higher selling price and greater profits. It just makes sense, and dollars too!

Walking through the house again with a camera and notebook, I started making the repair list. Later, I would assign dollar amounts to each of these items and then get to work.

Some of the original woodwork. No, I did not choose the paint color and yes, the “art” was scratched into the plaster walls by the tenant’s children.

Simply cleaning made a big difference in the living room.

Dining room looking into the living room.

Living room looking into the dining room.

Having made the decision to renovate the house, I started getting excited. I really love this house. It’s a 1911, brick Craftsman, and  she still retains much of her period charm. The deep woodwork, though a little shabby, is beautiful still. The wood floors are original. I even love the old radiators!

It’s the kind of house that can work equally as well for a young family or for empty nesters. Having served us well for many years, first as our family home, then as an income property, she’s earned the right to  a make-over and I’m excited to give it to her. I’m also excited to share the process with you!

Someone asked me how I even start with a project like this. Here’s what we’ve done so far:

  • Created a master list of work to be completed.
  • Removed most of the tenant’s trash and debris, and there was  A LOT.
  • Removed the urine soaked carpet from the bedroom.
  • Cleaned everything that won’t be removed.
  • Removed some of the kitchen cabinets. I’ll leave the base cabinets until new cabinets arrive because we use that sink.
  • Removed the old, dirty microwave hood and cleaned the stove and refrigerator. These will likely end up being replaced with new appliances.
  • Scheduled the electrician to come evaluate the wiring.
  • Started prepping the walls for painting, although I don’t want to do too much in case the electrician needs to open walls to pull new wire.

We’ll have to invest time, effort and money, but in the end it will be worth it, and well, I love the process!

 

 

 

 

 

 

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