The Hopeless Garage Door

What do you do when the previous homeowner decides to put in this beauty of a garage door?


(from our initial walk through)

Yes, you are looking at that right. It is one of those yellow plastic rolling commercial garage doors. It was such an eyesore! To replace it would have set us back about $300. I have more important projects to spend that money on so what's a girl to do? Grab a can of paint, of course!

I thought painting it was out of the question because it was plastic and because it rolled. The light bulb came on once I realized the sections didn't actually bend. (Can you tell how often I actually go out to the workshop? lol)

I picked up a quart of enamel paint at Lowes. I took a deep breath and then just started painting. What I should have done was tested out a spot. What I should have done was tested its durability. Instead, I just went for it with this uneasy feeling that it might be peeling by next summer. No worries though! I scrubbed, scratched, and pressure washed after the first coat was up. It's not budging!



I hung the planters a little too low. (Tip, don't attach them without the planters nearby. For some reason I thought the chain was much shorter.) But overall, I LOVE LOVE LOVE it. Why have I been living with this ugly door for so long??

Some more before/afters:





I'm undecided about the side door color. I really think it would look better white but Matt pointed out how dirty it gets. Who knows how long it will stay this color. :)

Project Cost Breakdown:
Enamel paint: $10
Total: $10 Yep, that's it! Ugliness erased with only $10. If you count the paint for the entire workshop, it only set me back about $40. But that is a whole 'nother post where I cry about the scraping and sanding.

Ask and You Shall Receive

But it might take me three weeks to get to it! I've been a busy little bee around the house (lots of new posts to come) so I haven't gotten to taking a full picture of the new bedroom lamps. Finally, here they are:


(It's a dreary day so the lighting is terrible!)

So if you were undecided before, what do you think? I think they are growing on me so they are here to stay. Until a cat knocks one of them over and breaks it. I've already come home to a lamp crashed on the floor. Speaking of which, they seem to be drawn to the camera. Out of 7 shots, they were in all but 6. lol



I think I need to do a less stark white color on the "art" above the bed. Those are actually ceiling tiles, believe it or not! I purchased 5 of them for about $40 (free shipping) and gave the other two to a friend. They are perfect for above the bed due to the lightweight material. If they fall off, no one's teeth are getting knocked out in the middle of the night. But let me tell you, they WILL scare the beejebus out of you if they fall on you while sleeping. So don't just stick them on top of the headboard for the night and think you'll hang them up tomorrow. Unless you want to give yourself a heart attack! lol

Falling Out of Love in 8 Seconds Flat

I'm organized, analytical, and a planner. Everyone IRL jokes about how predictable I am. However, I can be impulsive. Really impulsive, especially with big decisions. My job, my hair (goodbye brown, hello blonde), even moving in with Matt. So far, all those decisions ended up being even better than expected. :)

I made an impulse purchase on something pretty insignificant: bedside lamp shades. Albeit, an expensive impulse buy. From a store with a sign posted, "All Sales Final". I had been eyeing a similar lamp at Target for ages:

I was picturing some drum shades with them but wasn't sure. See, I'm very lamp/lighting stupid. Then I saw a similar set up in Freckles Chick's blog and fell in love with the lamp combo and her style seen here:



Here's the bedroom so far:



(I now have three of those tiles above the bed to hang. Although they'll be lower this time. I'm just too lazy to get to it. And maybe put the duvet IN the duvet cover.)



The sales associate found a pair of shades, put them on the lamps, and I gasped. They weren't at all something that I would normally pick out. I was in love and it was unexpected. The price tag made my eyes bug out. But who cares! These are beautiful! Sign on the dotted line!



(Don't mind the cat toys. lol)

I got them home, set them up, and immediately started second guessing myself. Are they too feminine? Too frilly with the shape? The fabric too... rich? I loved the very subtle pattern. But I'm not sure if they go with the rest of the room or my style. Are they unexpected in a good way or a bad way? Let me know what you think.

Edit: I'll post a whole room view tonight. I guess I'll have to make up my bed first. ;)

New Year's Resolution Revisited

I had this insane idea to make a ginormous to-do list as my resolution this year. There were 50+ items on that list! Fast forward to July and I knocked out maybe half a dozen items. I decided to have some friends over for Matt's upcoming 30th birthday so it was time to get my butt in gear.

Here's where things stand so far:
(Many pics to come!)

Living Room/Dining Room
1. Replace all outdated electric outlets
2. Hide the cords in the entertainment center
3. Paint the baseboard
4. Replace damaged floor boards
5. Attach quarter round almost there
6. Replacement blinds for backdoor
7. Decorate entertainment center
8. Rug to help anchor the space
9. Organize entryway closets (one for hanging items, one with shelves and baskets)
10. Paint interior of entryway closets
11. Finish painting exterior of built-in
12. Prime and paint interior of built-in (and start using it to store things!)
* Wish list: flat panel TV, new couch and chair, more grown-up coffee table

Kitchen
1. Replace GFI outlets with matching ones that I bought a year ago
2. Replace damaged floor boards
3. Attach baseboards and quarter round
4. Replace ugly fluorescent light above sink to something more modern
5. Hook up the garbage disposal that was installed nearly 18 months ago
6. Start planning for new Ikea kitchen cabinets and countertops in 2010

Laundry Room/Mud Room
1. Prepare walls for painting (sanding area where cabinets were removed)
2. Paint ceiling
3. Paint walls (same color as living room)
4. Install tile 50% there
5. Organize space for shoes, coats, hats, etc.

Hallway
1. Replace outdated electrical outlets
2. Repaint with satin finish
3. Paint baseboards
4. Hang pictures

Master Bedroom
1. Replace all outdated electric outlets
2. Repaint
3. Purchase comforter and duvet cover for new bed
4. Install closet organizer (already purchased)
5. Purchase matching lamps for nightstands
6. Paint doors and baseboards

2nd Bedroom
1. Replace all outdated electric outlets and light switch
2. Install new carpet Installed tomorrow!!
3. Remove 50% of items and give to Goodwill
4. Install shelves (already purchased)
5. Paint doors and baseboards
6. Prime and paint interior of closet
7. Find a better way to hide litter box
* Wish list: Bed for guests (Hmm, guess I'd have to move the litter box then!)

3rd Bedroom (a.k.a. Man Room)
1. Decor for walls
2. Paint baseboards and doors
3. Give 75% of stored items in closet to Goodwill
4. Paint interior of closet

Bathroom
1. Finish flooring in linen closet
2. Paint walls
3. Recaulk tub

Exterior
1. Plant grass in bare spots
2. Add additional ornamental grass to front yard
3. Plant ground cover on side of house 50% there, but planting hosta instead
4. Finish weeding and mulching retaining wall
5. Clear overgrown weeds from back fence
6. Dispose of the ginormous tub of river rock
7. Paint exterior of workshop 50% there
8. Scrape and paint all trim
9. Replace both water spickets 50% there

Yowzers. I can't believe I've gotten all of that done! Of course, I could have done it without my sidekick: coffee. Eh, and maybe Matt. :)