#womendiy

I went to a friend’s house the other day who was in the middle of having it repainted and I immediately noticed this awful area on the ceiling and said, “Oh my gosh, I never noticed the water damage on your kitchen ceiling!” My friend promptly replied, “No Jenn, that’s not water damage. That’s a spot the painter missed, and he’s coming back tomorrow to fix it.” It wasn’t the fact he missed it that surprised me, it was how awful the ceiling had looked before he painted it that shocked me. I mean shocked!

When I moved into my fifty year old house six months ago, there was a distinct odor to the home. You know how everyone’s houses smell a little different? Well, this one smelled like a combination of really bad incense and “old.” It was odd and it was bad. We repainted every wall in the home which made a tremendous difference, but we also painted every single ceiling. As affirmed by family and friends, there is zero “weird smell” in my house now! Often times ceilings are never painted and the plaster absorbs odors over time, especially in kitchens or even worse, older homes where previous owners long ago may have smoked. Burning lots of candles can also discolor ceilings.

So in short, painting your ceilings makes your home look brighter, your ceilings look taller, and will seal the plaster to prevent the odd smell factor!

Helpful Hints

There are lots of varieties of ceiling paint and it’s typically a thinner paint, so cover everything on the ground and walls before you get started.

My preferred ceiling paint because it’s cheap and covers in one coat is Behr Ceiling Paint (purple can).

Like all things white, there are a hundred shades, so don’t switch after you start so if you ever need to touch up a ceiling in your home again, you can count on it being the same as your “leftover" can.

Carefully trim the edges first and then roll the rest.

Ceilings are much harder to paint than you think because it’s difficult to see where you have been. Work in daylight and be sure to overlap your roller marks.

If your ceiling is heavily textured with something like popcorn, be prepared to roll both directions (perpendicular to each other), keep plenty of paint on your roller and don’t go over an area more than once or the popcorn will pull off. You may need to change your roller after each room depending on how full it gets of texture.

"Don't just update to make it look better - make it work better if you can."  -- Jennifer Lea

As you know, I love fresh and clean updates to make homes feel new again, but whenever I update a space, I think about how to maximize it. What do I really need that space to be for? The toy room that might have worked 8 years ago is no longer serving its purpose. The laundry room that is on the smaller side was perfectly fine until your family grew into a small tribe. Or in my most recent case, the 1970’s wet bar conveniently located off the garage could be used far more effectively as a “drop zone” and hopefully help my kids backpacks and coats find a better spot to live than the floor!

So, what goes into a drop zone? The typical ones are a bench, baskets, and hooks. All this works fine and looks lovely, but think for a moment about how updating the space can serve your family, not just serve a cute instagram post. For example, after remodeling my kitchen and in living in my house for about six months, there were three things that I struggled with daily for a place to put: lunch boxes, extra shopping bags, and MASKS! Who would have ever thought we’d have to have a place for masks, right? A year later and we’re still washing and wearing, so it’s about time they find a semi-permanent home.

Let’s be honest…we all love our tile, but keeping grout clean is my nemesis! And over time, no matter how much you clean it or what you clean it with, it just gets dingy. Here’s your answer - paint it! There is specially designed grout paint. The prep (as always!) is key. It’s detailed work, but I’m telling you, your tile will look brand new when you’re done! I haven’t researched what goes into doing your shower, but this method is tried and true on my floors for years!

Investment

Money | $30-$60

Time | 30 minutes per 3x3’ area

Supplies*

Grout colorant of choice. You can stick with the same as your current and just freshen it up and make it look uniform and clean, or go darker. If you want to go light, be prepared to do multiple coats. The same color is the easiest and looks awesome.

Prep cleaner for grout. If your grout has never been sealed and you cleaned it with vinegar really well, this step is probably not necessary.

Nylon scrubbing sponge or toothbrush.

Old rag/towel to wipe excess.

Small paintbrush, about the width of your grout lines.

Patience. Not for sale. :)

Steps

Clean the heck out of your grout. Let dry two hours.

Pour a small amount of colorant into a disposable cup and get to work with your small paint brush. It dries fairly fast, so don’t dink around too much and definitely don’t let excess set up. Adequately cover and wipe off any excess immediately with a damp (not wet) rag from the edges.

Let cure 7 days before steaming or cleaning.

Enjoy the Project

Playlist | This is Carly Pierce

Wine | Kirkland Box Cab :)

There is an alternative, MUCH less expensive answer than calling an electrician to wire your house if there is a place you really want a light, such as a sconce by your sofa or a pair for reading lights by your bed - it’s called a $2 extension cord! It’s super easy to “wire” a fixture to an extension cord so then you can plug it in. You do have to think about what you’re going to do with the cord to hide it, but I’ve got some ideas on that, too! Keep reading for the “how to!”

Supplies*

Extension Cord

T-Stripper

Box cutter/razor blade

Electrical Caps (2)

Screwdriver (or drill)

Cord covers (optional)

Wifi Plug (optional)

Steps

Using your t-stripper wire cutter, cut off end of extension cord where you would plug a cord into (not the end that plugs into the wall!)

Carefully cut with a razor blade between the two edges of the extension where the wires come together, about 1-2 inches long.

Use your t-stripper, on the biggest hole, to cut & strip the extension cord plastic off the end wire so you have about a ½” of exposed wire on each side of your “split cord.”

Use electrical caps to secure the wires to your fixture. Black to black, white to white and the copper wire goes around the screw attached to the fixture mount itself.

Mount your fixture bracket wherever you want it.

Attach your fixture to it as designed; you may need to make an accommodation for the cord that will stick out from somewhere behind the fixture. Ideally, this is where you want to run a cord cover from. Alternatively, it’s pretty darn easy to drill or cut a small hole in the wall and literally drop your extension cord down it to fish it from down below through another smaller hole. They make nice plates to finish off your holes, and if you do it directly behind the fixture mount, you’ll never see it until you take it down someday and if you can run the cord down the wall to land behind a couch, plant, etc., you won’t really see the other end either. There are a number of nice cord cover options if you want to run it on top of the wall as well.

Plug it in, viola!

PRO TIP: Use an Alexa enabled wifi plug or outlet so your new light can turn on by command or on a schedule!Enjoy the Project

Playlist | Kenny Chesney

Wine | 2018 Cherries & Rainbows Red Wine

I was helping a friend with wall paint and I was trying to explain how to select a paint. I decided I could probably write a course on this, but what I want you to really think about is comparing it to nail polish. There are too many people who go to the paint counter at wherever with their chosen color in hand and say “I need a gallon please.” You know the drill - they start asking you questions about what kind and what sheen of finish you want and here it comes the “oh s*%t” moment when you don’t have a clue!

Now, if you are fortunate enough to have a gray haired old school painter working, you can tell them about your project and they will help you pick the right kind of paint. However, the last time I encountered one of those experts was years ago! Most of the time it’s a twenty something who may have never painted a wall in their life. So, let’s rethink asking advice at the paint store, instead, research before you go! 

Picking out paint for your project is just like picking out nail polish! You know there are differences between shades, brands, texture, thickness, applicator brush, the sheen, the durability, how easy it is to remove, etc. SAME WITH PAINT! I can’t tell you which is best as a general matter, although I definitely have some biases based on my own experience. My recommendation is when you get ready to tackle a project, go on Facebook to DIY forums such as Paint it Beautiful, Houzz or Pinterest and just start researching what other people recommend and what they have used. You want to keep in mind the following questions:

Is my project inside or outside?

What is the surface of your project? Brand new drywall, varnished wood, new wood, old wall, etc. You may need a primer or other type of prep. No prep = bad results, I don’t care how good of paint you bought!

How durable does this need to be? Heavy foot or hand traffic or just pretty sitting on a shelf?

Does it need to be washable?

Do you want it to look brand new or distressed?

Are you willing to do multiple steps or want more like a one-and-done application?

Do you want it to be matte/flat or shiny/gloss?

How much will the sun shine on it?

Are you painting over a dark or super light color with the opposite color of new paint?

Bottom Line

The type of paint you choose will 100% affect the outcome of your project and ultimately how happy you are with it! 

Enjoy the Project

Playlist | CheaperThanWine

Wine | Meiomi Pinor Noir

After the polar vortex last week, I was reminded how important good weather stripping is around your doors! There is a weather strip that runs along the bottom of the actual door (the only way to get to it is to remove the door) and the other type is a formed plastic/rubber strip that pushes into a groove in the door frame itself. Take a look at yours for any of the following issues:

It doesn’t match the color of the trim. Very common in older homes when all the stained woodwork got repainted to white, the weather stripping didn’t get replaced and is still black or brown. Worse, maybe it accidentally got painted, too! Bottom line, the weather stripping should be the same color as the door frame and trim, not the color of the door itself. 

It’s beat up. After all, it is just plastic and can tear fairly easily when moving furniture in and out of homes or in my case, my old dog used to tear the heck out of it when someone came to the door to greet them.

It’s no longer effective. Overtime, the weather stripping can become flattened and hard and no longer working as well as it used to keep out drafts. If you run your hand along the edge of the door and feel cold air coming in by the drove, it’s a good time to replace it.

Whatever the reason, replacing it is fairly easy and cheap to do! I recommend first getting a pair of needle nose pliers and starting at the bottom along a side to pull firmly and get about 5” out. Take a pair of scissors and cut off 1” and then push the other back in. This is your sample to take to the hardware store if you want to stick with the same style. You can most likely change it as the door frame grooves are pretty standard, but in my case with my dog, I regularly replaced the bottom 4’ where he was constantly tearing it and I wanted it to be identical to the existing weather stripping. If you’re replacing all three sides, it likely won’t matter.

When you go to the hardware store, you just buy two longer pieces for the sides and one 36” for the top (cut with scissors if your door is smaller). If you have an oversized door, you may need to buy three long pieces to do 1 ½ on each side. Same across the top if you have a double door entry. 

When you are ready, just use your pliers and remove all the weather stripping and then starting across the top, push your piece in. Then move to one of the sides and start at the top to get a tight corner and then push in down the rest of the door. Repeat on other side.

Weather stripping is another one of those little details that can make a big difference in both functionality and aesthetics!

 Enjoy the Project!

Music | Cheaper Than Wine

"The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, but expecting different results."  -- Albert Einstein

Every night for the past month when I have gone to close my newly made curtains on their rings, it never fails the rings get stuck on the rod joist. I don’t know what else to call it - the part where the two rods come together and differ by about ⅛” in height. So, I have to stop, jiggle it a bit and then I accidentally jiggle one or two of the hooks out of the rings and I can’t reach to fix it, so I have to go get a step stool, and finally, the curtains are closed. A ridiculous amount of work and frustration, repeatedly every night, to just close the damn curtains!

My number two Strength is Maximizer. This means that I can only handle so much insanity before I have to fix the problem. There is always a better solution, but there are few people in life who are willing to stop, take time to figure it out and save literally years of time and future frustration! I find this particularly true in technology!

There are some inventions that are life changing and Ezy Glide Tape is one of them. I found this solution on Amazon for $10 and I have already ordered another role. My curtains are nearly silent closing now and don’t get stuck! Thank you for whoever invented this and saved my mental health for another day! :)

Investment

Money | $10 per role (10 feet). I started out only doing the “half” of the rod with the joist on all of my windows, but love the fact my curtains are so much quieter closing, that I would suggest ordering enough to span the entire rod. You can’t just go over the “bump” to make this work, so measure and order accordingly.

Time | 5 minutes per rod

Supplies*

Ezy Glide Tape

Microfiber towel to dust rod

Scissors

Steps

Dust curtain rod. Focus on side with joist to start with if you don’t plan on going across entire rod (both sides of center).

Measure length of tape needed and cut.

Feed under rings. Then start removing red tape from center. Make sure if you’re only doing half, you are just slightly over center so the ring closest to center won’t get stuck when you go to close it or you just reversed your original problem! You want to make sure you are putting it on the top of the rod, but perhaps just a little on the back side if you are going to error one direction because when you go to close the curtain you pull it slightly towards you. Plus, it makes it less visible, although I can’t see my tape no matter how hard I look, so don’t stress about that!

Press firmly across tape.

Done!

Enjoy the Project

Playlist | Kenny Chesney - I think I only had time for one or two songs!

Wine | Meiomi Pinot Noir

I admit that I am horrible about turning off the lights! I love lit rooms, any time of day, and all day, for that matter. They are warm, welcoming and everything just looks better with the lights on! Well, maybe not everything but that’s a different blog! But, I know the environmentalists are cringing and I have found that sensor light switches are magical

What

Sensor light switches are exactly what they imply – they sense motion when someone walks into a room and turn on. The default setting for most is to turn off after 5 minutes of no motion. This is adjustable. 

Where

They are available in a dimmer option or just on/off. I find the dimmer to be a bit of a pain because it’s not easy to temporarily reprogram for a dinner party for example (do we have those anymore?! #covid) and then reprogram for full brightness. I find sensor switches work better in “all on/off” spaces where you don’t use dimmers. 

Bathrooms, kids bedrooms, pantry, laundry room, or anywhere else you are finding you have to holler at your children to turn off the lights or you when run through the house turning off the lights before you walk out the door. 

How

Turn off the power, disconnect the old switch and swap out the old switch for the sensor switch! Couple of notes – some sensor switches require a neutral which is usually a white wire sometimes in the back of the box not being used. Older houses especially may not have neutrals in every box, so when purchasing, look for “no neutral required” and then you won’t have to worry about it. Also pay attention to single pole v. three-way options. Three way switches can get tricky (anywhere there is more than one switch to turn on/off a light is a three way, even if it’s just two switches). My point is, try to pick sensor switch location that are single pole such as most bathrooms, closets, bedrooms, etc. 

 Enjoy the Project!

Music | Cheaper Than Wine