Meet Me By The Fireplace?

Those of you who follow me regularly, know that I have been in the throws of passionately renovating and updating the house that I moved into one year ago.  I have been painting and sanding, and building and working my little fingers to the bone for months now…and I am happy to say, that I have finally dealt with two of the ugliest fireplaces in the world.  They are no longer the blaring focal point of the room that scream HELP ME!!!  They are now soft and inviting and much more streamlined…well at least that’s what I think.

Allow me to demonstrate my point:



This was my living room in May of 2012.  The fireplace is just not feeling like it should be a part of this room…there is WAY too much going on with it.

I have since May, removed that piano…it ended up out in the yard as a planter…and I have shuffled a few other things around a bit, but the fact still remains…that fireplace is dated…and tired and needs a little TLC…Tootsie style.



What?  Still not convinced???   Fine!  I will take you closer…are you ready?  Are you sure you can handle this????

Okaaay….here it is!



EEK!
 Now that is U-G-L-Y!
Hurts your eyes doesn’t it???  Ya…I Told Ya!!!
 Don’t you just LOVE the arborite??? (did I even spell that right?)  ha ha ha !   Ya…me too! NOT!  ha ha
 
I tried to deal with it…I tried to ignore it…and I just could not let it be in my house knowing it was that bad…and that I could Tootsie it up with just a little time!

So…I did what I do best…I made a plan…and got some paint!



Say goodbye!  to that old dated look…



 and Hello Gorgeous to the new updated style!



I love this neutral taupe that I used on the whole thing…top to bottom…It sure did bring it into the room in a new and different way!

Now, all this fireplace needs is a good cleaning and I will be able to light it up and enjoy!  Alas, that is a project all in itself...and one I am not going to do alone. Maybe I can get my Cowboy to help me some time!  Hint hint?  ha ha !



I have been updating the whole room this past few weeks…new furniture pieces…and a little change in accessories…I also have been working in the family room downstairs, doing a LOT of fun changes….so stay tuned…when I am finished with the primping…You will be the first to know!



Every now and then I do get a good idea or two!

**  don't forget to keep reading...there are several more posts below of what I have been doing...including some great how-to's!**

Until Next Time…Happy Decorating!

*)*)*)   Always…remember the lesson not the disappointment.

(¯`v´¯)
`*.¸.*´Glenda/Tootsie
¸.•´¸.•*¨) ¸.•*¨)
(¸.•´ (¸.•´ .•´ ¸¸.•¨¯`•.
www.tootsietime.com

Great Crates!!…is That a TABLE?

So I know this family of cowboys…ya…I said COWBOYS…and NO I am not Joking…there are rodeo buckles, cowboy boots and Hats all over the darn place…These boys are country ALL the way. 
I have grown rather fond of two of the cowboys in the family…the oldest…who we shall refer to as “Unky”  and the youngest that you all already know as my “Cowboy”.   They are two of my favorite characters…and Characters they are!
Now…”Unky” was over for a visit a while back and he noticed that I had been out Junkin’.   He commented that he really liked my “tables”  that I had sitting around. 
Take a look:



Yep!  they are old crates!   I found them in an old house…and they were LOADED with bird poop and other unmentionable things.  It took me a LONG time and a LOT of cleaner to get these babies all ready to be in my house!!!   I got them all cleaned up and just set them down in the living room one day to figure out what I wanted to do with them…and it hit me…they make fun shabby little tables!
ANYWAYS…back to my story…
”Unky”  really liked them…especially the one with the shelves in it that I used for my magazines!   He also liked the wooden tray on the door that I turned into a dining room table…I suppose I should show you the tray too hey???   ugh…you have NO idea…ha ha

I actually thought that I had already shared all of the next few posts…and when I prepared a post about the newest projects I have been working on, I went to refer to some of these projects…and realized…I took photos…but NEVER posted them!!!   CAN YOU SAY BLONDE MOMENT????  UGH…I could smack myself!
Ok…back to my story…

I also pulled a few smaller more shallow wooden boxes from that old place…it wasn’t as filthy as the others, and I thought it would make a great plant holder on my table! 

I added a couple of used old horse shoes…and ta-da!

I love it! 
WELL…When Unky came by for a visit…he mentioned how neat that was…and this Tootsie was listening…

For Christmas I made him a set of his own!   I used old crates from the attic of his childhood home…(Cowboy owns the old home site and there are all kinds of fun things there for a Tootsie to play with)  They were no where near as dirty and abused as the ones in my house…so they cleaned up easy…Dust is far nicer to clean off than bird poop…just sayin’  :)
I added two old pieces of wood on tiny brackets for shelves, screwed castors onto the bottom and he had two end tables for his living room!  
He can put the table tray on his dining room table to hold his placemats and napkins, and keep everything all neat and tidy!
The decorating style in “Unky’s” house is beautiful.   It is rustic and country casual…these crate tables are perfect with his décor! 
Turns out…that “Unky” LOVES his Christmas crates…and has them in his home in just the right spot! 
Maybe one day I will stop over there and take photos of how grand they look in his house!
I plan to Junk up my “Unky’s”  house a lot over the next while…good thing he’s easy going…and has lots of space for me to fill!
I already have another piece to deliver to him…I just can’t wait to show you!
Until Next Time…Happy Junkin’!!!
*)*)*)…treasure yesterday celebrate today dream of tomorrow.
(¯`v´¯)
`*.¸.*´Glenda/Tootsie
¸.•´¸.•*¨) ¸.•*¨)
(¸.•´ (¸.•´ .•´ ¸¸.•¨¯`•.
www.tootsietime.com

I’ll Have a Window Seat Please

I shared a preview of the following post last week…I have been doing renovations in my house for a while…and a couple of weeks ago I decided to tackle another project that I have been contemplating and planning to do.

This is my living room BEFORE the project. You will notice that it has a built up area in the bay window. I hate that area.

This is a huge waste of space if you ask me!

Did I mention that I absolutely HATE this built up window area???

Ya…I think I did.

I hated it enough…

…that I ripped it out! I made a HUGE mess!!! I was so excited to get this project going…I didn’t even care about the mess!!! I got things well under way…

…when a cowboy showed up and offered to give me a hand to finish it! Yay!!! I was happy to have the company…and we got lots done!

“Busy” was there offering a hand, and making quite a good audience too…

Marty…well he was just plain old pooped…and he slept through the entire project! (and to think, Grammie thought he would be scared of the saw and the tools…he’s only about three feet away and totally relaxed!)

After the flooring was put in, I set to putting up the bead board that I wanted to use in this area.

So far…so good! The cowboy and I shared the tools like good kids…not even an argument! Ha-ha.

….and Marty slept through that too! (kinda makes you wish you were him doesn’t it???)

The next day, I tried my best to cut the trims and molding for around the top of this little wall area…ya…I had such a disaster going…that I had to go to the lumber yard 2 times…and still messed up! I had to wait…swallow my pride…and ask that cowboy to cut my angles! Yep…that was painful for this Tootsie…but…it was a good thing I did.

I think he did a fabulous job doing the angles!

Later on, while I was painting the area…I realized what I was doing wrong…so…I suppose next time I will be able to figure it out myself! (maybe…ha ha)

There is a part of this project that is ALL me…This little corner piece…well it is a bit of a challenge…I didn’t feel like messing around anymore with it, so I decided to do a Tootsie Original Touch to this part.

I used one of these…

…and one of these…

…to make pillars to hide the ugly corners!

I painted it all up…and the construction part of this project is nearly finished! All that is left for me to do, is the fun part…the decorating.

I slipped to the store and picked up a few curtain panels. These are sheers with a little bit of lace sewn in. I like them for this room. (as my luck would have it, the store was one panel short…so I am waiting for them to re-stock so I can finish up)

I washed the floor, added a few plants and a couple of chairs to the area…

…and it’s done!

I love the added space this project gave my living room.

This room went from drab, dated and kind of crowded…

…to fabulously spacious and warm!

Thank you to my ‘cowboy’ for helping me finish this project. Without his help, I would probably still be cutting angles and throwing pieces of wood out the window! I appreciate the help!

That’s it for today! Thanks for stopping by and taking a look at the end result of this project. I am looking forward to sharing what I have been doing since then…later this week.

Until Next Time…Happy Decorating!

*)*)*) I believe in miracles, I believe in fate, I believe that I can make a difference, and I have faith that everything that's happens has made me who I am today. The secret to having it all, is knowing you already do.

(¯`v´¯)
`*.¸.*´Glenda/Tootsie
¸.•´¸.•*¨) ¸.•*¨)
(¸.•´ (¸.•´ .•´ ¸¸.•¨¯`•.
www.tootsietime.com

WHO Made This Big Mess!!! oops…it was ME!

I spent all morning one day last week cleaning my house…I scrubbed…and dusted…and waxed floors…I vacuumed…and things were looking pretty good!

I then got the bright idea to do some renovation work in my house!

This is the living room window. It has a built up area that seems to me to be nothing more than a huge waste of space.

The top of this “window box” is covered with the same laminate that is on the floor.

If I was to remove the “box,” I could re-use that laminate and make it become flooring. I would have more space in my living room !!! Lets get our tool belt on!!!

Laminate removed! Plywood underneath.

Plywood removed! Another layer of Plywood!!! I see a bit of a water stain….hmmmm. The people who built this box sure did like nails…I must have removed 50 nails to get to this layer…and there are dozens more on this one!

Second layer of plywood removed…insulation revealed.

EWE!!! Water damage is an ugly thing! haha

Insulation removed…and this mess is revealed!! I am not sure what was supposed to be happening in this part…but it did make me laugh to see the patchwork of plywood scraps that was holding up the insulation.

Plywood patchwork removed…to reveal the floor!!! I am so happy to see that it is an actual floor!!!

Next I removed the drywall and the insulation from within that area…to realize…

…That all my cleaning from this morning was a HUGE waste of time!

WHAT A MESS!!!!

I got busy and hauled all the wood scraps outside…cleaned up the remaining drywall mess and tried to sweep up a little…I don’t care if I made a mess…

I am just so excited to make this project a success…

…even having this much more space is going to be worth all the mess I made!

The next day…

well that’s another post…what??? You didn’t really think I was going to finish the entire project in one day did you???? hahahaha! Be patient!…Stay tuned…I am almost done this little…ok…huge project!!! As soon as I get the little details done… and my arms will let me, I will share! In the mean time…any curtain suggestions would be appreciated!

I will be in my gardens for a day or two…and my project will need to wait. It is that time of year and I am in a scramble!

*)*)*)…to you three winks!!! Oh how wonderful it is to see you trying to come around as often as you can! Do you remember the time that you thought that the grass was greener on the ether side, But when you get over there you stepped in a big pile of shit? ahhhhh good times…good times…brings to mind a little wisdom I once read: Immature love wants a fun time.. Mature love wants a lifetime…just sayin’

Until Next Time….Happy Building!

(¯`v´¯)
`*.¸.*´Glenda/Tootsie
¸.•´¸.•*¨) ¸.•*¨)
(¸.•´ (¸.•´ .•´ ¸¸.•¨¯`•.
www.tootsietime.com