dining room: before and after

Hello, friends! Today is the day that I get to reveal our renovated dining room to you all! First, here are a few before pictures.

These were actually taken after I had already removed the hideous pink wallpaper from the lower portion of the walls. As you can see, we also needed to get rid of the carpet and (flickering) light fixture in addition to painting and patching the walls, and refinishing the floors. Below are the floors in the state that we found them.

I almost don’t know where to begin! When Geoffrey left for training over the summer, Remy and I worked on this room together. After the wallpaper came down, I set out to removing the carpet and underlay. It was soooo gross. Every square inch was covered in mouse poop, and the carpet was incredibly stained. That only took a few days, and then we had to wait a few months for Geoff to come back home and finish what I started.

We rented a floor sander in November, and he had the entire room sanded in about an hour. It was much easier than using a small hand sander! I don’t think that we’ll ever revert back to the latter when it comes to sanding floors. Duh, right?

Next, Geoffrey added quarter round moulding and patched and sealed the vents. Then we painted the walls and ceiling. We used the same bright white that can be found throughout the rest of the house for continuity. Now for some after pictures!

I ended up purchasing a new light fixture from Home Depot. I wanted one that was completely different from what was hanging there previously. Rather than a small, brass, and round chandelier, I chose a large, black, and rectangular one! I also purchased four Edison bulbs for it, as we have them throughout our home and just love them.

Geoffrey stained the floors after that. Then we hung some hooks that I also purchased from Home Depot, changed the switch plates, and I bought a few things to go on the walls. We stained the picnic table a shade darker to match the church pew as well.

I think that’s pretty much all of it! Thanks for joining me on this room tour. It was a long process, and we’re just thankful to be done! Onto the next room!

Emory

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dining room: before and after

Hello, friends! Today is the day that I get to reveal our renovated dining room to you all! First, here are a few before pictures.

These were actually taken after I had already removed the hideous pink wallpaper from the lower portion of the walls. As you can see, we also needed to get rid of the carpet and (flickering) light fixture in addition to painting and patching the walls, and refinishing the floors. Below are the floors in the state that we found them.

I almost don’t know where to begin! When Geoffrey left for training over the summer, Remy and I worked on this room together. After the wallpaper came down, I set out to removing the carpet and underlay. It was soooo gross. Every square inch was covered in mouse poop, and the carpet was incredibly stained. That only took a few days, and then we had to wait a few months for Geoff to come back home and finish what I started.

We rented a floor sander in November, and he had the entire room sanded in about an hour. It was much easier than using a small hand sander! I don’t think that we’ll ever revert back to the latter when it comes to sanding floors. Duh, right?

Next, Geoffrey added quarter round moulding and patched and sealed the vents. Then we painted the walls and ceiling. We used the same bright white that can be found throughout the rest of the house for continuity. Now for some after pictures!

I ended up purchasing a new light fixture from Home Depot. I wanted one that was completely different from what was hanging there previously. Rather than a small, brass, and round chandelier, I chose a large, black, and rectangular one! I also purchased four Edison bulbs for it, as we have them throughout our home and just love them.

Geoffrey stained the floors after that. Then we hung some hooks that I also purchased from Home Depot, changed the switch plates, and I bought a few things to go on the walls. We stained the picnic table a shade darker to match the church pew as well.

I think that’s pretty much all of it! Thanks for joining me on this room tour. It was a long process, and we’re just thankful to be done! Onto the next room!

Emory

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indoor/outdoor succulent basket – diy

Many weeks ago, I had gone to one of my favourite local greenhouses to buy a hanging succulent basket. I thought that the front of our house desperately needed one, and I had seen these types of hanging planters when I had gone there previously. I had never thought of filling a basket with succulents instead of flowers, and after leaving empty handed that day, I couldn’t get them out of my mind. So after days and days of pining over them, I decided to go back and buy one!

I wasn’t sure how much they cost, but I was hoping that they wouldn’t be more than $50. When I had arrived, I found the first basket and flipped the tag over. It was $75. My heart sank. I did the same for the others and they were all the same price. Darn.

Remy and I walked around the greenhouse for the next 20 minutes hoping to find smaller succulent baskets. There were none. Knowing that all of their plants were reasonably priced, my next thought was to make my own. 

I picked out a beautiful basket and quickly gathered up all of the same type of succulents that were found in it. Then we paid for everything and left. The total was only $23!

Next I asked Geoff to meet me at the dollar store. He was between shifts and so he sat in the vehicle with Remy while I ran inside and grabbed a hanging basket for $2. After that, he drove to his second job and we drove home.

That evening I spray painted the basket and switched out the rope for twine. Then I added the succulents one by one.

After playing around with the arrangement, I grabbed a ladder and drill and went outside. First I hung the iron bracket. Finally, I hung the basket.

Remy helped! Kidding, she kept going in and out of the house and closing the door on me. Brat.

All in all I’m more in love with my version of the succulent basket than what I saw at the greenhouse. It was really fun to make. Additionally, I saved $50! 

This is something that will last the entire year, as you should bring it inside during the colder months. Then, its back outside for the spring and summer. For $25, how can you go wrong?

<3

Emory

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simple porch makeover

Disclaimer: This really isn’t a total porch makeover so much as it is more of a temporary fix.

The front porch of our century old home slopes. When we bought our house, the room was drafty, dirty, and had a linoleum floor. I think. I can’t tell the difference between lino and vinyl. It was in one big piece, and rather than being glued down, it was merely placed on the sub floor. The entire perimeter of the flooring was curling upwards. It was so unattractive. One day I got fed up with it, so I picked it up and threw it out the back door. What I was left with was a sub floor covered in old glue, pictured below.

The issue with installing any new flooring in our porch was that the space between the floor and the bottom of the front door was approximately 1 cm. That ruled out hardwood or tile. Rather than buying new linoleum, I asked Geoffrey to try to get rid of the glue so that I could stain the sub floor. It was still in pretty good condition, considering its age.

When he used an electric sander on the floor, the glue heated up and began to spread. It became a sticky mess and was quite apparent that sanding and staining the floor was no longer an option. So I went onto Plan B. We ended up removing the remaining carpet and I painted the sub floor white. It really brightened up the small space!

I purchased a hanging light fixture from Home Depot and Geoffrey switched it with the motion sensor spotlight.

I also hung a few things and stacked two crates so that I could display my Kinfolk magazines and a few other items. I finished the room off with my Baba’s rug that I adore.

That’s it! This room only cost $20, which was the price of the new light. It’ll have to do until we can really get in there and make more drastic changes.

By the way, keeping your home this neat and tidy is no easy feat with a toddler! Sometimes, a little extra help is needed. If anyone is looking for amazing home cleaners, be sure to this NYC maid service!

<3

Emory

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table console diy

Our main floor hallway was in dire need of a console. I literally searched for weeks in local stores and online classified ads for a table that was tall, narrow, and short in length to fit the tiny space between our front door and the archway to the living room. I just couldn’t find one that had all three requirements. The closest one that I could find was $350, and was literally a piece of wood with plain, black, metal legs. So what did I do? Turned to Geoff and said, “we can make that.” We did. I did. For one third of that price.

Wood and Aluminum Table Console

Supplies:

Pine laminated panel
Aluminum stair post (4)
Drill
Screws
Tape Measure
Stain
Paintbrush
Saw (optional)

Steps:

1. You may or may not have to saw the laminated panel to a specific length. Once it is the correct dimensions, the next step is to stain. Let dry completely before moving onto the following steps.

2. Using a tape measure, mark the locations for the four posts on the bottom of the wood panel. Then drill the posts in place.

3. Turn the table over, set in your chosen location, and begin to decorate. Easy!

I cannot stress enough how fun and easy this table was to construct!

<3

Emory

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  • Hello! My name is Emory. I am a wife, mother of four (three on earth in heaven). This is our life on the Canadian prairies.
    email: helloscarlettblog@outlook.com

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