Camper Remodel: Painting is done!

Just another camper remodel update --- this is pretty much all we are doing in our free time lately (besides some wedding planning) since our trip to the east coast is scheduled to kick off July 1.

I finally painted the interior walls and cabinets. For the walls, I went with Benjamin Moore Edgecomb Gray at 50% strength in eggshell. I actually used the Behr Paint + Primer and had Home Depot look up the Benjamin Moore color and match it.

Our little camper

Every summer, Peter's family goes to Salisbury Beach, MA on the New England Seacoast for a week of camping. Peter's parents and siblings (and their families) all have campers that they stay in, and it is a ton of fun to hang out and relax.

A few weeks ago, Peter and I bought a 1999 Forest River Shamrock camper.  The camper is 19 feet long and is a "hybrid," which means it has bunks that pop out like a pop up camper.

The camper is in working order, but we got it for a cheap price and therefore have a few fixes that we will need to make, including some cleaning, water damage, and decorating.  I hope to document this process on the blog. You can check the link bar at the top of the page for more posts about the camper.

House goals 2015: Master Bedroom

My bedroom has seen some serious improvement since the day we got the place.

We repaired the plaster, removed the carpet, and sanded the floors.

Then, I moved all of my bedroom stuff into the room. I got bamboo blinds, a headboard, and some other random items. The room is kind of crowded with furniture I don't want in there (hint: the Ikea shelving unit next to my bed) because my closet/dressing room is still under construction.

(This was literally right after I moved my stuff in)

The room is slowly starting to come together.

I purchased a black bordered hotel-style duvet cover from Gilt, which I really like. I'm not crazy about those teal pillow from Pier1 that are currently on the bed. I've had them for years and used them in various places. They are super comfortable, but I don't want things matchy-matchy in this room. I'm not sure what will go in their place yet though. I do love the new faux fur mink throw that I picked up at Pier1 yesterday on sale (available here). 

The bamboo shades and bamboo storage baskets are making the room look a bit too "natural" for me, which is not quite my taste. I plan to white-wash those shades for a brighter look. I also want to get some light curtains hung once I can decide on what kind I'd like. 

Also on my list for 2015 is to paint the bedroom furniture either black or white, change out the hardware (if painted black), and add a nightstand and matching white lamps on either side. I also want to hang art.

My raised Jenny Lind bed: A year later

A year ago, I wrote about finding an antique Jenny Lind bed and raising the headboard to a more standard headboard height of about 52 inches. The bed has been finished and in my house for over nine months.. I think it's about time to post a few pictures!

The bed turned out great and has held up exceedingly well. I am currently using it in my guest room, which is not quite decorated at the moment, but definitely serves its purpose.  

If you recall, this is how the headboard previously looked. It was too short to use a box spring, and it needed a bit of TLC.

Here is how the headboard looked during the refinishing process:

And this is it now. 

Bed time

Bed update! This is turning out to be the week of beds. My Jenny Lind is almost done and ready for me to pick it up (from my mom's house, where it is being raised and painted). 

I took a picture after the first coat of black paint. Please take note of my mom's Dexter laboratory plastic-walled painting booth. Not sure if I mentioned this before, but she runs a business refinishing furniture. Its rather convenient having her in the family :)

I also received a special huge delivery in the mail!

I ordered this headboard from Overstock to use in my bedroom. Don't worry, it only took me about 5 months to decide what kind of headboard I wanted for my bed...shape size color...so many choices. In the end, I just made last minute decision based on a great sale and the general shape/color that I had been thinking of.  I haven't quite been able to carry the headboard up the stairs (ughh). I hate admitting how weak I am but it is just super heavy and I'm somewhat pint sized. Hope to get it upstairs and set up soon!

Updates to come!

Raising Jenny

I've seen some really cool Jenny Lind bed's popping up (both antique, refinished, and new) and knew I had to have one for my guest bedroom. Of course, for antiques, its not like you can just go make them magically appear...  Definitely not. I could not find one Jenny Lind bed anywhere near me. I also found a really great one on Land of Nod (here), but I couldn't justify spending that much money on something I could eventually find for much cheaper. 

Aren't these beds so cute?

(source) 

(source)

Anyway, I searched local resale stores and Craigslist (cities near and far) for several months. FINALLY one morning I found one! The seller was in a city about 50 minutes from my house. I cancelled my night plans, and begged the seller to hold the bed for me. (I told her the bed would be going to a great loving home! I would take care of her (Jenny)! Overkill for sure but that is typical me). The seller was a nice lady herself and said this bed has been in her family forever.  Long story short, I got the bed.

 It's hard to tell from the picture of this headboard, but it sits pretty low (only 38" high). I am pretty sure that these beds were used (and are still often used) without box springs. I personally prefer HIGH beds.  This one without any changes would just be too low. My box spring/mattress combo would give me about 4 inches of headboard peeking out, which doesn't work for me! So in true form, I set out to make some changes to the bed. I drew this nifty diagram of what I wanted to do.

I also found a random headboard at the local Habitat Re-store that had side posts with the same dimensions so that could use those to extend the height of the headboard.

Then I realized that I have literally no tools or skills to complete such a project and no time to learn how. Luckily, I was able to find someone more skilled with wood and saws to help me out (I hired a handyman). The project is currently under way, and will hopefully be done soon! He spent three hours cutting the wood. He used an "S" shape cut instead of a straight across blunt cut, and the pieces are secured with wood glue and will be screwed together when that dries. 

I can't wait to post pictures of the finished product!

Dining room transformation

The dining room renovation is nearly complete. It is not yet decorated, but that part may take awhile. The dining room took forever to get finished because not only was there water damage in the ceiling that needed fixing, but there was also a set back where we had to take down the ceiling to change the pipes to be up to code. 

BEFORE:

These two pictures are from when we first got the house; untouched color and everything.

DURING RENO:

It became clear that the ceiling would need major work. It was wavy, cracks, uneven--just bad. My dad took on the project himself (I helped here and there where I could). We also traded out the old knob and tube electric for modern electricity ;)

After we got the ceiling drywall up for the second time, it was time to mud the drywall and paint. With the holidays, this project took longer than expected (common theme?) and so this was the view to the dining room for awhile.

The place was sealed off and paper on the floor. I think the dining room had paper on the floor for... 5 months? It was a long and never ending project

AFTER:

Over the past two weeks, we finished painting the room and hung the chandelier. The room looks great. I spent some time cleaning the floors too.

Decorating has not really started yet in this room and I think it will be awhile, but it's nice to have somewhere to sit and eat!

Laundry room (before)

The title to this post is a little deceiving because there is no "after" yet. The laundry room is completely in the "before" stage. I know better than to jump into a million projects a once... but this laundry room can be spruced up quickly and for cheap in my very honest (and very OVER this room) opinion. So here is the tour of the lovely room. 

Entering the laundry/utility room, you see a cinder block wall, a bunch of old pipes, insulation, and dirt!

 I have all my stuff shoved to one side of the room because the other side literally has dirt on the ground.. Can't clean it till I can get those pipes out.

 I bought the washer and dryer myself off of Craigslist. They aren't perfect... a few scuffs and a couple quirks.. but I felt so proud buying them. It felt like my official crossing over to grown-up land. I can't say I like the look of the wood over the window, but my dad says it serves a purpose so I wouldn't want to mess with that!! ;)

 Pipes and dirt.

 This is the wall opposing the washing machine. It is probably my favorite part of the laundry room because it is a fresh slate. After the walls get a coat of fresh white paint I think the place will start looking a lot better. Maybe add art or a chalkboard paint design? Got the indoor-outdoor rug from Marshalls last weekend for $79. Its a 5x7, thought that was a pretty decent deal!

This is the utility side of the room. Besides covering the area up with sheets or curtains, I think I will have to just pretend that this part of the room doesn't exist?

Bathroom update

The bathroom is one of the most finished rooms in the house (although its not completely done...its use-able and you can get a good idea of where its going).

So let's take a look at the "before" pictures. Hole in the wall, old electric, vanity was okay but nothing special, small dirty toilet, and wood planks on the ground covering up layers of chipped up tile. 

There was a jet tub, but it was leaking through to the dining room below. All dirty. White square tiles.

Here is the bathroom now.  The bathroom was completely gutted and re-tiled. There is subway tile in the bathtub, carrara marble 12 x 12 marble on the floor, a new vanity and faucet, new lighting, new toilet, new mirror. The walls were painted edgecomb gray by Benjamin Moore. 

Its difficult to get a good picture in this room because there are no windows in the area, so forgive me for the overblown lighting shots. 

I got the shower curtain from West Elm. I am really liking it!

It's a small bathroom but it gets the job done! This is the only room so far that we've hired help for. The reno is going slow, so we decided to hire a local guy to do the tile, and he did a great job.