Polish like a pro

As with every perfect finish, what really matters are the quality of the tools and techniques you use to get there. I've decided to depart briefly from my normal home project blogs and teach you the right way to polish your toe nails. Is there a right way and a wrong way? Well, yes and no. Yes if you want them to look professionally done and for the color to last without chipping. No if you could care less how you waste your time as long as there's color on those toe nails. So it's totally up to individual choice. I've spend more than 20 years of my life as a cosmetologist and nail technician. Who better to learn the tricks of the trade from?! So here is what you will need:

From left to right is top quality base and top coat, reusable medium grit nail file, stainless steel combo cuticle pusher/scraper, pure acetone, full jaw nippers, orange wood stick, soft foam acrylic nail buffer and, optionally, a speed dry product. Now to explain these items. I've used Seche Vite base and top coat for the entire 23 years I've been in the industry. Why? It performs. You will want sturdy tools that will last, are sharp and do the job they are supposed to do without a battle. Pure acetone is very inexpensive, has multiple uses and just works quicker and better than regular polish remover. If you are going to put a solvent on your body anywhere, why not have it work faster so it's on there for a shorter amount of time? I love Orly Spritz Dry because it really does speed drying, it moisturizes your skin and smells so good. As far as polish goes, it's pretty much your choice. Whatever you love works unless it's a really really cheap stuff. My three top brands are OPI, China Glaze and Orly, in that order, but I have other brands in my stash (bucket lol). The one brand I don't ever use or buy is Essie. It's because of the shape of the bottle and the length of the brush and no other reason. It's impossible to use even half the bottle before it's useless. The same goes for Nicole by OPI. On to the process.
The first thing I usually do before polishing is a pedicure because I have the worlds worst callouses and they need constant attention. At this point, I will also take a moment to apologize for my ugly old feet. They are just that: ugly and old. I have abused them for nearly half a century and they are not taking it well. Most feet don't. I don't buy commercial soaks because I've been down that road and just couldn't get the same benefits as with home made soaks. Being in a for profit business and self-employed, it mattered what I spent on supplies and whether they worked well or just meh. This is my simple soak recipe: In a large pan I reserve only for feet, I add 1/2 cup of borax, 1/2 cup finely ground oatmeal (coffee grinder works great!) and a quick squirt of Castille liquid soap in lavender to rather hot water. I usually soak for 15 to 20 minutes then go to work grating and filing off the icky stuff. I won't bore you with the details other than to say, once I'm finished, I slather on an inexpensive cuticle remover I get at +Sally Beauty Supply  and let it set for a few minutes. I use my ss pusher to gently slide back the cuticle and the scraper side for stubborn dead skin that sticks to the nail plate. After I finish all 9 toes (yep, missing one), I use my nippers to carefully cut away any dead skin that is left. Never nip any life tissue! I'm sure I don't need to tell you that as you will figure it out if you do. Messy. I dry off my feet and apply a good lotion like +Gold Bond. After wiping the excess lotion off my toe nails, I use the same buffer I have for smoothing my acrylic nails to lightly smooth the nails. Don't go crazy with this because you don't want to shine them, you just want to remove the high ridges and take down the natural shine a little. Your nails should be pretty dry now so it's safe to clip and file them. It doesn't work well on soggy nails. Remember to file square and only smooth sharp corners. It makes for a stronger nail and prevents ingrown toenails. Now you can dampen a cotton pad with pure acetone and wipe each nail to remove any dust and oily residue because you are ready for the main event. Polish!
Start with a single, smooth coat of +seche vite clear base. Even though it's clear, you still want to keep it off the skin the same as you would with color and your top coat. The logic holds true that, not only does it get dry, white and crispy when it's left on the skin but it prevents a good seal between your nail, base, color and top coat. This is where the orange wood cuticle stick comes in handy. Pour a little acetone in the bottle's cap, dip the stick in and just wipe away any polish from the skin. It works like a wick to give you a clean application. Once you've base coated all 10 nails (9 in my case), apply your color in a smooth, fairly thin coat. Here's a trick: don't dip your brush wand back into the bottle all the way. You want a ball of polish on the end. The idea is to get a smooth finish while getting complete nail coverage. Your first coat should achieve this. You can wiggle the brush up to the cuticle nice and close, don't forget those corners (if you have them). Don't fret over the first coat much, that's what the second one is for. Start applying your second coat on the first nail you polished without waiting in between for setting up. You want this coat to be thicker and you want enough polish on the brush so that the brush doesn't come in contact with the previous coat. That's what causes brush marks, pulls and uneven finishes. Go straight to your top coat and apply a thick coat on each nail. You don't want it flooding the cuticle but you do want it close enough to seal the color in. Run the top coat across the free edge of the nail first, then place a healthy dab in the center of the nail, gliding it toward the edge. With your big toe, one dip isn't going to do it so place the center line, redip for each side working quickly before it sets up. After the last nail is top coated, spritz with speed dry and relax. This is your excuse to do nothing for an hour. Well, not nothing. There's always Pinterest and Facebook to catch up on. Your polish will last until you are ready for a new color. Not cracks, chips or wear.

Completed cabinet

I finally got around to finishing the new kitchen cabinet that I was working on in the last blog. I'm not gonna lie to you. The doors were a bugger. I'm pretty happy with the outcome and I am leaning more toward all white cabinets now that I've seen it on a bigger scale in someplace other than my mind and on +Pinterest . Take a look and see what you think

I didn't decide to go with classic black pulls until I saw them at +Lowe's Home Improvement while I was picking up hinges and a hole boring bit. It occurred to me at that time that this would be a nice touch and I'm pleased with the look. This little change added almost 4 cubic feet of eye level food storage and tons of charm to my kitchen. I am really excited to build the two additional glass enclosed cabinets on the other side of the kitchen.

This pic is pre-move in but it's the best angle to see what's going on with the right side of the kitchen. My plan is to add a 4 foot tall glass front and side cabinet in each corner of this 9 foot section of base cabinets. It's a really big area and it looks a little blah with nothing there. Not sure exactly when I will get started on that but it may be early next week.
I'm about to do something totally out of character for me: I'm doing two blog entries in one day! Haha, only because I want to cover the promised subject and it's totally unrelated to this.

The reality of Minwax GelStain Pt. 2

I'm not sure if I ever got around to stating what the reality of Minwax GelStain is in my last blog but here it is: First of all, it's not really a stain unless you think in terms of tinted lip gloss. The word stain denotes that the product should be a stain but, even on bare wood, the product doesn't sink in and stain anything. It's more of a sheer paint in wood finish colors. Secondly, the Minwax company is horrible at labeling their products with precise directions for use of the product that's actually in the can. The third and final reality check for this product is that it's just mean to work with. I actually finished the cabinet I was experimenting on and, I must warn you, it looks dreadful. The only nice part is the drawer front which ended up getting a light single coat and I didn't go back and add another yet. It's one saving grace is that, if it darkens well and goes on evenly, I still may do the whole kitchen with it. I'm not committed to the shade. If I don't, it will be several coats of antique walnut Polyshades, also by Minwax. Have a look and see what you think:

The pic doesn't give a good view of how uneven and motley the door came out but, trust me, it's uneven. Enough so that my OCD might become a problem. The on thing I do like is the depth of color and the low sheen achieved when top coating with a satin finish. The drawer front hasn't gotten one yet but the richness in the color is really sweet (at least where it's even).
I've used Polyshades many times over already stained and finished cabinets with great results. The only problem with it is that the two dark shades it's available in are extremely dark. I saw that there are a couple new shades that are more modern that I may take a gander at. One is called espresso and that calls to mind a rich, dark coffee color. I may have to pick up a pint to see if I like it while I still have a bare cabinet to play with.
I finished the cabinet on the end of the kitchen today. Okay, let me rephrase that. I rebuilt the upper cabinet so that it goes all the way down to the counter and finished painting it today. I love how it looks without doors and it's making me think of an open cabinet for dishes. Maybe.

The top photo is the before and the bottom is the current. I am still working on the doors but should have to painted and mounted in another day or two. Hubby is off for the next two days so that is a random thought more than a commitment. I really struggled with what to use for door material. I didn't want to spend an enormous amount of money but I wanted them to feel solid like the existing. I knew there was no hope of finding the right size in a match so I removed the uppers as well and made doors for them as well. I stood in the lumber isle of +Lowe's Home Improvement  and later +The Home Depot  for quite some time, racking my brain for an idea. I went home and slept on it, and as is customary for me, I had my light bulb moment. I went back to +The Home Depot and bought the 5/8 tongue and groove. I revised my entire idea in the process. Since the doors were going to be different, the whole cabinet had to have a distinctly separate look. That's when the idea for white came into play. I had the idea to build two tall cabinets on the other side of the kitchen with glass doors and sides and they would be white. Here is the inspiration:

I love this look and have the perfect place for two of these. So anyway, I went with white on the new one for that reason. My hubby and I both expressed concern over going with all white cabinets or all dark for fear that the kitchen would become either too dark or two antiseptic looking. We both love a very tidy, clean kitchen and all white might be a disaster for us. I think it's going to look excellent with the mix of both light and dark. If it doesn't, I'm just going to live with it until I get the time to redo it again. It's all changeable.
I forgot about having made the dividers for the drawers while I was wandering the house looking for small, quick projects. We love the organization and will def be adding many more like this.

I have so many pins that have inspired me on organization and, eventually, I will get most of them done. While I'm playing catch up, here's a better pic of the toe kick drawers that I love so much.

These are literally the best thing since sliced bread. It's time for me to go do real life again so I will leave you with an idea for my next blog (while I buy time to finish my cabinet doors lol). I was a licensed cosmetologist for well over 20 years and it's bugs the crap out of me to read pins about "the proper way to apply polish" so I'm going to teach you the industry secret for polish that will stay on your toenails until it grows off!

The reality of Minwax GelStain

This has been a week of intense consideration and indecisiveness. I am fully and totally in love with the kitchen from the movie Practical Magic. I obviously can't fit that exact kitchen into my home but I love the tall white cabinets, the glass uppers and transom lights. I love the rustic island, the little nook that serves as a dining room. I especially love the way it makes me feel when I look at pictures and imagine capturing that same feeling in my own kitchen. I am scared to death of painting my wood cabinets. As much as I hate the builder golden oak and the crappy, dated feel, I am still subject to mini seizures when I think about layering on white glossy paint. Again, no fear of paint or color here just a long held notion that my ultimate desire was dark hickory with wood grain showing through.
So, fortunately, I have a few of the same cabinets in the garage that I can experiment on without committing to the whole ball of wax. I took out an 18" upper and lower cabinet in order to fit the stove and fridge that I wanted into the space that I had, along with two of those useless 15"x 30" mini wall cabinets. Mind you, I replaced them with two more useless mini cabinets in 12" height for no reason other than I needed a place to hang my range hood microwave and to fill that space above the fridge. Come on, admit it. We all do things without thinking then stand there wondering what we were thinking a month later. I will insert my generic excuse here: I was completely exhausted and strung out at the time with laying flooring and all the other lovely things that go along with moving into a new home before it's actually ready. So anyway, I have pieces to experiment on. I am, however, minus one because I got my panties in a bunch and decided to ditch all the useless stuff in the garage before it had a chance to take over our lives. I remember the nightmare that was packing and sorting when we were preparing to move from Maine to St. George, UT. Both will stay with me forever and cause me to exhibit impulsively bad and unrealistic behavior.
So I singled out the easiest cabinet to make into my first victim. It was a no-brainer because it was sitting in the middle of the floor between the two cars where we keep the trash cans. I removed the door, hinges and drawer, gave them all a good scrub down with TSP (super prepaint cleaner) and dragged the door and drawer out to the back patio. I took a 150 grit sanding sponge and rubbed them down until it looked like all the urethane sealer was gone. I then carefully removed all the residue with a old dry paint brush and vacuum cleaner and wiped down all surfaces with a liquid deglosser.
Before I go much further, I should probably tell you what my mission was and where my inspiration came from. My initial intent was to prep, prime and paint that cabinet with glossy white paint. After all the work that went into it, I realized that I had just completed all the steps I read on Pinterest to refinish your kitchen cabinets with gel stain. I took the rest of the day off from my mission and finished the shelf I made for the wall beside the hot tub. I needed to be sure of what I was about to do.
After much discussion with hubby on the subject, I decided to seek out some gel stain and give that a try. This is all that I could find locally...

My exact thoughts were as follows: Gel stains are all the same so what does it matter the brand. I am officially dumber than a bag of rocks. Well, I take that back. The manufacturer is participating in a mindless game of make-the-consumer-feel-like-an-idiot while they relabel all their products with different, trendy names and add a little of this and a little that to make the consistency slightly different. The above pictured product is the epitome of why people feel incompetent when it comes to DIY projects. If you spin this little bad boy around and read the instructions, you will find that all their products have exactly the same irrelevant steps and this one in particular made me quite angry that they couldn't at least make it seem like the instructions matched the product. Let me clarify. It specifically says to apply "liberally" with a brush or clean cloth. It then tells you to wait 3 minutes and wipe off excess with another clean cloth. Wait a minute. That sounds hauntingly familiar. I went to the garage and grabbed a can of regular oil stain and, sure enough, same directions. Gel stain is thick like pudding and goes on thick like pudding yet it states not to thin. Okay. So I did it and, no surprise, 3 minutes later this stuff was like half dry paste. My rag just stuck to it without budging anything. So I remove what I put on with mineral spirits and grab a brush to apply a less liberal coat. You can't not apply this liberally in it's natural state. Remember, it's thick like pudding. I guess I should have taken a pic of the first mess but I didn't. So now I am at the experimenting stage.
Experiment numero uno: I washed down both pieces with mineral spirits, dampened the brush as well and blotted it well on one of my now not so clean rags. I dipped the brush into the gel stain and brushed it over the surface. Lo and behold, it went on just like a sheer paint. Well, almost. I had to work it with many brush strokes to get a good looking finish but, so far, it looks pretty good. It's a lot of work. These are the pieces after prep...

And here is what they look like at this very moment. It's been roughly two hours since I applied the stain.

 The top is the back of the door and the bottom one is the drawer front. The larger surface was a bit more difficult to cover well. I will see how they dry overnight and what they look like and get back to you on that. Just an FYI, this girl is not sold on the idea of that much extra work to make a product behave. She's also not sold on stain as opposed to paint either. That's what this experiment is all about. The next cabinet will get a coat of primer and glossy white paint.
Oh, before I forget, I tried out the glass cutting by fire shown in the pin below.

http://www.zellaguide.com/2009/02/diy-glass-bottle-cutting/

It works! I tried it out on a wine bottle and there are a few things to know before attempting this. The most important is that you need to soak your string for more than a couple minutes. It needs to be thoroughly saturated with acetone. Second is a bowl of water with ice allows the bottle to just pop apart. I didn't get a clean cut for whatever reason but I can sand it smooth and use it for a candle cover. I'm going to save my big Liberty Creek wine bottles and cut them at different heights so make an arrangement of hurricane-style candle covers for the back patio. It's windy here most of the time and that would be ideal for ambiance. This is my bottle cut.

So that was a fun little time filler. I will get back to my cabinets now :)

Searching for projects

So I have come to the end of the cash string on the new house for now. I will be returning to work soon and I'm desperately looking for small projects I can complete for little of no money. I did find a few but I'm still walking through the house constantly looking for more. I am not the kind of person who can be idle. I have to be moving all the time, sort of like a shark. As long as I'm doing something, anything, I'm not getting into trouble. Well, that's not always true but close enough.
I've been resisting suggestions from hubby and other family to paint simply because I hate painting and I don't know what colors to choose. I'm far from color shy but, at the moment, I am not mentally ready to commit to color. My kitchen is a long way from done and I haven't settled on cabinet color or counter top color/material so, if I paint now, I have to repaint later.
I did finally get sick of looking at the dated bright brass ceiling fans I took down from the living room and made a project out of them. We had one working fan left on the patio and both were in serious need of a disappearance. The ones from the living room were high quality and the only thing I hated about them was the color. Well, and the light fixtures.  Other than that, they were prime candidates for repurposing.
This is what I started with...

And this is what I ended with...

Not remarkable by any means but it's a satisfying project to save something from a landfill ending. When something is good quality and still works well but is just ugly, a can of spray paint can go a long way. I love Rustoleum's new Universal series as it's paint and primer in one plus it can go any any surface, even shiny metal. This is oil rubbed bronze from the metallic finish line. I haven't decided what to do about the lights yet but I'm still digging through boxes and totes, you never know what I might find to repurpose.
I finally settled on using some of my leftover tile pieces to make a counter top for the lonely little cabinet between the stove and fridge. I knew that eventually I'd be doing totally new counter tops so I just needed something for now that wouldn't cost much. I didn't end up spending any money on this.

It's the 6 inch cut offs from the wood-look tile along with a couple full width end pieces from the 18 inch field tiles and some glass tile from the thresholds to had a dash of interest. Hubby thinks it's cute. I think it will do.
I am anxious to get back to work and start making money so I can spend it all on the house lol. I'm sure hubby would beg to differ but oh well.
I saw this pin for the first time today and it sparked an idea for my laundry room.

I already have a useless cabinet beside the washer and dryer that is serving only as junk storage at the moment. I think a tip out laundry bin would be much nicer than the sea grass basket that's currently sitting on top of the dryer. I've been trolling Pinterest specifically for ideas for that laundry room. This would be just one great use of space. I'm sure there are others.
Until next time...Love life and pin your little hearts out!

Once again, getting caught up

So once again, I am behind on posts. I've managed to get a few things done that I'd like to share but between life and visitors, it's been a little challenging to get here. Ah to have all the time in the world...
I'd like to backtrack just a little before going forward. In regards to the porcelain tile I chose for my kitchen floor, having lived with it for almost two months, I have a few words of caution to add to my previous warnings about the difficulty in cutting porcelain and the weight of it. Porcelain is supposed to be one of the toughest tile materials available, or so I was told. That's not true. Apparently, my hubby and I are a challenge to any flooring material (you know, people that walk around in slippers or bare feet). There was the one exceptional incident where hubby managed to drop a full glass bottle of Ketel One vodka about a foot and a half, shattering a single wood-look tile without so much as scratching the vodka bottle. I was utterly speechless which is highly uncommon for me. I said nothing, turned my back to him and just sat motionless. Seeing as how the scope of the project was still fresh in my mind along with the agonizing burning sensation in my hands keeping me awake at night, I'd say he was very fortunate. When he left for work the next day, I sat on the floor with my tools, removed, cleaned up and replaced the broken tile. I swear, not one evil thought crossed my mind. With that incident behind us, we move forward to my regular vacuuming and washing of the floor. Each time I do so, I notice yet another small chip in the tile. We are up to about 8 random chips and we haven't dropped anything besides an occasional potato chip or piece of paper. The brand is Marazzi from Home Depot. I am unsure whether the tile may have been handled roughly prior to my purchase causing the integrity to be diminished or if it's just low quality tile. The thought of having to replace this floor in a few years due to damage and wear does not appeal to me one bit.
Now moving forward. I managed to get through the construction and installation of the toe kick drawers but stopped at doing just the three large ones opposite the working side of the kitchen. This is not a project for anyone squeamish about banging up their hands or working from awkward positions. By the time these were done, I had removed most of the skin from the knuckles of both hands and severely bruised my ring finger on my left hand so that I couldn't wear my wedding rings or a month. I was working against a cement floor under the cabinets in a very tight space. I did do as instructed on the link on Pinterest and built the frames and drawers then installed them but the type of drawer slides I chose had to be installed on the frame while it was in place so that they were level and lined up properly. I wanted the rugged ballbearing ones rather than the plastic wheel guided type because of the width of the drawers and weight of the contents. Overall, I am extremely pleased with them and love having them so it was worth the painful struggle to get them in.
I ended up staining all the toe kicks and drawer fronts the eventual color of my new cabinets when I can afford to do them rather than matching the existing light oak ones. I am so not in love with the style or dated color and the toe kicks currently match the wood-look tile nicely.

I originally wanted the hidden drawer pulls but quickly realized three things: reaching down under the edge of the cabinets to find the pull was going to be annoying, they really don't need to be "hidden" that much and I would need two pulls per drawer due to their width of 36". I found some 12" black bar pulls on clearance at Lowes for a mere $2.97 each and installed them just high enough to be out of sight when standing but low enough to reach easily while just bending down. These drawers are fantastic for my large pizza stones, rarely used cast iron pans, baking sheets, spring form pans and all the other items we only use occasionally. These items would be difficult to store in regular cabinet space but fit perfectly in the drawers. 
I also ditched the ugly contractor grade recessed lights on the kitchen ceiling buy using the pendant light conversion kits found at Lowes with some pretty glass globes called "river stone". The recessed fixtures were so bizarre with the lack of a mounted can and diffusing glass or plastic cover. The glare was obnoxious. A word of caution for anyone thinking of doing this: Canless recessed lights make the installation of the kits unstable. I had to put them up, adjust them and readjust them repeatedly to get the ceiling plate to seat properly and stay put. In the long run, it would have been cheaper and easier to just remove the canless lights and install regular pendant lights. I do like the look much better than what I started with however.

 You can see about one and a half of the original recessed lights in the top pic and what the pendant conversion kits look like after. There are 6 total on the sloped ceiling. excuse my messy kitchen counters but here is the overall effect...

Just a few quick reviews of Pinterest posts that I've tried and their results: The home made laundry soap is awesome! I've done both the "liquid" version which isn't exactly liquid (more gel-like and messy to use) and the powdered version. I made mine with Zote pink laundry soap because it works so well and smells so soft. It's a power house of a concentrated detergent with added baking soda. I used a cup for a full batch. This stuff doesn't make suds at all and that may just be because I live in Las Vegas, home of some of the hardest water in the US. Our water is filtered with a Krystal Pure whole home system that removes some of the harsher chemicals but it's still very hard. What I love most is that the clothes don't have any residue in them when they are washed. I use bleach when needed for whites and add vinegar in the rinse to assure they rinse cleanly. You can see and feel the difference in your laundered items with this detergent. I will never go back to paying upwards of $10 a bottle for commercial stuff. Dawn dishwashing detergent is my stain removal, degreasing solution. I have also used the original blue Dawn/ vinegar combo for cleaning showers. This works extremely well too.
I've stopped paying through the nose for Bath and Body Works foaming hand soap by refilling my bottles with about a quarter cup store brand hand soap and warm water thanks to a pin I found also. The large variety of facial masks using bentonite clay powder have been a godsend. They do so much for your skin so quickly. From smoothing and tightening skin to drawing out makeup grime from pores, there is no commercially produced mask that does so much for so little. Plus I love the idea of using natural ingredients on my face. I've also make the sugar scrub with coconut oil, regular sugar and lime juice to slough dead skin for a closer shave and longer lasting smoothness. So cheap to make and it works so much better. You can make it any fragrance you like with essential oils. I added bergamot to my last batch and it's wonderful.
Well, that's it for this time. Happy pinning!

Aaahhh, finally a few minutes to get the world caught up with what's going on with us. A lot has happened in the few weeks since I last posted. We've been living in the new house for about two weeks now. Living with the mess, the construction and disorganization. Living without knowing where anything is when we need it. Making plan changes and rolling with the punches. As is customary in my life, nothing is constant and nothing ever goes as planned. It ended up taking much longer to complete the tile in the kitchen but it's done and it's stunning. We have had a number of service people in and out of the house and I've shared pictures of my work with people I am doing business with. All seem amazed at how beautiful it turned out. I myself am amazed. The first question I get from every single person is "You did this yourself?" Really people? Are you asking that because I am female or because I somehow appear incapable of such a project? Women have been taking on tasks much larger than my little home redo for decades (and longer). Why are men still so surprise when one woman accomplishes something they see as a manly project? I am no feminist and if I could have gotten someone capable and willing to work with me, I would have been more than happy to let someone else do the work. All I asked was that the person be able to listen and stand by their word. Apparently, that is a rare, rare thing.
So I have pictures to share of the before and after and I have actually figured out how to add a "Pin it" button. I think.

 

The tile is from +Home Depot and my inspiration was this pin

 I started out planning to use real hardwood but I would have needed to buy a planer and that seemed like an awful lot of work. I found this wood look tile at +The Home Depot and it matched my choice of laminate perfectly. That being said, here are a few things I learned from this project. Porcelain tile will dull your tile blade faster than any other kind of tile. There are many, many cuts to create a design like this, even using 18" field tiles. Having now completed this floor, I realize that real wood would have been infinitely more forgiving and fun to work with. If you have any type of physical limitations such as nerve damage, carpel tunnel etc., go for the material that's easier on your hands. I am very pleased with the finished floor but I will never take this route again. 

I knew I wanted a special and unique threshold transition from the living room into the kitchen, searching far and wide for just the right mosaic. I finally found what I was looking for at Lowe's. I had been to several different Lowe's stores and, it would appear that, they all carry stock unique to what sells in their area. I found this glass and stone mosaic...

And this is how it came out...

I will have a new picture of the entire transition from living room to kitchen as soon as I get the base trim back up. The effect is quite nice and I ended up using it again from the laundry room to the hallway. That occurred for two reasons: I forgot to cut the laminate deep enough to meet the existing tile in the laundry room and I had a full sheet of mosaic left that I couldn't return because I had taken the packaging off and thrown it away. It worked out for the best though. 

I've also taken another Pinspiration to solve an issue in another part of the house. That project isn't quite finished yet but I'll be sure to share when it is. We wanted just a little diffused light in the bedroom without having to have the whole room lit and the vanity light in the master bathroom cast a serious glare while we were watching tv in bed. I have modified the painted canvas screen with Christmas lights behind it into a sliding shoji screen that we can use when we need but doesn't take up visual space the rest of the time. 

That's all I have time for today but I'll be posting more regularly now that I have the big projects done.