Loft flooring

I promised details about the current project, and even though it's still not done I'll share. Ages ago we pulled up a bunch of the original pine plank subfloor from the first floor. It's been so long I can't even remember why we ripped it out, but we saved it knowing we'd reuse it in the attic. Hauling the wood takes a long time, in part because the contractors decided that our relatively neat stack of flooring downstairs was the perfect place to throw dimensional lumber, unrolled batts of insulation, old shelving, and other miscellany that still had 3" nails hanging out of it. My neat stack turned into a jumbled tangled mess with no organization - they didn't even bother laying it all in the same direction. On the plus side, that big mess is slowly disappearing as I install the floors.

I'm only about a third of the way done, but I'm loving them so far! They'll never have that perfect glassy gym-floor shine, but I'd take these nail-pocked 100-year-old floors over that any day!

I have been using my 16-gauge finish nailer to nail them down, which means I have to follow up with a hammer and nailset to make sure the nails are countersunk. Yes, a flooring nailer would be faster, but I don't want to buy yet another expensive nailer. I'm keeping an eye out for one on Craigslist (since I don't think I'll want to install the floors downstairs this way). Renting such a small piece of equipment for a few days costs about the same as buying the darn thing to begin with. Finishing the floor installation is A-#1 priority for the week's to-do list.

Details to follow...

I didn't want to post until I had the project completed, but here's a sneak peak at what I've been up to for the past week or so:

You have no idea how happy this little bit of progress has made me. Seriously.

A spring giveaway!

To celebrate her new line of (adorable) baby and child products, my sister is hosting a giveaway on her facebook page. Here's a look at what you could win!

1. Sidewalk chalk paint (with paintbrushes)
2. Chenille bunny
3. Chenille bunny applique onesie or kimono-style top
4. Cotton muslin carrying bag

If you know a baby that would look sooooo cute in that onesie while chewing on a bunny ear, head on over to facebook and like Azalea Street Designs for all the details and to be entered in the giveaway!

Looking up

Clara's room is still lacking baseboards, but we decided to move her in anyway. The first night was rough but we stuck it out. One she realized we were serious about not coming back in there to get her, subsequent nights have been fine. However, this has meant that I'm unable to work in the adjacent bathroom during her nap, which has always been my prime working time. D'oh! 

I've decided to make the best of it and work on the attic room instead, which has been sitting at 65% completion for two years. The people my in-laws hired to do the drywall did a simply awful job at it. I knew it was bad before, but it's even worse than I thought. Only about half of the seams were sanded, and the ones that were sanded had left the drywall tape exposed. It took all week, but I finally finished the mudding and sanding. I even got about a quarter of the priming complete today. I don't have any pictures of the progress, but here are a few inspiration images.

Enough white to keep it light, enough color to be cheery.   

Definitely doing a whitewashed paneled wall. Love the soft colors, too.

Bright and cheerful. We've planned for recessed shelves like these.

I believe this is a Martha Stewart room. Love the mismatched beds and spreads.

Martha's own attic craft room. What could be more perfect?

 More white on white. I love the paneling here, too, but I'll probably only do it on the gable-end walls.

Love this little trundle. Can't you just see a couple of babies curled up here for a nap?

More tired than my accomplishments should allow

Here are the bullet points for what we've done since we last checked in:

1. Finished making and installing window trim. Filled, sanded, primed, painted.

Don't be jealous of our view.

2. Moved an electrical box in the bathroom and patched hole. Don't ask.

A fascinating picture. The hole no longer exists.

3. Fixed some problems with the drywall where they didn't leave enough room for backerboard and tile.

4. Primed bathroom walls.

5. Added framing for a little alcove in the shower for shampoo and body wash.

6. Enjoyed the sweet fragrance of the hyacinths in the front bed (and did the weeding).

7. Mowed the lawn for the first time this year (OK, so Tom did this one, not me).

8. Completed several of the little projects I alluded to previously.

9. Traveled to Alabama and back for my little sister's wedding. Congratulations, Rebecca and Chris!

Hmm. That's it? Only 9 things? Please take into account that I only accomplish anything when this:

and this:

  happen at the same time. Most of the time it's like this: 

and this:

:)

Trimwork

This weekend I took on the job of making and installing the window trim in the girls' room and the guest room. Because this style of trim is mostly straight cuts and butt joints (rather than miters), it has gone pretty quickly - an hour and a half per window. I still need to pick up the crown moulding to finish the tops. I have three windows at this state of completion with one left to go.

Crown is king

The crown moulding in the girls' room is pretty much done! I finished it up about a week ago - including caulk and paint - but never got around to posting. If I hadn't been a dope and used clear caulk, I'd be entirely done with it. But I am a dope, so I have to touch up some areas with paint. I'll do that once the baseboards are ready to be painted. I also refinished a toddler bed that my aunt gave me. I couldn't wait to see what it would look like all put together, so I assembled it in the room.

My mom provided the blue bedding, which I love. Unfortunately it doesn't coordinate very well with the wall color I picked (we've already established that I'm a dope). It'll have to find a home in another room on a more permanent basis, but for now it'll do. Several other items peeking into the sides of this picture will be receiving their own makeovers shortly.