The vanity

You're going to think I'm crazy, but there's a plan. It'll all turn out alright in the end. This is the dresser I bought to turn into a vanity for the hall bathroom. Before:

And after (not really totally done, since I need to make the cutout for the sink and modify the drawers to accommodate the plumbing):

Tom said it "looks like an old lady color." Whatever, buddy. That must be the hippest old lady on the block. Finally, a Cannon girl that's not afraid of color! Even if it is an old lady color.

Quick fix

It's still got a ways to go, but this 15-minute fix-up is a vast improvement. Here's how the area by the front door looked before:

And here it is after:

I need to retrieve the desk drawers and find a picture for the gold frame, and the lamp is just for looks because there are no outlets there yet. It's not much but having something prettier than a blank wall and random garden supplies when I come down the stairs is a wonderful change.

Yeah, about that A#1 priority...

Remember when I said that getting the attic flooring done was A-#1 priority? It has barely been touched since I wrote that. I took a break from it for one day because my knees, ankles, and back were achy. Clara's hardly napped all week, so I've tried to occupy my time with smaller tasks that won't get me particularly dirty (so I don't have to change clothes and spend 20 minutes washing up so I can play with her). As a result, I managed to paint the bathroom and get the sconces installed.

 

Yes, I realize I'll need to remove the plastic on the shades. Protecting them until the bathroom is done!

It's hard to tell in the photo, but it's a pretty green-grey color called Prairie Sage. I found two matching gallons in the half-price mistints at Walmart and decided that was enough of a sign for me.

For somebody who's not overly fond of green, I sure am using a lot of green paint in our house. I wonder what the mistint gods have in mind for the vanity.

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?