I saw on Pinterest lots of examples of making trees out of wood and Dollar Tree faux tin tiles and thought I would give it a try.
I plan on my trees going on our deck table so they are sturdier than a lot I saw. The need to hold up with wind and rain. The triangles are cut out of leftover pieces of wood from our stash. I made sure they would fit the tile.
After the wood was cut, I traced the shapes off on the tiles and cut them out with scissors. Several sites talked about using hot glue but my things get stored in a super hot space. Hot glue doesn’t hold up so contact cement was the best choice.
Everything got a coat of Kilz Gripper Primer. It is made to stick to slick surfaces.
I used the same paint I used on my mural to paint the trees then dry brushed the high spots with black and white paint. Literally you dip just the tips into the paint then take off most of the paint before lightly dragging it across the surface.
I cut some small blocks for the tree trunks and Mr. Math cut the bases. He then screwed them on. If you are doing something like this for indoor E6000 glue would work fine. We always overdo.
I really like how they turned out.
It is really warm here now and we are spending a lot of time outside so we get to enjoy the trees.
Since we converted an existing building into a guest house we didn’t have a choice about the location. The former greenhouse was never expected to be front and center. It was designed for utility, not beauty.
Once we turned her into a super cute cottage with a sweet little front porch complete with swing, I could see we needed to improve the view.
First I addressed to blank wall that anyone sitting on the swing is looking at with a barn quilt. You can read about the quilt here.
And that helped but the biggest issues were the two metal buildings that set the boundaries for what I think of as the front yard for Sand Creek Cottage.
They weren’t giving me the cozy cottage vibe. They were eyesores that needed to be addressed. So I pulled out the secret weapon, paint.
First thing Mr. Math power washed them both to get the surfaces ready for paint. Both buildings had been painted before and I was fairly sure the smaller building we use as a tool shed had been spray painted, so it got primed first then painted with leftover trim paint we used on the cottage and our house. It is Behr Dove.
Mr. Math cut out a circle from a leftover Hardie panel scrap for me and I turned it into a sign using the main color of the cottage (Behr True Taupewood), barn quilt paint (they were mistint samples) and some black exterior paint I bout for $9.00 at Home Depot. You can read about Operation Courtyard Part 1 here.
The little building looked so much better and I could see the potential for the bigger wall but I didn’t want a solid color, I wanted something that would help us forget that the shop was blocking the view. I immediately thought of a mural. I fell in love with giant wall art in Laurel Mississippi. But they are everywhere now.
Laurel, Mississippi Nashville, Tennessee The Woodlands, TexasThe mural is in The Woodlands, Texas and they are doing exactly the same thing I am, creating a small outdoor space and disguising an unattractive building (parking garage) wall that the hotel we stayed in faces.
I knew I wanted something nature inspired, with no words so I started looking online for ideas.
I found this peel and stick mural that I used for inspiration.
I liked the trees, and the way the colors went from dark at the bottom to light at the top. I wanted my “forest” to look more like our pine trees and I always have enjoyed watching the way the planted trees grow back after timber is cut from a property. The first few years the property looks terrible then all of a sudden the trees start shooting up and you can see that the forest of trees as you drive by. It seems so hopeful.
I picked up the paint for the wall at Lowe’s and Home Depot in their oops section and a gallon of Forest Green from our local ReStore for $16.00. All together I used one gallon of the upper lighter color, one quart of an olive-ish color, and the black paint. The total for the paint came to $47.00. I used the lighter color straight from the can to paint the upper half of the wall with a paint sprayer- Mr. Math had to teach me how to spray large areas.
Lightest color One gallon of exterior paint from Lowe’s.Olive color mixed with lighter color.The bottom are just shades of the forest green. One gallon was plenty.
The top level of trees was one part olive paint and three parts the light color. The next level of trees was one part forest green and two parts of the light color. The third level of trees and the bottom third of the wall was straight forest green. Finally the darkest color is three parts forest green and on part black.
I considered drawing the picture off then projecting it on the wall but honestly that just isn’t me. Trees are imperfect and I decided to just roll with it. I just took off with a paint brush and just hoped for the best. It is only paint. If I hated it, I could always paint over it. I did have to keep telling myself that a lot. Our unofficial motto is “We don’t do easy at our house” and this project was no exception it was over 100 degrees every day I worked on it so it was 6:00 in the morning until 7:30 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. until it was too dark to see.
Mr. Math suggested I add in some lighter spots to look like light coming through the trees. It was a great suggestion.
I bought this piece of Ethan Allen cabinetry at a resale shop years ago. It would have been part of an entertainment center. It hung out in storage then had legs added and moved into my principal office as a printer cabinet after it was painted a vivid turquoise. It served me well until I moved to another position where I couldn’t bring my furniture.
It was moved with us and ironically ended up stored in almost the same spot where it now is in the guest house for years.
When we got all the furniture out I thought it would work with the color scheme but the two 1950’s chair cushions were too much for the space.
Of course the solution was to change the color. The only color I could see it as was red. I also wanted some of the turquoise to come through because even though it is bright, I like it. Believe it or not there is a bit of a paint shortage in our area. Apparently it is the time of the year that students paint their parking space and red was hard to find. It took three stores. I would have loved that… back in the day’
I brushed a few areas with paint thinner, painted the cabinet classic red, then sanded over places to let it look a little distressed.
It is amazing how it changed the look. Of the piece.
Not sure the folks at Ethan Allen would approve but we like it. We have installed a television so the cabinet is going to hold dvds etc.
The paint thinner made the wrinkles you see in the corner.
Still plugging along on the exterior but soon there will be paint.
Hello friends. It has been a while since I let you all know what was going on with the guest cottage. Remember what Thumper’s mother told him? “If you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all,”. We went through a period where there wasn’t a lot to say that was nice. Since I last updated you, it rained, every day for over a month. Every. Single. Day. Then, our contractor flaked on us only to come back and do the worst job possible on our Sheetrock.
I have seriously cried more tears over this silly 486 square foot building than any other remodel we have done. Even our rent house that the city of Huntsville had tagged as uninhabitable.
Soooo, that is why I haven’t had a lot to say but finally we are back on track and moving forward.
First of all, what hasn’t changed since my last update. The exterior hasn’t been touched.
Still looks just like this. No caulk or paint.
What has happened since I checked in last, is the interior and the front door.
The front door had to come out completely and get reinstalled before the doorknob could be put in but thanks to my sister in law’s boyfriend coming to help out Mr. Math but now it works great and gives me a lot of joy. I love that reclaimed door and it makes me happy.
From the inside this morning.
Also, after the terrible Sheetrock job got some love from the hubby, okay, lots of hard work not love but the Sheetrock messes are mostly fixed, we got the ceiling and walls painted.
The Sheetrock walls were painted Helium which is a very light turquoise. It doesn’t photograph well but it is a beautiful color.
We installed v groove planks on the 12 foot tall wall. Nothing about the cottage is plumb, square or level so installing horizontal planks was a challenge. My husband purchased a laser level that made our life so much easier. I am thrilled with how it turned out. One of the smartest things I did was to paint the planks before nailing them up. Being able to paint the grooves while it was laying flat and I was standing on the ground made the process so much easier! Soon I will show you the whole beautiful wall.
The bathroom has been painted. Well, the part that will have paint. The tile isn’t up yet but upcoming.
Canned lights, ceiling fan, and bathroom lights have been installed along with our split unit air conditioner.
There are electrical problems that will be fixed this week but the ac is functional right now which made working inside the building bearable in July.
Finally, I found someone to refinish the claw foot tub and sink for the house and they look amazing.
More to come. I have lots to say now that we are driving the bus on the remodel and lots to celebrate.
Our house is pretty dark inside due to the low ceilings, tinted windows, and shade trees. We have done what we could to add light by adding canned lights to the ceiling, installed blinds that open, and painting the cabinetry white. Our newest project has also made a big difference. We have added glass doors to all the exterior doors.
Our front door is my absolute favorite. It is solid mahogany with beveled glass in 3/4 the door. It bends so well with the cedar trim. We purchased the door at the Door Clearance Center in Houston.
The door that was here before was solid steel. On the outside. On the inside of the house the door had been completely sealed off with Sheetrock in order to have space for a china cabinet. The door was completely sealed so it wouldn’t open until we expanded the front porch. We replaced the front door when we added on to the front porch.
As we worked on the back porch, we decided to change out the storm door/ half glass door that leads to the back. The storm door allowed for sunlight to come in when it was open but was a pain when we were bringing things in and out for grilling and eating. The half door just didn’t provide enough light.
We decided to put in steel doors at both the back door and off the carport with full glass and mini blinds between the glass panes that we bought at Home Outlet. By shopping around for doors we saved a ton of money.
Let me tell you that putting in doors is not for sissies. Mr. Math removed the door, brick moulding, door facing, and door frame because the hinges and door locks would not have ones up. That was a lot of work but not super stressful. The putting the new door in requires a bit of skill and can’t be done alone. If you don’t have help and some construction experience hire this out. The door to the backyard slipped when we were putting it in and hit the floor. Somehow it didn’t break the glass or bend but it did get a dent. I was so sad but Mr. Math used car Bondo to repair the dent. You can’t tell there was ever a problem now but it shook me up so bad we didn’t put the carport door in for a week.
The carport door went in easier, probably because we made all the mistakes on the first door. We are thrilled with the doors an the light they add to the rooms.
We decided to paint the trim, the soffits, and doors all new colors and I am so happy for the update. The colors are all Behr. The door is Whiskey Barrel, the trim is Dove, and the siding/soffits are True Taupewood. I wanted the doors to coordinate well with the front door and the deck stain. I tried several different colors to blend with the brick I am not crazy about. My advice is to spend the money to buy samples of colors you like. The one I was positive I wanted for the siding an soffits ended up not being my favorite.
I am really happy with how it turned out. We still have some caulking, staining the cedar on the back porch, and I will be painting and stenciling the front and back porches but we are almost done. It is a good thing too. We have two more projects going on already and I am soooo excited about one of them I can’t wait to get on it. Until then, here are some pictures of the progress.
The back porch door.
The carport door and paint.
Thanks for following along on our journey. We love hearing from you.
Well hello there. I don’t know about you but I seem to have a lot of time on my hands right now. I just watch the news once a day because man, it is heavy. I am working from home 2 1/2 days a week but the whole no commute thing means that I am spending a lot of time daydreaming about projects I want to get done. Poor Mr. Math.
We have three properties that we have projects either currently planned or underway. We ( I ) am/are a little crazy like that. We have our home in little Coldspring, Texas where we recently replaced the flooring in and are now planning to make the laundry room more functional and cute. The big project of turning the Guest Shed into a true guest house is on hold until we can feel good about having contractors on the property. We have a house and garage apartment in Huntsville, Texas that are rental properties. We are going to be doing some landscaping work on soon particularly in the back yard for two little girls who have birthdays coming up, but mostly I have been thinking about the Redneck Retreat in what Apple Maps says is Wiergate, Texas but I think is in Sharpsville. The Redneck is a deer camp and almost exclusively a dude property from October until the end of February. It is a rustic cabin with the only running water coming from rainwater collection and there is no internet or cell service available on the property. The one room cabin sleeps eight in bunk beds and a foldout sofa. I want to start using the camp more to get away and connect with nature. I also want my girlfriends to want to come there. We are near lakes, Louisiana, and sweet little East Texas towns that need to be explored. I have spent a lot of time thinking about the Redneck kitchen while mindlessly scrolling through Pinterest after we started the process to get the kitchen up to a functional state (yay for a vent hood and working microwave!) I now have a plan of sorts for the rest of the kitchen. I say of sorts because we are still thinking about the base cabinets. We are either going to just buy stock unfinished cabinets and paint them or we are going to modify what is there and add cabinet doors/ drawers then paint. The top cabinets are all going to be white, the bottoms are going to be a sage-ish green. Our Habitat Restore has recycled paint that they sell for much less than retail paint in the following colors. I am planning on Spring.
The countertop is going to be black Ikea laminate. It will take 3 sections of the laminate to get the u-shaped kitchen completed. Of course the laminate is going to have to wait. Ikea is closed. Just for grins I looked at what it would cost to ship the laminate to us. It would be more than the cost of the laminate for it to come that way but a girl can dream.
Easter week we will be unplugging at the Redneck and will be getting the last two sections of upper cabinets in and we will be deciding what we want to do on the lower cabinets. We will be measuring, drawing and dreaming. When I look at the different counter top levels and pieces, I know whatever we do it will be an improvement.
I definitely know I want a closet to the right of the section of cabinets in the picture below for brooms, mops, cleaning supplies etc. That move will help to relocate the drinking water we have to bring with us closer to the stove and sink. I even have a great vintage door that I think would work there.
We are headed the property over the Easter holiday and I am looking forward to making progress.
Well, here I am. Back again with my hat in my hand. Can we still be friends? I hope so. After taking some time to regroup I found that I missed writing. I missed telling our story as unremarkable as it is. I missed you.
So, I am back.
My time away certainly gave me time to reflect on my writing. Before my break the blog was really making me crazy trying to meet self-imposed timelines so that I could post something.
Today I am just going to catch you up on what has been going on, if that is okay with you.
The Property
We are so lucky. We get to live on 15 beautiful acres with great neighbors and a beautiful view. I have worked really hard to stop focusing on what needs to be changed or improved and tried to focus on what we have. It isn’t always easy, but I am forcing myself to stop and feed the catfish. (My version of stop and smell the roses.)
Since I last shared anything with you, we have taken quite a bit of time cleaning up the property (and by we I mean 98% of the was done by Mr. Math with 2% coming from me picking up limbs and pointing to where I want things to go). Mr. Math planted three blueberry bushes, several blackberry bushes, a ton, and I do mean a ton of crepe myrtles, about twenty mayhaw, wild plum, and crabapple saplings, five large pecan trees and a peach tree. It is a never ending job. Right now the yard is shaggy but too wet to mow.
We have had a relatively wet and mild winter and even though our road took a beating, everything is green and beautiful here.
The House
We really have not done a ton to the inside of our house since my last post. We have changed out the mismatched window coverings in the main room for 2 inch blinds. I got them at ReStore for $5.00 each. Check out your local ReStore if you have one. It is an organization I believe in and they have great deals. I could not believe my luck finding exactly the size I needed for the four windows.
Mr. Math also built a barn door that fits our 36 inch wide bathroom door opening. (FYI a 36 inch door does not work as a barn door for a 36 inch opening if you want privacy. Lesson learned.) I have not finished making the door look old, but it is going to be great. The hardware is from Home Depot and even though it is more expensive than Tractor Supply’s barn door hangers, I like it in our bedroom.
Furniture
A friend recently cleared out a rental house and I scored big on getting a load of furniture.
So far I have finished this piece. It is great in our family room.
My craft room is overflowing with French Provincial night stands from the stuff above. I am not sure I can save them all but the parts will be reused.
In our living room I am working on a dining set that will go in the guest shed. It is beating me up right now.
I have collected some great pieces since I last wrote a post and I am looking forward to some really fun projects.
This spring and summer I will be very busy. I can’t wait to fill you in on our big projects we have planned for spring, summer and fall.
Thanks for following along on our journey. After this quick update I do have a few posts on the way to let you know what is coming up and projects that are underway.
Blessings,
Karen
Last weekend I visited a great estate sale. The sale was for a young family that has moved from their starter home into an awesome custom built home that one day soon I will give you a tour of. The ceiling in the family room alone is worth the virtual visit. I get sidetracked when I think about that 18 foot grey coffered ceiling with white molding…
Back to her estate sale.
At the sale I collected four great items that will be coming up soon and checked out. My buddy, The Social Planner (TSP) did pretty well, too. As we walked out, TSP spotted stuff in the garage. I have to admit, I reluctantly headed in. I had already blown my budget ($20.00) and it was raining. Even if I found something, it was going to have to be small because I had already rounded up Mr. Math for a large item pickup and there was no way I was interested in interrupting his mowing again.
I noticed two 1970’s side tables, but frankly I was ready to go and the were moldy. (Wooden furniture that stays in a humid area sometimes gets a white mold on it.) I really didn’t give the pair another thought until we got home. TSP pointed out that they would go with my 70’s headboard, and that when I am ready to move up to the country full time whoever wants the headboard will probably want side tables, too. No way am I parting with the table in the picture below because my dad saved it for me.
She was right…as always. We headed back to the estate sale and asked about the tables. $5.00 for the pair. It is hard to pass up two tables at $2.50 each. They came home with me.
Here are pictures after they were cleaned up enough to come inside the house. I used paint thinner, Goof Off, and Fantastic on them just to make sure the mold was gone, the stickers on top were removed, and the gummy varnish was gone.
Aren’t they beautiful? Seriously, they were sturdy, they had all the hardware, and have closed storage which our current tables don’t have. We are messy folk so closed storage is good.
I happened into a Walmart looking for blue tape one evening. Along the way, I spotted something new to me. Walmart carries chalk paint now. What? Did my eyes deceive me? 16 ounces of chalk paint for less than $6.00. I had to give it a try. I bought two bottles of Parisian Grey and anticipated opening it up this weekend. I am not much of a chalk paint fan. It is crazy expensive usually, I like polyurethane on top of my stuff and the idea of not using primer seems crazy to me but I figured, what did I have to lose?
After cleaning them with everything but the kitchen sink, I removed the cabinet doors and got busy.
One coat and I was impressed. It is a great option for painting inside. The paint is thick so it is a little less messy. It is water based so I could clean up easily. The whole no priming thing sort of freaked me out. It took three coats for me to be satisfied, and I did not like the brush strokes left after each coat, but sanding lightly minimized the brush strokes.
After getting them all painted, I distressed the edges lightly then waxed it all with clear wax. To get both of these done completely I only used one 16 ounce bottle of paint. I was impressed how far the paint went.
This time I decided to put the tarnished brass hardware back on, just as I found it. I like the look.
Don’t judge the bedroom right now. I have curtain issues, blind issues, harry dog concerns, and bedding problems this winter. I do however love the quilt my buddy crocheted for me as a Christmas present. Those colors will be coming to this room soon.
For those of you, like me, who don’t always have the time to shop in Walmart, they do have online options for the paint. I always choose site to store option because shipping is free. I pick up my items at customer service. In and out quickly and no one gets hurt.
I am not going to say that I am now fully in the chalk painting camp. I still think using a sprayer to put quality latex paint on a project gives the most smooth finish, but this will for sure be my winter/inside choice. I did not like sanding, and I for sure did not like waxing. I must have done something wrong because it took hours to get the wax to look right.
I am definitely going to try it again to see if I get better.
Thank you for following along on our journey. This past week was the one year anniversary of the day we put our beloved Star Hill on the market so we could buy this place. It is hard to imagine that in the three years I have been blogging we have sold two homes and purchased two others. Are we crazy?
It is nice to know we have settled on our forever home. Now, back to work making it wonderful.
It was all over for me when this building opened.  We had just found out that the property across the street from our buds at the Rockin F was soon to be on the market. We took the side-by-side over to check it out.
The house… let’s just say I saw potential.
The barn was cool. Â I was thrilled with the locally milled wood flooring and the potential of turning it into a a gathering space. Â I also love that it has a pond out front.
The workshop was awesome. Â It wouldn’t work as a shop for me and my big projects but I saw it immediately as a guest house.
The current workshop is going be a 400 square foot guest house that is decorated with an industrial, mid century modern vibe. Â I have the coolest stuff saved up for this spot and it is going to be great. Â There will be a bathroom, small kitchenette space, and a queen sized Murphy bed. Â My goal is to have it functional by Christmas when the kids come home. tick, tick, tick.
Back to the garage/workshop…
The three bay work space made me swoon.  Bay number 1 was full of an amazing classic car, but I saw a paint booth.  Bay two was full of lawn equipment but I believe it will be the big tool space.  Table saw, chop saw, drill press, table sander will go here.
The third bay will be my creative space. Â It has a wood burning stove, a a tool storage (complete with French door that will need to be changed so I don’t break it,) and room for me to work even in our wet winters/summers/springs. Â (It has been a super wet year.) Â We will be putting a door between the bays so that we can get between the spaces. Â We will be also putting in a door to the deck at the rear so we can have access to water and a cooler shaded space in the summer. Â The back deck is going to be our outdoor kitchen.
See the three sets of doors in the long metal building? Â That is the garage/workshop.
Who doesn’t love a wood burning stove in the workshop?
We are going to have a great space to work and create. Â Currently the third bay is a welding shop. Â Oh, how I wish I could weld.
That space is going to be where we can assemble things, touch up paint, and finish off a project. Â I am so excited to have a place where the sawdust and mess will be away from the finish work.
I know for most of you this doesn’t look like your dream space but it sure does for me. Â I cannot wait to have a dedicated space to work and create. Â I know that some of you are looking at those photos thinking… “What are they thinking?”, but we see this place as it will be for us, not as it is now.
We are blessed.
I hope you have a wonderful day.
Thank you for following along on our journey. Â I would love to hear from you.
We have had a setback on the sale of the house. I am still expecting that Star Hill will sell in time for us to buy our dream property so I thought I would show you guys the space we will be using as our paint booth, workshop, and carpentry shop.
There is a three stall corrugated tin building on the property that will be perfect for our workspace.
See the long building next to what will be the Guest Shed?
It doesn’t look like much from the outside but looks can be deceiving.
We plan on turning the end bay into a paint booth. That means I will be able to paint and poly furniture inside out of the weather, away from bugs, dust and wind. It will increase the number of days I can work on furniture. After this very wet winter, that is exciting to me. I did not get any pictures of the paint booth. It is large and empty right now.
The center bay will be our carpentry shop or large tool shop. The table saw, air compressor, compound miter saw, drill press, table sander, and scroll saw will be in this space. This will be where the building and repairing takes place. At Star Hill we only have one space and we are constantly having to wait for the cutting to be done before I can get out tools for assembly, sanding, or staining. There is a glass French door in in the space with a separate storage space. I am sure that the glass door will need to go but I like having a space that can be closed off.
The end space that is now a welding shop will be the workshop space. There is even a wood burning stove for my cold, wet, winters.
We are so hoping that it works out. It would be a dream come true for us to have this amazing space to put our own stamp on. Think happy thoughts for us. Fingers crossed.
