El Diablo

This my friends is the devil!

 Yes, those little dainty flowers. Those little dainty flowers are etched  into the master guest bath wallpaper. Where the flowers are, there is a quilted like texture causing much turmoil for removal and there are hundreds of little dainty flowers all over this wallpaper.

I waltzed myself into the bathroom with my trusty turquoise steamer thinking the wallpaper would come down like the first bathroom. Boy, did I ever have a rude awakening. The first bathroom took about 8 hours total to take all the paper down, the backing, and wash off the glue. 

Here is the bathroom before, in all it's glory.

It's got potential...that is the only saving grace.

Now, for the wallpaper removal, this little tiny bit....took 2 hours.

Since the wallpaper was not only vinyl but  quilted, the paper wouldn't peel off as easily as it did with the first bathroom. It peeled off in little bits and pieces. Every now and again I would shriek with joy when I could peel off an 8 inch section. That happened, maybe 2 or 3 times?

So, after scraping and peeling...

And more scraping and peeling....

And even more scraping and peeling, I finally got the stuff down. Huge sense of relief afterward. It was hard work and my body ached! 

This wallpaper removal project took all day on a Saturday and Sunday and then a few hours after work on a Monday and Tuesday. I did not want to step foot  back in that bathroom...ever. But, during my own personal torture process, I discovered that the walls had no texture. Nuts.

I researched drywall texturing and purchased a drywall texture hopper. Frankly, drywall texturing sucks. I bought what I thought was a good electrical drywall hopper. It was a disaster, more to come on that later.

First, I prepped the walls so the texture wouldn't get all over the place. I have watched enough episodes of Dexter to know how to cover the walls adequately.

I got the hopper all muddied up ready to go.

Then started spraying. At first things were going well. It was making a mess even with the plastic up. Then, it started spewing chunks on the wall. I had been warned this may happen from reading reviews. But some reviews also said it worked great so it was a risk I had to take.

I couldn't just wipe the chunks off the wall because then it would ruin the good texture that had been sprayed on so, I got savvy and started to blot it with a paper towel. It slowed me down a great deal but worked out just fine. Took 6 hours to spray it all on and I think it should have taken less time really. Oh, and I can't forget to mention right when I had only 1/8 of the bathroom left do to the dang thing clogged!! I wanted to throw it up against the wall and jump on top of it and kick it like in Office Space. But, that 1/8 of untextured wall would seriously disrupt my OCD so I took it out back and hosed it off. Put it back together, mixed more texture to put in the hopper and it was still clogged! I managed to do a maneuver or 2 that made some of it spit out and went with that to finish up.

So, here is the final drywall product. Not great but not bad for a first and frustrating attempt!

The 3rd and almost final step was to paint the walls. I didn't like those blue flowerdie tiles at first but they started to grow on me and I like them even more once all those dang flowers came off the wall. 

I wanted a bright blue but not a knock your socks of bright blue. I went with allen + roth Valspar Signature in liberty.

The painting was the easiest part! All this wallpaper tearing, drywall texturing, and painting gave me plenty of time to figure out what kind of "theme" I wanted in this bathroom. I decided to go with a "coastal" theme. I already had a nice set of brown Martha Stewart towels to use so all I needed was accents  and accessories. Between Bed Bath and Beyond and the Home Goods store I got some good loot. There is still a bit more that I need to get to finish things off but I think it is a good start so far.

Eventually I want to update the counter top in this bathroom but since there were no leaks or malfunctions like the other bathroom sink it will have to stay like this for a while. The old homeowner was quite ahead of his time. This is a marble counter top, original to the house when it was built in 1959! Unfortunately, it is a little worn and I haven't figured out how to shine it up a bit. We also just can change the fixtures either. The hole thing is connected together, the sink, fixtures, and the counter was custom fit for the sink and they don't make them that way anymore. 

Mr. Lucas was handy again and installed the new light fixtures. 

Just a suggestion to everyone out there. Hire someone to take your wallpaper down for you, especially if it is vinyl and quilted. No bueno folks!

Cheers!!

Update On Bathroom Numero Uno

We are getting close to finishing the "face lift" on the hall bathroom. It needs to be in much better shape than it is now because we are hosting Thanksgiving for the first time this year. Can't have my fam traveling in time back to the 1950's (in a bad decor way) every time they use the restroom.

I decided to go with a dark gray for the bathroom walls with green accents. I came across these great succulent wall hangings at Bed Bath and Beyond! My internal bells and whistles were going off when I saw them and they were also on sale, bonus!  

At Target I found the loveliest little fake succulent arrangement and that is when the whole succulent themed bathroom came into play. Why not? I love succulents! 

After searching for the perfect shower curtain for weeks finally Kate Spade spoke to me. A Kate Spate shower curtain...and on sale?? No way!! How the heck can you beat that? Thank you Ms. Spade.

I must say, Mr. Lucas proved to be very handy with this project. He replaced both the light fixture above the bathroom sink and the ceiling light fixture in the bathroom. 

It made all the difference. It is amazing how just the little things can do so much. We are on a budget and a total gut renovation is not feasible but these few things we are doing to give it a face lift have really worked well to perk the place well. 

Now, we wait for counter top and sink installation in a few weeks. Wahoo!

Cheers!

IKEA Is The Bomb

A few weekends ago my mother and I took  the treck all the way to Ikea. Yeah, it sounds like a long drive but it isn't really. It was in the past with all the construction but since it has been like 6 years since I have gone all the construction is complete and it only took 1 hour to get there despite all the exits we missed and wrong ways we went!

When we arrived it was like arriving to the ultimate amusement park of furniture and housewares. We got up to the top level so I could hunt down all the furniture I knew I wanted from stalking their website. Then, the lights went off. It was like the Ikea apocolypse. A storm had moved in and was giving their eletricity a run for its money. After a brief wait in the pitch black...the lights came back on and then we went forth and shopped. About 2.5 hours we came to the cafe....we new we needed a break. After hours of writing down item numbers and perusing all the great things that Ikea has to offer, it was time for some Sweedish meatballs and lingonberry juice. Not bad for furniture store food if I do say so myself.

Once we re-powered, lingonberry juice will do that for you, was time to push forth and continue the journey. We continued to write down item numbers and then went downstairs to the market (which can be completely damaging to the pocket book). At the end of our journey, we ended up in the section where you pull all the items listed on your little item number pamphlet. We soon realized that the 2 of us were not going to be able to do to it alone. But alas, Ikea has people that will pull your items for you and deliver it too...for a cost of course but man if you are going there for a truck load of stuff it is well worth it! We got that all squared away and then started our journey back home and then a few days later our Ikea delivery truck arrived!

After countless hours of Mr. Lucas putting everything together (Ikea instructions are horrible!) it is all starting to come together around here.

I tried to go easy on the budget since we have so much to do to the house. So, instead of buying a new coffee table I just updated our old Ikea coffee table with a bit of paint. 

Before:

After:

I used Annie Sloan Chalk Paint. This stuff is awesome!  Annie Sloan is a genious. I wish I came up with this paint and wax system myself! Oh, the boxer is a couch accessory since I have not been able to find coordinating couch pillows I like. ;)

Cheers!

Crawling Out From Under The Rock

Hello!! I have been living under a rock for a while in the blogging world. Why? Well, After my last post I went on vacation to Santa Fe (awesome) and then came back and Mr. Lucas and I put our house on the market. It has been quite a whirlwind. I've only bought a house, never sold and bought. A ton of effort goes into it and it practically consumes you, I had no idea. So, after our vacation we got our house museum style clean and organized for showings. Then we had to keep it that clean for weeks which is a hard thing to do when you are still trying to live! So, most of my time was wrapped up in real estate so I didn't have much time to blog and I wasn't doing anything that was even blog worthy. But, after the 3rd showing we sold our house! When we started showing we had already found a house we loved and everything fell into place. The house was for sale by owner and the owner was very patient and even accepted a contingency contract! We closed on September 13th and have been packing, decorating, organizing, fixing, and everything else imaginable since! But, I am happy to report I will have plenty to blog about now!

We have wall paper to remove, counter tops to update, furniture to buy, appliances to purchase, bathrooms that need ultra updating, and much more. So, I imagine these next several months are going to be about the trials and tribulations of our new home. But, the home is perfect. We really love it. There is so much more space, the backyard is beautiful and ready for outdoor parties. There are several nice touches to this house but also a few unusual touches as well. The house was only owned by one family. It was built in 1959. The owner was builder and designed and built the house himself. There are certainly some quirks that drive me a little batty like the sink faucets turn the opposite direction, the locks turn the opposite direction, and the wall paper is hideous (but they loved it and that is OK). I will take the love and work that he put into building this house any day though.

So, with that said...I am no longer under the blogging rock. I have emerged :) and there will be LOTS to talk about.

Here is a little sneak peek into (the outside) of my house. I needed to mark it my own and in order to do that...I painted the door.

Before

After. A happy Gypsy Teal. I love teal.

I think I may paint the inside of the door as well, just for a pop of color. 

Cheers!! 

You Can Call Me Eldin

Remember the painter, Eldin, from Murphy Brown? He was great! I feel like I should have on some paint coveralls all the time just like he did. I have been a painting fool for the past 10 months. When I first started back in January my goal was to have all the rooms in my house painted and decorated by 1/2013.  Weeeeell, I am thinking I may not make this goal, however, I sure am close! 

I have only 2 rooms left in my house to paint because I painted my bathroom this weekend. You know, I was thinking to myself, "Painting the bathroom, piece of cake! It is small, I bet you could do it Friday night after you get of work!" I look back and like that I have such high expectations for myself and actually think that I can meet "said" expectations. But boy was I wrong! That bathroom may be small but it has a door (which for some reason is my painting nemesis), built in vanity with drawers, and a 2 door cabinet. Might I also add...the room is small...very small for an 8 foot ladder. Maneuvering that beast takes talent, and folks, I feel I may have won that  award. At one point I had half the ladder in the bathtub and the other half over the toilet. But, that is aside from the point. I am sure you would like for me just to move this verbiage along and show you the before and after. So...here we go!

Before:

After:

This one is a little dark because of the lighting,

This one is much better! The color is very true in this picture.

.

Note to self: Save some money next time. One does not need a gallon of paint for a tiny bathroom. :)

There is a very interesting story behind me purchasing this house. The lady I purchased it from was a bit difficult. She took a bunch of stuff from the house when she moved out...down to the panels that cover the lights and electrical sockets! I mean who does that? She also took the oven, which was to stay with the house per the contract. But, apparently it had sentimental value to her. Anyhoo, that is aside from the point I would like to make..she painted the dang walls, trim, and cabinets off white so everything looks dirty! Ugh. I cannot believe how much better the house looks with a fresh coat of ceiling paint and white trim. Ah, sterile bliss! :)

 Enough with that rant, sorry to subject everyone. 

I added a few mason jars to the bathroom. One has my cotton balls and Q-tips the other has a  tea light in it.

Mason jars are awesome. 

Cheers! 

More Weekend Painting

After finishing up painting the living/dining room last weekend I painted the hall. Oh, it needed it! I painted the hall the same color. I did this all myself! It took longer than the living/dining room and I hurt. I hurt a lot. While I am complaining, I will add that I have many bruises too. But, It turned out great and looks sooooooo much better. Like the dork I am, I forgot to take before pictures again! It was a drab off white and I had some pictures hanging in the hallway. I do have some great ideas on how to jazz this up and display my pictures so stay tuned!  But, here is the after:

Yes, after many hours...10 to be exact. It is all finished. I really had no idea I would take so long but I guess all that trim would turn out to be my nemesis in the long run. It was worth it. Now, I am on a painting rampage. One of my goals for the year was to get all the rooms in my house painted. I think It is okay to say that I am off to a fantastic start! 

Cheers!

Painting...A Love Hate Relationship

I hate the painting process but I love the end result. That pretty much sums up my love/hate relationship with it. When I paint, there are areas of my body that I did not know could hurt but they do. But, the wall looks so pretty now and the pain goes away so that is a plus. My Dad, who is a dang fine painter, was so gracious to come over and help me! He likes to do things the right way, no short cuts, no halving it.  If you are going to do it it is going to be done just right. For this, I am grateful because I would have found a shortcut. We started with painting the ceiling. After it was painted I realized how much it needed to be freshened up! Painting the ceiling was something I really did not want to do but I am glad we did. So, the painting the ceiling was on Friday night, after we went to Home Depot for supplies, and the a trip to Sonic for a quick dinner (and I mean quick...I hate fast food). After the ceiling was painted my dad left. It was about 9pm and I was on my second wind so I decided to start painting the walls! I just painted all the tedious things like around the doorways,windows, and whatnot to get ready for the next day.

On Saturday my fabulous Father came back over to help paint some more. Jeff helped too! I chose French Gray for the walls and Swiss Coffee (it looks a little yellow on the link but it is actually bright white) for the trim.  I used Behr Ultra Premium Plus (the primer paint combo). I HIGHLY recommend the paint/primer combo. You may have to spend a little more but it takes way less labor because you don't have to put on as many coats!

I actually forgot to take a "real" before picture. After I moved all the furniture and taped things down I realized that. So, here is the messed up (and looking awful) before so you can get an idea of the color:

 The front door entrance

 When you walk in the front door there is my couch, looking rather horrible I might say! 

 Then there is the dining area which is to your right and around the corner when you walk in

That is Jeff rolling on the color. It looks so much better! 

And the After:

Dining area 

Living area (which will be updated with a rug, new pillows, and coffee table decor) 

I have a few more pictures to show but they turned out dark. So, since I have many more re-decorating ideas in store, I think I will wait and show the other pictures after everything is completed so stay tuned! 

And next weekend, the hallway! 

Cheers! 

A Nice Little Snow Day Here In Funky Town

The first snow of our winter season has arrived. It is not often that it snows in Texas.  When it does, I love it. Everything seems so peaceful.  I drank my coffee and looked out the window for quite some time watching the huge snowflakes fall from the sky. Then, I realized that my 2 gardens were exposed and I was not at all prepared for this freezing weather! So, I hurriedly put on my winter gear and my rain boots and covered all my plants.  This is actually the first time that I have worn my rain boots. I got them for Victoria but since my luggage was already packed to its fullest, I had to leave them behind.

 Since it was rather wintry outside I felt like having comfort food for dinner. So, I cooked up a new recipe that came in my cooking light magazine this month. It is a little different, but so good! I present, Beef Tagine with Butternut Squash!

Oh, I have also been holding out on you guys. I CAN"T believe that I have not posted a picture of my very own hand carded and hand spun yarn! So, for the big reveal, here it is!

Now, for the hard part, what do I knit with it?  I was able to spin about 100 yards but it is very thin and delicate. I am thinking I need to make something dainty with it. It definitely has a dainty vibe to it.

I am afraid I may be withdrawn from blogging for a week or so. I have plans to paint my living room. Oh, it is a drab and dreary dark green. What on earth was I thinking in the first place for painting it that color to begin with? Well, I am on a mission this year to get every room painted and freshened up! So, I begin with the living room!

Cheers and Happy Winter!

First Skien For Sale....

...is almost ready for the shop! It is hanging to dry now. I tried a different way of finishing it (which involved a plunger, but a very very clean plunger) so the fibers would fuse together better. So far it looks nice and fluffy. I can't wait to see how it turns out after it is dry. I think it will make a fantastic scarf.























I have been working on house projects today. I even busted out the painting overalls. It has been over a year since I have done that! And, I am only just getting started. I will be posting my progress. I am working on a small project in the kitchen that required an Internet order from Ikea, chalkboard paint, and red spray paint. Spray paint is the bomb!

Jeff and I went shopping today. I love shopping with him. He is funny and shopping with 2 people is so much better than shopping alone! Last week Jeff told me about a new Bissell vacuum that we could not live without. Having 5, yes 5, animals (including an antique chihuahua) and absolutely no carpet in the house requires a good sturdy vacuum with maximum suction (ha, I said maximum suction). Now, you know it is time to purchase a new vacuum when you have to continuously pop the left wheel back on your vacuum during the vacuuming process. I have to admit, bending down every 30 seconds while vacuuming is a pretty good workout, but...I have my elliptical machine and Pilate's video for that. So, needless to say, today we went on the hunt for the irresistible Bissell vacuum. Target was sold out, Lowe's didn't carry it, but Best Buy, as usual did not disappoint! I am getting way too excited about this. I need therapy. So, anyhoo, It is fantastic and has the ultimate maximum suction. You can watch the video here. OK, I should sooooo get therapy AND compensated for my promotion of the Bissell product.


While I was oh so busy fluttering about in the house working on projects, Cedella lazily gazed out the window, as she usually does on a nice sunny day.


Cheers!