Painting The Little House, Part 2

This post is a continuing story about a rental I came to own that I'm calling the little house.  If you missed the first post and want to be brought up to speed, the link to Part 1 is at the bottom.

I left off discussing how I hate painting and how the little house needed top to bottom paint.  Of course, oh joy.

As most everyone knows, painting is the most affordable update homeowners can do, which is good since the little house was needing it.  Paint = big impact for little price.

And when you have the right tools, some projects go more smoothly.

An electric spray gun is about the handiest gadget for painting tasks, and the one we used is the Tacklife paint sprayer  which you can find on Amazon for under $50 bucks. (I am not an Amazon affiliate so no I am not compensated for telling you that, click the link and take a peek at the sprayer).

I think what I hate the most with painting is the prep, taping up everything.  I'd rather gnaw off a limb than tape up walls to paint.

Thankfully my husband has a long wing span so taping off for painting is an easy task for him.  Believe me when I tell you that to have me tape the trim means lots of wasted tape, frustration and swear words on my part.  If there is a trick for this job I don't know it.

The Little House Part One

How about some house talk today with a few Autumn tree pictures?

And when I say talk, I mean talk, there isn't a bunch of DIY photos.

Just because I've been busy posting wedding stuff doesn't mean that there isn't the constant renovation of something going on in our world.... there is.

This post is going to start out with a story, and the next post will have some of the DIY.  So if you're not in the mood for a wordy post, you might want to skip this story and stop back in next time.

What you will get this time is the story of the little house, and why it's going through some changes.

In 1992 my dad had a stroke enjoying his retirement with a round at the golf course.  At that time my parents lived in California where they had been for the past fifty years.

Updated Mudroom Faucet With Pfister

20+ years ago we installed the hardest working faucet in our house in a tiny mudroom wash and go area.

I say it's the hardest working because in those 20 years it was the faucet that saw the grimiest of hands, and it was the first place of rest when anyone ran inside in a hurry, if you know what I mean.  PU!

Hands working hard in the garage, out in the yard, and the faucet that six kids delivered their dirtiest paws too.

Oh, and it saw animal paws as well.

My family put the mud in mudroom.

Wood Bow Ties Thrifty Style November

Hello hello hello, welcome to the November installment of the Thrifty Style Team, where a gaggle of gals show us how to be thrifty in our homes and lives.

I happen to be one of the thrifty gaggle gals, and today I'm going to show you how around here last month we used thrifty style to be stylish.

I guess you could say I'm putting the style in thrifty style this month.

Now I will tell 'ya, as far as style goes I'm the last person who would ever claim to be any kind of a fashion plate, but I do know a good-looking bow tie when I see one.

Napkins That Fool You & Wedding Menu Bands

These napkins fool 'ya.

Show of hands; how many of you know that there are napkins available that look and feel like a linen fabric but they are actually a quality disposable?

And now you are wondering why you need something like that right?

Well.... for any event, party, or get together where you need a napkin nicer than the standard kind, but real linen won't work.  Like say a wedding in a tent.

I needed a quality paper napkin so 250 people could wipe Chinese food off their lips, and I kid you not I love this product, and no I am not getting paid to say that!

The napkins are made by SimuLinen and they are a linen-feel premium quality paper napkin.

Lazy Halloween Door Decorations

In these parts I'm known as the Halloween Queen.

From years past hosting a haunted trail in the woods, to some epic parties in the back shed, if I'm gonna do Halloween up, I'm gonna do it up right.

Usually.  But not this year.

Or for that matter not Halloween 2014, '15, or 2016 either.

Hard to believe the door things that you are about to see is the work of the same woman who made these awesome party invites......

Or whose party buffet spread sports glowing fake windows.....

Let Them Eat Cake, From A Mosaic Cake Stand

While other folks are readying their homes for Fall, I'm still winding down from wedding preparations.

I don't really have the desire to decorate anything since I'm still un-decorating from September.

So let's have a chat where I discuss cake, smashed china cake stands, and make no mention whatsoever of pumpkin spice anything.

Daughter #2 wanted a simple wedding cake, she's not a foofy girl, and her request of Amy from Amy's Cupcake Shoppe in Hopkins Minnesota, was for cake with a dark sage green and a touch of gray, sort of earthy to match her rustic outdoor wedding.

Popcorn Cart Stocked With PoppedCorn Gourmet Treats

Over summer our place was like a bee hive.

Worker bees everywhere.

Coming and going, hammering and nailing, flying in and out of the hive with pieces of pallets.....free pallets was our form of honey.

Then just like that in one day it's all over and as they say, all that's left are the memories.

But if you're lucky there are a few bags of popcorn left too!

October Thrifty Style Team Glass Light Globes

It's the October Thrifty Style Team, and I'm going to show you the glass globes I have that keep on going.

Or is that glowing?

Or globe-ing?

Whatever you wanna call 'em I have reused them four different ways -  not too bad for a thrifty find.

Mini Biff, A Good Place To Go

So you know there was a wedding going down around here right?

When something takes almost a year to plan I must have mentioned it at least once or twice, but I admit I don't often yack about the personal side of my family, so if you didn't know that tidbit, I understand why.

The spire tent went up overlooking the lake, which is a quarter mile down our driveway away from any "facilities".

It wasn't going to work to have a couple hundred people walking back up the driveway, especially after dark, with the hope of using our mudroom bathroom, a vision I admittedly wasn't crazy about anyway.

So who 'ya gonna call?

Farm Of Dahlias

This story is really a labor of love.

Really.

With lots of labor.

And lots of love.

It started many years ago when the parents of our good friend Mike went about their life on the farm and planted some flowers in their yard.

Rustic Wedding Pallet Tables

Things here at the ranch are in high production mode at the moment for an end of September shindig and I've got pallets coming outta my....... shed.

There are things to do, and lots of 'em before a tent arrives in a couple weeks.

I would call the wedding of #2 Daughter a true DIY.

She is definitely a hands on bride and thankfully she knows her way around power tools - enough so that she is teaching the groom.

My kids grew up with hammers in their hands, so it's a bit unbelievable for my offspring, but the groom didn't.  Nope, he didn't grow up in a DIY family, no siree.

The groom has said he isn't even sure his dad owned a screw driver.

Hard for my kids to relate to that fact for sure.

Tasting Cake at Amy's Cupcake Shoppe

There are lots of places to visit on the quaint Mainstreet in Hopkins Minnesota.

I have frequented many of the little shops over the years, finding treasures in the Thrift stores, unique handmade items by local artisans, or bits and pieces of vintage memorabilia from the antique booths.

But the frosting on the Mainstreet cake these days, is located at Amy's Cupcake Shoppe.

Mmmmmm mmmmm.

Thrifty Style Team Trash To Treasure

You know the saying.

I really don't have to repeat it, but I will anyway......

One mans trash is another mans treasure.

For this months Thrifty Style Team, I will be decorating with someone's trash, and I tell 'ya, it is totally a treasure as far as I'm concerned.

In this case it was truly worth hopping in that dumpster.

Hyde Tools and Colorado To The Rescue

The dog days of summer are coming and at the ranch we are still picking away at projects that we hoped to have accomplished two months ago.

After last summers weather blew through with three storms of destruction, it has taken us this long to clean up and get a vision for putting things back together.

One of those visions is going to take more time than we have right now but a new and improved playground is in the design stage with input from the short people that use it.

And with the help of some complimentary tools from Hyde Tools we are making things presentable for this summer.

But let me tell you those short people have some definite ideas about how it should look!

PoppedCorn Minnetonka Minnesota

The thing about kids is that they grow up.

So because another one of mine has done just that, I get the opportunity to meet fun people.

Like Sue from PoppedCorn Gourmet Treats in Minnetonka Minnesota.

Let me warn you now that this post will probably be filled with corny puns because I just can't resist!

There is a party in a bag fixing to happen around here.

September is rapidly approaching along with the wedding of #2 Daughter, but more things than just the question have been getting popped.

Thrifty Decorating July

Thrifty Style Team July.  

July !?!?!  

Yup, July.

Oh how fast summer is going and I don't seem to be getting much done.

I've been saying that a lot lately, the part about not getting much done.  I think when my list is long I feel that way, but the truth is I am probably accomplishing lots of things.

Things other than what is on the list anyhow, like playing with a certain 9 and 6 year old and snuggling with a certain 11 month old.

And those things really should be at the top of the list anyhow.

What's Shaking At The Ranch?

So you wanna know what's been shaking at the ranch and where the heck I've been?

I know you do because you email me. Thanks for missing my projects.  I miss my projects too!

I've got the best readers who enjoy DIY, so I've gotta tell you that today I'm departing from the normal paint and build, so feel free to depart yourself if you're not wanting to hear boring life stuff that's void of DIY photos.

Karen from the blog Somewhat Quirky posts a "20 Things" list when she has been MIA, so I'm gonna steal that idea from her, but no promises mine comes in right at 20 or that it goes in the actual order of things.....

1.  We hosted a high school graduation party where I fed a hundred people and the weather was beautiful.  My BFF flew in from Half Moon Bay for the occasion.  I love her.

Now before you think things like HOLY CRAP 100 people at a grad party????, let me tell you that my husband comes from a family of 12 siblings.  Just them and their kids is close to 50.

Thrifty Style Team June Stool Makeover

Thrifty Style.  What exactly is that?

It might be something different to you than it is to me.

Is it simply shopping at thrift stores and garage sales, or is it taking something you find at those places and remaking the item into something better or something that works more for your own taste and style?

Or is it updating an item you already own to keep you out of thrift stores and away from garage sales?

Is it all of those things and then some?

Probably.

Pfister Laundry Room Faucet

I suppose no one reading this has ever started a household project that should take a mere couple of hours tops, only for it to drag on for something like 2+ weeks, right...it's just me?

Oh that's happened to you too?

Such is the tale of installing an awesome faucet in a not so awesome laundry room sink.

Most people who come to my home wouldn't describe it as old.

Around these parts old houses are those that have been here since the middle ages.  But even a 20 year old well used home can find a way to complicate a simple project just like a place built before indoor plumbing.