2009 March — the Blah Blah Blahger

Polishing a Turd

March 31, 2009 By JJ

I’ve got some bedroom furniture that I want to get rid of, but in this economy, I’ve been told that staying “liquid” as possible is the best option…so what’s a girl to do? Live with my maple furniture that I bought 6 years ago that was so cheap it shouldn’t still be standing??? I guess I’ll have to. BUT, that doesn’t mean I can’t class it up with a new paint job and some new drawer pulls.

Having said that, I’m afraid to paint it. You see, I tried several years ago to paint a similar piece of ~~crap~~ furniture and all I got was runny paint that didn’t adhere to the surface. I know there’s some sanding and priming in my future, but has anyone tried this before? Can anyone help me?

Please, help me turn this cheesy bookcase into something presentable!!!

As with all Wednesdays, I’m participating in Works for Me Wednesday over at We Are THAT Family. This week we were challenged to ask for solutions to a problem we were facing and this one is something I can’t stop thinking about! Any ideas would be HUGELY appreciated!

DIY Diva

Tool Talk Tuesday featuring Katie Clemons/Making this Home

March 31, 2009 By JJ

Today’s Tool Talk features a new BLAHg pal that I met through Twitter! Katie Clemons (@makingthishome) is living in Berlin with her German hubby in a TEEEEENY apartment, but making it feel big and fab through her wonderful design skills! After seeing how they transformed a 36 square foot kitchen, I knew they had to have used some serious DIY skills and that they’d be perfect for today’s Tuesday Tool Talk! So, without further ado, here’s Katie!

When we moved to Berlin, Germany, our kitchen was a pretty frustrating place to be. It was a 36 square foot, walled-in space that was miserable to say the least. So we pulled out our favorite tools and decided to remodel.

Here’s our favorite tear-down tool:

Our interior walls were solid drywall. Each brick we cut out weighed 50 pounds. No tool can cut out walls and get rid of unwanted construction jobs better than a saws-all once you know exactly where every electric wire and pipe is in your wall.

When it comes to building a space back up, I really like table saws. We used one for cutting all of the sheets of wood we needed to build our cabinets. Unfortunately, our apartment is so small at 480 square feet that I had to hang out the window to hold the wood while my husband cut. When we weren’t cutting with the table saw, it became just a table. Here’s my husband sanding a cabinet on our unplugged table saw:

Electric sanders. Those would be another favorite tool. In Germany, the law requires us to stop using power tools at certain times of day. We got six hours of legal power tool time each day. All noise was illegal on Sundays. I never knew how much I would love my sander until the days I couldn’t use it.

So put those tools together along with a hundred others and slowly, we turned our kitchen into this:

Didn’t they do an INCREDIBLE job?!?!?! I’m so impressed with how they turned the lemon of a small kitchen into one killer lemonade!!! Many people who assume that this is the kind of job only a professional would attempt, but they did their homework, got the appropriate provisions, and went to work. I’m certain that every time they use their small, but beautiful, kitchen they feel a huge sense of pride! To learn more about this kitchen transformation, please visit Katie at www.makingthishome.com!

Great job, Katie! I look forward to seeing how you transform the rest of the house!!! And thanks again, for participating in Tool Talk Tuesday!

I Heart Toby

March 30, 2009 By JJ

This is Toby, my brother and SIL’s kitty. Toby used to HATE me…seriously, wouldn’t come near me, even though I’m the lady with the fingernails. This used to trouble me as cats love me…because I’m the lady with the fingernails. But, on this trip to CO, we came to a mutual understanding. Toby could still hiss at me as long as I gave him scratches…because let’s face it, I’m the lady with the fingernails.

I’m trying something new, it’s a weekly project where I can work on my photo skills. The challenge this week is to capture a pet and I have the perfect one to enter. Yeah! To check out other pets and pouting children, visit I Heart Faces!