Needles and Pens

... I just have to let the new paint cure for 30 days before I can hang them. Dangit! Leaf Impressions Wall Decals from JCPenney But aren't they perfect ?? They're going to look awesome on the wall... in about 15 more days. Meanwhile, I'm making some progress on the master bedroom. Six full trash bags of clothes are outta there, and all the clothes we wear are now in the drawers. Amazing!

Previous Posts on February's Project: Project Overview and "Before" Pictures Mid-month Update Heads Up (Ongoing Suspended Ceiling Project) February has finally come to an end, and I can't say I'm sorry to see it go! We were hit with all the typical cold viruses and stomach bugs this month, and the last couple of weeks felt like slow motion. It's a wonder we got anything done at all, but I'm happy to say we made definite progress on our February challenge project, the basement rec room. Here are a few pictures taken this morning. The view, coming down the stairs, looking over the stair railing: Believe it or not, that floor is clean. I washed it myself just yesterday. On my hands and knees. My kingdom for new flooring! Despite the many things I didn't get done, my goal of making this a usable game room was accomplished. (As evidenced by the gamer who would rather be in all my "after" pics than stop playing his game.) Isn...

Thought I got lost in that basement mess, didn't ya? LoL I've spent an awful lot of time down there, for sure. Between that, working on a custom quilt order, and doing some major computer overhauling, it's been a hectic couple of weeks (and I have the overflowing inbox to prove it -- I'm SO behind!). But I thought it was time for a little project update on my basement rec room, so I put together a few "before" and "progress so far" pictures. The first thing you'll notice is how bright the room is now (aside from the wall color)! My hubby and I went shopping for some much-needed new fluorescent light fixtures on day one, and he had them all installed that night. That improvement alone was like night and day -- literally! Looking better! The blue Hoosier cabinet you can barely see in the before pic has been moved to our upstairs entryway. I have plans for it later... Lots of junk has been moved out of the way, and now you can really see ho...

February is here -- time for a new Home Challenge! Did you finish your project for January? If you made any progress at all (even if you didn't quite get it all done), give yourself a pat on the back. Progress is what it's all about! If you've blogged about your January project, remember to link up at the end of this post so we can all come and see what you've accomplished. :o) As for February, the lucky number is.... number 10! On my list, that's the basement rec room. Heaven help me. I was really hoping to get out of the basement this month, but that's the luck of the draw. And after making the guest room over, it would be nice for guests to get there without first walking through the technicolor junkyard. Wondering what that looks like? Beware. It's not pretty. Here come the "befores" ... The view as you come down the stairs: Turn to the right, and there's the guest room, straight ahead. So far, not too overwhelming... until...

Happy New Year! Ready to start the Better Home Challenge? The first number has been drawn, and it's number 11! For me, that's the spare bedroom in the basement... yuck. At first glance, it doesn't look so bad... Until you actually walk into the room... And around the corner... It actually started out empty, but has become something of a dumping ground... Definitely need some sorting/organizing/stashing in here, plus this room is just so... blah. I'd like it to be a room in which a guest could actually sleep. A little decorating is in order, too. Time to make a list and dig in! If you'd like to join in, show us your January project (on your blog, Flickr, etc.) and link up here. Just be sure to link directly to your project, not to your homepage: Let's see what we can accomplish by the end of January!