Today and the Future in the 'Wicks

We're finally settling in after our complete reno! HGTV doesn't prepare you for this, but it's been a blessing to achieve a lifelong dream. We're still carport carpenters, working away on finishing touches. More DIY tutorials to come, promise!

Changing subjects a bit today. We did a thorough search of what's referred to "LSD" -- Lower Southern Delaware for our home. We found a gem in our small community with open water views right off the Bay. The neighbors: Unbelievably kind. Nicest folks you ever want to meet. Everyone is from everywhere. A perfect place to enjoy the beaches and waterways.

We got involved. Attending our first homeowner's meeting was an eye opener.  Imagine walking into a full room of neighbors and feeling like you should dial 911. Screaming. Arms flailing. First thought, as I looked at the table where it appeared to be volunteers from our Board sitting quietly was, WTH...where did we move? People started walking out. I became curious.

The trend continued at following meetings, every one since. In between lawsuit threats, angry emails, refusal to pay community dues. Digging deeper, turns out it was a handful of people driving it. Just a few.  Ain't that always the case?

We live in a beautiful waterfront community. Amazing water view, few rules, low annual dues. After checking out many private communities--more expense and with better Bay access than where we landed, we saw a trend:  Stunning homes with dumpsters, school buses and sheds next door.  Still curious, we learned each of these communities has covenants (rules) for their property owners.  Some manage them better then others, obviously. Our community managed our covenants well, until now.

Changing of the guard (guided by the handful described above) created a Board that's overlooking and not enforcing basic rules, like you don't build a structure along the back 5' of the water.  Why? Because our legal covenants spell out a 20' setback to make sure the entire community keeps our gorgeous views.

Now I'm super curious, as people are complaining, but nothing is happening.  So I question.  For 5 months.  And I'm asked why I "don't mind my own business."  I am. Because ignoring a simple rule will rapidly become messy for the whole community.  So it is my business--and my neighbor's.

What would you do?  I've been encouraged and am considering a run for the Board.  Because this isn't pretty:

From Buffet to Vanity

This 70's heart throb is about to get a brow lift and become our bathroom vanity.  A Cottage Crafter's find at $70.  Lot's of sanding and whitening ahead!...

5/17/16 Better late than never update!  

Who said...tealwood

Who said redwood need be red?  A totally teal bright coat of paint revved up these old chairs for lounging in boho-style. Used Behr Premium Plus Ultra that I spied at Home Depot when their local rep was visiting--great stuff: primes, paints and protects in one coat.  Really!

Now if it would get warm enough! ❤CM   

All this shabby talk about chalk paint

There's so much shabby chic going around, and it does look great in a beach house.  Plus there are some pieces we have that just won't make that transition and need a new wardrobe.

For years I've scoped furniture at boutiques and thrifts that have great personality but poor veneers and missing hardware. Walking through one yesterday, I saw a lovely teal side table complete with distressed edges. I'm examining it like a surveyor when out of nowhere, Bill appears, a rugged, friendly guy who asks me if I like the paint and if I know what it is. Feeling guilty as I really was looking for technique vs. a purchase, I fessed up quickly and answered correctly, "chalk." For the next 20 minutes Bill became my new BFF and taught me everything there is to know about vintage paint.

Ironically, many of the pieces he has for sale I have or are in my Mom's basement waiting for adoption.  Bill also gave me his personal recipe to make chalk paint. Why? Chalk paint has become a cottage industry, but to me, it's like organic bananas: You pay 3x more for it and you really have to wonder why. Coincidentally, when I got home, a $14-4 ounce SAMPLE jar of Annie Sloan Chalk paint awaited me.  

So here's the down and dirty on how to pull off the look:

Supplies:  

-Chalk Paint (brand name or make your own...the best recipe Bill advised is found by googling "Chalk Paint Plaster of Paris"--Lowe's also has a recipe out there) 

-Soft bristle brushes

-Sealing Wax (again, a brand name or SC Johnson or Minwax Clear Finishing Wax--my .02, this is where a more organic product matters as the smell gets a little heavy)

-Fine sand paper

-Cut up cotton tshirts for ragging

1.  Grab something vintagey...I found a 50's shutter hamper begging to be transformed. The joy of chalk paint is it promises to adhere to most any clean surface--so far I've only worked on wood, so ymmv.

To add more character, a saw came in handy :D

2.  Clean the surfaces that you'll be painting to remove any dirt, I used warm water.  You want a good grip for the paint, so if there's a shiny coating, a light sanding would probably be helpful although "they" say it's not necessary. This is also the time to dent your wood a bit with a hammer or some tire chains if you like those rustic marks. Remove any leftover dust and let your piece dry.

3.  Get painting. Annie Sloan's paint was great to work with, went on smoothly, and had little odor. Don't try to be perfect line-maker with this steps, feathering and spreading the paint in a random manner actually results in the more desired shabby finish. You can even paint right over the hardware. Let your paint dry, (about 15 mins) and if you want more depth or just a second coat, go for it.

4.  Get waxing.  This part is a little intimidating at first, although it really all comes together.  With a cotton tshirt rag, rub a thin layer of wax into small sections in a circular motion. You won't need much. Then take a clean rag to buff the wax away. The wax provides the needed protection from stains and again, "they" say waterproofs as well. (You could polyurethane instead, but I like the wax look.)

5.  Now the real fun:  Distressing. With very fine sandpaper or a block, rub the paint in areas that would over time would naturally wear away, and give the hardware a few swipes as well. With a damp cloth, remove any dust.

6.  Repeat step 4 waxing to reseal over any areas you distressed.

Viola...tres chic~

I will be using Bill's recipe soon...wondering if it'll be a contender to pickle trip-out all that birch paneling?!  ❤CM   

    

The Powder Project: Phase 1 Renovation

One of our first goals when we landed the beach house was to update this bath. Even with my obsessive HGTV viewing, I never thought we'd have to take on a bathroom with the issues this one had. Selling feature: Recently remodeled ...Translation: A contractor painted over poorly stripped wallpaper and as a bonus, slapped new fixtures on dysfunctional plumbing. And the cleanup debris?...wased down the drain. Where's Mike Holmes or those hunky Property Brothers when you need 'em?

Plumbing bills and weeks of scrapping and sanding to avoid replacing walls, we moved onto the reno.  First the shower.  30 years of rust and bodily film hugged the tub like tar, but ripping it out meant big demolition. This cleanup was pretty disgusting, and none of the retail cleaners worked.  With an infomercial screaming "just one wipe, clean and bright" in my head, I ordered this product I read about online--expensive, but 2+ hours later we were in Kohler heaven!  THIS TUB NOW SPARKLES *!*  Although I get no advertising perks from this, I highly recommend R.O.G. plus gloves and a respirator unless you like the buzz!  

We went from this:  

to this, saving the cost of a new shower:

Onward to the mellow yellow vanity, complete with 70's birch cabinet.  We were going for that Bohemian-beach-in-Tibet feel and already had a mirror and sort-of matching flea find that I painted up as inspiration.  But what to do about the vanity--nice solid wood but so dated.  More research led up to Rustoleum Cabinet Transformations which is a product I've used several times since for furniture painting, it's that's good.  We used the "light'' kit:

 

Time to add tile, and read that you can tile right over Formica, but didn't want to chance it so used the original vanity topper as a template and added concrete backer board.  (We will be giving tile over formica a go shortly and will post about it soon.)  sealing new subway tile surrounds and moldings to match the vanities, plus adding more bling:

Some befores and afters...

Red glass tile was hand made for this countertop

Next up:  Barn wood wall rehab...   ❤CM

The New Digs

We Did It!

After years of talking about it we're making the move. And yes it did and will take a while, but what's life if not living the dream?

We'll soon be locals complaining about tourists. Flood insurance will suck up the tax savings we anticipate.  Visitors will complain about the traffic getting to us,.  But we'll be beach folks.

Dreams are lies, it's the dreaming that's real.

C of ❤CM