Gimme’ that ORB

Feb 13, 2014 /

Oil Rubbed Bronze.

Our doorknobs needed some love in the basement. So you can only guess that I took those bad boys out to the garage and gave them a serious makeover.

I hung up the bedroom door a few weeks ago with the hardware and it looked only OK with the gold knobs and hinges. So I made an executive decision that I eventually wanted to paint them ORB because doorknobs are expensive and not worth it when you buy a $4 can of spray paint and have an entirely new look.

Last week when I was painting the bathroom and storage room doors for our guests this last weekend I knew I wanted to get the hinges painted before I hung them up. It’s a lot of work to take down and rehang doors – especially multiple times. It’s hard on the doors, the hinges, and the screws. I was under a time crunch and a temperature problem. I started on Monday when it was 50 degrees and ran into a problem on Tuesday when it was 20 degrees.

You can’t spray paint below 50 degrees! So I set up a space heater and a little spray paint bubble in our garage and hoped for the best. It actually worked great!!

So anyways, I started with my hinges – they were the most important. I was actually planning on just doing the hinges and finishing the doorknobs once it warmed up but once I got started I just couldn’t stop.

I went over everything with a liquid deglosser to prep the surface for paint. It worked great and a lot of gunk came off the knobs. Feels good to start fresh.

I painted the hinges with a primer that was recommended for smooth movement. I was nervous that the ORB paint would make the hinges sticky and after research this paint was at the top of my list…

This is the ORB I used as well.

What do you think?!

We love them! The other storage room door still needs to be painted but the knobs and hinges are ready to be attached! I feel like our basement has come so far since we moved in. It really feels like a brand new space. Who knew a little paint (okay, a lot of paint) could totally change a space.

I’ll be back tomorrow with five on Friday and a life update on where I’ve been these last few days.

Happy Thursday!
Love, KJ

Making Documents Pretty!

Feb 6, 2014 /

I am thankful for snow days! Mike got to stay home two days this week because of the 8-10 inches we got here in Wichita. The wind chills have been in the double negatives and staying inside is our only option – well that and tackling projects at home with supplies we have on hand.

If you have been to our house in the last few weeks you would have seen this mess…

Okay, the mess wasn’t really the organized files from the Sterling house but the unorganized files from our new Wichita home. The pile was growing pretty quickly because anytime we got a bill or something important I would just add it to the top of the pile.

Now, for my inspiration…

via

Isn’t that fun? You can open up your filing cabinet to beautiful goodies instead of dreadful tax files! So, a few weeks ago knowing that I wanted to spruce up the old files I bought a few supplies at target (folders & washi tape).

It was a good time and so easy! I am one of those people that likes to know where everything is – even bank statements from three years ago – so this makes that crazy organizational side of me very happy.

My parents gave us an actual filing cabinet when we moved to Wichita so I’m also excited to dig that out of the second bedroom and put it to use. The temporary white bin has worked for now, but I’m ready for a more permanent filing system.

If you like this please pin it for later – maybe you’ll get the organization bug and your pinterest board should be prepared.

Happy Organizing!
Love, KJ

House Updates {part two}

Jan 29, 2014 /

We’ve been working with white paint a lot. I have a whole paint station set up in the basement and a room full of doors that need to be painted.

I don’t think I’ve hit “I hate everything about paint and never want to paint a piece of trim again,” but I know I’m getting close – and my motivation is slowly decreasing. So the doors aren’t painted yet, but the third bedroom is 100% done.

Isn’t it pretty? I’ve started storing things in the closet (suitcases, bags, and Christmas decorations) but I’m trying to leave some room free since this will eventually be a guest bedroom. Also, painting the closet white was a huge pain, but makes a HUGE difference. I know I won’t want to paint the other closets in this house, but I think I will grit my teeth and bear it because it makes such a huge difference! Just for comparison sakes here is the before of this room…

I’ve also started a few other projects. One of them is this bookcase.

I bought it at Walmart my freshman year of college – so that makes it 5 years old. It has been with me in every place I’ve lived since then and is beat up and ugly. The top had started to chip off and it just looked gross. I forgot to take a true before photo, but trust me, it was bad. I started with coat of primer and then two coats of paint.

I’m not sure if this is where it will stay. I really want a table like this in our entryway, but this beautiful new white bookshelf will do for now! I need to find something to fill the top two shelves though. I’m sure I’ve got something in this mess…

The 2nd bedroom is always one step forward and then 3 steps back. Right now we’ve been walking backwards for like 14 steps…

Here is one last update before I leave you… The scarf holder is up!

I also feel like I should mention how much we love our new couch. We hosted Betsy’s birthday celebration on Friday evening and spent the whole evening on the couch eating yummy food and watching Netflix.

Happy Wednesday! I hope you’re working on little things around your house that make you love it even more (assuming you love where you live).

Love, KJ

Craftiness

Gimme’ that ORB

Making Documents Pretty!

House Updates {part two}