From the Floor to the Wall

Step 1- Rip up the wall. Step 2- Patch up and fix the madness. Step 3- Paint. Step 4-?? The boring stuff is over with so now what? It's time to finally start the "Closet Room". I'm getting tingles just thinking about it. Needless to say I've been a busy beaver in here, handling lumber far larger than I probably should. I have big plans and have visualized the space, but not really sure of every detail. I'm just going to take it piece by piece, and put things together as they come to me. So, be prepared to see pieces and projects of the room, before you actually see the whole thing. It will be kind of like clues to the final reveal. 

So, first piece of the puzzle....move the shoes from the floor to the wall. From previous postings you all have seen how many shoes I own. The problem is sometimes I work an outfit around the shoes, so them being in another room is not totally conducive. It was way too many to keep on the floor, so I decided to go vertical. The wall I used was 8 ft tall by 10 1/2 ft long. Now, before I started just bolting shelves to the wall I wanted to do a test. I needed to make sure the size, depth, and construction worked. I went with 9 1/2 ft long, as to leave a little bit of space by the door. I used the wood and brackets from my last shoe shelf and extra scrap to make the tester. 

Boots of course go on the bottom, so I measured the tallest boots at 19" tall. I used a level and some scrap wood to make sure everything would line up straight. I took my bracket and marked holes in the wall where the screws should go. 

I drilled tiny pilot holes and then screwed in the brackets. For a 9 1/2 ft shelf I used 4 of them.

Then, added the shelf and the boots.  

.....And while I was at it, I made new inserts. Awhile back I saw a pin on Pinterest on how to keep your boots from flopping over. One of the suggestions was to add rolled up newspaper. I'm not a big fan of the newspaper, but decided to use rolled up poster board instead.

I let the tester shelf sit for a few days. I wanted to be absolutely sure it would work. Once I was sure I enlisted the help of a friend to make a Home Depot run for the rest of the wood. I needed 10 ft long pieces, and lumber of that size does not fit in the Corolla. So, my friend who happens to have a truck agreed to help me out. And you know what...it barely fit in his truck. We had to let it hang out the back window, and drive slow. 

First step was to cut each piece to 9 1/2 ft. Now remember I originally bought 10 ft pieces. Why I couldn't just be okay with the extra 6 inches and save myself the hassle beats the heck out of me. The best reason I can give is...because it's me, and I always have to make things harder for myself. I suppose one day I'll learn. The pieces were so long I had to lay the miter saw on the floor to cut.

For the painting process I laid all of the pieces out in the garage. I had to alternate just to get them to all fit. I primed and then painted. I used my go to Rustoleum Latex Paint in Semi-Gloss White. Unfortunately on the days I was ready to paint it was cold as all get out around here, and the garage temperature dropped a little too much for my liking. So, I actually brought the boards inside to paint. I filled all of the holes and cracks with spackle, lightly sanded the surface smooth, and then gave it a couple of coats of paint. 

In between coats of paint, I decided to knock out a few mini projects. First one up was the brackets. 6 shelves times 4 brackets a shelf is 24. I went to Home Depot and crossed my fingers that they even had that many. Wouldn't you know they only 4. Well I should clarify, they only had 4 white ones. The funny part is they had a ton of brackets in every other color and size except for the ones I needed. Go figure! I ended up getting the 4 white ones they did have, and getting 20 gray ones. I was going to paint them anyway, so the gray wasn't the end of the world. However, I ended up at Lowe's too and they had more white, so I bought all of the ones they had. To make the brackets blend, I spray painted them all with Zinser All-Surface primer, and then painted them the same color as the wall. 

For the second mini project I created mini shelves. I wanted to maximize the space for things like flats and sandals that don't need a full shelf. I made a real simple design using 4 inch craft boards and wood glue, then painted them white to match the big shelves.

With all of the pieces constructed, primed, and painted, I carried everything upstairs. And let me just say getting those boards up 2 flights of curved staircases was no small feat. Apparently, I've never used wood so long because it took lots of skill and careful maneuvering to keep the scuffs to a minimum. Definitely glad I did this before painting the staircase walls. 7 shelves, 28 brackets, 4 mini shelves, a box of 100 screws, and a basket of tools later...I was ready to finish this project.

Using the holes from the original tester shelf I screwed the first set back in. The rest of the shelves were to be set 10 inches apart from each other. So, I got to measuring the same way I did for the first one. Measure 10 inches from the one below, use the level to make sure the bracket sits straight, pencil the screw holes, make pilot holes, screw in the brackets, and place the overly large shelf on top. 

2 down...5 to go

One by one each shelf was mounted to the wall. 4 hours later...

Good job don't you think? Honestly I wasn't expecting them to go up so high on the wall. I guess I forgot to account for the boards themselves. It's okay. A whole wall I wanted, and a whole wall I got. Now to add the stars of the show. 

Can you say Magical Wall Of Shoes! (Complete with a new step stool. How else did you think I would get to the ones at the top?) LOOOOVE IT! I have to admit though...this is A LOT of shoes. (First and last time you'll hear me say that) It never really looked like this many in my other closet. Where did they all come from? I am hoping that with them all laid out like this I won't be so easily tempted to buy new ones, but we'll see how long that lasts. *Update - I saw a pair earlier today that I am fully digging, and if they're still available next week I may have them. I know, I know, I am fully aware that I have a problem. 

Until the next project!

Wall Be Gone!

The time has come to finally embark upon my newest adventure. It's closet time! (Oh yeah and part guest room, but that comes later). I must say I am pretty excited about this room. For those of you who know me, you know I have quite the fascination with all things fashion, and a giant walk-in closet is one of the only things my nearly perfect house does not have. At first it made me sad. Where would it all go? Then one of my friends suggested "Why don't you turn this room into a closet?" Ding Ding Ding. And so it is happening.  Does anyone remember Oprah's closet? Yeah, that's pretty much what I'm going for in here. 

So, let's talk about what went down. Thus far I have been mainly doing more home decor projects. However, it was time to get serious. I was pretty much ready to start the room, but one thing stood in my way. The previous owners put paneling on the wall. Now, I have struggled as to what to do with this stuff since I moved in. I never really liked it personally, but a few people suggested keeping it. For the longest time I actually was. It wasn't bad per say, just not really my thing. I could just paint over it and keep it moving. Oh and there was the main reason....pulling down the paneling and then patching up the wall was no walk in the park. Definitely not a 30 min job. I wasn't sure I cared to take on such a project. Building a table is all fun and games, but pulling down a wall could be serious. On the other hand, as a closet I am going to need to hang things from floor to ceiling, and it was just going to get in the way. Then one day I walked in the room and it hit me...the paneling has got to go. I was just avoiding the inevitable honestly. I might cover it over and mask it for now, but it was just a matter of time before I would want it gone for real. So, the transformation begins. 

Before I begin, let's jog your memory. The room was originally a little girls room (Quite adorable I might add).  This is what the room looked like pre Tanaira madness. 

The walls were blue, and they had added paneling to 2 of them. The paneled walls also happen to be the only 2 full ones in the room. I think if it had been another room I may have just figured out a way to incorporate it. However, in my future closet it just wasn't part of the vision. 

This is the other side of the room. The nook area will be where the "guest" space goes. The bedroom is pretty spacious so there is enough room to incorporate dual function.

If you're still stumped about what room this is, maybe this will jog your memory. It's also known to many as the "shoe room".

So let's remove this wall. This was the first project I took on that involved some lite demolition. Which, I've noticed that when I use the word "demolition" it seems to make people a little nervous. I wonder why. This was something I had never done before, and that could easily become a giant problem if not done right. So, I did what I always do in a carpentry pickle...called my Uncle Francis. Originally, when I told him about the idea he totally shot me down. That kind of job was contractor's work. "You don't know what's behind there", "You could pull off the drywall and damage the wall", blah blah blah. However, after some convincing and photos proving that it was not a professional job he gave me the thumbs up (I think he was still hesitant though). YAY! All systems go...It's demolition time! I used caution and started in one corner. First came down the chair railing which was basically screwed into the wall and sealed at the top with white sealant. It wasn't bad. The worst part was removing the excess sealant from the wall. They really got crazy with the stuff. With the railing gone, I pulled back a corner of the paneling and took a peek. I wasn't sure what kind of shape the wall would be in. Surprisingly, it was okay. So, I kept going. 

 The paneling was held on by glue and nails. The nails were a piece of cake. The glue however, required some finesse. I tried to keep it to minimal damage. An hour later the wall was done and on the floor.

Next day, I did the other wall. Same process, chair railing and then paneling. This wall posed a little more difficulty. On the one hand they used a lot less glue on this wall, but layered the sealant on good and thick. This wall took quite a bit longer than the first, but I FINISHED! (And might I add, without injury and no major gouges to the wall)

The paneling is GONE! Insert cartwheel and Roger Rabbit dance outburst here. I am so glad to finally get rid of that stuff. On another note...yes, with much reluctance and thought I am changing the paint color. I do love the blue and have actually become quite fond of it. If this were another room I may have kept it, but as a closet you don't really want bright colors behind your clothes. It can be quite distracting. Don't worry, I'm thinking I will bring it back in accessories. I picked up a few tester pots of paint while at Home Depot of a couple of colors I was pondering. A tester pot is your friend when you're not sure. (Which still wasn't my friend in this case, but we'll talk about that later. For right now, I digress) 

With the paneling down, it was time to deal with the aftermath of my destructive 2 days and patch the wall up. I have to be honest, for the most part it didn't look that bad. Better than I thought it would. There were definitely spots of utter mayhem though. Lucky for me the previous owners only got glue-crazy in a few areas, so the patch job didn't seem so daunting.  

In addition to the glue, the damage ranged from small screw holes to large tears of drywall. Nothing major though so we're good.

First came the sanding. The glue was a little think in some areas so I took my electric sander to the wall. Once the glue was leveled, I patched up the holes and tears with Spackle. I started out with Multipurpose Spackle, but it was a little thick and taking awhile. It didn't glide on the way I thought it should. I checked with the expert (my uncle) and he let me know that I was using the wrong kind. I needed Light Weight Spackle. That meant another trip to home depot which I was okay with because I needed some other things as well. I got home and spent my Saturday Spackling my life away.

After the first round, I let it dry overnight, and in the morning went back in to sand it down. Some of the bigger spots needed another layer of Spackle, so I did that and let it dry before sanding again.  

With the wall patched up it was time to paint. Now, if I haven't said it enough I HATE painting walls. I was absolutely dreading this part, but it must be done. I got together my drop cloths, painting supplies, and something to pass the time away. 

Yes, that is a cassette walkman in the basket. I had some old tapes from high school and wanted to listen and see what was on them. What better time to go through them. (You never know what kind of gems are on here. I mean let's be honest, they don't make music like they used to).

I used Kilz primer for the first layer. I did the whole room in one night. I went in there after dinner, and when I came down it was time to go to bed. With the walls primed, I already missed the blue color. It was so bare in there, but that's always the case with primer. 

I let the primer dry over night and went up to paint the next evening. Being that this was going to be a closet, I wanted a neutral color but nothing too dark and nothing too white. I wanted the walls to have some warmth to them, but not make the room feel like a cave. In my head I was going for a mocha-gray. Out of my 4 tester options I settled on Sandstone Cove by Behr. It took me awhile to settle on the color. I realized in doing this room no room in my house is a square. So, painting and repainting isn't happening. 2 nights and 2 coats of paint later I had finished the room. 

 And guess what....I DON'T love it! Highly unimpressed face happening right now. Like I said the color was supposed to be a mocha-gray. I tested the paint color on the wall, and checked it in lamp light and day light. It was the color I wanted. The color painted everywhere....NOT so much. It's reminds me of Carpenter's Beige, and it is absolutely killing me. Honestly, if the room were not so big it would have already been repainted. Everyday I walk in there and think this is going to be the day I'm okay with it. Well it's been almost a week, and that day has yet to happen. So, what do I do? For right now the jury is still out. I have asked a few folks for their opinion. The consensus seems to be just leave it. The wall will be covered for the most part so I may not even notice once the room comes together. Sometimes I feel as though I think so artistically that I over think a project. I'm also thinking that I'm so used to seeing it be a vibrant blue color, that the beige is so far in the other direction it looks more bland than it really is. I'm hoping once I add to the room it will look better. I'm still debating though. It would be extra work, but the itch is still there. I have been thinking of ways to ease my anxiety, which include but are not limited to painting an accent wall, loading in bold colorful accessories, and painting a mural in the hallway. At this point it's all up for grabs. I guess we'll just have to wait and see. All I can do is cross my fingers and hope it all looks magical in the end (Matter of fact we should all cross our fingers....every little bit counts). With that done it's time to start putting this room together. I guess it's on to the next project (and a possible repainting job).

Aria Morgan in technicolor!

On December 18, 1993 my mother had a baby girl named Aria. 20 years later, Aria has blossomed into a beautiful young woman. A few months ago, I was perusing some art and became inspired. It has been such a long time since I have been inspired to do anything outside of paint a wall or build a table. I must admit I was quite excited. The picture was of a woman's face that had had been filled in with lots of color and digital design. Then it hit me...I wanted to try some mixed media. I like painting, but I do miss the easy and free form of just doodling. Why not mix them together. All I needed now was a subject. Then I thought of Aria. She's such a big supporter of mine, and I don't think she has any of my art yet. Besides Christmas was coming up. It was perfect! 

I started with a picture of her as something to look at. I'm not particularly good at portraits so I always need a reference. Now, Aria is a wild and free spirit to say the least (ironically much like her older sister). She had a ton of photos on Facebook, but it was hard to find one without some sort of photo effect or her giving a crazy face. I ended up having to ask her for a "normal" photo. She was quite surprised to find out Christmas Day, that it was not for the family tree project I originally told her about.

First came the sketch. It took me weeks to get this perfect. I must have traced, measured, shaded, retraced, and remeasured a 100 times. It was absolutely grueling. I thought I would never get here. I'm an abstract artist, so drawing real life (especially portraits) is not my thing. 

The first layer was ink and markers. When I decided I was going to try this project, I also used it as a reason to buy new markers. I have some already but they're mediocre...good for just playing around. I was about to get serious though. I want to eventually invest in some Copic markers, but they are EXPENSIVE! On average they're about $5-$8 per marker depending on where you buy them. Now, imagine if a decent set is at least 24. You figured it, they're not budget friendly. I would hate to pay for them, and then not really use them after a couple of months. So, I'm testing these out to see how I do.

I've never done this before so I didn't really have a plan. I just did a little bit at a time. First, I added the hair. Aria wears braids all the time, so I mimicked that kind of look. Then I added in the cute eye situation and lips. Her favorite color is blue, so I knew that would be a major color. Not only did I want the picture to look like her but also have her essence, so I kept in the finger. The squares came out of no where. It jumped in my head, so I put them down. 

Now mind you, I did the whole picture over the course of a couple of weeks. Some sittings I did more or less than others. I just went with what hit me at the time. After the first layer, I went in for a deeper eye situation. I also made an attempt to cover up the squares. As fast as I added them, I decided I didn't like them. I did what I do best and just free handed random design right on top. 

I wasn't satisfied with her face. It needed something more. So, I added in some extra design and color. At this point though I felt like her face and the background were starting to look mismatched. Same canvas, 2 different pictures. I began adding some of the different colors from the face to the bottom to try and tie it all together.

With a lot of marker work done I wanted to start painting. I did a color wash over the background. There was so much going on everywhere else, I didn't want the background to be too busy. I was out of luck making the bottom work so I kind of color washed that too. I don't know if this made it better or worse, but I was stuck with it now. 

I finally painted a more permanent name. I know you can still see remnants of the other name, but that was okay with me. I added some design to the bottom. I know you're thinking why the heck did I cover the design just to add more. That's the back and forth of creating I guess. Sometimes you have good ideas, sometimes bad ones, and sometimes you have great ideas that after 2 days end up a giant fail. What can you say. I got carried away trying to add more paint somewhere, but it didn't end up so well. One of those not so good ideas. 

I gave the background one last layer...

and there we have it...Aria in technicolor! Not bad for my first mixed media piece. I really like the way it turned out. It was touch and go a few times, but happy with the final result. I will definitely be doing more. I just need to find another subject. Maybe I'll do one of myself. (That's could be interesting.)

So, I bet you're wondering what did Aria think of it? She absolutely LOVED it! She was so excited when she opened it Christmas day. She thought it was quite cool. She even complimented on how accurate the sketch was of her. (I'm glad someone noticed) All of the  blood sketching, sweat coloring, and tears measuring, the joy on her face made it all worth it. 

I guess that means it's on to the next project! (Fair warning is being given...it's going to be a doosey!)