Well, I had some left over paint from painting my bedroom a few years ago and I was hoping that it would be enough for the walls but it’s not.  So the walls are not completely done BUT now that means I can get new paint and maybe this time I’ll pick something that’s a little less white.  I thought the door was white but apparently not when you compare it to the walls!

Here’s the before picture.  I think the drywall gray is more interesting than this white I have right now.

Any ideas on what color I should use for the walls?  I’ll probably go with something neutral … like the “darkest” shade of premixed white they have at the store … can you tell I’m a little afraid of picking out wall colors?  OR, I can dump all the paint I have lying around the house in a bucket and mix my own paint … that way I can use up what I have (which is what I’ve been trying to do) and get rid of all those half empty paint cans!  Decisions decisions…

UPDATE!  Someone is selling 5 gallon buckets of off white and deep beige paint on Craigslist for $10.  God I love Craigslist! 

I think I’m getting little obsessed about taping and mudding my drywalls.  I’m trying to limit sanding as much as possible so I’ve been shining a light against the wall and smoothing things out with mud.  Holding a light next to the walls is like looking at your face close up with one of those magnifying mirrors.  Holy crap!  You see all these imperfections and you just want to cover them up.  And now I’m going after the old drywall taping job I did a few years back to feather out some of the seams even more (I didn’t know about the light trick back then).  Why do I torture myself like this?  It doesn’t help that I still have all my furniture in the room but at least I can stand on some of them so I don’t have to move my ladders around as much.

I am getting better at this whole drywall finishing business but I’d love to hone my skills even more.  I actually asked my contractor who framed the walls for me to hire me if he needs help on weekends.  He said he likes my work.  I’ll have to send him some pictures when I’m done with all of this (hopefully soon).

And here’s the new closet.  This used to be a little nook.

The wall between the bedroom door on the right and the closet door used to be a half wall overlooking the stairs, now it’s completely closed, woohoo!

So this is not a huge project and I’m actually psyched about the taping when I return home from visiting my family (where I am now, using god knows who’s wireless internet connection).

I’ve been busy winterizing my home and one of the things that took the most time is making these magnetic window insulators for my windows.  I used to put up those plastic shrink wrap sheets that you can tape around the windows using double sided tape but ever since I got Elliot the cat, I had to stop using them because he rips them to shreds (why can’t he be cute like other cats and just bounce off the plastic when he tries to jump on the windowsill?).  So what’s a girl to do?  Well, I came up with a sturdier version of the store bought shrink wraps that Elliot can’t scratch and made them REUSABLE (for many winters to come) and the best part is that they can be taken down and put back up in seconds so if I burn my dinner, I can just peel these off, open the windows and air out the house, and put them right back up.

I plan on making a tutorial for these but you crafty ones probably have already figured out what I did.  Isn’t it great to be crafty?

Ooooh, look at what I got for a buck at a yard sale this weekend!  This blanket is soooo warm and the colors are great … just in time for the cool nights we’ve been getting.

My very first Le Creuset!  I’m getting rid of my scratched up teflon pans for some good old fashioned cast iron.  I got this from Ebay and cooked with it as soon as I got home.  I LOVE the way it browns the food.  I like the colorful enameled cast iron pans but I also wanted the benefits of cooking on bare cast iron (iron gets into the food) and this pan has it all.  Mmmm, yummy iron. 

Sometimes you have to buy new things to keep clutter down and save space.  I love this ironing board rack  I got from the hardware store.  Before this, I used to have the ironing board set up in the middle of the room and I piled a bunch of stuff on it.  I think this is the next best thing to having a wall-mounted ironing board and it is definitely much cheaper (best 5 bucks I’ve ever spent).

I don’t have a place for everything yet but I do have a place for all of my hand tools!  I gathered up all the tools scattered all around the house (some were in the bathroom, bedroom, craft room…I think I still have some in my car) and started hanging them on this pegboard I got for free at a yard sale.  I don’t have a system for organizing the tools on this board but I figure having them all in one place is better than having them all over the place.

I’ve been chipping away at my “stuff” for a couple of weeks now and here’s a shot of my living room this morning.  OK, so I staged it a little because I chose not to show the left corner of the coffee table which has 2 remote controls but I’ve been pretty good about keeping the living room like this for a week now (I even put away the coaster when I’m done with it).  I’m still shaving down the stuff that I don’t use or don’t love and I still have quite a ways to go but I did figure out some things about the way I acquire stuff:

1. Although I’m not into clothes, shoes, or bags I am into vintage house stuff.  The fact that they are readily available inexpensively at flea markets and thrift stores means that I don’t feel guilty for buying them.

2. I like the “hunt” of looking for vintage stuff.  I really love it when I spot a cool vintage mug amongst a sea of mugs at the thrift store. I think the reason I’d buy it is because it’s like a prize for my keen eye (and because it’s only 99 cents).

3. I have a habit of buying something because I think it’s worth more than what I pay for even if I don’t need it or love it. 

4. I also have a habit or picking up stuff from the curb because they’re perfectly fine.

I don’t think any of these reasons are particularly bad but now I’m more mindful of how I acquire things so hopefully I’ll think a little more the next time I pass by someone’s garbage or a thrift store. 

And here’s a website I found yesterday about living with less clutter: http://unclutterer.com/

Last week I saw a video about a woman who lives in an 84 sq. ft. house and owns only 300 things.   I don’t think I can limit myself to owning only 300 things (toothpaste was one of the items) but it did get me thinking about decluttering my own place.   I have a lot of things and even though I like the minimalist look, I know it wont’ work for me.   So I’ve decided NOT to feel guilty about having things.  I like to have beautiful (to me) things because they make me smile when I see them or use them.  What I need is to get rid of the things that I don’t use anymore (which for some reason are scattered throughout the house).

So I started cleaning the kitchen and threw away expired canned goods, utensils that I haven’t used in ages, and extra plastic containers from carry outs.  I started making a pile of things for the yard sale I’m having this Saturday and this time, whatever I don’t sell will go to the Goodwill.  

I went on line to look for more decluttering ideas and stumbled onto the FlyLady website.  This is a great website for someone like me who’s ready to make some changes because it breaks down the humongous task of cleaning/organizing your entire house into baby steps.  The first thing FlyLady tells you to do is to clean your sink until it shines.  So that’s what I did.  It’s like magic because I started cleaning the countertop and stove after the sink is clean and then I mopped the floor.  I guess you can’t just have a shiny sink if the rest of the kitchen looks grimy.

So this is how I got to have a clean sink from watching a woman who lives in a tiny house.  I know, it only makes sense to me.