Time for the Frosting

As most DIYer's know, not every quick fix works out.  Here's a project that I thought would be a quick fix of something that's been bothering me since we moved in.

I love keeping the blinds open in our house, but in the bathroom it's not an option.  Here's our view from the bathroom:


Yes, that's our neighbors house, specifically their 6-year-old's bedroom window.  It's safe to say he, (and anyone else), doesn't want to see what goes on in our bathroom.  This is when I thought some frosted window film would be perfect for allowing light to shine through without corrupting a 6-year-old with our bathroom habits.

During a bathroom cleaning episode I also happened to notice how dirty the window was.  I used some cleaner on the inside and realized it wasn't getting any of the dirt off.  Our windows were replaced about a year before we purchased the house and came with the easy-to-clean tilt-in feature, so it was easy to get access to the outside panel.  Unfortunately, that didn't help either.  I then realized the dirt was on the inside of the window panel, effectively out of reach of any cleaning method I could come up with.     


We already knew we have a moisture issue in the bathroom since it was discovered during our inspection that the bathroom fan vents directly into the attic.  Since the discovery we haven't run the fan once.  We usually leave the room open after showers and let it air out, but it would make sense that some of the moisture would have the potential to cause mildew anywhere we aren't able to clean.  The chances are pretty slim that a newer window would also have a leak and allow that moisture to get between the panes, but that's just our luck.

After some research online, I came to the conclusion that our window has a leak and cannot easily be fixed without completely replacing the bottom window.  Since this wasn't in our budget at the moment, (and we need to figure out if the previous owner left us the warranty information on the windows before he left), I was hoping my window film idea would mask the dirty mildew from view of anyone using our bathroom.

So, on his next Home Depot trip, I asked Mike to grab some window film that would cover the small lower window, (about 16" x 22").  The smallest size they had was 2' x 3' strip for $20, but I figured if I messed it up, it would be good to have extra.



I read a few reviews online and read the directions a couple times before I felt comfortable doing it myself.  It turns out it wasn't bad at all.  I measured the window to get exact dimensions, then used an exact knife and ruler to cut it out.  Then, cleaned the window and sprayed it with soapy water and carefully placed the film on the window.  The soapy water helped move it around a little bit so that it was easier to get in the right position.  Once it was in place I dragged a plastic ruler across to remove any left over air bubbles and stepped back to look at finished product.

That's when the hand hit the forehead.  The problem with the view was fixed and the film effectively blocked the view while also letting light in, but the mildew was more prominent than ever.   


I think my little 5 minute project actually made the problem worse!  I still keep the blinds up sometimes since it does let more light in, but the mildew is just too much to deal with long-term.


Looks like a bottom window replacement is in our not-too-far future.  FLUSH.  That's the sound of my quick fix going down the toilet.

I Heart Ohio

I've been meaning to try a project I pinned on Pinterest a couple weeks ago and I finally got around to do it:


I've only been to Texas once so I don't really need the 'Everything's Bigger' state in our home, so I thought it would be nice to show homage to our own state and the place where we bought our first nest.

I started by buying a canvas panel from Hobby Lobby for under $10, and grabbed some acrylic paints at about $1 a piece.  I already had the frame from Ikea which was about $20.  So with my wallet $35 lighter, I started my own original art.

I started by printing out an outline of Ohio the size I wanted.  I then did an ol' transfer trick by turning over the printout and using a pencil to draw along the outline on the state.  Then, I turned it over and placed it on the canvas where I wanted it and drew along the outline on the right side and when I picked it up I was left with a light pencil outline of the state.  I tried taking a picture, but the pencil was too light and wasn't able to capture it. 


Instead of the solid background, I chose to do stripes and picked a cheery yellow and just used painters tape to make stripes and painted everything else.  I tried to paint around the state outline and paint lightly so that I didn't get any build-up under the state.


After the yellow paint was dry I then used a small (and cheap) paintbrush to outline the state and just filled it in.



After the blue paint was dry I added a read heart over our home and added it to my frame.


Even though Mike's least favorite color is yellow, I placed it on the shelf above his desk.  I thought for sure I would be re-painting it as soon as Mike saw it, but he actually liked it!  And while I was working in the office I decided to do a little styling of the storage cubes that I placed my cut-out art on last week.  I spray painted an old frame white and added some colorful scrapbook paper, then added an ampersand that I got for sale at Hobby Lobby that also got the spray paint treatment.  It's not much, but it makes that area look a little more put together:


Another Visit to Craigs

While perusing Craigslist, we came across some sectionals that we don't really need right now.  Every now and then we'll search for sectionals for the basement, partly for fun and we know we'll need one eventually.  We know it's not anywhere near complete but, with the addition of Mike's home brewing items, like the kegerator, the lack of seating was beginning to bother us me.  Mike loves to show off his beer and after he's poured everyone a brew, they all just stand there talking.  It drives me crazy, because even though they're guys and they could care less, the hostess in me wants everyone to be comfortable and relaxed.  And, even if they're still hanging out in the half-finished basement, they can at least sit down and be comfortable.

So, after a couple of weeks of general browsing, we came across something we had to see in person.  The post boasted a 6-person leather sectional that's about 5 years old and for a reasonable price.  Though the picture makes the couch look huge, (I was more than a little worried that it would be too big), in person it was the perfect size.  So without further ado, here's the newest member of our family:      

(Taken from the Craigslist ad)