Whyyyy do I have the most motivation and inspiration to do home projects when I'm stuck at work?  I blame this Diply article I clickbaited my way into this morning as I was lying in bed, cursing at the alarm.  The looming holidays make the itch that much worse - I want to finish these tasks and be able to show off our home to our guests and enjoy it to the fullest!

While there are so many I could illustrate, let's start with this stack of crown molding that's been waiting in our garage for well over a year (closer to 2?  I've lost track).  We just have to slap a fresh coat of paint on 'em and put 'em up (with some help from some adultier adults who have done that sort of thing before).


Also?  this ivory fireplace insert is driving me batty....I bought black high-heat spray paint long ago to take care of it, I just have to put forth the energy (and bravery) to do it.


It looks like it was spray painted previously, so maybe it used to be brass?  I thought I'd be able to take it out but I'm not sure I can, so that means taping and papering and plastic-ing like this tutorial from Bright Green Door.  Not hard, just time consuming, and something you can't un-do if you screw it up.  Ooooh, also - WE NEED A MANTEL.

In our hall bath that gets the most use when we have company over, we're not at a point where we're ready to rip out and re-do the sink and countertop, but they're so fugly.... I want to give the cabinets a mini-makeover with paint in the meantime (hello lipstick-on-a-pig technique!) and have been drooling over Urbane Bronze by Sherwin-Williams or something in that family.

I have the most drive to do these kinds of small-ish projects when I am wholly unable to...does anyone else have that problem?!

We're throwing together a low-key wine tasting get-together for Friday night, and since I just don't know the meaning of the phrase "low-key," I'm already working on some crafts for it.

First up, I got this sweet little wooden garden caddy at Target's Dollar Spot a few weeks ago.  It was one of those impulse buys that I just "had to have" until I got home with it and was all, "....well now what?"  Always eager to spraypaint that which does not move (and, let's be honest, sometimes that which does), I forgot to take a full-on "before."  Here's a "during," though:


I lucked up on a really great deal on some jumbo cans of black spray paint at Ollie's on Friday (I find myself using it a lot on household projects), so I coated the entire interior and exterior of the caddy first.

I've been using this cardboard as a dropcloth for awhile....toldja I use a lot of black spray paint!

Then once the first coat was dry, I put a coat of Krylon's Chalkboard paint on the outside surfaces.  It's a great way to store utensils (business end up, of course, unless I put some sort of liner in), or pens and paper for voting or taking notes, and I tend to use chalkboard signs and serving pieces a lot because they're just so versatile.  Here it is in its finished useful glory!

Been saving these babies for a special project.

At least part of my Sundays are usually spent like this

Been mulling this project over in my mind for the better part of a year. Finally did it today, just in time to enjoy it in fall weather! #patiolights #diyproject #alfresco

A photo posted by Katherine Barrett (@acordiallife) on Sep 11, 2016 at 6:16pm PDT

Just a couple of projects to share from Jason's birthday.  He was sweet enough to send me flowers at work on our date-a-versary back in June and it was such a nice surprise, I wanted to do something similar for him at work.  After looking at some of the more masculine floral/plant delivery options, I decided to make my own booze-quet for my bourbon-loving hubby.

I got a dozen different mini bottles of bourbon and whiskey (and one scotch....I ran out of options).  I used E6000 glue to affix a wooden skewer to the back of each one, then put a strip of packing tape across it and left it for a couple days to cure.  I got a cheapo but heavy ceramic wine holder, layered several pieces of styrofoam, then inserted the skewers.  I made a few little flowers out of tissue paper and my trusty fringe scissors (affiliate link), plus added some tissue paper (both solid and Makers Mark-printed from our visit to the distillery gift shop!).  I think he - and his coworkers - got a kick out of it, and it's a gift that keeps on giving!


Another of his gifts was a group of 6x6" canvases of photos from several distillery tours we've taken in Kentucky.  I used this tutorial from Lovely, etc. and am pleased with the results, though it would've been easier to manipulate my prints on thinner paper.  Maybe this project works better with larger format prints?  My matte photos were purchased from Snapfish, and since I was working with 6x6" canvases, I got 8x8" square prints made with a matte finish.  I'll definitely try this again - it was an easy and heartfelt gift that will have a special place near our bar and reminds us of some fun memories!

For Jason's birthday dinner at home, we did filet steaks and an amazing pear and arugula salad in The Food Lab cookbook (affiliate link) - this thing has come to serve as our kitchen Bible.  Since his birthday was on a Friday, we spread the celebrations out all weekend long, having friends over Saturday for pizza, beer, and bourbon, then dining out at a new fave spot - Main Street Public House.  It's only been open a few weeks and we've already been several times!    

I just scored a couple of great finds on a Facebook group for secondhand goods and I can't wait to fix them up!  

Metal beverage cooler on wheels - 8 bucks!

I'm trying to decide if I want to paint the cooler and if so, what color to paint it.  I think I'm going to sand and stain the chair a dark kona/espresso color.  If it doesn't turn out well (the chair is pretty weathered), I can always paint over it!