Whitewashing a Brick Fireplace

DIY whitewashing brick fireplace

How to Whitewash

Alright, this project has been on my dream wish list of house projects since before we even moved in. I figured we could tackle this in a day, and it didn’t even take that long. Honestly, it was so easy. This took me two hours, tops.

Supplies

  • White paint
  • Paint brush
  • Painter’s tape
  • Towel
  • Shop rags
  • Water
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Guest Bathroom: From Popcorn to Knockdown

knocking out popcorn

Popcorn vs Knockdown

Are you like Joe and hate popcorn ceiling with a passion? It never bothered me much, until I realized how many alternatives are out there! Joe has always wanted to try doing a knockdown ceiling treatment, so we decided to pick a sample room and try our hand. Since Steve’s bathroom is basically unoccupied now, we figured it was the perfect small space for a test run!

The Supplies

You’ll need to buy a few things before attempting this yourself.

how to DIY knockdown ceiling supplies

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Concrete Jungle

Concrete Slab

It’s a Jungle Out There

And by out there, I mean in the back yard. Hey life is what you make it – maybe it’s just a simple pile of hardened dirt, but it’s pretty darn exciting to us. The yard is really coming together! And you may even notice a new addition out there…

This task involved a lot of 2×4’s, H₂O and this:

DIY concrete slab

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Cabin Fever

night rides pontoon lights

On a Boat

Since Joe’s boat is still in the shop, Pam and Carl were naive kind enough to borrow Joe their pontoon. (Just kidding, Pam, you know Joe is a very responsible young man.) We had a hoot last weekend with the following toys and tricks. And we returned the fully insured boat back in one piece. (In case you’re wondering if this tale has a tragic or happy ending.)

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GoKarts, Jetskis and Bikes, oh my

pink go kart

Hot Wheels

How bout those wheels? This pretty much sums up the spring. On-the-go. The grass in the front and back yards is looking great, thanks to all the rain lately. So far this spring we’ve been camping, Joe went to the WI Dells, I’ve been playing softball, and we’ve been just generally staying up with grad parties, birthdays (lotsa birthdays), and yard work.

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Inspiration

daily inspo DIY inspiration

 

Inspire the Spirit

That’s really what inspiration is, right? Something good for the spirit? This post is another roundup of things that have visually stuck with me over the past couple weeks.

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A Blanket Butler

warm blanket please blanket butler

 

May I interest you in a blanket sir or madam?

“Why yes, I think I’ll take a pillow as well Edgar.”

 

At Your Service

If only it could fluff up your pillow too… Maybe when the robots take over.

blanket storage

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Our Winter Games

minnesnowta header

Goodbye Sochi

The Olympics are over. Sniffle Sniffle. It seems like just yesterday we were watching the closing ceremonies. Oh, yea that was yesterday. We didn’t get to watch too much of the games, but we’ve definitely been making winter memories of our own. I wanted to showcase some of our winter highlights before it’s gone. It’ll be spring before we even know it. This past weekend I went to the RedBull downhill skating event, fondly called Crashed Ice. It’s becoming a Minnesotan tradition! Joe spent his weekend swimming with manatees and baking in the sun. But we’ll save that story for later…

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Girl’s Workbench

Tool Bench Graphic

Showin’ Some Love

In the spirit of Valentine’s Day, let me share some of the amazingly sweet things Joe does for me on a regular basis:

  • Starts my car when it’s cold
  • Makes me [the best] homemade soup when I’m sick
  • Listens to all my ideas,  even  especially the crazy ones
  • Charges my phone first when we’re down to one charger
  • Asks my opinion
  • Gives me 100+ kisses per day

The list goes on.  I’m allowed to brag about him today, it’s in the Valentine’s Day code.

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