Trash Talk

So rewind two-ish years ago when I made the move into our present home, I never would have guessed that certain things would become impossible to live without. Now, what do you think that is? Washer and dryer? Dishwasher? Master bathroom? Or even more fundamentally a roof and running water? Nah. None of those. Although they are pretty awesome. I’m talking about our trash compactor.

 

 

 Okay, okay I am being a little dramatic and sounding very much like a first world problem kind of girl. I am very grateful for all the wonderful things that I have and try to live a simple life, but I have most definitely fallen head over heels in love with our trash compactor. The way it strongly smashes down all of our waste into a tiny (and heavy) little square of trash…kind of gross yet kind of awesome.  With the composting and recycling that we do and with no trash service at our door (a choice because we are cheapskates budget conscious people) we can use one bag of trash for 2-3 weeks. We actually get kind of a rush when the bin looks full and then we push that little dial and here the “grrr..gog..” push of the compact working hard. Then we eagerly swing that baby open to see 50% - 75% more room appear. Seriously. We have even been known to show off the compactor skills at a party. Now I can list on my resume, “Party Skill: Trash Compacting”. No…too far? We sound a little crazy? Probably. Excellent.

Anyways, the purpose of this is not to make you install one in your kitchen (which you should) but to show you the mini-makeover we gave the trash compactor. Just a way to show our love to this wonderful appliance. Not that we didn’t love its pea green complexion…no actually we didn’t. It especially didn’t go with our other black appliances. So I found this guy:

 

 Black appliance spray paint. Genius, I say! I snatched it up (oh only about a year ago too). Obviously spray painting in the house is a no go, so we first had to extract the compactor from its resting place. The bin was pretty easy to do. It’s on wheels, and I wheeled it right out. The top panel though was hooked into place and into our electricity, so it took some careful extraction. The hubby did a fine job on this step. It really was just unplugging the connections that were carefully marked.

Then came the lovely job of cleaning a trash compactor. And while we had it out, cleaning all in and around it. I think I grumbled like I have never grumbled before. Who likes cleaning up garbage? It was necessary and at the end of the day made me feel pretty great. So I used some pretty heavy duty cleaning supplies and then some isopropyl alcohol to really get it clean.

So after all was cleaned, I had to do some minor taping. First I taped the back off to ensure no paint messed with the electrical aspects. Then I had to tape up the lovely faux-wood paneling screen. With the dials and writing on it, we decided to keep that clean for now. Finally I had to tape off the bottom of the bin, which is actually something you step on that will make the bin open for hands free garbage dumping. This thing really gets better and better, doesn’t it?

 

Duh duh duh. Ready to go, or so I thought. I read the directions as I was shaking it, getting ready to spray, and it said to lightly sand the item you were painting. So just when I was giddy with my finger on the spray bottle, I had to go and sand it. Then I had to clean it with the alcohol again. Thankfully Eric reminded me that it is all in the prep work. It really is, too. Don’t skimp on the prep work if you want a lasting result!

Finally, I was able to get my spray paint on! Word of the wise, make sure your finger isn’t in the way of the stream. It makes it come out gloppy. Ask me how I learned that one, eh? Make sure to do thin, even coats. Have a pattern to your spray painting too, so certain areas don’t receive more paint than others. You may notice that later. Here it is all painted after two coats and a 24 hour period of waiting in our basement.

Now here it is installed:

I was thrilled with the result. Thrilled I tell you! The black matches all of our other appliances perfectly and makes them all fit better together. Now some of you may ask why we left the wood paneling background? We actually like it. It adds some character and reminds us that we are fixing up an older home. We aren’t going for perfect. We are trying to make our home us, with some funk. Like my husband says, “I don’t want to live in a perfect house. It is the flaws that I end up loving.” So wise. There are probably different degrees of flaws that he loves and then others he couldn’t live with (like broken stuff) but I totally agree. The flaws and the little eccentricities make a home feel lived in and have special character.

Here we are again for a before and after:

One of my favorite and easiest updates yet! I totally recommend the appliance paint too, especially if you have older appliances. It is such an easy and inexpensive face lift! What have you been painting recently? It's definitely one of my favorite tricks of DIYing!

The Amazing New Chair Appearing Act!

Warning! Gushing about to happen, but in all fairness, I have warned you. I don’t know which one I will gush about more, my husband or a chair. Gosh, after writing that it’s pretty obvious that which one I should actually gush about, right?! [Just to be clear, it should be the husband.]

It all began when my wonderful husband hatched the idea that we should make the carport room into a Mego Cave. So it began with this fabric art project, my new super-awesome door/desk, and then with this new layout that was just pleading for a nice comfy reading chair in the corner.

I began scouring local stores and online sites trying to find the perfect chair. Originally I was leaning towards a really nice and trendy patterned upholstered chair. There are many of these around with many dollar price tags. So while I saw some I liked, I wasn’t sold on any of them. These were some that I was considering:

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Since this would possibly be an investment piece, I wanted to wait for a ta-da moment. You know those moments when you look at something and you know it is absolutely perfect? So the search continued. Then the other weekend happened. Think you know what’s coming? You don’t. This story has a twist!

It was a lazy, late summer evening, perfect for reading on the back porch and for Eric to be playing around with his car, tweaking this and that. He comes to tell me that he is going to run up the road to take some pictures of his car. This happens frequently, so I said “Have fun!” and went back to reading. Not two minutes later my phone rings. It’s Eric. This is what he says: “Put your shoes on. I’m coming to get you.” Isn’t that probably the best thing you could hear from a guy? I love how spontaneous Eric is. He periodically does this, whether our destination is a pretty sunset or delicious ice cream. He has proven to me that I should just trust these spontaneous moments. So on went the shoes, and I hopped in the car as he pulled in the driveway.

Puzzled and always one to ruin a surprise, I peppered Eric with questions. “How long are we going to be gone? Where are we going? What’s happening?” All I got were, “I’ll have you home in 10 minutes. Technically we are going to see two things.”

Then I saw those two things as we crested a hill. Two vibrant, electric blue arm chairs sitting in someone’s driveway. The best thing about them? The sign that said “Free. You haul.” I squealed, jumped out of the car, and  began testing out the chairs in that person’s lawn. It is quite a feeling to lounge in a chair on a stranger’s front yard, all but spazzing out in excitement over someone’s trash. I am most definitely a believer in someone trash is another’s treasure. How I wish I had a picture of me on that front lawn, but in our haste we do not have pictures of the chair on the lawn or my hysterics over finding a free chair.

So after building you up like this, I am going to try and bring you back down. This chair is not the designer piece that I had been scouring stores trying to find. It is almost like nothing I had in mind. But it was free, it was fun, and it actually fit into the back of Eric’s car (well it actually wedged into the back of the car and we drove oh-so-slowly home). It has some imperfections, like a streak of yellow paint, a little bit of a lumpy cushion (not bad though!), and a few little stains. I think it makes me love it more.

So once the chair got home, I got to work. This was on someone’s lawn, and I have no idea what their hygiene situation is inside. So I used upholstery cleaner, a shop vacuum, and Febreeze to sterilize the little blue lady. Then I used my adrenaline to move the chairs around in the Mego Cave, as Eric was out on his picture adventure.

After looking at the above shot of the chair in the room, something was off to me. So I started playing with the items around it. I didn't like the lamp so near the window and how the desk hid the crate side table. So I started moving things around.

First it went behind.

Then it went left; and it stayed left! Perfect for proportions and showing all the items in the room.

Awesome right? In a very unexpected and not what I was going for at all way. But I love it. I think the story, adventure, and love behind the chair make me love it even more. The more I look at it in its space, the more I fall in love with it. It fits me like a glove. Perfect for curling up with a good book, a blanket, and some hot cocoa (okay, it was raining and slightly colder that day, so cut me some slack for doing that mid-summer!).

I do understand that it looks slightly outdated, so I have some plans to update it with a cute and modern pillow and thrown. I also think that I have too much blue furniture in the room. So I think I may switch the blue loveseat to the basement (which perfectly coordinates with the wall color) and take the ugly plaid one upstairs and slipcover it (which was already in the plan anyways). I am thinking a nice grey tone would be nice…if I can find one! I have been scouring online stores looking for a gray slipcover for T-cushions. Maybe I will switch to white. Any suggestions?

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Anyways, there ends the chair story! Quite an adventure! Have you ever found something on the side of the road and taken it? Any good finds out there?

New Layout in the Mego Cave

Another Mego Cave update coming at ya! Just to take you on the journey thus far, we have had the original carport room tour, the inspiration fabric artwork project to take us into the Mego Cave design project, and then the desk door to really set the foundation of the room. With the desk in place, it looked like this.

Definitely starting to look like a room with more purpose, but still feeling like a room with a bunch of random stuff thrown together. One of the biggest sore thumbs in the room?  That ole fireplace.  Here's a close up to really let you take a look at it.

Although I love fireplaces, this one was just not kickin’ it for me. It was old looking, took up valuable wall space, and was completely unnecessary in the room with the baseboard heating that can make it Megan hot (meaning way too hot for other people). So I thought, hey, why not list it on Craigslist and see if I can make a buck on it? So I posted it (my first time selling anything on Craigslist) and….someone emailed me within a week and said they would take it for its full asking price. Yahoo! Money in our pocket and one less thing cluttering up our house (have you caught on yet that I despise clutter?). So it opened up a big beautiful wall...

...that I immediately filled with the red bookcase...

...which I then I filled with lots of other stuff.

Here is my process shot.

How do I got about decorating shelves, bookcases, and the like which? I just grab everything in the house that is not being used, I want to use, or could possibly fit better in the place that I am decorating. Don't be afraid to move things around the house. It keeps things exciting. Then I begin playing around, trying something here and there until it just looks right. Which it will eventually if you keep trying. 

I started by positioning the books first (big items first), and then positioning the knick knacks around it. Try things at different levels and angles. Stacking and layering is your friend. Mine is definitely not perfect yet, but I will keep playing. I have ideas on painting the bookcase in a bright hue, perhaps even wallpapering or painting the back, so that would give me another chance to completely makeover the shelves.

Moving the bookcase opened up another prime real estate spot in the room. I moved the chair we had floating around in the room that I bought from Carrie over at DreamGreenDIY.

Right now it is just a place holder chair, as I dream of getting a big, cushy reading chair for the corner. I also made a little table from an antique crate that I bought when I redid my room in high school. Kudos to my mom for guiding me (aka picking me out and telling me to use it at as table) to that taste level when everything else at that age was bright, plastic, and not so classy.

Just to keep things fun, let's do a before and after from the original room.

By eliminating the fireplace, I was able to open up the room to a more inviting layout. Having the additional seating allows for an easier conversation area and makes better use of the space. The room is shaping up a little now! I have the layout and now it is about finding the right pieces to fill it. Then it is all about getting the right color in the room. Painting the walls, the bookcase, the desk, and getting some colorful accessories. Rugs and curtains are a must! Slow and steady wins the (design) race, right? Thanks Goofy!

Have you been moving things around in your home or life? I love using things in a different way. It feels like a new item - like shopping in your home! Or any feng shui lovers out there? I would love to learn more about that!

Mego Cave: From Door to Desk?!

After what I would call a kitchen hiatus, I kind of left you hanging on the development of the Mego Cave. It was kind of like I led you into the cave but it was dark, so you actually couldn’t see anything but knew it was there. So here I am to turn on a light in the Mego Cave. You can see all the cluttered and no purpose of the carport room (what it was called prior to the Mego Cave) here and then when I began the evolution of the Mego Cave through this fabric art project, setting the tone of the room. That wasn't too much though to call a Mego Cave.

Before I moved on to any more fun projects, I needed a foundation piece for the room. To me, this was a desk. Being a tight wad on a budget, I started scouring CraigsList. I also had very specific guidelines for this desk, which made my search a little harder. Since this room was finished after the house was built, it has no a/c (but stays cool since it is open to the rest of the house) and it runs on baseboard heat. It is the warmest room in the house when those baseboards are on, but it also limits furniture placement. Since there was only one clear place for the desk in my mind, it set specific parameters for the desk. This was the space:

Wow, what an...ironing board?! Soon to be desk space though! Since there was a baseboard in the space, and that is where I wanted to put the desk, these were the parameters I had for the desk:

1.       It had to be open underneath so the baseboard heaters had room to breathe and fires would not start.

2.       It had to be large, preferably framing the six foot long heater.

3.       It had to be something either modern or funky.

I had a few inspiration pieces, both one on the side of modern and one on the side of funky. The modern ones were definitely budget busters, since they usually have to be bought new. I did contemplate saving up for a piece that I loved, making it be one of those pieces for life and cherished items in the home.

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I had also gotten my do it yourself magazine in the mail and made me want to do exactly what I saw on the cover (aka my funky inspiration): a saw horse desk.

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My funky inspiration also made me think that I could make this into a really fun project that I would love for a while, although it might not be the investment piece for life. So I just kept searching because I didn’t have enough money for new modern, and I hadn’t completely decided on my funkiness level yet and if I wanted to go for it. I had also priced out what it would take to DIY the desk, and it was a little pricier than I would have liked.

Then a miracle hit on CraigsList. My funky inspiration piece appeared, already DIYed for me. I would have loved to make it myself but for the HUGE BARGAIN PRICE of $50 obo, I couldn’t resist. I think I found the listing at 10pm and it shot all chances for sleep for a few hours. I eagerly emailed them to see if the item was still available; it had been posted for a few days and I thought for sure something like this couldn’t still be available. Then, about an hour and a half later (after compulsively refreshing my email every minute) a reply showed up. It was available! I think I jumped out of bed and did a happy dance right there in my pjs. And guess what? I even negotiated on the price. I scored the desk for $40. There is no way that I could ever have made the thing for that type of moolah. This is the picture I saw in the ad.

I made the deal with the sellers yet alas, could not pick up the item for a week. So I spent the week ogling the pictures (yup, I saved them and would look at them every once and a while) and looking for inspiration on how to make it more my style. I couldn’t quite get into the yellow on white color combo. Especially because the room right now is sort of a yellow tan (which I should paint but that is a whole other story). So the accessories (like the desk) will be painted instead!

Pick-up day rolled around and the Cube and Subaru went to pick it up, with fingers and toes crossed that it would fit. We had measured it and it had about a ½ inch of wiggle room. Success! It fit to the centimeter! I giddily drove home, ready to get this thing in the house and start cleaning and styling it! But first, it had to get in the house. Did I mention that the door is circa 1800s, taken from an old home under restoration in the area? Which is just awesome, but it also means it is the heaviest door you will ever lift. Solid, thick wood. So I set about cleaning up the other parts and let the boys handle the heavy lifting. Once it was in, another happy dance ensued! It fit perfectly and ticked all my boxes. Long enough to fit around the radiator with plenty of breathing room. It also had character and charm!

Remember this room?

And here it is with the desk in place!

Here it is with a little bit of style. Remember this lamp that I picked up with my mom in our shopping trip? This was where it was bought for all along – a desk lamp! Along with the desk, it will also have a makeover, as its scratched gold finish isn’t quite doing it for me.

There is still a little bit more of playing and styling to go, but this was my first attempt. The options are endless! Let's do a before and after just because it's always fun.

My foundation is set! Now what next to get this room into true Mego Cave style? The plan at this point is to get the room settled with its big items, and then figure out the exact colors I want to paint things. There are a number of items I want to paint but am waiting on finding a super comfy upholstered chair before I pick the colors. I want this to be a super fun, colorful, and most likely patterned chair, so I don’t want any colors in the room to challenge it.

What have you been up to this weekend? Any fun DIY projects? How about any CraigsList finds?