Bookcase Makeover with Photowall Wallpaper

As you may or may not know, we moved about a year ago. It was only about a mile move within the same community, but the new house is definitely in need of some love and paint to bring it out of the 1990's. There are so many things I love about this house but the paint colors and the 4-5 different woods tones throughout are not on that list. 

These gorgeous bookshelves in our family room had an orange tone that didn't sit well with me and didn't match any of the other woods around the house. So I knew I was going to paint it. I was super excited with Photowall reached out to me to see if I'd like to try their wallpaper. I knew I wanted to incorporate some into our house and I felt like these bookshelves (there is a matching one on the other side of the fireplace) were just the place to start for a first time wallpapering project!

Here is the before of the bookcase 

Photowall is a company based in Sweden that started in 2006. It was the ides of two brothers who realized the selection of personalized wall art of rather limited. So they decided to print their own! What's even better about Photowall is that they care about the environment! Each wallpaper or wall mural is printed to order so there isn't unsold inventory sitting around or discarded unnecessarily! They also use environmentally friendly ink and they work with other organizations to plant thousands of trees each year! 

I was so impressed with Photowall's product, but even before that I was blown away at the amount of choices!

Click over to their site to check out more of their wall murals and wallpaper prints! They also have canvas prints and posters.

It was tough to narrow it down, but ultimately went with a print called 'Feathers - blue'.  So once I ordered I figured it would take a while since it was coming from Sweden and all, but it was fast! I think in total it only took a week for them to print the wallpaper and for it to arrive at my house!

The great thing about Photowall is that you measure your space or wall or whatever you're wallpapering and they print the paper to your dimensions. They recommend you add a few inches on each side to be safe but otherwise it's all exact. It comes in one big roll and you cut the strips apart and apply them in order - they're numbered to help with that!

For my first experience wallpapering, I would say it was pretty easy! I did like having my husband as a second pair of hands to hold the paper at the bottom, while I aligned and smoothed the paper starting at the top. I would definitely do this again, in fact, I'm thinking of all the other cool wallpapers I loved and where I can put them next!

 I love how it all turned out! I love the white that just totally transformed the bookcase, but the wall paper is that extra wow!

Now to paint the wall, and the trim, and the mantel...etc etc etc. Never ending. haha. #HomeTakesTime

Hop on over to Photowall's site and tell me some of your favorite prints! I'd love to hear what they are and where you would use them!

Greek Salad: A Family Favorite Recipe

I posted a picture of this dish on my personal Facebook page the other day and the requests for this recipe starting flowing in.

Greek salad is a special dish for me. It reminds me of my childhood. lol. Growing up we would spend our summers in a small country town in southern Utah where my parents own a Bed and Breakfast. My brother and I would help with cleaning the rooms (in hopes of getting the tip that guests left) and got to meet lots of wonderful people from around the world. Many of those guest became life long friends.

This recipe, if I remember correctly, came from a guest who had stayed with us and had shared some of the yummy dinner they had made.

Since then, it became one of my favorites so I would request it often for my birthday. Since growing up, getting married, and having kids, I haven't actually made it a ton. I just figured the kids would hate it because it has onions...BUT...they LOVE it!

I love that they love it, but at the same time, they eat seconds and thirds and don't leave me any leftovers :( haha

So here you go, I hope it becomes a favorite of yours as well.

Greek Salad
layer
chopped red onion (about 1 medium)
cucumber
tomatoes
feta cheese

dressing:
1/2 C olive oil
1/4 C vinegar
Italian Herbs (about a tsp)
salt (about 1/2 tsp)
pepper (about 1/4 tsp)
pinch of sugar

So the dressing should be tangy like a vinaigrette with the taste of the herbs but not too strong. lol  Play around with it and find with you enjoy. Amounts above are estimates,this is one of the few dishes that I don't have an exact recipe or amounts for.

After you get the dressing poured evenly over the salad, let it chill for a few hours before serving. Serve with some grilled chicken, hamburgers, meatloaf, or other favorite dish. We love this in the summer because it is light and requires no cooking, but it is great year round!

Enjoy!

DIY Dining Table

 
This has been a super fun project! I have been wanting to build my own table for quite some time, for a couple reasons;
#1 The biggest reason is we needed a bigger table. Our family was barely fitting around our current one and having other people over was getting close to impossible.
#2 To save some money because it seems like furniture is either grossly over priced or not sturdy enough to last more than a couple years.
#3 I wasn't loving anything I had seen in stores.

So I started down this journey of building my own table. It was my biggest build yet and I was very intimidated and hesitant to start. I waited until the weather was finally nice enough outside and in the garage that I wouldn't freeze or fry.

I started by searching plans. There are lots out there, but ultimately settled on THIS PLAN. I loved the style and the estimated cost to build! :D So I started there but I did make some modifications along the way and I have a couple suggestions if you decide to build a table of your own.

To start, I decided not to use 2x6s for the tabletop like the plans called for. I don't have a table saw to square the edges of the lumber like she suggested and I didn't want the table to be so heavy that I couldn't move/scoot it around if I needed to clean or whatever.Instead of 2x6s I got a sheet of 4'x8' plywood and had Home Depot rip it down into 6" strips. The first guy we asked said they couldn't do it that small, but my dad was with me and asked another guy and he did it no problem. Then I just connected the strips with pocket hole screws.

The second modification I made was that I couldn't build the X under the table. My saw wouldn't do the angle that was required and I couldn't understand the alternative that she explained. So instead I cut 2x4's at a 45 degree angle to attach to the middle stretcher bar and also to the legs.

Since I used the plywood for the table top. I got 1x2s to create a border around the edge and cover the exposed edge of plywood. It adds a lot to the table, I think.

 There was one thing I didn't modify, but wished I had. The plans called for 2x4s for the legs and to shave off a 1/4" on each side with a table saw. Well, again, I don't have a table saw so I went ahead with the 2x4s and I didn't love the gap the rounded corners created. I tried to fill the gaps with wood filler but it is still quite obvious once stained. What I wish I had done was just gone ahead and gotten 4x4 posts for the legs. It would have created a much more seamless and squared off look. 

I love love love how it turned out. I went with a Dark Walnut stain. It took a loooong time to decide what color to do. I tried very hard to get a dark grey color but non of them turned out right.

In the end, I did two coats of stain and then 3 coats of poly. Just to be safe. Kids will be eating at this table after all. lol

  A couple more tips...






When I trimmed all the planks, I needed a way to keep me straight. I grabbed an extra piece of wood and squared it up crosswise to the planks and clamped it on. This helped me trim the ends straight across.

Lastly, spend the extra $10 and use pre-stain wood conditioner! It made such a difference in how the stain turned out. In most of my test patches, I didn't use the conditioner, but since I was getting frustrated I grabbed some to see if it made a difference and it really did!

Now just more pretty pictures :)

Cleaning Your Dryer Vents and Filter

The smoke alarms are screeching and you panic. Where's it coming from? Where's the fire extinguisher? It's coming from the laundry room...

Did you know that almost 3,000 home clothes dryer fires occur each year? And the leading cause of those fires is not properly cleaning them? (source)

 I don't know about you, but with 4 little kids running around my house, it feels like the laundry is always going. My dyer is a working all the time, so making sure it is well cleaned out is super important to me! As you're going about your spring cleaning, be sure not to forget this important place to clean. Here's how to give your dryer filter, vents, and ducts a good cleaning!

I started on the outside of the house. Find where my dryer vents to the outside and carefully remove the cover. Clearly, a good cleaning was much needed!

 I used THIS brush to brush out the ducts as far as it could reach. Another option would be to use a shop vac and blow it out from the inside.


Some bird got some super fluffy nest padding from this duct...

Then I went inside to clean the dryer. Now, I clean the filter after EVERY load. All of this is further down. I took out the filter and then removed the screws that held the filter 'guard' onto the machine. Ok, so obviously I have no idea the technical name, but once you get this off you can reach further down in the machine and get more out. I got everything out with my hand, then used my vacuum to get the small debris. 

You could also use a brush like THIS

or a flexible vacuum attachment hose like THIS to get further into the machine.

Lastly, I pulled the dryer out from the wall and removed the duct I used the brush to sweep all the lint out. And also did this for the duct in the wall.

Another very important thing to do before returning the dryer is to make sure there isn't a lot of extra ducting. This is how it was from the previous owner, but the kinks and turns in the ducting can catch and trap lint, potentially causing a blockage.

Cut down and reattach the ducting so it is as short and direct as possible for your space.

Oh, and I forgot to take pictures but run your dryer filter screen under some water. Some fabric softeners and dryer sheets can leave a residue on the screen. Give it a good scrubbing with a natural cleaner to make sure it is clear and clean. 


There you go. Now your dryer filter, vents, and ducting should be nice and clean. You may even notice your dryer working more efficiently and doing a better job.

Cleaning Vent Covers

Other spring cleaning posts you may like:

Clean and Disinfect a Pack N Play

Disinfecting with Basic G

Clean Kid's Toys w/o Bleach

 It's starting to feel like spring here and you know what that means! Spring cleaning! If you've followed me for a while, you probably know that I (for the most part) enjoy cleaning. Really I just enjoy having a clean home.

Something new to this home is having the air vents in the floor. It's not like that in Vegas. So I made sure to include them in my cleaning. I removed the vent covers and made sure to vacuum real well inside the vent and then I took it one step further and washed all the vent cover and air return vents.

I did this by filling my bath with water and adding a squirt of Basic H2. I figure if I'm going to go to the trouble to clean, why would I use harmful chemical cleaners with fumes to do it. I want my air to be clean too. Basic H2 is super concentrated and is all natural. It is by far my favorite cleaner ever! Then I ran the jets to get some good suds. If you don't have a jetted tub, you could agitate by hand or use a shower sprayer to create suds.

 I let the covers soak for a bit to loosen dust, then took an old toothbrush to scrub them clean.

Once I got through them all, I rinsed them and then laid them on towels to dry. Once fully dry I returned them to their spots. Super easy, but I think it's something that can be easily over looked.

You can see all the grime that came off them!

Yuck!

What are you spring cleaning this week?