Wallpaper is Gorgeous!

The wallpaper is gorgeous, but I will admit it was the most difficult wallpaper I've ever hung. Made more difficult by wearing sweatpants that are too big for me and every time I stretched to the top of the ceiling to smooth or adjust the paper, my pants were falling down. The only thing missing was a small dog pulling at my pant leg and then we would have had the perfect Norman Rockwell home improvement picture for the Saturday Night Post.

Anyway... This is the master closet wall that does not have Elfa shelving on it. The paint color was so lovely I was not certain I wanted to wallpaper over it. I had so much paper left though... After I papered the valet area... That I wanted to use it!

I was concerned about hanging this paper on the walls because it is beaded. Little pieces of beaded glitter in squiggle lines. I couldnt imagine how I was going to smooth out this paper using a straight edge on the beaded glittery squiggles. When I take on a challenge... I take on the most difficult challenges!

I used two 8 ft pieces to cover the space. That means I only needed to match one seam. Only one pattern match. This took an hour to get right! The first piece went up easy! I even managed to smooth out the paper without losing ALL the beaded glitter. Albeit that stuff was flying all over me like a fairy sprinkling pixie dust with a magic wand. I also was able to cut out a small hole in the paper for the electrical outlet without electrocuting myself [this time]. Ok... So this one time, in the dinning room, while wallpapering with bamboo paper... I slightly electrcuted myself while trying to make a hole in the paper around an electrical outlet. Hey... That paper was hard to get a blade through because it had pieces of bamboo in it! I'm still alive and now I have naturally curly hair. Small but great success!

The second piece... I glued then took it over to the wall to find the pattern match. This paper has no discernible pattern! It is just all squiggly!! It was like looking at a Rorschach and trying to make sense of it. I hung it and I'm still not even certain I matched the pattern correctly. It's just all squiggles!

Lastly, I hung two small racks for my robes and such. They are the perfect size for the wall as you enter the closet. This is a very convenient space for all my robes and pjs.

I love the texture, color, and glamour of this paper and my closet almost has all the elements to make it elegant. Next week... Boxes, shoe boxes, and possibly even another Elfa rack to round out the space! Stay tuned!

Transformation Complete

This has been a fun few days! I transformed my master closet from a drab, inefficient, room of chaos into a well organized, very accessible, and totally decorated wardrobe closet.

Here is the inspiration of for the space - The Tiffany Box - in it's valet space:

As of yesterday, all the shelving was up. Today I tested the spacing of the unit by adding a few items to each area. I re-spaced the shoe shelving to allow for easy accessibility into the back row of shoes. I also moved the double hang shelving up two notches to allow for the longer hanging shirts and skirts. I completed the shelving by added all the trimmings - rack covers, fascia (walnut front trim), and clear sheet on top of the ventilated shelves. 

I decorated the wall behind the valet with a York wall covering - Tiffany blue with swirls of crystal beads. It is a glamorous touch for a room that doesn't get enough attention. I added some decorative items - a bowl of white roses, a hanging mirror as well as a standing mirror with a touch of crystal, a decorative jewelry box, and a reed diffuser. The final touch is the Tiffany & Co box with the infamous white ribbon tied in a bow. I thought this needed to be displayed so I elevated it on a display holder. 

I'm simply thrilled with my transformed space. Having an organized, well lit, and lovely space for my wardrobe makes me so happy. I can see all my clothes, shoes, and have ample storage overhead for seasonal or less frequently worn items. I'm giddy...

 

elfa is UP!!

The elfa shelving is installed! The most difficult part of today's work was the running up and down the stairs. All the shelving was in the garage. I made several trips up to the master with the components I could carry for the area I wanted to install. My hammies are on FIRE!! :)

Ok... I built the drawers first and installed all the gliding shelves which include the drawers and the shoe racks.  Next, I added all the small wire racks and decorative shelves. Then, moved on to the longer shelves which were a little tricky to install because of the awkward size and upper level placement. Last, I installed the hanging poles.

I'm done for today but the job is not complete yet. I have to add the decorative fascia to the ventilated shelf fronts, install the valet racks, and the ventilated shelf liner.

The design calls for a splash of wall paper in the valet area, above the decorative shelving. Now that I have the space exactly as I want it... I can mark the area for the paper. I'll take down a majority of the components tomorrow in the valet area. I'll then install the wall paper and re-install the valet area shelving and accessories.

If all goes well, my clothes will be able to move into their new home tomorrow. :)

Here is a tour of the new master closet... looking good....

Advil and then back to the closet...

I'm the first to admit that my day job - sitting behind a desk directing projects - does not prepare me for the aches and pains of home improvement projects. I need to keep myself in better shape if I'm going to arise each morning and engage in hard labor on my vacation!

So, after I downed the Advil and the coffee, I called the chiropractor and made an appointment. I secretly hoped that my energetic attitude and the excitement of building my own closet would help motivate me today. But I'm half way through the day and DANG I'm tired and sore. LOL :)

Starting today was pretty simple. I started with taking the painters tape off the walls and examining the ceiling paint from last night. All looks well. I then re-installed the closet light fixture and put the face plates back on the wall.

Begin Elfa shelving installation!!!
The first step is to install the tracks at the top of the wall. This was a snap on the shorter wall. The longer wall had it's trouble. First, the track is long and I had a little bit of trouble keeping it still while I was on the ladder trying to use the level with it. I then ran into my first real issue... there is apparently metal behind my wall in the middle at the top. I stepped back for a while and thought about what I wanted to do with this issue. Luckily I found studs on all other spaces. I decided to go with the studs and forgo the center nails, not wanting to damage whatever is in my wall.

I've also installed the shelf brackets and separated the hanging standards according to the design. Now I have about 6 trips to make to the garage for all the drawers, shelves, and shoe racks. Why did I buy a three story town home? Oh yes... because at one time I was a spry young athletic thing and running up several flights of stairs posed no problem. Next time I plan a project on the third floor... I need to train for 6 months before starting the project and need to pad the schedule with an age related factor of SEVEN!

Moving Right Along...

The painting is done! The color is fabulous! The inspiration for the room is the Tiffany & Co blue box. The paint match is from Benjamin Moore - Spirit in the Sky. I could blog about it, but I decided to shoot a short video to show my progress.

Early Morning Home Improvement FUN!

Good Morning!

Quick Recap - last night I left off at spackling. Overnight it dried and is now ready for sanding.

Finally... I get to use my Dremel sanding attachment! This was great fun sanding all the holes (37) in less than 5 minutes. Using a circular motion while holding the Dremel flat, I quickly sanded the walls to smooth and ready state.

Clean up... this is a little less fun. I finished with my Dremel, packed it nicely in it's case and headed down to the garage for the shop vac. Now... for those of you who keep a neat garage like I do and store the hose separate from the vac please note that there is a different hole on the shop vac for the hose to suck as opposed to blow. Now, I would like to blame the early morning or perhaps not being well enough caffeinated... but I really think they should mark these things better on the shop vac itself. Yes, I inadvertently blew all that white dust all over myself. I ended up looking like a deranged snow man in just 1 short second. I should have took a picture... I looked like I played motorboat in an entire kilo of cocaine. I don't know why I shower and put make up on in the morning during home improvement projects.

Well... that was fun! Humbling... but fun.

I'm going to paint now.  

Why I Dislike Closet Maid

Has anyone ripped out there closet wire racks? It is a frustrating job. Closet Maid, which is the cheap wire rack system that most builders use, is my least favorite closet system for several reasons. But the reason I most dis-like the product and the catalyst for this afternoon's blog is the massive holes in the wall that it leaves behind!!

One wire shelf ~4 feet long required 10 nails/anchors and brackets. Additionally, the builder also used ~5 screws to secure the wire rack to the wall... just to irritate the stuffing out of me!!! These holes require patching. Now, if that was as easy as just spackle over the holes and call it a day - that would be great. But because anchors tear up the dry wall, I'm gonna need to do a little cutting away of dry wall and light sanding. I was hoping I would not need to do this, but I was prepared for the issue and I have all the tools to resolve the problem.

First you cut away any lose dry wall or bulging dry wall. Then, I like to sand down the bumps or try to push them back in the wall. This starts the surface with as smooth an area as possible. Then apply a light amount of spackle in an X motion over the hole until it is filled. I have one hole that is large and I might need to use wire mesh. I'll save that one for last.

Now, some of you might say 'it's a closet, just spackle and paint over it.' You would right... it's just a closet. But I equate this to the same quirky bit of my personality that requires me to clean before the cleaning lady comes. I just feel, the somewhat obsessive, compulsion to spackle, sand, and prepare the space for it's new paint. :) It's all part of my charm and this is why you all love me.

As you can see from the photo below, I have spackled with a pink to white spackle that is very user friendly. Pink = wet, White = dry. When it turns white, you can start sanding. That large pink spot was the large hole. I did not use mesh, against my better judgement. I spackled that hole like I was icing a cake. Spackling is a lot like icing a cake and it reminds me of my Grandma in the kitchen on birthday's... icing the homemade birthday cake with real homemade icing. WOW! I want cake now. In addition to the obsessive compulsive tendencies, I might have a touch of ADHD too. But... this blog is not about my psychological disorders... yet. Returning back to the big hole in the wall - it is a heavy coat of spackle which means it will take longer to sand. That is no problem for me because I have been just dying to use my Dremel sanding tool!! Cool!!

Let's rip down a few more wire racks while spackle dries!