My Craftsman Style Door

I can't say for sure how long I had been searching Craigslist, and ReStores for this particular style of door... but lets just say I had been stuck with the door that originally came with the purchase of the house for quite some time... everytime I walked through the front door, I grimaced... so, you can imagine how delighted I was when I stumbled upon one, on the Home Depot website for $197! I couldn't believe my eyes...

Archie and I took half a day to remove the old door, and to insert the new... with three coats of 'Stealth Jet' paint, as well as matching painted shutters... the house has a whole new look! -J

Shelves for Kitchen

The back splash in the kitchen (real brick!) has been mortared, and is complete with new shelving... it looks too good! Can't believe the change it brings... this kitchen is definitely starting to feel a lot more "homey." Pictures to follow...

Deciding on what materials to use for the kitchen back splash, I thought about brick! I've always wanted to live somewhere that had a featured brick wall, so, here was my chance.... in comes General Shale Brick, which is a company, which supplies thin veneer brick, kiln-fired, and cut thin for easy installation! It's the most awesome product out there for homeowners to use! It's truly easy to use, sold at a decent price (about $48 for 50 flat bricks), and looks great.

Why didn't we start with this?

Well, as you know, we ripped out the entirety of wainscoting, originally installed, to put up some "real wood." And to tell you the honest truth, it looks sooo much better. Don't really feel like time was wasted though... it's all a learning experience.

New Door Threshold

Take a look at Arch's handiwork with the new mudroom door threshold! Looks great!

The "mud room."

So, we had a really productive day, this 22 of March! Arch is a genius! All of this from his head... looks 100 times better than the wainscoting that used to be in it's place... beautiful... enjoy the pictures... -J

P.S. Take note of the special ways the wainscoting was pressed up against the wall for a clean finish.

You did what?!

Okay, this is going to sound crazy... but you know all the work that was done (wainscoting wise/ moulding wise) in the "mud room," and kitchen/dining room areas? Well, it was all pulled off... patched the holes, sanded, mudded, sanded...and look at what has taken shape...