The First of Many

So I quit my job last week. I guess I quit early in February, but my last day was last Friday, and I find myself with a generous amount of free time in my current state (on sabbatical, as I've termed it). On my way out the door, I was threatened by at least three of my coworkers that I better make good use of my time and provide them with reading material. Here we go... 

As it happens, this month is devoted to me knocking out a TON of projects. I don't have afters yet, but I have some befores. To qualify for the lists (one for each of the following rooms: my office, living room, downstairs bathroom, kitchen, powder room/entry) it has to be a project I can tackle by myself and it has to fix a problem that annoys the crap out of me whenever I'm in the given room. Lot of painting (bleh). 

Here's an in-progress of the hallway that connects the bathroom, living room, our bedroom and my office. All the trim and cabinetry is going from Antique White (left) to Swiss Coffee (right). The Antique White is more ivory and the other one is off white but much crisper. I wasn't exactly planning on painting all the trim (just my office), but once I started, it just looked right. UGH. There are so many great things I have coming in the next few weeks. 

Another thing I dealt with on Sunday was this lampshade. I got the shade on clearance a few months ago, but it didn't have a spider...the metal thing you use to connect it to a lamp. So I solved two problems: Using bolt cutters, I chopped up a shade that I've kept because it's "nice" but I dislike very much and used the spider from that to make a shade I do like! I also got my toes wet with the blogger favorite Rub'n'Buff and rubnbuff'd the base of that lamp.

Side note: I love that lamp. I got it at a thrift store last year with the intention of just using it for its parts. It's ceramic, so I figured it'd be easy and fun to bust up with a hammer. It had this weird gold floral applique and the white was dingy. I had a passing thought that some stripper would probably dissolve the applique and turned out to be right. Once that was gone, I hit it with a coat of glossy white and now I have this great mod lamp!

In the four days I've been hard at work, I pretty much ripped apart my office. There are five cans of paint and so much assorted project stuff lying around... it makes me happy. Right now. Probably less so when I have to clean it all up. There are a few already-completed projects in this shot, and I am super excited to post more about them soon!!

Oh, one more thing. Pretty sure I've picked a dining room light fixture. IT'S FEATHERS!!!!!