Happy 2014! Do you have grand plans for all your DIY projects this year? Do they include just about every room in your home? Mine does! We have lived in our current home for over 10 years. We (I) have redone some things a few times (umm, like four different colors in my half bath?). However, some things languish at the bottom of DIY list.
I don’t know if I will actually get through the entire list this year, but I am going to make a much bigger effort than I did in 2013. Are your ready for decorating TMI?
Let’s begin with my stairs. I last left you HERE.
After pulling up the carpet last Fall….I tried to “paint” the subfloor. Our subfloor is actually Alt board. Very strong form of MDF, but it is horrible as a flooring. I sanded for HOURS with a belt sander, filled with layers of joint compound, skimmed over the board. Primed, and painted (twice). The end result can go down in my worst DIY ever.
It looked far worse than the worn out, stained and dog destroyed carpet. I finally cried UNCLE and called in a professional to install treads and risers and even got some really nice trim installed!
My job now is hours and hours of caulking, sanding, priming and painting. This time it will be a show stopper. It may take up all my DIY time for 2014. But in case I have some time left, here is are the rest of my plans:
Last year I showed you how to convert an old buffet to an entertainment unit. Now I need to come up with art work or some sort of something to go on the wall above that was previously occupied by a giant entertainment center.
I also have a very plain mantle now that Christmas is down. The wall above is quite bare, as is that mantle.
Believe it or not, I had this table custom made for us not long after we bought our home 10 years ago. It is a gorgeous Pine table. I decided to “go” with the paint by the job look. My kids are now 12 (twins) and a 16 year old. Now that my garage is cleaned up, I rarely spread my work out here anymore. This year, I vow to refinish the top and give this table the gorgeous look it deserves.
Moving on to my office. I only got curtains on one window last year. This one is quite bare.
I also have an unbelievably large collection of lampshades and lamps. I have paid for very few of them. They just seem to find me. 2014 will be the year they all find a home. Not my home, someone else’s home.
I love all the natural light in my dining room. For 2014, I would love to be able to finally put in French Doors here. Either way, I really want some curtains. Maybe I can use twigs instead from my mess of a yard. 
Speaking of yard…..Can you believe this was my side yard in 2012?
Instead of my yard getting a makeover, it got a rakeover.
What happened? A giant windstorm. The kind that blows your trampoline right out of your yard. It blew over my Garage Door Panel Wall, and pretty much everything else in its path. I haven’t decided if I am going to rebuild. This area needs help. I see this right outside my dining room window. My free table and chairs are still in great condition, they need to be painted. This year we are going to invest in REAL patio furniture and not the kind that may or may not have fallen off a truck and a bunch of free to me’s.
Want to see something even scarier than that yard? The color of my play room and the amazingly large stack of upholstered pieces in various stages of reupholstering. I did not pay for A SINGLE piece of furniture in that pile! My trash picking skills may be highly advanced. But apparently my ability to finish projects is not as developed.
Do you have a laundry room you just love to hang out in? Well lucky you! I have a nice sized laundry room, but I don’t love hanging out there. This year I will treat myself to a fun paint color on the walls, some snazzy lighting and paint those builder grade cupboards. 
This picture is blurry because I didn’t feel like dragging my tripod upstairs and the lighting was bad.
Now for the most important room in the house….The master bedroom! Last year we painted the walls Grey, Mr. Suffering Husband and I both love it. However, we don’t love being awakened at 6:00 a.m. on Saturday morning in the summer by the natural light. This year, curtains will be installed. The chair in the corner may or may not stay, it needs to be reupholstered too. I can always choose another from my Upholstery Tower. For some reason Mr. Red’s guitar is still in here. I think Suffering husband enjoys gazing upon it. 2014 will be the year I clear off the already read books on my nightstand and que up my list on the bookshelf for 2014.
Maybe the calendar will be changed to include 25 hours in a time cycle. Maybe fairies will arrive and continue with my DIY projects while I sleep. Maybe those stairs will magically paint themselves with a magic paintbrush. Maybe I will get organized and get it done this year!
What is your DIY for the year? Are your plans as grandiose as mine? Do you have some Decorating TMI to share? If so, I would love to hear about it. 
Wow, you have some pretty big plans to conquer! LOVE the railing and how they trimmed out the stairs. Hats off to you for taking that project on. I also can’t wait to see what you do with your laundry room. You should see the grungy Michigan Basement I have to spend my time in; your husband’s head would be in between the floor joists if he tried to stand up down there. I loved your outside wall of doors but can see how if there weren’t some kind of poles dug down and anchored in the ground, how the same thing could happen again. What about a wall of palms or some type of tall evergreens in large pots to create a wall? I’ve seen this done in Maui; I’ll try to dig up a picture of this lady’s house. She built a retaining wall out of those stacking blocks from Lowes just the right height to sit on then planted some kind of tall palm plants all the way across. Made for a very pretty backdrop.
I have a ton of projects that need to get done. Not sure how many of them I will actually accomplish…
Well at least you are ambitious thinking! lol……..but you have an excuse……..twins! Mine twins are all grown now but I didn’t always get the projects done either that I should have.
Good luck on your list. I have a giant list too for 2014… We are never done with projects here because my mind keeps making up new ones! (-:
Welp, thanks for making me feel so much better about my DEAD LAUNDRY FAIRY..LOL! As I type this I am looking across at my other couch in the living room that is stacked to the ceiling with laundry that is suppose to be folded…I guess the folding fairy is dead too! 🙂
Those stairs are going to be INSANELY BEAUTIFUL! I already know it! I just got a new magazine and to add POP of color without a lot of work they painted just the spindles a gorgeous color. Everything else was neutral and it was amazing! I am so excited to see what you do.
My brain hasn’t even turned onto what projects will be next here..I am just trying to get my kids back to school after break and now they are already saying negative 30 windchills for Monday so my kids might not even go back then….CALGON take me away!!
Love ya Girl,
can’t wait to see what you do!
Hugs
Karin
That is a pretty darn aggressive list. But if anyone can accomplish it, you can. However, if you do nothing else, for the love of God please paint that green and get friends for the two pine cones.
Love your post! I don’t feel so bad and all alone about the state of my garage and sunroom. You’ve inspired me to make a project list. All the best in 2014!
Your twig rendering could be the next viral thing in 2014!
Here’s to decluttering, purging and getting some stuff accomplished!!
Kelly
I have the same problem with stairs but have not yet ripped up the carpet. I’m not sure I can handle the mdf underneath. I have dreams of something like this, http://www.pinterest.com/pin/82050024431264107/
I’d like to use black paint for the risers ( to hide the dirty kick marks) with images other than numbers, possibly punctuation symbols or something that looks like typewriter keys. Don’t even get me started on French doors. Been waiting for years to have them in my bedroom leading out to the hot tub. Total dreamland has me packing it all in and living in an A-frame home on a brook.
time to kick 2014 where it counts!
I feel like you are my “twin” sister because I have the same project woes for both inside & outside. The only difference is: We rent our 1200 sq ft home and it’s stuffed to the max. Our laundry room is in a packed garage! Here’s to the magic project fairies……..All the best in 2014. Yes, we can do it, right?
You had me laughing a lot today! loved the furniture pile, glad to know that I’m not the only one ;), Your stairs are going to be lovely, can’t wait to see the reveal!
If anyone could get through a list like that I believe you can!!
I am planning to repaint my whole downstairs area, living room, family room and kitchen for starters. I’m going to attempt to make my own curtains with a friends help haha and may even try to upholster a chair that I have. For my kitchen I would love to be able to paint the cabinets and also the countertop. I have a china cabinet waiting in the garage along with a buffet that I’m turning into a tv table but will have to wait till it warms up for that because there is no heat in the garage. I just got new flooring in the house so I’m afraid I would have a mess…I know my limits with paint!
I hope with calling in a few favors from friends I may be able to get it done!!
Wish you good luck on getting your list done too!!
Looks like a lot of fun! Get the small easy stuff done first so you feel like you are checking things off that list.
You are the queen of paint, it will take you no time to paint the dinning room table. If we ever get any rain, rainy days are great days to work on the bedroom. Always feels go good to get it done and you will sleep better at night. Girl this year is all about you and your home… Have Fun!
Even unfinished… the stairs are fantastic!! Wow. I love them, and the mouldings too. I’ve only hung tree things back up since painting. I don’t want to commit to the nail holes. lol. Your laundry room is killer. Mine is shared with a half bath. Which is good enough, but sometimes I miss the giant one from the last house. Great potential in there though and lots of storage. Nice!! My list is growing too. It’s not ready to be blogged about but almost. Cheers to the possibilities in 2014.
Looks like we both have ALOT of projects to tackle in 2014. Good luck to both of us! LOL
Erica
http://www.fortheloveofdecorating.com
OH my goodness… I never even thought for a second to show everyone my before…and what I plan to do with them this year!! What a fabulous idea…really! And what a great way to kick my butt in gear and get it done! I mean who wants those photos out there without a good “after” right? 😉
I have lots of what you posted here(very similar “befores”!!)…hoping I can get to it all this year!
Love your staircase, we redid ours some years ago and its so much better. (but straight and boring unlike your pretty curved one!!)
Can’t wait to see what you do with it all!!
xo
Nancy
If the fairies do arrive, will you send them my way when they’re done??! At least I feel a little better about you having such a superior kitchen to mine now that I’ve seen your sad and lonely mantel 🙂 Can’t wait to see what you wow us with this year! XO
Of all your posts, this is my favorite!! You’ve made me laugh, and made me feel not quite so bad about my half-finished projects. Good luck with that list, guess I’ll get to work on mine.
You can do it! And I look forward to watching and cheering you on! : )
Wow! You have a long to do list, but I know you’ll do it. Mine is pretty long too. We can cheer eachother on together! x
I feel for you, girl, but cry me a river…LOL
If I had a blog, you’d feel a lot better about your house, I’m quite sure.
A storage unit would solve your problems for now.
You just take pieces out one at a time, til they are done. (Start them AFTER you work on the walls and stairs). FOCUS GIRL
I agree with Bliss….ditch that nausea-inducing green paint first. Surely that was not one of YOUR choices!!!!
On my mythical blog, that I have not time and energy to start, you could see pics of my basement and workshop. 2000 sq. ft. of “stuff” and unfinished projects–and a three room rec area, uncompleted.
Plus the “studio” upstairs, which has become a hoarders paradise in the last few years. Too many ideas, too little energy left. btw, you wanna see lamps? those would make blog fodder–and beat out your little collection of little lamps. With them all, I hardly ever have enough shades to have the right shade at the right time for the current lamp.Lamps and chairs—-my weakness, along with orphan furniture.
Thanks for the tip on old carpet. I’m just itching to start tearing up a section at a time and putting down nice wood flooring. (LOL so hard my sides ache!!!) Not gonna happen this year!
Your bid, watcha got to top mine? LOL LOL
My l;ist has two items on it…..a new septic tank and a nap EVERY Afternoon.
Have a successful and blessed year……
To get to the meat of your post. …Spinning is a good way to put it. I spin first in one direction then another. Today I went shopping before the nap. Bringing in food is a good excuse for not accomplishing much, right? LOL
Good luck, girl. When you figure it out, will you tell me how? Especially how to get that carpet up……..without missing my nap…….