Girls Room | Cape 27

Suitcase Toy Storage

May 20, 2013 by Jessie R. 20 Comments

A few weeks ago I shared a few finds from a local antique show, one of those being this set of suitcases (there are actually three of them).

I had planned to keep them in their original mustard yellow color and use them as toy storage for Zoey. However, when we got them home they were looking super dingy next to all the other bright yellows in her room. So, we decided to give them a new look!

I picked up a quart of basic latex paint in a coral semigloss, to match her ceiling color (BM-Pink Polka Dot), and painted away!

I completely skipped sanding and priming and did about two and half coats per suitcase. Really, I wouldn’t recommend skipping those steps. The paint seemed to need a bit more to cling to, so if I were to do it again, I’d sand and prime.

Since the suitcases have a texture to them already, using a brush didn’t leave any visible brush strokes.

After leaving them to dry overnight, I attached a few casters to the bottoms. We’re planning to use the luggage as storage for barbies, dolls, etc. under Zoey’s bed, so the casters make it easy for her to pull them out by herself. I suppose you could screw the casters to the bottoms, but I just used a little super glue to keep things simple.

And because I like to make all things pretty, I popped on a few bookplates to label each suitcase.

So much better.

Time to put these babies to work!

The insides of the suitcases were in excellent condition. A little musty, but nothing a little airing out couldn’t handle. I just wiped them down really well. I’m a little smitten with how they look placed under the bed.

And the colors tie in really nicely with the coral shades in Zoey’s pillow and the same shade on the ceiling.

How about you guys? Repurposing anything lately? Giving an old piece a new look? We hit up the antique show again this weekend.. no luck

Filed Under: Budget, DIY, Girls Room, Organization, Paint, Storage

Lockers, Letters, & Luggage

April 29, 2013 by Jessie R. 16 Comments

The weekend before last, we hit up our favorite local antique show and scored some amazing finds, that I’ve been itching to share. Every spring I anxiously await the arrival of the Burlington Antique Show, and this year it did not disappoint. Antique shows are definitely a nice change from the familiar thrift stores that I frequent, but you really have to prepare you mind (and wallet) before you venture inside. You can almost always expect something worth bringing home, unlike thrift shops that are usually hit or miss, and products are often in great shape. That being said, I always brace myself for the price tag. Don’t expect those 50¢ deals. You’re typically going to pay a little higher for the convenience of all this awesomeness (real word) in one place. Which, I’m more than willing to do when I find things like this…

Hello, gorgeous yellow lockers. Where can I rub my face against you? I love yellow. I love industrial. I love storage. I LOVE YELLOW INDUSTRIAL STORAGE LOCKERS.

We stumbled upon this guy early in the morning, but were hesitant to buy so soon into browsing. A few hours later, it was still there (surrounded by a crowd of interested buyers) at which time I was more than willing to pull out the cash. Halfway to the car, as the dealer was helping us load up, I overheard him tell another interested buyer not to worry because he had yet another identical locker in the back. Say wuuuut??

We quickly decided that the twin must be ours, whipped the car around, and I frantically ran back to the dealer to snatch it up. The other interested couple was ever so happy to see that I’d bought the matching locker before the dealer was able to bring it out Shucks.

We paid $150 per locker for a total of $300. I’ve seen similar lockers go for MUCH more, like this one on Etsy going for over double the price at about 3/4 the size. Score.

It’ll be a bit of a switch in plans, but we’re hoping to use them in the laundry/mudroom. Hang up coats, backpacks, and the smaller storage cubes are perfect for purses, even laundry supplies, pet food, etc. I’m loving the color they are already, but there are a few rust spots that might force us to give them a few new coat of paint.

We also ran across an entire lot filled with these black and white marquee letters. We grabbed a medium sized “R” (Rettinger) for about $20. Not exactly sure where this will call home, but it’s neutral enough to work anywhere! I’m thinking maybe one of the future walls in the family room addition or maybe it’d be fun in the entryway. We’ll see

In efforts to completely fill the back of our SUV, just kidding, I picked up a set of these fun yellow suitcases for $30 (there are actually three). No, we will not be strolling through the airport with our vintage luggage. Instead, I’m planning to use these as toy storage in Zoey’s room! Barbie doll central. They’ll slide perfectly underneath her bed with the addition of a few casters.

Not sure yet if we’re keeping the mustard yellow. It’s looking a little dingy now that they’re home next to all the bright yellows, so they might need a fresh coat of paint. Maybe something fun, like a stripe or polka dots? We’ll be sure to share as we go!

How about you guys? Any antique shopping going on? Anyone have a preference of antique vs. thrift? More importantly, did you guys see Lizzy’s pigtails… cause holy cow cuteness. I died. (not biased)

Filed Under: Around Town Series, Craigslist Finds, Girls Room, Laundry/ Mudroom, Storage

Second’s the Best

April 8, 2013 by Jessie R. 13 Comments

Just popping in with a quick little update in Zoey’s room today. If you can remember back to this post, we had hunted down a fun, geometric rug for the space and I even defended it’s small, 4′ x 6′ size. Well, today I’m here to say that I was wrong. Close your ears Ricky.

Yep, I thought with the addition of a second bed down the road (for Lizzy) that the smaller size would fit snuggly between the two. But, after living with the rug for a few months I realized that it just wasn’t going to work out. Maybe in another space, but in a kids’ room I wanted something that would cover the majority of the room and really serve as the grounds for play space.

(before)

Luckily, after a few weeks of checking my favorite flash sale sites, Joss & Main ran a sale and I was able to score the very same rug in the larger 5′ x 8′. Such a difference.

(after)

It really feels like it ‘fits’ the room now, and it grounds the furniture pieces better, barely gracing the edges of them. The color and pattern haven’t changed, so nothing new there, but the extra 16 sq. ft. are well worth biting the bullet and re-purchasing. Sometimes it just takes more than one try to get things right. And we’re ok with that!

As for the old rug, since we had opened it and held onto it for several months, returning was out of the question. But I’m thinking it’s a good contender for the laundry room. We’ll see.. The neutral colors should be pretty easy to fit in somewhere!

How about you guys? Anyone else facing the music on an old purchase and swapping out for something new and more functional? Ok. Please tell me you guys are watching Game of Thrones. Best. Show. Ever.

Filed Under: Girls Room

Craftsman Door Trim Tutorial

April 4, 2013 by Jessie R. 23 Comments

When we first bought our home, just over a year ago, I was immediately drawn to all of it’s potential – possibilities for an open floor plan, one floor living, and enough outdated finishes to go around. One thing we’ve really enjoyed bringing into the home is character. Things like crown molding, solid-core craftsman doors, beadboard in the bathroom, and built-ins galore. I love ranch style homes, but that doesn’t mean we can’t infuse a few other styles as well. My all-time favorite upgrade we’ve made, that isn’t so “typical ranch”, is craftsman-inspired door trim. I say inspired because we’re definitely not experts, and who knows if we’re doing anything by the books here, but we really love the look and hope you guys can gain some inspiration from it too!

I’m almost positive that the only time I’ve shown our door trim here on the blog was while featuring our new front door. Which is a shame. Seriously. It’s beautiful, and I’m a little perplexed at what’s taken me so long to write this post.

I mean, it’s everywhere in our house. Yet, somehow I’ve mistakenly hidden it.

The day we finished trimming out the all the bedroom doors in the hallway was a little like Christmas for me.

I love the simplicity, yet bulkiness of it all. And pair it with our new three-panel doors and we’re in business.

Simple Craftsman Door Trim Tutorial | Cape27Blog.com

So, since we’re in the midst of remodeling the laundry room, which just so happens to have FOUR doors, I thought it’d be a good time to share the whole process in action! It’s crazzy easy.

First up, a look at the wood selection. (twss)

We used three different sizes to frame out the entire door, as illustrated above. Rather than try to describe where each piece was used and probably lose everyone in the process, I’ll just show pics. It’s not rocket science

Ricky did ~~most~~ all of the work here, and after a little trial and error, he found it easiest to start by assembly the two side pieces.

And instead of following up with the top portion directly to the wall, he built it independently first. A nail gun got the job done here.

Simple Craftsman Door Trim Tutorial | Cape27Blog.com

And he was left with this.

Slap that guy up at the top of your door frame anddd voila! Instant character.

Easy enough?

Obviously, we still have painting to do here, which we’re holding off on until all the trim work is done, but you guys get the picture. I love all these finishing touches. The end is in sight!

Filed Under: Budget, DIY, Entryway, Girls Room, Guest Bedroom, Kitchen, Laundry/ Mudroom, Lizzy's Nursery

DIY Play Tent

March 21, 2013 by Jessie R. 13 Comments

We’ve started somewhat of a tradition when it comes to the girls’ birthday presents around here. Granted, Zoey has only celebrated two and Lizzy just celebrate her first, but we’re definitely sensing a bit of a theme. DIY. Go figure, right? We built a play kitchen for Zoey’s first birthday and a train table (similar to this) for her second birthday, so when it came time for Lizzy’s first birthday we only assumed that we’d be getting our hands dirty.

So, what did we make? A play tent! The girls LOVES hiding under blankets and makeshift forts in the living room, so we only assumed a real tent would make all her wildest, one-year-old dreams come true. If you follow us on Instagram then you may have already gotten a sense of her reaction. She hearts it.