EVERYDAY GOODNESS

Hi Friends! I am back again to share with you some highlights from my week. Here are some things that I have enjoyed admired or been inspired by this week.

1.I have shared with you all my love for Mindy Kaling a few years back. Well I guess Senator Cory Booker SENATOR CORY BOOKER shares my appreciation. I knew we were aligned on political matters but my affection for him has grown after reading the sweetness of this exchange! 

2.I finished ALL THE LIGHT WE CANNOT SEE last week. It is by far the best I have read this year. The subject matter was a little difficult considering todays political climate but I devoured it nonetheless. The characters and plot line are so well developed with no detail left unexplored. It is no surprise it took ten years to craft. Mystery, youth, circumstance, perseverance and redemption will keep you turning the pages in this one. I highly recommend it!

3.I changed up some dishes in my kitchen cabinets for spring. I always do red and white for the Holidays through Valentine's but it is blue and white for spring and summer this year. Change is good! I will break out the white ceramic bunnies after my girls Birthday this week!

4.For the most part I follow funny people and design stuff on Snapchat but Liev added DJ Khaled for me a few weeks back and his energy has changed my day. Some of his self promotion can be a little redundant but I have never seen someone more positive and appreciative of everything he has in life. Oh and his son Asahd is adorable. If you are inclined to follow him his user name is DJKhaled305.

5. Here is a SPRING HOME TOUR from KRISTIN. She is quickly making her new home her own. 

6. Jenny at LITTLE GREEN NOTEBOOK opened up a super affordable print shop for art. there are a few I will be purchasing for sure. Including these two.

I hope you all have a great week,

Valerie xo

WHEN TO USE A BARN DOOR

I am fairly certain that my love affair with Barn Doors started with these on Miss Patti's dance studio on Gilmore Girls! 

I also love the board and batten on the exterior.

After my post about my mini hallway makeover, quite awhile back, I had several emails asking about our barn door. Now, they are popping up everywhere! It's great because they are such a smart design element that add architectural detail to any space. 

Here are some handsome barn doors used in clever ways.

Image via Pinterest

Image via House Beautiful

Image via Pinterest

What is really great about them is that they can help alleviate doors opening awkwardly into small spaces, which was definitely the case in our bathroom.

Our house, like many old houses, does not have a designated linen closet so I added a large bookcase to function as our main storage unit for bathroom necessities. It had been working out nicely with the only problem being our old door opened into it. Barn door to the rescue! It has added some better functionality, freed up some much needed space and added some nice architectural detail to out little hallway! It doesn't lock like the average bathroom door so we simply abide by a "closed door" policy ... If closed, Do Not Enter! That being said, Fergus, our Bernese Mountain Dog, doesn't seem to understand!

This was the second door of its kind that we constructed as we did one for our little horse barn outside. So, we had a general idea what we needed to do. We built it with the same tongue and groove board used in to hallway. I won't give too many instructions because your door will likely be specific to what type of railing system and the dimensions of the door. If you are interested in building a custom door HERE, HERE, and HERE are some tutorials you might consider looking at first! 

Have  great weekend friends,
Valerie xo

EVERYDAY GOODNESS

HAPPY SUNDAY EVERYBODY. BEFORE THIS WEEK IS THROUGH I THOUGHT I WOULD SHARE WITH YOU SOME THINGS THAT I HAVE ENJOYED, ADMIRED OR BEEN INSPIRED BY THIS WEEK. 

1. I am going to GIVE THIS A WHIRL! I have plenty of old t-shirts and a pretty good collection of embroidery thread from my high school/university cross stitch days.

MONIKA HIBBS

2. I have been trying to follow these simple tips and I must say, I think sticking to these 5 SIMPLE SUGGESTIONS can make a difference to how well my day goes.

GLITTER GUIDE

3. I don't know anyone who doesn't love a good kitchen reveal. Melissa documented all her ups and downs of the process and the finished results WERE WELL WORTH IT!

INSPIRED ROOM

4. Here is a really  CUTE LAUNDRY ROOM sneak peak from Jen. I can't wait to see it once it is complete!

I HEART ORGANIZING

5. I know the Oscar's are old news now but here are my best dressed this year!

Oh so classy & timeless with sparkle.

This lady knows how to do "more is more".

The color, knot, proportions & lip color. Love!

Va Va Voom in all the right ways.

The neckline and sleeves, perfection. Loving the hair accessory too!

Classic. I love the color. Ballerina done right!

All of the following ladies are stunning and talented women but I would be remise if I didn't mention the gowns I didn't like.

Necklace over the collar, the bow, length and wrinkles and hair all wrong.

Oh No! all dated and overwhelming.

Amazing hair and makeup but she needs color.              

Bad fit, literally and stylistically.

Lace and layers gone wrong. 80's prom anyone?

Cheap looking fabric, ill fitted and a workout ponytail!

6. You guys this feels like the coldest day of the year. Maybe it is because we were teased with such mild weather lately but today feels like time for some comfy cozy food. Chili to the rescue.

7. You know what's really weird about how cold it is outside? Let me tell you. I am now growing oranges inside, in Canada, in February. Unbelievable! The real miracle is that I have kept my citrus tree alive for six months!

I hope Monday is good to you all,

Valerie xo

PLATE RACK DIY

About four years ago I decided to add a plate rack to the back wall behind our kitchen table.   Prior to the plate rack, I had hung a large clock that came from our previous house, but it was just never the right scale. 

Anyone who knows me well, know that I have been collecting white dish ware since I was first married. There isn't a white jug, cake plate or platter that I don't admire. Having a plate rack would not only add decorative character but it would also be a perfect place to store some extra platters and plates I had on hand.  

To start, I looked up some inspiration pictures in magazines and on Pinterest like these.

The Remoldelista

Vintage house blog

Screenshot from Something's Gotta Give

                                                      
Next, I measured and basically drew out a sketch of what I envisioned and headed out to the hardware store. When I arrived home, with my supplies in hand, I sprung the idea on my husband.  It didn't take much convincing, he thought a plate rack would be a great addition and, together, we could build the plate rack ourselves. However, his agreeable position came with one condition, I must use things I already owned, I could not buy anything new to fill the rack. Agreed!

If you are at all handy and have built things before then with some planning I would give this project about a 5 out of 10 in its level of difficulty. In hindsight, I wish had taken pictures of the process when we were building it but, unfortunately, I wasn't blogging back then.

The process was basically:

• Build a rectangle from 3.5" boards. Just for reference mine is 52"tall x54"wide.
• Cut inside shelves and shelf supports to length. I have two shelves but I cut three to make a support for the top to have a piece of decorative trim and a larger sized topper. My board is 5" wide
• Put shelves through a router to cut out some basic grooves into the boards to give your plates something to rest in. I made two grooves because  have several different size platters.
• Put on your top piece then add the decorative trim mitering the corners.
• Making sure your shelves are perfectly level, attach each shelf and horizontal supports to the frame using both glue and a nail gun. 
• We then put on the front guard trim. I used pieces of decorative trim and inset these between the side panels.
• Next, I filled and sanded the nail holes, primed and painted the shelves.
• To attach it to the wall, we pre-drilled some holes into the support boards beneath the shelves. Once the screws were counter sunk, we used little wooden hole fillers and tidied it up with wood filler and did some paint touch ups!
• Below is a photo with the order in which I did things. 

         Voila! A custom plate rack! If you have any questions don't hesitate to ask.

This is the order that I put the pieces together!

I am really pleased with how it turned out. While it looks great just as its plain self on an everyday basis, it is also fun to dress it up a little when celebrating special occasions. It is a great place to add a little color and whimsy in the kitchen and it's the perfect place to hang birthday banners and holiday garlands alike!


                     

Have a great weekend y'all,

Valerie xo

P.S. Sorry I just watched Nashville!