The Basement is Drywalled, Mudded, Sanded, and Painted!

It's been a long time coming. But finally, after years n' years (and a few more years) our basement family room area is drywalled, mudded, sanded, and painted!

Alex (husband extraordinaire) went all wild and crazy and painted the whole basement. He primed the ceilings and walls, painted two coats of basic white on the ceilings, painted two coats of the top wall colour, and one coat of the bottom wall colour (because we're doing some wainscoting). He pretty much deserves a medal but I gave him a chocolate Easter bunny instead. 

 

After an unhealthy amount of deliberation I chose Silver Satin by Benjamin Moore for the walls.

 

Silver Satin - Benjamin Moore

 

 

I LOVE how the colour looks in Natalie's basement. Check out the photos from her blog, Beach House in the City.

 

Source: Beach House in the City

Source: Beach House in the City

 

Here's the funny part about the wall colour. I purchased a test pot and painted a few sections of wall. I almost didn't go with Silver Satin because it looked really, really light. Fast forward to two coats later and the wall colour is WAY darker than expected! {Don't worry, honey. I won't pick another colour and make you repaint just yet, hee hee.} Even though it is a bit darker than I thought it still looks really good. Really, really good to be exact.

I was going to wait to share some pictures until we had a chance to tidy up some tools (and, um, beer bottles) but I'm just too excited to wait. The top half of the walls are Silver Satin by Benjamin Moore in a flat finish (I wanted to hide any imperfections and no-one will really be touching the top half of the walls). The bottom half of the walls are painted in Simply White by Benjamin Moore in a semi-gloss finish. Our goal this week is to figure out what combinations of trim we are going to use to create the board and batten look on the bottom half of the walls.

Just for comparison's sake, here is the last picture I shared of the basement. The drywall was up but it still needed to be taped, mudded, and sanded.

Here are the current progress pictures. They are pictures of the other side of the room.

This is the main living area where the couches and TV will eventually go.

This is the little nook that used to be a storage closet. We are planning on a built-in desk area along the back wall.

So, that's how things are looking as of this morning. There is still lots to do but it's coming along. I can already visualize white picture frames and giant, rattan storage baskets on the floor filled with cozy blankets and pillows. Yeah, I think I'm getting ahead of myself a little bit. ;)

P.S. Cooper loves chocolate Easter eggs. He cried when he came downstairs this morning and there were none hiding for him.

But then I showed him the little trucks from his Easter basket (minus the eggs).

Then he was happy again.

That's his 'smile' face. He's not scared, I promise.

P.S.S. See those cushions in the background? Grey pinstripes. Love, love, love, love, love.

P.S.S.S. Giant thank you post filled with butterflies, rainbows, and sprinkle cupcakes to follow.

Dear Anonymous - You Kind of Hurt My Feelings

This blog has become seriously lame. You hardly ever post and when you do, it's all a bunch of jibberish about the things you want, nothing about what you've actually done. Unfollowing.

 

Dear Anonymous,

 

Thank you for your feedback. While at first your comment stung quite a bit (and made me have a little tear) it also forced me to do some serious reflection about my blog. It also made me come to a few conclusions. Here are some things that I discovered.

 

• No, I do not post regularly. I don't have content at the ready to publish every day at 10 am. At that time during the week, I am working at my job - the one that generates an income and helps me provide for my family. This blog is a hobby. It's where I share progress on our slow renovations and even slower decorating. It will always come fourth or fifth or sixth depending on what else is going on in my life. That's a personal choice of mine and I am absolutely happy with it.      

 

• Yes, I go through stages when I have writer's block. In fact, I've sat down every day this week to write a blog post and nothing would come out the way that I wanted it to. If you look in my 'Drafts' folder you will see at least a dozen half-written posts. There are so many eloquent bloggers/writers out there who have so much to say (in such an awesome way) that some days I feel inadequate. And so, I wait until I'm ready to write. Even if it's been days, weeks, or even months. I won't force myself to write a post or share progress on a project because I feel like I have to in order to keep readers interested. That just doesn't feel real to me. 

 

• No, I will not have renovation or DIY projects to share everyday. I like my blog to be authentic and to reflect what my husband and I are realistically able to do in our spare time with a toddler, two dogs, family, friends, and other obligations. There are some amazing bloggers that are able to work full time, look after their family, AND blog regularly. They are superstars. I am not, and never will be one of those people.

 

• Yes, some days I feel like no-one is reading this blog and that writing it is pointless. Perhaps it is a vicious cycle and no-one is commenting because I am not providing much content to comment on. But every once in awhile I will get an email from a reader, or a sweet comment from a reader that reassures me that maybe there are people out there who enjoy or appreciate the content that I do provide - as sporadic as it may be.   

 

• No, I do not have the budget to buy every single thing that I want so that I have fully decorated rooms and big, Pinterest-worthy room reveal posts. I have to take my time to save up for the things that I really want. And sometimes I have to wait a really, really long time.

 

• Yes, I do share a lot of wish list items on my blog. I actually really love getting the feedback from my readers and the blogging community. For example, if I share that I'm thinking of getting a particular mirror and I get ten comments saying "Awesome, mirror!" or "Do it, do it!" then I get the motivation I need to make the final decision. Yeah, so I'm indecisive. I'm working on that!

 

• No, I do not usually write sponsored posts and product reviews. Nor do I have advertisements or huge giveaways. While other blogs do a great job with all of that professional bloggy-type-stuff - it's just not for me. I tried it once and I was terrible at juggling it all. However, if anyone at Home Depot is reading this I could really try to change my ways, LOL. 

 

• Yes, we have actually done things. I just finished sewing an adorable polka-dot cushion. We finished dry walling the basement and we've even painted the walls! I also found some really cool wall art for our bedroom. I just haven't had a chance to take some good photos of any of those projects yet.  

 

I guess what I'm trying to say, Anonymous, is that I apologize for not being able to provide the type of content that you are looking for. If you choose to unfollow this blog because it is lame, then that is obviously your choice. There are some fantastic blogs out there (check out some of the ones in my sidebar) that provide a lot of great content, DIY projects, and inspiration. I hope you find what you are looking for. Thanks for giving me a chance, even if just for a little while.

 

Sincerely,

 

Sarah