Friday, January 18, 2013

This is my Confession

So, I want to get better at this blogging thing, I really really do.  But for some reason, I can't seem to keep up with any kind of schedule.  We have a ton of projects that need to be photographed and written about but they just sit there.  Staring at me.  Begging me to write about them and share them with the world.  And what do I do?  I ignore them.  I curl up on the couch and I watch reality TV.  And then the next day I see how how many people looked at the blog the day before and I think "People are still here.  Still waiting for a new post."  And then what happens?  Repeat.  That's it.  Nothing gets written.
I am so frustrated with myself!  And I can only imagine how frustrated you guys are!  I hate going to a blog that I read ritually and find that the blog post from a week ago is still up.  And me?  I am a month behind!  I have no excuses.  Truly, I don't.  Yes, I am preggers, but as far as I can tell this big 'ole belly doesn't cover up the keyboard yet.  Yes, I have a full time job but that certainly doesn't occupy my time past 5:00 typically.  I am definitely not a domestic goddess (although I like to think myself one) that comes home from work to cook dinner, clean the house, and do laundry therefore rendering me with no time left to write a blog post.  I am just lazy!  There, I said it.  I AM LAZY.  And I need to stop it!  Seriously.
So now I am going to give you a real excuse for not posting in the coming week.  We are going to Costa Rica!  We went on our honeymoon over 3 years ago and we are going back!  Maybe that will be my first post upon our return?....how awesomely amazing our rental house was.  I am hoping that we can gather some inspiration for our master bedroom.  I will keep you updated.  Seriously.  I promise.  Maybe?

Sunday, December 16, 2012

Hang It Up

When we did the stone fireplace in the den we had our fireplace tools just as most people do, hanging on the stand that the tools came with when we bought them.


See them down there on the right hand side of the fireplace?  Well, when we started adding decorative items in front of the fireplace like lanterns with candles, firewood, etc., things started to look a little packed.  We needed  a solution that would get the fireplace tools off of the floor.

Enter rusty bolts.  Yep, rusty bolts.  Nate found some 1/2" rusty bolts lying around the landscape nursery at his work and decided to recycle them at our house.  We decided upon the height and spacing for each of the fireplace tools.  Nate put some epoxy onto the end of each of the bolts and hammered them into the grout joints in the locations that we had decided upon.



Once the bolts were secured and the epoxy had a chance to dry, we hung our fireplace tools and put the old stand out with the trash.


The old rusty pulley is obviously for decorative purposes, but we liked the way that it tied into the rusty bolts that our fireplace tools now hang from.

Now, if you aren't lucky enough to have rusty bolts just lying around your workplace (which, I am assuming that the majority of you are not) simply take new bolts (we happened to have square end bolts) spray paint them oil rubbed bronze and then lightly spray them with Rustoleum Multi-Colored texured spraypaint in "Autumn Brown" to get the same effect.  If you had more time, you could also take new bolts and rough them up with some steel wool.  Then let the bolts hang out in a container of salt water.  Eventually, the bolts will rust.

If you happen to have a different type of stone fireplace or perhaps a brick fireplace, get a masonry bit slightly smaller than the diameter of your bolts for your drill and drill into the stone or brick.  Apply the epoxy to the end of the bolt and hammer into the newly drilled hole.  Allow the epoxy to dry before hanging your fireplace tools.

We love getting the tools off of the floor and really love the rustic look that the bolts give to the fireplace.  And with the stand gone, we have room for our reindeer during the holidays!


What do you guys think?  Any plans for using rusty old bolts or nails around your home?  Has anyone ever used Rustoleum's Multi-Colored texured spraypaint in "Autumn Brown"?  I love the look that it gives.  In fact, we used it on another project in our home (the orb chandelier) that will be featured in an upcoming post.