floors, panels, cubbies oh my

Have I told you before that I think my brother is a rock star? Well, he is. A couple weeks ago, he came over and helped fixed the rotten part of my basement floor. He brought his saw and know-how and taught me a whole bunch about wood etc. Of course, I wasn't allowed to touch the saw or do the work. That got me to thinking...I need to learn how to use a saw. I looked into a few courses for Home Repairs/Power tools 101. There are a couple that I may just sign up for this spring. A girl needs to be always learning when she owns a century-old house. Thank you Jonathan for your skill, knowledge and patience. The patch looks fabulous. 

 Of course, all that hard work of pulling up floors resulted in the death of my hammer. I think I bought that hammer when I first moved out of my parents place some 12 years ago. Oh, the memories...oh, the pictures it helped me hang.

In other exciting news...ok, maybe not for everyone but definitely for me. I labelled my jars with Martha Stewart's Avery labels (Love. them.). The dream is to bring them out of the cupboard and display them in the open like here or here. For now, they remain hidden behind closed doors until I find the perfect shelf/display cabinet.

If you clicked on the links above, you would have discovered my new love affair with pinterest. Oh yes, I have fallen victim to its charms.

The adventure in the basement continues. I installed wall panels to close in the laundry/storage room so it isn't such an eyesore when you get to the bottom of the stairs. Ikea KVARTAL curtain system works like a charm and I am really impressed with how it looks. Here's a few shots of the process.

Before

The panels

The instructions?

It even has its own mitre saw...best quality ever (insert sarcasm)

Look ma, I cut through metal. Had to cut to proper length

Leftover pieces?!?

After - from the stairs

After - looking into the storage room

After - looking towards the stairs

I also bought and installed a simple pull down blind to cover the tool/paint cubby in the stairwell.

Blind open

Blind closed

Can I get a collective ooooh?

The next step is to start sanding the floors in the guest room/art studio. I think I am putting off the job even though I researched how to paint floors and found a great DIY site that seems straightforward. My shopping list is ready but I just need to summon the will to start. Good thing my week is busy so I can put it off until at least next weekend.