3 small projects equals one big post update

So, are you as sick of hearing about that damn to-do list as I am?

What on God’s Green Earth would inspire me to round up twenty-freaking-four projects and put them all in one tidy little post? And then, to add insult to injury, I gave myself a deadline of December 31st to complete the list.

Of course, you know that means there’s absolutely no way I completed that list by December 31st. But I did put a pretty good dent in it. And now I have two more projects to check off, plus a bonus project that isn’t even on the list.

Shall we get to it then? I think we shall.

First up on the never-ending list:

Project 12: Paint window moulding.

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I’m happy to report that I busted out the trim paint and got busy painting all the moulding on the 4 windows in my family and breakfast rooms. And I’ve got proof, baby!

I’ll tell you what, I loooooove hanging trim and moulding. I could do it all day. But I HATE painting it. I think painting trim and moulding is one of the worst punishments I can think of.

Does this look smooth as butteh or what?

And now for a little tip. A long time ago, I showed you how to hang moulding along windows and edges that are rounded. I filled the gap with joint compound and sanded the heck out of it. And it looks good. But that was way too much work. So I found an even easier way to make those rounded edges look pretty good.

Caulk.

Yup. Just fill them with loads of caulk, smooth it out with my finger, let it dry, and give everything a nice ol’ coat of paint. Saves me hours doing it this way.

You can totally pin that picture if you want. Just sayin’.

And now for the 2nd of 3 mini projects…

Project 19: Finish painting stairwell

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Can you believe we lived with stair-stepping paint for months? Can you believe I actually painted stair-stepping paint in the first place? Tack-to-the-double-eeeee. I finally coerced Ben into painting that hard-to-reach stairwell for me. He is da-bomb.

Someday I’d LOVE to rip out that half wall and put in a wrought-iron railing. That would be delish.

Yay. I can check 2 more projects off that damn to-do list. Oh, and sit tight for an official to-do list update post. You know, once I quit avoiding it.

And now, the moment you all have been waiting for… the third and final project update. It’s such a small thing but has made such a huge difference.

Remember when I added board & batten in Kinsey’s room?

Well, I never quite got around to buying and installing new plug covers.

Why does that last 10% of a project always take the longest to finish?

If you guessed that this project is about plug covers then you win a cookie!

Did you know that plug covers are ONLY about a quarter each? They are one of the cheapest things you can buy for your home. So next time you get paint all over one, or you ram your foot into one and crack it, just go buy a new one. They are not scary or intimidating. They are plastic and have only one screw. Replacing outlet covers is one of the easiest DIY projects.

The board and batten project can officially be declared “complete” now.

I thought about pulling the plug outlets out of the wall and installing them on top of the battens, but after about 2 seconds thought all I could think was, “too much work!”. So I improvised and had the battens go completely around the outlet covers, and it worked perfectly.

I spent about $1.50 on plug and switch covers and had them screwed in and ready to go in about 1 minute. They totally finish off that board and batten.

And for added suspense, I’ve been doing even more work in Kinsey’s room this week! I can’t wait to show you what I’ve been up to. It includes two trips to IKEA and lots of new storage. Squeal! Stay tuned for that update. 🙂

Have you been working on any little projects lately? You know, the annoying ones that take only a few minutes that you put off for months or years? What projects have you been taking care of lately?

Have a fab day!