The Floor Is Done (Mostly) and a Checkerboard Floor Tutorial (The Easy Way)

Had to take a break on the Girls' Clubhouse project for a few days.  I needed to finish organizing everything (and I do mean everything) in my classroom so I can really enjoy my summer break.  Whew - it's all done.  Worked until Saturday at 6:00, but I'm finished!  YEAH!

Okay, so bringing us back to the floor of the clubhouse.

I knew I wanted a big sponge to make this as simple as possible and so Baby Bee could do a lot of this project herself.  Of course I couldn't find a square sponge, but Worker Bee did find a nice big dense sponge at our local Ace Hardware.  However, it was a rectangle.

So here's how I made it a square:

 1.  I measured across several times and marked it so I could connect the marks to make a nice edge.  Then I took a sharpie (Can you believe the only color I could find was brown?  Who can only find a brown sharpie??? Me I guess!) and connected those marks so I would cut a straight line.

(photo by Worker Bee)

2.  Then I used my exacto knife to get a crisp clean edge.  Below that edge I didn't care how raggedy it looked. 

(photo by Worker Bee)

 3.  Then I labeled the WRONG SIDE (in brown still) so we wouldn't load any paint on that jaggedy side.

 4.  See?  At the top there is a nice straight edge, but down the side it's just a jumbled, raggedy, jaggedy mess.

Now to proceed to the painting.  It's just the clubhouse and the floor isn't level, it's plywood, etc., etc., so I knew there was no way it was ever going to be perfect, but we could still make it look pretty good.

1.  First thing we did was find the middle of the floor from side to side.  The floor in this case was 63 1/2 inches wide so we drew marks every 31 3/4 inches down the center of the floor.  Then Worker Bee had to come out to help us draw the line (we couldn't hold the tape measure and draw at the same time) and he connected all those marks and we had a line going down the middle of the floor.  Hope that all makes sense.

2.  I knew I wanted to paint these on the diagonal so we placed the first one with the top and bottom point centered on that line.  I continued following that line down the center of the floor. 

(Baby Bee and I both loved how imperfect it looked but we still had the brightness on the floor we were looking for.)

 3.  I thought about drawing lines across, but we decided to free hand it instead.  So I then stamped my square sponge all the way across the back, making sure the top point was right up next to the wall and that the side points lined up too.

 4.  Then we proceeded to move along matching point to point.  

 5.  The edges were a bit of a problem.  I didn't want to cut the sponge in half yet to do those so I tried making them right up against the edge of the wall with some cardboard protecting the white wall.  They turned out sort of okay, but not that great really.  They were of the squint variety - you know - you squint at it and it looks doggone good but quit squinting and you see how it didn't work.  So we decided to finish the rest of the floor, let it dry and then cut the sponge to finish. (More on that in a bit.)

 6.  It's getting hot and we're getting lazy so we decided that the floor looked perfectly fine without it going all the way to the edge of the walls.  Look at the left side to get a better idea of what I mean and then look at the right side to see those messy half triangles.  So I think we're going to just go in and paint back over the 4 half triangles in our white base coat and be done with it.  (Unless I hear a howl of protests from you guys - be sure to let me know if you think we really should go all the way to the edge - but I might not listen anyway 'cause it's hot and it's summer and we want this done!)

7.  Voila!  Red and white checkerboard floor.  Took about 1 hour for the first base coat (cause it needed three coats of the white), about 15 minutes to prep the materials, and about 30-45 minutes to paint the floor (that's total time - we had to take a break to let a bit of paint dry before we could do the section right up by the door).  Oh yes, better add 15 more minutes for base coat touch ups (especially since I - yes me, not Baby Bee - stepped in wet paint and there are partial footprints on that floor too).

Still don't have fabric - didn't have a chance to get any in the big city - but we'll be back up there tomorrow.  

Please click here if you want to see some of the other things we've been working on for our clubhouse!

Thanks for buzzing along with us as we work on this project.  Can't wait to have it done.  I think we'll be done with all the big projects by 4th of July and then it will just be some sewing projects to finish it off.

It sure was a treat to see you today!

(I'm making a dark chocolate iced mocha to enjoy this afternoon - care to join me?)

P.S. Linking up to
Cedar Hill Ranch
for

and

Rednesday over at It's a Very Cherry World!

So....We've Gotten This Far.....

Just one more paint project to do to move all the furniture back into our new clubhouse!

Two wicker chairs painted aqua - check!

One wicker table painted lime green - check!

One Windsor chair painted white - check! 

Two scalloped shelves painted red - check! 

One shelf doo-hickey painted lime green - check!

Two little signs (dance & create) painted red - check! 

Two more little words (laugh & dream) painted aqua - check! 

Another little word (imagine) painted aqua - check!

Paper doilies found at Michaels in the $1 bin in red, aqua, and lime green - check!

(Uh, yeah, you caught me.  Those doilies weren't part of the original plan but where serendipity is just sitting there you've got to grab hold of it!  Not sure what we're going to do with those doilies - any suggestions?

Blackboard wall painted - check!

Red and white checkerboard floor painted - - - screeeeeech - - - NO CHECK!

But these guys are going to help Baby Bee and I get the job done!

I'll have a little prize for the first comment that can correctly guess what we're going to do with a ginormous sponge and some red craft paint!

Thanks for buzzin' along with Baby Bee and me as we convert this frilly little girl's playhouse into a tween (and mom and mom's friends too) clubhouse!

P.S.  Yeah!  I've got something red and it's on the right day!
Gonna' go party over at Sue's for Rednesday!

P.P.S.  Double yeah!  Gonna' share over at Have a Cup of Mrs. Olson too!

P.P.P.S.  Triple scoop!  Although our new mini cottage isn't quite ready for occupancy yet, I'm still sharing over at My Romantic Home!

Oh So Bright Progress!

Baby Bee and I started painting today!

We started off the day with aqua and key lime.

 Please note the key lime green pedicure Baby Bee is getting.  Oh my!  How will we get all of that off?

Just LOVIN' that aqua color.  Ran out and we need one more can.

This little shelf doo-hickey was originally chippy white but now it looks perfect for our little clubhouse.

Oh yeah baby!  LURVE that aqua!

 We decided to paint the chair white instead of red.  

 These shelves were already in the playhouse.  They aren't in very good shape, but it was worth a shot to see if they will take paint.  We might not use both of them, but they're scalloped!  I have a thing for scallops (both the fish and the edging)!

 And look how hard Baby Bee is working on that chalkboard wall.  

She is so excited about this project.  We need to find some fabric for some seat covers, pillows, and bunting (must have bunting).  We're also trying to figure out how to string some of our outdoor lights in the clubhouse.  It might involve cutting some screen, but it might be worth it!

(Okay, I'm excited too.  I tried to act all mature and jaded, but this little cottage is going to be so much fun!)

Thanks again for buzzing in!

Hope to have some cute fabric by tomorrow and the finish up the floor tomorrow.  

Oh and accessories?  I am so excited thinking about subway art and maybe some lanterns......get a grip Sweet Bee!  Must sober up out of this project buzz!

It's Just the Beginning....

Why it's just the beginning of our Girls' Clubhouse!

Today Baby Bee and I worked on cleaning out the playhouse.  It's just a small little playhouse that came with our cottage when we bought it and for a few years it was a playhouse for Baby Bee and her cousins and friends.

But today, the journey started.......

Can you believe all that stuff was in that little playhouse?

Well, the slide wasn't in there or the bike, but everything else was.

Here is Baby Bee cleaning all the dishes and play food so we can donate it for someone else to play with now.  Why Baby Bee!  Why are you spraying your mama?  Could it be you don't really want to clean all those things?  What?  You'd rather be inside reading a book?  Dork Diaries again?  Oh well, it looked like she might have actually had a little bit of fun cleaning all those things.  At least she got to spray her mama with the hose!

And this is what we are left with....

Two wicker chairs that Sewing Bee gave us when she moved to her new little cottage.

A little wicker table that she also had.

And Baby Bee's old desk chair.  

Oh yes, these are the little eyelet valances Worker Bee and I had in our first apartment.  Isn't that sweet?

Well, you don't really think we're all done, do you?

Does that look like it has been 

Sweet Beeified?

(Not to be confused with beatified and, of course, not to sound irreverent.)

We need some COLOR! 

 Aqua, lime green, and red!

Why the floor will be a red and white checkerboard!

The wicker chairs will be painted aqua!

The little table will be lime green!

The blue chair is going red!

The back wall of the playhouse will be chalkboard paint!

And there will be numerous other little transformations to complete before we are all done.  

Baby Bee and I had so much fun dreaming up all the little details we're going to put into our new little cottage.  We just sat in those wicker chairs and talked and talked about it.

I know she's going to enjoy her little cottage again and so will I!

And thank you for hanging in there with me.  I haven't been able to visit much and I haven't started too many new projects because I am working so hard on getting my classroom completely organized for next year.  You see, I am going to have two new teachers I will be working with next year - not just new to me, but new to teaching - and I had better get my stuff in order.  School's been our for two weeks, but I've been over there almost every day cleaning out files and cupboards and reorganizing!  I have to have it all done by the first week of July.

I hope to share many lattes and iced teas with you this summer!  

So glad you buzzed in for a visit!

A Little Sweat in the Backyard and My Very Own Bunhead

I have to confess to you.

Worker Bee and I have sadly neglected our backyard over the past couple years.  At a glance everything looked okay, but really, we needed to prune and clean up and just plain old work in that yard.

We decided to tackle it in quadrants.   The first area we started on was our coastal redwoods.  They had grown quite shabby and the needles that had dropped must have been about 2 inches thick.  So we raked up all those needles and pruned up the low branches (hopefully we won't regret that decision too much in the future) and cut back all the vinca major growing under the three trees.  

After all that sweaty labor, it looked so inviting, but there was no place to sit.  So I grabbed our two adirondack chairs from the front yard and a table I already had.

I potted up a couple containers.... 

 to give it a little more personality.

Brody likes it! (Doesn't it look like she's roaring?)

 Sam likes it too (but he is the worst cat for getting a picture, so at least the back of his head is in focus).

Care for an ice tea?

 Oh and I planted a couple more pinks for centerpiece on our new outdoor dining table.

New dining table I said?  Well, you're just going to have to wait for more on that chippy story for another post.

grow little pinks, grow

I was on a roll and finally planted this old wheel barrow.  

I just love geraniums!

And would you look at how loaded with blooms our Rose of Sharon is?  I'll have to get some pictures when it is covered with blooms.

I mentioned my own little bunhead....

 Baby Bee just performed in her 7th dance recital!

Worker Bee's mom flew out for the recital.  I love that she makes the effort to come for Baby Bee's special show.

And, more good news - SCHOOL'S OUT SCREAM AND SHOUT!  More fun projects to come!  

Thanks for buzzing by!

 

P.S.  Speaking of bunheads, have you watched the new show?  Bunheads that is?  Not sure about it, but I'm willing to stay tuned to see where it goes.  I loved Gilmore Girls, did you?

P.P.S.  Oh and not all of those backyard quadrants are done, so as we make our progress, I'll keep you posted.
P.P.P.S.  I'll be linking up with Have a Daily Cup of Mrs. Olson for Share Your Cup Thursday.
P.P.P.P.S  Also linking up at Fishtail Cottage for Cottage Garden Party!  The more the merrier!