A shed is a small building that stands alone on a property.  It is the “jack of all trades” when it comes to storage solutions.  Some folks use their sheds for work, others may stock pile them with odds and ends that don’t have a home.  We recently renovated the shed that came with our property and boy does it look fabulous!

Our shed was just about gone.  The roof had caved in three years prior to our living here and the rain water and elements had wreaked havoc on the inside and the outside walls.  We nearly lost her, but with patience and time we were able to revive a living treasure.

Here is a photo of the shed as it looks today.  It is visible from my back porch and I have spent many late afternoons admiring our work.

Many things took place to restore the beauty of this 1937 smoke house. 

First, the roof had to be removed and replacedwith new build which was done over several weekends.

Then a layer of plywood for roofs had to be applied.

And finally an layer of shingles.  We chose architectural shingles which are all the rave when it comes to roofs these days.  For the exterior we decided to maintain the weathered look and used stained instead of paint for the siding and trim, the colors are by Cabot.  Walls:  Federal Blue and Trim:  Artic.  This project took four months of weekends to complete but the result is total satisfaction.

And last but not least, a view of the house from the shed.

In July I wrote about Sod Yarok (Green Secret), an inspiring florist store in Givatayim that creates the most amazing flower arrangements and also has great vases and some beautiful furniture too. I walked past there the other day and noticed that almost everything had changed, so I thought you may appreciate an update. I don’t know much about flowers but these are Chrysanthemums, which are about as difficult to spell as they are to pronounce. They were in simple white baskets which was lovely!

They always have amazing window displays, I love the crisp white ceramics and then the earthy unglazed square pots below, gives an earthy, wintery feeling. Those green squashes are also so pretty.

The window display does a great job in luring you in…

I just love the colors in this store…

These are tomatoes believe it or not

Here’s a plant that was being potted as I took photos:

A store I highly recommend visiting. It’s at 22 Weitzman Street in Givatayim

Every step counts when you are upgrading an existing homes appliances.  I went from harvest gold to solid gold when I changed out my old stove for a new one… voila, instant happiness!

Harvest Gold Stove

This small change really brightened up the kitchen.  I still have the old cabinets to deal with but they look a lot better already.  Here is the new stove.  Not only does it look great, all the burners work too.

New Stove in Bisque

Here’s another shot including a bit of the refrigerator.  I bet you can’t wait to see the new cabinets… well stay tuned.

A small leak behind the shower body turned into big problems in our New York rental apartment.  This unexpected bathroom renovation was a costly surprise and I looked for ways to make it more economical.  Visiting a known tile resource in the area gave us a clear idea of what path to choose in terms of design, we went with “subway tiles“, named for the fact that this is the tile used in New York City’s subway system.

The fact that we chose subway tiles saved us big time.  By choosing this commonly found tile we cut our cost from the $4.85 a sq.ft down to $1.67 a sq. ft.  Instead of buying from the tile store we found the same product at The Home Depot.

Here is the tub area after the plumbers got their hands on it.  plumbers are notorious for ripping up the place in an unruly fashion.  Their only concern is to get to the leak. With an odd size tile, finding a match was not an option so instead of a patch job we had to do a re-tile for the entire bathroom.

Before

More tile mess.

After

Shown below is a “rope” detail that we chose as a decorative accent to give the bathroom a little pizazz.

More stuff to do with your closet… 

This time the closet becomes a cozy work area.  My sister Caryn is an expert when it comes to transforming small spaces with big ideas.  This storage closet was a real dump before she got her hands on it and now it is a  treasure. 

Caryn’s Closet 

Here we are inside the closet.  The room was transformed with the addition of a work surface, overhead trac lighting, stackable storage and a comfortable chair.

Caryn loves her closet!  Where once she had to make jewelry at the kitchen table and clean up afterherself daily, now she can work at her own pace and leave unfinished pieces until the spirit moves her.

You gotta love this closet…

On a recent visit to The Home Depot (my now favorite shopping destination since becoming a home owner),  I saw a car in the parking lot advertising a hot new trend… 

Old Bathtub

Old bath tubs are something of an eyesore and expensive to replace.  I recently had the conundrum of deciding which route to take in regards to fixing an old tub and when I came across Re-bath I got really excited.

Instead of re-surfaceing the tub which is the old version of this new trend, a new liner is created as an exact match to the existing tub…

Between ripping out the old tub and installing a new one, replacing a bath tub can cost thousands of dollars.  How about inserting a custom made lining that “fits like a glove”.  Re-bath is a company that creates an exact match to your old tub and then secures it into place with heavy duty epoxy. 

New Bathtub

Saving money on common updates can really make a difference when budgeting for new home renovations.  If you are in need of a fresh look in your bathroom for half the price this may be the solution for you.

Heaven is different things to different people.  My heaven is this stairway leading to my new basement, having a basement is simply heaven in my book!

My family and I recently moved into a home that has been in the family for 40 years.  I can remember my grandmother making the trip up and down these steps well into her early nineties…

Steps Before

A steep set of stairs in a dingy, gray color is not an inviting sight.  Although this home renovation project is hidden away in a dark stairwell, it is a rewarding transformation that I enjoy daily.  With a bit of imagination and a little elbow grease these steps were made into something of an art piece in two days time.

Wanting to move away from the battleship gray that is traditionally used on projects of this kind, I painted the steps my new favorite color  “bahama blue’” by Benjamin Moore.

Steps Midway

The steep steps needed grip to reduce the slipping factor.  I found  self-adhesive-sandpaper-strips at “Lowes“, a popular alternative to “The Home Depot” for home projects.  In Israel, The Home Center or ACE are comparable stores of this nature.

Finished Stairway

Go away scary stairwell…

After making minimal effort and using a bit of creative thinking, this stairwell has a new personality and a re-newed lease on life and so do I.

This Old House, that must be my mantra; my life is one big “before & after”. I grew up in an old house and that title calls to me in more ways than one…  I also love their website.  If you have a project and you need good ideas, this is the place to look.  Check out this kitchen…

Kitchen Before 

Now that’s what I call a “fixer upper”, what a mess.  Most people would walk away from a complete re-do, but not the folks at “This Old House”.  Look at this amazing after shot.

Here is another one.  I love looking at these, it gives me hope for all projects big and small.

Kitchen After Shot

This re-do is a total departure from the original kitchen.   Now here is a bonus kitchen.  I don’t have the before but I do have the after… and it is divine.

Floor Plan 

The Finished Kitchen

Wow there are some really ugly, old bathroom tiles out there; I am sure that you’ve seen a few…

Here’s an old bathroom that is in pretty good shape.  The only problem is that these brownish tiles are dark and don’t do much to add to this small space.   The apartment is a rental and the owner did not want to do an expensive renovation, so she put on her thinking cap and came up with a pretty good economical solution. 

Tiles Close Up, Before

Ronseal, a British based company that sells through Jacobi here in Israel; has a paint product on the market just for tiles.  Although this product is not inexpensive, going for 150 NIS for 750Mil.; for those of you with outdated tiles it may be worth it’s weight in gold.

Here is another bathroom in the same apartment that had the same tiles.  600 NIS later, what a transformation! 

Tile Close Up, After

Remember: In the world of decorating there is always a solution.  Just like shopping, if the shoe does not fit; you move on to a different shoe!

Photo by Better Homes and Gardens

Small spaces can produce big rewards when it comes to decorating.  Although the photo above is a bit odd with that shelf sticking out, adding a side bench to a dining area creates more seating and aesthetic punch.  I have spent many years in apartment dwellings and in a sense “small space” has become my middle name.

On a recent visit to New York I witnessed my sisters transformation of a closet into a craft nook.  I could live without the exercise ball in this photo, but I think you get the idea of how resourceful a closet can be.  This is not my sisters closet, I am still waiting for those photos.

Below is another version of a closet transformed into an office.  This one is a little cramped for my taste, but if that’s all you have then it’s better than nothing.

Here’s one from “The Martha“, of course it is perfect in every way. The idea here is to layer the decorative elements and get more bang for your buck.  By adding a table in front of the shelving the space becomes more functional.

Here’s another nice idea for a small space from Better Homes and Gardens.  I don’t usually go for the curtain thing but I do like this one.

As a solution for lack of space, small space decorating comes in a winner.