Weekend Update: 2 Week Edition!

I've been up to all kinds of things the last 2 weeks and I have yet to blog about the, lol. So I figured I would just combine it all into one mega post - lucky you :) I started off last weekend by finishing all the painting around my bay window to finish off my wall I was working on in the living room. I also changed out all 4 sets of blinds there. It sounds like a simple thing, but it was seriously a lot of work - there will be a separate post about that later.

Once the window was done, the only thing left before moving the furniture back was to change out the old light sockets. The sockets all over my house are not only yicky cream colored, but most of them have been painted on or all scratched up as well - no so pretty. So, I changed them out:

Two of those are actual plugs, the other is just a plain cover. Originally there was a large cable just in a knot and sticking out of the wall. We still have no idea what type of cables they were - it wasn't tv cable or a phone line - so we just pushed it back into the wall and covered it with a plain cover. Now it looks great! No more big hole!

After completing those sockets, I was on a roll and continued with more sockets upstairs. Out bedroom has been painted since before we moved in, but the switches and whatnot have remained old and without covers ever since - which meant there were big dark holes in the wall everywhere. So, I changed out 2 light switches:

As well as covering one with a plain cover (like in the living room) and 5 double plugs. One of the plugs was a home-done install that tapped into the switch for the closet light. It was really difficult to do (the box wasn't mounted right so it kept pushing into the wall as I screwed into it), and on top of that they cut the hole for the box too wide. A normal plate cover just wouldn't hack it. I ended up having to go to Lowe's and buy an extra large cover. Here is the difference:

Quite a difference, huh?(sorry for the crappy photos) Of course that extra large plat was double the price, but they are really cheap anyway so oh well :) After the sockets I finally hung something on the wall in there!

So that was one weekend down and I was definitely pleased with my progress :) This past weekend I decided to keep the momentum going. I've been putting off painting my vent covers for the living room ever since we moved in. It's been on my list and all, but the weather here just hasn't permitted much outdoor spray painting.

 So I finally buckled down and decided I've had holes in my nice finished walls long enough and painted them :) I started with 2 coats of Rustoleum Metal Primer in White, then finished off with 2 coats of Rustoleum Spray Paint in Semi-Gloss White. I went with semi-gloss to match the trim in the room and it worked great. I even bought new screws and painted the tops white to match!

This is my intake vent cover in its permanent spot - directly next to the tv so we see it all the time. It is SOOOO nice to not see a giant hole into the air conditioner cabinet! While I was in there I also replaced that plug too :)

To install the vent cover I had to move the couch and get the ladder in there (the vent is about 12 feet up). While I had the couch moved I decided to change that plug as well :)

And here is my vent cover now :) Isn't it great?! lol Seriously if someone had told me I would be this excited about vent covers one day, I would have said they were crazy. But there is no denying it - I'm ecstatic with how they look. I was also inspired to finally hang this big metal wall art. I bought it at Target at least 5 months ago when it was half price in the clearance isle. It seemed huge in the store and even around my house before I hung it, but look how small it looks on that huge wall, lol. That just goes to show you how big that wall really is. I can't wait to get actual pictures up there around it.

The best part about completing all these little things in the living room is that they were literally the finishing touches in their areas. I can now look at a totally finished section of my house :) It's a great feeling.