One Moment In Time- Family Time

The family that watches TV together, stays together.  Or something like that.  It’s true.  My ex wasn’t a big TV person and didn’t like to have it on all the time.  We’re divorced now.  My current husband and I love to watch TV together.  We’re addicts, you might say.  And we’re happy as happy can be.  So, I stand by my statement!

Anyway… This used to be the kids’ hangout joint when they were living at home.  When they moved away I wanted something a little less cluttered and a little more suited for Superbowl Parties.  Cause it’s all about the TV.  We started off with this pretty robin’s egg blue.  I did that.  I’m not sure what I was thinking when I picked that color.  *shrug*

I look at that carpet andjust shutter!!  We had the computer table there. A six foot long table for kids’ projects andstuff.  Storage drawers. That HUGE oak entertainment center.  That was a heavy sonuvabitch!  Mark bought it for 300 bucks from someone in his past life, shortly before he and his ex got divorced.  She kept it in the divorce.  It was her favorite piece of furniture.  When she had her mental collapse and they threw her in the mental hospital and repossessed her house they put everything up on auction.  Mark went down and bought the damned thing back.  It was way too big for the space, but it was his, dammit!  So he bought it twice.  Nice. 

I’m really digressing! I ripped out the carpet once I got rid of the hideous furniture and unloaded the entertainment center.  Oddly enough, Mark’s ex-sister in law bought it.  Kinda funny.  That’s a whole story or ten!  His ex’s family is a deal!!

I ripped the horrid brown shag carpet off the stairs and found that there were hardwoods underneath.  (still funny) I sanded and restained the stairs and painted the walls this yummy burnt orange color (something I’ll probably hate down the road, cause that’s the way I roll). And I laid tile.  15×27 feet of 12 inch square tiles.  My knees were so sore by the time I got done tiling and grouting!

I built a bar but wanted something different than your traditional bar top so I went to a second hand store and bought a bunch of recycled bathroom tiles that they were selling for a penny a piece.  I drew my design on the bar top, smashed the hell out of the ceramic tiles, laid them carefully out in the design, and grouted it.  I probably need to explain what it is.  It’s an ocean vista in the sun set.  That yellow thing is supposed to be a sun with its rays going down across the ocean and onto the sandy beach.  I do, in fact, realize that it looks like a jelly fish with its tenticals hanging down to the ocean floor.  That was not my intent.  I’m pretty good with a paint brush on the walls, but to draw a recognizable picture is beyond my skill set.  That being said, I’m very proud of my bar!  It was a lot of work and it is something different than anything I’ve ever attempted.  So even if the vision in my head isn’t anywhere close to what actually came out, I look at that jellyfishysunset picture and I smile! Plus I have an 8 foot by 3.5 foot buffet area. Game playing area. Booze drinking area. It’s a great use of space.

Of course, you have to be able to sit up to the bar.  I posted this picture last month sometime when I was talking about things you can do with old waterbed frames.  Some day I’ll find different material to recover the seats with.  That was the closest I could find to matching my color palette.  I figure I’ll find a material that I fall in love with and it will require me to redo the whole color scheme of the room.  That’s just the way it works at my house!

If the credenza looks familiar, it’s because you saw it last week in the mancave.  Yes.  I have a different entertainment center now.  I also have a piece of artwork on the wall to the right that I made myself, but I didn’t take a picture of it.  Made a picture frame out of an old bunk bed ladder.  Seriously, folks, you can reuse anything and save tons of money!

The couch used to be upstairs in the living room. But I wanted something a little smaller up there, and this monstrous piece works much better in the larger room.  People ask me if I painted the two pieces at the end of the room and I wish I could say that I did.  I bought them.  But I bought them at TJ Maxx, so they were discounted.  God forbid I pay full price for something. The tile on the floor came from a second hand store.  200 bucks is all it cost for that tile.  My kitchen is teeny and I found the tile I want for it and it’ll run me 500 bucks!  It’s still a ways off before I get to that room, so maybe I’ll find some tile that I fall in love with at the second hand store.  I hope so.  I don’t want Mark to have a stroke.

OH…I also built a railing on the stair case.  I can’t believe I haven’t taken pictures of that yet.  Maybe some day I’ll do that.  Don’t hold your breath!

Superbowl party, anyone??