I'm not sure how well this is going to show up on the computer screen, but this is a close-up of the texture that I learned how to put up on walls (and ceilings).

It's a basic knockdown texture that is on many new construction homes. I wasn't too comfortable with the idea of spraying the joint compound on the wall (too messy) so we tried it out with a roller brush. You don't get as much height with a roller, but it's sufficient for us.

By the time I had the ceiling done, I'd pretty much figured out my system. That boost in confidence led me to start ripping wood paneling off our dining room to put up texture. Two days in, that is appearing to be a big mistake.

Antique Button Card

We had purchased about a half dozen artsy papers to back up the antique buttons that Sarah picked out, but nothing worked. Instead, we brewed up some tea and used it to distress the paper backing. We used two different sheets of paper to make it a little more interesting. One was heavily stained with tea, and the other was lightly sprayed with tea. If making multiple passes at staining the paper (recommended), you can use a hair dryer to get each layer of tea to dry faster. The paper is probably my favorite part of this project.

Once we got the buttons arranged, I drew on some vertical lines to mimic a button card, then we started sewing.

This one was pretty easy. We might pick up another frame and make another piece with white buttons. I staged it next to a really cool lamp we got from the same antique store for the photo.

Pet Portraits

We picked up this antique frame for a button project that Sarah had in mind. Since our dogs are always so interested in what we're doing, we decided to incorporate them into the project.

It ended up being a little more creepy than I'd expected. The black one won't make eye contact with the camera for some reason. We think she descended from American Indians and believes that the camera steals your soul. Meanwhile, the white one maintains eye contact for uncomfortably long periods of time.

Popcorn Scraping

I couldn't help but think about all those poor guys who had to scrape off the popcorn texture off the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel so that Michelangelo could paint his masterpiece.

At least there were probably an army of them.

Work on the nursery has officially begun.