We're manifesting our dream life using our home : One Room Challenge Week 1

We’ve been using the law of attraction and our home to manifest the life of our dreams for the last few years. During those years we took a break from blogging, went through the pandemic alongside everyone else, and caught our stride. We love to use interior design and DIY to create more of what we want from life!

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We’re back for this Spring’s One Room Challenge. This is my third ORC having almost started the house rental right before the pandemic hit. Since then I’ve added the law of attraction to our lives and joined the Enchanted Circle for coaching. I love to manifest my dream life using our home and interior design to get exactly what we want. Running towards more freedom and ease by connecting our home to manifesting in some pretty epic ways.

We have been embarking on turning the whole house into an Airbnb rental, and living in our camper for the next 6 months.

In the upcoming ORC posts you will be seeing designs and projects we started work on in January and will be wrapped up the first week in May. I’ll walk you through how we've manifested more of what we want both now (hello easy projects) and what we want for our future, in conjunction with another important aspect: what our guests will want from our home!

The Projects:

Our Historic Two-Toned Kitchen Makeover

The “Rejuvenation” Spa Room

Our Young Girls Dream Bedroom 

A Bold Patterned Powder Room

The Functional Mudroom

A Cozy Multifunctional Living Room

The Design Mood Board & Overall Aesthetic - Creating more Ease and Freedom

How do we know we are manifesting our dream life using our home?

It’s already happened…..back in 2019 we opened a suite airbnb rental off the back of our house, located in Western Mass, and it has grown in popularity since then. With over a 100-5 star reviews its manifesting us more money so we can create a “giant life”. Because of that experience we were inspired to expand and follow the easiest path towards more freedom, renting the whole house out.

Our Current Suite Rental

Have you ever heard of the Law of Attraction? Ever thought about your homes connection to manifesting your life dreams? Let’s talk, comment below!

And….Check Out the other ORC Guest Rooms! See you next week!

Shifting Last Year's Struggles to our Amazing Growth Year!

“ I can’t wait for this horribly hard year to be over and to start next year fresh”, I thought...again.

Wait, what?

It’s then I realized, I’m wishing away the present - and all the good things in it - just to try to get away from the struggles, the challenges, the sad moments, the fear.

How many times do I feel like I’ve missed too many moments in my childrens lives, that I didn’t cherish them enough? Just maybe it has something to do with me wanting to rush through everything just to “get it over with”.

Not anymore I say. Not Anymore.

Today I start re-framing our “challenge year” into the year we had amazing growth, growth I could have never dreamed up. 

With every challenge was a beautiful amazing memory I never want to give up.

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At the beginning of the year we had this opportunity to come together as a family. Mitch’s Nana has been with us a few weeks in December 18’ and we were exhausted from taking care of her 24/7, not to mention our little KJ had yet to be categorized as a good sleeper.

One night I broke down and told Mitch I thought my postpartum depression was getting the better of me. More like postpartum rage to be honest.

“One night I broke down and told Mitch I thought my postpartum depression was getting the better of me. More like postpartum rage to be honest. ”

The most amazing thing happened, we just came up with a plan of action and implemented it swiftly, together. The entire family was in a much better place within two weeks.

Telling Mitch how much trouble I was having was terrifying. The amazing part was just how quickly things shifted when I opened up and was willing to receive help. He didn’t swoop in and create a fix, we came together and worked a plan, and I kept my power by being a part of the solution.

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Spring brought the deadline of completing our Airbnb renovation. The Airbnb idea was something we had before we moved from the last house. It seemed like a good way to make some passive-ish income while I was still home with the kids.

I was spending a lot of time saying things like “if it does well” and “if it’s booked often”. At one point Mitch looked at me and said I had to stop that. Either we were doing this because it was going to work, or what was the point?

From there we had a total mindset shift. It was going to book, it was going to be profitable, so what did we need to do to get ready for that!?

It’s pretty incredible what comes out of a mindset shift like that, and March proved that to me. We started booking in March for April before even completing the punch list . By April 1st we were 95% book the entire month! We completed the punch list and opened with bookings into the summer.

I’ll add that we envisioned a Airbnb sort of like the Bed-and-Breakfast Forest Gump’s mother ran. A place not only where we could make income for our family, but where our children would get experiences with all kinds of interesting people.

What’s amazing?! It’s been just that, incredible people stay with us that enrich our lives everyday.

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The couple of weeks after the Suite opened for business were wild fun with us building two chicken coops for the 40 chickens we had arriving.

We had chicken for the previous two years but our coop was in disarray and we needed something bigger.

Ultimately, we had a dream that the kids would grow up learning from taking care of the chickens and coops. It felt worthwhile creating the experience for our whole family.

Being DIYers at heart we really wanted to design and build the coops ourselves by scratch. But time was of the essence. The current coop wasn’t going to hold up another year and we loved making fresh eggs every morning!

Ultimately we decided to get shed kits and modify them into coops. Saving time and money while still getting quality (and cuteness!).

The 40 chickens we got were crowded into one coop for a few days while Mitch and his boss finished the second one. But they made it happen! And the hens (or buck-bucks as we call them) loved their new homes.

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The end of the school year brought a very big project to us.

Earlier in the spring I had been asked to join the House Corporation board of my Sorority at UMass-Amherst, Chi Omega.

As summer began, I began a huge renovation of the house with all new windows, ceilings, living room remodel, mailroom and kitchen makeover.

The project was a challenge to say the least. The windows and some ceilings were original to the 1970’s building. Cracked inefficient windows, ceiling tiles falling down. It was a mess, that needed to be worked on ASAP for the fall’s sisterhood. So, in conjunction with a team of folks who care about this household, we fixed all that.

The amazing part was how much got done, in such a small amount of time. All new windows, ceilings, a kitchen makeover, we moved the mailroom, and completely remodeled the living room (which is the size of three put together). Last minute we added an office.

The living room turned out to be the best creation, hands down. Modernizing the space and giving the sisters a comfortable, trendy space to come together in. So they can educate themselves, continue doing there community work, fundraising for Make-a-wish. The intention for the living room was to create a space they could call home and help them create a purposeful college experience.

This experience was thrilling for all of us. Pumped up to create something amazing for these collegians, we sacrificed the families last summer before our daughter started Pre-school.

I learned more about myself as a mother, entrepreneur and designer in those weeks than I could have ever imagined. So I would never take back the experience.

I also would never re-create the same hectic summer again, essentially robbing my children of their summer. Constant balance is an illusion but some balance is necessary for the health of our family.

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Then, Mid-summer we got the call that Nana had to move back in. This time on hospice and totally bedridden.

She was with us for three weeks until she passed

peacefully a few days after her 96th birthday.

We ran the Airbnb and continued work in the Chi Omega project. Of course Mitch still had his career to attend too . We also had 2 kids, 2 dogs, and my mother living in the house. Not to mention the 40 chickens…

I can’t lie, I was terrified of cracking. I’m sure I wasn’t the only one. With lots of frustration and plenty of tears, we triumphed.

Triumphed? Is that the right word…. when you had a death at the end? I believe in my heart it is. Nana was ready to pass on, I know this because she kept on asking me why she was still here? Why was she Imprisioned in a bed, forced to have her grandchildren take care of things she would never have wished upon them…. at the time I had no answer.

Hindsight is 20/20 and my answer today would be:

You still have some things to teach us about ourselves, Nana. You’re still here because all of your grandchildren need this experience to become their future selves.

You have one more lesson to bestow. GRIT.

The deepest of thank you’s for this lesson. I wouldn’t take back one second of my experience with you. I’m proud of my husband, my children, my brother and law and family, and of myself. Amazed and proud.

“I’m proud of my husband, my children, my brother and law and his family, and of myself. Amazed and proud.”

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Jumping into the Fall we wrapped up the Chi Omega project, and subsequently saw our daughter off for her first day of school.

Mitch also found a great deal on a camper and snagged it up! We had been tent campers as young lovers but it hadn’t worked out so great with a young family. This camper was a dream of ours and opportunity knocked!

Much like everything we embark on, it needs some fixing up. But we took it out anyways and had two fantastic camping trips in the fall before storing it over winter.

It’s calling to us in 2020, and we can’t wait to take it out again.

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Before

After

Another great experience of the year was the downstairs bathroom remodel.

Its started as a 6-week one room challenge, and turned into a 12-week full remodel.

The best part was that it took twice as long as expected and we just went with the flow. After one initial mini argument over the timeline Mitch and I dropped it.

Throughout the years working together has become easier and easier. But this project took it to a whole new level. Every challenge was easily solved, every opportunity presented itself with ease.

We didn’t even think we needed to replace the entire shower, and when it turned out we did, we created the best shower we could ever imagine within our constraints.

The Budget? Came out awesome for a full bathroom remodel.

The Design? Incredible. We implemented a shower system and design that we’ve never seen before. EVEN ON PINTEREST.

The Function? Amazing. All of us use this space (3 adults and two children) and we have maximized every square inch within the budget. Even building a killer hidden recessed cabinet.

Makes me excited for the next opportunity we get to create a space together.

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So that’s it! Our year of amazing, via blog post. I’ll actually be creating a photo book for the kids to look and read as they grow, Year after year.

My intention is that it will portray a realistic picture of our years and how everyone grows from the challenges, creating the life of their dreams bit by bit!

What are some of the struggles you can re-frame from last year? Does it change your perspective on what comes out of a challenge year?

Redesigning a Small Corner Shower (+ other bathroom reno updates)

A couple of weeks ago we started this $1,500 bathroom makeover with the intention of doing phase 2 reno in a few years.

As you can imagine in a very old historic home, things didn’t go according to plan. The shower (which was going to get some maintienence ) needs to be completely removed due to water damage.

Find us through the ORC? Nice to meet you!! We’re Susie & Mitch a couple of DIY lovers who have been updating our 1847 Historic Colonial in Western Mass for the past couple of years (a craftsman bungalow before this). Find out more about us here.

Week One- The Plan

Week Two- The Design

This post may contain affiliate links. When you click on a link and purchase I will get a small compensation at no extra cost to you, win win. Read the full disclosure here.

Since we weren’t able to keep anything we decided to change the shower corner for budget, function, and looks.

From the Ground Up

We picked this Dreamline Shower Pan because it came in the same existing size we had.

That cuts down on plumbing costs.

Because it came in black, working seamlessly with our black hexagon flooring.

Making the small bath appear larger.

Annnnd, because it had built in slip resistance

We’re a multigenerational family, young to old this bathroom is used by all.

DreamLine SlimLine 36 in. D x 36 in. W x 2 3/4 in. H Corner Drain Neo-Angle Shower Base in White Buy on Amazon

We then decided to keep the side walls open.

First, so the bathroom appeared larger than it is. Like I mentioned before.

Then, so that we wouldn’t need to tile two more walls.

And finally, we decided on a shower curtain instead of glass panels.

This cuts down on costs as you can imagine, but also made the shower easier to get in and out of. My mother lives with us and we decided to build a shower she could ‘age in place’ with. Something no one likes to actually discuss.

Can a shower look ‘real’ without tile?

This was a hard decision for me, both upstairs when we used a tub enclosure (I do have to say the Delta Upstile does the best I’ve ever seen), and with this bathroom.

Putting in modern materials into a historic home feels…. well wrong.

I’m sure lots would say it is. But we believe home renovation should function for you on so many levels. Budget, function, and aesthetics.

Tile gets expensive, and time consuming. Since this is still a phase one renovation (phase two will probably be further out at this point) we decided to look at surround panels.

The ones we used upstairs weren’t actually made for a corner shower so we went on the hunt.

and found absolutely nothing. zilch. nada.

They were all really fake, very expensive (why not tile at that point?), and practically none of them fit our small corner.

NEXT idea…

I had already decided on a shaker peg rail paneling on the other bathroom walls and got to thinking.

They make exterior plastic PVC “wood” for contractors, couldn’t that be used to make our very own shower panels? Could I just make them look exactly like the walls?

Had anyone else ever done it? One click over to pinterest and I found the answer, yes they had.

Here are two examples of shiplap surrounds using this exterior PVC “wood"

Click Photos for Sources

So were venturing down a unknown path, it can be done, but can I make it look the same as my wall paneling plans? We’re going to find out soon!

So there you have it. A small wild corner shower design, budget friendly, all while being convenient for aging in place.

Now back to instagram where we have been creating a vintage look out of a modern ikea vanity, DIYing a hidden recessed cabinet for above the toilet, and even creating privacy by frosting our windows.

Want to see finished beautiful spaces?!!!! Go, Run, (or click) and check out the other One Room Challenge guest participants REVEALS! Since we aren’t even close to a reveal yet!

A Modern Cement Tile Stenciled Fireplace (+ Easy Tutorial)

I swore I’d never stencil again, not after the kitchen stenciling I had already done for this Umass Amherst Sorority Project. But then here I was stenciling this mantle hearth while the sisters were moving in. Talk about down to the wire, but that’s how it goes when you have a vision, sometimes you’ve just have to see it through.

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New here? Thanks for stopping by! We remodel and DIY our own 1847 Historic Colonial and take on various other client projects. This was a remodel of a UMASS- Amherst Sorority living room we worked on this summer!

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Here’s where we started at the beginning of the summer (flooring was already demoed).

Now Its a whole different mantle with cement look tile.

This post may contain affiliate links. When you click on a link and purchase I will get a small compensation at no extra cost to you, win win. Read the full disclosure here.

Stenciling Supplies

• Cutting Edge Stencil - Nola Tile (We used a small for our 6 x 6 Tile)

• General Finishes Lamp Black Milk Paint

• Tsp or tsp substitute cleaning solution

• Cabinet foam roller, and extra rollers

• Foam brushes

Prepping the tile for paint

Our tiles needed a good scrubbing since the house was built in 1971 and the mantle area I stenciled is horizontal. It’s seen a lot of bottoms sitting on it and feet stepping on it over the years.

TSP is a chemical cleaner that does the trick, but be careful and use high grade chemical gloves when using it. Wear eye protection! 

Mix and use according to the directions.

I was particularly lucky in the sense that these tiles were already matte. Think old restaurant floor tiles. They were similar to concrete tiles, and didn’t need any sanding or deglossing on my part.

A good scrub with TSP insured no grime was left on the tiles and we were ready for paint.

The stencil strategy

Painters tape helped me ensure the stencil didn’t shift while I was painting. I would keep on changing out the tape when it lost the stickiness.

I also alternated which stencil I used, and which tile, to make sure I wasn’t overlapping before the paint had dried. 

Time for Paint

I couldn’t use primer because I wasn’t painting the whole tile. So I decided on milk paint which adheres really well.

You should test on an inconspicuous spot like I did in this fire wood nook, in order to get a rhythm down. Here was my routine: 

1. Put a little paint on the roller and spread evenly

2. Roll it off on paper towels

3. Light-medium pressure on the stencil

4. Create layers until it looks full

5. Carefully peel off stencil

*pretty much exactly what the directions say BTW*

Corners and Cutting Your Tile

Eventually you will need to cut one of your two stencils (you got two right?!) in order to get into corners and odd spaces.

I cut one into half and then into fourths to have options. Depending on the pattern you may need a triangle etc.

Basically the stencil will need to be lightly taped down and bend into the corners. This is no easy task when the cut outs are lines like my stencil. The lines tend to get bigger as you press into the corner, making the result look odd compared to a normal tile.

My only advice. Slow and steady wins the race (not my strong suit). But I made (most) of them look great. 

Reality Check

This was easy, and now that I’ve seen the results (for the price) I would totally do it again. Especially for a phase 1 makeover, I would then save and circle back to replace the tile at a later date.

But getting all the details perfect was difficult, not to mention I tweaked me back which made it impossible to get into that fire wood nook very well.

In the end I had some smudges and figured if anyone had time to sit on that and bend over looking at every detail... they probably should go get a life. It was a $50 makeover. It’s not like I replaced the tile.

It’s a little forward but that my two cents. I’m a little bit rough around the edges y’all!

Love Love,

Susie Q

Starting A $1,500 Makeover on the Bath the Entire Family Uses | One Room Challenge Week 1

All right, we’re back at it again joining this year’s Fall One Room Challenge! We’ve done a few of these in the past. The first being our previous home entry remodel with that dark moody feature wall DIY, and the second our sons vintage mid-century modern nursery.

Find us through the ORC? Nice to meet you!! We’re Susie & Mitch a couple of DIY lovers who have been updating our 1847 Historic Colonial in Western Mass for the past couple of years (a craftsman bungalow before this). Find out more about us here.

We tried to do the Airbnb bathroom during a One Room Challenge but life got in the way twice! Eventually we did take the room from this before to this after!

I’ll officially reveal that bathroom sometime this month on the blog. 

Until then I have another project space to reveal! 

Our family bathroom will be the next One Room Challenge Project.

And boy is it gonna be a challenge! When we bought the home 2 years ago we knew this space needed work, that the shower stall was going to need maintenance among other issues. Just like everyone else does, we had to back burner this project until we came up with the time and the funds! 

Now, it really needs an overhaul, but we have a tight budget of $1,500. Not only do we need to stick to that budget but we really need this space to function for us since it’s our only full bathroom.

Because... the Airbnb is almost always booked! Yeah! 

So the entire family uses this bathroom which includes Mitch, myself, our 4 year old daughter, (almost) two year old son, and my mother! 

We are a multigenerational family, and we all have to use this bath! So it really really needs to function. I mentioned that right?! 

Side note: If you are new here Welcome! Just a little back story... we moved from a 800 SF house to a historic 3,200 SF colonial. Moved my mother in, we created an Airbnb, moved my husband’s Nana in... twice!  We became her full time caregivers for a bit until she passed away this summer.

And....( as if that wasn’t enough) We have built two chicken coops. Now we sell eggs on our roadside stand as a little business for our children to grow into! Whew! 

Now back to the $1,500 bathroom makeover!

Here it is now:

We pretty much need to deal with everything! Its gotten bad especially the shower.

The list of things to do:

• Floor

• Shower Maintenance

• Vanity

• Sink and counter

• New accessories

• Vent fan

• Window treatment situation

The list of things to keep:

• Tall cabinet storage

• Shower tile, faucet

Those lists are a little lopsided so wish me luck and some way to make money streeetch reeeaallllyy farrrrrr. (That’s annoying huh?) Next week i’ll give you all the nitty gritty details, for now……I need to make all those design decisions!

Check out of of the other guest room projects!