I LOVE molding!

Yes I really do :)  I love how it make a house feel more like a HOME. I have always admired old homes and the many moldings that adorn them. It gives so much character.

Our first apartment was in a 2 flat. It was tiny & old, but had so much charm. Part of that was the molding. I still have such happy thoughts for that place. I wish I had a some of the photos of the outside. But I did find a few of moving day. Before you continue...remember these photos are from '97 -'98!! No judging the decor!! he !he!

Moving in & opening a few gifts from Mom & Dad :)

Our little living room

Since then we married, moved & had kids! But we’ve never lived in a place that’s made me feel like home until 4 years ago when we built our home.

( I'll post a better pic when eveythings in full bloom!)

I must admit, I wasn’t excited to build. I wanted “instant” charm & history! My hubby wanted to “instantly” live there & not have a list of rehab projects that I was sure to have for him with an older home. Oh well….he had a point. I have to admit he was right. Its sometimes more fun to decorate your home rather than rehab your home.

Everyday of the first month after we moved in, I painted, nailed, hung curtains, painted some more & added tons of molding!

Upstairs bathroom molding

If I could climb a ladder & reach it , I was going to paint it and sometimes put up some molding......

Upstairs hall

View from the upstairs into the Living room. We have a super high ceiling in that room. Which is nice, but makes for complicated decorating. I decide place the molding just under the window to help keep the room from feeling like its goes on forever.

But on this wall....

I just painted so it matched the view of the upstairs hall. How did I paint that high you ask? Picture a dinning room table, a ladder, an extendable paint rod & a mom telling her then 5 year old, " you know how to dial 911 right?"  I know I shouldn't have attempted it but I did & its done :)  I have something big planned for that empty space too. Just haven't gotten to that project yet :)

I added it to the doorways & chair rail.....

By the time my husband got home from work each day, another room was done!!

Which leads me to my major project this last week….our family room & kitchen. Why did I wait 4 years to add the molding to these 2 rooms? I think I just did so much all at once, I was just TIRED & wanted to just LIVE here.

So that’s what’s been keeping me busy! I was on such a roll and then my oldest got sick , then my youngest too. Every ones feeling better & I finally finished! I’ll share the before & afters on Friday   : )

Dress up your mirror

I don’t like “plain” anything , and that includes the basic mirror we had in our master bath. So I decided to fix that. Just add molding!

I love molding almost as much as I love my glue gun. If I can find a place to use it , I do. This mirror was no exception. Since I used wood corner squares, the rest of the molding is simple straight cuts.

You’ll need…molding, molding squares, liquid nails ,caulk, caulk gun (for the glue & caulk) high gloss paint, tape, saw , miter box, tape measure.

First measure the straight edges of each side of the mirror. Subtract the inches of 2 wood corner squares. That will give you your length need to be cut for that side. Using a simple saw with a miter box will help you keep your cuts straight & even. I chose to paint my molding in a high gloss paint first, since it was in the bathroom, would need to be cleaned & handle moisture.

Once all pieces are ready, pick a corner to start from & get your liquid nails. Apply a good amount to the back of one of the corner squares. Press directly to corner of mirror. Tape square on as well. This will help keep the wood from sliding out of place before it has a chance to dry.

Apply liquid nails to the next long piece of molding and secure the same way. Now add the next square to cap that molding. Apply the same as before. Continue this until all molding is applied. Be sure to use tape again to hold all pieces in place while drying.

When dry, remove tape. Using calk, fill in small gaps between the molding. Your done! Now you have a custom look for your mirror for a very small price.