Wow, we have been so busy. One of my projects has been the double decker doghouse. I think I mentioned it before when I was planning it. I wanted it to be passive solar with a southern window wall, but soon discovered that plexiglass has gotten outrageously expensive. So I went to the thrift shop to see if I could find an alternative. What I found was a plexiglass shelving display with some broken shelves for $7.50. I used the two 12" end pieces for tall front windows. They weren't quite tall enough, so I bought two transparent clipboards, removed the hardware, and used them for the top of the window. We are not quite finished with it, but here is a picture:
We have one side left to finish and that will be the one with the doors and ramp to the second floor. This is for my two border collie/catahoula mix puppies. At least they now have a dry spot when it rains, and the bottom floor is currently large enough for both of them. In the picture, I have it blocked off until the paint dried on the floor boards. (Although those puppy paw prints might have looked cute, I wasn't ready for them on my new deck.)
Also, I had to find a way to conceal that ugly septic tank cover in the backyard. My solution was to hide it in plain site. I hauled over some rocks we had laying around, along with some compost from the pile, and added some plants I had to dig up when we put in the deck, and a resin column and sundial we have had for a few years and voila! My husband sparked this idea by putting the column on there to be out of the way when he mowed. You can imagine his chagrine when I jumped up and down and told him what a great idea!
I have also been bitten by the home decorating bug. I (with my husband's help) have painted our small powder room pale green, hung pictures, will be putting up a marble shelf, and even used a shiny stainless steel bucket under the sink to hold the toiletries. I call it "Farm - Luxury".
My favorite bathroom secret for marble shelves are to buy a 4" marble threshold from Lowe's or Home Depot and put them on crown moulding corner blocks or a fancy shelf (We have done this in another house). I got an extra good deal on it because I knew when I went that I only needed 30 1/4 inches, so I found one with a chip on it and asked for a discount. I was quite surprised when he gave it to me half off. I will post a picture when we get it done. I can't wait to put the little lotion bottle and the air freshener on the shelf. I bought a vintage-look crystal perfume bottle with the bulb squeeze to put the air freshener into. My Powder room that started out looking more like a closet looks so much nicer! On the master bath, I went shopping in the basement and found some wall hangings we had in a former dining room. My husband made quick work of hanging them for me:
I used some fabric I had leftover from the window curtains in my bedroom to make a curtain and literally found a green ribbon to tie around it for color. For an added detail to both bathrooms, I found a couple of battery powered motion lights from here:
http://www.amazon.com/T-03-Wireless-Sensing-Pathway-Staircase/dp/B0079TPCIU/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&qid=1413407882&sr=8-10&keywords=stainless+steel+motion+lights They look fabulous and after a few days of having them on an easel and moving them from place to place, we found just the right spot for them so they will come on when we need them to and not before. Then we permanently attached them to the wall.
This is the stainless steel bucket under the sink: 
Here is a more detailed picture of one of the nightstands painted glossy white with the new green crystal drawer pulls:
The cheap plate easel works perfectly as a place to put my tablet so I can view it hands free. I often use it in the kitchen for a recipe. I can also just touch the button when I wake up at night to see what time it is, watch the morning news, or watch an HGTV special on ulive.com for decorating tips. I love the High Low Project. I also thought Freestyle, Decorating Cents, and other programs large on creativity with a small budget were good uses of my time. One can always spend MORE money, but the real learning comes in when you can do the same thing with LESS. I always thought the House Hunter shows (since I don't intend to move) and the decorating shows that spent a ton of money were a waste of my time. Here is more progress on the last side of the double decker doghouse: 
As we are doing it with leftovers, it is somewhat pieced, but once it is trimmed and caulked (again with leftovers), it should be nice looking, sound, and frugally built. We still need to finish cutting out the door on the top, as you can see in the picture. We will attach a small diagonal ladder to the top when we finish with the trim.
