splish splash

Warning: Adult Content in this Post!

as usual, i'm about threeee months late posting this, but then you already guessed that. Waaaaay back in November i got Terry to agree to help ME put the tile back splash up in the kitchen.  and by ME i mean Nacho.  i'd mentioned the tile here, so that tells you how long i'd had it sitting in the garagae.  we don't do anything but hockey in a hurry around here.

i know i took a before photo somewhere but cannot find it.  so just close your eyes & picture a plain, basically white wall.  well that wall was starting to see some wear from spaghetti sauce, etc. so we figured we needed to get the lead out & get it tiled.  let's see, the date on my photos say Saturday, November 5, 2011, so it was Wednesday, November 2, that Terry came over to talk through the layout with me.  let me tell you something, there is nothing like watching someone who does this stuff for a living!  i was amazed at how fast he'd figured all the field tiles without really measuring much of anything.  he took one field tile, laid it against the wall, and basically drew all the rest free hand to get an idea of how it would lay.  and remember, we had decided to lay these in a straight horizontal pattern - no brick pattern here.  since we were going to intersperse the glass tiles around the wall, we simply took 10 pieces of paper cut to 4 x 6 & taped those up on the wall.  we did change one thing; we decided to insert some of those on a vertical.  again, impressive that Terry never flinched & just kept laying it all out in pencil.  Terry said i had until Saturday to look at those pieces of paper taped to the wall & change what i didn't like, but i had to stay in the lines drawn for the field tiles.  i didn't change a thing cuz he got it right the 1st time - this is why i picked him!

so Saturday the 5th rolls around and here we go!
field tile on the West & North wall.  notice the little dots between the tiles?  basic nails for spacers!

and here they are again looking mostly at the North wall.  notice the blanks we left for the glass inserts.

the top row was filled in by field tiles cut in half.

Nacho had the glass tiles laid out using a field tile to cut that sheet into 4 x 6 pieces.

while Terry installed them.

Nacho was able to do most of the cutting for the glass sheets on the tile cutter that Terry brought, but he did have to cut some by hand.  and there is 1 glass inset that i had to piece together tile by tile!  so i really did help do the back splash in the end.

our project was not without peril!  we did have 1 accident that i have yet to report to OSHA.  Terry was wiping his hand across one of the tile sheets after Nacho cut it and, not even thinking about what he was doing, sliced his finger.  not bad, but bad enough we had to break out the Finger Condoms for him!

truth be told i think he liked saying this was the only tile job he'd ever had to use a condom on!

after that it was grout, caulk (which yours truly did) & attaching the silver electrical & light plates that i got at Lowe's.  And here kids is our finished wall!

we couldn't be happier!

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the Envelope Please!

i have finally decided to get the sewing machine back out again. i have a motivator though, banquette cushions.  it seems i am the one holding the kitchen dining up from "Finished" since i don't have those done.  well huh?

a few years before my mom passed away, she asked if there was anything in particular that i wanted. i knew nothing about sewing then (and not really anything now), but i'd wanted her to teach me the basics, like how to hem a pair of pants or....make a pillow. she was too ill at the time & i never got that lesson.  but i did get her sewing machine & all her sewing goodies!  i took the machine in shortly after i got it & had it completely looked over & tuned up.  i've used it for a few small projects but have always been too intimidated to do any "real" project.  well that banquette is bound to change everything now isn't it?

i've collected a few sewing projects on my Pinterest SewIt board & one is for a Simple Envelope Pillow in 20 or 40 minutes.  i must say, this was the perfect project & one of the best written how-to's i have ever come across.  Shannon was right, it took me more than 20 minutes for each one, but it wasn't because she didn't make it easy to read & do.  i had a few machine problems that slowed me down, but i stuck to it got it done!

in my quest to reuse any & all things around the house, i'd used the center portion of an old chaise cushion to make the boxers a doggie bed/mat.  that left the bottom/foot piece & the top/mid pieces for something else.  so i decided to use the smaller foot piece for my envelope cushion experiment.  the fabric came from a large quantity i bought several years ago when i bit off a project too big - making a new futon cushion.  people, that is harder than it looks & i never finished it so i had a bunch of this fabric left.

So here's that dingy cushion

yuck! nast!  but hey, it's an outdoor cushion!  who cares!  and, i'm about to make it look like new thanks to Shannon.  about = 1 hour later!

now you can easily go check out her instructions cuz they are much shorter & i think her end product is much prettier, but here's my ugly duckling's transformation process:

Steps 1 & 2 = Measure
as Shannon instructed, i measured the Length & Width for my fabric adding about 5 inches to each.

Length - I added 7 to this to give me 35"

Width - I added 5 to this to give me 29"

i like how Shannon admitted adding lots of extra just in case. she's right, i'd rather cut fabric off after i'm done than not have enough.

Steps 3 & 4 - Fold & Hem

i folded the edges over twice like Shannon instructed & ironed them down then sewed along the edge to create a nice finished edge for the envelope back when done.

Steps 5 & 6 - Wrap & Sew

after sewing the edges, lay your pillow on top of your fabric, RIGHT SIDE UP, and fold one hemmed side over

then fold the other hemmed side over

Step 7 - Close It

with the pillow still in the "wrapping", use pins to mark where you want to sew down each side to close it up.  remove the pillow sew the left & right sides.  i did a back stitch over the hemmed overlap just to give it a little extra strenth.  cut off the excess after you're done sewing & turn it right side out.

there's the old ratty cushion in the background awaiting it's new home!  and here is the finished product!

Front

and Back with the overlap!

thanks to Shannon's "rather have too much fabric" mentality, i have about a 3 1/2" overlap on my 1st pillow. it didn't quite work out that well on my 2nd, but i managed to eeek out a little overlap & pretty much use the last large piece of this old fabric. and here are my 2 pillows that i'll be using on the chaise this summer!

i do have a couple issues to keep working on with my sewing machine. i think i have a tension problem because my top thread kept breaking on me multiple times.  and each time, i made myself stop, rip out the seam & start all over from the beginning. no shortcuts this time around!  i'm training myself to expect less than perfect, deal with it & try again!  but also, there is something off on my stitches.  like this

notice how uneven they are!?  i have no idea what is causing that, so i'll consult the ladies in my swim group. for now, onto more envelope cushions as the 1st round/draft of the banquette seating!

Mad Props to Shannon over at Madigan Made!  if it weren't for her awesome tutorial & pics, there is no way i would have stuck with this and certainly wouldn't be as charged as i am to start on the real cushions!

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Happy Holi-DIY

As usual, I should have posted this much sooner. I actually meant to post this before Christmas, but the fact that I did anything at all is a bit of a victory in my book!  I don't know why, but every few holidays, I decide I'm going to DIY some stuff.  I actually started doing this back in college when, like so many of us, I had no money to buy gifts for my parents.  Although most of my gifts are cheesy-cheap, I actually take a small amount of pride in making them.  One year I even went so far as to make my own paper for my Christmas cards.  One year mind you, and it never happened again. So this year was the year for Holi-DIY but I spared anyone the tragedy of receiving one of my macaroni-necklace inspired gifts.  These were all things just for me!  I also noticed a theme emerging this year:  Reuse what I already had & stick to the Dollar Store if I could.
First up & the easiest, a glass container filled with ornaments.  I have always loved this. I love all the colors.  I owe much of this container to The Dollar Store.  Can i just say, that is my new 1st stop for Christmas decorations!? Seriously, they had all the best stuff!

Recycled Materials = Glass container from my sister & all bulb except the blue ones

In the same Dollar Store I found these really cute boxes! Meant for storage or gifts, I had Nacho drill a hole in the back & I strung Christmas lights inside.  I did mine in 3 small 30-bulb strands so I could separate them if the grouping didnt' work out, but I love how it turned out!

Recycled Materials = sadly boxes & lights are all new but all from the Dollar Store!

 

 I cannot take credit for this one!  And truth be told, this is the one gift that I did actually present someone with.  Someone of age of course!  But my Reinbeer idea came from Fingerprints on the Fridge & saved to my Pinterest board.

Recycled Materials = ummm none here but the beer will be recycled i'm sure!

My Waterless Snow Globes came from Sweet Something Designs & I loved making these two.  I could have made so many more, but had to be practical about it!  Still, I might do these for gifts next year, creating a personalized theme for the recipients.  I will warn you, even well before the holiday rush, I had a time finding the power snow/snow flakes, but now have plenty for next year!

Recycled Materials = Mason jars from Cherry Preserves projects

Each year a struggle with how to display Christmas cards. There are a ton of good ideas out there, but I wanted to keep with the cheap inexpensive and easy theme. I don't remember exactly where I saw this idea, but I love how it turned out. Just sticks collected from around the yard, painted with Red & Silver spray paint I already had & plopped into a planter I already had.  This is probably my favorite!

Recycled Materials = all of it = 100%

And finally our door hanger.  This is actually a hanger that we have had for a few years now so technically the entire thing is recycled.  However, I made it back when Butterz was still with us.  I could not bring myself to replace his "envelope" last year. No disrespect to Baxter, I simply could not do it.  

But it was time & we wanted Santa to know exactly where to deliver his gifts.  What you may not be able to tell is I made a new front & simply sewed onto Butterz's envelope so it's always with me.  I've decided that is what I will do for any envelopes moving forward.  That way I get to keep them all forever in some little way!

Recycled Materials = all of it = 100%

and yes, the misspellings are intentional!
Don't get me wrong, I didn't get to all my "want to do's", but thanks to Pinterest & my Holiday board, I have plenty of ideas for next year as well!  Hope everyone had a Happy Holiday whether it was DIY or not!

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ThankFull

It's an unconventional holiday for me & Nacho. We're on the road today about 4 hours from my hometown. So while most people are either into their 3rd hour of holiday prep or still sleeping in, we are inching closer to my family.
Family. That word means different things to different people. My definition got a permanent rewording when my parents divorced almost 30 years ago. I learned that family doesn't have to be that group that you are born into. Family for me is the people you chose to surround yourself with. And I've chosen some pretty cool family members.
At its core, my family is my sister Renee, my brother Jimmy, my nephew Bryce, and, of course, Nacho.  I am fiercly loyal to my family & grateful for each one of us. When I think of everything my siblings & I did to get to this family, it makes me smile. And I couldn't have chosen a better family member to add to our little clan than Nacho. For him I am most ThankFull.
So whether you are elbow deep in a turkey or doing your best today to decline "one more piece" of whatever, take a good look around at those people (or animals) you've chosen to spend it with & be ThanFull they chose you too!
Happy Turkey, TurDuckEn, ToFurkey Day!

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Beer Me

we interrupt this.....well, pretty much everything going on at our house, to bring you Nacho's first welding project.  say hello to Todd's beer stand!

Todd has gotten serious about home brewing & since we decided to DIY our dining table base, this seemed like the perfect training project.  Todd provided us with drawings & measurements & Nacho provided the welding.  not bad for a first project i might say.  you're looking at the future of 3 brewing kettles!  we cal first dibs on the first batch!
coming up!  the dining table base.  yes, it's done & in place.  i just don't have a decent photo of it yet - unless you'd like a photo even more blurry than this one taken with my phone!

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TAG you're finally it!

OMG!!! you have no idea what a big deal this is!  Nacho has waited & watched that mailbox for just shy of 2 months waiting for this to come in!

and every day, he comes in the door sad & dejected!  you would think someone had kicked his hockey gear!  well, last night he finally got his wish & the tag that I PLANNED LIKE 5 YEARS AGO finally came in.  we can all breathe a collective sigh of relief people.

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Baby Steps

at some point during the whole Kitchen Remodel, i stumbled upon I Heart Organizing. i have been obsessed ever since!  i luv Jen! i think she is the best thing since chip clips!  and i love seeing organization transformations. it appeals, well, to my sense of organization.  i, however, am not exactly what you'd call an organized person! i am an organized-wanna-be!  i aspire to a life of organization.
i have talked for some time & at great length about organizing & revamping our spare bedroom/office. our house is very small, only about 900sq/ft. it's plenty of room for the 4 of us, just not always room enough for the junk we collect. i'm often asked why we don't expand our house; do a upstairs master addition. you know why? the more space you have, the more junk you collect. but i digress.  yes, i've TALKED about getting the office together and, i admit, i haven't taken one step in that direction. but i know why: i'm afraid of all that stuff in there! what if it retaliates against me, and while i'm at home alone? who will save me? the boxers? nay!  so i understand & recognize that it has gotten to a point where it is overwhelming. and sometimes, seeing all the amazing things that Jen does, actually does not help. you don't get a space organized in the time it takes to read one of her posts! i see a nice pantry or office redo on her site & i think "i can do that!"  and i can!  just not in the 3-5 minutes it took me to read the post. so i walk into the office & i'm overwhelmed again!
solution?  you gotta crawl before you walk! training wheels kiddos!  so here are my training wheels: the bathroom closet!

our bathroom is HUGE. i mean HUGE with a capital HUGE! we have a freakin hot tub in our bathroom for cry eye! not a garden tub people, a H-O-T--T-U-B! you know? the kind you'd normally have outside?  and the closet must be huge too right? nope! very small: 40.5"wide x 16" deep. and the door opening itself is only 23.5" wide & sits 26" from the hot tub, so a door is really not practical.  while it is techincally 8ft tall inside, you lose about 2ft of that due to the sloped section at the bottom that is the adjoining wall for our entryway below. in our previous house, i got creative with a closet just like this & used strips of quarter round molding to make a  nice shoe shelf. i'm sure i'll do something similar here, depending on what gets stored there. for now, we'll ignore that bottom part where you see the hose for filling the hot tub.
let's take a look inside shall we?

Shelves 1 & 2 (above): you can see the very attractive electrical panels in grey. who wouldn't want to stare at those beauties in the morning? at the top is a separate panel that has something to do with the fire alarm system & home alarm system. it's all very technical & while i work in IT, i couldn't care less about technology when i get home!  we have my assortment of travel size items in the pink bag at top, my overnight bag next to it, followed by the little grey bag that keeps meds, band aids, etc. for when we travel. below that, a repurposed tool box that holds nail polish, files, cuticle cutters, etc. and then the assortment of tooth goodies!

Shelf 3 & 4 (above): you will notice at this point that my husband elected NOT to extend the shelves past the electrical panels. while i was not keen on that years ago, it is really practical. yes, Nacho, you were right!  so we have the usual supply of contacts, vitamins, lotions, potions, & plain old junk. that pink/purple/teal thing you see is a very old Caboodles case that i repurposed years ago into our First Aid kit (this one does not travel). it actually works great holding Cold/Flu meds, aspirin, etc. so does this qualify for Jen's Free Organizing posts?

Shelf 5 (above):  aka Scary Shelf!  every time i look in this closet, i refuse to look below the 4th shelf. this last one is really what finally kicked me into gear. i mean look at all that!  disgusting! you have the hot tub goodies on the right, and a bin for swim trunks on the left. here's the thing, everything in that bin? none of it belongs to us! it belongs to the kid (and a friend of his or two) that house/dog sits for us when we're gone. have hot tub, will bring trunks! so those will be returning to their rightful owners!  in the middle is good ole TP!  as i mentioned, we have a small house, so buying in bulk, while economical, is simply not a space saver for us! so i have to keep things like TP, soap, etc. to a minimum & that can be hard to do even when you don't shop at bulk stores.
so as we all know, to start any organizing project.......EVERYTHING MUST GO!!!!

well, everything but the electric tooth brushes because i forgot the shelves are attached to their brackets - probably for my own safety - & i just didn't feel like undoing them.  okay, that passed & eventually i had to undo them because i knew i was going to spray paint those panels.  before i started on this, i was really hoping that top panel (security/fire) was not actually in use & i could talk Nacho into doing away with it. he informed me later that yes it was all in use, so it has to stay. since it's up so high, and a bit of a bugger to paint, i simply ignored it &, you'll see, it will be hidden.
My Arsenal!
as i mentioned before, i already have some repurposed storage in here.  and i'll be reusing that clear plastic bin holding those trunks.  but i did need to purchase some additional storage containers. Target to the rescue:

obviously going with a brown/beige theme in keeping with what we already have in the bathroom.  the brown containers came from the bathroom supply section of Target. the beige ones came from their container section & are cloth basket (i hope i don't regret that).  i've used the cloth ones in the kitchen pantry & have been pleased so far.
after taking all the shelving out & wiping it down GROSS!!!!, i went through everything & threw out old, unused items.  i consolidated things like cold meds where a box had 1 pill & there was a new box.  my favorite was when i emptied the clear bin with the trunks

hey, anyone need an extra Vitamin while hot tubbing?  apparently, we are saving that for emergencies. yeah, that got thrown out.  i do have a few Rx meds to take for recycling locally at our pharmacy - REMEMBER NEVER PUT Rx MEDS IN THE GARBAGE OR SEWAGE!!!
i then taped off the breaker switches in both grey electrical panels.  remember, i'm not going to paint the security/fire one up top, just cuz i'm going to "hide" it for now.

Nacho got the biggest kick out of this! the lengths i will go to on some stuff & then others...not so much. so it looked like this when finished:

not bad eh?  and you can see the taller one to the right has been spray painted as well.  i simply did 1 coat of primer & 1 coat of Satin just because that was what i had laying around.  then really, it was just a matter of getting rid of stuff & putting stuff in bins.
And now we have......drum roll.......

Shelves 1, 2, & 3 better organized.  i  know that hideous single light up top has to go & it will - it will be replaced by LED strips on the inside of the door.  my pink bag of travel toiletries is temporarily hiding the security/fire panel somewhat.  i plan to come back & better disguise that with a stretched canvas DIY painting. it will be a nice little unexpected item when you look up there.  that will mean pairing down more stuff on that shelf, but i'm up to it now.  and actually, on Shelf 2, that box on the right? empty! just leaving it for decor for now! it also helps to hide the top part of the generator panel that you see most of on Shelf 3.  speaking of Shelf 3, vitamins all collected in 1 bin (with tag showing). did i ever mention what a commitment-phobic i am?  yeah, just in case i decide the bins weren't for me, i could always return them. i won't!  moving on....

Shelves 4 & 5 now how much nicer is that! Boo-Yah! all the lotion/shampoo refills & smell goodies collected in 1 fabric bin.  i think i will be getting another Small bathroom bin to replace that little wooden one. it's holding our "immediate" medical stuff like band aids, gauze, ointment, etc. so no more searching through the Caboodle when you have a cut, it will be right in the open, immediately accessible!  the bin in the middle is the liquid medical stuff (alcohol, peroxide, Witch Hazel, etc.).  and of course, Caboodle with the runny, stuffy, coughy goodies!
And finally, Scary Shelf! tamed at last! at least until Nacho needs the hot tub supplies, then it will all go to crap!  i probably should just remove the saline solution from the box cuz it does kinda clutter things up all half open. oh well, post-production discoveries.  and it's all finished off by another recycled item that just happens to fit in with the bathroom color scheme

that's an old sheer that i got from Pier1 EONS ago!  i think they still make it but i have not seen it in that color in a long time. it's a perfect brown tone that works with the rest of the room. ahh destiny!  and that is an antique leaded glass pane that Nacho built a frame for me some time ago. i have this weird mix of modern & antique stuff in my house. i had hoped to put hooks on it & hang it behind the bathroom door you see here so we could have towels right there at the hot tub.  unfortunately, it's too wide to hang horizontal & i'm not sure vertical will look so good, but i'm still mulling that one over!
so there you have it! baby steps to working on bigger projects in the house! next up, under the kitchen & bathroom cabinets & cleaning out all the clutter that accumulates there!  and eventually.....that office is mine!

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Negative Outcome

it's actually better than that title sounds.  a few weeks ago i made the difficult decision, with the input of my doctor & support of Nacho, to have some genetic testing done. i'd been considering this for a couple of years, and finally made the leap.  i'm sure any woman reading this can guess what it was - BRCA1 & 2 Genetic Test.  my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer while in her early 30's.  she elected to have a Radical Double Mastectomy at that time.  consequently, i have been getting mammograms since i was about 29 - at the time the standard was to start mammograms 5 years sooner than your mother or sister were diagnosed; that standard has since changed to 10 i believe.  let me cut to the chase, i tested Negative for both - ovarian & breast.
now, the rest of the story.....during a routine yearly exam, my doctor asked if i'd thought more about it & would consider getting tested.  i told him i've always kinda felt that with my mom's diagnosis, i knew i was probably at greater risk than say someone who had no history in their family at all - i now know this to not be true at all.  and also, so what? what if you test positive? what are you going to do about that?  well, therein laid the issue - it was not the test that was scary, it was WHAT DO YOU DO WITH THAT INFORMATION?
so Nacho & i had some very lengthy discussions about it. i'm not one to live in ignorance.  i have often said if ignorance is bliss, then i'm the happiest person you will ever meet.  but not really. (1) i'm not a very happy person, ask anyone & (2) it's not so much that i'm ignorant as it is, i'm just not very bright. those aren't the same things are they?  but i realized, i'd want to know. and as someone said to me during this, any information is GOOD information.  so what if it comes back positive?  at least you know what your options are.  and what would you do?  the 2 or 3 people that knew i was doing this asked as well.  you have options.  i would not hesitate to have my ovaries removed. i'm not having kids so that is a no-brainer.  but would i have a Mastectomy?  well, yes i would, but i wouldn't necessarily HAVE to. that was something i had not thought about. so this process was a good thing, because it allowed me to look at the multiple options available. i didn't have to think "radically".  as my doctor told me, one path would be to have mammograms twice a year & not just standard mammograms, embrace some of the new technology in that area too.  now, i wasn't so scared.  and you know what?  Nacho said it best: if i did have to "give up the girls" (my words not his), he'd rather have me here alive without them, than not!  i'd be lying if i said i was pleasantly surprised or flattered.  i was neither cuz i know exactly who i married!  BOO-YAH!
but a couple of other factors that helped to make this decision for me:  a friend from graduate school was diagnosed with Stage3 breast cancer a few weeks ago.  Nacho posed the question that if i were to ask her right now if she would have had the test (i do not know if she ever has), what do you think she would say?  he had a point.  BUT, it's also important to note, a Negative result does not mean you will never get cancer, you just carry the same risk "as that of people in the general population."  and that's important because i know someone else who tested negative for the BRCA1 & 2 & she was diagnosed with breast cancer last year. so again, i had to ask myself, what good is this test?  and the best answer i could come up with is, as someone else put it......it's good information either way! and, of course, i simply cannot live my life without saying i tried to know and do all i could about this. 
so here's how it worked for me (and this is by no means the way it might work for someone else): my doctor's office took a blood sample & sent it to Myriad.  i will not provide a link to their site, you can Google it yourself & read all about the testing & controversy of this company's genetic patent on your own. that is a whole other issue i am in no place to tackle!  as my doctor explained it to me, Myriad checks with your insurance to see if they will cover the testing. if they do, then Myriad proceeds with the testing.  IF YOUR INSURANCE DOES NOT COVER THIS, Myriad contacts you, tells you so, & asks if you want to proceed with the testing, paying for it yourself.  the cost is estimated at some $3000.00 USD give or take.  i was fully prepared to pay this myself if necessary, but i decided to contact my insurance company to start with - hey, why wait?  indeed they did cover it due to my family history.  i got as much family history from my mom's side & my dad's as possible - my mom's case was the only known case on both sides.  and that was that!  blood taken, shipped, test run, results received from my doctor 10 days later = NEGATIVE!
i should be through the roof right? well, i guess knowing that there is no way to know anything for sure, that i could still find a lump or have a questionable mammogram tomorrow, well, it kinda takes the elation out of it for me.  but i'm am glad i did it & grateful for the results given to me today. at least now i can say not only do i refuse to live in complete ignorance, but, should something happen, well, i did all that i could, given the tools currently out there, to find out what i could.  and as more tools become available with technology, i'll use them when they are & i'm not afraid of what to do with the information!

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Flashback

i was pretty shocked when i looked back over the skimpy postings i've done in the past year+.  i will not lie to you, everything kinda went downhill after i lost Butterz.  so top that off with all the chaos that came with the Kitchen Remodel, and you have a perfect Depression Soup! wala! Ina would be proud.  served up in beautiful bowls made by Apathy!  mmm, sure am good tastin' ma!  it was all a bit more than i bargained for!

so i'm going to try to get my buns (as Miss Millie would say) in gear & post all the stuff from this summer into October.  they will be my Flashback postings!  perhaps this will get me back on my track of more regular posting.

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Wine-OH!

one of my most favorite parts of our remodel is not the windows. it's not the countertops. it's not really even my faucet that i have promised to marry!  IT'S MY WINE STORAGE!  i think i've mentioned before that i went a little nuts with the whole "storage" idea in this remodel. if there was an empty space under or behind something, i wanted to find a way to use it. i did actually hold back when it came to all that blank space behind the seating in the banquette. you have to stop at some point or people are gonna think you really ARE crazy. i like to think i stopped just this side of crazy.  
the first time i mentioned the wine storage was in my little Check List of items.  i actually did finish it back in August.  okay, the top steps are finished.  and although i have not taken a true After photo, with the steps painted & all, here they are, or rather here they were in August!

how cool is that?!  keep in mind, these are the 2 sets of steps that separate the dining from the living room.  and that's just the first step of storage.  the step below that has drawers that are about twice as deep.  so here's how i did it!  oh, and forgive the pics, cuz, again, in a rush to get photos i used my phone & that's really not the best when you have the shakes from all that wine like i do!

Materials - aside from the drawers themselves that Tom @ PlumCreek made

• i used cork shelf liner (to carry the wine cork theme, but also for grip)
• Xacto knife or Box Cutter - aka Utility Knife apparently in the Mid-West!
• Ruler
• extra wine corks for spacers
• and of course WINE!!!

oh, & btw, that is an original Charles Chips can holding my spare corks. i have 2 of them thanks 2 mom!

Assembly

make sure you have a clean drawer. i vacuumed it out & lightly sanded it.

Special Note:  Nacho had to use the table saw & sander to the bottoms & front panel because i ended up adding thin felt strips to the bottom for glide - or else it scratched my beautiful Marmoleum floor. i found the felt strips at Hobby Lobby & it came in a sheet of 8.5 x 11, just like paper.  even as thin as it was, this would affect the fit so he had to take a little off to make it work. this was trial & error so there were actually multiple trips to the sander & table saw before we got the bottoms & front whittled down so they didn't stick.

now, cut your shelf liner to size. the easy way for me was to actually turn the drawer over & trace the bottom. perfect fit every time - except for the 1st one cuz i didn't think of it until after that!

hold it down & peel it back as you go

and there you have it! a nicely lined drawer!

Spacers
since wine bottles vary in size, i didn't want to put anything too permanent in place where i might run into "accommodation" issues later. not that i can't drink my way out of any "accommodation" issues! but i wanted to leave a little wiggle room inside the drawer.  to do that, i sized the drawer up by laying out a few bottles without everything being crammed bottle-to-bottle.

anyone want to guess my current favorite wine?

take 4 spare corks & hot glue 2 to each side, placing them close to the front & back of the bottles. i figured this keeps the bottles from clanging against the sides of the wood.  i could have fit a 5th bottle in there, but, again, bottle sizes vary so i could run into issues down the road.

dab of hot glue on the bottom of the corks

THIS IS JUST ON THE RIGHT & LEFT OF THE DRAWER! don't hot glue anything in between bottles. i considered & even tried cutting some corks in half lengthwise & whatever the other direction is. wine corks don't cut so well, & since i've had some pretty serious run-ins with sharp objects, i'm restricted on how much i'm allowed to use a knife (just you wait Nacho!). so it was just easier to use the whole cork & glue it in place on each side.
now just lay spare corks in between the wine bottles as you need them.  i used 2 like the sides - 1 to the front & 1 to the back!

and what's nice about this, is as i take a bottle out, if i don't have something to immediately take it's place, i just put a bunch of extra wine corks in the gap until i get replacement wine bought!

and since i have extra space behind the bottles (to the back of the drawer), i just move the spare corks back there when i'm restocking the drawer. that way i always have extra corks right where i need them!

....and just wait! i have more ideas for all those corks! bwah ha ha!

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