PROJECTS – Page 2 – the MAD creative

BASEMENT BUILDOUT : DRYWALL

Post author:Derek
Post published:April 27, 2015
Post category:HOME PROJECTS
Post comments:1 Comment

It’s been a month since we finished framing and hung the drywall for our basement project. We had hoped to be sharing the final outcome with you by now, but the finishing touches have been stuck in idle as we’ve turned our focus to knocking out a few outdoor projects while the weather is nice. So, for a quick project update and to hold you over until we complete the finish work we’ll go ahead and give a glimpse of the new and improved space. Again, we’ve compiled a list of our handiest tools to complete this phase of the project.

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LIVING ON THE EDGE

Post author:Derek
Post published:March 31, 2015
Post category:HOME PROJECTS
Post comments:2 Comments

Over the past two years, we have explored a few landscape edging options and have become proponents of the approach that “less is more!” First, we tried an easy-to-install, no-dig plastic edging. In general, we were pleased with the look, but over time this edging had a tendency to float where it wasn’t staked down and still allowed grass and weeds to creep underneath it. Second, we tried a limestone border using rock from a nearby construction site. We placed a temporary border next to the plastic edging last summer with plans of permanently installing this spring, but in the short time we had it we decided it wasn’t quite the look we were hoping for. So, on to round three with what we think is our best solution yet.

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BASEMENT BUILDOUT : FRAME OF REFERENCE

Post author:Derek
Post published:March 22, 2015
Post category:HOME LEARN PROJECTS
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With every home project, we’re learning that having the right tools makes things a lot easier. Ashley jokingly claims that I married her for her power tools because she owned more than me. (I guess that’s what you get when you end up with an Interior Architect — bonus!) And we basically have the best neighbors ever — who not only lent us a ton of framing tools, but spent an entire day helping us in the basement. So with the compilation of our tools and their tools, we really had no excuse to not tackle the basement framing plans. And since half of any project is prep time, hopefully the following will save you some time with your framing project. Here are some lists of tools and building materials needed to frame a wall:

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BASEMENT BUILDOUT : THE PLAN

Post author:Derek
Post published:March 17, 2015
Post category:DESIGN HOME LEARN PROJECTS
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Teaming up for a home construction project probably isn’t the way most couples envision celebrating an anniversary together, but we have never been too concerned about doing things the conventional way. Life is pretty sweet with Ashley, and seeing her excitement to break out the power tools and learn some construction basics together is just another item in the long list of reasons why. To get things started, and especially since we’re rookies in this business, we wanted to get a good plan in place before we tackled this project. After some quick reading on the right way to build a wall, it was back to SketchUp to design our closet. On top of giving us a visual of what our completed project would look like, it helped get an accurate materials list together.

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“TAG ME”

Post author:Ashley
Post published:March 13, 2015
Post category:KIDS LEARN LOVE PROJECTS
Post comments:1 Comment

Today marks five years for us as a husband and wife team (8 years as an item). I can’t believe how lucky I am to have met the man they call Derek. And what better way to commemorate this than a pet tag! Ohmygoodness, as I typed that last sentence, I realize how lame it sounds. But if I say Mya helped make it, then he’ll cherish it forever, right?

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PAINT SWATCH ART

Post author:Ashley
Post published:March 8, 2015
Post category:DESIGN LEARN PROJECTS
Post comments:1 Comment

Before all the paint companies come after me for hoarding their swatches, let me just say this is an accumulation of supplies over at least 5 years. Why do I have so many? Well, I looooove color and playing with multiple variations in paintings and other projects. Anything that has to do with pantone is super swanky in my book. I think using magazine cut-outs with alternative patterns could be equally as cool too!

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PERLER BEAD BOWLS

Post author:Ashley
Post published:March 1, 2015
Post category:PROJECTS
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I love art glass. My favorite artists are Lino Tagliapietra and Steven Main… and Mya, of course. But since she’s not getting near a 2000 degree kiln anytime soon, we went a safer, way less expensive direction. I call this little activity “Chihuly on the Cheap” because this is the closest craft to resemble art glass that you can do with a toddler.

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CRAYON HEART VALENTINES

Post author:Ashley
Post published:January 7, 2015
Post category:KIDS LEARN PLAY PROJECTS
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Recently, Mya hasn’t wanted to leave the house. “Stay home” is her most common demand. The cold weather makes it pretty easy to stay in and play, but we’ve been “forced” to do more small projects to prevent cabin fever. One of those projects was making crayon hearts. It might be a bit too early to think about Heart Day, but we made some Valentines’ anyway. Plus, they don’t have to be for any special occasion– just for everyday play.

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THE CHRISTMAS STAR

Post author:Derek
Post published:December 21, 2014
Post category:DESIGN PROJECTS
Post comments:1 Comment

When I hung our Christmas lights a few weeks ago it was missing the finishing touch to complete the festive feel we were looking for, so we decided to go for a decorative Christmas star to finish the job. After a quick trip to Home Depot to see if there was anything that caught our eye, we quickly decided this was going to be a DIY project. We found a couple of 7-foot lengths of 3/4″ oak squares to build our own star. At just $0.67 per foot, the total cost for this project (since we already owned the rest of the supplies) was less than $10.

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PAPER BAG FLOWER WALL

Post author:Ashley
Post published:November 16, 2014
Post category:KIDS LEARN PROJECTS
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Mya’s party was yesterday and it was a blast. I just have to filter through the 502 photos (no, I’m surprisingly not exaggerating) and we’ll share the highlights soon! But until then, we have one of our favorite crafty things from her birthday bash: a flower wall!

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THE BLACK MAGIC TOUCH

Post author:Ashley
Post published:September 28, 2014
Post category:DESIGN HOME PROJECTS
Post comments:2 Comments

We just painted a blue accent wall and it’s result inspired us to be even more bold. Yup. I painted a wall black– “Black Magic” by Sherwin Williams, to be exact.

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MYA’S MINI DESK MAKEOVER

Post author:Ashley
Post published:July 26, 2014
Post category:DESIGN KIDS PROJECTS
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We had a neighborhood garage sale last month and we sold a bunch of stuff. What Derek didn’t tell you: During the sale, Mya and I took a break from selling and went down the hill to see what our neighbors had to offer…. and we wound up with this gem– an old school desk that we made new again.

Ok, it wasn’t much of a looker when we obtained it, but I saw some potential. (And I figured it would be difficult to make it worse than it was!) Mya’s taking more interest in coloring and drawing, so it seemed like the perfect time for this new project. A metal base and a wood top looked like a solid foundation, right? So for $10, we snatched it up (or rather we walked home and asked Derek to please go pick it up in the car!)

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