After seeing that gorgeous stairway while shopping in Virgina, I have been on a redo roll. Avalanche style, right down the mountain, gathering momentum and growing and growing.
I call it the snowball effect for two reasons. One- we’ve had the worst winter I can remember in years and I have been snowed in staring at my house way too much. Staring and finding fault.
Two, because as the project rolls along, it grows and grows.
Redoing the stairs meant that the walls should be repainted while I had the carpet up. I am entranced by Strawberry Whoppers right now and love the color as much as the taste. So, I mixed up a gallon of paint just slightly muted in that shade. (I used some leftovers in the garage, mixed and matched and added some tints till I got just the right pale, malty pink)
Under the rug, 
I knew the wood was going to be construction grade and meant to be covered with carpet, and that there would be some gaps here and there. But man… it was bad.
We ended up buying new pine steps for $7 each at Home Depot.
And to cover the gaps along the risers and the wall, I found these little corner pieces ($2 each) that just fit.
The steps are replaced, the paint is on, the walls are painted. Now I need to wallpaper them all.
When I cut out and held up slice of vintage rose patterned wallpaper, I loved it so much, I started to hate the rest of the room. The stair way is open to the dining room and all of a sudden it just wasn’t measuring up.
I bought a new (antique) dining set on sale at my friend’s store ($600). Then, of course, the curtains won’t match the new chairs. I picked up lace panels at Target ($60) Doesn’t Target have the best curtains???
And now, standing back from the baby’s room and looking down the stairs, I am thinking that carpet in there could use replacing…. And I saved so much by making my own paint and using vintage wallpaper that I already had and finding bargains for the dining room. And by doing the work myself with my son instead of hiring someone, that labor savings was huge! Heck I am redoing TWO rooms for way under $1000, on Trading Spaces they can barely do one. (well does a stairway count as a room??)
Aren’t I good at rationalizing? 
I am feeling very spoiled by getting these re-dos done, but I am not nearly as spoiled as this little one. Sugarwings got some gifts in the mail from blogging friends.
How cute are these?? The little purse is from my pal, Phyllis and the cute collage with the baby’s photo on it is from Mahala. I think I will fill the little bag with Easter grass and toys, and tie the tag to it to give to her at Easter. Won’t they be cute together?
Of course, this little girl is just as happy to eat mud as she is to eat candy. I babysat her all day yesterday and she did quite a bit of mud snacking. (notice her lips)
So Grandmama taught her how to spit. That is a trick I am sure her parents will appreciate. We also went down to the creek to sit on the bank and throw rocks. Spitting and throwing rocks, yep, her parents will be thrilled with me.
Between working on the stairway and babysitting, I found some time to make pretties too. I bought these child’s tea cups from Shabby in the City with plans to give them to the baby, but she is too young yet for china cups.
So, they became nests for a fairy and a couple of sugared birds with vintage millinery flowers. I hope to get them all listed on etsy but time seems to be getting away from me.
Time has not been on my side lately. Listing seems to eat up a lot more time than actually crafting!
I managed to list these two little Easter peat pots that I made, the pair for $10. I made a TON of these last night, because I just can’t seem to make one of anything. For me, creating things is like a bag of Lays potato chips. (remember those commercials?) One is never enough.
If you would like one of these I will sell them to my blog readers for $4 each, plus postage instead of the Etsy cost of $10 a pair, for the saving me the time of listing them! 
Same with the child’s tea cup nests- if you’d like one with birds now, it is only $10. $12 for the fairy.
While my house is torn up with remodeling and changing out furniture, I am extremely behind and am happy to give you a discount if it means I don’t have to edit pictures for Etsy right now!
These aren’t the best photos are they? Come to think of it, this isn’t a real pretty posting, with the murky photos and the ripped up stairs. Oh well, there is a Sugarwings picture, that makes the post beautiful to me!
In case you can’t tell, the peat pots are glittery and sweet, I used lots of vintage goodies, old soft yarn and trims, plus some German die cuts. No two pots are alike.
Email me or comment if you are interested. If not, I hope to get them Etsy sometime before Easter passes me by and it is too late!
And oops, I can’t forget this–
My winner for my February giveaway is:
And don’t forget, if you are entering my St Pats Two Tag swap, they need to be mailed to me by March 7th. Isn’t that the date I said? I forget.
And honestly, it isn’t my fault- look at my calender!!!! It has the first half of Feb. and then goes directly to the second half of June!!!
Last year the calender I had gave me 31 days in each month, and I didn’t notice until August. Now, two years in a row, I get a bad one, what are the odds of that???? And I never know what date or day of the week it is anyway, so this really doesn’t help me at all.
Thanks everyone for entering my drawing. In March, you get another shot at winning, actually two, because I am giving away a bird house on March 27th too.
Good luck!
Oooohh! Your stairs are going to be so fantastic!! I can’t wait to see them finished (you will share won’t you?). Your avalance reminds me of “If You Take A Mouse To School” (one of our favorite bedtime stories around here). It just never ends does it? Have fun! XO XO
Oh! Muddy Muddy feet. Anxious to see your stairs when your finished. Oh yea…my husband grew up in Kansas. His grandmother still lives in Salina. I think they are a couple of hours apart. Why it matters I tell you this I don’t know! Hee Hee…
Sarah
dang girl, I KNOW better than to go for a few days without catching up with you! my eyes are sore from all the eye candy, lol!
can’t wait to see a pic of the stairs when they’re all finished, what a great idea to do wall paper on the riser part…cuteness!!!
OK, back to reading more of the Adventures of Karla…everything looks fab as usual!!!
Geeze Girl! I’ll have some of what your having! Whatever it is you should bottle it up and sell it. I don’t know where you get all that energy! Those stairs are going to be unbelievable. I love corner molding detail! You HAVE to send pictures to the store owner when you are done! I love that sugarwings was tasting dirt too…builds up the immunity ya know! The peat pots are so adorable too! and… I just love that justified justification you mentioned! I love to do that too!
You are simply amazing. Not only can you paint and paper and glitter (to name a few) you can spit AND throw rocks!
Wow! What a busy weekend you have had! Those stairs are going to end up in a magazine just you watch! I think I am going to steal your idea. I was going to have a sale in my etsy shop tomorrow but maybe I will try using the blog first to save me listing stuff!
I can wait to see your completely re-done and completely re-furnished home. LOL! That is if you keep going in the direction you are currently headed you will have your entire home completely redone!! LOL! And yes, I am just positive that Sugarwings mom & dad are looking forward to her new habits that her grandma is teaching her! LOL!
Barbara
Your stairs are going to be sooo great! I can’t believe you mixed your own color, just like that, and found those little risers… you are a one woman encyclopedia of how to decorate a home. I think Trading Spaces should hire you! You’d outdo all the designers on there. Sugarwings reminds me of my daughter at that age… loving anything she can get her hands on and cute as a button!!!
Hi Karla,
Wow your stairs are going to look great, and isn’t it always the way when you change one thing that it inspires you to change the rest. I do that all the time, I just call it going with the natural creative flow, my husband calls it never finishing one thing before starting the next, it drives him a little crazy. Can’t wait to see the finished results.
Cheers Linda
Love your stairs. We are redoing our kitchen. Our son was going to help us today but he came down with the flu, so we did what we could. I ended up trying to dig out a sliver buried deep under my fingernail and only getting half of it, so it’s hard to lift stuff. John has little stamina since his lung transplant, so we just muddle along and wait for reinforcements.
I’m sending the green gift for your granddaughter with the tags. Also love your spit story 🙂
Pam
I’m finding it hard to believe that you watch as much TV as you say you do! Unless you have a little portable TV that you carry around as you work on projects. LOL! I can’t wait to see the finished project of your stairs and I love the photo of Sugarwings and her rose wreath.
Yummy mud! eww! The stairs are going to be so nice when you are done aren’t they? A lot of work, but it will be worth it. Of course I can say that because I’m not the one doing it!
Take care.
Love the stairs, and the muddy feet. That’s what grandparents are for. My tags will be in the mail today.
I love the little wooden trim pieces you got for the corner of your stairs! And they are going to be gorgeous, can’t wait to see the finished project! Sugar wings is looking exceptionally cute in the little flower headband… and the mud, oh what a mess, but it was a beautiful day after so many cruddy ones! I’m making progress in the new house, too! I only have half of the garage left with full boxes of ‘treasures!’ Maybe by the time next winter comes, I’ll be able to actually PARK in the garage?! 🙂
Ohhhh, I hate that when one project turns into another! I am excited to see the steps when they are done. Sugarwings looks cute. at least she’s only spitting in general and not spitting on each other like my kids do 😉
Jen R
Hi Karla! I love what you are doing with your steps! WOW…can’t wait to see when they are done. You amaze me with your energy.
Sugarwings is so adorable… she is growing up since you first started your blog. 🙂
xo Heather
The stairs are going to look wonderful.
And that is too funny about teaching sugar wings to spit. That is what grandparents are for after all, to teach
the true wonders of the world…
My husband babysat our three grandchildren a few weeks ago; I hurt my back and couldn’t go,
those kids think they have the best grandfather ever, he feed them Dunkin’ Donuts
for lunch….
Louise
I WISH that the grandmothers of my girls would teach them to spit and throw rocks! Wouldn’t that be a twist!
I think that all of us bloggers are the same as far as getting in too deep when we do a project! Good Luck, Anita
Throwing stones and spitting…isn’t that what grandmas are suppose to teach. 🙂 I’ve been teaching mine to keep your eyes to the ground and pick up junk for artwork.
The stairway is coming along and will look lovely.
Karen
I love seeing all your projects. Sugarwings looks like she is having a ball!!!!…..Smiles
What a fun to see all your crafts – thousands ideas! Your stairs with buttons of rouses so lovely. You just a super-woman.. Where did you get time, energy and all you lovely ideas??????
Oh, my — I am totally overwhelmed by your amazing home redecorating (you’re right — it never ends — everything else looks so pale by comparison when you finally get it pulled together!). And all your other items are gorgous! I went through a peat-pot thing last year, and I’d forgotten about it! They are the best! I am getting so ready for spring and reading this post makes me all the more so!
Hi
Thanks for the nice comment, glad to be an inspiration. The sliver’s out, re-enforcements arrived, all is well and God is good:-)
Pam
Hey, spitting is a very important thing to learn!! love what you are doing with the stairs!! It’s going to look beautiful! Amazing how little its costing!!
LOL on the spitting!
I know what she is learning from you…
how to redecorate the world…one rosey stairstep at a time! Her wings will come in handy. I can’t wait to see that staircase.
love your re-do’s can’t wait to see the finished staircase and rooms.
Great idea for the stairs. The puppy ate the carpet, I pulled it up, and gaps too!! I will borrow your trim trick. I already painted and stenciled mine.
Dona
Karla, too cute about the spitting and i don’t think you will get into too much trouble because your little miss is cute enough to get away with anything:)
your stair project is looking wonderful!!!
Ok, love the vision of you and Sugarwings sitting on the bank spitting and throwing rocks~you are a fun Grandma! Or should I say Ms EnergyPants! My goodness, you know how to change a room in a matter of a few hours! Love it!!!
Hugs,
Carol
…oh that redo brought back sooo many memories…like when i bought a new refrigerator…for such a fantastic deal…that i was sooo excited i got home and it was 3″ too wide for the space…and we had to knock out a wall..to accomodate it..lol…then the hall needed redoing etc etc…
hope i didn’t upset your sleep this morning..lol..
hugz
Spitting and rock throwing sound like 2 fabulous things that any Grandma should be teaching their grandchildren. Well how slack am I ??? i haven’t taught any of my grandchildren those skills yet. Maybe tonight when Lachlan and Chloe have a sleepover or when I take them to school and creche in the morning I had better give them some lessons!
Alison.
hmmmm….. love the steps too! We have an OLD farmhouse, may have to borrow that idea!!! I hope you will show us pictures when you are finished!
Diane from Michigan
hmmmm….. love the steps too! We have an OLD farmhouse, may have to borrow that idea!!! I hope you will show us pictures when you are finished!
Diane from Michigan
You are so hilarious Karla!!! LOVE the job you are doing on the stairs and can’t wait to see it finished.
Sugarwings is adorable as usual, and her parents will love it that they have a daughter who has some extra special skills now!
Cutie pie birdies and things you’ve made, you really are so good at getting things done!!!
I love the idea for the stairs! I know it will be beautiful when you are finished. I rationalize the same way. I now have the snowball effect going on at my house too… Your posts always put a smile on my face. :o) Your little Sugarwings is so adorable.
Well here it is almost 1am…and I just cannot get away from your website….we do have a lot in common…I love my yorkie….I have been to Lucketts on a road trip last year with my husband…I love that place…we stopped at every antique store that we found…and I love painting furniture white…but it looks like you just have the touch of making everything look perfect….