Our neighbor is a professional brick mason/layer who builds walls, patios, and anything with brick. He gave us some great advise on how to build our backyard paver patio. Watch the video below and learn!

Supplies Used: Nothing was sponsored in this post Elbow Grease 12x12 square pavers from Lowes Concrete Sand Landscape wall blocks from Lowes Landscaping Block Glue Optical Level with Grade Rod (because my husband is an engineer) 6 Foot Level Survey String Line Grade Rake Plate Compactor (rented from Home Depot) Surebond SB 1300 Joint Stabilizing Sealer Ornamental Black Fence from Lowes Patio Chairs from Ikea Wood Burning Fire Pit from SoloStove

It was time to rip out the old carpet in the basement. We decided to go with Vinyl Rigid Core Plank Flooring in the color Playa. This luxury vinyl flooring is water proof which is great for basements in case of flooding. We also set our baseboards up higher a little bit in case of water. Our basement is not prone to flooding, but it has flooded before - once when the water heater broke, and once when our dog chewed a sprinkler and all the water spilled into a window well. Homeownership can sometime be a nightmare, and LIFE HAPPENS.

So if you want to see how we installed our beautiful and functional new vinyl flooring (while keeping our old baseboards), watch the video below! Don't forget to support us by subscribing to our YouTube Channel.

We show you how we removed baseboards and reused them,

• MDF board - Ours was 1/2" thick and 2' x 2' to begin with.
• Clock Mechanism - Ours was designed for up to a 40" clock.
• Clock Hands - Search the internet and find a style you love.
• Paint + Primer in One - Clark + Kensington from Ace is extremely high quality. It's very thick and durable. Our color is called Charcoal Pencil 34A-5 and it's drop dead gorgeous!
• Compass - We created our own by finding the center of the board, screwing in a screw right in the middle, tying string around the screw, and connecting the other end of the string to a pencil.
• Reciprocating Saw - There are many ways you can cut a circle out of wood or MDF, and we chose to use a reciprocating saw by following our pencil markings.
• Orbital Sander - to smooth out the edges
• Wall Mounting Hardware - Find a sturdy hook so you can hang this beauty up.
• Needle Nose Pliers and Open End Wrench - These tools came in handy when putting the clock hands on.

Before You Go To The Store:
I love shopping online to save time, and Ace has made paint shopping online so easy and informative. The Paint Studio is a one stop shop for paint inspiration, helpful video tutorials, and tools to narrow down your color! You can even upload a photo of your room and "try on" different colors. If you're like me and get stuck choosing the perfect color, you'll want to check out this site before you go to the store.


Isn't this color just beautiful? It's called Charcoal Pencil 34A-5 if you missed it. I love how it looks with the gold clock hands. This Clark + Kensington paint is exclusive to Ace Hardware. Not only is the color perfect, but this particular paint is very durable, stain resistant, easy to wash, and goes on smooth.


Here's a tip you may not know about Ace. If you forget something at the store, you can call them up, order it over the phone, and they will deliver it to your door with no delivery fee! Isn't that incredible? I can't tell you how many times I've gone to the store, went home, started the project, and realized I needed something else and had to run back to the store. Ace really goes the extra mile to make their customers happy.

Something else I really love about Ace is that it's smaller than other retailers. There is a home town feel with their friendly and knowledgeable employees, and the store is easy to navigate which saves the shopper a lot of time. We have simply loved working with Ace on this project and we can't recommend them enough. Find a store near you, roll up your sleeves, and create!

Check out our DIY video of this project below:

Clark + Kensington Paint from Ace, has done it again!  This time, we have taken this durable, and beautiful paint to the outdoors.  We were so happy to discover that Clark + Kensington has an exterior paint that is not only durable, but was rated BEST exterior paint in a 2018 issue of a popular consumer review magazine.




In fact when things were said and done, I found myself the proud owner of not one, but two of these lovely ladders.

When visiting our local Ace, I went straight to the paint counter in search of the perfect paint for this project.  The paint expert behind the counter didn't hesitate for a second when he recommended Clark + Kensington's exterior paint for my project.  He explained how the paint would be thick, almost like pudding, but that I would be able to apply it with ease.  This thickness of paint would be the very thing that helps it withstand the elements.  He was so knowledgable and kind.  There is no doubt that Ace has their costumers' best interest in mind, and are willing to go the extra mile.

When trying to decide on the color that would look beautiful in my garden,  I came across this gorgeously neutral color, called Smokey Taupe (N-C6).  I thought it would blend seamlessly into the garden, while displaying my growing herbs.

We ended up choosing three gorgeous shades of green to transform our plain stools.  Juniper Tree (28B-7), Soothing Eucalyptus (26B-6), and Mountain Greenery (28B-5) were the winners.

*  This post is brought to you by Humboldt Redwood and The Motherhood. All opinions are our own.