Starter home to Dream home

Back with kid room redoes!

2011-04-27T15:58:00.000-07:00

HELLO READERS!!!!!!!!!! I have missed this blog. But even more, I have really missed using my creativity to transform a space and help all of you out.

I have been super busy with my CRAZY 2 year old twin boys. Why didn't someone tell me that 2 year old boys were a disaster? They have basically destroyed my house brick by brick. And I also took on way too much this year (building a new ballet school, my new found Photography side job, and dealing with daily 2 year old twin disasters). Something had to go and it was this blog.

I was at the zoo the other day and was approached by one of my "fans". I was shocked when she said "are you the girl that does the house blog? I miss your posts!" I was so excited I still had readers and that I was helping someone.

I bit the bullet and finally decided to tackle my kids rooms. They were pretty much a living nightmare and I couldn't handle walking past them without having an anxiety attack. Things must be pretty when I walk by!! The rooms are almost done- paint drying as we speak.

My daughters room involves a $40 chandelier from Ikea.

And my boys room involves this little project to hang on their wall. I showed my husband this and said "it is $60 online, do you think we can make it for half that?" and of course he said yes! I love my husband!

I also plan to post about my kitchen "A year later" and how it is holding up. (this will happen after my ballet recital in May...)

Thanks for reading!!!

The WINNER!

2010-12-18T19:58:00.000-08:00

I wanted to pick the winner through a computer program this time, instead of my kids picking it out of a bowl.. haha!
With this program you input everyones names and then click 'PICK" and it takes a name outa the hat! And the winner is......

Carrie!!!!!!!!!!
I will email you the gift Certificate code and have fun getting whatever you want from CSN. SOOO many options!

Thanks to all who voted and supported me and my brother. We will find out if he wins in January, I am so excited.
And keep checking back to this blog... we are going to be gutting our master bath soon. SO EXCITED!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Votes CLOSED

2010-12-17T21:25:00.001-08:00

The giveaway is now CLOSED but I will pick a winner this weekend!!! YIPPEEE!!!
Thank you to all who voted and supported me and my brother, you are amazing :)

Will post a winner TOMORROW (saturday dec. 17th) before midnight.

A Christmas GIVEAWAY with a purpose!!!!

2010-12-13T09:10:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone.... First off, MERRY CHRISTMAS and HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!! I just LOVE the holidays and I really badly wanted to do a giveaway!

Leather Messenger Bags, a sister site of CSN stores, is sponsoring a $60 giveaway for my lucky reader. They have over 200 sites to choose to spend your $60! You can choose from cookware, furniture, Decor, Baby items, the list goes on and on!!!! Use the $60 for a christmas gift for a loved one, or use it for yourself!

Here's what you gotta do:

My brother (yes this gets personal) was handpicked from thousands of classical musicians to be a finalist in Youtube's Symphony. He needs your votes to make it to Sydney Australia where he will rehearse and perform in the Sydney Opera House with the best musicians in the world!

1. Click HERE to vote
2. Vote for him
3. Leave a comment that you voted.
4. **Let me know how many times you voted

**For each vote you get 1 entry. You can vote until Dec. 17th, so don't just stop at 1 vote! You can also vote more than once using different browsers (ie. Internet Explorer, Firefox, Google Chrome).

The more you vote, the more entries you get in my little Giveaway.
Voting is open until December 17th- entries to my giveaway will close Dec. 17th at Midnight.

Have fun and START VOTING EVERYDAY until Dec. 17th!!!!!!!!!!!

My Redecorating Reality

2010-09-22T20:17:00.000-07:00

Lets face it, times are tight. Are our homes really where we should be spending the money that we could be saving? I don't think right now is the best time for that (beyond what we have already done).
My heart aches to remodel our master bathroom, I wish upon a star that I could get that ottoman and matching pillows for my family room, and maybe one day I can redecorate the kids rooms :) I also have REALLY badly wanted a new dresser for our bedroom, maybe add some chair rail, amazing photos and a bookcase. I have to add that I would LOVE to get a new, stylish chair to replace my nerdy office one I am sitting on right now (that someone gave us 4 years ago). Not to mention reflooring the whole downstairs with Engineered hardwood..... in my dreams....

The reality is, we need to be saving.

My husband is still driving the '87 Toyota pick-up he drove to High School. I think it's his time for a nice little "renovation". It is his turn to buy his "dream truck" (the dream truck in our budget). My dresser can wait, my ottoman with matching pillows and my master bathroom will definitely have to wait until the housing market picks up again and I can see a reason to spruce things up with the hope of a nice return.

My husband gave me my dream kitchen so I will give him his dream truck.

So, for now, my posts will be far and few between. But that is OK. Because when I do get a chance to redecorate something it will be so worth the wait :)

My Bookcase & a Winner!

2010-09-14T12:58:00.000-07:00

For a while I couldn't do anything with my bookcase. The twins were just too much of a risk of messing the whole thing up so it just sat and looked ugly and boring. It looked exactly like what it was called "Book case".

I couldn't put anything on the bottom two shelves because, again, the twins would take it, break it, ruin it.

I found myself at Target just throwing sale items into my cart (with my 3 kids in tow... of course!). I saw orange and green, cute fruit things, a candle, flowers, and those really nifty hourglasses that should always belong on a bookcase or in a library!

After about 20 minutes of playing with it I had everything just where I wanted it, and I looked at it and SMILED!!! Finally it was pretty, fun, colorful, and ME!

This flower bundle (that reminds me of a wedding) was marked down to $3!!!

ok, so I even took pictures of my daughter with it..... got to get good use out of it :)

I love the HUGE pear and the hourglass. My bookcase is basically in the kitchen/dining area, so I wanted to add some kitcheny stuff plus more "bookcase" items. It really ties it all in nicely.

Now... for my before and afters :)

BEFORE

After :) So much better

And the WINNER to the giveaway is........ (after having my twin boys draw out of a bowl)...

Rebecca said...

Yayy!!! Giveaways! I have been waiting to get some kitchen tools, and would love any of the Rachel Ray's items. I used one at my parents house and it was sturdy, easy to maneuver and it look gorgeous while I was cooking Taco Soup!! YUM!!

Congrats!!!!

One More Day!

2010-09-13T10:17:00.000-07:00

I will be announcing the winner tomorrow for my giveaway..... I am giving you one more day! (kids are CRAZY right now.... need to tend to them...)

Back to School Giveaway!!!

2010-09-04T19:26:00.000-07:00

Have I finally come out from summer hybernation? Have you missed me??
I thought it would only be appropriate to come back with a BANG- a GIVEAWAY!!!

Our kind friends at Bistro Sets would like to giveaway a $60 gift certificate to use on any of their 200+ websites! I decided not to pick something to giveaway this time, but to let you spend the money on whatever your heart desires. Of course my pick is always Rachel Ray's Cookware, which I have been looking at and admiring ever since it came to my front door. Isn't she lovely?

Doesn't she look pretty in my Always AMAZING kitchen? I used her once, and it was amazing. She is definantly a winter kinda gal :)

Here's what you gotta do:
1. Comment on what you would buy with the $60 from CSN.
2. Make sure to leave your email address so that I can get you the $60 if you WIN!!

That's it. GOOD LUCK! I am keeping this open until midnight Sunday, September 12th.

Oh, and I actually did some "Decorating" at the end of summer. I couldn't handle my BORING bookcase any longer so I sprused it up and made it ultra fun. I will be posting that later! Here's a sneak peak:

Guilty

2010-07-21T23:03:00.000-07:00

Summer came and I have been outside, playing in the water with my kids.

I have been watering my flowers and nurturing living things.

Indoor house projects are just gonna have to wait until Summer is over.

I am the worste blogger right now. I swear I have projects that I am eyeing (including redoing my daughter's room and my master bathroom...), but I have 3 little things that come before those. However.... I am helping my friend redo her family room and my mom totally gut her Master Bathroom. I promise to be better at posting soon....
But for now I am going to sit and enjoy the sunshine :) I hope you do the same.

Free art from an amazing trip

2010-06-28T15:22:00.000-07:00

Life has been crazy around here, but in a VERY good way. I am sure some of you have wondered where I'd gone. I am also sure some of you understood that I needed a break after that LONG kitchen renovation! Not to mention summer finally rolled around and I am spending my extra time outside! Renovating and decorating are for lousy weather.

Me and my husband recently enjoyed 10 days in DC & NYC on our 5 year anniversary trip. I was so inspired!! If you didn't know, photography is another sick hobby I have (not that I am good at it, it is just a hobby). I am planning on getting a dresser, redoing it, and putting it in our master bedroom. Above it want to hang all these photos to create a memory wall of our trip (while making my master bedroom pretty of course).

Because I am such a nice person I am giving you all the chance to "steal" the photos I will be displaying in my master bedroom. Take 'em, frame 'em, hang 'em, enjoy them. Of course it wasn't your trip, but I think they would make the perfect art on anyone's wall :)

Brooklyn Bridge, Black and White

The Washington Monument, D.C

Arlington Cemetery. D.C.

Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Degas in the Met. Museum of Art. One of the most inspiring pieces of art to me, personally

Brooklyn Bridge, in color

Summer Review

2010-06-21T16:50:00.000-07:00

Summer is here (I can't tell by the dreary weather in the NW) and berry picking season is on! I make strawberry jam every year with my dad. Well, this year will be a whole lot better because CSN, and their sister sites that have anything from decor, vanity, and office, has given me the opportunity to review their darling Rachel Ray cookware from cookware.com (you all know how I am obsessed with Rachel Ray cookware).

I will be cookin my jam in this big pot this year, I can't wait!!! Not to mention the orange will just POP in my newly renovated kitchen. Wanna come over and can with me?

Kitchen Final Reveal!!! Picture Perfect

2010-05-15T17:19:00.000-07:00

It has been a hard and long 2 months! Wow, I can't believe it took us 2 months to get this thing finished. It is FINALLY DONE!!!!!!!!!!! I am so excited to show all of you I had to post this before my big date tonight :)

BEFORE

AFTER

I can't tell you how pleased I am with the final result. Our projects ALWAYS come out BETTER than we had planned.

Remember how I originally had picked, and purchased, Tumbled Travertine as my backsplash? Well, my gut told me it was wrong, so I returned it and traded it for Porcelain, dark and contemporary tiles. LOVE IT!!! That was the best choice I made. And I am SOOOO lucky that Oregon Tile & Marble made the exchange, THANK YOU!

The Granite goes perfectly with our whole contemporary feel. Click HERE for my post on our DIY Granite Mini Slabs

My $10 Valances above my corner sink fit right in.

I am in love with my elegant Faucet that reminds me of Swan Lake. I can't believe I actually wanted to return it. I have fallen in love with it more everyday. I got it at Lowes for $200!!

I had so much fun Accesorizing my new kitchen:

Got 'em at Target

No, this knife set isn't new. I just spray painted the wood Oil Rubbed Bronze. A quick fix for it to look sleek and new.

See the "old" knife set to the right?

I wanted to add some accessories on the top of my cabinets. Just because I can't accesorize within 2 year old reach I had fun with this one! I still feel like I need to tweek it a little bit but I have time for that.


I added this plate for a POP of orange and to add some "Hawaii" to my life

I had to get that green in. Love that green.

I am just loving the look of my Kitchen Island Redo. It makes such a statement! Don't get distracted my the kids playing on the floor.... hehe

Lets have some fun with before and afters:

BEFORE

AFTER

BEFORE

AFTER

And 1 more:

BEFORE

AFTER

Kitchen Facts:

We DIY 100%. From the painting to installing the plumbing. Nothing was hired out (only my husband's hard labor...)
The Kitchen Renovation was UNDER $3000 for the whole thing. I know, amazing.
The Cabinet Paint color was a color match of Behr's Powdered Snow in Sherwin Williams Oil Based.
Wall Color: Sherwin Williams Quiver Tan
Click HERE on the tutorial for my "No Fear" way to paint your kitchen cabinets
Granite Mini Slabs were Gialla Santa Cecilia
Crowley's Tile and Edging bullnosed our mini slabs and cut the undermount sink
Pam and Brian with Interiors Plus Flooring were the heroes in making this happen, THANK YOU!
And a BIG THANK YOU to my sweet husband for pulling through. It was worth it!

Linking to:

Accessorizing around Your Kitchen Sink

2010-05-09T10:39:00.000-07:00

First off- Happy Mother's Day! I have so much stuff to post but I never have time, so I had to wait until today to get one in (while hubby dresses the kids for church).

My corner kitchen sink and faucet are looking so beautiful after our remodel I had to redo all my accessories. I never was in love with my accessories before. A vase, a frame and some bottles of pasta was just something that could fill the space. Plus, I have quickly realized that when I hate the space I don't have much motivation to beautify it. But now I have more than motivation, I have inspiration!!!

I had been toying with some ideas for the blank space:

Some Candle Holders. These are from Pottery Barn.
I love this idea but wanted to use the candle holders for my family room on my buffet later.

I love these lanters. I was going to have 1 large lantern, a chunky candle and maybe a framed picture behind my sink. But for some reason I just didn't think this was the way to go (I want to use the lantern somewhere else! haha). PB again.

Adding a POP of color through these cheery flowers seems so fun. Especually by the sink while you do the most mundain job- dishes.

After all the ideas running through my head I headed to Michael's and in 15 minutes put together a perfect combination that works with my style, my budget, and my new kitchen.

I got 3 glass vases, all different sizes (the cheapest ones of course), and took them around the store with me and started filling them with things I loved (and things I could afford):

Green Apples. I LOVE green and I LOVE apples! Apples make me think of the kitchen and cooking and the bright green fills me with energy.

Willows and Marbles:

I had to sneak a pic of my cute daughter on Mother's Day :)

I took a $2 piece of Pussy Willow that my daughter is holding, and cut it up and placed them in the vase with Glass marbles on the bottom. The marbles remind me of water and the willows just, well, look cool and clean!

I had to add some dark rocks in there too. Rocks always remind me of a relaxing river. They are so Zen! Perfect next to the kitchen sink. Plus, I love the contrast of the dark rocks next to my green apples.

I love how it all turned out!
Ps. ignore the tile spacers in the background. The backsplash just needs to be grouted and we are DONE! YIPEEE!!!

The $10, 30 minute, Valance

2010-05-04T16:06:00.000-07:00

Because I am in love with the latest rage- Damask- I thought the perfect place to put the fabric print was over my kitchen sink.
I purchased the fabric from Warehouse Fabrics Inc. and went with Traditions Chocolate/Natural. I purchased 2 yards (with free shipping) which came to just a tad over $10.

I followed Censational Girl's Valance Tutorial
Great tutorial! Easy and cheap as can be :) (again, no sewing needed. Just Stitch Witchery and a Staple Gun)

I was making 2 valances in a corner window, it was a little more trickier. I found that I needed to match my pattern or it would look wierd. I layed my first cut valance right on top of the fabric to make my second cut so it would be exactly identical.

Before stapling my fabric to the wood pieces I layed them side by side to make sure they were perfectly matching.

Hubby hung them... he HATED this part. He couldn't step on our new granite counters so he had to balance on the window sill. Ya, he said he will never do that again (I hear that alot lately :) )

Here they are all hung and pretty. I love how they turned out! You can't beat $10!!

Here is a sneak peak at the new backsplash that is going up! I am so excited. I opted against the tumbled travertine (I actually had bought it and had to return it the day before my husband was going to install it) and decided to go with this dark Porcelain tile, subway style. It is really going to make a statement and add that contemporary flair to my kitchen. Hopefully next week I can FINALLY show you all my finished kitchen!!! Crossed fingers!!!!!!!!!!!

The "I Can't Sew" Curtain Panel

2010-04-26T19:48:00.000-07:00

The moment I stepped onto the Decor Blogger circuit I was introduced to this amazing "tape" that would open up possibilities to people like me: Non-Sewers. I never thought I would be able to make my own custom curtain panels. But now it is possible because of this:

Stitch Witchery is a bonding glue that you apply with the iron. Yes, all you need is an iron, a damp rag, this magic tape and your fabric!!!! I know, if you haven't heard of this before welcome to the land of fabric!

First, cut your fabric. I cut mine in a rectangle the dimensions of a curtain panel I woulda purchased (with a couple inches to spare for the magic tape!).

2. Place Stitch Witchery on your fabric, fold the edge on top.

3. Press your iron on a damp towel on top of your folded seem. Count to 10. Move on until you have done the whole thing. Done! (In short, follow the directions on the back of the package.)

Because I was doing curtains for my sliding door, which is really wide, I had to use 2 panels and seem them together. Again, I can't sew, so I used the "magic tape" to seem them together.

In all honesty, my seem didn't turn out the greatest. It was hard to iron 2 pieces of fabric together! But all my edges look amazing. You would never know a Custom Curtain Virgin (CCV, haha) made this:

The fabric was on Sale at Joannes! It is so pretty. I got way lucky because I had my 3 kids with me, I had a total of 10 minutes to run in the store, grab something and leave!

I was having HUGE issues getting the length right, it was just a bit long. Also, it looked so messy. Then I saw how Sarah clipped her curtains, tried it, and it made a WORLD of difference! Clip them from the back. Thanks Sarah!!!

I didn't use any lining. It seems to work great. I am cheap, I didn't want to buy anything more than I had to.

Now lets look at my before and after (you know I gotta do that!)
Before:


Yes, this was taken at Christmas time.... only pic I got!!!

After

I'd say it is a LOT better!! Now just need to accessorize :)

Linking to:

DIY Granite Mini Slabs + Undermount Sink

2010-04-23T08:25:00.000-07:00

My dream was to have Granite Slab in my kitchen. But after receiving a couple quotes of $4,000 for my kitchen, I quickly decided to go another route. I didn't have to have granite, I was open to other countertop solutions. But I quickly realized that, yet again, doing it ourselves would give us the biggest bang for our buck (not to mention thousands of dollars saved in our pockets).

I was introduced to "Mini Slabs" by my husband's Aunt and Uncle. They have a store called Interiors Plus Flooring and I was sold the minute I saw the granite. They are 18x26 inch tiles and range from $50-$55/tile. Average $15/sq ft! A STEAL!
** Mini slabs, at the moment, come in limited style choices. But in the end they had what I was looking for and it was worth it to me!

Credit: Oregon Tile and Marble

The "Mini Slabs" are made to cover your average length countertop, with 1 inch extra to cut and bring to the front edge to finish. Grout lines are minimal which gives it more of an appearance of slab. You can't beat that!

Because we saved so much money going with the min slabs, we decided to have Crowley's Tile Edging bullnose all the edges to give it that finished, slab look, and fulfill my dream of having an undermount sink!
TIP: My husband has never in his life installed granite before. He watched hundreds of Youtube videos (just look up "installing granite countertops" or anything along those lines). It does help to be handy and you must be very precise and accurate in your measuring. I am just glad I didn't have to do it, it looked HARD!
Installing the Undermount Sink:

This is how we picked up the tiles, before my husband cut them

Crowley's made the cut-out for the sink and this is how we picked it up (above). It was up to us to cut the tiles and install.


After my husband cut the tiles. It is now looking more like a sink!


Cut the plywood and drop the sink in. We are almost there!


You can't forget to cut the holes for the sink and soap.

Install the plumbing. My husbands LEAST favorite job.


After installing the granite top it's held down by these bad boys. I can't forget to mention we put weights on top of the countertops to hold the granite down and make it level.

TIP: We put the tiles right on top of 1 layer of Plywood. We opted against the Hardiboard (after it was installed, then we had to tear it off) because the plywood + hardiboard would have been too thick and the 1 inch edge of granite would not have covered it. We also found if we did hardiboard that our stove would not raise high enough and it wouldn't have fit!

See the weights on the left? Gotta keep the countertop level somehow!

Tip: Use Silicone for installing the granite edge.

VIOLA!! The finished product (please ignore our unfinished backsplash):


Here is a shot of the corners with the bullnosed edge. Definantly the way to go	!

This is 2 mini slabs next to the stove. Look at the bullnose again, so pretty

Grout lines are minimal and hide VERY well. I don't even notice them.


This is our island. I bet you can't even tell me how many tiles are on here. (4 tiles)

Project Facts:

Granite (including Bullnose edge and Undermount Sink)- $1600
Labor- FREE
Granite: Gialla Santa Cecilia
Grout: Non-sanded "Light Smoke"

Total Cost of Granite Countertops: $1600

Linking to:

The Kitchen Island Reveal

2010-04-18T11:54:00.000-07:00

Click HERE for a full tutorial on how to turn your basic kitchen island into a stunning custom-looking island.
After almost a month of hard work- sanding, constructing, painting, Graniting (is that a word?)- the island is FINISHED!!!
Lets blast into the past and take a look at what it WAS:

Now lets step back into the present (thank goodness) and look at the gorgeous beauty I have in my kitchen now:)

I changed out the pulls for some sleek sexy ones (Lowes)

We also changed out the island supports for nice pretty ones. I think these add so much.

Oh, I can't forget the AMAZING fruit bowl I picked up at Home Goods! LOVE IT!!!

Because I just LOVE before and afters, lets see a side-by-side for kicks:

All of this for around $100 (not counting the granite)! you certainly can't beat that!

Oh, and our whole kitchen is SOooo CLOSE to being done, except I changed my decision on the Backsplash (I know I am SO indecisive). I am going a completely opposite direction and I am SO excited how it will pull together my style and give our kitchen a more modern edgy look! I can't wait to show you all!!!! YipEE!!!

Linking this to:
The DIY Showoff
Between Naps on the Porch
The Girl Creative

Revealing my Kitchen Design

2010-04-15T13:12:00.000-07:00

Remember when I had the Kitchen Design Poll?

61% of you thought I should go with white, fresh and clean

39% thought that adding some color and golden tones would be best

In the end I had to follow my heart and do what my GUT was Screamin to me. So I picked:

Design #2. Bold and Beautiful. I had to consider the rest of my house. I love white, but I am definitely a COLOR girl. I am mainly attracted to warm tones with BURSTS of color. The Gialla Santa Cecilia granite was the perfect match to my home.

Mix the Gialla Santa Cecilia granite and Tumbled Travertine backsplash next to my clean and crisp white cabinets with the shine of stainless steal and you got yourself a beautiful kitchen! But I can't stop there!

Add some paint to the walls from Sherwin Williams-

BOLD patterns for my windows

And don't forget the fun splashes of COLOR that I am in love with!

Can you picture it? I did and I am in LOVE! We are almost there and then I can show it all off to you :)

The Winner!

2010-04-14T07:55:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to Meredith Larson!!!!!!! Email me your address and that adorable RR dish is yours to cook in and shine in your kitchen. Please invite me over to taste Julia Child's recipes :)

To everyone else, thank you SOOOOOOOooooo much for entering! This was way fun. I spent hours reading all your comments and they all made me smile, I REALLY needed that too. I hope to have more giveaways in the future. And I hope to get my hands on a RR casserole dish someday.

Last day for Giveaway!

2010-04-13T09:16:00.001-07:00

Today is your last chance to enter the giveaway! I can't wait to see who wins. I will announce the winner tomorrow morning. GOOD LUCK!

Speaking of Giveaway, for months House Beautiful has been showing up on my doorstep. I thought it might have been a secret gift from one of you nice readers. Then the other day, after my 4th magazine, I asked my husband "who gave me this magazine? Was it you?" He replies, "oh ya, I think I did....." Thanks honey! I love it (even if you can't remember your own gift!).
Here are some pages that really caught my eye lately:

My dream master bathtub..... someday.....

I am so into reds and oranges lately, I plan on adding them in my family room!

I am always a sucker for a good lookin' Master Bedroom Suite

mmmm... Icecream...

The past week we have been putting in late nights to get our granite installed. It is grueling, tedious, and as my husband says "I am NEVER going to do this again!"... but I am sure when it is all done and the kitchen is beautiful he will change his mind! I can't WAIT to show you all the final product. I will "reveal" my final kitchen design choice this week!

It's A Giveaway!!

2010-04-06T09:20:00.000-07:00

I have been slaving away in the kitchen since March and I am not talking about cooking! But since we are on the subject of kitchen, Corner TV Stands has kindly decided to reward one of my readers with this adorable 3.5 Quart, Green, Cast Iron Casserole Dish from Rachel Ray (don't you just LOVE her cute things?? I want them ALL!!) from one of their sister sites Cookware.com. Think how cute this will look in your kitchen. It would go perfect with my new white kitchen :)

Here's what you gotta do if you want this cute thing:

Comment on what you plan to cook in this adorable dish. If you don't cook, then let me know where you will show it off in your kitchen :)
You can have 2 entries (2 chances to win) in the drawing if you are a "follower". If you are already a follower let me know in your comment so I can track you down :)
If you are leaving a comment as Anonymous please include your email address so we can get this lovely thing sent to you.

That's it!

The Giveaway will run all week through April 13th. The Winner will be chosen randomly and Cookware.com will send this adorable dish right to your door.

Good Luck!

My NO FEAR way to paint your kitchen cabinets and get a professional finish

2010-04-03T22:53:00.000-07:00

I am not afraid of paint. In fact, I am a little obsessed with paint. But when it comes to kitchen cabinets it is a different story... or so I thought.

Because I was obsessed with getting the most professional finish I went through the whole process with detail:

Doing the splits while sanding creates the smoothest surface :)

Remove cabinets and ALL HARDWARE! Don't get lazy and think "oh, I'll leave that on and paint around it"... no no, take it all off!
Sand and clean before priming! I found the cleaning was even more important than the sanding. I washed the cabinets with oxy clean and warm water with a damp rag.
Prime
Sand Again. Clean again. I know, you just want to get it done, but don't skip this step! You need to sand and clean thoroughly before painting. Just keep reminding yourself you want this to look gooooooood :)
Paint 2-3 coats. Let dry 24 hours between each coat.

Now onto HOW we painted because that is really where it counts:

We taped and wrapped the drawers

We hung the doors in the garage with wire.

Hanging the cabinets was my husband's idea. We don't have much time around here to paint, so hanging them seemed like the fastest way to go about it (this way we didn't have to wait for 1 side to dry before doing the next and bla bla bla.. yada yada yada). But, we couldn't get to the cabinets for almost 2 weeks, so there they hung. After 2 weeks of hanging with all that weight, the wire broke and they all fell down! We finally realized that we needed 3 rows of wire and paint them within 3 days and that did the job (but I was scared the whole time...).

Now onto painting- I read on different blogs that spraying cabinets was the way to go. Professionals spray them, so should I, right? I spent weeks researching spray rentals.

Rent a sprayer. $65/day from any paint store. However, none would rent to oil based paint. With 3 wild children, the only paint I was going was oil based (more durable, harder and lasts longer).
Have your paint put into aerosol spray cans (via Sherwin Williams). This seemed great at first, I could just throw away the can and not have to deal with icky mineral spirits for cleaning..... but it was VERY expensive! $8/can. Each can wasn't even a quart! Bad idea.
Rent an air compressor ($28/day) and purchase a spray paint attachment ($20-40). This one I got from Holly .

My husband hating every minute of the spraying

We went with #3. Cheap, easy and seemed like it would do the job. But it wasn't as easy as it sounded. The sprayer was so slow that my husband actually complained. He is not a complainer. He hated it. In the end, the spraying didn't get into all the wood grain, it took way too long, and it just looked cheap. We scrapped the sprayer and went to rolling them (something I KNOW I am good at!).

Rolling the cabinets worked SOOOO well for us!! I thought 'why did I mess with that sprayer and have anxiety attacks over HOW to paint them? I should have just stuck with what I was good at- rolling and painting by hand.' Less hassle, less anxiety. The NO FEAR way to paint is definitely rolling.


My 3 painting buddies

Reasons Rolling Worked:

We used a high quality oil based paint (Sherwin Williams oil based in semi-gloss) and added Penetrol to the paint to make brush strokes and roller streaks disappear (really, they disappear like magic) . A tip I picked up from Censational Girl. I swear by Penetrol, I love you Penetrol!
I am good at painting. Stick with something you are comfortable with and know how to work with it.
Our cabinets had deep wood grains that required a brush full of paint to fill the grain so it was a better option than spraying and made the best finish.
I used the 3 rollers pictured above. A 2 inch foam roller, a 4 inch foam roller, and a high end, soft bristle brush. I love all 3. They are my 3 painting pals.

I am loving our island! STUNNING :)

A coat of Primer and 2 coats of paint later we were done- Hallelujah! We both thought we would never have our kitchen the same again.... well, it isn't the same, it is amazing!!! Weeks of hard labor were all worth it when I saw the change. It looks like new cabinetry, I would do it all over again in a heartbeat.

Now onto our countertops, backsplash and I still have to paint the walls... we are getting there!

Buying Adorable Affordable Fabrics from your computer

2010-04-02T09:29:00.000-07:00

I don't sew, but that doesn't mean I can't make simple panel curtains and "no sew" valances for my new kitchen (or that my mom can help me..). I have been on the lookout at Joanne fabrics for months looking for fabrics I can afford. Unfortunately I have expensive taste and the fabrics I want are never under $15/yard which is way over my budget!

I have discovered discount fabric stores ONLINE! Yippeee! I don't even have to roam the fabric aisles with my 3 little ones pulling at fabrics, crawling out of their stroller, destroying the store while I endure glares and stares from quiet customers. What a dream come true.
I have recently visited Warehouse Fabrics Inc. and Fabric.com

The sample is almost bigger than my daughter!

Just click click click. If you want to run it through your fingertips before committing just order a $2 sample that comes in the mail in a couple days. Most fabrics are under $10/yard, and those are the ones I like! I can't even tell you how ecstatic I am about this.

I love this one, $9.98/yd. I don't know about my kitchen, but it is just so cute.

Here is another at $9.98/yr

This one is $6/yd! I ordered a sample and it is amazing

This adorable pattern is an amazing $3.99/yd!!! EEEEkkkk!

More into subtle stripes? Snatch this one for $6.98/yard

This one caught my eye for a baby boy room (but I am a sucker for retro baby themes)

This one is just darling for a little girl. $6.98/yd

On Warehouse Fabrics Inc. they include a fun fabric calculator which wannabes like me desperately need! Just pick the style of drapes and calculate how much fabric you will need. I am having way too much fun.

I am telling you, it gets addicting picking cute fabrics, ordering a $2 sample, then getting it in the mail. Oh, and just to let you know I am NOT getting paid for this. I feel I just discovered a way to shop for amazing fabrics on a budget without kids!

Construction

2010-03-31T13:17:00.001-07:00

I am trying out a new look and layout of my blog. Don't be alarmed if it changes and looks weird for a little while. I am good with a paint brush, not as good with blogger :)

Renovation Ain't Pretty

2010-03-30T09:52:00.000-07:00

As many of you know, when attempting to gut a space and make it look pretty it gets pretty NASTY and GROSS in the process. As I drop all other basic chores while working on painting my kitchen everything has become chaos. I am about ready to scream "I WANT MY KITCHEN BACK!!"

My kitchen has moved to the laundry room. We took everything out of the bottom kitchen cabinets (so my twins wouldn't get into them) and threw them into our laundry room. Finding anything is impossible!

Fast food is a regular siting, looks like this one didn't even make it to the trash. Ick! I am never a fan of fast food but with wet paint and appliances taped up this is our only option... I will come out of this kitchen renovation 10 pounds bigger!! HELP!

Our garage, where the spraying of the cabinet doors is being tackled, has become a Hurricane Katrina.

As with any project, this is taking longer than we thought.... I can't wait until it is done :)

Customizing Your Not-So-Custom Kitchen Island

2010-03-23T08:15:00.000-07:00

I bet hundreds of you are sporting this same kitchen island in your home. If not this exact one, then one almost like it. You like having an island, but you dream of having one of those pretty islands that can stand on its own and pass for a piece of furniture.

Originally I was hooked on the beadboard island like Thrifty Decor Chick's. It is just so perfect in Sarah's kitchen. She pulls it off so well. But the more I thought about it, I am just not a beadboard kitchen type girl. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE beadboard in the bathroom. But beadboard in the kitchen, in my kitchen, just didn't seem right.

So I came up with "my own" design! Ok, so maybe you have seen this before. I took all these different variations from classic kitchens and designed my own little kitchen island that could pass as a custom piece of art for a simple price.

From this little sketch on a scrap piece of paper (Yes, I drew that, not my 3 year old daughter... ) my husband actually understood my design idea and gathered all the materials needed. Again, I love my husband. (However, can I say that while he was making cuts he said "your little island design is a lot harder than beadboard!".... whoops!)

You will need:

Base of your choice. I chose 5 1/2" base. Big and chunky, just how I like it!
1x4 Material

1. Build out the base. My husband ended up doing 2-3 layers so the baseboard would be set further out than the other moldings.

2. Nail your base on. I chose really thick 5" moldings. I wanted a craftsman look. I love the chunky molding look. In the picture above you can see how building the island base out doesn't need to be perfect or pretty.

This picture is on the cabinet door side of the island on the bottom corner.
We needed to fill that gap with base.

3. Construct your corners. We found that we needed to corner the base a little before the front of the island (where the cabinets are) to keep it sturdy and for extra support. Remember, I have twin boys in the home, one kick on that flimsy edge would destroy it!

4. Start adding your 1x4s.

5. We screwed in these decorative supports before adding the pieces at the top.

Top Corner so you can see how the pieces come together.

Bottom corner

Isn't she already a beauty?

We can't forget the finish prep work before painting!
Spackle

Sand
Yup, my job is always to prep it and paint it.... make it look pretty :)

Prime

and wait ....
for another opportunity to finish it when I can get the kids outa the house......

A Kitchen Update

2010-03-22T11:51:00.000-07:00

Jan asked me for a little update, so here you go!

This was my kitchen all day Saturday. We took it apart and started our huge renovation. I sanded and primed everything and I will later post a how to "paint kitchen cabinets".
We also redid our island and I have that to post later. It is quite the disaster and it stresses me out a little with 3 kids running around (oh, and not to mention I got sick on our day of renovation!) but I know it will all be worth it!!

Our Biggest DIY Reno. has just begun: The Kitchen

2010-03-14T11:18:00.000-07:00

Take a good last look at this kitchen
because it won't look the same when I am finished with it!

Thank you all for voting and for all your comments. They made a difference in my decision!

I have made my final kitchen design decision............but I am not going to tell you which kitchen design I chose! I know, don't hate me. That is for you to find out along the DIY renovation road. There has to be some mystery in all of this, right?
In the end, I did follow my heart and I chose the design that made my heart beat faster and gave me sweaty palms just thinking about it (kinda like the moment when I knew my husband was the one). I am so excited to get started...

My kitchen right now
with a mess of samples and paint test blobs here and there

However, just yesterday me and my handy hubby were staring at the kitchen in silence. 'What did we get ourselves into?' we were both thinking. We have never tackled something this extensive ever before. Are we up for the task? YES! Of course. We are the best team I know :) This is the first time we will be doing most all of this. So if we can do it, you can too!

Here is what is to come (with updated posts and tutorials):

Remove all hardware and cabinets. Clean and sand.
Redesign the Island. I scratched the bead board idea because I see it everywhere and I wanted something new and fresh. I designed my own island that I know will be stunning, lets hope we can pull it off!
Prime and Paint. I have done extensive research on sprayers and how to get the most professional finish for the best cost. We have a plan and I hope it works... ugh, not looking forward to clean-up with oil based paints :0
Repaint the walls. I have picked my color and it is just the color I was always hoping and wishing for!!! I can't wait to get it on my walls , yipee!!!
Install our Granite "Mini Slabs". Ever heard of these? They are GREAT! Follow us along as we make our DIY Granite look like expensive slabs!... oh and install sink and faucet somewhere in here too.
Back splash.
Pendant lighting
Accessories and Curtains. the fun part !

All of this for around $2000!!! I know, totally amazing.

I know I have been kinda lagging with projects and ideas for y'all for the past month or so, but we have saved it all for now (Plus, I was in the busiest time of year for teaching ballet and preparing for the end of the year showcase).

Follow us along on this CRAZY, SCARY, AMAZING month of redoing the kitchen all by ourselves!! I may need your advice !! Wish Me luck :)

A Kitchen Design Poll

2010-03-08T08:30:00.000-08:00

I need your help! I went to the "showroom" in Portland (a place to gather all my design ideas for the ultimate DIY kitchen redo) and I put together (with my mom) 2 final designs I really love for my kitchen. I can't decide on which one. Please help me!

Design #1. White Classic Kitchen

White Cabinets. White bead board around the island.
"Kashmere" white and silver granite
Subway Marble back splash (this gives me goosebumps...oooohhh so rich!)
Gray/blue paint on the walls
Brushed Nickel faucet
Oil Brushed Bronze pendant lights over island and sink to match table light. This is where I need your help, will that look hokey with all the silver and white? Will my "candle" contemporary lighting fit in with this classic style kitchen?

Design #2. Trendy White and Gold.

White Cabinets & White bead board around the island
"Venetian Gold" Granite
Travertine Subway tile, or something close, for back splash
Neutral Mocha for the walls
Oil Brushed Bronze or Brushed Nickel Faucet
Oil Brushed Bronze Pendant lighting over island and sink

My heart really wants Design #1. However I am just wondering if the classic Subway style Marble and Kashmere Granite look will go with the contemporary light I LOVE over my table. I can "make it work", right (totally project runway there...)

Please vote for your fave and help me out!!!

Quizzes by Quibblo.com

Reader's FAQs

2010-02-28T21:13:00.000-08:00

To all of my readers and "followers", thanks for all your questions, comments, and advice! I love it! I may not be able to write huge honker emails to most of you all the time, or even a quick comment on your blog, but I DO visit your blogs and check all of you out! You are all amazing :)

Here are some FAQs I thought I would address so I didn't have to send a million emails out!

Q: Is the Sage Gray a more gray or a blue?
A: This is how I think of the Sage Gray in my office: A muted blue with gray mixed in to tone it down, and a kiss of green. Definitely more blue than gray. And definitely not green, but it is there if you look for it. More of a "live able" blue than a bathroom blue. It mainly always stays the same color in any light, so it is trustworthy and predictable. I always know what color my Sage Gray will be; a blue with a touch of gray to mute it out... oh, and a kiss of green :)

Q: Where did you get that painting above your bed?
A: Bed Bath and Beyond. I never buy anything full price there, I collect their 20% Off coupons that come in the mail (did you know they never expire! I used one from a year ago the other day!!). So everything I get is a deal. oh, and I just LOVE this painting. It has the brush strokes and detail that make you think it is the original, but really it's not. LOVE LOVE!!

Q: How do you paint with 3 little ones? When do you find time??
A: I paint when they go down for naps or bedtime. I do all the taping and prep work while they are up and running, so the second they are in their rooms asleep I start painting!! The banister was a different story. It took so long to prep & paint my husband had to lock the kiddos and himself in the playroom and play with them for hours while I painted. Finally he saw I would have been 100 yrs old if I did it all myself, so during naps he helped me finish it fast- thanks hubby!!
But I have to say that the late nights I paint are actually VERY relaxing for me. I love it!! Nothing is more soothing than painting fresh paint, a new color, a new beginning, while listening to music other than Disney & Baby Einstein. I always say paint is the easiest, cheapest, and quickest way to change a room. I can't wait to paint that kitchen, I am itching to do it ASAP!!!

Q:Where did you get your bedding?
A: BBB!! On the Clearance Rack (where else?) and with my 20% off coupon! SCORE! I was originally going to make it myself (ok, so have my mom help me make it because I don't sew...) but I quickly realized that it is almost cheaper to buy "bed in a bag" on sale! It is a comforter, NOT a duvet. My husband and I quickly realized we hate duvets (the sagging, unfit, sloppy droopy look, the constant "fluffing"...), we just wanted a nice fitted comforter and we are happy! (future post: "how to have a heavenly bed")

Q: Where can I find a handy hubby like yours?
A: K, so this wasn't really a question.... but a lot of you have said how lucky I am to have such a handy man around. So for my husband, a BIG SHOUT OUT "Thank you!! You make all my dreams come true" ... now can we get to that kitchen???.....:)

Decorating with your husband's taste in mind

2010-02-22T20:09:00.001-08:00

If my sweet husband didn't have an opinion, our home would look a lot different. It would have a lot more feminine qualities. Less leather (well, ok, that is for the kids), less dark and more white, cream, silver and blues. But, as most of you know, the reality is that my husband has to live here too. More than that though, I want him to feel like it is his home, not just my design project :)

In my master bedroom, I painted my headboard dark instead of the creamy white my heart desired, and have bedding that adding some masculine qualities. He did hound me for the crystal knob (I thought I snuck that in pretty well).

If it were only my choice my bedroom would look more like:

Design by Candice Olson

If I (and only I) were to design my kitchen I would add some printed wallpaper, or heck, even paint with purple paint!!!

And yes, I would be able to float in mid air so gracefully with wallpaper in my home, it adds that much energy!!

My family room would be less casual/functional and more glitzy-girly:

Design by Candice Olson (notice a trend... Love her!)

My Office/Den would go glam like Censational Girl's:

My husband wouldn't set foot in this office which would mean the bills would be up to me.... That aside, You gotta check out her site. She is CRAZY amazing! Every detail is accounted for.... does she actually have kids? All the accessorizing would never fly in my home ....wait, yes it would, it would fly through the air and crash on the floor only to be destroyed.

Oh yes, if the world were just mine I would do so many creamy, yummy, soft printed, sparkly and bold color choices. But it is not. Which is fine by me. I would rather have a happy husband and a home made for my 3 wild kids :)

How much is too much renovation?

2010-02-22T14:14:00.000-08:00

As I have mentioned before, when me and my husband bought this house our intention was to do a little "pick me ups" inside and out and sell the thing for a profit. This was going to be our Starter Home, and that was it.

The economy took a turn, housing dropped, and it seems we may be in this house longer than expected. The good thing is that with every DIY project and remodel I do, this "starter home" of mine is becoming MINE. I am loving it more and more! It is feeling more like my home, rather than a project. The bad news is how much is too much renovation when it comes to a starter home?

You got to be careful to look at your neighborhood and the comparables in the area (k, I am NOT a realtor, just pretending right now) and decide to renovate where it counts and where you will get the most return in the end. We certainly don't want to price ourselves out of the neighborhood and lose the money we put into it (haha, like our home is just amazing right?)
However, if you have a way of making a room look like a million bucks in a way cheap way, go for it!!!

So, next is our Kitchen. I am waiting on a little money flow that hopefully comes in March. But I may just get the urge to kick start it some weekend and paint my cabinets white. The kitchen excites me because I KNOW that is the #1 place we should invest in our home and get the biggest return! I am planning on our whole kitchen makeover to be UNDER $2000, but look like a $50k kitchen! can't wait :)

There are so many other things I would love to do- crown molding, new floor, light fixtures, new mirrors and fixtures in bathrooms etc etc etc.... but most likely will leave those things for later.

In the end, through all my little DIY projects I have realized that if it makes my home feel more like home, makes me happy, and fits in the budget it is all good in the end!

Knock Knock, who's There? The Headboard REVEAL

2010-02-14T09:35:00.000-08:00

I have noticed a trend, I try to post a couple times a week but life gets way too busy to take a moment to snap shots and write, so once a week has become my average. But hey, that is pretty good for a working mom of 3 kids 3 yrs old and under!

For the Full Head board tutorial click HERE

Now lets pick up where we left off:

Step #5: Screwing the Head board into the bed frame.

#1. Have your bolts, washers and nuts purchased and ready (make sure they fit through the bed frame notches... ours just barely fit)

#2. Measure first, then drill 2 holes into the 4x4.

#3. Bolt your frame to your 4x4.

Voila! You have your solid wood, under $100, homemade head board that looks like a million bucks! Can you tell it was made out of a door? I can't!

Without the bed made so you can see the FULL head board and the hole where the door nob was, hidden beneath our mattress.
(the finish is really even, for some reason this pic makes it look splotchy)

I used Rustoleum Black, semi gloss, spray paint for the head board (3 coats) and also primed and sprayed my side tables to match.

I added a nice feminine knob to tie in my beautiful lamps.

BEFORE

AFTER

If you noticed, I did repaint my walls. The blue was just a little much in such a BIG room. I picked Nantucket Dune from Sherwin Williams and I love it! Going neutral on the walls gives me a chance to add pattern and color through fabrics and art.

Now onto the rest of my bedroom makeover......

Linking this post to:

Metamorphosis Monday

Knock Knock, who's there? A DIY Headboard Tutorial

2010-02-07T10:59:00.000-08:00

Some of you remember when I got this $30 door from Restore months ago. It has been sitting in my garage waiting for the moment to be transformed into a beautiful headboard for my bed. The day has finally come for 'lil Miss Door to be transformed.

This idea is not new to any of you I am sure. I have seen and heard of this idea everywhere. The only problem was I never saw HOW to do it. Girls, today is your day. I am going to give you a thorough HOW TO!
*note: all our measurements are for a queen bed but you can easily make a king or twin bed workout great*

Tools needed:

A door. Pick a door where the squares are all even. If you want to be sure your headboard will workout in the end, measure BEFORE you get the door. (I totally got lucky here. I just saw this and snatched it up without thinking, luckily it all worked out perfect!)
Circular Saw
Router
Hammer and nails/screws
Two, 5' 4x4s. (We ordered one 10 ft. 4x4 and cut it in half).
Spray Paint, color of your choice

Step 1: Cutting the Door

Measure the length of your bed frame (to the outer edges). You will be screwing the headboard (the 4x4s) into the bed frame.
When measuring where to cut the door, account for a little extra because part the door will be inserted into the 4x4.
Measure twice because you only get one chance to cut!

Step 2: Cutting and routing the 4x4's

Because all bed frames, whether a king, queen or twin, are mainly the same height these measurements may work for all bed sizes (key word: may. I am not saying for sure they will. so again, measure!)
We cut our 10 footer right in half making two 5 footers.
Measure the thickness and height of your door, mark your 4x4, then use the router.

Use the Circular Saw to create edges before routing (hubbies idea)

TIP: Make it a tad larger than the actual door measurements so the door can fit inside.

Knock knock, who's there? Oh, a headboard....

Step 3: Assemble Your Headboard.

Fit your door into the newly routed 4x4s. Make sure you pick a front and back that looks nice for all pieces before hammering together.
Shim between the back of the door and the 4x4 post so the door stays tight against the post in front. Screw from the back making sure the screws don't come through the front. (Pictured above: back of headboard)
Add trim pieces to the top and bottom of the headboard to finish the look. We used 2 pieces of 1x4 Pine. (notice we kept the door hole facing down so it would be covered by our bed... I am sure there is a way to fill it, but oh well, no need).

Step 4: Sand, Spackle, Caulk and SPRAY paint. Spray paint is more professional, faster and cheaper.

Coming Soon- Step 5: Screwing the door into your bed frame and the final reveal. She is lookin like a stunning beauty. You will be hard pressed to even think a door was used for this head board!

Please email me or comment with any questions! Ms. Headboard is currently hanging out in my garage drying her coats of paint. Hang around for the final reveal!!

Changing your space with Lamps

2010-02-01T08:17:00.000-08:00

I have always been a lover of lamps. Lamps set the mood and style for a room. They bring warmth, light, coziness and style. Unfortunately, in a home with two, 1 year old twin boys, that are reckless, curious, and wild, all my floor lamps were destroyed and table lamps had to go. The one room I can express my style through lamps is my bedroom (that remains locked and only accessible to me and my husband.)

Before

The lamps I had before were a buy on the fly. I saw them at target for under $5, and with me, that is just too hard to pass up. I just grabbed them and made them work. But they were never the style I was going for, plus, they totally clashed with the whimsical and romantic art that hangs above my bed. My bedroom didn't feel like me. I hated going to bed next to them and I really hated waking up next to them. Funny how a lamp can affect you so much, right?

I saw these stunning, feminine lamps at Home Goods and I knew that was the direction I was going to go with my Master Bedroom re-design. I got both of them for half what Target was selling their, less than par, version at. The moment I saw them next to my bed my heart melted and skipped a beat (can it do that at the same time?).

The crystal (ok.. so maybe fake crystal) adds femininity, which was REALLY needed in this room. It is like a touch of expensive jewelry next to my bed. It makes me feel like a Chic movie star in Hollywood.

If you are looking at the bedding, yes, it is new.... but that is another post:) My next step in the bedroom is our Headboard that we are making out of a $30 door (currently in the works) and PAINT on the walls (too much blue goin on right now).

And just for kicks, check out how bedside lamps complete each design:

Pottery Barn.

Can I comment that this overwhelms me??

Crate & Barrel

Martha Stewart

I'd say changing your lamps is the cheapest way to freshen up your space!

Going Black and White in the kitchen

2010-01-29T12:13:00.000-08:00

The ball is rolling on our kitchen redo. I am now at the point where a choice needs to be made for our countertops. All along I wanted a nice Venetian Gold granite, but now I am not so sure (well, plus the price tag is a little LARGE for that huge slab).

Black and white is starting to tickle my tummy and make me smile, I just may have to go that way. It is beautiful, traditional, contemporary, and modern with a nice pocket friendly pricetag :) And we all know the lower price wins in my redos.

I love the idea of black and white with the GREEN apples adding a POP of color.

This idea rocks my world. White cabinets surrounding,then take the island black with a nice white countertop. Opposites do attract!

Can you imagine this idea with my RED WALLS, now that rocks!

Or do I go with my original plan of white cabinets with the gold granite?? hmm, the decision is so hard.

What do you think?

My $25 Banister is BORN!

2010-01-25T08:44:00.000-08:00

After a grueling 25+ hours of hard labor (I am talkin' sweating, huffing and puffing, tedious stuff) my $25 oak banister was transformed into a stunning beauty. If I knew how much labor was going to go into this, and how painful and hard it would be, I doubt I woulda tackled this project. But just like every birth, after all is said and done, I would do it all over again..... :)

Supplies (I had most of the paint and supplies in my garage, so all I purchased was the stain and small paint brushes):

Old white T-shirt & gloves (for the staining)
Wood stain: Ebony and Dark Walnut (oil based)
Painter's Touch, Kiona Brown, paint.
Primer
White paint
Wipe-on Poly
Detailed artist paint brushes
Tape
Foam Roller and paint brush
Sand paper: 320 Grit & 100 Grit (electric sander recommended, but optional)

After sanding and right before staining

First came sanding the handrail. I sanded the first (downstairs) handrail manually. That took me almost 2 hrs alone. I finally asked my husband to help and within 5 minutes of him helping me he ran to home depot to get us some "pain reliever"- my electric sander! HIGHLY recommended!

Start with 100 grit to get the oak down to the bare bones. Sand until your hands go numb. This took me HOURS. You will know you are at the bare bones when the wood feels in its natural state.
End with 320 grit, nice and soft, to smooth it out to perfection. This was just a finishing touch so it didn't take as long.
Take a damp rag and clean all that fine sand off before you stain.

Staining. I have never stained anything before. I was very intimidated. But I reassure you, it is easier than painting.

TIP: The girl at Home Depot told me to get oil based stain because the wood takes it better and the finish comes out nicer, so that is what I went with. I was pleased.
Get an old T-shirt, dip it in the stain (hopefully wearing gloves), and wipe it on with the direction of the grain. Simple as that. Wait 4 hrs, do the next coat.
I started with 1 coat of Ebony, then did the 2nd coat with Dark Walnut to warm it up.

The Oak just wasn't lookin the way I wanted it to after the 2 coats of stain. I took my Kiona Brown paint and applied it the same way I applied the stain, with a t-shirt in the direction of the grain.

The paint top coat took the rail from dull, dark and blotchy to a nice sleek espresso color. Before I did this I have to admit I was almost crying because it wasn't looking the way I had imagined. The thought of having to re sand and retry was just more than I could bear, thank you Kiona Brown paint!!!

Painting. After the staining was complete (but before my poly went on) I started the massive job of painting the rest of the banister. I am talking at least 15 hours of labor including the prep, a coat of primer, and 2 coats of paint. Painful, grueling, terrible, never ending!
I didn't want to tape the newly stained handrail, so I had to do all the detail painting with a small, artistic, paint brush. With my attention to detail it worked really well for me (it just took years to finish).

Wipe-On Poly. Wipe this on the same way you did the stain.
TIP: I wiped this on a little part of my white banister to see if it would yellow and it DID! bad! Only use this for your stained wood. I will be looking for something else that doesn't yellow for my beautiful white banister!

Just with any birth, now I can rest, recover, and enjoy my finished product.

View from my front entry

From the top of the stairs

I am linking this to:
Its So Very Cheri
Metamorphosis Monday

My Favorite Paint Colors

2010-01-19T22:15:00.000-08:00

If you are like me, it gets frustrating finding the perfect paint color. There are WAY too many options out there, most of the time it is overwhelming. But, if you are like me, once you have finally found that perfect color you hold onto it and want to use it EVERYWHERE!
That color for me is Blond, by Sherwin Williams. Blonds do have more fun!... Maybe it is because I am a blond, or that I married a blond, or that I have 3 cute little blonds running around.... but it is just the perfect color for me :)

It is a great neutral to cover all my hallways and entry way. It has a shimmer of gold, a hint of yellow, some cream, isn't too dark but dark enough to give life to a room and add contrast. This color pretty much goes with any fabric and light and dark woods. It makes my rooms look bigger and the most important thing in the rainy Northwest is that it brightens my home!
FYI: The color does change throughout the day with the light. Sometimes it is creamy and white, other times it is more of a dark gold. I tried to take pictures that best showed off how it really is.

And, again, if you are like me, not everything can be neutral. You gotta add some punch to your life and have some excitement too, but only in the right places.

Cay, by Sherwin Williams is a "punch" color indeed. This color is so amazingly beautiful that I want to eat it, swim in it, or wear it! However, it is only beautiful because it is next to bright white bead board in a fancy Greek bathroom that I designed myself. This color would NOT look good draped all over your hallways!

Cabbage Green, by Sherwin Williams is another color that gets my attention. I am a huge fan of lime greens and this one is perfect in my little boys nursery paired with chocolate brown. Soft enough to not offend, but limey enough to get you goin. Maybe this is why my boys are so wired....

Sage Gray, by Behr, is in my office AND my bedroom (ya, loved it that much... however I am planning on changing my bedroom color...). This color is nothing but sooooothing. I love my office, I can relax (like right now) and chill all alone with doors closed, all alone, without children, all by myself...did I say all alone? I am thinking of adding some stripes on the walls, but that is WAY in the future, so lets just pretend I didn't even say that...

If you are looking for the perfect Red with a little brown in it, that doesn't shout RED but is more of a laid back brick red then go for:
Rustic Red, by Sherwin Williams. Reds are really hard to get right and I really LOVE this one! It is sophisticated, warm, bold, but not offensive. As I mentioned before, I am most likely not keeping it in my kitchen right now (or maybe keeping it... still don't know). This would also make a great office, bathroom, or even a bedroom with wainscoting to tone down the red. Very traditional. Very sophisticated. Very red.

I am linking this to
Frugal Home Ideas Paint Party

Once Upon a Table

2010-01-15T14:03:00.000-08:00

Once Upon a Table

Once upon a time, there was a busy Mommy of 3 little ones, who also happened to be a Princess.

The Princess grew tired of her old, second hand, dining table and knew it was about time for a new one that she could really love.

The Princess told her Prince that her dream dining set was this one from Pottery Barn that was priced at $2500! The Prince, a little shocked, loved his Princess so much that he gave her $2500 just for the table of her dreams.

However, the Princess was not accustomed to spending so much money on material things so she and her Prince went out to the village shops to see if they could find a similar table for less.

The first store
had a table that was not as good quality, but a lot less money than her dream table.

The second store
had a beautiful table you could build custom, but was MORE money than her dream table.

As the Prince and Princess grew tired of shopping, they came across a table at the third store. This was not her dream table but it was a lot less money... so they just bought it.

Once the table was in their home, the Princess really hated the table! It was too big, too manly, and just not her style! The table had to go.

The Prince, tired of the table drama, told his Princess "Just buy the table of your dreams and be done with it!!!!!"
The Princess thought about dropping $2500 on the PB, overpriced table but just couldn't do it! There had to be a better way......

The next day the Princess found a beautiful table at Pier 1 Imports for $500. Being the smart girl she was (and knowing that her 3 kids would scratch the table up in less than a day), she bought the display table, on a discount, for $300!!!
That day she drove home with the table and 2 new chairs (keeping the other 4 she had at home to total 6) all under $600.

The Prince was so happy that she saved $2000 that he said she could go get a NEW CHANDELIER!!!

.........
Of course the Princess wanted one from Restoration Hardware that was $1000, but seeing as the Princess is a smart shopper, she got a replica at Home Depot for a fraction of that cost.

And so it was, the Prince and Princess and their 3 children gathered round their perfect dining table and lighting fixture (the perfect combination of style and function), enjoying many meals to come with stashes of money filling their pockets from savings.

And the table (and chairs) lived Happily Ever After.... (well, as long as a table can last around 3 wild children....)

Linking this to:

What happens when remodeling around twin toddlers

2010-01-13T12:44:00.000-08:00

Tools Every DIY Girl Should Have

2010-01-11T08:20:00.000-08:00

I wish I had a cute little pink toolbox, like the one above, to put all the random tools I have and use on a daily basis for my projects. Oh and maybe deck it out with glitter, feathers and loads of Twilight stickers... !

My definition of Tools: Anything you need to complete projects around the house without help from your husband.

Hammer. This is obvious. I mainly use this to hammer my paint can closed and hang pictures.
Screwdrivers. I use these to remove my outlets when painting, and also to open my paint cans.
Hot Glue Gun. Not limited to crafts, but to repairs of broken curtain rods and fabric!
Tape Measure. I measure things all day long before purchasing new furniture, lighting, curtains and even for rearranging furniture!
Electric Sander. I asked my husband to help me sand, by hand, the other day (that darn banister!!!). It took less than 5 minutes of sanding by hand for him to run to Home Depot and bring home this lovely lady. Thank you honey. An electric sander is SOOO the way to go, cuts work time in half! I redo furniture all the time, so I will defiantly get my moneys worth. ** The Dremel can do more than just sand. If all you want is a sander those are also available**
Step stool and/or tall ladder. I love my little step stool. She helps me out with painting and hanging curtains, even decorating for Christmas. She is so easy to fold up and tuck away. Just love her!
Gorilla Glue. Use this dude to fix furniture, frames, or anything! It is strong as Nails... plus I think the gorilla is cute :)
Paint Tools. This is my favorite of all the "tools" I have (because we all know paint is my favorite thing). Brushes, Rollers, Tape, Edger & tray are the best tools I have to take an old space and make it new and fresh! TIP- Spend the extra dollar to get a really nice brush. This will give you a more professional finish plus it will last longer, and lets not forget to mention it is so much nicer to use, so worth the money!
Nail Gun. (For the advanced DIY woman) I don't really use this at all currently, but I am planning to do my own accent trim soon... all by myself (squeeel!!!) We will see how that goes.
Level. I use this to mark out stripes on the wall I will tape for paint, or to hang pictures.

Those are most of my really favorite "tools". I wish I could fit all of them in a nice little pink box. I know I am forgetting some though.

What are some of your favorite tools??

What's in store in 2010

2010-01-06T10:37:00.000-08:00

I really hope my husband doesn't read this. If he sees all the projects I have planned written down in 1 big, LONG, list I think he will FREAK OUT! (I usually give it to him in small doses). But, I am listing it anyway, for all you people :)

$20 DIY Stair rail redo

I am currently working on this bad boy. And this is a BAD BOY indeed! The sanding is driving me nuts. Just finding the time to sand around these 3 small kids and my other job is hard enough. But nonetheless, I am determined to knock this thing out before the end of January! (remember, projects always take 3 times as long in my house).

Kitchen Overhaul

The plan is to paint the cabinets white, bead board the island and paint it an espresso color, add beautiful granite, new sink, faucet and some pendant lighting... oh, and repaint the walls. Hopefully we can pull this off in March...(again, I hope my husband isn't reading this)...

Bedroom makeover

I never hated our bedroom, but I am ready for a coordinated look.
The Plan: Get new bedding, repaint, build my "do it yourself out of a door" headboard, buy dresser, new curtains, and add some chair rail. I am now seeing this is in writing and it sounds like a whopper redo!

Soften my Spaces

I am in desperate need of window treatments on the main level and pillows. Lets hope I can decide the type of window treatments that will work for me and my twin terrors!

Replace this Kitchen Table

This is also a current endeavor. You would think this would be fun to go out and shop for the perfect table and chairs, to create a new look and style. But I have found that all the stores in the entire Portland area don't have what I am lookin' for. So, I just may fall back to my own talent & creativity in creating my own eclectic, DIY table & chairs! (and save money too!)

Get rid of every last bit of Basic Builder Oak Cabinets!

I never liked the oak, I never will. Paint Paint Paint & hardware is all I gotta say!

So there you go. My "design goals" for the year 2010, with a lot of little stuff in between :)

January + Costco = Furniture!

2010-01-03T19:18:00.000-08:00

TIP: January is the month to shop at Costco for furniture

Once all that Christmas stuff is cleared out, Costco moves in the FURNITURE! We headed there the other day and found a plethora of choices that were high in quality and low in price! We found rugs, tables, chairs, beds, dressers, benches, couches, ottomans, mirrors, and even granite displayed (I fell in love and now know what granite I want for my kitchen.. ooooh baby, I can't wait!).

Head to Costco before the month's over, or all the furniture will be gone! Good luck :)

Ring in the New Year with Past Projects

2010-01-01T11:55:00.000-08:00

I am so excited for 2010! I have SO many DIY Projects planned, just you wait!
But first thing's first, I gotta list my favorite DIY projects of 2009:

Greek themed, Half Bath, Bead board remodel
Wainscoting and repainting the Den
Accessorizing the kids bathroom for a quick (and cheap) makeover, until I get to it (this may be 2011)
Painting and organizing the Laundry room
Totally gutting and rebuilding our dream fireplace Mantel

And my favorite is....... drum roll......

It's a tie:

The Mantel because I look at it all day long and it completely changed our whole kitchen/family room area!
The Greek Half Bathroom because that room makes me feel like I am on vacation. When I started painting that BRIGHT Blue I was a little nervous, but in the end I wouldn't pick any other color. It is SOOO ME! And that is what designing your dream home is about, right? LOVE THAT ROOM!!!

I am amazed by how much me and my husband have completed in just a little over a year. That is why I am SOOO excited for this next year, we have so much planned and in the works.
I will post about all our projects later, but for now here is a sneak peak at what I am working on RIGHT NOW :) LOVE IT!!!

...... hopefully in a week I will be able to show you the WHOLE THING. Your jaw will just drop at the complete transformation and stunning beauty!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

2009-12-25T19:39:00.001-08:00

Sit and enjoy the holidays... like I am.
Taking a break from DIY projects until the new year. (I got some good ones commin')

See ya in 2010!

Testing Paint Colors from your Computer

2009-12-18T12:32:00.000-08:00

I have always been a fan of red kitchens. I love the energy it brings and I am just a fan of COLOR. A month after we moved in I went ahead and painted my kitchen a deep RED. It brought out color in the dull oak cabinets and was perfect at the time.... but I think it just doesn't work for me anymore.

My red kitchen combined with the chaos of my 3 little ones, me rushing to make dinner before I go teach ballet, and all the colorful food stuck on the floor is just about too much energy for me, I nearly go mental. I love red, it just doesn't work for my lifestyle right now. Too bad it took me a year to figure this out.

I am planning a complete OVERHAUL with the kitchen in the year 2010. But, of course, on a budget (a very tight one).

I want to paint the surrounding cabinets WHITE
Granite countertops (tile most likely, cheaper.)
Beadboard the island and paint that Espresso.
Repaint the walls a calming, relaxing neutral

I gotta pick the right color this time... it may take me a while but I DO NOT want to be repainting again (even though I LOVE painting).

Enter: Sherwin Williams Color Visualizer (SUPER user friendly)

Go to Sherwin-Williams.com
Take a picture of your space and load it on their site
Outline your different color choices (trim, walls etc)
Pick your colors and start virtually painting!!!

Please be aware that the colors on the screen look MUCH different in real life. This is to give you a jump start so you can visualize your choices, but I wouldn't pick the exact color you chose on the internet (I always go a little lighter).

Beware: It is addicting!!!

Which one is your favorite?

1.
2.
3
4
5

Deck the Lighting Fixture

2009-12-16T10:15:00.000-08:00

You know when you hit the moment, after Christmas shopping, where you have run out of money. You have gone above and beyond your Christmas budget and there is no more money left in the budget to do those finishing touches you were planning? Well, I hit that moment last week. Lets just say we went a little crazy with Christmas this year so finishing my decor projects would have to happen next Christmas........

Then my sweet mother-in law (who decided to redo her own tree decor) kindly gave us her old Christmas decorations!!!! So I used them to deck my lighting fixture!

Cost: FREE

First I wrapped it with the $3 garland I got at Michaels at the beginning of this holiday season.
Then I added those fun ornaments she gave us (which are probably so outa style, but I find them... well... unique).
I had some of those "berry" picks leftover. Just stuck them in here and there to add color.
I tried to add ribbon with bows, but it just looked too busy. So I went with simple stupid.

It is so darn DARK in the Northwest in the winter there is absolutely no natural light to work with while taking pictures. The pictures don't give it justice. The lighting fixture really does add some holiday cheer to our kitchen area.
I plan to have a little more "ooomph" in my Christmas decor next year, I guess I will have to plan my budget better :)

Last Minute Holiday Decor

2009-12-13T09:15:00.000-08:00

There is still time left to decorate, don't stop now! Here are some fun, last minute, ideas before the guests come (and before Santa comes).

Instead of my Ball Tree, make yourself a pine cone tree! My mom, years ago, made a pine cone wreath like the one above. Just spray it like this blue color and frame it with an old, unused frame. Great idea.

Got old newspapers lying around? Make a wreath! See HERE

Don't stop with your tree and living room, bring Christmas to the bedroom :)

I am currently coming up with a plan to decorate the chandelier over my table. These look easy and beautiful!
You know how much I love these pretty balls. throw them on a stacked serving platter or even a cake stand and create a stunning look.

Use extra, empty, boxes and wrap them pretty for decoration (or use real presents). Set them next to a bowl of shiny balls or a bowl of pine cones or stand them on a pedestal next to your fireplace. I LOVE THIS IDEA!

ok, this candle idea would never fly in my home. The fire department and ambulance would be there in less time than it took to write this..... attempt at your own risk!

Do up your kitchen sink. Enjoy Christmas even during those nasty chores.

Merry Christmas!

Inspired by a Movie Set

2009-12-09T22:21:00.000-08:00

Ever watched a movie where you were looking at the house more than the actors?

The Blind Side stole my heart, not only by the inspirational story but by the house! Talk about amazing, this one blew me away.

Dining Room

Living Room

Kitchen

Bedroom

Family room off the kitchen

How could your jaw not drop seeing this movie? Look at the gorgeous baseboards, the chandeliers, the detail.....the floors!!!

My house will never be this house but I can bring a little bit of what I like into my own home. The one thing that I LOVED in this home was the stair railing and I could not find a picture anywhere. Their staircase has inspired me for my next Before and After Victim! I am going to turn my basic "starter home" stair railing into rich stunning eye candy for around $20..... after the holidays of course! I can't wait.

Use-What-You-Have Kitchen Accessory

2009-12-09T13:24:00.000-08:00

I had a desperate need to fill the space right in front of my sink, but for FREE. I opened my kitchen cupboards, found old things I wasn't using, put them together and made my own accessory, and I love 'em!

All it took:

2 unused Canning Jars
Some old Pasta and dried bananas that were rotting in my pantry (does pasta rot? well, it was old...)
My vintage cook book I found at an estate sale 5 years ago to balance the look.

Price: FREE

I added a poinsettia for the Christmas season, I love the red!

Your challenge: Dig in your cupboards and pantry and see what you can put together to add some texture and interest to your kitchen!

Holiday Cheer for your Table

2009-12-07T13:09:00.000-08:00

I am hosting Christmas Dinner (eeek!) and am looking for ways to decorate my table (my old table that will, hopefully, be replaced soon... hint hint honey...). I came across some beautiful table decor ideas.

Christmas Rose Pomander
Hang this DIY Pomander on your light fixture over your table.

I love this idea for a centerpiece from Pottery Barn. Fill a vase with bells and add some red flowers to match the Rose Pomander. I have also seen these bells made into a wreath. Just get a foam wreath and hot glue them. Makes a perfect wreath on your door, hear a Christmas jingle everytime you open it :)

Add candles with little balls or Christmas bells filling a vase. I love the look of placing them on a table runner (not sure if this one would work in my house, my twins would grab the runner and RUN...crash!)

Ball ornaments placed on a cake stand with leaves makes a stunning table accent.

Use this adorable Napkin Ring from Pier 1 to tie in your table decor

I am hardly a professional "entertainer", mainly its the twins that entertain our guests, if you know what I mean. But I am excited to take a dive and bring some holiday chear to our table this year!

5 Star Master Bedroom

2009-12-03T13:18:00.000-08:00

Remember I posted about how I could not decide on the direction to take my Master Bedroom? I think I have decided.

My 5 year anniversary is coming up in 20 days. We are booking our room for a night and the moment I saw this room, at The Nines in Portland, I had to have it. I not only want to stay in it, but I want to LIVE in it. It had to be mine.

TIP: You can never go wrong with making your bedroom look like your favorite 5 star luxury hotel room.
I love the browns, romantic whites and creams and the drama of the turquoise.

If we do end up staying here, I will be bringing my camera, taking pictures the whole time and oogling over the design instead of enjoying my anniversary... so maybe it is best to book a room somewhere else....

Quick, Easy Solution for my Ornament Tree

2009-12-02T12:31:00.001-08:00

I have been looking at my ornament trees wondering how to cover in between the balls without buying MORE balls! I went to Target today, came across some $2.99 white holiday garland and a bell went off in my head-fill all the holes with it! PERFECTO!

Just cut little pieces

Then STUFF in the holes! No glue needed (I glued a couple pieces, but then I figured out it worked out just as great without the glue).

It looks like snow

TIP: You are probably going to want to fill the holes.... doesn't it look SOOOO much better?... Why didn't I think of this before?

The Possibilities of Ornament Balls

2009-11-30T07:56:00.000-08:00

I have a confession: I am NOT a crafty person. I can paint a mean wall, I can fluff some good pillows, I can come up with a design for a room and match colors and drapes, I am super good at renovating a drab space.... but I just don't do crafts.

Hanging on my front door, inside

Thrifty Decor Chick introduced to me this amazing, cheap, easy, beautiful wreath using Ornament Balls. Read her tips, they were much needed in my case. But I do have a few of my own (from a non-crafter):

Make sure the hanger is perfectly rounded, the way you want, before you put the balls on.. otherwise your wreath will look like a square...
Don't freak out early on thinking yours is not going to turn-out (like I did), just stuff as many balls on there as possible and it will turn out fine.
There is no way in heck that you will be able to twist that darn wire at the end to close it up, I sealed mine with a big FAT blob of hot glue (this is the "non-crafter" way of doing it).
The wire may show when it is done and hung... that is ok! The balls are so pretty no one will notice (except my anal husband).
It really is EASY and VERY PRETTY!

After doing this little craft project and realizing that I, too, can craft I took the idea and ran with it. I thought... why not make trees out of them?

HOW TO:Get Styrofoam cones from Michael's and your balls (got mine at Walmart)

Take off the tops, hot glue gun the tippy top to the Styrofoam pressing them right into it.
I made lines from the bottom and staggered the lines going to the top. Once you get about 4 rows from the top start using your smaller balls
Top with a large ball glued right into the tip. For filling in between the holes click HERE
My little secret: I didn't cover all the way around... who's gonna know (besides all of you...). saved me time and money

I added some blue lights and it really makes it Glow (still need to get those stockings up...)
After doing this (and thinking I was so creative to make this up), I saw it has already been done. Of COURSE it has! DUH! THIS one was done by a TRUE crafter. Filling the holes with little balls is a great idea, and adding a stand was genius!.... hey, I still love my novice version :)

After the trees turned out so pretty, I decided to make round clusters of them for my railing (I know, I am turning into a crafter before your very eyes...)

How TO:

Just put them on a string

Tie the string in a TIGHT knot and you got yourself a "cluster"! Super easy.

Finish it off with pretty ribbon and it turns it into a festive dream.
Did these little projects convince me to craft?... nah. I will stick with painting and decorating

*I know I look like a nerd in the reflection of the balls, please don't hold that against me :)

Linking to

Goodwill Advent Calendar

2009-11-29T15:51:00.001-08:00

About a month ago I came across this lovely thing. I saw it from across the Goodwill store with an 80 year old woman pawing at it. I had to wait ever so patiently for her attention to be drawn to the Santa themed calendar right next to it so I could claim it as mine.

10 minutes and $10 later I was driving home with it:)

When I got home I looked at the bottom, the original price tag was $45! What a steal. I love the little glass tiles, the shimmery gold and silver, and the perfect little knobs. I couldn't have asked for a better advent calendar if I tried.

Word of advice: Hit Goodwill for your Christmas decorations, you will be pleasantly surprised.

I can't wait to show you all that I have done for my Christmas decorations this year!!

Spray Painted Copper Tin Toy Box

2009-11-27T10:04:00.000-08:00

As you can imagine, with 3 kids 3 years old and under, toys take over my home. Most of them are housed in the playroom but they often find their way downstairs to "my" space. I needed a toy box that was grown-up looking, fit in with the room, and... well, CHEAP!

BEFORE

Before I got married (over 5 years ago) me and my mom found these at an estate sale. I immediately saw the potential, but they have yet to be used. They have been sitting around and rusting on my front porch, just waiting.... I was wanting to use them as planters on my doorstep, but since it is winter I had a brilliant idea- restore them with SPRAY PAINT and use one for a toy box!

AFTER

I used Rustoleum Antique Copper. It covered all the rust and brought it back to life. It now sits next to my new, beautiful, Fireplace and holds toys and blankets. I am in LOVE!

The best part is all the character it has. The dings and antique handles are my favorite.

Fireplace: The Reveal

2009-11-25T08:35:00.000-08:00

I can proudly say, the day before Thanksgiving our fireplace is DONE! It is getting harder to work around my active, needy kids, but if I can do it, anyone can.

Before we moved in:

Before the Mantel, with my "wanna-be-a-real-fireplace-mantel" paint remedy:

During remodeling:

and.... drum roll Please...... dum dum da da!!!

AFTER
a coat of primer and 3 coats of paint later,

because I am a sucker for Before and Afters.....

We haven't put the TV back yet, part of me doesn't even want to. I am not a fan of Tv's on top of mantels (it is like worshipping the tv... nerdy!), but that is where it is all wired so it will eventually be there again. I have to say the mantel completely changes our whole family and kitchen area. It is just STUNNING! (confession: I have been sitting, staring at it for the past couple days with a big FAT smile on my face).

Costs:

$70- router & Bit

$55- MDF

$100- Slate & Supplies

$30- Pine

$40- Base & Crown molding

$33- molding & accents

$52- Paint

$20- misc (Spackle, caulk etc)

$400 total.

Pretty good compared to the $2,000-4,000 estimate we got before :)

Linking to:

Thrifty Decor Chick's Before & After Party

Mutts are allowed

2009-11-23T12:45:00.001-08:00

I have a hard time sticking with one style. I love my home, but part of me wishes I could have 3-5 homes (don't we all?), each to accommodate a totally different look. I call myself a design style MUTT. I am a mix of everything!

Because I love everything it is sometimes hard to stick to a style when redoing a room. If it were up to me I would redecorate rooms every year.
Right now I am in the process of making a plan for my master bedroom. New comforter, new paint, new headboard, drawers, curtains, bathroom etc etc.... but where do I go with this when I just love so many DIFFERENT things? HELP!

Here are some inspirations among hundreds:

Do you see my problem........

3 Reasons why MY projects take longer than YOURS

2009-11-22T09:22:00.001-08:00

Pictured above: Caught red handed creating their own Santa's snow scene in my daughter's room. (no spray paint needed, just baby powder!)

A project that could be done in a weekend turns into a 3 week project because of these three.

Side note: With any project I do, you can just cut the work time in half and that is how long it takes the average person to do it.

Fireplace: Part Two

2009-11-19T13:16:00.000-08:00

If you missed Part One, click HERE

After we got the 3 large pieces of MDF on there it was time to roll and tackle those amazing details that would bring it all together.

Tools:
Circular Saw
Miter Saw
Router and Bit (optional: see below)
Nail Gun

We put Crown Molding at the top

Here's a shot looking up at it. The piece that is hanging over is the quarter round.

To connect the top MDF piece to the crown molding (in a good lookin way) my husband used a quarter round. After, he said instead of the quarter round he could have just rounded the MDF with the router we have. But it works out the same.

Working with a corner fireplace is twice as hard. Here is how the molding and MDF meet the wall.

Dramatic Molding was added to the base

My husband cut a little "lip" in the bottom of the base to fit nicely around the tile.

I absolutely LOVED how Karla designed the MDF pieces to accent around the sides. To do this you will need a Router. I also learned (from my husband) that there are a million "bits" you can pick from. We stuck with a rounded edge just because it is more durable and with twin boys around, we always go the safe route.

TIP: If you don't have a router and don't want to buy one (we got ours on craigslist) just use molding pieces to make squares (like wainscoting). You will have a really great look without having to mess with another tool!

I couldn't just stop at the mantel. I had to extend my fireplace to the dramatic 9' ceilings we have!
I decided to use 1x4 Pine, instead of molding, to line the wall and along the ceilings. I just LOVE that look more and it creates clean lines while adding some traditional "craftsman" style. I also added the little boxes of molding in the middle, bringing a little of our wainscoting in the office into the front room.

This is a shot of the top corner, the ceiling. We used some molding pieces inside of the Pine.

This is at the bottom corner

TIP: My husband didn't put these mesh into the corner. He took them out a little more so they would meet up the same and create their own "corner"

After all that hard work and accurate measuring me and my husband created a stunning look!

But wait.... there is always that darn finish work!

We caulked all around the MDF cut-outs, around the Pine, around the crown molding, around the baseboards and even where the MDF meets the tile. Then we sanded and spackled every nail hole at least a couple times (if not 3-4 times).

TIP

TIP: My husband read online that when dealing with freshly cut MDF you will want to "seal" the edges so that it won't suck up the paint. We sealed all the edges of our MDF accent cut-outs.
Recipe: 4 parts wood glue to 1 part water to make a soupy paint.

Now we are ready to paint :)

Cottage Road Designs

2009-11-19T08:35:00.000-08:00

My sweet and talented cousin is the one behind Cottage Road Designs. She is a mother of 5, twin baby girls included. I have 3, counting my twin boys, and I don't know how she does everything she does and has creativity left over to run this adorable little business.

You have to check out her aprons. They make PERFECT Christmas gifts (she slips a cute recipe card inside). I have to admit I wear mine cleaning, changing diapers, doing laundry, and on the rare occasion when I actually "cook". It is so cute it may pass as lingerie :)

She makes this all natural, hand made lotion in between feeding and changing her twin baby girls, or maybe while they are napping.

Her original art she most likely does in between helping the older kids with homework.

Her creative journals she probably puts together after feeding her family of 7. Don't they just make you want to start a journal and keep it up everyday?

This one she calls Brave, happens to be my favorite and most emotional piece of art she has done.
Her inspiration behind the art:
I recently had twins to make five children. As I drove up to the school to pick up the older kids, the PE teacher wanted to look at the babies and then she looked around at the overly filled car and smiled at me and said, "you're brave." I said, "well, I don't know if it has anything to do with being brave." and she looked at me and said, "you are doing all this and you still have a smile on your face. That's being brave." I had never thought of it that way! So that's what inspired this painting.

Brittany is truly inspiring. She is a strong woman with a tender artistic talent. Visit her Etsy shop or even her blog. She has something for everyone.

From now through December she is giving FREE SHIPPING! Thanks Brittany for letting me show you off :)

Fireplace: Part One

2009-11-18T08:55:00.000-08:00

Last year we got an estimate from someone to make us a fireplace mantel- $2000-4000!!!! Are you kidding? My need for a pretty fireplace was crushed, we would NEVER be able to afford that.
Then I stumbled across Karla's fireplace on It's the little things that make a house a home. I showed the picture to my husband and he said "ya, we can do that." Sigh. I was going to have my pretty fireplace just in time for Christmas for a fraction of fraction of the cost :) YIPEE!!!

Design:
I get inspiration and ideas by looking at as many pictures as I can and gather little pieces from this and that and make my own creation. I call it my design recipe. I don't copy anything exactly. I take an ingredient from here, one from there, throw it in my design pot and it comes out more personable and, well, more ME! (but if you wanna copy my designs exactly, of course you can, that is why I am doing this blog. Just give me some credit.. hehe).

This is the corner fireplace before we moved in. Boring, bla, small and so NOT attractive. Hundreds of starter homes and apartments have this same fireplace. I am pretty sure half of you do.

I had to paint it while I was waiting for my Mantel. I chose chocolate brown... don't ask me why. I have started to hate it towards the end.... and I hate those nasty tiles.

SLATE $100 (including grout and all materials)

I decided on slate. It could go with any paint color (because I change them often), it is a natural stone, and it is a pretty "loved by all" tile for when we want to sell our house.

TIP: When you are doing major renovations, like tile, think about resell. If you are wanting to raise your home value stay neutral, don't get too crazy. If you are planning on staying in your home forever, get what your heart desires (I woulda gone with glass tiles if we were staying here forever, but I still love the slate).

For a step by step guide on how to Tile click HERE

We used pennies as spacers (hey, we didn't want to spend an extra $5 on spacers)
We also didn't have to make any cuts. The bottom slate fit right where the other previous tile was laid and the little tiles came in sheets so we cut them with a razor blade.
This was the FIRST time my husband had ever done tile (he has seen it laid a million times on his construction sites). He did an AMAZING job so don't be intimidated
I chose Gray for the grout color.

TIP: The Lowe's guy told me to seal our tile before and after we grouted. You especially want to seal natural stone so the grout doesn't get caught in all the grooves. Plus, it makes it a nice deep color, and if something makes it prettier, I'll take it!
Didn't it turn out pretty?

Now for the fun part.

MDF $55

My husband cut 4 pieces to cover the front and top.
One for the top (this was a triangle piece to fit in the corner)
3 for the front (rectangles)

Well, ok, I lied. The fun part is all the details (molding & accent pieces)... those are for Part Two . Guess your just gonna have to stick around for a couple more days :)

How Accessories can CHANGE a room

2009-11-16T11:21:00.000-08:00

Every time I walked by the kids bathroom the urge to redecorate nudged me. We have just too many painting and renovating projects on "priority" (like.. um... MY bathroom!), so paint just had to wait. But I couldn't wait! Can't change your paint color? Change your accessories!

I had no vision going into this, which usually that is a mistake. But in this case, everything just kinda worked out (the current of design just took its route) and it turned into a nice Zen/Asian/Spa bathroom.

The amazing part of this "makeover" is that most of the accessories are things I already had!

BEFORE

AFTER

I used frames I already had
New Towels
$20 art (all 3) from World Market

BEFORE

AFTER

Metal art on sale at BBB

BEFORE
AFTER

$10 curtains on sale at World Market.

BEFORE
AFTER
I spray painted the vase
The green "Grass" I had purchased months ago for $2 (clearance) at Target just waiting to use it
Remember my Sketch Art?

This vase was $1 at Goodwill
The soaps were $1 at my grocery store
Total= $2

If you live in an apartment or rental home you can still change a room quite a bit with just a little creativity. When the time comes, I am going to paint the cabinets a cream color, get oil rubbed bronze (or spray paint) fixtures and paint the walls green....blue..... cream.... hmmmm we will see.
But for now, this room will last me a little while before I will want to do it all over again :)

Linking this to

Frugal Friday

2009-11-13T12:25:00.000-08:00

It's Friday. I love Fridays because it means I have the whole weekend with help- my husband! YAY! Nothing is better than that.

To kick off my weekend I couldn't resist sharing things that gave me warm fuzzies and put a smile on my tired face because the more money in my pocket, the more I can spend later :)

One of my favorite blogs, Our Suburban Cottage, mentioned this store called RESTORE. I had to check it out. Luckily my mother in law took the kids for an afternoon or there is no way I was fittin' this thing in my van with 3 little ones.
Among old door knobs, scraps of old tile and hardwood, shutters, windows, and brassy chandeliers (which I LOVE... to spray paint of course), I found this BEAUTIFUL, heavy, solid wood door for $30!!! It is going to be my future headboard (aka: future before and after victim), I can't wait for that project although it may take a while to get there. This darn fireplace project is taking forever! I also can't wait to get back to Restore again and find future before and after victims.

In my bathroom "Recycle Redo" I transformed an old, dated, red vase to a shiny, sparkly black piece of art. I spray painted it with my "oil rubbed bronze" I had leftover from the Mirror project. So the makeover was FREE (that word alone gives me warm fuzzies). I am so excited to see it in the bathroom.... but it does look pretty good sitting right here in my kitchen ...

Copy Sketch art

2009-11-12T08:52:00.000-08:00

I am working on a "recycle redo" with the kids bathroom.
Recycle Redo: Use stuff you already have around the house, mix it up and you got a basically FREE makeover!

I have tons of black frames I am not using anymore but I just needed FREE artwork. hmmm... didn't want more family pictures...... I know, sketches!

Supplies: Drawing paper and drawing pencils (got mine at Michael's)

Print out a picture of the item you want to draw (got mine off Google Images)
Place it under your paper so you can "copy" it.
Carefully sketch, using the copy as your guide. Make it "sketchy" (not just an outline).
Shadow
Sign your work
Hang it and admire!

My husband saw them hung and thought I had purchased "real" artwork. When he found out I did it he smiled and laughed. Got him fooled :)
I have to laugh at the toilet drawing. I did it to be humorous and funny, but I think it turned out great. Remember, anything goes in my book. If you like it, then it works!

The Final reveal of my Bathroom "recycle redo" in a couple days.

Freebies- Never say NO

2009-11-10T08:30:00.000-08:00

Free furniture, or should I say "hand-me-downs" hardly get rejected in my house! I accept them with OPEN arms.
There are 2 types of freebies:

Hand-me-down that is someone else's junk
Hand-me-down that is a family antique and you are oh-so lucky to get it!

I am talking about #1 today (someone else's junk).

I have several hand-me-downs in my house. I have painted them, repainted them, and will continue to repaint them until I hand them down to someone else, or until I have sanded them down to their bare bones.
First Hand-me-down: Nursery Dresser.

3 years ago

history: My mom changed MY poopie diapers on this thing, along with my 4 brothers. It was a nasty puke green (sorry mom, but it was a gross color... maybe that was in style in the 80's)..... oh wait, I have a picture of the original color. Some of the paint is coming off so you can see:
When I was expecting my first darling little baby (girl) my mom gave it to me and had to paint it a soft green and added cute little white knobs.

Then, the twin BOYS were arriving! I couldn't possibly leave it the soft green it was, not for my RETRO brown and lime green theme! So it had to be changed, yet again. Bring on the sanding, smoothing, painting and hard work:

I painted it Behr "Bear Rug" and left the knobs the same. I changed the diaper changing pad and added some cute accessories on the side.
** I will soon get to featuring my nursery. It is a room I just adore!

Master Dresser

History: This one was a total nasty dresser from the '70's that came from my husband's grandpa. I wish I had before pics, darn! I mean, we literally changed it completely.
Painted it black and added knobs. It has lasted us a good 3-4 years, but I am ready to hand it to someone else and get a dresser with some visual interest and character (for my master bedroom makeover coming in the new year!)... any takers?

Personal Fave, Makenzie's Bed

Yet again, no before pics :((((((((... I am sure I can find some from my mother-in-law.
History: My husband grew up with this bed! It comes with another one, to make bunk beds. It was a dark, boring, old brown wood color. Not interesting at all (sorry Karen!) but had very interesting lines.

Love that some screws are bare and others are kinda painted

I sanded and painted it white, but only 2 coats and so you could see it was a messy paint job. Then distressed the heck out of it.
Distressing- after you have painted it get sand paper and sand the heck out of edges that would naturally have wear or areas you want to "feature" (like the pretty footboard and headboard curved lines). Do it as much, or little, as you want!
I stained the distressed wood a dark color and I love how the stain sunk into the notches, it is so fun.

My future plan is to paint it, yet again, and make it more "boy" for the twins as a bunk bed set. But I have to say, I am so in love with this bed it will be hard to give up.

TIP: On all my furniture redos I end with a polyurethane coat to protect it and make it last longer (t TOTALLY works! Do at least 2 coats if not 3-4). I skipped it on this one to let the natural wear take place.

Lastly, the playroom bookcase given to me by my mom.
No real details here, it was originally Makenzie's bookcase in her nursery, then moved it to the playroom. I will most likely paint it in the future and move it to a bedroom. But for now, it houses the kids books.

I am linking this post to the DIY Showoff

A Hole in the Wall was NOT the plan!

2009-11-08T15:55:00.000-08:00

Before you start on any project you envision it going as smoothly as the finished product looks. But lets be totally honest, with every home improvement project there are always stumbling blocks and "OH CRAP" moments!

We started our fireplace, and I have to say with how it looks right now I am getting really excited (and it is NOT pretty right now).

I headed to Lowes and got everything on our list for installing the Slate, our first stage of the fireplace. I feel like the cashiers should be required to say as they hand you your receipt, "see you in a couple hours!" because that is usually the case.

Our "OH CRAP" moment:
As my husband was pulling, banging, tugging and pounding the icky "cheapo" ceramic tile off (it was not easy), the wall came right off with it. I can proudly say that no swear words were shouted and he stayed pretty calm (at least calm on the outside). I didn't worry much because I always know my husband finds a solution. And he did indeed!

He cut a square above the hole and traded it. We needed a little backbone behind the tile, but don't need anything behind our "soon to be pretty" mantle. Problem solved and no extra trip to Lowes. GENIUS!

Lesson learned: If you ever have an "oh CRAP" moment just email my husband, he will find a way around it pretty fast (and without an extra visit to Lowes).

COMING UP- I plan to update you with tutorials as we tackle this fireplace. Hopefully we can get this thing done in the next couple weeks.

I feel so Special

2009-11-06T08:46:00.001-08:00

As most of you know, I was featured on The DIY Show-off, because most of you came over from there. I am SOOO totally flattered that some of you decided to follow my little projects. I feel that I am finally, well a little, caught up on this blog with what we have done so far to our house.

I am a VERY busy mommy with 3 little ones and I also teach ballet at nights. I do this blog when I can. It doesn't come first, but it sure is a good little "getaway" (or should I say hideaway in my nice cute den).

Thanks for stickin' with me and I hope to bring you some good before and afters.

We are starting on our little "victim" (the fireplace) this weekend, I am so charged and READY for that nasty thing to look BEEEEE-utiful! Stay tuned :)