Evolution of Style

Rug Reveal & 11 Questions

2012-02-21T08:00:00.001-05:00

Hello Friends,

I took off for President's Day and enjoyed the day with my hubby and kids, since my husband has been out of town for the past week. He's helping me put up my thrifty chandy that I am putting in the kids' Jack & Jill bathroom, and like everything, it always seems to take longer than it should.

So, in the meantime, here are some pics of the dining room with the new rug. It looks great, and now I'm on a mission to get some drapes up in there!

And since this room is evolving, let me remind you that the next Room Evolution party is on Wednesday, February 29th! Mark your calendars!

So, I've been tagged by three different bloggers - Lisa from Shine Your Light, Cathy from Room Rx and Maury, from Life on Mars - in a fun little quiz in which I answer 11 questions and then tag 10 more bloggers with my own 11 questions. So, since I want to participate in all of them (but don't want to bore you with 33 questions & answers about me), I'm taking a few from each of them and combining them into one quiz. So, here we go!

1. What is your favorite place in the United States?
When you say "United States", I'm including all fifty states and am going to say Hawaii. My husband and I went to Hawaii, pre-kids and it was the most amazing vacation we've ever taken. Just a breathtaking place all around, and I hope we can go again someday. We took a day and drove the Road to Hana, which I highly recommend if you're ever in Maui. Amazing. And as you get started, stop at the little hut that sells the best banana bread. Ever.

Source: google.com via Jennifer on Pinterest

2. Where would you love to visit that you've never been before?
Hmmmm. This is a good one. Given that I'm a big fan of crystal clear blue water and sandy white beaches, I'd have to go with someplace like Bora Bora or Tahiti. Yes, please.

Source: Uploaded by user via Lindsay on Pinterest

3. What is one of your pet peeves?
I have to admit, I'm a bit of a grammar Nazi. For instance, when I see someone (an adult, who should know better) use "your" in the place of "you're", it's like nails on a chalkboard.

Source: someecards.com via Ingrid on Pinterest

4. Name one thing on your bucket list.

It's insane. But I would love to one day cross the finish line of an Ironman Race. To hear, "Jenny, you're an Ironman!" would just be AMAZING. I'm not a big fan of tattoos, but if I finished an Ironman, you can bet that I would have the tattoo to prove it (and the t-shirt, the bumper sticker, the backpack...). And it would be really awesome if I crossed the finish line looking like her:

Source: geoffwhite.ws via Jada on Pinterest

Although I imagine it would play out more like this:

Source: google.com via Serena on Pinterest

5. What is something about yourself that you'd like to change?

Hmmmm. I'd have to say that I'd like to change my procrastinator-like ways. I seem to swing from one extreme to another in this area. On one hand, when I decide to do something, I do it. But with other things, I can just put them off like there's no tomorrow, and then they hang over my head and drive me crazy. It's silly the way it works. I work best under pressure and with deadlines - if there is no deadline, I don't feel the pressure to get it done.

Source: primitivesbykathy.com via Heather on Pinterest

6. Is there a 2012 resolution you've already broken?
See question #6. ;-)

7. What is your best advice for raising children?
A few things come to mind on this one:

Let your children "overhear" your praise of them when talking to other people
Pick your battles
Enjoy every moment of their littleness - it's so difficult when you're an exhausted, bleary-eyed mother, but those days are fleeting, even if they feel like they'll never end while you're living them

8. What is your favorite project that you've ever accomplished?
I'm assuming this question is DIY related, so with that, I'm going to have to say that painting my kitchen cabinets is my favorite. Not in terms of the process, but I'm proud that I was able to do it. If that makes sense.

9. What is one thing everyone should know about you?
I get extremely crabby if I don't get some sort of workout in during the day (I typically go over my lunch hour). It gets me out of the office, releases my stress and helps me deal with the second half of the day. If I don't go - watch out. It's not pretty. People who know me can vouch for this.

10. What is your favorite kitchen or home improvement tool?
My favorite kitchen tool is by far, my Kitchen Aid mixer. I have had this baby for years now, and still use it on a regular basis. Truly worth every penny!

11. What do you enjoy about blogging?
I love that blogging incorporates three things that I enjoy so very much - home design, photography and writing. Plus, I love all of the new people I've "met" and daily inspiration I encounter with all of the different blogs that I have discovered. It's fantastic!

There you go! Now, I'm passing the baton.
Next to share the Rules:
**You must post the rules
**Answer the 11 questions that the tagger posted for you; then create 11 questions to ask the people you've tagged
**Tag 11 people and link them in your post
**Let them know you have tagged them

Our Adventures in Home Improvement

Love Laughter and Decor

Creatively Living

Cottage Living - From the Beach to the Burbs

The Mindful Nest

Decorating Cents

Maple Leaves and Sycamore Trees

Harbour Breeze Home

The Weekend Homemaker

The Shabby Chick

Here are my eleven questions for you!
1. What is your biggest fear or phobia?
2. What is your proudest moment?
3. What is your favorite childhood memory?
4. Tell me something about you few people know.
5. What do you do to release your stress?
6. If you could take a dream trip to anywhere in the world, where would it be?
7. Name a quirky trait or habit of yours.
8. If you could time travel and live in a different era, when would it be?
9. What DIY project are you most proud of?
10. If you had $1 million to give to a worthy cause/person of your choice, what/who would it be?
11. If you had a magical power, what would it be?

Rug Realities

2012-02-15T08:00:00.001-05:00

I have to say, while I love what a great rug adds to a room, I struggle with paying big $$ for some of the rugs I see out there. I don't know why - it's a personal problem I guess. Maybe it's because I think of other things I could buy with that money - like furniture or a plane ticket to an island in the Carribbean.

That's one of the things I'm going to have to deal with when we finally take the plunge and put in hardwood floors in our great room. It slays me that we'll be paying big money to install the floors, and then even MORE money to add a rug. I know it's worth the investment, but dang, it adds up quickly!

Maybe it's because I'm drawn to ~~crazy expensive~~ beauties like these:

Source: beautyintheattempt.blogspot.com via Jenny on Pinterest

Oh, Amy Butler rugs, how I love you so...

Source: laylagrayce.com via Sarah on Pinterest

Source: hollymathisinteriors.com via Jami on Pinterest

So, let's snap back to reality here. You can imagine my exhilariation at finding this lovely lady while browsing one of the Joss & Main sales that I ~~stalk~~ check daily.

Ok, so maybe I shouldn't have put this photo so close to the Amy Butler gorgeousness. Pretend you never saw them. Or maybe I'm lucky enough to have readers who have short-term memory loss like I do.

What was I talking about? Oh yes, my new rug...

And the best part? This baby only cost a smidge over $100 (plus shipping). It just got a lot prettier, didn't it? The size of the rug is about 7'6" x 9'6" - something like that - not a full 8'x10' sized rug, but the largest they had for this particular style. I mapped it out in my dining room, and determined I could make it work.

I figured worst case, I could use it outside on the covered porch. Did I mention it's an indoor/outdoor rug? Yes it is. But that's ok - I'm digging it. It's actually really soft (confirmed by my 13 year-old and our dog). Now I'm wishing I had bought more than one so I could have some of this fun pattern outside too.

I'll share more photos soon. The rug was delivered late in the evening on Valentine's Day, so I only have night shots right now. Patience my pets!

So, what do you think? What are your thoughts on rugs? Do you struggle with laying your cash on the table for them too? Do you have any go-to sources for rugs in your home? Can you get the look you want, for less? I'm all ears!

Candy and Flowers for Valentine's Day - With a Twist

2012-02-13T12:00:00.005-05:00

Hello!

We had our "Dinner Club" get together this weekend, and I love it. Our Dinner Club includes five couples, and we take turns hosting every month or two. Everyone brings a dish and a bottle of wine, and it's just a lot of fun to hang out (with adults) and enjoy conversation that isn't interrupted by children every 30 seconds.

So, since it was a Valentine's Day theme, I brought a hostess gift with that in mind. Super easy, cheap and fun, combining some Valentine's Day favorites - flowers and candy. Just in a non-traditional way.

I'm sure you can figure this out by looking, but I'll give you the blow-by-blow anyway.

I used two vases that were the same shape, but different sizes. I actually used TWO bags of M&M's, for this project - just have one in the picture.

Place the smaller vase inside the larger one and then fill the gap between the two vases with the M&M's. You could use all sorts of candy here - the little conversation heart candies would be cute here too. Or even Red Hots!

Then fill the inside vase with water and fill with flowers. I scored these amazing tulips - two big bunches for $20!

Enjoy them yourself or give them to your Valentine. :-)

Room Evolution Party - Features!

2012-02-09T08:00:00.003-05:00

Hello Everyone!

Thanks again to all who participated in my first Room Evolution party - I'm beyond thrilled to have such a great turnout for my first party (ever), and you alleviated my pre-party anxiety. For that, I'm so thankful. :-)

So, back to YOU. Wowie, wowie, WOW. Talk about some crazy mad skills out there. I'm seriously impressed and really enjoyed checking out your blogs and awesome spaces. Some highlights below, and don't forget to grab a "Featured" button from my sidebar.

I hope you took a look at this amazing mudroom from the mindful nest comprised of fantastic, yet budget-friendly craigslist finds. I'm a smitten kitten with the fresh palette of aqua and orange. Such a happy, friendly room. (P.S. - I think EVERY home should have a mudroom. They should be as standard as bathrooms, especially if you have kids!)

Here is another amazing mudroom (can you tell I'm obsessed?) from Eclectically Vintage. It is the epitome of organized goodness and every nook and cranny is put to work! And the floor - oh, the floor!

Check out this dreamy bathroom transformation at Batchelors Way. It's simply stunning, with beautiful finishes and no detail overlooked. (Notice the makeup mirror attached to the wall - I love little touches like that).

This bathroom at Sweet Chaos Home is large enough for me to move in and relax without anyone being the wiser. It is the perfect retreat at the end of a long day. And you'd never guess where it began.

I mentioned earlier this week that I hit the ground running, so maybe that's why these wonderful bathrooms are so appealing right now. Here is another gorgeous transformation from To the Moon and Back. Not only is it a gorgeous redo, but I'm totally impressed with the reuse of some tile they had from the floor of their old home that they put on the shower walls here. Crazy smart.

I'll round it out with this great basement space from Maple Leaves & Sycamore Trees. From where this basement started (all dark and basement-y) to where it is now, it's like they added on to the house with all of this beautifully functional space!

Don't forget to grab a "Featured" button from my sidebar. Thanks again to all who linked up - I'm looking forward to seeing what you're up to for the next party on Wednesday, February 29th. Leap year!

Paneled Dishwasher Demise

2012-02-07T08:00:00.002-05:00

Hello friends!

I hit the ground running today, and am fairly whooped already. What day is it? Wednesday?

But the universe seems to be in a joking mood, and thought it would be funny to render my dishwasher inoperable. Hilarious. It started with the spring on the door breaking, but I ~~procrastinated~~ dealt with it instead of calling an appliance repair person. But, on Thursday evening when I tried to start it, the control panel went as blank as the stare my kids gave me when told them we would have to wash dishes by hand. Yeah - totally blank. Nothing there.

So, since the cost to repair it doesn't seem worthwhile at this point, I'm on the hunt for something new. But alas, nothing is ever easy, is it?

Don't get me wrong - I love my paneled dishwasher. I love that it blends so seamlessly with my cabinetry. But now the trick is finding a dishwasher that will accommodate it (and that I like). A tricky combination.

I currently have Kitchen Aid appliances, dishwasher included. But I have heard great things about Bosch dishwashers. And Bosch does make panel-ready dishwashers like this one:

But since panel ready dishwashers aren't mainstream, I'm trying to determine whether my existing panel will fit a non-Kitchen Aid dishwasher. All of this research means I'm going to be washing a lot of dishes in the meantime.

Suffice to say, I will be picking up paper plates, plastic cups and silverware tomorrow, since my family of five generates enough more dirty dishes than an Waffle House at 2AM on a Saturday night. So, I'm not going to be environmentally friendly for a bit. If you saw my dishes, you would stop by and drop off some of your excess paper products.

The upside of this problem is that I stumbled upon some AMAZING kitchen evolutions while ~~surfing the web~~ researching. Some even had panel-ready dishwashers. And yes, the trend is toward white kitchens, but oh, how individual they all are!

Seriously, gorgeous.

Notice the paneled dishwasher...

Holy gorgeousness Batman... Did you even get a peek at that view?

And check out this before and after:

And here it is now:

Wowie. Wowie. Wow.

Paneled dishwasher in the island - I almost missed this one.

(All images via gardenweb.com)

So, does anyone have experience with panel ready dishwashers? Dishwasher favorites in general? I'd love to hear your thoughts!

If you need me, I'll be washing dishes.

Jack & Jill Bathrooms

2012-02-03T08:00:00.001-05:00

Hello friends!

First of all, thanks to everyone for kicking off my first Room Evolution party with gusto! I'm thrilled with the participation and have really been enjoying seeing the rooms you've been working on out there! Amazing! I will be featuring some of them once the link party closes, so until then, link up here.

I'm continuing to work on my Jack & Jill bath, and am making progress - slowly but surely. I don't know what it is, but sometimes I can whiz right through a project, and other times I run out of steam and it just seems to hang over my head. More on that later.

I don't know about you, but I have always had a soft spot for Jack & Jill bathrooms. They come in all sorts of configurations, and are just the epitome of function, especially when you have kids. So, as you might imagine, I was really happy to finally have a Jack & Jill bathroom in my own home (for the first time).

But, since mine is still a work-in-progress, let's focus on some cool Jack & Jill bathrooms that are actually, um, DONE.

Don't you just love this? Such a fun color on the cabinets, paired with a yummy hexagon tile.

Source: houzz.com via Jenny on Pinterest

More fabulousness here - love the vintage look with the sconces and the mirrors/medicine cabinets along with the fresh and pretty penny tile.

Source: houzz.com via Jenny on Pinterest

Ok, I don't know if this is an actual Jack & Jill bathroom, but it could be. And how stinking cool is that sink! I don't know though, one huge sink + (my) kids = big huge water fight. But this isn't my house, and I'm sure the kids who live here are very civilized and don't engage in such horseplay.

Source: houzz.com via Jenny on Pinterest

Here's one with great punches of color from HGTV's 2010 Dream Home. Aqua and orange just make me happy.

Source: hgtv.com via Jenny on Pinterest

Or this uber-cool Jack & Jill reno from It's Great to be Home. (Talk about some mad renovation skills...)

Source: itsgreattobehome.net via Jenny on Pinterest

And a seriously girly-girl Jack & Jill bathroom. Maybe it's a Jill & Jill bathroom...

Source: houzz.com via Jenny on Pinterest

So, now we're back to my Jack & Jill bathroom. I got the bead board wallpaper up (of course, not without incident). I won't bore you with the details, but you can see below that I had some problems matching up the wallpaper ~~due to poor planning~~. So, I overlapped the wallpaper to match it and then got stuck. Perhaps this is why I ran out of ~~patience~~ steam.

Fortunately, once it dried, I was able to trim off the excess without an issue (trimming it while it was still wet/damp resulted in me ~~cursing the notion that I could actually hang wallpaper~~ tearing the paper.

You'd never know by looking that I almost tore it all down and installed more board and batten.

I installed some moulding along the top and added some hooks in the hope that my kids will actually hang their towels on them. A mom can dream, right?

Just throwing this shot in there for kicks. Debating on whether or not I should get a new shower curtain or just keep what I have. Doesn't look half bad from this angle.

And I have another element I'm hoping to add to this bathroom. I bought it at a garage sale awhile back, with the intent of using it in my daughter's room, but I think it might be put to better use in this space. (And no, I didn't hang it right by the shower - I just jury rigged it up to hang from my shower curtain rod to take a picture. So hang up the phone - no need to call Children's Services. My kids are not in harms way.)

Would you believe I scored this little lovely for $10?? Awww yeah!

So, there you have it. It's coming along - another evolution in the making. What are you working on this weekend?

Welcome to the First Room Evolution Party!

2012-01-31T07:00:00.000-05:00

Hello friends!

It is with great excitement (and a bit of anxiety to be quite honest), that I am kicking off my first Room Evolution party! I have been sharing my own room evolutions and makeovers (big and small), and I'm really excited to see what you have to share! It can be any room you choose, I don't care if it's something you did last week, last month, or even last year. Whether you're in the middle of a project or have completed a room from start to finish - I want to see it!

So, here are the rules/guidelines/deets:

Grab a button off my sidebar or link back so that others can join the fun.
Two links per person (because I don't want you to run out of rooms to share!)
By entering your link, you are giving me permission to use any part of your post, including pictures to feature you and your awesomeness (with credit given to you and linking back to your blog)
Please post the permalink (the link to your post), not the general link to your blog.
The link party will be open until February 6th, 2012.

Thanks for sharing!

A Room Evolution Party Warm-Up - 70's Kitchen Transformation

2012-01-30T08:00:00.001-05:00

Hello friends!

As a warm-up to my first Room Evolution party tomorrow, I thought I would share an inspiring 70's kitchen transformation that happens to belong to a good friend of mine, Vanessa.

This house was 70's through and through, complete with a dated, teeny tiny galley style kitchen. Did I mention Vanessa ~~lives~~ loves to cook and bake? She shows her love and friendship through her yummy dishes, and it's refreshing to visit her kitchen only to be greeted by lemon blueberry muffins or her amazing chocolate chip cookies.

So, you can only imagine what a nightmare this kitchen was for her when they bought their house almost nine years ago. Are you ready? Brace yourself as we turn up the flux capacitor and step into a time warp. (I should preface this with the fact that these are photos from the walk-through they had prior to buying the house.)

Yeah, it was something of a nightmare, and suffice to say, I'm pretty sure her husband heard about it from Day 1. I mean, can you blame her?

But, rest assured, it didn't stay that way forever, and is now the ~~cookie~~ cooking refuge she's always dreamed of.

Here it is pre-demo:

Mid-construction:

And here it is now:

No, you haven't accidentally clicked over to another blog. It's the same house - I promise I'm not playing tricks on you. So much has changed in this space, it's hard to even put it all in context from where the room started. They basically blew out everything in the old galley kitchen/family room combination, and turned it into one big kitchen.

So, to try and give you a bit of context, here are some room evolution photos:

So, get your rooms ready and don't forget to link up! Looking forward to seeing what you have to share!

Basement Color Palette in Progress

2012-01-26T08:00:00.002-05:00

Hello!

I have shared some of the photos and work that we have done on our basement. We've added board and batten, a gallery wall and changed out some of the lighting so far. It's a great space for family fun and entertaining, and we use it every day. The only thing I'm not jazzed about is the color palette that is down there now. I've blogged about it in the past, and it's an intimidating space given that it is open and connected. I want it to flow and work together, and that requires some thought and planning.

Enter HGTV & Sherwin Williams. They have come together and created some fabulous color palettes that work beautifully with our basement space.

One element of our basement that I really like and want to keep is the grasscloth wallpaper that we have in a couple areas. There are a lot of great colors in this palette that will work with the grasscloth, while still injecting new life into the space.

Here's another photo to give you the full effect:

So, I bought a few sample quarts of paint to test them out and see how they looked with the family room color, Benjamin Moore's Palladian Blue.

As you can see, I chose Escape Gray, Ethereal Mood and Accessible Beige. I'm sooo glad I got the sample quarts, because my initial thought was to get the Accessible Beige - too light in contrast with the Palladian Blue. The Escape Gray, while I really like it, wasn't a good contrast to the Palladian Blue either. Ethereal Mood was the winner!

The walls have been an absolute mess ever since our epic fail attempt at bringing the board and batten up the stairs. We are carpentry impaired in trying to accomplish this task with all of the different angles going up the stairs. Angles in going up the stairs, angles with the turn in the stairs, it's a nightmare! So, while we're not giving up on the board and batten, I just couldn't stand looking at the spackled walls anymore.

Side note - I have seen some of you out there with your mad carpentry skills. You know who you are - Lisa at Shine Your Light - check out her stairway and you'll see what I'm talking about. Or this other amazing Lisa at A Vintage Vine. See her stairway makeover here. Maybe I need to change my name to Lisa. I am willing to offer up delicious baked goods in return for your services.

I could write a whole post on the issues we had here. It's really quite embarrassing - two educated human beings, looking like monkeys with mitre saws.

I know the colors don't look dramatically different in these photos, but trust me, they are. The previous color was more of a camouflage green, where as the new color is a grayish taupe. I really like it, and it's opening up lots of possibilities for the rest of the basement.

As always, it's a work in progress, right? And yes, the stairs are on my list for this year as well.

Carpet on the stairs + 3 kids + 1 enormous black dog = DISASTER.

Don't forget about the Room Evolution linky party on Tuesday, January 31st!

Dining Room Evolution - Bamboo Blinds

2012-01-23T08:05:00.002-05:00

I'm continuing to work on my dining room and have added another layer of detail - bamboo blinds.

To refresh your memory - my inspiration photo...

Source: inspirationfordecoration.blogspot.com via Jenny on Pinterest

As much as I love the drapes in this photo, I have to admit, my Hummingbird-with-A-D-D nature has buzzed over to some more pretty possibilities.

Enter (Vodka) Tonic Living. Ok, it's not called Vodka Tonic Living, but that should be a website all on it's own, don't you think? I would definitely be a follower. And would totally enter their giveaways if they had them. But Tonic Living is a fab website I discovered ala Rambling Renovators since she's having a giveaway this week and has some gorgeous drapes that she ordered from their site.

So, I ordered some fabric swatches. Including this one:

And this:

And this beauty...

I mean, how is a girl supposed to stay focused, with prettiness like this all around?

So, a quick recap on this Dining Room Evolution to date (apologies for the difference in the look of the paint color - the latest photo was taken on a cold, gray day).

Don't forget to get your room evolutions ready for the Room Evolution party on January 31st! Grab a button from my sidebar and join the fun!

Linking up to:

Thrifty Decor Chick - February Before & After Party

Powder Room Palooza

2012-01-19T08:00:00.004-05:00

I am up to my eyeballs in beadboard wallpaper right now, as I continue getting ready for my cookie exchange last month. working on my kids' Jack & Jill bathroom, but I have another bathroom space to share with you in the meantime. I knocked this bad boy out when I was in Tazmanian-Devil-Decorating-Mode,

I know I'm not the only one who gets ~~crazy insane~~ highly motivated when a party is on the horizon. Right? I think there's a 12-Step Program for people like us. Err, me.

Anyway, since this bathroom is in the basement, and is the one people use when we entertain, I figured a quick spruce up was in order. Plus, it's a small space and would be a quick and dirty makeover. And what's not to like about that?

So, to begin with, the bathroom was the same baby poo brown as much of my basement.

(FYI - this bathroom also doubles as my son's bathroom, since his bedroom is in the basement. Thus the maze of doors. Door #1 - Powder Room. Door #2 - Shower. Door #3 - Vanity/Sink that connects to his bedroom.)

I told you this makeover was quick and dirty, but did I also mention that it was cheap? Yes, cheap! I had paint leftover from my kitchen overhaul, and since this is such a teeny space, it seemed criminal to buy a whole gallon of paint just for this room. So, hello again Mountain Laurel.

Pretty, yes? I am totally digging on this color, let me tell you. And I really love the pop of raspberry red in the throw rug I scored for a cool $30. Holiday festive, but still bright and cheery to use every day. I switched out the artwork with a picture that I already had. The colors in the painting just work with the paint color.

The only problem we ran into was a minor mirror mishap. Despite the fact that my husband and I hung the mirror back on the wall as a team (and even pulled on it to make sure it was secure), shortly thereafter I heard a terrible crash, and knew immediately what it was. The mirror. On the floor. Shattered. So, while you can see it in the photo (hanging on for dear life apparently), it is no longer with us.

Mirror incident aside, this was essentially a $30 makeover.

So, a quick Room Evolution view for you:

Speaking of Room Evolutions, don't forget my Room Evolution linky party on Tuesday, January 31st! I can't wait to see your evolving spaces!

Linking up to:
My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia - Tuesday's Treasures
Thrifty Decor Chick - February Before & After Party

A New Series - Room Evolutions

2012-01-16T20:32:00.001-05:00

Happy Monday Friends!

I had a glorious weekend of scrapbooking, eating, chatting (and eating), and I'm feeling ~~stuffed~~ recharged and ready to go. It's amazing what a creative weekend away can do for your soul.

On Friday I told you that I was going to announce a new series, and today I'm here to tell you about it! Like many of you, the new year had me thinking about new ideas for my blog. So, starting at the end of this month, I am going to host a monthly "Room Evolutions" link party, giving you an opportunity to showcase your own spaces. I'm really excited to see your rooms! It can be any room you choose - kitchens, bathrooms, bedrooms - I want to see them all! After each party, I'm going to feature some of your evolutions, and plan to share some other great evolutions out in the blogosphere along the way.

I wanted to announce it sooner, but I was being a bit OCD and wanted to have some fun bloggy buttons created first.

Here are a couple of great room evolutions to get you thinking.

Source: perfectlyimperfectblog.com via Jenny on Pinterest

Source: mosaicworksca.blogspot.com via Jenny on Pinterest

So, start thinking about the Room Evolution you want to share this month! Also, please don't feel like you need to have a blog to participate. Send me your photos and I can share them as part of the party.

I can't wait to see your rooms!

Unexpected Sources of Inspiration

2012-01-13T07:50:00.000-05:00

Hello!

I am getting ready to go scrapbooking this weekend, so I definitely have scrapbooking on the brain. Being able to focus solely on my own creativity with my family photos is a real treat, and all of the pretty papers and embellishments just make it that much more fun.

(Actually, the best part about it is that there are women there who make all of our meals and snacks, and turn on the electric blankets in our beds for us so we are warm and cozy when we go to sleep). It's heavenly.

I know that there are lots of ways to compile photos online, and while that is nice too, there is just something about working with my photos and putting them together by hand, that I really enjoy. Especially when I get the opportunity to do it on a weekend like this - uninterrupted.

But, all of the beautiful papers that are out there nowadays can also be used in your home. Just look at some of the beautiful patterns that are available - talk about design inspiration! Here are a few examples to get your wheels turning (some are "digital" papers, but trust me, these patterns are available in regular papers as well).

Source: etsy.com via Jenny on Pinterest

You could use papers like these in so many ways! Frame some up and create a gallery wall. Mod Podge them on to a sheet of metal and frame it up for a magnetic board. Heck, Mod Podge them on to just about ANYTHING - vases, buckets, picture frames - the possibilities are endless!

I'll be announcing a new series next week - have a great weekend!

How to Paint Your Kitchen Cabinets (like a pro)

2012-01-11T08:00:00.005-05:00

Hello Friends!

I promised a tutorial on how I painted my kitchen cabinets, and I'm making good on it (finally). I apologize for the delay, but these things take time, right? (Or maybe I was just trying to forget the experience altogether before reliving it in tutorial-form).

If you're interested in reading about this project in process, you can read about it here and here. You can see the kitchen reveal here and the full evolution of the kitchen in photos here.

I apologize in advance on the length of this post, but I wanted to make sure I covered everything in one fell swoop. That said, I'm sure I forgot something, so feel free to ask any questions you may have.

I did a great deal of planning and research before tackling this project, and I hope you're able to learn from my obsessive-compulsive tendencies.

First things first. These are some of the most important things to know and consider before taking on a project like this.

1. Unless you have hired help (or a household that will take on all of your responsibilities while working on this), the rest of your house will suffer during this process.
Ok, maybe I'm being a bit dramatic here, but this was my personal experience. However, I should preface this by also mentioning that I work full-time (outside of the home), and spent just about every non-working moment on this project in order to get it done. So, for me, this meant that my typical laundry "pile" turned into a laundry "mountain". The entire house was a wreck, and the hubby and kids had to fend for themselves for the 2-3 weeks that I spent focused on painting. My kids may or may not have eaten cereal out of the box for dinner ~~several nights in a row~~.

2. Invest in help from the experts.
I had three big questions in researching this project:

How do I best prep my cabinets for painting?
What kind of paint do I use?
How do a I choose a paint color?

I looked at a lot of different kitchen cabinet projects online, which was helpful, but I urge you to talk to the pros at your local paint store. I'm not talking about the teenager that is working at Lowe's. I went to a paint store where the guys working there knew their stuff. I brought in one of my cabinet doors and they could tell me immediately what kind of prep work I needed to do and the best paint to do the job.

I also went to a builder's supply center and looked at different cabinet finishes to find the color/finish I wanted to have in my own home. I took cabinet samples home and decided on colors based on those samples. The awesome guys at the paint store did a color match on the samples, and I'm thrilled with the result.

Here are the samples I used and had color matched for the island and the kitchen cabinets.

3. What is the best method to get the job done and make it look professional?
I know there are a lot of opinions and methods out there, but after painting the kitchen island, (using a sprayer for the doors, and hand painting the frame), I knew that painting the cabinets with a brush would not produce the look that I wanted. Everyone is different, but my cabinets have a lot of raised panels and nooks and crannies, just screaming for drips and brush marks, despite my best efforts.

The clincher for me was seeing this video of someone painting kitchen cabinets with an HVLP sprayer. HVLP = High Volume, Low Pressure. It is a dream for a project like this since you have so much control over the spray in terms of volume and area. You can dial it down to a targeted, narrow spray for corners and small areas, or you can open it up to give you a much broader spray as well. I didn't buy the sprayer in the video, but the seed was planted. I knew this was the way to go (for me).

However, these paint guns can be expensive, since they hook up to a turbine. But, I did some (more) research, and found one that I could hook up to our air compressor (ours is a 6 gallon 150psi, which was more than enough power) for a fraction of the cost. Enter Gleempaint.com and this Wagner HVLP Conversion Gun of Awesomeness.*

(*I don't get paid for recommending this spray gun, nor is it called a Gun of Awesomeness. I just think it is.)

So, let's get to the details. How did I prep my cabinets? What kind of paint did I use? What finish did I choose?

Paint Prep
Since my cabinets didn't have a glossy finish on the to begin with, I started by giving them a light sanding, and then used Krud Kutter Gloss-Off, which is a great all-in-one cleaner AND deglosser. So, you can kill two birds with one stone with this product.

You can see the primer and paint that I used here as well. Fresh Start Superior Primer and Advance paint by Benjamin Moore. Again, I'm going on the advice of the experts here (he recommended a different primer for glossy surfaces, but I can't remember what). I cannot say enough good things about this Advance paint. Oh. my. goodness. The paint store guy/expert said, "It's revolutionary." He said that it's basically an oil-based paint that acts like a latex (even though it is a latex paint). You get all of the good points of an oil-based paint, with none of the negative. It hardens like an oil, wears like an oil, but cleans up like a latex and it doesn't smell like an oil! See? Revolutionary.

But, before you can get moving with your actual priming/painting, you need to remove your cabinet doors and drawers. I highly recommend putting together some sort of numbering system so that you don't lose track of what goes where. While it all seems to make sense when you're planning, trust me that you will be glad you did this when your paint-weary brain goes to put the doors and drawers back.

TIP: I started out my labeling like this, but ended up putting the post-it notes INSIDE the cabinet door and drawer frames and taping the number (with a little description) with painter's tape on the actual door/drawer. The description came in handy - i.e., left bottom, right of stove. Just trust me on this.

Below, my cabinet coding translates to - Right of stove, cabinet #28, right bottom (RB). Believe me, when you're ~~exhausted and~~ swimming in a Sea of Cabinets that need to be put back in their proper place, you'll be thankful for this little extra help.

You will also need to tape off the insides of the cabinets, the countertops, floor, even some of the ceiling. If you're planning on painting the walls, do it after you paint the cabinets - you'll save some time and trouble in taping off the walls in addition to everything else. This was, by far, my least favorite part of this project. Taping off the insides of cabinet frames is harder than it sounds. But, I can offer you some advice that I learned along the way.

TIP: Tape off the bottom, sides and top of the frame first (newspaper works well for this), and then tape off the back of the inside frame.

You can see what I mean here:

Versus here where I was trying to tape off right at the edge of the inside frames. Don't ask me why it took me so long to figure this out, but it was a maddening process. (And don't mind the water spot on the contractor paper - it's from the water dispenser in the fridge. I swear.)

TIP: When you take off your cabinet hinges, put them in Ziploc baggies and tape them to the inside frame of that cabinet. This makes rehanging much simpler!

You will need to go all Dexter-like and tape off any open areas in your kitchen to avoid spray particles from floating through your house.

And really, if you want to paint the frames with a brush, you could do that and save some of the trouble. But, since my frames had a lot of raised panels, I wanted the clean look that the HVLP sprayer provides, and it was worth the extra prep work.

You will also need to set up a staging area and a "spray booth" for painting your cabinet doors and drawers. If it's warm enough, you can do this in your garage. I ended up setting up shop in our basement storage area. The great part about this space is that there are doors that lead to the outside, so I could open them up for ventilation. Plus, it gave me room to create my little spray booth and space to let my cabinets dry.

You can see that I have a little table set up here, with a piece of MDF (that is actually a large storage shelf). I nailed five finish nails on this board so that I could easily maneuver around the cabinet door to paint and not worry about the door sticking to anything when I had to move it. The same holds true for the area outside of my spray booth, where the cabinets were set to dry. Since I was painting both the front and the back of my cabinets, I wanted to keep the drips to a minimum, as well as the possibility of them sticking to anything while drying, and the nails allowed for this.

Note: I obviously removed the hardware before doing this, and also used Elmer's wood putty in one of the holes since I was going with knobs vs. pulls on the cabinet doors. Make sure you plan out the placement of your knobs and pulls before you start painting, to avoid wasting time at the end of the process making adjustments that would require more priming and painting.

Now the fun begins! Priming and painting!

Before you begin spraying your cabinets, practice on a large piece of cardboard or an old box so that you can get the hang of the spray gun and figure out how to best adjust the settings. It's really very simple to use and I promise you that it doesn't take long to get the hang of using it.

You can easily control the flow of the paint, direction and diameter of the spray and the amount of air pressure as you go along. It just takes some experimenting to get used to it. This was my first time using it, and you saw my results!

Some diagrams from gleempaint.com to help explain what I'm talking about here (and again, I'm NOT getting paid!)

Paint spray patterns:

www.gleempaint.com

Paint pattern size:

www.gleempaint.com

Air and paint flow control:

gleempaint.com

TIP: If you're going to paint both sides of your cabinet doors, start by painting the inside of the cabinet first. That way, if you make any mistakes or have problems, you'll learn early and it will be on an inconspicuous part of the cabinet. Plus, this way the cabinets will end up drying with the outside of the cabinet facing UP, and you don't have to worry about any potential scratches or indentations from the nails that are used to balance your cabinets for drying. You will have a freshly painted cabinet surface when you rehang your doors.

Start by priming the outside edge of the door with a narrow spray, making sure that you cover the outside edges of the door.

Then, fill in the center area, ensuring complete coverage.

Carefully pick up the door and move it to the drying area. Lather. Rinse. Repeat. ;-)

Once you get into a rhythm, you can blow through the doors relatively quickly. The priming probably took the longest, because I only used one coat of primer and wanted to be sure I covered the doors really well. I followed the primer with two coats of paint. Once you get started, it's a hurry up and wait kind of process. For the primer, I gave it a good 24 hours to dry for each side. For the paint, it's a 16 hour wait time in between coats, which essentially amounts to a whole day for each coat. For each side.

TIP: Clean your HVLP spray gun after you're done for the day. It's really easy, so don't be intimidated! All I had to do was empty the paint out of the spray cup, fill it with warm water, and spray it out until the water ran clear. (Of course, instructions are provided with the spray gun). Also, you don't need to clean the needle every time, as indicated in the directions. That is something that needs to be done more occasionally (I read this on the gleempaint.com website).

So, do the math. Two sides, one coat of primer, two coats of paint. You're talking about at least week of just painting and waiting. Then you want to let them sit and cure a bit before you rehang them. I recommend 2-3 days of cure time once you have completed all of the priming and painting.

While your doors are curing you can tackle the frames (or at least that's what I did). I saved this piece for last, because this is what rendered my kitchen pretty much inoperable since you're taping EVERYTHING off in order to get a clean spray of just the frames. The same process holds for the frames also:

Lightly sand the frames (I used 220 grit sandpaper)
Remove excess dust and wipe clean with tack cloth
Clean and degloss the frame surface with Krud Kutter
Prime cabinet frames and allow to dry 24 hours
Lightly sand and use tack cloth before painting
Paint cabinet frames with 2-3 coats of paint, waiting 24 hours in between coats
Wait 2-3 days for paint to cure before rehanging doors

TIP: Since gravity is working against you on the cabinet frames, I recommend using a fine spray so that you avoid drips as much as possible. If you do get drips, the paint experts told me to avoid sanding too much in between because the paint can gum up since it's not cured. If you have drips, you might want to wait until it's fully cured and then sand, as it will be more "sand-friendly". You can touch up with a small artist's brush.

The paint experts told me that it takes 30 days for the Advance paint to fully cure. Don't panic - it's not like you're going to be working with sticky cabinet doors or anything. Just use a little extra caution in the first month.

Once your doors and frames have cured enough to reassemble your kitchen, the fun part of putting your kitchen back together begins! From here, you can install new hardware if you have it, reinstall your hinges (or replace your old ones with new), and then rehang your doors and drawers.

If you're installing new hardware and need help on where to place it, pick up one of these handy little tools to save you some time and headache:

Amazon.com

Now, sit back and enjoy your new kitchen!

I hope you found this tutorial helpful, and most importantly, I hope you'll begin to see that you can do this project!

I think I'm the fifth person in as many days to post cabinet painting tutorials! Here are some links to some other resources that might be useful:

Melissa at 320 Sycamore
Traci at Beneath my Heart
Sherry and John at Young House Love
Marian at Miss Mustard Seed

Linking up to:
Home Stories A to Z - Tutorials and Tips Link Party
Savvy Southern Style - Wow Us Wednesday

Jack & Jill Bathroom - Makeover in Progress

2012-01-09T08:00:00.008-05:00

Hello All!

I hope you had the same sun-filled weekend that we had here. I have been enjoying the blue skies and sunny days that we've been getting this winter, as it's usually gray and depressing.

I must have a touch of premature Spring Fever, because I'm acting like a hummingbird with A-D-D and have temporarily flitted over to a new project - my kids' Jack & Jill bathroom. My apologies for the design whiplash you may be experiencing as a result of my gnat-like attention span.

As in the other rooms throughout the house, this room had flat paint. Flat paint. In a kid's bathroom. Why? So, as you can imagine, it didn't take long for my kids to fingerprint this place up in style, and this room was screaming for a new paint job. But, since it's on the opposite side of our master bedroom, I didn't hear its cries for help until recently. Cry no more - I hear you.

Mind you, I have more plans for this bathroom, but it's off to a fresh start. Here is what I started with - not terrible, but let me repeat, there was flat paint in here, and there is no window in this space, so I wanted it to be lighter and brighter.

The towel bar had come halfway off the wall, so I pulled it off and patched the holes. The idea of a towel bar in a kid's bathroom is kind of an oxymoron isn't it? You can my meager attempt at getting my kids to hang up their towels in the photo below.

I'm going with a different approach moving forward. I have a plan.

This little over-the-toilet thingamajig was here when we bought the house. I have more ideas for this area as well.

First things first. Paint!

The color is looking more blue in these photos, despite my efforts to the contrary. It's Sea Salt by Sherwin Williams - a pretty blue-green color. I'm planning on putting up some beadboard wallpaper that I've had for~~ever~~ awhile. Then, I'm going to top it with molding and add some hooks in the hopes of making hanging up a towel as easy as ~~smuggling candy~~ possible for my children.

In the midst of all of this paint madness, I even reorganized the linen closet. I didn't take a before picture, but you can use your imagination. If you've seen one cluttered linen closet, you've seen them all, right?

So, that's where I'm at now. More to come!

Did you have a productive weekend?

Linking up to:

Savvy Southern Style - Wow Us Wednesday

Shine Your Light - February BEFORE Party

Hello Horizon Gray

2012-01-06T08:00:00.002-05:00

Hello friends!

The dining room is already shaping up, looking way better than it did when I started. After getting all of the wallpaper down, I agonized over paint colors for awhile, and decided on Benjamin Moore's Horizon Gray.

I know this is different than the creamy white in my inspiration photo, but I really wanted to make sure that the woodwork in the room and the trim in the around the window didn't get lost.

Source: inspirationfordecoration.blogspot.com via Jenny on Pinterest

With this color, the room has a bright and fresh feeling, but still get the contrast that I'm looking for.

I considered a few different colors in my process of elimination.

The Horizon Gray looks kind of green in this photo, and in some lights, it does take on a smidge of a greenish undertone, depending upon the time of day. But, it's shaping up to be a versatile color and I like how it coordinates with the other colors in the house.

There is still much to be done in this room, and I haven't hung any of the pictures back up at this point, so bear with the sparseness for the moment.

And just so you know, I wasn't trying to go all artistic with this shot, looking down on the dining room. I had to move up to rise above the chaos below.

So, that's where I'm at right now. Still much to be done, but it's definitely an improvement from where we started. Notice also that I painted the little area around the ceiling so that it all blends seamlessly vs. drawing attention to it with paint that matches the wall. I am digging how it makes the ceiling taller and the space more open.

I'm working on some ideas for artwork to add to what we already have and create a new look by mixing things up a bit. More on that soon.

What rooms are you working on right now? Do you have any major evolutions going on in your house right now or are you changing things up in smaller, yet meaningful ways?

2012 House Plans

2012-01-04T08:00:00.003-05:00

Since my mind has been overflowing with ideas for the new year, I thought that doing a blog brain dump might be helpful. I'm thinking it will also help with my sleeping, because I couldn't fall asleep last night to save my life. Better still, the hubby is on board with ~~some of~~ these projects as well, which is always a good thing.

The Stairs

I have been pinning away yummy stairway images as I plot and plan my approach to our ever-icky-carpet-covered stairs.

Source: houzz.com via Jenny on Pinterest

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Source: Uploaded by user via Jenny on Pinterest

Source: imgfave.com via Jenny on Pinterest

Don't even get me started on that amazing little office nook. As if the stairs weren't enough to get me going!

All of these ideas are going to be such great alternatives to this. (And this is when the stairs were relatively clean.)

Flooring
We've been in our new home a little more than a year now, and I'm about done with the barely beige carpet that encompasses not only the stairs, but much of our house. So, one thing I am pining for (pining, and pinning), is hardwood floors in our great room and the hallway leading to the kids' rooms.

Floors like this...

Source: conspicuousstyle.com via Jenny on Pinterest

And this..

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Divine!!

Great Room Fireplace
And then there is the fireplace in our great room. I blogged about ideas for the fireplace last year, but I have new ideas brewing in my brain. As it stands now, it feels kind of cold with all of the tile, and I would love a wood mantel...

So, here is the direction I'm going...

Source: houzz.com via Jenny on Pinterest

Again, at this point, the fireplace brainstorming is just that - brainstorming. Looking for ideas that I can potentially do myself. Still refining the idea into something that I am hoping will be a reality. Can you see where I'm going with this? The hubby is on board, so I'm confident we can come up with something between the two of us.

Jack & Jill Bathroom
I also have a Jack & Jill bathroom that I am thinking about. At this point, all I've done is my DIY shower curtain, but the walls are showing some wear from my child-zillas, so it needs paint at the VERY least. I have already started patching holes in the wall, and I have decided on a paint color. Sea Salt by Sherwin Williams.

Some photos of this color in action...

Source: oakridgerevival.blogspot.com via Jenny on Pinterest

I just love Andrea's home at Oak Ridge Revival - great color palette all around!

Source: favoritepaintcolors.blogspot.com via Jenny on Pinterest

Source: oakridgerevival.blogspot.com via Jenny on Pinterest

Source: favoritepaintcolors.blogspot.com via Jenny on Pinterest

And then there is the dining room in progress. Lots to do, and this is just the beginning!

Dining Room Evolution in Progress

2012-01-02T11:24:00.005-05:00

Hey everyone!

Thought I'd give you a peek at what I've been working on with some of my holiday vacation time. I don't get many days that aren't consumed with work/kid activities/etc.., so having free time like this is a real luxury!

I was debating between two projects: 1) painting the coffered ceiling:

(Sorry for the wonky angle in this photo - I had to take this picture while laying on the floor. Didn't mean to make you dizzy.)

or 2) stripping the dining room wallpaper:

I'll take Door #2, Bob. Since I'm not sure how I'll jury rig the ladders to paint the ceiling, figured the dining room was my best bet. I wasn't looking forward to it, (especially after stripping the wallpaper in the powder room redo) but it had to be done.

Thankfully, it went much better than I anticipated! I was able to get the wallpaper down in less than a day.

I had been thinking about painting it in this dreamy color - Aegean Teal. I've had swatches of this paint color on my walls for months.

I love this color. It's rich and yummy, very similar to the color in my kitchen.

BUT, I don't want it to be too heavy and dark (not that it would be, necessarily), but after going through some of my dining room inspiration photos, I'm starting to lean towards this sort of look...

Source: inspirationfordecoration.blogspot.com via Jenny on Pinterest

I love everything about this room! The colors, the banded draperies, the chandelier, the light and bright feel of the room - everything. Plus, I love that this room has many of the same features of our dining room. The same layout, even the same windows.

See what I mean? Ok, so I don't have the hardwood floors, but I can deal with that, especially if I get a cool rug. Do you see the vision?

Stay tuned - more to come my friends.

Linking to:
My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia - Tuesday Treasures
Savvy Southern Style - Wow Us Wednesdays

Special December Rainbows

2011-12-31T08:00:00.001-05:00

Hello Friends,

While I normally dedicate this blog to DIY projects, I felt compelled to share something personal with you on this New Year's Eve. On this date in 2007, I lost my brother, Paul, to an accidental overdose. While he didn't technically pass until January 1, 2008, he was truly gone on the 31st, saved by the paramedic heroes who were able to resuscitate him. Giving us time to say our good-byes and for him to fulfill his final wish as an organ donor.

But honestly, this post isn't meant to be a downer post. Stick with me here. Shortly after Paul died, I was seeking a "sign" for lack of a better word, to know that he was ok. And I was given one - a small slice of a rainbow in the otherwise gray January sky. Since then, I take those rainbows as a sign from Paul. In the words of my son, Luke - "a rainbow is God's promise."

I have seen rainbows (and other "signs") in the years since Paul passed, but in many cases they have come at times where I needed to see them most. It goes without saying, that seeing this, the day before the 4th anniversary of his death, at the end of December no less, brought me to tears.

This picture really does no justice to the brilliance of this rainbow either. It was such a beautiful burst of color, and lasted just long enough for me to see it.

Until we meet again, Paul. And I know we will - after all, a rainbow is God's promise.

Best of 2011

2011-12-27T21:54:00.002-05:00

Hello!

I hope you are enjoying the holidays and getting some rest before the new year kicks into gear. I have been sleeping in, but also taking advantage of some down time and getting a head start on some new projects!

In the meantime, I wanted to do a recap of some of my favorite projects of 2011. It's nice to see that I have documented proof that I did actually accomplish some things this year!

My biggest accomplishment, by far, is the painting of the kitchen cabinets. It has truly transformed my kitchen into a brighter, happier space, and I absolutely love it. You can see the full evolution here, and see it as a work in progress here and here. (I know I owe you a tutorial, and I promise, it will come).

Prior to tackling the kitchen cabinets, I got my feet wet by painting the kitchen island.

Another low budget, high impact project from this year is my all-faux-no-sew roman shades I made from a Target tablecloth. Love these. Love the price, love the look. Love that I can change them out without guilt too.

My mom cave continues to be a work in progress, but I spruced it up quite a bit this year. Most recently, I added a fun stencil.

My love of stencils continues to overflow, and I did a hand painted one in my powder room as part of that makeover.

I also spiced it up with a thrift store lamp that got a second life with some hot pink spray paint and pom pom fringe.

But before I tackled any of this, my mom cave got some life of it's own with the power of paint. Oh, how I will never tire of the wonders paint can do!

Board and batten has made its way into my home this year. It began with my hallway leading in from the garage.

It grew from there, and I added it to my laundry room and the bar area in our basement.

Oh, if only the laundry room always looked like this... You know, free of dirty laundry.

We added a gallery wall to this space as well.

My love of board and batten extended to my daughter's room in the shape of a paneled headboard and a tutorial.

And then there was the never-ending painting of the great room (and adjoining breakfast room, hallways, etc..). I thought I was going to hire this out, but ended up tackling it myself (and had an extension ladder in my great room for longer than I care to admit).

WHEW!!! I'm tired just writing about it! But, like I said before, I can look back at 2011 and say that I accomplished a lot!

Looking forward to tackling more projects and sharing them with you in 2012!

Linking up to:
Savvy Southern Style - Wow Us Wednesday
Southern Hospitality
Home Stories A to Z - 2011 Link Party

Crafty Last Minute Gift Idea - Snowman in a Bag

2011-12-22T20:26:00.000-05:00

Are you expecting a white Christmas? The temperatures here are going to be sunny and (relatively) mild, which is nice, but Christmas is the one time where I really like the snow. So, if you have snow (or even if you don't, but are holding out for it later this winter), here is a fun gift idea that can be made with items that you probably already have in your coat closet. Better still - this idea isn't Christmas-specific - it works as a fun gift for all sorts of occasions throughout the winter. New Year's Eve, Ground Hog Day?

Now, I have a very "Frosty" looking hat here, but you could easily use a regular winter hat as part of this package. Also included are mittens a scarf and a cute little pipe. (I know not everyone has pipes on hand, and you could always omit the pipe altogether or craft your own. I'm thinking a lollipop stick with a wine cork attached?)

Of course, your snowman needs a face, right? Insert buttons for the eyes and body, a fake carrot (or a real one, depending on your forecast), and some pompom fringe for his mouth. There is some floral wire attached so that it's easier for the face to "stick". Put these goodies in a separate Ziploc bag so they don't get lost.

Wrap it all up in a bag with a bow (cute snowman ornament optional).

How fun, right? What's not to like?

So, is a snowman in your forecast?

Gift Wrapping Ideas and a Winner!

2011-12-19T10:04:00.000-05:00

Happy Monday!

I hope you all aren't falling prey to the pre-Christmas frenzy (like I am). After hosting Thanksgiving and then the cookie exchange last weekend, I was definitely behind in my shopping. I had to brave the mall this weekend, and don't wish that experience on my worst enemy. Dealing with the crowds definitely made me feel Grinch-y.

But, I'm pretty close to being done and was in gift wrapping mode last night. Granted, I'm all about efficiency in gift wrapping, and my best effort at making things look pretty is in wrapping paper coordination. But, there sure are some wonderful ideas out there if you are looking to become a gift wrapping Yoda...

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Source: flickr.com via Jenny on Pinterest

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And finally, the much overdue winner of the $50 NOVICA gift card! Congratulations Loribo! Please send me an email (via the 'Contact Me' on my blog), since I don't have an email address for you.

So, have you started wrapping your gifts yet?

My Holiday Home Tour

2011-12-12T06:55:00.003-05:00

The cleanest my house will ever be is about 15 minutes before I throw a party. I don't know if you're like me, but I go into a bit of a tizzy before I entertain. My family can usually see it coming, so they either hide, or get out of the house altogether. I guess it's that "party adrenaline" that kicks in, and I go into cleaning overdrive. That's what I did in getting ready for my cookie exchange this past weekend. Lucky for me, it's just in time to participate in Jennifer Rizzo's Holiday Home Tour linky party. :-)

Some of these photos you've seen before if you've read my blog before, but there are some new ones in here as well, since I took advantage of my cookie exchange cleaning frenzy and shot some new ones.

We'll start with the exterior and work our way through. Thanks for stopping by!

When you enter our home, the great room is the first thing you see, and the Christmas tree is the obvious focal point.

And then there's the fireplace mantel.

I Christmastized the basement for the cookie exchange, and got creative with a lot of free greenery from the yard.

I took some red ribbon and wrapped my ottoman since I haven't figured out how I want to redo it yet. A good solution for now anyway.

Did the same thing with this glass vase to give it a little more interest.

And since I'm a crazy woman, I repainted my half bath with leftover paint (Benjamin Moore's Mountain Laurel) from my kitchen evolution, and added a fun rug for some holiday flair that will work even after the holidays are over. (More on this evolution later)

Never mind that the mirror fell off the wall and shattered into a thousand pieces the night before the party...

But, it was all fine - the cookie exchange was a lot of fun, with lots of great sweet treats! I'm going to have to spend a lot of extra time in the gym to work off all of these yummy treats!

Thanks again for stopping by!

Happy Holidays!

Linking to:
Nesting Place - 2011 Holiday Home Tour
Thrifty Decor Chick - Christmas Tree Party

Christmas Mantel Party!

2011-12-05T23:05:00.003-05:00

I love all of the linky parties that take place during the holidays and enjoy seeing the wonderfully festive ideas that are out there. I'm participating in the Christmas Mantel Link Parties over at My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia (December 6th), Southern Hospitality and Home Stories A to Z (December 7th).

I'm still getting acclimated to decorating our home for the holidays, as last year we had just moved into it in mid-November, so it was a mad rush trying to throw things together while simultaneously unpacking boxes. This year isn't quite as crazy (or at least we're back to our more "normal" state of crazy), so I have been able to take my time a bit more.

Our fireplace is large and challenging to maneuver, but I'm happy with how it turned out this year. I still have it on my renovation list, as I would love a stone fireplace with a traditional mantel, but I'm not complaining.

The garland and wreath are from Ballard Outlet, and the lanterns were a steal from IKEA. I was thinking that the red lanterns would have been really festive and fun too, but I know I'll be able to use the black ones year-round.

The stocking at the center of the wreath is from Southern Living, and I shopped the house for the mirror. Now that I stop and look at these pictures, I think I should lower my wreath to the center a bit more. ;-) The owl was my awesome Goodwill find that I spray painted and gussied up - he's perfect for some extra wintry goodness.

The greenery is from evergreens in my yard, leftover from the holiday planters I put together last week. And a glitterized "K" for my daughter's stocking.

Is your mantel decked out for the holidays? Make sure you join the fun!

(Don't forget to enter to win a $50 gift card from NOVICA - contest ends Friday, December 9th!)

Holiday Cards & Unconventional Christmas Letters

2011-12-05T12:00:00.002-05:00

One item that is always on my holiday to-do list is Christmas cards. I don't know about you, but the mere idea of a family photo causes me to break out in hives. Trying to make sure that everyone is clean, happy, coordinated and cooperative is like buying a Powerball ticket - the odds aren't in my favor. Perhaps this is why we haven't had a true family photo in, um, three years. I do love this photo from 2008, but boy, if this photo could talk, oh the stories it could tell...

A typical photo shoot ends up looking something like this. My boys goof off (or run away), and my daughter thinks she's Cheryl Tiegs.

When this happens and I don't have a group photo that I can work with, I go to Plan B -put together a holiday card with photos of everyone individually. That's what I did last year.

This year's card should arrive tomorrow, so I'm keeping it under wraps for now. :-) But I must give Shutterfly some snaps, because they offer a lot of choices and some great deals! (Not being paid by Shutterfly, I just love them).

The card is only the first step, then there is The Christmas Letter. Let me tell you up front, that I am not a "My-Kid-is-an-Honor-Student" Christmas letter writer, because honestly, they're just not real. You know the ones I'm talking about. So, my version is the exact opposite.

For example, one year I wrote about the five FREE things I wanted for Christmas, which included the following:

The Remote
An uninterrupted telephone call, shower or trip to the bathroom
Not world peace - household peace
I want my kids to listen to me
I want my husband to change the empty roll of toilet paper

Let’s think about it. If a man is using toilet paper, isn’t a safe bet that he’s usually sitting down? So, if he’s sitting down, is it such a stretch to ask that he put the magazine down for a moment and put the toilet paper on the roll?

You get the idea. ;-)

So, are your holiday cards ready to go?

(Don't forget to enter my giveaway to win a $50 gift card from NOVICA - contest ends on Friday, December 9th!)

Linking to:
The 36th Avenue - Blogging Around the Christmas Tree

NOVICA Giveaway

2011-12-04T20:44:00.000-05:00

Hello all!

It's been rainy and gray here, so what better way to begin the week than with a giveaway, right? I was contacted by NOVICA to do a product review, and they offered a $50 gift card to my readers as well. I love that their products are hand crafted by artisans around the world, and even received a note from the artist about my own purchase when it arrived in the mail.

Since I'm a sucker for owls these days, I chose these adorable owl ornaments made out of gourds. Aren't they the cutest?

There are all sorts of products to choose from - household items, textiles, holiday items, jewelry - you name it. So, it's up to you - you can choose a gift for yourself, or pick something up for someone on your Christmas list. (You can also visit Novica Live if you're interested in becoming a consultant.)

To enter, simply visit the NOVICA website and tell me what you like. This giveaway will be open until midnight (EST) on Friday, December 9th.

Good luck!

Easy Outdoor Holiday Decor

2011-12-02T08:00:00.044-05:00

While I love the look of a home adorned with classic Christmas lights, my husband and I have never attempted to bedazzle our own home with outdoor lights for three reasons:

I honestly have no clue how to rig them up without looking ridiculous or setting the house on fire
We're lazy
Our marriage wouldn't survive this clueless endeavor ;-)

However, as I mentioned in this post, I'm big on wreaths for the holidays, and I'm all about dressing up my front porch. Consider Exhibit A...

These are the same planters that I use for my summer flowers, and can be easily transformed into great holiday decorations by shopping in your own backyard. When I started, these planters still had the frost-bitten remnants of summer/fall flowers:

Sad, I know.

But with different types of evergreen branches from trees around my yard, glittery pine cone details and some silver spray painted branches, those sad planters transform into festive front porch features!

These planters are as easy to put together as a flower arrangement. You just arrange and design them in a way that is pleasing to your eye. The deep green center cuttings work well to give height and fullness, where the lighter colored branches give a nice contrast. The red glittered pine cones and curly-q's add some nice pops of color, and the silver spray-painted branches give a little more height and interest. Easy!

You can see a glimpse of my front door in the photo above - I told you I love wreaths. I found these Smith & Hawkin cranberry wreaths at Target last year, and couldn't resist. With last year being our first Christmas in this house, I knew they would be perfect for the front doors.

And the theme continues with the wreaths on the windows...

And we haven't even gotten to the inside yet.

How do you decorate outdoors?

Linking up to:
Dittle Dattle - Amaze Me Monday
Between Naps on the Porch - Metamorphosis Monday
Thrifty Decor Chick - Before and After Party
Savvy Southern Style - Wow Us Wednesday
At the Picket Fence - Doors & Porches

Holiday Tablescape

2011-11-30T12:00:00.003-05:00

Hi all -

Today I'm linking up some more photos from my (mega) Thanksgiving table to Centsational Girl's Tablescape Link Party (and HomeGoods Giveaway). And this was just the grown-ups table. ;-) And no, I didn't make my guests eat with their hands - the silverware was added by the time everyone sat down to eat.

Come on over and join the fun!

Linking to:
Centsational Girl - Tablescape Link Party
Between Naps on the Porch - Tablescape Thursday
The Lettered Cottage - Tablescape Link Party

A Different Noel

2011-11-29T17:00:00.001-05:00

I know we all get wrapped up in the hustle-bustle of the holidays. It's easy to do, with all that needs to be done, after all. But I wanted to take a moment and remember a Noelle that I always think about and remember, especially this time of year. Noelle is the beautiful daughter of a dear friend of mine, who passed away, seven years ago today. She was four years old.

Noelle loved to dance to ABBA's, "Dancing Queen".

She loved books, puzzles and Ariel.

She loved her family.

I called her mom this morning, and we talked about not giving this day any more power than necessary, and not dwelling on this day. So, in the hustle bustle of the season, stop and remember that there are people among you that are bearing these crosses daily. Be kind. Be thoughtful. Be genuine.

I have done some random acts of kindness in memory of Noelle. Maybe you could too. To take back this day, and give it a different kind of power.

Noelle's parents have established a foundation in her memory, and are close to raising $150,000 to date. You can read about Noelle, and how those donations have been put to good use. They have donated it to wonderful organizations like Make-A-Wish, and do amazing things to keep her spirit alive.

http://www.noellebraun.org/

Please keep all of them in your hearts, and share some random acts of kindness in Noelle's name today.

Decking the Halls (with Wreaths)

2011-11-28T12:01:00.000-05:00

Hi all!

I hope you had a marvelous Thanksgiving and are back into the swing of things, because while I have the first part covered, I'm a bit slow on getting back into the swing of things. You forget how exhausting it all can be! But, I'm getting there. With the last of my houseguests leaving on Sunday night, I started decorating my mantel, and the tree will be going up this week.

I don't know about you, but I cannot resist any sort of holiday decor that involves wreaths. I just love them. Inside. Outside. Anywhere. Anytime.

During the holidays, I decorate with wreaths throughout my home - both inside and out, to the point that when I came home with ~~more Ballard Outlet~~ wreaths last year, my husband made the comment, "Do we not have enough wreaths? Where are you even going to put them?" Oh don't you worry - I can always find a place for more wreaths.

You can never have enough wreaths, right?

Source: southernliving.com via Chelsey on Pinterest

Source: frugalhomedesigns.com via Tracy on Pinterest

Source: southernliving.com via Nancy on Pinterest

Source: marthastewart.com via Cate on Pinterest

Source: theinspiredroom.net via Amanda on Pinterest

Source: creativehomeexpressions.blogspot.com via Naomi on Pinterest

Source: google.com via Sydney on Pinterest

Source: dgldesigns.com via Brooke on Pinterest

Source: images.search.yahoo.com via Melisa on Pinterest

Source: citysouthern.blogspot.com via Tether on Pinterest

Source: grandinroad.com via Lynn on Pinterest

Source: ballardstylestudio.com via Lynn on Pinterest

Source: marthastewart.com via Lynn on Pinterest

Source: countryliving.com via Lynn on Pinterest

Source: iloveswmag.com via Charlotte on Pinterest

Source: williams-sonoma.com via Becca on Pinterest

Source: searchingforstyle.blogspot.com via Nancy on Pinterest

Will you be using oodles of wreaths in your holiday decorating?

Giving Thanks

2011-11-23T17:34:00.000-05:00

My Thanksgiving table is set, and I have been a cooking fool, getting ready to host my largest Thanksgiving gathering to date.

On this Thanksgiving Eve, I hope you are taking the time to give thanks for those things that are truly the most important in life. Family. Friends. Good health.

As some of you might remember, my husband was a stem cell donor for his twin brother's bone marrow transplant earlier this year. Last year, his twin was very sick, undergoing chemotherapy, and not at all himself. These identical twins didn't look so identical.

I'm thankful to report, that this year is a whole different story...

Wishing you all a blessed Thanksgiving.

Evolution of a Kitchen

2011-11-18T08:00:00.006-05:00

With the kitchen cabinets painted, the only unfinished (kitchen) project was to paint the walls ~~and put away all of the additional kitchen crap that is still littering my hallways~~. The added bonus is that there really isn't a whole lot of wall space to paint in the kitchen.

But, it's just enough wall space to make a nice impact. I took the color that I painted the little nook near the pantry (featured here) - Benjamin Moore's Mountain Laurel. I love this color, and it's a great contrast to the freshly painted cabinets.

As a refresher, here is the before:

I love this rug in the hallway, but I'm going to have to get a new one to go with the new color palette.

And finally, here is the Evolution of the Kitchen - beginning with a photo of the kitchen before we moved in (one year ago), to where we are today.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Linking to:
My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia - Tuesday Treasures
Miss Mustard Seed - Furniture Feature Friday
Just a Girl - Show and Share

Kitchen Reveal!

2011-11-14T08:00:00.019-05:00

Happy Monday!

I am thrilled to report that my biggest DIY project to date is now complete. After three weekends and nearly every weeknight in between, my kitchen cabinets are finally painted, and I am over-the-moon-giddy with the final result! They look light, bright and beautiful - like a brand new kitchen!

Best yet, I'm so proud that I did it all myself. Every now and then during this process, I would catch my husband saying, "We're repainting the kitchen cabinets." Um, no honey. I'm repainting the kitchen cabinets. ;-)

I was hoping to have the walls painted too, but ran out of time and didn't want to delay sharing the end result with all of you. (So, don't mind the overspray - it will be fixed soon)

So, let's get started with the photo overload, shall we?

And what reveal would be complete without some before and after photos? I'm particularly happy with how the white cabinets completely change the look of the granite. Before, I was happy to have granite, but I didn't love it. Now, I am really loving the granite - it doesn't look so muddy anymore.

Here is a picture from when we first bought our house, almost a year ago (to the day).

(Pay no attention to the big, lazy black dog in the doorway.)

UPDATED: Here is a glimpse of the kitchen after the walls were painted. You can see the full Kitchen Evolution here.

Honestly, a year ago, I never would have imagined having the courage or the confidence to tackle this project on my own. Watching so many of you make amazing transformations in your own homes, has, in turn, not only inspired me, but also given me the confidence to do this myself.

And for that, I thank you.

Come on over and check out a new feature at A Vintage Vine, called "Did You See This Friday". Lisa is featuring great projects from around the blogosphere, and I'm thrilled to be included in this series debut!

Linking to:
Dittle Dattle - Amaze Me Monday
Between Naps on the Porch - Metamorphosis Monday
My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia - Tuesday's Treasures
Savvy Southern Style - Wow Us Wednesday
Jennifer Rizzo - Impromptu Link Party
Somewhat Simple - Strut Your Stuff
House of Hepworth's - Hookin' up with HoH
Miss Mustard Seed - Furniture Feature Friday
The Shabby Nest - Frugal Friday
Chic on a Shoestring - Flaunt it Friday
Beneath My Heart - Best DIY Projects of November
Thrifty Decor Chick - Before and After Party
Just a Girl - Show and Share Day

A Holiday Cookie Exchange

2011-11-11T08:00:00.002-05:00

Ok, so after countless days of painting my kitchen cabinets, my body was screaming for a day off. But, a day without painting, doesn't mean that it was a day wasted.

For the past several years, I have co-hosted a cookie exchange at my house, and I'm putting the wheels in motion to get the word out on this year's party. Since everyone gets uber-busy during the holidays, I wanted to get my invites out in advance, so that people can save the date.

With the clock ticking, I found a wonderfully creative invite that I could make myself, ala Brooklyn Limestone. The moment I saw it, I knew it had to ~~shamelessly copy~~ do it. Don't judge - Mrs. Limestone encourages the copying of this adorable idea. Why wouldn't she? I would, if I came up with it!

Source: brooklynlimestone.com via Jenny on Pinterest

Is that not the cutest invite you've ever seen?

So, I went to work and created my version of this amazingly creative idea. Yes, I used her verbiage and everything. Shameless, indeed:

I loved the metal spatula idea, and that was my original plan. But when I got to the Dollar Store, I spotted the red rubber spatulas, and thought they would be a fun, festive idea also. So, I bought a bit of both.

As you can see, the first card lists the date of the Cookie Exchange. The second card has my address and rsvp info, and the third card has the cookie exchange "instructions".

But did you notice that something is missing? Um, yeah, that would be the time. Obviously, I haven't been ventilating my house enough during the cabinet painting project, and have been taking in too many fumes.

Curses!!

So, I redid the first card and added the time to it. Thankfully, I had only hand-delivered to the women in my office and hadn't sent them out to everyone yet.

As for the rules for the exchange - I keep them really simple, since I never know how many people are going to attend. I tell everyone to bring six dozen cookies, and when we do the exchange, I take six dozen (72) and divide it by the number of attendees. Then, everyone takes that number of cookies from the trays that everyone brings. So, if you had 20 people attend, it comes to 3.6. So, you round it out and each person takes 3-4 cookies from each tray. Basically, you are going to leave with the number of cookies you brought.

It just makes it a lot easier, so you don't have to worry about bagging the cookies you bake into groups of six or something like that. I'm all about keeping it simple. And not doing any unnecessary math.

Now I just have to finish wrapping these babies up and send them out!

Linking up to:
Just a Girl - Show and Share Day
The CSI Project - Cookie Exchange Party Ideas and Tips

Kitchen Progress Continues

2011-11-07T12:00:00.003-05:00

Happy Monday!

Had an eventful weekend here - lots more painting progress in the kitchen, and my husband and I celebrated our 17th wedding anniversary. So, I did take a day off on Friday night so that we could go out and celebrate. :-)

Got back to it on Saturday though. I finished taping off all of the cabinets, and had an "A-ha" moment when it came to my dilemma on how to best tape off the insides of the cabinets. I taped the inside with newspaper, which then made it easier to tape off the rest of the inside cabinets with plastic. Duh. I'm a little slow on the uptake sometimes.

So, as of Saturday evening, the kitchen looked like this:

Then I had to stop because we had dinner plans on Saturday night (I swear, we rarely have dinner plans two nights in a row). While we had fun, I must admit that I was a teensy bit bummed that I wouldn't get to prime until Sunday, delaying my project by a day.

So, Sunday was Priming Day! My kitchen now looks like this:

I'm loving my fridge... I was able to remove the small panel on the top left of the fridge, but opted to paint this panel because we would have had to remove the door to the fridge to remove the large panel. Painting it on the fridge worked just fine.

I also (finally) ordered new kitchen cabinet hardware. I can't tell you how much time I ~~wasted~~ spent looking at pulls and knobs, trying to make up my mind! I finally narrowed it down to these:

Bin pulls for the drawers

Knobs for the cabinet doors

Source: ebay.com via Jenny on Pinterest

They're both oil-rubbed bronze, and I think they'll work well together. As much as I love all of the nickel and brushed nickel hardware out there, I think the oil-rubbed bronze finish will work better in my kitchen with the countertops and faucets we have in place.

Of course, the pulls that I *loved* were these:

I pinned a couple of photos with pulls like these from the kitchen from The Inspired Room. So gorgeous and classic:

Source: theinspiredroom.net via Jenny on Pinterest

But, for almost $18 per pull, I just couldn't justify it. Even with the money I'm saving, painting these cabinets myself, that's still crazy-talk.

So, there you have it. Tonight, I will be ~~making the donuts~~ painting the cabinet boxes and tomorrow should be my LAST painting day. Then I can start thinking about putting my kitchen back together again! (And painting the walls in the kitchen...)

I will say that having an extra hour yesterday was oh-so nice! I don't know about you, but I could use an extra hour every day.

Linking up to:
Just a Girl - Show and Share Day

A Sneak Peek - Painting the Kitchen Cabinets

2011-11-04T16:03:00.001-04:00

I have been a busy bee, all week, working on the kitchen cabinets. I go to work, come home and have been painting them in the evenings, since I need to wait 16 hours between coats. I feel like the Dunkin Donuts guy - "Time to make the donuts..." Remember him?

But, I brought up one of the doors and put a knob on it (from a cabinet in my laundry room), just to get an idea of what it's going to look like.

I'm loving it. I placed them in this little nook area that I painted awhile back in this dreamy Mountain Laurel (Benjamin Moore) color, which will also be carried into the kitchen.

I still have a lot of work ahead of me, but at least the cabinet doors can sit and "cure" while I tackle the cabinet frames this weekend! It's coming together people...

If you need me, I'll be making the donuts...

Kitchen Makeover - Phase 1

2011-10-31T08:05:00.000-04:00

Hello all!

First off, let me say that I have a whole new respect for anyone who has ~~survived~~ lived through a kitchen remodel. Having the contents of my kitchen strewn around my house is already stressing me out, and I suspect that any Trick or Treaters we had last night thought that we were hoarders if they caught a glimpse. It was definitely the scariest house on the street.

I'm very excited that this project is finally getting off the ground, as it is one that I have wanted to do since we bought the house almost a year ago. But man, do I loathe the prep work that is involved. Have you ever tried taping the inside of a cabinet? Unless you have a small child or a secret elf helper that can sit inside the cabinet and tape it off (and not request to come out), it's pretty much an impossible task. Or at least impossible to do well.

And no, the dog didn't pee on the contractor paper - I think my daughter got a glass of water from the fridge dispenser and spilled it. At least I hope that's what happened...

I have googled just about every combination of "taping off kitchen cabinets" that you can fathom, and have come up with zilch. I found some pictures of cabinets that are taped off, but no good instructions on how to do it (well). So, if you have any suggestions (or a small elf I could borrow), I'm all ears.

I did get to some of the fun stuff - painting - which was a much needed break from the tedios taping exercise. The cabinets are primed on both sides and I got the first coat of paint on the back of the cabinets. I was swooning over the color of the tinted primer and am even more thrilled with the paint. It's a beautiful, creamy white that I had color matched to my cabinet sample piece.

Let me just say that I'm in love with my new HVLP conversion spray gun. If you ever decide to do a project like this, I can't say enough about this thing. You NEED one. It has made fast work out of my 50+ cabinets and drawers, and at least makes the prep work worthwhile. I kid you not. I can knock out a door in 1-2 minutes with this puppy.

I set up a little "staging area" for spraying the doors. Although my husband asked if it was an "alien abduction area" and my son asked if I had ET back there. I used a folding table and put a piece of MDF on with with four nails to balance the door. This way it's easier to pick up and put it back out in the "cabinet farm" to dry with the others.

See what I'm saying about how precise this thing is? I can dial it down to spray a really fine line around the sides of the cabinets.

And then go on to spray the rest of the cabinet. The finish is like buttah.

I have to tell you, all of this work has made me feel like an old mare. My back - oh my aching back!

So, there you have it. Phase 1 of I-don't-know-how-many phases in this project. :-)

Taking the Pain out of Painting

2011-10-27T12:00:00.001-04:00

Hello all!

So, you know that I have newfound confidence in painting my kitchen cabinets since I finished with my Kitchen Island redo, right? Well, I think I have The Tool that is going to be my new best friend as I tackle my remaining kitchen cabinets. And it arrived on my doorstep yesterday.

Meet my new HVLP Conversion Paint Gun. Helloooo Gorgeous.

HVLP = High Volume, Low Pressure, which means in the end that it will dramatically reduce overspray and also provides a great deal of control so I can spray in a very focused and controlled manner. This will not only be perfect for spraying my cabinet doors and drawers, but also cabinet bases and frames. No brushes!

The beauty of this tool is that I can hook it up to our air compressor vs. having to purchase a "turbine" that many of the HVLP guns use, thus reducing my cost. The gun itself was only $129, and yes, I did order it from gleempaint.com. I'm not getting paid by Gleem Paint or anything, just an fyi.

Soooo, I have been a busy bee researching paint colors, types and brands for my kitchen cabinet project, as that is the only thing keeping me from getting started. I have been swooning over lots of beautiful kitchen eye candy in the process.

Originally, I was planning on glazing my cabinets ever-so-slightly, but I'm finding that I'm really drawn to the simple, clean look of classic white kitchen cabinets.

I mean, what's not to love?

Source: isabellaandmaxrooms.blogspot.com via Jenny on Pinterest

Source: houseofturquoise.com via Jenny on Pinterest

Source: nantucketyouth.tumblr.com via Jenny on Pinterest

Source: houzz.com via Jenny on Pinterest

Source: traditionalhome.com via Jenny on Pinterest

Source: little-inspirations.blogspot.com via Jenny on Pinterest

Source: None via Jenny on Pinterest

Source: img.photobucket.com via Jenny on Pinterest

Source: smg.photobucket.com via Jenny on Pinterest

Source: willowdecor.blogspot.com via Jenny on Pinterest

Source: houzz.com via Jenny on Pinterest

Source: rehkamplarson.com via Jenny on Pinterest

Source: smg.photobucket.com via Jenny on Pinterest

At the very least, I can start the paint prep process (which is really the pain of painting, isn't it?). I'm really getting excited about this project!

Remind me of this excitement when I'm knee deep in this mess, will you?

How to Paint a Kitchen Island - Part 1

2011-10-24T08:00:00.010-04:00

I promised a tutorial on how I painted my kitchen island, and I'm finally making good on it. It was a project I approached with great trepidation, but I am very pleased with the outcome.

I am going to break this down into two parts, since the method I used on the drawers and doors was different from how I tackled the rest of the island. Let's call this the Paint Sprayer Method.

I borrowed a paint sprayer from a friend of mine, since I have been contemplating painting ALL of my kitchen cabinets. But using this tool was a good test for me. I only wish I could have used it on the entire island!

First, I removed the doors and drawer fronts and cleaned them with TSP - Trisodium Phosphate. It's a great cleaner to get rid of any dirt and grime that you may have on your cabinets.

Once I cleaned them and wiped them down, I pulled out my new best friend, my orbital sander. How I have lived this long without this little darling, is beyond me.

This really helped to get all of the gloss that was on the cabinets since I was totally paranoid that I would do something wrong in the prep that would ~~send me up sh*t creek without a paddle~~ jeopardize the whole project. (I actually ended up sanding them even more than what is shown in these pictures. I wanted to be sure there was no sign of any gloss remaining).

In selecting paint, I talked to a couple of my "local hardware men" about my cabinet painting project, and I think they both thought I was crazy to attempt this on my own, which really kind of annoyed me. I was showing them my cabinet door samples and even brought my actual kitchen cabinet door into the store, and yet I got a comment, "Did you get this idea from HGTV?"

Whatever. I just wanted advice on paint, I didn't need a lecture on how much time and effort is involved in painting kitchen cabinets. I am DIY Woman, hear me ROAR!

As for paint, I chose Benjamin Moore acrylic latex paint in a low lustre finish. (In looking at my paint can again, I bought an exterior paint vs. interior. Don't know why, BUT, I had a lengthy conversation with the hardware guys, about latex vs. oil, and they said latex paints have come a long way and this acrylic latex would work. They also told me that I didn't need to prime my cabinets. Yes, you read that correctly. No priming. More on that later.

One of the Local Hardware Men did take my black cabinet sample and did a paint match for me, which was great. I'm really pleased with the final color.

I think this is where I had a temporary memory lapse and didn't take any pictures. I used the power sprayer to spray both the fronts and the backs of the cabinets. It was a whole lot of "hurry up and wait", since the sprayer made quick work of the cabinet doors. And like they instructed, I didn't prime the cabinet doors and drawer fronts. (I was freakin').

But, since I sanded them really well, and was going to lightly distress them, the no priming method worked to my advantage. They distressed nicely and I was pleased with how the doors looked.

There are a couple of spots that are more distressed than I'd like, but some brilliant readers suggested touching it up with a black stain. Now why didn't I think of that? So, I purchased some of that today and will be putting it to work for some of my trouble spots.

I finished it off with a coat of Minwax Clear Wipe-On Poly in a satin finish.

So, there you have it! Or at least, part of it. :-) The rest of the island was a horse of a different color, but definitely rounded out my cabinet painting experience. Part II will be coming soon...

Home Stories A2Z - Tutorials and Tips Link Party
Savvy Southern Style - Wow Us Wednesday
DIY by Design - Fall into Fall Party
Remodelaholic - Remodelaholic's Anonymous
Sawdust and Paperscraps - Trick or Tip Party

Painted Kitchen Island Reveal

2011-10-13T08:00:00.014-04:00

Hey all!

I'm getting back to "normal" after travelling like a gypsy for 10 days straight. I'm happy to be home and have been busy catching up on the ~~blogs I read~~ laundry.

I gave you a sneak peek at my painted kitchen island, but am here now to share the finished product. Quite frankly, I was a bit nervous about tackling this project, as painting cabinets is something I would typically leave to the experts. But, I figured painting my kitchen island would be a good testing ground for my skills (or lack thereof), and would help me determine whether ~~I was crazy enough~~ to attempt painting the rest of my kitchen cabinets.

I will do a follow up post/tutorial on the methods behind my madness, but let's get on with the pictures, shall we?

So, here we go with the Before and After:

I have to tell you, I got a bit of a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach when I sprayed my first bit of black paint on the cabinet doors, since there was technically nothing wrong with my island. It's more of an evolution of style (alas, the inspiration behind the name of my blog) and the direction I want to go with my kitchen. I would be lying if I said that the words "What have you done?" didn't rattle through my brain on more than one occasion.

Admittedly, it's more distressed in some places than I like, but I can fix that (and deal with it in the meantime). And, I want to get different pulls for the cabinet doors and drawers. Patience, my friends.

But, I will say that this project was a big confidence boost for me in terms of tackling intimidating projects. Is it scary? Yes. Is it rewarding? Definitely.

The best part was when I was looking at it with a critical eye, and my husband came in and said that it looked "really good" and "professional". I'll take that.

Linking up to:
Miss Mustard Seed - Furniture Friday
The Shabby Nest - Frugal Friday
Remodelaholic - Remodelaholic's Anonymous
Dittle Dattle - Amaze Me Monday
My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia - Tuesday Treasures
Savvy Southern Style - Wow Us Wednesdays
Fingerprints on the Fridge - Feature Yourself Friday
Between Naps on the Porch - Metamorphosis Monday
DIY by Design - Fall into Fall
Somewhat Simple - Strut Your Stuff
Just a Girl - Show and Share Day
Tatertots & Jello - Weekend Wrap-up Party
Thrifty Decor Chick - November Before & After

Painted Kitchen Island - A Sneak Peek

2011-10-06T08:00:00.002-04:00

Hey all!

In my mad dash to get ready to leave for a work trip, I had my husband working like a busy bee to reattach the cabinet doors, drawers and pulls on my newly painted kitchen island. And, given the crazy, OCD-esque person that I am, I took pictures before I rushed out of the house to catch my flight. So, here is a little peek.

I am headed home at o'dark-thirty tomorrow morning, and can't wait to see The Fam. Getting calls at 9:00 PM from my almost 6 year-old daughter asking me where the Oreos are, just makes me miss them even more. (I have to hide them in empty boxes of Fiber One or else I'll blow my cover).

I will be turning around on Friday morning (again, in the wee hours) to go out of town again for a family wedding and my grandmother's 90th birthday. Another long day of travelling, but you only turn get married and turn 90 once, right?

If you're lucky, that is. :-)

Candy Corn Hurricanes

2011-09-29T08:00:00.001-04:00

Greetings!

I'm loving all of the great fall ideas that are sprouting up in blogland, and thought I'd share a quick, cheap and cute idea for a fall table.

Seriously, it doesn't get much easier than this.

I started with hurricanes that I bought at Goodwill for $1.99 each. I swear, I can't ever pass these up when I see them.

The next ingredient is simple (and yummy).

Put it all together and you end up with this.

(No, my candles aren't wavy - just the wave of the hurricane making it look a little funky.) You get the idea. Fun and festive for fall!

Progress Isn't Pretty

2011-09-27T12:26:00.000-04:00

I am gearing up for a couple of crazy weekends in terms of travel, so it was nice to have a semi-quiet weekend. I have been making some good progress on projects around the house, and I'll bet I could make MORE progress if I would just stop adding projects to my ever-growing list!

But, progress isn't always pretty, right? Sometimes, in the midst of progress, you have half-finished headboards in your yard:

Or a scary looking, primed-not-yet-painted kitchen island project that brings out the "Holy S#@*!" in you.

This is where I am right now. Bear with me - progress is being made!