Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Hi-Ho Cherry-O

Hidey Ho! Now I know I've been working on my kitchen for forever months but life is busy. I'm sluggishly making progress and thought that Thrifty Decor Chick's Spray Paint Linky Party would be the perfect time for me to add some splashes of color to the kitchen revamp. With all the blue, white, and gray going on in the kitchen it's been feeling a little cool in there. I'm going to be incorporating some nice wood tones eventually but I wanted some splashes of color to warm it up too!

Well, hello beautiful!

I debated between red and yellow for a while but finally decided to go with red. It'll pack the punch that I'm looking for. What is I'm spray painting exactly?


The hardware!



Now, I love Oil Rubbed Bronze as much as the next person but I wanted something different. Something a bit more retro/vintage/whimsical but most importantly fun! Perhaps the inspiration came from this picture I found eons ago when admiring other kitchens. I love the pops of red. Granted there isn't red hardware but there is a red stove!



I was too chicken to do all the knobs so I started with two from some of the cabinets we removed. I wanted to make sure I was going to like it before plunging into painting all of them.


(Sorry for the horrible picture but I don't have time to take another right now!)

I applied a couple of light coats of red and allowed ample time to dry. Then I replaced the knobs on two of the cabinet doors.


I plan to live with them for a week before I do the rest but so far I'm digging it! What do you think? Is red cabinet knobs too crazy or is it right up your alley?

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Sunday, May 15, 2011

I love free stuff!

I may or may not have mentioned this but I am extremely cheap! Last weekend my wonderful hubby scored me a free lingerie chest. Booyah! I was/am pretty pumped. I've started sanding but that's it. Here are a few pictures to tide you over until I'm finished.




She's a little rough around the edges but I like a challenge!

Hope you're having a lovely weekend! :)

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Scrapbook Inspired Bridal Shower Invites

Hello, hello! I just wanted to share some photos of the invites I'm working on for my Besties' bridal shower. I still have to complete the back but I'm loving the way the front came out!




I'm hoping to finish them and their coordinating envelopes tomorrow night! I have to mail them out by the end of the week so I need to get my booty in gear!

I hope you're all having a great week! :)

Sunday, May 8, 2011

An Impromptu Hiatus

I can't believe it has been two weeks since I have written a single blog post. I hadn't planned on not writing anything it just kind of happened. I was working on cleaning and painting and catch up on laundry and spending time with my family. I was trying to put less stress on myself since I had been feeling so worn out. However, I plan on getting back into the swing of things this week. I may not be posting five times a week because I have come to realize that those are unrealistic expectations for myself. I have a full time job and I have a family. I do not have the luxury of being a full time blogger even though I would like to.

In other news, today was Mother's Day. I had to travel for work on Friday and Saturday so it was wonderful to be home all day today and relax. It was also nice to receive this wonderful gift from Jeff and my little lady....


Now I just need to learn how to use it! Happy Mother's Day to all the wonderful Mothers out there!

Monday, April 25, 2011

Review: Rustoleum's Countertop Paint

Yesterday during my parent's Easter gathering I was talking with my cousin about the Countertop Paint that I used a while back. After talking about it with him I figured now was the perfect time to do a little review of the product.


I am 90% happy with my decision to paint the counters. However, there is 10% that wishes that I had just left it as it was. What is the reason for the 10%? Spots that look like this…


While I never expected perfection from a $20 can of paint I am slightly disappointed that I have a handful of spots where the paint has come off. This could be my own fault though. On the can it says to lightly sand really glossy surfaces. I didn’t. Our counters really weren’t that glossy but perhaps I would have had better adhesion if I had.

I also made the mistake of emptying my dishes and leaving them to sit, unmoved, on my newly painted counters for a week after painting them. The paint didn’t come off but there are visible rings like this…


While I’d rather not have the small flecks of the old counter showing through I do have the option of touching it up with the leftover paint I have from the project. I, also, am happy to say that my painted counters have completely solved my problem of forgetting to use a cutting board! Woohoo!

While the counters most definitely are not perfect, I'm happy that I painted them. I’d rather have an imperfect counter in a color I love then an ugly counter in perfect condition.

If you’re thinking about tackling this project yourself I would recommend sanding any surface regardless of how glossy it is. (Do as I say, not as I do people!) I think it would definitely help to keep from getting little marks in your surface. Also, make sure you wait the 3 days that is recommended prior to use. I was tempted several times to just go ahead and use them but I waited and I’m glad I did. Overall, I would use this product again if I am ever faced with ugly laminate counters and a tight budget.

I'm linking this over to Centsational Girl's Paint Linky Party. 

Thursday, April 21, 2011

Bridal Shower Inspiration

100 days from today is my BFF's wedding. I'm so excited for my bestie and I'm thrilled that she chose me to be her Matron of Honor! Her bridal shower is approaching rather quickly so I have been scouring the blogosphere for inspiration and ideas. The shower is being given by myself, her mother, grandmother, and bridesmaid. I have been left with the responsibility of decorations, favors, and invitations. All the fun stuff if you ask me! So far here are some inspiring images that I have found and plan to incorporate into the shower.


I'm really liking the paper doily idea. The above picture is actually a wedding program but I think I'm borrowing the idea for the invitations.


Then to tie in some of the decor with the invite I'm considering stringing up some of these cute garlands.


The shower is being held in a barn and I want to keep everything rustic and green feeling. Some DIYed stump charges fit right in. I also plan to recycle some wine bottles for vases.


I stumble across these adorable fabric flowers along with a ridiculously easy tutorial. I haven't tried it yet but it really does look so simple. I'm thinking burlap favor bags of chocolate embellished with fabric flower brooches.

I'm having so much fun coming up with ideas! Hopefully within the next few days I can get my tushy in gear and make some tangible progress on everything.


Wednesday, April 20, 2011

When It Rains It Pours

Lately we have been having some home mishaps around these parts which have me feeling overwhelmed, frustrated, and defeated. A couple of weeks ago our furnace bit the big one. Luckily, we were able to hook up our water to an electric hot water heater that was already in the basement and we can run our wood stove to keep the house relatively warm. However, we will be saving our pennies all summer so we can pay cash for a new furnace before the cold weather returns.

On top of our furnace breaking down we have also been having issues with our septic. Last week I went downstairs to do a load of laundry and was surprised with a utility sink full of water that was overflowing onto the floor. After an hour of lugging buckets up the basement stairs and dumping them out the Bilco Doors we had the water cleaned up. Jeff snaked the pipes and it seemed as though a certain little someone may have flushed something she shouldn’t have. It may have been tissues, baby wipes, or doll cloths. We weren’t sure but everything seemed to be functioning properly once again.

Over the weekend Jeff went to my parents to help put in new hardwood floors in their bedroom. After they ripped up the carpet it became apparent that the simple floor install would not be so simple. Whoever built my parents house had not laid the sub floor properly. For obvious support reason, seams of sub floor should lay on the rafters. These seams didn’t, plus they were dry rotted. Hubby, my father, and my brother spent the weekend replacing the rafters, installing a new sub floor, and then, finally, the hardwoods. An afternoon job for two turned into a weekend job for three. On the bright side, my parents have beautiful new floors in their bedroom and do not have to worry about falling through their floor.

Monday night I was trying to be productive in the kitchen and sanded all the Spackle. I was cleaning up the dust and went to the basement to get something. I didn’t even make it to the bottom of the stairs and could see water on the floor.

Oh. Em. Gee. I thought I was going to cry. I had forgotten that I was supposed to be taking it easy on running water. In the midst of me trying to be productive I had done a load of laundry, ran the dishwasher, gave Charlie a bath, and took a shower. I completely over did it. Imagine my guilt when Jeff got home and had to help me clean up the disaster mess I made. I told him what I did and apologized and he responded with “Things happen. The floor needed to be washed anyway”. He’s a saint. He could have easily been mad at me but instead we spent some quality time sucking and moping up water, rearranging our basement to remove things from the water, and cleaning the floor.

Tuesday morning he snaked our drains again and we thought our problem was solved. No such luck. Currently we can not run water in our house which makes my productivity basically zero. Here's to hoping Jeff can fix it in the morning and I will no longer have to go to my parents to shower, eat, do laundry, and basically live.

What household mishaps have you had lately?