Kitchen Update

I have been toying with the idea of redoing my kitchen cabinets for a long time. I thought about painting them white and adding a glaze, but with the light counter tops and white back splash I couldn't really update it without basically doing the entire kitchen. So then I saw all the pictures online of people who used a gel stain to darken them, but I was super nervous! Let's face it - there are a lot of cabinets!

So I started small, doing the tiny cabinet in my bathroom first. It was pretty easy and I LOVED the way it looked! So of course, being the impulsive person I am, I just went to town on the kitchen. Little did I know that it would take me almost an entire MONTH! Putting the gel stain on was super easy, but then you have to wait an entire day in between coats. It took forever! Just to let you know, in case you are thinking about it. ;)

Here is what I started with: 

The lovely golden oak was so beautiful don't you think? I actually didn't mind it, but I wanted a little richer color and definitely some knobs. 

Here is a picture of how the kitchen looked when we bought the house: 

The green paint that we added to the walls definitely brought some much needed color to the room.

Okay, so here is my kitchen after:

Don't mind my horrible photography skills. That is one talent that I definitely DO NOT have. ;) Also, try not to notice the mismatched appliances. We are working on upgrading to stainless steel. First things first, right? 

I did everything in sections, starting with the bar and the cabinet above it on the right. I left everything in the cabinets and just took the doors off. With the drawers, I pulled everything out and set stuff on the counters. Yep, it was a pain and a mess, but we lived with it. It was worth it. ;)

We ordered all our knobs on Amazon. We got a set of 25 brushed nickel knobs for $25, and a set of 10 drawer pulls for around the same price. So $50 for the hardware, and then I used 1 1/2 cans of gel stain, so maybe another $30 for that. Pretty great to get a whole new look for under $100!!

The gel stain I used was Minwax Gel Stain in Hickory. I also used those cheapo foam brushes that you can throw away after. Make sure to get a regular size and a thin one for the tight areas.

Okay, so here are the before and afters:

We really love it! If I could take better pictures it would not look so dark. haha :) It looks richer and more updated. I also LOVE the hardware! How did I live for 3 years without knobs?? 

Well, hopefully this might help you make the decision to try out gel stain if you are on the fence about doing it. I only did a light sand everywhere, and then wiped everything off with a wet rag. Then I applied 2 coats of stain, maybe a third coat in the areas that really needed it. (Waiting until each coat was completely dry before adding another one.) So far I haven't put a poly on top. When I first tried it, it wiped some of the stain off, so I am waiting to make sure it's completely set before I try again. I am not even sure I will really need it. We'll see I guess. ;)

Thanks for stopping by!

20 Pounds Down!

These are my results so far - I still have another week of my 90 day challenge, but it's fun to see how far I've come!  It took me almost 2 yrs to lose the first 10 lbs, and only 3 months to lose the next 10 lbs!  I credit it all to my challenge group.  I was able to stay accountable and not give up.  I am going to be doing another challenge group soon - you can check out my fitness blog HERE for more information and to read more about my journey so far.

Built-In Bookshelves

As you all know by now, we have been working on the fireplace wall in our family room.  For a looong time (way too long) we have had our tv in the corner.  You couldn't even see it unless you were in the coveted seat right in front of it.  Sadly, I don't have a picture of how it was.  However, I do have a picture of the basic setup.

This was after we got our new tv - before the bookshelves.  Our old chunky tv sat on the top shelf, over in the corner.  (Yes, we are watching Bubble Guppies.) haha :)  The other side was just empty - so it looked off balance and was kind of a waste of space.

 

We wanted to do some built-ins, but our main problem was the shelves had to be deep enough for our dvd player, dvr, etc.  Here is a picture of how the left side turned out.

This side was the trickiest because the edge of the bay window is really narrow.  Luckily, that was almost exactly the depth we needed.  I wish they could have been set back further from the fireplace, but oh-well, what can ya do?

 

Here they are finished.

 

I think they turned out pretty great!  (My husband doesn't agree, and wants to rip them out and have a professional build some.) 

 

Obvioulsy, they are still very much un-decorated.  I need to find some more things to go on them - they look so bare.  We also need to find a better place for the all the speakers.  Ugh! 

 

Anyway, there it is!  I have soooo much extra space now to put things.  Love it!

 

Thanks for stopping by!

Fireplace Before and After

Here is a picture of our family room from the seller's photos.  Sorry, it's the only one I have that shows it before all the painting I did.

Shortly after we moved in, one of the first things I did was paint the fireplace mantel white.  I just didn't like that oak color, and you couldn't see the beautiful details at all.  I had been in love with white mantels for a long time, so I was pretty excited to do it!  I also painted the left and right side walls a soft green color.

Originally, I left the wall above the fireplace that khaki color - it looked pretty good, I thought.

Here is a photo taken around Easter after I painted the mantel.

Sorry, the wall color looks a little weird in this pic, but it's the same as above.   

See all the cute detail in the mantel?

Recently I decided with the soft green walls, and dark brown furniture that the fireplace wall needed a punch of color.  This room connects with the dining area and kitchen, and I have these gorgeous rugs I bought at Pier 1 that have all the colors I want.

There is brown, the green of my walls, beige, mustard and a warm rusty red color.

I also bought these dried peppers in Mexico that bring that punch of rusty red in. They are HUGE - but I love them! haha

So here is my new bright fireplace wall:

It looks pretty orange in the picture, but trust me, it's not.  It's more of a brownish color really.  I love it!  Every time I look over at that wall, it just looks so warm and yummy. hahaha(maybe cozy is a better word).

Here is a side-by-side for you to compare:



What do you think?  Seriously - it looks so much better in person. The only bad thing is, it totally clashes with my Valentine Decorations!

The next thing I need to work on is window treatments - I hate bare windows!

 

UPDATE:  Here is an after after picture....  :)

 

We added shelves!!  You can read the full post HERE.

Well, thanks for stopping by!



Framed Wall Letters

Since we moved into our new house, I wanted to redo the letters in my daughter's room.  This is what they looked like before -

They are okay, but just needed something more.  Here is what I came up with -

Sooo much better, don't you think? (By the way, we liked the paint so much in our old house, that we did the same thing in the new one. It has stripes of the same pink color, only one is flat and the other is semi-gloss.)

Here is what I did:

I found some old wooden frames at a local thrift store that were the same size, but each had a slightly different frame. I took out the glass and painted the frames white.  Then, I glazed and sanded them so they looked kind of old and weathered.

I put different patterns of scrapbook paper into the frames, but left out the glass. I originally wanted to hang the entire frame with the ribbon, but I couldn't figure out how I would get the letters to stay inside without ripping the paper.  Soooo......

I hammered a tiny nail into the top of each frame and just hung the letters back up.  I LOVE it! The black and white really look so good against the pink wall. The frames also take up more space on the wall, and I like that, too. :) 

I have more fun things I want to do with her room, like some cute window treatments!  I will show more before and afters of her room later.  It's so fun to finally have a girl after 3 boys! haha :)


UPDATE: My little sister used this idea for her daughter's room and it turned out so stinkin' cute:

This room is a gorgeous ice blue with black accents - I love it!

Well, thanks for stopping by -