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!

Table Box Centerpiece

I have been really wanting some kind of centerpiece for my table that wouldn't be too tall, but would fill a big space and that I could change out for different holidays or seasons.  I have seen these beautiful wooden boxes on the internet and decided that would be so perfect!

 

So my amazing husband made this for me - to my exact specifications.  haha :)

The measurements are:  3 ft. long, 7 in. wide, and 5.5 in. tall.

Here is the end a little closer up.

 

I painted the sides and edges dark brown, then I smeared petroleum jelly randomly in spots (on the edges, corners and some on the sides). 

 

Then my sweet husband spray painted it for me in an antique white. 

 

After it was all dry, I took some sandpaper and rubbed the paint off where the petroleum jelly was so it looks a little weathered.  Sorry, I don't have pictures of that by itself.  Hopefully you can tell what I did in the next pictures.

 

Here it is all decorated for fall:

 

 

 

Next year I will use real pumpkins and gourds, not those plastic-y things.  I have also realized I'm not very good at arranging these things.  My husband actually made this for me last spring, and I could never figure out what to put in it, so it sat in a closet until I got it out in September.  *sigh*

 

For Halloween, I replaced some of the pumpkins with little tombstones and added in some cute miniature skeletons.  I don't have a picture of that either - don't know why....

 

Hopefully I can come up with something halfway decent for Christmas.  I know what I want it to look like, I just have a hard time putting all together so it looks full and beautiful, you know?  Any suggestions??  :)

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!

All you need is LOVE...

I made a couple new Valentine's Day signs last weekend.  This first one was a piece of scrap wood I had out in the garage, and I have been wanting to use these Beetles lyrics forever!

I painted the wood black around the edges.  Then I glued on some scrapbook paper with wood glue.  (The sign was bigger than the paper, so you can see the line where I tried to merge the two.)  oh-well. :)

 

I made the lettering on my Silhouette using Bosshole font for the LOVE, and Eutemia I font for the rest.

 

Then, using a sponge dipped in a black stamp pad, I shaded the edges all around.

 

That's it! Super easy - I love it!  I think maybe the wording could have been a little bigger, but I wanted the LOVE to really stand out.

 

 

The next sign I made, I happened to find tucked away in my craft bin.  Who knows how long it had been there??  It's amazing what you can find that you didn't remember you even had! haha

 

I bought this wooden frame at the craft store & letters for the word love. (Obviously, haha) 

 

I added some more scrapbook paper and glued the letters on with Gorilla glue.

 

I was worried that the letters would pull right off the paper, but they seem to be holding up pretty well. I really like these colors, too - very non-traditional.

 

I put this sign up above my kitchen cupboards & the other one will go on the new built-in shelves we're working on. (I can't wait!!) 

 

Until later -

Thanks for stopping by!

Fall/Thanksgiving Decorating Ideas

I was about to take down all my fall decorations, and decided I would take some pictures of a few things I did this year.

I really like decorating for fall because everything looks so earthy, and the colors are perfect in my house! Yay!

Last year I bought a TON of artificial fall flowers at Michael's on clearance, so I needed to figure out what to do with them this year. Haha :)

These two are exactly the same, but I put them in different rooms, so it turned out okay. I just filled a glass container with mixed nuts, and stuck a bunch of flowers in. I think next year I'll put one of these in a metal bucket instead.

 

 

This is a sign I made last year. I got the inspiration for the lettering HERE. I had an old scrap of wood that I painted & then Mod Podged some cute scrapbook paper onto it. Then, I added the vinyl (white contact paper) and the twine. The acorn is actually white contact paper that I sponge-painted the color I wanted - it totally worked!!

(I used the same lettering but added it to a plate for my sister-in-law's birthday.)

I think I actually bought the vinyl for this - then just applied it to a ceramic tile.

 

Well, these are just a few ideas of things I've made for fall. Most of my fall decorations were purchased. Maybe I can find some cute ideas for next year? :)

No More Black Smoke!

 

I LOVE the smell of candles!  Especially during the fall/winter.  What I don't like is the yucky black smoke, not to mention having an open flame in my house.

 

After refusing to light even one more candle, I got a little warmer like this....

It was okay, but there are some things I didn't like about it.

1)  It's hard to tell if it's on. (I left it on all night once - yikes!)
2)  They don't even start to smell until the wax melts all the way through the top.  So, if you have a large candle - that could take all day!
3)  You still have to buy a jar candle - and sorry, but they can be expensive.
4)  Not very cute. :)

 

Therefore, I have totally converted over to the adorable warmer pots. 

 

They start smelling immediately,  the pots are super cute, and the wax is really inexpensive (because you can use any kind).  That's my favorite part.  The warmer I got was from Bed Bath & Beyond.  It came with a free wax and I had a coupon - yay!

Then, when I was in Walmart, they had some yummy smelling wax from Better Homes & Gardens that were only $2 a piece.  Can't beat that. :)  I melted a carrot cake one yesterday - yummo!!

 

Now, what to do with all my old favorite-smelling candles?  I can't ever light them again because the wick is melted somewhere inside, and the old warmer takes too long - so I turned them into bricks! 

 

Here is what I did:

1) Melt the old candle wax completely. I used the old warmer, you can also use hot water on the stove.

 

2)  Pour melted wax into molds.  I used the one that came with my warmer and the other one I bought at Walmart.  I wonder if those little silicone trays would work?  I might have to try it. :)

 

3)  Let cool completely.  Since I only had two molds, I stuck mine in the fridge just to get them cooled faster.

 

That's it!  After they were all done, I put them in plastic bags labeled with the name of the scent, and stuck them in a drawer.  That's another good thing - they take up sooo much less space than all those candles did! 

 

If you wrapped them up pretty - they would make really great gifts, too!

Love it!! Now I'm off to help my mom make blocks out of all her old candles! haha :)

 

Painted Headboard

When my husband and I finally got a king-size bed - we had no idea what we wanted for a headboard. Our last bed had a huge frame with a footboard too and we knew we didn't want to take up that much room again.

So we decided we would just paint one!

We love this because it is fairly temporary, so when/if we ever decide to get a regular headboard - we can just take the frame off and paint over it!

So, what if we want to move our bed, you ask?  Well, we decided that this spot is pretty much where it will stay.  There is only one other place to put our bed, and it would cut the room in half, and make our room look smaller.  However, we could still move it, and then this faux headboard would make an amazing frame for our dresser! Haha :)

How I made it:

What I did was measure where we wanted our headboard while the bed was still against the wall.  Then, we moved the bed, and taped off our frame.  Then I decided how big I wanted my diamonds to be (they measure 18" x 22") and cut a template out of poster board.

I decided I wanted my diamonds outlined in white so they show up more.  So I painted the headboard area white first.

I put some tape behind the diamond and then stuck it on the wall.  After I made sure the center was level, I taped all four sides with Frog tape.  Then I continued like that all along the top row.  After the first row, it was easier, because everything was level and you just connect the tape.

Then, before you paint the diamonds, make sure to seal the tape with the wall color first.  It will give you nice clean lines.  (I forgot that step, and had to redo everything - not fun! Trust me.)

After it's dry, remove the tape and finish with a frame - easy!

Colors:

Wall color:  Barely Jade by Glidden

Diamonds:  Davenport Tan and Alexandria Beige by Benjamin Moore 

She Sells Sea Shells...

I have always loved beach-themed bedrooms and bathrooms - they are so calm and relaxing.   

My husband's sister has a beach house in Mexico, right on the Sea of Cortez, and we were lucky enough to be able to spend Thanksgiving there.  It was so beautiful and so much fun!

We came home with sunburns and waaay too many shells! Haha :)  I had to come up with some clever ways to display them, or they would just end up sitting in a box somewhere.

I am in the process of redoing my guest bathroom and wanted some beachy items in there.  However, there is not much room for shelves or anything. (It's basically a closet with a toilet.)  So I made this shell wreath:

I LOVE it because a) it was super easy and b) it shows tons of shells all in one place without taking up much room.

All I did was get one of those styrofoam wreaths that is basically cut in half, so one side lays flat against the wall.  Then, I just hot-glued the shells all over it randomly starting with the big flat ones first, and then tucking in the small ones to fill in any spaces.  The starfish was one we bought somewhere and I think it just added that extra something it needed.

My next favorite thing is my basket of sand dollars - Love them!!

I think I like them more because we had to work so hard to get them, and then bring them all home and wash them in bleach water. (They still kind of stink by the way.)

Actually they were all over the beach just waiting to be picked up, but you had to go to a special area, at a certain time of night, only after a big storm, wearing a trench coat and dark glasses.  Okay, I threw that last part in, but apparently it's quite the elaborate scheme to get these babies.  I only wish I'd had more people with me, since I ended up carrying most of them in my sweatshirt.

All the other shells we collected were readily available everywhere you stepped.  I wanted to fill a jar with those little tiny spiral shells, so I would gather like crazy, but then got really bored with it, so I only mostly filled my jar.  I know - I'm a slacker...*sigh*

I filled the rest with the pretty white spirals.  By the way, there are a LOT more than it looks!  Those things were tiny!

I also have this fish bowl looking thing that I got and filled with sand.  I had this on a shelf above the toilet, but I don't think I'll put it back up after we paint. 

Any other great or amazing shells that caught my eye went in this jar.  I got this jar at Tai Pan Trading, along with the iron basket that my sand dollars are in.  I love them because they look so perfect with the shells.  I might end up putting my sand and candle in this jar instead of the fish bowl thing.  I don't know. 

Right now, the sand dollars are in the center of my table, and the two jars filled with shells are on my hutch.  The wreath will go in my bathroom, along with some black and white beach prints on canvas that I'm working on right now. 

Here is the wreath hanging in my bathroom - the lighting is horrible, sorry.

I love the beach! Why do I live in Idaho again?  Ugh.  Oh well - someday.  Haha :)



Valentine Pillows: The Sequel

Okay, I promised to show more details about these pillows that my very talented sis-in-law Kris made.

First of all, they are made out of the most gorgeous fabric - I wish you could see them in person! 

She cut out circles of fabric and tulle, folded them into fourths, and then just stitched across the corner of each - just enough to give the center a pinched look.

She opened up the circles, and pinned them onto her pillow fabric in the shape of a heart.  Then, she just ran the sewing machine all over the heart randomly, kind of making large S shapes, making sure she ran over every circle.  Make sense?

 You can see in the pictures that some of the edges stick up, making it look super textured.

I LOVE this technique! And the tulle just adds to it so much. 

Well, there they are - aren't they gorgeous?  She is an excellent seamstress, so all her stuff looks totally professional.  I'm jealous!  Thank you sooo much Kris!