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!

Girls Camp Stuff

Well, girls camp is coming up next week, and my house looks like a craft store blew up! Haha 

I have 25 t-shirts drying on my deck that the girls and leaders bleached the other night.  I have canvases, paints, brushes, vinyl lettering, bracelet stuff, nail polishes, glitter - you name it - all stacked in a bin ready to go!! Whew!

 

This is the craft we decided to make:

 

Don't mind the colors - it's just kind of a sample to see if they would work.  I'm sure the girls will make them WAY cuter! :)

 

I bought little 6x8 canvases at Michael's, they came in a pack of 5.  Then the girls will put the lettering and temple wherever and however they want.  Make sure to seal the letters first by painting over everything with white.  (It makes the letters look really clean when you pull them off.)

 

Then the girls can paint however they want. I bought a bunch of fun, bright colors.  After everything dries, peel the vinyl off and embellish!  Super easy!

 

We are also making some cute bracelets with colored braiding cord/twine and beads.  I will update with pictures after camp. 

 

UPDATE 6/26/13:  Here are some of the canvases that the girls made...

 

 

And a couple more...

 

 

I love how they are all individual.  They had fun and did a really good job!!

 

 



I am also in charge of the camp awards.  I found a cute list online and made up some cards to go with them that we can fill in at camp. 

 

 

My absolute favorite is the Big Red award - for the girl with the brightest sunburn!! Haha (That's bad, huh?)

 

If you would like to print these out to use, here is the download PDF file.

 

I made them kind of small, because I was using the regular-sized candy bars and didn't want them to overpower the candy.  Hopefully you can make them bigger.  If not, just leave me a comment and I will upload some bigger ones. :)

 

Oh and I purposely made 2 of the Mentos awards, because I am giving those to the youth leaders.  They get to decide who gets each award and I didn't want them to have to do their own.  Make sense?

 

Happy camping to me!! 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 

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!