Here is my very first victim. Stay Tuned!!
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Coming soon...DIY dining room table
Here it is.... My first DIY project! I paint and decorate like a lunatic, but I have never really done much DIY.
Here is my very first victim. Stay Tuned!!
Here is my very first victim. Stay Tuned!!
Master Bedroom Makeover
I started this project September 2009. It was done just about a week later, but low and behold I have been procrastinating. It is so dang hard sometimes to just sit, type and upload photos.
I am a really bad "before" picture taker. So I am going to improvise a bit here.
We have lived in our current house for just over 3 years. When we moved here, we bought a few new pieced of furniture, but mainly kept what we had been using at the old house.
Here are some pictures of the master bedroom at the old house, complete with the tropical safari motif: (FYI....while we lived here, this bedroom was painted twice and the decor changed about 4 times. Somethings never change)
Then I got sick of the palm tree bedding and bought a bed in a bag that was not so decor specific. Everything else in the room stayed the same and then we decided to move to our current home.
So imagine the room below with all of the previous items in it. Can you see it??? Our current room has vaulted ceilings, an alcove and is about 2 times the size of our old bedroom. Everything fit so much nicer.
There is a window to the right, the closet and bathroom on the left and the alcove to the right and behind me.
Here is the master bedroom redo and how it looked right when I was done. Can you believe that there were more changes even once I was complete? I swear a decorator is never done.
I bought the wicker headboard off of Craigslist for $50 about a week before we moved. It was already black. PERFECT!
Nightstands and throw pillows were purchased at IKEA
Lamps and art above bed were purchased at Home Goods
Bedding was purchased at JcPenney
Paint is BEHR Ultra Plus, Bleached Denim, from Home Depot
Curtains were made by my mom with pillow ticking fabric given to me by my Grandma. Over 10 yards.....SCORE!
The wicker chair was brown, so I sprayed it red.
Ottoman and lamp were re-purposed from our great room. Perfect little reading corner, don'tcha think???
This is the alcove I mentioned... about 30" deep. Recognize the armoire? It's the same one that was in the old house, just some new adornments for the top, all purchased at Home Goods. Don't you love the color of the tin wall art? Bought that at Home Goods too. Gosh I LOVE that store!!!
Dresser was purchased at IKEA and is from the same family as the nightstands. IKEA calls the color black-brown, so it is not a true black, but I love it just the same. I was going for clean lines and drawers that opened and closed easily. I put the dresser and nightstands together while my husband was away all summer. Super easy, except for the 20 million trips I took up and down the stairs. The boxes were GI-NORMOUS and weighed about 900 lbs. (kidding, but they were heavy) so it was brought in piece by piece.
Now for "after all the work is done" changes. I had wanted a real bed for some time, and convinced the hubby that we needed one. My only challenge was going to be the height. Our mattress/boxspring combo is about 37" high. The IKEA bed, that matched the furniture we bought, was 52" tall at the headboard and 26" high at the footboard. That meant that the mattress was going to sit above the footboard by 11". That was just too weird for me.
So I went on a search for the perfect bed. It had to be black, have straight lines and include a headboard/footboard and rails. Have you ever looked for a king size bedframe???? Holy Cow, these things are expensive. After many, many nights perusing Craigslist, I decided to check out Overstock.com. I had heard super great things about them and who could pass up shipping for $2.95.
To make a long story short, I found the perfect bed for just over $300. That was a super steal for a king compared to the bajillion beds I looked at. And to top it off, shipping was FREE!!!! It was just too good to be true.
So.... drum roll please....... TA-DA
Notice the items in this picture that are different than the original? Let me point them out....
1. Lamps are different. Since the September, I have painted our great room , kitchen and hallway. The red lamps were in the Great room and did not go with the new color, so I switched the lamps.
2. The bedding is different. I am sure that a lot of you have summer and winter bedding. No?? ok, again, I am crazy and I do! The striped bedding is lightweight and perfect for warmer weather. I have a down comforter that we use for cooler times, but with the new decor, I didn't have a duvet. I totally scored on this set. It is from Pottery Barn and I bought it from a friend for $10. No, I didn't leave off a zero. 10 freaking bucks!!
3. The yellow pillows were red in the original picture, but it was just too much with the red stripes. I went to IKEA, bought new shams and I love it even more.
4. Since the duvet set came with only european shams I had to have something to cover the regular sized pillows. I got the cool white shams at JcPenney.
5. The ottoman never has a permanent home. I generally keep it in front of the red wicker chair during the day or if I am sitting in the chair, but at night it goes to the end of the bed so that our fat cat, Cooper, can get onto the bed. Oh, what we do for our animals!
I follow many decorating blogs and absolutely love what people do to transform their spaces. I am continuously in awe of the talent out there. There are so many different styles of homes and decor. I tend to envy how people decorate and wish that I had some of their finesse but in the end, I love what I have done too. My rooms are cozy,comfortable and most important, lived in. It makes me feel great to hear "your house is very comfortable". I guess that could just be the 7 foot couch we have that you can just fall into, but I will just chalk it up to great design.
I am a really bad "before" picture taker. So I am going to improvise a bit here.
We have lived in our current house for just over 3 years. When we moved here, we bought a few new pieced of furniture, but mainly kept what we had been using at the old house.
Here are some pictures of the master bedroom at the old house, complete with the tropical safari motif: (FYI....while we lived here, this bedroom was painted twice and the decor changed about 4 times. Somethings never change)
Then I got sick of the palm tree bedding and bought a bed in a bag that was not so decor specific. Everything else in the room stayed the same and then we decided to move to our current home.
So imagine the room below with all of the previous items in it. Can you see it??? Our current room has vaulted ceilings, an alcove and is about 2 times the size of our old bedroom. Everything fit so much nicer.
There is a window to the right, the closet and bathroom on the left and the alcove to the right and behind me.
Here is the master bedroom redo and how it looked right when I was done. Can you believe that there were more changes even once I was complete? I swear a decorator is never done.
I bought the wicker headboard off of Craigslist for $50 about a week before we moved. It was already black. PERFECT! Nightstands and throw pillows were purchased at IKEA
Lamps and art above bed were purchased at Home Goods
Bedding was purchased at JcPenney
Paint is BEHR Ultra Plus, Bleached Denim, from Home Depot
Curtains were made by my mom with pillow ticking fabric given to me by my Grandma. Over 10 yards.....SCORE! The wicker chair was brown, so I sprayed it red.
Ottoman and lamp were re-purposed from our great room. Perfect little reading corner, don'tcha think???
This is the alcove I mentioned... about 30" deep. Recognize the armoire? It's the same one that was in the old house, just some new adornments for the top, all purchased at Home Goods. Don't you love the color of the tin wall art? Bought that at Home Goods too. Gosh I LOVE that store!!!
Dresser was purchased at IKEA and is from the same family as the nightstands. IKEA calls the color black-brown, so it is not a true black, but I love it just the same. I was going for clean lines and drawers that opened and closed easily. I put the dresser and nightstands together while my husband was away all summer. Super easy, except for the 20 million trips I took up and down the stairs. The boxes were GI-NORMOUS and weighed about 900 lbs. (kidding, but they were heavy) so it was brought in piece by piece. Now for "after all the work is done" changes. I had wanted a real bed for some time, and convinced the hubby that we needed one. My only challenge was going to be the height. Our mattress/boxspring combo is about 37" high. The IKEA bed, that matched the furniture we bought, was 52" tall at the headboard and 26" high at the footboard. That meant that the mattress was going to sit above the footboard by 11". That was just too weird for me.
So I went on a search for the perfect bed. It had to be black, have straight lines and include a headboard/footboard and rails. Have you ever looked for a king size bedframe???? Holy Cow, these things are expensive. After many, many nights perusing Craigslist, I decided to check out Overstock.com. I had heard super great things about them and who could pass up shipping for $2.95.
To make a long story short, I found the perfect bed for just over $300. That was a super steal for a king compared to the bajillion beds I looked at. And to top it off, shipping was FREE!!!! It was just too good to be true.
So.... drum roll please....... TA-DA
Notice the items in this picture that are different than the original? Let me point them out....
1. Lamps are different. Since the September, I have painted our great room , kitchen and hallway. The red lamps were in the Great room and did not go with the new color, so I switched the lamps.
2. The bedding is different. I am sure that a lot of you have summer and winter bedding. No?? ok, again, I am crazy and I do! The striped bedding is lightweight and perfect for warmer weather. I have a down comforter that we use for cooler times, but with the new decor, I didn't have a duvet. I totally scored on this set. It is from Pottery Barn and I bought it from a friend for $10. No, I didn't leave off a zero. 10 freaking bucks!!
3. The yellow pillows were red in the original picture, but it was just too much with the red stripes. I went to IKEA, bought new shams and I love it even more.
4. Since the duvet set came with only european shams I had to have something to cover the regular sized pillows. I got the cool white shams at JcPenney.
5. The ottoman never has a permanent home. I generally keep it in front of the red wicker chair during the day or if I am sitting in the chair, but at night it goes to the end of the bed so that our fat cat, Cooper, can get onto the bed. Oh, what we do for our animals!
I follow many decorating blogs and absolutely love what people do to transform their spaces. I am continuously in awe of the talent out there. There are so many different styles of homes and decor. I tend to envy how people decorate and wish that I had some of their finesse but in the end, I love what I have done too. My rooms are cozy,comfortable and most important, lived in. It makes me feel great to hear "your house is very comfortable". I guess that could just be the 7 foot couch we have that you can just fall into, but I will just chalk it up to great design.
Sunday, January 10, 2010
DIY recessed light conversion
Hello my friends!! HAPPY NEW YEAR!
I have been a bad, bad blogger. However, I have been busy so I have lots to share. It will most likely be in multiple posts, so just bare with me.
I have seen these fun & easy fixes to the traditional "blah" recessed lighting. I wanted so badly to try them out so I finally did it. The kitchen was the natural choice since it is the only room in the house that has recessed lighting.
My preference would have been to hang them over the bar part of the counter, but the builder was obviously not thinking about my decorating needs when he built the house as the lights are not directly over the counter. The next choice was the kitchen sink. Not only is it directly over the sink, but it has its own switch to boot.
I went to Lowes today and found this guy on the shelf for just under $19. It came in both nickel and bronze finish. I choose the bronze finish as most of the lighting in the house is already bronze or black.
The picture on the box pretty much says it all! The directions that come along with it are very easy to read and understand.
The globe is an extra piece and cost about $20. There were many different ones to choose from and cost anywhere from $7.50 - $20 each. Make sure that you pick the globes with the flat tops. The ones with the lips don't work for this application. I had a gift card with about $4.00 on it, so after all was said and done, the total project cost me just over $35 and took about 10 minutes to install.
Voila, instant glow!!!! I love the way it looks. The globe is a fun shape and it really brings some interest to the kitchen. It flows nicely with all the new paint colors I recently brought into the house. (More on those projects later) I have a crappy digital camera and it takes horrible pictures without the flash, so this is the best I can get on the glow. I hope this helps you decide to take a leap and do a bit of cheap and easy updating to your home.
I have been a bad, bad blogger. However, I have been busy so I have lots to share. It will most likely be in multiple posts, so just bare with me.
I have seen these fun & easy fixes to the traditional "blah" recessed lighting. I wanted so badly to try them out so I finally did it. The kitchen was the natural choice since it is the only room in the house that has recessed lighting.
My preference would have been to hang them over the bar part of the counter, but the builder was obviously not thinking about my decorating needs when he built the house as the lights are not directly over the counter. The next choice was the kitchen sink. Not only is it directly over the sink, but it has its own switch to boot.I went to Lowes today and found this guy on the shelf for just under $19. It came in both nickel and bronze finish. I choose the bronze finish as most of the lighting in the house is already bronze or black.
The picture on the box pretty much says it all! The directions that come along with it are very easy to read and understand.
The globe is an extra piece and cost about $20. There were many different ones to choose from and cost anywhere from $7.50 - $20 each. Make sure that you pick the globes with the flat tops. The ones with the lips don't work for this application. I had a gift card with about $4.00 on it, so after all was said and done, the total project cost me just over $35 and took about 10 minutes to install.
Voila, instant glow!!!! I love the way it looks. The globe is a fun shape and it really brings some interest to the kitchen. It flows nicely with all the new paint colors I recently brought into the house. (More on those projects later) I have a crappy digital camera and it takes horrible pictures without the flash, so this is the best I can get on the glow. I hope this helps you decide to take a leap and do a bit of cheap and easy updating to your home.
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Almost Free Foo-foo Coffee
I love Starbucks!!! I do, I can't help it. I reload my card, frequent the joint about 3 times a week and always get the same drink... Iced Grande non-fat Caramel Machiatto.
I knew I had a coffee problem, but didn't know I spent more on coffee per year than I did on my homeowners insurance.
Here's my tally:
$3.65 x 3 = 10.95 per week, $43.80/month, $525.60/year. (This doesn't even include the times that Eric and I go together or any food I purchase) Makes you really think, huh??
I have found a solution to my problem, that doesn't include therapy or hundreds of dollars on an espresso machine. It's the TODDY. It cost a mere $40 at a local coffee place (not starbucks, either) This is a very easy, cold brew system. (brewed espresso not included)
I picked up a bag of Espresso as soon as I could as I had to try it out ASAP.
I had to find the ingredients needed to make my favorite drink. Starbucks had the caramel sauce that they use and wouldn't you know.... they had the recipe for my drink on the side of the bottle. I never knew this, but they use vanilla syrup in my drink, so I got some of that as well.
You need 1lb. of espresso and water. Plug the hole in the brewer with the plug provided. Soak the filter in water and place in the brewer. Layer the espresso and water per the directions. Let sit for at least 12 hours to brew.
After at least 12 hours, you remove the plug and let the espresso drain in the carafe.
Put the lid on the carafe, place in the fridge and VOILA. It can last up to 2 weeks, depending on the amount of coffee you drink. If you like hot coffee drinks you can warm up the espresso and milk in the microwave, in a separate container.
I highly recommend this method. Easy to use and store. Plus in my case, you are going to save s&*t loads of money. ENJOY!!!
I knew I had a coffee problem, but didn't know I spent more on coffee per year than I did on my homeowners insurance.
Here's my tally:
$3.65 x 3 = 10.95 per week, $43.80/month, $525.60/year. (This doesn't even include the times that Eric and I go together or any food I purchase) Makes you really think, huh??
I have found a solution to my problem, that doesn't include therapy or hundreds of dollars on an espresso machine. It's the TODDY. It cost a mere $40 at a local coffee place (not starbucks, either) This is a very easy, cold brew system. (brewed espresso not included)
I picked up a bag of Espresso as soon as I could as I had to try it out ASAP.I had to find the ingredients needed to make my favorite drink. Starbucks had the caramel sauce that they use and wouldn't you know.... they had the recipe for my drink on the side of the bottle. I never knew this, but they use vanilla syrup in my drink, so I got some of that as well.
You need 1lb. of espresso and water. Plug the hole in the brewer with the plug provided. Soak the filter in water and place in the brewer. Layer the espresso and water per the directions. Let sit for at least 12 hours to brew.After at least 12 hours, you remove the plug and let the espresso drain in the carafe.
Put the lid on the carafe, place in the fridge and VOILA. It can last up to 2 weeks, depending on the amount of coffee you drink. If you like hot coffee drinks you can warm up the espresso and milk in the microwave, in a separate container. I highly recommend this method. Easy to use and store. Plus in my case, you are going to save s&*t loads of money. ENJOY!!!
Saturday, October 17, 2009
$139 saves marriage
I love my hubby, yet after almost 11 years of marriage, I can definitely say that we don't work well on home improvement projects. I like to be in charge, weird I know. For the most part we know our roles. He mows the lawn, I edge. He sprays the weeds, I prune plants; He rolls the paint, I cut-in at the ceiling and around molding: He cleans the kitchen, I clean the bathrooms.
We've got a few things down. Then there are the unexpected, spur-of-the moment projects. He wants to do it one way, I want to do it another and then..... all HELL breaks loose. Of course I make it sound worse than it is. The moral is: pick your battles
We decided to get a storm door for our front door. We had one at our last house and loved it! It provides that extra bit of protection from the stranger on the porch and when you have dogs, it is a great barrier.
We were at Home Depot one day looking at toilet seats and ended up looking at storm doors. So many to choose from!!! I didn't remember there being so many choices and we wanted to make the right choice (not to mention I had to send in the HOA application to get approval for our "improvement" before ordering) so we took some brochures and made our way home.
After little deliberation, we (I ) picked the Anderson 3000 series, self-storing storm door in Almond with nickel finishes. You can go from glass to screen with one hand! Eric went to order the door and hymned and hawed a little over the installation cost. Could he do it himself? Was it worth the money? Reluctantly, he added the cost of installation when he placed the order.
Eric was home the day of the installation, while I was at work. I was so excited to get home and see the new addition. Eric met me at the door.... What a beauty! It was hardly even noticeable. (It's nice and all, but I didn't want it sticking out like a sore thumb)
Here is the conversation that ensued:
Eric: What do you think?
Mel: I love it! It looks awesome!
E: I had the guys change the handle to the opposite side than what we talked about.
M: I think that was a good choice. I had thought about that today and worried there wouldn't be enough room on the porch for people to stand once the door was opened.
E: I watched the guy install this. It took over an hour to do.
M: oh yeah?
E: Yeah! If I had done it, it would be in the yard, in pieces and we would probably be divorced.
M: (Laughing) So the $139 was worth it?
E: Way cheaper than a divorce.
So there you have it folks......if you want to save your marriage, just pay the dang installation fee.
We've got a few things down. Then there are the unexpected, spur-of-the moment projects. He wants to do it one way, I want to do it another and then..... all HELL breaks loose. Of course I make it sound worse than it is. The moral is: pick your battles
We decided to get a storm door for our front door. We had one at our last house and loved it! It provides that extra bit of protection from the stranger on the porch and when you have dogs, it is a great barrier.
We were at Home Depot one day looking at toilet seats and ended up looking at storm doors. So many to choose from!!! I didn't remember there being so many choices and we wanted to make the right choice (not to mention I had to send in the HOA application to get approval for our "improvement" before ordering) so we took some brochures and made our way home.After little deliberation, we (I ) picked the Anderson 3000 series, self-storing storm door in Almond with nickel finishes. You can go from glass to screen with one hand! Eric went to order the door and hymned and hawed a little over the installation cost. Could he do it himself? Was it worth the money? Reluctantly, he added the cost of installation when he placed the order.
Eric was home the day of the installation, while I was at work. I was so excited to get home and see the new addition. Eric met me at the door.... What a beauty! It was hardly even noticeable. (It's nice and all, but I didn't want it sticking out like a sore thumb)
Here is the conversation that ensued:
Eric: What do you think?
Mel: I love it! It looks awesome!
E: I had the guys change the handle to the opposite side than what we talked about.
M: I think that was a good choice. I had thought about that today and worried there wouldn't be enough room on the porch for people to stand once the door was opened.
E: I watched the guy install this. It took over an hour to do.
M: oh yeah?
E: Yeah! If I had done it, it would be in the yard, in pieces and we would probably be divorced.
M: (Laughing) So the $139 was worth it?
E: Way cheaper than a divorce.
So there you have it folks......if you want to save your marriage, just pay the dang installation fee.
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