Porch Redo Pt 2

Five more days, bloggies! Is everyone getting their projects/crafts/recipes together for my SUMMER PARTY? Remember, you can post anything summer inspired, as long as you qualify as a newbie. Read here to see all the rules to enter.

Well, I took a break from decorating my own summer escape and finished up with my front porch redo. I didn't find any patio furniture on Craigslist that fit our budget (story of my life), so I have to make due with what we had. First, I needed a paint color on those walls. I tried to be brave and pick something different. Here were my choices: 

Immediately, hubby and I disliked the "Briquette." It was too bright for us and looked nothing like the chip card. Next, I was really into the "Grounded" when I first painted the sample onto the wall... but after an hour of dry time, it reminded me of something my kid upchucked once. TMI? Thought so. Lastly, I really loved the "Roasted Pepper" but was scared it would be too dark for a porch. So, I chickened out and went with my safe color of "Dusty Trail" by Olympic. Same color I used here for my entryway. So, here is a picture of my doorway before:

Strong, solid door in need of a paint job, welcome mat that has seen its days, and unattractive red Spanish tile. Here is the after:

My little summer nook! The window frames and door received coats of white paint. The walls are my safe tan "Dusty Trail," the doormat is new ($9 at Target), and you can read how I did my sign here and my stick arrangement here. The ceramic planter was a GW find ($3.99) and the plant was $5 at Walmart. The rocking chair and throw we've had for years and will be replaced when I find a small porch bench.

Things I still need to do here:

replace the doorknob and locks

update the dated light fixture (not shown on purpose)

replace the tile or cover it with an outdoor rug?

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Linking up with: House of Hepworths, Chic on a Shoestring Decorating , At the Picket Fence, Just a Girl

Girls Bedroom Makeover

Ever since we moved into our home, I have been trying to accept like the color my daughter picked for her room. It's called "Himalayan Mist" by Behr and it's..... an okay color. Her walls were painted this color but with the dark brown carpet, dark brown doors, and black ceiling fan, it just made the color look dirty blah.


Last month, we tiled her room and I was thisclose to repainting her walls. However, she insisted she still loved the color and I decided to give it one more shot. After all, we were about to add light colored tile, white baseboards, white doors, and bright wall decor.


Boy, has her room brightened up now.


Here is the before:

Those chest of drawers have been asking for a new paint job for a year and a half now. One day I will be brave enough to tackle them.

That brown carpet is all over our house. I was told by a friend (who liked it) that it "hides all the dirt." WHAT? No! I want that nasty dirt revealed so I can clean it up! Ew, buh-bye dirty carpet.

 helloooo tile!

After:

 

Look at how beautiful and clean that looks.

Cute wall decor from Savers. Each one was $2.99 but I had a 20% off coupon for donating a bag of items. Tip: I always leave a bag of donations in my car, specifically for unplanned Savers visits.

Also, Hobby Lobby had all their wall decor on sale for 50% off. I grabbed these mirrored words for $6 each. They really reflect light from her window and her room doesn't look like a dungeon anymore.

Her room isn't "done" yet. Seriously, are any of the rooms I've started "done?" Will they ever be "done?" I still need to paint her windowsill, fan, door frames, and put in some updated doors and knobs. Little at a time.

Linking up with: Motivate Me Monday, TDC Before & After Party

Mail Organizer: A Craigslist Transformation

Happy Monday!

This post will be my last one for February. I'm working on an "Entryway Transformation" that I want to have ready for Sarah's Before and After Party, so please look for that post sometime during the first week of March! I'm nearly done and my tiny entryway is now my most favorite part of the house.

A-mazing what a can of paint can do!

Moving on, this project was done during our winter storm and I was saving it for last. Your jaws are gonna drop when you find out how much it cost.

Curious yet?

I have been searching for a mail holder for months! Many stores have these but I wanted mine to be 1) wood, 2) less than $10, and 3) I had to love it. I hunted at thrift stores and Craigslist but never saw one that I loved. Well, looky what I found a few weeks ago:

 A wooden mail holder that I loved for only..... TWO DOLLARS! I don't think I have ever found something priced so low on Craigslist! The lady I bought it from looked at it disgustingly, but I saw possibilities. And, I was in love.

I brought it home, sanded it down (it had some faded off-white paint), cleaned it, and gave it 3 coats with my black spray can.

I know it looks blue, but it's black. The light was pouring in that day. ;) So, even with a new color, it looked better, but not quite finished.

Following my DIY stencil steps, I painted "Letters" onto the bottom with the same sample paint I've used for other projects. Why? Because it looks white I tell ya.

I did one coat for the letters and chose not to smooth out the lines because I wanted it to look "stamped." (haha, get it?) Anyway...

I wanted it to read "Letters" as opposed to "Mail" because something about receiving a letter in the mail makes my heart skip a beat. To know you were thought of, and loved. It's comforting. Mail could be any 'ol junk or bill. Is this making sense? Ah well, "Letters" says "romance" for me. :)

BEFORE:

AFTER:

Total Project Cost: $2 (for the mail holder)

I already had all the other things.

I haven't hung it on the wall yet because I am thinking about sanding it down to give it a "worn" look. What do you think? Keep it glossy or distress it? Which, by the way, I have no idea how to do. Anyone know how to distress painted wood?

On a side note: Thank you to all my new followers! This has been the best month, with the addition of 24 more of you! Please make sure to send me your blog link, because I love to also "follow my followers." ;) Have a great week! See you in March.

Linking up with: Keeping It Simple, Thrifty Decor Chick, Christina's Adventures, At the Picket Fence, French Country Cottage, Chic on a Shoestring Decorating, A Vision to Remember, House of Grace

Installing Knobs and Pulls for Cabinets

Our bathroom cabinets are D-O-N-E, and I cannot stress enough what a little bit of paint and some knobs and pulls can do for cabinets. They went from looking dirty, old, and dated to new and modern. For under $45, this is how we updated our guest bathroom:

In case you forgot, this is what they looked like before:

After two coats of Behr's "Espresso Beans," this is what they looked like:

Just what I wanted? Yes! However, I wanted them to look really new and custom, so I purchased some knobs and a pull at Home Depot. This is how I installed them:

First, I used a template to mark off where the middle of my drawer was.

Then, I colored the screws with a sharpie and pressed them firmly against my template.

This will give you an exact mark on where you need to drill. I used a similar technique for the cabinet doors.

With the knobs, there wasn't as much measuring. I knew where I wanted the knobs to be, so I marked it on a template. You can use the same template for each door, just flip the paper over for the correct corner.

Alas, the cabinets are done and look brand new:

Our guest bathroom the day we moved in:

And now:

Walls: Glidden "Smooth Stone"

Cabinets: Behr "Espresso Beans

Cabinet Cost:

Gallon of Behr paint: $33

Knobs and Pull (Home Depot): $5

New Hinges: $3.50

My darkest color yet...

Once again, Behr has made my heart skip a beat! I am in love. Really.

I told you in this post about wanting to give my guest bath cabinets a fresh coat of white.

Well, that was the plan, but then I started looking online for pictures of bathroom cabinets. It took one picture from a dark colored cabinet to change all of my plans for this bathroom. I tell you, I ran to Home Depot and bought a gallon of this beautiful dark color. I didn't even bother with the samples. Daring, I know!

I removed the cabinet doors and the springs inside of the hinges crumbled in my hands. No joke. I'm guessing they were as old as the house, so back to Home Depot I went to purchase new hinges.

I lightly sanded the cabinets and doors and cleaned them with TSP. Since I bought Behr's paint and primer in one, I only had to do two coats to achieve my desired color. The paint is semi-gloss (recommended for bathrooms and kitchens).

Behold, Behr's "Espresso Beans"

Please excuse my dirty mirror. I was so excited to show you, that I didn't even think of cleaning it.

Isn't the color absolutely gorgeous? It's such a deep, rich, brown.

It looks black and I love that. It's not as harsh as black, but against my gray walls, you would never guess it's a brown.

I added tags to our baskets under the sink for my 9 year old because this is the bathroom she uses.

I am hoping this teaches her to put things away in the correct basket. We'll see if that works out.

Also, I found white towels on sale at Target for when guests visit. In a house with two kids, the darker the towels the better. Not only that, but the white towels match the white shower curtain. So, I'm keeping the towels hidden, but close at hand for when company comes over.

Today, the hubby and I are going to attach some new hardware to the cabinets. It will be just a little more "POP" to make our cabinets look new.

Before:

After:

Next for the bathroom:

hardware on the doors

frame the mirror

new countertop and faucet

white door and trim

tile

wall art

I am linking this to:

Thrifty Decor Chick

Keeping It Simple

The DIY Showoff

Goodwill Sign: Before and After

Happy 2011!

I don't know about everyone else, but this was the first year I didn't make a new years resolution. I have to admit, 2010 was a pretty great year, so I'm going to keep doing what I did and hope to have another fantastic year.

Now that Christmas is over, I finally have money time to finish some of my projects from last year. If the children stay out of my way behave these next couple of days, I should have a "Before and After: Bathroom Cabinet" reveal by the end of the week. I know in a previous post about my bathroom redo I mentioned that I wanted to repaint the cabinets white.... well, that has changed drastically, thanks to some inspiration I found online. That will be revealed later, though. First... I must show you my first project of the year!

In November, I found this little treasure at Goodwill:

I loved everything about it, the color, the hooks, the nearly new condition, the PRICE ($4.99). It seemed ready to be hung, except for the minor detail of covering up the wording. I really wish I knew what the previous owner hung on each hook. Seriously, it puzzles me some days.

I cleaned the sign really well and gave it a fresh coat of Behr's "Black Suede".

I've had this sample from a previous project and just love the color.

I had to give it about 3 coats to really cover up the words. Afterwards, I stenciled in my wording, and painted them with a sample of Behr's "Subtle Touch." Why? Because, again, it was a sample I already had from my bathroom redo and it looks white against the black. So, no need to spend more money on paint.

This is what I ended up with:

Simple sign to hang coats, purses, and keys as we walk in the door.

I'm tellin you... I love that "Black Suede." It's purrty!

This sign is mounted onto our entry wall, which is going to see some color this year. I'm thinking a deep red color. My living room and entry have a ton of light pouring in, so I'm ready to see some bolder colors on those walls. Any suggestions?

Once more, my Goodwill sign before:

And after:



Total Project Cost: $4.99

Linking this to:

Making the World Cuter

Sumo's Sweet Stuff

M. M. M. Day at Craft

Thrifty Decor Chick

House of Grace

Christina's Adventure

The DIY Showoff

Major Nursery Redo!

Happy Friday!!

As much as I looove the month of October, I cannot wait for this particular weekend to be over with. As a young girl, I was shown the movie "The Entity" at a sleepover (I'm asking the same thing... where were the parents?). That movie scarred me for life. I hate scary movies. Hate. And I am not one that uses that word often. Now, every night when I am seeking some down time and turning on the TV, what is showing? Scary movies. UGH! Can we hurry up and zip past Halloween already? 

On a happier note...

WE ARE DONE WITH THE NURSERY!

sorta

This is what our nursery looked like when we moved in...

please excuse all my notes. This is what I do when I take the "before" pic. If I write it on a paper, I will lose it. haha.

Anyway, the room, which is small, needed a paint job and flooring redo. We painted the walls "Italian Villa" by Behr which I love, love, LOVE! It is the palest pink without looking white or pepto-bismaly. I am new to color on the walls so this was a safe choice for me and it ended up being such a precious, gentle pink. love.

When you're painting a room, you need to remove all the switch plates and socket plates. This is what they looked like before:

These plates are sold at Home Depot for cheap, but since I have to change every single one in our home, the price was going to add up. So, to save money (!) this is what we did. You lightly sand all the plates, just enough to get rid of the sheen. Then spray two coats of this guy:

and voila...

"new" plates!

So, after we painted the walls (ceiling update is further down on our list), we removed the carpet, tackboard, and baseboards to install our tile.

Here in the desert, where summers reach triple digits, tile in the home is a plus! There isn't any step-by-step I can explain for laying tile. It would be too overwhelming.

Basically what we did is had people give us quotes, and we found that the price to lay the tile was double the cost of what we paid for it. So, we found a friend who has experience in doing tile herself and she showed us the ropes. She had us do most of the work ourselves and that was the best way to learn. Nothing online can prepare you to tackle this on your own. My advice... seek assistance for the first room and then you can do it on your own for the next room. We picked a small room that would be covered with toys most of the time (i.e. hide imperfections). I am amazed at how well it turned out!

Like I said, small room. I was standing on a ladder to take this pic. We installed the tile, which took 7 hours, and put the grout in the next day, which took 2 hours. Word of advice: stick with a light color of grout.. it makes the job so much easier.

I painted the baseboards and windowsill white to update the room and have yet to nail the boards back in. I had a little problem with the board splitting, which I think is because my nails are too thick. Hopefully I will have a completely finished room by next week, with white baseboards and toys and a TODDLER BED! Goodbye crib!

Before:

After:

I am linking this to:

Show and Share Day, Flaunt it Friday, Feathered Nest Friday, Show and Tell Friday