Friday, May 31, 2013

Flashback Friday: Dirty Laundry

 I miss...
The time in our lives when we lived a couple blocks from each other and would meet at the Laundromat in the middle to do our laundry.



Having a washer and dryer is super convenient and I'm totally grateful, but I do miss the time we had to sit there and be silly together.


Like the one time a woman opened my washer and took my bra out and Tim went up to her and said, "Umm, thats my girlfriends bra..." Awkward.

Wednesday, May 29, 2013

Stay Golden

I'm pretty excited because next month marks my:




YAYYYYYY!
I didn't even know these were a thing till Tim told me.
If you don't know what I'm talking about, your golden birthday is the year you turn the same number as the day of your birthday.

June 27th I'll be turning 27....get it?

After I turned 16 birthdays weren't really a big deal but this year I want to do it up! This could be the last year as a family of two (fingers crossed) and I'm gonna take advantage of it. Even if it just means eating ice cream cake while wearing a paper crown.




Monday, May 27, 2013

Memorial Day Makeover: Front Walkway

We had such a productive weekend! We bought and installed new kitchen appliances then tackled our ugly front walkway!

Once again I forgot to take a "Before" picture but Tim snapped a few photos mid day.

Before it was full of weeds and what I like to call "Old People Rocks"...you know, the ones that every 55+ community home has in the front yard?
(No offense Grandma and Grandpa...They were called old people rocks before you moved into your community)



Collecting those bad boys was the hardest part and we were both a little sore the next day.
Anyone need some rocks?




For awhile I've envisioned the landscaping to say, "Palm Springs" and my love for succulents fit right in with that theme. Picking out all these little guys was so much fun!


We got home with about an hour of daylight to spare and got everything planted and put in it's place.

This morning I got to wake up to this and it was sooooo worth it!




I can't wait for them to grow and fill in! I'm hoping it will look like a lovely, succulent river flowing through our front yard :) 


Friday, May 24, 2013

Photos The Old Fashioned Way

Recently I started thinking about how all of our pictures are on the computer and all of my moms pictures are in albums and boxes.

How sad would I be if something happened to my computer and I lost EVERYTHING!?
Not to mention, the majority of them are on Instagram.


You can choose 24 of your Instagram pictures and have them printed in different sizes for $12.
The shipping was super fast and the quality is great!


Next I needed to find a cute album. 
I didn't like any of the traditional albums and the majority of them only had spaces for 4x6 photos.

I ended up with a Smashbook!

It's so much fun! Think already completed scrapbook, just add pictures and doodles.







 It's nice to have your photos on your computer for backup, but from now on I'm doing albums!


Thursday, May 16, 2013

Rustoleum Kitchen Transformations Review


Let me start off by saying that although my experience wasn't the greatest, I know people who have used the product and their results were much nicer.

Also, after speaking with a representative at Rustoleum, we were refunded and given instructions on how to fix the issue.

____________________________

I can't think of an easier way to do cabinets. This kit requires absolutely no sanding which is worth it on it's own. Pretty much everything you need is included in the box. All you do is choose the color and have it tinted in the paint department.

There are tons of colors to choose from too!


The steps are as follows:

1. Number your doors with painters tape before you remove them and all hardware. This will help in the end when it all looks like one big puzzle.

2. Clean cabinets and use the degreaser provided with a scrub pad and scrub the heck out of them. This will leave a sudsy residue that you need to wash off and dry using a lint free rag. USE GLOVES! This stuff will destroy your hands. I had skin peeling off the spots that were touched.

3.  Start with the frames and apply the first coat of your base color. The kit claims it only needs two coats (letting each coat dry 2-3 hours before the next) I was on coat four and still thought it could use more but I wanted to keep the look of the grain.



4. Next is the doors. I suggest that you get a saw horse and set them up like an assembly line. We ended up setting up our doors on the garage floor on top of soup cans and we had sore knees from kneeling on the cement. Start with the front of the door because it will drip down towards the back and cause buildup if you don't catch it. It's better to have that on a part that's not always visable.

5. After the bond coats (which is your base color) are completed and dry, you have the option to apply the decorative glaze. I skipped this process because I wanted a clean, white look. My Grandpa did their cabinets in a darker color and used the glaze and said it was the hardest part. You use cheesecloth to apply and drag it down the cabinet and it can be difficult to keep a consistent look.

6. Next it's time for the clear coat. This is where things went down hill. The clear coat is a milky white color and a bit temperamental to work with. Once you brush it on theres no going over it. Think glue. I found that long, consistent strokes worked best and using a light to shine on the cabinet prevents you from going back over parts that already have a coat.  As it dried it started turning yellow in spots, especially in corners or nooks where it collected. On the darker cabinets it drys a milky white instead of yellow. This is a crucial part and you have to work quickly and carefully making sure not to leave any behind. When I woke up the next morning the cabinets had a yellow hue reminiscent of a smokers home.

**I called the company in a panic and before I could even finish, the representative knew what I was talking about. He apologized and told me that using the White kit on Light Oak wood does this and they just started marking the boxes to explain that you would need to use a strong primer before starting the process. Cue sadness! All of my hard work and I had to start all over and add an extra step!!!**

They suggest Zinser Primer which is the thickest, stickiest paint I've ever used. After that dried I started the process all over and it ended up white...whew!

Like I said, I'm not totally anti-Rustoleum but I wish that they would've been more proactive in informing customers that this would happen if you choose white. What's done is done and they were quick to refund us and help out. I think the dark colors turn out great and are probably more forgiving.


Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Kitchen Makeover-Work in Progress!

Last month when Tim went to India for a couple of weeks I was dead set on transforming the kitchen by the time he got home. It was the most daunting task I've ever faced but I was bound and determined to do it, and on my own. The biggest step was to paint the cabinets using the Rustoleum Transformation kit. It seemed easy enough and it didn't require sanding which was a huge bonus. I was working on them till the day he returned and with the final step, a clear coat, I saw my beautiful white cabinets and 2 weeks of work flushed down the toilet with an ugly yellow hue displayed for all to see. I was devastated. Luckily my husband was home to talk me through it and lend a helping hand because after many emails and phone calls to the company I was forced to start from the very beginning and add a step at that! More on the whole process later (I'm not totally anti-this product believe it or not).

Here's some before pictures of our kitchen:


It was sooo dark! Plus, after we got our new dark flooring the light oak cabinets stuck out like a sore thumb! 




And now for the after:
(Keep in mind it is still a work in progress. Next up are new counters, A new island, and getting the rest of our appliances in stainless steel....come on lottery!)








What a difference the white makes! We are in love! It's so much happier and brighter!

I found the loveliest fabric on sale to cover the stools:


 

I had the hardest time deciding on which fabric to use for curtains. Little did I know the perfect fabric was upstairs in the form of a stained shower curtain!



A little cutting and sewing and voila! 
Like I said, its a work in progress but I'm really loving the way it's turning out!

Monday, May 13, 2013

Monday...

I'm ready for you Monday!

This week consists of finishing up some orders that need to be shipped, Life Group, getting ready for our trip up North to visit family, getting the house ready for our trip (Am I the only one that doesn't like to leave town with a messy house?) , and above all, nursing my sick husband to health before we leave Friday morning.


Ollie, the family dog trying to stay cool in the planter.

Hope everyone has a great week!

Sunday, May 12, 2013

Mothers Day


It's true...growing up my mom would say something then tell me that Nana used to say it...now I find myself saying things that she would say and I'm quite alright with that because my mom is
AMAZING!



Happy Mothers Day Mom!

Thursday, May 9, 2013

Bathroom Re-do: 2 days, $100.

Ive been on such a home improvement kick lately but I am slacking in the picture posting department.
So let's start with our upstairs guest bathroom.  It was sooooo boring. Just white everything! 

I'm so horrible at remembering to take the before photos so these are after I removed everything and started taping off the walls for paint.




Not much to see...Some white, some off white, and some whitest white.

I knew I wanted something bolder than I've done with the rest of the house and no better place to try it out than an upstairs bathroom. 


Inspiration












Simple and Sophisticated!

Paint: Valspar in Cast Iron
Shower Curtain: West Elm
Print: DIY by Me but inspired by Rifle Paper Co.
Glass Canisters: Crate and Barrel
Tray: Ikea
Plant Buckets/Hanging Rod: Ikea