In My Free Time...

Saturday, January 30, 2010

Kitchen Mini Make-Over

This make-over started when I decided I wanted a tile backsplash. Of course then I had to change the wall color… and get new decor… and make a new valence… and put some curtain panels on the doors…

I like change. It makes my house feel new again. Am I alone in thinking that?

So here are my before pictures—my kitchen is a wreck. I took then last minute before I painted. I almost forgot to take them at all!

BEFORE:

AFTER:

I saw this Rodney White print in a Ballard Designs catalog and fell. in. love…. but fell back out. of. love with the $249 they wanted for it .

WT279_1

I found this one at Target form $50!!!! And its Rodney White, too!

Looks great on my wall, eh??

Do you like the monogram collection? I loooove it! I’m collecting more to add to it.

And those yummy damask panels? Lowes. They have the best selection of curtains!!!

My goal for the re-do was a lighter-brighter kitchen. I went with fruit for the “brighter”. Faux lemons, oranges, and pears top my desk cabinets.

The photo-less photo board was a re-do as well. I don’t have any before pictures, but I’ll tell you… it was boring and beige. I covered it with some AMY BUTLER fabric. (Those of you that know me, know that I love Amy Butler!!!) Then I added some detail around the buttons. ( I made the buttons to match with a button kit from Hob Lob, my bff.)

I put together a couple faux flower arrangements, too. I had this little teapot but it would get lost on my black glass-top stove. It stands out now with a few hydrangea blossoms in it! (You can see it in it’s new home in the photo of my table above.)

I needed something “natural” on the top of my fridge. I had a flower box I took some hideous faux ivy out of that I had been wanting to use.

I took some of this:

and some of this:

and did this:

Got a couple stems of some faux fluffy pink flowers that I think are so super-cute and stuffed them in.

And this is how it turned out:

Oh! Those plates? Meijer. CLEARANCE! $1.49 each. Super-love them! I used them on top of the fridge and here:

Here’s the new valence. I made it. Sooo easy. Sooo cute.

So did you notice? The backsplash that started it all? Not in. The tile hasn’t even been purchased.

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

I love a good steal!

It’s no secret that I’m a mom and I’m on a budget—so I frequent these fantastic sites-

www.babysteals.com

and

www.kidsteals.com

Check them daily for a great deal. I’ve ordered numerous items from them. They have reasonable shipping rates and I’ve always received my items within a few days.

What sites do you “steal” from?

Friday, January 1, 2010

My New Curtains

I was tired of the plain red roman shades that hung on either side of my fireplace, so I made these super-cute new ones! They are my first step in updating my living room and getting rid off all the red I had in there. Enjoy!

(Sorry for the poor picture quality- I’ll show you the entire fireplace and windows when my house is clean…. ummmm, it might be awhile.)

** To make 2 panels the total cost was about $30!!

I also wanted to share this- found this wall decal at Meijer for $10! I had been looking for one on Etsy (of course!), but they were no less then $20 for one smaller than this. Love it!

Saturday, November 28, 2009

Ornament Wreath!!

I love decorating for Christmas!!! When I saw the tutorial for this ornament wreath on Eddie Ross' blog I knew I had to give it a try!

You'll need:

- a wire hanger (the flimsiest one you can find!)

- hot glue (no good craft is made without it!)

- shatter-free Christmas ornaments in the colors of your choice

(That giant container was only $10 at my favorite store! Love me some Hobby Lobby!!!)

- a big 'ol fatty piece of ribbon to hang it on your door

First, bend the hanger into a nice wreath shape, aka a circle.

Hotglue on the tops onto the ornaments- this is a very important step.... forgive me for not photographing it.

Next, slide the ornaments onto the hanger. To hide the wire, use different sizes of ornaments to fill in the gaps.

Hook the 2 ends of the hanger back together using some pliers-- you might be able to do this step without pliers, but my hanger was rediculously hard to bend.

Step back and admire your work!

Total cost of this project- $14!!!

Get crafting!

Sunday, November 15, 2009

An Idea Board- All Fancied Up

Every time I look in a home decor magazine and I see something I love the thought runs through my head-- "I could make that!" It happens so often that I needed a place to put the ideas.... hence, the idea board.

This is a super-easy, super-inexpensive little project... not to mention it looks really cute, too!

I started out by buying a $6 cork board at Target. Love that place.

I lightly sanded the gloss of the edges and painted them.

Dug through my stash a scrap fabric and found a piece that was big enough. I added some scrap iron-on fleece to the back to give the board a softer feel, but that part is completely optional. Using my staple gun I attached the fabric the perimeter of the board.

Then, I cut off the excess.

Hot-glued some ribbon around the edges to cover up the staples....

I tied some more of the same ribbon to the back for a cute way to hang it on the wall.

TA-DA!! Love it! (Ignore the messy crafting area!!)

Total cost of this project- $8.

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

A nice way to say "Don't ring my doorbell people!"

I saw this project done by Natasha over at Samster Mommy and loved it! My front door post-it note found a much more stylish replacement!

This project is quick and easy..... and most importantly cheap! You will need- a piece of wood (Hob Lob for $5.99), scrapbook paper and stickers (left over from this project for free and Hob Lob for $7), paint, spray adhesive, and ribbon (stuff I always have around this place).

I painted the edges of the wood piece my fave color- black. Glued the paper on with my almighty spray adhesive and went to town decorating. I used my trusty staple gun to secure the ribbon to the back....