Light Fixture Makeover

When we moved in there were some pretty awful light fixtures up. 

This type of light was in our entryway and hallway. 

And the one below was in our kitchen. It definitely could've been worse but they were not my style. 

The ones I REALLY wanted were about $300 each light and we don't have that kind of money. So I went to the classifieds which is my tried and true shopping place for just about everything. I found two light fixtures that matched, in the design below, both for $30. Bam! I knew these beauties could be beautified quickly and easily. 

I also found another similiar chandelier on the classifieds so they would all resemble each other. 

I took off the ugly glass shades and taped off the lightbulb opening so I wouldn't get any paint in it. Then I went to town with my trusty can of spray paint. 

(FYI- All spray paint is not created equal. I love rustoleum from Home Depot, or Krylon from Ace. I use a satin or flat finish because I'm not a glossy person. I also often spray paint things on my grass with no ill effects besides some paint lines for a few weeks until it grows out. )

My husband thinks the bare bulbs resemble cow udders but I don't care, I like them anyway.  They look 1000 times better and it cost me next to nothing. 

Easy Shelving

I had a few questions about this shelving so I thought I'd write a post about it. It's super easy to do and looks fabulous. For this particular shelf I got a 2x8. I have other places in my home that I've used a 2x10 and even a 2x12 depending on the location of the shelf and the use. I bought the corbels at Home Depot, and have also used the basic black shelf brackets as well for a cheaper/more industrial appearance.
Home Depot will cut your boards to length if you need them to, for free! I always make my husband do it, but hey, it's an option.
Sand your board down enough that it doesn't have slivers, and stain it to the color of your choice. I use Minwax stain, this particular shelf is Espresso.
Make sure to hang your shelves using studs because they are definitely heavy.

SPACING:
I always space mine a few inches above the tallest picture I want. Honestly I just eye ball it, but that is my general advice. The same with the top shelf. We have a vaulted ceiling here so it's a bit different, but in our last house I spaced it about 4 inches below the top of my ceiling (because it was low). Don't be afraid to make them long and fill them up with treasures!

Stairwell Makeover

These are the only pictures I have from our current home before we moved in. It's the same awful yellow hue, the banister is sturdy and has a good shape but it's horribly bland. Check out the handrail. It was about 6 inches tall and a big ole blocky thing. Of course it was one of the first things to go. 

In our previous home we installed this plumbing pipe handrail and we LOVED it. I knew I would put another one in our next house and here we are. Thanks to a handy hubby who's willing to go along with my plans. 

I sanded down the old banister and painted it with that handy cupboard paint I had on hand. Repose Gray, in Valspar again. I rolled it on with a foam roller to catch all of the drips. Painting a banister isn't the easiest thing to do but it looks fabulous. 

Love it. 

Girls Room Peek

We have been busting our butts this last week to finish up the basement bedrooms enough to get the carpet installed. Here's a sneak peek at Miss K's room.

Front Door

 One of the most simple changes to make to the exterior of your home is changing your front door. The door that was on the house when we bought it was very ugly. It was an oval window with floral designs on it. It was painted a dark brown color and had a vine of sunflowers hanging above it. Obviously I had plans to change it.

These pictures are from the house listing. It was funny when I found the listing because the pictures were horrible and there was almost no information. It had the address, the price, and the lady's phone number. That's it. I could tell it had a basement from the pictures though so I jumped right on calling about the home. Score. The pictures below are the actual pictures that were listed.

I found this door on the classifieds, as usual, and freshened it up with a coat of paint. It looks fabulous. The first day it was hung I had a handful of neighbors ask me if we painted our door or got a new one. It made that much of a difference. 

The interior side is stained to match the rest of our home. 

Antique Door Knobs

Today I wanted to share one of my favorite decorations. My mom started this door knob board for me a few years ago, and I have added to it as I've come across random items to put on. Most of them are old door knobs, but I've also added a few other gadgets like handles, hinges, and locks. I love the look of it, especially because the items on it are items that most people would throw away. I love junk.

I sanded the 1x10, stained it in Espresso, and had my hubby help me attach all of the fixtures. Quick, easy, and fabulous.

Chair Makeover- White Furniture

Painting furniture makes a huge difference in the look of your home. I know many people who get rid of furniture because of the color, or because the finish is coming off. If it has a good shape to it and is a sturdy piece, refinish it. Look at my new bar stools. I snagged these puppies on the classifieds for $30 a piece, a steal because they are solid wood. I loved the ladder back look of them and knew that with a coat of paint they would look fabulous. And they do. 

I painted them with some exterior Behr paint I had on hand. Then I put a polycrylic finish on them. I If I would've been more patient I could've waited until I had a place to spray them with the paint sprayer, but I wasn't patient and I wanted them done so I laid out the sheet in my kitchen and off I went. 

I have been asked if white is a pain to keep clean, and the answer is yes. You definitely have to wipe them down more often than if it was a natural wood color. However with the finish on them it is easy to wipe off so I don't consider it a real problem. 

I love my new stools! 

Kitchen Makeover- New House

Here are the pictures we snapped of our new home before we moved in. It was painted a mustard yellow color throughout which made it really dark and closed in. 

The cupboards were plain, no design and no hardware. The flooring nearly matched the cupboards, and even though it was decent flooring it wasn't my style. 

There is a weird cut out above the kitchen sink that I have big plans for. 

Notice that they switched out all of the outlets and light covers for black. I was not a fan. 

When we walked through the house I knew instantly that the flooring had to go and the cupboards needed paint. We painted the entire kitchen/living/dining/hallway area Alabaster White in Behr Paint. It was a lot of work but SO worth it. It immediately brightened the area. Then I set to work on the cupboards. Again I used Valspar cupboard paint in Alabaster White. I took off all of the doors and drawer fronts and hauled them downstairs to finish. I gave everything a good sanding down with an orbital sander so that it didn't take all day. I simply sanded the finish off so it was ready for primer. I did prime the cupboards, and then applied two coats of paint with a foam roller.
We hung the cupboards back up, put the fronts back on, and installed hardware. It looks completely different.
My next step is countertops but that has to wait.

Here is our new home currently after some renovation work!

There was carpet under our dining room area so flooring was on priority list. After having Pergo in our last house, we decided to go with a vinyl plank that is completely plastic and has zero MDF in it, therefore no worry about swelling if moisture gets down into any cracks or crevices.
We found this restored wood flooring at Home Depot and knew it was exactly what we were looking for. I wanted a flooring that was lighter than our last home because I couldn't keep the dark wood clean. This flooring has much more color variation and is a little bit lighter so it solved my dilemma.
It is really easy to install, it took Travis and I 8 hours of both of us constantly working. They snap/seal together easily, you just use a soft mallet to tap them into place. My hubby is the master of working with angles and dimensions so I let him do most of that type of work, and I installed.
It looks fabulous!

I painted our island a different color than the rest of my cupboards because I wanted that pop of color. I went with a darker slate blue color, matched from Joanna Gaines line of paint at Ace. The color was storm chaser, and I matched it to Valspar Exterior paint, Satin finish because I really like Valspar paint. We added knobs which the kitchen previously had zero of.

I was a bit nervous about the cupboards because they are sleek and modern looking with no design in them, but after a makeover they look fabulous. 

Living area post to come! 

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Main Area Continued- Coat Closet

After taking out the wall that divided our living area and kitchen, the entire room was bright, open and inviting. This is the front living area. The fireplace cover was previously gold (gag) so I spray painted it black. It was a quick easy fix. We added some bulky industrial style shelving because again, I love shelving. You can see the banister we installed, it's painted in the same Valspar cabinet paint, matched to Repose Gray.
I often hear of people who are nervous about mixing colors and tones. I'm no professional, but I mix them all of the time. I have browns, tans, grays, blacks, neutrals. I feel like it all comes together quite nicely.
That big clock I found on the classifieds for $20 because it didn't work. It just needed a new clock mechanism and my handy husband fixed it right up.
My family picture canvas is probably my favorite piece of decor that I have in my home. I print a giant canvas every year after family pictures, there are several companies I have used like canvaschamp, canvasondemand, etc. Love it!

This picture has already appeared in my piano post, but here it is again. I found that old barn door at an antique shop here locally. I probably spent too much on it but I had to have it. It's the perfect backdrop for all of my decor. I whipped up a coffee filter wreath to add do it, and the fabric on the piano gives a nice finished look. 

Notice the coat closet? I LOVE that open coat closet. When we were showing our house I had people ask me if we still had the door. No! Don't add a door, that defeats the purpose. 

It was your typical style coat closet when we moved in, complete with one upper rack for coats and a shelf above the rack. It didn't have anything going for it. 

We took out the hooks, the shelf and took off the door. We added blue pine cut to length, which you can get at home depot for something like $4 for an 8 foot piece. I don't paint it, or finish it or anything, I just hang it up raw. 

Then I added the hooks, the upper hooks are super heavy duty hooks I found on Amazon, and the lower hooks are a little bit smaller for easier kid use. I also added a few tiny bathrobe type hooks for key holders. 

At the bottom of the closet I had a big wash bin to hold gloves, hats, dog leashes, all of the knick knacks that come along. 

I am a huge believer in organization and because this closet was open and easy to use, my kids used it. 

Master Bed and Bath Makeover

One of the cons of our last house was the tiny master bedroom and bathroom. The bath was a half bath and the door was about an inch away from hitting the sink. There was absolutely no storage in there because of the pedestal sink, not even anywhere to put a blow dryer or make up bag. I knew it needed to be updated and fast.  The light fixture was cute but needed to be raised up, the medicine cabinet/mirror had to go, and it needed some shelving. 

I changed the mirror out with a mirror I found on the classifieds. The vanity was also on the classifieds for something crazy like $30. It was oak when I purchased it but that's an easy enough fix. Thanks to my trusty cupboard paint (in Repose Gray) I slapped a few coats on, added three cute knobs and it was a whole new vanity. The counter top was white which was the selling point, because I knew I could easily change the cupboards but not the counter tops. We also removed the bathroom door because it was a huge pain. If someone was in the bathroom getting ready, they would get hit by the door when someone else came in. It swung inwards and just wasn't a very thought out door way. 

I painted the bathroom Alabaster white, like the rest of my house, so it didn't have that stark white feel. I don't have a better picture of the shelving, dang it, but I added an 18 inch long shelf above the toilet, and then a shelf the length of the wall next to the toilet. That upper shelf was about 10 inches from the ceiling and held anything extra that didn't fit under the sink. 

I am a huge fan of shelving, it makes life much more organized and efficient. 

This is the master before we bought it. 

And after I took over. 

We have a king size bed so it took up almost the entire room. They had a queen so it looks a little less squished. 

Again, I painted Alabaster white, added some fabulous curtains for a pop of color, and added some shelving in the corner. My shelves are the same kind that can be found throughout my old house (I haven't put up shelves in my new house yet!). I simply use a 2x10, cut it to length, stain it, and use $2 shelf hangers. It is such a simple project and makes a huge difference. I had them all throughout my old house and will be putting them in my new house as well. 

Stay tuned. 

Recycled Fence

My very favorite project to do is the free kind. We had a garden spot when we moved in and it had a few garden boxes in it. I am personally not a fan of garden boxes because I feel like they waste a lot of space between boxes, so out they came. We shoveled out the rock, tilled it all up and turned the whole spot into a garden.

The problem is that we also have a dog (Wilson) who likes to eat the food in our garden, and we also have small children who think it's fun to pick the food. We decided we needed to put a fence up ASAP if we were going to have any type of fresh garden food that year. Money is always tight and a fence wasn't on our list. But browsing the local classifieds is a true obsession of mine and one day I came across a jackpot. Someone had ripped out a crappy old fence and replaced it, and wanted to get rid of the wood slats. ME! I I immediately text on them and they told us to come get them. 

Many of the slats were cracked, broken, had nails in them, and were not in usable condition. But we found plenty that were perfect for what we needed and off we went building our own little fence. Travis got it all started and left me to nail on the boards. 

We always have kiddos helping us on our projects. 

When the fence was brown it still looked pretty ghetto. But we always have paint on hand and so painting was my next step. Once we got it painted it it looked (almost) like new. It was perfect. We even added a little gate for entry. Because of the position of our garden and the shape of our lot, we only had to fence the front off which made the project super quick and easy.