Kitchen Inspiration

Happy Monday!

I think I can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel in the kitchen.  Over the past month I have mentioned the kitchen several times but have decided to not post any updated pictures yet. I thought I'd keep y'all on the edge of your seats for a while ;)   Here are a few reminders of what we started with and what we want to change.

The kitchen is getting a total makeover and everything will be new or updated. 

• All appliances (which I talked about here)
• Cabinets
• Floor
• Countertops
• Backsplash
• Light fixtures
• Hardware
• Sink & Faucet
• Plus some additions

I like the casual feel in my home.  My husband and I are not fancy people :)   Below are a few overall concepts I love and they show the look/feel I am going for.  I have a Waterfront House board on Pinterest that has tons of ideas, furniture, and fixtures I want to use in the house.  Go check it out!

My favorite inspiration picture is an amazing kitchen on House of Turquoise (LOVE her blog!).  I saw it a long time ago and immediately bookmarked it.  It's a tour of the entire home!  She spreads the tour over 5 days and the kitchen is on day 3.  You must check it out (click here to go to Day 1).  I have always gone back to it as a reference.  This might be the closest thing to my dream home.  I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it!   As for the kitchen, I love the bright, airy feel, the Vatrazzo countertops, and the subway tile backsplash.  I even love the lights over the island.  A few weeks ago I talked about appropriate and inappropriate lighting here.  These are borderline inappropriate for me but I think they would pass.

A while back, The Cottage Market posted about neutral kitchens.  I really liked this one.  Again, with the white cabinets, bright, airy, subway tile.

I saw this on Pinterest and instantly feel in love with the cottage look.

Choosing our cabinet color was easy, I already have a favorite white,  but the other details took a little more discussion and research.  With any remodel or upgrade sometimes you do not get all of your first choices and sometimes things don'e work out the way you want.  There was some compromising and going back to square one but it has all worked out so far and is coming together.

I will be posting about some of the details we added over the next few days.

Have a great week everyone!

Remodeler's Fatigue

Anybody else suffer from this?  This week I self diagnosed.  I definitely have "Remodeler's Fatigue".  Its a real thing people!  I did not make this stuff up!

We all know I don't mind hard work, or being dusty from sanding, or being covered in paint but I am one of those people that HAVE to have rest and good sleep.  I do not function without it.  It has been that way for as long as I can remember.  I could have homework, a test to study for, a deadline, whatever...doesn't matter.  If I am sleepy,  I am going to bed.  My brain stops working correctly if I don't.  Now that we are 7 weeks into the remodel, fatigue is setting in.  It doesn't matter how much sleep I get, I am still tired.  I feel overwhelmed all the time because I never get away from the house and I am constantly reminded of how much I have to do.  I never really get to relax.  Right now, the detailed work left in the kitchen is equivalent to running a marathon in August.  Knowing that we are close to finishing the kitchen is keeping me going but progress has definitely slowed down.

I took a day off yesterday to spend time with my best friend/sister.  I call her my sister because we have been friends since 1st grade.  Now we are in our 30's and I can't imagine my life without her and her family.  She lives north of Houston and it takes about an hour to get to my house (no more plane rides to visit each other!!!!!!)  We spent the day in Galveston with the kids.  It was so nice to not be in the house and constantly be reminded how much work I have to do.  Here are a few pictures from the day.

First we visited Seawolf Park.  There is a battleship and submarine that you get to go in!  It really is cool...and scary.  I went there when I was a child but things feel a lot smaller now that I am an adult.  Very tight squeeze in some areas.  My friend is 32 weeks pregnant and at one point there were only a few inches between her belly and the wall.

Then we went to lunch on the seawall and spent a few hours at the beach.

We went back to the house to relax and get ready for dinner.  Sweet Bretton fell asleep on the deck while the girls played with the ducks and dogs. 

We had so much fun!

Now its time to get back to work on that kitchen.  It is primed and ready for paint!!!!  First coat is going on today.  Just the primer has made the space feel bigger and more opened.  I can't wait to see how its going to feel when its finished!

I hope everyone has a great weekend.  Brian and I are going to work on the kitchen and getting our garage organization/work benches set up.  Busy, busy, busy.  I am fighting my fatigue with vitamin B, trying to sleep a little more, and not working myself to death everyday. Hopefully it will get me through and get this kitchen done sooner than later.

Entertainment Make-OVER

First of all, y’all try not to fall over dead because I updated this blog … I don’t carry liability insurance on the blog … only on the water slides.

So if there is anything that y’all should know about us by now, it’s that we are very practical people. Six years ago, back when eBay was hot (remember the days?), I won this TV on an auction for a total of $350. Um. 6 years ago, that was a pretty SWEET deal for a 50” flat screen television.

Our only problem? We had NO WHERE to put it because it was too big for our entertainment center. We shopped Craigslist and a few furniture places but couldn’t find anything we liked for a good price. So, we settled for a cheap TV stand from IKEA, knowing that we would eventually find something we loved and replace it later. Fast forward 6 years …



Yeah. We were sort of slow to make any changes during the whole ‘starting our family’ stage of life. However, several months ago, a friend of mine texted me a picture of this dresser she had that she wanted to get rid of. For FREE. I thought she was crazy, so I traded her a painting for the score.
 

I wasn’t a big fan of the cream color (or the wicker around the center cabinet door – what the aitch?) and it came with these weird feet that raised the bottom up off the ground about 4 inches (Superman had already taken those off by the time I took this picture), but Superman said he could fix all of those things, so I was totally in. And that’s where this project begins. :D



Dude started by bringing the dresser out to the grass, and putting it on some 2x4’s. Then, he spray painted it. I know y’all were hoping to hear that it was a lot more difficult than that, but … nope … sorry … this one was easy.
 

The only hard part was hauling the heavy monster out of the garage, twice, so that he could put two coats on the thing. The first coat didn’t go on very evenly … you’ll definitely want to use two coats if you find your own treasure to re-paint.



Remember the ugly wicker thing on the middle cabinet? Superman just used his saw, cut it out, then replaced it with a piece of very thick glass, which he picked up at Habitat for Humanity. LOVE that place.



For the hardware, he wanted to go non glossy … and actually ended up spraying the hardware pieces with some of the High Heat Rustoleum that he used on the outdoor smoker. Nope. Not kidding.



I didn’t think I was going to be a fan of the hardware, but I actually love it. I seriously could not be happier with the finished product!



Superman totally nailed what I was wanting … and the whole project only cost us a few cans of spray paint. LOVE that.



Here’s a before and after of the dresser/TV stand:



So … what are some of your before/after treasures? Post a link in the comments. I’d love to see them!!

August Tutorial

Hi everyone!!  There will be an August tutorial, it's just going to be a little late.  I have to go to Chicago to cat sit for my daughter and son-in-law. 
TTUL   Kris

Entertainment Center

I don't have a lot of time today so this is a super short post.  

A few months ago I posted about a dresser I turned into an entertainment center.  (You can read about it here and here)  I finally have it out of storage and set up in my new living room.  It is perfect.  I'll post a tutorial in a few days but for now, here are some pictures of it in its new home.

DIY Door Coffee Table

The first time I saw this idea I was on a plane reading through magazines I had bought while at the airport.  Airports have the best magazine selection!  Anyway, the picture was in one of the repurpose magazines and it was a complicated door coffee table with shelves added underneath and places to put the remotes.  I loved the idea but I wanted an option that was simpler.  I have seen several of these on Pinterest but none have good instructions. I am going to try to give clear instructions...keyword try... this might be "clear as mud" as my mom would say.


Tools & Supplies

• Solid wood door
• Skil saw or Jig saw
• Kreg Jig
• Kreg Jig Screws
• Painters Tape
• Saw Horses
• Tape Measure
• Pencil
• Straight Edge
• Sandpaper
• Paint (optional)
• Rust-oleum Spar Varnish

A few tips and recommendations:

ALWAYS be careful when using power tools!

It is important that the door is solid wood for the Kreg Jig Screws to hold the pieces together.

If you do not have a Kreg Jig, you can use wood glue and L brackets but the table will not be as sturdy.

You can make your door table as tall or as short as you would like.  The height does affect the width so have a plan BEFORE you cut.  I based mine on the height of my door (80-ish inches) and how long I wanted my table.

Always make your cuts with the PRETTY SIDE FACING DOWN.  Meaning, the side that will be seen as the table top should be facing down while using your saw.

Wrap the cut area with painters tape.  This will help keep the wood from fraying and splitting while making the cut.

Measure twice, cut once.  DUH!  I measure 3 or 4 times usually...just to make sure.

The top of the table sits on the legs so your overall table height is the leg height plus the door width.

Let's get started!

I wanted my table 4 feet long or about.  After measuring my 48 inches, I had 32-ish inches of door left to use for the legs.  That was enough to make the overall height of the table about 18 inches which is a great coffee table height.   Once I got my plan, I started measuring and cutting.


I measured and marked 48 inches on the door.

Then, I wrapped the area with painters tape and measured my 48 inches onto the tape.  Using a straight edge (I used our long square) I drew a straight line on my tape.

Measure, tape, remeasure.

Measure twice, cut once.  Draw line over tape then cut.

Using a saw with a laser makes cutting along your line easier.

After my first cut I had two sections.  The 4 foot section that will be the table top and the 32-ish inch section that will become the legs.

I took the 32-ish inch section and divided it by 2, taped, remeasured, and cut.

Measure, tape, remeasure then cut again.

After only 2 cuts, I have my 3 pieces (a top and 2 legs).  I used some 220 grit sand paper to smooth the edges where I made my cuts before I put them together. 

Now to use the Kreg Jig.  Set the drill and Kreg Jig based on the door's width.  The LEGS are screwed into the top so all the Kreg Jig drills will be on the TOP, INSIDE of the LEGS.  There will be 4 sets of drills on the LEGS.  

I forgot to take a picture before I put the table together...OOPS.
This one gives you an idea of what I am talking about.

Once I drilled the legs, it was time to put together.  Again, I forgot to take a pictures of this step...sorry...I am working on taking more pictures while I work...I just forget.  I placed the coffee table top pretty side DOWN on a blanket so it wouldn't get hurt.  I then screwed the legs into the top being careful to make sure my pretty sides are facing out and everything was lined up.  

When the legs are screwed in, the table is pretty much done.  I sanded any rough edges and wiped the table clean. It is up to you to paint or clear coat.  I loved the color of my door so I didn't paint but I did use Rust-oluem Spar Varnish in Semi Gloss to clear coat since my table is going to live outside.

This makes for easy clean up and protects the paint (who knows how old or what kind it is) from bubbling and peeling due to moisture.  It also keeps the wood from soaking in moisture which protects it from rot.

After my clear coat was dry, I WAS DONE!

Clear as mud, right?!  Good luck for those of you who try it!  I promise to have better pictures on my next tutorial :)  And a better overall tutorial on my next tutorial :)

Outdoor Seating

Happy Monday!  I hope everyone had a great weekend.  Today I am going to show you my progress on our outdoor seating area.

Lets begin with what we started with when we first moved in.

Scary chairs left by the previous owners.  The cushions were melting so we threw them away and sat on the chairs without.  As you can imagine, this was not comfortable.  The side table planter is ours as well as the hydrangeas.  Just a sad space.

We spend a lot of time on the deck.  Almost all our free time.  Drinking our morning coffee, afternoons, evenings, whenever we can.  Luckily we knew to only look at houses that have East facing (more southeast but they say its east) decks so the afternoon, and very HOT, Texas sun sets on the front of the house.   Our deck only gets sun in the morning until about 10 AM and then the sun is high enough that the roof shades the deck.  On top of that, we get the breeze from the beach (most days). So even though it is 97 degrees in the sun right now, I am sitting on my shaded deck typing this and not sweating!  Close to a miracle in Texas.   I can sit on my deck pretty much anytime of day right now and be comfortable.  There have been a fews days where the mornings were so calm and there was no breeze so it got hot but most of the time, we have a good wind to keep things cool.

Comfortable furniture and a cozy space is important to us since we do spend so much time outside but comfortable, pretty outdoor furniture is not cheap.  The ones that are cheap usually look cheap.  After shopping around my usual places, Lowes, Home Depot, Target, etc. I didn't find anything I really liked so I went to the internet.  I buy online ALL the time.  So much so, I have my credit card number and info memorized...don't want to have to go dig it out of my purse while shopping and drinking my coffee on the deck :)  Having said that, I have reservations ordering furniture online.  It can be gorgeous and the right size and color but then you get it in and it is the most uncomfortable thing.  I like to give my furniture a test sit. Unfortunately, that wasn't possible this time and I had to order since there is a much larger selection online.

This is what I ended up with:

If you look closely, you can see Sabine's legs under the table.

She loves to get in her little cave.

See my Jaxson laying up against the couch?!

He loves to look out at the water.

With his head hanging off the deck.

I found my sofa glider and club chairs (only one is in the picture but they come as a set) at Target.com.  When I ordered them they were on sale so I did not pay the price listed right now. I suggest waiting for another sale.

My rug is an outdoor 7x10 from overstock.com.  They have tons that are similar and in the same price range.  This one only cost $168 and that includes taxes and shipping!

The pillows on the glider were left behind by the previous owners.  They had Hobby Lobby tags on them but who knows how long ago they were purchased.  They are not made of outdoor material so I sprayed them with starch and hopefully they will hold out for a year or two.

The coffee table is a door was also left by the previous owners.  I have done this before:

This one I added doorknob feet to make it taller.  It will be used as a kids
table in a child's room.

As soon as I saw the green door I knew what I was going to do to it.  This is a super easy project!  It requires only a couple of tools and a few steps.   I will post the full tutorial and tips with pictures tomorrow so check back.

I hope everyone has a productive day!