Updated Laundry Room

I've said it once, i'll say it again... The laundry room is my LEAST favorite room in the house.  Unfortunately it is the room I spend HOURS in. (Much to my chagrin)  Well,  I decided to do something about it. 

Let me first explain to you what I have lived with for 4 years.  Plain walls, nothing on them.  No depth, just  filth  clutter.  Open shelves that were an eyesore, and don't even get me started on the kitty litter box (I'm not a cat person, how on earth did I end up with one???  Oh, yea... little girls) It literally was a prison cell without the bars but with the washer and dryer. 

First I had to add some dimension.  I have seen tons of wainscotting tutorials out there, but I just loved this one from Newly Woodwards.  But it was a little complex so I simplified.  I didn't use the plywood behind it, just painted the walls white.  I also used 1"x2" boards instead of 1"x3".  But I love the way it looks.

And that little problem with the kitty litter box, See that curtain on the right.  Yup, the litterbox is behind there and Mr. Kitty has no problem with it!  I also made a burlap curtain for the window using this tutorial over at Brown Paper Packages.

Of course the whole design color scheme is based off this cute fabric I found at JoAnne's for the Ironing board cover.

I just couldn't resist the "Sock" exchange I found here

And would it really be a room in MY house without vinyl....

I picked up these boxes at Target when they were on sale (2/$7) And my girls added a little ribbon for "style"

Now every one has their own hook for backpacks and jackets. (and most the time they actually get hung up here!)

I made this cute little addition using a wire hanger and a strip of burlap.  Then just hung it by ribbon in an old frame painted black

I needed a pop of color so we made this heart picture with felt and pins.  I love how it turned out!

Well, It still isn't my favorite room.  But at least it is a little bit more bearable now.

Linking Up With

Along for the Ride

Under the Table and Dreaming

Momma's Kinda Crafty

A Little Lovely

Craft Envy

A Vision to Remember

Updating a Kitchen on a Budget

I’ve got an L shaped kitchen. Technically I've got an "eat-in" kitchen, but technically the dining area is around the corner, so if I want to be spiffy, i've got a separate dining area.  I love my kitchen, but it drives me crazy. The floor doesn’t match the counters and vice versa. I can’t find a backsplash that will match both. I’ve thought about white subway tiles, but that conflicts with my “cheap” side. When we bought our home it had a basic white, laminate kitchen. No special lighting, nothing to make it stand out (except the old 1960’s style above the sink) So a little while ago I decided it HAD to change, maybe just a little more updated?


Our stove finally went kaput (seeing that it was a hand me down from my Mom’s house, not too bad, it was only 20+ years old)

So my hubby and I shopped around online and found a great stainless one for $150 and it's only a couple of years old. Yup, only $150, I couldn’t believe it either. It was filthy, but with A LOT of elbow grease it looks great.

In addition to that little number, I sold some of our old items that were gathering dust in the garage and was able to purchase an above the stove microwave. So I set out with a mission. How do I make the kitchen “pretty” without spending a lot of $$$$$
Here are my before pics….

And this is now!

(sorry my counter tops are RARELY spotlessly clean)

I moved the cabinet above the stove and installed the over-the-range microwave (CAUTION- ask for help, my back hurt for a week after this, and as a side note the correct way to install one of these puppies is to let your husband do it.  The frustration just isn't worth it!) That cleared up a lot of counter space.

I removed the little wooden swag thingy above the sink and did a little touch up paint.

I had some under cabinet lighting hanging around in the garage, so I snapped that up and installed it under the cabinets

I ran down to Home Depot and picked up a thin piece of crown molding and put that around the tops of all the cabinets (it cost me about $20 for the molding)

Now on to the FUN stuff....

For the cabinets I ran to the dollar store and picked up a bunch of fake grass and put that in bunches on top of the cabinets (about $8).  Using some scraps of wood in the garage I spray painted them red ($3) and used my vinyl to cut out words (Enjoy, Bon Appetit, Delicious, and Gourmet)  Then I ran through the house looking for little nick naks to put up top.  Some vases, little iron thingy's, ect.  Finally I ran some rope lighting ($10) to brighten it all up.

For the 2 windows I found some clearance material at Home Fabrics for $2/yard and made some faux shades.

For the light above the sink I picked up a hanging light from IKEA (i think it was $8) and hung it myself.  I even took a little black paint and painted the brass light fixtures to make them a little more updated.

Total: $53

It may not be perfect, but it is definitely a little better than before.

Craft Room Re-do

I finally decided to re-do my Craft Room. I just needed a place that was grown up... So with a little imagination and less than $50 i've made it my own. and I LOVE IT!

This is the beautiful fabric that my then 6 year old daughter picked out for my craft room. Perfect for the girls... not so perfect for the Mommy. So I decided to upgrade to a "big girl" room.

First things first, the walls were just plain white. I couldn't handle that! So I headedover to the Home Depot and found the perfect color paint in their mis-tint section. The best part about it is it was only $5 for a gallon of paint!

Next I grabbed a can of black high gloss spray paint and went to town on my old DI dresser. It looks great now and after adding vinyl lettering to it I can tell just where my fabric's are. Nice and organized (till my little one's get ahold of it) I pretty much spray painted a TON of things, picture frames, boxes, shelves, a chair... Anything that couldn't defend itself :) (I'm pretty sure my 2 year old has a few spray painted fingers & toes as well)

Next I headed over to "Home Fabrics" to grab some "grown up" material. I found this great black & white print for only $4.99 a yard. LOVE IT! I turned it into all the window coverings by making up these faux roman shades. Then I took some more spray paint and covered a few more of my containers so they would match the room.
I found this incredible green & white print at "Home Fabrics" as well but it wasn't on sale so I decided to accent in it. I covered all the cork boards in it. I love it! (My hubby thought it was hillarious that I "mod-podged) the light switch cover, but by that point I was truly out of control!)
I put this cork board up on the outside door. I used a little ribbon to hang it and then put a couple of magnets on the back so it wouldn't swing everytime we opened the door.

I just love it! What do you think???

Linking up with
The House in the Roses