Kitchen Reno Begins!

Before:

After:

Okay, so maybe it's not quite a full kitchen reno (yet!) but it's a start. We are planning on repainting the walls, adding a white subway tile backsplash and putting in new floors. The painting and backsplash we're doing ourselves, the floors we may have HD come in and do for us. So far, we were able to get the painting done. It has made such a difference! The kitchen used to be this not-so-cute avocado green color...it looked way cuter on the paint chip strip! Anywho, it's now this great blue-gray color that looks so much better against our white painted cabinets. It feels so much more airy in there, which was definitely what we were going for. For the first time, we used no-VOC paint (since we now have a little munchkin in the house) and were actually pretty impressed. We did some research and were debating between Natura, by Benjamin Moore and Freshaire, which is only available at Home Depot. We ended up choosing the Freshaire, mostly because I loved the Naturalist Gray color that we ended up using. Freshaire has something like 60 colors to choose from, which they mix by adding this little packet of powder to the white base. Natura had a whole lot more choices, since they can color match and you can basically choose any Benjamin Moore color. Price- wise, the Natura was a few dollars more than Freshaire's $37.50 price tag, so there's not much of a difference there. In the end, we actually needed a tad bit more paint and since Freshaire is currently only available in the full gallon size, we went to our local Benjamin Moore and had them color match the Freshaire paint to a quart size of the Natura- So, we actually got to try them both, and like I said, we were pretty impressed. The ONLY negative thing I can say about both of the paints is that they are STINKY! It's not like the usual smell that comes from using regular paint, which honestly, I don't mind all that much. It's actually more of a weird stale, fishy smell. I've worked at daycare centers in the past and it actually smells exactly like when we would do this art project where we would paint a fish and use it as a stamp...eew! That sounds so weird now!

A finished product!

So what started out as a shower curtain, has now become a mock roman shade that is now hanging in my kitchen...Gotta love Stitch-Witchery iron tape and safety pins! Since I really didn't need the shade to actually move, it was a whole lot easier to make. Eventually, I may need to make an actual roman shade that can move up and down, but for now, I'm gonna stick to my no-sew projects! Woo Hoo...my first actual completed project of 2010...ya, I now, it's almost mid-February!

Why I SO love Target!

Ah, Target! How I love Target! We don't have all that much around here in the ways of good shopping, but we do have Target and not only that, we have TWO Targets! I have,

on more than one occasion, hit up both in the same day, just to see what all they have in their Clearnance sections. It's a sport really! And I must say, the whole "Tar-jey" thing is dumb, I hate that! IT'S TARGET! Anywho, I was just reminded again, why I love that place. We are getting ready to do a small reno in our kitchen and I've been looking everywhere for fabric to make a window shade with. Our kitchen right now is this not-so-cute shade of green (it looked a whole lot cuter on the paint chip) and we are planning on painting it a great light gray color. So, as I was walking through the aisles, I found this frickin' AMAZING Thomas O'Brien shower curtain made from this great light gray fabric with a white modern blossom pattern. It's perfect! AND the best thing? It was on clearance for 50% off...from $30 t0 $15. Since it was the only one there, I called the other Target in town to see if they had any left, which they didn't, but I was able to get a couple online, so I'm super excited about that! BUT, as excited as I was about that, there was something else that had me doing a happy dance. So, I was already pretty stoked about my curtain fabric and was walking around just keeping an eye out for anything else that caught my eye and I found this great rug! It was the perfect color for my house and was 100% cotton, which meant that, yup, I could throw it in the washer whenever it got a little funky! Yay! BUT, then I saw that beautiful little red tag which meant, YAY-Clearence! From $50 to $3

4.95. Eh, not bad. But I figured, for a 4 ft by 6ft rug that looks great and is washable, it's so worth it! Then, I found the matching smaller throw rug on clearance for $6.95 (woo hoo, that's more like it!) so I was way stoked! So, we go to pay and that's when it happened! That glorious moment only a few of us have had the chance to experience- when they rang up the rug, the rug I was totally prepared to pay $35 for, it rang up at $12.95! 13 frickin bucks for a great rug!!! Ohmagod!!! I was doing my happy dance right then and there! And then I remembered that there had been two of those rugs and had the Hubs run over and get the other one (perfect for when one either is in the wash or wears away). So, for about $10 less than I was totally prepared to pay for one rug, I got two! Ah, gotta love Target! Now, I still totally intend on finishing my DIY rug, BUT now I won't be completely devestated it doesn't turn out as well as it looks in my head!

DIY project #1 of 2010---Painted Rug

Before

One of my biggest personal goals for 2010 was to actually do all of those DIY projects that I've always wanted to do. The original goal was to do at least a couple of things done each month but, thanks to my full-of-energy little munchkin (who is so trying to start walking!) January came and went without one real project completed...oh well! I did get one project started though that I'm pretty excited about...IF it works! We have wood floors in the living room and I really needed a rug, but since we have 3 super cute, albeit not so super well-behaved chi

huahua-doxi

es, a nice luxurious wool or 'spot-dry only" rugs was definitely out of the question. So, when I was out trying to help the Hubs clean out th

e garage, I spotted this simple, super-plain white Ikea rug that I totally had forgotten that I had. When I brought it out, I remembered why it was in the garage! It was very plain, white, almost like a piece of canvas or a drop cloth. But, I did see that it had some potential. It had some nice texture to it and was pretty well made. But, the best part about it is that it is 100% cotton and has no rubber backing or anything so I can actually just throw it in the washing machine any time my dogs, or munchkin for that matter, has any kind of accident on it. So,

right aw

ay, I had this idea to paint it. But I didn't

just want to dye it all one color, no, I was a little more ambitious than that. I actually wanted it to have some kind of a pattern to it, so I started thinking about how to do that. Now, since I'm not exactly artistically inclined and therefore wasn't brave enough to freehand any kind of design onto it, I d

ecided a stencil might be the best idea

. Since Iwanted to test out a few potential patterns before choosing "the one," I chose to trace the stencils with a washable marker. I've got

ten a couple of patterns down and they look pretty good, if I do say so myself.

I must say, I was feeling pretty good about myself and my DIY skills! BUT, I'm not quite ready to sing my victories yet. I still actually have to paint it! And this is where I am getting stuck. I've been looking online and in magazine for suggestions on what type of paints would work best and have heard different things. I'm kinda thinking that

I'm going to use dye instead of paint becauseI'm afraid that the wrong kind of paint will crack and ruin all my work! Now, I know it is going to be messy, I just hope it works!

After

My not-so-secret addiction

Got these!

Yay!!! The new Pottery Barn catalog is here! Actually it's been here since at least last week, but with my wormy little Munchkin, who has pretty much mastered the art of crawling and cruising, I just got around to looking at it the other day. I am LOVING the new spring tableware collection! They have a bird and nest themed collection that is amazing! Now, I usually love PB, but can't usually afford it and honestly don't like spending full price anyway for their stuff. The catalogs are great for ideas

though! BUT, when I saw the bird theme, I got weak in the knees and, I'm not kidding, let out a wee-bit of a squeal. Yup, that's right...I am a bird addict! I love bird knickknacks. I pretty much have them in every room of my house, including the laundry room and even the bathroom and have been known to type "bird" in the search box of some of my favorite websites, just too see what treasures I find! My Bella's nursery has a bird/shabby chic theme with a birdie mobile, among other things. My living room has 12 ft. ceilings and I needed something big for one of the walls, so, when I was walking the aisles of Target, minding my own business, not even looking for the birds, there they were, staring me in the face from the shower curtain aisle! It was actually a great fabric and had an awesome print, so, I had the hubs build me an 8 ft by 5 ft wood frame and covered it in the shower curtain fabric...voila! An instant art piece, and one with birds no less! I have bird salt & pepper shakers and Bella has two birdie blankies. My Christmas tree had bird ornaments and a cute two-bird tree topper. My front door, although I'm replacing it soon, needed a little something. Hmmm....what does it need??? A door knocker!!! What kind of door knocker?? A bird one of frickin' course!!! I found the PERFECT one on ebay for....drumroll...6 whole buckaroos! Ahh...I love my bird finds! Now, here is where I have to explain that, although I have been called the "bird lady" by my 14 year old cousin (gotta love the Tweens!) it's not like I have these birds all over the place in my house like some kind of bird hoarder! I would like to think that my "collection" is tastefully spread out in my humble little home. I do have some kind of self-control! I am only attracted to cute white or blue birdies and they have to be cute. I'm not a fan of the cardinals or swans or pigeons or seagulls (ooo, seagulls are kinda creepy!) Nope, I like either cute little chubby birdies or little finch type of birds. So, see! It's not like I'll take in just ANY bird! Yup, I'm rationalizing, like a true addict! But, I must close by saying that I DID "stummble" upon a Pottery Barn this weekend and HAD to get the Nest doormat (for when I get my new front door---SO excited!) and I got the bird house salt & pepper shakers (now I have two sets of birdie shakers) AND I just HAD to get two of the birdie mugs. I had to do it...full price and all. Although the rug and shakers were a gift from the hubs...ya, he's my birdie-addiction enabler, even though he could do without the birds himself! Now that's true love!

Want this sooo bad!

Update on the Tie Chair

Bella HATES the Tie Chair! She looked at me like, "Are you seriously tying me to a chair???" I still say it's a good idea, just not for my squirmy little worm! And I can't return it! Darn! Oh well, maybe someday she'll hang out in it. Probably the same "someday" when she'll sleep through the night! ***sigh*** One can only dream!

My steal for the day!

I'm so excited! So, months and months ago I began following the Baby Steals blog where every day they sell only one nifty baby item (until they sell out of it) at a ridiculously discounted price. Usually they have cute things, but I think in the past year I had only bought one thing. As any newer parent knows, if you actually buy every cute thing out there for your kiddo...not only would you go way broke, you'd also end up with no floor or drawer space left in your home! BUT when I saw today's item, I HAD to jump on it! And it's a good thing I did because by 11:00am it was all sold out! It's the Tie Chair! I had seen something like this before, and thought "Wow, wish I had thought of that!" It's basically a chair cover that you attach to any regular old chair and it becomes a handy little baby seat. Tie your kiddo into it and you pretty much have a go-anywhere high chair! How exciting! No more having to sit Bella in those nasty restaurant high chairs! Which is actually pretty funny because just yesterday we went out for lunch and I had to put her in one of those chairs. Of course I forgot my high chair cover at home and so there we were trying to use one of her blankets to wrap the chair and cover all the nastiness left behind by the last kiddo to sit in it. Of course I carry my handy-dandy disinfecting wipes everywhere I go...oops, I left them in the other diaper bag! AND to make matters even trickier, Bella learned yesterday that she can shimmy her way out of the nasty chair's nasty seat belt and actually tried to climb out! Gotta love the curious mind of a 9 month old! So, I have high hopes for the Tie Chair. I got it in a black and white polka-dot fabric, way too cute! I just hope it works!