WHATS LURKING BEHIND YOUR REFRIGERATOR?

Yesterday my husband and I were talking about how the kitchen was coming along and how different it looks compared to when we first moved in.  Somehow the conversation got to how I never painted behind the back of the refrigerator.  He called me a slacker (Mind you, I’ve painted every room in the house). I was telling him how hard it was to pull out the fridge and and push it back.  So he pulled it out to see what I was talking about and guess what we saw

 

Ewwwww…. What the what??? What in the heck is all of that? And then I took a closer look.

My refrigerator has been leaking!!!! Do you see the rust and water stain and mold? Its totally gross back there.  But what do I do about that? Do I call my insurance agent?  I don’t even know how long this has been going on  All I know is that its nasty and after cleaning up the area, you can clearly see that there is some damage to the floor underneath (subfloor) and baseboards.  Ugh…the joys of homeownership.

 

In other news, I got a new dishwasher!

OH YES I DID!!!

 

I’m getting closer to a prettier kitchen minus the mess behind and under the refrigerator.

 

 

 

KITCHEN UPDATE: SHORT(er) DRAPES

I received an email today from a reader and depending on my mood, it could have easily put me in a slumper.  Instead, she inspired me! For the past few weeks I have neglected my kitchen.  Remember the curtains I “made” using some fabric I already had on hand?

I never really liked it hanging up there and after my son stepped on it for the second time and causing them to fall, I took them down and didn’t think anything else of it.  And then I started with the butcher block.

Well, after that email I mentioned earlier, I remembered the tablecloths I purchased from Target about a year ago to make “short” drapes with.

I haven’t cut them, yet.  But I already love them A LOT better than what I had up there previously.  Why did I wait so long?  Why didn’t I hang them in the first place???

And since I forgot to update you on the butcher block, here’s a peek at it too!

 

I’d say the kitchen is coming together quite nicely. What do you think?

WHY DO YOU DIY?

Yesterday while I was banging my head against the wall from all the wrong things I was doing staining the butcher block, I asked myself “Why do I DIY?”.  I mean seriously, a lot of us who do, can pretty much pay for the work to be done.  Think about it, how many times have you made a mistake on a DIY project and had to start over?  And then you eventually could have taken the money you paid originally, plus the money you had to pay to start over and just had it done yourself.  So while I was whining on Twitter last night to my good friend Tricia about how terrible my BB was looking,  I started to doubt my title as a DIY’er.

For some reason, I couldn’t figure out why the stain was making the wood look black.

Then I figured that I really should not have skipped the wood conditioner. So I flipped the BB over and started fresh, this time adding the wood conditioner before the stain.

 

Guess what? The same thing happened.

 So while I was contemplating giving up on the entire project, I figured I’d read the label on the can of stain again just to see if I was doing things right. 

Well I’ll be.  Does that say stir the stain thoroughly before use??? Oh I hollered so loud in this house last night!!!

After I FOLLOWED THE DIRECTIONS, things started to turnaround

before being wiped off

after being wiped off

 

I get frustrated easily when things don’t go as planned.  And when I say frustrated, I mean to the point of tears.  But then I realize that I can’t do anything but laugh at myself because usually the project turned out wrong due to my lack of patience. 

After waking up this morning and applying another coat of stain, I realized why I DIY.  I DIY because when the projects turn out the way I envisioned them, it feels so good to say I did it myself and that I saved so much money in the process!

WHY DO YOU DIY?!

THE WOOD HAS BEEN CUT

When I returned home from church on Sunday, I walked into my kitchen and was excited to see that my husband had done this (minus the peeling of the wall)

I was thinking that I would probably have to get my father in law to come help me with this project because it is very rare that my husband shows interest in DIY. But little did I know.  Once I was settled in, he ran out to Home Depot to grab this

I must admit, I was a little hesitant of him pulling this off.  And when he said “Oh babe, I ‘m going to cut the countertop down here in the family room”, I just about exploded.  But I had to remind myself that he was FINALLY pitching in on a project so if cutting a big chunk of wood in the HOUSE was going to get it done, by all means, just DO IT.

I know you didn’t think I was playing, right? *insert eye roll*

But it went better than I thought it would (minus the noise) and the butcher block fit perfectly now

Because it was getting late in the day, I had to put off moving forward with the project which brings me to today.  I’m going to start patching the wall and then I’m going to condition and stain the wood.

Can you believe I’ve never used stain before? I can’t wait to get to that part!

Sorry for the instagram pics.  My camera need new batteries and I’m too lazy to go buy some.

And before I forget, guess whose going to school in August?!

Yep, he was the 9th name called yesterday.  I was over the moon!!!

And thanks for all of your comments yesterday and the night before.  I really appreciate it.  A LOT.  I think I’m close to a decision.  I’ll definitely keep you posted!

BUTCHER BLOCK

First it was bead board, now it’s butcher block.  What direction am I going in exactly with this kitchen of mine?

Well, that’s easy.  I’m headed in this direction

via

First off, let me just admit that I have completely given into my love of cottage design.  To be honest, I’m not even sure if it’s called cottage, or shabby chic, or what.  All I know if that I’m totally digging slipcovered sofas, wood, burlap (gasp!), etc.. I’ll talk about my “new” style later (if I can pull it off)

Back to the butcher block, I went out to IKEA last week to take a look at the two butcher block I had been seeing circling the blogs.

LAGAN (which is the thinner butcher block)

via

and NUMERAR (the thicker oak)

via

Like I said, seeing it in these kitchens made me want to check them out in person so off to IKEA I went! 

LAGAN is definitely a little thinner than NUMERAR…just a smidge thinner

And although I purchased LAGAN, I think NUMERAR may be a better choice.

 

If you haven’t clicked on the links for the countertops, the price differences are significantly different.  For the amount I would need in the LAGAN BB, the total would be $255.26.  If I purchased NUMERAR the total would be $447.86.  Again, the would type is different and LAGAN is a smidge thinner. Which one would you choose??? Oh and those prices are with shipping.

BEADBOARD THE BACK?

I’m loving the look of beadboard in the kitchen. 

via

It sort of adds a casual feel to a space

via

via

via

I convinced my Mr. to put up some bead board in our kitchen (insert moonwalk!).  He first asked what it was and then I showed him these pictures.  But what really sealed the deal was when I said it’s so easy, even girls are doing it!  Now, what made me want it?  Well, not only is it a nice alternative to tile backsplash, but it’s super inexpensive! I’m thinking it will cost us less than $50 to do the entire project.

And if I haven’t sold you on bead board backsplash, take a look at this kitchen’s after

Seriously, CHECK OUT THIS KITCHEN!!!
And she managed to do laundry that same day

What do you think? Love it or leave it (the bead board!)?

EASY DIY: TRAY MAKEOVER

Yesterday I shared some snippets of kitchen. In one of the pictures was a tray/platter that I picked up from IKEA for 70 cents

I knew that it I was going to paint it so I didn’t care about the design.  I pulled out my last little bit of Annie Sloan chalk paint and got to work

Remember that you don’t have to prime with chalk paint

Because my chalk paint had gotten super thick after sitting up for the past few months, I had to add water to it.  Because of the added water, I had to apply two coats of paint (Chalk Paint is so thick that you usually can get away with one coat of it) .

Finished! Now I have something I can corral things that end up on my counters

This project was super easy.  I could have used latex paint on it as well with a thin layer of primer first.  Now, I need to go find some baskets for my cabinets without the doors!

  What small project have you gotten around to lately?!

KITCHEN AT A GLANCE

My kitchen is nowhere near finished, but I couldn’t help myself from snapping a few pics just to update you on the little progress I’m making.

I’m not sure if I’m sold on the door(less) cabinets, but we’ll see how things come together.  Also,  I’m working on my photography skills so that explains the pictures of the fruit on the table.  As you can see, I still have a LONG way to go