The Unveiling.

My apologies for waiting so long to post this, I've been a bit busy (story of our lives, right?)

BUT.......

I feel like the Target Lady!

Hooray!

Why? Because it's finally done!! 

I have a working kitchen!!

No more washing lettuce in the bathtub!!!

This happened.  More than once.

Soooo, I guess you want to see it?

Here it is!!

BAM.

Some cruddy i-phone panoramas for you.

I LOVE my kitchen.

I'll do some specific posts later about a few of my DIY projects, but here's a few photos to tide you over until then.

Oh hello, hidden microwave!

I had to spring for the brass faucet.  It was 100% necessary.
It also took Dave almost a month to realize there was a sprayer built in here.

Giving myself a pat on the back for this one- I made 2 pendant lamps for $66 total!!

Winner Winner Chicken Dinner!
I won this penny tile on ebay.
(It's in the side door hallway).

Side hallway.
Not much to see, except my new floor and light (which needs an Edison bulb, btw.)

This sink is almost 12 inches deep.  Sigh.

Handmade walnut shelves!
And no, nothing on here is "staged" for this post.
I have actually been able to keep things looking like this for over a month without any problems!

Walnut butcherblock countertops, finished by yours truly.

I searched for WEEKS online to find this rug.  Thanks Etsy!!!
It has the perfect color combination for my house to tie everything together!
Also, caaaaaan you spot the dishwasher?
It's there!

This is the glass globe from the original outside light above the side door.
I followed a tutorial on vintagerevivals.com, and made it into a planter!

Of course Margot needed updated bowls and a tray...she's gotta fit into my glamourous kitchen, too!

Can you spot Margot?

We've still got some work to do- a few things to wrap up in the side hallway, touchups on the organizer wall, and now a domino effect has taken place that means the dining room will end up getting a mini-makeover later this month (think new paint and curtains, as well as a new light).

I'm so excited to finally have a working kitchen, though- it's pretty glorious!! 

Are We There Yet?

This past week marked the end of Week 5 of Project Kitchen Renovation.  And we're ALMOST there.  ALMOST isn't really any consolation when you've been doing your dishes in the bathtub for 35 days, though.

Because we're getting closer to the end, I don't want to spoil the big reveal with full room pictures at this point, so we'll just do some closeups to tide you over!

First up- the countertops are in!  I worked last week sealing the undersides of the countertops at night after the contractor left for the day.  They stunk up the basement for a few days, but I wanted to make sure that all 6 sides of these beautiful walnut countertops are sealed against the elements as much as possible.  I won't bore you with step by step details on how to seal butcherblock countertops, but here's the link to the best tutorial I found on DIY sealing.  The product I'm using is called Waterlox- I did my research, and found it to be very highly recommended for sealing butcherblock countertops with undermount sinks. 

Umm...amazing, right?

My contractor installed the countertops after the bottoms were sealed, and now I've been working to seal the tops at night to give them ample time to cure before work begins the next morning on other parts of the kitchen.

Sink's in!  Too bad there's still no water hooked up to it.  I got a 10'" deep sink.  Couple that with 2" thick countertops, and one short gal, and you'll probably find me head down, bum up on multiple occasions as I fall into the depths of this beautiful piece of sinkdom.  (Not. Even. A. Word.  Really, though, who cares!?)

Look at all that extra counterspace!!
Think of the smorgasbord of food that can be lined up
in Pinterest worthy shots that will drive everyone mad
with jealousy! (Or not, if you're not into that sort of thing.)

The tile is also in the process of being installed. 

Yes, siree, I asked the contractor to tile behind the entire fridge.
You'll never see it after this picture, but I know it's there.

My open shelves are also starting to get their coats of sealer...look how beautiful they are!!  Quick shoutout to my brother's friend Steve King (yes, that's his real name) for making these beauties for me on super short notice so I could haul them back with me from New York last month.  He's such a gem!

Bottom shelf with one coat of sealer.  Others are still raw walnut.
So pretty!!!

That's all you get, folks.  A few quick snapshots before this project gets wrapped up!!  (And by wrapped up, I mean that my contractor is going on vacation in a few days so the project completion date is getting delayed.  It was supposed to be done before he left.  Sigh.)

Whatcha doin' with that Washi Tape?

Every time I stop into a craft or office supply store, it's there.  Rows and rows of beautiful washi tape, the colors and patterns a visual feast for the eyes, whispering, "Take me home.  Please.  Just take me home."   For a few bucks, I'm more than happy to oblige their quiet longing.

If you're not familiar with washi tape, get on the bandwagon- you can use it to decorate just about anything!!  It's really just glorified masking tape, and it's pretty sad that TAPE makes me gleeful these days, isn't it?  I'm really getting old.

Let's just hop right to it- here's some fun things I did recently with washi tape!

Picture frames!  

I contemplated painting these cheap black frames that I've had since college, but a strip of gold tape did the trick!  (Prints are a greeting card print from Alaska, and a postcard of the Merchandise Mart Building in Chicago).

Computer monitor!  

Can you tell that I taped up my laptop screen, too?  There's too many big black boxes on my desk...they needed some cheap glamour.  I might have gone a wee bit overboard.

Linen Closet Shelves!

So much white in this closet...it needed a little visual eye candy surprise.

Lamp #1!

Lamp #2!

I've seen a bunch of lamps lately that have a mix of gold and silver on them, and as these Ikea lamps are PERFECTLY FINE, I added a wee bit of tape to jazz them up.  This *slightly* satisfies my urge to buy fun new lamps that have the vintage cloth cords on them- have you seen them anywhere?  They're adorable.

I also have decorated quite a few packages with the tape- it looks really cute around brown paper packages!  No one is ever upset to get a pretty package in the mail, am I right?

If you're a sad sack like me who gets excited by tape, go buy yourself some today.  It's fun, it's cheap, and it's not permanent.  Tape, tape, tape it up!


I really hope you're now singing, "Pump, pump, pump it up" repeatedly, because who knows any of the other lyrics, right?  Also, did anybody notice that my office is now white?  Woot woot...it's coming together!  I'll do my next post  on all of my office DIY's when it's cleaned up and dust free:)

October is for Organization

Bathroom organization:  Let's do it.  I have one small bathroom on the main floor of my house, accompanied by a toilet stall in the basement that was listed on the realtor website as a "half bath".

The full bath bears the brunt of all bathroom transactions, and is probably one of my most loved rooms in my house (according to my "prettiness" scale).  What, you don't rate your rooms?  Despite its lovliness, it is small, but we make it work.  There's lots that can be done to keep small spaces organized- you just have to work a bit harder at it!

Tiny, but beautiful.

Let's start under the sink, everyone's favorite space to throw junk.   The space under the sink usually becomes a haven for half used hair products, dusty old razors, and broken hair bands.  Do yourself a favor and STOP DOING THIS.  If you have a small space like mine, you may want to do the following:  Make a list for yourself of the products that you use every single day.  Empty out the cabinet, and then only return the products you use consistently.  Let's take a peek through my cabinet:

1.  Makeup case.  I don't buy a whole lot of makeup, so this is enough space for the things I use on a daily basis.  I have some more makeup in the hall closet, but it's really only stuff I bring out if I'm getting really snazzed up.

2.  Outlet:  When we gutted and redid the bathroom, I requested an outlet under the sink to plug Dave's electric razor into.  I do not like things sitting out on the countertop, and I refused to let the razor sully my clean and simple aesthetic.  Best idea ever.

3.  Tall items, like lotion and hairspray go here.  They get used every day.

4.  Vertical storage:  Use that upward space as much as you can- don't waste it!!

Up above the sink, I have a mirrored medicine cabinet.  Thankfully, the bathroom already had a space hollowed out for a medicine cabinet, so we just replaced it with something prettier.  The new cabinet has a front AND back mirrored door, as well as a mirror on the inside.  Right outside of my bathroom, there is also a full length mirror in the hallway, so I get the benefit of a three way mirror to make sure I'm looking good all the way around before I leave the house....whoo ha!  I've been so spoiled by this that now I just get annoyed when I have to get ready at a hotel or someone else's house.  Such a tough life I lead, to not be able to look at the back of my own head 365 days a year.

Well hello there, nice to see you, self.

Inside of the medicine cabinet, I try to keep things streamlined, as well.  Since I use the mirror on the inside, I don't like to clutter it up with too much stuff.  Just the daily essentials for both Dave and I.  See those small, pretty glass cups?  They hold little things, like tweezers, nail clippers, and makeup brushes.  Never hurts to have pretty organizational pieces in unexpected places!

Yep, that's my yellow retainer case.  What's up, nighttime teeth grinders?

If you have a discerning eye and you're thinking to yourself, "Well, that looks like an awful lot of girl's stuff...where are Dave's toiletries?", then I applaud you.  See that big empty space on the top shelf?  Yep, that's what Dave gets- one solitary shelf.  It's a good thing he only requires deodorant and cologne.  What a man.  (He was also out of town when I took this picture, hence the lack of man things invading my space).

For all other things we need to use, like towels and hair dryers, let's take one (literal) step outside of the bathroom to examine the rest of my storage.  It's not as pretty, but it gets the job done.

One step, wasn't kidding.

Ok, let's go down the list.

1.  Frequently used medicinal pieces.  I'll be more descriptive in my next post about this $1 DIY item.

2. "Extras" Bin.  All duplicate items, like toothpaste, deodorant, cotton balls, and soap go here.  This keeps us from ever really running out of anything.  Be prepared.  For anything.

3.  Medicine Bin.  Ace bandages, cough syrups, etc.  Things we need, but don't use very often.

4. Pictures from our trip to Alaska.  Just thought I'd throw that in there.  Make your wall art personal!!

5. White towels.  While I'm sure you can see that there are some tan towels on the shelf above, I am a big proponent of only buying white towels.  They always look fresh and clean for guests (with a little help from our friend, bleach), and will never show stained/bleached streaks from the soaps/cleaners/facewashes that we use.  Plus, they go with everything!

6. My shelf.  This is where I store my nailpolishes and other various girl things that Dave doesn't need to use.  Plus, it's just my height.  (Wait, was that a short joke?)

7. Cleaning supplies.  I keep the general bathroom cleaners in a shower caddy for easy movement, along with my vast supply of Mr. Clean Magic Erasers.  I'm not being paid to promote them, but if they are willing to pony up for my endorsement, I will WILLINGLY give it.  I heart magic erasers.  Big time.

So.  there you have it.  Lots of stuff organized in small spaces.  Once again, I am the champion of the world.

Sorry, I've been watching an Eastbound and Down marathon today, and I think some of Kenny Powers has rubbed off on me, as evidenced by that last sentence.  Please click here.  You'll thank me.


Enjoy the week ahead, everyone!