Kitchen facelift!

So awhile back Brian and I decided the kitchen needed some love.  We are by no means able to do an entire kitchen reno, considering the costs are so high and we are tackling an entire house, not just a kitchen. I will post a picture of what the kitchen looked like when we bought the house, but for now check out it's most current state.

We took all the cabinet doors down, sanded them, bought new hardware (for a dollar each at Ocean State Job Lot-they are at least $4 at Home Depot or Lowes), painted them, then cut out a section of cabinets to make room for a refrigerator, removed the soffet from above the cabinets, then hung them back up.  Oh, we also ripped up four floors that were there before and tiled a new one and painted the backsplash to save money from having to retile.  We also knocked down the wall from between the kitchen and the laundry room to go from a galley kitchen to an eat in.  And...painted the walls.  Whew!  Yeah, we did a lot.  The first picture shown is what it looked liked after we painted the cabinets.  Excuse the mess, you know how reno can be.  Also, excuse the box o'wine.  It legitimately was left by a friend.  So let me cut to the chase...I never loved the brown paint.  In fact, I never really liked it.  Brian loves dark colors and I love light airy colors.  Well, about six months has passed and I'm still not diggin' the kitchen.  I don't like to cook in the first place so I really need to make this room feel like a place that I want to be in.  And with that idea, the kitchen was about to redone AGAIN!

More pics to follow...for now I'll let you in on a little secret...

We are:

• repainting cabinets a lighter color
• applying picture frame molding to all cabinet doors
• replacing the cabinet faces on the metal cabinets (yeah, half our cabinets are metal)
• ordering new countertops
• repainting backsplash, possibly applying some tile tattoos
• finally adding curtains
• trying to find a stainless stove and dishwasher for practically free (I realize this may be quite difficult)

This is no deal...this here is a STEAL!

I was surfing craigslist (yeah, I surf the net a lot) and found the wildest video posted about furniture.  It was a video, shot by a young guy, who was walking around a warehouse shooting footage of all the cheap furniture he had for sale.  He would walk by a dresser and say "five bucks," walk by a lamp and say "free."  It was incredible.  I was so excited I could barely get through the rest of the work day.  I wrote down a list of all the things I wanted to buy and went prepared with cash!  I was hoping there would still be some inventory because the post was from February 7th.  There was one item I wanted more than any others-it was a red dresser, vintage looking, and I actually clapped at my desk when I saw it. 

So anyway (anticipation building?) I rush to the door, practically run inside, start scanning items and lo and behold,

there she is...my RED VINTAGE dresser!  Now, now, I know red doesn't exactly go with my whole motif, but a little love is going to go a long way when I spruce this up so it coordinates with what I already have.

Amazingly, this dresser was...

Yup, only fifteen smackers!

And although most of the other goodies were gone, I did manage to snag this...

For only five clams dollars!  I'm thinking, paint job, and rocker for nursery someday la la la la-ong long down the road.  Did I mention LONG down the road?  Long!

Well, I feel like a lucky duck today let me tell ya.  To stumble upon this gem when I wasn't even looking is like hitting a picker's lottery.  Not to mention, this warehouse was five minutes from home.  And as a side note, the dresser wouldn't fit in Brian's car, but the man working there saw us struggling and offered to drop it off for free in his minivan!  I promised him that I would 'pay it forward' and he seemed pleased by that response.  Overall, this has been an A+ of a day!  Hopefully some progress pics soon.

Oh Martha girl, you got it going on!

While scrolling some of my fave blogs I stumbled upon the most perfect and easy idea ever! It was an idea brought to us by Martha Stewart, probably something she cooked up (pun intended) in her free time awhile back. Anyway, here is Martha's version...Martha, you are soooo cool!

Here is another version I found courtesy of http://glass-jars-and-sparkle-water.blogspot.com/

And so I thought...HEY, I can do this!  Let me "Martha-it-up."  Right now I only have three jars...

I printed a bunch of really purdy bird prints off the internet (free)! 

And voila! Here is my version.  I need to eat a lot more pickles, roasted red peppers, olives (yuck) so I can accumulate more jars!

Very easy project and quick too!  I've gotta say, I'm pretty pleased with the way they turned out :)

Etsy is the Besty!

So, really quick I wanna throw a shout out to Etsy.com. Quite possibly the most amazing online store ever!!!

Here are a few items that I think are totally worth checking out...

Hand-crafted jeans, shorts, purses etc. Somewhat hippie-esque.

http://www.etsy.com/shop/DRDDesigns?ref=top_trail

Really wild, unique pillows.

http://www.etsy.com/shop/diffractionfiber?ref=seller_info

Recipe boxes taken to a whole new level.

http://www.etsy.com/people/GiftsAndTalents?ref=ls_profile

Whimsical jewelry.

http://www.etsy.com/people/TickleMePinkBoutique?ref=ls_profile

Southern Savings!

I have spent the last four (supposed to be five) days in Louisiana. I went for a baptism but managed to sneak in some serious shopping. Holy options! There were so many stores and many bargain stores that I had never even heard of.

Get this...I found some stuff for my Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville porch on THE CHEAP, I mean it, really really cheap. I'm talking 20 cents for a small sign that says "Sun, Sand, Surf" with a delicious beverage on it, 40 cents for a larger sign that says "Lost in Paradise," 2 dollars for a picture frame and 3 dollars for a toucan wall art, hanging hook thingy. Yup, all that goodness for my enclosed back porch for a total of...$5.60!!! The name of the store is Burkes Outlet (maybe you've heard of it).

At another store I found a lantern/candle holder in brown, but I've already taken the liberty of painting it white and antiquing it. I swear I took a before pic, but it magically disappeared. So this is the lantern painted, it's missing the glass cylinder and the candle (use your imagination).

I also found a ginormous pillow at Kohl's that was originally $80 on sale for $13.85 (that was challenging to fit in the suitcase!)

My true loves of my purchases is my bird tray and teapot. The bird tray was $6.99 and the tea pot with two silver teacups was $5.99. In loooovvve with the bird tray-I'm telling ya! It was green and I already used some left over paint from my walls and painted the tray blue.

Oh, and candle sticks! I bought candle sticks that are going to be painted white (as soon as I figure out how and when).

Oh, and non-house related...I bought six bathing suits and the most expensive one...only $1.88. They aren't cheap-o brands either, they are Nike, Body Glove, Hurley, etc. Woot, Woot!

15 custom pillows coming right up!

That's right...15! I am making 15 pillows for my window seat. I happened to be near a Joann Fabrics, which by the way, is having 50%off their home decorator fabrics RIGHT NOW (Sale ends today). I love the idea of mixing and matching so I found these solid stripes and thought they would pair up nicely with the floral type print.

I was so excited when I got home to put the materials next to the material I had previously purchased on my last trip to Joanns. I had just bought this floral print.

And oh look, had the same exact one at home...

Guess I really like that one, considering I found it, liked it, and bought it twice. Oops!

Big Old Windows=Impossible Finding Curtains

I have searched high and low to find curtains that fit my style and my windows! I have had absolutely NO luck. I need curtains that are 95 inches in length, so pretty long.

At one point I wanted to order custom curtains from JCP but to my surprise the quote was $1900. I only need four curtains! Whoa!

I looked at Bed, Bath and Beyond, Macy's, JCP, Lowes, and every other store that I thought sold curtains. I wanted something that looked like a million dollars without spending a million dollars (don't we all?).

On my quest for the longest curtains known to (wo)man, I started to think maybe I should make them. I am an amateur seamstress and that's being far too generous. However, I do like a challenge.

I bought a couple patterns at Joann Fabrics.

I took out the pattern and almost fell over in shock. Nope, ain't gonna happen.

I searched for a local seamstress/tailor and found one about ten minutes from my home. I brought my extra material

that I had from reupholstering my chairs and handed over the pattern.

Although I would have liked to DIY these curtains myself, I recognize my strengths and weaknesses in the DIY department and sewing these bad boys was going to weigh more heavily on the weakness side. Good news is, the pattern for the curtains I'd like in the kitchen

are easy enough to DIY so that is a challenge I'm willing to take on.

Long story short, I am currently waiting to see the end product. I won't lie, I am quite nervous about seeing what the tailor produces. Maybe I should have given him some test material first. At $40 a yard (without a sale or coupon) I'm hoping that his talents are weighing on the strength side in this DIY!

And if you thought Wal-mart was cheap then check out...

Walmart.com. Yup, Wally World online is actually cheaper than buying in the store. I was surfin' the ole net and found some pillows at Walmart.com that were on clearance for $5 each. Just to be sure that I wasn't getting ripped off was really getting a deal, I checked out the pillow aisle while doing some grocery shopping. To my surprise the pillows were priced at $10 each. Savings=$10.00

The great thing about ordering them online is that you can have them shipped directly to the store for no cost at all. If you choose the Site to store option you save on shipping and save on the price of the product. Not a bad idea, in my opinion.

I received an e-mail today informing me that my pillows had arrived and that I could pick them up right away. I hopped in my Honda quite excited to be getting a package.

I ripped open the box like it was Christmas morning and the pillows were even better than they looked online. Cozy, soft, squishy and just the right color. SCORE!

Oh, by the way, if you are looking to cover pillows with a material of your choice, it is cheaper to buy fre-fabricated pillows at this price ($5 each) and cover them with your own material than it is to buy pillow forms ($8-10 each). Save some dough my sistas!(and my brothas who buy and sew pillows).

One more "Oh, by the way...I am certainly no advocate for Walmart. I'm a business teacher, have been for six years, studied business for four years in my undergrad, two years doing my Master's and I recognize the effects of retail giant. That being said, I am a consumer on a budget and even though I'm saving there are definitely other costs to shopping there. Wow, let the passion flow Danielle.

Easy DIY projects made with scrapbook paper!

Ever wonder what else you could use your scrapbook paper for? I bought this beautiful book of scrapbooking paper and I thought how nice it would be to use some of the paper in the book around the house. The pages matched most of the palettes in my living room and I wanted to incorporate them somehow. I sought out the internet's world wide web of knowledge to find some great DIY projects that are SIMPLE!

Drum roll...

This first image is courtesy of dollarstorecrafts(dot)com. This website has great ideas that you can do yourself for merely a few dollars. I suggest you check out the site. They created this project using a frame from the dollar store, scrapbook paper in the frame, and then three door handles that they had left over from old cabinets. The door pulls can be purchased at Ocean State Job Lot for $1.00 or if you want to invest a little more, you can find them at Lowes or Home Depot.

The above framed wall art, is courtesy akadesigns(dot)com. The frames can be purchased at a local big box store or you can make the frames with molding found at your local Lowes or Home Depot. A 6-8 feet piece of molding will only run you around 5-10 dollars. They simply added the scrapbook paper to the frame and voila-WALL ART!

If you love monogramming as much as I do then you are going to love this next project. Again, a simple frame, which can be purchased at the dollar store or any store of your choice, scrapbook paper, and a letter (or letters). The letter can be purchased, made out of other scrapbook paper, or find something fun to make the letter out of, like buttons. This image is courtesy of extremepersonalmeasure(dot)com.

With Valentine's Day right around the corner, this is a nice touch for the house. You'll need a scrap piece of wood, mod-podge, scrapbook paper, ribbon, and any other embellishments you'd like to add. Simple mod-podge the scrapbook paper to the wood, then add letters to spell out anything you'd like. Again the letter can be cut from scrapbook paper or created using your imagination. Image is courtesy of lifeateventuallycottage(dot)blogspot(dot)com.

Decorative picture frames to match you motif. You'll need a frame, scrapbook paper, mod-podge, and other embellishments of your choice. This is a relatively east and cute project.

Old pickle jars, baby formula cans, green beans, you name it, you can turn that trash to treasure with scrapbook paper. Check out these DIY'ers made it happen at sweetiepumpkinnoodle(dot)com. Great way to upcycle!

Holiday decor is always a fun option. You can create and change the frames each season. This project displaying SNOW is simple, yet looks fantastic. Scrapbook paper, frames, a little bit of glue and you are on your way.

There are many projects out there that can be made quite inexpensively and with simple scrapbook paper. There are always deals at stores like Joann Fabrics that offer scrapbook paper from 40-70% off. Let your creative juices flow and if you come up with something worth sharing, please do! Good Luck!

Time well spent at Sal's Boutique...aka...Salvation Army

I've had a box of things I wanted to donate sitting by the door for a week and today I had a little spare time so I decided to drop it of at Sal's. I love to find things around the house that I no longer use and free myself of them. It makes me feel good, like I am helping others and at the same time helping myself to clean up shop around here.

Every single time I drop off goodies at Sal's, without fail, I end up treating myself to a few things (so much for cleaning up shop). I find things at Salvation Army that I think, with a little love, can find new life again. I had to have some self control though today because the pickin's were good!

I ended up purchasing two framed photos, a vase, and a small box. Three things need repurposing, so for me, that means I have new projects (on top of the old projects). That's okay though, it gives me some things to look forward to.

These pink frames have great detail and will look great when I freshen them up with a new coat of paint. The Alice in Wonderland pictures that came in the frame are pretty cool but I'm going to replace them with something more my taste-not sure yet, but I do have a few good ideas stewing (future blog post). By the way, the frames were 1.99 each.

The next item is another small project. I'm going to repurpose this box to be our new recipe box. I was going to buy one on Esty, but why buy when I can create one specific to our kitchen on the cheap. This box cost me a whopping 79 cents and by the looks of it, it was once someone else's project (notice the colors and the stars:)

The last purchase is NOT a project, it's a luxury buy. I paid 3.99 for this absolutely wonderful vase for the kitchen. I saw it and immediately threw it in the old Ames cart. It's already in the kitchen doing its thang, looking all good and whatnot.

Wasting away in Margaritaville...

After a long debate about whether or not we should have a THEMED porch, we finally decided...YES! We both absolutely love Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville. I mean, we love everything about this place from the ambiance and decor to the food, raspberry 'ritas, music, and splashing, plunging humungo margarita that blasts off while you sit there and enjoy. So we've decided our enclosed back porch is going to be the Dziedzic/Cetnar version of Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville! OH Baby!

Actually, just writing that last paragraph makes me long for a vacation or simply to snap my fingers and be sitting up at the bar right now as "...it's five o'clock somewhere..." plays in the background. Sighhhh...

Well, on the bright side, we will be adding a little Margaritaville that we can enjoy all the time, not just while on vacation.

Now onto the projects that I will be undertaking this winter and hopefully finish right in time for summer. I have started to purchase some wooden chairs on the cheap (only five bucks) and I am going to imitate what I've sat on many times at JBM! Take a look at the before (I've already sanded the white chipping paint), take a look at the chairs from JMB's (that I took while in New Orleans, and then wait patiently for pics as I hand paint the chairs for the Dziedzic/Cetnar porch a la Jimmy Buffet. I have no idea what that translates into. All of sudden I'm bilingual?

Picked this up in a small town while driving through...sanded it for approximately ten minutes. Still needs sanding. This chair is going to be bright RED!

Here are some examples of what's to be...I actually want to paint "Cheeseburger in Paradise" on one and "Simply Complicated" on another. I want a total of four chairs so I'll keep you posted on the other sayings.

I have very similar pictures (mine with different sayings) but I found these online to share with you. Pictures are courtesy of Flickr (stormy725).

Lions and tigers and bears, oh my!

Actually, there might be an antelope or moose or some other animal in there, not quite sure. Anyway, this is a funky, little wild, fun, maybe not me, but certainly worth sharing, rack (that was long and unnecessary). I found this rack while browsing some of my favorite sites.

I am pretty certain that if you like this you could make it for a fraction of the cost. After purchasing a relatively inexpensive piece of wood (your choice) and staining or painting it, head to a toy store, or your local big box store and purchase some plastic animals, using a saw, rid them of their backsides, screw in from behind the wood into the animal.

Maybe it would be cute in a little boy's bedroom or as a conversation piece in any room.

I found this rack at modcloth(dot)com. Let me know what you think!

Porch in progress (kind of)

Our porch is in the middle of reconstruction. Demo is over, which is great, but the porch is far from done. We were forced to stop because we live in the lovely state of NY and it's downright cold and snowy.

Here are some of the pics in progress...

We found the original columns to the house (built in 1895-that's the latest record we could find). The old columns were gorgeous and some crafty person could probably restore them, but they were too far gone for us DIYers. The columns were a fun find!

Demo of the deck that was somewhat rotten and very sloped.

This photo is the new construction of the deck. I used a post hole digger, big power tool, for the first time. Surprisingly, not as fun as it sounds. The deck is now nice and straight (and full of snow and ice due to the fact that we have no porch roof). Notice the vestibule is missing. Many friends and family members have participated in a back and forth of whether or not we should keep the vestibule or get rid of it.

Our plan for the roof was to keep it and try to freshen it up. I loved the look of the porch roof-it had beautiful scroll work. Unfortuneatly, the day we were supposed to replace the columns we discovered the roof was rotten. After tearing it off (a lot harder than I'm making it sound) and inspecting it, it was actually five roofs on top of one another (EWWW).

Random Occurrence

Whoa! All this time I've been blogging about my house and I never showed you a picture of my house. It actually looks nothing like this now, but I thought it would be a good idea to show you the before so you can anticipate the after. Keep in mind that the "after" is going to be much much after (later).

We ripped the entire porch off, which was a bummer because we had only planned on replacing the decking. We loved the roof because it had a lot of old scroll work that we will never be able to repeat (on our budget).

The house is now green as well. Green has been my favorite color since I was a child and remains to be. It's a sage color and the shutters, when we buy them, will be plum.

Oh welcome to Yuppyville.

Meet my four legged roomies...

A lot of people I know have heard me talk frequently and even tell stories about RUBY and FANG.

There are a few things you should know...Number 1, I take my kitties very seriously. They are my children, well until I have real ones and I don't think that's weird whatsoever!

Fang is the older sister. She has an attitude or as more corny people call it, a cattitude (haha). She is my first pet and she was adopted (cough, cough, stolen, cough) from the neighbors two doors down. She is known in the house for her soft as silk hair and hissing at her youngest sister...lots and lots of hissing.

Ruby was an addition to our fam' because we thought that Fangy needed a friend. I am sad to say that we were terribly wrong. They aren't even frenemies. Ruby loves Fang but Fang just ain't having it. Ruby is like a real baby. She cries when she wants to be fed and cries when she wants to be picked up. She will even sit on her hiney and put her arms in the air when she wants to be picked up-so cute and at times annoying.

Brian and I have a weird obsession with cat nicknames. Sometimes we'll even text eachother at work when we come up with a new one.

Ruby also goes by: Ruby Tuesday's, Ruby Mini's, Minnie, Minnie Cakes, Cakes, Tuesday's, Ruby T. Minnie, Angel, Minnie McGee, Woobie, and more odd than others, Little Shrimp Boat Captain.

Fang goes by: Fangy, Fangdoodle, Witchy (which stemmed from Fangwitch), Pretty face, Snow Bunny, Fangy McDoodle, Pee pants (she has a problem-let's not go there), and Witchy Mobile then turned to Witchy Mobile Alabama.

So anyway, now you have a face to put with the name. Meow :)

The Bird's Word Update!

So as I previously mentioned in an earlier blog, I have an obsession with buying things and painting them white. Not only does the end product look cool, but it's actually a lot of fun. Well anyway, here it is! The before and after...