$887 Kitchen Remodel



Before





 




  



After



Breakdown on cost:

1. New flooring: $107.00(laminate from Sutherland's)
2. Refacing the cabinets: $80(using Recyclebank coupons at Star Lumber)
3. Cabinet hardware: $45(purchased for $1 each at Jabara's Damaged Freight)
4. Paint for the walls,trim, and cabinets: $65(Home Depot and Lowe's)
5. Counter tops: $120(Menards)
6. Back splash:$110(Menards)
7. Light fixture over sink: $7(Star Lumber clearance)
8. Overhead light fixture: $40(Menards)
9. Trim for doorways, window, and under cabinets: $23(Jabara's Damaged Freight)
10. Bullseye corner blocks: $12 (Home Depot)
11. Sink and faucet: $150(Craigslist and Sutherland's)
12. 2 new base cabinets: $128(Sutherland's)

Total - $887 including all taxes

We are still working on our stove/fridge wall, we need to finish tiling and trimming out the remaining cabinets on that wall. That is our shortest wall with 2 small 15 inch base cabinets flanking the stove and the fridge. We also haven't replaced our overhead light fixture yet, I won't spend over $40 including tax, we just need to wait until I can squeeze those into our budget. The budget above includes the cost of these remaining items...I just couldn't wait to show you!!


Featured on A Turtle's Life For Me
Linked on: The Creative Paige

                                                                                          Stove & Fridge wall

Tile's Begun!

Just a small preview, there is no grout, so ignore those gaps, and we have to adjust  the outlet, but we are both so glad we chose the single colored 6X6's. We have a busy weekend planned!! YAY/SIGH!

Here's that same wall before we moved in.(That's our realtor, Laura.)

New Countertops Peek



BEFORE



AFTER

I have been pretty bummed about our counters ever since the painted "granite" look hasn't held up. Everyday, I find new peelings popping up all over the place. I found the "perfect" countertops at Lowe's, but the price was a little high for our budget. It would cost over $400 for the whole kitchen.

I was browsing our Menards ad, and saw an in-stock laminate countertop featured called, "Jamocha Granite". I LOVED the color and the brown tones go perfectly with our brown and cream kitchen. 

The total before tax was $112.00 FOR THE WHOLE KITCHEN!!!!!! WAHOO!!

We bought 12ft, 8ft, and 4ft sections.

Here's a close-up. Don't you love it too???

Now, one of the reasons I loved the Lowe's counters were for the ogee edge it came with. But I think it's worth that sacrifice to save $$$.

Now we just have to figure out the backsplash?????? Any suggestions??

Here's a few backsplash ideas:



I like the layout...maybe contrasting tiles??




I love the simplicity of subway, but warmed up.



I like the earthy tuscan feel of this field stone.

We have to be realistic...I mean we are on a budget and I can't save all that $$, only to throw it at the backsplash.

Fresher Family Room

Before: Family Room

After: Family Room(excuse the cluttered shelves..that's where we keep the children's books)

South wall(Door goes into the sunroom)

West wall

                                                              East wall
We have been working on the family room ever since we moved in...a little at a time.
First, we replaced the carpet.
Painted the walls "Butter Cookie."
Added new light fixtures.
Repainted the bricks on the fireplace.
Added moulding to the mantel and painted it.
Added moulding to the bookshelves and painted.
Finished the beadboard look complete with new trim above and below.
We finally finished it last night.

Gathered this morning before Mass.

Pottery Barn Kids Chairs Redo

After: Brown Chairs

Before: Blue and Red Chairs

 We bought this set from Pottery Barn Kids the year we decided to homeschool...10 years ago. It was the perfect addition to our perfect school room that we never used. We recently moved it into the dining room. It's been a great snack, meal, and preschool table for the little ones.

I love having it in the dining room, but I wanted it to 
match the big table and chair set...at least somewhat.
I'm happy with the simple spray paint solution. 
This project was inspired by Fresh Cut Flours.
Check it out!

< Little Table

                                                              Big Table>

Mantel Makeover

Before: Note the driftwood-esque mantel and mismatched stained and abused brick.

After: We painted the brick in Ashen and Stone Grey, added trim moulding to the mantel and bookshelves and painted them white.

Simple Art: cut up toilet paper tubes into slices(they automatically compress into petal shapes when cut), paint, and glue onto a foam board. Cost - $3.50 including paint.
See the tutorial on MoneySavingMom.

We wanted a traditional yet fresh feel for this room that acts primarily as a piano practice room and homeschool book depository. I wanted to keep the mantel simple and uncluttered. Once the bookshelves dry completely, the clutter will inevitably return.

The total makeover cost was less than $30. We bought the trim at Jabara's Damaged Freight , a couple pieces from Sutherland's, and used a few leftover pieces from previous projects.

The paint is our exterior house paint that we received a partial grant from the city for.

We used hardly any of it, we didn't paint the grout, just the brick.    

The white paint for the mantel and bookshelves we already had from when we moved.

I painted the clock and bought the little bowl and ball set(did you notice they have the same pattern as the "art"?) from Target for >$4.

Sara's Floral Fix

 This is Sara. Fabulous Sara. She fixed my St. Dominic Virtue Bouquet. Remember this post? I was never happy with how I arranged it....floral arranging is definitely not a talent of mine.


I saw the beautiful arrangements and tablescapes she had done for my friend, Becky, and I hoped she could help me. And she did!

St. Dominic Savio appeared to
St. John Bosco holding this bouquet.
Each piece is significant of the virtues needed to attain Heaven.
Rose - Love
Violet -  Humility
Sunflower - Obedience
Gentian - Penance and Self Discipline
Wheat - Frequent Communion
Lily - Purity
Evergreen - Constancy and Perseverance

 Boy oh boy..do I need this reminder!!
Thank you Sara!!!

Dining Room Window Treatment





To unify both the dining and living rooms, yet define each space, I used a coordinating stripe. Also, I incorporated an accordion pleat and an applique using the living room valance fabric to further bring cohesiveness between the rooms.

 LIGHTS OFF!

Living Room




Most of the room.     LIGHTS ON!




I still need to iron and add the lining...I'm just finally happy to have something in the dining room!!

 

Organized Art Supplies

I dashed over to Target to grab some school supply bargains and I hit the dollar spot and found this little gem.

Actually..it's $2.50...but well worth it.

It easily holds three boxes of 24 ct crayons, a few more boxes would fit, 3 boxes of markers, 2 boxes of colored pencils, 4 glue sticks, 10 mechanical pencils, scissors, glue, and a pencil sharpener.

As you can see there is plenty of room for more!

On the base is a turning thing-a-ma-jig so you can rotate it.

This is SO much better than our current used baby wipe container method! They had all the primary colors available also.

Empty packages

Dollar Spot tag

Race Car Beds

Charlie napping in his new car bed.

The Situation

Our upstairs has been a crowded ,crazy, disordered mass of chaos. There are too many people and not enough bedrooms. We decided to have the 2 oldest boys move down to the lower level and make part of it into a bedroom. This would open up the big bedroom for the 3 youngest boys.

Design Dreaming

I've been giving this quite a bit of thought...decorating wise anyway. The boys all LOVE cars and especially car beds. The reason for their passion is in part due to the "Calvin and Barney" stories.

These are stories I make up every night as I tuck them into bed about 2 brothers who love God and each other very much and who are always respectful to their parents. Well, guess what they have in their bedroom?? They each have a race car bed that they drift off to sleep praying and thanking God for their blessings in. I admit that I have fantasized about designing a very cute Race Car themed room for them.

My biggest problem was buying the race car beds. They are expensive. Even on craigslist they are pricey.

This thing is HUGE!!

Amazing Blessing

Don spied a blue toddler Little Tikes race car bed and Sealy mattress being thrown away at the curb of a house down the street. He asked the policeman who lived there if he was really throwing it away. The man said he was. Don offered him some money and he declined. Then he told Don that if he could come back later, he could have a twin size black race car bed also. He was cleaning out his boys' room to make way for a bunk bed and he didn't want to have to mess with the race car beds. They are in excellent condition.

Weird or Wonderful

So here I am kind of bewildered and happy and feeling just... well...strange about the whole thing. I mean really??? For free??? This is crazy isn't it?? But a good crazy. I don't think that I ever prayed for this...I mean it's certainly not a need or anything. I am very thankful though and even as I type this, it's still doesn't seem real. Don and I decided to send the family gift certificates and a photo of the kids enjoying their new beds.

Thank you Jesus for giving us yet another UNEXPECTED and UNDESERVED blessing! One more blessing is rain! We have been begging/praying/pleading for rain. Thank thank you our Loving God!!!

Mini-Makeover



Here's all the no-sew valances finished,...in the window seat area...I decided to add a muslin lining and added a thicker trim that's 3X as wide as the previous trim along the bottom...I had to change it because the store didn't have enough and this was just as affordable...and I like it MUCH better. We also adjusted the curtain rods to fit the windows better.

Here's the Before window seat. I am planning to make a nicer window seat cushion that spans the whole width....I was so disappointed in these pillows from Target....they didn't hold up very well and stained horribly...even though I scotch-guarded them.

I also made a lumbar pillow for the chair on our way to K.C. this weekend...I hand sewed it and used bias tape for piping.



Close-up of the new thicker trim.