The Little Kitchen that Couldn't {A Before Story}

A little kitchen in the Adirondacks was employed about a house for such work as it was built for, making chicken nuggets and gourmet peanut butter and jelly. 

One morning it was waiting to make its next meal when the woman of the house asked it to hold more than one person while putting away the groceries.

"I can't; that is too many people for me", said the great little kitchen built for hard work. 

Chalk Paint® Kitchen Inspiration on Hometalk

Sometimes when it is snowing for hours and days and weeks on end and my boys are outside sledding, I like to cruise through Pinterest, and Hometalk to find inspiration for my next project.

 Am I the only one who does this?

If you haven't heard of Hometalk it is a community where you can post projects about your home and garden or ask for help with projects from the other talented members.

Kitchen Update with Chalk Paint® by Annie Sloan

My neighbors moved in across the street almost 2 years ago, but I met them before they closed on the house.  They drove up one summer evening while I was walking down the street and we just started talking...for like an hour.

Right away I knew that we would be friends. Carol and Mark are from Texas and have that wonderful southern charm that sucks you in like a bear hug. They are warm and welcoming and I couldn't ask for better neighbors/ friends.

So this past summer when they decided to makeover their outdated kitchen I was all in to help.

All ‘Bout the Tile, ‘Bout the Tile Not the Mantel

Ever get a song stuck in your head and you just can’t shake it?

Maybe it is playing when your clock radio alarm goes off in the morning and you start humming it in the shower through sleepy eyes.

Then you get in the car and flip through the channels only to hear it again right at the chorus.

The kids scream, “Leave it here!”

So you leave it hoping against all hope that this will cure you from singing it for the rest of the day.

It never does though, does it?

The Time I Invited Vern Yip to Dinner {and a Double Lamp Makeover}

Just like every Saturday morning, I got up, made my oatmeal with brown sugar and peanut butter toast then proceeded to read all of my email and check Facebook.

Unlike every Saturday morning, I saw that Vern Yip was in my area at a furniture store doing a meet and greet. 

source

I have loved Vern since Trading Spaces....remember that show? 

However, when I looked at the time of his appearance it was smack dab in the middle of my son's soccer game. 

Pretty in Pink…A Lamp Makeover

This past weekend I had my 20^th high school reunion.  

Two of my besties from childhood and a few other very dedicated classmates worked extremely hard planning this amazing event.

When to Plank and When Not to Plank

In January, my husband and I got this great idea to jump on the bandwagon and do the 30 day plank challenge. 

To be totally honest, I didn't even know what a plank was, so I Googled it and thought, “I can totally do that.”

Day one - plank for 20 seconds.

So I got down on the floor and up on my elbows and the balls of my feet. Then held the position.

Seriously Simple

From Old and Faded to Lovely and Jaded

It is no secret that I love a bargain. 

I must have gotten that gene from my grandma…the queen of finding the coolest things from the Dollar Store.

So, when I found this lamp at a garage sale down the street, my heart skipped a beat...

It literally, stopped beating for a second. 

I pulled the cord. 

It made the most perfect clicking sound.

And the shade...

The shade is made of glass!

I walked away from it though.

Lemonade Invitation and an Apology

The Front Porch Reveal

I'd like to apologize. 

You are all my friends and I have let you down. For this, I'm truly sorry.

How have I let you down, you might be asking?

Well, back in April my husband ripped the front steps off the house. 

I was shocked and thrilled and I got all of you excited about the possibilities too.

Then I teased you with snippets of our progress. 

I even gave you all our deadline for finishing our few Miner major adjustments…2 weeks.

Those 2 weeks came and went and now it's 4 months later, but still no porch pictures for you.

The Front Porch Project

A Sneak Peak

Good ideas do not always come out of thin air.  

Many hours are spent brainstorming, talking, and then heading to Pinterest to find the exact picture of what you want something to look like.

This is our front porch inspiration...

source unknown

 and this...

houseplansandmore.com

Knock Knock

Update Your Front Door in Minutes

Knock knock.

Who’s there?

Doris.

Doris who?

Doris locked, that's why I’m knocking.

One Sweater...Three Different Projects

{Part 3}

Sometimes a sweater is more than a sweater.  It is warmth for your hands, a head rest after a long day, and something stylish for your boots.  I knew this sweater had to go.  It wasn't for me anymore. So I made a few Miner adjustments to it.

If you are curious about the first 2 projects that I did, you can find them here and here.

So after doing the first projects what is left of this sweater?  Not much...just the arms and neck.

I looked at the neck and said "What the heck can I make out of this?"

A big fat nothin'.  So I tossed it.

The arms are another story though.  A love story, if you will.

At first, I put them on like leg warmers.  Unfortunately, the wrist end of the arm was up by my knee and it was too tight. Ouch!

Picture this. I am walking down the hall at school with a group of students when all of a sudden the circulation in my leg cuts off and I go down like a sack of potatoes.  Not pretty.

So I went in a different direction...literally.

I turned them around and made boot liners.

The stores sell them for high rubber boots and they range in price from about $9.99 - $24.99.

There is no foot in these though, so I will still have to wear socks.

But I my legs have been oh, so toasty this winter.{LOVE}

How did I do it? Here are 3 easy steps.

And there you have it...boot liners!

One sweater that I didn't like turned into three {useful} creations that I love...

Mittens for my hands.

A pillow for my head.

And boot liners for my legs.

What would you make from an old sweater?

{Trina}

Boy's Bedroom Makeover...Closer to Finished

Over the summer (that feels like so long ago...come back to us summer...puh-lease!), I found a $10.00 nightstand and did a cutie to beauty makeover on it. And since my 4 year old requested an anchor on the drawer pull, it seems as though his room is taking on a nautical sailing theme vibe. Maybe throw in a plaid quilt, a canoe paddle, a little art on the wall. Not going overboard, but I'm cool with that vibe. 

I have it all figured out in my head. Now to find the time to get it finished....

Making a Few Miner Adjustments to Monkey's Room List

• Paint the picture rail molding
• Rearrange the furniture
• Frame and hang the art

The art.  I don't think it's really art per say.  It is just a little something I put it together using picmonkey.  That site is so fun!  I think we'll put it in a giant white frame with the white wall behind it, right over the nightstand. 

I hope the 4 year old loves it! Anyone know where I can get a vintage canoe ore for cheap?

{Trina}

Disclosure: I put this together, but did not draw the sailboat. The Sailboat image can be found here.

Vintage Desk Makeover

I have always wanted to be a teacher. Most of my extended family are teachers. My great grandmother taught, for a year, in a one room school house before she got married.

When I was 8, we moved into a new house that had a giant slate chalkboard hanging in the basement.  I just about died and went to heaven, playing school teacher everyday after school.

And I've always wanted one of those desks where the chair is attached to the desk. Or the desk is attached to the chair. Either way, always wanted one, but could never find one.  Until, last summer.

My hubby, who knows me so well, was at the Salvation Army looking for something else (clearly I can't remember because it was instantly forgotten) when he knocks on the window to me.  I was waiting outside in the car with sleeping boys.

I look in and there he is holding up a vintage chair with a desk attached. A vintage desk with a chair attached. Which is it already?

I literally started clapping and jumping up and down.

When he finally got the clerk's attention to ask how much it was, do you know what she said?

$3.99!  Can you believe it? Besides a little rust it was in perfect condition.

We scooped that desk up so fast and ran home to paint it. Just a few Miner adjustments.

Now, it lives in my son's room. He does his homework there. He colors there. The paint has held up really well.  All I did was lightly sand the lacquered top and the rust on the metal. Then spray painted it 3 times.

Currently, I am looking for another one for boy #2. Anyone have a lead?


Happy Desk Hunting!

~Trina

Boy's Bathroom Makeover for under $25.00

Remember those free bathroom printables I made a couple weeks ago?  Well, I finally got around to printing them. But, putting them up in my current bathroom wouldn't look right. So I started searching for the perfect shower curtain. The one I have is nice, but it definitely isn't meant for rough and tumble little boys, who will someday grow into refined men (she hopes with all her might). 

This is what their bathroom usually looks like...

A mess! This was just after bath time. And that mess isn't even that bad.

This is what it looks like when it is clean. Not terrible, but there is too much brown, beige, tan, boring. It is time for a few Miner adjustments.

For less than $25.00, I did something about it...

Steps to a better boy's bathroom

First, I printed the bathroom art....technically FREE

Then I went to the dollar store (My grandma would be proud...I am a dollar store junkie) and got four 8x10 frames....$4.00

Unfortunately, they only came in black, so I had to go get some white spray paint...$3.59 (I feel like I am the mouse in If You Give A Mouse a Cookie).

Then I headed to Target and made a bee line to the bath department, averting my eyes from any other aisle that would call my name.

There, I found 2 curtains...both on sale! But, one was plastic and the other fabric. Quality matters. A difficult lesson I have learned after wasting a lot of money on crap things. Although you must be thinking,"but you bought your frames at the dollar store." It's the kid's bathroom...it's going to get wet in there. Dollar store frames are fine for the bathroom.  Let's move on. K?

The shower curtain was $14.89 and I love it. Bold, Nautical, All Boy!

After putting the room together the grand total for this makeover was $24.05 including tax.

Want to see how it turned out?

What do you think? My boys love it. And it was so quick and easy! Maybe I will buy them some new towels...if they are good.


Happy Inexpensive Makeovers!

~Trina

DIY Nightstand Makeover

A couple weeks ago I teased you all with this little post.  Well, my friends, after 2 coats of gray primer and 4 coats of paint we are finally finished with this $10 nightstand! This makeover was a lot of work.  Well, not really. It just took a long time to complete. So you can imagine that I haven't gotten around to the other painting project I was going to do this summer. That will have to wait.

Alright, without further ado...

At first AJ wanted a sailboat drawer pull.  Well, that was nearly impossible to find. They were either too expensive, came in packages of 5 or cheesy looking. So I showed him some pictures of sailboats/ anchors to paint one for him.  He liked the anchor best.  I love how decisive this little 4 year old is.  Once he makes his mind up there is no more talk of it.

He is now "Anchored for Life".

The paint is called Later Gator by Valspar Signature in semi-gloss.

From cutie to beauty! Total cost: $25 (nightstand and paint)

Next, I will be making a few Miner adjustments to the paint in his room and putting it all together. Stay tuned for that before and after!

Happy DIY!

~Trina