Flower Bed Makeover

We've spent the past several weekends working on our front flower beds. This is what the front of our house looked like when we bought it a year ago:

What was planted in the flower beds was ugly or refused to thrive. The only plants I saved were two hydrangea bushes that I transplanted to a cooler location. They are so happy now and have tripled in size.

Chuck worked really hard on laying the bricks correctly. It bothered me that they were not level and covered just about everything that bothered to grow.

Below is a photo of the drip system we installed to keep my new plants happy. The hose is on a timer that comes on in the morning for 30 minutes. I've covered all the hoses with a cedar mulch that was cheap and it smells nice.

Chuck put the system into my hanging baskets too. It has worked so well!

My plants have grown a bit in the past few weeks but I'm really looking forward to what they will look like in a month. I am pleased. Ta-dah!

One Small Victory

This past Saturday was rainy and stormy, the perfect time to stay home and take care of a project. A couple of months ago I shared a photo of underneath our kitchen sink. Lately, it's a hazard because Charlie can reach between the cracks of the child lock and get anything within his reach. Well, I put an end to that today. I pulled everything out from under there and discovered items I don't recall ever seeing before. I also found duplicates of items. Arrrgghhhh, I hate that.

I pulled up the ancient contact paper and replaced it with black non-skid matting. After putting back only the items that belong under there, it looks nice! It's a pleasure to get something out from under there now. I am pleased. But the linen closet awaits.

Thrift Find Makeover

I've been hunting for some type of table to go onto the front porch. Something that would hold a plant and a nick-knack or two and weather nicely. Within 2 hours of voicing this to my friend Ginger, she finds this typewriter table for $5 at Salvation Army!

I did not like the brown painted legs so I painted them. I was tempted to go with a red or yellow but I already had black.


I found this colorful Swedish cookie tin for a nickel. .05! My fat little bird was .99 and the bird cage was 3.99.

I painted the bird and the cage and added some ivy plants to the tin. I thought they turned out pretty cute. However, my little bird did not survive her first week. She was blown off the table by the leaf blower.

I've been wanting a forsythia wreath for a couple of years now and finally bought one for $15 at Michael's. It was 50% off and the very last one. Since painting the front door black I've discovered that it's difficult to find a wreath that doesn't just blend in.

I feel like something is still missing. The brick above the table looks naked. It needs a sign or some house numbers.

I priced house number signs and decided to go with a homemade version. I like it! I added just another plant and a watering can. Wallah! I am pleased.

Success!

It is done. My granite counter tops are complete and beautiful. Now it is time to paint everything else. You know how it is, update one thing and everything else looks shabby. I've been putting off painting for months and needed my mother to push me into action. We've become accustomed to the ugliness. I've included just the "before" pictures because I haven't reached the "after" yet. They are a reminder of the original green laminate that Chuck enjoyed burning. I live in Alabama, our men gleefully burn everything that won't fit into the trash can.

I've been painting for a week now and neglecting my precious blog. It began with a small manageable project of painting just the bottom cabinets in the kitchen. I was very strict following the directions. This involved TSP, sanding, priming, painting, then painting again. They worked! The results are pretty amazing.

Then I was talked into painting the bathroom cabinets "while I was at it". This involved all of the above steps and they could still use yet another coat of paint. Will it ever stop? Yo, I don't know.
I also repainted my front door that dried matte, cloudy, and bug encrusted this summer. It looks much better now. Today I've been painting the kitchen walls. I just put another coat onto the primed wall and it's looking like a kid's room, not the refreshing light blue I was envisioning. I'm really bummed. Perhaps I can tint this can of paint into an agreeable gray but I am not hopeful. I have not received a whole lot of reliable help at the home improvement stores. My last trip I was caught off guard by Mr. Sneaky. An employee who slid silently to my side. His conversation skills were just as creepy as his sudden appearance. Wish me luck.

My What Sparkling Toilets You Have!

Why thank you Edward! I have been battling inherited hard water stains. Clearly the previous owners never found the answer or just gave up to this unsightly problem. I've read all kinds of hints and products about getting rid of the ring left by the water in the toilet.

Here's what I learned:
1. The best way to empty the bowl for cleaning is to pour a bucket of water into it. Somehow the toilet flushes itself and does not refill. It was quite magical! Beware of squatting in front of the toilet after you've cleaned and then flush. I was splashed several times when the water gurgled up. Sometimes I can be a slow learner.
2. My 1st try to get rid of the hard water stain was with a product called "The Works" which claims to get rid of lime, rust, and hard water stains, not so. The Works bottle is now in a bag destined to be returned to Target.
3. Second try was pouring a 2 liter of cola into the drained toilet bowl and waiting for a couple of hours then scrubbing. This did lighten the ring but it's still very much there. Lucky for me the 2 liter was a free Pepsi from Domino's Pizza. We're Coke fans around here.
4. Third try involved pouring Borax onto the ring and letting it sit for 30 minutes then scrubbing. Again the ring is getting slightly lighter in color but it's still there mocking my efforts.
5. Fourth try was spraying "Oven Off" on the ring and letting it sit for 30 minutes. I actually let it sit for 45 because I forgot about it. Nothing happened. Nothing.
6. Fifth try was using a product called "Bar Keeper's Friend" that is in a Comet like can. Again I drained the toilet but had to scrub right away as per the directions. It came off! I couldn't believe it. The thickest part of the ring took quite a bit of elbow grease but it did come off.

What's up with the pictures you ask? I thought it in good taste not to share photos of my ring around the collar toilets or now sparkling toilets. And can you believe your eyes? Yes, this is Bella not looking whiny or bored.

Katherine's New Chandelier

I'm so excited to share this one with you because it actually turned out! I purchased this brass fixture from a thrift store last month for $19.99. It's larger than I really needed but they're hard to come by.
This time I used a primer in gray before I started with my color. In the past I have not had a lot of success with spray paint because I'm exceedingly impatient. I get carried away and over spray or don't prime and the project doesn't work out. But this time I'm pleased that I took a little bit more time and did it right. It actually didn't look that bad with just the primer!


Katherine and I both love the color blue and this one turned out so cheerful! It came from Wal-mart called Blue Ocean Breeze in gloss by Krylon.


I purchased these beads from Hobby Lobby and Michael's on sale. They were still a bit expensive but aren't they beautiful?! I spent a good amount of time trying to attach these with clear line and it just looked amateurish. The loops although they had the same amount of beads would not be made even. I must find another way. Got any ideas?

Home Improvements Stink!

I have had nothing but trouble with my latest home improvement changes. My first major issue is the installation of our granite counter tops. One piece of our counter was not measured correctly so it is not installed correctly. We're now waiting on the company to find another slab to replace this piece. Unknowingly, I managed to select the hardest to find granite. Why is it in the showroom if it's so illusive?!
I understand people make mistakes but I was not happy with the service we received. Above is a photo of the mess they left under the sink. They didn't even bother to wipe down the counters. I expected higher quality results from a company that only does granite.
In addition, I've recently learned that we cannot move onto the back splash project until the counters are done. I could turn into the Hulk if I spend any more time thinking about this. Onto another maddening project.
I special ordered a light fixture for the living room from Home Depot with the understanding that I would have it in one week. After I paid and left the store there was a message waiting for me that the fixture was on back order and would not be in for a month. It's been a month and Chuck was able to install it this week. I won't get into the boring details but it was a lot more trouble than expected.
I've learned that I really don't have the temperament for this and it's a good thing I don't drink. Here's a shout out to my relaxed smooth husband, you're awesome.

Choices, Choices, Choices

Here are some pictures of our kitchen before we bought it. Yes, this hunter green counter top now belongs to me. Guess what, there is a tile "rug" that matches it on the other side of the kitchen. Recognize those ugly cabinets from the bathroom?! We're getting ready to renovate and I'm really excited to change this kitchen into a room we love.


Yesterday we I spent hours in Home Depot and Lowe's pricing items and talking to sales people. I did not wear the appropriate shoes and paid for it later. But the choices we made were good and I am pleased with the progress we had made.

Chuck spent several hours this weekend putting in some much needed under counter lighting. It's looking better already!

I would love to wait and do the painting, lighting, hardware, back splash, and counter tops all in one weekend just like HGTV but it's just not feasible. This project will take us a while.

More Changes In Our "New to Us" Home

It's so wonderful to have a handy husband! Chuck spent all day today checking off a list of home improvements for me. He replaced all of the bathroom faucets this morning. The old fixtures were the cheapest, ugliest, and would not come clean kind. They remind me of our first two years living in a trailer as newly-weds. Those were great times but I hope to never live in a mobile home again.
I thought I was going to have to spend $60-80.00 per faucet but I found these for $24.95 at Home Depot! They turned out great. Chuck also put up some molding around our guest bathroom mirror. It looks so much better. We had already replaced the gold Hollywood light fixture and painted the room pink. The color was not what I had envisioned but it is an improvement, so I can overlook it for now. Now that I see the "before" picture here the paint looks deceitfully neutral however it was a very strange purpley-brown color. Although my pink paint is really too much it does make people look good and not sickly.

Below is another project for me. Although the cabinets in my house are mostly wood they have the most unattractive grain I've ever seen. This photo does not exaggerate they're truly that ugly. I think you'll agree with me that they must be painted and that hardware must go!

Another Makeover!

Another makeover? Yes! This time it's me. I ran across a pretty fabulous book, "How Not to Look Old" by Charla Krupp. It was written for women who are over 40 but I thought I'd get started not looking old early. I did take before and after photos and I'm sorry to say they're disappointing. I am not a photographer nor have I read the manual for my own camera. Back to the book, the author gives lots of ways to get a Y&H (young and hip look) but here's what I did:
1. Cut some bangs-my friend Emilie did a great job giving me a Y&H cut. Her hair is always Y&H.
2. Color your gray-thanks to mom and Revlon, I've got strawberry-blonde hair. Lighter hair is Y&H, severe dark and gray is OL (Old Lady).
3. Whiten your teeth- if you do this, go ahead and buy Sensodyne toothpaste it's a must have.
4. Wear a pink lipstick-I'm having trouble with this one, it's tricky with red hair.
5. Tame eyebrows
6. Great Y&H accessories- I bought a great large yellow purse with lots of sparkle. Mom also loaned me a great long necklace which is all the rage this season. I wore the necklace out to dinner and discovered why I don't own long necklaces. They always end up "lassoing" one of my breasts. That is definitely OL.
Overall I'm happy with the results. It did not take much effort or money. What is taking a great deal of effort is the 30 Day Shred DVD. 25 times more to go.

Makeover and Birthday Party

The front porch makeover is done, for now. I painted the shutters and front door and added a fresh wreath and planter. It cost me just under $50. I'm happy to be rid of the 90's hunter green. I'm not pleased with the front door. Turns out it was too humid so the paint dried matte and with quite a collection of small bugs.

This weekend was my mother's birthday so we had a cookout. We had a great time with good food, good company, and a pinata.

A Backdoor Makeover

Here's a beautiful "before and after" of one of my favorite bloggers back entrance, http://j-a-girl.blogspot.com/. It motivated me to get going on my own makeover! I power washed the front of our house this morning. I have big plans to do some painting, planting, and decorating. Photos coming soon.