full talk found here

I promised we’d talk about price and what we did in the kitchen, so here we go!

I loved the open-ness of the kitchen right into the family room. The cabinets were in great shape and had some nice features, they were just orange oak. Painting was the least expensive route. Do you remember how I got some quotes to have a professional paint it? They came in for around $2500, so with our budget right now we decided to DIY.

Here are the price breakdowns:

Cabinet hardware: Martha Stewart Bedford Dowel Cabinet Pull and Martha Stewart Bedford Canopy Pull. Total: $200 We spray painted the hinges with a brushed nickel. Who cares about hinges? I guess I don’t.

Now, you could save a lot of money on pulls for your cabinets by purchasing them on Ebay, but I LOVED these and figured since we were painting ourselves, I was totally justified in the hardware…right??

That sweet topiary was a fun surprise from my friend, Robyn! The paint and primer for the cabinets was about $100 ~ the tutorial for painting kitchen cabinets can be found by clicking here.

You can read more about the kitchen shelf here with the beadboard wallpaper backing. The containers are from Target, but I scored one at a yard sale. The silver platter was a wedding gift, the plates and crock are also old Target purchases. Total: $22

We kept the sink, and you can read more about the faucet here. $100

The milk glass and white glassware are mostly from Goodwill (that white pitcher is from Target), total about $20.

DIY schoolhouse light here $35

Curtain fabric info here about $15

the baskets were from my cut up coffee table turned bench! (free), the dishwasher was a crazy deal last year, a kitchen aid marked down from $1589 to $589 (remember?)

That fridge came with us from Texas, so I’m not including it. I would love a different style, but we’re waiting on that one. The microwave ($149) and stove ($598) were black Friday deals last year.

The green chair at the desk was about $15, the diy roman shades were about $20

The subway tile is the good old .24 cent tile in store at Home Depot – $20 total.  I don’t think you can get more bang for your buck if you need a classic update in your kitchen or bath. The tutorial for the subway tile backsplash can be found here.

The corbels are from Home Depot, $8 each = $24 they are hot glued on there….shhhhhhh.

The bowl is TJMaxx $17

Glass in cabinet doors (see tutorial here) $18

Penny tile cabinet back -- click here for tutorial $150

I saw the idea for this in PB magazine and pinned it, then copied it. The hooks are from summer garden clearance at Lowes $3 each = $6

The pitcher is from TJ Maxx $9, and the lantern is from Real Deals in Missoula, Montana when I was there visiting. $20

The table refinish -- click here for the full tutorial was about $50, the chairs from Craigslist were $100, the diy drum lights were $120 – tutorial here.

We kept the laminate counters, because we’re trying to meet some financial goals and new solid surface isn’t in the budget right now. But at least they are nice and neutral.

Neither are hardwood floors…but, someday? I hope. The previous owners put brand, spanking new linoleum in right before we saw the house for the first time. I saw the bill for it on the counter (I ain’t  nosy) and they paid $2800. Gulp. Of course I think of what that could have gone towards flooring wise, but can’t really change that now, can I? It’s not bad at all though.

And there you have it.

TOTAL: $2397 for EVERYTHING including the appliances we purchased. It feels like a new kitchen! I love that we would have paid a painter more than that just to paint the cabinets. Awesome.

So…NOW it feels good, now that the work is all over, but I’m not gonna lie, it’s not a fun process.

Let’s look at the before one more time:

and the after:

I know I probably missed something~let me know if you have ???

Well, of course it snowed.

Because Christmas is over, and it would make too much sense to snow before Christmas??

I’m a little bitter today…because it’s BITTER cold outside, I’m still trying to get Christmas down, my new years resolutions aren’t going so hot, and we started on the upstairs’ bathrooms over the break and they are just sitting waiting for me to finish peeling the wallpaper borders.

Blasted projects~who thought they were a good idea anyway?

Happy New Year! The first courage for the week in 2012:

They may not have the most comments or hits, but here the ones that are near and dear to my heart:

1. Spring On My Door :  my oldest daughter was home sick that day and we had the crazy notion to write this post in cave man talk. We were laughing so hard and google searching for a cave woman to sign the post with. Most of you probably thoughy I was off my rocker as you read, except for Amy at a Nest For All Seasons who simply wrote: “like much.” She has a special place in my heart!

In the lamp section at Lowes they have medium holiday lampshades (these would fit all of my lamps in my living room) on sale for $5.98, which is a great deal, BUT…their holiday clearance is 50%, so my nice cashier gave me them for $3 each. I bet you could talk yours into half price as well.

Just remove the holiday ribbon, and you’ve got yourself a new shade to work with! Isn’t that the most expensive part of getting lamps at thrift stores: buying new shades?

I stocked up.

You can call your store and ask them if they have any item # 0362226 in stock.

Good luck!!

One of my favorite Christmas hymns~

I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day
Their old familiar carols play,
And wild and sweet the words repeat
Of peace on earth, good will to men.

I thought how, as the day had come,
The belfries of all Christendom
Had rolled along the unbroken song
Of peace on earth, good will to men.

And in despair I bowed my head:
"There is no peace on earth," I said,
"For hate is strong and mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good will to men."

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
"God is not dead, nor doth he sleep;
The wrong shall fail, the right prevail,
With peace on earth, good will to men."

Till, ringing singing, on its way,
The world revolved from night to day,
A voice, a chime, a chant sublime,
Of peace on earth, good will to men!

~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Have a wonderful, blessed holiday~

it’s no secret that my favorite movie is It’s a Wonderful Life. George Bailey’s prayer in Martini’s bar is probably one that we have all offered at one point or another in our lives. Here’s that prayer and an excerpt from an article for Guideposts that Jimmy Stewart wrote about It’s a Wonderful Life:

“As I said those words, I felt the loneliness, the hopelessness of people who had nowhere to turn, and my eyes filled with tears. I broke down sobbing. This was not planned at all, but the power of that prayer, the realization that our Father in heaven is there to help the hopeless, had reduced me to tears.

Frank (Capra, the director), who loved spontaneity in his films, was ecstatic. He wanted a close-up of me saying that prayer, but was sensitive enough to know that my breaking down was real and that repeating it in another take was unlikely. But Frank got his close-up. The following week he worked long hours in the film laboratory, repeatedly enlarging the frames so that eventually it would appear as a close-up on the screen. I believe nothing like this had ever been done before. It involved thousands of enlargements with extra time and money. But he felt it was worth it…” ~Jimmy Stewart, Guideposts.

More on why I love IAWL so much here.