I WON!

That's right! I entered my kitchen makeover in the Before & After weekly contest and I won!  Now, go here to check it out!

The Kitchen Details

I am still loving my new kitchen. I said in my last post that I would share more info about how I refinished the cabinets.

Remember our kitchen cabinets used to look like this:

They were really ok as they were. They were in good condition, but I just really wanted to lighten up the kitchen and I really wanted cream cabinets.

So, here's what I did:

I numbered each cabinet.

And I made a little diagram to remind myself where each numbered cabinet door belonged.

Then, I removed all the doors and began the grueling process of painting them!

I did not sand, but used a Zinser oil-based primer. I had planned to spray the doors, but my sprayer was acting up so I ended up using a brush.

I brushed on about 3 coats of semi-gloss cream paint.

Now, if you noticed, in the before pic, there is a wood bridge that connects the two sets of cabinets on either side of the sink. I HATED it! I desperately wanted to take that baby down and separate the cabinets. So, my awesome husband did!

He was able to cut the existing piece of trim and fit it around the two sets of cabinets.

We had planned to install a super stylish barn sconce (previously there had been a fluorescent light mounted under the wooden valance), but unfortunately, because of window framing- we were going to have to hire an electrician to install a light box.

So, instead, my aforementioned genius husband, reinstalled the fluorescent light and mounted it to the wall.

My valance covers it completely!

It really worked out perfectly, because if we had installed the sconce I had picked out, I wouldn't have had room for my valance!

And that, my friends, is my favorite part of the makeover!

I chose to replace all the doors before distressing them because I couldn't handle the chaos of my messy kitchen any more!

First, I sanded the edges of the doors.

Then, I used Watco Danish Oil (found at Lowe's) to bring out the distressed marks.

I simply brushed on the danish oil, let it sit for a minute or two and then rubbed it off with a rag.

Once the doors were dry, I replaced the knobs. I needed a total of 24 knobs, and I only had 21. I had some pulls leftover from our last home that ended up being the same finish, so I used those on two cabinets. I chose two bottom cabinets that didn't have drawers over them so that having a different pull would make sense.

Since all the doors previously had only a knob, I had to drill an additional hole to use the pulls. This can be tricky. I have totally messed this up before, so here are a few tips.
Make a template. Use a piece of cardstock. I taped on the cardstock being sure that it lined up EXACTLY with the edge of the cabinet door. I then used an awl and poked through the cardstock into the existing hole in the cabinet door. Then, I removed the cardstock, attached the pull to the cardstock through the hole with a screw. Make sure the pull is pushed up flush to the cardstock and then using the awl, again, poke through the cardstock into the bottom hole in the pull.

Now you have two holes! You have to make sure this part is right. If you have your holes marked wrong, the pull will not fit when you try to install it.

You can see that I have x-ed out one set of holes, because they were wrong!

Next, drill through your cardstock. I used a small drill bit first and then used the drill bit that matched the size of my pull screws. This worked perfectly. If you don't use the small one first, it is easier for the wood to split and just harder to drill all the way through.

Here's another great tip that I actually learned from Young House Love. Put a little piece of tape right below where you are drilling and it will catch your little shavings! Makes for much easier clean up!

Then, wa- la:

So, those are the details! Now, I need to go load the dishwasher!

*****Update: I am now blogging over at vanessadolberry.com/blog.  Check it out!****

Recovering a Seat Cushion

Okay, it's not that hard, but if you've never recovered a seat cushion before, here's how to do it:

When I posted about my dining room transformation, I asked you not to look at the two head chairs with the non-complimentary blue chair cushions.

I was looking for some neutral fabric to recover those chairs. I thought about using a dropcloth because it would match the curtains and would be inexpensive. I kind of wanted fabric with a little more texture, however. I lucked up and found the perfect fabric at Old Time Pottery for about 5 bucks a yard. (They had some great designer fabrics there that pretty much made me want to redo my entire house, but I refrained.)

So, here's how you recover a chair:

1. Cut your fabric. Remember to leave enough room to fold it over the cushion with extra fabric to spare.

2. Start by pulling the fabric taught (but not so tight that the shape of the cushion changes) and put one staple in the middle of each side. Staple top, bottom and then side to side.

3. Staple all around the edges leaving the corners for last.

There are 2 options for corners. You can do a gathered corner or a pleated corner.

I went for the pleated corner. Just make sure which ever way you do it, both corners match.

I gathered the back corners because it was more of a rounded edge and they are less visible.

4. Trim off excess fabric, make sure any screw holes are accessible and reattach to chairs!

Much, much better.

Linking here.

Cheap Kitchen Furniture Redo

I bought this little table 2 years ago at GW for $15. I painted the oak finish a distressed cream right after I bought it. I didn't prime it so, after moving, the distressed finish became a little too distressed and not very desirable.

I planned to paint it cream again, but thought I might go a little bolder and paint it blue. The paint was left over from another project, so there was nothing to lose but time, right?

So, I painted it blue and distressed it. Then, I applied 2 coats of wipe-on poly. I also added a shelf and trimmed it out with molding. This is the first time I have ever altered a piece of furniture with more than paint. I was pretty excited about the way it turned out. I love how the cream and the bare wood show through in spots.

This is a very important table in our house. Each child has his/her own basket to keep school papers in and those little things I find around the house that belong to them. Then on the weekends, we empty them out. I put special school projects or work that I want to keep in the bottom drawer. The top shelf has a basket where we keep things that used to clutter up the top of the table, like receipts, invitations, pens, pencils, etc.

I even gave my kitchen table a makeover. It used to look like this:

It was just a cheap-o black pedestal table- I think from Target (I bought it at a liquidation outlet.).

I really wanted a dark stained wood table with cream chairs. I was pretty sure that this table was not solid wood, so I thought it was hopeless. I decided to sand it down just to see.

I'm so glad that I did, because it was wood!

I found 2 of these chairs at GW for $14.99 (for BOTH).

I Painted them cream and recovered the cushions with a $4.98 shower curtain from Target. (I added some clear vinyl to the seats also to protect them from the many spills that will be in their future.)

Now, they look like this:

I also took two chairs like this, also bought from GW for $6.99 each, and gave them the same treatment.

So my table went from this:

To this:

And the kitchen went from this: (when it was semi-done)

To this: (done for now...I still want to paint my cabinets! )

I love it!

Cost breakdown:

Stain for table- $8
Poly- had on hand
Chairs- $30 for all 4
Spray paint for chairs- $12

Material- $4.98 shower curtain (but already had it on hand)
Clear Vinyl- around $5
Fabric trim- $3
Paint for small table- free leftover from another project (but $5 was original price)
Poly- had on hand
Piece of MDF- $7 cut for free at Home Depot
Braces for shelf- $1 also cut for free
Piece of trim- had on hand
New drawer pulls- $2 for both

Linking here, here and here. And also here and here.

Some thrifty finds and some subway art

I have been a really bad blogger since we got back from Africa. There has been so much to do to get things back in order and get the kids ready to start school. K will be in 2nd grade, E is starting Kindergarten and B will be going to preschool 2 days a week. Since we have been back, I have really wanted to get things cleaned out and organized.

I have wanted a great dresser to have downstairs for storage and I found one at GW (of course!) the other day for only $29

I decided to put it in the foyer for now, but it may end up in the living room. I definitely wanted to paint it, but I was seeing it in cream with these original dark pulls, but that may not work out well with the white wainscoting in this room. We will see where it ends up!

I also got these great deals:

A "B" from Bombay for .99, a piece of foam for .99 and a white frame with mat for 2.99.

I loved this slide box that was only .99. I think it will look great in my oldest son's room, but right now it's in my living room.

I also got 6 of these awesome drawer pulls for .99 each!!

I'm linking these great finds to this party today at Southern Hospitality and also this one at Vintage Revivals.

I also saw that Tatertots and Jello is having a subway art party. I have really been wanting to share this project for awhile, so I thought now would be a good time.

I had a large canvas that we'd bought for another project and didn't use it. I wanted to make some sort of subway art with it for my living room and my friend, Nancy, gave me the idea to use the streets we have lived on. I thought it was a great idea since we've lived so many places. : )

It's definitely not perfect, but I just love the way it turned out! It is definitely a conversation piece. Anytime we have someone over, they ask about it!

Well, that's all I have for today. I have a toddler crying on my leg for M&Ms.

$1 can of paint

This past week, I finally finished a project that I have been itching to do since we moved in!! Here's the realtor's pic of our house the way it was when we bought it. It's nice, but I HATED how the trim, the brick, the siding, the door and the shutters were all the SAME color. It needed a little contrast. So, while looking through the unwanted, mismixed paints at Lowes one day, I found a quart of Valspar exterior paint in a blackish brown shade and it was ONE BUCK! Oh yeah.

I painted my door almost immediately and boy did that help! But, I finally pulled off those bland tan shutters last week and painted them. I hung out my 2nd story window to get one pair. It was so worth it!

Isn't that much better!
Here's another before:

and after:

That can of paint may have been the best $1 I've ever spent!

Ooohhh, I also found this pic taken by the realtor before we moved in of our backyard.
Before:

And now, the after:

If you missed the posts about our Backyard Makeover, check it out here and here.

I'm linking to Frugal Friday.