50 Shades of Gray... Door Edition

It has been a long time since I have posted... starting school two weeks early has been super hard on my life! It has felt like being a new teacher all over again. Plus the extra teams and work I have taken on... its put some house projects on the wayside a bit. But! I am finallllyyy able to reveal to you my beautiful doors!

Remember what they looked like before? The one on the left was the old, dated, and ugly door. The door on the right was the new and improved wonderful version!

I love the detail and character it adds to the house. Plus there is no wood grain that clashes with the flooring. Thank goodness. That is so ugly.

Now here are the two new doors together on the secondary bedrooms! Storage is still limited in our style of home so we utilize over the door hooks quite often but even so they are so much better. Plus the new handles really coordinate quite a bit better with the other fixtures that are in the house. Mmmm.... pretttyyyy.

Let's not forget the bathroom door! That one received a wonderful and beautimous update as well...

Clearly there's still some mild fixes to do and a couple of adjustments as the hinges get worked and the house settles a bit between the seasons. I am hoping to get those fine tuning details done before the holidays when we start having visitors come and stay with us. At least now they know that when they close the door it won't fall off the hinges in the middle of the night.

We like to make sure that guests are as comfortable as possible around here. hehe.

Remember my bedroom door where all this excitement first began?

Well here is a long distance shot from the hallway. Ahhhhh. I love it. Sometimes I stand next to it and say sweet things. I'm sure everyone does that to their doorways right? Oh! And I added a new handle to the front entry door too. I couldn't replace that door because I'd have to special order it, the door is in good shape, so at this point I'm not looking to spend the extra cash on it yet.

One final BEFORE shot of the ugly old 80s doors... for nostalgia's sake.

And the new! Yayyy! We love them! Pretty sure that's one of the features in the hosue my sister and I get the most compliments on. It's fun to add some extra color and appeal to the doors since the rest of my tones are pretty neutral. Art and doors are what pop around here!

What do you think of the new doors? 

Total cost:

• slab doors from Lowe's: $32x4=$128.00
• ORB handles from Lowe's (Gatehouse brand, not good for keyed locks though): $10.97x5=$54.85

The Counter Attack

It has finally happened! My counter tops are fully installed! I am going to do a few touch-ups and redos before I post a new "Kitchen Tour" picture page but for now... Let me just show you the final before and afters! 

The initial look of the kitchen in 2008: 

And after my second remodel of the cabinets back in 2010/2011:

My absolute favorite part!! How it looks now:

Bahhhh I can't even get over how holy-crap pretty these are! I seriously sped home as fast as possible from work so I could hang out with my counter tops! (Though ignore the over flow on the bar area. It was a catch-all during this process.) Remember last week when I pointed out that funky spot under the end of the bar? It was a big ole gap but now! It is fully filled in and I even added tile wallpaper on the right side of the counters instead of getting an end chunk of countertop, I think it looks better.

Even the cat liked em! Actually she got caulking on her fur. Which she wasn't a fan of. Therefore she had to lay on the counter until I served her properly and cleaned it up. 

Here's a run down of the things I kept from 2008 and the things that are new. I have to say so far this is one of the biggest impact projects I've done so far!

New vs. Old:

• old hardware, just spray painted with oil-rubbed bronze.
• old cabinets, painted with crisp white paint. (Does require maintenance of paint but worth it)
• old sink. Just a couple repairs and it was solid again.
• old stove. It works, it works for me.
• new counters!
• new back splash. I used tile looking paintable wallpaper by Allen Roth from Lowe's. The old stuff was twenty cent bathroom tile.
• new fridge and dishwasher
• new wall color
• new switch plate and outlet covers
• new light fixture (might update it again though, that one was $3.00 on clearance but it is rather modern for this space now.)
• new window covering

Now I just have to figure out something for the "L" shaped bar area. I thought it'd be fine with the new counters. But now... that looks trashy compared to all the other remodel work I've done recently.

Here's really the only picture of it I have: 

The problem is the strange shape of the counter. To buy a piece of laminate that matches and then chop it up just seems ridiculous. It would cost a lot of money. I'm sort of thinking to take some wood and build a surface. It has to be relatively light since the cabinets aren't the most solid things ever.

Here's a couple images for the overall look I'm thinking:

Eclectic Kitchen by Minneapolis Design-Build Firms the gudhouse company

{source}

Obviously those are a little fancier than what I would probably go with. But I think the contrast is nice and would keep the cottage feel of the house and add some desperately needed character to my house. "Do all things with character!" 

For instance I found an example of someone doing their entire counters with wood and then staining and sealing, I think that could look awesome!

{source}

I am excited to update that portion but one big project at a time is probably for the best. Not having countertops and microwaving dinner in my dining room wasn't my favorite experience. 

Kitchen Botox

Have you ever done one of those DIY remodeling things and had to cut something out of the budget, even though you knew eventually you were going to end up replacing it anyway? Well. That is the case in my kitchen. Back in December of 2011 when I first started remodeling the kitchen I had a very small budget. Like $300.00 dollars budget. For a college kid not bad and for the most part it has held up rather well.

For instance the cabinets used to all look like this: 

They were so dated. Being the English nerd I am I always feel compelled to hum a little Poe; "Once upon a midnight dreary while I wandered weak and weary." I just feel it describes the mood in the kitchen so well. Several gallons of white paint and elbow grease I was able to paint them white and pretty which made them look wayyyyy better. Not to mention painting the existing hardware a few years ago.

I have always hated the pink counter tops that were original to the house, which was built in the late '80s. They're older than me. So I used some counter top paint product, which has actually lasted pretty well since then. This was my scared face....

Here's what it looked like after all the paint was dried and applied:

The counters have held up pretty well in terms of the paint, I mean it has some wear and tear from hard use by roommates and just time. The problem with these counters is that they are rotting and sagging. So much that in one point from the wall to the end of the counter top there is a 3/4" slope by the sink and everywhere else a 1/4" slope. I was finally able to put some money away and save up for new counters.

Here's a demonstration with just my mini baby level.

So with the image of my present kitchen in mind and the overall theme and colors in my house... I headed off to the home improvement stores to start my journey...

I was super excited! It was painful and I spent probably 2 hours in home improvement stores on a glorious Saturday deliberating between whether or not to actually buy them. I had to call my sister into the store to help push me to do it. I decided to go with a pre-fab laminate product because it's a small galley kitchen which means I only needed to buy a 6' piece and a 4' piece to cover all the counter top space. Plus if I have a manufactured home it wouldn't be smart/practical/logical to pay for real stone, just to be honest on that score.

I was between two different counters, dark granite-y looking stuff, or light granite-y looking.

I went with the lighter. The reason being that with the dark counters I already have it felt to dark for such a small space, I am hoping with the light color it will make the space look larger and fit better with the classy, chic cottage thing I've got going on.

The nice fellers at Lowe's helped us get them loaded into the truck that my Dad's friend, Tony, brought to help me out. It was super nice of him! He's even going to help me install them! They look clean and fresh in the sun!

Total cost break down for the counter tops:

• 6 foot section: $120.00
• 4 foot section: $92.00

Discount: $22.00

Total Cost of Counters: 205.00

Not too bad really, when you think about it. I also bought a new thing of oil-rubbed bronze spray paint for the cabinet hardware, since I'm giving the whole thing a new face, I may as well touch those up as well. Plus a new faucet that is a bit taller is going in, even though I'm just going to refit the existing stainless steel sink. There's no point buying a new one since the cabinet is so small it's not like I can fit a deeper one.

I'm pretty excited! They should be installed within the next couple weeks!

Let There Be Light!

****If you are seeing this content on http://manufacturedhomefacts.com/ please be advised it is there without permission! thismessybusiness.com is the OFFICIAL and only site I publish on!***

My dear lovely reader and blogger friends! I am so sorry it has taken me so long to get a post together for you, but this time there are happy reasons for my slacking. I am pleased to announce that I received a full-time teaching position at a local high school! I teach 10th grade English and I love it! However I only got hired about a week and a half before school started, which was August 12th for us this year.

It was a mad scramble for paperwork turn in, get to the training days, set up a classroom, and start planning stuff for kids to learn. All while working 20 to 30 hours still at Lowe's, taking care of a house, and being a single puppy mama.

It's been crazy. 

But awesome! Hopefully I will be able to share my classroom photos with you but! In the meantime I do have a curb appeal post for you that's some real detrashing the hood action!

Please meet my exterior light, Creepy Cobweb Light:

I've had that light since I bought the house back in 2008 but it is not a good mix for my house. It is stuffed full of cobwebs and the top was so close to the awning thing that you couldn't change the bulb. It wasn't bright either, so safety was something that definitely concerned me.

Since I work at Lowe's I get a discount on items in the store, even clearance items! Of course I also work with people, like my lovely friend Cory. Cory gave me these lights that he had gotten on clearance for $5.00 but was never going to use. Check out how cool they are!

It is sooooo bright too! It lights up the entire porch at night which is great!

It upgrades the entire look of the place, giving it a more modern feel and making the entry area so much prettier and more "me." Which I of course love. A lot.

Here's a snapshot of the overall effect. My flowers are looking awesome also, I loveeeee the sweet potato vines. That's happening every year from now on. Definitely.

Total project investment: $0.00

That's a budget even my dad could love!

Living Single: Monthly Update

Back in March I started talking about how I wanted to start working towards financial freedom, especially since I'm now out of college and don't have that extra interest backed cash coming in every few months. (High five to those student loans!) What is starting to become a challenge is the fact that those student loans have to be paid back.

I know. Crazy. I don't remember being told that. Damnit.

So I have heard a lot of buzz around about Dave Ramsey and even recall my parents following his lead when I was a kid. I found his website {here} and found a lot of great advice. I wanted to know more! So I used my fabulous Google Chrome set up, seriously, I heart the Googlie; and found a ton of videos online.

I spent all morning on Sunday watching these videos and getting some great tips and steps to success. One thing that I noticed is that though a lot of his info is tailored to families and people in relationships (#singleladyfun) there's some things that I can incorporate into the single lady life I'm living.

For instance setting up a budget. My new favorite thing is Google Drive. You can create all kinds of documents just through Google without having to buy expensive software that if you're like me, you can't really afford at the moment. Plus it's fairly dumdum proof which I appreciate.

In my Google drive I set up a folder for all my "budget" goodies. Everything from paying off student loans, car, credit card debt, monthly budget, and a spending register. However I have no clue how to use or set up a spreadsheet.... I'm an English teacher... numbers are not me friend.

So in the truest nature of Google... I googled it! Managed to find some great resources and even found a preloaded spreadsheet that you can modify and fill in the blanks with your amounts, etc. (Shown in screenshot above) Here's the link if you want to try it out for yourself: Budget Spreadsheet

This page explains how to use the budget planner and even gives a pretty thorough tutorial if you need it. Plus it's just a great website for people like me who are starting out and want to get ahead in this money game. Check it out here: 20somethingfinance.com

For my debt repayment spreadsheets (sorry no screenshot) I used this one: Cardan Avalanche Spreadsheet. It was great because it allowed you to put in the interest rates and see how paying extra has an IMMEDIATE impact. For example if I pay even an extra $100-$200 on my student loans each month I end up saving a couple THOUSAND dollars in interest over the life of all of my student loans which is roughly 15 years for the federal loans.

Plus the handy thing about Google Drive... They've got an app for that! This is what it looks like on my Samsung Galaxy SIII. Of course my phone is an android or Google based phone which makes it easier but the app is free and easy to use, the larger documents take longer to load if you're not on WiFi but it you are using the register to track your purchases it's handy so you can just get on it, add it in, done.

I am a girl that loves clothes, shoes, nail polish, purses, and buying dog treats and toys. So for me the hardest part of this whole process has been just simply doing this:

I think if I can demonstrate enough discipline I can do it. I know I can do it, but it's not going to be easy. If you have any tips/tricks/words of wisdom or advice. Please feel free to share! I'm all ears. 

*PS. Google didn't ask me to do any of this. I was just sharing awesome things I found, for free, that work. :)

Dirty Rockin.

This year I made a pledge to myself to really make some changes to the yard outside of my little house. I outlined some of what I wanted to do in this post awhile back. 

I started out by shoveling all the rock in this triangle... (ouch....) I love the fact that Sebastian's in the background mid run. Haha.

I wanted to put it in the back by the little pathway thing because nothing grows there and it's typically a mud puddle. First I had to clean up all the leaves from the last two seasons. My neighbor's kids like to throw their broken toys over the fence which is super frustrating. They also built this atrocious looking shed. It's directly in front of my kitchen window. Grrr.

My Dad left me a bunch of his landscape tools when he moved to New Mexico so I used this fancy rake to start pulling the rocks out of the flower bed. I also broke it. Conveniently Dad also left me duct tape! :)

My neighbor gave me a huge pile of iris and tiger lily bulbs to plant so I put them all into the ground trying to space them out so that they have room to get way bigger.

I need to get some mulch to put around the tree (can't plant anything there because there is a whole nest of carpenter ants that kill everything) and then I will fill in around the new plants with the mulch as well. I think it will look way cleaner. I will sweep the sidewalk. But it was supposed to rain the day that I did the whole planting thing so I decided to hold off. In case the rain washed it away for me. 

And the big thing of rocks was transported to the back....

Also needs to be swept but it looks wayyyy better! I'm just hoping I can find some more rocks that are the same color to fill in the other side and way back by the gate. Then the "back yard" would be totally done, with the exception of replacing the steps though Jennifer (my new roomie) has an uncle that is a carpenter so we are hoping that he will accept payment of beer and dinner to help us out.

Phew. Way more yard work to go but a little free DIY headway is good for the soul!

Run-On List of Lists

So I got the idea to compile a gigantic list of all things my house from one of every home decor bloggers favorite sites Young House Love. Such amazing smart people. This list includes all the things I have done to each room and still want to do and is styled similiarly to the one on YHL. I think it helps me with prioritizing and knowing where to go. I know I've made a lot of lists lately but budget restraints have kept me from really starting any major projects. Hopefully this helps me decide what I can do. :)

 

Exterior/Porch:



(50% complete)

 

To-Do:

• Fix step into house
• Remove ramp (it's rotting and collapsing)
• Rebuild steps in back yard
• Pot plants
• Repaint porch
• Grow more grass
• Build new back porch
• Replace exterior doors
• figure out a new carport situation (former roommate drove into a post so it's on it's way out)
• organize sharage (shed+garagey thing=sharage)
• add more motion sensor/security lighting
• new gutters for the whole house
• enhance privacy in back yard either with new fence or just slats

Done:

• The yard has finally started to grow grass again...
• Repainted the lawn furniture
• Got a grill and lots of pots. 

 

Entryway:

 

(75% complete)

 

To-Do:

• Maybe get a runner rug somewhere down the line
• Keep updating accesories
• Paint walls
• Paint back of door a fun accent color

Done:

• Replaced the floors in the whole house
• Got a fabulous vintage vanity
• Hung some art 



Living Room: 

(50%ish complete) 

 

To Do:

 If you have seen my recent post about the living room you know the list is pretty long. I say "50%ish complete" because it's fully decorated and pretty I'm just in the market to go Beyonce on that room and "upgrade ya."

 

 Consign glass end tables

Fix 50" TV from rents

Sell IKEA entertainment stand

Build entertainment wal

make a decision on wingback chair (reupholster? Sell? Give away?)

New sectional couch

New flat weave area rug (more durable than fluffy shag rug now)

Paint ceiling (white, durr)

Paint walls (either Revere Pewter by BM or Moonshine by BM)

paint moding and beam to  match beadboard (white)

replace interior doors (the holey 80's hanging off the hinges doors suck)

Done:

replaced coffee table

upgraded wall art

upgraded lighting

love my curtains (hehe)

Dining Room:

(20%ish complete) 

 

To-Do:

This is sort of the same deal as the living room. I want to upgrade the dining area and make it more "my style" within the next year or so. Right now I have the same furniture in there I've had since I was 18. So it's totally done remodel wise.

• Buy new table (this one from IKEA)
• New chairs that don't have fabric seats
• Jute rug for under table
• Upgrade wall art on "big wall"
• Figure out how the heck to make window wall function/look good.
• Paint walls to go with living room and entryway
• Find a new fabulous light fixture. (sort of feeling a drum shade chandelier)
• paint the ceiling/molding (white o course)

Done:

• love my curtains
• painted the ceiling fan so it works well enough for now
• upgraded flooring through out the house

 

Kitchen:

(75% completed)



 

To Do:

• replace painted countertops with a new laminate (love solid surface-but it's a trailer ya'll)
• repaint cabinets with more durable paint (been a year since I've painted em and they chip)
• frame out doors to create shaker style
• replace hardware
• paint ceiling/molding to match rest of living space
• paint behind fridge (hehe)
• frame out wallpaper after new countertops are in
• install new faucet
• get prettier cabinet support sticks
• make bar counter out of wood for a butcher block effect (Like this blogger did here.)
• Make range hood less homely.

Done:

• repainted the cabinets
• repainted the hinges/existing hardware
• upgraded dishwasher/fridge to energy efficient
• upgraded art work
• added wallpaper tile backsplash

Master Bedchamber:

(90% complete) 

 

 

To-Do:

• upgrade tiny nightstands to small dressers upcycled from thrift store (I have lots of clothes)
• switch living room rug to bedroom and jute rug to dining room
• new headboard/footboard set up
• smaller pillows (brown ones)
• upgrade ceiling fan to pretty light
• paint the molding around bathroom entry, upgrade to prettier trim? maybah? 
• upgrade to double rods
• new bedroom door
• replace mini-blinds

Done:

• upgraded all the flooring
• removed crazy scary sliding closet doors
• installed closet organizer
• revamped filing cabinet
• painted ceiling fan so it's prettier for now
• took down uglio I-wish-I-was-French-doors
• put up curtains for closet/bathroom doors
• turned cheapy bookcase into magical shoe display land
• upgraded desk area
• added new/pretty artwork

 Master Bathroom:

 



(95% complete)



 

To-Do:

• replace/fix shower stall (at least the door, it pops open. Sebastian likes it. I don't.)
• take down cheap over the potty thing and install something prettier (only if there's studs)
• recaulk around the vanities/tubs/shower/wet places.
• upgrade the hardware (just painted the original stuff when I did the redo. heh.)
• add second shelf under little shelf that has been in my trunk for 3 years... no rush yo.
• work around garden tub area to add new tile or something. It's ugly.

Done:

• repainted all cabinets in a two tone fashion
• upgraded artwork
• painted the walls and ceilings
• added accessories
• installed jewelry cabinet
• added changing chair

Cube Hallway:

(60% complete)

 

To-Do:

• Paint the walls to match the living room space
• Paint ceiling/molding
• add beadboard wallpaper from Lowe's to bottom to make it match the living room
• upgrade switch covers
• remove drywall strips and texture
• replace/repaint light fixture
• replace both bedroom and bathroom door and handles

Done:

• added storage using old microwave stand
• upgraded flooring along with the rest of the house
• painted furnace cover (gotta love trailers)

Bedroom #2:

(10% complete) 

 

To-Do:

This is when my unique situation comes into play. Right now in order to afford the mortgage (just graduated college-seeking new full-time job) I rent out bedrooms #2 and #3 for extra cash. Meaning I can't do much in this room. My goal time to "reclaim" this room is by the end of 2014. So a year and a half. This list will read as the future office I want it to be.

• since this will be my office one day, I want to repaint it completely.
• replace bedroom door and knob
• add custom desk with lots of storage. ((sort of like this)
• add more to the existing closet organizer for files/paperwork/craft supplies
• get a wonderful amazing rug
• texture the walls
• upgrade the curtain rod

Done:

• flooring is all replaced with the rest of the house
• upgraded the light switch covers
• new water heater (it's in the closet in there, again, trailer weirdness)
• painted the ceiling and molding
• added closet organizer for max storage space
• took down crazy ugly closet doors and replaced with curtains

Bedroom #3:

 

(50% complete)

 To Do:
Again this is a similiar situation to what's going on with bedroom #2. I rent this room out also because I need help with the mortgage and such. Back in the day it was my office but in the future it will be a guest room. If my life follows it's current path that should be by the end of 2013. Yay!

• upgrade night stand and dresser
• add headboard
• buy a second curtain for the closet (currently has desk on one side, roomie clothes on the other)
• add more shelving to closet organizer so can be used for seasonal shoes/clothes, etc.
• replace bedroom door and knob
• replace mini-blinds

Done:

• upgraded all the flooring with rest of the house
• purchased a full-sized guest bed
• upgraded the curtains
• added new curtain rod
• painted magnificent stripes
• already own bedding for future guest
• have a good grey IKEA rug
• have a TV for guest room
• added closet organizer
• upgraded ceiling light

Guest bathroom:

(90% complete)



 To-Do:

• upgrade to energy efficient white potty (bye-bye bisque)
• add trim under countertop
• replace mirror
• touch up paint

Done:

• painted all the walls Dolphin by Home Depot's Martha Stewart collection
• replaced countertop
• replaced faucet
• tiled shower and flooring
• replaced bathtub
• fixed faucet/showerhead
• added storage cabinet
• upgraded light fixtures
• upgraded cabinet handles
• upgraded towel bar
• added new art work (see the reveal for the whole thing here)

Laundry Room:

(68% complete)

 To-Do:

• lighten up the paint color, it's pretty dark
• add tile wallpaper backsplash on space under cabinets
• replace exterior door with an outswing insulated door with dead bolts
• fix electric... :/
• upgrade light fixture
• added microchip pet door for Sebastian (little spendy but I don't want Pouka and Lucy going outside)

Done:

• new energy efficient washer/dryer
• build countertop
• added storage for kitty area
• added shelf for storage baskets
• painted ceiling/trim/molding
• painted cabinets
• added cabinet hardware
• upgraded outlet covers

 All in all, I have definitely done a lot since I've owned the house. (it'll be 5 years in May. craycray yo.) Some of the things I want to do just are reflective of where I am in my life and upgrading from the free college furniture to stuff that I would like to have for years to come. Some of it is to just keep up with the trends. At this point I think some of my redos are going to be a little sporatic. So for example, replacing furniture might be 6 months to 2 years depending on what I decide to get.

The first five things I do plan on doing are:

• repainting the living room (pretty sure Revere Pewter by BM)
• painting the ceiling in the kitchen/living room/dining room area
• paint laundry room
• upgrade countertops
• replace back exterior door

Hopefully some of those other nit-picky things get knocked off along with the ones listed above. I think it will be great! Besides I get my first paycheck in March for substitute teaching so I'll finally be able to do things! (thank all holyness everywhere.)