Counter Install... The Struggle.

A couple of weeks ago I shared that I finally bit the bullet and bought countertops for my kitchen. After we brought them home, they lived in the guest room. Where they were not as happy...

Last summer when I worked at Lowe's I found this kitchen faucet on sale for super cheap, I believe it was $20.00, but I really don't remember. It isn't the fanciest brand out there and doesn't have crazy cool features but! It doesn't leak and I can actually fit a pan underneath of it. Which is awesome! Especially after five years of filling up a pot with a cup and water.

All of my decorations and the microwave went to live in the dining room for about a week. I hired a contractor for this install, one of the three times I could count. Part of the reason was because I didn't have the experience or the right tools and $200.00 in counters was not something I wanted to mess up!

Here's the bare naked countertops! Out with the old... see that ugly gap in the middle where the bar ends? Yuck. I even was able to fix that! But we're not there yet... hehe

Tony, the contractor came over and started the tear out process. Which was icky. I had to replace a section of my "back splash" because it was stuck to the old counters. Luckily! I had originally used a tile inspired paintable wallpaper from Lowe's which I had extra in, and is still in stock! No money spent there.

When they took the sink out I had them set up outside, a kneeling outdoor kitchen! Kidding... I did get to do some cleaning on it though. See that old short faucet? Adios!

Of course Lucy the cat was being all sorts of creepy and up in the production of everything. We have to keep a baby gate up to keep the dogs out of the cat stuff and their food. It looks beautiful. Maybe one day I will redo it? Add it to the never ending list.

Always looks way worse before it looks better...

But seriously... its naked and it was scary. See that old ugly wallpaper? Ewwww.

Look at these beautiful counters as we prepped them to cut! They look so bright and clean and sparkly and I love them so much.

Dry-fitting them into the cabinetry and looking at them against the "tile" made me so excited and happy!

Keep your eyes peeled next week and I will show you all just how fantastic they look in action. Even my brother (who doesn't really look at such things) thought that they looked great and said it was money well-spent. I couldn't agree more!

Guest Post: Bathroom Decor Made Easy

I love redoing bathrooms and making them fabulous. Check out some ideas from guest blogger Sue Jason: 

Hi my name is Sue Jason and I am a blogger at My-bathrooms blog. I have a passion for sharing ideas which include home improvement and decor.

Bathroom Decor Made Easy

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Bathroom décor can be tricky. The room is used by everyone in the house, several times a day, and the décor can soon fade. Complicated arrangements tend not to last very long either as busy bathers brush past on their way to the loo, the bedroom or even to the basin to get that soap out of their eyes! What follows is a list of quick and easy bathroom décor ideas.

Spring Clean It!

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First of all, give the bathroom a good scrub, getting all those dark and gloomy corners that you usually skip! Just removing every vestige of dust and soap residue can make a huge difference to the look of your bathroom. If the big scrub does not really achieve much, except to highlight the peeling wallpaper and cracked and chipped paintwork, then you may well have to invest in a pot of paint or two and get to work!

Repurpose Unwanted Goods

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Once the walls and floor look good, you can add some unique and lovely features for very little money. Repurpose some old furniture and sturdy packing crates by giving them a thick waterproof covering and painting them to match the bathroom décor. Once they are finished, they will look lovely and provide you with some extra storage space for spare towels, toilet rolls and other toiletries and cosmetics.

Skirting the Issue

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Give your basin a skirt! Making a cover to fall prettily from the edge of the basin to the floor, not only creates a wonderfully seamless look in the bathroom (which will be enhanced by your choice of attractive fabric!) but you are creating a wonderful space which can be packed full of bathroom supplies!

Hang It All!

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Invest in some pretty hanging baskets that are designed for indoor use. When these are packed full of bath products they will have everything easily to hand, and yet, still out of the way and not cluttering up the floor!

Opt For Non-Bulky Storage

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Shelves, racks and hooks are wonderful in bathrooms, providing useful storage options without being bulky or space-consuming. Install plenty of these and get rid of all your floor-bound clutter and see what a great difference it makes.

Ornamental Bath Products!

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Create a vignette with beautiful and useful products: from bath bombs to fancy soaps to ornate jars of bath salts, modern bathing products can look amazing and smell gorgeous too. Arrange several of these products to create a delightful impression, while ensuring that your favorite bath bomb is always nearby when you need it!

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!