tiny kitchen makeover - part 1

OK so you saw the post about painting the cabinets white. I was reading my Better Homes & Gardens magazine and every blurb and picture in there seemed to concur that white with white opens up small spaces, the more light the better.

Naturally, I had to paint something - again! A couple years ago, my husband and I made a mosaic tile back splash in our kitchen. Tiling is actually very simple, cutting tile seems to be the scariest part. I used 1 x 1inch tiles so cutting them was simple with a handheld tile cutter. The tiles were green and brown earthy tones since I thought that was a neutral...I was wrong. Check this out:

If you are thinking of doing the same, they sell 1 x 1 foot mosaic tile sheets connected with netting on the back.

Pretty... but my colors are now blues with Earth tones. I painted this in the same way I did the bathroom counter - white primer all around.

Tip- use a travel bar soap holder for small rollers!

Of course I taped off the counters and removed the face plates. I used a sponge roller and did about 3-4 coats and touch ups. I let it dry for at least 4 hours.

I decided to add some blue tiles randomly for some color and 3 dimensional effect. Luckily I was able to find this perfect little package of blue tiles at Micheal's for $4.99 and the color was pretty close to what I have on a couple of walls in my house.

I added the tiniest bit of Gorilla Glue and just started popping them around the back splash (yes, I'm sure there are more sophisticated ways to attach these, but I was not going out to the store again!).

Ta-Da! Updated and bright :-) I love it! So does the hubs!

Here's your totals breakdown:
Quart of Primer - $13.92
Tiles - $4.99
Sponge roller - $1.00 (seriously!)
Total: $19.91

Next I am planning to open up some shelving, another cool tip I got from Better Homes and Gardens!

Put some Paint On It! Part 2

A week after I refreshed my kitchen (for the second time), I saw something on a DIY Network show about 10 cheap fixes for bathrooms and they painted TILE!!! So cool! I tried to find a link to that particular show but couldn't get it on their website. But you can check out their main page here) The video I referenced while finding more tips on tile painting was from HGTV's website.

My bathroom tile on the floor and the vanity is less than stellar to look at and does not go with the house at all. We are pretty sure we got this house in the middle of a remodel (short sale) and they had finished some rooms, not finished others and had opposite taste of my husband and I in some cases; with the master bath being the biggest opposite. The sinks are black and rectangular thus making them impossible to clean since they show everything, oh and the toilet is black... you read that right: black. The vanity tiles have some sort of Egyptian designs on them including but not limited to: King Tut, a beetle, an aloe looking plant and some other tribal-esque designs. And they are the color that matches the Spanish tile on the floor with a surprisingly lovely green wall color. Anybody else confused?

this picture doesn't show the floor but you can see the black toilet to the right

Anyways, at the hardware store I found a primer that had everything in it and was tintable. I wanted white and the primer was already white. I figured black with white made more sense than black with pink/orange. . I used Zinsser B-I-N Primer Sealer "Ultimate Stain Blocker".

 

This stuff was great, and I only had to buy a pint since the surface area is small (didn't use the spray that you see above). I used a tiny sponge roller to apply and a foam brush for the smaller areas around the sinks and in the corners. It needed about 4-5 coats and at least 45 minutes between coats. The great thing is you can paint right over the grout too and it gives it a really cool look. I may eventually need to go over everything  with polyurethane for water resistance, but so far so good. I have not had any issues with water penetrating the paint since we have been wiping up any that gets on there, which is just good cleaning practice anyway.

*Tip on primer/sealer: it is a lot thinner than paint and it will create tiny bubbles when you roll it on with your sponge roller, they do pop and the paint ends up smooth.

Transformed:

Just realized there is a little hair tie on the floor that my Midge kitty must have been playing with

 Now you can see the Spanish tile floor, that may be next! Unfortunately the above picture does not show the detail in the painted tile, so here you go:

 

 

notice the black sink detail and the fancy tile design

Totals:
1 pint of primer/sealer: $10
supplies: $4
Yep... I transformed my bathroom vanity without demolition or replacing anything for $14!!!
Bathroom floor: I'm coming for you! :-)

Put some paint on it! Part 1

Ever see the movie 'My Big Fat Greek Wedding'? The father used Windex as a cure for everything; have a pimple? "Put some Windex!" I feel the same way about paint, although definitely not for a pimple (then again, makeup has been referred to as "war paint"). Based on the title of my blog and its' contents from my first post I am sure you know by now that I am a savvy shopper. Paint is one of the most simple and inexpensive ways to update almost anything. There are so many different types of paint for every surface imaginable.

Since I have not chronicled every project before creating this blog, I will list a few of the things I have painted and my very basic knowledge on the subject.

We bought our 900 square foot second floor condominium in 2008 and it looks quite different inside now. The kitchen cabinets were my first and least favorite thing and had to go! Here they were:

 I think they are some sort of cheap material and a tiny bit of wood. My guess is press board covered with some sort of white overlay? I just hollered to my husband asking him what they were made of and his response was "I don't know what that's called...crap?" My thoughts exactly! The little bits of wood make even less sense, but it is in almost every house in this small growing city built around the 80's and 90's. Cookie cutter get-it-done-as-fast-as-you-can-build-it condo's.

Basic wall paint did the trick. I think the invention of the primer and paint in one is genius and has saved me loads of time and money. I asked the nice people at Lowe's what they would use over the cabinets, being in this area they knew the surface I was trying to cover well. They advised me to get the paint with primer and in a semi-gloss or eggshell finish. This job was time consuming but very basic: take the cabinet doors off  and paint the doors and the cabinet structures/frames separately. Do at least 2 coats and use sponge rollers instead of the normal ones you would use for texture on your walls. You want it to be flat and not noticeable that you painted them. Attach the doors back on and voila!

About 18 months after this I decided to do a backsplash with mosaic tiles. But I will cover that in another blog. The counter tops are definitely Formica or something similar or a very cheap laminate. That I will change in time, but it will be more difficult and expensive.

Here's funny story: about a month or two ago I began to hate the brown on the cabinets as my kitchen was already so small and it made it very dark. After 3 years I hated it! So I of course said to myself: paint it!

I went all white this time to open up the space and based on HGTV and Pinterest I have been seeing a lot of white countertops with white cabinets and stainless steel appliances. My original thought was that stainless required dark colored features around it, but I was very wrong and I am now loving my kitchen and am in there a lot more... in fact, there's dinner on the stove:

Added some new sleek modern hardware this time and it really made a difference. The cost of paint and hardware with differ obviously depending on kitchen sizes, but I only needed one gallon of paint each time and the hardware was the most expensive at about $3-4 a piece.
*Tip for hardware/cabinet pulls: if you chose a basic design stores will carry them in packages of 10 or more and you save some bucks!

Totals (these are approximate as I didn't keep track for the blog, sorry!):
gallon of paint + primer: $36
supplies: roughly $15
hardware: $70
Fresh kitchen: about $121 ...not bad!

 *See painting part 2 and eventually a did-it-myself backsplash blog...

Headboard Finale

Headboard was finished and hung last night, and I slept like a rock! When my husband called to say good morning I was confused and the blankets had not even shifted as much as an inch! If you have been having trouble sleeping, just make a headboard and tucker yourself out :-) It was also a very nice reward to wake up to the headboard and see the fruits of my labor first thing.

OK so where we left off: finish stapling fabric pulling it taught; but not too tight as I left room to hammer in the nail-heads without ripping it so I could have a step-like trim around the perimeter (as I saw in the blog I mentioned before; that you can reference here).

I found a great product at Joann's that was a huge time and money saver: metal nail-head trim. It comes in a thin metal roll like a ribbon and you just hammer one nail in every 4 faux nails. It retails for $20 but Joann's honors competitors coupons and I had a 50% off single item from Michael's! Score! I only needed the 5 yard version (they make a 10 yard version for about $35 but don't quote me on that). I bought extra nail-heads which I didn't end up needing so they will go back.

It also makes it easier to keep a straight line with the trim versus hammering each individual nail. I straightened out the amount of trim I needed for each side and started at the bottom. I had to put a couple staples underneath here and there as certain places proved more difficult to nail than others.

Miss Midge checking out my progress

Sorry that it's a little hard to see in the picture as I had such a light fabric and used silver nail-heads, but you can get a little idea.
Next I straightened out all of the crooked parts since sometimes the nails bent a little on the way in. All I did for that was smack it with the hammer in the direction I wanted it to be since the nails are not weight bearing and it doesn't matter what they look like underneath. I also didn't make the trim go all around the bottom of the board but just about 6-8 inches on each side. I hung the board so that the bottom 2-3 inches were behind the mattress so this part does not show.

What I learned from the guys in the lumber department at Home Depot was that plywood bends and over time it will continue to warp if you do not 'frame it out' with something on the back side to keep it straight. So I just grabbed a furring strip (11/16" x 3/8" x 8') for 75 cents and had them cut it into 3 foot pieces and used whatever was left for the center, creating a horizontal 'H' on the back side. Drilled it straight across using a level and 2 screws in each piece. The level is key here because I used the top piece to hang the whole thing on the wall later. I trimmed the excess fabric all around before this so it wouldn't be in the way.
*Note about plywood: you may want to use some utility gloves or it will bite you! I thought I had gotten all of my splinters out, but this morning at pilates my fingertip was red and swollen and throbbing! I went home and pulled out a super slim almost impossible to see 1/2 inch long flimsy splinter out of my finger and now have a hole, but I feel tons better! I also have little scratches all over my fingers... lesson learned! :-)

Then I was ready to hang it! Measured, put some anchors in place, a couple heavy-duty screws and voila!!! A home made headboard that I can be proud of for years to come!

Sorry for the slight blur, it was 10 pm by this time and I was ready to shower and climb into that bed!

Totals
plywood & furring strip: $13.75 (free to cut)
carpet padding: $9
fabric: $18
nail-head trim: $10
free items:
Used blanket for padding, borrowed staple gun w/ staples (Thanks D!)
Moral support from one cute husband and one fun girlfriend (beers and frozen pizza not included in the budget, but equally as effective as the rest of the tools... right Andria?)

(tax included and rounded) THAT MAKES A $55.00 HEADBOARD!!!

Check out these beautifully manufactured headboards for $600+
Crate & Barrel  Pottery Barn  or even this one from Target on sale for $343!
Feeling pretty smug with my $55 upholstered headboard right about now, not going to lie :-)

Splinters in my Skirt/Headboard Project

The first project I am sharing is a home made headboard. I have been seeing many tutorials on Pinterest like this DIY tufted headboard from ApartmentTherapy.com and a very clever idea for one using wallpaper and molding from StyleAtHome.com. I have wanted one for years and they retail anywhere from $150-$500+ depending where you shop. I know people who re-upholster their furniture themselves and thought "I can do it"!

I decided to go with a similar take on an upholstered headboard with nail head detail that I "re-pinned" from someone: Isabella And Max Rooms Blog This particular blogger decided to make a wall out of it which I personally think came out beautifully and the fabric was awesome! I, however, did not have the energy or the space to build one so large.

My bed is a queen size so I needed a piece of plywood the size of 62"x40". You can choose whatever you want as the standard size of wood is 4'x8'. I got mine at Home Depot and it was approximately $13. They will cut it for free. The guy in the lumber department with a beard and a neck tattoo was honestly one of the most pleasant people I have ever come into contact with. He thought what I was doing was super cool and got really into it and was brainstorming with me. I'm pretty sure the old salty dudes waiting to get their lumber cut were not as pleased with my fun project; seeing as I wheeled the big metal cart out with my skirt and looked like I had no idea what I was doing. (I was not expecting to be next to Home Depot this day, otherwise I would have changed clothes). Either way, I was glad it was a long skirt because I ended up with splinters all throughout my front side as I wrestled my lumber into the back of my Escape.

OK. To start you will need: plywood (I read that you should not use particle board as the chemicals used are still present for a while; if you do use particle board, seal it with polyurithene), staple gun (does not need to be motorized), measuring tape, carpet padding.

Cut to the next day: purchased carpet padding from Lowe's as they had better prices on that than Home Depot at 48 cents per square foot (HD doesn't sell per sq ft) total: about $8.
Bought batting at a fabric store, then got a call from my mom who was cleaning out her linen closet; yes, please bring me my old pink velour twin sized blanket so I may salvage it and use it for more padding on the headboard project! Batting: $9.99. Old blanket: free! Making that return tomorrow. Thanks mom!

Cut 2 layers of carpet padding approximately 2 inches inside the perimeter of the plywood (or however far you would like). Staple the first layer in place about every 6 inches, then attach the second layer with staples.
Next I folded the blanket in half (even cushier!) and covered the whole thing evenly. Stapled about 3-4 staples along the outside of the board to keep blanket in place (don't worry, nobody will see this once it's finished). Pull the blanket tightly across working one side at a time with the staple gun. Pull it around the back and staple it into place.

back side

front side

Next iron your fabric. I found some awesome micro suede neutral colored upholstery fabric in the back of Joann's on clearance. Original price: $15.99 per yard. Clearance price: $9 per yard! I only needed 2 yards for this as the width of the fabric was 58 inches and I only needed about 46. Staple the top or bottom of the fabric to the back of the board so you can have a baseline and then it won't move when you start hammering in the decorative nail heads.

 That's as far as I got tonight... tune in tomorrow!