Okay, We Have Some Progress

Okay, we have some progress, but I'm still planning a chiding letter tomorrow to the contractor. 7

 months and counting.

 

I do have a thing for blue, my son is right.

 

The swell new stainless back splash? Ready...contact paper! Yes! They have contact paper for $6 a roll 

at Target that looks like brushed stainless! This is temporary until I get the cabinets at IKEA, so cheap was a must. Then I'll be tackling glass mosaic tile. Relax, you can watch.

 

It'll get done; however. I think drywall tape is starting to give me a rash.

Been Pinched Lately?

Want a slew of cheap yet spectacular ideas? I positively wallow in The Thrifty Home for Jen's wonderful

Penny Pinching Party  held every Wednesday, and this week, I got up the courage to actually submit a little Rehab project. Pop over and learn some frugal from the experts!

It's a Start...

We got busy with the basics last weekend.

I like to container garden simply because then my crop is portable for the most part. I can use all this lush greenery as centerpieces and accents in the outdoor spaces; plus the herbs are nice and close to the house for a quick snip at suppertime. Here's what we'll be having for dinner!

A little fresh, crunchy lettuce for salads and sandwiches.

Some lovely bell pepper.

Fresh oregano is a must on garlic bread.

And we're going to pickle our own spicy peppers for sandwiches.

I have a slight addiction to basil. It's not a problem though. I can quit whenever I want.

Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme...okay, it's cilantro. We do have parsley. You'll see that in a while.

The rosemary is a few years old and rather enormous.

The first of the tomatoes. The others will go in the raised bed. Oops! Spoiler alert!

And we're about to be treated to a riot of cactus blooms.

The bougainvillea has already forgiven me for its severe pruning. 

And I did promise you a fountain project. Well guess what this is going to be...

Treat Yourself

 

So, as far as what I got at The Container Store, it was these two huge jars, which I honestly considered turning into lamps. But I have the stuff for another lamp project. What I didn't have was dog treat storage. And Princess Arwen does have a selection of treats at any given time because she will refuse to sit for it if you choose the "wrong" one.

Ahem.

Now, these were fine on their own, but that's not my style. I needed a third jar, and a pickle jar we had just emptied fit the bill nicely. I spray painted its lid so it wouldn't look like I was giving my dog dill treats. I went ahead and sprayed some spaghetti sauce jar lids which are headed for another project as long as I was at it.

 

Then I nabbed a piece of cardboard that backed a poster (you throw that kind of thing away? Seriously?), measured two rectangles, cut them out and punched holes in the corners. These got a coat of Krylon Aqua. Once dry, I just wrote the particular treat on the card, hot glued on some shells and marbles and hung them with twine around the neck of the jars.

 

I'm pretty happy with this one!

 

I'll get to the Snausage one in a bit. Savannah needs the kitchen island to make cookies. If you'd ever had her cookies, you'd get out of her way too.

The jars? $10 and $4.

The little signs? Free

Totally Cool Receipt: $14

Airtight storage in Florida? A necessity.

Accessorize!

I bought these boxes in the 90's. Can you tell?

It's a set of four in graduated sizes. They were okay, but they didn't match the bedroom anymore, which is going all blue and white. However, they're roomy and hide a lot of stuff. So after a couple of weeks of staring at them, I made a decision:

Those boxes were getting a case of the blues.

Yeah, that was bad.

 

First, I wiped them all clean inside and out. Then, I removed the mauve cords. The bottoms got 4 light coats of True Blue, and the lids were treated to Aqua. Next, I hot glued a few shells, bits of seaglass, and flat-backed marbles to the rims just as an accent. The mauve cords were replaced with the same blue ribbon I used for the lamp shades. Then I stepped

back and admired my nearly free makeover.

If you are not insanely stocked with craft supplies this would probably cost around $10 for all four boxes. I like price tags like that. And I like the fact that these did not end up in a landfill.

Wearing 41 Sombreros

 

Why yes he is.

My oldest son is graduating from high school this year. He's an actor with several collaborative projects already under his belt, polite, loving, drop dead gorgeous, and he has straight A's. He has a circle of friends who are kids I just adore. He's incredibly helpful with my remodeling insanity.

And he has Aspergers. Which makes me even more proud of everything he's grown up to be.

 

So you may recall the pinata from this post. That's what started the theme for our Graduation Fiesta! It didn't hurt that the 41 sombreros are from nowhere other than the Dollar Tree! I'm collecting larger tin cans for the centerpieces and lighting, and cardboard tubes for party favors. My wonderful husband, who is an ex-chef turned middle school teacher, is in charge of the menu. He's Hispanic, so this should work out to my advantage.

 

We have some great environmentally friendly, budget savvy ideas for pulling this off, and I'll post all of the projects and purchases as we hurdle toward June, so stay tuned! And if you've done anything that would fit the theme, please share, and I'll feature you!

Mirror, Mirror

 

The compact little cottage vanities we installed in both bathrooms came with white MDF mirrors, which since we restored the 83 year old medicine chests,

were unneeded. At least in the bathrooms.

The spray paint color for the master bedroom is called True Blue. I used painter's tape and newspaper to cover the glass and gave the frames 3 light coats of paint for complete coverage.

 

Once that was dried and cured, I fired up the hot glue gun and grabbed some shells, sea glass, and

 flat-backed marbles.

  

The mirrors will hang side by side, which I kept in mind as I worked. I didn't want this to be heavy; I wanted a light accent. Starting with my heavier pieces, I glued them to the frame, then used tiny shells to fill in. I made sure it wasn't too symmetrical to keep the look casual.

And there you have it. They match the lamps nicely as well. And the next project too, in fact...

Some Stuff for Savannah

Yeah, you know the drill. Totally trash worthy boxes that have some life left.

 

And patching the corners with clear duct tape? Not rocket science.

 

Spray painting the bottoms and tops in coordinating blues? You have that T-shirt.

 

The peanut canister is new...

Plastic primer, coordinating colors, hot glue, shells, and my daughter has some fun new storage pieces. For more detailed instructions, fade back to HERE. And frankly, I just love this version.